CKCK 3.0-June 5-10 Trip Report-"Best of Both Worlds"

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

We weren’t sure whether we should drive over there or park in overflow and take the bus. I felt like we should just drive over there, but I wasn’t sure about parking with the TT.

We decided to park in overflow since at least we were familiar with getting to Epcot on the bus.

Turns out we should have driven over there.

Some inside information for your next trip-

Epcot has the best RV parking.

There is a whole row of RV spaces in the parking lot that used to be the parking area for the Epcot kennel (which is now closed). This row is very close to the Epcot entrance.

Next time, drive.

TCD

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Did I mention it wasn’t raining?

Oh no, it was SUNNY and HOT.

It was at this point that we realized how grateful we were for the wet weather we had been putting up with the entire week. If it had been hot and sunny the entire time, the girls would have fried and it would not have been much fun.

So, moral of the story is the rain actually made our trip better. It never really kept us from doing most of the things we wanted to do, and we didn’t fry.

We too had the blistering sun the last two days. It made us wish for the cooler rainy days. And reminded us why we will never do August again. At least this trip there were some breezes that didn't feel like a furnace fan.

That first week, on one of the evenings of looping, we wore long pants and wished we brought the hoodie jackets we bought. ROFL Who says that in June?

[kampfirekim 260]

You can never go "too pic crazy". No such thing. ;D

I'm glad ya'll had a great trip and look forward to your final update. Not that I'm glad it is the final one... you know what I mean.:)

[Lou... 3,118]

Another member added to the "Sink the EWP" club. Now we have two, it's a start.

[CKCK 45]

Some inside information for your next trip-

Epcot has the best RV parking.

There is a whole row of RV spaces in the parking lot that used to be the parking area for the Epcot kennel (which is now closed). This row is very close to the Epcot entrance.

Next time, drive.

TCD

Now you tell me.

That first week, on one of the evenings of looping, we wore long pants and wished we brought the hoodie jackets we bought. ROFL Who says that in June?

I guess you never know!

You can never go "too pic crazy". No such thing. ;D

I'm glad ya'll had a great trip and look forward to your final update. Not that I'm glad it is the final one... you know what I mean. :)

Be careful what you wish for...I have three times as many pictures on my computer than I posted here!

[CKCK 45]

Another member added to the "Sink the EWP" club. Now we have two, it's a start.

You're going to get me in trouble.

Next thing you know I'll be showing up in my ghetto gear doing drive by spikings in the Fort riding shotgun in a big bus...

[CKCK 45]

Okay, it’s time to put this thing to bed.

While we may have left the Fort, we did not leave…

Okay, we left WDW also.

Bummer.

However, this was the first time we have ever left the Fort and not headed home.

In fact, it was the first time we were ever to be on I-4.

We were heading to Bradenton…actually Anna Maria Island.

Okay, we weren’t even heading there. We were heading to Cortez, which is basically on the other side of the bridge from Anna Maria Island.

MaMa and PaPa were spending the week at the beach in a condo, and we were going to stay two nights in a campground (Holiday Cove) right across the bridge.

I had heard from a couple of Fiends that it was nice.

It was. It was really nice. Perfect for what we were doing. Clean, quiet, and near the beach.

We got put in a corner site, which was HUGE. The hookups were in the back, and very well taken care of (better than the Fort’s).

The best thing about it?

No sand.

They also have nice boat docks.

Many of these sites are owned by individuals, and then they rent them out. Kind of like condos except sites. So the place is well kept.

The only downside is that some of the sites are short, and some look really hard to get in to. Since we were on the corner it was super easy.

We went out to eat that night (duh):

Not as good as WDW, but okay. I didn’t pay for it, so that made it better.

The next day we were going to hang out at the beach and condo.

Except on the way there my truck freaked out. Engine light, VCS light, and traction lights all lit up. No acceleration. Poor shifting.

Can’t pull a trailer like that.

So off to the nearest Toyota Dealer I went.

With the golf cart in the back. Couldn’t fit in any of their service bays or anything.

Awesome.

After about an hour or so I was told that it was a problem with the trailer wiring harness (inside the truck) and it caused a short, blowing a fuse, that the cpu interpreted as a transmission problem and went into limp mode.

That’s a lot.

So after a $50 diagnostic check and new fuse we were on our way.

My mom likes to take group pictures in matching shirts every year.

This year she bought pink shirts.

What the Fort?

This was the scene shortly after:

CKCK doesn’t do pink.

We left the next morning and went home.

Boo.

Remember that truck problem?

It returned this past Tuesday.

This time it was just the engine light on. Acceleration was fine.

I went to my dealer.

They told me a few interesting things:

1. They pulled some codes off the cpu. One of them was the same code that the FL dealer pulled (there’s a national database they use).

2. And the problem wasn’t the wiring harness at all…it was the AIP Valve, which is a known problem with that model/year truck.

3. It’s about a $2500 fix.

4. Since it’s a known problem, Toyota issued an extended warranty on that part so I didn’t have to pay for it (whew!).

5. Apparently GETTEL TOYOTA in Bradenton screwed me over.

I was told that they should have known what the problem was, that maybe they DID know, but didn’t tell me.

Apparently this repair is a labor intensive repair that technicians don’t like doing.

I think that since they knew I was out of state and knew that I was leaving the next day, they just put some lipstick on it, cleared out the codes, and sent me on my way…knowing that I wouldn’t be back to them.

So I was hauling a golf cart, pulling a 26’ trailer, and carrying my wife and two DD’s, and I essentially could have broken down on the side of the road because they didn’t do their freaking job.

When I called them that day they of course denied it, said their codes just read that it was a fuse problem, and that they never would have sent a truck out on the road with that problem.

Right.

My question is…if they didn’t do anything wrong, why did my guy here in GA tell me that they did? He had nothing to gain by telling me that.

Moral of the story is: GETTEL TOYOTA is a little fishy, and they owe me $50 bucks.

To those of you who commented along on this TR, thanks for your participation and thoughts! That’s what makes a TR fun!

To those of you who read along silently, thanks for reading and feel free to join in next time!

To those of you who didn’t read it, well, nevermind.

Until next time!

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

It's over and I'm . This was a great TR and I thank you for bringing us along. I'm also proud of you, HTT and a pink shirt all in the same vacation and you took it like a man.

I'll miss the redheads but hope to see them in a future TR.

[MetalDad 33]

Nicely done! My wife just took they kids on a day trip to Anna Maria Island last week, they fell in love with it. As the crow flies, it's only 4-5 miles south of Ft. Desoto park, on the other side of Egmont Key, but it's a 45-60 mimute drive.

Glad you were able to get the family home safely, that's just not right.

Great photos and commentary. I'm looking forward to the next one!

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Thank you so much for bringing us along! We had a great time.

I will miss the red heads.

ETA- Wow, we were really close our whole trip. How weird.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Next thing you know I'll be showing up in my ghetto gear doing drive by spikings in the Fort riding shotgun in a big bus...

You say that like it's a bad thing.

I think you would look better in the ghetto gear than you did in that pink tshirt.

TCD

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

Loved this TR! I hope that you will post a little news of y'all and the redheads every now and then! At least pics!

[stefa70 205]

Great report!

That campground looks nice, especially near the beach, but minus sand at your site.

If you hadn't redeemed yourself with a GAG and beer, I would be giving you hell over the tea and the pink shirt.

A+++ on the last photo of the girls!

Thanks for sharing your vacation. :thumbsup2:

[4mickey2 41]

it's ok for you to wear the shirt... it's not pink --it's salmon! :rofl2:

thanks for the tr..

[michele j 9]

Great TR! Loved reading it. :)

[CKCK 45]

It's over and I'm . This was a great TR and I thank you for bringing us along. I'm also proud of you, HTT and a pink shirt all in the same vacation and you took it like a man. I'll miss the redheads but hope to see them in a future TR.

I think I grew a lot on this trip, right?

If my wife has it her way there will be another TR by the end of the summer...but if my wallet has it his way there won't.

Nicely done! My wife just took they kids on a day trip to Anna Maria Island last week, they fell in love with it. As the crow flies, it's only 4-5 miles south of Ft. Desoto park, on the other side of Egmont Key, but it's a 45-60 mimute drive. Glad you were able to get the family home safely, that's just not right. Great photos and commentary. I'm looking forward to the next one!

Anna Maria Island was nice. We actually stayed there when I was a kid, but I don't remember much.

Thanks for reading!

Thank you so much for bringing us along! We had a great time. I will miss the red heads. ETA- Wow, we were really close our whole trip. How weird.

Thanks for reading! I'm sorry we weren't able to meet while we were there!

You say that like it's a bad thing. I think you would look better in the ghetto gear than you did in that pink tshirt. TCD

I think I'll suggest to my mom that next year's picture is ghettofabulous. I'll pick out the shirts for that.

Loved this TR! I hope that you will post a little news of y'all and the redheads every now and then! At least pics!

Will do!

Great report! That campground looks nice, especially near the beach, but minus sand at your site. If you hadn't redeemed yourself with a GAG and beer, I would be giving you hell over the tea and the pink shirt. A+++ on the last photo of the girls! Thanks for sharing your vacation. :thumbsup2:

I HATE sand, so it was good for me! Sand is fine on the beach, I just wish it would stay there.

Glad I redeemed myself. I would have been giving myself hell for that as well.

it's ok for you to wear the shirt... it's not pink --it's salmon! :rofl2: thanks for the tr..

Salmon! Nice!

Great TR! Loved reading it. :)

Thanks!

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

Awesome report!! The girls are really cute!! But why did the girls score red shirts??

Hope you get back to the Fort soon!!!

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

What a great TR! I think the dealership does owe you the 50 and an apology, but customer service being what it is these days.....I am not holding my breath.

The pic of you having changed shirts right after the pic is awesome! I don't do pink either. (or salmon). I will however fish for salmon if given the opportunity.

Can't wait for the next CKCK TR.

[kampfirekim 260]

Be careful what you wish for...I have three times as many pictures on my computer than I posted here!

Bring it! I've been known to take nearly 2,000 photos on vacation. I can take it. :rofl2:

I really enjoyed your TR!! You have a beautiful family. Looks like you had a great time and ate well too.

By the way... you're pretty in pink. ;D

[CKCK 45]

Awesome report!! The girls are really cute!! But why did the girls score red shirts??

Hope you get back to the Fort soon!!!

My mom couldn't find the same shade in the small sizes. I think I would have rather had one of the small ones...

What a great TR! I think the dealership does owe you the 50 and an apology, but customer service being what it is these days.....I am not holding my breath.

I'm not holding my breath either, especially after I talked with their service manager.

Bring it! I've been known to take nearly 2,000 photos on vacation. I can take it. :rofl2:

I really enjoyed your TR!! You have a beautiful family. Looks like you had a great time and ate well too.

By the way... you're pretty in pink. ;D

I don't think I can compare with 2000!

Thanks! I guess I got lucky with my family! We're super blessed with our two girls!

I don't think being pretty in pink helps me keep my man card, so I'll have to disagree!

[SCTigerCock 171]

Thanks for sharing!

And if you really want to push the issues with Toyota, you may want to follow up with a letter to corporate with the dealership CC'd. Toyota is very concious of there repair issues right now and wants to stay our to the spotlight. Granted, the source was a used care salesperson and relative, but I understand Toyota is doing extra to take care of customers right now. Similar to Ford after the tire recall on the Explorers.

[Disneyzombie-Brenda 10]

Thanks for including us on you vacation! Please keep us up to date with your adorable girls.

Do follow up with a letter to the Toyota folks, they really take their customer surveys seriously. You might get your 50 bucks back.

[CKCK 45]

Thanks for sharing!

And if you really want to push the issues with Toyota, you may want to follow up with a letter to corporate with the dealership CC'd. Toyota is very concious of there repair issues right now and wants to stay our to the spotlight. Granted, the source was a used care salesperson and relative, but I understand Toyota is doing extra to take care of customers right now. Similar to Ford after the tire recall on the Explorers.

Thanks for including us on you vacation! Please keep us up to date with your adorable girls.

Do follow up with a letter to the Toyota folks, they really take their customer surveys seriously. You might get your 50 bucks back.

I think I'll do that. Maybe they'll give me a new truck...

Or just my $50.

I'd even be happy with an apology, not a denial,