Anchors Away! The TCD Gang Has Another Dream (cruise)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

37 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

And with that, the radical transformation of WDW is complete.

Always remember.  

 

Man, you have made me very sad.

At least there are still some places on WDW property that serve steak fries.  I just had some last week at the Sci Fi Drive In at DHS, and I think they still serve them at the Fish and Chips stand in Epcot.  But, I haven't been there in a while, and it wouldn't surprise me if they swap those out for Disney fries too.

 

3 minutes ago, parrothead7368 aka Norm said:

Blech, WaWa!!

We went to Port Orleans when we were down in November to try different QS places and check out how the other half lives. We liked it and would stay there if we ever had to stay in a hotel.

Best Regards,

Norm

What?

You don't like WaWa?

I think it's great.  Plus, it's Hoagiefest!  What a deal!

2 minutes ago, Travisma said:

A lot better than Subway or Quiznos!

Agreed.

Not better than a PubSub from Publix, but a lot more convenient and much cheaper.

TCD

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

No more ADRs at the Plaza Restaurant?  I have one for September.  Guess we'd better enjoy it while we can.  That stinks.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

4 minutes ago, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said:

No more ADRs at the Plaza Restaurant?  I have one for September.  Guess we'd better enjoy it while we can.  That stinks.

I never did double check to see if it was true, but Mo posted a link last month stating that there would be no more advanced ADR's for the Plaza:

TCD

[parrothead7368 aka Norm 101]

Nope, not a fan of WaWa, and I am in the middle of hundreds of them. They used to be better when they were just smaller stores that sold lunch meat and the like. They got to big and the quality of their food has suffered. You Florida people have nothing better, so.......

Royal Farms is finally coming into Jersey which I like and WaWa needs the competition.

Best Regards,

Norm

 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

4 minutes ago, parrothead7368 aka Norm said:

Nope, not a fan of WaWa, and I am in the middle of hundreds of them. They used to be better when they were just smaller stores that sold lunch meat and the like. They got to big and the quality of their food has suffered. You Florida people have nothing better, so.......

Royal Farms is finally coming into Jersey which I like and WaWa needs the competition.

Best Regards,

Norm

 

I get it.

There were a couple of mom and pop shops where I lived in NJ that served great cheesesteaks, hoagies and pizza.

But, I'm in Florida now.

And WaWa is pretty darned good.

Luckily for me, there's a great cheesesteak place right in my town.  The owners have a place back in Philly, and this one is pretty close to the real deal.

TCD

[daddyphat808 - Eric 16]

Your Selfie skills have vastly improved!

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

TCD, in the thread about the Plaza restaurant, you for ulster that even with your ADR, you would have a long wait. I'm curious. Did you?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dvccamper 32]

Finally all caught up on this trip report, love hearing about and seeing the pictures from the Disney cruise.  Maybe someday...

You mentioned Paradise Pier in one of your replies earlier, couldn't find it. But we just returned from our epic 2 week CA family adventure.  First, thank you for your Disneyland reports as they helped me in planning.  I don't know that I have it in me to write a trip report but I can say we really enjoyed Disneyland, but it was a little disorienting as I would think I knew where things were but then go around a corner and be totally lost. I like the control I have at WDW!  Anyway, back to Paradise Pier. We had some DVC points and were able to stay at the Grand Californian for a couple of nights. Just beautiful, nicest DVC resort we've ever stayed at.  But I wanted one more night and foolishly we stayed at Paradise Pier (I wish I had looked into the Park Vue Inn).  It just didn't feel very Disney-like, it was really nothing special and probably wouldn't stay there again.  However, they did upgrade us to a concierge room, so that's a big positive.

One funny thing was we were at Corn Dog Castle (a must-do for my youngest, as she claimed her corn dog in AK was the best one of her life).  We were ordering and I told my husband to tell them we didn't want the chips (one of your tips). I forget now what it saved us for the five of us, but he was so impressed, he hates parting with his money at Disney, haha.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

It shouldn't be hard to figure out why POFQ is your favorite moderate. 

Trader Sam's is my new favorite lounge in WDW. Elena and I had so much fun there that we bailed part of the way through our monorail crawl and just went back there. It's better when it's late, so I'm glad we did. There were lots of CMs there and them playing along made it even more fun.

You know where Wawa is from, right? 

[lightbikes 73]

4 hours ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said:

You know where Wawa is from, right? 

Wawa is a town in northern Ontario and it's the Ojibway name for the Canada Goose.  

[bhall 115]

5 hours ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said:

You know where Wawa is from, right? 

 

1 hour ago, lightbikes said:

Wawa is a town in northern Ontario and it's the Ojibway name for the Canada Goose.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wawa,_Pennsylvania

 

10 hours ago, parrothead7368 aka Norm said:

Nope, not a fan of WaWa, and I am in the middle of hundreds of them. They used to be better when they were just smaller stores that sold lunch meat and the like. They got to big and the quality of their food has suffered. You Florida people have nothing better, so.......

Royal Farms is finally coming into Jersey which I like and WaWa needs the competition.

Best Regards,

Norm

 

We don't have a WaWa in my section of PA, but I have a Sheetz 3/4 of a mile from me and a Royal Farms 7 miles away.   Although, I am quite familiar with the WaWas in Ocean City, Maryland and Westminster, Maryland and they are quite superior in sandwich/sub quality then the Royal Farms in both those cities or the one near me.  WaWa definitely blows away Sheetz.  However, Royal Farms chicken is awesome and I think TCD may like their steak fries if he ever samples them.  I'm not really a fan of steak fries, but I'll eat them from Royal Farms if they're fresh and hot.  I wish we had a WaWa closer then 30 miles to me because Sheetz needs the competition.

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

19 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

She got us a good deal on a room at Port Orleans French Quarter.  Which, for some reason, is my favorite moderate level resort. 

TCD

I wonder if that's the Resort they use for most CM rates. A crochety former bus driver got us a room in June and that's where we were. First time there and we really liked it, much preferred over POR.  Had two nights there, our room was right by the pool in Bldg 2.  

[Travisma 1,317]

Buc-ee's would give WaWa a run for their money, but they are only located in central Texas.

One plus about WaWA, is the food service is fairly quick.  It may not be gourmet, but it's a lot better than the other fast food sandwich shops.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

16 hours ago, daddyphat808 - Eric said:

Your Selfie skills have vastly improved!

Thanks for saying that, but it's not really true.  That was just a lucky shot.  It happens.

16 hours ago, Momof6....aka Marty said:

TCD, in the thread about the Plaza restaurant, you for ulster that even with your ADR, you would have a long wait. I'm curious. Did you?

Good question.  My ADR got handled per the usual way- I checked in about 10 minutes early, got a beeper, and we were paged after about 15 minutes.  It was clearly busy, so I would say that our wait was about what it would have been at any other full service restaurant on property.

13 hours ago, dvccamper said:

Finally all caught up on this trip report, love hearing about and seeing the pictures from the Disney cruise.  Maybe someday...

You mentioned Paradise Pier in one of your replies earlier, couldn't find it. But we just returned from our epic 2 week CA family adventure.  First, thank you for your Disneyland reports as they helped me in planning.  I don't know that I have it in me to write a trip report but I can say we really enjoyed Disneyland, but it was a little disorienting as I would think I knew where things were but then go around a corner and be totally lost. I like the control I have at WDW!  Anyway, back to Paradise Pier. We had some DVC points and were able to stay at the Grand Californian for a couple of nights. Just beautiful, nicest DVC resort we've ever stayed at.  But I wanted one more night and foolishly we stayed at Paradise Pier (I wish I had looked into the Park Vue Inn).  It just didn't feel very Disney-like, it was really nothing special and probably wouldn't stay there again.  However, they did upgrade us to a concierge room, so that's a big positive.

One funny thing was we were at Corn Dog Castle (a must-do for my youngest, as she claimed her corn dog in AK was the best one of her life).  We were ordering and I told my husband to tell them we didn't want the chips (one of your tips). I forget now what it saved us for the five of us, but he was so impressed, he hates parting with his money at Disney, haha.

Thanks for the feedback on Paradise Pier.  I might be tempted to stay there one day, so it's good to know that unless I get a fantastic deal, it's not worth it.

I still have not enjoyed a corn dog from the Corn Dog Castle (which is in California Adventure).  I had always heard that the ones sold from the cart in Disneyland are superior.  The twins have since educated me, and told me that there is no difference between the two.

13 hours ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said:

It shouldn't be hard to figure out why POFQ is your favorite moderate. 

Trader Sam's is my new favorite lounge in WDW. Elena and I had so much fun there that we bailed part of the way through our monorail crawl and just went back there. It's better when it's late, so I'm glad we did. There were lots of CMs there and them playing along made it even more fun.

You know where Wawa is from, right? 

I agree with you about Trader Sam's.  The only problem with it is how small it is.  I should have mentioned that- I was surprised by how few guests it can accommodate.  We had to wait about a half hour to get in there, but it was July 3, and there were mobs of people around the resort because of the fireworks.  I also think it's dumb that it closes at midnight.  But, they know their audience.

I thought that WaWa started in Pennsylvania.  Then I read some of the comments on this thread, and I wasn't sure.

8 hours ago, lightbikes said:

Wawa is a town in northern Ontario and it's the Ojibway name for the Canada Goose.  

That sounded entirely credible to me.

Then I read the Wikipedia article linked below.

7 hours ago, bhall said:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wawa,_Pennsylvania

 

We don't have a WaWa in my section of PA, but I have a Sheetz 3/4 of a mile from me and a Royal Farms 7 miles away.   Although, I am quite familiar with the WaWas in Ocean City, Maryland and Westminster, Maryland and they are quite superior in sandwich/sub quality then the Royal Farms in both those cities or the one near me.  WaWa definitely blows away Sheetz.  However, Royal Farms chicken is awesome and I think TCD may like their steak fries if he ever samples them.  I'm not really a fan of steak fries, but I'll eat them from Royal Farms if they're fresh and hot.  I wish we had a WaWa closer then 30 miles to me because Sheetz needs the competition.

Aha.  That Wikipedia article says that WaWa started in Pennsylvania. 

So does the official WaWa page:

Wawa, Inc., a privately held company, began in 1803 as an iron foundry in New Jersey. Toward the end of the 19th Century, owner George Wood took an interest in dairy farming and the family began a small processing plant in Wawa, Pa, in 1902. The milk business was a huge success, due to its quality, cleanliness and “certified” process. As home delivery of milk declined in the early 1960s, Grahame Wood, George’s grandson, opened the first Wawa Food Market in 1964 as an outlet for dairy products.

Today, Wawa is your all day, every day stop for fresh, built-to-order foods, beverages, coffee, fuel services, and surcharge-free ATMs. A chain of more than 645 convenience retail stores (over 365 offering gasoline), Wawa stores are located in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and Central Florida. The stores offer a large fresh food service selection, including Wawa brands such as built-to-order hoagies, freshly brewed coffee, hot breakfast sandwiches, built-to-order specialty beverages, and an assortment of soups, sides and snacks.

Our Logo: "Wawa" is a Native American word for the Canada Goose that was found in the Delaware Valley over 100 years ago. Our original Dairy farm was built on land located in a rural section of Pennsylvania called Wawa. That's why we use the goose on Wawa's corporate logo.

https://www.wawa.com/about.aspx

I'll take WaWa's word for it.

1 hour ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

I wonder if that's the Resort they use for most CM rates. A crochety former bus driver got us a room in June and that's where we were. First time there and we really liked it, much preferred over POR.  Had two nights there, our room was right by the pool in Bldg 2.  

I think your good buddy did you a solid getting you a room there.  My experience has been that CM discounts are easier to come by at other resorts than the are at POFQ.  The resort is small and has fewer rooms than the other moderates.  I've stayed in Building 2 also, and love that location. 

1 hour ago, Travisma said:

Buc-ee's would give WaWa a run for their money, but they are only located in central Texas.

One plus about WaWA, is the food service is fairly quick.  It may not be gourmet, but it's a lot better than the other fast food sandwich shops.

We stopped at a Buc-ee's on our drive to California last year.  Wow! 

It seemed nice, and had anything you could possibly want, but I prefer the size of the WaWa stores. 

I like being able to order on the touch screens, rather than having to stand there as the employee makes each sandwich.  It's quicker and more efficient than how it's done at Subway, Quinzos, Jimmy John's or any of the other sandwich joints around me.  I do like to use Publix's on-line ordering system for subs, but it's more of a hassle to go to Publix than to WaWa.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

How about some more bonus content?

This bonus content could have been a separate mini TR, but since it was only two days, I'm adding it here.

It is now the morning of Monday, July 4th.

I had great plans for today.

Like a breakfast reservation at Trail's End at 9:45 am.

We had been at the Fort for the past two July 4ths, and they had done the golf cart parade at 9 am.

We also ate at Trail's End right after the golf cart parade for the last two 4ths of July.

And that was the plan for this year too.

But, Disney got me.

They moved the golf cart parade to 5 pm.

On a day when it would feel like 110 degrees out at 5 pm.

If we're being honest here, the 4th of July golf cart parade isn't all that great.

It's a bunch of golf carts loaded with as many red, white and blue decorations as possible.

That's as creative as it gets.

So, we were going to miss this year's golf cart parade.

And that meant that maybe I could move the breakfast reservation back a bit.

A later time, closer to 11 works better for my gang.  That way, the meal counts as both breakfast and lunch, and we can head to the MK afterwards.

So, I after learning that there would be no golf cart parade that morning, I went onto MDE to see if I cold move the time.

There was a lot of availability- and it was offering me times in the afternoon too.

But, July 4th was a Monday.

The new extended buffet is only supposed to be on Saturday and Sunday.

They must have decided to treat July 4th like a weekend, and they were going to serve the buffet instead of the lunch menu.

That was good-I wanted to try it.

So, I moved our reservation to 11:15.  I wanted to make sure that we'd get a crack at the fried chicken and stuff that doesn't come out until 11.

Allegedly.

With that plan in place, I made some new plans for the early morning.  My first plan was to get up early- like 7-ish, and drive over to the Fort and have a nice run to the Lodge and back.  But, then we were up late on the 3rd, and I was still tired from the cruise.  So, I scaled those plans back.  I would get up at 8-ish, and just have a run round the Port Orleans property.  That would be nice.  But, when 8-ish came around, I just didn't feel like going out and getting all sweaty.  Instead, I made some coffee, and strolled around the resort at bit.

The girls wanted to sleep until 10, and I let them.

At one point, I sat at the bar by the pool and enjoyed the free Wi-Fi.  Yesterday, while we were at the pool, the girls had noticed guests walking around with plastic hurricane glasses, and they were interested in getting some drinks from the bar.  I said maybe we would do that later today.  So, I wanted to check things out.

It was 9:40 am when I took these photos, and the bar was still locked up from the night before.  They had left the gourmet ices in their machines all night:

Here's the drink menu- the drinks in those souvenir glasses start at $12.25 a piece.  That made me miss the Konk Koolers on Castaway Cay:

I decided we would scratch the bar visit here today.

There go those gators again:

I got the girls up and they got ready, and then we drove over to the Fort.

They had the sign up saying that the parking lot was closed except for registered guests and those with dining reservations.  The guard actually scanned my MagicBand to confirm that we had reservations.

We found a parking space and headed to the bus stop.

Right on cue, a Purple bus pulled up.

We had to fight through a mob of guests who were standing there waiting for a different bus, but decided that they should stand there and block guests trying to get on this bus.

I snapped a photo of them as we got ready to go:

Let's talk about this photo for a moment.  Who are these people and where are they going?  Some of them have swim trunks on.  And do you see that guy with the push cart?  There's a big bag of charcoal on top.  Where is he going with that?  And why?

Folks, what we have here are some good old fashioned 4th of July freeloaders.  They parked in the parking lot, and they're heading to the pool to snag a grill and have themselves a nice barbecue.

But, how did they get in the parking lot?

And why isn't anyone here to stop them?

And what do you want to bet that guy has a big container of lighter fluid in his cart?

Do you know it's illegal to bring that onto a passenger bus?

Why is this happening?

Because it's perfectly fine with the management of the Fort, that's why.  My hypothesis, which has yet to be disproven, is that these freeloaders are family members of Fort Wilderness castmembers, and they have both the blessing and permission from the management to use the pool and its facilities as their own little private club.

But wait.

That pool isn't big enough to accommodate all of the guests who are paying to stay at the Fort on this holiday weekend.

Too bad.

What are you going to do about it?

Some things never change.

On we went.

They had a portable sign set up right on Fort Wilderness Trail:

On past July 4th's they have had to park guests coming in for the Hoop Dee Doo Revue in the grass along the road here because the overflow parking lot was full.

But why was it full if they have those parking restrictions in place?

Well, where do you think all of those freeloading castmember families park?

Stop complaining.

It's not like it affects you personally.

Well, except for how they keep raising the rates to pay for things like portable signs.

We headed in to the campground, through the cabin loops, and then we passed the 2100 loop, which was still closed and under construction:

If I had come over here earlier to run, as per the original plan, I was going to check on things in the 2100 loop, but for now, I just had to look from this nice air conditioned bus.  As would be expected, nobody was in there working on this holiday.

The group camping area was deserted:

As we headed down the road to the Settlement area, I looked over to the pond next to that parking lot we just saw in that last photo, and I caught a glimpse of something in there that I had not seen before.  I had already put my camera away, so I missed getting a photo of it.  But, if it was what I thought it was, it was newsworthy, and I knew that I needed to go back there for another look the next chance I got.

Trail's End was not busy at all when I checked in.  But, we were a few minutes early for our ADR, so we had to grab a rocking chair for a while.  I didn't mind at all. 

Wow,  Orange Cone Guy got paid overtime again this year:

I expected to see the crepe myrtle trees in the center of the Settlement bursting with flowers, but that was a fail:

I know that a lot of us complain about the outrageous rate increases we have been subjected to the Fort over the past few years, but it is totally worth it when you see how they pour that money right back in to the campground to do special thinks like decorate for the holidays.  Check out these great 4th of July decorations they put up on the porch:

There are some folks having themselves a nice picnic under that tree over there by the playground:

We got called in right after this.

We got seated on the lower level, right by the bar.  Which was odd, because there were lots of open tables on the upper level.  I guess they were trying to spread things out for the servers.

Our server came and got our drink order, and we headed up to the buffet.

It was nice that it wasn't crowded, because they had two lines set up, and there was no wait.

I fixed a plate of my favorites, and also grabbed a piece of fried chicken.

Then I remembered that they were supposed to have made to order omelets available.  There were no signs or anything announcing this, but I know I had read it when they announced the change in the buffet.  During one of our server's very rare and infrequent visits to the table, I asked him about he omelets.  He said he could get us one- what did we want.  There was no list of ingredients provided- but we told him, and he wrote it all down and disappeared again.  After a really long time, he came back with our omelets.  They looked like they had been sitting under a heat lamp for a while, but they were what we had ordered, and they were huge:

That's a dinner plate that sucker is sitting on.

I liked my omelet, but it was a lot to eat.

Which was a good thing, because my fried chicken was awful.  It was so dry.  Like it had been sitting out under a heat lamp since 7:30 am dry.  Which I'm sure is exactly what happened.

Oh well.

As we sat and ate, the few tables that were already here when we arrived finished up and left.  By a bit past noon, there were maybe 5 parties left in the restaurant, and nobody new was coming in.

I wish I could have eaten more, because there were no lines for the buffet.

I went back just to take some photos, which aren't that great, but they show the set-up for the expanded lunch offerings.

The baked goods table is the same:

This carving station is new for the brunch buffet.  That CM will cut you a slice of smoked bacon or a piece of ham.  I tried both.  I thought I would love the bacon because, you know, it's bacon. But it was gross.  I've never eaten a raw piece of bacon, but I think that's what it is.  It tasted good, but it was 80% fat and 20% raw meat. I would have liked a thick slice of it had it been fried up a bit, but a slice of how they served it just wasn't very good. The ham was ham:

This is all of the hot lunch stuff- fried chicken, mashed potatoes, pizza, macaroni and cheese, etc.:

It's basic stuff.  As I mentioned, my fried chicken was really, really dry, which was a huge disappointment.  But, Twin #2 got a piece that was good.  So, I was just unlucky with that.

Here's the breakfast stuff- I think all of the stuff they usually have is here, including that gross eggs benedict variation with pulled pork:

Here's the cold stuff, including peel and eat shrimp.  All of the reviews I've read were very critical of the quality of the shrimp.  I should have taken one for the team and tried some, but it looked gross, and I had just enjoyed some very nice peel and eat shrimp on my cruise, and I just didn't have it in me to subject myself to that.  Sorry:

After this, we paid up and got out of there.

I liked it OK, but for me the extra charge for the dry fried chicken and raw bacon isn't worth it.  I'm going to try and stick with weekdays if I can.

After brunch, the girls needed to powder their noses.

I took a peek inside Pioneer Hall:

There's a rumor floating around that these tables are going to be replaced soon.  This could end up being a before photo if that rumor is true.

Here's a nice blooming crepe myrtle:

I found this odd- they cancelled all of the wagon rides because of congestion.  That's not like them to turn down a buck:

It was 12:28 pm when I took these photos, and there was no one in the Settlement area.  It was too danged hot:

I thought about shimmying up to the top porch of Pioneer Hall, but I was too stuffed from that huge omelet, raw bacon and dry fried chicken, so I stayed on earth:

Next time.

Oh, here's another shot of the 4th of July decorations, and one kid playing with a lame corn hole game they had set up.  Which raises a question:  Where the hula hoops at? :

These are not the benches I'm looking for:

I'm glad that the field and old windmill are still here like always:

On a not so hot day, we probably would have gone to the MK from here.  But, the POFQ pool was calling to us, and we decided that we would head back there.  So, we headed to the bus stop, which, like the rest of the Settlement, was deserted:

I hope that most of you reading along know this, but in case you don't, there's a good place to see an old Fort Wilderness Railroad rail bed right across from the Settlement Bus Stop- the trains used to come right out of the woods here and stop at a station that used to be located here:

The first bus to arrive was an Orange one.  That would work fine for us, so we hopped on.

On the way out, I decided that even though it felt like over 100 degrees out, I was going to do some exploring today.

One of the girls' friends had joined us for breakfast, so they had a ride back to POFQ.  I told them I'd see them there later, and I hopped off at the Meadows, with an s, Trading Post.  Yes, with an s:

My plan from here was to head out through the 900 loop, check out the 2100 loop, and then the group camping area.  Also, I knew of at least one Fiend who was at the Fort, and I thought that I would stop by and see him too.  We will pick it up from here in the next update.

TCD

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

The Fort isn't the only resort to have freeloaders. I met some at Coronado Springs in June.

Brunch seems disappointing.

Pool time at the resort? That's rare for the TCD gang, isn't it?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Travisma 1,317]

I was surprised to see the sign about the wagon rides also, since they don't go into pedestrian traffic at the Settlement itself.  Maybe they were worried about the cart traffic flying in and out of the Settlement.

We had about 15 - 20 people get off the bus at the 1500 loop and head to a site.  All had bathing suits, some had coolers and covered dishes. What was lacking, is none of them had a single MB among them.

And you were low on the 100 degrees.  Feels like was 108 or 109 depending on what app you used!

Corn hole game was worse than the cheapie one we have at home that is made out of PVC and nylon material.

I noticed they are being frugal at the Fort.  My granddaughter won the hula hoop contest, and they told her she would get a prize at the end of the poolside fun just like every other kid.  Nothing special for being a winner.  Cheapskates...  And they charged i think $3 to decorate a regular sized cupcake.

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

7 minutes ago, Travisma said:

 We had about 15 - 20 people get off the bus at the 1500 loop and head to a site.  All had bathing suits, some had coolers and covered dishes. What was lacking, is none of them had a single MB among them.

We've discussed it before, but CM's also have full access to the RESORTS and even though they have their own rec center many prefer the FORT.  I've also seen that happen if there is a group using a loop. Those who don't camp show up during the day and if they don't spend the night the 10 person rule doesn't apply.

[djsamuel 322]

1 hour ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

We've discussed it before, but CM's also have full access to the RESORTS and even though they have their own rec center many prefer the FORT.  I've also seen that happen if there is a group using a loop. Those who don't camp show up during the day and if they don't spend the night the 10 person rule doesn't apply.

They're not supposed to have access.  You can get through to the parking lot with your ID, much like anybody can with a driver's license.  However, if it is crowded, you will get turned away as we have at times when showing the cast ID.  A few months ago, my daughter and her husband met us for lunch at Animal Kingdom Lodge.  The two of them drove from work in separate cars, and we all went to Disney Springs afterwards.  When she drove her husband back to get his car, she showed her cast ID and the guard asked if she was staying there.  When my daughter said no, that they had lunch there, the guard read her the riot act and took down her information.  Fortunately, nothing came of it.  Cast members are also not supposed to use the resort amenities unless they are staying there.  Little Lake Bryan is for the cast, and is a decent facility. The lack of enforcement is annoying even to cast members that try to follow the rules.  I hope the fence being put up around the Meadow pool will lead to some enforcement.  

I am surprised some got in especially on July 4th weekend.  We've stayed at the Fort twice in May and once in June and July.  We haven't seen the same level of abuse as in the past, but that may have just been timing.  We were at Coronado Springs in March, and they questioned us about why we were there until we showed our Magic Bands.  We'll be back at the Fort in August, September, October and December for New Years, so it may seem like people like us are freeloaders, but we're not, and we're not always getting a discount.  

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

9 minutes ago, djsamuel said:

They're not supposed to have access.  

They use their CM ID at the back gate at the FORT, they never see the guard shack.

[Travisma 1,317]

11 minutes ago, djsamuel said:

We haven't seen the same level of abuse as in the past, but that may have just been timing.  

We were at Coronado Springs in March, and they questioned us about why we were there until we showed our Magic Bands.  .  

Two years ago, they had Checkpoint Charlie set up at the pool for the 4th of July.  Someone from your party had to show ID, then you could get the amount of wristbands for the pool that corresponded with how many people were on your reservation. Of course, people skirted around the table all day, and I didn't see them eject anyone that didn't have a band.  This year the pool was wide open.

This visit, we had to show ID at check in of course.  Every other resort we visited they scanned my MB and welcomed us, whether we had a reservation or wree just visiting.  Except for POR.  The guard there was showing us who was boss.  He demanded ID, didn't scan my MB, said I needed to show ID every time we stopped at a guard shack.  And, he was either very inept or flat out lied to us.  I asked where we went to get the boat to Disney Springs, and he said there was no boat at Riverside, and there might've been one at the French Quarter.

[djsamuel 322]

3 minutes ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

Their CM ID will open the back gate at the FORT, they never see the guard shack.

Not necessarily.  The access control office sets the points of access for each ID.  The IDs do not provide access everywhere.  For example, my wife could use her ID to get into back doors in Team Disney, at DRC, Maingate, etc.  However, when she worked overtime at other locations she would not have access.  If she tried her ID at the Fort, it would not open any gate, nor would it open any gate anywhere other than where she was granted access due to her position.

[djsamuel 322]

2 minutes ago, Travisma said:

Two years ago, they had Checkpoint Charlie set up at the pool for the 4th of July.  Someone from your party had to show ID, then you could get the amount of wristbands for the pool that corresponded with how many people were on your reservation. Of course, people skirted around the table all day, and I didn't see them eject anyone that didn't have a band.  This year the pool was wide open.

This visit, we had to show ID at check in of course.  Every other resort we visited they scanned my MB and welcomed us, whether we had a reservation or wree just visiting.  Except for POR.  The guard there was showing us who was boss.  He demanded ID, didn't scan my MB, said I needed to show ID every time we stopped at a guard shack.  And, he was either very inept or flat out lied to us.  I asked where we went to get the boat to Disney Springs, and he said there was no boat at Riverside, and there might've been one at the French Quarter.

The wide open pool is really annoying.  People are paying for use of that pool and it needs to be enforced.  They need to scan the Magic Bands like at other resorts.  

The guard you had at POR should be fired.  Most of the ones we encounter there when stopping in at the food court are very nice.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

2 hours ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said:

The Fort isn't the only resort to have freeloaders. I met some at Coronado Springs in June.

Brunch seems disappointing.

Pool time at the resort? That's rare for the TCD gang, isn't it?

I have no doubt that other resort pools attract some freeloaders, but there is no where near the level of abuse at those resorts as what consistently goes on at the Fort.  And no one does a thing about it.

I am sorry to say that brunch was disappointing.  Adding those additional items sounds like fun, but the reality is it's too much to eat.  I liked it the way it was.

Yes, we don't usually spend much time at the pools.  But, it was HOT on this trip.  I know that you were there a couple of July 4th's ago. This year was exponentially hotter.  Also, my FP+'s for the 4th were back at the MK.  When I made those, I did so because there was nothing good to do at Epcot or DHS, and we have already done the night time stuff at AK.  If the system worked like it should have, and I had a crack at Epcot FP+'s at the 60 day mark, we would have gone there. So, basically, we had no FP+'s and a feels like temperature of north of 100.  Pool time.

2 hours ago, Travisma said:

I was surprised to see the sign about the wagon rides also, since they don't go into pedestrian traffic at the Settlement itself.  Maybe they were worried about the cart traffic flying in and out of the Settlement.

We had about 15 - 20 people get off the bus at the 1500 loop and head to a site.  All had bathing suits, some had coolers and covered dishes. What was lacking, is none of them had a single MB among them.

And you were low on the 100 degrees.  Feels like was 108 or 109 depending on what app you used!

Corn hole game was worse than the cheapie one we have at home that is made out of PVC and nylon material.

I noticed they are being frugal at the Fort.  My granddaughter won the hula hoop contest, and they told her she would get a prize at the end of the poolside fun just like every other kid.  Nothing special for being a winner.  Cheapskates...  And they charged i think $3 to decorate a regular sized cupcake.

Yeah, I don't get the wagon rides being cancelled.  They do them during other times of heavy congestion (Halloween, Christmas, NYE).

How can you call them cheapskates when they decorated Trail's End like that? And what about all those orange cones?  Do you think those are cheap?  They must have had over a thousand!

2 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

We've discussed it before, but CM's also have full access to the RESORTS and even though they have their own rec center many prefer the FORT.  I've also seen that happen if there is a group using a loop. Those who don't camp show up during the day and if they don't spend the night the 10 person rule doesn't apply.

I know we've discussed this, but I don't know if it's true.  I've asked my DD's and they have told me that the opposite is true- CM's are not free to go to the resorts and use their pools (and I believe that they tell the college program kids this- otherwise it would be chaos).  I really think this is a Fort Wilderness thing. 

And even if CM's are given this privilege, there is no way that this kind of stuff would fly at a Deluxe or Moderate resort.  No way.

13 minutes ago, djsamuel said:

They're not supposed to have access.  You can get through to the parking lot with your ID, much like anybody can with a driver's license.  However, if it is crowded, you will get turned away as we have at times when showing the cast ID.  A few months ago, my daughter and her husband met us for lunch at Animal Kingdom Lodge.  The two of them drove from work in separate cars, and we all went to Disney Springs afterwards.  When she drove her husband back to get his car, she showed her cast ID and the guard asked if she was staying there.  When my daughter said no, that they had lunch there, the guard read her the riot act and took down her information.  Fortunately, nothing came of it.  Cast members are also not supposed to use the resort amenities unless they are staying there.  Little Lake Bryan is for the cast, and is a decent facility. The lack of enforcement is annoying even to cast members that try to follow the rules.  I hope the fence being put up around the Meadow pool will lead to some enforcement.  

I am surprised some got in especially on July 4th weekend.  We've stayed at the Fort twice in May and once in June and July.  We haven't seen the same level of abuse as in the past, but that may have just been timing.  We were at Coronado Springs in March, and they questioned us about why we were there until we showed our Magic Bands.  We'll be back at the Fort in August, September, October and December for New Years, so it may seem like people like us are freeloaders, but we're not, and we're not always getting a discount.  

Thanks for this input.

None of that seems to apply at the Fort.

If these freeloaders aren't CM's then why is the Fort management allowing it?  These people are not sneaking in.  That photo I took is one of hundreds that I could have taken over the years.  People in swimsuits boarding the buses loaded down with coolers and bags of charcoal.  Why is this allowed?

8 minutes ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

Their CM ID will open the back gate at the FORT, they never see the guard shack.

I know that this is true for some CM's who have no reason to have access to the Fort.

3 minutes ago, Travisma said:

Two years ago, they had Checkpoint Charlie set up at the pool for the 4th of July.  Someone from your party had to show ID, then you could get the amount of wristbands for the pool that corresponded with how many people were on your reservation. Of course, people skirted around the table all day, and I didn't see them eject anyone that didn't have a band.  This year the pool was wide open.

This visit, we had to show ID at check in of course.  Every other resort we visited they scanned my MB and welcomed us, whether we had a reservation or wree just visiting.  Except for POR.  The guard there was showing us who was boss.  He demanded ID, didn't scan my MB, said I needed to show ID every time we stopped at a guard shack.  And, he was either very inept or flat out lied to us.  I asked where we went to get the boat to Disney Springs, and he said there was no boat at Riverside, and there might've been one at the French Quarter.

I've been there at the pool on holidays where they required a Key to the World card to be shown to get a wristband.  But, never since KTTW cards have been replaced by MagicBands.  And you're right- the wristbands were a joke because there were tons of people in the pool without them.

That's amazing that the guard didn't know about transportation at the Port Orleans resorts.  Both resorts offer boat transportation to Disney Springs.

2 minutes ago, djsamuel said:

Not necessarily.  The access control office sets the points of access for each ID.  The IDs do not provide access everywhere.  For example, my wife could use her ID to get into back doors in Team Disney, at DRC, Maingate, etc.  However, when she worked overtime at other locations she would not have access.  If she tried her ID at the Fort, it would not open any gate, nor would it open any gate anywhere other than where she was granted access due to her position.

Since one of my daughters worked in merchandise, and actually worked a shift at one of the Fort's trading posts, her blue ID does open all of the gates at the Fort.  But there is no way she would even dream about using it when she wasn't supposed to. 

And I would think that most castmembers would feel the same way.  I can't imagine that so many would be so bold as what I've seen going on at the Fort. This is why I think they have permission from management to be there.  The reason why your wife hasn't been invited to the party is that she's not a Fort Wilderness Castmember.

TCD

[djsamuel 322]

4 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

And I would think that most castmembers would feel the same way.  I can't imagine that so many would be so bold as what I've seen going on at the Fort. This is why I think they have permission from management to be there.  The reason why your wife hasn't been invited to the party is that she's not a Fort Wilderness Castmember.

There is where you broke the code.  There has to be a connection to someone turning  their heads to this. For a cast member to do something like this is taking a huge risk of getting fired, and it happens all of the time (people getting fired).  They watch you like a hawk and will call you in and show you pictures for you to explain (even if it is legitimate).  I am surprised your daughter's ID opens that gate.  If she's worked a lot of OT, they may have expanded her access, but generally they should not.  I know they greatly reduced the staff at Access Control, so perhaps this is now their way of dealing with it.  Makes no sense.