A Disney-addicted mom goes on a "Dream" cruise *update 7/6*

[DrMomof3]

We headed back to the Cabin and changed into bathing suits. At this point Zachary woke up and got ready for the pool, too. I packed a bag with dinner clothes because our plan was to go straight from the pool to Hoop Dee Doo Revue (for the 1st time ever!).
A few important comments about the pool at Fort Wilderness....

1. There are NO towels at the pool. None. This shocked me because the Cabins are considered a Moderate Resort so we expected to have towels at the pool. Unfortunately this meant that we had NO towels with us. I considered taking the golf cart back to our Cabin but we decided to just go with the flow.

2. There are NO life jackets available at the pool. Again, we expected there to be life jackets. Zachary can't swim by himself but does very well with a jacket. The Trading Post was near the pool so I bought some of the inflatable arm bands (Nemo themed for the record) and he did fine. They were very inexpensive.

3. I'm about to sound like a terrible snob but... There was quite a mix of people at the pool. We saw more visibly intoxicated (high?) people than I've ever seen at a Disney pool. And much more body art. I'm sure the mix of Cabins and Campgrounds creates this sociological experiment. It didn't hinder our enjoyment of the pool AT ALL (in fact we enjoyed people watching quite a bit).

4. I thought the pool was a bit small for the number of people using it. But the waterslide was reportedly good and there was a children's splash area that Jessica and Zachary absolutely loved (it was like a playground structure with a few inches of water).

Tom and Nathaniel

The waterside!

Jessica at the splash area.

Zachary with Jessica (he's looking a little sunburnt - bad mommy!)

The splash area had a dump bucket

Nathaniel mid-air

After an hour or so of fun swimming and splashing, we headed to the bathrooms to change into dinner clothes. Jessica and I were quite classy using the cheap paper towels to dry off before we changed!
We took the golf cart over to Hoop Dee Doo and were seated at a table right next to the stage. I really wasn't sure if my family would enjoy this dinner show or absolutely hate it. Luckily, we all LOVED it! The food was good. The show was entertaining for all. Glad we did it and I would definitely go back!
From there we took the golf cart back to the Cabin and headed to bed for the night.

Amanda

 

[natebenma]

Fun time at the pool! Looks like a lot to do there. Very cute pictures.

That stinks that there are no towels at the pool!

Glad to hear you enjoyed the meal and show at Hoop De Doo. I have been reading a lot of good reviews lately. We have never been.

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Love the pictures -especially the one of Tom and Nathaniel Cant believe there's no towels at the pool but hey glad you and Jessica were able to do the classy thing and use the paper towels provided

Keep hearing good reviews about hoop de doo but we've never been either Glad you all had a good time!

 

[DrMomof3]

Fun time at the pool! Looks like a lot to do there. Very cute pictures.

That stinks that there are no towels at the pool!

Glad to hear you enjoyed the meal and show at Hoop De Doo. I have been reading a lot of good reviews lately. We have never been.

I was surprised by how much we enjoyed the show. I sort of guessed it would either be a huge success or a terrible disaster.

Love the pictures -especially the one of Tom and Nathaniel Cant believe there's no towels at the pool but hey glad you and Jessica were able to do the classy thing and use the paper towels provided

Keep hearing good reviews about hoop de doo but we've never been either Glad you all had a good time!

We really are all about convenience so I don't know that we would have ever done Hoop Dee Doo if we hadn't been staying at the Fort. Getting there via golf cart was easy!
Yup. Classy. That's me.

Amanda

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Wow no towels??!!! That stinks.

Looked like a nice pool and cool slide. We did HDR on our honeymoon. I'd like to take the kids but DH doesn't think they'd like it.

Love the mid air pic of Nathaniel. My DS loves it when I take pics of him jumping in. He always asks did you get me in the air?

 

[carissanboys]

I thought it was odd that they didn't have towels at the pools too, but I did read the info left in the cabin and knew to bring some along. My younger two were the only ones who got to enjoy the Meadows pool and my 10 year old loved the slide.

Glad you guys enjoyed Hoop Dee Doo! We loved it when we went several years ago.

 

[DrMomof3]

Wow no towels??!!! That stinks.

Looked like a nice pool and cool slide. We did HDR on our honeymoon. I'd like to take the kids but DH doesn't think they'd like it.

Love the mid air pic of Nathaniel. My DS loves it when I take pics of him jumping in. He always asks did you get me in the air?

Nathaniel is obsessed with me getting "air shots" of him. I can't tell you how many pictures I took that show only a splash.

I thought it was odd that they didn't have towels at the pools too, but I did read the info left in the cabin and knew to bring some along. My younger two were the only ones who got to enjoy the Meadows pool and my 10 year old loved the slide.

Glad you guys enjoyed Hoop Dee Doo! We loved it when we went several years ago.

You mean if we had actually read the information in the Cabin we would have known to bring towels???

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

We were up early (as usual) and ready to head over to DHS. Somehow DHS has become one of our favorite places over the years. I think now that Nathaniel and Jessica are tall enough for RnRC and Nathaniel likes ToT, we enjoy the park more. And my kids LOVE the Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground.
We made RD and then Tom took the kids to the Jedi Training Academy registration while I grabbed FPs for TSM. Once they had their spots secured, we did a few rides before heading to the playground. I hate that the kids end up soaking wet there so I had them wear bathing suits under their clothes. Unfortunately they weren't allowed to play in their bathing suits. I was so annoyed. Here I thought I did a good job of planning so my kids wouldn't end up in wet clothes all day and the CMs made them end up wet anyway. Does anyone know anything about this rule???

Zachary's not so sure about JTA

Zachary needed a little help with his light saber!

One child gets to use The Force against Vader and Nathaniel was chosen. He was very happy!

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

After we vanquished the Dark Side, Tom took the big kids on RnR. On our way over we had to stop to pull the cord...

Love this!

While the kids were rockin' out, Zachary wanted his picture taken:

By then it was too hot for words so we headed back to everyone's favorite spot - The Pool!

Jessica dancing away at the pool-side Dance Party!

My boys!

We actually brought some towels to the pool this time. We changed into our clothes and headed straight to Mickey's Backyard BBQ. I would rate this as OK. We were hot and tired and cranky. It's a buffet which is never great for my family. They did have beer included! Plus as many Mickey bars as you could possibly eat.
The entertainment included characters like Mickey as well as a cowboy teaching the kids how to lasso. It could have been fun but everyone was pretty much done for the day. Even though the pavilion had huge fans, it was still outdoors and still hot. We ended up leaving a little early.
We started the golf cart ride back to the cabin. Tom was driving with Jessica next to him and then Zachary. Nathaniel and I sat in the back seat facing backwards. Tom missed the turn to our cabin and did a quick U-turn. A little too quick as Zachary fell off the golf cart (and we were moving pretty fast). Lots of screaming but we couldn't figure out what actually hurt. We got him back to the Cabin and Tom and I both did head-to-toe examinations. He kept screaming but we couldn't find anything wrong.
I slept next to Zachary in the bedroom double bed and woke him up a few times during the night to make sure he was ok. The next morning he stood up and started screaming that his head hurt. I freaked out and called the emergency room at Celebration Hospital. While I was on the phone, Tom examined Zachary. He came him some motrin and got him calmed down. Within 30 minutes he seemed fine again.

Amanda

 

[ddluvsdisney]

OMG poor Zachary right after I read u turn I knew that couldn't be good. Glad he was finally ok.

I've thought about doing the BBQ but for all that money, I hear the same thing it was just ok. I should've done it when the boys were younger. I can't believe my oldest DS will be 16 this year!! UGH!

 

[DrMomof3]

OMG poor Zachary right after I read u turn I knew that couldn't be good. Glad he was finally ok.

I've thought about doing the BBQ but for all that money, I hear the same thing it was just ok. I should've done it when the boys were younger. I can't believe my oldest DS will be 16 this year!! UGH!

We would definitely do Hoop-dee-do again and definitely NOT do Backyard BBQ again. I think under different circumstances we would have enjoyed it but it's a lot of money!

Amanda

 

[firecracker725]

Poor Zachary! It may sound weird, but I'm sort of glad to know that two surgeons can freak out just as much as us regular parents. I swear that I can hear the eyes rolling sometimes when I call the pediatric nurse line, which I do often since this wild thing named Carsyn came along.

Sorry about the BBQ not being great. From the description, I don't think it would be right for our family either. Hoop Dee Doo sounds hilarious, but I don't know that I could drag Ben to that willingly. He's much too serious to enjoy it. Perhaps the beer could help?

 

[DrMomof3]

Poor Zachary! It may sound weird, but I'm sort of glad to know that two surgeons can freak out just as much as us regular parents. I swear that I can hear the eyes rolling sometimes when I call the pediatric nurse line, which I do often since this wild thing named Carsyn came along.

Sorry about the BBQ not being great. From the description, I don't think it would be right for our family either. Hoop Dee Doo sounds hilarious, but I don't know that I could drag Ben to that willingly. He's much too serious to enjoy it. Perhaps the beer could help?

Bad fall + headache = head injury until proven otherwise. I'm pretty calm about most things but head injuries are different. No freaking out when Nathaniel broke his collarbone or Jessica got stitches or Zachary broke his pinky. I also freak out about water safety as drowning scares the crap out of me.
Tom has a pretty good sense of humor and the show was genuinely fun. I was worried that the kids would be bored but they enjoyed it, too.

Amanda

 

[DrMomof3]

After we decided that Zachary didn't have a major head injury, we packed up our stuff and checked out. We dropped off the golf cart and the rental stroller. We then headed to the TTC to park for our final day at MK. We arrived around Rope Drop and grabbed breakfast at the Main Street Bakery. Then we headed to Tomorrowland.
We took a spin on Buzz Lightyear...

Nathaniel and Zachary

And then Zachary did his first ride on Space Mountain...

Tom and Nathaniel enjoyed it!

Zachary did NOT. We're going to ve to work on him...

We had a nice morning at MK before it was time to headed to the airport. The kids were fighting so much in the car that I threatened to come in August without them! It must have actually scared them because they got along for the rest of the ride. We had an uneventful trip back to New York.

Overall it was a good trip. Surprisingly, our time at Fort Wilderness was actually more enjoyable than our cruise. I'm not really in a big hurry to cruise again yet. Maybe when the kids are older.... I loved our Cabin at the Fort and would consider staying there again. Tom prefers to stay in a more convenient (re: walkable) location so I don't know if we'll do it again.

Amanda

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

Sounds like a lovely last day So glad Zachary wasn't seriously hurt! Between you and Carissa's TR I am really tempted to stay in the cabins someday but I've never really been sold on cruising (like to think I can swim to shore at all times when I'm on a boat but that's just me being nuts!1). At least you gave it a go and now you know .

 

[DrMomof3]

Sounds like a lovely last day So glad Zachary wasn't seriously hurt! Between you and Carissa's TR I am really tempted to stay in the cabins someday but I've never really been sold on cruising (like to think I can swim to shore at all times when I'm on a boat but that's just me being nuts!1). At least you gave it a go and now you know .

I've come to understand that my husband's biggest priority at Disney is convenience. The Cabins are really nice. And a totally different way of experiencing Disney. It's as close to camping as I imagine we'll ever get in my house. It makes for a more laid back vacation. It's NOT a great place to stay if you're planning to go commando but a fantastic place to stay if you want some relaxation.
I like the Disney Cruise but would do it differently. We should have booked adjoining cabins that were a lower category. We should have spent more time at the pool. We should have brought electronic devices to dinner from night 1. It wasn't a bad experience but it was a frustrating experience at times.

Amanda

 

[ddluvsdisney]

I've come to understand that my husband's biggest priority at Disney is convenience. The Cabins are really nice. And a totally different way of experiencing Disney. It's as close to camping as I imagine we'll ever get in my house. It makes for a more laid back vacation. It's NOT a great place to stay if you're planning to go commando but a fantastic place to stay if you want some relaxation.
I like the Disney Cruise but would do it differently. We should have booked adjoining cabins that were a lower category. We should have spent more time at the pool. We should have brought electronic devices to dinner from night 1. It wasn't a bad experience but it was a frustrating experience at times.

Amanda

I find I always learn a lot from the first experience. Just look at how much better you "DO" Disney now that you've been so many times. It's just a learning experience. The next time whenever that may be... Will probably be better.

We are planning a cruise for DS15's graduation in 2 yrs. ( not a Disney one though)

 

[DrMomof3]

I find I always learn a lot from the first experience. Just look at how much better you "DO" Disney now that you've been so many times. It's just a learning experience. The next time whenever that may be... Will probably be better.

We are planning a cruise for DS15's graduation in 2 yrs. ( not a Disney one though)

Absolutely true! By halfway thru the cruise we had figured it out a bit. The problem is that the cruise was only 5 nights so that didn't leave a lot of time. I'm not sure we do "downtime" as well as other people so the more mellow experience of the cruise didn't work as well for us. I think there are some cruises (Royal Caribbean, for example) that have more on-ship activities that we could have done together. Not sure...

Amanda

 

[luvpoohandcompany]

I've come to understand that my husband's biggest priority at Disney is convenience. The Cabins are really nice. And a totally different way of experiencing Disney. It's as close to camping as I imagine we'll ever get in my house. It makes for a more laid back vacation. It's NOT a great place to stay if you're planning to go commando but a fantastic place to stay if you want some relaxation.
I like the Disney Cruise but would do it differently. We should have booked adjoining cabins that were a lower category. We should have spent more time at the pool. We should have brought electronic devices to dinner from night 1. It wasn't a bad experience but it was a frustrating experience at times.

Amanda

Your husband sounds a lot like mine! It's all about convenience I think that's why the beach club works so well for us! We love being able to walk to epcot for dinner every night-so relaxing to just stroll home at the end of the evening. I always have a moment of feeling guilty allowing my youngest his DS at the dinner table at night but I figure if he's happy everyone is happy and as its only allowed on holiday he knows that it's a treat that wont happen at home At least you have learnt what you would do differently to make it work for you in the future

 

[ddluvsdisney]

Electronic devises are mandatory at restaurants. I don't feel guilty at all. Lol. They do however need to be turned off when the food comes, otherwise DS15 wouldn't hear us at all. KWIM ?? Lol