# OFFICIAL OCTOBER 2017 pretrip and trip report!



## serenitygr

All right, everyone- this is it! I hope you are all as excited to be reading this as I am to be writing it! For everyone arriving in October- just a reminder that you are all invited and more than welcome to post on this thread! Instead of everyone doing an individual trip report, this way we can all share our experiences on one "easy to read and follow along" post. 

My name is Shelly, but for the DIS boards I am serenitygr. Some of you remember me from several years ago when we drove our "rolling turd" all the way from Minnesota. That was an amazing trip, and one I will never forget. Then almost 2 years ago, we came down and rented a camper from Florida Camper Rental during October- another beautiful trip! Both times we had the pleasure of meeting some legendary DIS folks, and hope we'll have the chance to do that again this fall!

*ALL RIGHT OCTOBER DIS'ERS! IT'S ALMOST TIME! THIS IS A LIST OF ALL OUR OCTOBER CAMPERS THAT WE KNOW SO FAR, AND THEIR ARRIVAL DATES! (If I've made any mistakes please don't hesitate to let me know and I'll fix them!) HOPING THIS WILL MAKE IT EASIER TO MEET UP WITH FELLOW DIS MEMBERS, AND MAKE SOME NEW FRIENDSHIPS! FEEL FREE TO HOP INTO THIS TRIP REPORT ANYTIME YOU'D LIKE TO GIVE US AN UPDATE, AND WE DEFINATELY LOVE PICTURES! LET'S CARRY ON THIS AWESOME TRADITION, AND GIVE OUR NOVEMBER FRIENDS SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO!*

*1.  tregal16:  9/30-10/9 
2.  BnD:   9/30-10/8 (requested 1500 loop)
3.  PatriciaH:  staying all of October!
4.  serenitygr: 10/1-10/15 (requested 1400 loop)
5.  rml0win:  10/1-10/18 (request 1700 loop)
6.  tripleb:   10/1-10/8 (requested 1600 loop)
7.* *ruthies12:  10/5-10/15 (requested 400 loop)
8.  dalir:  10/6-10/9 (full hook up site)
9. Tlat1270:  10/7-10/20 (requested 1500 loop)
10. JETS70:  10/9-10/15
11.  FrozenOne16: 10/9-10/12 (tent camping)
12. proudmomof4: 10/7-10/15 (premium site) (updated arrival date)
13.  jn3cv1:  10/14-10/28
14.  FortWildernessCamper: 10/14-10/20 (requested 1800)
15.  Tmom5: 10/14-10/21
16.  ms2058: 10/15-10/21
17.  jabrabu:  10/15-10/21 (full hookup site)
18.  SmithCrazy3: 10/15-10/21
19.  snowmedic:  10/17-10/26 or 11/3 (requested 1600 loop)
20.  nnw:  10/18-10/29 (cabins)
21.  wilkeliza:  10/19-10/22 (cabins)
22.  Bdev13:  10/19-10/27 (preferred site)
23.  KPSmithSr:  10/20-11/17
24.  Jimsig: 10/20-10/29 (3 cabins!)
25.  lokin4deer: 10/21-10/27 
(requested 100 loop)
26.  sheboz: 10/21-10/27 (premium site)
27.  Judyfun:  10/21-10/28 (4 families!)
28.  Sb4:  10/22-10/27
29.  N365PA: 10/23-10/27
30.  allaboutthemouse: 10/26-11/5
31.  mickeyfan0805: 10/26-11/5
32.  FLBBQMAN: 10/26-11/5 (premium site) 
33.  jhomuth: 10/27-11/7 (requested 1700 loop)
34.  BamaEd: 10/29-11/5 (requested 100 loop)
35.  DisneyFran: 10/29-11/4 (tent camping)
36.  mich1073: 10/29-11/1 (3 premium sites)
37.  mtnminnie: staying Halloween week (tent camping)
38.  superblonde29: (not sure on dates)
39. Flametamr: 10/30-11/6 (requested 700 loop)*

Last September, we were blessed to be able to purchase the most beautiful camper in the world (to our family, anyway, she is!)  We still have not settled on a name for her, because almost as soon as we bought her, she went into storage for the winter. But this summer, as we get to know her better, we will come up with a worthy name for her! We are planning to head to Florida exactly 5 months from today- that will give us 5 days to drive the 1800 miles, and we're checking into the Fort on October 1st, and checking out 2 weeks later. Over the next 5 months hopefully we'll get many chances to let everyone know how our preparation and planning is going, as well as hearing how others are getting ready!

I also have to try to remember how to do the picture posting- any reminders would be great! 

Just a quick outline of what are plans are: We will be going to Universal 3 days during our first week- we've never been there so that will be a new experience! We'll also be spending one day at Gatorland, and one day at LEGOLAND. We are not doing any days at Hollywood Studios this trip, planning one day at Animal Kingdom just to see what Avatar Land is like, planning a day at Epcot just to tour the countries with just my 2 boys (they are turning 15 this May!) , planning one additional day for all of us at Epcot so we can do Soaring and Test Track, and planning to do the Halloween party one of our nights!  And in the middle of that, I'm hoping to sneak away to Magic Kingdom for a few hours every chance I get- that is my happy place other than the Fort. 

Some of our other plans include my daughter and I doing the trail ride (that's become a tradition for us) , doing the parasailing, the Hoop Dee Doo one night, Cape May Seafood Buffet one night, and hopefully staying at Magic Kingdom one night until closing to say I was there for the "goodnight kiss"..... I think my 2 boys might want to do this with me as well!

Our family includes me, Joe (my other half, who is also our driver), Korey and Kody- our twin 15 year old boys, and Sammi and Scotty- our twin 12 year old girl and boy! And to make our trip even more exciting- my brother, his wife, and my mom are flying down to spend the first week with us! Mom will be staying in the camper with us, and my brother Steve and his wife Cindy will be pitching a tent on our site! We are very much hoping for the 1431 or 1432 site in Big Bear Loop- that spot has a very special meaning for us, so keeping our fingers crossed that will work out!

Looking forward to hearing from more of you!


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## Judyfun

We are doing a large family (multi (4) campers) trip coming in on 10/21 leaving on 10/28, but I will be trying to extend my site to 11/1 if at all possible.   My Brother and his wife (never been to the Fort), their Daughter, son-in-law and Granddaughter (never even been to Disney), my Daughter and Son-in-law  and my other daughter and her boyfriend.     My biggest concern is if I have enough decorations to make all sites Halloweenish.    We just got the golf cart totallllly updated, paint job, new seats, new extended roof, new tires, and drink holders for the back.  Painted the color of Sully and will be making it into Sully for this trip!


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## jabrabu

We have a reservation for 10/15 to 10/21, Full Hook Up site.  It will be my wife, my 10 year old son, and me.  We have a 24 ft. motorhome.  We usually stay at Shades of Green, and once stayed at All Star Movies, but this will be our first time at the campground.  Looking forward to the new experience of camping at WDW.  We may also try one of the water parks, which we have never done.  We are from MD.


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## PatriciaH

We will be there all of October. See you there


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## snowmedic

I will tag along on this trip report instead of doing one of my own.  This trip will be just the 3 of us again, me, DW, and DD10.  We will be leaving NW VT. on Oct. 11 and heading down to, Bueller, Bueller, anyone?  Destin, that's right, going to go and spend a couple days with my parents and sister again.  I say a couple of days because my parents come for a visit that last about 1 1/2 months, so they should be good for a couple days, and my mom might come down and spend some time at the Fort anyway.  

After spending the couple days in Destin, I will miss the Seafood Festival while we are there, we will be heading out at our normal time, 10:30 pm EST. on Monday the 16th for a nice and early Oct. 17 check-in.  Have requested 1600 again, I wonder if I will get 1642 again this trip.  Anyway, our Fort dates are Oct. 17 - Nov. 3.  I made ADR's on Sunday, here is a preview:

Tues. 17,  GAG,  don't need ADR just thought I would list it, it has become a ritual on check-in day.
Weds. 18, Whispering Canyon Breakfast, made ADR because of sleeping in that morning.   
Fri. 20, Boat House @ the Springs.
Sun. 22, Whispering Canyon for Dinner, love there breakfast and the antics that go on, so we thought we might try dinner.
Tues. 24, Ohana,  never done this one but the menu looked good.
Oct. 28, my Birthday,  I will be 47, Shula's at the Dolphin Hotel.  Can't wait to sink my teeth into that 48 oz. Porterhouse.  That night DD will be going over to Lilo's playhouse at the Poly while we have dinner.
Sun. 29, T-Rex, @ the Springs
Mon. 30, Trails End
Thurs. 2, Trails End for last dinner at the Fort
Fri. 3, Whispering Canyon for breakfast the morning of departure.  
We will do TE more than once, just have to decide what days and just make ADR that morning, worked pretty well when we did it back in March.
I will do a full restaurant review like last time.

As for parks, let me see.  We will still have our AP for Aquatica, thinking we might do AP's for Universal so we can do those 2 parks and also try out there new waterpark. 
DW wants to do MK, if we decide on that I will probably just get the MNSSHP tickets.
I believe we are going to Clear Water Aquarium, so DD can see Flipper,  I mean Winter.
There will also be another Orlando Eye ride again, and more time over in Cocoa Beach, hopefully the locks will be open to the public and we can see some fish and Manatees.  If not, I know where to go to see the Manatees in Palm Bay.

Yes, once again we will be staying in a tent.  I will be bringing my portable A/C with us, thanks again for that @tiggerdad.  We will also be bringing a few (2-3) Halloween decorations and 2-3 Christmas decorations.  Plus I will have my fireworks display again this year.  

For now that is all I can think of.  Until later,  Snowmedic


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## tiggerdad

Hey Vince, as always we'll we reading along.  My girls are on fall break the 9th and 10th of October which only gives us a short window so October is off the menu for us this year.  Not sure when I'm going to be able to make this work out for a return trip for us.


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## Teamubr

Great start, Shelly and Vince. I'll be there a couple of weeks before you. I'll leave the light on. 

It sounds like you both have pretty good plans. Other than KTTK tour and a couple of ADRs, I'm not even sure what park on what day I'll be in. According to the crowd calendars, it should be a great time for all of us. I may just take things day to day this trip. I've never done that before. 

j


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## bama_ed

In on page 1.

I'm still sitting on a week's reservation during Halloween week.  

Serenitygr, my hat's off to you starting this thread 5 months in advance.  


Bama Ed


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## serenitygr

bama_ed said:


> In on page 1.
> 
> I'm still sitting on a week's reservation during Halloween week.
> 
> Serenitygr, my hat's off to you starting this thread 5 months in advance.
> 
> 
> Bama Ed


I think I'm overly excited


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## sheboz

Hi, My name is Jennie and we're Fort virgins. We will be driving from Windsor Ontario Canada. We check in October 21-27. We have a new to us A class motor home. We are a family of 5. DS 13, DD 10 and DS 3.

We will be in the parks daily and attending MNSSHP.
Dining reservations are made.

Currently we are completing some improvements on the motor home. New headers, new O2 sensors, new hydrolic lines and new flooring.

I enjoy reading about Fort Wilderness. We have booked a premium site. Could you recommend your favourite loop and tell me why please. Looking forward to learning more about the Fort.


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## peg110

to the Fort Jennie. If you like camping, I am sure you will love the Fort.

For Premium Sites, we really like the 1400 (Big Bear) loop and/or the 1000 Loop (Raccoon Lane) because of their proximity to the Meadows Trading Post, the pool, and other activities in that area.


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## jv3cv1

We will be there Oct 14-28 hope to add a few days before or after if they come available. We just love the fort. Was supposed to be Christmas trip with the kids but plans changed.


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## peg110

jv3cv1 said:


> Was supposed to be Christmas trip with the kids but plans changed.


I think that's our "Mantra"  *PLANS CHANGE*! Until we actually Arrive, the plans will change a 1000 times.... Then after we arrive they will change a 1000 more.


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## FtW Mike

bama_ed said:


> In on page 1.
> 
> I'm still sitting on a week's reservation during Halloween week.
> 
> Serenitygr, my hat's off to you starting this thread 5 months in advance.
> 
> 
> Bama Ed


  Bama at the 8 month mark I am busy doing my preplanning planning


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## serenitygr

Just a quick update- pretty excited! It looks like I have found a much better savings on LEGOLAND tickets!! We were planning on buying 4 adult tickets, and then getting the 2 younger twins in free with the "buy one adult/get one free" coupons. But after researching more on the DIS boards (of course!) I found out since we homeschool, we are eligible to purchase our tickets for the special homeschool rate. We just have to bring proof from our school district that we do indeed homeschool, which should not be hard to do! So instead of over $300, our tickets will end up costing about $125!! That is such a HUGE savings! Just the difference in that will pay for 2 of our Halloween party tickets! So excited!


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## peg110

FtW Mike said:


> Bama at the 8 month mark I am busy doing my preplanning planning



So let me understand You wil plan to plan the planning?


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## serenitygr

peg110 said:


> So let me understand You wil plan to plan the planning?


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## FtW Mike

peg110 said:


> So let me understand You wil plan to plan the planning?


 No Paul at this stage of the highly scientific process we follow we are conducting extensive debates of what activities we want to engage in.  Then formulate a preliminary agenda of where we will need to be and how long it will take to get there taking into consideration an assortment of variables such as crowd levels, anticipated atmospheric and meteorological conditions, time of day ,  The degree of cooperation we get from and the overall behavior and attitude of the furballs.  Then consider the alternative options weigh the pros and cons of each before tentatively committing to the proposed agenda while continuously  investigating alternatives based on the above parameters and what we feel like doing for that particular day


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## serenitygr

FtW Mike said:


> No Paul at this stage of the highly scientific process we follow we are conducting extensive debates of what activities we want to engage in.  Then formulate a preliminary agenda of where we will need to be and how long it will take to get there taking into consideration an assortment of variables such as crowd levels, anticipated atmospheric and meteorological conditions, time of day ,  The degree of cooperation we get from and the overall behavior and attitude of the furballs.  Then consider the alternative options weigh the pros and cons of each before tentatively committing to the proposed agenda while continuously  investigating alternatives based on the above parameters and what we feel like doing for that particular day


I feel tired just reading all that


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## peg110

FtW Mike said:


> No Paul at this stage of the highly scientific process we follow we are conducting extensive debates of what activities we want to engage in.  Then formulate a preliminary agenda of where we will need to be and how long it will take to get there taking into consideration an assortment of variables such as crowd levels, anticipated atmospheric and meteorological conditions, time of day ,  The degree of cooperation we get from and the overall behavior and attitude of the furballs.  Then consider the alternative options weigh the pros and cons of each before tentatively committing to the proposed agenda while continuously  investigating alternatives based on the above parameters and what we feel like doing for that particular day


Oh.... I see, you are devising to outline a process to develop a schedule that will allow for the direction of movement in an adequate fashion for sufficient execution with minimal supervision based leadership channels from your local organization to strategically schedule, with oversight controls and input from multiple channels while tactically wielding the information with the intendance, through detail manipulation to posture the planning effort.

Thanks for Clarifying it.

 
~ Eschew Obfuscation ~


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## FtW Mike

peg110 said:


> Oh.... I see, you are devising to outline a process to develop a schedule that will allow for the direction of movement in an adequate fashion for sufficient execution with minimal supervision based leadership channels from your local organization to strategically schedule, with oversight controls and input from multiple channels while tactically wielding the information with the intendance, through detail manipulation to posture the planning effort.
> 
> Thanks for Clarifying it.
> 
> 
> ~ Eschew Obfuscation ~


 See you got it and if all else fails remember the 7 P's   Proper Prior Planning Prevents Pxxx Poor Performances


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## peg110

Indeed!

I am now exhausted though.


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## ruthies12

Well the beginning of this thread was hilarious and I'm so glad I get to join in on this TR!!!!

So our plans are to leave our Kentucky home on Wednesday October 4th when DD gets out of school and start the 14 hour drive.  Hope to make it south of Atlanta to twin oaks.  The next day should only have 5 more hours to do and hope to arrive at the Fort around 2 pm.  We have a premium site booked and I will be requesting 400 loop again cause we loved being so close to the marina last time.  It will be me, DH, and DD 8 and DD 4 and our furbaby 10 year old saint bernard.  Our plans are :

Thurs 5th- check in, set up, dinner at chef mickeys at 5:45 pm.
Fri 6th- MK with early morning EMH, bibbidi bobbidi boutique for both girls at 11:10 am, then lunch at the castle at 1:10 pm.
Sat 7th- Start the day at HS, then go to Disney Springs for shopping and dinner, DD8 wants to do the balloon ride.
Sun 8th- Epcot all day hitting up some food and wine booths
Mon 9th- DH and DD4 staying at the campground to relax, DD 8 and myself will be going to Universal (we upgraded our tickets to annual passes for only 30 bucks when we were there last fall on a girls trip), probably just for the afternoon and then we'll all go to the campfire together that evening.
Tues 10th- Epcot again probably, possibly AK, waiting to see how exciting Pandora is.
Wed 11th- AK, might make a tusker house ADR with rivers of light viewing if they ever open those reservations
Thurs 12th- late breakfast at Trails End, then heading to MK for Pirates League makeovers for all four of us at 2 pm then staying for the Halloween Party dressed as pirates.
Fri 13th- Sleeping in, maybe swimming in the afternoon, DD8 and I might do one more afternoon at Universal, then we have ADR at 1900 Park Faire at 5:10 pm.  If we aren't too tired afterwards, will go to the campfire.
Sat 14th- Will do an early morning at MK for rides, then go back to campground for a nap and to pack up the camper, then back to MK for dinner at BOG at 6:35 pm then staying for fireworks.
Sun 15th- the saddest day, heading home, will leave very early am cause it's a long drive doing 14 hours straight.

We have - campsite booked, 7 day tickets bought from undercover tourist, above ADR's made except for the tusker house one.  Still need to get- Halloween tickets!


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## ruthies12

serenitygr- we definitely need to meet up since we will be there at the same time!!

Forgot to mention my mom and her husband will be with us this trip, hoping we can get campsites near each other, they have a big ol diesel pusher, it's nice! their campsite is booked and they are on some of our ADR's with us.


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## morrik5

sheboz said:


> Hi, My name is Jennie and we're Fort virgins. We will be driving from Windsor Ontario Canada. We check in October 21-27. We have a new to us A class motor home. We are a family of 5. DS 13, DD 10 and DS 3.
> 
> We will be in the parks daily and attending MNSSHP.
> Dining reservations are made.
> 
> Currently we are completing some improvements on the motor home. New headers, new O2 sensors, new hydrolic lines and new flooring.
> 
> I enjoy reading about Fort Wilderness. We have booked a premium site. Could you recommend your favourite loop and tell me why please. Looking forward to learning more about the Fort


We're from Oshawa, Ontario - enjoyed the 1100 loop also because of its proximity to the Trading Post, pool, playground and bus stops at the end of the loop. It's a nice quiet loop with lots of room.


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## PigletPink

Sorry, not camping. Remember FW as a child. It was wonderful.


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## Bdev13

I'll  jump in!   DH, myself, DD 4, and DD 3, heading down with our TT from CT for our first stay at Fort Wilderness.  Our plan is to leave at midnight on Oct 18th, stop in SC then head in the next day.  We will be at the Fort from the 19-27, and then sadly make our way back up north over next 2 days.  We reserved a preferred site and golf cart, but hoping to switch to full hookup or premium.

Right now we have an idea of what we want to do, parks daily and typically 1 ADR each day, knowing things always change.  We are currently debating about going to Legoland this trip as well.   We typically only do half days in the park, so excited to explore/relax at the Fort.  This trip we are hoping to do a late non-MMNSHP night at MK, which will be the first time our kids as our previous trips we were always at the resort at night.

Right now our to be changed about thousand times plans are:
19th arrive:  possibly do MK after setup
20th: MK  (hoping to possibly get Mermaid makeovers)
21st:  Tratorria (B), Epcot, Kona (D) for DH bday
22nd: Hollywood or Legoland; H&V (B)
23rd:  AK; Tusker House (L); 
24th: MK; CRT (L)  (DIY BBB makeover at the camper)
25th: Ohana (B); pool; MK night
26th: whatever anyone wants to do park/pool, etc; Ragland Road (D)
27th: Trails End; drive north :'''''(


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## peg110

Bdev13 said:


> Right now our to be changed about thousand times plans are:


You must be related to my Wife.


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## Sb4

Hi! We will be there the oct 22-27 as of now.  I'm not sure what we are doing yet, but we have resort reservations and ADR.  We are trying to decide if we want to do a day or 2 at universal, either before or after the Fort, or during the short time we are there. So much is up in the air right now, but we are excited!


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## tltay2005

serenitygr said:


> Just a quick update- pretty excited! It looks like I have found a much better savings on LEGOLAND tickets!! We were planning on buying 4 adult tickets, and then getting the 2 younger twins in free with the "buy one adult/get one free" coupons. But after researching more on the DIS boards (of course!) I found out since we homeschool, we are eligible to purchase our tickets for the special homeschool rate. We just have to bring proof from our school district that we do indeed homeschool, which should not be hard to do! So instead of over $300, our tickets will end up costing about $125!! That is such a HUGE savings! Just the difference in that will pay for 2 of our Halloween party tickets! So excited!



I will give you an early "Welcome" to Winter Haven, my home town for all my 48 years!  Legoland is my backyard neighbor ( I share a fence with their property).  If you need to know anything about the area, just ask.  Hope you have a great time.


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## tltay2005

Ok, I am jumping in hoping it will bring me luck on securing a reservation from 10/27 - 10/31 (but am flexible a day before or after).  I am kicking myself for not making reservations earlier, but we wanted to make sure we would enjoy Halloween there (vs. being home, as we always do a big haunted yard and go all out). So we wanted to wait until after our 2016 trip.  Well that was just dumb, of course we loved it!!!  Now I am trolling the website multiple times per day hoping for an opening.  My sister and her family have ressies, my sister in law and her family has ressies.....but I have none .  I will not give up and I hope to see some of you there.


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## Sb4

tltay2005 said:


> I will give you an early "Welcome" to Winter Haven, my home town for all my 48 years!  Legoland is my backyard neighbor ( I share a fence with their property).  If you need to know anything about the area, just ask.  Hope you have a great time.



My parents live in Winter Haven, very close to Legoland as well! They have a giant RV that we will be staying in at the fort. Can't wait!


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## Teamubr

tltay2005 said:


> Ok, I am jumping in hoping it will bring me luck on securing a reservation from 10/27 - 10/31.  I am trolling the website multiple times per day hoping for an opening.


Keep checking. It seems like days start opening up as you get closer to the 60 day mark when packages have to be paid in full. Kind of nerve racking, but hopefully you'll have it by August/September.

j


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## bama_ed

Tomorrow is my 180-day mark.  I'll make some dining reservations for our park day (probably only going to do one park day) and see what happens.  So it will be finally time to do something.

Bama Ed


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## Boomer1

We have reservations for Oct. 22- Nov.5. Hoping we will be able to go, the house is in need of some renovations so depending on finances we may have to cancel. The good news is we still have our reservation for a month in January.


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## tltay2005

Teamubr said:


> Keep checking. It seems like days start opening up as you get closer to the 60 day mark when packages have to be paid in full. Kind of nerve racking, but hopefully you'll have it by August/September.
> 
> j



Thanks, that is what I am thinking.  I hate to have my hopes riding on someone else's misfortune, but right now that seems like the only way we are getting in.


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## jabrabu

I've been working on my plan as well.  I've had good luck in the past doing the morning EMH and riding lots of attractions before noon, so I typically plan around that, but now my son sleeps later and we may stay up later, so I have a hybrid plan with a couple of morning EMH days and some other days where we can sleep a bit later.  Planning to get 5-day hoppers, and also may add the water park option.

13th: Drive south from MD.  Hoping to get to Savannah area or maybe even Jacksonville.
14th: Arrive at WDW and check into Shades of Green.  Maybe go to Disney Springs.  Watch MK fireworks from Poly beach or Trader Sam's.  (Was hoping to get Ohana ADR for this day, but nothing available.)
15th (Sunday): Check out of Shades of Green.  Check in at the Fort.  Then go to MK (closes at 7pm for MNSSHP).  Set up camp.  Eat at Trail's End.  Maybe campfire.  Watch Hallowishes from Campground.
16th: AK for the day (morning EMH).  Our family loves that park, especially our son, and I'm looking forward to Pandora.  May do Rivers of Light dining pkg if I don't get a FP for it.
17th: Water Park option.  Maybe Disney Springs and/or Mini golf.  Campfire at night.
18th: EPCOT until afternoon, then monorail to Ohana (3:40pm ADR), then MK for evening (late EMH).
19th: DHS.  Probably not a full-day park for us.  Might take boat to EPCOT to eat (Food and Wine).  Then maybe go back to DHS for Galactic Fireworks, or maybe back to Fort to relax.
20th: MK (morning EMH).  Lunch at BOG (2pm ADR).  Then anything else we want to do (probably back to AK).
21st: Check out.  Drive toward home.


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## bama_ed

Well I went through the motions and made some ADRs at the 180+10 mark.

I don't know if I am going.

I don't know who else might be going IF I get to go.

So I made reservations for four people.  

I chose the MK for our one park day this trip during Halloween week.  Given I want to avoid the MNSS party nights, that limits me so I chose the Thursday after Halloween (which is on a Tuesday this year).  I made an 1120am ADR at The Plaza (they go walk-up only for a couple hours after that time) because it's not only one of the more affordable Table Service restaurants, I actually like the menu choices there.  Reubens, meatloaf, etc.  We ate there a couple trips ago and enjoyed it.

I made a second ADR at 550pm that same night for Table Service and the Jungle Scupper's Canteen.  The menu has been overhauled to where there are some acceptable choices.  I know the food snobs in the DIS Dining Forum look down their nose at anyone who didn't go for the original wild menu.  Hey, there were talking about ME!    My tastes are pretty simple.  But I hadn't eaten at it yet - I have done BOG at dinner 3X the last couple times so I'm over that (loved it but ready for something different).

I do have one question ahead of my October visit.

Concerning the the new soft opening of Main Street and some shops there an hour before the official opening:  if MK officially opens at its standard 9am rope drop time and the front gate therefore opens at 8am, is the first big boat from the Fort pier departing around 830am (for the rope drop) or 730am (for the soft opening)?  I know the little boat starts around 630am and runs FW-WL-CR in some direction and that I can ride THAT to CR and walk it in but if the big boat left around 730am for a 9am rope drop, I would be fine with that.

I am coming into Lake Louisa State Park on Saturday night, early Sunday over to the Fort with a Preferred site reservation (aiming for one of my 4 favorite sites in 100 loop), hang at the Fort mostly Monday and Tuesday for the Halloween activities, Wednesday who knows, Thursday MK, Friday who knows, Saturday soak up some SEC football, Sunday head home.

I hope I get to go!  I hope to see several of you there.  Or else Terri might get my site if I have to cancel...

Bama Ed


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## mtnminnie

we will be at the fort over Halloween for a week.  We are an extra large tent camping first time visitor kind of family.


----------



## ruthies12

Woohoo!!  Just bought our Halloween party tickets!!  Going October 12th and have ressies at Pirate's League at 2 pm (using a regular day ticket as well as party ticket).  So excited!!

I leave in 2 days for a weekend trip to the dark side for some harry potter love.  Going to hit Disney Springs Friday night though for a bit!


----------



## snowmedic

Well this month we have not been able to do to much, work wise.  I got hurt at work at the beginning of the month so I have been on light duty, go back to the doctors this Thursday and should be able to get back to full duty.  Working 40 sucks because that gives me no extra money to pay on my vacation.  Will have to work extra hrs. to make up for it, which I don't mind.  

Haven't bought anything new for the trip yet, since getting hurt we had to put off buying the new tent, the one we have now is in good shape, we just wanted a bigger one.  Trying to decide if we want to do MNSSHP one night or not.  That is about all that is happening here in NW VT.


----------



## wilkeliza

Hi all! Glad I found this thread. I'm doing my first Fort Wilderness trip this October. I'll be there from the 19th to 22nd. I'm at the cabins with my 4 closest friends/relatives. It is my batchelorette party actually and since we all have a connection to Disney as a group we decided to have a girls (and 1 guy) weekend instead of just dinner the night before the wedding. 3 of our did our CP together so it will be extra special for us to be back together again at the place we met. 

I already rented a golf cart and got on the waitlist for the 6 person instead of 4. I know we have a kitchenette. Is there anything I should know about the Fort? I haven't decided what to do the first night as we are all arriving at different times but the focus of the trip is Animal Kingdom and Epcot.


----------



## peg110

wilkeliza said:


> Is there anything I should know about the Fort?


Well, that's a loaded question. The Fort has a lot to offer in and of itself. Many folks find they can get more enjoyment at the Fort without going to the parks.

Things of importance to note, however, is that you really cannot drive around the Fort with your car/truck plus it's against the rules, so it's a good thing you have a golf cart if you want to go "Looping". There are 2 pools. The main one by the meadows with a water slide and a smaller one in the cabin areas. I have not used the smaller one, but it's my understanding that you can pretty much use that one when ever you want but there is no life guard. There is also no crowd (for the most part).

Trail's End is a great restaurant down by the marina and you can also get take outs at PJs that are pretty good too. A "GAG" (Giddy-up And Go) meal is enough to feed an average family of 4 (8 pieces of Fried Chicken served with Cornbread and your choice of two Sides: Coleslaw, Macaroni and Cheese, or Mashed Potatoes) and at a very reasonable price at under $25.

Their Pizza is marginal. Some love it, most accept it, many hate it. I am in the "Accept it" group. It's certainly not my favorite. I did have it once and it was great. That was my first time. twice after that, I have to say it didn't taste very good.

Lots other activities as well....  Bama Ed usually posts (and it ends up as a "Sticky") the activity calendar in this forum, so you can look at that too.


----------



## wilkeliza

peg110 said:


> Well, that's a loaded question. The Fort has a lot to offer in and of itself. Many folks find they can get more enjoyment at the Fort without going to the parks.
> 
> Things of importance to note, however, is that you really cannot drive around the Fort with your car/truck plus it's against the rules, so it's a good thing you have a golf cart if you want to go "Looping". There are 2 pools. The main one by the meadows with a water slide and a smaller one in the cabin areas. I have not used the smaller one, but it's my understanding that you can pretty much use that one when ever you want but there is no life guard. There is also no crowd (for the most part).
> 
> Trail's End is a great restaurant down by the marina and you can also get take outs at PJs that are pretty good too. A "GAG" (Giddy-up And Go) meal is enough to feed an average family of 4 (8 pieces of Fried Chicken served with Cornbread and your choice of two Sides: Coleslaw, Macaroni and Cheese, or Mashed Potatoes) and at a very reasonable price at under $25.
> 
> Their Pizza is marginal. Some love it, most accept it, many hate it. I am in the "Accept it" group. It's certainly not my favorite. I did have it once and it was great. That was my first time. twice after that, I have to say it didn't taste very good.
> 
> Lots other activities as well....  Bama Ed usually posts (and it ends up as a "Sticky") the activity calendar in this forum, so you can look at that too.



It is loaded. I've visited the fort but have never been around the campgrounds or cabins. The GAG meal sounds like a good deal for sure. Might be worth grabbing to go and have as late night snacks haha. I have done Trail's End a couple times before and it was nice. I'm not sure what our days are going to be like but am hoping to enjoy the fort a little either our first day or the last day.


----------



## ruthies12

Well I'm back from my short girl's weekend to Universal.  Had an awesome time overall and a lovely evening at Disney Springs last Friday night.  Here's a little something I enjoyed from Dockside Margarita's.  Just 141 days til I'm back!!


----------



## snowmedic

ruthies12 said:


> Here's a little something I enjoyed from Dockside Margarita's.



Oh sure, rub it in.  I love Dockside.  Every night we go to the Springs I have to have me a margarita, and DW and DD have to have the Flamingo Frost from Joffery's, and a pretzel from Wentzel's.  I can feel my wallet draining while I type.  

I have 153 days before checking into the Fort.


----------



## mtnminnie

snowmedic...is it really going to be that hot in a tent during your stay that you think you need AC?  I am asking b/c we will also be in a tent and we thought we would just bring fans.


----------



## snowmedic

mtnminnie said:


> snowmedic...is it really going to be that hot in a tent during your stay that you think you need AC?  I am asking b/c we will also be in a tent and we thought we would just bring fans.



When we where there in Oct. a few years ago I was glad that a good Dis friend brought his portable a/c unit up for use to use.  We didn't use it during the day but it was really nice to have for sleeping.  We also have a stand fan that we run in the tent at all times to circulate the air.


----------



## tiggerdad

snowmedic said:


> When we where there in Oct. a few years ago I was glad that a good Dis friend brought his portable a/c unit up for use to use.  We didn't use it during the day but it was really nice to have for sleeping.  We also have a stand fan that we run in the tent at all times to circulate the air.



No problem.  Always available if we are camping at the same time.


----------



## tltay2005

bama_ed said:


> Well I went through the motions and made some ADRs at the 180+10 mark.
> 
> I don't know if I am going.
> 
> I don't know who else might be going IF I get to go.
> 
> So I made reservations for four people.
> 
> I chose the MK for our one park day this trip during Halloween week.  Given I want to avoid the MNSS party nights, that limits me so I chose the Thursday after Halloween (which is on a Tuesday this year).  I made an 1120am ADR at The Plaza (they go walk-up only for a couple hours after that time) because it's not only one of the more affordable Table Service restaurants, I actually like the menu choices there.  Reubens, meatloaf, etc.  We ate there a couple trips ago and enjoyed it.
> 
> I made a second ADR at 550pm that same night for Table Service and the Jungle Scupper's Canteen.  The menu has been overhauled to where there are some acceptable choices.  I know the food snobs in the DIS Dining Forum look down their nose at anyone who didn't go for the original wild menu.  Hey, there were talking about ME!    My tastes are pretty simple.  But I hadn't eaten at it yet - I have done BOG at dinner 3X the last couple times so I'm over that (loved it but ready for something different).
> 
> I do have one question ahead of my October visit.
> 
> Concerning the the new soft opening of Main Street and some shops there an hour before the official opening:  if MK officially opens at its standard 9am rope drop time and the front gate therefore opens at 8am, is the first big boat from the Fort pier departing around 830am (for the rope drop) or 730am (for the soft opening)?  I know the little boat starts around 630am and runs FW-WL-CR in some direction and that I can ride THAT to CR and walk it in but if the big boat left around 730am for a 9am rope drop, I would be fine with that.
> 
> I am coming into Lake Louisa State Park on Saturday night, early Sunday over to the Fort with a Preferred site reservation (aiming for one of my 4 favorite sites in 100 loop), hang at the Fort mostly Monday and Tuesday for the Halloween activities, Wednesday who knows, Thursday MK, Friday who knows, Saturday soak up some SEC football, Sunday head home.
> 
> I hope I get to go!  I hope to see several of you there.  Or else Terri might get my site if I have to cancel...
> 
> Bama Ed




 I do want a site, but not on your expense.  I would love to get to visit with you and your wife again.  Halloween is really fud, I hope you get to come and I hope I get a ressie.


----------



## bama_ed

tltay2005 said:


> I do want a site, but not on your expense.  I would love to get to visit with you and your wife again.  Halloween is really *fud*, I hope you get to come and I hope I get a ressie.



Well I'm all about having fud!  

Bama Ed

PS - yeah, I know, typo....


----------



## Tlat1270

so we are 135 days out...leaving Ky on October 6 and arriving at the Fort on the 7th. This will be our 2nd trip to the Fort. Last year we tent camped in the 1500 loop for 9 nights. This time we are staying 13 nights in our pop-up. Hopefully 1500 Loop again.  It will be me, DH, son 9, grandson 9, granddaughter 7. Absolutely can not wait! I learned so much from this forum and reading trip reports, I don't believe my experience would have been as rewarding had I not been somewhat prepared. Thank You Disboard members!!!! our plans so far are: We will be eating Breakfast most mornings at the camper and will be taking our lunch most days we are at the parks.

Oct.7: setting up camp and letting the kids swim. GAG for Dinner  
Oct.8: MK   ADR The Plaza for Dinner
Oct. 9: AK   Lunch Yak & Yeti café  ADR T-REX Dinner
Oct.10: Epcot  Lunch World Showcase ADR Coral Reef Dinner
Oct.11: MK  Rope Drop   ADR Liberty Tree Tavern Dinner
Oct.12: Fort Day  ADR Trails End Dinner campfire and Movie
Oct.13: HS  ADR Sci-Fi Drive-In Dinner
Oct.14: MK  ADR Be Our Guest Dinner.
Oct.15: HS   Dinner outside of Disney
Oct.16: AK   Dinner will be Yak & Yeti again ( my 9 year old has requested this)
Oct.17: Epcot  Dinner will be Quick Service
Oct.18: MK   Dinner will be Quick Service
Oct.19: Fort Day  ADR Ohana Dinner
Oct.20: Checkout and Drive 12 hours Home.


----------



## JETS70

Teresa and I will be at the Fort 10/9 thru 10/13. Couldn't get a front end or back end weekend so we will be staying at Lake Louisa on Saturday and Sunday prior and also Friday and Saturday after checking out of the Fort. We have also decided to do the quick service dinning plan.

UPDATE.......Was able to add on days at the end. Now checking out on the 15th.


----------



## nnw

Hello!
My three boys and I, children ages 17 and 9 and husband, will be staying at the cabins at Fort Wilderness Oct. 18 - Oct. 29.  

Our Itinerary is as follows: (If anyone has any suggestions or comments please let me know.  i.e. I would never go to that restaurant because, blah blah blah.  Or this might be a better suggestion for this or that day)

*Wed. Oct. 18* - Check in.  Stopping at the grocery store for food and such and picking up a pizza for dinner.  The husband and I will head out to Universal's _Halloween Horror Nights_ and the boys will hang back to go to the campfire movie night.
*Thurs. Oct. 19* - _Animal Kingdom_!  Breakfast at _Boma_ and an early dinner at _Yak & Yeti_.
*Fri. Oct. 20* - _Hollywood studios_ - A light breakfast at the cabin, early lunch at _50's Prime Time Cafe_ and dinner at the _Hoop De Doo Revue_!
*Sat. Oct. 21* - Chill Day. _Tubing_ at Sammy Duvall at the contemporary.  Breakfast at _Trails end_ and dinner at _Paddlefish_.
*Sun. Oct. 22* - Chill Day.  Breakfast _Brunch at The Top_ of the Contemporary.  _Mini-golf and swimming_.  Then the husband and I are going back to _Halloween horror Nights_ at Universal.
*Mon. Oct. 23* - _Universal_ - Park-to-Park tickets.  _Three Broomsticks_ for lunch and _Bob Marleys_ for dinner
*Tues. Oct. 24* - _Magic Kingdom and MNSSHP!_ - Breakfast at _Trails End_ and Dinner at _Skipper Canteen_.
*Wed. Oct. 25* - _VOLCANO BAY!_ - We rented a cabana for the day will eat whatever we can have delivered to us   Afterward I would like to stop for a milkshake at Toothsome.
*Thurs. Oct. 26* - _Universal_ - Park-to-Park tickets.  _Three Broomsticks_ for lunch and _Antojito's_ for dinner
*Fri. Oct. 27* - _EPCOT!_ - _Bon Voyage Character Breakfast_ (Outside terrace please, no characters for us) and for dinner _Tappon Edo_.
*Sat. Oct. 28* - Chill Day.  Swimming and doing laundry. etc.  Breakfast at _Trail's End_ and a fancy meal just for me and the husband at _Artist Point_.


----------



## ruthies12

Woohoo, I see a couple other disers are going to be at the fort at the same time as me, hope we get to meet up! 

I just completed one of my projects in preparation for the trip- made personalized autograph books for both of my girls!  They turned out really cute, I put pictures of them with all the characters we've seen on past trips and made signature pages for each character, plus a few empty pages in the back for any new ones.  I think it will be really fun, my 8 year old is looking forward to showing Goofy the picture from the time he stole her ice cream from her at Chef Mickey's so she can yell at him again for it Anyway got a great deal on snapfish and the books were only 13 bucks each with shipping, so only a few dollars more than a generic Disney autograph book. 

Now onto my next project- trying to build my own beach cart for our trip to Destin at the end of July.  I'm not very mechanically inclined so this is not easy but I have grand ideas for what I want this beach cart to do including a built in table and umbrella holder.  Wish me luck!!


----------



## dalir

bama_ed said:


> Well I went through the motions and made some ADRs at the 180+10 mark.
> 
> I don't know if I am going.
> 
> I don't know who else might be going IF I get to go.
> 
> So I made reservations for four people.
> 
> I chose the MK for our one park day this trip during Halloween week.  Given I want to avoid the MNSS party nights, that limits me so I chose the Thursday after Halloween (which is on a Tuesday this year).  I made an 1120am ADR at The Plaza (they go walk-up only for a couple hours after that time) because it's not only one of the more affordable Table Service restaurants, I actually like the menu choices there.  Reubens, meatloaf, etc.  We ate there a couple trips ago and enjoyed it.
> 
> I made a second ADR at 550pm that same night for Table Service and the Jungle Scupper's Canteen.  The menu has been overhauled to where there are some acceptable choices.  I know the food snobs in the DIS Dining Forum look down their nose at anyone who didn't go for the original wild menu.  Hey, there were talking about ME!    My tastes are pretty simple.  But I hadn't eaten at it yet - I have done BOG at dinner 3X the last couple times so I'm over that (loved it but ready for something different).
> 
> I do have one question ahead of my October visit.
> 
> Concerning the the new soft opening of Main Street and some shops there an hour before the official opening:  if MK officially opens at its standard 9am rope drop time and the front gate therefore opens at 8am, is the first big boat from the Fort pier departing around 830am (for the rope drop) or 730am (for the soft opening)?  I know the little boat starts around 630am and runs FW-WL-CR in some direction and that I can ride THAT to CR and walk it in but if the big boat left around 730am for a 9am rope drop, I would be fine with that.
> 
> I am coming into Lake Louisa State Park on Saturday night, early Sunday over to the Fort with a Preferred site reservation (aiming for one of my 4 favorite sites in 100 loop), hang at the Fort mostly Monday and Tuesday for the Halloween activities, Wednesday who knows, Thursday MK, Friday who knows, Saturday soak up some SEC football, Sunday head home.
> 
> I hope I get to go!  I hope to see several of you there.  Or else Terri might get my site if I have to cancel...
> 
> Bama Ed





bama_ed said:


> Well I went through the motions and made some ADRs at the 180+10 mark.
> 
> I don't know if I am going.
> 
> I don't know who else might be going IF I get to go.
> 
> So I made reservations for four people.
> 
> I chose the MK for our one park day this trip during Halloween week.  Given I want to avoid the MNSS party nights, that limits me so I chose the Thursday after Halloween (which is on a Tuesday this year).  I made an 1120am ADR at The Plaza (they go walk-up only for a couple hours after that time) because it's not only one of the more affordable Table Service restaurants, I actually like the menu choices there.  Reubens, meatloaf, etc.  We ate there a couple trips ago and enjoyed it.
> 
> I made a second ADR at 550pm that same night for Table Service and the Jungle Scupper's Canteen.  The menu has been overhauled to where there are some acceptable choices.  I know the food snobs in the DIS Dining Forum look down their nose at anyone who didn't go for the original wild menu.  Hey, there were talking about ME!    My tastes are pretty simple.  But I hadn't eaten at it yet - I have done BOG at dinner 3X the last couple times so I'm over that (loved it but ready for something different).
> 
> I do have one question ahead of my October visit.
> 
> Concerning the the new soft opening of Main Street and some shops there an hour before the official opening:  if MK officially opens at its standard 9am rope drop time and the front gate therefore opens at 8am, is the first big boat from the Fort pier departing around 830am (for the rope drop) or 730am (for the soft opening)?  I know the little boat starts around 630am and runs FW-WL-CR in some direction and that I can ride THAT to CR and walk it in but if the big boat left around 730am for a 9am rope drop, I would be fine with that.
> 
> I am coming into Lake Louisa State Park on Saturday night, early Sunday over to the Fort with a Preferred site reservation (aiming for one of my 4 favorite sites in 100 loop), hang at the Fort mostly Monday and Tuesday for the Halloween activities, Wednesday who knows, Thursday MK, Friday who knows, Saturday soak up some SEC football, Sunday head home.
> 
> I hope I get to go!  I hope to see several of you there.  Or else Terri might get my site if I have to cancel...
> 
> Bama Ed



We ate at Jungle Canteen just a week ago.  We all loved it.  Adventurous and tame tastes all found something good.  I can give good reports on the pork, grouper, chicken, mac and cheese, hot and sour soup (very flavorful), and the two desserts offered.


----------



## dalir

We will be there Oct. 6 though 9.  In the past, we have made it to Disney about every 3 or 4 years.  This year we decided to become annual pass holders,  We just finished an 8 day trip this June, we will visit for a few days in October (we have reservations for Not So Scary & are super excited about Food and Wine), and we have a week reserved in December.  We have always been the folks that are at the park first thing and then stay until closing time.  We are exhausted after a trip!  We are hoping to become more relaxed and allow ourselves to focus on the smaller delights of Disney.  We will be in our Pop Up and a tent.


----------



## snowmedic

ruthies12 said:


> Now onto my next project- trying to build my own beach cart for our trip to Destin at the end of July.



We love Destin . Nice white sand beaches, plenty of bars to have drinks , and lots of good restaurants also. My parents and sister live there and when we go to Disney we always go there first.  Destin is the one place that I would love to snowbird at, even if it means staying with my parents for a couple of months every winter .  

Check out the Harbor Walk while there, lots of nice shops.


----------



## bama_ed

dalir said:


> We ate at Jungle Canteen just a week ago.  We all loved it.  Adventurous and tame tastes all found something good.  I can give good reports on the pork, grouper, chicken, mac and cheese, hot and sour soup (very flavorful), and the two desserts offered.



Thanks for the personal review, dalir.  That's reassuring.  I'm looking forward a new place like Canteen and an old favorite like The Plaza on our MK day.

Bama Ed


----------



## ruthies12

snowmedic said:


> We love Destin . Nice white sand beaches, plenty of bars to have drinks , and lots of good restaurants also. My parents and sister live there and when we go to Disney we always go there first.  Destin is the one place that I would love to snowbird at, even if it means staying with my parents for a couple of months every winter .
> 
> Check out the Harbor Walk while there, lots of nice shops.



Yeah we love Destin too, been several times.  Harborwalk is not my favorite place because of the dang traffic trying to get there but we will be there one day regardless because my DH and oldest DD are going on a snuba tour (for anyone who doesn't know that is not a typo, it is a cross between scuba diving and snorkeling lol). 

We like to camp at Topsail State Park, beautiful campground (and super cheap!) and beautiful beachfront that is actually part of a nature preserve (at night you are only allowed to use red flashlights on the beach cause it is a baby sea turtle hatching ground). 

My one issue with it is the campground is a quarter mile from the beach.  It's an easy bike ride and doesn't seem like a big deal- unless you have small children who require everything plus the kitchen sink to be carried to the beach for them.  So trying to haul everything on a bike cart and then switching it to a beach cart that can roll on the sand is a HUGE PITA.  I've seen several people with homemade carts made out of PVC pipe and decided to try it myself so I can have one cart to pull behind the bike and take on the beach. 

It's a brilliant idea but a lot harder than I thought it would be!


----------



## tltay2005

Still trying to get a ressie for this October....but.... I did score for 2018!


----------



## Bdev13

Probably early but we booked our campsite on the way down.  Stopping at KOA South Point in SC off 95.  Long first day but should make it 6 hours to the Fort our second.


----------



## ruthies12

I better get on booking my spot for the way down too I guess.  We are coming down I-75 from Kentucky, through Tennessee, then through Alabama.  After reading through some old threads it looks like a good place for us to stop will be Twin Oaks in Alabama. 

Unfortunately we can't leave until oldest DD gets out of school, though I'll likely take her out an hour early so we can leave at 2 in the afternoon.  It's 9 hours from our house to Twin Oaks according to google maps so that'll put us getting there at 11 to 12 at night depending on how long our stops take. That'll be a late time to stop but I think it will be worth it, it will put us going past Atlanta late in the evening when rush hour should be well over with and leave us only 5 more hours the next day. 

And it shouldn't be too bad if we can get a pull through spot, we will plug into electric so we have air conditioning and that will be all we do, I'll have water in the tank for using the restroom so we'll just go straight to bed once we park without doing any other set up.  I won't even bother putting the slideout out 

So Twin Oaks it is unless someone on here has a better suggestion off of I-75?


----------



## ruthies12

Can anybody recommend some good gas stops along I-75?  We are a 36 foot long class A towing a jeep Cherokee but we need gas, not diesel, so we have to plan ahead and get easy in and outs.

And now I'm trying to imagine trying to go to sleep when I'm only 5 hours from Disney that night, just added Ambien to my packing list!!


----------



## Teamubr

ruthies12 said:


> Can anybody recommend some good gas stops along I-75?


I started to tell you about the truck stops I used to hit along the way, but then I saw you needed regular gas. I have an auxiliary tank now and can make it to the Fort in 1 stop from St Louis, so it isn't as critical

I would get on the Pilot/Flying-J and Love's web sites. They typically have RV lanes. Flying-J has a nice map by interstate feature where you can see the locations, services and prices.

And like everything else these days, there's an app. for RV'ers that shows the same thing. https://pilotflyingj.com/rv-services/

j


----------



## BnD

We will be here Sept 30th to Oct 8th. Hoping to get back in the 900 loop.( We are currently on site 930 and love the location)..


----------



## dalir

bama_ed said:


> So I made reservations for four people.


Hey ED - I have a question about this.  We are in a similar boat.  I made reservations for 4.  But, there may only be 3 people coming.  It is still up in the air.  Do I call and change the reservation when we know?  Or do I just show up with the 3 people?  What do you recommend?


----------



## bama_ed

dalir said:


> Hey ED - I have a question about this.  We are in a similar boat.  I made reservations for 4.  But, there may only be 3 people coming.  It is still up in the air.  Do I call and change the reservation when we know?  Or do I just show up with the 3 people?  What do you recommend?



Well I will tell you dalir that I did the same thing this past trip in January when I made some ADRs for 8 people but we ended up with 5 at the last minute.  So I just showed up with 5.

Most places were fine-no-problem about it but the only exception was Be Our Guest in the MK for dinner.  The hostess out at the far end of the bridge where you check in literally told me that since I had fewer people, we would have to wait an extra 20 minutes past our ressie time.  Huh?

In your case with 4 possibly going to 3, you could call and change it or maybe do it on-line but if it were me i would let it ride.  I would think that they would end up seating a party of 3 at a table that could accommodate 4.  So for planning and seating people, you're tying up the same table.  But if you want a clean conscience, make the change.

Bama Ed


----------



## peg110

From all that I heard going from a Reservation of a higher number and showing up with less people is less of an issue. Also going from 4 to 3 is not typically an issue (or any even number DOWN 1 to an Odd Number) either because, for example, they don't have a lot of tables that only seat 3 (or any odd number).  So like Ed said, I'd let it ride.

Going UP from 4 to 5, for example, might be a bigger issue.  Likewise, it's probably less of an issue if you are going from 3 to 4 (for the same reasons... a party of 3 will generally be seated at a table designed for 4 anyway). 

Now in Ed's case going from 8 to 5, at what is probably one of the busiest (currently) ADR locations, even though the number was going lower, they would rather save the "Larger" table for an actual group that might be larger. If it wasn't such a high demand ADR, I doubt that they would have batted an eye at his change.


----------



## ruthies12

All right got Twin Oaks booked for October 4th so we can stop and get a little rest (hahahahahaha like I'm really going to be able to sleep) on the way down.  Lady on the phone was super nice and will leave our site number on the door and we can leave cash or check in the night drop box. We are pulling dd out of school an hour early that day to get on the road at 2 pm, so hoping to be pulling in Twin Oaks at 11 pm, but may be closer to midnight.

The autograph books I made for my dd's have arrived and are super cute and I still can't believe they were only 13 bucks!  Probably the cheapest thing about this trip......

I'm at 100 days exactly!!  Tomorrow I will be doing the double digit dance!


----------



## PaHunter

ruthies12 said:


> I'm at 100 days exactly!!  Tomorrow I will be doing the double digit dance!



Alright, another one joining the Double Digit club !!!


----------



## peg110

Our next dates are only tentative but it looks like we may be somewhere around Christmas time 2018. (Probably leaving home on 12/26 checking in on 12/28) So that puts me well into the 3 digit club.


----------



## ruthies12

I wanted to try out posting pics on my phone so thought I'd post the start of my beach cart.  The wheel assembly went together quite easily and seems strong enough.


----------



## Teamubr

ruthies12 said:


> View attachment 247330thought I'd post the start of my beach cart.


Doesn't look like it will carry much and would be hard to pull.  

Have fun with the rest of the assembly and congrats on getting the pic to post.

j


----------



## bama_ed

PaHunter said:


> Alright, another one joining the Double Digit club !!!




I still got a few weeks to go.


----------



## ruthies12

Thanks for the lol Teamubr!   Some parts I needed just arrived yesterday so I'm hoping to get more done on it tonight.  I'll have to post more pics when I get it all done.  It's going to be quite fancy if it turns out the way I want with umbrella holders and a built in table.  I take my vacationing very seriously!

Posting the pic from the phone using the resizer app was sooooo much easier than uploading to photobucket.  I'm hoping to actually post real time pics from the fort on my next trip, I always love it when other people do that. 

98 Days!!


----------



## North of Mouse

ruthies12 said:


> Can anybody recommend some good gas stops along I-75?  We are a 36 foot long class A towing a jeep Cherokee but we need gas, not diesel, so we have to plan ahead and get easy in and outs.



We basically have the same set-up as you, except we don't tow to Disney. We almost exclusively fuel up at Flying J's/Pilots. We can't 'back up' when towing so we like the RV lanes - most 'other' regular stations are too tight for a long unit (ask peg110 how he knows  ). Also, I check the 'gas app' ahead and know our stops. The prices are usually the lowest also.


----------



## ruthies12

Yeah we can't back up either.  I checked the flying J website and they are few and far between on our route unfortunately. 

We have had good luck with pumps that are parallel to the building instead of perpendicular.  There are usually only 2 rows so we may have to wait a minute, but getting in and out is a lot easier.  Last summer I used google maps street view to scout out our stops ahead of time and find pumps parallel to the buildings or with RV lanes and that seemed to work really well, DH swears it saved him quite a few grey hairs.  I will probably do the same for the Disney trip, just thought I'd see if anybody knew of good exits before I start searching.


----------



## peg110

North of Mouse said:


> We basically have the same set-up as you, except we don't tow to Disney. We almost exclusively fuel up at Flying J's/Pilots. We can't 'back up' when towing so we like the RV lanes - most 'other' regular stations are too tight for a long unit (ask peg110 how he knows  ). Also, I check the 'gas app' ahead and know our stops. The prices are usually the lowest also.


Funny thing is... I was in a Pilot/Flying J.  It's just this one did not have RV lanes. Their regular lanes were fairly large.... Alas, I guess not quite large enough.


----------



## PaHunter

peg110 said:


> Funny thing is... I was in a Pilot/Flying J.  It's just this one did not have RV lanes. Their regular lanes were fairly large.... Alas, I guess not quite large enough.



Yes but was it a true Pilot/Flying J Travel Center or just a Dealer ?? Found that the dealers are typically older gas stations that were bought, renamed and are smaller. I know if it lists as a dealer on their site, I typically skip those. And also I know not all the travel centers have RV lanes, nice to have a diesel and use the truck pumps.


----------



## peg110

PaHunter said:


> Yes but was it a true Pilot/Flying J Travel Center or just a Dealer ?? Found that the dealers are typically older gas stations that were bought, renamed and are smaller. I know if it lists as a dealer on their site, I typically skip those. And also I know not all the travel centers have RV lanes, nice to have a diesel and use the truck pumps.



I was unaware of that, but I do know that this particular one was being built in 2012 as that is when the "Street Level" view is from and it's all the construction but the Higher level view shows it as it is today (well mostly I suppose).


----------



## ruthies12

After extensive searching I found what I think is a good amount of gas stations that we can stop at.  We figured out our gas mileage and tank size and know that we like to go less than 350 miles between stations.  350 miles uses just about 3/4 of a tank for us and we don't like to get below 1/4 tank, especially in summer when we might need to run the generator for air conditioning since it cuts off at a quarter tank. 

Here is the list I have:

In KY we only have 184 miles from our house to the Tennessee border so won't need to stop.

In Tennessee I-75 is 162 miles long and there are Pilots/Flying J at exits 141 and 117 that have pumps that are parallel to the building and look not too hard to pull in and out.

In Georgia I-75 is 355 miles long and there are Pilot's/Flying J's with RV lanes at exits 320, 201, and 2.

In Florida there is a Pilot with pumps that are parallel to the building at exit 329 off of I-75. 

Anybody have advice on the best way to come at the Fort from I-75?  I can't remember what way we went last time but I remember a lot of tollbooths that were a pain.


----------



## Bdev13

Now I am stressing that we should be more worried about our gas stops along the way (DH may have planned this though).  We travel 95 for the majority of the trip (except we are taking 287 around NYC and Northern NJ) and avoiding tunnel in baltimore (which I actually think is 895), we have driven it a bunch but never with the camper past the 78 interchange in NJ.  We are a 2500 standard truck with 33 ft camper, so might be a bit less than some of the big rigs/setups.

In the past we have just used our smartphones and tablets and looked at satellite images on google maps to determine if it will be a good setup.


----------



## peg110

Bdev13 said:


> Now I am stressing that we should be more worried about our gas stops along the way (DH may have planned this though).  We travel 95 for the majority of the trip (except we are taking 287 around NYC and Northern NJ) and avoiding tunnel in baltimore (which I actually think is 895), we have driven it a bunch but never with the camper past the 78 interchange in NJ.  We are a 2500 standard truck with 33 ft camper, so might be a bit less than some of the big rigs/setups.
> 
> In the past we have just used our smartphones and tablets and looked at satellite images on google maps to determine if it will be a good setup.


I have an F250. Like others, I don't like to get below a quarter tank. A full tank of gas while towing will get me an estimated 200 Miles (only about 36 gallon tank with around 7 MPG). So when I get to about a quarter tank (about 2 hours of driving) I start looking. Typically I shoot for Pilot's but will consider others. If they offer "Diesel" (right of the interstate) then typically they will have decent lanes (although not always). There are enough of them around that I do NOT plan them out (although I seem to hit the same ones on every trip). Don't stress over it too much. I think the "Quarter Tank" policy is good for most. Start looking when you get to it, but don't "Rush" to the next station if it's not what you need (as far as clearances and such). There have been times I have pulled off saw what was available and went right back on the interstate to the next stop.


----------



## serenitygr

I just noticed someone posted pictures with their phone! I need to figure out the process- anyone want to walk me thru it?
[GALLERY=][/GALLERY] or maybe this will work!


----------



## serenitygr

serenitygr said:


> View attachment 248349 I just noticed someone posted pictures with their phone! I need to figure out the process- anyone want to walk me thru it?
> [GALLERY=][/GALLERY] or maybe this will work!


Hmmm I think it worked! Except where it says GALLERY twice lol That's one of our bunnies we raise by the way


----------



## tiggerdad

serenitygr said:


> Hmmm I think it worked! Except where it says GALLERY twice lol That's one of our bunnies we raise by the way



He looks tasty...er...I mean loveable.  Good to be hearing from you.  We won't be able to pull off October this year.  Kids school getting in the way.


----------



## peg110

tiggerdad said:


> He looks tasty...er...I mean loveable.


That was my thought too... 



serenitygr said:


> I just noticed someone posted pictures with their phone! I need to figure out the process- anyone want to walk me thru it?


Seems like you got it. I think the "Key" is the SIZE of the image. My phone is set to take the HIGHER quality images and the files end up being about 5 MB each which is too large for the boards. You can use a "Resizer" or take the pictures at a lower resolution. I haven't downloaded a "Re-Sizer" app yet, but may do this before our next trip. I really like to use the MAX resolution to take the pictures because I can always re-size them later. If you take them with the lower resolution, you cannot "Increase" the quality later on.

Seems though that you got the upload going. I wouldn't worry about the "Extra" Gallery brackets. If it really bothers you, you can "Edit" it out later on when you are at a PC.


----------



## ruthies12

Bdev13 said:


> Now I am stressing that we should be more worried about our gas stops along the way (DH may have planned this though).  We travel 95 for the majority of the trip (except we are taking 287 around NYC and Northern NJ) and avoiding tunnel in baltimore (which I actually think is 895), we have driven it a bunch but never with the camper past the 78 interchange in NJ.  We are a 2500 standard truck with 33 ft camper, so might be a bit less than some of the big rigs/setups.
> 
> In the past we have just used our smartphones and tablets and looked at satellite images on google maps to determine if it will be a good setup.



I don't think you need to stress over it unless you've had problems getting gas before.  We have!  Been stuck a couple times, had times where we had to unhook the jeep so we could back up to get out, MAJOR PITA!  So I now plan our stops our ahead of time lol


----------



## ruthies12

Beach cart is coming along!


----------



## tltay2005

No luck yet .......still stalking the website .


----------



## ruthies12

omg guys look what I just found at my local grocery store!  Of course,  they can't be anywhere near as good as real mickey waffles but everything tastes better mickey shaped!  Guess what we'll be having for breakfast in the camper on the way to the for?


----------



## ruthies12

tltay2005 said:


> No luck yet .......still stalking the website .



I'm so sorry, what dates are you trying for?


----------



## tltay2005

ruthies12 said:


> I'm so sorry, what dates are you trying for?




10/26-10/31.


----------



## serenitygr

tiggerdad said:


> He looks tasty...er...I mean loveable.  Good to be hearing from you.  We won't be able to pull off October this year.  Kids school getting in the way.


Don't forget- Minnesota will always welcome you! And we'd love to have you come visit us at our crazy farm!


----------



## FrozenOne16

I love this thread! My DH and I are tent camping Oct 9-12 at the fort! Although we have yet to buy our tent.  Needless to say, we are new at camping. We are eyeing a certain tent, and waiting to see if it goes down in price. 

As far as our plans. Here goes:
Oct 7 - We are leaving NC and heading down. We plan to stop about halfway. Right now I think we are looking at Savannah. 
Oct 8 - Heading to St. Augustine, hoping to find somewhere around that area to camp. We will be researching campgrounds, so if anyone has ideas, let me know!!!! 
Oct 9 - Checking into the fort, although I'm not sure how early we can do that. We are looking to do MNSSHP that night, so I hope we can check in early so we can get everything set up before we head to MK.
Oct 10 - Kona breakfast ADR, then hanging out at the Fort for the rest of the day. Pool, bike riding, and hopefully the campfire. 
Oct 11 - Epcot for Food and Wine
Oct 12 - We will check out and head to Tampa to spend a few days with my dad (not camping). 

We are optimistic about this trip and we are hoping that we can make this a yearly trip in between our stays at the resorts. We do plan on camping around here a few times before we go to WDW, so hopefully we can get the hang of it. We also plan on bringing a fan for inside the tent. 

If anyone has any helpful tips for us, that would be great!!!!!!


----------



## PaHunter

FrozenOne16 said:


> I love this thread! My DH and I are tent camping Oct 9-12 at the fort! Although we have yet to buy our tent.  Needless to say, we are new at camping. We are eyeing a certain tent, and waiting to see if it goes down in price.
> 
> As far as our plans. Here goes:
> Oct 7 - We are leaving NC and heading down. We plan to stop about halfway. Right now I think we are looking at Savannah.
> Oct 8 - Heading to St. Augustine, hoping to find somewhere around that area to camp. We will be researching campgrounds, so if anyone has ideas, let me know!!!!
> Oct 9 - Checking into the fort, although I'm not sure how early we can do that. We are looking to do MNSSHP that night, so I hope we can check in early so we can get everything set up before we head to MK.
> Oct 10 - Kona breakfast ADR, then hanging out at the Fort for the rest of the day. Pool, bike riding, and hopefully the campfire.
> Oct 11 - Epcot for Food and Wine
> Oct 12 - We will check out and head to Tampa to spend a few days with my dad (not camping).
> 
> We are optimistic about this trip and we are hoping that we can make this a yearly trip in between our stays at the resorts. We do plan on camping around here a few times before we go to WDW, so hopefully we can get the hang of it. We also plan on bringing a fan for inside the tent.
> 
> If anyone has any helpful tips for us, that would be great!!!!!!



Well your plan for Oct 9th is a bit tight. Official Check in time for the Fort is 3pm. Your site could be ready before that, but one never knows. MNNSHP you can enter MK starting at 4pm with the event tickets, which I hope you have already purchased, some nights sell out, and I am not sure if any have this year. We got ours the first day they were available. It takes roughly an hour to get from the Fort to MK by boat, get thru security and all. 
Other then that, looks great and enjoy. We will miss you by a couple weeks.


----------



## FrozenOne16

PaHunter said:


> Well your plan for Oct 9th is a bit tight. Official Check in time for the Fort is 3pm. Your site could be ready before that, but one never knows. MNNSHP you can enter MK starting at 4pm with the event tickets, which I hope you have already purchased, some nights sell out, and I am not sure if any have this year. We got ours the first day they were available. It takes roughly an hour to get from the Fort to MK by boat, get thru security and all.
> Other then that, looks great and enjoy. We will miss you by a couple weeks.



Yea, I may be reaching for the stars on the 9th, but I really want to hope that it works out. We want to do that party because we want a rest day before we go to Epcot on Wednesday. It's also my late mother's birthday, so I really want to go to MK and ride a few of her favorite rides in remembrance of her. I am keeping my fingers crossed. We haven't gotten our tickets yet, but I am hoping we get them this weekend.

Thanks for the heads up though. It's always good to have an outside perspective on plans!


----------



## ruthies12

FrozenOne16 said:


> I love this thread! My DH and I are tent camping Oct 9-12 at the fort! Although we have yet to buy our tent.  Needless to say, we are new at camping. We are eyeing a certain tent, and waiting to see if it goes down in price.
> 
> As far as our plans. Here goes:
> Oct 7 - We are leaving NC and heading down. We plan to stop about halfway. Right now I think we are looking at Savannah.
> Oct 8 - Heading to St. Augustine, hoping to find somewhere around that area to camp. We will be researching campgrounds, so if anyone has ideas, let me know!!!!
> Oct 9 - Checking into the fort, although I'm not sure how early we can do that. We are looking to do MNSSHP that night, so I hope we can check in early so we can get everything set up before we head to MK.
> Oct 10 - Kona breakfast ADR, then hanging out at the Fort for the rest of the day. Pool, bike riding, and hopefully the campfire.
> Oct 11 - Epcot for Food and Wine
> Oct 12 - We will check out and head to Tampa to spend a few days with my dad (not camping).
> 
> We are optimistic about this trip and we are hoping that we can make this a yearly trip in between our stays at the resorts. We do plan on camping around here a few times before we go to WDW, so hopefully we can get the hang of it. We also plan on bringing a fan for inside the tent.
> 
> If anyone has any helpful tips for us, that would be great!!!!!!



My suggestion would be to get the tent and go camping, time yourself to see how long it takes you to set up. Then add that time to the 3 o'clock check in for a realistic idea of what time you could head to the MK.  If you can accept the fact that you likely won't make it to MK by 4, but could probably get there around 5 or 6 then I think you could stick with your plan.  If you end up being able to check in early, then you will get to mK earlier and it will be a bonus. 

Other suggestion is to not entirely set up every single thing, just figure out what you'll need for the night like the tent, the beds, the fan, etc.  Leave everything else in the car until it's needed the next day.  That will save a little time.


----------



## FrozenOne16

ruthies12 said:


> My suggestion would be to get the tent and go camping, time yourself to see how long it takes you to set up. Then add that time to the 3 o'clock check in for a realistic idea of what time you could head to the MK.  If you can accept the fact that you likely won't make it to MK by 4, but could probably get there around 5 or 6 then I think you could stick with your plan.  If you end up being able to check in early, then you will get to mK earlier and it will be a bonus.
> 
> Other suggestion is to not entirely set up every single thing, just figure out what you'll need for the night like the tent, the beds, the fan, etc.  Leave everything else in the car until it's needed the next day.  That will save a little time.



Thanks! I think that will be our plan, just set up the tent, bed and fan. I am really hoping it all works out!


----------



## sweet maxine

I worked yesterday with a new (old) to me tent, putting it up and taking it down.  I'm very used to working with my backpacking tent---it's a breeze!  But this tent is much bigger, and more comfortable, so I am trying to figure out if there are any timesavers or short cuts that I could use.  It still needs to be seam-sealed and sprayed over again on the fly, but should be weather ready by the time I leave for the Fort.


----------



## ruthies12

Beach cart is mostly done.  Now just hoping it doesn't fall apart when I pull it onto the sand......


----------



## sweet maxine

That is brilliant!


----------



## Teamubr

Very nice!

Do you have to take it apart to get it out the door?  Probably should put the umbrellas down though.

j


----------



## sweet maxine

I was going to add---better get a patent on that, quickly!  That's an awesome idea!


----------



## ruthies12

Lol yes I'll have to take it apart to get it out the door and into the rv.  The top is glued, and the bottom is glued, but the side poles are not glued so I can make it fold flat.  I can actually put the umbrellas into multiple different positions depending on sun and each pole that the umbrellas go in have a hole drilled so I have them locked in place with a locking pin so they can't take flight in the wind.   I'll let you all know how it does when we actually use it in destin in 18 days!


----------



## Judyfun

Truly a piece of ART!!


----------



## ruthies12

Our first full day at Disney we are going to MK and my girls are wearing princess dresses (snow white), getting makeovers at BBB, then we have lunch in the castle.   I'm wearing a shirt that says "My daughters may be princesses but I'm the queen" and has a pic of the evil queen from snow white on it.  I decided I needed a new crown for the occasion and found this beauty on amazon.  It is being modeled for your viewing pleasure by the lovely Miss Daisy because she's prettier than I am lol


----------



## PaHunter

ruthies12 said:


> Our first full day at Disney we are going to MK and my girls are wearing princess dresses (snow white), getting makeovers at BBB, then we have lunch in the castle.   I'm wearing a shirt that says "My daughters may be princesses but I'm the queen" and has a pic of the evil queen from snow white on it.  I decided I needed a new crown for the occasion and found this beauty on amazon.  It is being modeled for your viewing pleasure by the lovely Miss Daisy because she's prettier than I am lol
> View attachment 252305



Awww, such a cute St Bernard. We had one before and he was a good dog, just they drool on everything, including the ceiling.


----------



## ruthies12

PaHunter said:


> Awww, such a cute St Bernard. We had one before and he was a good dog, just they drool on everything, including the ceiling.



We call that "visible love!"


----------



## peg110

ruthies12 said:


> We call that "visible love!"


Oh... well then I get LOTS of "Visible Love" from my 130# Yellow Lab. 

Not so much ceiling, but cabinets, floors, clothes, furniture, etc....  It more than triples if you have food and he thinks he might get some of it.


----------



## ruthies12

peg110 said:


> Oh... well then I get LOTS of "Visible Love" from my 130# Yellow Lab.
> 
> Not so much ceiling, but cabinets, floors, clothes, furniture, etc....  It more than triples if you have food and he thinks he might get some of it.



LOL that is a BIG lab!  That is how much my saint weighs- 130 pounds!


----------



## FortWildernessCamper

Under 100 days now (90 days to be exact).  Will be finishing our workamping jobs at a campground in PA in mid September.  We will then head to MD for a while to be near our kids and grandkids.  Should be heading to Florida Oct 12th.  Can hardly wait to be back at the Fort on October 14th!
 

Site 1724 last September


----------



## ruthies12

K peeps, I've been very busy getting ready. Just finished making my mickey light in halloween colors for decor on the camper. 

Had a moment of panic today cause I realized my 60 day mark actually occurs our last day in destin instead of our first day back home.   Already informed dh we will not be breaking camp and heading home at 6 am as usual, I will not risk having no phone signal at 7 to book my fp.  So we will instead plan on leaving at 730 after I've finished booking.  He shouldn't complain, he gets to sleep another hour....


----------



## allaboutthemouse

peg110 said:


> Oh... well then I get LOTS of "Visible Love" from my 130# Yellow Lab.
> 
> Not so much ceiling, but cabinets, floors, clothes, furniture, etc....  It more than triples if you have food and he thinks he might get some of it.



lol, love that picture ruthies12!  We get that love too from our 175 lb. mastiff!
Joining in, and trying to decide if we will bring her to the Fort in October...she'll be almost 9, and we've noticed she is not as excited to go camping as she used to be...but afraid she would miss us too much if we left her...haven't decided yet.


----------



## FrozenOne16

ruthies12 said:


> K peeps, I've been very busy getting ready. Just finished making my mickey light in halloween colors for decor on the camper



*I love your Mickey light!!! I need to figure out some decorations for our campsite! We are tent camping for the first time, and I was thinking maybe some string lights along our rain fly. Not sure if it's safe or not though. *


----------



## snowmedic

FrozenOne16 said:


> We are tent camping for the first time, and I was thinking maybe some string lights along our rain fly. Not sure if it's safe or not though



We hang string lights on the inside and around the rain fly of our tent and is perfectly safe.  We leave the ones on the rain fly on all night to give us a little light for those late night runs to the CS.  We use blue string lights on the fly and the clear on inside.


----------



## peg110

snowmedic said:


> We hang string lights on the inside and around the rain fly of our tent and is perfectly safe.  We leave the ones on the rain fly on all night to give us a little light for those late night runs to the CS.  We use blue string lights on the fly and the clear on inside.


To be clear... LED and the MINI Christmas lights should be used as they don't (typically) get warm enough to be an issue. Also they should be intended for outdoor use as well.


----------



## FrozenOne16

snowmedic said:


> We hang string lights on the inside and around the rain fly of our tent and is perfectly safe.  We leave the ones on the rain fly on all night to give us a little light for those late night runs to the CS.  We use blue string lights on the fly and the clear on inside.





peg110 said:


> To be clear... LED and the MINI Christmas lights should be used as they don't (typically) get warm enough to be an issue. Also they should be intended for outdoor use as well.



*This is GREAT advice! I think we are going to try to find some orange ones for the outside, and then some clear ones for inside. My list just keeps getting longer! HAHA. But it's okay, because in the end, we will be at DISNEY!*


----------



## mtnminnie

we use a Christmas Star Shower to light up our tent at night.  I like it better than hanging lights...b/c well, I have to actually hang the lights.


----------



## FrozenOne16

mtnminnie said:


> we use a Christmas Star Shower to light up our tent at night.  I like it better than hanging lights...b/c well, I have to actually hang the lights.



*We are hoping to get a Disney themed one for our house this year! We just bought our house in a nice neighborhood and I am so excited to decorate it for ALL of the holidays!!*


----------



## sweet maxine

snowmedic said:


> We hang string lights on the inside and around the rain fly of our tent and is perfectly safe.  We leave the ones on the rain fly on all night to give us a little light for those late night runs to the CS.  We use blue string lights on the fly and the clear on inside.



I love this idea!  I'll have to see if I have a set of LED lights around here to take on my August trip.  Great idea for using them as night lights.


----------



## Kidatheart2010

Morning all...  Me the DW and the dogs will be there the 7th through the 15th.  Waiting for the Fast Pass window to open.  
Ready to find us a rocking chair and chill...........


----------



## ruthies12

Kidatheart2010 said:


> Morning all...  Me the DW and the dogs will be there the 7th through the 15th.  Waiting for the Fast Pass window to open.
> Ready to find us a rocking chair and chill...........



See ya there!  My dates are 5th to 15th.


----------



## JETS70

Kidatheart2010 said:


> Morning all...  Me the DW and the dogs will be there the 7th through the 15th.  Waiting for the Fast Pass window to open.
> Ready to find us a rocking chair and chill...........





ruthies12 said:


> See ya there!  My dates are 5th to 15th.



See you there. We will be there the 9th thru the 15th.


----------



## Kidatheart2010

Cool.....  We will look you up.   lets get with each other a few weeks out.  
Ready to go........


----------



## JETS70

Kidatheart2010 said:


> Ready to go........



I would leave today but unfortunately the DW's work keeps getting in the way


----------



## peg110

JETS70 said:


> I would leave today but unfortunately the DW's work keeps getting in the way


Me too, but My work AND DW's work is always in the way. I guess, without the work, though, we might never make it.


----------



## dalir

I love the Star Shower we recently aimed it up in the trees over the 4th of July.  The swaying leaves made it look like fireworks over the house!


----------



## Boomer1

It appears that we will have to change our plans. Instead of being at the Fort in late October we are now looking at modifying our dates from Nov.1-9. I guess we will have to post under the November thread.


----------



## bama_ed

Boomer1 said:


> It appears that we will have to change our plans. Instead of being at the Fort in late October we are now looking at modifying our dates from Nov.1-9. I guess we will have to post under the November thread.



Do we have a November thread yet?  

I could be wrong but I don't think we have one started yet.  We need a leader, Boomer1, to start one.  

Bama Ed


----------



## dalir

We will be there October 6 - 9.  We do plan to decorate.  Halloween has died out in our neighborhood.  Last year we only had ONE trick-or-treater.  

It is our first ever Food and Wine experience.  We are so excited to try all the food at Epcot.  We went on a snack tour of Epcot when we were there in June and loved it! 

It will also be our first visit in a Travel Trailer!  We are upgrading from tent/popup status.  We get the new trailer on Saturday.  We are delighted to be trying so many new things on this trip!!

BTW- is travel trailer even the right word?  or is it just camper?  it's not an RV is it?  
We have much to learn!!


----------



## PaHunter

dalir said:


> We will be there October 6 - 9.  We do plan to decorate.  Halloween has died out in our neighborhood.  Last year we only had ONE trick-or-treater.
> 
> It is our first ever Food and Wine experience.  We are so excited to try all the food at Epcot.  We went on a snack tour of Epcot when we were there in June and loved it!
> 
> It will also be our first visit in a Travel Trailer!  We are upgrading from tent/popup status.  We get the new trailer on Saturday.  We are delighted to be trying so many new things on this trip!!
> 
> BTW- is travel trailer even the right word?  or is it just camper?  it's not an RV is it?
> We have much to learn!!



Well yes RV encompasses all types of vehicles. It could be just a camper, but a Travel Trailer tells one what type of RV it is. As RV covers everything from the smallest popup's to the largest Diesel Pushers and everything in between, Class A, B, C and Fifth Wheels.


----------



## ruthies12

dalir said:


> We will be there October 6 - 9.  We do plan to decorate.  Halloween has died out in our neighborhood.  Last year we only had ONE trick-or-treater.
> 
> It is our first ever Food and Wine experience.  We are so excited to try all the food at Epcot.  We went on a snack tour of Epcot when we were there in June and loved it!
> 
> It will also be our first visit in a Travel Trailer!  We are upgrading from tent/popup status.  We get the new trailer on Saturday.  We are delighted to be trying so many new things on this trip!!
> 
> BTW- is travel trailer even the right word?  or is it just camper?  it's not an RV is it?
> We have much to learn!!



Congrats on the new camper!!  Like PAHunter said, it is an RV and a camper, but Travel Trailer is definitely more specific. 

I am 7 days out from our week-long trip to Topsail State Park in Destin!  Been busy trying to get everything together for the beach while simultaneously trying to also plan for Disney.  I FINALLY got my parents to decide which days they will be joining us in the parks and bought their tickets so I'll be able to book their fastpasses at the same time as ours.  So now that I have that information I have been finalizing my fastpass plans so I can get it all figured out before we leave for the beach cause I hit my 60 day mark on the Sunday we come home from Destin, really hope I have a good phone signal since I won't have wifi. 

And it just occurred to me that Destin is on central time so I guess I'll have to be booking at 6 am.


----------



## peg110

dalir said:


> it's not an RV is it?





PaHunter said:


> Well yes RV encompasses all types of vehicles. It could be just a camper, but a Travel Trailer tells one what type of RV it is. As RV covers everything from the smallest popup's to the largest Diesel Pushers and everything in between, Class A, B, C and Fifth Wheels.



I will take it a step further... RV also includes, boats, Quads, JetSki's, etc... RV is generically Recreational Vehicle, so any vehicle that you use "Recreationally" qualifies.

I find the challenge is, is that when you say RV, most people (not in the know) think of a Class A, B, or C, but they are wrong, so adding the "Specifics" of what type of RV you have is helpful. 

"I am taking my RV to the lake" is correct, but "I am taking my JetSki" to the lake is much clearer. 

Anyway congrats on the New "RV". I am sure you will have lots of fun.


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## proudmomof4

Just booked 10/9-10/13 in a premium site.


----------



## FrozenOne16

*Everyone is talking about their fastpasses, and I am excited to book ours! However, we haven't purchased our tickets yet. Do we have to go ahead and purchase our tickets before we can book fastpasses? Usually I purchase the package, but since we are camping, we didn't do a package. We were just going to wait until our trip got closer to buy our tickets. *


----------



## Cosmic

FrozenOne16 said:


> *Everyone is talking about their fastpasses, and I am excited to book ours! However, we haven't purchased our tickets yet. Do we have to go ahead and purchase our tickets before we can book fastpasses? Usually I purchase the package, but since we are camping, we didn't do a package. We were just going to wait until our trip got closer to buy our tickets. *


You need to buy the tickets and link them to your My Disney Experience account(s). You can only make FP+ reservations for the number of days your linked tickets are for. If you don't have any tickets linked, that number is zero. Touringplans has a ticket finder to save you the most money. 

https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/ticket-calculator-disney-world-ticket-discounts


----------



## PaHunter

FrozenOne16 said:


> *Everyone is talking about their fastpasses, and I am excited to book ours! However, we haven't purchased our tickets yet. Do we have to go ahead and purchase our tickets before we can book fastpasses? Usually I purchase the package, but since we are camping, we didn't do a package. We were just going to wait until our trip got closer to buy our tickets. *



Yes you need to buy tickets as Cosmic stated to make your FP's. If you usually do a package, why not this time, if I may ask ?? You can do camping and a package, you can add a dining plan if you would like. And the FP window is 60 days, just passed ours and managed Flight of Passage on a later day in our trip.


----------



## FrozenOne16

Cosmic said:


> You need to buy the tickets and link them to your My Disney Experience account(s). You can only make FP+ reservations for the number of days your linked tickets are for. If you don't have any tickets linked, that number is zero. Touringplans has a ticket finder to save you the most money.
> 
> https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/ticket-calculator-disney-world-ticket-discounts



*Okay, we will get our tickets purchased ASAP! I tried to use Touring Plans, but it seems they only have multi-day options. We are only wanting to go to MNSSHP and one day at Epcot for F&W. Kinda why we have been postponing purchasing tickets.*



PaHunter said:


> Yes you need to buy tickets as Cosmic stated to make your FP's. If you usually do a package, why not this time, if I may ask ?? You can do camping and a package, you can add a dining plan if you would like. And the FP window is 60 days, just passed ours and managed Flight of Passage on a later day in our trip.



*We aren't doing a package because this is supposed to be Disney on a budget. We just bought a house in May and we weren't planning on going to Disney at all this year. We decided to try out camping, and then decided on 3 nights with only MNSSHP on Monday, and then Epcot on Wednesday. Tuesday will be spent exploring the Fort and hanging out by the pool. We are trying to be as relaxed as possible this trip as well. So we opted not to do a package. *


----------



## Cosmic

FrozenOne16 said:


> *Okay, we will get our tickets purchased ASAP! I tried to use Touring Plans, but it seems they only have multi-day options. We are only wanting to go to MNSSHP and one day at Epcot for F&W. Kinda why we have been postponing purchasing tickets.*


I didn't realize you were only looking for one-day tickets... Disney is very stingy with discounts on those. I think the best way is to go through Disney directly; Shades of Green has a slight discount (if you're eligible to buy from them), and they're the only discounted one-day, one-park tickets I'm aware of.


----------



## FrozenOne16

Cosmic said:


> I didn't realize you were only looking for one-day tickets... Disney is very stingy with discounts on those. I think the best way is to go through Disney directly; Shades of Green has a slight discount (if you're eligible to buy from them), and they're the only discounted one-day, one-park tickets I'm aware of.



*Yea, I did some research last night with my discounts from work. They seem to be really good discounts, but for multiple days. I appreciate the help though!!! We still have about 2 weeks to purchase our tickets, so I am not worrying about fastpasses yet. lol*


----------



## friendofeeyore

Your Cart turned out great!! Could make  $$$ making them around the beach areas. Your Motor Home is beautiful, & Mickey ears will look great on the door. Do you have a Mickey Lamp?


----------



## ruthies12

Thanks!

I do not have a mickey lamp 

We leave Friday for Destin!!  I can't wait, really looking forward to relaxing on the beach.  Hope our forecast clears up, lots of rain in the forecast right now.

73 days to Disney!!!!


----------



## FrozenOne16

friendofeeyore said:


> Your Cart turned out great!! Could make  $$$ making them around the beach areas. Your Motor Home is beautiful, & Mickey ears will look great on the door. Do you have a Mickey Lamp?



*Is the Mickey Lamp something you can purchase or is it something you can make? I would love to have one!*


----------



## bama_ed

FrozenOne16 said:


> *Is the Mickey Lamp something you can purchase or is it something you can make? I would love to have one!*



You have to make it.  Instructions are right here courtesy of our poster Gary Cruise (CDNCruiser):  http://carol-anne.ca/Mickey Lamp.htm

Bama Ed


----------



## N365PA

Hey Campers,
We're joining yall there Monday Oct 23-Friday Oct 27 in our tent. See ya there!


----------



## tregal16

we will be there 9/30 to 10/09 looking forward to getting away and visiting all the magical things to do at Disney...I am still up in the air about MNSSHP for myself but the rest of that family is all in...so to go or sit back and enjoy the campground... hmmm decisions...decisions...


----------



## jhomuth

We'll be there from October 27 through November 17.  We like to stay in the 1700 loop and we always rent a golf cart from Kenny @ Tee Time.  My kids love TOT at the Fort and I love being able to bring both Halloween and Christmas decorations!  We're coming from TX, just south of Dallas.  We have 9 day passes and have our 3 ADR's all set for dinner at O'Hana, dinner at 1900 Park Fare, and lunch at Whispering Canyon.  We've got 5 kids who will be ages 5-14 while we're there.  We do Disney every other fall and just love the Fort.  I'm not normally on the boards here until a few months before a trip to catch up on what's new in the World and at the Fort.


----------



## ruthies12

Got my tshirt made that I'm wearing to lunch at CRT when my dd's are wearing their snow white dresses.  Leaving tomorrow for Destin, I'll try to post a beach pic next week!


----------



## friendofeeyore

What a great top! Have a great & safe trip! Waiting for the beach pictures!


----------



## garneska

@ruthies12 i love that shirt. It is wicked!


----------



## ruthies12

Some pics from Topsail state park in destin.....


----------



## ruthies12

Just ate at Another Broken Egg Cafe in Destin and had the lobster and brie omelet = O.M.G. 

 they also have bottomless mimosas so now I'm back in the camper trying to convince dd4 that a nap is a good idea while dd8 snd dh are gone doing their snuba dive.


----------



## friendofeeyore

ruthies12, I love the pictures! How did the cart work out that U made?


----------



## ruthies12

friendofeeyore said:


> ruthies12, I love the pictures! How did the cart work out that U made?



The cart was a colossal failure!  It was soooo hard to push on the sand, it just sank and the wheels didn't want to turn.  We ended up just using it to pull behind the bike and then transferring everything to a store bought beach cart once we got to the beach. 

It was really, really difficult to pull behind the bike too though, it was too heavy and not balanced right.  All week long I was berating myself for how out of shape I was while riding the bike to and from the beach, until the last night when we went down without all the stuff and riding the bike was so much easier I couldn't believe it and then I realized it wasn't me being out of shape, it was pulling that dang cart that made it so hard! 

I brought all of it back home but I think I'm scrapping it.  Next year we'll use the regular old bike cart that we have and transfer to a beach cart when we get there.  It would be nice to have one cart that would do both, but it ain't looking like it's happening


----------



## bama_ed

ruthies12 said:


> they also have bottomless mimosas so now I'm back in the camper trying to convince dd4 that *a nap is a good idea.*



Hmmm.  I'm familiar with that line of reasoning.  

Topsail pictures look nice.  Very hard to reserve IIRC.  But those pictures make me want to try again.

Bama Ed


----------



## dalir

bama_ed said:


> Topsail pictures look nice. Very hard to reserve IIRC. But those pictures make me want to try again.


We got lucky and found a site for Labor Day weekend at Topsail.  We have never been, but have heard it's nice and Ruthies pictures seem to confirm that (thanks).  We will be taking our new travel trailer; only had it 3 weeks now and this will be the longest trip yet.  We're taking it to The Fort for the first time in early October (60 days from today).


----------



## Teamubr

dalir,

Congrats on the new camper. I won't ask how you snagged Topsail for Labor Day. Last Fall I was just playing around on the reservation site at the 11 month window and couldn't find anything. Nice job. 

As nice as Topsail is (I've driven through when staying in Destin), the Fort is MUCH nicer... Except for the no ocean part. 

Sounds like you are going to have a great September and October with the new RV.

j


----------



## FrozenOne16

*Made our FP selections this morning! We are headed to MNSSHP on Oct 9 and I scored 2 FP for the 4-7 time period. We really want to ride 7DMT, and unfortunately, there was only 1 time available, 5:10-6:10, so only 1 other FP would work. The other one we got was for PP from 4:05-5:05. Hopefully we can get some Pixie Dust and score 1 other FP after we ride 7DMT, as long as we get there early, so it's before 6!

Our other park day is Epcot on Oct 11. We plan to rope drop Soarin, so we got FP for SE, TT, and Turtle Talk. We want to try to get everything in Future World done early, so we can spend the majority of the day in World Showcase since, let's be honest, we are only going for the food. And wine. 

60 more days!!!!!*


----------



## ruthies12

FrozenOne16 said:


> *Made our FP selections this morning! We are headed to MNSSHP on Oct 9 and I scored 2 FP for the 4-7 time period. We really want to ride 7DMT, and unfortunately, there was only 1 time available, 5:10-6:10, so only 1 other FP would work. The other one we got was for PP from 4:05-5:05. Hopefully we can get some Pixie Dust and score 1 other FP after we ride 7DMT, as long as we get there early, so it's before 6!
> 
> Our other park day is Epcot on Oct 11. We plan to rope drop Soarin, so we got FP for SE, TT, and Turtle Talk. We want to try to get everything in Future World done early, so we can spend the majority of the day in World Showcase since, let's be honest, we are only going for the food. And wine.
> 
> 60 more days!!!!!*



Well this is extremely funny- we too plan on being in Epcot on 10/11 and we also are rope dropping Soarin!  Maybe we should meet up at the Fort bus stop and go together lol? I fastpassed Imagination, Mission Space, and FEA for us.  This will be our second Epcot day, we will be there the prior Sunday also.  Hoping to hit up lots of F&W booths myself, especially the chocolate booth!


----------



## mickeyfan0805

I will start by admitting that I have not read all 9 pages of this thread (my DIS focus has been on a WDW/cruise trip that will take place next week), but the approaching FP+ window has me getting more focused on our October trip as well.  So - here we are!!  We are WDW vets and DVC owners, but will finally be fulfilling a 7 year dream of camping at the Fort.  I will haul the 1,250 miles solo, DW will fly with the kids, and then I will haul back.  Arrival October 26, departure November 5 - MNSSHP, ToT at the Fort, Cart Parade, and early Christmas decor at MK!  We can't wait!!


----------



## ruthies12

I don't think I posted this yet-  my trip to destin did, of course, include a stop at the disney store outlet.  While there I found pirate princess ear hats that match my dd's pirate shirts that they are wearing to MNSSHP.   Got these ear hats for only 7 bucks each!!!  What a great deal


----------



## FrozenOne16

ruthies12 said:


> Well this is extremely funny- we too plan on being in Epcot on 10/11 and we also are rope dropping Soarin!  Maybe we should meet up at the Fort bus stop and go together lol? I fastpassed Imagination, Mission Space, and FEA for us.  This will be our second Epcot day, we will be there the prior Sunday also.  Hoping to hit up lots of F&W booths myself, especially the chocolate booth!



*That is funny!!! We are undecided on using our car to get to Epcot or using transportation. I really want to make rope drop since it is our only Epcot day. I feel like it's gonna be a catch 22 situation *

*OMG Chocolate!!! We will probably do that booth at the end of the day. I am not a fan of chocolate in the heat. I am excited for the Cheddar Cheese Soup in Canada though! I can't justify Le Cellier quite yet, so I have never gotten to try the soup. It is a must for me!*


----------



## FrozenOne16

*Just got back from the Dollar Tree! Ours already had some Halloween decorations out! So we stocked up with some cool lights and decorations for our campsite! So excited!*


----------



## N365PA

Well we were going to be there Oct 23-27 in a tent...well my parents decided their time with their pop-up was over...so we bought it from them. 
 
2001 Jayco Summit 10SG. The vinyl has seen better days (just getting a bit old) but it has been garage kept from day one! Can't wait to take my kids camping in the same camper I spent many a high school trip in!


----------



## PaHunter

mickeyfan0805 said:


> I will start by admitting that I have not read all 9 pages of this thread (my DIS focus has been on a WDW/cruise trip that will take place next week), but the approaching FP+ window has me getting more focused on our October trip as well.  So - here we are!!  We are WDW vets and DVC owners, but will finally be fulfilling a 7 year dream of camping at the Fort.  I will haul the 1,250 miles solo, DW will fly with the kids, and then I will haul back.  Arrival October 26, departure November 5 - MNSSHP, ToT at the Fort, Cart Parade, and early Christmas decor at MK!  We can't wait!!



Now there is some dedication, towing solo.


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## mtnminnie

haha...I think towing solo might be quite peaceful.....depending.....


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## proudmomof4

We are also planning on Epcot for 10/11, the crowd calendar shows it as a slower park for that day, but maybe those calendars really aren't accurate?


----------



## mtnminnie

I really, really hope crowd calendars are accurate as we have planned our trip into the parks around them.  But, then again, I am trying to prepare myself that a "5" is still a massive amount of people.


----------



## Teamubr

mickeyfan0805 said:


> I will haul the 1,250 miles solo, DW will fly with the kids, and then I will haul back.





PaHunter said:


> Now there is some dedication, towing solo.





mtnminnie said:


> haha...I think towing solo might be quite peaceful.....depending.....


I have done this twice when I had a conference at the Gaylord Palms. I would tow down solo, do the conference and DW and DS would meet me at the end of the conference. 

I do all the towing while everyone else sleeps/reads/complains anyway. Solo means I don't have to listed to snoring/complaining and I make considerably less stops. When I was racing and was all over the country, we only stopped for fuel or wanted to switch drivers. We usually traded off the driving once a trip, unless it was a close track we could get to in under 5 hours or so.

It is nice to have someone else along to talk to once in a while, but the solo thing isn't that bad if you're going to be driving all of it anyway.

j


----------



## mickeyfan0805

Teamubr said:


> I have done this twice when I had a conference at the Gaylord Palms. I would tow down solo, do the conference and DW and DS would meet me at the end of the conference.
> 
> I do all the towing while everyone else sleeps/reads/complains anyway. Solo means I don't have to listed to snoring/complaining and I make considerably less stops. When I was racing and was all over the country, we only stopped for fuel or wanted to switch drivers. We usually traded off the driving once a trip, unless it was a close track we could get to in under 5 hours or so.
> 
> It is nice to have someone else along to talk to once in a while, but the solo thing isn't that bad if you're going to be driving all of it anyway.
> 
> j



I am having mixed reactions about the journey. I do all of the driving when we tow and, as you say, the family is often off in their own worlds when we do it. I think the biggest challenge is that our trailer is 35' long, so we are over 53' when hooked up. While I do all the driving the wife is very helpful when we are oookung for manageable gas stations and stops. Nonetheless, I am taking 2.5 days for the drive each way, so I have plenty of room to take my time.


----------



## Teamubr

You have about 250 miles further than I do. 2 1/2 days should be a nice way to break it up. And 53 ft isn't bad. I go right at 65. Besides, the trailer is going to follow where ever the truck goes. Keep the truck moving in the right direction and you won't even notice the 53 ft behind you.

j


----------



## mickeyfan0805

Teamubr said:


> You have about 250 miles further than I do. 2 1/2 days should be a nice way to break it up. And 53 ft isn't bad. I go right at 65. Besides, the trailer is going to follow where ever the truck goes. Keep the truck moving in the right direction and you won't even notice the 53 ft behind you.
> 
> j



Yep - never and issue with towing. The rig handles beautifully and issues have been limited to one blowout in about 15k miles. Unfortunately, I have to stop every 200 miles for gas. That's when I will miss my wife's eyes in scoping out potential stations. Still, adventures are all a part of it. It's been a 7 year dream for the family to camp at the Fort, so it is well worth it!


----------



## jabrabu

I am 60 days out today, so I made my FP+ reservations this morning.  I was in a hurry due to other appointments, so they are probably not optimized, but I did pretty well.

For the tough ones to get (Flights of Passage, Seven Dwarfs, Navi River, Frozen Ever After), I got FoP for day 6 of the trip at 11:55am.  I also got a FP for Rivers of Light, so very happy for those.  My other AK day is day 3 of the trip, and FoP was not available for that day, but I got Navi River at 10:45am.  Day 2 is MK, and I got 7 Dwarfs in the afternoon.  I would have preferred morning, but this is okay.  For EPCOT, my priority was Soarin' so I didn't get a FP for Frozen Ever After.  I went on the Frozen attraction during a solo trip in Feb, and I don't really care to do it again, but my wife and son have never seen it so we may try to do it at rope drop or if the wait isn't too long.


----------



## jabrabu

Here is my itinerary, if anyone is interested.

Sat, Oct 14: Arrive, probably early afternoon, check into Fort.
Ohana reservation at 3:30pm.  (We have never been before.)  I'd like to go later and then watch the fireworks from the Poly, but nothing is available after 3:30.

Sun, Oct 15: Magic Kingdom
FP+ for Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain in the morning.  FP+ for 7 Dwarfs in the afternoon.
Park closes at 7pm for the MNSSHP.
Trail's End dinner reservation for 7:20pm.

Mon, Oct 16: Animal Kingdom (morning extra magic hour)
Try to rope drop FoP.
FP+ for Na'vi River, Safari, and Everest
Boma dinner reservation at 7:50pm (we like Boma but haven't been in years)

Tues, Oct 17: Water Park
We haven't been to a Disney World water park.  Any recommendation on which one?
We may go to Disney Springs after the water park, and may do the campfire in the evening.

Wed, Oct: 18: EPCOT, then MK at night
Might try to rope drop Test Track or Frozen Ever After
FP+ for Soarin', Pixar Film, and Spaceship Earth (my son really like Spaceship Earth)
Enjoy Food and Wine Festival
Take monorail to MK for evening stuff.  I really like to do Jungle Cruise and Big Thunder at night.  Watch the evening fireworks.

Thurs, Oct 19: 2nd day at AK
FP+ for FoP, Lion King, and Rivers of Light

Fri, Oct 20: DHS
FP+ for Toy Story Mania, Star Tours, and Tower of Terror
I'll probably ride Rock n Roller Coaster as a single rider.
DHS probably isn't a full day park for us, so we may take the boat to EPCOT in the afternoon for more Food and Wine or other good dining.  Then we might go back to DHS for the Star Wars Fireworks.  Or, we might go back to a water park or just enjoy the campground.


----------



## Cosmic

@jabrabu I've been stalking the wait times on the Touring Plans app, and the waits for Frozen stay pretty reasonable before FP+ starts at 11... as long as Test Track is running. If TT is down, it seems like all those people head over to FEA.


----------



## ruthies12

Working on personalized trick or treat bags for my dds for mnsshp to go with the pirate outfits.  Got one almost done


----------



## ruthies12

Other dds is done.  50 days!!!


----------



## superblonde29

Well we are missing 3 days of our trip that I was hoping to pick up.  We moved our ressies from April 2017 to an unplanned trip in October due to our motorcycle accident.  What is anyone's thoughts on me being able to pick up the 28th-1st!  We are currently scheduled to depart on the 28th and recheck in on the 1st which of course we wouldn't do.  Has anyone picked up nights this close?  Thanks


----------



## FtW Mike

Best idea SuperBlond is just keep trying everyday


----------



## bama_ed

superblonde29 said:


> Well we are missing 3 days of our trip that I was hoping to pick up.  We moved our ressies from April 2017 to an unplanned trip in October due to our motorcycle accident.  What is anyone's thoughts on me being able to pick up the 28th-1st!  We are currently scheduled to depart on the 28th and recheck in on the 1st which of course we wouldn't do.  Has anyone picked up nights this close?  Thanks



blondie,

The only answer is persistence - to keep trying several times a day and mix in calling and on-line checking.  What type of site are your two reservations?  You might have to move if you get the dates you are looking for but in a different type of site.

Good luck to you.

Bama Ed


----------



## ruthies12

Yikes the October thread fell to the second page!  45 days out for me!!!!   I've got all the stuff for the kids countdown ready to start on Labor Day.  Starting to pack for the trip, getting princess dresses together and washed, starting to figure out what all I want to take on the stroller, etc.


----------



## tltay2005

Not giving up hope, still trying multiple times a day for 10/26-10/31.


----------



## serenitygr

We are almost at one month out from departure day!! ( leaving mn September 25-26th to have a leisurely drive down ) 
We raise basset hounds, so our summer has been crazy with about 30 puppies here, but now they have all gone to their new families.... yesterday completed our 5 days of horse showing at our county fair- now it's GAME ON getting ready for our trip! First trip in our camper we got last fall: we named her SERENITY, because that is our farm name, and it just seems to fit...
Need to work on getting comfortable posting pictures next!


----------



## FrozenOne16

*We got our tickets for MNSSHP last week! So excited! Granted, we won't actually use the hard tickets, but I still like to have them in my hands!!!! 49 days to go!*


----------



## bama_ed

Nine days till early check-in becomes available.

Tic-toc... 

ED


----------



## 2goofycampers

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party Map 2017

http://www.wdwinfo.com/holidays/photos/mnsshp-map1.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed:+disney-updates+(Disney+Updates+-+wdwinfo.com)

MNSSHP Highlights

http://www.wdwinfo.com/walt-disney-...disney-updates+(Disney+Updates+-+wdwinfo.com)


----------



## ruthies12

Ahhhh, one more week til my kids get to start the elaborate countdown I have made!  My DD8 knows it is coming and she might be more excited about the countdown than the actual trip lol.  We'll be camping over labor day weekend, then when we come home on Monday I'll have this scavenger hunt laid out.  



The end of the scavenger hunt leads to a cardboard castle which will have a treasure chest inside. Each day the treasure chest will have something different in it for them to do. Since we are doing the pirates league and Halloween party this year, the initial scavenger hunt is pirate themed and the first movie will be Pirates of the Caribbean which they have never seen.  The activity with the movie will be building these wood pirate ships.  The markers are for them to decorate the cardboard castle.


----------



## JETS70

ruthies12 said:


> Ahhhh, one more week til my kids get to start the elaborate countdown I have made!  My DD8 knows it is coming and she might be more excited about the countdown than the actual trip lol.  We'll be camping over labor day weekend, then when we come home on Monday I'll have this scavenger hunt laid out.
> 
> View attachment 265565
> 
> The end of the scavenger hunt leads to a cardboard castle which will have a treasure chest inside. Each day the treasure chest will have something different in it for them to do. Since we are doing the pirates league and Halloween party this year, the initial scavenger hunt is pirate themed and the first movie will be Pirates of the Caribbean which they have never seen.  The activity with the movie will be building these wood pirate ships.  The markers are for them to decorate the cardboard castle.
> 
> View attachment 265566
> 
> View attachment 265567



Now that's a cool idea


----------



## lokin4deer

Count us in! We arrive on the 21st through the 27th in the preferred loop but I am hoping to get the night of the 27th also. I have requested the 100 loop. See you soon


----------



## Sb4

We will be there 10/22-27, but are still hoping to get in on the 21st.  We are splitting time between Disney and universal this time.  Plans are explore the Ft. and do sleepy hollow event on check in day, then Hollywood Studios, day at universal, MK, day 2 at universal/campfire that night, character breakfast before we check out Friday. We will have a couple of days with family, and then head back for one more universal day or half day before flying home the 30th. It is really hard NOT to go to the halloween party this year, but we just went 2 years ago.  Adding on universal is making us cut in other areas--but it will be a pretty big deal to our 9 year old wizard .


----------



## ruthies12

Woohoo it's September and I can now officially say I'm going to Disney next month.   It is also mine and dh 16th wedding anniversary and he gave me this wonderful present ( I'm a big fan of the Jim shore figures)!
 

I also got myself this little gem from online.   Using it to count down to our trip first, then we'll use it for counting down to Halloween.   Dh said he saw this online and almost bought me this gift instead lol


----------



## Teamubr

Happy Anniversary Ruthies.

And those are very cute.

j


----------



## Tmom5

Oct 14-21!!!  First time for F&W, and first time for MNSSHP!!  Multigenerational family trip for 14! So excited.  I have been planning/ replanning, I have 3 extra ADRs right now, so we need to decide what to keep and what to cancel. Still debating about switching a couple park days, but nervous to lose FP!


----------



## bama_ed

Tmom5 said:


> Oct 14-21!!!  Multigenerational family trip *for 14*! So excited.



  Mom, I take my Captain Daddy planning hat off and bow down to greatness.    14 people - my word!    Have a great time.

Bama Ed


----------



## bama_ed

Would ya'll believe that Halloween Week 2018 only has Tent sites left?  That's 14 months in advance!

Arriving Sunday 10/28/18 and leaving Sunday 11/4/18 (7 nights).  But hey, the Tent sites for that time ONLY average $70 a night plus tax.

<sigh>  we simply need a Fort Wilderness II (Camp Davy Crockett).

Bama Ed


----------



## snowmedic

bama_ed said:


> Would ya'll believe that Halloween Week 2018 only has Tent sites left?



But, if you are lucky enough to visit longer, Tent 70, Full 92, and 99 for Preferred.  That is from 10/16 to 11/2.  That has me thinking, but we will not be there for Halloween next year, we have ressies for Christmas time 2018


----------



## JETS70

bama_ed said:


> Would ya'll believe that Halloween Week 2018 only has Tent sites left?  That's 14 months in advance!
> 
> Arriving Sunday 10/28/18 and leaving Sunday 11/4/18 (7 nights).  But hey, the Tent sites for that time ONLY average $70 a night plus tax.
> 
> <sigh>  we simply need a Fort Wilderness II (Camp Davy Crockett).
> 
> Bama Ed



Ed,
Is this a ressie that you have for next year? We will be there 10/27/18 through 11/4/18 in a premium.  I'm with you on the "Camp Davey Crockett"  With converting a cabin loop to a campsite loop.......kinda makes you think that maybe Disney is realizing that they can fill up campsites faster than cabins. Better to fill a $100 / night campsite than to have a $300 / night cabin set empty.


----------



## bama_ed

JETS70 said:


> Ed,
> Is this a ressie that you have for next year? We will be there 10/27/18 through 11/4/18 in a premium.  I'm with you on the "Camp Davey Crockett"  With converting a cabin loop to a campsite loop.......kinda makes you think that maybe Disney is realizing that they can fill up campsites faster than cabins. Better to fill a $100 / night campsite than to have a $300 / night cabin set empty.



Stevie,

I am fighting like heck at home to keep the Halloween week reservation I have for this fall 2017.  Although I am not a big Halloween person at home (unless I get to stay home to hand out candy and the bowl has 3 Musketeers, Snickers, or Milky Way bites), the Fort Halloween angle has me hooked.  It's on my bucket list, so to speak.  Just once.

The reservation I have for this Halloween week was made well in advance.  IMO, it's gonna be harder in the future to get a Halloween reservation and not easier so I want to do this year. Negotiations on a solo trip to the Fort to experience Halloween are similar to the current Korean conflict talks.  And the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (NK) has a more tolerant judiciary than I am dealing with.

Vince knows how to play the dates (long/short) to work the system.  That's why he's The Man.   But eventually even that window will close.  I wonder at what point Disney stops forcing people to book long to get desired dates and starts allowing short reservations to fill existing gaps?

I hope to be at the Fort for Halloween this year and New Years week (partial) in 2018.  That's what I have reservations for.  After that who knows?

Camp Davy Crockett is the name of the Fort equivalent at Disneyland Paris.  But it is just cabins and no RV/trailer/camp sites.  But I love the name.  And it would so work in Florida as a FW2 name.

Head down.  Fingers crossed.  Pushing to get across the finish line.  

Bama Ed


----------



## FrozenOne16

ruthies12 said:


> Woohoo it's September and I can now officially say I'm going to Disney next month.   It is also mine and dh 16th wedding anniversary and he gave me this wonderful present ( I'm a big fan of the Jim shore figures)!
> View attachment 266105
> 
> I also got myself this little gem from online.   Using it to count down to our trip first, then we'll use it for counting down to Halloween.   Dh said he saw this online and almost bought me this gift instead lol
> View attachment 266106



*I have that Jim Shore figurine! My husband and I got it when we got engaged at Disney to remember the occasion! I absolutely love it! And oh do I want that countdown! I may surprise my husband with it...not sure yet. *

*Happy Anniversary!*


----------



## FrozenOne16

*We finally got our tent set up in our backyard yesterday for our weekend run through. We stayed in it last night, mainly because it was raining and it was so relaxing. Our original plan was to just camp tonight, but the rain called. This afternoon we are going to decorate it so we know what we are doing when we decorate it at Disney. We got some battery operated lights from the dollar tree, so we plan to decorate the guy-lines with those, because my DH tripped over them twice last night! Oops. I want to post pictures, but I am not sure how. Any tips? *


----------



## bama_ed

FrozenOne16 said:


> *We finally got our tent set up in our backyard yesterday for our weekend run through. We stayed in it last night, mainly because it was raining and it was so relaxing. Our original plan was to just camp tonight, but the rain called. This afternoon we are going to decorate it so we know what we are doing when we decorate it at Disney. We got some battery operated lights from the dollar tree, so we plan to decorate the guy-lines with those, because my DH tripped over them twice last night! Oops. I want to post pictures, but I am not sure how. Any tips? *



FrozenOne16, use the "Upload a File" button on the bottom right of your thread input box.  Of course it should be a jpg file and make sure you check the box to show a full sized image.

So I take it you stayed dry inside the tent in the rain?  That's great.  One less thing to worry about.

Bama Ed


----------



## FrozenOne16

bama_ed said:


> FrozenOne16, use the "Upload a File" button on the bottom right of your thread input box.  Of course it should be a jpg file and make sure you check the box to show a full sized image.
> 
> So I take it you stayed dry inside the tent in the rain?  That's great.  One less thing to worry about.
> 
> Bama Ed



*Hmm...it says my file is too large. No clue how to resize it. *

*We did stay dry! And we love our tent! The tarp we got is almost a little too small, but I think we are going to try to make it work. *


----------



## snowmedic

FrozenOne16 said:


> Hmm...it says my file is too large. No clue how to resize it.



If I am posting pics from my computer, I open the pic in paint and resize their.  When I click on resize there is already a value in the Vertical -  Horizontal column.  I change those to 25 and my pictures are able to post.

 

If posting from my I-phone, nothing is needed, just hit upload file, pick your pictures and they upload.


----------



## serenitygr

24 days until departure! And counting!


----------



## snowmedic

serenitygr said:


> 24 days until departure!



Lucky!  I think I am still in the 50 day range.  I check in on the 26, but heading to Fl. around the 18th.


----------



## serenitygr

snowmedic said:


> Lucky!  I think I am still in the 50 day range.  I check in on the 26, but heading to Fl. around the 18th.


We check in on the first of October! Leaving Minnesota September 26th. The excitement is building!


----------



## FrozenOne16

*Thanks for the tips! It made me resize 1, but not both. Oh well. Here's our tent! We love it!*


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## snowmedic

Awesome, nice a roomy.  I too have tripped over the guy-lines, but that is because I was walking from the main road toward the back of the tent where there is no light, we have the mini Christmas lights around the front of the tent and our ez-up.


----------



## tltay2005

I think the Disney reservation page is burned permanently into my computer screen at home and at work  but I refuse to give up!


----------



## FrozenOne16

*We made an additional reservation yesterday for our "off day". We are going to Hoop-De-Doo-Revue on Oct 10! I think I sold my husband on the price tag by mentioning the All you can eat ribs and then all you can drink draft beer. *




snowmedic said:


> Awesome, nice a roomy.  I too have tripped over the guy-lines, but that is because I was walking from the main road toward the back of the tent where there is no light, we have the mini Christmas lights around the front of the tent and our ez-up.



*We put our dollar store lights on last night. They are little LED rope lights that worked perfectly for our guylines. We want to get a few more sets. We have some candy corn lights that are going to go around our ez-up once we get that set up at disney. Then we have some LED copper-wire lights that we want to put in the inside of our tent in addition to the lantern we got last night. So excited to decorate once we get down there. We figured it will probably take us an hour, but we are going to prep as much as possible before we go. *


----------



## snowmedic

We run the clear mini-lights around the inside front of the tent, not all the way around.  Then we have the blue around the canopy of the tent, which I am thinking of changing to the orange and purple for Halloween, we leave these on all night as they are not to bright to keep us awake, but give off enough light for those late night CS runs.  Then we have the clear lights going all the way around our ez-up also.


----------



## FrozenOne16

snowmedic said:


> We run the clear mini-lights around the inside front of the tent, not all the way around.  Then we have the blue around the canopy of the tent, which I am thinking of changing to the orange and purple for Halloween, we leave these on all night as they are not to bright to keep us awake, but give off enough light for those late night CS runs.  Then we have the clear lights going all the way around our ez-up also.



*Sounds like the same type of setup we are going for. Our colors are mostly orange and purple. Wish I could find some green though!*


----------



## PaHunter

FrozenOne16 said:


> *Thanks for the tips! It made me resize 1, but not both. Oh well. Here's our tent! We love it!*
> View attachment 266587 View attachment 266588



Nice, does that tarp run all the way under the tent from the canopy area ? My only concern would be it catching rain and channeling it under the tent if it were a heavy downpour, sideways rain and all. But sounds like a great plan coming together. We are packing and making ready for our trip.


----------



## bama_ed

Well DW gave me the okay yesterday for my trip to the Fort for Halloween week but she said something about bringing her back a souvenirt or something.... or maybe it was to make sure I get myself a souvenir..... yeah, I bet that's what it was.

Naturally today the first stop after church was to Dollar General to scoop up some inexpensive Halloween decorations for the site and golf cart (my dad will chaperone me again and maybe my mom too).  DG had orange and purple strings of led indoor/outdoor lights that are AC powered.  I need to work up a solution to run them off the golf cart battery which is DC so it can be decorated all week.

Guess we'll have to be in the Halloween golf cart parade too.  

Bama Ed


----------



## PaHunter

bama_ed said:


> Well DW gave me the okay yesterday for my trip to the Fort for Halloween week but she said something about bringing her back a souvenirt or something.... or maybe it was to make sure I get myself a souvenir..... yeah, I bet that's what it was.
> 
> Naturally today the first stop after church was to Dollar General to scoop up some inexpensive Halloween decorations for the site and golf cart (my dad will chaperone me again and maybe my mom too).  DG had orange and purple strings of led indoor/outdoor lights that are AC powered.  I need to work up a solution to run them off the golf cart battery which is DC so it can be decorated all week.
> 
> Guess we'll have to be in the Halloween golf cart parade too.
> 
> Bama Ed



Back in the day I was in the Guard, our armory got flooded, I got a 12 volt outlet, wired straight to a battery, then had an inverter to provide ac power. Still have the outlets and the inverter. Of course that was back when there was still a radio shack around every corner.


----------



## 2goofycampers

FrozenOne16 said:


> *We made an additional reservation yesterday for our "off day". We are going to Hoop-De-Doo-Revue on Oct 10! I think I sold my husband on the price tag by mentioning the All you can eat ribs and then all you can drink draft beer. *


You should have lead with the AYCD beer! LOL


----------



## tltay2005

bama_ed said:


> Well DW gave me the okay yesterday for my trip to the Fort for Halloween week but she said something about bringing her back a souvenirt or something.... or maybe it was to make sure I get myself a souvenir..... yeah, I bet that's what it was.
> 
> Naturally today the first stop after church was to Dollar General to scoop up some inexpensive Halloween decorations for the site and golf cart (my dad will chaperone me again and maybe my mom too).  DG had orange and purple strings of led indoor/outdoor lights that are AC powered.  I need to work up a solution to run them off the golf cart battery which is DC so it can be decorated all week.
> 
> Guess we'll have to be in the Halloween golf cart parade too.
> 
> Bama Ed



Our Dollar Store has battery powered Halloween lights, orange pumpkins, white skeletons and purple bats.   Do you have a Dollar Store anywhere near you?


----------



## FrozenOne16

2goofycampers said:


> You should have lead with the AYCD beer! LOL


*Haha! Probably. I am really excited, but I am not sure what to expect. We paid for category 1 seating, so I am sure we will be seated with another family, I just hope they are as laid back as we are!*


----------



## Cosmic

FrozenOne16 said:


> *We made an additional reservation yesterday for our "off day". We are going to Hoop-De-Doo-Revue on Oct 10! I think I sold my husband on the price tag by mentioning the All you can eat ribs and then all you can drink draft beer.  *


And the tip is included... so it's practically free!


----------



## Disney Fran

FrozenOne16 said:


> *We finally got our tent set up in our backyard yesterday for our weekend run through. We stayed in it last night, mainly because it was raining and it was so relaxing. Our original plan was to just camp tonight, but the rain called. This afternoon we are going to decorate it so we know what we are doing when we decorate it at Disney. We got some battery operated lights from the dollar tree, so we plan to decorate the guy-lines with those, because my DH tripped over them twice last night! Oops. I want to post pictures, but I am not sure how. Any tips? *


----------



## Disney Fran

Get solar light stakes  from the dollar store and put them at the end of each tie down tent stake. I think they usually have Halloween ones


FrozenOne16 said:


> *We finally got our tent set up in our backyard yesterday for our weekend run through. We stayed in it last night, mainly because it was raining and it was so relaxing. Our original plan was to just camp tonight, but the rain called. This afternoon we are going to decorate it so we know what we are doing when we decorate it at Disney. We got some battery operated lights from the dollar tree, so we plan to decorate the guy-lines with those, because my DH tripped over them twice last night! Oops. I want to post pictures, but I am not sure how. Any tips? *


----------



## FrozenOne16

Disney Fran said:


> Get solar light stakes  from the dollar store and put them at the end of each tie down tent stake. I think they usually have Halloween ones



*Omg I didn't even think of that! Thanks for the tip! We will still decorate the guylines, but the rope lights aren't long enough to reach the ground. So a solar light stake would be perfect! *


----------



## bama_ed

tltay2005 said:


> Our Dollar Store has battery powered Halloween lights, orange pumpkins, white skeletons and purple bats.   Do you have a Dollar Store anywhere near you?



Well Terri, not that I recall.  I'm more of a Dollar General guy myself.

I can get a 12V converter with clips and plug my inverter from the Suburban to it and the lights can plug into the inverter.  The clips will go on the golf cart battery poles so like PaHunter, I think I can cobble this together.  I also got some of the same purple and orange string lights to put up across the covers of my EZ ups. 

Plus DG had some good stuff in stock now so I'm relatively happy with what I got and what the plans are.

ED


----------



## tltay2005

bama_ed said:


> Well Terri, not that I recall.  I'm more of a Dollar General guy myself.
> 
> I can get a 12V converter with clips and plug my inverter from the Suburban to it and the lights can plug into the inverter.  The clips will go on the golf cart battery poles so like PaHunter, I think I can cobble this together.  I also got some of the same purple and orange string lights to put up across the covers of my EZ ups.
> 
> Plus DG had some good stuff in stock now so I'm relatively happy with what I got and what the plans are.
> 
> ED



Can't wait to see it. Odds aren't looking good that I will see it in person  so please post pictures.


----------



## FtW Mike

FrozenOne16 said:


> *Haha! Probably. I am really excited, but I am not sure what to expect. We paid for category 1 seating, so I am sure we will be seated with another family, I just hope they are as laid back as we are!*


 Frozenone  Your tablemates will be the members of your party so if you want them laid back I suggest you let them know you are ready to lay them out  Just an idea


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## ruthies12

Frozenone16 we had that exact same tent when we first got married, it was just slightly different colors, but exact same set up except we had a door separating the interior of the tent from the scree room so we used that door for entry and exit and we used the side door for a place to vent our portable air conditioner lol.


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## ruthies12

Back from a great camping weekend despite a little rain.   Girls started the countdown yesterday and they loved the scavenger hunt, the cardboard castle, and the pirate ships, though they found the pirate of the carribean movie a little scary, I had forgotten about the walking corpses since it had been so long since I'd seen it.  

Today's countdown activity is a mini scavenger hunt.  They have to figure out the clue and find the Disney dollars that I printed off at home.  There will be 10 of these total during the countdown and at the end they will hand in their fake Disney dollars and receive a real $50 Disney gift card to buy themselves a souvenir on the trip.






29 days!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## FrozenOne16

ruthies12 said:


> Frozenone16 we had that exact same tent when we first got married, it was just slightly different colors, but exact same set up except we had a door separating the interior of the tent from the scree room so we used that door for entry and exit and we used the side door for a place to vent our portable air conditioner lol.



*That sounds pretty cool. We decided not to do the canopy, and just take our EZ-up canopy. Much easier in my opinion, we all know how Florida rainstorms are!!! We are taking our fan that plugs in, but from our experience this weekend, we didn't feel like we needed one when we were outside and at night. Wow, I am gonna have to figure out packing my jeep for this trip! Anyone for a game of tetris?*


----------



## PaHunter

FrozenOne16 said:


> *That sounds pretty cool. We decided not to do the canopy, and just take our EZ-up canopy. Much easier in my opinion, we all know how Florida rainstorms are!!! We are taking our fan that plugs in, but from our experience this weekend, we didn't feel like we needed one when we were outside and at night. Wow, I am gonna have to figure out packing my jeep for this trip! Anyone for a game of tetris?*



Had a Jeep Wrangler, used to pack it for camping trips that included scuba diving. So tent, portable shower canopy, 4 scuba tanks, all the other scuba gear, grill, and a cooler strapped to the front bumper. So you can do it !!


----------



## ruthies12

today's countdown activity - watching Moana and making Hawaiian bracelets.
28 days!


----------



## FrozenOne16

ruthies12 said:


> today's countdown activity - watching Moana and making Hawaiian bracelets.
> 28 days!



*Ooooh I love that! I love all of your countdown activities. I may do some movie night ones with my DH before our trip! 33 days til Disney for us!*


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## ruthies12

27 days!!!  Right now just crossing fingers very hard that Florida does not sustain much damage this weekend.  Today's countdown activity is another scavenger hunt for Disney dollars.  Funny story- DD8 was upset with me on the first scavenger hunt cause it "wasn't real money" lol.  She was much happier when I explained she was getting a real gift card at the end


----------



## peg110

A Tree!


----------



## serenitygr

For over a year now we've been counting down for this trip and feeling like it will just never get here.... now, with everything happening with the hurricanes, I feel like it's coming up too quickly... how ironic


----------



## PaHunter

serenitygr said:


> For over a year now we've been counting down for this trip and feeling like it will just never get here.... now, with everything happening with the hurricanes, I feel like it's coming up too quickly... how ironic



Yes, join the club, we are 10 days out, and well waiting with baited breath to see what happens, and if we can get in.


----------



## ruthies12

serenitygr said:


> For over a year now we've been counting down for this trip and feeling like it will just never get here.... now, with everything hppening with the hurricanes, I feel like it's coming up too quickly... how ironic



EXACTLY how I feel!


----------



## ruthies12

PaHunter said:


> Yes, join the club, we are 10 days out, and well waiting with baited breath to see what happens, and if we can get in.



I feel so bad for you with your trip being so close.  And I feel bad for me cause I was really looking forward to reading your trip report while waiting for my trip.  I hope we both still get that!


----------



## ruthies12

Well forging on ahead with the countdown activities for the kids in the hopes that we are still going in 26 days.  Today is the movie Frozen.  I put a tarp down on the floor and the kids (and possibly me) will be ice skating in these blue fluffy snowflake socks.  Then I am serving a snack of chocolate fondue and they get to do these art canvases that I found at Michaels.


----------



## ruthies12

Was at Bath and Body works last night and picked up some Halloween stuff for in the camper for the trip. Got these awesome hand soaps, the better have my candy soap smells really great, and this really neat haunted house plug-in that lights up with some nice fall scents for the refills.  When it's lit up the windows on the house look really neat.


----------



## ruthies12

Today's countdown activity- Princess and the Frog movie and making tiara and frog cookies.


----------



## ruthies12

Double post


----------



## snowmedic

Went shopping by myself this afternoon for Fort decorations.  Wally Weird doesn't have much decorations out yet but I did pick up 3 boxes of purple and green lights to go around our ez-up and 1 box of purple lights to go around the canopy of the tent.  Also picked up a Halloween banner to hang from our Mickey light post.  Will put pics up when it gets a little darker in the house for the lights to show good.


----------



## snowmedic

It's hard to take decent pics of lights with a outdated cell phone.  These are the green and purple lights for the ez-up



And the new banner for the lamp post


----------



## friendofeeyore

we had to cancel our Trip 9/20 into Oct. Our house had not sold so we are still working. as soon as someone buys it - I am retired!! Grumpy Aggie (Arnold) wants to work until end of year. We plan on going full time camping for a year or so then settle close to our Son In Seguin, Tx area. We do have reservations in late Feb thru mid March, 2018. How is the weather in March normally? All in Florida & path of Iram, be safe! You can replace stuff, but not your life. Prays coming strong that it will die down before hitting Florida. Mother Nature take a pill & calm down!!!


----------



## PaHunter

friendofeeyore said:


> we had to cancel our Trip 9/20 into Oct. Our house had not sold so we are still working. as soon as someone buys it - I am retired!! Grumpy Aggie (Arnold) wants to work until end of year. We plan on going full time camping for a year or so then settle close to our Son In Seguin, Tx area. We do have reservations in late Feb thru mid March, 2018. How is the weather in March normally? All in Florida & path of Iram, be safe! You can replace stuff, but not your life. Prays coming strong that it will die down before hitting Florida. Mother Nature take a pill & calm down!!!



Sorry we won't get to see you this trip. Best of luck with the house sale. Late Feb when we have gone, weather is good, although we saw temps from a low of 40 to a high of 90 in a week. But for us was all good as we left below zero temps, so 40 was hot. 
Waiting to see how things go and still prepping to leave.


----------



## ruthies12

Today's movie is Pinnochio and making sock puppets


----------



## FrozenOne16

*Loving all of the updates! My DH and I got the last of our decorations this weekend! We got a light projector that Lowe's Hardware has. We are pretty excited about that. We also got the rest of our rope lights, some zip ties, and lots of batteries from the Dollar Tree. I was bummed that they were out of the purple lights, but orange works too. 

Something else that we did this weekend was get our cars vacuumed out. While we were at the car wash, we found a kindness rock. It inspired us (well, mainly me) to paint our own rocks! I hope these are allowed to be hidden around the Fort! I know they aren't allowed in the parks. 
 

I plan on painting more, this was just the start. My favorite are the balloons!

Also, I had a random thought tonight. Are there towels at the comfort stations, or should we bring our own?*


----------



## PaHunter

FrozenOne16 said:


> *Loving all of the updates! My DH and I got the last of our decorations this weekend! We got a light projector that Lowe's Hardware has. We are pretty excited about that. We also got the rest of our rope lights, some zip ties, and lots of batteries from the Dollar Tree. I was bummed that they were out of the purple lights, but orange works too.
> 
> Something else that we did this weekend was get our cars vacuumed out. While we were at the car wash, we found a kindness rock. It inspired us (well, mainly me) to paint our own rocks! I hope these are allowed to be hidden around the Fort! I know they aren't allowed in the parks.
> View attachment 268567
> 
> I plan on painting more, this was just the start. My favorite are the balloons!
> 
> Also, I had a random thought tonight. Are there towels at the comfort stations, or should we bring our own?*



There are no towels at the comfort stations, you need to bring your own.


----------



## FrozenOne16

PaHunter said:


> There are no towels at the comfort stations, you need to bring your own.



*That's what we figured, but it never hurts to ask! Thanks!*


----------



## ruthies12

So relieved today to find out my beloved castle is still standing!  

Today's countdown scavenger hunt clue is:


----------



## ruthies12

It appears that Irma has caused a delay in the shipping of my magicbands.  If this is the worst that happens to me from the hurricane I think I must count myself very lucky!  

Made fastpasses this morning for our Halloween party night.  One more camping trip for us this weekend and then I will start cleaning the camper and packing for Disney.  22 days!


----------



## ruthies12

Todays movie is Sleeping Beauty and the activity is writing our own bedtime stories and making princess crowns.


----------



## ruthies12

Well I'm feeling a little better that the September thread people are only being relocated for this weekend, still on tenterhooks waiting for the official reopening date.  

but the kids and I are continuing on with the daily countdown!  Today's movie is Tinker Bell.  Our craft activity is building these little bird houses and decorating them, which we will then hang in the yard of course.


----------



## ruthies12

Today's countdown scavenger hunt clue


----------



## ruthies12

it's magicbands arrival day!!!


----------



## ruthies12

Just finished decorating the bands.  Added some sparkle and princesses to the dd's bands, added a castle and my watch to mine.   Dh is a stick in a mud and doesn't want his decorated.


----------



## FrozenOne16

ruthies12 said:


> Just finished decorating the bands.  Added some sparkle and princesses to the dd's bands, added a castle and my watch to mine.   Dh is a stick in a mud and doesn't want his decorated.



*Those look great! Where did you get the castle stickers? They look great! I am debating if I want to decorate ours or not. Last time we went to the party I ordered some off of an Instagram user that I follow. She has some that would match our costumes perfectly, but I am so up in the air! Oh, and I got an email yesterday that ours have been shipped!!!*


----------



## ruthies12

FrozenOne16 said:


> *Those look great! Where did you get the castle stickers? They look great! I am debating if I want to decorate ours or not. Last time we went to the party I ordered some off of an Instagram user that I follow. She has some that would match our costumes perfectly, but I am so up in the air! Oh, and I got an email yesterday that ours have been shipped!!!*



Well the brown castle sticker on my yellow band came out of one of the girls make a tiara kits that we did for the sleeping beauty movie countdown day and they didn't use it so I did lol.  The little black castles are fingernail stickers that I had bought off someone from etsy more than a year ago.  You can't see it in the pictures but there are also little tinker bells that were nail stickers too and I have a 9 3/4 sticker on mine cause I needed a harry potter reference even though I know it's blasphemy.  The princesses are temporary tattoos.  All of it is sealed with clear coat fingernail polish to keep them from rubbing off.  

Last year I did a fun thing where I put glow in the dark fingernail polish on them so they glowed on the dark rides.  They didn't glow very well just out in the parks at night though cause the parks are too well lit at night.  You can find glow in the dark polish easily in Halloween stores.


----------



## ruthies12

Today we are going camping at the Horse Park in Lexington, KY which is about an hour drive from our home.  So todays Disney countdown movie is Aladdin to watch during the drive with a few small crafts that the kids can do in their carseats.


----------



## tripleb

Hey October Fort Folks,

Well, I was part of the September Fort campers until Hurricane Irma decided to mess things up. Was scheduled for arrival Sept. 17th and had to reschedule for the 18th due to the storm. Yesterday I got another email from Disney stating that the Fort would be closed until further notice. Called the reservations number and finding that the CM really had no idea when the Fort would reopen. So, rather than take a chance, canceled everything. Yes, they would have put us up in a Resort but if it wasn't the Grand Floridian, I wasn't interested 

Checked the Fort reservations this morning and found an opening for the first week of October ... my wife says "book it Dano". It's a Full Hook Up site which we had with our other reservations ... looking forward to meeting some of you folks. Our arrival date is Oct. 1st


----------



## bama_ed

tripleb said:


> Hey October Fort Folks,
> 
> Well, I was part of the September Fort campers until Hurricane Irma decided to mess things up. Was scheduled for arrival Sept. 17th and had to reschedule for the 18th due to the storm. Yesterday I got another email from Disney stating that the Fort would be closed until further notice. Called the reservations number and finding that the CM really had no idea when the Fort would reopen. So, rather than take a chance, canceled everything. Yes, they would have put us up in a Resort but if it wasn't the Grand Floridian, I wasn't interested
> 
> Checked the Fort reservations this morning and found an opening for the first week of October ... my wife says "book it Dano". It's a Full Hook Up site which we had with our other reservations ... looking forward to meeting some of you folks. Our arrival date is Oct. 1st



Well that didn't last long at all, tripleb.

The folks in the September thread are good people but their loss is our gain.  Glad to have you with us.

October will be fun.  

Bama Ed


----------



## ruthies12

tripleb said:


> Hey October Fort Folks,
> 
> Well, I was part of the September Fort campers until Hurricane Irma decided to mess things up. Was scheduled for arrival Sept. 17th and had to reschedule for the 18th due to the storm. Yesterday I got another email from Disney stating that the Fort would be closed until further notice. Called the reservations number and finding that the CM really had no idea when the Fort would reopen. So, rather than take a chance, canceled everything. Yes, they would have put us up in a Resort but if it wasn't the Grand Floridian, I wasn't interested
> 
> Checked the Fort reservations this morning and found an opening for the first week of October ... my wife says "book it Dano". It's a Full Hook Up site which we had with our other reservations ... looking forward to meeting some of you folks. Our arrival date is Oct. 1st



Glad to have you with us!!  What's your checkout date?  We arrive October 5th, hoping to get there around 1 pm that day.  Maybe we can say howdy to each other if you are still there when I get there


----------



## tripleb

bama_ed said:


> October will be fun.
> 
> Bama Ed



And perhaps ever-so-slightly cooler


----------



## tripleb

ruthies12 said:


> Glad to have you with us!!  What's your checkout date?  We arrive October 5th, hoping to get there around 1 pm that day.  Maybe we can say howdy to each other if you are still there when I get there



Glad to be here ruthies12 and glad to be able to make it to the Fort. Although we have been to Disney a whole bunch of times, we have never camped there. So, this is an exciting adventure for us. We will be there until the 6th so, our stay is rather short compared to the Sept. trip we had planed of 9 days. Doesn't really matter though, we are both retired and have Florida Resident Weekday passes that will take care of us for a full year 

Here's a pic of our rig:


----------



## SmithCrazy3

ruthies12 said:


> View attachment 269716
> 
> Just finished decorating the bands.  Added some sparkle and princesses to the dd's bands, added a castle and my watch to mine.   Dh is a stick in a mud and doesn't want his decorated.




I must know what kind of stickers and glitter you used.. STeps would be helpful.. Please!!!! My daughter and I love glitter and I'm super jealous of your bands right now.


----------



## 2goofycampers

tripleb said:


> Glad to be here ruthies12 and glad to be able to make it to the Fort. Although we have been to Disney a whole bunch of times, we have never camped there. So, this is an exciting adventure for us. We will be there until the 6th so, our stay is rather short compared to the Sept. trip we had planed of 9 days. Doesn't really matter though, we are both retired and have Florida Resident Weekday passes that will take care of us for a full year
> 
> Here's a pic of our rig:
> 
> View attachment 269888


What does the HT stand for?


----------



## tripleb

2goofycampers said:


> What does the HT stand for?



The HT is suppose to stand for Half Ton Towable. Jayco is stretching things a bit with that particular statement  There aren't too many 1/2 ton trucks that would carry the pin weight along with passengers, fuel, and the FW hitch weight.


----------



## JETS70

ruthies12 said:


> Today we are going camping at the Horse Park in Lexington, KY which is about an hour drive from our home.  So todays Disney countdown movie is Aladdin to watch during the drive with a few small crafts that the kids can do in their carseats.
> 
> View attachment 269830



We camp at the Horse several times from early spring with our last reservation being the weekend of 10/27. Plan on decorating for Halloween that weekend. Both of my adult children live in Lexington and we have Kentucky baseball season tickets so the Horse Park is a great place to camp. Have a safe and enjoyable weekend 

PS......maybe we could get a Gulf Shores Dis meet......Horse Park style planned sometime


----------



## ruthies12

JETS70 said:


> We camp at the Horse several times from early spring with our last reservation being the weekend of 10/27. Plan on decorating for Halloween that weekend. Both of my adult children live in Lexington and we have Kentucky baseball season tickets so the Horse Park is a great place to camp. Have a safe and enjoyable weekend
> 
> PS......maybe we could get a Gulf Shores Dis meet......Horse Park style planned sometime



Wish we were having a safe and enjoyable camping trip but we are at UK children's hospital emergency room right now with dd4 who fell on the playground and split her chin open.  Its not bad but is wide and we were worried about scarring since its on her face so we are here seeing if she needs stitches.


----------



## ruthies12

SmithCrazy3 said:


> I must know what kind of stickers and glitter you used.. STeps would be helpful.. Please!!!! My daughter and I love glitter and I'm super jealous of your bands right now.



It's just glitter fingernail polish then we put a clear coat of nail polish on it to seal it.  They are really pretty and sparkly in person.


----------



## JETS70

ruthies12 said:


> Wish we were having a safe and enjoyable camping trip but we are at UK children's hospital emergency room right now with dd4 who fell on the playground and split her chin open.  Its not bad but is wide and we were worried about scarring since its on her face so we are here seeing if she needs stitches.



So sorry to hear about your daughter. I hope that her care goes well and that she is feeling better soon.


----------



## FrozenOne16

ruthies12 said:


> Wish we were having a safe and enjoyable camping trip but we are at UK children's hospital emergency room right now with dd4 who fell on the playground and split her chin open.  Its not bad but is wide and we were worried about scarring since its on her face so we are here seeing if she needs stitches.


*Oh no! Hope everything turns out okay!*


----------



## serenitygr

tripleb said:


> Hey October Fort Folks,
> 
> Well, I was part of the September Fort campers until Hurricane Irma decided to mess things up. Was scheduled for arrival Sept. 17th and had to reschedule for the 18th due to the storm. Yesterday I got another email from Disney stating that the Fort would be closed until further notice. Called the reservations number and finding that the CM really had no idea when the Fort would reopen. So, rather than take a chance, canceled everything. Yes, they would have put us up in a Resort but if it wasn't the Grand Floridian, I wasn't interested
> 
> Checked the Fort reservations this morning and found an opening for the first week of October ... my wife says "book it Dano". It's a Full Hook Up site which we had with our other reservations ... looking forward to meeting some of you folks. Our arrival date is Oct. 1st


Welcome TripleB! We are also arriving October 1st- coming about 2000 miles from Minnesota! We're leaving home the 26th, so the next 10 days will be busy for us. This weekend we're going to be making apple pies all weekend ( we usually make about 20!) and next week will be getting things in the camper and final preparations!
Keeping our fingers crossed that our September friends will be able to check in soon!


----------



## tripleb

Thanks for the Welcome serenitygr. Wow, that's a loooooooooooong drive. My Dad was from Bemidji, MN.


----------



## serenitygr

tripleb said:


> Thanks for the Welcome serenitygr. Wow, that's a loooooooooooong drive. My Dad was from Bemidji, MN.


Oh my gosh that's just a little over an hour from us! We've been there several times visiting the deer park they have! Small world 
Ask tiggerdad about his mn experience sometime- we just can't get his family to come visit us over winter! Don't know why!


----------



## tripleb

I'm a born and bred Florida boy ... that's right, one of those rare Florida natives  One of my favorite memories as a youngster, was visiting my dads home in the winter. I'll never forget going out on the frozen lake, in a car, and ice fishing


----------



## friendofeeyore

frozenone16, I love your tent. We tent camped for 3 to 4 yes & loved it. Got to be too much setting up - tent for our kitchen, potty tent & our sleeping tent. Know you will have a blast & Bama Ed can't wait to see you in the Golf cart parade. Wave & let us all know it's me & home.


----------



## ruthies12

Dd is ok, just 2 stitches.  It wasn't a big cut,just too wide to shut on it's own.  She was a real trooper for the er Dr. But now she's being a drama queen about leaving the bandaid on lol.  Four year olds!  Her daddy got up early this morning and went and bought 3 pony ride tickets for her at the horse barn so she'll get to ride her beloved ponies 3 times.  

Today's countdown movie is Brave with some bows and arrows to play with at the campground.


----------



## ruthies12

Here is what I used for the glitter for the person who was asking


----------



## friendofeeyore

you are such a fun Mom!!


----------



## friendofeeyore

Tripled, Nice rig!


----------



## FrozenOne16

friendofeeyore said:


> frozenone16, I love your tent. We tent camped for 3 to 4 yes & loved it. Got to be too much setting up - tent for our kitchen, potty tent & our sleeping tent. Know you will have a blast & Bama Ed can't wait to see you in the Golf cart parade. Wave & let us all know it's me & home.



*Aww thanks! We got a really good deal on it, and it is very roomy inside! We love it! So far we have only camped in our backyard, so the Fort will be our first experience actually camping! We aren't going to have a tent kitchen, just a Rubbermaid tote and our cooler for snacks. We have a couple of ADR's planned for our off day, and then our other 2 days we will be eating in the parks. I hope it becomes a tradition for us, and maybe eventually we can get the small camper that my DH has his eyes set on!*


----------



## ruthies12

Long drive home from horse park campground today so today's countdown activity is watching the pirate fairy while driving and doing these sticker books.


----------



## ruthies12

Last weekend was our last camping trip before Disney so now I can work on cleaning the inside thoroughly and then start packing while watching the September thread anxiously to see the fort reopen.  16 days!!!!

Today's scavenger hunt clue:


----------



## bama_ed

I've been sitting on this for years.  I didn't make it, of course, but it's off the DIS from years ago.  Maybe somebody can use it (it is what it is).

 

Bama Ed


----------



## FortWildernessCamper

bama_ed said:


> I've been sitting on this for years.  I didn't make it, of course, but it's off the DIS from years ago.  Maybe somebody can use it (it is what it is).
> 
> View attachment 270577
> 
> Bama Ed



So what is it?  A decal, a placemat, a blanket?  I'm always looking for a cover to help keep my grandkids warm when they visit in early January.


----------



## mich1073

serenitygr said:


> We are almost at one month out from departure day!! ( leaving mn September 25-26th to have a leisurely drive down )
> We raise basset hounds, so our summer has been crazy with about 30 puppies here, but now they have all gone to their new families.... yesterday completed our 5 days of horse showing at our county fair- now it's GAME ON getting ready for our trip! First trip in our camper we got last fall: we named her SERENITY, because that is our farm name, and it just seems to fit...
> Need to work on getting comfortable posting pictures next!


What kind of horses you show? Show and ridden since I was a small kid ,

Grew up doing 4H and went as far as I could doing that and started breed shows as a teen doing both AQHA and APHA. Now just have some really great horses I clean up after lol. One day I will show the level I did again when finances allow. Very horse rich and kid poor

Until then they do local shows that give you APHA points and some weekend shows here and there. Still made my gelding have tons of points that way so there is that.


----------



## mich1073

proudmomof4 said:


> We are also planning on Epcot for 10/11, the crowd calendar shows it as a slower park for that day, but maybe those calendars really aren't accurate?


As long as food and wine is there, it's crowded. Just this past weekend was slammed, long lines for all booths. We pretty much just walked past most of them. One good tip, if you want a beer. Go to the permanent quick serve places. For example, America the popcorn beer stand buy a beer 7 and it's 12 oz. Food and Wine stand 4 bucks for maybe 4 oz or goto the Hamburger Quick Service and 8 bucks for 16oz.... Steer clear of the FW drinks unless you really want to try one. Most are way over priced.


----------



## bama_ed

FortWildernessCamper said:


> So what is it?  A decal, a placemat, a blanket?  I'm always looking for a cover to help keep my grandkids warm when they visit in early January.



My bad, FWC.  "sitting on" meant "holding on to/forgot I had this picture".  It is a computer graphic only.  ED


----------



## mich1073

Alright so I been slowly building my reservations at Halloween. So far I have the 29th to the 1st and hope to add at least Saturday if not both Friday and Saturday to them. If we can, then I will cancel our Thanksgiving reservations. 

That said, I would love to do the parade again and decorations contest. When do you think the parade will be, I did all the research and figured it will be Sunday or Halloween. Hope it's either and not Saturday at this point. But last year I lucked out and could add a day the week before.

We have next year already booked, thankfully.


----------



## serenitygr

mich1073 said:


> What kind of horses you show? Show and ridden since I was a small kid ,
> 
> Grew up doing 4H and went as far as I could doing that and started breed shows as a teen doing both AQHA and APHA. Now just have some really great horses I clean up after lol. One day I will show the level I did again when finances allow. Very horse rich and kid poor
> 
> Until then they do local shows that give you APHA points and some weekend shows here and there. Still made my gelding have tons of points that way so there is that.


I must confess- I'm an Arabian girl  So my daughter - from 3 years old  until 2 years ago- showed my old Arabian mare. Now that she has crossed the Rainbow Bridge, she is showing our Paint mare, and is hoping to show our POA next year as well. But I'm on the hunt for a young Arabian now


----------



## mich1073

serenitygr said:


> I must confess- I'm an Arabian girl  So my daughter - from 3 years old  until 2 years ago- showed my old Arabian mare. Now that she has crossed the Rainbow Bridge, she is showing our Paint mare, and is hoping to show our POA next year as well. But I'm on the hunt for a young Arabian now


A good Arabian is worth there wait in gold. And that head and eye.....


----------



## ruthies12

Todays countdown activity is the movie Tangled with mini art canvases and easels to paint like Rapunzel.   15 Days!!!!


----------



## tripleb

Ok October Fort glampers, with confirmed reports of the Fort opening this morning, it's time to get this group excited again. Whomever moderates the October thread should add a list of folks, with dates, that are going to be at the Fort in October. Perhaps some of us can meet for a cold adult beverage and put a face to a name. If a list is started, we are arriving Oct. 1 - 6 ( full hook-up ) and hopefully will be in the 1600 loop ( that's what I have requested anyway ).

Our FW has been packed since about Sept. 15 ... we actually had reservation for Sep. 17 - 26. All we have to do is add the perishables and the adult beverages and we're good to go. We are leaving the 30th and staying the night at Suwanee River State Park arriving at the Fort the next day before noon.

We are extremely excited about this trip since it's our first glamping adventure at Disney  We have been to Disney World a whole bunch of times in the past, we try to go about every two years and have almost always stayed in a moderate priced Disney Resort.


----------



## serenitygr

tripleb said:


> Ok October Fort glampers, with confirmed reports of the Fort opening this morning, it's time to get this group excited again. Whomever moderates the October thread should add a list of folks, with dates, that are going to be at the Fort in October. Perhaps some of us can meet for a cold adult beverage and put a face to a name. If a list is started, we are arriving Oct. 1 - 6 and hopefully will be in the 1600 loop ( that's what I have requested anyway ).
> 
> Our FW has been packed since about Sept. 15 ... we actually had reservation for Sep. 17 - 26. All we have to do is add the perishables and the adult beverages and we're good to go. We are leaving the 30th and staying the night at Suwanee River State Park arriving at the Fort the next day before noon.
> 
> We are extremely excited about this trip since it's our first glamping adventure at Disney  We have been to Disney World a whole bunch of times in the past, we try to go about every two years and have almost always stayed in a moderate priced Disney Resort.


Awesome idea, tripleb! After we finish school today, I'll start going through the thread and see how many dates I can come up with! And because so many have changed due to Irma- please everyone- feel free to either message me your dates, or repost them on this thread! Sooooooo happy!


----------



## ruthies12

My dates are 10/5-10/15 premium campsite, requested 400 loop



serenitygr said:


> Awesome idea, tripleb! After we finish school today, I'll start going through the thread and see how many dates I can come up with! And because so many have changed due to Irma- please everyone- feel free to either message me your dates, or repost them on this thread! Sooooooo happy!


----------



## ms2058

Very excited that the Fort is now open.  We leave in less than a month for our stay 10/15 - 10/21.


----------



## dalir

Our dates are 10/6 - 10/9, full hook-up site.  It will be the first trip with our new camper.


----------



## mickeyfan0805

A lot of you are earlier than us.  I will arrive on Thursday, 10/26, after hauling down from WI - DW and the kids show up Friday night by air.  We all head home (them by air, me driving) on Sunday, 11/5.


----------



## proudmomof4

10/7-10/15 Premium


----------



## ruthies12

Today's countdown activity is a 3D Rose puzzle (one of which I put together already cause there is no way 4 year old dd will be able to do it), some tea, and some "grey stuff."

Bet nobody can guess what movie we are watching


----------



## allaboutthemouse

10/23-11/2, premium


----------



## FLBBQMAN

We will be there from Oct. 26- Nov. 5 also


----------



## bama_ed

Checking in Sunday 10/29 leaving Sunday 11/5 in a Preferred (loop 100 requested) look for the A-frame popup.  Bama Ed


----------



## JETS70

Starting our trip with 3 days at Lake Louise State Park in site 2 from 10-6 thru 10-9 checking into the Fort on 10-9 thru 10-15.


----------



## FrozenOne16

*Our dates are 10/9-10/12. We are tent camping, and so excited! 10/10 is a no park day for us. And we got our Magic Bands today!!*


----------



## tigger92662

ruthies12 said:


> some tea, and some "grey stuff."


The grey stuff, it looks delicious


----------



## Disney Fran

We are tent camping 10/29 to 11/4. Hoping to add 10/28. This is our 2nd Halloween at the Fort. So excited!!


----------



## mich1073

As of right now I have 3 sites, my sister, my parents and I will have Premium for 10/29 to 11/1. Trying to add the 28th and 27th daily. 

I miss the grand gathering line to help with stuff when you have to deal with 3 bookings


----------



## ruthies12

Todays countdown scavenger hunt clue


----------



## tripleb

I've got my crew loaded in anticipation of October 1:



Look for us in the 1600 Loop if Disney gives me what I requested:


----------



## KPSmithSr

We are at the Fort from Oct 20th to Nov 17th.  This will be our 14th Food and Wine Festival.  Best I not drive while attending the F&WF.


----------



## mickeyfan0805

tripleb said:


> I've got my crew loaded in anticipation of October 1:
> 
> View attachment 271351
> 
> Look for us in the 1600 Loop if Disney gives me what I requested:
> 
> View attachment 271352



I love the decals!  Can you share where you found them?


----------



## tripleb

mickeyfan0805 said:


> I love the decals!  Can you share where you found them?



Amazon is your friend: https://www.amazon.com/Auto-Sticker...&qid=1506048730&sr=8-7&keywords=disney+decals


----------



## tripleb

Woo - Woo, just scored 2 more days at the Fort. So, our dates are Oct 1 - Oct 8 now. Almost as long as our Sept. reservations were ... good enough to give us plenty of time in the parks and in the Fort. After I found the 2 extra days and booked them, I called Disney reservations and merged the two to ensure we didn't have to move to a different site. Talked with a great CM and all went smooth as silk.


----------



## FrozenOne16

ruthies12 said:


> Todays countdown scavenger hunt clue
> 
> View attachment 271253



*Not gonna lie, I am stumped on this one!*



KPSmithSr said:


> We are at the Fort from Oct 20th to Nov 17th.  This will be our 14th Food and Wine Festival.  Best I not drive while attending the F&WF.



*Wow! 14th!! That's impressive!!! This is our first, and definitely not our last. Any tips/recommendations? *


----------



## ruthies12

FrozenOne16 said:


> *Not gonna lie, I am stumped on this one!*



A towel!  I had to give DD clues to get that one.


----------



## ruthies12

Well I am mostly done with cleaning the camper, unpacking the stuff we won't need, and packing the stuff I had set aside.  Temps are still in the 80's here in Cincinnati, but are supposed to drop to the 60's by end of next week so as soon as the temps go down I'll get the laundry caught up and start packing the shorts.  I have all the food but the perishables bought and packed so I think I'm overall in great shape for 12 days out!

Today's countdown activity is the movie Avatar which I haven't seen since it was in the theaters and the dd's have never seen.  I was able to rent it from our local video store so thought we should see it ahead of our trip since I do have plans to go to AK and see the new stuff.  Coming up with a themed activity was quite difficult for this one til I found these beauties- glow in the dark terrariums!  The kids are going to love putting these together!


----------



## KPSmithSr

> *Wow! 14th!! That's impressive!!! This is our first, and definitely not our last. Any tips/recommendations? *



Just enjoy.  This is a chance to try things you have not tried or maybe even heard of before.  We like the ticketed events, but just relax and enjoy.


----------



## ruthies12

KPSmithSr said:


> Just enjoy.  This is a chance to try things you have not tried or maybe even heard of before.  We like the ticketed events, but just relax and enjoy.



That's my plan!!  I got to go last year for just half a day but I had my niece with me who doesn't like to eat anything new so we ended up in electric umbrella getting chicken tenders , oh the horror!  This year it will be me, dh, and both of my dd's who will try anything once and we have two whole days at Epcot!  Sooo looking forward to it!


----------



## KPSmithSr

> That's my plan!! I got to go last year for just half a day but I had my niece with me who doesn't like to eat anything new so we ended up in electric umbrella getting chicken tenders , oh the horror! This year it will be me, dh, and both of my dd's who will try anything once and we have two whole days at Epcot! Sooo looking forward to it!



That sounds like more fun.   I would recommend you look at the foods, they are listed someplace, and decide on some things to try.  Not a strict list but just a guide.  You can always try somethings you see that looks good.  DW and I get different things and share.  Well except for a few things.


----------



## tripleb

ruthies12, we have been to the Food & Wine Festival many times and have always enjoyed the food & drink offerings that are set-up as Kiosks all around the lake. We find that it takes 1-1/2 days to really enjoy Epcot and intend to "budget" the same amount of time this year.


----------



## rml0win

Arriving our happy place 10/1, requested 1700. Departing 10/18. Thanks, everyone for all the updates following Irma.


----------



## serenitygr

All right- today I went thru every post on this thread, and I believe we have 36 names so far arriving in October! I will update the first post- on page one of this thread- with each family and their arrival dates and departure dates- also the type of site or loop they've requested if we have that. It will be later tomorrow before I post it, because I'm going to try to list them all in the correct order. (those arriving on the 1st will be listed first, and so on) I can't believe how many of us there are- it's just awesome! Now I REALLY hope we can make contact with each other down there! I will have our big green DIS sign up with serenitygr on it- hopefully others will also have a sign!    3 more days to get ready here in Minnesota, and we  will be on our way!!!!


----------



## mickeyfan0805

Can someone tell me the easiest way to create a dis sign for the site?


----------



## 2goofycampers

mickeyfan0805 said:


> Can someone tell me the easiest way to create a dis sign for the site?


Here is a link to a site sign. You can download it and add your name or have it printed professionally with your name.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/fort-wilderness-resort-information-a-work-in-progress.3502095/


----------



## mickeyfan0805

2goofycampers said:


> Here is a link to a site sign. You can download it and add your name or have it printed professionally with your name.
> 
> https://www.disboards.com/threads/fort-wilderness-resort-information-a-work-in-progress.3502095/



Thanks!


----------



## ruthies12

Today's countdown movie is Mulan, making origami animals and eating Chinese food for dinner.


----------



## FrozenOne16

serenitygr said:


> All right- today I went thru every post on this thread, and I believe we have 36 names so far arriving in October! I will update the first post- on page one of this thread- with each family and their arrival dates and departure dates- also the type of site or loop they've requested if we have that. It will be later tomorrow before I post it, because I'm going to try to list them all in the correct order. (those arriving on the 1st will be listed first, and so on) I can't believe how many of us there are- it's just awesome! Now I REALLY hope we can make contact with each other down there! I will have our big green DIS sign up with serenitygr on it- hopefully others will also have a sign!    3 more days to get ready here in Minnesota, and we  will be on our way!!!!




*Awesome! Thank you so much for getting the list together for us. I don't have a sign to put up, but I would love to get one. I am going to look at the link that 2goofy campers posted and see if I can get us one! *


----------



## FrozenOne16

ruthies12 said:


> That's my plan!!  I got to go last year for just half a day but I had my niece with me who doesn't like to eat anything new so we ended up in electric umbrella getting chicken tenders , oh the horror!  This year it will be me, dh, and both of my dd's who will try anything once and we have two whole days at Epcot!  Sooo looking forward to it!



*Are you and your family still going to Epcot on the 11th?*



KPSmithSr said:


> That sounds like more fun.   I would recommend you look at the foods, they are listed someplace, and decide on some things to try.  Not a strict list but just a guide.  You can always try somethings you see that looks good.  DW and I get different things and share.  Well except for a few things.



*We have been looking at pictures of all the different booths and offerings for weeks. There are a couple of mixed drinks we want to try, as well as some different dishes (cheese soup!). We have decided to split almost everything we get just to make sure we don't overdo it!*



tripleb said:


> ruthies12, we have been to the Food & Wine Festival many times and have always enjoyed the food & drink offerings that are set-up as Kiosks all around the lake. We find that it takes 1-1/2 days to really enjoy Epcot and intend to "budget" the same amount of time this year.



*We only have 1 day unfortunately, but it is mid-week, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that it isn't too crowded and that we don't fill up too quickly!*


----------



## serenitygr

All right everyone- we officially have a list! THIRTY SIX of us so far!!! How awesome is that?? Please- if I've made any mistakes- let me know and I'll fix them. We're in the midst of getting our camper ready- kids have all their clothes in- we've got about 80% of our food for the trip down loaded- all our Halloween decorations are packed- my mom and brothers things are all loaded into storage for when they meet us down there- the truck is about 80 % ready- the lawn is mowed- reservations and fast passes all done! WHEW! Tomorrow Joe and I will get our clothes loaded up, and Monday I get to go in and get "Disney nails"! Then hopefully we'll get a good nights sleep Monday night, and plan to be heading out Tuesday morning about 10am! I'll post an update once we are on the road!


----------



## bjschil

serenitygr said:


> All right everyone- we officially have a list! THIRTY SIX of us so far!!! How awesome is that?? Please- if I've made any mistakes- let me know and I'll fix them. We're in the midst of getting our camper ready- kids have all their clothes in- we've got about 80% of our food for the trip down loaded- all our Halloween decorations are packed- my mom and brothers things are all loaded into storage for when they meet us down there- the truck is about 80 % ready- the lawn is mowed- reservations and fast passes all done! WHEW! Tomorrow Joe and I will get our clothes loaded up, and Monday I get to go in and get "Disney nails"! Then hopefully we'll get a good nights sleep Monday night, and plan to be heading out Tuesday morning about 10am! I'll post an update once we are on the road!



Safe travels.  We will follow along your trip reports, giving us our Disney fix until our trip mid February.


----------



## FLBBQMAN

serenitygr said:


> All right everyone- we officially have a list! THIRTY SIX of us so far!!! How awesome is that?? Please- if I've made any mistakes- let me know and I'll fix them. We're in the midst of getting our camper ready- kids have all their clothes in- we've got about 80% of our food for the trip down loaded- all our Halloween decorations are packed- my mom and brothers things are all loaded into storage for when they meet us down there- the truck is about 80 % ready- the lawn is mowed- reservations and fast passes all done! WHEW! Tomorrow Joe and I will get our clothes loaded up, and Monday I get to go in and get "Disney nails"! Then hopefully we'll get a good nights sleep Monday night, and plan to be heading out Tuesday morning about 10am! I'll post an update once we are on the road!



Hello it looks like you missed us we will be at the fort from oct. 26 threw nov. 5 premium site

Thanks Ryan


----------



## tripleb

serenitygr said:


> All right everyone- we officially have a list! THIRTY SIX of us so far!!!



GREAT list serenitygr ! Look forward to seeing the 1st week of the October group. You can add to mine ... Full Hook Up (requested loop 1600 ).


----------



## ruthies12

Frozenone16-  yes we are still planning on being there the 11th, not sure what time though.   We originally were going to rope drop soarin but now that ak doesn't close until 9 on the 10th I'm thinking of trying to get in line for fop at closing.


----------



## ruthies12

Today's countdown movie is Cinderella, we are leaving soon to spend the afternoon at a pumpkin patch where we will pick up 2 small pumpkins to decorate with these kits.  We will then bring the pumpkins to decorate our campsite with.


----------



## FrozenOne16

ruthies12 said:


> Frozenone16-  yes we are still planning on being there the 11th, not sure what time though.   We originally were going to rope drop soarin but now that ak doesn't close until 9 on the 10th I'm thinking of trying to get in line for fop at closing.



*Gotcha! My husband wants to use transportation so we can indulge in the alcohol. I totally understand and agree...I am now just between the boat and 2 monorails, or just a bus. Any thoughts?*


----------



## ruthies12

FrozenOne16 said:


> *Gotcha! My husband wants to use transportation so we can indulge in the alcohol. I totally understand and agree...I am now just between the boat and 2 monorails, or just a bus. Any thoughts?*



I think the bus will be faster imo


----------



## proudmomof4

[QUOTE=" *ALL RIGHT OCTOBER DIS'ERS! IT'S ALMOST TIME! THIS IS A LIST OF ALL OUR OCTOBER CAMPERS THAT WE KNOW SO FAR, AND THEIR ARRIVAL DATES! (If I've made any mistakes please don't hesitate to let me know and I'll fix them!) HOPING THIS WILL MAKE IT EASIER TO MEET UP WITH FELLOW DIS MEMBERS, AND MAKE SOME NEW FRIENDSHIPS! FEEL FREE TO HOP INTO THIS TRIP REPORT ANYTIME YOU'D LIKE TO GIVE US AN UPDATE, AND WE DEFINATELY LOVE PICTURES! LET'S CARRY ON THIS AWESOME TRADITION, AND GIVE OUR NOVEMBER FRIENDS SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO!*

*1.  tregal16:  9/30-10/9 
2.  BnD:   9/30-10/8 (requested 1500 loop)
3.  PatriciaH:  staying all of October!
4.  serenitygr: 10/1-10/15 (requested 1400 loop)
5.  rml0win:  10/1-10/18 (request 1700 loop)
6.  tripleb:   10/1-10/8 (requested 1600 loop)
7.* *ruthies12:  10/5-10/15 (requested 400 loop)
8.  dalir:  10/6-10/9 (full hook up site)
9.  KidatHeart2010: 10/7-10/15
10. Tlat1270:  10/7-10/20 (requested 1500 loop)
11. JETS70:  10/9-10/15
12.  FrozenOne16: 10/9-10/12 (tent camping)
13.  proudmomof4: 10/9-10/15 (premium site)
14.  jn3cv1:  10/14-10/28
15.  FortWildernessCamper: 10/14-?
16.  Tmom5: 10/14-10/21
17.  ms2058: 10/15-10/21
18.  jabrabu:  10/15-10/21 (full hookup site)
19.  snowmedic:  10/17-10/26 or 11/3 (requested 1600 loop)
20.  nnw:  10/18-10/29 (cabins)
21.  wilkeliza:  10/19-10/22 (cabins)
22.  Bdev13:  10/19-10/27 (preferred site)
23.  KPSmithSr:  10/20-11/17
24.  lokin4deer: 10/21-10/27 (requested 100 loop)
25.  sheboz: 10/21-10/27 (premium site)
26.  Judyfun:  10/21-10/28 (4 families!)
27.  Sb4:  10/22-10/27
28.  N365PA: 10/23-10/27
29.  allaboutthemouse: 10/26-11/5
30.  mickeyfan0805: 10/26-11/5
31.  FLBBQMAN: 10/26-11/5 (premium site) 
32.  jhomuth: 10/27-11/7 (requested 1700 loop)
33.  BamaEd: 10/29-11/5 (requested 100 loop)
34.  DisneyFran: 10/29-11/4 (tent camping)
35.  mich1073: 10/29-11/1 (3 premium sites)
36.  mtnminnie: staying Halloween week (tent camping)
37.  superblonde29: (not sure on dates)
*

[/QUOTE]

Hi Serenitygr,

Thank you for putting this list together.

We were able to add a couple of days at the beginning of our stay and will now be there 10/7-10/15.

Denise


----------



## mickeyfan0805

ruthies12 said:


> I think the bus will be faster imo



I would agree. As much as we are not fans of the buses, adding 3 independent legs of the trip could result in a lot of waiting, moving, etc...  Add in how unreliable the monorails have become and I would do the bus over the other all day.


----------



## mich1073

ruthies12 said:


> I think the bus will be faster imo


Second this. The boat monorail combo has taken over a hour and half on busy days and monorail slowness. Bus would be alot faster.


----------



## FrozenOne16

*Awesome! Thanks for your help! Kinda bummed, but I also don't want to deal with slow transportation. *


----------



## ruthies12

9 days!!!!!!!!!!!  Doing the single digit dance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today's countdown scavenger hunt clue:


----------



## tripleb

Door Bell


----------



## ruthies12

tripleb said:


> Door Bell



Actually it's supposed to be telephone


----------



## tripleb

Bummer ... I thought I would be the BIG WINNER ... all expense paid trip to Disney World including a 30 night stay in the Grand Floridian, 30 day Park Hopper passes, all meals included


----------



## ruthies12

tripleb said:


> Bummer ... I thought I would be the BIG WINNER ... all expense paid trip to Disney World including a 30 night stay in the Grand Floridian, 30 day Park Hopper passes, all meals included



That was the prize and you were soooo close.  I'm so sorry that you didn't win!  Better luck next time.....


----------



## SmithCrazy3

proudmomof4 said:


> [QUOTE=" *ALL RIGHT OCTOBER DIS'ERS! IT'S ALMOST TIME! THIS IS A LIST OF ALL OUR OCTOBER CAMPERS THAT WE KNOW SO FAR, AND THEIR ARRIVAL DATES! (If I've made any mistakes please don't hesitate to let me know and I'll fix them!) HOPING THIS WILL MAKE IT EASIER TO MEET UP WITH FELLOW DIS MEMBERS, AND MAKE SOME NEW FRIENDSHIPS! FEEL FREE TO HOP INTO THIS TRIP REPORT ANYTIME YOU'D LIKE TO GIVE US AN UPDATE, AND WE DEFINATELY LOVE PICTURES! LET'S CARRY ON THIS AWESOME TRADITION, AND GIVE OUR NOVEMBER FRIENDS SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO!*
> 
> *1.  tregal16:  9/30-10/9
> 2.  BnD:   9/30-10/8 (requested 1500 loop)
> 3.  PatriciaH:  staying all of October!
> 4.  serenitygr: 10/1-10/15 (requested 1400 loop)
> 5.  rml0win:  10/1-10/18 (request 1700 loop)
> 6.  tripleb:   10/1-10/8 (requested 1600 loop)
> 7.* *ruthies12:  10/5-10/15 (requested 400 loop)
> 8.  dalir:  10/6-10/9 (full hook up site)
> 9.  KidatHeart2010: 10/7-10/15
> 10. Tlat1270:  10/7-10/20 (requested 1500 loop)
> 11. JETS70:  10/9-10/15
> 12.  FrozenOne16: 10/9-10/12 (tent camping)
> 13.  proudmomof4: 10/9-10/15 (premium site)
> 14.  jn3cv1:  10/14-10/28
> 15.  FortWildernessCamper: 10/14-?
> 16.  Tmom5: 10/14-10/21
> 17.  ms2058: 10/15-10/21
> 18.  jabrabu:  10/15-10/21 (full hookup site)
> 19.  snowmedic:  10/17-10/26 or 11/3 (requested 1600 loop)
> 20.  nnw:  10/18-10/29 (cabins)
> 21.  wilkeliza:  10/19-10/22 (cabins)
> 22.  Bdev13:  10/19-10/27 (preferred site)
> 23.  KPSmithSr:  10/20-11/17
> 24.  lokin4deer: 10/21-10/27 (requested 100 loop)
> 25.  sheboz: 10/21-10/27 (premium site)
> 26.  Judyfun:  10/21-10/28 (4 families!)
> 27.  Sb4:  10/22-10/27
> 28.  N365PA: 10/23-10/27
> 29.  allaboutthemouse: 10/26-11/5
> 30.  mickeyfan0805: 10/26-11/5
> 31.  FLBBQMAN: 10/26-11/5 (premium site)
> 32.  jhomuth: 10/27-11/7 (requested 1700 loop)
> 33.  BamaEd: 10/29-11/5 (requested 100 loop)
> 34.  DisneyFran: 10/29-11/4 (tent camping)
> 35.  mich1073: 10/29-11/1 (3 premium sites)
> 36.  mtnminnie: staying Halloween week (tent camping)
> 37.  superblonde29: (not sure on dates)
> *



Hi Serenitygr,

Thank you for putting this list together.

We were able to add a couple of days at the beginning of our stay and will now be there 10/7-10/15.

Denise[/QUOTE]


I'm also 10/15- 10/21


----------



## ruthies12

Todays countdown movie is Lion King with lion masks to make and worms and dirt pudding to eat.....slimy yet satisfying!


----------



## serenitygr

Noon here in northern Minnesota and we are officially on the way!! Hoping to get about 500 miles today and will find a Walmart to stay at 

Also hoping to find some sunshine today- all we've had is rain for the past 3-4 days...

Our first official destination is Friday night- we're camping at the seacrest wolf preserve in chipley, Florida. Until then we'll just enjoy the journey!


----------



## tripleb

Ya'll drive carefully ... see you the 1st.


----------



## FortWildernessCamper

proudmomof4 said:


> [QUOTE=" *ALL RIGHT OCTOBER DIS'ERS! IT'S ALMOST TIME! THIS IS A LIST OF ALL OUR OCTOBER CAMPERS THAT WE KNOW SO FAR, AND THEIR ARRIVAL DATES! (If I've made any mistakes please don't hesitate to let me know and I'll fix themSOME NEW FRIENDSHIPS! FEEL FREE TO HOP INTO THIS TRIP REPORT ANYTIME YOU'D LIKE TO GIVE US AN UPDATE,SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD*



Hi Serenitygr,

Thanks for putting list together.  We will be at The Fort 10/14 thru 10/20 (Full Hookup Site... requested Loop 1800).

Just 18 days to go!!!


----------



## serenitygr

FortWildernessCamper said:


> Hi Serenitygr,
> 
> Thanks for putting list together.  We will be at The Fort 10/14 thru 10/20 (Full Hookup Site... requested Loop 1800).
> 
> Just 18 days to go!!!


Hey Fortwildernesscamper! We're on the road now heading towards the Fort! As soon as I get to where I have power to my laptop I'll update and get you added!


----------



## friendofeeyore

Serenitygr, What a great job you have done putting the Dis stay list. Praying for safe travels & can't wait to see & hear all the fun time all of the October campers will be having. Sitting on the edge of my chair waiting.


----------



## Jimsig

So I thought I had posted here a while back but after re-reading through the thread I realized I had not even thought I was keeping up with it all along.  I think I made a post on my own way back in after I made my reservation and when I saw this thread thought I made it here.  Thanks to @serenitygr fow asking me about it.

Anyway.  Back in 2013 we took our then 3 1/2yo DD to Disney and we stayed at OKW for 5 nights.  In the fall of 2014 of we decided to go back to Disney as DD was then 5yo and we had always wanted to try the Cabins at The Fort so we booked for Oct for 6 nights.  We loved the MNNSHP and right then and there decided that if Halloween was that good we wanted to try Christmas and MVMCP and a longer stay.  So in Nov of 2015 we came back the the cabins for 9 nights.  We loved the Christmas vibe and MVMCP but decided if we came back again we would try and go to MNSSHP again as we liked it that much more, especially with our DD. 

This time we wanted to go bigger so I sent up a Facebook group for my family that had kids and told them of our plans. I told them we were going back and we would love for them to join us on a "no pressure, no guilt trip trip"  I said that other then really getting a few big group pics at the main entrance of MK and of course the Castle,  at least one big dinner with everyone, and MNSSHP it was a trip to do what you want when you want to. Besides I didn't want to plan everything for everybody  In the end there are 14 us going in 3 cabins.  It will be the 3 of us (DD is now 8), my brother his DW and their 3, my sister her DH and their 2, our mom, and a cousin who will be coming and going as her grandparents live in Orlando so she will be staying with them.  My brothers and sisters families will be there 6 nights. and the rest of us will be there 9 nights.  The 6 kids range in age from 2 to 8.  My brothers kids have never been and my sisters kids went 2 years ago but their youngest does not remember.  We arrive Fri Oct 20th and depart Sun the 29th.  We got great deals from Undercover Tourist on Park Hoppers.  Mom will tag along with us as it was easier to plan it that way, but of course she has the option of hopping to another park to join the others if she wants. 

Fri Arrive.  We will pick our golf carts from Kenny and probably do the takeout chicken dinner from the Trails End, go to the Singalong, and if not too tired watch the Hallowishes Fireworks from the beach

Sat:  MK day, with all the kids we figured this was the best park to start with though I know overall it's not the best to do on a Sat.  We also have a big group dinner at Crystal Palace.

Sun:  We are splitting for the most park, we are doing AK with my sister, while my brother is doing Epcot.  We are meeting back up for dinner at the HDDR.  We have 2 tables of seven in Cat 3, as that was all that was left at 180 days, and hoping then can/will combine the tables or at least get us next to/near each other.  Would have prefered MBBBQ with all the kids but the days it's open didn't work for us.  Mom and cousin have offered to babysit so we may be off for a couple drinks or just get away for a bit 

Mon:  We are doing Epcot while Bro and Sis will be at HS.  We have dinner in Mexico.  While those at HS are doing Hollywood and Vine. 

Tue: Pool/hang at the Fort Day.  I have a feeling we may lose the women to shopping to Disney Springs for a bit.  We are all doing MNSSHP that night.

Wed: We are doing HS with the Fantasmic dining package at H&V.  Bro is doing MK again with dinner at Chef Mickeys and sis is doing Epcot.  W may take them up on the babysitting offer again and do an adults night at one of the parks

Thu:  We are going back to MK that day while Bro and Sis depart.  We have dinner at MBBBQ that night.  Might try and convince Mom to watch DD one more time so DW and I can go out.   

Fri:  Pool/down day w Epcot at night.  We have breakfast at 1900 Park Faire and dinner at the Rose and Crown for dinner at 745p.  Originally when we made the ADR the park was closing at 9 so we figured we would be finishing when Illuminations was starting but closing has since been moved to 10, not sure if we can stretch out dinner for over 2 hours, we will see.  Have looked but not been able to get anything later. 

Sat: AK to start.  I was not able to book FOP for our first AK day but got it today.  We may hope to another park or 2 but we will finish with dinner in the MK at BOG.

Sun: Eviction day.  Return golf cart an back on the Tragical Express around 11

I see @bama_ed is coming is the day we leave.  Hoping he's arriving early enough to quickly meet him and thank him for all the great advice he has given here on the Dis.


----------



## bama_ed

Jimsig said:


> Sun: Eviction day.  Return golf cart an back on the Tragical Express around 11
> 
> I see @bama_ed is coming is the day we leave.  Hoping he's arriving early enough to quickly meet him and thank him for all the great advice he has given here on the Dis.



Jim, I would enjoy the chance to meet you.  We are spending Saturday night at Lake Louisa SP only 30 minutes away and I expect to cruise into the Fort 630-700am fully expecting to have to wait for my site until sometime that morning.  Trails End brunch is also later that day but in between we can make time.  Assuming you aren't exhausted after your week of family fun - WOW.  So we can make that happen.

Your approach to the family gathering is a good one.  You said other than a group photo and a group meal or two, everyone is free to vacation at their own pace.  That's a good way for everyone to keep their sanity.

October is shaping up to be a really fun month.

Bama Ed


----------



## mtnminnie

We will be in a tent loop...I have no idea which to ask for, but I am going to ask for the quieter loop for the youngest minnie to get good sleep.  We will be staying a little more than a week and are only planning two park days...Magic and Animal.  We hope to have a lot of down time/pool time as well as some days where we go to resorts and find some yummy treats.  Our goal is to enjoy and hopefully not wear ourselves completely out...although the park days will be full days for us.  This will be our first trip.  I have fp for Magic but I recently  changed our trip around and don't have any for Animal...I am thinking we will follow a touring plan without them.  (I don't want to have to rush)....I am wondering if this sounds crazy esp since we are doing family rides only?  Anyway, this is our plan.  Oh, and no meal plan for us...we are going picnic style.


----------



## serenitygr

Wednesday morning and on the road again! We made it about 500 miles yesterday and stayed at a Walmart just after coming into Illinois. We parked along the side of the parking lot, and discovered during the night that they have a night crew doing construction right next to us - hahahahah hilarious!  So we all slept about 2 hours total- LOL I'm sorry but I find humor in the oddest moments....
We're hoping to get to Nashville today, which is about 500 miles again. Going to see if there's any fun tourist things along the way! Here's a couple pictures from last night....


----------



## ruthies12

Todays countdown movie is The Little Mermaid with seashell jewelry kits!


Serenitygr- love the nails!


----------



## serenitygr

ruthies12 said:


> Todays countdown movie is The Little Mermaid with seashell jewelry kits!
> View attachment 272896
> 
> Serenitygr- love the nails!


Thanks ruthies12! I love your countdown activities! I want to be at your house every day and do crafts and watch Disney movies!


----------



## Jimsig

bama_ed said:


> Jim, I would enjoy the chance to meet you.  We are spending Saturday night at Lake Louisa SP only 30 minutes away and I expect to cruise into the Fort 630-700am fully expecting to have to wait for my site until sometime that morning.  Trails End brunch is also later that day but in between we can make time.  Assuming you aren't exhausted after your week of family fun - WOW.  So we can make that happen.
> 
> Your approach to the family gathering is a good one.  You said other than a group photo and a group meal or two, everyone is free to vacation at their own pace.  That's a good way for everyone to keep their sanity.
> 
> October is shaping up to be a really fun month.
> 
> Bama Ed



Sounds good, I'm sure we will figure something out.  Not sure what time I will be dropping the golf cart off with Kenny yet (last time I want to say I met them around 7a) but should know more of my time frame in the next couple weeks.  Hopefully @TheRustyScupper  could make it as well and it would also be great to meet him and say thanks for all he does here.

With us having been there 3 times with our DD we know how magical a place Disney is and can be, especially for first timers and even more so when those first timers are kids.  I want to make sure that everyone gets their own "magic" and has memories of not just the entire group, but also memories with just their own family.  Besides I didn't want to be responsible for every moment for every person   With most everybody going only until Thur the 3 of us plus my mom and cousin if she joins us those days will have a nice few days alone at the end.  Though I do wish everybody else was going the entire time.  I have a feeling they will kick themselves after and wish they had stayed longer.  Hopefully next trip they will   Now just anxiously awaiting the October Rec Calendar, hopefully will be out in a few days so we can plan our nights at The Fort.

3 weeks 2 days, or whatever it says when you are reading this in my counter below, left and 15 working days left until we are Home again.


----------



## ruthies12

Todays countdown scavenger hunt clue.  I'm getting so excited!  6 more days!!!  Got my green disboard mickey head printed yesterday.  Going to the grocery store this weekend to get food for the trip, getting laundry caught up and going to start packing clothes Sunday.


----------



## ilovedisneymm

Safe trips @serenitygr.  We plan to stay on the Walmart parking lots too.  You're so sweet to find humor in the construction workers, me? Nope! Rage 

@ruthies12 girl, where do you find the time for this? Oh, and a mirror.  Am I correct?


----------



## ruthies12

ilovedisneymm said:


> Safe trips @serenitygr.  We plan to stay on the Walmart parking lots too.  You're so sweet to find humor in the construction workers, me? Nope! Rage
> 
> @ruthies12 girl, where do you find the time for this? Oh, and a mirror.  Am I correct?



I'm impressed that she found humor in that situation too, cause I would have been beside myself with anger.  I do not do well with no sleep!

You are correct!! It is a mirror.  You win the all expense paid trip to Grand Floridian that Teamubr wanted so bad 

I'm self employed and work from home at a very boring job that doesn't require a lot of thought lol so I sit and think up this kind of crap.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job, I really do, but it is very boring with lots of time for my mind to wander and dream about Disney......


----------



## serenitygr

Last night about 9:30 pm we went thru Nashville, and decided to look online for a campground to stay at. ( my husband is a truck driver and knows the Walmarts down here can be iffy on if you can stay or not) we were so lucky! The second campground we called answered the phone- it was the Texas T in Tennessee- it happened to be just off the freeway ten minutes ahead of where we were at the time!
 
 
Awesome little campground with super nice people- so glad we found them. So we got a load of laundry done this morning- had a nice visit with some campers who had a Mickey lamppost ( they used to be on the DIS board but aren't now), and now we're on the road again! Going through Alabama in just 3 more miles and hoping to make it to the wolf preserve by tonight!


----------



## tripleb

Nice serenitygr, although I have never camped with the Wolves in Florida, I have tent camped with them in Colorado. Not on purpose, it's just that we were in their territory for a couple of nights.


----------



## ruthies12

I've stayed at Texas T before, it is a very nice campground!  We were just there in July on our way down to Destin.  

If you decide you need to stop again while still in Alabama there is a nice campground called Montgomery South that is also just off the highway and an easy in and out.


----------



## Teamubr

serenitygr said:


> Last night about 9:30 pm we went thru Nashville, and decided to look online for a campground to stay at. ( my husband is a truck driver and knows the Walmarts down here can be iffy on if you can stay or not) we were so lucky! The second campground we called answered the phone- it was the Texas T in Tennessee- it happened to be just off the freeway ten minutes ahead of where we were at the time!


Just curious. How are you going to the Fort. The campground looks really nice, but when I looked it up, I saw it is off of I-65. And then I saw your comment about on the way to Destin.

I've heard other people avoid I-24/I-75 because of Mont Eagle and Atlanta, but if your husband is an OTR driver, neither of those should bother him.

j


----------



## serenitygr

Teamubr said:


> Just curious. How are you going to the Fort. The campground looks really nice, but when I looked it up, I saw it is off of I-65. And then I saw your comment about on the way to Destin.
> 
> I've heard other people avoid I-24/I-75 because of Mont Eagle and Atlanta, but if your husband is an OTR driver, neither of those should bother him.
> 
> j


We're coming in on 65 now and heading to chipley Florida- that's where the wolf preserve is. We'll leave there Saturday evening and stay at a KOA about an hour from the Fort. Then get to the Fort close to 6am Sunday


----------



## Teamubr

serenitygr said:


> We're coming in on 65 now and *heading to chipley Florida- that's where the wolf preserve is.* We'll leave there Saturday evening and stay at a KOA about an hour from the Fort. Then get to the Fort close to 6am Sunday


I saw you were going to the wolf preserve, but thought it was more towards central Florida. 

Have a great trip. The Fort is ready and waiting for you.

j


----------



## serenitygr

We made it!! Checked into a campground tonight just 5-10 minutes into Florida . It's called the Hitchin Post Corral and campground in Cottondale. It's too dark to see much, but it definitely feels like northern Minnesota camping- sitting outside by the campfire tonight- surrounded by trees and just the quiet of the night- I noticed tonight that the moon has stayed next to us every night while we've been driving 

We're hoping to head to the wolf center campground tomorrow fairly early and leave the camper there - then go to Panama City for the day. We'll see how the morning goes....


----------



## jabrabu

We are looking forward to our trip to the Fort.  We usually stay at Shades of Green since it is such a good deal for us, but now that we have an RV I wanted to experience camping at Disney World, and the family is getting super excited.  We just upsized from a 24' class C to a 32', and it will be nice to have the extra living space.

We will depart early on Friday the 13th (scary!) from MD.  Planning to get to GA the first day and then check in at the Fort early afternoon on the 14th.  Any recommendations on places to spend the night between Savannah and Jacksonville?


----------



## ruthies12

Todays countdown movie is Ratatouille and making mouse cupcakes, Minnie mouse to be exact!


----------



## serenitygr

Friday morning and on our way to drop off the camper at the wolf preserve- then heading to Panama City to play tourist for the day! Absolutely loved our little campground last night and really hope they become a success! I'll post a few campground pictures, even tho it's not the Fort- in case anyone is ever looking for a place to stay for the night in this area!


----------



## tripleb

serenitygr said:


> We made it!! Checked into a campground tonight just 5-10 minutes into Florida.



Hey, my home state ... Welcome to Florida !


----------



## Teamubr

Nice looking campground. I'll definitely add that one to my list.

That tape electric fence brings back memories. We had a girl that cut my hair for a long time. She worked out of a shop in town until the owner sold out. She moved her business to her home where she also raised horses. While DW or DS were getting their hair cut, I would go out and pet the horses. She always have the "fence" turned off so leaning in against it was no problem... until the one time she didn't have it turned off. Let's just say my chest and calves hurt for a few weeks.

j


----------



## FtW Mike

Well the die has been cast we may try for Sunday and Mon Oct 8 and 9 as we will be leaving Tampa with our new to Us coach and being so close where better to test her out  Only right now all they have are premium sites hopefully a full hook up will open up


----------



## JETS70

Teamubr said:


> Nice looking campground. I'll definitely add that one to my list.
> 
> That tape electric fence brings back memories. We had a girl that cut my hair for a long time. She worked out of a shop in town until the owner sold out. She moved her business to her home where she also raised horses. While DW or DS were getting their hair cut, I would go out and pet the horses. She always have the "fence" turned off so leaning in against it was no problem... until the one time she didn't have it turned off. Let's just say my chest and calves hurt for a few weeks.
> 
> j


----------



## serenitygr

Saturday morning update! Yesterday was a beautiful day! We set up camp at the wolf preserve and then headed to Panama City. Joe happens to have a relative who lives there so we stopped at their house first and visited for an hour. They gave us the inside scoop on a big lobster festival that was happening at a place called Schooners on the beach, and we also got the address for a nearby Golden Corral. ( because our family loves buffets, and we're not really picky about food) 

I've got to mention our journey to the wolf center- the GPS did get us here but it had its own way of doing it. We started on a freeway- went to a small rural paved road- that turned into a narrow dirt road- and then it had us turn onto an even narrower dirt road that said " no outlet"  joe- being the brave truck driver he is- kept on going in hopes of a good outcome.... then the GPS told him to turn right but there was no road to turn on  just a dead end! So here we are- the end of a tiny dirt road- with our new 42 foot fifth wheel- and soft sand surrounding us... I figured we'd just have to live there forever, but joe kicked that tough Minnesota truck into 4 wheel drive and backed us out of there! ( thank God for truck drivers ) 
The GPS then rerouted us, and we got there not even ten minutes later!

The Golden Corral was awesome, and then we spent about an hour at the beach at sunset- it was breathtaking! Here's some pictures from yesterday!


----------



## FrozenOne16

*So I just realized that I am unsure if we should do online check in or not. We are tent camping, and it looks like the 2000 loop is better - it has 2 comfort stations plus one really close by. Does anyone have any experience in either of the tent site loops? And should we check in online or just wait until we get there? Thanks!*


----------



## ruthies12

serenitygr- great pics!

Frozenone16- no advice from me, sorry!

Here is today's countdown scavenger hunt clue.  I just got back from the last grocery store run, camper fridge is all packed!  tomorrow is laundry and packing clothes. 4 more sleeps till we leave!!!


----------



## snowmedic

FrozenOne16 said:


> So I just realized that I am unsure if we should do online check in or not. We are tent camping, and it looks like the 2000 loop is better - it has 2 comfort stations plus one really close by. Does anyone have any experience in either of the tent site loops? And should we check in online or just wait until we get there? Thanks!



From one tent camper to the next, we do the online check-in, does it save time, maybe.  I think the only benefit of doing it online is that if you are paid in full, and you are arriving more toward the afternoon - in the afternoon they will text you your site number and you can go right to your site.  I do the online check-in but always go to the front desk when I arrive.  

Now here is the reason for that:  I see that you are coming in on the 9th, a Monday.  Get to the Fort as early as possible, 6:05 a.m. comes to mind.  You would have a better chance at getting a site in the 1500 loop, smaller sites, yes, but with in a few minutes walk to the Meadows Trading Post, Pool, and the Campfire/singalong.  You will have a 50/50 chance of getting into the 1500 loop, if that is where you would want to be.  (  Me, yes please  ).  

Now, why do I say 1500 loop, you ask.  The 2000 loop is nice and away from a lot of traffic noise, but the last time we where there we had a bad experience, not Disney's fault, bad parenting on our neighbors.  We woke up to the sound of banging close by, upon unzipping our tent there was a kid on a plastic tricycle banging into our new car.   From that point on we have stayed either in full hookup or the one time I was not able to get full 1500.    

1500 does share a CS with the 1600 loop, but when we where in either loop, it did not seem all that busy.  So, do online check-in and then, like today or tomorrow call the reservation line and put in your request, for 1500 if that is what you would prefer.  If it where me, yes 1500 please, right @tiggerdad .


----------



## ilovedisneymm

I'll second that on the 1500 loop.  We have tent camped multiple times and each time in the 1500 loop.  YOU WANT THE 1500 LOOP! I would request the 1500 and also arrive early to double your chances.


----------



## tigger92662

serenitygr said:


> The Golden Corral was awesome,


AHH, can't beat a good fondue. The beach looks awesome


----------



## Cosmic

I want to work in a Golden Corral meal, but I think my kids' brains would explode at the sight of that chocolate fountain! We had one or two here maybe 15 or 20 years ago when I was a kid, but they've been closed for a long time.


----------



## FrozenOne16

snowmedic said:


> From one tent camper to the next, we do the online check-in, does it save time, maybe.  I think the only benefit of doing it online is that if you are paid in full, and you are arriving more toward the afternoon - in the afternoon they will text you your site number and you can go right to your site.  I do the online check-in but always go to the front desk when I arrive.
> 
> Now here is the reason for that:  I see that you are coming in on the 9th, a Monday.  Get to the Fort as early as possible, 6:05 a.m. comes to mind.  You would have a better chance at getting a site in the 1500 loop, smaller sites, yes, but with in a few minutes walk to the Meadows Trading Post, Pool, and the Campfire/singalong.  You will have a 50/50 chance of getting into the 1500 loop, if that is where you would want to be.  (  Me, yes please  ).
> 
> Now, why do I say 1500 loop, you ask.  The 2000 loop is nice and away from a lot of traffic noise, but the last time we where there we had a bad experience, not Disney's fault, bad parenting on our neighbors.  We woke up to the sound of banging close by, upon unzipping our tent there was a kid on a plastic tricycle banging into our new car.   From that point on we have stayed either in full hookup or the one time I was not able to get full 1500.
> 
> 1500 does share a CS with the 1600 loop, but when we where in either loop, it did not seem all that busy.  So, do online check-in and then, like today or tomorrow call the reservation line and put in your request, for 1500 if that is what you would prefer.  If it where me, yes 1500 please, right @tiggerdad .





ilovedisneymm said:


> I'll second that on the 1500 loop.  We have tent camped multiple times and each time in the 1500 loop.  YOU WANT THE 1500 LOOP! I would request the 1500 and also arrive early to double your chances.



*Thanks for your input! My DH and I are typically easy to please, so I would think either would be okay with us, but snowmedic, you just helped to remind me that I need to go to the front desk anyway because we need to pay off our reservation! I think I will check in online and then just go to the front desk and see what happens. We (me) are learning to be more laid back with our vacations and just go with the flow. I think when we check in I will definitely ask for the 1500 loop and just cross my fingers! *


----------



## serenitygr

Very nice, educational day at the wolf preserve today. Lots of people, which is good for the preserve financially, but really limits the interaction each person gets with the wolves. We were fortunate that the kids all did get a chance to pet one or two of them , and we did enjoy hearing the stories about them, but I think we were all hoping for a little more actual interaction with them. But the kids had fun, got some souvenirs, learned about patience in the Florida heat, and got to howl with a bunch of wolves: all in all a pretty good day!
  

Now we're on the road again heading to the wildwood KOA, which is our resting spot until early tomorrow morning- we're hoping to leave there about 5:00am, and arrive at the Fort about 6:00!


----------



## snowmedic

The laid back vacation is the way to go.  The only thing we plan is our dinner reservations, other than that, while we are having breakfast that is when we decide what we want to do that day.  

Have a great vacation.


----------



## tiggerdad

@snowmedic, I will never get that memory of the 2000 loop out of my head.  6AM and screaming, running kids in pajamas everywhere.

Reminded me of the scene from Gremlins 2 when they were all in the hotel lobby waiting to go crazy in New York.

@serenitygr, great looking pics.


----------



## serenitygr

Finally on the last leg of our journey- one hour and we will be there!


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## mickeyfan0805

serenitygr said:


> Finally on the last leg of our journey- one hour and we will be there!



Great!

How was the KOA (I'm assuming based on you comments that you were at the Wildwood one)?  I need a pre check-in overnight for later this month and I'm looking for options.

Enjoy your trip!


----------



## ruthies12

Today's countdown activity is the movie Snow White and the kids have to pretednd to be dwarfs and mine for gems.  And some apple pie for dessert!


----------



## PaHunter

serenitygr said:


> All right- today I went thru every post on this thread, and I believe we have 36 names so far arriving in October! I will update the first post- on page one of this thread- with each family and their arrival dates and departure dates- also the type of site or loop they've requested if we have that. It will be later tomorrow before I post it, because I'm going to try to list them all in the correct order. (those arriving on the 1st will be listed first, and so on) I can't believe how many of us there are- it's just awesome! Now I REALLY hope we can make contact with each other down there! I will have our big green DIS sign up with serenitygr on it- hopefully others will also have a sign!    3 more days to get ready here in Minnesota, and we  will be on our way!!!!



We had a pretty good list going, then there was a hurricane and well.......


----------



## PaHunter

Well and as far as loop requests, sometimes it works, sometimes not. We have made requests for all 3 of our trips and gotten 1, so at 33 percent. But we were at Disney, so we made it work and had fun.


----------



## Teamubr

I used to have pretty good luck on getting the loop I wanted, but I stacked the deck. Preferred non-pet loop. That means I'll get 100 or 200. I've requested 100 and only been assigned 200 once. Funny though, I've only ever booked a Premium site twice. The first time at the Fort and this trip last week. With all the Premium loops, I've been in 1400 both times.

j


----------



## Flametamr

May have to cancel but we are reserved again this year. Oct 30 to Nov 6. Premium site. Will beg for 700 again. Will be bringing even more decorations this year.


----------



## tigger92662

Flametamr said:


> May have to cancel but we are reserved again this year.


Hopefully you don't hafta cancel, that would be a bummer.


----------



## Teamubr

Flametamr said:


> we are reserved again this year. Oct 30 to Nov 6. Premium site. Will beg for 700 again. Will be bringing even more decorations this year.


Great news Joe. More people to keep things going into November. (I edited out the "may have to cancel" part.) Here's hoping everything falls into place.

j


----------



## tripleb

Well, we arrived around 3pm today after staying the night at Suwanee River State Park. I requested loop 1600 but got 1900 ... 1901 is our site. Just got back from the HDDR ... GREAT food and a good time had by all. We have our very own lake directly behind the FW compliments of Hurricane Irma. We will be doing Epcot tomorrow and Tuesday.


----------



## Teamubr

Nice site. I think your Full is bigger than the Premium I had last week. I didn't spend much time there, so it didn't really matter.

Glad you made it to the Fort. Sorry I didn't get to meet you.

j


----------



## 4077

Not camping, but TE ressie 5:55 PM ON October 29th! In Orlando area a few days with work, so taking my two colleagues! Hope maybe I get to meet a few of you as I take a stroll around!


----------



## mtnminnie

oh boy...your own lake.  FEAR the mosquito.  ugh.





spoiler...it is a spoof off of U of M...fear the turtle...I was being funny  ....=)


----------



## ilovedisneymm

Nice site @tripleb! I love the 1900 loop (minus the pond).  To me, the clover loops 1600 - 1900 are my favorite loops.  Why? Because they are all spacious and have lots of mature trees. It always feels more camping-like in that area verses the other loops. 

@Teamubr i don't know the measurements comparison, but when looping it always seems like the clover loops have more space than the premiums.  That is a mystery to me.


----------



## ruthies12

Woohoo Tripleb!!  

I am pretty well all packed up except for the last minute stuff.  Just have to get through 2 more days of work and we will be on our way!

Today's countdown scavenger hunt clue and since it is the final one they get to turn in all their fake money for their $50 Disney gift cards today which they will then get to spend on souvenirs during the trip.  I've found that my kids are more circumspect about what they spend their money on when it is "their" money and not mine lol.


----------



## tripleb

Bed.


----------



## tripleb

Teamubr said:


> Nice site. I think your Full is bigger than the Premium I had last week. I didn't spend much time there, so it didn't really matter.
> 
> Glad you made it to the Fort. Sorry I didn't get to meet you.
> 
> j



It's not a bad site ... very difficult to back into though :-( Looking on the "Sites at the Fort" App, all the sites in the 1900 loop are rated either difficult or very hard with the exception of 2 sites. If the neighbor across the street from me had not been home ( so he could move his truck ), I may have still been trying to shoe-horn the FW in here


----------



## tripleb

Just got back from Epcot and rode our bikes around. Went to the meadows trading post, and rode around several of the loops. I saw one of those wooden Mickey fort signs in loop 1600 but wasn't sure if they were home or a member of the Dis Forums. It was in front of a class C. The 1600 loop is certainly drier than the 1900 loop. Perhaps its because of the canal and a little better drainage.

We did the "new" Soaring today and quite honestly liked the old one better. The camera images are certainly better with the new Soaring but we missed the smells that accompanied the old Soaring. We are "old dogs" that don't particularly like new tricks ;-)


----------



## bama_ed

4077 said:


> Not camping, but TE ressie 5:55 PM ON October 29th! In Orlando area a few days with work, so taking my two colleagues! Hope maybe I get to meet a few of you as I take a stroll around!



Come see me, Jimmy, when you get to the Fort.  That's my arrival day and I have a Preferred reserved so I hope to be in 100 or 200.  Of course, you know what my trailer looks like so I will leave a few cold ones on ice for you and your mates that night.

Bama Ed


----------



## tripleb

Got interrupted by dinner and a cold beer ... couldn't have ask for a nicer day at Epcot. Overcast and cooler by about 8 degrees from the previous days ... never broke a sweat  We took our time and did about 6 hours ( counter clockwise ), finished the day at the American pavilion, hopped on the boat back across the lake and called it a day. Will finish the rest of the World Showcase tomorrow starting in Mexico walking clockwise.

BTW, they changed the O'Canada show ... not by much but just enough to know its different. Had some great Green Lip Mussels and beer at the Canada kiosk


----------



## bama_ed

tripleb said:


> Had some great Green Lip Mussels and beer at the Canada kiosk



You're an international man of mystery, bbb (it sounds like F&W is cool).  

Bama Ed


----------



## mickeyfan0805

Three weeks and counting for us...

In the meantime, my arrival (I'm towing, family is flying down to meet me) has slowly crept further and further up so that what started with me arriving 8 hours before the family is now a full 48+ hours before they come.  I have dutifully taken the bullet of the earlier arrival by scheduling a DVC member golf clinic, a round at Magnolia and the FW Segway tour.  

I'm so disappointed to be arriving so early!


----------



## bama_ed

mickeyfan0805 said:


> Three weeks and counting for us...
> 
> In the meantime, my arrival (I'm towing, family is flying down to meet me) has slowly crept further and further up so that what started with me arriving 8 hours before the family is now a full 48+ hours before they come.  I have dutifully taken the bullet of the earlier arrival by scheduling a DVC member golf clinic, a round at Magnolia and the FW Segway tour.
> 
> I'm so disappointed to be arriving so early!



You're so brave to sacrifice yourself like that, mickeyfan0805.    Way to take one for the team.

I did the FW Segway tour a couple years ago and you will enjoy it - they are neat machines.

Bama Ed


----------



## tigger92662

mickeyfan0805 said:


> Three weeks and counting for us...


You're a good man for accepting that burden.  But you're still 3 weeks out, you may have to prepare yourself for the possibility of arriving even sooner than 48 hours. Be strong.


----------



## ruthies12

Up early this am from excitement, I have to work today and tomorrow until 2 pm and then we will be officially on our way and I can't wait!  Just sitting at the computer looking over my finalized plans and here is our schedule:

Wed: drive from Cincinnati to Twin Oaks south of Atlanta (approx. 8 hours) leaving 2 pm and hoping to be pulled in and going to bed by 11 pm.

Thurs: Pull out of Twin Oaks by 8 am and hopefully get to Fort at 1 pm.  Set up camper, then dinner at Chef Mickey's at 5:45 pm.

Fri:  MK, early EMH, rides then appt at BBB for both dd's at 11 am, then lunch at CRT at 1 pm, then a few FP, then leaving the park by 7 pm since it closes for a party, picking up GAG at TE on the way back to the camper as well as a special cake I ordered from contemporary bakery as a surprise.

Sat:  Hollywood Studios in am, then Disney springs evening.

Sun: Epcot all day

Mon:  Me and oldest DD8 meeting my sister and niece (14) at Universal, have unlimited express passes for the whole day.  DH and youngest DD4 are staying at the campground and doing the pony rides and possibly swimming.

Tues:  AK, have FP for river journey, safari, and rivers of light show- first time seeing this show, hope it was worth the FP.

Wed:  EPCOT all day

Thurs:  Reservation at TE buffet to fill our bellies at 11:45 am, then heading to MK, entering on regular day ticket and doing Pirate's League at 2 pm, then staying for MNSSHP dressed as pirates.

Fri:  Non-park day, swimming in afternoon maybe, dinner at 1900 Park Faire with evil stepsisters and Cinderella, then maybe campfire if not too tired.

Sat:  MK in am, go back for a break for the kids in the afternoon so DH and I can pack up the camper, then back to MK for dinner at BOG followed by fireworks.

Sun:  Pull out 6 am and drive the 14 hours straight home.


----------



## ruthies12

And the final piece of the countdown activities for today are these shirts that I made for the dd's along with some new nail polish to paint their toes tonight after their baths.  They will wear these shirts to school tomorrow.


----------



## serenitygr

Hi everyone! Sorry I vanished a couple days , but I haven't had any spare time all of a sudden (go figure) 

We are here!!! 

I am beyond happy and have so many things to share! I'm having coffee this morning sitting outside- most of my family is still sleeping...we're heading to Universal for day 2 today at 9, so I'll post what I can now and finish later....

First- the Fort is beautiful and perfect. I haven't had time to explore yet but my heart is full when I look around me and see everything. I think often of how it must have felt to be the first ones in after Irma- to see the devastation everywhere... I'm sure most of the workers here love this place as much as we all do, so it must have been heartbreaking to them. And I have so much thankfulness to every person who helped restore her the way she deserves to be. 

We so badly wanted 1433 but the people there aren't leaving for two more weeks. ( they've already been here two weeks) but they worked with us and we were put in the site right next to it- 1435. I am now completely in love with this site, and would live here forever if I could. For anyone coming to find us- we're right next to the comfort station in the 1400 loop. We're almost all decorated- can't miss us!

For now that's all I have time to post but I'll update more this afternoon!


----------



## ruthies12

So happy to hear from you serenitygr!!!  I was wondering how things were going for you and was hoping that you were just too busy having fun to post.  Thanks for the wonderful pics!


----------



## mickeyfan0805

ruthies12 said:


> picking up GAG at TE on the way back to the camper



Ok - this is a new one to me.  What is 'GAG' at Trail's End?


----------



## Teamubr

mickeyfan0805 said:


> Ok - this is a new one to me.  What is 'GAG' at Trail's End?


Giddyap And Go- Take out Fried chicken dinner with all the fixins from Trails End. Very good AND CHEAP!

Ruthies- *2 MORE DAYS!*

The schedule looks great and I love the shirts. I bought some before we went and I accidentally left mine at home.

Serenity,

Great pics. It makes me homesick even though I've only been away for 10 days. Glad you got into a great site. 1435 is on the inner loop, right? That may have been our site on our first ever trip to the Fort.

Keep it coming everybody.

j


----------



## ruthies12

mickeyfan0805 said:


> Ok - this is a new one to me.  What is 'GAG' at Trail's End?



Teambr beat me to it! it's a bucket of fried chicken as take out with some sides.  Very convenient cause that way DH can take the kids straight back to the camper and start getting them into their pj's while I pick up dinner and then we can all eat together and relax a bit before bed.  

28 hours til we pull out.......


----------



## ilovedisneymm

Oh @ruthies12 & @serenitygr where is the love button girls!!!!

Love it!

I'm so excited for you Ruthie! Seriously! Oh that wonderful feeling of not being able to sleep due to Disney Fever!!! The shirts are wonderful.  Those girls of yours will be struttin to school alright  We are in Central IL and I think it takes approx 8 hours ish to get to Atlanta for us, so I'll be watching closely on your overnight. 

And serenity! I'm right there with ya on the love for Fort and coffee sipping taking it all in.  Glad you got a good site and love the pic from the boat.  Have a magical day!


----------



## bama_ed

ruthies12 said:


> Teambr beat me to it! it's a bucket of fried chicken as take out with some sides.  Very convenient cause that way DH can take the kids straight back to the camper and start getting them into their pj's while I pick up dinner and then we can all eat together and relax a bit before bed.
> 
> 28 hours til we pull out.......



A third post to further expound on the GAG:

8 pieces of fried chicken and choice of two sides (going from memory):  mashed potatoes, fries, mac/ch, might be one other, plus cornbread.  It's around $25 at the P&J Takeout at TE Takeout counter.  For $2 or $3 you can upgrade to all breast pieces of chicken so it's a deal to feed my family (two adults and 3 teens/college age kids).  If you ask they also can provide plastic knife/fork/spoon, paper plates, there's a mug refill station there, salt/pepper/napkins and picnic tables around the corner on the porch.  It's a pretty good deal.

Plus they sell the sides and cornbread separately and we've done that too.  Grilled steak and chicken breasts, got french fries from TE, sliced a tomato, it has a great dinner with very little cleanup.

Bama Ed


----------



## mickeyfan0805

bama_ed said:


> A third post to further expound on the GAG:
> 
> 8 pieces of fried chicken and choice of two sides (going from memory):  mashed potatoes, fries, mac/ch, might be one other, plus cornbread.  It's around $25 at the P&J Takeout at TE Takeout counter.  For $2 or $3 you can upgrade to all breast pieces of chicken so it's a deal to feed my family (two adults and 3 teens/college age kids).  If you ask they also can provide plastic knife/fork/spoon, paper plates, there's a mug refill station there, salt/pepper/napkins and picnic tables around the corner on the porch.  It's a pretty good deal.
> 
> Plus they sell the sides and cornbread separately and we've done that too.  Grilled steak and chicken breasts, got french fries from TE, sliced a tomato, it has a great dinner with very little cleanup.
> 
> Bama Ed



I had no idea!  I will SO be doing this in a few weeks!  

Thanks.


----------



## bama_ed

Here is a photo of the P&J Takeout menu at TE (sorry for the blur).  This was from March 2016.



And in case you are wondering, the letters P and J stand for (IIRC) Paulette and Josephine, two long-time (as in decades) servers/greeters/workers at Trails End.  I believe Josephine is retired but Paulette was working this past January 2017 at the check-in podium for TE at breakfast one morning and I met her (I know one is retired and one is working).  But it was a nice gesture for TE to name the TE Takeout part after them.

Bama Ed


----------



## ruthies12

25 hours..........


----------



## Jimsig

Would you all *stop* talking about the GAC.  My mouth and watering and I still have just over 2 weeks to go!!!!!  

I have told my whole family about it and they can't wait to get it.  We are getting it for dinner the night we check in.  I think it's the best deal on DIS property.


----------



## ilovedisneymm

It IS THE BEST DEAL on Disney property!

Their chicken...oh the fried crispy juicy mouth watering chicken! How do they do it? I dont know....but its grand  to me, I think they fry it in butter and honey cause the juice tastes like butter.....sweet butter that is  Don't forget to get the honey butter with the cornbread. You have to ask for honey butter (but only when you pick it up cause the person in the phone verses who actually packages your meal are likely two different people) so ask for the honey butter at pick-up! That honey butter is the bomb (did I just say that?) Yes, the bomb of all butters! Don't even get me started on that mac and cheese, the bag full of fries that will easily feed two, or that strawberry short cake....oh yes!


----------



## ruthies12

fresh from the groomer and ready for the Fort!


----------



## bama_ed

Okay I have a question for you Fort Halloween veterans.

This thread started this past Sunday on the DIS Theme Park Strategies boards says the MK gets its Christmas decorations put up on the same night the Halloween decorations come down.  Those come down the night of the last Halloween party separate ticket event which this year is Wednesday night November 1.  I was already planning to do my MK park day on Thursday November 2.  Will I bet that lucky that there will really be Christmas decorations up in the MK on Thursday?  That would be like getting a bonus in your paycheck.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/when-do-christmas-decorations-go-up.3637881/

I mean there's a slow-mo YouTube video about it in the thread above so dare I believe it's true?

Bama Ed


----------



## tripleb

Another half a day at Epcot. Went clockwise around World showcase this time. Another great day with overcast skies and on/off light rain ... not enough to dampen your spirits though. I had to have some more of those Green Lip Mussels and beer... found some OUTSTANDING scallops also paired with a good white wine. Oh and as always our tradition of a hot dog at the American Showcase  Doing AK tomorrow with FP's at both the new Avatar rides, the Safari ride, and ROL. How did I get two premium FP's for one park you ask, well ... Our across the street camping neighbor woke up yesterday morning with an almost flat tire on his TV. I have one of those portable jump boxes with a built in air compressor, so he was aired up for the day and didn't loose any Park time by having to change tires. He and his family were grateful and gave me a fast pass to the Avatar Fight ride. I already had one for the Navi River


----------



## mickeyfan0805

bama_ed said:


> Okay I have a question for you Fort Halloween veterans.
> 
> This thread started this past Sunday on the DIS Theme Park Strategies boards says the MK gets its Christmas decorations put up on the same night the Halloween decorations come down.  Those come down the night of the last Halloween party separate ticket event which this year is Wednesday night November 1.  I was already planning to do my MK park day on Thursday November 2.  Will I bet that lucky that there will really be Christmas decorations up in the MK on Thursday?  That would be like getting a bonus in your paycheck.
> 
> https://www.disboards.com/threads/when-do-christmas-decorations-go-up.3637881/
> 
> I mean there's a slow-mo YouTube video about it in the thread above so dare I believe it's true?
> 
> Bama Ed



This has been the historic practice.  In fact, we have built our schedule with the distinct anticipation of (hopefully) seeing this first hand.  We will be at the MNSSHP on 11/1 and will have a meal and/or event on 2 following days.  We hope to see Christmas come to life right on the heals of Halloween!


----------



## tripleb

BTW, I told you we had a lake behind our site thanks to Irma ... Well, this evening we have our very own wildlife in the lake:


----------



## 2goofycampers

mickeyfan0805 said:


> Ok - this is a new one to me.  What is 'GAG' at Trail's End?


Sounds so bad, tastes so good.


----------



## bama_ed

serenitygr said:


> View attachment 274365
> 
> Hi everyone! Sorry I vanished a couple days , but I haven't had any spare time all of a sudden (go figure)
> 
> We are here!!!
> 
> I am beyond happy and have so many things to share! I'm having coffee this morning sitting outside- most of my family is still sleeping...we're heading to Universal for day 2 today at 9, so I'll post what I can now and finish later....
> 
> First- the Fort is beautiful and perfect. I haven't had time to explore yet but my heart is full when I look around me and see everything. I think often of how it must have felt to be the first ones in after Irma- to see the devastation everywhere... I'm sure most of the workers here love this place as much as we all do, so it must have been heartbreaking to them. And I have so much thankfulness to every person who helped restore her the way she deserves to be.
> 
> We do badly wanted 1433 but the people there aren't leaving for two more weeks. ( they've already been here two weeks) but they worked with us and we were put in the site right next to it- 1435. I am now completely in love with this site, and would live here forever if I could. For anyone coming to find us- we're right next to the comfort station in the 1400 loop. We're almost all decorated- can't miss us!
> 
> For now that's all I have time to post but I'll update more this afternoon!
> View attachment 274366 View attachment 274367




Glad to hear you and your family made it to the Fort, serenitygr.

I will be living vicariously through you for the next several days.

Bama Ed


----------



## Teamubr

TripleB,

Thanks for the pics. It looks like a great day. We did EPCOT in the reverse of you. Started by Canada (came from Soarin'. It was closer). On our move to the Fort day, we started by Mexico and did the other side.

j


----------



## serenitygr

There's a look at our campsite so if anyone wants to find us it will be easier! 1435 is on the outside of the loop directly across from the campfire 

Our days have been busy! We've done 2 days now at universal - my older two have loved the rides- especially the one who's a Harry Potter fan. Me- well.... I can now say I've been there and I'm really glad my kids got to go but it's not the park for me. I have to go back Thursday just so my older two can have one more day there to finish up- I'll probably find a nice spot to sit with a book and relax while they do there thing....

Last night we did the dessert party at magic kingdom and I loved it. It was worth every penny! The desserts were ok- some were really good, and the cheese and fruit were awesome! The view for the fireworks was perfect and after the fireworks we went over and did jungle cruise in the dark- that was fun! 
 



This afternoon I've been bike riding, went to the movie , made tacos for everyone, and walked to the beach to see the last of the Halloween fireworks! It's almost 1am now and I'm heading to bed but wanted to update everyone!
 

And guess who my son saw last night???





Tomorrow is our parasailing day and the hoop de doo at 4:00! Wish me luck!


----------



## tiggerdad

Good to hear Serenitygr.

Way back in 2009 we took our very first trip to DW.  On that arrival day, after driving the 11 hours we went straight on to MK after throwing our luggage in the room.  I was beat.  It just so happened, that at the time, the Dessert Party was on a "trial basis" and very few people knew about it.  When we checked in at POR the CM at the desk mentioned it since we had said we were going to watch the fireworks that night and she checked for us and sure enough there was an opening.

We took it.

It was really good then and glad to know it still is as we are potentially planning on hitting it on our next trip again.

Be safe.  Sorry we are not there to cook you up another batch of taco soup like last time.  Good memories.  Tell the kids we said hello.


----------



## tripleb

serenitygr, great Halloween set up ! We didn't do much for Halloween decorations since its a Pagan ritual that we don't believe in ... J/K ;-)

Its our 1st time at the Fort and really didn't know what to expect and we are new to the camping scene and are still trying to figure out what's what and what's not. Hope to meet you here, we are at 1901.


----------



## tiggerdad

Somebody find me a squirrel...


----------



## ruthies12

@tiggerdad  I'll get on it as soon as I'm there!


----------



## serenitygr

tiggerdad said:


> Good to hear Serenitygr.
> 
> Way back in 2009 we took our very first trip to DW.  On that arrival day, after driving the 11 hours we went straight on to MK after throwing our luggage in the room.  I was beat.  It just so happened, that at the time, the Dessert Party was on a "trial basis" and very few people knew about it.  When we checked in at POR the CM at the desk mentioned it since we had said we were going to watch the fireworks that night and she checked for us and sure enough there was an opening.
> 
> We took it.
> 
> It was really good then and glad to know it still is as we are potentially planning on hitting it on our next trip again.
> 
> Be safe.  Sorry we are not there to cook you up another batch of taco soup like last time.  Good memories.  Tell the kids we said hello.



Tiggerdad- this is the second time we've done the dessert party- the first time was 4 years ago and we did the terrace viewing- we loved that! After hearing about the new show, and with my mom coming this time, we decided to try the garden view party. It was worth every penny ( and more!) to us. I've never seen the fireworks from in front of the castle before so that was amazing to me. I spent a good part of the time wiping tears from my eyes. 




tripleb said:


> serenitygr, great Halloween set up ! We didn't do much for Halloween decorations since its a Pagan ritual that we don't believe in ... J/K ;-)
> 
> Its our 1st time at the Fort and really didn't know what to expect and we are new to the camping scene and are still trying to figure out what's what and what's not. Hope to meet you here, we are at 1901.


Tripleb: we were bike riding last night about 11pm- we went thru your loop so we probably went right past you but it was pretty dark- we'll come by again tho! If you go looping be sure to stop in and say hi as well!


----------



## ruthies12

We are officially on the road!! Left on schedule at 2 pm.  Hope to be at Twin oaks by 11.  Wish us luck!


----------



## JETS70

ruthies12 said:


> We are officially on the road!! Left on schedule at 2 pm.  Hope to be at Twin oaks by 11.  Wish us luck!


 Travel Safe ruthies12.


----------



## tiggerdad

Safe travels.

How much on the Halloween decorations are up so far?  I know it's early.


----------



## serenitygr

ruthies12 said:


> We are officially on the road!! Left on schedule at 2 pm.  Hope to be at Twin oaks by 11.  Wish us luck!


Safe travels ruthies12! We'll leave the light on!



tiggerdad said:


> Safe travels.
> 
> How much on the Halloween decorations are up so far?  I know it's early.


We've been bike riding a lot and really haven't seen a lot out yet...


----------



## tripleb

We did AK today amidst the on/off cold rain of the afternoon. I personally don't particularly like AK. Only reason we went was for the Avatar rides. The FOP is, in my opinion, the absolute best ride Disneyworld has to offer ... period. If you have to, trade your first born for a FP for this ride !!! Navi River really is no big deal and actually quite disappointing :-( I wouldn't stand in line for this one.

Went to TE for dinner and took the carriage ride afterwards.

Watching the tropics very closely as it appears a storm is brewing and may make landfall in the Florida Panhandle this Sunday. We live in the Panhandle and are due home on Sunday :-(

Tomorrow is MK day although I'm not certain whether the weather is going to cooperate. There is a 70% chance of rain throughout the day :-(


----------



## PaHunter

tripleb said:


> We did AK today amidst the on/off cold rain of the afternoon. I personally don't particularly like AK. Only reason we went was for the Avatar rides. The FOP is, in my opinion, the absolute best ride Disneyworld has to offer ... period. If you have to, trade your first born for a FP for this ride !!! Navi River really is no big deal and actually quite disappointing :-( I wouldn't stand in line for this one.
> 
> Went to TE for dinner and took the carriage ride afterwards.
> 
> Watching the tropics very closely as it appears a storm is brewing and may make landfall in the Florida Panhandle this Sunday. We live in the Panhandle and are due home on Sunday :-(
> 
> Tomorrow is MK day although I'm not certain whether the weather is going to cooperate. There is a 70% chance of rain throughout the day :-(



Glad to see I am not the only one disappointed in the Navi Ride. But FOP, oh yes it is good......so good.


----------



## ruthies12

Travels are  going pretty well so far, just got through Atlanta with no slow downs which was nice.   Glad we decided to push through that at night instead of stopping earlier.  

Only traffic so far was through Knoxville (knock on wood)

We are an hour and a half from the campground,  looking forward to bed now.  Not looking forward to setting up in the rain tomorrow.   Incidentally will the boats still run if there is bad weather?  We have dinner at chef Mickeys tomorrow night


----------



## JETS70

ruthies12 said:


> We are an hour and a half from the campground



Glad that your travels are going well. We usually travel 75 through Atlanta but because of getting a later than usual start this year, we are traveling 77 to 26 to 95 and 4. We will be staying at a campground in North Carolina. I prefer the 75 route due to fewer mountains (minus Jellico) and avoiding the W.Va Turnpike. What campground are you stopping at this evening and I assume that it is south of Atlanta.


----------



## ruthies12

We are twin oaks in Elko GA.  Looked nice online, haven't seen the place in daylight yet myself but long pull through spots with 50 amp and that's all I cared about.

Wish I could say the rest of our evening was uneventful but I can't.   We got rear ended by our own jeep last night. Apparently one of the pins holding the tow bar in place broke.  We saw the jeep drifting to the side when we looked at our backup camera.  Dh did a good job with a nice steady slow down into the emergency lande so the jeep didn't ram us hard.  Doesn't appear to be any damage to the camper or the car.

Dh has extra pins with us so it will be an easy fix but with semis blowing past us and only 40 minutes from the campground we decided to drive separate to get out of there and re hook in our nice safe campsite in the daylight. 

I woke up early from excitement.   Took my shower and now trying to sit here quietly and let the rest of my family get a little more sleep.

Tinkebell has made her first delivery!  Flew all the way to gerogia, she's so nice.   The girls are getting red Minnie mouse dresses to wear to chef mickrys tonight. I shopped a Sale on disneystore.com and got these dresses for 13 bucks a piece!!!!


----------



## tripleb

ruthies12 said:


> Wish I could say the rest of our evening was uneventful but I can't.   We got rear ended by our own jeep last night.



Did you exchange insurance information with yourself ??? Ha, couldn't help myself ruthies12 ... glad it was minor and everything is alright.


----------



## ruthies12

Lol tripleb!

We got on the road by 8 like I wanted.   My mom and dad are following behind us in thier diesel pusher, they had gotten to twin oaks yesterday afternoon and were in bed long before we got there so the kids were very excited to see grandma and grandpa this morning.

Hoping for no traffic and pulling into the fort by 1


----------



## jabrabu

Our check-in date is Saturday the 14th.  Planning to leave from MD on Thurs the 12th after school/work.  We will drop off our dogs near Harper's Ferry, so we'll go down I-81 then I-77 rather than I-95.  Planning to get about 4 hours down the road on Thursday evening and spend the night near Roanoke.  We don't have any reservations for that night, but some options I see are parking at a Cracker Barrel, Camping World, or the Interstate Overnight Park.

For Friday, we were planning to drive from Roanoke to near Jacksonville.  The private campgrounds around there are pretty expensive, and many have a 2-night minimum, and state park availability is very limited, but I managed to make a reservation at Tomoka State Park (near Daytona Beach) for that night.  This is just a couple of hours from the Fort, so we can check in pretty early on the 14th.  We are not planning a park visit that day, but we have the water park+fun tickets so we can go to a water park or play mini-golf if we want.  I'm thinking after check-in we can eat breakfast at Trail's End and explore the campground, then we can go to the TTC or MK entrance to activate our park ticket vouchers, then we have the option of going to a water park or mini golf or Disney Springs or maybe a horseback ride.  When our campsite is ready we will set up, and we have reservations at Ohana for 4pm (this is the latest time I've been able to get so far).  Then we can go to the campfire and later watch the fireworks from the beach.


----------



## ilovedisneymm

Well guys, thanks for helping me decide what FP to select.  I didn't do much FP if any until the day of on our last trip and decided to go ahead and book some for AK this trip with those two in mind.  I went ahead and selected the FOP over the river ride.  I had a feeling the FOP might be better  I was highly disappointed in the new Frozen boat ride so thought it might be similar in comparison.  

BUT TRADE YOUR FIRST BORN HUH? That good   




tripleb said:


> We did AK today amidst the on/off cold rain of the afternoon. I personally don't particularly like AK. Only reason we went was for the Avatar rides. The FOP is, in my opinion, the absolute best ride Disneyworld has to offer ... period. If you have to, trade your first born for a FP for this ride !!! Navi River really is no big deal and actually quite disappointing :-( I wouldn't stand in line for this one.
> 
> Went to TE for dinner and took the carriage ride afterwards.
> 
> Watching the tropics very closely as it appears a storm is brewing and may make landfall in the Florida Panhandle this Sunday. We live in the Panhandle and are due home on Sunday :-(
> 
> Tomorrow is MK day although I'm not certain whether the weather is going to cooperate. There is a 70% chance of rain throughout the day :-(





PaHunter said:


> Glad to see I am not the only one disappointed in the Navi Ride. But FOP, oh yes it is good......so good.


----------



## ilovedisneymm

Smart move.  That is scary stuff being stuck on the side of the interstate.  Hope you all have a magical day and enjoy Chef Mickey.  



ruthies12 said:


> We are twin oaks in Elko GA.  Looked nice online, haven't seen the place in daylight yet myself but long pull through spots with 50 amp and that's all I cared about.
> 
> Wish I could say the rest of our evening was uneventful but I can't.   We got rear ended by our own jeep last night. Apparently one of the pins holding the tow bar in place broke.  We saw the jeep drifting to the side when we looked at our backup camera.  Dh did a good job with a nice steady slow down into the emergency lande so the jeep didn't ram us hard.  Doesn't appear to be any damage to the camper or the car.
> 
> Dh has extra pins with us so it will be an easy fix but with semis blowing past us and only 40 minutes from the campground we decided to drive separate to get out of there and re hook in our nice safe campsite in the daylight.
> 
> I woke up early from excitement.   Took my shower and now trying to sit here quietly and let the rest of my family get a little more sleep.
> 
> Tinkebell has made her first delivery!  Flew all the way to gerogia, she's so nice.   The girls are getting red Minnie mouse dresses to wear to chef mickrys tonight. I shopped a Sale on disneystore.com and got these dresses for 13 bucks a piece!!!!


----------



## Teamubr

ruthies12 said:


> Wish I could say the rest of our evening was uneventful but I can't.   We got rear ended by our own jeep last night.


Your Jeep was just excited to get to the Fort and was trying to hurry you along. 

Glad it worked out well with no damage. That could have gone bad it the other pin failed.



ilovedisneymm said:


> I went ahead and selected the FOP over the river ride.  I had a feeling the FOP might be better  I was highly disappointed in the new Frozen boat ride so thought it might be similar in comparison. BUT TRADE YOUR FIRST BORN HUH? That good


YES! FoP is that good! 

And you will be disappointed with Navi River Journey. DW was. I had watched the videos online, so I knew what to expect. It is worth riding if you get a FP (on a 2nd day since FoP and NRJ are the same tier) to see the animatronics and the theming. Unfortunately, I stood in line for an hour to see it.

j


----------



## Kidatheart2010

Good Morning Campers...
We have had to cancel our Ft Trip starting this weekend the 7th.   We will be going the 15th of January through the 21st.  We are going to try for a quick weekend in November to the Shades of Green.  We shall see....

100 days 14 Hours  Cant wait to be back


----------



## tripleb

Well, as the weather people predicted, it started rain about 8:30am. Its 9:35am now and still sprinkling. We have a couple FP's for MK today in the early afternoon so, we are just chillin' in the FW for the time being. If it becomes a total rain blow-out today, we still have tomorrow to get our MK fix 

Still watching the tropical weather for Sunday ... we leave the Fort Sunday, drive to Tallahassee and leave our FW at Camping World for some minor warranty repairs. So, out trip home, another 145 miles west into the TS, will not be encumbered by having to pull the FW.

On a side note, we saw 5 turkeys yesterday as we walked by the 1600 loop and then a doe deer as we climbed into the carriage for our ride at the Settlement.


----------



## serenitygr

Yesterday was a fun day! Our parasailing got rescheduled due to wind so we spent the day relaxing and enjoying the Fort 
We went to the 4:00 Hoop De Doo: it was SO much fun! We did this our. Dry first trip 6-7 years ago, but the kids were really too young to enjoy it much. But yesterday we were on the main floor about halfway back and we just loved it! 
Today the two older. It's and I are heading to universal for our last day there- then making burgers at the campsite tonight. I may even try making cookies in our oven so if anyone wants to stop by I'll be happy to share!
Hope ruthies12 is getting close!


----------



## ruthies12

We've made it to Florida! We are 125 miles from the fort with plenty of gas and no need to make more stops as long as everything goes smoothly.  Winds a bit rough on the rv


----------



## ruthies12

Pulling in.  Will be on site 533!!!!


----------



## serenitygr

ruthies12 said:


> Pulling in.  Will be on site 533!!!!


WELCOME HOME!!


----------



## tiggerdad

Glad you rolled in safe


----------



## Bdev13

Oh how all these pictures are making me jealous, cannot wait!!!!!  However this time in 14 days we better be sitting at the Fort!

We are planning on telling our girls this weekend, and doing a countdown for the last 10 days before we leave.  This way when i am trying to pack I am not hiding it, and 10 days hopefully will not drive me to insane with the when do we go questions.

DH has decided he is going to deal with the GWB (George Washington Bridge in NY for those not in the Northeast) on the way down, as the time we are planning on leaving it makes the trip the shortest (FX).  The potholes he figures that we have hit some other nasty roads recently pulling, so it can't be worse.  This will ultimately be a gametime decision for us as who knows what traffic/construction is, but think the Tap may still have night construction.  Plan is to get to SC the first day and then in the second.  A bit ambitious but we backed up a bit from where we would go with the car, and have long hauled before with trailers.  We have relatives down there now and they said for the most part the route was in good shape, so that will be good.  Our return we decided we will be taking the western loop and avoiding DC-NYC, so new adventure and stops to figure out for that.

Just getting lists together and making sure we have what we need as the next 12 days will be very busy for us.  Called today and added 300 loop request to our reservation, so hopefully we will get in there.   Does actually faxing in your request help?  We would like the 300 loop and preferably the outside part, but not to picky.

Our plans are probably as firm as they will be before arrival, then as in our typical fashion made changes as we see how the girls are doing and if we need more low key time, etc.


----------



## mtnminnie

speaking of packing.....what season are you packing for?  it is still summer attire?


----------



## ruthies12

Just left Chef Mickeys.  This poor boat might sink I ate so much


----------



## ruthies12




----------



## 2goofycampers

ruthies12 said:


> Just left Chef Mickeys.  This poor boat might sink I ate so much


----------



## serenitygr

mtnminnie said:


> speaking of packing.....what season are you packing for?  it is still summer attire?


Definitely summer!


----------



## Jimsig

Hope nobody minds that I'm just posting so I can see my countdown.


----------



## tripleb

Just met serenitygr and her husband ... great couple and hope to see them again before we leave.


----------



## Teamubr

ruthies12 said:


> Pulling in.  Will be on site 533!!!!


Like! Like! Like! Like!

j


----------



## mickeyfan0805

Having fun getting decorations ready for the trip!


----------



## tripleb

tiggerdad said:


> Somebody find me a squirrel...



I'll find a squirrel for you tomorrow tiggerdad ... I think they all evacuated for Irma  Actually, I haven't really seen to many down here in 1900.


----------



## tripleb

Today was a down day for us ... not by design but by rain. We were going to do MK with a couple of FP's so, tomorrow is MK day with no FP's but is the early entry hour day. So, it's up with the chickens in the morning.


----------



## bama_ed

mickeyfan0805 said:


> Sorry - tried to post an image and failed. Have to explore what I’m doing wrong.



Use the "upload a file" button bottom right of the input box, choose the picture file on you device.  After it loads up, make sure you check the Full sized image button.  Pictures cannot exceed a little over 1MB in size.

Bama Ed

PS - is this what you did?


----------



## serenitygr

tripleb said:


> Just met serenitygr and her husband ... great couple and hope to see them again before we leave.


It was great meeting you both too! Enjoy your day tomorrow!


----------



## serenitygr

Ruthies12- we biked over to see you tonight but it was quiet at your site- we'll keep trying! Hope you are getting settled in


----------



## mickeyfan0805

bama_ed said:


> Use the "upload a file" button bottom right of the input box, choose the picture file on you device.  After it loads up, make sure you check the Full sized image button.  Pictures cannot exceed a little over 1MB in size.
> 
> Bama Ed
> 
> PS - is this what you did?



Helpful as ever!  I just got it uploaded above. Thanks. 

Now all I have to do is figure out a shortcut to shrink the file-size on my phone without have to email the pictur  to myself to do it!


----------



## ruthies12

Well we got set up and went to dinner last night. Chef mickeys food was really good and characters were great too.  My dds, especially youngest, were quite tired so there was a little crankiness.   Got back and put them straight to bed hoping to get them early to go to mk early emh (maybe we'll see you there tripleb) but now I'm thinking I'd better let them sleep in some.  Dd8 woke up last night at 11 and threw up.  She gets bad motion sickness so I'm hoping it was just from all the driving and not a stomach bug.   She does not have a fever so hopefully she'll better after a full nights sleep. 

Parenting fail (or win depending on how you look at it).  Going over on the boat last night dd4 asks for her blanky and dh and I look at each in other in horror as we realize neither of us had grabbed it.  Poor dd was so tired and had to make do without her security blanket during dinner.   But then I got to snap this pic of dd8 comforting her little sister and it just warms my heart so much! 
 

So tiggerdad here was the best I could do for you.   There haven't been many around and they are fast little suckers. 
 

Today will find us at MK with appts for both girls at bibbidi bobbidi at 11, followed by CRT lunch at 1.  Hope they don't sleep too long this morning, I'm itching to get going......


----------



## ruthies12

I did run into bambi and thumper last night at the fort 
  

Sorry I missed you serenitygr!  We'll be back tonight as soon as the park closes at 7.


----------



## serenitygr

Good morning ruthies12!! We're up and at 'em over here in the big bear loop! I really hope your daughter feels better this morning! Six of us are heading to Epcot today to explore the countries and ride a couple rides! Lunch at LeCellier, and supper at the camper tonight. Spaghetti and meatballs! You guys have a wonderful first day!


----------



## FrozenOne16

*I am loving yall's live updates! We will be leaving first thing in the morning (2am!). However, we are not going straight to the fort - we are headed to my dad's house in Tampa. We will head to the Fort from there on Monday morning! Just gotta get through this workday (5 o'clock can't come soon enough!), then its home to pack the car (yay for mastering tetris when I was younger), a quick unhealthy fast food dinner (haha), and straight to bed! We are hoping to be in bed by 7pm, so we will see what we can do! *


----------



## tripleb

tiggerdad said:


> Somebody find me a squirrel...



tiggerdad, We got up waaaaaaaaay before daylight just to catch a glimpse of a squirrel for you ... Got this pic right at daylight and think I've figured out why we are not seeing to many:


----------



## tripleb

Went to MK today. Got there just after the rope drop and bee-lined it to a few rides before the crowds got there. Pirates of the Caribbean was closed for maintenance, Hall of Presidents is closed, I suspect for the addition of Obama, one of the trains is not running, Splash Mountain is under going refurbishment ... anyway, we did what we could and called it a day about 2pm. Took the Monorail over to the Polynesian for drinks, and then back to the Fort ... just in time for the bottom to fall out of the sky.

We're done with Disney and will head to Disney Springs tomorrow for some shopping and dinner at the Boathouse. Leaving Sunday morning for home and back to reality.


----------



## BnD

We have been trying to check out everyone's sites. We are on site 115 For another day..


----------



## ruthies12




----------



## ruthies12

The clock strikes twelve dessert and the kids cupcake from crt lunch


----------



## ruthies12

Had an awesome day, ended up not getting there until almost 9 am but was still able to ride quite a bit then had a great time at bbb and crt lunch.

Standing in a Really long, really slow line to pick up a gag, luckily dh already took the dds back to the camper.  Hoping my custom cake from contemporary bakery is here as ordered.  Will post pics later if it is.


----------



## Cosmic

ruthies12 said:


> Had an awesome day, ended up not getting there until almost 9 am but was still able to ride quite a bit then had a great time at bbb and crt lunch.
> 
> Standing in a Really long, really slow line to pick up a gag, luckily dh already took the dds back to the camper.  Hoping my custom cake from contemporary bakery is here as ordered.  Will post pics later if it is.


Definitely let us know how the cake goes! I'm thinking about having one delivered to Trail's End for DS's birthday next month.


----------



## tiggerdad

You are all welcome.

Looks like Nate is gonna be visiting Flametamr, South Alabama5er, BamaEd,and myself and stay away from WDW.


----------



## ruthies12

The cake was beautiful and delicious!  It was exactly what I asked for.  It was very moist with a ton of yummy buttercream.  This is an 8 inch custom cake and was 67 plus tax.  Its huge and we'll be eating leftovers for several days I think. 

Sad to say the fried chicken from TE was very disappointing, dry as could be and very overcooked, burnt in a couple spots.


----------



## tiggerdad

Bummer on the yardbird, but the cake looks really good.


----------



## bama_ed

BnD said:


> We have been trying to check out everyone's sites. We are on site 115 For another day..



I know where you live, BnD.  That's right across from the walkway down to the Settlement Trading Post.

We were across the street from you in 116 this past January.  That corner of the loop is a good location (a little tight in places though).

Enjoy your digs.

Bama Ed


----------



## ruthies12

Tomorrow will find us at HS in the am, then going to Disney Springs in the afternoon.  DD8 really wants to do that hot air balloon so hoping for decent weather and that the balloon is operating.  It is hotter than hades and the humidity is really taking it out of us.  

@Teamubr what is your site number again?  If we get back early enough tomorrow night I might try to cruise by and say howdy since I know you are pulling out Sunday.

@serenitygr I'll pop by your site too if I get the chance and if you post your site number again also please?  I know you are 1400 something....

Heading to bed!


----------



## serenitygr

Today was my birthday and it was a beautiful day! Spent most of the day at Epcot- rode the new soarin ride and absolutely loved it! Definitely more intense than the previous one, but not to where it made me feel queasy at all. ( I mention that because I've read where others have gotten motion sickness from it) there were two times they have new scents, which we loved! 
LeCellier was not something I'd do again but glad I tried it. Interesting enough- my moms $12 kids salmon dinner was actually MUCH better AND more food than my son's and my $50 salmon dinners. Lesson learned.  But it was a very pretty restaurant, and our waitress was wonderful 
Tonight joe took me down to the lake and surprised me with a carriage ride, which is something I've always wanted to do! I just loved it! And I learned that every day at 12:30 they have a free barn tour, so my daughter and I can't wait to do that!
Tomorrow is gatorland!


----------



## Teamubr

ruthies12 said:


> @Teamubr what is your site number again?  If we get back early enough tomorrow night I might try to cruise by and say howdy since I know you are pulling out Sunday.


We were in 1404, but we've been home for 2 weeks. I think you are thinking of TripleD. You are more than welcome to stop by, but that's a 1000 drive to say Howdy. 

j


----------



## ruthies12

LOL my mind was fried last night when I was typing that. @tripleb what site are youbin?


----------



## ruthies12

@serenitygr Happy Birthday!!!!  Come by my camper I have cake........


----------



## ilovedisneymm

Awesome report and photos everyone. Best part of my morning is sipping coffee and reading up on what ya"all have been up to.  

Hope everyone is having some magical days!!!!!


----------



## tripleb

ruthies12 said:


> LOL my mind was fried last night when I was typing that. @tripleb what site are youbin?



We are in 1901 until tomorrow morning. Going to DS this afternoon for shopping and dinner. Leaving about 1pm, not certain what time we will be back. If you do come by, please stop and knock.


----------



## tripleb

serenitygr said:


> Today was my birthday and it was a beautiful day!



Happy Birthday serenitygr ... sweet sixteen and never been ............


----------



## tripleb

I got all of our stuff put away for an early departure tomorrow ... our site looks barren now and not very homie. Hopefully, Nate will be well north of the coast by the time we get over that way. The bride is concerned about the patio furniture we didn't put up prior to leaving a week ago and is also concerned about our fur baby we left behind in the kennel. Our little Maggie ( Min-Pin ) is terribly afraid of thunder and hard rain. I keep reassuring Laura that Maggie will be just fine.


----------



## FrozenOne16

*We made it to Florida! We arrived at my dad's house just before 1 this afternoon, only to find that their A/C went out! They had a tech come out, and turns out they can't fix it until Monday. So, he left us with 2 portable air conditioners. They have a big house, and they are not touching this heat! But, we are making the best of it! Heading to Top Golf tomorrow with my nieces and then lunch. Checking in on Monday! Can't wait! 
*


----------



## serenitygr

Today was Gatorland! What a fascinating, yet also horrifying place! Amazing to see so MANY gators all in one place, and somewhat creepy at the same time. It was definitely a fun experience- we all learned something, and had a lot of fun too! Ended our day with supper at another Golden Corral, and now we're settled in watching a movie tonight. ( does it EVER quit raining here?)


----------



## tripleb

Yes serenitygr, there are times when it doesn't rain for hours LOL ! Being a 65 year old native of Florida, I always wondered why they named it the Sunshine State. Should have been the Humidity/afternoon showers state but that wont fit on the license plate  Glad you had a GREAT time at Gatorland, its been years since I have been there.

We did about 8 hours at Disney Springs finishing the day off with dinner at the Boathouse. And of course got soaking wet walking back to the DS bus stop :-(


----------



## ruthies12

Sorry I didn't come by anyone's site today.  We started at hs for rope drop, got to see olaf and doc mcstuffins with no wait.  Rode tsm and tot and star tours with fp but never got to do rnr it was down the whole time we were there which sucked.

We made it over to ds at 2 pm, my dd's did the coke around the world tasting tray at the rooftop bar and they really enjoyed that.   So badly wanted to do the hot air balloon and it was not flying all day cause of wind.  It was a major bummer.  I did get their phone number to call and find out if they are flying in case we get time to go back later in the week.

We did a little shopping and dinner at dluxe burger then my dds were totally done so my wonderful dh took them back to the camper and let me stay at ds.  By myself.  With the credit card.  He's a wonderful man but obviously not very smart. 

So anyway my mom and sister ended up coming out to ds and met up with me and the drinks from the margarita stand were real strong pours and I just now got back to the camper.   So that's my long explanation of why I didn't visit Anybody.

Now I need to pour myself into bed cause we are rope dropping epcot tomorrow


----------



## ruthies12

Jim shore small world dolls, I bought the French one. 

 
Coke tasting at the rooftop bar


----------



## ruthies12

Forgot to mention the new baseline tap house was quite nice.   The cheese plate and pretzel with cheese fondue were really good. Beers were good.wish they had more indoor seating.


----------



## snowmedic

ruthies12 said:


> the margarita stand were real strong pours



I love Dockside Margarita's.  Thanks for that pic, and all the wonderful updates.  

Glad everyone made it safe.   

@tripleb have a safe trip back to Destin.


----------



## serenitygr

Today was pandora/avatar land for us. We had a fastpass for FOP at 2:00- we did that and then checked the standby time for Navi but it was over 2 hours.  Since we had dinner reservations at Cape May at 5:30 we decided not to wait. The kids both bought a banshee and then we caught the bus to Beach Club for dinner. 
While we were at dinner we realized Sammi's banshee didn't turn his head very well, so after dinner the kids and I headed back to animal kingdom to exchange him for a healthier banshee, while the rest of our family tried out the "Minnie Van" service and took that back to the Fort.
Here's our opinions on things....
Minnie Van: awesome service- very simple to use and arrived within minutes. Their driver wasn't very friendly, but that's the only negative. 
Cape May seafood buffet: very good food and very expensive. I would do it again, in spite of the price, simply because it was good food and two of our kids love crab legs.
Pandora: I'm the only one in our family who was somewhat bothered by motion sickness on FOP. The first minute wasn't bad but then I closed my eyes a lot after that. So for me I'd rather do soarin than FOP. The kids really loved it and so did my mom! 
A bonus of exchanging the banshee-we got to see pandora after dark! It really was pretty, but not a very big area. The river ride said a 50 minute wait at 9:15 so we decided to do it. And even tho they announced it was broke down a couple times while we were in line, our total wait time was barely 30 minutes! So glad we decided to wait! And we really enjoyed the ride- it was a nice, relaxing end to our day, and very beautiful to see. 
Tomorrow my mom, brother, and his wife are all heading back to Minnesota, so it will just be the 6 of us our last week here. We're staying until Tuesday ( I added a couple nights) and it's getting here way too quickly! Tomorrow we're heading to Legoland, and Tuesday night is the Halloween party... my daughter and I might do the barn tour Tuesday at 12:30- it sounds interesting!


----------



## ruthies12

Can somebody please call Florida and explain it's time for Fall?  It's not the heat so much, but the humidity that is just killing us.  My saint is especially unhappy and wants to know why we can't vacation in colorado....


Epcot was packed yesterday which I expected of course.  Hit a few FW booths and it was good.   Rode some of the rides.  Dd4 did fine waiting in line for soarin but then freaked out when it was time to get in the seat.  They walked me and her out and gave me a riderswap ticket which I plan to use when we go back wed and dd8 will ride with me.  I think dd4 would have liked it but I'm not going to force her, frustrating though you know?  When you know they'd like something but they won't try it...

Ended up leaving at 530 cause we were all just wiped out.  As we were walking to the bus stop the skies opened.  Course then it felt much better outside!


Today dd8 and I are going to universal with my sister and teenage niece.  We have unlimited express passes which I'm very excited about.  Dd4 is having a much needed day of rest at the campground.   She loves horses so dh is going to take her on a pony ride this afternoon and a walk through the barn.


----------



## serenitygr

ruthies12 said:


> Can somebody please call Florida and explain it's time for Fall?  It's not the heat so much, but the humidity that is just killing us.  My saint is especially unhappy and wants to know why we can't vacation in colorado....
> View attachment 275622
> 
> Epcot was packed yesterday which I expected of course.  Hit a few FW booths and it was good.   Rode some of the rides.  Dd4 did fine waiting in line for soarin but then freaked out when it was time to get in the seat.  They walked me and her out and gave me a riderswap ticket which I plan to use when we go back wed and dd8 will ride with me.  I think dd4 would have liked it but I'm not going to force her, frustrating though you know?  When you know they'd like something but they won't try it...
> 
> Ended up leaving at 530 cause we were all just wiped out.  As we were walking to the bus stop the skies opened.  Course then it felt much better outside!
> View attachment 275623
> 
> Today dd8 and I are going to universal with my sister and teenage niece.  We have unlimited express passes which I'm very excited about.  Dd4 is having a much needed day of rest at the campground.   She loves horses so dh is going to take her on a pony ride this afternoon and a walk through the barn.


Ruthies12- they do a free barn tour at 12:30 if you think your little one would like that!


----------



## FrozenOne16

We are headed to the fort! Well, outlets this morning and then the fort! We may get lunch at the outlets first, just depends on how long we shop. I will update when we know our tent site number!


----------



## tripleb

Yesterday was our travel day back home :-( Made the trip just fine although we ran into a serious Nate rain band between Lake City and Tallahassee. Traffic slowed to about 50 mph for awhile. Some wind with it but no real effect on the FW. Stopped by Camping World of Tallahassee to drop off the FW and then another 145 miles West without FW. My truck thanked me for that with 14.4 mpg without the FW.

We were somewhat concerned of any possible damage from Nate as we had not prepared our home for hurricane issues prior to our trip to the Fort. Well, my concerns were confirmed ... and I will spend most of the day putting "things" back together:


----------



## tltay2005

ruthies12 said:


> View attachment 275374
> Jim shore small world dolls, I bought the French one. View attachment 275376
> 
> View attachment 275375
> Coke tasting at the rooftop bar



We love to do the float sampler at Coke, so good!


----------



## Jimsig

serenitygr said:


> Cape May seafood buffet: very good food and very expensive. I would do it again, in spite of the price, simply because it was good food and two of our kids love crab legs.



It's one the if not my DW's favorite restaurant and she has a shellfish allergy!!!! She loves everything else there


----------



## JETS70

Made it in from Lake Louisa around 9 am. About 95% set up. Going to Disney Springs for dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express. Teresa had the oven baked salmon and I had the bacon wrapped meatloaf sandwich. This was a quick service meal.


----------



## bama_ed

JETS70 said:


> Made it in from Lake Louisa around 9 am. About 95% set up. Going to Disney Springs for dinner at Wolfgang Puck Express. Teresa had the oven baked salmon and I had the bacon wrapped meatloaf sandwich. This was a quick service meal.



Wow Steve the food pix look delicious!

What did you think of the Lake Louisa night before strategy?  It's close, it's not expensive, but it's not the Fort.  (For the record, I stay at LL the night before, too).  

Bama Ed

PS - love the Jack Skellington face on your Mickey Globe!  And your DIS sign.


----------



## JETS70

Thanks @bama_ed . We actually spent 3 days there. We were in site 2 which was a pull thru. If your vacation time allows, LL is the way to go. The campground and bath house were both super clean. The staff were also very helpful and friendly. Getting up this moring with just a short drive over to WDW was nice. Today was a non park day so no stress. We will definitely look at doing the same thing on future Fort trips.


----------



## tripleb

A few pics of our trip:


----------



## tigger92662

bama_ed said:


> PS - love the Jack Skellington face on your Mickey Globe!


I'm with Bama Ed on the Jack Skellington head. Is that a decal?


----------



## mickeyfan0805

tigger92662 said:


> I'm with Bama Ed on the Jack Skellington head. Is that a decal?



I noticed the same thing - love it!


----------



## JETS70

That is vinyl cut out with a Cricut. Easily removed if I want.

Steve


----------



## friendofeeyore

Melissa, Glad the Jeep & camper didn't need any bandages. Also glad allis having fun that has arrived at their home away from their home. Waiting on pins & needles for pictures etc., when you have time of course.


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## friendofeeyore

Ruthies12, Glad you were able to get into 500 loop. we have always stayed in the 700 or 900 loop. 
Serenitygr, your site pictures was good! I am not into Halloween, but enjoyed how you decorated. Enjoying your pictures & your activities. Keep them coming Y'all!!


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## FrozenOne16

We are over in the 2000 loop. Haven’t taken any pictures of our campsite setup, but I will! Today we are hanging out at the fort. I am trying to convince DH to rent a golf cart since I want to explore! Wish me luck!


----------



## ilovedisneymm

Frozengirl, welcome to the Fort!

I highly highly suggest that gold cart if your wanting to explore the Fort.  If you don't have bikes and your way over in the 2000 loop, might I suggest selling a kidney or something along those lines to get that cart  girl go get it!!!! I promise you won't regret it!!!



FrozenOne16 said:


> We are over in the 2000 loop. Haven’t taken any pictures of our campsite setup, but I will! Today we are hanging out at the fort. I am trying to convince DH to rent a golf cart since I want to explore! Wish me luck!


----------



## jabrabu

I thought I was going to have to cancel our trip 5 days before we check in, but it looks like we are going after all.  
My wife was having vision problems and went to the ER on Saturday.  They did an MRI and found a blood clot in her brain, but not an actual stroke.  She is doing okay and was released last night, and the doctors said it was okay for her to go to WDW and walk around and do the gentler rides.  She just needs to avoid the thrill rides.

We check in on Saturday.  The weather forecast for most of the trip has a lot of T-storms, so that may put a damper on some of our plans, but I'm sure we'll have a good time regardless.


----------



## Flametamr

JETS70 when did you upgrade to a camper from the car trailer ? I have been absent from here for a while and maybe missed that. I tend to take a break between Fort visits. Also I want one of those Jack decals for my Mickey light. Glad you had a good trip. Sorry we'll miss you at Halloween.


----------



## JETS70

@Flametamr Good to hear from you Joe. We bought the camper this spring. With our family growing, it was the thing to do. We have Halloween booked for 2018. Hopefully we will see you then. How's the DD doing?


----------



## Flametamr

Hey Steve, I guess I need to book for next year too before I miss out. The DD is doing great. She's excited to get back to her favorite place. Hopefully we'll see you soon. If not at the Gulf in May maybe next Halloween.


----------



## bama_ed

Flametamr said:


> Hey Steve, I guess I need to book for next year too before I miss out. The DD is doing great. She's excited to get back to her favorite place. Hopefully we'll see you soon. If not at the Gulf in May maybe next Halloween.



Book soon, Flametamr.  I played with the dates and I'm only seeing Tent sites for the days around Halloween 2018 whether you book 3 nights or 3 weeks.

Bama Ed


----------



## FrozenOne16

Found someone looking for a small black and white dog tonight. They are staying at 1827 If anyone sees it.


----------



## tiggerdad

Oh man, hate to hear about the lost pets.  Hopefully they had a collar with a tag on it and someone is able to locate it.


----------



## ruthies12

Sorry I haven't posted, been super busy.  Had a great day at universal yesterday, the express passes were soooo worth the money.   Dd lost her shoe on forbidden journey but they have her a free pair of flip flops to walk around.  Luckily it was an old shoe cause it doesn't look like we are getting it back. 

We had a great day at animal kingdom today.  Dd8 and I got in line for flight of passage at 8:50 pm and were on the ride at 9:40.  It was awesome, dd8 loved it.  We are now currently the only ones on a bus back to the fort!

Tomorrow is epcot again!


----------



## ruthies12

Forgot to say having Pandora to ourselves as we left was really cool.


----------



## Flametamr

Steve I saw the same thing with only tent sites open. I'm going to call tomorrow. Hoping it's a glitch. Those usually go first I thought. I will keep trying.


----------



## Flametamr

On a happier note. While looking for next year I tried and found dates open the weekend before we arrive for Halloween. There was a Full hookup open for the Oct 28 & 29. And a Premium for the 29th which I added to my existing 30th to Nov 6th. Now I can take my time towing down to the rest area Saturday and then roll into the Fort early Sunday avoiding Monday traffic. I am pleased.


----------



## serenitygr

Yesterday was a fun day at Legoland. We were there from 10-5, which was perfect! Lots of things for younger kids, but there were a few rides that even we enjoyed!
View attachment 276113
View attachment 276112
View attachment 276114
View attachment 276115

Today was a great day as well, and finally a day without a single raindrop!  Hallelujah! Sammi and I did the barn tour at 12:30 today, and since we were the only ones there we got an awesome tour! We got to meet every horse in the barn and learned a little about so many of them. I was so glad we went!
Then tonight we went to the Halloween party  what a perfectly beautiful night! Waiting for the boat....
View attachment 276101
View attachment 276102
Once we got there at 4:00, we mainly went on rides until 7, and then we went on rides and did trick or treating. Most rides were walkons all night, and the longest we waited was not quite 30 minutes for Mine Train, and that was about 8:00. Several rides had wait times posted that were way longer than the actual wait...
At 10:00 we were lucky enough to get a spot to sit and watch the fireworks- we were right in front of the castle where Caseys Corner is- it was a perfect spot.
View attachment 276103
After the fireworks we went to Pirates and rode that- did a little more trick or treating- then got a great spot right where the 11:15 parade comes out. Sat on the curb and watched that- then finished our night by trick or treating near splash mountain and riding thunder mountain right at midnight. We headed for the boat then, and beat the crowd out since they were still watching the castle show. Got a front row seat on the outside of the boat, which made a perfect end to a perfect day! Here's one picture of just my daughters candy! The rest of us got that much if not more!


----------



## serenitygr

No idea what happened to the last post but the pictures didn't work so I'll try again! First LEGOLAND:
 
 
 
 

THEN AT THE FORT:
 
 

AND HALLOWEEN PARTY!


----------



## PrincessCooper's Mom

For those at the Fort be on the lookout for a missing Boston Terrier.  It is not my dog, sharing from another page.  I started a thread and included picture.  She has been missing since yesterday.
'


----------



## tripleb

Great pics serenitygr ... a day without rain ??? what was that like ? LOL


----------



## serenitygr

tripleb said:


> Great pics serenitygr ... a day without rain ??? what was that like ? LOL


Hard to believe, isn't it??!


----------



## serenitygr

PrincessCooper's Mom said:


> For those at the Fort be on the lookout for a missing Boston Terrier.  It is not my dog, sharing from another page.  I started a thread and included picture.  She has been missing since yesterday.
> '


She is back home safe!


----------



## ruthies12

@tiggerdad


----------



## Jimsig

ruthies12 said:


> Forgot to say having Pandora to ourselves as we left was really cool.
> 
> View attachment 276086



I loathe bus travel.  Except when I'm at Disney so I can't wait to ride one in just over a week


----------



## tripleb

Look familiar?:


----------



## friendofeeyore

Serenitygr, Happy Belated Birthday!! Sounds like your day was beyond perfect.


----------



## serenitygr

friendofeeyore said:


> Serenitygr, Happy Belated Birthday!! Sounds like your day was beyond perfect.


Thank you!


----------



## serenitygr

Today was another BEAUTIFUL day of glorious sunshine! It was the day we had rescheduled our parasailing for, but right after we checked in they once again canceled it due to wind. Ugh- we can't seem to accomplish this! So now we are rescheduled for Saturday! 

We spent a little time today riding the monorail- I wanted to go to the Grand Floridian and see the lighthouse memorial that was built for the little boy who died last year. I was watching the night that happened- like so many of us were- and as a mom my heart is still so broken for that family. I needed to just have a little quiet time there - to not only be sad, but also to be thankful for all that I have and send up another prayer that someday their family will all heal....

This evening we had cheeseburgers from the food truck by the campfire, and they were the best burgers I've ever had! Highly recommend them! 

Then later tonight two of the kids and I went to Disney springs for a few hours- that was fun! Tried a Sprinkles ATM machine cupcake ( not very good), got a few things at Goofys Candy Company ( very good) and got to do the balloon ride! ( best of all!)
Tomorrow morning is Epcot at 8am- hoping to ride test track and soarin as stand bus, and have a fast pass for Frozen. Should be a fun day!


----------



## bjschil

serenitygr said:


> Today was another BEAUTIFUL day of glorious sunshine! It was the day we had rescheduled our parasailing for, but right after we checked in they once again canceled it due to wind. Ugh- we can't seem to accomplish this! So now we are rescheduled for Saturday!
> 
> We spent a little time today riding the monorail- I wanted to go to the Grand Floridian and see the lighthouse memorial that was built for the little boy who died last year. I was watching the night that happened- like so many of us were- and as a mom my heart is still so broken for that family. I needed to just have a little quiet time there - to not only be sad, but also to be thankful for all that I have and send up another prayer that someday their family will all heal....
> 
> This evening we had cheeseburgers from the food truck by the campfire, and they were the best burgers I've ever had! Highly recommend them!
> 
> Then later tonight two of the kids and I went to Disney springs for a few hours- that was fun! Tried a Sprinkles ATM machine cupcake ( not very good), got a few things at Goofys Candy Company ( very good) and got to do the balloon ride! ( best of all!)
> Tomorrow morning is Epcot at 8am- hoping to ride test track and soarin as stand bus, and have a fast pass for Frozen. Should be a fun day!
> View attachment 276431 View attachment 276432 View attachment 276433 View attachment 276434



Thank you so much for sharing.  This attraction is on our bucket list for our Feb/March trip.  Do you need advance tickets, or just directly go and get in line to purchase.  I am guessing nighttime is a beautiful time, as your pictures show.  Thank you, Barb


----------



## tiggerdad

ruthies12 said:


> View attachment 276289
> @tiggerdad



Okay, educational moment here folks.

Anybody notice what is missing in this picture?

Anybody?

The Answer:  There is no food in the child's hand.  Ya'll trying to get her bit?  I mean, it's a savage animal people.


----------



## tiggerdad

tripleb said:


> Look familiar?:
> View attachment 276396
> View attachment 276397



What time was that picture taken?  All my arrival pics from 0630-0700 were always empty.  Just curious what time you had arrived.


----------



## tripleb

tiggerdad said:


> What time was that picture taken?  All my arrival pics from 0630-0700 were always empty.  Just curious what time you had arrived.



If I remember right, it was about 1pm on Oct 1st.


----------



## Teamubr

serenitygr said:


> This evening we had cheeseburgers from the food truck by the campfire, and they were the best burgers I've ever had! Highly recommend them!
> 
> Then later tonight got to do the balloon ride! ( best of all!)


We missed the food truck. By the time we got moved to the Fort, it seemed like the week was really rushed. It would have come in handy the one evening we tried to get into TE without a reservation. I'll definitely hit it next trip. 



tiggerdad said:


> What time was that picture taken?  All my arrival pics from 0630-0700 were always empty.  Just curious what time you had arrived.





tripleb said:


> If I remember right, it was about 1pm on Oct 1st.


That pic looks like almost every trip when I arrived mid/late afternoon. One of the reasons I tried booking an overnight at Lake Louisa the day before arrival. It can't be this bad at 6 am.

j


----------



## jabrabu

We are hitting the road after work today from MD.  I see lots of thunderstorms forecasted for the dates of our visit, so hopefully the weather won't be too bad.


----------



## North of Mouse

Serenitygr, not sure when your picture 'checking in' was taken, but we have never seen it that busy. Maybe because we always get there between 9:30 - 10:30 AM. At most, we wait for 1-2 campers with only one lane open.


----------



## serenitygr

North of Mouse said:


> Serenitygr, not sure when your picture 'checking in' was taken, but we have never seen it that busy. Maybe because we always get there between 9:30 - 10:30 AM. At most, we wait for 1-2 campers with only one lane open.


That actually wasn't my picture  we arrived at 7am the day we got here, and those lanes weren't even open yet. We went to the overflow lot to wait for a site to be ready, and we're so lucky to get the best spot in the campground! ( at least for us it is!)


----------



## North of Mouse

Sorry, Serenitygr, that should have been tripleb!!! I was enjoying your pictures and totally missed I was viewing another poster's picture!!


----------



## tripleb

Here's another that should look familiar :


----------



## FrozenOne16

*We checked out of the Fort yesterday and I miss it already! We learned some things...like next time we either need a portable a/c unit instead of our fan, or we need to go in Jan or Feb. We rented a golf cart on our non-park day and explored the entirety of the campground, and even went on a hunt to try and help find a missing dog on Tuesday night. So glad they found him! It was pretty awesome that so many people came together looking for him! I plan on doing a trip report of our entire vacation (including parts in Tampa) and I can post the thread here once I get it started if anyone is interested!*


----------



## ruthies12

tiggerdad said:


> Okay, educational moment here folks.
> 
> Anybody notice what is missing in this picture?
> 
> Anybody?
> 
> The Answer:  There is no food in the child's hand.  Ya'll trying to get her bit?  I mean, it's a savage animal people.



There is popcorn in her hand!  You just can't see it in the pic.  He was a funny little squirrel with absolutely no fear of people that's for sure.  We were just sitting still and the kids were eating popcorn in the stroller.  DD4 missed her mouth and a piece fell and he came running over and grabbed it up and sat there eating it.  When he'd finished, he got up on his hind legs and looked at her hopefully.  she dropped him a few more pieces.  I know better than to tease a squirrel, he might communicate with his buddies at the fort and I could come back to find my camper in pieces lol


----------



## ruthies12

Been incredibly super super busy, sorry I haven't posted!  We had an awesome time at food and wine on Wednesday, then yesterday we had breakfast at TE then went off to the Pirate League makeovers and stayed for the Halloween party.  

TE was awesome as usual.  Pirates League was very fun.  MNSSHP was...........not sure.  We had fun, we got a lot of candy, we got to do rides and fireworks.  We did not do any meet and greets.  I've been to two Christmas parties and it seems to me the xmas parties are much, much less crowded.  Maybe it was just the ones I went to cause I would think they'd sell the same number of tickets to both parties, so I don't know.  But it just seemed so crowded.  It has been very hard to move all week with the stroller.  Ride lines didn't get really shorter til after the fireworks and then I noticed a lot of inflated wait times- like posting small world at 20 minutes when it was really a walk on.  They posted Mine Train at 60 minutes but I got in line at 11:42 and was off the ride at 12:05.

Today is a much needed fort day with dinner at 1900 Park Fare tonight.  Tomorrow is one last day at Magic kingdom with dinner at Be Our Guest, then we leave early Sunday morning.  I can't believe how quickly this trip has gone.  

I'm heading out to the camp store- first time I've been there this trip!! That's how crazy busy we've been, haven't even been to the Meadows other than a quick drive through on the golf cart.  Kids are really wanting to go to the pool this afternoon and the campfire tonight so crossing my fingers for no rain!!


----------



## tiggerdad

The way we handled the MNSSHP was one of us adults would hold our spot in line for a meet and greet while the other adult took kids to trick or treat.  We just kept swapping it up.  After running around park all day sitting in line was actually a welcome thing.


----------



## ruthies12




----------



## Sb4

EIGHT DAYS!!!! I am getting so excited.  We check in a week from tomorrow.  We re still hoping to get a night added to the end of our trip, but woohoo! It's almost here.  Now to get packing...


----------



## tripleb

ruthies12 , looks like rain is coming :-(


----------



## Jimsig

tripleb said:


> ruthies12 , looks like rain is coming :-(




SHHHHH!!!


----------



## ruthies12

y


----------



## ruthies12

Heading to dinner at 1900 park faire.  Dd8 always complains I make her do all the chores so shes in Cinderella rag dress while dd4 is in the ball gown lol


----------



## ruthies12

All ashore that's going that ashore


----------



## serenitygr

Yesterday we went to Epcot early for extra magic hour at 8am. We first did test track standby ( we were about 25th in line!), then walked over to Soarin and only had about a five minute wait standby wait. So we had both major rides done before 9am! We had a fast pass for Frozen at 11:30, so we then rode Living With the Land, Nemo, watched Turtle Talk with Crush, explored the aquarium, and had lunch at Sunshine Seasons. Nothing was more than a five minute wait- it was just a perfect morning! We walked back and rode Frozen for our fast pass, and I am so thankful we didn't have to wait in THAT line!! That's the first time we've rode it, and while it WAS a cute ride, now that I've done it I'd never wait more than 20 minutes. (I think people have lost perspective on the fact that this ride was never meant to be a major headliner ride- it's simply Norway's way to represent their country. I'm not quite sure why or how it ended up being such a popular tier 1 ride, other than simply the fact the movie was such a success... just my random 2 cents lol)


Today we were going to go to magic kingdom, but decided to just sleep in and hang around the Fort! The kids and I rented the sea racers for an hour and that was SO much fun!




Then this afternoon Sammi and I went on a horseback ride, and were lucky enough to see a family of deer with a little fawn!

Now I need to try to doctor up Kody's toe- he cut it pretty badly riding his bike today so we have to figure out how to repair him!


----------



## ilovedisneymm

Thanks for sharing Ruthie & Serenity!

Ruthie -Love the outfits and jealous of the pool pic.  How was 1900 Park Fare? Would love to know more.

Serenity - wow! Your family is covering everything! Horseback riding, barn touring, boating, parasailing, Gatorland, Universal, parks. You all are doing everything! I'm exhausted just reading your report! Mine are like.....looping...pool lounging...lol  thanks for sharing.


----------



## tripleb

serenitygr said:


> Now I need to try to doctor up Kody's toe- he cut it pretty badly riding his bike today so we have to figure out how to repair him!



Duct tape ... every camper has a roll of duct tape


----------



## serenitygr

ilovedisneymm said:


> Thanks for sharing Ruthie & Serenity!
> 
> Ruthie -Love the outfits and jealous of the pool pic.  How was 1900 Park Fare? Would love to know more.
> 
> Serenity - wow! Your family is covering everything! Horseback riding, barn touring, boating, parasailing, Gatorland, Universal, parks. You all are doing everything! I'm exhausted just reading your report! Mine are like.....looping...pool lounging...lol  thanks for sharing.


Ha! You know what's funny? Two years ago- when we first started planning this trip- that's EXACTLY what my plan was going to be too! Not quite sure what happened along the way!


----------



## serenitygr

tripleb said:


> Duct tape ... every camper has a roll of duct tape


----------



## FrozenOne16

tripleb said:


> Duct tape ... every camper has a roll of duct tape



*Haha! This is true! My DH actually mentioned getting some gorilla tape right before we left. He was surprised that I hadn't already thought about it!!! I think we used it once, but it was great to have!

Here are a couple pics from our trip: 


So, right after the first parade I asked for DH to take this pic with me (he hates waiting in line for pics). I was sad that they hadn't moved back over to frame the pumpkins and the castle though. About 5 minutes after we got our pic taken, they moved over to the normal spot. I was bummed, and knew I wouldn't convince him to wait in line again. 


DH asked for 2 beers right out the gate (I had told him how I had read that sometimes the waiters get busy and "unlimited" isn't really unlimited - btw, not true for us!) and our waiter brought him 3! We both agreed that Hoop De Doo was our favorite night of the trip!


My new favorite picture of us!

Just a teaser of pics before I start my report!*


----------



## serenitygr

The kids and I hanging out at the singalong and waiting for Hocus Pocus...


----------



## lokin4deer

Sb4 said:


> EIGHT DAYS!!!! I am getting so excited.  We check in a week from tomorrow.  We re still hoping to get a night added to the end of our trip, but woohoo! It's almost here.  Now to get packing...


Us too! Hopefully we will be there by noon.


----------



## bama_ed

I'm starting to feel the urge too....

I leave in 2 weeks and the next two Saturdays (tomorrow and the following Saturday) I have obligations to host guests and attend the Bama home games on those days - Arkansas tomorrow and Tennessee the following Saturday.

That leaves me the following two Sundays after those game days to get things ready.  I pop the Aliner up and make sure it's ready.  I'll configure the bed and dinette and put sheets/blankets on.  I'll drag it to the gas station to air up the tires and I'll probably wash it because it's dusty/dirty.  Then comes loading all the Halloween gear (nothing but the best from my local Dollar General).  The last Sunday will be food-oriented and getting water/beer/meat cooked and whatever else I think of.  

We will arrive on Sunday the 29th and leave Sunday (early) the 5th.  Almost time to start getting ready....

Bama Ed

PS - and I plan to share plenty of pictures.  I am a picture guy.

PPS - for those who have been to Gulf with me, you will understand when I say I need to get a puzzle out to take with me for Halloween....


----------



## ilovedisneymm

@serenitygr how are the prices at the food truck? Did you get that delicious hamburger & fries from the truck? Looks really good!

@FrozenOne16 glad you to got to rent a cart and had a good trip.  Don't sweat the framing! Be happy you have the photo and at Disney!!!! Thanks for sharing and looking forward to reading more.


----------



## Teamubr

Great pics and updates everyone. 

I'm also interested to hear how 1900 Park Fair was. I'm looking for some ADR  suggestions for our February trip. Right now I have one reservation at Yachtsman for some steak. Never been there. This trip I think we are going to do some of the things we never had time for.

j


----------



## serenitygr

Well- for the 3rd time parasailing has been cancelled. I guess we live another year...


----------



## bama_ed

serenitygr said:


> Well- for the 3rd time parasailing has been cancelled. I guess we live another year...



It wasn't meant to be, I guess, serenitygr.


----------



## Cosmic

serenitygr said:


> Well- for the 3rd time parasailing has been cancelled. I guess we live another year...


Well that settles it... you'll just have to book another trip!


----------



## serenitygr

Cosmic said:


> Well that settles it... you'll just have to book another trip!


lol already done! Arriving October 28th of 2018 and staying 2 weeks


----------



## serenitygr

ilovedisneymm said:


> @serenitygr how are the prices at the food truck? Did you get that delicious hamburger & fries from the truck? Looks really good!
> 
> @FrozenOne16 glad you to got to rent a cart and had a good trip.  Don't sweat the framing! Be happy you have the photo and at Disney!!!! Thanks for sharing and looking forward to reading more.


Yes we did get it from the food truck! It's actually right in our back yard! Just about 50 feet away behind our camper  best burgers ever! I'll try to get a picture of their prices tomorrow for you- the burgers are around $12....


----------



## serenitygr

Just two days left- it's so hard to think about saying goodbye  and to think that when we get home we'll be shoveling snow in a month!   But it will be good to be home with our dogs! And thankfully we can already start looking forward to next year!
 
Last night we went to Magic kingdom for about 6 hours- really busy time! We used our fast passes, and did some of the lower wait time things, so still had a good time! 
   
We got to go in the treehouse at night- something we've never done- and that was beautiful!
  
Then hit the Main Street candy store for some of these beauties....
 
Said goodbye to magic kingdom as we left (although we're hoping to sneak over tomorrow night for one last ride on thunder mountain)....
  

Today we're making breakfast here and then possibly driving to Clearwater to spend the afternoon at the beach...
Tomorrow will be packing up day, and spending time at the pool...


----------



## tripleb

Wow serenitygr, you're still at the Fort ? Are you planning to stop by and visit the wolves on your way home ? And, BTW, you are passing through the worlds most beautiful beach area on your way home. Next time you come down, stay a couple of nights here and really enjoy a beach:

https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Topsail-Hill make sure you make reservations well in advance.


----------



## serenitygr

tripleb said:


> Wow serenitygr, you're still at the Fort ? Are you planning to stop by and visit the wolves on your way home ? And, BTW, you are passing through the worlds most beautiful beach area on your way home. Next time you come down, stay a couple of nights here and really enjoy a beach:
> 
> https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Topsail-Hill make sure you make reservations well in advance.


Hi Tripleb! Yes - my guilty confession is I added 2 more nights to our trip about a week ago. Otherwise we would have been pulling out right about now. ( what a horrible thought)
Just heading straight home on the way back- we hope to get back to our hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota by Friday to drop our older 2 boys off at church youth camp.


----------



## tripleb

serenitygr said:


> Hi Tripleb! Yes - my guilty confession is I added 2 more nights to our trip about a week ago. Otherwise we would have been pulling out right about now. ( what a horrible thought)
> Just heading straight home on the way back- we hope to get back to our hometown of Grand Rapids, Minnesota by Friday to drop our older 2 boys off at church youth camp.



Good for you on the additional days. We had the opportunity to add a couple of days to the end of our stay but our FW was scheduled for some minor warranty work on the 9th. Dropped it off on the 8th and then called on the 9th ... the Service Writer that I had made the arrangements with no longer works there  So ... nobody knew what the issues were and where the parts were that had been ordered from Jayco. Needless to say, I was LIVID to say the least. Called the manager of Camping World in Tallahassee and gave him a piece of my mind  After a few minutes of my ranting, he assured me that the FW would be ready for pick up the end of this week.


----------



## ruthies12

Well we had a great time overall but I have to say the heat and the crowds really did me in.  We are on our way home,  pulled out about 7 this morning and are now almost to Tennessee.  We've been taking turns driving and napping cause we didn't get back from mk last night til midnight.

We went to mk for our last day early yesterday morning and got to do quite a bit before our lunch at crystasl palace at noon which was very good.  Then we went back to the camper about 3 to pack some stuff up and let the kids rest. 

Headed back to mk at 530 and barely made our 635 reservation at BOG.  We had some soup and bread then sat there waiting for our dinners which arrived to our table stone cold after 8 pm.  The food was awful and the manager came to apologize.  He reduced the bill, though it was still 70 bucks and we left hungry.   He did give us 2 anytime fastpasses and 4 enchanted rose cups that I didn't really want. 

By the time we got out of there (and did not get to meet the beast cause the wait was too long) we got to the hub at 840 and had an awful spot for the fireworks with a tree blocking the entire castle.  

After that we used our 2 fastpasses for Peter pan and little mermaid then did philharmagic and the carousel  at dd's requests to try to salvage the disappointment of our last night.  But that all took forever and so did the boat and now we are driving on very little sleep and looks like we wont get home til 10 pm tonight.  Not a happy ending.


----------



## ruthies12

1900 park faire was just ok.  Food was decent and character interaction was typical.  The 4 of us was over 200 bucks.   TE buffet was better food imo, but I'm glad we did that one once for the characters


----------



## tripleb

Sometimes, the "magic" just doesn't come together ... but overall, the pixie dust is hard to wash off  BTW, what is BOG ?


----------



## North of Mouse

tripleb said:


> Sometimes, the "magic" just doesn't come together ... but overall, the pixie dust is hard to wash off  BTW, what is BOG ?



Be Our Guest restaurant in MK


----------



## bama_ed

So I said above in post #583,

Today was a day to start Fort/WDW prep.  For the record, I own a pop-up trailer, well, technically it's an A-frame pop-up (no canvas).  It has a rear sofa that slides out into a double bed and a dinette that folds down into a single bed.  I put fresh sheets and a light blanket on both so they are clean and ready to go.

Next I sprayed it down in its set-up configuration and washed the bubble windows on the outside so the view from inside will be clear and tinted.  Hitched her up and got the tires checked out and aired up.  After returning home, I pulled out my secret weapon.... I only put it on when I am travelling to the Fort, at the Fort, and on the way home from the Fort.  During other times, I use my day-to-day swoosh A.

They don't make 'em like they used to.



Went to the Bama-Arkansas game last night.  Next Saturday is 10RC at 230pm here which will take up all day.  So next Sunday will be the last chance to sort, prep, and pre-load.  Starting to get excited.

Bama Ed


----------



## tltay2005

Super excited, just booked two nights, 10/29 & 10/30, in a premium site.  Will keep trying for 10/26 - 10/28.  Will take what I can get at this point, two nights is better than none.  I told my husband that if we decorated the house, trailer and cart that we would get a site, lol, now we have to take stuff down to take with us.  Oh well it is worth it.


----------



## Teamubr

ruthies12 said:


> 1900 park faire was just ok.  Food was decent and character interaction was typical. TE buffet was better food imo, but I'm glad we did that one once for the characters


Thanks for the review. I think I'll pass. And TE is hard to beat!

Sorry your last day at MK didn't work out like you wanted. That is one of the first really terrible experiences I've heard at BOG. I wonder where it failed. At least the manager tried some service recovery.  

Hopefully the trip home is wrapping up and you can start planning the next trip.

j


----------



## North of Mouse

@ruthies12, sorry you had such a bad experience at BOG. We have only eaten lunches there, but out of 6 times, have never had a bad experience with our food or otherwise. Can't imagine receiving a cold meal!!  Yuck!!


----------



## ruthies12

Yeah it was really odd all around.  We have had dinner there and breakfast there before 3 or 4 different times and have always really enjoyed it.  I honestly think our waitress just forgot about us.  Something must have been up because the manager came to our table without us asking for him.  Once he came over, the only thing we asked for was for my uneaten meal to be taken off the bill.  The cups and fastpasses he gave us came from him unrequested.

In hindsight I wish I had turned down the fastpasses and asked him to see if he could get us into the dessert party reserved area in the hub since the fireworks are really what the waitress made us miss out on by making us so late.  We walked by there and there was plenty of room in there.  but it's not like I was sitting in BOG thinking "what can I get out of this?" so I didn't think to ask for that you know?


----------



## ruthies12

We are home btw!  Ended up getting home around 11 pm last night for a total of 14 hours of driving which is about the best we can expect for almost 900 miles.  We thankfully didn't hit much traffic or have any incidents coming home and dh and I were able to switch off and take turns driving and napping so we got home safely.


----------



## tripleb

You averaged about 65mph ... that's cooking right along ruthies12. Glad you made it back with zero issues.


----------



## Flametamr

I'm in need of Golf cart recommendations besides Kenny or Orlando Golf Carts ? Everyone is obviously booked including Disney. Which she said was booked full in July. I didn't know if we were going to be able to go until the last minute so I didn't reserve a cart early. Now I am really regretting it because we really want one just for Halloween day and night. Thanks


----------



## FrozenOne16

*Hey everyone!!! We got home last night and have gotten things settled (for the most part). Our cats were so happy to see us! It took us a little over 12 hours to get home, which isn't the greatest, but we did stop at a Cracker Barrell about an hour and a half away from our house. Anyways, I want to thank you guys so much for all of your help and advice. I wish we would've carved out some time to do some DisMeets, but we stayed busy! There's always next time - my DH has already requested to go back around Christmas next year! So we will see how that goes! I started my trip report, if anyone is interested in reading about our vacation! *
https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...r-are-we-crazy-an-oct-17-trip-report.3641003/
*Tent Camping at the Fort...Are We Crazy?

Hope to see yall over there! And I am going to keep up with this thread too! I can't wait to see how everyone else's trips go!!!*


----------



## bama_ed

FrozenOne16 said:


> *my DH has already requested to go back around Christmas next year! *



Glad you made it home FrozenOne16.

And if you are aiming for next Christmas, better make that reservation NOW!  (seriously).

Bama Ed


----------



## serenitygr

We went to Clearwater beach yesterday- what a gorgeous beach and a beautiful day! We got to be there at sunset, and even made some new friends who helped us build our sand castle! 
  
Only negative- scotty got stung by what we think was a jellyfish, since apparently a lot of them move closer to shore at sunset. Then apparently they get everyone out of the water because the sharks move in closer to feed on them!  ( that's what our new friends told us) 
 
 
 

we stopped at a Denny's to eat supper on the way home (awesome food!) and got back about midnight. We were all exhausted and headed right to bed. Thankfully scotty was fine by then too...

Today we've been packing up all the decorations and getting things ready to go tomorrow ... Sammi sadly doesn't feel well so she's just resting in bed... tonight we have reservations at Trails End for supper, then we plan to just hang out at the sing along and watch the movie.


----------



## tripleb

GREAT report serenitygr, If the itching and burning doesn't stop from the Jellyfish sting, apply some vinegar to it a couple times a day.


----------



## Jimsig

Love seeing all the pics and as lousy as it is to leave, happy to see that everyone got home safe. 

Quick question.  Can you buy just the sticks for the s'mores at the camp fire?  We have everything else and figure it's easier to get them down there.

3 days 17 hours 42 min and 20 seconds until our flight leaves.  But who's counting


----------



## Cosmic

Jimsig said:


> Love seeing all the pics and as lousy as it is to leave, happy to see that everyone got home safe.
> 
> Quick question.  Can you buy just the sticks for the s'mores at the camp fire?  We have everything else and figure it's easier to get them down there.
> 
> 3 days 17 hours 42 min and 20 seconds until our flight leaves.  But who's counting


I'm pretty sure they sell them there, but Walmart also has nice telescoping ones for like $2.50 so they pack up nice and small.


----------



## PaHunter

Yes you can buy just the sticks at the campfire. Bama Ed says it is the best deal in Disney !!


----------



## PaHunter

We did Be Our Guest both this trip and last. Last trip was lunch and for dinner this time. Both times we were at the same table, as there are only two of us, and seems there are about 3 tables for 2 right by the door for couples. Couldn't make it any more less inviting. Food was good both times, just think next time I am booking a table for 6 so I get to sit somewhere different.


----------



## bama_ed

PaHunter said:


> Yes you can buy just the sticks at the campfire. Bama Ed says it is the best deal in Disney !!



75 cents as I remember.  However, I was schooled  (I think by snowmedic?) that pointed out Disney gives out *free* ice water at counter service restaurants.

So the sticks are "best deal #2".

Bama Ed


----------



## Jimsig

PaHunter said:


> Yes you can buy just the sticks at the campfire. Bama Ed says it is the best deal in Disney !!





bama_ed said:


> 75 cents as I remember.  However, I was schooled  (I think by snowmedic?) that pointed out Disney gives out *free* ice water at counter service restaurants.
> 
> So the sticks are "best deal #2".
> 
> Bama Ed




Best deal at Fort Wilderness then 

I actually just found a site that said as of Sept the sticks are .59 at the Chuck Wagon Camper Kitchen Thingy.

Don't forget the pressed pennies are only .51 unless they have gone up in the past 2 years


----------



## allaboutthemouse

ruthies12 - Glad to see you got home safe!  Just wanted to ask you how overall your trip went with having your doggy with you?  We have decided to bring our X-large sized
"senior" almost nine-year-old Mastiff with us when we head down this week...how was the travelling with said doggy for that long a distance?  What was the longest time you left her/him in camper?  Was it hard handling the heat with her/him? 
How about rain?  Any tips there??    Our girl has been camping with us since we first got her as a puppy, she mainly just sleeps, a ginormous rug..I'm sure you are familiar with that, haha.  But usually if we are going local and we know it will probably rain the whole time we will board her, cause let's face it, it's a pain in the butt to deal with 175 pounds of wet dog in a camper with six people  But the forecast so far looks like some rain, so....and I think you all had a good bit of rain while there?
Guess I'm just looking for some general tips for a long, faraway camping trip from one XL doggy owner to another...we just couldn't bear to board her for so long!
She does have a "spa" day scheduled at Best Friends 
Love Saints by the way!
Thanks!


----------



## ruthies12

Best part of camping instead of hotel room - having a freezer to bring home the taste of Disney in..... Love being able to enjoy a Mickey bar at home


----------



## ruthies12

@serenitygr  btw I did stop by one night.   You weren't there but I took this pic of your awesome decorations


----------



## ilovedisneymm

Glad you got home safe, Ruthie.

Looks like a really nice last day at the Fort, Serenity! Weather looks gorgeous.  How many days were you at the Fort including arrival day and departure day? I love a nicely long Fort trip. Really makes it feel like a getaway.  Safe travels back home.


----------



## serenitygr

ruthies12 said:


> @serenitygr  btw I did stop by one night.   You weren't there but I took this pic of your awesome decorations
> 
> View attachment 277494


I'm sorry we missed you, ruthies12! We went thru your loop a few times also but didn't see anyone home... there are really some awesome decorations in your loop tho!


ilovedisneymm said:


> Glad you got home safe, Ruthie.
> 
> Looks like a really nice last day at the Fort, Serenity! Weather looks gorgeous.  How many days were you at the Fort including arrival day and departure day? I love a nicely long Fort trip. Really makes it feel like a getaway.  Safe travels back home.


We arrived October 1st, and were going to leave tomorrow the 17th. But our daughter sadly woke up sick this morning, so we added one more night in hopes of her feeling a little better for the long drive home. Hopefully no one else will get sick before we make it back to Minnesota!


----------



## serenitygr

*I took some pictures of the food truck today...
   
Awesome food and super friendly people- we just loved it!

Then a few random Fort pictures....
 
 
 
 

We also ate at Trails End this afternoon for supper- that was wonderful! My favorites were the broccoli/ cheese soup, the fruit, and the salmon!
 
 

My daughter woke up sick today, and tonight she's still not feeling well at all. So we added one more night hoping she's a little better by Wednesday morning for the long trip home! Now here's hoping no one else gets it! Thankful at this point that joe is a truck driver and used to long days on the road, because we have 3 days to get to Minnesota!*


----------



## tltay2005

Super excited, just booked 10/27-10/31, full hook up, the exact dates and type of site I wanted. Will call today to request the 1700 loop. Been trying for months and an early morning check this morning was the winner. Will be cancelling the premium site I have for 10/29-10/31 if anyone is still looking. Now I can officially start my packing list and getting stuff gathered together.  We have annual passes so we may pop over to the parks, but no definite plans yet. Since we will be home for trick o treaters, may leave most of my decorations up at home, and just bring a few to the Fort. Also, my cart decorations I really wanted to do will have to be put on hold till next year when I have more time, but I will be decking her out in Halloween gear for the parade. See you all soon.


----------



## ilovedisneymm

@serenitygr thank you for getting a picture of the menu.  So sorry your girl is sick again today.  Hopefully well soon! 16 nights! You got to "add a day".  I love that  That is a beautifully length stay! We will be staying 15 nights here in December.  Sure going to miss reading your daily adventures.  Sure hope your trip home is uneventful and a safe return.

Great for you on your dates @tltay2005!


----------



## psutim

Cant wait to get to the Fort!  Arriving this Friday-Sunday, will anyone we watching the PSU vs. Michigan Game?  Looking for some fellow CFB fans to enjoy the game with!


----------



## PaHunter

psutim said:


> Cant wait to get to the Fort!  Arriving this Friday-Sunday, will anyone we watching the PSU vs. Michigan Game?  Looking for some fellow CFB fans to enjoy the game with!



 

Of course we will be watching....could even drive up to tailgate at PSU. As you can see even Mickey says "Go Blue !!"


----------



## bama_ed

tltay2005 said:


> Super excited, just booked 10/27-10/31, full hook up, the exact dates and type of site I wanted. Will call today to request the 1700 loop. Been trying for months and an early morning check this morning was the winner. Will be cancelling the premium site I have for 10/29-10/31 if anyone is still looking. Now I can officially start my packing list and getting stuff gathered together.  We have annual passes so we may pop over to the parks, but no definite plans yet. Since we will be home for trick o treaters, may leave most of my decorations up at home, and just bring a few to the Fort. Also, my cart decorations I really wanted to do will have to be put on hold till next year when I have more time, but I will be decking her out in Halloween gear for the parade. See you all soon.



Glad to hear you got in Terri.  You are proof that somebody can piece together a reservation day-or-two-by-day if they keep checking.   See you there.

But in serenitygr's picture of the campfire area, I was not aware the old log benches and backs were no longer there.  Has that happened in the last several months or was I asleep at the pc and just missed that piece of news?  

Bama Ed


----------



## serenitygr

Sammi is feeling a little better! And so far no one else is sick so hopefully we can stay that way. Sammi and I rode our bikes to the lake this evening to fill our cups one more time- now it's 7pm and we're all down at the pool! Almost no one is here right now....
 
 
 
 

Notice the photo bomber? lol that's our oldest Korey 

Planning to do the last laundry soon- possibly watch the movie, and go down to the beach for the boat parade and fireworks... I've been saying goodbye today to this place that I love so much- my heart is sad and I already miss so many things here, but am trying to think ahead to next year! 

On a happy note- the hallmark countdown to Christmas will start this coming weekend! My kids and I usually sit down every night and watch a Christmas movie and bake some cookies- cuddle our dogs- and have a fire in the fireplace, so that's something to look forward to! Just to give you an idea....
 

And here's home before the snow comes ( within the next month)...
 

And here's my little girl crystal that I'm bringing next year!
 
That's all for now! I'll keep everyone posted when we make it home! I'll really miss doing this report- it's been so much fun! Thank you to everyone who's been reading along, and for those of you lucky enough to still be coming in during October- be sure to keep us updated as much as you can! As for us- we'll see everyone next year!


----------



## lokin4deer

We arrive on Saturday and I was wondering how does the security work from the Fort now? I enjoy seeing everyones posts so far!!


----------



## Teamubr

serenitygr said:


> That's all for now! I'll keep everyone posted when we make it home! I'll really miss doing this report- it's been so much fun! Thank you to everyone who's been reading along.


Thanks for posting. It helps get over the post trip lows. It's fun seeing all the things we didn't get a chance to do.



lokin4deer said:


> We arrive on Saturday and I was wondering how does the security work from the Fort now? I enjoy seeing everyones posts so far!!


Lokin,

Security is by Magic Band once you've checked in. There is a guard gate when you turn in. The first time in, they will ask your name and direct you towards the drive through lanes or the Outpost to check in. After that, there is a bypass lane with a gate that will open with your bands. 

"Lokin" forward to following along on your trip. Thanks for letting is join your fun.

j


----------



## lokin4deer

Teamubr said:


> Thanks for posting. It helps get over the post trip lows. It's fun seeing all the things we didn't get a chance to do.
> 
> 
> Lokin,
> 
> Security is by Magic Band once you've checked in. There is a guard gate when you turn in. The first time in, they will ask your name and direct you towards the drive through lanes or the Outpost to check in. After that, there is a bypass lane with a gate that will open with your bands.
> 
> "Lokin" forward to following along on your trip. Thanks for letting is join your fun.
> 
> j



Teambur, 
I didn't describe my question well enough sorry  What I meant was security into the Magic Kingdom from the Fort now. I read they had changed the process for all the areas now.


----------



## serenitygr

lokin4deer said:


> Teambur,
> I didn't describe my question well enough sorry  What I meant was security into the Magic Kingdom from the Fort now. I read they had changed the process for all the areas now.


Simple from the Fort- you just go thru security right as you go off the dock, if I’m remembering correctly!


----------



## lokin4deer

serenitygr said:


> Simple from the Fort- you just go thru security right as you go off the dock, if I’m remembering correctly!


So it sound muck quicker then in the past when everyone would go through at the main entrance.


----------



## Teamubr

I wouldn't say "much quicker". It depends on how many lanes they are staffing. There are separate security points for the ferry crowd and the buses/boats. Monorail resort guests get checked at the resorts before they get on.  

j


----------



## serenitygr

Teamubr said:


> I wouldn't say "much quicker". It depends on how many lanes they are staffing. There are separate security points for the ferry crowd and the buses/boats. Monorail resort guests get checked at the resorts before they get on.
> 
> j


For us it was never more than a 30-60 second wait


----------



## Teamubr

serenitygr said:


> For us it was never more than a 30-60 second wait


We must have been dealing with post hurricane reschedules. I was hoping for the 3-4 crowds the way the estimators said, but most days felt like 6-7 days. I didn't have a bag, so I could get through pretty quick, but DW and DS usually had a bag and it could be 5 minutes or so. Not terrible, but longer than I would have expected for the end of September.

j


----------



## JETS70

We just returned from WDW and I would say that the security checkpoints that effect the MK are actually better and more efficient. You are checked as you exit the dock from the Fort boat. If it is a full boat, it may take a little longer but still not bad. You do get checked at the monorail resorts before boarding the monorails which again makes getting into the MK quicker after exiting the monorails. Security checks at HS, AK and Epcot are the same. The one thing I liked about moving the security checkpoints out from the MK is simply the aesthetics of not having that mass of people and security checkpoint and metal detectors right in front of the MK entrance. IMO

Steve


----------



## bama_ed

Leaving 10 days from now.  So much to do.    Bama Ed

PS - checking the Orlando weather forecasts starting today....


----------



## morrik5

Have fun bama_ed, so jealous we have to wait 6 months.


----------



## Flametamr

Picking my camper up tomorrow from having the slide repaired. We will be chasing BamaEd on Saturday I guess. Made a candy run today. With 1200 pieces I might have enough.


----------



## Flametamr

BamaEd are you leaving on Saturday ? I'm leaving here around 12 Saturday and sleeping at the Ocala rest stop. Then an early entrance to the Fort on Sunday. I will look for you when we are both there. Have a safe trip down.


----------



## FLBBQMAN

bama_ed said:


> Leaving 10 days from now.  So much to do.    Bama Ed
> 
> PS - checking the Orlando weather forecasts starting today....


7 days for us....see you all soon


----------



## lokin4deer

FLBBQMAN said:


> 7 days for us....see you all soon


We leave tomorrow as soon as kids get home from school. This will be our longest trip in our brand new camper we bought in June. 15 hours of driving later we should be to the Fort by noon or before!


----------



## bama_ed

Flametamr said:


> BamaEd are you leaving on Saturday ? I'm leaving here around 12 Saturday and sleeping at the Ocala rest stop. Then an early entrance to the Fort on Sunday. I will look for you when we are both there. Have a safe trip down.



Yep, Flametamr, leaving Saturday the 28th.  Spending the night at Lake Louisa SP in Clermont then rolling over to the Fort Sunday morning.  If we are on schedule we should roll by your rest stop around 5pm Saturday evening.

1200 pieces of candy you say you have?  Mmmm.... I haven't gotten any yet but didn't plan on THAT much.

We have a Preferred reserved so look for us in 100 or 200.

Bama Ed


----------



## tltay2005

bama_ed said:


> Leaving 10 days from now.  So much to do.    Bama Ed
> 
> PS - checking the Orlando weather forecasts starting today....



Weather is actually tolerable today and is suppose to get even nicer next week.  Not so much the heat, but the humidity is what makes it so horrible.


----------



## tltay2005

bama_ed said:


> Yep, Flametamr, leaving Saturday the 28th.  Spending the night at Lake Louisa SP in Clermont then rolling over to the Fort Sunday morning.  If we are on schedule we should roll by your rest stop around 5pm Saturday evening.
> 
> 1200 pieces of candy you say you have?  Mmmm.... I haven't gotten any yet but didn't plan on THAT much.
> 
> We have a Preferred reserved so look for us in 100 or 200.
> 
> Bama Ed



We wont be there halloween night, but I did buy some candy to throw out of the cart during the parade.  I bought some lollypops and that may not be such a good idea, with my luck some kid will end up with a stick in the eye .  Ed, I can give you that bag.  Speaking of the parade, if my son decides not to come, we will have an available seat on the cart if you want to ride along in the parade.


----------



## Jimsig

Welp, but the looks of my counter It's almost time   Guess I should start packing.


----------



## Flametamr

bama_ed said:


> Yep, Flametamr, leaving Saturday the 28th.  Spending the night at Lake Louisa SP in Clermont then rolling over to the Fort Sunday morning.  If we are on schedule we should roll by your rest stop around 5pm Saturday evening.
> 
> 1200 pieces of candy you say you have?  Mmmm.... I haven't gotten any yet but didn't plan on THAT much.
> 
> We have a Preferred reserved so look for us in 100 or 200.
> 
> Bama Ed



I tried that route Ed and everything was book at Lake Louisa. I probably won't roll into the rest area until 8 or so. We will come by for a visit after we're all set up. Sunday is probably going to be a Fort day along with Halloween. All other days we'll be commando in the parks. See you there.


----------



## tltay2005

Just heard from my sister,  my niece made state finals with her high school swim team, so they will not be coming down Friday (10/27) with my BIL and my nephews, they will arrive later Saturday afternoon.  We had planned on heading to MK in the morning, but now it will be early evening, so I just changed all our FPs to later times.  My oldest niece (from my other sister) and her husband have decided to join us.  Not sure if they will be popping a tent on our site or my sister's.  We decided on AK for Sunday, so fast passes made for there also. Monday will be a Fort day and Tuesday we head home. DH is going to Georgia this weekend to the hunting camp, so I will be left in charge of getting the trailer packed and ready to go.  Would like to head out around 1pm on Friday the 27th, that is if DH can get off a little early, if not it will be around 5 when we check in.


----------



## bama_ed

tltay2005 said:


> We wont be there halloween night, but I did buy some candy to throw out of the cart during the parade.  I bought some lollypops and that may not be such a good idea, with my luck some kid will end up with a stick in the eye .  Ed, I can give you that bag.  Speaking of the parade, if my son decides not to come, we will have an available seat on the cart if you want to ride along in the parade.



I am going to decorate my own chariot for the chariot race (nothing too gaudy or creative) but thanks for the offer.

Bama Ed


----------



## serenitygr

*We are officially in Minnesota! Miss the Fort already!*


----------



## Jimsig

We have arrived.  We told DD, 8yo, yesterday that we were going and she was very excited.  In her excitement she would all of a sudden stop and say, wait when?  more excitement then, where are we staying?  More excitement then, wait how many days?  What we didn't tell her was who else was going with us.  So this morning we told my mom was driving us to the airport.  On the way I told her she should ask my mom if she wanted to come with us.  She got more excited.  One of my cousins came over and I told DD to ask her if she wanted to come too.  We then told her we were waiting for a van to take us to the airport but she didn't know her cousins (my brothers family) would be in the van when it arrived.  When they arrived it was pandemonium, but in a good way.  We had a great flight down from BOS, 20 min wait for the MDE  and hit no traffic, and we were the first resort for a change.  Got all checked in and then it was off to get our golf carts that we rented through Kenny's.  By the time we got back it was time to hit the take out for the GAG meal at the Trails End Take out.  It took a while to get it as there was a lot of people in line.  After dinner there was supposed to be another surprise for the kids as my sister and her family were arriving but after a long day with everyone we decided to hold off that surprise until tomorrow morning. 

Off to the MK tomorrow!!!

I know it's not the best park on a Sat, but with young kids it's kind of hard not to do it first.  Especially when 3 of the kids (my brothers) have never been one of my sisters 2 probably doesn't remember his first time.  We have PH's if it get too crazy, but the last time we did MK on a Sat we got something like 12 more FP's after our original 3.  Not to mention doing standby for a few rides too because the line wasn't that long.


----------



## bama_ed

What loop are you in, Jimsig?


----------



## FtW Mike

bama_ed said:


> I am going to decorate my own chariot for the chariot race (nothing too gaudy or creative) but thanks for the offer.
> 
> Bama Ed


 I would be careful Ed some one might think you were defecting to USC  unless of course you go more for a Yul Brynner or Charlton Heston look


----------



## Flametamr

Seven more days and we'll be spending the first night at the Fort. Probably getting the GAG meal also that night. Hard to beat great food you don't have to cook. I'm getting excited. It's been a long year.


----------



## mickeyfan0805

All loaded and ready to go. I leave Monday, but a big event a church tomorrow will eat up the day. Can't wait!!


----------



## Jimsig

bama_ed said:


> What loop are you in, Jimsig?



2300 Ed. Brother in is 2200 and sister up in 2700.  So much for them getting us close together.  But we do have golf carts so it's not a big deal.


----------



## Jimsig

Busy day today in the MK.  Crowd did not seem all that big as I was expecting, the usual pinch points like between Fantasyland and near the Teacups flowed good when we walked by but though we were able to pick up quite a few extra FP's they did not seem as plentiful as they have before. We were in the park just after 9. For the most part my sister's family split off so it was 9 of us.  So we did find it best to plit the FP's as they were easier to get that way.  Had a good dinner at Crystal Palace with 13 of us.  After dinner we watched the fireworks by the Carousel then headed to our last ride at Pirates as we let the crowd disperse.  It was then back to the boat and then back to the cabin around 1030p.  We get to sleep in a bit tomorrow as it's AK nad our first FP isn't until 10 or so and the HDDR at 615p.  We usually plan a 10a FP for the second day as our first day is always a long one.  TIme for bed.


----------



## friendofeeyore

Missing the Fort already. Have much fun at the Parks, & ones coming soon, be safe. "SEE YOU REAL SOON"


----------



## bama_ed

WHOA!  Forecast for WDW area on Wednesday per Accuweather.com:

High 71F, low 51F, Sunny and cooler.

Anybody bring a jacket?  lol 

Bama Ed


----------



## tigger92662

bama_ed said:


> Anybody bring a jacket? lol


You southerners are funny. A jacket? For us midwesterners that's shorts and t-shirt weather 
I'm sure as long as it's dry you'll all have a great time. Enjoy your time there for us all.


----------



## bama_ed

Sorry, tigger92662.    It's not often I get to use that "cold" emoticon in the same sentence with WDW weather.

And FWIW, I'm from NE Ohio so I think I qualify as "Midwest"-ener.  (at least I can claim dual citizenship:  Southerner and Midwesterner).

I hope those temps hold through next week but it doesn't look like they will.

Bama Ed


----------



## tigger92662

I'll give you that, you've probably had enough of the cold and white stuff. Don't blame ya for moving south, it's our goal as well someday. Only 6 more days for you


----------



## tltay2005

bama_ed said:


> WHOA!  Forecast for WDW area on Wednesday per Accuweather.com:
> 
> High 71F, low 51F, Sunny and cooler.
> 
> Anybody bring a jacket?  lol
> 
> Bama Ed



Finally!!!! We have been dying down here. Just hope it last more than the three days they are predicting.


----------



## bama_ed

Soon.............


----------



## tiggerdad

It'll be here before you know it.  I told DW to get me some extra popcorn this weekend.  I was gonna need it.


----------



## mickeyfan0805

90 minutes and counting.  I have a meeting that starts in 18 minutes - as soon as it is done, I'm on the road.  280 miles to cover today.  Hoping to be in by 8p or so.  Early out tomorrow morning for a 600 mile day!


----------



## jabrabu

We just got back Saturday from Ft Wilderness.   We were there from 14th to the 21st. This was our first time camping there. We were in the 1700 loop. We had a great trip. 5 days at the parks. We usually stay at Shades of Green, but wanted to try the Disney camping experience since we now own an RV. The campground was very nice. A little crowded (we typically camp in state parks), but we didn't spend a lot of time there anyway.

Some hightlights:
- Rode Flights of Passage 3 times and never waited long (1 rope drop and 2 FastPass)
- Rode Navi River Journey twice
- Ate at Ohana for the first time. Food was awesome, but pretty pricey. They charge adult price for a 10 year old, which is crazy since my son doesn't eat much.
- Weather was great except for the day we planned to go a water park, so we just relaxed that day.
- Trails End has great food, one of the best buffets at WDW. We went there once for dinner and once for breakfast.
- The campfire sing-a-long was fun.
- My son really enjoyed the Meadows pool. I really liked the hot tub after walking around the parks all day.
- I like the new Geyser Point Grill by the Wilderness Lodge. It's a nice place to sit near the water and get a drink and some good food.
- Ate at the Brown Derby Lounge in Hollywood Studios. Got in line about 10 minutes before they opened, which worked well since they filled up quickly. The shrimp w/ grits was amazing, the arepas were good but tiny, and the sliders were good (although the buns seemed kind of dry).
- The Magic Kingdom was extremely crowded for the fireworks. The worst I've experienced. The new Happily Ever After fireworks show is great, but my view was partly blocked by trees.
- We ate at Boma for the first time in several years. We really like the food there. Afterwards, we were wondering how to get from the Animal Kingdom Lodge back to Ft Wilderness when we walked by a bus labeled "Magical Express". The driver asked where we were going and took us directly to Ft Wilderness. That was awesome.


----------



## Jimsig

bama_ed said:


> WHOA!  Forecast for WDW area on Wednesday per Accuweather.com:
> 
> High 71F, low 51F, Sunny and cooler.
> 
> Anybody bring a jacket?  lol
> 
> Bama Ed



Coming down from Boston means I'll have to put on a tee shirt instead of a tank top at the pool.


----------



## Jimsig

Been a busy couple of days.  

Sunday we split up.  My brother's family went to Epcot while my sister and her family and my family went to AK but not together, though we did run into each other.  We had a FP for Navi which was good as if I had waited the 2 hours posted wait for that I would have been pissed.  It's a nice ride but not 2 hour wait good.  We have a FP for FOP later in the week.  Then we hit the Safari, Kali River, one of the jungle type trails, and a few other things.  We headed back early as we had an ADR at the 615 HDDR to relax. All 14 had dinner at the Hoop and everyone had fun.  We got picked when they asked where everyone was from.

Today was Epcot for us and the others went to HS.  We started at Soarin' and it was our first time seeing the new movie.  We loved the old movie and loved this one just as much.  We did Living w The Land, Nemo, Turtle Talk, Figment, the Joy and Sadness meet and greet, and the Short Film Fest before walking the Countries.  DD got to meet Alice, her fav, Bell and one other.  It was the time for dinner in Mexico at the San Angel Inn.  We all liked it.  Then it was off to meet Anna and Elsa.  Around 3p before we hit the World Showcase I was able to score Illuminations FP's.  Right after A&E around 815 my DD said she was ready to go back to the Cabin.  So wha and t do you do when that happens?  You find 4 people who you can see are checking for the FP and tell them to follow you for some pixie dust.  You scan your passes and let them go in as you head back to the bus.  

Nice and relaxing day tomorrow to start.  It's our down day so we will hit the pool and maybe Dis Springs if it's not pool weather.  The tomorrow night it's MNSSHP for all of us.


----------



## tltay2005

Ugh......it's so hard to work when all you can think about is camping .  Three more days .


----------



## bama_ed

A slow panic is building inside of me....

So much to do, so little time.

I bought 500 pieces of chocolate candy (the good stuff) and I am torn:  it's probably not enough but it's WAY more than I've ever bought before.

Also there is a list building on my desk of the Trip's "To Do" while at Disney and it keeps growing.  Some activities are on the Fort October Movie/Rec event sheet but I've got a few that aren't.

It's really bad timing for some of the events.  I am a space nerd and would love to see a launch at the Kennedy Space Center while on a Disney trip.  And there is one next week, a SpaceX launch but it's scheduled for Monday Oct 30 with a launch window of 330-6pm which is right around the golf cart parade time.  A rocket launch would be cool:






They have just about perfected how to stick the landing.  Sometimes they land the first stage back on the barge:






And if the payload is light enough, they can land it back at KSC:






View from the rocket itself coming in (time elapsed):






Not to be mean but I am hoping something causes them to push back the launch away from Monday to a later day next week so maybe I can go see it.  Don't know what the landing plans are for next week's mission - sometimes they have to use all the fuel to get the payload delivered to orbit.

Saw a little bit of rain chances next week in the forecast - hoping those aren't too bad.

Bama Ed

BTW - if anyone wants to come over Saturday night Nov 4 and watch Bama-LSU with me on tv, you are welcome to come (and you don't HAVE to pull for the Tide).


----------



## snowmedic

bama_ed said:


> would love to see a launch at the Kennedy Space Center



When we lived in Port St. John we loved to listen to the late night rocket launches, and hearing the Space Shuttle coming in for a landing.  The 3 sonic booms where AWESOME.  

Sorry I will miss you this trip, but work has other plans.  Maybe we will meet up again someday.

Vince


----------



## Flametamr

I'm right there with you BamaEd. I'm still in the get the truck ready mode. Repairing some things that got broken or have been put off too long. Today I replaced a tire and the windshield. Then came home and cleaned and lubricated the camper slides. Tomorrow I will replace the rear brake rotors on the truck and maybe start loading the camper. But probably not due to the fact that I need some sleep before I have to work two more nights. Did I mention the truck cranked a little slow this morning so I may also be in the market for a new expensive battery. Maybe Friday afternoon I can load the camper and finish packing. It's going to be a frenzy to be ready to leave Saturday on time.


----------



## tigger92662

bama_ed said:


> would love to see a launch at the Kennedy Space Center[/QUOTE
> Right there with ya. Being a kid growing up in the late 60's early 70's it was all about space.
> We as a family saw 1 daytime Shuttle launch from Cocoa Beach, 1 evening Shuttle from Disney and 1 daytime launch at Kennedy. Experiences of a lifetime.
> Oh, and I was so occupied with the evening launch I never hit the record button on the camera, DUH


----------



## ilovedisneymm

Ed,

Nice job on the good stuff candy! If you are worried about not having enough, why not get some little bank suckers and mix in.  They're cheap and everyone loves those.

One evening while going from the FW to MK on the boat we saw a rocket launch from Kennedy.  It was prettty red glow in the night sky.  Very cool!


----------



## tltay2005

bama_ed said:


> A slow panic is building inside of me....
> 
> So much to do, so little time.
> 
> I bought 500 pieces of chocolate candy (the good stuff) and I am torn:  it's probably not enough but it's WAY more than I've ever bought before.
> 
> Also there is a list building on my desk of the Trip's "To Do" while at Disney and it keeps growing.  Some activities are on the Fort October Movie/Rec event sheet but I've got a few that aren't.
> 
> It's really bad timing for some of the events.  I am a space nerd and would love to see a launch at the Kennedy Space Center while on a Disney trip.  And there is one next week, a SpaceX launch but it's scheduled for Monday Oct 30 with a launch window of 330-6pm which is right around the golf cart parade time.  A rocket launch would be cool:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> They have just about perfected how to stick the landing.  Sometimes they land the first stage back on the barge:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And if the payload is light enough, they can land it back at KSC:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View from the rocket itself coming in (time elapsed):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not to be mean but I am hoping something causes them to push back the launch away from Monday to a later day next week so maybe I can go see it.  Don't know what the landing plans are for next week's mission - sometimes they have to use all the fuel to get the payload delivered to orbit.
> 
> Saw a little bit of rain chances next week in the forecast - hoping those aren't too bad.
> 
> Bama Ed
> 
> BTW - if anyone wants to come over Saturday night Nov 4 and watch Bama-LSU with me on tv, you are welcome to come (and you don't HAVE to pull for the Tide).



The rockets are neat, but I still miss the shuttles.  Nothing can match the sounds of the sonic booms that would rattle our windows when they came in for a landing.


----------



## tltay2005

DH was out in the garage most of the evening last night getting the golf cart decorations ready.  Will make a trip to Publix tomorrow and then pack. DH has to work all day Friday, so we should arrive at the Fort around 5pm.  Work has been so stressful lately, really need this mini vacation.


----------



## PaHunter

bama_ed said:


> A slow panic is building inside of me....
> 
> So much to do, so little time.
> 
> I bought 500 pieces of chocolate candy (the good stuff) and I am torn:  it's probably not enough but it's WAY more than I've ever bought before.
> 
> Also there is a list building on my desk of the Trip's "To Do" while at Disney and it keeps growing.  Some activities are on the Fort October Movie/Rec event sheet but I've got a few that aren't.
> 
> It's really bad timing for some of the events.  I am a space nerd and would love to see a launch at the Kennedy Space Center while on a Disney trip.  And there is one next week, a SpaceX launch but it's scheduled for Monday Oct 30 with a launch window of 330-6pm which is right around the golf cart parade time.  A rocket launch would be cool:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> They have just about perfected how to stick the landing.  Sometimes they land the first stage back on the barge:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And if the payload is light enough, they can land it back at KSC:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View from the rocket itself coming in (time elapsed):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not to be mean but I am hoping something causes them to push back the launch away from Monday to a later day next week so maybe I can go see it.  Don't know what the landing plans are for next week's mission - sometimes they have to use all the fuel to get the payload delivered to orbit.
> 
> Saw a little bit of rain chances next week in the forecast - hoping those aren't too bad.
> 
> Bama Ed
> 
> BTW - if anyone wants to come over Saturday night Nov 4 and watch Bama-LSU with me on tv, you are welcome to come (and you don't HAVE to pull for the Tide).



A very good friend of mine just got a job at KSC. Hoping that with an inside I can see a launch or two, and maybe get a good spot for photo's.


----------



## Flametamr

Well my bad luck is getting worse. The truck battery died and was replaced. In the middle of that my ex wife who was going with us Saturday called needing help. She woke up to severe stomach pains. She was running a low blood pressure and her blood count was also low so she is in the hospital awaiting surgery to repair a perforated ulcer. Now I have to decide to go alone with my DD or just cancel and make another family happy.


----------



## FtW Mike

Flametamr here is hoping and praying that things end up for the best all the way around


----------



## bama_ed

Flametamr said:


> Well my bad luck is getting worse. The truck battery died and was replaced. In the middle of that my ex wife who was going with us Saturday called needing help. She woke up to severe stomach pains. She was running a low blood pressure and her blood count was also low so she is in the hospital awaiting surgery to repair a perforated ulcer. Now I have to decide to go alone with my DD or just cancel and make another family happy.



Wow.  Here is some pixie dust, Flametamr.   ED


----------



## Teamubr

Joe,

I hope things go ok for the ex. The truck battery is manageable. Surgery takes a little more time. 

j


----------



## garneska

Sorry to hear about your situation Joe.  Hope everything works out.


----------



## Flametamr

Thanks Everyone. She had the hard part. She was sicker than I have seen anyone in a long time. They did surgery last night. Everything went well and she is resting in a room. Unfortunately she will not be discharged in time to go and then after she will not be able to walk and enjoy Disney. I am going in on my last work night now and will make a decision tomorrow but I'm leaning on coming on it with my DD. It's really her trip and she lives for Disney and Halloween. I will update tomorrow evening but hope to be rolling east from Alabama sometime Saturday.


----------



## Jimsig

Flametamr said:


> Thanks Everyone. She had the hard part. She was sicker than I have seen anyone in a long time. They did surgery last night. Everything went well and she is resting in a room. Unfortunately she will not be discharged in time to go and then after she will not be able to walk and enjoy Disney. I am going in on my last work night now and will make a decision tomorrow but I'm leaning on coming on it with my DD. It's really her trip and she lives for Disney and Halloween. I will update tomorrow evening but hope to be rolling east from Alabama sometime Saturday.



Glad to hear things went well.


----------



## Jimsig

bama_ed said:


> A slow panic is building inside of me....
> 
> So much to do, so little time.
> 
> I bought 500 pieces of chocolate candy (the good stuff) and I am torn:  it's probably not enough but it's WAY more than I've ever bought before.
> 
> Also there is a list building on my desk of the Trip's "To Do" while at Disney and it keeps growing.  Some activities are on the Fort October Movie/Rec event sheet but I've got a few that aren't.
> 
> It's really bad timing for some of the events.  I am a space nerd and would love to see a launch at the Kennedy Space Center while on a Disney trip.  And there is one next week, a SpaceX launch but it's scheduled for Monday Oct 30 with a launch window of 330-6pm which is right around the golf cart parade time.  A rocket launch would be cool:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> They have just about perfected how to stick the landing.  Sometimes they land the first stage back on the barge:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> And if the payload is light enough, they can land it back at KSC:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> View from the rocket itself coming in (time elapsed):
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Not to be mean but I am hoping something causes them to push back the launch away from Monday to a later day next week so maybe I can go see it.  Don't know what the landing plans are for next week's mission - sometimes they have to use all the fuel to get the payload delivered to orbit.
> 
> Saw a little bit of rain chances next week in the forecast - hoping those aren't too bad.
> 
> Bama Ed
> 
> BTW - if anyone wants to come over Saturday night Nov 4 and watch Bama-LSU with me on tv, you are welcome to come (and you don't HAVE to pull for the Tide).



Been Lucky enough to see 3 launches.  One Titan Rocket and the Endeavour (STS-123) which were both night launches and most recently the Space X back in early May.  Hope it works out for you.


----------



## Jimsig

Can;t believe how fast the time is going by.  

The pool day (Tue) was nice, it was cloudy for the most part so it kept the temps nice and the pool less crowded.  Spend about 4 hours there and we were then off to MNSSHP.  We arrived about 350p and they had started letting people in around 345p.  Got our wrist bands and they directed us up the Main St bypass where they gave us our bad and first treats.  We had a few FP's before the party began and even with that the crowds were not that bad.  As the night went on, with the exception of the 7DMT, most rides seemed to be walk-on's or pretty close too it.  We saw all 4 Princesses at the hall in less then 10 min and got quite a few magic shots with little wait.  8yo DD was a trooper and the next thing we knew it was 1130p as we were walking down Main St and back to the boat.  

On Wed we were off to HS, just myself , DD, DW and mom.  The others were at MK and Epcot.  We always plan late morning FP's after a party so we didn't have to rush and today wasn't an exception and we arrived around 1045a, just in time as they ended at 11a.  I had Tower Of Terror as the others had Star Tours.  TT had had issues earlier so they were clearing the FP line so it probably took 20 min just to get in.  After TT Aerosmith had just reopened so I was able to ride that as a single and it took maybe 10 min to get seated and be done with the ride.  Our next FP was all together at Toy Story and we were off that by noon.  After that I started to not feel well.  At first I though it might be those 3 rides in quick succession.  But as the day went on I realized it wasn't.  I came back to the cabin to lay down before dinner and went back to HS to meet up for dinner at H&V.  After dinner I still was not feeling better so I headed back while they stayed for Fantasmic.  DD really wanted to see it.  I was back to the Fort just before 7 and was in bed shortly thereafter.  I didn't get up until 8a.  

Today it was eviction day for both my brother and sisters families and it was back to MK and then dinner at MBYBBQ for us.  I was feeling better but still not 100% but stuck it out for 4-5 hours before I headed back to lay down before dinner.  We met a few characters, rode quite a few rides including the riverboat which DW has been dying to do, and DD did almost all of the Sorcerers Card things.  She saw it in Youtube and has been talking about it ever since.  As always MBYBBQ did not disappoint.  Lot's of food and good times and of course the characters were great.  I love how they interact with everyone dancing all around.  After dinner we bundled up a bit as it's getting chilly at night and went looping.

Tomorrow is breakfast at 1900 PF, hanging by the pool and Epcot for dinner and Illuminations.


----------



## tiggerdad

Flametamr said:


> Thanks Everyone. She had the hard part. She was sicker than I have seen anyone in a long time. They did surgery last night. Everything went well and she is resting in a room. Unfortunately she will not be discharged in time to go and then after she will not be able to walk and enjoy Disney. I am going in on my last work night now and will make a decision tomorrow but I'm leaning on coming on it with my DD. It's really her trip and she lives for Disney and Halloween. I will update tomorrow evening but hope to be rolling east from Alabama sometime Saturday.



Joe,
Here's hoping all goes well.  Glad she came through surgery okay.  Wishing all of you safe travels.


----------



## tigger92662

Joe, glad to hear she is OK, hopefully everything will work out well.


----------



## JETS70

Flametamr said:


> Thanks Everyone. She had the hard part. She was sicker than I have seen anyone in a long time. They did surgery last night. Everything went well and she is resting in a room. Unfortunately she will not be discharged in time to go and then after she will not be able to walk and enjoy Disney. I am going in on my last work night now and will make a decision tomorrow but I'm leaning on coming on it with my DD. It's really her trip and she lives for Disney and Halloween. I will update tomorrow evening but hope to be rolling east from Alabama sometime Saturday.



Glad things went well for her Joe. Hope things work out for you and the DD. She does enjoy the Fort and Disney at Halloween. How's that Mickey light?
Steve


----------



## JETS70

I didn't post a lot of pictures from our trip to the Fort this October so I thought I would post a couple of pics from recent October outings with my DS. One pic that our Alabama Disers may like.

My son took me to the Eagles concert in Louisville for my birthday. 




That is Deacon Frey on the left big screen. He did a great job filling in for his father, the late Glenn Frey. Vince Gill is also performing with the Eagles on this tour. You would think that he has always been a member of the Eagles.

We finished up the concert tour for this year with...............Alabama. Even though Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry were the only original members performing tonight, they did an outstanding job.


----------



## bama_ed

Love the supergroup Alabama, Jets70.

If you saw Teddy and Randy, you saw 95%+ of the vocal and songwriting talent of that band.

Bama Ed

PS - Their song, Dixieland Delight, used to be a staple at the Alabama home football games in the second half.  Sadly, though, it was banned (and still is) because the student section came up with some clever, funny, no-no lyrics to chant between what the band sings.  (who knows how those things really get started.)  YouTube is your friend if you are interested (some of their links have the student lyrics listed in the comments).


----------



## JETS70

Gotta love those students sections @bama_ed . We at UK have a little ad lib that the student section interjectes into the song Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show when playing that orange and white team to the south of us. 
Travel safe Ed and have a great time at the Fort for Halloween


----------



## tltay2005

Just got a text that my site is ready, 1631, not my favorite loop(1700) but we will take it, we are not picky. Never fails when we are there And ready for our site, it's not, and when we are still at home it is! Ugh, hope DH gets home soon.


----------



## bama_ed

tltay2005 said:


> Just got a text that my site is ready, 1631, not my favorite loop(1700) but we will take it, we are not picky. Never fails when we are there And ready for our site, it's not, and when we are still at home it is! Ugh, hope DH gets home soon.



You are almost there, Terri.

I just realized that my planned route down I-75 early tomorrow morning was going to be about the same time a lot of Georgia fans will head the same way from Atlanta to Jacksonville for the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party (GA-FL game).  So I won't be going via Atlanta.  Instead the route will be Montgomery to Dothan to I10 towards Tallahassee.

Did a little packing of the car during my lunch break.  More later this evening.

Plus, I got all the good games for tomorrow written down with their XM channel number since I will be on the road for some pretty good games.  I like passing the time by listening to college football games while driving.

Bama Ed


----------



## tltay2005

bama_ed said:


> You are almost there, Terri.
> 
> I just realized that my planned route down I-75 early tomorrow morning was going to be about the same time a lot of Georgia fans will head the same way from Atlanta to Jacksonville for the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party (GA-FL game).  So I won't be going via Atlanta.  Instead the route will be Montgomery to Dothan to I10 towards Tallahassee.
> 
> Did a little packing of the car during my lunch break.  More later this evening.
> 
> Plus, I got all the good games for tomorrow written down with their XM channel number since I will be on the road for some pretty good games.  I like passing the time by listening to college football games while driving.
> 
> Bama Ed



Hoping you have a good drive down. See you at the Fort.


----------



## Teamubr

Terri and Ed,

Have some safe trips down. I'm heading out camping tonight, but a cold front went through and we are expecting our first freeze of the season tonight and tomorrow night. Good think I finally pulled the pool pump in yesterday. 

Looks like I'll be winterizing the camper on Sunday. Sad day each season.

j


----------



## Flametamr

Well the ex wife's surgery went well. She is resting but no idea when she will be discharged. My DD and I are going to go ahead and go tomorrow. I am working on a solution to get the ex and her DD there in a day or few. Got off at 6am this morning and after a nap started loading the camper. Of course it starts raining after I have cleaned and moped and started loading the inside stuff. So I will be cleaning again once we arrive Sunday. Hope everyone has a safe trip and we'll update as we start that way. Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.


----------



## 4077

In my “office” “driving” to Orlando! Safe travels in for all for weekend....can’t wait for TE tomorrow!! It’s funny, the flight attendant working with me this weekend has her husband traveling on a Southwest Airlines flight that is 25 miles in front of us going down to stay as well for their anniversary today...and they are going to Food & Wine!


----------



## Flametamr

We're on the road now. Only 30 minutes late.


----------



## tltay2005

Arrived yesterday, Friday, and since we had our site, we bypasses the guard station and used our bands to go through the returning guest gate. We are all set up in site 1631. We ate take out from the food truck last night, beef brisket sandwiches, they were very good. Got up early and went for a cart drive and saw 15 deer and an armadillo. Beautiful weather right now, just hope the front coming down keeps the heavy rain south. Plans are to head over to MK around 5pm. DS arrived today and was told to park at site since the lot upfront is full. So much for keeping all vehicles on the concrete pad. Oh well, we managed. Hope to get to see some of you in the next few days.


----------



## ilovedisneymm

@tltay2005 the site looks spooktacular!


----------



## bama_ed

Well, I left this morning in the cold rain from Alabama at 530am Central and got to Lake Louisa SP at 400pm Eastern.  Unfortunately only my dad joined me (last minute dropouts).  It's trying to rain now so I have set up the tv with digital tv inside the Aliner with the AC on (it's in the 80s and humid but rain is due for a couple hours tonight and highs only in the 70s tomorrow).

 

Also my daughter (the one going into the WDW College Program in January) sent a decorated pumpkin for the pumpkin judging contest (this is her work not mine).  First an overall view then the four scenes she painted on them:



 

 

 

 

Yeah, she's taking an art class this semester but she gets her drawing talent from her momma.

Inbound to the Fort tomorrow morning.

Bama Ed


----------



## garneska

The pumpkin looks terrific.


----------



## tiggerdad

Glad your down safe.  Got the box of Orville Redenbacher's on the counter ready to go.


----------



## Flametamr

Okay we are safe and settled in for the night at the Ocala rest area. Drove in rain a lot but no real issues. Saw on  a Facebook page that one family overturned their camper and truck after someone cut them off. Very sad and hope they are all okay.  Hope to roll into the Fort between 7 and 8. I have a reward for whoever can get site 712 cleared for me. Thanks and see everyone soon.


----------



## 4077

Tried Sprinkle's sundae tonight at Disney Springs....ice cream in between top and bottom of one of their cupcakes in a cup...was really good! Had the black and white cup cake and mint chip ice cream...the cupcake frosting was I think best frosting I've ever had....


----------



## tltay2005

bama_ed said:


> Well, I left this morning in the cold rain from Alabama at 530am Central and got to Lake Louisa SP at 400pm Eastern.  Unfortunately only my dad joined me (last minute dropouts).  It's trying to rain now so I have set up the tv with digital tv inside the Aliner with the AC on (it's in the 80s and humid but rain is due for a couple hours tonight and highs only in the 70s tomorrow).
> 
> View attachment 280092
> 
> Also my daughter (the one going into the WDW College Program in January) sent a decorated pumpkin for the pumpkin judging contest (this is her work not mine).  First an overall view then the four scenes she painted on them:
> 
> View attachment 280087
> 
> View attachment 280088
> 
> View attachment 280089
> 
> View attachment 280090
> 
> View attachment 280091
> 
> Yeah, she's taking an art class this semester but she gets her drawing talent from her momma.
> 
> Inbound to the Fort tomorrow morning.
> 
> Bama Ed



Love the pumpkin!


----------



## tltay2005

Well I did something tonight that I normally would never do.....a park in the rain. Being annual pass holders and only living 35 minutes away, we usually avoid going in the rain. But when your 20 year old son still wants to go with his mom to the park, you go, rain or no rain, lol. We had fast passes for SPace Mtn, Thunder Mtn and Haunted Mansion, plus we through in Its a Small World in between. Haven't been on that ride in over 15 years. Watched the fireworks then headed back to camp. Park was quite busy, even with the rain.


----------



## bama_ed

Bama Ed is at the Fort.  Rolled in at 630am.

I am sitting at this moment in the overflow lot in my folding chair at Fort Wilderness.

I have checked in, know my site number #125 (will get a text when it's ready-somebody is leaving today), got my golf cart early, and enjoying the dark morning fog.

I can hear the train whistle from my chair.  

Temps are in the 60s, it's comfortable, no breeze, and I will wait for Flametamr to arrive.  Hope his site is ready.

Oh, and for you picture folks, here is my view over the bubble of my folded up Aliner:


----------



## tiggerdad

Looks like I'm having Orville Redenbacher's for breakfast.  I was up at your arrival time Ed, but I was putting potatoes in the oven .  Youth have fund raiser at church today.  Chili and baked potato.  It's 31 here this morning so your temps sound much better.

Tell your dad I said "hello".


----------



## mich1073

We got here yesterday afternoon. Got everything set to camp and RV done before the rains came. Decorations still in totes for this afternoon to be put out. 

Come see us in 409. It will be the Nightmare Before Christmas site when it's set up


----------



## Teamubr

Terri and Ed,

Keep it coming. A park in the rain can be fun. When we had to go in the summer it was a daily occurrence.

Ed,

The pumpkin looks great. Your daughter has a lot more skill than I do. Glad you are enjoying the Fort already. 125 should be a nice site. Say Hi to Joe and your dad. Keep those (not so foggy) pictures coming.

In case anyone is curious, we are camping this weekend too. It is in the mid 20s right now. High is supposed to be 52. Much better than yesterday when I don't think it made it out of the 30s.

j


----------



## 4077

I found an “Ed”


----------



## snowmedic

bama_ed said:


> I have checked in, know my site number #125



My DW says you must be part of the Fort alumni. When we check in we never know what site we are getting.  They just tell me the loop number and that they will text me when the site is ready.


----------



## tiggerdad

Ed is royalty.  I bet they waxed his designated GC yesterday.

They'll probably set it on display after he turns it in with a sign "Ed rode here".


----------



## Flametamr

We arrived at 830 and we're in 1402. Not what we wanted but it will do and it was ready. Almost all set up and ready for a bath. And a bonus we are right next to Mack.


----------



## tiggerdad

Flametamr said:


> We arrived at 830 and we're in 1402. Not what we wanted but it will do and it was ready. Almost all set up and ready for a bath. And a bonus we are right next to Mack.



Good deal Joe.

1400 not my favorite, but the sites to the front, like yours were pretty good.  At least you got a short walk to the movie.


----------



## FtW Mike

bama_ed said:


> Bama Ed is at the Fort.  Rolled in at 630am.
> 
> I am sitting at this moment in the overflow lot in my folding chair at Fort Wilderness.
> 
> I have checked in, know my site number #125 (will get a text when it's ready-somebody is leaving today), got my golf cart early, and enjoying the dark morning fog.
> 
> I can hear the train whistle from my chair.
> 
> Temps are in the 60s, it's comfortable, no breeze, and I will wait for Flametamr to arrive.  Hope his site is ready.
> 
> Oh, and for you picture folks, here is my view over the bubble of my folded up Aliner:
> 
> View attachment 280178





tiggerdad said:


> Looks like I'm having Orville Redenbacher's for breakfast.  I was up at your arrival time Ed, but I was putting potatoes in the oven .  Youth have fund raiser at church today.  Chili and baked potato.  It's 31 here this morning so your temps sound much better.
> 
> Tell your dad I said "hello".


----------



## FtW Mike

snowmedic said:


> My DW says you must be part of the Fort alumni. When we check in we never know what site we are getting.  They just tell me the loop number and that they will text me when the site is ready.





tiggerdad said:


> Ed is royalty.  I bet they waxed his designated GC yesterday.
> 
> They'll probably set it on display after he turns it in with a sign "Ed rode here".


 Snowmedic   Tiggerdad has hit the nail on the head   All Riff Raff must be unceremoniously be removed from areas in and around where he will be


----------



## FtW Mike

tiggerdad said:


> Looks like I'm having Orville Redenbacher's for breakfast.  I was up at your arrival time Ed, but I was putting potatoes in the oven .  Youth have fund raiser at church today.  Chili and baked potato.  It's 31 here this morning so your temps sound much better.
> 
> Tell your dad I said "hello".


 Tiggerdad while I haven't winterized the coach yet could you send some of that cold this way.  I was in our local woods searching for some free range Frijoles Negro and Habilchuelas for my chili at the Pot Luck meet and greet in Jan and it was in  mid 60's by 8am  Keeps them little rascals bedded down  and hard to see when the trees look they did in mid Sept not like Halloween is in a few days


----------



## 4077

AARGH! When ye be campin’ in da loop...make sure to stake ‘em down well lest ye return to a tent in the trees!


----------



## tiggerdad

FtW Mike said:


> Tiggerdad while I haven't winterized the coach yet could you send some of that cold this way.  I was in our local woods searching for some free range Frijoles Negro and Habilchuelas for my chili at the Pot Luck meet and greet in Jan and it was in  mid 60's by 8am  Keeps them little rascals bedded down  and hard to see when the trees look they did in mid Sept not like Halloween is in a few days



Too late, it's already gone.  Back in shorts now.


----------



## tiggerdad

4077 said:


> View attachment 280217 AARGH! When ye be campin’ in da loop...make sure to stake ‘em down well lest ye return to a tent in the trees!



Must of been one wild party.  Hope the disco ball wasn't broken.


----------



## PrincessCooper's Mom

Flametamr said:


> Okay we are safe and settled in for the night at the Ocala rest area. Drove in rain a lot but no real issues. Saw on  a Facebook page that one family overturned their camper and truck after someone cut them off. Very sad and hope they are all okay.  Hope to roll into the Fort between 7 and 8. I have a reward for whoever can get site 712 cleared for me. Thanks and see everyone soon.




Looking for stop around Ocala.  Tell me more about the rest area in Ocala.


----------



## bama_ed

PrincessCooper's Mom said:


> Looking for stop around Ocala.  Tell me more about the rest area in Ocala.



It's at mile marker 381.  Big, etc. with rest areas on both sides of interstate.  flametamr knows more maybe.  Tell the security guard that's on duty which unit is yours. 

Bama Ed


----------



## bama_ed

Whew!  I am all set up in 125 although, as you campers know, there's always SOMETHING more that can be done.  But it is clear blue sky, breezy, and mid-60s as fog and humidty cleared out this morning and behind it came a beautiful day with lower humidity.  I heard one of the CM's refer to it as the first fall season weather-wise at WDW this year.

The overflow lots here are overflowing.  This is the grass overflow near the back gate.



Looks like somebody brought a compliant portable fire pit and had to store it.



This afternoon they were overflowing to the hitch-unhitch area on the RIGHT side driving in (sign says NO PARKING in the big field on the left).

Dad and I hopped in the golf cart and hit the Meadow Trading Post which was decorated in Fall (not Halloween) colors:







There are pumpkins and a hay bales setting outside for picture posing I think (which I saw people doing).



Then we headed over to 2300 loop and said hello to our poster Jimsig/Jim.  Seems like a nice guy, he has a story to tell about today, and yes, hearing him talk you know he's from Boston.  Come see us in 125 Jim if you can.

After seeing him, we had an ADR at Trails End for brunch.  It would be terrible to show you folks food pictures, wouldn't it?  Well that's what I'm going to do.

In the next post.

Bama Ed


----------



## bama_ed

Trails End was pretty active this morning.  The weekend brunch was being served up with breakfast and lunch foods.  Of course I sampled both in full pursuit of the research this boards demands.

Lunch section (L-R):  gravy, mashed spuds, fried chicken, mac/cheese, pasta salad, grilled vegetables.





Here (R-L) is the bread pudding, sticky buns, praline sauce, mickey waffles, and out of sight the maple syrup, blueberry syrup, and banana fosters topping.



Here is my first attempt:



I can see shrimp with cocktail sauce, chicken, mac/cheese, scrambled eggs, off the carving station freshly sliced bacon and smoked turkey, breakfast potatoes, bread pudding with praline sauce, grapes, grilled brocolli (fresh fruits and vegetables).  Plus chocolate milk and diet Coke to drink.  Yum.

Because I am a thorough researcher who leaves no stone unturned, naturally I did further research with visit #2 to the buffet.



This time I see Mickey waffles with blueberry sauce, waffles with bananas fosters sauce, smoked salmon, smoked turkey, a chicken drumstick, and sausage.  I literally licked my plate clean.

It was all good but having made the official Trails End bread pudding, this batch this morning was missing raisins.  But other than that it was super. 

As we were paying the bill, I got word that another DIS'ser was wandering around the Fort so we were off on our next adventure (site 125 was still occupied).

Bama Ed


----------



## 4077

Well, I think I had the most fun I could have at Fort Wilderness without camping....

Got there about 9:30 or so this morning and parked in overflow...walked back to the loops from Outpost and over the next several hours was able to meet tltay2005 (congrats on being my first in person DIS member meet), bama_ed (thank you so much for the golf cart ride/tour...awesome to meet your dad too!), mich1073 (loved the kids having fun with the decorating!), and Flametamr (great meeting you and your daughter...didn't want to say anything, but I think you missed a spot  ). 

Along with meeting fellow DIS'ers for the first time ever, I  took and sent many Halloween decoration pictures to my wife back home in CT, ate a Mickey Premium bar, and looked (unsuccessfully) for ED in concrete (will have to concentrate more on that another time....admittedly I was busy looking around and enjoying the day and decorations as I looped on foot). 

At any rate, what a great bunch of folks to have the pleasure and privilege of meeting in person after the last 3-4 years of following along and posting on here! I am very jealous of all of you getting to camp there for Halloween!! Hope I get a chance to swing by for a few more minutes once I return for TE dinner (don't eat all the fried chicken, Ed...I know where you "live" now...and same to you Flametamr!), but whether or not I see you again today, have a great stay and remember the candy is for the trick o treaters!!


----------



## bama_ed

After breakfast I met up with 4077/Jimmy and another DIS'ser.  Jimmy was getting around the Fort on foot and has a couple days off down here.  Then he hopped on the cart and we cruised around loops 100/200 to check on our site (progress - awnings and slides were pulled in).  Then we hopped across the road and visited DIS'ser mich1073/Michelle and her family who were setting out their decorations around the site.  

After dropping Jimmy at the Meadow TP, we rode up to the Fort office to check on our site (no word yet) but read that Flametamr/Joe had arrived so we rode over and said hello to him, me and dad.  We will be seeing him later in the week.

After that our site was ready so we have been setting up this afternoon.  It is almost all the way around loop 100 and nearly parallel to the main road.  It is long and deep and the back of it looks out at the golf cart and walking cart trails that go down through the woods to the Settlement Trading Post.

Here is 125.

 

 

And most of the setup done.

 

I will get some better pictures tomorrow when the sun is in a different position.

Nice to hear the train whistles, boat whistles, clip clop of the first carriage ride of the evening, and the brakes squeaking on the bus behind me.  Time to freshen up.

Bama Ed


----------



## Flametamr

PrincessCooper's Mom said:


> Looking for stop around Ocala.  Tell me more about the rest area in Ocala.



The rest area is a couple of miles past Ocala. It is large and has an RV section at the rear (right side). I checked in with the guard and told him my intentions and he said no problem. I was the third one in at 930 and it was about half full by daylight. Really safe and well lit with a good guard. I highly recommend it for a cheap stopping place. I even ran my generator for 2 hours.


----------



## tiggerdad

PrincessCooper's Mom said:


> Looking for stop around Ocala.  Tell me more about the rest area in Ocala.



I use same one.  Ed mentioned the marker.

It has three separate parking areas with the one in back being for RV and trucks pulling trailers.  Big rigs get the front parking lot closest to the interstate.  24 hour security and EXACTLY one hour from FW if you come in on the Western Way.


----------



## Flametamr

Thanks to Steve (Jets70) my Mickey Light looks great. Picture soon. Set up is going slow. I rewashed the camper front and my truck. The wind just started to die down some so I will put up a few of my blow up decorations.


----------



## Flametamr

Hey 4077 Jimmy what time are you eating. I hate to see you eat alone. Maybe I can join you.  Send me a pm.


----------



## Teamubr

Flametamr said:


> We arrived at 830 and we're in 1402. And a bonus we are right next to Mack.


You would have been my next door neighbor. We were in 1404. 

And who is Mack?



4077 said:


> View attachment 280217 AARGH! When ye be campin’ in da loop...make sure to stake ‘em down well lest ye return to a tent in the trees!


Uh Oh. That doesn't look good.

Glad you had a chance to check in to TE and meet up with a few fellow DISers. 



bama_ed said:


> Here is 125. Nice to hear the train whistles, boat whistles, clip clop of the first carriage ride of the evening, and the brakes squeaking on the bus behind me.


Looks good. You are making me home sick. That site looks plenty big enough for my 5er.

j


----------



## tltay2005

Here's a few pictures from MK last night. Love the fall decorations.


----------



## Flametamr

Mack is the semi truck from Cars. If my phone would load pictures it would help.


----------



## tltay2005

Had a great visit with Jimmy/4077 this morning. So nice to finally meet you. Sorry you had to see me with my extremely wild morning hair, that is what happens when you go to bed with wet hair, lol.

After breakfast we took the pup to the dog park then headed over to AK. The weather was perfect today! We ate in Pandora, can't  remember the name of the place, but it was good. My sister and niece met us there and we rode Everst, the safari and Dinosaur. Had to have a ice cream sandwich before we headed back. Our old dog who is always very good decided not to be today. He has stayed in the trailer before, so nothing new to him, but today he decided to eat DH wallet and distroy a few credit cards. He was moving on to the second course, my eyeglass case when we returned. Ugh, oh well, nothing that can't be replaced. Cooking up some dinner now and then off to do some looping.


----------



## tltay2005

bama_ed said:


> After breakfast I met up with 4077/Jimmy and another DIS'ser.  Jimmy was getting around the Fort on foot and has a couple days off down here.  Then he hopped on the cart and we cruised around loops 100/200 to check on our site (progress - awnings and slides were pulled in).  Then we hopped across the road and visited DIS'ser mich1073/Michelle and her family who were setting out their decorations around the site.
> 
> After dropping Jimmy at the Meadow TP, we rode up to the Fort office to check on our site (no word yet) but read that Flametamr/Joe had arrived so we rode over and said hello to him, me and dad.  We will be seeing him later in the week.
> 
> After that our site was ready so we have been setting up this afternoon.  It is almost all the way around loop 100 and nearly parallel to the main road.  It is long and deep and the back of it looks out at the golf cart and walking cart trails that go down through the woods to the Settlement Trading Post.
> 
> Here is 125.
> 
> View attachment 280254
> 
> View attachment 280255
> 
> And most of the setup done.
> 
> View attachment 280256
> 
> I will get some better pictures tomorrow when the sun is in a different position.
> 
> Nice to hear the train whistles, boat whistles, clip clop of the first carriage ride of the evening, and the brakes squeaking on the bus behind me.  Time to freshen up.
> 
> Bama Ed


Looks good , hope to get by to say hello.


----------



## bama_ed

Teamubr said:


> Looks good. You are making me home sick. That site looks plenty big enough for my 5er.
> 
> j



Especially since you could spot your axles at the back of the paved pad and let the back portion of your trailer hang over the tent pad.  I pulled out my trusty tape measure and since we're slanted at an angle, the short side is about 67 feet paved and the long side is about 80 feet paved.  Yes, I'd say you would fit in here.

You would like this site.  The back of it through the brush and trees looks right back at the intersection of Big Pine Trail and Fort Wilderness Trail (the 3-way stop at the conjunction of 700, 400, and 100 loops).  The golf cart and walking trail are the 4th member of the intersection and if you are in to people watching, it is a great place to put a folding chair back there and watch 'em come and go.



Also some of the clip clopping is Cast Members training the draft horses.  What makes me say that?  We say three BIG horses being ridden with a saddle and the riders were testing the horses with voice commands.



These were big animals.  They came to the 3-way stop behind me and stopped at the stop sign (duh).  Then as i watched, all 3 riders gave the same verbal command at the same time and the animals starting walking through the intersection.  The riders praised their horses as they clip clopped along.

It was much the same way my wife has me trained. 

Bama Ed

PS - we grilled some steaks and had take-out french fries from TE, a cut tomato, and a bottle of Cabernet at the picnic table.  DE-licious.  Going to take some pictures of the nighttime decorations soon.


----------



## JETS70

Teamubr said:


> You would have been my next door neighbor. We were in 1404.



Hey Teamubr..... you would have been our neighbor......we were in site 1405. Checked out 2 weeks ago. Nice site. Plenty of room.


----------



## mich1073

I think they are the horses for the headless horseman
 Same Belgium horses they use and need to make sure they can ride them without seeing well. They rode by twice in the 400 loop.


----------



## bama_ed

As it was getting dark Dad and I hopped on the golf cart to see the sites (sights?) at night.

While there are many photo-worthy decorations, here are a few:

In 400 a nice good sized setup:



This one caught my eye:



In 500 there is a good setup on the outside about 3/4th of the way around so I split it into two.  Here is right side:



And here is left side.



After rolling through 300, we entered 1400 and picked up some hitchhiking ghosts at this site.



Getting Joe and his daughter, we didn't have to ride far to see a pirate ship set up at the site near the 1400 comfort station that backs up to the sing along campfire area.





Then it was into the 1600-1900 cluster where in 1600 just past Terri is a Haunted Mansion house being built.  Soft opening tomorrow with actors and walk through frights on Halloween night.  The outside green lights are like the HM lights and you can see the white lights inside that it's still a work in progress.



This was a long string of inflatables in 1700.



I have put an orange bulb and a mask on my Mickey Globe light and hung some orange and purple lights around my EZ ups.



People are looping in carts and on foot at night.  It's a very active time.

garneska, I'm planning on a little 5k run tomorrow.  Gonna do the loop that goes down to WL via the exercise trail, across World Drive to the TTC, under the waterway past the Contemporary to the MK entrance (as close as I can get now with the new security), and then to the back of the Contemporary.  Walk to the dock, catch the boat to the Fort, and back to my spot.

Bama Ed

PS - can anyone tell my why my tent camping neighbors leave their tv on in their screen room and then head out for the night?  It's playing "Circle of Life" and there is no one watching it.  But hey, they left out all their liquor bottles too so there is that....


----------



## tltay2005

bama_ed said:


> As it was getting dark Dad and I hopped on the golf cart to see the sites (sights?) at night.
> 
> While there are many photo-worthy decorations, here are a few:
> 
> In 400 a nice good sized setup:
> 
> View attachment 280301
> 
> This one caught my eye:
> 
> View attachment 280305
> 
> In 500 there is a good setup on the outside about 3/4th of the way around so I split it into two.  Here is right side:
> 
> View attachment 280306
> 
> And here is left side.
> 
> View attachment 280307
> 
> After rolling through 300, we entered 1400 and picked up some hitchhiking ghosts at this site.
> 
> View attachment 280308
> 
> Getting Joe and his daughter, we didn't have to ride far to see a pirate ship set up at the site near the 1400 comfort station that backs up to the sing along campfire area.
> 
> View attachment 280309
> 
> View attachment 280310
> 
> Then it was into the 1600-1900 cluster where in 1600 just past Terri is a Haunted Mansion house being built.  Soft opening tomorrow with actors and walk through frights on Halloween night.  The outside green lights are like the HM lights and you can see the white lights inside that it's still a work in progress.
> 
> View attachment 280311
> 
> This was a long string of inflatables in 1700.
> 
> View attachment 280312
> 
> I have put an orange bulb and a mask on my Mickey Globe light and hung some orange and purple lights around my EZ ups.
> 
> View attachment 280314
> 
> People are looping in carts and on foot at night.  It's a very active time.
> 
> garneska, I'm planning on a little 5k run tomorrow.  Gonna do the loop that goes down to WL via the exercise trail, across World Drive to the TTC, under the waterway past the Contemporary to the MK entrance (as close as I can get now with the new security, and then to the back of the Contemporary.  Walk to the dock, catch the boat to the Fort, and back to my spot.
> 
> Bama Ed
> 
> PS - can anyone tell my why my tent camping neighbors leave their tv on in their screen room and then head out for the night?  It's playing "Circle of Life" and there is no one watching it.  But hey, they left out all their liquor bottles too so there is that....



We went through the haunted house last year, very neat, they definitely put a lot of time and effort in it. They have been putting it together since we got here on Friday.

Ed, we drove by your site, but you were out looping. We may have passed you on the road somewhere.


----------



## garneska

Enjoy the 5k. My hip is not so great, but am doing treadmill runs at the moment to keep off the hills. I have started physical therapy so hoping to get on track soon.  Enjoying all the pic. Am looking forward to my trip in three weeks.


----------



## tltay2005

Forgot to tell you all earlier, but for dinner we used the feature on the MDE to preorder and pay for our food and then pick it up. Much faster and less hassle than waiting in line. Will be using it for all QS meals in the future where it is available.


----------



## tiggerdad

Ed, would be a shame to slip over there, accidentally trip on the cord and unplug it all then, just because it is possible, you might have a bottle of liquor fall into your pocket and you not discover it until you were back inside the Aliner.

I mean, it could happen...


----------



## bama_ed

tiggerdad said:


> Ed, would be a shame to slip over there, accidentally trip on the cord and unplug it all then, just because it is possible, you might have a bottle of liquor fall into your pocket and you not discover it until you were back inside the Aliner.
> 
> I mean, it could happen...



Let's just say the squirrels told me where the tv's OFF switch was .... 

PS - I can hear the EWP at WL now.  It will be here in a few minutes even LOUDER.


----------



## PrincessCooper's Mom

Thanks for the Ocala rest stop information!!!


----------



## 4077

So close and now yet so far up here in Lake Mary....I think you said you could sleep 3 in the A-liner, Ed....


----------



## 4077

I know sometimes you have to wait for the site to become available....however, I think the length of the wait time for these fine folks was a bit ridiculous!


----------



## Flametamr

Had a great golf cart ride with BamaEd and Mr Ed his Dad. They dropped us a Pioneer Hall so I could get a chicken dinner to go. After taking the wrong bus we finally made it back and ate. He are pictures I promised. First is my site 1402 before decorating but after washing things. the second is the Mickey Light with the cool Jack Skellington decal Steve sent me. I love it.


----------



## Flametamr

4077 said:


> So close and now yet so far up here in Lake Mary....I think you said you could sleep 3 in the A-liner, Ed....



We have room for one more in my big camper. I have a fold out queen bed with a deluxe air mattress you're welcome to.


----------



## 4077

Flametamr said:


> We have room for one more in my big camper. I have a fold out queen bed with a deluxe air mattress you're welcome to.



That probably makes more sense! However, I suppose I should stay up here in the hotel my company paid for....sounds like Bama and Mr. Ed's golf cart is really getting used well for all of us hitch hikers so far ! Hope the takeout was good....sorry got your message too late to join at dinner...would have been fun...at least you got to go looping instead


----------



## SouthAlabama5er

Glad everyone had a safe trip in. Enjoying reading alone on this TR at 1 am while I'm offshore working well grilling some hot dogs now, just as good as popcorn Tiggerdad but when you don't have any popcorn..., I see know when is the best time to go and meet fellow DIS'ers.


----------



## Flametamr

Hey Randy, Yes there are plenty of Disers here. Hope to meet them all. Also many from a Facebook page I'm on. Got up this morning enjoying the cool crip air watching the Fort slowly come to life while drinking coffee from my favorite Mickey mug.


----------



## bama_ed

Good Monday morning all!

I hope you folks are up for more pics.  My new method that works best for me in this post-Photobucket world is as follows:  take pix on my Android phone (proper sized), go to the Gallery later to choose the pictures to share, and attach them to an email I send myself on the gmail account.  Then I go to my Chromebook and open Gmail and they're there - it's almost instantaneous.  Download them and it's ready to post.  I have found this easier, even though more steps, than posting directly from the phone.

Anyway last night I checked out the Sleepy Hollow scene (no tickets for it) but more how it was set up at the Fort.  At the Settlement bus stop walking toward Pioneer Hall, you see the first sign:



Out front of the Horse Barn you see this:



The entrance of the barn looks like this just inside the big sliding doors:



Now this morning I set off down the exercise trail about 545am in the dark and could hear music coming from the MK.  They were practicing/running through a Christmas show/parade/MVMCP whatever because I distinctly heard a song that was Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas" and then I also heard Goofy's voice say very clearly, "Ho Ho Ho Here We Go".  The sound stopped a little after 615am.

After the TTC I followed World Drive under the water way past the Contemp:



And close to Space Mountain:



Teamubr, after I finished the run I cooled down at the Contemporary and followed your advice and located your fireworks viewing location - or someplace close to it (thanks for the advice - going to try it out this trip):



The sun was beginning to rise in the east (you can see Venus up in the night sky):



By the time I got to the Contemp pier it was getting brighter (note the boat from WL coming in on the right side):



By the time my Fort boat came, it was a strong contrast of darkness and light over Discovery Island:



This morning here sitting next to Times Square, tltay2005 and her DH stopped by this morning to chat.  Nice to revisit with them.

Now clean up, breakfast, and golf cart decorating.  49F this morning, btw, 57F now clear blue sky and beautiful.

Bama Ed


----------



## mich1073

bama_ed said:


> Let's just say the squirrels told me where the tv's OFF switch was ....
> 
> PS - I can hear the EWP at WL now.  It will be here in a few minutes even LOUDER.


We heard it several times last night while we were looping, we waved when we drove by Ed. Not that you saw us.

Which dis'er is the organ golf cart? Loved them last year and saw it with a disboards sign behind it at a site last night.

We are set up finally in 409 right before dark last night. A box of decorations did not make it. But alot did, so it's a Nightmare Before Christmas Halloween Town and your welcome to stop by and say hi!!! Even offer you a beer if you want one.


----------



## mich1073




----------



## bama_ed

It's 1230pm and the cart is as decorated as it's going to get.  I had enough random stuff to stick on it so that it won't be the WORST decorated cart in the parade.  (at least I hope).

We went out for a spin on this cool, bright, blue, breezy day and afterwards dad noticed a lime/orange tree growing next to the sidewalk between 100 loop and the Settlement bus depot.  It was bearing fruit but the lower fruit had already been picked (as the saying goes).  So together we worked it out.

Here is the location-look at the top and you can see a round fruit in the sun:

 

 

Mission accomplished.

 

And the two are back at the site with us.

 

Lunch and then prep for the pet parade, golf cart parade, and turn in the pumpkin for judging.  Then comes all the night activities.

Bama Ed


----------



## tltay2005

bama_ed said:


> It's 1230pm and the cart is as decorated as it's going to get.  I had enough random stuff to stick on it so that it won't be the WORST decorated cart in the parade.  (at least I hope).
> 
> We went out for a spin on this cool, bright, blue, breezy day and afterwards dad noticed a lime/orange tree growing next to the sidewalk between 100 loop and the Settlement bus depot.  It was bearing fruit but the lower fruit had already been picked (as the saying goes).  So together we worked it out.
> 
> Here is the location-look at the top and you can see a round fruit in the sun:
> 
> View attachment 280418
> 
> View attachment 280419
> 
> Mission accomplished.
> 
> View attachment 280420
> 
> And the two are back at the site with us.
> 
> View attachment 280421
> 
> Lunch and then prep for the pet parade, golf cart parade, and turn in the pumpkin for judging.  Then comes all the night activities.
> 
> Bama Ed



We are at our site, I have some extra stuff for your cart, come by if you have time.


----------



## dalir

tiggerdad said:


> I use same one. Ed mentioned the marker.
> 
> It has three separate parking areas with the one in back being for RV and trucks pulling trailers. Big rigs get the front parking lot closest to the interstate. 24 hour security and EXACTLY one hour from FW if you come in on the Western Way.



We tried this after reading about it here and spent a few hours here on our trip down in early October.  We didn't pull in until around 3:00am and the semi lot was full and overflowed into the RV lot.  We found a spot, but it was like driving through a corn maze.  This was the first time pulling our new camper to The Fort; rest areas have a whole new meaning when you can crawl into a bed.

The stop near Ocala is MM 346, and we found it to be closer to an hour and 15 minutes; my old truck can't pull the new camper that fast.  We pulled into The Fort about 7:30am and were rewarded with site 1809, on the canal with the deer and turkeys.


----------



## tltay2005

Another early morning ride to watch the sunrise and the wildlife. So peaceful and beautiful. Had a great visit with Ed and his dad after our ride. We headed off to DS for some lunch and window shopping. We ate at the Polite Pig, it was very good. We are now back at camp relaxing and waiting for the parade and nighttime activities.


----------



## tltay2005

Forgot to post these earlier, but they are from our chilly ride last night. Didn't get too many pictures as I didn't want to take my hands out of my pockets, lol.


----------



## tiggerdad

tltay2005 said:


> Forgot to post these earlier, but they are from our chilly ride last night. Didn't get too many pictures as I didn't want to take my hands out of my pockets, lol.
> View attachment 280446 View attachment 280447 View attachment 280448 View attachment 280449



That second picture is my kinda decorations.  I like some good humor.


----------



## tripleb

Yep, I like the second picture also ... reminds me of college days ... not me of course


----------



## tltay2005

My new campsite buddy, she take peanuts right from my hand.


----------



## tiggerdad

tltay2005 said:


> View attachment 280531 My new campsite buddy, she take peanuts right from my hand.



Kaboom!  Best picture yet!  

That's Maybelle, she's pretty laid back.  She got this occasional nervous tic that makes her fall off branches from time to time but otherwise a pretty good girl.


----------



## FtW Mike

dalir said:


> We tried this after reading about it here and spent a few hours here on our trip down in early October.  We didn't pull in until around 3:00am and the semi lot was full and overflowed into the RV lot.  We found a spot, but it was like driving through a corn maze.  This was the first time pulling our new camper to The Fort; rest areas have a whole new meaning when you can crawl into a bed.
> 
> The stop near Ocala is MM 346, and we found it to be closer to an hour and 15 minutes; my old truck can't pull the new camper that fast.  We pulled into The Fort about 7:30am and were rewarded with site 1809, on the canal with the deer and turkeys.


 Dalir  be careful  When we were in 1811 2 sites opposite you we watched every morning the Turkeys cross the canal and come into the area right in front of your site


----------



## bama_ed

Real quick, great golf cart parade.  More later.

Here are the top two golf carts in each category on display down by TE.

Top 2 in Fort themed - a replica of the Fort Food Truck and a cart full of Fort Life Guards (they did a dance step together for the judges):

 

Top 2 Overall - Steamboat Willie (who was right behind my cart the whole way) and The Mad Hatter (with a live actor as the Hatter):

 

 

Top 2 Disney Themed:  Wall-E and a Moana? boat:

 

Also some terrific cut-throat submissions in the pumpkin decorating category.  More on all these later.  Beach bash in a few minutes.

Bama Ed


----------



## snowmedic

bama_ed said:


> I have checked in, got my golf cart early, and enjoying the dark morning fog.



Would that happed to be a Disney cart, and if so how, other than being royalty, did you get it that early?  At least one inquiring mind wants to know.

Great job on the pics and the TR.  Sorry to hear that it is cold down there,      at least to you southerners anyway.


----------



## Teamubr

bama_ed said:


> It's 1230pm and the cart is as decorated as it's going to get.  I had enough random stuff to stick on it so that it won't be the WORST decorated cart in the parade.  (at least I hope).


No pics of your cart? 

Great other pics though. There are some really creative people out there.

j


----------



## PaHunter

bama_ed said:


> Real quick, great golf cart parade.  More later.
> 
> Here are the top two golf carts in each category on display down by TE.
> 
> Top 2 in Fort themed - a replica of the Fort Food Truck and a cart full of Fort Life Guards (they did a dance step together for the judges):
> 
> View attachment 280575
> 
> Top 2 Overall - Steamboat Willie (who was right behind my cart the whole way) and The Mad Hatter (with a live actor as the Hatter):
> 
> View attachment 280576
> 
> View attachment 280577
> 
> Top 2 Disney Themed:  Wall-E and a Moana? boat:
> 
> View attachment 280579
> 
> Also some terrific cut-throat submissions in the pumpkin decorating category.  More on all these later.  Beach bash in a few minutes.
> 
> Bama Ed



The guy as the Hatbox ghost is very cool. Of course it is from the Disneyland Haunted Mansion, so they are on the wrong coast, but awesome just the same.


----------



## bama_ed

snowmedic said:


> Would that happed to be a Disney cart, and if so how, other than being royalty, did you get it that early?  At least one inquiring mind wants to know.
> 
> Great job on the pics and the TR.  Sorry to hear that it is cold down there,      at least to you southerners anyway.



It was a Disney cart and I'm not ashamed to say it, I used the charm offensive.

Dad and I walked in the lobby at 630am (no text because the loop had been full the night before) and it was empty except for a Cast Member and a Manager.  So I said I was there to check in and get a golf cart.  The CM said alright we can check you in but gc pickup is 1pm.  Oh okay, I says.  The CM was from Atlanta GA on her name tag so I kibitzed about the GA-FL game the day before.  And I was wearing a Boy Scout t-shirt and the Manager said she was from a big time Scouting family and knew a lot about it so we kibitzed on that topic.

I knew I would probably have to wait for the site but then I played dumb (not hard) and asked how did the GC pick up work (where, when, whom to see).  The Manager lady waved her hand and said, "let me see what I can do now".

BOOM!  At 640am I had a cart.  And in my best hang dog look and sad eyes, I did have my elderly father to wait with. 

On to cart, cart, cart pictures and stories.

Bama Ed


----------



## bama_ed

So as I posted earlier in this thread, I am a "one and done" Fort Halloween guest.  That means as it pertained to the golf cart parade, I was willing to shell out a minimal investment.  My plan, then, was to settle for the best decorations Dollar General had to offer.  I didn't have to be the best decorated cart in the parade but I didn't want to be the worst either.  tltay2005 had a leftover decoration that I put on the roof.

Anyway, here it was:

 

 

  

And here is Terri's roof top addition:

 

A big ol hairy spider.

Dad drove the cart in the parade and I rode shotgun.  Flametamr and his DD rode in back throwing candy and waving.

We picked them up and headed for the hitch un-hitch area to line up.  As I said, Steamboat Willie was right behind me.




 



There were so many carts and so many were very clever.  Here was the scene lining up.

 

More to come.

Bama Ed


----------



## bama_ed

I've already posted the finalists for the GC competitions earlier.  But I do want to say hello here to a fellow DIS'ser.

All the time we've been here and gone through 700 loop, there was a trailer with a DIS sign for our guy FLBBQMAN and a very distinctive cart.  But nobody's ever been outside, etc. to stop and chat with.  But in the parade lineup I saw the cart and asked if he was Ryan, his name that he has used with his DIS name occasionally, and he said he was so I introduced myself.  A very nice man, I met his DW while waiting too, and I asked if I could take his picture.  Love his GC.  He's been in past Halloween gc parades and hopefully we can get this year's posted soon too.  So here he is.



Ryan, nice to meet you.  Please come by 125 some time and chat when we're not so busy.

I will add that I was in costume during the GC parade.  Again, a Dollar General original. 



Before the GC I forgot to say there was the pet parade at the dog park.  Everybody checked in and lined up:



It was cute.



The little guy below had a little stuffed horse jockey on top of his back.





Parking was tight for the pet parade.  They used the interior of 300 loop....





It's 9pm now and fireworks are going off.  Gonna check in at home then head back for the Beach Bash to hear the winners of the pet, GC, and site decorating contests announced.

Bama Ed

PS - that makes seven DIS'sers I've met and spoken with here this trip.


----------



## FtW Mike

Ed I've been to 8 county fairs and one goat rodeo and I ain't never seen such cart .  Did your dad dress as Rick Grimes and you as his son Carl  Right Coral


----------



## dalir

FtW Mike said:


> Dalir  be careful  When we were in 1811 2 sites opposite you we watched every morning the Turkeys cross the canal and come into the area right in front of your site


They came within 2 feet of us!  A whole bunch strolled right between the camper and the picnic table!!  We also say deer just a little bit further away!!  Loved it!


----------



## tiggerdad

Ed, I thought you said you bought a costume...


----------



## FtW Mike

We saw the deer across the canal every morning and evening while we walked the Girls  Funny story   WookieBear was being a selfish girl one morning and wouldn't go for more Daddy time.  We went to far end and while were there the Turkeys came over.  When we finally headed for the coach we made the opening and there were 3 still behind the bush in front of your site.  We passed the bush and they took off Scaring more urine out of her than I had ever seen her pass


----------



## Teamubr

Great looking cart Ed. Not Top Tier, but honorable... Much better than I would have come up with.

Nice job tracking down FLBBQMAN. 

Looks like a great DIS Meet/trip.

j


----------



## FtW Mike

tiggerdad said:


> Ed, I thought you said you bought a costume...


 I thought for sure he was going to be Carl or  at least be Carol


----------



## bama_ed

tiggerdad said:


> Ed, I thought you said you bought a costume...



What were you expecting?  Captain Jack Sparrow?  I know how to say, "what happened to all the rum?" if need be.  

I'll list the pet, site, pumpkin, and GC winners in the morning.  Wrote them all down at the Beach Bash.

Bama Ed

MORNING EDIT - Dad tells me I missed the joke.  Yes, that is my normal parenting look that goes with the phrase:  "you did WHAT to the car?".


----------



## bama_ed

Good morning.  Dad went on a walk-a-bout so I am holding off on cooking breakfast to provide the results from last night's big competitions:

Best Golf Carts (refer to prior page post #771 for pix):


Best Disney themed:  Wall-E
Best Fort Wilderness themed:  Food Truck
Best Overall themed:  Steamboat Willie (who, again, was immediately behind my cart in the parade-heard Willie whistling the whole way)
Pet Parade Awards (I have no pix of specific dogs just the earlier "atmosphere photos"


Best Halloween Costume:  Skeleton Dave #81
Best Funny Costume:  Gumball Machine #84
Best Disney Costume:  Little Mermaid #64

Pumpkin Decorations


3rd place:  #44 (no picture, was a late arrival)
2nd place:  #17 apple
 


1st place:  Pulling face open (guy in loop 200 submitted this.  talked to him as we were walking back.  got idea off internet).


Best Site Decorations:


Fort Wilderness themed:  #358 Haunted Fort Wilderness (will try to get around to it today)
Disney themed:  #1459 Beauty and the Beast (they had the music playing from B&B)
 

 


Overall themed:  #1435 Pirates (I have a picture in an earlier page with skeleton at the ship's wheel).  Might get a daylight photo today.
Next a couple more pictures from yesterday after the golf cart parade.

Pumpkins that spell out "Fort Wilderness" in front of the Settlement TP:

 

The Halloween tie dye activity down at the marina before the Beach Bash (no idea on cost): 

 

Sun setting through the Spanish moss:

 

Beach Bash about 945 pm (my back to lake.  it was set up with a dj who had loud thumping jumping music and a stage next to the boat rental bldg)

 

Parking for the drive in golf cart movie behind TE.  It was hoppin'.

 

Time for some breakfast.  Dad is back.

Bama Ed


----------



## JETS70

on the pics Ed.


----------



## tiggerdad

That pumpkin carved like an apple was a pretty darn good idea.  Haven't seen that one before.  I've seen the carvings with the "pulling" open before, but his does have a little more detail than the ones I've seen.

Good work Ed


----------



## ilovedisneymm

Loving the report Ed.  Thank you is just not enough for all you have posted.  I haven't read up on the October report for a couple days and had 80 updates to read on. Love seeing all the pictures and details on the Halloween festivities. 

Happy Halloween!


----------



## bama_ed

This morning is very relaxing.  After getting checked in on Sunday, setting up, then on Monday decorating and the parade plus, today is a down day until later this evening.

After breakfast I ran some Fort errands and did the following.

First I went to loop 300 to see the site decoration winner in the Fort Wilderness category.  Left side, right side, then center close up.

 

 

 

Next I went to 1400 to take a daytime photo of the Pirates site decoration winner.

 

However, just before it (Big Bear Circle, on the inside, about 2/3 way around) is a good display in the FW theme.  It's a haunted FW campfire singalong.

 

 

 

That will probably be me in the crowd in another 50 years...

The Bike Barn and Meadow TP area was buzzing with families working on crafts and the Fort Scavenger Hunt (got a copy):

 

The DIS-Fort Wilderness Scavenger Hunt tie breaker is to find these:

 

It started out cool but is warming up nicely.  Temps should be in the 70s today and mid 50s tonight.  But at 1030 there were 4 lifeguards working the pool for zero swimmers.

 

Bama Ed


----------



## bama_ed




----------



## JETS70

bama_ed said:


> View attachment 280767



Again........

Are you and your dad going to visit a park or is this a Fort trip only? I have been trying to get my parents to the Fort for a long time. I know they would love just spending time at the Fort. And eating at Trails End and sitting on the porch and looping and meeting other Fort campers and the Campfire Sing a Long and seeing the horses and taking a boat ride across Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon and watching fireworks from the beach and...................


----------



## Teamubr

bama_ed said:


> there were 4 lifeguards working the pool for zero swimmers.
> 
> View attachment 280765


I think the stocking cap says it all. 

Thanks for all the pics. It looks like a great day at the Fort and lots and lots going on. Fun time to be there.

j


----------



## tiggerdad

Those blasted initials!  I refuse to let anybody tell me where they are.  Every time I'm there I spend some time looking for them.


----------



## bama_ed

Absolutely beautiful Halloween Day at Fort Wilderness.  It's 74F, blue sky, warm, and I haven't seen a bug or skeeter since we got here.

Before lunch today Dad and I went for a little joyride via boat and monorail with the plan to ride to EPCOT and back (which we did).  Sure was relaxing.

 

By the way, while I am type this I am listening to a bluegrass album that has four songs that play on the background loop at the Fort - Bela Fleck's The Bluegrass Sessions - Tales from the Acoustic Planet Volume 2.

When you get off the big boat at the MK dock from the Fort, there are two security gates.  It moved very quickly.

 

The MK has a Mickey's Not So Scary tonight and tomorrow night so it is all decked out in orange.

 

As I said, we were just joyriding so we didn't go in MK.  But we did head over to the monorail station to ride to the TTC and transfer to the EPCOT line.

When we were riding back, I got two pix of the construction work around the MK Toll Booths.  Here you can see the flyovers being built to take hotel resort guests to their destination directly without going through the toll booths.  At the bottom you can see the ramp that's pulling off for Fort Wilderness.  Note it already has a bar over it to prevent Randy from loading his golf cart on top of his toy hauler.  

 

In the next picture you can see the new ramp just to the right of the retention pond and to the right of that is the old straight line ramp that ran to the STOL runway.  It will be nice not having to go through the booths and try to GET RIGHT RIGHT NOW for the turn onto Vista Blvd.

 

It was warm and sunny enough to sit up front in the boat leaving MK to go back to the Fort.

 

Like serenitygr says, coming into the Fort dock feels like returning home.

 

There were swimmers in the pool this afternoon.  The lifeguards had put away their stocking caps and jackets for Ray Bans and Coppertone.

 

The limbo contest was just getting started on the pool deck.  Maybe we should incorporate this activity into the Gulf Shores DISmeet?  It would definitely be entertaining!

 

A Bama Ed Fort trip wouldn't be complete without a Meadow Trading Post domestic 6-pack beer price update.  $16 now.

 

Things are calm here.  It's the calm before the storm.

Bama Ed


----------



## bama_ed




----------



## bama_ed

tiggerdad said:


> Those blasted initials!  I refuse to let anybody tell me where they are.  Every time I'm there I spend some time looking for them.


----------



## bama_ed

JETS70 said:


> Again........
> 
> Are you and your dad going to visit a park or is this a Fort trip only? I have been trying to get my parents to the Fort for a long time. I know they would love just spending time at the Fort. And eating at Trails End and sitting on the porch and looping and meeting other Fort campers and the Campfire Sing a Long and seeing the horses and taking a boat ride across Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon and watching fireworks from the beach and...................



Steve, Thursday is our only park day at MK.  It has the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween special ticket events tonight (10/31) and tomorrow night too (11/1).  When that party is done, the Halloween decorations come down and the MK Christmas decorations go up the same night because the Disney Christmas special ticket event party starts in a week.  So we will be in the MK the first day they have the Christmas decorations up.  No rush to do parks and a vacation to me should be relaxing.  We have things to do tomorrow but no time clock to punch.

We bought 1-day MK tix today for Thursday and I just made us FP+ for the afternoon two days out.  We have ADR's for lunch and dinner (splurge) but I purposely waited till now to do tix and FP+.  It feels more like an old fashioned WDW vacation that way - not as hyper-scheduled so far in advance.  ADR's were my only concession to that.

I have a purpose to my MK visit that I will share later and I have been given orders by DD to come home with some rose-and-gold Mickey ears so it won't be completely free wheeling but mostly so.

Bama Ed


----------



## tltay2005

We enjoyed our last night at the Fort. We had a great time in the parade, lots of very well done carts. Our was a Halloween theme.
  

After the parade we went back to camp and made a quick dinner, then it was off to the beach for the party. Voted on the pumpkins then had a moonshine berry drink, very good, but way to much ice and not enough liquid, lol.
 
 

After we walke the nature trail behind the trading post and watched the last sunset of this trip.

 

We took one last trip to look at the decorated sites, then headed back to our site.


----------



## tltay2005

Double post


----------



## tltay2005

Worst morning of the trip.....packing to go home. My little friend was sad to see us go too.
 

Well that's all for this trip, see you back at the Fort in a couple weeks, we will be back Nov 10th for my birthday weekend.


----------



## bama_ed

I posted this in a separate thread but in the interest of keeping things together, here is the video from yesterday's Halloween golf cart parade.  Again, it's courtesy of Mousesteps / JWL Media. (17 min).






My cart is immediately in front of the overall winner, Steamboat Willie.

Bama Ed


----------



## PaHunter

bama_ed said:


> Absolutely beautiful Halloween Day at Fort Wilderness.  It's 74F, blue sky, warm, and I haven't seen a bug or skeeter since we got here.
> 
> Before lunch today Dad and I went for a little joyride via boat and monorail with the plan to ride to EPCOT and back (which we did).  Sure was relaxing.
> 
> View attachment 280809
> 
> By the way, while I am type this I am listening to a bluegrass album that has four songs that play on the background loop at the Fort - Bela Fleck's The Bluegrass Sessions - Tales from the Acoustic Planet Volume 2.
> 
> When you get off the big boat at the MK dock from the Fort, there are two security gates.  It moved very quickly.
> 
> View attachment 280810
> 
> The MK has a Mickey's Not So Scary tonight and tomorrow night so it is all decked out in orange.
> 
> View attachment 280812
> 
> As I said, we were just joyriding so we didn't go in MK.  But we did head over to the monorail station to ride to the TTC and transfer to the EPCOT line.
> 
> When we were riding back, I got two pix of the construction work around the MK Toll Booths.  Here you can see the flyovers being built to take hotel resort guests to their destination directly without going through the toll booths.  At the bottom you can see the ramp that's pulling off for Fort Wilderness.  Note it already has a bar over it to prevent Randy from loading his golf cart on top of his toy hauler.
> 
> View attachment 280816
> 
> In the next picture you can see the new ramp just to the right of the retention pond and to the right of that is the old straight line ramp that ran to the STOL runway.  It will be nice not having to go through the booths and try to GET RIGHT RIGHT NOW for the turn onto Vista Blvd.
> 
> View attachment 280817
> 
> It was warm and sunny enough to sit up front in the boat leaving MK to go back to the Fort.
> 
> View attachment 280818
> 
> Like serenitygr says, coming into the Fort dock feels like returning home.
> 
> View attachment 280819
> 
> There were swimmers in the pool this afternoon.  The lifeguards had put away their stocking caps and jackets for Ray Bans and Coppertone.
> 
> View attachment 280820
> 
> The limbo contest was just getting started on the pool deck.  Maybe we should incorporate this activity into the Gulf Shores DISmeet?  It would definitely be entertaining!
> 
> View attachment 280821
> 
> A Bama Ed Fort trip wouldn't be complete without a Meadow Trading Post domestic 6-pack beer price update.  $16 now.
> 
> View attachment 280822
> 
> Things are calm here.  It's the calm before the storm.
> 
> Bama Ed



Glad to see that ramp coming along. It was all just dirt when we were there and no poles with crossbar. See they have paved some of it. Nice.


----------



## 4077

Plane is back in hangar at home in CT and made it to my home in time to see some of kids trick or treating...not the Fort, but it was the only thing that could beat it...Family 

Thanks for the great meet up all!! Enjoy the rest of your time for those still there and I’m ready to keep following along from afar....


----------



## bama_ed

Wow!  Trick or treating is over at the Fort and it has been a whirlwind for 2.5 hours.  Sunset is at 645pm but ToT started at our site around 610pm and went until about 845pm in loop 100.  I think Halloween being on a Tuesday cut down on numbers (the prior three years had been Friday, Saturday, then Sunday nights).  We had 500 pieces of M&M's, Snickers, 3Muskateers, Twix, and Milky Way to hand out and have 20 left.  We gave out 1 per person (small pieces) and there were lots of folks!

For those (like me) who have never been, here is what I saw.

Folks set up a small table near the loop road in the front of your site.  Some decorate it with some symbol of Halloween but it's not elaborate.  You man the station and hand out candy till it's gone.  It's like watching a marathon race.  Once people start coming by, they keep coming by for a long time until all of a sudden it's finally over.  Nobody else is coming by.

Here was my give-away table.

 

At first the ToT folks are few and far between as the sun sets.



The first ToT kids are young and polite.  (Photo below taken with permission):

 

Then the crowd coming by is a little heavier.  Kids getting candy and parents in the road watching.

 

And then around the curve the wave starts.

 

And it builds.

 

As it gets darker (and pictures blur) the golf carts start circling.

 

Now the floodgates have opened.

 

Let's finish up ToT in the next post.

Bama Ed


----------



## bama_ed

For a while ToT is a blur of kids and candy.  I ask them to say "Trick or treat" before I drop candy in the bag but I will drop for "Happy Halloween".  Digging in the candy bowl is a big no-no if I am dealing with other kids at that second.  Wait 3 seconds and we will make us both happy.

By the way, the last few days I have noticed a greater presence of Disney management (name tags on stringers around the neck with the blue tooth ear piece, short haircuts, and bell bottom pants) and the Orange County Sheriff Deputies (no joking here) to make sure things run smoothly.  When the Popo is on your side, the chances are things run smoothly.

The longest break I had tonight was maybe 30 seconds between the waves of kids.  I grabbed my camera and looked to my right to the 100/200 intersection by the Comfort Station and it was fluid dynamics in motion.

 

It's hard to see at night but the stream of people walking in the direction that cars drive was heavy and constant for about 90 minutes.

 

The bigger kids are coming now, taller and with deeper voices and better costumes.  And golf carts are shuttling kids into the loop since they're probably on their 4th or 11th loop by now.

 

And then the wave ends.  

Just like that.

A few more trickle past and I offer chocolate to the parents to help get rid of it (if it is left here I will eat in within a day or two).  Better to give it away.

I have one thing left to say in the next post.

Bama Ed


----------



## bama_ed

Earlier in my posts, I think I said I had talked and said hello to seven DIS'sers face to face.

Tonight, during ToT, I saw five more.  

Some were names I hadn't heard from in nearly five years.

Others were posters I met a long time ago, saw frequently, but they haven't posted in over five years.

There are folks that came on the Camping Board and asked a question you would know the answer to in your sleep.  But no one responded.  Until you did.

One you might have met on your last trip to the Fort - they're here again.

And another might be someone who's been on the DIS for years but not on the Camping Board and wanted to know what this whole "Fort Wilderness thing" is all about.

I love meeting folks, talking, and shaking hands.  It comes from my years working in Sales.  DIS folks have all been great to meet and talk to.  So in some combination of names and references, I promised to give a shout out tonight to those five DIS'sers I met tonight.


Mike from Michigan was someone I helped with getting a Musket Mickey sign.  I remembered his handle and he remembered mine.  He and DW came around in a golf cart (they are staying DVC this trip), saw my DIS sign, and we chatted.  I helped him five years ago.  What a nice couple.
Mickeyfan/Marty came by with his family ToT and thanked me and all of you for helping him get ready for this Fort trip.  He had his family with him and I said our job is to make your dad look good and give you kids a great Fort experience.  
Ozgood/Paula is a runner from Wisconsin that I met back in January with her family and is here for Halloween.  She's running a race in November and was a recent DIS meet buddy.
DisneyStarWisher is a DIS'ser who came on the Camping Board recently asking questions about visiting the Fort during Halloween.  She and DH just wanted to visit the Fort for the day/night.  We talked Aliners at the candy table and they walked off before they put 2-and-2 together with my DIS sign and came back to say who they were and connect on the DIS level.  Of course I remembered them. 
I saved fifth place for our poster FSU_ED who hasn't posted here in years.  But I met him many years ago (when he did) and it seems like I see him and his family every other trip or so here at the Fort.  Of course with a name like Ed I like him but he and his family are really nice.  His two girls I have literally watched grow up as they stop to visit.  I have tried to shame him in the past into posting but to no avail.  Thus I am sure I will see him again soon (although it sounds like we will miss each other by a day this coming January).

Not to get preachy but there are SO MANY folks who read the DIS and "lurk" out there, not posting, but reading and learning and asking questions and soaking up what you folks know.  There's a reason why the October Trip report is nearly 40,000 views as of this time.  The friendly act you do today will pay itself back in spades in the future.  I'm here to testify to it.

Off my soapbox now.  

EWP is done.

The first College Football Playoff poll of the 2017 season is out tonight and Georgia is #1 and Bama is #2.  WHEW!  I am so glad - I like being an underdog and letting everyone else go gunning for the #1.  All you have to do is be in the top 4 and everything will work itself out for better or worse. If things work out until December the SEC Championship should be another great game like 2012. 

Signing off for tonight.

Bama Ed


----------



## tiggerdad

Well stated Ed.  I've typed it here many times about how many friends I've made over the years because of the Dis.

Great work so far.

Yeah, I like that underdog status too.  Lot of football to be played yet.


----------



## tigger92662

bama_ed said:


> Before lunch today Dad and I went for a little joyride via boat and monorail with the plan to ride to EPCOT and back (which we did). Sure was relaxing.


  Glad you and Dad are having a great time and taking the time as well to post all the great pictures. Oddly enough, I did like the pic of the front entrance tollbooth. I was curious how that construction was going. Thanks for keeping the rest of us motivated.


----------



## bama_ed

Now that it's November 1, I'll move my postings to the November TR.  But today is a down day and since the Halloween stuff at the Fort is over, it's time to relax.

Bama Ed


----------



## Teamubr

Well said, Ed. 

These forums really create their own "communities". The Camping Forum is one of the nicest, helpful communities on the internet. Meeting others you have only typed at can be fun and intimidating, but I have developed some life long friendships through the years by communicating through a keyboard. 

Now the torch is handed to the November group. The October folks have set the bar pretty high. It has been everyone's posts and pictures that have helped with the post-trip depression. That and knowing I'll be back in February/March. 

Is it too early to start a February Pre-trip topic?

j


----------



## ilovedisneymm

Yes, very well said. Sure do appreciate you active role in this forum and everything you have posted thus far.  Reading your reports provides a picture perfect view of everything going on down there right now.  Ed, your doing such a great job with this report that your almost a live stream! No need for live streaming folks, no need.  We have a bama here...Bama Ed (and dad)!

Enjoy your down day.


----------



## tltay2005

I have to agree with Ed, more FW security was around than I have ever seen in the past.  Also saw the Orlando Sheriff officers the night of the beach bash.  May in part be the fact the the FB group had many complaints of thefts from their sights and the two TAs that run it had a meeting with Fort management.


----------



## Flametamr

Well Disney is over for us. Unfortunately the weather change did in my daughter. She got very sick and had to go on her breathing machines. We stayed for trick or treating and left early this morning.  Thanks to BamaEd for letting us ride in the cart parade. That was about all the fun we had.


----------



## JETS70

Joe, I hate to hear about your DD. I am sure that she had a great time while at Disney and the Fort for Halloween. (along with being chauffeured by @bama_ed for the golf cart parade) In talking with her, you can sense her passion for all things Disney. She is lucky to have a dad that shares that same passion. Hope she is better soon and that you have a safe trip back home.

Steve


----------



## garneska

Joe, hope your daughter feels better. Bummer you had to cut your trip short but hopefully she is better quick.


----------



## DIZNYCHERYL

Ed, it was great meeting you in person today. Just had to bring Skeeter by to say hello, your trip wouldn't have been complete without seeing at least one! Great thanks to you and other camping board experts that share the knowledge so others have great trips. Being DVC members we've only stayed at the Fort 7 times, but we wouldn't have even experienced this outdoor "world" if it wasn't for folks like you.


----------



## bama_ed

Cheryl,

It was great to meet you and DH Keith and Skeeter (so yes I have seen one but he was so well behaved - Skeeter that is). 

We have lots of great people on the Camping Board ready to share their knowledge.  As I told you this afternoon, when it comes to talk of 5th wheelers and RV's I'm pretty mum on the subject.  I defer to those far more knowledgeable than me.  There are lots of folks like me on the DIS - I just happen to be here this year. 

I hope you get to use that Halloween reservation at the Fort next year too.  Keith will have to let those deer in Oklahoma grow a little bigger while he's here in Florida rather than be back home at the start of hunting season.

Now that I've been to Halloween once, I have an idea of what it's like and will have to rely on you and other DIS'sers in future years to tell us how it is because for those of us at home, hearing the stories and seeing the pictures helps us enjoy it just a little bit.

Thanks for visiting and best wishes on the rest of your Florida vacation.  

Bama Ed


----------



## bama_ed

Teamubr said:


> Is it too early to start a February Pre-trip topic?
> 
> j



Nope.  Whatcha waitin' for Teamubr?  

Bama Ed


----------



## PaHunter

Teamubr said:


> Well said, Ed.
> 
> These forums really create their own "communities". The Camping Forum is one of the nicest, helpful communities on the internet. Meeting others you have only typed at can be fun and intimidating, but I have developed some life long friendships through the years by communicating through a keyboard.
> 
> Now the torch is handed to the November group. The October folks have set the bar pretty high. It has been everyone's posts and pictures that have helped with the post-trip depression. That and knowing I'll be back in February/March.
> 
> Is it too early to start a February Pre-trip topic?
> 
> j



Never !!!!


----------



## Jimsig

It was a crazy last few days and just never got the chance to catch up here.

We woke up Friday and had an ADR at 1900PF.  Alice is now my DD fav so this became a must do for us.  We used this ADR as our excuse to ride the monorail.  We took the resort boat to the Contemporary hoped the monorail to the GF.  It was a good buffet breakfast and the made to order omelets were very good.  Also being from the north one thing we lack is an abundance of biscuits and gravy so I made sure to partake in a couple of those   After we got back to the Fort we headed to the pool for a bit.  As we relaxed at the pool DW did some laundry so we would not be going home with all dirty clothes.  The pool was a little more crowded as the weather was nicer then Tuesday but not crowded at all.  Still being knocked for a loop by that bug I spent a few hours at the pool and then went back to the cabin to rest a little before heading to a few things and dinner in Epcot.  Originally Epcot was to close at 9 so I grabbed a perfect 745p ADR at the Rose And Crown for Illuminations but they extended park closing until 10p at some point.  Luckily I was able to change it until 8 and we were able to sit outside and had a great view of Illuminations.

Our plan for Sat was AK in the AM and then hop to MK for the Afternoon.  We had a FP for FOR at AK from 9 to 10a and took advantage of that entire hour after a late night.  I think we scanned in around 955a.  We then hit the character spot so DD could meet Mickey and Minnie and then over to Triceratops Spin as it's DD top AK rides.  After that we headed back to the cabin before hitting MK.  While there we started watching the news and they were taking about how bad the storms would be Sunday afternoon (when we were due to land) into Monday in the Northeast.  JetBlue was offering free flight changes so I headed to the Outpost to check on availability and price.  Not knowing how bad it would be we really didn't want to get to the airport on Sunday and have a delay or cancellation and have to find a place to stay near the airport and be without any sort of transportation.  They had availability at a decent price and we would be able to stay in the same cabin. We made the decision to stay until Tuesday and then it was off to call JetBlue to change flights.  After taking care of that it was off to the MK for our last afternoon/night in the park.  DD finished up the Sorcerer cards and was very happy that she completed the task successfully.  We snagged a couple FP's and it started raining but we had our ponchos and it was off to dinner at BOG.  It was still raining after dinner but we continued and got a couple more FP's, watched the 9p fireworks from the end of Main Street and then the 945 Castle projection.  We had one more FP at Pirates so we then made our way there.  DD and I rode Aladdin as our last ride in the rain.  

Everyone was able to sleep late Sunday, except for me as I had to return the golf cart to Kenny at 7a.  But I was able to go back to sleep when I got back.  We had a lazy morning and I was able to meet @bama_ed and his dad at my cabin.  We talked for a while until he had to get to his ADR at Trails End.  It was then off to the pool for a bit, and then hit Disney Springs for a couple hours.  We headed back to The Fort and grabbed the GAG meal for dinner.

Monday I was up early once again as we decided to rent a car and drive over to the Space Coast and Kennedy Space Center to watch the Space X launch.  We were able to get to the Saturn Rocket Complex to watch the launch which is about 3.5 miles from the launch site, they only allow 3000 people to watch from that location so we headed over at noon from the visitors center for the 334p launch.  It was amazing.  I will try and post pics and the video later.  

Tue was another early morning for me to return the car and then it was back to the cabin until eviction time, nice thing about the early mornings was seeing all the wildlife around The Fort.  We had a 930 DME bus and bell services picked us up at the cabin at 9.  


Well 639 days ago I created a Facebook group for my family about our trip and as of yesterday our trip officially ended when we arrived home.  Until the next trip....


----------



## 4077

Flametamr said:


> Well Disney is over for us. Unfortunately the weather change did in my daughter. She got very sick and had to go on her breathing machines. We stayed for trick or treating and left early this morning.  Thanks to BamaEd for letting us ride in the cart parade. That was about all the fun we had.



Sorry to hear about your daughter's reaction to the weather change and having to  cut short your trip. Good that you got to have fun ride in the golf cart. Hope you both got to enjoy that trick or treat night. Glad I had opportunity to meet you and that you have safe travels home. 

Jim


----------



## Flametamr

Okay so to close my part of this party out. We just got home. It was one of the longest trips home of my Disney obsession. The DD is pretty sick. So we had to make numerous stops to work on her breathing status. She was so sick she even bailed on trick or treating. That is all she lives for. Now that we are home I can give her the right meds to clear her out. She has a very bad respiratory issue going on. As far as our time at the Fort. We only went to MK for about 3 hours. We rode BTMRR and SM. Then we rushed back and made it just as the Eds as in Mr. Ed and BamaEd arrived to take us to the golf cart parade. We loved it and will participate if we make it back next year. Trick or treating was off this year. maybe because it fell on a week day but I officially like 700 way better than 1400 now. We had less kids and I brought two bags home. Now I have to find someone with kids that didn't get enough candy already. I'm looking forward to reading all the fun everyone had and I will be back soon.


----------



## tigger92662

Joe, sorry to hear about your DD's health issues. Pixie Dust to help her get better. 
I'm sure you guys had a great time otherwise thanks to Bama Ed and his Dad.


----------



## Jimsig

So this is what we did Monday on one of our extra days.  






@bama_ed I believe you mentioned something about this


----------



## bama_ed

Jimsig said:


> So this is what we did Monday on one of our extra days.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> @bama_ed I believe you mentioned something about this



I had mentioned it, Jim, and I'm glad you got to see it.  If it launched on time, that means we were lining up for the Halloween Golf Cart parade right about then.

Bama Ed


----------



## Jimsig

bama_ed said:


> I had mentioned it, Jim, and I'm glad you got to see it.  If it launched on time, that means we were lining up for the Halloween Golf Cart parade.
> 
> Bama Ed



Yep launched right on time at 334p.  I was bummed to have missed the golf cart parade but it gives me reason to go back again to the Fort around Halloween


----------



## bama_ed

In this page https://www.disboards.com/threads/official-october-2017-pretrip-and-trip-report.3600058/page-39 in post #761 (the post at the top of the page) I showed a tree and two pieces of citrus that my dad and I pulled down.

After getting home and cutting them up, they taste like grapefruit.  I guess they are growing wild but they aren't lemons, limes, or oranges.  So chalk that up to the experimental method.

I keep looking for adult beverage mixes that use grapefruit and don't come up with much...

Bama Ed


----------



## tigger92662

bama_ed said:


> I keep looking for adult beverage mixes that use grapefruit and don't come up with much...


As Capt. Jack Sparrow would say "Where's the rum?"


----------



## FtW Mike

To paraphrase Ron White  "When life hands you an unknown citrus fruit find a friend that has Vodka and have a PARTY!"


----------



## mickeyfan0805

All I can say is WOW!  I didn't even think about getting onto the boards for the last 2 weeks, as it was a constant flurry of activity, but we could not have dreamed of a better trip.  We have been to WDW 1-2 times a year over the last 10 years and were utterly taken by the experience of camping while we were there!  The serenity of the campground (even at such a particularly busy time) was such a remarkable contrast to the bustling parks that enabled us to more fully enjoy the nature of each.  Simple memories such as sitting on the deck behind the Meadow Trading post eating Mickey ice cream bars will last a LONG time!  

We went into this trip with every assumption that this would be the one time we would make it the 1,300 miles down to FW with our camper and the kids.  Now...not so much!  It will be a few years, but plans are already in the works for an AP year with three separate visits (late summer, December and spring) with the trailer stored somewhere in FL between visits (I'll be back looking for your insights on that when it comes).  Well before we left we (and the kids) were fully convinced that there was simply no way this could be a one-time thing.  

As Ed said in an earlier post, I thank him, and all of you who shared insights, on the time you gave in helping us pull together a landmark first experience that could not have been better!  It will be 2 years and 9 months before I get the camper down to the Fort again, but I will continue to try to be a regular on the boards to share with others what you all have shared with us!


----------



## FtW Mike

Mickeyfan congrats you have had staying where else in WDW ruined.  One stay at The Fort and you are hooked   Don't forget there is a Camping community forum where lots of us also hang out and post about non Disney trips and other stuffs


----------



## mickeyfan0805

FtW Mike said:


> Mickeyfan congrats you have had staying where else in WDW ruined.  One stay at The Fort and you are hooked   Don't forget there is a Camping community forum where lots of us also hang out and post about non Disney trips and other stuffs



Thanks Mike.  I haven't seen that forum.  I'll have to see if I can dig it up!


----------



## friendofeeyore

just now have time to read the Oct fun. Thank you all for the adventure!! See you real soon!!


----------



## Flametamr

Okay I'm happy today. Finally sprung my daughter from the ICU a couple of days ago and started turning my thoughts to next year. Seeing that the Fort is already booked solid I contacted a well know travel agent and she was able to get me the whole week I wanted. We're booked again next year for Saturday 10/27 to Sunday 11/4. Also was able to book my cart with Kenney today so maybe we can decorate and participate with our own cart next year. We look forward to seeing everyone and pray for all of us to stay healthy.


----------



## garneska

Joe glad to hear your daughter is feeling better and I hope that means home.  Am sure you will have a great time next year.


----------



## tigger92662

Glad to hear all is well with your daughter. Sounds like you have next trip under control


----------



## Jimsig

So glad to hear she is feeling better.


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## Teamubr

Joe,

I missed that your daughter landed in the hospital. Glad things are on the mend and you can get back to camping.

j


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## Flametamr

Yes since my daughter has home health nurses they discharge us right from the ICU. Thanks for all the kind words. She is doing much better now and fussing wanting to go back right now. I made the mistake of telling here we would make it up soon. Soon to me is a few months.


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## mich1073

Flametamr said:


> Okay so to close my part of this party out. We just got home. It was one of the longest trips home of my Disney obsession. The DD is pretty sick. So we had to make numerous stops to work on her breathing status. She was so sick she even bailed on trick or treating. That is all she lives for. Now that we are home I can give her the right meds to clear her out. She has a very bad respiratory issue going on. As far as our time at the Fort. We only went to MK for about 3 hours. We rode BTMRR and SM. Then we rushed back and made it just as the Eds as in Mr. Ed and BamaEd arrived to take us to the golf cart parade. We loved it and will participate if we make it back next year. Trick or treating was off this year. maybe because it fell on a week day but I officially like 700 way better than 1400 now. We had less kids and I brought two bags home. Now I have to find someone with kids that didn't get enough candy already. I'm looking forward to reading all the fun everyone had and I will be back soon.


We ToTed last year at 7o0 and it was standing room only. Also 400 was too. It was no where near as insane as last year. I think it being later made less locals or maybe they were patrolling the locals out more. Not sure but while it was still awesome it was not nearly as crazy.

Sorry your daughter missed out and felt so horrible. I am so glad my daughters lungs have slowly recovered from the h1n1 damage they had. Had to go thru several years of breathing treatments and etc. Now only once a year or so.... It's so scary and helpless feeling.


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## mich1073

Jimsig said:


> So this is what we did Monday on one of our extra days.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> @bama_ed I believe you mentioned something about this


Was this from the campground across from it? I so need to camp there with my girls. Jetty Park if I remember correctly.


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## mich1073

bama_ed said:


> In this page https://www.disboards.com/threads/official-october-2017-pretrip-and-trip-report.3600058/page-39 in post #761 (the post at the top of the page) I showed a tree and two pieces of citrus that my dad and I pulled down.
> 
> After getting home and cutting them up, they taste like grapefruit.  I guess they are growing wild but they aren't lemons, limes, or oranges.  So chalk that up to the experimental method.
> 
> I keep looking for adult beverage mixes that use grapefruit and don't come up with much...
> 
> Bama Ed


There is quite a few grapefruit trees in loops. Our spot last year's Halloween trip at the 500 loop had a huge tree with a ton of fruit on it. None were ripe though.

There is also wild sour oranges. Actually most oranges that just grow wild from seeds are very sour.


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## mich1073

Oh and they make a great Marmalade


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## Jimsig

mich1073 said:


> Was this from the campground across from it? I so need to camp there with my girls. Jetty Park if I remember correctly.



No this was from inside the Space Center at the Apollo/Saturn V Center also what they call the Banana Creek Launch Viewing.  We were only about 3.5 miles away.  Jetty Park, at Port Canaveral correct?  is about 14 miles from the launch pad.  I remember seeing Jetty Park as we departed on a cruise last spring.  When we arrived back at the port at the end of the cruise we lucked out and saw a SpaceX launch that was supposed to launch the day before.  There are lots of closer places then Jetty Park to watch a launch as well.


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## Scott R.

bama_ed said:


> “ ... and the Fort Scavenger Hunt (got a copy): ...”
> Bama Ed


—
Bama, how can I get a copy of the Ft Wilderness Scavenger Hunt!? Heading that way later this month with our CubScout Pack and would love to have these guys exploring ... extra points for the initials obviously


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## mickeyfan0805

Scott R. said:


> —
> Bama, how can I get a copy of the Ft Wilderness Scavenger Hunt!? Heading that way later this month with our CubScout Pack and would love to have these guys exploring ... extra points for the initials obviously



I didn't know there was such a thing...very intriguing!


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## bama_ed

Scott R. said:


> —
> Bama, how can I get a copy of the Ft Wilderness Scavenger Hunt!? Heading that way later this month with our CubScout Pack and would love to have these guys exploring ... extra points for the initials obviously



Scott R.,

I have already scanned it but it is on my computer at home.  On Sunday I will upload it to this thread after I return from this trip.  The graphics on it are halloween-related but all the questions and activities are non-holiday specific and simply Fort related.  I might try to remove the graphics.... But I will put it up in a few days regardless.

Thanks for working with the Cubs.  I did it all as Tiger/Bobcat/Bear/Wolf/Webelo den leader for my two boys and oh was Cubmaster the last two years I was involved.  It's a very rewarding family program.

Bama Ed

PS - Mickeyfan, it was a paper sheet set you could pick up at the Bike Barn in the days before halloween, fill it out and complete it, and turn it back in for a prize.


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## bama_ed

Scott, time is tight here today on Sunday.  I have been gone for 9 nights and the to-do list is long for today.  So I will just post the pages for the Halloween Scavenger Hunt as they are.







To download these pages, hover your cursor over the page, opposite click your mouse button, and choose the "Save picture as" option.

Bama Ed


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