Long Term Campers....Should it be allowed?

I agree that the number of long term campers at FW is low, not enough to cause the shortage of sites. The shortage of sites is due to several reasons.
1. The camping industry is booming! More and MANY more people are camping these days.
2. Disney has not expanded the campground to compensate for these booming numbers of campers
3. The locals staying on the weekends cause more issue with site availability. You can't get the 7-10 day stays because the Friday-Sunday are what is full. If you change the dates to Sunday - Friday, the number of open sites goes up.

Um......I'm one of those locals :rolleyes1, but you will be happy to know, I cut my 5 trips down to 3 this year :D.
 
Um......I'm one of those locals :rolleyes1, but you will be happy to know, I cut my 5 trips down to 3 this year :D.

:duck:
I'm not complaining, I book long in advance and don't have the issue like others. I know how to play the game. :smooth:
 


Just a little different view on the subject, I am actually looking forward to seeing some of the long term campers. I have heard how they decorate and have heard that some of the RVs are million dollar RVs. It sounds like it is part of the "charm" of the community. Think about the other resorts, all the rooms are basically the same. Sometimes you have someone decorate a door or window. But there is only so far you can go.
 
Um......I'm one of those locals :rolleyes1, but you will be happy to know, I cut my 5 trips down to 3 this year :D.

As was stated earlier...….local or not local, the booking window is the same. I think the issue with the locals is a product of the weekends being booked but not the weekdays. The non locals, which seem to be the majority that post here on the camping Dis, travel great distances to stay at the Fort. These campers need multiple days, full weeks and sometimes more to make their trip worthwhile. It becomes frustrating when you can not get that week or weeks because the Friday, Saturday or Sunday is not available. Because it is the weekend days that are not available, the frustration is directed towards the locals because we know that they are the ones who can logistically camp at the Fort for just the weekend. Do I think it is fair to get angry at the locals...……...absolutely not. If I could camp at the Fort just on the weekends, I would do it as often as my chief financial officer would allow. We have had very few issues getting reservations at the Fort. As @tiggerdad stated, book in advance. (at least as far in advance as possible)

I have a very good friend who stays at the Fort full time. She is a widow who also cares for her adult daughter. She stays at the Fort because she and her daughter love all things Disney and she feels safe at the Fort. I think it is great that she is able to do this.:thumbsup2:thumbsup2

JMHO
Steve
 
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:duck:
I'm not complaining, I book long in advance and don't have the issue like others. I know how to play the game. :smooth:

Teri as far as I am concerned , if you have the time and money, are able to secure a reservation GO FOR IT.

As was stated earlier...….local or not local, the booking window is the same. I think the issue with the locals is a product of the weekends being booked but not the weekdays. The non locals, which seem to be the majority that post here on the camping Dis are not locals. They travel sometimes great distances to stay at the Fort. These campers need multiple days, full weeks and sometimes more to make their trip worthwhile. It becomes frustrating when you can not get that week or weeks because the Friday, Saturday or Sunday is not available. Because it is the weekend days that are not available, the frustration is directed towards the locals because we know that they are the ones who can logistically camp at the Fort for just the weekend. Do I think it is fair to get angry at the locals...……...absolutely not. If I could camp at the Fort just on the weekends, I would do it as often as my chief financial officer would allow. We have had very few issues getting reservations at the Fort. As @tiggerdad stated, book in advance. (at least as far in advance as possible)

I have a very good friend who stays at the Fort full time. She is a widow who also cares for her adult daughter. She stays at the Fort because she and her daughter love all things Disney and she feels safe at the Fort. I think it is great that she is able to do this.:thumbsup2:thumbsup2

JMHO
Steve
Thank you all for your support, and just to let you know, we hardly ever just stay a weekend, it's usually around 4 days, but does always include a weekend. I also always book almost a year out, as the three main times we go are Halloween, Christmas and Spring break. I have also had my share of "stalking the website" to get a reservation if I do not book a year or need to add a day. I think we are all in the same boat whether we are locals or not. The only real advantage locals have is the short drive.
 
Just my opinion, I know a lot of the people that you are talking about. There is maybe 15/20 people who stay at the Fort for between 1 and 3 months. Snowbirds and Cms are almost all of these so out of the almost 850 sites that is 2% of the sites I personally don't see that as any problem at all, in fact these people are the some of the nicest, courteous, respectful, abide by the Fort rules and helpful campers that you would want to know. They all have one other thing in common and that is they have a great deal of respect and love for the Fort, when Im camping I want them near me to enjoy their company and knowledge of not only Disney but the Fort. Many have been coming here for years and are a wealth of knowledge and I consider most of them great friends. They leave the frozen North seeking better weather and I am just glad they ended up at the Fort. They mostly know each other and tend to stay in the same loops in small groups, at least for the few months that they are at the Fort so they don't bother anyone. They all have to fight to make their reservations for that length of time just like the rest of us, while you can make a 30 day reservation most of them have to make multiple reservations in a 30 day period just to get the entire stay. I for one love when the Snowbirds and CMs arrive and would like to see them stay longer.
 
Um......I'm one of those locals :rolleyes1, but you will be happy to know, I cut my 5 trips down to 3 this year :D.
Teri,

I don't think anyone is knocking you for it. If I lived that close, I'd do the same thing. In the Midwest we have the same problem with state parks and COE campgrounds. Sunday- Thursday, May to September is open almost everywhere. If you want a weekend, you better get it booked months in advance.

It is the realities of the seasons and when people are available.

j
 
I wish I could stay longer when I go, the longest trip we have had was two weeks. Work gets in the way...maybe once I retire, in 22 years.
 
Amen to that. I'd gladly rob all of you of a site to be able to stay long term. No offense folks, it's a dog eat dog world, and we're all wearing milkbone underwear.

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I wish I could stay longer when I go, the longest trip we have had was two weeks. Work gets in the way...maybe once I retire, in 22 years.
I have the same feeling. Back in the 80's when I first went I early came to the conclusion that anything less than 1 week was a waste. When they added the then Disney MGM park 10 days was needed Now with AK to add to the mix 14 days is least time I would consider.
Happily I am now retired and can do a longer stay. Our Dec / Jan trip was approx 38 days and still too short for me. We do a shorter snowbird escape ( we need to plan better next year. This year we got home just hours ahead of the Polar Vortex the enveloped the East Coast) We were in a loop with a number of folks that do extended stays and found them to be great neighbors. They keep their sites clean don't get loud and are respectful of others. We watched some not all but some others come for shorter stays the exact opposite. Kids piled onto the golf cart with the radio blaring over the lack of a muffler going the wrong way. Approved firepits with the cover sitting on the ground next to it and flames 2 feet over the sides.
 
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You would think that with all the money that Disney is throwing around these day the Fort could get some love and a few new loops. Theres hardly a time or site that can be had for less than $100 a night and some are bumping into the $200 range, Cmon Mickey, thats like printing your own money (oops, thats been done before by the mouse)
 
This isnt the first time its been brought up. I believe Disney has a 30 day rule for ressies. We left 3 weeks ago after spending 27 days in the same site at the Fort. We have stayed as long as 5 weeks at the Fort. While I understand what youre saying I dont agree with your premise that the people who stay longer are somehow responsible for others not getting a site. The fact is that the Fort is busy and Disney doesnt seem interested in developing new sites so thats not going to change any time soon.
As far as "throwaway sites" I frankly dont see that happening. I know Disney changed rules about sites needing to be occupied. During our last stay of almost 4 weeks I dont recall seeing a single site during my travels around the Fort that I would consider having been a throwaway.
Personally I think the people who stay for 2-3 days over the weekend are the cause of difficulty getting a site. If someone attempts to get 7-10 days another person staying only 2 or 3 weekend days will lock that site out for them.
I think the bottom line is that Disney needs to develop more sites and unfortunately I dont think thats likely.

I don't have an issue with it. Personally I think Disney should limit the amount of people at each site to a small number than now and that would help more. Most campgrounds I go to do this. Long timers tend to be nice and quiet and we had people next to us last time we went with I don't know how many people, looked to be like 15. Maybe not all were staying but they had at least 3 cars, I think I counted 4 or 5 tents.
 
We regularly see sites in the tent loop with 3 families and well over 12 people. 3 yrs ago we were next to a class C that had 15 people in it from Texas. They didnt like me much after the third time I had to tell them to keep their kids from running through my site. FL state parks dont allow this, I would think Disney could enforce it but they arent willing to.
 
I plan on spending many months at the Fort once i retire. I am not sure i would stay much longer than 30 days in one stint but i might.. When i see longtimers at the Fort, i am not mad at 'em. I am jealous of 'em!
 
When we were camped this time last year we were in the 700 loop for 23 nights. it was so nice setting up for that long drive from NY. While there we met a retired couple that spends February-April at Fort Wilderness every year and they were some of the nicest people I have met at the Fort. They were very considerate,respectful, and a pleasure to talk with. I want to live that same life in my retirement.
 
In the Midwest we have the same problem with state parks and COE campgrounds. Sunday- Thursday, May to September is open almost everywhere. If you want a weekend, you better get it booked months in advance.

Same in NC

Everybody has the same booking window. Gotta plan WAY in advance!
 
I don't care how long anyone stays. But realistically, it really doesn't matter whether I think long-term stays should be allowed our opinions don't matter a bit.
The new construction seems to be an indication of the value Disney management places on the Fort. It's just not a priority.
 

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