Screen room or dining canopy

[sdsmom]

Hi everyone! This is my first post here, but I've been lurking around the board for a little bit.

I am happy to say that I just booked our first stay at the Fort for May 9th thru the 15th! My daughters and I dance3: 11, 8 and 5) have never been to Disney before and my husband hasn't been in probably 30 years - and he stayed offsite at the time. We've heard nothing but glowing reviews from friends who have camped at FW so, needless to say, we are all very excited about this trip.

Right now I am busy making menu plans and camping lists and trying to make sure we have the right gear so we'll be comfy during our stay. We will be tent camping. I've read posts about and seen pictures of the various camp set ups, but I still can't decide between getting a dining canopy or a screen house - or both.

How is pest control over there? We live in an extremely wooded area of the FL panhandle and mosquitoes/no see-ums are viscious. I want to be able to relax a bit in the evenings and thought a screen house might be good, but then I've read that they might be useless with all the comings and goings.

Opinions? Is a screen house a necessity for comfortable outdoor dining or would it be better to invest in a good dining canopy and a few cans of bug spray?

Thanks for your help!

 

[gillenkl]

pest control??? there isn't any skeeter control. We used "off" etc....but they loved it like it was their drink of choice! There had been a lot of rain before we got there and lots of standing water. Bring your own repellent (not cans though, gallons!) because its $$$$ to buy at the Fort.

 

[bama_ed]

Sdsmom,

We've been in May and it's a nice time of year. We have been at the Fort when the Disney bug spray truck has driven through spraying its magic mist. IMO Disney does a pretty good job of mosquito/bug control given the lakes nearby. They have tried to drain much of the swampy ground around the camping areas the past few years. I'm under no illusions, though, that although they do their best, they don't catch everything.

We've taken our pup to the Fort a couple of times now. I would not go to the expense or trouble to get a screen room just for the Fort (although I refuse to go in July or August). Some spray and/or some citronella candles should keep most of the bugs away.

Since you're tent camping, I would say an EZ-up type shade canopy would be the most versatile thing for you to use and get. I'd also suggest an oscilating fan to keep the air moving and skeeters from getting too comfortable.

Welcome to the DIS!

Bama ED

 

[4mickey2]

i wouldn't do a screen room. i would just do the canopy. mho

 

[sdsmom]

Thanks for your help everyone.

bama_ed - thanks for the info about the mosquito trucks. We live in the woods in the panhandle and while the trucks do come by every couple of weeks, we are still swarming with mosquitoes and no see-ums. I was under no delusion that Disney would kill all the pests (would be kinda' nice) but I did read somewhere on this board that they did a decent job with them - or tried, at least. Thanks for confirming that.

Thanks for the fan suggestion - hadn't thought about getting one for the dining area.

 

[Disney Bunny]

Hi everyone! This is my first post here, but I've been lurking around the board for a little bit.

I am happy to say that I just booked our first stay at the Fort for May 9th thru the 15th! My daughters and I dance3: 11, 8 and 5) have never been to Disney before and my husband hasn't been in probably 30 years - and he stayed offsite at the time. We've heard nothing but glowing reviews from friends who have camped at FW so, needless to say, we are all very excited about this trip.

Right now I am busy making menu plans and camping lists and trying to make sure we have the right gear so we'll be comfy during our stay. We will be tent camping. I've read posts about and seen pictures of the various camp set ups, but I still can't decide between getting a dining canopy or a screen house - or both.

How is pest control over there? We live in an extremely wooded area of the FL panhandle and mosquitoes/no see-ums are viscious. I want to be able to relax a bit in the evenings and thought a screen house might be good, but then I've read that they might be useless with all the comings and goings.

Opinions? Is a screen house a necessity for comfortable outdoor dining or would it be better to invest in a good dining canopy and a few cans of bug spray?

Thanks for your help!

When we were tent camping, I preferred the screen room to the dining canopy. Not so much for trying to keep the bugs away, but I thought it did a better job of keeping our outdoor items dry when it rained. Now that we have an RV, we have an EZ up that we use in conjunction with the awning if we need to spread out a little more.

 

[chilipyro]

We use an Ez-Up style canopy ("Quest", sold at Dicks Sporting Goods) that has optional screen walls. When we just need shade or rain protection, we don't put on the screen walls. If bugs are a problem (biting in the early summer, stinging in the late summer), it just takes a couple of minutes to turn the canopy into a screen house.

 

[des1954]

We use an Ez-Up style canopy ("Quest", sold at Dicks Sporting Goods) that has optional screen walls. When we just need shade or rain protection, we don't put on the screen walls. If bugs are a problem (biting in the early summer, stinging in the late summer), it just takes a couple of minutes to turn the canopy into a screen house.

To me, this type is the best of both worlds. clkelley - the "Camper's Camper", has taken this arrangement to the next degree. She made roll down privacy curtains which zip in - in addition to the screens. I'm sure if asked, she would share instructions as to how she accomplished this.

To the OP - we have been very regular campers of FtW for almost 37 years. We camp as often as once a month - in all kinds of weather - and under all kinds of conditions. Disney does a terrific job with pest control. At the campsites - you hardly ever get troubled by mosquitoes, gnats, or sand fleas. If you go to the beach to watch the fireworks - that's a different story and yes, you will need VATS of repellent. The sand fleas and gnats are the worst at the beach - especially at dusk and after sundown.

If you are in the market to buy a canopy - follow Chilipyro's advice and get the E-Z Up with the optional zip in screens. May's weather can be delightful or vengeful in Central Florida. Make sure you bring plenty of fans, and if you can swing it - get a portable A/C unit for the tent. I'd recommend the kind that has a hose vent you can stick out the door of the tent. Don't worry about using electricity. WDW generates all the power you'll need and even the partial hook-up sites have plenty of power. Just make sure you have a lot of heavy duty extension cords and power strips to accommodate all your needs. After I plug in everything I need to a power strip, I seal the strip in a baggie & secure with duct tape just to make sure no water can get in. Remember - electricity and water are not friends!!

 

[BigDaddyRog]

I agree with with Deb and Bama.....the pest control is unusually good for FL, Im not saying you wont get a bite here and there, but its not like what you would expect.

BUT.....a nice screen house is GREAT to have. It is like building a wing onto your tent, giving you another room to spread out and relax in, AND its nice to set up at home as well for bar-b-ques and stuff.

 

[sdsmom]

Thank you all for being so helpful. I'm still not sure what we are going to do, but thanks for the input.

I found a 15x15 Coleman Geosport screen room for $140 with free shipping at Amazon and then I found a 12x12 Quest canopy at Dicks with the zip on mesh for $156 (includes shipping).

The canopy would be more versatile, but the Geosport would be bigger and will fit around the girls' swimming pool - not sure the Quest will be big enough for that.

Hmmmmmm....

I might have to sit on this decision for a few days, but I'm leaning toward the versatility of the EZ-up. Thanks again for all your help!

 

[Disney Bunny]

Thank you all for being so helpful. I'm still not sure what we are going to do, but thanks for the input.

I found a 15x15 Coleman Geosport screen room for $140 with free shipping at Amazon and then I found a 12x12 Quest canopy at Dicks with the zip on mesh for $156 (includes shipping).

The canopy would be more versatile, but the Geosport would be bigger and will fit around the girls' swimming pool - not sure the Quest will be big enough for that.

Hmmmmmm....

I might have to sit on this decision for a few days, but I'm leaning toward the versatility of the EZ-up. Thanks again for all your help!

Don't know how large the pool is, but with the screen room you get 225 square feet of room and with the EZ up you only get 144 square feet.

 

[mdoc]

I would not invest in a screen room solely for fort wilderness. I've never found the bugs to be particularly bothersome there. We have both a screen room (a necessity to deal with bugs when we're camping at home in the midwest) and an EZUp. The EZUp is much easier to set up and it's versatile (we take it to soccer games for shade, for instance). There are also lots of camp sites where a 12x12 will fit a lot easier than a 15x15. I'd buy what would serve you best in the rest of your life.

 

[mamaloya]

If the geosport is octagonal, it will actually wind up being smaller than the EZ up. I bought a 15x13 octagonal screen room thinking it would be great. It is so tiny because of the shape. I wish I had gotten the EZ up. Much more versatile, easier to set up, and studier. You can do all screen, 3 screen and 1 wall, etc. Very versatile indeed.

 

[moseycat]

Having a few dinners ruined due to rain while camping, and trying to crowd too many people under the awning and cook at the same time, last year we opted for a screenroom. If there's no bugs we leave the fly unzipped and pulled back. An added benefit was found in February while we were at the Fort, and it was cold! we still had a barbeque one night, and the people huddled in the screen room felt it kept the heat in a bit...body heat I guess LOL. I researched many types and settled on a Eureka Breezeway, and we really like it...room for the table and the campchairs, hang a nice lantern from the center. We bought it from Amazon, and sets up easily.

Karen

 

[cheekymonkey]

I had had wondered if we should purchase a screen house as well. We have an older shade structure much like an ez up but only 8 feet square. I am considering a new shade structure that will be 10 X 10 keeping the option of adding the screen feature. I think this will be the best and most flexible choice for my family.

 

[sdsmom]

After talking to my hubby today and looking at the size of our tent, we are now wondering if we'll have enough room for set up on the site. I don't know if we'll be in the 1500 loop or the 2000 loop - can we find that out before we get there? Anyway we have a 9x14 tent and plan to get a smaller supply tent - not sure of the size yet though, but more like a 2 man tent I'm guessing. Will we have room to set those up along with a screen room (either the 12x12 EZ-up or the 15x15 Geosport)?

 

[des1954]

While the 1500 loop is within walking distance of the pool & Meadow(s) trading post - it is a smaller, older loop with some sites having trees that can limit the use of your site. 2000 is a much bigger loop and sites big enough to do what you are thinking of. There are 2 comfort stations on 2000 and a bus stop that is an easy walk to most sites. If you fax the front desk and request 2000 with a site close to the bus stop & comfort station - you should get a decent site. Fax your request about 5 days before check-in.

 

[Disney Bunny]

After talking to my hubby today and looking at the size of our tent, we are now wondering if we'll have enough room for set up on the site. I don't know if we'll be in the 1500 loop or the 2000 loop - can we find that out before we get there? Anyway we have a 9x14 tent and plan to get a smaller supply tent - not sure of the size yet though, but more like a 2 man tent I'm guessing. Will we have room to set those up along with a screen room (either the 12x12 EZ-up or the 15x15 Geosport)?

Obviously you have to camp in a style that works for you, but I am wondering why a supply tent? We always packed all of out camping items, including clothing, in large plastic bins with lids, labeled the lids with what was in the bin and then just stacked them all inside the screen room to help keep the rain off of them. This also made packing our van so much easier as all the containers stacked nice and neat.