h2odivers...Ray

This isn't new.   I was a part of one last year at the MK. Me and 20.000 other guests were frozen on mainst USA for an hour. Waiting and then watching the castle fireworks show on Christmas Day. Lol. 

Thank goodness because this is a huge pita to deal with! 

Glad to see rotisserie chicken is still on the menu.

Looking forward to seeing everyone on the 27th. 

That's true. 
Now if Dave was to show up we would have our Curly to Our Mo and Larry. 

Ray and Kelly would be more fun than Vicky and Al.

We plan on it & cannot wait! Jason is the man as he was able to get ours also! We should start our count downs!

its super exciting to me. Now they will be able to get even more people into the MK during Christmas time.

We don't smoke, nor do currently any of our immediate family members. Some family members can't be around cigarette smoke for health reasons.  Being around it makes my head hurt and my throat feel like it is closing in.  That being said, I understand that it is some peoples' choice and those that do want to quit can have a very hard time doing so.  Banning it from restaurants and stores is fine with me - close quarters and hard to get away from.  In those instances, smoking patrons will not be there that long and can step outside to smoke it they choose.  At Disney, however, that is a full day's commitment for most people.  There needs to be several areas for smokers to use, but I would like to see them located in areas off by themselves - NOT pathways.  That way the smoke/smell does not bother others. They have some privacy as well.   

As a non- smoker I disagree with how Disney is handling this.  I don't like the smell of smoke and I don't like walking through the smoking areas.   But I know that smokers come to wdw and they should be accomadated    
 
And who are we to say what a grown person should or shouldn't do?  We all know that smoking is bad for you but so are lots of other things people do.   One of my biggest complaints at wdw and other public venues is people who use vulgar language  especially around my young daughter.   Should you ban those people from the parks also?   No.   I'm sure we all have a habit that would offend someone else.  
 
I do think Disney could find better areas for smokers to go that won't be in direct sight or smell of non-smoking guests.  
 
 

I procured some new flavors and had to test them out. Last night I ended up throwing on a couple of pork loins to test out the new rubs, it ended well :)

As someone who has grown up in Florida and had a close friend lose a brother to an alligator attack and several friends and neighbors lose dogs to them as well, I know all too well not to be near the water at sunrise or sunset, much less at night.  However, I am not the norm.  I don't think there has ever been a time I have driven near the waterfront at FW and not heard a gator along with the frogs.  Do you need to know what you are listening for?  Yes, you do.  Do I make it my knowledge to know?  Yes, I do.  However, I am not the norm.  Like everyone else has said, Disney gives most people a sense of euphoria where they think reality is somewhere else.  I am guilty of it too.  (i.e. WWW, lol)  I feel so bad for this family and hurt for them.  I wish more people would educate themselves before they come to Florida on the aquatic wildlife, even when they are at the happiest place (swamp) on earth so this will never ever happen to another family again.

Dear Tag Fairy,
It has been awhile since you have updated Dave's tag. Just sayin. 

Oh, I have an awesome story to tell from dinner. We were talking to the lady at the bar next to us. We were talking about the Fort and our campers. I mentioned I had a T@B teardrop. She said "I love those campers! Earlier this year I stalked one on the road near my house to get a picture. It was white with blue trim and had Mickey's down the side".
NO WAY!!! She showed a picture from her phone and it was MY CAMPER!! This, as it turned out was in Destin in January. Rick and myself were on a quick weekend trip to Topsail Hill State Park.

Wasn't weather a major factor on your last trip? If I remember correctly it was on the return home portion. Have fun even rain at Disney can still be magical. 

Are you trying to get us in trouble again????
You're going to trigger the wrath of the Rose Colored Glasses Brigade again if you're not careful......
Repeat after me: "The Fort is Great Just the Way it Is"  "The Fort is Not a Red-Headed Stepchild"  "The Fort is better now than it has ever been"
Problems? I don't see no stinkin Problems!!   
 

Our good old days only go back to 2002 when we moved to FL.  The biggest changes we saw were after the 2004 hurricanes.  The planting of new shrubs and then the wider premium sites.  Now about 11 years later there is a nice amount of privacy at most sites.  Other campgrounds in FL tend to be side by side with no shrubs. 

Wagon rides, pool activities, water slide.  Can't say campfire program because that's been going on forever.

We enjoyed our trips in the 90's and early 2000's more than the more resent trips.  While I made a lot less money back then I could better afford the trips.  We loved the petting zoo with Minnie Moo and all the other animals.  We went to River Country so the pool being plain did not bother us.  We didn't feel like we had to get a golf cart back then because we felt safe riding bikes for transportation.  Most sites had a lot more privacy than they do now.  I liked that the courts all had balls available at the court and all the nets were always in great shape. I don't ever remember seeing a tetherball pole without a ball or swing sets without swings plus they were in a lot more locations.  There just seemed to be more interesting things to see and do.  The peacocks, the walking trails, the props around the fort like the water wagon, the covered wagon, the ice cream wagon, lawnmower tree, the travel trailer they had on display by Pioneer Hall.  I guess part of it has to do with memories of our DD and her friends and our friends' kids and the fact that going to the Fort was new to us.  I don't remember it being hard at all to get a reservation except for holiday weekends and even then you only had to book a month or two out.  I also don't remember soooo many rude and me me me people.  They have made a lot of improvements over the years that I do like.  I like the pool upgrade with the slide, kid splash area, accessibly lifts, a lot more seating, and the hot tubs.  While they didn't enlarge the footprint of the pool filling in the deep end did increase the number of people that could be in the pool.  Without a diving board or being allowed to run and jump in the pool the deep end was kind of a wasted space which mostly just had a few people holding on to the edge of the pool.  I like that they added cable and internet to all the sites and I like they made some sites premium to more easily fit the big rigs and offer an all paved site. (I just wish they had not done so many) I love that they will now have WiFi everywhere.  I'm sure the pet lovers are thrilled to now be able to bring their pets and they even built a dog park and many dog walking areas.  Things change.  Always have and always will. I just think there was a lot more to do back then.

The question was then or now, I have a third choice, future.  My favorite fort trip is always the next one.  We have been camping at the fort since 1990, not as long as some, but longer than others.  The only thing I have really complained about are the prices.  But as stated earlier other tourist destination campground prices are priced similarly, so that complaint goes out the window.  One of the things I miss is the petting zoo, when it was up near Pioneer Hall. I have some great pictures of my kids with the animals and also on the pony rides.  The question is do I really miss that stuff or the memories of my kids being that young and the joy on their faces.  Our youngest is now 25 with one child.  So I guess the answer may be that I miss the good ole' days, not because the fort was better, but maybe because we viewed it a whole different way through the eyes of our children.  I am not going to write anymore at the moment because this got way too "dag gum" sappy.

Very Well said Dave.
Rich and I have been camping there for about 37 years and though there are things we miss, it is still our fav. CG ever.
I do miss the Deli, but there is always change sometimes good and sometimes not so good. But what is not so good to some is great to others

Well said. 

Before I answer that directly I have to put things in perspective.
Grandma and I have never considered the FORT a "campground" it has always been a "THEMED"  RV destination resort(We've been fully self-contained since 1977). Campgrounds, at least to us, are KOAs, Jellystone Parks, State and County parks etc. These are places where you may be parked on pavement but usually grass or gravel and in many tourist areas, during peak season, not much cheaper than the tent sites at the FORT and the only thing you gain is sewer. Example:  Rapid City SD KOA, about an hour from MT. Rushmore in June with 4 kids you'd pay $75.00 a night to park in a mud hole if it rained.  West Yellowstone KOA, again a gravel site $95.00 a night.  A KOA in Wapakoneta OH, where you have about 8 ft between your awning and your neighbor, concrete pad here $88.00 a night.,
With that said I consider the fact that the FORT has kept up with "growing" RVs (larger pads in the Premium sites) the fact that they still allow larger families to camp together without an extra charge two very positive things. The recent addition of the walkway to the Marina a very positive move, the new drink dispenser at the pool another plus. The other amenities that we still have are great, by comparison to most "campgrounds". The campfire, sing along and movie, wishes at the beach every night if you so desire. The games and activites at the pool for the kiddos. A great on site restaurant and bar at TE, Trading posts that do carry a better selection than most CG stores and with pricing very close.
Would I like to see RC resurrected, the food truck and breakfast cart return, a deep water pool sure, but unfortunately, "Big Brother" and the attorneys won out. Too much liability. WeI would also like to see all the rules religiously enforced, but some people ignore them in most other campgrounds as well and get away with it. 
 As with many of you we don't always cherish change, but that is all part of life, it and things change.  We have RV'd/camped in all but two of the lower 48 and all of the lower Canadian Provinces. We have yet to find a place that gives you the same "bang for the buck" as the FORT.
 

I did! I'll try to dig them up tomorrow. :)

I like the addition of the wagon rides.