Question about late arrival...

[Goofy-dad]

We are unsure when we will be arriving at the fort...could be as early as 10:00pm or as late as 1 am. We do not have reservations until the next day. Depending on the arrival time should we try to check-in early to a site (yes, we will pay the additional night) or would it be better to park in the overflow parking until morning and then check in as planned? I am not sure how late you can get into a site without disturbing everyone! In addition, Do they let you park in the overflow parking overnight? Any thoughts would be appreciated!

 

[clkelley]

That is one of the things the Fort does enforce religiously. You CAN NOT park in the overflow lot before your reservation. Security guards that lot religiously, and if it even looks like you might be sleeping in their without a parking pass on the window, you will be rousted out!!

I would just go ahead and get a reservation for the night before, and just back in and do minimal setup the first night.

I usually pull in about 1 or 2am, and just plug in and go to bed.

 

[des1954]

Because people were abusing the overflow lot and actually squatting there for days on end, Disney is now very strict about no overnight parking in that lot without a parking pass in the window.

If you can't get a ressie for the nite before, check Encore on 192W or Tropical Palms on 192E. Both are very nice.

Oh and...NONE of the Wal-Mart's anywhere remotely near Disney allow you to boondoggle in their lots. There is a Cracker Barrel on 192W that may allow you to stay in their lot. I spoke to a retired couple who stayed at the CB the night before checking in at the Fort. They said the manager at the CB was very accomodating.

 

[Goofy-dad]

Thanks so much! I think we will probably just get one more night added to our ressie and check in whenever we get there! Heck... one more night at the fort who wouldn't want that!

 

[LarryJ]

We are unsure when we will be arriving at the fort...could be as early as 10:00pm or as late as 1 am. We do not have reservations until the next day. Depending on the arrival time should we try to check-in early to a site (yes, we will pay the additional night) or would it be better to park in the overflow parking until morning and then check in as planned? I am not sure how late you can get into a site without disturbing everyone! In addition, Do they let you park in the overflow parking overnight? Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Why not plan your stops out a little better and stop up the road and get a good nights rest and get to FW early the next day when your reservation actually starts. I'm not sure why you would want to pull into FW a 1AM the morning of your reservation. I guess you could line up in the check in line that early and sleep in the driver's seat, but that just seems like an extreme action.

We always stay in the Jax/St. Augustine area the night before check in so it's an easy next morning and we are in line a couple of hours before noon for an early check in if our site is ready.

Larry

 

[clkelley]

Why not plan your stops out a little better and stop up the road and get a good nights rest and get to FW early the next day when your reservation actually starts. I'm not sure why you would want to pull into FW a 1AM the morning of your reservation. I guess you could line up in the check in line that early and sleep in the driver's seat, but that just seems like an extreme action.

We always stay in the Jax/St. Augustine area the night before check in so it's an easy next morning and we are in line a couple of hours before noon for an early check in if our site is ready.

Larry

Larry, that may be fine for types of trips that you take, where you stay several weeks, but for most of us, who have trips from just a few days to 2 weeks max, every minute counts.

For example, most of my trips are long weekends (4 nights). I leave home early afternoon, and get there very late at night. By having a site right there at the Fort when I arrive, I can get a few hours sleep, then set up early the next morning and ready to enjoy my stay by mid morning. I used to stop at the Georgia line, and come in the next morning, but my site was rarely ready before 2 or 3pm. So then still had to set up the next afternoon. I am very meticulous about packing the camper and truck, so that I can just back into my site at the Fort, plug in, and go to bed. That gains me almost a full day on a short trip. I also tend to pay for an extra night at the Fort, so I can enjoy a nice morning in the parks, break down the camper in the evening, and then drive to Ocala or the Georgia line, then continue home the next morning.

 

[BradyBz12]

We always stay in the Jax/St. Augustine area the night before check in so it's an easy next morning and we are in line a couple of hours before noon for an early check in if our site is ready.

Same here.

 

[photofreak]

Same here.

Where do you stay in the Jacksonville area? We were thinking of stopping somewhere near there on our next trip to do the exact same thing.
Would love to hear from people that have done it...
Thanks

 

[BradyBz12]

We just crash for the night at a WalMart (we do our grocery shopping in the a.m. and bug out for the Fort), but I'm sure others here will have campground recommendations for you if you'd rather go that route.