Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie

Marty why are they doing this? Are they going to stay and enjoy DL for a while?

WOW! I always thought it was good if you could get all rides done in one day.

Those little fleece "gift with purchase" blankets definitely come in handy on some of those boat rides!  :)

And each child got one from grandma this year! Good call 

Even after 19 years in SC thinning my blood, 50's feels warm to me in the middle of winter.  If it is 55 degrees out, I will let the kids go out and play with just a long sleeve shirt and jeans on or maybe even shorts.  However, 55 degrees actively playing in the sunshine is way different than 55 degrees standing still in the wind.  And if you plan to watch a parade or fireworks, you will be standing mostly still for a while.  That is when it really got to me.  Oh, and taking the boat back to the Fort from MK when it is dark and 40 degrees is downright miserable.  At least as miserable as you can be while at WDW.

Very True. I forgot about the boat rides at night. I remember as a little girl curled up in my shirt as we got stuck on the deck of a boat. I thought I was going to freeze and my grandma was doing everything she could to keep me warm. Definitely want to be prepared especially with the babies.

YAY!!!!    :dance:  :dance:  I am in. Now I must catch up.

Thank you. 

The full hook-ups do not have sewer hook up right? The name "Full" always means everything is available for hook-up when camping at a state park so I am a little confused.

Florida weather from October until March can be unpredictable at best. Today was 81 degrees in Tampa, but when we were at the Fort for Halloween it was in the 70's one day and then dropped to the low 40's overnight. Like someone said bring layers.

We have never rented carts in all of our visits. We have used bikes, busses, and walked. The last trip my granddaughter brought her Razor (non powered) scooter and we walked instead of bikes.

Busses are good, not great. They can be standing room only at times like after HDDR gets out or the electric Water Pageant. It seems to me that they don't run as often as they used to.

My opinion, stick to the bikes and walking/busses.

We will be down in Jan/Feb so layers we will definitely bring although even the 50's will feel very warm to us. Up here Jan. usually has us in snow and ice and below zero temp. I guess that is why so many from the north go south for spring break. We need hope that winter will not last forever   

All good tips, thoughts and advice guys, thanks!!!! I think we are going to stay with bikes and use the cart money for a fun dinner out maybe Ohana's,

So party in the camper!!!!!!

like, like LIKE!!!!

Great Pictures!! Now to swim over to Discovery Island  Did you encounter any snakes?

We love riding our bikes to the Lodge. It's not too far and is a very pleasant ride. You can't take carts there.

How is your knee today? 

Kristie -

 

I was just thinking.  You will have ten kids by the time you go.  That would be three golf carts!  I would bring bikes for recreation and plan to ride buses to get to the buses or boat.  

Your right! It might be fun to rent one for a day or so and take turns looping but I think we need to stay with the bikes. Jan/Feb should be fun but I hope not too cold.

It's about 3/4 of a mile from the bus stop at the the Settlement to the Wilderness Lodge.  To bike the entire campground, every loop (cabins too), is a good 1.5 hour at an enjoyable pace.  I would definitely recommend bikes if you are planning chunks of time at the campground, pool time or kids that like a bit of freedom.  We are not fans of the internal buses and use the bikes to get to to the Outpost bus stop, we usually are in 4, 5 or 600 loop and just walk to the Settlement.

 

We love to rent a cart for a day or two at the decorating holidays like Halloween or Christmas and tour around.  I think a big factor in cart vs bike is a amount and age of kids.  For pre-teens (>9ish) and up biking is great adventure under 10 though I think there is a lot of car/bus traffic and would not feel safe allowing them to roam away from sight.

 

To be safe at night lights are a must, the loops are not well lite and you are chastised if not using the sidewalks from loop to loop and they are dark, not to mention the pedestrian traffic.

 

R. 

Great bits to chew on. I know the older children would love to explore and head to the pools when we are busy with the littles. Thanks!!

Actually I've never been on that path!  TCD can tell you all about it when he returns after the holidays.    If we want to go to the Lodge, we take the bus or the boat.

 

 

There's nothing wrong with the internal buses.  They are a great way to get around.

 

We always stay in the 700 loop, which is near the Settlement.  I ride the scooter to the marina but have David take me to the Outpost on the golf cart.  If we aren't going to the parks together, I ride my scooter to the Outpost.  It takes about 10 minutes.  

Oh see I misunderstood your TR. Sorry I thought you were talking about the Wilderness Lodge trail. Either way looked like some beautiful scenery. Love your pictures btw, not sure I told you that on your TR.

Hey Marty!   Yes

Also do you all just avoid the internal buses and take bikes or golf carts to the settlement or outpost to head to parks?

Gwen you travel the path from the Lodge to the Fort often. How far from your camper to the Lodge would you say it is?

You can easily travel the park with bikes.

We all enjoy bike rides and usually bike for miles at a time. I just see so much on golf carts that I wasn't sure if I was missing some major advantage to them.

The campground is huge.  The main road from the Outpost to the Settlement I think is a little over a mile.  

 

IMHO looping with a bike would be too much.  Especially at night.

 

If you bring your bikes, make sure they are equipped with lights.  The loops are very dark.

 

How old are your children?  If you have teens, they would probably be safe.  If you're talking about five year olds, no, I wouldn't feel safe.

I hadn't thought of night riding, good suggestion. My older boys would have the freedom to ride but the younger crew would stay by the camper maybe allowed to ride around the loop.

We bring bikes, and rent a cart for a few days if not doing parks to enjoy some looping. We are here for 15 days now and a cart rental the whole time would be too much.

We have thought about coming down twice a year. Once for parks/camping and the other just camping.

Is the camp ground so big that looping with a bike would be too much? Do you use the carts to avoid internal buses? Do you feel safe with the children riding their bikes around?

Bringing bikes down to the Fort is so much cheaper than renting a golf cart for 20 days. You get more exercise with a bike. Lets discuss this because I have never stayed at the Fort and am flying blind to it's size and traffic. 

Oh mercy that looks yummy. After drinking that they might be calling management about a crazy drunk lady. Mixed drinks are my downfall. They just taste so good you tend to forget how many you have had.