Putting Up the Tent

[dismom96]

Ok, we've decided to camp and are not quite sure if we will use a pop-up or tent, we own both but are leaning towards the tent. We do know that we want to stay at a preferred site for various reasons. Noise is not a problem. One concern we have is, I've heard the preferred sites have cement pads. How can we stake down the tent and screen house on the cement? Also, we are not sure when we will go. It's between early May and early October. Any suggestions? if any one has been there both times, comparisons would be great. I've been terribly afraid of encountering snakes or other reptiles native to Florida but thanks to many posts I've managed to convince myself that, this is possible but the chances are minimal. Now I'm worried about the Armadillos. Do they chase you?, rummage through camp-sites? Do you have to worry about running into them at night if you leave your tent for something?

dismom96

 

[Ladyn]

Put yourself at ease. We use both pop-up and tent at the preferred sites. The cement pad is where you pull your car and camper onto and then behind that is a sandy block area for your table and cooking. We have always found this area was big enough to accomidate both eating arrangements and the tent. As far as reptiles and insects are concerned. We have been several times during the month of may and have found the only nusiance at FW is the flies! and maybe the peacocks with their early morning 6am wake up calls! I have never even seen a snake there and the armadillos are so cute. .but if you want to see them you need to be very quiet, they rustle in the bushes looking for food on the ground.....however, should they hear you they are the ones running for cover, never after you. Hope this helps. If I can answer any other questions for you let me know!
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Puff, puff -- I'm just blowing smoke!

Pixy dust to dream
away if only for a
moment/I><

 

[We4mickey]

We have both tent camped and pop up camper. The only thing you have to worry about is the sand pad being big enough for your tent. We had a 11 x 14 tent with an awning and it was the old fashioned kind where you had to have it all staked. We have had to move to a different site in order to have it fit. It's not a big deal they will let you look around and find one that works for you. As far as time of the year our vote goes for October. It is our favorite time of year to go. Crowds are low, weather is great. We have only seen a snake once and it was just a little one. Armadillos you see all over but they don't bother you. Have a great time.

{Dreams Do Come True at Walts Place}

 

[Andrew_Lubow]

When you made your reservations the CM at Central reservations prolly asked you the size of your tent. So unless you're using an older style tent with guy lines you should fit on the sand pad that you'll be pitching on. The only thing you should be aware of is your site's sand pad has most likely been compacted over the years so it's "rock hard". You'll prolly need to use nail spike style tent pins and a mallet to set up. Regular steel pins either won't push in easily or will bend. If you plan to make a ground bed use an air mattress. The cushioned pads won't cut it because of the sand pad(as my sore back will tell you).

As far as the critters are concerned? I've never had a problem with a screened tent. The armidillos won't chase you. For the most they'll be in the bushes foraging at night. Though I've come across a few now and then that are so used to people they'll stay out in the open and let you watch them fairly closely. I've never had a problem with raccoons either, but then I've kept my cooler in the trunk of my car at night. If you want to read about a recent Fort Wilderness trip from a tenter's point of view, click on My WDW Trip in my signature.

Andrew Lubow
Email A_AndyL@hotmail.com
http://www.themeparks.com
http://communities.msn.com/MyWaltDisneyWorldTrip My Adventures at Fort Wilderness
"Live every day as if it were your last. Some day you'll be right!" Benny Hill

 

[MinnieMe2]

DisMom -

We always brought both our pop-up for DH, DD, and me and our tent for our three boys. There was plenty of room for all. I, too, had some concerns about critters, especially snakes, but it was never a problem. We were far more interested in the armadillos than they were in us and we never saw any snakes. But one night we got back to our site rather late, trying to be quiet so that we wouldn't disturb anyone, and one of the boys thought he saw a little lizard shoot into the tent. Talk about chaos!!! I was terrified that someone would squash the poor thing, DH just wanted to catch it, and the boys thought it was a hoot. Turned out it was a frog (small, but could he FLY), and after a few minutes DS caught him in a cup and let him go safely in the woods. We all still talk about it, and we've had a lot of laughs at the expense of that little frog . Enjoy FW!!!!

Counting the Hours Til We're Back in the World

Mother-of-Four (Five, If You Count My Husband)