Adventures at the Fort...a newbies trip report!
- Thread starter Minnie&Mickey
- Start date
stacktester
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2007
- Messages
- 3,704
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.
Minnie&Mickey
I want to live at the Fort!
- Joined
- May 15, 2000
- Messages
- 1,456
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
I want to live at the Fort!
- Joined
- May 15, 2000
- Messages
- 1,456
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 28, 2002
- Messages
- 591
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??
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??
Minnie&Mickey
I want to live at the Fort!
- Joined
- May 15, 2000
- Messages
- 1,456
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.
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!
BradyBz12
1340.63 miles too far from the Fort
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2008
- Messages
- 6,274
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!
Here they are outside the TT at FW in December...
...and Bz and dad relaxing at the campsite...
Shan-man
¿sɐɯʇsıɹɥɔ lıʇ, sʎɐp ʎuɐɯ ʍoH
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2008
- Messages
- 2,806
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.
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.
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.
Donna
Where Magic Lives
- Joined
- Aug 25, 1999
- Messages
- 3,595
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!
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.
Luv2Camp
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Sep 22, 2007
- Messages
- 789
Thanks for the great trip report! 
Our vet put our oldest dachshund on benadryl for sleeping problems. He took it for two nights, and hasn't had a problem since!
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
disney+bichons=happiness
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2007
- Messages
- 1,125
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
.
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
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