DisFam17 0 Posted February 2, 2017 Report Share Posted February 2, 2017 My husband and I just purchased a 28' Palomino Solaire. We plan on camping here in New England for the spring and summer to get the hang of her. (We have always been tent campers!) In the fall we are planning to take our family to Disney and will camp at Fort Wilderness. Thoughts on standard full hook up sites vs premium sites. Such a small price difference... is there a big difference in the site itself? Also, best locations for a family with two small children? They are 5 and 2. We have gotten the Dining Plan in the past when staying in the hotel but is there even a need when you have your own kitchen? Do most people just cook and eat at "home" and then go to the parks. Don't hold back... I LOVE info and lists. All thoughts and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated! =) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Katman1356...Jason 1,140 Posted February 2, 2017 Report Share Posted February 2, 2017 Glad you made it over here! Welcome and as I am a renter I will let others chime in on the location. Personally when I had a camper I really liked not cleaning up the sand pad in my camper but really I will take any site if I am at the Fort. We eat out for the most part as I cook all the time at home so on vacation it's how I relax and try new things. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bdm 47 Posted February 2, 2017 Report Share Posted February 2, 2017 1st, welcome aboard. Lots of good people with good advice here. 2nd Congratulation on making the move to a camper and out of a tent. Having a real roof, hot and cold running water make "roughing it" more tolerable. My wife and I have a 2 year old that we take camping 50+ nights a year. I've camped at the fort long before the wife came around but haven't been to the fort with the family, that happens this fall. There are indeed size differences with moving to a more expensive site, also you get concrete instead of a sand surface. All full hookup sights provide power, water, sewage, Cable TV, and Internet. We travel in a 38' fifth wheel so size is one of our contributing factors in choosing the sites we choose. The other, is location of the loop. We spend most of our days at the Magic Kingdom so we want to be close to the boat docks so we have a shorter walk, bike, bus ride. Meal plan... This is 100% personal preference. When we stay at a resort we tend to always get a meal plan. I like it because when I get home I dont get a credit card bill with hundreds of dollars of food purchases. So i'm left with only great memories from the trip. With our upcoming trip we talked long and hard about the meal plan and opted to get it this time too. Our thought was if we want to get in the park early we could do a snack in the park for breakfast then a full sit down lunch. Then on the way back to the camper get some chicken dinners to take back to the camper so no one has to cook. We do plan on doing some cooking, but its vacation so we don't want to cook every day. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted February 2, 2017 Report Share Posted February 2, 2017 Welcome! You've come to the right place to ask questions about Fort Wilderness. All of the sites at the Fort are great. The only differences between full, preferred and premium sites are the size of your paved pad and the location of the loop. If you're talking about coming this fall, you may want to check and see what site levels are available for your dates, as the decision may be made for you. If you do have a choice, the premium loops will put you more in the center of the campground, which is probably the best location with young children. In my opinion, when you have your own camper and kitchen, there's no reason to waste money on the Disney Dining Plan. Fort Wilderness has far fewer restaurant options than the other resorts, and you are better off paying out of pocket for any meals you choose to eat away from the camper. The problem with the DDP is that you must pay for it for your entire length of stay and for every person listed on your reservation. With your own camper, you may end up not wanting to eat out every single day. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cortezcapt (Derek) 156 Posted February 2, 2017 Report Share Posted February 2, 2017 Welcome and congratulations on the new camper! We tend to cook most of our meals at the trailer, maybe have a snack in the parks or a dinner at a resort once or twice during a trip. I would see how you use your camper this spring and summer as far as cooking goes. A lot of times I'll make something in the crock pot (butter beef recipe that is posted on here) that can be had for several meals and or premake and freeze things that can just be thawed and cooked or heated up. We have a large kitchen in ours so prep and cooking isn't that big of a deal. We also tend to do a lot of sandwiches. I think the big deciding factor on a meal plan would be if you plan to be in the parks all day or if you will want to go back to the Fort for meals, you can always take snack or sandwiches to the parks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
keith_h 420 Posted February 2, 2017 Report Share Posted February 2, 2017 The DW and I have a smaller trailer, about 20 ft hitch to bumper, and stay in premium sites. We prefer the full concrete pad and somewhat larger site. We also like to stay in loops near the Meadows Trading Post which is in the middle of the park. Being in the middle lets us walk to the either end if we feel like it as the distance is about a mile. If we don't feel like walking the bus stops are close by. I don't see a need for a dining plan as if you are like us you will never get your money's worth. We eat breakfast at the trailer each morning along with the first nights supper so we can unwind after the trip. Depending upon our plans, such as an opening to close day at the MK, we will go back to the trailer and eat a late lunch to get off of our feet for a couple of hours. With a couple of small children I would say you probably want a site away from the water. A number of the loops have some sites that back up to canals so you might want to put that in your reservation. The campground map will show you which ones back up to water and which don't. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted February 2, 2017 Report Share Posted February 2, 2017 If you are using the campground similar to a hotel room and just staying there, as you visit parks and other resorts, then the dining plan may make sense, but if you are going to the Fort as a destination, the dining plan will make no sense. We spend lots of time at the campground, having breakfast at the site, we spend about 3 hours at the parks in the afternoon, then we might have dinner out, or go back to the camper and have dinner with friends. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BouncingTiggers 98 Posted February 3, 2017 Report Share Posted February 3, 2017 Congrats on your new camper!! Where in new england are you located? We are in northern ma right on the nh border. The fall is a fantastic time to head to the fort. Just be aware of how late in the season you go. If you plan on stopping overnite while traveling. Many campgrounds close mid to late November. As far as sites go we have always preferred the preferred sites. This is mainly do to their location close to the marina. If you plan on renting a golf cart or taking bicycles any level will be good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DisneyVampire 45 Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 Welcome to the group and all! Sent from my SM-G935T using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
h2odivers...Ray 952 Posted February 5, 2017 Report Share Posted February 5, 2017 Welcome. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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