Trip Report COMPLETED- I Couldn't Love You, but Here's $0.25 in Souvenirs- Celebrating 10 Years of Kid Trips to Disney

We began our adventures early on the morning of February 5th. Just before 7am CT, we had my vehicle loaded up and ready to go. I’m not sure how we did it, but we managed some room for the dog so we could drop her off for boarding (aka Camp!) on our way out of town. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. She gets comfortable in the strangest positions...

I haven’t set foot in my office since March 16, 2020, so I have no idea what rush hour really looks like these days or if Fridays are still lighter traffic days...but it was a breeze getting out of Houston.

I have no pictures for you until shortly after Lafayette, LA. I was driving up until this point, but after a series of urgent texts from my boss, we decided to stop and switch drivers. I’m not a big fan of critical conference calls at the start of my vacation, but these days, I’m thankful to be gainfully employed. After I got off the phone, I took a few pics as we were driving through the Atchafalaya.

It’s probably for the best that I wasn’t taking pics prior to this. Everything around Lake Charles, not too far west of this area, is still showing a lot of damage and tarps from the 2020 hurricane season, so it's pretty depressing. I also hate driving over the Mississippi in Baton Rouge, so I was pretty happy to have David at the wheel.

Speaking of David (and everyone else), if you want all of the details, please take a look at my PTR. https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/family-return-to-wdw-take-2.971452/

Now, if it looks rainy and gloomy...it’s because it was. We were at the leading edge of a front that was moving east. The rain stayed with us for a good portion of the drive.

In light of everything Covid, we didn’t stop at any of our usual lunch spots. I packed a small cooler full of lunch stuff and we stopped at the Mississippi welcome center to eat. Unfortunately, it was really chilly, so we ate in the car. That didn’t stop a ton of pigeons from surrounding us in hopes that we’d drop some crumbs on the way to the trash.

I was aiming for Tallahassee for the night. That’s usually where we wind up when we make good time, but we’d left so early that we were in Tallahassee by dinner time...even with losing an hour when crossing into the Eastern time zone. We didn't even have traffic with the tunnel in Mobile! Not sure why we decided on Whataburger when we have tons of them at home and this one was way off the highway, but we went a bit out of our way to eat at this one for who knows what reason. At least it had a nice little drive-in area to park and eat.

Somewhere in between Pensacola and Tallahassee, we also developed a bit of a car problem…

Somehow, my front sensor got blocked, which in turn disabled all of my front end safety features...as well as my cruise control. I’d had this happen once before, but it quickly corrected itself. This time, it wasn’t going away. The rest of the trip both to Disney and back would be done without cruise control. I felt like I’d jumped back in time to my first car!

We could have stopped for the night at this point. It was late enough that it wouldn’t have been crazy, but it was early enough that we felt the need to push on. So, I booked a hotel in Gainesville and we kept driving. I lived in Gainesville for several years in the early to mid 90s, so it always feels a bit strange to go back, but it was the best option for the night. It took a little bit of time to get all of our stuff upstairs, but by driving a bit farther this evening, we could all relax a bit and sleep in a little the next morning. And silly...we could be silly.

We slept in a little on February 6th. I think it was around 9am when we went downstairs to grab some breakfast to bring back to the room. It was mainly just some cereal, fruit and hard boiled eggs. We couldn’t sit around too long, because we remembered that I forgot to get cash. I couldn’t remember if the toll plazas had switched to toll by plate (they had) and I’d need some cash for tips upon arrival at WDW. So, we waved good-bye to the LaQuinta…

And headed to Publix…

I didn’t spend a lot of time in there, but it was really strange, because this was the Publix we’d shop at when we lived in Gainesville. It just happened to be the closest to the hotel. It also was in the same shopping center as a restaurant I used to work at for a couple of years...so a real trip down memory lane.

With cash in hand (and an extra stick of deodorant purchased so I could get cash back), we were on our way to WDW. I also got some time to call and set up an appointment to get my vehicle in the shop when we got home (more on that later).

David was driving, so I was actually able to take a few pics on my phone when we arrived.

This was also his choice of arrival music. I still don’t get it, but he’s got a pretty fun Idina Menzel impersonation. I regret not taking video, but I was taking pictures.

I’m sure most of us have experienced this, but between my phone, the MDE app, and our magic bands, they knew that we were on property. I immediately got notification that our room wasn’t ready, so I wasn’t expecting much upon arrival.

After getting a multitude of welcome homes from the security booth attendant (Kendall had all kinds of questions about this practice), a very nice guy with bell services helped with our luggage (who looked kind of funny at the big air mattress I had in the mix) and a woman, who magically knew it was me, told me she’d messaged housekeeping to put a rush on our room. So, all there was left to do at this point was park and figure out what to do with ourselves while we waited. Since I’d canceled our B&C ADR, we didn’t have any place to be until 5pm...and it was 11:48am. Hey, I told Disney we’d be showing up around noon.

Coming up...managing the wait, first impressions on our room, and an evening in Disney Springs.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I guess that’s the problem with trying to take pics as you’re walking and rushing around. At least some are respectable. LOL

While it’s a long queue, I feel like we pretty much just walked right up to this point with barely any stops.

And now we’re at a brisk pace again…

Somewhere in all of this, I also got a notification about RotR, but I’m going to tell you now that I read it wrong. So, we had no sense of urgency at the time. Just more walking through and enjoying the new.

As we were being led into these final areas of the crew, the CMs had some concerns with the girls. Well, concerns that they’d be awful pilots...especially Kendall. I gotta say, we’re pretty afraid of her driving, so they’re not wrong.

Coming up...will we destroy the Falcon? Will we make it to RotR? Will we get anything else done before our H&V lunch ADR?

 

[Songbird76]

It does, however, give me a lot of respect for those who lived before us without any of these modern conveniences. Your work situation with the vague "workable" description also makes you realize how good we have it here with our various laws to protect people in the workplace. Obviously, people had to suffer/perish for a lot of that to be put in place, but it makes you think about some of these countries with really bad labor practices and how bad it is for those people. Still, I see some of these heartbreaking stories about people freezing to death in their homes or parents having to ration their baby's oxygen because of this power situation and you realize how fragile everything truly is...from life itself to all of the systems we rely on to sustain us.

Well, I suppose if anyone turned my workplace in, they'd get in trouble, because obviously it's not "workable" if so many pass out in one day. And they aren't following the rules of extra breaks, providing fluids, etc. So I'm pretty certain they are in violation, even though the law is vague. I'm kind of surprised they haven't gotten in trouble.

But I agree, it's sad to think about what it took to get those regulations in the first place. How many people died, or became really sick. We're really lucky. I've been watching Outlander, which is partially set in the 1700s....there's so much we take for granted. Pain killers, antibiotics, chocolate...and how it's nothing to drive a couple hundred miles anymore to visit family.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Well, I suppose if anyone turned my workplace in, they'd get in trouble, because obviously it's not "workable" if so many pass out in one day. And they aren't following the rules of extra breaks, providing fluids, etc. So I'm pretty certain they are in violation, even though the law is vague. I'm kind of surprised they haven't gotten in trouble.

But I agree, it's sad to think about what it took to get those regulations in the first place. How many people died, or became really sick. We're really lucky. I've been watching Outlander, which is partially set in the 1700s....there's so much we take for granted. Pain killers, antibiotics, chocolate...and how it's nothing to drive a couple hundred miles anymore to visit family.

Yeah, because it sounds like something should be said, but I don't know what protection is like there for whistleblowers. So, I'm sure that's a concern.

Even when you look at historic luxury hotels from the early 1900s, what was luxury back then would be rouging it today...at least in some regards. It always makes me think of watching Little House on the Prairie when I was a kid and being in awe of the way of life back then.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

So, we’re still making our way through the queue to board Smuggler’s Run.

After the last CM expressed their concerns about the girls driving, it was time for our mission. I really wasn’t paying attention though. I was having too much fun having total fangirl moments. Not that I’m some huge Star Wars fan, but like so many of us that grew up with it, it was ridiculously cool to be sitting inside something so iconic.

So, I pretty much hit the random button when I felt like it and laughed my butt off at the girls. Kendall was flipping out because she was really trying to fly the thing and Sam kept screaming...like top of her lungs shrieking...and it was absolutely hysterical.

Some pictures are clearly much better than others…

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Yeah, so apparently, we caused a TON of damage. Even more reason I don't want any of them driving. I know it has to happen...but my wallet just isn't ready!

So, we headed out and were trying to decide what to do next, since I didn’t think our RotR group was boarding yet.

It was around this point that someone suggested we go get in line for Slinky Dog and that the queue was only 15 or 20 minutes. That’s when I opened the app and realized I misread the push notification about our boarding group. I really thought I’d read it opened at 10:15am...not that it ended at that time. It was about 9:50am, so there was only one thing to do...walk to Rise.

There were a number of people waiting near the queue entry that were sort of gumming up the works, but we got through pretty easily.

Again...not all of my pics are super crisp and clean (or even close to it) because we’re walking, but I was also doing some lens and preference experimenting. I’ll get to that later, but for now, I’m shooting with an 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 II IS at this point. I bought it on its own, and it’s really not too bad, but it is considered more of a kit lens. Still, at the time...it fit my needs. I make a transition later in the trip to test some ideas I had been mulling with my choice for a wildlife lenses for this summer. Either way...here’s us in the queue…

We really were at an awful angle for much of this…

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We were then loaded onto our transport vessel, and while I was at a really awful angle...this was super exciting. I hadn’t even gotten to the good stuff yet and I was already enjoying how immersive this all was for the guest.

Now, we were already pretty impressed, but this was probably our single biggest wow moment of the entire attraction. I’ve seen it in pictures. I’ve seen it in video. I was not prepared for how impressive this is in person.

I guess now that we’ve been captured, it’s time to be led to areas to be tortured.

Here’s where the unscripted fun begins. Just after I took this pic, I tried focussing on something else and Kendall starts going “Mom! Mom! Mom...stop...mom you’re getting us in trouble.” And I’m just still looking around for fun stuff and trying to focus. She keeps insisting that I’m going to get us in trouble and then I look up. A CM who is part of the First Order is directly in front of me...and I’m like “HI!” He tells me I’m obviously the reason the Resistance Rebel Scum is going to fail and the reason why our whole unit got captured. In other words, I’m a horrible spy and would likely receive extra torture for info because I’m clearly not fearful or careful enough. Great!

Coming up...do we survive, or did I doom us all? I know...worst resistance spy EVER! And if we make it, what’s next???

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

I'm just joining your TR, late but HERE! I'm so thankful you didn't lose power for long in Texas and your house and family are A-OKAY.

Somehow, my front sensor got blocked, which in turn disabled all of my front end safety features...as well as my cruise control. I’d had this happen once before, but it quickly corrected itself. This time, it wasn’t going away. The rest of the trip both to Disney and back would be done without cruise control

This had me nervous! I am so glad nothing serious was wrong with your car!

This was also his choice of arrival music. I still don’t get it, but he’s got a pretty fun Idina Menzel impersonation. I regret not taking video, but I was taking pictures

What a hilarious special thing about your hubby! I hope you appreciate his impersonation every chance you get and here's hoping we get video someday!

Confidence really not high for them going off on their own!

I hope this leads to future kid-only adventures...

***Yes!!! Lots of H2O goodies in the room!!!

Next time, I MUST ask housekeeping for more goodies!

They didn’t feel the gelato was safe for Kendall and her allergies, but felt the red velvet cookie would be OK

MAN! Disney is ALL-IN with the Gelato! Soon to be 2 gelato places in Epcot, and in DS! YUM!

Both of the girls had one of these. I have no idea what it is, but they loved it. In fact, they’ve now become obsessed with mocktails in general.

Your girls are on to something wonderful! No hangovers and fun concoctions to try and make! I drank a lot of mocktails as a kid/teen and I still really enjoy the mocktails at Olive Garden and some other restaurants. I like alcohol, too but I do love that the mocktails are cheaper and sometimes, more fun!!

Our boarding group hadn’t been called at this point and it was still super early, so we decided to head to Smuggler’s Run...taking the long way...because we had no idea where we were going.

This was us last fall in SWGE for the first time. I think we will still feel this way when we go back, because the land is huge and we still don't really have our bearings yet.

So, I pretty much hit the random button when I felt like it and laughed my butt off at the girls. Kendall was flipping out because she was really trying to fly the thing and Sam kept screaming...like top of her lungs shrieking...and it was absolutely hysterical.

THESE are the moments you live for! I was the pilot last Fall and tried to fly it, but I crashed a few times and realized we would survive anyway.

Now, we were already pretty impressed, but this was probably our single biggest wow moment of the entire attraction. I’ve seen it in pictures. I’ve seen it in video. I was not prepared for how impressive this is in person.

I am looking forward to going back to this part. I felt like we were so rushed through this room we couldn't properly appreciate/enjoy it!
Did hubby enjoy HS despite the lack of a Sci-Fi reservation....?

 

[Songbird76]

Yeah, because it sounds like something should be said, but I don't know what protection is like there for whistleblowers. So, I'm sure that's a concern.

Even when you look at historic luxury hotels from the early 1900s, what was luxury back then would be rouging it today...at least in some regards. It always makes me think of watching Little House on the Prairie when I was a kid and being in awe of the way of life back then.

Yeah, I'm not sure what the whistleblower protection is like here, either. We moved to a different building about a year ago, and in our old building it was AWFUL for safety. There was this line on the floor that was supposed to mark out a fire escape route...you weren't supposed to have any obstacles behind that line. The idea was that, in the event of a fire, if the building was full of smoke and you couldn't see, you could follow the wall around until you got to an exit door, and there wouldn't be anything in the way to trip over. But we were running out of space, so there were always pallets full of boxes, rows of those big carts...you couldn't get around those things. So had there been a fire, there would have been no path to exit. If they had ever been inspected, I'm convinced we would have been shut down. When I first started there, they also didn't have heat, or maybe they just didn't want to turn it on...it was FREEZING in there in the winter. We wore our winter coats and gloves inside. They never did get AC, so it could get up over 110 degrees in there in the summer. The elevators kept breaking, so they finally had to make a rule that the elevators were only for merchandise and we weren't allowed to go in them ourselves. The warehouse was almost never swept or cleaned in any way (still isn't) and one of my coworkers got her foot stuck in a zip-tie that was on the floor, did a faceplant and sprained or cracked a rib. Someone else fell from a ladder that wasn't sturdy, broke her leg. Someone else got her finger stuck under the lid of the cardboard compactor.

In the new building, there's one spot where there's a gate thing, but the gate has a big step over it, and that's the only one like that in the whole building. If you don't know it's there, you trip over it, and on the other side is a huge beam....if you are any taller than I am (5'6) you'll hit your head on that beam.....they wrapped it in foam now. And those beams are all over the place. They had to wrap some of them in caution tape because they are the same color as the shelving units, so you can't really see them until you run into them. I ran into one last week and my shoulder was sore for several days. It's just not set up for the way we work. And people don't follow the rules anyway....you're not supposed to make boxes more than like....25 kilos I think? because sometimes you have to lift the boxes up above head level, by yourself. But they don't actually weigh them, so people will put 200 pairs of jeans in a box (children's clothing, so they are small) and you just can't even lift the box by yourself, let alone over your head. SOOOOO many safety violations, and I can't imagine that any business follows all the regulations. I'm sure all of them cut corners in one way or another.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I'm just joining your TR, late but HERE! I'm so thankful you didn't lose power for long in Texas and your house and family are A-OKAY.

This had me nervous! I am so glad nothing serious was wrong with your car!


What a hilarious special thing about your hubby! I hope you appreciate his impersonation every chance you get and here's hoping we get video someday!


I hope this leads to future kid-only adventures...


Next time, I MUST ask housekeeping for more goodies!

MAN! Disney is ALL-IN with the Gelato! Soon to be 2 gelato places in Epcot, and in DS! YUM!


Your girls are on to something wonderful! No hangovers and fun concoctions to try and make! I drank a lot of mocktails as a kid/teen and I still really enjoy the mocktails at Olive Garden and some other restaurants. I like alcohol, too but I do love that the mocktails are cheaper and sometimes, more fun!!


This was us last fall in SWGE for the first time. I think we will still feel this way when we go back, because the land is huge and we still don't really have our bearings yet.

THESE are the moments you live for! I was the pilot last Fall and tried to fly it, but I crashed a few times and realized we would survive anyway.

I am looking forward to going back to this part. I felt like we were so rushed through this room we couldn't properly appreciate/enjoy it!
Did hubby enjoy HS despite the lack of a Sci-Fi reservation....?

Thank you! We're feeling extremely lucky after seeing everything on the news and learning how many friends, family and coworkers didn't fare as well.

Honestly...this vehicle has me losing my mind. I bought it new mid March of 2020 and it's been one big headache. This will be the second time the front sensor has gone out and there is now more wrong with it as well. Another issue, that I'll get to later on, is on its fourth time. If they can't fix it this time...it's time for me to start the lemon law process. To add insult to injury, one of my fog lights went out this morning. My last vehicle was 8 yrs old when I traded it in and never once had to replace the headlights or fog lights. I really need this fix to work or for it to break quickly, because we have a couple of road trips planned for the summer and we can't be driving around without these things working.

It just cracks me up when he gets silly like this. His rendition doesn't sound pretty, but it's a good laugh.

They will go off more during this trip. It'll be interesting...to say the least

I wasn't expecting all of these goodies. We didn't even have to ask for them. When I stayed at AKL last year, everything had been converted to the dispenser style stuff and we had very few goodies in the room...and nothing was replenished. So, I was very happy to come home with a whole bunch of H2O goodness.

I guess with it being more of a warm weather destination, having more gelato at WDW probably makes a lot of profitability sense...or it just tastes good and people will buy it

I think we created little monsters with the mocktails...especially with the older one.

It's kind of nice feeling a little lost at WDW. It all becomes so familiar that there was something sort of refreshing about it.

I may have neglected to tell the girls that we'd survive no matter what they did in the pilots' seats.

This was thankfully day 1 of 2 in HS, so I didn't feel as rushed with things. In the end, he really didn't care all that much about the ADR. I think all he really wanted was a burger, and when I get to day 2 in HS, I think we more than made up for that.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Yeah, I'm not sure what the whistleblower protection is like here, either. We moved to a different building about a year ago, and in our old building it was AWFUL for safety. There was this line on the floor that was supposed to mark out a fire escape route...you weren't supposed to have any obstacles behind that line. The idea was that, in the event of a fire, if the building was full of smoke and you couldn't see, you could follow the wall around until you got to an exit door, and there wouldn't be anything in the way to trip over. But we were running out of space, so there were always pallets full of boxes, rows of those big carts...you couldn't get around those things. So had there been a fire, there would have been no path to exit. If they had ever been inspected, I'm convinced we would have been shut down. When I first started there, they also didn't have heat, or maybe they just didn't want to turn it on...it was FREEZING in there in the winter. We wore our winter coats and gloves inside. They never did get AC, so it could get up over 110 degrees in there in the summer. The elevators kept breaking, so they finally had to make a rule that the elevators were only for merchandise and we weren't allowed to go in them ourselves. The warehouse was almost never swept or cleaned in any way (still isn't) and one of my coworkers got her foot stuck in a zip-tie that was on the floor, did a faceplant and sprained or cracked a rib. Someone else fell from a ladder that wasn't sturdy, broke her leg. Someone else got her finger stuck under the lid of the cardboard compactor.

In the new building, there's one spot where there's a gate thing, but the gate has a big step over it, and that's the only one like that in the whole building. If you don't know it's there, you trip over it, and on the other side is a huge beam....if you are any taller than I am (5'6) you'll hit your head on that beam.....they wrapped it in foam now. And those beams are all over the place. They had to wrap some of them in caution tape because they are the same color as the shelving units, so you can't really see them until you run into them. I ran into one last week and my shoulder was sore for several days. It's just not set up for the way we work. And people don't follow the rules anyway....you're not supposed to make boxes more than like....25 kilos I think? because sometimes you have to lift the boxes up above head level, by yourself. But they don't actually weigh them, so people will put 200 pairs of jeans in a box (children's clothing, so they are small) and you just can't even lift the box by yourself, let alone over your head. SOOOOO many safety violations, and I can't imagine that any business follows all the regulations. I'm sure all of them cut corners in one way or another.

I can't get over all of the issues with the work space. It keeps bringing me back to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire here in the US that led to quite a few workplace safety regulations. It just all sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. While I'm sure it's hard to pin any firm down for conditions when they don't have specifics for it being workable, but you'd think they'd have some kind of regulations in place to better protect people. Scary!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

So, the good news...I was allowed to continue on even though I was showing ZERO respect for the First Order. The bad news, the First Order was about to torture us for information...or were they?

As you probably guessed, we’re now trying to escape. I didn’t take a ton of pics on the ride because I really wanted to soak it all in...especially since I was hoping to ride again in a couple of days. But this is what I did take…

I was skeptical going into this. You hear rave reviews and you wonder if you’re going to like it too. Maybe it’s because I haven’t liked much of the new of late...at least the attractions parts of things. While RoTR is far superior to Smuggler’s Run and lived up to every bit of the hype (and then some) for me, I’d say Smuggler’s Run is pretty darn good too. So, we started our day with three new attractions and for the most part, liked all three.

It was time to figure out what we could work in next, so we headed out of SWGE…

David and the girls hadn’t seen Toy Story Land since it was completed and I missed out on my Slinky Dog FP last trip, so that area was our next stop.

Slinky Dog’s wait was more than we were willing to chance at the moment, so this was our first stop…

Not new to us, but the queue on the TSL side is...so sort of new in a way.

I am not great at this ride, but I feel I have improved. Of course, I was stuck with David who always seems to do better. So, even though I came in third in the car, I was still first loser.

Time to head out…

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I even have some proof that I’ve improved a little over the years.

(circa 2011)
I’d like to say I was a winner that day, but it was a 2 year old that got a score of 0. So, probably doesn’t count.

We were still nervous about the wait time with Slinky, but tried for something else that was new.

Last year, I was afraid it might turn my stomach, since I’m not good with spinning things. After closer inspection...this wasn’t going to have any impact. So, we waited…

Some decent shots of Slinky as we waited…

Getting closer to riding with the Aliens…

And we’re on…

 

[HouCuseChickie]

While it’s nice that the restrooms are right there at the exit, I’m happy to say that the Aliens didn’t swirl me enough that I needed to run over there to puke. I guess this ride is good for little ones and it passes some time, but I put it right up there with TriceraTop Spin as far as dumb rides go. Too harsh? Well, except that Sam wasn’t screaming her head off to ride again and again after we got off.

We decided Slinky Dog would have to wait. It was getting closer to lunch time, so time to head over by H&V.

We still had some time before our ADR, so we found a bench and waited. We noticed these boxes during our wait. Love little details like this...to George Bailey in Bedford Falls from Wainright Enterprises.

While we were waiting, we could see a Disney Jr. cavalcade go by…

Funny how much Disney Jr. has changed since our breakfast in 2011.

And here we are...getting ready to go back into H&V for the first time since that visit.

Coming up...lunch at H&V, dining decisions, and how to spend the afternoon.

 

[krisri18]

While it’s nice that the restrooms are right there at the exit, I’m happy to say that the Aliens didn’t swirl me enough that I needed to run over there to puke. I guess this ride is good for little ones and it passes some time, but I put it right up there with TriceraTop Spin as far as dumb rides go. Too harsh? Well, except that Sam wasn’t screaming her head off to ride again and again after we got off.

We decided Slinky Dog would have to wait. It was getting closer to lunch time, so time to head over by H&V.

We still had some time before our ADR, so we found a bench and waited. We noticed these boxes during our wait. Love little details like this...to George Bailey in Bedford Falls from Wainright Enterprises.

While we were waiting, we could see a Disney Jr. cavalcade go by…

Funny how much Disney Jr. has changed since our breakfast in 2011.

And here we are...getting ready to go back into H&V for the first time since that visit.

Coming up...lunch at H&V, dining decisions, and how to spend the afternoon.

Special Agent Osso, Handy Manny, and the Little Einsteins! Wow!

 

[Pooh'sBuddy]

Loving your report!!! I'm so glad you're doing a TR. I'm still in my post-trip depression. Wow, your girls are growing up! I love David's t-shirt - hook'em!

I would love to ask if we could chat about your drive. We've never gotten closer to choose driving over flying than "oh, maybe someday."

Awesome Boardwalk room.

Also glad you've got power. We never lost electricity, but our water went out. I can't remember for how many days. We got it back yesterday but are still under a boil notice. Fortunately, we filled our bathtub with snow so we could refill the tanks after flushing. I've never seen this much snow in Texas. Ever. We got 6.75".

 

[Songbird76]

I can't get over all of the issues with the work space. It keeps bringing me back to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire here in the US that led to quite a few workplace safety regulations. It just all sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. While I'm sure it's hard to pin any firm down for conditions when they don't have specifics for it being workable, but you'd think they'd have some kind of regulations in place to better protect people. Scary!

Well, the problem with the fire escape path has more to do with insurance, I think. When it was so hot in the summer, and we have zero ventilation, the upstairs was worse, but opening some windows and doors helped with the airflow a bit. But then they closed it all down, saying those doors were fire doors, so if a fire broke out, those doors were made to keep it from spreading....IF they were closed. So they couldn't leave them open for ventilation, because then insurance wouldn't cover it if there was a fire, because it could spread more with the doors open. There are all sorts of building codes and such they have to follow. Unfortunately, those seem to be stricter than the laws for safe working environments, so they err on the side of insurance regulations, not safety. But like I said, I'm sure if anyone complained, the company would be in big trouble, and I've thought about it before, but in the end, I need the job and I wouldn't get the flexibility I have now with another job. Right now, I'm a zero hour employee...I get regular hours because I've been there for 12 years and know my job, but I can set any day to "not available" if there's a meeting with one of the kids' schools, or I have a doctors appt. or whatever....or just because I want a vacation. I just say "I'm not available from this date to that date" and they can't schedule me. People with standard contracts can't do that....they have to ask for that time off and hope it gets approved. And other companies have a policy you have to be available certain days and otherwise you are let go....like, if I say I'm available on Tuesdays, I ALWAYS have to be available on Tuesdays and have to make sure meetings and appointment aren't on Tuesdays. So I can't really afford to get my employers in trouble, because then I don't have a job anymore.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Special Agent Osso, Handy Manny, and the Little Einsteins! Wow!

I remember booking this one last minute because it was not a hard to get ADR, but still wondering if it would be a waste. Considering these characters are never seen anymore...I'm so glad I did it.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Loving your report!!! I'm so glad you're doing a TR. I'm still in my post-trip depression. Wow, your girls are growing up! I love David's t-shirt - hook'em!

I would love to ask if we could chat about your drive. We've never gotten closer to choose driving over flying than "oh, maybe someday."

Awesome Boardwalk room.

Also glad you've got power. We never lost electricity, but our water went out. I can't remember for how many days. We got it back yesterday but are still under a boil notice. Fortunately, we filled our bathtub with snow so we could refill the tanks after flushing. I've never seen this much snow in Texas. Ever. We got 6.75".

Yeah...someone complimented him on the shirt at some point in the day. I still can't believe it's still presentable after all these years

Feel free to PM me if you have any driving questions. Obviously, it would be a little bit farther for you guys, but still completely doable.

Thanks! Definitely spoiled after staying in a room this size.

I was wondering how you guys did with the weather. They claim we got 3" of snow, but I really don't think we got more than an inch. Definitely not enough to fill up a bathtub. We had to drive up to Waller this weekend (around Prairie View A&M) and I could tell they had a lot more snow than us. I guess at least you now have water back and hopefully your boil water won't last too long.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Well, the problem with the fire escape path has more to do with insurance, I think. When it was so hot in the summer, and we have zero ventilation, the upstairs was worse, but opening some windows and doors helped with the airflow a bit. But then they closed it all down, saying those doors were fire doors, so if a fire broke out, those doors were made to keep it from spreading....IF they were closed. So they couldn't leave them open for ventilation, because then insurance wouldn't cover it if there was a fire, because it could spread more with the doors open. There are all sorts of building codes and such they have to follow. Unfortunately, those seem to be stricter than the laws for safe working environments, so they err on the side of insurance regulations, not safety. But like I said, I'm sure if anyone complained, the company would be in big trouble, and I've thought about it before, but in the end, I need the job and I wouldn't get the flexibility I have now with another job. Right now, I'm a zero hour employee...I get regular hours because I've been there for 12 years and know my job, but I can set any day to "not available" if there's a meeting with one of the kids' schools, or I have a doctors appt. or whatever....or just because I want a vacation. I just say "I'm not available from this date to that date" and they can't schedule me. People with standard contracts can't do that....they have to ask for that time off and hope it gets approved. And other companies have a policy you have to be available certain days and otherwise you are let go....like, if I say I'm available on Tuesdays, I ALWAYS have to be available on Tuesdays and have to make sure meetings and appointment aren't on Tuesdays. So I can't really afford to get my employers in trouble, because then I don't have a job anymore.

That's really scary to know you're working in an environment with so many risk issues. It kind of makes you want to have your own personal emergency plan. Still, I know about sticking it out for the perks and flexibility. These are the things that help you live life and not be married to your job, not to mention keeping the paychecks coming in.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Maybe it’s because we were checking into our ADRs in person for our Disney Springs meals, maybe it was some selective amnesia on my part, or maybe it’s because I saw people who appeared to be checking into things in person in the park….BUT...I’d completely forgotten about virtual check-in for dining on the app. I believe we had an 11:35am ADR, and I hadn’t received any push notifications reminding me to check in (would learn about those just a little bit later), so it had to have been before the 20 minute mark when I followed David’s urgings and tried to check in.

There was a CM outside and she just looked and sounded bothered that I hadn’t checked in on the app. I apologized for my faux pas, found an area for everyone to wait at a distance, and went through the check in process on my phone. Yup- that’s me...following directions after not following directions. I think 2 minutes passed and I got the notification that our table was ready. In fact, we were seated by the time that I got the app notification to check in. The girl I first spoke to was still acting kind of moody, but the people from the inside that came out to greet us were the customary Disney cheerful and we had excellent service throughout our meal. We were seated pretty close to where we sat in 2011, except this time, we were heavily spaced out from other parties...which is good. I also don’t know if you noticed, but we weren’t using those stupid eating masks I bought. They were a good idea in theory, but a royal pain in the rear.

David even remarked that it looked like it’s normally a buffet. I could have let it go, but I had to remind him that it was the last time we ate here. He has absolutely no recollection of us eating here. I think I’m going to share this 2011 CRT pic every time I have one of these moments with him.

Either way, I was kind of excited. I know this place has nicknames like Hollywood & Vile and Hollywood & Slime, but I’ve heard better things about it since it reopened in non-buffet form and our breakfast here was very good.

Rolls and salad came out first and both were really good. David is a big salad fan and was shocked how much he liked it. It’s not the normal ranch dressing he’d like, but loved what this ranch is that they’re using. We all ate rolls like we’ve never seen food before. Bunch of barbarians!

While we had seen those cavalcade characters before our meal, it really wasn’t feeling like a Disney trip...maybe because we hadn’t seen Mickey? Well, that part was about to change…because here he comes!

And here he is!

Still wasn’t feeling like we were really there, but I think it’s not going to MK first or at least seeing the castle that is the issue. And it would be DAYS before any of that was going to happen.

Kendall had taken all of these on her phone so I could more easily share with friends who were missing Disney. I’m not sure about the newer models or the offerings from other brands like Nikon and Sony, but the Wifi on my Canon DSLR is pretty useless. I’m also glad she took some because I was having some focus setting issues on my camera and all of my pics came out soft.

I must have changed something by the time Minnie came by, because she was better.

I had to laugh...this is my only picture of Minnie from this first go-around. I don’t know what it is, but I am pretty much anti-Minnie. I’m sure I’ve shared this before, but it’s worth repeating. She drives me nuts. I’m not a huge Mickey fan either, but Mickey is different...like he symbolizes it all, so I am good with him. Minnie...nope! It drives me nuts that Dooney, Harveys, and Kate Spade have focused so many bags on her. I don’t like pink, I don’t want Minnie dots and bows, and I’d prefer things with other characters in the mix. Whew! Total first world problems.

I was back to taking bad pics when the food came out, but I think it’s because I was so hungry and was trying to get the pics out of the way so we could chow down.

I had the pork. There was a bit more fat than I would have liked, but the meat that was on the bone was very tasty and the polenta underneath was so good. The apples could have baked a little longer, but they weren’t bad either.

David got the prime rib. He said it was actually pretty good, but the gravy was odd. He’s used to a more traditional au jus. I was going to try his brussel sprouts, but I accidentally took a pearl onion and was just over his veggies after that. People keep saying how much they love brussel sprouts, but I have yet to have any that I like. Oh well.

The kids both got the shrimp mac & cheese.

Sam hates shrimp, but was willing to suffer through it for mac & cheese...or as she likes to call it- Macertoni. I took a taste and didn’t love it, but they thought it was really good, so it’s all personal preference. The only funny thing...Kendall got about 8 large shrimp and Sam got 16. I’m guessing someone lost track during prep and gave her twice as much. Not that I’m complaining...it got eaten, but the fact that it was given to the shrimp hater. We got her to eat four or five just so she wasn’t having all macaroni.

While we were on entrees...a puppy came by for a visit.