LuckyinGa
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Nov 27, 2008
- Messages
- 320
We lived in Florida for 18 years and always celebrated birthdays and special occasions at Disney. We would visit about four times a year but always stayed in a different hotel. Unfortunately, we only got into camping once we moved away from Florida. This was only our third visit to the Fort and our first visit after finding the Disboards.
I got so many ideas
and helpful info from all of you and I want to say thank you so very much. So here we go . . .
I faxed my Request Form on Sunday, Dec. 16th and requested the 800 loop, with a site close to the comfort station and large enough to accommodate a 42' motorhome and a 13 x 15 tent (my son and his girlfriend were staying in the tent for 8 nights).
We started out from Cleveland, Georgia on December 16th and stopped at the Lake Park KOA overnight. (I know what you are all saying, They had to stop overnight from Georgia?). We are night owls so we never get an early start and we like to arrive before dark so we always make Lake Park our overnight stop. We usually stay at Eagles Roost but I had enough points for a free stay at the KOA and free is good.
We followed the driving directions taking 429 South. My husband kept asking me how do you know this new route will accommodate our big rig and I told him my disboard friends told me so!! This was a fantastic alternate route to take to avoid I-4 and we will never go to Disney any other way.
We arrived at the Fort on the 17th around 3:00 p.m. I had done the online check-in and was directed to lane 4 upon arrival. There were 3 other campers checking in before us. Lane 5 pulled out as we were pulling in and we were flagged over to that lane. Total time spent checking in was 14 minutes.
We were assigned site 828 with the comfort station right behind us. It was a very easy site to back into and there was plenty of room for the tents that were coming. Yes I said tents. It turns out my daughters boyfriend surprised her and was able to come to celebrate her birthday on the 18th and my brother decided to come up and visit as well. We had three tents in a U shape, plus the motorhome, for two nights on the site with plenty of room.
I remember reading somewhere on the Boards that only one RV and one tent were allowed on the site. I checked online and it says motorhome and additional tents. Keep that in mind when making your plans. They list tents as plural for tent/preferred and premium sites. We saw several setups in the 800 loop with multiple tents.
We spent Friday decorating the site during a light sprinkle. Because of this I was fighting a cold the entire week I was there. I felt fine, but I was losing my voice and I sounded pretty bad. I really think I willed the cold away. I kept saying I waited over a year for this vacation and Im not going to get sick! I apologize to those of you I met for the horrible way I sounded.
I received a huge surprise when my son arrived on Friday. He had made me a Mickey lamp for Christmas and brought it down with him!! Thanks to the directions I emailed him from the disboards and my disboard sign, the sight was pretty well decorated!
DD went to MGM with her boyfriend and picked up her gift card. Friday night we met at Rainforest Café at Animal Kingdom for her birthday dinner (I know what you are thinking, with all of the great restaurants at Disney she picks Rainforest. I totally agree but shes a picky eater and it's her birthday). I baked a cake for her on Friday and we sang Happy Birthday back at the campsite.
DD and her boyfriend decided they wanted to go horseback riding the following day but when they called they were told it was booked but to come over in the morning. Saturday morning DD and her boyfriend headed over to the TCR and were given a 1:00 p.m. reservation. They were very lucky if you ask me. Later in the day two of the tents went home so my son moved his tent to the center of the site.
And I worked on making my metal Mickey ears that I had seen on the boards (On the bottom right of the picture)
I thought this was a good picture showing why we like the premium lots. You can see where the additional concrete was added to the pad.
In the early evening we headed out to visit the other resorts and to see their decorations. After watching the Disney Specials before we left we wanted to make sure to see the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian, the chocolate carousel at the Beach Club and the trains at the Yacht Club. We had also never been to the Boardwalk and checked that out as well.
We were lucky to meet up with Mickey and Minnie at the Boardwalk
Sunday was our first park day and we headed to the Magic Kingdom because it was open late with EMH. We got to the park about 4:00 p.m. and stayed until closing. We found the park crowds lighter than we expected and the longest we waited was 20 minutes for the Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder. The wait at Space Mountain was 60 minutes even at closing so we skipped that ride this time.
Monday we headed over to MGM (who changes the name of a theme park?) We headed over there around 3:00 p.m. as it was open late for EMH. This was the most crowded park of them all. Unfortunately fast passes were gone for Tower of Terror and the Rockin Roller Coaster. One of the good things about having been to Disney so many times and having older kids, its no big deal if you miss a ride this time around. We saw parents on lines with little ones that had waits of 120 minutes!!!
I cant even imagine standing for two hours for a 3 or 4 minute ride.
Tuesday morning we headed over to the Wilderness Lodge for breakfast at Whispering Canyon, absolutely delicious.
We then headed over to Downtown Disney for shopping. We came back to the campsite and made our gingerbread houses, went looping and just relaxed. We were getting up early the next morning for a day at Universal.
I got so many ideas
and helpful info from all of you and I want to say thank you so very much. So here we go . . .I faxed my Request Form
on Sunday, Dec. 16th and requested the 800 loop, with a site close to the comfort station and large enough to accommodate a 42' motorhome and a 13 x 15 tent (my son and his girlfriend were staying in the tent for 8 nights).We started out from Cleveland, Georgia on December 16th and stopped at the Lake Park KOA overnight. (I know what you are all saying, They had to stop overnight from Georgia?). We are night owls so we never get an early start and we like to arrive before dark so we always make Lake Park our overnight stop. We usually stay at Eagles Roost but I had enough points for a free stay at the KOA and free is good.
We followed the driving directions taking 429 South.
My husband kept asking me how do you know this new route will accommodate our big rig and I told him my disboard friends told me so!! This was a fantastic alternate route to take to avoid I-4 and we will never go to Disney any other way. We arrived at the Fort on the 17th around 3:00 p.m. I had done the online check-in
and was directed to lane 4 upon arrival. There were 3 other campers checking in before us. Lane 5 pulled out as we were pulling in and we were flagged over to that lane. Total time spent checking in was 14 minutes. We were assigned site 828 with the comfort station right behind us. It was a very easy site to back into and there was plenty of room for the tents that were coming. Yes I said tents. It turns out my daughters boyfriend surprised her and was able to come to celebrate her birthday on the 18th and my brother decided to come up and visit as well. We had three tents in a U shape, plus the motorhome, for two nights on the site with plenty of room.
I remember reading somewhere on the Boards that only one RV and one tent were allowed on the site. I checked online and it says motorhome and additional tents. Keep that in mind when making your plans. They list tents as plural for tent/preferred and premium sites. We saw several setups in the 800 loop with multiple tents.
We spent Friday decorating the site during a light sprinkle. Because of this I was fighting a cold the entire week I was there. I felt fine, but I was losing my voice and I sounded pretty bad. I really think I willed the cold away. I kept saying I waited over a year for this vacation and Im not going to get sick! I apologize to those of you I met for the horrible way I sounded.
I received a huge surprise when my son arrived on Friday. He had made me a Mickey lamp for Christmas and brought it down with him!! Thanks to the directions I emailed him from the disboards and my disboard sign
, the sight was pretty well decorated!
DD went to MGM with her boyfriend and picked up her gift card. Friday night we met at Rainforest Café at Animal Kingdom for her birthday dinner (I know what you are thinking, with all of the great restaurants at Disney she picks Rainforest. I totally agree but shes a picky eater and it's her birthday). I baked a cake for her on Friday and we sang Happy Birthday back at the campsite.
DD and her boyfriend decided they wanted to go horseback riding the following day but when they called they were told it was booked but to come over in the morning. Saturday morning DD and her boyfriend headed over to the TCR and were given a 1:00 p.m. reservation. They were very lucky if you ask me. Later in the day two of the tents went home so my son moved his tent to the center of the site.
(On the bottom right of the picture)I thought this was a good picture showing why we like the premium lots. You can see where the additional concrete was added to the pad.
In the early evening we headed out to visit the other resorts and to see their decorations. After watching the Disney Specials before we left we wanted to make sure to see the gingerbread house at the Grand Floridian, the chocolate carousel at the Beach Club and the trains at the Yacht Club. We had also never been to the Boardwalk and checked that out as well.
We were lucky to meet up with Mickey and Minnie at the Boardwalk
Sunday was our first park day and we headed to the Magic Kingdom because it was open late with EMH. We got to the park about 4:00 p.m. and stayed until closing. We found the park crowds lighter than we expected and the longest we waited was 20 minutes for the Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder. The wait at Space Mountain was 60 minutes even at closing so we skipped that ride this time.
Monday we headed over to MGM (who changes the name of a theme park?) We headed over there around 3:00 p.m. as it was open late for EMH. This was the most crowded park of them all. Unfortunately fast passes were gone for Tower of Terror and the Rockin Roller Coaster. One of the good things about having been to Disney so many times and having older kids, its no big deal if you miss a ride this time around. We saw parents on lines with little ones that had waits of 120 minutes!!!
I cant even imagine standing for two hours for a 3 or 4 minute ride.Tuesday morning we headed over to the Wilderness Lodge for breakfast at Whispering Canyon, absolutely delicious.
We then headed over to Downtown Disney for shopping. We came back to the campsite and made our gingerbread houses, went looping and just relaxed. We were getting up early the next morning for a day at Universal.
Great looking family! 
You've got me hooked! 
