In the planning stages....

[Befferk]

I am new here, and just starting to plan our 1st ever trip to Disney World. It will be myself, my husband, and our son will be 3. We are looking at going in late April/early May of 2006. Can anyone tell me about Disney at this time of the year? We will be staying at FW with our 27' travel trailer. When should/can I make reservations at FW? Should I do it right away? We will be driving from Northern Wisconsin. I know it will be a LONG haul. We are planning on stopping somewhere overnight about half way. I haven't even figured out where that will be yet. I guess I am looking for any advice from someone that has been there that time of the year, regarding weather and crowds, and for towing a camper that far. Thanks for any advice!

Beth

 

[Rhonda]

Hi! Welcome to the DIS!!

We started camping at Fort Wilderness when our son was 5. That was about 18 years ago, and FW is still one of our favorite places in the world!

We used to drive down every year from Minnesota. We always stopped in Chatanooga for the night. That's about 2/3 of the way. That way, the second day was a much shorter drive!

The actual half-way mark is around Paduca, Kentucky. We always stopped there on the way back and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express. It's a very nice place, and they give you free milk & cookies in the evening!

I would make your reservations now. Then, later on, if a special discount code comes out, you can always have it added on to your reservation. But, at least you'll on the books already! Besides, it makes it seem more "real" if you really have a reservation!!

Again, welcome to the DIS camping board - and feel free to ask any questions! Lots of nice people here!

 

[Befferk]

Thanks for the warm welcome, Rhonda! Glad to hear from you! I kind of like your idea of making it a little longer drive on the 1st day, then a little shorter on the second. I think I will make our reservations as soon as I figure out exactly which week/2 weeks we are going for sure. I want to allow 5 days just for Disney, and then a few more for other places we want to visit. What is it like there in late April/early May? Is it better to plan our days at Disney for during the week? Or doesn't it matter? I hope we are picking a good time of the year to go. I had originally planned for the fall, but I really want to avoid hurricane season.

Thanks for the advice!!
Beth

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

Depending on what part of Wisconsin you are in the distance is similar to ours. We also have a 27' travel trailer, we prefer traveling with it because you always have your own food and facilities. We typically make a long drive the first day and try to get south of Atlanta or Macon (depends on traffic) We go straight down I-75. The second day we have about a 7hr drive till we are at Fort Wilderness. I have an irregular work schedule so I am used to sleeping when I get the chance and will most times drive till I am tired. We just pile in the trialer and sleep 6 or 7 hrs at a rest area. I keep a few gallon jugs of water for flushing and cleanup.
A lot of it depends on your 3 yr olds tolerance for time in the car

I agree that you should make your reservations as early as possible, that is the BEST advice anyone can give you

Happy planning

 

[Grumpy92]

April gets the tail end of spring breaks but the first part of May is pretty slow.

You will have the option of two types of sites, Full which is water, sewer and electric. These sites tend to be in the center of the campground. The Preferred have water, sewer, electric and cable. These sites tend to be near the back of the resort near PH and the marina.

I think your family will really enjoy the campground, so plan a day just to spend there as there are so many things to do without even leaving the resort. You might also want to go ahead and order the free vacation planning DVD and check out a couple guides. The Unofficial and Passporter as well as Birnbaum are the best.

As for resv. I would recommend going ahead with that now. Unless you are planning to purchase an AP you will probably not fall into any of the discount catagories, but check out mousesavers.com. These specials are updated frequently.

 

[Befferk]

bigdisneydaddy-
Sounds like our travel plans are similar to what you have experienced. We are in central WI and a friend that has driven straight through to Florida a few times says it takes him 24 hours straight. I think our son (he will be 4, I don't know what I was thinking when I said he would be 3, lol ) will do pretty well. We drove 15 hrs straight through to South Dakota and he did awesome without a peep til the last hour. And now he has a DVD player for in the truck so that should help. I knew when we talked about Disney that we would camp, we just bought the trailer and I much prefer having my "own space".

Grumpy92-
I think the 1st part of May will work out better for us then. We will definitely go "Preferred" site at FW. This is our 1st trip and won't be able to go back for a while. I want to do it "right"

Few more questions....

*Does it matter if we plan our days at the parks for during the week vs. the weekend?

*We are probably going to be at FW for 8-9 days. Do you think the 5 day Park Hopper option would be a good choice for the parks? We have other sightseeing we want to do as well. A day at the ocean, and Richard Petty's Driving Experience (anyone ever do that? I want to surprise DH with it).

I hopefully will get our reservations made soon after I confirm dates w/ DH this weekend.

Thanks!
Beth

 

[We4mickey]

We have done this trip too many times to count. We usually push it the first day and end up somewhere around Atlanta, either just north or south of it depending upon what time of day it is. (rush hour) A five day pass would be about right if you plan on doing other stuff. Just make sure you take some time to enjoy the campground. There is so much to do. I don't know where in Wisconsin you are coming from, but we find going out to Rockford and then down through Illinois a much more relaxing ride than going through Chicago and all the tolls with a trailer. It is a little longer, but much more pleasant. As far as a preferred site goes, it is just my two cents, but I would save my money. We like the middle area of the campground. Much closer to the pool, campfire, meadows trading post and bike barn. We think the preferred sights are too close together. Just my opinion. You will find weekdays are probably less crowded than weekends.Anyway, have fun planning.

 

[Befferk]

Oh, thank you We4mickey! I am close to the center of the state, Dorchester if you have ever heard of it. VERY small town, lol. It really helps to hear from someone close by. I will print off all these suggestions and keep them handy for when the time comes. Do you have any place in particular that you like to camp at around your stopping point near Atlanta? Or do you just wing it? I will take your thoughts on the Preferred sites into consideration as well

Beth

 

[Grumpy92]

I think the 5day pass is an excellent choice, it gives you lots of flexibility. I would also suggest you get the PH & open date put on the ticket that way if you dont use all the days you can use it anytime in the future.

Busy days in the parks. Hard to believe but the busiest day for MK is Monday then I would say Saturday. So it really doesnt matter. I would suggest flexibility. Take a break midday, return to FW for a swim, lunch or a nap. It really does help keep you going. Too many guest try to do a marathon and need a vacation from their vaction. The boat from FW to MK at certain times of day is so relaxing.

I would also recommend a couple loops you might want to request on your resv. 100 is a nice loop, simply for its location, but not to many large sites. 700 loop has some of the largest sites and a good location. The down side is both these loops are pet loops and no matter how hard FW tries there are always a few guest who disregard the rules, not everyone. My favorite loop is 400 it has a wonderful location, great for people watching and close to the PH/Marina/Bus area. It is nicely landscape, no pets and sites are a nice range in size. If you want to be close to the campfire and meadows area then 1400.

 

[VAN]

We live in SW Michigan and drive down with our pop-up almost every spring break. The kids are now both in college so we will be going for the two weeks that they have off (2 colleges with different weeks) ... they will fly down to Orlando to stay with us. (This year will be about a month earlier than we usually go ... leaving on Feb 25th)

Anyway, we usually are all packed the night before including our ice chest and then will be on the road by 3:30 am. We stay at a hotel on the way down (and back). I have found that we have needed a reservation for a hotel because the good ones fill up fast and they are turning people away.

We make it down to Tifton (south of Macon) by 8:00 and stay at the Hampton Inn. It can be a bit pricey but I like a clean room, it has free breakfast, and they usually are situated so we don't have to worry about the camper in the lot.

This leaves us about 4-1/2 hours from Ft. Wilderness the next day.

On the way home, we try to be on the road by 6:00 am (Saturday) because we have gotten stuck in traffic exiting Florida!!! This puts us just a little ahead of the big crowd leaving the gulf area. We drive all day and stay at the Hampton Inn in Elizabethtown (south of Louisville), Kentucky -- getting there anywhere from 6:30-8:30 (depending on the traffic ... Nashville has had quite a bit of construction tie-ups the last two years). Then we have a 6+ hr drive back on Sunday.

We always make sure that we have access to food and drink and our stops are only for gas/potty/stretching of legs.

++++++++++

I would also agree that 5 days in the parks should be good. We will usually start out the day at one of the Early Entry parks, come back to the campsite for lunch and maybe a quick nap (depending on how late the parks are open) and then will take the boat to the MK to finish up the day. We have found that it is almost quicker to drive your own vehicle to all the parks except the MK, but that is a personal opinion and many people prefer the busses.

We have enjoyed the Kennedy Space Center and would recommend that with a follow-up trip to the ocean at Cocoa Beach (and, of course, Ron Jon's Surf Shop).

Another thing that we heard about from word of mouth and then did two years in a row was the "Old Fashioned Airboat Rides" from Christmas, FL. It takes about 45 minutes to get there (east of Orlando) and then you are only about 20 minutes from Cocoa Beach. We would get coupons off the internet and then call them and get a morning ride. We'd then drive into Cocoa Beach for a picnic at the public picnic area near Ron Jon's. Spend a couple hours at the beach and then a visit to Ron Jon's before heading back to Orlando.

Years ago we did Sea World and enjoyed that. We went to Universal before they had Islands of Adventure and were less than impressed. Probably because they aren't Disney, nor are they Cedar Point (Sandusky, OH ... World's #1 Amusement Park).

We tend to spend a lot of time just enjoying Ft. Wilderness and then filling in non-pool time by visiting the other WDW resorts. A visit to the other resorts is free ... you just can't use their facilities (i.e. pools). We will visit the gift shops, walk around the resorts, etc.

Another thing that is fun is BOB JACKSON who performs at the River Roost Lounge at Port Orleans Riverside. He plays the piano and has a very high-energy, family-oriented show. The show is FREE and since it's in a lounge you can order snacks and drinks. You'll want to check, but I think he just performs there on Wed-Saturday in the evenings.

You can take the boat from POR to Downtown Disney as well.

I'm sure you'll have a great time!!!

 

[VAN]

Another tip I just thought of for a first timer ... you may want to space your days in the parks out. As a first-timer, you'll probably be a bit of a comando so will need an "off-day" inbetween to recuperate! I'm not kidding either!!! Walking all day on cement can take a lot out of you.

 

[mommybear34]

HI fellow Wiscosinite! Yes i know where dorchester is my grandma use to live there and my aunt and uncle use to farm there now there son does. Can't answere any of your question as I'm planning a camping wdw trip for my oldest son and me. We are planning on flying and then staying in a tent in JUne. This is my 10th trip to Disney.

Chellen