Kajunswty
Always waiting on the next magical vacation!
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2000
- Messages
- 892
First let me say we had a wonderful time and can't wait to go back!! Here's our 411......We are in our mid 30’s and our daughters are 14 & 12. Our stay was from 4/3 to 4/10 thought the Easter holiday. We were assigned to site 850 (a preferred pet loop) and our camper is a 30” Jayco Kiwi.
These are in no particular order…here we go
Some places look big on a map but in reality they aren’t so big (for instance Pop Century). This is not the case with Fort Wilderness, it is Huge!! I had really mulled over “cart or no cart” thinking that I could just ride my bike..ha There is no way that would have worked. The bike at the gym has nothing on the real thing!! We ended up renting an offsite cart, it was less expensive and a whole lot more convenient. The company rents by the week and month and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the service.
Pets riding in carts I’ve read here that it is a no-no. And I’m sure somewhere in the form I had to scribble my name on at check-in that was most likely listed but honestly I didn’t read the thing. I was in a hurry to get out of the truck after 14 hours. Obviously there were a lot of people like myself who did not read the “rules”. Saw lots of things that probably had some DIS’ers posting about but unless someones dog poops on my doorstep or bites me I just live and let live. My little Chihuahuas were not interested in visiting the pool nor were they interested in riding in our cart. They did however love the pet walk they got freaked out by a rabbit and a squirrel though.
For our Smores I bought a pack of wooden shish kabob sticks from Wal-mart. They were somewhere around $2 for 100 sticks. Very convenient and the pack seals so the leftovers are easy to store. I also bought honey and cinnamon graham crackers to give us some variety. For the next trip I think I might pick up a few Nestle crunch bars and see how that works. We also used the sticks to roast some Lil’ Smokies (you know the ones you use for a pig in a blanket) I had left over from red beans. Except for making the smoke alarm go off inside the camper (we were outside) that was a huge success.
Since this was our first camping trip we probably over bought for fear of not having something really important. I think our best buy was the huge mat to cover the ground under the awning. We bought it at Lowes and it has a rubber backing but the top looks like a tightly woven rug. It is very easy to sweep and although it is bulky folded it isn’t that heavy considering the size. If anyone is interested it was sold by the foot (it was with the carpet on a huge roll)
It was our experience that the ice from the store was a better buy than using the ice machine near the bathhouses. Maybe the machines weren’t functioning right but we were only getting about ½ a bag of ice out of it. One of my bright ideas was to buy ice trays…don’t waste your freezer space it isn’t worth it! Use your freezer for meat and put as much into Ziplocs as you can to save space.
Kudos to everyone who had the foresight to bring decorations for your cart. Some were really really adorable! We will definitely bring some of those vinyl cling ons for the windshield (that was my favorite because it was too easy) I’m going to hit the dollar tree and see what other goodies I can find.
We didn’t realize till the end of the trip that there are outlets to plug in the cart at most of the cart parking areas. They were a pleasant surprise since we’d plugged in the cart but not the extension cord the night before.
I was really looking forward to the movies in the evening and that was probably the only thing I was disappointed in. Okay, this is probably petty but we couldn’t enjoy the movie for the people moving about around us. Everyone seemed to be on the move either arriving or leaving early or going to the snack bar. But here is the problem, between the darn gravel crunching under their feet and the conversations going on around us we had a heck of a time trying to pay attention to the movie. It didn’t put a damper on the trip but after trying to sit in different spots on 3 different nights I wondered if we were just having bad luck?? I do have to say that the singalong was Fantastic!! Be sure to get there alittle early so you don’t miss the beginning.
Heres an idea I haven’t read on the boards, keep a hand towel or paper towels in the glove box of your cart. They come in handy in the morning with condensation or after rain shower. There’s nothing worse than walking around with a wet butt!
One thing that surprised me was how few people said hi at the campground. I expect that sort of thing at a hotel (you know when you pass someone and they look the other way like something is really interesting). Sort of on that same note, before our trip we had a number of people who would be at FW while we were there (Easter). I’d invited everyone to come and stop by for “happy hour” we even decorated the truck with DIS signs but no one showed up. We’ll try again on our next trip.
It was very nice to ride the bus to and from the parks and not have to stand. We must have just timed it right because during our stays at Pop / All Stars / POR or the Dolphin were we that lucky. We figured most people drive to the parks to save time but we weren’t in any rush.
One unexpected surprise was Bingo and Craft time. We were blown away at the prizes for Bingo. My 12 y/o DD won twice (two different days) and she chose the Magic Kingdom board game the first time. The next day they’d added Disney Trivial Pursuit so she snatched that up quickly!! Not bad for $1 a game…we figure she won about $80 worth of games for $2. The crafts were really nice too. I was worried about not bringing Easter baskets but one afternoon the craft was a Easter bag which made a great substitute. Everyone talks about movie time but my girls much preferred the organized activities.
We had planned on buying refillable mugs but the only place I noticed that you were able to refill was at Trails End so we passed on that. I’ll do some research and see if there are any additional refill stations and maybe we’ll buy them for the next trip.
Unlike most resorts it seems no one uses the washing machines at FW. You have to fight for the darn things at Pop but I never saw anyone using them during our stay. The laundry area was very clean and well lit. I was amazed that the dryers only needed one cycle! I did forget my Clorox bleach pen don’t forget yours. Another great idea is to save your coin change from the parks and after a few days wahlaa laundry money
My girls feel in love with Smores after the first night and one day they were whining that they wanted dessert after lunch. So, we tried roasting the marshmallows on our propane bbq pit and it worked out. So, if you have a sweet tooth mid-day you don’t have to wait for your Smore.
We’d forgotten to bring a clothes line even though I did remember the clothes pins but luckily we had some rope that worked just as well. The line was great for drying towels and bathing suits so we didn’t have to put them in the dirty clothes wet.
I noticed several young girls in the bathhouses alone on our trip. I think this is very dangerous and hopefully if you are reading this you will realize the same. I doubt the moms realize the danger because I’m sure the same moms would never send their daughters to the mall bathroom alone. This is the same thing….if you aren’t in the bathroom with your daughter or at least outside waiting…ANYTHING could happen in there. My girls are 14 and 12 but I would not allow them in there alone. Actually I am so mean they aren’t allowed to even ride their bikes alone. Okay I’ll get off my soapbox
I've always used shower curtain liners under our picnic blankets incase the ground is wet but they also work great as a cover for a picnic table. I put my cute tablecloth on the table then cover it with a clear shower curtain liner that way when we spill it wipes up instead of having to wash the tablecloth.
Before you leave Mapquest the Wal-mart from the Campground and print it. You will be glad you did! The closest on is within 5 miles the address is 3250 Vineland Road Kissimmee, FL 34746 is right past Downtown Disney. And as an added bonus there are 2 Disney Outlet stores on the way there!!
One thing we saw and decided that we had to have was an exterior water purifier. You hook it up to the outside faucet and it filters the water before it comes into the RV. It works like the indoor ones where you have to replace the filter every so often. We bought ours from Camping World for under $25. The replacement filters are $35 though ??
More money saving ideas….pick up a few extra fuses / light bulbs / batteries maybe some duct tape and keep them on hand. Buy a first aid kit for the camper and if it doesn’t come with Oragel (the numbing stuff) add that to the kit. It works great for mosquito bites. If you have a popcorn bucket from the theme parks pop your own and use the bucket for the campfire / singalong. Bring lots of Ziplocs…all sizes you will be amazed at all the uses (marinate meat / pour pancake batter / scramble eggs not to mention the usual uses). The 2 gallon ones are really great if you can find them.
Well I guess that’s it. I meant to do a more traditional report but never found the time, I hope this was informative and helpful.
These are in no particular order…here we go
Some places look big on a map but in reality they aren’t so big (for instance Pop Century). This is not the case with Fort Wilderness, it is Huge!! I had really mulled over “cart or no cart” thinking that I could just ride my bike..ha There is no way that would have worked. The bike at the gym has nothing on the real thing!! We ended up renting an offsite cart, it was less expensive and a whole lot more convenient. The company rents by the week and month and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the service.
Pets riding in carts I’ve read here that it is a no-no. And I’m sure somewhere in the form I had to scribble my name on at check-in that was most likely listed but honestly I didn’t read the thing. I was in a hurry to get out of the truck after 14 hours. Obviously there were a lot of people like myself who did not read the “rules”. Saw lots of things that probably had some DIS’ers posting about but unless someones dog poops on my doorstep or bites me I just live and let live. My little Chihuahuas were not interested in visiting the pool nor were they interested in riding in our cart. They did however love the pet walk they got freaked out by a rabbit and a squirrel though.
For our Smores I bought a pack of wooden shish kabob sticks from Wal-mart. They were somewhere around $2 for 100 sticks. Very convenient and the pack seals so the leftovers are easy to store. I also bought honey and cinnamon graham crackers to give us some variety. For the next trip I think I might pick up a few Nestle crunch bars and see how that works. We also used the sticks to roast some Lil’ Smokies (you know the ones you use for a pig in a blanket) I had left over from red beans. Except for making the smoke alarm go off inside the camper (we were outside) that was a huge success.
Since this was our first camping trip we probably over bought for fear of not having something really important. I think our best buy was the huge mat to cover the ground under the awning. We bought it at Lowes and it has a rubber backing but the top looks like a tightly woven rug. It is very easy to sweep and although it is bulky folded it isn’t that heavy considering the size. If anyone is interested it was sold by the foot (it was with the carpet on a huge roll)
It was our experience that the ice from the store was a better buy than using the ice machine near the bathhouses. Maybe the machines weren’t functioning right but we were only getting about ½ a bag of ice out of it. One of my bright ideas was to buy ice trays…don’t waste your freezer space it isn’t worth it! Use your freezer for meat and put as much into Ziplocs as you can to save space.
Kudos to everyone who had the foresight to bring decorations for your cart. Some were really really adorable! We will definitely bring some of those vinyl cling ons for the windshield (that was my favorite because it was too easy) I’m going to hit the dollar tree and see what other goodies I can find.
We didn’t realize till the end of the trip that there are outlets to plug in the cart at most of the cart parking areas. They were a pleasant surprise since we’d plugged in the cart but not the extension cord the night before.
I was really looking forward to the movies in the evening and that was probably the only thing I was disappointed in. Okay, this is probably petty but we couldn’t enjoy the movie for the people moving about around us. Everyone seemed to be on the move either arriving or leaving early or going to the snack bar. But here is the problem, between the darn gravel crunching under their feet and the conversations going on around us we had a heck of a time trying to pay attention to the movie. It didn’t put a damper on the trip but after trying to sit in different spots on 3 different nights I wondered if we were just having bad luck?? I do have to say that the singalong was Fantastic!! Be sure to get there alittle early so you don’t miss the beginning.
Heres an idea I haven’t read on the boards, keep a hand towel or paper towels in the glove box of your cart. They come in handy in the morning with condensation or after rain shower. There’s nothing worse than walking around with a wet butt!
One thing that surprised me was how few people said hi at the campground. I expect that sort of thing at a hotel (you know when you pass someone and they look the other way like something is really interesting). Sort of on that same note, before our trip we had a number of people who would be at FW while we were there (Easter). I’d invited everyone to come and stop by for “happy hour” we even decorated the truck with DIS signs but no one showed up. We’ll try again on our next trip.
It was very nice to ride the bus to and from the parks and not have to stand. We must have just timed it right because during our stays at Pop / All Stars / POR or the Dolphin were we that lucky. We figured most people drive to the parks to save time but we weren’t in any rush.
One unexpected surprise was Bingo and Craft time. We were blown away at the prizes for Bingo. My 12 y/o DD won twice (two different days) and she chose the Magic Kingdom board game the first time. The next day they’d added Disney Trivial Pursuit so she snatched that up quickly!! Not bad for $1 a game…we figure she won about $80 worth of games for $2. The crafts were really nice too. I was worried about not bringing Easter baskets but one afternoon the craft was a Easter bag which made a great substitute. Everyone talks about movie time but my girls much preferred the organized activities.
We had planned on buying refillable mugs but the only place I noticed that you were able to refill was at Trails End so we passed on that. I’ll do some research and see if there are any additional refill stations and maybe we’ll buy them for the next trip.
Unlike most resorts it seems no one uses the washing machines at FW. You have to fight for the darn things at Pop but I never saw anyone using them during our stay. The laundry area was very clean and well lit. I was amazed that the dryers only needed one cycle! I did forget my Clorox bleach pen don’t forget yours. Another great idea is to save your coin change from the parks and after a few days wahlaa laundry money
My girls feel in love with Smores after the first night and one day they were whining that they wanted dessert after lunch. So, we tried roasting the marshmallows on our propane bbq pit and it worked out. So, if you have a sweet tooth mid-day you don’t have to wait for your Smore.
We’d forgotten to bring a clothes line even though I did remember the clothes pins but luckily we had some rope that worked just as well. The line was great for drying towels and bathing suits so we didn’t have to put them in the dirty clothes wet.
I noticed several young girls in the bathhouses alone on our trip. I think this is very dangerous and hopefully if you are reading this you will realize the same. I doubt the moms realize the danger because I’m sure the same moms would never send their daughters to the mall bathroom alone. This is the same thing….if you aren’t in the bathroom with your daughter or at least outside waiting…ANYTHING could happen in there. My girls are 14 and 12 but I would not allow them in there alone. Actually I am so mean they aren’t allowed to even ride their bikes alone. Okay I’ll get off my soapbox
I've always used shower curtain liners under our picnic blankets incase the ground is wet but they also work great as a cover for a picnic table. I put my cute tablecloth on the table then cover it with a clear shower curtain liner that way when we spill it wipes up instead of having to wash the tablecloth.
Before you leave Mapquest the Wal-mart from the Campground and print it. You will be glad you did! The closest on is within 5 miles the address is 3250 Vineland Road Kissimmee, FL 34746 is right past Downtown Disney. And as an added bonus there are 2 Disney Outlet stores on the way there!!
One thing we saw and decided that we had to have was an exterior water purifier. You hook it up to the outside faucet and it filters the water before it comes into the RV. It works like the indoor ones where you have to replace the filter every so often. We bought ours from Camping World for under $25. The replacement filters are $35 though ??
More money saving ideas….pick up a few extra fuses / light bulbs / batteries maybe some duct tape and keep them on hand. Buy a first aid kit for the camper and if it doesn’t come with Oragel (the numbing stuff) add that to the kit. It works great for mosquito bites. If you have a popcorn bucket from the theme parks pop your own and use the bucket for the campfire / singalong. Bring lots of Ziplocs…all sizes you will be amazed at all the uses (marinate meat / pour pancake batter / scramble eggs not to mention the usual uses). The 2 gallon ones are really great if you can find them.
Well I guess that’s it. I meant to do a more traditional report but never found the time, I hope this was informative and helpful.
Capt Jack
Belle
) I would sound much more intelligent if my husband were here to tell me the appropriate term...lol 
Hopefully we can catch up with other Dissers another time. We did meet LoanDiva though which was nice.
