1st night-dinner/campfire at forwilderness?

[socalgirl]

hi,
we're going to go to fort wilderness the first night to do the campfire/movie night. what time does it start? can we see the fireworks first at the poly beach and then head over to fw? if we park our car at the poly, is there a boat over to fw? what restaurant would you recommend before the campfire?

we'll be arriving around 5pm. we'll check in off-site and expect to be back to the resort hotels about 7pm. is this doable?

dinner - where? need reccomendations
campfire at fw
movie ?
mk fireworks from poly beach
water pageant

do the fireworks and campfire/movie overlap in time?
where's the best place to park the car to use disney transportation (fun for the kids)?

thanks all for your help. leaving in 2 days!!

 

[Master Gracey]

Sounds like fun, but fireworks viewing at the Poly and campfire at FW don't match up very well.

The Campfire
Starts at 8:00 near the Meadows Trading Post near the middle of Fort Wilderness. Guests are seated on log benches and bleachers in front of two campfire rings and a stage. Kids can roast marshmallows and smores. An entertainer will lead everyone in Disney songs, followed by an appearance of Chip and Dale. At about 8:40 they begin showing a disney cartoon and movie.

Getting there
You can park at the FW entrance and take a bus to the campfire. If you want more transportation variety for the kids you could park at the TTC where you can ride the monorail to MK, the MK resorts, or Epcot. From TTC you would take the bus marked "Boone" to get to FW and the campfire. There is no boat to FW from the Poly, but there is a boat from the Contemporary which is on the monorail loop.

Eating
The Trails End Restaurant at Fort Wilderness is a good choice. It is a buffet (13.95 adults, 6.95 kids). There is also some food at the campfire sold out of a chuckwagon (pizza, hot dogs, popcorn, etc).

Water Pageant
At about 9:30 from the FW beach area.

 

[socalgirl]

master gracey,
thanks for the detailed info!

so if we wanted to take a ride on the monorail to the contemporary for a boat to take us to fw-does this sound doable? which hotel is a good starting point for the monorail to the contemporay (so that we're on it for at least a few minutes). how much time should we allow for all this? is an hour enough to get to the campfire once we park to take the monorail? and forgive me, but im new to wdw and im not sure what TTC stands for. i've figured out a lot of abbrev., but this one has me!
thanks,
gayle

 

[Master Gracey]

Hi Gayle

TTC stands for Ticket and Transportation Center. It is a connecting point for the monorails and some of the bus routes (MGM Studios, AK, Downtown Disney, and FW). There are three monorail loops from the TTC. One goes to Epcot, one is an express to MK, and the third is the one you want. It is called the Resort Monorail. It goes to the Contemporary, MK, Grand Floridian, Poly and back to the TTC. Riding the monorail is free, and you can get on and off whenever you like. If you allow enough time you can stroll around the GF and the Poly before heading to the Contemporary. I would allow an hour and a half to get from TTC to the campfire, plus whatever time you spend visiting the resorts.

Since parking is often restricted at the resorts, I would park at the TTC. To get there follow the signs to MK parking. There will be a parking fee. When you get out of your car NOTE WHERE YOU PARKED IT and look for a shuttle tram which will take you from the parking lot to TTC.

After the boat ride over to FW you will find yourself at Settlement Depot where Pioneer Hall and the Trails End restaurant are located. To get to the campfire, catch a bus marked "Chip" or "Dale", or ask directions and walk about a third of a mile to the campfire area.

One more thing. The boat that takes you from the Contemporary over to FW may not still be running when the campfire is over. They stop running after MK closes. In that case, go to any FW bus stop and get on a bus marked "Boone" or "Crockett" which will take you back to the TTC. The trams will take you back to your car. This is the quickest way back to your car anyway.

Have Fun!

 

[socalgirl]

thank you a million times!!! inkbounc

this will make our first night go over so smoothly, i hope! knowing where we're going and how we're getting there will alleviate a lot of stress and most importantly, save time trying to figure this out. your response and response of others' on these boards has been such an invaluable tool in planning our 1st wdw trip. thank you so much!