March 2016 Pre Trip and Trip reports

[Corgidad]

Bama-Ed my first chance to post since we talked, been busy packing up for the big trip. It was so nice to see you guys again and we are glad you have gotten settled into your permanent site. Its crazy how this board and the love of a campground brings total strangers from all over the world together to feel like a family. Even though we had not seen you in 2 years we reconnected like it was last week. It was a pleasure for us to meet you Mom and sorry we could not have met your Dad tell him we said Hi. We won't return till the 1st so have a great time(which I know you will) Till we see you again...................Mike

 

[tltay2005]

Ed, wow those crowds at the park are crazy! Glad you have the patients to deal with it . Loving your report.
And yes, my DH, Greg, would love to talk Boy Scouts. Now that our son has earned his Eagle, and they no longer get to go on the camping trips, I think he really misses it. He still helps with the troop and goes to all the meetings.
Hope to see you in a few days. We are not doing any parks, so we will be around the Fort all day Thurs - Sat.

 

[CruisingCamper]

Good Morning Folks!!

Bama Ed - Hey, I love your trailer and setup, even if you are from Alabama LOL seriously, I am just kidding you. My DS9 will especially like it, so I will have to stop by your site 104 when we arrive, but don't hold me responsible for what comes out of his mouth, he's an avid LSU fan, just saying . Maybe you will be around. We check in on Tuesday, March 29th. Will you still be there then? I think you said that you leave on the 30th or 31st, right? Thank you for your great report and pics! I have really enjoyed reading them this morning...it's getting me motivated to pack. I hate packing, so it is much needed. We have been at Spring Break many times, and the crowds...well, I always say "I'm not coming back at SB", then we always come back then But your pictures really bring it to life again. Maybe the week following Easter will be better. Yeah right!
Keep the photos and report coming!

I have a dilemma! What to do? When I first booked this trip, we were checking out on Tuesday, April 5th, getting home on the 6th. THEN, I decided to add days and check out on April 8th. I figure, if we are going, we might as well stay a while Well, on that day a couple of weeks ago, I drafted an email to let my co-workers and leader know the new details and that I would be off work two more days. Key word here is that I only DRAFTED the email, I got side tracked and never sent it. So....I didn't realize this until last night, as I was talking to my leader, I mentioned that I would be out for two weeks....and she looked shocked. I said, yeah, I sent u an updated email...she said Nope! WTH???and looked very mad !! I got here this morning, looked and sure enough I never sent her the email. My co-worker who covers for me is ok with me adding the days and he actually knew about it bc I told him. But my leader didn't look pleased. What should I do? I am torn...should I just come on home??? I am like a kid not getting their way, kicking and screaming, I don't want to to!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My DH has been wanting me to give up working anyway, so part of me thinks "Who cares" and then the other feels really bad. I hope maybe I can smooth things over with her before I leave.

What would you all do?

I love all the activity on the thread! Keep it coming!!!

 

[rajak73]

Next we got into position where the bridge off the hub leads into Liberty Square to watch our daughter's high school band. Two others went off first and pictures were impossible in the low light and fast pace they were walking. But she went by right in front of us smiling and she heard us yelling her name as she waved her flag. I hope she remembers it for a long time.

Glad to hear you're having a great time. Yeh, the crowds, you just make the best of it because you can't change it! Our DS also marched with his HS band in 1998 at WDW. I know just how proud you felt when they go past!! Have a great rest of your trip!

 

[jbrostek]

Great to hear the WIFI is up, if you can get 39M on a speed test that is MUCH better then the max 5 meg I ever saw on the CM system.

The repeater/extender could still be good to keep around in case you are in a low coverage area. But I think they did an OK job doing the site survey, I will have to geek out a little and do my own analysis of the system and how well it interacts with everyone else bringing their own hotspot/wifi systems. It is great having the tools and knowledge to see just how many wifi hotspot their are and if Disney had the forethought to stay off the most crowded channels.

The router I have is also a client repeater, so when I get to a campground I can just log into the router, have it join the wifi and everyone keeps using the same wifi password around the RV. But with Disney, if you treat it like the local starbucks and set your firewall public settings it should be ok as long as its up to date on security patches.

The idea that I can stay off cell data at FW is the goal, I only have 8 gig, but I tore through it in the parks quickly when down there for 2 weeks.

 

[bama_ed]

Unfortunately, on our way home to the Great White North. Stopped for the night in North Carolina. Hope to be home by Wednesday.

Boomer1,

sorry i missed you. Have a safe drive back to NB.

CruisingCamper, we are in the Mk on the 29th and checking out on the 30th. We wont be in a rush to leave so if your schedule allows, stop by 104 before we leave. Sadly though the tent might be already packed up because i want to fold it while it is dry if possible and next week's forecast is showing scattered precip at this point. Dont worry about DS9 and i talking some college football. I like Les and think he is good for the game.



Jbrostek, i think the wifi hop might be 39M but the download from the Net is about 5M and 1M up.

It got down to 44F this morn, clear and cold, but today is a down day around the Fort. I already got DD with us and have to run an errand off property later. Cant stay up too late because tomorrow is the endurance day at the MK. We have a table service ressie for lunch and dinner so its not too bad.

At 10am the birds are singing, the sun is out, and the temp has climbed to 65F in the shade. The Meadow TP looked good this morn.



Bama Ed

 

[CruisingCamper]

Boomer1,

sorry i missed you. Have a safe drive back to NB.

CruisingCamper, we are in the Mk on the 29th and checking out on the 30th. We wont be in a rush to leave so if your schedule allows, stop by 104 before we leave. Sadly though the tent might be already packed up because i want to fold it while it is dry if possible and next week's forecast is showing scattered precip at this point. Dont worry about DS9 and i talking some college football. I like Les and think he is good for the game.



Jbrostek, i think the wifi hop might be 39M but the download from the Net is about 5M and 1M up.

It got down to 44F this morn, clear and cold, but today is a down day around the Fort. I already got DD with us and have to run an errand off property later. Cant stay up too late because tomorrow is the endurance day at the MK. We have a table service ressie for lunch and dinner so its not too bad.

At 10am the birds are singing, the sun is out, and the temp has climbed to 65F in the shade. The Meadow TP looked good this morn.



Bama Ed

We will stop by the morning of the 30th then Love your pic of Les! Carry on with your report!! Look forward to more!

 

[bama_ed]

CruisingCamper,

I forgot to add what i would do if i were in your work situation

I would go on my trip as planned but bring back a nice Disney gift of appropriate value for both your boss and co-worker. Deliver them with sincere thanks, a big piece of humble pie, and a promise to not let it happen ever again.

Worth a try anyway..

Bama Ed

 

[peg110]

I like your wisdom Ed. You always have a great answer.

 

[PaHunter]

CruisingCamper,

I forgot to add what i would do if i were in your work situation

I would go on my trip as planned but bring back a nice Disney gift of appropriate value for both your boss and co-worker. Deliver them with sincere thanks, a big piece of humble pie, and a promise to not let it happen ever again.

Worth a try anyway..

Bama Ed

Of course in PA that would not work if you are a state employee as the Governor passed a gift ban when he took office, so you can accept nothing while in state employment, lest you be fired. Just crazy....

 

[bama_ed]

I like your wisdom Ed. You always have a great answer.

Paul,

I've filled my belly many days with a piece of humble pie.

Bama Ed

 

[bama_ed]

After we got settled this morning and my folks set off for their on-property resort, me, DW, and DD set off on a bike ride. Things behind the Meadow TP were alive and active.











We cruised through 1200 and 1300. I saw our poster 4parksfamily who had their green DIS sign out which was nice to see. Then, being a popup guy, I pedaled over through 2000 and 1500 with a side trip down the main cabin road.

Here is a Scamp, a small fiberglass camper that is light and small.



A Class B in front of a popup.



Here is another A-frame camper similar to my own, a 12-ft box from Starcraft (owned by Jayco).



Here is a nice traditional popup.



And a nice 2-tent set up. This is a great time of year for tent camping.



I have to roll over to a second post. I think I have hit my picture limit on this post. I will visit other loops in the coming days.

Bama Ed

 

[bama_ed]

Carrying on...

Over on the cabin side, 2500 loop is still under refurbishment. There were lots of cars in it and it's blocked off as a construction zone.





The often ignored quiet pool at the Fort, right next to 2500 loop had swimmers and folks catching some sun.



After lunch, I got started on one of my desired activities. Since I have several down days with no parks (2 out of 7), I wanted to enjoy my outdoor site and work on my Disney puzzle - it's 750 pieces and I bought it last trip.



Honestly, I've never had a relaxing enough vacation here at WDW to attempt a multi-day project like this. I used to do sudoku on camping trips (and still do), but this is appropriate and related on this trip.

I have a big folding table I use for tailgating and laid out all the pieces on one side.



I have made some progress this afternoon. If anyone stops by while it is still in progress, I can always use the help.



I had to run off-property for an errand this afternoon and stopped by our poster 4parksfamily and they were home so we got to meet. It was nice to meet them. Hope to see you again in the future, folks.

As I sat down to type this outside at my site, the squirrel mafia is circling my position. I do have salted roasted peanuts and an adult beverage at my side while I run some Main Street Back Ground Music through my add-on speakers. I'm going to have to watch out for a coordinated attack.





No real plans tonight. Everyone is still recovering plus we need to rest up for our assault tomorrow on the MK. 18 hours is what DD wants (8am-2am). Those half marathons were easy. Hope I can survive this.

Bama Ed

 

[bama_ed]

Speaking of Scupper, will there possibly be a grand meeting of the two super powers while you are there?

My people have been in touch with his people. An audience with His Eminence, TRS, is not as simple for me as it was for you.

First there is the list of pre-conditions that must be met. I swear Donald Trump must use Rusty's lawyer to do his legal work. Take #17 - only blue M&M's must be made available during his presence. And that's on top of never making direct eye contact with His Eminence. We shall see what we shall see.

Update on the WiFi - a Disney CM in a pickup rolled up to a stop in front of my site while I was working on my puzzle and asked if I had tried the WiFi yet. He said "they" have a meeting to discuss it tomorrow. I said I had and told him the speeds up and down I had gotten. His response was that they hoped to double those speeds in the next week or two as they get things operating more efficiently. So take that FWIW.

Bama Ed

 

[bama_ed]

Hmmmm....

Wifi is a lot slower tonight.



Then again, DD is sitting in her hammock at the moment streaming "Gray's Anatomy" over NetFlix.

Bama Ed

 

[tltay2005]

Did a last minute trip to Publix and packed everything but the cold stuff. Will pack clothes and cold stuff tomorrow and hope to head out around 1 pm. Sister and her family will be there too which will be fun. My kid is a grown so I enjoy spending time with my young niece and nephews. I forgot how much I missed coloring Easter eggs. Last year we did this same trip and had a lot of fun. Have to watch those squirrels, they like to take the plastic eggs filled with candy!

Ed, make sure you don't have any peanut residue on your fingers when doing your puzzle or you might finds some pieces missing, lol. I love to do jigsaws but when camping I tend to stick with the crosswords, but would love to stop by and try to fit in a piece or two.

 

[garneska]

Kris,

She is in colorguard waving a flag (and has also done sabers and rifles in the past but not this year). She appears to have had the time of her life but I will probably hear the stories tomorrow after I pick her up. Last year they marched in New York City for the St. Patricks Day Parade.

As her father, I tell here college is all work, no fun. I expect you to back me on that one.

Bama Ed

I will back you on the work,but I did color guard in high school and college, and it's a lot of work!

Good luck with your marathon day tomorrow. I don't envy you, but can't wait to read all about it.

 

[North of Mouse]

Love your Disney puzzle!! I am the puzzle queen in our family - drives the others nuts! I have put that same puzzle together twice - that is my 'winter' pass time.

Have several Disney puzzles - get all I can find, and alternate putting them together, and then repeat!

Helps keep me sane while I wait for Spring!! Totally relaxing for me!

 

[tiggerdad]

Good luck on the puzzle Ed, I prefer connect the dots myself...

Got a suggestion for you tomorrow. The evening parade that begins beside Splash Mountain. I make it a habit to secure a seat outside Pecos Bills. There is an area where there are two low wall rock shelves you can sit on. I swear they are perfect benches and the CMs don't allow anyone in front of you so it's front row. You need to secure them about an hour prior to parade start. This will give you an hours rest (a good excuse for one). Plus, as soon as the parade is over you can jump in front of the crowd and practically get front line at Splash Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain because most everybody else is still waiting for the parade to pass by. I circled it here for you. Just a suggestion to give you an excuse for a break and good jump on some evening rides with short lines.

 

[peg110]

@tiggerdad We tried to sit there in During a MVMCP in 2014, but the CM's would not let us sit on the wall, they shuffled us to the other side of the street. They were very polite about it, but still, We had to "Stand" and "Jockey" for position now as people would try and come in front of you.

We were able to ascertain from the CM's though where the "Line" (since there is no real curb here) was so that we could be right up to the line (i.e. Front row).

It is just crazy though that you have to establish (and protect and defend) a location an hour (or sometimes MORE) before the parade just to have decent viewing. Fortunately, we have seen the parades enough that we don't need to see them as much.