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Has any taken an rv?
- Thread starter quirkle
- Start date
bluewings
Member
I've been down to Disney in an RV 7 times and loved every trip. What specific things would you like to know? We never brought a car with us, just used Disney transportation. Never rented a golf cart. We stocked our refrigerator and pantries with food/drinks etc. Made breakfast in the morning before heading off to the parks. Always had lunch in the parks, sometimes dinner as well but we also had stuff to make dinner back in the RV. Our trips were in November twice(one of them was the week of Thanksgiving) Once in December pretty close to Christmas, not sure the exact date, but we did do Christmas at our house before leaving and I KNOW we weren't there on New Year's Eve so I imagine we had to leave from Disney around the 23rd-25th. The rest of the trips were in spring.
We drove down from Indiana. Stop as close to Atlanta as we could, stop for the night, finish the drive in the morning.
We drove down from Indiana. Stop as close to Atlanta as we could, stop for the night, finish the drive in the morning.
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pixiesteno
Well-Known Member
We have taken our travel trailer twice to FW and love it there. We ususally stop at a rest stop overnight on the way down and back. We did have an "incident" on the way home last year at a rest stop in NC, some guy pounding on our backdoor to the trailer in the middle of the night trying to get us to open the door with a whole story about his wife's meds and being out of work, etc.... It was a move to get us to open the door, we would have been robbed, no doubt in my mind. Our next trip we have decided that scheduling our stops at a campground would be a wise idea. You can also park overnight at most Walmart parking lots, we did this the second night on the way home and had no incidents at all. Still you are more open there to being approached than at a campground. Just keep safety in mind. You would want to keep an eye on the weather for the whole east coast for travel conditions, but you can adjust your travel more than you can if flying. One thing that we have taken into condsideration is the water lines in the RV and making sure that they are protected for coming home into our western NY weather, which can be a real toss up. Also with taking an RV, when you stop for gas, breaks remember to do a walk around the rig and check the tires, etc. All the safe RVing tips you can get at Good Sam's.
Now, we ate breakfast at our RV, and usually lunch during our midday break. We would swim and then head out to the parks in the evening. I like taking the RV because I don't feel like we have to leave our "room" so that mousekeeping can do their job. It is more relaxed. We set up our lawn chairs and hang out, listen to music, read a book, take a nap, -- vacation and WDW all rolled into one!!! We usually rent a cart for at least part of our stay, we like to ride around the loops and see the decore and different RVs out there; but the transporation at the campground is fine too with the buses and boat. The comfort statations are very well maintained. I understand that the campers really pull out all the stops on christmas decorations there, I know that halloween is really done up at the individual sites. I really like having our own home away from home and still being in the magic. Fair warning you may only want to take the RV on future trips once you try it
Now, we ate breakfast at our RV, and usually lunch during our midday break. We would swim and then head out to the parks in the evening. I like taking the RV because I don't feel like we have to leave our "room" so that mousekeeping can do their job. It is more relaxed. We set up our lawn chairs and hang out, listen to music, read a book, take a nap, -- vacation and WDW all rolled into one!!! We usually rent a cart for at least part of our stay, we like to ride around the loops and see the decore and different RVs out there; but the transporation at the campground is fine too with the buses and boat. The comfort statations are very well maintained. I understand that the campers really pull out all the stops on christmas decorations there, I know that halloween is really done up at the individual sites. I really like having our own home away from home and still being in the magic. Fair warning you may only want to take the RV on future trips once you try it
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bluewings
Member
. Fair warning you may only want to take the RV on future trips once you try it
Our last trip was the first time we didn't go in an RV to Fort Wilderness, we stayed at Pop Century. The whole time my dad said the hotel was nice, but we should be at Fort Wilderness. The two of us took the boat over from Magic Kingdom one day just to walk around.
I love going there in an RV because you aren't all cramped up like when in a car. The trip always went quick because I could sleep comfortably on one of the beds or sit on a nice comfy couch.
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pixiesteno
Well-Known Member
I forgot to mention that the electric water parade passes by the beach every evening between 9:30 and 9:45. You can see the fireworks from the MK over the lake at night. There is a nightly campfire, singalong, and movie at the main pool area. There are watercraft and bike rentals, archery lessons, two pools, and tennis courts, and play grounds. There are tether ball, and basket ball courts located within the loops. FW is pet friendly, but you should let them know when you book if you are bringing pets because there are designated loops. You can take a private horse-drawn carriage ride at night or a wagon ride. The horse barn for the Main Street Trolley horses is at the settlement outpost area and there is a small petting area. You can also take a trail ride, catch & release fishing is allowed. For dining choices you can get quick service items at the meadows trading post by the pool, there is the Trails Inn buffet rest. that serves breakfast, lunch, & dinner. The Hoop-de-doo Music review is located at the Settlement Outpost Area - you will need ADRs for this. You can usually strike up some wonderful conversations with fellow RVers. The one that really take their decorations seriously will usually be glad to share with you about their displays. You can see a photo slide show of the campground and a map at allearsnet.net/accommodations You just scroll down the page and it lists all the resorts and they are very informative. Someday we are planning on going between Thanksgiving and Christmas just to see it decked out for the holidays.
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WOW - thanks everyone. We would be renting from an RV place since we do not own. Hubby is worried about the drive and it we are going to still feel like we are in Disney. I am up for the adventure and like the idea that we pack our hotel room and go. Do you suggest renting an RV just to try it out first?
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bluewings
Member
First three trips we went in a rented RV, wasn't until 2000 that my dad bought one. I don't think anyone that drove on the first trip had any experience driving one before and they all did fine with it. It was a smaller Class C though so it drove very similar to a van or truck. You get to same kttw card, can put a credit card on it and all that...the only difference is it doesn't open your room. I think it opens the bathroom/laundry facilities after midnight as well but I'm not 100% sure on that. We always asked to get as close to the Meadows Trading Post as possible. Our favorite loop was Quail Trail, bus stop and Trading Post were very close. You definitely still get the Disney feeling in Fort Wilderness. Never brought a dog but we did bring 3 cats....they were pretty low maintenance though so we didn't have to worry much about them during the day.
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pixiesteno
Well-Known Member
I would suggest renting the RV for the trip, see how you like RVing. Then if you really enjoy it, go to an RV show & see the different types of RVs out there. There is a very large RV show in the fall at the Giant Center at Hershey park, just outside of Harrisburg PA. HGTV films there every year, but do bring your walking shoes!! You can get into all the RVs and see what you like, get a feel for the pricing, and collect lots of brochures! I would suggest writing a little something on your brouchures that you collect for the ones that you like as a reminder. Then do some major thinking on what exactly do you want from your RV for space, sleeping arrangements, etc. We bought our first pop-up trailer and it was okay, but I did not think it through for practicality on a long trip having to fold up the kitchen and other things. So before we bought our current 28 foot travel trailer DH and I sat down and decided exactly what we were looking for, what were our must haves, non-neogotiable items, then what were our wishes. Then I spent hours on the internet looking at various floor plans and specifications until we had narrowed the search to a couple of trailers. We went to our local dealer to see what the building quality on the line was before we went any further. There it was, the trailer I really wanted, only one year old and everything we were looking for. Remember, an RV is considered for tax purposes a second home if it has a kitchen area and a bath -- which means any loan interest is a tax deduction.
For your trip with the rented RV you will want to know what is the height at the very top most spot on the rig and keep that in mind while planning your trip and where to pull in at gas stations. You might want to do a mapping of the trip to search out any low underpasses that you may encounter. You will want to give yourselves some extra time in picking up the rental unit to find out how things work, like the sewer system and hooking up water, etc. Now, I do believe that FW has CMs available to assist in parking and set up for those who are new to RVing. Also, you would be pleasantly surprised at all the assistance other RVers will give you. Have a wonderful trip
For your trip with the rented RV you will want to know what is the height at the very top most spot on the rig and keep that in mind while planning your trip and where to pull in at gas stations. You might want to do a mapping of the trip to search out any low underpasses that you may encounter. You will want to give yourselves some extra time in picking up the rental unit to find out how things work, like the sewer system and hooking up water, etc. Now, I do believe that FW has CMs available to assist in parking and set up for those who are new to RVing. Also, you would be pleasantly surprised at all the assistance other RVers will give you. Have a wonderful trip
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The more I hear from you all the more I want to do this. I've done the cabins but want to save some $$ with the whole trip. My husband thinks I'm insane wanting to drive but I'm ok with it. I would wAnt to leave in the evening and see how far we can make it. Letting the kids sleep.
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Weather_Lady
Well-Known Member
I think it's a great idea, particularly if you already own an RV (since the cost of renting will eat into much of the savings you'll be getting by driving vs. flying, eating in the RV vs. in the parks, etc.). While I haven't "RV'd it" in the campground, when I was growing up we always drove down (it took about 2 days, from upstate NY -- nothing promotes family bonding like parents and children spending 36 hours together in a van, including sleeping in it, LOL!) stayed in the campground (in our pop-up camper with pull-out kitchen in 70's avocado green!), and found the on-site transportation to be adequate, and the campground itself to be clean, quiet, convenient and full of fun things to do.
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