Ordered a 110V/12V Cooler -now the trip is real!

[CottontailCurl4two]

So strange that making the reservation, getting bands in the mail, or buying a tent didn't do it. We ordered our favorite cooler for FW and it all hit me that we're going camping!

We had a surprise last minute ability to get tickets into the parks so now a 'just chill' trip to the Fort will include going into the parks and everyone is excited. We had planned on staying at Port Orleans Riverside our last night but we voted to get two extra nights at FW instead of the one at PO-R so the chilling will happen.

I was blind-sided by the FastPass+ rules of making selections months out - this is not your Mama's Fastpass! Are there other things that are new in the Fort or the parks that we should know about before we continue planning? I could have written a guide book or had my own Disney travel company 6 years ago, now - not so much!!

Thanks! Ahh can't wait to hear Howdy!

{please tell me they still say howdy!}

 

[ilovedisneymm]

Howdy!

I know that in the past couple years...
(1) kiddy water park next to the main pool
(2) updated pool snack bar
(3) new LED sign at bus stop to tell wait times
(4) new sidewalk at Settlement area so now golf carts have their own and people walking don't have to jump out of the way when they see me coming
(5) more golf cart parking at Settlement
(6) credit cards now accepted in laundry area
(7) magic bands can be used to charge almost anything and you can set limits for your kids spending on them
(8) I hear WIFI is coming

Other things that I can't think of right now...

Always something new in the parks. Do your research! The more prepared you are the better. Do know crowds seem to grow each year.

Make any ADRs that you really want now and set up your fast passes as soon as you can. The big rides need to set up for sure, like SDMT and A&E. The rest you can easily pick up.

When are you going?

 

[CottontailCurl4two]

Thank you for the Howdy! That made my day!

#3 - sounds like a great addition! How many times did someone have to run back to the campsite from the bus stop for (name any number of things) and we had to yell for them to come back NOW!
#4 - genius!! Except I'm usually the jumper!
#7 - we were going to buy Disney gift cards to give each kid, that's even better.

Wow, it has been so long that I have no idea what those acronyms are! A&E is a channel! Ii guess I do have some researching to do, so strange for me! Thank you so much for all of your information! Oh, I should look up info about the refillable mugs, I know that is a hot topic and I imagine it is still so.

We are going on the 12th. We are celebrating our youngest daughter's high school celebration (and the official close of our home school - think I'm giving myself a bit of a present) and our oldest daughter's graduation from college.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

A&E is Anna & Elsa from Frozen.

SDMT is Seven Dwarf's Mine Train, Snow White's little roller coaster.

Fantasy Land is finished and it is really nice!!!

Now when I say do your research, I mean get a new guide book, read up online, call a CM and ask them, ask here, look at new maps online, but whatever you do......Careful what you post on the otherside. If you tell DIS members in Trip Planning and other forums that you are going in December and haven't set up your fast passes yet or your Advanced Dining Reservations you might have people on the other end of their computer gasping and passing out. You will also cause yourself a great deal of stress and likely panic. Just stay calm and Disney on!

It will be busier than your prior trips! Take some time and look at Easy Walt Disney and that will help with park recommendations on what day and touring plans.

It really would be a good idea to sit down now and get a game plan lined out and book a few fast passes and your dining! If something is full, keep checking and often! Chances are it will free up. Have you set up your MDE account yet?

Be sure to make time to catch the new Fantasy day parade at MK. It is a fantastically designed parade!

You don't need fast passes for parades and fireworks. We did a fast pass last time for the FF parade and also a second time without, I think you can find just as good of spots if not better without the FP for them.

Keep us posted.

 

[PaHunter]

The refillable mugs, well since you can only use them at the resort don't seem to me worth the cost. Now close to 17 dollars. Unless your campsite is very close to either the settlement or the meadows just did not seem worth the effort and cost. Of course it could be a way for families with kids to keep them busy always running to refill the drink mugs. Just my two cents on the subject.

 

[CottontailCurl4two]

 

[CottontailCurl4two]

If you tell DIS members in Trip Planning and other forums that you are going in December and haven't set up your fast passes yet or your Advanced Dining Reservations you might have people on the other end of their computer gasping and passing out. You will also cause yourself a great deal of stress and likely panic. Just stay calm and Disney on!

Oh, I've made an itinerary! My WDW touring plan is to have as many details written out as I can before we go and then adjust if something in those plans change. I did make Fastpasses after I saw that I could connect our tickets to our bands in advance. I thought I was ahead of the game and so smart that we'd be able to make our Fastpasses each night before we went to a park. Well.... ha ha! I got in there when I read on a 'how to connect your bands and tickets' page that folks had access to FP for months and found that the rides we wanted and the times we preferred were taken. We'll just call it an adventure and make sure to get in there early to get those rides we couldn't get FPs for (9:01 7 Dwarf's Train!!). We don't have many restaurants we want reservations for but Be Our Guest is definitely at the top of the list but pretty much no availability at any of our choices. I will keep trying at different times of the day and I do have us lining up at their entrance on our MK day to see if we can get in at opening without an ADR.

Oh yes, I do have our MDE account and app set up, I think Disney's web page and all their information about everything is the best new changes I'm seeing. I used to live on AllEarsnet because their information was more up to date than Disney's web page back in the day. Except for menus on AllEars, I didn't have to rely on it as much.

 

[CottontailCurl4two]

Now close to 17 dollars.

Wow, $17!! So that means my awesome brown Fort Wilderness mug that cost $9, has Goofy catching his hat on fire with a burning hot dog, and was called a 'mug to use for life' is no bueno in Fort Wilderness?



Just kidding! That was always the hot topic back in the day! Thanks for the info about the cost.

 

[PaHunter]

Wow, $17!! So that means my awesome brown Fort Wilderness mug that cost $9, has Goofy catching his hat on fire with a burning hot dog, and was called a 'mug to use for life' is no bueno in Fort Wilderness?



Just kidding! That was always the hot topic back in the day! Thanks for the info about the cost.

Yeah, i have a purple one from Port Orleans from once upon a time that was a mug for life also.

 

[ilovedisneymm]

@PaHunter I feel the same way. No way, would I want to pay that for soda. Last time I checked, I could get just shy of three cases of Coke for that price. That would serve our family the entire trip. We also toss a few cans of soda and bottles of water in the stroller on our way into the parks.

 

[bama_ed]

CC42,

I have a Coleman 110V/12V AC/DC cooler that's a good size which is our off-load fridge for the one in our popup.

Those types of coolers (or at least ours) works against the ambient temperature and not to an adjustable level. What I mean is it generally cools about 30 degrees lower than the outside air temp. When it's 70 or 80F, it will cool some canned beverages but they won't be cold. When the high is only 50F and cooler at night, the 30 degree delta can freeze the contents of the containers so I unplug it at night before I go to sleep and plug it back in once I get up.

The 12V feature means I can plug it in to a rear receptacle in my tow vehicle while I am running down the road on the way to the Fort or beach. So it helps to plug it into an AC outlet the night before at home to pre-chill the cooler and also chill the contents in the fridge before you leave. If you put room temp contents into a room temp cooler and plug it up, it will take up to 24 hours to reach a cold level both for the contents and the interior.

Over several days you will accumulate some condensation in the bottom of the cooler. It's normal.

It's a great option using this type of cooler and not having to buy bags of ice every day. In the peak summer temps it doesn't cool enough but the other months of the year I can manage it just fine.

Good luck on your upcoming trip.

Bama Ed

 

[CottontailCurl4two]

CC42,

I have a Coleman 110V/12V AC/DC cooler that's a good size which is our off-load fridge for the one in our popup.

Bama Ed

That's the one I bought! Thank you for the tips. I realized as I read them that the reason ordering the cooler made the trip feel real suddenly is because packing that cooler is the last thing we do. Awake at o'dark, husband makes coffee I start filling the cooler while the kids load up. So excited! Thanks for your well wishes.

 

[peg110]

The refillable mugs, well since you can only use them at the resort don't seem to me worth the cost. Now close to 17 dollars. Unless your campsite is very close to either the settlement or the meadows just did not seem worth the effort and cost. Of course it could be a way for families with kids to keep them busy always running to refill the drink mugs. Just my two cents on the subject.

The refillable mugs are a tough one for us to. In the past we hadn't gotten them, but our last trip we got the dining plan and they were included. We were close to the meadows (or close enough) and the Pool Snack bar, so we did get a fair amount of use out of them. Plus we usually plan a "Down" day from the parks and stay at the fort (or similar) and can use them. We have also taken them to other resorts as we "Visit" them or special meals (like the Polynesian for Ohana Breakfast.) and while we browse around we can do it with a fresh beverage (I usually have coffee). Now there is no way for most of us that we spend $17 each if we "BRING" it with us (cases of soda, water, etc...) but if you end up BUYING it at the resorts, it doesn't take but a couple of days to pay for itself, plus you walk away with a nice souvenir cup.

I will say, however, that if it didn't come with the dining plan, we most likely would NOT have purchased it.