Preferred for a 40' 5-slide?

[Napria]

Hi all! I really excited because my husband told me I could change our October ressies from Port Orleans to The Fort! Of course when I called there were no Premium sites available. The reservations agent assured me that her system said that fifth wheels were recommended camping equipment for Preferred sites. I tried to explain that fifth wheels vary greatly in size, but gave up when it was apparent that she couldn't grasp the first thing about RVs.

So my question is what happens when we roll up at 11:00 PM on a Thursday night in October with our 40' fifth wheel that has 5 slides? Will they be able to put us in a site that we will actually be able to maneuver into? I booked the Preferred, hoping that they know what they're talking about.

 

[PaHunter]

We watched some people have problems getting a 5th into the Premium 1400 loop. Depends on how the site is, and how good the driver is. How the neighbors have parked and screwed up the roadway by crowding it. But you can work around it. And keep checking back a premium may open up as you get closer.

 

[Napria]

I know that we may run into problems getting into our assigned site. We had that problem years ago with our 33' fifth wheel and they reassigned us. My question is, will they be able to reassign us at 11:00 at night? Will they even have a site to reassign us into? Should I call (or fax) the Fort ahead of time to alert them that we have a BIG rig? With the long-bed, crew cab dually we pull our fifth wheel with, we will need room, and lots of it.

Has anyone else here with a 40' fifth wheel stayed in a preferred site?

 

[Arielsfanmom]

I am curious about this too! We are in the same boat as you a 38 ft 5th wheel with slides and a big dully to pull it with. We are arriving on a Saturday thankfully during the day so hopefully it will be easier to find a site big enough for the beast. lol. My dad bless his heart is not the worlds greatest at backing it in

 

[Teamubr]

I think you are going to be really crowded if you do get in the site. I love the Preferred loops, but I don't know if I would try to get a 40 footer in. My camping 5er is just under 31 ft long. Last trip we were in the 100 loop. We had trouble negotiating around the loop because people parked parallel to the road or had the car/truck sticking out. It made backing in the trailer tough when the site across the road has a truck sideways in their site. I tow often and usually are towing a 44 or 48 ft trailer. I can generally get them exactly where I want, but I'm not sure I would want to pull up at 11pm with a 40 footer and try to get into the only site available. Premiums aren't that much more money. 400 loop and the end of 700 are as close to the marina as 100 or 200.

J

 

[Napria]

The problem is that they don't have Premium available. I booked the Preferred knowing that it would probably be a problem, but thinking that the reservations cast member was insistent that it would be ok, so they must run into this problem fairly frequently. But since we'll be there late, what happens if we don't luck out and get a site we can maneuver into?

How late are they there to check us in?

 

[John VN]

CMs are at the Outpost 24hrs/day. Arriving late on the day of your check-in means everybody before you has the opportunity to change sites if they have a problem so if your assigned site is problematic, fewer choices remain. Didn't they have any Full Hook-up sites available?

 

[jbrostek]

As the Owner of a 40' 5th wheel I can say you can fit into preferred sites. Just not ALL preferred sites.

I stay in the 300 loop with my 5er and have learned certain sites to request. Yes the sites are not as wide as Premium, so if you want to have some patio area you need to take some time to tuck in close to the sewer and power between slides. As long as they know whats comming, and you are better off getting there when check-in starts in case the site is not to your liking so there is a better chance of another location in the loop.

 

[Teamubr]

When you do precheck-in, make sure you list the length and # of slides on the reservation. Hopefully that gets them to assign a site you can get into. I'm with jbrostek. I think, if I had to, I could probably get our 48 footer backed into many of the sites. It's all the vehicular hazards along the road that make it the hardest. Trying to navigate and avoid hazards in the dark just makes it all the harder.

j

 

[jbrostek]

Agreed, the 2 cars and a cart in a single site usually cause more issues then the size of the site. Thankfully I have always had good neighbors that will move when you get there (if they are around.) I also prefer to leave my truck down in overflow since I dont use it when I am there anyway. It leaves me more space in my site.

 

[Napria]

Thanks jbrostek. That's helpful. Is the 300 loop a good bet for us?

 

[Flametamr]

We were in the outer 1400 loop and I had a heck of a time backing in due to the neighbors truck accross the street being right up against the road. I have a 30ft bumper pull and a crew cab Ford F150. Like everyone said before it depends a lot on the individual site but for the money I would keep trying to upgrade with the rig you have.

 

[jbrostek]

300 loop is a better bet. 1400 loop I think is actually pretty tight even when I had only a 36' diesel pusher, but it also has a lot to do with lots of sites with more then one car in it.....which is actually against the rules but nothing is enforced much.

I think if you where to ask for a specific site, 331 is not bad to get into, but you need a good spotter as its on the corner. But the site is deep and depending on your slide setup you can get over enough to have a nice patio, however, my truck (F350CC long bed) will not fit there and leave me good access in and out of the site so I park it down in overflow when I Was there.

I have also been in 335 which is nice and deep as well but that was when I had my bus. 334 deep as well and not too difficult to back into.

I have heard 307 or 303 are also good sites for big trailers to use.

 

[Napria]

I called the Fort directly to ask what will happen if I can't upgrade to a Premium and we can't maneuver into our Preferred site. The cast member said that probably another camper would come help and show us how to get into our site. I explained that we've been RVing for 12 years and if my husband can't get us into a site no one can; and that I'm concerned with the length of the site. She assured me that all Preferred sites are 60' long. Have they lengthened all the Preferred sites in recent years? I remember some being fairly short.

Anyway, I'll keep trying to get a Premium site, and I'm holding onto the Preferred until then. I'm rather surprised that everyone at Disney is insistent that we will be able to utilize a Preferred site. But I r

 

[Napria]

So that's weird... I was writing that reply at 3:30 AM (when I get up for work). And it wouldn't post. Now I'm trying to post something different, and my old post popped up. Huh.

So, crisis averted. I called this afternoon and was able to snag a Premium site! Woot!

 

[Teamubr]

crisis averted. I called this afternoon and was able to snag a Premium site! Woot!

Congrats! Persistence pays off. This should let you relax and focus on the fun side of trip planning. Now you get to decide what loop you want to request.

j

 

[PaHunter]

Congratulations on the Premium site.

 

[Corndog88]

Sweet!!!! Smooth sailing from now on....

 

[TheRustyScupper]

As the Owner of a 40' 5th wheel I can say you can fit into preferred sites. Just not ALL preferred sites.

I stay in the 300 loop with my 5er and have learned certain sites to request. Yes the sites are not as wide as Premium, so if you want to have some patio area you need to take some time to tuck in close to the sewer and power between slides. As long as they know whats comming, and you are better off getting there when check-in starts in case the site is not to your liking so there is a better chance of another location in the loop.

1) True.
2) If I knew your site number, I could help.
3) But, as mentioned previously, backing a 40' at night can be problematic.
4) Or, nerve-racking, at best.
5) Fainting is permitted, as necessary.
6) But, call the Outpost Front Desk and we will send somone out to spot for you.
. . . we have experince in helping campers back-in their RV's or 5-ers.
. . . sometimes to back into trees or other cars
. . . but, we are expereniced.

 

[Napria]

Cute reply, Rusty!

Can you tell me if things have changed so that all sites are 60' long? The reservations people are telling me that they are but the sites used to be different lengths.