The Dishwasher Gang

[Roberta 42]

How often do they camp? Is it only on weekends? Certain months? 

My worst nightmare is camping near any group, especially known obnoxious ones. 

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

I think the dishwasher gang is one time a year, and not in February.

A quick search reveals they are usually there Thanksgiving

[Roberta 42]

Thank you, Carol! 

I have read about an MLK gang as well, but thankfully that's in January. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

There is a group from a Clearwater school's All Pro Dads organization who have taken over the entire 1500 loop for the past 5 Presidents' Day weekends.  The Fort gives them the entire loop, and each site gets a golf cart.  They set up a communal dining area along the banks of the canal.  From all reports, they are a respectful group, but it's not great news for anyone hoping to camp on the 1500 loop that weekend, and no matter how respectful they are, that many kids on such a small loop are going to create some disruptions.

In the fall, there is a huge church group from Tampa who take over a full hookup loop or two on whatever October weekend the schools make a three day weekend.  Same deal- nice people- but not nice if you're not part of the group.

TCD

[keith_h 420]

This is where I think it would do the Fort good to have a dedicated group camping loop isolated from the other loops. When it isn't reserved and to keep it free for being reserved they could make the sites first come first served for short term stays. It shouldn't be any harder and might even easier to manage than their current method.

[Avatab.... Steve 124]

12 hours ago, keith_h said:

This is where I think it would do the Fort good to have a dedicated group camping loop isolated from the other loops. When it isn't reserved and to keep it free for being reserved they could make the sites first come first served for short term stays. It shouldn't be any harder and might even easier to manage than their current method.

 

They should try something different that's for sure. The current method seems to be a free-for-all once you reach a certain number of sites (read: dollar amount...) then the rules no longer apply to your group and you can inflict whatever misery you want on your fellow campers  

There are dedicated Group Areas and large groups do use them, but there are plenty of groups that come back year after year and are placed in regular loops along with unsuspecting families that end up having to put up with the groups antics regardless of how many complain.  Then Disney allows them to come back again and again.

There's another Church group that shows up every year on the 2000 loop in March I think, sets up loudspeakers playing music and announcements, creates a "mega-site" with all of their tables in one spot, places all their chairs, children and toys in the middle of the road (One year Disney worker bees were actually directing cars trying to get by to drive between trees to get out of the loop rather than disturb the party going on), and generally makes life miserable for the other people on that loop.

It wouldn't be so bad if Disney would require them, and every other large group, to only rent one of the Group Areas, or at the very least require a group that size to rent an entire loop, but they don't.....

It also wouldn't be as bad if Disney would enforce the same rules and standards of behaviour that they do for the rest of us, but they don't......

 

 

[keith_h 420]

My understanding of the group areas though is they don't have hookups and such to support RV's or other high utility users. If they were more like traditional loops with hookups and CS they would work better than the old scout style camping areas.

[Roberta 42]

15 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

There is a group from a Clearwater school's All Pro Dads organization who have taken over the entire 1500 loop for the past 5 Presidents' Day weekends.  The Fort gives them the entire loop, and each site gets a golf cart.  They set up a communal dining area along the banks of the canal.  From all reports, they are a respectful group, but it's not great news for anyone hoping to camp on the 1500 loop that weekend, and no matter how respectful they are, that many kids on such a small loop are going to create some disruptions.

In the fall, there is a huge church group from Tampa who take over a full hookup loop or two on whatever October weekend the schools make a three day weekend.  Same deal- nice people- but not nice if you're not part of the group.

TCD

Thanks for the information, I will definitely take note. 

I have been feeling like I've been too needy with all the semi-paranoid questions I've been asking. I am very high anxiety over our first Fort trip in many years, with new family dynamics. 

All of your answers are making me feel much less silly. 

2 hours ago, Avatab.... Steve said:

There's another Church group that shows up every year on the 2000 loop in March I think, sets up loudspeakers playing music and announcements, creates a "mega-site" with all of their tables in one spot, places all their chairs, children and toys in the middle of the road (One year Disney worker bees were actually directing cars trying to get by to drive between trees to get out of the loop rather than disturb the party going on), and generally makes life miserable for the other people on that loop.

This is completely outrageous. If we ever got stuck in something like this, Disney WOULD be upgrading me to a different site or resort. 

It's appalling that this is a church group, showing and teaching their children such a total disrespect for others and their surroundings. 
 

1 hour ago, keith_h said:

My understanding of the group areas though is they don't have hookups and such to support RV's or other high utility users. If they were more like traditional loops with hookups and CS they would work better than the old scout style camping areas.

Exactly. They do need an RV group loop. By reading the replies here, even more desperately than I realized. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

9 hours ago, Roberta said:

Thanks for the information, I will definitely take note. 

I have been feeling like I've been too needy with all the semi-paranoid questions I've been asking. I am very high anxiety over our first Fort trip in many years, with new family dynamics. 

All of your answers are making me feel much less silly. 

No worries.

This site exists so people can ask questions and discuss issues relating to the Fort.  There is no other place like it.

TCD

[BigTom 76]

I have been in 1500 loop with several of these groups and it makes the 2000 loop look much tamer, mostly because it is larger.

[Roberta 42]

Maybe I should specify in my fax that, although I would prefer 1500, my first priority to be far away from any "group."

Second priority - in sight of comfort station

Third priority - privacy. 

I know I can't have everything. For our first time, just not being near a group would be good enough and we can work around everything else. 

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

That would be a great fax. It tells them what you need

[Avatab.... Steve 124]

In all our trips, we've never been put next to a large group, so your chances are good that it won't be a problem. And as mentioned above you can always ask for another site/loop if there is a problem.

The worst issue for us has been when there is a large group on the other side of the loop and there are double-parked cars and trucks sticking out into the road. A couple of times I thought for sure we were going to swap paint with some of them.....  

One trip we were in the back of the 900 loop and another large Youth group (pretty sure it was another Church group, what is it with these Church groups??) was using the group area directly behind 900. They were very noisy each evening, to their credit it wasn't too bad and never went past 9 or 10, but they left a HUGE mess behind when they left, trash everywhere on the ground, food left rotting on multiple grills, empty drink bottles and paper plates left on the tables. etc. It was disgusting.  Each one of those 40 or 50 kids now think that it is Ok to do that, and there is no consequence, at least at Disney...

It seems like a majority of problems at the Fort that repeatedly get mentioned here: Golf carts, noise, blocking roads, taking over pools and picnic tables, and general lack of concern for others can often be traced back to groups of unrelated people who are not held to the same rules as the usual camping family is.  

 

[shoreline99 137]

It would be nice if Disney, some of whose employees we know lurk here, would take action on some of this stuff that comes up repeatedly.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

30 minutes ago, shoreline99 said:

It would be nice if Disney, some of whose employees we know lurk here, would take action on some of this stuff that comes up repeatedly.

Repeatedly is right.

Annoying groups have been at the Fort the entire time I've camped there.

There's no way management doesn't know about it.

They don't care.  It fills up the campground.  That's all they care about.

When people stop coming they'll care.

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

11 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

1. Repeatedly is right.

2. Annoying groups have been at the Fort the entire time I've camped there.

3. There's no way management doesn't know about it.

4. They don't care.  It fills up the campground.  That's all they care about.

5. When people stop coming they'll care.

TCD

I fixed your post to make it a bit "Rusty".  For some reason, the way your post flowed reminded me of that.   LOL.  

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

7 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

I fixed your post to make it a bit "Rusty".  For some reason, the way your post flowed reminded me of that.   LOL.  

1.Geez. 

2. It does.

3. Shoot me now.

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

7 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

1.Geez. 

2. It does.

3. Shoot me now.

TCD

1.  Sorry.

2.  Hate to be the bearer of bad news.

3.  But I have to call 'em like I see 'em. 

4.  Regardless, Go Gata.

[Avatab.... Steve 124]

3 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Repeatedly is right.

Annoying groups have been at the Fort the entire time I've camped there.

There's no way management doesn't know about it.

They don't care.  It fills up the campground.  That's all they care about.

When people stop coming they'll care.

TCD

I agree, of course they know.

The sad part is that it would take so little on Disney's part to fix this (or most of it anyway)

Require groups over a certain number to either use a Group Area, or if they need hookups then rent an ENTIRE loop. (Which I know Disney allows some groups to do already)

Of course that would mean Disney might miss out on renting any unused sites, but if the group really wants to stay at the Fort  they can rent all of the sites and Disney would make the same amount anyway.

The other thing Disney could (and should) do is even simpler: Make it clear that the rules apply to everyone and any group that generates more than two or three complaints from other campers will not be allowed back.

I believe the Fort was meant to be a place for individual Families to visit WDW with their kids without breaking the bank. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't think that it was ever meant to be a Convention Center....

 

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

3 hours ago, DaveInTN said:

I fixed your post to make it a bit "Rusty".  For some reason, the way your post flowed reminded me of that.   LOL.  

 

3 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

1.Geez. 

2. It does.

3. Shoot me now.

TCD

 

3 hours ago, DaveInTN said:

1.  Sorry.

2.  Hate to be the bearer of bad news.

3.  But I have to call 'em like I see 'em. 

4.  Regardless, Go Gata.

[Travisma 1,317]

On 1/18/2017 at 3:35 PM, Tri-Circle-D said:

Repeatedly is right.

Annoying groups have been at the Fort the entire time I've camped there.

There's no way management doesn't know about it.

They don't care.  It fills up the campground.  That's all they care about.

When people stop coming they'll care.

TCD

When a person stops coming, 3 others will take their place!l