Nothing Fancy-Just a Good Old 4th of July at the Fort TCD TR

[HappyRedhead......Betsy 16]

We stayed at Dixie Landings/Port Orleans Riverside on our honeymoon in the Alligator Bayou(?) section and we had an outside door. It wasn't bad at all.

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

Port Orleans French Quarter used to be my favorite moderate because it was smaller and all the rooms are pretty close to the lobby. 

 

But I've since decided I like the pool and atmosphere of Riverside better.

 

The CM apologized, and handed me these:

 

 

 

 

 

TCD

 

Awesome score, you're on a roll with those!

 

I have a few comments below.....

 

 

Those rooms have outside entrances??  I guess I thought the moderates had interior hallways.  I admit I'm not an expert on Disney hotels and have only stayed in a handful of them over the years....but I just don't like outside entrances and I thought only the values had those.

Come on Dave you should know this, all moderates have outside entrances, you have to upgrade to a deluxe to get an interior hallway.

 

 

Whoa!  Wait a minute....I thought the whole concept of SnapChat is that the pictures disappear after a set number of seconds.  Or was it retained on the sender's device?

I'm no SnapChatter, but I think people take screen shots of the pictures before they expire, thus defeating the whole purpose of SnapChat.

WBI

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

I always learn things reading TCD TR's.  Today, I learned that i never want to go to POFQ.  

 

First, there are disembied heads.  Freaky.  And not in a good way.

 

Then there is the jester stepping on the head that looks to me like a Cabbage Patch baby head.  Very disturbing.

 

But the clincher for me was the the first photos.  There is a serpent in the pool.  I don't dig serpents.  There is enmity between serpents and me.  Of Biblical proportions.  

 

Ew.

 

Ew.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ew.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

So with 2 daughters as CMs, that is the twice the amount of discounts you can get at hotels?

I am thinking you should start a travel agency real soon.

 

I wish.  But the discounts they do get are pretty good.

 

Nice job getting the FPs. You were right.m they should have said something.

 

I agree.  I think it might be a new thing- all the rides that break down a lot get stacks of paper FP+'s to hand out to any unhappy guests.  All you have to do is ask.

 

Those rooms have outside entrances??  I guess I thought the moderates had interior hallways.  I admit I'm not an expert on Disney hotels and have only stayed in a handful of them over the years....but I just don't like outside entrances and I thought only the values had those.

As others have already said-all the moderates have doors that open to the outside. I don't mind it. I'd rather have that than long halls to walk down.

 

 

 

We ate at that food court ONCE, and I thought it SMB.  Our food was very disappointing, and the giant heads freaked out the young ones (and me to be truthful).

I remember that. You were looking for the build your own pasta next door. They've upgraded the menu since then. I liked it. But, I agree about the giant heads. I could do without those.

 

 

Whoa!  Wait a minute....I thought the whole concept of SnapChat is that the pictures disappear after a set number of seconds.  Or was it retained on the sender's device?

Get on my level, old man.

SnapChat has evolved. They have something called "My Story," which actually can be replayed for 24 hours. Those are easy to screen-cap.

SnapChat does tell the person who posted if someone screen caps. Among the young and hip, it's considered a good thing if someone screen caps something your posted.

For example, Twin #1 was proud that the weirdo that Disney hired to create snapchats for them screen capped one of her Snaps:

 

 

We stayed at Dixie Landings/Port Orleans Riverside on our honeymoon in the Alligator Bayou(?) section and we had an outside door. It wasn't bad at all.

Yup, that's the right name- Alligator Bayou. There is another section there called Magnolia Bend, which has plantation style buildings.

 

 

TCD

[FunFinder265....Cody 36]

We always TCOB at WDW.  Always.

 

So, who is that in your Avatar?  Seems familiar, but I can't place him.

 

 

TCOB? New one to me.

My avatar is Peggy from Discover Card.

Cody

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Port Orleans French Quarter used to be my favorite moderate because it was smaller and all the rooms are pretty close to the lobby. 

 

But I've since decided I like the pool and atmosphere of Riverside better.

This is funny, because I think I've become a convert to POFQ, and now prefer it to POR. I agree with you about the size of the property, and how much closer everything is to the lobby. Our room location this trip was awesome. The pool was right across from our room. We probably had less than 100 yards to walk to get to the boat dock where we could go to Downtown Disney or POR, and the lobby wasn't much further than that in the other direction. The last time I stayed at POR, we were easily over 1/4 mile from our room to the lobby.

I do agree about the pool- Riverside wins there. I used to think the same thing about the restaurant- but I like some of the things they've added to the French Quarter.

 

 

Awesome score, you're on a roll with those!

These re-ride passes seem to be everywhere now. I believe it's Disney's way of keeping guests from complaining on social media about the current mess called FP+.

 

Come on Dave you should know this, all moderates have outside entrances, you have to upgrade to a deluxe to get an interior hallway.

Yup. Which reminds me- there's a photo that I jumped over in that last update showing a big benefit to the outdoor entrances.

 

I'm no SnapChatter, but I think people take screen shots of the pictures before they expire, thus defeating the whole purpose of SnapChat.

Exactly right. You knew more than poor old DIT.

He needs to get with the times.

 

I always learn things reading TCD TR's.  Today, I learned that i never want to go to POFQ.  

 

First, there are disembied heads.  Freaky.  And not in a good way.

 

Then there is the jester stepping on the head that looks to me like a Cabbage Patch baby head.  Very disturbing.

 

But the clincher for me was the the first photos.  There is a serpent in the pool.  I don't dig serpents.  There is enmity between serpents and me.  Of Biblical proportions.  

 

Ew.

 

Ew.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ew.

OK, then your had better stay away. There's a lot of creepiness around that resort.

TCD

[Beckers 1,136]

TCD

Can she tell what pic they screen capped?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

TCOB? New one to me.

My avatar is Peggy from Discover Card.

Cody

Jeez.

This place is full of un-hip people today.

TCOB=

Take Care of Business.

 

Or, as we say:  Take Care of Bidness

 

Aha- Peggy.

 

Why?

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Can she tell what pic they screen capped?

 

Yes.  When you slide that symbol, it shows you what was screen-capped.

 

That way, you know what your fans are responding to.

 

On the 4th of July, they had a guy Snapchatting live from the Magic Kingdom.  I can't remember what he was asking, but he was asking guests to snapchat something back, so Twin #1 did.  The image he captured from her ended up in a longer video that he posted later that night.  All of that is a big deal if you're 19.

 

TCD

[Beckers 1,136]

I share her excitement, a while ago Disney retweeted something I said. I took a screen shot and I'm 32 lol

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I share her excitement, a while ago Disney retweeted something I said. I took a screen shot and I'm 32 lol

 

OK- it's a big deal if you're 32, too.

 

I know it's not a big deal if your 52.

 

So, somewhere in that 20 year period there's a cut-off.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Well, I goofed.

 

This photo was supposed to provide some levity in that last update.

 

I took it with the intent of saying something witty about clotheslines or Larry, or the type of clientele found at the moderate resorts, but I blew it.  I moved right on to the fried chicken.

 

Now, the moment has passed.

 

But, I'll share this photo anyway.  You can't do this in your fancy hotels with interior hallways:

 

 

That laundry was draped over the railing right above our room when we left to go to dinner that night.

 

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

First off.....why would anybody be surprised that I don't know the moderates have outside entrances.  Why in the world would I ever stay in a moderate? 

 

And secondly....I refuse to "get with the times" and use Snapchat.  It's the work of the devil, you know. 

 

And finally....I checked out the new menu for that counter serve place, and nope.  Not a single thing on there interests me.  So the giant heads don't have to worry that I'll ever stumble into their abode again.  Ain't gonna happen. 

[FunFinder265....Cody 36]

Jeez.

This place is full of un-hip people today.

TCOB=

Take Care of Business.

 

Or, as we say:  Take Care of Bidness

 

Aha- Peggy.

 

Why?

 

TCD

I get it, I'm slowly getting all the acronyms down.

Peggy - well when I first joined back in June, I had a pic of my camper in my avatar, but this weekend I did my fantasy football draft and I saw that my avatar on that online profile was Peggy, so I just made it the avatar on this one as well.

Riveting, I know.

Cody

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

The slide SMB. But being close to the pool is nice.

We need some New Orleans friends to educate us on the symbolism.

Nice work on the reride passes.

[FunFinder265....Cody 36]

The slide SMB. But being close to the pool is nice.

We need some New Orleans friends to educate us on the symbolism.

Nice work on the reride passes.

Not sure of the slide, or the thing the jester is stepping on, but it looks to me that the food court with the heads is representing a Mardi Gras float storage warehouse. They have a couple of these warehouses in NOLA that you can tour. Like this one: Mardi Gras World, www.mardigrasworld.com

I have been to Mardi Gras World before, and I'd say Disney pulled off the creepiness just right in their food court.

Cody

[lklasing 16]

Great updates!  And, so exciting about Twin #1 and the CP!

 

About your laundry loving neighbor, how about that orange shirt hanging from the light fixture?  Takes drying clothes outside to a new level. 

 

And like Cody, I've been to Mardi Gras World too.  That place will spook you out.  But it was definitely fun and worth the trip.  And yes, that CS place looks very much like the real deal.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

In 2004 we stayed at POR for Matthew's wedding.  At that time POR was recommended more than POFQ.  Well, we hated POR.  Wish we had stayed at POFQ instead.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Unnamed ghost.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

OK- it's a big deal if you're 32, too.

 

I know it's not a big deal if your 52.

 

So, somewhere in that 20 year period there's a cut-off.

 

TCD

 

The answer is 45

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

The answer is 45

And the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is 42.

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Not sure of the slide, or the thing the jester is stepping on, but it looks to me that the food court with the heads is representing a Mardi Gras float storage warehouse. They have a couple of these warehouses in NOLA that you can tour. Like this one: Mardi Gras World, www.mardigrasworld.com

I have been to Mardi Gras World before, and I'd say Disney pulled off the creepiness just right in their food court.

Cody

I agree exactly!! The name of the food court is the Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory. It is supposed to be a float storage warehouse!!!  I LOVE POFQ. It is my favorite resort besides the Fort. We've stayed there on a few occasions when we've gotten a good rate, and absolutely love it!.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

First off.....why would anybody be surprised that I don't know the moderates have outside entrances.  Why in the world would I ever stay in a moderate? 

 

And secondly....I refuse to "get with the times" and use Snapchat.  It's the work of the devil, you know. 

 

And finally....I checked out the new menu for that counter serve place, and nope.  Not a single thing on there interests me.  So the giant heads don't have to worry that I'll ever stumble into their abode again.  Ain't gonna happen. 

 

OK, Mr. Yacht Club.  We get it.  No moderates for you.  Next thing we know, you're going to be looking down at us from a Magic Kingdom view room at the Four Seasons sipping out of one of those aluminum Coca Cola bottles.

 

Snapchat is the work of the devil?  Crap.

 

Did they have all the Po' Boys on that new menu you looked at?   How about the Fried Chicken?  There's probably something on there that you'd like.  But, those giant heads probably aren't going anywhere.

 

I get it, I'm slowly getting all the acronyms down.

Peggy - well when I first joined back in June, I had a pic of my camper in my avatar, but this weekend I did my fantasy football draft and I saw that my avatar on that online profile was Peggy, so I just made it the avatar on this one as well.

Riveting, I know.

Cody

 

That was riveting.

 

You are fitting right in here.

 

The slide SMB. But being close to the pool is nice.

We need some New Orleans friends to educate us on the symbolism.

Nice work on the reride passes.

 

Yeah, I like the Fort's slide better, but it's pretty nice to walk out of your room and be at the pool.  Going to the pool at the Fort takes a lot more effort.

 

From what I've been able to find, that jester statue is modeled after, and maybe even a copy of, a statue that is on display in New Orleans.  I haven't found anything explaining the evil pear.  I really would like to know about it.  I thought maybe WBI would know.

 

Keep your eye out for those re-ride passes. That's twice recently that we've been handed those for a 10 minute delay.  With the mess created by FP+, having a few of those re-ride passes can be a game changer.

 

Not sure of the slide, or the thing the jester is stepping on, but it looks to me that the food court with the heads is representing a Mardi Gras float storage warehouse. They have a couple of these warehouses in NOLA that you can tour. Like this one: Mardi Gras World, www.mardigrasworld.com

I have been to Mardi Gras World before, and I'd say Disney pulled off the creepiness just right in their food court.

Cody

 

Hey- that's interesting.  Mardi Gras World?  I've been to New Orleans several times, and have never been too far from Bourbon Street.

 

Great updates!  And, so exciting about Twin #1 and the CP!

 

About your laundry loving neighbor, how about that orange shirt hanging from the light fixture?  Takes drying clothes outside to a new level. 

 

And like Cody, I've been to Mardi Gras World too.  That place will spook you out.  But it was definitely fun and worth the trip.  And yes, that CS place looks very much like the real deal.

 

Thanks for pointing out the shirt hung from the light- that did take it to a new level.  I guess since he used a hanger, that makes it OK?  And classy?

 

What?  You've been to Mardi Gras World too?  I'm still going to pass.  Bourbon Street has everything I need.

 

In 2004 we stayed at POR for Matthew's wedding.  At that time POR was recommended more than POFQ.  Well, we hated POR.  Wish we had stayed at POFQ instead.

 

Why did you hate POR?  I have always enjoyed staying there.  But, I think overall, I now like POFQ better.

 

Unnamed ghost.

 

That ghost has a name.

 

The answer is 45

 

Thanks.

 

Seems a little on the high side to me, though.

 

And the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything is 42.

 

That seems more like it, but I still think it should be south of 40.

 

I agree exactly!! The name of the food court is the Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory. It is supposed to be a float storage warehouse!!!  I LOVE POFQ. It is my favorite resort besides the Fort. We've stayed there on a few occasions when we've gotten a good rate, and absolutely love it!.

 

Duh.  I have seen the name of the restaurant, and didn't make the connection between that name and Mardi Gras parade floats.  I know they call the canal that borders the resort the Sassagoula river, and I thought that Floatworks was a boat reference.  Now I get it- it's totally a Mardi Gras decoration warehouse. You don't know what that evil pear is under the jester's foot is, do you?

 

Out of curiosity, have you ever stayed at POR?  There are definitely elements of it that I like better than POFQ, but overall, I do think if given a choice, and the price was the same, I'd pick POFQ.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We left off with the Frozen fireworks about to begin.

 

Like they did with Star Wars Weekends this year, there was a show on the stage that accompanied the fireworks.  Which isn't the greatest idea.  Because, if you choose to stand close enough to the stage to see the proceedings there clearly, then your view of the fireworks is going to be partially blocked by the stage and the BAH right behind it.  The people who pay to be in the VIP viewing area have this problem.  In my opinion, we were in the best place to be to see the stage, and have a better view of the fireworks.  But, it's still not great.  They really ought to tear down that stupid BAH.

 

As I have repeatedly said in prior trip reports, I acknowledge that I do not posses the necessary photography skills or equipment to take good fireworks photos, but, I have a few to share so you can get a general idea about this particular show, and what you can see from where we were.  Here's your basic Frozen fireworks shot:

 

 

Toward the finale, they pumped out the fake snow on us:

 

 

Just one more blurry fireworks shot- you can see the stage in this one, and see that we were kind of far back from it:

 

 

If you think crowds are bad at the MK after fireworks, you need to come over here to DHS some time.  This is a crowd, and everyone is trying to go to the same place at the same time.  Most of the time, the MK remains open for a while after Wishes, so not everyone is trying to leave at once.  And, even then, they have some alternative exits to use when it's crowded.  Not here:

 

 

As you can see, they were also pumping the Devil's Dandruff on the guests walking along Hollywood Blvd.

 

We ducked in to the gift shop to see Twin #2 again, and let the crowd pass by.

 

But, she was busy, and we wanted to go to the MK.

 

Here was the situation at the MK bus stop at 10:18 pm.  All the people you see here also wanted to go to the MK, and they were all ahead of us:

 

 

It looks worse than it was.

 

A bus came soon after that shot was taken, and that bus driver was a boss.  He stood up, and made people fill the aisles all the way to the back.  He took a big chunk of that crowd with him.

 

Not 5 minutes later, another bus pulled up, if that driver had been a boss, we would have gotten on that bus too.  But, he was lame, and only half-heartedly asked people to step back and fill all available space.  So, we missed that bus.

 

We had about a 10-15 minute wait after that bus, but we were the first ones on that third bus.

 

We made it to the MK, in time to see the 11 showing of the Main Street Electrical parade:

 

 

 

 

 

The park was still very crowded after the parade.

 

We went and got some ice cream, and discussed our plans.

 

We had no FP+'s for this park, and no hopes of getting any.

 

And, Twin #2 was going to meet us back at the hotel when she was done with work.

 

So, we rode the Mine Train once standby.  It was an EMH night, but no one was checking MB's.  Which, in my opinion, contributed to the park being so crowded.  Anyone who wanted to, resort guest or not, was able to ride.

 

We thought the line would be shorter the second time around, but it wasn't.

 

So we left.

 

The girls stayed up late talking.

 

I went to sleep.

 

Because I wanted to get up early and go someplace for breakfast before they got up. 

 

And I did.

 

Before I left the resort, though, I took a quick early morning walking tour.

 

This is the boat dock which was right down from our room:

 

 

There are great decorative details all around this resort:

 

 

This is the dock- you can go to Downtown Disney or to Port Orleans Riverside right from here- that's pretty nice:

 

 

There's also a very nice walkway that borders the fake river and goes all the way to POR:

 

 

The walkway goes the other way too, but it dead-ends down there at the end of the resort property:

 

 

Here's a nice cartoony map to confuse things:

 

 

Here is the Sassagoula "river," which is actually a drainage canal that doesn't go anywhere, but you can call it a river if you like-Disney does:

 

 

This photo is taken from inside the little shelter they have at the boat dock- that building on the left is building 2, which is where our room is- I told you we had a great location:

 

 

Here's good old barechested King Neptune astride a giant serpent, not that there's anything wrong with that:

 

 

Here's building 2 again -that walkway there through the opening in the fence leads right to our room:

 

 

This resort opened in 1991.  All of the trees and landscaping here are mature now.  It looks really nice:

 

 

I think this is the same exact playground equipment we have at the Fort, but this has the Mardi Gras touch:

 

 

Just past the arches you see there is the hot tub:

 

 

This path had a decorative arch:

 

 

The walkways around the resort are built to look like streets (or rues as they call they in Nawlins):

 

 

Did you notice there are people in that last photo?  That's something different about the culture in other WDW resorts than at the Fort- people get up and at it a lot earlier at the other resorts.  It's 7:04 am, and people are dragging their suitcases up to the lobby.

 

So, since these walkways are supposed to resemble Nawlins streets, they have names.  Some Imagineer tried to be a comedian with this one:

 

 

If the Imagineer who came up with that street sign happens to be reading along- I have some advice for you:  Don't quit your day job.

 

This is the area right behind the lobby which guests walk through when first entering the resort. It's supposed to have a courtyard feel. That door over there to the right leads to the quick serve restaurant, and the back of the lobby is there on the left:

 

 

Now we're turned just a bit to the left, and the lobby is straight ahead, and the big gift shop for the resort is on left:

 

 

This is the walkway that leads to the pool.  The jester standing on the evil pear is at the end of this walkway.  I waited for that lady to get out of the way before I took the photo, but she was standing there texting.  What I want to know is who the heck was she sending a text to at 7:05 am?:

 

 

Here's another look at the courtyard area just off the lobby:

 

 

This walkway leads to the other buildings in the resort:

 

 

From here, we will be grabbing a cup of coffee- the restaurant opens at 6 am here.  As in an hour and a half earlier than Trail's End.  Then we will be jumping in the car and heading around the corner to try and make rope drop at my favorite place in WDW to grab a breakfast sandwich.

 

TCD

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Out of curiosity, have you ever stayed at POR?  There are definitely elements of it that I like better than POFQ, but overall, I do think if given a choice, and the price was the same, I'd pick POFQ.

 

TCD

No, I've never stayed at POR, but I'm not a fan of multiple internal bus stops, and based on that alone, have never even considered it. Have only stayed at Coronado once on a last minute solo trip for 2 nights.

 

Yes, I know the Fort has lots of internal stops, but avoid those with the cart, scooter, or bicycle.

 

But having said all that, the first time I walked in the door of POFQ, I fell in love. The fountain, the glass dome entryway, all the little details, and even the outside atmosphere. Just LOVE it.  If they would only bring back Bonfamille's, would love it even more!