fladogfan aka Gretchen

But you have to melt perfectly good ice cream! 

Awesome! Those ribs are fabulous. This is going on my "gonna try" list! Or I may do it the easy way and just drive over!

I have had to unhook by myself before, I did it in the trailer parking lot up front, then took the bus from my loop back up to the parking lot to get the car.  Just another option, a lot of times the parking lot give you more time and you dont feel as rushed. 

Here is a video of the finishers banquet.  Warning, it's 1 hour 38 minutes long.  It starts with the Red Lantern winner, Gaetan Pierrard.
It gets more fun as it goes along.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v28BZIJWu2M&feature=youtu.be
 
This is the YQ's facebook page;
 
https://www.facebook.com/YukonQuest

I don't like the tone that this thread is taking, on both sides. I'm locking this thread for a day or so to let people cool off, and if people can't be civil, I'm going to move it to the debate thread so you can yell at each other all you want to about it. There's an interesting discussion to be had here, but it's been lost in everyone trying to score rhetorical points by sniping at one another.
I especially do not like it when you make up a name for the group of people who disagree with you. That way leads to community fracturing, and I will not have it.
It is perfectly OK for people to think that the Fort is, overall, a pretty great campsite (because it is!), and it's also OK for people to think that Disney has not managed it well in the past, present, and future (because they haven't!). People who hold these views are not enemies and, I believe, should stop arguing with one another.
I swear I feel like Dad stopping the car sometimes...

I really doubt it since the FORT's operating costs include all the seperate buildings, CS, Trading Posts, Outpost, TE, BYBBQ the two stables, internal buses, GCs, trucks & vans used for Maint. Everytime something needs repair it means driving not getting on the elevator and walking down the hall. Also maintaining underground utilities is not cheap. As an example Roto Rooter is here at least once a month cleaning sewer !Ines. When they resurfaced the roads last year that was probably $200,000-$300,00 minimum. 

Yea us.... Not.  We just love the crowds and clogged highways.

Marty she could always be one for little kids parties.  Probably could make a good chunk of change!

That was probably before some idiot stood up, fell off and sued DISNEY. 

Nice looking family enjoying your TR.  Yes, it's been cold here.  Well, cold to Floridian standards.  btw, I love the cold weather.  Going to warm this weekend and it's super sunny out right now.  Looking forward to more of your trip. 
PUG  (pop up gizmos) are worth every cent.  We first used them in NH in October a few years ago.  Didn't have them on the first night and the insides of the tent ends (we have a hybrid) were dripping the next morning.  Put the PUGs on and no more problems.  So they are good for hot and cold weather. 

IF YOU THINK I'M ANNOYING DURING THE YUKON QUEST...
WAIT TILL THE IDITAROD 

2 teams have scratched from the Quest   J Jay Levy, her dogs had been sick a couple weeks before the start and she thought they had recovered OK.  But as they ran she could see it wasn't a good idea to keep on running.  The other is Hank DeBruin, he runs Siberians,  just a lot of bad luck and bad weather.  (btw I love the Siberian teams even though they do not run fast, they are energizer bunnies of the sled dog  world)
Here is the thread about scratches form iditabuds.com.  2 pages , but there are some click on addresses from the scratched teams with news why they scratched..
http://iditabuds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3085
 
Right now Hugh Neff is in the lead, with Brent Sass 12 and Allen Moore 17 miles back.  Brent and Allen have more rest time on their teams so they might pass Hugh.  Who knows?  It's a RACE!!!!

Well, I have to agree partly about the Fort being about Wilderness. I do think that there are three things that bother me most about the current state of the Fort:
The Meadow Pool seriously needs an upgrade
No more swamp trail...
No more Cypress Point Nature Trail...
Seems like those things would fit nicely into the current Fort Wilderness. The latter two (or ones similar) wouldn't be major expenses to do either.

to me I cant put a cost to the memories that i made as a kid growing up at the fort.
I know my mom and dad worked OT, or second jobs to make it work and for that I am grateful.

That being said, I have made it, camping at the fort, a priority for my kids.

I am a Disney fan like most others, and it came to the realization that staying at a Disney property was going to be expensive, but the benefits about the transportation/ planning out weigh staying anywhere else( unless were there for 1 night)

back in 2014 we spent 27 nights in Disney hotels, and that set me back just over $6,000 for just the sleeping portion, that didn't include food/ drinks , add in tickets/ food and drink and I am sure It was over $10,000
The decision was made to skip 2015 and save money, I used that money to purchase our first pop up, something i never had as a kid growing up, I was in class C's at a young age and then transitioned to a trailer as we camped less and less.  
we have now camped at the fort 2 times for a total of 7 days and were only in 2 months in to using it, my kids faces light up when they see dad backing the truck up to the garage to hook up the camper, and for that I can not put a price on it.   
on our most recent trip, this just melted my heart...

he was so excited to be back at the mouse house.
so to answer the question, at what point does the fort become not worth it, Id have to say it will be at the point you stop making memories....

mom and dad told me you can always make more money, but you cant always make more memories
 

The YQ starts tomorrow, February 6, 2016.  http://www.yukonquest.com/about
As usual a good source for info is the  http://www.iditabuds.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=3  site.
Start order list:
http://www.iditabuds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3079
YQ start radio broadcast site:
http://www.iditabuds.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3077
 
 
 

It's also a slower time of year and they have drilled into everyone the need for ADRs. Especially in the parks unless there was a big sign out in front saying "no ADR needed" I'd probably walk on by thinking I would never get in.
I hope it works out and they keep it off the ADR list, if they had at least one sit down restaurant at each park for us nonplanners would be great!
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

We had dinner there last night (Monday) and the server we had indicated that as far as they all were aware there were no plans to take ADR's.  Apparently a number of the guests have indicate they really like being able to walk in and have a nice meal as opposed to planning months in advance.  Which for me is a real plus because often we don't know what we want to eat until the last minute,

Ya think the bakery smells like the no-longer available cinnamon rolls?

TCD, I don't think you are in the minority for those of us who have been familiar with Walt's Dream and the original layout of the Bay Lake/Seven Seas areas.  These new constructions will be accepted by the new millennials who never knew the relaxed atmosphere of the lakes.  The same goes for the new construction in the Parks.  They won't know what thy are missing from the "old days".  "Everyman" will be priced out, and WDW will become a playground for the rich and famous...much as things like the Super Bowl is not an on-site football game for football fans. 

Marty, go back and look at our pictures from the past few WWWs and ignore the politics talk!  Think about what great times you had with friends and Sarah!  And spend time anticipating the great time you'll have this year.

GO MO GO
GO MO GO
MO GO MO

Especially since this is your first trip, you will find the Fort a wondrous place.  And it is and always has been far more family friendly than any of the hotels.  We have always said you could spend a week in the Fort and never go into the parks and still have a great time.
I read through all the posts here and I am going to go out on a limb.  It seems most of the posts are from folks who have been staying at the Fort for years.  Like anything else we see the Fort change and be a little or a lot less magical as our memories of earlier trips.  And we see the prices going up, which is aggravating especially when we are getting less than what we used to get.  
I will be the first one to complain about the overall cost of the Fort but the minute I get there all that goes away and I am in one of my favorite places to camp.  I notice the changes but I try not to let them get me down.  I look around and overall I'd rather be here than just about anywhere (except maybe a good beach bar).
Last year I was having the normal the cost of this is going to kill me thoughts.  I went on to Disney's site and found a deal to stay at the Caribbean Beach saving us $500.00 when you factor in the cost of gas.  So we changed and stayed at the Caribbean Beach and it was the worst $500.00 saving I ever had.  We missed the campground, looping with our way to expensive Disney golf cart, and most important staying where we have all our stuff at our disposal.  Can't do all that in a hotel room.  
So going forward we will only be staying at the Fort when we go to Disney, the heck with the cost (at least for now).  But what we will do is cut down on the number of trips per year.  We will go from 3 to 4 trips a year, to 1 or 2.  But I would rather do that then stay in a hotel.  And who knows maybe a few less trips could bring back some of the old magic and wonder to the Fort.
Since we are currently living in TX and do about 90% of our vacationing at the Fort, this will give us the opportunity to see Florida outside of Disney.  I'm not talking the other theme parks, but just the old school tourist stuff.  Because when we are at the Fort it is rare we leave Disney property, so this gives us a chance to explore.
Sorry this is by far my longest post.  Hopefully it makes as much sense as it did in my head. 

Snarky with a musket pocket design

I don't know what to call it as it is. Usually I call it MGM or MGHOLLY... whatever or that other park that's not MK, Epoct, or AK.
I'm just glad that got rid of that eyesore of a hat! (Sorry to that hat lovers). Hopefully though doubtful they reuse the tower somewhere.

Can they program them to knock iPads to the ground?