North7... Jeff

We were at Fort Wilderness the last week in July and first three weeks in August.  The first 3 weeks we were in site 1318 and the WiFi was terrible.  Very low signal strength.  The laptop connection was usually OK, but the iPhones and Fire TV kept dropping the connection.  We moved to the 1200 loop for our last week because they closed the 1300 for tree trimming.  The WiFi signal here was a lot better with speeds generally around 5 mbps.   

On two occasions, we have purchased our annual passes at Guest Relations at Disney Springs (formally Downtown Disney).  Guest Relations is located in the building behind Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop and is usually not very busy.

We've taken the 295 East route the last 3 trips and have not encountered any issues.  According to Google Maps, it is the shortest and quickest route.  Others that travel this route more frequently may have encountered issues that we've been lucky enough to avoid during our limited use.

I'm not saying that it doesn't happen because it has, but I've never seen a private vehicle drive in there whenever I've gone by. And you can imagine how many times I've driven by there over the past six years

You have to go out of your way in order to do it intentionally, but why would anyone want to do it. And to do it accidently, someone needs to lose their license.

You surprised me with this reply Lou... I fully expected you to say the only vehicles you've seen drive in there have had Ontario plates on them!!  :rofl2:

Seriously?

 

I was at the Fort from March 6-10.  At check in, we were issued blank KTTW cards and specifically told that our Magic Bands would not open the comfort stations or the gate-which is why we were issued the blank KTTW cards.

 

A while back, there were reports from fellow Fiends who went in to the Reception Outpost, and were able to have their Magic Bands set up to open the gates and comfort stations.  But this was not something done at check-in.

 

Did your magic bands open the comfort stations too?  When were they issued to you?  Did you have to do something special to get them to work?

 

TCD

We only stayed 1 night as we were passing through to our destination further south.  We have AP's and the kids wanted to spend a day hitting some of their favorite attractions.  I checked in early (6:30 am) to pick up our new Magic Bands which had the AP's and FastPasses linked... Disney currently will not mail Magic Bands outside the US.

We didn't receive any KTTW cards at check-in.  I assume the magic bands worked on the comfort stations (since we didn't get any KTTW cards) but I don't know for sure as we didn't use them.  

On Sunday morning, March 9th, I went to the HESS station to fill up and used my magic band to enter FW on my return.  I had the band on my right arm but couldn't reach the scanner that way.  I had to remove it and hold it up to the scanner.  I can't remember if there was a card reader still there or not.

It sounds like this must be a recent change.

 

To get back in the Fort, you will need your blank KTTW card to open the gate (make sure to get one at check-in, unless the Magic Bands are working by then).  Or just drive up to the guard shack and tell them you're there to swim in the pool.

 

TCD

The Magic Bands opened the gate at the main entrance for us on March 9th.  

Hey Troll, I'm hoping the delay in your posting is because you're trying to let the anticipation build!!  If that's not the case, I hope everything works out for the best.   

Don't believe everything people are saying. The bypass to the east was the greatest thing Florida DOT ever did. It is much shorter than the western bypass and much less traffic than the straight route. My wife is no fan of bridges. I tell her to close her eyes and deal with it. Keep to the middle lane and everything is cool. On second thought, I strongly encourage everyone to use the western route. It will keep traffic down even more for me.

I agree with this 100%.  I think it was Stacktester who recommended this route when it opened and he should know as I believe he lives in Jacksonville.  Originally, I think it may have been called 9A rather than 295 East but I could be confusing things.

The 295 West bypass seems to add a lot of extra distance but the 295 East route seemed really fast in comparison on the 3 trips I've used it. I haven't found traffic to be heavy but I haven't traveled this route during rush hour.

I recently made a reservation with Vacation Strategy for a 2 bedroom suite at Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort for a 14 night stay this Christmas.  I originally had a reservation at Port Orleans Riverside for 7 nights and then we were going to stay at Blue Heron Beach Resort for another 7.  Our kids are now 17 and 16 and after thinking about it, we all agreed that we didn't want to spend a week in a small resort room and looked for other options.

I have never stayed at Bonnet Creek but have read a lot of positive reviews.  The change to the bus policy came after I reserved but we will just drive to the parks rather than taking the bus.  It would cost us $20 per trip for our family to ride the bus so we'll convert our unused 7 day park hopper tickets to annual passes as we are planning on returning in March anyway.  This will save us having to pay the $14 daily parking fee.

The cost per night at Bonnet Creek for a 2 bedroom, 1200 sq ft condo was just over half of what it was going to cost for a standard room at Port Orleans Riverside (314 sq ft) and will give us so much more room.  It seems like a pretty simple choice but I'm still a little nervous about it as I've never stayed there.

Has anyone stayed at Bonnet Creek and if so, would you mind sharing your thoughts about the resort?

Thanks.

If you do end up renting a pop up, I can give you one piece of advice that we learned the hard way. Whenever you leave your site, make sure you close all the zippered flaps on the pop up. We left our site to head to the settlement and left the flaps down as it was sunny and clear. The weather can change quickly (especially in the summer) and a storm came in a hurry and we couldn't get back to the site in time. All the bedding and pillows were soaked by the time we got back. You will only make that mistake once :rofl2:

thank you! Does anyone know about how well the AC's keep a pop up cool in the heat?

Welcome Lucinda574!! We had a Coleman pop up (12 ft box) with a Carrier 12.5K AC and camped at FW in August of 2001 and had no issue keeping the pop up cool. In fact, there were a few times my wife turned it off for a while because she was too cold. I was actually surprised the canvas would retain as much of the cool air as it did. We're from Ontario and not accustomed to that type of humidity but we all agreed the horror stories about the summer heat/humidity were not as bad as we were led to believe. In fact, we've since camped many times in August at FW. I don't think you should have any issues, especially in April.

Have a great trip and enjoy the planning.

Another thing to keep in mind is that if you have charging privileges on your Keys to the World card, make sure you update your account with the new card number when you check in at Fort Wilderness if you used your old card number to make your original FW reservation.

We had the same CC scenario as you described and when I went to the front desk to ask them to charge all my purchases back to my credit card, the front desk CM said there was a problem and kept my card. It took a call to the CC company to figure out that they were trying to charge back to my old CC number that was no longer active even though I had given the CM my new card!!

Another thing to keep in mind for future reservations is that AAA discounts are usually released in August or September for the following year and the number of sites are limited. If I remember correctly, the 2013 AAA discounts were released in August 2012. This is good for people who plan their trips well in advance but not so good for last minute trips.

Keep calling to check on a discount especially once your dates are closer... someone who has an AAA discount may need to cancel their reservation. I've had luck with this before.

Another hottie for my girls....Dario Franchitti. (AKA, Mr. Ashley Judd :- )

SiriusXM NASCAR Radio reported this morning that he won't be Mr. Ashley Judd for much longer. They are separating after 11 years of marriage.

Thanks so much for the info!!

Carol, where did you find the large shelter you have over the tent? It looks like it is double the size of an average one... it's exactly what I'm looking for. Is the shelter over your trailer also a large one or is it a number of smaller ones put together?

Jeff

A TCD trip report is the perfect way to start a new week!! There must have been a number of Fiends around the Fort last week as it was pretty quiet on the forum.

Looking forward to reading all about it!

It was March Break 1978. I even remember the site... 1313 Tumbleweed Turn. My parents made sure all of us knew the address in case we got lost :rofl2:

I think in most, if not all, cases the sites in the premium loops are larger than the preferred. The entrances to the premium loops have been widened over the last few years to make it easier for bigger RVs to back into. There also seems to be a little more room between sites in the premium compared to the preferred loops.

We also grew tired of the sand all through the trailer and now only stay in the premium loops for that reason.

Check out Brent's videos of the sites on youtube to get an idea of size. They can be found in this thread.

On my last trip in February, we left MCO via the south exit and then on 417. We then exited 417 at SR 536. On this route there were two tolls and they were both $1.25, so $5.00 would cover the round trip from MCO to WDW taking this route.

However, after checking the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority web site, it appears a toll increase came into effect July 1st, 2012 and the according to the toll calculator on their site, the route I noted above is now $3.00 in each direction or $6.00 for a round trip (I'm guessing it is $1.50 at each of the tolls).

The toll calculator is located here if you need to calculate tolls for other routes.

Have fun!!

Welcome!!! This sounds like it's going to be an interesting trip report. :jumpforjoy

My parents are on their second one (yeah they use it alot). Their's is simillar to this.

We have the same Magic Chef as your parents do... it is also our 2nd one and we've used this one for 4 summers now. I have 2 Coleman Xtreme coolers (one for beer and one for water/drinks for the kids) and this ice maker can keep both coolers supplied with some left over for friends who may need it.

In the summer, we camp anywhere from 4-6 weeks straight and the ice maker runs 24/7. With the price of a bag of ice anywhere from $2.50 - $3.25 (in our area), this ice maker has paid for itself many times over!!

If you do decide to get one, you won't be disappointed.

Ontario has had legislation banning pit bulls since 2005. If you were entering Canada in Ontario, your dogs would not be allowed but it looks like you will be entering via New Brunswick on your way to PEI (I'm assuming you will stay in the US on your way to Hershey). On your return trip, you will enter Ontario from Quebec and this is the same as travelling from one state to another (just a "Welcome to ..." sign).

You mentioned that you are planning on staying in London, ON on your way home... are you planning on overnighting at the Flying J located there? If not, you may have a hard time finding a campground if they are aware you have pit bulls.

Here is a cut and paste of info from the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General web site

• It is against the law to bring pit bulls into Ontario, even for a short visit.
  
• There are no exceptions made for:
  
  • Tourists
    
  • People moving to Ontario, or
    
  • Military personnel being transferred to Ontario postings.
    

And from the FAQ section...

Hope this helps... I would hate to see you or anyone else have your dogs seized. I'm not sure if Quebec, New Brunswick, or PEI have similar legislation. Have a great trip,,, PEI is beautiful!!

There isn't a lot of information here but it does include a few photos.

http://disneyparks.d...-river-country/

That makes sense... don't know what I was thinking!! :faceplant2:

Thanks for the clarification.