Newbie camper questions

[fam4jc]

Hi. My SIL just gave us her old pop up camper! I am so grateful! I would like to plan a WDW trip for early Dec 2005. I have some questions about camping there (or anyplace really).
What type of a site do we need? No toilet facilities in the camper.
How early should I book, and what is a good rate?
Last time we were at FW we were in a cabin and rented a golf cart. Is that necessary?
We have 2 DD's , 5 & 7 now. Will there be much interaction with other children? they are very social girls!
Is there any problems with things "getting gone" from camp sites while you are in the parks?
Can you bring pets?
Is it restful at night?
How are the restrooms and showers?

Sorry for so many questions! I haven't been camping since I was a kid and my DH is not the family vacation planner - that's my job.

Thank you so much

 

[campingcorgi]

Congrats on the new (to you) pop-up!

Let's see--

You will probably have lots of interaction with other kids! We usually cruise the playgrounds looking for kids (our rugrat is 4) and on this last trip--Easter--we had several kids in our loop and they were visiting back and forth all the time!

Golf carts are fun, not vital. Make sure you have bikes if you don't get a cart.

We've never had anything disappear and our campsite is covered with bikes and toys. Just don't leave anything of great value out and you should be fine.

No pets left unattended in a soft-side rv or tent.

I always find it restful at night--after the fireworks quit, anyway!

Restrooms and showers are great--clean and comfortable. I'd ask to be near a comfort station when making your reservation--it'll help for those nighttime bathroom visits.

If you don't need a sewer hook-up and don't take the pet I'd get a partial site and I'd ask for 1500--closer to the action in the middle of the campground. If you take a pet you will need a full-hook or preferred site. I'd make my reservation as soon as I knew my dates and then I'd watch mousesavers.com for any discount codes and I'd call back to modify the reservation to add a code (if any come out). You'll be booking at the highest rates now until the 2005 rates come out but reservations are easily modified!

You'll love FW--it IS the best resort at Disney!

 

[auntie]

Congratulations on the camper...and I'd just add that when you call for a reservation be sure to ask for a room only(or site only!)...meaning that you are not booking any type of package..and you will only need to send the one night deposit..and pay the remainder when you check in. You can of course watch for the discount codes offered...in the meantime..if you have a AAA card they make take that type of discount now..it doesn't hurt to ask. As previously mentioned you can apply released discounts when they occur...and at least you are reserving you dates now. This assumes you are purchasing your park passes seperately(which is what we prefer to do, as it seems we always have a day or so left on a pass, and they never expire).
Deposit requirements for packages..something including your tickets are different and need to be paid for in full in advance of your trip. I believe you can still reserve with a room only and change to a package if you desire at a latter date also.

 

[tim5055]

Congratulations on the new pop up!

Check out my website below, it is dedicated to pop up camping, and the page on Fort Wilderness should help you out.

You may also want to check out Pop Up Times, the only magazine for pop up camping.

Good luck and happy camping

 

[fam4jc]

Hi! Thank you all so much for your help! I new dissers were great, but add to that camping, and oh boy what a bunch of nice people!!!

 

[VAN]

Please note that if you take your pet, you will need to let Ft. Wilderness know (I'd do it when you book your site) and you will be placed in a "pet loop" (1500 is NOT a pet loop).

Be sure you are aware of the Ft. Wilderness rules for pets prior to leaving home. That way there are no surprises (liking needing to have a record of the pet's shots, etc) when you arrive.

 

[tim5055]

VAN touched on an important point, your pet(s).

Fort Wilderness has an on site kennel for your standard house pets. It will probably be best to leave your tiger at home. The kennel does NOT accept reservations at all, so don't bother trying. Current 2004 rates are $6 for a day stay and $9 for overnight. If you check in for the week you will pay the overnight rate. If you plan on bringing your pet to the site, they must be kept in a designated pet loop, which includes the full hook up 800, 1600, 1700, 1800, & 1900 loops or the 300 or 700 "preferred" loops. The 500 loop is an overflow preferred pet loop when additional pet sites are needed.

Three "pet walk" areas include a canal pet walk off the 1800 loop, a canal pet walk off the 300 loop and a nice wooded walk behind the 700 & 800 loops. You must drive them to the kennel, you can NOT walk them to the kennel, nor can you walk you pets out of the pet loops themselves.

The FW kennel asks that you stop by to walk them twice a day yourself, but you can pay an additional $2.50 (each walk) for the FW employees to take them out. Most of the cases are stacking models, one over the other. Interior dividers can be removed to allow space for larger dogs. In addition to these cages which are indoors, they still have a number (I'd say 15 or 20) of outdoor cages/runs. While they have ceiling fans over them it does get quite warm during the summer.


The kennel is open from 7:30AM to 10:00PM, but if you are out late the staff at the reception outpost can walk over to the kennel to get you dog to allow them to come to the site for the night.

As you are a pop up owner, be careful. The Q&A on the Disney website used to state:

"Q. Can you tell me more about keeping my pet at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground?

A. Specific areas of Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground have been made available to Guests with pets. These are full hook-up campsites. There is a $5.00 per day pet charge. (This is a per day, per site charge only, not per pet.) Sorry, Guests in tents and pop-up campers may not keep pets at their site - they must be kenneled.

Many people think you can not bring a pet to a tent or pop up at all!

Rest assured if you are camping in a tent or pop up you can bring your pet to the site. I have spoken to FW Cast Members several times and they state that the statement should be that pets can not be left unattended in a tent or pop up. If you have any questions regarding this give the reception outpost a call at 407-824-2900.

 

[unctigger]

I know you must be happy to have received a pop up as a gift!!

Hope you enjoy it ---I know FW is the best place to camp !!

 

[fam4jc]

Thanks everyone! We just got back from a normal hotel stay at WDW. It was very nice but I am looking forward to using our new pop up there in December! We won't bring our pets. We have good friends that will take good care of them. My max will howl at night and he scares people. He is large and very loving but some people are afraid of shepards. So i guess it's best to leave him home.

We took it to a local state park a few weeks ago to try it out. Loads of fun, but how do you keep it clean? Am I to anal? The floor stayed a mess. Drives me nuts.

Should I be looking for specific things to outfit our popup for Disney? LIke disney lights and things? Do the citronella candels really work?
Loads of questions!
Thanks again for your kindness!
fam4jc - shellie

 

[parmtoo]

As far as the camper floor goes, you can try, but somehow the kids always mess it up. I thought of having them take off their shoes, but DH thinks I'm crazy...............
We don't have disney themed lights, but some people do. When we took a Dec. trip, we brought a small xmas tree for the picnic table, and used holiday lights for the awning. You'll see that some people even decorate their golf cart for xmas............

 

[mom2bandp]

Oh, the pop up camper floor! I have turned into a chronic sweeper with ours. We do take off shoes while in the camper, but mainly because when we're in the camper, we're going to be in for awhile. The kids are 1 and 3, and want to climb all over the place while they are inside, so the shoes come off at the door! We also keep a floor mat both outside the door and inside the door, so when we are making quick trips in and out that helps trap some of the dirt. My parents have a 30 ft. camper, and she not only sweeps constantly, but also has carpet so she has to vacuum too. But contending with the floors are just a part of camping, and we're all okay with that.