Questions about check in and arrival

[MudQueen22]

We will arrive in the Orlando area the day before our check in. We will pick up our groceries that day and stay that night at Lake Louisa State Park.
We are trying to figure out the best time to arrive at the Fort.
What time does the Fort start getting busy at check-in? I've seen pictures of the RVs backed up quite a ways waiting for check-in, and I would like to avoid this.
Also, what time should we show up to maximize our chances of getting the site we want?

 

[bama_ed]

You can check in at the Fort as early as 605am (trust me it's deserted). I usually pull in about 630am (still deserted).

Honestly 9-10am is the latest I would say it's not busy at check-in. Folks don't have to check out till 11am and the procession of vehicles rolling out on busy days is a steady stream till about 1130am. By 11am I would say the arrival side starts getting active.

We've done Lake Louisa the night before and then headed over to the Fort many times. It's 30 minutes from the LL campsites (which are well back in the State Park) to the Fort check-in. To maximize your chances of getting your site, the Fort rolls over to "the next morning" at 605am as I said. That's why we get there at 630am. The early bird gets the worm.

I'm a "specific site" kinda guy (because I know the loop I like pretty well) so I tend to arrive sooner rather than later.

Bama Ed

PS - in all honesty, when you arrive really early, if you want a specific site or sites, you might end up waiting a couple hours for the chosen one to get vacated, blown, cleaned, and prepped. Miracles do happen the less specific you are. But don't count on getting on the chosen one at 635am.

PPS - "Ed, you say the early bird gets the worm". What do you mean?

I like loop 100. I know all the sites and numbers and whether their inside/outside big or small (although I have a popup so not that it matters). So if 116, 126, or 102 are available at arrival, great I will take any of them. But if they aren't available but the folks on 116 and 102 are leaving the day I arrive, I will wait for one of those if I can. But if Michael arrives before me, checks in and gets (and waits for) 116 then he's got it (even if he has to wait). The Jim arrives before me and gets 102 and is willing to wait for it then he's locked in. Finally when Ed rolls in later that morning all that's left is a site in 200 (no more 100 left). No more sites in 100 at all. So you can't really set a time as to when it's too late or early enough. I just get there as soon as I can and take what is left.

And if you're happy with whatever loop you get, you can probably get to your site sooner. I'm happy for you. It's a tradeoff and if it's not important to you then it's not worth it.

 

[tiggerdad]

Agreed, don't set your heart on a particular site, a specific loop, well getting there early you can maximize your chances of finding a site on a particular loop that is already cleaned. My advice would be to go ahead and get your shower and day prep (you know girls gotta blow dry hair, makeup, etc.) done before you pull out of Lake Louisa. That way, if you end up in overflow for whatever reason, you're already done and don't have to worry about hooking up to water or power to do so.

Like Ed said, 0605 is earliest they allow for check-in, I usually try to be no later than 0700 when I arrive. I'm not picky about my site nor loop. I have some favorites, but I'm not gonna sweat it over them.

 

[MudQueen22]

Thank you both for replying.

If we arrive at 7ish and want to pick our site, will they roll out a site map or will we have to ask? Will they have me already preassigned, and will they balk at us switching if we want something else?

It’s our first time to stay at the Fort. I don’t want to have unreasonable expectations, but want it to work out the best it can for us.

We are fairly sure we want the 400 loop, and are getting ideas based on Fort Friends app as to which sites we want. We don’t mind parking in overflow lot and playing at the Fort while we wait on our site.

 

[PaHunter]

Sites are assigned three days out, giant jigsaw puzzle that a computer figures out. Then there is a special CM that takes care of special requests and things the computer can't figure out. As you can see from our signature picture there are only so many places we fit. Sites are assigned based on availability left by people, and fit in everyone where they can. If people have done online check in their sites are locked in so you can not switch with them. You can ask what is available, but depending on arrival day, it may not be much.
If no one is leaving that day from the loop you want, then there is no way to get it. If 15 people are leaving they may have some room to shuffle you.
If you walk in and demand to switch sites, probably not going to go well. A little honey goes a long way.....seriously, be nice and reasonable and you never know what kind of pixie dust one can get.
For us, it has never been getting our loop. But, even then, it is Disney, relax, enjoy, it is all good.
Some people have some good luck with whatever site is ready when they arrive.

 

[MudQueen22]

Thanks for the response. It sounds like from your post that the Fort is busy enough that we may just have to take whatever is assigned to us. We requested the 400 loop when we upgraded to premium. Is there a good possibility that we will get it?
We aren't the type to pitch a fit and demand things, but we will politely ask. However, I didn't want to ask to see a map, only to discover that that gets their feathers ruffled or something.

 

[Mary2e]

When should I do online check in? The RV rental guy suggested the day before, but we got a big RV and want to make sure it will fit well I seem to recall you can’t do it more than a week in advance.

 

[PaHunter]

When should I do online check in? The RV rental guy suggested the day before, but we got a big RV and want to make sure it will fit well I seem to recall you can’t do it more than a week in advance.

Having the small RV we have, I call as soon I as make the reservation and have them add it in the comments. I then touch base with them about a week out to make sure the notation is still there. This way the CM overseeing the assignments can make the changes if they need to when the 3 days out comes and our site is assigned.

 

[PaHunter]

Thanks for the response. It sounds like from your post that the Fort is busy enough that we may just have to take whatever is assigned to us. We requested the 400 loop when we upgraded to premium. Is there a good possibility that we will get it?
We aren't the type to pitch a fit and demand things, but we will politely ask. However, I didn't want to ask to see a map, only to discover that that gets their feathers ruffled or something.

We have requested the 400 loop on two out of our three trips and no luck. May you have better luck.

 

[MudQueen22]

We have requested the 400 loop on two out of our three trips and no luck. May you have better luck.

What loops did you get? Were you happy with them?

 

[PaHunter]

What loops did you get? Were you happy with them?

One trip we ended up in 1400 which was nice, as we had our nephew with us. It was close to the campfire, meadows and the pool. The other trip we stayed in 1100, which is kind of out of the way, but was pretty quiet.
I am happy with any loop in Disney that I will fit in, after all I am in Disney on vacation and a bad day there is still better than a good day at work.

 

[shadowpup]

You can check in at the Fort as early as 605am (trust me it's deserted). I usually pull in about 630am (still deserted).

Are you able to get into a site at this time if you don't have a specific request?

 

[PaHunter]

Are you able to get into a site at this time if you don't have a specific request?

Sites are assigned to you 3 days prior to your arrival. So you will have a designated site in the system. If the person is out of your site, and it is clean then you could go. If the people stay in that site until check out time, 11am then it will still need to be cleaned and it maybe ready about 3pm.
The only sites that would be available at that time, would be unoccupied sites, and well there are not a whole lot of those.
Also depends on the day you are checking in, mid week may find an empty site, monday after all the weekend folks are there, not so much.
In the past we did 2 Feb trips and a Sept trip our site was not ready until after 3pm. We came in about 7am dropped our trailer and headed to the parks.
Some people have come in early and had a site ready.

 

[2rad4u]

Like Chris says above ^^, it all depends on whether your assigned site is ready. If it's not ready, it's not ready.

That would all depend on whether the site was occupied the night before and if so, when do the occupants leave.

I have read where some people have gone in early, found out their assigned site wasn't ready and asked to be moved to an unoccupied site and that worked out for them. I have no experience with that.