Our trip report begins!!!

[Minnie&Mickey]

I'm loving your trip report! It's almost as good as being there. By the way, I've lived in the Atlanta area for over 30 years and I always get confused with the whole East/West thing at the bypass. Glad you were able to figure it out!

 

[CampingBandit]

So we are lounging on our site, and our son made a friend with a boy on the site behind us. The boys are catching lizards.

They ask where we are from and they say “us too.” “What, your joking!” “Nope, serious!” We drive 1200 miles and run into someone who lives just down the road a ways…It’s a small world afterall…

Finished decorating our site (will take some pics) and that made DH point out we wouldn’t be getting the TT washed by that service (even though it needs it desperately). Course it seems kinda silly to pay all that money only to drive home and have it get all dirty again.

It was muggy today, a bit overcast at times. Breaking a sweat while decorating we decide to head to the pool to cool off. It was very relaxing in the hottub and fun to watch the kids during the games offered poolside.

Returned to our site to take the dog to the dog park, and I made Spaghetti and garlic bread for dinner. Took a power nap, and going to head to the MK for EMH. It’s drizzling on and off so I guess I better bring some rain gear.

Didn’t need the rain gear.

So about 7pm ish we are ready to go. We caravan (golf cart and ECV) to the Marina. Naturally this is the PERFECT time to take the bus to MK because HDDR is just letting out.

Seeing the line, we turn around and decide to leave the cart at the marina and take the bus to the outpost and catch a bus to the MK.

You can’t catch a bus to the MK.

About an hour later, we finally board the boat to MK. That’s ok, we’re in the happiest place on earth.

I’ve read horror stories by other ECV users of how clueless those pesky pedestrians can be, but I had no idea. “Ooh, a scooter I better run right in front of it while I have a chance” and “its perfectly normal for me to go forwards while looking backwards and be oblivious to who might be in front of me”. Trying to make it down mainstreet during the pre-parade time is loads of fun. We divert thru Adventureland heading towards Thunder Mountain. Check, done, lots of fun at night!

Boy I could use a beer at this point. Yes, I know, drinking and driving and all that. Did you know you can’t buy beer anywhere in the MK? The CM practically scolded me when I made the inquiry.

So we take the river path to Haunted Mansion. Check. It’s so cold in there, love it. Gosh is it humid outside….

We head to Mrs. Potts Cupboard. Ice cream sundaes, check. Up next, Tomorrowland. We try the TTA. Can you believe we have never been on that ride? How fun, I can’t believe we missed it on our prior visits. Plus the twisted fun we had at my son’s expense that we were going inside Space Mountain, the panic! LOL he was adamant that he WAS NOT RIDING SPACE MOUNTAIN. So we were able to view some of the fireworks while on the ride and that was nice. Next we found the facilities and since we were right next to Space Mountain, decided to hit that.

Honestly I think the entry got longer? IDK. Whatever, I think the more I ride SM the more I love it each time. DD rides with me, and Dave does the rider swap with my son. It’s probably good he didn’t ride it, I forget how intense it is and he had psyched himself out so bad he would have been hysterical.

On to Buzz. Dave got 100,000 points. How’d he do that? We hit the cars, then Goofy’s coaster. It’s getting late at this point, where did the time go? So we (read the three of them) decide to head all the way back to Adventureland where we started, to ride Pirates. The battery on my ECV is starting to go so sounds like a non-sensical plan but we do it anyway. We are very sleepy…it’s almost midnight.

Passed by the Castle and took a pic with the pretty lights. Walked right on Pirates and its nice and cool in there.

We make our way back down Mainstreet resisting the temptation of the candy shop.

We’re back on the boat about midnight. We pass by this lovely campsite just by the Settlement Trading Post

and at this point my ECV is practically dead. Dave gives me a tow by me holding my left hand onto the side of the GC while I push my power button. We made it, barely. Not sure if this is normal for an ECV but I should think it would last more than 4 hours. Maybe I should call Walker.

We’re in dreamland by 1am. Didn’t sleep as well, maybe too muggy, or overtired. Not sure.

Woke up and decided to take Bandit for a walk since he was cooped up all last evening. We walked up towards the pool and noticed these oddly placed bushes by the 1400 loop entry, and upon closer inspection it’s a camouflaged trap. For what, I wonder….

Turned by the pool and the campfire area and cut back thru the 600 loop.

Didn’t see a single Disboards sign. Bandit appreciated the nice long walk, my feet did not. It’s very muggy and overcast, hope this clears up. Looking a bit chilly for the end of the week, will probably need to try for Blizzard Beach today or tomorrow if we go at all.

Dave was awake by this time so the two of us took a diet coke run. Still trying to decide what to do today, maybe AK? Love the spontaneity....

 

[liv luvs disney]

Don't know how I missed the start of you TR, but I sure am glad I found it! Keep it comin'!

 

[PrincessNP]

Great report and pics! Thanks for sharing!

 

[all4themouse]

How much are the mugs and how much are the refils?

 

[CampingBandit]

We paid $12.99 and the refills are free.

 

[mamaloya]

Wow, great report!!! I can't believe I missed the beginning of it. When I saw the Walt Disney World arch, I got all excited. Doggone it. YOU are the one arriving, not ME!!! How disappointing. LOL

Ya'll are having so much fun!!! I am there in spirit for sure!!

Keep it coming!!

 

[terrygroomes]

we are leaving next week on our drive to the fort hope to see youhave a safe trip we are driving from green bay

 

[Billmel]

Really enjoying your trip report. We rented and ECV for my mother back in Sept 07. The battery would last all day in the parks, if we went back to the room we would plug it up during down times, but we spent several days, all day out and about and didn't have any problems with the battery lasting all day, and into the night. It sounds like there is something wrong. Good luck.

 

[DisneyBishops]

Sorry that you need an ECV, but a good battery should last all day with no problem. I would definately call who you rented it from. they should either bring you another one or change the batteries.

 

[CampingBandit]

Day 5: After a leisurely start, we finally made it to Animal Kingdom. It’s a bit cumbersome with my ECV, as you have to lock it into place on the first bus to the Outpost, then you have to unlock it, get off the bus, wait for the next bus to wherever, get on that bus, lock it, wait for everyone to get off, then unlock it and disembark. It probably adds 15-20 minutes of travel time. But it’s a nice tradeoff for being able to walk without pain in during the rest of the vacation, to be sure. And it beats having Dave push me in a manual chair any day.

So we arrive at AK and make a beeline (if that’s possible, as the park is quite crowded) to Dinosaur. The kids have agreed to ride it for the first time. Always great fun, though my 9yo was a bit upset afterward because he accidently peeked at one of the dinosaurs. Big chicken, the 4yo in front of us didn’t shed a tear. The photo station in the gift shop showed myself and my two kids with our heads in our lap while Dave smiled away. I just love this ride!

We head over to Prime-evil Whirl and then 9yo played some games, he’s quite happy now, and I’ve got an ice cold Diet Coke. We then decide to make our way over to find something to eat, we recall somewhere between Asia and Africa. We pass Everest, and Asia, and arrive somewhere around Africa. We are about to purchase some lunch when I realize that Dave’s Key to the World card is missing…panic sets in as we worry that someone found it and could be charging tons of souvenirs on our credit card!

We mentally retrace our steps and Dave remembers someone might have called his name in the Dinosaur gift shop (but he dismissed it at the time because he thought “impossible”). So here we are on the opposite end of the park. Dave leaves us in one location, figuring he can make it quicker alone (true). He returns to report the card was turned in and is now located at Guest Services by the main entrance.

We decide to grab some lunch and we hit the Pizza place, not sure what it was called. But they have beer.

So since I’m the only one with I.D. , I make my way up the front of the park to retrieve his card. I leave Dave with the kids at the Pizza joint, enjoying his beer. Card in hand, I return to find Dave ready for the next attraction. Almost….he sends me back in for a couple more beers.

We head over to the Safari, where we enjoy a nice ride with:
Tristan

And see lots of animals:

Including this Rhino right next to our truck:

We then make our way over to Kali River Rapids. But first we stop for a couple more beers.

So 9yo insists on wearing a rain poncho. He doesn’t want to get wet. Yet here he is after KRR playing in the fountain.

I instructed the rest of the family to wear clothing that will dry quickly. Naturally I don’t take my own advice and end up with soaked jean shorts. No matter, the rapids were awesome.

We head to Everest… and do the ride swap thingy there. I swear these rides get better every time. Still not dry however. We get some ice cream, nummy…. And make our way back thru Dinoland for one more spin on Prime evil whirl. We catch the return bus to the Fort, and I’m wet and freezing. You should have seen the look on the ladies face who was sitting next to me on the bus, when I stood up. The seat was wet (because of my wet jeans shorts) she probably thought I had peed my pants.

We decide to spend some time at the hottub and do some laundry, and then get takeout from Trails End.

Laundry was a pain as someone decided to fill three washers and then not return for more than 2 hours. After the first hour a nice gentleman said “too bad, I’m taking the clothes out” and he did, freeing up the three washers. I took two, and did 4 loads of laundry. Got caught up on email and posted the prior report. Chatted with a nice camper from Delaware who has been here in a C since the 15th.

She finally left and the fellow with the wayward laundry showed up to dry his loads. Didn’t seem disturbed by the removal of his clothes. My plan was to drop in some clothes and then drop into the hottub but I never made it there. I won’t even tell you how I got lost between the 400/500 loop thinking I was in two separate CS and it was one and the same….LOSER!

Laundry took almost 90 minutes. We ate dinner at 9:30 which was fried chicken, fries, mac n cheese and corn bread. It was OK and we were starving so at that point it really didn’t matter. Pass out about 10:30 and had a semi restful night of sleep.

 

[CampingBandit]

Day 6: OMG Day 6! Our trip is more than half over!

We slept in, and I made Waffles and sausage for breakfast. While we are dining, hubby notices the Class A next store being washed by the service. He’s intrigued. I was wondering if/when he would find out about it. After inquiring, it’s all arranged, they’ll be here tomorrow. That’s okay I guess it does need it and he HATES doing it himself.

We decide to skip Blizzard Beach because of the forecast. Instead we hit the pool for an hour. I finally get to enjoy the hottub. Too bad the sun isn’t out. We head to the trading post and then head back to the camper to shower and drive to town to find a Wal-mart. After threatening bodily harm if they don’t behave, we return to our car with our bags of goodies and head back to the World. We had planned to hit HS but we decided there wasn’t enough time before our 7:15 Ressie for HDDR.

We decide instead to hit DTD, we have about 3 hours. I have to say, what am I missing? It’s basically a glorified shopping mall on the water. Heresy! LOL

We did enjoy Goofy’s candy shop, you should see the Candy Apple Dave created (Butterfinger and drizzled chocolate) and Dave found a souvenir T-shirt. We walk all the way down to DisneyQuest only to realize it costs extra money and we hadn’t planned for that. Live and learn. We ride the water taxi (with 2 disappointed rugrats) back to where we started, to catch the bus back to the fort. I had decided it would save time to forgo the ECV and I admit I regret that decision, my feet are aching!!! We can see the rain coming in, it’s looking really dark. We pass by a couple of deer on our way back to our campsite, and we quickly prepare for the downpour and the rain begins. Barely had time to walk the doggie.

So here we sit in the camper snackin on cheesits and playing Yahtzee, waiting for HDDR.

HDDR – Amazing! We had soo much fun, the kids really enjoyed it. We had great seats…

And Dave really enjoyed it too, especially the part when Claire set her sights on him:

I enjoyed the dinner (except the ribs) and the AYCDB! Our waiter George was wonderful and provided excellent service. Definitely worth the ticket price – probably one of the highlights of our vacation.

We finished the evening by heading to the beach to watch Wishes,

then we went looping to see the lights. Not as many sites are decorated as I had hoped. We were in a silly mood after the show and the kids had fun.

We snuck behind the pirate ship to snap a shot.

We passed by the crowd around Judy’s site watching the DWTS Finale on her outdoor tv and I yelled “hey Judy” and she yelled “hey” back….and then the look on her face was “who the heck was that?”

Returned to our camper to turn in, at which point the stupid dog jumped up on our bed and peed. I guess he got nervous from watching Wishes and riding around the loops and we were bad owners and didn’t think to walk him.

Dave headed to the laundry to wash the bedding because unfortunately I didn’t bring a spare set. It was after midnight before we turned in. What an interesting day. I'm Exhausted!

 

[blm2003]

What an awesome TR! I'm really enjoying following your fun, and can't wait to read more! Keep it coming!!

 

[Judy in Texas]

Yes, these can be purchased and refilled at Trail's End and Meadow's Trading Post. Hope you find enough Diet Coke there to keep you going!!

From another Diet Coke addict... the Meadow's Trading Post does not have a soda fountain. We stopped at other resorts to fill the mugs most mornings. When we stay at Fort Wilderness in the future, we won't bother with the refillable mugs.

 

[CampingBandit]

Day 7, we wake up to rain. The detailing company showed up AFTER we had moved all our stuff out of the way to notify us they’d be back on Friday.

We had to retract our stupid awning, it’s electric and you can’t pitch it and the rain collects in the middle. So we have to move our shelter BACK and park the CG and the ECV under it. This was awful, and by now I’m very sore and I’m very crabby. Can ya tell?

After we dress and I’m trying to get over being VERY crabby, hubby and I decide to go back to Walmart for a few things we decided we needed. We considered a movie for the afternoon. By the time we returned the rain was now a drizzle, so the kids convince us to stick to the original plan of going to Hollywood Studios.

I decided because of the rain, it would be easier to leave the rented ECV (which had been giving me troubles) at the campsite and rent one when we arrived at HS. I should have checked the price first - $50! So much for saving money by not renting in the parks. But by this time I’m committed, not much I can do.

So we go in search of Toy Story Mania. How did we miss this ride on our prior trips? So fun! It hurts my hands/wrists though.

We ride Star Tours, TOT, RR and watch the abbreviated Indiana Jones show (due to rain). We try to persuade the kids to ride the thrill rides but they are not having any of it. I’m cold, despite two layers, because transferring to park/manual chairs where the seats were wet meant a cold bottom. 9 yo was disappointed because he didn’t get to do the Jedi training, the line was too long and when he went back for the last show, they had already picked the “chosen”.

We watched a cute street performance,

and then made our way over to Sci-Fi Dine-in Theater, to try and get a table even though we didn’t have a ressie. Success! We enjoyed the show AND the dinner, and DD was lucky enough to score a meal from the Kids menu. I had the BLT soup (much needed) and a Reuben, and Dave had the Chili and a Burger. We both agreed the meal was quite tasty. The beers too…

So after dinner we made our way to view Osborne Lights, WOW!.... so worth it.

Then we went back to TSM to ride it again. The lines were unusually long – something wasn’t right. So we got in line anyway – and when we were almost to the Handicapped entrance, Jace announced he was going to have diarrhea, so Dave left the line with him and Dani and I improved our score from the first go-round by over 30,000 points! When we came out the FP line looked to be about 60 minutes long and the SB line was empty. Some sort of glich…

We left HS and returned home via the bus, which took a while, and I just crashed. I was DONE. Long day.

 

[CampingBandit]

We decided to take advantage of EMH at MK this morning. But at 7:10 I had the bright idea we should have the breakfast buffet. So by the time we dressed, ate and took the boat to MK it was 9am. So much for EMH, it was already packed.

But the TE breakfast was fine, some things were nummy and some were not, but overall I think it was very good and worth the price even considering recently poor reviews.

We headed for MK via the boat and arrived fairly quickly. Headed directly for TTA to ride that again, then Buzz. Upon which....(clearing my throat) Dani scored 999,999 points! The highest you can get. She got 200,000 points in the very beginning hallway and from there it just kept going up.

9yo was still not convinced to ride Space Mountain, despite many bribe offers for more tacky cheap souvenirs. Oh well, maybe next time. We make our way basically in reverse to head in the direction of our first vist and head towards Frontierland. We ride Haunted Mansion, again…and the Liberty Belle, which we haven’t done before, and then made the journey to Tom’s Island, which the kids really enjoyed - especially the caves

and the barrel bridge.

While we were on the island, there was a nice performance on the boat by the Frog Prince characters. That was cute.

The sun is FINALLY clearing out the clouds and the kids were begging to go to Blizzard Beach. I scored by convincing Dave to take them without me! HAhaHA! On the return trip to the campsite I decide enough is enough with this stupid ECV that I can’t even go up a hill and it’s only been about 5 hours….so I call Walker Mobility. They’ll be here in 10 minutes! And they WERE! So I exchanged my scooter for a “new and improved” version. Dave and the kids left for BB about 2pm and I took Bandit to the dog park. That dog is so dysfunctional.

I sat there for an hour, and then it started to get chilly. Came back and decided to change and go for a walk. We walked around the 500 and 300 loops. Everyone was getting ready for their Turkey Day feasts. Some people really go all out! And I found the swamp trail, but I was too chicken to go very far by myself. And the worst part about it all was I forgot my camera!

Dave returned from a “very deserted” Blizzard Beach (read: they were the only crazy folk to brave the chill in exchange for no lines) and after a brief time, Jace and I headed back to Hollywood Studios on the bus to give him another chance on Toy Story Mania.

This was not fun.

The bus took 45 minutes to reach the Outpost and it arrived full. He said he “would call it in”. Another bus arrived 15 minutes later. It took me 90 minutes to reach HS from leaving my campsite. We had enough time to ride TSM and Star Tours.

They really should have a separate bus to the Fort. There were just too many people to/from HS for a combo Lodge/Fort bus. It was the same thing on the return trip, people left at HS because the bus was full.

We decided to skip the Settlement Bus and drove the ECV back down the path, freezing our tushies off. But it was good quality time for me and the rugrat. We returned to a lavish Thanksgiving Day feast prepared by Dave: Walking Tacos.

So now we’re just kickin’ back and they are playing yahtzee while I try to get warm.

We leave in less than two days!

 

[Born 2 Fish]

How much are the mugs and how much are the refils?

We paid $12.99 and the refills are free.

People often ask, "If the purchase of a Mug is worth the price?"
If you DO buy a mug and you pass by more then 2 bathrooms without stopping,,,then you need to refill that Mug more often.



Love the report,
hey, didja kickyer shoes off an lay back with yer straw hat an cane pole while on the island ?

 

[disneychck]

where is the swamp trail? We didn't even know there was one! Those last couple of days are bitter sweet huh? Trying to savor the last days but in the back of your mind knowing you gotta leave soon At least it is for me.

 

[Born 2 Fish]

where is the swamp trail? We didn't even know there was one! Those last couple of days are bitter sweet huh? Trying to savor the last days but in the back of your mind knowing you gotta leave soon At least it is for me.

It's in the swamp. Along the lake.
I use to walk it at the lake behind loop 300.
Almost aint there anymore so over grown. Useta be a wood dock type walkway thru the swamp along the lakeside, very beautiful, rotted away pretty much in the overgrowth. Reck'n Disney wasnt mak'n a profit off of it so they let it rot away.

You see, once upon a time Disney actually did things just for the campers/campground, for the campers to simply enjoy. But that was a different time, when Disney really did give a ,,uh, they really did care at one time. As time went on and different dictators, um, CEO's took over in the land of magic, they began to realize that their greatest magic was to empty the pockets of their subjects that dare to wander into their kingdom. One method they used to disillusion the peons who ventured into this magical land was to take things away from them they once enjoyed, like the swamp trail boardwalk.

 

[kaguilbeau]

It's in the swamp. Along the lake.
I use to walk it at the lake behind loop 300.
Almost aint there anymore so over grown. Useta be a wood dock type walkway thru the swamp along the lakeside, very beautiful, rotted away pretty much in the overgrowth. Reck'n Disney wasnt mak'n a profit off of it so they let it rot away.

So, if I'm looking at a map, is this shown as going from the docks of Bay Lake behind the 300 loop at coming out on the canal near the dog walk for the 300 loop? I was planning on walking that trail I guess not now!