Short Fort Review-photos included

[TxTink :)]

Wow, what a great report Your opening traveling comments were hilarious ... I know what you mean about those big trucks too- they fly that early in the morning. Great pics- your daughter's parade pics are absolutely adorable and the part about the Prince was cute too. Glad you had a great trip

 

[3gr8kids]

"..So we gave our fast passes to a near by family of 3 and rode the train back to the front gate.." ---this is actually something that we started doing last year - at the end of each day, we would go ahead and get fast passes for one of the "major" rides (Test Track, Everest, Space, Splash, Thunder, Tower, Rock-n-Roll, etc.) and as we are on our way out of the park, our girls pick out a family coming in and hand them the fast passes...just trying to spread more "magic" around...

What a great idea! We will remember to do this on our trip in April.

 

[LittleDickensDesigns]

I have loved reading your trip report. What did you do for the rest of the visit? I must hear more!

Your daughter is not only adorable but seems like such a doll. You obviously enjoy being her mom!

 

[normmo]

LOL...it comes up every few weeks on this board!!! These boards have LOTS of very useful "secrets" to teach...you know about the electric water parade at the beach right? it usually happens just before the fireworks start up. Our usual routine at the fort is

go to campfire/singalong
maybe watch some of the movie...maybe not...depends on whats playing
head to the beach for a good water parade spot
take a stroll down the beach to near the end by the little cabin behind the 300 loop and wait for the fireworks...the music for the fireworks is played from the little cabin.
By this time, the kids are ready to relax in the tent...if they arent..a stop at the pool for a quick dip on the way back usually wears them down.
Everybody gets a good nights sleep.

For some reason I knew about the electric water parade (we watched it once) but not the fireworks. Oh well, that's the great thing about Disney, you're always learning something new. It also explains why I'm addicted to the DIS boards!

 

[Tri-circle-D]

I have gotten a bit behind on my thread reading lately, and just had a chance to read this trip report. To the OP, thank you for sharing. This report is great. I am glad that you enjoyed WDW and the Fort! We started visiting and camping when my oldest DD was 4. That was quite a while and two more DD's ago, but we still visit as much as we can!

TCD

 

[Luv2Camp]

Your trip report is GREAT! Thanks for sharing!

 

[java]

Ok you are all convincing me we have to try the cabins. There are 6 of us and the thought of offsite as our only option this time clearly was wrong. Thank you for opening my eyes!

 

[BigDaddyRog]

Ok you are all convincing me we have to try the cabins. There are 6 of us and the thought of offsite as our only option this time clearly was wrong. Thank you for opening my eyes!

Java..there's a considerably less expensive option for staying at the fort....tinah159 is a member here on the boards, she rents out her HUGE 5th wheel camper that sleeps up to 8-9...and it comes with all the convenience of the cabins...but puts you in the middle of all the Forts excitement!! PM her, or check out her website...its www.CampAtTheFort.com, its the BEST way to hit Disney with a large group.

 

[elizablake]

Thanks for the report - and those pics are just awesome..!

"..So we gave our fast passes to a near by family of 3 and rode the train back to the front gate.." ---this is actually something that we started doing last year - at the end of each day, we would go ahead and get fast passes for one of the "major" rides (Test Track, Everest, Space, Splash, Thunder, Tower, Rock-n-Roll, etc.) and as we are on our way out of the park, our girls pick out a family coming in and hand them the fast passes...just trying to spread more "magic" around...

What a great idea!

Ummm - I've been to the fort twice now and didn't know that you can see Wishes from the beach or that the music was piped in. I don't think that I'm totally stupid but really - why did I not know that? Glad that you mentioned it though so we can try it during our trip in April! Seriously - did you all the fort guys just not tell me? Why did I not know that?
Mo

Not the best view but it was fun either way. I've heard the view from the beach at Poly is better. I believe you can take the boat there.

Oh I love the Prince Charming meeting- My dd who was 9 at the time said "Mom he really is Charming!"

We are debating cabins for this trip. It'll be a tough sell on dh- we were not going to go to disney this year- economy and job worries. But the talk of an extension of the 4/3 deal and I may have to jump on it.
We stayed Boardwalk Concierge last year and I'm just afraid it will be too drastic a change for my deluxe snob dh. He would rather not go than go someplace not great. (but I think he would love that his car is right there and that he could fish!)

Go for it! I'm sure you'll be able to talk him into it. Plus the cabins/campground is not exactly roughing it. The kitchen is a nice plus.

Ok you are all convincing me we have to try the cabins. There are 6 of us and the thought of offsite as our only option this time clearly was wrong. Thank you for opening my eyes!

I wish I had more info about the cabins. I didn't take any photos or anything. As another poster mentioned, renting an RV would be fun. You should have no problem fitting 6 people and to me it's more comfortable than two hotel rooms.

Hope you have a good trip.

 

[elizablake]

Animal Kingdom Day!!! Sunday we woke up early and took the yellow bus to the outpost to catch the bus to Animal Kingdom. It was Marathon Weekend and we were warned that the full marathon on Sunday might slow Disney transportation. Saturday wasn’t a problem because we didn’t leave the RV till 10:00. We waited about 20 minutes for the AK bus. Most of the people at the bus stop were waiting for the EPCOT bus, not sure why. We arrived at AK right as the park opened. The crowds were very light but the marathon runners were going through AK so a lot of the roads were blocked. The CMs seemed to have it under control but it was a little hard to get around.

First we got fast passes for EE only because there was a FP area set up by the turn off to Dinoland for EE. We found later that you could also get fast passes beside EE. When arrived in Dinoland we had to wait about 10 minutes to cross the road. CMs would let a few people through every time there was a break in the runners so it took a while. No big deal.

My DD and I rode Triceratops Spin while my husband went on Primeval Whirl. There were so few people in the park that the CM let us stay on the ride as long as we wanted to! When my DH returned we switched and I went to ride Primeval Whirl. I wasn’t too impressed. It’s not very thrilling and very jerky. By the time I got off the ride my DD had ridden Triceratops Spin 9 times! Great way to start the day. Dinoland was still empty at the time. Since we were near it we decided to ride Dinosaur. I knew better and should have used better judgment. Dinosaur is way too scary for any kid under 10 and some adults. My DD wasn’t traumatized much, but I had to cover her eyes and ears for most of the ride. It was January and I was already out of the running for mother of the year. That’s me on the 2nd row protecting my DD from the scary dinosaur.

It was about 10:00 and our EE fast passes were ready to go. The walk was fairly short from Dinoland to EE. My husband used his first while my DD and I decided to go get fast passes for Safari. It was a difficult journey. The marathon runners were taking up the entire pathway except a small area roped off on the side. It was barely large enough to fit the stroller. I felt like we were constantly in someone’s way. I must have said,” Excuse me” and “I’m sorry” 50 times. I hindsight, I should have left the stroller at EE. Plus, it was a longer walk than I had originally thought.

Finally we made it to Safari and got our fast passes. The walk back was easier only because we went the other way. We walked toward Camp Minnie and Mickey and then cut back over by the tree. I think, actually…I’m not sure how we got back but eventually we made it.

Empty path.

My DH was thrilled with our slow pace. He had ridden EE 3 times! The standby line was 20 mins but the single rider line was almost empty. I used my EE FP while my DH and DD had a snack in the EE viewing area. They said they actually saw me flying down the mountain! I thought EE was great. So great that we waiting 15 more minutes so we could get more fast passes. We snacked on frozen bananas with nuts while we waited. Tasty!

We got 3 EE fast passes because we used my DD’s key to the world too. Not sure if that’s cheating or not. Then we started to walk towards Safari. We passed KRR with no wait and decided to ride it. I thought about grabbing my poncho but the people leaving the ride didn’t look very wet so I skipped it. I should have known better. I’m always the one that gets soaked on these rides and as we got closer to the ride, people seemed to look more and more wet. KKR was great. We all loved it. Yes, I got completely soaked at the big plunge at the end. Then the raft stopped right beside this geyser spraying water directly on me and no one else. I just sat there, I couldn’t get anymore wet. My DD was laughing so hard. She was really cute. So now I look like a drowned rat and we’re off to Safari.

Here are some photos of our Safari trip.

Our guide was not very good. He seemed really bored. He sounded like Eeyore when he said,”Oh no, the poachers are going to get the baby elephant”. We enjoyed the ride overall.

Then we explored the Pangani Forest Trail since we didn‘t see the Maharaja Jungle Trek. Here are a few photos:

We ran into Terk. I have no idea who Terk is but he sure is cute!

From there we went to Camp Minnie and Mickey to see Festival of the Lion King. This is a great show!! Not to be missed. Here are some photos:

After the Lion King we quickly visited Minnie but the lines for the other characters were too long.:

We still had 3 fast passes for EE so we moved in that direction. We separated so DH could ride EE and DD and I could see It’s Tough To Be a Bug. Second big mistake of the day. I’m glad we were on the end of a row because DD started to cry and we had to leave. She wasn’t scared of the Haunted Mansion but It’s Tough To Be a Bug brought her to tears. I felt so bad for not researching the show before we left.

I was on a mission to make it up to her so we stopped at the character greeting spot beside the entrance to Dinoland. We followed the path down to the greeting area and were surprised to see Pooh, Eeyore, and Tigger and not another soul besides the CMs!!! The area is a little easy to miss but I was surprised to see no one else there. The three characters spent tons of time with DD. They were chasing each other around. Pooh was doing tricks and tying Eyesore’s tail in a knot. They were so cute.

 

[elizablake]

Tiger bounced with DD for 10 minutes. I couldn’t get a decent photo because they wouldn’t stop bouncing.

Afterwards, we met DH at the bone yard. He gave me the other two FPs for EE. Yeah!! Did I mention that I love EE? When I was finished DD and DH were still playing in the bone yard. We debated seeing Nemo but DH was tired and hungry so we decided to leave. DD wanted to ride Triceratops Spin one more time. There was only a five minute wait.

Don’t get me wrong, we had a great time but Animal Kingdom was our least favorite park. This is weird because we were looking forward to it the most. It didn’t help that I had walked around in wet underwear ever since KKR. I wish we had been able to go back to see Nemo and the parade later in the trip but we never made it.


We were back at the campsite by 3. My DH and DD wanted a nap so I watched TV for a couple of hours. After a few hours a made dinner, woke them up and was ready to go, go, go. We settled on EPCOT. We didn’t wait long for the bus. When we got to EPCOT it was a little before 6.

DD still seemed tired and we were not sure what we would be able to do that late in the day. I like the electronic signs that tell you the current wait times and FP availability. From it we learned that Soarin’ was out of FPs and Mission Space only had a 10 minute wait. So we got 3 FPs for Test Track and then I stayed with DD while DH rode Mission Space. DD was tired and happy to hang out in the stroller while I walked and we enjoyed the atmosphere. The place seemed really empty. DH rode the intense side of MS. He felt a little sick and warned me to ride the wussy side. No problem here. I thought Mission Space was OK. The rest of my crew was not acting very professional and I wasn’t sure if we would make it back to earth safely.

Our TT FPs were ready so we made our way in that direction. We all liked TT and hoped to ride it again later in the week. Since we hadn’t been to the world showcase yet we decided to see a few countries while we waited for Illuminations. We started in Mexico. We got a few churros and strolled around. About 10 minutes later, I realized that our DD wasn’t making a sound so I asked if she liked her churro. No reply. I stopped and walked to the front of the stroller and saw that she had fallen asleep mid-churro. How sweet. The churro was even hanging out of her mouth.

DH and I really enjoyed just exploring and talking with no real plan. We spent a little time in each country.

Wishes from EPCOT:

When we got to France I got a Grand Marnier slush. It was very good. Before we knew it we had made it all the way around the world. The viewing area by Futureworld was too crowded for our taste so we walked towards Mexico and found a spot on the bridge. DH was hungry so he got a combination plate: burrito, chicken taco, and cheese fried thing from Mexico. He also got a couple a margaritas. Everything was pretty good. DH said the Nachos didn’t look very appetizing though. Illuminations started a few minutes later. I debated rather to wake-up DD because she really, really likes fireworks and was looking forward to Illuminations. She was sleeping so soundly that I decided not to. I didn’t get any good photos of Illuminations. It was worth seeing but Wishes is better.

On the bus ride back to FW, DD woke up and was disappointed that she didn’t get to see the fireworks. She was so exhausted that we decided to sleep in the next morning rather that our plan to be at EPCOT at opening so she wouldn’t be so tired that she missed anything else

 

[elizablake]

The next morning we slept in, did laundry and got to EPCOT by about 11:00. Tonight was one of the few showings of Fantasmic at HS. We planned to stay at EPCOT and go straight to HS afterward.

Soarin’ was at the top of our list since we didn’t get to ride it the night before.

We got fast passes and then rode the clamshells into the seas pavilion.

Finding Nemo is one of DD’s favorites and all we heard about that morning was Crush this and Crush that. Turtle Talk with Crush was about to start. The kids who feel comfortable sit on the floor at the front of the theater. Adults use the bench seating farther back. At one point during the show, the host asked if anyone had questions for Crush. A bunch on kids raised their hands including DD. Crush called on a few kids and answered their questions then moved on with the show. DD must not have understood that Crush was no longer taking questions because she kept her hand raised the rest of the show. After the show, I had to go get her because she was still sitting there, raising her hand, staring at a blank screen. So, you may want to warn small kids that Crush won’t be able to answer everyone’s questions. We asked if she wanted to see the show again. Maybe Crush would call on her. She said, “No, if he doesn’t want to call on me, then I don’t want to talk to him either”. She hasn’t watched Nemo since we have gotten home. That girl can hold a grudge!

The aquariums were interesting. The view from the 2nd floor is better.

We stopped at the Kidcot station and DD colored a dolphin.

Next we went to back to the Land to ride Soarin‘. The whole family loved it. We got another set of FPs on our way out. Then we rode Living with the Land and saw Circle of Life.

It was about 2:00 and we still had another hour till our FPs so we decided to give them away and go to HS.

We knew HS would be busy because of Fantasmic but still hoped to be able to ride TOT or RRRC. No luck, fast passes were gone for the day and the line was 60 mins at both.

Quite the crowd:

We were able to see the parade, Block Party Bash. I’m not sure it’s really a parade since the floats and performers stay in one spot the whole time. It was cute. Very colorful. The kids were invited into the street to dance.

After the parade were able to see Playhouse Disney Live. DD loved it especially the bubbles.

Then we saw Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Not bad.
We walked by Toy Story Mania. Of course, the FPs were gone and the wait was 90 minutes. Next we played on the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground till it closed. It was great! DD wanted to come back for sure. The Boneyard and Honey I Shrunk the Kids were the best playground in WDW.

We had a little time left so we rode Star Tours and ate dinner at ABC Commissary. Avoid this place. The food was terrible. We made it to Fantasmic at about 6:00 for the 7:00 show. The CMs were announcing that there was standing room only! Oops, we should have showed up earlier. We were able to find two seats, so DD sat in our laps. It was really crowded and the standing room area was full by 6:30. I felt bad for the CM who had to keep telling people they couldn’t sit on the stairs in the isle. People were screaming and cussing at him. Poor guy. It was a long wait with DD in our lap and nothing to entertain her. She was very good though. The audience had a pretty good wave going at one point. Here’s a photo of the crowd about 45 mins before show time.

Fantasmic was worth the wait. What a great show!! I don’t think there was a bad seat in the place but it looked like the front few rows may have gotten a little wet. I liked our view from about ¾ of the way back.

After the show, I thought it would be a traffic jam trying to get out. Not so, the crowd moved fairly quickly and we were on the bus about 8:00.

It was a great day. Thanks to our little taste of HS we were very excited about our full day their tomorrow. I met the nicest family on the bus ride back. Their very polite teenage son gave me his seat since my DD had fallen asleep and I was carrying her. They were traveling with their parents and kids. It made me wish my parents could have made it.

 

[eandesmom]

great trip report so far!

 

[Shan-man]

We had a little time left so we rode Star Tours and ate dinner at ABC Commissary. Avoid this place. The food was terrible.

I just wanted to chime in and say that at least one item at the ABC Commissary is tasty, the Cuban. I have only eaten there a couple of times and the only time I remember is from last Christmas when I had the Cuban, and I would rank it up there with the best items I've had from Disney counter service (just below Flametree BBQ! Yum).

JMHO

 

[stacktester]

We've eaten at ABC as well and the Cuban isn't bad. For such a large cs you'd think they'd have a better selection. I usually try for Sci-Fi and get the Rueben.

 

[JCJRSmith]

What a terrific trip report. I haven't been on the FW boards for a while and this was the first thread I opened and NOW I WANT TO GO BACK TO THE FORT!!!!!!! NOW!!!!!!

Oh, well, keep 'em coming.

 

[elizablake]

great trip report so far!

Thank you.

I just wanted to chime in and say that at least one item at the ABC Commissary is tasty, the Cuban. I have only eaten there a couple of times and the only time I remember is from last Christmas when I had the Cuban, and I would rank it up there with the best items I've had from Disney counter service (just below Flametree BBQ! Yum).

JMHO

We all ordered cheeseburgers. Should have tried the Cuban. The cheeseburgers reminded me of the ones I used to get in my elementary school cafeteria.

We've eaten at ABC as well and the Cuban isn't bad. For such a large cs you'd think they'd have a better selection. I usually try for Sci-Fi and get the Rueben.

Rueben sounds better than the Cuban. Now I'm getting hungry.

What a terrific trip report. I haven't been on the FW boards for a while and this was the first thread I opened and NOW I WANT TO GO BACK TO THE FORT!!!!!!! NOW!!!!!!

Oh, well, keep 'em coming.

Thank you. I'm ready to back too.

 

[BradyBz12]

We ate at Commissary in Dec - DH had the Cuban (loved it) and I actually enjoyed the chicken curry. Not quite "authentic" but tasty and filling.

Pretty sad if they couldn't manage a decent cheeseburger.

 

[elizablake]

Hollywood Studios Day!! We woke up bright and early ate breakfast and caught the HS bus at 8:00. So we got there with 45 minutes to spare. There were a few people lined up but we checked out the shop by the entrance. About 8:30 I we got in line but it wasn’t necessary. There were not many people there. About 8:45 we were allowed in the park. Everyone walked to the roped area by the turnoff to TOT. There was a five minute show before the park opened. It helped pass the time but I thought the opening show at MK was better. DD had lined up on the right side so he was closer to TOT and DD and I were in the middle. We had a plan. DH took our keys to the world. He planed to ride TOT and get a fast pass for me, then ride RRRC and get another fast pass for me. DD and I planed to ride Toy Story Mania. When the rope dropped, people took off. I was surprised; the CMs did a good job of holding everyone back. DD and I were not rushed. It’s the slow season and TSM was not going to run out of fast passes in the first 15 minutes. We waited about 15 mins to ride TSM even though the posted wait time was 25mins. TSM is awesome!! It became everyone’s favorite by the end of the week. DD loved it the most.

After the ride we slowly walked back toward TOT and meet up with DH. DD wanted to ride TSM again so DH took her while I went to use my FPs. DH got 3 FPs for TSM after they rode. I had to wait a few minutes till my FPs were ready. I loved TOT. RRRC was pretty good too. The beginning is so great that the rest is a bit of a let down.

I met back up with DH and DD and DD wanted to spend her money to get her face painted. It costs $12 but they did a great job.

We saw Beauty and the Beast live on stage. DD loved it but what little girl wouldn’t.

I remember stopping to watch a street performance but I can’t remember if we did anything else before our ADR at Hollywood and Vine at noon.

My DD is a big fan of Little Einstein so that’s why we choose Hollywood and Vine for one of our character meals. I had heard that the food was not very good but I was impressed. Low expectations possibly. They had salad and soup, really good seafood pasta, creamed corn and cornbread bake and some sort of cheese and potato bake that I couldn’t get enough of. Sorry, I don’t remember more, just that we were happy with our choices. The characters came around several times.

After lunch we wandered the streets of America and took photos with Lightning McQueen and Mater.

By then, it was time for TSM again. I would be happy riding TSM all day.

We had promised DD that she could go to the playground again. We stayed there about an hour.

Then we stopped by the character greeting spot in front of Playhouse Disney Live so DD could meet Annie. We were happy to see Leo again.

We had hoped to see one of the stunt shows but we never worked it in. We left HS about 2:00. It was starting to rain so it seemed like a good time to make our exit. I bet anyone who stayed enjoyed some really short lines though because it seemed like everyone else was leaving with us.

 

[elizablake]

It rained all afternoon and cooled off quite a bit. DH took a nap. DD and I rode the bus to the Meadow’s area and played in the arcade for a while. We went back to the Meadow’s trading post and got some sort of really expensive frozen drink. DD and I played checkers to waste some more time.

We went back to the RV watched a movie and cooked dinner. DH finally woke up. We discussed what to do and decided to go to Downtown Disney to get desert.

We arrive at Downtown Disney about 7:00. We shopped and stopped by Ghirardelli’s for some ice cream. Expensive but worth every penny!

My DD had spent half of her money on her face painting and the other half was burning a hole in her pocket so we went to World of Disney.

My DD wanted to spend the rest of her money on a birthday present for her Granddaddy. I thought it was so sweet. She picked a grumpy coffee cup because she said, “He’s grumpy before he drinks his coffee”.

I got DD some princess mouse ears.


We stopped by Goofy’s candy company to get a treat for tomorrow. My DD picked rice crispy mouse ears, covered in choc, M&Ms and white choc drizzle. I got marshmallow with choc and Oreos. Both were great and well worth the $5 we paid for them.

It was getting late so we went back to the RV and crashed.