cinderella73

Thanks guys. I will make a note of the loops you all mentioned. I will take some video and post it up on here to share with you all if you are interested. Finally got a decent video camera. 

 I was thinking of heading to the Fort tomorrow night and renting a cart just to use for the evening to ride around with the kids and look at all the campers decorations. I know its a bit of a waste just for a couple hours but it would be a lot of fun to us. I plan on bringing Christmas cookies and hot cocoa and warm blankets and just riding around enjoying the stars and hopefully lights. 

 

Anyone there now that can confirm if there are a lot of set ups? I know there are some regulars that come and do big displays but I dont know when they usually come in. Should I wait a little longer to do this? 

That's weird, my wife said she had two kids with her and she was buying them candy and toys. She just assumed they were hers. Maybe nieces and nephews.

Maybe they were Hansel and Gretel? Get it ? Ok lame joke, and if you dont watch the show even lamer. lol But yeah maybe . They just wrapped filming. Maybe she brought extended family down to celebrate.

Stayed in the cabins there several times. The pool near the cabins is nice and quiet. You have everything you need right in your cabin. I found the pull down murphy bed to be the most comfortable. Full size fridge , cookware , utensils, dishwasher , can opener ,and basic needs are all included. They even leave you a small bottle of dish soap and dishwasher powder. They also leave paper towels, toilet paper, paper plates, coffee filters, kitchen towels. We love the 2500 loop. We were literally right next to the pool and laundry.

We also had Ana as our housekeeper. We loved her! Doesn't speak lots of english but very sweet and always took good care of us and did a excellent job cleaning the rooms. Gave us TONS of towel animals and more soap and towels than we would ever need. lol Not sure if she cleans the other loops or if she is even still there. But 2500 is the best loop for cabins in my opinion.

We brought a over the door organizer ( the kind you put shoes in) and hung it over the little 1/2 door in the hallway that houses the ac unit. It was great to have park essentials like hand wipes, glow sticks, kids Id , etc. , ready to go on the way out the door.

I don't remember how old your kids are, but there are a lot of low tech things that you would be surprised kids really enjoy- sidewalk chalk, bubbles, buckets and shovels to play in sand.  Even today's kids like that kind of stuff.

 

Also, don't forget that there are organized activities for kids every day.  Things like crafts and games.

 

Bikes, scooters and roller skates are fun too.

 

There are basketball courts and tetherball courts scattered around.  If you don't have a basketball, you can borrow one for free from the Bike Barn with your resort ID.

 

TCD

I always forget they have organized activities. Bucket was the one thing they wished we had brought last time. Bubbles are good for entertaining the dog even if the kids lose interest. My daughter loves basketball. I didnt know they had a court. She will be happy to hear that.

 

 

DH bought me the Cuisinart 5in1 Grill/griddle for my birthday last year. It works great and Amazon has it marked down to $79.00.

That would be good for bacon , eggs, and making grilled cheese . I always ruin pancakes but maybe on a new griddle they wont stick. I can always hope! I will have to check that out.

 

 

To supplement the Pop-tarts and spaghetiios, put out fruit and fresh veggies, if yuor kids will eat that sort of thing.  Then, like you say, eat healthy when you get home.  It's vacation - enjoy!

One of my kids hates all fruits and veggies so I have to bake it into stuff to hide it.

Spinach brownies anyone? My other boy eats anything I give him. Think I will pack some apples and bannannas and maybe bake a few things ahead of time to take. But yeah , your right. I dont stress to much if its a couple days. In September when we go longer ( I want to stay a couple weeks because friends are coming) then I gotta get really creative.

That is totally cool.  Seeing someone you admire up close and personal like.

Yeah very exciting. Wish she had been a bit friendlier though.

 

 

She is by far the best character on the show.  Pretty cool that you saw her at the MK.  I hope she didn't offer you any of her baked goods.

I woulda been in trouble I can NEVER resist a baked good!

 

 

Very cool and thanks for sharing.

 

Snow looked a little peeved.

 

Yeah she sure did. lol

 

My wife loves that show and admires the leading cast, Snow and Regina in particular. A few months ago she had the opportunity to meet Ginnifer Goodwin (Snow White) and today she met Lana Parrilla (Regina) and her kids. She is like a little girl all giddy. Too bad she cannot ask for an autograph or picture as it is against company policy. We treat all guests the same regardless of how famous they are. She has also met Adam Sandler and a few other famous people. And by meet, I mean talked to and shook hands with, not admired from afar.

Lana doesn't have any kids. Maybe it was the kid from the casting with her. Very cool your wife got to meet her!

 

 

Very Cool!!!

It was good fun !

There was something like that going on near POC last Tuesday. I didn't recognize the person though.

Might have been related to the America Funniest Home Videos thing or the commercial they were casting for.

 

 

I like how the big star gets and umbrella and make-up crew, and the poor kid in the Snow White costume is left baking in the sun.

 

TCD

Yeah I noticed that also. Kid did not look happy. Must have been a good actor because most kids would have melted down. They even ended up bring in a fan for Lana hopefully she shared it.

I have never watched the show, and I am not familiar with the actress, but that is quite a production they had going right in the middle of New Fantasyland.

 

Good job shooting the video.

 

After what you said about your voice, I was bracing myself.  Your voice sounds fine.

 

TCD

Lol thanks TCD. If I only looked as young as I sounded.

 

 

 

 

 

 

To get a shot closer in I had to loop up on the right and then head back on the left. http://youtu.be/cChwwqsfbsE

If I had any idea that I was going to MK yesterday this would be a much better day trip report. But I literally got a text that woke me up, got dressed , and dashed out the door to MK. I ended up not having a fully charged phone and using what I had on what you see below. 

 

If any of you watch ABC's Once Upon A Time  you know who Regina Mills is. She plays the Evil Queen /  mayor of Storybrooke Maine . 

 

Now I dont really ever get girl crushes , but I do love her character as a actress and as her villan on tv. I am totally smitten by her! I was so excited to get a text that she was somewhere in MK at the moment. All I had was one picture of her to go on at BOG posing with Beast , and a 1 hour window had passed already.

 

Not sure if she was there working or on vacation at the time I had no idea if I should walk the parks hoping to spot her or f there would be some set up of sorts. 

 

I called my mom and sister ( she was the one that got me into the show)  to join me and we were off. 

 

By the time we walked under the train station a 2 hour window passed. The plan was to split up and call each other if we spotted anything. We knew what she was wearing so we knew to look for someone dressed miserably uncomfortable wearing red and black. 

 

As we walked through the Main St area we saw a stage set up in the center. We thought it might have something to do with her being there and that we missed her. Turns out America Funniest Home Videos was going to be filming there.  I didn't know it was still on tv even.

 

My mom, we always joke about her ability to just know things. Scary having a mom like that. You can never lie to her to save your butt. But today it would be a good thing! She had a hunch and it proved right. I was the first person  to spot a blur of red and black. In the back of the new  Fantasyland between Beasts castle and Gastons was a large area roped off with a large camera crew and tons of production and Disney people running about. 

 

Leaning back against the wall standing under a black umbrella being held by a grinning Disney employee was the Evil Queen Regina Mills herself. Also known as Lana Parilla in the real world. But today with the slight frown on her face she resembled more the unhappy queen. It was hot! they had her dressed in a red sweater, black skirt, black tights, and tall black boots. She must have been miserable. 

 

Turns out they were filming a promo of sorts for Once Upon a Time . I think it looked much more like a Disney commercial to me. As you can see in the video and pics below there was a little girl dressed as Snow White. They had her at certain points practicing skipping toward the camera. Later in the day a group of regular looking people as extras. My sister who does a lot of acting was upset she didnt hear about the casting. Needless to say she found out which casting company did the hiring and will be putting herself in the data base. lol 

 

Last week she sent me email that Disney was casting familys and paying 500 a day per family member for each day of filming filming up to 2 weeks. How cool would that be to be in a Disney commercial? Course I was sick . But the cool thing about living so close is you never know when something cool will pop up. 

 

Anyway the filming went on for hours . I left before it was even complete. They didnt wrap that night until 8 pm ish ! 

 

Seems like they were always getting ready but then nothing. Disney was pretty nice about letting us film but as usual trying to keep the traffic on the side going. 

 

Anyone else get annoyed when you are walking and they yell at everyone to keep to the right , keep moving? I dunno but that seems so rude to me. Of course the have to keep people from clogging things up I guess. But when no one is, and they still keep screaming it, it just grates on  my nerves. 

 

We had a nice area off to the side and I got some video and pics. Now I really hate my voice! I sound very young and I am turning 40 this year.  I usually get the " Is your mommy home" phone call when a business calls the house. lol So sorry for my voice in the video but I figured its best to explain what I was filming. 

 

Lana / Regina wasn't particularly warm to her fans. I am not a big celebrity person. I dont make a big scene. Just regular people with a pretty cool job. However I do enjoy seeing certain people I admire in person. When I lved in Ny I met lots of celebrities that were very warm and friendly.  There was really only a small group of us that who knew who Lana was. Disney did a good job of keeping the traffic moving whle allowing the small group of us on the side to watch. Really nice older couple next to us. Not more than 10 of us total. Everyone was extremely polite. None of were yelling or asking for autographs . Just quietly watching. Would just seem to me like she could have said hello back to people.She had to walk right by us several times to enter and exit the rope when taking breaks.  Now if it had been anyone else I would have been a  bit disapointed. But I love the character of the Evil Queen she plays so for her it was ok. lol But still. I love you Lana but a nice smile and hello to everyone when walking through would have been nice. 

 

After a bit we walked right into BOG for lunch and it was strangely empty! I had never been before I was super excited. Got a spot right next to the window so I could see the snow. Still filming when we came out . watched a bit longer than headed to Epcot to get our AP's switched over to the new RFID's . They told us they will be mailing the magic bands and to keep checking back on the AP site so we could pick our colors. They also said they hadn't ordered them yet it would be a bit still. 

 

Camera was dead at this point but we strolled around WS and I grabbed boring pretzel . My sister tried the Frushi and something else which she took a super close pic of so I will throw that on here. 

 

 

The people in this video in front of me to the right are not guests . They are involved in the production on the inside of the white rope. Lana is facing the other way in this video standing under the black umbrella . 

 

http://youtu.be/rgUIAGZmrlY

 

Back with more if this posts right. Click on the cog like symbol after hitting the play button  to increase the viewing quality. It automatically keep going to a blocky 240 p. 

Welcome back.

 

I agree with Brent- keep it simple.

 

Especially since you live so close.  If you get set up and realize that there is something you need, you can just run home and get it.  That's bettter than bringing too much stuff.  Good point. I keep reminding myself of this as I work on my packing list.

 

I have never met a kid who didn't love camping.  You will be amazed at what they can find to entertain themselves with. Thats what we are betting on. Kids have been through some rough times last few years and my youngest kinda retreats into himself and hates being out of his element. We know the best thing to do is put him in situations where he will be out of his comfort zone and just not push but let acclimate to it on his own. It worked last winter when he hated ice skating and had never been. He was very quiet and withdrawn while the other kids played, but a while later he choose to get out there on his own and was the first kid to be skating without holding onto anything. It was so nice to see him smiling. I believe it will be the same with camping. Think this will be the key to really helping them all deal with some of the stress in our lives right now. 

 

I suggest you just stay two nights on your first trip.  Let everyone get a feel for camping, and there is less chance of anyone getting bored. My mom is pushing for longer but with the kids and it being a newer experience I think 2 days is a great idea. I am planning on only booking 2 , maybe 3 at most. We can always go back next week or anytime we want . And with the golf cart, playgrounds, fishing, pools, I dont think they will get to bored. Just as long as the adults dont want to just sit around. I gotta remember whats relaxing to me would be boring to them and see it through their eyes.

 

I also suggest that you go soon.  You don't want your first trip to be in the heat and humidity of a Florida summer . Next week is the plan. I am hoping it will be mild. My only experience of outside tent camping was out on Montauk and it was FREEZING. Sweating does not sound like fun either. 

 

As far as cooking goes-if you aren't a cook, you aren't a cook.  Keep that simple too.  Bring as much stuff as you can that doesn't require a lot of preparation.  If there are special diet needs in your family, bring what you eat at home with you.  Keep that simple too. I'm ok with the fact the fact that hot dogs, pop tarts , cereal, and spagettios are not the conerstone of nutrition. Its just a couple days. The food is safe for them and I can always give them a  healthy meal when we get home.

 

As far as loops at the Fort, since you are tenting it, there is no reason to reserve anything other than a partial site.  That will put you in the 1500 or 2000 loop.  For tents, I would rather be in the 2000 loop- there is more room in those sites.

 

Since you live close, there is no need to overthink this.  Throw the tent and sleeping bags and some food in the car and go.  Once you get that first trip under your belt, the next one will be easy. Trying to not overthink it to much. I tend to do that. Thanks for the advice.  :D

 

 

TCD

Welcome back! 

 

I started out at the Fort tent camping and definitely overdid it on the first trip. In fact, I think I told this story in my first TR elsewhere, when I pulled into a rest area in Georgia on my way down, I had so much stuff in my car that an older couple asked me where I was moving to. I discovered that, to really do the complete setup with the awning, cooking appliances, etc took most of a day. And you had to start breaking down the afternoon before you planned to leave. For me, it wasn't worth it to do that and stay less than 5 days.

 

I'd start as simple as you possibly can. The tent is, for me, the easy part. It usually takes 10 - 15 minutes to get it up. The awning contraptions nearly killed me a couple of times. I threw the last one out the last time I tent camped. It's nearly impossible to do alone without bending a pole, so you would need help from the kids.

 

As far as a mini fridge - if you have it, definitely bring it. Coolers are a pain and a good one costs almost the same as a fridge. Like Carol said, the ice also becomes an issue. I ruined food a couple of times. 

 

I don't think you really need a lantern. I have a lightbulb/socket that I just hang from the top of the tent. I use Christmas lights outside for low lighting. A flashlight might come in handy, but no need to get a lantern. Good point. We do have plenty of flashlights and even some battery operated christmas lights. That would be really pretty also! 

 

Air mattress, sleeping bag, fleece blanket (to put on top of the air mattress), a fan and you should be all set inside your tent. I used a plastic tote that I call my camping box as a "night stand" to charge my phone on. 

 

Speaking of power... I usually bring two heavy duty 25' extension cords and two power strips. With that, I'm covered. I had just finished typing a huge paragraph above asking you about electricity and then I read the next line and see you already answered! lol You read my mind. Very helpful. Thanks a ton!

That's about all I can think of right now. Make a list, check it three times, take it camping with you to amend and you should be all set.

 

Good luck and enjoy the Fort! Sure will thanks!

There are crockpot recipes on here that are tried and true.  Be sure to look for those.

 

Can your kids do Gloves in a Bottle?  It is a good protective layer that washes off afterwards.  many moms i know, whose kids are senstivie to artificial colors, etc., use them for their kids to do art projects so they don't come in contact with the paints, markers, etc.  I don't know if that would worlk at all for your kids, just throwing it out there, incase it would be helpful  Not sure how to do this multi quote thing. lol I think I just cut off your post. Its funny you say the gloves in a bottle thing because years ago I came across a product that sad it killed germs and created a protective coating that formed almost like a glove and it lasted the day. Didnt save it and now I can remember the name of it. I will type in gloves in a abottle and see what pulls up. Great idea! Thanks! I didnt think to look for crockpot recipes on here. I will check those out after. Pickicking up a crock pot Wednesday to practice cooking with. 

I would bring the mini-fridge.  I mean, Disney is paying for the electricity.  The other option would be a cooler, but then you are paying for the ice to keep it cool.  It sounds like your mom is used to more hardcore camping.  This is Disney.  Why not have every luxury you can to make your vacation more enjoyable, right?

 

BTW, I have seen campsites with more than just a mini-fridge.  I have seen them with full sized fridges and freezer chests.   Now that you say it I remember reading a trip report on here where someone posted a picture of someone having a full size fridge. lol That would be me if I could fit it. Yeah my mom was always a hardcore camper. I agree, not going to feel bad. I am bringing my comforts and conveniences darn it!  

 

 

Wanted to say Welcome Back!!

 

I don't cook on a campfire either.  I'm more a glamper than hard core camper.  Crockpot, electric skillet, electric griddle and microwave work well for me.  I would do a mini-frig over a cooler if I were you too.  Your milk will be safer.

 

I don't tent, so I've got nothing for you there.  But there are many here who tent and pop-up who can help you with the nitty gritty.

 

Many happy camping trips in your future!  I have to steal that from you, glamper. lol That would be me. I love camping , but I also gotta have my makeup and my hair straightener and other assorted important needs.  As far as the tent goes if god forbid it was to get to nasty out or storm we live 5 minutes away. Its been my selling point for those less camping inclined. Electric griddle would be great for making breakfast. I can almost smell it now. I always eat to much when we go camping because everything just tastes so much better. Good thing I get plenty of walking in when I am there!

 

 

Don't buy too much up front. Just the bare minimum. I tend to buy new, cute things, way too many things. Get the minimum for now and add as you learn. Good advice. I tend to overdo what I buy and bring. Plan on doing some video of our trip to post back here. I am sure even with my idea of paring down I might overdo it. You guys will get a good chuckle for sure. I will keep your advice in mind now that we have a small townhome here try to remember I have to store it all some place when we get back.  

 

 

Welcome Back!! Thanks! Glad to be back.  :jumpforjoy

 

Welcome back!

 

How about while you are getting your feet wet with camping, you rent a trailer?  There are two vendors on here i know of - Curt and Donnie.  Curt rents pop-up campers and Donnie has Fifth wheels, which I think would be bigger?

 

I stayed in one of Curt's pop-ups in February (thank you, Loretta!!!) and it was wonderful.  He had it all set up at the site when we arrived.  It had all the linens provided. (Might want to bring beach towels for the pool.)  Oh, and a microwave! 

 

An easy dinner is to bring hot dogs, rolls, etc. to the campfire and cook them there.  Buy the kids some BBQ forks and let them burn them themselves.

 

Plus, you could throw a crockpot meal in a ziploc and then just dump it in your crockpot in the morning and have dinner ready at the end of the day.

 

I have not camped without my dh yet and setting up the tent is one of the things holding me back.  I have older boys now and want dh to teach the boys to do it without me. 

 

I don't know about around there, but here I find sleeping bags, camping mattresses, etc. at the Goodwill.  Might be better than paying full price and then learning what you really wanted, kwim?

 

I believe all the sites at WDW, except the group camping area, have hook-ups.  In a tent, you will likely be in the 1500 or 2000 loops.  Get the FF app to learn about all the sites.

 

HTH!

Thank you for all the great ideas! Hot dogs I can do. A crockpot, what is that? lol I am seriously mentally challenged in the kitchen. I mean I do know what one is, but no idea how to cook with one. Sounds like something to learn though, as it sounds handy for camping. I will go google crockpot recipes when I get off here. I know Target had some clearanced last week. 

 

Microwave? Now you are talking my language! I forgot I also brought my convection/toaster oven down. Its the kind that gets hot enough to bake in.

 

I totally wish I could rent a camper or get used sleeping bags . But my boys have some health issues that can be pretty serious When we stayed at Disney they always had to special clean stuff and remove things. Their immune systems dont respond to everything the way they should. In fact the doctor suggested they have to wear gloves in the parks. That's the hard part is having to buy all new.

 

I have a mini fridge. is that overkill?  My mom said I was crazy! lol Then again we approach everything different. This should be fun. 

 

What? FF has a phone app?! Can it be used for a droid? Off to investigate this right now. Thanks for all the great advice!

I kinda disappeared a bit on here. I had barely starting getting to know everyone when I had to retreat. So I know a lot of you didn't get to know me so much but  I did sneak on quite a bit to keep up on everyone's TR's. Got me through a lot of rough nights. 

 

Long story short life has landed me back here in Florida again! I was born in Daytona, but moved away 14 years ago to NE PA and I am glad to be home. We live about 5 minutes from Disney property. That means I can visit the fort whenever I want. In fact it was so cool to be headed home from grocery store the other day and stop off at the campground for the fireworks. Thankfully it was cool out and the milk survived! 

 

Anyway the thing is now that I am so close I cant see staying in a Disney hotel anymore. It just doesnt make sense to spend money there when I am right across the road. I have always love camping but never really did it as a adult by myself. My mom and sister moved down to Celebration and they are hardcore campers, but they didn't bring all their supplies. ( Not sure if they can stay down here in FL or not yet, but for now its nice to have them here) 

 

I am planning a couple short days and many more longer ones over the next few months. I am a total newbie to "real" camping. Hoping to learn a bit from my mom , although not sure I will ever get the cooking over a cook stove thing down as I cant cook at home either! But ideally I want to learn how to do this camping thing so I can do it on my own with the kiddos. 

 

My goals are 

1. Learn how to set up a big tent. Easy I am sure.

2. Teach the kids to fish. 

3. Teach/brainwash my kids to like camping ( Their dad was not the rugged type and the boys don't know what they are missing, or rather they do, video games. I gotta change that!)

4. Learn how to cook on a camp stove.

5. Take lots of walks at the fort weekly so I can lose a lot of weight and be able to do the 5k marathon with my daughter this fall. 

6. Enjoy taking lots of great videos of the fort to share with you all on this new video camera thing I got . ( as soon as I figure it out)

7. Create great memories for my family. 

 

Right now I am STILL unpacking and painting a bit . But man do I need a staycation.

 

I am planning on booking a couple days next week at the fort. 

 

We have one big tent and a few other misc things. 

 

We need lanterns, cook stove, I need my own tent ( sleeps 6 or more) , screen house, sleeping bags, air mattresses , tarps?, rug, and other things that I cant think of since I am not so experienced here! lol

 

My mom has been super busy running my sister around for work related things. So she hasnt been able to talk much or tell me what to get. They have a month to renew or head back to PA. They still have a house there also so its needless to say a bit crazy right now. Not sure how much time she will have to help me with this.

 

Anyone have any tips or recommendations  on gear or stuff I should be looking for ? 

 

Cant eat a lot at Trails End. To many complicated food allergies and we tried their in the past and it didnt work out well. So we will be doing it all on the campsite or in the parks. If you know of any easy good camping recipes that even a person that burns water can cook, throw em at me! 

 

Any tips on set up ? Not sure if my mom will be getting there at the same time or how it will go down.

 

Also I know cabin loops pretty well but I REALLY need help in understanding the difference between full hook-up sites from preferred and which ones can have tents and not have tents , etc. . 

 

Also what do you think we should do as far as a site choice. My mom says "We dont need any hook ups!" I am thinking " Gasp! How can you not need electricity!" . Think I am going to spring the little extra to make sure we have it. Til I am a camping pro of course. 

 

Best loops? 

 

And last of all carts. I know I don't NEED one.. But I NEED one. I always NEED one. That's half the fun to me. So I know there are a few vendors on here with carts but do you have to book at least one week? Can you book a few days here and there? I hate paying a Disney price. 

 

Any tips , advice , etc. , greatly appreciated . Sorry for such a long post! 

 

 

"At of 3:04 p.m., meterologists had detected a tornado on radar moving east through Port Saint John and Cape Canaveral in Brevard County at 55 mph. It had moved offshore offshore by 3:40 p.m."

http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20130324/ARTICLES/130329878?Title=Severe-thunderstorm-warning-issued-for-extreme-southeastern-Volusia

 

This is the same tornado that originated in the area of the Fort. The Fort is due west of Cape Canaveral. So it would make sense that it was a tornado that rolled through. If not a direct hit, close enough to be important.

Ah Bingo. Hey I think I saw a post between you and Amy Peterman. ( I live down the road from her) Didnt know you were a local also.

 

Well it looks like its clearing up nicely now. A mess for those camping I am sure! 

Where did you here that?

On my Facebook. Not the most reliable source I know. But someone on my Facebook feed mentioned it. I guess they were staying out there.  I guess to some people a big gust of wing might as well be a tornado. lol But I figured since we had the warning earlier it could be possible.

Heard a tornado just ran through FW campgrounds. Hope everyone is ok. I know I am due for a update on here but I actually live about 5 minutes from the fort now !!! I know it was pretty bad here. Hope all you campers are ok. Anyone have any updates? 

Oh shoot. I thought I had found a reasonable explanation. Glad I showed you all the pics. Back to square one. Maybe he did react to something he ate then. With so many severe food allergies between usI was hoping he would be spared that. TCD sorry to hear you still have those bites.

Been meaning to get a free second to reply here. I am wondering if this is what happened to my son. We stayed in a cabin in the 2500 loop literally right next to the pool. My son on our very last day ( check out morning) started complaining his back and arm hurt. This was going on while my other son was having heart issues and saying he might faint. Yeah it was a fun start to our ride home . So we knew instead of trying to head home 20 hours we are better off headed to downtown Disney , giving them a look over , and seeing if we needed to do a ER visit.

I get my son out of the car and his arms , back , legs and a small section of his face where covered in hives! My older son panicked because he and his brother just ate the same food and he has food allergies so he thought he would get this also. We suspect some food allergies in my youngest also but are not sure and just avoid certain things with him. The only things I could think of was the pizza they just ate , the frozen drink they just had from 711 , or residue from anything in the cabin ( but that didnt make sense since this was our last day) . Then I realised my genius husband walked my kids through the small wooded section to check out the pool the day before . But then I told myself that nah , that would have shown up that day .

So after seeing this I really do think it was chiggers. He didnt have the small red blisters , but I read a description that said sometimes you get hives instead. Here is a pic of his arm. Btw I ended up giving him a shower and making everyone shower and change clothes just in case one of us had residue on us . I gave him Benadryll and it made the hives disappear within 20 minutes. They kept coming back when the Benadryll wore off but were cleared up in 2 days thankfully. The fact the Benadryll made them disappear after so fast convinced me that they were indeed hives. Here is a pic.

I dunno what do you all think ? Chiggers ? Or food allergy reaction? I carry a Epi Pen for my one son but he never had any other symptoms other than the hives. Thank for the heads up TCD. And I am sure glad I didnt bring any of that moss home I had been admiring!!! I was sure thinking of it .

Oh forgot to add. It was in no way bedbugs. My husband was a supervisor at a nice lodge up here in PA that had gotten them a few years ago and we knew to pull everything off and check the beds etc. . I gotta say the mattress was pristine. Plus this was only on my son and on our last day.

Okay I gotta get this this thing rolling. Even though I intended to do a live and streaming report .. and didn't , I did realize that when traveling with lots of people NOTHING will go as planned. So basically a lot of things that were planned didn't happen , and a lot that were not expected.. did. I took some notes and lots of pics so I better start typing because my memory is not so great these days.

First of all to explain the start of this trip you have to know I had to cancel and reschedule 3 times in the week we were due to leave. A big mix up with my husbands bonus check ( that was never resolved til we got home) that we were relying on ,caused us to doubt we could even go after all . After finally squaring things away with literally less than 24 hours before we were due to leave , and calling Disney back to see that fate was on our side and that they did indeed have 12 of our 14 days still available , I set off in a flurry to pack.

Now I dont know how you all pack. When I pack its a a crazy and long process. Packing for 5 people ( 2 females and one of whom is a teenager) and a service dog is a usually a week long process. I have my lists and usually pack it all in labeled totes and stack them up so we are ready by the end of the week. Having just found out we could go "offically" still go on the evening of the 10th I spent the entire night and into the 11th packing everything. Of course I had 8 loads of laundry going all night and didnt get to bed til 7 am the next morning..

Here is a picture of how packed up the back of the van was. This is very important because it will become a MAJOR issue later . Of course this pic was taken before the dogs crate was even packed in .

Here are the kids waiting to get on the road . Of course I was still waiting on 2 loads of laundry to finish! They were really excited but getting a bit impatient at this point.

Did I mention our "plan" was to leave at 4 am on the 11th? Driving from PA we found its the only way we can get a good distance in. We used to drive straight through with good weather , but we came to realize this trip we are indeed getting older and we may need to plan for 1 or even 2 nights down. Especially with everyones health issues lately.

So here it is 7 am , 3 hours after we were due to leave and I am exhausted and needing a shower and a nap. We decided even though we were not night drivers to hit the road at 9 pm and get as far as we could... We stopped for the night at 4 am. We hadnt gotten very far, and we all tired and in crappy moods. This was not in the plan at all. We had somehow stepped into a time warp and had only made it as far as Stafford VA.

We found a little Comfort Inn just in time as we were starting to fall asleep . It was a little older but passed the clean test , no smells , etc. . The front desk manager was a disabled and now retired cop and very nice about our service dog. He even told us he had one at home as well. Its always nice when the hotels are friendly about it. You wouldnt believe the issues we get sometimes. I always carry paperwork just in case.

The next morning again "we planned" on getting a early start. Since we didnt get to bed til 5 am that didnt happen. We ended up leaving the hotel around 12 on the dot. Here are the kids excited to go. My little guy Link had his backpack on and was ready to roll before any of us. His brother was still waking up. Being a little wisecracker he also had to remark how us girls take to long to get ready! lol Must be nice to be a guy and slip on your shoes and go !

We made a pit stop in Daytona ( my old hometown) around 2 am because we were out of our minds with exhaustion at that point. We found a Checkers which I hadnt had in forever ! The hamburgers there were way better than Mc D's or BK ( which I never wanna see again in my life). Once we rolled down the windows and smelled the salty air I felt back at home again. It was kind of surreal . We drove around International Speedway and even though a lot was new, it all pretty ,much looked the same to me.

After our quick break we were wide away we made it to Fort Wilderness around 4 am . We had gone from being exhausted to super energized. Even the dog was wagging his tail. Its like he knew our vacation was about to start. We were waiting on our friend who was camping in the 100 loop to come down to meet us. We got out looked up at the moon through the mossy trees , breathed in the cool humid Florida night air and sat on the bench listening to the music being piped in while we waited on our friend.

Check in was easy . Kids sat outside and my son and his service dog came in and joined me. I love seeing the kids all excited and everyone smiling and looking foward to everything. Now I had only been to the Fort one time before 20 years ago... But I tell you its crazy but I could remember every details as if I was there every day. It didnt feel new to me , but like home. I was really hoping the family would "get it" because everyone was pretty against the whole cabin thing , wanting a more resort experience ( their words). We stayed at the Contemporary the year before and they had their hearts set on it again. But I pretty much refused to compromise on this and had to force them to try something new. I was betting my teen would like golf cart , the boys the frogs and lizards , and my husband the ability to get the dog out and unpack easier. Me I just wanted to that old Florida feeling , and nothing give that to me like the Fort.

Random shots

So we get our key and papers and I was a bit nervous wth all the special requests and needs we had that there would be a problem. We had a real nightmare at the Contemporary last year and I was really disapointed with how things went.

As we pull up I start squeeling and I think scared the crap out of everyone because I saw in our window the one thing I have always wanted ( but never gotten) was a Disney towel animal. In our cabin windows was not 1 not 2 but 4 visible towel animals!!! 2 large bunnies and 2 swans!!! I told the kids about these but told them not to expect anything so they were also really excited to see them. Seems like we only took one crappy pic of just the bunnies , but I have better pics coming later on.

A quick tidbit.. I had made several special requests due to health reasons and some just because.. I didnt expect them to all be met. I was thrilled to see upon pulling up we got the exact location we requested. We backed up literally to the quiet pool . I had also requested a intense cleaning and for the comforters, pillows ( health issues)and dining chairs to be removed (for accessability reasons) We had 2 service dogs coming in and out and a disabled friend in the 100 loop. Not only did Disney not balk at this but they offered to wash the linens in a special detergent. I was prepared tp pay extra but was told all of this was no charge.. THIS is why ( one of the many reasons why) I only vacation at Disney. So many things I would have to stress over other places are taken care of for me there. And its never a issue. This really means a lot to all of us. Especially when it comes to all our needs with food issues and such. But more on that later.

What did we find when we went in? Had they meet all our needs and requests or would I be up all night setting things up? Will the family like everything ? What are the cabins like inside? Details coming up !

I wonder if that boat accident was caused by the new boat driver I heard about? About 2 days before you arrived I overheard the captain of our boat ( from FW to MK) talking to one of his crew about the new boat driver starting that day. That would explain it ! lol

BTW I never did find the hammocks I have seen in others photos.. They do have some somewhere dont they? We only ever made it to the main section of the beach.

TCD - I am just now seeing your post. I wish I had seen it before we left. I would have certainly done just that. It was the craziest and most nonstop trip ever with everyone getting sick and all. One night my daughter and I snuck out and just drove around til 2 am going around every loop once , or 10 times. lol It was heaven. So peaceful and my favorite thing we did on the trip.

Whenever we came back from the parks we hardly ever went straight to the cabin. BTW I have a LOT to say ( all good) about our cabin stay , coming up)

I did finally toward the end of my stay, get a better feel for the layout and where the heck I was. You all would have laughed at just how lost I got the first week and how many circles I went it trying to get back to the cabin.

I just uploaded all my photos and registered my photopass pics a second ago. I wanted to add in a quick update though. As some of you know we have been having ongoing issues with my sons health . We just got the results back from the barium swallow test. It showed a "prominent aortic arch " . Which is no doubt what is causing that feeling in his neck.

We had a scary incident at Downtown Disney with one kid breaking out in hives and the other one ( the one with all the health issues) saying his heart was funny, his legs were weak , and he felt like everything was tilting. This went on for 2 days.. All the way home in fact. Took us 2 days to get home . We had terrible terrible storms from GA to NC . Tornado touched down a few miles down the road ahead of us. Longest trip home ever! ( drove from PA)

So we have been home a few days now and tonight my son says his throat hurts again. I had to tell him it was just dryness , get him a drink , then lock myself in the bathroom with the water running and cry . I know its the main artery in his neck and thats what scares me. So we have this one doc that wants to do a MRI but our primary says insurance wont approve it yet intil we see more doctors. So now I have a nurse working on our behalf to try to see if we can get him in sooner and or get the darn MRI done. My son is claustraphobic so I am not relishing how this will go. But I know we need to get answers.

To top this all off I had nightmares that started a year ago warning me about my son and to make it sound nicer lets say , things not going well. So even though I know negativity can try to trick us and hurt us its in the back of my mind worrying me more. I am really scared.

Especially since I also had a dream about my best friend that came true a month later. It warned me my friend had cancer and a month later she was diagnosed with it . They havent given her very long . Its been one thing after another .

So between stupid insurance , bad dreams , and my little boy being sick I am really thinking I just have a major nervous breakdown coming on. Any prayers for my soon badly needed and very appreciated. ( spelling?)

While I go type up our arrival day ( for the TR) I just wanted to add that despite the craziness we all had a great time. I had as much fun just hanging out at the resort as I did in the parks. There was so much I wanted to do and didnt get the chance to. I am hoping for a super quick trip back in early December but of not for sure in Jan/ Feb . That way I can scout out houses as we plan to make the move down by spring anyway. ( looking in Windermere area if anyone has any advice) .