Sarah_Rose
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 17, 2008
Hey all. It's been awhile!
We're dyed-in-the-wool tent campers but we haven't been to the Fort in 2.5 years because of this. When we started doing regular trips to the Fort, my kids were toddlers and we could travel during off-season times when the weather was better. Now, my oldest is coming into middle school age and my daughter has mandatory Saturday dance rehearsals from October to May, basically leaving us Christmas break and July and August. We've come to the acceptance that we need a furnace and A/C if we're ever going to Fort Wilderness ever again. Our "not camping dogs" German Shepherds also passed away in the last couple years and we now have a one year old "definitely camping dog" Golden Retriever that we'd love to bring with us, ruling out a pop-up for the Fort.
We also travel to dance competitions every weekend in the spring (yes, I've re-thought my life choices and would do it differently if I had a chance!) and it would be awesome to be in our own space with our dog instead of boarding her every weekend while we're in hotels. We ALSO have been talking about doing a road trip to Atlantic Canada next summer and had been planning on doing a mixture of hotels and tent camping, but would take the trailer if we bought one.
OKAY, so that's the background. I have a few questions.
It's my understanding that we'd be allowed to park a small (13-15") trailer in a tent/pop-up site at Fort Wilderness? We have stayed in other types when we couldn't get a tent/pop-up site, and we honestly just prefer the 2000 loop to anything else. It's my happy place. I don't want to break any rules, though. Also, I've read conflicting reports on whether dogs are allowed in 1500/2000, even if they are in a climate controlled hard-sided trailer. Which I guess is technically not allowed in those loops, according to the letter of the law? Again, I don't want to break any rules or "get away with" anything -- I just want to make sure I'm booking the right site. We have both a tent/pop-up and premium (it's what was left -- I would rather a full or preferred but am taking what I can get) booked for next Christmas 2020 but clearly would like to cancel one to let someone else pick it up as soon as possible. We're actually not planning on doing any of the Disney parks during that trip, but just relaxing in the Fort and going to Universal one day for the HP stuff.
As far as trailers go, we basically want something just to sleep (in air conditioned comfort) in. We need sleeping for four (with separate beds for our mixed gender pre-teens) and a toilet is a plus but not a deal-breaker. Our towing vehicle is a Honda Odyssey so we're limited to under 3000 lbs (and preferably under 2000). I've pretty much decided that an Aliner Family model would be perfect for us, but they're new this year and nearly impossible to get in Canada. I'd also love a Scamp fibreglass but... again, that Canada thing and they're nearly impossible to find pre-owned here. We also would rather buy pre-owned so we don't lose a whole lot of money if we decide that the trailer life isn't for us. I'm putting an offer on a pre-owned Prolite Profil (it's 15 feet long, 1600 lbs with a sandwiched fibreglass/plywood construction, double dinette bed and bunk beds for the kids, toilet and shower) tomorrow morning but nothing about this trailer excites me. It's cosmetically ugly on the inside -- somehow it has an 80s vibe, despite only being 10 years old -- but in great shape and we can spend the winter re-doing the cushions and painting the cabinets. And the price is at a point where I'm happy to give it a try.
ANYWAY, other than the dog/loop questions, any advice? I'll take anything -- buying a used trailer. Ultra-lite, ultra-small for a family. Fort Wilderness with a dog. Prolite trailers, specifically. Seriously, ANYTHING. I never thought I'd be in this place ready to write a check for a camper, but here we are.
I AM looking forward to FINALLY getting back to Fort Wilderness, though!
We're dyed-in-the-wool tent campers but we haven't been to the Fort in 2.5 years because of this. When we started doing regular trips to the Fort, my kids were toddlers and we could travel during off-season times when the weather was better. Now, my oldest is coming into middle school age and my daughter has mandatory Saturday dance rehearsals from October to May, basically leaving us Christmas break and July and August. We've come to the acceptance that we need a furnace and A/C if we're ever going to Fort Wilderness ever again. Our "not camping dogs" German Shepherds also passed away in the last couple years and we now have a one year old "definitely camping dog" Golden Retriever that we'd love to bring with us, ruling out a pop-up for the Fort.
We also travel to dance competitions every weekend in the spring (yes, I've re-thought my life choices and would do it differently if I had a chance!) and it would be awesome to be in our own space with our dog instead of boarding her every weekend while we're in hotels. We ALSO have been talking about doing a road trip to Atlantic Canada next summer and had been planning on doing a mixture of hotels and tent camping, but would take the trailer if we bought one.
OKAY, so that's the background. I have a few questions.
It's my understanding that we'd be allowed to park a small (13-15") trailer in a tent/pop-up site at Fort Wilderness? We have stayed in other types when we couldn't get a tent/pop-up site, and we honestly just prefer the 2000 loop to anything else. It's my happy place. I don't want to break any rules, though. Also, I've read conflicting reports on whether dogs are allowed in 1500/2000, even if they are in a climate controlled hard-sided trailer. Which I guess is technically not allowed in those loops, according to the letter of the law? Again, I don't want to break any rules or "get away with" anything -- I just want to make sure I'm booking the right site. We have both a tent/pop-up and premium (it's what was left -- I would rather a full or preferred but am taking what I can get) booked for next Christmas 2020 but clearly would like to cancel one to let someone else pick it up as soon as possible. We're actually not planning on doing any of the Disney parks during that trip, but just relaxing in the Fort and going to Universal one day for the HP stuff.
As far as trailers go, we basically want something just to sleep (in air conditioned comfort) in. We need sleeping for four (with separate beds for our mixed gender pre-teens) and a toilet is a plus but not a deal-breaker. Our towing vehicle is a Honda Odyssey so we're limited to under 3000 lbs (and preferably under 2000). I've pretty much decided that an Aliner Family model would be perfect for us, but they're new this year and nearly impossible to get in Canada. I'd also love a Scamp fibreglass but... again, that Canada thing and they're nearly impossible to find pre-owned here. We also would rather buy pre-owned so we don't lose a whole lot of money if we decide that the trailer life isn't for us. I'm putting an offer on a pre-owned Prolite Profil (it's 15 feet long, 1600 lbs with a sandwiched fibreglass/plywood construction, double dinette bed and bunk beds for the kids, toilet and shower) tomorrow morning but nothing about this trailer excites me. It's cosmetically ugly on the inside -- somehow it has an 80s vibe, despite only being 10 years old -- but in great shape and we can spend the winter re-doing the cushions and painting the cabinets. And the price is at a point where I'm happy to give it a try.
ANYWAY, other than the dog/loop questions, any advice? I'll take anything -- buying a used trailer. Ultra-lite, ultra-small for a family. Fort Wilderness with a dog. Prolite trailers, specifically. Seriously, ANYTHING. I never thought I'd be in this place ready to write a check for a camper, but here we are.
I AM looking forward to FINALLY getting back to Fort Wilderness, though!