A Fun Filled Foray Into Fantabulous Fort Festivities

[Lil Lisa 53]

Day 1

Let's get this ride started! We arrived at the Fort just after lunch on Monday afternoon. I’m not sure who this is, but they were in our way!

The CM in the online check-in lane must have sensed our anticipation, because he waved us over and we were soon on our way to the 400 loop! We were originally assigned to site 428, but with a puppy we didn’t think that a site that backed up to the road was a good idea. This is especially true when the puppy is part Houdini. During the trip, she chewed through two harnesses and a leash! She never ran away, she just doesn’t seem to be a fan of being on a leash. I guess I don’t blame her, but I wouldn’t want to lose her either, so on the leash she stayed.

We wandered around the loop and decided that we liked the looks of site 417. So we called the front desk and asked if we could move. It wasn’t a problem, so site 417 was to be our home for the next 10 glorious days.

Something isn’t quite right about that photo… Wait… This is better!

It was close to the comfort station, but not right next to it and the site was HUGE! Well, at least if you camp in a truck camper it was… We unloaded our truck camper about half way into the site and there was enough room behind us to put another one. Note to self… buy second truck camper for next year. This was also a great site if you have a satellite dish. No problems at all tuning in at this site.

Shortly after we got there, Kenny showed up with our super-fast Kenny cart. We wasted no time decking it out with lights, flags and chickens.

Yes, I did say chickens… We picked these beauties up on a trip to Bemidji, MN this summer.

They are dog toys, but the dogs were scared of them. I can’t figure out why… They have become our camping mascots – just redneck enough to make a statement.

Anyhow, back to the cart… Man, it was a screamer! We could have run circles around Bob like he was standing still. Oh wait… bad analogy… let’s just say it was really a fast cart.

After Kenny left we finished setting up. We unpacked all of our gear and relaxed a while under the awning.

After we relaxed for a bit, we decided to head off to Downtown Disney. We did a little shopping and decided to have dinner at the Rainforest Café. I have eaten at the one in the Mall of America several times, but Bruce had never been there. He was a happy camper.

Once our tummies were full, we did a bit more shopping and headed back to the camper for bed. Tomorrow… The Magic Kingdom!

[MLM5.. aka Judy 97]

as our beloved Doodle would say I NEED those chickens!! :rofl2:

k, ready for more! :popcorn:

[stefa70 205]

Loved the chickens! Oddly enough, the male chicken squeaks out of the same end that Bruce does. :rofl2:

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Your site was huge. I may have to remember that about the satellite dish, we never did get ours tuned in. Of I didn't spend a lot of time watching TV this trip anyway. Drinking, well that's another story :rofl2:

[Lil Lisa 53]

as our beloved Doodle would say I NEED those chickens!! :rofl2:

k, ready for more! :popcorn:

I looked online and I found them there too:

http://www.jakesdogh...en-dog-toy.html

http://www.jakesdogh...en-dog-toy.html

We have the large sized ones.

Loved the chickens! Oddly enough, the male chicken squeaks out of the same end that Bruce does. :rofl2:

You know, you are right!! :rofl2:

They are both great at the grill too...

Your site was huge. I may have to remember that about the satellite dish, we never did get ours tuned in. Of I didn't spend a lot of time watching TV this trip anyway. Drinking, well that's another story :rofl2:

The crazy thing is that I was never hung over either! Well... not until after you guys left. Then I was so depressed that I drank to drown my sorrows and woke up with a doozy!

[dblr....Rennie 224]

Is it right for a chicken to be cooking chicken on the grill, after all it might have been family!!!!!!!!!

[Roller ... aka Ed 351]

Is it right for a chicken to be cooking chicken on the grill, after all it might have been family!!!!!!!!!

[caveat lector 181]

Rock on Double L. Enjoying the ride so far. thanks.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Don't worry, Lisa. Anna doesn't hold a grudge. Not against you anyways. But Fudge better watch out.

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

Love the chickens!! They're actually one of Brady's favorite toys... be very thankful your dogs don't like them. They're REALLY LOUD!!!!!

[Lil Lisa 53]

Is it right for a chicken to be cooking chicken on the grill, after all it might have been family!!!!!!!!!

We told him it was turkey.

:rofl2:

Rock on Double L. Enjoying the ride so far. thanks.

Thanks! I'm working on day two now. I just took a break to check in here. The ride will resume momentarily.

Don't worry, Lisa. Anna doesn't hold a grudge. Not against you anyways. But Fudge better watch out.

She can pull his tail the next time that she sees him.

Love the chickens!! They're actually one of Brady's favorite toys... be very thankful your dogs don't like them. They're REALLY LOUD!!!!!

They make great golf cart horns too!

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

They make great golf cart horns too!

:rofl2:

[Lil Lisa 53]

Day 2 – The Wait and the Magic

After a good night’s rest, I was up at the crack of dawn. I was soooooooooooooooo excited! I let the dogs out, waited until they did their duty (or is that doo doo) and came back in the camper… Bruce was still sleeping. Ok… time to take a shower. I headed off for the comfort station, got cleaned up and primped. I was ready to go… but Bruce was still sleeping. Now it was after 8:00AM. Quiet hours were over and it was time to make a little noise. Not much, just enough for a gentle reminder that this isn’t the place to sleep the day away. Tada!! I’m so sly. Bruce got up and I told him I was taking Fudge looping while he got ready to go.

We looped for a while. I was amazed at how empty it was. Even site 617 was empty. What the Fort! How could the best site at the Fort sit empty?

We looped a bit longer and then went back to the site. Bruce had to be ready by now, right? Wrong! While I was out, he decided that it would be a good time to flush out the holding tanks. Now I understand the importance of cleaning out the tanks, but today? On our first full day at the Fort? When the Magic Kingdom is calling my name? And there was a problem… He wanted to fill the grey water tank so that he could get a “really good flush” and he overfilled it a tad. Rather than coming up through the shower drain, the “tad” found another way out and it was now leaking out the floor of our camper. We shut everything off, opened everything up that we could and hoped that it would dry out in the humid Florida air. Then Bruce went to take a shower. By the time that we got on the boat to the magic Kingdom it was nearly noon. We passed the old pirate ship…

And the Wilderness Lodge…

And we finally made it to the Magic Kingdom. We had our bags checked. No, Bruce doesn’t carry a purse, but he likes to tell the security guys that I am his “bag”. It never gets old for him. Some of them laugh, but most of them just shake their heads and tell him that it is going to be a cold night for him… To which I nod and smile. I’m sure they hear that line a million times.

When we finally made it inside the park, we saw this:

It wasn’t raining. Nope, there was barely a cloud in the sky. It wasn’t cold. Nope, it was around 90° out. My first thought was that she had some kind of sun allergy, but she had a tan! After tossing around a few ideas, we decided that she was a Goth Michael Jackson fan. If anyone else knows why in the world someone would dress in black from head to foot, fingertips to toes on a hot, humid Florida day, please let me know.

As we wandered through the shops on Main St., I spied something that I had my eye out for. Monique posted about them here. The Disney phone wraps!

I hurried over to the display, and my excitement quickly turned to sadness as I saw the words iPhone on each and every package. It’s not fair! Why do they get all the good stuff? After my meltdown we decided to leave Main St. and head over to Pecos Bill’s for a bite to eat. We decided to share the pulled pork sandwich and some fries.

Everyone always says that there is no alcohol at the Magic Kingdom. I say there is… You just need to know where to look… and how to climb.

With our tummies full, we decided to check out the sites and ride some rides. Big Thunder Mountain was first.

Neither of us are big rollercoaster folks, but the wait was only ten minutes, so we decided to be brave. We had never ridden it before, so we didn’t know what to expect. We loved it! The part we don’t like about roller coaster rides is that first BIG drop that makes your stomach feel like it is up in your throat. Big Thunder Mountain doesn’t have any of those. I wanted to go again, but Bruce wanted to move on, so we did.

Next up was the Haunted Mansion.

We had fun playing with the interactive stuff in the queue. It really does make the wait more enjoyable. On light traffic days, it also makes people dawdle though too. I think our wait would have been shorter in the old line.

In honor of our very own Magicbus, we decided to do Small World next.

I took a gazillion pictures and I even shot a video at the end when they are singing the words to the song, but I won’t put you through that… unless you beg…

Speaking of Magicbus, we were in Fantasyland admiring this view of the expansion when I got a text from our favorite bus driver.

He was leaving work and wanted to know if we were at the Fort. I texted back that we were in Fantasyland, but that we would high-tail it back to our campsite ASAP. We made it back with only about a minute to spare before he pulled up. We had a nice chat and made plans for dinner later on during our trip. We got to see Lou four times during our stay and we had the pleasure of the company of his lovely wife Gail one time as well.

Lou was our first fiend encounter on this trip, but he wouldn’t be the last. While we were away, GrumpyandGrandma had left a card on our table. We got to meet them on Day three. We also had a blast with Stefa70 and Doodlebug, we ran into ScooterMinnie once and we were stalked by GrumpyRVer (or were we the stalkers???) at the Fort and at Epcot. Of course we can’t forget about the grand gathering. I’ll fill you in on all the gory details about that in a bit, but all those fiends and more were there for the food, fun and festivities that night. That is what fiendship is all about!

Next up… Back to the Magic Kingdom!

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

I wanna go back. Waaaaaaa. Oh wait I am :banana: the one thing I wanted get while I was down there was an iPhone wrap. I forgot. Do you think all the drinking, laughing and talking had anything to do with that.

Great job, Lisa I can't wait to hear more. :popcorn:

[stefa70 205]

See we are more alike than I thought! I don't do roller coasters, they make me barf.

But BTMRR is my favorite!!! At MNSSHP, we rode it three times in a row. We must put that on our list of things to do the next time we are together.

I'm so jealous that you got to see Lou 4 times!!

[caveat lector 181]

..... I let the dogs out,....

Finally, someone answered the question: "Who let the dogs out?"

Sorry. I knew it was bad as I was typing it, but couldn't help myself. :rofl2:

[BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023]

I hurried over to the display, and my excitement quickly turned to sadness as I saw the words iPhone on each and every package.

What The Fort?! I call shenanigans. Disney needs to give some love to the rest of us. waaaaaa...

Everyone always says that there is no alcohol at the Magic Kingdom. I say there is… You just need to know where to look… and how to climb.

oh geez... please don't show that to Brian. He's not a very good climber. :rofl2:

With our tummies full, we decided to check out the sites and ride some rides. Big Thunder Mountain was first.

Awesome pics, Lisa - what camera are you using?

I took a gazillion pictures and I even shot a video at the end when they are singing the words to the song, but I won’t put you through that… unless you beg…

(oh Lou is SO gonna kill me... teeheeheeehee)

Super TR so far, Lisa - keep it comin!

:popcorn:

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

Men just irritate the stew out of you sometimes don't they. I'm sure it needed to be done, BUT...oh well! Sounds like things are looking up now! I'm a scaredy cat about roller coasters and I did good on BTMR!

[kampfirekim 260]

Literally Lovin' it Lil' Lisa! :heart:

Great chickens! The one with the Elvis hair and flaming underwear is my favorite! :rofl2:

[polkadotsuitcase 12]

Day 2 – The Wait and the Magic

I hurried over to the display, and my excitement quickly turned to sadness as I saw the words iPhone on each and every package. It’s not fair! Why do they get all the good stuff? After my meltdown we decided to leave Main St. and head over to Pecos Bill’s for a bite to eat. We decided to share the pulled pork sandwich and some fries.

Hey, we don't have the We Camp Here app (...yet), so I'd say we're the ones missing out!

Day 2 – The Wait and the Magic

Great photo! Looks like a promo pic.

Next up… Back to the Magic Kingdom!

Ready for it! :popcorn:

[Roller ... aka Ed 351]

:popcorn:

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Whoa, am I late to the party!

Sorry about that!

I had a busy weekend, but now I'm caught up.

Excellent.

As usual.

My favorite photos so far;

1. Site 617.

2. The goth MJ fan. WTF?

3. The alcohol in the MK. I never noticed that before. You can be sure I'll be looking for it on my next visit.

As I mentioned, I'm caught up now.

So, please continue.

Thanks.

TCD

[Hotmamac aka Misty 11]

Awesome TR so far Lisa!!

Your Tessy is just beautiful!! She reminds me of my late tri-color Border Collie mix Brady. Is she a Border Collie?

Can't wait for more!

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

caught up... anxiously awaiting the next installment! Man do I miss WDW!!

[Total Joker ... TJ 203]

:popcorn: