BR60103

We've done a few early year trips. I think this past year was the coldest one, but we didn't have any below freezing nights. We had one some years ago where we had to undo the hose and had an icicle from it in the morning. This January there was a site that had a moat between it and the road on a couple of mornings.

Does the Sun Pass work for MHs as well as cars? Are the tolls the same?

We rented a car this year in Orlando and the GPS was absolutely paranoid about toll booths. "Make a U turn" "Make a U turn" "Oh, dear, you're in for it now".

The only place we even worried about tolls was coming off the Turnpike at Winter Garden onto the new toll road (for one exit) where they wanted exact change -- for 35 cents? -- and no attendant.

Forgot to mention that SWMBO thinks I am better than she at navigating and reading maps. She'd drive a long way to avoid having to read a map.

I haven't been on for a few weeks.

We stopped at the Nashville KOA on one return trip (we'd done the Natchez trace) and I didn'r winterize there. In Detroit the tanks were frozen -- whatever the tank heaters did didn't go down to the drain valves.

We couldn't get anything earlier than Jan 4th. We'll be at the KOA for a few days because we want to take a couple of friends to see the Osbourne lights.

Dayle drives our class C. She starts in the morning because she's awake and I'm groggy. I'm still going at supper time, but we tend to camp about 3 or 4. Often, she gets 2 shifts and I only get 1.

One year we came back in a snow storm and she started driving before Detroit and went nearly 400 km (240 mi) because she was behind a big truck and didn't trust going off to change drivers -- home around 10:00 pm.

I get to park because she goes into the office, having more opions on things than I do. She now will pull out of a camp site in the morning.

Saw a British comedy Last of the Summer Wine last week where the wife loved going camping but hated coming back because she pamicked directing her husband to back the trailer into the driveway.

Not only has Dayle been driving longer than I have, but she tauht me to drive after we;d been married 2 years.

A lot of what you do will depend on weather. We follow the national weather in the papers and try to see if our next night will be below freezing or not.

Usually we winterize in a campground in southern Kentucky (0ff I75).  Sometimes we've done it farther south, like Chattanooga or even in Georgia. On one trip I neglected to do it in Nashville and the drains were frozen in Detroit. The waste tank heaters don't melt all the way to the valves.

After you winterize, you can use the toilet if you follow it with a wash of anti-freeze.

We've found a campground just outside Detroit that is open all year, except for water. (won't do you much good, though)  The last winter trip we made, we'd driven from Ky and my wife just kept going from the border to the Toronto area because she didn't trust going off the highway to change drivers.

Make sure you have a stock of plumbing anti-freeze. It may be hard to find farther south.

Check your windshield washer fluid. We had a used unit and there was a major blizzard (they closed the highway behind us!) and I couldn't get it to wash. When we stopped, I found a tank full of pink slush -- summer fluid.

Use your campground guide. There are a few but very few camps open during the winter north of the Ohio River.

We've stayed there a couple of times. It's a bit out of the historic area, like beyond walking distance, but you can get a rental car. It's typical KOA, and we had no problems.

Thanks.

We'll probably go to Downtown Disney.

I think the AP allows free parking at the parks?

We're arriving in Kissimmee a few days before our Fort Wilderness camping begins.

We'll be buying Annual Passes (or whatever they're called this year) and we'll need them a few days before this. Is there a good place to buy them that doesn't involve paying for parking?

Look for the most compact and versatile tool kit. One that has all the screwdriver bits and all the sockets. Most of your little jobs won't need more than one handle at a time (or one of each type). When you find out which ones you actually need you can buy sturdy ones. Most of your repair work will be leisurely, except when the kitchen drawer falls apart. Or the cupboard door. A variety pack of screws & nails & stuff.

A supply of disposable plastic (or similar if you're allergic) gloves for dumping. Watch when they show you how it works. I spent 10 minutes the first time I dumped trying to screw the valves on the waste water tanks -- they actually pull out.

Don:

We've never had a golf cart at FW. We bring bikes, but last year we didn't use them. Walking is good for short distances (less than halfway up the campground) and you can always get a bus back.

Can your DDs stand getting to the gate of a park and not going in? There are a couple of nice boat rides if you can do that. Studios to Epcot is our favourite although you can get off at Boardwalk for a bit of sightseeing. (Bus to the studios).

You can get anywhere on the property by Disney Transit. There are some trips that take multiple changes. Note that Downtown Disney buses do not go to any of the parks. Getting to another resort may be a 2 bus trip but at the other resorts you can do almost anything they offer except swim.

From FW you can take a boat to MK or to Wilderness Lodge and the Contemporary. The latter is a triangular trip.

Disney meals are a bit expensive. We're at an age where we can get by on one a day.

If you need to get the family doing something cheap, look for hidden Mickeys. (see the book) A hidden Mickey is a big circle with 2 smaller ones on top of it. There are lots of them around.

Second the idea that FW will spoil you for any other campground. On a scale from 1 to 10 it rates a 12.

SWMBO -- She Who Must Be Obeyed (the little voice in the GPS)

When we went for the whole month of January (last year) we found the AP cheaper than any combination of other tickets. And then we used it again in November!

You eventually stop being embarrassed at asking "Is there a passholder discount on that?"

Thanks for all the replies.

Do "room" discounts apply to campsites?

Last year we had an annual pass, starting January 1 and we used it to book a second session at the Fort.

We don't have one now but we may be back later this year. Is there a way to buy a pass that it would be usable for booking a camp site without starting it months before we get there?

(I may be off base here, but I think we had a discount on the camping rate.)

In December 2010 we stopped at the campground in Ocala. It seemed a little unloved and had apparently changed owners. But it was a short walk to Cracker Barrel and a bit longer walk to the shopping plaza. It's a bit closer than Lake City.

If you upgrade a 10-day ticket to non-expiring, I think you pay the full 10-days worth.

They wouldn't let me upgrade my annual pass last year.

If you're at the Fort, at the Outpost bus loop, you can get a bus to almost anywhere you should want to go (except MK). If you want to go to another resort, there is no reliable one-bus route; there's a chance that a bus from a park may be going to another resort but that usually turns out to be the Lodge.

But Disney doesn't want the free parking at Downtown used for the parks.

3) The refillable mug is also usable (and available from) the Meadows Trading Post. and the value will depend on how long you stay and how much you drink per day.

4) Boat is the most efficient way to get to MK. You can use the other boat from the dock to get to the Wilderness Lodge and the Contemporary. If you are terrified of boats (we met someone who was), there is bus service to the Lodge and you can transfer to a MK bus.

The new years rates should be compared to the Christmas 2011 rates which are ..... where?

This year, on our return trip, there was a major snarl in Atlanta -- accident on one of the other highways -- so we went into the HOV lane for most of the distance.

Our stops were Forsythe, GA and Corbin, KY. depending on weather we may stop at Monroe, MI. Last 2 times we drove straight through to Toronto because we had winterized in Corbin. (12 + hours) The 9 am start from Forsythe misses most of the Atlanta rush hour.

Along I75 (Dave Hunter's book) is the best of the guides. Better than his Florida's Expressways because he has separate maps for north and south. Worst problem with it? we gave a copy to some cousins and she started reading the extra material and missed some turns!

The thingy that helps undo the sewer hose.

Then the slip joint pliers (for the water hoses).

The socket set came in handy when our alternator failed and a couple of passers-by took us to NAPA and replaced it.

I'll also note that the bus stop at 500/300 has 2 newspaper boxes (Sentinel and USA Today). Some others don't.

Go to the Fountain of Youth. It sounds dicey, but they give a good historical background and the cast stays in character.

The Fort should be visited for pure historical interest.