Minimum Night Requirement?

[nickcapp]

I'm having a more difficult time than usual getting SOMETHING for a long weekend in a tent capable site at the fort.

Saturday-Tuesday is not showing any availability for anything, however, Saturday-Monday is in a Preferred site, and Sunday-Tuesday is in a standard Tent/Pop up site, but no combination of the two!

Basically, even if I was ok with packing up the tent and moving, I can't seem to book one night on either side of the dates (I would prefer to move after the first night if need be)...is this common? Are there typically minimum night bookings in place? Any suggestions?

 

[snowmedic]

I'm having a more difficult time than usual getting SOMETHING for a long weekend in a tent capable site at the fort.

Saturday-Tuesday is not showing any availability for anything, however, Saturday-Monday is in a Preferred site, and Sunday-Tuesday is in a standard Tent/Pop up site, but no combination of the two!

Basically, even if I was ok with packing up the tent and moving, I can't seem to book one night on either side of the dates (I would prefer to move after the first night if need be)...is this common? Are there typically minimum night bookings in place? Any suggestions?

To me it seems like you are looking for a Sat.- Tues. but nothing available, But there is on the other days, so, choose which site you want to book and book it and then you can try picking up the missing day by calling and checking online every day multiple times per day. Seems like a lot of work, but it does work.

People booking packages have up to 60 days before check-in to cancel and room only have 5 days. Good luck.

 

[PaHunter]

Well it also depends on what weekend you are trying to book. Is there a marathon going on ?? Or is it a holiday weekend ?? It is a very popular place, and now that snowbird season has arrived.

 

[bama_ed]

If it were me I would take the Saturday-Monday that I could get and keep trying to pick up the Tuesday.

I was at the Fort for this past Halloween week and someone came in who had booked a reservation late and had pieced together most of their dates they wanted but was missing one day in the middle. When they checked in at the Fort, the Cast Member looked in the computer and fixed them up with their missing date.

So keep trying down to the last minute.

Bama Ed

PS - what dates are you looking at?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

I'm having a more difficult time than usual getting SOMETHING for a long weekend in a tent capable site at the fort.

1) Yep.
2) Weekend camping at The Fort is VERY popular, especially for locals or semi-locals
. . . we call locals as those 1-2 hours away
. . . we call semi-locals as those 4-5 hours away
3) WDW is trying to accommodate longer-stay campers, therefore filling more paid-nights.
4) Thus, the priority is for ressies which include more than just weekend nights.
5) If you add Thursday or Monday, getting weekend days is far easier (obviously, holiday weekend and holiday weeks are always tough).

EXAMPLE:
You want a Fri-Sat or Fri-Sat-Sun ressie.
Nothing is available.
You now try for Thu-Fri-Sat-Sun or Fri-Sat-Sun-Mon (adding a weekday before or after your dates).
There could be multiple ressies available for your stay.

 

[tinkerjo]

Ok, now I have a question. I have a sun-Thursday ressie but still need Friday. There is everything available for Friday but a tent site( the one I need) should I book my last night with the full hookup site in hopes they won't make me move or a tent site becomes available or just keep looking for my Friday night tent site (ressie is end of February- 1st of March.) any input is appreciated as we have never camped here before but done the cabins a few times

 

[PaHunter]

Ok, now I have a question. I have a sun-Thursday ressie but still need Friday. There is everything available for Friday but a tent site( the one I need) should I book my last night with the full hookup site in hopes they won't make me move or a tent site becomes available or just keep looking for my Friday night tent site (ressie is end of February- 1st of March.) any input is appreciated as we have never camped here before but done the cabins a few times

I would book the FHU then keep checking back for a tent site. One may open up. It is possible that the people that are booked may cancel a site as it gets closer if they can't make it.

 

[amcc]

1) Yep.
2) Weekend camping at The Fort is VERY popular, especially for locals or semi-locals
. . . we call locals as those 1-2 hours away
. . . we call semi-locals as those 4-5 hours away
3) WDW is trying to accommodate longer-stay campers, therefore filling more paid-nights.
4) Thus, the priority is for ressies which include more than just weekend nights.
5) If you add Thursday or Monday, getting weekend days is far easier (obviously, holiday weekend and holiday weeks are always tough).

EXAMPLE:
You want a Fri-Sat or Fri-Sat-Sun ressie.
Nothing is available.
You now try for Thu-Fri-Sat-Sun or Fri-Sat-Sun-Mon (adding a weekday before or after your dates).
There could be multiple ressies available for your stay.

Why doesn't the Fort just go to minimum night reservations and BE HONEST ABOUT IT? I understand wanting the longer reservations but that statement holds no water when you see the amounts of people just on these forums who brag about booking one-night throwaway reservations. Why won't the Fort not permit one night reservations ONLY with less than 30 days unless you were adding to a longer reservation? It's just that I see this statement from someone who works on the inside but the throwaway practice is common enough that there are hundreds of posts about it. It's not as if Disney is filling these one-nighters at the last minute - they are beyond 60 days out. Maybe the one-nighters are messing with people who want longer reservations.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Why doesn't the Fort just go to minimum night reservations and BE HONEST ABOUT IT?

1) Because, like any other accommodation, there are times that a 1-2 night ressie fills a hole in the vacancy.
2) Any income is better than nothing.
3) Empty rooms or vacant sites are missed revenue opportunities.
4) But, longer stays are better than short stays.
5) In the long run, money-is-money and bucks-is-bucks.

 

[halfpintpeggy]

Why doesn't the Fort just go to minimum night reservations and BE HONEST ABOUT IT? I understand wanting the longer reservations but that statement holds no water when you see the amounts of people just on these forums who brag about booking one-night throwaway reservations. Why won't the Fort not permit one night reservations ONLY with less than 30 days unless you were adding to a longer reservation? It's just that I see this statement from someone who works on the inside but the throwaway practice is common enough that there are hundreds of posts about it. It's not as if Disney is filling these one-nighters at the last minute - they are beyond 60 days out. Maybe the one-nighters are messing with people who want longer reservations.

I agree with you that the throwaways can be frustrating. But, of course Disney would not be filling these one-nighters at the last minute, these sites are already paid for!