Cabin trip Report Apr 30-May6th

[JoanneNC]

Kinda o/t as its not directly related to the cabins - but did you have any issues activating your SIL's $99 military ticket without her present?

My SIL and 2 kids are arriving the next evening after we are and didn't know how this was going to work.

Thanks

 

[BradyBz12]

Everyone was hungry so we ate at the second place we saw, Wolf-gang Pucks. I hadn’t been there in 10 years. It was 6pm and we got a table without ressies. It looked like Ryans in there. The tables weren’t cleared and there wasn’t enough staff for the amount of tables. Our server “up sold” me to buying an entrée ceasar to share with my son. Come to find out later that it would have been half the price for two side salads then an entrée. What a rip off. We were a table of 6 and there was an automatic %18 tip. So why not get the highest bill possible. I don’t know if this was the result of the economy or DDP but it sucks. And the food was just OK. And it was over $150 for 6 of us, one being a kid. I just can’t justify spending that kind of money of crappy food.

We used to love WP and ate there a lot - partly because in early Dec. you could pretty much walk in just about any night for dinner.

But when we went back this year, we found what you did. Service was horrid, the place was a mess, and the food was just.... ok. And definitely not a good value for the money. Part of the reason we went there often was because we like sushi, but even that wasn't anything to write home about. (We found the sushi at the Kona Sushi Bar to be MUCH better, and also a much better value for what you get)

Seriously doubt we'll be going back.

Ironically we tried WPExpress in the Marketplace @ DTD for the first time in December and found the food to be quite good and of course the price to be much more reasonable (and a good amount of food!)

And even though it's technically CS, they do have people that bring your food to you and clean up your table. And they were MUCH more pleasant and on the ball than the wait staff at the other TS location.

Sorry to get side tracked.... back to the TR!!

 

[BradyBz12]

OT- Kitty update

She has attacked my face again and left marks!!! Plus she got my son in the ear when he was sleeping. Nice huh? I called the humane society...waiting for a call back. I have never had a kitty that was so aggressive. I read that since she was orphaned, mom never was able to teach her manners. I am not sure if this is the pet if I have a 5 year old. What do you guys think?????

OUCH! Is she actually "attacking" - i.e., biting and scratching - or is it just "crazy, ping-pong kitten with razor sharp claws"?

If she really is aggressive - growling, biting, swatting (not playfully) then I'd agree that's going to be really hard with a 5 year old, and she'd likely be better off in an adult-only home with someone that can work on socializing her and teaching her some manners.

If it's "crazy kitten syndrome" it might help to give her some downtime for a while, just to let her acclimate to being in a new place and having new people around. I do border collie rescue, and we always let the anxious, freaked-out dogs just chill that first few days/week and then start slow with them.

Usually involves a good bit crate time (with toys/safe chewies) and just calm, quiet walks or "hanging around" time in small doses. Then we ease them into interacting with us at home - trying to keep it as low key as possible. Usually works like a charm.


Good luck!

 

[Skyw]

Ot-Kitty

We took her back. I was crying because I felt so bad. I have never had to do that. Anyhow, they are going to try to adopt her with her litter mate or adults only. We did bring home another rescue kitty. I feel better.

She was really aggressive, like attacking my head when I was sitting on the couch. From what I read, cats that are bottle fed are typical this way. So someone without a kid will get a great kitty with some training. She was so sweet and so aggressive all tied up in one.

Joanne NC-I called Shades of Green to confirm that I could activate the ticket without my SIL. They said yes. As a matter of fact, they all have to be activated at one time!!!!! No matter what. Disney also told be that if we didn't use all of the 5 days on this trip, the rest can be used until Dec 23rd. No mention of having a service member with you. Before you go I would call SOG to make sure that is still the policy. I was also nervous about the whole thing.

 

[Skyw]

More to come later!!! Hopefully it will be all done by Monday!!!

 

[JJ&JSMOM]

This is a great review. I have thought about staying at the cabins the next time we go to Disney but am still not sure. This really helps - I guess our biggest concern is the transportation and distance from the parks but you have reassured me that its doable. I don't want to upset anyone but our TA we used to book our last trip did not say terrible things about FW but she wasn't recommending it either. But I think the kids would love it and with a family of 5 - the kitchen would come in handy.

I am going to add FW to our list to choose from AGAIN. Maybe we should just try it since it appears on our list time after time. The Fort looks so inviting and homey.

Thanks again.

 

[Skyw]

.

I am going to add FW to our list to choose from AGAIN. Maybe we should just try it since it appears on our list time after time. The Fort looks so inviting and homey.

Thanks again.

Wow, I can't believe that the TA wouldn't recommend the Fort. She/He must not be a nature person. We love the resort as much as the Parks. And like the parks, we haven't done everything yet and it has been 4 times staying at the cabins. The kitchen is awesome. That is what sold me at first. And the price. The villa's are more expensive.

 

[Skyw]

I'm loving reading your report. Would like more info on the fishing? Did this guide take them to the same lake that the FW guided trip uses? Is it also catch and release?

I might have to decide whether to get that for DH or rent the cart. (Not really that tough of a decision, is it? . . . (get the cart!)

This was another lake. DH drove the minivan but many of the guides will pick you too. It is catch and release. The guide he had this year, did not take him to Lake Toho. Apparently, they have laid weed killer and the bass don't have anywhere to cool off anymore. It isn't the best fishing. This guide took them to a lake that he knew was good fishing. Also, DFIL has joint issues and can't cast. The guide did all of the work for him. How is that for service. If you want a name I will give it to you.

Ahhhh Rent the cart would be my answer. Do it with Kenny and then use the rest on fishing!!! You can fish at the fort too. My DH takes his pole with him from home.

 

[Skyw]

We used to love WP and ate there a lot - partly because in early Dec. you could pretty much walk in just about any night for dinner.

But when we went back this year, we found what you did. Service was horrid, the place was a mess, and the food was just.... ok. And definitely not a good value for the money. Part of the reason we went there often was because we like sushi, but even that wasn't anything to write home about. (We found the sushi at the Kona Sushi Bar to be MUCH better, and also a much better value for what you get)

Seriously doubt we'll be going back.

Ironically we tried WPExpress in the Marketplace @ DTD for the first time in December and found the food to be quite good and of course the price to be much more reasonable (and a good amount of food!)

And even though it's technically CS, they do have people that bring your food to you and clean up your table. And they were MUCH more pleasant and on the ball than the wait staff at the other TS location.

Sorry to get side tracked.... back to the TR!!

We should have gone to the WPexpress too. Interesting that you had similar experience. Ya know when you take others to Disney, you really want them to have a good time. This was not the place. So far I am not of fan DDP.

 

[Skyw]

Monday

We took the golf cart to the bus stop and made rope drop at Epcot with 10 minutes to spare. Total time was about 30 minutes. DSIL forgot her Mil Ticket. No problem. They looked it up at the ticket booth and she got another one. We thought she was going to have to go all the way back to her room. YEAH!!! I love Disney Customer Service

We had scheduled lunch at the Beirgarden. Dh was really looking forward to this meal. He has spent about 9 yeas in Germany and misses some of the food. We hit TT first. I thought that DS would love this ride. It was a walk on. He chickened out of the ride. I know he would have loved it. Disney hides the ride so I think he was just afraid. No biggy. Everyone else went and they loved it. I was fighting some facial pain so it was not disappointed in the least . Next we went to Nemo. DS got scared again. WOW. This was not his year for dark rides. He loved the aquarium. He is a sea creature nut!!! Then we went to Talk to crush. He got picked to talk. It was a very cute and fun interaction. I wish we could video it!!

The rest of the day was a blur. We hit some Mexico and Norway on the way to Germany. Mexico boat ride was BORING!!!!! Norway was super fun. Not thrilling but just good old fashion fun. We hit Germany in time for our reservations. The food was good to OK. I was glad we were paying lunch prices. The band was good and the beer was warm. Ummm, I know, beer in germany is warm too but I don’t think this was supposed to be warm in the US. And $8 a piece. My DS had fun but didn’t eat much. My inlaws paid for lunch and when I got back to the Fort, I found out we were charged over $200 for 5 adults and one kids. I went nuts. Apparently, they charged us the dinner price. Do you think that was a mistake? It was an automatic 18% tip. Well, I went to the front desk and they couldn’t correct it because it wasn’t on the visa that I used for the resort. So we had to go all the way to EPCOT to correct this. GRRRRRRRR.

Next .....what happened at EPCOT

 

[JJ&JSMOM]

Wow, I can't believe that the TA wouldn't recommend the Fort. She/He must not be a nature person. We love the resort as much as the Parks. And like the parks, we haven't done everything yet and it has been 4 times staying at the cabins. The kitchen is awesome. That is what sold me at first. And the price. The villa's are more expensive.

Perhaps thats the reason. She also said that she had clients that loved it and the choice was ultimately ours. Which it is. I think she was looking at the cost mostly with the golf cart rental and the size of the resort, etc. She didn't say anything bad just there were other resorts that she thought would be more convenient for us.

 

[Skyw]

There are people that walk everywhere and enjoy the fort without a golf cart. I guess if I was on a budget, I would still go to the fort without a golf cart. But I would spend my time at MK. There are plenty of people that really do not like the internal bus system. So maybe that is what your TA was referring too. But if you have a rental car...non issue.

If you decide to pick the cabins, I recommend Kenny to off set the price of the cart. When Disney raised their prices AGAIN on the carts, I was glad to spend it somewhere else!!!! I think in 2004 we spent about 40 a day for a GC. Now is it over 50.

 

[JJ&JSMOM]

There are people that walk everywhere and enjoy the fort without a golf cart. I guess if I was on a budget, I would still go to the fort without a golf cart. But I would spend my time at MK. There are plenty of people that really do not like the internal bus system. So maybe that is what your TA was referring too. But if you have a rental car...non issue.

If you decide to pick the cabins, I recommend Kenny to off set the price of the cart. When Disney raised their prices AGAIN on the carts, I was glad to spend it somewhere else!!!! I think in 2004 we spent about 40 a day for a GC. Now is it over 50.

Thanks for the recommendation - I got his phone number off the Fort FAQ. Sounds great. I think we'd probably rent a car as well. We'll see how it works out. Thanks again.

 

[BradyBz12]

Ot-Kitty

We took her back. I was crying because I felt so bad. I have never had to do that. Anyhow, they are going to try to adopt her with her litter mate or adults only. We did bring home another rescue kitty. I feel better.

She was really aggressive, like attacking my head when I was sitting on the couch.

I know it had to be hard, but FWIW I think you did the right thing. Kittens and puppies that are away from mom and littermates too soon have a lot of issues that aren't so easy to address to help them be what we all consider "normal" pets, and that kind of behavior around kids can be really rough (and dangerous). I'm sure she'll get a good home with someone that can help her work through her "stuff".

And glad to hear you got to bring another kitty home

 

[Skyw]

I know it had to be hard, but FWIW I think you did the right thing. Kittens and puppies that are away from mom and littermates too soon have a lot of issues that aren't so easy to address to help them be what we all consider "normal" pets, and that kind of behavior around kids can be really rough (and dangerous). I'm sure she'll get a good home with someone that can help her work through her "stuff".

And glad to hear you got to bring another kitty home

I have had many cats and I never knew that if they were away from their mom that they would be a handful. They told me she was bottle fed. I was like" ok sounds good to me". HAHA. I still miss her little personality. She was very smart, and easy to pick up and cuddle. But that aggressive play was too much. She was not afraid of us. I also think she would have had other issues too. The new kitty has finally warmed up to us. He is not too smart!!!! But loving just that same. And my son is not afraid to get near him. Which was the whole point in the first place.

 

[Skyw]

I forgot about the outdoor movie we went too the other night!!!! I am already losing some of my memories!!!! Anyhow, we got there just in time to watch the movie. Lots of people were there. It was so nice and very family oriented. It was just a cool thing to do. However, the wood benches are very uncomfortable. We only lasted 30 minutes!!! The fire was still going too. We didn’t bring our stuff because I thought they would only be having it before the movie. So now I know to bring the marsh mellows. Then we looped for a few. Not much going on. Only a few places light up with lights and very few golf carts with lights. Ours had orange solar ones!!!!(purchased at target and attached with Duct tape.

We loved them. Then it was time for the fireworks at the beach. This is the first time I watched them with the piped in music. The other times it wasn’t on. I didn’t think it would really make a difference but it did. I loved watching them from here. My son was already in bed and the grandparents were watching him. This is another reasons to love to Fort. You really don’t have to go far and you still have a great time. We were back at the cabin quickly. No fighting the masses of humanity trying to get back. AMEN!!!

 

[Skyw]

OK. Back to the mess at EPCOT!!!!! My SIL and I took the bus to EPCOT and walked all the way back to Germany. By then I was mad. I just couldn’t get rid of that feeling that it was on purpose. Ya know for the automatic 18% tip. I am usually a “cup half filled” person but this time it was definitely empty. The manager met us outside and corrected the mistake and gave us 3 Fast Passes for 6 people for DHS the next day. YEAH. That worked. I wasn’t so mad anymore !!!! We then hit the frozen Margaritas on the way out. But we had to guzzle them. Apparently, you can’t take drinks out of the park. The whole process took 2 hours from cabin door and back to cabin door.

The last park day....

We decided to drive to DHS today. My SIL was leaving on the ME and I wanted to make sure we got her back in time to relax and then catch her ME. Since we had FP, we didn’t make rope drop. It took us about 20 minutes from the cabin to the park via mini van. We went straight to TSM. We used our first FP. It was really fun. It is just a good all around ride. We all loved it. DS and I had a snack while the others FP to TT. They said it was only a 20-minute wait (10am) and they really didn’t need the FP. The it was Muppets, Indiana Jones, and lunch.

Toy Story Mania pictures.

DS and I tried to get a picture with Rhino. The line was soooo slow. We left. I am sorry. It is such a waste of time. I would love to get the pictures but I don’t want to lose an hour of the park time. Either did my son!!! Maybe next year.

DH and I drove SIL back to the fort around 130pm. The rest of the group stayed back to watch the stunt show. Once again it was a quick drive to FW. And when we went back to pick up the rest of the gang, they showed us a pick up area in front. Just ask the parking booth guy. He gave us a pass and we just waited for them. Of course we used cell phones to work out the details. It was super easy too!!!!!

Other pictures

Star Wars

Jedi training. My son wouldn't get close!!! Too scary!!!

 

[Skyw]

OK. I am wrapping this one up!! My trip is officially over!

My SIL caught the ME bus on time at the check in building. However, it took 2 hours just to get to the airport!!! Then she had less then an hour to hussle to her flight. Although the price is right, and it is convenient, ME is not very efficient. I should have gone to Happy Limo again or drove her.

We went to the Crab Shack and had our best meal there. I love fresh seafood but I couldn't find any place near by, so the Crab Shack it was. We had great service and my son could play on the mini play ground outside. It was a short drive from the Fort. We were there in 10 minutes.

After that we hit the pool one last time. We spent over an hour there. Once we got to the cabin, we knew our vacation was over. We packed up the van, left a tip for the maid and went to sleep. Wake up was at 5am for our 8am flight.

The roads to the airport this early are really empty. It was very easy getting thru the airport security. I hated getting up this early but I recommend it because of the lack of crowds. We were home by 12pm.

Here are some other pictures....
Splash Mountain

Unfinished Splash zone

Ducks at FW beach

Flowers at the Registration Building.

Over-all Ratings

Cabin: A for nature/quiet/kitchen
B for storage and maintenance
FW: A (pool, nature and friendly people)
Buses: B (good for the most part)
Boat: A
GC: A+++++(Tee Time)
Food: C
Service: D (for food) and A for the rest.

Rental car: I got a great price on line. Check our Mousesavers.com for the deals. I got a 199 a week minivan rental. I preregistered on line. But they still talked my DH into a bunch of crap. So it cost $425 instead of $270. I thought I was smart by turning down all of the extra stuff ahead of time. They just tried it again!!! There is a lot of tax too. They add more money because you are getting it at the airport. Normally minivan is about $550 a week if you look on line at the rental agents. Grade D!!!!! (Alamo)

Thanks for reading....Until the next time!!!!!

 

[BradyBz12]

Thanks for a great TR!

Love your Splash pic - the expression on your son's face is PRICELESS!

 

[Skyw]

I know!!! It was his favorite ride. Hard to tell by the photo!!!!!! I had to buy this one!! My MIL cracks me up with her holding her head!!!!