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.)
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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.
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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!!
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The loss of my job was weighing on me all year(I've known since January). Here's my desk during my final days.
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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.
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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!!
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I also made sure to bring a large supply of masks. They would get gross in a hurry!!
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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!!
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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"!!
 
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riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16TH

We asked J where he wanted to go first & just like the other day he wanted to ride A.S.S. first so off we went!!

I still couldn't get over how empty it was!!
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We stopped for some pics on our way into TSL.
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It said a 20 minute wait but it wasn't quite that long.
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Then we headed to TSM!!
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riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16TH

I think this is so cute!!
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E & J rode together.
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That just means a lousy selfie from me!!
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My lousy score.
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J still claimed he beat all of us!!
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We stopped in the gift shop on the way out. This was the first time we had to wait in line to get into a shop. It wasn't bad though, we only waited a couple of minutes. The thing that stinks about it though is you feel like you have to rush when looking around(at least I did). At one point I noticed the line had grew considerably & I felt bad like I should hurry up & let someone else have a turn. Oh, the pressures of covid....

I thought of my friend @sheriffwoody when I saw this.
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We had plans to go back to the pool that afternoon. When we went a few days prior there were a few kids playing with pool toys. I told J they belonged to them so we couldn't play with them but we would look for something that we could play with.
Perfect!!
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And even though J was being brave he still wouldn't ride Slinky so with that we made our way out of TSL!!
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riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
BTW--does anyone know what's up with the big gaps in the TR's? I've been noticing them recently & it just happened to me on my last post. Between what I wrote & the first picture there's that big space. I've edited it 4 times & it I can't get rid of it. I even deleted the picture & inserted it in again but to no avail.....
 

Swissmiss

Premium Member
BTW--does anyone know what's up with the big gaps in the TR's? I've been noticing them recently & it just happened to me on my last post. Between what I wrote & the first picture there's that big space. I've edited it 4 times & it I can't get rid of it. I even deleted the picture & inserted it in again but to no avail.....

I‘m not seeing any gaps in your posts; maybe it’s just a configuration on your computer?
 

riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16TH

We(E & I that is 🤣) decided it was time for a beer so off to Baseline we went.
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As @ajrwdwgirl said in her TR we ran into her & Brad along the way. They told us there were no seats available there & we were welcome to come back & join them. Secretly, I was hoping there still weren't seats available so we could hang out with them a bit. Which we did!!
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I went with the Golden Road 329 Lager. I can't remember what E had.
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We also got a few things for lunch.
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I enjoyed our unexpected meet up!! We spent some time talking before @ajrwdwgirl & Brad headed off to their lunch reservation!!
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While we finished our lunch & drinks J wanted to say "Cheers"!!
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riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16TH

"Hey J, if you go on Smuggler's Run I'll buy you a Lego set".
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E told us to have fun & she went shopping.
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Why do I always feel like I can't find my way in this section? I feel confused as soon as I walk in.
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Ha, we've arrived!! There was a 30 minute wait. J was worried about there being hills. I told him we would be "flying" the Millennium Falcon & look how it's bolted into the ground. There were no hills!!
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The line was lengthy due to distancing but it continually moved.
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He was nervous yet excited at the same time!!
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riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16TH

"Aunt Patti, are you sure there are no hills?"
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As we got inside I could tell he was getting more nervous. The 30 minute wait to think about it didn't help matters either.
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"Why is everything so rusty? Doesn't that mean it's going to fall apart?"
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The questions kept coming....
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...of course with my (lack of) Star Wars knowledge I really couldn't answer them!!
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Yep, he's scared. He's holding my hand!!
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Since it was just us two we were both pilots.
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He loved it!! He was bragging to his dad on the phone about how he rode it & he can't wait to go back on again!!
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ajrwdwgirl

Premium Member
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16TH

We(E & I that is 🤣) decided it was time for a beer so off to Baseline we went.
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As @ajrwdwgirl said in her TR we ran into her & Brad along the way. They told us there were no seats available there & we were welcome to come back & join them. Secretly, I was hoping there still weren't seats available so we could hang out with them a bit. Which we did!!
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I went with the Golden Road 329 Lager. I can't remember what E had.
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We also got a few things for lunch.
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I enjoyed our unexpected meet up!! We spent some time talking before @ajrwdwgirl & Brad headed off to their lunch reservation!!
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While we finished our lunch & drinks J wanted to say "Cheers"!!
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I'm so glad there weren't any seats at the Baseline!
 

Minnesota disney fan

Well-Known Member
Sorry for all the "likes", LOL. I just got caught up. I always enjoy your TR's. It's so nice to see the special bond you have with J. He definitely adores his Aunt Patti!. I had that kind of relationship with my grandsons when they were little, and it is still special years later as they are adults now! Fun to see J overcome his fears and ride the rides. Can;t wait for more.
 

lindawdw

Well-Known Member
Your beers and food from Baseline Tap House looked delicious and how fun to get the chance for a meet up! I'm so proud of J for going on Smuggler's Run with you!!! Pretty soon you're not going to have to bribe him to go on rides because he will have conquered his fears on all of them!!! ;) He's going to love looking back on these pictures when he's older!
 

riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm so glad there weren't any seats at the Baseline!
🥰🥰🥰
On purpose? Like....he just ran at a wall and head-butted it? WHY?
I got the story wrong initially. Originally my understanding was that he fell off of a "wall"(I assumed that it was some sort of ledge type thing. Anyhow, he was spinning in circles(I guess one too many times) & said that when he stopped spinning the wall didn't:joyfull: & he hit his head.
Sorry for all the "likes", LOL. I just got caught up. I always enjoy your TR's. It's so nice to see the special bond you have with J. He definitely adores his Aunt Patti!. I had that kind of relationship with my grandsons when they were little, and it is still special years later as they are adults now! Fun to see J overcome his fears and ride the rides. Can;t wait for more.
Thanks so much!! That's so nice--I hope J still likes me years from now!! I notice if I show up to a gathering even if he's playing with my nieces & nephews he makes it a point to leave them for a second & give me a hug!! I know our many Disney trips are responsible for that. I know I've mentioned before but when he was very young he didn't care for me. The few times I watched him for E she made sure he was already in bed sleeping so that he wouldn't know I was the one there with him!!
I told you I thought my impression of that kid is he is really intelligent!!!
Too smart for his own good sometimes!!:hilarious:
 

riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Your beers and food from Baseline Tap House looked delicious and how fun to get the chance for a meet up! I'm so proud of J for going on Smuggler's Run with you!!! Pretty soon you're not going to have to bribe him to go on rides because he will have conquered his fears on all of them!!! ;) He's going to love looking back on these pictures when he's older!
The food was excellent!! As was the company!!

I hope the bribes are over soon--it's tough on the wallet!! He still says he's not going on Pirates next time though!! That "hill" really freaks him out!!
 

riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16TH

No funnel cake today!!:(
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I asked J if he wanted to try Star Tours for the first time since we were in the area & he said no, maybe next time. I'm sure we'll be able to get him on that.
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He said he wanted to see the Indiana Jones show so I had to have that unfortunate discussion with him😞
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Our time was coming to a close at HS. With crowds being light & the lack of entertainment we didn't spend as much time in the parks as we normally would.
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We did catch this bit of entertainment on our way out.
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I also confirmed for @Darstarr that they still had the Star Wars popcorn bucket. BTW--did you end up taking it?? We also got a refill for ours while we were there.
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Until next time!!
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This was taken at 2:37, on a Sunday, in the summer, in Disney. Can you even believe it?
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riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
SUNDAY, AUGUST 16TH

J was super excited b/c we got to sit in the back of the bus!! Also, the box of popcorn is what they give you when you purchase a refill.
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J & I headed to the pool/splash pad area. E was there for a little bit but went back to the room earlier than us.
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We brought some snacks & drinks from the room with us.
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I have absolutely no clue as to why I took this picture. After the splash pad we went in the hot tub then we played ball in the pool for awhile!!
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We got ready for dinner & walked to DS!! Can you believe that was our 5th time there that trip!! There have been times where I've gone 5 trips straight & not gone there once!!

No surrey bike rentals for now.
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It was another quiet day at Saratoga Springs.
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And it was quiet at DS also!
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I had to make good on my Smuggler's Run promise so we went to the Lego store first. I forgot to take a picture of what I bought J but thought of @Darstarr when I saw this & had to take a picture!!
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