kadancer

I am in, too.  Nice to hear that some enforcement of proper parking is happening.

Adding my prayers....

Maybe if I were a hobbit...

Enjoyed reading along.  Sounds like there was loads of fun despite some problems.

It is the main road that runs straight from the settlement to the outpost.

We were told that the problem they started digging for in June is larger than they thought and taking much longer than anticipated.  It is also causing issues in other locations as well.  We had some "water" regurgitate through the manhole next to our site during our July-August trip.  The smell was not pleasant, but it was addressed and resolved quickly at our location in the 2000 loop. The staff told us that the problem was related to the roadwork.  We heard of similar things happening in other locations.  Don't know much about infrastructure, but it sounded like the problem is getting bigger and harder to solve.

We found the the cuts were starting to affect the "attitudes" of some cast members.  For example, one night at the Animal Kingdom when the Fort was sharing a bus with Disney Springs, guests were given wrong information about where to line up for which (signage said one thing, not too clearly, and castmember said something else).  Consequently, folks thinking they were in line for the Fort were actually in the Disney Springs' line.  It was late and there were far too many people to get on one bus.  Two parties got in to a very heated argument about which of them would get on the bus when it came.  The argument escalated and seemed to be headed toward an actual fight, so my DH walked away from the bus stop to get a castmember's assistance.  The castmember did not solve the problem, but gave my DH an earful about how understaffed they were. This was a first for me.  Never heard someone employed by Disney complain while the were on duty.   When the bus came, the two groups got on the bus still arguing.  We opted to wait for the next bus

I was tempted by the castle, but would probably be unable to resist the Haunted Mansion.  I miss the days when my son's life revolved around legos...

It has been a great improvement.  Thanks.

On 8/5/2017 at 7:20 PM, ftwildernessguy said:

Wow.  Not sure I would have spent this much of my vacation time working on a comfort station HVAC issue.

I am a little surprised myself.  

Just wanted to let everyone know - that we finally found some reasonable answers to our questions.  Engineering is working on the AC, but needed parts were delayed and unfortunately, they do not have a time estimate for the repair to be complete.  Not a wonderful scenario, but at least one that let's me know that I don't have to waste any more time trying to figure it out.  Good news is that today they were able to rig something up and the temperature in the comfort station is cooler.  For me, the larger issue is informing all cast members of repair issues.  If the first person we spoke to had provided this explanation, we would have wasted a lot less time looking for answers.  Having to ask the same question on multiple occasions seems to open the door for inconsistent answers.

It may be hot, but we are still having fun!

5 hours ago, keith_h said:

Isn't it obvious. If you wanted air conditioning you wouldn't be sleeping in a tents.

Perhaps that is the theory on which the decision has been based.  Fortunately, I have AC in my little camper...just not able to shower in it.

7 hours ago, Travisma said:

True, you might as well jump in the bathwater they call the Meadow Pool.

The A/C has always been working in the 1500/2000 loop comfort stations when we stayed at the Fort.

Looks like another instance of Fort management just not caring.

Even if a camper hadn't reported it, you would figure the cleaning/maintenance people would've told someone about it.

We have never had this problem in the 2000 loop before either.  The only thing anyone has done so far is adjust the temperature from 50 degrees (changed we assume by campers hoping for AC) back to 68 degrees (which is totally pointless when the thermometer says 89 degrees).  Still keeping my fingers crossed for some improvement, but it is starting to feel like I'm wearing rose-colored glasses.

Today, we visited the front desk after investigating the status of air conditioning in other loops.  This morning we learned that the air conditioning is on and cooling to either 72 or 68 degrees in all the the loops with full hook-ups, but that there is no air conditioning on in any comfort stations in the tent loops.  We spoke to a very kind front desk manager and were told that there has not been a policy change to stop the cooling in just the tent loops.  She has promised to speak with the appropriate parties to rectify the problem.  I have my fingers crossed for a solution...showering in a building that is 89 degrees is not refreshing.

So, we have been at the Fort for about 2 weeks and have yet to have air conditioning in our comfort station.  The compressor ran on only one day of our stay so far and it dropped the temps into the low 80's before it stopped working again.  Today the fan that circulates the air is not even working.  We have questioned this on a few occasions and folks have come to look at the compressor, but so far no improvement.  I was wondering if there have been policy changes that have eliminated the cooling for these buildings.  Any info would be appreciated.

6 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

 

Would y'all please get together and like/enjoy the following:

1. Dessert parties that take over guest seating/watching areas.

2. Latin American Tour Groups.

3. Stitch's Great Escape.

4. The ridiculously extended dates for the Food and Wine Festivals.

5. About half of the Halloween and Christmas party dates.

6. The Frozen Castle Lighting ceremony.

7. Current Fort Wilderness management.

Thanks.

TCD

9.  Folks driving the wrong way in the loop.

We had the opportunity to speak with a cast member about Sohni's pregnancy on Tuesday.  It is evidently not a simple feat to breed tigers.  According to the CM on site, female tigers do not have a regular cycle like most mammals.  Instead, the male tiger induces her cycle to begin if she finds him "appealing."  We found this very interesting.  She also said not to expect the cubs to be on public display until close to the end of the year or the beginning of 2018.  We also learned that the Bengal tigers were not part of a breeding program because their genetic make-up was insufficiently tracked by their previous caretakers.

We love learning about the animals from the folks at the Animal Kingdom.

These kind of scams make my skin crawl.  Why must people think that financial gain outweighs common decency?

Son and father at the Fort Sunday.  Storms were impressive.  Impressive enough that they checked the site for damage afterwards.  Fortunately, all was well.

36 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Even though I should be used to it, I am always astonished by how clueless and inconsiderate people can be when they're driving a golf cart.  If people had common sense and were considerate, we wouldn't need the rules.

My biggest pet peeve are the idiots who drive their crappy Fort Wilderness Carts at 10 MPH on Fort Wilderness Trail, and don't pull over to let buses or anyone else pass- creating a line of traffic behind them.  How can anyone be that stupid?  Even if there wasn't a rule telling you that you need to pull over and let traffic by, isn't that just common sense or common courtesy?

TCD

Unfortunately, common sense and common courtesy are rare attributes these days...

I think we stayed here once coming home, but my files are already in Florida.  Let me check when I get there and I will respond again.  If it is the one I am recalling, it was clean and pretty quiet.  The staff was very nice.  Will confirm when I get the the Fort.

9 hours ago, CCIntrigue...aka Gwen said:

We'll be there on Thanksgiving this year too!

Wish I would be there...

Those look so refreshing!  

Will this affect the car service that returns people to their resort from the parks when bus traffic is light?  Last year we were taken back to the fort in these vans a few times because we left the park within an hour of the park opening from the Animal Kingdom.  On the other hand we waited over an hour and a half for a bus under similar conditions at HS without ever being offered this service.  I finally approached a driver at the adjacent stop (no one is ever around to help at the bus stops over there) and a bus picked us up shortly thereafter.  The front desk staff at the Fort told me that they were not running return buses within the first 2 hours of park opening.  No one anywhere else would confirm that it was true - everyone said that it is every 20 minutes.  Would really like to know the truth of the matter?  The best advice I have been given is to ask at the gate as we exit to see if a bus is running.  Not sure what we will do if the answer is no.....

I am sad that the refurbishment is not ending July 30.  This is a family favorite and we were hoping it would be ready for our trip.