Disney World October 2017

[hayesfamily]

Hello 

Michelle and I along with our (then 8y/o) Kyle will be headed to Disney World in Orlando. We will be there from October 21st 2017 to October 27th. We are from MD and would be headed down I95 and stopping in SC for a little rest and food before heading into Orlando. 

More than likely we will be at the Fort Wilderness Campground and wanted to put the word out if anyone wanted to meet us there. We typically hit all four Disney parks as well as some local attractions. 

We home-school and will be using Epcot as a science visit more than a "Amusement" deal so it would be great for other home schoolers if there are any to hang out with us. We know of some awesome restaurants and cool places for us to hang out so just putting the info out there if yall might be headed that way or thinking about it. 

[jleamont]

HayesFamily, we are DVC members, and live about 1.5 hrs north of you. Kids are in high school now so we do not go that time of year. Otherwise I would say "see you there!!"

Is this your first Disney trip?

[john_harris]

Fort Wilderness will be all decked out for Halloween. I have seen families bring a small trailer full of decorations for their site. Always fun time. enjoy your stay!

[hayesfamily]

On 8/24/2016 at 0:22 PM, jleamont said:

HayesFamily, we are DVC members, and live about 1.5 hrs north of you. Kids are in high school now so we do not go that time of year. Otherwise I would say "see you there!!"

Is this your first Disney trip?

No this isnt our first Disney Trip as we try to go yearly (a few times with out the kids)Typically we try to go in April after Spring Break or in October.

So I have done everything to avoid DVC but I have to ask for curiosity sake. How does that work with Fort Wilderness and an RV? 

 

[hayesfamily]

On 8/24/2016 at 1:04 PM, John_Harris said:

Fort Wilderness will be all decked out for Halloween. I have seen families bring a small trailer full of decorations for their site. Always fun time. enjoy your stay!

Looking forward to to seeing the decorations. Not a Halloween guy by any means but cool decorations are cool decorations no mater when they are up. 

[jleamont]

You can transfer your points to the campground. We have done it a few times over the years. Since it's not your "home resort" you can only book it 7 months in advance, that's really the only down side to it.

[jleamont]

The people that stay for the major holidays go all out with the decorations. Neat place, enjoy!!

[hayesfamily]

10 hours ago, jleamont said:

You can transfer your points to the campground. We have done it a few times over the years. Since it's not your "home resort" you can only book it 7 months in advance, that's really the only down side to it.

Gotcha ... so I will tell you there are 2 things that made me not do the DVC thing simply because it didnt work for me at the time. The biggest thing is the amount of point I would have had to buy to accommodate 5 people. 2nd was the need to pay them upfront with a loan I had to get or acquire. If they offered financing options I would have purchased but I am in Orlando for vacation not to hunt for a loan and I never did. You have given me reason now to revisit the idea. 

Also, yall arent much older than me and not much younger than the Misses. The old kids are in college on our end and we have the 7 year old who runs the house. 

If yall decide to do the beach thing in the summer share the info cause we have never done a beach vacation with the Coach. Been thinking about a run to Myrtle Beach but never done it. 

[hayesfamily]

On 8/24/2016 at 1:04 PM, John_Harris said:

Fort Wilderness will be all decked out for Halloween. I have seen families bring a small trailer full of decorations for their site. Always fun time. enjoy your stay!

Awesome ... ???????????   Are you from FL?

[jleamont]

The only beach trip we have for this year is NJ, Columbus Day weekend. We went to Myrtle last July, it was nice but so is Maryland and much closer .

wife and kids go to Disney once a year, I go every other. They will stay at one of the hotels, almost never one of the ones we own....go figure.

the points for 5 would be high, we have added on several times over the years, once you are a member you keep getting great deals and it becomes easy to go and add on. We have also done their cruises twice, kids love it, wife and I prefer to explor and not be couped up on a ship.

wife is from MD, I'm from PA. We have been at their campground on a few holidays and saw the decorations. 

[hayesfamily]

Awesome  ... well we are in the hunt for a new to us coach. LONG STORY but I am hoping to have it by the end of the year of not the beg of next season. I dont like to shop and this has become tedious. I have learned to get what you need the first time and this is a lesson well learned.  

[wildebill308]

32 minutes ago, HayesFamily said:

Awesome  ... well we are in the hunt for a new to us coach. LONG STORY but I am hoping to have it by the end of the year of not the beg of next season. I dont like to shop and this has become tedious. I have learned to get what you need the first time and this is a lesson well learned.  

Yes it can be tedious but better to do your do diligence and get the right coach and be happy with it than being un happy with the wrong coach. Be shure your wife is happy with the kitchen and the floor plan.

Bill

[hayesfamily]

Bill the one thing I have learned in this whole process is when it comes to motorhomes Size Matters. Best 30-foot coach wasn't working for anybody. Even if it was just me and the missus 30 feet is simply not enough and to be very honest with you we were miserable. The only good thing about a 30 foot soldiers you can put it in a tight spot. If we were much older that would probably work but as soon as you add a bouncing 7 year old and a 30 pound dog life got interesting very quickly. I'm not going to say that it handled bad on the highway because it did not however put something behind it and believe it or not it drove 30 times better.

Nevertheless I prefer that my bedroom slides but at this point the living room area is a must slide. There's nothing worse than having a 30-foot motorhome where is the living room area does not stick and somebody's in the kitchen cooking you got to get past them because you have to pee. There's nothing worse but having to make the decision of food hitting the floor or being a thirty-seven-year-old grown person changing clothes cuz they didn't make it to the potty. 

Needless to say size does matter

[jleamont]

I agree with you on space. One lesson I learned, don't buy something with the intentions of upgrading later, you will soon learn that the depreciation will pass you along the way and you will loose a fair amount of money when trying to trade out. It is tough to locate a nice used motorhome up in the NE, I just got lucky. I almost jumped on a Plane and headed to TX, FL or AZ, it seems that is where they all are.

Are you looking for a A, or C? Gas or Diesel?

[wildebill308]

10 hours ago, HayesFamily said:

Bill the one thing I have learned in this whole process is when it comes to motorhomes Size Matters. Best 30-foot coach wasn't working for anybody. Even if it was just me and the missus 30 feet is simply not enough and to be very honest with you we were miserable. The only good thing about a 30 foot soldiers you can put it in a tight spot. If we were much older that would probably work but as soon as you add a bouncing 7 year old and a 30 pound dog life got interesting very quickly. I'm not going to say that it handled bad on the highway because it did not however put something behind it and believe it or not it drove 30 times better.

Nevertheless I prefer that my bedroom slides but at this point the living room area is a must slide. There's nothing worse than having a 30-foot motorhome where is the living room area does not stick and somebody's in the kitchen cooking you got to get past them because you have to pee. There's nothing worse but having to make the decision of food hitting the floor or being a thirty-seven-year-old grown person changing clothes cuz they didn't make it to the potty. 

Needless to say size does matter

I heare you as I started Before slides. One person had to sit down so the other could get past.  I wouldn't be looking at less than 38'- 40'. We bought the current coach because it had opposing slides in the front and felt more open. 

I hear people saying they need a small coach to get in tight spots and I ask why do you think you need to stay in tight spots. We just got back from a trip where we were in 31 different campgrounds. yes some were a little cramped but I didn't find any that you couldn't park a 40' coach. 

Bill

[hermanmullins]

First two coaches had no slides. Too many times, even at my age, the DW accused me of sexual harassment. 

Now have slides and am asked, don't you love me any more.  Can't win for loosing.

Herman

[jleamont]

15 minutes ago, hermanmullins said:

First two coaches had no slides. Too many times, even at my age, the DW accused me of sexual harassment. 

Now have slides and am asked, don't you love me any more.  Can't win for loosing.

Herman

 Herman, I have the exact problem!

[hayesfamily]

FINALLY got all the paperwork a d we get a new to us coach. Going to pick it up on the 4th of October to bring it home. Should be fun

[hermanmullins]

Congratulations.

Herman 

[jleamont]

Congratulation's! Take pictures and put them in the members gallery.

[wildebill308]

9 hours ago, HayesFamily said:

FINALLY got all the paperwork a d we get a new to us coach. Going to pick it up on the 4th of October to bring it home. Should be fun

Ok what did you get and where is it? 

Bill

[hayesfamily]

We are going to Maine and We got a 2000 Itasca Suncruiser. 

Your exact words to me were "You are going to see things that need to be fixed on  a 18 year old coach. Your job is to find the coach with the fewest issues. Don't forget to check the date codes on the tires. "

This is a 16 year old coach and there are things that need to be fixed. However the things that will need fixin are in the hundred of Dollars maybe a thousand ... that Damon had 6K worth of issues that I would have been dealing with. The Adventurer in FL transmission went out on the dealer parking lot and then he asked me to make the "one **** of a Low Deal"  ... as in you wanted to me buy a problem and sink cash into to fix it. 

Yall sent me to the folks in TX (PPL) and they had a coach that I wanted but they were honest and told me it was a turd that the family selling wanted top dollar for. The pictures were "Not Representative" of the true damage and they actually told me to look at this one. They even told me what to offer for it and the guy accepted. Better believe when I get a diesel I am coming to TX and buying it from them. They were awesome even though they couldn't help us. 

I am going to do a few upgrades this winter and I may look at having a Washer Dryer put in but in a 36ft coach IDK if that is wise - not sure where to put it. 
I have to put TV;s in as the owner took the TVs out they had installed. May install a DishNetwork system - that was gonna go in the other coach but never got around to it. 

I owe a Big thanks to you ... Herman Jleamont and everyone who gave solid input. I cant wait to meet yall somewhere over the rainbow on the road. 

[hermanmullins]

Hayes, 

Will be happy to see you over the rainbow as long as there is foood ?.

Were there two TV's previously in the coach? If so and you replace the ones removed be sure and not get both TV's the same make.With both the same and you turn one on or off you will do the same to the other. Both Dish and Direct are Good service providers. If you go with an open faced dish the Direct dish in most case will bea bit higher in cost.

After a few trips you will be telling the  DW the coach is always on the top of the Honey Do List.

PS: let me know that works out for you.?

Herman 

[hayesfamily]

I know this post has taken a turn from where it originally was supposed to go so Ill apologize now.

I have learned that people in Maine LIE like people in Maryland. How about this guy altered or I should say only showed what he wanted me to see in the pictures. I turned around after 5 hours of travel and left that crap he called a coach with him.  WATER damage and Delamination  are deal breakers. He knew this from the beginning. Coupled with the furnace and AC didnt come on and the jacks didnt work after he said they would made me leave it in ME. Delam was so bad that I almost could push through the side wall. The AC and Jack I would have fixed myself if he had been truthful. 

So, prayerfully Ill be bringing the back up to plan a home next week from TENN. 

[jleamont]

Sorry to hear that. A similar sitiuation happened to a friend with a large RV dealer in Louisiana, he went down from PA with his coach to trade his in the day before Thanksgiving, arrived two days later to find the coach was a mess. 

You are shopping for a gas coach correct?