back, and almost recovered

[Whosemom]

Well, we survived our first L-O-N-G haul with the new pop-up. We went through some terrible fog in the mountains in VA, but nothing icy.

I should have listened to you all and asked for the 1500 loop, we were in the 2000's and as far from the bus stop as we could be. My wee ones did well on the walk, though, and suprised me. We made it to the sing along once, but if it was closer, we would have gone more.

Seven days in the parks were not enough - we needed just one more day. It took us two days at each park. My kids love AK and the studios, so they take us longer than most people.

My recently-turned-3yo is KING. He rode everything he was allowed to - dinosaur, tower of terror, had to go 4 times on test track and twice on haunted mansion. (I mentioned somewhere else - there was no such thing as a line anywhere YIPPEEEEEE)

We had the expected figuring-out-where-everything-goes trials. Especially since our awning is 2.5 feet shorter than we're used to. We never had a screen room before. That was nice when it rained, but I don't think we'll mess with it on short trips.

Not to sound 90 years old or anything, but we were disappointed in the quality of our new camper. We bought the a Jayco because our 78 Jayco was well made, but the new one isn't as great. Even after careful leveling, the door doesn't shut well. We had to take off a cabinet door and reposition it to fit (thank goodness for a handy DH). Screws in lose, etc etc etc. "they just don't make 'em like they used to".

We stayed at a KOA near Kennedy Space Center. Our first KOA ever, it was grungy. I guess I thought they were supposed to be top shelf. They DID have a nice breakfast for $3. Didn't seem real used to kids. Any comments on KOA's in general? I'd like to know if I just made up that preconception based on advertising.

Then we stayed at an ocean front place in St Augustine. It was more like moving into a mobile home park than camping. but perfect for a one-night-stand. My kids hadn't been to the ocean that they could remember. It was great!! Even if they have on winter coats in the pictures!

Cold and Wet made for a GREAT WDW experience (in all seriousness)

 

[parrothead365]

Glad your back and had a good time We have stayed at that KOA before and it is not the norm for most KOAs. They are usually kept in much better shape. Which place in St. Augustine did you stay ? We go to Bryn Mawr just south of St.Augustine on A1A. It is pretty loaded up with park models but we stay on the ocean view lots, most have a deck a which makes it nice if you stay a week or so. It is a great place to spend a week in the summer, great beaches great food close by, and St.Augustine is a lot of fun.

 

[lindsey]

I know what you mean about not making the new campers as good as the old ones. We had to do several small fix-ups with our new Jayco also. We stayed in the 1400 loop last year and loved the location. The KOA in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is usually well kept.

 

[Whosemom]

Parrothead - we're just following you around - that's exactly where we stayed! We, too, thought that would be a great place for a week of playing on the beach in the summer. It was perfect for our needs this time. We were shutting down the camper for the winter, and it was good to be on the concrete to "de-sand" And the dryers in the laundry dry everything in one "turn" which was a relief after the $3 or $4 I had to spend per load just to dry at FW.

So I shouldn't give up on KOA's? That's good to know. We generally try to stick to State Parks, especially here closer to home, but a back up plan is good.

Lindsey - after fixing up the obvious stuff, is everything holding together well? (pleasesayyespleasesayyes)

 

[house_of_princesses]

WhoseMom, glad to hear you're home safe! And you had a wonderful time! Your 3 yo and my 2 yo should get together....what troopers! She loved Haunted Mansion, Barn Stormer, Pirates....and Buzz! (Her personal fave.)

Sorry to hear about the quality control. I'm picking up my search for a class c again, and this kind of stuff bothers me. I'm not handy! (But I'm trainable! )

I've been to a few KOA's that I didn't like. One in southern IL, (could have been the clientele for that weekend) and another near Marco Island. That could have been because I expect something top shelf from that particular area, having stayed at RV Resorts there. So, I'm comparing apples to lobster.

Happy New Year!

 

[lindsey]

No major problems, just small stuff. We've had our "new" camper for two years now and I think we got everything straightened out. We have made two FW trips in it and will be there in June. For us, the screenhouse is a plus on long trips, but not worth the hassle for small trips.

 

[Tina26]

Glad you and your little ones had a good time. Your three yo is a trooper! We've stayed at a KOA that I thought would be really nice from looking at pictures on the web. It was somewhere in Tennessee, can't remember exactly which one. Anyway, when we got there it was pretty much just a big parking lot with a few trees around. The good part was that we had rented a cabin and it was away from the rest of the campground (parking lot) and it was such a cute, cozy little cabin and very private. We ended up having a great time anyway but from the two KOA campgrounds I've seen, they just weren't what I expected.