Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo..Karla

Cool! I like the pics of SWW.

Thanks for reading along! We had lots of fun and it wasn't real crowded during the daytime.

Those characters don't hold a candle to Aiden!

That pose with Anakin looks slightly familiar.

Don't think you're a little prejudice when it comes to your prince, do you? :heartsmiley:

Yes, he practiced that Anakin pose many times and then tried it with his new lightsaber too!

Cool pics of Aiden with the SW characters....he must have been loving that!

Thanks for traveling with us! Aiden loves watching the Star Wars movies. I think the Ewok was his favorite and of course, he does love his princesses!

So were those people in costumes fans? Those are some nice costumes.

We seem to get the ice planet Hoth(?) a lot on Star Tours too. I personally don't like it- to me it is too close to what happens on Mission Space and on the Sea World Wild Arctic simulator.

TCD

Here's their website http://www.rebellegion.com/index.php

It says: "The Rebel Legion is an international Star Wars costuming organization created by, of and for people interested in creating costumes from the Star Wars mythos. Research, create, build and improve your costumes in a place where costumers with similar passions share skills, tips and ideas."

It goes on to say: "Lucasfilm recognizes the Legion as the premier Rebel costuming group, and we have worked with Lucasfilm officials on several occasions."

Once we got to go through the Ewok village and the trees. That was a fun ride!

Here's a repeat of the pictures I posted on my TR of the guys doing electrical work at the front of the 800 loop last Wednesday.

At that time sites 801 to 813 were empty and most of the rest were occupied.

We’ve been on the road returning Aiden to his parents so this TR got slightly off track and slowed down a bit.

We spent Sunday at Hollywood Studios during aStar Wars weekend.

We arrived just before the motorcade started up Hollywood Boulevard. It was wall to wall people and there wasn't any possibility of seeing over, under or around the bodies stacked along the route. So figuring everybody would be occupied with the motorcade that they wouldn't be on Star Tours, we ducked into the shops and headed on up.

Along the way we stumbled into another parade of sorts.

Their banner proclaimed they were the Rebel Legion International Star Wars Costuming Organization.

Then it was off to Star Tours. We went to the ice planet again.

Seems like we get the same story every other time we go. But it's always fun.

We spent some time and $$$$ at Darth's Mall.

You can find just about anything Disney related to Star Wars here.

Check out these little Disney SW figures (the background droids I think are the ones you can make at the Star Tours Droid Factory)

Looks like they will be available soon

There's even something for the smallest Star Wars fans

This is some more of the fantastic artwork that was available for sale

And, of course, Aiden got his picture with many of the Star Wars characters

Princess Leia

Luke Skywalker

Chewbacca and an Ewok

Anakin Skywalker

Queen Amidala - Padme

Next time we hope to be able to stay for more of the evening activities like Hyperspace Hoopla.

I still have many more pictures so stay with us and we will continue to have more updates.

Fresh Cab doesn't bother our dogs....then again, it didn't keep the mouse away the other week either!!!

For private campground you could try Big Oak RV (Tallahassee) and there is also a KOA in that area.

In Lake City there is Oaks 'N Pines RV Park.

If you prefer state parks there's Suwanee River State Park (Live Oak) and Stephen Foster State Park (White Springs).

Oh, and WELCOME!!

Well.....I was wrong... :484grumpy11:

Looking back in my earlier pictures from when Disney was doing the RFID Xpass testing, I found a picture from Haunted Mansion actually showing the blue pole.

Never noticed it before.

I also looked back at earlier pictures from Peter Pan and Buzz Lightyear where they also did Xpass testing but couldn't find any with blue poles, just a CM holding an Ipad.

So maybe this RFID reader was only tested at Haunted Mansion??

Oh, and the FastPass Entrance sign is now gone from the Haunted Mansion's gate.

There's more work going on up front...it's a mess!

These guys are breaking up the concrete around the edges of the drainage tube that runs under the sidewalk at the entrance to the registration area. It looks like they are trying to save the decorative stone imbedded in the concrete.

Here's concrete/asphalt being broken up (right next to the area where they put in the new walkway).

It really does look like they might be improving the drainage system

Somebody will have to follow up on this mystery and see what's happening.

This morning we found electrical work being done at the front of the 800 loop...there were still a couple sites occupied in the back of the loop.

Electrical lines marked out

Workmen digging trenches in 95 degree heat and 90% humidity....

:thumbsup1: de Nada!

You can hook your wireless router to the kit that you get from the Outpost (IF they have one available...quantities are limited)

Wireless is NOT turned off at night at any of the connection places (Crocketts, Meadows) nor on the wired connection.

The only thing is at least once a day you will get a screen that requires you to accept (re-accept) Disney's terms and conditions for using their connection. Once you click accept it drops you to the Disney Fort Wilderness page and you have to reconnect to where ever it hijacked you from. The connection speed is not all that great...3G speed...about 1 mbs.

And here's what's under the green cover....

Yup, it's an RFID reader according to the CM...but he didn't have any idea of when they would be starting to use them.

Here's a couple of new things going on up by the Outpost.

They are breaking up the pavement.

Maybe they really are installing a better drainage system???

Well...I admit I'm old and my eyesight ain't what it used to be....but we searched for those to take some pictures and didn't find them...maybe they were just piled under all the darn ECVs???

We looked for these today and they were not to be found.

The area was filled with ECVs and the line for HM was a 45 minute wait!

No problem! I even brought a real camera this time. I have quite a trip report in the works and I'm only on day 4.

You should have come over and visited....but then, YensidCamper....Eric and his wife just stopped by and it's taken us quite a few days to catch up with each other.. :)

And poor Lou....I've missed him every time he's come over to visit.... :-[

Look what we found newly installed at the Haunted Mansion...

Do you think what's under here might be for the new XPass system?

What do you think?

Going back today and will try to see if we can discover more about these mysterious green covered poles.

There's something happening at the Fort...it's turning ORANGE!

Just look at these cones and barrels all over the Outpost area.

We drove up to the Outpost area yesterday. Instead of being able to turn left at the stop sign by the golf cart parking area, you now proceed straight ahead and go the wrong way through check in lane #1. You can then continue on to exit the Fort, or, if you want to get back in, make the left turn towards the overflow lot just before you get to the guard shack.

Here's more pictures...sorry it was raining and they're not too good...but you will be able to get the idea of the changes.

Approaching the stop sign

Proceeding straight through the outpost gate #1 instead of turning left

This is what you see if you look to the left at the stop sign. Notice the men in the green vests working on something?

View of the "new" exit from the golf cart parking area.

Looking backwards after you go through the gate

Going down the road toward the overflow lot...after you turn left just before the guard shack

Notice the concrete truck to the right in this picture

On the left is the parking area to go inside the registration area. Turn right and you go to the overflow area. Continue straight ahead to the stop sign by the buses loading area.

At the stop sign by the bus loading area. Turn left to go into the outpost parking area. Go right to get to the overflow area or continue out the back gate. Directly in front of you would be the waiting area for buses. You can see the workmen in green vests on the right side of this picture behind the concrete barriers.

Here's what the workmen were doing.

Putting in a concrete sidewalk

But why all the traffic rerouting, orange barrels and concrete barriers to keep people out of part of the outpost parking area??

We were told that they are putting in a new drainage system. So this appears to be a semi-permanent situation and more work will be happening.

We will check today to see if anything has changed.

Unfortunately, we leave tomorrow and will not be able to follow up on further work.

You can purchase the dining plan, but Disney never offers the free dining plan for the fort.

You can get the free dining plan deal if you are staying in the cabins on a package deal....or...like Rita says..if you're an annual passholder you can purchase the dining plan separately.

We're in!! The little guy is missing you (and Mason too) already!!

:thumbsup1:

You take the shortest cable in the box (looks like its the one in the upper left of TCDs picture) and connect it to the cable connection at the hook up box outside. Then you take the cable with the splitter on it (the one in the middle of the picture) and plug the short cable (where it's marked "in") into the splitter. The other output on the splitter is for your cable TV (you need to have your own cable for that). The cable with the splitter on it is what runs into your RV (through your window or whatever) and this cable plugs into the Disney cable modem box (the blue box that says Linksys on it). Then you plug the power cord for the Linksys Cable modem. Then (assuming you are NOT using a wireless access point) you take the cable with the USB connections on each end and plug one end into your computer and one end into the cable modem (each end is a different shape connection so you won't mix them up). At this point (assuming your computer is turned on) you just open your internet browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, etc) and you should get a screen asking you to accept Disney's terms and conditions. Click "accept" and it will bring up the Disney Fort Wilderness page.

Hope that helps! But once you get the box and look at the diagram it is pretty simple. Just remember to bring your own cable TV line. Oh, and if you do not have a USB port on your computer you will need to bring your own LAN cable.

Here's a copy of the directions and diagram that comes in the box. Disregard the $9.95 charge...it's now FREE, but you do need to leave a deposit - I think it's $100 - or have a just have a credit card for room charges on file with Disney.

I have to tell my nice twin to knock it off. He's giving me a good name.

BTW, I'm assuming that hubby gave you my phone numbers. Time's running short, isn't it?

Eh...still undecided...and we'll be back for Halloween....not worried...I know you won't be running away anytime soon! :D

Besides, I always have chocolate around :drool1: (and I know how to make a pretty good apple pie)

And as usual, an advisory has been issued that parking is restricted to guests staying there or those with a dining or recreation reservation from the 25th through the 28th.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the Disney Popo is standing watch at the gates to keep those nasty, pool pavilion overtaking crowds out of the Fort :rofl3:

And Lou...you don't read TRs....must be your "nice" twin doing the post...you know, the one that brings little boys toy busses! :laugh:

Thanks for the update Karla. Looks like central Florida needs rain pretty bad. I know I have been at WDW this time of year several years ago and they had all the water elements at the parks turned off due to drought. Is that going on now?

Can't say as we've seen anything like fountains or such turned off yet.

Maybe they are doing more conservation behind the scenes?

For those of you needing a quick Fort fix....

They put this sign up in expectation of the large incoming crowd for Memorial weekend.

Has anybody tried the online check in? Did it make things faster for you?

We have tried it a few times and it didn't really seem to make anything faster.

And here's the start of incoming weekend campers...

It's been very hot and humid and some campers have been very inventive with their cooling methods

A little closer. Looks like dryer venting hose works very well.

And another

A little closer (notice the turkey roaster pan underneath?)

Down by the carriage rides there is a new bench waiting to be painted

And here's a bike rack up by the Hoop-Dee-Do picture taking area.

The boxes have been recently painted

And look, there are now more tables across from the take-out area.

We found this cute little trailer in the 2000 loop.

The storage box on the front is almost bigger than the trailer!

Time for a play break.

Here's the Segway tour set up area

And here's the newest batch of Segway kamikaze drivers

Somebody did a few modifications to their golf cart

Here's another interesting golf cart

I think these are a recent addition across from Pioneer Hall.

Time for a little more outdoor activities

Another couple of interesting finds around the Fort

The camping version of the doghouse.

You can invite the cat (err...I guess that a fox) to come a sit a spell for a cold one while you're chilling in the doghouse

And here's some of my favorite places at the Fort

Time to leave for Animal Kingdom...more later.

wow, does the canal by the four seasons cranes look that low also?

It's low, but not as bad as the others.

Here's a pictures of a tree that fell down and you can kind of see how low the water has gotten in that canal.

The pump at the end of the canal (behind the 300 loop) has been running daily moving water into the lake.