My November/First Time Forting Trip

[Brent... Just Brent 83]

Day 1

Sunday, November 14

The plan was to be awake around 6am, out the door at 7.

I loaded the car the night before. I was a little wary about traveling alone, but I was pretty glad I was once the car was loaded. There wasn't even room for someone else's unmentionables - much less the person themselves!

What really happened. Woke up around 7 and was out the door about 8:30. I knew I had to stop by the office and fill the cooler before I left town. I was a little nervous about timing since I feared setting up camp in the dark.

I made excellent time and pulled into the Fort around 3:30 pm where I got to meet Phil, the security guard, for the first time. He was a little over-zealous in his duties and insisted I needed to go inside to check in and that I couldn't just drive through. I wasn't in the mood to argue or take chances, so I pulled in, parked and went inside. There wasn't a line and check-in went smoothly. The CP tried to check me into a cabin. I joked that if it was the same price, I'd take it.  Needless to say, I was assigned site 2064. I'd hoped for the 1500 loop, but I made a decision before I left to take what I got. You have to start somewhere and I didn't want to be spoiled for future trips.

Well?

Site 2064 was PERFECT. It's literally directly across from a comfort station AND the bus stop. I'm not a big driver on-property, so being close to a bus was great.  That and setting up so late, I knew I wouldn't have time to explore and figure things out before dark. Oh, and the first thing I heard was boat whistles/horns. Wow. Talk about nice.  The a/c from the comfort station was a little nuisance, but I quickly discovered it would drown out about any noise - OTHER THAN SLAMMING COMFORT STATION DOORS at 3am.

Setting up went smoothly. There weren't many people around and it was warm, but great over all.  The Easy Up was a little bit of a challenge alone, but I got it. Eventually. Not sure I'll attempt it again if I'm alone.  The tent is easy. I got the painters cloth and carpet down, and unloaded the car. Then I finished by setting up the kitchen area. Nothing fancy, but certainly did the job.

I stopped and had a drink. It's vacation, so why not?

Then I hopped on a bus and headed over to Epcot. I didn't have to wait more than a few minutes, but the bus to Epcot took? forever. And it wasn't the bus driver's fault.  No shock that people weren't paying attention and doing crazy things. Oh well!

Epcot was great. Ate a lot. Drank a lot. Illuminations didn't have the inferno barge. Then hopped the bus and headed back. I probably should have taken the monorail, but the bus wasn't bad. Stopping at the Lodge adds quite a bit of time.  On the way back to the 2000 loop, we had a great bus driver who had the bus "announce" things for people on board. I've never heard that before, but it really was a magical moment for those involved.

Got back, crashed, and that was that? except it was about 10pm. So needless to say, I was up about 5:30.  At least there wasn't a line in the comfort station!  It was in the low 50's overnight and I discovered my tent gets a bit drafty? even with the heater. I readjusted the air mattress and heater for the next night.  Hopefully that would help.

Day 2

Monday, November 15

Since I was up early, I wanted to get in the comfort station before it got busy to get the "lay of the land".  It was just as you guys explained. The one thing that struck me right off was how clean it was. I worked in housing for a college for a while, lived in dorms, and even shared a bathroom with a roommate. Not even my own bathroom is as clean as the comfort station.  It is a little tight in the "changing" area - and my head was a little slow because of the drinks the night before.  The shaving thing took some getting used to, though. No hot water to shave by? Yeah? that's not so good, but I figured I'd either suffer through it or become chewbacca by the end of the week.

I had a few cups of coffee at my site and realized it wasn't super hot because, well, it was 50 degrees out and the pot couldn't keep it steaming.  I somehow survived. Lesson learned. I tried bussing to get coffee later in the week. I much preferred making it at my site.

I was on the bus around 8:20 and headed to MK. I got there in plenty of time to sit back and relax before the rope drop show began.  I'll admit right here, I've never been up early enough to see this show.  It was entertaining and I was in MK a few minutes before 9. In the first hour, I did Space Mtn, Splash, Big Thunder, Buzz and Haunted Mansion.

Here's a view of Frontierland!

I'd had enough, so I headed back to the Fort and had a little lunch and hit the Meadows to see the $7 can of "cheese". Guess what. It's now $7.95!

After lunch, I fiddled with my setup a little and added a tarp to prepare for the rain expected later in the week. I also discovered I get full afternoon sun, but there's not much I can do about that.  I got my mug and headed to TE to get some sort of soda.

While I was there I walked down to the beach, sat down and? well? fell right asleep. Ha. This was my view.

I woke up around 4 and contemplated going to get an early bird dinner and decaf coffee, but decided to just go grill some steaks instead.  Tough life.

It was EMH at DHS Monday night, so I decided I'd head over there to see the Osborne Lights and have something sweet.

I took the bus and got to DHS about 7pm. It was pretty crowded. I figured most people would leave about 8, so I rode RNRC in the single rider line. That took about 45 minutes. So far, not so good.  Then I walked over to try the infamous Carrot Cake Cookie and grab a coffee. The line should have warned me, but I waited and tried it anyway.  It took about 20 minutes.

The espresso was just ok and the cookie was good. I have to say I prefer their white chocolate macadamia nut, but I definitely enjoyed it.  It was more of a cake than a cookie to me, but I showed it no mercy.

Then I walked down to see the Osborne Lights.  I haven't seen these in a few years, but I love them. As I recall, though, there was more to it at one point. A separate area with a lot of the light sculptures. I know I'm not making that up, but I don't remember how long ago that was. It may have even been before LMA opened. The lights were insanely crowded, so I didn't stay long.  I walked back over to check on waits for ToT and RNRC again. Still way too long, so I called it a night and headed back to the Fort, on a bus, that took FOREVER.  That's when I learned my bus lesson, or so I thought.

Cocktail and then bed.

Day 3

Tuesday, November 16

I actually slept well the night before, so I was up and ready to go around 8.  I had some breakfast - pop tarts and granola bars and some coffee. I decided that I should check out DHS again to see if my predictions were correct.

Did I learn my bus lesson the night before? I thought so, but I guess not.  I hopped the purple for the outpost. Got there and waited. And waited. AND WAITED. 30 min later, no bus. So I jumped back on the purple and went back to my site, got the car and drove. When I passed the bus stop I noticed the same people as before were still waiting on the DHS bus.

When I pulled in, I was glad to see I was correct. The parking lot was empty. I jumped on the tram - after discovering that it now has doors. When did that happen?  When I got into the park it was mostly empty. Everything except TSM was walk-on. I rode RNRC, ToT and did Back Lot. I grabbed lunch at the Commissary - which wasn't anywhere near as good as in October when I ate there (but was still just as SLOW) and then went to see the new Walt Disney: One Man's Dream. It was neat.

I'd had enough, so I headed back to the Fort. Now, see, at check-in there was the debacle. I guess in getting that straightened out I forgot to ask for a parking pass. I didn't think anything about it. Plus, I had my KTTW card, so no big, right? WRONG. Phil, my good security buddy, was back at his post and making sure the riff raff weren't getting in. I suppose singles in Hondas count because he was determined I was going to show him 25 forms of ID and whatever else before I was allowed entry.  I was almost ready to blow the breathalyzer and walk the line, but I passed his tests and was allowed re-entry. Of course, my KTTW card had opened the gate when I pulled up.

I hit the meadows to replenish the ice. SERIOUSLY, thank each and every one of you who told me about the ice here. So much better than the machine (which was broken until Wednesday) at the comfort station.

I got back to my site and relaxed for a while then decided to head to the Settlement to check out the TCD Ranch. I hadn't seen it in years.

Obligatory bathing of the horse photo.

And the blacksmith shop

And some more random photos.

I was the only one around and it was so quiet.  Loved it.

Then I headed over to TE to refill the mug and sit in a rocking chair.

Woah. Have those tables always been there? I thought I remembered there being rocking chairs all down the side of the porch.

Well, I plopped right down and promptly fell asleep. But before I did, this was my view.

I love how quiet it is here during the day.

Once I was awake, I was kinda hungry.  I re-refilled the mug and made my way back to the 2000 loop.

It was quiet, but my neighbors were still around.  I'm pretty sure they got a kick out of my cooking skillz (note the "z") while they were there. I'm also pretty sure they're on the Dis, but I didn't see green ears, so I don't know who they are.

I grilled up some hot dogs and whatnot and then was off to meet some Dis folks at the Poly for a Dole Whip meet.  I was definitely ready to impress some of you with my mad Dole Whipping skills.  So? bus to boat to monorail. Easy as pie, but I was somehow STILL late.

And then it happened. I marched right into Captain Cooks and cue the poopy music. The DW machine had exploded all over the floor and was out of service.  I call that RUINED in my book.  So we had drinks instead.  A good time was had by all and around 6:30 I was going to head back to the Fort.  Needless to say, I'll spare you the details, but when you think "I can do this faster than I got here", DON'T DO IT. I got back around 8.

I'd had enough so I grabbed a beverage and headed down to the beach to watch the Fireworks and the Water Pageant.  I was early so I walked around the loops a little. It was still really quiet and no one was out. I was mostly alone looking at the over-achievers.  Do they have black out drapes in their RV's? I wouldn't be able to sleep with all of those lights outside my window. Wow. They really do a great job.

It was getting close to MVMCP Fireworks time, so I headed to the beach to watch Holiday Wishes and the Water Pageant. It was great. I headed to the bus and BAM. The rain started.  I was also stuck with some of the 7:30 HDDR crowd. They were drunk and tired - something I easily identify with - and weren't too thrilled to have a lowly camper holding them up by making the bus stop. I hope they survived. At least they were so confused I was able to out maneuver them.

I got back and made sure everything was dry and decided to lounge in the tent and watch tv for a while.  Needless to say I woke up Wednesday morning - still in my clothes.

Day 4

Wednesday, November 17

I woke up much later than normal, but decided that was reason enough to make cinnamon rolls. I'm easily convinced.  It seemed like a big check out day, so there was a lot of activity.  I lounged the morning away.  The plan was DAK for EMH. I've always wanted to see the park in the dark, so this was my chance.  Reality was also setting in that this was the half way point of a much-needed vacation. I considered calling and extending or maybe hitting a resort for a few nights, but decided I should just go home and mentally prepare myself for the holiday with the Family. And plan a return trip ASAP while the AP was still valid.

I cooked some lunch and did some dishes. I dislike that as much on vacation as much as I do at home.

I decided to head over to Epcot to see what crowds were like.  When I got there, it was empty. EVERYTHING was a walk on except Soarin', and that only had a 25 min wait. So, I did all of future world and headed over to DAK about 5:30. It was even emptier. At one point between Asia and Africa I was the only person around. Everest was walk on, which was nice, so I rode a few times. It's a totally different experience at night.

About 7:30, I'd had enough so I made my way back to the Fort and to the beach to see Wishes!. There weren't many people at all. I had no trouble grabbing a beer and a lounge chair in time. Afterwards, I headed back to the 2000 loop, had another beer and did some reading. TV and bed.

Day 5

Thursday, November 18

I was up pretty early. More people were leaving and it was starting to get a little lonely in the 2000 loop. Haha. There was a couple two sites down who were easily in their 80's. Great people and TENT CAMPING. I just hope to make it to 80? I can't imagine camping when I'm that age.  Also, my cool, funny and cheery next-door neighbors were breaking down camp. They'd had an incident with their air mattress in the middle of the night (which I'd heard) and were laughing as they hauled it to the curb.  I was a little sad to see them go. It's hard to have good people around you.

The plan for the day was to make it a total Fort day. Rent a golf cart and just be lazy. Now, let me just say, lazy is my middle name, so I didn't see that being a problem.  In fact, I'm so good at it, I sat around drinking coffee and writing the TR for a couple of hours.

Until I smelled the burning.

I dismissed it as a bug in my heater or something. Well? turns out I should have listened to myself and used a separate extension cord just for the heater.  I melted my surge strip.

I know. I know. Stop judging now. I really did know better. It was vacation-itis. I had my "common sense" blinders on.  Plus, it was a heavy duty strip, so I figured my little heater on low wouldn't be a big deal. Oops.

Well, I did my thing and went and rented a golf cart. It wasn't all that different from renting a car! I said goodbye to my neighbors and did some looping.

I have to say, this is the way to see the Fort! Wow. There was so much I hadn't seen and I tried to cram it all in. I later realized how much I would have missed if I hadn't rented the cart.  I had some lunch and hit the pool. And by pool I mean hot tub. Wow. Yeah. No way I can handle the pool this time of year.

I decided to head over to the Lodge and snack some, then MK to see some friends.  And the best part? On the way back I stopped for a sweet treat!

Now, let's be fair. I know this isn't the most I could cram into that bowl, but I could feel the diabetes setting in as I ate this much. And what a value! It was about $4. That's gotta be the cheapest dessert on property.

I headed back on the boat with a lot of confused families going to the HDDR.  It had gotten COLD out.

So, after I got back I lounged some and decided to go looping. I mean, how could I not?!? When in Rome?.

It was pretty cold out on the cart, but I bundled up. I drove down and caught the fireworks - another MNSSHP night - and then started looping. I made it a point to hit every loop.  I had a great time just checking out everyone's different setups.  I'm gathering ideas for if I ever do get the small TT or PUP that I've had my eye on for a long time now. I also talked to quite a few families. I looked from BradyBz, but they weren't around.

It was late and I called it a night. I bundled up in all sorts of warm clothes and climbed in a cold sleeping bag. Why didn't I think to at least start the car to warm the bag up a little?  I stayed pretty warm that night, but not as comfortable as I would have liked.

Day 6

Friday, November 19

This was supposed to be my last full day, so I wanted to do a few things I hadn't done yet.  I also didn't have anything else to cook, so that meant I got to eat out.

I returned the cart and went back to get the car. I drove over to DAK. There were cops EVERYWHERE running radar. Luckily, I just happened to slow down when the speed limit dropped on Osceola. They were pulling people left and right near DAK.  I remember a time when speed limits were just a "suggestion" at WDW and no cops were ever around. 

DAK wasn't very crowded, so I did all of the old favorites and even grabbed a quick lunch at Pizzafari.  Lion King was on the list and then I wandered the Jungle Trek and Pangani trail. I haven't done that in years. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed everything, except the bats.

After I left DAK, I headed over to Kissimmee to meet some friends for coffee. Then I drove over to a Super Target I've seen out on 192 before and bought some snacks and a heater. Of course, this meant that it wasn't going to get below 70 the rest of the trip, but I was willing to take that chance.

I headed back to the Fort and actually took a nap after I packed a few things up.  It was about that time that a friend of mine started asking a lot of questions about why I wasn't staying the weekend and how great it would be if all of us actually got to spend time just hanging out.  Needless to say, my arm was twisted. 

This is when I started noticing people arriving - a LOT of people. The 2000 loop went from 30% occupancy to 100% in that day. And with the added people came the added pains in the rear ends. There was a LOT of noise. Kids out of control. Teenagers driving golf carts unsafely. Lights shining into the side of my tent at night. People cutting across my site to get to theirs.  And the comfort station was constantly being trashed. The loop attendants would clean it and 30 minutes later it'd be trashed again. This wasn't how I planned to end my trip!

After my nap, it was Epcot for dinner time.  I planned to get there early to see what I wanted to see and not hang around after Illuminations. I also had to go to the Outpost to check and see if I could actually extend a day.  As luck would have it I could.  I made my way to Epcot (on bus) and had a few drinks, dinner, The American Adventure, Illuminations and then realized how exhausted I was. I made my way back and crashed.

Overall

First and foremost, THANK YOU to everyone on the camping board.  I would have never even thought of many of the things you guys suggested.

MOUSEKETAB, you get the gold star for the painters cloth idea. Seriously, I would have been MISERABLE without it. Thank you. 

The recipes suggested were also good.I ate more at the campsite than in the parks? and that's very rare for me.

If any of the Fort bus drivers read along, you guys were AWESOME. That smiling face at 7am makes a huge difference! 

[campingpixi 11]

GREAT Trip report!! Sounds like you really enjoyed yourself!! woo hoo! Aint the fort great  :banana:

[Brent... Just Brent 83]

Thanks! I wish I were a better writer. I'd think of clever and insightful things when I was out and about... and then forget them. It looks like I also lost a day in there somewhere.  Hrmmmmm

[Lil Lisa 53]

Great report!  Sounds like you had a wonderful time.  Did you lose your photos on Voldemort?

[H in SC 85]

Great TR Brent, my fellow South Carolinian, you're a excellent

writer, but, bring on the pics sandlapper.  :dance:

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

Enjoyed reading!! I always think I'm gonna take detailed notes when I'm there, but heck there's too much else to do!

[ftwildernessrick 10]

I know what you mean about the crowds. The week of TG is great with all the decorations up around WDW, but it sure is a lot quieter the week before.

Great TR. 

[kampfirekim 260]

Your get up times and actual out the door times sound very much like the KFK clan's  :partyline:

Glad U had a great trip.  Your photos must have been eaten by the evil Voldemort.  Muuuaaahahahahaha!