Christmas decoration question

[LindaOwl1]

I will be taking a trip to WDW in mid December - wanting to see all the Christmas decorations at the resorts. Would I be able to get to the Fort and walk around to see people's decorations?

 

[Stratman50th]

Best way to do it would be to take a bus from a park (or boat from MK) to the Fort and then internal bus to the various loops. Get out. walk the loop, back on the internal bus, rinse and repeat.
Read this thread for more ideas- Halloween decorations, but the same plan.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...derness-decorations-around-halloween.3894675/

 

[ivegotayen]

Best way to do it would be to take a bus from a park (or boat from MK) to the Fort and then internal bus to the various loops. Get out. walk the loop, back on the internal bus, rinse and repeat.
Read this thread for more ideas- Halloween decorations, but the same plan.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/w...derness-decorations-around-halloween.3894675/

Might be able to rent a bike at the bike barn and see the decorations that way. This is only practical in the daytime, though.

Another option would be to take a carriage ride from the Settlement. The carriages pass through several loops.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays there are food trucks at the settlement with some good options. The other days of the week, Trail’s End is open. You could end the evening watching the fireworks and water pageant on the beach before heading back on the boat.

 

[LindaOwl1]

Thanks for the ideas!

 

[Beachmom0317]

FW is very big so if you want to see a whole bunch of decorations I echo taking a carriage ride so you can visit many more loops than you likely would if you were walking.

 

[LindaOwl1]

I like the idea of the carriage ride! I don't remember the layout of FW. Would it be better to take a bus or the boat to get to the carriage ride area?

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

I will be taking a trip to WDW in mid December - wanting to see all the Christmas decorations at the resorts. Would I be able to get to the Fort and walk around to see people's decorations?

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

It's quite a walk to be able to take it all in, I love the idea of renting a bike, that would be easiest if you just take an internal bus from the bus stop or if you take the boat over and walk to the bike barn. Another option you have is to make a post with your visit date or window of dates in the title and how many people are with you and see if anyone would be able to drive you around in their golf cart.
This sounds odd, but you will meet the best people. We have done this before for friends of friends that knew we were there and wanted to check it out and get a tour at the same time! We go for quite bit of time and mix a lot of downtime in with our park days, resort hopping days, shopping days and even <<GASP>> Universal days, so we are always up to help create a fellow Fort Lover if we are just hanging out!

 

[Stratman50th]

It's quite a walk to be able to take it all in, I love the idea of renting a bike, that would be easiest if you just take an internal bus from the bus stop or if you take the boat over and walk to the bike barn. Another option you have is to make a post with your visit date or window of dates in the title and how many people are with you and see if anyone would be able to drive you around in their golf cart.
This sounds odd, but you will meet the best people. We have done this before for friends of friends that knew we were there and wanted to check it out and get a tour at the same time! We go for quite bit of time and mix a lot of downtime in with our park days, resort hopping days, shopping days and even <<GASP>> Universal days, so we are always up to help create a fellow Fort Lover if we are just hanging out!

I could be wrong, but I thought the bike barn was over near the meadows trading post? You could walk there but the settlement, (boat dock) is quite a walk from the meadows.
Most decorations are best viewed at night since the lights are what you want to look at. The bikes I think have to be turned in long before the sun goes down. No comment on hitching a ride on a golf cart. They're usually full of folks doing the same thing, Looping.

This map might give people an idea of where things are in relation to where you want to go:

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

I could be wrong, but I thought the bike barn was over near the meadows trading post? You could walk there but the settlement, (boat dock) is quite a walk from the meadows.
Most decorations are best viewed at night since the lights are what you want to look at. The bikes I think have to be turned in long before the sun goes down. No comment on hitching a ride on a golf cart. They're usually full of folks doing the same thing, Looping.

This map might give people an idea of where things are in relation to where you want to go:

View attachment 704246

Yes, it is over there, but coming out of the boat, there are quite a few things just to see there along with a gift shop, so I figured that many people wouldn't want to skip out on those as opposed to the bus, where it's quite a bit of a walk until you see anything.
Yes, many people are definitely looping at night, but that's why I said a post would be good, because there are quite a handful of people like us that are there for months at a time and don't really need to loop every night, lol! We also bring 2 golf carts, since our teenagers drive too.
Good idea attaching the map, always lets people see just how enormous it is!!

 

[bama_ed]

I like the idea of the carriage ride! I don't remember the layout of FW. Would it be better to take a bus or the boat to get to the carriage ride area?

The Carriage Ride area is in front of Pioneer Hall/Trails End area and are thus close to the Fort boat dock for the boat coming from MK. The Settlement Bus Depot also gets the bus from MK which is just up the hill from the dock and not far at all. (2 methods of transport between Fort and MK).

A bus from anywhere else will put you at the Outpost Bus Depot (other end of FW) which will trigger a need for an internal bus ride down to the Settlement/PioneerH/TE area. Doable but just an extra step/time.

@Stratman50th is correct about bikes rented from the bike barn have to be returned every day by closing time. No late night/overnight rentals from the BB. So that's not a good option because site decorations look better at night after dark with all the lights.

Bama Ed

 

[tetera]

If you can swing it a "sleigh" ride really is a pleasant seasonal experience, it looks and feels very wintery, and the horses wear jingle bells and the drivers know where the sites with the most decorations are and will take you around those loops. Last year the carriages lined up right across from the Settlement Bus Depot for "sleigh rides" so that's pretty much no walk at all, but the boat trip from MK is just so pleasant and really an attraction in itself, IMHO. (You could always do the bus trip one way and the boat the other if you have time. We especially love riding the boat at sunset....)

 

[LindaOwl1]

This is great info! Especially thanks for the map Stratman50th!
Trying to fit as much Christmas as I can into a 5 day trip.

 

[LindaOwl1]

I have booked a Sleigh Ride which leaves from near the Settlement Bus Depot. If I am coming from HS what would be the best way to get there for a 9PM ride?

 

[bama_ed]

I have booked a Sleigh Ride which leaves from near the Settlement Bus Depot. If I am coming from HS what would be the best way to get there for a 9PM ride?

Well, will you be driving your car or using Disney Transportation to get to DHS?

The reason I ask is if you are using Disney tranport, there may be a wait for bus to take you to FW whereas you can drive your own car over as soon as you walk to it in the DHS parking lot. If waiting for a bus, add 20-30 more minutes of wait time "just in case".

If you have an ADR for a Sleigh Ride and drive over, the guard at the gate will scan your Magic Band, see you have an ADR and say "park if you can find a space in the Outpost Lot" which is the lot there at the check-in (Outpost) area. If coming in by bus, you'll arrive at the Outpost Bus Depot in the check-in area. See excellent the FW map @Stratman50th posted in post #9 above. By drive or bus, you'll end up in the upper right corner of the map around "B" dot.

At that point you can go to the Outpost Bus Depot (B) on the map and take any of the Yellow, Orange, or Purple Buses to the Settlement Bus Depot (dot "A" on the map lower left). If you just want to get there, take the first bus. Purple gets there thru the cabin loops and Orange/Yellow through the camper loops (if you care to sightsee along the way).

At the Settlement Bus Depot down near Tri-Circle D Ranch (the new bldg), Hoop Dee Doo Review and Trails End at Pioneer Hall, you will have to find your sleigh as I don't know where exactly they post up to take on passengers. But that's the general area.

Have a great time! We love the Fort as a destination by itself and I hope you will enjoy your experience.

Bama Ed