Recommendations PLEASE

[matilda]

Hello,
We are DVC members and have stayed at Fort Wilderness before in a cabin. We would like to take our Class A RV down next April for Spring Break but would love any suggestions on sites. We have three DS who will be 10,13,16 so would like to be close to as many things as possible for them to have some freedom without mom and dad breathing down their necks!! Also close to bath house would be my priority.
TIA to all input as it is greatly appreciated.

 

[luckycharm19335]

Ok. Where to start
If you have not already made your ressies for Spring Break 2012, you may be in for a difficult time as it is a very busy time at all Disney properties.
As far as requesting a specific site, it is next to impossible, however it never hurts to ask.
You would have better luck requesting a specific loop. Again, it is just a request. No guarantee.
I would say that with any given site you would never be more than a brisk 30 minute walk to anything.
Have you considered bringing their bikes?
Bath houses are not an issue. They are in every loop.
I myself, never request a loop. Part of the excitement every year is finding out what site we are assigned at check in.

 

[luckycharm19335]

OH, I forgot.
You didn't tell us what type of site you are looking for.

 

[retired and happy]

I don't know how long you wil be there, but consider renting a golf cart from an outside source. Then wherever you are, you can get anywhere quickly. Also if a teen has a driver's license, he could use the cart without parents having to drive them.

 

[tim5055]

Hello,
We are DVC members and have stayed at Fort Wilderness before in a cabin. We would like to take our Class A RV down next April for Spring Break but would love any suggestions on sites. We have three DS who will be 10,13,16 so would like to be close to as many things as possible for them to have some freedom without mom and dad breathing down their necks!! Also close to bath house would be my priority.
TIA to all input as it is greatly appreciated.

The previous comment on reservations is spot on. Make them now.

I would suggest going for a full hook up site. That will put you in the 1600-1900 loops (all 4 are grouped together). Those loops are directly across the street from the Meadows where the pool and nightly movies are held. Kind of centrally located in the campground.

Depending on your length of stay, the golf cart is a good idea. If you are staying more then 4 - 5 days an offsite rental will set you back a little over $200. If DS16 has a drivers license he can take it out alone. For shorter stays renting from Disney will be the way to go. Really great parents would book two carts so DS16 & brothers have the freedom to use one themselves (remember, DS16 has to drive)

Buy them a tent (or 2) so they don't have to stay in the MH with mom & dad. Everything but the premium sites have a sand pad to set up a tent (or 2) behind the MH.

Make your site selection known when you make your reservation (or call back if you already have a reservation and ask that it be added to the notes) so they can note it on your reservation. You are much better off requesting the things you like about the site/loop rather than the site/loop itself. For example, if you like the site because it is near a comfort station, then request that, if you like it because it is in the back of the loop and is quieter request that. The problem with asking for a specific site/loop is that the site assigners really don't know why you wanted that site/loop. If your request is not available they really don't know what you might find as a comparable site.

Remember I said great parents would get 2 golf carts? Spectacular parents would let them bring a friend along. Remember, the price of the campsite includes up to 10 people (unless you are getting a package including tickets which would jack up the per person price).

 

[matilda]

Thank you everyone for your great advice.

We have a 33ft Class A and do have a tent for the kids which is a great idea.

I can not book until October as I am using DVC points and that is when my use year begins. So all in all I will be grateful for any loop this close. We are planning on a weeks stay but if we can't get anything will have to stay at one of the DVC resorts. We are excited about our new purchase as we plan on staying at FW most of the time now and saving our points for the Disney cruises.

I think the best thing would be asking to be as close to as many things for the boys as possible.

We will be taking 3 or 4 bikes down but did not think of renting a cart but that is a fabulous idea which we will defintely do.

I look forward to familiarizing myself with this camping thread.

Have a great weekend everyone

 

[matilda]

Forgot to mention I was loking at premium site but saw the full hook up recommendation, what is the difference?

Thanks

 

[matilda]

Forgot to mention I was looking at premium site but saw the full hook up recommendation, what is the difference?

Thanks

 

[tim5055]

Forgot to mention I was looking at premium site but saw the full hook up recommendation, what is the difference?

Thanks

Sites at FW come in 4 flavors:

Standard, which includes electric and water and cable TV. This class of site is for tents and pop up campers.

Full Hook Up, which includes electric, water, cable and sewer.

Preferred, which includes electric, water, sewer and cable TV. The preferred sites are also in loops situated closer to the settlement (not meadows) which includes the marina, beach, restaurant, and many other activities.

Premium, which includes electric, water, sewer and cable TV. The sites feature an expanded parking area over other sites. They are wider (up to 24 ft), and deeper (up to 60 ft). They converted other sites when they created the Premium by paving over the sand tent pad at the sites. So Premium really means difficult to have a tent on the site also.

Now, something in the back of my mind reminds me that at one point DVC rentals were only eligible for one type/class of site. But, it's been a long time and I'm getting old I may not be right about that

 

[Main Street Matilda]

If you are going to have a tent, you may want to consider a preferred site since they have a sand pad that allows you to anchor the tent. We had our very first stay at FW last November in our motorhome. I was hyper-concerned about getting a good site in a good loop. In the end, since we had a golf cart to get around, I found that the loop location was not as vitally important as I had thought. We loved getting around in a cart and it really made no difference how close we were to the pool, etc. We just jumped in our cart and off we went.

You will want to make sure that you have the kind of hook-up you want, though.

 

[dblr]

You do not have to wait until your use year is here to book on points you just have to travel after your use year ( I think). As far as getting a site on points we have never been able to get just a site when we want it a cabin yes site not so lucky. Spring break might be a hard one plus as said before they might be booked up already, good luck and keep us posted on how you do.

 

[91oldkeywest]

as a fellow DVC member all I can say is GOOD LUCK.I have tried to book reservations for my MH since FW became available for transfers.That has been about 10 years.To date twice is the number of reservations I have received.They claim that site are allocated to DVC at any given time and they are few and far between.The last res.I got was for Oct,I made them in Feb.Wanted 4 nights and nothing available,put when I asked to extend all of a sudden when they went out to 7 nights all dates where there.Made the reservation and then called back to adjust to the days I needed.Only problem is that points don't go back to DVC holding but are put in Disney holding that can only be used at a Disney Hotel or FW.I have been trying to make res. at FW ever since and again nothing available for short stays.

 

[matilda]

Just wanted to let you guys know you were correct, nothing available for April 7-14 for using my DVC points BUT I did get my second choice 6 nights at Boardwalk Villas with no problem As we have already stayed in a cabin at FW so I am excited to try BWV. We only have the new Aulani and VWL and then we will be able to say we have stayed at all DVC resorts. So far Vero Beach is at the top of the list with SSR at the bottom. Just our preference though.

We do look forward to bringing our camper down throughout the upcoming years.

Thanks for all your advice

 

[smacca1956]

If you are going to have a tent, you may want to consider a preferred site since they have a sand pad that allows you to anchor the tent.

So glad to see you post this. I have been back and forth as to whether I should have requested preferred to premium. We requested preferred. We have a 32 ft MH but are also setting up a tent. Glad we made that choice!

Only 10 days before we check in!!