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
Good job to J for trying out two new rides!! I'm sure those Legos were well deserved. ;) Who knows...maybe one day he will get back on PoC or try Splash.
Still keeping my fingers crossed for Pirates for the next trip. Splash, on the other hand....neither E or I will ride that(b/c of the hill) so we won't push for that one!! 🤣
Hey, sometimes you have to find a way to push these kids just a little more....;)
 

lindawdw

Well-Known Member
I'm so proud of J for giving FOP and Dinosaur a try even if he says he'll never ride FOP again. 🥰 It was always so exciting when one of my daughters would finally relent and try a ride that we always rode without them!!! It's nice that you got some pool time in since you left AK early this day.
 

slipperalwaysfits

Well-Known Member
They are a hassle but I still wear them every day!

Impressive!

We all know I'm a fan of the Disney shampoos/wash. I knew one of each wouldn't last me a week so I had requested one of each of the shampoo, conditioner & body wash. This is what I got:


Awwwwwwwwwwww, Disney takes care of it's guests! o_O

"Is that Patti with a "Y" or "IE"? Neither, it's just an "I"

So sorry for your frustrations! That's my problem, too. So many people think my name is Katie. Even parents of students call me "Katie" in emails when my name clearly says "Kate." It's beyond frustrating that people add an I. Steven has it really bad, though. Everyone thinks his name is with a "ph" and doesn't bother asking. I've been studying linguistics this year and frankly, "stephen" is not phonetically correct...no wonder several middle-schoolers I know don't understand how to pronouce "stephen" when they read!

Well, that was a "one & done". I have to give him credit. He never cried or got upset but when we got off he said he never wanted to go on again!! We had tried telling him this ride was like Soarin' but I think it was just too intense for him. We told him that we were proud of him for at least giving it a try!!

What an incredible Safari, to have the Rhino come so close! J was SO BRAVE to go on FOP! I can see how it would be overwhelming but I hope he goes on it again in a few years!! I am so proud of him for trying that and Dinosaur!! YAY that he loves Dinosaur!!! It's one of my top five rides in all the WDW!! Dinosaur is amazing but I still don't like it when the Dino jumps out at the end! Did J hide his eyes? I always do! :jawdrop::facepalm::facepalm:

My dad named me after my mom. It totally irritated my grandma(his mom)so for my whole life she spelled my name "Patty". No matter how many times my parents corrected her she still did it just to be spiteful b/c she didn't like that my dad named me after my mom

Ahem, I know your grandma was amazing but that seemed a little petty. I think it's sweet that you're named after your mom. I'll be naming my someday kid after my mom.
 

fractal

Well-Known Member
FRIDAY, AUGUST 14TH

Now this guy(I do know it's a white rhino!!) was the star of the show. He ended up getting so close to us that we had to stop for awhile b/c of it. It was so cool!!
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J was really excited!!
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So close....
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He finally made his way along side of us then crossed in front of our jeep!!
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It really was neat to be that close to him/them!!
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Wrapping things up with the lion!!
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That was probably the best safari I've ever been on!!
Awesome!
 

Minnesota disney fan

Well-Known Member
LOL, I love how a little bribery goes a long way to get J to ride FOP! I hope he got something nice and fun at the Lego store.
I agree with J, but no one bribed me at all:(, I just know I don't like those kind of rides at all.
Loved the safari pictures. We had a white rhino charge our vehicle once! Honestly, he was going full blast from out in the tundra but stopped short. It is scary:arghh:. As far as spelling your name, I actually know one person who spells it Patti, so You Are Not Alone......
So happy to read your trip report, I am missing disney so much right now!
 

PacNWTigger

Well-Known Member
Ditto what everybody else has said about YeeHaw Bob. I never got the opportunity to see him perform, but I know how awesome he was when he was performing through you.
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Thank you for letting me see a little piece of him through your TR's. Who knows maybe when everything opens back up they will realize how integral he was to Port Orleans resorts.
 

riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I'm so proud of J for giving FOP and Dinosaur a try even if he says he'll never ride FOP again. 🥰 It was always so exciting when one of my daughters would finally relent and try a ride that we always rode without them!!! It's nice that you got some pool time in since you left AK early this day.
I'm not saying we were right for bribing him & yes, he didn't like FoP but loved Dinosaur like we thought he would. Now if we could just get him back on Pirates.....
Hanging out at the pool for a bit was fun!!
So sorry for your frustrations! That's my problem, too. So many people think my name is Katie. Even parents of students call me "Katie" in emails when my name clearly says "Kate." It's beyond frustrating that people add an I. Steven has it really bad, though. Everyone thinks his name is with a "ph" and doesn't bother asking. I've been studying linguistics this year and frankly, "stephen" is not phonetically correct...no wonder several middle-schoolers I know don't understand how to pronouce "stephen" when they read!
Sorry for your's & Steven's frustrations also!!
What an incredible Safari, to have the Rhino come so close! J was SO BRAVE to go on FOP! I can see how it would be overwhelming but I hope he goes on it again in a few years!! I am so proud of him for trying that and Dinosaur!! YAY that he loves Dinosaur!!! It's one of my top five rides in all the WDW!! Dinosaur is amazing but I still don't like it when the Dino jumps out at the end! Did J hide his eyes? I always do! :jawdrop::facepalm::facepalm:
It was so neat to have the rhino that close!! I'm sure he will go on a few years down the road. He'll probably forget what it was like & try it again. No, he didn't hide his eyes. Now that I think of it, our ride photo never showed up. Not surprised, that happens more often than not on that ride.
Ahem, I know your grandma was amazing but that seemed a little petty. I think it's sweet that you're named after your mom. I'll be naming my someday kid after my mom.
It was quite petty. I just learned to ignore it but it did irritate me. Even the savings bonds she got for me as a kid were spelled wrong. Almost like she wanted to make it tough on me to redeem them... 🤷‍♀️
I didn't even know spelling Patty/Patti with an "ie" was an option!

Oh good...I'm not the only one who had never seen that spelling!!
I've heard of it but I always thought "I" & "Y" were the more common ones!!
Me and J had the same reaction to FOP so he’s not alone lol. No one took me to get a toy afterwards tho 😔
OMG--I totally cracked up when I read this!! You're too funny!!
LOL, I love how a little bribery goes a long way to get J to ride FOP! I hope he got something nice and fun at the Lego store.
I agree with J, but no one bribed me at all:(, I just know I don't like those kind of rides at all.
Loved the safari pictures. We had a white rhino charge our vehicle once! Honestly, he was going full blast from out in the tundra but stopped short. It is scary:arghh:. As far as spelling your name, I actually know one person who spells it Patti, so You Are Not Alone......
So happy to read your trip report, I am missing disney so much right now!
A little foreshadowing....there were a few more bribes during the trip:oops:

I'm sure it was scary but really that's pretty darn cool!!

Yay for the "I"!!

Thanks & I'm missing it also!!
 

riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Just saw on Facebook about YeeHaw Bob and thought of you....stupid 2020 😔

So disappointing about the GF Orchestra and YeeHaw Bob. I thought of how much you and your family have enjoyed seeing YeeHaw Bob at Port Orleans Riverside. :(

Me too @MegRuss626 . Why do I feel like I should be giving condolences. This sucks.

Ditto what everybody else has said about YeeHaw Bob. I never got the opportunity to see him perform, but I know how awesome he was when he was performing through you.
tenor.gif

Thank you for letting me see a little piece of him through your TR's. Who knows maybe when everything opens back up they will realize how integral he was to Port Orleans resorts.

Echo Everyone above! I loved reading about your relationship with Yee-Haw Bob and reading about your adventures with him! I feel sad for you, him, J and Port Orleans.
Thanks all!! Totally bummed & shocked to hear such awful news. He is a great entertainer that brought so much fun & life to POR. I understand Disney is going through some rough times & there is no opening in sight for POR but I think it was a huge mistake on their part. It would have been nice if he could have performed somewhere else in Disney(even a different type of show) until POR reopens. It's an absolute shame & I'm so darn bummed that we won't see his show anymore. Hopefully bigger & better things come his way b/c he definitely deserves it!! BTW--I heard on FB that for now he is still going to be doing his shows Sunday nights at 6. Check him out if you haven't already. You won't be disappointed.

@Zipitidoda you're right about the condolences. I can't tell you the amount of messages I received when the news broke. It was as if someone had passed. Messages through this site & my phone was going crazy. Even friends of mine(who aren't Disney fans in the least) were texting me about it. I just wonder what POR is going to be like in the future.

An overall great guy who is an amazing performer & does so much for charities. E emailed him a month or so ago & told him it was my birthday so he sent me an email of him singing "Happy Birthday" to (as he always calls me) Patti from Pittsburgh!! It is great & so special!!

At the beginning of his shows he always thanked everyone for coming & would make the comment, "I know this is the reason you came to Florida" & everyone would laugh. In our case he was correct. He was a big part of it.
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As Bob Jackson always said, "No one has more fun than us". I'm thankful for all the years of fun, I just wish it wasn't over.😢💔
 

slipperalwaysfits

Well-Known Member
An overall great guy who is an amazing performer & does so much for charities. E emailed him a month or so ago & told him it was my birthday so he sent me an email of him singing "Happy Birthday" to (as he always calls me) Patti from Pittsburgh!! It is great & so special!!

WOW! So many great pictures and memories! How very sweet of Bob to send you a happy bday video!! :geek: :geek: :geek: Your trips and TR's won't be the same ....
 

riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
FRIDAY, AUGUST 14TH

We went in the Lego store & J very carefully looked for his trophy for riding FoP!!
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@MickeyCB what he picked goes with the Lego set that you got him!! :)
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After making good on our FoP promise we headed to dinner!!
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We were eating dinner at Paddlefish. We hadn't ate there in a few years so it was nice to be back!!
We were seated on the 2nd floor.
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Our server told us that it was a limited menu but in the coming weeks they would be adding much more to it.
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J got shrimp which he really likes but prefers popcorn shrimp to the regular size ones.
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E got the crab cake BLT minus the bun. She said it was very good.
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I went with the shrimp pasta. It was excellent & I ate it all!!
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J wishing he had popcorn shrimp!!
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$5 for an iced tea!! My wine actually looks like a bargain after the Tables IN Wonderland discount(see receipt below🤣). Iced tea was $5(okay, $4 with the discount) & the wine was $8!!
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Paddlefish was good as always. Not a must do for us every trip but we will definitely be back!!
 

riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
FRIDAY, AUGUST 14TH

Up next was one of the highlights of the trip. We were going to meet some wdwmagic friends!!:) Our friends originally had a later reservation but ended up switching it to a bit earlier so our dinner times ended up lining up more. We had plans to meet after our dinners & I couldn't wait!!

On the way to our meetup I took this picture & sent it to R. We have had one of these stores at our local mall & he always wanted to get a shave there. I bought him a gc for Christmas. Guess who never used it & guess what stayed closed after the covid reopening?:mad:
Guess we'll just have to go to Disney so he can use it!!;)
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Yay!! We met up with our friends @ajrwdwgirl & Brad!! Little background here, a few years back(Amy, does June of 2018 sound right?) my family had met up with @Tuvalu & @TrolleyFollower91 at the Tambu Lounge. After our meeting we headed to 'Ohana for dinner while the rest of the magic crew had a meetup!! Afterwards, we all ended up on the monorail platform at the same time so @ajrwdwgirl & I had a whole 30 second meetup & time for a quick picture and we were on our way(all while J was falling all over @TrolleyFollower91 )!! So, it was very nice to have a proper meetup & to be able to talk & have a beer together!! We sat at an outside table at City Works & had a lot of fun talking & enjoying each others company!! I felt bad b/c J was starting to get antsy. I thought it was b/c he was tired(which he was) but as we were walking to the bus I learned what the bigger culprit was. He was scared b/c there was a lot of activity in the sky!! Can't say that I blame him--one thing I hate more than anything is driving in thunder & lightening!!

I was a bit hesitant at first to ask our server to take our pic with my phone(covid & all) but she was more than happy to!!
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I had so much fun enjoying our friends company & I sincerely hope that our paths will cross again soon someday!!🍺 Amy, I owe you one!!

Due to the weather we knew walking would be out of the question so we took the bus. We got the back so J was excited!!
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Check out my hair--no matter what I put in it that's what humidity does to it!!

We got back to Saratoga Springs in short order & J noticed this little fella on the trash can.
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We wondered what he was waiting for??
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