TCD is a VIP! A FW Cabin trip report May 2009

[Tigger0624]

TCD- We missed you again! I did see you Sunday when you were returning your cart, but we were on our way through the mayham to head over to Sea World for the afternoon...

Great trip report as always! I had a ton of pics of the splash zone/pool stuff, but you beat me to it! I was hoping to get the scoop on that, but stood at the Fort till Monday

Hopefully next time we'll catch you!

 

[Comptech]

No I did not know, It must be that the womens was last week and the Mens is this week coming up?
Last time we had friends in the race and it was fun to see them compete. It is a grueling race....Some of those people coming across the finish line just melt into the ground as they cross....

You didn't happen to get any pics from the 800 loop did ya????

Hmmm.

That's a lot of bikes, too.

Your ticker says you are going in 5 days.

Do you know that there is another triathlon on 5/17?

That's in five days, too!

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

No I did not know, It must be that the womens was last week and the Mens is this week coming up?
Last time we had friends in the race and it was fun to see them compete. It is a grueling race....Some of those people coming across the finish line just melt into the ground as they cross....

You didn't happen to get any pics from the 800 loop did ya????

The one this past weekend was the Danskins Women's Triathlon. The one this coming weekend is the Ironman 70.3 (I think this used to be called a half-Ironman). As far as I know, this one is for men and women. It will be a lot longer of a race, so things will be tied up for most of the day. It looks like their awards ceremony is not until 4 pm.

You know, I'm sorry, but I don't think I even looped around the 800 loop on this trip. As you will see as I continue on with my report, my mobility was limited by the race on Sunday morning. So, no 800 loop photos, but don't worry, that is a nice loop (it's my current favorite).

TCD

 

[Comptech]

TCD,
NP, I am going to request a site along the back outside part of the loop with the trees to our back...
Cant Wait!

The one this past weekend was the Danskins Women's Triathlon. The one this coming weekend is the Ironman 70.3 (I think this used to be called a half-Ironman). As far as I know, this one is for men and women. It will be a lot longer of a race, so things will be tied up for most of the day. It looks like their awards ceremony is not until 4 pm.

You know, I'm sorry, but I don't think I even looped around the 800 loop on this trip. As you will see as I continue on with my report, my mobility was limited by the race on Sunday morning. So, no 800 loop photos, but don't worry, that is a nice loop (it's my current favorite).

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

After fortifying myself with a beer or two, I head back out for some exploring.

When I stopped by the pool, there was a castmember out front shooing all of the golf carts away. Most of the area where golf carts used to park is fenced off for construction work now, and the rest of the area has bike racks on it. Things are kind of a mess outside the pool right now, but this should settle down once they get the construction fences down in the next few weeks.

So, I had to park the cart over in the new fenced-in area by the campfire area:

After completing my pool inspection and photos (which are posted on the pool pictures thread), I headed over to the 900 loop. It was around 5, but the landscape guys were still at work. This man is adjusting a sprinkler line near a new planting:

Here is a look at one of the new and improved sites (this is the last inside site) You can see that the new grill and picnic table are here and ready to go:

Even though the landscape guys are still working, I have to go ahead and take my walk around the loop. So, here we go. I am walking around the loop clockwise, so I think this is the next site on the inside. You can see the grill from the back corner of the other site there in the right of the photo:

Here are some more shots, as I walk around the loop:

As you can see, the site markers have yet to be re-installed, so it is hard for me to reference sites, but this next one shows site 914 on the right. We just camped there at the beginning of April:

Continuing on . . .

You might have noticed that these last few sites don't have their picnic tables yet. But, it looks like all the grills are installed, and I think the landscapers are finished with planting too. It looks like all that is left to do is to spread pine needles over everything, and they will be ready to open.

Here we are back at the beginning of the loop. The guys are loading up their stuff to get out of here for the day:

This is the very first site on the 900 loop (901). I think it is too close to the road, but it still looks like a pretty nice site:

My verdict on the 900 loop is that it did not turn out too bad. It still has a lot of trees, and almost every site has a lot of room on each side, and in the back. I like this loop way better than the 600 loop, for example. I wish they hadn't made this into a premium loop, but now that it is premium, I would put it up there as one of my first choices, if I reserved a premium site.

Next up, some pics of the cabin, and then off for some real spying photos.

And, I have some follow up pics on some things that we have looked at before which you might find interesting.

TCD

 

[xJersey_Guy]

Looks like we will be in the same boat. We will arrive at the Ft on for a weeks vacation on May 16th. I hope we do not encounter the same chaos at check-in that you did. Our plans for the 17th are to take the first boat we can over to MK. I also hope that, as we will be renting golf carts, that the transportation issues will not effect us all that much.
BTW thank you for all of your pictures of the pool area. It would be great if they could complete the work and open the splash area during our trip. Our kids are starting to get so excited - first trip.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

TCD,
NP, I am going to request a site along the back outside part of the loop with the trees to our back...
Cant Wait!

As you might have just read above, the 900 loop should be open by the time you visit, and it is very much like the 800 loop. You might want to make that your second choice in case you can't get into the 800 loop.

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Here we are back at our cabin.

The two cabins on the 100 loop have sat here for years. I have seen them every time I have visited the Fort. Sometimes they have people in them, but a lot of times they don’t. There have been all kinds of rumors about these cabins. The most prevalent one that I used to hear is that they were privately owned, and used by a private company for its employees only. But, that rumor is obviously not true, because they let me stay in one. What I was told by a castmember is that they are not booked through the normal central reservation system. They are used by Disney management as accommodations for company officers and other muckety-mucks. The bookings are made through some other division in the company, and the Fort front desk is told after the fact when to have the cabins ready for these guests. On rare occasion, the front desk can put a regular slob in there. And it just so happened that last weekend was my turn.

The cabins are no different from all of the other cabins at the Fort on the inside (except cabin 120 is “backwards”). The difference is on the outside. Here is what cabin 120 looks like from the front:

And, here is what it looks like in the back (this is my favorite part):

You get a grill, and a nice rock fire pit!

Here’s a look back toward the cabin from the fire pit area:

Look at that rock fire pit! Can you imagine sipping on an ice cold beer while grilling some nice juicy steaks right there? Wouldn’t that be great! I have thought about that many times as I have driven by these cabins.

And, do you know the music that is played from the speakers along the path that goes down to the marina?

You can hear that perfectly from the cabins.

Really nice!

And a look toward the front loop from the back:

Here is what you see looking from the back of the patio area toward Pioneer Hall:

And, this is looking toward the marina. You can see just a bit of Bay Lake from the porch:

Cabins 118 and 120 face each other, so if someone is in 118, you may have to look at them if they are out enjoying their rocking chairs. This is Cabin 118, from the grill area of cabin 120:

This is just another shot of the area in between the two cabins:

This art work hangs over the table in the dining area inside the cabin (I think all of the cabins at FW have this same picture):

The natural landscaping around these cabins is nice. This is kind of how it used to be between the campsites before the Fort management went wild with the clearing project that has been going on for the past couple of years:

That’s all the cabin photos for now.

But, there will be some more later.

Next up- it’s time to do some spying!

TCD

 

[Comptech]

TCD,
you read my mind! I was thinking as I was reading your post.. I wonder if the 900 loop will be done by next week? I will fax my request tomorrow and ask for the 800 loop and the 900 loop as a backup...
Thanks!!!! we could be the first people to camp in the new 900 loop???

As you might have just read above, the 900 loop should be open by the time you visit, and it is very much like the 800 loop. You might want to make that your second choice in case you can't get into the 800 loop.

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Looks like we will be in the same boat. We will arrive at the Ft on for a weeks vacation on May 16th. I hope we do not encounter the same chaos at check-in that you did. Our plans for the 17th are to take the first boat we can over to MK. I also hope that, as we will be renting golf carts, that the transportation issues will not effect us all that much.
BTW thank you for all of your pictures of the pool area. It would be great if they could complete the work and open the splash area during our trip. Our kids are starting to get so excited - first trip.

Let me get this right, you are an ex-Jersey guy living in Northern Kentucky?

Wow! That must be a culture shock.

Anyway, you are going to need to make alternate plans for the 17th. Check out this link: http://www.floridahalfironman.com/2009IMFHAI.pdf. This weekend's triathlon is a BIG deal.


On this past Sunday, there were no boats going anywhere from the FW marina until after 9:30.

If you plan on going to the MK, I would suggest that you get going early, and drive to the Contemporary or Transportation and Ticket Center. I normally would not suggest this, but things will surely be a mess on Sunday morning. You will see that as I continue with this report.

Don't let it ruin your trip. At least you know ahead of time, and can plan accordingly. Once the race is over, things will go back to normal.

And, I really do think that darned splash zone will be open before Memorial Day.

TCD

 

[xJersey_Guy]

Let me get this right, you are an ex-Jersey guy living in Northern Kentucky?

Wow! That must be a culture shock.

Anyway, you are going to need to make alternate plans for the 17th. Check out this link: http://www.floridahalfironman.com/2009IMFHAI.pdf. This weekend's triathlon is a BIG deal.


On this past Sunday, there were no boats going anywhere from the FW marina until after 9:30.

If you plan on going to the MK, I would suggest that you get going early, and drive to the Contemporary or Transportation and Ticket Center. I normally would not suggest this, but things will surely be a mess on Sunday morning. You will see that as I continue with this report.

Don't let it ruin your trip. At least you know ahead of time, and can plan accordingly. Once the race is over, things will go back to normal.

And, I really do think that darned splash zone will be open before Memorial Day.

TCD

It's all true. Born and raised in the Garden State living in Northern Ky. A major, almost daily, culture shock is when my 4 yo asks for pop and does not understand what soda is. It is funny that with so many WDW guests and CMs coming from NJ, going to the world feels a lot like going home.

Thanks for the information on the triathlon - forewarned is forearmed. Very glad that we decided to rent a car. Any idea if the early morning bus to Wilderness Lodge will be effected? Although we planned on driving to the other parks, we were hoping to not have to drive to MK. We thought that the combination of the boat and golf carts would allow us to make a quick trip back to the cabin in the afternoon for the boy's nap.

That would be great news if they can open the splash zone before Memorial Day. By your pictures it looks like they are very close.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Well, this thread is already getting long, and we haven't even seen any classic TCD spy photos.

Time to fix that.

In my trip report from this year's spring break trip, I posted this:

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

Since then, I received a tip from Disboard member clkelley that I could possibly see this backstage area from the horse trail. I intended to check that out on this trip.

But, this triathlon commotion made me think that it would not be so easy to sneak around in the morning, which is when I usually have my best time spying.

Well, desperate times call for desperate measures.

Here on Saturday afternoon, there was a lot going on at the Fort. The check in area was a zoo. There were cars parked everywhere. The Settlement area was also a zoo, with triathletes checking in, and riding around on their bikes, and wandering around where they had no business wandering around. And, the pool was a zoo, with a castmember trying to keep folks from parking in unauthorized areas.

I noticed that the FW security types were hard at work just trying to maintain some semblance of order.

That meant that they were not out on their normal patrols. Looking for TCD snooping around in the backstage areas.

Did I hear opportunity knocking?

I think I did.

So, I hopped on the cart, and headed straight for the new golf cart storage area.

I remember someone asking about a night drop for golf carts a while back. There used to be one at the Bike Barn.

Well, I found the new one:

But, that isn't what I was looking for.

I wanted to see if there were new trailers in this backstage area.

And, guess what?

The area was deserted.

Not a soul around.

So, I drove right in . . .

This is where they charge up all of the golf carts:

And, look, that's a new building back there:

These are all new buildings.

And they look like modular trailer units to me.

Here are some more photos of this area:

Wow, that was fun.

And, I think this is the visual display complex.

Don't ask me why they call it that. I still think it has something to do with the merchandise that they sell at the gift shops.

I am satisfied that this little mystery has been solved.

As I drove out, a castmember was walking in. I gave him a wave and a hello, and he did the same.

That was easy.

I got to thinking, where else have I wanted to snoop around but not been able to?

Don't worry, I thought of something.

And, I have some pretty cool photos to share.

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Thanks for the information on the triathlon - forewarned is forearmed. Very glad that we decided to rent a car. Any idea if the early morning bus to Wilderness Lodge will be effected? Although we planned on driving to the other parks, we were hoping to not have to drive to MK. We thought that the combination of the boat and golf carts would allow us to make a quick trip back to the cabin in the afternoon for the boy's nap.

All transportation will be affected, to some degree, in the morning. I don't know how many triathletes they expect for this week's event, but last week it was approximately 2200. And, most of them had spouses, friends or kids there to cheer them on. They all started out together in the Settlement area that morning. So, there basically was no FW transportation there in the morning. You couldn't even drive your cart down there! There was a MK bus provided from the Outpost (which is not normal). I imagine the same thing will be offered on the 17th. If you are staying in the cabins, and don't want to drive, that would be your best bet- drive your golf cart to the outpost and take a bus.

You might have to take the boat home in the afternoon, and then take a bus to the outpost for your cart.

It is only one day, and after that, I would expect that you will enjoy some very uncrowded conditions until Memorial Day weekend.

TCD

 

[Donna]

i wish i could get my hands on an extra CM nametag for you for times like this; no one would ever know!

 

[BradyBz12]

I got to thinking, where else have I wanted to snoop around but not been able to?

Don't worry, I thought of something.

And, I have some pretty cool photos to share.

TCD

 

[RocklandRVers]

Looks like we will be in the same boat. We will arrive at the Ft on for a weeks vacation on May 16th. I hope we do not encounter the same chaos at check-in that you did. Our plans for the 17th are to take the first boat we can over to MK. I also hope that, as we will be renting golf carts, that the transportation issues will not effect us all that much.
BTW thank you for all of your pictures of the pool area. It would be great if they could complete the work and open the splash area during our trip. Our kids are starting to get so excited - first trip.

We are arriving on the 16th also. Did not know about the potential chaos. What was the overflow parking lot like? I am betting it was full. What time do the triathletes arrive anyway? Maybe we should put the afterburners on and get there extra early on the 16th. At least get checked in? Then we can go hide in the parks and come back later to set up our site?

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Before I traveled to my next snooping destination, I stopped by the office. My goal was to ask a castmember whether we were still expected to check out by 11, when it looked like we might be trapped in our loop until well after noon.

On my way in to the office, I enjoyed the flowers.

Even after having been at the Epcot flower and garden show earlier in the day, I was still impressed:

It was still crazy in the lobby area.

I did speak to a manager type. She said they expected things to be crazy in the morning, and they weren't expecting folks to be out by 11. In fact, it would be better to wait until a little later to leave. Cool.

I also noticed this artwork on the wall:

If I am not mistaken, this is identical to an item that was recently up for sale on e-bay. Disboard member ynottony started a thread about it.

I think it is rather valuable.

Now, it is time for some more snooping . . .

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

We are arriving on the 16th also. Did not know about the potential chaos. What was the overflow parking lot like? I am betting it was full. What time do the triathletes arrive anyway? Maybe we should put the afterburners on and get there extra early on the 16th. At least get checked in? Then we can go hide in the parks and come back later to set up our site?

Hey, don't worry. Consider yourself lucky that you know about this, and can plan for it.

Look at that link that I posted above. It has all the info for the athletes about what time they are supposed to report.

In my opinion, one of the problems is that it does not stress that they should not drive to Ft. Wilderness or attempt to park there. I think that is what was going on when we arrived on Saturday afternoon. While the lobby was crazy, the check-in lines outside were empty. So, if you are arriving with a RV, you will probably have no problems on Saturday.

You are right about the overflow lot. It was full. And not with camping type vehicles either. But, once we got into the Fort itself, things were fine.

Things will be crazy on Sunday morning for sure. You could plan on going to a park for the day, and coming back when it is all over, or you could stay and enjoy the show. That's what we did. And, it was fun.

You'll see.

TCD

 

[3gr8kids]

TCD - awesome job as always!

 

[Comptech]

TCD,
If we are coming in on the 17th do you think it will be crazy? I do not think we will get there until late afternoon?