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Sue Holland -- February 2001 -- Walt Disney World (Offsite, OKWR)

• Who/When/Where:
• Who:
  • Sue (me - 41), DVC member
  • Chris (14), my son, days 1-4
  • Sheila (40) & Colin (15), days 2-4
• Dates: February 17 - 24, 2001
• Travel Method: Personal car
• Resort: Fairfield Inn Marriott Village (1 nt), Old Key West Resort (6 nts studio)
• Experience: Everyone's very experienced at WDW!

INTRODUCTION:

When we last left off, I was freezing in Hilton Head, looking forward to spending time at work & at home without any trips for a little while. Except for one overnight OKW stay a couple of weeks ago, I've remained trip-free. It was great, but now I'm ready for a break from work/home, lol! I'm not sure I'll really be able to leave work behind completely, but I really *need* this WDW time. It looks like there won't be as many meetings as in 2000, so my trips this year won't be as frequent, which makes each vacation more important to me.

This trip was planned for this week because Chris has no school on Monday & Tuesday, so it was an opportunity for him to come along for at least part of time. Ordinarily I wouldn't plan a trip for a busy week like this one, but if the parks are too crowded I don't mind skipping most of that stuff until another time. I didn't want to limit myself to only a long weekend trip, so I booked a separate studio for our friends Sheila & Colin for Sunday & Monday night in exchange for Sheila driving Chris back to Ft Myers on Tuesday. Neither of us would ever consider putting 4 adult-sized people into a studio, and the extra points were well worth it to me. I booked my studio for Sunday thru Thursday night (the cheap points nights) and later added Friday night when some dvc friends decided to make a trip down that weekend. Several months later I decided to redeem some Marriott Rewards points for a free night at the new Fairfield Inn at Marriott Village - located just across I-4 from Crossroads, and booked the first Saturday night so we wouldn't have to drive early Sunday morning.

Chris & Colin will likely want to spend a lot of time at DisneyQuest, and Sheila & I will at least be interested in the cheesecake in there. She enjoys Comedy Warehouse, and wants to go there also. We'll spend some time in the parks, but probably just a couple hours in the relatively uncrowded morning to hit our favorite attractions.

The Comedy Warehouse will be the main focus of this trip for me. Recently it was announced that Layden, Mark, and Matt are all leaving the club. In my opinion, they're 3 of the best actors there, and this will be my last trip before they're gone. I'll be meeting up with some of the other Comedy Warehouse "regulars" - mostly locals who attend at least weekly (some attend a few times a week). It's been fun to meet other fans - including some who come almost as often as I do, but live out of state!

I'm hoping for nice weather, but I know for sure it'll be MUCH nicer than the last trip! After all the late nights at Comedy Warehouse (since this is the last trip to see the 3 who are leaving, I'll probably stay until the last show most nights) if I spend mornings in the parks I may want some afternoon time snoozing at a pool if it's warm enough. I'm hoping for some good rollerblading weather also.

Sheila was interested in the Concourse Steakhouse at the Contemporary (she's never eaten there) and since Chris & I had a great lunch there last trip, we made a priority seating for the 4 of us for lunch there on Sunday. We're meeting my friends Nancy (cm at PI) and Leesa (Comedy Warehouse regular & friend of Nancy) for lunch at Whispering Canyon Cafe Monday - sending the teens off on their own. I'll most likely repeat the cheese soup and wine at LeCellier (did that on my recent overnight trip - it's good enough to have on every trip), but don't have any other specific meal plans.

Mardi Gras at Pleasure Island starts on Friday night, which is my last night of this trip. I plan to attend - it was a lot of fun last year! I think one of the out-of-town Comedy Warehouse regulars might be coming up then - the family from Ft Pierce in my earlier reports, so it'll be good to see them again.

The plans so far...

Sat 2/17: - Drive to WDW, check in Fairfield Inn, visit park, Premium Outlets, DisneyQuest Sun 2/18: - Meet Sheila & Colin at OKW, MK for morning, lunch at Concourse Steakhouse, Comedy Warehouse Mon 2/19: - Animal Kingdom, lunch w/Nancy & Leesa, Comedy Warehouse Tue 2/20: - Park (Sheila's choice), rollerblade or pool, Comedy Warehouse Wed 2/21: - Epcot, Stormalong Bay, Comedy Warehouse Thu 2/22: - MK or AK, rollerblade, Meet DVC friends, Comedy Warehouse Fri 2/23: - Park, rollerblade, Mardi Gras at PI Sat 2/24: - Epcot, drive home

DAY 1 - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2001:

Who: Sue (me - 42), DVC member Chris (14), my son PLAN: Drive to WDW, check in Fairfield Inn, visit park, Premium Outlets, DisneyQuest

ACTUAL: Last night I abandoned any plans to leave before dawn in order to arrive before the parks open. A week or so ago Mary (one of the actors) at the Comedy Warehouse had asked Leesa if she'd do *something* for the 3 who are leaving, and last night Leesa asked me to take a look at what she had so far (which was great - as expected). We ended up spending a couple of hours working on the *things* (I won't divulge what they are until after the 3 guys receive them...just in case someone who knows them might be reading, lol). In any event, we're happy with 2 of the 3, and hope to get what she needs for the 3rd one tonight - and should hear how Mary likes the first 2. It was fun, but we didn't quit until around midnight, and then I wasn't ready to fall asleep just yet - so no driving in the pre-dawn hours for me today!

For some reason I procrastinated until the last minute to do my packing again. I used to be one of those people who was packed weeks in advance for a vacation, but not anymore <g>. I was actually just throwing stuff into the suitcase - not even bothering to get the right quantity of stuff, so I'm sure I've got more than I need. Some stuff I just left on the hanger & it's hanging in the back seat area - talk about lazy, lol! As long as it doesn't get really cold though, I should be ok. Chris' stuff I put in a separate bag, since he'll be leaving Tuesday. This way he can take that suitcase to his Dad's and have clothes for the days he'll be there. Amazingly, the trunk of the car is pretty full - which is really pathetic considering there's only the 2 of us and he's only going for 4 days! I had a "normal" 1/2 bagel and cappuccino for breakfast; Chris had a couple of sloppy joe's! I don't care if he eats "traditional" meals or not - as long as he's healthy that's all that matters.

We ended up starting the drive at 7:30. Leesa had IM'd about the Comedy Warehouse stuff, and we were able to make plans for later. It was very foggy when I started the drive, but luckily it was only bad for about an hour, then it cleared right up. My friend Kathy had given me advice on a better place in Lakeland to get gas (thanks, Kathy <g>), so this trip I didn't waste a bunch of time looking for a gas station! As we got near exit 23 there was quite a bit of smoke from a big fire nearby. The visibility wasn't that bad, but you could see ashes & it smelled pretty strong (a nice woodsy smell). Unfortunately, people kept slowing & hitting their brakes, which caused a huge backup for over 10 miles. At times we were doing 20 mph, and it was extremely frustrating - I'm not the most patient person. When we got to exit 24 I left I-4 and cut through WDW property, which saved me a good deal of time! When I crossed under I-4 at exit 27 I could see the cars on I-4 were pretty much at a standstill....bumper to bumper.

We arrived at the Fairfield Inn at Marriott Village around 10:45, and were immediately checked in. Since I was using a Marriott Rewards certificate, the room is free - almost like checking in to a dvc resort! Our room was ready, so we brought what we needed to the room and took a quick look around. The rooms are small - possibly smaller than All Star rooms and are fresh & clean but not luxurious at all. At a Fairfield Inn you don't expect that though - this is the budget chain for Marriott. The pool area is large & the lobby is attractive, and there's a complimentary continental breakfast buffet each morning and free local phone calls. It's not fancy, but it'll certainly meet our needs for 1 night. In April we're spending 2 nights here Easter weekend - paying $77/night. It's a great location - the only drawback is it's not on WDW property.

Last night I'd asked Chris which park he wanted to visit today and he chose Epcot, so that's where we headed. I'm not interested in riding a tram in from some parking spot 1/2 mile out in the parking lot, so we drove to Boardwalk (showed my dvc card to be waved in) and parked there. It was a beautiful sunny day (so far), and the warm sun felt great on my shoulders & back. Last trip even with gloves it was a struggle to keep my hands warm, so today feels wonderful! We entered through the International Gateway, and headed first to Norway to ride the Maelstrom. There was a short wait, but the line never really stopped moving. We just missed the movie, so I updated my notes while we waited for the doors to open again - then bypassed the film. They have the exits from the shop all close off now, except for the ones at the far end. This forces everyone to walk all the way through the shop, which I don't like.

We headed to Future World next, and I rode Test Track while Chris played in the exhibit area. He doesn't like the end of the ride, when the car banks as it's going around the curve. We met up in the exit area - it only took me about 10 minutes or so to get on the ride. We wandered around, and were going to ride Spaceship Earth but didn't want to wait in the long line there. Chris loves Ice Station Cool (I could care less, since I don't like soda), so we went there next and he drank a bunch of the watermelon flavor from China. When we came outside the Krystos had just arrived - they're 2 men and a woman who do things kind of like in Cirque du Soleil - exhibits of incredible strength & agility. We stopped to watch them, and enjoyed it very much.

At this point the building darkening clouds gave way to some light rain, so it was time for me to say we were leaving. Chris didn't care one way or the other, but I'm too much of a priss to be in the rain without an umbrella, lol. We walked back to Boardwalk and got 2 of the Mickey truffles at the candy store ($.85) - he also bought some Starburst candy or something like that. We drove past the Fairfield Inn and went to the Premium Outlets - primarily for Chris to look for new sneakers. It ended up being a waste of time - he never found anything he liked, and we spent hours looking at mostly very ugly big men's sneakers, lol! I was so ready to get out of there! We also went into Character Premiere, but there wasn't much new since 2 weeks ago.

Back at the Fairfield Inn we went down to check out the Fitness Center, and I was very impressed. For a budget hotel they've got a lot of equipment. I don't plan to use it, though, since the trip is so short. They've also got a kid's club where you can bring your kids for free at night. We went back to the room and he watched tv and ate more sloppy joe (the room has a fridge) while I worked on the report & got online for a little while. Kathy was online, so we chatted for quite a while - which is always fun, but Chris kept wondering why I was laughing at the laptop! I was getting hungry, but the food court here doesn't open until 4pm, and I was too lazy to head anywhere else (including to the car to get a breakfast bar out of the trunk). We ended up not leaving the room until after 4, and drove to Downtown Disney. I parked at Pleasure Island and we walked (in the light rain) down to the West Side and entered DisneyQuest.

There was quite a line to enter - I guess the lousy weather, combined with it being a Saturday, brought a lot of people to DQ. Eventually we got inside, and headed directly for food! We ended up with a chicken caesar salad and a large strawberry smoothie. After the 10% dvc discount (anyone with an AP also gets a 10% discount) it was $9.98, so I used on of the $10 Cheesecake Factory gift certificates I'd earned doing Etour online. What a great free lunch/dinner! The salad was great, as usual, but this time we finished it all. After eating we played a few games, and then I left about 5pm.

Once outside I could tell that my beeper had gone off but I hadn't been able to hear it inside the noisy DisneyQuest. It was Leesa, so I headed to the phones to call her, but we ran into each other while I was walking. She showed me her new digital camera - Darla, it's YOURS, lol!! It's a great camera (Olympus something with 10x optical zoom lens) and the pictures are really nice! We wandered around taking a bunch of pictures of flowers, birds, etc - just playing with the camera. I really liked that camera - too bad mine is relatively new or I'd get one for myself!

We entered Pleasure Island about 6:45 and the line was already long for the Comedy Warehouse. We ended up a couple of rows back, in the same row as the technicians. The only reason we came was to take pictures of Matt for a project, and when I checked the schedule inside I saw he was off tonight! We enjoyed the show though - it featured Mark, Philip, Mary, Krista, & Greg. After the show we waited for Mary, and I was a little surprised when Krista greeted me, since I don't think I've ever really talked to her offstage, but evidently she recognizes me. We talked to Mary, and found out Matt is out of state for a couple of days. I've talked to Mary a few times before, and she's always been really nice - tonight she invited us both to the party they're having at one of the actor's house Saturday (party for Layden, Mark & Matt). That's the day I leave to return home, so we'll see how that works out. Oh, they were using real glasses in the club - I got wine, and it was in a wineglass rather than a plastic cup, and I noticed several other people with alcoholic drinks in glass. When we left the club it was long after everyone was gone, and I forgot to transfer the wine to a plastic cup, so I stopped at the outside bar where Bob was working tonight and made the switch there. They don't want any glass out on the streets.

We got in line for the 2nd show, and this time enjoyed Philip, Jake, Krista, Greg & Jennifer B. Greg did a hilarious (gay) cowboy named Skipalong Cassidy - we were laughing so hard! The whole show was really funny. They did the Madrigal Singers game, which I always enjoy. After the show most of the actors chatted briefly with us, but we were mainly waiting for Greg. We told him his cowboy was great - very funny and he joked back about it not being much of a stretch, lol! Leesa had given the cowboy suggestion, because her grandfather was a cowboy, but he wasn't quite like Skipalong <g>.

I was ready to call it a night at this point, knowing we were meeting Sheila & Colin early the next morning. The line for the 3rd show was way too long at this point, and Leesa had work to do on her project, so I offered to drive her home so she didn't have to page her husband and wait for him to get a break from work to come pick her up. We went to DisneyQuest to find/retrieve Chris, then took Leesa to her house, then went back to the Fairfield Inn. Chris ate more sloppy joe stuff - I swear that's a never ending supply my Cafe staff prepared - and went to bed. I finished up the report, downloaded some online stuff, reviewed some new stuff for Leesa's project with her online, and hopefully will go to bed before midnight.

The day was pretty great overall! We did everything on the written plan. It was a shame Matt was off, but it was fun spending the evening with Leesa at Comedy Warehouse. It was really nice to be invited to the going away party next weekend also - Layden knows where I live but the other actors seem to think I'm a local, even though I live 3 hours away. Tomorrow we'll meet up with more friends, move "home" to OKW, and continue having a great time!

Miles walked: 7.75

Sue :)

DAY 2 - SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2001:

Who: Sue (me - 41), DVC member Chris (14), my son Sheila (40) & Colin (15)

PLAN: Meet Sheila & Colin at OKW, MK for morning, lunch at Concourse Steakhouse, Comedy Warehouse

ACTUAL: I'd set the alarm for 6am, but didn't get Chris up until 7. It was nice & quiet last night. The beds aren't as comfortable as Disney beds, but we slept fine. The news this morning mentioned a long stretch (18 miles) of I-4 has been closed since 6 last night due to a brush fire that grew out of control yesterday. The fire actually crossed I-4, and they say to expect it to remain closed most of today. Last night Greg was asking if I'd had trouble driving to the club due to the fires, since he was taking alternate routes to get to where he lives (when you're a guest rather than a local generally traffic/road conditions are not a concern <g>). I'm hoping Sheila is not impacted by the road closure too much. Luckily the section closed ends at highway 27, and she should be coming up 27 to get on I-4 at that point - missing the closed section entirely.

The breakfast at the Fairfield Inn was set up very nicely. They had warm muffins & bagels, cereal, yogurt, fruit, coffee & juices. We each got what we wanted & brought it back to the room to eat while we got ready for the day. We left the hotel at 8, arriving at OKW in just a few minutes. Sheila & Colin were waiting for us, so we got checked in quickly. Our studios were not ready, and we'd been blocked into 2 near each other, so I did not request to be put in one that might be ready now. The cm did tell me we were in the Old Turtle Pond area, which is one of my 2 favorites.

We took the next bus to Magic Kingdom, and Sheila stopped at Guest Services to activate Colin's AP. It was almost 9am when we entered, and headed first to the Bake Shop since the line was shorter than it would be later. I got my 2 pieces of banana nut bread ($4.22) and she got a piece of the zucchini carrot bread for her and a chocolate chip muffin for Colin. By now it was 9:15, so we headed into Tomorrowland. Chris wanted to get a fastpass for Buzz Lightyear, so we stopped there first. They've fixed the fastpass machines - they now only give a pass if you use the pass you entered the park with. Room keys don't work (unless your admission is coded on your room key & that's what you used to enter the park), old passes don't work, etc. The 3 of them had already gotten their fastpasses, not yet realizing they wouldn't be able to get another at Space Mountain right away.

We walked over to Space Mountain, which had a long line outside but Chris went up and saw they were not letting people inside yet. The posted standby wait was 15 minutes, and it was probably a little shorter than that. The boys decided to wait for us in the arcade, and Chris took my AP back to Buzz Lightyear to get me a fastpass also. Space Mtn was fun, but it was kind of weird - nobody was making any noise at all, not on our car or any of the others. It was like riding with the dead, lol! Sheila commented on it, also, saying that was the quietest ride she'd ever taken.

We retrieved the boys and went to ride Buzz. They rode together, and so did Sheila & I. The boys got much higher scores than the moms, lol. We asked them what they wanted to do next, and their answer was those stupid Grand Prix Raceway cars, but Chris also wanted to do Pooh. We gave him all of our passes and sent him to get the 4 Pooh fastpasses while rest of us stood in line for the raceway. Chris joined us quickly, and the wait wasn't too bad - not as bad as it would have been later. We each got our own car - I was in front of Chris, and Colin was in front of Sheila on the next track. I was trying to take pictures of Chris & Sheila coming up behind me, so I took my hands off my steering wheel & tried just slightly accelerating, but the car kept swerving back & forth. I could hear Sheila laughing hysterically, not realizing how funny I looked. She said my car was bouncing back & forth like a ping pong ball! We all had a good laugh over that when we got off :-)

We walked onto Pooh with our fastpasses, and then regrouped to see what everyone wanted to do next. The boys were interested in Tom Sawyer's Island so we told them to go - and meet us in an hour. Sheila & I rode the Haunted Mansion, then returned to Tomorrowland and did the TTA, then took the back path to Toontown Fair and rode the Railroad up to Main Street. We went in the candy store so I could buy a marshmallow thingy (a wonderful suggestion from Greg - a dvc member in England), and the boys met us there while I was waiting to pay.

We left MK and walked over to the Contemporary Resort for our lunch. We got to the Concourse Steakhouse a little before noon (they open at noon) so we browsed in the shops until it was time to be seated. It seemed to take a little while for the food to come out, but when it did, it was very good. It's such a nice relaxing restaurant, also. I had them make me an appetizer size portion of the caesar salad, which they did for only $3.99! It was more than enough for me, but wasn't the greatest tasting caesar I'd ever had. I'm not sure I'd order it next time. Chris got his 1/2 pound steakhouse burger with fries ($9.99) and I cut off a few bites for myself - it's very good even though I'm not much of a burger person. Sheila got the salmon blt ($9.99) and Colin got the blackened prime rib ($11.29) and a coke. After the 20% for the Disney Dining Experience (a card that can be purchased annual by FL residents only) the check was $32 plus tip.

After lunch I called OKW to check on the rooms. Mine was not ready, but Sheila's was. We decided to head to Epcot, so we hopped on the monorail(s). Spaceship Earth had practically no line at all, so we went and rode that first. Some man several people ahead of me was in an electric scooter wheelchair thing - going up the ramp with all the walkers. The cm's were surprised to see him, lol - he was not using the wheelchair entrance! Luckily they were able to get him situated without disrupting the ride (he was able to get up and walk into the ride vehicle, and another cm rode the ecv off to be parked). I like this ride, but it's so relaxing it's hard to stay awake, lol!

We went to Innoventions next to send some email postcards and stopped at Ice Station Cool for Sheila & the boys to drink some soda. Chris bought a t-shirt with the Coca Cola logo in Japanese or Chinese - he'd been looking at it for the past few trips and finally decided it wanted it enough to spend the money. Colin was wanting some model he'd seen in Japan, so we headed to World Showcase next. Along the way we saw that Off Kilter was about to perform in less than 10 minutes, and everyone wanted to see them. Sheila & Colin rushed to Japan & back while Chris & I grabbed a bench. Off Kilter were very good, but their set is so short - it seems like only 4 songs or so! While we were waiting, the sun was melting my marshmallow thingy!! I tried to shade it, but it was just too warm. Plus, the marshmallow thingy wasn't made very well - it had barely any chocolate & m&m's on it (very skimpy), so Chris & I ate it while we waited for the show to start. After Off Kilter we headed back to Future World.

Chris & Colin went back to Ice Station Cool for more soda, while I called OKW. Finally - the other studio is ready. We left Epcot and got to the OKW bus stop just after out bus pulled in (great timing), got off at the Peninsular Rd bus stop and got our cars at the Hospitality House. We're in building 35, which is where I've stayed several times. Sheila has the exact unit I've been in at least twice before, lol! I got my non smoking, water view, but I got 2nd floor in the 3 story portion of the building. As long as there are no elephants staying above me, it'll be fine. We have a nice view of the lake/pond off our porch, and we're right across the street from the bus stop (but don't get much bus noise due to the layout of the building.

We drove over and unloaded the car. Since I'll be here for 6 more nights I unpacked and settled in. Chris is leaving his stuff in his suitcase - he goes home day after tomorrow. The studio looks fine - no problems to note. I downloaded the few pictures I'd taken and sent them off to photopoint, then updated the report and got online. Sheila took the boys to Downtown Disney. One of the nice things about traveling with her is we do not have to be joined at the hip, and if 1 of us wants to do something the other does not want to do, there's not a problem. She wanted to look for something in the Christmas store, then will get Colin into DisneyQuest (with Chris) and then will head back here before we go to Comedy Warehouse tonight. She stopped by to show me her purchases, and we left for Downtown Disney about 6:45 or so.

We parked at Pleasure Island and wandered around the West Side for a while. I got 3 small Mickey truffles at the Candy Cauldron - 1 for now, 2 for later <g>. Sheila had eaten while she was at the Marketplace earlier. I used my DDE card to get Sheila a 1/2 price PI ticket ($10.50) and we entered the Island. There was a line at Comedy Warehouse, but it wasn't long enough yet, so we decided to walk around. As we were leaving the area a woman came up from behind me and grabbed my arm - I turned around, and it was Sue from Ft Pierce! She & Dan were here, in line and they'd seen me walk by. I'd emailed them about the 3 guys leaving, and when Dan said something tonight to the cm working outside about hearing Layden was leaving, the cm told them Layden wasn't going anywhere! Funny that the cm hadn't heard the news - it was a part time guy, but still.... Layden is definitely leaving; this Thursday will be his last night. We chatted a while, then Sheila & I walked around. When we got back the line was pretty long, and as we headed in to the end of the line, I saw a woman standing alone looking at us - it turned out to be Tracy. Tracy is someone who lives in the area who did a search on the internet for the Comedy Warehouse, and my screen name popped up. That led her to my trip reports, and she saw that I was a fan of her favorite actor - Layden, lol! She wrote to me, and we've emailed often since then. She's losing both of her favorites - she's a big fan of Matt. It was wonderful meeting her in person and watching the shows with her. I'd brought her a videotape of some of Layden's & Matt's work over the past 1.5 years, along with many of the other actors.

We saw the first show, which featured Philip, Jake, Layden, Jennifer B, and Brian. I've not been very impressed with Brian in the past, but tonight he was very good. He's relatively new, and is not a regular part of the cast, so hopefully he's settling in now. The rest of the cast are all people I enjoy a lot - but the show was only "good". Our server had let me know Layden was only going to be working the first 2 shows, so I knew to take time to talk to him after show 1 in case he left the club right after show 2.

Sheila went back out to get in line for the next show, and I stopped to talk to Layden. Tracy stayed within earshot, lol - not joining in the discussion, but wanting to hear as much as she could <g>. I'd heard rumors that he was not leaving willingly, and was not sure he would tell me what was really going on - offstage he's a very quiet, private person. We've spoken many times over the past several years, but wasn't sure he'd feel comfortable talking about this particular issue - with people he doesn't know - strangers/guests, he simply says he's looking forward to his new role at Hoop because it would be inappropriate to say anything else. As a cm, he's not going to speak against Disney. Anyway, he greeted me & I went over to him and we talked for a long time - and he didn't hold anything back. Out of respect for his privacy, I will not print any of the details, but suffice to say he was forced out of the Comedy Warehouse - against his will. The contract to work at the Hoop Dee Doo is not something he wants, but he's hoping it will be a better alternative to not working for Disney at all. He would like to someday return to the Comedy Warehouse, but as long as the situation there remains, he will never return (except possibly as an occasional sub). Mark's departure is for similar reasons.

I told Layden I'd written a long letter to WDW expressing my displeasure, and asked if he'd mind if I encouraged others to write - via the trip report. He agreed, the more letters the better. So, if anyone reading this has been to Comedy Warehouse and is concerned about the quality of the shows with him (& Mark) leaving, or was planning to try the club based on hearing good things about him but now may not bother, etc - please write a letter and send it to Pleasure Island Entertainment, WDW, PO Box 10000, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830. Even simply stating that you've enjoyed the shows with these actors and are sorry to learn they won't be there could be helpful. The most significant stuff would be any statements that hurt Disney in the pocketbook, obviously.

Overall, I was happy to be trusted with all that he told me, but also sad for him and mad that the situation exists at all. Also, sad for myself and everyone else who won't get to see the single best improv actor after this week :( They were almost ready to let the guests in for the next show, so we ended our conversation and Tracy & I headed outside to find Sheila. We chatted with Dan & Sue for a minute or 2, then joined Sheila and went in for show 2. This time the cast was Layden, Mark, Matt (yay - all 3 of them), Brian & Phillip. This show was really great - much better than the first! Tracy commented that having those 3 really makes a difference, and she's right.

After this show I talked to Mark briefly about him leaving, then talked to Matt for a couple of minutes. At least he's leaving for a positive reason, and hopefully we'll see him on tv or in the movies soon. I touched base with Layden briefly - he'll be working the next 4 nights, so one night I'll bring him the videotape I made for him. Outside we ran into Dan & Sue again, lol - and chatted a bit. It's almost funny to call them Dan & Sue - for so long they were simply called "the Ft Pierce family" in my reports :-)

Tracy, Sheila & I left PI at this point. Tracy will be coming back tomorrow night, but I'm not sure what Sheila will do. Sheila & I drove back to OKW - she went to her studio to crash, and I went to mine to do the usual (finish report, post, get online, etc). The boys were not home yet, but that was no surprise. DisneyQuest closes at midnight and I'd told Chris he can stay as long as he wants as long as he can get up in the morning! We're planning on leaving for AK at 8:30 am.

The day went exactly according to plan, and was a wonderful day. We had fun with the boys, enjoyed our lunch, meeting Tracy was great, and I'm glad I finally got to talk to Layden about what's going on. When I logged on at 11:30 pm, my personal stalker (Maria) was waiting for me, lol - harrassing me about being out late & making suggestive sexual comments about Canadian breadsticks and my marshmallow thingy! I'd say I was shocked and offended, but nobody who knows me would believe that, lol!

One last note - I-4 is shut down again, and isn't expected to open anytime soon. This would be west of WDW, in Polk County. People coming to/from Tampa or Lakeland will have big problems getting to/from wdw!

Miles walked: 5

DAY 3 - MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2001:

Who: Sue (me - 41), DVC member Chris (14), my son Sheila (40) & Colin (15) Nancy(43), PI cm (formerly at Comedy Warehouse) Leesa (41), Comedy Warehouse regular Tracy (19), Comedy Warehouse regular

PLAN: Animal Kingdom, lunch w/Nancy & Leesa, Comedy Warehouse

ACTUAL: Despite getting home early from PI last night, it was after 1:30am by the time I finished everything (including IM's & stuff). I may be tired today, but it's worth it. I'd set the alarm for 6:30, but let Chris sleep until 7:30. He did not get home until about 12:30 this morning, so he had a tough time getting up! I had some banana nut bread and cappuccino for breakfast and Chris had cereal. Sheila & Colin stopped by and we left for AK (driving) at 8:30. As usual, at the double turnstile everyone was single file at one of them, and nobody was using the other one - so we walked right up and entered the park. It was pretty congested at the entrance, but was much worse later when we left!

We headed right back to Harambe to pick up fastpasses for the safari (9:40), then went to the Pangani Forest Trail. I went ahead to the gorilla area while the rest of them took their time walking. I found the dominant male silverback (Gus) sitting with his back to the crowd, so I waited a while until he finally turned somewhat. Eventually he moved around, and I was able to take a few pictures of him (mostly in the gorilla album on photopoint) and also took a couple of pictures of one of the other males in his section. Eventually Gus had enough to eat & seemed to be tired of the tourists so he retreated into the cave. Sheila & the others had caught up to me by now and were waiting, so when Gus didn't come back out we went ahead and left the area. It was more crowded than I usually experience in this area. We still had about 10 minutes until our fastpass was good, so we headed towards Asia (walking on the secret path since Colin had not seen it) and did the Maharajeh Jungle Trek. We saw many of the tigers - all laying up against the sides of the buildings. There was a peacock strutting around with all of his feathers fanned out, but the female was just ignoring him.

We then went back to do our safari, and had a great driver/guide. Neither of the lions were out, but we saw a cheetah walking around. At this point the park was getting very crowded - much too crowded for me to want to stay, and Sheila felt the same way. The boys took a bus to Epcot to play in Innoventions a while before going to DisneyQuest, and Sheila & I drove over to the Studios. We had to park way far away and ride the tram in, and the lines to enter were as long as they were on Super Soap Saturday! We were really surprised how bad it was, but inside the park it didn't seem that crowded at all. We did the Backlot Tour with a minimal wait (had an excellent guide there also), and then just walked around the park for a while. We stopped at Starring Rolls for Sheila to buy Colin's breakfast for tomorrow, then we left the park.

We stopped briefly at OKW to drop off Colin's breakfast and my jacket, then drove over to Wilderness Lodge. Nancy & Leesa weren't there yet, so we looked in the shop for a while. A little girl was playing with one of the toy guns (I absolutely detest guns - toy or otherwise) and she'd gotten 2 of her fingers caught in the trigger - so I was able to get them released for her. Brave little kid didn't cry or anything, although it must have hurt! We returned to the lobby & I went to the payphones to make a priority seating for lunch at LeCellier tomorrow. While I was on the phone I could hear the cm calling my name, and next thing I knew Nancy was there telling me our table was ready.

This was the first time Leesa & Sheila had met, and she'd only met Nancy briefly once before. We had a great lunch, and a wonderful afternoon! Leesa had brought me a copy of one of the projects she'd been working on, which was really nice of her. For food - Leesa got the all you can eat thing, and everything was excellent. Nancy got ribs (also excellent), Sheila got the chicken sandwich, which she said was very moist & tasted great, and I got the chili (because it did not have beans). I was not too sure about the chili when she brought it out - it was just tomatoes, peppers, onions, and some chunks of steak - but it tasted great & was nice and spicy! I'd definitely order it again. Nancy & I each got a glass of white zinfandel - usually I can drink and she can't, but tonight she's not working. When the check came we just about died - the 2 glasses were $17.50! We later found out that was an error, and had it corrected. Leesa got a chocolate milkshake that looked delicious, and Sheila had iced tea. For dessert we all shared a brownie sundae thing. The total check before the DDE 20% was $72.

We walked over to the Wilderness Lodge Villas (dvc resort) so Nancy & Leesa could see the units. Marti from the cruise ship does not work in this location anymore (she's more behind the scenes at the BW with the cruise crew), but the guy at the desk saw my dvc pin and let us go see the models. They stopped letting non-members see them, just to cut down on traffic. Prospective members have to go to the sales office at Boardwalk. They both loved the units - I think Leesa was ready to move in today <g>. Afterwards we went outside and took a bunch of pictures of our group (3 at a time, lol) with the different cameras.

Before Nancy & Leesa left, Leesa showed me the finished product of the work she'd done for Mary at Comedy Warehouse - she did a great job (more on that later in the week). By now it was 3:30 - the afternoon was flying by! We made plans to meet up later, and Sheila & I left. Someone had emailed me asking about the Polynesian pool construction, so we drove over there to take a look. There isn't much to see. The volcano is up, but surrounded by scaffolding. The rest of the area is a bunch of dirt, machinery & workmen. It's all fenced off, so we could only see bits of the area from the 2nd story in the Great Ceremonial House. I was able to take a picture, and sent it to that person.

We were going to head to the Grand Floridian to check out their new pool construction next, but since time was running out & I knew I had stuff to do, we aborted our construction tour of wdw resorts <g> and returned to OKW. In the parking lot we ran into Colin, who just got off the bus from Epcot. He said they'd stayed at Epcot mostly, but now Chris was at DisneyQuest. He went up to their studio with Sheila, and I went to my studio to update the report, download pictures, and handle the email. Sheila stopped by around 5:45 to say Colin was heading for DQ, so I gave him a message for Chris. Colin wanted to eat at Wolfgang Puck's Express, so Sheila decided to go with him and just meet me outside PI later. That actually worked out well, as I was taking more time than normal to get stuff done on the computer.

I left OKW about 7, and parked at Pleasure Island. After making a quick stop at Candy Cauldron for some Mickey truffles I went back to PI and met up with Sheila. We got her 1/2 price ticket and entered PI, walking around until the others arrived. The line for the first show was much shorter tonight - I'm not sure why it was so busy last night. Tracy was the first to arrive, and as we were talking to her Nancy & Leesa walked over, so we all went to get in line. Nancy used to work at Comedy Warehouse but left over a year ago and it's been quite a while since she was there. When cm Jose saw her, he arranged for us to be brought in the back door before the other guests, and we got to pick our seats (the favorite row, of course). Lori was our waitress, and she brought me the schedule for the night so we were able to see who was working each show and what games would be played.

There were only 6 actors working, and 5 were in each of the 4 shows. The six were Layden, Mark, Matt, Philip, Jen K, & Jake. Layden & Jake were in all 4 shows, and the rest worked 3 and were off one. During the first show they tortured Layden (he had to guess a strange saying based on clues the other actors gave him), and that was very good. During the 3rd show they did the conducted story, which sometimes can drag but this was the funniest one any of us had ever seen! The way it works is one actor conducts the other 4 in telling a story they are making up as they go along. Each actor has to continue the story, whether it be mid-sentence, mid-word, or whatever. If they mess up in any way, the audience yells DIE and then they are out of the game and have to improvise their death based on audience suggestion. In the beginning the 4 of them were so good it just went on & on without any of them dying - and it was hysterical! When it got down to only 3 of them, they were so frantic continuing the story as Jake moved the baton from one to the other they kept getting louder & louder in their storytelling, lol! At one point they were not allowed to use any words that start with the letter M, even though meatloaf was a key part of the story. Finally Layden was the last one standing - the winner - and he wrapped up the story.

Sheila ended up leaving after show 2, and we lost Nancy & Leesa after show 3, so it was only Tracy & me who stood through the silly New Year's Eve show outside while in line for show 5. Show 5 was pretty good, but the audience was out of control at times (drunk, all filthy suggestions), and it's tough for the actors to do a good show in circumstances like that. Plus, show 4 was so great, it was a tough act to follow.

Between shows we talked to some of the actors, some of whom hadn't seen Nancy in a while. I gave Layden the last video tape of Comedy Warehouse scenes I'd made for him, and we talked a little bit more about things he mentioned last night - careful not to be overheard by some people. I got to talk briefly to one of the servers I hadn't seen for a while (since Dec) also. It was a fun night at Comedy Warehouse, and being there with that group of friends (since they're mostly diehard Comedy Warehouse fans also) made it really special.

Tracy & I left Comedy Warehouse about 1am, and I was back at OKW around 1:15. Chris was in bed sleeping, and never stirred when I came in. I finished up the report, recharged both camcorder batteries, downloaded the pictures from the digital camera, but did not bother going online. I took so many pictures & so much video since it's the last week for these guys, I need a lot more time to keep up with that stuff! The pictures are mostly just personal ones, stuff I share with other fans of the particular actors, but I'll throw a couple of them into photopoint.

We found out tonight that Mark's last day at Comedy Warehouse will be this Saturday (2/24) and Matt's last day will be March 14th. Layden's is this Thursday (2/22).

We did everything in the plan, plus added a little time at MGM Studios. This has been a great trip so far, and I told the guy I left in charge at work that it was going to be really hard to come back to other life <g>.

Miles walked: 6.2

DAY 4 - TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2001:

Who: Sue (me - 42), DVC member Chris (14), my son Sheila (40) & Colin (15)

PLAN: Park (Sheila's choice), rollerblade or pool, Comedy Warehouse

ACTUAL: I ended up taking until just after 3am to get everything done this morning, and then slept until about 7. If I get tired later in the week I'll have to stop getting up for parks in the morning. Breakfast was more banana nut bread & cappuccino for me; cereal for Chris after I got him up around 8. Last night he ended up at MGM & Magic Kingdom. I could heard the screaming children next door (hate that), but otherwise it was peaceful. Chris packed up his stuff, since he's leaving today, and we waited for Sheila & Colin to arrive. Just as they arrive, my stalker Maria IM'd complaining they'd stepped on her blanket & disturbed her as they came by! It's not bad enough she stalks me, but she's a complaining stalker, lol!

We drove both cars to Epcot, and found a huge back-up of cars at the parking lot ticket booths! We should have just gone to Boardwalk, but it was too late now. We walked into the park (I can't stand riding those crowded trams) and headed to Test Track. Sheila & I used the single rider line while the boys went to the exhibits in the exit area. After we met up with the boys we all headed to the Land. We were going to ride Living With the Land, but when we saw the line decided it wasn't worth the wait. We had just over 30 minutes until World Showcase opened, so the boys went to buy Mickey gummy candy and visit the Living Seas while Sheila & I went and waited in line to ride Journey Into Your Imagination. It had been a while since either of us had ridden this, and we agreed that absence did not make the heart grow fonder - this ride really stinks. We stopped so I could call DVC member services to see about modifying a future reservation (the cm asked me if I was at Epcot, since she could hear music in the background) and then met the boys at Ice Station Cool.

>From there we went to World Showcase and rode the Maelstrom with no wait at all. In Germany we looked in the shops, and then we continued around the world to Canada. We checked in a little early for our noon priority seating at LeCellier, and were seated quickly.

Sheila & Colin had never eaten here, which surprised me. I've eaten here so many times, with so many different people, it seemed strange that she wouldn't have been there on one of the many wdw trips we've made together! Lunch was great - Sheila got the steakburger, Colin got the appetizer boneless bbq ribs, Chris got a soda and the caesar salad with flank steak (prepared in traditional style rather than grilled), and I got my usual cheese soup and white wine. The total check before 20% DDE discount and tip was $42.51.

After lunch neither of the boys had anything they wanted to see or do, so Sheila decided to start the drive back to Ft Myers. She'll be dropping Chris off at his Dad's house for me. I took the monorails over to MK so I could buy more banana nut bread - and not have to bother doing this tomorrow. When I got to the Bake Shop there was only 1 piece left, and a woman 2 people ahead of me was asking about it, but didn't actually order it. When it was my turn, I ordered it - it was the end piece, and they had no more out back. I ate part of one corner while waiting in line, and when the woman ahead got to the register with her stuff she told the cashier she also wanted banana nut bread. Of course, it was gone now - I'm not sure why she ordered her other stuff the right way, and didn't order the banana bread until she was at the register - she hung up the line while they got her a piece of zucchini bread. I went next to the candy store to buy another marshmallow thingy (it didn't look much better than the first one), and picked up a few of the Mickey truffles here rather than buying them at Downtown Disney later. Grocery shopping done, I left the Magic Kingdom and took the monorails back to Epcot to retrieve my car. I'd originally driven my car because I'd planned on going to WL and rollerblading after lunch, but it was pretty windy today so I decided to save the skating for tomorrow & spend the time today getting the food I wanted for the next few days.

Back at OKW I relaxed in the studio while I watched my soap and chatted with Larry in Scotland. For once we talked when it wasn't late at night for him, lol! The children in the 1br unit next door were unbelievably noisy - literally running and screaming as if they were playing "tag" or something. If I was trying to nap I would have called over there and asked them to keep the noise down, but instead I simply turned up the volume on the tv to drown them out until they left the room.

I'd thought about heading over to Belz Outlets, but different friends and acquaintances kept coming online and by the time I finished talking to them it was 6:30. I drove to Downtown Disney and parked at Pleasure Island, then walked over to the Marketplace to browse in some of the shops. Today at LeCellier they gave us a generic comment card with the check (they probably do this everywhere, but I'd never really paid attention) and I'd saved it to write out some Comedy Warehouse comments - the especially magical stuff as well as the "what would make my experience better" stuff, and dropped it off at Guest Services at Downtown Disney.

I entered PI just before 7:30 and was surprised to see a long line at the Comedy Warehouse already! I got in line, and waited the 30 minutes for the first show. One nice thing helped pass the time - a very attractive man (single dad of a couple of teenagers) was behind me & I struck up a conversation (not because he was attractive, but just to reply to something I'd heard them discussing before I ever saw how cute he was). I figured the conversation would just end there, but he kept it going, asking me questions and moving up next to me, lol! It was flattering, but I saw the pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket so I knew he was not for me. He was nice to talk to in line though. I was seated in a single empty seat further down, and left right after the show, so I didn't see him at all later.

The server checked the schedule and reported that Layden would be in shows 1, 2 & 4 (out of 4 shows tonight). Since the late show sometimes is full of drunks, I decided then I'd be seeing the first 2 only. Show 1 featured Jen K, Jake, Layden, Matt & Greg. There was a guy up in the section referred to as the Alps (the upper section off to the side) who was either drunk or a major jackass (hope that word passes through aol....doubt they'll think I'm talking about a donkey, lol). He'd yell out stuff when it wasn't time to make suggestions, and at first the actors just made a joke out of it and incorporated what he said into the game. He didn't quit though (despite having been told) and soon a cm was stationed right by him, just in case. After the show I left immediately to get in line for show 2 (huge line outside already), and I saw that several PI security people were inside the club's entrance with the drunk/donkey guy and some Comedy Warehouse cm's. They were there a good long time before they came out - I'm assuming it was about his behavior during the first show. He did not get in line for show 2, lol!

Something funny happened after I was seated for show 2. I was sitting in my seat (4th row up, end near the stairs) and a man seated in the 3rd row got out of his seat and walked over to me and asked if I worked here. I told him I did not, but if he had a question I might be able to answer it for him. He said he thought I worked here because I was wearing "the shirt". I wasn't sure what he meant, lol - I was wearing a Dixie Landing sweatshirt, with a Planet Hollywood shirt (probably not visible) underneath. In any event, I asked him again what he needed, and he explained that he wanted to order a drink. LOL, I told him a server would be coming by before the show to take orders. He explained that she'd already come by and he told her he didn't want anything but now he'd changed his mind. I told him when she came back to deliver that order to just let her know & she'd get his drink for him. He went back to his seat. Soon my server (Jamie - one of the ones I know) said hi, how are you, etc - and asked if I needed anything. I asked her if she also had the row below me, and she said yes - so I pointed out the guy and told her he had changed his mind & wanted to order a drink now. He was stunned when she then went down and said she'd heard he'd like to order a drink - and he later waved his thanks in my direction. I still don't understand how he could have mistaken me for a cm there (since my clothing wasn't even remotely similar to their costume), but at least he got a little Disney magic by getting his drink ordered promptly.

Show 2 featured Jake, Philip, Layden, Matt & Greg. Although I think Jake, Philip & Greg are all great, I just can't imagine the shows without Layden & Matt (& Mark). The ordinary guest may not know the difference, but to the regulars it's a really big deal to lose these guys. During this show they did the Conducted Story again, and again it was excellent. Someone died pretty quickly - it was Jake, and he died by a (my suggestion in response to what's the last thing you bought online) memory stick for a digital camera. The 3 who were left (Matt, Layden & Greg) were then incredible for a long time - nobody messed up despite Philip's best attempts to make it difficult. When he added the rule about not using any word that starts with the letter D, Greg set it up so that when the baton moved the next actor would need to use a word that started with D, and it happened to be Layden. Matt ended up being the final winner, and wrapped up the story with a cabaret style song that was pretty cute.

After the show I chatted briefly with Greg about a mutual friend, and let him know I was the person taking the pictures of him this person was sending him. It was funny - I'd take a picture of him and send it to the person, then she'd email it to him. He'd open his mail and find a picture of himself from the night before, and loved it! We'd chatted before, but he never knew that I was that person, and I'd never remembered to tell him. I also talked to Layden for a little while, and shared with him some of the comments I'd received about him - people who'd said they'd written a letter mostly. Maureen - I told him what you said about him being the one who seems to energize the other actors and that the shows were better when he was in them, and he said to thank you - he was happy to hear the kind words. It will be interesting to see what impact the letters have.

I left at this point, not wanting to wait 2 hours for the next Layden show and risking an audience full of drunks. We'd talked about the late show last night - I'm certainly no prude, and don't mind getting downright rude & tasteless at times, but we don't need that in a Disney comedy club (in my opinion). What sets Comedy Warehouse apart from other comedy clubs is their ability to be extraordinarily funny without resorting to using the "f" word and foul/offensive jokes to "shock" people into laughing. They're far too talented to have to resort to that, and I hope the people making decisions there will maintain those standards (this was mentioned in my comment card thingy).

I left PI and drove back to OKW, getting there before 10:30 - plenty of time to finish the report and hopefully download the pictures taken without being up until 3am again, lol! I won't get online until morning....after sunrise.

Today was a good day. I was glad to get my meal at LeCellier, and it was nice to have company for that meal rather than eating alone. The days with Sheila & the boys were fun, but now I'm ready to start the solo portion of the trip, and just kick back more. It felt funny to be at PI alone after the last several nights being with friends <g>! I never got around to rollerblading (too windy) or laying at the pool (too late after having lunch & getting groceries at MK), so I'll try to do both tomorrow.

Miles walked: 3 before I took off the pedometer & forgot to put it back on.

DAY 5 - WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2001:

Who: Sue (42), DVC member

Plan: Epcot, Stormalong Bay, Comedy Warehouse

Actual: After getting about 6-7 hours sleep for a change, I got up around 7am. It's beautiful outside now - sunny and not too hot, but clouds are expected later. I showered & got dressed for rollerblading, and packed my swimsuit & some magazines in a tote bag. The plan is to skate from WL through Ft Wilderness, then go to a pool somewhere. I had banana nut bread and cappuccino for breakfast again, and did some online stuff until it was time to go. The news on tv said the smoke from the wildfire was in the air in Orlando, and when I went outside to check, I could smell it. They were saying people with respiratory problems should stay indoors today. I actually enjoy the smell, although I'd rather there not be any fires burning.

I left the studio about 9, and drove to park at WL. After changing into my rollerblades, I skated along the path to Ft Wilderness. I'm not sure if the wind shifted or if I just got used to it, but after a short while I didn't notice the fire smell at all. It was very cloudy when I started out, but it started to clear while I was skating. I skated for just over an hour, then returned to WL to put the skates back in the trunk of the car and grab my tote bag. The quiet pool at WLVillas was almost deserted, so I decided to stay there rather than go to the busier main pool. After getting my chair set up, I went to the restrooms to change into my swimsuit. The restrooms here near the health club are really nice! They're very attractive, and are laid out well - with plenty of room to get changed. There were even lockers that looked like they were free, but I didn't need one.

After changing I returned to my chair and just laid there relaxing for a while. It was very quiet and peaceful for the first half hour, then more people started coming over. It was so nice when the only sounds were the chirping birds and the bubbling water (the pool has several underwater bubbling jets), and quite a shock when we started hearing this awful, nails on a chalkboard, hysterical melt-down tantrum SCREECHING coming from a preschooler who's parents had decided he was not going to the pool with the water slide. It was truly awful. The kid was way out of control, the parents were beyond their limits frustrated with him, and fortunately the situation didn't escalate into something really ugly. At one point the father picked the screeching kid up, walked to the edge of the pool, dropped him in (he was wearing those swimmies things on his arms) and walked away - I guess to the other pool. When the kid surfaced he immediately started screeching again (can't blame him, I guess, but I also sort of empathized with the dad even though he was wrong to do what he did). Perhaps leaving the area was his way of avoiding beating the crap out of that kid. Anyway, it was pretty tense & uncomfortable at the pool for a while, and eventually the kid settled down and played in the pool with his brother. Dad returned (when the screeching stopped), and everything was fine.

I'd gone in the pool briefly, and was surprised at how cool the water was - not sure if it was just me or not. I didn't stay in very long, lol, and then returned to my chair and read a couple of magazines while eating the rest of the pretzel breadstick from LeCellier. One really strange thing - when I got out of the pool and was laying on my chair, I noticed the bottom piece of my swimsuit had changed from solid color to that same color plus black stripes - but as it dried it turned back to just solid color. I never knew it would do that, lol! It was almost like a zebra stripe, but the top didn't change pattern at all - very weird. After a couple of hours (about 12:30) the clouds had built up again, and it was getting pretty noisy & crowded, so it was time for me to leave. After changing out of the swimsuit I drove back to OKW.

Today is my trash/towel day but housekeeping had not come to the unit yet. I ate one of the Mickey truffles, changed into sneakers, and walked down to Turtle Crawl (the main building area) to use the fitness center for a while. I used the treadmill and a few other pieces of equipment, then decided I should get something for lunch. Nothing really appealed to me though (burgers, hot dogs, sandwiches just aren't my thing), so I got the fresh fruit plate. I was shocked to see it - it looked so small! Smaller than the one at Hurricane Hanna's I thought, but it was still $6 with tax. As it turns out, I didn't even finish it, so the size didn't matter. Next I stopped at the Gurgling Suitcase to buy a cocktail, and selected the Turtle Krawl (a mix of different rums and fruit juices), using my DDE card for the 20% discount. I took both the fruit and the drink with me and walked back to my studio.

I was happy to see housekeeping had been in while I was gone, so I settled down to update the report and eat my fruit. The fruit was delicious (cantaloupe, watermelon, grapes, orange) - very ripe. The leftovers went in the fridge for another time. The Turtle Krawl was pretty strong - after more than 1/2 hour it's only 1/3 gone, and I can feel the effects, lol! It's not something to suck down quickly!

After taking another shower, I watched General Hospital and got online to do some of the point earning programs I try to keep up with (E Tour, Freeride, Milesource) and catch up with email and the boards. I finished the Turtle Krawl <g> and ate half of the marshmallow thingy I bought yesterday. It wasn't any better than the one earlier in the week - pretty small, and the marshmallows were kind of tough. Lately they seem hit or miss in terms of quality.

About 5 I headed out and drove over to Belz to browse over there. I pretty much only bothered with the 2 Disney shops, and saw quite a bit of merchandise that was different from what I'd seen at the location in the Premium Outlets (lots of the same stuff, too). There wasn't anything I had to have, so I came away without buying anything.

I drove back to WDW and parked at Pleasure Island. I was wanting something other than fruit or junk, so I headed to Bongo's outside window and got a chicken empanada ($1.33). It was delicious as always, and just what I needed. The West Side was pretty deserted, so I sat at a table with my empanada and watched the few people go by. When I was finished eating, I walked to the Marketplace to browse in the Christmas store - but didn't buy anything there either.

Next I entered PI and visited with Nancy in the Jazz Club during her break. When I left to head for Comedy Warehouse I noticed her boyfriend was working in the outside Rock & Roll Beach Club bar, so I stopped to talk with him for a few minutes. By the time I got up the hill the entire chained off queue area for Comedy Warehouse was full of people! I couldn't believe it, but I got in line anyway since my opportunities to see Layden in a show are quickly coming to an end. I figured a crappy seat was better than no seat, unfortunately. When they let us in, I spotted the schedule and took a look. It turned out Layden wasn't due to work in this show, but would be in the rest of them (the last 3), so I left without being seated.

The Adventurer's Club had a private party and wouldn't be open until 9:15, so I hung around outside listening to Frankie & the West End Boys and looked through the shops (again). I got in line for the 9:05 show, and once inside cm Jose let me sit in my favorite row rather than on the far side. The seats off to the side are no good for videotaping, because the lights onstage wash out the actors' faces from that angle. Jim Roberts was the keyboard player, and when he spotted me in the audience he waved & said hi (he's always been very nice).

This show featured Mary, Layden, Jake, Jen B, & Krista. Layden & Mary did the Transformations game where they start with a particular activity (tonight it was skiing) and while they both make the same movements they transform from one activity to another, adding dialogue as appropriate. Generally I hate this game, and when I've talked to Layden in the past he told me most of the actors feel the same way. They don't like doing it, but he said they have to if they're going to get good at it. I just think it's really hard to do - and be funny at the same time. He & Mary did a good job with it - it was better than most, but still not *great*. During this show they also tortured Jake.

I got right back in line for the next (10:30) show, and met a nice family in line. This time cm Jamie was seating people and she gave me my choice of seats. I chose the row behind my favorite row rather than taking the seat down on the floor. This show featured Layden, Greg, Jen K, Jen B, & Krista. They did a good job, but some couple had a baby in a stroller and the baby would not stop crying & making noise. It became very disruptive, to the point you at times wondered what the actor had just said. Layden was trying to distract the kid by waving & making faces at it when it wasn't his turn, but it didn't help. Eventually cm Jose went over to the Dad and had him leave the club with the baby. Can't blame the baby, though - at 11pm it probably wanted to be in it's crib sleeping rather than in a noisy nightclub!

I got back in line for the final (12:05) show, and tonight they didn't do the New Year's Eve show. This was good news for me, as once was definitely enough! Frankie's last set started at 11:45 tonight and when there was only 2 minutes until midnight someone else came out for the countdown stuff. They still did the fireworks & confetti. I liked it much better that we didn't have to suffer through that stupid (in my opinion) show they do leading up to the fireworks/confetti!

The final show featured Layden, Greg, Jake, Krista & Jen K, and was pretty good. They did Forgotten Songs, which I usually love, but tonight only the song (about a hairball) sung by Jen K & Layden as cats was really funny. Krista is always a hit singing due to her gorgeous voice, but it was more nice than funny. All 3 shows seemed to pass very quickly - too quickly. I left about 1am and very carefully drove back to OKW. I am capable of doing many things, but I am completely incompetent when it comes to trying to clear off a fogged up windshield. I know I used to know how to do this when I lived up north, but since my car is parked in my garage at home, I rarely have to deal with this. Usually, it's late at night when I'm at Pleasure Island <g>. I managed to get back without driving off the road, and was home by 1:15 or so.

I've got a bunch of pictures to download, and a trip report to finish, so it will be a late night - followed by another day of taking it easy. The day didn't follow the plan, because I decided I'd rather do other things. It may seem blasphemous to some, but I could care less about the theme parks generally, and since I forgot my fun noodle thing I didn't need to go to Stormalong Bay (any pool would do). Rollerblading was wonderful, the WLV pool was fine, and of course Comedy Warehouse was the main priority for the day.

Miles walked: Didn't use the pedometer today.

DAY 6 - THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2001:

Who: Sue (42), DVC member

Plan: MK or AK, rollerblade, Meet DVC friends, Comedy Warehouse

Actual: It took until almost 3am to finish everything, which was no problem since I figured I'd just sleep in this morning. Unfortunately, the LOUD family with the screaming kids next door had other ideas - I was up before 7am! I do wish when people would see a door connecting their room to the room next door they'd show a little consideration and not allow their children to behave as if they were staying in an isolated cabin miles into the woods!

Since I was up so early, I decided to head to Animal Kingdom briefly to check on the gorillas and wander around a bit before it got crowded. I left the studio by 8:45 and drove over in my car. It wasn't too crowded entering the park, and I headed directly back to Harambe for a safari fastpass (9:45). >From there I did the Pangani Forest Trail, and stayed there about 30 minutes but Gus (the dominant male silverback) was never visible (couldn't smell him, either). At one point one of the 9 year old males climbed down into the water and retrieved a can that some guest had either dropped or thrown down there! It appeared to be a can off Off bug spray, and the gorilla was trying to get to whatever was inside - by putting it in his mouth and trying to figure it out with his hands. He did manage to peel the label off, but fortunately never broke into the can of bug spray. Someone alerted a cm, and he radioed to notify the gorilla caretakers. He held onto the can for quite a while, but eventually lost interest and left it on the ground. Then, the 7 year old went right over and started playing with it. He even put it on the ground and tried stomping on it with his foot to try to break it open. About this time the cm's were doing whatever they do to call the animals back inside their backstage area (a cm behind me was telling another guest) and the gorillas all left. By now it was 9:45, so I left the area rather than watch for a human to come out and retrieve the can.

The safari was very good, although there was a bit of a wait even in the fastpass line. It was nowhere near as bad as the standby line though, lol - that seemed pretty full today. After the safari it was time for me to leave the park. Once again, it was getting very crowded. Some idiot man was literally running - weaving between people in the crowd, and since I'm not particularly big or tall, he darted around someone and ran right into me. Luckily I saw him doing this, and although I wasn't able to completely avoid him, at least I didn't get hurt - it was more annoying than anything else.

I walked back to my car and drove to the Boardwalk to go to the Bakery there. As much as I love the MK's banana nut bread, I was starting to feel like I'd had enough for this trip, lol! Actually I've still got over 1/2 of a piece, but I need a break! I got one of those chocolate & vanilla pretzels that I like, and also a brownie ($4.75). Later I remembered that those brownies just aren't worth the calories...oh, well.

I drove back to OKW, changed into my swimsuit & grabbed my laundry, then walked over to the Turtle Pond pool. The pool was fairly busy. I set up my lounge chair, put in the laundry, then lounged in a corner of the pool for a while before going back to lay on my chair. When the laundry was done I brought it back to the studio and picked up the rest of the fruit from yesterday and a NutriGrain bar for lunch - eaten while reading magazines poolside. It has been a gorgeous day so far - sunny and in the low 80's, with a pleasant breeze. After I'd been there a couple of hours the clouds started building up some - enough that I was done tanning for the day. I got a non-alcoholic pina colada from the snack bar and returned to the studio to update the report and download the pictures taken at AK this morning. After showering I got online while watching General Hospital, and ended up talking to several people online before I had to rush out for Comedy Warehouse!

I left the studio just after 6, parked at PI and went to Bongo's for a chicken empanada. Knowing that the Comedy Warehouse had been busier than normal lately, and expecting larger than normal crowds due to it being Layden's last night, I entered PI a little before 6:30 - just in case. The line hadn't formed yet, so I wandered around but didn't go far. Soon I met Leesa, and then Tracy arrived. We counted the people getting in line so we'd know when to join (in order to get the seats we like), and while in line Arlene (Tiggersmy1) saw me & came over. She decided to wait for the rest of the dvc group to arrive, but there was no way I'd give up my seat location for anybody <g> - and they knew I'd be with Comedy Warehouse regulars this night. The line filled in quickly, so I was glad to have gotten there early. We got our favorite seats and chatted briefly with another couple who are regulars, who did not realize it was Layden's last night. They told us it was also the last night for one of the actors at Adventurer's Club - heavy set guy, usually plays the butler (with the darker hair) or Fletcher Hodges. There are just too damn many people leaving PI!

As I entered the club, the schedule wasn't posted, so I asked the inside bartender to tell me which shows Layden would be in since his copy of the schedule was hanging on his door. He told me shows 1, 2 & 4. Nancy had mentioned it's kind of a tradition that on an actor's last night they don't have to work last show, so I wasn't surprised.

I didn't write down who was in each show, but it was some combination of Layden, Jen B, Jen K, Krista, Mary, Greg, Mark, & Jake - a great bunch! I went back to talk to the dvc group (Arlene, Darla {iluvdvc}, Barb {Dizyworld}, Mary {marykitch} and Barb's daughter Jackie & her friend Eddie) before the show started. They were seated pretty far back since the line filled in so quickly. The first show was very funny and most of it was the torture an actor game. They tortured Jen B, and she did an outstanding job guessing a very long saying that I gave them. I'd written it down when I read it, thinking it was material for this game, but had not used it because I was afraid it was so long it would take over the entire show. Tonight nobody else was volunteering anything the actors hadn't heard before, so I raised my hand and gave it to them. The saying was "the severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the ability to reach it". It's a mouthful, but it was hysterical watching them make Jen figure it out! They skipped the final song because they were out of time after the torture.

We got right back in line for the 2nd show - and the queue area was already filled in. Jose let us choose between back row (yuck) or going down front but being in the seats behind people. We chose the front! We were in our favorite row, but the stools behind the people at the counter. The dvc group got put in the back row :( This show was just ok - not as good as the first one.

After 2nd show we met up with the dvc group and talked out on the street for a while, then everyone eventually ended up in the Adventurer's Club - except Tracy, who'd gone to retrieve her roommates from the Com Whse line (since Layden wasn't working this show, she knew they wouldn't really want to see it). The Adventurer's Club was mobbed! The dvc group ended up going into the library for Samantha Sterling's show, but Leesa & I stayed out in the main salon since we've both seen it so many times. I don't think all the people who wanted to see it were able to get in - it was that busy!

About 10 Leesa & I headed outside to watch the line form at Comedy Warehouse, and met up with Tracy & her 2 roommates Cecilia & Lisa. They've been buying PI annual passes solely because they enjoy the Comedy Warehouse, and Layden is the primary reason they keep coming back (and Matt also - the one leaving for California). We got in line and started plotting goofy ideas about kidnapping Layden, Matt, Mark, and some of the other great ones who left during the past couple of years and forcing them back to the Comedy Warehouse - using marshmallow peeps as our "weapon". No, we weren't drunk - I was the only one who even had a drink (just 1), we were just being silly as an alternative to moping about it being Layden's last show. The dvc group got in line early, and were seated in the 2nd row on the floor - at tables.

As my group started down the stairs, one of the servers pulled me aside and said she'd heard I was doing something to try to bring back Layden (obviously not the kidnapping with marshmallow peeps), and the others wanted to participate - they don't want to lose him. I gave her my email address, and will give her the address & contact for writing letters. We ended up with our perfect seats again <g> and I went down to talk to the dvc group again before the show. I was proud of Darla - she got up at 2:30 am to head to the airport this morning, and she was still hanging in there 20 hours later!

This show was opened by Layden - and the audience reaction to his presence on stage was immediate and enthusiastic. There was so much cheering at the mere sight of him that much of what he said in the beginning wasn't able to be heard. He's got a huge following of loyal fans, which makes it all the more unbelievable that he's being moved out of the Comedy Warehouse. This show included the Conducted Story, and once again they would not mess up! I've never seen so many shows when the actors were too good to die (sadly, that will change in the next couple of weeks when the cast includes more of the new people). At one point Layden almost messed up, so the conductor (Krista) had the audience vote on whether or not to kill him - and hardly anyone wanted him dead. Finally Krista stopped it, and had the audience vote for 1 of the actors to die, since she needed some death (it was going on too long). The story itself was funny, as were each of the deaths - Jen K was the sole survivor, and wrapped up the story in a funny rap song. She does rap well.

At this point they only had the final song to do - but first Mary made an announcement about it being Layden's last night, and how he'd been at the club since it opened, and would be going to Hoop Dee Doo. Some of the other actors pushed Layden out on stage, and the clapping & cheering went on & on - including a standing ovation. There were some leaky eyes in the audience, and it was very touching to see the support & admiration he's got from so many people. They did the final song, and then the show was over. To us, it was more than the show that had ended, an integral part of the Comedy Warehouse experience had died.

We waited after the show ended, and chatted briefly with a guy in our row who is a friend of Layden's - very nice guy. Finally it was time to go down the stairs - someone suggested we just chain ourselves to the club, lol - but I thought we should just chain Layden to the stage instead. I talked to him briefly, we hugged, and I told him a friend (Larry) had added me to his Hoop ressie for New Year's Eve but that I hoped he'd be back at Comedy Warehouse by then. He wants to come back, and he's appreciative of all the letters of support that come in. The next show would be starting soon, so we all said our final goodbyes and left the club.

Outside we stood around talking a bit - sort of shell-shocked that it had really happened; that he was really gone from the Comedy Warehouse. Leesa went off to meet up with Nancy for a ride home, and the rest of us headed for the parking lot. On the way out we stopped at the ticket booth to see if they had any comment cards, but all they did was give us the address I already have. There may be comment cards at guest services, so if I'm in the area tomorrow I'll try to remember to look. Tracy & her roommates headed off in their direction - it was great meeting her in person after emailing for a while, and I drove back to OKW.

Back in the studio I finished up the report, ate some banana nut bread, and looked at tonight's pictures. Today was a good day, but bittersweet. I'm glad I was here for Layden's last week at the Comedy Warehouse, and although it was sad to sit through a show knowing it was his last, I wouldn't really have wanted to miss it. Sharing the evening with people who are also big fans of his made it so much better than just being there by myself. As for the "plan" - I never did go rollerblading, but substituted laying by a pool instead, lol! Ok, so it's not an equivalent substitute - giving up exercise in favor of reclining with a magazine, but it's my vacation!

Miles walked: didn't bother with the pedometer (actually, forgot to put it on for AK)

DAY 7 - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2001:

Who: Sue (42), DVC member

Plan: Park, rollerblade, Mardi Gras at PI

Actual: The kids next door were up before 7 again, and although they were not as noisy as the other days, I still woke up. After posting the trip report and having breakfast (cappuccino and part of the choc/vanilla pretzel) I went rollerblading over to Disney Institute. It's very overcast right now, but hopefully it'll clear later. I passed several families (2 or 3, lol) walking on the path to DI - I think they were coming from the Treehouses. Normally I encounter a few joggers, but no families using the path as a means of traveling from one place to another.

Back in the studio I showered and then called Nancy - she'd sent an email saying she needed to talk to me. Her line was busy, so thinking perhaps she was online I checked there. No Nancy, but I did talk to my stalker Maria again <g> and Kathy for a while. After finally reaching Nancy, I left the studio about 10:30 and took a bus to Magic Kingdom. I must have just missed the bus, since I had to wait through every other park before one finally came. There was a huge crowd at the turnstiles (11am) due to the ferry having recently arrived from TTC. I looked, and sure enough there was a set of double turnstiles where everyone was lined up single file at one of them - leaving the other one unused. So, I was able to walk right in. I headed to the sports store to look for something an internet friend had asked about, but was unsuccessful.

The park was very crowded, so I decided to just walk through each land and not bother with any of the attractions. While walking around the park I composed (in my head) another letter to PI Entertainment, about the audience reaction to the news of Layden's departure and again stating my opinion that he needs to be brought back there full time. I noticed at the pretzel cart in Fantasyland (outside Pinocchio's) they had a big pile of unsalted soft pretzels in addition to the salted and the cinnamin sugar. That's great news for people like me who do not like salt at all. I also noticed in part of Fantasyland there's the odor of a dumpster - something I've noticed before. It's not very pleasant! On the way down Main Street I saw the Bake Shop was uncrowded, but decided to skip getting any more banana nut bread this trip. I'll have to get some in April - by then I'll be in the mood for it again.

I left the park, and took a bus to the Yacht Club. It was a pleasant walk to the International Gateway and into Epcot, despite the fact that it was still cloudy and somewhat cool. I walked around World Showcase, starting with France, and looped around to Canada to check on having lunch at LeCellier. They were able to take me, but with a 20-25 minute wait. They gave me a beeper, and I wandered through the shops and then sat on a bench outside to draft a Layden/Comedy Warehouse letter for a friend who wanted to send one but asked me to write it for her. I wrote it from her perspective, and will email it to her - she can use it as is or modify it however she wants. When I finished, I started to walk down towards the LeCellier entrance and the beeper went off.

I was seated at the table next to the one I was at on Tuesday, lol, but had a brand new server. This was Jeannie's first day, and she did an excellent job not just with me but with every one of her tables from what I could see. The table next to me had 2 little girls and Jeannie called them each by name, complimented them for eating their lunch so well, gushed over the great job they did coloring their placemats, and even hung them up on the wall for everyone to enjoy. The little girls were beaming, and it created a very nice experience for their parents as well. I ordered my wine and the soup. When Jeannie brought it out, the soup was in a large bowl rather than the little cup. I was shocked, and she said she brought me a bigger portion since it was all I was eating (did not charge me any more). It was delicious, but I was unable to finish it all. I'd asked her about the creme brulee dessert - if it was available "to go" I was going to get one and bring it to Nancy tonight at work since I know she likes that, but Jeannie explained they use a flame thing to carmelize the top and that doesn't work in a "to go" container! Oh well, if it's not chocolate, I have no clue <g>. The check was $8.27 after the DDE discount, so I left her a larger than normal tip and also filled out one of those We're All Ears comment card things about her. LOL, this is turning out to be my week for written communication to Disney! I took the rest of my pretzel breadstick, and went back outside.

At last the sun was shining! I walked to Future World and rode Spaceship Earth before leaving Epcot. The OKW bus was waiting, so I got on board and it left within a minute for the resort. Back at the studio I updated the report and got online while watching General Hospital. This has worked out really well, since each day there's been an update from the person I left in charge at work. I spend maybe 1/2 an hour responding to whatever issues come up, and also learn of any new stuff so when I return on Monday it's as if I wasn't gone at all (almost). It's also an opportunity to talk to friends - both those up here and those far away - before heading out for the evening.

I left the studio around 5:30, parked at PI and planne to do some resort hopping. However, I soon realized there wasn't time to hop a bus to any resort and get back in time for the first show at the Comedy Warehouse. So, I wandered around the Marketplace a while, then went to the West Side. They'd closed off PI at 6pm in preparation for Mardi Gras tonight. That way they can clear out the island and not have anyone in there who hasn't paid <g>! I decided to stop into DisneyQuest and was surprised to see only a 5 minute wait posted for Cyber Space Mountain! I headed down there & designed a fun coaster with lots of inversions. LOL - I'm too much of a wimp to do the real thing, but I can do the simulators. I got to watch someone ahead of me - when you're in the simulator it's like being in a dryer - you get turned & spun all around. By the way, DQ admission is now $29 for adults and $23 for kids age 3-9.

After my cyber coaster it was time to return to stand in line to enter PI. Shortly after 7 they opened the turnstiles and I headed in. I stopped to talk to cm Jaime briefly, then headed up the stairs to Comedy Warehouse (they had her at a bar set up just for Mardi Gras) and got in line. I was seated at the end of the front barstool row on the floor, which didn't bother me since I didn't bring the camcorder. It turned out to be a great seat. The cast was Philip, Mark, Matt, Mary & Krista - all wonderful actors! Summer was my server, and she asked me if I wanted my Bye Bye Blues. She's been really great, and tomorrow is her birthday (24 yrs old - just a kid). Before the show I talked to a really nice woman who was there with her husband - their first visit to PI. Matt opened the show, and was outstanding all night long. When he first started I wasn't too sure about him, but when he finally settled in he became one of the really great ones. He was always popular because he's so handsome, but for me that's not enough here - I want their talent to be more impressive than their looks, and luckily Matt proved himself to be much more than just a hunk (not that being a hunk hurts, lol).

This show they tortured Philip, and he chose me to go outside with him (as an alibi, to prove he can't hear the cliche). He thought we'd talked before, but I told him I didn't think so. It's possible we might have said goodnight, but I kind of doubt even that much interaction since he rarely comes out to greet guests after the shows. He asked my name and reacted like he knew that's what it would be - so I'm somehow familiar to him. I've always liked him - I love that he's so crazy, zany, and just plain "over the top" most of the time. We had a nice conversation, and I learned he used to do the Hunchback show at the Studios before moving to the Adventurer's Club and then moving to Comedy Warehouse. He also mentioned an actress friend is now moving from Hunchback to the Adventurer's Club, which I assume is because some of the Adv Club actors are moving to Comedy Warehouse. That's the logical progression - an acting job in a show, move up to Adv Club, then finally move up to Com Whse. It does NOT make sense to go from Comedy Warehouse to a show (like Hoop Dee Doo :::rant, rant:::). That's a slap in the face. Back to Philip - I'd been told he's very different offstage than he is onstage, and that was apparent during out time outside. Onstage he's wild, crazy & outgoing. Offstage he's quiet, calm, and rather serene. We were called back in, and he was back to crazy Philip and did a great job guessing the cliche - Touch my car and I'll flick a booger on your windshield.

After this show I headed down the hill to buy a Comedy Warehouse shot glass. I don't collect or care about shot glasses, but this is the only piece of merchandise from the Comedy Warehouse. Too bad we can't say that about Winnie the Pooh, lol! I headed back up the hill and waited for the 8:30 Mardi Gras parade. Mardi Gras is so much fun here! I doubt I'd like the real thing, but the Disney version is just my speed. It's not a long parade, but the floats are pretty cool, and there are lots of people throwing beads, plastic coins, plastic cups, and there are people on stilts also. It's all festive & fun, and when the parade finishes they blow out all the confetti like they do at NY Eve time and then drop a dozen or so large balloons that people bounce back & forth to avoid them hitting the ground. I took a bunch of pictures, but I won't get around to posting them until late in the day 2/24/01. I got a few more strands of beads and some coins, but that's about it since I was taking pictures.

I got right into line for the 3rd show, and had about a 30 minute wait. It was worth it though - and cm Jose was a sweetheart and directed me into my favorite seat rather than putting me down on the floor (without my asking). I stopped to say thanks later. Lisa was the server for this section, and I've known her for years. This show featured Philip, Matt, Krista, Greg & Jen K, and it was even better than the first show. Matt was really on a roll tonight! He is definitely going to be missed after March 14th. They did the conducted story, and Matt did the conducting. When it was Jen's turn to die, first Greg was lusting after her, then Krista was (while Jen tried to keep her composure), and then Greg came back and was nibbling on her ear and licking her ear! When it was his turn to die, they ALL got involved licking his ear to the point where he was joking about all the spit in his ear and trying to dry off with a napkin! When it was over he quipped that that was exactly what he was expecting when he signed a contract with Disney, lol! It may sound weird or strange reading it, but in person it was hysterical! After the show I said goodbye to a few people, then headed out. Some of them are still upset over Layden's departure, and I told them I'd be sending another letter and would be stapling my PI annual pass to the letter - in effect returning it as unwanted. It expires late next month, and I don't have any trips planned before then, but Disney doesn't necessarily know that. I won't be renewing my PI AP, and will tell them that I won't be purchasing another one until Layden is back full time at Comedy Warehouse. I had planned to upgrade my parks AP to a PAP in July, and will still do that - but any visits to Comedy Warehouse will be on a single day ticket or as a guest on Leesa's dual PI AP (it gets the person plus a guest in each night). Tonight the Comedy Warehouse was fantastic, but once Mark & Matt are also gone, and Krista is off on maternity leave, there won't be enough of the really good ones to cover 7 nights a week.

After this show I waited for the 10:30 Mardi Gras parade. This one was much more crowded, and I was behind some people so I wasn't able to grab any beads. I did get some coins, I guess since I'm close to the ground <g>. They did the confetti again, and the balloons. I stopped to say goodbye to Jaime on the way out, and was back in my studio at 11pm.

I finished the pretzel breadstick and updated/posted the trip report. Today I actually did everything on the plan. Lunch at LeCellier was an added bonus, especially with such a great server. The evening at PI was a lot of fun, even with the extra crowds!

Miles walked: 4.7

DAY 8 - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2001:

Who: Sue (42), DVC member

Plan: Epcot, drive home

Actual: This afternoon is the going away party for Matt, Mark & Layden, held at Jen B's house. Mary had told Leesa & me that we were both welcome, but we ended up not going. She had something come up, and I just didn't feel that I knew them well enough personally that I should be at their party. As it turns out, Matt wasn't going to be there, Layden was going to be late, and Mary was questionable also. When Leesa & I were at the club in early February, Mary approached her about doing something for the 3 guys leaving, since Leesa & her husband have thousands of pictures they've taken in the club. She talked to Mary about it further, and decided on making a collage for each guy. Mary said either do it "handsome" or "funny" - her call. Leesa prepared the initial collages and IM'd me one night asking if I'd give her feedback on them. We spent a few hours emailing pictures back & forth to get them just right, and she ended up using some of the pictures I'd taken. The collage ended up being a large center picture of the actor's face (handsome), surrounded by several smaller pictures of different characters (funny) they've portrayed over their years at the club. She had a great center picture for Mark, but the best one she had for Layden wasn't nearly as nice. Luckily I had one she liked, so it ended up that in his collage the big center picture is one taken by me <g>. We finally had 3 collages we both liked, she sent them to Mary (who also liked them), but when she printed them out the print quality wasn't as good as on the computer screen. She brought them to our lunch on Monday, and printed one of the Layden collage for me to keep. Mary didn't want us to say anything to anyone else about the collages until after she gave them to the guys at the party on Saturday. Leesa gave Mary the collages on a cd and she had them printed at a place & said they turned out really nice - it would have been nice to see them, but Saturday just wasn't going to work out for me. Mary's husband was matting & framing them yesterday. So, that's the "project" I referred to earlier. The 3 actors should have them by now, so it's no longer a secret.

This morning the screaming kids next door woke me up for the last time - thank goodness! I was really hoping they would have checked out a long time ago, lol. I really don't remember Chris ever being that boisterous at home or in a hotel, but maybe the difference is there are 2 of these kids and they feed off of each other - getting louder & louder.

I finished packing up my stuff and got ready for the day. I ate the rest of the banana nut bread with my cappuccino. The only food I didn't finish yesterday was the rest of the chocolate/vanilla pretzel, so I'll bring that home. I left the studio for the last time around 9am, and drove to park at Boardwalk. I walked the path from BW to MGM Studios, and it measured 3/4 mile on the pedometer. There were only 2 other people using the path.

It was 9:30 when I entered the Studios, and it wasn't crowded yet at all. I decided to do the Great Movie Ride, and walked right onto the thing - the doors were open when I got inside. They were only running the gangster side at that moment, which wasn't the end of the world (I prefer the western for the bank explosion). Afterwards I wandered around the park, and came across Goofy all alone (except for his cm) on NY Street. Normally I don't bother with the characters, but since he was alone he gestured for me to come over, and he began flirting like a big goofy dog <g>. The cm took our picture, and then other people started arriving so he kissed my hand goodbye and I left. I finished walking around, browsed through the shops on Hollywood Boulevard, and then decided to leave the park.

I walked the path back to Boardwalk and then walked to the International Gateway entrance to Epcot. This park wasn't crowded either - which is one of the things I like best about Epcot! I went over to Test Track and got in the single rider line, going right up to the waiting area inside the building. The ride had technical problems and shut down for a while, then restarted. When I was in the loading area it shut down again, but eventually got going again and I was able to ride without any further breakdowns. I got a pretzel from the cart nearby, but it wasn't nearly as good as the pretzels I've bought in MGM and MK. It was better than nothing, and what I didn't eat now I finished during the drive home.

I left the park, walked back to the Boardwalk, and started the drive home. Due to the wildfire that's still got part of I-4 closed, I took the route down through the middle of the state. It's about 50 miles shorter distance, yet it took me about 1/2 hour longer than my normal travel time. For about a mile or so we traveled at 10-15 mph due to all the interstate traffic detoured on the smaller road.

Miles walked: 4.6

SUMMARY:

This was a wonderful trip in so many ways, but also very depressing realizing that on future trips there will be no Mark, Matt or Layden at the Comedy Warehouse. Although, we are hoping to correct the Layden situation eventually and if/when that happens there will be a club full of very happy fans! Besides all of the Comedy Warehouse stuff (I apologize for boring people with all the constant references to that, but I tend to write what's most significant to me at the time...even though it may not be important to everyone) this trip had lots of time with good friends, had great weather, and it felt wonderful to be back "home" at Old Key West.

I don't expect to have as many business trips to the wdw area this year, due to the Governor's executive order to cut travel costs, so it'll mostly be just vacations. The next trip will be 2 nights offsite at WDW followed by 5 nights sharing a 2br in Hilton Head with Darla (iluvdvc) at Easter. That's about 6 weeks away, which I guess is typical for me, lol - and her too!

DISAPPOINTMENTS:

• The parks were awfully busy generally. For me it's not such a big deal since I really don't spend much time there, but I might have spent more time if it wasn't so crowded.
• The closure of I-4 due to the wildfire created extra traffic & a longer trip home.
• Learning that Layden was not able to remain at the Comedy Warehouse - I would have preferred for him to be leaving because he found someplace he'd rather be.
• Those screaming kids!!!! Arrgh - it'll be nice to get more than 4 hours of sleep for a change. I do wish dvc had built those connecting units with better soundproofing, although I've had stays where I've not heard a sound from my neighbors. Usually I do get noise, though.

MAGICAL MOMENTS:

• Being at the Comedy Warehouse every night, seeing the cm's (servers) who are always so nice to me, seeing Mark & Matt perform for my last time, and being at Layden's final show. I've got over 10 years of wonderful memories of his shows, and almost that many years of watching Mark.
• Meeting Tracy - once again, the most magical moments are more about friends than about any "thing" at wdw. She & I had been emailing a while, since we're both huge Com Whse/Layden fans, and she was terrific in person. Her roommates were both really nice, too.
• Talking to the CW actors on different nights, and being recognized by them is fun. That club is like a 2nd home to me - sort of like the Cheers theme song about a place where everybody knows your name <g>. Regarding Layden's departure, I was glad he chose to talk openly & tell me what was really going on, without holding back the ugly details. It made me feel good that he felt comfortable sharing that with me.
• The "girls day/night" of lunch at Whispering Canyon and then Comedy Warehouse at night with Sheila, Leesa & Nancy (& Tracy at night) was a great time! I'm so lucky to have such great friends to share time with at wdw.
• Working with Leesa on the collages for the 3 Comedy Warehouse guys was fun, and it was a thrill to see pictures I'd taken on the finished products!
• Getting to see Darla, Mary, Barb & Arlene (dvc friends) again was a real treat, even though we didn't have a lot of time together. Of course, Darla & I run into each other a lot on trips, and we'll be vacationing together in Hilton Head in about 6 weeks.
• Food - We ate great this trip, and every meal was excellent. The exception would be the marshmallow thingy, which technically isn't a meal to most people. Concourse Steakhouse, LeCellier, Whispering Canyon (twice), DisneyQuest food, and the chicken empanadas were all terrific!

Thanks for reading, and until next time - Sue

Sue Holland

wdw1972@aol.com

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