FEBRUARY 1ST PART ONE

On February 1^st, I went to see Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. However, that is not all that I did that day. In the afternoon, I boarded the bus to Disney’s Wilderness Lodge as a gateway to the Magic Kingdom. However, I took the wrong turn in the lobby and ended up at the bus station. I decided on a whim to head to Fort Wilderness Campground.

In my early days whenever my family vacationed at Walt Disney World, we always stayed at Fort Wilderness since we owned a fifth wheel RV. The campground holds fond memories for this Disney Cast Member. The bus route from the Lodge to the Campground is a backwoods road not usually seen by tourists. There are two bus stations at Fort Wilderness. The Outpost is in at the entrance of the campground and the Settlement is located near Bay Lake and the dining establishments. I was deposited at the Settlement which meant I did not need to pick up another bus to reach Bay Lake.

I snapped some pictures of the dusty trail leading to the restaurants and lake. I felt like a pioneer finally reaching California. Of course, pioneers did not need to worry about dodging golf carts! The boat was not in port or streaming in, so I strolled around and entered the Settlement Trading Post. The Trading Post held an assortment of Fort Wilderness merchandise, general Theme Park material, plushes, food options and coonskin caps. With my generous discount, I purchased a Disney World Railroad t-shirt. I love the railroad and Mickey was on the t-shirt. Love that mouse!

I exited the Trading Post and studied the wanted posters hanging on the wall. They were notices for famous Western outlaws. An idea formulated in my head that Fort Wilderness should have a game like the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom where guests hunt down and capture Western criminals. They could include Davy Crockett and other western Disney heroes and villains (like the Bat Bandit). Imagination is an amazing thing.

I saw the boat coming in so I headed to the docks. It was a beautiful day with the perfect combination of temperature and sunlight reflecting off the water. I was fortunate to claim a front seat on the boat where the breeze danced and the water sprinkled. We passed the relics of River Country and Discovery Island, both silent ghosts to change and misfortune. I was thinking that Bay Lake was the ideal place for a naval battle (except for the narrow bridge separating the Magic Kingdom section from the Wilderness section, it is a bottleneck.) We streamed by the Wilderness Lodge without stopping to my surprise. Apparently, both resorts are serviced by different boats instead of a combined service as in the past.

There was a family next to me that was so excited by the sites especially when Magic Kingdom comes into view that they had to be Disney virgins. The bike dude looking father had the same Mickey muscle shirt that I have in my closet. I did not know if I should be elated or dismayed. It is always nice to see tough guys embrace Disney. The boat docked and I headed in the entrance line, had my bag checked and received my complimentary entry to the park.

I immediately grabbed a park map and headed up the ramp to the train station. I always like to ride the train in a complete loop in honor of Walt. It is a relaxing ride and allows you to see the outlines of the Magic Kingdom. Unfortunately, there were many chatting tourists who did not realize the concept of quiet train rides. The train has stations in Frontierland, Fantasyland at Storybook Circus (replaced Mickey Toontown’s station) and Main Street USA. All of those stations make logical sense. Trains opened up the frontier, the circus came to town on the train and Main Street USA is homage to Marceline, Missouri Walt’s boyhood home and trains were present there.

You cannot see much of Adventureland from the train since the brush conceals everything. However, you glimpse the back of Big Thunder Mountain and discover that the population is now zero. Plus, there is a cool Indian reservation that the track bisects. The detail is incredible. At Storybook Circus, the station is decorated with posters and authentic touches. Detail is everything with Disney. Soon enough, we returned to Main Street USA, the gateway to the Magic Kingdom.

I disembarked and explored the railroad memorabilia underneath the station. There are rarely seen photos of Walt playing with his backyard railroad. It is tragic how many guests pass by this without taking the time to appreciate it. Railroading is in my family’s blood and I long to ride an old-fashioned train across the nation. Walt loved progress but he also understood the need to appreciate the past. That is why trains circle every Magic Kingdom in the world. There are also many maps of railroad companies located in the lobby. I searched for Warriors Mark to no avail. I did find Tyrone, Altoona, Bellefonte, Birmingham (a little hamlet outside Warriors Mark which we should annex) and Clearfield on the maps. It was cool to see my sphere of influence at Walt Disney World.