DaveInTN 3,247 Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 I have decided to "re-post" my old trip reports from BF....Before the Flush. Why? Well, one of the reasons I like doing trip reports is so that I can go back and re-read them months or years later. I love reliving the trips through the reports. Before the flush, I had done several reports over at Voldy, but I removed all the picture links so they are pretty much worthless there. So, I decided I would re-post them here. Feel free to read along and comment if you like. Just realize that this is a trip that happened 4 years ago....pre-Anna. So no Anna pics! I will re-post everything "as is", other than possibly changing a few references to the old place to "Voldy". Also, ignore the date stamps on the pics....they say 2008, but this was definitely a 2009 trip. Here we go! Well, we are back from our 11 night stay at the Fort. It was a great trip! :jumpforjoy We ran ourselves ragged a bit more than we like, but we saw and did SO much. I’m still getting pictures organized, and I don’t have that many to share anyways, so this might not be the most extensive report ever. But, I’ll give it a whirl. So, what did we experience in our nearly 2 week trip to Florida?? Here are some of the headlines you can expect to read about in my report: • Dry Season my Azzz• OK, Not Everyone Shops on Black Friday• Snow White is an Elusive Biotch• She Looked Like She Hit a Wall• I’m Not Drinking Enough for This to Taste Good• Rubber and Bricks Don’t Mix Ok, on to the report. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Judy in Texas 150 Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Yeah! Another DiT et al trip report! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted October 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Dry Season My Azzz The Trip Down and Set Upsorry....the pics will start with the next post We left home around 4:30 Monday afternoon the week of Thanksgiving. Wasn’t supposed to leave until Tuesday morning, but we got itchy and were ready, so off we went. Spent the night south of Chattanooga. The next day went incredibly smoothly. Sailed through Atlanta like it wasn’t even there. :banana: We were making great time, but weren’t scheduled to arrive at the Fort until the next afternoon. So, what to do?? At somewhere around Valdosta, I asked my DD13 to dial the phone for me. You know the number….407-WDISNEY. Got a real nice CM. Asked if there was any chance we could get a site a day early. “SURE” she said! WOW! An extra night at the Fort! Bonus! :yay: We arrived around 7:00pm after a harrowing drive through a rainy Gainesville where cars were playing pinball with each other. :panic: Check in was backed up a bit. Only two lanes were open, and then they closed one so we had to merge over. What a pain. But finally we got up to the booth. I had checked in online, and unbelievably they had my papers and KTTW cards ready even though I had moved up our check in. So, the check in process once we actually reached the front of the line went quite quickly. :jumpforjoy The only issue I had was that the KTTW cards they gave me were not set up for charging privileges, which I didn’t realize until I stopped at TE to buy a mug. Not a big deal, I stopped by the Pioneer Hall concierge window and they replaced them. But it is something to be on the lookout for if you use online checkin. Ok, anyways, we were put in the 700 loop, which was a first for us. I had faxed the Fort a couple days before leaving requesting our usual 500, or 700 as a second choice. I would guess that our early arrival had something to do with not getting our first choice. But honestly, when I consider not only the early arrival, but the fact that our 11 night stay was made up of two separate back-to-back reservations, the fact they were able to honor any request at all AND keep us in the same site the entire stay made me very happy. So, we got site 729. It was a very nice site, backing up to the old railroad bed. Quite private, but yet only three sites away from the exit of the loop near the Settlement. So convenient to walk to Pioneer Hall, the marina and the store. We also got to enjoy the amazing decorations at the final two sites in the loop, including Whips pirate ship. :waycool: Wednesday the 25th was my set up day…and it poured a good part of the day. Honestly, this is the third year in a row we’ve come to the Fort around Thanksgiving and the first time we’ve encountered significant rain. It poured! I thought this was Florida’s dry season, but I guess the weather patterns are a bit off what with El Nino, La Nina, global warming or whatever the heck is going on. But, I did get my decorations up. Blow ups, a Mickey head wreath I made for the front of the motorhome, and other lights. Wanna see a pic? Me too….only I forgot to take one! Oops. I promise some pics later in the report. We took some once we got to the parks. Next Up…. Not Everyone Shops on Black Friday! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PureTcrazy...rita 380 Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Yay! I have not read this trip report before! I was on Voldy, but at that time we weren't Fort people! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted October 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Yeah! Another DiT et al trip report! Yay! I have not read this trip report before! I was on Voldy, but at that time we weren't Fort people! Glad to have you reading! I'm getting a kick out of reading this one too....good memories for me. And this was the trip that spawned my dislike of Ms White. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted October 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Not Everyone Shops On Black Friday! On Thanksgiving Day, we drove down to DW’s brother’s house in Palm City, about 2 hours south, to spend the day with the entire DW family. It was a nice day, but I was itching to get the Disney thing underway, so after dinner we happily headed back up the turnpike to the Fort. Friday morning my parents came for a quick visit. It was a beautiful day, and our first stop was the pony rides at the Settlement. My 3 year old LOVES the ponies. She usually rides Snow, but union rules prevented Snow from working that day, so we were left with Nemo. Well, Nemo is no Snow but he did a fine job. After lunch at our campsite, my parents headed out leaving us with some free time. What to do?? We had decided before the trip to buy AP’s this year…a huge splurge for us and a one time thing. I bought the vouchers at AAA, and we planned on activating them on Saturday. To get the most out of our AP's, when we activated them was very important, as we hope to get several trips out of them, including next Thanksgiving. So, by activating them on 11/27, they are good through 11/27/10...the Saturday after Thanksgiving 2010. Our original plan was to activate on Saturday 11/28, which would make them good through the Sunday after Thanksgiving 2010. Got it? Ok. But here it was, Friday afternoon, and we had nothing to do. So….we hopped the boat to the MK! I mean, it’s the day after Thanksgiving. Everyone is out shopping, right?? YIKES! I’ve never seen the MK so busy. I'm not too stupid, so I did expect crowds...but holy crap! Not only were the lines unbelieveable, but it was the kind of crowd you couldn’t even walk through. Wow, have we made a mistake? Uh, yeah. BUT, we made the best of it and did enjoy a couple rides and a great show in front of the castle. My little one on the carousel: DD9 enjoying the ride: My girls think the horse looks pretty funny here: Disney always puts on a good show, and this day was no exception. Awwww: The castle is always beautiful, but never so much as at Christmas time. After we had had enough of the crowds, we decided to leave and go get some dinner. Our plan was to hit Roaring Forks at the WL, one of our faves, but in the end we decided to hop on the launch to the Grand Floridian and check out the lobby and grab a bite. The gingerbread house is so cool! We then grabbed some dinner from the counter service location at the GF, and discovered an awesome place for ice cream! The self serve ice cream is very good....nice soft serve with various toppings, including REAL hot fudge! Well, that was our Friday. Next up...Hollywood Studios, and Snow White is an Elusive Biotch.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
blm2003 2 Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Page one bragging rights! This never happens! I like your reasoning about reposting and am looking forward reading along (again)! :pc: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PureTcrazy...rita 380 Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 The girls were so young. It looks like I got 1st page too and since it's a DIT report I'm gonna honor him by hogging posts up on the first page! BAHAHAHA Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted October 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Page one bragging rights! This never happens! I like your reasoning about reposting and am looking forward reading along (again)! :pc: Congratulations on page one. Watch the mail for your prize. The girls were so young. It looks like I got 1st page too and since it's a DIT report I'm gonna honor him by hogging posts up on the first page! BAHAHAHA I can't believe how much younger they were. I remember that trip like it was yesterday. It was 2 months before we started our adoption journey. Can't believe it was 4 years ago! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Wow, what an amazing difference in the girls!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beckers 1,136 Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Wow, what an amazing difference in the girls!!!This! I was just about to post that! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Millermouseketeers MaryAnn 150 Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Nice pictures of your girls! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Katman1356...Jason 1,140 Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Count me in too!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
momof3kids-Yvonne 594 Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 I am in too!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mommy rainbo.....Bo 41 Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 I'm in. Wow. Everyone looks so much younger. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
h2odivers...Ray 952 Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 I'm in!I hope I make page one of a DIT TR! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
h2odivers...Ray 952 Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Woot! Woot!Page one bragging rights!You know page one is the new page one!I almost didn't recognize Izzy. She had a good growth spurt since this TR. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 It's so much fun to see pics of your girls four years younger! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Very cool. I'm in! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted October 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Thanks for joining in, everyone! Only one more spot left on page one!! Oops, I guess I just used it. Yep, that is fun to do even on your own trip report! :rofl2: Katman1356...Jason and PureTcrazy...rita 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpy and Grandma 739 Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 I'm in. Wow. Everyone looks so much younger.Except Dave. :rofl3: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted October 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Hollywood Studios Saturday was an early day for us. Hollywood Studios had Extra Magic Hours, opening at 8:00. We had NEVER hit a park at rope drop before, so decided to get a jump on the crowds and be there at 8. We didn’t chance it with the buses, deciding to drive instead. We arrived in the parking lot around 7:45, got through the gates and onto the main street area about 5 minutes prior to rope drop. Perfect! :jumpforjoy So we had a plan. At rope drop, my wife was going to take my 3 year old to Toy Story Mania for Fastpasses for all 6 of us, while me and the three older DD’s went to ride Rock n Roller Coaster. We had never ridden Rock N Roller Coaster…so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. WOW! That is some ride. After picking my stomach up off the floor, I needed some quiet time, so I traded places with DW and took my DD3 to meet some characters. It was then almost time for our Toy Story Mania fastpasses. We had heard a little bit about this ride, and there is incredible interest in it, so DW did a great job scoring those fastpasses. When we arrived there was an 80 minute stand by wait! We only waited about 10 minutes to get on. If you’re not familiar with the ride, I will describe it as similar to Buzz Lightyear at MK, only 10 times better! This ride was a BLAST! You wear 3D glasses, and shoot virtual paintballs at targets. I thought I had a good score, but DD12 blew me away! Oh well. We tried to get more fastpasses for later in the day but they were all gone by 11:00. By this point, we were hungry. I hadn’t planned an ADR for lunch, so we walked up to 50’s PT Café to see what the wait would be. 5 minutes! We timed that well. I like the theme and feel of this restaurant. So homey! Like waiting in an old living room. We started our meal with the best appetizer I could think of….a Peanut Butter and Jelly Milkshake! If you have never had one there, try it. It’s heaven in a tin cup! Our waitress was awesome! It happened to be her last day. She was moving back to Syracuse to get married…and being that we are originally from Buffalo we had lots in common. She really made the meal special….she was so funny and attentive. One of things I like about this restaurant are the TV's showing old 50's shows. Check it out above me in this pic: BTW, I had the fish sandwich for lunch. I HIGHLY recommend it! :dance: After lunch we saw the Lights, Motors, Action stunt show. Again, this was our first time for that. We really enjoyed it, especially the car designed to drive backwards. Ok, after the debacle of our first park day at MK, this was much more enjoyable. We really felt that our Disney trip was on a roll at this point! Next up....Animal Kingdom! And still to come: Snow White is an Elusive Biotch! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Can't wait to hear the whole Snow story! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted October 21, 2013 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 Except Dave. :rofl3: :raspberry: Can't wait to hear the whole Snow story! This report contains the opening chapter of the Ms White Saga. More to come in the next couple of reports too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Helmsey......Todd 134 Posted October 21, 2013 Report Share Posted October 21, 2013 In on page 2. I'll take it :rofl3: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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