Kaltxi!- A Not So Typical Memorial Day Weekend at the Fort with the TCD Gang

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Kaltxi.

What is that?

Get used to it.

It means welcome in the Na'vi language.

The Na'vi are the big blue aliens who live on the planet (or is it a moon?) in the movie, Avatar.

In case you've been out of the loop, Disney just opened a new land in the Animal Kingdom theme park called "Pandora: The World of Avatar."  Its official grand opening was on Saturday, May 27th, and the TCD gang was there.

Going back to this Kaltxi thing- how in the world do you pronounce that?

As far as I know, those big blue aliens don't use any earth alphabet, so that's the human spelling of an alien word.

Which raises a big question from me-  Why didn't they spell it in some way that we wouldn't have to wonder how to pronounce it?

I've heard CM's say "Cal-Tay," with the "Cal" sounding like the "Cal" in California or calorie.

But, I also heard "Col-Tay," with the "Col" sounding like the "Col" in column.

And I've also heard Col-Ty.

I guess that will all get sorted out in due time. 

Let's get on with this report.

Those of you who read TCD TR might remember that the TCD gang camps at the Fort most Memorial Day weekends.  The TCD Twins' birthday typically falls around that time, and it's a good time to go to the Fort and celebrate.  In fact, last year, we enjoyed and epic trip for the twins' 21st birthday where they got to stay in one of the VIP cabins on the 100 loop, and Mrs. TCD and I got to stay on the 2000 loop. Fun times.

This year, the girls decided that they had so much fun last year that a re-do was in order.  So, we booked a cabin and a campsite, and hoped that maybe lightning would strike twice and they'd get cabin 118 again.  To keep the expense down, we only booked for three nights, starting Saturday, the 27th.

A while after our reservations were made, Disney announced the official opening date for Pandora.  We were set to check in on the 27th, but now we needed to be there on the 26th so we could be ready to go early on the 27th.  But, by the time we found out about Pandora's opening date, there was no way that we would be able to book just one additional Friday night without messing up our reservations.  Plus, I needed to be able to take advantage of that 60 plus 10 day FP trick.  So, I booked a new campsite reservation that began earlier and overlapped with our existing reservations.  That let us book Pandora FP's before anyone else figured out how to, and I was later able to call and beg to shorten the reservation down to just one night without losing it.

Since we were expecting numerous visitors over the course of the weekend, I called Kenny and reserved two golf carts to be picked up on Friday the 26th.  I was able to get an early pick-up time- 11 am- which meant I needed to be at the Fort before then.

Since I have to drive through Tampa to get to the Fort, I always plan my trips to avoid rush hour.  I typically don't leave home until after 9 am. But that wouldn't work on this trip.  So, I left at 7 and expected to sit through some traffic in Tampa.  I did hit a bit of traffic, but not much, which brought me to check-in lane # 4 at just a bit past 9:

The person who was pulled up to the check-in window wasn't in his vehicle.  His wife was standing off to the side and told me that he had parked and gone inside the check in since there was no one in the check-in booth.  That was odd.  But, it could have been worse.  So, I went inside too.

I had an obviously new CM check me in.  I had a premium site reserved, and he asked me what kind of camping unit I had.  Which wasn't really any of his business, but rather than ask why he needed to know that, I told him I had a pop-up camper. Then he said that he would need to check and see if it was OK for him to put my on a premium site since pop-ups aren't allowed on premium sites.  Seriously.  I stopped him and told him that I was quite sure that it was fine, and that he didn't need to check.  But, he still did.  Jeez.  Then we continued the check-in process and he told me that my site was not available and that they would text me when it was.  I asked him if he could check and see if there were any sites that were available, as I'd be happy to take one of those sites if I could go ahead and have it now.  Without checking, he told me that there were no sites available at this time at all.  I asked him if he wouldn't mind going and asking the same CM that he had to ask if it was OK if I could have a pop-up camper on a premium site to check on whether there were any available sites now. He humored me and did.  This time, the CM who he was bugging came over to help, which I appreciated.  She was able to show him how to check, and she read off about a half dozen sites that I could pick from.  When she said 811, I told her we had a winner, and I'd take it.  I know I've stayed in 811 before, and that it would be fine.

The person who parked in the check-in lane was still inside when I came out.  Which was strange, since my check-in took so long, and now I had a motorhome pulled in right behind me.  I told that guy that it looked like he needed to go inside to check in, and asked if he could back up a little so I could get out of there. He did, and I was no my way.

On the way to my site, I got a text confirming that my site (811) was ready.  That new guy was on the ball:

As I headed to the 800 loop, I was very happy.  I made it safe and sound, got a nice site, and had plenty of time to drop the camper and start setting up before heading out to pick up the Kenny carts.

As I headed around the 800 loop, I noticed several empty sites, and then 811 came in to view.  On it sat a big motor home, with a toad parked out front, and no signs that anyone was planning on leaving soon.

What the Fort?

This is the second time this happened in the last four times I've checked in to the Fort.

I wonder how?

So, 811 wasn't going to work.

I drove around the loop, and noticed a lot of open sites.  Like about 20. And they were all clean and ready to go.  But, I got assigned to a site with someone on it.

For good measure, I drove around the 900 loop to see if there were any good sites on 900.  There were only a couple, and I didn't like them.  So, I went around 800 one more time, and jotted down three site numbers that I liked.  Then I started driving back up to the Outpost, but I thought about where I'd have to park and possibly having to deal with the guy who checked me in, and I decided to pull over at the unhitch area and call the number on the text instead. Of course, my call was first answered by someone with a very heavy accent who didn't understand what I was asking. After I explained my issue, I was put on hold, and an actual Fort Wilderness CM came on the line. I told the guy that someone was on site 811. He said that there records showed it was open. I told him it most definitely was not.  He said he would need to check on that, and that they would get them to leave and then I could have the site.  I told him I didn't like that idea. Those people hadn't even started packing up yet, and I'd gladly take another site on 800.  He asked which sites I had in mind.  Then he put my on hold, and came back on and said all of the sites I gave him already had campers on them.  I told him that something was seriously messed up in their system, as I was sure that there were no campers on those sites.  He said that sometimes people take there campers to the parks.  I told him he needed to check again.  So he did.  Then he came back on and said I could have site 816.  That was one of the three site numbers I gave him.  I turned right around and headed there.

And here I am-that site with the small black SUV pulled across it is 811- where I was supposed to be:

All of that mess took over an hour, and it was time to go and get my Kenny carts.

Fortunately, that all went smoothly, but it was now nearly noon, and I hadn't even begun to set up camp:

There's my two Kenny carts:

816 is right next to the poop bag dispenser and what used to be a defined path back to the pet walk area. The defined path has disappeared, but people still walk next to the site to get to and from the pet walk. It never bothered me, but it does mean that folks with dogs will be walking back and forth along your site:

A nice bonus is that there is an electric outlet on the poop bag post, which is in the perfect place to charge golf carts.

I wasn't in a hurry, so I got camp set up.  As you might have noticed from the screen shot above, I got a second helpful text at 1:09 pm telling me that my site was ready.  I had already been on it for a few hours.

Also, while I was setting up, I saw a FW CM arrive in a van and look around site 811.  I still don't know what was going on there.  Maybe those folks were supposed to leave, but they didn't?  I never did find out, and they never did leave all weekend.

At one point, I took a break and did some looping.  I stopped by ImDownWithDisney/Blake's site on the 900 loop, and got to visit with him and his family.  Really nice folks.

Twin #1 showed up after a while, and we did some looping.

Here's a site on the 2000 loop with a classic Memorial Day decoration:

This site on the 2000 loop had upside down flower pots with solar lights installed on them.  Total Pinterest move:

I've never seen the ditch that runs between the 2000 and 2100 loops look so clean:

Twin #2 arrived by supper time.

That meant we had to go and get our chicken dinner.

They had a Moonshine trailer set up in the Settlement.  But, they weren't selling anything from it on Friday night:

When we ordered the chicken, I had Twin #1 ask the CM if there was anyway we could get 8 breasts instead of the 4 breasts/4 wings deal they've been doing lately.  The CM said no- there was no way.  But, then we asked, what if we wanted to pay extra- how much would it be?  She said she'd have to ask the manager. It was super busy, and there was a long line, so I told the CM never mind. She said no, that she would ask, but give her a minute. Then she waited on the next customer, and the next, and I figured she had forgotten about us.  But, then she called us back over, explaining to the next customer that we were actually next. She had the manager there, and told us to explain to the manager what we were asking.  We told her, and she pressed a magic button on the cash register, and this is what we got:

8 breasts!

Like the good old days.  That actually aren't even that old.

No extra charge beyond the all white meat charge.

I don't know if we will be able to do that again, but I'm sure going to try.

We had ambitious plans for Friday night.  But, we also had a very big day planned for Saturday- including an early visit to Pandora, and a late birthday celebration for the twins in their cabin.  We would be checking in to the cabin on Saturday, and had our fingers crossed that we would get 118 again.  I'll go ahead and tell you that, sadly, lighting did not strike twice in the same place, and the girls didn't get 118.  But all of that is coming up.  With all of that planned, we decided to take it easy on Friday.  And, that's all the photos I have for Friday. 

Don't worry, though, Saturday was a long day. We were in that big mob you've heard about for the opening day of Pandora, and I'll tell you all about it.

TCD

[parrothead7368 aka Norm 101]

First??????????????

[shoreline99 137]

FPTCDMDTRBR!

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

Another Fort report!! Yay!!!

[CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547]

I'm in too!

 

[ImDownWithDisney 342]

w00t....I was mentioned in a TCD report. I am famous now!

[dieseldave 5]

Awesome, I'm in too!

Sounds like someone messed up bad with the site assignments.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TN22.....Brady 22]

Way to go Blake!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Looking forward to hearing about what I missed.  We had planned on going to Disney Memorial Day weekend and then spending 7 more days.  Unfortunately someone's track schedule didn't let us.  And afterwards we found out summer team swimming would have started so it was just as well.

[ceemike...Mike & Judy 50]

1 hour ago, shoreline99 said:

FPTCDMDTRBR!

First Page TCD Memorial Day Trip Report Birthday Report????

[shoreline99 137]

3 minutes ago, ceemike...Mike & Judy said:

First Page TCD Memorial Day Trip Report Birthday Report???? Bragging Rights!!!

 

[ceemike...Mike & Judy 50]

3 minutes ago, shoreline99 said:

First Page TCD Memorial Day Trip Report Birthday Report???? Bragging Rights!!!

Yeah, I didn't think Birthday Report sounded right, but I was sooooo excited about getting on the First Page of a TCD TR that I panicked.  Now I can cross that off of my BL! 

[BigTom 76]

I am here too

[Mrs.TN22 12]

yay!  I'm in - love to read another TCD trip report!

 

[WannaBeImagineer 98]

I'm in!  

I don't get why the Fort has such a hard time assigning sites and knowing what's empty and what's not empty.  Why doesn't a Fort CM drive the loops twice a day and confirm, I'm assuming because there's so many sites?  I guarantee that motor home on 811 took the wrong site and no one noticed until you were assigned 811.  Our last trip we were also assigned a site that was already occupied, after a long trip it's the last thing you want to deal with.

Score on the chicken!

Looking forward to more!

WBI

[dblr....Rennie 224]

I'm in also!!!!!!

[Grumpy and Grandma 740]

TCD at the FORT, who would have thought? 

[lightbikes 73]

Since I live vicariously through TCD's Fort trip reports I'm delighted to see a new one.  

[DramaMama .......... Janet 75]

I'm in.  Carry on.  

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

I'm in too.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

[Heidi-meetsTCD@TSM 5]

OMG, I haven't been on here for months and months, and I visit today and not only do I find a TCD trip report, but I am posting on the first page!!! WooHoo!!!!  Looking forward to hearing more about your trip!!

[Travisma 1,317]

Good so far.  For a multi billion $$$ company the fort sure can be a hot mess at times.  People camped out on your assigned site is just crazy.

[Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119]

First page!! What a crazy check-in ordeal. Good thing you arrived early AND knew your Fort facts. 

[ImDownWithDisney 342]

Saturday night a class A pusher pulled up in front of our site. It had been assigned to the site next to us which was occupied. A few CM's showed up, they were looking at the parking pass in the window and making calls. Finally, I heard them say to go to the 700 loop instead. Our neighbors were still there when we left on Tuesday. 

[LONE-STAR 370]

So did yall get your faces painted blue?