CKCK 5.0-Nov. 17-24, First Thanksgiving at the Fort!

[stefa70 205]

Aww, good for DD2! I don't blame the wife for tearing up, that's a big accomplishment for a 2 year old.

Love the redheads all together.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Merida rocks! She was my favorite character interaction too.

The keys, that is where the pirate jailhouse dog hid them. ROFL I don't really know.

I love the photos of all the redheads together.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

What a great Thanksgiving morning you had!

Actually, it was a good move to get your cinnamon roll from the Main Street bakery. They are far superior to the ones served by Gaston. Since when had that doofus been a cook anyway? I hope you enjoyed it, because the Main Street Bakery is now closed and being turned into a Starbucks. I predict the cinnamon rolls will be gone when it reopens, and you will then have to settle for one of Gaston's.

That's awesome that your youngest's first princess was Merida. How appropriate!

Great report you got going here!

TCD

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

Merida is my fav princess!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

So glad your daughter liked Merida!

[momof3kids-Yvonne 596]

Love the pictures of your dds with Merida :heartsmiley:

Oh and your dds are very trustworthy. I don't know that I would be able to hold on to those treats and not nibble at them.

[CKCK 45]

Awesome pics of your DDs with Merida!

I had good subjects

Aww, good for DD2! I don't blame the wife for tearing up, that's a big accomplishment for a 2 year old.

Love the redheads all together.

I may or may not have teared up as well. I plead the fifth.

You see what WDW has done to me???

Merida rocks! She was my favorite character interaction too.

The keys, that is where the pirate jailhouse dog hid them. ROFL I don't really know.

I love the photos of all the redheads together.

Yes! The PotC dog! Of course! Guess he got tired of taunting the jailbirds.

What a great Thanksgiving morning you had!

Actually, it was a good move to get your cinnamon roll from the Main Street bakery. They are far superior to the ones served by Gaston. Since when had that doofus been a cook anyway? I hope you enjoyed it, because the Main Street Bakery is now closed and being turned into a Starbucks. I predict the cinnamon rolls will be gone when it reopens, and you will then have to settle for one of Gaston's.

That's awesome that your youngest's first princess was Merida. How appropriate!

TCD

Best idea ever to move to the Fort for Thanksgiving. We'll win our family over yet!

We thought they might have been different. According to my wife's research (and she reads about food all the time), apparently Gaston's have maple flavoring in them, while the bakery's did not. Don't know if that's true or not.

Yes, DD2 definitely relates to Merida more than the other princesses!

Merida is my fav princess!

Honestly, I didn't like her before. However, the CM who was Merida that day won me over.

So glad your daughter liked Merida!

What a relief. Now I'll have to spend money on Merida stuff.

Great.

Love the pictures of your dds with Merida :heartsmiley:

Oh and your dds are very trustworthy. I don't know that I would be able to hold on to those treats and not nibble at them.

We were moving so fast trying to get back there that had she even tried, she would have ended up wearing it!

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

How awesome was that! I just love the girls with Merida! That was just adorable and I'm so glad you were able to capture those frames on camera and share them with us!

[CKCK 45]

How awesome was that! I just love the girls with Merida! That was just adorable and I'm so glad you were able to capture those frames on camera and share them with us!

Thanks a lot! I'm glad you liked them! Every time I look at those pics I can't help but smile!

[CKCK 45]

Still Thanksgiving.

When we got back to the Fort, it was time to start working on food.

Last Christmas I got a deep fryer.

I had never used it.

We were rolling the dice today, because it was cooking our dinner.

Is it sad that we’ve been married for 10 years and have never cooked a turkey ourselves?

This was definitely a gamble.

While the Creole Butter was working it’s magic inside the turkey, we headed over to the primitive campsites to see the teepees.

We didn’t linger long here, but it was cool to see them, and even cooler for the girls to see them.

Soon it was time to cook.

I had no idea what I was doing.

This could turn out all wrong if I wasn’t careful.

Luckily, team CKCK always wins, and we had no problems.

While we were cooking we had a visitor.

I’m sorry to say that I have no idea who it was.

There was a golf cart.

And a woman driving it.

A little girl came running up, handed me an envelope, then took off.

It all happened so fast.

It was a drive by carding.

Turns out we had just been given a Thanksgiving card with a candy cane on it.

From a Fiend.

HOW COOL IS THAT?

Super cool.

Unfortunately I never found out who it was.

I had hoped to find out later in the trip, but we never made it over to the 1300 loop to see everyone.

Fail.

Regardless, whoever you were, that was awesome.

Fiends rock.

Back to the turkey.

It was done.

And it rocked my face.

Best turkey ever.

We ate a lot, and loved every minute of our Fort Thanksgiving dinner.

Belle had a good time:

And believe it or not, so did Roxy:

Though you can’t tell it.

That’s actually the only pic of Roxy that I have from the trip.

Here’s what she looks like from the other end:

And just for good measure, here’s another pic of Belle:

That’s where we usually find her when we get home.

After we ate we headed up to the Settlement to try to get on wifi to facetime with my family.

Turns out for whatever reason we couldn’t connect.

Oh well.

It was at this time that we realized that the scavenger hunt was going on.

You know how we figured it out?

There were crazy people flying all over the place in golf carts.

Crazy.

Looked fun...if you had a fast golf cart....which we do not.

Plus, it was crazy.

Maybe too much craziness for me.

After resting awhile it was time to embark on our next new Thanksgiving tradition:

DHS and the Osborne Lights.

We had already seen them a few nights earlier, but traditions are traditions, and this one was starting now.

First we hit Star Tours because that has become one of DD4’s favorite rides.

Her mommy gets sick on it.

Boooo.

Anyone ever wondered why the Starspeeder has a sewer hose coming out of it?

Are there full hookups in space?

Weird.

I would think they would just dump right out there like they do in the ocean.

And finally we made it to the lights.

DW wanted to get one of their holiday drinks. It wasn’t until tonight that we found out that they are served at the bar behind Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground.

She had been wanting one the whole trip. We had already had eggnog on an earlier trip, but we finally figured out where to get the other drinks.

The bar closed at 7:00.

We got there at 6:50.

Guess what.

Even though there were people sitting at the bar, they wouldn’t serve any more people.

At 6:50.

RIDICULOUS.

What’s wrong with them? If you’re going to close at 7:00, CLOSE AT 7:00.

And why in the name of the Fort are you going to close at 7:00? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Anyway...

As DaveInTn mentioned earlier...as if you haven’t seen enough of these pics lately.

Well, here are more:

Remember how I said DD2 was not cooperating on family pics?

Well, all DW wanted to get tonight was a pic for our Christmas card.

This is what we ended up with:

Fail again.

And that was our Thanksgiving.

Best ever.

Luckily for us, we still had one day left before we went home.

And that meant Epcot in the morning, we made up for our failing earlier in the trip, and a surprise lunch.

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

That turkey was gorgeous! It sounds to me that the CKCK's have started a wonderful new tradition indeed!

[alexwyattmommy 181]

I love your new traditions. I think it is great you are giving the girls something unique but also something they can continue as they get older with families of their own. [freaked you a little there didn't I, sorry they don't stay little for long]

[DaveInTN 3,247]

I LOVE Thanksgiving at the Fort. Cooking at the campsite. Walking around the loop taking in all the smells. The festiveness. The weather is typically ideal. It is my favorite holiday at Disney.

Nice job on the bird! Looks delicious.

[stefa70 205]

Great shot of the genius CKCK at the Fort, frying a turkey, wearing a Fort Wilderness shirt! :thumbsup2:

Roxy is cute from both ends.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Great update, Chris!

I'm sorry that the trip is nearing the end.

That mystery fiend who gave you the candy cane was Msamy. She and her daughters were on the 1700 loop. I got a candy cane and card too. Amy hasn't posted in a while. Hopefully she will see this report and know that her gesture was appreciated. Fiends rock!

Good job on the tee pee photos. We love that there are always tee pees in the group camping area on Thanksgiving.

Awesome job rolling the dice on that turkey fryer. That was very bold to try it out for the first time on Thanksgiving day. But, you pulled it off. That bird looks great!

I never noticed that sewer hose in Star Tours. Good job spotting it and posting the photo!

There is no such thing as too many Osborne lights photos. Yours are great. I looked in the background of all them to see if I could spot any members of the TCD gang. We were there Thanksgiving night too. That has become a tradition in our family.

You sure ended up with a lot of great family photos.

Good job all the way around!

TCD

p.s. Mrs. CKCK is right about the different cinnamon roll glaze on the Gaston's cinnamon rolls. It is supposed to have a hint of maple taste. The very first time we got one there, it had a distinct maple smell and taste. The next time, and each subsequent time, it didn't. I think guests objected, and they dropped the fake maple flavoring. But, I'm not sure about that.

[DramaMama .......... Janet 75]

Love Thanksgiving at the Fort!!! Sounds like you guys had a blast. You have a gorgeous family - the red hair is so precious. Sadly I just can't get that color in the bottle - but I keep trying. My kids have no idea what my real hair color is!!! As for photos other than for Christmas cards I try not to stress too much, it is better to enjoy the moment than worry about the camera in my hand. Thanks for posting a great read!

[CKCK 45]

That turkey was gorgeous! It sounds to me that the CKCK's have started a wonderful new tradition indeed!

Definitely!

I love your new traditions. I think it is great you are giving the girls something unique but also something they can continue as they get older with families of their own. [freaked you a little there didn't I, sorry they don't stay little for long]

Umm...I'm going to pretend you didn't just talk about my girls having families.

I LOVE Thanksgiving at the Fort. Cooking at the campsite. Walking around the loop taking in all the smells. The festiveness. The weather is typically ideal. It is my favorite holiday at Disney.

Nice job on the bird! Looks delicious.

Totally agree. And yes, the turkey was awesome.

Great shot of the genius CKCK at the Fort, frying a turkey, wearing a Fort Wilderness shirt! :thumbsup2:

Roxy is cute from both ends.

Had to represent.

And I'm not going to lie, it's weird that you just said my dog looks cute from both ends.

Great update, Chris!

I'm sorry that the trip is nearing the end.

That mystery fiend who gave you the candy cane was Msamy. She and her daughters were on the 1700 loop. I got a candy cane and card too. Amy hasn't posted in a while. Hopefully she will see this report and know that her gesture was appreciated. Fiends rock!

Good job on the tee pee photos. We love that there are always tee pees in the group camping area on Thanksgiving.

Awesome job rolling the dice on that turkey fryer. That was very bold to try it out for the first time on Thanksgiving day. But, you pulled it off. That bird looks great!

I never noticed that sewer hose in Star Tours. Good job spotting it and posting the photo!

There is no such thing as too many Osborne lights photos. Yours are great. I looked in the background of all them to see if I could spot any members of the TCD gang. We were there Thanksgiving night too. That has become a tradition in our family.

You sure ended up with a lot of great family photos.

Good job all the way around!

TCD

p.s. Mrs. CKCK is right about the different cinnamon roll glaze on the Gaston's cinnamon rolls. It is supposed to have a hint of maple taste. The very first time we got one there, it had a distinct maple smell and taste. The next time, and each subsequent time, it didn't. I think guests objected, and they dropped the fake maple flavoring. But, I'm not sure about that.

Wow, you just answered a lot of questions right there. Thanks for the info!

And I may have gotten lucky on the turkey...we'll hope not.

We'll have to look for the TCD gang at the Osborne Lights next year!

Love Thanksgiving at the Fort!!! Sounds like you guys had a blast. You have a gorgeous family - the red hair is so precious. Sadly I just can't get that color in the bottle - but I keep trying. My kids have no idea what my real hair color is!!! As for photos other than for Christmas cards I try not to stress too much, it is better to enjoy the moment than worry about the camera in my hand. Thanks for posting a great read!

Yeah, we still aren't sure if DD4 is going to keep the red. Her's is definitely lighter than DD2's. Will be interesting to see how light it gets!

[CKCK 45]

Day 7: Friday

This was our last day.

Booooooooo.

So we had to make it count.

Counting for us means rope drop somewhere so we can get in a good morning then relax in the afternoon.

Epcot it was.

I have something to admit.

This was a bagless Friday.

I love bagless park days.

However, I take fewer pics and they generally suck more.

I apologize in advance.

I have dropped the picture ball on my last two trips.

I promise to do better next time.

Unfortunately it doesn’t look like that will be until June.

I say unfortunately.

That’s my opinion.

You’re probably glad.

That way you don’t have to see any more of my pictures until then, or read any of my words.

Well I have some news for you...I will continue posting words all over the place.

Take that.

We needed to get to Epcot by 9:00.

No problem.

Though, for some reason we ended up running late and didn’t think we were going to make it.

Though, there was definitely some magic today, because when we got to the Outpost bus stop, this is what was waiting on us:

Weird.

I had never seen those buses here. Must be that new paint job Lou was talking about.

Regardless, this bus was different. The driver was definitely different. He was not the friendliest of drivers, and I even heard him call someone a schmuck face. He took some crazy route we had never been before. Through the woods on a path that definitely does not get used much. I figured he was just lost because he was old and obviously shouldn’t be behind the wheel. Regardless, he knew what he was doing because we were at Epcot with plenty of time to spare and ended up being first in line at our turnstile.

We were really quick getting through the gates once they opened up, and we were determined to make up after screwing up last time in this park.

Off to Soarin’ we went. DD4 and I went straight inside while DW and DD2 parked the strollers.

We got our FP’s with 9:45 returns and went straight in line.

We ended up being the second ride of the day.

Sweet.

After we got out we hit the Land (my fav), and then it was about time for DW to go on it with DD4.

Kids get all the luck. DD4 got to ride it twice.

While they were flying, DD2 and I hit Nemo.

Then we did Figment.

I HATE FIGMENT.

I can’t wait for them to take it out and replace it with something that doesn’t suck.

It was getting close to 11:00, and that meant it was time to eat.

DW had this crazy idea that we could get into Via Napoli in Italy for lunch.

I thought she was crazy.

Side note...I generally think she is crazy.

We went inside and were literally the first people in the door. The hostess asked if we had reservations.

No.

Didn’t matter, we were the first walk-ins so we scored.

So we had a seat because they didn’t actually open until 11:30.

Not a big deal, but why does the world showcase open at 11:00, but the restaurants don’t open until 11:30?

dumb.

Here’s our view while waiting:

Here’s what came in the door after us:

Check out the guy on the right mean muggin me.

So glad we were first in. These people were going to be waiting awhile.

We got to watch the entire wait staff have a pow wow in the dining room before they opened up.

Then finally we got in.

We were the FIRST party in.

Score.

This is the view from our table as the servers were waiting to pick up their tables:

We were ordering one pizza for all of us, so we decided to get the antipasto to start off with. That would be good, right?

WHAT THE FORT IS THAT?

And no, we had NOT eaten any off of the plate yet.

It wasn’t bad, but a supreme waste of money.

The pizza was really enjoyable:

I would definitely get it again.

Random view from table:

After lunch we headed to Germany for dessert.

Earlier this trip with our friends we discovered something.

Caramel corn and the caramel apple cookie from Karamell-Küche.

HOLY CRAP.

Now, I have had caramel corn before.

Call it the Disney magic, but for whatever reason this caramel corn rocks my face.

And the cookie?

Please.

Ridiculous.

This is all that was left of it by the time I remembered to take a picture:

Mo posted a review of it back in November:

http://www.fortfiend...many-pavillion/

Apparently DaveInTn wasn’t impressed.

He thinks he would choose 30 other items over that one.

I think that would be a waste of money. Just get the cookie and you’ll be happy, Dave.

You try the cookie, I’ll try the fried chicken at the Prime Time Cafe, and we’ll compare at a later date.

The reason we were in Germany was because we were waiting for the girls to meet Snow White (cue Dave commenting on this one also...)

We were first in line for her.

We were curious to see if DD2 was over the character fear, or if it was just Merida.

Not my favorite Snow White, but the girls didn’t care. And it was still exciting to see DD2 finally warming up to more characters (even if it was Snow White).

This TR has about one more update left.

That’s too bad.

I do, however, still have to vent about golf cart parking. That should at least be enjoyable.

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Apologies about bringing the girls growing up to the forefront.

WTFort is appropriate for that lame dish. I make a better snack plate than that.

Glad to see DD2 is better about characters in general, even if it was Snow White [Dave hates her I've heard].

They are both so adorably cute.

Golf cart parking is a pet peeve and I've only rented them once. Wanting for your take on it.

Sorry the trip is almost over. June will not get here soon enough.

[stefa70 205]

Sad we're coming to the end. IMHO, CKCK doesn't post enough words! I enjoy your humor and wise cracks.

Are you telling me that was a whole order of antipasto?!?! Shame on them!

I do like their pizza though.

Looking forward to your venting!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

I agree with Stef, your narrative is great, Chris.

Thanks for that bus photo. I had not yet seen one of the new buses Lou mentioned. Weird that you saw one and on one else did. And so retro. That's a real surprise. Even the people look retro.

Mean muggin? What the difference between that and the stinkeye? That looks more like a stinkeye to me, but I am not familiar with the term mean muggin, so you might be right.

We have yet to dine at Via Napoli. It's hard for me to justify going in there for pizza when we have great pizza places to visit at home. But I will get there one day. No way I'm ordering the anti pasto though.

It's awesome to see another photo of both girls with a princess!

I can't wait for the vent. Bring it on!

TCD

[Big Kahuna aka John 71]

Wow the antipasto was anti climatic... Pizza looked good, and photos of the princesses with a common cast member (Snow) are priceless... You should have Disney pay you for having those two princesses in the parks. Sorry this is coming to an end, but you've been really great so far.

[Lou... 3,118]

I had never seen those buses here. Must be that new paint job Lou was talking about.

Yes it is and you got to see it first hand

Regardless, this bus was different.

So you liked the new paint scheme?

The driver was definitely different. He was not the friendliest of drivers

Don't know why, but I've heard that before.

and I even heard him call someone a schmuck face.

I've said it before, that's a term of endearment.

He took some crazy route we had never been before. Through the woods on a path that definitely does not get used much.

Lets keep that route a secret between you and me.

I figured he was just lost because he was old and obviously shouldn't be behind the wheel.

I prefer the terms seasoned or vintage.

Regardless, he knew what he was doing

Now that's something I don't hear a lot.... or ever.

So it does sound like you were on my bus.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Apparently DaveInTn wasn’t impressed.

He thinks he would choose 30 other items over that one.

I think that would be a waste of money. Just get the cookie and you’ll be happy, Dave.

You try the cookie, I’ll try the fried chicken at the Prime Time Cafe, and we’ll compare at a later date.

The reason we were in Germany was because we were waiting for the girls to meet Snow White (cue Dave commenting on this one also...)

Ok...couple of comments here (are you surprised?)

First off...having visited that caramel shop since I made that comment...I would revise it to say there are probably 10 things in there I would try before that cookie. However, with your personal recommendation, I would have to move the cookie even further up the list. If I get back to Disney before they discontinue it, i'll have to give it a try. I do need the Sea Salt Caramel also, though. That thing is incredible.

And as far as Ms White goes....I would be angry at you for posting those pics, but your girls are so stinkin cute that I didn't even pay attention to her. So there. Although now that I've gone back and taken another look at the pictures...am I the only one that thinks that particular Snow looks kinda like Karen Carpenter?

[CKCK 45]

Apologies about bringing the girls growing up to the forefront.

Sorry the trip is almost over. June will not get here soon enough.

It's okay...I can't stop them from growing up. At least I haven't figured out a way yet.

Yeah, we were going to try in March, but it just isn't going to happen. Bummer.

Sad we're coming to the end. IMHO, CKCK doesn't post enough words! I enjoy your humor and wise cracks.

Are you telling me that was a whole order of antipasto?!?! Shame on them!

I do like their pizza though.

Looking forward to your venting!

I will be sure to post more words. They may make no sense, but there will be words.

Here's one:

Junglepants

Wow the antipasto was anti climatic... Pizza looked good, and photos of the princesses with a common cast member (Snow) are priceless... You should have Disney pay you for having those two princesses in the parks. Sorry this is coming to an end, but you've been really great so far.

I am officially anti anti pasto.

Thanks for reading!

Yes it is and you got to see it first hand

So you liked the new paint scheme?

Don't know why, but I've heard that before.

I've said it before, that's a term of endearment.

Lets keep that route a secret between you and me.

I prefer the terms seasoned or vintage.

Now that's something I don't hear a lot.... or ever.

So it does sound like you were on my bus.

Well, this is awkward.

Had I known you would be reading this, I would have tempered my comments a little...

Ok...couple of comments here (are you surprised?)

First off...having visited that caramel shop since I made that comment...I would revise it to say there are probably 10 things in there I would try before that cookie. However, with your personal recommendation, I would have to move the cookie even further up the list. If I get back to Disney before they discontinue it, i'll have to give it a try. I do need the Sea Salt Caramel also, though. That thing is incredible.

And as far as Ms White goes....I would be angry at you for posting those pics, but your girls are so stinkin cute that I didn't even pay attention to her. So there. Although now that I've gone back and taken another look at the pictures...am I the only one that thinks that particular Snow looks kinda like Karen Carpenter?

1. No.

2. I have not tried the sea salt caramel. Will have to try that. My friend got the brownie caramel thing. He was unimpressed. He almost got the sea salt. Wish he would have now!

3. Karen Carpenter? This is going to sound awful, and I really don't mean it to be mean or insensitive at all, but...I don't think she was skinny enough to be her. Maybe in her more healthy days, but the only images of her I can pull up in my head are those of her really skinny.