Toronto to FL, Newbie need some advices.

[peterkwok]

We just ordered a jayco X213 and will towed by Ml350 Bluetec. We plan a trip from Toronto to FL around beginning of Feb. ( Depend on the weather condition), this will be our first RV trip. We ( my wife , my 6 year’s old husky and I) will live in FL about 2 months, 1 month in center FL , another month in south FL. We are a newbie for all about RV, include driving TT and RV parks. We’ll go I75 just because I have a Dave Hunter’s book “ Along I-75”. Maybe we’ll drive 5-6 hours a day. So we need some advices about following questions.
1.We will live in hotel in first stop. But we don’t know if we can park in some RV parks from second stops, the lower temperature may be around or below 0C. If we can, what is we need to do? Just open furnace?
2.Any suggestions for stops ( RV Parks) on my road?
3.Any RV park in center and south FL suggestions? We hope live in a good RV park, my dog welcomed and have a good WiFi. Do we need to reserve the RV park first? How long time we need in advance?
4.What’s the different between Good Sam Parks, Private Parks and State Parks?
5.Any other advices?
Thanks,

[rwbradley]

joebedford wrote:
I know you said that this would be your first RV trip but have you ever pulled an RV before? If not, I recommend a short trip in Ontario so you can learn what's what. Unfortunately, this is not the time of year to be doing that.

I'm concerned that you'll be taking a brand new trailer across the border with no shakedown. You know that these things never work perfectly right out of the box, right? Could be warranty issues.

Good point!
You could try a night or two in the driveway. Not quite a full shakedown but if you pack like you are going on a trip, no going back into the house for the forgotten toothbrush 🙂 that may be enough to feel comfortable with the rig and to identify any major deficiencies.

[joebedford]

I know you said that this would be your first RV trip but have you ever pulled an RV before? If not, I recommend a short trip in Ontario so you can learn what's what. Unfortunately, this is not the time of year to be doing that.

I'm concerned that you'll be taking a brand new trailer across the border with no shakedown. You know that these things never work perfectly right out of the box, right? Could be warranty issues.

[rwbradley]

The toughest will be your first stop. I believe the KOA in Findlay OH will do the trick for you. It is open on the honor system (unmaintained and no water in winter), but it is a place to park and if I remember correctly it should be around 6ish hours from Toronto. Kentucky Horse Park State Park near Lexington KT may be a good second stop, again around another 6 hours but also no water in the winter. If I remember, both stops are just off I75 and once you clear the mountains you will probably have no trouble finding open parks and you may be able to de-winterize at the next stop.

[Parrothead_Mike]

You will definitely need to be close to accurate on your arrival dates. We're in FL now and have noticed that parks are definitely more crowded this year compared to our past 2 winters.

I suggest that you utilize RV Park Reviews.com for researching potential parks. Using this site you can click on the various park websites and those sites will often list their rules (dogs included). You can sometimes reserve a site online too.

http://www.rvparkreviews.com/

You will likely want to get into warmer temps before camping because, as you say, you're a newbie and your inexperience will likely work against you in regard to what some of us long-timers have learned over the years. And the comment about taking an electric space heater is a great suggestion. Keep using this forum and others on this site to ask questions about what to take, where to camp, and anything else that pops into your head.

Many of the parks will be full or nearly full in February. Don't let that discourage you though because there are a lot of parks in Florida. The further north and central the better your chances. Check around Ocala, Bushnell, Clermont in the north/central area. Sebring, Avon Park, Winter Haven, Arcadia further south. Definitely call ahead though.

Good luck with your trip and safe trailering.

[peterkwok]

Thanks Dream_Chaser! & rockhillmanor . Very useful information for me. My dog is about 65 lbs. I'll call ahead and check which CG's allow my pet. When I call the CG to make a reservation in FL, do I need to tell them the accurate arrive date? If the weather is no good on the way, the date may be delay, can I call them to keep my reservation in that case?

Thanks again.

Peter

[rockhillmanor]

Just a heads up about the dog. MANY CG's have a size and weight limit. Usually around 30 lbs. Some even have a banned breed list which you dog might be listed.

Sooo, call ahead and see which CG's will allow your pet.

Welcome and have a nice safe trip. :C

[Dream_Chaser_]

Peter

We just completed the trip from London, ON to central Florida along I-75 and were lucky enough to stay in campgrounds all the way. North of Cincinnati, there are very few open but there are a couple. Once you get into Kentucky and south, there are more open campgrounds -- and most within 1/2 mile of I-75.

We found that using campgrounds, the electric heater kept us cozy at night in our 32' motor home and the hydro was free.

Any campgrounds that are open, are not busy and reservations not necessary. Once you get into Central Florida, things will change as they are filling up with snowbirds. Call in advance just to be safe.

Have a safe and enjoyable trip in your new rig.

p.s. -- we stayed in KOA and Good Sam Parks and found all were clean, had friendly, helpful staff and last but not least -- good wifi connections.