renting a camper

[91raven]

We are considering renting a camper / trailer and staying at FW this summer. We stayed in the cabins a few years ago. Out of ALL of our vacations the kids talk about that one the most. We would love to rent a camper/ trailer big enough for 4 adults and 2 children (lost of room). Can anyone make recommendations of who to rent from? Or share their experiences.... Thanks so very much.
Also can we bring a tent to put on a site with the camper. Any other tips or suggestions would be great. sites, loops.etc

 

[2goofycampers]

There is CruiseAmerica, Greenburg and Moore off the top of my head. As for loops, what is important to you? Kids actIvities, proximity, privacy?

 

[peg110]

Are you renting it and bringing it with you or are you renting it and having the local company "Setup/Teardown" the camper at the site for you? Obviously the later would have to be a local (to the Fort Wilderness area) company.

While I don't have much experience renting them, I will say that before we bought our TT, we looked at renting a Class A (or B or even C) to drive down and "Experience" it. Sadly the rental of the vehicle was well over $1000 Plus there is (or at least was) a per mile charge for anything above 1000 miles. Since we live just about 1100 miles from the fort (one way) that adds a significant charge (for the return trip), plus you also have to pay for Fuel and they aren't exactly fuel efficient.

Personally, if you are an "outdoors" person, you won't go wrong at the fort renting a camper or bringing your own. I hope you have an awesome time either way.

 

[bjschil]

We decided not to bring our camper a few years ago, and rented from Greenberg. There were four adults and two kids. We disliked the smoke smell, but other than that, it was good. Many people like Moore Camping rental, but I believe they are older units. Each company should have layout design feet, and slides.

 

[CDNCruiser]

We've always been very happy with Moore's!
Used them twice and we've booked them again for April!

http://www.mcrfl.com/

 

[PaHunter]

We are considering renting a camper / trailer and staying at FW this summer. We stayed in the cabins a few years ago. Out of ALL of our vacations the kids talk about that one the most. We would love to rent a camper/ trailer big enough for 4 adults and 2 children (lost of room). Can anyone make recommendations of who to rent from? Or share their experiences.... Thanks so very much.
Also can we bring a tent to put on a site with the camper. Any other tips or suggestions would be great. sites, loops.etc

There is no such thing as a Travel trailer or RV with LOTS of room. If you need lots of room, stick to a cabin or hotel room. Travel trailers and RV's are 8 feet wide, and around a maximum of 45 feet, this means you have a total of 360 square feet, minus bed, cabinets, etc.

It is a great way to go, but you have to be realistic about space. A travel trailer has one main bed, queen or king, so 2 adults get that. Then you have a couch and a dinette that become beds. They will sleep maybe a pair of kids on them, depending on age. But anymore than an adult and they will not be happy, oh yeah, and if they are like 6 foot tall forget it. My travel trailer is smaller at 26 feet and sleeps 6. It is fine for me and DW, and the nephews when they camp with us, but the nephews are 12 and 4, so one sleeps on the couch the other the dinette. During the night if someone needs to get up, we have to crawl over the couch to get to the bathroom or fridge as the couch goes from the wall to the kitchen cabinets. You have to make the couch and dinette into beds at night and before you can have breakfast you need to return them to their normal state. Just one more thing to add to a long list of things to do in the morning before making rope drop.

There is no place inside to store luggage without it being in the way. Need to know what the trailer company provides, bedding, towels, pots, pans, etc. You may need to pack extras.

I love camping, love our trailer, but space is at a premium, first thing you learn about travel trailers and RV's. Best of luck with the decision.

 

[peg110]

I totally agree with Chris with one small exception, you can extend the space with "Slides", but again, this is still limited. Space is still a premium. The advantage of course is that you can typically extend much further into the outdoor space with Shelters, awnings, etc... You may be able to do this in the cabins too, but I don't have never stayed there to say for sure.

Again, if there is an expectation of more space then the cabins, I wouldn't have your hopes up too high. That being said, I still love being in the camper whether a pop-up. travel trailer, 5er. Heck, I am happy with a tent and sleeping bag too!

 

[bama_ed]

I would also throw FloridaCamperRental as company out there.

As far as size and number of people, the previous posters explained how "sleeping capacity", while honest, can be inconvenient in actual practice. My suggestion to that would be to try to rent larger models that have a "bunk house" arrangement of some sort in the back which are usually 2 bunk beds on one or two sides which thus give 2-4 sleeping places. That coupled with the typical big bed up front provides sleeping for 6 and leaves the main living area free of sleepers. Putting up the sofa or dinette each morning and taking it down can get old fast. The caveat to that is the bunks can be small-ish (many only 6 ft long) so a tall person may be uncomfortable.

Also as FYI some rental companies don't allow the use of the propane oven in rental campers because of the propane pilot light management which can be awkward if you're not used to working with it. That might affect your meal plans/food prep so always ask your rental company what their oven policy is.

You asked about a tent and if you're going in summer I'd say IMO that it would be very uncomfortable for anyone sleeping outside in summer in Central Florida. It's hot, humid, and rainy which makes for uncomfortable sleeping. Oh people can and do tent in summer but some bring AC or fans. It can be done but personally I wouldn't want to endure it. If you want to use it as outside storage then it would be fine.

Some site types have the sand/coquina pads for tents to set up on (Preferred and Full site types) but the Premiums do not. You can try to find a tent spot off to the side but it's not convenient or planned for. Essentially Disney discourages tents on Premiums (which are extra wide, extra long, and all pavement for the biggest RV and trailer) because of this but they are not forbidden. But be aware they aren't designed to accommodate a tent. Premiums are more expensive.

Bama Ed

 

[peg110]

I agree with the "Bunk House" Our next TT (or hopefully fifth wheel) will most likely have a bunkhouse. I think it's a better choice then trying to take up the living space (dinette, couch, etc..) as sleeping space and converting. This can be especially troublesome if you have a "Down Day" and the weather is not conducive to being outside at all (Heavy rain?). If you have one child/occupant that wants to take a nap while the others want to play cards, but you can't because the Dinette is now a bed, it can be challenging.

Our 27' TT has a queen up front, a set of bunks in the back , plus the dinette and a folding couch. It's marketed as "Sleeps 8" but really the dinette and couch could only sleep 1 each, the top bunk is only rated for 150 pounds (in our model) and then the main "Queen" bed. At best you get 6. We had me and my DW on the queen bed, DD18 on the lower bunk, DD10 on the upper bunk and DD18's Boyfriend (21) on the couch. We did make it work but the morning was still a challenge. No place for BF21's stuff (they were in bins that were stacked by the couch) Plus it was his bed so sitting on it created "Arguments" between DD18 and DD10 (You know how siblings can be, right?). We made it work but at times tempers will flair.

I will also agree that Ed's assessment about 6' tall folk is close but a little off (at least for us). I am 5'10" (or 70") and sleeping on our queen, 60x74, can still be cramped. Most people don't have their head at the very TOP of the bed nor do they have their feet flat (as if you were walking or standing on them. So this leaves a couple of inches at the top of our bad (Pillow, arms, etc.... fill this space) and the extending of feet/toes, and I am hitting the wardrobe at the end of our bed (or hanging off, etc..) Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining and I love our camper, but to others, things like this might make or break a trip and can make a difference if you are going from a KING in the house to QUEEN in an RV. (Typical standard queen is 60x80)

 

[tiggerdad]

Jayco 32bhds, double slide. Queen bed in front, kids room in rear with slide has single above outdoor kitchen, another single fold down bunk. Jcubes on floor can be a couch or fold out into queen bed. Or, during the day, we put the j cubes on the top bunk and the kids have the entire floor to play in their own room at the back of the camper. We have slept 8 without using dinette or sofa.

SouthAlabama5er has a fifth wheel that makes mine look small. There are rigs with "plenty" of room but you gotta pay for it. I personally see the high cost of the cabins as not worth the extra space.

Call the agents and see what models they have to rent. If you're renting it isn't like you are bringing enough stuff to fill the camper up. Just check the models and see what they have.

Again, this is strictly an opinion by all.

 

[Nan P]

Our friends rented from Florida Camper Rental in October, 2015. They rented a 5th wheel with big bedroom, bunks on the other end and a couch that opened. They loved the experience of packing their clothes and food and getting to the Fort with everything already set up and a cold refrigerator waiting. A large outdoor rug, 4 chairs and table, with awning lights and welcome decorations. After a week, they left a note of thanks and the key on the kitchen table, and went home. No set up, no take down, no put away. They loved it. Check out the different rental web sites and you'll find camper layouts and suggestions for number of people., and what's included (pans dishes, etc.).

 

[91raven]

Thanks everyone for your tips and suggestions.
As far as the tent, I was thinking it could be used for storage or a place to play in during the late evening.
We are always looking forward to trying something new. We have tented before (at home) , stayed in hotels and cabins but never a trailer.

 

[Badamon]

We've camped extensively in our camper in New England, but never at Disney and have opted to fly and rent rather than drive. We're renting from Meacham's this February for 8 days with 2 adults and 3 boys (12, 13, 15) in a 35' travel trailer with bunks and a king size j-bed in the back, queen in front. It does offer two slide outs too increasing our living space. Although others have mentioned some inconveniences camping may have, for us the pros out weigh the cons. I would much rather "deal" with being a bit tight on space/storage than be in a small guest room with two beds and a small dinette table and 2 chairs. To us, there is so much more space to simply be with a camper (of almost any size), especially adding in the outdoor space available. It is rare that many of us are inside during the day while camping and really only utilize the indoors for sleeping and heavy rain. Adding in the ability to cook (both inside and out) works great for us, too. The only caveat being nice weather! (fingers crossed on that one!) Good luck and happy vacation to you regardless of what you choose!

 

[peg110]

Although others have mentioned some inconveniences camping may have, for us the pros out weigh the cons. I would much rather "deal" with being a bit tight on space/storage than be in a small guest room with two beds and a small dinette table and 2 chairs. To us, there is so much more space to simply be with a camper (of almost any size), especially adding in the outdoor space available.

I agree. I suppose the comparison of camping versus a hotel room. In a typical hotel room you get 2 beds a table, and a couple of chairs, maybe a small fridge and/or microwave and maybe a coffee pot (with supplies to make 2 small cups of coffee), plus a bathroom. Of course you also get some dressers and closet space.

Now in my camper, I have a queen bed, bunk beds, a couch, table with seating for 4 (benches), stove, Fridge/freezer (smaller than a full size but much larger then most hotel rooms), microwave, stove, kitchen sink and of course a bathroom. For me the biggest negative is the size of the bathroom, but I also have access to some of the nicest comfort stations I have seen at any campground (even nicer then some hotels) Plus the outdoor space.

 

[amcc]

Last week, myrvhotel.com had a nice one set up near us. We were very successful renting from a private renter that we found on craigslist. He has about 6 units that he rents and they were significantly better than cruise america. I've found that the cleanliness of the cruise america ones depends on the place you rent it from and I had to clean both of the ones that we rented from different agencies before I felt okay with them plus there were bug problems in both of them.

If you don't mind driving it, look into private rentals, or the smaller companies recommended here for the easy set up. Our experiences have led us to a little popup we now call our own.

 

[2goofycampers]

Here is a good size one

 

[Nan P]

Ok, this one is easily identified as a rental! When our friends rented from Florida Camper Rental, they got a 5th wheel that had no markings or advertisements at all. Their unit just blended in as "another camper".

 

[tiggerdad]

Gotta love that round the corner an...HOLY SMOKES! What's that blinding billboard doing in here!?

 

[SouthAlabama5er]

Gotta love that round the corner an...HOLY SMOKES! What's that blinding billboard doing in here!?

Or HEY LOOK AT ME! I'M OVER HERE! haha! Good Stuff!

 

[2goofycampers]

They should pay you for the advertisement.