pop up site recommendation

[Christymarie222]

Hi all! You all have been so helpful in the past, thought I'd ask another question or two.

We will be going to FW this July in our pop up. We will hopefully be traveling with our dog...a VERY large rhodesian ridgeback. He does great when we have left him in the pop up on other camping trips. We have a dog crate that fits nicely in the pop up...sometimes we use it...sometimes not.

Question 1: I am from NY and while our summers get very hot, it is nothing compared to a Florida summer day. Our AC unit keeps our pop up FREEZING when we camp in NY! Will the pop up stay cold enough in the Florida heat...I just don't want Atticus (our ridgeback) to get too hot. I plan on getting those gizmos thingy's to put over the beds.

Question 2: Any suggestions for a pet loop? I am not sure what site to go for. I think we really just need a basic site. We don't care if we are close to the pool, bus stop etc... We have a porta potty and an outside shower with a cabana that holds both the shower and the potty. Is it worth it upgrading to a premium site?

Thanks in advance

Soooooo excited to live out my dream of camping with my family at the Fort next summer!

PS: oh and to those who helped me a few months ago with picking out a pop up....we are LOVING pop up camping...worth every minute of setting up the darn thing...lol! THANKS!

 

[tim5055]

Well, first of all folks are going to tell you no pets are allowed in tents or pop ups. Well that was once the rule, but it has changed several times through the years. As of June 2011 the Disney website states the following rules for pets:

Pets
Pets like to go on vacation, too, so we offer a limited number of pet-friendly Preferred Hook-Up and Premium campsites.

• All pets must be kept on a handheld leash that is 6 feet or shorter or confined in the interior of the owner's personal recreational vehicle. For pop-ups and tents, pets must be secured in a container, such as a portable cage or kennel.
• Campsite Guests with pet privileges may take their dogs to play in the off-leash Waggin' Trails Dog Park or walk the many on-leash trails. So that our Guests with pets can enjoy ample time at the Walt Disney World theme parks and destinations, day and overnight kennel care is available at Best Friends Pet Care.
• Pet owners are required to pick up after and properly dispose of their pet's droppings.
• Pets that interfere with the quality of the Guest experience at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground in any away (such as aggression, noise, etc.) or generate a legitimate complaint to management will result in the pet owner being required to discontinue the pet's inappropriate behavior, remove the pet to an off-site kennel or leave the Resort.

So, previously the "official" rule was no pets in pop ups, but now as long as you use a crate it is OK.

Now, with my pop up camping website one of the most common questions I am asked is "Can my dog be left on the pop-up alone?"

There is no simple answer to this question, every dog is different and you have to make your choice based on the temperament of your dog. Remember, you dog is a member of the family and should be treated as such. Do not place them in a dangerous situation.

First of all, check with your destination to see if a kennel is available as this may be a better option once you consider the totality of the circumstances.

On a couple of camping trips "test" the dog. Put them in the pop up and go out and get in the car, slam the doors for the correct number of people and drive away. One person stays behind and keeps quite listening to see what the dog does. Some dogs will go to sleep, some will whine/bark for a coupe of minutes then quiet down while others continue to bark.

If you do plan to leave them alone, please keep in mind they can't care for themselves. Make sure the temperature will be in a safe and reasonable range. While you may have A/C or a heater, what will happen in a power failure? Remember food and water!

This is also not something you should spring on your dog out of the blue. If your dog has only experienced being with it's "pack", being abandoned may be difficult for them to deal with. Over several trips in the pop up you may want to slowly build up the time you leave them alone.

Some things that may help:

A bed the dog is comfortable sleeping in; even better is a crate if your dog is comfortable in one.

Close all curtains to keep it dark

Run your A/C to keep it cool (plus it adds background noise)

Leave a radio on softly to block outside noise.

Again, the choice will ultimately be yours. You must feel comfortable with leaving your dog alone.

 

[Christymarie222]

Tim...thanks for the clarification

Yeah...I figured some would comment on the no pup in a pup (lol), but our dog is a great traveler. We go camping with him all the time....he likes his crate and isn't a barker. That combined with the fact my girls are 11, 4 and 2...so naps for the little ones will be a necessity. Meaning we won't be leaving him all day. Just for a few hours at a time.

But I appreciate posting the info, just so the official rules are stated before anyone comments

Any takers out there on whether the pop up will stay cool enough? I just want to make sure he will be safe and comfy. Otherwise...grandma and grandpa will be dogsitting!

 

[tim5055]

Any takers out there on whether the pop up will stay cool enough? I just want to make sure he will be safe and comfy. Otherwise...grandma and grandpa will be dogsitting!

Well, I probably could have answered your question while I was typing, but I wanted to beat the no pets in pop up folks

My wife says I can never give a straight answer, and maybe she is right, but it depends. RV A/C units come in 3 sizes and it depends on which one you have. I think the sizes are 9,000 BTU, 13,500 BTU and 15,000 BTU.

I have a 12 foot pop up with the 15,000 BTU A/C. As long as we use our PopupGizmos Solar Bunkend Covers it stays very cold in the pop up. Our old pop up was a 10 foot pop up and had a 13,500 BTU unit and it stayed cold as well. While I don't have first hand knowledge, folks have reported that the 9,000 BTU unit in Florida just can't keep up.

So, there you have it. The answer is it depends on a couple of factors such as size of the pop up and size of the A/C. But, as there are so few 9,000 BTU A/C units out there I'm going to guess you will be fine.

 

[Christymarie222]

...... but I wanted to beat the no pets in pop up folks.

hehe...thank you again!

Perfect...we have a 15,000 BTU and a 12 footer as well Thanks for taking the time to answer!

 

[gillenkl]

I guess I'll put in my 2 cents and say that I still think it will be warm in the PUP. We have a 2007 Fleetwood Westlake and we usually camp in June-August and even with the AC it can be warm - yes we have popup gizmos and they help alot. We travel with our rabbit and this year we decided to get a portable AC unit to bring along. Hopefully our PUP will be like the North Pole.

 

[tim5055]

I guess I'll put in my 2 cents and say that I still think it will be warm in the PUP. We have a 2007 Fleetwood Westlake and we usually camp in June-August and even with the AC it can be warm - yes we have popup gizmos and they help alot. We travel with our rabbit and this year we decided to get a portable AC unit to bring along. Hopefully our PUP will be like the North Pole.

You may have the 13,500 BTU unit and yes it may not be able to keep up all the time.

 

[2goofycampers]

If you'll be in Fl during cooler months should be fine.

 

[Christymarie222]

Thanks for all the comments guys....I guess the safest bet is to travel without him next summer til we know for sure. I don't want him to be uncomfortable. Oh well...I will just have to plan another trip shortly after the first one when we know for sure if the pop up stays cool enough

 

[Judique]

Thanks for all the comments guys....I guess the safest bet is to travel without him next summer til we know for sure. I don't want him to be uncomfortable. Oh well...I will just have to plan another trip shortly after the first one when we know for sure if the pop up stays cool enough

Have you considered boarding him during the days that you will be doing the parks at best friends?
I mean day boarding - pick dog up after your park visit.
I parked my dog at the kennel at the Fort a couple of times. Not staying at the fort - it was just that I knew my dog and she needed different care than I was able to find easily from a kennel here.

It has gotten pretty expensive at Best Friends but the service and accomodations are top notch.

 

[Christymarie222]

I am sorry Judique...I just saw your message. Thanks for the suggestion, but if I am going to board him, I might as well leave him home with grandma and grandpa. I will come home to find him 5 pounds heavier from being spoiled....lol!!!! Thanks for the suggestion though..it is appreciated!

 

[Disney Bunny]

Let me say that I am a dog lover. However, there is nothing more miserable for me as a camper than to have someone's dog barking and whining incessantly in a camper next to mine. Some dogs do well and others just do not. On our trip to the Fort in 09, the folks across the street from us had a dog in a pop up. Poor dog barked all the time whether or not his family was there or not. After 2 days of that, I think someone must have complained to the Fort management. We saw security over there one night and the next day the pop up was still there but the dog was gone.

 

[WDW1979]

On our trip to the Fort in 09, the folks across the street from us had a dog in a pop up. Poor dog barked all the time whether or not his family was there or not. After 2 days of that, I think someone must have complained to the Fort management. We saw security over there one night and the next day the pop up was still there but the dog was gone.

I'm happy to hear that Fort management did something about it as I have been concerned about this problem, and I was not sure about the extent to which management would deal with such complaints.