Please help first timers...

[mom24girlz]

We are a family of 6 (dh, myself, dd15, dd12 dd10, dd7) and have never-ever been camping. The girls really want to go and now that I have spent some time on this board, so do I. We are looking at going the first part of October. We live about 1.5 hrs away and will be purchasing the seasonal weekday passes. Dh is self employed and we homeschool the girls so this seemed like a good deal. Ok, enough background info! lol My questions are:
What do we absolutely need to purchase/bring? I just bought a 10 person tent off craigslist, but other than that what is needed. How do I find out if we can get a reservation for October and is that a good time to go. I'm thinking a fan will be enough that time a year or will the heat inside the tent require AC? Please share whatever tidbits of advice you think we will need. I was originally going to do cabins, but the girls really want to tent camp. Ok thanks for reading-I know i rambled, but we have gotten ourselves all excited!

 

[SimbaKY]

HI!
Welcome to the forum!
If you want to you can PM me and I can help you with dates!
A fan should be ok. The weather will be real comfortable at that time, however it will be the end of hurrican season...
The MK offers Trick or Treating certain evenings (extra purchase).
You will still need a 5-day cooler. We use these and they work really well.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Welcome to the Disboards.

Camping requires a bit of planning. Camping with children requires more.

At the very top of the page here on the camping board, there is a sticky with FAQ's. I suggest that you review that thread carefully. There is a link on there to a good packing list.

Since you only live an hour and a half away, you know how October can be in Florida. It can be really hot. It can be mild. It is unlikely to be cold. I'm not sure a fan alone will keep you comfortable. But, as I have said before, people used to live in Florida before air conditioning was invented, and somehow they survived. If you can just bring a fan, then so be it. It probably won't be as hot as July or August.

Have fun!

TCD

 

[Solamom]

Welcome~

Like said before, lots of planning! Bring for sure air mattresses for the tent! Also since the sites have power, we brought an electric skillet to cook it. Also brought bikes, but make sure they have lights for night travel.

We homeschool too and live about 1 hour away. Nice to meet another DISer who homeschools.

 

[thegoofyfamily]

I love "hearing" the excitement in your voice! I've never tent camped, but threatened DH that I might want to try it!

The only thing I can offer is the climate in October. We live in West Palm and I swore one year, it was hotter in WDW than it was 3 hours south! Might want to check weather.com and see what the historical temps have been for the dates you're looking to go.

Enjoy!

 

[clkelley]

October is a really mixed bag.

Halloween 2009 it was hotter than Hades.

Halloween 2008, we froze our tails off.

Mid-October 2007, it was very pleasant.

 

[clkelley]

Once that tent you bought off Craigslist arrives set it up in the back yard and saturate all of the seams AND the cloth with a waterproofing spray.

Buy a roll of 6 mil painters plastic and cut a ground cloth to fit and go underneath the tent. For extra measure also cut another piece to fit and put it inside the tent.

Then for camping at the Fort, purchase some of the really cheap painters plastic and lay that down first, then the groundcloth, then your tent. Throw away the cheap painters plastic at the end of your trip. (You'll thank me).

Another shelter of some sort or a screen room comes in handy so you can sit outside your tent. Folding chairs of course.

 

[DaveInTN]

Hi, and welcome to the boards!

As TCD suggested, the FAQ's will provide a lot of good information.

I have one suggestion to offer regarding timing for your trip. We homeschool as well, so the past several years we have visited the Fort in early December. The weather is spectacular, so tent camping would likely be quite comfortable. The Christmas decorations are all up, both at the Fort and throughout WDW, which are all beautiful. The crowds are not bad at all if you avoid Thanksgiving week and are gone before Christmas week. I don't mean to derail your plans if October is the best time for you...and I'm not sure if those weekday passes are good in December or not. But just thought I'd offer up the alternative based upon my experience.

 

[BradyBz12]

My very best advice.... do some practice tent camping at home before your trip - even in your back yard. Get yourself some experience setting up/breaking down, get the kids used to getting situated and actually sleeping out, and it'll also help you make your list of what you'll need.

This is definitely a case where a little practice ahead of time can make for a much less stressful and much more enjoyable stay when you get to the Fort.

Have fun!

 

[AuburnJen92]

definitely get a screen room of some sort...it was the best purchase we have made in some time for bugs all year round

 

[LarryJ]

We are a family of 6 (dh, myself, dd15, dd12 dd10, dd7) and have never-ever been camping. The girls really want to go and now that I have spent some time on this board, so do I. We are looking at going the first part of October. We live about 1.5 hrs away and will be purchasing the seasonal weekday passes. Dh is self employed and we homeschool the girls so this seemed like a good deal. Ok, enough background info! lol My questions are:
What do we absolutely need to purchase/bring? I just bought a 10 person tent off craigslist, but other than that what is needed. How do I find out if we can get a reservation for October and is that a good time to go. I'm thinking a fan will be enough that time a year or will the heat inside the tent require AC? Please share whatever tidbits of advice you think we will need. I was originally going to do cabins, but the girls really want to tent camp. Ok thanks for reading-I know i rambled, but we have gotten ourselves all excited!

WOW that should be quite an adventure tenting it with 4 older children with 8 years between the teenager and the youngest with all being daughters. Obvious things are bedding/pillows, clothes, coolers, food, something to cook with and eat with, towels, cleaning items like dish pan, soap. I would suggest making a list along with what you crew of six wants to bring them selves like IPODs etc. that might need to be charge (thus an extension cord). Have a family sit down/discussion to start making a combined list.

One question is it seems like you might need a small semi to get all that gear there along with the passengers so you need to be thinking about that.

I would think about setting up your tent hopefully like in your back yard and then have everyone bring and sleep there one night just like you would at FW and if you need something to cook with bring it out and even go thru a dry cleanup and keep everything you found you had to go back to the house for there and then make of list after a couple of days doing that. I would have a suitcase in the tent for each person and have them load up things they would want to bring like swimsuits, crocs, thongs for the shower all their hair and personal products and let it accumulate. At home your crew might have 3 hair dryers they use individually and do you want to have to bring 3 or can they do with only one between them.

I'm sure it can be done, but it needs a lot of planning and IMHO a good dry run or two so you have at least most of the bases covered. You won't be perfect the first time, but start instilling in everyone that this will happen and they have to be flexible and keep a good attitude.

Larry

 

[ftwildernessrick]

and.....duct tape.
for those emergency repairs.

 

[CampingChristy]

rubbermaid totes are an excellent source for packing. Everything from kitchen needs to clothes. They stack and organize really nice.

 

[mom24girlz]

Thank you all for the advise. I am copying the responses into a word document. My husband insisted that I make a correction to our introduction. He says that he does have camping experience, he's never camped recreationally, but was in the US Army for 8 years and in Dessert Storm. What he doesn't have experience with is camping with a wife and 4 daughters that need creature comforts. lol I picked up one full size air mattress last night. This may sound like a really wierd question, but do you make efforts to secure your belongings before leaving the site to go to the parks or in camping do you just trust your fellow campers? I saw the thread about thefts and that got me wondering.

 

[retired and happy]

You will definitely want to secure your valuables...cameras, iPods, DVD players, anything like that in a locked vehicle. Most of your clothing, bedding, cooking utensils, food, etc should be just fine in the tent or screen room. Chairs, coolers, etc should be ok outside. Secure bikes with chains/locks.

Of course we have never had anything taken, so others might be more cautious than we are. Hopefully those "missing item" experiences were isolated and the Fort will remain a place for relaxing and comfortable family fun. That said, a little caution might contribute to your relaxation.

 

[LarryJ]

You will definitely want to secure your valuables...cameras, iPods, DVD players, anything like that in a locked vehicle. Most of your clothing, bedding, cooking utensils, food, etc should be just fine in the tent or screen room. Chairs, coolers, etc should be ok outside. Secure bikes with chains/locks.

Of course we have never had anything taken, so others might be more cautious than we are. Hopefully those "missing item" experiences were isolated and the Fort will remain a place for relaxing and comfortable family fun. That said, a little caution might contribute to your relaxation.

That's about all I would do too, except maybe throw the Ice Chest in the car or keep it out of sight if it has stuff that someone could tamper with just to be mean. Any more there are just too many crazies and mean people floating around. This is an highly unlikely situation, but one you might consider.

Larry