Must Dos at the Fort for an 8 and 2-year-old

[Tall Lady 2]

We are celebrating my daughter's 8th birthday from 12/12-23 this year. It will be our first time at the Fort and my daughter's second trip to Disney. She went when she was 5. We are also bringing our 2-year-old son. So there are four of us, hubby included.

 

So far we have 5 days planned in the park; we might bump that to 6. What's $30 more?

 

Anyway, we are going to Mickey's BBQ on the 13th and eating at Trails End the night we arrive. I see there are lots of options to choose from at the Fort. What do you guys recommend as MUSTS?

Thanks. We are SO excited!!!! 

Jaime

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

Oh my gosh!  There is the nightly fireworks from the beach, and the Electrical Water Pageant. For the 2 yo, take him on a pony ride. There is the nightly movie/campfire/singalong with Chip and Dale.

 

Spend some time by one of the waterways with a fishing pole.

 

Just wander around looking at all the decorations the campers put up.

 

Enjoy the quiet mornings and peace of the campground :)

 

Oh, and WELCOME TO FORT FIENDS!!!

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

Welcome!  I second the campfire sing-a-long/movie, fireworks and water parade, and pony ride for the little one.  If the weather is warm enough for the pool (and it should be) the kids play area at the Meadow swimmin' hole is fun for both kids and they have a really shallow square pool as well as the regular one.  There are a few playgrounds around where my boys love letting off steam.  Even if you don't do the pony rides be sure and check out the stables at Tri-Circle-D.  Depending on the construction there right now, you can usually see the beautiful horses in their stalls. 

[Tall Lady 2]

Fantastic! I saw all these items and had them on my list. Is the Electrical Water Pageant every night as well? Do you take camping chairs out to the beach? Sorry for my ignorance.

 

And thank you for the welcome!!! We can't wait to be regulars. We LOVE to camp! Add Disney to the mix and I think we're in Heaven! :)

[Tall Lady 2]

Oh sorry, one more thing...when does the December calendar of information (movies, extra events, etc) get posted?

[DaveInTN 3,247]

Agree with Janet....Definitely check out the pony rides.  The best $5 (unless it's gone up) you can spend at Disney.  I'm guessing your 8 year old is too big, but will work for the little one. 

 

You can bring chairs or a blanket to the beach.  There are lounge chairs if you get there early enough to snag some. 

 

One of my other favorite things that time of year is resort hopping to check out the decorations in the various lobbies.  in particular, we like checking out the lobbies of the monorail resorts. 

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Fantastic! I saw all these items and had them on my list. Is the Electrical Water Pageant every night as well? Do you take camping chairs out to the beach? Sorry for my ignorance.

 

And thank you for the welcome!!! We can't wait to be regulars. We LOVE to camp! Add Disney to the mix and I think we're in Heaven! :)

 

Yes, EWP comes by the Fort beach every night at 9:45.  Fireworks times vary-so you'll need to check for the dates you're going. 

 

Oh sorry, one more thing...when does the December calendar of information (movies, extra events, etc) get posted?

 

Usually right around the 1st of the month.  You'll find it here before you will see it anywhere else.  Other sites swipe the information posted here.

 

Some other activities for you to consider with your children:

 

Play hop scotch on the court painted behind the Meadow Trading Post (extra credit if you actually know how to play hop scotch).

 

Play a game of checkers in the Meadow or Settlement Trading Post or on the porch of Crockett's Tavern.

 

Visit the TCD Horse Barn- take a few moments to enjoy the display of photos and memorabilia they have there- take a look at the calliope or old Disney wagon on display.  Say hello to some of the beautiful horses-their names are posted.  Early in the morning, you will usually find a CM grooming a horse and preparing him for work at the MK.  The CM's at the barn are awesome- they seem to enjoy explain what they're doing and what a typical day for a WDW horse is like.

 

Near the horse barn, visit the blacksmith shop.  If you're lucky, the Blacksmith might be working that day caring for a horse's hooves.  Fascinating stuff.

 

Play tetherball at one of the tetherball courts..  There are many.

 

Bring a basketball, and shoot a hoop at one of the many basketball hoops around the Fort. 

 

Gather up a bunch of pine cones and make your own Intentional Hidden Mickey on the ground next to your site.

 

Visit every play ground at the Fort.  They all have different equipment to play on.

 

Find evidence of the old Fort Wilderness Railroad.  A good and easy place to start is near the pet walk on the 700 loop.  There are still old railroad ties in the ground there.  If you want an adventure, follow the tracks toward the Settlement, and you'll come out of the woods near the Settlement Bus Stop.

 

Play shuffleboard on the courts behind the Bike Barn.  Fort guests with a KTTW card can borrow the equipment for free from the Bike Barn.  Yes I said free.  If you're really ambitious, they also will loan out volleyballs and basketballs, in case you didn't bring your own.  .

 

Take a bus or boat to the Lodge, and visit the railroad room in the lobby of the WL villas.   There are checkerboards there too.  Go in the Lodge and take a look at all the stuff they have on display.  Check out the spring that is bubbling up right there in the lobby.  Follow the water outside and check out their pool and the geyser near Bay Lake.

 

I suggest that you plan on renting a golf cart for at least one night that you're there and take the family looping around the Fort to see all of the Christmas decorations at the campsites.  You'll be amazed.

 

TCD

[Tall Lady 2]

Yes, EWP comes by the Fort beach every night at 9:45.  Fireworks times vary-so you'll need to check for the dates you're going. 

 

 

Usually right around the 1st of the month.  You'll find it here before you will see it anywhere else.  Other sites swipe the information posted here.

 

Some other activities for you to consider with your children:

 

Play hop scotch on the court painted behind the Meadow Trading Post (extra credit if you actually know how to play hop scotch).

 

Play a game of checkers in the Meadow or Settlement Trading Post or on the porch of Crockett's Tavern.

 

Visit the TCD Horse Barn- take a few moments to enjoy the display of photos and memorabilia they have there- take a look at the calliope or old Disney wagon on display.  Say hello to some of the beautiful horses-their names are posted.  Early in the morning, you will usually find a CM grooming a horse and preparing him for work at the MK.  The CM's at the barn are awesome- they seem to enjoy explain what they're doing and what a typical day for a WDW horse is like.

 

Near the horse barn, visit the blacksmith shop.  If you're lucky, the Blacksmith might be working that day caring for a horse's hooves.  Fascinating stuff.

 

Play tetherball at one of the tetherball courts..  There are many.

 

Bring a basketball, and shoot a hoop at one of the many basketball hoops around the Fort. 

 

Gather up a bunch of pine cones and make your own Intentional Hidden Mickey on the ground next to your site.

 

Visit every play ground at the Fort.  They all have different equipment to play on.

 

Find evidence of the old Fort Wilderness Railroad.  A good and easy place to start is near the pet walk on the 700 loop.  There are still old railroad ties in the ground there.  If you want an adventure, follow the tracks toward the Settlement, and you'll come out of the woods near the Settlement Bus Stop.

 

Play shuffleboard on the courts behind the Bike Barn.  Fort guests with a KTTW card can borrow the equipment for free from the Bike Barn.  Yes I said free.  If you're really ambitious, they also will loan out volleyballs and basketballs, in case you didn't bring your own.  .

 

Take a bus or boat to the Lodge, and visit the railroad room in the lobby of the WL villas.   There are checkerboards there too.  Go in the Lodge and take a look at all the stuff they have on display.  Check out the spring that is bubbling up right there in the lobby.  Follow the water outside and check out their pool and the geyser near Bay Lake.

 

I suggest that you plan on renting a golf cart for at least one night that you're there and take the family looping around the Fort to see all of the Christmas decorations at the campsites.  You'll be amazed.

 

TCD

Wow, thank you for ALL the details! I can't wait to check it out. This will go down in my itineraries. How exciting!

[Tall Lady 2]

Agree with Janet....Definitely check out the pony rides.  The best $5 (unless it's gone up) you can spend at Disney.  I'm guessing your 8 year old is too big, but will work for the little one. 

 

You can bring chairs or a blanket to the beach.  There are lounge chairs if you get there early enough to snag some. 

 

One of my other favorite things that time of year is resort hopping to check out the decorations in the various lobbies.  in particular, we like checking out the lobbies of the monorail resorts. 

How long would you say the resort monorail hops take? Trying to plan out the days and really don't want to miss anything. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Glad you are going to the Backyard BBQ! My son LOVES it. We actually did that for his 4th birthday. If you want, you can get a special cake delivered there for your daughter. Check my spring break travel report for pictures. 

 

I bet the kids would also like the wagon ride they do at night. 

[DinDavie 37]

How long does it take to visit all of the hotels on the monorail loop depends on what you do when you get there.  First you have to take a boat ride to the Contemporary Hotel.  I have done this loop aroung the monorail system two ways.  With my wife it is done as a pub crawl.  We have an adult beverage in every lounge on the system.  Allow yourself 3-4 hours depending on how well you can hold your liquor.  With my grandson we did the video game loop.  Played video games in everyone of the hotel video arcades.  Allow yourself 2-4 hours depending on how much money you allow the kids to talk out of your wallet.  

[Tall Lady 2]

How long does it take to visit all of the hotels on the monorail loop depends on what you do when you get there.  First you have to take a boat ride to the Contemporary Hotel.  I have done this loop aroung the monorail system two ways.  With my wife it is done as a pub crawl.  We have an adult beverage in every lounge on the system.  Allow yourself 3-4 hours depending on how well you can hold your liquor.  With my grandson we did the video game loop.  Played video games in everyone of the hotel video arcades.  Allow yourself 2-4 hours depending on how much money you allow the kids to talk out of your wallet.  

Ha! Ha! I LOVE your options. :)

[Tall Lady 2]

Glad you are going to the Backyard BBQ! My son LOVES it. We actually did that for his 4th birthday. If you want, you can get a special cake delivered there for your daughter. Check my spring break travel report for pictures. 

 

I bet the kids would also like the wagon ride they do at night. 

Gosh, I feel so ignorant. Cake---how neat! How do we go about getting the cake? And is it SUPER pricey?

[Travisma 1,317]

If you are taking bikes, bike around the loops. There's also a path that goes over the Wilderness Lodge. Take the wagon ride ! ! ! We did it last year, it was us our 2 granddaughters, and another couple. It was a great time. As others said, pony rides, playgrounds, maybe the canoe. You can rent a pontoon boat out on the lake and see the sights, but my older granddaughter ( just loved bike riding the best.

[Tall Lady 2]

If you are taking bikes, bike around the loops. There's also a path that goes over the Wilderness Lodge. Take the wagon ride ! ! ! We did it last year, it was us our 2 granddaughters, and another couple. It was a great time. As others said, pony rides, playgrounds, maybe the canoe. You can rent a pontoon boat out on the lake and see the sights, but my older granddaughter ( just loved bike riding the best.

Thank you for the suggestions! They all sound very doable! 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Gosh, I feel so ignorant. Cake---how neat! How do we go about getting the cake? And is it SUPER pricey?

 

I thought I answered this earlier, sorry. Yes, the cakes are pricey. But they delivered it and lit it when they sing Happy Birthday to everyone and made a little bit of a bigger deal because we had one. My son is also kind of in love with the singer at the Backyard BBQ... LOL, so he was excited she sang his name. We did the Mickey head cake, but the bakery at the Contemporary will make pretty much anything you want and deliver it. On the same trip, I had a mini replica of our wedding cake made for our 10th anniversary dinner.

 

http://disneytravelbabble.com/how-to/order-cake/

[Tall Lady 2]

I thought I answered this earlier, sorry. Yes, the cakes are pricey. But they delivered it and lit it when they sing Happy Birthday to everyone and made a little bit of a bigger deal because we had one. My son is also kind of in love with the singer at the Backyard BBQ... LOL, so he was excited she sang his name. We did the Mickey head cake, but the bakery at the Contemporary will make pretty much anything you want and deliver it. On the same trip, I had a mini replica of our wedding cake made for our 10th anniversary dinner.

 

http://disneytravelbabble.com/how-to/order-cake/

 

 

Thank you! Anyone ever tried a podium cake? Can I get that at the BBQ? Or at the Biergarten? Or at Be Our Guest? I think 5 servings will be plenty for us. However, I wasn't sure if all restaurants carried those. 

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Since the BBQ isn't a traditional restaurant, I'm not sure they would have one, but my understanding is that the others would. I would call that cake hotline number to confirm. 

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

I honestly would think most of the special order cakes are made in one of their specialty bakery locations and delivered to the restaurant of your choice.  The restaurant themselves do not make them.

[DaveInTN 3,247]

When we were at WDW for one of my daughter's birthdays a few years ago, I special ordered a cake from the Boardwalk Bakery.  I called the bakery hotline a couple days before and ordered it.  I opted for the Mickey cake.  If I remember correctly, it was around $45, but I see in the link they are now $52.  Pricey for what it was, but my daughter loved it.

 

 

 

Now, the podium cakes are something the restaurants typically have on hand if I remember right.  But you can call the individual restaurant to inquire about them.  Like Carol said, they are not baked at the restaurants (at least in most cases) and I think are pretty standard from restaurant to restaurant.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

I honestly would think most of the special order cakes are made in one of their specialty bakery locations and delivered to the restaurant of your choice. The restaurant themselves do not make them.

That is true. I was meaning that the BBQ doesn't have the typical storage most restaurants have for cakes. My understanding is that hall good comes from the HDDR/Trails End kitchen, so getting a podium cake might be harder.

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

Here's Z's cake.

[Retired and Happy (Ken) 101]

TL,  Sounds like you can have a full time at the Fort.  Be sure to keep some unscheduled leisure time to kick back and enjoy the relative quiet of the Fort and to visit other Fiends who will be there.  We will be there during your stay, so look for us.  We have a sign.

[Tall Lady 2]

TL,  Sounds like you can have a full time at the Fort.  Be sure to keep some unscheduled leisure time to kick back and enjoy the relative quiet of the Fort and to visit other Fiends who will be there.  We will be there during your stay, so look for us.  We have a sign.

 

Absolutely. We LOVE the sense of community with camping. And the Disney camping experience seems to UP that factor. Thank you all for the tips!

[Tall Lady 2]

Glad you are going to the Backyard BBQ! My son LOVES it. We actually did that for his 4th birthday. If you want, you can get a special cake delivered there for your daughter. Check my spring break travel report for pictures. 

 

I bet the kids would also like the wagon ride they do at night. 

Kelly, I thought about you as we are planning another trip for September this year. We are celebrating my son's third birthday this time. He will actually turn 3 on September 25, while we are there. We plan to celebrate at TRex in DD. However, the day before we plan to celebrate with lunch at the Tusker House as well. We failed to do the cake for my daughter last year. BUT since it's his birthday and he adores Mickey, I REALLY want to do the Mickey cake for him. Can I get that done at TRex? Or I should I just plan for the Tusker House, as I hear their desserts aren't the best...maybe just the bread pudding???