fladogfan aka Gretchen

It is good food !
 

We will be there October 15-22nd. Planning on hitting Epcot two or  three times. If anyone is at Epcot on the 18th come by the Seas pavilion and watch me, DW, and DD(13) scuba dive in the aquarium. My DD just got certified and where better to take her for her first dive 

You didn't mention what you are planning to tow with but most people do not realize that the published towing capacity for their truck is a lot less in reality. Most tow vehicles run out of payload capacity before they exceed the other weights but any one being exceeded means the trailer is too heavy for the TV. Keep in mind that more options means less payload. More than one person has ended up with a TT heavier than their TV can handle safely and had to look for something bigger to pull with. That gets expensive.  Also dry weights are not useful for determining if your tow vehicle can handle the trailer. It is not uncommon for a TT to carry 1000 lbs or more of stuff once every thing is loaded and installed
To determine the payload capacity available to carry the trailer tongue you need to find the payload sticker on the driver side door pillar. It will usually say something to the effect of "The maximum weight of all passengers and cargo cannot exceed nnnn lbs". From this weight subtract the weight of all passengers, luggage/cargo, owner addons and 100 lbs for the weight distributing hitch.  The result is the payload capacity you have available to carry the tongue weight of the trailer.  Take this number and divide by .13 (13%) and it will give you an estimate of the maximum loaded trailer weight your TV can pull. Tongue weights will run between 10% and 15% of trailer weight with the most common range being 12% - 14%. This is why I use 13% as a rule of thumb. I also run 15% when looking for a worst case scenario. You can manage tongue weight to some degree by how you load the trailer but is is a pain and requires weighing every time you shift stuff around. It can also cause stability problems if you get too much in the back of the trailer.  This is for a bumper pull TT. A 5th wheel will use a pin weight that is typically 20% - 25% of the loaded trailer weight. Most 5th wheels are too heavy for a 1/2 ton truck in both payload and axle capacity.
After the payload you need to verify you are not over the Gross Combined Weight Rating. The GCWR is the combined weight of the trailer and TV. It is the  combined weight of the loaded vehicle and loaded trailer. You also need to verify that you are not exceeding the weight rating of the hitch receiver. There should be a sticker on the receiver listing its maximum weights. Lastly is the Gross Axle Weight Rating. This includes all of the weight on top of and behind the axle. The only really good way to get these numbers is to weigh the fully loaded TT and TV at a truck scale with the WDH hooked up. You also want to use the scale to weigh the fully loaded TV with no trailer and with the trailer but WDH disconnected. These will let you determine solid numbers for available payload and see that your WDH is set up correctly in addition to verifying other weight capacities aren't exceeded.
All off this should be in your owners manual as well. Also keep in mind that most RV sales people will tell you that you can tow whatever it is you are looking at whether it is safe to do so or not. Good luck.
 

Great Advice!   And to Keith's point it's not only what CAN you tow, but what CAN you STOP!!!

Amazon offers some products with the option of skipping the packaging (I forget how they word it) but it doesn't seem like a lot of things. I opt for it every time it's offered.  Beats the bejinkies out of filling up my recycling bin with useless packaging.

Ain't that the truth.  How many cargo ships full of Disney crap come over from China every year?  And beyond the actual crap they sell, what about all the plastic and cardboard the toys are packaged in?  How many of you parents have cursed the Mouse on Christmas morning when your kid wants to play with the new toy, but it takes you 20 minutes to free it from its cocoon of plastic, which then goes into a huge trash bag with all the other plastic and cardboard from the assorted Barbies, Fisher Price toys, and Disney princess garbage?  I get the straw thing, but that seems small compared to all the packaging trash from those things, not to mention Amazon.   

I think the WWWssss, should take a side trip to do this next year 🙂
 
Royal Palm Railway Experience
Crawling through the endless – why, they seem positively "Ultimate" – construction zones along I-4 is enough to make any commuter long for a return to an era before interstate highways. For the next best thing, make your way to Tavares and board the Royal Palm Railway Experience. Vintage diesel-driven 1950s passenger trains, outfitted with air conditioning and domed observation windows, make regular departures from the recently renovated Wooton Park terminal along the "Golden Triangle" to shopping and entertainment districts in Mount Dora and Eustis. Round-trip tickets for a standard ride cost under $15 per adult ($10 for kids), while special family-friendly holiday seasonal experiences with entertainment themed around The Polar Express will run you $38-$64. Adults will be more interested in weekly dining events like Saturday's BBQ Limited ($28) or monthly alcohol events such as Rails & Ales ($40) and the Royal Wine Limited ($50). Spend your 70-minute journey into the past sipping or supping, while you soak in the Old Florida scenery and shake your fist at what Eisenhower's infrastructure investments hath spawned.thefloridatrain.com

Disney Blog said the MK were delayed until 10.
We saw them on the 3rd on a launch from WL to the Fort.  We stayed on and went to the Contemporary.  The CM slowed the boat down to a crawl heading to the hotel, then gave everyone a warning that the finale was about to start.
Was just like a fireworks dessert cruise without the food, drinks and $130 fee.

Yep. They'll camouflage or hide it somehow.
Here's a good example of how they handled Tower of Terror being visible from Epcot..
http://towersecrets.com/see-the-tower-of-terror-from-inside-epcot/

I saw this and had to share.  Yes, it is sappy, but hopefully they will all go camping one day!
 
 
Video courtesy of Facebook, Disney and Katie Reed.

This is not my kid, but wow, if ONLY I had this kind of determination in all my players....what kind of team would I have.  God Bless this girl.  She is awesome.
Video courtesy of Baseball King, Facebook and Gatorade.
 

You mean they didn't pay the extra $100K for Disney to extend the hidden dome covering the MK? 

I discovered back in October that Minnie the chihuahua/chinese crested mix loves motorcross on the TV.  She legitimately got ticked and barked after we went back into the camper and I changed the channel.  Had to change it back and let her lay back down on the couch to finish watching it.  I might have to leave both tvs on so they can watch different programming.

The old location seemed to have a better selection.. 

I'll take the free publicity, honestly. Wouldn't dream of bugging them about using our name like that. I'm happy to see people writing about the Fort thinking enough of us to use us for research! Complaining at them about name-dropping us seems counter-productive on every level I can imagine.

Thanks TCD.  
I have been 'out of circulation' for a while. 
We just got back from a short visit to The Fort.
I'll share a few photos.
We picked up our new Jayco TT on Tuesday and went straight from the dealership to Site 614.

One year when my 3 boys were in the 9 - 11 ish range and didn't have smartphones yet, we went during Spring Break. Life had been hectic before our trip and while we were standing in lines I found out all sorts of things that had been going on at school and their other activities. Funny stories about teachers and classmates, what they were learning, they talked to each other about mutual friends, etc. etc. It was such a nice added bonus to spend that time together that I still remember it most about the trip. 

Spent 1 night last week while on our way south at this campground just off I-65 in Jemison, Alabama.  Based on the reviews online, I didn't expect much.  I got less than expected.  
Our site

Firepit at our site.  Yes, it was pretty much just a pile of cigarette butts.  The nice part is, it was close enough to the bunk slide that I could have put Anna to bed, started a fire, and she could get a nice nicotine buzz right in her bed.

If you need to do some laundry, the machines are accessible 24 hours/day and you can enjoy the stars while waiting for the dryer cycle to end.

Here is the outside of the bath house.  Trust me, I am doing you a huge favor by not showing the inside.  Tile was broken and pulled away, dirty, hair, etc.  But on a positive note, there was plenty of soap and shampoo to use that is apparently kept in the stalls by the campground's permanent residents.  

It's hard to judge a pool during the off season, so I won't.  I will point out though that, according to the website, it is apparently one of the last stainless steel pools installed in America.  In 1974.  

The playground could use some work.  The rock wall was rotting and pulling away from the structure, and if you plan on sitting on the bench while your kids play, be aware that there is a fire ant mound right underneath the bench.

The pros....well, apparently the 50 amp service was reliable as my EMS allowed power through to my rig.  The site was fairly level.  And it was convenient to the interstate.  I told INC that perhaps we could return someday and spend a few days.  She said maybe I should save that trip for my 2nd wife. 

Thank you for asking.   It was amazing to have a near new rig as we've always had something at least 10 years old.  2 couches, huuuge shower, and the outdoor kitchen made the trip so much more enjoyable as well as the power awning for breaking down camp.  I did have an issue with my new roof sliding back, I guess my glue didn't bond well, but I'll take care of it.  Otherwise, a plumbing leak I found that looks to be leaking since it was new was all i had to repair at the Fort. 

OK, I just figured out how to pay much "less" for your parking if you are driving into Disney, and it will work for any resort. PLUS, it will give you the pleasure of costing Disney money, instead of giving it to them. When you book your Disney reservation, book DME, and give them phantom airlines and flight numbers for your departure and arrival. Google MCO parking and find the cheapest parking deal you can find. I've seen as little as $3.99 a day. Drive to that parking place instead of Disney, and have them drop you at MCO, then go board DME to go to your resort. At the end of your trip, board DME for the airport, get on the shuttle to your parking spot, then head home.
If you don't want to put your entire family and all the luggage on DME and the parking lot shuttle, you could drop the family, luggage, and your grocery run off at the resort, then one of you deposit the car. Then at the end of the trip, one of you could hop on DME to get to MCO to retrieve the car, come back to WDW and retrieve the family and luggage.
Yes, it's a little bit of your time, but Disney doesn't get the extra revenue for a parking space they already have, another business does get your revenue, and your are getting every penny's worth of the "benefits" of being a Disney resort guest.

Yeah... no.  LOL!
We're just trying to get the house on the market by the summer.  The grand plan is find more land, less house, lower cost of living... so we can keep affording trips to Disney. 
 

My youngest (15) was with us this trip.
We thought it would be fun to collect them at night and park them on the beach next to the pirate ship.
Mom wasn't on board... Something about petty theft and bail money.

They need to bring some the parks stroller wranglers over to the resorts and go hide them!

Normally I'd agree 100%.  Unless those 37 ingredients I can't pronounce are pineapple flavored and swirled into a cup of pineapple juice.  

what if.... 
Space Mountain cars could fly off the tracks
Ferry boat could sink
Chunk of Cindy's castle could fall off and impale a passerby.
Door could open on a moving monorail...oh wait that did happen....