CJHokie

Bob, I will take more info on your route, like where you get onto those certain roads you mentioned. I couldn't really find all the roads when I was checking Google maps.

 

Google maps did give me an alternate way that I will try to check out before taking a MH on it.  It involves I-77 to Columbia, I-20 to I-520 to Augusta, US-1 to GA-88 to GA-68 to GA-112 to US-129Alt/US-341to GA-257 to I-75 to GA-300 to GA-234 to US-19 to GA-91 finally to I-10.  Ok, that sounds like a LOT of roads and turns, but it looks pretty straight, like the roads may have multiple names/numbers.  I think it may be too many small towns with red lights though. And I need to get my atlas off the MH to check what kinds of roads those are as Google maps isn't as descriptive there.

 

Also, I will check my RV GPS and see what it says, though we have to take it all with a grain of salt now after 3 issues on our cross country trip.

When we go they will be , DS11, DD9.     For them play ground would only be if they couldn't find anything else to do.   How is 500 loop?  

We just stayed in 500. We were in the back of the loop, which backs up to the main road.  We went out the back of our site to the sidewalk.  We mostly rode bikes but found it was an easy walk to the pool or the beach/lake.

I'm horrible at these, but I'm just going to guess in Spaceship Earth.

We have only been to Camp Gulf, which is in that area and we really liked (going back in Mar for spring break).  I know there are a few in Navarre, but I don't know about them.

 

Camp Gulf was like FW prices though.

 

I think there are 3 state parks (isn't topsail one?), but I think they book up way out, esp. this time of year.

I guess the 28th was Fiend night. We were at the first show. Lol

There's a song about that. I think it says something about being a small world after all.

Those Sea Raycers look like so much fun!

I know, I wanted to do it but didn't!

Forgot to mention we let the boys do the Sea Raycers not once, but twice. 

 

First time was before our friends got there. I was going to make them share, but the youngest insisted on his own boat. I was really kinda worried as those boats are so small out there with everything else.  A younger guy working the dock invited me down to take pics.  

 

 

Then the older guy gave them the safety spiel, loaded them into the boats and sent them on their way.  Then he & I talked for a few minutes.  He was very nice and assured me they would be fine.

 

Next time they went with our friends' kids in 4 separate boats.  This time there were 2 young women working the dock and they said we could come down and take pics, but only if we put on life jackets.  We declined.  I guess that is protocol, but it apparently didn't bother the guys at all as they didn't even mention a life jacket. None of the 4 CM mentioned above were wearing them, and my friend & I are fairly confident we can walk on a dock over 2 ft. of water without a life jacket on.  I am not complaining as it really was no big deal, just another instance of rules (no matter how ridiculous) being enforced one time and not another.

 

But a great time was had by all.  

Being the cheapo that I am I have only seen the HDDMR from Category 3 and I can testify that the chairs face away from the stage, BUT they swivel completely around to see.  So no you can't see while facing your plate but when you turn around you have a great view.  And as you can see in the picture i don't remember people seated on the opposite side of the table, it was definitely like that for us back in 2011 when CP and I were both on the same side by the railing.

 

We actually really liked the balcony seating and would do it again.

 

I remember those tables have been like that since 2007-2008 but I'm sure it goes back even further.

 

WBI

I did notice the seats upstairs swiveled and wondered why the one I was sitting in facing the rear of the restaurant did not.

We went last Monday (the 28th) to the 8:30 show (Late shows get the TiW discount!).

 

Arrived at 8:10 for the seating and waited outside with everyone else in the warm weather.

 

 

 

We must have been seated at the same table that CJHokie was, in the center.

 

 

 

Same night as us! We were 6:15. Probably passed you on the way out.

Well, we went just last week.  Group of 8, only 1 of whom had ever been before.

 

We were seated at a round table in the center. I had my back to the stage and had to turn around the whole time. There was a duet about 3 inches from my face at one point. Boy, was the guy sweaty.  As someone into sewing, I spent most of that close-up time checking out how the girl's dress was made.

 

I have Celiac so had to request gluten free.  This means I did not get to enjoy the regular cornbread, fried chicken, or strawberry shortcake, but I heard they were all excellent.  There was some GF cornbread waiting when we sat down (along with the regular).  It didn't look great but it tasted okay.  Theoretically cornbread shouldn't be too hard to make GF and still be tasty.  

 

The chef came out and met me, told me what I could have. He said he'd bring some baked chicken out.  It was really good, but I'm sure the fried chicken was better.  He also said he'd make me a fruit plate for dessert.  Darnit, when I ate at Ohana a couple of years ago, the chef made me a chocolate lava cake and all my friends were jealous.

 

The ribs were a little dry.  I think everyone agreed they weren't great.  Mashed potatoes were excellent, and I even had two helpings of corn.

 

Oh, the sangria is not GF, so when I asked about cider, the waiter said he'd check if they had any. He came out with an Angry Orchard and offered me another when I finished that one, but I was incredibly stuffed at that point and wasn't sure I'd be able to ride my bike back. 

 

Everyone (4 adults, 4 kids aged 13-16) enjoyed the show. Some of them really got into the spoon on the washboard bit at the end.  I meant to ask the kids if any of them had any idea what the washboard was.

 

Oh, and the fruit plate had 2 sugar cookies on it as well as strawberries, watermelon, & blackberries. Had to double check with the waiter since the chef didn't mention the cookies.  

 

Not sure I would go back as it really expensive and I can't enjoy all the food and alcohol, but I'm glad to have gone once.

I think we are going to try out the 65 route and I have emailed the Texas T campground to see about reservations. I think my wife would really like to avoid Atlanta because of the traffic and the motorhome being fairly new for us.

We took our MH through ATL last year on our way to Destin. We have a friend who lives in ATL so I was texting him to see if we should get on whatever the beltway is or stay straight through. He said it really varies, sometimes one way is less traffic and sometimes it's the other way. We ended up going straight through. My husband actually bumped side mirrors with a tractor trailer at about 3mph. The guy looked mad and then just rolled his window down and readjusted his. We, OTOH, could not do that as it was the passenger side, so he basically had to stay in that lane until we could get to a truck stop and fix it, and I had to try to direct him with not great visibility on my side.

On the return trip, we drove across the FL panhandle to Jax, stayed a night there, and then up 95 (the horror) to avoid ATL. We are going back to Destin this spring break with 3 other families. Not sure yet which route we will take.

Yeah, someone should really tell me to shut up once in a while.  LOL

No way

Just a note on renting bikes at the Fort.  It's not a cheap option if you want the bike for the length of your stay.

 

Here's a photo of the prices from the Bike Barn (this is from 2014, and prices may have gone up) :

 

So, if you want to use the bike for more than one hour, it will cost you $18.  But, that daily rate ends when the Bike Barn closes for the day, and the bike must be returned each day- there are no overnight rentals.  Not cheap or practical.

 

I'm sure you can find a cheap used bike for less than $50.  That's the way to go.

 

TCD

Yes, that is ridiculous, esp. the no overnights.

I just wanted to confirm that FP+ wait times seem to be shorter during busy times than in slower times.

 

We visited WDW several times for day trips over the Christmas holiday just passed, and found the wait times for FP+ to be very short.  The reason is that they need to keep the FP+ return lines moving, and they do.  For example, at Pirates of the Caribbean, they dedicate one side of the queue to FP+ guests, and don't let standby guests in the queue at all.  During slower times, I've seen them direct standby guests into the FP+ queue at the merge point, which then has the queue full from that part back when FP+ guests show up.  Same thing at Space Mountain, Mine Train, etc.  During busy times, they don't take guests from the standby queue when there is a steady stream of FP+ guests coming in.  This is one of the reason standby times are so much worse at busy times now.

 

TCD

Hmm, that is very interesting. 

Good point.

 

The old rule was that there was an extra charge for more than two adults- no extra charge for up to 8 children.  I thought that was fine, and things would be a lot better if they just enforced the old rule.  It would stink for me, as my kids are all adults now, but I'd be willing to pay the extra charge if it was uniformly enforced, as I believe that one step would cut down on the site overcrowding that we see today.

 

TCD

My kids are teenagers and we have had to pay for them at several campgrounds. But even though the original listmaker said it wasn't a limit, it sounded like a limit.

Wow! I think you hit just about everything! Great post.

 

The only thing I would add (more of an "I'd like to see") is for Disney to change their reservation system to be more like Reserve America where you can reserve a specific site. 

That was the only thing I was thinking of, and it wasn't even on that list. 

 

I read someone's (Carol?) later post about that not working and I see her point, but it seems to work fine at other campgrounds. Yes, I know FW is much bigger than most, but I just don't like their current system, especially if you are camping with other families.

Not a limit, but just like a hotel room or most campgrounds, charge a fee for extra people up to the current limit of 10.  I think that would push the "lets cram as many people and tents and cars onto one site as we can get away with" crowd back into the value resort rooms or off property.  The big problem groups usually come to the Fort not because they want to camp but because it's the cheapest way to get a lot of people onto Disney property w/ all the bennies that go with it.  Same with the Phantom sites that actual camping families could otherwise use.

 

I agree that if they don't ban carts altogether then the cart enforcement needs to be stepped up a LOT. Problem is that Disney can't or won't enforce their own rules fairly and consistently which is why it's out of control now...

Some people (not me) actually have more than 2 kids, so they're not "cramming as many people" in.  Disney is set up for 4 people families. Yes, I know they have suites, but that isn't very economical for some families.  So, the campground is actually more affordable for those if they have a camper or tent. So, I don't really agree with your limit (or non-limit) of 4 per site.  Most campgrounds have at least 6 or 8.  

Right?!  We're up over 2200 members and I'm betting we hit 500k posts by spring.

 

If the smileys were working I'd throw a little smiley party.  LOL!

Better get busy!  Looks like you're the heaviest hitter with the posting.  (Not the smiley I wanted, but I guess it'll do.)

That's another thing from this past trip (I feel like a complainer   ).  In the past I would get a "love letter" from the Fort Ranger telling me I had a tire on some portion of the grass.  This trip, there were trucks and cars parked EVERYWHERE, most of them with all 4 tires on the grass.  I didn't see one note from a ranger.

I was going to mention that too. I saw cars, golf carts everywhere not on pavement. There was one site with 4 tents on it and 3 cars all entirely in the grass (well, really dirt & pine needles).

Thanks this helps a lot.    Going to try to get to parks for rope drop and head to some rides so our FP's will go further.  

Yeah, that's what our group did. Our family never made rope drop but still got there early enough to ride quite a bit standby and then ride again later with FP. It definitely pays to get there early!

So on busy days like today, Disney  App says  Splash Mountain 75min wait and Space Mountain 140min wait.   What would a FP wait be, 1 hour or so? 

No, I would think 20 min would be on the high end. More like 10 or 15.  Unless there is a shutdown for a while.  Or if a bunch of FP people showed up the same time.

 

We were there last week and my husband and son used the Space Mt. FP when it standby was very long (like the range you mentioned), and they only waited 10 min.

 

Test Track is usually a little longer because you have like 3 staging areas you have to go through.

Kinda just depends. I think the FP lines blend in with the standby lines at various places in the ride lines. Some rides we didn't wait at all, others we waited once we blended lines, and sometimes there was a short wait to get into the FP line because you have to scan your Magic Band at the front of that line. Also depends on how many FP people show up the same time as you.

 

Once we waited for like 45 min for Tower of Terror on a FP because the ride broke down after we got in the blended line.

I can attest to the barricades in the pedestrian path being a pain for bike trailers, and I find the bikes on the ped path counter intuitive. In the world outside of Disney, bikes are supposed to ride on the road with other traffic, not on sidewalks. I tend to follow that rule unless safety dictates otherwise. I agree ped paths are probably good for smaller kids on bikes though and perhaps that is what they intended.

I guess. 

 

Oh, one night after the fireworks, my husband was following a cart on the cart path and I was coming up behind on the ped path. The traffic director directed them both to turn left, so I dropped right in behind from the other path, which is like 1-2 ft. away at that point. Literally directly behind them. In any normal world that makes complete sense and is totally safe, but the traffic guy chastised me with, "now, you have to wait for me to tell you to go - we don't know which way they were going." I am not sure which "they" he was referring to, but I'm pretty sure it was the ones he had just directed to go left and not the ones on the left that he hadn't given any directions to yet.  I yelled back as I was riding away, "thanks, but I could tell exactly where they were going."

Yeah, that article just made me appreciate being able to come back to my own camper for eating and drinking. We did not spend nearly that much.

I heard all the food displays, like the gingerbread house smell amazing.

Well, I did smell the gingerbread house, but I have a cold, so I didn't smell any of the others.

 

Oh, and the chocolate scene at the WL was behind glass.