Just camping? or the parks too every visit?

[SunshineCamper]

How many of you everytime you camp @ the Ft. go into to the parks too? We would get water park passes and seasonal passes then stay at the Ft. Well, in the last few yrs. we've had to cut back-way back (like many of you as well). We compromised on our favorite thing to do-camping at the Ft. So we book value season @ the Ft. and just enjoy the Ft. No parks-then of course, head to DTD, WL, CR, etc. We don't even eat any meals in the resorts especially TE (DD is now 12 and eats like a 7 yr. old). It's just gotten too much. We cook at the TT. We're hoping to do the parks again soon.

 

[clkelley]

How many of you everytime you camp @ the Ft. go into to the parks too? We would get water park passes and seasonal passes then stay at the Ft. Well, in the last few yrs. we've had to cut back-way back (like many of you as well). We compromised on our favorite thing to do-camping at the Ft. So we book value season @ the Ft. and just enjoy the Ft. No parks-then of course, head to DTD, WL, CR, etc. We don't even eat any meals in the resorts especially TE (DD is now 12 and eats like a 7 yr. old). It's just gotten too much. We cook at the TT. We're hoping to do the parks again soon.

We keep annual passes, so at least drop into the parks for a meal or one or two favorites, but when we stay at the Fort, we spend a LOT of time there.

Now, for our Free Dining trip in August staying at All-Stars, we'll spend a lot more time in the parks. (Maybe, we've never done a late August trip before, we may be too hot to do anything but hang at the pool and go to our meals.) We will try to do the "very" late night EMH nights. (Magic Kingdom from midnite to 3am is a beautiful thing!!)

 

[Born 2 Fish]

What ever you want to do, what ever you can afford, it's ALL good, as long as you are camping (and fish'n).
We too like the Fort, but what we do depends on our $$ at the time, but no matter what, it's all good.

 

[bama_ed]

We go almost annually for 5-7 nights and spend only 1-2 days in the parks. We could go less frequently and do more days but we like the Fort as a campground so that's our pattern. We fill the other days with other activities (renting a pontoon boat at the Fort marina, a canoe, biking, looping, swimming, napping, Fort games) plus DTD or putt-putt but for the cost of a day in the park we can do ALOT of other fun stuff. Last trip we went to the Kennedy Space Center on the coast and hopefully stimulated some science brain cells.

We aren't the go-go-go type. We don't go often enough to use annual passes or live in Florida to get the AP discounts on those. So go and enjoy the Fort and what the area has to offer. When we go around Thanksgiving we'll spend no more than 2 days in the parks. Maybe only one. Alabama is playing in a basketball tournament that same week over at WWS and those tix are cheap.

Bama ED

 

[CCIntrigue]

We spend every day in one of the parks ... otherwise why go there???

 

[OK GRUMPY]

We usally get seasonal passes and go 2 to 3 times a year. This last March we stayed in the Fort and did not go to the parks. My thought was that I would take a year off the parks but enjoy the Fort and the other resorts. We had a blast. I have reservations for New Years, I haven't decided if I'm going to do the parks.

 

[polkadotsuitcase]

If we lived closer, we'd definitely just go to the Fort to camp occasionally without going to the parks. Not that we don't enjoy the parks, of course -- far from it -- but we're pretty laid-back and love, love, love hanging out at the campground. Even when we do visit WDW, we'll only get park tix for some of the day we're there -- say, 5-day pass for a 7- or 8-day visit. Partly to save money, and partly because the other days we either hang out, resort hop, etc.

 

[we3peas]

We live near Disney World. When our dd was real little we convinced her that DTD, the animal petting zoo at the Fort, and the monorail ride WAS the parks. When she hit 3 and could walk the entire time (no stroller for me in a theme park) then we got seasonal passes. That lasted until she was 6 and since I homeschool her we could go whenever our passes were good. Sometimes we would go just for the morning or a late night after dh got home. We camped when she was 4, she had her 5th bday at the Fort. Nowadays we catch the boat to the front of the MK and watch the fireworks, ride the monorails around the resorts, go to DTD, or to a water park or play miniature golf at one of the 3 courses. We don't do the parks except for this year when they offered the free bday for each of us. That will do us for a good long while. When I need a Disney fix I wait until Christmas and go around to all the hotels and look at how they are decorated. Now we just camp at the Fort about once a year and that suits us all very well.

I can understand if you are coming from farther away and want to do it all. We just don't have to since it's there if we want to and we are so close.

 

[RocklandRVers]

We spend every day in one of the parks ... otherwise why go there???

Of all our visits since 2003 (11 so far) we have spent much more time just camping than we did in the parks. In the beginning all we did was hit the parks then gradually the trips were more and more about camping. The exceptions have been when we bring someone "new" with us. We feel obligated to give them the full Disney experience.

Camping only in sunny warm Florida, especially in the winter months, sure beats the cold and snow at home. Last Christmas Eve while our friends were outside in below freezing weather building snowmen, we were at Daytona Beach building "sandmen" in sunny 85 degree weather. Thats why we go there!

 

[starbuc71]

we are very lucky to live in Tampa about an hour or so from the fort. We try to go to the fort at least every 3 months and usually just stay at the fort with no parks. We like the relaxation of just camping there and using all the Disney services and what the fort provides. Where else could you go to camp and enjoy a clean campground, facilities, pool and awsome view of nightly fireworks

 

[SunshineCamper]

we3peas-we did the same thing. When the kids were little we had them believeing DTD was MK. It worked for awhile-then we got the seasonal passes and then the FL resident water park passes. Now it's just the Ft. It has been a lot more relaxing-no running to the parks but the kids miss the parks. Someday we'll get the seasonal passes again-when the economy is better.

Starbuc71-yes, love the Ft. and all it has to offer. In ways for us the economy has allows us to REALLY appreciate the Ft.
Good to know we're not alone.