Country Coach Guy

1 hour ago, Travisma said:

Most of the bigger decorated sites will be set up about a week before Halloween, or at the very least the weekend before.

You might be able to get in around those times if you say you're going to Trails End for dinner, or better yet get a reservation for lunch or dinner then they would definitely let you in.

You really shouldn't try to go over on Halloween itself with a golf cart.  The loops are wall to wall people with kids darting all over the place.  Personally, I think they should block carts from the loops on Halloween night and restrict them to the main roads.

Since the loop Trick or Treating is not a Disney event, they will probably never do that because it might upset some guests.

But I think it was last year or the year before, there was an incident with someone getting bumped by a cart and then a fight ensued.  There may or may not have been adult beverages involved.

Would never, ever go on Halloween much as I would never ever go on Christmas day!

I don't know why it surprises me but I had no idea there was decorations at Halloween. We stayed a week last year before Christmas and there were a lot of decorations then, in my mind anyway. Can't imagine what it would be like with more. I wonder if the mouse would let me bring my own cart over just to drive the loops during the Halloween festivities, even if I wasn't staying. My guess would be no. That would just add another vehicle and trailer to the overflow lot. 

3 hours ago, Travisma said:

Who knows, the decoration Grinches might be in overdrive enforcing their new rules by then and ban everything other than 1 string of awning lights (non blinking) that must be turned off by 10:00 !

Have they been talking about that? I'd be surprised since it's such a "thing" but hey, it's Disney and well, enough said.....

19 minutes ago, Tony said:

There should be plenty going by then.

Thank you much! I'd hate to pay $67 for a cart and just see a lot of dark! LOL

We have some friends visiting from out of state and they would like to see some decorations. They will be here from 12-5 through 12-8. We were thinking of driving over and renting a cart to tour the loops. We stayed in the campground last year, 12-13 through 12-18 and most of the decorations were set up already. Wondering if there will be anything to see on the 8th or is it too early?

Thanks!

Congratulations and welcome to the club! 

We went right into a Class A so I never experienced trailering anything. I tow a 2011 Chevy Tahoe 4 down and it works great. Some day when it's replace time I think I'd like to go back to a pickup I can put the golf cart in. We like being able to go to the bathroom while on the road and my "flight attendant" will also fix me lunch to go. We get about 9.5 to 10mpg consistently- diesel. It's hard to compare because people got their vehicles for different reasons. I tell people ours is our condo. We go to a park as close to what we want to see as we can and use the Tahoe for the sightseeing duty just as if we were at a hotel or lodge.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

21 hours ago, fladogfan aka Gretchen said:

The hats on the mirrors are cute.

 Thanks! 

From Christmas 2018, our small contribution to the loop 800 decorations.

It looked much better at night when it was lit and the three were moving around.

So I guess the Meadow Premium sites are a good thing? We stayed in the 800 loop in December 2018, and again in April 2019 and were pretty happy with the location. In fact, we were in site 834 for Christmas, then 836 in April. We knew nothing of the loop designations at the time. I liked it because it was about the middle between the entrance where the bus stops were and the boat ramp, Trails End, etc. Backing in was a bit tight, especially when the neighbors across the road had their cars parked on the grass close to the pavement. I guess we lucked out on where they put us.

Thanks for the trip! Always like to see through the eyes of others.

On 8/12/2019 at 9:17 PM, LONE-STAR said:

I will only go to Disney in the Fall, Winter, and maybe spring. My summer days are over. At least until I forget how hot it gets.

We live here now so, the heat is an every day thing. The daily storms can also curb the day but you get used to it. We lived in Maryland and it was just as hot and humid in the summer as down here, admittedly it doesn't last as long up there. 

This is awesome! We always bring our Brita water bottles. The filter eliminates the sulfur smell/taste from the Magic Kingdom water. I still use the filter bottle, but the other parks seem to have better tasting water than the MK.

On 11/18/2012 at 10:28 AM, devores said:

For those interested in the outdoor range, it is called Tenoroc Shooting Sports & Training. They have a website that gives detailed directions, it is just outside of Lakeland/Polk City (exit 38 on I4).

15 minutes from my house in Polk City. I'll shoot with you some time. This is a pretty old post but I assume you're still doing it. I thought you were talking about Tenoroc.

If you like history and/or photography, I had a blast at Ft. Monroe national monument, which is about 45 minutes from where you'll be staying. Fun to walk around the fort and check out the casements. They have a really nice museum inside the fort showing life throughout it's life. I've got loads of pictures from there. Only wish I had a decent image posting site and I'd upload a few. 

If you're planning on going to Jamestown, I'd take a trip to the "real" Jamestown site just a few miles past the "recreated" village. 

I loved just jumping around from historic site to site when I lived up there in Maryland.

On 2/14/2019 at 6:05 PM, YENSIDCAMPER said:

My Favorite is either the 800 or 900 bus stop where they overhang has been hit many times.  They finally cut it back at angle.  I assume this is from RVs coming out of the loop but it could be the internal buses.

We stayed in the 800 loop Dec. 2018 and again in April 2019. I can see how people can snag that corner. The exit is at kind of a funny angle and you have to go way out into the oncoming lane to make the right hand turn to leave. I do love that loop though.

On 2/3/2019 at 10:12 PM, AuburnJen said:

Ok, it is that time of the decade again and our tires are at the age, not tread wear, that they need to be replaced.  SuperGeek is wanting to get Crosswinds tires for our Monaco.  I need honest opinions from those who have had a class A diesel on tires.  I don't want to spend this kind of money and be on the side of the road.  We currently have BF Goodrich and they have been wonderful.  Thanks in advance and be nice...I know they are from China.

PS: Supergeek cannot find anything telling him they are bad, so I am asking here.

So what did you end up doing? I had to wait awhile before I could afford to replace my steer tires as they're very expensive because of size. I have Firestones on the rear which I'll probably replace next year. I've had them for five years and they've done well. I ended up putting Bridgestone R244 up front and they were a touch over $1,000 each.

We left for Richmond on the 2nd and it was dry the entire way up. In fact like Duane said we hadn't had any rain for awhile. I do watch the radar and saw that we went north at the right time.

Best of luck! Hope it all works out for you. I thought the same thing as above, take it and sell it, or trade it for one you like better.

I never had a problem with the water from the Fort. Tastes pretty good in fact (to us anyway). I use it for cooking, making ice, etc. The only water that I can distinctly remember as being bad is at the Magic Kingdom. The water out of the fountains is definitely sulfur tasting. As far as "Florida Water" being bad, just like anything else it depends on where you're at. Jacksonville was horrible. We live 30 minutes from the gate off of I-4 and we love our water. It really depends on how you tolerate it. As far as being potable, the water from the bib is fine.

I don't know if you've headed south yet but good luck on your trip! We used to live in Maryland too until we moved to Florida for good two years ago. Towed our Tahoe down south many times. 

Like was said above, you can't back it up like you could with a trailer so plan accordingly. Don't get yourself into a situation you can't pull straight out of. I've had to unhook twice in our travels. Not something to be proud of, but better safe than sorry! Make sure your vehicle is capable of four down towing. The only place to know for sure is in the manual, and there are instructions in there. 

We're about 65' with the car in tow. When you see semi's and 5ers negotiating tight spaces just remember, you don't bend in the middle. Well, not more than once.

Good luck and enjoy the trip!

2 minutes ago, Country Coach Guy said:

Let's see if this works. Just found my photobucket after years and cleaned everything out but this one picture.

Ha! still works! Guess I'll need to find a new photo host if I'm going to post any more pictures. Oh, these are the old school "Free Refill" mugs that were supposed to be free for life. This was when Port Orleans was really Port Orleans and not French Quarter. 

Let's see if this works. Just found my photobucket after years and cleaned everything out but this one picture.

1 hour ago, PGHFiend said:

Diesel owners should always carry a spare fuel filter. Easy to change and usually a good place to start. 

Glad you got it fixed up!

Yeah, I know. Pure procrastination on my part. Kept saying, I need to get some spares and keep a little can of diesel but it just went on the back burner. Resolved that problem now for sure.

Thanks all. It could have been a lot more painful than it was. I believe in passing it forward when I get good service since it doesn't seem to be today's norm. Also, I couldn't believe there was a heavy duty truck repair shop open until 2:30am. Lastly, this place is an authorized Allison transmission service center. That alone could come in handy on a north or southbound 95 trip.