Just got back from first Fort trip - it was soooooo awesome!

[mgsmom]

So, we get checked in quite easily. I asked them if they were going to put us in the 100 loop and was told there are no cabins there. Hm. So, I said "What about the two next to the pathway?" She says, "Oh, those are just for VIPs and special guests" I said, "Oh, come on, don't I look like a special guest?" She did not think so.
We did get the 2100 loop, which I requested, so yay for that! The check-in folks were friendly, and the 100 loop cabin exchange was in good humor. Nobody got snippy. No wait, I should say "Nobody got snarky" You know how those Dis'ers are...

Hopped on the golf cart and DH followed me to the cabin:

After unloading the car, we decided to go for a ride around the Fort and see what we could see. Mainly, we wanted to check out the Settlement and Meadows areas.

After that (I know, I need more pics), we decided to head back to the cabin and change for a swim. I'm so slack - forgot to take camera to the pool.
The pool was fine overall, bathwater warm - but it IS summer! Tried to get DD to go down the slide with DH, but she changed her mind right when she got to the front of the line. She had a BALL playing in the kiddie area - the water was really cool over there too.

After about an hour, headed back to the cabin to feed DD a sammich. DH wanted to go for a run, so he headed out. I took the opportunity to take some inside pics of the cabin before we COMPLETELY spread out!

Facing the back right corner of cabin from front door:

Facing front right corner of cabin from kitchen:
*Note - the little table DD is eating at was between the two little chairs in the above picture when we got there. It was nice having a "little person" size table and chairs. She moved it so she could see the TV

Kitchen (from table):

Looking down hallway (front door on left, kitchen right):

Okay, hang on, I know there's a picture limit per post... so let me continue this on another post

 

[kde175]

I'm in. I haven't stayed at FW since I was little, but my Mom and her SO just bought an RV and we're trying to convince them to join us on our September trip to the World.

Looking forward to hearing all about your trip!

 

[allmydisneydreams]

Great reporting so far - thanks for posting!

 

[mgsmom]

Alrighty then... as you were...

Bathroom:
*Note - there were rolls of TP on the holders you see there on the wall. But, we have a 2yo so they had to be removed before they got unrolled onto the floor...

Bunk Beds:
Good size for kids and small adults. I couldn't sit up at all on the bottom bunk, though. I'm 5'4" and I could have slept there, just be careful getting up - DD loved it!

Closet and extra "vanity" area:
The bunkbed is there to my left - vanity area was nice - the one time I fixed my hair I was out of the bathroom. We just used it to pile all our hats on the counter mostly. Closet was a good size. The TV was to the right of the closet and had 4 dresser drawers underneath.

Full-size bed:
There is a night table between this bed and bunks - quite a bit of room to walk between. Small bed, DH and I did fine, but if we had gotten too squished one of us could have pulled down the Murphy bed in LR.

Picnic table on deck:

Awwwww! I can't wait to tell you a mousekeeping story later... but this is what we had waiting for us when we checked in.

After DH got back from his run, we all cleaned up and went to see a friend's camper before we headed over for the campfire and sing-a-long! And a special little prize for DD...

More tomorrow!

Oh, about the pics - I was constantly messing with our little cheap-o digital camera and the date stamp was often WAY out of whack - so when it's wrong, I just blacked it out. At one point, it was set to October 2007

 

[mgsmom]

Thank you for clearing that up. I'll sleep so much better tonight.

Looking forward to your next installment.

Thanks! Be sure you keep me in line...

I'm in. I haven't stayed at FW since I was little, but my Mom and her SO just bought an RV and we're trying to convince them to join us on our September trip to the World.

Looking forward to hearing all about your trip!

That would be so much fun! My mom and SD have a 5th wheel but weren't interested in coming. I can't wait to show them what they missed!

Great reporting so far - thanks for posting!

Thanks!! Doing my best!

 

[princessluvsapirate]

Thanks for your trip report . Love the pics and I can't wait until we head to the Fort in three weeks .

 

[lklasing]

Great TR so far! Looking forward to more!

 

[FansoftheMouse]

Same here. Just about a year ago we hit The Fort for the first time and are very addicted to the environment. Looking forward to pictures.

Our family too! We left and couldn't stop talking about all the fun we had and how "Disney Camping" was the funnest (my five year old) ever.

 

[retired and happy]

Thanks for the pics. I've been going to the fort for the past ten years or so and have never seen the inside of a cabin.

 

[poohbearwithme]

So, we get checked in quite easily. I asked them if they were going to put us in the 100 loop and was told there are no cabins there. Hm. So, I said "What about the two next to the pathway?" She says, "Oh, those are just for VIPs and special guests" I said, "Oh, come on, don't I look like a special guest?" She did not think so.
We did get the 2100 loop, which I requested, so yay for that! The check-in folks were friendly, and the 100 loop cabin exchange was in good humor. Nobody got snippy. No wait, I should say "Nobody got snarky" You know how those Dis'ers are...

Hopped on the golf cart and DH followed me to the cabin:



After unloading the car, we decided to go for a ride around the Fort and see what we could see. Mainly, we wanted to check out the Settlement and Meadows areas.

Okay, I might ruffle some feathers here but I'm going to play devil’s advocate. I understand you not wanting to show your family's face on the internet. I don't disagree or question what you do...but come on, while you won't show your family's faces you really think its okay to show a total strangers face just because they happen to be in your shot…being a little bit of a hypocrite here aren’t we. I'm not trying to sound like a #$%^& but I think you need to repect others in the way you want to be repected. Maybe they don't want their face posted on the internet either.

 

[mgsmom]

Thanks for your trip report . Love the pics and I can't wait until we head to the Fort in three weeks .

I hope you have a great time!

Great TR so far! Looking forward to more!

Thanks! Coming right up!

Our family too! We left and couldn't stop talking about all the fun we had and how "Disney Camping" was the funnest (my five year old) ever.

I agree!

Thanks for the pics. I've been going to the fort for the past ten years or so and have never seen the inside of a cabin.

Glad I got to show it to you! They are really cute - and still have the rustic camping "feel", which I really like. I grew up camping and this is the closest I've been able to get back to it in YEARS.

Okay, I might ruffle some feathers here but I'm going to play devil’s advocate. I understand you not wanting to show your family's face on the internet. I don't disagree or question what you do...but come on, while you won't show your family's faces you really think its okay to show a total strangers face just because they happen to be in your shot…being a little bit of a hypocrite here aren’t we. I'm not trying to sound like a #$%^& but I think you need to repect others in the way you want to be repected. Maybe they don't want their face posted on the internet either.

I'm with you poohbearwithme - that's why I left several pics out because it had other people "face-on". But, just as you will see some parts of our faces now and again, partial profiles and what-not, and you will see some parts of other faces. Notice the rest of her family have their backs totally to us.

 

[mgsmom]

So, now we are heading over to the campfire sing-a-long with Chip and Dale. DD absolutely LOVES watching them, so I feel like she'll be excited to see them.... Little did I know!

We get there right at 7:30 - funny, I'm not known for my punctuality!
We grabbed a seat on the third row and waited.

DD was not terribly impressed with the campfire but she was totally enamoured with the rocks! That's a 2yo for you - we take her to Disney and she wants to play with the rocks!

She got a little restless waiting for the show, so DH entertained her with her first Mickey ice cream bar!

Mmmmm - good stuff!

Before we knew it, the singer was starting the show and Chip n Dale came marching in. Well, this is where DD just fell apart! She was SO excited to see them she wanted to run up and see them. They got up on the stage and DD tried to follow them. Poor thing.

No, we didn't just let her run loose - DH is to the left of the CM and grabbed her right when I was taking this picture.

Then she got upset and started crying and saying "I want to go seeeeeeee them, Mommy, pleeeeeeeese!" I felt so bad, like I should have done something to prepare her. So we stood to the side and I just kept telling her that they had to do the show and she could see them after. It's tough being a 2yo

She was thrilled when she got to hug one of them - I think it was Dale, I still can't tell them apart...

"Lilo and Stitch" was the movie showing and it started shortly after all this activity. I took DD up to the trading post to go potty and look for a hat. DH stayed behind with our friend and his son. By the time we were walking back, DD asked me "can we go to bed here? I'm tired". So, it's time to go home. No fireworks tonight.

DH and I decide to grab a frozen pizza (we saw a bunch of Red Baron) from the trading post and cook it while we bathe DD and put her to bed.

Well, the drama begins! DH walks over to the trading post, meanwhile I am supposed to drive out the way we came (the back) and cruise around front to pick him up. No problem.

I get right to the narrow part of the cart path behind the swimming pool and there is a police car parked there! What?! Here I am in the dark with tired DD and we're stuck. I rode around by the bike barn thinking maybe there was another way out, but there wasn't. So, I go back to where the car is and there are already 6 other carts waiting there too. Then, they are lining up behind me. Movie's over, everyone trying to leave.
FINALLY, we see a security guard and tell him we are trying to get out. He has to go find the guy the car belongs to and we are FREE!
I did feel fortunate that DD was very good through the whole deal - I heard a couple of screaming babies and I felt so bad for them.

Turns out, there was some kind of fight between two families at the pool. On the bus the next day, we heard from another family that a TT near them was searched by the police that night. Wow. Somebody needs some extra pixie dust...

Picked up DH at the post - he was quite worried - we had brilliantly not taken our phones - but he settled down once he realized we were okay.

Went back to the cabin, DD fell asleep quickly. DH and I enjoyed our pizza and a few cold beers out on the deck. We already were talking about how much fun we were having!

What a GREAT first day!!!

 

[ghester]

Oh my I wish you would type faster, but then again the faster you post the quicker it will be over. Slow down slow down loving your trip report and the sun glasses on your sweet baby girl

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Another great installment!

Love the ice cream face!

Precious!

BTW- Chip has a black nose (like a chocolate chip), and Dale has a brown one.

I can't see the chipmunk's nose in your photo, so I can't tell who you have there.

This information is usually reviewed at the campfire.

Were you not paying attention?

TCD

 

[mgsmom]

Oh my I wish you would type faster, but then again the faster you post the quicker it will be over. Slow down slow down loving your trip report and the sun glasses on your sweet baby girl

Thanks, fellow Carolina Girl!

Another great installment!

Love the ice cream face!

Precious!

BTW- Chip has a black nose (like a chocolate chip), and Dale has a brown one.

I can't see the chipmunk's nose in your photo, so I can't tell who you have there.

This information is usually reviewed at the campfire.

Were you not paying attention?

TCD

Paying attention? I didn't know there was a test!

They DID give a run-down on who was who at the cookout - I don't remember the nose color thing but I do remember that one has teeth together and one has teeth apart. Our chipmunk must have been Dale - he had a brown nose - I went back and looked at other pics. He also had teeth apart.

I'm a big fan of ice-cream-face too - you'll be seeing that again -

 

[kazlac4]

Great TR! Looks like you have already started making some great family memories!

 

[mgsmom]

hang on i'm workin on it
technical difficulties

 

[mgsmom]

Great TR! Looks like you have already started making some great family memories!

Thanks! Glad you're joining in!

 

[MomofSixinSC]

Great trip report! I am looking forward to reading more!

 

[mgsmom]

Happy Disney Day!

It's Thursday on our trip, and we had to return our golf cart by 11am (we only got it for one day) and we also wanted to get to MK as soon as possible. I was a little nervous about our first trip into the madness with DD. She's generally well behaved - but she's 2 - and that sometimes make for surprising situations! We had the golf cart the day before so we had no experience with busses yet. So, after a cup of coffee and getting DD breakfast ready, we decide the best plan would be for DH to follow me in the car to return the cart. Then, we would drive to MK. Sounded good, right?? We're so close - and we have free parking since we're staying at FW - and we won't have to wait on anything - I had "get to the parks NOW!" jitters.

Cart return was easy and flawless. Got in the car (about 8:30) and when we got ready to turn out of the gate we had a moment. I thought we should turn right. DH thought we should turn left. I had not brought a map. In lieu of arguing, I just said "Okay, let's go left" Before long, we saw a purple sign that said "Theme Parks" and we followed it. Now, I don't know what "Theme Parks" they are talking about but I KNEW we were going away from MK. After I told DH that I recognized the resorts we were passing were close to Epcot, we decided we were a bit lost. We saw a bus that said "Magic Kingdom" so we decided to follow it. Um no. Went into Port Orleans and we figure we're in trouble.

So, I pipe up and say "Please go back to FW, I SWEAR we turned left into the Fort so we should turn right to go out." DH was like "Well, obviously my way was wrong so let's try your way" Um... applause please... I was right.

Pretty soon (9:00ish!), we were parking and trying to get on a tram with our stroller. I had a lot of concerns about how much to bring, what to bring, etc., so we had a LOT of junk loaded on that stroller. Fortunately, when DH folded it and held it on the tram, nothing fell out!

Got to the front entrance and saw the Will Call lines and thought "Oh no - more waiting!" Then, I looked to my right and it was a lovely pixie dust moment - there was a "Give-a-Day" gazebo with NO line! It was fabulous! In 5 min, we had upgraded our GAD and had tickets in hand!

Here we go!!!

Got onto Main Street, and we were so excited! I couldn't wait for DD to see the castle. As soon as we got about 1/2 down we saw it and she totally STOPPED in her tracks. "Mommy, what's that?" with a big grin on her face. I said "Well, it looks like a castle" She said "Cinderella's castle?" I said "Yes!" And suddenly she was marching down that street on a mission! She couldn't wait to go inside!

Yes, we are "leash" parents. If DD gets excited or zoned in on something, she's still not a good listener. Plus, it's waaaaayyyy too hot to hold hands all day! She likes her little backpack - she calls it her "Dora backpack"

After getting through the castle, I grabbed FPs for Winnie the Pooh and PhilharMagic. It was a "bonus" thing where if you got a FP for the show, you got a FP for WP. Cool! Went to ride Peter Pan, but the wait was 75 minutes! Um no. It's a Small World was right down from there, so we walked over there. SW never has lines of much consequence. BUT, it was closed! Some kind of mechanical problem. This is NOT going well.

Okay, so back toward the carousel and there's not much line there so DD and DH rode Cinderella's Carousel. DD is a sucker for a good carousel!

Dumbo line was of course CRAZY long, so we skipped that for now. Went to toontown and saw Minnie's house and Mickey's house. Minnie's house was great because DD could touch everything and sit on furniture and all that. She did get a little hacked off that the teapot was fixed to the table.

Had to get a pic of the sewing machine - a fellow seamstress!

She was not as impressed with Mickey's house - I guess because it was more a "walk through" thing. Checked on the Judge's Tent - already 50 min wait for Mickey. Moved along - there is a little fenced in playground right there so we let DD loose to play for a bit. DH stood and watched her while I walked across the street to check the wait for Princesses - 75 minutes - no Princesses today!

Got a lemonade at the little store there and went back to see what DH and DD were up to.

DD is potty trained - but she's still little and we have to take her sometimes even if she doesn't ask. Well, she was askin' to go - so I pick her up and carry her to the bathroom. It's just past Minnie's house and when we were passing Minnie's house she said "I wanna go poo-poo at Minnie's house!" I told her no because she's not a mouse.

So, we head back toward Fantasyland and go to the WP ride. It was REALLY cute! It was DD's first ride at Disney so she was a little overwhelmed but overall she liked it. I think if we rode it a 2nd time she would be more relaxed and animated. She called out to the characters and pointed out a lot of things. She giggled when the honeypot bounced in Tigger's area.

Next, we went over to Mickey's PhilharMagic. Had to wait in the "holding room" about 10 minutes, but not too bad. DH and I loved the show - it was really good! DD was not happy at first, but once we got her glasses on her (DH had to hold them on her) and she saw characters she knew, she was good. Luckily, she is a huge Donald Duck fan and he is the star! There were a couple of places where it looked as though something was right in front of you and she would reach out and try to grab it - too cute!

About the last 5 min or so, we lost her. She was getting tired and this show was sensory overload. We made it to the end and got out before she lost her mind, so that was good.

It was about 11:00 now and we had reservations at Crystal Palace for 11:30 character lunch. So, we decided to start walking that way. No racing across the park for us - we hoped!

Well, we were going to cross back through the castle, but it was roped off. Hmph. We go to the right to walk around and realize there is a parade out in front of the castle! Fun! So we start heading that way, when I look to my left and what do I see....

Snow White - and only 4 people in line!!!!!
DD was thrilled! She did much better than when we saw Chip and Dale the night before - I think she understands now that she has to wait her turn like she did then. She did very good waiting.

Then, we walk around to the front and enjoy the parade. DH carried DD on his shoulders and they danced and clapped. It was so nice!

Chip and Dale again!

Awww - Goofy!

DD just watched Jungle Book the first time a few days before we left - so she knew these guys too!

Got to CP at 11:25 - they don't open for lunch until 11:30. Gave them our name and they had our reservation. They had big jugs of water and cups out for people who are waiting to have a cold drink. That was nice. Our name was called to come in at 11:35

Next up... lunch with Pooh and Friends at Crystal Palace! It was so much fun, it gets its own post