Helpful Tips and Information

The following tips and info have been contributed by various Fort Fiends. If you have a tip or info to share, please PM BradyBzLyn12 or post them to this thread...

http://www.fortfiend...elp-please-add/

BEVERAGES

"...Make sure you bring plenty of your favorite carbonated (or not) beverages with you - because they are NOT cheap on Disney World property ..."

"If Pepsi products are your preferred beverage, you HAVE to get them off property. None sold at all, not even at the Hess stations!!!

No chewing gum is sold in Disney property either."

"No cans of MONSTER on the property either (at least not in 2008). Our son is a huge fan of that floursescent green, foul smelling beverage and could not find that or Mountain Dew."

"We bought Green Monster at the Hess station across from DTD on Mar. 19 2011"

"If you drive to either the Studios or Downtown Disney the Hess stations both have bags of ice that are larger and are actually frozen for about the same or less cost than the bags of slush sold at the comfort stations."

"The trading post also sells ice bags that are frozen harder than those at the Comfort Stations."

BIKES

"If you're going to be at the Fort for a week or more & didn't bring bikes with you (and you want to bike ride), don't rent bikes from the Fort. Go to Wal-Mart & buy a cheap one. When you're done with your trip - pay the bike forward to someone else. You'll end up saving $$ over the rental cost and you'll make another camper's day!"

BUGS

"...buy a screen room.

It was the best investment I ever made.

I have this one and I absolutely love it.

http://formosacovers...stock-p-72.html"

CAMPSITE MAINTENANCE AND CLEAN UP

"If the stuff falling from the trees during your Fort stay bugs you, ask one of the site maintenance folks as they are coming around to blow off your driveway. They are more than happy to do that if you ask!! (However, they won't do it unless you ask!)"

CAMPSITE TIPS

"Bring a broom and a door mat! The shells are awful!"

"Not sure if this was mentioned....

A broom!

Comes in handy for shells, debris, awning, camper, swatting at kids, riding... "

[NOTE: Premium sites are the only ones that do not have a coquina (sand/crushed shell) pad on them.]

"Bring a fan in the late spring, summer and early fall months. We have a portable one IN the TT and a full size one OUTSIDE the TT. It makes a long day outside more relaxing."

CAMPSITE WATER

"Don't use the green hose for potable water. You never know where that hose has been!"

CHEWING GUM

"No chewing gum is sold in Disney property..."

FIRST AID KIT

"Try http://www.minimus.biz/ when you need to restock your first aid kit, buy travel sizes of foods/toiletries, etc for your RV."

FITNESS CENTER

"Since the Fort does not have a Fitness Center, you can use the one at the Wilderness Lodge, just show your Fort Key Card"

FOOD/DINING

"When we camp for a week or more or at Thanksgiving-I purchase food before we leave home (25 mins. away). We make a grocery run to Walmart (off of SR 535) about at the half way point of the week... WM is one stop shopping-especially down by Disney."

"Camper refrigerators can get full quick. Bring a small 110V mini fridge for extra room. It can go under the camper or under the awning. Some even have keyed locks..."

KIDS

"When traveling with many young campers, it is very helpful to dress them all in the same color shirt each day. It makes spotting the one who is wandering off much easier. If you dress in the same color as well, helpful stranger will point out the wanderer to you.

Before we leave, I decide what color shirt we will wear each day. I then coordinate each persons outfits for the whole trip. (Yes, annoying, but it saves time later and also avoids red shorts with an orange shirt. LOL) Then I put all the clothes for each person for each day in separate plastic bags (I save the ones from the grocery store), remembering to add underwear, socks, etc. Then I pack each persons bags in their individual suitcase, with the top bag containing their pjs. The first night, they take off their travel clothes, put on their pjs, and put the dirty clothes in the empty bag. The next morning, i tell them the color ofthe day, they find that bag, get dressed, and put their pj's in that bag for that night. Quick and easy, which makes my vacation more relaxed.

Also, before you head out for the park each day, take individual pictures of each child. If for some reason the child needs to be found, you have a picture of how the child was dressed that day."

LOTTERY TICKETS

"If you want to try your hand at the Florida Lottery while at Disney - you have to go off property to buy tickets. None are sold on Disney property...."

PIZZA

"... if you want a quick, cheap, and okay pizza, go to the Hess at DTD. They sell Godfather's Pizza for (IIRC) $6.00 for a pepperoni. It's not bad for a $6 pizza."

POP-UP TIPS

"For pop-up owner if you put some kind of reflective cover over the top of tent part of your pop-up it will help in the summer sun and heat. When I had a pop-up I used the emergency blanket from the mart stores. They were around $2 ea and the blk paper binders to clip the blanket to the tent. This made the pup-up about 10 degrees cooler during the day really big help for me."

"I second that! We have the pop up gizmos on our hybrid and not only do they help with heat/cooling but also keeps canvas clean. Also if your pup or hybrid has privacy curtains on the beds, it helps to keep them closed during the day when running the A/C."

"Also for pop ups/hybrids to help keep the bunk ends cool, make inserts for the windows out of Reflectix. You can find it at Lowe's or Home Depot."

"http://popupgizmos.com/"

REFILLABLE MUGS

"There is no self serve beverage station at the Meadows Pool Snack Bar, but if you show your refillable mug to the CM behind the counter when they are open, they will give you the drink of your choice in a regular disposable cup."

"The cm's have been told that they are only to refill the current refillable mugs, however you may still go to the settlement and use the others."

RV MAINTENANCE/TIPS

"A fully charged battery just sitting will discharge over a few months. I installed a battery switch on my TT and I also use a trickle charge on them all the time. You can keep a trickle charge on your batteries all the time without hurting them. I also use the battery switch to turn off the house battery when I camp. I have found the house converter keeps charging the batteries even when they are fully charged and burns them out very fast."

"I always empty my fresh water tank when traveling at 8.38lb per gal and 40gal tank = 335lb unneeded weight. I do carry a gal jug of water to flush the toilet when on the road. I also only keep about a gal of water and chemical in my black tank and nothing in my gray tank."

"Check the PSI on your tire and tire before every time you go on a trip... Today I was checking on my TT and I saw a TT coming back not good. The right side had a Tire blowout taking out the finder and some of the side of the TT and it also took out the mounting bracket and the upright of the awning. So check our tires all the time."

"Change your key locks to your hatches to you outside compartments. I was at my RV storage today and the manager came up to me and told me that lots of RV outside compartment had their valuables stolen a few days ago. The people that did not break into them they just used a key (if you don’t know most RV companies use the same key for outside compartments) I switched my to a barrel type key when I first got my TT"

"Make sure you have a up to date fire extinguisher in your rig. When they get close to the experation date they often will not work"

"If you live in the south Like Florida check your skylights. Here in FL we have had 3 days of heavy rain. So when I was checking on my TT today I found water in the inter liner of my skylight. Knowing I Eternabond all the seams I had a felling the water was not coming from there. When I got on the roof to check it out I found that all four corners were cracked to the center. After talking to my RV repair guy he told me if you live in Fl or really anywhere you should replace the outer shell of your skylight every 2-3 years. So I filled the crack with silicone and will replace it in a few weeks. The heavey rain cracked the plastic because the sun broke it down the placsic. He said the sun and snow is worse because of the Wt rain just cracks it , but the Wt of the snow breaks pieces off."

TICKETS

"I buy tickets from Undercover tourist....they are paper.....it's a good idea to either to have a copy or a picture of both the front and back."

"It's a good idea to do this no matter where you purchase your tickets!"

WDW RESORT

"Fort Wilderness is a COMPLETE Disney Resort!! You can use the transportation, you have a Room Key, and you are a Disney RESORT guest"

TENT RENTALS

"Disney offers a tent rental program it?s around $36 a night. All you have to do is call 407.939.7807 give them your reservation number and a deposit. When you check-in you will get your site number on your site the tent is already setup. All you have to do add all the stuff you bring. At the end of your stay just pack up your stuff and leave Disney does the rest."