Thinking about trying the Fort, couple questions?

[ruthies12]

We've been to WDW 3 times and stayed at Pop Century each time. We live 10 minutes from an airport that has direct flights that are only 2 hours and with only one child to buy a plane ticket for, the math came out cheaper to fly and stay at Pop than to drive the RV (class A, gets maybe 8 mpg) for the 14 hour drive from our Northern Kentucky home.

However we now have another child and next time we go she will be over 2 and I think that fourth plane ticket is going to tip the scales to the driving/campsite being cheaper. I'm happy about this because I hate hotel rooms and our camper is sooooo much more comfortable, our new one has bunkbeds for our girls and a king size for me and DH. With the better sleep and being able to pack and cook our food (not to mention having a coffee pot!) I think it will be well worth the long drive.

I have a few concerns though. My DH has a prosthetic leg and walking long distances is extremely difficult so we rent a scooter for him when we go to Disney. We are well versed in getting the scooter on and off the buses and what a pain it is, my first question is if we pay for a premium site and request and receive a site near the pool (which looks to be in the middle), will DH be able to ride his scooter to the marina and to the bus stop or will he have to use an internal bus?

How far of a walk would that be for me? I am a very active person and have no problem walking for long periods of time and the girls will be in a stroller so it won't bother them. So can someone give me an estimate on how long it would take to walk from the pool area to the marina and to the bus stops? I've been reading some of the campground threads and it looks like it might not be well lit on the paths? Should I bring a flashlight? Cause we usually close the parks so it would definitely be dark when we got back to the campground. Are two wheeled electric scooters allowed in addition to bikes?

And last but not least how difficult is it to get a scooter on the boat to the MK?TIA!!

 

[JETS70]

Hey ruthies12, are you close to Huntington WVa?

 

[ruthies12]

No we are in Northern Kentucky just south of Cincinnati, OH. Like less than 10 minutes from Cincinnati. Why do you ask?

 

[North of Mouse]

We've been to WDW 3 times and stayed at Pop Century each time. We live 10 minutes from an airport that has direct flights that are only 2 hours and with only one child to buy a plane ticket for, the math came out cheaper to fly and stay at Pop than to drive the RV (class A, gets maybe 8 mpg) for the 14 hour drive from our Northern Kentucky home.

However we now have another child and next time we go she will be over 2 and I think that fourth plane ticket is going to tip the scales to the driving/campsite being cheaper. I'm happy about this because I hate hotel rooms and our camper is sooooo much more comfortable, our new one has bunkbeds for our girls and a king size for me and DH. With the better sleep and being able to pack and cook our food (not to mention having a coffee pot!) I think it will be well worth the long drive.

I have a few concerns though. My DH has a prosthetic leg and walking long distances is extremely difficult so we rent a scooter for him when we go to Disney. We are well versed in getting the scooter on and off the buses and what a pain it is, my first question is if we pay for a premium site and request and receive a site near the pool (which looks to be in the middle), will DH be able to ride his scooter to the marina and to the bus stop or will he have to use an internal bus?

How far of a walk would that be for me? I am a very active person and have no problem walking for long periods of time and the girls will be in a stroller so it won't bother them. So can someone give me an estimate on how long it would take to walk from the pool area to the marina and to the bus stops? I've been reading some of the campground threads and it looks like it might not be well lit on the paths? Should I bring a flashlight? Cause we usually close the parks so it would definitely be dark when we got back to the campground. Are two wheeled electric scooters allowed in addition to bikes?

And last but not least how difficult is it to get a scooter on the boat to the MK?TIA!!

to the decision to come to the Fort!! We, too, have a class A and have been campers for a very long time - no other traveling comes close to it for us. We do not like staying in hotels at all!

Anyway, no problems walking to the marina - or catching a bus, whichever you prefer. We would rather walk most places as we enjoy the relaxation of it.
The bus stops are also very convenient to each loop.

The larger boat to the MK accommodates scooters very easily - no problems at all - just ride it on - then ride it off!

The path does have some areas that are not well lit IMO so I would definitely take flashlights for longer walks after dark - would actually help to have lights on the scooter also (not familiar at all with how that works). I know they are required on bicycles as it is hard to see/be seen after dark - especially for the safety of walkers.

Would take approx. 15-20 min. from pool area to marina for walking.

Have a great/fun trip!

 

[veraletta]

Jets70 we live across the river from Huntington, WV...

 

[veraletta]

Ruthies70: I would think you could call and request that you need to be near the pool area and explain why.
I've always found that Disney Fort Wilderness will do all they can to make your trip Magical.

 

[JETS70]

No we are in Northern Kentucky just south of Cincinnati, OH. Like less than 10 minutes from Cincinnati. Why do you ask?

Just curious. Didn't know if you had the opportunity to camp at any of our local campgrounds. Also was curious which route you took when traveling to Disney. We started taking 77 down through the Carolinas to 95 and finishing with 4. Now that we are pulling a camper, we have been traveling 75. Straighter and a lot less hills to pull up and down. Its about 45 minutes longer but a lot easier drive IMO.

 

[JETS70]

Jets70 we live across the river from Huntington, WV...

Veraletta,
Do you camp at Disney? Do you have a preference on route? I have had others even recommend US23. I would think that would be a more difficult drive with a camper than the turnpike would be.

 

[veraletta]

Yes Jets70, we camp at Disney, We have a motorhome and we drive I-64 E then Take I-77 S, I-26 E, I-95 S then I-4 W. I love the drive once we get out of Virginia as I'm not a fan of tunnels....

 

[tina.tina]

When you're going through VA, you're about 1/2 hour away from me and I also have family 1/2 away from Huntington- near Point Pleasant, WV!

I totally understand about driving on the Turnpike. My DH and I were talking earlier today about the area around Beckley that is particularly curvy and mountainous- not to mention the foggy Fancy Gap Mtn on the VA/NC border!

 

[JETS70]

Yes Jets70, we camp at Disney, We have a motorhome and we drive I-64 E then Take I-77 S, I-26 E, I-95 S then I-4 W. I love the drive once we get out of Virginia as I'm not a fan of tunnels....

We have been going to Disney since 2000 and had always traveled that route. We were never real crazy about the Turnpike but we always enjoyed stopping at Jekyll Island and having a quick picnic lunch and spending a little time on the beach. Now that we are pulling the camper, we decided to travel 75. Little longer, little flatter, little straighter.

 

[mrsdiznee]

Last December, we stayed at Fort. I had broken my leg previous to trip and was in electric scooter. I drove the scooter all over the Fort. We were in Loop 1600 and it wasn't too far from Meadow pool area but a good distant to Marina area. We went to Marina several nights after dark to watch fireworks. We even went to Fort Wilderness via path but that was during the day. There are areas along the paths that are very dark at night. My husband rode his bike. Not sure if it is comfortable walking distant for you. Rules are that you have to have lights after dark. We had rented my scooter and they didn't have lights available. We went to Walmart and bought bike lights and put on scooter ( one for front and one that flashed for rear). No problem getting on boat to MK. Yes, I would definitely take a flashlight as well. ENJOY!

 

[mrsdiznee]

Sorry, meant we went to Wilderness Lodge via path not Fort Wilderness.

 

[RandolphNY]

We have been going to Disney since 2000 and had always traveled that route. We were never real crazy about the Turnpike but we always enjoyed stopping at Jekyll Island and having a quick picnic lunch and spending a little time on the beach. Now that we are pulling the camper, we decided to travel 75. Little longer, little flatter, little straighter.

37 days till launch for us.

Traveling from WNY for our 3rd time, I have been considering different routes. 75 looks like it adds an additional hour, but I keep thinking that missing the hills might be worth it.

Another route, I am contemplating is taking route 15 / I99 from Corning to Williamsport, PA and then some other roads connecting to I95 near DC.

No matter what, I am returning via 77 to Cleveland and I90.

Sorry to go off topic, but would like other thoughts on my routes.

 

[JETS70]

For the DW and I, the extra time to drive 75 is well worth having a little less stress. We leave our home around 4pm which puts us traveling through Atlanta around 11 pm. Traffic at this time in Atlanta is a breeze. We drive a little past Atlanta to Stockbridge where there are several nice hotels with reasonable rates. We awaken early and have breakfast and take to the road. We arrive at the Fort around 2 to 3 pm for check in. 75 also puts you on the Florida Turnpike rather than I 4 which IMO driving anytime during the day is a headache.
My recommendation to anyone traveling to the Fort or anywhere else would be to travel the route you are most comfortable with. For the DW and I, we look at Tripadvisor for hotel and restaurant ratings. We also look at Google Earth to see what the exits look like for ease getting off the highway and back on. You can also use Google Earth to look at hotels you may want to stay at to see if they have ample parking for you camper and tow vehicle. All these play into our decision on which route to take wherever we may be traveling.