Question from soon to be first timer...

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Okay here's something I just thought about and figured you guys would know best- ofcourse. LOL
We're not getting a golf cart and will use our bikes to get around FW but we plan on driving to all parks except MK.

Here's the question:
When you're gone to the parks all day do you pack up all your stuff, put up the bikes/etc. or do you just not worry about things being stolen?
I'm just curious how that type of thing goes at FW. I mean it would be pretty devastating (atleast to the kids) if we came back and a bike (or two or more) were just gone- or if like our other things in our set up were stolen. Does that type of thing just not generally happen at FW or should we be careful and lock everything up neat and tidy- nothing left out we don't mind being stolen (which for us would be nothing left out LOL)?

I started thinking wait.. that will take a lot of time to pack everything up and nothing left outside- but then the alternative is leaving all our stuff out for anyone to just take if they felt like it? What's your experience? anyone ever had something taken?

(we've never camped like this before- I mean we generally don't put a lot of things outside then stay gone from our site all day- yanno?)

 

[Disbuf]

I take a chain and padlock and lock the bikesup to the tongue of the trailer. We leave our rug, chairs, and table out. We have not had a problem at FW but that's not to say we can't of won't. My wife says I am too trusting so I at least lock the bikes. It will be interesting to see what others have to say on this topic.

 

[2goofycampers]

We do the same as disbuf, if not gonna rain everything stays out and we lock the bikes to something or eachother.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

I do lock up the bikes at night, and when we are away from the site. Just one cheap kids' lock through the back wheels, and lock them all together. Not going to stop a real thief, just "joy-riders, which I think might be the only real risk.

As for the rest of our stuff, I do make sure that we either take or lock in the car the ipods, cell phones, cameras, and little easy to take electronic stuff. Otherwise, if anyone wants to steal it, you can. We have not had a problem with theft at the Fort. Of anything. On any trip.

Of course, there are occasional reports of theft at the Fort. Unfortunately, that is a problem everywhere these days. But, overall, I don't think anyone will mess with your stuff.

TCD

TCD

 

[mdoc]

I've definitely heard of bikes being stolen at the Fort. We bring chain and a padlock and try to remember to lock our bikes togehter, but try is the operative word. We leave our chairs and toys and decorations out too. So far we haven't had a problem (at Disney or any other campground).

 

[Shan-man]

You might also want to stash your cooler in the trunk since there have been reports of kids raiding them for beer.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

You might also want to stash your cooler in the trunk since there have been reports of kids raiding them for beer.

Kids, huh?

I always thought that was Ft. Wilderness Guy.

I don't lock up my cooler, and have never had a beer theft.

TCD

 

[Mmketeer]

Well I must say if I am camping anywhere else other than at FW this type of thing does cross my mind, but at Disney I pretty much take my chances. At the holidays I have decorations that we leave out unattended (and you this Disney stuff isn't cheap) and at the site we don't lock up our bikes. That being said our bikes are not expensive and can easily be replaced at Walmart, so I guess it just depends. We do however lock them up at other places around the fort, say if we are hoping on the boat to go over to the resorts or MK. I haven't ever had any problems in the many years that I have been going to FW, but I guess you just never know. Personally, I will probably continue to take my chances there as I refuse to believe it's the same as at other campgrounds.

 

[team bradfield]

We took our bikes in 07, after 2 rainy, miserable trips back from the outpost, I hoped someone would take the evil things.

From now on, its golf carts for team bradfield...

When we do leave them, like everyone else stated, chain the bikes together.

I left my Kodak Digital camera in the golf cart one year at the outpost, we got back from a long day at Epcot, I thought for sure it would be gone, but to our suprise, it was still in the cart. Lucky I guess.

If you leave your cooler out, I prefer Amstel Light

 

[clkelley]

I'll lock up the bike and take the key out of the ECV, but everything else is sitting out. (Chairs, rugs, tables, cooler, Crockpot, sometimes a minifridge)

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Okay so it seems, atleast so far, that the consensus is not really worried about other "stuff" (not valuables but things like chairs, rugs, decorations, etc.) but that you do secure your bikes. Okay... do they make chains long enough for 5 bikes? LOL I'll need to talk to DH about this. I may just take the kids bikes- there's only one day we'd be thinking about actually using them to "get somewhere" (marina) and leaving them there (locked ofcourse) but the rest of the time I don't think we'd really be planning on driving all together and DD15's I can ride if necessary- it's a women's bike! LOL Maybe we'll just take their 3 bikes and ditch the idea of riding bikes on MK day and just use internal buses. Now that I think about it- I haven't really thought about how/where we'd pack up 5 bikes to take with us anyway! LOL

Thanks!
(ps. i've never read about any thefts at FW- what was stolen? Basically just bikes?)

 

[clkelley]

I have heard about a small utility trailer stolen out of the Outpost lot. I've also heard about coolers taken (found later empty in a canal), and I'm sure bikes have been taken from the various bike racks around if they weren't locked.

 

[retired and happy]

We have made more than 23 trips to WDW and have stayed in the FW Campground for the past 21 trips. We leave chairs, coolers, wheel chairs,
etc. outside and have never had one thing taken from our site. We are there for at least 3 weeks at Christmas/NewYear and decorate our site with more than 24 of the large inflatables and they have also been safe. We have left strollers and wheel chairs outside various rides/attractions and everything on them has always been safe.

The only thing I have ever had taken was my digital camera. I left it on a bench when we got on one of the buses. The driver mmediately turned around and took me back to the bench and the camera was gone. I was told by the cast members at Lost and Found that cameras are "ripe for the picking" and no one ever turns them in. I checked back several times hoping someone would at least turn in the disc with all my pictures on it. I can not
imagine some one not doing so when they saw pictures of 4 medically fragile/handicapped children in wheel chairs in all the pictures. I guess some people only think of themselves.

Disney World is the happiest place on earth despite, for us, some sad times there. On our way to WDW December 14, 2006, our 33 month old adopted
special needs/medically fragile daughter passed away. On December 22, 2008 I had to call 911 to take our 33 month old adopted medically fragile/handicapped son to the hospital. He passed away on the 23rd.
Their cremated remains travel everywhere with us and that includes all the
trips to WDW. I have told all my grown children and other family members and friends that I would love to leave this earth from WDW and then have
my remains scattered there. It is my favorite vacation spot.

Only 39 weeks and 3 days til we check in for another 3+ weeks.

Judy, Ken, Shawnee, Kenya, Kimberly and Cameron

 

[2goofycampers]

FYI, there are also lock boxes available at the front desk.

 

[2goofycampers]

We have made more than 23 trips to WDW and have stayed in the FW Campground for the past 21 trips. We leave chairs, coolers, wheel chairs,
etc. outside and have never had one thing taken from our site. We are there for at least 3 weeks at Christmas/NewYear and decorate our site with more than 24 of the large inflatables and they have also been safe. We have left strollers and wheel chairs outside various rides/attractions and everything on them has always been safe.

The only thing I have ever had taken was my digital camera. I left it on a bench when we got on one of the buses. The driver mmediately turned around and took me back to the bench and the camera was gone. I was told by the cast members at Lost and Found that cameras are "ripe for the picking" and no one ever turns them in. I checked back several times hoping someone would at least turn in the disc with all my pictures on it. I can not
imagine some one not doing so when they saw pictures of 4 medically fragile/handicapped children in wheel chairs in all the pictures. I guess some people only think of themselves.

Disney World is the happiest place on earth despite, for us, some sad times there. On our way to WDW December 14, 2006, our 33 month old adopted
special needs/medically fragile daughter passed away. On December 22, 2008 I had to call 911 to take our 33 month old adopted medically fragile/handicapped son to the hospital. He passed away on the 23rd.
Their cremated remains travel everywhere with us and that includes all the
trips to WDW. I have told all my grown children and other family members and friends that I would love to leave this earth from WDW and then have
my remains scattered there. It is my favorite vacation spot.

Only 39 weeks and 3 days til we check in for another 3+ weeks.

Judy, Ken, Shawnee, Kenya, Kimberly and Cameron

I am so sorry for your losses, special people like you and yours are what this world needs more of.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

OH wow... thanks for all the posts everyone and 2goofycampers- you're good people. (hope you are familiar with that and it's meaning)

(shame on the person that took your camera and the pictures. shame on them!)