TCD's Pre-Halloween 2012 Trip Report

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

The TCD gang is not going to make it to the Fort for Halloween this year.

It falls in the middle of the week, and the TCD twins are in the midst of college applications, and it is not a good time for them to miss school.

But, they did have a random day off on Friday October 19th.

And playing hooky on the 18th wouldn't hurt anyone.

So. we headed over to the Fort on the 18th for a three day weekend. We stayed until the 21st.

The 19th apparently was a school holiday in a lot of Florida's school districts.

That meant the Fort would be packed for the weekend.

With a lot of groups.

Which was the case the last time we camped right before school started back in August.

Which meant that the partial and full hook-up loops would be over crowded.

So, I bucked the normal TCD trend and we went with a premium site.

I requested the 400 loop so we would be near the majority of the decorated sites and a few Fiends.

I texted fellow Fiend, Devores, to see if he could let me know what sites on 400 were open on Thursday morning. And he was kind enough to let me know.

We got an early start, and we were pulling up to the MK gates at 10:07 am:

If you notice small details, you may have noticed that those gates are a different color now than they were earlier this year:

They also have been lavishly decorated for fall:

The Fort entrance looked the same as always:

And, I was pleased to see that there were four lanes open, with guests in only two:

They were messing with me though, as after I pulled up to the booth in that second lane, I found that no one was in it.

Usually the gates are closed when no one is in the booth.

I am not sure what was going on, but I had to back up and get behind that guy with the fifth wheel.

Of course, he was having some kind of issue, so we had to wait for about 15 minutes.

But, I didn't care.

Once I get to this point, I don't care about too much.

I'm at the Fort.

And, there isn't much that will bother me.

Not even a 15 minute wait while some guy from Indiana asks a million dumb questions.

Once the inquisitive hoosier moved on, we were up.

Our castmember was sharp. She noticed my FW shirt and said welcome back.

She was quick, and handed me my packet in no time.

She asked me if I needed directions to the 1400 loop.

I told her no, since I was going to the 400 loop.

She said no I wasn't.

I was assigned site 1405.

I like the 1400 loop, so I was happy with that.

The TCD twins weren't.

The 1400 loop can get crazy too.

They wanted to be on 400. And I guess I did too.

And I knew there were 4 or 5 opens sites, because Devores had sent me a text saying so not even an hour before.

So I asked the CM about those sites.

She said she would check.

She asked me to give her the site numbers so she could check each one.

Even though there were four or five empty, the computer only let her give me one.

416.

So 416 it was.

And, we were on our way!

We pulled up to our site, and guess who I almost ran over?

Devores.

We were right next to him.

Poor guy.

We chatted a bit.

Our plan for today was to get to the Fort early, and head over to the MK. If our site wasn't ready, we would park in overflow and come back later. Since the site was ready, we just parked there, and headed over to the MK.

We were in a hurry, because all the new stuff in Fantasyland opened up on Friday of last week, and for each day since, it had been open for guests. This was expected to stop by Saturday, when they were going to begin Castmember previews. Everyone's best guess was that the soft opening of the new stuff would continue for Thursday and Friday. So, we wanted to get there right away to see if we could get in.

By 11:23, we were on a boat to the MK.

It was a beautiful day, nice and sunny, and a little hot, but not quite as humid as a summer day. The sun was sparkling off the water in Bay Lake. Here we are cruising past Clementine's Beach:

I always snap a few photos of this area, as rumor has it that it will one day be developed into a new DVC resort. Some leaked plans had hotel rooms going right where this cypress head stands in the lake:

Here is the good old shoe tree. The brown roof you see behind the trees in the background is the roof of the Villas at Wilderness Lodge:

Here's a little closer look at the shoe tree:

Let's take a closer look at two areas of that photo.

First, here's a zoom on the top of the shoe tree- you can see a couple of shoes there:

And, here's a look at the left background of the photo. The stuff you see here is the rotting remains of River Country. You can even see a section of one of the big slides on the right of the photo:

Here we are looking back at the shoe tree after we passed it. If the rumors are true, the natural shoreline that you see in the back of the tree is all going to be a big old DVC development. You can also see a little striped pole with light on it in this photo. That used to mark the location of a gazebo that stood out in the water, and was reached by a boardwalk from River Country. That boardwalk and gazebo were removed a couple of years ago, but the light stayed. I guess it helps the boat skippers to see the Shoe Tree at night when they come out to throw their shoes in it:

That little dock you see along the shore in this photo is used by the Castmembers who patrol the lake:

We are now looking back a bit along the shoreline of the lake- you can see the old River Country boardwalk:

And, you can see the old boardwalk in this photo too:

The rotting remains of River Country stand behind these trees:

Some day, we will see huge buildings poking up from behind those trees. Or, worse yet, just the buildings with no trees.

I hate the idea of a DVC resort being built that close to the Fort.

Now, Wilderness Lodge, which we see in this next photo, is another story. Wilderness Lodge fits in its location perfectly, and it is far enough away from the Fort to cause no impact on it:

Another look at the Lodge:

The building for the WL DVC is a big building, but it is not imposing- you can barely see it from the lake:

From what I have seen and heard, the intention is to put the new Fort DVC buildings much closer to the lake, and this will make them imposing.

I hope what I have seen and heard is wrong, but I am afraid that the Bay Lake views will be one of the big selling points for the new Fort DVC.

Enough of that.

Because we are at the MK.

I apologize in advance to anyone who may find the next two photos offensive, but I couldn't not take these photos. There was a girl right in front of us with a most interesting outfit on. When I see something that makes me think "What The Fort?", I have to take a photo to share with the Fiends. So, here you go:

I am not the fashion police, but even I know there are certain things that should not be worn to a theme park.

Those shorts are on the list.

Again, sorry if anyone was offended.

Especially if you have a pair of shorts like that and like to wear them to the MK.

Let's move on.

We stopped at the Fire Station and picked up our SOTMK cards.

We have a lot of them now.

We almost have two complete sets.

We got one of the cards we needed today.

That was sweet.

We just need one more card to complete the first set. It is the Maximus' Magic Horseshoes card. If anyone has an extra, please let me know. We have plenty of cards we can trade for it.

Then we took our traditional air conditioned short cut through the Emporium.

The girls saw a new Pillow Pet:

Pretty cute.

But we do not need any more Pillow Pets.

We had not yet seen any Wreck It Ralph gear for sale in the parks.

Well, we found some today:

Twin #1 asked me to do a WIR impersonation. So, I did:

Nailed it.

Well, maybe except for the hair.

They had a lot of smaller WIR stuffed animals and characters here in the display. These were scented for some reason. I think part of the movie has to do with a video game based on candy-so that must be the reason for the scents. Interesting.

We had not seen these SOTMK shirts, but had heard about them. I think they're 30 bucks, but before you get all crazy thinking you are going to buy them all up, please read the sign:

Only five shirts per guest.

So, we could only buy 15.

What The Fort?

Who the heck is going to buy that many SOTMK shirts?

The Dapper Dans were performing right outside the door we were near, so we popped out here for a look.

I have one small complaint- grown men should not be wearing overalls with Mickey on the butt:

We stopped for a minute to enjoy the show. The Mayor and Firechief were singing along with the group today:

It is little things like this that make WDW so magical. These guys were great!

But it was time to move on.

There was some kind of show going on at the castle, so we had to take the bridge over to Sleepy Hollow, and the path back along the side of the castle.

There is a little hut there on the right, right before you cross the bridge. These photos are of what is inside the hut:

We went ahead and walked up the path.

As we came out behind the castle, we could see that all the construction walls that had been up for the last year plus were now down, and the new brick walls for the Fantasyland Expansion were uncovered. The construction wall you see on the right is for the work being done on the old Snow White ride, which is being turned in to a Princess Meet and Greet location:

From what we could see, the new Fantasyland area looked like it was open for business.

So, we walked excitedly in that direction.

We will pick it up from there in the next post, as we have reached our photo limit for this one.

Be sure to check back- because we soon found out that a VIP was in the MK, and was right there where we are heading.

TCD

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

First.....okay i will actually read it now!

[TurkeyPants...Nicole 92]

I love your trip reports but they make the wait for our trip almost unbearable!

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

First page... now I will go back and read

[We4mickey 6]

I'm in! Cant' wait to hear more about Fantasyland.

[Katman1356...Jason 1,140]

I'm in

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

Okay....i cant believe you didnt buy the fifteen shirts and am puzzled why you didnt ask daisy duke for directions to her favorite stores?

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

Or at least directions to the Boar's Nest.

[doodlebug....Cherie 461]

Ha! I read it and still made it on the first page!

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

I'm in also.

Glad you didn't run over Devores.

[BuckeyeFortFan 35]

Didn't you get the "Misstress of Evil" SOTMK shirt? Now that would be funny. Especially considering alot of the people I saw playing it a few weeks ago were grown men, without children, or (surprise!)...girlfriends.

[Live4FW 30]

Ha! I read it and still made it on the first page!

Me Too! Yippee

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

Cool!!! Love seeing the Barbershop Quartet!!

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

who wears those shoes to MK. My feet hurt just looking at them.

Twin #1 asked me to do a WIR impersonation. So, I did:

Nailed it.

did this embarrass twin #2?

hmmmm..... two instances of WTF in one post. I am afeered for the rest of the day........

[anolefan 8]

I'm in. We enjoy the 1400 loop but you are right, that loop gets crazy when the Fort is busy. It's a popular choice for us with younger children due to the location to the pool and campfire.

I'm interested to see how you liked the 400 loop, we have never stayed there.

Can't wait for more.

[TurkeyPants...Nicole 92]

First.....okay i will actually read it now!

First page... now I will go back and read

Ha! I read it and still made it on the first page!

Me Too! Yippee

Is there a prize or something for getting your comment on the first page? I feel like I am missing something

[SCTigerCock 171]

I like the new colors on the MK entrance.

Zebra Shorts may just be a rejected replacement NFL ref. Or she made shorts out of some rejected replacement NFL ref pants. Butt....regardless, those shouldn't be in the MK.

I thought of something the other day, but could the DVC resort go over in the wetlands between Golden Oaks and Bay Lake. As we all almost agree, that is the better view. Better View than the area between WL and the Fort. Because wouldn't both area impact wetlands? And were either approved? Just thinking out loud and yes thinking for me hurts.

Thanks for sharing the TR!!!

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Is there a prize or something for getting your comment on the first page? I feel like I am missing something

bragging rights

[Momof6....aka Marty 769]

I'm probably on the second page, but who cares when it is a TCD TR? :jumpforjoy

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

I'm probably on the second page, but who cares when it is a TCD TR? :jumpforjoy

wrong again...first page

[TurkeyPants...Nicole 92]

bragging rights

Good to know!

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Good to know!

at one time we nagged him for updates but that went away after awhile

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

First.....okay i will actually read it now!

Bragging rights!

Well done.

I love your trip reports but they make the wait for our trip almost unbearable!

Thanks.

The other way to look at it is TR's give you a fix and help the time to pass faster.

And, you will see a lot to look forward to.

First page... now I will go back and read

First page.

Well done.

Bragging rights for you, too.

I'm in! Cant' wait to hear more about Fantasyland.

Well, you are in luck, because there will be a lot of new Fantasyland stuff in this TR.

I'm in

Good job.

First page for you too.

Okay....i cant believe you didnt buy the fifteen shirts and am puzzled why you didnt ask daisy duke for directions to her favorite stores?

LOL!

I guess there must be a secondary market for those shirts?

I don't get it at all.

LOL @ Daisy Duke.

Or at least directions to the Boar's Nest.

I had to Google that.

Never watched the DOH.

Wasn't my thing.

I grew up a Yankee.

Didn't understand the whole redneck thing.

Now I do.

But, back then I didn't.

Ha! I read it and still made it on the first page!

Nicely done, Cherie.

And you didn't cheat!

Are you reading from the road?

I'm in also.

Glad you didn't run over Devores.

Glad that you're in.

And, I'm also glad that I didn't run over Devores.

Could you imagine the visit from the Fort Rangers? And the paperwork?

Didn't you get the "Misstress of Evil" SOTMK shirt? Now that would be funny. Especially considering alot of the people I saw playing it a few weeks ago were grown men, without children, or (surprise!)...girlfriends.

LOL!

We have noticed that same phenomenon. The girls call them "Solo Travelers." They always make the point that I will be doing the same next year when they are off at college. I don't think so.

TCD

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

OK- I think this will catch us up on the comments, and then I can get to the next set of photos.

Me Too! Yippee

Glad to have you in Scot.

Cool!!! Love seeing the Barbershop Quartet!!

Me too. I have really come to appreciate all the performers that you can find around the parks.

They add a lot to the atmosphere.

did this embarrass twin #2?

Actually, no. The store wasn't very crowded, and it was done real quick. She generally does not like this kind of thing, but she knows it is bound to happen every once in a while.

I'm in. We enjoy the 1400 loop but you are right, that loop gets crazy when the Fort is busy. It's a popular choice for us with younger children due to the location to the pool and campfire.

I'm interested to see how you liked the 400 loop, we have never stayed there.

Can't wait for more.

Yep, we used to love the 1400 loop, but on a weekend like this, it was bound to be crazy in there.

We ended up loving the 400 loop. It was our first time staying in that loop too.

Is there a prize or something for getting your comment on the first page? I feel like I am missing something

bragging rights

Yup. That's all. But bragging rights are important.

I like the new colors on the MK entrance.

Zebra Shorts may just be a rejected replacement NFL ref. Or she made shorts out of some rejected replacement NFL ref pants. Butt....regardless, those shouldn't be in the MK.

I thought of something the other day, but could the DVC resort go over in the wetlands between Golden Oaks and Bay Lake. As we all almost agree, that is the better view. Better View than the area between WL and the Fort. Because wouldn't both area impact wetlands? And were either approved? Just thinking out loud and yes thinking for me hurts.

Thanks for sharing the TR!!!

Good comments there, Genia. I mean Captain.

WTF?

Captain America?

I'm probably on the second page, but who cares when it is a TCD TR? :jumpforjoy

Nope, you made it Marty!

Good job.

Now, let's get another post cranked out. . .

TCD

[ftwildernessguy 778]

Thanks for the picture of the girl in the striped shorts.