Trip Reports

Leah Martin - December 1998 - Fort Wilderness Homes

Time of Year: Holiday Season
Travel Method: Plane, Shuttle Service
Resort: FWH
Accommodations
Ages Represented in Group: Elementary, Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Rookie, Frequent
Comments: Leah's family took a nine day trip to WDW in early December. They stayed in a one-bedroom cabin at Fort Wilderness Homes, and had a marvelous time. The feature I most love about Leah's play-by-play style report, is the "magic moments" and trip tips that are scattered throughout the narrative.


Introduction:

PLAYERS:

Mom -- me! (age 34 - went to WDW once as a child)
Dad (age 35 - first time at WDW)
Son (age 5 - first time at WDW )
Nanny (age 16 - visited WDW several times with her family)
TOURING PLAN: I had originally planned to take advantage of early entry, but decided that getting everyone up early would make for a crabby family very quickly. I also knew my stomach wouldn't handle rides at 7:30am very well, so what would be the point? I read Jeff Spencer's touring plan for avoiding early entry and used it religiously except for our AK day and our last day. It worked like a charm and the longest we ever waited for any ride was 15 minutes.

REPORT FORMAT: First is my general advice and observations. Then a day-by-day trip report. For each day I have included *Magic Moments* (things that made the day especially memorable), and *Tips* (ideas that may help future visitors). I also include my 5yo's reaction to all the rides and shows. He is a pretty cautious kid, not a real daredevil, but very enthusiastic. Maybe this will help other parents determine what their youngsters will like.

GENERAL ADVICE: Don't go to WDW for the food. I know everyone complains about the food, but for us it was more of a timing issue. It just takes a long time to eat at a restaurant, so you waste a lot of valuable park time. If you want to eat out, pick 2 or 3 restaurants that consistently get good reviews for their food quality and go for a late, relaxing dinner after the parks close. Don't go to a restaurant because of it's theme or gimmick (like the Prime Time Café). It's not that the food was terrible, it's just that these places take a long time to serve you because their main focus is to entertain. If you want to be entertained, get a hotdog and go to a show or a ride in the park. They do a much better job of entertaining, you won't waste your time, and it will save you some money. The one exception is the character meals. They were really fun for my son, and it gave him a chance to meet the characters without the crush of other guests, or getting disappointed when the characters had to take a break before he got through the line.

Like you've heard before, take breaks in the middle of the day. Even if you just put your feet up, it helps keep everyone sane. Also, quit while you're ahead. There were many times we pushed ourselves too far because we had just enough energy to feel like we could do one more thing, only to melt down halfway through.

Bring plastic card carriers. I found some on sale at WalMart for $1. They are little zip-loc plastic card holders used for hunting licenses - similar to a luggage tag but large enough for credit cards and park passes. They clip onto backpacks, belts, etc. I also used one as a safety card for my son -- I printed his name, our names, and our resort name on a card, put it in the card carrier, and safety-pinned it to his shorts each day. He knew where his info was if we got separated.

Eat breakfast in your room, even if you just have a microwave or toaster. This got everyone off to a relaxed start and maximized our park time. Although we had a kitchen, in reality we only used it for breakfast and snacks. We were usually at one of the parks at lunch and dinner time.

I hate to say this too many times because it might spoil it if more people start doing this, but go in the off season! This, more than any other element, made our trip wonderful. For the most part, we felt like we had the parks to ourselves. Our nanny, who typically goes with her family during spring break, was amazed at the low wait times.

DAY 1 - Friday 12/4/98

My written journal entry for this day says "a perfect day!".

We arrived at Fort Wilderness around 3pm. Chec-in went smoothly and we were able to get a cabin in the 2600 loop with about a one-block walk to the pool, laundry facilities and bus shelter. Weather was 85 and clear blue sky and stayed pretty much that way the whole trip. Wenever got rained on.

*Magic Moment* -- When we checked in, the reservationist delivered a gift basket from my travel agent. It included all kinds of Disney treats, and an autograph book & Mickey pen for my son.

*Tip* -- We stayed in the cabins so we could take advantage of the kitchen facilities. I packed a standard-size moving box with groceries purchased at home, taped the box securely, and checked it on the plane. Everything traveled well and when we saw the prices at the Trading Post, we were glad we did it! The items we packed included dry cereal, microwave popcorn, cereal bars, oranges, pancake mix, syrup, peanut butter, jelly and boxes of macaroni and cheese. I even packed a loaf of bread in Tupperware containers. Everything was either canned or in plastic containers (no glass).

We did a little unpacking, changed into shorts, and headed for the MK. We arrived at MK around 4pm. We walked up to Cinderella's castle with Christmas music playing in the background, and to my complete surprise, I found myself choking back the tears! I visited WDW when I was 9 and everything was so familiar still! My son had already planned to go to the Haunted Mansion first. It was a walk-on and we got there just in time to see the portrait turn old. This was my favorite ride 20-some years ago, and I was a kid once more, squealing when the hitchhiker appeared between me and my husband! Then we went to BTMR, which my son declared was "his favorite ride" of the day. We rode that twice in succession with about a 5-10 minute wait. Then we went to Pirates which was also a walk-on.

We left MK at 5:40 and headed for Chef Mickey's. We had a PS for 6:15 so we ran up to the observation deck to watch the fireworks, and then back downstairs for dinner. Warning to first-time visitors with priority seating -- you still have to wait in line to tell the hostess you have priority seating. This was a little frustrating at first. We waited for 15 minutes just to get to the hostess stand. But then we only waited 2 minutes for a table. People without priority seating were having to wait 2 hours!

Chef Mickey's was great. The food was pretty good, and the environment was really fun for our 5yo. It gave him a chance to get used to the characters (something he was nervous about) and it put us all in the Disney mood. Dale visited our table first to sign autographs, and my son's new pen wasn't working. Dale made quite a show out of getting the pen to work, shaking it and dabbing it on his tongue. It was really hilarious.

DAY 2 - Sat 12/5

I was up at 5:30am and couldn't get back to sleep. At 7am I showered and went to the Bike Barn. I was able to rent a golf cart for the whole week without a reservation. Almost unheard of! The rest of the crew got up slowly, and we ended up at Epcot around 10:30am. We rode Spaceship Earth (5 min wait). Then on our way to HISTA, I spotted the Cool Station. The rest of my group didn't know about this, so it was a fun surprise for them. My son loved it! He barged right in and tried all the flavors -- he even took a gulp of Beverly before I could stop him! Then he tricked his Dad into trying some and got a kick out of that. Next was HISTA (son loved it but took his glasses off when the snake came out!) and then Living Seas (both were walk-ons). Our son really liked Living Seas, and especially enjoyed visiting the manatees afterwards. We had lunch at the Teppanyaki Room in Japan which was fun for all. The hostess "fixed" my son's chopsticks with rubberbands so he could use them easily. He really had fun eating his rice that way.

We went back to our cabin around 3:45 and rented the Water Mouse boats (sometimes called Water Sprites) for half an hour. That was a lot of fun too -- little 2-seater motor boats that you can drive around the lagoon.

*Tip* -- the Water Sprites were on sale from 10am - noon at the Fort Wilderness marina.

That night was adults night out -- son and nanny went to the campfire and movie at FW, and my husband and I went to Victoria and Albert's. What a wonderful, relaxing break. The food & service were excellent. Try the kona chocolate souffle for dessert -- heavenly!

*Magic Moment* - we walked around the Grand Floridian after dinner and saw their gingerbread carrousel -- amazing!

DAY 3 - Sun 12/6

We went to River Country today. Arrived around 10:30 and had the place practically to ourselves the whole time.

*Tip* -- River Country is great for younger kids. Not too hectic and there are plenty of smaller slides and wading pools. Order lunch from the snack bar and the kid meals come in a plastic sand pail with shovel!

We went back to the cabin after lunch for naps. Then to MK around 3:30. We rode Buzz Lightyear (10 min wait), Space Mt (10 min wait), Snow White (walk-on), Peter Pan (walk-on), and Splash Mt (10 min wait). My son loved Snow White, Peter Pan, and Buzz Lightyear (although it was difficult for him to score points and this made it frustrating). He declared Space Mt "too bumpy and too dark", and he would not go on Splash Mt. We ate at Crystal Court and met Pooh and the gang. Food at Crystal Court was OK - about the same quality as Chef Mickey's. But the place really feels (and smells!) like it's had a lot of traffic. The smell kind of reminded me of a high school cafeteria.

*Magic Moment* -- Tigger was great, full of energy, as Tiggers should be! He proposed to our nanny, then while posing for a picture with my son, leaned over too far (purposefully) and they went rolling on the floor. My son stills laughs about that.

*Magic Moment #2* -- The park closed at 7pm (no Christmas Party that night) and as we were leaving, several characters were stationed at the exits. Again, it was like we had them all to ourselves.

We decided to go to DT Disney Mktplace, which was a mistake. Didn't get home until 11:30 and everyone was exhausted.

DAY 4 - Mon 12/7

Animal Kingdom was on the schedule for today, and I wanted to get there early. It was tough to get everyone up, but we made it to AK by 7:45.

*Tip* -- just like everyone says on this board, get to AK early! The design of this park with its winding paths makes traffic flow difficult. By 11am it was pretty rough getting around, even though the waits for the rides weren't all that long.

We saw It's Tough to be a Bug first and only had a 5min wait for the show. The 3D effects didn't seem to be as clear in this one as HISTA, but the animatrons are very cool. My son really liked it. Next was the Safari (10 min wait). We saw lots of animals moving around: giraffes walked right next to our jeep, elephants, rhinos, ostrich, lions. My son thoroughly enjoyed this ride. Next was Countdown to Extinction (5 min wait). My son got too nervous during the preshow and I had to bow out with him. I rode it later in the day and thought he probably could have handled it, but we couldn't convince him. We had 11am PS at Rainforest Café -- it was the only time left when I called, but it proved to be prefect timing. We walked right in, but by the time we finished, the line stretched outside. Then while everyone else was eating lunch around the noon hour, we rode Countdown again with no wait and explored the Boneyard. We decided to see the Festival of the Lion King, even though we had planned to leave after lunch. We were so glad we stayed! This is an incredible show and it had us all on the edge of our seats!

We got back to the cabin at 2:30, and rested for what would be our longest - and most tiring - day at WDW. We had PS for Tony's Town Square at 6:15 with tickets to the Christmas Party that night.

*Tip* -- If you're staying at a resort that has a marina with a boat launch to MK, take the boat to MK that leaves just before the 6pm fireworks. You'll have the boat to yourself because the park is closing so no one is going there. It's like a private fireworks boat cruise.

*Tip* -- For the Christams Party, if you eat at one of the MK restaurants around park closing time and have your MVMCP tickets with you at the entrance gate, they will go ahead and give you your x-mas party wristbands and you won't have to leave the park after dinner. We had a great meal at Tony's Town Square and were able to leave the restaurant and walk down Main Street ahead of everyone else.

We took the advice of people on this board and got our photo done first (great idea, the lines were very long later on). We walked down Mainstreet while it snowed and met Donald at his tree lot - very cute. We saw Mickey's "Twas the Night Before Christmas". Our Nanny and I thought it was delightful. My son and husband were itching to get to Buzz Lightyear. Buzz was a 5 min wait. Husband and I went to Alien while Nanny & Son rode Buzz. Wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, but definitely not for 5-year-olds. Next was Disney Speedway (5 min wait) and Snow White (walk-on). The Mad Hatter was signing autographs by the Tea Cups, and we stopped to watch. He is hilarious! If you see him in the park, just stop and listen to him for awhile. Then we went to Haunted Mansion (walk-on) which is even more fun at night. Our son was getting pretty tired by this time, but he wanted to ride BTMR again, so Dad took him there while Nanny and I went to search for characters and watch the 11:30 parade.

*Magical Moment* -- the parade float with Chip n' Dale making gingerbread cookies really smells like gingerbread!

DAY 5 - Tues 12/8 Everyone slept in today!

Mom, Nanny and Son went to FW petting farm at 11am. Fed the goats and rode the ponies. This resort is such a quiet, peaceful place -- a nice break after the hectic pace of the parks. After pony rides, we went to MGM at 12:30 while Dad stayed at the cabin to get some work done. Nanny and Son rode Star Tours (5 min wait) and this ended up being one of my son's favorites. Then we had lunch at the Prime Time. Lunch was actually pretty yummy, but my son didn't like being "harassed" by the waiter - it embarrassed him. Lunch also took a very long time because the wait staff is so involved in entertaining the guests. Dad joined us as we were finishing lunch and Son took him on Star Tours. Then we saw Muppets 3D (5 min wait) and got Kermit's autograph just outside the theater. Son thought the movie was really funny. Next was the Backlot Tour with Catastrophe Canyon (walk on). Son thought this was VERY cool. We stopped for a rest and cool drink while Son played in the Honey I Shrunk the Kids movie set. Then we saw Voyage of the Little Mermaid (5 min wait) which everyone enjoyed. I liked the rain curtain! I thought the use of lasers was kind of cheesy though -- reminded me of some Pink Floyd laser shows I went to in college. Then Nanny and I went on Tower of Terror. Definitely too scary for 5yo, but I loved it! I went again with hubby and he really liked it to. We had PS at Flying Fish on the Boardwalk, so we closed down MGM and went to dinner.

*Magical Moment* -- We got to Boardwalk early, so we rented a 4-seater bike and pedaled around the Boardwalk. Very relaxing. I highly recommend it.

Dinner at the Flying Fish was great. They even gave our son a water game to play after we ordered. It kept him very entertained and he got to take it home afterwards. The food was fresh and original. A very nice experience.

DAY 6 - Wed 12/9

We slept in again. Mom, Dad & Son went to Epcot around noon. Nanny hung out at the pool. Future World seems to get hotter than the other parks (maybe it's all the white and silver reflecting the sun) but today was a little cloudy so it was very nice. Again, we felt like we almost had the park to ourselves. The main reason for going to Epcot today was our son's desire to ride Body Wars. He had seem it on the resort TV channel and talked about nothing else for 2 days. We all rode it (5 min wait). I closed my eyes through the entire thing and still got a little motion sick. Son loved it. Then we saw Cranium Command (10 min wait). Husband and I laughed through the whole thing, but much of the dialogue was too fast for our son to get. By now it was 4pm and we hadn't had anything to eat since our late breakfast. On our way to find a quick bite, our son saw kids playing in the dancing fountain. So you can guess where we went after lunch!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: As my son is taking off his shoes in preparation for playing in the fountain, Dad says, "Don't get soaked". Son looks at him matter-of-factly and says "But Dad, that's what it's all about!" Son did indeed get soaked.

*Tip* -- carry a lightweight backpack and pack a dry set of clothes for kids. Opportunities for them to get wet are numerous at WDW.

*Magical Moment* -- Sitting on a bench as the sun started to set, watching our son play with other kids in the Epcot fountain. Simply wonderful!

We got our son into some dry clothes and made it to the last performance of the Epbots. I thought they were amazing. Son was a little scared of them. Then we saw Ellen's Energy Adventure (walk-on) and all of us loved it! Then we hit HISTA for the second time this trip. By now it was dark and the lights at Epcot were beautiful! We went to Norway and rode the Maelstrom (walk-on). All of us thoroughly enjoyed this. Then we checked in for our 7:30 PS at Restaurant Ackershus. I have to admit, this was probably my favorite dining experience at WDW. The wait staff was so friendly and helpful, the food was interesting and delicious, and the atmosphere is great. Being from Minnesota, the food and people all seemed somewhat familiar :-)

Our nanny joined us for dessert, and then we walked around World Showcase until Illuminations started. Our son was delighted with the African drums set up at the Outpost area. He played them for a long time.

*Tip* -- The lights decorating each country stay on after Illuminations, so take your time and make one last trip around World Showcase while everyone else rushes for the exits. Very relaxing.

DAY 7 - Thurs 12/10

Got up this morning and went to MK for 10am breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table. What a wonderful event! Good food and great hosts. Just magical! Our son, who wasn't really into the Princess thing, really liked the suits of armor and swords. Even though he already had Snow White's autograph, she wouldn't let him get by without a little something extra -- she sealed her name in his book with a kiss. It was an early entry at MK and it was pretty crowded by the time we finished our meal. So we went back to our cabin to rest before heading to MGM to see the Mulan parade at 3pm (Dad stayed to do more work again). This was a great parade. Our son takes karate classes, so this movie was one of his favorites. After the parade, we walked over for the 3:45 showing of the Indiana Jones Stunt show. We were seated immediately. My son loved the show -- when it was over 30 minutes later he said, "Is that all? I want to see more!" We stopped for an ice cream and saw Mulan and Lee Shang in front of the Chinese Theatre. We raced over and got their autographs. Son was thrilled. By now it was 5:20 so we headed for Fantasmic.

*Tip* -- Never tell anyone you will meet them at the entrance to Fantasmic. It's total chaos. My husband was going to meet us there and we knew we'd never find him. Also, once you're seated, if you leave and they fill up, you can't get back in -- even if your party is holding a seat that you were just sitting in.

Waiting for Fantasmic wasn't all that bad. We got hotdogs and ate dinner while we watched the juggler. We had seats off to the left side, but they were still good and we had a great view. My son also had his first experience doing the wave, which was a real thrill for him. And what can I say about the show, except it's amazing! I can't describe it, just go see it!

We never found my husband, but called after the show and found out he never left the cabin. We headed back and then he & I went out to House of Blues (yummy appetizers & fun atmosphere) and Pleasure Island. Did a little shopping and people watching, then took a cab back to the cabin. Warning -- there are lots of cabs around DT Disney that do not have their rates posted or meters in the cab. Avoid them. They will overcharge. We learned this from a helpful person while we were looking for a cab and got accosted by an unmarked taxi.

DAY 8 - Fri 12/11

Everyone slept in. We can't believe it's our last full day at WDW. Where did the week go? Nanny and I went shopping at Marketplace while Son and Dad went to Disney Quest. Disney Quest was a HUGE hit with both of them. They got there around 11am thinking they would be back at the cabin at 2 or 3pm. When nanny & I returned from shopping around 3pm, there was a message saying Dad & Son would be at Disney Quest until 5:30 or 6:00! My son wanted to sleep there! Later my husband said Disney Quest had the best food for the money at WDW.

Nanny & I went to MK and rode all the big rides, then met the boys for dinner at the Whispering Canyon Café in Wilderness Lodge. This was the most disappointing meal of our stay. The service was awful, and the food was worse. We spent almost $100 on chewy corn-on-the-cob, dry white bread being passed off as garlic toast, baked beans from a can, and cold stringy meat. I guess when you've had real Texas smokehouse BBQ, it's hard to compare. But this was truly awful.

DAY 9 - Sat 12/12

This was our last day (boo-hoo!) and our flight left at 2:45pm. To make the most of this day, we called to have our bags picked up and delivered to the registration office for express checkout. Then we got up early for MK early entry. This was the only day we used early entry priveledges, and it worked well. We rode Buzz Lightyear 3 times in succession, Peter Pan, Snow White, BTMR and Pirates with no wait at all. But by then it was 10:30 and the park was starting to get really crowded. In particular, we noticed the number of tour groups from Argentina and Brazil. This makes the parks seem more crowded because they all stay together in their group. So while 10 seconds ago there was no line for a ride, all of a sudden there are 50 people waiting. They hit the parks just as we were getting on Pirates and we got stuck in the middle of one of the groups. The kids pushed and shoved past us to get seated together and then clapped and chanted what sounded like football cheers all the way through the ride. Then they shoved their way in front of me at the Pirates gift shop to get change for their $100 bills while I waited to buy souveniers for my son. I finally had to firmly tell them I was next in line. Is this typical behavior for all teenagers? Very unpleasant.

After Pirates, we hopped on a raft for Tom Sawyer Island. The plan was to get a quick lunch at Aunt Polly's while the son played on the island, and then head to FW to check out and catch our flight. The sign said Aunt Polly's served lunch from 11am to 4pm, but by 11:30 the counter hadn't opened. Very frustrating because we had to leave before they opened, but by then had no time to eat anything else before we got to the airport at 1:00.

All in all this was one of our favorite vacations. We're already thinking about another WDW trip to see all the things we missed!

Leah Martin

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