h2odivers...Ray

I don't want anyone to misunderstand. I love the fort. It's the place I wish i could stay ever time we go to WDW.     Sometimes when we are staying at another resort I'll head to the fort and just walk around and soak it all in.    I've been known to take the boat from the MK and have a beer, all by myself, on the porch.  I especially love it at christmas time.    I'll grab a beer (or two) at the settlement trading post and walk to the meadows rec area and back.    And since I don't own a RV I have to rent one which costs us even more.  Sadly the Fort is just out of my budget.   I also loved our Disney cruise but it too is out of our budget. 

Awesome quote. Yes we are talking about the fort and not other campground. I don't care what other campgrounds charge.don't go there either if you don't like the price. And you can't compare California stuff to Florida. Hell, look at Disneyland compared to Walt Disney World. I agree 100% on returning customers. Hell, again it's a campground people.  We are the 5% the camp predominately camp at the fort. Again we are lucky enough to live close by. As a lot of people say, you get spoiled after staying at the fort.  As I stated before, we sold our camper for two reasons. One, the fort is just out of control with prices and rule breakers. The second was my kids wanted to go other places other than the most magical place on earth. In my opinion, it's not the most magical place on earth anymore.  Look at what they are doing to the Star Wars franchise. Again, in my opinion they're ruining a good franchise that let just enough movies and items out in the past and are now over saturating the franchise to the point where it's going to crash and burn, but make them a butt load of money    And while I am on a rant, who in their right mind would buy a one day ticket for Hollywood studios these days. You might as well just put money in an envelope and send it to Disney. 

With all due respect. 
We are talking about the Fort.
Not other campgrounds. 
I know this is a touchy subject, based on several posts here,  but the fort keeps raising their prices and cutting back on service.   I believe most of us can agree on that.   But it's not just the fort. It's all of WDW.    
IMHO Disney is living off of its reputation as being the number one family vacation destination.
And those bean counters in the corporate office don't see that they are running off life long loyal customers.   Just read some of the posts on this thread. 
You will see comments like...
"we were ones that solely camped at the fort and reservations and prices just got too out of control for us."
"I wish they would slow down on the price increases"
"I agree that rates are getting to the point that no matter how much we like the fort it is something we won't be doing as often as we would like to."
 
I will defend WDW's right to charge what every the market will bear.  Heck, I own stock  I want them to make money.   
But if you look at other industries they have loyalty programs and cater more to their loyal customers than Disney.  
Why?  Because they know that their regular loyal customers are their bread and butter.   Its business 101.
its cheaper to market to an existing customer.  It costs about 6-8 times more to attract a new customer than it does to keep an existing customer. Approve 65-70% of most company's business comes from existing customers. 
Yes  there will always be those people that save up their pennies to take a once in a lifetime disney vacations and they won't know how much prices have gone up and service and quality has gone down  
It seems like Disney is choosing to make a quick buck off of the once in a life time customer.  
I personally would rather make $20 off of a loyal customer once or twice  a year for the next 20 years then make $100 one time off of a one time customer.  
But thats just my opinion   
 

I wouldn't eat that. It's 5 years old. It's probably spoiled.  And if it's not spoiled...you shouldn't eat it because it has way to many preservatives. Lol

I want to try the curry chicken pockets.   

I want to try the curry chicken pockets.   

Nope.   
I think the more countries the better. 
i likeThe Pacific islanders. the idea of Brazil.   Brazil has a lot more to offer than screaming, chanting teenagers.  
 I would also like to see Australia, Russia, and maybe a "country "that represents The Pacific islanders.
 

Guess I'm the only one who hopes this happens? I'd love to see new countries added!
 
 
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No the magic is not gone.   
Magic is in your heart and in your imagination  
Maybe you have grown cynical and let the magic die.  Or you've lost that inner child that doesn't see the man behind the curtain. 
Many of us on here and other Disney forums have visited WDW dozens of times over several decades and watched attractions, restaurants, etc. come and go and be changed.  And most of the time it seems like we don't like the changes. But we keep going back. 
Why?
Because we like standing in line for hours, or eating $14 hamburgers ?
No, because it is a magical place were we can spend time with friends and family and escape our every day lives.
Rock and Roll didn't ruin the kids growing up in the 50's & 60's. 
Television didn't fry the minds of kids growing up in the 70's & 80's 
and cell phones have not ruining this generation.   They are a tool. That helps us in our every day lives. It's up to the parents to control how, and how much their children use or abuse the technology. 
So if you think the magic is gone maybe you could try to put on blinders or look at WDW through the eyes of a child.  And hopefully you will find the magic you've lost. 

What?  
Dave your taking personal responsibility for your daughter?  
Dont you know it's other people's fault for not making the veranda safe for kids?
dinsey should make all verandas kid safe. Maybe put a full enclosure on ever veranda and remove all the tables and chairs.  Regardless if it takes away from others enjoyment and relaxation. 
Your attitude makes it more difficult for those parents who don't have time to take care of their own kids. Some of them have post their entire days activities on Facebook.
 
   

That literally made mo lol!
im the words of Forrest Gump
"Stupid is as stupid does,"

We play transportation roulette on off days all the time, go to the fort bus stop, whichever bus comes first, hop on. Lots of times, the bus will be going to a different resort after stopping at a park. We stay on the bus and go to that resort, have lunch (cause we never leave the camper before lunch), then wander, have a drink, then hop on the next bus (or boat), or take a pathway from that resort somewhere else, etc., etc. We then usually end up at Earl of Sandwich for dinner (or now that more casual dining is open at Disney Springs, we'll be trying other things), then perhaps some shopping, then back to the Fort.

I agree 100%  
Thats one of the biggest perks about staying on property.  And your right 99% of the time the wait for a bus, boat, or monorail is less than 15 or 20 minutes.   Even now we uber from our condo to the parks and Disney springs. I rather pay a couple of bucks than have to worry about driving and parking. 

Glad the  grandkids had a great time.
As Dave said… Chocolate CHIP. Will help you remember.
BTW anyone can visit the fort  or any other resort. Whether their guests or not. They're just not allowed to use the swimming pools. 

Agree. You've decided the parks are not a good value for family and you've spoken with your pocket book.   
Im not there. Yet. But I spoke with my pocket book when it comes to the high cost of Disney resorts. because we have decided staying on property is not worth the value to us.   For the price of a premium site or a value resort we can stay at a 4 star property with all of he amenities of a Disney deluxe resort.   And we are closer to Epcot and HS than the mother norail deluxe resorts  
No we don't have "magic" or the monorail. But I can sit on my balcony and watch the Epcot and HS fireworks. 

Iirc the movie does start a little bit late.  When DD was younger we would take a little nap.  Then go swimming and watch the movie from the pool.  Great memories!

I'm sure they will still have the movie and hopefully they will surprise everyone with a special treat. 

As promised, here are some pics.
First, we have the golf cart on its trailer to bring it down. This is a 4 x 8 trailer I purchased used, but is available (unassembled) from Harbor Freight for around $400. Since the cart sticks off the back a little, I chose not to use a traditional hinged gate ramp. Instead, the sides come off and are the loading ramps (I used clevis pins with cotter pins to lock them in place so they are easily removable). Additionally, the height of the legs is intentional. When the ramps are in place, I use the clevis pins with a steel plate to keep the ramps from moving (apart or together). That red box on the seat is the collapsible wagon (we had to pack everywhere since the first part of our journey was in a minivan).

Here we are unloading the golf cart at the Fort! The chain was to keep the cart from being stolen since we had a long trip with an overnight stop in a rest area. The straps are what held everything in place.

Here we are with the wagon attached. I just lowered the handle of the wagon over the grab bar of the cart. If you notice in the first picture, there is actually a handle attached. Funny story. You'll have to read the trip report when I get it up... You can see the mobility cart and wheelchair under the canopy in the background.
I love the instant canopies! They serve as a garage and are great if there is any rain. Chargers store under cover, as does the cart at night.

Here we are loaded up and ready to go!


It was a little crowded, but hey, we got 6 people plus all needed accessories. By later in the week, we also started putting the backpack in the wagon. Tried the wheelchair, but just couldn't get it to stay.
As I stated before, I like this type of wagon because when we got to the parking, it folded up and stored in the front of the cart with no issues. Hope this helps!

I agree. They are too dangerous.  
Just last week at Shady Pines 3 seasoned citizens thru out  their hips. It was horrible!  
Mrs. Allen will be out for at least 3 weeks.  They don't  know who will be calling bingo next week. 

Great idea.  That would make it harder for the person who's trying to sneak their little poochie on an airplane for free. 

What?  
Dave your taking personal responsibility for your daughter?  
Dont you know it's other people's fault for not making the veranda safe for kids?
dinsey should make all verandas kid safe. Maybe put a full enclosure on ever veranda and remove all the tables and chairs.  Regardless if it takes away from others enjoyment and relaxation. 
Your attitude makes it more difficult for those parents who don't have time to take care of their own kids. Some of them have post their entire days activities on Facebook.
 
   

I hope they are able to get some sort of regulation passed to stop this abuse. 
To me it's pretty simple.  States can put an endorsement on your drivers license or ID card.  You take a letter from a doctor to the DMV and you get the endorsement. Or issue a separate state issued card stating you have the right to a service dog.  It doesn't have to say why you need it. Just that you do.   And allow businesses to ask to see the card with the fear of backlash. 

I hope they are able to get some sort of regulation passed to stop this abuse. 
To me it's pretty simple.  States can put an endorsement on your drivers license or ID card.  You take a letter from a doctor to the DMV and you get the endorsement. Or issue a separate state issued card stating you have the right to a service dog.  It doesn't have to say why you need it. Just that you do.   And allow businesses to ask to see the card with the fear of backlash. 

Tell your daughter thank you for her service. 
 
Once a marine, always a marine!

Smartened up?  
Your joking right?  
They don't even have their own academy. Or their own doctors.  They have to borrow the navy's stuff.  Lol 
 
thank you 
Ray- USN