Trip Report | All work and no play…

[2goofycampers]

Thank you for taking the time for the TR and pictures.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

We arrived home a little after 10pm. 800 some miles with an hour traffic jam on the interstate. The roads were fine when we came home, but the snow they were calling for turned into an icy shush by morning. Freezing rain in spots and slush in other areas. Hubby took Grace to her early morning soils class. Glad we didn’t encounter poor driving conditions the night before.

Jim - the Paris Disney trip sounds adventurous. I will do better at keeping up with this forum and look forward to reading about your travels.

We’ve been home a day now and slowly gathering things from the camper and moving them back inside. Camping is so much work, I don’t know why we go through such hassle, but we do it every time and then plan for more of it. Crazy. I think it’s the independence in all of, really. Your own trusty vehicle. Your own bedding, your own pace, freedom to not be tied down with itinerary. The freedom that if things go wrong, you can just turn around and go home.

That said, some things are worth the flight!

Our upcoming trips..

National ParkTour II (August)
Maui (February)
Seed Trip (February)
Disney World (February)

Food & Swag

My favorite part of Epcot is the smells. So many delicious things being served up around the world. The bakery is my favorite. I’m not short, hubby is just almost six and half feet tall.

Added another magnet to my collection and picked up this really pretty shiny ornament for the Christmas tree. A new pink coffee cup, too.

Kids are back to piano & art lessons today. Hubby is hauling non gmo beans to market and I’m going to seed start pretty much everything I can.

I think I’ll look ahead a book some better camp spots in the St. Augustine area along the beach. Same for the gulf side on our return.

 

[Teamubr]

Jim - the Paris Disney trip sounds adventurous. I will do better at keeping up with this forum and look forward to reading about your travels.

We went to DLP in 2023, but didn't get to spend enough time. So 4 days at DLP this year and 4 more in Paris, proper. It is still cheaper than a WDW resort stay.

Your own trusty vehicle. Your own bedding, your own pace, freedom to not be tied down with itinerary. The freedom that if things go wrong, you can just turn around and go home.

This! We got to the point that we just bought double of everything we needed. We only load up perishable food, extra clothes (we keep some in the MH) and personal essentials. (meds and such). Otherwise, it's usually ready to go.

I think I’ll look ahead a book some better camp spots in the St. Augustine area along the beach. Same for the gulf side on our return.

I didn't reply before the topic moved on. We are going to St. Augustine for a week in July. That is the only part of the state we haven't checked out. Going to scope out the area for houses or land to see if it beats the panhandle. Staying at Sun Outdoors.

j

 

[4077]

The bakery is my favorite

My wife loves the Kringle best!

 

[team bradfield]

My wife loves the Kringle best!

Mmmm, kringle

 

[rideswithchrist]

Great TR Melissa. Thanks for the new pool shot, I think that will be a fun addition! I am so glad y'all had a good time since the last trip was not do wonderful.

I teared up so much at the Toy Story memory. My daughter has a Jessie that she got when she was 4...she is 18 now.

 

[team bradfield]

Thanks for the TR @ilovedisneymm

 

[garneska]

great trip report. Your kids are so big. Not sure if you saw our pic with our new baby. This was her first and so far only trip to the fort. It was from Nov 2023.



Maybe I will get Whisky back there, but her anxiety is really bad and the fireworks were very stressful.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

I try Jim. We have a second set of kitchen “everything” and separate sheets and pillows for the camper, but it still makes for many trips with dirty clothes, bedding, and food.

@rideswithchrist thanks for following along.

@garneska Whiskey is a beauty!

 

[greensombrero]

Thanks for the great trip report! I figured there would be a good spot for Fort Wilderness info on Disboards and this was a great intro to the resort as well as being an entertaining read! We are from from out west without a lot of WDW experience and booked a couple nights in a cabin around Christmas time as part of our larger Christmas trip to give it a try. I know not real camping but when you are flying its easier. I'm even more excited the more I learn about Fort Wilderness.

 

[Teamubr]

I figured there would be a good spot for Fort Wilderness info on Disboards and this was a great intro to the resort as well as being an entertaining read! We are from from out west without a lot of WDW experience and booked a couple nights in a cabin around Christmas time as part of our larger Christmas trip to give it a try. I know not real camping but when you are flying its easier. I'm even more excited the more I learn about Fort Wilderness.

You are going to love the Fort at Christmas! But be careful, the place can be addictive.

Welcome to Camping on the DIS.

j

 

[ilovedisneymm]

@greensombrero I’m glad you thought the report was helpful and entertaining. Like Jim said, you’re going to love it at Christmas time. Everyone has their own opinion about the golf cart rentals, but having one at Christmas is a must in my opinion. There are so many campers that go over the top with decorations. It’s worth it just to drive all the loops and see everyone’s uniquely decorated site. I hope you find the time to enjoy the fort between the parks. This one year we came during the first week of December and I was at my site when a Christmas party golf cart gang (well three golf carts decorated with lights playing Christmas music) came barreling around our loop. I’ve never wanted to be part of gang as bad as I did that day. Fun! All fun and magic around the fort all times of the year, but especially at Christmas.

You’ve got some planning time ahead, if you have questions and want details, make a list of them and post them.

And yes, cabin camping is still camping.

 

[team bradfield]

Agree, with @ilovedisneymm, it's still camping

 

[bama_ed]

And yes, cabin camping is still camping.

I've started calling them "Cabineers" (like 'Pioneers') in a complimentary way. Rental trailers (of some form) or cabins have been offered by/thru Disney almost since the Fort first opened.

So that makes them still part of the family.

Bama Ed

PS - But EVERY family has a Cousin Eddie (and it's not me) or two in their family tree.

 

[greensombrero]

Thanks for all the warm welcomes!

I don't feel like I'm camping unless I'm cooking with my dutch ovens. I cook with them plenty in my backyard too but they are a must for camping. For some reason though the airlines aren't real anxious to let me fly with all my cast iron gear.

Anyhow good to know that us Cabineers are welcome. I could handle tent camping but I don't know that I'll ever be confident enough to try an RV/camper. I worry I'd end up like Robin Williams in the RV movie.

Great to see an active community here, I'm sure I'll come up with a list of questions to ask.

I also think I saw that @bama_ed started a train thread over in one of the sub forums. I'm going to have to go check that out. Disney people, train people, camping people, they are all good people. You just have to have patience with the Cousin Eddies.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

@greensombrero I, too, love cooking with cast iron while camping. When the world went sideways back in 2020, I went to a Lodge store and went down the line…I’ll take this, and that, and this, and this too…while people were hoarding & building their TP towers, I was focusing on food by fire. I already had my TP tower anyway..joke! Deep down I’m ready for the apocalypse. Bring it on! I’m kidding.

Cooking with cast iron over a fire is my absolute favorite thing to do while camping, if we’re not camping at Disney, of course. No time for that at Disney. I’m a big big fan of cooking over fire whenever I can. I do a good bit on our wood stove over the winter months, and soon will expand our kitchen to allow room for a second wood stove.

We should start a new thread about cooking while camping.

Beef & chicken homegrown & farm raised.
Cherries from our trees.
Bread made from scratch.

I dunno how to post an animated GIF, so I”ll just post a meme.

Food tastes extra while camping, but it is next level when done in cast iron over a fire. Now, I want to go camping for a day or two, so I can make delicious foods for my family.

 

[Teamubr]

Wow! Flashbacks (some good, some bad) to Boy Scout days cooking in dutch ovens and cast iron.

We definitely have different ideas on cooking while camping. My normal approach is to use Google to find a good local restaurant. If that fails, I have a perfectly nice kitchen in the MH with a convection microwave above the sink. I even have a window so I can see outside.



If I decide to "rough it", my Coleman gas grill or Blackstone do a fine job outside.


(not me or my camper).

Although dragging out the grill can be a chore, so we'll just do a charcuterie and bottle of wine.



I will occasionally use my Boy Scout skills to make an actual fire, but that is primarily to take the chill off and enjoy an adult beverage in the evening. The TV should obviously be visible from the fire pit.



j

 

[ilovedisneymm]

That’s a beautiful kitchen you have there in your motorhome, Jim.

Big fan of the blackstone when traveling.

Steaks on the grill somewhere in Yellowstone. Hubby wants a smaller one for our summer adventures.

And we do indeed need a camping and food thread! I’ll start one up soon if one isn’t already going.

 

[Teamubr]

That is a serious Blackstone and propane bottle. Mine is half that size.

Great pic though. Looks like an amazing place to camp.

j