Tri Circle D

This trip to Disney World has been different than usual. It is the longest visit that I have ever had, which has allowed me to do some different things. I could go into great detail about the intricacies of a Disney vacation, but I will spare everyone the details of lighting lanes or which rides to rope drop. I won’t even make you figure out what those terms mean.

Instead, I thought I would mention the new to me things that I have done this week. We already mentioned staying at Fort Wilderness. It is rated as one of the best campgrounds, and I completely agree with that assessment. Everything is clean, well marked, and well maintained. They have lots of activities such as campfires with s’mores and Chip and Dale character meets. They have an outdoor movie theater - like a drive in, but with seats, where they show Disney animated movies every night. There are pools and boat and bike rentals as well as horseback rides. Overall, it has been a great experience.

Our campsite is near the Settlement Outpost, which is where the Hoop Dee Doo Review is located as well as the quick service (casual) restaurant. The two restaurants share the same kitchen and have suspiciously similar menus.

It’s also near the Tri Circle D Ranch. The name is a nod to the Mickey shape. But this is where they house the horses used for anything on property, like a horse drawn carriage that runs down Main Street. The stable is open to the public. They have horses that you can view but not pet or feed. For anyone small enough, they have pony rides. They also have some other horse related memorabilia. The big display is a horse drawn Calliope which dates from 1907.

It is currently Epcot’s Festival of the Arts which means there are some activities happening around the park that are just for the festival. They have a few nods to Disney on Broadway. They have a concert series, with actors who have performed on Broadway in Disney musicals. Last night, it was Anastacia McCleskey and Josh Strickland who had starred in Tarzan. I had no idea that there was a Tarzan musical on Broadway. They sang songs from a variety of musicals. It was really a nice event.

There was also a fun display of costumes used in various Broadway shows. Everything from Beauty and the Beast to Lion King to Frozen. The costumes are very ornate and impressive up close.

There are a couple of new rides too. I rode Tron this morning. It was very intense. I am glad I tried it, but there are other rides with long waits that I would rather spend my time waiting for. I also visited the Journey of Water walk through attraction. It would be nice on a hot day or with small kids.

I did try a new food. The Wookie Cookie. This thing is massive! It’s two peanut butter cookies with frosting in the middle. So while it’s cool looking, I won’t be ordering it again. It took several sittings to finish it off.

For the record, it’s still cold here. Overnight tonight will be the worst, probably getting down to 24F (-4C). This will be a record low for the trailer while it isn’t winterized. We have done what we can to prepare. The heat is on and it’s comfortable inside. The water tank is full and we are not plugged in. So we should be ok tonight.