DAY 2 – Friday 9/3/21
Who: Sue (62), DVC Member
Holli (50’s), friend
Chris (34), son
Amanda (32), daughter-in-law
Ari (5), grandson

Plan: Pool, Splitsville, Food & Wine evening

Actual: Last night the villa was nice & quiet and my bed was very comfortable. I woke up early but probably dozed off and on for a while, eventually getting up just before 5. I made my cappuccino and brought it back to bed. A little before 7 I
noticed the living room lights were on, so I went out to join Holli. She’d just made her pot of coffee and was enjoying some of her coffee cake cookie from Gideon’s. She said the murphy bed was very comfortable.

We watched the morning news while doing our online stuff and chatting here & there. I reached out to cruise buddy Fran to see how she’s doing up in NJ (post Ida). It’s now 88 days until our next cruise! I spent more time stressing over the new WDW
annual pass choices, but thankfully I don’t have to decided until October 2022. My current pass expires in early October 2021 and I’d already renewed it a couple weeks ago. I’m leaning strongly towards the cheapest option, which means no Saturday
or Sundays in the parks. I figure Saturday can be a pool day (or maybe water park) and Sunday I go home – I’ll just need to do more Wed/Thu arrivals where possible.

Around 8 I cooked my egg and slice of bacon, taking it to the dining table for breakfast. After cleaning up we changed into swimsuits and walked over to the Congress Park pool hoping it would be open 24 hours. Sure enough, there was no sign at the gate
and no lock! A few other guests were already there so we grabbed some pool towels and got set up on some chaise lounges in the sun. Eventually Holli went into the pool with her book, which she said was delightful.

I noticed the work email that we were having an emergency covid team meeting at 9:45 so I let her know. My friend Michael from work texted to see if I could talk, and we spent most of the rest of the time leading up to the call on the phone. Our damn
stupid unvaccinated staff continue to cause breakthrough infections in our vaccinated residents. The good thing is because they’re vaccinated they have zero or mild symptoms (like a minor cold), but we still have to yank them out of their home and
move them to an isolation home for 10 days. This creates some major issues for some, as they’re prone to inappropriate behaviors to start with and have no comprehension of why they’re in a strange setting with unfamiliar people. Thank you
unvaccinated assholes – this (along with my dad’s death) is directly related to you.

We did the call at 9:45, and thankfully only 1 out of 13 residents had tested positive. Holli & I enjoyed the pool until around 11:30 and then dried off and walked back to the villas. Rather than staggering showers I took my towel & shower stuff and
used Chris & Amanda’s shower while Holli used the master bathroom shower. That let us both be ready about the same time – and with 3 hairdryers in the unit even that wasn’t a problem.

We headed over to the bus stop around 12:30 and the bus arrived at 12:32. The driver needed to use the restroom, so we waited while we did that, and were the only ones on the bus at first. We then stopped at Congress Park and the Springs before leaving
the resort for Disney Springs. In the past the Disney Springs bus was the reverse route, so we would have been the last stop but evidently that has changed.

At Disney Springs there’s no more temperature check and no metal detectors for people arriving by bus, but we had to go way to the right to enter and then backtrack to where we were headed (which seems ridiculous). It wasn’t very busy today either â€
“ much less than I would have expected. At Splitsville they were not busy and we got there just after 1pm for a 1:30 reservation. I told the guy at the desk we had a reservation but wanted to just sit at the (empty) bar. He canceled our reservation
and we went to take our seats.

The bartender was very nice, and we had a great lunch. We started with the house wine (sauvignon blanc for me and merlot for Holli), then shared the cheeseburger sliders. That comes with 3 excellent sliders, so 1 for me and 2 for her. Later she added
one of the cocktails (a bourbon thing she loved) and I had another glass of the wine. Everything was great, and it never got busy. After settling the check (with dvc discount) we walked back to the bus stop just as our bus pulled in.

Arriving back at Saratoga Springs we went first to the Springs (coming in via back entrance), so we got off there and walked across the bridge to our building. It started to rain as we got there, so we walked through the interior of the building to stay
dry. I think with the latest annual pass changes eventually I may find that Saratoga Springs is the logical place to stay (easy to get at 7 months), since my park time would be limited to Fri night or Thursday night & Friday, then the rest of the trip I
could easily access Disney Springs for some drinks/dining. Who would have ever thought??

Back in the villa I caught up the trip report while Holli did stuff on her tablet. Chris & Amanda were on the road later than planned, as daycare picks Ari up from school so rather than getting him when school gets out at 2:45 they had to pick him up at
daycare at 3:30. As Rodney knows, Chris doesn’t have a “real car", so they may need to stop and charge his Tesla before arriving, which delays them further.

Holli & I had some wine and Amanda confirmed that they needed to stop at the charger before arriving. Their ETA at the charger was 6:40, pending no delays on I-4. I gave them a friend’s name who’s staying at Beach Club Villas so they’ll park
there. Since I’ve been drinking wine I decided to take the bus rather than drive, and I can do the long walk through Epcot. By 6 the wind was blowing and the sky across from the balcony was dark & stormy. Food & Wine is no fun in the rain, but
hopefully this will blow over quickly and be gone by the time the Hollands get here.

Holli said she planned to go to the Paddock pool once I left to meet the others, and fixed herself some cheese & crackers before then. I held off, since Food & Wine Festival was going on and I wasn’t even hungry. Shortly after 6 I headed out, hoping
for the best but carrying an umbrella.

At the bus stop there was no arrival time for the Epcot bus, so I figured I’d just missed it. Quite a bit later it popped up with a time almost 20 minutes away! After a while it sped up by 5 minutes. Meanwhile Chris & Amanda were on I-4, and were
running into traffic.

I got on the bus when it arrived, and soon it started raining harder (with thunder). We stopped at Congress Park, and it rained harder. On the way to the Springs Amanda mentioned they were sitting still in traffic on I-4. I decided to get off the damn
bus – this just wasn’t worth it! I texted her to let her know, and we agreed to just cancel the park reservations and give up on Food & Wine tonight. Not knowing what time they’d even arrive was part of the consideration.

I walked through the rain to get back to the villa, getting pretty wet even with the umbrella. Holli never made it to the pool, obviously. I poured a glass of wine and cut up a little cheese to go with a few crackers and joined Holli on the couch. The
Hollands arrived shortly after 7:30, and Ari was excited to see me <g>. That always makes a grandma feel good!

Chris & Amanda brought me a bottle of wine from the Outer Banks, so I put that in the fridge. Ari had a snack and Amanda tried some of her Gideon’s lemon poppyseed cookie. I got to try a bite and it was actually very good. She loved it! I’d also
brought a gold necklace that belonged to my mom and gave it to Amanda so she’d have something from her.

Ari had some play doh so he & Holli set about making each other jewelry and then snowmen and other creatures. He also brought her a Frozen necklace he’d made, similar to the one he made for me. Around 8:30 Amanda took Ari in for his bath, and the
rest of us hung out watching My Lottery Dream Home on HGTV.

Today was a mostly great day. Both Holli & I loved the morning at the pool. Splitsville was great, and Holli really liked that cocktail she ordered. The rain was very disappointing, as was the traffic the Hollands encountered on I-4.

Tomorrow the Hollands head to Magic Kingdom. Holli & I will go back to the Congress Park pool, then later we have lunch at Terralina.

Sue/WDW1972

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On 9/3/2021 7:44 PM, Sue/WDW1972 wrote:

I noticed the work email that we were having an emergency covid team
meeting at 9:45 so I let her know. My friend Michael from work
texted to see if I could talk, and we spent most of the rest of the
time leading up to the call on the phone. Our damn stupid
unvaccinated staff continue to cause breakthrough infections in our vaccinated residents. The good thing is because they’re vaccinated
they have zero or mild symptoms (like a minor cold), but we still
have to yank them out of their home and move them to an isolation
home for 10 days. This creates some major issues for some, as
they’re prone to inappropriate behaviors to start with and have no comprehension of why they’re in a strange setting with unfamiliar
people. Thank you unvaccinated assholes – this (along with my dad’s death) is directly related to you.

I am surprised you even allow employees to not be vaccinated. I don't
know many people who are not vaccinated. I only no of one who won't get
it because she thinks it's a "scam". The few others I know all have
reasonable medical excuses (like one having Guillain-Barré)

We headed over to the bus stop around 12:30 and the bus arrived at
12:32. The driver needed to use the restroom, so we waited while we
did that

Really? How dare he inconvenience the guests! Has he not heard of
adult diapers? :-P

Chris & Amanda were on the road later than planned,
as daycare picks Ari up from school so rather than getting him when
school gets out at 2:45 they had to pick him up at daycare at 3:30.
As Rodney knows, Chris doesn’t have a “real car", so they may need to stop and charge his Tesla before arriving, which delays them
further.

:-P I recently read an article in a car magazine (don't recall which
one - I subscribe to many) where they took a bunch of electric cars on a
long trip of over 1,000 miles. They were not very happy with the
results, spending more time charging or detouring to get to a charger
than driving. They had problems with non-functional chargers or blocked chargers. That's mt problem with them. Well, that, and most of them
look like some sort of cartoon car. :-)

At the bus stop there was no arrival time for the Epcot bus, so I
figured I’d just missed it. Quite a bit later it popped up with a
time almost 20 minutes away! After a while it sped up by 5 minutes. Meanwhile Chris & Amanda were on I-4, and were running into traffic.

Uh-oh! I hope they don't run out of electrons! :-P

I walked through the rain to get back to the villa, getting pretty
wet even with the umbrella. Holli never made it to the pool,
obviously. I poured a glass of wine and cut up a little cheese

On behalf of all the 12-year-old boys that follow, RADP, can I ask that
you refer to that as "slicing" and not "cutting" cheese? :-P

The Hollands arrived shortly after 7:30, and Ari was excited to see
me <g>. That always makes a grandma feel good!

:-) Enjoy these years!




--

- RODNEY

Next WDW Vacation?
Who knows!

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On Tuesday, September 7, 2021 at 11:42:42 AM UTC-4, Rudeney wrote:

I am surprised you even allow employees to not be vaccinated. I don't
know many people who are not vaccinated. I only no of one who won't get
it because she thinks it's a "scam". The few others I know all have reasonable medical excuses (like one having Guillain-Barré)

Sadly, it's not up to us and we don't have the authority to require it. Remember I'm in Florida, where the governor doesn't even want to allow cruise ships to require all vaccinated passengers. He won't allow schools to mandate wearing masks. It's all
about your personal liberty/freedom and not at all about responsibility to protect others.

On behalf of all the 12-year-old boys that follow, RADP, can I ask that
you refer to that as "slicing" and not "cutting" cheese? :-P

LOL - will do!

Sue/WDW1972

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On 9/7/2021 6:41 PM, Sue/WDW1972 wrote:

On Tuesday, September 7, 2021 at 11:42:42 AM UTC-4, Rudeney wrote:

I am surprised you even allow employees to not be vaccinated. I
don't know many people who are not vaccinated. I only no of one who
won't get it because she thinks it's a "scam". The few others I
know all have reasonable medical excuses (like one having
Guillain-Barré)

Sadly, it's not up to us and we don't have the authority to require
it. Remember I'm in Florida, where the governor doesn't even want to
allow cruise ships to require all vaccinated passengers. He won't
allow schools to mandate wearing masks. It's all about your personal liberty/freedom and not at all about responsibility to protect
others.

Well, I won't get all political, but I will say that I do not agree with
all of DeSantis' policies. While I agree that "vaccine passports"
should not be required for casual encounters like malls, restaurants or
theme parks, I do believe they should be required for healthcare
workers, especially ones treating vulnerable patients. I also agree
with requiring a vaccine for cruise ship passengers. I do not agree
with mask mandates, mainly because the statistical evidence shows that
they have been completely ineffective at stopping the spread. If a
private venue wants to require masks, then let them, but schools should
not be allowed to require them. It;s going to do more harm then good -
kids aren't going to wear them correctly, and it's going to create too
many distractions.


--

- RODNEY

Next WDW Vacation?
Who knows!

Need to know more about RADP (rec.arts.disney.parks)?

http://www.radp.org
http://allears.net/btp/radp_bk.htm
http://allears.net/tp/abrev.htm

Are you still accessing RADP via Google? Why?
Get instructions on how to access to the "real"
RADP Usenet Group here:

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