March 2016 Pre Trip and Trip reports

[bama_ed]

Disney tweeked their park hours for next two weeks and the day we, as a family, are planning to go to the MK for the late EMH has now had rope drop moved up an hour earlier. DD still wants to be there from open to close which is 8am to 2am. That's 18 HOURS!

The reactions in my house:

DD:

DW:

Me:

Bama Ed

PS - disneycamper714, to the DIS Camping Board

 

[tltay2005]

We just checked out of the 1500 loop today. We were in 1510. We live in Florida and it was so hot while we were at the fort. 90 is not March weather!! Love this site. Great info for newbies and seasoned campers.

I agree about the temp! We live in Winter Haven and it was 92 here the past two days. Hoping, but preparing for the heat, for a cool down before we head out next week.

 

[tltay2005]

Disney tweeked their park hours for next two weeks and the day we, as a family, are planning to go to the MK for the late EMH has now had rope drop moved up an hour earlier. DD still wants to be there from open to close which is 8am to 2am. That's 18 HOURS!

The reactions in my house:

DD:

DW:

Me:

Bama Ed

PS - disneycamper714, to the DIS Camping Board

Coffee, Advil, sunscreen and comfy shoes!!!! Good luck and have fun!

 

[peg110]

Thanks for all you your replies about the kids and school bit! I feel better!I should have known that my fellow Disney Fort folks would see it my way! We take them out twice per year for a few days each time, not a whole week. This time will be a whole week but at school, they are doing review for standardized testing, so I said to heck with it, and decided to book the whole week so we could get in 10 days at the Fort.

We don't think twice about taking our kids out of school but we do try to plan it wisely. (Or rather the DW plans it wisely, I just nod my head).

Anyway, that's why we spend Thanksgiving time there.

We leave from North East PA Tuesday before Thanksgiving after work/school. That way we get below DC without too much problem. No school missed for the kids. Then we spend a night in a truck stop or rest area.
Get up early the next day, get a good breakfast (Usually Cracker Barrel or something similar) And get on the road. Since, for our kids, this day is usually a half day, they do miss school, but work-wise, they really don't miss a thing. We drive all this day and stop just outside of the Fort somewhere (about an hour or so away) and spend the night (a few hours).
Next day (Thanksgiving day) we get up early to get to the fort and get checked in. No crowds, but we do have to go inside to check-in. No worries though. I'd rather do that.

Since it's now Thanksgiving, kids not missing school this day, black Friday, the weekend or even the following Monday. In NE PA, Hunting is very big, so in our area, the Monday after Thanksgiving is the first day of Buck (rifle) season and most schools just give it off because historically, the schools end up very empty anyway (although not the case any more, they haven't changed that yet).

Then we stay the rest of that week leaving Friday night or Saturday morning. So we end up with 9 days at the Fort and the kids only miss 4.5 days (and really only 4 days). Last time, they also had a snow day the day after we left (that half day before Thanksgiving) and another one after the holiday, so they only missed 3 actual days of school. PLUS they had all their homework with them to do during the down time, so no real catch up to do.

 

[snowmedic]

Quick update on WIFI in the loops. Just talked to one of the workers and asked when it will be up and running, and the answer is, this Monday 3/21.

 

[bama_ed]

WIFI next Monday?



Honestly, most campground WIFI networks I've attempted to use have been less than stellar (or maybe I just stay at cheap places). Maybe this will be different?

But still, even some old messages hold true like: Log off - don't be a Web Hog. Oh, the memories....

Thanks for the update, snowmedic.

 

[peg110]

Honestly, most campground WIFI networks I've attempted to use have been less than stellar

I don't think this is limited to campgrounds.... ANY public WiFi falls into this category. (Cheap or not)

 

[CruisingCamper]

Our trip plans are as follows...this information is so good that I thought you all would like to read it...I am actually writing it here, that way I will have it written down. Maybe I won't change my mind 100 times.

March 25 - Good Friday. Drive 2.5 hours to my parents home in Central Louisiana, actually Elmer is the community where my parents live. We will park next to their RV shop and plug up there. We actually just stay in the RV while we are there since all of our stuff is in it. The kids stay with my parents.
March 26 - Hang out with the family and dye Easter eggs, cook, etc...
March 27 - Easter Sunday. Have Easter with the family and our Annual Family Egg Hunt which includes about 700 eggs. About 5 PM, we will head to WDW. We will drive 4 hours to Gulfport, MS on I-10 and stay in the parking lot of Cracker Barrel. (I will be calling them today and making sure that it ok).
March 28 - Eat a good breakfast and get on the road, headed to WDW. Will arrive near the Fort this day. This should take us about 8 hours. I don't know where we will stay yet...maybe Lake Magic.
March 29 - Arrive at the Fort early, 7AMish...Check in and wait in overflow for Loop 700 if this is possible. I realize that they have to already have empty sites or someone has to be checking out of 700.
Stay at the Fort until April 7th!
March 31- My birthday and my parents arrive to stay with us a few days and go to MK.

 

[snowmedic]

24 yrs. ago DW and I said our vows, it is so wonderful to be celebrating them here at the Fort. We will be leaving soon to head to the Springs for our celebration dinner at T-Rex. We let DD pick the place to eat.

Little Medic won a prize from the pool side activities, she played Disney bingo and won a inflatable guitar. She also met up with a friend from here 2 yrs. ago and remembered each other.

 

[awmiii]

We leave Tomorrow at 4pm from Philly. We plan to drive to Kenly, NC for a 5 or 6 hour sleep. At 7am, Get RV washed at Blue Beacon in Kenly then hit the fort by 6 or 7pm Saturday. We will check out Easter.

DD was having a blue day so we wrapped the MBs and gave it to her. I tried to film on my phone, but she freaked out crying and ran up to her room and locked the door before she opened the MBs. We finally got her to open them. She was much happier at that point. She had thought that we were headed to Key Largo tomorrow.

Anyway, we are looking forward to scuba diving at the Living Seas in Epcot on Tuesday after 430pm sometime if you want to stop by.

 

[sirenia88]

Anyway, we are looking forward to scuba diving at the Living Seas in Epcot on Tuesday after 430pm sometime if you want to stop by.

The scuba diving is really neat. I did it 2014. Had a ton of fun swimming around in the tank. Remember to wave to the people in the restaurant and watching the tank. Also the air is unlimited. I wound up needing a tank exchange during my dive. I thought our tank time was actually much longer than the 45 minutes they said it was. We were probably more like an hour as several others needed tank exchanges. It could also be how fast the tour goes and the group size. My group was around 14 divers. I would do it again in the future if time allows it.

 

[snowmedic]

Made it back from the Springs. Everyone loved T-Rex. The dinner was good portions and not to bad of a price for 2 adults and a kids meal. It is a really cool restaurant. We will be making reservations for Rainforest for our Oct. trip. After dinner we took DD over to Build A Dino. She was so happy. After that DW wanted a new purse so we went over to WOD, then headed back to the Fort for some swimming and a walk.

When we went to Aquatica Wednesday it was packed. We where going to do Universal tomorrow but just decided to make it a Fort day. So, for this trip we will end up with 4 Fort days out of 5.
Here are some pics of our site at 1516.



This year we didn't use the cots, DW has the queen air bed we have been using and we got a new queen air bed.


We are backed up to the canal.

 

[snowmedic]

Tiggerdad, we found some friends of yours.




After lunch we went up to do laundry, I told DD to throw her plate in the trash or the squirrels would get what was left on her plate. She didn't throw it away and when we got back there he was sitting on the picnic table eating some bread. He scurried up a tree as we got closer.

 

[sirenia88]

I love the pictures Vince! Right now, we don't know it's looking like Disney might wait for awhile. So pictures will suffice until the next trip.... whenever that will be.

 

[snowmedic]

DW and I where talking last night about our 25 anniversary. We are still doing our Oct. trip, and then next March doing a split stay. Coming to the Fort for 7 days then taking a 7 day Disney cruise. Never been on a cruise so not to sure how I am going to like that.

 

[Teamubr]

DW and I where talking last night about our 25 anniversary. Coming to the Fort for 7 days then taking a 7 day Disney cruise. Never been on a cruise so not to sure how I am going to like that.

A Land and Sea trip sounds fun for a 25th. We also haven't been on a cruise before and I was considering this next year for DS' graduation, but I think we are just going to do the Fort and take my 5 year old niece for her first WDW trip.

We went to Mexico for our 25th, but I think I like your Cruise and Fort plan better.

j

 

[tiggerdad]

Vince,
Tell Little Medic I said I appreciate her taking care of my minions...errr...I mean friends while I'm away.

Congrats on the 25!

 

[bama_ed]

Lunch stop east of Tallahassee. Bama Ed

 

[tltay2005]

DW and I where talking last night about our 25 anniversary. We are still doing our Oct. trip, and then next March doing a split stay. Coming to the Fort for 7 days then taking a 7 day Disney cruise. Never been on a cruise so not to sure how I am going to like that.

You will love the Disney cruise! Took our first one last year, and now we are hooked. Second cruise in 30 days to celebrate our 20th anniversary and we already have dates picked out for 2017.

 

[CruisingCamper]

Lunch stop east of Tallahassee. Bama Ed

Safe Travels! Have fun! Keep us updated!