Where are the August 2018 Folks? August TR thread.

[snowmedic]

Last full day here at the Fort. Mad breakfast this morning then took a load of gear over to the storage unit. Came back and went to the pool, then a nice boat ride around to the other resorts. Refilled our mugs with sweet tea from TE and made our way back to camp. Rested up a bit then went off property for some Chinese food in the little shopping area on the right, almost across from where you pick up the golf cart from Kenny. All I can say is , but I don’t care for Chinese anyway, I only go for the American food. After since we where close we drove over to the Springs. Did some walking around and bought a Mia tia for me, DW had a flyin Hawaiian smoothie from Joffrey’s then we made our we over to B-A-D at T-Rex and got Savannah a stuffed sloth. Back at camp getting as much as we can packed down so tomorrow will be a little easier.

Tomorrow will be taking down the rest of camp, then heading to TE for 9:20 breakfast ressie then getting on the road to much cooler weather.

 

[peg110]

We also had a fairly full day yesterday. Nothing in the early AM so we were able to sleep in a bit. That's good since we didn't get to bed until almost 1 AM. Once we e got up, I got some breakfast in the camper and had to run to Walmart. Never needed one of those sewer ramps (Sidewinder?), but we were having some issues so it was time. Got back and talked with our neighbor for about 30 minutes gr es then I had to get cleaned up a bit.

Made some lunch in the camper and got ready for DAK. Did a few other cleanup/ maintenance in the camper and then we drove there and I was pleasantly surprised when they told me to straddle 2 spots with the F250. Had 410 ADRs at rainforest but since we were early we did some picture taking and shop browsing. DW also found a stuffed sloth that she liked


Girls were a bit freaked out since DW was treating "Flash" like one of the family all through the park. Even have family photos with him.

DD13 and I did the Avatar Flight of passage with our Fast Passes. DD20 and DW didn't want to ride, so after we got off, we looped back around, got their magic bands and did it again.

Also had the safari FP. Since it was early evening, the animals were beginning to mo b.ce around again. The lioness was also getting vocal



Winding down to the River of Lights show.
It was very nice but the kids like fantasmic better


As we left that, Expedition Everest had only a 15 minute Standby, so me and both DDs made our way. When we got to the front, we lucked out and DD20 and DD13 for in the very front seat and I was right behind. We all like that ride, but it's a whole new experience at night.

Working out way out now, a few shops and then a race to get to the truck. Not only was the River of Lights a nice light show, mother nature was doing a good job as well. Made it to the truck and within 5 minutes the rain started.

Last picture of the post.

 

[4077]

I can't say that I blame her.

We all here now....I just had cup of Beverly....and I LIKED it! More more more!

 

[peg110]

We all here now....I just had cup of Beverly....and I LIKED it! More more more!

I read your post to my DW. She said to say it tastes like turpentine and wasn't amused that it took my 5 minutes to stop laughing when she tried it.

 

[Boomer1]

We will be down from the 14 - 25, hopefully in 1600 again. It will be another birthday trip for Savannah, she will be 12.

Sounds like several Disers will be there in January. DH and I will be there from Jan. 4 - Feb. 16/2019. Seems like a long way off, but at my age time flies! Looking to stay in 1700 loop again.

 

[snowmedic]

After leaving the Fort yesterday at 11:00 we have arrived at Denny’s in Albany NY after a 2 hr. nap. After breakfast it will be another 3 hr. drive then we will be home.

 

[bama_ed]

After leaving the Fort yesterday at 11:00 we have arrived at Denny’s in Albany NY after a 2 hr. nap. After breakfast it will be another 3 hr. drive then we will be home.

Arrive alive, snowmedic. Thanks for your posts and pix.

Bama Ed

 

[peg110]

Wait..... after @snowmedic and my sightings of the Crimson Tide EZ-up, thought @bama_ed might be here.... mow I see this?



You holding out on us Ed?

 

[peg110]

Loping around and I saw some interesting things.......



Then I met the same guy Vince.did with the signs.


He did all those signs by hand.

And he also did this artwork too.



Pretty awesome in my book.

 

[himandher818]

After leaving the Fort yesterday at 11:00 we have arrived at Denny’s in Albany NY after a 2 hr. nap. After breakfast it will be another 3 hr. drive then we will be home.

That's some serious driving. I looks like a great trip, and thanks for sharing.

Loping around and I saw some interesting things.......

Nice photos! most of that was interesting, but some (the star van) there are other words for.
Where about is the Dumbo picture?

 

[peg110]

That's some serious driving. I looks like a great trip, and thanks for sharing.

Nice photos! most of that was interesting, but some (the star van) there are other words for.
Where about is the Dumbo picture?

Van(s) were in 2000 loop.

Chalk art and signs were in the last site of the 1600 loop. They even had security come over because the one sign looks permanent, but it's not. It's on a stand that you cant see because he covered it with the needles and brush. They had to clear the brush so security could take a picture to prove to management. It's still awesome.

 

[peg110]

That's some serious driving. I looks like a great trip, and thanks for sharing.

Nice photos! most of that was interesting, but some (the star van) there are other words for.
Where about is the Dumbo picture?

Van(s) were in 2000 loop.

Chalk art and signs were in the last site of the 1600 loop. They even had security come over because the one sign looks permanent, but it's not. It's on a stand that you cant see because he covered it with the needles and brush. They had to clear the brush so security could take a picture to prove to management. It's still awesome.

 

[snowmedic]

So, we made it home at around 1:30 pm. As I mentioned we left around 11:00 am, when we left we didn’t get on I-4 in Orlando we took the road that goes to Seaworld and Aquatica, hopped on 528 to 417 then hit I-4 in Sanford to 95 north. Didn’t run into slowed or stop and go traffic at all until 5 minutes before we got home. There was some construction in Daytona, Jacksonville and in NJ, nothing to serious.

Now I remember why we don’t go to Florida during the summer months, it was hot and humid. It rained almost every day that we where there, which we knew it would do. The only day it didn’t rain was this past Wednesday. It did rain Thursday night so we had to bring our tent and ez-up home so I could set them up to dry out.

We where talking about our next trip in January and can’t wait to get back down to the Fort. Hope everyone that is there, and everyone who is going to be there in the next couple of months has a wonderful time. We are looking forward to meeting new people and seeing those that we have met in the past in January.

Have a safe trip and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

Vince.

 

[himandher818]

Well we are here now. I think I got lucky with the site. We are in 109. Not only is it just a few sites away from the path to settlement, but it in the corner. So when it cam time to back it in it was almost a straight line. Which brings me back to ...

Arrive at the Fort and eventually get backed into the site- Get your ideal site assignment, early, and back in, perfectly, on 1st try.

Teamubr, you must be psychic. We did arrive a bit early, and were assigned a site in 300 I think. The guy checking us in said he can get us a better site and put in 212. When we get to 200 loop the entrance was blocked with a maintenance truck, so the maintenance supervisor called and got me 109. I like the site. A bit short, but I don't need a big site.

Overall the trip down here went well. Left later then I wanted to on Friday, but I knew that was going to happen. Got down to Eagle's Roost the first night, and did a minimal set up, and headed out the next morning, again a bit later than I wanted, but it again i figured it was going to happen.

The setup from backing in to dinner at Trails end all went resonably well.

Tommorow is MK. first fast pass is 11:30 Hauted Mansion. No rope drops this trip, just take it easy and as Crush says "Go with Flow".

 

[himandher818]

Snowmedic, Glad you made it home, and happy to hear that there are others out there that plan their next trip on the way home from a trip (if not before).

 

[peg110]

@himandher818 glad you made it here okay. Today is our last day here. (Well actually checkout for us is officially tomorrow morning, but we will leave tonight to get a bit of head start on the 1100 miles home).

We do have a day planned at DAK. First thing though (after Coffee) is the Cart return to Kenny. 7 AM return time. That way it doesn't intrude on the rest of the day.

Spent the night at MK last night. First time we actually had an opportunity to watch the show on the castle and see the fireworks.... well sort of.....

Long story short, the CMs are now herding you around like cattle and in the viewing areas (which are "Taped Off") if you are not "Inside the line" you are hurried on your way and they are not even nice about it. The CMs are all waving flashlights saying "This way to the exit" and I didn't want to go to the exit (at that moment anyway). DD20 wanted a Pretzel for the last 4 days..... Trying to get to that Cart was next to impossible, but I did (FINALLY) get to it. She had to do a "Pit Stop" at the Rest room over by the Tommorrowland Desert viewing. So once I got the pretzel (on the left side of the hub as you face the castle, after being told it was on the Right side of the hub, which it was not), trying to get back to my DD20 was near impossible, at least for the faint at heart.... I was determined though.

The CMs were routing us through "Casey's" then I tried to cross through a mass of people across main st... That wasn't happening though..... went back up by the corner at Casey's managed to get across the street and find my DD20.

Now DD13 and DW were at the Store just down from Casey's... Once DD20 and I met up, she ate her pretzel, we tried to meet up with DD13 and DW. Well traffic flow is "One way" and we had to head down by the exit ( the alternate one), down near the main entrance, and back up main st to get to the Wife.

So....... Given that this wasn't really the crowded time.... and I did NOT like dealing with this, I am thinking about re-thinking our Christmas/New Years trip.

 

[proudmomof4]

Well we are here now. I think I got lucky with the site. We are in 109. Not only is it just a few sites away from the path to settlement, but it in the corner. So when it cam time to back it in it was almost a straight line. Which brings me back to ...



Teamubr, you must be psychic. We did arrive a bit early, and were assigned a site in 300 I think. The guy checking us in said he can get us a better site and put in 212. When we get to 200 loop the entrance was blocked with a maintenance truck, so the maintenance supervisor called and got me 109. I like the site. A bit short, but I don't need a big site.

Overall the trip down here went well. Left later then I wanted to on Friday, but I knew that was going to happen. Got down to Eagle's Roost the first night, and did a minimal set up, and headed out the next morning, again a bit later than I wanted, but it again i figured it was going to happen.

The setup from backing in to dinner at Trails end all went resonably well.

Tommorow is MK. first fast pass is 11:30 Hauted Mansion. No rope drops this trip, just take it easy and as Crush says "Go with Flow".

I'm glad you made it there safe and sound. It sounds like backing in and set up was easy peasy, just like it was for us. I find the more I worry about something, I will research the heck out of it so that I am prepared for every possibility, and then all goes smoothly. Fingers crossed that our September trip goes just as well.

Enjoy your time at the Fort and the parks.

 

[Teamubr]

Well we are here now. I think I got lucky with the site. We are in 109.

Teamubr, you must be psychic. The setup from backing in to dinner at Trails end all went resonably well.

Good to hear you made it in successfully. 109 is a great site. 100 Loop is my favorite. Not sure about being psychic, but knowing where you wanted and a little pixie dust go a long way.

Given that this wasn't really the crowded time.... and I did NOT like dealing with this, I am thinking about re-thinking our Christmas/New Years trip.

I have never been down over Christmas/New Years, but I have twice over Spring break. You just have to go into the super busy weeks with a different attitude. Instead of go, go go, see and do as much as possible, we have one thing each day we really want to do and spend the rest of the time checking out the little things you normally ignore or walk past when doing the parks commando. It makes for a very different trip, but makes the crowds much more tolerable.

Last September we went down thinking crowds would be 3-4, but the hurricane changed up everyone's plans and the week we were there (5 days after Irma) were VERY busy (8-9) with all the reschedules. It was a little frustrating the first few days (hub was as bad as you described for HEA) until we settled into our "busy" routine. We had my sister and niece with us on their first WDW trip so we wanted to cram in as much as possible, but they still got to do the major things.

j

 

[4077]

@himandher818

Long story short, the CMs are now herding you around like cattle and in the viewing areas (which are "Taped Off") if you are not "Inside the line" you are hurried on your way and they are not even nice about it. The CMs are all waving flashlights saying "This way to the exit" and I didn't want to go to the exit (at that moment anyway). DD20 wanted a Pretzel for the last 4 days..... Trying to get to that Cart was next to impossible, but I did (FINALLY) get to it. She had to do a "Pit Stop" at the Rest room over by the Tommorrowland Desert viewing. So once I got the pretzel (on the left side of the hub as you face the castle, after being told it was on the Right side of the hub, which it was not), trying to get back to my DD20 was near impossible, at least for the faint at heart.... I was determined though.

The CMs were routing us through "Casey's" then I tried to cross through a mass of people across main st..

My son and I arrived from EPCOT just at end ok MK fireworks...swam upstream and had to cross from right side of road to left side between ice cream and Casey’s in the corners...that was an adventure...saw the people being routed through Casey’s to exit...probably rubbed shoulders with you in there somewhere.... (the cart IS on the right side of you face the main entrance...lol). Safe travels home...

 

[himandher818]

So....... Given that this wasn't really the crowded time.... and I did NOT like dealing with this, I am thinking about re-thinking our Christmas/New Years trip.

We have done Dec 26-Jan 2 time frame a few times, but I think the last time was 2009-2010 year. It is a mad house and you do need to go with a different plan. I would suggest not going to EPCOT for new years eve. It was worse than the times we have done Disney Springs (Downtown Disney at the time). At EPCOT the crowds were terrible. There were 30 minute waits to to the restroom, and that's THE MEN'S RESTROOM. Now that all the kids are out of school and no grand kids yet we now do our December trip in the first part of the month.

Still I would say being a Disney during that time is great, and I think everyone should do it once. But I still think the best place for new years is Sea World. The crowds are reasonable (compared to Disney) and their show was quite good.