Wow Camping at the World Is Cheaper Than I Thought!!!!!!!!!!

[geniegirl]

We have camped for over 10 years but only got a pop up this year. Up until that time we did not want to stay at the Fort in a tent so have always stayed at one of the other resorts. But for fun tonight I logged onto Disney’s site and priced out a vacation and I cannot believe the cost savings between a campsite and a value and a moderate resort. There is such a difference that I am soooooo tempted to book a graduation present for myself in late January or early February. How can I let these savings go…...

I have justified this by saying
1. That I probably will not have a new job yet and if I do I can say it was already planned
2. Where else an I going to use our camper in the middle of winter in PA
3. I need to get away and celebrate graduating from grad school

Oh I want to do this sooooo bad just have o fully convince myself and figure out some financial stuff but I think it maybe a great possibility that we are going back sooner than we thought.

 

[hatchmo]

Go for it! We have been at FW during that time period for the last eight years. It's a great time for several reasons. No crowds, no lines. Many adults, fewer children (don't get me wrong - we love children - but my point is that there are many things to do at WDW without children). Weather can be cool, even chilly, but warmer than up North and no snow! So go for it, and reward yourself for your accomplishments. Maybe we will see you around the campground.

 

[wildernessfamily]

Plus you can cook your own meals IF YOU WANT. We usually do a meal or two each day at the camper. That saves a lot of money and you don't feel guilty about splurging on a good meal in the parks or resorts.

 

[SandrA9810]

That, and for a preffered site, you can bring you furry friend along... if you have one.
We're gonna go camping this weekend in our tent again, for 35$ a night. Beats out every cheap hotel in the area. And you still get the benefits of being a disney guest.
Nothin wrong with sleeping in a tent. We used the foam matress topper and it worked wonderfully.

 

[Tadsgirl]

We have camped for over 10 years but only got a pop up this year. Up until that time we did not want to stay at the Fort in a tent so have always stayed at one of the other resorts. But for fun tonight I logged onto Disney’s site and priced out a vacation and I cannot believe the cost savings between a campsite and a value and a moderate resort. .

How much is it?

 

[geniegirl]

It was around a $600.00 savings for a value and almost $1000.00 for a moderate and that was just for the hotel. In the past the resort fees was the largest part of our budget but now for 8 nights it looks to be uner $400.00 - then when you add in the added benne of having breakfast and some dinners at the site where can you go wrong. Only thing I still have to figure is the gas so there is still a bit more thinking to do on that - who know what prices will be and at 15 mpg (with camper) that is a long drive.

 

[Tadsgirl]

It was around a $600.00 savings for a value and almost $1000.00 for a moderate and that was just for the hotel. In the past the resort fees was the largest part of our budget but now for 8 nights it looks to be uner $400.00 - then when you add in the added benne of having breakfast and some dinners at the site where can you go wrong. Only thing I still have to figure is the gas so there is still a bit more thinking to do on that - who know what prices will be and at 15 mpg (with camper) that is a long drive.

Thank you!
I am a newbie to camping and this site. The more I read the more I want to go!
My hubby was sent to Orlando on business last year. We stayed at The Royal Pacific. It was great (work paid) but we only got one day at DW. Every dream came true for my little princesses (we met Cinderella and Aurora-who can beat that), but now I want to go back and see more!! This may be the way we can afford it.
Besides, the gift shops at DW are the only ones allowed to carry Ghibli merchandise! WooHoo! The majority of my budget may go to buying Totoro and Howl stuff.
(Bless you Disney for bringing it to the States)

 

[Mac and Us]

camping is still cheaping even when we hit $3.00 gal.

We drive a Class A motorhome from NH. Round trip = 3050 miles (we drive around Washington, DC). We get 8MPG.

Here's how we figure it (we go during peak season) for 13 nights.

lodging would be at least $20 more per night $20 * 13 nights = $260. vs Fort Wilderness

food (estimate) @ $100 per day (3 of us) * 13 = $1300. vs $200-$400 we bring to eat out (mostly character meals) and grocery shop. We bring most of our food and eat at the motorhome.

air @ an estimate of $200 each * 3 = $600 -- we may save close to $200 IF we could catch one of the $69 each way deals but I used the figure that I seem to pay in the past when flying to Orlando. vs driving the motorhome @ $1200.

flying/staying at a value resort and eating out for lunch & dinner (eat breakfast in room). would still cost $560. more than driving our motorhome.

I should also add on the cost of driving to the airport (gas for car) and parking fees which would add another $200. to the figure to bring it up to a savings of $760. to drive.

even if I reduced the food budget to $975. ($75/per day) and got cheap air I still would be paying $250 more.

I didn't count park tickets because they would be the same either way.

The pluses are that we get our own bed and we don't have to worry about airport security/limited baggage-weight issues/lost baggage, etc. etc. AND we get to see the good ol'USA on the drive. We play games with our daughter, sing, take naps (not the driver of course) and make it a fun road trip. We figure we all ready have the motorhome we might as well use it.

 

[RocklandRVers]

camping is still cheaping even when we hit $3.00 gal.

We drive a Class A motorhome from NH. Round trip = 3050 miles (we drive around Washington, DC). We get 8MPG.

Here's how we figure it (we go during peak season) for 13 nights.

lodging would be at least $20 more per night $20 * 13 nights = $260. vs Fort Wilderness

food (estimate) @ $100 per day (3 of us) * 13 = $1300. vs $200-$400 we bring to eat out (mostly character meals) and grocery shop. We bring most of our food and eat at the motorhome.

air @ an estimate of $200 each * 3 = $600 -- we may save close to $200 IF we could catch one of the $69 each way deals but I used the figure that I seem to pay in the past when flying to Orlando. vs driving the motorhome @ $1200.

flying/staying at a value resort and eating out for lunch & dinner (eat breakfast in room). would still cost $560. more than driving our motorhome.

I should also add on the cost of driving to the airport (gas for car) and parking fees which would add another $200. to the figure to bring it up to a savings of $760. to drive.

even if I reduced the food budget to $975. ($75/per day) and got cheap air I still would be paying $250 more.

I didn't count park tickets because they would be the same either way.

The pluses are that we get our own bed and we don't have to worry about airport security/limited baggage-weight issues/lost baggage, etc. etc. AND we get to see the good ol'USA on the drive. We play games with our daughter, sing, take naps (not the driver of course) and make it a fun road trip. We figure we all ready have the motorhome we might as well use it.

Great comparison figures! I so agree with the "sleeping in our own bed" thing. I am never comfortable in a hotel bed, but my motorhome bed allows me to sleep like a baby.

Besides camping is fun and a huge part of the Disney vacation for us. Even on our longest trips (13 days) we never spent more than 5 days in the Theme and Water Parks.

As for the price of FtW, there are places in the Northeast that charge more than FtW and not even close to being as nice.

 

[Mac and Us]

I agree......we have 2 favorite campgrounds in the NE. Both charge $55 and $65 per night. We go because we love it and it's worth it to us.

 

[geniegirl]

Every day and every reply is selling me more on the idea. Just charted out the gas costs and it should be less than $400 round trip. Plus i realized that we can get extras thrown in as a christmas present - like the park tickets and disney dollars....

 

[phorsenuf]

I agree......we have 2 favorite campgrounds in the NE. Both charge $55 and $65 per night. We go because we love it and it's worth it to us.

Where do you go if you don't mind me asking....

 

[rapriebe]

Mac and Us,
Your cost comparison is very interesting however you have not added in one expense. The price of purchasing a RV can sometimes make camping cost prohibitive. Sure you can get a used popup for several thousand dollars but to purchase a rig that provides you all the comforts of home costs considerably more money. Personally I don't feel that camping at Disney is that much more cost efficient then staying at a value resort. We have a 36' Fifth Wheel with 3 slides and yes I have all my comforts with me but if you factor in the cost of the unit and the rig to pull it, it makes my camping trips more expensive then staying at a value with a discount code of $49 a night.

But I will continue to camp because I take my dogs with me which means I have no choice but to pay $69 a night next April and that is with a AAA discount. I don't even want to do a cost comparison on that.

This is a just a different perspective on the cost of camping at FW.

 

[RocklandRVers]

True the cost of the rig has to be factored in, but we didn't buy ours just for trips to Disney. Just like we wouldn't buy a car only for that purpose either. As our RV salesman said when we were trying to justify the cost to ourselves vs buying a nicer car, "think of your RV as a big Cadillac except you can't go to the bathroom in your Cadillac but can in your RV."

When we bought the RV we wanted and still do go away on weekends and vacations with the added benefit of being able to take our dog too. If we factored in weekly kennel fees into the equation to enable us to go away every weekend and stay in hotels, the cost of the RV becomes less of an issue. Add to it that ours is small enough that we can use it everyday if the need arose. I have driven it to and from work when our commuter car was in the shop. Its not the most fuel efficient vehicle for that purpose, but certainly sized perfectly to allow us to give that multi function use.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

Mac and Us,
Your cost comparison is very interesting however you have not added in one expense. The price of purchasing a RV can sometimes make camping cost prohibitive. Sure you can get a used popup for several thousand dollars but to purchase a rig that provides you all the comforts of home costs considerably more money. Personally I don't feel that camping at Disney is that much more cost efficient then staying at a value resort. We have a 36' Fifth Wheel with 3 slides and yes I have all my comforts with me but if you factor in the cost of the unit and the rig to pull it, it makes my camping trips more expensive then staying at a value with a discount code of $49 a night.

But I will continue to camp because I take my dogs with me which means I have no choice but to pay $69 a night next April and that is with a AAA discount. I don't even want to do a cost comparison on that.

This is a just a different perspective on the cost of camping at FW.

But while you are staying at the value resort, you are still paying for your fifth wheel, so since you have already made the investment in the RV, doesn't it make more sense to use it at FW than stay at a value resort?

 

[Carrie Ellis]

For us we would have to consider 2 rooms vs camping cost. There are 6 of us. And if you have an animal that you would have had to kennel if you stayed at a value resort, you could also consider that a savings. I would never want to spend a day just hanging around our room but I would factor that in if I am camping! We were at the Fort for 13 night last September when hurricane Jeanne came back and hit FL. They set us up at ASM for the last 4 nights of our stay. Going from the Fort to a value resort within one vacation gave me a good view of why I love camping so much. It was so depressing being in the value resort (not that it is a bad place, actually wonderful for a motel!), it is just not the same.

 

[Mac and Us]

thank you ftwildernessguy. We don't figure the cost of the RV because we bought it for more than our vacations to FT. Wilderness.

My cost analysis was based on whether we should fly and stay at a resort or stay at fort wilderness......not whether we should buy an RV TO stay at fort Wilderness. You are correct in that it would cost more in that case.

You can never re-coop the cost of an RV. However, the priceless memories are many.

To answer RAPRIEBE's question as to our favorite campgrounds in NE. One is not NE it's upstate NY---Lake George RV Park. The other campground is Mount Desert Narrows in Bar Harbor, ME/Acadia National Park.

We like both for different reasons but they both offer many things to do in the immediate area.

We have a Class A motorhome and choose not to pull a car because we don't want to have to drive all over the place when vacationing. We choose places where everything is within walking/biking or offer a shuttle.

 

[rapriebe]

But while you are staying at the value resort, you are still paying for your fifth wheel, so since you have already made the investment in the RV, doesn't it make more sense to use it at FW than stay at a value resort?

If I wasn't going to go camping then I wouldn't purchase an RV.

 

[ftwildernessguy]

If I wasn't going to go camping then I wouldn't purchase an RV.

I think you're missing my point. You are making the payment on your camper and tow vehicle no matter where you stay, either a value resort or FW. So if you are going to include the cost in your stay at FW, you need to include it in your value resort stay, too when figuring in total costs. I think few of us bought our campers for the sole purpose of staying at FW. Unless you have done this, the cost of the camper and tow vehicle should not be considered when figuring the cost comparison of staying at FW or a value resort. Get it?

 

[rapriebe]

I think you're missing my point. You are making the payment on your camper and tow vehicle no matter where you stay, either a value resort or FW. So if you are going to include the cost in your stay at FW, you need to include it in your value resort stay, too when figuring in total costs. I think few of us bought our campers for the sole purpose of staying at FW. Unless you have done this, the cost of the camper and tow vehicle should not be considered when figuring the cost comparison of staying at FW or a value resort. Get it?

No, you are missing my point. I only camp at FW so yes the cost of the RV is definately a factor when figuring out which is cheaper- value vs FW. Get it?