We've returned home after another fun trip to the Fort and WDW. As always, FW is a fun, peaceful, relaxing place, right next to worlds of non-stop action. After time in the parks its always nice to come home to the fort.
We requested a cabin in the 2500 loop, and were happy to land in 2509. This location is very quiet with no bus noise, yet close to the pool, and bus stop. Housekeeping was OUTSTANDING! Sure, she cleaned the cabin, and ran the dishwasher, but she was a towel animal machine! Everyday, we found new towel animals in the kitchen, and in the bedroom. One day I was stunned to find a towel animal platypus, like Perry the platypus from Phineas & Ferb.
The pools were busy throughout the hot, steamy week. I tend to use them in the morning and midday, however, when we would return to the fort around midnight we often saw a pool full of people. The addition of the hot tub at the cabins pool was a nice touch, and a nice way to start my morning. The slide at the Meadows pool is great, too! Not long, but a pretty fast slide! When I told DD12 I was going down the slide I got one of those looks. None the less I flew down the slide and had a great time. At least I didnt go over to the splash area. There were lots of youngsters there laughing and having a fun time.
On two occasions we watched the Electrical Water pageant from the beach, followed by the MK fireworks (the music was played at the beach). The Summer Nightastic fireworks really lit up the sky! They were nice when viewed from Main St., but the view from the beach really showed how they filled the entire park!
After three days of hitting the water parks in the morning, and theme parks in the evening we planned to get up and get going for early entry at MGM. DW is a Toy Story Mania maniac (who did get to ride it 4 times in one day). However, none of us were awake in time. Im normally up by 6 a.m., even on vacation. However, when I looked at the clock it was already close to 8 a.m. By the time DW was awake the early entry plans were scrapped. We decided on a quiet day to enjoy the fort. I went for a bike ride. It was a nice ride to WL, along the lake, and through the loops. It was nice to see many friendly happy people that waved and/or said good morning. I did notice there were a fair amount of empty camp sites throughout the Fort. DW decided it was time to do laundry, and enjoyed doing several loads. Yep, vacation means different things to different people. DD12 meanwhile, slept in until 11 a.m. It is a rare occasion for her to sleep that late. During the summer she normally gets awake at about 5:30 a.m. for swim team practice. A morning to sleep in was well deserved and appreciated! In the afternoon DD & I went kayaking. Neither of us had done it, but we were willing to try. Fortunately, we got the hang of it right away, and enjoyed traveling through the canals. Later, DD & I went to the marina and hopped in a mouseboat (or whatever they are calling them this year). DD12 was old enough to drive the boat for the first time. As we walked down the dock it was a bright, sunny day. We left the dock, and about 15 seconds later it began to rain. Since there was no thunder or lightening, we didnt mind the rain, and enjoyed speeding around Bay Lake, and the Seven Seas Lagoon. DD12 loved piloting the speedboat, and looks forward to doing it again. The rain continued off and on for about 45 minutes. Finally, the skies opened up. We couldnt see more than a few feet ahead. It was time to go back to the dock. Despite the rain, it was a great time.
Food! One afternoon we decided to check out the snack bar at the Meadows Pool. I had been waiting to try the Southern Smothered Hot Dog for quite some time. DW even tried one, too! It was everything I thought it would be. A great blend of dog, pulled pork, and coleslaw in the same bite. Yep, delicious, messy (a five napkin event), and Im ready for another! In the past we saw the HDDR, and ate at Trails End. We always had good experiences at both. This time neither fit into our plans.
The Meadows really is a great area. I saw a lot of happy families biking, boating, swimming, and of course, fishing. It really is a happy place.
The Forts Internal bus service was great! The bus drivers were happy, and helpful. From the cabins it was easy to hop on an Orange Settlement bus to go to the Meadows. Our longest wait was maybe 5-10 minutes. Personally, I dont like busses (scarred from childhood!), however, I can honestly say the FW Internal bus system worked, and was a pleasure to ride.
It was a great trip to the Fort, but I do want to bring up a few other points. It would be nice if the Trading Post, or Meadows stayed open past 10 p.m. After the fireworks it would have been nice to grab a snack, but unfortunately, both locations were closed. Golf carts are fun to ride, but there were MANY golf carts on the roads. Most people are careful with them, but others, well arent. Next, Disneys theme this year is What will you be celebrating? They even ask this in the reservation process. Its mentioned on the hardcopy reservation that we received in the mail. We really were celebrating something this year. However, it was never mentioned at registration or anywhere else until seven days later when we were asked at Tonys Town Square what we were celebrating. We had reservations for archery. Unfortunately, the day before we received a call saying we were now only on the wait list. No explanation was given. We were told to make a reservation for another day. Unfortunately, they were booked for the next day, and the following day we were leaving. These are minor issues, but I do think another one needs to be addressed, and that is FW registration...
As we did last year, we did online registration. Upon arrival this year I got in line for registration. One person was registering the family ahead of us. Meanwhile six other CMs either sat or stood behind the counter either doing nothing, or chatting amongst themselves-no exaggeration. One finally said, "oh she will be with you shortly". Finally, we were told to go to the opposite end of the counter where another person checked us in. I realize we are a nation of immigrants. It is what has made our nation great. However, it would be nice if a registration person at least spoke the English language somewhat proficiently. Slam me, flame me at will, but thats my thought. If this would have been our first time at FW I would have had no idea of what the Fort had to offer. It was pretty much, heres your packet, and youre in this cabin. After 25+ WDW vacations this registration was by far the worst (and 23 others were very good to excellent).
So, thats our vacation to the Fort. We had a good time, and expect to be back again. The Fort and the cabins are our happy place.
We requested a cabin in the 2500 loop, and were happy to land in 2509. This location is very quiet with no bus noise, yet close to the pool, and bus stop. Housekeeping was OUTSTANDING! Sure, she cleaned the cabin, and ran the dishwasher, but she was a towel animal machine! Everyday, we found new towel animals in the kitchen, and in the bedroom. One day I was stunned to find a towel animal platypus, like Perry the platypus from Phineas & Ferb.
The pools were busy throughout the hot, steamy week. I tend to use them in the morning and midday, however, when we would return to the fort around midnight we often saw a pool full of people. The addition of the hot tub at the cabins pool was a nice touch, and a nice way to start my morning. The slide at the Meadows pool is great, too! Not long, but a pretty fast slide! When I told DD12 I was going down the slide I got one of those looks. None the less I flew down the slide and had a great time. At least I didnt go over to the splash area. There were lots of youngsters there laughing and having a fun time.
On two occasions we watched the Electrical Water pageant from the beach, followed by the MK fireworks (the music was played at the beach). The Summer Nightastic fireworks really lit up the sky! They were nice when viewed from Main St., but the view from the beach really showed how they filled the entire park!
After three days of hitting the water parks in the morning, and theme parks in the evening we planned to get up and get going for early entry at MGM. DW is a Toy Story Mania maniac (who did get to ride it 4 times in one day). However, none of us were awake in time. Im normally up by 6 a.m., even on vacation. However, when I looked at the clock it was already close to 8 a.m. By the time DW was awake the early entry plans were scrapped. We decided on a quiet day to enjoy the fort. I went for a bike ride. It was a nice ride to WL, along the lake, and through the loops. It was nice to see many friendly happy people that waved and/or said good morning. I did notice there were a fair amount of empty camp sites throughout the Fort. DW decided it was time to do laundry, and enjoyed doing several loads. Yep, vacation means different things to different people. DD12 meanwhile, slept in until 11 a.m. It is a rare occasion for her to sleep that late. During the summer she normally gets awake at about 5:30 a.m. for swim team practice. A morning to sleep in was well deserved and appreciated! In the afternoon DD & I went kayaking. Neither of us had done it, but we were willing to try. Fortunately, we got the hang of it right away, and enjoyed traveling through the canals. Later, DD & I went to the marina and hopped in a mouseboat (or whatever they are calling them this year). DD12 was old enough to drive the boat for the first time. As we walked down the dock it was a bright, sunny day. We left the dock, and about 15 seconds later it began to rain. Since there was no thunder or lightening, we didnt mind the rain, and enjoyed speeding around Bay Lake, and the Seven Seas Lagoon. DD12 loved piloting the speedboat, and looks forward to doing it again. The rain continued off and on for about 45 minutes. Finally, the skies opened up. We couldnt see more than a few feet ahead. It was time to go back to the dock. Despite the rain, it was a great time.
Food! One afternoon we decided to check out the snack bar at the Meadows Pool. I had been waiting to try the Southern Smothered Hot Dog for quite some time. DW even tried one, too! It was everything I thought it would be. A great blend of dog, pulled pork, and coleslaw in the same bite. Yep, delicious, messy (a five napkin event), and Im ready for another! In the past we saw the HDDR, and ate at Trails End. We always had good experiences at both. This time neither fit into our plans.
The Meadows really is a great area. I saw a lot of happy families biking, boating, swimming, and of course, fishing. It really is a happy place.
The Forts Internal bus service was great! The bus drivers were happy, and helpful. From the cabins it was easy to hop on an Orange Settlement bus to go to the Meadows. Our longest wait was maybe 5-10 minutes. Personally, I dont like busses (scarred from childhood!), however, I can honestly say the FW Internal bus system worked, and was a pleasure to ride.
It was a great trip to the Fort, but I do want to bring up a few other points. It would be nice if the Trading Post, or Meadows stayed open past 10 p.m. After the fireworks it would have been nice to grab a snack, but unfortunately, both locations were closed. Golf carts are fun to ride, but there were MANY golf carts on the roads. Most people are careful with them, but others, well arent. Next, Disneys theme this year is What will you be celebrating? They even ask this in the reservation process. Its mentioned on the hardcopy reservation that we received in the mail. We really were celebrating something this year. However, it was never mentioned at registration or anywhere else until seven days later when we were asked at Tonys Town Square what we were celebrating. We had reservations for archery. Unfortunately, the day before we received a call saying we were now only on the wait list. No explanation was given. We were told to make a reservation for another day. Unfortunately, they were booked for the next day, and the following day we were leaving. These are minor issues, but I do think another one needs to be addressed, and that is FW registration...
As we did last year, we did online registration. Upon arrival this year I got in line for registration. One person was registering the family ahead of us. Meanwhile six other CMs either sat or stood behind the counter either doing nothing, or chatting amongst themselves-no exaggeration. One finally said, "oh she will be with you shortly". Finally, we were told to go to the opposite end of the counter where another person checked us in. I realize we are a nation of immigrants. It is what has made our nation great. However, it would be nice if a registration person at least spoke the English language somewhat proficiently. Slam me, flame me at will, but thats my thought. If this would have been our first time at FW I would have had no idea of what the Fort had to offer. It was pretty much, heres your packet, and youre in this cabin. After 25+ WDW vacations this registration was by far the worst (and 23 others were very good to excellent).
So, thats our vacation to the Fort. We had a good time, and expect to be back again. The Fort and the cabins are our happy place.
