How much is too much for you?

[AuburnJen92]

I am going to have to go on the 70 and with taxes 80 bandwagon. However, I am also with Carol, in that on any extended stay, that price has to go down significantly in order for it to work for us. Since the new tiers (preferred and premiums) went into effect, my sourness on the pricing structure has increased tenfold. Does this matter to Disney? Absolutely not. Does this affect the way I budget and attend FW? You betcha! As long as people will pay preferred and premium pricing structures, they will stay, so I am in no way wanting to prevent them or deny anyone the ability to pay for them. I, however, see no point in going for a site that has all this extra concrete that adds extra heat to my space, when I can be in a full hook up spot, have more space and swat yellow flies all I want. This limits when I can go, the amount of spaces I can rent at any given time and so on. This is my choice. We just stayed in a wonderful campsite in Crystal Isles where the campsites were 38 a night and you stay two nights and get one free. I could put my jet skis in on the river on their boat ramp for free and drive my golf cart around and loop all I wanted. I even took pictures of clothelines! (which I will be posting shortly on another thread) It is what each family can bear and each family can bear so much. I do hope that Disney expands their AP monthly payments to renewals, as that would really help us, but that remains to be seen. I am afraid though that if FW does become out of our reach in the future, our AP's will be used more for day trips and our camping trips will be taken at more places like Crystal Isle around the state of Florida. For my son's sake, I hope it doesn't come to that.

 

[Magicbus]

I'm going with the $70 too.
I know what the rack rates are at the Fort, but on average, what do people actually pay per night for a non-holiday stay?
Does anyone know how it compares with CGs near WDW?

 

[des1954]

Does anyone know how it compares with CGs near WDW?

The two campgrounds (KOA & Tropical Palms) on 192 charge about the same as Disney for their sites during holiday times. To be honest, I wouldn't pay $10/nite for the KOA. Tropical Palms is not a bad park - you just have to restrain yourself from comparing it to FtW. There is also a park on 192W @ Hwy 27. It used to be an Encore park but I noticed recently they are changing the sign to something else. Encore rates by the night were about the same as Disney, but, they offered weekly & monthly rates that were a little more affordable. I think Tropical Palms offers the same type of pricing.

The further away you get from Disney, the more reasonable the campgrounds become, except River Ranch in Lake Wales. Their pricing is right up there with FtW - but you get a lot for your $$$.

We have some neighbors that just sold their campground near Asheville, N.C. They had 150 sites, paved, all with W/S/30-50amp E. They had a very nice pool area and recreation hall, a putt-putt golf, laundry facility and bath houses as nice as FtW, and an agreement with a horse farm nearby to offer horseback riding at a reduced rate for campers. From the pictures I saw of their campground, it was as lovely as FtW, only with those beautiful Smokey Mountains for scenery. The park was closed from 11/15 through 4/15 (as is typical of campgrounds in that area). In 2008 they raised their rates to $35/nite if you needed 30amp power, and $40/nite for 50amp power. Their business dropped significantly. So significantly, that it was no longer profitable for them to remain open. They put the campground on the market after closing for the season in 2009. A developer bought it in March. By this time next year, a mini-storage business will be standing where once was a beautiful campground.

My point in telling this story is, that at one time, camping was a less expensive vacation/travel option for families, and it was a somewhat profitable business to go in to. Today that's just not the case. It's expensive for park owners to provide W/S/E, to offer nice amenities, to pay the staff, to pay the insurance (big one), and still make a buck at the end of the day. Disney is no exception. While I love to see all the beautiful decorations some campers put up at Christmas time, the use of all this electricity has to be paid for, and Disney won't foot the bill. Us long-time FtW campers remember a time when people didn't extreme decorate for the holidays and, now that I think of it, the rates didn't become so high until after the "Disney Donna's", et al, started trying to out-do each other with decorations. Prior to 2003, you could still get monthly reduce rates if you stayed 30 days or longer. Prior to 2001, there were only one or two campers that went all out with decorating. There were so few mega-decorated sites that the nightly hay wagon ride changed their route just to include viewing the couple of sites that were mega-decorated. Now, it seems like every 3rd site has mega-decorations at every holiday, not just Christmas. It somewhat loses the "oooh-aaah" factor when everybody's site look like a semi backed up to it and threw up decorations. If people think electricity is free with your site, think again. It's all factored in to the price. Disney never loses.

Sorry - this kind of took off in a different direction from Magicbus' original question.

 

[freshlybarked]

I will always stay at FW, irregardless of the price, because of what it offers. A beautiful environment with lots to do for my DH who can't sit still for 5 minutes and the chance to bring the dogs with us. We live close so in 90 minutes we are there. Leaving the state for someplace that offers lots to do would take more in gas than we are paying to go to the fort. We usually go 4 times a year and I will say we might cut back to 3 times, but everything figured in it is still our least expensive alternative for what we get. If I ived out of state I might have to reconsider.

 

[Luv2Camp]

Camping prices are really relative to other parks. Cedar Point gets $70.00 just to camp and they definitely don't have the ambiance of the FORT.

Especially in the winter

We're heading to the Point in early October for Halloween. I realize how expensive it is after going to the Fort. For $70 a night we get a pad to park our RV and a free ride to the park...That's it! We love the Fort so much and everything there is to do, I'm not sure if we'll hit a limit on what we'll spend to camp there. That being said, I do wish Disney would offer incentives that are offered to other guests staying at the resorts. But, I'm not going to go "there" again...I've certainly beat that dead horse enough!

 

[dtum]

We're heading to the Point in early October for Halloween. I realize how expensive it is after going to the Fort. For $70 a night we get a pad to park our RV and a free ride to the park...That's it! We love the Fort so much and everything there is to do, I'm not sure if we'll hit a limit on what we'll spend to camp there. That being said, I do wish Disney would offer incentives that are offered to other guests staying at the resorts. But, I'm not going to go "there" again...I've certainly beat that dead horse enough!

I think offering the incentives that other resorts get would be something to consider returning for. I know they say you get 10 people per site at FW and that's why they don't offer free dining, but i have a feeling most of the people are around 4-6 people and with the price about the same as Value, they should offer those camping the same thing and the same type of "room" discounts when they offer those.

 

[3girlsfun]

This thread reminds me of a conversation I had with my Mom the other day. We use to love to go to the beach, actually Panama City Beach. However, there is no way I am going to pay $1500+ for a condo for a week,and still have to cook all my meals, entertain my family, as well as cleanup all my dishes. That is basically paying $1500+ to play house in a different location. In other words, that is not a vacation!!!!

We have a trip booked at Pop that includes our dining, entertainment, rooms (2), and I don't have to clean a thing for less than $3000. And this is for 6 people, not the normal 5 people we would be paying for.

We also have a cruise booked for 5 people, which again, basically includes everything we will need, ohh, and no cleaning, cooking, or entertaining for me!!!! Less than a condo vacation.

In other words, no more condo vacations for me!!!

Another example:

There is a local campground. It is super nice, etc. We love it. They raised the price from $18 a night to $25 a night. I have been one time since then, and the price change irritated me, so I swear I didn't have as much fun. I just kept thinking....what is so different that I am paying that much more for this campground.....nothing!!!!!! And you can't say cost of living, bc the entire park is ran by prisoners from a local prison!

 

[des1954]

And you can't say cost of living, bc the entire park is ran by prisoners from a local prison!

I think you CAN say cost of living. It costs $$ to house & feed the prisoners. It costs $$ to transport them from the jail to the campground, and more than likely, the guards received a cost of living raise - especially if they are state employees. $25/nite for a site with W/S/E, or just W/E & a dump station is a very reasonable rate. Trackrock Campground in Ellijay, Ga is $37/nite for a site with W/S & 50 amp power. That's for 2 adults & 3 kids under 16. If any of your kids are 16 or older, you are charged an extra $5/nite for each person over 2 adults that are 16 or older.

I'd also be very wary of a campground run by prisoners.

 

[Lil' Lisa]

I'd also be very wary of a campground run by prisoners.

Holy Hannah! Me too!

And I am one of those fools who would pay whatever they are charging for the Fort. Maybe that is because we live so far away that we can't do it that often. It is a two week trip for us when you include travel time. Also staying at the Fort is the only way that we would ever be able to go to WDW because we don't travel anywhere without our fur babies. That being said, we still try to get the best rate that we can and I am thankful that they were offering a discount for the time we will be there.

 

[BradyBz12]

I know what the rack rates are at the Fort, but on average, what do people actually pay per night for a non-holiday stay?

We were there Nov 1-20 last year in a Preferred site, and with an AP discount ($10/night) it cost us $54/night.

 

[John VN]

We have a small, older MH. Staying at FW in our MH is just like having our house on WDW property with all the WDW amenities a short bus/boat ride away.

While staying at FW, I have no problem doing the cooking, cleaning, laundry or anything else I do at home. Just being at FW is the vacation we look forward to, not the being catered to that others might want.

Is there a price that would stop us from going? As of right now, NO.

 

[3girlsfun]

The campground does not have full hook ups, only a dump station, and no cable. I just can't see it. There are plenty of other campgrounds in north georgia area that have the same, except they have cable, and it is just as well maintained, they are $25 a night, and not kept up by state prisoners. The prisoners being there is not a big deal, they don't interact, and I have never felt uncomfortable as they always have officers with them.

I realized that I didn't actually answer the question. Yes, there is a price that would make me stay away from the Fort. Not exactly sure what it was, but, probably the point that I was annoyed with the price. I don't mind to pay a decent price, but, I don't want to feel like I am getting ripped off.

I don't mind to do those things when I am camping (cooking, cleaning, etc.) But, I am not going to pay a premium to do them all myself! Like what I said about the condo. I wouldn't pay $1500 to stay at the Fort and do everything myself, sorry, I will pay less than that at a nice resort, and not do any of it myself!

 

[BradyBz12]

For us the Fort is our annual (and only) vacation, so we really look at the whole package - gas, campsite, dining, tix, etc. We have a budget each year for what we can afford that year, and if we can work some discounts in one area, that frees us up to spend a little more in others.

However, we also stay 3 weeks, so campsite is a big chunk of the budget. Barring the lottery fairy leaving a big bag of cash on my doorstep, I'd have to guess that I'm in the $80/night camp too.

That said, I've already told DH that unless the world ends in 2012, we're going to the Fort for Christmas week.. so I'd better start saving now for those holiday rates!

 

[Magicbus]

we also stay 3 weeks

Three weeks, how do both of you manage to get three weeks off? I'd have to quit to get that much time off, and I'm not kidding.

 

[retired and happy]

I DID quit and now have a lot of time off. Now if my pension just were big enough to afford us all that we want to do. I don't know the cost that would force us to say ENOUGH!, I don't like the current costs and will likely cut back, but with our kids, there is not a lot for them to do at State parks and other campgrounds. We have added some Dollywood visits lately, but that's not cheap either.

 

[starbuc71]

we are one of the lucky ones who live only an hour or so away from the fort and can make 3 day weekend trips from time to time. We are also fortunate to have jobs in a good industry and longevity that we can afford the rates to a point. When Walt Disney created his magical world, he wanted a place for all children to enjoy. Besides the increase in rates at the fort, how about the one day ticket prices. There are so many children out there with parents barely making ends meet how can the average houshold even afford the magic anymore. Unless a middle class family saves up all year long, it would still be hard to stay at certian Disney hotels for a week plus park passes. I know it's a business and prices go up to actually run things, I deal with it everyday, but I would think it has to level off at some point. Too bad Disney couldn't react like the real estate market but I suppose people would have to boycott for them to reduce rates. I feel like everyone else that most likley one day park tickets will be over $100 and sites at the fort will be pushin the $120-$130 or higher in the future. I think if they ever build DVC sites at the old RC it will just shoot rates higher. I guess nobody wins

 

[BradyBz12]

Three weeks, how do both of you manage to get three weeks off? I'd have to quit to get that much time off, and I'm not kidding.

We save every single vacation/sick day for the entire year - and even then we sometimes have to take a couple of unpaid days. I was self-employed for 13 years, which basically meant "have laptop, will travel" although I did give my clients a heads up months in advance not to call unless it was an emergency - I'm a web designer, how big of an emergency can it be?

Now I'm working for someone else (although basically the same job), but I told them going in the door that I take an annual "sabbatical" at WDW and that was non-negotiable. They were cool with that but again, with the internet it's not like I'm completely out of touch and I've been known to check/answer emails while waiting in line.

Takes a lot of planning and saving, but we make it work somehow.

 

[big kahuna1]

Wow, you all can tell some pretty good lies but you ain't foolin' me and you sure ain't foolin' yoursevles. See you ALL at the Fort...Now and Forever! You know it and I know it.

Hotels? You can have em'.

 

[mnsprk]

Don't go to San Diego and get a campsite with some of the amenities of the FORT during their peak season which is summer.

Site Type Daily 1-4 People No Weekly Rates
Super Site from: $268.00 to: $400.62
Beach Front $166.00 $337.62
Bay View $121.00 $239.34
Distinguished $95.00 $151.14
Preferred $83.00 $133.50
Select $80.00 $125.94
Standard $72.00 $117.12
Limited $61.00 $98.22

NOTE the 1-4 people.

Quote their web site:
Campland is also the ideal place for many families. The parents can come enjoy and relax because they feel that their children are in a safe environment. Kids and adults find they invariably develop friendships with other campers because so many families return year after year.

Indeed with such activities as volleyball, scavenger hunts, sand castle building contests, campfire sing‑alongs, ping pong, tie dye and other arts and crafts, there is plenty to keep kids of all ages occupied while their parents find some much‑needed down time.

Sounds like the FORT to me.

 

[Disneylitch]

This is our only vacation each year and like John VN, I have no problem cooking, cleaning, etc if that means I can be at The Fort. We stay for 2 weeks and only eat out 1 time. I make lots of meals ahead of time and freeze them. That way I can just defrost the main course and add the extras. Also, it's nice being able to bring our dogs. My main concern is the cost of gas. It costs about $600 each trip. That's why we stay for 2 weeks. I would love to take a trip in the summer and then take another trip in the fall, but with the cost of gas, that's just not going to happen. If we ever get to move to Florida, I will definitely take advantage of shorter trips. So to answer the question, I don't know when it will become too expensive. I guess it all depends on how expensive things are in general. Like I said before, it's still cheaper then a motel in Ocean City, Maryland or even the campgrounds there. That's like staying on an asphault parking lot. No thanks.