Fort Review

[xie]

Howdy,

We stayed at the Fort in the 2000 loop from Dec. 27 through Jan. 5. This is feedback on the Fort stay only, not the Parks part.

The Good:

- The site and the Comfort Station were as spotless as ever.

- The staff was clearly stressed out from both the high crowds and the broken MyMagic+ stuff, but they were all polite anyway. Kudos to them.

- We forgot a few things and the campsite shop had everything we needed, and the CMs there were nice and very helpful.

- We rented a cart from Kenny and enjoyed it, had no problems picking up and dropping off the cart.

- People's campsite decorations were up and very nice!

- We walked the trail over to Wilderness Lodge one afternoon, and then boated our way around to the MK and took the monorail to Polynesian and GF, to see all the Christmas decorations. All were lovely. That's a LOT of gingerbread on that house!

- The MK boats did a pretty decent job of it - there were really big crowds waiting for the launches most evenings, and they usually managed to get everyone aboard without making too many people wait for the next one.

The Not so Good:

- Check-in took a really long time. As in over an hour.

- We had MagicBands (shipped to us in advance) and they did not work on the resort gate or the Comfort Stations, even though check-in said they would. (Not sure why they are telling people this, others here have confirmed they do not work at all yet.)

- We were given KTTW cards upon check-in. They also did not work on the resort gate or the Comfort Stations (which I found out at 2am when I needed to go potty, unfortunately). We had to take them back to the front desk the next morning, where it took over an hour (not kidding) to get them fixed. Now, I've had KTTW cards fixed at Disney before over the years, and it was a simple 5 minute process... this time, after a 30 minute wait in line, the front desk CM said she couldn't redo the cards without a manager's approval, and then she spent more than 15 minutes looking for a manager. She never did find a manager, and eventually she just redid the keys, which took another 15 minutes. That whole system is a hot mess right now.

- The PoPo seemed kind of overwhelmed and honestly we didn't see much of them, beyond directing traffic at the 3 way intersection in the back at night.

- There were people on golf carts doing some crazy stuff, more so than this time last year. Those with gas powered engines were the worst since they could go faster than most electrics. We just never saw any PoPo dealing with these idiots at all. One night, we took a horse carriage ride, and a bunch of kids on a golf cart pulled up beside the horse and laid on the horn. The driver was rightfully PISSED. She yelled at them, but they just laughed and took off. Again, no PoPo anywhere to be found. Thankfully Disney's horses are so well mannered and well trained that aside from a small start, the poor horse held it together.

- There were people with dogs on the 2000 loop, some of them barking at night. That was kind of annoying. If they were going to flip a loop due to high pet owner volume, it shouldn't be a tent loop where most have no walls other than canvas. At one point we called the front desk, and they said nobody was supposed to have pets on 2000. We asked because we thought they might have let people do it since the Fort (and the pet loops) was full. They said they were sending the PoPo out, but the barking dogs remained so we don't think they did.

- There WERE some empty sites on the 2000 loop for every night of our stay. They might have been rented, but nobody was there. One site beside us stayed empty for 3 nights leading into NYE. Other sites near us were empty for 1 or 2 nights at a time.

- They were not enforcing the policy about too many cars being at the sites. There were a few sites in particular on 2000 that had 4-5 cars on them (not kidding!), crammed in, taking up half the road, packed in between the trees, etc. It was actually not easy to get our normal sized pickup truck through there at times, because these folks seemed to think they should be exempt from that rule. And again, we never saw any PoPo on the loop trying to deal with any of it.

- To the lady with what sounded like severe pneumonia who was hacking up her lungs in the Comfort Station for hours on end every day: Please, don't go to WDW when you are that sick... it's certainly not good for you, and it isn't good to put everyone else at risk of infection, from fellow campers to the staff who have to clean up after you.

So honestly, I think the only real failings the Fort had this time were 1) the KTTW/MagicBand lock tech, which is buggy at all the resorts from what I hear, not just the Fort; and 2) the Security team really didn't have things under control as they should have. Well, and I guess 3) they need to stop the people reserving tent sites and not staying in them.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . the Security team really didn't have things under control as they should have . . .

1) A common, and well grounded, complaint.
2) Both from the guests AND the employees.
3) We have questioned the lack of security and patrols during meetings.
4) The answer
. . . guests deserve "The best WDW vacation of their lives."
. . . this includes the obnoxious guests
. . . security is there only as a show
. . . they usually only get involved when told by a manager
. . . without managerial orders, they "gently" try to have guest honor the rules


NOTE: And, yes, I am also one of those who complain about the lapses in
security patrols and forcing adherence to the rules. I work The Fort and I
work Deluxe resorts. I have personally seen guests way out of control.
They only get reined-in when a manager appears and orders the guards to
act. In *most* cases, the manager has to be on-scene, call security, and
then tell them what to do.

 

[bama_ed]

xie,

Glad you made it home. I've stayed in loop 2000 before when it's been empty and when it's been full. It's not the loop itself that's bad but sometimes the people in it. That's a consideration, honestly, I have to tell you. It makes me avoid the Tent/Partial sites even though they're the least expensive and my popup can handle it. My reasons are all the same you gave.

WDW is committed to making the Magic Bands work properly if it kills them. It's already cost some executives their jobs and they are going to cut the KTTW cards completely and force a "sink-or-swim" reaction by various Cast Members and departments. More heads may roll.

Fort management hides behind the "we want our guest to have a Magical visit" crap. If people were empowered to do their jobs, enforce the rules, and had the confidence that their managers would back them doing so, life would be fantastic at the Fort. As it is, it exudes poor management, weak leadership, and a CYA mentality. I think front line CM's who have to deal with the public on a regular basis are superb as you said. But the higher up you go, the more insulated you are, the more likely you are to be a weak link.

It's almost come to the point to where I don't want to be at the Fort at Christmas week or around Easter. As you pointed out, a full house puts pressure on all the people and process systems and their weaknesses show themselves. That's why I'm looking forward to being able to travel off season in a few years.

If they would put you in charge of the Fort for a week, my money's on you making a few needed changes. Any visit to the Fort is a good visit but doing things right could make it better.

Bama Ed

 

[Born 2 Fish]

xie,
I think you should send your review to the powers that be at the Fort. Not that it would really do much good, but they should still know how you feel. Believe me when I say there's not many regulars who have not told the Fort people about the very items in which you are concerned about.
I totally agree with TheRustyScupper and bama_ed (and you).

That being said, I am glad that you were able to enjoy your trip,
regardless of others who have no concern for anyone but their own selves.

 

[xie]

1) A common, and well grounded, complaint.
2) Both from the guests AND the employees.
3) We have questioned the lack of security and patrols during meetings.
4) The answer
. . . guests deserve "The best WDW vacation of their lives."
. . . this includes the obnoxious guests
. . . security is there only as a show
. . . they usually only get involved when told by a manager
. . . without managerial orders, they "gently" try to have guest honor the rules


NOTE: And, yes, I am also one of those who complain about the lapses in
security patrols and forcing adherence to the rules. I work The Fort and I
work Deluxe resorts. I have personally seen guests way out of control.
They only get reined-in when a manager appears and orders the guards to
act. In *most* cases, the manager has to be on-scene, call security, and
then tell them what to do.

I think this "obnoxious guests deserve the best WDW vacation" bit is understandable until you get to the point of endangering other guests and animals. There were people doing really unsafe things, such as harassing the horses. We were also run off a sidewalk by some people racing golf carts - the sidewalks where carts are not permitted and it's clearly posted. This is the kind of stuff that should at BEST get you one warning and then expulsion.

Regardless of how Disney sees it and what they think "those folks" deserve, it's one of several factors that drove us to cancel our April and December trips to WDW this year. I don't know when we'll be going back.

 

[xie]

xie,

Glad you made it home. I've stayed in loop 2000 before when it's been empty and when it's been full. It's not the loop itself that's bad but sometimes the people in it. That's a consideration, honestly, I have to tell you. It makes me avoid the Tent/Partial sites even though they're the least expensive and my popup can handle it. My reasons are all the same you gave.

WDW is committed to making the Magic Bands work properly if it kills them. It's already cost some executives their jobs and they are going to cut the KTTW cards completely and force a "sink-or-swim" reaction by various Cast Members and departments. More heads may roll.

Fort management hides behind the "we want our guest to have a Magical visit" crap. If people were empowered to do their jobs, enforce the rules, and had the confidence that their managers would back them doing so, life would be fantastic at the Fort. As it is, it exudes poor management, weak leadership, and a CYA mentality. I think front line CM's who have to deal with the public on a regular basis are superb as you said. But the higher up you go, the more insulated you are, the more likely you are to be a weak link.

It's almost come to the point to where I don't want to be at the Fort at Christmas week or around Easter. As you pointed out, a full house puts pressure on all the people and process systems and their weaknesses show themselves. That's why I'm looking forward to being able to travel off season in a few years.

If they would put you in charge of the Fort for a week, my money's on you making a few needed changes. Any visit to the Fort is a good visit but doing things right could make it better.

Bama Ed

Hi Ed,

Thanks for the reply. TBH the only problems we had on the 2000 loop were the overabundance of vehicles, and the dogs. Most of the really bad / unsafe stuff happened over in the main part of the resort, in and around the entrance to the Trail's End / Marina and the central road and sidewalks leading to it from the 4 way stop to the 3 way stop. That's an area the PoPo ought to be watching constantly, IMHO.

 

[sbnewhampshire1]

Ditto! I also could complain but what good would it do!!! Ditto! Ditto ! ditto! Anyone listening!

 

[articfox676]

On the positive side there was much less golf cart noise, loud radios, horns, and very loud engines with young drivers. We have been there over Christmas for many years and believe me it was worse 4 to 5 years ago. This trip we were in the 1200 loop with a site against the road.

New Years was another issue. From the time Christmas campers left and the New Years people arrived the horns and golf carts started.

 

[myjourney]

Just curious, are there any loops that do not allow dogs?

 

[wiigirl]

Ditto! I also could complain but what good would it do!!! Ditto! Ditto ! ditto! Anyone listening!

 

[retired and happy]

myjourney: No. they have designated loops approved for pets, but put them anywhere when they decide to. And often campers do not declare their pets, so they could wind up anywhere.

articfox: You got our spot. We have been in 1200 against the road for several years so Judy can put out MANY decorations. This year they told us no site were available there, and they crammed us into 1400. We later saw many pups and tt's in siotes where our MH would have fit nicely. 1209-1218, or so. We'll try agoan next year.

ed, rusty, xie, Born, etc: Well said. Eventually something will have to be done at the Fort regarding rule enforcement. Unfortunately it will most likely either doing away with certain rules or clamp down on all of us, whether we are offenders or not (think personal GC's).

 

[xie]

Just curious, are there any loops that do not allow dogs?

About half the loops officially allow pets, I believe. The loops where pets are allowed are all full hookup sites (which includes some loops designated as Premium, but they're all full hookup), and the pets must be kept inside the trailer when the owner is not present.

Pets are not normally supposed to be staying with guests on the two partial hookup tent loops, 1500 and 2000, and a half dozen or so full hookup loops. Of course that depends on whether the guest is honest with Disney about whether they're bringing in a dog, I guess. I've also heard that if the pet loops are full then Disney will put people with pets anywhere.

At one point someone staying next to us for a couple of days had a dog in a popup. It barked quite a bit, but they would also try to rapidly hush it and if any Disney CMs were in the area doing the regular site and comfort station type maintenance work, they hid it inside. So I am guessing they didn't tell Disney they had one.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

We had neighbors in the 600 loop years ago with a dog in a popup, they would come back and catch the dog barking and then beat on it. It was pretty sad but that is why I typically like pets more than humans, humans are unreliable and prone to being sketchy.

 

[xie]

We had neighbors in the 600 loop years ago with a dog in a popup, they would come back and catch the dog barking and then beat on it. It was pretty sad but that is why I typically like pets more than humans, humans are unreliable and prone to being sketchy.

As an older relative used to tell me: There are a lot of idiots in the world, and they procreate.

At home if I find someone is abusing an animal, I know where to call. I'm not sure what I would have done in that situation except gone up front and worked with the CMs to do something.

 

[North of Mouse]

Just curious, are there any loops that do not allow dogs?

Yes, there are! We have stayed many years/times at the Fort and always request loop 100 (200 also pet free). Some say that they do allow pets there but only once have we seen any.

I was walking early night to Trails End and a large black dog jumped out at me and started barking (he was tied near street). I am sure I startled him as much as he startled me, )

The owners were there outside and immediately got him and took him inside their RV. It was so unexpected it scared me to death. I called the Outpost and security came out. Come to find out they had not said they had a pet, had to take him to the kennel and pay the extra fee for their campsite (security came to our site after and told us the situation).

They may let people keep pets on occasion there, but we have not been aware other than this one time. I have nothing against dogs being on other loops, but do not appreciate being scared to death (especially when they assure us each time that it is a 'pet free' loop.)