Fort BigRiggerness or Fort Snowbirderness? New addition to the Fort...

[Colson39]

Oh, I'm sure they're cutting down trees because of the hurricanes (and will be for years), but like I said, they are pretty much forced to do that, it's not like they decided "oh let's clear out all the trees in the Fort and make it more open.

That was my point, that you really can't blame Disney for that, it was pretty much out of their control. I more meant that Disney isn't going around cutting down trees to "make it more open" on purpose, because of the hurricanes they have been forced to.

I remember the year before the hurricanes, there was MUCH more underbrush and much more tree cover in the Fort. I can still see it now, the Fort is way more open than it used to be, but don't worry, this is nature, with time it will begin to thicken out again. Such is the nature of hurricanes and Florida

 

[clkelley]

I would also love to see Loops put where you suggested. In doing so, it would also create a sidewalk going past the group camping area, past those loops, and to the front. That way, I don't have to go the long way around on my scooter using the legal sidewalks to get to Settlement. (I have taken the short way down the CM only road, to the exercise trail, but can only do that during the daylight hours.)

 

[John VN]

We just came back last weekend from a stay and the clearing is such that the noise coming from loops and visability into the loops is way up. In the cleared areas there is no underbrush.

As I mentioned in the 2nd post, the WILDERNESS is gone from FW.

I bet the cleared areas will not be allowed to return to a natural state as it had been.

Since there seems to be so many individuals that feel FW should be enlarged, have a themed pool and other things updated, just have a new RESORT built separate from FW to satisfy their needs. Have much larger pads, more room for maneuvering and all the glitz that many want today.

 

[Colson39]

This is not the first time they have cleared out the underbrush, in fact, in recent years there was much more underbrush than there ever had been. However, with what appears to be much drier summers now, they have had to clear it out because of fear of fire.

A few years from now it might get back to fully covered again, but then they'll just clear it out again, it's a cycle. I have pictures from when I was a kid where there was hardly any underbrush, it's just an ebb and flow. They can't let the underbrush go on forever, otherwise in the case of fire you're talking about what could be a major disaster. There was a fire a few years back (when the underbrush was very thick) that spread very quickly throughout the Fort, had it gotten out of control you're talking about tons of campers/tents/cabins etc... destroyed.

I think most people here were just saying that the Fort needs to be enlarged, not really that the pools or anything else needs to change. That's what this thread was mainly about at least. It's not about having more glitz, it's about having more room for more campers to allow more people to stay at the Fort.

 

[Pirate-Jeff]

There is lots of space for FW to expand. Between 300 an 1500 loops and all a long the purple bus route from 700 loop to the cabins. The primitive camping area can't be making much money as every time I have been there it is empty. Another area is along the exercise trail to WL on both sides of the trail and the river country area. When they finally expand again this time I think you will see a food court area, a 3rd trading post and pool added

It can be done just Disney needs to think it is profitable.

At sometimes of the FW is more $$$ than the Value Resorts


Jeff

 

[kimluvswdw]

I like the food court idea. I would like to see burgers and fries, chicken strips, salads, etc. I always get a hankering for something to eat in the evenings and it always seems to be when the TE is closed. Besides I don't always want to spend that much for a late night munchy.

 

[Gatordad]

I believe they call that the Munchies focker.

 

[LarryJ]

All is know it that they just need more campsites to meet the demand and need to do something about allowing really extended stays for months and months. I just tried to book room only ressies for 20-31 Dec 2007 and just about every resort except the FW campsites had some availability. I guess we can always hope, but I'm not holding my breath for any changes any time soon.

Larry

 

[CottontailCurl]

I would also love to see Loops put where you suggested. In doing so, it would also create a sidewalk going past the group camping area, past those loops, and to the front.

I hadn't thought of that. Did you ever camp with the scouts in the group area? I wonder if anyone has gone exploring in the area that's just north of there going toward the area we're talking about. I'm wondering if there's something going on there that Disney knows of that keeps them from using it.

 

[Colson39]

Well, I don't know the exact figures, but I doubt the Fort has nearly the same capacity as most of the resorts, if it's even a half I would be surprised.

Change is a comin, it's blowin in the wind.... A little bird told me so.....

 

[clkelley]

I hadn't thought of that. Did you ever camp with the scouts in the group area? I wonder if anyone has gone exploring in the area that's just north of there going toward the area we're talking about. I'm wondering if there's something going on there that Disney knows of that keeps them from using it.

No, I never have camped there, but stay in 2000 quite often. Also during the day time, many folks jog/walk or take their bikes down that CM only road where the purple bus runs to Settlement. I have taken it too, cause it's shorter to take that road, then cut onto the exercise trail than to take the "official" sidewalks to settlement. It's even shorter than cutting through the group area over to Meadows. It wouldn't attempt it after dark though.

Last December when I went through there on the purple bus and independently, there was nothing brewing.

 

[Colson39]

I've camped a couple times with the Scouts in the group camping area, although that was jeesh, 15 years ago. It's pretty "wild" to the north of that area, but plenty of room.

Another thing to consider, is that a lot of the outlying areas of the Fort are very swampy areas, and if you look, the Fort is pretty much surrouned by a canal in most parts. The grounds normally on the other side of the canal also are normally built up quite a bit. While there are some great areas for expansion, I believe there would probably also be concerns as to flooding and how encroaching one some of these areas would affect the surrounding ecosystem.

 

[CottontailCurl]

As I mentioned in the 2nd post, the WILDERNESS is gone from FW.

This all started in my mind after the post a while back about someone trying to back in their 5th wheel but the logistics of it wouldn't work even though the site was the right size. He told the CM to send someone with a saw. He was joking but I wonder if Disney, after having many people contact them while they're trying to get their rigs settled in a site where it's hard to back into, would take the easy way out and chop down trees in the original loops. I'm wanting them to preserve the original Fort Wilderness.

When I look at the area we're talking about on Google Maps, it seems as though there is mostly low lying vegetation. In the picture there's a tree above the compass (bottom left) that is casting a shadow on whatever that bunch of growth is (maybe the same stuff they're clearing out between the campsites now?). Maybe if Disney were to make a new loop there, it would make them have to plant more trees for future shade on those sites.

Big rigs are here and popular, people are going to keep coming to Fort Wilderness for long winter stays, we just need to find a way to compromise without compromising FW. Making a new campsite area across the street is good in theory but if Disney decided to put the tent campsites there, I wouldn't consider that being a part of the Fort. I wouldn't be a happy camper. (You know, I say that as a Disney Freak who LOVES Fort Wilderness, there might be some families who would not mind camping outside of the original Fort because they're looking for a place to stay with larger families or just to camp).

 

[bgula]

This is not the first time they have cleared out the underbrush, in fact, in recent years there was much more underbrush than there ever had been. However, with what appears to be much drier summers now, they have had to clear it out because of fear of fire.

A few years from now it might get back to fully covered again, but then they'll just clear it out again, it's a cycle. I have pictures from when I was a kid where there was hardly any underbrush, it's just an ebb and flow. They can't let the underbrush go on forever, otherwise in the case of fire you're talking about what could be a major disaster. There was a fire a few years back (when the underbrush was very thick) that spread very quickly throughout the Fort, had it gotten out of control you're talking about tons of campers/tents/cabins etc... destroyed.

I think most people here were just saying that the Fort needs to be enlarged, not really that the pools or anything else needs to change. That's what this thread was mainly about at least. It's not about having more glitz, it's about having more room for more campers to allow more people to stay at the Fort.

We were there in August. I noticed how things had been cleared out as well. Also noticed that someone was around spraying in between the sites every few days. Asked about it and he told me that they were spraying to keep the air potato under control.
Also had a tree removed across from us. Guys said they had to wait for the trailer to finish their vacation as they refused to move in order for them to cut down the tree which was apparently unsafe. I asked if they were doing any replanting when they take down the trees and he said no, eventually there would just be no more trees left. He seemed to be serious.

 

[Colson39]

I doubt there will ever be no trees left in Fort Wilderness. And nature has a way of regrowing things herself Hurricanes have a tendency to clear things out, and then everything regrows over time. 20 years from now people will be on this forum talking about "Why don't they clear out some of the trees, there are so many??!?!"...lol.

Something tells me he was just pulling your leg

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

I doubt there will ever be no trees left in Fort Wilderness. And nature has a way of regrowing things herself Hurricanes have a tendency to clear things out, and then everything regrows over time. 20 years from now people will be on this forum talking about "Why don't they clear out some of the trees, there are so many??!?!"...lol.

Something tells me he was just pulling your leg

Its been discussed many times, I think some of the CM's have a little "game" that they like to play with guests.

 

[Colson39]

Yea, they most definitely do

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

Yea, they most definitely do

The few CM's that I know are known to stir the pot from time to time...

 

[Colson39]

Sigh, I guess there goes the rumour that we would soon have a big peacock slide at the Meadows pool

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

Sigh, I guess there goes the rumour that we would soon have a big peacock slide at the Meadows pool

I thought I got the "exclusive" news about the Peacock slide ?