3 sleeps until we're rumbling into the Fort! What should I be doing to prepare?

DisneyFab5

Earning My Ears
Joined
Nov 8, 2018
3 sleeps until we load up our Salem travel trailer and drive the 5 hours down to the Fort! What should I be doing right now to prepare for our 7 night stay, other than wearing my Minnie ears and waiting impatiently at the door? Please share what you do when you're days away from your dream vacation!

A little background since I'm new on here but plan to become thoroughly obsessed with these boards, our family of four stayed in the cabins a year and a half ago and loved the Fort! We bought our camper this past March and the very next day booked our Nov 11-18 stay at the Fort. Now, we are days away from leaving with our now family of five to celebrate my middle child's 3rd birthday! Yay!

So, since this is our first time at the Fort in a campsite, any advice is very much appreciated!
 
Right now I would be doing a double check of my prep work. Make sure tow vehicle is ready to go. Check on clothing packed make sure everyone has what they need and spares for some items ie shoes . Prep fridge and freezer so they are ready for perishables when packed, and other food stuffs we bring. Make sure you camera is packed ( Got an hour from home one year when we found we forgot them and turned around to retrieve) Make sure any medications you take you have a sufficient supply for your trip.
Take a few minutes everyday to sit back take a few deep breaths and relax a bit while you can
 
And most of all, have a safe travel, and. Fabulous time. We love the Fort, and have been driving down every year from the Frozen Tundra area! Enjoy all the Fort has to offer.
 
Right now I would be doing a double check of my prep work. Make sure tow vehicle is ready to go. Check on clothing packed make sure everyone has what they need and spares for some items ie shoes . Prep fridge and freezer so they are ready for perishables when packed, and other food stuffs we bring. Make sure you camera is packed ( Got an hour from home one year when we found we forgot them and turned around to retrieve) Make sure any medications you take you have a sufficient supply for your trip.
Take a few minutes everyday to sit back take a few deep breaths and relax a bit while you can

Thank you for the many good points! We had our towing truck serviced last week and thank goodness for that...had to have breaks replaced, ball joints replaced, and the turbo serviced. I have my packing list and just added extra shoes because of your note! And you also reminded me I need to empty the pics off of my phone so I have room for the many I will undoubtedly take. The fridge/freezer prep is an interesting one for us. Because we have a residential fridge in the camper, it doesn't run while traveling down the road. So we have to load up a cooler instead.
 


And most of all, have a safe travel, and. Fabulous time. We love the Fort, and have been driving down every year from the Frozen Tundra area! Enjoy all the Fort has to offer.

Thanks so much! I'm hoping we become regulars like you. Fingers crossed that my hubby loves every minute so I can convince him to make this a somewhat regular trip!
 
Not sure where you are coming from, so you may not need one or already have one, but the $5 SunPass was a great investment for us. I hate having to stop at toll booths while towing. We bought our last one from a vending machine at the Florida Welcome Center.
 
Not sure where you are coming from, so you may not need one or already have one, but the $5 SunPass was a great investment for us. I hate having to stop at toll booths while towing. We bought our last one from a vending machine at the Florida Welcome Center.

Great tip! Thank you!
 


Welcome!
Just to add to the above, so that I don't forget while trying to get the RV ready I make a list of things I need to do for the house when I leave.
For example:
arrange for mail/newspaper stoppage/pickup
set house up...hot water heater, HVAC, water pipes
set lights to come on/off
unplug electronics in house
 
Thank you for the many good points! We had our towing truck serviced last week and thank goodness for that...had to have breaks replaced, ball joints replaced, and the turbo serviced. I have my packing list and just added extra shoes because of your note! And you also reminded me I need to empty the pics off of my phone so I have room for the many I will undoubtedly take. The fridge/freezer prep is an interesting one for us. Because we have a residential fridge in the camper, it doesn't run while traveling down the road. So we have to load up a cooler instead.

When having a residential fridge, cool it down at home plugged in then on your travel day take frozen water gallon jugs and place in fridge. Everything stays cold enough for the trip.

Oh and you may want to stop at the local bank and take out a personal loan......after all you are headed to Disney...
 
1st and foremost :welcome:. As you have been there once before, please take a day to just enjoy The Fort, Campfire with Chip & Dale and what not.
If you have time before you head down, check out the threads for Adventures of The Traveling Fire Pit and Kickin' It At The Fort.
Safe travels and (oh by the way) we like trip reports. :rolleyes1
 
Welcome!
Just to add to the above, so that I don't forget while trying to get the RV ready I make a list of things I need to do for the house when I leave.
For example:
arrange for mail/newspaper stoppage/pickup
set house up...hot water heater, HVAC, water pipes
set lights to come on/off
unplug electronics in house

All good points! I've got the mother-in-law stopping by regularly to check on things and the cats. Yay for family close by!
 
When having a residential fridge, cool it down at home plugged in then on your travel day take frozen water gallon jugs and place in fridge. Everything stays cold enough for the trip.

Oh and you may want to stop at the local bank and take out a personal loan......after all you are headed to Disney...

Ha! How true that is... Okay, so you just blew my mind. Frozen water jugs?! That's a great idea! Normally we camp within a three hour radius, so we plug the fridge up at home so everything is cold and it stays cold for that duration. But with the five to six hours to Disney, I'm a little nervous. This is a genius tip! Thank you so much!
 
1st and foremost :welcome:. As you have been there once before, please take a day to just enjoy The Fort, Campfire with Chip & Dale and what not.
If you have time before you head down, check out the threads for Adventures of The Traveling Fire Pit and Kickin' It At The Fort.
Safe travels and (oh by the way) we like trip reports. :rolleyes1

Thank you for the lovely welcome! We do have some Fort time planned in our week. The kids (and me!) are really looking forward to the campfire and movie nights. We have reservations at Trail's End for the night we arrive, so we don't have to cook. Interesting how we told ourselves we won't spend as much money on food since we have our home-away-from-home camper....not sure how true that will be... lol. I will check out the other threads and will gladly post trip reports! Thanks again!
 
On our trip down in April from Canada we discovered we needed a new windshield wiper and washer hose. Luckily we had a spare of each on hand but hubby froze his fingers trying to replace at a rest stop in Pennsylvania. The motorhome's wipers are always a challenge to replace but the next time should be that much easier. Check your tires and spare on your tow vehicle as well before and during your trip. And lastly, have fun and enjoy The Fort while you're there as well as the theme parks :tinker:
 
Ha! How true that is... Okay, so you just blew my mind. Frozen water jugs?! That's a great idea! Normally we camp within a three hour radius, so we plug the fridge up at home so everything is cold and it stays cold for that duration. But with the five to six hours to Disney, I'm a little nervous. This is a genius tip! Thank you so much!

Well, we have a residential fridge also, and a lot of time when we travel it is for 7 to 13 hours, so we also need to keep our stuff cold, and frozen stuff frozen, after all neither Anna nor Olaf will not travel with us so we make do with frozen water jugs and or blue ice packs.
 
someone mentioned tolls. we have three axles. coming through gainesville. how much are the tolls ???
 

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