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A TCD Easter at The Fort Trip Report


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Couple of comments. First, regarding the quote above....cherish the times you still have where you'll all be under the same roof.  Once they start marrying, those days are done.  Same with vacati

Sadly, this photo says it all. Fort Wilderness just isn't a campground anymore. It's a poorly designed parking lot with an annoying smattering of trees. It's just a sad reflection of modern suburban A

What's this? A new trip report! Remember those? I liked it back in the day when Fiends would post trip reports. Now people go, and they come back, and nothing. But, that's not

19 hours ago, Travisma said:

I don't know why I try to read your posts on my work computer, when I can't see all the photos.  But the descriptions give me something to look forward to when I get home and can re-read the post complete with the missing pics! :lol:

Got to see the photos last night and caught sight of the infamous shoe picture.

Yes, some people are slaves to fashion.  Her feet/calves will be aching before long.

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22 hours ago, Travisma said:

I don't know why I try to read your posts on my work computer, when I can't see all the photos.  But the descriptions give me something to look forward to when I get home and can re-read the post complete with the missing pics! :lol:

Dang the man.  I can't believe they block you from seeing pictures at work!  So unfair!

21 hours ago, Helmsey......Todd said:

Great pictures from The Fort, I never get tired of looking at those.
The people watching from the 2 parks (sorry catching up after a couple days away) looked to be quite entertaining as well. I'm going to have to figure out a way to pawn the children off on the wife for a couple hours on our next trip and people watch!

Bring the children!  Get them one of those $30 bubble machines and let them go to town while you're people watching.  The bubbles will help to keep Brazilians and others from invading your personal space.

19 hours ago, Beckers said:

Im not sure that's going to be worse for that lady, the Chubb run with her shorts up her booty or the pain from her  gladiator  shoes...

We still haven't sat on that darn hub grass! That's on my list for the next time we go. 

We love the corn dog nuggets at Casey's, especially Adam which is odd because he's so darn picky. He actually asked a few weeks ago if there was somewhere local to get them since (after asking to go to Disney for them lol)

Chubb run?  I try to stay current with the hip lingo of the young people, but that's not something I've heard of before.  Dare I ask what a Chubb run is?

You absolutely do need to sit in the hub grass.  Get some food or drink and do that.  There are shady spots during the day.  It's a really nice place to take a break.

I would imagine that there must be some frozen versions of corn dog nuggets that are close to Casey's.  If you can't find any, then you need to bring Adam to WDW.

14 hours ago, Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie said:

Oh my stars lol "Im not sure that's going to be worse for that lady, the Chubb run with her shorts up her booty or the pain from her  gladiator  shoes..."

You know what a Chubb run is?  How come I don't?

13 hours ago, DaveInTN said:

Liar.  

Busted.

I can't sneak anything past you.

13 hours ago, h2odivers...Ray said:

Lol!  I guess I'm not the only one who thought he like like barrack. 

This disproves that saying "Great minds think alike."

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

Did you have a cinnamon roll with your drinks?

That was a very mean thing to say.

3 hours ago, h2odivers...Ray said:

love the fort and parade pix. 

It it looks like the girl in big fancy blue dress is going to her quinceanera.  

That's what we figured too.  But, I've never seen a girl in any of the WDW parks in a quinceanera dress.  Plus, the girl looked like she was way older than 15.

2 hours ago, Travisma said:

Got to see the photos last night and caught sight of the infamous shoe picture.

Yes, some people are slaves to fashion.  Her feet/calves will be aching before long.

I don't even think those shoes are that attractive.  So, that poor woman was punishing herself for nothing.  Plus, she had a Chubb run to worry about.  Whatever that is.

TCD

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5 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Dang the man.  I can't believe they block you from seeing pictures at work!  So unfair!

Bring the children!  Get them one of those $30 bubble machines and let them go to town while you're people watching.  The bubbles will help to keep Brazilians and others from invading your personal space.

Chubb run?  I try to stay current with the hip lingo of the young people, but that's not something I've heard of before.  Dare I ask what a Chubb run is?

You absolutely do need to sit in the hub grass.  Get some food or drink and do that.  There are shady spots during the day.  It's a really nice place to take a break.

I would imagine that there must be some frozen versions of corn dog nuggets that are close to Casey's.  If you can't find any, then you need to bring Adam to WDW.

You know what a Chubb run is?  How come I don't?

Busted.

I can't sneak anything past you.

This disproves that saying "Great minds think alike."

That was a very mean thing to say.

That's what we figured too.  But, I've never seen a girl in any of the WDW parks in a quinceanera dress.  Plus, the girl looked like she was way older than 15.

I don't even think those shoes are that attractive.  So, that poor woman was punishing herself for nothing.  Plus, she had a Chubb run to worry about.  Whatever that is.

TCD

I think spellcheck strikes again

 

Urban Dictionary: chub rub

www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=chub%20rub
  1.  
what fat girls experience when their inner-upper thighs rub together so much they get chaffed and rashes break out
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29 minutes ago, Travisma said:

I think spellcheck strikes again

 

Urban Dictionary: chub rub

www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=chub%20rub
  1.  
what fat girls experience when their inner-upper thighs rub together so much they get chaffed and rashes break out

Bless you.

When I googled Chubb run, all I got was articles about Georgia's running back, Nick Chubb.

Chub Rub.

Not Chubb Run.

TCD

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Update time.

We left off on early Saturday afternoon, April 15th, at the MK.

We had some FP+'s that we could cash in, but it was getting warm, and Twin #2 was back at the campsite by herself.  Plus, Mrs. TCD and Rocky were due to arrive.  So, we elected to head back to the Fort.

We took the boat, which wasn't crowded at all.

Some more DVC cabin shots:

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It is getting harder and harder to see the old shipwreck on Discovery Island, but it's still there:

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Another Shoe Tree photo, because it's cool:

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We were able to get Twin #2 to pick us up at the marina, and we did some more looping.  Then she had to get ready for work.

I decided it would be a good time for me to document what I received from the CM when I checked in.

Instead of a spray can of bug repellant, which is what I've been given the past few trips, I got mosquito wipes.  Like always, there was no need for these. We had no bug issues at all:

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I don't think there was anything new on the map:

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We were going to be checking out well before the Star Wars race weekend, but I got this information slip anyway:

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I got a nice letter from the new manager:

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And a card with mosquito information in multiple languages:

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A wildlife alert:

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And more mosquito warnings on the back of that:

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I was going to post that I didn't get an activity guide or the handout about transportation rules, but I think I see those folded up next to the other documents in my photos, so I guess I don't have to complain about that.

But here's something that made me mad.  Some past occupants of my site had mutilated a tree:

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I do not understand that at all.  I am glad that I was taught camping etiquette from an early age.  This kind of crap definitely violates the "Leave Only Footprints" rule.

I shared some of these next photos on another thread, but I'm going to post them here because I took them when I was out looping that afternoon, and maybe you didn't see them on the other thread.

Because of the burn ban, they had some community grilling areas set up.  The only ones I saw were on the 1500 and 2000 loops and at the Meadow pool.  I guess everyone else was on their own.

Here's the community grilling area on the 1500 loop:

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That grill retails for $1300 new. And this was a new one.  That chain isn't going to stop a bad guy.

Here's a sign advertising the community grilling area at the Meadows (with and "s") pool:

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And here's the set-up there:

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We drove over to the campfire area to see what was going on there.  They have the Chuck Wagon advertised on the information post they have there:

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Look at all those people on Bob's dock!:

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The grass around the Fort was definitely looking a bit brown from the lack of rain:

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When we were looping by the four-way stop, we saw a big blue bus turn toward the group camping area.  We followed it back there, and saw it back in to the driveway next to the campsites:

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So, all of the folks camping here came in on a bus, and that must take them around to the parks.  I still couldn't figure out what kind of group they were, and made a mental note that I'd have to head over to the group camping area later and check it out.

I won't leave you hanging on that- I'll tell you that my oldest DD and I walked over the bridge that connects the 900 loop with the group camping area about an hour later.  There were people around now, so we just walked over to the bus so I could get a look at it- like maybe there was a bumper sticker or a license plate that would tell me where these folks were from.  Well, as we came around the side of the bus, we startled the bus driver who was standing there taking a leak on the side of the bus!  What the Fort!  That scared us worse than it scared him, and we got the heck out of there fast.  I still don't understand that.  There's a comfort station right there.  After that incident, I decided I really didn't need to know anything more about that group.  I don't need to see a bus driver's Chubb run.

Here's the community grilling area on the 2000 loop:

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And here's one of many sites on 2000 that had more than two cars parked on it:

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It was around here that Twin #2 had to leave for work, and shortly thereafter, Mrs. TCD and Rocky showed up.  We had Happy Hour at the campsite, and did a lot of looping.  And Rocky went on a lot of walks. When dinner time rolled around, we decided to give Trail's End pizza another try.  We have tried it before, and it's always been bad.  But it had been a long time, so maybe something changed.  It was different from the last time.  But still not good.  Oh well, it was easy.

I have no photos from Saturday night.  All we did was hang out.   There were several trips out to the overflow lot to move cars out there.  Twin #2 got back from work a bit before 11, and we had some cocktails with her.  Then we all watched the new Saturday Night Live episode with Jimmy Fallon as the guest host.  That was good.  One of the skits provided inspiration for a photo that was taken late the next night.  I'll share that one eventually.

It was lights out after SNL.

We had a big day coming tomorrow- Easter at the Fort!

TCD

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1 hour ago, Travisma said:

The community grilling areas are a nice touch, but they occupy sites on the partial loops that are already impossible to book!

This weekend they moved the grill to the side of the road in the 1500 loop. It was on the left past the tetherball behind a fence. After the weekend it was back on a site on the right.

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17 hours ago, Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie said:

Um....yeah the bus driver taking a leak on the bus!?! It's no wonder campers get a bad rap.

Nice grills and free propane, why not. 

I think the guy gives bus drivers a bad name. Let's leave campers out of this.  JK it was just a dude being a dude.

I wish I had known there would be free propane grills at my disposal.  I would have brought some nice steaks.

17 hours ago, Seals said:

I'm not usually one to wish bad things on people, but I'm really hoping Becca and Ryan and Addy have trees fall on their heads and/or prized possessions some day.

Enjoying the report and hoping for some pictures of Rocky (playing tetherball?).

I agree about Becca, Ryan and Addy.  That would serve them right.

Tetherball? Rocky?  Of course.

12 hours ago, Travisma said:

The community grilling areas are a nice touch, but they occupy sites on the partial loops that are already impossible to book!

I would guess that some campers on the partial loops got free upgrades.  It happened to me once.  They put me on the 1800 loop.  I would have rather been on the 1500 loop.

11 hours ago, ImDownWithDisney said:

This weekend they moved the grill to the side of the road in the 1500 loop. It was on the left past the tetherball behind a fence. After the weekend it was back on a site on the right.

I'm surprised the grill is still there.  I'll bet it's already nasty.

11 hours ago, Travisma said:

Wow, someone was using their head.

And that's rare.

10 hours ago, OdysseusMontezuma said:

Enjoying the read and pictures.  Thanks for sharing.

BTW we were neighbors over the holiday...I was in 926.

Hey- you were right behind me.

I'll bet you could see our hammocks from your site.

1 hour ago, shoreline99 said:

I have a lot of catching up to do here! We're at WL now and I will definitely have a trip report when I get back. Lots of 'behind the scenes' info to come! TCD's trip reports are contagious.

I'm jealous.  Have a great time. The weather has been very nice, but it's starting to warm up now.

27 minutes ago, Beckers said:

Ahh this is funny report. I do hope we get Rocky pictures.

There will be Rocky pics. Don't worry about that.

TCD

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Well, it's Easter morning- Sunday, April 16th.

For the first time in a long time, the entire TCD gang slept under the same roof.  I think that last happened at Christmas.

I love the TCD dog, Rocky, but he can be an insufferable pain at the Fort.  There is no way that he will sleep past sunrise. He was up and asking to go out at 4 am.  I told him it wasn't happening, and he went back to sleep.  Then he was up again at 6 asking "now?"  I told him to wait until closer to 7. 

He was going to wake everyone up, so I got him on his leash, and we headed out.  He practically pulled me around the loop.  I initially didn't understand where he was dragging me to, but then I figured it out.  Nothing like a predawn game of tetherball? (sorry for the blurry photos, but it was still kind of dark out) :

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I didn't appreciate being woken up by Rocky, but it was a very beautiful, cool, morning.  He probably would have played tetherball for an hour, but I dragged him away so we could have a nice peaceful walk before the rest of the campground came alive.

The lights were still on at the Comfort Station:

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And at the Meadow Trading Post:

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I try to follow the rules, I really do, but since we were the only ones awake, I figured no one would mind if Rocky and I walked around the Trading Post- it wouldn't even be open for another hour and a half:

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Despite his name, Rocky does not care to rock in rocking chairs, so we just looked this morning. I made a note that I'd need to stop by here tomorrow morning without Rocky:

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We walked around back for a look at Bear Rock, which was high and dry- you can see the marks on the rocks from where the normal water level is in the Fishin' Hole:

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Even though it's almost May, the gum trees back here behind the 600 loop still haven't sprouted leaves.  They will be doing that soon, though:

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I haven't seen Bob around here in a while, but I still checked on his dock for him.  He always wants to know if the bubbler was working. It was:

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Even though the water was low, the Fishin' Hole looked nice this morning:

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You can barely see the bridge behind the trees:

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Now we're on the porch.  I wonder if guests who see this sign wonder where the ducks are that they're not supposed to feed on the porch.  It's been a long time since I've seen a duck at the Fort, but there used to be ducks:

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Here's a look at the canal from the bridge- the pool is on the left, 1300 on the right- the water in the canal is very low:

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Now we're on the other side of the pond looking back at Bob's dock. It's a nice view:

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Here's the good old Bike Barn- one of the few things that has not changed since I began visiting the Fort.  At least the building hasn't changed.  This used to be where you'd come to rent a golf cart, back when they were around $30 a night:

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Pressure Cleaner Guy strikes again:

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Dude, Disney has Imagineers in charge of this kind of thing, just stick to cleaning the sidewalks.

There was a sign posted outside of the Bike Barn:

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This provided a lot more information than the April calendar.  I didn't know that the scavenger hunt apparently involved traveling around the whole campground.  That's unfortunate, because we planned to have our big Easter brunch at 10 am, and this was too short of notice to change that:

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Here's the canoes and kayaks. I am not sure if they were renting them out this weekend, as there was work being done in the canal between 500/600 and 1400, and it was closed off:

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There were only two kayaks here:

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We visited the campfire area:

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There have been a lot of changes in this area since the first of the year. The projection building hasn't changed:

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But the wood benches are now aluminum, and look awful, in my opinion:

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These miscellaneous carts now stand where the Chuckwagon once did.  I still haven't seen these in use, but they must use them for something:

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The Food Truck was missing this morning- it's usually in that spot over there:

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These picnic tables are new to this area- they're for guests who visit the Food Truck.  They are in the shade in the evening:

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The sign next to the fire ring says that the fires will not be used until the dry season ends:

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I really dislike the new benches:

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The Food Truck has some heavy-duty electric connections, but no water or sewer:

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This sign, which wasn't really on display, says that the Food Truck will be at the Meadows (with an "s") snack bar from 11-3. That was the only place I've seen that announcement. The signs posted in the Trading Posts said the hours were 5-9 at the campfire area.  The Disney Website only mentions evening hours.  I didn't see the Food Truck at the Meadows Snack Bar at all on this trip.  If the Food Truck is open at lunch, they sure have done a terrible job communicating that fact to guests:

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This is the sign they post outside the Food Truck at night to advertise the extra campfire items they sell. It's a very cheap looking sign.  Not at all up to Disney standards, and kind of odd considering how much effort was put into the theming of the Food Truck:

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One last look at the campfire area before we head across the bridge in to the 600 loop:

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This was a nice peaceful walk.  But, Rocky wanted to go for a ride on the golf cart. And, I needed some coffee, so we headed back to our site.

TCD

 

 

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21 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

 

And here's one of many sites on 2000 that had more than two cars parked on it:

4%2014%2017%20249_zpsi44tezop.jpg 

When dinner time rolled around, we decided to give Trail's End pizza another try.  We have tried it before, and it's always been bad.  But it had been a long time, so maybe something changed.  It was different from the last time.  But still not good.  Oh well, it was easy.

Enjoying the trip report. Good pictures.

Has the Fort relaxed its rules about parking on the grass?  Last year a guy on a neighboring site got a notice from a park ranger for having one tire of his truck off of the pavement.

Sorry to hear the Trail's End pizza hasn't improved. Had one a couple of years ago and it was not good. I like pizza, but I actually couldn't finish it and threw some of it away. Probably the worst pizza I've ever had. 

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6 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Well, it's Easter morning- Sunday, April 16th.

For the first time in a long time, the entire TCD gang slept under the same roof.  I think that last happened at Christmas.

 

Couple of comments.

First, regarding the quote above....cherish the times you still have where you'll all be under the same roof.  Once they start marrying, those days are done.  Same with vacation.  It's not a bad thing necessarily.  I love how our lives are changing.  But it does make me sad when I think that we'll never go to the Fort again as a family of 7.  Our trip last month was without our Gwen.  And although we hope to do a trip someday where she and her husband will join us, it will surely be different.  Still good, just different.   

My other comment in regarding religious services at WDW.  I remember in the past they offered a service at the CR on major holidays like Easter.  I would love it if they offered an Easter morning and Christmas service at the campfire theater.  We camp at some state and federal campgrounds to offer an outdoor non-denominational service every Sunday.  Would be cool if Disney offered something at the Fort.  I bet it would draw many folks who don't want to travel over to the Contemporary for an indoor service.  And it could be very casual....come as you are.   

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Wow, that’s a heck of a set up for the electrical connection to the food truck.  It looks awful.  Needs a giant fake stump or at least be in a wood fence like the dumpsters.

Aluminum benches!  WTFort I didn’t like the wood benches that replaced the log benches.  I really don’t like these.     

 

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