The Unnamed Trip Report. September 5-8, 2014

[FunFinder265....Cody 36]

Well what do you know! We were leaving AK at that time, and we had our PV since Lou said to "stay off the damn buses"

 

Sorry we missed you!

 

Believe it or not, Tug is not yet 3. He turns 3 on December 23rd. It's a great combo, very full of energy. Thank god he calmed down since we adopted him when he was 8 weeks old.

 

Cody

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Well what do you know! We were leaving AK at that time, and we had our PV since Lou said to "stay off the damn buses" Sorry we missed you! Believe it or not, Tug is not yet 3. He turns 3 on December 23rd. It's a great combo, very full of energy. Thank god he calmed down since we adopted him when he was 8 weeks old. Cody

 

I'm sure I'll catch you another time.  I didn't know I'd be stopping by the Fort that day, but I ended up with some extra time while waiting to go to dinner with one of my daughters, so I decided to take a look around.

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I'm in! Great start!

 

That looks like a really nice site. 

 

We've toyed with the idea of bringing our dog to the Fort but never have. You dog sure looks happy there. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

 

And our neighbors, FSU fans, I like them, sorry TCD

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the record, I am married to a Nole, and the father of two Noles.

 

So, I don't hate FSU fans.  At worst, I have intense disdain for them one Saturday in November each year.

 

Go Gata.

 

TCD

[FunFinder265....Cody 36]

So, I don't hate FSU fans.  At worst, I have intense disdain for them one Saturday in November each year.

 

Go Gata.

 

Oh okay, I understand, and can agree.

 

Cody

[FunFinder265....Cody 36]

We've toyed with the idea of bringing our dog to the Fort but never have. You dog sure looks happy there.

He did. He had a blast.

We even took him to Best Friends for a daycare type thing and he really enjoyed that. Wore him out.

Still think his favorite part of camping is looping.

Cody

[FunFinder265....Cody 36]

Okay folks, marching right along now.

 

I cut you guys off pretty abruptly last update, and for that I’m sorry.

 

But I’m new.

 

Less than 200 posts.

 

Only 2 trip reports.

 

I can still get away with TR shenanigans like that.

 

But I will work on it, I promise.

 

This should also be a good time to mention the camera situation for this TR. Last TR, which you would know if you have read it, you will remember that I was very sporadic with my picture taking. And I took most of them with a phone. And I didn’t decide to take a lot until 11pm at MK, in the rain. And I promised to do better with my next TR.

 

Well folks, I did and I didn’t.

 

Heres the thing, I took pics.

 

A lot of them.

 

389 in a 3 day span, with really only 2 full days.

 

So theres that, but they are not with a nice camera. 

 

In fact, most are with my phone.........again.

 

Sorry about that.

 

I’m sidetracked again.......

 

..............

 

AH! Looping with Tug.

 

Now I remember.

 

Have I posted a pic in this update yet?

 

??

 

Look, the Meadow!

 

 

Ok, I have everyone back now.

 

(that was just a small glimpse into my head, sorry guys)

 

So after we went through the loops on Fort Wilderness Trail, and noticed that the 1000 Loop was empty, and only 4 campers in the 1100 Loop, we turned left at the 4 way and went up Big Pine Trail.

 

Remember I said I was looking for evidence of the FWRR?

 

I found some more.

 

 

Pretty cool if you ask me.

 

You know whats not cool? 

 

Cutting down trees.

 

 

See it there? I seem to have hit the perfect angle that makes it hard to see the tree stump.

 

I know this has been discussed heavily here, and I’m sure theres a reason. But this just SMB.

 

Heres some more pics of that tree stump behind site 1446.

 

 

 

And a side view from the entrance to the 1400, behind the tether ball court to the right.

 

 

Why did that need to be done? 

 

Was it struck by lightning?

 

Was it diseased?

 

What happened?

 

It really opens up the back of that site to the main road now. but oh well, whats done is done.

 

You know how I know it was site 1446?

 

You guessed it, I went through that loop.

 

More campers than the last 2 I went through

 

 

Look at the security system at site 1415.

 

 

Pretty good trip wire there, I’m impressed.

 

So after I snapped pics of the tree and the 1400 loop I went over to the Meadow Trading Post and wanted to look at that throw that has been talked about. 

 

I know I'm back tracking, but thats how I roll. 

 

Here it is.

 

 

I like it, but I don’t like it for $75, even with a 10% discount. 

 

Maybe one day, but not that day.

 

There is some other new items at The Fort, TCD has covered them pretty well.

 

Here is the link to that thread: http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/topic/13459-fort-merchandise-mission-for-a-fiend-on-the-scene/page-3#entry391518

 

The Fort is keeping up with the times, look Fireball Whiskey in the upper left part of the liquor cabinet.

 

 

Maybe they have been carrying it for awhile, but I just noticed it.

 

I didn’t get any, that stuff and I don’t really agree. It’s like drinking a whole pack of Big Red gum.

 

Is that stuff even around anymore?

 

Anyway, back to the camper I go so I can wrap up the outside set up and we can formulate a game plan. 

 

We had some FP+ to some rides at MK, but we were running really late leaving home, so it didn’t happen.

 

I know, I know.

 

I had spots reserved and I didn’t use them, so I messed it up for everyone else.

 

Whatever.

 

The park was closing early for Night of Joy anyway.

 

You’ll never guess what our plan was for the night?

 

Looping.

 

So we filled up the cooler and off we went.

No fireworks, due to Night of Joy, and no pictures were taken because I have not yet mastered the art of picture taking at night.

 

So take my word for it when I say we had fun, cause we did.

 

Well maybe just me.

 

I don’t know.

 

I know this one is a shorter update, but I will end it there since it is the end of day 1.

 

Stay tuned for more......

 

Cody

[Helmsey......Todd 134]

Late but I'm in!

I'm glad the pup got to come this time, and glad he now has his own post at The Fort.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

My aunt and uncle (the ones who live in Lakeland) had a dog named Tug when I was growing up.  He had a nice long life -- he was 22 when he passed away!  The vet was astounded he lived so long.  I hope your Tug has a long, happy life too.

 

Did you take Tug looping with you that night?  Looping is Kassie's favorite activity at the fort.

[fladogfan aka Gretchen 259]

I'm in page 2.

 

First pic of Tug, I'm thinking tug, hum, wonder if he gets hooked to something and gets to pull.  Like a scooter or a dryland rig or a broken down golf cart!  I could see the husky in him right away.  Beautiful dog, glad you brought him.

 

Good trip report so far.....maybe for name......Tug's First Camping Trip With the Mouse....and a pole to call his own!

[alexwyattmommy 181]

I bet Tug could pull a fairy.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Great job on that update, Cody.

 

Good job finding those railroad ties outside of the 1500 loop.  Most people drive right by and don't even notice.

 

Funny stuff there about the trip wire.

 

I've never noticed the Fireball Whiskey.  I've never had it.  I think that's for the young folks.  There always seem to be a lot of discarded bottles in the stands at the college footballs games I attend.

 

Looking forward to more.

 

TCD

[dblr....Rennie 224]

Fireball in the Freezer then pass around the campfire!!!!!!!!!

[FunFinder265....Cody 36]

Late but I'm in!

I'm glad the pup got to come this time, and glad he now has his own post at The Fort.

 

He is too, kept going to check it every time we went to the park. He will be coming on future trips to The Fort with us. I think he had more fun than we did.

 

Did you take Tug looping with you that night?  Looping is Kassie's favorite activity at the fort.

 

He did get to go looping with us. Now every time I let him out of the camper he hopped up onto to golf cart. He LOVES looping. Especially in the morning when everyone is out walking their dogs.

 

I'm in page 2.

 

First pic of Tug, I'm thinking tug, hum, wonder if he gets hooked to something and gets to pull.  Like a scooter or a dryland rig or a broken down golf cart!  I could see the husky in him right away.  Beautiful dog, glad you brought him.

 

Good trip report so far.....maybe for name......Tug's First Camping Trip With the Mouse....and a pole to call his own!

 

Thanks for joining! The name Tug came from us trying to come up with a nautical name that most people don't use. (Tug Boat) However, he is pretty good a tug-o-war, so the name fits.

 

Great job on that update, Cody.

 

Good job finding those railroad ties outside of the 1500 loop.  Most people drive right by and don't even notice.

 

Funny stuff there about the trip wire.

 

I've never noticed the Fireball Whiskey.  I've never had it.  I think that's for the young folks.  There always seem to be a lot of discarded bottles in the stands at the college footballs games I attend.

 

Looking forward to more.

 

TCD

 

I've been the person to drive by and not notice the ties at the 1500 bus stop. I got lucky finding these that evening. 

 

Fireball Whiskey....its big with the younger crowd and its okay.......in moderation. It's pretty easy to over do it though. I'll pour a shot of it in a glass of Angry Orchard hard cider, thats about as far as I go with it. I was impressed that they had it, must be a demand for it, if it's carried.

 

Cody

[FunFinder265....Cody 36]

Update time......

 

We left off at the end of day 1 for us.

 

Small recap, we checked in, The Fort was empty, it was raining, Tug now owns the corner fence post at Waggin Trails dog park, we looped the first night.

 

Now on to day 2.

 

We are fortunate enough to be annual pass holders, and live only an hour away from WDW, so we tend to visit the parks often.

 

You know what we don’t do?

 

Check out other resorts.

 

I mean, think about it, we’ve been AP holders since 2007, and I didn’t discover The Fort until 2013. I knew it was there, but never paid much attention to it.

 

Same goes for other resorts as well.

 

I’ve stayed at The Contemporary, PORS, Caribbean Beach, All Star Music, and Pop Century, but that it the extent of my knowledge or experience of WDW resorts.

 

So guess what our main focus was for this trip.

 

You got it.

 

Resort hopping.

 

Now this is the first time we’ve done anything like this, so I really had no clue how we were going to do this, so we just were winging it.

 

I woke up at 6:30 am with a little bit of a headache.

 

Must’ve been something from looping that caused my head to hurt.

 

I know what it was.

 

I think I got a bad ice cube.

 

So I grabbed Tug and off we went for a ride to the dog park for an early morning run.

 

He also wanted to check on his fence post. So off we went.

 

After Tug was satisfied with everything we hopped in the cart and went down to The Outpost. I wanted to see if there had been any progress on the roof.

 

At that point there had not been any further work done to it, so no pictures.

 

After we checked out The Outpost, Tug and I went back to the campsite, and woke up my fiancee. We cooked breakfast and started to plan out our day.

 

We both wanted to go check out Saratoga Springs and the Treehouse Villas, so we knew that was stop #1.

 

After we came up with a plan, she took a shower and started getting ready, while that was going on I decided I would go over to The Settlement and check it out, I hadn’t been there yet this trip and wanted to see if anything changed.

 

And boy it sure did.

 

Look at Pioneer Hall

 

 

 

 

They must be doing some restoration work on the main entrance.

 

I drove over to the trading post to see if they had anything different than The Meadow, and was greeted with this.

 

 

I was too early.

 

Have the hours always been 10-10? 

 

For some reason I thought they opened up at 8:00, but I may be mistaken.

 

I’ve been known to be wrong a time or twelve.

 

So after I couldn’t check out the trading post, I went back to the camper and got ready to start our day.

 

Our plan was to take Tug over to Best Friends and drop him off for their Doggy Day Camp.

 

What better way to wear out your energetic dog while you’re out enjoying WDW?

 

 

When we dropped him off, he didn’t even look back. He was so excited to be there with other big dogs.

 

Next stop, Saratoga Springs.

 

They have a nice lobby.

 

 

 

And a restaurant on site called The Artist’s Palette.

 

 

Here’s a picture of the menu that I snapped and meant to read later, still haven’t read it yet.

 

Right next to the restaurant is a small gift shop.

 

This is the only thing the caught my eye in there.

 

 

Mickey looks rough. Rougher than I did a couple hours prior.

 

Ouch.

 

We walked through the gift shop and out to the backside of Artist’s Palette. They have an outside seating area.

 

 

And just past that is the Sassagoula River and boat dock.

 

 

Not much else to see down there, so we backtracked and went out towards the pool High Rock Spring.

 

 

The pool is nice, but nothing that will blow you away by any means.

 

 

 

Here’s a pool bar, I wonder how they came up with such a cleaver name?

 

 

Look, when you become a DVC member, they provide you with a cornhole set. 

 

Very nice.

 

 

Uh oh, someone lost a volleyball, thats not a good day.

 

 

Turning back from the pool and heading towards the main lobby, you pass the Winner’s Circle.

 

 

Did you see the Hidden Mickey???

 

No?

 

Look closer.

 

 

Pretty cool attention to detail.

 

We got back in the truck and headed over to The Grandstand section of the resort and planned on using the walkway over to the Treehouse Villas.

 

The Grandstand is just as nice.

 

 

Theres the treehouses, on the edge of the wood line.

 

 

And the walkway over from Saratoga’s Grandstand section.

 

 

A couple shots of the treehouses and the surrounding grounds.

 

 

 

 

I really like this area.

 

Heavily wooded and somewhat secluded.

 

Wait....

 

Did I just rhyme?

 

I’m a poet and didn’t know it.

 

I like that line, “Heavily wooded and somewhat secluded” 

 

I could use that if I ever become a real estate agent.

 

Back to the TR....

 

Throughout the Treehouse Villas there are several informative signs about the wildlife and eco system. I like that a lot.

 

 

 

And here is their boat dock, with one of the boats coming in.

 

 

We walked around the remainder of the Treehouse Villas and then started to head back over to The Grandstand.

 

We were starting to get hungry and wanted to head over to DTD to grab a bite to eat.

 

Here’s a picture of a green, with some golfers, and The Grandstand in the background.

 

 

So what did I think of Saratoga Springs and The Treehouse Villas?

 

Saratoga I’m indifferent on. It is a nice hotel but in my opinion, it’s nothing to write home about. To me, it lacks the wow factor that would make me want to come back.  Nothing wrong with the resort at all, just nothing special, in my opinion.

 

The Treehouse Villas on the other hand are awesome. Now I obviously didn’t see the inside of the villas themselves, but the grounds are awesome. The location is great, and the connection with nature is very apparent. I would come back to walk around and spend some time there again.

 

Stay tuned for the next update of our lunch over at DTD.

 

Cody

[dvccamper 32]

I agree with you on your resort reviews. Saratoga Springs really doesn't do anything for me. I would however, like to stay in a Treehouse. I've seen pictures of the inside and they look really nice. Their pool is nothing special.

Do you just pay by the hour when you leave your dog or do they charge a flat daily rate?

Great update!

[h2odivers...Ray 952]

Great update.

I have mixed feelings about SS. If that resort was any place else but Disney it would be considered a fabulous place to stay. To me it just doesn't have that Dianey feel for me. Don't get me wrong it's a beautiful resort.

[sherryberry 35]

Just catching up! Tug is a gorgeous pup! Can't wait to hear (and see) more.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wow, that walkway at the Treehouses reminds me a lot of the Fort.  

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

First off, you've posted 2 trip reports and only have around 200 posts. That's awesome. Don't apologize. And you're funny. I like that. 

 

What's up with the tiny slide at SSR? Is that from a hot tub? Is it a kiddie slide? I'm confused. 

[Lou... 3,118]

And you're funny. I like that.

Big ditto.

[FunFinder265....Cody 36]

I agree with you on your resort reviews. Saratoga Springs really doesn't do anything for me. I would however, like to stay in a Treehouse. I've seen pictures of the inside and they look really nice. Their pool is nothing special.

Do you just pay by the hour when you leave your dog or do they charge a flat daily rate?

Great update!

 

I had a feeling most of you guys would agree. SS is a nice place, but now that its scratched off the list, I won't have to go back.

 

They charge different rates depending on the size and type of pen you want, (VIP, 4x8, indoor, indoor/outdoor, etc) and they will charge you a rate for 6 hours or less, and a different rate for over 6 hours. Both days he went, he spent 10+ hours there and was completely wore out both nights when we picked him up. You can add on packages, like 4 hours of outside play time with other dogs, feeding, etc. They will nickel and dime you, but for us, it was worth it to have him there. He had a blast.

 

Great update.

I have mixed feelings about SS. If that resort was any place else but Disney it would be considered a fabulous place to stay. To me it just doesn't have that Dianey feel for me. Don't get me wrong it's a beautiful resort.

 

100% agreed

 

Just catching up! Tug is a gorgeous pup! Can't wait to hear (and see) more.

 

Thanks! 

 

Wow, that walkway at the Treehouses reminds me a lot of the Fort.  

 

I think thats why I like that place so much. It seems to be more densely wooded, I really like that.

 

First off, you've posted 2 trip reports and only have around 200 posts. That's awesome. Don't apologize. And you're funny. I like that. 

 

What's up with the tiny slide at SSR? Is that from a hot tub? Is it a kiddie slide? I'm confused. 

 

The slide you mention was a kiddie slide.

 

They have a larger slide that begins where I took this photo.

 

 

I was going to get a better view from the bottom of it, but there were a lot of kids in the pool and I was walking around taking pictures, I didn't want parents or kids or lifeguards to get uncomfortable, so I never got to see the bottom of it.

 

Thanks for the compliment, I'm usually the butt of the jokes!

 

Cody

[FunFinder265....Cody 36]

 

 

So I really need to have some patience, I am getting really good at this double post BS. I would say 20 posts of mine are illegitimate.  :banghead:

 

Cody

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

I took a walkabout around Saratoga Springs and the Treehouses once myself. I like the idea of the treehouses, but they are awfully isolated. You really need a car when staying there.

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

I took a walkabout around Saratoga Springs and the Treehouses once myself. I like the idea of the treehouses, but they are awfully isolated. You really need a car when staying there.

 

I agree.  And I just don't feel like I'm on Disney property there.