BuckeyeFortFan

10 minutes ago, DaveInTN said:

TCD meant Outpost.  I think he just mistyped.  

What a noob.

Thanks TCD.  We've been busy but this new resort news has really sparked my fort interest.

Now that you mention it, I might be mistaken on the new barn location. Did you mean plans for the barn at the settlement or the outpost?  The settlement is at the Pioneer Hall end of the campground...right?  It would make sense to move it to the outpost since they already have buildings there and the settlement is getting crowded.

This thing is big.  Grand Floridian big if you go by number of rooms, and they may not all be conventional rooms.  The article alludes to nature inspired "fun and surprising accommodation types that families will find irresistible."  What does that mean?  Teepees?  Yurts?  Tree houses?  They will follow the current model and stick some high dollar rooms along the lake shore for sure.  Those things take up a lot of space compared to large boxes of rooms stacked 7 or 8 stories high.  Of course this will require all of the space eating amenities that the other resorts have, none of which are currently in place like a huge parking lot, security gates, bus stops, delivery access, pool(s), restaurants, valet....the list goes on. 

We know they are moving the TCD ranch, supposedly to the other side of West Wilderness Road but I question if that is far enough.  We wouldn't want the inner workings of a horse barn seen from a $600 a night hotel room.

Pioneer Hall is probably the oldest building on property.  The back side is a jumbled mess, currently blocked from view from the ground by trees and a big brown fence.  I think they will have the same issue with visibility from a 7th floor room as with the barn and predict Pioneer Hall is razed and HDDR moved into a new theater in the resort.  I don't know if Trails End would get resurrected.

Both of these issues could be avoided by pushing the resort towards WL, but they are definitely moving the barn AND I bet they do not build a separate marina for the new resort, allowing for a shared boat for FW and the new resort from the current dock.  This resort will come right up to Clementine,s Beach, if it doesn't completely absorb it, so that the marina is not too far of a distance for those guests.  This leads me to think that any non-pedestrian access for FW guests will stop at Big Pine Road, and if they continue to allow golf carts, cart parking for the marina will be at the corner of Big Pine and Fort Wilderness Trail.  Being the pessimist I am, I wonder If we even lose the 100 loop. 

As to road access, I agree that there is no chance they will access through the campground for the new resorts guests....but deliveries might.  I think access will be along the yellow route with a gate just past where Frontier Way dead ends at West Wilderness Road.

Long story short.....I think impact on FW is going to be significant and may be the final nail in the coffin of the FW that we know.

I had never heard of a Mute Swan either, so I looked it up.  They aren't really deadly, they're just a-holes.

The movie will be shown in the draft horse barn at the TCD Ranch.  The aisle way is easily large enough for 8-10 chairs across and as many rows as you could continue to see the screen and not complain that you didn't get your $22 worth.  The meet and greet will probably be in there too, thus preventing non-payers from enjoying the show for free.  I wouldn't count on being able to meet the horse though.  I cannot think of another meet and greet with a live animal, and even though a draft horse is more gentle and calm than a light horse, it is still a 2000 lb animal with a lemon sized brain.

Nice trip Report TCD, entertaining as always.  Thank you for writing it and giving me a little vacation from the single digits here in Ohio.

I let the wife know she got mentioned in an authentic TCDTR.  She was quite pleased.

Rocky is looking good.  Our boxer is more gray than fawn these days.

It's a good thing you didn't watch that "Big 10" game you mentioned.  I don't know if you SEC folk can handle that level of competition.

I believe it was early June as our schools finish around memorial day....and it likely was a weeknight too.  

We had reservations at camp wilderness once.  We left home at 8 am on a June morning and drove all day to Charlotte.  We arrived at 4 or 5 pm and checked in, set up the TT and headed for the pool as it was in the 90s and 3 kids had been couped up in the truck all day with only promises of swimming to keep them going.  Pool was closed.  It wasn't 6pm yet.  Hours of daylight left.  I enquired as to the pool closing situation.  Apparently the pool had to close when the amusement park did....or some equally stupid reason.  I got our money back, hitched the trailer back up, and drove to the 5 miles down 77 to the fort Mill koa, where the pool was open until 10....because people like to swim in June.....after 4 o'clock.

"Resting Bitch Face"

No one had it worse than Cleveland fans, back when they had a professional team.

Well...one positive thing...a Disney cruise is looking more and more like the economical option. No?

And that is why I will never tent camp again. Thanks for the trip report.....and the reminder of what misery is. Looking forward to reading more.

Good post.

There should be a special area for folks in wheelchairs, moms with strollers, and Ohio State fans to line up behind the regular guests who are able to safely walk to the attractions.

TCD

Ohio State fans already have a special area...it is called "the front of the line".

4 little BuckeyeFortFans

We love getting to the park early and getting a bunch of stuff done quick.  But the "Rope drop" is asinine.

The turnstiles (or Mickey Band Reader now) provides an excellent access point to the park and allows guests to filter through them and make their way at their own pace (assuming they are not running like jackasses) to their first attraction.

The rope drop, on the other hand, funnels hundreds of people, along with their strollers and wheelchairs and ECV's and everything else, into a tiny area, makes them stand there for half an hour while hundreds more push in behind them, and then force marches them, shoulder to shoulder, at the pace set by the CM's along a narrow pathway chosen by management.  A recipe for disaster. 

Now I know what all you kool-aid drinkers will say "If you don't like it don't go."  I will go, because it is the best use of my time and money.  I just think it is a bad idea.

Well, we managed to do the impossible last year against Ohio St, but I'm not sure our first game this year will go as well.

Go Hokies!

Oh....you never know. The Buckeyes have a few key players on the bench, they are away, and they never have done well as the favorite. We still don't know who the quarterback will be and the most experienced receiver is Braxton "ligaments of glass" Miller. It will be interesting for sure.

As much as I love the fort.....I would not do it for 1 night.

1.  Getting into the Fort....onto WDW property, through the MK gate, past the FW guard shack, the checking in, getting into the loop and then the site....can take at least an hour, maybe more if traffic is bad or the CM's are not on the top of their game. 

2.  $$$$.  FW can be twice as pricey as other campgrounds.

3.  After staying the night at the Fort, I would not want to leave the next day.  It saddens me to leave after 10 days.

4  Since it is your first time towing and backing and setting up, you may not want to try that in a crowded loop where people are not always as considerate as they should be with leaving room for you to maneuver into your site.

Ha ha! I posted that picture on my Gator brother's facebook. Adam Sandler is his fav. He was crushed. There are other pictures of him in Dawg gear floating around too. I mean, we have Samuel L. Jackson. Get on board!

I do not know who this "Adam Sandler" is....but it looks like Bobby Boucher is transferring to Georgia. Probably couldn't keep his grades up at SCLSU.

_{First off, congratulations on the fiver.} 

_{As to towing....assuming your truck is up to the task, you will love it.  Backing is easy, just don't jack-knife and break your cab window. With my dually diesel 350 there is no movement with semis passing, although make sure you have room to stop!  These trailers are heavy and I don't think the brakes on them are as capable of stopping the mass of the unit as what you are used on a TT.  Also BEWARE OF TAIL SWING!  When you turn left...the back end of your coach goes right.....far right, and the sharper the turn the farther it swings.  I luckily learned this lesson on my neighbors mailbox, and was able to fix it before he found out.  Once we were in a campground in PA where road construction required a sharp right turn to leave the park.  I spent much of the day watching long units scrape their back left corner on the fence beside the driveway as they were leaving.  If I am even the slightly concerned about clearance I send the wife out to watch while we talk on the cell phones.}

_{Make sure you have what you need to change a tire.  A 4 way wrench should have the size fitting you need, but make sure.  A big torque wrench is nice if you want to be precise about tightening the lugs....90-100 lbs is recommended with aluminum wheels I believe.  Make sure you have the ability to get the trailer up in the air to change a flat as well.  The trailer helper ramps will not always work on a bigger trailer, especially if your unit has an upgraded suspension that allows the non-lifted axle to fall as you lift the other.  A bottle jack and some blocks are a real good idea to have along.  Also several flashlights and I carry some flares as it always seems we get a flat on the interstate, which is not fun to try to change, especially on the drivers side.} 

_{Have some chocks in case you unhitch someplace.  Nothing fancy, but these are easy to forget.}

_{I will second the grease plate as above.  Cheap, easy to install, cleaner than lubing all the time.}

_{Look 3 times, move once.  Anytime you hitch or unhitch there are so many things that need to be done it is easy to forget one and ruin your day, especially if you have an audience.  The most important is to make sure your pin is locked in on your hitch.  You will get to recognize the sound that it makes when it does, but make sure you can put the safety pin in before you move, and I still look at the hitch from the tailgate as I plug in to the truck to make sure the "jaw" is behind the king pin and the safety pin is in place and that you cannot pull the handle and disengage the hitch.  This will keep you from pulling away and the trailer falling down on your bed sides.}

_{If I think of any other good tips I have learned I will post again.  Good luck!}

Camping World in Statesville is enclosed with fence and they lock the gate after closing. Don't think it would be an option for staying over night.

Now that you mention it....we did stop there once hoping to get some sleep and couldn't get into the parking lot. Drove 2 more hours to Rock Hill.

Assuming you are heading down 77 to 26 to 95, which is the route we take, you will be coming right by our house.  Our usual overnight stop is the Flying J in Rock Hill SC, just north of Columbia, SC.  It is safe, usually plenty of other RV's parked there as well.  There is a Camping World in Statesville, NC, but that is not quite half way and I have never stopped there and do not know if they have overnight parking.  We have also stayed at the KOA in Fort Mill, SC, just south of Charlotte.  It is just off the freeway, has a fuel station, and is usually quieter than a CW or Flying J, and you can plug in and run the air and save some propane. 

The costumes were just pushed up against some dirty ones? I thought from the title they had to wear others dirty costumes....that would be nasty.

Well....I always thought those Lion King dancers were a bunch of sissies.....this confirms my suspicions.

I know the answers to all your questions. 

She is an asshole. 

Hipsters. 

But the other one was giving a peace sign.  

 

Wouldn't that make her happier?

I don't know...but it would piss me off.