check in time for fort camping loops

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tramps’lady

Mouseketeer

Joined

Jan 8, 2018

• Apr 22, 2018

• #1

hi all
going the 29th for a short visit, haven’t been in 8 years
what time is checkin? i’ve seen 1pm and 3 pm.
what if you show up early and your site is not ready? how early could you show up? we only live about 2 hours away so we usually get to WDW around 11 am.
we are in a 32foot motorhome no car towing this time.
thanks

 

PaHunter

Reasonably Knowledgable Individual.

Joined

Oct 15, 2014

• Apr 22, 2018

• #2

officially check in is at 3pm. If you show up at 11, you would be ok. If your site is not ready, you simply would be directed to the overflow parking lot and they will text you when your site is ready.

 

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team bradfield

Happy Campers

Joined

Feb 16, 2009

• Apr 23, 2018

• #3

we have been lucky, last 4 times we were landing gear down on our site before noon.

 

PaHunter

Reasonably Knowledgable Individual.

Joined

Oct 15, 2014

• Apr 23, 2018

• #4

Last time, the Fort was closed due to the hurricane. And when it did open we got our site about 3pm by text. Our first time, we got in to our site after 3pm. The second trip we dropped our trailer and drove over to AK for the day until they texted us our site was ready around 5pm.

 

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tramps’lady

Mouseketeer

Joined

Jan 8, 2018

• Apr 23, 2018

• #5

thanks, i was wondering if they sent a room ready text at the fort. now i know
we’ve always arrived later so no issue. less than a week to go, can’t wait.

 

bama_ed

It's kind of fun to do the impossible-Walt Disney

Joined

Sep 23, 2004

• Apr 23, 2018

• #6

It all depends on how picky/choosy you are about your site, tramp's lady.

Everybody has to reserve a specific LEVEL of campsite (Tent, Full, Preferred, Premium).

Sites are pre-assigned a few nights before you arrive based on what level you requested and how many sites will be available that morning (how many were empty the night before and who is leaving that morning). Plus any special requests.

If you get there before 3pm (the official check-in time although that is no guarantee) and your pre-assigned site is not yet ready, you can ask if any same site of that level is available right away and can go to it if one is available. If your pre-assigned site is ready, you can also go straight to it.

If you are fussy like me, and want specific level site in a specific loop, that might take a little longer. It limits the number of possibilities. So it just depends.

You will get a text if/when your site is ready based on when you checked in and also if you used the online early check-in. The hotels on property use the same notification system the Fort uses so just examine your options and work them based on what you want.

Bama Ed

 

tiggerdad

I don't always get distracted but whe...SQUIRREL!

Joined

Jul 8, 2009

• Apr 24, 2018

• #7

I roll in early.

I'm not picky, if my assigned site is not ready I ask for a list of sites that are ready.

Only this last trip did I fail to get one at the time of my arrival, but it was spring break so no surprise.

If you roll in after 6:05am you can go to your site if it's ready.

 

North of Mouse

DIS Veteran

Joined

Mar 31, 2011

• Apr 24, 2018

• #8

tramps’lady said:

hi all
going the 29th for a short visit, haven’t been in 8 years
what time is checkin? i’ve seen 1pm and 3 pm.
what if you show up early and your site is not ready? how early could you show up? we only live about 2 hours away so we usually get to WDW around 11 am.
we are in a 32foot motorhome no car towing this time.
thanks

Click to expand...

We just returned from our trip and our site was ready in 100 loop at 10AM. We are not picky on site#, but do want the 100 loop. Have been able to get it all but two times in many years (once was 200, once 300). Had #114 this time. Even when we had to wait - has been less than 30min.

 

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tramps’lady

Mouseketeer

Joined

Jan 8, 2018

• Apr 24, 2018

• #9

hoping for loop 300 near the dog park but will take what we can get. it is only 3 nights. hoping our new fur baby is good so she can come back. first time for her, third time for us at the Fort. we’ve been lucky with having our resort rooms ready when we arrive early so here’s to having our luck hold.
thanks for all your help.

 

hoop4321

Mouseketeer

Joined

May 18, 2008

• Apr 30, 2018

• #10

There should be a preferred check in time...I think you can change things in the disney experience app....we put noon. We got a text close to 11am that our site was ready. We did see quite a few people in over glow going in. The sites are a bit narrow, but once we got set up, it was very doable.

 

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tramps’lady

Mouseketeer

Joined

Jan 8, 2018

• May 1, 2018

• #11

here now
i got the site ready text around 10 am about a half an hour after we left home.
we got loop 300 which i was expecting due to having the dog. lots of empty spaces in the morning hours for early check ins

lots of people in line to checkin when we arrived around noon. most going right to their sites

having fun but it’s our last day. so sad

 

bama_ed

It's kind of fun to do the impossible-Walt Disney

Joined

Sep 23, 2004

• May 1, 2018

• #12

tramps'lady,

I'm glad to hear you didn't have much of a wait for your site in 300. One thing for others to be aware of: even if those sites are empty in the morning, their occupants may have already gotten their texts in the morning like the OP did. So even though they appear empty, they are already "taken" and not subject to swapping. Once a text is sent (if the guest uses the Early Check-in option), the site is "occupied" already (even if it's physically not yet).

Sounds like you had a fun trip.

Bama Ed

 

Last edited: May 1, 2018