Travisma 1,317 Posted July 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 So my daughters and granddaughter arrived, and of course she was starving... Went to the pool, and won Name That Tune Afterwards there was teepee building in the area behind the site Luau Time! We met up with Tampa, NY, and NC relatives. So right off the bat we hit a snag. I checked in and asked that our reservation all be seated near each other. When I made our reservations I asked about that, and was told that we should arrive early and that is when they assign tables. FAIL. CM at the counter said everything was already assigned, and the phone person gave us the wrong info. We went back and forth and they said there were no vacant tables to move us around. Not a lot of Pixie Dust there. So off we went on the long sad march to the cove. Group pictures with itchy leis. It's hard to see, but on the grey shirts is a yellow pineapple the says I (heart) Dole Whip. My oldest daughter made them for us View from the path When we arrived at the cove we were taken to our seats. Somehow even though our table numbers weren't even close, the two biggest of our groups were seated at the same table. The Tampa relatives were seated 1 table apart right near the front. Food Nephews daughter on the left, my granddaughter on the right. Far left is my nephews other daughter (11), big guy (12) in the middle is my other nephews son, and my granddaughter (11) is on the right. My oldest daughter and my nephews daughter Ribs Kids dance Fire Guy After the show we met up with some of the relatives over at Saratoga Springs so the kids could swim. They were staying at a Tree House so they got to utilize Saratoga's amenities. Next day after hanging around the Fort pool trying to stay cool, we headed to our Beaches and Cream reservation. More shirts Aunt Tanya made for the big trip. Mickey Sink for the kids. The adults got a chocolate kitchen sink and a picture taken by the waitress Storm coming. Last time we were at the Beach Club we got stuck in a storm, and this time was no different. Right after we got to shore the rain started gently, but by the time we made it to the Beach Club the skies opened up. We wandered around inside and found a place to sit until the rain let up enough for Grandpa to bring the truck around to the overhang outside of the main doors. When we got back to the Fort most of the rain had stopped, but our site was flooded, and it was starting to get into the tent. This time I had a shovel but the pad where the water was deepest had timbers around it. I ended up digging a hole on the inside of the pad next to the timbers, then dug underneath one on the outside and made a tunnel. The water came gushing out. I dug a second one to drain another low spot. Friday night was grilled burgers with mac and cheese and fries grilled in foil pouches then topped with cheese. Afterwards was more pool time. Later we decided to do some exploring so off we went via yellow bus to Wilderness Lodge. The kids did the hidden Mickey hunt and we just wandered. Time to go, we headed to the boat dock. A boat arrived and we hopped on and headed to the Contemporary. A little snooping around, then we went out to the balcony to see wishes. We had a good view, but the music was barely playing at the end just under he monorail track. As we were leaving, we saw the end of EWP thru the windows overlooking the lake. When we got to the boat dock, two odd looking boats were unloading. It was the pirates fireworks cruises. A pirate getting off one of the boats gave 1 granddaughter a folding Frisbee, and went back and got a loot bag for the other granddaughter to share. Next thing you know , they loaded us up on the one boat and off we went back to the Fort. We got entertained by corny pirate jokes all the way back. Saturday my youngest daughter and son were coming over from Tampa. More about that later Roberta 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 21, 2016 Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 Wow, that was a whopper of an update! What a downer that you got bad information over the phone about the luau seating. Disney really drops the ball on this aspect of their operation. It's a shame that you can't rely on the information their phone employees provide. I love all the shirts made by your daughter! She is very talented. I'd like to hear more about this mac and cheese and fries grilled in foil pouches. Like, is all of that in one pouch? I'm interested. Very cool that you got a free pirate cruise! TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 6 minutes ago, Tri-Circle-D said: Wow, that was a whopper of an update! What a downer that you got bad information over the phone about the luau seating. Disney really drops the ball on this aspect of their operation. It's a shame that you can't rely on the information their phone employees provide. I love all the shirts made by your daughter! She is very talented. I'd like to hear more about this mac and cheese and fries grilled in foil pouches. Like, is all of that in one pouch? I'm interested. Very cool that you got a free pirate cruise! TCD Guess I should have clarified our dinner menu. We have a casserole dish shaped Crock Pot, and used that to heat up one of those big frozen, family sized mac and cheese trays we got from GFS. We started it too late, it was only warm not hot, so ended up heating separate servings in the microwave. We used frozen seasoned fries from Aldis in the pouches. Spayed foil with Pam, dropped in the fries and then sealed the pouches. I had our Coleman Road Trip gas grill with us, so while I was grilling the burgers on the grate side, I had the pouches on the griddle side. Flipped them a couple of times and when they were ho,t opened the top, sprinkled in some shredded cheese and closed for a couple of minutes till the cheese melted. Real tasty. That is a good idea with the mac and cheese and fries together, along with some canned chili! Will have to give that a try. Mac and cheese goes with everything! On a previous trip my one daughter combined 2 cheeseburger patties and mac and cheese on a bun. What a mess, but it was darn good. And getting off track but still talking about fries, if you like spicy food, try the Krystal Fired Up Chili Cheese Fries. They are sooo good. Big portion of fries with chili, melted cheese, then covered with a Tabasco/cheese sauce and topped with slices of Jalapenos. Less than $3, would easily cost $10 or more at Disney Springs! Yes the shirts came out great. Like I said in another thread buying her the Cricut vinyl cutter for Christmas has paid off. She also brought me 3 shirts for Fathers Day. And my wife made the two Fort vinyls that I put on the PUP. I just don't understand how such a large company that has been in business for ages, can screw up things so often, and always give out conflicting information. The CM at the check in booth asked if I had the phone persons name, and she would try to correct her. Even if I had the name it would've been on a paper at home, and since you have to make reservations a decade in advance, I highly doubt people would hold onto it that long. I had made it a point to ask the phone person more than once about linking our seating together. I didn't have the others reservation numbers when I booked, but I told her I could get them and call back. More than once she told me that seating wasn't assigned until you got there and checked in, and all we had to do was give all the reservation names and they would seat us together. In the end it pretty much worked out, but it caused a lot of unnecessary aggravation. Well we got to ride on the "pirate" boat. The pirates and Peter Pan had gone ashore at the Contemporary, but like I said we did get the corny jokes. It was a nice boat, wonder why they don't run that from the Fort at busy times, it holds a lot more people. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 21, 2016 Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 23 minutes ago, Travisma said: Well we got to ride on the "pirate" boat. The pirates and Peter Pan had gone ashore at the Contemporary, but like I said we did get the corny jokes. It was a nice boat, wonder why they don't run that from the Fort at busy times, it holds a lot more people. Thanks for the clarification on the mac and cheese and fries. I've never thought about making fries in foil packets. That's a great idea. Especially the throwing in the cheese part. That boat you were on is one of the boats that came from an abandoned attraction at Animal Kingdom. Every once in a while, they do use them to run between the Fort and the MK, the old timers around here call it the Slow Boat. For good reason. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sherryberry 35 Posted July 21, 2016 Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 Wow! No AC in the summer! Loving your report so far! You have a great looking family. In temperatures like this, is an AC in a PUP really that effective? (I'm asking out of pure curiosity - we don't have anything but a tent and I'm wondering if a PUP would work for us). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 17 minutes ago, sherryberry said: Wow! No AC in the summer! Loving your report so far! You have a great looking family. In temperatures like this, is an AC in a PUP really that effective? (I'm asking out of pure curiosity - we don't have anything but a tent and I'm wondering if a PUP would work for us). There are some comments on here about PUP A/C There are a lot of discussions on popupportal.com. Some people that have smaller BTU roof units have swapped them for larger ones. Others have used the free standing portable A/Cs or have rigged up window units utilizing various methods. Most have said on real hot days, they might get the temps down to the mid to upper 80s. There is a company that makes PUGS which are large reflectix blankets that you throw over the bunk ends. They provide a slight amount of insulation, mostly provide a way to reflect the sun. Others have also cut pieces of the reflectix and zipped them between the screens and the privacy cover for the window. Some people say that those two methodsmake a big difference and helps the PUPs A/C a lot. I've seen people on here post that even A/Cs in RVs and TT are no match for summer camping in FL! I guess I'm just old school or crazy, but if you sit in A/C in your camper watching satellite TV and surfing the interweb, are you really camping? djsamuel 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted July 21, 2016 Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 31 minutes ago, sherryberry said: Wow! No AC in the summer! Loving your report so far! You have a great looking family. In temperatures like this, is an AC in a PUP really that effective? (I'm asking out of pure curiosity - we don't have anything but a tent and I'm wondering if a PUP would work for us). I've staying in a PUP in July, and the AC will freeze you out. sherryberry 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted July 21, 2016 Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 I'm in late but in! I love the shirts as well. What did you think of the luau? It's something I haven't done since I was a kid. It looks like everyone was enjoying themselves. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpy and Grandma 739 Posted July 21, 2016 Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 51 minutes ago, Travisma said: I guess I'm just old school or crazy, but if you sit in A/C in your camper watching satellite TV and surfing the interweb, are you really camping? No, it's GLAMPING and that's what us "old farts" do. bhall, keith_h and sherryberry 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sherryberry 35 Posted July 21, 2016 Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 No, it's GLAMPING and that's what us "old farts" do. Lol, I'm getting there. I just want to be comfortable at night when I sleep, really. :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 59 minutes ago, Grumpy and Grandma said: No, it's GLAMPING and that's what us "old farts" do. We're 62 so we are in the old fart realm. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 40 minutes ago, sherryberry said: Lol, I'm getting there. I just want to be comfortable at night when I sleep, really. :) We were at the Fort the same time 2 years ago, and with just a fan it was comfortable at night. This year the temps just didn't drop that much at night, but a small fan really helped. sherryberry 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 21, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2016 1 hour ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said: I'm in late but in! I love the shirts as well. What did you think of the luau? It's something I haven't done since I was a kid. It looks like everyone was enjoying themselves. Well the first (and last) time we did the Luau was our first visit to WDW in 77. Back then it was in the open on platforms in the sand. If I remember correctly, the entertainment was hula dancers and the fire guy. This was a shocking surprise. All fancied up and under an overhang with cool air and fans. The service here seemed to be much better than HDDR. The server brought me a beer without me even asking, but it was already over my 2 limit since I was driving. He came around again and asked if I wanted another since last call was coming up, even though I hadn't touched the previous one. Food was good, I really liked the appetizer platter. The main course was good also. I liked the fact that the adult beverages were brought out in glasses as soon as you needed one. The pitchers at HDDR warmed up too quickly. Personally I liked the show at HDDR better. Luau had a little too much interpretive dancing, but the hula dance and the fire guy were really good. If you haven't been in a while, I would say to give it a try if you plan on doing that type of dinner anyway. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DramaMama .......... Janet 75 Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 On 7/18/2016 at 3:04 AM, Westcoastwild said: Do pop ups have cooking space or are they pretty much glorified tents? How do you like having a pop up? I don't know anyone with a pop up- only rvs. Here are a few pics of our pop up. The outside pics are of our pup; the interior ones are from the one in the dealership. This is on the thread from when we bought it. We love it! We have AC, a really usable sink and gas stove, and even have space in there for a small microwave. We always take our panini too. If it is glamping, then so be it. We did our time in a tent so we REALLY appreciate this baby. http://www.fortfiends.net/topic/16107-pop-up-camper-and-dealership-info-please/?page=2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
swimmarz 72 Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 16 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said: No, it's GLAMPING and that's what us "old farts" do. young farts too! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Memphis 105 Posted July 22, 2016 Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 Great report... Your check-in debacle happened to us too. We went to our assigned loop and the only empty spot was right across from the CS which we had requested to be near. It was 10:30 and no one on the loop was packing up. I backed into the site and went to the CS to call up front. They said our spot was not ready and we couldn't have that site. So we waited. The site was almost dry when we got there so I figured that it had just not been reported ready. So we waited and waited. At 1PM I went back to CS and called again. As fate would have they were just fixing to call with our site number, for you guessed it, the site we had been sitting on for over 2 hours. An hour later sitting under the awning in front of a fan with a cold one in my hand all was forgotten. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 22, 2016 50 minutes ago, Memphis said: Great report... Your check-in debacle happened to us too. We went to our assigned loop and the only empty spot was right across from the CS which we had requested to be near. It was 10:30 and no one on the loop was packing up. I backed into the site and went to the CS to call up front. They said our spot was not ready and we couldn't have that site. So we waited. The site was almost dry when we got there so I figured that it had just not been reported ready. So we waited and waited. At 1PM I went back to CS and called again. As fate would have they were just fixing to call with our site number, for you guessed it, the site we had been sitting on for over 2 hours. An hour later sitting under the awning in front of a fan with a cold one in my hand all was forgotten. I guess they must think their process works, since they don't seem to concerned about fixing it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 23, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2016 So before the Saturday update I needed to add these from our Friday adventures. Mandatory pictures, but a big change! Its the ears of old, they took the plexiglass "safety" barriers off the backs of the ears. So now back to Saturdays fun and frolics. Another hot and sticky day. We were expecting our youngest daughter and son to arrive from Tampa. So in the meantime here are some random pictures. These were along the canal and the fishing hole in the meadow. On the other side of the canal where the 1300 loop is, there was the warning signs without the no fishing sign. In fact people were fishing from that side. The same warning signs without the no fishing were all along the canal in 1500. But by now I think this news has been superseded by pictures of fences being installed along the canals. Yah, we still have the old no bear proof trash cans. Much easier for the kids to take the trash out, and no burned fingers. Looks like 1500 needs a little maintenance. TBT, one of our camping neighbors. The kids arrived from Tampa and we decided to take pictures before we got too sweaty. My wife made these. First she tie dyed them, then screened the Fort image onto them. A neighbor from across the road took the pictures for us. My pride and joys. Oldest to youngest from left to right. He's not as light as he used to be! Daughter #3 and granddaughter #1 Daughter #2 and granddaughter #2 Some goofy looking guy and his handsome son. The Travis girls Old and new campers Close-up of the shirts my wife made. So afterwards we headed to where else, but the pool. Since it was Saturday it was more crowded than the previous days. And of course being FL in the summer we got rain. On and off for the next few hours, nothing bad but just a pain to try to cook in. After a late lunch of burritos, we split up. The girls were going to meet up with the NY relatives at Saratoga and go swimming. My son and I headed out to DAYTONA! Boogity boogity boogity, lets go racing! About a week before we headed to the Fort, I got a call from Circle K letting me know I has won a pair of tickets to the Coca Cola 400. It was an eerie coincidence, a few years back I has won another pair of tickets when it was still known as the Firecracker 400, and it was actually run on the 4th of July. That's where we sat last time we were here. They renovated the track removed the back stretch grandstands and added tons of seats to the front stretch. They were decent seats, but we were only 5 rows from the top. Good thing the new grandstands have escalators. They did a salute to the military. Nighttime racing Lightning but no rain. I saw the big one starting to happen, but I couldn't get a shot of it. Next best thing, a picture of the Jumbotron. Fireworks over towards the beach. Getting ready to race again after the big accident. It took out nearly 1/2 of the field. Now tickets to the race are about the same as a 1 day pass to the MK and higher, but it includes free remote parking. Their system to get people to and from the track was amazing. The parking lot was 2 to 3 miles away in a grassy field. If you wanted, they had golf carts running you from your car to the bus stop. At any given time they had at least 4 busses lined up. The busses left the lot, traveled for about an 1/8 of a mile on the public streets, then turned onto the utility companies dirt road running under the power lines. They had portable generators with high intensity lights lining the roadway. Whenever we crossed the public roads they had various police agencies stopping traffic so the busses had the right of way. They dropped us off in a lot right across the road from the raceway where the pedestrian bridge is located. Same thing on the way back. Once we got to the pick up area it took us about 5 minutes until we go to the parking lot. So that was our fun Saturday! Sunday fun to be posted later. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted July 24, 2016 Report Share Posted July 24, 2016 I love those shirts! So cool! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2016 1 hour ago, GaDawgFan.....Kelly said: I love those shirts! So cool! I think she did a great job. She did 3 different things. The stars were Elmers washable school glue that rinsed out after the tie dying was done. First she did the stars/blue, then the red stripes, then after she did a silk screen for the design. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 24, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 24, 2016 Sunday, another hot day. We had breakfast, then my son and daughter headed back to Tampa. The rest of us headed to the pool. After a quick dip and a quick lunch, we decided to try to take the boat from Port Orleans over to Disney Springs. First stop the guard shack at Riverside. Showed the guard my MB, and he said I needed to show him my ID. Now we had driven to the Poly, Saratoga, and Wilderness Lodge, and each time they scanned my MB and welcomed us. But not this guy, he told us he needed my ID and it was required at every entrance. I had thought the boat left from Riverside, then went to PO, but the guard told us there was no boats at Riverside and to try PO. Well once we got to the boat landing a PO, we found out that the guard didn't know what he was talking about. We were impressed with PO, grandkids liked the playground and pool as we walked by. Boat Ride! We had a great captain. Told us jokes, did a little bit of sing along, asked trivia question. Then he saw a golfer getting ready to tee off in the distance. So he throttled back, did a stage whisper and told us after the guy hit the ball we all needed to clap and cheer, which everyone did. That was one surprised golfer and he took it in stride waved and bowed. His partner wouldn't tee off until we powered away. So we got to look at a pricey ride while we were on our free ride. There were 2 of the cars on the lake and a 3rd going up the docking ramp. Quick picture while everyone was using the rest rooms. On the side of the Lego Store After a mandatory visit to the Lego Store we headed over towards the new part of Disney Springs We stopped at Sprinkles. At PO waiting for the boat to arrive we all set up accounts so we could get our "free" cupcake. Well they didn't honor the free cupcake deal, said it had expired. I got one for my granddaughter anyway. She liked it, but my wife and I weren't impressed. Dry, bland and way overpriced. The icing was creamy, but way too sweet. The new parts of DS are impressive, but not a lot of shade. I wasn't too fond of the shops. Not very Disney-like. Two more mandatory stops, the Star Wars (former Vinylmation) store, and the candy shop. We were going to have lunch at Rainforest, but they gave us a dirty table and it was way too small to fit everyone. My oldest daughter, my wife and I left so the others could have enough room to eat. My daughter and wife ate at Earl Of Sandwich. I held out for Poutine! I got the Latin Poutine Fried Yucca, Black Beans, Pulled Pork, and Queso Fresco It was surprisingly filling. We all met up did some more shopping, then headed back to the boat launch. The general consensus was that DS was nice, but we still spent more time and enjoyed the old parts better. Not so hidden Mickey at Saratoga Springs Looks like they are letting the tree houses go back to nature. We really enjoyed the boat ride, it made for a relaxing day. Back at the fort we had dinner, went swimming and went to the campfire program. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 25, 2016 Report Share Posted July 25, 2016 Those tie-dye flag shirts your wife made are awesome! Very cool that you made a trip over to Daytona. I haven't tried the poutine place yet. The idea of eating that Latin version on a 90 plus degree day doesn't sound appealing to me. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 26, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2016 13 hours ago, Tri-Circle-D said: Those tie-dye flag shirts your wife made are awesome! Very cool that you made a trip over to Daytona. I haven't tried the poutine place yet. The idea of eating that Latin version on a 90 plus degree day doesn't sound appealing to me. TCD The Poutine was good even on a hot day. But I supplimented it with my 7th or 8th glass of ice water. Hadn't been to Daytona in years, we had a good time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted July 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 Trip report on hold for a while. No access to my laptop and pictures. Will pick up the last couple of days later. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Littleolwoman.aka.Kristie 119 Posted July 28, 2016 Report Share Posted July 28, 2016 Love all the matching shirts!! The handmade ones, especially the patriotic ones are very well done. What a fun family trip so far. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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