It's Called Leap Day-Not Sleep Day-OMDD with the TCD Gang!

[kampfirekim 260]

I call shenanigans on that comment! That statement is total You were upset you did not have enough quarters for the barrel ride.

:bugeyes: :rofl2:

Absolutely correct Kim. Plaid pants included!

Hey! I didn't know there was 70's clip art of my dad! :hah:

[dvccamper 32]

I've once again been lurking and enjoying your report, but I had to chime in at this comment. I'm very pro-lake view. When we stayed at BLT last spring, we had the chance for a room that would have had a partial view of the MK but I opted for a room that had a great view of the marina. I sat out there many times watching the boats come and go, and loved getting to watch the EWP from our balcony.

Great report!

We did the same thing! I loved our lake view. Coffee every morning on the balcony watching the boats come and go, glass of wine on the balcony every evening for the EWP. One of the best rooms we ever had on Disney property (even though we really didn't care for BLT itself).

Sorry for the hijack, TCD....fantastic pictures though!!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Way to score the binocular view photos of the expansion! That was 50 cents well spent. Lil H took my last quarter to use the binoculars and I didn't have any spare quarters so I didn't get a sneak peek.

You gave all your quarters to Lil' H?

Is that what y'all named that barrel?

That ain't right.

Great update, Andrew! I love the view from the roof. I am definitely plan a trip up there cause there is no way I'm going up in a balloon!!

I think I want to try that balloon some time.

But it seems like it is grounded every time we visit.

1. awesome pictures and view from the roof!

2. many builders will skip the 13 floor because of superstition

3. according to numerology 13 is the number of change

4. it takes 13 knots to make a hangmans noose

5. Oct 13 was the date of the Knights Templar arrest

6. there were 13 people at the Last Supper

7.. I'll stop now. but there is more here.

8. Hope the next update comes before hitch up time (once again, I'll be out of service for over a week)....please!

Sure, I know all about that unlucky 13 hogwash.

But the Fort has a 1300 loop.

So I say the Contemporary people should stop being wimps and call the 13th floor the 13th floor.

Cool pics from the roof!!! Haven't been up there in the daytime in years!!!

Well, I had you beat there.

I had never been up there in the day time!

I've once again been lurking and enjoying your report, but I had to chime in at this comment. I'm very pro-lake view. When we stayed at BLT last spring, we had the chance for a room that would have had a partial view of the MK but I opted for a room that had a great view of the marina. I sat out there many times watching the boats come and go, and loved getting to watch the EWP from our balcony.

Great report!

Hey Leslie!

Good to have you reading along.

I remember that y'all stayed at BLT for your last trip.

I really enjoyed everything about the Contemporary Resort.

Except the price.

Love that you made it to the roof - great pics! I've been up there when we've eaten dinner, but have never seen the view in the daylight.

Well, as you can see, it's worth a visit.

I call shenanigans on that comment! That statement is total You were upset you did not have enough quarters for the barrel ride.

I'm with you there, Bill.

Absolutely correct Kim. Plaid pants included!

Too funny!

That does look like KFD!

Great idea scoping out Fantasy Land through the binoculars. We should all try to take a visit over there while the work is being done to see all of the changes. I am scared to death of heights, but I'm willing to give it a shot.

Enjoyed all of your views...even your backside.

I don't like hieghts either, but I was fine up there on the roof. The deck is not right on the edge of the roof, so it wasn't bad.

You've just given me another idea for something to do with the kids next time we are at the Fort. To the roof we go!!! Followed up by ice cream at Contempo. Sounds like a good outing to me.

Ice cream at tne Contempo?

What are you, some kind of psychic?

How did you know that there are some pics of that coming up?

And if you're serious about going up on the roof, there is an important tip I need to give you. But it's not something I'm going to put on here for everyone to see as it could cause problems if everyone shows up and tries to do it.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We did the same thing! I loved our lake view. Coffee every morning on the balcony watching the boats come and go, glass of wine on the balcony every evening for the EWP. One of the best rooms we ever had on Disney property (even though we really didn't care for BLT itself).

Sorry for the hijack, TCD....fantastic pictures though!!

I know you're new here, so I need to let you in on a little secret.

There is no such thing as a hijack on a TCD trip report.

Talk about whatever you want.

Past trip reports have taken some pretty wild detours. It's all good.

So no apologies necessary.

I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who loves the Bay Lake view.

And, funny of you to mention the EWP.

There might be some mention of that a bit later in this report.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I think we need one more update before we all get busy enjoying the weekend.

So here we go!

I actually did catch a few winks in between the exploring and dinner time. I fell asleep for an hour or so.

Then it was time to discuss our dinner plans.

The front running idea was to hit the Kona Cafe Sushi Bar.

I was semi in favor of that.

The only thing was I was leary of having to take the monorail.

For some reason, i had this fear of getting stuck on one this trip.

Having looked at the Fort all afternoon made me really want to go there.

That's what I lobbied for.

I think the girls felt guilty for out voting me for lunch.

So, they agreed to head over to the Fort for a Giddyap And Go chicken dinner.

Win!

We decided that we would head that way at around 5 and beat the rush.

I sat out on the balcony for a while.

Look at all the people in the pool:

And all the boats out on the lake:

Per the plan, we headed down to the marina at 5.

We were lucky, and the resort boat arrived from the Lodge just as we were walking up.

Next stop the Fort.

We had no wait at all.

Check out this dude who rode over with us:

Yes, he has arms full of tats and a bright green mohawk.

I guess everyone was afraid to tell him how ridiculous he looked.

We went around the far side of Discovery Island:

You can see here that the cypress trees are all without leaves- it is still winter after all. If you look between the two cypress stands, you can see the netting from the old aviary:

Here we are crusing by the island:

If you look up in the trees, you can see that there are a lot of birds roosting:

As it gets dark, birds flock to these trees.

I'll bet there's a lot of bird doo on that island.

Here you can see a few of the palm trees left from the island's glory days. Disney spent a lot of money landscaping this island back in the day:

Here we are rounding the island and looking over to Clementine's beach at the Fort. There is a boat heading off to the MK:

The MK boat is cruising past River Country in this photo. I'll bet most guests these days have no idea that River Country is there:

We disembarked at the Fort marina and made our way toward Trail's End.

Along the way, I snapped these photos of the Lawnmower Tree. I recently came across some interesting information about the Lawnmower Tree, which I plan on sharing on another thread once I get this trip report done. So, I took these photos:

I love to visit the Fort when the azeleas are in bloom. It looks like I missed the peak, but there were still a lot of blooms to be seen this afternoon:

These barrels have been at the Fort for a long time, but after KFK's most recent trip report, I will never look at them the same way again:

Did you know that the Hoop Dee Doo Revue has reverted to its original schedule?

Well according to these signs, the experiment with earlier times has ended:

It wasn't very busy there at the Fort at all.

In fact, it was strangely quiet.

Of course, this was a Wednesday, and we almost always are visiting on a weekend or holiday, so we are used to a lot more people and commotion.

Our meal was great, as usual.

I even made someone's day on the porch, when he recognized me.

There was a guy seated at the table next to us who asked if I was TCD. He said he was a lurker. He is from Mass. I believe he said his name is Kevin. He also said that he had just recently officially joined Fortfiends.net. So, Kevin, maybe you are reading along. If you are, this is where you should post and say hello. It was nice to meet you, and I hope you enjoyed the rest of your visit at the Fort.

After dinner, we didn't dawdle.

I knew Carol and TJ were in the Fort.

But we needed to get back for some more rest-time.

So, we headed back to the Contemporary.

On the dock, I snapped this photo. I wasn't sure if they would have the Fort boats operate for the full 24 hours. But they did. And then some:

Although I normally prefer sunrise shots, I had to take a couple of sunset shots, because the sun was setting.

Here's one from the Fort's dock:

Here we are at the end of the dock looking back toward the Fort. According to a permit application filed by Disney, there will one day be a new pavilion in the area to the left of the marina building in this photo:

Here's another sunset shot. This one is the sun setting over the Contemporary Resort, as seen from our boat:

Here we are looking back toward the Fort as we head around Discovery Island:

In this shot, we have rounded the island, and we are looking toward the Lodge:

Here's a look at Discovery Island as it is illuminated by the setting sun. I love how the clouds are reflected in the calm water:

You can see how the trees are getting filled with birds in this shot:

Here's one more shot of the Lodge- you can see that the geyser is erupting in this photo:

That's all I have from the boat ride.

Next up- we really need to rest-up before heading to the MK.

I'll let you know how that went in the next post.

TCD

[kampfirekim 260]

You gave all your quarters to Lil' H?

Is that what y'all named that barrel?

That ain't right.

I will just refer to my new signature on this one. ;D

And all the boats out on the lake:

These barrels have been at the Fort for a long time, but after KFK's most recent trip report, I will never look at them the same way again:

D

Here's one from the Fort's dock:

Here's another sunset shot. This one is the sun setting over the Contemporary Resort, as seen from our boat:

Just a few comments...

H was reading along with me and commented on how much he liked the first 2 shots of the Contemporary marina. They are great. I'm with H on that!.

Sorry the barrels are ruined for you now. I don't think I can look at them the same way either....along with another landmark or two... but I won't go into that. WWW changes a person. :rofl2:

Moving along....

I love these two sunset photos. Beautiful.

[Lou... 3,118]

I saved about an hour by not reading this TR, but as I may be mentioned about half way through, maybe I will. It's probably excellent.

[stefa70 205]

I am shocked to hear that you voted for a GAG for supper.

I don't think I would want to tell green mohawk guy that he looked ridiculous. I get the feeling he wouldn't be appreciative of the fashion advice. I always wonder about people like that. Are they making a statement? If so, what kind? Are they rebelling against the norm? Are they craving attention? I wonder what he does for a living that allows him to have a green mohawk.

Those are some of the weird things that go through my head when people watching.

Sunset over the dock with umbrella is a great shot! I wish I was sitting on that dock with a strawberry daiquiri. Maybe I'll just make a daiquiri and stare at that picture. :)

[CKCK 45]

For a minute I was afraid you would vote on the garden tea room at the GF....

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I saved about an hour by not reading this TR, but as I may be mentioned about half way through, maybe I will. It's probably excellent.

Yes, you were mentioned.

But, I'm afraid it may take you more than an hour to read the whole thing.

It may not be worth it.

I am shocked to hear that you voted for a GAG for supper.

I don't think I would want to tell green mohawk guy that he looked ridiculous. I get the feeling he wouldn't be appreciative of the fashion advice. I always wonder about people like that. Are they making a statement? If so, what kind? Are they rebelling against the norm? Are they craving attention? I wonder what he does for a living that allows him to have a green mohawk.

Those are some of the weird things that go through my head when people watching.

Sunset over the dock with umbrella is a great shot! I wish I was sitting on that dock with a strawberry daiquiri. Maybe I'll just make a daiquiri and stare at that picture. :)

I didn't really think too much about the green mohawk guy. I figured that he was doing it for his kids. But come to think of it, his kids probably would prefer that he not do that. So, I'm with you- why would somebody do that?

For a minute I was afraid you would vote on the garden tea room at the GF....

You can rest assured that I will never step foot in that tea room.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Time to get this report cranked up again.

We left off with our return to the Contemporary from our delightful meal at the Fort.

The sun was setting fast, but it was still not yet dark when we got back to the room.

So, that allowed us to get a good look at the party that they had been setting up for earlier in the afternoon. You can see that the guests have begun to arrive in this photo, and that a buffet line has been set up by the tables. Also note that there are some castmembers in yellow shirts setting up something down on the beach and also in the grass next to where the party is going to take place:

Bay Lake was glowing in from the setting sun, and the smooth water was reflecting the clouds above. It was a very pretty view. Much nicer than the parking lot and the construction view of the Magic Kingdom that we would have had from the other side of the tower. You can see the castmembers doing something on the beach in these photos as well:

Here we are looking straight out at Discovery Island as it is lit by the setting sun:

In this photo, we can see what the castmembers were setting up in the grass. It's a movie screen, and they are setting up chairs for guests to watch an outdoor movie:

By the way, the castmembers on the beach were cleaning up from a campfire that they had on the beach at 5 pm. That seems a little early for a campfire if you ask me. It was over before it was even dark. They don't know how to do things at the Contemporary resort.

Check this out- the big MK ferry boat is over here by Discovery Island. I have no idea why. I have heard that it can dock at the Fort marina, but I have never seen that happen myself:

Here is another look at that party that was going on below us:

Want to know who was having that party?

So did I.

So I checked it out.

The party was an event for the Siemens corporation. They were having a convention at the Contemporary Resort, and this was one of their functions.

Nice.

We still did not have a definite plan for what we would be doing next.

We still hadn't rested very much.

But the Wishes fireworks were going to be shown at the MK at 8 pm.

We briefly toyed with the idea of skipping any more rest and heading to the MK.

But, I thought we needed to pace ourselves.

So, we decided that we would watch Wishes from the hotel.

We have done that before.

From the observation deck on the 4th floor.

But, I suggested that we just head right out onto the stairs outside our door.

And that is what we did.

We could hear the music from the 4th floor deck fine.

Here's our view from right outside of our front door:

And here are the required fireworks shots. I have a lot more, but I just picked a few, because a few fireworks photos go a long way:

So that was Wishes.

Now it was about 8:20.

I really thought we ought to try to get a little sleep so we would be able to make it through the night.

The girls had other ideas.

We will pick it up from there in the next post.

TCD

[kampfirekim 260]

Great view for the fireworks!

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

Neat fireworks views!!

Oh, and later in my trip report, I will have pics of the ferry "attempting" to dock at Fort Wilderness :)

[Heidi-meetsTCD@TSM 5]

Yippee an update!!!!

Can't wait to her what you all did next next!!!

Heidi

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Great view for the fireworks!

Yes, it was a great view. I prefered where we were over the 4th floor observation deck.

Neat fireworks views!!

Oh, and later in my trip report, I will have pics of the ferry "attempting" to dock at Fort Wilderness :)

Aw, rats!

They tried to dock the ferry that night?

I would have loved to see that.

Apparently, I just missed this.

Yippee an update!!!!

Can't wait to her what you all did next next!!!

Heidi

Well, today's your lucky day.

I'm going to tell what we did next right now!

TCD

[Heidi-meetsTCD@TSM 5]

I am shocked to hear that you voted for a GAG for supper.

I don't think I would want to tell green mohawk guy that he looked ridiculous. I get the feeling he wouldn't be appreciative of the fashion advice. I always wonder about people like that. Are they making a statement? If so, what kind? Are they rebelling against the norm? Are they craving attention? I wonder what he does for a living that allows him to have a green mohawk.

Those are some of the weird things that go through my head when people watching.

Sunset over the dock with umbrella is a great shot! I wish I was sitting on that dock with a strawberry daiquiri. Maybe I'll just make a daiquiri and stare at that picture. :)

Stef,

I agree with your comments about the guy with the green mohawk, I too, wonder when I see something like that, what do they do for a living!!! I mean you can't walk into a classroom to teach looking like that or go into a corporate office.....seems like your employment oppurtunities would be severly limited!!!

Disney is the BEST place to people watch, you will never be disappointed thats for sure!!

Heidi

[Gots2pitt.. Jeff 64]

It was a long weekend waiting for another TCD TR update. Although the weather was a balmy 60 degrees yesterday so we ventured out side and cleaned up some sticks in the yard. Can't wait for more updates.

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

Aw, rats!

They tried to dock the ferry that night?

I would have loved to see that.

Apparently, I just missed this.

Actually, I think it was Thursday night that I saw this event. I'll get there eventually, I'm only up to the previous Saturday.

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

The time change has thrown me for a loop.

Also, possibly, I tried to do too much this weekend.

So now I am tired and starting to get a cold.

I really should go take a nap.

But TCD says he is about to post another update.

Today, my children are going to learn about the importance of correctly prioritizing your time.

Because I am staying up to read a TCD update.

Wouldn't you?

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Yes, it's another update already.

The way the photo count worked out, I had to break that last one into two parts.

We just got done watching the fireworks.

And I suggested that we get some rest.

The twins suggested that we get some ice cream first.

I didn't argue with that suggestion.

So, we headed down to abuse use the Contemporary's self serve machine:

We like this one better that the Wilderness Lodge's because here you pay first, and then you get to make your creation. You then can go to your table and enjoy it without having the endure the disapproving looks of the castmembers at the cash register.

Here is twin #1's creation:

That ice cream hit the spot.

Now, it was time for us to get some rest.

So, we went up to the room an laid down for a while. The twins had the TV on, and pointed out that a new episode of Modern Family was coming on at 9 pm, and that it was a Leap Day episode. We had to watch that, right?

Since I am the boss, I said that we would watch that, but then we needed to get some rest.

The title of this trip report came from that episode.

Phil said it to Luke when he told him to get up that day.

I am glad we watched it- it was funny- and we don't watch TV as a family very often.

During one of the commercials, I went out on the balcony to check on something.

I figured if we could see Spaceship Earth from our room, then we must be able to see Illuminations at Epcot when that was shown.

I turns out I was right about that:

So there you go.

We did have a fireworks view from our balcony.

Just not of the MK fireworks.

And, if Seaworld happened to shoot off fireworks that night, we would have seen those too.

During another commercial break, I heard some music playing outside, and peeked out to see this:

That was the EWP beginning at the Lodge.

I didn't watch the whole show, because I knew it would be stopping by us later.

And sure enough it did!

Here's something else that I found interesting. See in the second to the last photo above how they had already packed up all the tables and chairs from that Siemens party? They don't mess around at the Contemporary Resort.

Also, I don't have a photo of it, but we could see the outdoor movie from our balcony. And we could hear a little of it too. It was the Sorcerer's Apprentice movie. The one with Nicholas Cage. I have never seen it. I don't plan to either. And, I am not alone in my low opinion of this movie. As far as I could tell, not one single guest stopped by to watch it. At least none that we saw. So Disney paid those castmembers to set that all up for nobody to watch that movie. Who is in charge of this?

Not to beat a dead horse, but the poor slobs on the other side of the Tower didn't get to see any of this either. And I'll tell you something else too. The EWP was blasting from the boats here at the Contemporary. We could hear it clearly in our room even with the sliding glass door closed. I wish Lou could have been here with us to see it!

And, as much as I want to hate BLT, I must reluctantly admit that it is a very nice building, especially at night:

Alright, so we watched Wishes, and had ice cream, and watched a little TV, and the EWP. Now it was time for some rest, right?

We tried.

I'll let you know how that went in the next update.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

It was a long weekend waiting for another TCD TR update. Although the weather was a balmy 60 degrees yesterday so we ventured out side and cleaned up some sticks in the yard. Can't wait for more updates.

Sorry to make you wait for the update.

But, maybe you got some brownie points with the wife for picking up the sticks?

Plus, your yard looks better now.

So, it ended up being a good thing.

Actually, I think it was Thursday night that I saw this event. I'll get there eventually, I'm only up to the previous Saturday.

Hmmm.

My photos are definitely from Wednesday night, because we weren't there on Thursday night.

I guess they must have been training some new boat captains.

I guess they would rather them wreck the Fort's dock than the TTC dock.

The time change has thrown me for a loop.

Also, possibly, I tried to do too much this weekend.

So now I am tired and starting to get a cold.

I really should go take a nap.

But TCD says he is about to post another update.

Today, my children are going to learn about the importance of correctly prioritizing your time.

Because I am staying up to read a TCD update.

Wouldn't you?

Yes.

And, you can go take that nap now.

I think I might get one more update in this afternoon, but it won't be until later.

If at all.

TCD

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

Now I've had a bedtime story, complete with pictures of the EWP, which I have never seen, but understand it is not to be missed next time I am at the Fort.

Now I can go and have a nice nap with lovely dreams of WDW!

Thanks, TCD!!

[stefa70 205]

Great view of the fireworks and the EWP. One of my favorite things of each Fort visit is laying in bed listening to that music. Even though I rarely go and watch it, the music brings back good memories.

Naps always sound like a good idea at WDW, but I end up laying there thinking of all the things I'm missing.

You don't strike me as a napper.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Now I've had a bedtime story, complete with pictures of the EWP, which I have never seen, but understand it is not to be missed next time I am at the Fort.

Now I can go and have a nice nap with lovely dreams of WDW!

Thanks, TCD!!

What?

You have never seen the EWP?

That needs to be at the top of the list for your next visit!

Great view of the fireworks and the EWP. One of my favorite things of each Fort visit is laying in bed listening to that music. Even though I rarely go and watch it, the music brings back good memories.

Naps always sound like a good idea at WDW, but I end up laying there thinking of all the things I'm missing.

You don't strike me as a napper.

Generally, I am not a napper.

And, as we will soon see, we didn't get a whole lot of sleeping done before we headed back to the MK.

TCD

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

Love the fireworks photos and the EWP photos, those are some great shots!!

Don't feel bad, I'm not much of a daytime sleeper either, BUT I'll say it again, I wasn't nuts enough to be at the park for opening that morning.