DAY 3 – Saturday 6/19/21
Who: Sue (62), DVC Member

Plan: Pool, Resort

Actual: Last night I sat out on the balcony until almost 10pm. It’s still amazing how often the skyliner slows to a crawl, lol. It was very peaceful out there, and for whatever reason the humidity didn’t feel too bad. At one point a smoker above
or below me was smoking on their balcony – totally disgusting. I couldn’t see any other balconies, so I couldn’t tell where the person was to report it. Thankfully it was brief, and then it was nice again.

Once again I slept well, and there were no fireworks to wake me up in the middle of my sleep. I woke up around 3:30 but dozed back off and eventually got up at 5. The local news was saying it’s really hot & muggy right now (and all day), so I did my
walking in the hallways again. When I got back to the room just after 6 I made my cappuccino and settled in for some online stuff while listening to the local news.

Just before 8 I managed to get the bed back up into the wall, made my egg and bacon for breakfast, then got dressed for the pool. Someone recommended heating the banana bread in the microwave to get the chocolate pieces on top a little melted, so I cut
another small piece and gave it a try. Ten seconds was more than enough to make it hot, and it was delicious!

On my way to the quiet pool I stopped by the shop in the lobby to see if they had any Luca merchandise. Unfortunately they don’t open until 8:30, so I was too early. I went down to the quiet pool and a couple ladies were walking away because their
card did not work. I tried my band and it didn’t work either. Just then we saw a recreation cast member coming by so she let us in. There were already people at the pool, so I’m not sure if they had to be let in also, but this is definitely
annoying.

I went to my same spot and once again it was totally overcast. At times the breeze kept it feeling nice, but it was definitely humid. I did some reading, talked to SB, talked to my dad, did some puzzles, and just enjoyed relaxing out there. A little
before noon I gather up my stuff and went to check out the shop again. As suspected, they don’t have any Luca merchandise. They don’t really have any movie merchandise, being such a small shop & not really geared to kids like some of them.

I went back to the studio and changed into yesterday’s clothes since I don’t want to put on clean clothes until after I shower. I figured this was as good a time as any to walk around Caribbean Beach – the “feels like” was 94 by now, and was
expected to be triple digits this afternoon.

It wasn’t a terribly long walk, but in the heat it was more than long enough! The sun even came out at some point, which I didn’t need. The quiet pools are really ugly here – surrounded by concrete walls, and no frills inside the area. Lots of
people were at the main pool, with more arriving. I don’t believe they do the limited capacity any more, as the chairs were all lined up right next to each other, several rows deep. I did a little research last night and learned to build Riviera they
knocked down one of the villages, and half of Martinique (from 6 to 3 buildings – most of the villages were 6 buildings). Previously I’d heard it was 2 that got knocked down, but that doesn’t appear to be true.

On my way back to Riviera I used mobile ordering to order the margherita pizza from Primo Piatto, and told it I was there so they’d start making it. I still had about a 10-minute wait, which I spend sitting on a bench by the elevators so I could enjoy
air conditioning. The pizza was all packaged up in a carryout bag so I took it up to my studio rather than eat down there.

I’d heard the pizza was excellent and when I opened it up to take a look it definitely looked good – nice tomato slices, melted real mozzarella, nice looking crust, etc. It was too hot to eat outside so I brought it into the living room and ate half.
It was delicious! I’d definitely get this again! Now the problem was fitting its box into the tiny fridge. I had to fold up one end, but got it to work.

As usual, the afternoon seemed to fly by. Around 2:30 I decided to ride skyliner over to Pop or Art of Animation to see if they had Luca merchandise. The clouds had covered up the sun again, which I was happy about. It was still “feels like” 100
but it would be much worse if the sun was shining down. Without the sun it’s like being in a shady oven, lol. I had a short wait for an empty gondola coming from Epcot, plus I had one party ahead of me. It didn’t take long, and soon I was on my way
to Caribbean Beach to make the transfer.

From there I had no wait to get to Pop/Art. I wasn’t sure which would be better, so I turned right and walked into Art of Animation. The Little Mermaid section is a pretty color purple. It’s no secret I’m not a fan of the value resorts, and Art
of Animation is pretty awful to me. The buildings look like tenements, with pretty color paint and some Disney movie decorations. Nice try, but godawful. Taste is a subjective thing, and I think Pop Century looks a lot better – definitely the top
pick out of those 2.

One thing that really turned me off is the Big Blue Pool, which is huge and supposed to be a big feature. The chairs are those cheap plastic slatted ones – not even mesh, and definitely not cushioned like at Riviera, Jambo House, etc. The pool was
definitely busy, but no signs of limited capacity or people having to wait to get in.

In the main building I went to the shop and they have nothing from Luca. The only movies represented are Raya and that mandalorian green baby. I did stop to look at the Disney masks, which are buy one get one free now. While there I kept cringing –
this very LOUD woman sounded like she was bellowing but the person she was talking to was maybe 2 feet away from her (they were on the other side of the mask stand). She was awful – thank goodness she wasn’t trying to talk to someone on the other
side of the room, lol! I ended up leaving and walking to another area until she moved along – I can’t stand blaringly loud people. Once she left I went back hoping to find 2 masks for SB, which is hard because the XL sells out first. However,
today I found 2 different masks in that size, so I grabbed them. One’s the Marvel characters and one has small Mickeys. Even though he’s vaccinated he’s still cautious, partly because he comes into contact with so many different people at work.

Not only was the second mask free, I got my 20% dvc discount as well. I walked back through the resort and decided to check out Pop Century’s shop as well. Walking past the pool area I noticed nice mesh lounge chairs in the kiddie pool area. The
main pool still had those slatted ones, but maybe they’re in the process of transitioning/upgrading. Their flower pool isn’t nearly as big as the main pool at Art of Animation, but I think at Popl they just have a pool for each section rather than a
big one.

The merchandise situation was the same at Pop – just Raya and green baby. I did check the masks there to see if I wanted to swap either of the ones I had, but didn’t see anything better. Again, there were very few XL – possibly only 1 pattern.
When I came out the sun was shining, so it was a hot walk back to the skyliner. I ducked onto the walkway directly outside the rooms where I could, as that was shaded.

I got right on a gondola but at Caribbean Beach had a brief wait. Soon I was on my way, and got back to the studio around 3:30. I took a much-needed shower and dressed in fresh clothes. It feels weird to be doing that so late in the day – although
it’s my norm when cruising! It’s just been so long since I cruised – sigh.

I updated the report and then around 4:30 walked over to the lobby to see if I wanted to have a glass of wine “out” vs in the studio. I wasn’t interested in Bar Riva, as that’s too outside for me in this weather, and I wasn’t sure what the
place off the lobby had. It was a quick trip – I should have realized they’re going to carry French wines, which are my least favorite, lol. Plus, the sitting room next door had people in there, but eating food & drinking coffee or soft drinks vs
an adult beverage so I went back to my studio to use up more of what I’d brought with me.

I poured a glass of wine and gathered the rest of the photos I’d been posting on facebook into an album to share with people who aren’t on facebook. The sun was shining on my balcony, so going out there isn’t an option for now. While waiting for
the news to come on I watched a few of the Disney or DVC info channels on the tv. They were all new to me, as I hadn’t watched any of those in many years. Just before 6 I got up to fix some cheese & crackers.

By 7 it was cloudy again and the “feels like” had dropped to 98 degrees. The balcony is in my future, even if it’s for a shorter period of time than last night. If I can stand the oppressive heat, it’s nice sitting out there watching the
skyliner.

Today was a very nice lazy day. I didn’t do much, but the time flew by. I’m so thankful for the sense and opportunity to just enjoy the resort without suffering through the parks in this weather. My pizza from Primo Piatto was every bit as good as
the review, and I look forward to enjoying the other half at some point. The pool was enjoyable even with the clouds. I’m actually enjoying my tiny little studio very much – go figure!

Tomorrow is my last full day ☹ It will be another pool morning and there might actually be some sun for a change. I then have a late lunch (3:30) at Splitsville. That menu was the most appealing. I tried moving it earlier the past couple of days,
to possibly try for the Gideon’s virtual queue again, but nothing is available. Depending on how the day goes, if I head over there earlier I’ll see if sitting at the bar is an option to get in earlier than 3:30.

Sue/WDW1972

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