Trip Report Met my #GOALS, but I need do-over trip report!!

Hi Friends!
I'm so excited to finally document my adventures with my first trip report. I've had intentions to make one for several years now so YAY!!
We've just returned from our quick, 4-ish day trip at WDW. I had set a few goals that I wanted to accomplish this time around that you can read about here in my pre-trip report.
https://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/goals-trip-report.971938/
The husband and I traveled with our son (4) and my nephew (13). I will say that we had a blast, I learned a few things and I met most of my goals; but I definitely need a do-over as a little snafu altered some of our plans, but more about that later.

Trip Details
When: 3/3-3/6
Where: Split stay at Riveria/ Pop Century

Wednesday 3/3
The day started off super early with the typical travel day butterflies. We woke up dark and early (5:40am) for our 9:21am flight out of Cleveland. The little guy was like "Mommy, I can't believe we woke up before the sun came out, LOL".
We typically drive to my parents house as they live about 3 minutes away from the airport; this was so clutch when I still lived at home.
Rather than pay to park my dad usually drops us off. Additionally, we needed to pick up my nephew from their house. I wanted to get there early as I didn't trust that he'd be awake and ready, but to my surprise he was

We made the quick trip to Cleveland-Hopkins with 2 hours to spare.
With the exception of my nephews bag getting flagged, security was a breeze..
Sidenote***
A few days prior to the trip, I noticed that I input my husbands birthday wrong when I booked the flights. I called the airline to get it fixed and although the DOB isn't printed on the boarding pass, I was a bit nervous that we'd still run into issues...alas, we were all good.

We made a stop at our favorite airport dining spot.

The grown-ups opted not to eat; I usually never pass up an opportunity to munch on chicken minis but I just wasn't feeling it this morning.

On to the gate!
I don't know if its because it's Frontier, but they are always and the very, very end of the terminal, lol

To my fellow parents with young kids, these Skip Hop suitcases are amazing for little ones. They fit under the seat and can be classified as a personal item so you don't have to pay to bring them on the plane. I was able to fit so much inside (a large packing cube, iPad with a bulky case, his toiletries, snacks, over the ear headphones and a pair of vans.) I highly recommend!

Once we got to the gate, we had about 40 minutes until boarding so I took some random photos

Magic Band on!!

You see this little pink shoe? Well this little mama almost took my head off several times and I had to lean in to the guy next to me. When she boarded the plane, she had the WORST tantrum that I'd ever encountered on a flight, her little foot kicked so fast, lol. Watching everyones head turn back to stare, I felt so bad for the parents; I know they had to be overwhelmed and a bit embarrassed. Expecting a long flight, I immediately put my earbuds in, but thankfully she calmed down after they sat down.

After an uneventful flight, we touched down in Orlando early!

Obligatory Disney airport photos
**(So the matching hoodies was not planned I had no idea that my nephew had that on under his other jacket)

IDK about most people, but I love the new marketing photos with the masks.
After we got of the overly packed train, we met the rep for the stroller rental pick up and then made our way over to the rental cars. We usually rent with Almao and I thanked my lucky stars that we opted to rent with Enterprise. The Alamo line had about 30 people in line, I'd never seen anything like it.

Coming up, more of day one

 

[gobstoper27]

I'm here! Very excited to follow along!

Thank's for reading

 

[gobstoper27]

More Day 1

We finally made it up to our room for a quick tour and to change into the bathing suits. Time to relax? Not on my trips, lol
On the way up, I marveled at all the beautiful art work throughout the halls. This resort focuses on the stories that take place throughout Europe so the paintings featured a lot of scenes from Tangled, Beauty and the Beast, etc.

This one is my absolute favorite. I was super late to the Tangled party; I only gave it a shot during lockdown . What the heck was I thinking to wait so long; such a great movie!! I've read about how much everyone loves the Tangled bathrooms for so long and didn't get it. Guess I'm a convert now.

So far we are loving it!

I'm not one to seek out hidden mickeys as I'm always go-go-go and miss so many of the details on our trips. Here at Riveria, they basically jump out at you and say here I am, like in this wonder light treatment by the elevators.

We booked a standard room; as I don't mind a longer walk to amenities and I'm not "too" picky when it comes to room views. Don't get me wrong I was still hoping for a scenic view!!

So I didn't take many photos of the room but it was great. So much more spacious than what we are used to. We normally travel with just the 3 of us so having a "whole teenager", lol even if he's basically a twig, the extra space was a plus!

Check out this view!! A water view and the Skyliner? I'll take it!!!

I was super excited that we had a straight on view of my favorite hotel, The Hollywood Tower Hotel!! The plan was to check in the next morning so getting an early glimpse was a bonus.
I was so stoked about the Tower of Terror that I failed to notice to my right another glorious sight; the hubby actually pointed it out..

Early verdict is that the room was definitely worth the wait

 

[gobstoper27]

By far my favorite part of the room was the bathroom. It was beautiful!!
No surprise that the tile work in the shower was a dream for me and the double showers was clutch!!

Sorry about the black bars, I had to take screenshots from the video I took and totally didn't think to crop them out

The pulldown bed under the TV was absolutely adorable and so much bigger than I thought from looking at the pictures online. My nephew loved it and it is the perfect size for a smaller adult. At first we contemplated letting the little guy sleep on it, but he has a tendency to fall out of the bed every now and then.
I don't know if Pascal is displayed on the inside in all of rooms, but we stan Pascal and loved that little touch.

The only gripes that I had with the room were:
1. Only 4 pillows plus the 2 spares. Trying to open the lock on spare pillow blanket bag was hard, lol.
At POP we're so used to the 4 pillows on each bed. My husband being the diva that he is was unimpressed as well, he expressed "Well I need at least 3 pillows", lol, simmer down hun.
2. Murphy bed.
You can see in the photo where it's not attached on the side. It was affixed using velcro strips so I'm not sure if this was supposed to be like this but I was concerned that we'd get docked for it. I meant to make note of it with the front desk but I forgot. Things like this make me nervous, especially nowadays I feel like hotels try to charge you for everything.

Also, pulling this bad boy down was tough and it was really loud; definitely in need of a spray or two of WD-40. The photo on the underside of the bed didn't seem like it was attached too well either. As I was pulling the bed down, I was nervous that the frame may fall..I hope that you can see what I mean in the video.
Warning: It's LOUD!
UPDATE: The below video is working anymore, not sure why



I planned to get more done tonight, but I wasted 3 hours of my life that I'll never get back watching the Bachelor

 

[heatherhy01]

All caught up and following along. That view is beautiful!

 

[mpaulam]

That room is awesome and the view....wow!!!

 

[gobstoper27]

All caught up and following along. That view is beautiful!

Thanks so much for reading!!! I wish that we had time to enjoy it more, oh well

 

[LisaBelle]

I am late to the party, but enjoying your TR. Your view is amazing! Riviera looks beautiful.

 

[gobstoper27]

Day 1 Cont...
After all the dramatics about getting pool time, I opted not to go swimming
It wasn't warm enough for me that day so the boys suited up, headed down, and I eventually met them down there.

I walked over to the bigger pool and kiddie splash area and couldn't find them at all. I ended up finding them at the relaxing/quiet pool. I asked why they were over there and DH said " I just picked the first pool I saw"..
I'm not sure if there is pool etiquette, but I suggested that they should probably go to the other pool.
The other pool guests were quietly relaxing; and even though I wasn't swimming, I felt awkward with the "noise" that my son was making. He wasn't really loud, he's just a bit of a chatter box. After the little guy took one more crab walk around side of the pool, they finally got out.

The sky was absolutely beautiful this day

So this elephant at S'il vous plait, the children's swim area cracked me up every time I saw it. It looks like it's doing a massive twerk!!
Party at Club S'il vous plait if you please, lol

So the boys swam while the hubby "supervised", lol. I was so surprised when he expressed that it was freezing! This is coming from the guy who goes outside with shorts on in sub freezing weather. But, I love him for taking one for the team.

I was so proud of my little guy. Prior to this, he hadn't been swimming since July 2020 and even with his floaties, he was such a daddy clinger. He had taken swimming lessons since he was a baby but when Covid hit classes stopped. Even when they opened back up last summer I wasn't comfortable with him going because the younger kids are in really close contact with the teachers.
As a result, he regressed a lot so I was so happy and surprised to see him in the water, swimming by himself without clinging to his dads neck.

So I'm not sure if you guys agree but I find the pool games that the life guards play really entertaining. Maybe because it was a bit boring sitting in a beach chair, not swimming but I enjoyed it. She basically called out a letter and we had to name a Disney character who's name began with said letter. I'm sure they probably play this all the time.
Midway through the next game which was a lot harder, we decided that the boys had 5 more minutes and then we'd head back up to the room to get ready for dinner.

There was a little boy playing next to my gang when suddenly he belched really loud. All of sudden the lifeguard who was seated in front of my chair blew her whistle and screamed "I'm sorry everyone but please exit the pool for an unscheduled cleaning". HE BLEW CHUNKS ALL OVER Poor guy!! My husband said he watched it happen in slow motion, lol.
I'm not sure what made me laugh more ; watching everyone scramble to get out or listening to the 4 lifeguards discuss how to go about skimming it out.

We made our way up stairs to get ready for dinner at Disney Springs. We had 7:15 reservations at Splitsville; so I wanted to head out around 6 or so to check out a couple of stores before dinner. I asked little guy what he most excited to do and he says, "I can't wait to sit in the room and watch T.V!!!!" Ummm boy bye, When he starts school, his teacher is going to be in for it!!

P.S- have any of you ever watched Bluey on Disney Jr.? This little gremlin took over the T.V and we literally woke up and went to bed to Bluey..it's a really cute and funny show though.

Once we got into Disney Springs we parked, and remembered to take a picture of the parking spot.


Kind of Quick funny story..
The rest of my family didn't think it was funny though..
During our last family trip in Nov 2019 with both sets of parents and the 2 boys..
We had reservations at DS to watch the infamous Browns vs Steelers game..the one where Myles Garrett took of his helmet and hit the opposing quarterback..yikes..

Prior to that debacle, is when everything quickly went left. I remember power walking from Futureworld to the parking lot. I severely underestimated how much time it would take to ride Nemo and Soarin and walk to the car from the park..whoops.

This picture cracks me up!! I can't remember the exact scene but we were riding The Seas with Nemo and Friends before dinner.
It also represents bit of foreshadowing of the horror yet to come, LOL.

ANYWHO...

I called the restaurant to them know that we'd be late. We booked it to DS and parked in the orange garage, nobody thought to pay attention to where we parked though.

We ended up being about 10 minutes late and the restaurant was dead..so it wasn't really a big deal
After dinner and a particularly strong drink for me we made our way to the garage but we couldn't find either car. (None of the 6 adults paid attention to what level we parked on..)
Both my husband and my mom were pressing the panic buttons for both cars but so were several other people at the same time. The beeps were coming from above and below the level we were on. I remember cracking up so much looking for these cars, I also had the biggest buzz which made it all the more hilarious. We looked like absolute fools trying to find these cars.

We ended up separating and told my in-laws to stay by the elevator; my dear sweet mother in law had left her phone in the room so with no phones, they needed to stay put.
**Prior to this trip she had recently gotten a cell, so she often forgot to carry it.
Hubby took the little guy, my parents went one way and I was left to laugh my way through the garage while posting about our adventure in my Instagram story. My friends were so invested in this disaster lol.

Apparently my husband found the car, but his phone had died so he couldn't call any of us. I can't make this stuff up

I have no idea how but I ended up finding him and little man was a hot mess.
They had been standing by both cars for 10 minutes so the constant blaring from my parents car and the other cars had freaked him out.
#CLUSTER
I called my folks let them know where we were and my husband went to the elevator to get his parents. All is well, time to GO!!
Just kidding it was NOT
My husband ran back up to the car to let me know that his parents were not where we left them!! He was besides himself. His parents are in their early 70s with no phone so he was a bit concerned plus he wanted to get back to the room and finish the game. It's not often that the Browns have a lead against the Steelers
I started to get a little annoyed...I mean I was still laughing but I was ready to go.

After another 20 minutes which included Easton crying because he thought his grandparents were lost forever (true story, his words), they finally found them wandering around!!!
Turns out that they went off to find security to ask for help finding the car but the guard really couldn't help them. They're the sweetest people ever but are so hard-headed.

After about 30 minutes, we finally made our way back to the hotel and the car ride back was pretty funny.

Moral of the story, take a picture of where you park..

Back to the current trip!!

DS friendly mask reminder # 2
The first being the vending machine full of masks..lol

 

[gobstoper27]

I am late to the party, but enjoying your TR. Your view is amazing! Riviera looks beautiful.

I'm so happy that you're reading along!! I recognize you from a lot of the other trip reports so I'm glad that you're here!!

 

[gobstoper27]

That room is awesome and the view....wow!!!

I know right?!? I need to go back, lol

 

[cgersic]

Oh my gosh, that is a funny (not so funny) story at Disney Springs! I've been there with the buzz and laughing while everyone else is panicking and it makes me laugh all the harder

 

[Darstarr]

Moral of the story, take a picture of where you park..

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

Joining in for the fun!! I have seen Riviera before but have yet to actually visit the resort. AMAZING view you had from your room! I LOVE just watching the Skyliner float by.
Oh mylanta.... so gross about the burp and the pool! I MIGHT have gotten sick had I seen that, Good thing y'all were headed out then!!
SUPER funny story about losing your car... AND your in-laws! Personally, I think things are always more funny when you have a good buzz on, even if they're not funny at all, so I wouldv'e been laughing right there with ya!

 

[Isabelle12345]

Following!

 

[donaldtoo]

Rance Howard, Ron Howard’s dad...!!!

 

[Darstarr]

Rance Howard, Ron Howard’s dad...!!!

View attachment 541886

You are not just another pretty face.

 

[gobstoper27]

LOL,soooooo it definitely was not our brightest moment

 

[gobstoper27]

Joining in for the fun!! I have seen Riviera before but have yet to actually visit the resort. AMAZING view you had from your room! I LOVE just watching the Skyliner float by.
Oh mylanta.... so gross about the burp and the pool! I MIGHT have gotten sick had I seen that, Good thing y'all were headed out then!!
SUPER funny story about losing your car... AND your in-laws! Personally, I think things are always more funny when you have a good buzz on, even if they're not funny at all, so I wouldv'e been laughing right there with ya!

Oh mylanta is right I gag just thinking about it again, lol

Yes!!! I appreciate your sense of humor, some things are so ridiculous that you have to laugh

 

[donaldtoo]

You are not just another pretty face.

 

[gobstoper27]

Day 1 Cont.

Once we got inside, I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't too busy; I've heard some stories about the crowds but it was a Wednesday night so I'm sure thats why.

The little guy was excited about this Soul photo op. We were so surprised with how much he enjoyed Soul during a recent movie night. Personally, I don't think that it's a movie that small kids would be drawn to, but he really liked it.

First we headed over to Disney Style since there wasn't a line to get in, we wanted to get a head start on ear shopping. Easton was given the responsibility of choosing a pair of ears for his older cousin Alexa. I asked if she was sure and she was adamant, she wanted him to pick them out..oh boy, lol.
We didn't come across and ears here but of course he got to pick out a treat; a new haunted mansion mask!!
He was stoked that he and mommy had matching masks. I will say that I'm a bit jealous; his is the new lighter fabric but they didn't have my size so I'm stuck with the hotter thicker style.

At some point we ended over by T-rex and had our first "mini moment" of the trip.
***Mini moment = A melt down is brewing but the cauldron was extinguished
Easton wanted to eat there and wasn't understanding why not. I tried to explain to him that we couldn't because we didn't have reservations.
"But Mommy, it has dinosaurs and what are reservations?"
Lately, I feel like I'm a dictionary for preschoolers. He's been really inquisitive about what different expressions and bigger words mean. I've always been creative but sheesh, my brain gets stretched a lot, lol
After explaining what a reservation is and how it works, he chilled out. But as a consolation prize, he demanded that I take his picture with the dinosaur.

Mini Photoshoot? I'm in

While we hung out around T-Rex for a bit and there was a gentleman taking photos of the inside of the restaurant. My child decided to go over to him to peek at his camera screen as he was shooting. He had no clue that Easton was literally attached to his hip. I jokingly called the man his "other daddy" because from behind, he kind of looked like he could have been his dad ,lol
** BTW, No stranger danger, I was right there

We didn't do too much at DS because we had plans to visit again over the weekend.
On our way back over to the Westside someone had another "moment". We're walking and all of a sudden, Easton breaks down into tears. We were both taken aback because he was fine a few minutes prior. Turns out that his little feet were hurting. I took complete ownership of this one and of course I got the " I told you so" from DH.
He had new shoes on and he hadn't worn them before. We didn't bring the stroller because we knew we wouldn't be walking much, but I guess that didn't matter.
Luckily we were right outside of Splitsville,so his dad didn't have to carry him to far.

Mommy gets a big thumbs down. #MOMFAIL

Splitsville is a pretty big venue; I never paid attention that there was a 2nd level..but I think its pretty apparent now that I don't pay attention. We were seated up stairs next to a really great people watching window.

Because why not!
Froze'- Fruity frozen slushy with rosé, strawberry, lemonade and vodka
It sounded much better than it tasted. I don't even like Rosé but I thought the other ingredients may be redeeming. Nope.
I decided to keep it light tonight even though my eyes were looking much bigger than my stomach.

This California crunch roll was pretty good and a decent value. $ 13 for about 10 pieces.

The kids tenders meal was actually a big portion size. The 2nd meal of the day for him where he barely ate any of it. It's so weird because when we eat out at home, he usually eats pretty well.

After dinner we were going to head to the car but the M&M store was calling out to us.
Originally, we had plans to head there later in the week, but what the heck, why not now?! The line wasn't too bad and little guy said his feet were OK to walk.
Up close, those M&M's are BRIGHT, like a beacon guiding you to chocolate salvation