Disney Adventures - Fun-Filled Explorations In and Out of this (Disney) World

It was excruciatingly painful for several reasons, but I believe my blog and I survived the transition to the new Blogger format.  If you have any trouble viewing the post or notice any other type of problem, please do let me know.  Thanks much!

This post represents another installment in The Big Switcheroo series – tales from last spring’s epic journey from the northeast to the Florida Keys and back – involving family, friends and an extraordinary range of adventures.  It also represents the third post recounting our one week visit to Disney World with our daughter (Kyra), our son (Ryan), and our son’s girlfriend (Anya.)

I’m a cheap date.  Actually, Alan is, too.  Although we certainly do spend money on activities that are important to us, we don’t have to spend much (or even any) money to have a good time.  Picking up coffee and bagels on our way to the park on the river costs about five bucks for the two of us, and the time we spend observing the seagulls and eagles, the commercial and pleasure boat traffic or even just the waves quietly lapping on the shore is time well spent and much enjoyed.  Taking to a bike trail for an hour or two, cruising along and simply watching the scenery float by is an inexpensive way to pass a lovely afternoon.  Or, we just head out to do some “poking around.”  I consider poking around to be our guilty pleasure.  It accomplishes nothing other than allowing us to satisfy our curiosity, take in some gorgeous or otherwise memorable sights and scenery, enjoy each other’s company and pass some time in the most relaxing of ways.

During our week-long stay at Disney World’s Fort Wilderness Campground, Alan and I decided to poke around several of the Disney hotels – more out of curiosity than anything else.  During our past visits to Disney World, we had always stayed just outside the gate in Kissimmee either in a hotel suite or at the KOA there.  We never were the family that would go back to our hotel room for an afternoon nap; instead, we chose to start our days in the theme parks early and finish them early, as well.  Now that we were staying at Fort Wilderness, we realized that we had a perfect opportunity to explore several of the Disney properties that had caught our eye.  Would any of them catch our dollars on a future trip?

Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground - Is the Experience Worth the $$$$?

This post represents another installment in The Big Switcheroo series – tales from last spring’s epic journey from the northeast to the Florida Keys and back – involving family, friends and an extraordinary range of adventures.  Coincidentally, it was exactly one year ago today that the trip began.

This the first of several posts covering our visit to Walt Disney World and the Orlando area with our daughter (Kyra), our son (Ryan) and Ryan’s long-time girlfriend (Anya).  Since I prefer to cover topics in one post rather than interrupt the flow of the “story,” please consider this your “Long Post Ahead!” alert.  That means it’s time to warm up your coffee or cool down your adult beverage, and settle in for a longer read than usual.  If you’re not a fan of long posts, you could always read through the next ten paragraphs, then come back tomorrow to finish up.  No extra charge.  Seriously, please keep in mind that we camped at Fort Wilderness in May of 2019.  I understand that the Disney experience may never be the same going forward – or, at least, not for quite a while.

My kids call me cheap.  I prefer the word frugal.  Merriam-Webster defines “cheap” as “stingy” (which is further defined as “not generous or liberal: sparing or scant in using, giving, or spending“) and “frugal” as “characterized by or reflecting economy in the use of resources.”  Oh, yeah.  I definitely prefer the definition of frugal – especially since another definition of “cheap” is “contemptible because of lack of any fine, lofty, or redeeming qualities.”  Ow, that hurts.  I really hope my kids believe I have, at least, some redeeming qualities.  No matter what definition of “doesn’t like to spend money” you prefer, the fact of the matter is that I think long and hard before I part ways with any of my hard-earned dollars.  That being said, I can be quite frivolous with my funds when it comes to something or someone I consider important.  I save money when and where I can so that I have it to spend on something I enjoy or want.  I’d bet that most people operate on the same principle, even though what we deem truly important in life may differ quite a bit from person to person.

Alan and I will drive a car for more than a decade until it dies on us or it no longer makes financial sense to invest in costly repairs.  But, when we replace it, it will be with a brand new vehicle, despite the fact that we may lose thousands in depreciation as we drive it off the dealer’s lot.  I will happily eat a generic brand of cereal as long as it’s tasty and nutritious, but it will probably be topped (without a moment’s hesitation) with flash frozen berries at over $3.00 per pound when fresh ones are out of season.  I have no problem buying a less expensive brand of ice cream as long as it’s creamy and yummy, but I also have no problem driving an hour roundtrip to my favorite Italian bakery to pick up a couple of their exquisite Napoleon pastries.  (Their French Cannoli are to die for, too.  Just sayin.’)

Now that it’s too late to make a long story short, here’s the point I want to make before I launch into our experience at Disney’s Fort Wilderness:  While I am frugal by nature, I will also cough up big bucks for a product, service or experience that I perceive to be a good value relative to my outlay.  Without a doubt, camping at Fort Wilderness is Expensive with a capital E.  But is it worth it?

The Big Switcheroo of 2019 - and How it All Worked Out

Around this time last year, Alan and I were suddenly in the midst of swapping out our vacation plans for the spring of 2019.  The year before, I had begun planning a camping loop through the states in the southeastern quarter of the U.S., not realizing that we would be out of town (WAY out of town) on the day Anya, our son Ryan’s girlfriend, graduated with her Master’s Degree after years of hard work.  We consider Anya our “bonus kid” since she and Ryan have been together for more than six years.  After learning the date of her graduation on Christmas Day in 2018, we rang in the New Year of 2019 by cancelling most of the reservations we already had in place for our spring 2019 travels.  Luckily, plans for the new trip – a journey through a number of Eastern states and all the way down to the Florida Keys – not only fell into place quickly, but also felt completely “right.”  I hadn’t yet achieved that level of comfort with the original plans for touring the southeastern states so, it seems, this trip was meant to be.