Jump to content

planning disney trip for next year


Recommended Posts

We have been to disney years ago before we were married and parents. Now we have a 4 1/2 yr old DD (will be 5 possibly six depending on when we go next year). Trying to figure out our best and most affordable options. We like many others, need to stretch our dollar but don't want to sacrifice too much in doing so. Ok that said, we are looking at taking a week vacation and going down. Possibly sept of next year, if we get the year round track at school we want. Is this a good time to go? Or what is the best time of year to go? Will it be slower or really crowded at the parks? Next, we are looking at accomodations. We have a 30 ft camping trailer w/ a super slide (our whole rig is 53 ft rear bumper of TT to front bumper of truck). We are trying to decide whether we should stay at FW in a FHU site, use our coast to coast membership for a condo rental (probably in Kissimmee) and drive to the park for the 4 days we plan to go, or stay at a completely different CG, maybe a coast to coast campground for a discount. We will be leaving the dog at home either way since being gone all day the majority of the time will not be fair to her and we don't want to worry about her. We will be driving from NC either way but we might use the smaller car instead of the big diesel if we stay in the condo. Is the best way to get tickets through Disney or somewhere else? Are the package deals w/ camping at FW worth it? Should we add in any kind of dining plan or do most go back to FW for lunch and dinner? Sorry so many questions, just trying to make this work. We are saving up to go and want to cover all of our bases. Thank you for your advice.

Link to post
Share on other sites

My 2 cents:

CAMP AT THE FORT!

CAMP AT THE FORT!

I don't have enough experience or info on the tix or packcage deals. Someone will, though.

We don't do the dining plan, though some do. We usually eat most of our meals at the TT, except for maybe a couple of snacks or a splurge somewhere. We also have AP's so if we don't spend all day in the parks it doesn't really bother us.

And by the way, we have a Zinger ZT26BH. Glad to see another Zinger owner on here! There's aren't many!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Wow!! Once again welcome!! Lots of questions!!

Well, for my money, the Fort is the only way to stay!! It is the most relaxing, most flexible way to go to Disney!! Offsite is lots more stressfull, especially for your first kid trip

Tickets - Go to www.mousesavers.com and sign up for the monthly newsletter. There will be a link for Undercover Tourist. The best ticket prices I've found!!

Eating back at the camper, only you can make that decision, but with a 4 1/2 year old, gettin a break back at the camper is probably a good thing. Simple meals in a crockpot work great!

Also September is an AWESOME time to go to the Fort!!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Thanks for the warm welcome and the info.

CKCK- We looked at the ZT26BH but thought the ZT26BL was a little better floorplan for us (allows family to join us and not trip over the 70 lb dog so much). We love the zinger. We have seen a few ZT26BH's but not really any other ZT26BL's. Spend a lot of time on crossroads owners site (I'm anaro there), are you over there?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hey, Ally. I don't have a lot of answers for you either but STAY AT THE FORT! Carol is right with a little one an afternoon break is a must. Add the fact that here is so much to do at the Fort you can't go wrong.

It was really nice talking to you in chat, come back and chat with us anytime!!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Don't apologize for too many questions! We love to give our opinions (good or bad :) )

I would agree with everyone else and say stay at the Fort. While there are less expensive options out there, you won't find any with the ammenities and atmosphere of the Fort.

I have never done the dining plan, as it's too much planning, and too much food for me. I enjoy cooking back at camp, even more so than I do at home.

Also something to think about: When at the Fort, our truck rarely moves, unless we go off property for something. We enjoy using all of Disneys transportation (and gas) Parking at the parks is $14.00 per day, so depending on how many park days you will be doing, that can really add up.

September is not generally a crowded time, but it can still be extremely hot.

Good luck with your plans, and please don't ever be afraid to ask questions around here.

Link to post
Share on other sites

First of all :insanity: Don't for get to stop over at the Introduce yourself topic (or Lou will harass you who am I kidding he will anyway).

One thing to look at for tickets is the Disney Yes program there is a thread here. I have bought tickets through Undercover Tourist using the MouseSavers link (may or may not be cheaper).

We camped on site. As Stef mentioned factor in parking if staying off site. Our group would eat breakfast before we left for the parks. We packed lunches, drinks and snacks in a small soft sided cooler for lunch. For dinner we usually stopped back at the camper to grill some dinner and then returned to a park (often a different one than we started at). While we cooked dinner was a good relaxation/nap time for our kids. A full hook up should fit you but give the information about your unit when you make your reservations (we had a 35' Class A with a vehicle parked in front and fit on the site). We enjoy being on property and using the Disney transportation system (although you can use your own vehicle to go to the parks and not have to pay parking if staying on property).

I recommend that you have a plan but be ready to throw it out the window depending on how things go. With little ones you will have to take breaks from time to time. We found that pulling off the main paths into a quieter area and having something to eat and drink reset our kids and allowed us to not have to leave the park (or have a melt down). I recommend not going to the parks more than 2 consecutive days in a row (it is a LOT of walking).

Don't be afraid to ask questions. Someone will always respond (sometimes with little snarky too).

Link to post
Share on other sites

Once you camp at the Fort you will not want to stay at any other campground when you do Disney. We will stay at a Thousand Trails park to do things outside of Disney, but when we head to Disney it's the Fort all the way!!!!!!!!!!!!

Link to post
Share on other sites

One thing to consider if you stay off site - other than the time you'll need to travel back and forth to the parks, you'll also be paying $14/day to park. If you stay on property you will get a parking pass and save the $14/day.

Dining plan...

Whether it's worth it depends a lot on how you eat. Best recommendation is to actually crunch the numbers. When we were trying to figure it out last year we actually plotted out how we'd eat for a couple of days - looked at the menus online and added up the costs of what we'd typically order - and compared it to the cost of the dining plan. On top of that, if you go with anything except the quick service plan, you'll need to factor in having to make ADRs ahead of time for all your Table Service meals. If you want to eat at any of the more popular locations (or most locations in the parks) you'll need to make those months in advance.

We find food to be the big thing we can control costs of when camping at the Fort.

Of course that said, September is Food & Wine Festival!!! :D

Oh-so-delicious and fun, but not so cheap.

Link to post
Share on other sites

We've camped off-site recently because we went for a Bowl game and only had a month's notice during the busiest time of year (yep Christmas to New Year), and it's not THAT much cheaper, especially when you consider parking. We have an almost 3 year old this time and will do a break all but our AK day. We're not doing the dining plan because it doesn't save that much, and we'd rather eat at the RV, pack a lunch a few times, and do some splurge meals that I don't want to spend 2 dining credits on.

Link to post
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...

I also ant to go to fort in 2013, so many options its hard to figure out. I have 35 foot tt. Long haul from Indiana. Have 2 kids 12 and 13. And of course the wife. How do you figure out what to pick on here? I want to make reservations pretty soon before I change my mind.

Link to post
Share on other sites

:welcome: So glad you joined us! There is lots of info here! Jump on in and ask questions, there is always someone or a bunch of folks who know the answers! Please go ahead and introduce yourself here http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/topic/199-please-introduce-yourself/page__st__2300 and start posting!

Link to post
Share on other sites

If you're trying to decide on what level of site to book, we've got a bunch of info here that might help...

http://www.fortfiends.net/_/accomodations/loop-information/site-classifications-r61

There's also a Site Map of all the Fort and other info we've collected...

http://www.fortfiends.net/_/info/site-map-find-what-you-need-here-r99

And of course if you have any specific questions, fire away!

:welcome:

Link to post
Share on other sites

yes my dear wife, still does not really want to go, she wants to go west. Still working on her. Can I pick my site? Have 35 foot tt. When is a good non school time to go? How far in advance should I book? And how much will it cost for 4 to stay about a week with gc?

Link to post
Share on other sites

You can request a loop or site, but it's just a request and they will not guarantee it.

As for "non-school times"... ugh. Christmas week is the worst, closely followed by spring break (especially if it falls near Easter). Summer is... well, summer - not just crowded but REALLY hot. IMO Thanksgiving week is probably the least awful of the holiday weeks, as it's only really busy Weds-Sun.

Cost is going to depend on a lot of things - level of site, room only or package with tickets (and what kind of tickets), if there are any promotions going on and time of year, with of course the holiday weeks being the most expensive. You can test out what "rack rate" costs will look like on the Disney site, but you may be better off talking to a travel agent or going through your local AAA. We've got a travel agent sponsor on this site that's a WDW and specifically Fort expert. She could definitely help you out. Her contact info is:

Fiesty's Fun Time Travel

Judy Fiest

[email protected]

(you can find her ad on our main page http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/)

GC rental through Disney will be about $65 per day but there are offsite companies that may be cheaper. Check out this page for info...

http://www.fortfiends.net/_/info/golf-cart-rentals-disney-fort-wilderness-and-r100

If you're planning to go during the busier times of the year, book as soon as you have any inkling of when you'll be going. Super busy weeks like Christmas can book out 499 days in advance. These days Halloween books out really early too, as that's become a very popular time at the Fort.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I would definitely stay at The Fort.

We have never done the meal plan. We bring our food and eat at the MH. It lets us save money and be on our own schedule.

Don't forget, Disney lets you bring your own food and drinks into the parks. We always pack lunches, water, etc.

Staying on site lets you take breaks during the day. Go to the parks until you get tired, go back rest, get something to eat, and then go out again.

We travel with our granddaughter, she was 3 months for her first visit and 6 months for her second visit. We are going to The Fort in September and she will be 15 months old then.

For tickets, register at mousesavers for discounts on tickets.

WELCOME!!!!!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...