Trip Report: Horseback Riding at the Fort (Day 4, Part 2 | December 2022)

 It was almost time for our horseback riding. We were weighted, signed a waiver, and gave our experience. I said beginner. I’ve ridden before, but am pretty anxious. My parents each own a horse and ride a couple times a week.

There are lockers for your stuff. They said we could keep our phones, but we couldn’t use them and they had to be secured. So, I left mine in the locker. Someone did take a couple pictures of us with my stepmom’s phone. My dad’s horse was Denver, my dad’s was Latte, and mine was Vegas. 

It was a nice ride and eventually I relaxed. It was nice to look at all the natural beauty. We even saw a few deer. There was a fawn, but I never saw it. I think the ride would be even better in the morning so the sun wasn’t in your eyes. Vegas was a great horse and I’d be happy to ride him again. 

With our ride over, we continued looking at some campsites. My stepmom took the bus to the loope they wanted to see while dad and I walked. I wanted to stretch my legs after riding. 

I saw some chalk art at various sites with the same initials. I wonder if they knew each other or just someone being nice. It was cool either way. Even though it was early December, a lot of the sites had Christmas decorations.

Trip Report: An Easy Morning (Day 4, Part 1 | December 2021)

 Tuesday, December 7th

Today was going to be a slower day with no real park plans. We did have a park reservation at Magic Kingdom. So, I at least wanted to scan-in just in case I wanted to go to a different park later. I did think about going to see the morning show, but decided it was too early.

I left the room around 9:30 and took a bus to Magic Kingdom. I did bring a notebook with me because I was behind on my notes. The bus line was pretty long but moved fast.

The Dapper Dans were out on the train station so I sat by the Christmas tree and watched them. I waited a bit to see if characters came out, but they didn’t so I headed out. Our plan was to meet at Hoop-Dee-Doo at 11:30. We would be doing horseback riding at Fort Wilderness later. 

I had a boat to myself so I sat in the front. The horn honking was pretty loud and the captain apologized. But I didn’t mind.

My parents texted me to say they saw characters at the train station. I guess I should’ve waited a little longer.

I wandered around the Fort and a little bit while waiting for my parents. There was a sign that they were starting a Wine and Woodworking event tomorrow. I don’t really drink but that sounds like fun. I also ate a protein bar and updated my notes a little.

When my parents arrived, we checked out the newly-renovated Tri-Circle D barn. The ponies were getting ready for a wedding. A family was there to do a pony ride so we watched them for a bit.

After spending time with the horses, we went to look at campsites. My parents recently bought a trailer so they wanted to research the different loops. Then we took a bus to the front of the resort. There are maps but I’m still very confused by how the internal bus system works. 

Trip Report: Lunch & Princesses (Day 2, Part 3 | November 2020)

If you missed the last post, you can read it here.

Now, it’s time for lunch. We decided to leave the park for lunch. We were hoping to see the new barns at Tri-Circle D Ranch. So, we took a boat to Fort Wilderness. The transportation CMs at the dock were so nice and friendly. It was a little bit of a wait-maybe 20 minutes. It’s important to remember to build buffer-time especially during Covid with all the social distancing.

For lunch we mobile ordered at P&J’s Take-Out. I got a kid’s cheeseburger meal. I can’t remember what my dad got, but I believe he finally tried a kid’s meal. And he is a convert. Seriously, they are the best deal.

Then, we headed to the horse barn. Unfortunately, it closes at 3 and it was like 3:02. We should’ve gone first or at least researched first. Well, you live and learn..

Since we couldn’t see horses, we checked out the gift shop. Then, we got back on the boat to get back to Magic Kingdom. 

We went to Haunted Mansion. You just walk through the first room for now. I do miss it, but I also completely understand the change. It’ll be back some day.

Then, we decided to go to Adventureland. On our way we ran into a character cavalcade. This was a princess one. Merida was on her head. There was also Belle, Tiana, Rapunzel, Ariel, Snow White, etc. They were in their winter outfits which are adorable.

After we said “hi” to some princesses, we continued our journey to Adventureland. First we did the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. This is another ride I’ve never done, but since the lines weren’t bad we figured it would be and goes pretty fast.

Then, we were going to do Pirates of the Caribbean, but the line was a little long for us. So, we called an audible and switched to Country Bears Jamboree. I thought I saw Molly from All Ears. We followed for a little bit and dad said it wasn’t her so we went to Country Bears. While waiting for the next show to start, I went on Instagram and saw a post of Molly in the same outfit. We should’ve just said her name. Oh, well.

Country Bears was fun like it always is. I’m always scared Disney is going to get rid of it, so it's a must do for me. We stayed in Frontierland and went for another spin on the wildest ride of the wilderness.

Up Next: Homecomin’ Dinner

Trip Report: Hoop-Dee-Dooing It!

If you missed the last post, you can check it out here.

The boat to Fort Wilderness was a little delayed, but we weren't worried.

We check in for dinner and waited for the doors to open. I sat down and took notes on the trip so far. Dad went for a walk. The barns were under construction so we couldn't see the horses this time. My dad said he saw two fawns which is cool. 

We were seated in the third row back from the stage and our table was right in the middle. 

There wasn't honey butter-just regular butter for the cornbread. That is a true travesty.

I'm actually not the biggest fan of the food here. It doesn't have to do with the quality, but personal preference. I did pull the skin off the chicken and ate some chicken breast. I know I'm weird, but I don't like chicken skin. They had green beans instead of corn which was good. I like corn, but that's a lot of carbs for one meal. The strawberry shortcake was especially good this time. 

The show was of course fantastic. And it was Christmasy. It was different from last year's Christmas touches. 

Claire sang about how she wanted a hippo for Christmas. And we had seen this Jim before. I like that this cast sticks around for a long time. Six-Bits and Dolly were especially good. They played off each other very well. Claire saw my shirt while walking around. She stopped, did a double take and laughed. That may be one of my proudest moments. I'm obsessed with Claire.

It was a great experience as always. Hoop-Dee-Doo is an absolute must do.

Up next: Nighttime Resort Hopping.