Best tips for a family that has never camped before...

princessophiali

Mouseketeer
Joined
May 16, 2013
It is my dream to camp at Fort Wilderness and I have talked my hubby into doing it :mickeyjum. We have 2 kiddos ages 4 and 9 and my mom will be joining us too. We are planning to go next March and we will be renting a camper and a golf cart. I have been lurking on here and doing my research and getting more excited each day!
All of you seem so nice and ready to share information, so I thought I'd ask...what are some of your best tips for a newcomer? I will add that I have stayed in the cabins and they were great. Have also stayed at deluxe, moderate and value resorts, and off property, but being in a camper and experiencing the Disney magic this way will be a dream come true.

Thanks in advance!
Margy
 
Your kids are a little older, but the first piece of advice I always give is if they have never showered before, have them practice at home. It never fails that there is always a child screaming bloody murder and a parent getting frustrated trying to bribe their child to shower at a campground because they have never done it before. Most of all, have fun.
 
OMG-I NEVER thought of this, but YES!! Practice at home showering. First time we camped with our youngest and later, our grandson, screaming is exactly what happened.
 
Campers are always noisy when it rains.
It can't really be helped. Don't be alarmed. Have fun!
 


It is my dream to camp at Fort Wilderness and I have talked my hubby into doing it :mickeyjum. We have 2 kiddos ages 4 and 9 and my mom will be joining us too. We are planning to go next March and we will be renting a camper and a golf cart. I have been lurking on here and doing my research and getting more excited each day!
All of you seem so nice and ready to share information, so I thought I'd ask...what are some of your best tips for a newcomer? I will add that I have stayed in the cabins and they were great. Have also stayed at deluxe, moderate and value resorts, and off property, but being in a camper and experiencing the Disney magic this way will be a dream come true.

Thanks in advance!
Margy

I'm thinking that usually a rented camper is fully equipped meaning bathroom with shower and/or tub combo so no need for COMFORT STATION USE. Everyone might require some "rv toilet flushing learning" but a modern camper or motorhome are made to be like living in a house, only on wheels.
 
What kind of camper are you renting? Where are you traveling from? Do you intend to eat meals in the camper? What kind of vehicle will you be pulling the camper with? How many "beds" does the camper have and what size are they? Knowing the specs of what you will be staying in will be helpful in advising :)

Camping generally requires a fair amount of prep the week before you leave. The biggest factor that will save your sanity is trying to streamline the dressing process to be as efficient as possible. I recommend packing everyone's outfits in gallon ziplocs labeled for each day. There won't be much space to search through luggage so if you can pull out a bag with socks, underwear, and outfit bundled together it makes the morning less chaotic. If you plan to eat dinner in the camper then I like to make batches of meals at home, freeze them, and then reheat in the camper. Chili, soup, bbq pulled pork, shredded chicken tacos, and turkey tacos are easy meals you can prep ahead of time.
 


I'm thinking that usually a rented camper is fully equipped meaning bathroom with shower and/or tub combo so no need for COMFORT STATION USE. Everyone might require some "rv toilet flushing learning" but a modern camper or motorhome are made to be like living in a house, only on wheels.


No, they all aren't. I have a full bathroom in my camper but I always use the comfort station, because it has more room. The only one that has used our shower is my youngest when she was 2. Showers aren't fun wherever you are with a screaming child.
 
If you plan to use the comfort stations to shower at all, buy x-large puppy training pads to use in the dressing area as a clean, dry place to stand. If someone has been in there before you, or even with kids splashing water, it can get wet in the dressing area.

If you are wanting to save money, meals at the camper are a great way to do so. Where you are coming from, and weather you are flying or driving would make a difference in my advice on that subject.

Most of all, HAVE FUN! :love:
 
When you say renting, I think of one of two scenarios:
#1) You're renting from a business that tows the camper to your site, completely sets everything up, and even has the refrigerator cold. They pick it up, haul it back, and clean it when you're done.
#2) You're renting from a business or individual (maybe through Outdoorsy or RVshare, etc.), and you will have to pick it up, tow it to your site, completely set it up (leveling, chock, unhitch, hook up electric, water, and sewer, get a/c running, get refrigerator going, etc.), then do the reverse when you leave.

If it is #1, then it is similar to renting a cabin, with a few exceptions. You have to be gentle with the cabinets, doors,beds, etc. You'll need to learn to work the toilet, and that only human waste and toilet paper go down the toilet, with lots of flush water. You'll need to know how to monitor your tank usage, and how to let your gray water out if it starts getting full. It's the same deal with black water, but it doesn't fill as fast.

If #2, you'll want a full orientation of how to do everything, and definitely make notes and even video the process. It's a lot to learn if you've never done it before.
Having said that, owning one was our first real experience doing all of it, and we learned. It's not hard, just new and different.
 
We will be renting one that will already be set up. We live in NC, so it'll be better all around to rent from a local company in Florida. We are looking at Wilderness and Meacham's.

The kids love to take showers and play in the rain lol. That is a great point though and I had never even thought of that.

We did stay in a cabin and it was great, but from what I have priced, it's cheaper to rent a camper, the hookup site and a golf cart!

Thanks for all the info! :)
 
Have you agreed to sleeping arrangements ?? I mean there is usually only one "real" bed in a camper. Other beds are couches that convert to a bed and may be shorter, or harder. A dinette that converts to a bed, but is very short. Our camper has a real king size bed, and two couches in the living room that turn in to beds, but are shorter. The manufacturer states it sleeps 6, but it would not be 6 full size adults for sure.
Having a camper for us is about sleeping in our bed, knowing where our stuff is, it is a life style choice. Renting a camper to me is like staying in a hotel, who slept in it last ?? What did they do in it and where. I know the renters clean it, but who knows. Just like my rolling home on wheels, it is my bed, with my stuff.
 
Have you agreed to sleeping arrangements ?? I mean there is usually only one "real" bed in a camper. Other beds are couches that convert to a bed and may be shorter, or harder. A dinette that converts to a bed, but is very short. Our camper has a real king size bed, and two couches in the living room that turn in to beds, but are shorter. The manufacturer states it sleeps 6, but it would not be 6 full size adults for sure.
Having a camper for us is about sleeping in our bed, knowing where our stuff is, it is a life style choice. Renting a camper to me is like staying in a hotel, who slept in it last ?? What did they do in it and where. I know the renters clean it, but who knows. Just like my rolling home on wheels, it is my bed, with my stuff.

This does concern me! 3 adults, 2 kids. If we don't sleep, none of us are happy!
 
Normally I recommend that 1st time campers do a weekend trip in a very exotic campground named Camp Your Own Backyard/Driveway. But that works best for those that have their own equipment. As you will be renting I would ask around the friends and family circle, concentrating on those that own campers and go regularly for a campground that offers rental campers and they ENJOY STAYING AT. Then talk them into doing a trip together (Camping with friends makes for more gooder trips). This way you can get a feel for what to expect and have someone nearby that can help guide you through any problems you encounter.
 
Tallis,

We have a class c, so we use own shower. But there are times we camp in state parks that we use the campground showers. And, I love, love, love the idea of puppy pee pads for something to use when stepping our of the shower. Thanks for the great idea.
 
We rented a camper two years ago at the Fort. I am not a camper on any level. We rented a full hook up site and it worked well for us. My kids loved camping and I was relieved to not have to hook anything up or change/flush any tanks. That might have been more than I could handle...:rolleyes1 we did have a really good time. No real tips, but you’ll get some great advice from the Fort “veterans” on the board. They are wonderful to help.
 
We rented a camper two years ago at the Fort. I am not a camper on any level. We rented a full hook up site and it worked well for us. My kids loved camping and I was relieved to not have to hook anything up or change/flush any tanks. That might have been more than I could handle...:rolleyes1 we did have a really good time. No real tips, but you’ll get some great advice from the Fort “veterans” on the board. They are wonderful to help.

So this is encouraging to hear! Thanks for sharing!

Normally I recommend that 1st time campers do a weekend trip in a very exotic campground named Camp Your Own Backyard/Driveway. But that works best for those that have their own equipment. As you will be renting I would ask around the friends and family circle, concentrating on those that own campers and go regularly for a campground that offers rental campers and they ENJOY STAYING AT. Then talk them into doing a trip together (Camping with friends makes for more gooder trips). This way you can get a feel for what to expect and have someone nearby that can help guide you through any problems you encounter.

I asked my friends this morning at church if we could do a trial run with their camper and they said yes! Thanks for the tip!
 
This does concern me! 3 adults, 2 kids. If we don't sleep, none of us are happy!
So what kind of camper? If you finding it cheaper to rent a camper and a site I'm maybe thinking its a pop up? If so you will have two "real" beds with thin mattresses and something that turns into a bed like the dinette also with probably a thinner mattress.

Even if it has a real bed, and it hasn't been replaced, it will probably have a the cheapest mattress available like it came from the Dollar Store. :)
 
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We ended upbuying a thin air mattress at tge walmart in fl/ turkey lake and a pump it was 15.00 for rhe full mattress. So no worries if you need it its its a cheap fix.
 

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