TCD is Thankful for Thanksgiving @ The Fort 2014

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I'm impressed with the decoration at the GF and WL. The Contemporary is cute, I guess. 

 

I wish a huge chunk of the gingerbread house would have fallen off when the kids were messing with it. 

 

Is there an entertainment schedule at the GF? 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

It was good seeing you too!

 

Thanks! The little guy is a blast, we've been pretty lucky with how good and easy going he is, plus he's a really good traveler!

 

WBI

 

It's good to know y'all enjoyed your first stay at the Fort with the new 5th wheel.  That means there will be more trips for you.

 

We've had the singing boat captain before. You can't help but smile, you can see how much he loves to sing. Not sure how he feels about driving the boat.

 

I had heard of him, but this was the first time we actually saw and heard him sing.  He drove the boat OK too.

 

The CR gingerbread house was flat when we saw it in 2011 too.  It's still not impressive...but at least the Frozen makeover didn't hurt it too much.  What's interesting is that they still used the same background, only now it's plain white while it used to be colorful.  As I think it is supposed to be a Mary Blair design....it used to look much more "small world-ish" than it does now that's it's white. 

 

ETA:  i've gone back and read the sign posted at the house in your pics....they do acknowledge the Mary Blair connection.  But they've certainly "white washed" it.  LOL. 

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing your photo.  That is definitely the same backdrop they used.  I wasn't sure if they were claiming that to be part of the gingerbread house that they made.

 

Since it's not, then I want to know how the heck they used 514 pounds of flour, 311 pounds of honey and 222 pounds of icing on that puny, one dimensional thing they're calling a gingerbread house?  There's no way that thing used so much material.  It's barely bigger than four or five sheetcakes.

 

Pretty sure the singing captain is Marty from DE. We had him 3 times.

 

Really?  What songs did he sing?

 

Yes his name is Marty.

 

Man, this Marty guy gets around.  What songs did he sing for you?

 

Thanks for posting the video of Twin #2's friend.  She was a beautiful girl.  So sorry for your daughter and the rest of the sorority girls.  I'm sure they are heartbroken.

 

On a much lighter note, bless you for picking up the couple that was late getting to their Segway appointment!  That was exactly us back in July.  We were running down that same sidewalk and I was just praying that some wonderful soul would see us and give us a lift.  But, no such luck.  Happily, the Segway people were late too so it was no big deal, but we were all tired and sweaty by the time we got there.

 

Thanks for the kind words, Leslie.  It's a very sad story, and there's never a good answer for the question why young people get taken like this.

 

Sorry that Rocky and I weren't around to give you a lift to your Segway ride!

 

You should have given the list of rules to Rocky.  Looks like a great place for him to take a hike!  What a joke!  The rump rangers that patrol the fort are also fun to deal with. 

 

Rump Rangers?

 

LOL.

 

I'm impressed with the decoration at the GF and WL. The Contemporary is cute, I guess. 

 

I wish a huge chunk of the gingerbread house would have fallen off when the kids were messing with it. 

 

Is there an entertainment schedule at the GF? 

 

The Grand Floridian is really special this time of year. I don't know of an entertainment schedule, but I'll bet there's something going on there every night this time of year.

 

I've also seen a choir perform at the Wilderness Lodge, but it's hard to beat that piano player and the choirs they have at the GF.

 

I forgot to mention that those kids ended knocking over the velvet ropes while the moms were pushing them under.  They all walked away without even picking them up.

 

TCD

[Memphis 105]

Stolen from shoreline99  

 

 

 How could they just walk away and not fix the rope.   They must have been royalty in thier own mind. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

 

 How could they just walk away and not fix the rope.   They must have been royalty in thier own mind. 

 

Yup.  That's how they acted.  I should have followed them.  I wouldn't have been surprised if they were part of the U-Haul group on the 2000 loop.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

This trip flew by, and so has this trip report.

 

It's now Saturday, and we have big plans.

 

It's another one of my harebrained schemes.

 

The Saturday after Thanksgiving is always a big day for the TCD gang.  It's when the University of Florida and Florida State University play their annual football game.  And we haven't missed one in a while.  A lot of times, the whole gang goes.

 

That wasn't the plan this year.

 

Even though the twins attend those schools, this year was different since they've been working at Disney World all fall.  There was some talk early on about them asking for the day off, but since we had our Disneyland trip planned, they really couldn't.

 

Twin #2 was able to swap shifts with coworkers and had arranged to get the day off.  But, then her friend died, and she had to swap again so she could go to the funeral.

 

The original plan had been that we would stay at the Fort, and leave from and return there, so Twin #2 could go with us.

 

But she had to bail.

 

So that meant it was just me and the oldest TCD DD. 

 

And a 500+ mile one day round trip to Tally.

 

Like I said:  Harebrained.

 

But we did it.

 

We left at zero dark thirty, and made it to Tallahassee in time for lunch and to catch the end of College Game Day.

 

After lunch, we headed to the stadium:

 

 

It was a gorgeous day.

 

They had a big Heisman Trophy display set up in the green outside of the stadium:

 

 

That looked interesting.  They were throwing swag off of the roof:

 

 

Typical Gator Fan:

 

 

We headed in to the Heisman House to see what was in there.

 

Typical FSU fan carrying around his box of beer:

 

 

That Heisman House ended up being pretty cool.

 

They had the actual real Heisman Trophy in there, and were taking free photos of the guests with it.  I can now say that I have touched the Heisman Trophy:

 

 

Here's the TCD Big Blue Excursion parked in the FSU lot:

 

 

You see a lot of things you don't normally see when you go to this game:

 

 

You see that guy in the grey sweatshirt and khaki pants?  This is the last time that guy's going to be here as the Gator's head coach:

 

 

Even though this game wasn't that important to anyone this year, the Goodyear blimp was here:

 

 

One of the neat things they do at this game is have both schools' bands perform together pre-game:

 

 

We should see a lot of blue shirts in that corner of the stadium, but it looks like there won't be many today:

 

 

You can see Chief Osceola's burning spear in the center of the field here: 

 

 

The stadium is always full for this game:

 

 

No more blue shirts showed up:

 

 

The game ended up being a lot closer than the FSU fans would have liked. But that's how their season has gone.

 

The UF band at half-time:

 

 

The game remained close, and with enough time left to do something, the Gators were only down 24-19:

 

 

But, they couldn't get anything done on offense, so that was the final score:

 

 

As I expected it would be, it was bad getting out of Tallahassee after the game, and we had heavy traffic all the way back, but we pulled in to the Fort at around 12:30 am.

 

Driving in, I was surprised to see these signs along Fort Wilderness Trail, near the unhitch area:

 

 

 

What in the heck is that mess?

 

They were using the grass along the road as temporary parking for the Hoop Dee Doo show.  It looked like quite a mess:

 

 

 

We've been to the Fort for a lot of holidays, but never have I seen this done.

 

Was this necessary?

 

How was there not enough parking in that big overflow lot to accommodate guests with dining reservations?

 

It was near 1 am.  The new rules say all outdoor holiday decorations are supposed to be shut off at 10 pm.

 

This was a perfect time to loop and see if there were any rule breakers.

 

We didn't have to look very hard:

 

 

 

The Cheeseheads on the 600 loop don't care about the new rules:

 

 

A giant inflatable rubber duck is apparently exempt from the rules too:

 

 

Lots of guest on 700 were rebels:

 

 

And, of course, the rules don't apply to the Fort's Christmas decorations, which were all burning brightly at 1 am.  The idiots in charge STILL had not fixed the Fort's tree. This was our fourth and final night here, and the tree had looked like this every night.  What would Walt think of that? :

 

 

I think you can see the Settlement Trading Post from space this time of year:

 

 

My new across the street neighbors still had all of their stuff up and running when we finally got ready to turn in at 1:25 am:

 

 

Next up- our last morning at the Fort, and we pack up and head out.

 

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

A day trip to Tally to attend the FSU/UF game? I am impressed, sir. And I actually rooted for the Gators! Our whole tailgate was. I guess that shows how much FSU is hated these days. But I'm sure Winston signed all those autographs for free...

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Is there an entertainment schedule at the GF? 

 

Why yes there is.  Stay tuned...

[clakey 9]

Nice pic with the trophy.  I don't want to read about you stealing crab legs from the local publix.  One man's junk is another man's treasure.  We are happy to have that man with the grey sweatshirt and the tan pants calling the shots on the defensive side of the ball. 

 

War Eagle

[LONE-STAR 370]

Actually Marty was sailing away as we walked up and we could hear him singing. Our Captin told us all about him. He said Marty was a professional singer. I think you were on the boat we missed based on the time of day and the song you mentioned he was singing. We had the Pirate Captin he is really funny he tells pirate jokes the whole time.

[Gots2pitt.. Jeff 64]

Wait you were back by 1 and didn't go to the MK? You could have ridden rides with us until 2. :) Of course that explains why we didn't see you during the EMH.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

A day trip to Tally to attend the FSU/UF game? I am impressed, sir. And I actually rooted for the Gators! Our whole tailgate was. I guess that shows how much FSU is hated these days. But I'm sure Winston signed all those autographs for free...

 

I do not recommend a Tally day trip from the Fort, but it is possible.  That was too much driving for one day.  I am glad the game is in Gainesville next year.

 

It's amazing how much hate there is for FSU.  My oldest daughter never got any flack for being an FSU grad last year when she was in her first year at Auburn.  There was a mutual respect and connection between the schools going back to when Bobby's son, Terry, coached at AU. Then the teams played for the National Championship and FSU won.  Since then it's been bad.

 

Why yes there is.  Stay tuned...

 

Wow. Who knew?

 

Nice pic with the trophy.  I don't want to read about you stealing crab legs from the local publix.  One man's junk is another man's treasure.  We are happy to have that man with the grey sweatshirt and the tan pants calling the shots on the defensive side of the ball. 

 

War Eagle

 

I think Muschamp will do a good job as a DC.  He just was not ready to be a head coach, and it was a mistake to put him in that position.  He is going to be a big help for y'all with recruiting in Florida. 

 

I am predicting that he'll have an immediate impact, and that y'all will contend for the SEC West championship next year.

 

War Eagle.

 

Actually Marty was sailing away as we walked up and we could hear him singing. Our Captin told us all about him. He said Marty was a professional singer. I think you were on the boat we missed based on the time of day and the song you mentioned he was singing. We had the Pirate Captin he is really funny he tells pirate jokes the whole time.

 

Jeez, all those resort boat drivers are entertainers on the side.  Bus drivers can't get away with that.

 

Wait you were back by 1 and didn't go to the MK? You could have ridden rides with us until 2. :) Of course that explains why we didn't see you during the EMH.

 

My bad.

 

I thought the MK closed at 12.  I forgot about EMH's being on Saturday nights now.   Dang it.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

And just like that it was Sunday, November 30th, and it was time for us to pack up and go home.

 

I got up early, though, so I could enjoy a final look around the Fort before getting busy with the packing up.

 

I started out down at the Settlement, where the tree looked fine in the daylight:

 

 

I did my rocking chair count on the porch. There's one:

 

 

And here are the rest of them:  two more.  That's all there are:

 

 

At least the picnic tables haven't been tossed in favor of those cheapo looking high top tables and rickety bar stools:

 

 

I guess the bike racks which are normally on the other side of the area where the Christmas tree is were in the way for the sleigh rides, so some genius stuck them in the fenced in area where the River Country Wagon is supposed to be:

 

 

There's no opening in that fenced in area, so you'll have to hop the fence and lift you bike in and out in order to use the bike racks.

 

Idiots.

 

I am not a fan of signs that say Happy Holidays:

 

 

I love to see the Christmas decorations on Pioneer Hall.  I don't care if it's day or night:

 

 

Someone did a little skimping on the Christmas decorations this year-they only decorated the overhang over the Trail's End take out door. They didn't run the decorations around the building roof line like they normally do:

 

 

I had only stopped here for some coffee, and now I wanted to head on out to my favorite spot for the last time on this trip.

 

I checked on the covered wagon again.  Even though I had already checked on it this trip, I know that it's going to disappear forever one day, so I always check.  It's still there ripped roof and all:

 

 

Wow, site 114 was empty on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  I can't say I ever remember seeing that before:

 

 

Ahhh:

 

 

That old cabin is getting harder and harder to see:

 

 

The BABH: A Monument to the IM's at Fort Wilderness:

 

 

They sure have a lot of dam stuff in the canal:

 

 

Hey look at that rule breaker with a golf cart back here!:

 

 

I headed out the 300 loop, and ended up back at the Settlement:

 

 

That's where the bike racks used to be:

 

 

I decided to check and see if they had gotten rid of that scarecrow photo op at the Backyard BBQ.  Now that Thanksgiving was over, I figured they would break out the snowman family.

 

Nope.  Still the scarecrow:

 

 

Sunrise over the River Country Pavilion:

 

 

The beach raker was a little behind schedule this morning.  He is normally long gone by sunrise:

 

 

 

This was my last look at the Settlement Christmas Tree on this trip:

 

 

These Sleigh Ride signs were just posted over the weekend.  That smaller sign over to the right tells you that a Sleigh Ride will set you back $70.  It's interesting that they are sill taking sleighs out at 10:30 pm.  One of the things they promote on the sleigh rides is that you can see the Fort Wilderness Christmas decorations.  What about that new 10 pm rule?:

 

 

The Settlement can be a crazy busy place this time of year.  I love to be the only one here in the morning:

 

 

I observed a moment of silence in memory of the Lawnmower Tree:

 

 

Sunrise over the Settlement Trading Post:

 

 

Remember how I wanted to sit in a rocking chair and listen to the Christmas music at the Meadow Trading Post earlier in this trip?  But the music wasn't playing that day?  Well, I wanted to try that again, so I headed there.

 

No music was playing today either!

 

And it didn't look like anyone had been by here to clean things up after that big rain the other day:

 

 

There was a time when someone from the groundskeeping crew would have raked up leaves like this.  But, that was a long, long time ago when the Fort was managed by people who were not idiots:

 

 

I took a loop around the 1200 loop to see if anyone in the Lonestar gang was up. This would be my final chance to say hello.  But, it looked like everyone there was still sleeping.  I then looped around the 1300 loop, and stopped by one of the outside sites to look across the canal toward the pool:

 

 

Hey. look over there- a clueless rude dummy is holding up a parade of traffic with his slow golf cart:

 

 

Time for a small rant- the official Fort Wilderness Rules say that golf carts should PULL OVER and let regular vehicles pass.  Even if they didn't, common courtesy would say you should.  So, then, why are there so many people who drive slow with long lines of traffic behind them?  What is wrong with you people?  Pull over.  Thank you.

 

That makes 30 photos.

 

And we are getting near the end.

 

Next up, we check out a couple more things around the Fort.

 

And then it's time to go.

 

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Aah, the Settlement Christmas tree.  Hopefully next year we'll see it again!

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

Stressful days are always made better by reading part of a TCD TR.

[Memphis 105]

Not all the golf cart parade leaders are rude so and so s.  Some are just clueless so and so s.  I followed a cart from the 3 way stop at the settlement area to just the other side of the 1500 loop where I lost my patience and gave a short toot on the horn.  The guy jumped in his seat and whipped over to the side and said sorry I didn't see you back there.  I guess he was forted out in FW bliss. 

[Mickeyfan 0]

So this would be when you gave us the spike! Thanks again!!! We all thought it was Awesome!!! I love the fort! We cannot wait to come back. Once the craziness of the holidays pass I plan on doing a trip report.

[LONE-STAR 370]

Sorry we missed you we just couldn't get going early this trip. We always do the same thing every trip. We stay up way to late the first night so we sleep late and stay up late the rest of the trip. Maybe next year.

[dblr....Rennie 224]

As always a great trip report and great pictures!!!!!!!1 I can see a Christmas trip in the future with no park days as there is plenty to see and do at all the resorts.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Aah, the Settlement Christmas tree.  Hopefully next year we'll see it again!

 

I hope that you get to see it next year too.

 

I hope that I will get to see it again this year.

 

Stressful days are always made better by reading part of a TCD TR.

 

I am happy to help.

 

Not all the golf cart parade leaders are rude so and so s.  Some are just clueless so and so s.  I followed a cart from the 3 way stop at the settlement area to just the other side of the 1500 loop where I lost my patience and gave a short toot on the horn.  The guy jumped in his seat and whipped over to the side and said sorry I didn't see you back there.  I guess he was forted out in FW bliss. 

 

That's nice that the guy in front of you was just forted out.

 

Unlike the guy I encountered when we checked out.

 

I had pulled out of the 800 loop, and was heading out.  Traffic was light, and I was cruising along at all of 20 mph minding my own business.  I was already past the 900/1000 bus stop and the 1000 loop entrance when some idiot on a Disney cart pulls out of the Meadow Trading Post right in front of me.  He didn't even look to his right as the pulled out, and I had to brake immediately.  The guy looked like one of those Guidos from the Jersey Short MTV show, but about 10 years older and very much pudgier.  He had a Snookie-looking wife/girlfriend in the passenger seat in a velour sweatsuit, and a kid between them.  None of them were paying attention.  The guy was going less than 10 mph, and I was right on his bumper.  I gave him a very light courtesy tap of the horn.  Both he and Snookie turned around and looked at me, and they kept right on with their slow driving.  I couldn't believe the guy would be that big of a jerk, but he didn't pull over- he just kept on with his slow driving.  So I gave him a good long honk.  We were even with the 1200/1300 bus stop then.  And he gestures to the people at the bus stop by pointing back to me with his thumb, and shrugging his shoulders like he didn't understand why I was honking at him.  Oy.  There wasn't anything else I could do, but back off and drive less than 10 mph.  When we got to the 4 way stop, the guy thankfully rolled through it and turned right.  Snookie flashed me a peace sign.  Incredible.

 

So this would be when you gave us the spike! Thanks again!!! We all thought it was Awesome!!! I love the fort! We cannot wait to come back. Once the craziness of the holidays pass I plan on doing a trip report.

 

Dang, I'm getting forgetful.  That's exactly why I went around the 1300 loop- I was looking for a new Fiend to spike.  It didn't look like anyone was up at your site either, so I just left the spike there.  Glad you got it!

 

Please do a trip report!  We can never have enough.

 

Sorry we missed you we just couldn't get going early this trip. We always do the same thing every trip. We stay up way to late the first night so we sleep late and stay up late the rest of the trip. Maybe next year.

 

I understand. We burn the candle at both ends, so I probably should have tried to catch y'all late one night.

 

I hope we're both back next year, and I will catch you then.

 

As always a great trip report and great pictures!!!!!!!1 I can see a Christmas trip in the future with no park days as there is plenty to see and do at all the resorts.

 

You are absolutely right- there is plenty to do at WDW around Christmas that you could be busy all day and never make it to a park.  All of the resorts have great Christmas decorations, as does Downtown Disney.  You could easily spend an entire evening at the Grand Floridian just enjoying the free musical entertainment they have in their lobby.

 

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We've reached the end of another TR.

 

I am sorry to see this one end, but that just means I will need to make another visit to the Fort.

 

Hopefully that will be sooner rather than later.

 

For now, let's wrap this one up.

 

There was one more place I wanted to visit in the daylight before heading back to camp to get packing.

 

It the area where we saw the temporary signs and cones the night before.  I wanted to see how much damage was done to the grass by them setting up a temporary parking area there.

 

I also snapped a few photos of the new cell towers they snuck in to the Fort.  I have to admit that they did a pretty good job camouflaging them.  The tree you see in the center of this photo is actually a cell tower with fake branches on it:

 

 

And this is one more look at the tree:

 

 

As I expected, those cars they had driving on the grass last night did a pretty good job tearing up the grass:

 

 

There were tire tracks everywhere:

 

 

Let's stop and think about this for a moment.

 

For the past few years, the idiots who run the Fort have employed other idiots and given them the title "Fort Ranger."  And they send these idiot Rangers around the loops on a nightly basis to look for paying customers who may have parked their vehicles in a manner that a tire is off the pavement.  When they find a vehicle with one or more tire off the pavement, they write up a warning and put it on the car- telling the guest that they need to move it.  The areas around the sites is mostly dirt and sand- not very much grass or other plant life is in danger of damage by a tire sitting off the paved area in the loops.  But, they still send those idiot Rangers around to harass guests who are paying the high prices charged to camp at the Fort.  So, then, how is it OK to tear up all this nice grass in order to cram in more guests for the Hoop Dee Doo and Backyard Barbecue? 

 

And, we pay very high prices to enjoy the wilderness feeling at Fort Wilderness.  Shouldn't I get a discount for having to drive in past what looks like a Georgia highway?  There were cones and temporary signs everywhere:

 

 

And tire ruts everywhere:

 

 

They had several trailers with solar lights on them.  Isn't it nice how Disney respects the environment?:

 

 

More cones and signs:

 

 

 

Cones, cones, and more cones:

 

 

 

 

What a bunch of idiots.

 

Very bad show here, Jose.

 

From here, I got back to camp and got busy with the packing. I was so happy that we had not had any rain this trip, so everything was nice and dry and ready to just pack up.

 

It was a beautiful morning.

 

There were a bunch of squirrels overhead building nests in the pine trees.  I took several photos of them, but now I can't see the squirrels.  The photos are pretty, though, so I'll share them anyway:

 

 

 

 

I had borrowed one of the cable kits and needed to return it to the Meadow Trading Post, so I took a break after a while and headed back there:

 

 

It was just after 9:00 am, and there was still no music playing on the porch:

 

 

The music wasn't playing inside either:

 

 

When I returned the cable kit, I asked the CM why the music wasn't playing.  He said they didn't control the music there.  It is controlled from the Outpost.  It had been coming on late for some reason, and nobody knew why. 

 

Idiots.

 

Now look here, Jose and company:  Fort Wilderness guests pay a premium price to stay at the Fort during the holidays.  There was a time when Disney World was all about being excellent. It is not excellent for you to make up stupid rules and tell guests they have to follow them, and then do nothing to enforce those rules.  It is not excellent to have a giant patch of burnt out lights on the main Christmas tree for four nights in a row.  It is not excellent to have decorative items such as the covered wagon at the Settlement Trading post sitting around rotting and deteriorating.  It is not excellent to not have the themed music playing in your public spaces.  It is not acceptable to use a beautiful entry area as a temporary parking lot.  I could go on, but I think I've made my point.  Apparently, nobody up the chain cares that you're not doing your job.  But don't you care?  Is that the Disney way?  Why don't you try something new and do your rootin' tootin' job for a change?

 

Speaking of idiots, they were still all out of the new long sleeved t-shirts and the new sweatshirts for any size above adult medium:

 

 

I really needed a dose of the Fort Christmas music before I finished packing, so I headed down to the Settlement:

 

 

There's the bike racks in the middle of the River Country Wagon enclosure still:

 

 

It was kind of busy there at Trail's End:

 

 

But, I did manage to get a rocking chair and listen to one Christmas song:

 

 

I don't really like that sign, but I did like the starlight mint Hidden Mickey they have on it.

 

After that, I headed back to camp and got really busy.

 

I woke the girls up after a bit, and sent them off to get an early lunch while I finished the packing.

 

When they got back, I was hitched up and ready to go.

 

And we went.

 

It was a great Thanksgiving.

 

That's all I have for you.

 

TCD

[Family of Bears 98]

Two things:

"The BABH: A Monument to the IM's at Fort Wilderness"....you've really got to be on the ball with your fiend lingo to decode this one. Love it.

And lol at rootin tootin job.

Enjoyed it, thanks :)

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Sorry this TR is over!  But at least your DL TR is going strong, and hopefully you'll have another trip to the fort this month!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Great trip and report! Glad you finally got to listen to some music. I hope they have that tree fixed by now. 

 

And parking in the grass for the shows SMB. Why are they doing that?

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

Sorry this TR is over.  But at least your DL TR is going strong, and hopefully you'll have another trip to the fort this month!

[parrothead7368 aka Norm 101]

Great report as always. Thanks TCD!

 

Best Regards,

Norm