Help family of eight decide free dinning or FW?

[PolynesianPixie]

DH & I have stayed at FW Cabins, POR, DL, CR, PR, SOG & CBR in the 8 or 9 years (out of our 34) we didn't have any camping equipment. I would definitely stay at FtW Campground. Nothing else compares, IMHO!!

On another note... Disney resorts (all of them) are having problems with bed bugs & lice, and have been having the problem since December. I can't say if there's a problem with "Mousekeeping", but from what I've read on some of the other forums, the cleaning staff seems to leave a bit to be desired. In the first part of January, over 1/4 of the CBR had to be closed & guests relocated so they could rip out all the bedding & replace it due to bed bugs. With that in mind, you may want to camp at FtW!!

Oh, heebie-jeebies!

 

[mrsgus06]

This is sort of a hard one since taking 6 kids all under 7 to WDW is something I would never consider doing

Been there, done that! I am so glad that my youngest is 6 now. As for remembering, she remembers very well. Of course, it doesn't hurt that we are there all the time!

I would also camp over doing the dining plan. My personal experience is it is easier to feed them at the camper than to get all of them clean and where they needed to be just to eat! Holy crap, I would be exhausted if I had to do that to all of mine 3 times a day! I just prefer the campground to any resort.

 

[seven dwarfs]

LarryJ: My kids have all been to Disney many times starting with age 2! They love it there. I really think Disney has appealed to the younger age as well as us big kids! I think Disney helped them to learn patience by waiting in long lines!

I think we are going to book FW. Now I have to decide when to go. We love the first of December. We had gone during this time 3 years in a row. 2 years ago it was so busy that we changed to Sept for smaller crowds. Any ideas on crowd levels during the first two weeks of Dec in 07?

 

[2goofycampers]

LarryJ: My kids have all been to Disney many times starting with age 2! They love it there. I really think Disney has appealed to the younger age as well as us big kids! I think Disney helped them to learn patience by waiting in long lines!

I think we are going to book FW. Now I have to decide when to go. We love the first of December. We had gone during this time 3 years in a row. 2 years ago it was so busy that we changed to Sept for smaller crowds. Any ideas on crowd levels during the first two weeks of Dec in 07?

We were there Dec. 4 for 8 nites not too busy. Have you done MVMCP? great time for all ages. The least busy time we have ever seen was the first week of Jan. never waited in lines at WDW, US, or SW. Have a great time.

 

[seven dwarfs]

2goofycampers: Yes we have done the MVMCP! We loved this but it is just way to much money for us to do now with six kids. The last time it was sold out and the lines were so long. The lines were shorter during the day! I thought about getting AP's so we could go a couple of times in a year. I will have to look into Jan. We have never gone during this time before. Thanks.

 

[momoffive]

Originally Posted by seven dwarfs
LarryJ: My kids have all been to Disney many times starting with age 2! They love it there. I really think Disney has appealed to the younger age as well as us big kids! I think Disney helped them to learn patience by waiting in long lines!

We have 5 kiddos and we started taking them to WDW when the quads were 2 and free. We have been every 2 years since. The quads don't remember their first trip, which was only 1 day in MK, but it was a dream come true for my then 4 year old. This is the first time we are returning 2 years in a row and I think that is because it is FW. We had a great time. Difficult getting to the CS for showers. DH didn't want to take the boys with him, he said the men's rooms were gross. With my children I would have preferred a site closer to the CS. It wouldn't have been so bad if our pop-up had survived the trip down. This year I have reservations for Oct and plan to do the MNSSHP, and no meal plan. I want a relaxing week, still will cook, but plan to eat out off site. The free DP is usually offered right after my kids start school, and I don't want to pull them out again for a whole week. Good luck with your choice.
momoffive

 

[kc5grw]

... a very well to do woman who had just come out of the Hoop Dee Doo was saying that "she didn't mind the show, but you have to put up with these FW people"! ...

WoW. You said this was at Thanksgiving, correct? This woman needed to take a trip around any of the preferred loops at that end of the campground and would have realized that many of "these FW people" probably were better off than she. Sheesh, some people.

 

[clkelley]

I think I would go with the Fort myself!! Also, even if you get "1" annual pass then you can purchase the Disney Dining Experience card for $65 and save 20% on your sit down meals. With your crew, I'm sure you'll save that $65 in NO TIME at all!!

 

[luv_my_grlz]

Hi All!

We did the Disney Free Dining in 2006 and were hoping to get that deal again this year, but we just bought a camper and are now considering FW for this year's trip.

So, from what I've read here, in years past when you stay at FW you can NOT qualify for the free dining plan, right?

Also, I'm curious; some people here have mentioned campfires and movies? What is that about?

Also, if you stay at FW do you still get access to resort pools?

Thanks for your help! I know, I'm such a newbie!

 

[PolynesianPixie]

Hi All!

We did the Disney Free Dining in 2006 and were hoping to get that deal again this year, but we just bought a camper and are now considering FW for this year's trip.

So, from what I've read here, in years past when you stay at FW you can NOT qualify for the free dining plan, right?

Also, I'm curious; some people here have mentioned campfires and movies? What is that about?

Also, if you stay at FW do you still get access to resort pools?

Thanks for your help! I know, I'm such a newbie!

Welcome!

I was corrected earlier, apparently you can't get free dining and the campground unless you get a cabin. On the plus side, you can have plenty of meals at the camper.

The campfire and movie program is a blast! First there is a campfire/sing along with Chip and Dale where you can make s'mores. Then at the same place you hang out and watch the movie of the night, drive-in style, under the stars!

No pool hopping allowed. Unless you are a DVC member. There are 2 pools at the campground, though.

 

[Gillian]

I know what you mean. My kids were mortified the time we were waiting to go go to the MK and a very well to do woman who had just come out of the Hoop Dee Doo was saying that "she didn't mind the show, but you have to put up with these FW people"! DH and I were upset that our kids had to hear it, but my kids were angry. Keeping them quiet was rough, and I was proud of how they handled themselves. We'd much rather keep bringing them to FW where we've only met kind people who care about spending time with their families.

That is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard, for many reasons.

 

[terri01p]

Deb this is for you, the last hotel room I stayed in had bacon under the bed, whenever I reached for my shoe, I like to have lost it , I'll take camping any day ....hehe

 

[Escape Artist]

OP, even though you won't get the free dining plan when you camp at FW, you can still buy it. With all those kids at the kid rate, it wouldn't be too bad if you only wanted to get it for a couple of days to revisit your favorite places.

If you only want it for part of the time you're there, you can split your reservation, with one reservation number for the days you want the dining plan and another reservation number for the days you don't. I did this last year (although it took me 4 reservations to accomplish what I wanted, since I wanted my "dining plan days" in the middle of my trip) and it all worked out fine. For us, putting our popup on a campsite was so much cheaper that it was worth it to buy the dining plan, even though two of my kids are older and cost the adult DDP price.

That said, this year I'm doing it Carol's way...buying an AP and getting the DDE card.

You'll love being in the campground and out of the hotel, and when you run the numbers and think about what you really want, you'll come up with the right answer for you.

Did I read that you have a class A? That would push me towards the campground, just for the ease of driving down with the kids!

Sue in Texas
...so excited to get 2 trips to WDW in one year...yahoo!!

 

[Gillian]

This woman needed to take a trip around any of the preferred loops at that end of the campground and would have realized that many of "these FW people" probably were better off than she. Sheesh, some people.

I would love to be one of "those FW people"

I'm sure there are quite a few FW regulars who think staying at the Wilderness Lodge (the other place where you hear complaints about the campground) is slumming it!

 

[PolynesianPixie]

I would love to be one of "those FW people"

I'm sure there are quite a few FW regulars who think staying at the Wilderness Lodge (the other place where you hear complaints about the campground) is slumming it!

Yeah. I wanted to stay at FW in July, but I'll be slumming at WL instead Please don't think less of me.

 

[mrtroutjedi]

Well im normaly pretty quiet but....
We went in 2006 and camped (with the dining plan)when they were doing the FREE dining plan. The first night we could not get in any where to eat and ended up getting chicken from the resturant. The next morming I went to the front desk and complained (long sory short) after explaing how I paided for thr dining plan and so many people got it for free the CM got me in all the resturants I wanted at the times I wanted them. All im saying is the plan worked great for me if my kids did not like what was on the kid menu they let them order a half order off thr adult menu. We used are snack point for breakfast at the bakery (what every park we were at) Lunch if we had leftovers we would pack them up and onr of us would take the baby(2) back to the camper for a nap and to put the food away and meet up with the other later and have a late dinner (sit down or counter depending on what we did for lunch) them take the leftovers back with us and the kids(they just keep eating) would have a snack on the leftovers later.
We loved it as my wife "put it a real vacation" no cooking or dishes. FYI I did all the laundry before we left so she would not have to do it when we got home. So I would get it, we had a blast with it.

 

[AlyLynn]

WoW. You said this was at Thanksgiving, correct? This woman needed to take a trip around any of the preferred loops at that end of the campground and would have realized that many of "these FW people" probably were better off than she. Sheesh, some people.

That's what we laughed about that night! We love to drive the golf cart around and look at all the "Rock Star Tour Buses" as my kids call them. Anyway, I know several people seem upset that we didn't say anything to her, but you had to be there, and I felt we were better off not getting into an argument with her--especially with the 4 kids--she would have written our "ill manners" off to the fact that we had 4 children. It was a no win situation that we felt we made the best out of!

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Deb this is for you, the last hotel room I stayed in had bacon under the bed, whenever I reached for my shoe, I like to have lost it , I'll take camping any day ....hehe

Now....Ive heard of makin bacon in the bed.....but I aint never heard of it fallin out the bottom of the bed!!!!!!

Anyway, I know several people seem upset that we didn't say anything to her, but you had to be there, and I felt we were better off not getting into an argument with her--especially with the 4 kids--she would have written our "ill manners" off to the fact that we had 4 children. It was a no win situation that we felt we made the best out of!

Ya know, with the correct amount of pressure and at the right angel if ya slam a person like that in the nose....they are guaranteed to never make ignorant comments like that again....and ya dont even have to say anything to them!!!

 

[clkelley]

Well im normaly pretty quiet but....
We went in 2006 and camped (with the dining plan)when they were doing the FREE dining plan. The first night we could not get in any where to eat and ended up getting chicken from the resturant. The next morming I went to the front desk and complained (long sory short) after explaing how I paided for thr dining plan and so many people got it for free the CM got me in all the resturants I wanted at the times I wanted them. All im saying is the plan worked great for me if my kids did not like what was on the kid menu they let them order a half order off thr adult menu. We used are snack point for breakfast at the bakery (what every park we were at) Lunch if we had leftovers we would pack them up and onr of us would take the baby(2) back to the camper for a nap and to put the food away and meet up with the other later and have a late dinner (sit down or counter depending on what we did for lunch) them take the leftovers back with us and the kids(they just keep eating) would have a snack on the leftovers later.
We loved it as my wife "put it a real vacation" no cooking or dishes. FYI I did all the laundry before we left so she would not have to do it when we got home. So I would get it, we had a blast with it.

That is one thing with the dining plan, in order to use those sit down meals, you MUST make your dining reservations several months in advance and stick to those reservations, or you are going to be left with extra sit down credits!!!

Since we don't use the dining plan, I can call shortly before we wish to eat, give them a general area and time that I want to eat, and they usually come up with something, and if they don't, we'll find a nicer counter service, and not be out anything. Also, there are a few restaurants that are not on the Dining Plan that we can usually get into.

Let me qualify all this, we have done the dining plan only once during Free dining last September. It was fun and all as we love food and don't mind a schedule cause we've been so many times that dropping what we're doing to go eat isn't a problem and we are all adults. BUT, I would never pay for it as we left soooo much food sitting there and also we still spent money on deserts as we much prefer to have desert a couple of hours later, not right after stuffing ourselves.