CKCK 5.0-Nov. 17-24, First Thanksgiving at the Fort!

[CKCK 45]

A little backstory:

DW and I have been married for 10 years.

For 10 years we have spent every holiday driving all over the countryside seeing family.

Alternating holidays with different family members in different parts of the country.

Enough is enough.

This year things were changing. We were going to the Fort.

Family was invited...all were welcome. We were not trying to get away from them, just doing what we wanted to do and starting a new tradition.

And for the record, it’s a great tradition.

As it turns out, no one wanted to come. So some friends came with us for the first few days of the trip.

Woo hoo!

Day 1: Saturday

We all left at our customary 5:00am. Our trip was a little slower than normal because our stops were a little longer.

For the first time ever we were bringing our dogs.

We weren’t sure how they were going to handle this. We’ll find out later.

Also, our friends have a 1 year old daughter, so she needed some out of the car time to eat and so forth.

And there was that time that she threw up in her mommy’s hands, and in turn her mommy tried to throw it all out the window going down I-85, and of course it all went down the side of their car.

Great start to the trip.

Oh yeah, and there was the time that all the gauges on my truck went dead:

Keep in mind we’re going about 70mph.

Awesome.

Turns out it was a loose wire under the dash from where I installed my new fog lights.

So with that under control, on we pressed.

We arrived about 2:00.

If this was a sign of how the crowds were going to be, it was going to be an awesome trip.

Unfortunately this was not a sign.

We spent that afternoon and evening setting up camp, eating burgers and hot dogs, and drinking beer.

I don’t have any pics.

But our friends brought a tent to put on our site.

And the beer was cold.

That’s all I got.

Tomorrow morning we’re up for MK ropedrop, it isn’t warm, I fall asleep on a ride, and a character tries to walk off with my DD4.

Did I mention we are continuing right now?

Bonus!

It’s Sunday morning.

The weather was a little cool at the campsite, but it was supposed to warm up.

I have made the mistake in the past of wearing jeans because it was cool early, but then by 10:00 I’m miserable.

That was not going to happen today.

Meet our friends:

Alabaster

Coconut

Felix (5)

Plum(1)

Yes, those are not their real names...

Remember how I said it was a little cool at the campsite? Alabaster and I had also made the call to not wear jackets so we didn’t have to fool with them later on in the day.

Well it was frickin’ freezing on the dock.

We would come to regret not having jackets on today, because it never did really warm up like it was supposed to, and the sun never really came out either.

We made it through the MK gates at about 7:46.

That’s pretty specific.

You know how I know the exact time?

Because I took a picture of a guy’s hairy arm:

Luckily for me that hair arm had a watch on it.

This was the crowd at that time:

This morning was definitely not going to suck if the crowds were like that!

Our first stop was Storybook and meeting some characters.

Notice how DD2 is still not feeling the characters.

I call these next two pics, DD2 not digging Minnie:

We’ll take a break here.

We spent the morning in the MK, and there are still more pics. And disaster on Buzz.

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Another TR!

Good for you starting a new tradition!

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Wow, a new trip report already!

Awesome.

And this one is off to a great start.

I hope the stay at the Fort was better than the trip down what with the throwing up in the hands and dead gauges and such.

That was lucky for you that the guy with the hairy arm had on a watch.

I love your friends' pseudonyms.

Very creative.

But, just so I keep it straight, is coconut the husband or the wife?

TCD

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Disney, Redhead, Daisy and Minnie, great start to your trip.

{I don't do throw up}

First Page Bragging Rights

[fort4evr 0]

I'm in, good trip report so far.

[Keren 4]

What an exciting trip report. Can't wait to read more!!!

[mouseketab.....Carol 1,261]

Cool!!! Can't wait to read more!!!

I know what you mean about not wanting to drag a jacket all day long, but I'm a wimp, so I bring the jacket

[magnoliafig 51]

Wow, a new trip report already!.

But, just so I keep it straight, is coconut the husband or the wife?

TCD

Silly! Everybody knows girls have mangos. Boys have coconuts.

[stefa70 205]

Vomit, dead gauges and hairy guys?

This is my kind of report! :jumpforjoy

Please continue.....

[Total Joker ... TJ 203]

:suspense: Hope this is second page...

[Nicki aka Rebelstand 272]

I'm in.. I'm in!

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

Great start! Glad to see my redheads back again so soon!

[GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799]

We've been debating starting a new tradition like the Fort for much of the same reasons. I look forward to seeing how it goes. It has to get better than puke and truck issues, right?

[Big Kahuna aka John 71]

I'm in on this one also..

[momof3kids-Yvonne 594]

I'm here.

I would love to go to the Fort for Thanksgiving. Heck I would be happy even getting together with relatives. It seems as our children get older and busier this becomes harder to do.

[CKCK 45]

Good for you starting a new tradition!

It was definitely time!!!

I hope the stay at the Fort was better than the trip down what with the throwing up in the hands and dead gauges and such.

I love your friends' pseudonyms.

But, just so I keep it straight, is coconut the husband or the wife?

TCD

Yes, the Fort is a little better than throw up and dead gauges and such.

Coconut is the wife. As in, she often wears coconut bras.

Okay, no she doesn't. But that would be funny, right?

Disney, Redhead, Daisy and Minnie, great start to your trip.

{I don't do throw up}

Thanks! I try to avoid throw up as well!

I'm in, good trip report so far.

Thanks for joining us!

What an exciting trip report. Can't wait to read more!!!

Thanks!

Cool!!! Can't wait to read more!!!

I know what you mean about not wanting to drag a jacket all day long, but I'm a wimp, so I bring the jacket

Honestly I would rather be cold for awhile than to be dealing with extra stuff. But it was a little too chilly that day!

Silly! Everybody knows girls have mangos. Boys have coconuts.

Awkward...

Vomit, dead gauges and hairy guys?

This is my kind of report! :jumpforjoy

Please continue.....

It doesn't take much for you, does it?

:suspense: Hope this is second page...

I don't know what that means, but glad you're here!

[CKCK 45]

I'm in.. I'm in!

Thanks...thanks!

Great start! Glad to see my redheads back again so soon!

I have to admit something. They're the main reason I write TR's...to show them off!

We've been debating starting a new tradition like the Fort for much of the same reasons. I look forward to seeing how it goes. It has to get better than puke and truck issues, right?

Yes, it definitely got better!

I'm in on this one also..

Welcome!

I'm here.

I would love to go to the Fort for Thanksgiving. Heck I would be happy even getting together with relatives. It seems as our children get older and busier this becomes harder to do.

I have a feeling next year relatives will come. After they heard how a great time we had (and how poor of a time they had with other relatives), I think they are making plans to join us!

Team CKCK wins!

[CKCK 45]

Still Day 2 in the MK:

What better way to start this new installment than with a pic of my girls?!?

Bam!

That’s what I’m talking about!

We were over in Tomorrowland area and saw the crowd around the talking trash can:

This may have been the easiest time I’ve ever had spotting the guy with the mic.

He wasn’t very stealthy.

We next hit Buzz.

For awhile now I’ve been trying to figure out how to get the big points. Often my wife will blow up with 200,000 or 300,000, but she never knows how.

I finally figured out where the big points are:

It’s hard to read, but that says 572,900.

Bam!

Now that I know what to do, my goal is 999,999.

We’ll see if I ever get there.

Taking that previous pic is where I had a big fail. As I grabbed my camera, my lens cap popped off and flew off the ride onto the ground. I watched my lens cap fade into the distance as the ride kept going.

Fail.

Since our friends had not been to WDW for years, they had never seen this ride.

You may know, that people on rides for the first time generally makes for good pics.

Okay, they're not that good.

DW and DD2 didn’t have a very exciting pic either:

I was so tired from blowing up with 572,900 that I took a nap:

Afterwards we went out and stood in line to meet Buzz, since Felix was all about some Buzz. I don’t have his pics, but I do have DD4 meeting him. This is when it got scary.

Buzz seemed to think that DD4 looked like Jessie.

Come to think of it, I guess she kind of did:

He then tried to walk off with her.

So I beat him down.

And told him that he’s not a real space guy.

People mover time:

This pic is from when you come out of the dark:

Good stuff.

However, there is a problem with that last pic.

Anyone catch it?

Look at DD4 and Felix’s hands.

WHAT THE FORT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

NOT OKAY!!!!!!!!!!

Actually, he was a little apprehensive of most rides since he was new to this whole WDW thing. He said if she held his hand he wouldn’t be scared.

Nice story, kid.

On our way out around lunch time we stopped by to see Mickey.

Yet again, no pic of DD2 with him.

We chilled back at the Fort until it was time to come back over for Wishes. We came early to hit a few more things before parade time.

Apparently Felix has some game. Check him out now:

Rocking the Mickey ears and all.

I had to keep my eye on him.

By the way, that was standing in line for PotC.

I’ve always noticed that when you first enter the queue there are all of those chains hanging off the pillars. Kind of looked like they could use it for zig zagging lines, though I’ve never seen it that crowded.

Well, it was that crowded. Holy geez.

I normally would not wait for ANY ride that long (it was probably about 30 minutes...that’s a long time for me), but since our friends were with us we waited.

We also were going to ride the HM.

We weren’t sure about taking the girls on it, as they had never been. But our friends were taking their kids on it so we thought we would give it a try.

Here is where this story takes a turn for the worse.

And not because of the girls.

In the confusion of getting in line and ditching strollers, DW and DD2 got separated.

We were in line.

The line started moving.

We were caught in the surge.

Now, we are not the kind of people who line jump.

I hate those people.

However, these were extenuating circumstances because had we stopped we would have been totally in the way of the line. We were looking for a place to step aside to wait for them to catch up, but the line kept moving.

Finally we stepped over just where the line splits at the interactive queue.

By then my wife had already given up. She was trying to catch up, and there was a CM who was no help. She was trying to figure out how to catch up without ticking people off.

A guy (probably about 40 something) with his wife were in their way. He was a jerk about it and then made the comment to my wife that it was tacky she was trying to get up with me.

I’m not okay with people being rude to my wife.

Just as we stepped aside my wife called my cell and told me she was getting out of line and that the guy had hassled her. She told me he was wearing a big American flag shirt.

Aka, a big target.

I’m not one to start fights, especially in WDW.

HOWEVER...

he crossed the line.

When he came by I stepped up next to him and said, “by the way, my wife is not tacky.”

He was caught off guard and tried to weasel out of it saying he didn’t say that. I called him out on it and then you know what he said?

He said he didn’t tell my wife she was tacky.

HE SAID I WAS TACKY FOR LEAVING HER.

Umm...did he really go there?

At this point I had to make a decision.

I could:

A- Point out that he was in no position to be calling people tacky wearing a big flag. However, I didn’t want him to call me un-American for criticizing an American flag shirt (even though the shirt was awful), so I didn’t choose A.

B- Lay into him more about being a jerk to my wife, get into a big argument, and probably have security involved. That did not seem like a happy plan either.

C- Let it go because my DD4 was next to me watching the whole thing and I needed to set a good example.

As you can guess I chose C.

I mumbled something else to him and let him pass.

I was still fired up though.

When we got into the stretching room, I made sure to stand right next to him just to make him feel uncomfortable.

Turns out, DD4 was not digging the stretching room (even though I blocked her view from the ceiling when the lights go out).

So I took DD4 and Felix out the next exit and waited on Alabaster, Coconut, and Plum to get off.

After this my nerves and self-control were shot, so we found a place for wishes over between the Ice Cream Parlor and Tomorrowland Terrace so that we could use the super secret exit after Wishes.

I, unlike DaveInTn, did not stop to take pics backstage, and we beat most of the crowd out and to the boat.

Bam.

The next day we have a marathon day...AK, Epcot, and DHS all in one day. And a Fiend visits!

Remind me to never do that again!

[PureTcrazy...rita 380]

One day those pictures of Felix and your daughter will be so sweet to you. When she's a teenager, you'll long for those younger days! :)

[alexwyattmommy 181]

Felix has game! Neither of my boys would have been that smooth.

Better to think about punching the man's lights out then actually being escorted out of the park. Good call.

Super secret exit? We've not stayed to watch Wishes inside because of the push to get out. Share if you can?

DD4 does look like Jessie in that photo. Way too cute.

[stefa70 205]

Nice update!

Girls are ADORABLE! Must get that from their Mom.

Push talker was very unstealthy...maybe he should take pointers from Felix! Atta boy Felix! Make the girls feel needed, works every time.

Good job taking choice "C"

I know how it is to want to hurt someone for being an a$$, but in the end it's not worth it. People like that are generally just miserable people.

[Tri-Circle-D 2,059]

Great update.

Flag shirt guy and Felix need to go, though.

TCD

[AC in A2......Aaron 693]

Good choice.......and more impressive bc it was likely a tough choice.

Flag shirt? He was desecrating the flag by acting like and idiot while wearing it.

I am pretty sure flags are not to be worn as shirts too.

Nice move standing next to him too!

[Big Kahuna aka John 71]

Wow... Flag shirt guy a weasel and a cowardly liar.. Should've asked if he was auditioning for the role of the Lion in the Wizard of Oz.

I too at times have found myself in your position due to inconsiderate people. I usually just get away from them, and try to minimize their impact on my family time. If I wanted that aggrivation, I'd just go to work.

As far as Felix... let him be... You have two adorable redheads... You'll need all you have and then some when they're teenagers..

[fortpartyof4 108]

Those little faces are too cute for words. Felix better be prepared to get in line in a few years.

Loudmouth line guy is a d-bag. That is when I would have employed what my husband and I call the "hey kids, look a deer!" tactic, said or gestured something that I didn't want my boys to see or hear, hoping in the process to call the moron out. (think Chevy Chase in "Christmas Vacation". That's where that line comes from)