We checked out of the Fort Saturday January 27, after being there for the entire week before. I meant to post a few times while we were there but we were just too busy! And also, of the many many things we loved about our time at FW, the wifi service was not one of them.... It was quite bad.
Other than that though we pretty much loved everything. We booked preferred and I requested the 100 loop but ended up in site 202, right near the comfort station. I was a little concerned about that but ended up LOVING it. I thought there might be a lot of noise and activity around but that was not the case at all. Not that many people used the bathrooms and those that did were very respectful of others. It was our first time taking our new (to us!) camper anywhere and I found that while the bathroom was plenty large, the hot water heater was not and I ended up showering in the comfort station every morning. It was great that it was so convenient. I even did some laundry a few mornings before we left for the parks. The facilities were so clean and well maintained.
I also loved being able to hear the boat horns and the fireworks and even got accustomed to the surprisingly loud EWP music every night at 9:45. I was usually drifting off to sleep just as it was playing.
We really enjoyed the easy walk to the Marina for the MK boat. We aren't big on the disney buses so we drove to the other parks but that worked fine too. Like many before us I'm sure, I mostly regret that we didn't spend more time around the campground enjoying what's there. My dad and husband took my daughter to see the horse barn one night and one night went fishing (with success!) at the Meadows pond while I cooked suppers but of course I missed those outings. We really wanted to do the campfire and brought smores fixings but we never made it. I meant to make time for more down time but it's just so hard to leave the parks. There's always just that one more fastpass to grab and use...
Also, we ate at Trails End three times! Twice for dinner, which we've had before and loved (although I was miffed the second time that the ice cream machine was broken) and then we discovered the weekend brunch on Saturday morning before we pulled out and oh my goodness, it was exceptional. My dad declared it the best breakfast he'd had in his 70 years. They have so many delicious choices we couldn't even try everything that we wanted because we got too full. We really really enjoyed this before shedding a tear and pulling away. I would call this brunch one of the most underrated meals at the resort. If people knew what was offered I think it would be much busier. So I guess we should keep that to ourselves!
We found the Fort to be such a comfortable quiet respite from the craziness of the parks (which we found to be MUCH more crowded than the same week last year). Most of the campers are so polite and respectful. Our last night, a group pulled into next to us and then moved across the street late at night and I could not believe how loud they and their children were being when everyone around them was obviously tucked into bed. People can be unbelievable. That was the only problem we ran into all week with anyone at FW though so I can't really complain. But I am glad that group did not show up until our last night. I do think it would have bothered me if they had kept that up all week. All the FW CMs that we encountered were outstanding. It's impressive how they are everywhere cleaning and maintaining the grounds. And the results are much appreciated!
Also, I went to the Publix in Windermere on arrival day and found it to be really convenient and easy to find. So much better than the
walmart I visited last year when we stayed at OKW!
I don't really have anything else to say that everyone here doesn't already know but I just wanted to share that we were wowed by our experience. I can't wait to go back sometime although right now, I don't know when that will be. Until then I guess I'll just be listening for that water parade music every night and dreaming we were headed back!
