HydroGuy's Totally Awesome, Totally Detailed, and Very Long Trip Report - June 2006

[Amy&Dan]

Thanks so much, I enjoyed it as much as I knew I would. Detailed and thorough as always! I agree with everything you said except Peter Pan, I prefer DL's, I miss the twinkling stars at WDW. Glad you had a great trip!

Amy

 

[gopack]

I really enjoyed your trip report. What did you think of the FW Cabins? Would you stay there again? What is the set up of the beds? Are they roomy?

 

[HydroGuy]

I really enjoyed your trip report. What did you think of the FW Cabins? Would you stay there again? What is the set up of the beds? Are they roomy?

You can get a ton of info on these on All Ears. Check out this link:

http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_fw.htm

On that page there are several links to photos. Also, DIS has a forum on camping at Disney which appears to be solely about FW. Lots of good advice there, as it also spills over into the cabin discussion. See:

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=24

To your questions, we liked the cabins and would consider staying there in the future if for no other reason than it is hard to find a room for 6 at WDW without paying a lot for a suite. The bed setup with photos is shown on All Ears. There are bunk beds in the bedroom with a double bed, and a double bed in the main room. I would not call it roomy - but it was not crowded either. Since we were there for 10 days it would have been nice to transfer clothes into cabinets, but these were limited in the bedroom - not near enough cabinets to accomodate 4 boys. DW and I were able to use some of the cupboards in the main room for our clothes.

Each cabin comes with a charcoal BBQ, and we used that 2 nights for steak and for hamburgers. There is a deck with a picnic table at each cabin, but it was too hot to eat outside.

If you were to decide to stay there, you need to pay attention to the transportation. Getting around FW is tough because if you have a car you can only park it at your cabin - you cannot drive it around the campground - well you can, but there is no place to park it so it does you no good. So if you have a car it is only good for getting to the parks. We decided to avoid renting a car and use Disney transportation, and this worked. However, unless you have a lot of patience, using the internal FW transportation and the regular Disney transportation can be a headache. The reason is that a bus comes nominally every 20 minutes. So if you want to get to say Epcot, you have to wait for a FW bus (0-20 minutes), just to get to the edge of FW, and then wait for regular WDW bus (0-20 minutes). It could easily take you an hour to get to a park from your cabin. So we took other's advice and rented a golf cart at FW for $44 a day. This allowed us to move around FW and also to go right to the external bus stops with a 5 minute ride. If you do this, be sure to reserve one ahead of time. I did this 4 weeks in advance, but when I was picking mine up after check-in there was a poor guy in front of me who had no golf cart reservation and they were sold out - so he could not get one.

 

[HydroGuy]

Hi HydroGuy - I'm the DISer you met in the EE gift shop!!

BTW - I can't get page 1 to come up at all on firefox - switched to IE and was able to read all but the last few posts on page 1 - anyone else having any trouble with it?

Anyway . . . awesome trip report - sounds like you guys had a lot of fun at 'my' favorite place! Isn't it wonderful travelling with teens? - WDW is one of the few places that I could give my kids so much freedom when they were teens (and give myself an occasional needed break from them). It was so great to meet your ADORABLE family !!! . . . and give your DW a 'hi' from me - as soon as she said she was from CO (my 2nd favorite place to visit) we started to chat it up - and when she mentioned that you were writing about your trip I knew you must be a DISer - when she told me your name I said "you mean HydroGuy, the FP guru (or maybe I said 'god' from DL?" Well, we had a good laugh - meeting such great people from all over the country (and world) is one of the things we love the most about WDW - and it sure makes the lines a lot less boring .

I can't wait to go to a totally 'new' disney park (DL/CA)- reverse situation as yours - I've been going to WDW since it opened - raised my kids on vacations there and now visiting with my little nephew and first grandchild - even the big kids like to go again (if I'm paying, that is) - I really enjoyed reading your comparisons and can't wait to experience the differences for myself
PS:The Rockies must be beautiful right about now - wish I was hiking!

Hello there! I know you were a "B" name, Bonnie or Betty ??? - hope I remember. Yes, we had a great trip - you caught us on Day #2.

From our face-to-face discussion I thought you were a DL vet in addition to WDW vet, but guess not. If you watch the DIS DL forum this week I will be posting a tips guide to DL for WDW vets. I will try to touch on everything.

Yes, Colorado is incredible right now. After I get done with my online stuff this morning I am heading over to take a hike on a trail near Pikes Peak - just me and our golden retriever. DW traditionally would prefer that it got warmer here in the summer, but after the Orlando heat (which affected her more than me), when we got back she said how nice the temperatures are here - most days peak out at 75-85 degrees.

Have a great trip to DL. I think you said you will be traveling with your nephew? Hope he likes it too. I am sure you both will.

 

[musicmama]

Great TR - especially the comparisons to DL!!

Totally agree with you on Soarin' (way better in DL) especially because of the theming. We couldn't even get near the Epcot version last Christmas week because of all the crowds, where we rode the DL version 2 or 3 times a day and it was still pretty new there. Also agree on how funny Aladdin was. Had to drag DH there, but once in, he laughed louder than DD and me. Sorry you missed POC, but as HaleyB said, MUCH better in DL. DD and I both think DL's HM rolls over WDW (especially with HM Christmas theme) as does IASW (although improved with the "newer" entrance but still not as good).

Sadly, when we went over Christmas 2003 the weather was totally non-cooperative so we missed Grizzly and Splash because it was just too cold and rainy, but we've done Kali and WDW Splash so now I don't feel like we missed much. Did you find DL's Indiana Jones to be virtually the Dinosaur ride-print? (Please answer 'yes' so that DH owes me bet $$. )

 

[gopack]

Hydroguy-Thanks for the information on the Cabins!

 

[HydroGuy]

Did you find DL's Indiana Jones to be virtually the Dinosaur ride-print? (Please answer 'yes' so that DH owes me bet $$. )

I thought Dinosaur at AK was a really good ride and was surprised it does not get talked up more on the forums. Yes, it has a lot in common with the DL Indiana Jone rides in that they use the same sort of car with built-in motion. However, the IJ ride itself is very different from Dinosaur and one of the best at all of DLR or WDW. So Dinosaur does not equal Indiana Jones. IJ is better. But Dinosaur was very good too IMO.

 

[TLinden16]

Wow, that was one detailed trip report! Very easy to read. Sounds like the boys had a wonderful time! Too bad the conference kept you away from the fun sometimes

Thanks for posting.

 

[GreatBiscuit]

Awesome report! Loved all of the details and unique format. I appreciate the reports on the bands and shows. This is DW's favorite part of the World so it will definitely help with trip planning. It was interesting also to see the juxtaposition between the DL / WDW attractions. I like your FP strategy – I foresee myself being the designated FP retriever when we go. Thanks for sharing the photos and details.

 

[teentoddlermom]

I am SO impressed with your TR! Your organization is really admirable. I am also reading your TR's on another website. Really learning a lot from your details. I used to think I was an organized person and knew how to visit WDW, but after reading about your experiences, I realize I am a complete dolt!
Thank you for a wonderful report!

 

[TwinkieMama]

Since you seem like the type to carefully research all the issues and run a cost-benefit-value analysis just for fun, would you mind sharing which park tix you bought and why?
Your trip was well-planned and flexible! Thanks so much- I enjoyed all the details!

 

[HydroGuy]

Since you seem like the type to carefully research all the issues and run a cost-benefit-value analysis just for fun, would you mind sharing which park tix you bought and why?
Your trip was well-planned and flexible! Thanks so much- I enjoyed all the details!

If you read the fine print you will remember that I originally had two trips planned - a 4-day trip in May and a trip in June that was supposed to be about 7 days (and eventually turned into 10 days).

So I bought tickets thru TicketMania in April:

4-day base ticket (2 of them for May trip)
8-day base ticket + water park option (2 of them for June trip)
10-day base ticket - no expiry (1 for me because the 2 trips were 5 weeks apart)

Then we had the change in plans to a single 10 day trip. So I brought all the tickets with me and when we checked in I converted all the 4 and 8 day tickets to 10-day tickets with the water park option. I did not think we would be at the parks for 10 days, but the incremental cost for each day after 5 was very small so I got 10 days to avoid the hassle if we in fact went 10 days. Turns out we went to parks on 9 different days.

I also had to buy a completely new ticket for DW, and got her a 10-day with water park option. She went to parks on 6 days.

FWIW, I still have one day left on my non-expiring ticket. If I had known that we would only do a single trip I would never have bought this non-expirining feature. So next time I am in the area I can pop in for a day.

Edit fixed typo - 8 day tix were for June not May

 

[TwinkieMama]

I did read the fine print so I was wondering how you did it. I didn't think of converting 2 tix into 1. Good to know.

 

[HydroGuy]

I did read the fine print so I was wondering how you did it. I didn't think of converting 2 tix into 1. Good to know.

I must have confused you with my answer. Sorry. Plus I said May when I meant June. We did not convert two tickets into one. I do not think you can do that. I converted the 2 four-day tickets in 2 ten-day tickets, and then converted the 2 eight-day tickets into 2 ten-day tickets. Those were for the four kids. My ticket stayed the same, and my DW ticket I had to buy there at WDW. Hope that was clearer.

 

[TwinkieMama]

so you "upgraded" tickets which of course Disney welcomes with open arms.
Makes more sense. Thanks for setting me straight.

I was wondering since you seemed willing to go for just a few hours when you had to work and that implied either a) being willing to burn a day of an non-expiry ticket, b) an expiry ticket c)free or practically free tickets from the conference or my personal theory d) an AP for dad.

 

[schmoopypoo]

Great TR!!! Although i must confess I haven't even finished reading it LOL, but I'm working on it right now, dont worry LOL And I just loved the format you used. Made it much easier to read and that is something I appreciate in TR's.

 

[Ron from Michigan]

Thanks for the great reports. It sounds like you had a great time. What did you think of the cabins at FW. We have thought about staying in them someday. We are also vets of Disneyland & WDW. I enjoyed your comparrison of them. Since I grew up in SC I went to DL many times and always enjoy going back. We will be back to WDW in Oct. & Dec. this year. Are you planning another trip to WDW in the future ? Thanks again for the great report.

 

[HydroGuy]

Thanks for the great reports. It sounds like you had a great time. What did you think of the cabins at FW. We have thought about staying in them someday. We are also vets of Disneyland & WDW. I enjoyed your comparrison of them. Since I grew up in SC I went to DL many times and always enjoy going back. We will be back to WDW in Oct. & Dec. this year. Are you planning another trip to WDW in the future ? Thanks again for the great report.

If you did not know, DIS has a forum on Disney Camping which is essentially just a forum on Ft Wilderness. See http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=24. Also All Ears has a lot of good info on FW and the cabins. See http://www.allearsnet.com/acc/faq_fw.htm.

The cabins worked for us. We would consider them in the future if we want to have a place to cook. The cabins were not large, but not too small either. One bathroom with 6 people is a bit of a bottleneck. Fortunately we had four boys rather than four girls. That would have been a bigger bottleneck. We were in the "2500" loop, which was a 3 minute walk to the swimming pool. There are two pools at FW, and we never went to the "big" one because we were so close to the smaller one. But the smaller one was not at all small. It was fairly sizable and usually not very crowded.

I guess the All-Star resorts at WDW now have something similar for families/cooking - those were sold out by the time I made the reservations.

Personally, I would have preferred to stay at an Epcot area resort (putting aside the cooking issue) because of the central location. The effort and time to get to transportation at FW was a bit more than I would liked. I am too spoiled by DLR where you can stay across the street. But with a little patience the transportation at FW and WDW in general worked well for us.

 

[thmar]

This is yet another fantastic report by HydroGuy...I also enjoy your pictures...Thank you!