Avatab.... Steve

I agree with your take on the trees. If you are doing new lakeside construction, it makes sense to take out the old and (hopefully) put in new trees. I also agree that Disney has gone DVC crazy. It wouldn't be so bad if they would create new DVC only resorts but they are trying to have it both ways. They build lots of new DVC money makers, but siting them so that they leach off of the existing resorts without having to add anything new to support the extra guests. The WL already had DVC rooms, now they will have many more. And all those new guests will be using the WL and it's ameni

Nice sticker So were they all claimed?

I've been saying that same thing for awhile now. The 10 per site rule makes the Fort the best bargain on property *IF* you have 10 (or more) people to split the price. No other CG allows that many on one site fee. If they reduced that to a more reasonable number, then charged extra for more people or required getting another site, I believe you would see many of those groups moving to one of the value resorts instead.... AND you would mostly solve the Phantom Site problem too.

Does this count as getting on Page One of a TCD trip report?? I don't like what I'm seeing, but I am still glad that it's over at the WL and not at the Fort. We have bought ourselves a couple more years before they start the same stuff at FW. I do wish there was a similar profit motive to build more campsites or another Disney CG to take the pressure off the Fort as it is now.

Too bad, when I first read that it would be the RV version of Bass Pro or Cabelas I was intrigued, after all our local Bass Pro in Foxboro has 2 floors, a pond, an aquarium, a kids shooting gallery, 2 restaurants, a full size cabin cruiser hanging from the ceiling, etc etc etc. If they did a similar RV themed store, the possibilities would be endless. And Lazydays has the room and money to make it happen, but it sounds like they just wanted to fill the empty building they had when CW left. Oh well. I guess it will be more convenient to get something there while staying at Lazyd

"I need a Snarky sweatshirt!"

I know, if I didn't know better I would swear Disney is starting to sound like a Multi-Level-Marketing Scheme where the last people in end up getting screwed.... At the very least they are devolving into a run of the mill Timeshare Company who is over-selling a limited product to too many people. With the result that when you go to use your weeks timeshare vacation, you're miserable because the pools overcrowded, the last people left a funny smell in the bedroom, and there is always a long line at the "free" breakfast for some soggy toast. It wouldn't be so bad if they were building more "

Look at it this way, better for them to be focusing their time, money and energy on ruining the WL than doing the original plan and ruining the Fort......

I was going to say the same thing. It's getting to be like the Golf Carts at the Fort. Bad driving, self-centered behaviour and entire families on ECV's and teenagers driving them up to rides, then jumping off and running in.... Gwen is right that they are giving the people who actually need them a bad name. And like the GC's, Disney needs to do some sort of enforcement. But probably won't...

Was that a rhetorical question?

Can't be true since a Fort CM told me that the Earful Tower was already "ear-marked" to replace the River Country Water Tower slide at the Fort pool. They are hoping that it will quiet down all the complaints they get about the "new" pool not being exciting enough.... Plus it will cut down on the wait times since the climb to the top of the new slide is expected to take 20-30 minutes. They were afraid at first that it might be a bit too big for that spot, but by using Forced Perspective it will appear to be much smaller when you look directly at it.

Same here, I keep typing MGM then I have to go back and change to HS. I'm glad they are keeping Muppet 3D, at least for now. I see that every trip and am hoping they update it for new audiences. My guess is that the new name of the Park will be "Land of Star Wars Toys with Multi Story Gift Shops" see what I did there?

Agreed, except for Spaceship Earth at EPCOT, it is the last little bit of the old Future World that Walt envisioned and that really spoke to our hopes and dreams of the past and future. It reminds me of Horizons a little, which I miss greatly. You're right that the MK should keep its originals with upgrades (will they PLEASE update the Carousel of Progress! ) I think it's because of all the Parks, MK is the one that people bring their little ones to first and is the one they come back to hoping it hasn't changed too much so they can re-share the same feelings.....

Liberal huh? You know you can get treatment for that now, right? It's never good to suffer in silence..... KIDDING! And you're right. I have no idea what the hell W was thinking when he did that. I can only imagine it was pressure from the airlines. They saved a ton of money by offloading security to the taxpayers..... I'm a fan of what Reagan used to say: "The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program."

..... That was Walt's business model- and I quote: "give the suckers as little as possible, and charge them double what it's worth." TCD Yes, I'm pretty sure he say's this in the movie in "One Man's Dream" doesn't he? I think it's the part where he's sitting on a park bench trying to think of ways to screw families and kids.....

Exactly. Or, as I like to say: Trying to put ten pounds of you-know-what in a five pound bag FP and MB's are Disney's way of "Managing" Demand w/o having to build any more "Product" Sooner or later they will run out of slack in the system and will either have to build more parks and/or raise prices so much that it cuts down on the crowds.....

I've said this in many threads and I'll say it again (TCD has also said something similar several times..): You could pick out any random, average reader of this board, put them in charge of the Fort, and they would do a better job than the current place-holders that run the place now.

It's "security theater" designed to make the sheep feel good about how much Disney cares about them. Not unlike the TSA at the airports which routinely fail test runs of guns and explosives getting by them. If you wanted "real" security, it would be politically incorrect like the Israeli's practice, and also would encourage off-duty police and military to carry a weapon while in the park, also like the Israeli's.....

There are only two explanations. It's intentional or it's unintentional. Either one is bad show, bad bad show.

Seems like the most customer friendly approach would be for a cart company to have a lot near FW and have a trailer for each rental GC. That way it's one stop on the way to the Fort, or one trip out to pick up. Then one trip back to drop off the GC and trailer combo when you leave. You'd have to find a spot for the trailer for your stay and the GC company would have to cover the cost of the extra trailers and insurance for same. Don't know if it would work, but it sure would simplify the process. It's a shame that they can't work something out w/ Disney to give them a cut of the rental fee

It would be even better if they would announce new monorail beams being constructed to AK and HS. But at least they are maintaining the ones they have and not replacing them with even more buses.... yet....

Ha! Great show I like to use "FBI Surveillance Van"

Just watched the video on that thread, very neat. It will be interesting to see how this evolves as the drones get better. In addition to shows, I see airborne flamethowers as a great crowd control option, esp when Disney needs to empty the park of commoners quickly to make room for a Richy-Rich private party.....

Didn't I read somewhere recently that WDW was going to use high-tech drones as part of a new fireworks show? Hopefully they will combine ideas and have drone's armed with flamethrowers flying over the crowds. Now THAT is something I would pay good money to see. After all, what could go wrong?.......

All true, and clearly Disney agrees with you. And, we have done a week long trip where we stayed at the Fort but never bought Park tickets. Had a great time doing everything but parks, but I wouldn't want to do that again anytime soon. I also know we won't save any real money going to Potterville but for me it will be worth the money since they have something new and well done by all accounts, which we haven't seen yet. And hopefully less crowds! We'll probably even stay at FW, assuming we can get a site that is! I know that WDW will always be the standard for FLA destinations, but it