fladogfan aka Gretchen

Love that! 
We just got back from a 10 day camping trip at the beach (Cape Cod), timed intentionally for when dogs are allowed on the beach in the off season (generally mid-Sep to Apr).  And bonus, some days we had the beach almost entirely to ourselves!  Ok so the water was only 69° but hey, that's almost 10° warmer than average this late in the season, and we had temps in the 70s so it was lovely for this NH girl. 
And yes, I brought a suit and went swimming.   

Well when I attend the 100th birthday celebration at the Magic Kingdom I’ll be sure to keep an eye out.  

That's pretty cool, Knoebels Amusement Park in Elysburg Pa also has a large spring fed swimming pool, every year the weekend after Labor Day they hold a Doggie Dive there, draws a good size crowd and something different to see.

Not camping related, but thought you "puppie" owners would enjoy.
We moved to a new complex in Illinois, where we spend the summer near our daughter, and they tout being "pet friendly".  Well they definitely live up to their word, we got this email today.
DROOL IN THE POOL..
With Monday being the last day the pool will be open, we are dedicating Tuesday September 28th, to our 4 legged furry friends.  We invite all the dogs to come and swim that day from 10 am- 6 pm. We will have special treats for them to enjoy. We will make sure the water is at an enjoyable temperature for them.
We look forward to seeing you all there. 

I randomly popped on to FF and this was the first thread I noticed.  I have a lot of catching up to do around here but am delighted to see so many familiar names contributing!  When I was a "regular" here, I lived outside of Jacksonville, FL and my kids were in elementary school.  We started camping at the Fort in a tent when they were 3 and 6, then a pop up, then a TT.  In 2013, we relocated to a suburb of Philadelphia.  Sold our TT to another family on this board right before we moved.  We did get a new one, though we do not tow it down there.  Now when we visit WDW we stay in a cabin.  Expensive, for sure but worth it to us to be able to visit our happy place.  We go about once a year, in large part because my sons both go to college in FL.  Yes - for those that may remember me - my 2 boys are now 19 and 21!  One is a senior at UF, the other a sophomore at UCF.  
We got priced out of parks many years ago, but would still go very rarely, especially to see my boys march down Main St. USA for their HS band trips.  We did visit one park during the pandemic, it was just ok, but disappointing for reasons everyone has mentioned plus we didn't get on Rise as hoped.  However, we have thoroughly enjoyed every stay at the Fort, despite not having our own camper and all of the restrictions.  The only thing that has been a downside is the construction and how much it has changed down by the marina.  Losing that beach and the ugly weird fake greenery "fence" just makes me sad.  I was just there with my youngest in late August right before we moved him back for school.  Lots of loops closed for paving, etc. but again, we made the best of it and it was a nice relaxing few days.  If I had traveled that far with an RV though - I'd have been pretty mad to have not enjoyed the things one should while staying there.
As for what others have mentioned, yes I do think social media contributed to the decline in activity here.  But, the FB Fort groups are mostly useless.  Some are borderline militant with the rules and seem to be slanted toward one TA or another.  Meh.  One page in particular is so full of drama and BS, but the gal is so silly with the "breaking news", etc. it's almost entertaining.  I've always said this is the best resource, and if the Fort ever returns to it's former glory, it will reemerge as such.

Before retiring I worked for one of the very large computer companies. As I told newer kids when they came in fresh out of college I would not look at making the company a lifetime career like I did as the company had changed dramatically. However I told them if they could stick it out for 2 - 5 years having worked here still pulled a lot of weight in the industry and looked good on a resume. I suspect Disney is in a similar place so my advice to a young person would be the same. Use the time to build up some experience and bolster the resume as having worked at Disney should pull a lot weight when competing for other jobs in their field.

I'm retiring in December after 41 years of civil service with the Navy.  I'll get a few certificates. I am getting a flag flown over our building, but my boss has to pay for that.  I didn't ask for one but she is insisting; which is nice of her to do.

Thanks. We will hope for the best. Both of the girls were treated poorly by Disney during the pandemic, and both had previous offers to return to lesser roles that they rejected. Working for DCL, though, comes with some next-level perks and opportunities, so this will hopefully go well for her. 
TCD

Right back at you friend. This place (and the Fort) really were a lot of fun back in the day. My Disney days would also be behind me but for the fact that the TCD twins still live right outside WDW and one of them just landed her dream job in DCL HR. We all just arrived back yesterday from the first Fantasy test cruise with guests (albeit all DCL CMs and their friends and family) and the twins are heading back out on Saturday for another test cruise. So our Disney journey will continue. 
TCD

I think this is them covering their butts. It’s right around the 509 day mark for those bookings. By announcing it now, they can say they told you to anyone who complains about it. 

Definitely this.  
 

That's the important point, right there.  I love when pictures from our many trips to the Fort pop up, with all of my family together.  Sometimes I like to go back and read my old trip reports and relive those moments.  As much as I enjoyed writing those reports for all of you to read, and bantering back and forth about things on here (and the DIS before)...and I very much DID enjoy that!....I also wrote the reports in part to memorialize the trips for my own enjoyment in the future.  I'm sure others who have written reports have also enjoyed re-reading their own reports from time to time, and most everyone at least has photos of their trips to go back and look at.  The point is, while our Disney days are behind us, I'll cherish those memories for a lifetime, both for the memories of fun times with my family as well as the valued friendships I shared with all of you knuckleheads. 

Agreed.  Our priorities have shifted in recent years as well (and for sure our incomes haven't doubled) which is mostly why we haven't been in over 3 years and won't be back until next fall (hopefully).  I don't know if we'll ever be able to justify going every year for multiple weeks again like we did for the prior 15+. But that's ok. Nothing stays the same forever.  I am at least glad that our last big trip was for 6 weeks and we enjoyed every minute of it.

The fact that it sounds even remotely reasonable for the price to have doubled in 6 years is proof that we’ve lost our collective minds.  Housing prices have doubled.  The price of a steak has doubled. The price of a Disney vacation has doubled.  Has your income doubled?  If it has, good for you.  But I bet most people would answer no.  I know we all make decisions and prioritize spending based on what’s important to us, and I am not criticizing anyone for choosing to spend their money at WDW.  I just don’t see how this is sustainable in the big picture.  

I'm going to touch on a few topic that i've read in this multi page thread.
 
1. Is FF slowing down?  Answer yes, I think other social media consumes peoples free time online.  I think they get most of their breaking news / updates there and come here just to see if anyone they know has something going on.  I'm not a social media user I only use Discord and involved in several topic servers there.
2. There are no moose in Great Smokey Mountains National Park, they would be Elk very very big elk.
3. The cost, and frustration of going to DW or the Fort.  My wife, our son (now 6) and I have been going to the fort every fall (Mid Sept) for over 10 years.  Our first year going we made reservations about 8 weeks out and hand APs for the parks.  As they years went by and my son was born (Oct 1, 2014) we moved our trip to Late Oct - Early Nov so we could do the Halloween Party and Christmas Party.  By this time we had to book our site over a year in advance.  This is where frustration with Disney, and the booking systems started for me in 2014 or 2015.
We missed 2020 due to me coming down with Covid but had done a fly down trip and stayed in a resort.  Then another fly down trip in March 21 when we renewed our APs and they gave us a large discount on a room.
Our  trips into the parks where a huge letdown.  While the parks were open, and most attractions were open they Magic was gone.  Completely Gone.  We saw No cast members making magical moments by interaction with guests.  The parks were not clean (clean to Disney Standard).  We will be leaving on Sep 10th for a 3 week stay at the Fort, but this trip is a lets see how it goes trip for us.  The park reservation system is by far the worst thing that's been implemented.  We enjoy waking up and deciding where we want to go that day.  We never pre book Fast Passes, usually only pre book a few meals.  Disney has taking our laid back family vacation and put us on their schedule.

bettcha my flip phone won't make the cut

bettcha my flip phone won't make the cut

bettcha my flip phone won't make the cut

In other Disney news, guests visiting Mickey's Backyard Massage Parlor and Casino are strongly encouraged to be up to date on their tetanus inoculation, and have a current prescription for penicillin on hand. 

I bet when you return to the cabin in the evening, there will be a QR code on your bed to scan and see pictures of towel animals. 

Hmmmm, stuff like this just makes me go into passive aggressive mode and play dumb old person. If and when I go back and have tickets, I'll just have to go to guest services and find out how to use this Genie+ thing without a smart phone. That's how we got RoR boarding passes.

I feel the same way, but the days of enjoying Disney without a smart phone are gone. The TCD gang is about to sail again on DCL very soon. Currently on the ships, everything is on the app. No paper Navigators, no paper menus, and you have to join a virtual queue to get a time to disembark on Castaway Cay.  And did they upgrade the ship wifi?  Of course not. Unfortunately, no amount of complaining to guest services is going to change any of this. The elimination of all the printed materials is a huge money saver.  And those savings are not passed on to the consumer- the executive bonuses will be obscene again this year. 
TCD

I can't get any answer anywhere, but my biggest concern is that it seems to be based on having to use a guest-provided smartphone to use the system. I REALLY hope that they revamp the FP kiosks to use the system with a card or Magic Band. I HATE using my phone in the parks, and have gone so far as to telling Guest Services and CMs that I don't have one. In the three or four times I've tried, I have NEVER even been able to get my phone to recognize the RoR queue. I've tried all the tricks. It merely goes from not time, not time, not time, not time..... full.
It really started rubbing me the wrong way, when we started dining out again and restaurants wanted us to use our phones to see the menu, and when we went to Disney, them trying to say we had to use mobile order, or using our phone to get a text for seating. I want a menu, I want a beeper to be called to my table, and I want to order in person.

It was never a solution to a problem that the Fast Pass system provided, it is just a new way to get money from the AP holders.

Lol. I love how they’re afraid to say what a Fastpass for a good ride will cost. Greedy b*stards. 
TCD