August 2020 Trip Reports

[Bishoparc]

I would definitely categorize the Fort as a ghost town at the moment. Feels so weird to see it this empty!



Walked around the Settlement Trading post. It was totally empty with only one cast member. Had some cute stuff!


We got take out from P&J. I had the pulled pork and DW had the cheeseburger. Both were great!



Headed to WL now to eat at WCC and scope out Geyser Point

 

[Bishoparc]

A few rain showers this evening but that has really helped the temperature! Mask compliance around the Fort and WL has been about 99%. Haven’t seen any “enforcement” here yet but most people are complying. I will tell you, even walking from the 200 loop to the settlement is a challenge in a mask. Guess I’ll see how we do at MK.

On to my favorite topic, getting to Wilderness Lodge. You need a yellow route bus that’s headed towards the settlement. I haven’t seen one that actually said “Wilderness Lodge” so we had to ask the drivers. Third time was the charm. Bus ride was a quick 4 minutes on the back road through the construction by the new Tri-Circle
D. We had the bus over to ourselves.



Every bus we’ve been on so far has had WiFi and USB charging ports.


We were the second group to be called up for our reservation at Whispering Canyon. They do a quick temperature check on you before you walk up the steps. All the cast members were incredibly friendly. WL felt like a ghost town too. It’s almost eerie how quiet it was inside and out.

We did the traditional skillet for dinner. Their mashed potatoes could honestly be in their own food group. My other favorite is the sausage.

Of note, they will now give you to go boxes. They didn’t previously do this but we had enough left for another meal tomorrow easily.

After that we walked outside. A few people at the pool but not many. Weather felt great!


Then it was on to do my recon for @bama_ed. Geyser Point once again did not disappoint. The views and service were fantastic. (PS, did I mention I shed a tear every time a cast member says “Welcome Home?) I did ask how busy it’s been. He said when they first opened they would have up to a 2 hour line to get in but since school has started back it’s really fallen off.




They have a semi-dedicated bus stop to go to the fort from WL (it’s shared with MK.) Another short 4 minute ride back to the fort. Ed, I asked and they said they run the busses between the Fort and WL at least till midnight but sometimes longer so we should be able to find our way back

 

[proudmomof4]

We finished up at AK with a ride on Dinosaur and a very late lunch at Yak & Yeti. There was a storm rolling in so we hightailed it out without even riding EE.

Tomorrow we have a late breakfast at WCC, DS34 is coming over from Tampa to join us for that. We will spend the rest of the day hanging out and doing laundry.

Sunday is the grueling 1.5 hour drive home and taking DS23 to the airport for his return to WI.

We will be back in 2 weeks, just hubby, me and the pups but we will just hang at the Fort for 6 days.

 

[Bishoparc]

We will be back in 2 weeks, just hubby, me and the pups but we will just hang at the Fort for 6 days.

We are leaving our camper at my in-laws house so we can make another weekend trip (or two) down here before the October meet.

 

[Disbug]

Thanks for the update! Coming down in mid-September before the October DIS Meet! Your trip report is making me excited for the adventure!

 

[Bishoparc]

At MK today. This reminds me of about 6-7 years ago as far as crowd levels go. There are times it feels a bit crowded but overall it feels empty. When you can actually see ground in front of you, I count it as pretty empty.


Mask compliance is mostly there but there are the few still walking and eating or pretending to drink, especially in the queue lines. Hand sanitizer seems to be every where you think it would need to be. I’ll do a full report tonight on posted wait times vs actual.






We got a walk up reservation for Liberty Tree Tavern so will report more later.

 

[Disbug]

Did you use the My Disney Experience App for Walk-Up Reservation ability? Or just got lucky?

 

[Love Ft Wilderness]

A few rain showers this evening but that has really helped the temperature! Mask compliance around the Fort and WL has been about 99%. Haven’t seen any “enforcement” here yet but most people are complying. I will tell you, even walking from the 200 loop to the settlement is a challenge in a mask. Guess I’ll see how we do at MK.

On to my favorite topic, getting to Wilderness Lodge. You need a yellow route bus that’s headed towards the settlement. I haven’t seen one that actually said “Wilderness Lodge” so we had to ask the drivers. Third time was the charm. Bus ride was a quick 4 minutes on the back road through the construction by the new Tri-Circle
D. We had the bus over to ourselves.
View attachment 520664
View attachment 520665

Every bus we’ve been on so far has had WiFi and USB charging ports.
View attachment 520666

We were the second group to be called up for our reservation at Whispering Canyon. They do a quick temperature check on you before you walk up the steps. All the cast members were incredibly friendly. WL felt like a ghost town too. It’s almost eerie how quiet it was inside and out.
View attachment 520667
We did the traditional skillet for dinner. Their mashed potatoes could honestly be in their own food group. My other favorite is the sausage.
View attachment 520668
Of note, they will now give you to go boxes. They didn’t previously do this but we had enough left for another meal tomorrow easily.

After that we walked outside. A few people at the pool but not many. Weather felt great!
View attachment 520670

Then it was on to do my recon for @bama_ed. Geyser Point once again did not disappoint. The views and service were fantastic. (PS, did I mention I shed a tear every time a cast member says “Welcome Home?) I did ask how busy it’s been. He said when they first opened they would have up to a 2 hour line to get in but since school has started back it’s really fallen off.
View attachment 520672
View attachment 520673
View attachment 520674

They have a semi-dedicated bus stop to go to the fort from WL (it’s shared with MK.) Another short 4 minute ride back to the fort. Ed, I asked and they said they run the busses between the Fort and WL at least till midnight but sometimes longer so we should be able to find our way back
View attachment 520675

Great information about the bus to WL from/to the Fort. Just wondering, since the bus takes the old back road, is it possible for somebody to walk or ride their bikes on the road? Thanks for the intel.

 

[Bishoparc]

Did you use the My Disney Experience App for Walk-Up Reservation ability? Or just got lucky?

The walk up reservation thing was not working. They just had a sign outside that said seating available. Food was amazing. The pot roast and the desert were my favorite!

 

[Bishoparc]

Great information about the bus to WL from/to the Fort. Just wondering, since the bus takes the old back road, is it possible for somebody to walk or ride their bikes on the road? Thanks for the intel.

They have “keep out” signs up. I’d imagine if they ever do open that other resort you will be able to walk it but it’s technically a construction zone.

 

[krolyat]

They have “keep out” signs up. I’d imagine if they ever do open that other resort you will be able to walk it but it’s technically a construction zone.

Bishoparc - Which loops are currently open?

 

[Disbug]

Bishoparc, Loving your food pics and reviews! I was at Boardwalk Villas and Kidani in July and Copper Creek Cabin in August. All of the restaurants we tried were fabulous! So much better than the last time we were there. I think everyone is so glad to be back to work, the excellence shows! Our favorites were: Sanaa, Raglan Road, Wine Bar George! We walked over to Geiser Point but were never able to have a bite or a drink. Will make sure to in Sep/Oct!

 

[Bishoparc]

Bishoparc - Which loops are currently open?

I know for sure 1500-1900 are closed. I didn’t get around to the 2000 side but I’m pretty sure those are the only ones closed 1500 through 1900. Didn’t look like they had plans to open them anytime soon as it was covered in pine straw.

 

[Bishoparc]

Ok, so here’s my final rundown.

This information is provided just as that, information. Not posting to say it should be this way or that way, just reporting what I saw. Wearing a mask in the park wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I don’t feel like it made it any worse than the heat alone. In the middle of day it was just miserably hot in general. We took them off for lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern for lunch and then one more time around 5:00 for a dole whip. Mask compliance was a mixed bag. The later in the day, the lesser the compliance. I’d day 95%. Most people walking and eating or drinking as the announcement plays that you’re supposed to be stationary. Lots of masks down in queue lines. Lots of noses. You can tell they are running on a smaller staff, there just aren’t enough people to “enforce” the mask requirement. I only saw 2 people get corrected about how they were wearing their mask.

Fyi, “Phantom Mask Syndrome” is a thing. While laying in bed last night I kept feeling like my mask was still on my face.

I’ve seen mixed information on when to show up at the parks. Recent posts I’ve seen around said not to show up at rope drop, I wish we had. Mind you the park never got busy but it was a lot less busy at 10A when we got there than at 11A. This is the first time I’ve not left the park mid day for a break. We both felt like with the reduced hours that it would eat into too much of our day to leave. We got there around 10 and left at 6:30. The crowd level felt that as of a September 6-7 years ago or maybe the Halloween party back then.

Wait times and lines, don’t let them scare you. The lines are going to look awful but they move quickly. Some of our times were impacted by “enhanced cleaning” We captured the posted wait time of everything we rode and I timed how long we actually waited:

Ride	Posted	Actual
Small World	5	5
Peter Pan	20	20
Haunted	35	15
Dumbo	10	12
Jungle Cruise	15	20
Pirates	45	21
Haunted	40	8
Mine Train	45	33

In general, I could tell the cast members were trying so hard. Some parts of the park we saw them cleaning so much. The cleaning crew was wiping down all the railings in the hub constantly. Other areas of the park I didn’t see anything (doesn’t mean it wasn’t being done, just didn’t see it.) They were definitely cleaning the rides frequently.

Did I feel safe? Mostly. I can tell they’re still trying to figure it out but I was just so happy to be there. We thanked every single cast member we saw for being there because, let’s be honest, they’re putting their lives at risk to be there. While we were down there we learned that one of my wife’s uncles passed away from COVID. It’s an uncertain time. We went to support them because we love Disney and it’s important to us.

Before we left I had to get a Mickey’s Premium. It was a very emotional moment for me because that was one thing my mom would always ask me if I got one. I’d have to send her a picture of it every time. It was very emotional to be sitting there on Main Street, listening to the music, eating my Mickey’s Premium knowing I couldn’t share that with her anymore (she passed away in March if you didn’t know.) I grew up with my parents taking me to Disney. It’s engrained in my life and so important to my memories.

I look forward to being there again as soon as I can. Thank you to all the cast members for being there!

 

[nomorethan8]

Bishoparc - Which loops are currently open?

Its easier to say whats closed. !500 1600 1700 1800 are closed and blocked off. 1100 is empty but not blocked. It seems they have all the premiums open with 1 tent loop and 1 full hookup loop open. There seems to be good compliance with everyone with masks.

 

[nomorethan8]

Also 1900 loop is closed.

 

[nomorethan8]

Today it looks like they have a pressure washing crew cleaning the concrete pads in the 1700 loop. Looks like they are getting ready to open some more full service sites.

On a side note. 2100 full hook-up loop is completely filled while the premium sites have had a fair amount of vacancies, throughout our stay. Even Big Bear Loop had vacancies which I have not seen in recent years.

 

[Bishoparc]

I forgot to mention, both trading posts were very much void of “Fort Wilderness” merchandise. Some camping related but the chairs and most of that stuff were gone. Also of note, notice the new tire cover and no Musket Mickey:

 

[Love Ft Wilderness]

I forgot to mention, both trading posts were very much void of “Fort Wilderness” merchandise. Some camping related but the chairs and most of that stuff were gone. Also of note, notice the new tire cover and no Musket Mickey:
View attachment 521912

I'm hoping that's only because they are going to bring in NEW resort specific merchandise. I'm not into the generic Disney Resorts or Parks. I really like being able to get something that you can only buy AT the location. Like the old days.....

 

[nomorethan8]

I forgot to mention, both trading posts were very much void of “Fort Wilderness” merchandise

Whenever we come here, we usually send a Fort related postcard to a family member. Not that anyone does that anymore. But all they had were generic Mickey and Friends postcards in front of the Cinderella Castle. Still sent it though.