Planning first trip to FW have a couple questions

[lovemygrowingfamily]

We are planning our 1st family trip to Disney in Jan/Feb 2010. We were going to stay in a 2 bedroom villa at WL but decided to put that money and trade in our PUP for a hybrid to fit our family of 7.Our kids range from age 1 to 9. 2 of the kids will have their actual birthdays there. 2 and my dh have their birthdays within 2 weeks either side of of trip and our anniversary is 3 weeks after we get home so this is a all out celebration trip.

We would like to book a package how soon should we do that. We are looking for site that is pretty neutral,with some vegetation and close to a comfort station. We need water, electric and sewer and has a little room for kids to move around. Our hybrid is 25' and our dogs are staying home. We are planning on being there 8 nights.We are driving straight through from northern Minnesota with only stops for meals and potty breaks so once we get there they will need to stretch their legs a bit.Is there anything else that we need to know before we get there or be prepared for.


Thank You!!

 

[CindyT]

I would book as soon as possible. I will let others advise you as to where would be a good spot. We have gone to FW three times, once in a cabin and twice in our camper and have only stayed in loop 100. You will absolutely love it. Disney does everything right. Lots of things for children. Wonderful boat transportation to the Magic Kingdom or to the Contemporary where you can catch a monorail if you want to. Have a wonderful celebration!!

 

[liv luvs disney]

First things first !

Personally, I think you have made a splendid choice in taking your saved villa money, trading in your pup, and investing in a hybrid. You can make those memories last much longer than your original villa stay. But I am sure you knew that already.

You should go ahead and make your reservations for FW ASAP. Evidently, the Fort gets booked up quickly at all times of the year. I haven't been there yet so I can't recommend a specific loop. Some others will chime in and give you all the information you could ever want or need!

I am sure that your 8 days of celebration will be the best ever!

 

[bama_ed]

When you call to make your reservation you can ask the CM to add a note requesting to be near a comfort station and in a shady site. No guarentees, of course.

Based on your desired hook-ups the only type of site you couldn't use is a Partial (loops 1500 and 2000). You can use a Preferred (loops 100-300) which have the sand pad plus the paved driveway, the Full (loops 1600-1900) which are fully paved (no sand pad), and Premium (all other loops) which are longer and can handle bigger rigs. You will have to specify a type of site on your ressie.

The type of site will determine the cost. Premium is the most expensive. I forget which is next. By the way, all sites at FW have cable tv as well.

Good plan on using the WL villa $$$ on a hybrid. You will able to take it other places - the villa wouldn't tow so well!

Bama ED

 

[BradyBz12]

WELCOME!!

We absolutely LOVE our hybrid. It's making it's 3rd trip to FW in November... this time with 3 border collies (they seem to be multiplying )

Class of site really depends on your personal preferences. We typically go with a Preferred site. Plenty of room for the hybrid (which goes from 21' closed to about 30' open) and a bit cheaper. And as PP noted, all sites have cable now. Unfortunately I believe there are only 3 Preferred loops left (100-300), so if for some reason you don't like those locations, you may want to check out the others.

As for when to book.... always good to book asap, but particularly if you're looking at the busier times of year. You can book online now through 12/31, but you can book on the phone 499 days out.

 

[Shan-man]

Just a bit of a correction to Bama-Ed's post, Full sites do have a sand pad and a paved pad. What distinguishes them is they are in a slightly less 'preferred' location (i.e. they are somewhat secluded, which many folks find preferential!). Given your druthers, I'd say loop 1600 would be ideal: fairly large sites, two comfort stations, lots of shade, and they are the cheapest class of site you can reserve. Speaking of reservations, you mention you want to reserve a package. You cannot, to my knowledge, reserve a package until pricing has been released, which may be late August. You can reserve a site over the phone now, but you'll have to wait for a package.

 

[Kagoguen]

I think you'll enjoy having more room in your hybrid. We have a hybrid and we love it, can sleep 10, but 6 comfortable. This will be our first year staying at FW, can't wait

 

[lovemygrowingfamily]

Thank You all for the suggestions. We are going to look at the maps more and try and decide which areas would be best. Shan-man dh likes your suggestion of the 1600 loop.That has partial sand correct?

We like the hybrid. It has a bed in the front, the slide out which holds the couch that turns into a daybed type, the table turns into another bed and then next to the slide out on the side is our 2nd large bed. Sleeps 8 plus there is still a lot of room on the floor if the kids don't want to sleep together.

We are going to try and at least reserve the campsite this weekend for the dates we want and then once the packages come out in mid August then I will add that. We are planning for January 31st to February 8th.

Has anyone pulled a hybrid through the mountains in February or through snow? We have brakes and a 4 sway hitch on the trailer and Suburban but we parked the popup from fall til late spring so I am pretty leary about the snow, ice and mountains part of the trip.



Now to replan all that will need to go with us to Disney and our trip plans.

 

[Shan-man]

Yes, 1600 has a larger concrete pad and a smaller sand (coquina) pad behind it.

 

[BradyBz12]

Has anyone pulled a hybrid through the mountains in February or through snow?

Not exactly... We've pulled it through snow up the very hilly terrain through NY state into CT along 87/84 in December though. It was that very slushy, messy snow that NH clears down to the pavement in about 5 minutes, but apparently CT doesn't know what to do with

We just slowed it down and stayed in our lane and it was fine.

 

[bama_ed]

Just a bit of a correction to Bama-Ed's post, Full sites do have a sand pad and a paved pad. What distinguishes them is they are in a slightly less 'preferred' location (i.e. they are somewhat secluded, which many folks find preferential!). Given your druthers, I'd say loop 1600 would be ideal: fairly large sites, two comfort stations, lots of shade, and they are the cheapest class of site you can reserve. Speaking of reservations, you mention you want to reserve a package. You cannot, to my knowledge, reserve a package until pricing has been released, which may be late August. You can reserve a site over the phone now, but you'll have to wait for a package.

Thanks for the save, Shan-man!

Bama ED

 

[drafthorsecrazy]

Has anyone pulled a hybrid through the mountains in February or through snow? We have brakes and a 4 sway hitch on the trailer and Suburban but we parked the popup from fall til late spring so I am pretty leary about the snow, ice and mountains part of the trip.

We always go to Fla. during the winter. What we do is give ourselves plenty of time to get there. It takes us 21hrs to get to Disney, but we make that into a 3 day drive. This way we can take our time if we run into bad weather or stop somewhere for a day if we need to. Mostly, I watch the weather forecast and we leave earlier to beat an approaching storm if necessary. We've run into light snow most years somewhere on the road..... interstates do a fantastic job keeping them salted & plowed. Slow down, drive defensively, and keep plenty of distance between you and everyone else. If you find yourself in weather conditions you are not comfortable with, stop and get a hotel room for a night or two. Better to shave off those days from Disney then risk an accident. (Wouldn't hurt to call Disney to see if they could cancel those days without penalty under the circumstances?)

 

[Shan-man]

Here is a picture of a typical Full site:

Photo courtesy of Tri-Circle D

Note that this rather large moho has it's rear tires on the sand pad to make room for parking a dinghy up front.