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

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

 

 

 

 

Does it say Lady Ussepa? Kinda looks like this sign

 

 

 

Great job!

 

I think you're right.

 

It does look like it's even the same sign:

 

 

But, what idiot stuck that sign on the Walrus?

 

And why?

 

TCD

[fowlandfishmommy 10]

I believe (although that may not be accurate any more). Some of the Port Orleans Riverside rooms have a trundle bed and sleep 5.

 

Also, you could stay at the Fort and rent a popup camper or other travel trailer that is delivered to your site. Especially a popup and the site rental fee is the same or less than a moderate resort.

 

Yes the Alligator Bayou has a trundle, but the youngest has to be 5 or under.  And again no option for if you have a 4th kid.  We have a camper (It's a jalopy but a camper none the less), I have tried to avoid posting this on the Fiends website, BUT....  My husband does not want to camp at Disney.  I know.  I know.  He is crazy.  He just doesn't want to drive it all the way down, have to set up and all that jazz.  I've already informed him that we probably won't have a choice in a few years.  I know he would love it when we got there, he's just hard to convince.  :)  

[Command Module...AKA-Brian 8]

Now, there are two quality posts.

 

Good job, Brian and Dave.

 

So, that shipwreck has a name. 

 

And it's not Lady something.

 

What is this sign?:

 

 

It has to be something related to the pirate cruises they do.

 

But, what?

 

TCD

Why thank you TCD, I'm not sure about the Lady User___ name, but when we did the Capt Hook Adventure tour last year they called it the "Treasure Island" shipwreck and there was no sign on the ship when they shined there "torches" on it, I of course chimed in and said it was the wreck of Cap'n Flint's Walrus which lead to being brought to the front by Patch and charged with treason, good thing there was no plank on the boat!...

[Command Module...AKA-Brian 8]

 

 

 

 

Does it say Lady Ussepa? Kinda looks like this sign

 

 

Wow, great sleuthing Todd, that is the same sign, way cool!

[DaveInTN 3,247]

On the pirate cruises I believe they tell a story about the Legend of Gasparilla....a real life Florida pirate story.  Gasparilla island and Useppa island are both near Fort Myers. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I believe (although that may not be accurate any more). Some of the Port Orleans Riverside rooms have a trundle bed and sleep 5.

 

Also, you could stay at the Fort and rent a popup camper or other travel trailer that is delivered to your site. Especially a popup and the site rental fee is the same or less than a moderate resort.

 

LOL.  We were posting at the same time. You're right about the Alligator Bayou rooms.  I'm not sure if the Mansion rooms have the bed.  I have a couple of photos of the bed- it's not really what I would call a trundle:

 

 

 

 

It's small to be sure, but I didn't see anything about a weight limit on it.  Only Twin #2 and I were in this room for the night we stayed, so no one needed to use that bed, but the twins both said they'd have no problem sleeping on it.

 

Yes the Alligator Bayou has a trundle, but the youngest has to be 5 or under.  And again no option for if you have a 4th kid.  We have a camper (It's a jalopy but a camper none the less), I have tried to avoid posting this on the Fiends website, BUT....  My husband does not want to camp at Disney.  I know.  I know.  He is crazy.  He just doesn't want to drive it all the way down, have to set up and all that jazz.  I've already informed him that we probably won't have a choice in a few years.  I know he would love it when we got there, he's just hard to convince.   :)

 

I didn't know about the 5 or under limit.  Can't help you with the 4th kid.  You're definitely stuck after the 3rd.

 

Your Husband needs to catch the Fort bug.  You should seriously think about renting a camper and taking a trip.  I understand him not wanting to set up stuff, but I think he'd love sitting under an awning having a beverage of his choice, or taking a spin on a golf cart.  So much better than hanging out in small hotel room.  Maybe if you could show him how much money you will "save" by camping, he'd at least give it a try.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Why thank you TCD, I'm not sure about the Lady User___ name, but when we did the Capt Hook Adventure tour last year they called it the "Treasure Island" shipwreck and there was no sign on the ship when they shined there "torches" on it, I of course chimed in and said it was the wreck of Cap'n Flint's Walrus which lead to being brought to the front by Patch and charged with treason, good thing there was no plank on the boat!...

 

Patch should have had to walk the plank for not knowing whose boat that was on Discovery Island.

 

Wow, great sleuthing Todd, that is the same sign, way cool!

 

Agreed!  Good job.  Still doesn't explain why they stuck the sign on the shipwreck.

 

On the pirate cruises I believe they tell a story about the Legend of Gasparilla....a real life Florida pirate story.  Gasparilla island and Useppa island are both near Fort Myers. 

 

Really?  I didn't know that.  Jose Gaspar is a big deal in Tampa and along the west coast of Florida.

 

Mrs. TCD and I spent a weekend on Useppa Island once.  That is an awesome place, which I recommend to anyone who wants a quiet place to get away.

 

But, no one should have desecrated that shipwreck.

 

Idiots!

 

TCD

[Command Module...AKA-Brian 8]

On the pirate cruises I believe they tell a story about the Legend of Gasparilla....a real life Florida pirate story.  Gasparilla island and Useppa island are both near Fort Myers

Yes, they did talk about Gasparilla , I remember finding that funny because we live near Gasparilla Island and I wanted to go dig up the beach for buried treasure!..Arrrrrr :parrot:

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Yes, they did talk about Gasparilla , I remember finding that funny because we live near Gasparilla Island and I wanted to go dig up the beach for buried treasure!..Arrrrrr :parrot:

 

Why didn't I notice you're from Venice?  That is close to Gasparilla Island.  Useppa too.

 

TCD

[Command Module...AKA-Brian 8]

Why didn't I notice you're from Venice?  That is close to Gasparilla Island.  Useppa too.

 

TCD

Yes, it makes it nice for a day trip! Sometimes we take the camper to Pine Island and rent a pontoon boat to go to Sanibel, or Gasparilla, we've never been to Useppa, but now I must go check it out!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Yes, it makes it nice for a day trip! Sometimes we take the camper to Pine Island and rent a pontoon boat to go to Sanibel, or Gasparilla, we've never been to Useppa, but now I must go check it out!

 

Useppa is private.  We stayed two nights at the Inn.  You can only get there by boat.  There is literally nothing to do on the island.  Which is fine by me.

 

It's near Cabbage Key, which we also visited on that trip.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Well, that was some good discussion, and I am glad that we figured out what that sign on the shipwreck says, even though it doesn't make any sense.

 

So, it's time to move on with the bonus content.

 

It's still the afternoon of Sunday, September 7, and we have just arrived at the Fort.  After my quick tour of the Settlement Trading Post, I decided that I would head to the Meadow Trading Post to see what was new there.  And maybe sit on a rocking chair for a while.

 

But first, I stopped to admire the Settlement Trading Post bulletin board. One thing I wanted to know is if there was going to be a MNSSP tonight. If so, I wanted to head over to the MK for a bit to watch the guests begin to arrive.

 

That information should be somewhere on the bulletin board, right?

 

Let's see.  Here's something:

 

 

Wow, something big happened at the Fort on July 5th.  Today was September 7th.  Thanks, Jose.

 

Ah, here's something more up-to-date, the Times Guide for August 31-September 6.  Too bad today's the 7th:

 

 

Maybe that paper up there will help?  Nope, that's the Transportation Update for the WDW Marathon.  Which was on January 10th-11th:

 

 

Yes, I said January.

 

Bottom line, nothing on that bulletin board told me what was going on in the parks today.

 

Classic.

 

In fairness, the September Activity Times Guide was posted:

 

 

And, someone went to the trouble of fixing the typo which appeared on the original version, which is still posted here on ff.net:

 

http://www.fortfiends.net/_/activities/fort-wilderness-activities-schedule-september-r370

 

 

See where it says that 9/8 and 9/22 would be Fridays?

 

Someone actually fixed that.

 

A miracle.

 

I still didn't know if there was going to be a Halloween Party today.  Maybe I could get a current times guide at the concierge window?

 

So, we'll stop there on the way to the bus stop.

 

Look at those pretty purple flowers there next to the path to the 100 loop.  You winter Fiends don't get to see those:

 

 

I see they still have a temporary sign posted by the pedestrian path.  It's only been 6 or 7 months since the regular sign got knocked down.  What's the rush?:

 

 

In the spring, the canal behind the 100 loop didn't look too bad.  Today it looks a little on the green side:

 

 

You see that emerald green stuff there just past the fence in the center of the photo?  That's water.  And that's the pole where the permanent sign is supposed to be:

 

 

Since I was here, I had to check on the progress of the repair of the roof of the covered wagon that is supposed to be on display out front of the Settlement Trading Post.  It's still there.  With the same tattered roof.  I guess they must need some kind of special fabric and needle and thread to fix that thing, and they're waiting for it to come in.  Again, what's the rush?:

 

 

Hmmm. That sky is kind of dark, isn't it?:

 

 

Through the trees, I can see it's even darker to the north, out over Bay Lake:

 

 

We might be in for a bit of rain.

 

Time to move along.

 

Whoa!  Look yonder.  What the heck is going on at Pioneer Hall?:

 

 

On the way, I glanced to my right, and didn't like what I saw.  A storm is a comin':

 

 

Hey, look on that branch:

 

 

Look closer:

 

 

Do you see all of those little ferns growing there?  That is called resurrection fern.  In between rains, it looks brown and dead.  Then, when it gets a bit of rain, it perks up and looks nice and green.  Cool stuff.  Check it out the next time you're at the Settlement.

 

Now, back to Pioneer Hall.  What the Fort?:

 

 

A little closer.  I already reported earlier about how they rebuilt the lookout tower on the roof, and now, it's that squat, enclosed thing:

 

 

Check this out.  There is exactly one golf cart in the parking area.  You winter Fiends have never seen that either:

 

 

 

Now, about Pioneer Hall.

 

It's pretty obvious that the construction they've been doing all summer has now reached the porch.  They've got it completely enclosed with that scrim, and built what looks like a construction entrance here:

 

 

Don't you love how those potted plants hide everything?:

 

 

This is the other side, near the restrooms- there is no way in from here:

 

 

This is a quick peek behind the fence.  Can't see much, other than a bit of a mess.  But guests are definitely being brought in through here:

 

 

Now, we're back on the other side- near the take-out entrance:

 

 

We can see from this orange extension cord that the men working here are trained and highly skilled professionals:

 

 

 

As best I can tell, this is much ado about noting.  I think they're just replacing the poles on the porch.  I hope for DIT's sake that they sand them well.

 

The wind was blowing those dark clouds my way.

 

Time to head for the bus:

 

 

Looking back at Pioneer Hall, the latest construction work doesn't look too bad:

 

 

I'm not sure if you can make it out in this photo, but it looks like they used two different shades of shingles on the Pioneer Hall roof.  I've never noticed anything like that before:

 

 

As I approached the bus stop, I saw a bus was waiting.  Hopefully it would be an Orange bus, which would take me right where I wanted to go.

 

TCD

[shoreline99 137]

Yes the Alligator Bayou has a trundle, but the youngest has to be 5 or under.  And again no option for if you have a 4th kid.  We have a camper (It's a jalopy but a camper none the less), I have tried to avoid posting this on the Fiends website, BUT....  My husband does not want to camp at Disney.  I know.  I know.  He is crazy.  He just doesn't want to drive it all the way down, have to set up and all that jazz.  I've already informed him that we probably won't have a choice in a few years.  I know he would love it when we got there, he's just hard to convince.   :)

 

We have 4 kids, ages range from elementary to HS. The cabins at FW seem to work the best for us; the kids sleep in the bedroom (queen size bed and a bunk bed) and we sleep on the murphy bed; it's enabled us to really enjoy the fort and we've become huge fans. Saves on meals too, as there's a kitchen, but we mostly use it for breakfast and the occasional lunch and dinner.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

 

As best I can tell, this is much ado about noting.  I think they're just replacing the poles on the porch.  I hope for DIT's sake that they sand them well.

 

 

 

Hey!  I have an idea.  Let's play some Match Game! 

 

"Poor Dave.  Those idiot managers at the Fort replaced the poles on the front of Pioneer Hall but forgot to sand them.  When he shimmied up to the bacony he got a big splinter in his BLANK".  

 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Hey!  I have an idea.  Let's play some Match Game! 

 

"Poor Dave.  Those idiot managers at the Fort replaced the poles on the front of Pioneer Hall but forgot to sand them.  When he shimmied up to the bacony he got a big splinter in his BLANK".  

 

 

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

 

TCD

[alexwyattmommy 181]

ROFL

[Command Module...AKA-Brian 8]

Gene, I'm gonna say..... The old splinter in the tuchas  :rofl2: 

[Command Module...AKA-Brian 8]

Hey look at that, 2 more posts to 100! :banana:

[Command Module...AKA-Brian 8]

Wait 1 more post to 100!  No no no, I'm at 100, yes 100 :jumpforjoy , now what do I do? :doublebeer:

[DaveInTN 3,247]

 

TCD

 

Leave it to old CNR to bring the cinnamon buns into this discussion . :rofl3:

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I was always more of a Brett fan.  You could always count on her for the double entendre:

 

 

TCD

[dvccamper 32]

I was always more of a Brett fan. You could always count on her for the double entendre:

TCD

I just laughed so hard I snorted.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

 

Great job!

 

I think you're right.

 

It does look like it's even the same sign:

 

 

But, what idiot stuck that sign on the Walrus?

 

And why?

 

TCD

 

I wonder if they're landing the kid's pirate cruise there? How big is the sandy area? I know from Z that they went to several places, including islands. Maybe they're going there now for a clue? 

 

Yes the Alligator Bayou has a trundle, but the youngest has to be 5 or under.  And again no option for if you have a 4th kid.  We have a camper (It's a jalopy but a camper none the less), I have tried to avoid posting this on the Fiends website, BUT....  My husband does not want to camp at Disney.  I know.  I know.  He is crazy.  He just doesn't want to drive it all the way down, have to set up and all that jazz.  I've already informed him that we probably won't have a choice in a few years.  I know he would love it when we got there, he's just hard to convince.   :)

 

The Fort is so much more relaxing to us. What about a cabin? Or renting? 

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

Wait 1 more post to 100!  No no no, I'm at 100, yes 100 :jumpforjoy , now what do I do? :doublebeer:

Post more :clint:  200 is so close :rofl2: