New Category at The Fort

jolynne28

Mouseketeer
Joined
Dec 13, 2017
I've been trying to add a day onto our trip in November to the campsites, and today noticed a new category, Premium Meadow Campsite. I've only played around with dates a little bit, but from what I can tell, this is showing up for weekend single night booking only. We need the Friday night on the front of our trip. Since the dates are full I can't see the cost, but I'm certain its going to be more than the Premium Campsite.
I'm interested to know what others think, or if this should even be a surprise at this point with Disney. For me, it's very frustrating. It can be impossible to get your dates right for the Fort at first booking, and they tell you to just book separate days and then they'll merge them all together. This just seems like another way for them to squeeze more money out of people. Are they trying to discourage single night bookings on weekends?
 
Rumor indicates they are creating a new loop rather than modifying an existing loop. I do not have confirmation for that right now.
 
I just noticed that when booking our post school trip (May 30-June 7). Also not popping up for me though to compare a price in June of 2020.
 


I've read the same rumors about added loops. I'm not sure why they would create a new category though.

I wonder if this is to designate the Premium loops that will be closest to construction. It gives an opportunity to set a different fee structure and allow people a chance to avoid being close to the (potential) noise.

j
 
I think this is a justification to be able to charge more-than-Premium for 1400 and perhaps 600 loops. The added description about being close to the Meadow core indicates to me charging more for existing loops (there is no space to put one in that area - not even the big field next to the pool).

You could put a new loop between 1500 and the dog park but that land is low and even then that's not as close in as existing loops.

I think after the DIS Meet I'll be trying to camp more in the off-season and drop back to a Tent site (1500) with my pop-up.

Bama Ed

PS - good find, jolynne28
 
Bama Ed I was thinking that too, that this new Meadow Premium was for the loops already there. Disney has really turned me off this morning! First I see this new category, then I find out about the AP increases. We are a young family and have just begun to plan our first trips to the fort after staying on property in hotels. We were hoping to make 2-3 trips a year until the kids got older and weren’t as interested. Now I just feel like Disney is basically pricing us out of the AP before our first trip to the fort even happens.
 


It was the only category left with full hookups for early Feb, so I grabbed it. Guess we will see what I get then.
 
Loop 1500 is the best "Meadows" loop. I just hope it never changes from tent/pop-up. I don't think it could, as is, due to the size of the sites.
 
Yeah the rates are up for Premium Meadows now.

The Christmas - New Years rate is $220/night plus tax.

Yowza. :(

Bama Ed
 
Bama Ed I was thinking that too, that this new Meadow Premium was for the loops already there. Disney has really turned me off this morning! First I see this new category, then I find out about the AP increases. We are a young family and have just begun to plan our first trips to the fort after staying on property in hotels. We were hoping to make 2-3 trips a year until the kids got older and weren’t as interested. Now I just feel like Disney is basically pricing us out of the AP before our first trip to the fort even happens.

This makes me really sad to read. I hate to see young families get priced out, especially when you're camping. You don't happen to be Florida residents, do you? We are not young, but are on a tight budget. The only thing that saves us is being Florida residents and the ability to buy the weekday AP. It's only $20 a month, which is nothing when purchased on payments like that. Obviously, it limits us to weekdays, but not a problem when you're retired.
 
I'm not retired, Tallis, but within five years who knows? :rolleyes1

The young camping families (and yes we was one once) I would like to propose that Disney not allow 1-2 night reservations until 180 days out or something like that. Let the families who have to travel and start out young with their families get first crack at booking campsites. Weekends fill up quickly and weekdays not so much.

Guests who come for longer periods spend more (Disney likes that).
Locals who object can book a 3+ night reservation like everyone else ("minimum stay requirements may apply").

Nope, Tallis, I am a Bama resident and while I have loved my time at Disney with my kids over two decades, I'm looking in other directions in the future. We went nearly every year. Oh the Fort will be there for me but I have my eye in other directions. Yes sir.

Like I said (and it's true for you) with our small campers we can always drop back into the Full or Tent sites and maybe travel at less busy times. When they change the movie in France at EPCOT (original), I'll consider more than one park day per trip. But hey that's just me. :crowded:.

I'm just trying to make it through the FW DISMeet 2020 (you comin'?).

Bama Ed
 
I'm just trying to make it through the FW DISMeet 2020 (you comin'?).

Bama Ed

I would love to! I noticed that the contract was primarily for the pricier sites. Are there an full sites left at decent prices? Please PM me with the info. Thanks!
 
Not to get bogged down in the numbers, but:

Assuming Premium Meadows is 1400 (61 sites) and 600 (39 sites) that takes 100 sites out of the old plain Premium category. In total between loops 400-1400 there were only 432 campsites in the old plain Premium. So if you take a quarter of them (roughly) out of inventory, that will leave only 332 which means they will be filling up sooner.

Remember when Tent sites used to be the last category usually available closer in to holidays and events? Now it will be Premium Meadow.

Bama Ed
 
I was looking at the cost difference last night for next year, and Premium Meadow is $9-13 more, give or take. So the difference between Premium and Premium Meadow is a few dollars more than the difference between Preferred and Premium. I'm sure some people will pay the difference for those Meadow Loops, I had already read that 1400 and 600 were favored spots for their proximity. But I agree that they will be the last to be fully booked. For a week long stay, they are squeezing about $100 more out of those spots. But it goes without saying that $100 could be put towards something else.
And I'm still kicking myself for not having my ear to the ground more and buying our annual passes before the price hike. I'm sure there were rumors out there and I just didn't pay enough attention. My plan was to buy discounted tix from Undercover Tourist and then price bridge, to save a couple hundred dollars. Now it's $1000 more any way I do it. We were contemplating going 3 times in a year, but just going twice before the increase made the AP a no brainer. Now, if we go just twice, the AP is approx. $150 more than just outright buying tickets from Disney. And that difference would easily be made up with the PhotoPass being included in the AP.
Sorry to derail a little bit here. Tallis, we will still go to Disney. I called us a young family, but we are 40 with 3 kids 6 and under. Financially, we can swing it, we are fortunate. For us it starts to become more about the feeling of overpaying for an experience. We want to be able to do this for years, but honestly, dropping $10k a year just on a few trips to Disney will probably get old sooner rather than later. We've got about 2.5 years before our youngest needs a ticket, and that's probably when we'll start cutting back. And who knows what kind of increases will occur in that short time frame.
It seems like they are trying to reduce the number of guests like us: out of state, but can reasonably make the trip a few times a year. Is it for crowd control? Possibly. I don't know what the answer is to the crowd issue. My family of 4 had passes 30 years ago when we lived near Tampa. My mother had not been since then when we took her with us last September. She thought the crowds were awful. Meanwhile, my husband and I had been in December 2017 with our kids and thought September was easy and fun. We went to MK one day during the December trip when there was not a Christmas Party, and you literally could not walk in many places, it was insane. I know that the price tiering is supposed to steer people towards the lower crowd times, but here's the thing: people are never not going to go during peak times simply b/c of school schedules. Our oldest is going to K this fall, and he will miss 7 of the max 15 days just for one trip b/c we are trying to avoid crowds. We won't be able to do that as he gets older.
 
I was looking at the cost difference last night for next year, and Premium Meadow is $9-13 more, give or take. So the difference between Premium and Premium Meadow is a few dollars more than the difference between Preferred and Premium. I'm sure some people will pay the difference for those Meadow Loops, I had already read that 1400 and 600 were favored spots for their proximity. But I agree that they will be the last to be fully booked. For a week long stay, they are squeezing about $100 more out of those spots. But it goes without saying that $100 could be put towards something else.
And I'm still kicking myself for not having my ear to the ground more and buying our annual passes before the price hike. I'm sure there were rumors out there and I just didn't pay enough attention. My plan was to buy discounted tix from Undercover Tourist and then price bridge, to save a couple hundred dollars. Now it's $1000 more any way I do it. We were contemplating going 3 times in a year, but just going twice before the increase made the AP a no brainer. Now, if we go just twice, the AP is approx. $150 more than just outright buying tickets from Disney. And that difference would easily be made up with the PhotoPass being included in the AP.
Sorry to derail a little bit here. Tallis, we will still go to Disney. I called us a young family, but we are 40 with 3 kids 6 and under. Financially, we can swing it, we are fortunate. For us it starts to become more about the feeling of overpaying for an experience. We want to be able to do this for years, but honestly, dropping $10k a year just on a few trips to Disney will probably get old sooner rather than later. We've got about 2.5 years before our youngest needs a ticket, and that's probably when we'll start cutting back. And who knows what kind of increases will occur in that short time frame.
It seems like they are trying to reduce the number of guests like us: out of state, but can reasonably make the trip a few times a year. Is it for crowd control? Possibly. I don't know what the answer is to the crowd issue. My family of 4 had passes 30 years ago when we lived near Tampa. My mother had not been since then when we took her with us last September. She thought the crowds were awful. Meanwhile, my husband and I had been in December 2017 with our kids and thought September was easy and fun. We went to MK one day during the December trip when there was not a Christmas Party, and you literally could not walk in many places, it was insane. I know that the price tiering is supposed to steer people towards the lower crowd times, but here's the thing: people are never not going to go during peak times simply b/c of school schedules. Our oldest is going to K this fall, and he will miss 7 of the max 15 days just for one trip b/c we are trying to avoid crowds. We won't be able to do that as he gets older.
When are the new cat. prices going into effect? Lots of ressies already made for 499 out in premium slots. Will new category sites fold in later. We have our res for Oct -Dec. in premium site. I would think all premiums are full at old rate.
 
Christine same here. I'm sure anyone that booked a Premium will keep that pricing, and possibly still get a Meadow slot if they booked more Premiums than they now have available after adding the new Meadow category. But it is up for booking right now.

And, I discovered on another thread that Sam's Club is still selling AP's at the old rate, so I went online and bought 4 this morning. The total was a little under $3,700. So we saved close to $1,100 doing it that way.
 
And, I discovered on another thread that Sam's Club is still selling AP's at the old rate, so I went online and bought 4 this morning. The total was a little under $3,700. So we saved close to $1,100 doing it that way.

That is wonderful news! I'm so happy you were able to get them at the old prices.

I'm not retired, Tallis, but within five years who knows? :rolleyes1

Bama Ed

I am 55 and been "retired" for many years. It's really not retirement income, it's disability for some physical disabilities I have. Since I'm now close to retirement age, and have 5 grandchildren, it's just easier for me to say that than go into an explanation, since I don't look disabled. :smooth: Since I've been on disability since 1997, I used to just refer to myself as a SAHM. That explanation doesn't fly anymore since my kids are 26, 30, 33, and 37.
 
Rumor indicates they are creating a new loop rather than modifying an existing loop. I do not have confirmation for that right now.
Learning NOT new loops, just rebranding and raising prices on existing loops.
 
Learning NOT new loops, just rebranding and raising prices on existing loops.
Just got off the phone making ressies for fall 2020 and learned the new "premium Meadows" loops take effect Jan 2020. The loops effected I was told will be 600,700,800,9001000,and 1400. That takes in most of old good premiums. Fall 2020 is really packed!!.
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!










Top