Day 5 - Part 4
I wasnt very impressed with the store at FW. Not sure what I was thinking but assumed there would be something a little different since this was a campground and all. No such luck. They just had the regular Disney products and of course camping goods. Prince Grumpy messaged me on my radio and suggested we go to the bar/restaurant area and have a drink before the dinner show.
As soon as we entered the bar, I noticed a stuffed bear and asked JoJo and Goofy to go stand beside it so I could take their picture. JoJo just looked at me like I were nuts, rolled her eyes and grabbed a seat at the nearest table. Goofy on the other hand, walked cautiously over, checked the bear out from head to toe and stopped dead in her tracks. From the look on her face, I could tell she was afraid to go any further. I told her that it wasnt real and had to ask her to move closer so I could get her in the picture. By this time, she had aroused the curiosity of a few men sitting at the bar who began to laugh out loud. Suddenly I felt embarrassed for her, turned around to face them, ready to give them the evil eye
but found myself intimidated pretty quickly when I saw there were four of them. I snapped the picture and motioned for her to follow me to the table where JoJo was waiting and watching us.
Prince Grumpy finally came back with a beer and three soft drinks. He was rambling on about something as I took some pictures of the place. Did you hear me? he asked. He was intrigued by the fact that the beer bottle was plastic. I think he talked about that for a good 10 minutes and Im pretty sure anyone who was watching us or heard us talking, including the four men at the bar, wondered where the heck we were from.
After we finished our drinks, we left and went to stand in line at the door. Im not sure why there was a line-up because the tables were already assigned. Anyhow, once we reached the front we were ushered to our table, which was off to the right side of the stage about two rows back. I was pleased with our location since I had only made our reservations four months earlier. From what I had read, it was recommended to reserve at least 6 months to a year in advance.
Before the meal was served, we had our picture taken and later bought the package that included 2 (5x7), 4 (wallet), magnet and keychain for $26.00.
The table was set with steel plates, mason jars for drinking glasses, a pot of salad and cornbread. This was the first time weve ever had cornbread and to be honest, we werent that fussy on it. It was like eating cake for dinner and I would have preferred a regular loaf of bread. It didnt really matter though because there was so much food. HDD is an all-you-can-eat restaurant, including free beer and wine. Between the four of us, we ate two pots of salad, two pots of ribs, one pot of chicken, corn on the cob and baked beans. Prince Grumpy downed two pitchers of beer on his own which had little or no effect on him, unlike our good Canadian brew (so he says). Beer is not my beverage of choice, so I ordered wine for myself.
The dinner show was a well-choreographed western musical with comedy bits. The cheesy jokes were so silly that people couldnt help but laugh at them. It included a lot of audience participation with hand clapping and foot stomping. The atmosphere was reminiscent of an old barn with a large dining hall, which included a balcony level. The staff was dressed in period costume and stayed in character throughout the evening. Everyone in the restaurant appeared to be having a great time but with free beer, the best audience is one that is intelligent and a little tipsy. If you liked the show Hee Haw, you would definitely enjoy Hoop-Dee-Doo. One thing I would recommend is that you dress warm. It was freezing cold in that place! This will certainly be one of our choices next time around.
The show ended with the entertainers singing a song, carrying strawberry shortcake signs and serving us our dessert.
Goofy was chosen to play the washboard!
When we left at 9:10, it was pouring outside. Im talking about the drenching kind of rain and strong winds that must have been part of Ernesto. Can you believe that not one of us had brought our ponchos that I purchased months ago and carried around every day since we arrived? Prince Grumpy did think to pack an umbrella but by the time we reached the dock, the wind had ripped it to shreds. He threw it in the garbage and we stood in the rain for about twenty minutes waiting for the boat to pick us up and take us to MK. By the time the boat arrived, we looked like a bunch of sorry drowned rats and I swear I could read the minds of the people.
They were probably thinking, Theres a family of unDISers who dont have a clue what theyre doing. We were at the end of the line and thought we would have to wait for the next boat, however, we got the last seat, and that put us at the front which meant we would be the first ones off and could race for the next bus back to ASMo. The boat ride would have been more enjoyable if the four of us were not so cold and cranky. I had to tell my three children not to talk to each other and keep their hands to themselves a couple of times, to discourage further fighting.
Once the boat docked, we ran to the bus stop that provided shelter from the still pouring rain. We didnt have much of a wait for the next bus but the twenty-minute ride back, in our irritated state of mind, made it feel like an eternity. We bought ourselves some tea, coffee and hot chocolate, headed to our room, dried off and regrouped. Thats one of the things I love about my bunch, they dont stay mad long. The next morning we were all able to laugh about it and move on.
Coming up Day 6 Part 1 Animal Kingdom
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I just did the same on my report!! (Boy, our fellow DISers don't miss a thing!)
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Too funny! I can't wait to hear about the Hoop Dee Doo, I've never done it but it always sounded like fun. Ft. Wilderness looks like a neat place to visit, maybe I will have to add that to my list of things to see in Disney. No matter how many times you go you can never see it all! Can't wait for more, Blue! 
UGH! Nothing worse than having to ride an open boat in the rain and then sit in a cold bus back to your resort! And shame on you for not packing the ponchos! (I'm kidding, of course! I had ponchos and umbrellas for everyone, and the days that I didn't take them with us, were the days we got soaked! Go figure!)
Living in Florida, Hurricane Weather SUCKS.
