Experiment-627: A Caribbean Double with a Wilderness Chaser

I love that movie too! Very nice Rob!!:worship: You’ve thought out everything in advance and you are to be commended

I just happened to catch that film one evening when I was just getting started on this TR and I liked the chapter idea (being as I was often using films as chapter inspirations anyway)

Once again, excellent TR update. Since I’m reading this and it is almost lunch time here, I now have a rumbly in my tumbly and no Macadamia Nut Pancakes. No sap, got it! Good call.

Thanks.
Now you got me wanting to go back and get some breakfast as well.
I think I’ll send a note to our private pilot to get the Lear-Jet warmed up.



D'oh! If I'd looked at the chapter headings before now, I might actually have picked up on that. Great movie.

I suspected that if it was going to be picked up on by anyone…
it would have been you that did it. As it is, I was both showing my age and being too obscure.


Afraid so, but hay… I’ve been writing about it for months.
So I do have that going for me… which is nice.

Yeah, I'm willing to let it slide, too.

A little poetic license is allowed.
I mean it is still Florida, and they do have to deal with the local claimant.

It’s not as if they did something silly like misname all of the premier restaurants on all their ships by using an Italian word with an incorrect reference or anything cockeyed like that.



I know that feeling. So close, and yet so far.

It almost tears you up, don’t it?


“Wounds my heart with a monotonous languor”


:woohoo: Excellent choice. :thumbsup2

Yes… yes it was.

Getting right adventurous now, aren't we?

I like to live on the edge.
:lmao:


I think pineapple may be on the short list of substances (like bacon) that make everything better.

Especially the fresh stuff that was picked when it is actually ripe.


Whoa, hold on there Rob. Did you try a Dole Whip on your pancakes? Because I don't think it's a fair statement otherwise.

Hummmmm… you cold have a point there.
We may have to get that one tested.

Kona, of course. :thumbsup2

But of course!

If I ever get independently wealthy, I'll stay at the Poly someday. I don't think the theming is quite as good as WL or AKL, but it's a beautiful place.

Winning the lottery would facilitate that a bit, but it is on my bucket list.
(of course my bucket has a lot of holes in it and I can’t even afford to get those fixed).

Got a trip planned we don't know about? :confused3

Don’t I wish. That one is in the same “holey bucked” as a stay at the Poly.
(but it is in there)





Never seen The Sting... :rolleyes1

You are a might young for that one.

It also suffers from not having any CG, superheroes, alien abduction or even a hot babe in a skin tight jump suit exacting mortal revenge via a mixture of slow-motion martial arts and physically impossible ballistic assaults. Considering those facts, it may not be the right film for you.

Great update, I'm too tired and lazy and too far behind to multi quote and comment, but since you're my nemesis, I won't worry about it for too long. :rotfl2::lmao:

Yah, but you missing out on the opportunity to publicly humiliate me.
Is the Little Princess wrecking your sleeping habbits?
Don’t worry about it. You can sleep next year.







Great update (yes, I'm back!!!).

Love the Poly--my favorite deluxe (if you don't count AKL Kidani which I consider DVC since that's how I stayed).

We went to Kona for the first time last year and fell in love with the food and the pressed pot coffee; so much so that we are going back in September.

Welcome home!

Thanks and thanks for reading along. One of these days I’d like to actually stay at the Poly (as opposed to just walking around the place). But, we will get back to WDW. It just won’t be as early as this September (envy, envy, envy…), but returning to the Kona has now become a “moral imperative”.
 

Chapter 10: The Sting
(Day 7 – Saturday)




Part 2: Sometimes you win…






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Just getting out of bed in the morning is a gamble. You may or may not have a plan… it may or may not go as you expect… but you can’t be dead certain that everything will go exactly as you expect. Not every contingency can be planed for and there are things waiting around blind corners that you just can’t anticipate. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t take the risk. Unless we’re talking about something like jumping from an airplane with out a parachute that is (yah, there is a miniscule potential for survival, but the odds ain’t in your favor and it ain’t going to be pretty).

For us there would be no bets of that magnitude (or of any other great conscience for that matter). But, we were basically taking a gamble on the day here. We’d done plopped down a bit of cash to stay on site, but didn’t buy park passes, and honestly, had only a very slight inkling of what we’d even be getting into this day. A good confidence man wouldn’t go into any situation with so little planning, but we were just taking our chances and seeing where they’d lead us. Some of these little bets may just pay off…

Some may not…

But it would be fun either way.



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Playing it cool




After walking around the Poly a bit the decision was made to head back over to the MK and catch a boat back to the Lodge. Our mode of choice for the first part of the journey…

The loop monorail of course...


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But, if I’d been thinking more clearly, I’d have hopped on the launch at the Poly and made the voyage across a different part of the Lagoon instead. That’s something I’d not done before and it would have shown me a different view of the resort loop. Guess I’ll have to do that next time I’m headed for the Kona Café.

It was no big loss however, as being on the Monorail is like an attraction to us anyway. We decided not to roam around the “Grand” this time around (as we’d spent a good bit of time exploring that resort back in December), but I did get a nice perspective of the place form the docks out in front of the Magic Kingdom…


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You’ll also notice in that image that the windsock wasn’t moving in even the slightest. Given the quickly rising summer heat and this noticeable lack of wind, it’s no wonder that we decided to go and hit the pool back at the home resort, but first we just had to wait for our water taxi to arrive.


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And the “Mermaid I” did arrive in short order. And this was a nice win for us. Being a good bit larger then the launches that more often service this route. On this boat we had room to spread out and roam around. That allowed me the chance to take a good number of pictures from this mini cruise, but I’ll only assault y’all with a few of ‘em for now


The ferry heading out form the MK (that we needed to speed up a bit in order to avoid)

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‘One of Florida’s tallest Mountains shimmering in the distance…

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A nice shot of the Contemporary and one of the other launches making its rounds (wave back every one)…

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And the water bridge over the roadway to the MK (I just love this little bit of whimsy)…

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Before we knew it the boat pulled along side the dock at the Wilderness Lodge just as the geyser was signaling the top of the hour. I took the long way around back to our room so that I could take a few more images of the interior of or temporary abode…


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I particularly like that last one.


Once back in our room I saw something that I hadn’t noticed up till now…
A Hidden Mickey


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Actually there are several of ‘em in that shot. Given that nearly all the comforters used in the various resorts have Mickeys hidden in them, you’d think I’d have seen that one earlier, but obviously I wasn’t paying attention.



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Place your bets




Now it was right about the time that I was snapping that last interesting but under whelming picture back there that the subject of dinner came up. We’d just had “brunch” so skipping a formal midday meal and settling for a hearty “linner” seemed like both a satisfying and economical idea. If you can call dinning on property economical (tasty… usually; entertaining… always; but economical… ehhhhhh). But we didn’t have any place picked out and we certainly didn’t have any ADRs set up for the evening. So now we had an excuse to do a little bit of gamboling


First… a check of the cash reserves led us to believe that we could do one of the nicer table service locations. With the resources known… Tamara picked up the phone and dialed WDW-DINE to see just what was available and started off with the venues at the Lodge itself…


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The rep said that Whispering Canyon only had very (and I mean very) late seatings left or we could come on down at say 1 pm and just wait for a table. Not quite what we’d hoped for. We were too full to eat again that early and the late in the evening thing didn’t sound good either. So the question got asked “Well, what about Artist’s Point” (hay, if I had to I’d certainly consider spending that kind of money on my family). The answer came back: “Nothing available there at all today or tomorrow”.


Humm…. those aren’t particularly good cards.

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I fold…


So now what? Well we are close to Fort Wilderness… we certainly couldn’t get into the Hoopty-Doo, but there was the “Back Yard Barbeque” and the “Trail’s End Buffet”.


OK, I’m in…

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The phone call got made… tables were available… and we were set for 5:30 at the “Trail’s End”. Woo-Hoo! Another chance to hit a buffet and partake of entirely too much good food!

That’s… a winning hand.

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I do believe that I’ll cash in my chips here and take the family down to the pool to celebrate and relax a little bit.

Enjoyed the game… y’all take care ya’ here.



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A Place in the Sun




So (and just as I warned) form here we busted out the swim gear, loaded up on the sun screen, followed the creek down the hill, grabbed some towels along the way and staked out a bit of prime real estate by Silver Creek Springs (also simply known as: the pool). We spent the last of the morning and a good chunk of the afternoon floating around, getting splashed, sitting in the sun, playing games of “name that tune” and watching the youngsters participating in the impromptu dance contests and other pool games. Fun was had. All in all… a fine afternoon both in and out of the heat. What I didn’t do though was get any pictures of anything that went on in this time frame.

Not a one.

Zip…

Zero…

Zilch!

So here we are enjoying one of the better swimming options “On World” and I ain’t got a thing to show y’all. Want to take any bets on what I’ll do about this situation? Well the answer is that I’ll be take’en this opportunity to stroll down memory lane. I do have pictures form other pools and other times (kind’a like a chlorinated retrospective of previous adventures). And this also gives me a chance to introduce something that this TR has generally been lacking.

At least a couple of pictures of cute youg’ens
(as opposed to nearly grown teenagers)

So here goes…


Introducing: Max (about age three)

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Enjoying the Carolina Coast (age: about four)

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Clowning around at “Stormalong Bay” (easily the best feature pool on Disney property)
He’d hit his “chubby phase” around here, and don’t ask me why we was charging my position… I just don’t remember (but it was quite funny).

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Blending into the Hippy-Dippy Pool
(Faaaarrrr out maaaannnnnn!)

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Aboard the Disney Wonder in 2007
(and starting to slime back down a bit… lookin’ good there bud).

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The master of the mighty Atlantic
(2008 and quite the looker if I do say)

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The whole clan enjoying an excursion while at Cozumel during our stint aboard the Disney Magic in 2009

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And most recently…
at Castaway Cay during this very trip aboard the Dream.

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My, my… but what a long strange trip it’s been. It’s hard to believe that the little boy back up there in that kiddy pool will be a rising senior in high school in just a couple of months. The very idea boggles the mind.



I want to thank y’all for letting me waste your time with my sentimental retrospective, but it just seemed like a good place to wax nostalgic. This is the part of the update where I’d normally start wrapping everything up with some type of pointless observation of an obscure lead-in to the next chapter. But right now… I got nothing. And, I don’t want to go down that road at the moment anyway. If y’all don’t mind… I think I’ll go back up there and run back through this improvised photo album of my son again.




I suspect that it will do me good.



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After walking around the Poly a bit the decision was made to head back over to the MK and catch a boat back to the Lodge.
It appears that I have missed an update. So I'll just stick the commentary for that one right here: Kona looks good. I have to go there some day.

I deeply apologize if you were expecting something Shakespearean.

It was no big loss however, as being on the Monorail is like an attraction to us anyway.
Is that why you raise your hands and scream "Wooooooooo!" whenever the monorail goes around a bend?

You’ll also notice in that image that the windsock wasn’t moving in even the slightest.
Of course not. You posted a photograph, not a video. How do we know the sock wasn't just in mid-flutter?

‘One of Florida’s tallest Mountains shimmering in the distance…
I recall reading an article years ago a person trying to climb to the tallest (natural) points in all 50 states. The accompanying photo from Florida showed him jogging along a highway. :rotfl2:


And the water bridge over the roadway to the MK (I just love this little bit of whimsy)…
I like to point this out to the kids, but they've become a bit to "Disney-fied" and just expect that type of Pixie Dust Engineering everywhere now.

The phone call got made… tables were available… and we were set for 5:30 at the “Trail’s End”. Woo-Hoo! Another chance to hit a buffet and partake of entirely too much good food!
An excellent place to have to "settle" for if I do say so myself.


And I just did.


I want to thank y’all for letting me waste your time with my sentimental retrospective, but it just seemed like a good place to wax nostalgic.

It sure if fun watching them grow up. Thanks for sharing! (But if I ever invent a time machine, I might have to head back to 2008 and give Max a sammich. I've seen split rail fence posts with more meat on them)

This is the part of the update where I’d normally start wrapping everything up with some type of pointless observation of an obscure lead-in to the next chapter. But right now… I got nothing.
That happens to me every once in a while. I just make stuff up.
 
It was no big loss however, as being on the Monorail is like an attraction to us anyway.

It's not an official Disney trip unless you ride the monorail at some point.

Given the quickly rising summer heat and this noticeable lack of wind, it’s no wonder that we decided to go and hit the pool back at the home resort, but first we just had to wait for our water taxi to arrive.

[MOVIE QUOTE] Great. More boats. [/MOVIE QUOTE]

And the water bridge over the roadway to the MK (I just love this little bit of whimsy)…

I love it, too. And I always point it out to my kids. It's a good engineering geek spot.

I particularly like that last one.

:thumbsup2 Nice shots of a very picturesque resort.

So now what? Well we are close to Fort Wilderness… we certainly couldn’t get into the Hoopty-Doo, but there was the “Back Yard Barbeque” and the “Trail’s End Buffet”.

The phone call got made… tables were available… and we were set for 5:30 at the “Trail’s End”. Woo-Hoo! Another chance to hit a buffet and partake of entirely too much good food!

Good call! One of the still-hidden secretly good places at WDW.

What I didn’t do though was get any pictures of anything that went on in this time frame.

I tend not to take pictures in the pool either. The water isn't good for the camera, and there's this horribly pasty white guy that keeps showing up in the photos anyway.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane! I bet Max grew up a lot faster than you thought he would. I only say that because I can't believe the how the last 10 years have flown by.

I recall reading an article years ago a person trying to climb to the tallest (natural) points in all 50 states. The accompanying photo from Florida showed him jogging along a highway. :rotfl2:

Did he find that spot in Delaware? I'm not sure anyone knows where it is.

This reminds me of a story from a national conference my dad attended. The members had to introduce themselves and say something about their home state. The guy from North Dakota stood up and introduced himself and said, "Our state is incredibly flat. In fact, on a clear day you can stand on top of a beer can and see from one end of the state to the other."

Later, the gentleman from New Hampshire stood. He said, "I'm from New Hampshire. The highest point in our state is Mt. Washington. And on a clear day, you can drive all the way to the top of the mountain, look to the west, and see some idiot standing on a beer can in North Dakota." :lmao::rotfl2::rotfl:

I like to point this out to the kids, but they've become a bit to "Disney-fied" and just expect that type of Pixie Dust Engineering everywhere now.

Glad to see they're already taking engineers for granted. :thumbsup2
 


It appears that I have missed an update. So I'll just stick the commentary for that one right here: Kona looks good. I have to go there some day.

I deeply apologize if you were expecting something Shakespearean.

I was expecting something slightly different…
But certainly not Shakespearean.

Is that why you raise your hands and scream "Wooooooooo!" whenever the monorail goes around a bend?

Yah right… like you don’t do that too. I callin’ BS on that one.

Of course not. You posted a photograph, not a video. How do we know the sock wasn't just in mid-flutter?

Use your “imaginary nation”

I recall reading an article years ago a person trying to climb to the tallest (natural) points in all 50 states. The accompanying photo from Florida showed him jogging along a highway. :rotfl2:
:lmao: Now that’s funny

I like to point this out to the kids, but they've become a bit to "Disney-fied" and just expect that type of Pixie Dust Engineering everywhere now.

So jaded our young’en have become.
But looking for the magic while ignoring those that make the magic is nothing new.


An excellent place to have to "settle" for if I do say so myself.


And I just did.

And I think I might just have to agree with you


And I just did.

It sure if fun watching them grow up. Thanks for sharing! (But if I ever invent a time machine, I might have to head back to 2008 and give Max a sammich. I've seen split rail fence posts with more meat on them)

I don’t know… I’ve seen a few young ladies fall all over themselves just to hang out with fell’as with similar builds.

That happens to me every once in a while. I just make stuff up.

We’ve noticed.






It's not an official Disney trip unless you ride the monorail at some point.

And that’s one reason we made certain to do so.


[MOVIE QUOTE] Great. More boats. [/MOVIE QUOTE]

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

[Tangent]
Always watch the odd numbered movies in that series
Were it the Star Trek films… then you go for the even numbered ones.
Most other sequels aren’t worth bothering with.
[/Tangent]


By the way… what else did you expect form me?


I love it, too. And I always point it out to my kids. It's a good engineering geek spot.

But do they roll their eyes and say “Daaaaaaaad… people are staring”.


:thumbsup2 Nice shots of a very picturesque resort.

Thanks

Good call! One of the still-hidden secretly good places at WDW.

We were pleasantly surprised. Next time I think I want to try the Back Yard BBQ and then stay for the campfire sing along.

I tend not to take pictures in the pool either. The water isn't good for the camera, and there's this horribly pasty white guy that keeps showing up in the photos anyway.

Yah… there are those issues to consider. But trust me...
being “pasty” is far more acceptable in modern society then being fat and ugly.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane! I bet Max grew up a lot faster than you thought he would. I only say that because I can't believe the how the last 10 years have flown by.

The first five years or so seemed to take and eternity. But once he got his reasoning skills built up, we got along much better and the last twelve years passed in a blinding flash. Given the different talent that guys and gals bring to the parenting process, it should be no surprise that DW misses those first five years, while I’m lamenting the imminent end of this time period.



Did you achieve eternal consciousness? :confused3


[MOVIE QUOTE] I’m not dead! [/MOVIE QUOTE]
 
The loop monorail of course...
If you can't actually go "in" the park, you might as well at least ride the most popular ride there!

And the water bridge over the roadway to the MK (I just love this little bit of whimsy)…
Disney Imagineering at it's finest. :lmao:

Humm…. those aren’t particularly good cards.
Wow... I've always been under the impression that those are 2 restaurants that are both very good, but also relatively easy to get last second seatings for. It must have either been very busy, or I was just flat out wrong. :lmao:

The phone call got made… tables were available… and we were set for 5:30 at the “Trail’s End”. Woo-Hoo! Another chance to hit a buffet and partake of entirely too much good food!
Excellent compromise! :thumbsup2

What I didn’t do though was get any pictures of anything that went on in this time frame.

Not a one.

Zip…

Zero…

Zilch!
That's alright. I never take a camera to the pool, for several reasons.
  • Like Mark said, nobody wants to see pasty white guy
  • You already showed us what happens when you mix water and cameras
  • I don't want my electronic equipment to "walk away" while I'm in the water
  • I don't want to be "the creepy guy taking pictures around the pool"

My, my… but what a long strange trip it’s been. It’s hard to believe that the little boy back up there in that kiddy pool will be a rising senior in high school in just a couple of months. The very idea boggles the mind.
:goodvibes He seems to be turning out very well, considering where he came from.:thumbsup2

This is the part of the update where I’d normally start wrapping everything up with some type of pointless observation of an obscure lead-in to the next chapter. But right now… I got nothing. And, I don’t want to go down that road at the moment anyway. If y’all don’t mind… I think I’ll go back up there and run back through this improvised photo album of my son again.
I can't argue with that logic.
 


Hi Rob--

I can't believe that it's been nearly a year since I started reading your trip report! When I was reading about your trip, my trip seemed ages away. And it was. But now we are leaving NEXT WEEK! 5-night double-dipper.

I just started a pre-trip report here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2933798

Thank you again for all the helpful info you put in yours!
 
My word but I’m behind on this bit of nonsense. Don’t you hate it when life gets in the way of a good time? Well Just maybe I can get this show back on the road now. I’ll get an actual update posted in just a moment and I’ll also promise y’all that I’m almost finished with this monster. There’s probably only one more update after this one so just maybe I’ll get it done before the end of June. :rolleyes1




:goodvibes He seems to be turning out very well, considering where he came from.:thumbsup2

Insults only work when they aren’t true.
Which mean… I’ll be taking that one as a compliment.




Happy Birthday Rob!!!!!!:cool1:

And a belated thanks to you sir.
I appreciate the thought (even if I didn’t get around to saying so before now).




Hi Rob--

I can't believe that it's been nearly a year since I started reading your trip report! When I was reading about your trip, my trip seemed ages away. And it was. But now we are leaving NEXT WEEK! 5-night double-dipper.

I just started a pre-trip report here:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2933798

Thank you again for all the helpful info you put in yours!


I can’t believe it’s been near a year since I started this thing either (I should be shot for not finishing it up before now). I very glad to have had you along for the ride and I’ll check out your PTR as well. Hopefully some of what I been rambling on about will actually end up being useful.
 

Chapter 10: The Sting
(Day 7 – Saturday)




Part 3: And…. They’re off!






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“Ladies and Gentlemen. This is Arnold Rowe, your caller for the second race at Belmont in New York.”


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“A mile and 1/8. Four year olds and up. And they're off!”





Given enough chutzpah, you can pretty much compare any one thing to near anything else, but there are certain ideas, thoughts and experiences that do… shall we say… a more… “efficient”… job of verbally and conceptually making a comparison. What I’m on about here are the preverbal crutches of the writing world: “The Clichés”. These are the loathsome bottom feeding abominations that your various Language Arts teachers warned you about. The literary demon rum that will surely turn us all into drug fiends, ruin the moral fiber of our offspring and threaten the sanctity of traditional marriage. Of these odious bits of literary schlock, the “horse race” allusion is one of the easiest to lapse into. Like every other jockey-whipped meme, it’s an event that most folks are familiar with and the basic concept comes readymade with a stock set of sights, sounds and images already built in (thus freeing me from any requirement of actual forethought or even any pretence toward creating a coherent visual image).

So now that we’ve established exactly which vapid boilerplate will be abused in this chapter… let the embarrassing attempt at story telling begin…


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Out of the Gate




Back there in the previous update (yah… a long, long time ago) I mentioned that we’d placed a bet on a long shot and scored a few “Day of” reservations for dinner (not always easy to do at WDW). Well… now that we’d spent all afternoon in the sun, the vaguely familiar pang of hunger had begun to make its presence known. It was time to cash in those stubs. This being the case we got ourselves cleaned up a might and busted out of the gates in a head long gallop toward Fort Wilderness and the opportunity to partake of something new.



Around the first turn it's a War Eagle first by a length, Jail Bate second by one and a half, Dancing Cloud third by a half on the outside, followed by Lucky Lady, Mojo, Wits' End and Bluenote…



Like all spots on the ‘Map of the World” there are a number of ways to go about getting over to the campgrounds, but the one unique method available to those staying at the Lodge is by foot. Now anyone can walk to "The Fort" from anywhere if they’re desperate enough, but for us there was actual incentive as there is a rather pleasant walking trail connecting the two resorts…


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As you can see, the trail takes you along a bit of Bay Lake as well (just an added visual prize). The rest of it is closer akin to a steeplechase track and looks more like this…


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…still good scenery for a little stretch of the legs though. Just for a little extra clarity, here’s a map of this small part of The World that is available at the Lodge. It’s designed to show some suggested jogging paths for those guests that are so inclined. The bit I marked out in blue is the walking trail that we decided to follow around the southern edge of the lake. That is until the path makes a turn to the south and ultimately meets up with the rest of the paved walkways that are more frequently traveled.


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It was an enjoyable stroll, but still a bit better then a mile, so do make sure that you give yourself enough time to arrive at your destination. Of course that’s a bit of advice that’s best followed no matter how you choose to travel in The World.

After a bit the pathway took us into the main guest area of Fort Wilderness…


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…and right by “Pioneer Hall”; home of the world famous Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue.


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A show that I’ve been told by many (and on many occasions) is one of the highlights of a Wilderness stay. One day I’ll find out if this is true, but it won’t be this day. You really need to make “resies” for that one a whole lot farther ahead of time.

No matter… We simply followed along to the end of the trail and discovered (shockingly enough)…


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In the evenings, this fine Disney dinning establishment offers up a glutton’s delight of a buffet that includes such sundries as:


Soups and Chili
Selections from a well stocked salad and sandwich bar
a cadre of taters and veggies
The all important: mac-n-cheese (for the kiddies of course)
Peel-and-eat shrimp
Smoked pork ribs (get extra of these puppies)
Fried chicken, a Pasta dish or two
Hand-carved roasted beef and/or turkey
The catch of the day
And even Pizza by the slice


Oh, and of course…

fruit cobbler and soft-serve ice cream


The verdict…
excellent victuals to be sure.

The funny part of the story…
I had just spent the better part of a week on a ship with virtually unlimited dining, but it wasn’t until I arrived at the “Trail’s End” that I actually got around to indulging in entirely too much of a good thing. Even with meals on the ship that consisted of multiple courses, and the opportunity to order near anything I wanted… it was the embarrassment of choice available on this buffet that clouded my judgment and convinced me to obsessively cram just one more bit of just one more dish into my already stuffed inerds.


Go figure.



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Into the Turns




Into the clubhouse turn, it's War Eagle by two lengths, Dancing Cloud has moved up to second by a half, Lucky Lady is third by three followed by Jail Bait, Mojo, Bluenote and Wits' End.



After dinner the decision was made to poke around “The Fort” for just a bit. Partly because we’d not been there before, and partly because a bit of physical movement (however minimal) seemed in order considering the radically high caloric intake that I’d just foisted upon my person.

There is actually a great deal to get into and see at Fort Wilderness but in the twenty minutes or so we rambled around the trading post area, we barely scratched the surface. Our first encountered was with one of the available carriage rides…


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We weren’t placing any markers on this fellow as I do believe that his racing days were long past him and he was quite content to be resting in the shade of that old Live Oak.


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Just a crack of the whip away, my eye spied another non-human member of the animal kingdom enjoying the amenities of The Fort…


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I’m certain that the Imagineers are quite capable of creating an animatronic rabbit and more then willing to place one where guests might encounter it, but I’m betting (this time around anyway) that nature had more to do with this particular sighting. After rummaging around inside the Trading Post the decision was made to catch a boat for the next part of the evening’s planed entertainment.



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Heading toward the line




Into the backstretch it's War Eagle still by a length, Dancing Cloud closing on the inside, is second by two, Lucky Lady is third by one and a half, followed by Bluenote, Jail Bait, Wits' End and Mojo.



On the way toward the dock we passed by one of the more “fabled” sites on World… the Lawnmower Tree. If you’ve not encountered this odd bit of Disneyana, then here’s how the locals chose to explain it…


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So just what are they on about here?
Well, this…


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That just proves that I did get a picture of the thing. Here’s a shot taken with better equipment that illustrates the details of this “Attraction”


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Not much to see actually. Here’s “the story” that goes with it…

Some where back in human history, the individual who owned this land (before Walt that is) actually left an old manual push-type “reel mower” leaning up against this pine tree. And there it stayed. The tree apparently grew around the tool and ultimately enveloped the bulk of the steel components. All that is left to be seen now is the little bit that’s sticking out at the base of the trunk. When the Imagineers discovered this artifact, they left it in place and put up the sign as a curiosity for guest to find. If this is factual then it wasn’t good for the tree in the long run as it died off a while back and the grounds keepers had to cut it down to the stump that remains (but at least it does remain). Now, is this a true story or just part of the “entertainment”? That I can’t say for sure as I’ve been unable to find older photos showing the various stages of the mower’s demise. That being said, I also can’t find confirmation that any of the Disney folks purposely dreamed up this odd find. So for now we’ll accept it as “plausible”.



Into the far turn, it's Dancing Cloud now by half a length, War Eagle is second by two, Bluenote is third by a half and moving fast on the outside. Lucky Lady is fourth by four lengths, followed by Jail Bait, Wits' End and Mojo.



Just a few steps from the Lawnmower Tree is where you’ll find the boat dock for Fort Wilderness. This particular dock also happens to be where they tie up the patrol boats for the general lake area.


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Those aren’t so much a tourist attraction or something that you’ll likely find interesting as they are a reminder to me of a job I wouldn’t mind having. A chance to be out on the water and be at Disney would be ideal (of course having to deal with guests that are behaving less then considerate would be a bit of a down side, but into each life some rain must fall).



Coming down the stretch, it's Dancing Cloud by one length, War Eagle and Bluenote are neck and neck by two. Now it's Dancing Cloud, Bluenote and War Eagle.



Anyway we walked down to the end of the dock just as they were loading the next launch. And once that process had been completed we were entertained with this fine view…


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…of our intended chariot sailing away with out us. It happens. Someone has to be the last person allowed on to the boat, and that means that the next person (me in this instance) get’s to be the first person in line…

For the next boat.

Not a great loss though, trust me. As with all Disney transpiration, there’d be another one coming along directly, and…


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There she be!



Dancing Cloud and Bluenote head to head! ...
Dancing Cloud! Bluenote! Dancing Cloud! Bluenote! It's Bluenote by a nose!! Dancing Cloud is second by two, War Eagle third by three and a half. Time for a mile and 1/8, 2:01 and 6/10 seconds.



Being first aboard the launch I was presented with a good view of how our skipper would be handling the craft and a fairly unobstructed view forward and to the port side during out journey.


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But the thing that caught my eye as I looked off in that direction was this rather un-Disney like image…


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A cob web! On Disney property! Well that you’d expect were this the HM or the ToT, but for folks so obsessive about the look of their park I was rather surprised. But I also liked seeing it there. Like that odd tree back at the fort, this was just another reminder that nature has a way of making itself known despite all our best efforts to control every situation. For that reason alone, I rather found the discovery calming.

Well, now I can say that we’ve now actually been to the Mighty Fort Wilderness campgrounds and yet we barely saw even a fraction of what’s available. One of these here first days I need to get me a pup-tent and actually stay on site for a bit (did I say tent? A rented RV would be more like it, but y’all get the idea). For now though we were headed for a different location…


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…but not that one. Not just yet anyway. That may be where the launch was headed at the moment, but we wouldn’t be getting off the boat just yet. There was one more excursion for us this evening and for our last Disney hurrah of the trip. But there were also a couple of things that we hadn’t anticipated on the horizon, so it would just take us a bit longer to get there then we’d expect.



Sometimes it’s the little things that will reach out and bite you.



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What I’m on about here are the preverbal crutches of the writing world: “The Clichés”. These are the loathsome bottom feeding abominations that your various Language Arts teachers warned you about.

Cliches aren't so bad. Without them, I wouldn't have any text in my TR's at all. It would just be pictures. Then my back would really be against the wall, and I'd have to give 110% to come up with something interesting. I'd go down swinging, that's for sure.

Like all spots on the ‘Map of the World” there are a number of ways to go about getting over to the campgrounds, but the one unique method available to those staying at the Lodge is by foot.

Did that walk once. It was very pleasant, and the quiet was only interrupted one time by a Segway tour. :headache:

The bit I marked out in blue is the walking trail that we decided to follow around the southern edge of the lake. That is until the path makes a turn to the south and ultimately meets up with the rest of the paved walkways that are more frequently traveled.

Did you try to sneak over to River Country to see what's left of it? :confused3

A show that I’ve been told by many (and on many occasions) is one of the highlights of a Wilderness stay. One day I’ll find out if this is true, but it won’t be this day. You really need to make “resies” for that one a whole lot farther ahead of time.

HDDR is definitely worth it. Lots of fun.


Soups and Chili
Selections from a well stocked salad and sandwich bar
a cadre of taters and veggies
The all important: mac-n-cheese (for the kiddies of course)
Peel-and-eat shrimp
Smoked pork ribs (get extra of these puppies)
Fried chicken, a Pasta dish or two
Hand-carved roasted beef and/or turkey
The catch of the day
And even Pizza by the slice


Oh, and of course…

fruit cobbler and soft-serve ice cream

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The funny part of the story…
I had just spent the better part of a week on a ship with virtually unlimited dining, but it wasn’t until I arrived at the “Trail’s End” that I actually got around to indulging in entirely too much of a good thing. Even with meals on the ship that consisted of multiple courses, and the opportunity to order near anything I wanted… it was the embarrassment of choice available on this buffet that clouded my judgment and convinced me to obsessively cram just one more bit of just one more dish into my already stuffed inerds.

Well, on the boat it's "free". But here, you're paying for the meal out of pocket, so you have to justify the expense and get your money's worth. :thumbsup2

I’m certain that the Imagineers are quite capable of creating an animatronic rabbit and more then willing to place one where guests might encounter it, but I’m betting (this time around anyway) that nature had more to do with this particular sighting.

They're Disney groundskeepers. Saves on the mowing budget.

On the way toward the dock we passed by one of the more “fabled” sites on World… the Lawnmower Tree.

Good work! So many people pass that one right on by. It's a unique sight, that's for sure. The lawnmower itself was much more visible years ago.

Those aren’t so much a tourist attraction or something that you’ll likely find interesting as they are a reminder to me of a job I wouldn’t mind having. A chance to be out on the water and be at Disney would be ideal (of course having to deal with guests that are behaving less then considerate would be a bit of a down side, but into each life some rain must fall).

Compared to the people I deal with in my job, I think this would still be an upgrade. You'd be at WDW, after all.

Like that odd tree back at the fort, this was just another reminder that nature has a way of making itself known despite all our best efforts to control every situation. For that reason alone, I rather found the discovery calming.

Well said.
 
Cliches aren't so bad. Without them, I wouldn't have any text in my TR's at all. It would just be pictures. Then my back would really be against the wall, and I'd have to give 110% to come up with something interesting. I'd go down swinging, that's for sure.

We have to play them one day at a time. I'm just happy to be here and I hope I can help the ball club. I just want to give it my best shot and the good lord willing everything will work out.


Or to paraphrase: I’m rowing in the same boat…

without a paddle


Did that walk once. It was very pleasant, and the quiet was only interrupted one time by a Segway tour. :headache:

A good walk spoiled…

OK… I’ll stop with the clichés…



At some point…


Did you try to sneak over to River Country to see what's left of it? :confused3

Didn’t hike that far. We stopped for dinner and then weren’t quite in the mood to continue walking the parts of the trail that wandered around to the northern side of the lake. But… I did see what’s left of RC (sort of). I’ll show you that image in a little bit.


HDDR is definitely worth it. Lots of fun.

I suspect that is true and if I ever get back down there (although my up coming tuition obligations may make that difficult indeed) we do intend to try that one out.



::yes::
That was the general consciences at our table.


Well, on the boat it's "free". But here, you're paying for the meal out of pocket, so you have to justify the expense and get your money's worth. :thumbsup2

Ya’ know what Doc…
I do believe that you’ve correctly diagnosed that one.


They're Disney groundskeepers. Saves on the mowing budget.

I use the same hardware on my property.
That makes our yard “Disney-esk”.


Good work! So many people pass that one right on by. It's a unique sight, that's for sure. The lawnmower itself was much more visible years ago.

Do you happen to have any images from when the mower was more visible then it is now? It would make for a good comparison. I’ve been searching for such but haven’t been able to find any.



Compared to the people I deal with in my job, I think this would still be an upgrade. You'd be at WDW, after all.

“Precisely.”



Well said.

Thanks.

I follow the shotgun approach to writing. I just fire off as many random words and pointless notions as I possibly can and every once in a while, two or three of them will actually combine to illustrate a coherent thought. Not that I’d recommend that anyone actually read all of this mess just to find the one accidental bit of wisdom though.


:rolleyes1
 
I'm still here (started a PTR for our September trip, which now incorporated the surprise 60th birthday trip I'm planning for hubby).

I love that Disney is NOT perfect in certain areas...and it is nature with the spider web.

Love all the pictures; and love the changes in your son from before and now. Hard to believe they grow so darn fast.
 
What I’m on about here are the preverbal crutches of the writing world: “The Clichés”. These are the loathsome bottom feeding abominations that your various Language Arts teachers warned you about.
Better to use cliches than puns. :rolleyes1

Like all spots on the ‘Map of the World” there are a number of ways to go about getting over to the campgrounds, but the one unique method available to those staying at the Lodge is by foot. Now anyone can walk to "The Fort" from anywhere if they’re desperate enough, but for us there was actual incentive as there is a rather pleasant walking trail connecting the two resorts…
Wow, you went with "by foot?" I would have given bonus points if you could fit a monorail ride into that journey somehow. :rolleyes1

No matter… We simply followed along to the end of the trail and discovered (shockingly enough)…


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:eek:

fruit cobbler and soft-serve ice cream
I'm sorry... the ribs and chicken look good, but I think I'd probably just eat my fill of cobbler and ice cream. It just sounds good to me right now.

So for now we’ll accept it as “plausible”.
Do we need to write a letter to Adam and Jamie?

And once that process had been completed we were entertained with this fine view…


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…of our intended chariot sailing away with out us.
To follow up on Captain_Oblivious' use of Simpsons characters...
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One of these here first days I need to get me a pup-tent and actually stay on site for a bit (did I say tent? A rented RV would be more like it, but y’all get the idea).
Aren't you getting ready to send Max to college? I think the tent is more likely.

Heck, I'd be happy to stay in a tent if that's what it took to be on Disney property. :thumbsup2


But there were also a couple of things that we hadn’t anticipated on the horizon, so it would just take us a bit longer to get there then we’d expect.
Uh oh. Somebody didn't decide it was time to put an excavator on a barge and move it in front of your boat, did they? :headache:
 
I'm still here (started a PTR for our September trip, which now incorporated the surprise 60th birthday trip I'm planning for hubby).

I’m the one that’s been AWOL for neigh onto a month now. I missed the last several updates of the Girls trip, but congrats on completing that TR.

And…
Congrats on having a new trip in the planning phases.
I’ll be watching for the official TR on that one as well.


I love that Disney is NOT perfect in certain areas...and it is nature with the spider web.

Ordered Chaos … nature understands that concept far better then we’ll ever hope to.


Love all the pictures; and love the changes in your son from before and now. Hard to believe they grow so darn fast.

Thanks, and yes… yes they do.
It amazes me just how much he has changed in so short a time. Oddly to me the first ten years seem twice that length (or more), but the last several have really disappeared faster then I’m able to comprehend.







Better to use cliches than puns. :rolleyes1

Barry…
I think that shot was fired across your bow.
Care to respond in kind?


Wow, you went with "by foot?" I would have given bonus points if you could fit a monorail ride into that journey somehow. :rolleyes1

As soon as the Imagineers put in the Fort Wilderness monorail line…
I’ll be on it.

This time around however, it just wasn’t headed in the same direction that I was.



I did say it was shocking.


I'm sorry... the ribs and chicken look good, but I think I'd probably just eat my fill of cobbler and ice cream. It just sounds good to me right now.

All things considered, that wouldn’t have been a bad choice. The soft-serve was fairly standard, but the cobbler would come under the heading of: Most Excellent.


Do we need to write a letter to Adam and Jamie?

I was actually debating that very notion (thus the word choice)
But given that they’re unlikely to take that one on… I’ll let them entertain us with another example of something that they’ve become rather famous for…




To follow up on Captain_Oblivious' use of Simpsons characters...
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Simpson’s characters are welcome in this here TR.

Given the quality of the prose…
Their appearance can only serve to raise the sophistication level of this “literary endeavor”


Aren't you getting ready to send Max to college? I think the tent is more likely.

Heck, I'd be happy to stay in a tent if that's what it took to be on Disney property. :thumbsup2

A Tent (or a homeless shelter) is actually a component of one of our proposed tuition payment options.
You’ll also notice that I haven’t had a ticker for any trips in my Sig for quite some time now.


Uh oh. Somebody didn't decide it was time to put an excavator on a barge and move it in front of your boat, did they? :headache:

Not this time. This delay can be attributed entirely to a “failure of imagination” (to quote Frank Borman). I didn’t even consider that what was about to happen… could happen. Just didn’t think it through.

:sad2:
 

Chapter 10: The Sting
(Day 7 – Saturday)




Part 4: A Shot in the Dark






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When yous’ walks down a blind alley… ya’ take’s your chances.

There could be anything down there. It could be a short cut or it might be harboring something that you really didn’t bargain for. You might even encounter something familiar and still have it take pot shots at ya’. We were headed for one of those alleyways and while it would certainly end up paying off in general, there were still lessons to be learned. The main one being that there are times when you really ought to be driving yourself around WDW.

Lesson learned.

And here’s how we learned it.



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A Contemporary Setting




In the last update I left you hanging right about here…


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Aboard a Bay Lake Launch headed back toward the WL and enjoying the scenery along the way. That particular blurry image is actually of the now defunct River Country water park, but our home resort was just a little bit ahead of us. We, however, wanted to stay out and play for a bit longer so when the boat glided up to the dock we just stayed put right where we were sitting and continued on to the little craft’s next destination.

This one…


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Welcome to the Contemporary!

And it’s companion DVC resort… Bay Lake Tower.


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We’d been here only once before to partake in the frivolity, “average food” and overt napkin spinning that is part and parcel of the “Chef Mickey’s” experience (a very l-o-n-g time ago and prior to the appearance of the BLT). It didn’t occur to us at the time to stroll around and check out the rest of the place. So this time… when we had time… (or so we thought)… we took the time… to walk around and experience the resort a little better.

So let’s get on with the experiencing shall we?
First, a couple of shots of the grounds…


Mickey says: Behold! I have conjured up a Sand Bar…


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And off in a different direction is the contemporary’s answer to what a resort pool and water-play area ought to look like…

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On the inside… Mary Blair’s “flawed” mosaic
(an original piece of WDW lore that hopefully will be left just as it is).


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And lastly… a look up form the main floor…


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It really is an impressive space. The openness of this part of the resort was almost cathedral like in the way that the walls and roof simply soared away into the distance. That huge ring suspended over head has a mate on the other side of the building as well and during the holidays they’re both converted into massive “Mickey” wreaths that are quite grand to see.

Just beyond all that glass is an observation deck that offers one of the best spots around for observing the Magic Kingdom (and is therefore also a fine spot from which to watch “Wishes” if you get there early enough to grab a good seat).


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Obviously, it’s also an excellent vantage point for a bit of monorail spotting…


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Unexpected Surprises…




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Well, now I’ve succeeded in spending a little bit of time at all of the resorts on the loop. Mission accomplished. Next on the agenda: golf. Well… mini-golf to be more precise. The “real” game is far too expensive for me to par take. An occasional round of striking brightly colored golf balls with an elongated hammer and attempting to guide them in and around fanciful (or even gaudy) obstacles is a diversion that is more readily affordable though. And… there are two rather uniquely Disney variations on this theme within the confines of WDW. So with that in mind we blithely strolled out to the Contemporary’s bus stop.

The original destination we had in mind was “Winter Summerland”, the mini golf course built on the grounds of the Blizzard Beach water park (and sharing a similar themeing). Lucky for us, when we hopped on the bus headed to BB /AK, the driver inquired as to our destination. I say lucky because once aware of out intentions, he informed us that once the water park closed (which was in just a few minutes) there’d be no more bus service to or from the area until morning.

Ooooops!

Now, that right there was a handy piece of information to have. And I wish I had it earlier, or had at least stopped to consider the possibility. Obviously this plan of attack wasn’t going to work. From here we could head back over to the WL and drive ourselves or go with Plan B. Having already chewed up a good bit of time getting here, backtracking didn’t seem to be the right call. It actually would have been, but it sure didn’t seem like it at the time. So Plan-B got enacted. We’d just walk over to the MK and catch a bus to the Swan resort where we’d be able to find the other mini golf option on property: Fantasia Gardens. An additional prize built into this plan was the chance to see just how easy it would be if one were to walk to the Kingdom from the Contemporary resorts.


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And it is quite easy as it turns out. Less then ten minutes walk through meticulous landscaping and you’re there. Just for this single perk, I need to find a way to stay at the CR or the BLT some time in the future. Given the expense it may be the far distant future, but still…

From here we had no trouble getting to the MK bus area…


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But as you can see, we were also starting to run out of daylight. Being summer (and right around the solstice), you can guess as to about what time it was getting to be. We would most certainly be taking a few shots in the dark after all. Anyway, we hoped on the bus headed for the Swan and Dolphin and in just a little while were dropped off at the door of the more feathery of the two. I inquired as to the best route over to Fantasia and off we went. The grounds of the S&D resorts are actually rather expansive so it was still a fairly good stretch of the legs to get there (another unexpected surprise), but get there we finally did…


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And the maestro himself greeted us from the distance and beckoned that we join the fun…


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The Gardens is actually two courses. The first one, “Fantasia Fairways” (also know as “Fan-Fair” by it “fans”), is much closer akin to the actual game of golf.


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The only thing missing is the need to drive a ball down the fairway for any great distance. The greens, roughs, and hazards, however, are just as real as anything you’d encounter at your country club of choice. Professional golfers that have roamed these links have even said that this ain’t for the amateur duffer. Given our now more limited time frame and lack of PGA caliber skills, it wasn’t for us either. No matter, the “other” course on site… the actual “Gardens” course… is a far more traditional “kiddy-golf” but on a more elegant scale then most (and with Disney thememing)


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If it were more adult themed, that wine would have been drinkable
(and welcome by this point in the day to be sure).

Each of the eighteen holes features elements from the 1940 film Fantasia.
Right... like y'all hadn’t already figured that out by now.


Another character form the Pastoral Symphony…

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A moment from the Pas de deux segment within “The Dance of the Hours”

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You get the idea…

One of the more imaginative “hazards” (reimagined from the Toccata and Fugue sequence) features a stairway of very large xylophone type chimes designed to play a melody of sorts as the ball descends it and strikes the different steps.


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Cool, but as Admiral Ackbar would point out: “It’s a Trap!” If instead, one were to hit the ball lightly, it would end up rolling back down the first ramp and into a hidden tunnel that directs said dimpled sphere more directly toward the hole. Now you know (and that’s half the battle). Actually each hole on the course has a silly poem that introduces the obstacle and provides a clue in riddle form as to what you should be wary of.

For example…


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That’s the clue for this feature…


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And there are either electric eyes or pressure plates built into this edifice that will cause the brooms to actually drench your ball (or you for that matter) in mid route and send the whole process completely off course. It pays not to dilly-dally when maneuvering around this spot.

One other thing to know is that this can be a fairly popular diversion. When we arrived (well after 9pm) there was actually a good fouty-ish minute waiting list for a tee-time… seriously (and that was something else we hadn’t anticipated)! Even still, I’d give Fantasia Gardens some very high marks on the family entertainment scale and I do intend to go back in the future. I also intend to actually try out the drastically harder Fairway course at some point (a video of those proceedings may prove be a real hoot). What I don’t intend to do though is get here via the bus system again. The return trek to the WL involved trudging back over to the Swan to catch the coach to Downtown Disney and then transferring to another bus headed back to the Lodge. This worked just fine, but between the multiple stops at various spots around the Feather-n-Fin (which I also hadn’t considered) and then waiting for the bus back to our resort (and it actually being the last one for the day), we’ve decided that if golf is our destination… then we’ll be doing the driving form now on.

And this may well go for a number of other destinations around the World.



Better to spend your time actually being entertained then in transit and being continually held up by unforeseen obstacles…




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Chapter 11: Denouement
(Day 8 – Sunday)




Part 1: All Good Things…






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That last image there is one of the concept drawings from the “fluffy” little film that has been shepherding y’all through this rambling mess of a TR. I forget where I found that one but I like it for a couple of reasons. First, it gives you an idea of how the storytellers originally visualized that part of the tale they wanted to relate. Secondly (and more importantly for my purposes), it also illustrates how different the finished product would end up being once actually completed.

There are elements that would be exactly as anticipated…

There are other parts and even characters that would be anywhere from slightly embellished up to radically altered.

It’s a good metaphor for life in general and certainly for traveling. Even the grandest of plans, need to have an allowance for change and adjustment built in. Often you must be flexible just to circumnavigate the obstacles that arise, but you may also need to alter course in order to take advantage of opportunities. The expedition about which I’ve been writing for a good while now is no different, and even the process of the writing has taken me on many side trips and along a number of unfamiliar roads.

But this next road is familiar.


It’s the road home.






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One Last Look




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I suspect that y’all are rather tired of random pictures form the various resorts that we encountered. But even so, you’re just gonn’a have to get over it, cause I’ve got just a few more to inflict upon ya’. So just hush up and deal with it (or skip this part of the update… either way is fine by me).

As usual I was up early this bright Sunday morning, so I decided to take one more look around the Wilderness Lodge. Chances are rather good we won’t be back here anytime soon, so it seemed the thing to do. First Stop (as made apparent from the last image)… Artists Point.


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This restaurant reviews very well, but just couldn’t be worked into our plans this time around. The menu can also be challenging for families with young ones, so it’s probably also not the best place to go on a lark. Lastly, it’s expensive even by Disney standards. But given all of those potential pit falls, I do believe that I could easily find that a leisurely high end meal accompanied with views of this caliber…


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…is still something that I would have enjoyed. Maybe some other time.




The other elephant in the room is the one bit of “décor” that the WL is particularly famous for and yet I haven’t mentioned even once. That would be this little bit of whimsy….


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Not much “little” about a five story stone fireplace actually. But the more relaxing way to view this site is plopped down in one of those rocking chairs on a cool evening and just enjoying the warmth and grandeur.


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This bit of architecture was inspired by Mary Colter’s "geologic fireplace" from the Bright Angel Lodge at the Grand Canyon. The layers in the stonework represent the rock strata in the canyon itself and are in essence a time machine for seeing how the Earth was made.

The display case on the right includes a nice explanation or what you’re looking at as well…


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I thought about doing a dissertation on the subject, but it’s getting late, so rather instead I’ll just let you discover this bit of geology and natural history for yourselves. Besides, I believe that you’ll agree that I’ve probably been yammering on quite long enough at this point.

Of course being as we are at Disney, even an homage to another great structure comes with a little extra hidden “magic”. You’ll find it somewhere in the reddish band of stone just above the “mantle” and it looks like this…


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I’ve probably already made t too easy to find so I’ll stop there but rest assured, you’ll find it if you look.

OK… here are the last few random images from around this area and then I’ll shut up about it. I promise… scout’s honor…


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See You Real Soon




We’ve put this off as long as we can, but the clock doesn’t care who you are… it just keeps on ticking. Checkout time is here and it’s time to get ourselves back home and back to our “normal” reality. After a bit of breakfast, all the bags got packed up and stowed in the trunk. Then the three of us climbed in and started that melancholy egress away from the land of magic and back toward the land of work and school.

The last image we got of the mightily Wilderness Lodge...

This one…


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…the backside of the entrance gate. It was telling us that we were headed off in the wrong direction, but that just couldn’t be helped. All that was left to do now was to follow the signs…


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…to this sad sight…


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…and then on to the main highways heading north. As we were settling in for the drive, one last little image form the area did get captured though…


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… and oddly enough that one made me feel ever so slightly better. It said to me: “The magic is always here, you are always welcome and may the fair winds of life bring you back to us soon.”

And just maybe they will.




The drive home was fairly uneventful. The Florida part of the interstate more often then not, looked like this…


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After a few hours we were back over the St Mary’s River and into Georgia…


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The only thing we got into while traversing this 109 mile stretch of I-95 was a little bit of lunch and a swapping of driving duties. Tamara doesn’t much like driving in unfamiliar places but interstates are basically straight lines and there really were no big traffic headaches between here and home, so she decided to spell me for a bit. As such, I got a different perspective of the crossing of the Savannah River then usual…


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But the same basic view of our welcome back into the State of South Carolina…


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We were in our home state, but we weren’t home by any stretch. We live all the way on the other side of the place so near half of the drive was still ahead of us.

It was somewhere along I-26 that our obligatory rain storm was encountered…

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To this day, I’ve never traveled any great length by car with out getting rained on at least once.

Picking up I-77 revealed scenery that was just exactly the same as before, but there were still hints that the journey was coming to a close.


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A little bit after this point we did do one thing that had never been done by use before though. We let Max do some of the driving… only about an hour of it, but still a new experience for someone that that only just gotten his official license a few weeks before. The sun was getting low in the sky as we reached familiar roads, passed though familiar neighborhoods, and finally Max pulled the car nimbly into our own garage.

Trip ended…

Memories still forming…

Stories to be shared…



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Unpacking




Don’t worry, I’m not planning to give y’all a blow by blow account of the way we went about unloading the physical baggage (I’m crazy, not sadistic and you’ve suffered enough already). What I had in mind was the unpacking of mental baggage… the memories and experiences. That’s what this exercise has been for me. In writing this obviously pointless trip report, I’ve been attempting to pull all the thoughts and sites form our adventure out of my mind and organize them so that others could share in the process (and so I don’t loose them either). It wasn’t necessary that I do so, and it certainly wasn’t required of any of you to actually read about it. I am, however, glad I undertook the task.

And yet… the telling of a story is like an adventure in that at some point it does come to an end. Honestly, in talking time to do this, I believe that I’ve actually been able to make the experience that much better. For instance, I now have the added memories related to all the comments and reactions I received from those that decided to follow along. And for that I thank you.

I intended to tell a story… thanks for allowing me the time and forum for doing so.

I also wanted to offer up our experiences as a guide of what to expect aboard a DCL cruise. If I’ve succeeded in helping any of you even a little, I’ve exceeded my expectations.

But I’d like to gratefully acknowledge the folks that followed along on this ride and offered up the running commentary that makes a TR both more readable and more memorable. To you folks I offer up my greatest heart felt appreciation. I don’t believe that the endeavor would even have been worth the time were it not for all of your “assistance”. You helped turn this run of the mill tale into something a bit more special.


A bit more magical


And an experience I’ll always treasure.





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Bonus Feature 19:





Darn! That’s the end.




ONE MORE!
(I couldn’t resist)


Just because I am old enough to remember when these where not only part of Saturday Morning Television… but also brand spanking new (and a radical concept) at the time…



Y’all are stuck with this one now.


(Besides, it really does some up what has transpired her pretty succinctly.)








Go on... give it a click.


















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Oh, and just because I feel like it…
You get to suffer through one more of ‘em as well.



Why this one?


Because… even though it’s hardly the most famous or widely remembered of the lot... musically, it’s the only one that was done in the Electric Funk style of the early 70s and it just absolutely rocks!










See ya’ real soon!

 
Mickey says: Behold! I have conjured up a Sand Bar…


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That's my new favorite topiary on Disney property. When we went last winter, that was the first "Mickey" DS saw. He about jumped out of the stroller trying to make sure he pointed him out to us.

It really is an impressive space. The openness of this part of the resort was almost cathedral like in the way that the walls and roof simply soared away into the distance.
It is one of my favorites. One of these days...

That huge ring suspended over head has a mate on the other side of the building as well and during the holidays they’re both converted into massive “Mickey” wreaths that are quite grand to see.
::yes::

The only thing missing is the need to drive a ball down the fairway for any great distance.
Well, you may not need to, but there's always that option.:rolleyes1

then we’ll be doing the driving form now on
Insert a Barry approved golf pun here...

But this next road is familiar.


It’s the road home.
The bittersweet part of the trip...

(or skip this part of the update… either way is fine by me).
:thumbsup2

Not much “little” about a five story stone fireplace actually.
Not much "little" about anything in the lobby there.

But the more relaxing way to view this site is plopped down in one of those rocking chairs on a cool evening and just enjoying the warmth and grandeur
That was a great way to wait for our table at Whispering Canyon... until someone decided that sitting just wasn't going to be part of our plans. :headache:

We’ve put this off as long as we can, but the clock doesn’t care who you are… it just keeps on ticking.
I know that feeling. Feels like a kick in the gut.

The last image we got of the mightily Wilderness Lodge...
I really wish I had taken a picture of the front side of that sign.

I intended to tell a story… thanks for allowing me the time and forum for doing so.
You done real good.:thumbsup2

I also wanted to offer up our experiences as a guide of what to expect aboard a DCL cruise. If I’ve succeeded in helping any of you even a little, I’ve exceeded my expectations.
It was probably helpful, but by the time I ever get around to looking into a cruise as a vacation option, it might be virtually useless information.:rolleyes1


Great job Rob. I'm sure you did justice to the cruise portion, but I know you did a great job describing and writing about my new favorite resort at WDW.
 

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