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

Premium Member
Original Poster
That is sad, at least you go often enough to get use from them if they ever do show up! I forgot to mention that the Polite Pig is a must do for me and I can't get enough of those Brussels sprouts!
They were great!! I'm really looking forward to trying BBQ type foods next time!!
J is growing so much! Don’t you wish we could freeze them? All this time I feel so tiny, next to my son, I am 5’3 and the all important 3/4 inch (5’3 3/4” I proudly say lol and he is 6’5-) I am the tallest with my mom and sister, his dad is 6’0. I take pride in telling people he got his height from me. 😬 I get lots of giggles from that.
He really is!! In the last few months he's been waking up during the night saying his legs really hurt. E said the one night he only slept for an hour!! She thinks it's "growing pains". Too funny about your son! You sound like me--I'm 5' 2 1/2!!
I had a similar problem last time I did a tour. I stopped at another kiosk and it turned out they sent it to an email that I don’t even use anymore 😒They were able to resend it so don’t be afraid to follow up with DVC.
Thanks!! I'll let E know. She would probably have to be the one to inquire b/c she was the one who set it up. I was just tagging along but was supposed to get one also. Hey--$50 is $50!!
Happy to be following along! :)
Thanks!! Happy to have you here!!
 

DisneyGigi

Well-Known Member
They were great!! I'm really looking forward to trying BBQ type foods next time!!

He really is!! In the last few months he's been waking up during the night saying his legs really hurt. E said the one night he only slept for an hour!! She thinks it's "growing pains". Too funny about your son! You sound like me--I'm 5' 2 1/2!!

Thanks!! I'll let E know. She would probably have to be the one to inquire b/c she was the one who set it up. I was just tagging along but was supposed to get one also. Hey--$50 is $50!!

Thanks!! Happy to have you here!!
He may really be having them. My son complained with them and his pediatrician said it was growing pains. (I didn’t know they were real until then)He was always so tall we literally had to take his birth certificate when he did Tae Kwon Do tournaments. He was usually a good two heads or more taller than anyone he had to spar.
 

riverside

Premium Member
Original Poster
Oh no!!!
I have been under the weather and my brain has been mush!
Yes, I meant J.
Sorry...
I thought that you probably meant J. No need to apologize....it's all good!!
I hope you're feeling better & BTW--where's that plane taking you next week??;)
reading this and weeping across the pond... final exams are coming up and the disney withdrawal IS REAL :cry: :cry:
Disney withdrawal totally stinks...that's for sure. I wish you all the best with your exams. I'm sure you'll do well!!:)
He may really be having them. My son complained with them and his pediatrician said it was growing pains. (I didn’t know they were real until then)He was always so tall we literally had to take his birth certificate when he did Tae Kwon Do tournaments. He was usually a good two heads or more taller than anyone he had to spar.
I read up on them & it was interesting. I read that they're very common in the evening but esp. at night & by morning they are gone. Wow--being that tall I'm sure people questioned his age!! Something tells me J may could very well encounter the same issue!
Yes definitely follow up with them! They keep a record of everything ! They should know you did it
Thank you!! I will definitely tell E she better get on that!!
Ahhhh I don’t know how I missed this, but I am all caught up now! Matt will be happy to know his soaps are back lol.
Glad you're here, Kelly!! I imagine that he will be!!:joyfull:
 

riverside

Premium Member
Original Poster
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH

We really shouldn't have ordered an appetizer b/c lunch hadn't been all that long ago but.....4 words.....
Church Lady Deviled Eggs!!:hungry: This was JSR's first trip to Homecomin' & we said they were a must!!
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Before I get into the food details I have to start with what happened at the beginning. Our waitress(very nice young lady) was our waitress until right after she took our food order. Then she came over & said we would be getting a new waiter b/c her shift was done & I quote "Disney does not like to pay overtime". I don't know if she was trying to be funny or what but I don't think it's wise to knock the company you work for to the guests.
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The eggs did not disappoint!! Not wanting to totally stuff myself I only had one😞
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J managed to get two in plus the bacon off of mine!!
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Our food took FOREVER to come out. Our waiter was blaming it on JSR's dish saying that took longer to cook than ours & that's what the holdup was. We thought otherwise though. We felt that it more than likely had to do with the "shift change" that had taken place. At one point our waiter tried to make light of the situation & E threw in a dig about JSR & his pork chop slowing things down(even though we still didn't believe that was the culprit). I can't remember what it was that she said but it was hysterical & all of us, including the waiter, were cracking up. That was not ideal for me....

Ok, I have to derail this TR before I move onto the food. For quite a few years now my dad has had horses. He's been down to one for the last 2 years. At the age of 71 I think one horse is more than enough for him. Well, my mom passes & about 4 months later he decides to get not 1 but 2 more:rolleyes: Really Dad?? But, I guess if it makes him happy....

Here's the Three Stooges(as I like to call them)
Cocoa is on the far left--she's a pony(a large pony at that).
Bailey is in the middle--I take a real liking to her. I think she is very pretty.
Danny is on the far right--he's the one who's been around for years.
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And, I'm telling you all this why??

About a week before we left for Disney I was helping my dad get them in their stalls for the night. I've done this many times & am fine with it. I normally take Danny & my dad will take the 2 girls. Normally I take Danny in first then the girls go in. But, given the setup it makes more sense for the girls to go in first with Danny last. This particular day he told me to hold Danny back & he'd get the other 2 in. Danny did not like that in the least. He probably though they would get in there & take his food. He got upset(I'm sure b/c the normal routine wasn't being followed). He freaked & started running. Instead of using my head & letting go of his lead I guess I somehow had it in my mind that I had it in me to control this 1400 lb. animal:facepalm: I think he was actually dragging me along at one point & I let go. In short order I had a meeting with the ground. You know the term, "I was seeing stars"? I really believe I was. My vision was distorted for a bit & I was seeing spots(I think they were the "stars") which scared me but once it came back I rested a bit easier. But the pain--oh my word. My face & chest hit pretty hard. I was so afraid of waking up the next morning with a black & blue face. My face(besides the pain) was fine but my chest was bruised & hurt something awful. I really believe I had bruised/or broken ribs but didn't go to the doctor b/c to me it would be pointless b/c they really wouldn't be able to do anything for me anyways.

So, laughter was not my friend on this trip. Actually, breathing, coughing & sneezing weren't either. I would beg E & JSR to stop saying funny things b/c it hurt way too much to laugh. If I would laugh too hard it would take my breath away. There were a few times during the week that CM's would ask me if I was ok when I would laugh. Even though I was laughing I probably had a look of terror on my face for as much pain as I was in. This dinner was one of those times.

I really wanted to get the fried chicken but even though I'm on vacation I still try to balance out my meals with some healthier ones. It killed me not to have the mashed potatoes though. I had the Grilled Mahi & Shrimp. It was excellent!! The kale & collard greens were soooo good!! Greens prepared right are the best!! The sweet potatoes weren't bad but they weren't my favorite. Probably b/c I kept thinking about the mashed potatoes!!
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E & J had indulged in what I really wanted!!
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There's "the pork chop that took forever to cook"🙄 JSR said it was very good though!!
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One might think I took this picture b/c of the roosters. Nope--see the waitress there. She was the waitress we started out with & I took this picture at the end of our meal!! She was waiting on tables the whole time we were there!! I guess Disney suddenly granted her overtime??
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Let the TiW savings begin!! I was quite proud b/c we remembered to take pictures of all our receipts except one that week!!
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Nunu

Wanderluster
Premium Member
I hope you're feeling better, such a scary moment with you dad's horses (they're beautiful, btw).

I agree with you, the comment your waitress made, felt out of place.

Glad to see you made good use of your TIW card. Frank keeps all our WDW receipts too, and likes to make a final tally. There's some satisfaction for him, when he matches the final room statement down to the penny! 😄
 

Swissmiss

Premium Member
Ouch - Hope you have recovered from your fall! This is my DD sixth year riding and she fell off the horse for the first time a few weeks ago (luckily nothing serious). She came home and told me it was karma - she had been hanging out at the stables with a bunch of the other girls and one of the riding instructors asked them to help her with the ponies because they’d gotten “undisciplined ” during the week because they’d only been ridden by inexperienced riders. But at the time she got on the pony she was supposed to already be on her way home and she knew she was breaking her curfew ... If she had called to ask, i would have allowed her to stay. Instead, not only did karma intervene but she lost phone and electronic privileges for a week for breaking the curfew...
 

riverside

Premium Member
Original Poster
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH

We planned on hitting up a few stores after dinner. I know I have mentioned in previous TR's about not being a DS fan but I do think it is very pretty.
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The crowds weren't bad either which is always a plus!!
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E, JSR & J were going in World of Disney. Not me--I just took a few window pics. I didn't have a need or desire to go in there. While they were in there I went to Basin in search of hand soap which they don't have. I usually bring a hand soap for the hotel room b/c I don't like using bar soap but I forgot to. Oh well, bar soap it will have to be!!
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Time for ice cream!!
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Surprisingly, it wasn't crowded in the least!!
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Decisions, decisions.....
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J was the only one to get anything. Since I'm not a big ice cream fan I decided to save my calories for something else.
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I headed to the Christmas store in the hopes that they had the Chip N Dale Nutcrackers. My niece, B, wanted to get them for her mom when we were here earlier this year but they didn't have them. I told her if I saw them I would be sure to get them.
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Yay--they had them!! How to get them home though?? The packaging was awkward & they were kind of heavy. It would cost $12 to ship them so I went with that. Knowing my luck if I didn't I would have ended up with overweight luggage(as I've done in the past) & that would cost me a lot more than $12 so I figured this was the best option. The CM told me it would take 7-10 days to receive them. They actually made it to Pittsburgh before I did!!
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Sillysidewalker

Well-Known Member
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH

We really shouldn't have ordered an appetizer b/c lunch hadn't been all that long ago but.....4 words.....
Church Lady Deviled Eggs!!:hungry: This was JSR's first trip to Homecomin' & we said they were a must!!
View attachment 427583

Before I get into the food details I have to start with what happened at the beginning. Our waitress(very nice young lady) was our waitress until right after she took our food order. Then she came over & said we would be getting a new waiter b/c her shift was done & I quote "Disney does not like to pay overtime". I don't know if she was trying to be funny or what but I don't think it's wise to knock the company you work for to the guests.
View attachment 427584

The eggs did not disappoint!! Not wanting to totally stuff myself I only had one😞
View attachment 427585

J managed to get two in plus the bacon off of mine!!
View attachment 427586

Our food took FOREVER to come out. Our waiter was blaming it on JSR's dish saying that took longer to cook than ours & that's what the holdup was. We thought otherwise though. We felt that it more than likely had to do with the "shift change" that had taken place. At one point our waiter tried to make light of the situation & E threw in a dig about JSR & his pork chop slowing things down(even though we still didn't believe that was the culprit). I can't remember what it was that she said but it was hysterical & all of us, including the waiter, were cracking up. That was not ideal for me....

Ok, I have to derail this TR before I move onto the food. For quite a few years now my dad has had horses. He's been down to one for the last 2 years. At the age of 71 I think one horse is more than enough for him. Well, my mom passes & about 4 months later he decides to get not 1 but 2 more:rolleyes: Really Dad?? But, I guess if it makes him happy....

Here's the Three Stooges(as I like to call them)
Cocoa is on the far left--she's a pony(a large pony at that).
Bailey is in the middle--I take a real liking to her. I think she is very pretty.
Danny is on the far right--he's the one who's been around for years.
View attachment 427630
And, I'm telling you all this why??

About a week before we left for Disney I was helping my dad get them in their stalls for the night. I've done this many times & am fine with it. I normally take Danny & my dad will take the 2 girls. Normally I take Danny in first then the girls go in. But, given the setup it makes more sense for the girls to go in first with Danny last. This particular day he told me to hold Danny back & he'd get the other 2 in. Danny did not like that in the least. He probably though they would get in there & take his food. He got upset(I'm sure b/c the normal routine wasn't being followed). He freaked & started running. Instead of using my head & letting go of his lead I guess I somehow had it in my mind that I had it in me to control this 1400 lb. animal:facepalm: I think he was actually dragging me along at one point & I let go. In short order I had a meeting with the ground. You know the term, "I was seeing stars"? I really believe I was. My vision was distorted for a bit & I was seeing spots(I think they were the "stars") which scared me but once it came back I rested a bit easier. But the pain--oh my word. My face & chest hit pretty hard. I was so afraid of waking up the next morning with a black & blue face. My face(besides the pain) was fine but my chest was bruised & hurt something awful. I really believe I had bruised/or broken ribs but didn't go to the doctor b/c to me it would be pointless b/c they really wouldn't be able to do anything for me anyways.

So, laughter was not my friend on this trip. Actually, breathing, coughing & sneezing weren't either. I would beg E & JSR to stop saying funny things b/c it hurt way too much to laugh. If I would laugh too hard it would take my breath away. There were a few times during the week that CM's would ask me if I was ok when I would laugh. Even though I was laughing I probably had a look of terror on my face for as much pain as I was in. This dinner was one of those times.

I really wanted to get the fried chicken but even though I'm on vacation I still try to balance out my meals with some healthier ones. It killed me not to have the mashed potatoes though. I had the Grilled Mahi & Shrimp. It was excellent!! The kale & collard greens were soooo good!! Greens prepared right are the best!! The sweet potatoes weren't bad but they weren't my favorite. Probably b/c I kept thinking about the mashed potatoes!!
View attachment 427587

E & J had indulged in what I really wanted!!
View attachment 427588

There's "the pork chop that took forever to cook"🙄 JSR said it was very good though!!
View attachment 427589

One might think I took this picture b/c of the roosters. Nope--see the waitress there. She was the waitress we started out with & I took this picture at the end of our meal!! She was waiting on tables the whole time we were there!! I guess Disney suddenly granted her overtime??
View attachment 427590

Let the TiW savings begin!! I was quite proud b/c we remembered to take pictures of all our receipts except one that week!!
View attachment 427591
Always let go of the rope with horses! I grew up riding and one day I made the mistake of wrapping a lead around my hand. The horse got spooked and a good 2 in by 4 in section of skin on my hand was peeled right off. So glad you were ok. I wonder if the other waiter was late from his shift or break?
 

riverside

Premium Member
Original Poster
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH

Next stop was The Art of Disney. I was hoping to be able to pick something up for my friend @Zipitidoda but unfortunately they didn't have what she was looking for:(
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I pretty much went through the whole store myself to see if I could find it. When I didn't see it I asked a CM. She knew right away what I was looking for & explained to me that they didn't have it & why. Darn.....
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As much as I love HM these did not impress me.
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Nor did this....
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I went into Goofy's Candy Co.
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I love watching CM's make the candies but I always feel like a creeper. I wonder if they get annoyed with people staring at them all day?
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I thought this mug was super cute. I was tempted to buy it but if I'm making my own coffee I'm always drinking it on the go so regular mugs are kind of pointless for me to buy.
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Around 6:30 we had our fill of DS so we made our way to the boats. Unfortunately, thunder & lightening joined us. Since we were pretty close we figured we would check the status even though we pretty much knew what it was going to be.
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Yep--to the buses we go!!
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riverside

Premium Member
Original Poster
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5TH

On our trek to the bus stop the heavens let loose.
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The bus stop feels so far & the thunder & lightening made it seem even worse. I love rain but thunder & lightening scare me like nothing else. If a storm is bad enough I'll actually sit in the basement with my dog. She's afraid of them too.
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Thank goodness we got there when we did b/c it really started pouring.
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We waited about 20 minutes for a bus.
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We got off at the South Depot & stood under cover for a few minutes. It was obvious that it was not going to let up anytime soon so we decided to make a run for Fulton's.
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There were big unavoidable puddles everywhere. Every duck's dream....
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After looking around Fulton's we headed to our rooms. It was a long but fun first day!!
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I thought the red & green lights were so nice & festive!! Unfortunately, that was the only night that they were that color.
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We got back to our rooms around 8 which was perfect for me b/c that's when I usually start preparing for bed.
 

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