Christmas: One World, Indivisible, With RocklandRVers Doing It All - UPDATED! About This Page:

[RocklandRVers]

We hope our snappy title calls attention to our trip report. Our goal is to make it interesting and informative. We want you to learn from our experiences so that your visit can be as magical as ours.



The Patriotic 4:



DS age 13

DW age 40 something

DD No not daughter … doggie. Age 7

Me as young as I feel



This is our second trip this year having spent 6 days in WDW in May. It is the fifth for DW and I and second for DS and Dear Doggie. Most importantly the first Christmas season any of us have visited the World.



We are RVers…thus the name RocklandRVers. Where do RVers stay while in WDW? Well if they want to stay in the best campground in the universe, they are like us and stay in Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground.



The planning for this trip pretty much began on our final evening of our stay in May. DW and I had taken one last tour of the campground in our rented golf cart and ended up at the settlement. As we drove over near the marina and sat looking out at Bay Lake, DW remarked how fast the week had gone and that 6 days was not nearly enough. There was so much we had missed. We had not set foot in MK at all since our carefully chosen priorities were in Epcot, AK and MGM. We agreed that we had to go back as soon as possible and began thinking about how wonderful it might be to come back in December.



When we got home, the first order of business, after talking everyone’s ear off and showing them pictures of the trip, was to ask our respective bosses for vacation in December. At first it didn’t look good for DW since she is low on the totem pole in her new department, but after some compromising she finally got 2 weeks off: the week before and week of Christmas. COOL! Nobody is ahead of me in vacation seniority (I am in charge of my department) so all I had to do was get an easy OK from my boss who has never refused me a vacation request.



Of course it would mean taking DS out for an extra week. No problem from his standpoint but we made a deal. Good grades and good attendance would make it easier to OK the extra week off.



We began our plans in earnest in July by calling for reservations for 10 nights at FtW. To our shock, we were told that FtW was booked solid and the best we could get was 8 days. OUCH! The CM who took our reservations suggested we call back from time to time to see if there were any cancellations. I called back a week later. Still nothing. Again a week after that …NOPE. I was getting worried. Finally on the 3rd try we got the extra 2 days. So now we were all set or so we thought. When we got our confirmations we found we had 2 separate reservations. One was for 8 days at the greatly reduced value rate and the other for the 2 extra days at the highest peak season rate…about double the price. I was to say the least miffed at that. I called and was told by the CM that the computer would not let her add 2 days at value rate. I asked for a supervisor and explained that I was not adding them on a whim that my original request had been for 10 days all along. Once again the polite supervisor said “the system won’t allow me to add the 2 days at the value rate”.



There was a time when I would have given up, but in my old age I am tenacious. I e-mailed, called, and faxed all the way up the chain of command. I plead my case and even went so far as accusing them of setting it up so I would be forced to pay the higher rate and compared to extortion. That got somebody’s attention and after a couple of days I got a reply from some VP that my 10 days at value season rate had been taken care of and sincere apologies yada yada yada. Next was what I wanted…my confirmations. One with the 10 days at value rate and the other canceling the “extortion” rate reservation.



OK now we can sit down and lay out our plans. Of course MK was first on the agenda and we built from there. We all 3 agreed that we had to do HDDR again and reserved that immediately. We wanted to see Fantasmic! and had read about the dinner package in our PP and on the board so we made those reservations as soon as the time frames arrived. Next was La Nouba. It was going to be “dark” (not playing) during part of our stay so we wanted to act fast to get in when it returned. Here is where reservations screwed us again. We got great seats center stage front row of the upper section in the high priced section. WOW! We got our confirm number and were told to expect the tickets by mail. After 3 weeks of waiting, no tickets and no charge on my Disney Visa so I called. My name was not in the computer! The ressie number was for a large bus group! What the …? The CM was also baffled so I was transferred to a supervisor. She found no ressie but said there were still plenty of good seats in the section so we got the three seats with an aisle (for me) near the back of the lower center section. Got new ressie numbers and she double-checked by signing out and signing in to search for us. Great this time we were set. She asked if I might wait a few minutes while she checked on last thing. She put me on hold and when she came back told me that 3 seats in the section were on hold. They sounded like the exact ones I had described. She said she tried to remove the hold, but it was secured and would not be released until the date of the show. She said we might want to trade for them if we got there extra early and explained what had happened. She said there was a good chance that if they were unsold at that time we might get them. She gave me the seat numbers and we might try for it but at this point feel glad that we have tickets in hand for the show.



We also agreed that cooking dinner at our campsite was not realistic. We did compromise that all breakfasts and most lunch would be eaten at “home” in order to let us splurge on dinner out. We set out to explore some of the Disney restaurants and set PS for Boma, Ohana, Rose & Crown (for our Candlelight Processional package) in addition to Hollywood & Vine for Fantasmic! We also planned on going outside Disney to places like Cracker Barrel and Boston Lobster Feast.



So with everything set, all we had to do was wait (and wait) for our trip to come.



COMING UP NEXT: Day One & Two: Finally The Long Wait Is Over

[SMG]

OK...now I'm ready for day one! Great start!

[pparm]

Yeah, you're back! Can't wait to read the rest!

[luvnwdwgal]

Great start! Looking forward to reading all about your trip!!

[RocklandRVers]

Day One & Two: Finally The Long Wait Is Over



Day one was Friday, December 12, 2003. We were all up early, fed, showered and ready to hit the road by 6:00 am. We had toyed with the idea of leaving right after work the night before, but opted for a good night’s sleep instead and were very glad we did.



We took a very different route down south from NY to FL instead of the conventional I-95. We bypassed that corridor by heading out a little west before going south. We took I-78 to I-81 south, which took us west into PA and then south through MD, WV, VA. We then headed to I-77 which took us to back eastward into NC and SC where we picked up I-26 that took us back to meet up with I-95 in the middle of SC. It added perhaps an hour or so to our trip, but based on our previous I-95 experiences we knew we wasted at least that much time in the traffic jams that pop up from Richmond VA on northward.



Day one took us to our stopover in Columbia, SC where we “dry camped” at a Flying J truckstop. We had dinner at the restaurant, filled up with gas and set up the RV for bed and relaxed watching some TV and the 10:00 news and weather. It was cold and we had to run our generator to power our portable “Vornado” heater. That thing came in handy a lot during our vacation.



We had a fairly good night sleep even though we were all pretty excited about getting to our final destination the next day. We were up by 5:00 am and decided to just hit the road. We would stop down the road for coffee and breakfast at McDs. We made fantastic time as we had the roads to ourselves for several hours. In no time we were on I-95 for the last leg of the trip through GA and FL.



We were blessed with no tie-ups through Jacksonville (I guess because it was Saturday) and we got through the 35 miles of construction that seems never-ending. The other blessing was beautiful warm weather. It was around Jacksonville where our RV outside thermometer read over 70 degrees for the first time in many months. We left in barely 30-degree weather and now just a days drive and we have our windows open soaking in the warmth. Ahhhhh Florida! Now I know why so many of us Yankees turn into snowbirds when we retire!



We turned on the afterburners and tried to keep up with the fast moving traffic that sped along well above the posted 70-mph limit. It sure helped us get to Daytona and then on to Orlando in record time. My expert planning allowed us to arrive right on time as we got to Fort Wilderness at the ETA of 3:00.



Now was the moment of truth. What loop would we get? The 1900 as we had requested? How about the campsite? Could our precisely timed faxed room request have worked and we would get the campsite we wanted? We drove straight into an empty drive in lane to check in. I nearly fainted as our CM from Argentina handed us the site map and the big number written in magic marker 1918. WOW!!! We got 1918 the site we had dreamed of since our May trip. YAHOO!!! Disney is magical!. She said I guess you know where you’re going so I won’t waste any time with that. She handed us our “room keys” all set up with charging privileges and we were off.



The site was just as we had remembered it. Nice long level parking pad with plenty of room for our golf cart trailer and RV. OK we are here now what? First thing was to get the golf cart unloaded, set up the RV beds and call Alamo to arrange for the shuttle to pick us up. It would take about half an hour for the shuttle so we decided to take a spin around in the golf cart just to get back in the FtW mood. I let DS drive since it was OUR cart and not a rental. He did a great job as always. He has his own go-kart back home which he drives as good as Dale Earnhardt Jr. does his NASCAR ride.



After a loop around, we headed for the outpost where the Alamo shuttle would pick us up. I had him pull over in the hitch/unhitch lane to let a couple of cars and busses go by. All of a sudden a FtW security van cut us off like we were bank robbers and the CM informed us of the “law” that all drivers had to be 16 with a drivers license regardless of it being our cart or not. We felt like such criminals and DS was a bit miffed, but we complied and he and I swapped seats. DW of course was reminding us “I told you so”.



Just as we parked the cart, we saw the bright blue Alamo shuttle van winding its way through security and on to our stop where another couple was waiting. It was now nearly 5:30 and the bus had 4 rental parties on board. We knew Alamo closed at 6 so were a bit concerned about getting there and finding others in line and not being able to get our minivan. Our worries about not getting there soon left us as our driver got out of FtW and blasted off toward the MK. DW commented that she thought we just got on Test Track as fast as she was driving, but DS and I didn’t mind and just laughed at her and another woman who also didn’t appreciate the high-speed trip.



We got there in record time and were 3rd in line. The CMs were in a hurry and wasted no time getting everyone their cars. In about 15 minutes we had our keys and had found our white GMC Safari van. We had booked this several months earlier and got a great rate of only $199 for the week.



We headed back to FtW and picked up the ECV I rented from Walker to help me get through the parks. DS and DW drove the golf cart back to the campsite. I arrived first, of course, and thought they would be right behind me. I waited and waited and just as I was about to jump back into the van to see what happened, I saw the cart headlights rounding the corner by our loop’s comfort station. DS was the navigator and forgot to remind DW to make the right turn at the main 4-way intersection. So they cut through the Meadows and back to our loops.



“Now what do we do Dad?”, DS’s favorite question was asked. I knew we were all hungry since we had skipped lunch in order to make time. I took out the good old schedule and said the plan was for Trail’s End, but with the minivan, we could go anywhere. We finally agreed it would be nice to head to Kissimmee and eat dinner at Cracker Barrel. YUM!



After a great dinner, we headed back home put the golf cart on charge. We watched some TV and especially the news and weather. We got the bad news that we would face a day of heavy rain tomorrow, but knew that we had enough flexibility built in to deal with rain so we got a good night sleep.



COMING UP NEXT: Day Three: Our First Full Day

[DouglasE]

How great to get your dream spot! I was so happy to read that. Ok, I'm ready to read the rest. Get cracking before you break open the bubbly for New Year's Eve.

[RocklandRVers]

Day Three: Our First Full Day



Sunday, December 13th was supposed to be our first visit to MK followed by MGM in the afternoon for the parade and Fantasmic Dinner package at H&V. DW and I awoke to our doggie wanting his usual 6:00 am walk and to a torrential rainstorm. YUCK! DW took him out for a quickie to get his business done and right back in to get dried off. I was dozing off and felt the need to get some extra sleep. It was still dark and the rain made a nice peaceful rhythm on the RV roof. It was cozy and DW crawled back into our bunk and we fell back to sleep for about another hour or so. It felt good to get that extra sack time. DW got up first and put on a pot of coffee and I put on the news/weather. It seemed like it would be like this all day long, so clearly we were not doing any parks today. Time to look at plan B.



We let DS sleep, while I took out the Passporter and looked at alternatives. We decided it might be a good time to get a little shopping in and maybe head for Downtown Disney and catch a movie. DS finally gave up trying to sleep over our chatting, the TV and our making breakfast and asked what was up. He was OK with the plan and said it would be cool to see Haunted Mansion.



After breakfast and showers, we gave doggie a last walk before heading out. DS wanted to get a few more decorations for the RV and our Golf Cart so our first stop would be Walmart. No sense spending a fortune on garland and bows that might blow away so it seemed the best choice. It being Sunday and raining, everyone in Kissimmee seemed to have the same idea about shopping. The place was packed. Not a parking space to be found except for a few at the very farthest part of the lot. I decided to go sit somewhere while DW and DS shopped. They would call me on my cell and I would go pick them up. The rain was heavy and showing no signs of stopping. My big worry was our Fantasmic! dinner package we had set for tonight. The plan was to head there about 2:30 and get a spot to watch the parade. We had dinner PS for H&V at 4:30 with Fantasmic at 7:00. I knew this was going to be a disaster unless the rain subsided. The radio weatherman was predicting that the afternoon would have just scattered showers rather than to torrential rains. I had my doubts so I called WDWDINE to ask about the possibility of switching our Fantasmic package to the next night.



Magic was really with me as we were able to swap to Monday night. The CM was also able to get rid of the cancellation fee, which by this time was not prepared to make a huge fuss over. I had him cancel our Boma PS for Monday and we were all set.



Now we could relax and not worry about having to be anywhere or being rained on. DS and DW were so surprised at our good luck that they were saying that when it comes to Disney vacation planning, “you da man”. After Walmart we headed back toward WDW on 192 and stopped at couple of souvenir shops and finally at the Orange where we picked up some delicious fresh squeeze OJ for our breakfasts.



Back at FtW we at lunch and began to hear the rain subsiding. Whew now we could at least decorate the site and not get drenched. We set up our inflatable 8-foot tree and strung lights from our awning and around the front of the RV. We roped garland and hung bows on the golf cart to make it look festive. It was just drizzling slightly as we finished up so we decided we might finish the afternoon by heading to some of the resorts and maybe DD AMC movies to see if we could catch Haunted Mansion.



AKL got the vote and we stopped in to look around. We loved this place. The lobby is so comfy and the Christmas tree was beautiful. We also enjoyed the area off the lobby where we could view the animals. We got to see a couple of giraffes munching on leaves. After touring, we headed toward Downtown Disney and AMC movies. We got there just in time for the 4:55 show and had just enough time to grab some popcorn and drinks and find our theater. I was very impressed with AMC. Very comfortable stadium style seating which beat our local Loews state of the art stadium theater hands down. The screen size was also much larger than what we were used to back home and the sound was awesome. The movie was great too and just the perfect thing for a rainy dreary afternoon.



After the movie the air outside was still heavy with moisture with only slight drizzle. We headed back for FtW and discussed dinner plans on the way. Tonight we agreed it would be Trails End buffet. DW walked the dog while DS and I untarped the golf cart and dried off the seats. We turned on our Christmas lights and inflated the tree and sat back admiring our handiwork. DW joined us and off we went in our decorated golf cart for the Settlement.



I have to say that there is so much about the Settlement that is so appealing to me. First has to be the aroma of the home cookin’ coming from Pioneer Hall and Trails End that wafts through the trees to the trail to the Settlement. Combine that with the banjo and fiddle Christmas music from the ground speakers and the chance to catch a glimpse at a beautiful peacock and I really feel like I have stepped into another time and place. It’s also so peaceful on that well shaded trail. Gotta love it.



Unlike our May trip there was no wait to be seated at Trails End. We enjoyed the relaxing time nibbling from the buffet and talking about our next day’s fun, which was supposed to have happened today had it not been for the rain. We listen to one of the CMs telling his table full of guests a story about his growing up in Minnesota (?) during the harsh winters. He said bears would come around and knock over their garbage cans looking for food. He asked if they knew the best way to catch a bear. He told them to find a frozen lake and cut a big hole in it. Then while the bear is trying to catch the fish that gather, you run up behind him and kick him in the ice hole.



After dinner we went back toward the meadows and watched a little of the movie for the night, Peter Pan. It was fun, but DS was not into seeing it again. We had just watched it again about 2 weeks before at home. So we took a leisurely drive through some of the loops on our way home to check out our fellow settlers’ decorations. Some people spend hours on their sites and do some elaborate scenes. Awesome!



We get back in time for some news and weather. Tomorrow is going to be sunny but not as warm but still in the 60s. Hey sunny and 60s sounds OK with us having heard of another big snow storm that had dumped nearly another foot of snow back home today. DW and I fell asleep dreaming our retiring to Florida dream again.



COMING UP NEXT: Day 4: Magic Kingdom and MGM

[think*tink]

Hi, we drove by your lot (1918) 4 times trying to find you but you were never there. Never went up to it though because you said you had a guard dog. Anyway, you did have a nice lot. We were in 1503 right next to the comfort station like I reguested. It would of been nice to meet you.

[statelady01]

excellent tr and what a creative title! looking forward to more installments!

[luvnwdwgal]

I am really enjoying your trip report! I would love to see all those campsite Christmas decorations someday! Looking forward to the next installment!

[wdwlovers]

Awesome report! Can't wait for more! Sounds like good things are to come!

[RocklandRVers]

think*tink wrote:[ QUOTE ]
Hi, we drove by your lot (1918) 4 times trying to find you but you were never there. Never went up to it though because you said you had a guard dog.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry we missed you. We are road runners for sure. LOL We go to the motorhome pretty much to sleep. The rest of the time we were either walking our dog, riding around on the golf cart or off somewhere snooping around. DW tells me my problem is that I think that if I sit still in one place too long I will rust or something.

I bet we saw you around. We just scoot around to fast to be caught.

[tikibird]

Great start to your report!

Glad you got the site you wanted, and were able to be flexible with your plans - love the sounds of your holiday decorating, too!

Can't wait for more!

[wdwhereicome]

More, More - we want more~ Thanks for the wonderful trip report. I love hearing about Ft. Wilderness. We have a pop-up, I have been considering hauling it down for a trip.

[lilprincess]

Get report so far! Makes me look forward to going back in July!! Keep it coming!!