Travisma

Everyone can smuggle in inflatable rafts, paddle thru the canals, than go down the canal behind the 1500/1800 loops to Golden Oaks and use their pools/spas/club house after hours!

We haven't been to the parks in years in the summer. The last FL Resident Pass we had blacked out the summer. That's so all of the crazy northerners can come down, get heat stroke and pump lots of money into the local medical communities getting treated for passing out and 3rd degree sunburns! That being said, welcome and come on down! It will be very hot that time of year, and very crowded... not just at WDW, but any attraction and any place that has fireworks, a beach, or a lake. Be prepared for rain also. Did I mention it's going to be hot? We just started camping again, and ar

We don't go to the parks. There's enough to do at the Fort and at the other resorts.

Everything is fair game for criticism except Country Bear and the original Tiki Room. Other then those rip em up. And long live Inflatables !

My 8 year old granddaughter has a similar looking Brita waterbottle, but it has a changeable filter in the straw. Don't know where/why my daughter got it. Water fountains and hoses used to be good enough for us! :-)

If you have a Dollar Tree nearby, they always have glow sticks. And depending on the store, I've gotten various other battery/LED light up items for the granddaughters (to keep track of them). They have flat bracelets that blink or stay on steady, finger lights you wear on your finger tips, and these short batons with a soft rubber ball on the end that flashes like crazy when you move it around.

They have Segway tours of the Fort for 16 and older. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/events-tours/cabins-at-fort-wilderness-resort/wilderness-back-trail-adventure/ Not sure of the prices. Must be pricey since they don't list it on the page. They have also started archery "classes". https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/recreation/fort-wilderness-archery-experience/ 7 and up, $25 to $39 for 90 minutes. This is one of the best things we've done at the fort... Wagon Rides $5 or $8/45 min Take an old-fashioned, horse-drawn wagon ride on a scenic tour through Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort &

Soon everyone will be taking their pets into the parks. There's an online company that will "certify" your pet as a service animal, they even include the little (or big) jacket. No doctors notes necessary. And it's not just dogs, it's cats, pigs, and birds.

TCD, you are correct with it getting in your way on rides, but it would be no worse then a backpack. I use one when I got out in my kayak on longer rides, but it's stowed behind my seat. Comes in handy in certain situations. I'm not sure if they would allow a filled one into the park, sort of like the security checkpoints at the airports. Who knows what someone would have it filled with. You could fit a lot of margaritas in there. We haven't been in Disney parks for a couple of years, but Busch Gardens/Sea World will allow full "factory" sealed drink containers, or totally empty ones.

Unlimited amount of $$$$ Drop the sanitizer, we survived 2000+ years without wiping germs off every 5 minutes Camera with extra batteries and memory or film Dry box/bag/something sealable to keep your fragile items dry in the sudden FL downpours Water/juice boxes. Small items like that they usually allow, especially with kids. Just don't try to bring in gallon sized jugs. We've taken in food items to make sandwiches without anyone stopping us. If you don't feel like bringing in bottled water, Dollar Tree has collapsible soft bottles with sippy tops that seal. Sort of like the leat

I heard they are going to put them on a floating platform and let them drift around the lakes. The Electric Water Pagent on steroids!

Has anyone posted pictures of the waves at the Poly? The wave machine eroded the Poly beach so much, that they only turned it on for TV specials.

Just found this link I had saved. http://www.tampabay.com/features/travel/florida/the-top-10-beach-camping-spots-in-florida/1006630 Top 10 beach camp sites in FL.

We were there last weekend. We had rain Friday and Saturday and were in the 1500 loop. There was some standing water between some sites, but not nearly as bad when we were there two weeks prior in the 1800 loop. Overall most of the "lakes" seemed to be a lot smaller and were steadily drying up. There were Mosquitos and the giant biting horseflies on both trips.

Fort Desoto is nice, especially if you can get a Gulf Side site. You need to make reservations. They do keep I think 10% open for walk-ins, but they go fast. If you wanted anything for Labor Day and didn't have a reservation, you had to be there on Friday morning.

Partial site 1513 is great, also 1511, but don't tell anyone. They both back up on a canal. 1513 has a slight hill behind it, so it's good with little ones, slows them down a bit before they get near the water. Gives you a chance to catch up to them.

Remember the good old days when there was a gate between the overflow lot and the main drive? You had to punch in a code to get in. Now anyone that gets past the guard shack can drive up to a camp site.

That sounds like a good idea. My tent is 10x14 and the e-z up is 12x14 so that may cover the tent but no room for us to sit. But is is something to consider.

We just got back into tent camping after quite a few years. We've gone to the Fort twice in the past month for weekend visits (plus side of living in Tampa). Our previous Fort visits for the last few years have been the cabins, and before that a small pop up. So I'm trying to figure out the best way to keep the tent (10x14) and the surrounding area fairly dry. I have a large tarp that I hung above the tent to protect it, and allow the widows to be open if it rains. Was pretty successful the first trip, not as good the second time. Wind ripped it down twice. I was thinking about usi

We were there last weekend, and the 1600 loop was closed for repairs. So you'll either get a pristine 1600 loop, or the 1700, or heck maybe even 1800. We were there about 3 weeks ago, and had reserved a partial site. At check in they "upgraded" us to a full at the 1800 loop.

Does the same box do internet also?

Looking for expert advice. Went to the Fort this past weekend. It was rainy but still a blast. 0% chance of rain while my tarp was getting ripped down. I made my 2 day reservations last Wednesday, and of course got billed for my 1 night deposit. It was Thursday afternoon after reading the hints for getting the loop you wanted that I faxed in a request and went and did an on line check in. We did get the 1500 loop like we asked! Thanks for all the hints! But, when we arrived at the Fort to check in, they didn't ask for my credit card to pay for the second night or for incidentals.

Beach Club has a character breakfast buffet. Good food, and they wait to bring the characters out until everyone has been eating a while. If I remember, it was Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy (don't have the pics on my phone). Granddaughters loved it. Back in the Dark Ages we took the kids to the Grand Floridian for a breakfast buffet with princesses and Mickey. It was at Albert and Victoria's? Also they used to do a character breakfast on the riverboat in Downtown Disney. Both of those were a long time ago so you should check. For fun go to Animal Kingdom Lodge. Snack bar by the pool i

Nicki and Memphis are both correct about the noise closer to the settlement, but we were in the 1500 loop and could still hear the EWP, and bright and early the next morning the boat horns. Plus if you get noisy neighbors it doesnt make a difference where you stay. We had someone come in late Saturday, kids went running around the loop yelling as loud as they could. Next moring one of the girls was riding her bike against the loop traffic yelling it's time to get up... at 7:30. Like everyone said, be flexible. Plan a day or two to do nothing but explore and enjoy the fort. If you hotel h