ependydad...Doug

Wilde Lake but lived in Oakland Mills when we first moved here from York, PA. It's such A Small World After All!

For 295, is that the east side or west side?

I ask because in 2012, I took the camper down 95 thru Jacksonville about 3pm. It was literally the second most intense driving experience of my life (and this coming from someone who lives dab smack between Washington, DC and Baltimore). I did it again this past June and it wasn't so bad, but I've seen recommendations recently for taking 295 on the east side to bypass 95 in Jacksonville.

Am I the only one that was fairly under-whelmed with the Fort Wilderness pool vs. many of the other WDW resort pools?

The Foam Factory (www.foambymail.com) has great prices and customer service. I've used them 2 or 3 times now for bunk mattresses and replacement cushions fort dinette.

Thanks for sharing Kelly. I always wondered what the reality was for drivables.

40' triple slide toy hauler approximately 16,000 lbs loaded

F350 cab and chassis flatbed approximately 9,500 lbs

10 mpg towing at 65, 16mpg unloaded

I really like the set up, although the camper is too big at some campgrounds

I'm ready for a new truck, but can't complain about what I have now. I just did a 2400 mile trip to upstate NY to pick up some equipment on the flat bed. 14.9 mpg average at 70 mph with 3,200lbs on the truck coming back.

What hitch are you using for that setup?

I do like some of the fifth wheel floorplans but none would work for us as we can't all fit into a truck. 

There's always the Automated Safety Hitch behind the van.

Links:

http://www.traveltoast.com/2010/12/top-10-questions-we-get-about-the-safety-hitch/

http://fifthwheelst.com/automated-safety-hitch-system.html

:)

I'd love to see that spreadsheet, if you're open to sharing it :)

Here you go:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0AvEDJnVFaozKdDVLSF9UZ1JXQ1JpamM0UzFicUFodEE&authuser=0

It's a bit outdated. It has columns for the things that were important to us at the time. And interestingly enough, my wife found our camper after we created the spreadsheet.

Happy birthday, Todd!

rarely have had to wait more than 15-20 mins. What are you going to do anyway if the wait time is too long?  I mean if you have already left camp you won't have many options that will get you there faster.  

 

Agreed, and as far as WDW transportation, excluding MK, as there is no bus, the bus to the other destinations is the only option.

There's always private taxis.

So...here's mine: What you have (i.e. Class A, TT, 5th wheel): 42' bunkhouse fifth wheel (Sabre 36QBOK)

If you're towing (so TT or 5th wheel) how heavy is it: between 13,500-14,500 pound fifth wheel (the truck + camper come in around 22,000 pounds)

If you tow, what is your tow vehicle: 2012 Ram 3500 Dual Rear Wheel, 4x4, with 4.10 gears, and a long bed

Gas mileage: 8.5-11.5 mpg towing, 12-15 not towing (I generally tow at 61-63.)

Do you like it, love it or hate it: or. It is what it is- I hoped for better, but it's a big truck and camper.

If you'd like to make a change, change to what and why: I would have opted for smaller gears than he 4.10s. I didn't fully understand the numbers and thought I needed them when I possibly didn't. I love the space of the crew cab and would keep the long bed.

On edit- the camper is exactly what we want right now, it's just a little big. We commonly have my family of 4 and my in-laws along with us. I wanted something that could sleep 6 without using the dinette or living room sofa. For the bunkhouse, I wanted 2 beds that aren't on the ground so that my in-laws would be comfortable. I just wish the whole setup was 6'-8' shorter but there weren't any features that we were willing to do without. A dual-slide bunkhouse, 1 1/2-bath, large shower, side bath (e.g. NOT where the shower is in the master bedroom), u-shaped dinette, and outdoor kitchen. I kept a spreadsheet of 60 or so bunkhouse models when we shopped and this was the one that spoke to us.

(Edited twice now- first to add the "on edit" and the second because my formatting was all messed up. That was a jumbled mess!)

Beautiful guys!

We pull a camper about the same length and were able park down in the 200 loop. It was cozy, but not awful- the approach to the site really helped.

I'm always so jealous seeing the couples campers. We're stuck with bunkhouses for the foreseeable future. This is exactly the layout that my inlaws like.

Glad to hear it is fixed. Like mentioned before, that commonly happens in the spring when people don't have their bypass valves right and let cold water mingle into the hot water.

In fact, it's a little known trick to adjusting the water temperature out of the water heater. Crack your bypass valve open just slightly and it lets cold water in that mixes as it comes thru the lines.

I feel like this is the right thread to share this now. My first time parking at a storage lot took 50 (yes, fifty) minutes and 3 complete pull outs and startovers. The parking is simple and an ideal setup- angled spots, driver's side backing, and plenty of space in front of you.

Here's the layout:

I let my buddy film it for prosperity. He setup his phone to take time lapse photos every 5 seconds or so. That 50 minutes compressed down to about 19 seconds, so you don't get the full pain of the experience.

http://youtu.be/2k57p1WonJQ

As it stands, we're in the lot, unhitched, and parked in 5-6 minutes now. :)

Are the cabins big enough for you all to stay? You could share the costs.

My family of 4 and my mother-in-law are staying at Port Orleans Riverside in February because we can sleep 5 in it. It's smaller than a suite.

I wonder how wide the airspace restrictions go. We did a helicopter tour out of Clermont and it flew near parts of WDW.

Yeah. I was watching it live but didn't know that it was unmanned. That was sickening. I was so relieved to find out it was unmanned. I hate the cost and loss of equipment- but glad that there was no loss of life.

And cancelled due to a boat down range from it.

At 6:40 tonight, there will be a launch from Wallops that should be visible.

At around 6:49 (for me, at least) the international space station should also be visible.

Pretty neat if timing works out to see both!

My daughter likes to vote me into these things. I was a knight in the Belle show in the new area in Magic Kingdom. Basically, I stood holding a sign. :)

I was also in some "making a movie" ride where I was a mad scientist. But that may have been Universal. I don't recall.

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I've seen no tents, no pop-ups, and even no truck campers before. I think the zaniest is Blue Water Key has those but also has a minimum length of 26' rule.

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Can't stay in Wal Mart lots in FL for some reason.

 

County ordinances.  Most (if not all) the counties around WDW prohibit it.

I saw people staying at the Walmart in Clermont. Here is probably the best Walmart parking resource:

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/walmartrving/info

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It's all we've known- wife an I started Disney'ing on our honeymoon in 2001.

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For folks talking about Tallahassee, we stayed overnight at camping world. They have spots with electric and water that you can use overnight. It wasn't very level but we just put our heads on the high side and slept quite happily. :)

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We've always sprung for seats for the kids, but I second the idea of having something to suck on and cause swallowing for take off/landing.

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