We got our tree put up and decorated last weekend. I managed to pull together some pictures and video and make a video to put on our youtube channel. It is really more of a home video collection than anything, modern day home movies. Eli really wants a youtube channel and it's a good way for us to keep our memories and be able to see them later and share them with friends and family across the miles. It is a bit harder than I thought it would be. I either forget to take videos. Or I think I have done a great job to later find extremely short video clips instead of videos. I am sure over time the videos will improve and be more video than compilations with mostly pictures. But we are making and documenting memories and that is what is important.
Thursday we started off in Animal Kingdom. We did walk around and saw quite a bit more this time than we have before.
We got our Wilderness Explorer books and worked toward the end badge, although we knew we wouldn't get it all accomplished this time around. We all learned some new things.
We ventured out to Rafiki's Planet watch for the first time. The train was a bit interesting the way you faced out to one side instead of having both sides visible. We got to see some characters we have not encountered. We also had a cold and sweet treat after we visited the petting zoo. We also learned some new things in the area.
We debated for months if we would ride Expedition Everest, we aren't incredibly adventurous. We don't do upside down, I don't really care for hanging rides, and some that don't go upside down are just too intimidating for our sense of adventure. Eli was adamant she would not be riding it, which is fine. Ali finally decided she would like to give it a try. So with short wait times we asked about the rider switch policy. So Jim and Ali went first while Eli and I did her Wilderness Explorer activity, got a cold drink and looked around the gift shop. Very quickly Ali and Jim were back and Jim and I went. It was a great ride! We loved it. And Eli was thrilled she didn't have to try!
After Everest, we made our way through the dino area making our way back to the parking lot. Had to get back to the pups and have lunch. It was wonderful to have them with us. But I don't think I would take them to Disney again. It is probably perfect for those who get up early morning all the time anyway and their dogs are used to being home alone all day locked up. But we are not morning people, and our pups are used to having us there most all the time and having the freedom of a doggie door with a spacious back yard whether we are home or not.
The Electric Light Parade is being moved. So Thursday night was our last opportunity to see it on this trip and before its move. So after lunch, we headed back to Magic Kingdom. We didn't realize there was to be the show projected onto the castle before the parade. We did know we would need to get seats early, so we made our way over to try and get a good spot. Because of the show we were a bit late for a "good spot", we were heading for. We got caught in the crowd and couldn't get any further, but that was just fine. We ended up on the curb just in front of the castle and front row for the show and parade. I tried to get a video of the show unfortunately, a good bit of the focal points are blocked by a lamp between me and the castle. I did get most of it recorded and it is in the video below. Ali got most of the Electric Light Parade, but I haven't got a copy of it yet.
Another first for Ali! Short ride times and we hopped on Space Mountain, again with rider switch only this time Ali wanted to go again. She really loved it.
Check out our Youtube video here or on our youtube channel. Don't forget to give us a thumbs up if you like the video and subscribe so you are the first to know when a new video is loaded.
We got up Wednesday morning and drove over to the Polynesian. We had Ohana Breakfast reservations. It seemed much faster paced than I recall from our last time. But it was fun and the food was delicious and plentiful. Stitch was happy to see his picture in the girls autograph books with them on Castaway Cay and did a little dance. We really enjoy doing character meals, getting to have them come to you while you have a meal is great. Especially when done during regular park days. Eli didn't want to participate in the parade this time, she chose to watch the others go by.
We used the comfort stations washing machines and dryers to do up our laundry. That made it pretty nice when we got home not having so much to deal with.
We also got to enjoy some time at the pool in the afternoon. The girls really enjoyed going down the slide and playing with the camera in the water. We got some pretty good video and pictures.
We had time to ride our bikes around a bit. It was really fun. The map looks massive and I was a bit concerned but the distance wasn't a problem at all. Turned out to be about a mile from our site to the Settlement. I never managed to get a video of Elis set up. It was pretty cool a towable bike for littles. I wish we had found it years ago.
We had dinner that night at the Trails End buffet. It was really good. Although the restaurant didn't look near as big as I thought it would be. They also do the Hoop De Doo Review next door. So when we went for dinner we got our picture taken by the trees with our photo pass. I think those may be some of my favorites.
We took the boat to the Magic Kingdom from Fort Wilderness Campground. This is a great way to get there. We really enjoyed riding back and forth during our stay. It was always nice and relaxing.
We rode the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train it was awesome! We really would have loved to get a chance to ride again, but just never managed it during the trip. We love the video you get with your Disney Photo Pass. We finally were able to ride train around the Kingdom! We have tried so many times but never managed it with the girls. We also rode the teacups, neither Jim or I can ever remember riding them before. And this was Elis first time checking out the Tiki Room.
We had dinner reservations at Be Our Guest. When I got the reservationsI had no idea the Halloween parties were started so early in September! Our reservation was only 5 minutes before the party started. We don't do Halloween so this didn't make us very happy; we had hoped to enjoy Magic Kingdom after dinner. By the time we got done with dinner we were pretty much done anyway and ready to head back to the RV and our pups. We were escorted out of the park! Kind of funny in a way, but very helpful to us. I never would have taken the path he took us and we were out of there pretty quickly. No someone trying to scam and stay into the party may not have been so happy with this. We were thrilled! He told us the parade was about to start, but he managed to get us to the gate without so much as a glimpse of it.
We did enjoy the dinner at Be Our Guest and were seated in the main ballroom. We had thought of sharing dishes and even asked if that was permitted. It was, but we ended up just each getting our own meal. Which was good, I don't feel the portions were as big as other places we have eaten. Everything we ate was delicious thought and yes we tried "the grey stuff"! It was nice to visit with Beast after, although Eli didn't think so. She stood off to the side with our bags. Unfortunately Beast doesn't sign autographs. They do allow you to walk around after your meal and explore the castle/ restaurant. So you can see all the rooms, not just the one you dine in.
Check out our video of the day below or on youtube. Or watch our Its a Small World video by clicking the link.
It rained quite a bit in the night. The rear of the site pretty much became a swamp. But it was very cool with the sounds of the critters and the birds looking for breakfast. The sounds of the bull frogs in the very early morning hours was nice. I got a nice little video of the birds having breakfast the next morning while I let the dogs out.
We decided before this trip to try and do lots of things we have not tried before. We rode rides Jim and I couldn’t remember riding in our lives. And we had a really good time. Thankful for the Salute Passes available to military families we were able to have 4-day park hopper passes. Four days always makes me feel rushed, but without it who knows how infrequently we would be able to go. And we get to experience all the parks. My big safety tip for those with children. Every morning after everyone is dressed each girl gets her own picture taken with whatever bag, hat, sunglasses for the day. If they have sunglasses or hats I get a picture with and without. This way I have a good record, helps me organize pictures from the trip and last and hopefully never to be used pictures to help find them should they get lost.
We found Mary Poppins this time. It was so much fun for the girls to interact with her. I love our video of the experience!
This time, we got to ride the new Frozen Ever After ride and made it further around the World Showcase than we ever have. We tried some crazy CocaCola flavors. Ali decided she likes the infamous Beverly. And Jim and I really liked VegitaBeta – This Japanese beverage combines apricot and passion fruit flavors. The one Eli liked was Sparberry – This raspberry cream-flavored soda has been a favorite in Africa since 1955.
The sky really opened up about an hour or so before our fast pass on the Frozen Ever After ride. So we ducked into the Mexican area of Epcot world showcase to get out of the rain. We rode the Three Caballeros ride for the first time ever. This was a very nice ride and a great little market area in the building. On our way out Ali caught sight of Donald and we made a quick u-turn and got in line 2nd to meet with him. It was fun. He kissed the picture of Daisy in the book next to his page on the photo/autograph books we made for the girls.
After we rode Frozen Ever After we hung out for a while in the gift shop. But the rain wasn’t quitting so we started to head back. We found visiting with Anna and Elsa with a 5-minute wait! So we ducked in took our ponchos off again and had a fun little visit.
Still raining after that we put the ponchos back on and moved as best as we could from one shelter to another trying to make our way out of the park. We did stop by to see Joy and Sadness but decided the line was more than we wanted to wait. We found a snack cart for the mandatory Mickey bars and back to the rv.
This was a first for us. We left one destination, the 2016 Midwest Geobash in Wauseon Ohio and went to another destination. We headed off to Twin Mills Camping Resort an Encore campground we were able to use with our Thousand Trails Zone Pass. The campground was in Howe Indiana. The campground was really nice. We were able to get full hook up for the RV which has been rare for us during this Zone Pass experiment. If this was a bit closer to home we might renew that pass.
Our goal was to visit the RVMH Hall of Fame in Elkhart Indiana. I don’t know how long I have wanted to go there. But it was worth the trip. We really enjoyed it. It’s funny how so much in the RV industry has changed and yet how much has stayed the same. We definitely recommend it to any RV lover or history buff.
Of course, we did manage to find a geocache at the RVMH Hall of Fame and a few very close by. That of course always makes us “smilie”.
We had lunch at Das Dutchman Essenhaus in Middlebury Indiana. We got the special treat of cool seats and enjoyed a really nice buffet.
Our 1st full day at WDW Fort Wilderness Campground. Also our 24th Anniversary!
We took a bit of time and looked around the Lego store. The builds were pretty cool, but the store wasn't really what I was expecting. Don't know what I had in mind, but it just wasn't what we found. We did take pictures with lots of the builds and will put some more in our videos when we put those together.
Had to get a shot of the girls here. I need to find the one from last time. It will be cool to see the difference.
Twenty-four years! It is hard to believe it has been that long and we can't possibly be that old! We went to Raglan Road in Disney Springs for dinner. We were looking forward to the dancing and music. Unfortunately, they put us in a room where we couldn't really watch the dancing. That turned out to be a good thing though. With my aunt and uncle joining us for dinner we would not have been able to talk, it was so loud in the main room. And we had a wonderful time visiting with them.
My uncle told the waiter what we were celebrating and the waiter said he could do something special. But then we didn't order dessert. So this is what he came up with. Definitely an A for effort.
We ended our evening taking a little boat ride. We just hopped on the ferry and rode to the Wilderness Lodge, Contemporary and back to the Fort. It was a nice ending to the evening. All the lights were very pretty out there on the water.
When I called at 8am our site was ready! This was very exciting, but we weren't able to actually get there and set up until almost 11 time all was done. Driving from the Thousand Trails we stayed the night at. Then checking in and deciding against the site we were assigned.
We tried to link our sites to be near our family, however, they were in a different style site and this made it a bit difficult. At first we were assigned to a newly redone loop. This would have put us on the next loop over from family. Some cabins had been removed from a loop to make more full hookup sites. This didn't work out so good for us. The newly assigned full hook ups were not dog loops, this doesn't mean a whole lot. You will be assigned where they can put you once they get a bit full. And dogs are assigned non-pet loops all the time. The problem for us was it was tight. We have a 30 foot RV, a rather large towing vehicle then our new bike rack set up sticking off the front of the truck. Made us quite long and it was just too difficult to try and maneuver around in the new loop. Many people had their vehicles out in the drive area past the end of their sites. And this was true for the site directly in front of the one we were assigned. Probably more than half the occupants of this loop were like that as well. It was a tight squeeze all around the loop to get out again and back to the office.
But that is ok. We went back up to check in and got moved to Timber Trail and site 1634. And it was ready for us to move in too! So no extra waiting. We loved this site! It was very long and right in front of the comfort station which was very helpful for doing our laundry about midway through our stay.
From our site, there was a path, although not official almost straight to the bus stop behind the comfort station. It did rain quite a bit that first night giving us a pretty swap behind our site that made the path no longer usable but it was good at first. We were also able to walk from our site to the comfort station directly behind us to a walking path into the 1500 loop and the bus station was right there at the entrance to that loop. We never even went over to the bus stop for our loop as this was so convenient. This was also a good quick way to ride our bikes toward the Meadow or the Settlement.
We did a bit of decoration on our site but not a whole lot. As you see in pictures on this page we had some flags and lights. We had heard how dark it can get so we made sure to have some lights to welcome us home in the evenings. It was so hot and humid we really didn't spend much time outside at our site. Never even moved the table into place after parking, just left it where we put it while we backed in. Thinking now, I don't think I have any at night. So this is the best view we will have to remember it by.
This was a nice day of setting up and just visiting with family. We had some that had come to camp as well and those that drove up to hang out with us for a bit at our sites. It was very good to see family we get to see so rarely.
We had our first boondocking or Walmart camping experience on Thursday night. More like Friday morning. It was so hot out we waited till almost 1 am to stop for the night once it finally cooled off a bit. We made it to the Walmart in Athens Tennesse. There were lots of other trucks around and we were able to quickly get to sleep after a long day. We had a quick breakfast with cold coffees and muffins and yogurts before we got back on the road.
This trip we tried something different with the dogs being in the way back and the girls in the middle seat, since it could recline. This was not well received by Caitlyn our older dog. She had a ruff time getting into the seat, so we decided to go back to having a large section of the middle seat down for her to be able to spread out and not have to climb that little bit to the seat.
Cache of course felt he belonged with the girls anyway. And as you can see a tiny bit of Cailyns ear poking over the seat she liked to park her hinney right in the middle of the seat.
On South I 75 in Georgia at coordinates
N 32° 58.400 W 083° 49.760
We found a really nice rest area. There were a few caches here but we only found the 1 "Southbound Surprise", which I have listed here. It was just too hot and humid out for Caitlyn. And we did still have quite a way to go.
We made it in pretty late Friday night to the Thousand Trails Orlando. Actually has a Clermont address. It seemed very nice for the little bit we saw. We parked right next to the laundry/bath house and had quick showers listened to some fireworks from Disney which we couldn't see and went to sleep. A quick call at 8am revealed our site was ready at Disneys Fort Wilderness Campground and we did our best to head over and check in.
Thursday, September 15, 2016
All packed up and ready to roll. Our 1st ever trip to Walt Disney World Fort Wilderness Campgrounds. We are so excited, we get to visit Mickey and take our dogs with us too!
Don't have a 'working' bumper on the back of the RV so finding a way to take the bicycles was a challenge. But we figured it out. We have 3 bikes and a trailer for Eli to go on my bike. Hers looks just like a bike with no front wheel, my bike is her front wheel. I will get some pictures of it all set up and post later.
Can't wait for some fun with Chip N Dale at the Fort Wilderness campfire with songs and movies. We have our s'more kits all ready to go. I have heard you can buy them there at a premium, or you can bring your own. This might be a good idea for future trips too. I love being organized!
So with new Magic Bands to be used for the do all device / item for your Walt Disney World vacation comes the 'make it my own crowd'. And of course we had to get in on the action. We mostly painted with acrylic paints and used Sharpie markers, a little nail polish added in too. The flashy metallics and the black is Sharpe, The glittery cover on the purple and the white on Sorcerer Mickeys hat is nail polish. On the 3 that are not completely covered in nail polish I used an acrylic paint sealant. Just one very light coat. I have read you can put pretty much anything on these and it doesn't disrupt the chip in the large Mickey on the front. I have seen watches, beads, jewels, stickers, pretty much anything you can think of glued to these things and people report they work fine and the art work stays put. If you want to dress up your Magic Bands just google or look up on Pinterest you will be amazed at what you find.
These are our camping shower lanyards. They are color coded so we know whose is who. I had to order the bottles on Amazon as I couldn't find them anywhere else. They have a little hole at the top you can put your carabiner clip through. Everyone has a liquid soap, shampoo, and shower scrubbie to wash with. And the girls all have a whistle on theirs for a bit of security. This was by accident really. When we rounded up our lanyards one had a whistle on it, and I thought it was a good idea, so we made sure we all have one.
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
So much can be done to personalize your trip to Disney like what we did with our Magic Bands. A little bit of paint and little bit of nail polish and away we go. Eli wanted the Mickey Bar design of course, and when I saw the little Mickey on the back I decided we all needed a little Mickey Bar on our bands.
Only a couple of days left before we head out to Fort Wilderness Campground at Walt Disney World. With our RV for the first time. Gonna be our longest trip yet, we are so excited and a bit nervous.
