Trip Report "I Know More About Disney Than You Two"

Hello!! Hello!! I'm heading back to the world in 16 days so my goal is to get this TR done before I go. I know, you probably don't have much faith in me--neither do I, frankly. But, "If you can dream it, you can do it", right?

WHO:

WHERE:

WHEN:
Wednesday, April 14th - Sunday, April 18th

THE TITLE:
The reason for our trip was b/c E wanted to be there on her birthday!! This would actually be the 2nd time she's been in Disney for it. So, obviously all along I figured that the title would have something to do with it. You know, "The Birthday Trip" or something original like that. I've mentioned in the past that I normally wait though until the end of the trip to decide what the title should be. On day 2 J made a comment to his mother & I that in our wildest dreams we couldn't have been prepared for. Right then & there E's birthday TR title was totally tossed from my mind & a new title was born!!

A sincere welcome to everyone reading!!

 

[Sillysidewalker]

Here! So excited to hear how this title came about!

 

[fractal]

Let's go!

 

[BwlrBry212]

Excited for another TR to hold me over until my October trip!

 

[krisri18]

So sorry I'm late! But here and ready for some of J's shenanigans!

 

[KellBelle]

Sorry I'm super late! Can't wait to read the rest!!

 

[Songbird76]

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14TH

Originally this trip was going to be Thursday through Sunday. I was going to ask to work early on Thursday so I could catch a late flight out that night. I was going to use Friday & Saturday as my days off for that week then Sunday as one for the following week. When presenting it to my boss he asked me when my sister was going. She was originally going to go Thursday morning. He told me to use a personal day for Thursday. That meant we would fly down Wednesday evening & have an extra Disney day!!

A few weeks before the trip I got notification that Southwest was moving our flight from 8pm to 7pm. Normally, I would be thrilled. I had planned on meeting E at her house as soon as I got done working at 4 & we were going to head to the airport right then. Now that the flight was an hour earlier I got concerned. The parkway heading towards the airport is a nightmare during rush hour traffic. Then, what if there was an accident on it? We would be doomed. I showed my boss the email regarding the flight change & he told me to leave at 3 instead!!

On the way to the airport I got the room ready text!!
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Security was a breeze.
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Well, thank goodness someone was open. The Pittsburgh airport is nothing short of a hot mess right now. Keep in mind it was about 4:45. It's hard to tell but Friday's was already closing for the day!!
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As was McDonald's!! Not that we wanted to eat there anyways!!
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This was pretty much our only option. And not only ours--everyone else's that was in the airport also!! The people kept piling on in while we were there!!
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Now, let me say that E & I weren't too keen on eating here. I guess you could say we're not typical Pittsburgher's. Fries & coleslaw on a sandwich--no thank you!! I think their sandwiches are gross.
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We were glad to see they had more items than just what they're famous for!!
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I got the turkey and bacon sandwich & was pleasantly surprised at how good it was!! I still don't care for their fries though--but at least they're on the side!!
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What J has there is a ham & cheese. That is one of their traditional sandwiches. The only difference is that he got his fries & coleslaw on the side instead of on it.
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I forgot what E had but she also enjoyed her food. We said we would definitely go back there again!!

Your boss is so nice!! That's amazing! That's the one reason I don't want to get set hours at my job. I've worked there for 12.5 years and I am still just a "call in" so I can take time off whenever I want it. I don't have to ask. I just fill in the hours I am available each week and they schedule me for whichever of those hours they want me. But if I had set hours, I'd have restrictions, like you can only apply for time off 10 times a year, and they can say no. You could theoretically ask and be denied all 10 times. And only so many people can have time off at a time, so if other people ask first, you can't go. And you are only assured of getting 2 weeks in a row, so you can't plan a longer trip, which we always take long trips since we only go once every several years. I think my bosses would be trying to get me back sooner rather than letting me have more time!! You must be really valued! That's so great!

And those fries look disgusting!

 

[kk0311]

Brings back memories. My first trip ever to WDW I stayed there for 5 nights. Such a great floor layout. I hope you enjoyed it.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14TH

I thought this light was cute!!
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The tv in the living room area(that's where I slept) was almost too big for the room!!
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I opened up the couch to get ready for bed. It was quite comfortable!!
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No travel size toiletries there.
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But we did have a working shower!!
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And with that it was time to get ready for bed!!

 

[Katiekitten]

I'm late but I'm following along. Your room at Old Key West looks really nice I hope you enjoyed it!

 

[riverside]

I'm here for the adventure! Love OKW so much! It has such a great vibe!

Yay!! Yes--it definitely does. Very relaxing!!

But I am here now!

It's all good!! Not like I've been able to update this the last few days!!

The Key West room looks great. We haven’t stayed there in years, but I do remember liking all the space.

It was amazing!! We liked it so much that we tried to book it for October but there is nothing available.

So glad to hear that J is the reason for the title. I was thinking it was a disgruntled CM or worse, a know it all tourist.

Oh, it's J alright!!

I missed the first couple of episodes, but I enjoyed the rest. I usually don’t care for shows that use one plot for an entire season, but for some reason I didn’t mind this one. However, it appears from the season finale that the plot is going to carryover to the next season, so I’ll see how that goes. But anyways, I agree that Christopher Meloni has aged quite a bit. He looks a little on the rough side in some of the episodes lol.

Maybe I'll give it another shot then!! I was quite surprised at how much he aged--then again, I'm sure people say the same about me!!

I'm here!!!

Wow! No stroller - that's a first right? Hope all goes well and can't wait to hear J's punch lines. Happy Birthday to E and good luck on getting this one finished!!

Yay!! He actually did quite well without it. I just wonder if it will work out in the middle of July with the heat!! Thanks!! I'm really going to try to!!

I was sooo excited to see that you started this TR!!! Your boss sounds like a wonderful person to let you leave early when your flight got moved up!!! I guess the airport store that you buy the model cars at for J is still not open and I can't believe they haven't opened the Starbucks or DD either! Your meals looked delicious! The OKW villas are so big compared to the other DVC villas and it was so nice that they brought you to your room via golf cart! Can't wait for more.

It was very nice of him. I made sure to show him the email b/c I didn't want him thinking that I had booked a flight that would have interfered with my work schedule. It still isn't open--no cars for J!! One of my former team members just resigned b/c he used to work at the airport & got laid off due to covid and they just hired him back. He stopped in the other day & my first question to him was "Is Starbucks open yet?" It still isn't!! I totally fell in love with that resort!!

Can't wait to hear this one!

I'm hoping to get to it today!!

YES!!! You can do it! Sharing the magic is so fun, I may actually WRITE my darn trip report finally after this trip!

As you should!! I would love to read it!!

Yes, an hour early, I would be a little nervous about leaving work and making it in time. Your boss sounds really nice and flexible with your Disney schedule. You're lucky. I avoided a coffee shop this am because an ex-boss who played favorites and demeaned me instead of helping me was sitting outside. Good leaders lift ALL people up, not let them sink. Back to the magic.

Yikes--I know what you mean though. I've had a few winners over the years!!

WOW!!! Is this his first trip without a stroller??!!

I believe so!

Without a breakdown....J really seems like an awesome kid that really can cope with challenging moments...like the rain in Disney. Credit E and JSr and his cool Aunt P!

He is pretty cool!! Although, he was challenging us during that rain in Disney!!

Yay a @riverside TR!!!! I'm so excited to follow along!

Glad to have you!!

Here! So excited to hear how this title came about!

Yay!! I hope it doesn't turn out to not be that funny to everyone. I thought it was hysterical but maybe it was one of those things that "you had to be there for"? I don't think so though!!

Let's go!

Glad you're here!!

Excited for another TR to hold me over until my October trip!

Thanks!! I'm going in October also!!

So sorry I'm late! But here and ready for some of J's shenanigans!

It's all good!! Glad you're here!! He definitely had a few of them!!

Sorry I'm super late! Can't wait to read the rest!!

Thanks!! You're not late at all. Work has kept me too busy this week to post. By the time I get home(regardless of if I'm working day or night) I'm exhausted & don't have much motivation to do anything!!

Your boss is so nice!! That's amazing! That's the one reason I don't want to get set hours at my job. I've worked there for 12.5 years and I am still just a "call in" so I can take time off whenever I want it. I don't have to ask. I just fill in the hours I am available each week and they schedule me for whichever of those hours they want me. But if I had set hours, I'd have restrictions, like you can only apply for time off 10 times a year, and they can say no. You could theoretically ask and be denied all 10 times. And only so many people can have time off at a time, so if other people ask first, you can't go. And you are only assured of getting 2 weeks in a row, so you can't plan a longer trip, which we always take long trips since we only go once every several years. I think my bosses would be trying to get me back sooner rather than letting me have more time!! You must be really valued! That's so great!

And those fries look disgusting!

He is pretty nice. I'm fortunate.
In a way that is kind of neat!! I was lucky to pretty much write my own schedule for many years. It did take a bit for me to adjust to someone else making it.
They were actually better than I thought they would be!!

Brings back memories. My first trip ever to WDW I stayed there for 5 nights. Such a great floor layout. I hope you enjoyed it.

I totally enjoyed it there!! There was enough space that I could totally live in something that size!!

I'm late but I'm following along. Your room at Old Key West looks really nice I hope you enjoyed it!

Glad you're here!! It was so nice. We were also impressed with the resort as a whole!!

 

[riverside]

THURSDAY, APRIL 15TH

Even though I was up too late the night before I got up early & headed out for a walk around the resort.

I stumbled across this quiet pool.

Thought of my friend @Darstarr

I was on a mission & needed to head to Olivia's.

For weeks I had been trying to call to order a cake for E's birthday. Neither one of us are big cake eaters but it was more about "acknowledging" her birthday in my eyes. I figured it would be perfect to have it there b/c we would get it at the beginning of the trip so we would have more time to eat it and it would be easy to take it back since we were staying there. One day I waited on hold for 2 hours & still never talked to anyone!! I figured I would inquire there since I had read that you could do that also. The CM noted it on our reservation & said we would get that Mickey "dome shaped" one which I kind of figured. I was happy I got that taken care of.....or did I?

With that I headed back to the room.

Such a pretty resort!!

This is the section we were in.

 

[riverside]

THURSDAY, APRIL 15TH

I got back to the room.

I had coffee while I watched people playing golf.

We looked to see what time we should expect the bus.

Isn't this coffee cup the cutest??

You might be shocked that we weren't going to MK for our first park day. For the most part we usually do. When we initially booked this we had planned on coming on Thursday which meant we wouldn't be going to a park. Since we had our bonus day J said he wanted to go to AK. We didn't go in January so it worked for me!!

We were checking out the wait times on our way in.

It was such a nice day!!

I thought this tree looked especially pretty.

And we're in!!

J wanted to ride Dinosaur so we headed there first.

 

[riverside]

THURSDAY, APRIL 15TH

I've always enjoyed this ride & I'm so happy that J likes it. That gives us more opportunities to ride it!

Due to the socially distant line we walked through areas that I never knew existed!!

Well, if the ride was going to break down I guess this was as good of a point as any. We decided to hang out for a bit in the hopes it would be running soon.

A CM shut off the video after it played for the 5th time.

About 20 minutes later we were moving!!

Struck-by Ride Hazard??? That sounds scary.

Here we go!!

And our picture actually showed up for once!!

 

[riverside]

THURSDAY, APRIL 15TH

E went to the restroom so J & I took a spin with the triceratops!

Saw this crew!!

Tried to get him on Everest but he vetoed that!!

We went to Yak & Yeti for lunch. I usually get chicken fried rice & an egg roll. I should have stuck with that. I ended up getting the Sweet and Sour Tempura Shrimp.

It was hot but I wouldn't call it premium quality.

Don't mind if I do!!

As you can see the sun was in J's eyes. I really wasn't impressed with the shrimp. That's alright. I'll just know not to get it again!! The Safari Amber was good as always though!!

 

[riverside]

THURSDAY, APRIL 15TH

After lunch we headed to the safari.

For once I didn't take six million pics but for the life of me I don't know what I took this one for.

Whew, at least there is an animal in this picture!!

This made me laugh. One of my sister's had 2 goats. A few years ago both of them somehow managed to make it onto the roof of her house!!

We walked through the shop but came out empty handed.

Not at Starbucks though!!

 

[riverside]

THURSDAY, APRIL 15TH

With that we had our share of AK & we started to make our way out.

First we stopped for a few pics.

As we were walking to the bus we were discussing what we were going to do that afternoon before our Olivia's dinner reservation. J kept trying to interrupt us. E told him it's rude to interrupt & he has to wait his turn. He tried to interject a few more times but she basically ignored him. As we continued to walk & walk we realized that we couldn't find our bus stop. Finally J blurts out, "That's what I've been trying to tell you. We're walking the wrong way!!" Now, in all fairness Riverside was always the first stop on the far left(Bus Gates 1-9). The last time we were at AK we had stayed at Saratoga Springs which is #6. So, we've always walked that way so I guess we didn't even think to look at the sign. We felt a little foolish but what can you do? We turned around & headed back to the sign to see where we should be going(which J had obviously had the sense to look at unlike ourselves).

We got to the sign & saw where we needed to go. J looked at the sign, shook his head & walked away as if he was totally embarrassed of us.
And that's when he said it, "I know more about Disney than you two"

For a few seconds neither E or I could speak. We were dumbfounded. Finally she looks at me and says, "Did he really just say that to us?" We lost it then!! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time!!

With J leading the way we finally got to the right stop!!

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

Even though I was up too late the night before I got up early & headed out for a walk around the resort.

I love that you always make time for your morning walks, especially with all the walking we do at WDW anyway!

I've always enjoyed this ride & I'm so happy that J likes it. That gives us more opportunities to ride it

I love Everest, the Safari's and FOP, but there is just something a little extra special about Dinosaur for me!

A CM shut off the video after it played for the 5th time.

I am so proud of you guys for getting that close and not giving up in the line! Also, way to go to J for NOT hiding his eyes. When the dino comes down to eat us, I always hide my eyes! I am pretty sure every pic of us on Dinosaur has me hiding in my hubby's shirt!

For once I didn't take six million pics but for the life of me I don't know what I took this one for

I CAN SEE THE ANIMALS IN THE CAVE back there!! Good shot!

Not at Starbucks though!!

I LOVE THOSE CUPS. I'm not sure how well they'd do in a car, but I used them every day this past year as I worked from home. It made work just a bit more magical.

As we were walking to the bus we were discussing what we were going to do that afternoon before our Olivia's dinner reservation. J kept trying to interrupt us. E told him it's rude to interrupt & he has to wait his turn. He tried to interject a few more times but she basically ignored him. As we continued to walk & walk we realized that we couldn't find our bus stop. Finally J blurts out, "That's what I've been trying to tell you. We're walking the wrong way!!

GOOD JOB, J!! Credit to E though, for reminding him that interrupting is not cool.

We got to the sign & saw where we needed to go. J looked at the sign, shook his head & walked away as if he was totally embarrassed of us.
And that's when he said it, "I know more about Disney than you two"

THIS IS HILARIOUS. I think it's so funny how he was embarrassed or couldn't believe you guys took the wrong way. What an iconic line for him to say, just so casually. You all will laugh about that forever!


In your defense, one time we were coming out of MK at closing and looking at the big billboard for our bus stop and the CM was saying "Don't believe the board, it's a lie...it's all lies...we will tell you where to go.." It was pretty funny. The CM told us and was correct so who knows why the billboard was wrong that day.

 

[riverside]

I love that you always make time for your morning walks, especially with all the walking we do at WDW anyway!

It's a great start to the day!!

I am so proud of you guys for getting that close and not giving up in the line! Also, way to go to J for NOT hiding his eyes. When the dino comes down to eat us, I always hide my eyes! I am pretty sure every pic of us on Dinosaur has me hiding in my hubby's shirt!

I'm so glad he finally went on it b/c now he absolutely loves it!! He's not afraid at all!!

I CAN SEE THE ANIMALS IN THE CAVE back there!! Good shot!

Your eyes must be better than mine!!

THIS IS HILARIOUS. I think it's so funny how he was embarrassed or couldn't believe you guys took the wrong way. What an iconic line for him to say, just so casually. You all will laugh about that forever!

It was really funny!! And that's exactly it, he said it very casually & "matter of a fact"!!

In your defense, one time we were coming out of MK at closing and looking at the big billboard for our bus stop and the CM was saying "Don't believe the board, it's a lie...it's all lies...we will tell you where to go.." It was pretty funny. The CM told us and was correct so who knows why the billboard was wrong that day.

 

[riverside]

THURSDAY, APRIL 15TH

When we got back we headed to the quiet pool that I had come across that morning. There wasn't many people there & we ended up spending a lot of time talking to a group of 4 people.

I went in the water for a little while.

I decided to get a drink & J wanted one also so we went over to The Turtle Shack. We had brought chips & salsa with us from our room.

I went with the Key West Sunset Ale.

The skies were looking a bit ominous & we had to head back to get ready for dinner so we said farewell to our new friends.

This is the main pool. We didn't end up spending any time there though.

We had some time to kill so we checked out the store. We weren't too impressed with their offerings though.

Almost as soon as we checked in we were called to our table!!

E wanted to sit outside which we did. We pondered over the menu for a bit b/c it took our waiter awhile to get to us.

 

[slipperalwaysfits]

I really liked Olivia's when we went last November. They had an AMAZING BLT on the menu that hubby and I both loved but sadly, it's gone now. Which is weird because we had it DURING the pandemic. It's hard for me to believe that sammy isn't very popular.

 

[fractal]

Really need to check out Olivia's!