Trip Report You've Got a Friend in Me

Hello friends!! Welcome & I'm happy to have you here for another TR!! This trip was filled with so much fun & friendship in so many different ways that when I think back on it I can't help but smile!! So many happy times & I look forward to sharing them with you all, my friends!!

WHEN: Tuesday, October 27th - Tuesday, November 3rd

WHO: Myself-Patti, JSR, E & J

In case you forgot what we look like here's one minus masks!!

WHERE: Saratoga Springs Treehouse Villa

So, I had made mention in my last TR that we were booked to stay at The Polynesian this trip. About a month or so before the trip we got the email that the regular rooms(which we were booked in) were not going to be open then. They offered to move us to The Grand Floridian. None of us were really feeling it so we explored our options. E & I really enjoyed our stay at Saratoga Springs in August(I think a lot has to do with it having that Riverside "feel" to it) so we decided to go with a treehouse villa. A big plus ended up being that it cost us all waaaay less than what the Poly/GF was going to. I was disappointed but felt better after some friends, @Darstarr & @Tuvalu, told me I was probably better off waiting to experience the resort until the remodel was done anyways!!

I drove to their house & got there at 9:15. My sister wanted to leave for the airport no later than 9:30. Notice that there are 3 suitcases but 4 people?? Someone wasn't done packing & E was not happy!! The stroller went with us but it went unused most of the time so E decided that this was going to be the last trip for it.

The reason for the packing delay? J snuck outside & excitedly told me a secret. His dad was packing our friend, PCB!!

Notice the scab on his face--the poor kid took a fall at school a few days before.

Remember E sending me this after our last trip? Well, we didn't have to get it!!

We got to the airport & unloaded the luggage. E went to park the car & we went to wait for her inside. It was then that J realized his mask was with his mom. I told him I had a bunch in my bag & for him to temporarily use one of them. It was a little big on him....

We checked in quickly & headed to the main terminal. J was happy to have his shark mask back!! One of our other sisters made that for him & he really likes it!!

The airport was a ghost town as it was in August.

J's favorite store was still closed

 

[DryerLintFan]

That view is INCREDIBLE

 

[Darstarr]

Wow, my very first GIF! I can join the club now

This club???

 

[donaldtoo]

23rd (yes, I actually counted )...!!!!!!!
Lookin’ forward to followin’ along, as time permits...!!!

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

The treehouse looks great!

 

[donaldtoo]

Hello friends!! Welcome & I'm happy to have you here for another TR!! This trip was filled with so much fun & friendship in so many different ways that when I think back on it I can't help but smile!! So many happy times & I look forward to sharing them with you all, my friends!!

WHEN: Tuesday, October 27th - Tuesday, November 3rd

WHO: Myself-Patti, JSR, E & J
View attachment 512839

In case you forgot what we look like here's one minus masks!!
View attachment 512832

WHERE: Saratoga Springs Treehouse Villa
View attachment 512831

So, I had made mention in my last TR that we were booked to stay at The Polynesian this trip. About a month or so before the trip we got the email that the regular rooms(which we were booked in) were not going to be open then. They offered to move us to The Grand Floridian. None of us were really feeling it so we explored our options. E & I really enjoyed our stay at Saratoga Springs in August(I think a lot has to do with it having that Riverside "feel" to it) so we decided to go with a treehouse villa. A big plus ended up being that it cost us all waaaay less than what the Poly/GF was going to. I was disappointed but felt better after some friends, @Darstarr & @Tuvalu, told me I was probably better off waiting to experience the resort until the remodel was done anyways!!

I drove to their house & got there at 9:15. My sister wanted to leave for the airport no later than 9:30. Notice that there are 3 suitcases but 4 people?? Someone wasn't done packing & E was not happy!! The stroller went with us but it went unused most of the time so E decided that this was going to be the last trip for it.
View attachment 512833

The reason for the packing delay? J snuck outside & excitedly told me a secret. His dad was packing our friend, PCB!!
View attachment 512834
Notice the scab on his face--the poor kid took a fall at school a few days before.

Remember E sending me this after our last trip? Well, we didn't have to get it!!
View attachment 512840

We got to the airport & unloaded the luggage. E went to park the car & we went to wait for her inside. It was then that J realized his mask was with his mom. I told him I had a bunch in my bag & for him to temporarily use one of them. It was a little big on him....
View attachment 512835

We checked in quickly & headed to the main terminal. J was happy to have his shark mask back!! One of our other sisters made that for him & he really likes it!!
View attachment 512836

The airport was a ghost town as it was in August.
View attachment 512837

J's favorite store was still closed
View attachment 512838

Wow, the treehouses...!!!
I remember passin’ by those on the Sassagoula boat ride to DTD when we stayed at POR in ‘01 and ‘03, and then again when we visited the resort on our ‘12 trip and took the boat to DTD just for fun...!!!
IIRC, they were bein’ used to house ICP CM’s during our 2 stays at POR. Glad they’ve been available to Guests again for a quite a while now...!!!
And yes, being in architecture, I pulled up the floor plan...!!!!!

 

[donaldtoo]

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27TH

I got to admit I was pretty annoyed the whole flight. There was a family sitting behind us. Dad had a Southwest pilot's uniform on. Now, maybe he was just dressed up for Halloween but I don't think so(I always try to give people the benefit of the doubt ). Anyhow, not only did the kid sitting behind me kick my seat the. whole. entire. flight. without anyone correcting her but worse than that, her sister was allowed to play with/watch videos on her tablet the. whole. entire. flight. without having to use ear buds. Mom & dad didn't correct her nor did any of the flight attendants. I think what was going on there is called "privilege" & therefore dad's uniform was not a costume.

But, things could always be worse. I could have been "that guy". He was actually sitting in the aisle seat. The guy sitting across from him(I don't believe they knew each other--that IMO probably made it even worse & more uncomfortable for the other guy) opened up his pop bottle & it exploded all over the place At that point the flight attendants were nowhere to be found b/c they were busy getting everyone their water. Pop sprayer tried to find what he could in his bag to help his new found friend get cleaned up. He finally moved to the middle seat to sit on dry land. I really did feel bad for him. The bottom half of his legs got it the worst but I thought asking him to pose for a pic for my TR would be like adding insult to injury so I refrained.
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BTW--do any of you remember my pop incident with Lou Holtz a few years ago in the Orlando airport? This made me think of that!!

On the "monorail"!!
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E went to get Starbucks while we went to collect the luggage. I was good on Starbucks--I had been there twice that morning before I even got to her house!!
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J wanted me to take his picture in front of this....
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....and this. In looking at my pictures I noticed that he's posing a lot with his hands on his hips. Is that what kids do these days?
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We walked right up to the ME desk with no one else around!!
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It's always a relief to not see lines there!!
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We walked right up to the front & only waited a few minutes before boarding the bus.
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Oh my. If I was on that flight, I may have had a bit of a drinking problem...!!!!!

 

[DryerLintFan]

Wow, the treehouses...!!!
I remember passin’ by those on the Sassagoula boat ride to DTD when we stayed at POR in ‘01 and ‘03, and then again when we visited the resort on our ‘12 trip and took the boat to DTD just for fun...!!!
IIRC, they were bein’ used to house ICP CM’s during our 2 stays at POR. Glad they’ve been available to Guests again for a quite a while now...!!!
And yes, being in architecture, I pulled up the floor plan...!!!!!

View attachment 513528

Why would the Insane Clown Posse need their own CMs?

 

[donaldtoo]

Why would the Insane Clown Posse need their own CMs?

I have absolutely NO clue what that is, but, isn’t “Insane Clown” kinda’ redundant...!!!!!

 

[Back!Elbow!Shoulders!]

Why would the Insane Clown Posse need their own CMs?

To buy them Faygo?

 

[donaldtoo]

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27TH

Onto the ME we go!! We were told to sit in the last two rows so you know J was excited about that!!
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J led the way!!
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I know we're only at 50% compliance here but no one else was on the bus at this point.
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The video is just plain sad at this stage of the game.
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Speaking of sad(& I know I bring this up all the time) you know what our gas prices are right now....$2.29
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And we've arrived but not without some drama.....
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I got a phone call when we were about 10 minutes away from property. I didn't know the number & it said "United States". Normally that means it's a telemarketer which I don't answer. E suggested maybe I should b/c our instacart order was due to be dropped off when we arrived & maybe it was them. Very wise thinking on her part. It was Maria, calling from instacart/Publix/whatever. She was trying to ask me where we were(they couldn't just leave the order b/c I ordered alcohol & had to show ID). I repeatedly told her we would be there in 10 minutes but she kept repeating that she didn't speak English so she didn't understand what I was trying to say. That made me quite nervous b/c I wondered how she managed to pick our order!! She can't speak English but managed to pick a $200.00 grocery order for us Finally, she put someone from bell services on the phone & I told him we would be there in a few minutes. The situation was really aggravating I must say. Also, just a tip for anyone who uses instacart & orders alcohol--their site said that the only acceptable form of ID is a state issued drivers license/id card. When I fly I normally only have my passport card with me as ID. That is not accepted by them so I had to make sure to bring my drivers license. Also, we normally order from Garden Grocer which we've never had an issue with. The only thing with them is that they are a bit pricey. Knowing my friend @ajrwdwgirl has ordered from instacart I reached out to her & got her advice & decided to give them a shot. The prices are much cheaper & I will definitely use them again in the future. Thanks Amy!!
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We're home!!
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Maria needs to learn something very important--that's not a wise place to leave your cell phone!!
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Saratoga Springs looked as quiet as it did the last time we were there!!
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What’s up with the ME video these days, other than
obvious reasons why it would have been modified...?!

Sorry there was a bit of a language disconnect with the Instacart person, but, glad it got sorted in the end...!!!

And, WOOF on those gas prices where you’re from, although FL isn’t much better...the Sam’s Club 5 mins. down the road from us is at $1.45.9, and the lowest I found in our area is about 8 miles away at $1.41.9.
Not sorry...!!!

 

[k8einwdw]

Three pages in, but I'm here!!

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

This club???

I bow down to you, Oh Queen of the Gif's, !!!

 

[lindawdw]

I can't get over how big this place is Patti!!! Your bedroom and bathroom were so nice and the view was so serene looking. I feel sorry for J that he wasn't able to enjoy the top bunk but those stairs definitely did not look very safe.

 

[KellBelle]

How did I miss this? Looking forward to the rest!

 

[riverside]

I'm late, but I'm here now!!

Yay!! Not late at all--I'm having issues finding time for this!!

The treehouse villa accommodations are awesome!! There's so much space, and it's really nicely appointed. Love the outside deck, too. (I'd like to move in there.)

It was really nice. Again, I'm not an outdoorsy person but I'm so glad we gave these a try!!

That view is INCREDIBLE

Yes it is!! It's really pretty there!!

23rd (yes, I actually counted )...!!!!!!!
Lookin’ forward to followin’ along, as time permits...!!!

Thanks!

The treehouse looks great!

They were!! I would definitely stay there again!!

What’s up with the ME video these days, other than
obvious reasons why it would have been modified...?!

It's extremely modified & there's just not much to it.

Three pages in, but I'm here!!

Glad you're here--now if I could just get myself involved things would be great!!

I can't get over how big this place is Patti!!! Your bedroom and bathroom were so nice and the view was so serene looking. I feel sorry for J that he wasn't able to enjoy the top bunk but those stairs definitely did not look very safe

I'm so happy we stayed there. It was a neat experience!!
He was super excited about them leading up to the trip. That's actually the reason we stayed there. E was showing him pictures of different places & he picked there b/c of the bunk beds. Remember, he had just got his staples removed the day before so I'm sure that was fresh in his mind that he didn't want another injury!!

How did I miss this? Looking forward to the rest!

I'm not doing a good job of keeping up with this so no worries!! Glad you're here!!

 

[riverside]

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27TH

I took a walk around to try to get oriented with the area.

Not far from our treehouse was the boat dock. Unfortunately though, the boats aren't running. How about this though--they had background music still playing. It reminded me of POR music so many times throughout the trip I would walk to this just to stand there for a few minutes & listen to the music.

The signs there really confused me. They make it sound like the treehouses aren't part of Saratoga Springs.

One of the bus stops.

I had got a notification about our reservation. I never did find out what it was b/c this is all it would give me....

We were heading to DS for dinner. We decided to walk there. J was excited to see the pool area again. We were hoping to be able to make some time during the trip to go there again.

When passing by the main building a gentleman from bell services asked us if we wanted a ride. We hopped in & he said he'd be with us in a few minutes.

We had quite the conversation with Mark from Madison, WI on the way over. Then, once we got out the conversation continued for another 15 minutes!! He was so nice & quite interesting to talk to. As I found out later in the trip he also knows @Darstarr!!

 

[riverside]

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27TH

I loved this sign!!

The crowds didn't seem too heavy there.

E asked if we could go to the Lego store first to get it out of the way.

It wasn't very crowded in there either.

J was happy with his pick!! Notice E's hand--J had a few Disney gift cards that she was going to use for the Lego set. If this was a @Darstarr TR she would be telling you that "paying at Disney is hard". It was nothing short of a nightmare. E ended up having to go to 3 different registers b/c apparently there was only one register that was accepting them at the time & no one knew which one it was. It felt like musical registers. I swear it took 10 minutes & 10 people to ring up one Lego set!!

One of the many attempts.....

We were finally free at last & we headed to dinner!!

I had been wanting to eat here for years so I was really excited to finally try it!!

We had a few minutes so we browsed the gift shop. R enjoys Crown so I took this picture to show him

 

[riverside]

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27TH

I was amazed at the size of the restaurant. From the outside it doesn't seem as big as it really is. I felt like we kept walking through a maze to finally get to our table. I was also quite surprised at how crowded the restaurant was.

Then the most bizarre thing happened. A gentleman came over with a carafe of water & only 2 glasses. He didn't say anything at all to us & started pouring the water. He put one glass in front of me & the other one kind of in the middle of J & JSR. We were all quite puzzled. We thought maybe he couldn't carry everything at once & he'd be back with the other glasses. Then he came back, & with 2 more glasses alright, but these were plastic & had lids & straws. Again, he didn't say anything but put one down in front of J & the other in front of E then walked away. It took us all a few to figure out what had just happened then we realized.....

....he thought E was a kid!!! Our laughter was uncontrollable at that point. She was embarrassed but was laughing herself. She tried making fun of JSR & myself saying that us 2 must look old then!! Maybe you had to be there but trust me, it was hysterical!!

The rolls had a honey glaze on them & were excellent!!

Here's some of the menu.

I had the Grilled Mahi Tacos. They were good but nothing stellar. If I went back to The Boathouse I would definitely get something different.

J got popcorn shrimp. I thought the presentation was really cute!!

JSR had salmon & E had firecracker shrimp. They both enjoyed their meals. E also ordered truffle fries which to me were better than the tacos!!

J really liked his car container so JSR asked the waitress if she could give him a clean one to take back with us since there was grease on the one his food was in. She ended up bringing a bag & a car in each color that they had!! How nice!!

I'm glad that we finally ate there. I would definitely go back again but would order something different next time. Maybe by then E will look old enough that they give her a regular glass!!

 

[lindawdw]

I'm so glad that SS has been a good replacement for POR Riverside until it opens again! One of the best things about Disney World is getting to meet so many friendly cast members and other guests and it sounds like your golf cart driver was one of them! So glad you all enjoyed The Boathouse so much and it was so sweet of your server to bring J all those different color cars. That is hysterical that they thought E was a child!

 

[Darstarr]

Love Mark from Wisconsin!

Lego story...

Truffle fries are the best. I make them when chocolate and beer aren’t working