Food At DVC; what would you pack if you camped first?

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

Ok, crazies that we are, we're going to try camping in a tent for the first time ever, anywhere, at FW the saturday night before we check into OKW (1 bdrm) the next day.

Here's my dilemma: I'm completely befudded about what food to bring down with me since it will have to stay in the cooler from saturday am to sunday pm. Do I just say the heck with it and go shopping at publix on sunday before we check into OKW, or do I try and bring a bunch of frozen lasagnas and hope they don't defrost completely before I can get them into the fridge at OKW?

Any advice? Anybody camped the day before they checked into DVC? Any advice would be appreciated...

 

[eeyore45]

Well my first thought was ship it!! I love shipping our snacks and wine UPS - it arrived with no problems at BWV -

but I didnt pack frozen food of course - I guess I'd buy the fresh stuff at publix - I'll let someone else chime in - you might want to check in at the camping forum too -

 

[CarolMN]

I would just go shopping before I checked into OKW - why worry about stuff in the cooler? You'll already have plenty of camping stuff to worry about!

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

I would just go shopping before I checked into OKW - why worry about stuff in the cooler? You'll already have plenty of camping stuff to worry about!

I think you're right. My next post will now be over in the camping section asking what else do I need besides a tent and a sleeping bag

 

[CarolMN]

I think you're right. My next post will now be over in the camping section asking what else do I need besides a tent and a sleeping bag

A reservation at the GF?

 

[vandy]

Ok, crazies that we are, we're going to try camping in a tent for the first time ever, anywhere, at FW the saturday night before we check into OKW (1 bdrm) the next day.

Here's my dilemma: I'm completely befudded about what food to bring down with me since it will have to stay in the cooler from saturday am to sunday pm. Do I just say the heck with it and go shopping at publix on sunday before we check into OKW, or do I try and bring a bunch of frozen lasagnas and hope they don't defrost completely before I can get them into the fridge at OKW?

Any advice? Anybody camped the day before they checked into DVC? Any advice would be appreciated...

We check in first, unload and then get groceries. Publix is nice and there is a Winn-Dixie just off Hotel Plaza Blvd and left on Apopka-Vineland.

 

[emlutz23]

I don't think you need to bother bringing frozen food with you. When we go camping, all we need are some hot dogs, sticks and a campfire! Keep it simple and don't forget to make s'mores!

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

A reservation at the GF?

Heh! That's why I'm only brave enough to try it for one night! I figure, if I don't like camping at FW, there's no way I'm going to like it anywhere.

Seriously, I'd take a campsite at FW for 50 bucks over a 50 buck hotel any day, I'd think.

I may be eating those words...

I did post over on the camping board, and I got lots of good advice

 

[Inkmahm]

Heh! That's why I'm only brave enough to try it for one night! I figure, if I don't like camping at FW, there's no way I'm going to like it anywhere.

Seriously, I'd take a campsite at FW for 50 bucks over a 50 buck hotel any day, I'd think.

I may be eating those words...

I did post over on the camping board, and I got lots of good advice

But did you have to buy the tent and sleeping bags, too, if this is your first ever camping trip?
I'd have spent the money on a hotel instead. There are bugs, snakes, other icky things outside when you camp. Especially in Florida.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

But did you have to buy the tent and sleeping bags, too, if this is your first ever camping trip?
I'd have spent the money on a hotel instead. There are bugs, snakes, other icky things outside when you camp. Especially in Florida.

We got them as christmas presents from my MIL, who knows I'm not a big fan of roughing it in any form.

I'm not worried about bugs and snakes, I actually am very critter oriented, I really have issues with being wet and/or cold, though. Probably not a problem with cold during the summer, thank goodness.

 

[Inkmahm]

I also won't give up my A/C, especially not in the summer in Florida. No way, no how.

 

[lizziepooh]

I would advise camping for one night near home first just to get an idea of what all you need. You may decide it isn't worth hauling all of your camping gear for just one night. It takes up a lot of space in the car, plus I assume you'll want to haul it all into your DVC unit and not leave it in the parked car. A sleeping bag on the ground is not very comfortable. You may want at least an air mattress under it. I would purchase frozen stuff after you get to your DVC unit. Keep the camp food simple.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

I am already laughing as I start thinking about what this trip report would look like. I've never written one before, but this trip just might merit one.

 

[alldiz]

I agree with above poster... dont camp for the 1st time at wdw....

Try camping in your backyard one night....

The main idea is to get comfortable setting up your tent.....

Then see if you can sleep in it with no a/c in the summer....

It sounds like a fun idea....but definately do a test run....
Pack a battery fan....I did this once....and it saved me....
Enjoy
Kerri

 

[canda]

Don't listen to these naysayers. It is WDW, not the woods. The poster above said it the best, about a $50 hotel room. I have to go to Myrtle Beach for buisness this week and my room will cost 200 per night and I have the chills right now just thinking about what kind of nasty adventure this will be.
The St. Regents at the Caravelle ???????????

You have a tent, and sleeping bag. you need nothing else. I have camped with far less than either of those luxuries.

The only thing you would really need is a tarp for the ground (to put the tent on) a flash light and an airmattress would be nice.

FW has all the food you would want to eat.

As for your frozen Laz. I don't think the FL heat will make the thaw out very sanitary. Even in a cooler. I would bring all your dry goods and non perishables with you and keep in your car. This will save you time at the grocery store. Then you just have to hit the fresh, frozen and milk areas when you go. that winn-dixie is close to OKW.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

We're southerners, so hot sticky heat is fairly tolerable for us. Heck, we used to live in south florida with a truck with no ac!

Is there an a/c plug at our camping site, does anyone know?

I can bring the big box fan and point it at us if we need to, but I don't want to throw it in the minivan (which, incidentally, is large enough that we can all sleep in it if it pours outside and we chicken out) if there's no place to plug it in...

My husband came home yesterday with a camping magazine...

 

[canda]

If you put up your tent correctly, then it should hold up to a pretty good rain storm. I have only camped one time at FW a long time ago. It was a crazy 1day trip during college. Asheville to wdw. (in a jeep with no top)

I can't remember about the hook ups, but if it rains, you will stay much cooler in the tent than in the car. (and dryer, because you will not sweat as much as in a closed up stuffy car.) tents should have mesh windows that can stay open during rain. I think the big fan would be a little much. Its only one night.


Campers are very nice people and love to give a helping hand. Don't be afraid to ask for help and tell them this is your first time. You may be invited for smores.

Happy trails, and let us know how it goes.

Just keep in mind the master bed in OKW will feel like shangra la when you check in.

 

[ILuvDVC2]

We check in first, unload and then get groceries. Publix is nice and there is a Winn-Dixie just off Hotel Plaza Blvd and left on Apopka-Vineland.

We usually hit the Winn-Dixie as it's cheaper than Publix.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

If you put up your tent correctly, then it should hold up to a pretty good rain storm.
Campers are very nice people and love to give a helping hand. Don't be afraid to ask for help and tell them this is your first time. You may be invited for smores.

Happy trails, and let us know how it goes.

Just keep in mind the master bed in OKW will feel like shangra la when you check in.

I'm kinda more worried about lightning than actual rain, but the tent is brand new and seems pretty cool and has some sort of a tent over the tent that's supposed to keep out rain. I know I'll learn terms eventually.

I noticed that I wrote "a/c", I meant "alternating current" but it sure looks like I was thinking "air conditioning"

This is the first time we're staying in a 1 bedroom DVC (we normally stay in studios), so between the bed and that giant tub we're certain to be VERY appreciative

We learned never to do DVC first and then something else after...however, if my romantic notions of camping (er, I mean idealized-we'll have two kids in the tent with us ) pan out, I may be changing my tune.

Although my husband says that any woman that travels with her PDA, all her makeup and her Tivo (yeah, I actually bring it with me!), is not a good candidate for roughing it...

We'll probably hit the publix because I'm familiar with them (it's where I shop here) and I know where the rotisserie chicken, sweet tea, white mountain bread and southern style potato salad always is (within about 20 feet of each other)-instant good dinner for less than 20 bucks! Plus it gives my husband an excuse to stop at one of the gazillion cheap tee shirt places on the way over to 192.

 

[Kickapoo Joie Juice]

We did it! We camped! Although I think it was sort of cheating because we got there around 5 pm on saturday, and there was a light rain falling. We were at campsite #1504, right next to the comfort station. At first I thought that was really good, but then later on at night I could hear the door opening and closing and it was kind of annoying, so next time I might ask for one a few away.

Anyhow, we got there and put the tent up, it went right up with no trouble. I think it's called a Wegman or something like that. We put up the rain fly (is that right?), put the blow up mattress in there, and zipped it up and took off for the Magic Kingdom. We were going to do the campfire but at that point it was raining hard enough that we thought ponchoes at the MK would work better.

We ended up staying at MK until midnight, stumbled back to our campsite (totally forgot what color bus we were supposed to get on but the bus guys were really nice-at least we remembered what loop we were in), and pulled the sleeping bags and pillows out of our car and crawled in and konked out. It had stopped raining around 10 pm so everything was fairly dry.

We ended up turning on the fan inside the tent not because we were hot, but the CRITTERS outside made so much noise! An armadillo kept walking past and making snuffling noises, and there were other interesting non-human noises going on. We were really not used to it, but we thought it was neat. The fan muffled the sounds o' nature enough that we could sleep.

We got up the next morning, the kids and I had totally kicked my hubby off the air mattress at some point during the night and despite the good sleeping bag he said he got a little cold. There's enough room for one more mattress (twin sized) to squeeze in there so I think we'll do that.

We didn't get to make smores or do the other awesome stuff that FW has, so we want to come back and do it again. I didn't want to crack open the suitcases to get our clothes and toiletries for a shower, so we rolled over to OKW around 10:30, rumpled and vaguely smelly, and thank goodness they had a room ready-we totally weren't expecting it, we usually check in early and then call around 3 when our room's supposed to be ready, so it was very nice.

The one bedroom, oh nelly, I'm now officially spoiled. You couldn't get me out of that tub with a spatula. The kitchen was HUGE! I made mickey waffles twice.

I liked camping, but I'm not planning on trading my DVC for an RV anytime soon.