djsamuel

9 minutes ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said:

I expect we'll sadly see a lot of this kind of entertainment eliminated right now. 

Also the Luau at the Polynesian.

2 hours ago, Breezy2 said:

Correct-the "number" is still attached to a fax machine but the "assigning procedure" has changed. Our experience the week before Labor Day, when the campground was deserted, was totally different than in the past. "For the first time in forever" our request, sent 10 days in advance, was ONLY attached to our reservation and our preferred site NOT pre-assigned as done previously. We were texted a site that was NOT on our list. We drove up to registration, they had our list on our reservation, and REASSIGNED us to our preferred site. Obviously they got our fax, and maybe it was a matter of timing. But unfortunately our experience was a waste of the registration Cast Members time to reassign us to our AVAILABLE preferred site when we could have just driven directly to the site. The fax machine still works but for us it appears the assigning procedure has changed. Still happy campers, and it all worked out just fine, but felt bad for the Cast Member having to do extra work for something that worked so seamlessly in the past. 

That's odd.  We were at the Fort the week before Labor Day as well.  It was our 40th stay there over the last 7 years (I was curious and had to count).  We've requested a site for all but our first stay.  In those 39 times when we requested a site, we only received a text message once.  I wish we would get it more often.  This trip we did not get a text as usual and went up to the registration lane.  When we got there the cast member told us that we got one of our requested sites.  Sometimes we get it and sometimes we don't but it has always been noted. 

1 hour ago, disneylitch......Debbie said:

We are thinking about a trip to Dollywood from Maryland.  Our motorhome is 38ft and we will be towing a car.  Do we have to go through the mountains, if so, how precarious is it?  Thanks, this would be a trip in November.

From what I've read on other sites, people seem to take I-40 across and do fine.

22 minutes ago, Grumpy and Grandma said:

From what I understand the "FAX REQUEST" still works.   407-824-3508 

Yes, I used the fax request at the end of August and they had it on our record at check in.

13 minutes ago, Tony said:

Thanks for sharing, i was there the week after you and boy did the fort fill up quick

Thanks! Yes, Labor Day weekend filled the place up and people must have stayed the week after Labor Day.  BIG difference. 🙂

53 minutes ago, Travisma said:

Only times I've seen any checking at the pool was 4th of July, and they were a separate band you had to get in the morning after showing ID and giving them your site #

First time for me.  We were really glad to hear it at check in and told the cast member that.  She agreed.

7 hours ago, LONE-STAR said:

So all these years the only thing we needed to fix the Fort was a pandemic.

That reminds me.  When we were staying at the Fort a couple of weeks ago, they were actually checking magic bands at the pool. 

25 minutes ago, musikfans....Dan said:

We're in northern Indiana and only make it down every 3 -4 years. We'll be in Orlando in a few weeks and may try to come to the Fort to shop at Meadows TP. Does anyone know what their current hours are? We've been unable to find out.

 

Thanks!

Currently 9AM to 9PM.  The Settlement Trading Post has shorter hours, 11AM to 5PM.

12 hours ago, LONE-STAR said:

So how was that eating inside? My wife isn't really wanting to eat inside yet we have figured out the whole trip where we won't eat inside. (Although with my job I am sure I have been in worse situations) Was there a lot of people eating inside?

At P&J's it is really nice.  Plenty of room to come in and choose a table away from others.  They also do a great job cleaning after people leave.  At the other restaurants, we found the seating to also be very well done.  At the Rose and Crown we were well away from other people.  Our server there told us that an early lunch at Epcot is empty, while it gets busier as the afternoon wears on.  In all case, we felt comfortable.

 

I posted a trip report in the Trip Reports section of the site with photos from the Rose and Crown and what it was like.

No, the yellow bus travels along the full hookup sites, past the far side of the Meadows Trading Post, past some premium and preferred loops and ending at the settlement.  Just take any bus to the Settlement and wait for the Yellow Bus to come in saying the Settlement.  Ask the bus driver if he is heading to the Lodge from there.  If the bus came from the Lodge, it will be heading to the outpost first.  You can ride it and then head over to the Lodge or you can wait for the next Yellow bus which should be heading straight over to the Lodge since it will be coming from the Outpost.

No.  You can get on the Yellow bus heading to the Settlement.  After it stops at the Settlement it will head to Wilderness Lodge.  We used it last week and it works out well.

14 minutes ago, BradyBzLyn...Mo said:

Thanks so much for sharing!  🤗

 

11 hours ago, momof3kids-Yvonne said:

Thanks for writing tge this report and sharing your pictures. I wasn’t sure if you were still able to visit the other resorts or not. I am glad to see that you can. 

 

11 hours ago, LONE-STAR said:

Nice trip

Thanks for the feedback.  It was a very nice stay.  Getting into the other resorts was easy, we just told them we were staying on property and offered to have them scan the magic bands which they declined.  

22 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

Excellent job!  I hope it isn’t long before things get close to being normal, and you can look back at what a unique trip you had. 

TCD

I feel like I'll be showing these photos to people years from now talking about the 2020 pandemic as a point in history! 😀

A couple of weeks ago, we saw that our passes that my wife has from her retirement from Disney were finally unblocked for both of us to enter the parks.  So we were able to grab a nice reservation at Fort Wilderness and finally get back.  It was a great trip and I'll try to add some pictures here to give some info on what everything is like.  First I should say that the parks weren't bad the first weekend, and EMPTY the week prior to Labor Day weekend.  Our park passes were blocked again starting the Friday of Labor Day weekend, which was fine because it got pretty crowded.

 

 

We checked in near noon on Friday August 28th.  There was certainly no problem getting a site! The campground was really quiet and many loops were closed.  It was very peaceful.  

 

 

P&J's was open and that was the only food option.  However, they opened up the dining area of Trails End and you could sit inside and eat and/or drink.  It was actually very nice.

After setting up the camper we headed to the Magic Kingdom.  It was a little strange taking a selfie in front of a castle wearing face masks.

 

The Magic Kingdom was empty every day we were there (Friday, Monday Tuesday and Wednesday).

 

Disney did a good job with the social distancing and making sure people wore masks.  There were very few people not following the rules.  The wait times were great.  We rode Seven Dwarfs Mine Train about 9 times total and our longest wait was about 30 minutes; most were about 10 - 15.  The Haunted Mansion line is great without the stretching room.  The line moves quickly and I had the chance to look around and see details inside I never saw before.  Longest wait there was about 10 minutes.  We rode Peter Pan several times since the wait there averaged about 10 minutes as well.  Each time we went, we would stay about 3 hours and be able to get on MANY rides.  The Plexiglas dividers were great, much better than the chains.  At least kids couldn't occupy their time swinging the chains around and hitting everybody around them.Then we would head back to the campground and relax.

 

On Saturday, we headed to Animal Kingdom.  It was not crowded, but it was not set up for COVID as well as Magic Kingdom.  The lines weren't as conducive to distancing nor were there as many Plexiglas dividers up.  The crowds were down as well, and we waited about 10 minutes for Flight of Passage and less for the River ride as well as the Safari.

 

Sunday we went to Epcot and it was more crowded.  However, we walked onto Soarin and were able also walk onto Test Track and Spaceship Earth.  One of the strangest factors at Epcot was the absence of the International Program cast members.  Walking into Japan and seeing mainly American workers just felt strange.

(Above:  Sunday at Epcot)

We ate lunch at the quick service restaurant in Japan.  Both of us got the Beef and Chicken Teriyaki.  It was delicious.

 

We returned to Epcot on Thursday.  It was MUCH emptier, really a pleasure to walk around:

 

The pictures above were taken around 1PM.

We quickly walked onto The Seas and Imagination while heading to lunch at the UK.  When we got there we walked through the store a bit.  There we met a nice young woman from Scotland who lives in the US, so she fit the UK well as did another young woman from London.  When we went to check in, the hostess was from Bulgaria, and was VERY nice as well.  We requested a window seat and she got us a great one with an amazing view.

 

She even came into the restaurant after someone else seated us to make sure we liked the table.  We started the meal with the soup of the day; Tomato Bisque (delicious):

 

Then my wife got the Bangers and Mash and I got the Sheppard's Pie:

 

Both were outstanding, as was the server who was an Asian American who obviously worked a high end restaurant at Disney because he was so friendly, professional and great at his job.  

 

After the meal we took the Skyliner over to Caribbean Beach.  First, let me say that the Skyliner was pleasantly cool even the temperature was around 90 and it was humid and sunny.  

We got a good view of the construction in France for Ratatouille:

 

 On Friday, since we were blocked out of the parks, we went to Disney Springs.  Nothing much new there to report, but the crowds weren't bad.  From there we took the bus to the Grand Floridian.  It was eerie seeing it so empty:

 

The band is not playing and they moved the piano up onto the band stand:

 

On Saturday, we took the bus from the campground to the Wilderness Lodge.  The bus now rides along the road between the Fort and the Lodge.  From there we could see that the walking trail no longer exists.  It has been completely torn up and they were installing water pipes.  However, there were new concrete spillways in place which indicates the intent to restore the trail.  I'm sure that won't happen for quite a while though.

Like the Grand, Wilderness Lodge was pretty empty, although it was a bit more crowded for Labor Day weekend:

 

The next day we checked out and headed home.  It was a great trip; a nice combination of going to the parks and relaxing at the Campground.  Disney did a great job both at the Fort and the parks.  While I am looking forward to things getting back to normal, there were some changes I really enjoyed and makes me glad we booked our stay.

 

 

 

 

6 hours ago, LONE-STAR said:

Really looking forward to our upcoming stay. Even a limited Disney is better then the real world right now. 

You'll enjoy your stay.  Just remember the changes are temporary, enjoy the ones that make for a more relaxing trip, and realize that what you are experiencing is part of history.  The photos of my wife and me in front of the castle are ones that, years from now, will bring back a lot of memories.

2 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said:

I just got back from a 3 night stay at the Fort over Labor Day weekend. There is still so much that is far from normal- no campfire singalong, no food truck, Trails End is takeout only, no fireworks, no EWP, no resort boat, shortened trading post hours, no trail to the Lodge, and there are rangers everywhere yelling about masks.

But the Fort is still the Fort. It was great to be there. Because park hours and availability are so limited, folks hung around their campsites more. On a Friday night loop, we noticed many campsites with projectors and screens showing the new Mulan movie, and lots of campfires, many in illegal fire pits.  Like always, the Fort is a magical place where the outside world and its problems seem far away. 

If anyone is staying away because of all the limitations and changes, don’t. Do yourself a favor and get to the Fort. It’s still a great place to be. 

TCD

We were there from August 28th to September 6th.  While some things have changed like you mentioned, the atmosphere was still there.  To be honest, while I missed Trails End I really enjoyed being able to sit inside with P&J's breakfast of sausage gravy and biscuits.  I also enjoyed the parks with no fast passes as well as not having to crowd into the stretchning room at the Haunted Mansion and fight the crowd. We found the cast members everywhere to be excellent.  While having lunch at the Rose and Crown we talked to two merchandise cast members who live here but one was from Scotland and the other London.  Then when checking in we spoke with the hostess who was from Bulgaria; who actually came to our table after someone else seated us to make sure we liked the table (it was excellent).  Our server was Asian and he was so good.  While things were missing, the changes also made it a very special trip.  While I want to see everything get back to normal, I am trying to enjoy some of the changes currently in place since they won't last forever.  We had a great trip.

News Article about Cancellation

9 hours ago, Disneymommaof6 said:

Maybe with more people staying in the campground they will bring back the food truck and other amenities that have been closed. Can you still get your resort mugs refilled at the pool?  PJ’s?  

A woman working at P&J's normally works the food truck.  She said no firm date for any reopenings.  You can get refills at P&J's, not sure at the pool.  You just show them your cup and they give you your drink in a disposable cup.  Nice being able to sit inside Trails End while eating or drinking.  Very relaxing.

6 hours ago, LONE-STAR said:

Was the trail open that goes to the lodge?

The trail to the lodge is GONE.  It was torn up to install water pipes.  You can see they are planning on reinstalling it since they've installed new concrete spillways along the route.  Lots of work to get done and at least while we were there, no sign of any new work being done.  Looks like it will be a while.  The water pipes are not installed, just laying on the ground and some big holes dig in a few locations.

Based on what we saw at the campground this weekend I believe it.

On 9/4/2020 at 3:14 PM, Tri-Circle-D said:

. . . and as predicted, there are campers currently setting up in 1500, 1700, and 1900. 

For the first time since the closure, all Fort loops are open as of September 4, 2020. 

TCD

And all loops are full.  The first week of our stay the campground was EMPTY.  Now it is PACKED.  

We just got back today from 9 days at the Fort.  The boats were running regularly to and from the Magic Kingdom, two boats.  At least while we were there, they were boarding well over 4 families and they were allowing people to sit outside in the front as well as the back.  They have a sign saying the bus to the Magic Kingdom leaves from the Settlement.  The bus to Wilderness Lodge also leaves from the Settlement now and runs the old route, using the road between Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge.

Until Friday, the campground was empty.  Starting Thursday night it started to fill up.  Today, all loops are open and full.  It was a madhouse Thursday night.  Golf carts driven by kids lucky they didn't kill anybody.  For Friday the Rangers were out all day directing traffic and enforcing the mask rules.  Much better.

4 hours ago, Travisma said:

 

But in the same vein, some FB posters are saying the parks are mobbed.

There was an interesting FB post that showed the difference in attendances between Saturday and weekdays.  Most of the best days were Tuesday/Wednesday.

This past weekend, we were at Magic Kingdom on Sunday.  It was more crowded than when my wife went a week earlier.  However, this was also the first weekend where both the cast member's pass as well as the associated spouse and guest passes were unblocked for the parks.  In addition, it was the last weekend before school started for most of the counties around Disney, and Orlando County started the previous Friday.  That added to the attndance.  With all of that said, attendance wasn't bad; empty in the morning and not bad in the afternoon.  We rode Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in the morning with about a 15 minute wait and again in the afternoon with a 25 minute wait (sign said 35 minutes).  Not bad at all.

8 hours ago, LONE-STAR said:

Nooooooooo, I was really looking forward to short lines on our trip

So far, with the exception of Hollywood Studios, they usually don't hit their current limits.  So until things improve in terms of the virus, the numbers should stay low.  We were at Epcot and Magic Kingdom last weekend and it was very empty.  Magic Kingdom was great; very well run as well.  Epcot was strange.  The lack of the International program really changes the atmosphere and a lot of the shops and restaurants are closed.  Heading to the Fort Friday for about 10 days.  Should be interesting. 

You can also go to Subsonicradio.com, set up an account and then go to "Make Requests".  Click on "Background" and then search for Fort Wilderness.  You can request the Music loop from the Settlement.  It runs a little over an hour.