JETS70 is at the Fort......well not exactly but I am at Disney

[Teamubr]

Great TR, Steve.

Keep it up!

j

 

[rideswithchrist]

I love it! ...but I must have missed some rumors- where is Aerosmith?!

And also, my kids want to get back BEFORE the Splash Mountain refurb, they never rode the original...and I am sure it will be like changing out Maelstrom (with a unique story line) to add some cartoon effects..*sigh*

 

[JETS70]

I survived Rain Forest cafe once. Kids, rain, kids, thunder, kids, jungle, ...... that's all I remember (and those were just MY kids).

I understand what you are saying. Not sure if I told everyone that I am a retired elementary teacher and principal. Most of the time I can show great patience for young children who sometimes are being over stimulated. I have a tendency to loose that patience with the parents who refuse to address those over stimulated children. If you haven't heard Bill Engvall's take on the lack of parental discipline....... If you have time............

Nobody Disciplines Their Kids Anymore - YouTube

Today was Teresa's birthday and a Disney Springs day. We had dinner at the Boathouse for her birthday. This was our first time eating there and it was excellent. We would definitely go back. Weather was a little cooler today and overcast that turned into a fairly steady drizzle this evening.

This is the 2nd floor of the parking garage used for temp screening and metal detectors.


An early lunch at Chicken Guy. Wasn't that impressed. Chicken sandwich was ok but not a fan of the avocado crema. The melted cheese on the loaded fries would be better on the side.




The balloon was not flying today due to wind.


We saw our first show in this arena in 2001. Cirque du Soleil la Nouba. They have a new show coming soon that is a collaboration between WDW animation and Cirque called "Drawn to Life"




The Lego store had one of the longest wait lines for shopping at Disney Springs.




Live entertainment at Splittsville. I guess the weather may have limited the live entertainment.




A few more pictures in the next post.

Steve

 

[JETS70]

Disney Springs part 2
On our first trip to Disney in 2001, this was DisneyQuest. I remember my son after about 30 minutes running up to me and saying "dad, your not going to believe this.......all these games are FREE!!!!!!"


For you @bama_ed . We ate there before the big Downtown Disney refurb. I remember having the Shepherd's Pie. Best I can remember it was good, what little bit I got. My daughter decided I needed help eating it.


I didn't buy this sign, but..........






Along the same lines (same company) as Rainforest Café. If you are a burger kind of person, the Bronto Burger is pretty good.


As we were walking, we stumbled across everglazed. Not been open long and is tucked back off the main strip around the corner before you get to Splittsville. Pictures to follow.......


Peanut butter explosion


Called something like double bacon double maple double goodness.........or something close to that


On to the next post.......

Steve

 

[JETS70]

Teresa's birthday was today with dinner at the Boathouse. This is the first time eating there and I will say that Teresa and I both really enjoyed the food and the atmosphere. The service was excellent and we would certainly consider eating here again.


Hmmmm, something doesn't look quite right here


Mahi fish sandwich


Dockside Shrimp Boil


A panoramic of the Marketplace.


I'm good for another year,


Tomorrow we will be visiting friends at the Fort,

Steve

 

[garneska]

I love that maple bacon doughnut. Had two of them while we were there.

 

[JETS70]

@garneska It was really good. You kinda wonder who comes up with these combinations. We wanted to try a cookie from Gideon's but the virtual queue was 3 hours. Maybe on our October trip.

 

[tiggerdad]

I love it! ...but I must have missed some rumors- where is Aerosmith?!

The video interaction with band is turned off since there is no longer groups allowed together to watch it. Figure it'll return if/when restrictions on distance are removed.

 

[JETS70]

All the attractions that had pre shows such as Dinosaur, RRC, ToT and an abbreviated pre show for FoP were not playing with the exception at Dinosaur. It was playing but not as a group showing. It was looping as the line snaked through to the ride. We did hear a couple of people jokingly say that they were going to retheme RRC as a Taylor Swift attraction.

 

[rideswithchrist]

The video interaction with band is turned off since there is no longer groups allowed together to watch it. Figure it'll return if/when restrictions on distance are removed.

I keep forgetting about the distancing measures in place...

 

[JETS70]

Today is our Fort Wilderness day. Well, @tiggerdad Teresa let me know that it would be a shopping day at the outlet mall first. I figured that I might as well not fight it and just go with it......no matter how much it cost me. Then as we pulled up, I saw my out..............


The Bass Pro Shops across the street. I think she was happy for me to go my own way as it kept her from having to listen to my constant whining as she shopped. A happy medium had been reached.


After shopping and before heading over to the Fort, we had lunch at Friday's. This used to be one of my favorite places to eat not that long ago. I am starting to understand why they are slowly disappearing. No food pics.

Such a wonderful site when checking into the Fort.



When we arrived at the Fort, we met up with our friends and went on a scavenger hunt. There is a Facebook page for people who hide really nice simple Disney related objects around the Fort. They post the hidden surprise and a hint as to where it can be found on the Facebook page and you go find it. A lot of fun. We did find a key and our scavenger hunt partner found a key and Mickey birthday decorations.



After a successful scavenger hunt, we did some looping and took a few pictures.
The Mask Marshalls were out at the 4 way stop and also at the cart / walking path to the Settlement




We didnt make it to Tri Circle D Ranch before it closed. We will have to check it out in October. Looks really nice.


Not sure how long this has been in place, but they now have a bus that runs to the MK from the Settlement Bus stop. It runs from Fort Wilderness to Wilderness Lodge to the MK.


On to the next post.

Steve

 

[JETS70]

Final Disney post. Tomorrow we head over to Panama City Beach for a couple of days.

For the Star Wars fan. The picture does not do it justice.


The food truck was parked by the Settlement playground but was not open for business.





This tire cover was on display but I did not see any out for purchase.


These were neat....at least the packaging. When I saw them, I had to take a second look and read a little closer.



A couple of panoramics from behind the Meadows Trading Post ........



and from the boat dock.



We had a really nice visit to the Fort. We looped through all of the camping loops. All loops were open but none seemed near full or crowded. We only noticed about 3 or 4 people not following mask guidelines which I guess is good in the grand scheme of things. The one that bothered me was the gentleman that got on the bus we were on and spoke directly to the bus driver sans mask and nothing was said.

We had a great trip to Disney. Obviously many things have changed since our last visit pre pandemic. What Disney has done to reopen WDW is pretty amazing. They way that they have managed wait lines, someone deserves a raise. With that said, it was also somewhat disappointing to not feel that old Disney magic of park hopper passes, fast passes and the attraction pre shows for which many were entertaining. It has been a long time since staying at a resort and Pop Century in particular. Pop Century has always had a reputation of having a better than most food court. Most if not all of the quick service food at WDW is done via mobile ordering. We always enjoyed going in at the end of the day and buying some overpriced chicken strips or hamburger meals, eating and people watching all while going to the drink station time and time again for refills. Kinda curious when we will see those day again. Still looking forward to returning to the Fort in October. This trip has really helped in planning for that trip.

Will probably make at least one more post for our time at Panama City Beach.

Steve

 

[tiggerdad]

Today is our Fort Wilderness day. Well, @tiggerdad Teresa let me know that it would be a shopping day at the outlet mall first. I figured that I might as well not fight it and just go with it......no matter how much it cost me. Then as we pulled up, I saw my out..............

ugh! The shopping!

I feel for you man. However, Bass Pro would certainly help the situation.

 

[tigger92662]

Maybe on our October trip.

What are your dates in October?

 

[JETS70]

What are your dates in October?

We will be staying at Lake Louisa State Park on October 23rd and checking in to the Fort on October 24th. We are checking out on November 6th.

Steve

 

[friendofeeyore]

Jets70, Thank you for the great trip report I enjoyed with you & Teresa! Wishing Teresa a Happy belated Birthday & many more.

 

[JETS70]

Jets70, Thank you for the great trip report I enjoyed with you & Teresa! Wishing Teresa a Happy belated Birthday & many more.

Thank you. We look forward to meeting you at the Dismeet in Pigeon Forge this summer.

Steve and Teresa

 

[cruising spud]

Loads and loads of great pictures-thank you so very much. I am hoping to one day get to the Star War rides. Glad you had a chance to be there.

 

[tiggerdad]

Appreciate the tag along! Great job.

See ya in June!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

NICE REPORT, STEVE !!!

1) You went through a major effort to take and post these photos.
2) Wife and I have gone to WDW parks thrice since COVID.
3) We were also surprised to see folks masking and distancing.
4) I am not a major ride fan, other than Carousel of Progress.
. . . Saw it at 1964 World's Fair (General Electric Pavilion)
. . . This is a MUST for me whenever we do WDW.
. . . The wife suffers through my addiction.
5) Glad you enjoy Lake Louisa State park.
. . . We live 2-miles South of the park.
. . . We go there for picnics.
. . . Our friends even got married there on the beach.