Renting RV

[PACVII]

i have seen some postings around renting a RV. Sounds like something that could be fun. I have seen one company, Greenberg (sic) named a few times. What would one expect for cost? Would renting an RV and having it set up at the site be in line with a moderate or deluxe resort? Trying to balance this out before I speak with the decision maker to make the sale on pulling this off. I am assuming cost would increase depending on the accommodations. Tent over class A. Just wanted a ballpark if possible.

 

[Bishoparc]

It really depends on the time of year. When I rented one earlier this year I could've paid the same thing for a moderate or one of the lower level deluxe resorts. There are many different levels of campers that the different companies have. I personally used Greenberg and had a great experience. If you check their website you can see what their current pricing is but once you add that on top of paying for the campsite the cost is going to be just as much as at least a moderate. What you are really paying for is the experience of "camping" and being at Fort Wilderness. My wife and I both loved the experience and do highly recommend Fort Wilderness. For 4 nights back in April it was in the ballpark of $1,000.

 

[2goofycampers]

It would be close to a Value resort $. The big savings is for a party of 5 or more.

 

[peg110]

Savings is also relative too. If you stay at the Fort, are you making your food there (Cheaper) or are you Eating out (More expensive) If you have the DDP either way then it's probably a wash.

At a Moderate or Value, while you save money on food and such, not so much the same as you can at the fort (with a full on kitchen in an RV) or at a "Condo" with a stocked kitchen.

As @2goofycampers points out the more folks you have (up to 10 I think) the more you save on the accommodation versus a resort. Most of the resorts are going to make you get an additional room if you have more than the capacity of one room (typically 4 infants/toddlers not withstanding). This is usually not the Resorts policy but it's fire code so they are not likely to yield on that.

At the fort you will pay a higher price for more people but not near the same as you would at a resort. Of course if you have more people you will likely need a bigger RV/Tent as well.

All in all, however, I think the experience at the Fort is well worth it and you will love it too.

 

[PACVII]

Really think we want to try this. Sounds like it will be fun. The ability to have a kitchen and cook meals would be great. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[MattFromPA]

What type of RV are you looking at? We've been renting pop-ups for about $70/night. Its been awhile since I looked at renting a travel trailer or 5th wheel, but I recall the price goes up quite a bit as you get into larger RVs.

We go during Value season, and have done the math. Rental + campsite fees average about $130/night, and for a little less you can get a Value resort room. However we do our own cooking and have never bought a meal plan. Right there we estimate 'saving' about $500 (family of four).

We really enjoy the Fort atmosphere and the pop-up is all we really need for creature comforts. If your 'decision maker' is higher maintenance (not everyone likes to use the comfort stations for example) then you're looking at a full-blown RV and the associated higher cost.

 

[PACVII]

I think we are looking for something larger then pop up and yes my decision maker is not one for the comfort stations. I will say we have been to the fort many times and I used the restroom by the gift shop on my way to the boat dick and it was one of the cleanest, nicest I have ever seen at WDW. In fact it had a little light and room freshener in it and was nicer then my home. I would like to try a class a as I really want to retire and travel the country in one. I would like to try it out and think this would be a great way to do it.

 

[houseful of boys]

We just got back from the Fort and rented a new 40ft trailer from Greenberg. We had a premium site on loop 400 and rented a golf cart from Kenny. It cost us about $280/night. However, I have a family of 6. I can't really get a room on site for my family for that. Plus my husband and I had a seperate bedroom from the kids and we had a full size fridge in the kitchen. We loved everything about it and hope to do it again sometime in the future.

 

[bama_ed]

I hadn't checked the Greenberg website in a long time but I did here.

I noticed that the flat delivery fee for the Fort is $75 which was forced on customers as we discussed a while back. But I found it interesting that Greenberg also has trailers for rent in the Key West area ("call for pricing"). As someone who has towed a popup all the way to Key West, the possibility of a rental might be attractive to folks who want to get to the Keys. Hotels and B&B's are pricey down there so the combo of a campsite and camper rental might (or might not) be attractive. There are a couple private campgrounds (I stayed at Boyd's), a KOA, and Bahia Honda up at about mm32 (good luck getting a reservation between October-April).

For houseful of boys, being able to shut the door at night and have some privacy is a winner in my book. We started out in the FW cabins and that was the attractive part for us. We could put the kids in the back bedroom and close the door and DW and I could enjoy the living room, tv, and kitchen and use the Murphy bed.

Was that $280/night the cost for a site+trailer or just the trailer rental?

I stayed in 400 time before last. I like how close it was to the beach and boat dock for the MK boat.

Glad to hear you had a good Kenny rental experience. While nobody's perfect and some folks have reported Kenny rentals that were less than good, yours is typical. If I was in the cart market for a rental, I would (and have in the past) rent from him and not Disney.

Bama Ed

PS - also interesting on their 40' rental camper descriptions: "Please make sure your campsite will hold a 40' trailer. Fort Wilderness campsites in loops 100, 200, and 300 are not big enough for a 40 footer". They are professionals....

 

[houseful of boys]

Was that $280/night the cost for a site+trailer or just the trailer rental?

I stayed in 400 time before last. I like how close it was to the beach and boat dock for the MK boat.

Bama Ed

My price included trailer and site and golf cart. $135/night for trailer, $86/premium site Aug 2-12, and $55/day for a six seater cart. That's $276/night before taxes (but includes the $75 delivery fee)

We just couldn't beat it. Plus, we love the Fort.

And we LOVED loop 400. Plenty of room and privacy and we were close to the comfort station so the kids could go get ready there in the morning when we wanted to hit rope drop.

 

[bama_ed]

OOooooh, people have asked if Kenny had a 6-seater golf cart rental available. I had seen it mentioned years past but yours is the first in a while that says he still can do a 6-er. $55 a day beats Disney's $92 per day (think it's $85/day plus $7 tax).

Bama Ed