Trip Report 6 In 1!!

#1
WHEN: Tuesday, August 10th-Tuesday, August 17th

WHERE: Saratoga Springs 2 Bedroom Villa

WHO: Myself, E, JSR & J

#2
WHEN: Thursday, September 23rd-Saturday, September 25th

WHERE: Saratoga Springs 1 Bedroom Villa
I figured a pic isn't necessary since there's the one above!!

WHO: E & myself(no J--gasp!!)

#3
WHEN: Thursday, October 7th-Saturday, October 9th

WHERE: Walt Disney World Swan

WHO: Me, myself & I

#4
WHEN: Thursday, October 28th-Tuesday, November 2nd

WHERE: Saratoga Springs 2 Bedroom Villa
Again, no pic needed

WHO: My niece M, J, my sister B(M's mom), E & myself

#5
WHEN: Thursday, November 11th-Saturday, November 13th

WHERE: Animal Kingdom Lodge

WHO:
I was traveling solo again

#6
WHEN: Thursday, December 2nd-Saturday, December 4th

WHERE: Home

WHO: 3rd go around alone!!

So, I had lots of mixed feelings as if I even wanted to do TR's on these trips. Other than the 2 longer ones the other 4 were really just to visit with a dear friend who had just moved there(I mentioned that in my last TR). She moved from Pittsburgh to about 1/2 hour from Disney. When visiting her I chose to stay at Disney b/c for the most part I was by myself so I felt safer. Also, in my down time when I wasn't visiting her I could go to the parks "for free", so to speak, since I have an AP. I looked at that as a "free" source of entertainment.

Since I really didn't plan on doing TR's for these I don't have great notes. Most of what is going to trigger my memories will be my pictures!!

As always, a huge welcome to all who will be following along!!

 

[Katiekitten]

Those baseline pictures are making me hungry and thirsty!

 

[amjt660]

Those baseline pictures are making me hungry and thirsty!

Max

 

[lindawdw]

I missed so much while I was away in FL and Charleston but I'm back and I just got all caught up finally!!! You really got so much done in these three trips and I always love how you stop at so many great Disney lounges and of course Baseline Tap House! Port Orleans missed you as much as you missed them although it does seem like you've grown quite accustomed to Saratoga Springs! Pete and I often talk about how much fun we had at lunch with you and your adorable family, and we can't wait for our next meet up. We definitely have to have drinks together also on the next trip! Hope you finally got to experience Ratatouille!

 

[MickeyCB]

Then it was time for lunch!! Notice mine, M's & B's headbands? My mom had made them all!!

So incredibly cool to have something your mom made you!

And I thought this cup was so cute!!

I agree and I don't remember you calling me and saying come pick up your used paper cup Cindy!

 

[Darstarr]

I agree and I don't remember you calling me and saying come pick up your used paper cup Cindy!

Since getting to know you I look at paper products a whole new way

 

[riverside]

And THE ONE where I cancelled at the last minute and missed you both…

Those baseline pictures are making me hungry and thirsty!

You & me both!!

I missed so much while I was away in FL and Charleston but I'm back and I just got all caught up finally!!! You really got so much done in these three trips and I always love how you stop at so many great Disney lounges and of course Baseline Tap House! Port Orleans missed you as much as you missed them although it does seem like you've grown quite accustomed to Saratoga Springs! Pete and I often talk about how much fun we had at lunch with you and your adorable family, and we can't wait for our next meet up. We definitely have to have drinks together also on the next trip! Hope you finally got to experience Ratatouille!

For as short as some of these trips were I did manage to do quite a bit!! We definitely take a more relaxed approach to Disney than we did years ago! I tend to enjoy that more!! I was thrilled to be back at Riverside although you're right, I really do enjoy Saratoga Springs!! It does remind me of Riverside in a lot of ways!! We had so much fun with you both also!! I'm so glad we were able to meet up.
We definitely will!! Here's to next time!!
I finally did--but not until January!! And frankly, I don't care if I ever go on it again. It was cute but in the beginning I got the worst motion sickness on it. I honestly thought I was going to be sick & normally things like that don't bother me but my head was really spinning!!

So incredibly cool to have something your mom made you!

Definitely & I'm so thankful to have them b/c they really help with how frizzy my hair gets there esp. in the warmer months!!

I agree and I don't remember you calling me and saying come pick up your used paper cup Cindy!

Haha!!

 

[lindawdw]

So sorry to hear that you felt motion sickness on Ratatouille! My daughter's fiancé also had the same issue, and he normally doesn't have any issues.

 

[riverside]

#4
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31ST

I'm sure you all know what was going on here!!

Slinky Dog was down pretty much all day!!

Seriously, I let him win!!

We decided to check out the "revised" Beauty & The Beast show.

Seriously, don't waste your time on it!! It was so cheesy it was unreal!!

They don't really "dance" together anymore. We were actually laughing at how dumb it was!! Yet, what do we know, people were applauding like crazy at the end!! Maybe it was their first time seeing it ever?? The only way I would probably go to see it again is if it was pouring & I was trying to get out of the rain for a bit!!

Needing some excitement we took a few spins on RNRC!!

 

[riverside]

So sorry to hear that you felt motion sickness on Ratatouille! My daughter's fiancé also had the same issue, and he normally doesn't have any issues.

It definitely was a bit rough in the beginning. I finally had to close my eyes b/c my head was killing me!!
That just proves to me that it is pretty bad b/c I'm the same way!!

 

[riverside]

#4
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31ST

M really wanted to go on Rise of the Resistance so we went there next.

We wandered around a bit before our dinner reservation.

I, like many others here, really enjoy the HS Christmas decorations. But not so much on Halloween!!

Gasp--no 50's this trip!! B really wanted to eat at Mama Melrose's so we had a reservation there. At least that helped to add some variety to this TR b/c in your mind I'm sure you can picture what we would have been eating at 50's!!

I always get the Italian Margarita thanks to @TrolleyFollower91!!

I was finally going to try the steak for the first time. The mac & cheese was good but, please don't hate me, I was not a fan of the steak!! I think the sauce on it was a big turn off for me. I just didn't care for it

The kids got pizza, B got pasta & E got the polenta meal.

And J enjoyed his cupcake!!

 

[riverside]

#4
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31ST

We had decided that the Halloween activities looked more appealing at POR so we went there!! And lets face it, where do you think we would rather be anyways??

Marshmallow roasting was going on but M wasn't feeling it so she just sat there.

The rest of us enjoyed it though!!

They had lots of fun, fall themed decorations out.

And when I say they were giving out tons of candy I really mean tons!!

They were giving candy out in the registration area.

And back outside for more!!

BTW--this CM was awesome!!

 

[riverside]

#4
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31ST

The kids got more than their fair share of candy!! I couldn't believe how much they were passing out!!

We played some cornhole.

They were doing a game for kids where when the music stopped you stayed on the nearest star. If that color got picked you were eliminated from the game.

It was a lot of fun!!

The last two contestants were J & another boy!! I have to say we were all quite nervous about who was going to win. I was on pins & needles!!

J won!! I can't even begin to tell you how excited he was!! Actually, we all were!!

His prize was a cake!! What to do with that huge thing? We were leaving in 2 days & knew we would never eat it all. We were going to give it to bell services but it was J's prize after all & that wouldn't be right. We ate a few slices & ended up pitching most of it. We didn't feel right giving bell services a partially eaten cake!!

We had a great time at Riverside & were very happy that we chose to go there!!

 

[amjt660]

BC (before candy)

AD (after da candy!)

Max

 

[Swissmiss]

I am so happy that J won - he must have been really pleased

 

[TrolleyFollower91]

His prize was a cake!!

Publix cakes are right there with Mama’s Margs on my list of favorite things!

 

[Darstarr]

BC (before candy)

View attachment 621831


AD (after da candy!)

View attachment 621832



Max

 

[Songbird76]

It definitely was a bit rough in the beginning. I finally had to close my eyes b/c my head was killing me!!
That just proves to me that it is pretty bad b/c I'm the same way!!

We had the same issue with the Rat in DLP back in 2017. None of us care to go on it again. I don't know if it's the simulator aspect, or the combination with the 3D glasses or what, but we were all nauseated and couldn't wait until it was over. I guess that's one less queue we'll have to stand in next time we go!

 

[Songbird76]

#4
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31ST

M really wanted to go on Rise of the Resistance so we went there next.
View attachment 621785

View attachment 621786

View attachment 621787

We wandered around a bit before our dinner reservation.
View attachment 621788

I, like many others here, really enjoy the HS Christmas decorations. But not so much on Halloween!!
View attachment 621789

Gasp--no 50's this trip!! B really wanted to eat at Mama Melrose's so we had a reservation there. At least that helped to add some variety to this TR b/c in your mind I'm sure you can picture what we would have been eating at 50's!!
View attachment 621790

I always get the Italian Margarita thanks to @TrolleyFollower91!!
View attachment 621791

I was finally going to try the steak for the first time. The mac & cheese was good but, please don't hate me, I was not a fan of the steak!! I think the sauce on it was a big turn off for me. I just didn't care for it
View attachment 621792

The kids got pizza, B got pasta & E got the polenta meal.
View attachment 621793

And J enjoyed his cupcake!!
View attachment 621794

Huh....I don't remember there being a sauce on the steak when we had it in 2019, but our steaks were too salty to eat. I remember there was nothing on the menu my son would eat, but we were on the dining plan, so we went ahead and ordered a pasta thing that we wanted to try with his dining credit, and E and I ended up eating that, while my husband had ordered a shrimp pasta thing that he loved. We weren't really that hungry anyway, because we tend to lose our appetites in the Florida heat and humidity, so it wasn't a huge deal. The one pasta dish, I think it was an oak grilled chicken with a creamy sauce and maybe Penne, anyway, E and I were both eating it and couldn't finish it. Our server offered to bring us new steaks, but we weren't worried about it since we were plenty full with just the pasta. I think we each had 2 or 3 bites of the steak and just couldn't eat it....and that's saying something, because I usually like things saltier than most people. But I agree with you....I'm not a fan of the steak there. Maybe we just hit it on an off day....the pasta was SOOOO good though.

#4
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31ST

The kids got more than their fair share of candy!! I couldn't believe how much they were passing out!!
View attachment 621821

We played some cornhole.
View attachment 621822

They were doing a game for kids where when the music stopped you stayed on the nearest star. If that color got picked you were eliminated from the game.
View attachment 621823

It was a lot of fun!!
View attachment 621824

View attachment 621826

The last two contestants were J & another boy!! I have to say we were all quite nervous about who was going to win. I was on pins & needles!!
View attachment 621827

J won!! I can't even begin to tell you how excited he was!! Actually, we all were!!
View attachment 621828

His prize was a cake!! What to do with that huge thing? We were leaving in 2 days & knew we would never eat it all. We were going to give it to bell services but it was J's prize after all & that wouldn't be right. We ate a few slices & ended up pitching most of it. We didn't feel right giving bell services a partially eaten cake!!
View attachment 621829

We had a great time at Riverside & were very happy that we chose to go there!!
View attachment 621830

Have you never done a cake walk before?? I used to LOVE cakewalks! A little background, when I was little we lived on a ranch, until my parents divorced when I was six. So where we lived was about 40 miles from the bigger town, and 20 miles from the smaller town that were closest to us, so all the ranch kids were bussed to a smaller rural school. It was literally just an old house out in the middle of nowhere, but it was kind of the social center of all the ranching families, and school events were opened up to all the local ranching families in the area. PTA meetings were huge pot luck dinners with activities following, because people had to travel sometimes more than an hour to get there, so it had to be worth it to make the trip. And the Christmas program was a huge event, too. Everyone came, even people who didn't have kids in the school yet. So I remember at one of the events, I know I wasn't in school yet, so I must have been about 4, and they had all sorts of games and activities for the kids, and one of them was a cakewalk. My mom baked cakes, and everyone was asked to bring a cake for the cakewalk, so my mom made one. They did several rounds of the cakewalk, and I won one round and I was so excited because I got to pick my mom's cake that I had been eyeing all day and had been so upset that I wasn't going to get to eat it because it was a prize for the cakewalk! Everyone was like "But your mom makes cakes all the time! Wouldn't you rather have one that's different?" NOPE!

 

[cgersic]

Winning a cake at Riverside! It just doesn't get any better than that and the smile on his face confirms it! So fun!

 

[riverside]

BC (before candy)

AD (after da candy!)

Max--you are the best!! I about died when I saw this post!! A bunch of us(my family) went out to dinner last night. I was telling B about your post & she immediately started laughing!! She totally remembered her before/after attitude!!

I am so happy that J won - he must have been really pleased

He was super excited as we were for him!! Thank you!!

Publix cakes are right there with Mama’s Margs on my list of favorite things!

That's where the cake was from?? We were wondering where?? It was very good but the batter was chocolate--not one of my favs. However, we all enjoyed it!! I automatically assumed that it was made by Disney.
I'm in your camp!! The cake did rank right up there with the margarita!!

We had the same issue with the Rat in DLP back in 2017. None of us care to go on it again. I don't know if it's the simulator aspect, or the combination with the 3D glasses or what, but we were all nauseated and couldn't wait until it was over. I guess that's one less queue we'll have to stand in next time we go!

There were 4 of us that went on it & I was the only one who felt that way. E, who gets motion sickness on much more than I, was fine with it. I don't get it but it definitely did me in!!

Huh....I don't remember there being a sauce on the steak when we had it in 2019, but our steaks were too salty to eat. I remember there was nothing on the menu my son would eat, but we were on the dining plan, so we went ahead and ordered a pasta thing that we wanted to try with his dining credit, and E and I ended up eating that, while my husband had ordered a shrimp pasta thing that he loved. We weren't really that hungry anyway, because we tend to lose our appetites in the Florida heat and humidity, so it wasn't a huge deal. The one pasta dish, I think it was an oak grilled chicken with a creamy sauce and maybe Penne, anyway, E and I were both eating it and couldn't finish it. Our server offered to bring us new steaks, but we weren't worried about it since we were plenty full with just the pasta. I think we each had 2 or 3 bites of the steak and just couldn't eat it....and that's saying something, because I usually like things saltier than most people. But I agree with you....I'm not a fan of the steak there. Maybe we just hit it on an off day....the pasta was SOOOO good though.

The pasta was VERY good!! I'm not a fan of salt but I didn't get that out of the steak. It was definitely the sauce!!
Glad someone agrees with me!!

Have you never done a cake walk before?? I used to LOVE cakewalks! A little background, when I was little we lived on a ranch, until my parents divorced when I was six. So where we lived was about 40 miles from the bigger town, and 20 miles from the smaller town that were closest to us, so all the ranch kids were bussed to a smaller rural school. It was literally just an old house out in the middle of nowhere, but it was kind of the social center of all the ranching families, and school events were opened up to all the local ranching families in the area. PTA meetings were huge pot luck dinners with activities following, because people had to travel sometimes more than an hour to get there, so it had to be worth it to make the trip. And the Christmas program was a huge event, too. Everyone came, even people who didn't have kids in the school yet. So I remember at one of the events, I know I wasn't in school yet, so I must have been about 4, and they had all sorts of games and activities for the kids, and one of them was a cakewalk. My mom baked cakes, and everyone was asked to bring a cake for the cakewalk, so my mom made one. They did several rounds of the cakewalk, and I won one round and I was so excited because I got to pick my mom's cake that I had been eyeing all day and had been so upset that I wasn't going to get to eat it because it was a prize for the cakewalk! Everyone was like "But your mom makes cakes all the time! Wouldn't you rather have one that's different?" NOPE!

Thanks for sharing & I think it's so cool that you wanted your mom's cake!!
And no, I've never done a cake walk!!

Winning a cake at Riverside! It just doesn't get any better than that and the smile on his face confirms it! So fun!

Totally agree!! He was so excited it was unbelievable!! We all were!! I have a video of his winning but unfortunately his name is mentioned in it so I have to leave it out Otherwise, I would love to share it!!