Adventures at the Fort...a newbies trip report!

[Minnie&Mickey]

April 3rd
As some of you know, we just bought our first motorhome. We had only been camping one time before (back in October in a friend’s Class C) and had been seriously looking for a motorhome of our own since then. After going to several RV shows, and shopping at every RV dealership in the Atlanta area, we finally found a used Class A that a couple was selling about an hour and a half from our house. It’s a 2006 Fleetwood Providence, and the previous owners were just wonderful. I think we talked to them by phone and email for over two months before we finally bought it. We went to pick it up on Wednesday, April 1st and the husband spent over two hours explaining everything to us and even had checklists made up for arrival and departure from the campsite. They are fellow Disney fans and this RV has made many trips to Fort Wilderness. We didn’t get home from picking up the RV until around 11:00 at night. Toby and I both had to work on Thursday and Friday, so it didn’t give us very much time to get it all packed up.

The original plan was to get out on the road at around 7:00 p.m. on Friday and drive for three or four hours and stop at a rest stop. Unfortunately, we didn’t get on the road until after 10:00!!! We only drove two hours before we decided to pull into a rest stop in Dooley County, GA. As we pulled in, I noticed a familiar site…it was a Jayco Seneca that I had seen pictured in a signature on the DISboards! Could this be a fellow DISer???

We parked the RV, pulled out the bedroom slide and slept…well, Toby slept…I was kept awake by a tractor trailer that parked right next to us and kept his engine running all night long.

April 4th, 2009
In the morning, we got up and took our dog, Jazz, for a walk. While I was walking around with him, I noticed a man with two dogs out near the Jayco Seneca. So I walked over and asked him if he was on his way to Disney World. Sure enough, it was Jeff! Cheryl was inside showering, so we chatted for a minute and then I headed back to the RV so that we could get on the road again.

We drove until we got to Exit 2 because the people that we bought the RV from said that was a good place to stop for gas, and while Toby was fueling up, I took the dog out for another walk. Low and behold, who comes driving into the same gas station…Jeff and Cheryl! I didn’t go over and say anything this time because I didn’t want to look like a stalker, but I thought it was funny that we both stopped at the same rest area and then the same gas station.
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We finally arrived at the gates of Fort Wilderness and I told the guard that we had already done online check in, but he said we had to get in the long lines with the other RVs.
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The lines were awful, and but we chose the shortest one…big mistake. We sat in the line for approximately 45 minutes before we got up to the window…of course every other line moved much faster, but we were stuck. When we got to the window, we told them about online check in and the girl went to the center building to get our packet. It included a birthday button with my name on it! She wished me a Happy Birthday, and we were on our way within about 2 minutes. I have no idea why it took all those other people so long!!!

I was very excited when I saw that we had been given campsite 863 because that meant I got what I requested. We pulled into the loop and guess whose RV was sitting there…Jeff and Cheryl! Now I am really starting to feel like a stalker! We pulled out our checklist, taped our green DISboards sign to our front window, and started getting setup.
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Our first problem was that my husband turned the battery off once we had the electricity plugged in, and we lost all power…and then it wouldn’t come back on. Toby went to a nearby campsite and got some advice from a fellow camper from Georgia, and we were back in business in no time. After that, we tried to get the satellite working but we didn’t have any luck, and we didn’t bring a cable that was long enough to reach the box. We decided to walk to the Meadow Trading Post to see if they had any, but when we walked out the door of the RV, there were Jeff and Cheryl in their golf cart! We chatted for a while and then mentioned our cable issues to them. Believe it or not, they had extra cable and said we could borrow it! Aren’t campers just the nicest people? So we went to their RV…it’s beautiful, by the way, and got the cable, talked for a few more minutes and then went back to the RV to hook it up. Success! We finally could watch TV!

After that, it was time to head to the Magic Kingdom and pick up my birthday gift card (we have annual passes and didn’t need the one day park admission). We decided to walk to the Settlement to catch the boat and Jeff and Cheryl passed by in their golf cart. Isn’t it funny how in place as large as Fort Wilderness that you keep running into the same people? We had never met them before, yet we kept bumping into them.
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We got on the boat, and when we got to the Magic Kingdom, we noticed it was packed. We went to the ticket window and got my gift card and then ran over to Guest Services on the square to cancel our reservations for Narcoosee’s. This was supposed to be my birthday dinner, but we were both pretty tired from all the excitement of the day and just didn’t feel like going over there.

We were hungry, so we tried to find someplace at the MK to eat, but everything was full. My husband asked about availability at Liberty Tree Tavern, and they told him that the Diamond Horseshoe Review was taking all of the overflow and that we could go there. The menu was the same and the food was delicious.

After eating we walked around for a little bit so that I could take pictures.
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Then we decided to go spend my gift card on stuff to decorate the RV, so we went to the Emporium and did some shopping. I bought a Mickey trivet, Mickey towels, ladle, and two Mickey watches ($10 promotion).
We left the park as Spectro was starting and were able to get a boat to FW fairly quickly. We walked back to the 800 loop, checking out the decorations at the first campsite…amazing!!!
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Then went back to the RV and slept!

Day Two coming soon!

[TheFlame]

Thanks for sharing!

popcorn::

BTW- Your pictures are great! Nice camera!:thumbsup2

[kaguilbeau]

How exciting for you! Not only that you went to Fort Wilderness, but also camping for the first time in you camper!

That's cool about running into other Dis'ers. I probably would've been too embarrased to say anything to them

[LuckyinGa]

What a wonderful trip report and great pictures. Congratulations on your new RV.

[DaveInTN]

popcorn::

[Skyw]

popcorn::

[siouxi31]

Nice report!

[2goofycampers]

I'm hooked. popcorn::

[BradyBz12]

Count me in! popcorn::

Isn’t it funny how in place as large as Fort Wilderness that you keep running into the same people? We had never met them before, yet we kept bumping into them.

It's hilarious! My aunt and uncle (from MA) were with us for a week in Dec and in the middle of Epcot a young guy comes up to my aunt. She was a music teacher in the same town for 38 years and he was one of her students (as were his parents!) The ride says it best.... it's a small world after all!

[hahahaha now you'll all have that running in your heads for about a week!]

[clkelley]

We finally arrived at the gates of Fort Wilderness and I told the guard that we had already done online check in, but he said we had to get in the long lines with the other RVs.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/IMG_6011.jpg
The lines were awful, and but we chose the shortest one…big mistake. We sat in the line for approximately 45 minutes before we got up to the window…of course every other line moved much faster, but we were stuck. When we got to the window, we told them about online check in and the girl went to the center building to get our packet. It included a birthday button with my name on it! She wished me a Happy Birthday, and we were on our way within about 2 minutes. I have no idea why it took all those other people so long!!!


Interesting, so they DON'T have a dedicated checkin lane for online check-in. They are making the CMs run back and forth across the buildings through traffic.

It seems the only thing online checkin helps is the folks BEHIND you.

[Minnie&Mickey]

Interesting, so they DON'T have a dedicated checkin lane for online check-in. They are making the CMs run back and forth across the buildings through traffic.

It seems the only thing online checkin helps is the folks BEHIND you.

If there was a dedicated lane for online check-in, the guard at the front gate didn't seem to be aware of it. I think it would be the perfect solution if there was one.

[Minnie&Mickey]

April 5th
Got up around 7:30, got ready for the day, and took Jazz out for a long walk. There is a really nice dog walking area behind some of the 800 loop campsites. While we were walking, we made a note of the campsites that we want to request for our next visit...we also spotted this guy!

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We came back and cooked breakfast and then headed to the Flower and Garden Festival at EPCOT. While we were waiting at the bus stop, guess who happened to drive by…Cheryl and Jeff in their golf cart. We talked for a few minutes, but then our bus came along (orange route), so we said goodbye and hopped onboard. When we got to the Outpost, we had a very short wait for the EPCOT bus. Got there and for once I didn’t have a bag to get inspected, so we walked right in. We tried to take pictures of the topiaries in the entrance way but decided to come back later since the crowds were pretty big.

Our first stop at EPCOT is always Toby’s favorite store, the Art of Disney. We looked around but luckily Toby didn’t really see anything that he needed. Toby then went on Test Track while I went and took pictures in the butterfly garden, and checked out some of the topiaries. I’m not a “ride person”, so this is the way Toby and I usually do the parks.

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After that we headed to the World Showcase to see what the countries were doing for the Flower and Garden Festival. I was kind of surprised that certain areas didn’t have topiaires. I kind of expected to see a Mary Poppins one in England, but didn’t. When we got to France, I wanted a Grand Marnier slushie, but was very disappointed to see that the kiosk hadn’t opened for the day yet. I guess normal people don’t drink alcoholic beverages at 11:30 in the morning. So, we stopped off in Germany and got a pretzel instead…somehow it just wasn’t the same!

We kept walking, stopping long enough to burn the remainder of the birthday gift card. I bought a cute Tinkerbell bird bath that looks like this but the glass portion is blue.

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After that we walked around and I took some more pictures, then headed to the bus stop.

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Our bus showed up in minutes and when we got to the Outpost, our orange route bus was sitting right there waiting for us! It couldn’t have worked out better. We got off the bus at the Meadow Trading Post so that Toby could get some chips. I was so disappointed at the lack for Fort Wilderness stuff. When we borrowed our friend’s RV back in October and stayed here, they had tons of really cute things. Oh well, I guess it saved us some money!

Our original plan was to go back to the RV and check on the dog (he isn’t used to this camping stuff) and then go to the Magic Kingdom to see the band from one of our local high schools march down Main Street, but we changed our minds once we got back to the RV. I work for the school system and I actually have an intern that is in the band at that school, but she decided not to go on this trip, so I didn’t feel too bad about not going to see them march. If she had been marching, wild horses couldn’t have kept me from going to see her…she is such a wonderful girl. Toby decided that he really wanted to try out the outside grill on the RV instead.

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We ate our lunch and then took a nap. Later in the afternoon, Cheryl stopped by to see if we were interested in going looping with them, so we all got in their golf cart and drove around through the different lops. They have been here enough that they were able to tell us stories about some of the campers that are here on a regular basis. We went over to the pool and checked out the progress. The rumor is that it will reopen this week. So in true TriCricleD fashion, we took pictures over the fencing…oh that’s right, he would have just found a hole in the fencing and walked through…we weren’t quite that daring!

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Then we went down to the Settlement so that Cheryl and Jeff could refill their mugs…of course, by the time we had left, I had bought a mug too.

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We visited the horses and mules in the stables and then looped around to see if Stacktester was at his site. It took several attempts before we were able to catch him, but when we did, we chatted with him and his friends for around 30 minutes. They were really funny when they learned that my husband owns a liquor store…I think they were ready to adopt him! They all started offering him their chairs and said they were going to get the kids to come out and fan him! It was pretty funny! We had a great time looping with Cheryl and Jeff!!!

After that, we went back to the RV. Cheryl and Jeff said that if we were interested in going to watch the fireworks at the beach, to let them know. We thought that they started at 10, but when we heard fireworks going off at 9:15, we thought we had missed them. Surprisingly, more fireworks started at 10, so we have no idea where the 9:15 fireworks were coming from. So by 10:00, I was in bed asleep! It’s totally exhausting doing nothing all day!

[BradyBz12]

While we were waiting at the bus stop, guess who happened to drive by…Cheryl and Jeff in their golf cart.

Ok, this is getting spooky! :p

I guess normal people don’t drink alcoholic beverages at 11:30 in the morning.

HERESY!! :lmao:

Beautiful pics!! Especially love the Tink shot:tinker:

[tloveswdw]

What a great time it looks like! I love your pics!

[Stinkerbell1973]

Holly - I am enjoying reading your TR. Looking forward to more!

(from another Holly in GA!)

[Minnie&Mickey]

Thanks for all the kind words about my pictures! Photography is a hobby of mine. I love taking pictures and I drive my husband crazy with it! We would walk about 20 steps and I would have to stop to take another picture. That's why it works out better for us if I go take pictures while he goes on the rides. LOL!

[CampingBandit]

We were there during the Flower show last year, your report brings back fond memories.

Thanks for sharing!:thumbsup2

[WeCampDisney]

congratulations on your beautiful rv! Thanks for the great pics and trip report.

[We4mickey]

Sounds like you had a great time. Sorry you had to put up with my sister and brother in law :lmao::lmao::lmao:. Wish we would have been there, but are working on October. Your pictures are great. Cheryl and Jeff are on the road. Didn't get very far yesterday due to the weather.

[Minnie&Mickey]

Sounds like you had a great time. Sorry you had to put up with my sister and brother in law :lmao::lmao::lmao:. Wish we would have been there, but are working on October. Your pictures are great. Cheryl and Jeff are on the road. Didn't get very far yesterday due to the weather.

When the storms came through last night, I thought about them and wondered if they had made it past here before it hit. We were very lucky and the storm seemed to hit a little bit farther north than where we are located. I was really worried that the RV would get hail damage. We really enjoyed meeting Jeff and Cheryl and hanging out with them. They were so much fun...enjoyed talking to you that night on the phone too! LOL!

Now for those of you that have been thinking that it is really kind of weird that we kept running into Cheryl and Jeff throughout this trip when we hadn't ever met them before, I have something even weirder to show you. As I mentioned before, we went to the Fort in October to try out camping in our friend's RV. We loved how all of the campsites were decorated for Halloween, and since my camera rarely leaves my side, I took a ton of pictures. Jeff and Cheryl mentioned that they had been down in late October, but I never gave it a second thought because for some reason I thought that we had been there earlier in the month. Well, this morning it dawned on me that we had actually gone down later in the month. So I just pulled up my pictures from that trip and low and behold I found this...
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Oct242008_0282-2.jpg
This was the second campsite that I had photographed on our trip in October and guess who it belongs to??? It's Jeff and Cheryl's! We had actually been there at the same time last year and never knew it! How weird is that???

[We4mickey]

Hey, that's my Mickey pumpkin! You know that same thing happened to us. We have friends, we didn't know at the time, who have pictures of our boys and their kids getting autographs from characters. How weird is that!

[stacktester]

Hey, that's my Mickey pumpkin! You know that same thing happened to us. We have friends, we didn't know at the time, who have pictures of our boys and their kids getting autographs from characters. How weird is that!

I saw your sites when we did a little day trip and the Keys to the Kingdom Tour the Sunday before Halloween. It didn't look like anyone was home so we kept going. My stalking days are over. If you wanna meet ol Stacktester you have to hunt rather than be hunted lol.

[We4mickey]

Holly, just talked to Cheryl and she wanted to know what you were having for Easter dessert. Did you remember your Mickey bars?

[Minnie&Mickey]

Holly, just talked to Cheryl and she wanted to know what you were having for Easter dessert. Did you remember your Mickey bars?

LOL!!! Cheryl had suggested that I buy a few Mickey ice cream bars and throw them in the freezer in the RV, and then pull them out for dessert on Easter Sunday. I really wish I had remembered to do that. My DDs would have been so surprised!!!

[Minnie&Mickey]

April 6th
Our original plan was to get up early to go to Hollywood Studios and ride Toy Story Mania (my favorite ride), but we slept in too late. Toby took Jazz for a walk. and I showered and got ready for the day. We cooked breakfast in the motorhome. One thing I want to mention is that we have been DVC members since 1996 and in all that time, we never cooked in our villa. The funny thing about Fort Wilderness and having the RV is that I love cooking at the Fort, and up until this point we have only eaten one meal at a park. It is just so much fun to cook on the grill and relax at the Fort!

We took one more walk with Jazz, and I went by the Meadow Trading Post to fill my mug with my morning coffee (this became our morning routine)! There was a very long wait at the bus stop, but eventually we made it to the Outpost and to the Studios.
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The park was packed!!! This was early entry day, and I usually avoid any park that had early entry if I can’t get to it when it opens, but for some reason I forgot. Even the bus had to sit in traffic for a little bit before we got into the park. It was about 9:45 when we got in the gate, and our first stop was to Toy Story Mania. The Fast Pass return time was already 4:45 - 5:45 and Standby was 50 minutes. We’ve waited longer for this ride, but decided to pass and come back another day. We visited the Art of Disney again, and luckily didn’t find anything we needed. Then we shopped at some of the stores on Sunset Blvd and grabbed a Mickey ice cream bar…no trip is complete without one. As we were walking along,we came upon some Streetmosphere characters, and watched them for a while...I love these guys! After that we headed to the American Idol Experience.
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The first contestant was a 17 year old from Cairo, GA and she was really good. The next was a 21 year old Army wife, and the third was a 17 year old from New York. They were all fantastic and if weren’t for the fact that the first one was from Georgia (which is where we live), I would have had a hard time choosing. In the end, the Army wife was the winner and was going on to perform again later in the evening. I have to admit that I really didn't expect to like AIE, but I really enjoyed it! We shopped a little bit more, but decided to hold off on buying more kitchen stuff for the RV until we got to the World of Disney at the Downtown Disney (since we could get a discount there).

We caught a bus back to the resort with the grumpiest bus driver I had ever seen. There was a family from the Wilderness Lodge that didn’t understand the bus system. They had gotten on a bus without looking at the sign and were very surprised when they arrived at Hollywood Studios, they thought they were going to Typhoon Lagoon. The bus driver sat there chastising them for getting on the HS bus…he really treated them like they were stupid. It was obvious that they had never been to WDW before and there was no reason for him to treat them the way he did. Then he told them that the easiest way to TL was to get off the bus, wait for the Old Key West bus, and when they get there wait for the Typhoon Lagoon bus. We told them just to stay on this bus and when it got to WL to get off and wait for the TL bus. It just seemed like it was easier than having to sit there and wait for the OKW bus. Then at WL, a couple with a stroller got on, and he started giving them a hard time about the stroller… telling them that they’ll be sorry they brought the stroller and that they were going to have trouble with that stroller everywhere they went…he was just super grumpy.

We got back to the RV and cooked burgers and chicken on the outside grill and noticed that we had new neighbors on both sides…a travel trailer on one side, and a beautiful, massive motorhome (Millenium) on the other side. They even had a miniature Hummer golf cart to drive around in…I’m pretty sure that we saw them set up on another campsite when we were looping yesterday. It was super windy and drizzly out, so we hung out in the RV for a while and then when it stopped, we walked down toward the Settlement so that I could get a refill on my soda.
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Toby and Jazz waited at the entrance to the Settlement (No Pets allowed) and as I walked down the path, a very nice girl in a golf cart stopped and asked me if I wanted a lift. So I hopped on board and we went down to Trails End to get refills. I met back up with Toby and the dog and we walked back to our loop.
We then decided that this would be a good day to go to Downtown Disney for some shopping. This is where we started having bus problems. It took quite a while to get to the Outpost and then it was long wait for a DD bus, but we eventually got there. The Downtown area was pretty busy, but I’ve seen a lot worse. The restaurants were pretty crowded, so we had a little bit of trouble finding a place to eat. We eventually made it to Cooke’s of Dublin which is the fast food restaurant next to Raglan Road. The only problem with this place is seating. They have a small seating area outside and another one inside, and they were both packed. It probably wouldn’t have been too bad except for two very inconsiderate women and their children (I think there were 4 kids) who took up four tables. Most of the chairs at their tables were being used to hold their purchases, and the tables were holding other purchases and their empty plates and cups. The really bad part is that the entire time we were there, they weren’t even eating. They were done and were just sitting around chatting while all these other people were standing there holding their plates of food waiting for a table. Other than that, I have to say that the food was fantastic! I had the chicken and mushroom pie and Toby had the fish and chips. Both plates came with fries, but somehow we missed that in the description and we ordered onion rings too. The rings were fantastic!!!

We headed back to the bus stop for another really long wait. From the time we got to the bus stop until we got to the RV, it was an hour and a half! We were worn out at that point so we stayed in for the rest of the night.

[kaguilbeau]

Great report and wonderful pictures!

How does Jazz do in the camper while y'all are away? I'm afraid my dog would go crazy (I know he would) and be the annoying dog that barks the entire time we are gone. Does anyone do Benadryl for dogs??

[Donna]

Holly,
I am loving this report! You're going to have to go to the fort more often so we can get these great reports! Can't wait to read the rest!

[VACAMPER]

Great report!:thumbsup2

[Minnie&Mickey]

Great report and wonderful pictures!

How does Jazz do in the camper while y'all are away? I'm afraid my dog would go crazy (I know he would) and be the annoying dog that barks the entire time we are gone. Does anyone do Benadryl for dogs??

He actually did go a little crazy the first time we left him. To be honest, I don't think I have ever heard him make the noise that he did before. It was this high pitched shrieking noise, but he stopped after about a minute (we just went around the corner to listen before we left). The second day, he barked a little bit when we left, but by the third day he didn't make any noise at all, he just went and laid down. Now whenever we go to do something in the RV, he runs in right behind us.

[Shan-man]

Our pup gets Benadryl for his allergies and it makes him quite sleepy... and yes, our vet recommended it. So it does work, and it is not harmful for dogs.

[mrsgus06]

I saw your sites when we did a little day trip and the Keys to the Kingdom Tour the Sunday before Halloween. It didn't look like anyone was home so we kept going. My stalking days are over. If you wanna meet ol Stacktester you have to hunt rather than be hunted lol.

Ha! He is no longer the stalker of the disboard people. I will let Bigdisneydaddy share his new title with you nice folks. By the way, it was my campsite that you finally found the "old Stalktester". It was really nice to meet the 4 of yall. Congrats on the new camper! My kids were not the first ones down the slide at the pool but my oldest was the first one in the pool so if you see Donnie, tell him he owes her some money!:rolleyes1

[BradyBz12]

it does work, and it is not harmful for dogs.

Just be careful with the dosage - it's going to be different for a 5 lb dog than a 50 lb one.

I definitely recommend people do trial runs at home in the camper to help their dog get used to camping. Makes things go a LOT more smoothly when you're camping for real, and helps you avoid being "that person" with the barking camper. ;)

We travel with 2 active border collies and have gotten a routine down for our time at FW (usually 2-3 weeks if we can swing it). Of course it helps that they are used to traveling and camping a LOT, and adapt really quickly to changes in their scheduleds.

They get lots of playtime/walks in the a.m. (dog park is GREAT for that if you have a really social dog that is used to playing with others) and then are crated in the camper for our first trip out to the parks for a handful of hours in the afternoon. We come back for their dinner/walks/play time, and then back out - usually to catch evening EMH.

Within a day or so, they have the routine down like it's been that way their whole lives.

We try really hard to make sure they're NOT barking while we're out, and always talk to our neighbors and ask them to let us know if anyone is causing a ruckus. We also do test runs the first couple of days to make sure "the system" is working - i.e., put them up, go out for a walk, sneak back for a listen, go out for a longer walk... you get the idea. We've even come back to the camper in the evening, stomped all around, talked, even knocked on the camper door! Not a peep (LOVE my dogs!) Seems extreme, but we don't ever want to be "those people" with the dogs that yap incessantly in the camper the entire time we're gone

2 years ago I got a call on my cell at Epcot from one of our neighbors (we have a "pets inside" sticker on the door) telling us that our smoke alarm was beeping (battery was low). He was over checking around the camper and never once did either dog make a sound, even though the darned thing was beeping for almost an hour!

We pull the blinds so they can't see you (can't bark at things you can't see!) and even bought an extra little TV for the dogs' "wing" of our hybrid TT. We also run the fan/AC, depending on weather for some "white noise" (can't bark at things you can't hear!)

In addition they get all their meals in Kongs stuffed and frozen the night before, so they have something to keep them busy for a few hours in addition to just watching the Disney channel. (And yes, my dogs really do watch TV - even at home!)

You definitely need to know your dog(s) and do what's best for you both... and your fellow campers! :goodvibes

Here they are outside the TT at FW in December...
http://www.****************/_CLIENTS/WDW/photos/ChristmasPuppiesKEEPER2.jpg

...and Bz and dad relaxing at the campsite...
http://www.****************/_CLIENTS/WDW/photos/BrianBz02.jpg

[Shan-man]

Sure, I wouldn't want to do it without talking to my vet first. But I was surprised when she told us just to give him 3 Benadryl a day, I asked if she meant children's Benadryl, but no, she meant a full, adult dose... for my 20 pound pup! Obviously, it makes him more groggy than it makes me, but apparently it is hard to have too much of the stuff.

[dblr]

Great trip report and pictures, fills the void when you can not be there. we are also DVC members and are thinking of useing our points @ the Fort for a trip in July 2010 with 2 units. We tried to talk our friends into getting tree houses but they want to take their 2 dogs because they do not adjust well to kennels( I say they are spoiled).
I know people thinks it is waste to use points there but I think it's better then loosing them. Looking forward to reading more. We also have friends there now from New York wish we were there with them.

[Shan-man]

You say "two units", do you mean two cabins? If so, you should be aware, pets are not allowed at the cabins, only at campsites (and even there can only be left unattended in hard-sided RVs).

[Donna]

Great trip report and pictures, fills the void when you can not be there. we are also DVC members and are thinking of useing our points @ the Fort for a trip in July 2010 with 2 units. We tried to talk our friends into getting tree houses but they want to take their 2 dogs because they do not adjust well to kennels( I say they are spoiled).
I know people thinks it is waste to use points there but I think it's better then loosing them. Looking forward to reading more. We also have friends there now from New York wish we were there with them.

Well i always say the best use of points is what works for YOU! the way the cost is going up at the fort, it's almost a bargain and you automatically get a PREFERRED loop!

[dblr]

No I"m sorry I need 2 sites, we both have 38" 5th wheels, they like to camp just so they can bring the dogs. They say by bringing the dogs they can spend more money @ Disney. We are planning this trip to celabrate their daughters 16 birthday plus while we are there it will also be thier other daughters b-day and mine so we are planning big.

[Shan-man]

A 38" fifth-wheel... I had no idea they came that small! LOL

:santa:

[Luv2Camp]

Thanks for the great trip report! :thumbsup2


Does anyone do Benadryl for dogs??

Our vet put our oldest dachshund on benadryl for sleeping problems. He took it for two nights, and hasn't had a problem since! :)

[4mickey2]

well, we have enjoyed your trip report, too. glad you had a good time.

we got home this morning. we left on friday and pulled into that same flying j just over the line in georgia to fill up (after sitting in traffic for over an hour). there was an accident with a pick-up and tt. they must of lost control and wiped out both units. i don't know how the people were but, the units were taken away on 2 flatbed tow trucks. half of the camper and it's contents were in the middle of the freeway when we went by.

we decided even though it was only 5pm we would stop for a little while.

we watched the weather channel and saw all the tornadic activity in atlanta. so, decided not to leave until morning. in the morning we drove through & we saw the devastation. some of the homes were right by the freeway that were hit. it gave you the chills to see one home destroyed and the other barely damaged.

we werer glad that we stopped as the twister appeared to go right across the freeway and we would of been right in the middle of it.

we were able to miss the bad weather and only had to deal with some wind.

no, we aren't glad to be home... it is still cold up here :( .

[Minnie&Mickey]

April 7th
As the week went on, we started having transportation issues. Tuesday was the worse! We got up and did our usual morning routine…ate breakfast, took Jazz for a walk, went by the Meadow Trading Post for my morning coffee. We decided to go to Hollywood Studios again today. The weather had gotten very chilly and we were hoping that everyone was avoiding the parks due to the cold! No such luck! We got to our bus stop at 9:45…much later than we had planned. We waited forever for the Outpost bus (well, over 30 minutes). We finally got to the Outpost, and there were tons of people waiting. We saw many buses go by for Epcot, Animal Kingdom/Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon/Downtown Disney, two empty VIP Cast Member buses…but no Hollywood Studios buses! After about 30 minutes, we started talking to a woman who was also going to HS…she had been waiting for over 45 minutes at this point and had already seen seven EPCOT buses go by. After about 15 more minutes, another Animal Kingdom bus came and while it was loading another AK bus pulled up two buses behind it. So Toby and a few other people went to talk to the driver to see if he could take everyone to HS instead since there was another AK bus in front of him. He said yes, and that he would let us all get on as soon as he could move up. The AK bus in the front pulled away, and as he was getting ready to let us all in, some people wanting to go to AK walked up. They were not happy that he was about to change the bus’s destination to HS, so he had to make it an AK bus again! By now, there are probably 75 upset people waiting. The bus driver was nice enough to call for a HS bus to come for all of us, and it arrived about 5 minutes later. The driver opened the back and loaded a wheelchair, but before he could pull up the ramp, people started trying to enter through the back. He told them that they couldn’t do that, but none of them would get off. So the rest of us entered through the front and the bus was packed to capacity. We were about ¾ of a mile from the entrance to HS and all of a sudden the traffic came to a stop. There were so many cars trying to get into the park that we ended up crawling at a snail’s pace for the rest of the ride.

On all of the other days that we went to the parks, I hadn’t carried a purse, but on this day I did, so that meant that I had to go through the “Guests with Bags” line, which of course was very long. I got in the shortest line, but as we all know, that means it is probably really the longest. There was no way to change lines, and for some reason the majority of the people in my line didn’t seem to notice that everyone was being asked to unzip all of the compartments in their bags. So they would get up there and the security guy had to ask them to open everything up, and then he was checking their bags more thoroughly than I had ever seen a security guard do before…it was bad! I finally got through that line and met back up with Toby. The lines to get into the park were all the way back beyond the area where you purchase tickets! I had to use the rest room, so Toby got in line and I ran to the closest ladies room. When I got out, Toby was nowhere to be seen. I must have looked for 10 minutes before I finally spotted him…already inside the turnstile. The problem was, he had my pass! So I had to get it from him and get back in the long line again!!! By the time we both got into Hollywood Studios, it was after noon…well over two hours since we had left the RV.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr072009_0890-1-1.jpg
Notice how happy Mickey looks in this picture...it's because he wasn't standing in line with the rest of us!

We went to Toy Story Mania, but they were out of Fast Passes for the day, and the standby line was over a two hour wait. Then we ran over to American Idol, but the wait there was almost an hour and a half. You could barely move around the park, so we decided to take the boat to Epcot and grab some lunch. We got to the boat ramp, and within minutes, a boat was coming around the corner! We were so happy…until the boat unloaded and some maintenance guys showed up and opened up the engine compartment. The boat was only running on one engine, so it was being taken out of service! Noooooo! I was completely frustrated by then and just wanted to go back to the Fort. Luckily there was another boat right around the corner, so once they moved the broken boat, we were finally able to get onboard. We stopped at the Beach Club for ice cream and then walked the rest of the way to Epcot.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr072009_0891-1.jpg

When we got in EPCOT, we decided to check out some of the rides, but the wait times were unreal!!! Soarin’ was over two hours, Journey to Imagination was 30 minutes, I think the Land was 40 minutes. So, we decided to check out Mousegears and then grab a bite at the Electric Umbrella. Well, the restaurant was already at capacity and so they weren’t letting anyone else in. I give up! We decided to grab some popcorn and then head to the bus stop. We were told that the closest popcorn stand was over by Soarin’ but when we got over there, there were probably 30 people in line in front of us. The line for Honey I Shrunk the Audience was way outside the building and ended past the big Journey to Imagination sign. We waited, and the minute we placed our order “popcorn and a Diet Coke,” a supervisor person came over and told the cashier to stop selling popcorn because they were almost out! No way!!! We didn’t say anything and kept moving down the line to pick up our popcorn. We very happy that we probably got the last box of popcorn, but as luck would have it, there was a lot of partially burnt popcorn and unpopped kernels in it. So we walked back to the bus stop and the bus showed up in about 15 or 20 minutes (the return trip being considerably shorter that the trip there).

We got back to the RV and Jazz was very happy that we were back!
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr072009_0893-1.jpg

After a short nap, we decided to stop by Cheryl and Jeff’s. Their four Bichons and Jazz all played while Cheryl and I chatted.

I had a cute picture of Cheryl with the dogs here, but I decided I should probably ask her permission first before I put her picture on the boards. So here is a picture of one of her cute puppies!
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr072009_0901-1.jpg

The guys spent most of the time played around with our satellite dish and then theirs, trying to make them work. Eventually they got theirs working. After that, Toby and I decided that we wanted something different for dinner (I was sick of hamburgers and chicken by now), so we walked down to the Settlement and picked up a pizza. Cheryl and Jeff showed up a little bit later and Jeff started playing around with our satellite…and got it working! Thanks Jeff!!! We chatted for a little bit longer and then they went back to their RV.

This was probably the worst day that we had due to the transportation problems and the massive crowds, but luckily the next day was much better.

[Minnie&Mickey]

we were able to miss the bad weather and only had to deal with some wind.

no, we aren't glad to be home... it is still cold up here :( .

Glad you were able to miss all of the bad weather. It was really bad all around Atlanta, but luckily we were spared the worst of it.

It was great meeting you guys. By the way, did you see the picture I have of your campsite in October? Turns out we were there at the same time that you were!

[3gr8kids]

Great TR and pics ~ thanks for sharing!

[Minnie&Mickey]

We have friends, we didn't know at the time, who have pictures of our boys and their kids getting autographs from characters. How weird is that!

You are kidding!!! That is amazing! I bet you were so surprised when you saw your boys in their pictures.

[Tri-circle-D]

Holly- Great trip report- and nice job on the photos over-the-fence at the pool. Not bad for a newbie! :thumbsup2 Glad you enjoyed the Fort! I am sorry that you had so much trouble with the crowds. It has been crazy around WDW lately, and the transportation issues have compounded. I think they have less buses covering the routes, and when it gets busy, it gets bad.

TCD

[Minnie&Mickey]

April 8th
Since we haven’t spent much time at the Magic Kingdom, we decided to go there for the last full day of our trip. We did our usual morning routine and when we were done, we walked down to the Settlement to catch a boat. We were hoping for a trouble free day with transportation, and that was exactly what we got. As we approached the boat dock, a boat was pulling up…okay, it wasn’t our boat, but we only had to wait a minute or two for ours.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr082009_0755-1.jpg http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr082009_0753-1.jpg

It was a beautiful day and the temperatures had warmed up considerably from the previous day.

We arrived at the MK just as the fireworks were going off in front of the castle.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr082009_0759-1.jpg

Today I decided not to carry a bag into the park, so we walked right in without having to get a bag searched. The lines to enter the park weren’t too bad either. As we were walking around the square, I heard them announce something about a parade, and all of a sudden the doors opened next to the fire station and out came all of these dancers and floats. The parade was called the Move It, Shake It, Celebrate It Street Parade! I had no idea that this parade even existed, and I really loved it. It was so colorful and the music was good too!
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr082009_0804-1.jpg http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr082009_0772-1.jpg

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr082009_0776-1.jpg http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr082009_0781-1.jpg

Our first stop of the day was to the Monsters, Inc. Laugh Show (or whatever it’s called). The wait was only 20 minutes, so we got in line. It was pretty good, and we were seated right behind “That Guy.” After that we decided to go to Mickey’s Philharmagic. When we got there, the FP machines were covered, so we just got in line. Some people came over and asked us if we were in the FP Return Line, but we told them that we didn’t think they were doing Fast Passes. They showed us that they had some, but since we couldn’t help them, they went to a CM who told them to get in line. More people showed up with Fast Passes, and all of a sudden, the CM opens up the rope and tells all of us that are at the end of the line to go on in…she was letting all of us go through the FP entrance! We told her that we didn’t have Fast Passes and she said to go anyway! So we got right into Mickey’s Philharmagic! It was good as always, except for the Alladin carpet ride, which makes my stomach turn every time.

We decided to walk over to the Plaza Restaurant to see if we could make lunch reservations, but they told us that they were completely booked for the day. We really weren’t surprised. The Plaza is a restaurant that we have never eaten at, but that I always hear good things about. So we walked back through Fantasyland and we were going to run by Pecos Bill for some lunch when we noticed that people were lining up for a parade…it was only 11:45. We asked a CM what they were lining up for and she said that it was the afternoon parade. They were doing it twice a day since the parks were so busy. So we found a place to stand and watched the parade. I haven’t seen the afternoon parade in several years, so I really enjoyed it.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr082009_0804-1.jpg http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr082009_0821-1.jpg

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr082009_0820-1.jpg http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr082009_0829-1.jpg

We did a little bit more shopping on Main Street and then got to the boat dock just as the boat was pulling away…no problem, there was another one right behind it! Transportation was so much better today!!!

We got back to the RV, cooked some lunch and then Toby wanted to go check out the nature path that starts right near the Settlement. We brought Jazz with us…we didn’t see any signs that said no pets were allowed. It was so nice out and we were having a great time, but when we came to the fork in the road, we went to the right assuming that it would just circle around. We were very surprised when we came out by some kind of water pump thing. We went around the corner to the left, and suddenly we were on the shore looking out at the Contemporary, Space Mountain, and the castle.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr082009_0863-1.jpg http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr082009_0861-1.jpg

The only bad part about this was that as we continued to walk along the shore, we realized that we were going to come out at the Fort Wilderness beach, where dogs aren’t allowed. We walked super fast through there, hoping that no one would confront us about it.

Later in the evening, Cheryl and Jeff stopped by to see if we wanted to go watch the fireworks at the beach. It was the perfect night for it since it wasn’t too cold…okay, I thought it was a little chilly, but everyone else thought it was great! We looped around a little bit in their golf cart and then stopped by the pool. The snack bar was supposed to open the next day, with the pool opening the day after. We noticed that the door was open inside the building and someone must have been working in there. Cheryl and Jeff and said that I should take a picture because they thought this might be one that Tri-circle-D wouldn’t have…however, I think he posted one in the last day or so just like it! LOL!
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr082009_0881-1.jpg http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr082009_0879-1.jpg

We got back to the beach as the Electric Water Pageant was starting…perfect timing. We had a great time sitting on the beach and chatting with Cheryl and Jeff as the fireworks were going off.

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr082009_0886-1.jpg http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr082009_0889-1.jpg

When it ended, we looped over by the Meadow Trading Post so that Cheryl could see if she could get internet. She did and posted a quick message on the Camping Community board. It was a great night!

April 9th
This was our departure day. I don’t think either of us wanted to leave. We did our usual morning routine again…I’m going to hate it when I actually have to make my own coffee in the morning instead of going to the Meadow Trading Post for it…and then we stopped by Cheryl and Jeff’s to return their cable. We chatted for just a few minutes and then took Jazz for one more walk before we got on the road. I wanted to take a few more pictures, plus I wanted to see if the pool had maybe opened a day early…no such luck. Just a bunch of Disney people standing around talking to each other.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr092009_0744-1.jpg

Here are some other pictures of the Fort on the last day.
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr092009_0741-1.jpg http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr092009_0740-1.jpg

http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr092009_0736-1.jpg http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr092009_0738-1.jpg
So we had a great time at Fort Wilderness and we can’t wait to go back. We already have reservations for early October, but I think I am going to try to make some for this summer too. One of the highlights of the trip was meeting Cheryl and Jeff. They are such super nice people and were so helpful to whenever we had questions about the RV. By the way, Cheryl please tell Jeff that the switch to the fan in the kitchen is in the little panel that is in front of the sink! It’s probably the only place he didn’t look!

So that is the end of my trip report. Hope you enjoyed it!

[2goofycampers]

Great TR, I loved it. :thumbsup2

[BradyBz12]

Excellent trip report, Holly - thanks so much for sharing all your great pics!!:flower3:

[4mickey2]

oh holly, that is soooo funny. i want you to know that really would of bothered jeff all night if it was his rv. glad you found it, though.

we had a great time with you guys, too. it was fun just hangin' at the fort with all the diser's.

your pictures turned out great and love the tr.

[Minnie&Mickey]

oh holly, that is soooo funny. i want you to know that really would of bothered jeff all night if it was his rv. glad you found it, though.

I have to confess, I emailed the previous owner to find out where it was. I'm not sure we ever would have found it! I didn't even know that the panel in the front of the sink even opened!

[Minnie&Mickey]

Thanks for all the kind words about the trip report and the pictures. I really enjoy reading other people's reports, so I thought I would give it a try since this was our first adventure in our RV. It was a lot of fun to write!

[Donna]

Holly,
This is one of the best fort reports i've ever read! The bold crisp pictures just add so much to your words; i can't wait til you go again! We will be there the last two weeks of June, go then! Pat, Dottie and Debbie are all coming down for my big birthday.

by the way, if you would have kept walking past that pump area across that little bridge, it would have led you in to the 300 loop and you'd come out next to the dog park. All the paths lead SOMEwhere at the fort! thanks for posting!

[Minnie&Mickey]

Holly,
This is one of the best fort reports i've ever read! The bold crisp pictures just add so much to your words; i can't wait til you go again! We will be there the last two weeks of June, go then! Pat, Dottie and Debbie are all coming down for my big birthday.

by the way, if you would have kept walking past that pump area across that little bridge, it would have led you in to the 300 loop and you'd come out next to the dog park. All the paths lead SOMEwhere at the fort! thanks for posting!

Hi Donna!
Thanks for the compliments on the report. I enjoyed doing it. I'll see what I can do about the end of June. I don't think we could go the last week, but maybe the week before. I would love to see all of you again. I think Pat is the only one I haven't met. Are you staying at the Fort or are you doing DVC?

I knew we had to be pretty close to the campsites because I could hear people. Believe it or not, we never made it to the dog park this trip! I think Jazz was pretty content with all of his long walks though, but the biggest problem that we have is that his fluffy hair is all knotted from having to wear the harness for his walks. At home, he is very well trained and goes for walks with Toby without a leash (scares me to death, but it's amazing how well he listens). Looks like we are going to have to take him to the groomer this week because we can't seem to get the knots out...poor guy!

[ScrapperBelle]

Hi! Just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed reading your report. The title drew me in because we are camping newbies. I can't wait to make a trip to FW! You have really given me the bug now! Hope you have a great time on your next trips as well!

[Donna]

Hi Donna!
Thanks for the compliments on the report. I enjoyed doing it. I'll see what I can do about the end of June. I don't think we could go the last week, but maybe the week before. I would love to see all of you again. I think Pat is the only one I haven't met. Are you staying at the Fort or are you doing DVC?

I knew we had to be pretty close to the campsites because I could hear people. Believe it or not, we never made it to the dog park this trip! I think Jazz was pretty content with all of his long walks though, but the biggest problem that we have is that his fluffy hair is all knotted from having to wear the harness for his walks. At home, he is very well trained and goes for walks with Toby without a leash (scares me to death, but it's amazing how well he listens). Looks like we are going to have to take him to the groomer this week because we can't seem to get the knots out...poor guy!

Wish you lived near me; I have some tools for that and I could bathe and brush him out for you!

[Tri-circle-D]

We looped around a little bit in their golf cart and then stopped by the pool. The snack bar was supposed to open the next day, with the pool opening the day after. We noticed that the door was open inside the building and someone must have been working in there. Cheryl and Jeff and said that I should take a picture because they thought this might be one that Tri-circle-D wouldn’t have…however, I think he posted one in the last day or so just like it! LOL!
http://i250.photobucket.com/albums/gg250/micknmin_photos/Apr082009_0881-1.jpg


Actually, the brown paint job on the slide was not done when I left the Fort on April 4, so your photo is different from the few pool photos that I posted on my trip report. And, your photography is so much better than mine! I compliment the pool designers on the lighting of the new slide. It really looks nice at night, and this is a great photo!

You did a fantastic job on this trip report. I know a little something about the effort that it takes to post photos and write about your experiences, so thank you very much for taking the time to share your trip with us. I hope to read another of your reports soon!

TCD

[Minnie&Mickey]

Actually, the brown paint job on the slide was not done when I left the Fort on April 4, so your photo is different from the few pool photos that I posted on my trip report. And, your photography is so much better than mine! I compliment the pool designers on the lighting of the new slide. It really looks nice at night, and this is a great photo!

You did a fantastic job on this trip report. I know a little something about the effort that it takes to post photos and write about your experiences, so thank you very much for taking the time to share your trip with us. I hope to read another of your reports soon!

TCD

Thanks for the compliment...it means a lot coming from the Trip Report King. I always love reading your trip reports and seeing your pictures!

[fldisneyfamily]

Awesome report and great pics. Made my evening drink more enjoyable reading it.:thumbsup2

[KeepSwimmingDory]

Great report and beautiful pictures. Glad you had a great experience. Enjoyed reading all the details. :thumbsup2

[nikkipowell1]

That was a great trip report. :cool1: As a newbie myself, it makes me want to go to the Fort even sooner. I think I'm gonna start packing now. :rotfl2: :hippie:

[CampingBandit]

Holly,

Great report, I've enjoyed your postings! Looking forward to our first trip as Fort newbies too....

BTW, maybe it's just me but....I don't think you missed anything by not getting into the Plaza. Maybe we just had a really bad experience there, but I didn't like it at all and it was over a 2 hour dinner for just sandwiches and fries... not worth a return trip IMHO.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

(p.s. what is Toy Story Mania? Must have missed that on our two previous trips...would my 8 yo and 11 yo like it?

[Goofyseven]

Your report along with the photos make me want to start planning a trip for next week.

Great report it makes it so real

Thanks

[2goofycampers]

(p.s. what is Toy Story Mania? Must have missed that on our two previous trips...would my 8 yo and 11 yo like it?

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/hollywood-studios/attractions/toy-story-mania/

[BradyBz12]

(p.s. what is Toy Story Mania? Must have missed that on our two previous trips...would my 8 yo and 11 yo like it?

Just opened a year ago (ish) and OMG your kids will L-O-V-E it - and very likely you will too! :3dglasses

link HERE (http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/hollywood-studios/attractions/toy-story-mania/)

Word of caution - this is insanely popular with waits even during value season of 60-80 mins or more. When we were there in early Dec., FPs were gone for the day by 11am. Best strategy is to get there for rope drop and fast-walk directly there.

[Minnie&Mickey]

Thanks, everyone!

CampingBandit - Definitely take your kids on Toy Story Mania! It is so much fun. Definitely do it the way that BradyBz12 says...get there at rope drop and head directly there. The only thing I would add is to grab a FP as you are getting in the Standby line, because once you get off, you will want to get back on it again!

BTW-there were two things I forgot to mention in the trip report. The first one is that it seems that the people who had the campsite before us must have had cable problems, because we kept finding notes on the RV door (sometimes twice a day) saying that they came by the check out our cable but that no one was home. I just thought that they had the wrong campsite number and that they would realize their mistake, but by the third day, we figured we'd better let them know that the cable is fine. We went up to the Meadow Trading Post and asked them to call maintenance for us, so that they didn't have to keep wasting their time with this. I was very impressed that they had put that much effort into fixing the problem.

Also, I mentioned before that our arrival date was my birthday and that they gave me a birthday button at checkin. Well, the next morning when my husband came back from his daily dog walk, he had an envelope in his hand with my name on it. He found it on the front windshield of the RV. It was a birthday card signed by good ole Mickey Mouse! I always think it is sweet when they do something like that for a child, but I thought it was great that they do it for adults too!