Spring Break 2009 at the Fort with TCD!

[BradyBz12]

 

[dato63]

As a FW newbie (haven't been yet), I am loving all the pics. Even the very few pool pics you are tossing in. It has me very happy we switched to FW! When I told the kids I wanted to stay somewhere else this time my DD's first question was "does the pool have a slide". So she likes the pics too.

Thank you for sharing.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

As a FW newbie (haven't been yet), I am loving all the pics. Even the very few pool pics you are tossing in. It has me very happy we switched to FW! When I told the kids I wanted to stay somewhere else this time my DD's first question was "does the pool have a slide". So she likes the pics too.

Thank you for sharing.

Glad you are enjoying it. Your countdown refers to a trip in 7 months. Is that your trip to the Fort? When are you visiting- October/November? I notice from you signature that you have twin DD's. So do I! Only mine are 13, and going to be 14 next month (and we also have a soon to be 18 year old DD). I would say that your DD's will be the perfect age for both the slide and new splash zone! Have a great time!

TCD

Oh, and since you are enjoying the pool photos, I will post a few more. Coming right up!

 

[Tri-circle-D]

We almost always rent a golf cart from the Fort when we visit.

I am very familiar with the golf cart rules.

When you rent a golf cart from the Fort, you sign a pretty impressive contract that was undoubtedly drafted by a team of highly paid lawyers. It is a pretty imposing document.

One rule that is absolutely clear is that only licensed drivers over the age of 16 can drive a FW cart. A learner's permit does not cut it. A 15 year old with a driver's license does not cut it. A 16 year old or older without a driver's license does not cut it. The rule is clear 16 and older with a driver's license.

And, the contract says, very clearly, that if you are found violating the rules, your cart will be confiscated, and no refund will be given. Those are the terms. If you rent the cart, that is the deal.

But, on every trip, I always see young kids driving carts.

It is a frequent source of conflict in my family. My in-laws have a large piece of property, and they let the grand-kids drive golf carts on it. Grandma gives each grandchild driving lessons after they reach their 10th birthday. If you get the clearance from grandma, then you can drive the cart. So, my DD's can drive golf carts. Very well in fact. Grandma taught them well. They do it all the time. So, when we go to the Fort, and "everyone else is doing it," it is hard to tell my DD's sorry, you can't drive the cart. But I do. Because I don't want the cart confiscated. And I really don't want to pay for a cart that I am not using because it was confiscated. So, we follow the rules. But it is hard.

On our Spring Break visit, while inspecting the 700 loop, this crew rolled up on us:

You have got to be kidding.

An adult rented that cart. And signed the same onerous contract that I did. And then decided to cut this crew loose on the cart? Amazing.

Not only was this young fellow a little shy of the age and drivers' license requirement, he also drove the cart down the horse-drawn wagon path on the way to Pioneer Hall. Here he goes:

And here he comes out behind one of the retail huts directly across from the HDDR entrance:

They get younger every time. I swear.

Here is a last shot of the 700 loop. This is the last site on the inside of the loop. Where the great decorators stay for Christmas every year:

So, after checking out the 600 and 700 loops, you know where I headed next.

Did you guess the pool?

If you did, you are right.

If you didn't, then you need to brush up on your reading comprehension.

So, what's new at the pool?

It has been about an hour since my last visit.

At first glance, looks like not much is new:

Still just one guy working on the splash zone. Don't want to overdo it now, do we?

But wait, were those brown stripes on the slide earlier today?

Can't see them?

Look a little closer:

Hey, that guy over there by the slide looks familiar.

Is he smoking a cigarette?

I think he is.

The blue shirt threw me.

But, it's our buddy the slowest painter in the universe!

Hoo-ray! Here he is not painting again:

But, lookie here! He is actually putting some paint on the slide (and holding a cig in his free hand)! Maybe this project will eventually get completed after all!:

And guess what? While I was looking, some other guys showed up to help with the splash zone. Now we are getting somewhere!

And look at our buddy the painter go! He even has a drop cloth on the slide, like he really intends to get some paint on the slide today!:

While all this photo taking was going on, I was also stopping by camp to get everything packed up and the DD's in the shower. It was now almost 11 am, and it was time to return the cart . So, I headed up to the front to get the cart turned in.

Made it just in time.

And, I made a very important discovery.

I have a theory as to the location of the Visual Display Complex that has been discussed elsewhere on the camping board.

I'll present my findings in my next post.

TCD

And don't worry, after dropping off the cart, we took the Yellow bus back to the 1500 loop bus stop, and walked past the pool one last time on our way back to 900. Maybe I have a few last pool photos.

 

[dato63]

Glad you are enjoying it. Your countdown refers to a trip in 7 months. Is that your trip to the Fort? When are you visiting- October/November? I notice from you signature that you have twin DD's. So do I! Only mine are 13, and going to be 14 next month (and we also have a soon to be 18 year old DD). I would say that your DD's will be the perfect age for both the slide and new splash zone! Have a great time!

TCD

Oh, and since you are enjoying the pool photos, I will post a few more. Coming right up!

Thank you!

Yes, the trip in 7 months is for a cabin at FW (11/14 - 11/21). Yes, my twin DDs will be 6 when we go. We took our very first WDW vacation back in November 2008 - for their 5th birthday. We stayed at the Wilderness Lodge. They are very excited about the campfire. They love Chip & Dale (as they are twins too). Initially I had booked a suite at the AllStar, wanting more elbow room this time around. . .then saw this board and after reading - switched it to FW.

I have two older children from my first marriage - the oldest is 27! I know, I know, I rechecked her birth certificate recently, but it wasn't a typo.

LOL - I keep waiting to see if the splash zone gets finished before your vacation ends.

 

[3gr8kids]

We almost always rent a golf cart from the Fort when we visit.

I am very familiar with the golf cart rules.

When you rent a golf cart from the Fort, you sign a pretty impressive contract that was undoubtedly drafted by a team of highly paid lawyers. It is a pretty imposing document.

One rule that is absolutely clear is that only licensed drivers over the age of 16 can drive a FW cart. A learner's permit does not cut it. A 15 year old with a driver's license does not cut it. A 16 year old or older without a driver's license does not cut it. The rule is clear 16 and older with a driver's license.

And, the contract says, very clearly, that if you are found violating the rules, your cart will be confiscated, and no refund will be given. Those are the terms. If you rent the cart, that is the deal.

But, on every trip, I always see young kids driving carts.

It is a frequent source of conflict in my family. My in-laws have a large piece of property, and they let the grand-kids drive golf carts on it. Grandma gives each grandchild driving lessons after they reach their 10th birthday. If you get the clearance from grandma, then you can drive the cart. So, my DD's can drive golf carts. Very well in fact. Grandma taught them well. They do it all the time. So, when we go to the Fort, and "everyone else is doing it," it is hard to tell my DD's sorry, you can't drive the cart. But I do. Because I don't want the cart confiscated. And I really don't want to pay for a cart that I am not using because it was confiscated. So, we follow the rules. But it is hard.

On our Spring Break visit, while inspecting the 700 loop, this crew rolled up on us:

You have got to be kidding.

An adult rented that cart. And signed the same onerous contract that I did. And then decided to cut this crew loose on the cart? Amazing.

Not only was this young fellow a little shy of the age and drivers' license requirement, he also drove the cart down the horse-drawn wagon path on the way to Pioneer Hall. Here he goes:

I have a theory on this crew. I think the granny in your pic is not sleeping in that chair at that site, I think this gang drugged her and STOLE her golf cart (notice the walker that is folded up in the back of the cart)? What is the fort coming to?????? Hoodlums.

 

[BradyBz12]

We had weekend neighbors back in December that let their young son drive the cart. He was 11 if a day, and he had a grand time loading his siblings into the thing and "off-roading" through the wooded areas into the back part of their site.

And if you're old enough to drive a cart, you darned well should be old enough to READ and know where you're not supposed to be!

Anyone wanna bet that if one of these young kids gets hurt, their parents will sue??

<sigh>

 

[Me&3]

We had weekend neighbors back in December that let their young son drive the cart. He was 11 if a day, and he had a grand time loading his siblings into the thing and "off-roading" through the wooded areas into the back part of their site.

And if you're old enough to drive a cart, you darned well should be old enough to READ and know where you're not supposed to be!

Anyone wanna bet that if one of these young kids gets hurt, their parents will sue??

<sigh>

You hit the nail on the head with that. Those are the same parents that never know where there kids are.

 

[stacktester]

You hit the nail on the head with that. Those are the same parents that never know where there kids are.

When we were there we saw some kids on 2 carts racing towards the Outpost. They were actually hitting one another and 1 kid was trying to go from 1 cart to the other on the back seat. We followed them to the parking lot where they took off and went back to the Meadows with us following once again. I'm sure had an injury occured there would have been a lawsuit. I fear one day carts will be gone from the fort like other things we used to enjoy, but maybe not, they make money which is the game there.

 

[BradyBz12]

They were actually hitting one another and 1 kid was trying to go from 1 cart to the other on the back seat.

Makes you wonder what the heck their parents are doing and on what planet they could possibly think turning their kids loose on the public like this is a good idea.

 

[mrsscooter]

Ok, so I too am hoping that the splash zone will be finished by October....are there any preliminary pictures/plans out there somewhere to get an idea of what it will look like? Also just out of curiosity, what are all the stands with three milk crates in them for? I see them in a lot of pics, but I was wondering what they were for?

 

[DisneySoccerScouts]

The three milk crates are for recycling, they are every couple of sites in every loop. It really helps and you can take your cans, bottles, papers, etc out every morning (or evening) or in the case of beer cans frequently both!

 

[Tri-circle-D]

I have a theory on this crew. I think the granny in your pic is not sleeping in that chair at that site, I think this gang drugged her and STOLE her golf cart (notice the walker that is folded up in the back of the cart)? What is the fort coming to?????? Hoodlums.

LOL! Good one! That is a walker on the back of the hoodlums' cart. One of the hoodlums had a bum wheel.

Probably from a golf cart accident.

When we were there we saw some kids on 2 carts racing towards the Outpost. They were actually hitting one another and 1 kid was trying to go from 1 cart to the other on the back seat. We followed them to the parking lot where they took off and went back to the Meadows with us following once again. I'm sure had an injury occured there would have been a lawsuit. I fear one day carts will be gone from the fort like other things we used to enjoy, but maybe not, they make money which is the game there.

Despite that fact that WDW has you sign your life away to rent a cart, they still have potential liability in the event of a golf cart injury. Abuse and disregard of the rules has become rampant. There used to be castmembers from the Bike Barn who drove around on occasion to monitor compliance with the rules. I never see that any more. A golf cart can cause serious injuries and property damage, and not just to the occupants. It surprises me as well that the company can be so lackadaisical in enforcement of its own rules. I am not sue happy, but if one of my children was injured by an under-aged driver, or if one of these knuckleheads ran into my car, I sure as heck would expect WDW to pay for it. By not making any effort to enforce their rules, they might as well not have any.

OK, I am off my soap box now.

I am not going to say anything more about that.

Ok, so I too am hoping that the splash zone will be finished by October....are there any preliminary pictures/plans out there somewhere to get an idea of what it will look like? Also just out of curiosity, what are all the stands with three milk crates in them for? I see them in a lot of pics, but I was wondering what they were for?

I am sure the splash zone will be finished by mid-May at the latest. It will most definitely be done by October. No worries there. I have not seen any pictures or plans for the splash zone. I was told by what appeared to be a knowledgeable cast member that it will have a spraying tower and slides for smaller children. I came "this-close" (I am holding my thumb and index finger close together-almost touching) to getting my hands on a full set of plans, but I would have had to commit several felonies to do so, so I let that chance go. You can read more about that later in this never ending trip report.

Now, about the milk crates. I am not sure what they are for either. I occasionally will stack the crates to use as a makeshift ladder if I need to reach something high at my site. Back in the day, my kids used to borrow them for their pine cone collections. They also make good seats, in a pinch, if you have unexpected visitors. Otherwise, you've got me.

Is there a milkman at the Fort?

J/K

The next poster has the correct answer:

The three milk crates are for recycling, they are every couple of sites in every loop. It really helps and you can take your cans, bottles, papers, etc out every morning (or evening) or in the case of beer cans frequently both!

Yes of course they are recycling bins!

Here is a photo of what they look like:

And kudos to WDW for encouraging recycling!


TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

OK, as promised, we are now going to take a break from looking at pool photos, and discuss something else.

The Visual Display Complex.

If you don't know or care about this, go ahead and skip this post. There will be some more pool photos coming soon.

First, let's start at the beginning.

Fellow Disboard member clkelley diligently monitors a website called Mouseplanet. The folks on this website monitor the building permits filed by WDW with Orange County, and post blurbs about the permits on their site on a weekly basis.

There were some posts in the January/February 2009 time frame relating to something called a Visual Display Complex at Fort Wilderness. These are the blurbs:

For the week of January 11, 2009:

• Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground's – Construct the expansion of 600 Loop.
• Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground's – Visual display complex – Build-out and set-up eighteen modular trailer units.

Clkelley also posted, later in January, that mouseplanet mentioned this:

• Fort Wilderness Campground – installing merchandise trailers at Visual Display Complex.

And, for the week of February 2, 2009:

• Fort Wilderness Campground Visual Display Complex – abatement and demolition

After clkelley posted these updates, there was some discussion here on the boards where folks speculated what this Visual Display Complex could be, and what the modular trailer units might be. Some folks thought that perhaps these modular trailer units would be cabins, and that they would be installed on the 600 loop expansion. Some folks thought maybe this was going to be some type of sales center for the Disney Vacation Club (DVC). Some folks thought that maybe a trailer/rv manufacturer was going to set up a display of its various units somewhere at the Fort.

But, to date, no one has really figured out what this all means.

One thing that I overlooked is the abatement and demolition blurb. Abatement. When referring to a construction project, I believe that usually is referring to the removal of something hazardous. Like asbestos. Or an underground fuel tank. Something like that. Also, note that something was going to be demolished. And there is reference to merchandise trailers.

If you google "Visual Display Complex," the only hits you will get are the ones relating to mouseplanet and the discussion of the VDC here on the Disboards. So, this term, whatever it refers to, is not something that is in common use relating to DVC or WDW for that matter.

Now that the expansion of the 600 loop has been completed, we know that there are not going to be cabins installed on the 600 loop. So that speculation appears to been incorrect.

So, what does the VDC have to do with this trip report?

I am getting to that.

When I returned my cart on 4/4/09, I took a walk back to the area where they store the golf carts.

There was a pretty recent post from a new Disboard member that suggested there were 18 trailers parked in the golf cart storage area. I didn't think this was true, but I wanted to see for myself.

As I approached the golf cart storage area, I saw what looked like two large mobile homes wrapped in white plastic. Like you see sometimes when they are moving a large mobile home or a boat on the highway. I took out my camera to snap some photos, and got a couple of the golf carts stored back there, but not the wrapped trailers. A castmember approached me to tell me that this area was off limits, and she nicely asked me to not take photos. So I put the camera away. I did ask her what the wrapped up trailers were about. She said that they were removing all of the old modular offices that had been in this area, and that they were getting new ones.

Hmmm. Those old offices were modular units. Old modular units. Don't these sometimes contain asbestos? And they are getting new offices. Not building new offices-getting new offices. Like they are just going to be brought in and delivered. Modular units?

So that we are all on the same page, this is the area that we are talking about:

This is an aerial view of the FW entrance area:

The rectangular area off to the left is a "backstage" area that has been there for ever. This is where the golf carts are now kept.

Here is a little closer look. The two loops that you see to the left of the rectangular area are the 2700 and 2800 cabin loops:

Here are two even closer views of the area. As you can see from these photos, there are modular offices set up in this area:

What I have never been able to figure out is the purpose of these offices. There is no internal road from the offices to the Fort. There is a separate, extensive, maintenance area elsewhere on the Fort premises, so these offices are not used by the housekeeping or maintenance staffs. So who works there, and what do they do? I still don't know.

But, I do know this.

When I snuck back to this area to look for the new golf cart facilities in October, 2008, I took this photo. You can see some of the modular buildings clearly in the background:

Now, here is a photo that I was able to snap on 4/4/09 before the castmember asked me to stop:

I think that the buildings visible in the October photo should also have been visible, at least partially, in the April photo. I think the buildings have, indeed been removed, as stated by the castmember. And the two units that I saw on 4/4/09 were all wrapped up. Like maybe they were trying to contain something hazardous. Abatement? You tell me.

So, my working hypothesis now is that the references to a Visual Display Complex and new merchandising trailers/modular units are references to the work going on in this area. I am thinking that these offices are used for inventory and such for the trading posts and the WL gift shop, and maybe the gift shops of the other resorts in the vicinity. But, I still don't know why this would be called a Visual Display Complex, so I could be wrong about all of this.

Obviously, further investigation needs to be done, but I think I am onto something here.

TCD

 

[dtum]

Not sure I like how open loop 600 is. It looks like one big open patch of cement and right on top the road? Disney may know how to make $$, but it's always at the consumer's expense. Hope we don't end up there in June.

 

[Donna]

i know when i worked for disney at the disney store, "visual display" was what we used when referring to signage used for promos, sales, new merchandise, etc., also could be shelving units, display hooks,etc. just a thought that goes along with your theory, maybe they keep this heavy hardware type stuff for the trading posts in here!

when is your next trip?

 

[clkelley]

Quite true. All these permits are not necessarily for "onstage" stuff.

They have to file a permit for backstage work also!!

 

[mrsscooter]

LOL! Good one! That is a walker on the back of the hoodlums' cart. One of the hoodlums had a bum wheel.

Probably from a golf cart accident.



Despite that fact that WDW has you sign your life away to rent a cart, they still have potential liability in the event of a golf cart injury. Abuse and disregard of the rules has become rampant. There used to be castmembers from the Bike Barn who drove around on occasion to monitor compliance with the rules. I never see that any more. A golf cart can cause serious injuries and property damage, and not just to the occupants. It surprises me as well that the company can be so lackadaisical in enforcement of its own rules. I am not sue happy, but if one of my children was injured by an under-aged driver, or if one of these knuckleheads ran into my car, I sure as heck would expect WDW to pay for it. By not making any effort to enforce their rules, they might as well not have any.

OK, I am off my soap box now.

I am not going to say anything more about that.



I am sure the splash zone will be finished by mid-May at the latest. It will most definitely be done by October. No worries there. I have not seen any pictures or plans for the splash zone. I was told by what appeared to be a knowledgeable cast member that it will have a spraying tower and slides for smaller children. I came "this-close" (I am holding my thumb and index finger close together-almost touching) to getting my hands on a full set of plans, but I would have had to commit several felonies to do so, so I let that chance go. You can read more about that later in this never ending trip report.

Now, about the milk crates. I am not sure what they are for either. I occasionally will stack the crates to use as a makeshift ladder if I need to reach something high at my site. Back in the day, my kids used to borrow them for their pine cone collections. They also make good seats, in a pinch, if you have unexpected visitors. Otherwise, you've got me.

Is there a milkman at the Fort?

J/K

The next poster has the correct answer:



Yes of course they are recycling bins!

Here is a photo of what they look like:

And kudos to WDW for encouraging recycling!


TCD

Thanks, to the both of you! I kind of had a small thought that they were for recycling, but funny thing, in all of the pictures they are EMPTY!!! So, either the cast members are right on top of emptying them, or the campers dont use them.......LOL But, I too agree that its good that Disney encourages recycling.

 

[dtum]

We made good use of them last trip to FW. I think it's great they have recycling. I think we were the only ones using them though because our stuff was always the only stuff in them.

 

[bigdisneydaddy]

Thanks, to the both of you! I kind of had a small thought that they were for recycling, but funny thing, in all of the pictures they are EMPTY!!! So, either the cast members are right on top of emptying them, or the campers dont use them.......LOL But, I too agree that its good that Disney encourages recycling.

When I camped next to the Mayor 2 weeks ago, the aluminum one was quite full.