TCD is just back from the Fort with Big news to report!

[Tri-circle-D]

Here are some more photos from my New Year's Eve trip.

I accidentally saved my photos in the wrong file, so I have some of them uploaded in a weird order. Rather than trying to keep everything in chronological order, I will just post these photos randomly. I hope you don't mind.

As mentioned in my first post above, all of the Christmas decorations came down on Friday night, January 2nd.

In this photo, I caught one of the evil elves. There was a large crew of people taking down the decorations, and they were not in castmember uniforms. I wonder if they just use temporary labor or something for this?:

On Friday night, there was a Christmas tree here. On Saturday morning, it was gone!:

The workers obviously worked fast. Here, you can see that they left behind the zip ties that had held the garland on the Trails End building:

Here is something that I never noticed before.

I have driven by this sign at least a thousand times:

If you look closely, you can see where the words "River Country" were painted over:

I never noticed that before!

During my trip, I noticed a lot of trash in the canal behind our site. But, low and behold, a worker came and removed it on Saturday morning. Good show!:

It has been years since we ate at the Whispering Canyon Cafe over at the Wilderness Lodge. On the last few trips, we have noticed that there seems to be a lot of fun going on in this restaurant. So, on this visit, we ate dinner there one night.

Another of my Christmas gifts was a Hidden Mickey guidebook. I am not much into this Hidden Mickey business, but it is kind of fun to look around for these. The author mentioned that one of his favorites was at the Wilderness Lodge. My youngest DD found it. See here:

That's a pretty cool one, wouldn't you say? And, although it appears quite obvious in these photos, it was pretty tough to find!

While we are talking about Hidden Mickeys, here are some more, in a prop from the food court at the Port Orleans French Quarter. There are upside down Mickey heads in between the Fleurdelis on this crown:

I took these photos early one morning as the sun was just starting to hit the back porch of the Meadow Trading Post- just thought the light might create an interesting photo:

If you look closely in the background of this photo, you can see the survey markers that I mentioned at the beginning of this report:

Here is a dog on the 1400 loop. Which is not a pet loop:

I think that I saw dogs on every loop, whether a pet loop or not, including several on the 2000 loop, which is a partial hook up loop, and supposedly, dogs are never allowed there! I don't know what exactly is going on here, but there has been some mention of all loops becoming pet loops. Seems like the Fort management really doesn't care who has pets or where they have them.

I thought the sun shield on this motorhome was pretty cool, so I took a photo of it to show you:

That is pretty cool, isn't it?

Have you ever wondered how they handle the housekeeping in the cabins. Well, every morning, they haul out the carts for the housekeepers, and then in the evening, they come back around and retrieve them. This is the cart that they use for this purpose:

Here is a neat photo . . .

Look at it carefully. Can you see a woodpecker?

I know where he is, and I have a hard time finding him.

Here is some help:

OK, that's enough for now.

But, check back. I have more photos to share.

TCD

 

[Boomer1]

Did you say site 2063?



A truck camper with a Gators gazebo?



Hang on for a just a minute . . . .



I will be right back . . . .




(TCD steps away to check his photo archives)



OK, sorry for the wait, but I found what I was looking for . . .


I this their rig?:

I remember the Gator awning.

As you can see, they took it down the day before they left.

I took this photo because these young gang members had created a fort in the middle of the 2000 loop by scraping up and making piles of the pine needles that were just uniformly spread around the loop by the Fort's landscaping department. There was another fort created via the same method at another place on the loop.

I am thinking the landscapers weren't going to be happy to see this!

These gang members were out all day challenging each other to fights with their futuristic weapons:

My middle DD regretted that she had not packed her light saber and Darth Vader helmet (which, for the record, she acquired during a "phase" that has long since passed). She would have shown these posers what was what:

And, not that it was any of my business, but some of these gang members were big time cheaters. They would keep on fighting even though their arms had been cut off, or they had been fatally stabbed. There was a lot of loud, vocal, complaining coming from this part of the loop all day.

Good times!

TCD

Yes, that's them. If you look really close you can see the Canadian flag on their door.

 

[bama_ed]

On with the report . . .

As already mentioned, we were without a golf cart, and decided to usher in the New Year right from the 2000 loop.

We cooked out on the old non-upgraded grill (to my surprise it functioned just as well as one of the upgraded grills) .

We made smores:

I'd say that marshmellow is just about done.....

Good job TCD on the detective work. However, I have to weigh in with Stacktester on this one. I was glad to hear about the relocation of the golf cart rentals away from the bike barn to relieve congestion around the Meadow TP area. I like with wide-open feeling of that area but now it will be encroached on by this expansion of the 600 loop (or whatever they'll call it). All for the sake of a few more sites? Well that's the new Disney for you.

Roll Tide!

Bama ED

 

[clkelley]

I'm pretty sure they do hire contract labor to install and take down the Christmas decorations.

I've never been to the Fort when they were "undecorating", but one year I was there when they were decorating and the crew was all wearing matching shirts with a company name on it. Definitely not Disney CMs. They also had a clipboard with diagrams and pictures of how everything should be hung and hang points and electrical connections.

 

[KeepSwimmingDory]

Thanks for the interesting info and love all the pictures! Thanks for the WL hidden mickey. I think we'll try to look for hidden mickeys in the WL on my next trip.

 

[ynottony99]

Great job as always. Thanks for taking time to take all these photos and gather all this info., and then post it here for us.

 

[pooh4me]

TCD thank you for all you do to keep us updated when we are not in the place we all love. I also wanted to pass along some info I found on www.touringplans.com

"Fort Wilderness additions

Two interesting bits have come up regarding Fort Wilderness. First, the 600 loop will be expanded - to what extent we really don't know, but we expect it to be minor. Second, there has been a filing to place several trailers (13) on the property to house some sort of "visual display." Is it a DVC preview center? "

Keep up the good work.

 

[daddyphat808]

wow if they did a DVC. I am not sure if that is good or bad? I wonder the cost on it if they would. I for one am a little happy they are expanding.

 

[daddyphat808]

Also i am loving the pictures and the investigative reporting. TCD you make CNN look like a middle school news paper!

 

[Cindy F]

Here is a dog on the 1400 loop. Which is not a pet loop:

......I don't know what exactly is going on here, but there has been some mention of all loops becoming pet loops.....

Is it just me or does that dog look awfully skinny?
and
YEA!!!! I hope they do make the entire campground pet friendly. When you think about it, it's silly to have specific pet loops. Why?
As long as the pet has to be leashed on the camp site, leashed when walking, or confined in the RV what difference does it make? It's not like you have that at home ....."NO dogs on this street because.....well just because......we might see them or something".

As far as possible barking goes, same rules as at home, shut 'em up or kennel them. Honestly, the kids there make a whole lot more noise than animals do ...I have both so I'm unbiased! Campgrounds are for kids, pets, sports, outdoor activities, dirt, messy stuff, and families. I don't understand people who go to a campground and expect quiet cleanliness. It's silly. That's what hotels are for.

I'm not saying anyone here has ever said or expected anything like that...just on my soapbox due to a recent snotty remark from a non camper IRL.

 

[StPeteDisneyFan]

Thanks for all the great photos and info. I love reading your posts. Makes the time I spend away from FW seem that much shorter.

 

[Born 2 Fish]

Is it just me or does that dog look awfully skinny?
and
YEA!!!! I hope they do make the entire campground pet friendly. When you think about it, it's silly to have specific pet loops. Why?
As long as the pet has to be leashed on the camp site, leashed when walking, or confined in the RV what difference does it make? It's not like you have that at home ....."NO dogs on this street because.....well just because......we might see them or something".

As far as possible barking goes, same rules as at home, shut 'em up or kennel them. Honestly, the kids there make a whole lot more noise than animals do ...I have both so I'm unbiased! Campgrounds are for kids, pets, sports, outdoor activities, dirt, messy stuff, and families. I don't understand people who go to a campground and expect quiet cleanliness. It's silly. That's what hotels are for.

I'm not saying anyone here has ever said or expected anything like that...just on my soapbox due to a recent snotty remark from a non camper IRL.

I hope they DON'T make the whole campground pet friendly. We now have a wonderful little girl that we wouldn't trade for nothing,,BUT, before she came along , we would camp at the Fort,,and we sometimes got put inna pet loop. Well I'm here to tell you that even tho Disney provides poop bags for FREE, there are a whole lot of inconsiderate folk that WILL NOT pick up their own pets poop. And thats WRONG ! A lot of these people have kids runn'n around and it can get messy,,not to mention that I have stepped in OTHER PEOPLE'S PETS POOP.

Okay,,happy thoughts,,happy thoughts.

 

[lisa8200]

Is it just me or does that dog look awfully skinny?
and
YEA!!!! I hope they do make the entire campground pet friendly. When you think about it, it's silly to have specific pet loops. Why?
As long as the pet has to be leashed on the camp site, leashed when walking, or confined in the RV what difference does it make? It's not like you have that at home ....."NO dogs on this street because.....well just because......we might see them or something".

As far as possible barking goes, same rules as at home, shut 'em up or kennel them. Honestly, the kids there make a whole lot more noise than animals do ...I have both so I'm unbiased! Campgrounds are for kids, pets, sports, outdoor activities, dirt, messy stuff, and families. I don't understand people who go to a campground and expect quiet cleanliness. It's silly. That's what hotels are for.

I'm not saying anyone here has ever said or expected anything like that...just on my soapbox due to a recent snotty remark from a non camper IRL.

I'm with Frank for the most part. I erased a whole lot I was going to say.



Thanks for posting all the pics, they are a nice reminder of why we love the Fort.

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Yes, that's them. If you look really close you can see the Canadian flag on their door.

Canadian Gator fans? What is up with that?

TCD

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Put me in the camp of those preferring that there be some loops that are not pet friendly. I like to bring the TCD dog camping. But, when we don't, I would rather not be on a pet loop. Fortunately, the TCD dog is not a big barker, but I have had a trip or two diminished by having the misfortune of camping near a "yippy" dog. And, even when a dog is locked inside of a hard sided trailer or motorhome, you can still hear it. And, then of course, there are the people who leave their dogs in crates or chained outside. No thanks.

Enough of that.

I have more photos to share.

BTW, in case you are interested, I actually have a lot more to share, so be sure to check back.

Going back to my report, this group of photos was taken on Thursday morning, January 1st. I still am reduced to being a bike rider, but I have a reservation to pick up a golf cart today. I really wish that I had one on New Year's Eve, but that was not to be.

Anyhow, I took it easy on 12/31, and woke up early on 1/1. I decided to head down to the Settlement area for a look around.

I first visited the old River Country area, as there were reports that the water tower has been removed. I already posted a couple of these photos on another thread, but I post them again here so that the other photos will be in context.

Here is the entrance. Christmas decorations are still up (but as already reported, they were all taken down on 1/2):

You used to be able to see the water tower from here. But, it is gone!

Here is where it was:

Well, nobody is back here at this early hour.

Let's have a look around, shall we?

I walk behind the Fort Wilderness Pavilion. This is where they host Mickey's Backyard Barbecue. I find an open door to a backstage area. I have to take a peek:

Looks like a typical backstage area to me.

Just around the corner from here, I can see the back stage area around the Tri-Circle-D Ranch horse barn:

This covered-wagon looking item looks like something worthy of being checked out:

But, there are cars and trucks pulling in here as folks report to work. I will have to get an earlier start to take a closer look back here on a future visit.

So, I head into the Fort Wilderness Pavilion itself. Last night (New Year's Eve), this place was hopping! This morning, I am the only one around:

You know, I have thought about trying the Backyard Bar-B-Cue, but I think they need to add a few more drink choices.

This tree was set up just outside the entrance to the pavilion. It was a real tree:

From here, I head over to Trail's End for a cup of coffee:

I wonder if the stencil guy got fired after he painted all of the bike racks?:

Is lake Boni-Vista anywhere near Lake Buena Vista?

I don't recall ever seeing a Breakfast take-out menu posted at Trail's End before. Check out the extensive selections! :

Also, I hope that you can read the fine print. There has been some debate on other threads about whether or not hot cocoa is something that you can put into your refillable mug. Well, it says here that it is. So there.

As stated, there will be more photos (and TCD witticisms) to come, so be sure to check back

TCD

 

[2goofycampers]

Does that say Meadows Snake Bar ?

 

[Tri-circle-D]

Does that say Meadows Snake Bar ?

It sure does!

Where is the Meadows Snake Bar?

Maybe the guy who painted Lake Boni-Vista on the bike racks helped to make the take out menu?

And, while we are discussing this- is it Meadow or Meadows?

I have always said Meadows Trading Post, Meadows Pool, etc., but there is no "s" on the Meadow Trading Post sign, or the Meadow Swimmin' Hole sign.

But, there was a sign posted above the snack bar on my visit that said "Meadows Snack Bar." This snack bar is adjacent to the pool. Apparently, there is also a Snake Bar somewhere on the property. I'll have to look for it. Sounds interesting.

TCD

 

[2goofycampers]

It sure does!

Where is the Meadows Snake Bar?

Maybe the guy who painted Lake Boni-Vista on the bike racks helped to make the take out menu?

And, while we are discussing this- is it Meadow or Meadows?

I have always said Meadows Trading Post, Meadows Pool, etc., but there is no "s" on the Meadow Trading Post sign, or the Meadow Swimmin' Hole sign.

But, there was a sign posted above the snack bar on my visit that said "Meadows Snack Bar." This snack bar is adjacent to the pool. Apparently, there is also a Snake Bar somewhere on the property. I'll have to look for it. Sounds interesting.

TCD

I'm thinking they didn't fire the stencil/sign guy after all.



And great reporting, I'm loving it.

 

[Cindy F]

I hope they DON'T make the whole campground pet friendly. We now have a wonderful little girl that we wouldn't trade for nothing,,BUT, before she came along , we would camp at the Fort,,and we sometimes got put inna pet loop. Well I'm here to tell you that even tho Disney provides poop bags for FREE, there are a whole lot of inconsiderate folk that WILL NOT pick up their own pets poop. And thats WRONG ! A lot of these people have kids runn'n around and it can get messy,,not to mention that I have stepped in OTHER PEOPLE'S PETS POOP.

Okay,,happy thoughts,,happy thoughts.

I understand what you're saying and I feel the same way, if you can't be a responsible pet owner, you shouldn't have a pet and if you can't pick up after your dog or prevent them from disturbing other campers-the pet should be kenneled or you should be ejected from the campground.

I'm not saying that others should have to suffer because someone else is irresponsible-- that's not fair, but neither is it fair to penalize responsible pet owners. (can you tell my youngest DD is having an affect on me? "That's not fair!")

I'm also pointing out that the current number of pet loops vs non-pet loops is extremely disproportionate. Even if I didn't have a pet and/or didn't want to take him with us-I can still see that it's not balanced very well....especially for being the only pet friendly resort on property.

Maybe the best answer instead of changing over the whole thing- would be to have more pet loops along with Disney enforcing the "pets only in pet loops" policy and "no-disturbing others campers" and "No poop-on-the-loose" policy. Seems like that would come closest to making everyone happy. Then again, Disney will go wherever the money is at-whatever is going to make the most money will be the winner!

Yowsa.... I didn't know this was a touchy subject-which would work better as a peace offering--a white flag or free beer stand when we're next at The Fort?

 

[dfchelbay]

I'm in...put me down for one night for Mr. TCD. Now we're up to three. I will, however, expect some stellar detective work on your part....like when will this new loop be completed and ready for my reservation.