Mellvswdw1

Travel day!

So, we typically fly with Soutnwest out of Indianapolis but because I had a large credit with Alliegant Airlines, we flew one way to the Sanford airport. Uh, never again will we fly Allegant.  Lots of reasons, but when the pilot announced that they were late getting to Indy because of mechanical issues with the engine, it makes you think again about flying with them ?.  

So, I didn't want to fly in and get to The Fort super late, so we rented points from a fellow DVC member and we went to the Polynesian. We got in around 9:30pm. We had two super hungry babies and a grumpy mommy and daddy. I will say, that there is nothing like walking through the doors and smell that Disney smell to relax and calm the soul. We got some counter service, mommy and daddy may have got a bottle of wine and we crashed. 

 

Lessons learned even for a old timer:

No to Allegant ever again.

With little ones take a mid morning or mid afternoon noon flight. 

Rental car fees are so much better at MCO. 

Dont push your little ones. This wasn't my first rodeo with flying with the littles, but I have to keep reminding myself that I don't always need to save a bunch of money or southwest points at my kiddos and our sanity.

if you can rent points from a DVC owner do it!

 

Next up, arrival day!

Thanks for all the quick replies.  We're going to hang here for a little bit because of the weather.  Hopefully we will be able to see the new happily ever after show and our dessert party tonight. 

So, to answer a few questions.  Yes, we did rent a car,  We flew into Sanford and we're flying back with southwest. So, even more reason to rent a car.  Since we usually stay in a one bedroom we usually always rent a car.  I like having the control vs using Disney transportation. But that's my own personal opinion and I'm very familiar with the sorrounding areas near Disney so I feel comfortable driving here. 

The place we rented the grill from was derenters.com.  They have mainly baby items, pack and plays, cribs, they also have scooters, and grills. There was another company that I looked at, but the reviews were awful.  The only reason we rented a grill was because of the fire ban.  If we could have used charcoal we would have,  but part of my tight budget for the trip was to be able to eat here at the site, vs Disney food. Both the places I rented items from met me at the front and followed me to the site.  They will do this for pick up as well. 

Hope that answers some questions!  

Melissa

Planning 101!

 

So, I'm not new to Disney, but I am new to camping. When we decided about 6 weeks before we came that we needed a new adventure, and a moderate wasn't going to cut it...My own personal opinion. I don't mind a moderate for day or two, but I'm officially a Disney resort snob, acorrding to my DH.  I'm spoiled with DVC. I love having a full kitchen and a washer and dryer. So, one day I did some research and came upon a site about renting a travel trailer and I told my husband, here is the closest thing to our one bedroom accommodations and we decided hey, why not try this, what's the worst thing that can happen, we don't like it and we will never do it again.  Plus, we've been throwing around the idea of getting a travel trailer because of all the great spots where we live. So, we felt we would be killing two birds with one stone.

So, I researched a lot of companies and we decided to move forward with meachams,  great choice. Andrew was super easy to work with and made me feel more and more comfortable with our decision. Plus, golf cart. So glad we have a golf cart. 

I also did a lot of searches about loops and finally came upon this great site. Super friendly and such great advise. I tried to read as many trip reports that I could. I really didn't find hardly any by first timers. I will say the main thing I learned was don't overpack. If you rent from a RV company most will provide you with a lot.  

We chose to rent a vehicle. We need to leave to go see Jonah's tummy mommy, plus I wanted to buy my own groceries, vs garden grocer.  Just a personal preference. 

We have a golf cart, add it, rent it, just do it, this place is huge and can be overwhelming to newbies. Plus,it's a lot of fun! 

Make sure you take time to really enjoy this amazing place.  This truly is a hidden gem. An oasis from a fun world. 

Do as much research as you can.  I can't say that enough about any Disney trip to any newbie, but even old timers like myself need to make sure you acclimate yourself to want to expect.  It is new experience but best to have an idea of what could happen. 

My next update will be about arriving and how the first day of camping went!  We are heading to the magic kingdom so it may be bit before I post....have a magical day!

 

Melissa

 

 

 

Howdy!  So since you all were so nice about getting the perfect spot, and I have searched and searched the internet for first timers renting a travel trailer at The Fort, I thought I would try to do a live trip report.  Our trip is/was from the 3rd of June until the 12th.  We spent our first night renting points from a fellow DVC owner at the Poly in standard studio.  We are in a premium spot in the 1400 loop, and we rented our "little house"(according to our three year old) from Meacham's and we also rented a few things from A Babies Best Friend, and a propane grill from Derenters.  We are DVC owners who have used and abused our points so this was a cash trip and even though we are annual pass holders, for our budget we realized this new fun adventure was the most economical way to go, plus we needed something new. 

 

Who are we?!

I'm Melissa a true Disney junkie whose favorite thing to do beside hanging out with my family is planning our next Disney adventure. I'm 41(not ashamed to say that..lol) and an insurance agent by day.  I've been coming to Disney since I was a kid, and it truly is my happy place. We got married at the former Sunset Pointe before the bungalows in October of 2004.  We became DVC members in 2006.  

My DH John is 47 and is also an insurance agent by day, and an amazing papa.  He tolerates my Disney obsession and always wants new to try something new at Disney because we've been so many times.  His first time to Disney was our wedding trip, he understood when he married me that Disney and kiddos were part of the deal. LOL!

Lily, our very headstrong daughter who is 3 going on 13.  We tried for several years to have children but our babies were meant to come to us via adoption.  We truly believe in miracles because we had basically given up on having kids and came to Disney to celebrate my husband getting his permanent contract with our company. The last night we were in Disney we watched wishes, and literally 3 months and 1 week later, she came to us.  We were approached to adopt this amazing baby girl.  She's smarter than a whip and moody like her daddy.  Lol. 

Jonah, our 18 month old came to us via adoption the more traditional way.  His tummy mommy lives here in Florida so we have annual visits with her at her request and some other stipulations.  He's pure joy and a huge flirt. He loves the ladies, any age, it doesn't matter he just loves to flirt. He's usually pretty calm, but does have a bit of a temper every now and again.  This trip is to see his tummy mommy, and have fun at our happy place!

 

So far we've really enjoyed being here and I hope that this report will help fellow newbies.  We love it here. It's so relaxing and Disney at the same time. I know we're still in the "bubble" which is very important to me.  I want that Disney feel when I'm here. I don't want to leave for long if I'm here. A grocery run is ok. I don't mind paying way to much for food, I just want to soak it all in when I'm here. 

 

My my next post will be about me planning.  Have a magical day!

 

me.issa

Hi all!  Just checking in from The Fort!  We are in the inside loop in 1400.  Great spot from what I can tell so far.  We have had a long two days. Traveling all day yesterday with a major delay so it was 10:30 before we got to the poly.  We had an early morning at Chef Mickey's and a quick stop at the magic kingdom.  We got to the fort around 2ish.  

The travel trailer we rented is in phenomenal shape and Andrew from Meechams was fantastic.  We got our baby stuff delivered and a propane gas grill by 4:30. By that time I was pooped, and we decided to not go grocery shopping and we ended up at trails end.  Wow was that good! We love having a golf cart. It was nice when We stopped at Meadows and got a few things. Got back unpacked, bathed the kiddos and they are peacefully sleeping and we are having a glass of wine!  A good day overall. I may take this update and start a trip report. 

Thanks to all the help to make our first trip great!

 

Melissa

Thanks so much, I will check it out!  We are counting down the sleeps!  I got a good deal for our first night at WDW.  We are at the poly for one night on rented points. Moving the next day to the Fort, and I keep thinking about how relaxing the Fort will be. It is much needed!

Perfect, will do! 

Thanks everyone!  This site is awesome.  Much better info here, then other places. I will use the letter for requests I saw on a different thread and hope to get the 1400 or 1300 loop.  We are 12 sleeps away from our first Fort experience, super excited!  

Quick question....since we will have a golf cart, what about a whole different loop...like the 300 or 400 loop?

Thanks everyone! I am beyond excited, and nervous as I worry we will become addicted and end up buying a TT..lol!  We are 13 days out and I will update with a first hand report if that will interest anyone. I have searched and searched for trip reports from super newbies and they are few and far between. So glad I came upon this message board!

Hi all! My DH and I are DVC owners, but we've used and abused our points, so we are trying a new adventure.  Due to not having points, but having an annual pass discount, our original idea for this trip was to try the cabins. However with a lot of research, I found Meacham's RV rental and they worked with us and we have a golf cart. I've also rented a propane grill before I realized that they had community ones, but it might be nice to have one at our site. I've been lurking about all the things we need to pack, extension cords, rope to line dry clothes, etc. but I'm still not feeling good about which loop to be in.  We have paid for a premium site. The RV we've rented has 3 slide outs and is 32 foot, and we have a rental car, so I can get groceries.

 I worry about being close to a canal, and the road. We don't care about noise from the pool area, but we would like to be close to the playground. I want to call and request a few sites, and I know it's not guaranteed.  We are seriously considering buying a RV so this will be a good indication of how I will do.  My idea of camping is a hotel with a bar...lol. However, where we live there are  so many little lakes and great camping sites, and we want our kids to experience nature, and have fun. So excited! We will be at the fort from the 4th of June to the 12th!  Thanks so much in advance :)

 

melissa

Hi all! My DH and I are DVC owners, but we've used and abused our points, so we are trying a new adventure.  Due to not having points, but having an annual pass discount, our original idea for this trip was to try the cabins. However with a lot of research, I found Meacham's RV rental and they worked with us and we have a golf cart. I've also rented a propane grill before I realized that they had community ones, but it might be nice to have one at our site. I've been lurking about all the things we need to pack, extension cords, rope to line dry clothes, etc. but I'm still not feeling good about which loop to be in.  We have paid for a premium site. The RV we've rented has 3 slide outs and is 32 foot, and we have a rental car, so I can get groceries.

 I worry about being close to a canal, and the road. We don't care about noise from the pool area, but we would like to be close to the playground. I want to call and request a few sites, and I know it's not guaranteed.  We are seriously considering buying a RV so this will be a good indication of how I will do.  My idea of camping is a hotel with a bar...lol. However, where we live there are  so many little lakes and great camping sites, and we want our kids to experience nature, and have fun. So excited! We will be at the fort from the 4th of June to the 12th!  Thanks so much in advance :)

 

melissa