Trip Report, (*warning~VERY long) Page 1

[3gr8kids]

Well, we made it! It was our first trip staying at Fort Wilderness, and I must say, I know now what everyone is talking about. That place is AWESOME! As I write this, we’ve been home a mere 3 days, and already have plans to go back ASAP. In fact, the family and I talked about it and started planning our next trip on THIS trip’s ride home. Aaahhhhh, I get it! THIS is what “fiending” feels like!
So, time for the TR. Let’s start at the beginning shall we? (Usually a good place to start, right?) First, let me introduce the cast. It is
me, Karla (the mom, aka 3gr8kids),
my DH, Bill (no known aliases that I know of),
DDE (Ellie, 18), DDM (Maddie, 12), DS (Connor, 4), and
HDD (Honorary Dear Daughter) (Casey, DDE’s best friend, also 18).
Days One and Two ~ ~
Thursday, April 16 and Friday, April 17
We left our house in Massachusetts and were on the road at 7:15 pm. This was 2 hours later than we had planned to leave, but, we were still happy to be on our way. I took the first part of the drive, and was able to make it through Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey to the Delaware border by about 1:00-1:30 am. Then, DH took over and drove from Delaware, through Maryland, Washington D.C., and into Virginia by about 6:00 am. Then it was time to switch again. From Virginia, I drove for a couple of hours, then switched off again with DH somewhere in South Carolina. Continuing on through South Carolina, we were intrigued by all of the “South of the Border” billboards. Do you think Pedro has enough of them? My goodness!! There has to be like a gazillion (on each side of the highway) or something!. Now, being from New England, and having never driven this far south, we felt it our duty to stop in and visit ole Pedro. I’m not sure how many of you have stopped here, but I have one word for SOTB. Creepy. It felt almost Twilight Zone-ish. Anyway, after our obligatory stop and a few quick pics later, we continued on until 3:00-3:30 pm and stopped in Walteboro, SC for the night. We stayed just off the highway at a Comfort Inn. Nothing fancy, but it was clean, and they had a pool for the kids to work off some energy. (Except for the fact that DS worked off a little TOO much energy after he swallowed more than his share of pool water and proceeded to throw up all over the sidewalk around the pool). Ahhhhh, let the good times begin.
Anyway, we were ahead of schedule, so DH suggested I call the Fort and see if we could check in a day early. I laughed. “Are you crazy”? I said. “Do you know how far in advance you have to make reservations for the Fort? They book up solid months and months in advance!” Silly man. He persisted and said it was worth a try, so I called. And guess what? He is not so silly anymore. He is smart. The Disney magic started right then and there and they WERE able to accommodate us a day early!! (Actually, after we arrived at Disney, I was pretty shocked to see how many empty sites there were everywhere). I should mention, that when I had originally booked this vacation, I reserved a “Preferred Pet Loop” site. After doing some research and following the “loop upgrades and re-classification” threads on the DIS, I was wishing that I had booked a “Full Hook Up” loop instead, as the only difference it seemed was the lack of a sand pad and perhaps a new table and/or grill. But, I never got around to it, so we were still reserved in a “Preferred Pet” loop. WELL, when I was on the phone with CRO to change our check in day, they were able to switch our entire stay to a Full Hook up loop! (We decided at the last minute not to bring our dog, Odie). So, even with adding an additional night to our reservation, our total was less than originally expected! Yeahhhh, can you say “bonus”? Yahoooooo! Well, after changing our ressies, and having pizza delivered to the hotel for supper, it was time for a much needed good nights sleep. I think we were all asleep that night by 8:15 pm!

Day Three
Saturday, April 18 ~ ~
We are up and out early to continue on to WDW. We arrive in Orlando at about 2:00 pm, and after stopping in Kissimmee on 192 to give the truck and camper a good scrub-a-dub (I can’t believe the amount of bugs that were squished on there!), we pulled in to the Fort at about 3:00 pm. Talk about EXCITED!! When we pulled up to check in, there weren’t any lines, and check in couldn’t have been easier. Everything went smoothly (even with our reservation change) and even though I think our “hostess” was fairly new, she was as sweet as can be, very helpful with my 10,000 questions, and didn’t seem to mind at all the crazy lady snapping pictures of her and all of the surroundings. That’s the Disney spirit! We were assigned to Possum Path, loop 1100, site 1118 to be exact. We loved it! For us it was perfectly located (far enough away from the hustle and bustle, but still close enough to everything we wanted/needed). It is a nice, level, partially shaded, fairly large site, and I swear that someone measured the distance of two of the tree to PERFECT hammock hanging length. It was a terrific site for us. After pulling in, unloading (you’ll see from the pics it looks like our camper just threw up) and setting up (which took approximately 1 hour start to finish)it was time to RELAX and take it all in (big sigh) “AAHHHHHH”, we were finally at the Fort! That night, we drove to Downtown Disney to walk around and have some dinner at the Earl of Sandwich (YUM). After dinner, we strolled around DTD some more, and then headed back to the Fort for a good nights sleep.

Day Four
Sunday, April 19 ~ ~
Today we were up early and after meeting up with Kenny from Tee-Time to pick up our golf cart, we headed by boat to the Magic Kingdom. (Note ~ if you haven’t already heard/read about Kenny @ Tee-Time, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him. He is one of the nicest, most accommodating men I’ve ever met, not to mention he is considerably less expensive than WDW golf cart rentals). The Magic Kingdom wasn’t the most crowded I’ve ever seen it, but still there were quite a few people there. We did a lot of the major attractions/rides (DD’s, DS, HDD and I would wait in line at one attraction while DH went a got Fast Passes for another). We were able to do Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Country Bear Jamboree, Haunted Mansion, Buzz Lightyear (always a fave), Monsters, Inc. (another fave), and more, and shortly after the 3:00 Main Street Parade (what time does that start? lol), we caught the boat back to the Fort for supper, a swim, and some quick looping before going back to take advantage of the EMH. The new pool area at the Fort is FABULOUS. We all had a lot of fun going down the slide and frolicking in the pool. (Note~DH read this and said he ABSOLUTELY did NOT frolic. I disagree and may even have pictures to prove it, lol). Anyway, as previously mentioned, the MK was having EMH that night, so we all caught the boat again around 8:00 and headed back. DS and I stayed until about 10:00, which, at that point we were both exhausted, so DH stayed with DD’s and HDD, while DS and I caught the boat back to the Fort to get him to bed. The MK was open until 3:00 am, but DH and girls only made it until about 1:00 am and then they came back.

 

[3gr8kids]

Day Five
Monday, April 20 ~ ~
Off to Animal Kingdom! We drove our own vehicle (except for the boat to MK, we took our own truck everywhere, as we had the Diamond Parking Pass, so parking was never an issue. No “Pluto 897 section” for us this trip, lol. We arrived at Animal Kingdom and DD’s, HDD, DS and I headed right for Kilimanjaro Safari, while DH went and got FP for Expedition Everest. After a great safari ride with lots of animal sightings and a mommy giraffe and her baby in the road, we went to EE. Great ride, but too short in my opinion. After EE, we went to the Tree of Life for It’s Tough to be a Bug (another fave). After ITtbaB, DH decided it was time for Kali River Rapids. Okay. Let me preface what you’re about to read by saying, much to DH knowledge, I usually like to do the water rides later in the day, so that I’m not walking around the park all soaking wet. Oh no. DH decided it was time, so it was time. Now, riddle me this Batman. Why is it that when it’s 4000 degrees out and you feel like you’re walking around the surface of the sun, and you’ve got your bathing suit on under your clothes and you’re just DYING to get wet on a water ride.....you get nothing. You get off the ride somehow MORE dry than when you got on. How is this possible??? Needless to say, it was NOT 4000 degrees out, nor were we on the sun, nor did I have my bathing suit on under my clothes, and I wasn’t especially looking forward to getting even just a little damp. BUT, we’re at WDW, and who am I to ruin everyone’s fun, so onto the ride I go. You know where I am going with this, right? Oh yeah. I not only got damp, I got positively DRENCHED. I’m talking, looks and feels like I was just thrown fully clothed into a lake, wringing out my clothes DRENCHED. And somehow, this is all DH’s fault. Remember earlier in this report (on Day Two) I referred to him as “smart”? Well, he’s dropped a few rungs on the ladder ~ now, on Day Five, he is “fat b*st*rd”. I was so wet, that even after parking myself for 15 minutes under the hand dryer in the women’s room, I can still wring out my clothes. YAH. Good times. (Did I mention that I was wearing a plain white t-shirt? Well, maybe if I were someone like, say, a 20 year old, that wouldn’t have been a problem, and most of the male guests at Animal Kingdom that day probably would have been thanking aforementioned fat b*st*rd. But no. I am an overweight, 40something year old mom with three children, so it was not at all the image the term “wet t-shirt” conjures up if you know what I mean. In fact, I’m relatively certain there are laws in many states about my appearance after getting off this ride. The words lewd and lascivious come to mind.
Anyway, after Kali River Drowning, errrrr.... I mean Rapids, DH (now referred to as FB), decides in all his wisdom that it is time to the Nemo production. Brilliant. Okay, I’m all for seeing the Nemo show (which, by the way was fabulous), but, sitting in the air conditioned theatre while soaking (still wringing out actually) wet was probably not the best idea evah. I FROZE. I could not stop my body from shivering and my teeth from chattering. I honestly believe I could have been central Florida’s first case of hypothermia. Then, just because I am not miserable enough yet, when we left the show, it was raining. And chilly. And did I mention I’m close to, if not already, hypothermic? Great. Well, now that Mommy is sufficiently grumpy (and hypothermic), it’s time to call it a day at Animal Kingdom before the pneumonia sets in. Needless to say, it is a pretty quiet car ride back to the Fort. (Yes, looking back now I can laugh. But at the time?? Nope. Not laughing. Not even a giggle). So, we are back at the Fort, and after a nice HOT shower and throwing about 4 or 5 loads of laundry in (sorry to anyone who had to wait for a machine), we have a nice dinner at our site, do a little looping, and after collecting the laundry, we head to Epcot for a little while. At Epcot, we take in all the beautiful flowers and topiaries (what an amazing job Disney does with the landscaping), we ride The Seas with Nemo, and make it just in time for Illuminations. (Which, btw, DS sat with his hands over his ears the ENTIRE time. No complaining, no whining, no “I want to go home”. Just sat there with the hands over the ears). Yep, I guess he really enjoyed that, lol.

Day Six
Tuesday, April 21 ~ ~
Blizzard Beach today! What a beautiful morning. Except for the brief showers in the afternoon on Day Five (remember? When I was suffering from hypothermia?), the weather has been ideal. Not too much to say about BB (except that I have never seen so many “permanently implanted” bathing suits on people like the ones I saw after they rode Summit Plummet. They gave the word “thong” a WHOLE new meaning, lol. DD’s and HDD just loved lounging in the sun with the occasional “let’s go on a ride and get wet” thrown in, while DS loved the chairlift ride up to the top of Mount Gushmore, Teamboat Springs (my fave, too), the Ski Patrol Training Camp, and two other favorites, Cross Country Creek and Melt Away Bay. (Sigh), another great day at WDW. After BB, we headed back to the Fort, showered and changed, did a little looping, and headed to the Yacht Club to have dinner at Beaches and Cream. Although the food was delicious, I was quite surprised that they didn’t have some sort of chicken on the children’s menu. I’m not sure why this is, as they must have a fryer to make their awesome french fries and onion rings. So, DS pretty much went hungry at dinner this night. Hmmmm........note to self. Beaches and Cream is not the place to take DS again until his range of culinary tastes expands beyond chicken nuggets.

 

[3gr8kids]

Day Seven
Wednesday, April 22 ~ ~
YAHOOOOO!!!!!!!! Today is Character Breakfast day!!! Can you tell this is one of my most favorite things? It is tradition in my family. Every trip, without fail, we go to the Crystal Palace for the character breakfast. This time, I made our reservations for 8:05 am so we could get into the park before rope drop. I have to admit, it was kind of cool being let in while other people were waiting. I felt like a celebrity or something. (Hey, I’m a simple girl, I’ll admit it doesn’t take much). Anyway, because we had ressies for 8:05 am, we had to be up and out very early. So....after everyone got ready, we all piled into the clown car, ummm, I mean golf cart, and headed to the marina to catch the boat to the MK. EXCEPT, when we got there, we were told that the boat to the Magic Kingdom doesn’t start running until ½ hour before the park opens. This could be a problem. This is NOT what we were told yesterday when we “double checked” that the MK boat, does indeed, run early enough for us to get there in time for our ressies. So, after a slight panic attack, low and behold, the boat to the Contemporary pulls up. (Insert bright rays of light from the heavens shining down on said boat, and the Angels singing a loud “AAAHHHHHHHHH” here). We take the boat to the Contemporary, and then hop on the monorail to the MK. Problem solved. Not only was problem solved, but the kids got to ride up front in the monorail and DS got his co-pilots license!!! It’s not even 8:00 in the morning, and already we have had heavenly rays of light, singing angels, and a co-pilots license!! I love WDW. After a magical character breakfast, stuffing ourselves so completely we won’t need another bite of food until supper, DH (yes, at this point he is no longer FB, he is, once again, DH. Who am I to hold a grudge?), DS and I head off into the MK, while DD’s and HDD head over to Hollywood Studios. We do one of our favorite attractions again (Buzz Lightyear), then we head over to meet the mouse himself and his lovely bride. Following our meeting of the mice, we take a ride on the WDW RR, then see Philharmgic, ride Dumbo, Peter Pan, Pooh, do some strolling around, and back to the boat to the Fort so DS can take a much needed nap. While DS was napping, DH decided to try and set up our hammock. Notice I say “try”. We have had this hammock in our cellar for about 20 years. It is brand new, never been used. When I say “try” to set up, I mean we don’t actually have the proper “hammock hanging hardware”. So, we tried to make do with what we had. DH tied the twine around tree #1 and puts a large, strong “S” hook on it. Okay, so far so good. He then ties the twine around tree #2, (which, if you’ve been reading along, you will recall that it is the perfect “hammock hanging distance” away from tree #1. Gee, Disney does think of everything. Thank you Walt!). DH then puts a small, not so strong “S” hook on it. We are good to go. So we get DDM to “test” it. (Hey, she’s a middle child, you know the type). We say, “Maddie, try this out, we’re sure it’s WICKED comfortable”. So she does. She sits down, then lays down, gets all comfy and looks absolutely chillin’. Hmmpphhh. So we say, “Okay, get up, it’s Daddy’s turn”. Well, Daddy gingerly sits down, and it holds! Hmmppphhhh. Well I’ll be. DH is thinking this is great and he is now some “Master Hammock Hanger”, so he really starts to settle in, when all of a sudden “P-I-N-G”!!!!!!! and he’s on the ground looking all confused and not knowing what happened. Now, I have to be honest. To say that my first instinct was “OMG, are you okay?” would be lying. I was laughing too damn hard. REALLY, REALLY, REALLY hard. I couldn’t breath. Not only was I laughing, DDM was laughing. Not only was DDM laughing, I SWEAR I heard armadillos, rabbits, squirrels, otters, birds, and any other Disney wildlife in the near vicinity laughing. It was probably one of the most funniest moments evah. And the cool part? I got it all on video. Ha. Ha ha. Look, here I go laughing all over again just thinking about it. So, DH gets up off the ground, brushes all the “ground matter” off, and says in all seriousness, “well, THAT didn’t work”. HAHAHAHAHA. Really? Are you sure? What was your first clue? (insert more laughter here). Although we can’t say for sure, as we never did find the evidence, according to DH, he must have “straightened” the smaller, not-so-strong “S” (apparently, now an “I”) hook. (BTW, DH is and was fine. After I caught my breath (30 minutes later) I made sure to ask him if he was okay). So, we decide to save the hammock hanging until after the next Wally-world run when I could pick up the proper hardware. That night, DD’s and HDD volunteered (yep, you read correctly ~ “volunteered”) to stay at the site and watch DS while DH and I went to Hollywood Studios for their EMH. What great fun we had. We were like two teenagers again out on a date. (If the person I knocked over while on Hollywood Boulevard skipping and twirling a la Julie Andrews on the mountain in the Sound of Music is reading this, I am truly sorry and I’m sure with a little ice that hematoma was gone in no time). JUST KIDDING! I didn’t knock anyone over or hurt anyone on Hollywood Boulevard. Although, there was an incident at the corner of Broadway and Vine. JK. Anyway, DH and I had a blast, and we were able to ride Aerosmith RR and Hollywood ToT several times each and got back to the Fort around 11:00 pm.

 

[3gr8kids]

Day Eight
Thursday, April 23 ~ ~
Hollywood Studios day. Today was HS day, and all I can say is it was PACKED!!! And HOT!!! And did I mention packed? And hot? I think out of all our days so far this trip, this was the most crowded, and hot, and tiring day yet. It’s our own fault though. We didn’t get there until about 11:00 am. Big mistake. At 11:00 am, the FastPass return time for Toy Story Mania wasn’t until 6:00 pm. Knowing we weren’t going to be there much past 4:00 pm, we (gulp) waited in the 80 minute (gulp) stand by line. Well, luckily for us, the wait turned out to be “only” an hour. DD’s and HDD didn’t want to wait with us, so they went and did the Studio Backlot Tour and Lights, Motors, Action Stunt spectacular. After TSM, we met back up with the girls and, much to my DS’s delight, just happened to be in the right place at the right time for the Power Rangers!!! So, we got the Blue Rangers pic and autograph. Following that, we went to The Magic of Disney Animation, and we were able to get pics/autographs of Bolt and Rhino, and Frozone. From there, we went to Star Tours, and then watched the Star Wars Jedi Training Academy. To wind it all down for the day, we went to Playhouse Disney (thank God it was inside and air conditioned). Have I mentioned how hot and crowded it was at the Studios today? Well, in that heat and with the crowded condition, we decided we had had enough of the HS. We were all exhausted, so we headed back to the Fort. Once we got back, we spent some time in the pool, did a little looping, and we had a nice dinner at the site, and then one of my best friends from high school came to visit with one of her sons. Said BF now lives in Winter Garden (15 minutes away from WDW), with her DH and five kids, so I don’t see her all that much, and it was nice to catch up. We had a lot of laughs (mostly at my expense, but hey, if you can’t laugh at yourself, don’t count your chickens ‘til they hatch. No, wait. That’s not right. If you can’t laugh at yourself, the early bird gets the worm? No, that’s not right either. Well, whatever. You know what I mean, we had a lot of laughs).

 

[3gr8kids]

Day Nine
Friday, April 24 ~ ~
Today I got up before the rest of the clan and headed off to Super Wally-world. We needed more groceries and beverages, and some “proper hammock hanging hardware”. After getting back, I hung the previously mentioned hammock, and after a few modifications, we had sweet success!! What a perfect addition to the site! We will now hang our hammock every time we camp. It turned out GREAT. Because we only had one more day on our tickets, we decided to split the day between Animal Kingdom (if you refer back to Day Five, you’ll note that we didn’t spend a lot of time at AK due to circumstances beyond my control) and Epcot. So, back to AK we went. We had a nice time, just kind of strolling around and doing/seeing things we didn’t do/see the last visit. We took the Wildlife Express Train from Harambe to Rafiki’s Planet Watch, where we made some new goat friends in the Affection Section. Back at Harambe, DDE and HDD went off to do Jungle Trek and the Safari again, and DH and DDM went on Dinosaur. Meanwhile, I took DS on Triceratop Spin, and into the Boneyard to let him run around a bit. While I was sitting watching DS play, I met some new friends from across the pond. We all had a great time watching people drink from the bubblah (don’t laugh, that’s what a water fountain is called here in New England!). Apparently, this bubblah wasn’t (or WAS it???) regulated correctly, because every time someone leaned over and pressed the button to get a drink, they got a good face full of water. Now, I’m sorry, but that’s funny. This bubblah must have shot a stream of water a good 8 feet if your face wasn’t in the way. Hahahaha. It’s the little things. Anyway, after my new friends and I had quite a few good laughs, DH and DDM returned and we started to make our way to the exit to meet up with DDE and HDD. However, on the way, just as we were passing a small alleyway, some gates swung open and out came a percussion band (I can’t remember their name), and they set up and started playing some really cool beats/tunes. Well, being the shy person that I am, hahaha, I just sat on the bench and enjoyed their music. NOT. Nobody can ever accuse me of being a wallflower. Oh no. I was up there drumming and dancing like nobodies business. Suffice it to say, I am now an honorary member of this band (that I can’t remember the name of) at AK. Yeeaahh, who knows how to party? Me, that’s who.
p.s. I’ve been told we will be “taking it on the road” soon, keep an eye out for tour dates, lol. So, after dancing and getting my groove on with my band (who’s name, although I am now an honorary member, escapes me), we headed toward the exit to meet up with DDE and HDD. (I should probably mention that we are now 20 minutes late meeting them. Hey, who am I to not get my groove on when the opportunity strikes?) Anyway, whilst I was getting down with my band, and DDE and HDD were waiting for us, apparently, something crawled up DDE’s shorts and decided to take a few bites of her gluteus maximus. (That’s my nice way of saying something bit her in the a**). As we approached them, my DD was up jumping around. Well, having just jammed with my band, I thought she may have seen me and decided to do the same. You’ve heard the expression ~ “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”. So, I started dancing with her. Little did I know, she wasn’t dancing, she was trying to get the bug out of her shorts. So, for all you who saw the poor girl that looked like she was having some kind of attack at the entrance/exit of AK, she was, but not to worry. A little ice on the welts and a healthy dose of Benadryl later and she was fine. Now, time to head to Epcot. We arrived at Epcot around 3:00 pm and headed straight for Soarin’ to get FastPasses. Yah, right. Apparently FastPasses run out. Or they stop distributing them or something. This is not something we were aware of. Anyway, there were no more FP for Soarin’. Because we have never ridden this before and I’ve heard so much about it, and it is our last night on our tickets, we (gulp) decide to wait in the standby line. What the heck, it’s only an hour and 40 minute wait. WHAT? Oh well, let this be a lesson to us I guess. Well, the wait wasn’t as bad as it sounds, as the girls had their ipods, so they watched a movie, while DH and I played the “wall games” inside the queue. (For those of you with 4 year old little boys, one word. Bakugan. Those little ball thingies kept my son occupied in every line, for every wait the entire vacation. I’m not exactly sure what they are, but they kept him happy the whole time and that’s what matters I guess). And thank God the line was inside and air conditioned (although, I wouldn’t have minded a bench here or there along the way). After the ride (which was awesome and I’m glad we did it), we headed over to Turtle Talk with Crush. What a great take!!!! A “must-do” for anyone with young children. The person who voiced Crush was hysterical, and we had a ton of laughs. From there we went to the Electric Umbrella for supper. I have to say, for counter service, the food here wasn’t bad at all. After supper, DH and the girls rode Test Track, which was a treat for them, as every other time we’ve been here, TT has been closed. Well, we did all of the attractions/rides that we wanted to, it was now time for.............................................
“HATS AROUND THE WORLD” (said in my big, booming, drawn out announcer type voice). What? You’ve never heard of (again in my big, booming, drawn out announcer voice) “HATS AROUND THE WORLD”?????? Oh, my my my, let me ‘splain. “HATS AROUND THE WORLD” (yes, in THAT voice again), is the time when we go from country to country, taking pictures of the kids wearing that particular countries hat. Sounds like fun, right? Oh, it IS. It’s good for at least a few laughs. So, we start our journey in Mexico, and continue in a clockwise, orderly fashion to each country thereafter. Shall I name them for you? Okay. I’ve already mentioned Mexico. Next comes Norway (one of my favorite pics from this trip, note DS’s horns), then China, Germany, Italy (no hats here, so just took a pic of the kids in front of the Lady and the Tramp topiaries), USA (another favorite pic), Japan (here again, no hats, but who doesn’t love a nice kimono?), Morocco (I was a little confused here ~ some of the hats look a bit Rastafarian to me), France, UK (again, no specific hats here, so the kids put on the “Ireland” baseball hats and stood in front of the lovely fireplace), and finally, Canada (as you’ll see in the pics, the kids were getting just a little tired at this point). We couldn’t have timed it any better ~ just as I snapped the last photo, the lights went out for Illuminations. And, if you recall from Day Five in this report, Illuminations didn’t really go over so well with DS. So, we made our way out of the park in the nick of time after our “HATS AROUND THE WORLD” (you know the voice) extravaganza. Well, by now, my family is exhausted from our amazing race (we accomplished “HATS AROUND THE WORLD” in exactly 1 hour!), and my feet are killing me. Time to head back to the fort for a nice soak in the hot tub. Now, normally, I am not a big hot tub fan. However, on this night, my aching bones and sore muscles were loving it.

 

[3gr8kids]

Day Ten
Saturday, April 25 ~ ~
Golf morning!!! DH and I decided before we left home that we would take advantage of the “fun visits” included with our tickets. We arranged for the girls to babysit, and booked a 7:00 am tee-time at Oak Trail Golf Course. So, off we went, bright eyed and bushy tailed. (Well, maybe not so bright eyed as it was pre 2nd cup of coffee, and maybe it wasn’t my tail that was bushy, it was my hair. I could definitely do without the Florida humidity). Anyway, off we went, clubs in hand for a great 9 holes. Only it wasn’t so great. I sucked. Like really bad. But, in my defense, it was the first game of the season, so I am a little rusty. New England winters will do that to a person. The good news is that DH sucked just as bad, so we ended in a tie round. So, let’s do the math. When you figure:
A ~ I’m on vacation, not at work
2 ~ not only am I on vacation, I’m on vacation at WDW
3 ~ not only and I on vacation at WDW, but I’m on a beautiful golf course,
and D ~ it ended in a tie round = you’ve got to believe life is good. On our way back to the Fort, we stopped at the Disney outlet (I was hoping to score a Fort Wilderness spare tire cover, but no such luck). I did, however, end up getting two cute “Minnie” golf polo shirts for myself so all was not lost. As DH and I were driving back in to the Fort, we noticed a cheerleading team was practicing on the lawn just before the road for the cabins. For those that weren’t aware, the “World Cheerleading and Dance Competition” was being held at the Wide World of Sports complex this weekend. When we got back to our site, the girls and I piled into the clown cart and went to watch them for a little bit. Both DD’s were cheerleaders, so it was cool for them to see a college age team perform. I have to say, there were some BIG boys on that team, and they were tossing some TINY girls pretty high up into the air! They were fun to watch for a little bit. Well, enough of that. Back to our site we went. It was then that DDE told me we had (much to my dismay) missed a visit from fellow DISer Christy. Sorry Christy, I was very much looking forward to meeting you and yours. Hopefully next time After watching the older kids practice, and having the WWoS included as a “fun visit” on our tickets, DDE and HDD decided to try and catch some of the competition, so off they went. Unfortunately, DDE and HDD are a bit “navigationally” challenged, and instead ended up at the All-Star Sports resort. Hahahaha. Silly girls. They made it back to the site eventually, and we all spend the rest of the day looping, and having fun at the pool. That night, we had ressies for the Hoop Dee Doo Review, so after everyone got ready, we all piled into the clown cart, ummm... golf cart, and headed up to Pioneer Hall for some rib-eatin’, foot-stompin’ fun. Much to our surprise, we were seated at Table 11. Table 11 is the table in the front corner, right where the stairs to the stage are. Talk about your prime seating!! It was AWESOME. If you’re ever planning on HDDR, and want to be a part of the show, I would suggest requesting Table 11. They made good-natured jokes about DH and interacted with the girls throughout the entire show, and DS was chosen to play the “cowboy” up on stage. Have I said how AWESOME it was? I don’t know how we lucked out with getting that table, but it REALLY made a fun show FABULOUS. It was truly some Disney magic and made for some great memories.

 

[3gr8kids]

Day 11
Sunday, April 26 ~ ~
Today was our last full day, and it was a “hang around the Fort day”. One of my best friends (previously mentioned on Day Eight), came with her DH and five kids, and we had so much fun. We had a nice BBQ at our site, and then spent the afternoon enjoying the pool. Nothing really extraordinary happened, but it was nice to have some relaxing down time. After our guests left, we decided for our last night here we would head to Downtown Disney for some last minute shopping and then do DisneyQuest. However, our plans changed slightly when DS fell asleep in the car on the way there. So, while the girls and I did DisneyQuest, DH put DS in the stroller and just walked around, people watched, and took it all in. I was very surprised at how few people were at DQ. I guess Sunday night is the time to go. Who knew? Anyway, it was getting pretty late, and we had a busy day tomorrow, what with packing up and starting the drive home, so we went back to the Fort to get a good nights sleep.

Day 12
Monday, April 27 ~ ~
Departure day. a.k.a. “Blue Monday”, as it left me feeling blue that we were leaving. We were up early, starting to pack everything up. So sad. I was wishing for just a few more days here. (Okay, maybe more than a few but I didn’t want to sound greedy). But sadly, reality calls. Oh no, wait, that’s not reality calling. It’s Kenny from Tee-Time letting us know he is in the parking lot waiting for us to return the clown, ummm, golf cart. So, with me in the cart, and DH in our truck, off we go to meet Kenny. I think I can honestly say, that out of everything we saw, and everything we did on this vacation, looping around the Fort was one of my most favorite things. I think that from now on, whenever I am in a golf cart, I will close my eyes (yes, even if I’m driving), and imagine that I am at the Fort. I will pretend to hear the sound of the boat horn, or the whistle of the train and I will be happy. This will now be my “happy place”. Back at our site, we get everything all packed up (which, btw, is no small feat), and I remember that we haven’t taken our required “picture on the porch”! Okay family. Into the truck and off to Crocketts Tavern we go. (I know, we’re not supposed to drive around the Fort in anything other than a golf cart, but we all know that rule doesn’t apply to me, right? And besides, the way I see it, YOU’RE all to blame. If the porch sittin’ photo wasn’t a pre-requisite to be a fort fiend, none of this would be taking place, I wouldn’t be putting my fam in jeopardy, and I wouldn’t be breaking Fort law. Thank goodness the Disney Po-Po wasn’t around. That’s all I got ta say ‘bout that)! Anyway, we zip into the 100 loop, find an empty site, back the truck in and run over to the Tavern to snap a quick pic or two. Back to the truck, back to the site to hook up the camper, and, sniff, sniff, off we go. One more quick stop on the way out to get a pic by the Fort Wilderness sign, and at about 12:15 pm, it’s “On the road again, like a band of gypsies we go down the highway............”
So, we are off. Headed home after a truly SPECTACULAR vacation. We drove all day and night, and by about 1:00 am we are somewhere in North Carolina and too tired to drive safely anymore. So we stopped in a rest area, had a couple hours of sleep, and by 10:00 am the next morning we are in New Jersey. (Kelly, you can bet if I had directions, we would have stopped by for coffee, lol). We made it home on Tuesday, April 28 at about 2:30 pm, exhausted from our travels, but somehow refreshed from our vacation. I wonder, does that make any sense at all?

As I said in the beginning of this novel of a trip report, we are already planning our next trip to the Fort. There are a few things we will do differently, and some other things we wouldn’t change at all. One thing for sure. We will bring our dog Odie. We all missed him so much and know for sure he would LOVE the Fort. And because he peed on all of Grandma’s herbs, and walked across their pool cover sinking up to his shoulders in the pool, and threw up in their living room, and got loose once or twice, I’m sure Grandma and Grandpa will be glad. Hey, he didn’t win “Pest in Show” for nothing! The other thing we will do differently is spend less time at the parks, and much, much more time chillin at the Fort. We regret (Frank, cover your ears) that we didn’t get to do any fishing, or take part in any of the activities the Fort offers. We also regret we weren’t able to meet up with more fellow fiends and DISers. I can’t wait to be pulling through the check in again! So, until next time, here’s dreaming a wish your heart makes.

 

[VACAMPER]

Karla, great report! Your so funny. You have an awesome family, even the fb of a husband. Thanks for sharing all the pics. as well, loved them!

 

[rapriebe]

Karla,
What an AWESOME, AWESOME trip report - one of the best I have ever read. I laughed so much my DH thought I was nuts so I would have to read it to him. Thanks so much - I felt like I was at Disney with ya.

Becky

 

[We4mickey]

Great trip report! Sounds like you guys had a great time!

 

[StPeteDisneyFan]

FANTASTIC!!!!!!! Trip report. I loved your report. I felt like I was there with you. Glad you had a great time. Now look forward to your next trip.

 

[LORNADUCK]

What a great TR, I like your sense of humor. We were there your last weekend and did pass your site while we were looping, but I don't think anyone was there and I am shy (not once you get to know me). I love your hat idea I would love to try that with my GS, but he gets crabby so I don't know it he would do it. When is your next trip planned, we will be there for MM day weekend, I know we live a lot closer but we don't have good lobsters either.

 

[Just Beachy]

Karla, what a FANTANSTIC trip report (giving you a standing ovation)!!!! You are hilarious! You have a lovely family. I will have to give you my cell phone # so you can call me next time you come rolling through my neck of the woods. Unfortuntately, when you came through this time, I was at work. But I would have loved it if you had brought me a cup of coffee!!!! It sounds like you all had a really great time. Now I really wish I had stood on the side of the NJ Turnpike and hitched that ride with you....

 

[vick]

Great trip report Karla. I'm glad you had an enjoyable trip! It only took us 1 time to get hooked on the fort too.

 

[Minnie&Mickey]

Loved your trip report!!! Great pictures too!

 

[disney92]

Karla, What a great Trip Report!!

Loved the photos, your family looks beautiful.

 

[des1954]

Karla.....YOU could be the next Irma Bombeck, girl!! You are soooooo funny!!!

Your trip sounded just about perfect!! ('cept Frank would say you should have done some fishin')

 

[mrsscooter]

Hi Karla.........I looooved reading your trip report! You crack me up girl!!! When we go in October, it will be our first stay at The Fort as well....and we are more excited now since we saw all of your pics and read the report. My daughter who is 8.5 even read it over my shoulder and had a big smile!!!

 

[3gr8kids]

Thanks everyone!! We did have an excellent time. I'm glad you all enjoyed my report, and for it to make you feel like you were there with us is "mission accomplished" for me - just trying to share the magic, lol. I hope those of you with upcoming trips have as much fun as my family and I had, and I can't wait to read your reports and relive the magic through you! Thanks again

 

[big kahuna1]

Great report! Made me laugh several times.

One thing. The only REAL required picture at the Fort is one drinking BEER (we will allow Kungaloosh as an alcoholic substitute) at your site or someone elses campsite. That porch picture thingy...not so much. Now you really have a reason to go back as you took the wrong required picture.