New here and decided to jump in....

[luvin_disney]

Hi everyone, I have been reading these boards for a long time and I finally decided to jump in and make my first post. My Dh and I just purchased our first new to us pop-up camper and since we have visited disney several times, I of course am ready to plan a trip to the fort. I am a hopless disney fanatic. DH, not so much but he loves camping and fishing so the thought of camping at disney is much more appealing than just another resort stay. My concerns are how to plan for a 7 or 8 day stay... we have done 2-3 nite stays, but a week or more of trying to plan at least several meals for the 5 of us seems overwhealming. we are thinking of late may or early june 2011, and would love to hear from others who have done this and had a great time. DH would also love to hear about the fishing, he and our 3 boys 3,7,and 14 love to fish. I would appreciate any and all advice, thanks in advance.

 

[kampfirekim]

Hi everyone, I have been reading these boards for a long time and I finally decided to jump in and make my first post. My Dh and I just purchased our first new to us pop-up camper and since we have visited disney several times, I of course am ready to plan a trip to the fort. I am a hopless disney fanatic. DH, not so much but he loves camping and fishing so the thought of camping at disney is much more appealing than just another resort stay. My concerns are how to plan for a 7 or 8 day stay... we have done 2-3 nite stays, but a week or more of trying to plan at least several meals for the 5 of us seems overwhealming. we are thinking of late may or early june 2011, and would love to hear from others who have done this and had a great time. DH would also love to hear about the fishing, he and our 3 boys 3,7,and 14 love to fish. I would appreciate any and all advice, thanks in advance.

I'm luvin' Disney too! Congrats on your new pop up! I agree that Fort Wilderness is FAR more appealing than a hotel stay. As far as extra meals go...take plenty of stuff for grilling, making sammies etc. Keep it as simple as possible, let yourself relax and have a great time! Those five days will be over before you can say "Feel the magic!" There's a certain someone on the Disboards who will have plenty to say about fishing at the Fort. I'm sure he'll be along soon enough with plenty of great advice!

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Hi.

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Sooo,,whacha wanna know bout fish'n the Fort ?

 

[anolefan]

Hello and welcome from another new poster! I just returned from a 4 night stay and will tell you that bass fishing in the canals was good if you don't mind using artificial lures and worms. I had the most success with a June Bug worm. No success at all with spinnerbaits, rattle traps or top water baits. Also I found that the canal behind the 300 loop produced the most fish during my stay. I was up early everyday and fishing by 6:30am till around 8am. Word of advice though as I'm sure you have seen, be sure to lookout for those flies, they can be painful and like to congregate around the banks of water . I am partial to bass fishing so I didn't fish for anything else while I was there.

Have a great time.

 

[kazlac4]

to the forum! You will soon be addicted like the rest of us but will, no doubt, learn immeasurable Fort facts and tidbits, as well as loads of laughs from a some truly knowledgeable Fort fiends!

 

[luvin_disney]

Thanks for the warm welcomes and quick replies. My DH and oldest DS love to fish for largmouth, crappie and of course here in MS catfish is a definite favorite...my little guys just love anything that will give their line a tug. DH always has plenty of artificial bait and that will probably be the case while we are at the fort...he specifically wants to know what areas around the fort allow fishing, and will he be required to get an out of state temporary fishing license since it's a private lake, etc, The boys hope to fish a few hours each day DH would actually probably prefer to do the parks a few hours a day and fish the rest, but hey if his fishing habit can keep him happy and going back to disney I am OK with it. Thanks again

 

[Born 2 Fish]

No, you do not need a license to fish at Disney,,Disney is private property and no license are required on private property.

Fishing is catch and release only at the Fort.

You can fish pretty much any waters at the Fort,,ponds canals, and Bay Lake(the big lake)

If you fish the lake, STAY OFF THE DOCKS and BEACHES !

There are some nice fish to be caught at the Fort,,may I suggest that the boys try a variety of baits like pieces of hot dog, pop corn, fried chicken skin, etc,,just use your imagination and what ever you have in the cooler.

If you want to fish with worms,,stop at Wal-Mart and get them, bring them with you. Do not buy them from Disney,,the Disney worms are not magical and cost bought $1 million dollars each.

And take a camera with you,,never know when you might haul in that monster fish,

 

[luvin_disney]

Thanks for all the info Frank. DH will be glad that there are so many places to "wet a hook" as he likes to say. They are all getting more excited at the prospect of a "magical" camping trip.

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Thanks for all the info Frank. DH will be glad that there are so many places to "wet a hook" as he likes to say. They are all getting more excited at the prospect of a "magical" camping trip.

When folk ask about our vacation, I like to tell them, "I went to Disney World and caught fish !"
Now how many people can say that !

 

[PrincessNP]

Hi!! We are so excited to have a new "face"

We stay for 2 weeks every December with our DD1 and DD2 who have now I think been more often to Disney in their short lives that I have been in my 35!! We eat most of our meals at the camper not only for cost reasons but also becuase a sitting down to dinner is not so easy for us.

Planning is key. Also, it is really important to keep things simple. The obvious are the burgers and hot dogs. If you have a crock pot it is great to do becuase of the easy clean up. Chicken is easy and you can do so many different things on the grill. Always have fruit and raw veggies around as they are cheap and except for bananas keep a long time.

As I think of more specifics I'll send some more thoughts.

Have a great time!!!

 

[bama_ed]

Don't stress about the meals.

Since you are camping and will have a fridge and stove available (most likely) you can simply stay about a day or two ahead and go to Winn Dixie or Publix nearby as needed. We even pack picnic lunches into the parks to save meal money too (no glass, no hard coolers, no alchohol-we store it in a locker until lunchtime).

The day we arrive and set up we usually get a Giddy-Up-And-Go 10 piece fried chickin dinner with 2 sides and biscuits for about $25 from Trail's End. If that's not enough food for your crowd you can add on a single serving for about $6. We also choose one day early in the trip to do all the grillin on the charcoal grill (hot dogs, burgers, chicken breasts, shrimp/fish) then we'll eat the seafood that night for dinner and saranwrap the rest to pull out on other nights (we have a microwave in our pop-up which helps). The Fort campsites have a charcoal grill for you to use.

Since you have a longer stay, leave some days to just relax at the Fort. Fish as you mentioned, try the canoes, visit the pool, bring bikes, and do the campfire/singalong each night. There are organized activities for the kids led by Cast Members daily usually around the pool area-check the sign boards at your Comfort Station for exact plans.

Remember to relax - you're on vacation. Enjoy!

Bama ED

 

[luvin_disney]

Thanks to everyone for making me feel at home I have enjoyed reading the camping forum for some time and I just knew there were a lot of friendly folks here. I appreciate all the info I have received so far and I hopefully won't wear my welcome out by asking too many questions