Trip Report Clappy Clap.....Welcome Back!! The Many "World Firsts" TR

Hello all & welcome!! I'm so happy to finally be able to do another TR!! It feels like forever since my last one--probably b/c it has been(at least that's the way I feel)!! So, I don't want to dwell on the negative b/c let's face it, we've all had a crappy year. 2020 has not been kind to us. But, along with the obvious I had 3 relatives pass within 3 months of each other. Then I knew I was losing my job of almost 28 years in July. We had a Disney trip booked in May that never happened. E rescheduled for June(I couldn't b/c of work) but we all know what happened there--access denied. I knew I wouldn't be able to go until August so she & J booked for then. Since I no longer had an existing reservation she figured she would add me on to her's. Little did we know that nothing would be that simple....

I'll fill you in on the drama as we go along....

WHEN: Tuesday, August 11th - Tuesday, August 18th

WHERE: Saratoga Springs(Spoiler--we really ended up enjoying our stay there. Of course, it's not our beloved Riverside but we agreed it had kind of the same "vibe". Being on the Sassagoula kind of helped with that also.)
IMG_6400.JPEG


THE DRAMA THAT WENT ALONG WITH IT:

E & J may have had a reservation but there was no room at the inn for me. E purposely got a 1 bedroom villa & thought it would be easy to add me to the reservation. Yeah, that wasn't happening. They were not accepting any modifications to existing reservations. It was getting down to the wire. She was able to make park reservations & I still couldn't be added on. Finally, all's well that ends well. After many weeks of trying she was able to add me on & I was able to get the same parks. Never fear though, as a few of my magic friends know I had a "Plan B" ready as a backup but fortunately didn't have to go that route.
IMG_6213.JPEG


Then there were the many flight changes Southwest kept imposing on us. Here was one they did for me that was particularly scary. What happened to Pittsburgh to Orlando? :oops: They had my return flight correct but that didn't mean anything b/c it didn't look like I'd be making it there to begin with!!
IMG_6202.JPEG


The loss of my job was weighing on me all year(I've known since January). Here's my desk during my final days.
IMG_6287.JPEG


The reason for the dates was I knew I would be done with my job by then. I figured I'd take a few weeks off. One week to get situated then the next week to go to Disney. After that I would come back and search for work. Sounds like the perfect plan, right?
While still employed the new company taking over was encouraging us to apply. I did but didn't think it would really go anywhere for a number of reasons. Lo & behold they made me an offer on July 30th & asked me if I could give them an answer the next day. They were planning on reopening the store August 16th--while I would be away!! I broke the news that I would be away then. The company was very receptive to it when I explained why I had planned it the way I did. I also figured I should totally come clean & mentioned that I had an October trip booked also!! At this point I thought for sure they wouldn't want me. I called the next day & accepted their offer. Originally the plan was that I would start on the 19th when I got back. They called me on the 1st & asked me to start on the 3rd so I could get some training time in before I went away. I was fine with it & did it but was scrambling to pack etc.

I'm happy to be back in the place I've worked all my life that is so much a part of me. I'm still learning to do things the way the new company does them but overall I'm happy with the way things are going.

E & family were very sweet to give me a good luck present when I started my new(old:hilarious:) job.
IMG_6308.JPEG


With not much time to pack I made sure to do it early. I actually packed 6 days before the trip. That's amazing for me!!
IMG_6328.JPEG


I also made sure to bring a large supply of masks. They would get gross in a hurry!!
IMG_6332.JPEG


THE TITLE: I have to start out by giving credit to @Rista1313!! I got the "Clappy Clap" part from a comment she had made in my last TR. So many magicians loved the saying & I thought it was quite catchy. The "Welcome Back" part is b/c I truly felt like we were really welcomed back by the CM's. They seemed genuinely happy to have guests there. Also, that song had been in my mind for quite some time. Has anyone seen the Applebee's commercial with that song in it? The first time I saw it I had tears in my eyes. It's very fitting & says a lot with little words. And, there were many "World Firsts" you'll see as we go along!!

WHO: I'm sure you've figured it out by now but we're back to the "same old" crew!! My sister E, my nephew J & myself, Patti!!
IMG_6724.JPG

No, I don't really care for pictures of my backside but I did think this was a neat picture--minus the castle colors. I'm still not a fan!!:cautious:


To all my friends out there reading, "Welcome Back"!!
 
Last edited:

riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11TH

We had a 1:25 flight so we left for the airport around 10:30. JSR, E & J came to my house to pick me up b/c I was lending my car to one of my other sisters for a few days. J wanted me to sit next to him in the car.
IMG_6336.JPEG


Since MB's are soon going to be a thing of the past we decided to splurge on them this time!! E & I had the same one.
IMG_6337.JPEG


On the way to the airport I reset my countdown for the next trip!!
IMG_6338.PNG


We unloaded the luggage & put our masks on. Unfortunately, we had to check in our luggage inside. I noticed the stroller & told J that I thought we weren't bringing it. He said, "We're bringing it in case my legs run out of energy". :hilarious::hilarious::hilarious:
IMG_6339.JPEG

I felt the suitcases looked so plain without the yellow luggage tags.

Southwest was encouraging self check-in.
IMG_6340.JPEG


But the agent was quick to wave us over.
IMG_6341.JPEG


Not going to lie--I kind of feel ripped off having paid $85 for TSA pre-check when this is what the lines(or lack of) are like!!
IMG_6342.JPEG


First "monorail" ride of the trip. Yes, I know the masks are down a little but.....
IMG_6343.JPEG


we were by ourselves!!
IMG_6344.JPEG
 

riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11TH

J's favorite store(along with many others there) was closed.
IMG_6345.JPEG


Seriously, this felt very creepy.
IMG_6346.JPEG


Friday's was out of the question for lunch.
IMG_6347.JPEG


We stopped at the Sarris store to get a couple pieces of candy(that we never ate).
IMG_6348.JPEG


J ended up getting "Fluffy". Remember Fago? J said Fluffy looks like he could be his son!! He's right!!
IMG_6349.JPEG


Oh, how this broke my heart....
IMG_6350.JPEG


There was literally 2 or 3 sit down restaurants open in the airport. Since Penn Brewery was near our gate we went there.
IMG_6351.JPEG


J got pretzel rolls but didn't care for all the salt on them so E took quite a bit of it off. She got a gyro salad which she said was good. I had it there once before & liked it also. BTW-she's working while she's eating.
IMG_6352.JPEG


I got some sort of spicy kielbasa sandwich. It was good but way too spicy & I'm a fan of spicy food. Did you ever eat something so spicy that you lose your appetite from it? That's what this did for me.
IMG_6353.JPEG


J was giving a thumbs down to all the salt on the pretzels. Can't say I blame him.
IMG_6354.JPEG
 

Songbird76

Well-Known Member
Hello all & welcome!! I'm so happy to finally be able to do another TR!! It feels like forever since my last one--probably b/c it has been(at least that's the way I feel)!! So, I don't want to dwell on the negative b/c let's face it, we've all had a crappy year. 2020 has not been kind to us. But, along with the obvious I had 3 relatives pass within 3 months of each other. Then I knew I was losing my job of almost 28 years in July. We had a Disney trip booked in May that never happened. E rescheduled for June(I couldn't b/c of work) but we all know what happened there--access denied. I knew I wouldn't be able to go until August so she & J booked for then. Since I no longer had an existing reservation she figured she would add me on to her's. Little did we know that nothing would be that simple....

I'll fill you in on the drama as we go along....

WHEN: Tuesday, August 11th - Tuesday, August 18th

WHERE: Saratoga Springs(Spoiler--we really ended up enjoying our stay there. Of course, it's not our beloved Riverside but we agreed it had kind of the same "vibe". Being on the Sassagoula kind of helped with that also.
View attachment 494504

THE DRAMA THAT WENT ALONG WITH IT:

E & J may have had a reservation but there was no room at the inn for me. E purposely got a 1 bedroom villa & thought it would be easy to add me to the reservation. Yeah, that wasn't happening. They were not accepting any modifications to existing reservations. It was getting down to the wire. She was able to make park reservations & I still couldn't be added on. Finally, all's well that ends well. After many weeks of trying she was able to add me on & I was able to get the same parks. Never fear though, as a few of my magic friends know I had a "Plan B" ready as a backup but fortunately didn't have to go that route.
View attachment 494497

Then there were the many flight changes Southwest kept imposing on us. Here was one they did for me that was particularly scary. What happened to Pittsburgh to Orlando? :oops: They had my return flight correct but that didn't mean anything b/c it didn't look like I'd be making it there to begin with!!
View attachment 494496

The loss of my job was weighing on me all year(I've known since January). Here's my desk during my final days.
View attachment 494498

The reason for the dates was I knew I would be done with my job by then. I figured I'd take a few weeks off. One week to get situated then the next week to go to Disney. After that I would come back and search for work. Sounds like the perfect plan, right?
While still employed the new company taking over was encouraging us to apply. I did but didn't think it would really go anywhere for a number of reasons. Lo & behold they made me an offer on July 30th & asked me if I could give them an answer the next day. They were planning on reopening the store August 16th--while I would be away!! I broke the news that I would be away then. The company was very receptive to it when I explained why I had planned it the way I did. I also figured I should totally come clean & mentioned that I had an October trip booked also!! At this point I thought for sure they wouldn't want me. I called the next day & accepted their offer. Originally the plan was that I would start on the 19th when I got back. They called me on the 1st & asked me to start on the 3rd so I could get some training time in before I went away. I was fine with it & did it but was scrambling to pack etc.

I'm happy to be back in the place I've worked all my life that is so much a part of me. I'm still learning to do things the way the new company does them but overall I'm happy with the way things are going.

E & family were very sweet to give me a good luck present when I started my new(old:hilarious:) job.
View attachment 494499

With not much time to pack I made sure to do it early. I actually packed 6 days before the trip. That's amazing for me!!
View attachment 494500

I also made sure to bring a large supply of masks. They would get gross in a hurry!!
View attachment 494501

THE TITLE: I have to start out by giving credit to @Rista1313!! I got the "Clappy Clap" part from a comment she had made in my last TR. So many magicians loved the saying & I thought it was quite catchy. The "Welcome Back" part is b/c I truly felt like we were really welcomed back by the CM's. They seemed genuinely happy to have guests there. Also, that song had been in my mind for quite some time. Has anyone seen the Applebee's commercial with that song in it? The first time I saw it I had tears in my eyes. It's very fitting & says a lot with little words. And, there were many "World Firsts" you'll see as we go along!!

WHO: I'm sure you've figured it out by now but we're back to the "same old" crew!! My sister E, my nephew J & myself, Patti!!
View attachment 494505
No, I don't really care for pictures of my backside but I did think this was a neat picture--minus the castle colors. I'm still not a fan!!:cautious:


To all my friends out there reading, "Welcome Back"!!
I spy a toiletries bag from thirty-one gifts! ;)

Congratulations on the new job! I'm so glad it all worked out for you! And that you still get to go on your trips! That's pretty awesome!
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom