October/Halloween Trip Reports

[bama_ed]

Does anyone know how to change a user name? Harley died while we were at Disney in June and I would like to up date it.

There is a DIS Technical Support Board that I was going to refer you to but I see that you got the answer already over there. Glad you got your question answered.

Peach, the deer in your pictures appear much more docile than the squirrels do. But I bet the deer can get rambunctious at the Fort Wilderness Animal Council quarterly meetings (squirrels, deer, armadillos, snakes, turkeys, and maybe a bear as a guest lecturer).

Glad to see folks arriving now or in motion for the holiday. Thanks for posting here and keeping us informed. We love pictures.

Bama Ed

 

[Boomer1]

We went to Epcot this morning. Last evening when we went over they we redirecting us to park at TTC as the lot at Epcot was full. After careful consideration we decided to go to Disney Springs, which is huge, a shopping monster. DH and I enjoyed Ghiradelli's, DD choose some candy.
At Epcot this morning we rode the Soarin around the world which was great and then took a tour through Living with the Land.
We walked around World Showcase before heading back to the RV for lunch.
After lunch we went to DHS and rode ToT, RNRC and The Great Movie Ride. Tonight we are BBQing chicken at the RV.

 

[Flametamr]

I finally have signal and could sign in here. We ended up in 724 the same site we had last year. My son and daughter in law drove their bike down from Gainesville and brought steaks. We now full and about to go carting. It's just me an my oldest daughter. The wife and youngest will follow on Tuesday. Everyone post their site numbers and I will look for you.

 

[Flametamr]

Anyone know if we can watch Hallowishes from the Poly beach ??

 

[tltay2005]

Glad to hear some of you have made a safe journey and already having a great time. We had dropped off our new TT to have the radio looked at (volume was not working on outside speakers) they said we have a faulty audio system and ordered us a new one. We brought her back home and will wait to take her back for the switch after our trip. I started loading the Halloween decorations and making sure everything else was well stocked. DH made some modifications to make loading the golf cart in the truck easier. Now if the next four days would hurry up and go by.

 

[tiggerdad]

Joe you couldn't get a change of scenery huh? Oh well.

Glad you guys are making it in safe. I'm out of popcorn and coke so I'm currently reading along eating dry corn kernels taken from the squirrel feeder.

 

[NMK62303]

Loaded the Halloween decorations today and headed down on Thursday afternoon! Can't wait to get to the Fort. Safe travels everyone.

 

[peg110]

on the way to the dock we decided to see if we could get a table at Trail's End. Luck was on our side and we enjoyed a tasty brunch at a reasonable Disney price with our 20% AP discount.

So I read this and immediately I thought.... "Hey.... Did he mean TIW for a 20% discount? AP discount is only 10%!" Then I did a little digging, and found that indeed there are several "Venues" giving a 20% discount.

In honor of the Walt Disney World 45th Anniversary, the following venues offer Passholders a 20% discount through September 30, 2017
Source: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/p...lder-benefits-and-discounts/dining-discounts/​

Great for you (and anyone else that can take advantage of it). Kind of a bummer though for those of us that Bought the TIW. I guess it's all about timing. Still don't regret the TIW. It will certainly pay for itself by the end of the next trip, especially since I am coming as a group of 5 with several TS ADRs where I can take advantage of it.

 

[Boomer1]

AP are also receiving a 20% merchandise discount at all Disney stores on property.

 

[Boomer1]

Yesterday we were up early and caught the boat over to MK. We were able to enjoy the SDMT, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Carribean. After all that walking we needed fuel so we stopped for dole whips.
We returned to FW for a quick lunch of sandwiches and then DH and I were of to Clerment to pay our storage fees for next year and to check on my parents' RV which is also in storage. All went well and we also did a quick grocery run at Costco.
Dinner was BBQ steak, potatoes, and salad. With full stomachs, it was off to Epcot. We rode Spaceship Earth and the new Frozen ride. We enjoyed the Frozen ride but agreed that it would not be worth a long wait. A visit was made to our home pavilion, Canada, where we picked up the limited edition I'm Celebrating Pin for Canada's 150th Birthday in 2017.
Today we plan to go to DHS for opening and then tonight it's off to MNSSHP.

 

[bama_ed]

Boomer1,

A steak dinner plus a Dole Whip in the same day is a winner in my book. It sounds delicious.

If you get a little time, could you share some info about how you go about storing your camper and getting it over to the Fort and such? Since you're from Canada, it makes sense not to haul it back and forth from there. Such as how many times a year you use it and do you miss not having it to use closer to home?

Thanks and have fun at MNSS.

Bama Ed

 

[LBHouse]

We are leaving Chattanooga TN in the morning. Hoping to make it to Gainesville FL area for a quick overnight stop. Does anyone out there have a suggestion for a free parking spot? We prefer places like cabelas or bass pro. Occasionally do a Cracker Barrel, but try not to do Walmart unless it will have lots of rv's. any ideas? Checking in to the fort on Thursday and want to get close so we just have a short drive in morning. Plus we have Halloween party tickets for Thursday night.

We did a night at cabelas in Louisville, KY on way down and it was great.

I added a picture of dd4 driving a WW2 era DUKW on the Tennessee River. She could hardly see over the dash, but loved it anyway

 

[bjschil]

We are leaving Chattanooga TN in the morning. Hoping to make it to Gainesville FL area for a quick overnight stop. Does anyone out there have a suggestion for a free parking spot? We prefer places like cabelas or bass pro. Occasionally do a Cracker Barrel, but try not to do Walmart unless it will have lots of rv's. any ideas?

There is a Cracker Barrel at Exit 384. There are 3 RV spots on the West side. Store 77. Cracker Barrel, Gainesville, Florida 32608 - Cracker Barrel, 4001 S.W. 43rd Street, Exit 384, GPS: 29.61770, -82.38859

Safe travels, we await 60 days and begin our drive.

 

[Boomer1]

Boomer1,

A steak dinner plus a Dole Whip in the same day is a winner in my book. It sounds delicious.

If you get a little time, could you share some info about how you go about storing your camper and getting it over to the Fort and such? Since you're from Canada, it makes sense not to haul it back and forth from there. Such as how many times a year you use it and do you miss not having it to use closer to home?

Thanks and have fun at MNSS.

Bama Ed

We store our camper in Clermont, which is approximately 30 minutes from Disney. My parents winter there and that is how we were put in contact with the place we store. The gentleman who moves the trailer for us lives at the same resort my parents winter at. He is bonded and came highly recommended.
Financially, it makes sense for us to store our trailer vs. towing the 1800+ miles. My husband is a farmer so we do not have time to camp in the summer. It was difficult at first to not be able to look at in out in the yard but we soon adapted.
We feel that the trailer will have a much longer life with less towing and not being exposed to the salt and snow we have in Canada that causes rusting to the frame.
At present we are using the trailer for three trips/year: two weeks in October, one month in January, and two weeks in March.

 

[LBHouse]

There is a Cracker Barrel at Exit 384. There are 3 RV spots on the West side. Store 77. Cracker Barrel, Gainesville, Florida 32608 - Cracker Barrel, 4001 S.W. 43rd Street, Exit 384, GPS: 29.61770, -82.38859

Safe travels, we await 60 days and begin our drive.

We made it to the fracker barrel in Gainesville about half hour ago. Thanks for the suggestion, looks like it's going to work great. A couple other units set up to spend the night as well. We are always the smallest one, little camper and minivan among the class a's. had a good drive, very little traffic.

 

[Boomer1]

Yesterday DH and I were up early and decided to go to DHS for opening. We rode RNRC, Toy Story Mania and the Muppets. It was back to the RV for lunch and relaxation with DD and then around 3 pm we began getting ready for MNSSHP. The temperature was perfect and we enjoyed many rides and had dinner at Crystal Palace. We all were able to fill our Trick or Treat bags and saw many creative costumes. The Hallowishes fireworks and Boo to You parade were wonderful.
We were back to the RV by midnight, and asleep soon after.

 

[4077]

LBHouse....I am assuming you in safe and sound by now. Have a great time! IF you have a chance sometime, send a pic of you set up in site...enjoy! Jealous here (had snow on the camper this morning here in CT before it turned to rain...bleh!).

 

[LBHouse]

LBHouse....I am assuming you in safe and sound by now. Have a great time! IF you have a chance sometime, send a pic of you set up in site...enjoy! Jealous here (had snow on the camper this morning here in CT before it turned to rain...bleh!).

We did make it in today around noon. Drive in went good. Woke up at Cracker Barrel this morning, had a dead car battery. The fridge was on battery last night and killed the camper battery and car.

At first we had site 1917, it had a short retaining wall and a swamp. Having 4 kids under 6, the swamp just wasn't going to work. Not enough money for laundry for that . We switched to site 2107. This is a great site, right across the road from comfort station. Kind of a corner site and the kids have had a lot of space to play.

Just got back from the Meadows Pool. Getting ready for dinner and more swimming and laundry after

We had tickets for MNSSHP tonight. We changed to tomorrow night so we could relax a bit tonight. Will,post pictures after we get site set up. I left my 50' cord at home so I am heading to ACE in the morning for a new one

 

[bama_ed]

Will,post pictures after we get site set up. I left my 50' cord at home so I am heading to ACE in the morning for a new one

LBHouse,

Glad to hear you made it. I would like to see your set-up in 2100 loop. We saw several pictures of it after it had been converted from cabins to an empty camping loop but haven't seen many with folks on them. So take plenty of pictures of your site (or those of your neighbors) to share.

Sorry to hear about battery. It happened to me last year camping up in Ohio. There is nothing like throwing your schedule out the window one morning to look for an auto parts store that opens early.

It happens.

Have fun!

Bama Ed

 

[LBHouse]

LBHouse,

Glad to hear you made it. I would like to see your set-up in 2100 loop. We saw several pictures of it after it had been converted from cabins to an empty camping loop but haven't seen many with folks on them. So take plenty of pictures of your site (or those of your neighbors) to share.

Sorry to hear about battery. It happened to me last year camping up in Ohio. There is nothing like throwing your schedule out the window one morning to look for an auto parts store that opens early.

It happens.

Have fun!

Bama Ed

I will get a bunch of pictures this afternoon. The loop is very nice. Oddly enough, when we got to our site at about 12:30 there was only 4 sites taken. By dinner time though every site was full. There was almost a solid line of campers coming in for a few hours.

I know it's "early" but is there any place open to get a cup of coffee? 7:00am for trailed end, 10:00 for settlement and 8:00 for meadows. Anything I am missing? Next stop is a walk over to Wilderness Lodge if nothing here. I like to be up a bit early and the baby wanted a stroller ride too. I don't dare make a cup and wake the older kids.