Trip Report "The Best Disney Trip EVER"

Hello, hello everyone!! A warm welcome to everyone reading--I'm so glad you're here!!

WHEN: Tuesday, November 5th - Tuesday, November 12th

WHERE: I think you know us well enough by now!!

WHO: I'm sure you know most of us(don't worry--I'm not going to confuse you all like I did in June;)). In case you don't though, there's me, my nephew J, & my sister E. Besides us usual 3 Musketeers, E's husband/J's dad/my BIL joined us for the fun!! To keep confusion to a minimum for this TR I will refer to him as JSR.
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You could also call us "The Red Family". When E asked J what color MB he wanted he said that he wanted red & that we should all get that color so we could be "The Red Family". I know you can't see E's but trust me, her's was red also.

Looking forward to reliving "The Best Disney Trip EVER" with you all!!

Tuesday, November 5th

The plan was to leave E & JSR's at 7:00. I went to work for 5:30 to get a few last minute things done--also so that I could say to my boss that I was only off for 7 days, not 8. He teases me that "vacations are 7 days not 8". After doing some work & him teasing me a bit I was off on my merry way!! I got to their house only to find out that JSR was still packing!!:jawdrop: E was not thrilled in the least. He must have been close to being done though b/c we were only delayed a few minutes.

Then came the next delay. It was Election Day and E & JSR wanted to due their civic duty. I sat in the car with J & we talked Disney while we waited.
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And, in typical Pittsburgh fashion, it was raining.
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Rush hour traffic + heavy rain = a slow commute to the airport. I don't know what it is with this town but it seems like no one can drive in the rain around here. Trust me, we get more than our fair share of it so you think people would be used to it.
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As we were waiting to check our luggage in the woman behind us noticed our luggage tags & said that she was going to Disney also and was staying at Caribbean Beach. She asked if this was our first time going which prompted JSR to throw in a few digs about us & the frequency of our trips. I think he's just jealous ;)
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The Southwest agent was slower than molasses but after 10 minutes or so it was our turn.
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JSR made fun of me all week b/c of this. I had two suitcases. The small one weighed 20 lbs & this one was 36.5. He kept saying, "How did you manage to bring 56 lbs. of clothes?" As it turned out, due to his last minute packing there were quite a few things that he forgot so I told him at least I didn't have that problem. He also told me not to tell E about what he had forgot b/c he didn't want to hear her say "I told you so".
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E went to park the car while the J's & I proceeded to security. But wait, I couldn't go just yet. For whatever reason the Southwest agent left one of the suitcases behind. After unsuccessfully trying to get his attention for about 5 minutes I finally interrupted him & asked him to please put it on the belt. I was getting nervous that it would somehow get forgotten. He looked at me with a surprised look on his face & said he didn't notice it there. Really??
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On the "monorail" we go!!
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riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH

It was now time for our dinner reservation. E had texted me that they were on their way. I figured I would go check in & hope that they were running behind(which they usually are).
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I was smiling to myself b/c I thought J & I had a lot of fun together that day. Our day made me think of this text that E sent me about a month before our trip. I guess J gets bored with just the adults & likes having other kids around(totally understandable).
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I hope I was a fair substitute for the kids that he thought I should "get" :hilarious: :hilarious: :hilarious:

I love the outside lights on 50's!!
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And the retro decorations inside!!
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As usual, they were running behind & the waiting area was a madhouse. We just kind of stood in a corner. There was a family from Buffalo who struck up some conversation with me by asking me a question(for the life of me I can't remember what it was) and that led into other things. They were very nice to talk to & while we were chatting E & JSR finally got there. Our name was called a few minutes later. Perfect!!
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Our server was fun. Not the best we've had but surely not the worst. He told J it was his job to set the table.
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He did a great job!!
 

riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH

I got the "A Sampling of Mom's Favorite Recipes" like I always do. Here was a bizarre one. I asked the waiter(like I've always done & never had a problem) if I could have a breast b/c I don't like dark meat. He told me no b/c they are supposed to use a smaller piece of chicken for the sampler. I politely told him that I do this all the time & it's never been an issue. I also said I would be willing to pay an upcharge to get the breast. He told me he didn't think I could do that either :rolleyes: All's well that ends well though, I got the breast & there was no upcharge!
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J got his usual also-salmon, corn & fruit.
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And so did E-Aunt Liz's Golden Fried Chicken. JSR took my recommendation & got the same thing as me. He enjoyed it & I breathed a sigh of relief. Quick side story--JSR goes to Disney about once every other year. When it's time for reservations he always says, "Why can't we go to new places? We always have to go to 50's!" He says that he gets tired of eating at the same places all the time. E shakes her head & says it's not like you eat there once a month, it's more like once every couple years so deal with it!!
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J did very well with his salmon, as usual!!
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Our server gave E a sticker then started to take it back since she didn't finish hers!!
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I got one--had I not got a chicken breast I wouldn't have though!!
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J was happy with his...
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and wore it proudly!!
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The TIW savings keep rolling in!!
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riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH

I thought this looked so pretty!!
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It was about 7:00 & we decided to head out. It was starting to rain harder & there really wasn't anything else we wanted to do.
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But, we'd be back!!
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I just loved the decorations!!
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While we waited for a bus J shared his jelly beans.
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At 7:12 a Riverside bus pulled in!!
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I stopped at Muddy Rivers to get a Purple Haze since their draft system wasn't working at The River Roost.
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After seeing that it was going to rain all night E & I decided that we would have to skip our walk the next morning
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riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH

After E got J to bed she met me at The River Roost.
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We pondered the menu for a bit.
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E is a big fan of the Pina Colava. She says the only problem with them is that they are so filling.
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I went with the Magical Star Cocktail(that way I could give the glow cube to J).
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What's this? 3 drinks!!(No, we're not that big of lushes!!)
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Look who was joining us!!(The real reason I had 2 suitcases!! One of them was his!!)
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So, a little backstory on how this came to be. E kept telling R he should come down & surprise JSR. JSR kept asking R if he was coming to Disney to surprise him(since our family is so big into surprises). I told R he should come down Friday & leave Monday since it was Veteran's Day weekend. I assumed he was off on Veteran's Day but he wasn't. He is a principal in a private school & they had school. I knew he wouldn't take a day off of work. He firmly believes that unless you're sick or there's something tragic people that work in education should pretty much be there during the school year. I thought for sure he wouldn't come so imagine my surprise when he told me he would fly down Friday & back home Sunday night!! So, E & I planned for R to surprise JSR at The River Roost that night but as it turned out R's flight was delayed so instead of arriving at 7:30 he didn't get there until about 10:30. Once we knew he wouldn't end up seeing JSR that day E didn't push to have the J's come to The River Roost.
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We had talked to Bob the day before & he was going to say something when R got there to announce the surprise to JSR. Bob told R that we had big plans!!
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R had called me when he landed in Orlando & told me that he was pretty hungry & asked me to have some food ordered for when he got there.
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He must have been thirsty too--3 Bahama Mama's!!
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We watched all of Bob's shows(I haven't done that in years) & left The River Roost around 11:30--way past my bedtime!! I was kind of glad we weren't walking the next morning. We headed back in the rain talking about the big "surprise" that was going to take place the next morning!!
 

riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
There's red pop in there too.. he didn't tell you the whole truth, I just know it!...if you pour some in a glass it had a reddish tint to the cola color!
Yes! Since I'm not a big pop drinker I can't have more than a glass, otherwise my stomach starts to get a bit upset. It's a little sweet so sometimes I just get the regular Evan Williams too. I highly recommend.
I'm sold!! Rock and Rye with Evan Williams. I'll let you know what I think!!
 

riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH

R got some mail that morning!! Better him than me:p
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The plan was for us to go to their room & R would knock on the door & say that he was housekeeping. E would purposely stay in the bathroom area so JSR would have to answer the door & she would be able to take video. R just had to go to The Riverside Mill first & get his banana & apples so by the time we were heading to their room E was texting me saying the JSR was getting very impatient & wanted to leave. She said she never blow dried her hair for so long in her life.

Now for the big surprise!!

I think he was quite shocked to see him!! Mission accomplished!!

Here's some pictures that I took.
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J was pretty excited!!
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Now that we pulled that off it was time to head to Epcot!!
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Last edited:

riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH

Our first FP was for SSE.
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JSR was on his own b/c J wanted to ride with R!!
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No Starbucks....that was pure torture.
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We went to The Land so the J's could get something to eat before our next FP.
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Flight time!!
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We checked this out for a bit.
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JSR got the liquid chocolate. I tried a bit of it. It was VERY rich!!
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riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH

Our last FP was for LwtL.
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I was interested in trying this.
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Prior to the trip E & I talked about wanting to try this.
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Wait times were crazy so we figured we would head to WS to try some things for lunch. I was excited for R b/c he's never been there during Food & Wine so this would be something new for him.
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The amount of walls is almost depressing.
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There's the popcorn bucket!!
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And there's the crowds!!
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And it was only 11:40!!
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riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH

We turned right into WS and came upon Canada first.
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We got 2 orders of the filet. They were excellent!!
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Whose bright idea was it to go to Epcot on a Saturday with Food & Wine going on?
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We(I) needed a beer.
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The bar was so mobbed that they were putting people in the "pub"?? area. I know I've ate in that section before & never heard it being called a pub. I think it was just so darn crowded that they had to put people somewhere. And let me tell you the service was SLOW.
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20 minutes later we got our beers. I couldn't fake a smile at that point even if I wanted to.
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I did smile for this one though! We usually take this picture with our sister C & her husband D but since they weren't there we took it anyways & sent it to them!!
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We walked around the shops for a bit. I thought these shirts were cute.
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Alice was chatting with the CM working at the register.
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riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH

E & J spent a lot of time in this room looking at the family crests.
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R & I went outside with J.
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I can't remember what this was all about.
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I guess he didn't want to wear his jacket anymore??
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Being totally honest the next hour or so was a blur. There was only one other time I was at Epcot & it was this bad. Ironically, it was on a Sunday during Food & Wine.
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Les Halles was our destination. R really wanted the ham & cheese sandwich from there.
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It was insane in there too!
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I decided to get something from one of the booths so I went back out into the wild.
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riverside

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9TH

The first stand line I came to was Brazil so that's where I decided to go.
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This was sheer torture!!
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Pretty nifty IMO.
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I went with the seafood stew & the cheese bread. The cheese bread was AMAZING!! It was unbelievably good. I enjoyed the stew also but the bread was definitely the winner of the two. I decided to eat on the nearest empty trash can that I could find instead of taking it back to eat with everyone else. It probably would have been cold by the time I made it back there!!
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I felt lucky that I had been able to at least get a trash can. They had to use J's stroller as a table!!
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Wow....
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And that, my friends, concludes our day at Epcot. I asked who was ready to leave(we were only there for 4 hours). I felt bad b/c R & JSR don't go there as much as E, J & I do so I feel like they got shortchanged. They both said they were fine with it.
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I wanted out of there so bad that I would have done almost anything. So, what do I suggest? I hope you're sitting down for this one!!
A ride on the Skyliner!!:jawdrop: Yes, "Miss I'm Deathly Afraid of Heights" thought I would have less anxiety on that than dealing with the sea of humanity that was in Epcot that day. It was that bad there....
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I can't even imagine what a park is like when it reaches capacity.
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BTW--since R was only going to be there Saturday & Sunday I told him to pick what 2 parks he wanted to go to. That's how we ended up at Epcot....on a Saturday....during Food & Wine:banghead: Never again...
 

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