Have a PUP & wanna go to Disney but...

[disneybound'08]

We live in North MS, and it is a long way to tow a pop-up. We would like to plan a trip for, late Oct. or so. We have been to Disney 4 times and our first trip was at the cabins and we fell in love with Ft Wilderness. We got our 2008 Jayco 1206 late last summer and just took our 5th trip last week with our family of 5, but this trip will be with a group of 10 3 adults and 7 kids from 4 to 16. We have tents and most gear we would need, and one campsite is much more affordable than 3 rooms at a value, which will save us a lot of $$$$ We can also make quite a few of our meals at camp saving more $$$$. My first question is for any who have done it, is it worth all the extra hassle with meals and such? the other question, I know thismay sound crazy, but dh recommended taking our small chest type freezer instead of a lot of coolers, because we already have it and we would have to buy more coolers for the amount of food we would need for 7 days x's 10 people. The freezer is about the size of a large dorm fridge, and with our camper fridge, we would have plenty of space to freeze ahead meals to just thaw and heat. Does this sound nuts? we have the room to haul it and a tent for it and all kitchen things already. what do you guys think? I havent really posted here, but have been reading for a long time, love this board, and while I am sorry this is so long, i thank you in advance for any input

 

[bama_ed]

We live in North MS, and it is a long way to tow a pop-up. We would like to plan a trip for, late Oct. or so. We have been to Disney 4 times and our first trip was at the cabins and we fell in love with Ft Wilderness. We got our 2008 Jayco 1206 late last summer and just took our 5th trip last week with our family of 5, but this trip will be with a group of 10 3 adults and 7 kids from 4 to 16. We have tents and most gear we would need, and one campsite is much more affordable than 3 rooms at a value, which will save us a lot of $$$$ We can also make quite a few of our meals at camp saving more $$$$. My first question is for any who have done it, is it worth all the extra hassle with meals and such? the other question, I know thismay sound crazy, but dh recommended taking our small chest type freezer instead of a lot of coolers, because we already have it and we would have to buy more coolers for the amount of food we would need for 7 days x's 10 people. The freezer is about the size of a large dorm fridge, and with our camper fridge, we would have plenty of space to freeze ahead meals to just thaw and heat. Does this sound nuts? we have the room to haul it and a tent for it and all kitchen things already. what do you guys think? I havent really posted here, but have been reading for a long time, love this board, and while I am sorry this is so long, i thank you in advance for any input

'08,

I would say DEFINITELY do this. And welcome.

Make sure you get the dates you want. You can get food at a Winn Dixie on Apopka-Vineland Road. Specifiy in your reservation you need a BIG site. Eat a breakfast at the campsite, pay for folks to do a counter lunch, then a site dinner. Food/meal costs are where you can save some money by camping.

If you can get the Fort in late October then do so. Halloween fills up the Fort but if you can get it then do so. There's lots of Fort activities during the day (you get a list at checkin) plus you can save money by eating as many meals as you can at the campsite.

Figure that this is a learning exercise for your NEXT fort visit. Have a great time.

Bama ED

PS - I have a Jayco 12HW 2005 pop-up we take. Your pup can be the base of operations. Have FUN.

 

[2goofycampers]

First off welcome ,
Cooking meals won't be a huge hassle if everyone pitches in and you have some pre-made meals.
Yes, I think a freezer is a good idea at The Fort. My first thought was, how are you gonna keep the food frozen while traveling?

 

[stpetedisneydad]

Welcome!! I agree with the previous posters. You will save a bundle by eating 2 meals a day at your site. Seems like an average counter service meal is about $8 to $10 per person these days so do the math. Pre-cooking meals and freezing ahead is a great idea. If the freezer you're bringing is full of frozen food when you leave and not opened the food can stay frozen for 24 hours or more so you should have plenty of time to get it to the Fort and plugged in. Also bring crock pots to reheat or cook meals. Fill them before heading to the parks and you'll have a hot meal when you get back.

 

[gillenkl]

We have a PUP which we tow almost 1000 miles to the Fort one way. I "cook" 2 meals a day - breakfast and then dinner usually. On the way in to the Fort we stop at the Winn-Dixie a previous poster mentioned and stock up usually on several frozen type dinners. My kids think Stouffers/Hungryman are a big treat on vacation because I never buy them at home We bring a small freezer (we use this to make ice cubes too), 7-day cooler, microwave, electric skillet, toaster, coffee maker, etc..... For our family of 4 we estimate it will cost $40 for every counter service meal - that might give you an idea if cooking is "worth it or not".

 

[Teamubr]

Welcome to the Camping Forum.

I had to chuckle a bit about N MS being a long way to tow a PUP. We have a 31 ft 5th wheel we tow from St Louis, but I also tow a 48 ft race trailer all over the country. It's all in what you are used to.

But your thoughts on meals are exactly why we tow 1000 miles to the Fort. Even with the discounts they had for the room resorts, factoring in the meals we eat at the camper, it's still cheaper to tow down and stay at the Fort. Even factoring in fuel. We also have a dorm size refrig/freezer we bring down and set outside under the awning. For PUP and tent camping it would be perfect.

Sounds like you have a great plan to bring a lot of people for the least amount of money. Have fun.

j

 

[mikeymouse1]

Load the Pup up and go! We always cook at the sight and it keeps the cost way down and the food is almost always better!

 

[WeCampDisney]

Welcome aboard! We love to cook breakfast early in the morning, using a large electric flat griddle. I crumble up a whole package of sausage into small bits and cook it on the griddle. When its done I pour a doz scrambled eggs all over the griddle right on top of the sausage. keep stirring it because it cooks in just a minute because its all spread out in a thin layer on the large griddle. Microwave a stack of flour tortillas to warm. Have a jar of Pace Picante Sauce and a package of grated cheese and paper plates near the griddle. A super fast, delicious breakfast burrito. A hearty breakfast with some meat will keep you from being hungry untill lunch time. We do these burritoes several times on all our camping trips. Its just so quick and easy to cook and so delicious. Two of these, a glass of milk and a piece of fruit and I am good to go.

 

[skyp4WDW]

I don't usually cook at Ft Wilderness, but I do bring a Huge amount of breakfast and snack foods (granola/cereal bars, Rice Krispies treats, fruit, cookies, cake, chips, etc). I have found when traveling with kids that they can't easily wait for meals...They need to eat whenever and where ever we are when they're hungry. And there are endless exciting treats at WDW everywhere you look so having your own "super stash" can save a bundle of money; and you won't have to say "no" every five minutes in the parks.
I also think your freezer idea is a very good one. I would pre-cook as much as possible and keep it as simple as you can so that your whole vacation is not centered around preparing food for a large group.
Another idea to save money on meals is to be aware of the best value for the dollar in the parks, at Ft Wilderness, DTD, etc. For instance, you can feed alot of people on the Giddy-Up-and-Go from Tails End at FW for about $30. (You can view all of the menus/with prices from the resorts and parks on allears.net) That will allow to to plan ahead. Have a wonderful time.

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Welcome to the boards !
Absolutely, positively, yeah baby, do it !!



And bring a fish'n pole.

 

[dblr]

I can not add much more then what has already been said here but I think your plan would work well, I like the idea of bringing the freezer and as far as things staying frozen if you have room I would freeze a gallon jug of water to keep inside to help keep cold, as long as you keep the freezer shut it should do ok.
What type of tow vehicle do you have, must be a bus to bring that crew with you hope you have alot of room, anyway go with your plan and report back how your trip went.

 

[Born 2 Fish]

I don't have any experience with it, but, maybe dry ice would help ? It's smaller, more compact than froze water.

 

[disneybound'08]

Wow, thanks so much for all the helpful and friendly replies! I am beginning to feel much more confident about the possibility of camping at the fort. This is so exciting,and my DH who is not really a huge disney fan IS a huge camping and fishing fan....and he is actually getting involved in planning something he has never done before. Maybe if this turns out well, we will be visiting the fort again . I did have another question, we will be bringing our Chrystler town and country but also another truck and 8ft trailer, if the site wont accomodate all these with our camper, is there an area to park them? Thanks again everyone

 

[dblr]

Dry ice would work also did not think of that, when we had a pop up we did the frozen water then had drnking water from home( I know sounds silly).
Yes they have an overflow lot out front near check in to park your extra vehicles.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

after you unload truck and trailer, you may have to move them to overflow parking at front of campground for your stay. on our site we had minivan,F150,our 19ft tt and good size tent on our site plus a golf cart. we had 4 adults and 3 boys. other group was nearby in a cabin.

 

[cbcrockett]

Do it! We are just north of Memphis and pulled our teardrop 2 years ago. It was just me and DH, and obviously, the teardrop was pretty light, but WELL worth it! Hopefully, we'll be officially planning our next trip for April of next year with the new baby, and pulling our (new to us) hybrid.

For me, any hassle involved with getting it there/setting up/etc. is well worth having "home" right there in the World!