TCD's College Road Trip (via the Fort)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

The first leg of the great TCD college road trip kicked off on Friday January 27, 2012 when I packed up the TCD twins and took them over for a tour of the University of Central Florida.

Of course, WDW lies between our home and UCF, so we just had to make a stop.

And, since our visit at UCF was on Friday afternoon, I checked to see if I could get a deal on a WDW hotel room for one night.

I found a pretty good deal on a room at All Star Music- $74.80 a night, including tax. I have paid more than that for a campsite at the Fort.

So, the plan was, we would leave early on Friday, hit the MK in the morning, head over to UCF in the afternoon, and then enjoy EMH that night at Epcot.

We would then spend the night, enjoy the parks on Saturday, and be home in our beds by bedtime Saturday night.

Sounded like a great plan.

So, that's what we did.

And, it worked out great.

Of course, since I was in the area, I had to stop by the Fort.

I made it by there twice.

And, since I like to share good news, I'll start out this report with two big Fort news flashes.

First, our own Grumpy (Dave) confirmed that there is free wi-fi at the Fort. I wanted to check for myself, so I stopped by the Fort's Internet Cafe', and found this sign posted:

There you have it.

Free wi-fi at the Fort.

I never thought I would see that.

But I did.

And, now the number two news flash.

I found new mugs for sale at the Meadow Trading Post.

Not refillable mugs.

Something better.

Like this:

Those mugs were nice, heavy, ceramic mugs.

I bought two.

They were 11.95 a piece, and I'll bet they sell out.

So, there's your Fort news.

In the next post, I will back up and begin at the beginning.

TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I want two of those mugs!!!!! Those are awesome!

Oh, and how did I end up being the first to respond on a TCD report?? :waycool:

[stacktester 78]

I saw those mugs Friday and forgot to get a pic. They are nice and I'm also first on board for this report so ha ha S-70.

[stacktester 78]

I saw those mugs Friday and forgot to get a pic. They are nice and I'm also first on board for this report so ha ha S-70.

OK jerky Dave is.

[Gots2pitt.. Jeff 64]

Not going through TCD TR withdrawl anymore.. Thanks TCD

[DaveInTN 3,247]

OK jerky Dave is.

:raspberry2:

[Memphis 105]

Great news!! Free WiFi. Wow. Free doesn't come around often at Disney. Can't wait to hear more.

[Heidi-meetsTCD@TSM 5]

Another TCD trip report!!!!!! Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, I made the first page!!!!!

[SCTigerCock 171]

Woo Hoo, another TCD report. :jumpforjoy

Now a question about Wi-Fi, wonder if any campsites have a signal reach them. Someone needs to go scouting using a GC and smart phone. :heart:

Bob is disquallified from scouting since:

1. He dosen't have a smart phone.

2. If he used his GC, it would take AGES to complete the task. :hah:

[SCTigerCock 171]

Maybe they can give free wi-fi to site 617 sorta like a consolation prize. :rofl2: :flush2:

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Wheeee!!!! Another TCD TR...

[mgsmom 9]

It must be my day! I'm all done with my masters degree (whoo hoo) and FINALLY get to enjoy my computer again!!! And what do I find on my first log in... a TCD TR!!

Love those mugs! I really must get my hands on one of those. DD got her Chip N Dale dolls there last year and we have such great memories from the fireside songs!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Glad to see that folk are already jumping in on this report!

Thanks for the comments.

Shoot, even the Mayor is here!

So, let's back up and start at the beginning.

Our local school system has some pretty strict attendance rules. If students miss over a certain number of days in a semester, they have to take all of their final exams. If they miss less that the magic number, they get to exempt some of their exams. So absences are something that we have to be careful about. But, there is a loophole! Students are allowed to take four days off that do not count as absences, as long as they are using those days to visit potential colleges. The TCD twins have spent a lot of time recently plotting planning their college visits. The first one was planned for Friday January 27th.

Our WDW passes expired at the end of our Thanksgiving visit to WDW, and I was not planning on buying new ones until some time this spring.

But, the girls pointed out that we would be driving right by WDW on this first college visit.

It would be a shame not to stop, they said.

They didn't need to twist my arm.

They scheduled their tour of UCF for 2 pm on Friday. Which meant that we had Friday morning to visit the parks, if we wished.

We wanted to get the most bang for our buck, so the plan was to get to our hotel by 8, check in, and then either drive or use Disney transportation to get to where we wanted to go.

So, at around 6:15 am, we headed East.

We pulled into the All Star Music lot a little before 8.

I wasn't sure if we would use the bus from there, or drive to the park we were going to visit, so I wanted to check in and get my parking pass. Needless to say, there was no line at check in, and I was checked-in in just a couple of minutes. And our room was ready! No, time for that, though, the MK bus was pulling up.

We were kind of hoping to go to MK first, but we were also prepared to hop on the first bus that showed up.

We hopped on the bus to the MK, and we were on our way!

We got there at around 8:30. and I hit the ticket window to activate the vouchers I had purchased at AAA.

And then we entered the park and waited for the opening show.

True confession time-

We have never seen the MK opening show.

Never.

In all of our visits to WDW, we have only hit MK for rope drop one or two times. And those were on EMH morning days, and there was no show.

So, we have never seen the opening show.

But we would today.

Here we are in place at the front of the MK:

A small cold front had blown in over night, and we had a bit of rain early that morning. The sky was real cloudy now, but the rain held off.

At 8:45, the Mayor of Main Street came out to welcome us:

Sometimes people speculate on this board about getting a job at WDW, and they talk about what job they would like to have.

I have to say, I don't think being the Mayor of Main Street would be a bad job.

Right after the Mayor said hello, a bunch of dancers came out, and well, danced:

They danced fine.

But, they also lip-synched to a song that was playing.

They weren't so good at that.

Then we heard a train whistle!

And, the train came pulling up to the station!:

There were a bunch of characters riding on the train:

The train stopped, and the characters jumped off and joined the dancers:

Then the Mayor introduced the family of the day:

And, there was more dancing and lip synching:

Then the Mayor asked the family of the day to lead a count-down from 10, and when they hit zero, there were fireworks and streamers:

We were then told to walk slowly in to the park.

Since the weather wasn't all that great, there really wasn't much of a crowd, so we did walk slowly in to the park.

Inside, we found that the characters were walking with us down Main Street. You can also see that there is a horse and wagon loading in the back of this photo:

Chip and Dale walked right in front of us:

And the wagon drove up right beside us:

Chip and Dale gestured to the TCD twins by holding out their arms and asking them to walk with them. Twin #1 was all over that. Twin #2 was not. Here goes TCD twin #1 with either Chip or Dale (I can't tell them apart from the back) :

I'll bet this horse just rode over from Fort Wilderness:

You can see the Main Street clock in the back of this photo- it wasn't quite 9 yet:

The wagon was moving faster than the crowd was walking. I'm going to remember this the next time we are at the MK this early:

It seems like the area around the Main St. bakery was boarded up and worked on not very long ago, but as you can see, it was all covered up again this morning:

The bakery was open, but the ice cream shop was closed.

We weren't sure where we should go first, so we decided to head over to Space Mountain. We walked right on, and I was once again surprised by the hidden camera:

While here, we grabbed a Fastpass for later, and then headed back to Main Street.

We were going to try something that we have heard a lot about, but never experienced.

The cinnamon rolls from the Main Street bakery.

I know that DaveInTN raves about these.

And, one thing that I have to give Dave credit for is that the man knows his food.

So, we got a couple cinammon rolls:

Here's twin #2 holding one, so you can get some idea of the size of these things:

I have to say Dave is right about these!

Boy, were those good.

After we wolfed those down, we decided to head over to Fantasyland. Dumbo hadn't closed the last time we were here, so we wanted to see how things looked without good old Dumbo.

We headed through the castle, and right on into Fantasyland.

I'll pick up the report from there in my next post.

We were having a great time already- and in less than an hour we had just done two things we never had before- watched the opening show at the MK, and enjoyed one of the Main Street bakery's famous cinnamon rolls.

TCD

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

Cool!!!

[FtWildernessFamily...Holly 25]

Yay!!! Another TCD TR!!

This family LOOOOOVES rope drop at MK. so glad you finally experienced that. FWIW, I think you'd make a great Mayor of MK!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Hurry folks!

Only a few more spaces remain on page one!

I want two of those mugs!!!!! Those are awesome!

Oh, and how did I end up being the first to respond on a TCD report?? :waycool:

Nice job, Dave.

How did you end up being the first to respond?

You must not be posting from you phone.

I saw those mugs Friday and forgot to get a pic. They are nice and I'm also first on board for this report so ha ha S-70.

Hey Donnie!

I was wondering if you were around the Fort- I made it by Saturday morning and again Saturday night. I only got to see one Fiend- good old Grumpy (Dave).

Not going through TCD TR withdrawl anymore.. Thanks TCD

You are welcome.

This is just a one-nighter, with just a little bit of the Fort, but it will help until the next real trip comes along.

Great news!! Free WiFi. Wow. Free doesn't come around often at Disney. Can't wait to hear more.

Yes, I still can't believe after all this time that they finally caved on the free wi-fi.

I'm sure we will pay for it somehow.

Another TCD trip report!!!!!! Yippee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey, I made the first page!!!!!

Glad to have you reading along, Heidi!

Woo Hoo, another TCD report. :jumpforjoy

Now a question about Wi-Fi, wonder if any campsites have a signal reach them. Someone needs to go scouting using a GC and smart phone. :heart:

Bob is disquallified from scouting since:

1. He dosen't have a smart phone.

2. If he used his GC, it would take AGES to complete the task. :hah:

Ironically, where Bob likes to stay on the 600 loop is probably one of the areas where you would be most likely to pick up a signal from the Meadow Trading Post.

I'll have the TCD twins check on this matter the next time we stay at the Fort.

Wheeee!!!! Another TCD TR...

Glad you're along for the ride, Nicki!

It must be my day! I'm all done with my masters degree (whoo hoo) and FINALLY get to enjoy my computer again!!! And what do I find on my first log in... a TCD TR!!

Love those mugs! I really must get my hands on one of those. DD got her Chip N Dale dolls there last year and we have such great memories from the fireside songs!

Great to hear that you are finished with your degree! Way to go. I am pleasantly surprised by the quality and selection of the new Fort Wilderness merchandise. I have some old FW ceramic mugs that I bought years ago when they still had FW branded merchandise at the Meadow Trading Post. Those are packed away in my camper, and I can't get to them until the next time I camp, but I will post comparison photos when I do. The new mugs are way nicer than the stuff they used to sell!

TCD

[stefa70 205]

I'm also first on board for this report so ha ha S-70.

Dave beat ya to it! Donnie = always a day late & a dollar short.

Nice to see another TCD report. I've only made it to rope drop ceremony once and I found myself wanting them to hurry up already. It's that whole patience thing again.

I have not had the cinnamon buns. If they have Dave & TCD's seal of approval they must be good, and I should try them.

Hoping to keep up with the rest of this report. I'm on the road to the Fort as I type. We'll be here til Sunday if you get a wild hair up your.....well you know, I have Coronas AND a pork loin for BBQ. :drool1:

[FtWildernessFamily...Holly 25]

Did somebody say Corona?!?!?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Hurry!

Only one space left on page one!

Yay!!! Another TCD TR!!

This family LOOOOOVES rope drop at MK. so glad you finally experienced that. FWIW, I think you'd make a great Mayor of MK!

Thanks!

We are big believers in rope drop- but we always go to one of the other parks first, since there is so much to do in MK, we usually end up there in the afternoon and evening.

Dave beat ya to it! Donnie = always a day late & a dollar short.

Nice to see another TCD report. I've only made it to rope drop ceremony once and I found myself wanting them to hurry up already. It's that whole patience thing again.

I have not had the cinnamon buns. If they have Dave & TCD's seal of approval they must be good, and I should try them.

Hoping to keep up with the rest of this report. I'm on the road to the Fort as I type. We'll be here til Sunday if you get a wild hair up your.....well you know, I have Coronas AND a pork loin for BBQ. :drool1:

Whoa, Corona and pulled pork!

That is a tempting offer.

I'll see what I can do!

Did somebody say Corona?!?!?

Yes!

I heard it too!!!

TCD

[We4mickey 6]

We have the older version of those mugs. Green, but they just say Fort Wilderness on them. They are nice heavy mugs and whenever I need my fix I use them. I bet I bought those at least 10 years ago.

Love the cinnamon rolls at the bakery. Last year when I went with my girlfriends, I brought one home for DH. He was one happy guy to eat that when I pulled it out of my carry on :)

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We have the older version of those mugs. Green, but they just say Fort Wilderness on them. They are nice heavy mugs and whenever I need my fix I use them. I bet I bought those at least 10 years ago.

Love the cinnamon rolls at the bakery. Last year when I went with my girlfriends, I brought one home for DH. He was one happy guy to eat that when I pulled it out of my carry on :)

Lynn-

Congrats- you are the last in on page one!

It sounds like we have the same green mugs- they just have black printing on them with Fort Wilderness, and some kind of art work- I think it is the outline of trees. The new ones are way, way nicer!

Whoever the Fort has put in charge of ordering this new merchandise has done a great job!

TCD

[We4mickey 6]

Yep, TCD those are the ones. Just talking about it made me pull mine out to have a cup of Chai. Wishing right now that I was there....

[we3peas 12]

What is that Chip's wearing? Why do animals have to wear clothes? Why can't they be like Stef?

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Here goes TCD twin #1 with either Chip or Dale (I can't tell them apart from the back) :

I am pretty sure that Twin #1 is walking with Chip. And before you think I am an expert on chipmunk butts, let me tell you why I think that. In your photo showing both Chip and Dale, which I've posted below, it looks like they each have some sort of antenna thingy on their heads...Chip has one on his right ear; Dale has one on his left ear. In your photo above of Twin #1 and the chipmunk....the antenna is on his right ear. So I think this is Chip.

And yes, I am avoiding working at the moment so filling time analyzing chipmunk pictures was just the ticket. :rofl2:

Oh, and I'm glad you got to see the rope drop show. We saw it for the first time in November and I thought it was awesome.

Also, glad you enjoyed the cinnamon rolls. I just love those things, especially when they are fresh and warm and gooey. :heart:

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Yep, TCD those are the ones. Just talking about it made me pull mine out to have a cup of Chai. Wishing right now that I was there....

I keep my FW mugs in the camper, and we use them on our camping trips.

But I am thinking I will keep one of the new ones in the house and use it for my morning coffee. Even though I was just there, I wish I was there too!

What is that Chip's wearing? Why do animals have to wear clothes? Why can't they be like Stef?

As far as I can tell, Chip and Dale hang out in Tomorrowland now, and those are some kind of space outfits or something.

I am pretty sure that Twin #1 is walking with Chip. And before you think I am an expert on chipmunk butts, let me tell you why I think that. In your photo showing both Chip and Dale, which I've posted below, it looks like they each have some sort of antenna thingy on their heads...Chip has one on his right ear; Dale has one on his left ear. In your photo above of Twin #1 and the chipmunk....the antenna is on his right ear. So I think this is Chip.

And yes, I am avoiding working at the moment so filling time analyzing chipmunk pictures was just the ticket. :rofl2:

Oh, and I'm glad you got to see the rope drop show. We saw it for the first time in November and I thought it was awesome.

Also, glad you enjoyed the cinnamon rolls. I just love those things, especially when they are fresh and warm and gooey. :heart:

Well done, Dave!

I didn't notice the headgear.

I think you are right.

But I am also worried that you are an expert on chipmunk butts.

Didn't you used to be into cowboy butts?

And, I have to give you credit for the cinammon rolls. I have heard others rave about them, but it wasn't until you said they were good that I bothered to go and try them. LIke I said, you know your food. They were warm and gooey- and the whole room where you pick them up smells great! We will definitely be back!

TCD