Fort Wilderness - no tent, no car

[retlaw1]

So I've got an annual pass, and don't mind sleeping on the ground. I've kicked around the idea of throwing a sleeping bag and a suitcase together, hopping on a plane, and just taking magical express over to Fort Wilderness. Does anyone know if they rent out tents, and how safe do you think it would be to just stow my stuff in the tent and go to the park during the day if I don't have a car to lock it in?

I'm just thinking that if it's just me, why spend more on a hotel room if I don't need it. I'll be in the parks all day anyway, and there's no way that I won't be able to sleep after touring all day.

 

[tinksgilrs08]

tent camping

yes they do I am changing our current reservations to FW and i was just reading on the forums that they do rent out tents and cots go to the search page and type in tent camping and that will bring you to alot of tips and they should tell you where to rent them from

 

[smk]

So I've got an annual pass, and don't mind sleeping on the ground. I've kicked around the idea of throwing a sleeping bag and a suitcase together, hopping on a plane, and just taking magical express over to Fort Wilderness. Does anyone know if they rent out tents, and how safe do you think it would be to just stow my stuff in the tent and go to the park during the day if I don't have a car to lock it in?

I'm just thinking that if it's just me, why spend more on a hotel room if I don't need it. I'll be in the parks all day anyway, and there's no way that I won't be able to sleep after touring all day.

They rent tents from the "group camping" department, call the reservation line and ask for the group camping number. I think they are only in Monday thru Friday to answer calls but if you leave a message they will get back to you promptly. We rented a couple of years ago and it was 30 extra a night, the tent sleeps 3 in cots (cots are extra, 3 or 4 dollars a night). They set up and take down the tent so it is very easy! I have never had a problem with leaving things at the campground while in the parks, people are very respectful of others and there are always security gaurds making rounds. Have fun!

 

[slappy magoo]

They rent tents from the "group camping" department, call the reservation line and ask for the group camping number. I think they are only in Monday thru Friday to answer calls but if you leave a message they will get back to you promptly. We rented a couple of years ago and it was 30 extra a night, the tent sleeps 3 in cots (cots are extra, 3 or 4 dollars a night). They set up and take down the tent so it is very easy! I have never had a problem with leaving things at the campground while in the parks, people are very respectful of others and there are always security gaurds making rounds. Have fun!

Just my opinion, but depending on the season, to get a campsite, rent a tent from WDW AND a c-o-t, you could get a room in a Value for just a few bucks more a night. We're talking less than ten dollars a night for a bed, climate control, private bathroom...and a secure place to stash your gear (something about which the OP expressed concern). So unless the OP really likes FW, or camping versus hotel rooms in general, seems like the Value resorts would make more sense. The only other caveats may be if the OP goes during a more of a peak time, where the difference might be significantly more a night, enough to force a shorter trip. allears.net has price lists for all accomodations, it may be a good idea to crunch the numbers, see how much you'll really save with a campsite and rented gear.

(Another suggestion, you may save money buying camping gear from amazon, and having it shipped to you at WDW. then, after the trip, ship it back to your home so you don't have to lug it. Not definitely saying it will work out in your favor, but it may be worth considering, AND then you'll have your own camping gear for future trips.)

 

[wannabeBelle]

I totally agree with Slappy. Belle

 

[Phonedave]

I totally agree with Slappy. Belle

I came to the same decision as well. I Thought about it once, before I bought into DVC

I was going to be flying down for work, and though that I could save some bucks by either renting a tent and a campsite. I was going to keep my rental car so that I had a place to lock up the work laptop.

It really was not all that much cheaper than going to a value resort.

-dave

 

[smk]

So I've got an annual pass, and don't mind sleeping on the ground. I've kicked around the idea of throwing a sleeping bag and a suitcase together, hopping on a plane, and just taking magical express over to Fort Wilderness. Does anyone know if they rent out tents, and how safe do you think it would be to just stow my stuff in the tent and go to the park during the day if I don't have a car to lock it in?

I'm just thinking that if it's just me, why spend more on a hotel room if I don't need it. I'll be in the parks all day anyway, and there's no way that I won't be able to sleep after touring all day.

I think I answered the OP questions in my first post. The OP expressed an interest in FW and camping, right? Even said "I don't mind sleeping on the ground" . If renting a hotel room is what he wanted to do then I could have talked about what a great place the values are, but he didn't! I simply gave facts. I agree that if you add up all the costs, depending on the time of year, camping can be just as expensive (slight edge to FW) as a value. For the average camper, who doesn't mind the relative "primative" (electricity and water at every site, clean bath houses) nature of camping at FW, it can be a considerable cost savings. The cost savings can be reason alone to give yourself an extra treat one weekend, camping and WDW. For some of us it the best of both "worlds".

 

[retlaw1]

Buying a tent is no biggie to me. I'm just interested in getting more value out of my AP by going more often. Flights round trip are around $290 for me. It's a tight economy. I've done the All Stars, and even then they were just a place to sleep.

Any ideas other than DVC for getting more value...I'd appreciate. I'm hesitant about buying into DVC yet because I haven't bought a home yet and I'm concerned about losing the first time homebuyer tax credit since DVC is a property purchase.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Slappy may be able to shed more light on this, but I am not completely sold on DVC. I have a number of reasons including the makeup of my party with whom I travel and the times I travel, so DVC generally speaking doesnt work for me. I know several people who have bought in and are thrilled with it, so I think a lot matters on you. I will tell you that in addition to a pretty good buy in amount ( 15,000-16,000 minimum or so the last time I checked) there is also a maintainence fee based on the number of points you own. For that, Id probably just take a set dollar amount per month, put it into an envelope at home or a bank account and then when I want to go, withdraw the money. If something comes up and you cant go, you lose nothing and your money just gets saved. If you cant go after you have bought into DVC, the payments dont stop. You can roll over points or rent them to others, but it requires you actively doing something with those points. As I said, this option doesnt work for me. Belle

 

[slappy magoo]

I think I answered the OP questions in my first post. The OP expressed an interest in FW and camping, right? Even said "I don't mind sleeping on the ground" . If renting a hotel room is what he wanted to do then I could have talked about what a great place the values are, but he didn't! I simply gave facts. I agree that if you add up all the costs, depending on the time of year, camping can be just as expensive (slight edge to FW) as a value. For the average camper, who doesn't mind the relative "primative" (electricity and water at every site, clean bath houses) nature of camping at FW, it can be a considerable cost savings. The cost savings can be reason alone to give yourself an extra treat one weekend, camping and WDW. For some of us it the best of both "worlds".

Dude, it sounds like you're taking offense where none was intended. IMHO, there's a big difference twixt "I don't mind sleeping on the ground" and "I think I'd rather camp than stay at a resort." Offering my opinion doesn't negate your facts, so deep breath, in through your nose, out through your mouth, hands over your head, SO big, SO big, shh-shh-shh...

In fact, now that I've reread the whole thread, I didn't notice the OP was a passholder, which means, depending on when he travels, he could get good discounts on rooms. They have values for certain dates starting at 60 a night. I'm just saying, if the OP HAS to rent his equipment, he's saving little-to-nothing getting a campsite over a value. If he prefers camping, that's a different story, but it it's about saving money, it's not much money to save ya know?

 

[slappy magoo]

Buying a tent is no biggie to me. I'm just interested in getting more value out of my AP by going more often. Flights round trip are around $290 for me. It's a tight economy. I've done the All Stars, and even then they were just a place to sleep.

Any ideas other than DVC for getting more value...I'd appreciate. I'm hesitant about buying into DVC yet because I haven't bought a home yet and I'm concerned about losing the first time homebuyer tax credit since DVC is a property purchase.

One thing off the top of my head would be if there were any other way to get there. Amtrak? Greyhound? Driving your own car? I've no idea whereabouts you live, so it might not be a factor worth considering. After that, there's always off-site, but then you have to deal with more problematic ways to get to the parks. I'd still recommend trying to get a Value room with your annual pass discount. That seems to be the best alternative - a little more expensive than staying offsite, but all of the perks of staying onsite with regards with DME and all the other Disney transportation, extra magic hours, etc.

 

[slappy magoo]

Slappy may be able to shed more light on this, but I am not completely sold on DVC. I have a number of reasons including the makeup of my party with whom I travel and the times I travel, so DVC generally speaking doesnt work for me. I know several people who have bought in and are thrilled with it, so I think a lot matters on you. I will tell you that in addition to a pretty good buy in amount ( 15,000-16,000 minimum or so the last time I checked) there is also a maintainence fee based on the number of points you own. For that, Id probably just take a set dollar amount per month, put it into an envelope at home or a bank account and then when I want to go, withdraw the money. If something comes up and you cant go, you lose nothing and your money just gets saved. If you cant go after you have bought into DVC, the payments dont stop. You can roll over points or rent them to others, but it requires you actively doing something with those points. As I said, this option doesnt work for me. Belle

Heh. DVC Mike would be a better resource than me. DVC works out great for me, but I'm not cult-y about it, insisting it's perfect for everyone (like scientology, I need to check your capacity for enjoying Disney with a "d-meter," and then comes alllll the payments ) If you don't own a house yet (but intend to), if your trips tend to be more spur of the moment, if you're happy with Value resorts, and you can't at least put a big chunk of the initial payment down right away (so there's less to finance) you're better off waiting or not doing DVC.

But I would point out, that the price of getting an annual pass, and 2 one-week trips in a moderate resort with the passholder discount in one year, AND the dining plan is roughly just under 1/6th of what you'd pay for the initial buy-in price of joining DVC. And that's if you're one person, traveling solo. If you're part of a couple or family, buying that many more passes and dining plans, it could be even a great percentage of your initial buy-in. Some food for thought.

 

[wannabeBelle]

DVC Mike is a pretty awesome gentleman. He has been kind enough to answer me on some of the finer DVC points that I was unsure of in the past. DVC does work for some friends and family members but totally doesnt work for me and at least two other people that I know. I would definitely take the tour and speak with the DVC sales team. From my understandaing they are excellent in terms of telling you if it will benefit you and not being a hard sell type of thing at all. Belle

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hi again, Out of sheer curiosity, I ran a date range of 11/30/2008-12/1/2008 for the Annual Passholder rates for a Value level room as well as a Value Level campsite. The only campsites I was able to get for that date range are the partial or full hook up ones. I did look around and didnt see any sites for less than $42.00 a night in any event. I was able to get the Partial hookup for $212.00 or $53.00 a night. I pulled up Pop Century for one person for a standard view room at $243.00 for the same time frame or $60.75 per night at the AP rate for that time. The $53.00 a night would not include the tent rental or bedding rental. For the minimal difference it would be, Id go for Pop but I am not particularly into camping. Hope this information helps!!! Belle