December Trip reports

[bama_ed]

Big new cart parking lot at the Meadows Trading Post. Very comfortable but totally...corporate? Not rustic or Fort like at all. View attachment 461075View attachment 461076
cant get the orientation right

That's okay, amcc. I think the new cart lot is on the side of loop 1300 (in the direction of the check-in lobby/Outpost Depot).

Personally I wish there weren't so many golf carts but between what campers bring in and rent, you have to manage them somehow.

Bama Ed

 

[tltay2005]

We just finished setting up in Loop 2000 - thankfully no rain. I requested near transportation and near pool and I don’t think they could have found a site that LESS meets those requests. Oh, and far from the comfort station too! Still, a nice site that backs up to the canal. I was noticing how huge the green area in the center of this loop is - they can put a road down the middle and almost double the sites.
Will probably head to the pool soon with my youngest and just let the relaxation of the Fort take over.

We did not get our request either, first time ever and we come here a lot. They are super busy this weekend, maybe that is why, but we ended up very happy with our site.

 

[tltay2005]

Big new cart parking lot at the Meadows Trading Post. Very comfortable but totally...corporate? Not rustic or Fort like at all. View attachment 461075View attachment 461076
cant get the orientation right

They created this because at 4pm they bring the horse pulled sleighs to the original parking lot, so no parking is allowed. It definitely added a lot more spaces, not only for the Trading post, but also for the pool and movie.

 

[elaine amj]

Well, it has been raining all night, let up for a bit around 7am, and now pouring hard again. We are getting pretty wet in our tents

I was originally not too happy to be right by the main road and bus stop at #1501 but now am really happy to be near the bathrooms - especially in the rain!

REALLY hoping the rain gives us a break soon. I am using a new (very cheap) tent that I bought at the last minute because I discovered my big tent was too big to fly with. But there are some weak points that I am trying to learn. The door seems to be a problem but now I am wondering if it is because we left the zippers at the bottom instead of near the top. There is also a small drip at one point of the seam near DH's head - I think where the taped seams meet. That one isn't a problem - I stuffed a towel there and all is good. BUT I still need to haul stuff out and get the tent dry. Thankfully I put this mesh rubber flooring in the tent so while the floor is wet, we are all dry and comfy in our air mattresses.

That said, today is our break day and we desperately need some time to dry out and get reorganized.

AND - I think I am headed out to Walmart today for another new small tent for DS. We have 4 of us in a 9x13 8-man tent and I am hating how tight it is. And we are not able to adequately stay away from the walls and problem areas. We are used to a 10x16 or 10x14 cabin tent and that little bit of extra space is just so much better. If I buy another tent for DS (even though I have no use for yet another tent when I get home), it will give us more space in the big tent. I think that's worth $20-30.

To be honest though, I am regretting this tent camping adventure. We love tent camping and I badgered my family into trying to camp at the Fort. With all the rain, it's just mostly been a lot of work and not a lot of fun. Overall, it's been fine and everyone has been so cheerful for my sake. But I doubt any will agree to doing this again. And now I wonder if they will avoid tent camping trips in the future DH has been falling more and more in love with cabins/cottages and this trip is certainly not helping the argument for tenting it.

Anyway, I am going to spend today setting up another tarp or two and shopping for a new tent (instead of relaxing and enjoying our break day at the Fort - queue the violins....wahhh).

I have another 9 nights here at the Fort so hopefully things look up

Oh and I need to add that it is not all doom amd gloom. The other Fort campers have been such a highlight for us. Definitely the best part of camping here - we have met so many incredibly warm, friendly, and helpful campers.

 

[amcc]

Rain all night long. If you look at the radar, it’s pretty much concentrated over the Fort!! @Elaine lots of the tent campers in our loop are pretty bummed, I think a couple of the local ones will head out. The pool was the plan for today before the cool temps came we will do our monorail Christmas decoration / lounge tour instead.

 

[elaine amj]

@amcc it has been sooo wet!

But I have a load of clothes in the washer, cleaned up my tent a little, mopped up the other two tents that had major leakage and feel so much better.

DH pointed out that I was being a crazy lady talking about buying another tent. I inspected my tent today, made sure everyone was dry and feel sooooo much better about everything today. Rain is stopping and things are looking up

 

[proudmomof4]

@amcc it has been sooo wet!

But I have a load of clothes in the washer, cleaned up my tent a little, mopped up the other two tents that had major leakage and feel so much better.

DH pointed out that I was being a crazy lady talking about buying another tent. I inspected my tent today, made sure everyone was dry and feel sooooo much better about everything today. Rain is stopping and things are looking up

Some day you’ll look back at all of this and laugh.

We had a really bad experience 23+ years ago where it rained so hard and fast our tent flooded and collapsed, on our first night there. We ended up in Walmart after midnight buying a new tent to finish out the trip.

Shortly after that, we bought a popup camper. And now we have a hybrid camper.

Enjoy the rest of your trip and make lots of memories.

 

[elaine amj]

You guys are definitely making campers of some kind sound appealing!! We are mostly dried out now and had an awesome afternoon at the AMc Dine In watching the new Star Wars movie. I managed to keep it as a surprise and it was all our first time in a dine in movie theater.



They were suitably impressed when we walked in and they finally realized they were going to watch a movie. Then we entered the theatre and they found out it was a DINE IN! We all loved it.

Now I am swaying in my mostly dry hammock and afted 5 mins of bliss, it is drizzling again. Oh well - we are in Disney World, right?

 

[Teamubr]

Glad things are starting to dry out. That theater looks pretty cool. And I hope you liked the movie.

j

 

[tltay2005]

Well, it has been raining all night, let up for a bit around 7am, and now pouring hard again. We are getting pretty wet in our tents

I was originally not too happy to be right by the main road and bus stop at #1501 but now am really happy to be near the bathrooms - especially in the rain!

REALLY hoping the rain gives us a break soon. I am using a new (very cheap) tent that I bought at the last minute because I discovered my big tent was too big to fly with. But there are some weak points that I am trying to learn. The door seems to be a problem but now I am wondering if it is because we left the zippers at the bottom instead of near the top. There is also a small drip at one point of the seam near DH's head - I think where the taped seams meet. That one isn't a problem - I stuffed a towel there and all is good. BUT I still need to haul stuff out and get the tent dry. Thankfully I put this mesh rubber flooring in the tent so while the floor is wet, we are all dry and comfy in our air mattresses.

That said, today is our break day and we desperately need some time to dry out and get reorganized.

AND - I think I am headed out to Walmart today for another new small tent for DS. We have 4 of us in a 9x13 8-man tent and I am hating how tight it is. And we are not able to adequately stay away from the walls and problem areas. We are used to a 10x16 or 10x14 cabin tent and that little bit of extra space is just so much better. If I buy another tent for DS (even though I have no use for yet another tent when I get home), it will give us more space in the big tent. I think that's worth $20-30.

To be honest though, I am regretting this tent camping adventure. We love tent camping and I badgered my family into trying to camp at the Fort. With all the rain, it's just mostly been a lot of work and not a lot of fun. Overall, it's been fine and everyone has been so cheerful for my sake. But I doubt any will agree to doing this again. And now I wonder if they will avoid tent camping trips in the future DH has been falling more and more in love with cabins/cottages and this trip is certainly not helping the argument for tenting it.

Anyway, I am going to spend today setting up another tarp or two and shopping for a new tent (instead of relaxing and enjoying our break day at the Fort - queue the violins....wahhh).

I have another 9 nights here at the Fort so hopefully things look up

Oh and I need to add that it is not all doom amd gloom. The other Fort campers have been such a highlight for us. Definitely the best part of camping here - we have met so many incredibly warm, friendly, and helpful campers.

You also may want to consider buying a tarp to string up over your tent as a rain barrier or if you can, spring for an easy up and put that over the tent. Since your going to be here so long, it may be worth it.

 

[tltay2005]

Last night I was craving the peppermint hot chocolate had at DS so I made my own version, dark hot cocoa and one peppermint bark melted in it, delicious

 

[tltay2005]

Today we woke up to a very rainy morning. Cooked up some breakfast then just waited out the rain. Slowed to a slight trickle late morning so we decided to head over to check out the new Rivera resort. We parked at HS and rode the Skyliner. I was not impressed with the resort, it seemed very bland as far as the decor goes. They didn't even have a big Christmas tree . We ate lunch in the QS, which by the way was far from quick, but did keep us out of the rain which started up again. By the time we were done, rain had stopped so we headed back to the Fort. Decided to take down most of our decorations while they were dry along with taking off the cart decorations. It's suppose to rain again tonight. Dinner from the food truck again, just had to have that brisket cheese steak again. Sitting here inside dreading tomorrow.....time to go back reality. Most likely won't post tomorrow as we will pack up and head home (you know that long 40 minute drive ) then unpack, clean trailer and do laundry.

 

[tltay2005]

 

[elaine amj]

We were at rhe singalong yesterday too! Had a blast and plan to go again. Unfortunately while I brought a smores kit, I forgot the roasting sticks at home and forgot to get some from Pubkix yesterday. Will pick some up in a couple of days.

 

[amcc]

We were able to squeeze out a couple of hours at the pool and enjoyed how not crowded it was. They did cancel a lot of the games. We hit the monorail to see Christmas decorations. Something’s been bothering me about the Contemporary - do you think they really bake the same gingerbread castle every year? One year it was themed to Frozen but it’s the exact same design every year. It’s not a particularly complicated build and I’m wondering why they don’t switch it at least a little each year.
Made it to Poly which has very underwhelming decor but got in to Trader Sam’s early with all the kids. They loved the theatrics and the dumplings but the kids punch was soooooo sweet, none of them could drink it (and my kids love sugar). 3 orders of dumplings and 7 drinks (2 alcoholic) - $135. That will be the last time my kids visit with us LOL

I find the construction to be very intrusive at the Settlement. It’s beyond me why they have chosen to crowd that beautiful area of the Fort. Will there be a new dock for the DVC? The current dock barely handles the peak times here. Actually, how much will be shared? Quick service? Trails End? Let me see if I can find the plans someone here had provided.

No rain last night and it’s a cloudy but pleasant morning. Will do pool, hang out, with a goal of singalong and maybe fireworks from beach. Have a great day!

 

[Teamubr]

Do you think they really bake the same gingerbread castle every year?

I've wondered the same thing. I suspect they keep them pretty standard year to year. Makes it easier to mass produce and have ready in time for the overnight switches

3 orders of dumplings and 7 drinks (2 alcoholic) - $135. That will be the last time my kids visit with us LOL

That's bad, even with a "Disney" tax.

Will there be a new dock for the DVC? The current dock barely handles the peak times here. Actually, how much will be shared? Quick service? Trails End?

Everything I've read, combined with what they have done in the past, says Reflections will have its own dock. I'm not sure what that means for the current routes (additional stops for the resort launches/shared MK boat). Reflections will definitely have to have its own restaurants. I would imagine based on the size, at least 1 QS and a nice sit down.

Although everything can be "shared" except the pool, I would expect the new place to have all of its own amenities (pool, parking, restaurants, gift shop, dock). This is the one benefit I can see to the Fort. Having additional close places to eat and shop is a plus.

j

 

[amcc]

Gorgeous morning - blue skies and a little chilly. Since it’s a little too cold for these Floridians to hit the pool, I think we will try to check out the new Beauty and the Beast lounge at the Grand. We will set up our chairs on the beach this afternoon and head over there in time for the entertainment. Last year, my son won the doughnut eating contest and he wants to defend it.
Transportation and walking distances from this loop are a bit of a pain. If you have bikes or a golf cart, no problem, but if someone is relying on the bus, fill yourself with patience. It can be quick or it can be forever.
@bama_ed you mentioned the golf carts and they are definitely getting to the almost
overwhelming point. I’m seeing less bikes and more inexperienced cart drivers all over the paths, loaded with people, and lots of honkers-for-fun. This one is a tough one for Disney.

 

[amcc]

Some pictures

This is the closest we will be to the parks this trip.

 

[elaine amj]

Unfortunately, we are sad to report that the mild back pain that started up a week or two before Disney flared up badly after Dec 30 in MK. I think I had too much fun jumping up and down at all those dance parties lol! And then the 1:50am flat out run across MK from BTMR to Space Mountain didn't help...

Anyway - had terrible back muscle spasms the next day or two which was soothed by copious amounts of Icy Hit with Lidocaine and some Byers Extra Strength Aspirin for Back pain.

By Jan 2, I took over my mother's wheelchair. And was reduced to carousels at Busch Gardens.



We decided it was prudent to leave early instead of staying until Jan 7. So changed our flights to leave Jan 4 - waaaaaahhhhhhhh





Home now and sad not to be at WDW. But also relieved to be in my own bed where I am sleeping much, much better. Have an appt with my dr this morning and will see what is going on.

So how did we like camping at the Fort? To be honest, while there were awesome highlights - we have all agreed that tent camping and Disney doesn't mix. Camping is a lot of work. Work we love to do - yes...but not when we are impatient to go out and enjoy Disney. And flying with tent camping gear will likely never happen again. Way too much luggage to keep track of. I don't know how those families who are heavy packers do it. We usually fly with only 2 checked bags max between 4 of us. 5 of us with 10 checked bags + 2 carry ons + 4 backpacks + wheelchair was pretty awful.

Also, we discovered campground resorts just aren't our thing. We barely used the amenities. It didn't help that my DH and I both had health issues so weren't up to playing tennis, pickleball, volleyball, basketball, etc with DS17. Was hoping he would make friends there but it wasn't quite the right vibe for his age group. Kids used the pool once and we went for the singalong once (loved it!). Partly it was my kids' ages. They spent most of their free time watching movies on their phones or talking to their friends. The activities in general weren't the right fit for my teens either and we bike and canoe at home so were reluctant to pay extra for that. Plus with my back problems and all my scheduled activities, I spent most of my campground time dealing with camping work or napping. I also scheduled too many meals out - spent two whole break days mostly eating and napping. We had 11 full days there - 2 days were spent eating on the deluxe dining plan (each meal took 2.5hrs eek!!), 3 days at Sea World/Busch Gardens, 1 morning/afternoon at the AmC dine in to watch the new Star Wars, 2 days at the parks. That left 3 break days which all disappeared too fast. We did enjoy looping and the over the top Christmas decor and thought the golf cart parade was awesome. Hammocking was also awesome as always.

Sadly, the traveling firepit was taken by someone shortly before we got there - never to be seen again Just our luck - we love fires.

Frankly, from a camping perspective, I really missed tenting it in miles of real wilderness like we do in our provincial parks. Fort Wilderness was pretty, but not the same to our family. My family didn't care much for the amenities and we all prefer being in the middle of nowhere when we camp. The bathrooms were nice but only a teeny bit better than what is offered at many of our provincial parks. Not the luxurious bathrooms I expected. Although way better than vault toilets!!!

Also, it would be nice if ppl didn't think it fun to honk their golf cart horns or scream at the top of their lungs at bus stops after midnight. Late night tetherball games next to our campsite didn't help either. All in all, we didn't let that bother us too much.

I am glad we did this but doubt we would do it again. Most importantly, my family was awesome - very cheerful with minimal complaints for all I put them through. Instead they were very appreciative of my painstaking efforts. And there was certainly plenty of amazing highlights during our trip.

So grateful for all the amazing tips and advice here and all the wonderful people we met at the Fort!!

 

[proudmomof4]

@elaine amj I checked in the day you checked out and got home yesterday, it didn’t rain the whole time I was there, you must have taken it home with you, LOL.

The drink station at the pool does have an ice dispenser, your son must have missed it.