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Sue Holland -- August 2002 -- Walt Disney World (OKWRR, Offsite)
INTRODUCTION: Since Monday is a holiday from work, I scheduled this week for a vacation to WDW because I would only have to miss 4 days of work. Originally it was done to stretch my vacation time as far as possible, but the unfortunate reality is it's becoming increasingly difficult to be away from the office even for a week so at least everyone else will be gone for 1 of my days off! The original plan was to spend Friday at Leesa's and then spend 6 nights at OKWR, going home on Friday 9/6. I recently learned I needed to attend a meeting on Monday & Tuesday 9/9 & 9/10 and when the meeting got moved to Orlando it became obvious it made no sense to drive home on Friday only to drive back on Sunday! I called DVC to add Friday night to my OKWR stay and booked Saturday at Leesa's <g>. My meeting is at the Sheraton Suites near the airport, which has been renovated & looks pretty nice. I hate being that far away from Comedy Warehouse though (20 miles) and thought about just booking somewhere in Lake Buena Vista, but since Leesa is flying to Seattle on Tuesday it made sense to stay here. I'll pick her up after the meeting Monday and bring her to the Comedy Warehouse, then she'll spend the night in my suite before catching the free shuttle to the airport while I'm in my meeting the next day. So, the trip is now 11 nights - but since that means 11 nights at the Comedy Warehouse I won't complain! I haven't made many plans for the week, preferring to mostly play it by ear and see what I feel like doing at any point in time. I plan to relax in the sun, most likely at the water parks rather than hotel pools (except when I do laundry towards the end of my OKWR stay). During the July trip we never went to the Magic Kingdom at all (in 10 days), so I'd like to at least spend 1 morning there to ride some of my favorite attractions. At Epcot I'd like to eat at LeCellier for lunch some day, and I'm sure I'll be making trips to Mara at AKL to buy soup and the breakfast yogurt/granola things. At some point I'll search for Gus on the Pangani Trail at AK and check on him for my friend Kathy. Layden is now hosting the ABC show over at the Studios, so once I find out what shows he's working I'll make it a point to get over there to see him. I never read about anyone going to this attraction in trip reports, and the only people I know who've seen it were shocked that even Layden's talents were not enough to make it very good. I guess it's just as well it's ending soon - hopefully Layden will end up in a much better role. Nancy hopes to join me for lunch one day, and I'm also looking forward to lunch another day with Shontell Crawford from dvctalk. Since I'll be "offsite scum" <g> at the end of this trip, I just might visit Belz Outlets on my way to WDW Sunday afternoon. Of course I'll be at Comedy Warehouse every night, since that's really the main attraction for me (and the reason for all these dvc points <g>). The plans (subject to change) so far... Fri 8/30: Work, Pick up Leesa, Visit Caribbean Beach Resort, Comedy Warehouse w/Leesa Sat 8/31: Check in OKWR, Typhoon Lagoon or Epcot, Comedy Warehouse Sun 9/1: Magic Kingdom a.m., AK, Soup at Mara, Comedy Warehouse Mon 9/2: MGM or Epcot, Lunch w/Shontell Crawford, Comedy Warehouse Tue 9/3: Comedy Warehouse Wed 9/4: Blizzard Beach, Comedy Warehouse Thu 9/5: Laundry, Lunch w/Nancy & Leesa, Comedy Warehouse w/Leesa Fri 9/6: MK, Comedy Warehouse Sat 9/7: Check out OKWR, Comedy Warehouse w/Leesa Sun 9/8: Check in to Sheraton Suites, Comedy Warehouse Mon 9/9: Boring Meeting, pick up Leesa, Comedy Warehouse w/Leesa Tue 9/10: Boring Meeting, drive home DAY 1 FRIDAY AUGUST 30, 2002: Who: Sue, DVC Member Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular Plan: Work, Pick up Leesa, Visit Caribbean Beach Resort, Comedy Warehouse w/Leesa Actual: I went to work briefly, but left around 9:30 for Leesa's. Since she doesn't drive, we made a trip to Publix to pick up some groceries, and then did some stuff on the computers until we left for WDW a little after 4:30. First stop was Caribbean Beach Resort, so I could take pictures of one of the rooms. We found my DVC friend Rick Gabauer in the parking lot, and he took us back to his room. Leesa wandered off to take pictures around the lake, and I took some pictures of the room while visiting with Rick and his wife Leslie. Our families shared a table at dinner on the first (unofficial) aol/DVC cruise several years ago, and I hadn't seen them since. They're both really nice people, and I enjoyed catching up with them. We walked outside to retrieve Leesa, who showed Rick her camera before we headed back to the car. We drove to Old Port Royal to have dinner at the food court there, figuring it wouldn't be anything outstanding but would at least be decent. I've never liked this food court, and I don't know why I keep trying it, lol - this was probably my 4th or 5th visit, and if my 6th (after the rehab) isn't any better, there won't be a 7th! For the benefit of anyone who has not been there, the current food court has several different stands but you have to order and pay at each one. This makes it difficult for families where 1 person wants pizza, 1 wants a burger, and 1 wants a sandwich. Unless everyone is old enough to stand in their own line, order & pay, then mom or dad end up having to stand in multiple lines and watch some of the food get cold. Hopefully the new food court after the rehab will eliminate this problem. We checked out all of the menu offerings and Leesa decided on the chicken dinner, while I went back to the pizza place and got the kids' penne pasta with marinara sauce. We easily found a table by the window, and ate our dinner while enjoying Disney tropical music - except when it was drowned out by the occasional screeching toddler or more often by the noise made by the large trash can being rolled around on the tile floor by a cm. Sure, they have to keep the trash cans emptied, but during dinner time it was somewhat distracting. Leesa declared her chicken to be "so-so" at best. She loves the chicken at Wolfgang Puck's Express, and this was nowhere near that level of quality. She had what appeared to be a small piece of a label in her mashed potato, and a very hard corn kernel in her corn bread, too. I ate my breadstick but barely touched the pasta - I am just not a pasta in marinara person, so I'm not sure why I ordered it (except that nothing else looked appealing). I did eat some of Leesa's chicken, and thought it was ok - just nothing special. Oh - our window table also provided us with the added entertainment of watching the ants crawling on the window sill (indoors). It's safe to say I won't be rushing back over here to eat again before they close, lol! We drove over to Downtown Disney and entered Pleasure Island shortly before 7pm. The line was just beginning to form at the Comedy Warehouse, and we saw several of the regulars who'd be using the back door (medical/mobility reasons) with their parties so we took that into consideration for the count and got in line at the right time. We were seated in long row - along with the 8 regulars from the back door, so we chatted with people we know before the show. It was nice to see all the servers again, and I made my way down the stairs exchanging greetings with each one, lol. It's been a month since I've been here - which seems like a very long time. Hell, it IS a very long time! Leesa would die if she had to go a month between visits <g>! The 7:20 show had Mary, Chris, Brian, Todd & Matt (Carol Stein on the keys). They opened with a poem called "Dad is Ugly", which was ok. Next Matt & Todd created a scene in a morgue and had to stop the action to continue in 3 different song styles. They did a pop song called Holy Cripes, a Caribbean song called Who's Going Where, and a country song called Plan B. This was just ok, too. They did Actor's Nightmare, with it being Brian's nightmare. Chris, Mary & Matt each read lines from a different play, while Brian had to improvise his lines and make everything everyone said make sense. It was funny, and Brian really did an excellent job pulling it all together. He's also the one most likely to come out with really irreverent jokes, but carries it off well - I've come to really enjoy him! After the show Chris mentioned something that concerned me - without going into all of the details, I'd played a little joke on Greg, basically yanking his chain over something that happened during 1 of the shows last night (Leesa had told me about it) that was pretty extreme. It involved an unusual guest who answered the phone while Greg was onstage, so I'd sent him a Thank You e-card pretending that the guest was my very favorite younger step-brother (the pride of our family), and thought I went far enough over the top that he'd realize I was joking. The guy had made a comment that when he's big & famous (in theater) he'll find a job for Greg, so I even included that in the email, lol - but then I got this nice, sincere email from Greg which left me wondering if he didn't realize I was joking or was he just messing with me right back <g>. Anyway, Chris mentioned that during their pre-show meeting Greg had told everyone that guy last night was my brother!! This guy was one of the strangest guests to ever answer the phone (not rude like some, just very very weird <g>), so the last thing I wanted everyone to think was that I'm his sister! When I told Chris it was a joke, she cracked up, and at first wanted to run back & tell Greg, but decided to let me tell him. She did bust his chops for it later, though - after she found out I'd told him. I think she enjoyed teasing him <g>. We went outside and joined the other regulars - 1 guy had left, and David had arrived so we once again filled long row for the next show. The 8:15 cast was Mary, Brian, Greg, Matt & Chris. Greg rang the bell for a Should Have Said where Chris was the servant ironing shirt, Matt was the boss of the servants, and Brian was the elderly master. It was pretty funny, but then the person controlling the bell can just make the actors keep repeating stuff until they find a funny line! They did 2 Forgotten Songs instead of 3 as usual. Mary was a photographer singing a Latin song called I Forgot My Camera. Since losing her camera she used a pencil to draw the pictures, which was pretty funny during police crime scenes <g>. Matt & Brian were in front of urinals in the men's' room doing a ragtime song called Wash Your Hands Before Returning to Work, and it was also cute. Next they did Cliché, where Greg was tortured until he guessed "Dope don't smoke itself". It went very quickly, and was a lot of fun. The first clue had 3 actors coming out as 3 of the 7 dwarves. The first 2 pretended to each be smoking one of his own fingers, but the 3rd (Mary - as Dopey) did not. It made perfect sense to anyone who'd heard the saying, but didn't say much to Greg! We chatted with Greg on the way out and then stood in the rain briefly before being called in for the next show. The 9:15 cast was Mary, Todd, Greg, Brian & Philip. They started with the name rhyme game, which always gets things off to a good start. Greg & Todd started a Fill In The Blanks scene as 2 CEOs in jail together, later joined by Philip as their old CPA from Arthur Anderson and then Mary as Martha Stewart (ladies' prison was full). It was an excellent piece! They also did Madrigal Singers, which I don't see very often. In this game each of 4 actors starts a different song and then the conductor rotates amongst them to make new songs by mixing up the different titles. It's usually very funny, and they did a great job tonight. They started with "Alligator Skins Tail on Water Slide", "Space Aliens Negotiate Baseball Players' Contracts", John Kennedy Found in Warehouse with Elvis", and "Genetic Research Links Bill Gates to Rats". The final song they ended up with (which the audience has to sing) was "Bill Gates Plays with Balls". Up Your Alley was next, hosted by Philip as Jim Kanofelhefferfinger - a Disney Traditions instructor. The topic was transformers and they had a guy from the audience who was an expert on them (the toys). Greg was Paul Mitchell, owner of a beauty salon called transformation, which is for "hideously ugly gals" to transform. He might not have been politically correct, but he was funny! Mary was Neutron, an electrician who builds transformers, and a few times she got caught by Greg or Philip when she'd say something that was totally illogical and then couldn't explain it, lol! Overall it was a great show, with lots of funny moments. We talked to Nancy outside until it was time to go in for the next show. The 10:30 cast was Matt, Philip, Chris, Todd & Brian. The guy on the phone was kind of a jerk, and made a few very tasteless and inappropriate attempts at being funny. When they did the song, Brian really ripped into the guy for it. That might sound mean, but it's so well-deserved, and avoidable if you just answer the damn questions without trying to be a stand-up comic! The rest of the show was Conducted Story, led by Chris. The title was "My Aardvark is Ugly", and it eventually evolved to include the plot twist of the Tooth Fairy, which happened to be a gay dentist at a convention. The main character in the story was a guy named Shane, and his 3 friends (all of whom were named Stanley). At one point Brian was pretending to be the gay Stanley who was attracted to the dentist, and was shouting "Drill me, drill me, I have a cavity" in a suggestive way! It was so funny! The story was actually as entertaining as the deaths, which are usually the highlight. Todd was the first to die, and died by a marshmallow at a campfire. Philip died a Mark Twain death , and then Brian had a guy from the audience make sound effects to a scene where he died at cheerleading tryouts. Matt then wrapped up the story as a lounge singer. The embarrassing story to close the show was really strange. This guy who worked as a stripper was hired to strip for a lady in a restaurant (Dick's Last Resort in Myrtle Beach), and forgot to wear the thong he usually wears when stripping. So, he put on a pair of "tear-away panties" that the restaurant sells - what the hell kind of restaurant sells stuff like that???? Ok, I don't really need to know. Anyway, someone had convinced the lady that she was supposed to rip the panties off him, so while he's doing his little strip dance in front of 100 people she reaches up and yanks the panties right off him! He then went & hid behind the trombone player & put his clothes on, lol! It was a great show, but we left after this one rather than waiting 30 minutes for the final show to start. Leesa was hungry so we stopped at a Subway to get her a sandwich, then returned to her condo. I set the alarm for morning so I'd get up to get checked in at OKWR and head to Typhoon Lagoon before it gets crowded. We were each online in our bedrooms - if we didn't want to shout across the hall we could have IM'd <g>. I wrote up the report and had it posted by about 2:15, with lights out shortly afterwards. It was a pretty good day - I enjoyed seeing Rick & Leslie again, and Leesa & I got to watch some very good shows at the Comedy Warehouse. The one low point would have to be the dinner at CBR, but we'll know better next time! DAY 2 SATURDAY AUGUST 31, 2002: Who: Sue, DVC Member Plan: Check in OKWR, Typhoon Lagoon or Epcot, Comedy Warehouse Actual: I woke up at 7 to the beeping alarm - which surprised me since I was expecting music, but it was my fault for setting it wrong! Yikes! I showered, had breakfast, read some stuff online, and was on the way to OKWR by 8:30. At OKWR there was a very short line, but when it was my turn cm Deborah told me many studios were ready and went to find one that I could get into right away. I asked about the new buildings, and she found a studio in building 62. When I got there, though, the room was not ready! I had to go back to the front desk, where Deborah apologized for the inconvenience. The computer was showing the room as ready, but it clearly was not. Luckily there was an even better room in the same building, so I took that. I've never stayed this close to the main building before, and there is a crying infant in the connecting 1br, but hopefully the TV will drown that out later! I really wish they'd done a better job soundproofing these units. It sounds like the older brother did something to cause the baby to wake up screaming, based on the shouting back & forth between parent & child - I really didn't feel like listening to this on my vacation, so I left the room and drove to Typhoon Lagoon. Typhoon Lagoon opened later than expected, but it worked out for the best. I had assumed they would have a 10am opening in September, but thought they would still be opening at 9am through the holiday weekend. When I checked in I saw that today was the start of the 10am opening, which seemed kind of strange, since it is Saturday of a holiday weekend! I got in just after 10, while the lines were not too bad, and stayed until about 12:30. During that time it was never as crowded as it was in July, which was really nice. I floated around the lazy river, sat at the edge of the wave pool with a magazine, floated in the wave pool during the bobbing waves period (the big waves are too much for me), and did a continuing professional education tax course while laying on my chair. It was a relaxing yet productive morning, and very enjoyable. There wasn't a single person smoking nearby, it wasn't overly crowded, and everyone was just having fun. I was hungry by the time I left, but too sweaty & nasty to go anywhere so I returned to my studio and had a little cereal to tide me over until later. I discovered that Post Great Grains (pecan) tastes a lot like a bowl of twigs and dried leaves - won't be buying this again, lol! It's doubtful that we'll escape more rain this afternoon, but if it looks clear I may head over to Animal Kingdom later after I'm showered and cleaned up again. Since I did so little time in the parks last trip, I find I'm more in the mood to see them again this time! When I went to get online, the modem could not get a dial tone, which completely aggravated me - I HATE computer trouble! Everything I checked indicated the modem was fine, so in desperation I called my personal computer goddess - Leesa! She had me check the same things I'd already checked, and was searching on the internet on her end to find possible solutions, when all of a sudden a light bulb clicked on over my head <g>. I always unplug the phone cord from the telephone and plug it into the laptop, and when I did that today the cord was plugged in to the side rather than the bottom (it's usually on the bottom). So, I checked the phone and found that the cord I'd unhooked and plugged into my laptop was someone's extra phone cord that they'd left behind - one end was plugged into my laptop and the other end was laying on the floor behind the nightstand. Of course there wouldn't be a dial tone, lol! I felt like an idiot but was relieved the problem was solved! It rained off and on all afternoon, but I decided to head to Animal Kingdom regardless a little before 3. There were a fair number of people arriving, and I had to wait in line to get through the security checkpoint. The tip board inside indicated 10-15 minute waits everywhere, but I think they were over stated. Dinosaur had a 15 minute wait on the tip board, 10 minute standby wait at the attraction entrance, but I walked right into the preshow that had just begun. There was a family of 4 in the front row of my car, and I was seated in the back row (just the 5 of us). It was funny to see them at the end of the ride, with their heads crouched down as if they were hiding from the last dinosaur! There were many cars going through completely empty, too. The exit from Dinosaur takes you into the new carnival-type area, which seemed pretty busy. It was really hot, too - uncomfortably hot in my opinion. I continued past Asia and into Harambe. The wait time for the Safari was posted at 10 minutes and there were no more Fastpasses being issued, so I went to the Pangani Forest Trail first to see which gorillas were out. The gorillas evidently are smarter than humans - not a single one of them was dumb enough to be sitting outside in this heat <g>. Oh well, that was a waste of time, but you never know what you'll see when you go back there (usually it's more than nothing <g>). I did the Safari next, and had a great driver who followed the script but did it with some enthusiasm and speaking clearly. We saw the 2 lions moving around, which was a rare treat, and most of the other animals as well (missed the zebras). By now I had seen and done all I was interested in at this park, so I headed for the exit and drove over to Animal Kingdom Lodge to pick up dinner. Eating in my studio is a LOT more pleasant than eating at Mara, so I got the tomato bisque to go. I also picked up a brownie to snack on and one of the yogurt/granola things for breakfast tomorrow instead of twigs & leaves in milk. There's no DDE discount here, but the total was only $9.94, which for 2 meals plus snacks is very good - and both meals are delicious & filling! I was back in my studio shortly after 5. I ate my soup and part of the brownie, then updated the report while watching for some weather & news to come on the TV before I had to leave for Comedy Warehouse. After being in Animal Kingdom for 2 hours I could have used another shower, but decided to just blend in with the rest of the tourists instead <g>. I left around 6 for Downtown Disney and parked at PI before walking over to the Marketplace. There really wasn't anything I needed to do, so I browsed through part of the World of Disney, picked up a chocolate sample at Ghiradelli, and looked at the menu at Portobello Yacht Club before getting my PI wristband and walking to the West Side. Chris' dad called on the radio (Nextel - minutes are free between Nextel users) so I chatted with him while I wandered around. He'd been warned to not ever try to reach me during Comedy Warehouse time, lol, so he was calling early. Actually, I shut the speaker off and turn the ringer to vibrate only when I'm at the Comedy Warehouse, as everyone should do! It's so rude when the actors are performing and some idiot's cell phone rings - the actors really hate it. I was seated in long row, Jamie was on the keys, and the 7:20 cast was Krista, Greg, Jen, Philip & Brian. Philip & Greg did a great job at Fill In The Blank using 2 audience volunteers. Next they did scene freeze where they stop and continue in 3 different song styles. Krista and Jen were celebrating Krista's pregnancy by some internet guy she was never going to hear from again (her 4th child). They did "We Met in Vegas" as a roller disco song, "He's Not Going to Write" as an opera song, and "I Took You For Granted - I'm Sorry" as a do-wop song. It's always great having Krista onstage when there's singing involved - she was incredible in the opera song, and Jen also has a terrific voice. To close the show Greg asked for a pet peeve - something that irritates you. They guy who volunteered mentioned a neurological disease, which a person would have no control over, so Greg refused to take that suggestion and asked for another. I like that they won't take suggestions like that, which make fun of people for things beyond their control. After the show I talked to Greg a bit and then went outside and got in line for the next one. The 8:15 cast was Krista, Chris, Brian, Greg & Philip. They opened with the phone thing, getting a couple who work in the nursing industry in Melbourne, FL. Next Philip rang the bell in Should Have Said, with Chris working with a plunger and eventually killing her husband Brian by shoving his head in a toilet after he confessed to being in love with their servant Madge (Krista). It was funny, and Philip kept it very brief. They did Forgotten Songs next. Greg did a folk song called "Bob Dole Lactose" about this woman who was raised sucking on Bob Dole lactose - mostly making fun of republicans <g>. Philip came out as a Star Trek fanatic singing a religious song called "I Love Myself". He mentioned he still lives with Mom, took her to the prom, and no women will have anything to do with him but he said there's something to be said for a strong right hand (and demonstrated the hand movement), lol! Krista & Brian came out as the couple from the phone at the beginning of the show, with Chris as the elderly mother. They sang "You Don't Know What You Don't Know" all about the annoying things the senile mother does. They also did Schmeopardy, hosted by Krista doing her very rapid talking. Brian was a bizarre technician named Skippy for a company that makes anti-vibration mountings. Greg was Billy Flanagan, a Backstage Tour cm over at MGM. He played him as very gay, eating dirt because that's all he can afford on his salary, and commented that ice cream costs $12 because they make it with pixie dust. Philip was a sanitation officer who works at Buckingham Palace. His name (say it quickly) was Thomas Mellshit. They did a very good job - in fact, the entire show was great. They did a lot of different games, and each one moved along well. I went outside right away, but the line for the 3rd show was so long it filled almost the entire queue area. Knowing I would be seated behind people, I decided to skip this show and get a good seat for the 10:30 show. I went into the Adventurer's Club, but didn't last too long there. It was very crowded, and even when they completely filled one of the smaller rooms for a show the main salon was still standing room only. Graham was looking quite dashing as the butler, and had a really nice looking tuxedo-type suit and white gloves. My favorite Pamelia (red hair) was working as the maid, and I didn't recognize some of the others at all. Pretty soon I realized I didn't want to be there, and had no desire to sit around in this club for an hour waiting to get in line at the Comedy Warehouse. With nowhere else to go I decided to just make it an early evening and drove back to OKWR. Back "home", I walked over to the main building just because it was so close and I'm never here at night. There were a few people in the pool, some drinking at the Gurgling Suitcase, a few finishing dinner in Olivia's, a lady doing laundry, and a few shoppers. I returned to my studio to finish & post the report. Actually getting to bed at a reasonable hour sounds pretty good, since I only slept for 3 hours last night (not sure why - it was quiet, comfortable, but I laid there awake until almost 4am - ugh). Chris & his dad called on the radio, expecting me to be in line for the 10:30 show, lol. My neighbors came home, but hopefully they'll go to bed soon. The baby was crying again - that's what babies do, but it sure would be nice if you could take your baby on vacation and expect that your room was built well enough that the people next to you won't hear the noise! Today was a good day, and I did everything on the plan. Typhoon Lagoon was great, and except for the gorillas not being out I enjoyed what I did at AK. The Comedy Warehouse shows I saw were both good, and my soup from Mara was excellent! I think I'll skip the brownie from now on though - and find some other junk to substitute in its place <g>. DAY 3 SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2002: Who: Sue, DVC Member Plan: Magic Kingdom a.m., AK, Soup at Mara, Comedy Warehouse Actual: I didn't sleep well last night, but have no idea why. The room was quiet, the bed is comfortable, but I was still awake until after 2. Regardless, I go up with the alarm at 7 and got ready for the day. For breakfast I made cappuccino and ate half of the yogurt & granola thing from AKL. If I'm staying somewhere without a refrigerator I force myself to eat the whole thing, and then am too full, so it's nice having the fridge here. The granola is already soggy, so keeping it another day isn't going to make a difference. I was on my way to the main bus stop by 8:30 and had about a 10-minute wait. Surprisingly, the buses coming were either empty or contained few guests. Normally the buses are pretty full by the time they get to this stop since it's the last one! Oh well, that was pleasant surprise #1 I guess! At the MK security looked like a mob scene since the monorail carrying the offsite scum (no offense to anyone except Maria <g>) had just unloaded. It moved pretty quickly though, and I was on Main Street shortly after 9. I was supposed to meet one of the managers at the MK today, after several attempts where our schedules just didn't work out, but I decided to do my attractions and stop on the way out. First stop was Space Mountain, where I got a Fastpass for 9:50. From there I went to the Winnie the Pooh ride, where there was barely a wait. When my car came, Tigger was in the front seat (in the morning the characters ride with some guests). There was a family with a little kid waiting for the next car, so I stepped back and told them they could have my car if they wanted. The kid was thrilled to ride with Tigger - much more thrilled than I was, lol! I waited for the next car, and enjoyed the ride without having to share my seat with some big 'ole character <g>. I decided to skip Snow White but stopped to ride Peter Pan with about a 5 minute wait. I was on my way to Big Thunder and went directly there after getting off the Peter Pan ride. The posted wait was 10 minutes, but I never stopped walking until I walked onto my train car! I was thrilled that I got the very back seat, without having to wait for the next train. The ride was fun, and when the train pulled back in there were only about 3 rows worth of people waiting to ride. I moved up a car since they were waiting to board mine, and rode again! When we got back this time there was a line, so I left. Getting to ride twice without a 2nd wait was pleasant surprise #2! By now it was time for Space Mountain so I returned there and picked up another Fastpass for 10:35, then walked right onto the ride (right side). I got the last seat here, and it was a great ride! I would have killed some time on Buzz Lightyear but the line was out the door and wrapped around quite a bit, and this attraction is not worth more than a 5-minute wait to me. Instead I rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority twice, and almost fell asleep. They should sell nap tickets on this, lol! I always enjoy it, though - it's very relaxing. After the 2nd ride it was time for Space Mountain again so this time I rode on the left side and enjoyed that as well. There was only 1 more attraction I wanted to do - the Haunted Mansion, since it's closing for rehab in 2 days. When I went in it had a posted 5 minute wait (which was accurate) and when I came out the line was jam packed all the way back beyond the Keel Boats! The park was getting much more crowded, so it was time for me to leave. I made a quick stop at First Aid for some Band-Aids since I foolishly chose to look snazzy in non-park sandals at PI last night and had a couple of blisters from the straps. I won't do that again, lol! I checked in the candy store to see if they still sold my old favorite - the marshmallow thingy, but they didn't have my kind. They had several other kinds, so perhaps when I stopped buying them the sales volume decreased to where they took that one off the market??? I stopped at City Hall and they called Leslie Kay to let her know I was there, and she came over to meet me. We had emailed but never connected before, and it was nice to finally meet her in person. I promised to stop by on my way IN next time, though <g>. >From here I decided to head to MGM Studios. Leslie Kay & her staff called over there trying to find out if Layden was working today, but the first show wasn't until afternoon and nobody was there yet who would know for sure. They gave me the help desk number to call, but I figured I'd take a chance just going over there since there wasn't anything else I needed to do. I left the MK and got on the waiting express monorail (pleasant surprise #3) for the ride to the TTC. There I had a short wait for the MGM Studios bus (almost fell asleep on the bus), breezed through security & the turnstiles, and was in the park at 12:15. I picked up an entertainment guide and saw the first show (Get Happy with ABC) was 12:30 so I wandered over there. It's a temporary show, ending in about a month, and is held in the location that used to be Superstar TV and then Doug Live. I knew there wouldn't be many people, since it's basically just a TV commercial for the ABC fall lineup. I asked a cm outside if she knew if Layden was the emcee for this show, and she said she'd check just before we go in. I waited at the back where she pointed, and she soon came back out to say I was in luck (pleasant surprise #4). She said I should go down to the front & if he saw me he might throw me a t-shirt. The doors opened then, so I went in and sat down in the 2nd row (that's a little too close, since you have to look up because the stage is so high). I laughed when some guy on the TV screens was saying that the only reason people were here was to get out of the sun for 20 minutes, and this was just plain old TV <g>. Layden came out on stage (as Sam) and began the show, going thru each of the new ABC shows with clips and taped conversations with the stars. Early into the show he looked into the audience and saw me. Later when he was throwing t-shirts into the audience he made it a point to pause in front of me, looking right at me while getting the next shirt ready to be thrown - and tossed it perfectly into my lap before tossing the rest to the crowd (pleasant surprise #5). I now have a lovely size XL t-shirt, lol, but it was nice of him acknowledge me. When the show ends he's already backstage, so I didn't stick around. There was nothing else I wanted to do in this park, so I left. I was heading to Epcot next and walked right onto the waiting boat at the dock (pleasant surprise #6). The boat stopped at Swan/Dolphin first, then Yacht/Beach. I got off there and walked to Epcot, rather than making the BW stop and then finally getting to Epcot. Entering Epcot was easy, and I walked directly to Canada for lunch at Le Cellier. They were able to seat me right away, and my server (Tracy) was excellent. She was friendly, efficient, but didn't rush me, and I noticed she was great with not only her own tables but also stopped to show some kids in another section something on their menu/games paper. I ordered my wine & the cheddar cheese soup. For some reason the wine doesn't seem as good as it used to --I noticed the same thing last time. I found another moscato at the wine shop at home (actually found 2 - an expensive one that's great and a Sutter Home that's crap compared to the expensive one), so it may be time to try something different here or stick with ice water. The soup was delicious though, and I enjoyed my lunch. After the DDE the check was just over $10, so I left her $13 (based on the pre-discounted amount). I took the rest of the pretzel bread with me, of course! I was going to leave Epcot to return to OKWR, but realized I was going to miss the 2pm bus and have to wait up to 30 minutes for the next one. So, I walked onto Spaceship Earth and enjoyed that ride (nodded off a bit, I think), then left the park. Just as I arrived at the OKWR bus stop the empty bus pulled up (pleasant surprise #7), and it was a quick ride back to OKWR. I got off at the first stop (Peninsular) and walked back to the main building to pick up the Sept park hours sheet since when I checked in they only had August. I stopped to chat with Angelo afterwards, since I knew he'd be off the next 3 days, and it's not often I'm up in this area except to check in! In the studio I put away the pretzel bread and went to the Premium Outlets. I swear that parking lot was more crowded than the theme parks - it was awful!!! No pleasant surprises here, lol! I finally found a spot on the back side of the mall. A friend who'd coming down later this month was interested in what is currently at Belz and in this Character Premiere, and I'd told him I'd check it out (Bill - this is for you <g>). They had a bunch of sweatshirts, limited flag-themed shirts, a bunch of GF logo shirts for men, women & kids, some sleepwear, plenty of polo shirts, and I didn't bother to check out the kids' section. It was pretty busy, but I didn't see anything I wanted or needed. Before returning to OKWR I went looking for shoes. I'd packed the shoes that matched the clothes I brought for my last meeting, rather than shoes that go the clothes I brought this time (dumb!), so I bought a cool pair of black platform sandals! My boss is 60 & wears platform shoes, so I figure I might as well, too. One of the guys at the meeting has turned into a big hugger, and with the platforms I can keep myself out of his armpit hopefully <g>. Will I wear these to PI??? Hell, no - I might do stupid things, but hopefully not the same stupid thing more than once! Besides, my tevas hide the Band-Aids on the existing blisters from last night's sandals! I drove back to OKWR and spent the afternoon on email, writing the report, and other online stuff. The day really flew by - I was kind of glad there wasn't an early show at Comedy Warehouse tonight, as it gave me more time to get stuff done. I snacked on a bite of the brownie, which confirmed I don't need to buy them anymore - it's good but not great. I'm still not hungry since I had a good lunch, so there's no need to waste time finding dinner. I rushed out the door after 7, hoping to have time to wander around before getting in line for the 8:15 Comedy Warehouse show. Parking was a nightmare - where did all these people come from??? I ended up in the lot behind the bus stops, which isn't far but it was strange to have to search for a spot. I got my PI wristband and then went to Portobello Yacht Club to see if we needed reservations for lunch on Friday, but they said it wasn't necessary. From there I browsed through some of the shops at the Marketplace and got my free sample at Ghiradelli. I do plan to buy some chocolate there, but don't want to carry it around PI. I'll probably wait until after I'm in my final hotel of the trip. Around 7:45 I was back in PI but figured the line wouldn't have formed yet so I just wasted time getting up to Comedy Warehouse. I was shocked to see the line was half full already - over 100 people!! I went to join, and Tracy & Tyger called my name, so I was able to join them before we went inside. We got the last 3 seats on long row, which was perfect! Tonight Carol Stein was back on the keys, doing a great job. The 8:15 cast was Brian, Chris, Jake, Jen & Philip. They did Emotions (one of my favorites) with Philip & Chris solving a crime. It was pretty funny, and I like it because it moves quickly and they can get pretty crazy. Next they did 2 Forgotten Songs. Jake & Jen came out as country bumpkins singing "My Homegrown Tomatoes", which was cute. Philip, Brian & Chris did a Gregorian chant about their WDW trip, called "My Aching Blisters". Their lyrics were good, but the whole chant thing makes it hard to be funny, I think. They also did the scene change game where each actor starts a scene with their word/suggestion and the others join in and switch from scene to scene. Jake had mortgage banking, Jen had shop, Chris had sleep & Brian had golf. There were several funny moments - overall it was a good first show. We got back in line for the next show, and the line was very big. It's so crowded tonight we realized we'd be in crappy seats the rest of the night, but we made the best of it. Lori (BriarRosie) from RADP came over to introduce herself and say hi - we saw her again briefly after the last show. It's always nice to put a face with a screen name! This time we were in the 2nd row from the back, along the wall where the phones are. The cast was Jake, Joy, Brian, Chris & Jen. They did a fantastic opening song about a lady from Chicago, and then Jake & Jen did a short scene where Jake was a raccoon that Jen found when she was taking out the trash. He wanted to marry her, she ended up taking his gun and shooting him & his mother before killing herself. From here the show started to go downhill, unfortunately. They asked for a couple who'd recently had a fight about something to tell what the fight was about, and then Brian & Jen made up a song about it. They were a lounge act - Steve & Needy <g> and sang about the Steve's driving. Next was Up Your Alley, hosted by Joy as Ivanna Littlenoogie. The topic was plungers and we were all glad when it ended. Jen made a few good jokes, but it wasn't enough to save the game. She was Dr. Bambi, who uses a plunger in lieu of plastic surgery to do facelifts on women in France. Chris was a plumber named Janet Breckenridge, but her character never really did anything. Brian was the goofy kid Skippy, who was a human plunger. He was kind of gross at times - overall the show started out very promising but then became a big disappointment. They had some pretty unfunny suggestions to work with, and things just weren't clicking. We got back in line for the 10:30 show, hoping for the best. Our seats were a little better this time, and the cast was Matt, Philip, Joy, Jake & Jen. Jake & Jen did a Fill In The Blank scene about making a jigsaw puzzle. They did a good job, and got some decent suggestions to work with. Next Joy came out on stage and the 3 of us just kind of knew it was going to be Cliché! There must be something about the way the person comes out, or the first words they say - anyway, we were right. They tortured Philip, who had to guess "Two For a Nickel, Sears & Roebuck Catalog". He had no trouble guessing the clues that were given (which were very funny) but couldn't make any sense out of it or distinguish many of the words. It's not surprising, since the cliché really isn't a saying or proverb. It was fun to watch, and overall it was a great show - so much better than the one before! None of us were going to wait 1/2 hour for the final show, so we chatted outside for a few minutes before going our separate ways. I was glad Tracy & Tyger came out tonight - I always enjoy their company. I drove back to OKWR and heated up some of the pretzel breadstick in the microwave. I decided to skip getting online (in the interest of trying to get a better night's sleep) but did finish up the report so it could be posted Monday morning sometime. It was a terrific day - one where everything just seemed to go right! I did my favorite MK attractions with little to no wait, hit no waits for Disney transportation time & time again (very rare, lol), saw Layden in a new role, had my favorite lunch, and spent an evening at the Comedy Warehouse with friends. Not bad! The plan called for AK & soup at Mara, but since I did that yesterday there was no need to do it today. DAY 4 MONDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2002: Who: Sue, DVC Member Plan: MGM or Epcot, Lunch w/Shontell Crawford, Comedy Warehouse Actual: At last I slept well last night, and didn't wake up until after 7 (but falling back asleep until 8:15). The sun was shining so I decided to spend the morning at Typhoon Lagoon, which opens at 10. Breakfast was cappuccino, the rest of the yogurt/granola and a tiny bowl of the twigs & leaves (cereal). It actually wasn't that bad, now that I knew what to expect <g>. I still doubt I'll buy it again, though. I got to Typhoon Lagoon (driving) just before they opened, and was a couple of people behind this really strange guy who appeared to be visiting solo. He was young, shorter than me, badly needed a hair cut, and looked like he'd been out partying all night - quite different from all the tourist-types (including me). Of course nobody needs to get dolled up for a day at a water park, but this guy was just weird. He started talking to the couple in front of me, saying he'd been drinking beer for breakfast, and isn't beer a great way to start the day, etc. He was carrying a grocery bag full of about 3 big bags of chips, and an insulated bag that was probably full of more beer - this guy has a stranger diet than me, lol! Soon they let us in, and I don't think anyone was sorry to see this guy get in the park and go off to find a spot. I followed my usual routine - the lazy river first, followed by time reading at the edge of the wave pool, then time in the bobbing waves and laying on my lounge chair. It was a beautiful morning (although pretty hot) and the time passed quickly. I left around 1:30 and returned to the studio - passing a guest who needed a tow truck in the TL parking lot because they'd driven up over the logs & into the barrier surrounding one of the trees. Bet that will be an expensive little problem to fix! The tow truck was there, along with a Disney cm and I think the local sheriff as well. Back in the studio I finished the brownie from AKL, updated the report, took another shower and relaxed for a while until it was time to meet Shontell. I wanted to watch General Hospital at 3, and was able to catch the first 10 minutes of Port Charles on SoapNet before meeting her at Olivia's, so it worked out perfectly. I stopped at the car to put some magazines in trunk, and ran into trouble. The thing on my key ring unlocked the door, but would not release the trunk. It also would no longer lock or unlock the doors! The battery is less than 6 months old, and the battery before lasted 5 years, so I didn't expect it to die so soon. I tried taking the battery out & putting it back in, but nothing worked. So, I left the car unlocked and went to meet Shontell. I almost didn't recognize her - last time we were in swimsuits and all sweaty - tonight we were all cleaned up! We were seated quickly and both decided to have the tomato & mozzarella salad. Our waitress was very nice, and brought out a sample of the soup of the day for us to try (2 spoons - Kelly, cover your eyes <g>). It was buffalo chicken soup, and it was a thick soup with chunks of white meat chicken and it tasted like buffalo wings! It was excellent, but I have to have my tomato/mozzarella salad here. We had a nice meal and enjoyed relaxing in Olivia's. After lunch/dinner I walked back to building 62 and saw that nobody had stolen my car <g> so I got in and drove to the Walgreens off the old exit 27. They had the batteries, so I bought one and put it in the key chain thing. It still didn't work! I took it out and put it back in a couple of times, and eventually started working. It appears to be fine right now, but I'll be worried for a while. I can lock the car with the key, and live without the alarm system - if it happens again I'll just do that. I returned to the studio to catch the local news and read some of the messages downloaded this afternoon. When I parked at PI I left the car door open and hit the "lock" and "unlock" buttons on the key chain thing to be sure it was working (it was), but still decided not to risk it. I locked the car door with the key, which won't set the alarm. That way if the battery fails again tonight I will be able to get home to OKWR! I had time to kill so I wandered around the West Side, and then sat on a bench down by the waterfront behind Comedy Warehouse and played a video game on my cell phone. Around 8pm I went upstairs and waited for the right time to get in line. I was seated in long row, and found David & his girlfriend Gail there so I joined them. Carol Stein was on the keys tonight. The cast was Matt, Brian, Todd, Mary & Joy. Mary & Joy created a scene where Joy was a 94-year old going through menopause finally, who wanted to get a boob job so she could find some friends. Todd came in as the doctor who would do the boob job for her - and was very funny with some of his comments! He ended up falling in love with her. They played Up Your Alley next, with Mary as the host Chickory. The subject was Mickey Mouse watches, Brian came out as a watchmaker named Hans Meticking, Todd was a kid named Roger who hated his Mickey Mouse watch, and Matt was an army guy. Matt worked for Universal and set boundaries where no Mickey Mouse merchandise was allowed inside - if a tourist refused to get rid of it they were shot! They closed with a blues song about the long wait for a cashier at World of Disney - called "Please Help Me". Overall it was an ok show - not bad, but not great either. Todd had come out from backstage and we began talking, then Mary came out and stopped briefly to say she'd emailed me today (but after my last time online). Todd hadn't seen me at any of the shows in a long while - I told him I'd been there but just hadn't seen him after any of them to say hi. He does seem to be subbing here a lot lately, and did a good job in this show. I went outside and waited with David & Gail for the next show (David got the backdoor pass for the 3 of us). We went back to long row, and when they let the other guests in Tracy & Tyger were finally here. I had planned to see them here, but they had to come after work so they missed the first show and I took that to mean they weren't coming after all. They got seated in the front row and were bummed to hear both Matt & Todd were in the first show and Todd was off this time. The 9:15 cast was Matt, Brian, Jen, Mary & Joy. They did Fill In The Blank with 2 audience volunteers, but 1 of them was a kid who never said a damn thing! Yikes - one of my pet peeves is Comedy Warehouse actors who pick kids who volunteer, because it almost always ends up that they do nothing. The actors can't continue the scene without suggestions, so they ended up only using the other person, while the kid just sat there. They also seemed to go a longer time between "blanks". The scene had Joy & Matt in the woods in Timbuktu, with Brian coming in as a guy with his wives Mary & Joy. They played Schmeopardy, hosted by Matt as Alex Quebec. Brian was Lorne Tewes, a gay cruise director on the Big Boat, who's #1 activity is hopscotch. He was pretty funny, but with predictable jokes. Mary was a spy, and for every question changed into a different wig & changed name. Jen was an Indian who was a storm chaser. Her name was Breaks Withwind, and her job was to run up to a storm and say "Go away, Go away", lol! It had potential, and a great group of actors, but the audience suggestions were pretty lousy, and I think Mary was so busy getting her wig changed & thinking of her new character she wasn't able to be as funny as usual. After this show David & Gail left, and I joined Tracy & Tyger. We went up and got in line, and were seated in long row! The 10:30 cast was Philip, Mary, Todd, Matt & Jen. Mary opened with the phone, and then Todd came out to introduce Conducted Story! The story was called "I Went in to the Jungle Last Night & Got Bit by a Tiger". They did a great job making the story funny - it was as entertaining as the deaths for the most part. Jen died first, in a gymnasium, from Philip's farts while he was doing sit-ups. It was a little predictable, but it got a lot of laughs. Philip died by a smiley face while in an Edgar Allen Poe story. Mary died by a video Gameboy controller, with Philip coming in hysterically as one of the Super Mario Brothers (even moving around like he does in the game, and looking just like him) and Todd was DonkeyKong. It was funny! Matt won, and had Todd join him so they could wrap up the story by each alternating 1 word at a time. It went on and on and on, lol, but some of the stuff was so stupid it was very funny. Eventually Jen & Mary came thru the double doors and laid on the stage - exhausted by this long story <g>. When Jen later closed the show by asking for an embarrassing moment, Matt came through the door and laid down on the stage, lol, as if she was taking too long. Overall it was a great show, and Todd in particular did very well. When we went to leave we saw familiar faces in the row behind us - a combination of Hoop Dee Doo and Fairy Tales people. On the way out I chatted briefly with Mary, who was done for the night. Tracy & Tyger were talking to Jen, so I joined them. Jen greeted me with a hug, and said she'd seen me walking the other night but hadn't seen me at any shows - guess I had crappy seats for her shows <g>. She didn't know I knew Tracy & Tyger, but laughed and teased that it's no surprise - she thinks I know everyone & should be the mayor of WDW, lol! I'll miss her when she leaves next February - she's both very talented and a really nice person. Tracy & Tyger & I chatted briefly outside before leaving PI. I should see them again later in the trip, which will be good. I went to the car and the key chain thing worked perfectly <g>. It takes no time at all to drive home to OKWR, which is so nice! I finished up and posted the report so I don't have to get online in the morning, then read some of the mail and downloaded messages for reading later. It was a nice relaxing day today (except for the key chain battery thing). Typhoon Lagoon was perfect, lunch with Shontell was great, and the Comedy Warehouse is always a highlight of any day. Tomorrow I plan to do the DVC update, in case there's anything worth hearing about, so it'll be an early morning! DAY 5 TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 3, 2002: Who: Sue, DVC Member Plan: Comedy Warehouse Actual: I slept well again, and was woken up by the alarm at 6:30. I was tempted to just go back to sleep, but since it may be rainy at the end of the week due to that tropical storm I didn't want to waste the beautiful (but hot) weather today and tomorrow. I showered and had some cappuccino, waiting until the 8:00 DVC Update to eat their continental breakfast. Today I didn't have anything planned when the trip began, but I'll be heading to the Magic Kingdom to start the morning and probably hop over to Epcot for the 2nd half of the morning. From there, I have no idea what I'll be doing. I got to Community Hall a little early and chatted with a guy who owns at BWV until it got started. They showed each of the DVC resorts, mentioned Saratoga Springs opening in late 2004, then went through the other places we can spend our points. They're trying to push people into trading out, so that Interval International members can trade in. Evidently II has complained that very few of their members get in (which is because so few of us trade out). Some of the places look nice, but without the Comedy Warehouse I know I won't be wasting a week of my vacation time at some other location! I won another DVC baseball cap - I don't know how many of these things I have, and I don't wear hats! Almost everyone won one, otherwise I would have found someone to give it to. Maybe Nancy will want it to wear at work <g>. I stopped by the studio to drop off the other 1/2 of my bagel, then returned to the main bus stop by 9am. The bus came soon and the lines at MK security were the smallest I'd ever seen - it was wonderful! I stopped to see if Leslie Kay was working today, but she was either off or not in yet, so I began touring the few things I'd planned to do. There was a lunatic woman ranting & raving because the pay phone stole her money. Hellllloooooooo, but the pay phones are owned by the phone company, not Disney <g>. The cm was very polite, but said all she could do was give her change for another dollar so the woman could try again. I did stop at the Bakery to check on the banana nut bread just in case they'd gone back to the good kind but it was still the crappy little loaves that (in my opinion) aren't worth the calories even if Disney was to give it to me for free. First attraction stop was Space Mountain to pick up a Fastpass for 10:10, then I walked right onto Buzz Lightyear and managed to score over 112,000 points (pathetic score for many, but good for me <g>). In Fantasyland I walked right on to the Pooh ride, but skipped Peter Pan this time. I was headed to Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and pretty much walked right on that as well - getting my favorite last row. The cm's here were mostly talking to each other & ignoring guests, so trains were going out with empty rows because nobody was having them fill in all seats starting from the back. Next I rode Pirates of the Caribbean without any wait and then returned to Space Mountain. Unfortunately, it was broken! Oh well, those things happen - I rode the TTA instead and got to see the engineers walking the Space Mountain track since the lights were on inside. After TTA I took the back path to Toontown Fair & rode the Barnstormer since it had been a long time since I'd done that. The railroad train was arriving, so I rode it back to Main Street. At the pin cart I looked for a pin for someone, but didn't see anything that I was sure was what she wanted, so I left MK and headed to the bus stops. The OKWR bus was waiting, so I took that as a sign I was meant to return to OKWR rather than sweat my way around Epcot <g>. The bus left as soon as I got on, and I was the only passenger. Back in the studio I called Olivia's to see if they were having that Buffalo Chicken Soup from yesterday, and the cm offered to go check to see if they had any leftover. They did, and she offered to have them heat some up for me! I went over to Goods to get it, and brought it back to the studio. They put it in a large coffee cup, and it was quite filling - but delicious! It's very thick and loaded with chicken, so it's a real meal. I ate a little more than half of it, figuring I'd eat the rest later. The weather forecast is still calling for the tropical storm to curve back and come to Florida, which is bad news for vacationers (and all the people already dealing with too much water). It looks like we may have crappy weather Thursday & Friday for sure, so tomorrow is definitely a water park day for me! After putting the rest of the soup in the refrigerator I left the studio to go shopping. I took the back road to Belz, but didn't need to since I-4 amazingly had no traffic at all. The Character Warehouse & Character Premiere had lots of merchandise, and it's probably worth the trip if you've got a car and the time to spend. All 3 locations (including Premium Outlets) also have lots of digital camera bags and camcorder bags at half price, but Premium Outlets was the only place I saw the GF logo merchandise. While at Belz the Titleist store was going out of business (closing in a couple of hours) - I picked up 2 nice $55 Titleist golf shirts for Chris for $5 each! They were even one of his school colors, so he can wear them while playing on the golf team. On the way home I stopped at Publix to pick up more water, and also got some chocolate, then returned to OKWR & my air conditioned studio. I spent the afternoon relaxing online, working out, and just puttering around, watching my soaps from 3-4:30 (& eating chocolate). I decided to go to DisneyQuest before Comedy Warehouse, and was shocked at how deserted the place was! There was a 5-minute wait at the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, and no waits for anything else. I did Cyber Space Mountain with no wait at all - as soon as I designed my coaster I went right into my simulator! It was unreal, lol! My coaster was fun, but was only rated 4 out of 5 even though I had 7 inversions and the highest speed. Just about all the different types of games were available without a wait, too. I played Qbert for a while, and then played a pinball game (I suck at this ) a few times. The cheesecake looked good, but it was all the usual kinds. I can't eat one alone, so I didn't get anything. I left DQ and got my wristband for PI, then went to Ghiradelli's in the Marketplace. I got my sample for today and selected the stuff I wanted to buy, but at the register the cm told me they don't ship to the resorts anymore so I put it back. I didn't feel like toting a bunch of chocolate around all night, and it was too warm to leave it in the car. Back at PI the line was slow to form at the Comedy Warehouse, and the door opened before I'd counted enough people to get in line! I did end up seated in long row, and saw that David was there, along with Virginia & Bob. Jim Roberts was on the keys tonight. The 8:15 cast was Greg, Joy, Jen, Krista & Philip. They did musical styles with Joy & Krista creating a scene where they were working setting up porta-johns for Krista's family's business. It was for a wedding, and Greg was the wedding planner obsessing over losing the person who was going to do the bows in the church for the ceremony, and Joy demonstrated a real talent for this when she tied a blue bow around the men's porta-john, so they went into this business instead. My description doesn't sound very funny, but they did a pretty good job making the scene funny. They did a Salsa song called "You've Got Flair", a Cajun song called "You're Number One" and a Celtic song called "This Could Be The Big Break". Next was Up Your Alley about steel mill mechanics, with Philip as host Bill Shepherd. Greg was Spanky Delgirder, who works at a steel mill. Jen was Alex, a steel mill worker by day and stripper at night - inspired by the movie Flashdance. They also had an audience volunteer who was a steel mill mechanic. They did a great job, and considering how small the audience was it was a really good show overall! Nobody had a question to start Up Your Alley, so I raised my hand and was chosen - after that the questions flowed freely, thank goodness! I noticed at the beginning of the show both Bob & I were quick to applaud at anything remotely funny, to encourage the rest of the audience to do the same, and it seemed to work. It's nice how the regulars help the show when needed - but when it's not needed they/we stay quiet & just enjoy the show. After the show I stopped for a huge hug from Jim Roberts - the hug master <g>. We chatted for a while after everyone else was gone, then I went outside to join David and Virginia & Bob at the backdoor. Jim will be working Friday & Saturday this weekend, which is a nice surprise. Soon we were called back in, and took our seats in long row. I talked to David until the show started. The 9:15 cast was Mary, Joy, Krista, Jen & Philip. They opened with the phone thing, answered by a cm working for DVC who was there with a couple who'd just joined DVC (she set up their appointment). It was funny to have DVC as part of the jokes & song <g>. Next Philip rang the bell for a Should Have Said scene with Jen, Mary & Joy working with cameras. It was funny but very brief. Joy & Jen sang a country song called "Ugly Dog" about a Chihuahua. They did an excellent Letters to the Editor next - the best one I've seen so far! The subject was dinner, and Mary was funny writing to Cat Fancy about recipes using cat food (for humans). Philip was hysterical writing to Fast Company (business magazine) about his idea for a drive through where you drive through at 65 mph and they slingshot your food into your car. Krista was also great as a bride-to-be writing to Brides Magazine, despondent over still not fitting into her dress despite not eating for 3 weeks, and having to plan the wedding dinner while she was so hungry. Her motto - "Once I say I Do, then I get to chew", lol! They also did the game where each of 4 actors has a word. The first one starts a scene about that word, then the scene is frozen and the next actor comes in and starts a scene with her word, etc - then it all moves from scene to scene. Mary had prison, Joy had earrings, Jen had fruitcake, and Philip had bible. To close the show they had an embarrassing story about this couple who showed a videotape to their parents and daughter on Thanksgiving. It was supposed to be their young daughter singing, but it turned out to be them having sex! It was a great show! It started out pretty good and just kept getting better & better as they moved from one game to the next. After this show David left, and Virginia/Bob went to spend time in the Adventurer's Club. I wandered down the street (there was no line at all at CW) and visited with Clinta (Nancy's fiancé) when I saw him working the outside bar for Rock & Roll Beach Club. It was great seeing him again, and I got caught up on a lot of their wedding plans! Back up the hill I chatted with Joe until it was time for me to join the line, and was once again seated in long row. The 10:30 cast was Jake, Greg, Mary, Jen & Joy. They did Emotions, with Jen & Greg as a sister & brother. Jen was recently divorced, and Greg was discovered working as a stripper in a male club. They were both great! The rest of the show was Cliché! Jake was tortured and had to guess "Black Over Will's Mother", which makes no sense at all - not even to the person who gave it. Since the cliché was short, they made the clues more difficult, which made it more fun. It was another terrific show. I said goodnight to Jim on my way out, and drove back to OKWR. I finished the pretzel breadstick, updated the report and got it posted before turning in for the night. Today was a pretty good day (nothing really special), but the evening was terrific. My time at the Comedy Warehouse is definitely the highlight of my days here, and tonight I was pleased with all of the shows. Spending time with other CW regulars made it even more enjoyable. Tomorrow if the weather permits, I'll spend the morning at a water park - perhaps Blizzard Beach. DAY 6 WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2002: Who: Sue, DVC Member Plan: Blizzard Beach, Comedy Warehouse Actual: I'd set the alarm for 8:30, but woke up on my own at 8. It's nice to wake up rather than be woken up, lol! I took a quick shower and then got online since I was unable to get thru the busy email night last night before aol froze up. Breakfast was cappuccino and the other half of the bagel from yesterday (toasted, with cream cheese - gotta love these DVC accommodations <g>. I needed to call someone in Tallahassee about some budget issues at work, so I did that and then took care of a work-related email that I'd neglected to do last night. Our agency is in a bit of turmoil right now, and I found out our Chief Financial Officer is leaving later this month. It's always interesting when top positions turn over <g>. I drove to Blizzard Beach, arriving by 10. It didn't take me long to realize I don't like this park nearly as much as Typhoon Lagoon! The lazy river here is better to me, but that's the only thing. In every other way I prefer Typhoon Lagoon and that's where I'll stay from now on unless I've got Chris with me and he wants to do the slides here. I set up my chairs, floated in the lazy river awhile, and then spent most of the rest of my time sitting or laying around reading. Some young guy came over to flirt while I was laying on my stomach - I assume he thought I was younger, lol! Tim (ex-hubby) called to report a couple of strange things going on in my home, but he is going to handle them. For some reason my phone line is constantly busy even though all of the phones are hung up properly. Also, the new air conditioner was set at 82 but it wouldn't shut off and the temperature was 71 degrees! Hopefully Sprint will fix the phone today, and the a/c company will be out tomorrow. Thank goodness Tim discovered the a/c problem and can get it taken care of! It was sunny all morning, except for some big white clouds. The immediate area I was in was crowded, but further out there were plenty of chairs with nobody nearby. A group of people further down were under a cloud - all smoking, but a security cm went over to them and let them know smoking wasn't allowed. I think they just didn't know - there were lots of people from foreign countries, and they may not even think about smoking restrictions. Before leaving I walked around the perimeter of the park to do some people watching and dry off/cool off a bit before going out to the hot car. I miss the shady parking lot they have at Typhoon Lagoon! From BB I drove to Animal Kingdom Lodge and went to Mara. The soup of the day was 3-Bean Gumbo - is anyone surprised??? I live for the day I go there and don't find some variation of freakin' 3-bean gumbo <g>. I got the tomato bisque to go, and picked up one of the yogurt/granola things for breakfast, then returned to my OKWR studio. I was back in the studio by 2, ate my soup while updating the report, and then showered before General Hospital & Port Charles began. When I got out of the shower the message light was blinking, and the cm said a ups package had been delivered for me. I hadn't ordered anything to be shipped here, so I threw some clothes on and ran over there to see what it was! Luckily there was no wait, so I got the box quickly, then made a pit stop in the store to buy one of those chocolate disks since I was craving something chocolate. Back in the studio I opened the box & couldn't believe my eyes - a box of Belgian chocolates from St Maarten!!! Talk about the perfect gift, with perfect timing - it was from Adie & Lisa, who we all know are 2 of the most thoughtful & generous people around! The chocolates were slightly melted, but the air conditioning in the studio will fix that pretty quickly. Thank you both! By 4pm the rain had moved in, and it was raining pretty hard off & on. I heated the rest of the buffalo chicken soup and finished that up for dinner - it was still delicious. Hoping for the best, I left for PI shortly after 7. It wasn't raining, so I wandered around the Marketplace for a while. They had the Mickey & firefighter pin tonight so I picked one up for Gail (GMEdolphin). Email me with your mailing address and I'll get to the post office the weekend after I get home. I entered PI and hung around near the Comedy Warehouse. It started to rain and then began raining really hard, so they opened the door just after 8 to let people in (instead of 8:15). I joined the line at the end and because Joe was seating and didn't bother with that front row of barstools down on the floor, I got long row! A guy who I've seen there a lot ended up sitting next to me, so I spent the time ignoring him and leaning as far away as I could (smoker - the ashtray smell). One night we'd sat next to each other and he told me way more personal information than I needed or wanted to know, and then spent the entire show pressing his leg up against mine - if he remembered me, he wasn't saying so, thank goodness! We made small talk briefly, but that's it. Mary came out from the back room & passed through the club. She saw me and we spoke briefly; after she left the guy next to me said "That was Mary, right?" which confused me since he's been at tons of shows recently. Carol Stein was on the keys tonight. The 8:15 cast was Joy, Mary, Jen, Chris & Greg. They opened with the name rhyming game, which Jen won. She chose to create a scene while Greg rang the bell (Should Have Said), so she was baking cookies for a bake sale to raise money to send kids on field trips (PTA). She was joined by the other women, who all agreed the cookies were too beautiful to sell, so they'd sell their husbands like they did last year and just get new ones again. In the end they decided to just sell the kids - then they won't need the money for the field trips after all! It was a funny scene, and pretty fast-paced. The rest of the show was Cliché, and I was thrilled to see it being done so early and despite the small crowd. Greg was tortured and had to guess "One foot in the hole, one foot on a banana peel". The clues were clever, and Greg picked them up without too much difficulty. It was a fun show - particularly since it was a first show on a rainy night! I went outside to get in line for the next show, and ran into Patti (Pebbie1) & Ray (DVC friends)! I knew they were in town and was happy to see them. They are definitely fun people to hang out with! I willingly skipped counting this time and sat with them, even though we were all down in the very front row <g>. They let everyone in early again, since it was raining fairly hard still. The 9:15 cast was Krista, Greg, Joy, Jen & Jake. They did a musical where the action was stopped 3 times for songs in a different style. Jen & Jake were renovating her bathroom and disagreeing over her wish for Hello Kitty wallpaper. Greg came into the scene as Jake's (interior decorator) cousin, who ended up having the hots for Jen. They sang "This is Gonna be a Mess for the Rest of Your Life" as a country song, "How Playful" as a jazz song, and "Don't Overdo it" as an oldies song. It was a good scene - lots of fun. Next was Up Your Alley, hosted by Krista as Mrs. Holden. The subject was heating & air conditioning, and they had an audience volunteer who was quite hunky! He did a great job, too - he was funny without being obnoxious. Greg was Juan Ochonoevodiaz, owner of a heating/air conditioning company who has a partner to handle the cooling part because he only knows how to make the ladies hot - not cool! The poor audience guy was turning all shades of red a few times when Greg got going as his character <g>. Joy was an Indian tribe person called Ah Ah Ooh Ooh who would flap her arms to make it either hot or cool. It was a funny Up Your Alley, with much of the credit going to Greg. Unfortunately, the questions weren't coming from the audience. I gave the first one, then they got a few more, then it dried up again. They don't want to call on the same person more than once in a game, so I didn't volunteer - but Jake called in from backstage as a "phone caller" with a couple more questions to keep the game going. In talking with Patti before the show I found out that one of her good friends is also a friend of Mary's, and she knows Mary through this connection. She was hoping to see Mary tonight, but she was off this show. I asked Greg to let Mary know someone she knows was here, and Mary came out after the guests had all left. Jen came out from backstage, so I talked to her while Mary was talking to Patti & Ray. I teased her to be careful to not badmouth DVC (from last night's show) and she laughed and asked if I'd seen that she looked at me when she made her verse last night <g>. We talked about her leaving in February, and I told her about some of the comments I'd seen so far - people sorry to see her go, and she was flattered (Mau - let me know when you have your dates for January, so I can let her know when you'll be there so she can meet you after a show). Mary left to get ready for the next show, so Patti & Ray chatted with Jen & me until Joe yelled that they were opening the doors NOW, lol! Patti & Ray went to the Adventurer's Club (their primary "home") and I ran upstairs to enter the club through the front door. It was still raining hard, so they opened the door about 10 minutes early. I would have been seated down on the floor, but I hung back and chatted with Deb until it was time to seat her section (long row) and then took the seat at the end. The 10:30 cast was Mary, Krista, Chris, Greg & Jake. Greg directed a Fill In The Blank, which started with Chris & Krista as identical twin sisters who had never met until today when both were customers in a Hooters. They soon were joined by the 3rd identical sister - Jake! He'd tied his shirt up over his belly and put in a pair of boobs, and was the "pretty" one! They were all named Greta, had different fathers yet were conceived on the same night, and their mother was Mary. Mary had to give away 2 of them because she only had 1 arm and could only carry 1 baby - so she kept the pretty one. This scene got hysterical, with the actors cracking up on stage and having to step aside and face the wall to regain their composure. Jake set Mary up by describing her (she was backstage listening to grab the right props to make the character) with so many details Greg halted the show to give Mary time to pull it together <g>. She was not only missing an arm, but also lost a leg, uses crutches, carries the car steering wheel with her everywhere, is carrying the latest baby, and has red hair! She had to hide one of her arms & legs, and do all that other stuff! The real craziness began when Mary started talking - she was rambling on, saying stuff that made little sense - as only Mary can do <g> and that was causing the audience & the other actors to lose it! They also played Schmeopardy this show, hosted by Chris. Jake was an explosives engineer named Levi Kaboomiac, Mary was a blind dentist called the blessed Dr. Nolan, and Greg was a blacksmith named Smitty who works at Horseshoe World out on highway 192. Mary at first came out missing her arm & leg (from the last game), but got tangled up in her blanket and couldn't get the arm & leg covered up - so she had a miraculous "cure" to get her arm & leg back, lol! Schmeopardy itself was just ok though. When the show ended it wasn't raining, which was a nice surprise! I walked out to my car and drove back to OKWR, where I made a cup of cappuccino & ate a piece of the chocolate while finishing up the report. I decided to wait until morning to get online to post it, figuring if it's pouring down rain I'd be spending more time at the resort and might as well just do it then. The day followed the plan, plus I had the pleasure of seeing Patti & Ray and had the wonderful chocolate surprise from Adie & Lisa! Blizzard Beach was no thrill - I kind of wish I had gone to Typhoon Lagoon since I like it better, but I probably wouldn't have realized that if I hadn't gone to Blizzard Beach! Comedy Warehouse was fun, and I was very glad the rainy weather didn't cause any of the shows to be canceled. For the most part, the audiences were much smaller than normal, but they were good - participating in the show. I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring, other than Leesa's arrival at OKWR and possibly 5 shows at the Comedy Warehouse. A lot will depend on the weather from this tropical storm. DAY 7 THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 5, 2002: Who: Sue, DVC Member Leesa, friend - Comedy Warehouse regular Plan: Laundry, Comedy Warehouse w/Leesa Actual: I got up around 8 again this morning (did not bother to set the alarm) and got online to post yesterday's report. I showered and had cappuccino with the yogurt/granola from Mara for breakfast. It wasn't raining, so around 10 I left the studio headed for Epcot. Once outside though, I realized I'd really rather be at Typhoon Lagoon than a theme park, so I went back upstairs to change into my swimsuit and went there instead. It turned out to be a great decision - Typhoon Lagoon was deserted! Only a small fraction of the chairs were in use, the wave pool looked empty compared to how it usually is, and most of the tubes in the lazy river were empty. I sat in a beach chair at the edge of the wave pool and read until 11:30, when they turn off the big waves and do the bobbing waves for 30 minutes. After putting the magazine away, I went out and enjoyed the wave pool. It was really nice not having to dodge a lot of people <g>. When the big waves started again at noon I went back to my chairs and laid there reading some more, until I left around 1:30 or so. There were lots of love bugs out today, which is just the beginning. September & May are the months they're around, so in a way I'm glad my trip is winding down rather than just starting. I got to enjoy the water parks without those pesky bugs! Laundry needed to be done, but I decided to wait for Leesa's arrival rather than risk being out of the studio when she & Nancy got here. So, I read some of the downloaded messages while waiting. They called when they were almost here, so I met them downstairs. Nancy went on to work, while Leesa & I took her stuff up to the studio. She'd brought her lunch, so she ate it and read while I made the first trip to the laundry room to get my laundry done. Angelo was back at work, so I stopped briefly to chat with him, then threw my clothes in a washer & returned to the studio. When I went back to transfer them to a dryer, I noticed 4 water mouse boats at the marina, so I stopped at Hank's window to talk to the recreation cm's. They confirmed we had the water mouse, but they are much slower than the ones at MK resorts and are only here on a trial basis. Cost is $22 per half hour. They agreed it's better to rent them at a MK resort <g>. I asked about the rumor that OKWR was getting a slide like the one at Vero, and they said that was not true - especially not on their budget! They said there's no slide planned for OKWR - which is fine by me. We all bought in knowing there wasn't a slide, and that's one reason our dues are lower (not having to pay for a lifeguard). Hopefully they won't ever change it. I returned to the studio and watched part of General Hospital before returning to get the clothes out of the dryer. We'd just had a thread on the DVC board so I didn't feel right hanging all of my laundry over the porch railings to dry <g>! During my soap it started to pour outside - an incredible storm! It stopped raining around 5, but we hung out in the studio for a while watching the local weather reports. We left around 6 or so, and drove to Animal Kingdom Lodge. We went to Mara, where I got the potato bacon soup and Leesa just had a pear since she had eaten lunch so late. We ate quickly and were out the door headed to Pleasure Island by 6:45. The group for the first show was very small - it was questionable as to whether there would be a first show at all. The manager kept waiting, and Joe even told her that once the doors are open more people will come in before the actual show starts. They let us in late - so late that as soon as we were seated Carol Stein started on the keys. People were still coming in and being seated at the beginning of the 2nd game - we got up to about 70 people, but started with only 35. Leesa & I were seated in long row all night. The 7:20 cast was Brian, Jen, Jake, Mary & Todd. They started with the poem since there were not enough people to reach the lowest phone row yet! The poem was called "The Rabbit Ran Away", and it was pretty cute. Next was a musical scene with 3 song styles, featuring Mary & Todd as workers in a lettuce warehouse. They sang "You're the only thing that's keeping me in Des Moines" as a country song, "Tell me what's up" as heavy metal, and "It's like organic" as a 50's oldies song. The scene had some funny moments, but overall I wasn't very happy with it. I hate when they do heavy metal (too much screaming), and didn't care for the country song either. They did Actor's Nightmare, with it being Jake's nightmare. He was a worker in Bloomingdales, and the other 3 actors all read all of their lines from different plays. They closed with a blues song about the rain, which was pretty good. Overall the show was just ok, but considering the tiny audience it's not that surprising. We talked to Lisa (server) before the next show, and she mentioned the new pretzel machine had come in today - they'll be selling hot pretzels (regular, jalapeno, or cheddar) in a couple of weeks. If it goes over well they'll keep it on the menu. The 8:15 cast was Jake, Brian, Jen, Chris & Todd. They started with a poem again - "Love is a Llama". Chris & Jake created a funny scene about shoeing horses, with Jen calling out different styles of movies, TV shows, theater & music (suggestions were solicited from the audience before Chris & Jake began). Next was Cliché - where Brian had to guess "He sayeth not what he maketh online". The cliché didn't mean anything - a guy in the audience just made it up. Regardless, it was fun to watch the clues and see Brian figure it out. The 9:15 cast was Krista, Mary, Jen, Jake & Greg. They did an excellent job with the name rhyming game, which Jen won. She was declaring that she won because she's just that good - better than the others, etc. She decided they'd do Should Have Said next, and she'd ring the bell because she is so good <g>. The others were ready to smack her, lol! During the scene Krista was a mom who was trying to knit, and Mary came in with her daughter who knitted a big sweater or coat quickly using only 1 needle. This drove Krista over the edge, and resulted in a pretty funny (but dysfunctional) scene! They did Forgotten Songs next, and they were also great! Greg was a White House spokesperson singing a ballad about how they're getting rid of the human Congress - called "Cloning Monkey Brains". Krista & Jake were Wyoming & Darth Ducks, a fighting couple who sang "She got the ring & I got the finger". Jen & Mary were excellent as Odetta & Vendetta, 2 elderly ladies with many prosthetic parts singing "Your momma's hip" (about their new hips). They also did Up Your Alley about banana fruitcake, hosted by Mary as Yolanda. There was an audience volunteer - a guy who makes & sends them to friends even though he doesn't like or eat them. Jake was Toby, an annoying boy scout who earned a survival badge by making banana fruit bread when he was stranded on a banana farm. Jen was the funniest one, as Maria (some very very long Hispanic name) from Costa Rica. She was a banana picker who would eat so many bananas it through her potassium off so now she makes banana fruitcake so she doesn't eat the bananas. In the final song (about people who pick their nose on the freeway), Greg had a great line about people who pick their nose and then eat it - saying it tastes better than banana fruitcake! Overall it was an excellent show - the best one of the night. After the show Mary came over and talked to us and then Nancy came in (after the guests had all left) on a break from work. The 4 of us hung around talking, until Mary left for her break and Nancy returned to work because the guests were being let in for the next show - there was a longer gap between these shows, but it flew by. We never did make it outside - we never left our seats in long row. The 10:30 cast was Chris, Greg, Todd, Brian & Krista. They did Conducted Story, with Greg as the conductor. The title was "Telephone Sylvania". Chris died immediately, flubbing up her words. She died by an X Box in a zippy kind of way - as an incredibly peppy person working at Best Buy who ended up electrocuted when she plugged the X Box in for a customer. Krista died a musical death in an IHOP, with Greg and Brian as difficult customers. Greg ordered his breakfast and then slapped her on her butt, which appeared to shock her and was good for a laugh! Todd & Brian were left, and Brian had to continue the story in the style of film noir (40's gangster style) while Todd had to stay in the style of porn. Brian tends to be filthy, so I'm assuming Greg purposely did not let Brian have the porn style. If this wasn't Disney I bet he could have been very funny! Poor Todd is not exactly a porno type of guy and pretty quickly he got flustered at something Brian had said, and got himself killed. He died by a Buzz Lightyear in the Comedy Warehouse. His death was loaded with tons of inside jokes - but it was still funny to the other people in the audience. Leesa & I understood the meaning, so it made it seem even funnier to us - they did a great job with it. As the winner, Brian then wrapped up the story. After the show Leesa & another regular (Alan) talked about digital photograph editing techniques while I listened <g>. Leesa is good at that stuff - I don't have the time or the patience but I think it's amazing what can be done (by others <g>). After Alan left we made a quick restroom stop in 8 Trax, where I pretty much held my breath from the disgusting stench of cigarette smoke in that club. Thank goodness the bathrooms didn't stink too! Back outside we were joined at the back door by cm Susan and her roommate, so we talked to them until it was time to go in. The 12:05 show featured Chris, Todd, Greg, Mary & Krista. They did a 1-act play with Greg & Krista in an unemployment office. Greg had messed up on a dog grooming job by cutting off a dog's tail - later Todd came through on all fours as a dog, with an "X" on his butt where his tail would have been, lol! Most of the rest of the show was Schmeopardy, hosted by the rapid-talking Krista. Todd was a stripper named Johnny Caveman, and he actually was the funniest one for a while until Mary got going. Chris was God - a floral designer. Mary was Gina (the person on the phone at the beginning of the show - cm working in Fantasyland attractions), who pushes carts at Wal-Mart. She was pretty much an airhead, and incorporated a lot of what the Gina on the phone had said earlier, so it became very funny. When the show ended it was finally time to go - it was late for me to still be there at 1am! Mary came out onto the stage to shout goodnight before leaving, we stopped to see Greg on our way out, and then we left. Back at OKWR Leesa did some reading while I finished up the report but didn't get online until after getting some sleep. It was a good day - the weather was better than expected and I thoroughly enjoyed my time at Typhoon Lagoon with no crowds! I got my laundry done, and we managed to see all 5 shows at the Comedy Warehouse! Normally I don't stay for the late show because it is just too late for me (considering I have the report to write), but since we don't have to be anywhere until noon tomorrow I figured what the heck! DAY 8 FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 6, 2002: Who: Sue, DVC Member Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular Nancy, friend - works at Pleasure Island Plan: MK, Lunch w/Nancy & Leesa. Comedy Warehouse Actual: I got up around 8 (no alarm again). Leesa got up briefly but went back to bed. I got online to post yesterday's report then showered and had some breakfast (cappuccino & cereal). Nancy IM'd me around 10, and when I asked her what time I needed to wake Leesa up if we were going to be leaving the studio at 11:45 she shouted NOW!! I laughed & shouted over to Leesa, who was part awake anyway. Nancy & I finalized our plans for today, and then I walked over to building 15 for an "Open Mouse". Last night there had been a message informing us of the chance to learn about the building refurbishments going on, and I was curious. The project is almost done (finishes 9/13) and affected buildings 11 through 29. They'll move on to phase 2 and then the final phase 3 later. What have they done??? They painted all of the interiors, changed the appliances (nice flat top range, new dishwasher, microwaves, washers, dryers, & refrigerators), and redid the upholstery for the lounge chair & ottoman in the living room & master bedroom. They also put in new nightstands, new mattresses & box springs, new patio ceiling fans, new digital thermostats, and wall safes for the studios. Phase 2 (buildings 30-44) begins 10/14 and ends 11/5. They'll also get new sofas and love seats. Buildings 45 thru 56 will begin 11/6. I asked them about the pool slide rumor, and a guy named Tom who's the chief financial guy said it is being considered by no decision has been made yet. He asked if I was in favor of a slide or against, and I told him I was against it. One other guest had asked about it earlier, and was also opposed to the idea. However, Disney will do what they want, since it's their property. If they ask for our input that'll be nice, but we all knew when we bought that we aren't entitle to vote in these matters. They had chocolate chip cookies and coffee set up in the model, so I took some cookies back to the studio in case Leesa & I want a snack later this afternoon. Lunch was coming too soon - I didn't want to eat a cookie now. When I returned to the studio Leesa was in the shower, so I hung out online while she got ready and we waited for Nancy's arrival. Nancy arrived right on time, and we walked over to wait for the Trumbo Ferry to the Downtown Disney Marketplace. Eddie was the driver, and told us to prepare for a crash landing <g>. It began raining while we were on the boat, so we opened umbrellas to keep the top halves of ourselves dry. The Marketplace wasn't busy at all, which is typical for a weekday (before evening). We walked to Portobello Yacht Club and were seated right away. Lunch was great, and the service was excellent as well - we'll definitely come here again. I ordered the sangria and the tomato/mozzarella salad, which was very good. I was less thrilled with the sangria - it seemed kind of heavy, but the tomato/mozzarella was a keeper! Leesa & Nancy each got one of the specialty pizzas and the lemonade. Nancy also got one of the tomato/mozzarella things "to go" for her dinner tonight! The Disney Dining Experience isn't good here, so we used Nancy's 20% cm discount rather than my 15% DVC discount. The manager stopped by to see how everything had been, and we found out she's been here since the opening 13 years ago. The total check after discount and automatic gratuity was $50. We left Portobello and decided to take the bus back to OKWR since it was raining lightly and we were not sure the boats would be operating. On the way, it began to pour, so we sought shelter outside the Jazz Club until the rain let up. We got to the bus stop just after an OKWR bus left, so we had a 30 minute or so wait for the next one. I do hate being dependent on Disney transportation <g> but we expected nice weather and would have taken the boat as a pleasure trip. Back at OKWR Nancy got changed into her work clothes and left for PI. Leesa & I hung out in the studio for the rest of the afternoon. I packed & watched my soaps, and Leesa read her book & took a nap. We left around 6 and drove over to Animal Kingdom Lodge so I could buy a yogurt/granola thing for tomorrow's breakfast. Once we got to Mara I was disappointed to see they were all out of what I wanted. I asked a cm if they had any more out back and she checked but came back to say no. Frankly I don't think it's asking too much for a deluxe resort to find someone to scoop granola & yogurt into a plastic cup if a guest is looking for one, but it wasn't going to happen. Although I love the soup and yogurt/granola things here, I am not impressed with many of the cm's who work at Mara. We ended up sharing a side order of French fries for dinner, and then headed to PI. We made a quick stop at the savannah overlook by the pool but the only animals in sight were the flamingoes. We arrived at Comedy Warehouse at 7 and chatted with cm's Susan & Jennifer while hoping the line would grow long enough to have a first show. It was questionable again tonight, but we ended up with enough. Jim Roberts was on the keys tonight. The 7:20 cast was Krista, Philip, Brian, Mary & Chris. Brian rang the bell for a Should Have Said scene with Mary as a beekeeper and Krista as a woman who wanted a beard of bees (but was allergic). Next they did Madrigal Singers, where each actor sings a different tabloid headline and then they take turns mixing the words up from each title to create new titles. They started with "Elvis came back as Buddy Ebsen", "Mouseketeer becomes musketeer", "Whoopi Goldberg straightens her hair", and "Hilary Clinton gives birth to Pee Wee Herman look-alike". It was very funny, but was cut fairly short since they had packed so many different games into this show. They played Up Your Alley, with the topic being false teeth. Philip was the host Dwight McNamara. Krista was Kimberly Craig, the inventor of a diet program called Repulsion which has the person use false teeth (not in their mouth) to pretend to chew up their favorite foods so it would look so gross they wouldn't want to eat. Brian was Dr. David Bickus, a radio psychologist who authored DagGummit - a new wave of sexuality involving false teeth. Chris was Grendel Gardenheigel, who made George Washington's wooden teeth. She was very elderly, slow moving, and at times it was difficult to understand what she was saying. The game was just ok tonight. After the show we talked to Jim Roberts until it was time to let the next set of guests in. We took our seats in long row and waited to see who would be working. The 8:15 cast was Greg, Brian, Krista, Chris & Mary. They did a musical scene involving 3 styles of music, featuring Mary as a psychiatrist and Chris as her patient who keeps dreaming she's an orangutan. They sang a punk rock song called "Tan, Tan, Tan, It's Tan I Tell Ya", a Gregorian chant called "On the Other End of Pain is Joy" and then a hip hop song called "They Freakin' Die". It was a pretty good scene, although I don't care for some of the styles suggested (Gregorian chant, punk rock). They played Schmeopardy, with Mary as host Vanna Beige. Greg was a graphic artist named Bubba Crayola, Brian was a commercial diver named Tom who dives for pearls, and Krista was a purse snatcher named Cissy. She claims she simply over-accessorizes with other people's items <g>. They made a number of clever jokes, and did a good job with the game. After the show we chatted with Mary for a bit, and Greg mentioned he was going to lay down but would be back for the 4th show. We went outside to join the other back door people and talked to Virginia & Bob until it was time to go back in. The 9:15 cast was Mary, Brian, Krista, Eddie & Philip. Most of the show was Conducted Story, which was led by Krista. The title was "The Disney Jerk", and it was about a family who comes to WDW. The boy throws up on all the thrill rides, even the ferry to the MK. The dad has had an affair with the cm at the turnstile, who ends up fired for fraternizing with a guest, and I think the mom may have tried to make a move on Prince Charming but we all know Disney princes are gay <g>. Philip died first, in a proctologist's office by a box of cheerios. Brian died by a Qtip using an audience volunteer who'd recently had a fight with her husband (Brian played her hubby). Eddie died a slow motion death and asked for an object found in your kitchen - the suggestion was gun. He took it, since he didn't qualify that he was looking for a "non lethal" object. Mary wrapped up the story in a song. Overall it was a good show! Nancy came out and sat with us after the show, and we talked to her until it was almost time to go back in. We sat at the end of long row (near the cast door) as usual, and before the show started Greg came over to tell us he was going home. He said he didn't want us to worry if we didn't see him in the 4th show since he'd said he'd be in this show, so he waited around to leave until after he'd explained what was going on & why he needed to leave. That was so thoughtful of him, but that's Greg - he's one of the most caring people I know! He should be back to work tomorrow, which will be my last night to watch him this trip. Jim Roberts also stopped by, and later during the show I noticed a man standing in that hallway who I'd seen before but didn't know. I looked at his name tag and it was the same first name as the VP for Entertainment that I'd talked to or emailed with several times over the past 18 months, so I leaned over and asked if he was Ken Harris. He said yes, so I told him my name & we finally met in person! We chatted very briefly since the show was going on - it's nice to have a face to go with the voice. He was very good to me back when I was so disgusted with the Comedy Warehouse when Layden's contract wasn't renewed and a couple of other good ones had left at the same time. The 10:30 cast was Philip, Brian, Krista, Eddie & Chris. Krista & Brian were a tennis player & coach in a scene where Chris called different styles of TV, music, theater, & movies. Brian was the coach, but was hot for Krista's mother, who was played by Eddie. They did a great job - it was very funny! This show they also did Cliché, which took most of the rest of the show. Philip was tortured and had to guess "Don't Put Feet to It". He first had to guess the location - an elevator inside a mailbox! That was tough, and it was so much fun to see him completely confused, lol! It was excellent - the whole show was great! After the show Nancy was taking Leesa home with her, so Leesa waited for Nancy to come out while Jim Roberts & I went to the parking lot to transfer some stuff from his car to mine (for Leesa). Nancy & Leesa arrived shortly & we stood around briefly, then Jim returned to work, Nancy/Leesa left, and I drove to OKWR for one last night. I finished up the report and got online to post it, rather than take the time in the morning since I'd have to finish packing. I never did go to MK today, but I realized days ago I wasn't going to bother. The lunch at Portobello Yacht Club with Nancy & Leesa was great, and the evening at the Comedy Warehouse was a lot of fun. Friday night brings many of the same regulars, and it's nice to see them again. I was sorry Greg wasn't feeling well enough to perform all of his shows, but I'm glad he should be back to 100% tomorrow night. DAY 9 SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2002: Who: Sue, DVC Member Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular Plan: Check out OKWR, Comedy Warehouse w/Leesa Actual: I woke up at 8, showered & finished packing up. By 9 there was still no express checkout bill hanging on my door, so I called the front desk to see what the heck was going on! It seems like this happens far too often here - in fact, happening once is far too often! The cm said she'd send somebody over with it, at least. I decided to take a chance finding the yogurt/granola thing again, so I made cappuccino but skipped breakfast. Bell services showed up with the bill, and found the original one had fallen off the door knob and blown around the corner where I hadn't seen it - oops! I apologized to the guy for his having to make an unnecessary trip, and he was really nice about it. I loaded up the car and left the studio around 9:30, stopping to drop the laptop, digital camera, and chocolate off at bell services before driving to AKL. I was happy to see they had the yogurt & granola things, thank goodness!! A major snit was avoided <g>. I bought one and drove over to Typhoon Lagoon, arriving shortly after 10. I set up camp in the usual spot, and ate my delicious yogurt & granola. In the heat, it almost melted, lol - turning partly liquid, but it tasted just as great. After eating I sat at the edge of the wave pool to finish a magazine, then returned to my chairs. I spent the 1/2 hour when they had bobbing waves in the wave pool, and enjoyed that except for when this guy who wasn't paying attention started to almost bump into me with each wave. Eventually I was keeping an eye on him and didn't see the wave that came up and went over my head (I was standing right near the 5' line, which is as deep as I can go without being underwater). When the huge waves returned I went back to do some reading and dry off. It was pretty hot and around 1:30 I got up to walk around the park to cool off some & wait for Nancy & Leesa to call. They called as I was walking away from the slides viewing area, to let me know they were close to WDW. I got my stuff and left Typhoon Lagoon, stopped at OKWR to get my laptop, camera & chocolate from Angelo, and drove to PI to transfer Leesa from Nancy back to me. Nancy went in to work, and Leesa & I drove to her place. I spent the afternoon online & updating the report (and taking another shower - this trip I've spent more time in the shower than ever before) while she worked on a computer for her son. We left for Downtown Disney around 5, and parked at PI. Dinner was at Wolfgang Puck's Express tonight, so Leesa could get the bbq chicken she really likes. I'm still disappointed they stopped selling the caprese salad, but figured I'd eat the macaroni & cheese that came with her chicken dinner. We get there and order the food, only to be told the macaroni & cheese isn't done yet & it may be another 20 minutes. Leesa's chicken is already on her plate, so we decided to just go pay for the food & have them bring out the mac & cheese whenever it's ready. There was nothing else for me to order that wasn't huge, and we had plenty of time. When they brought it out it was a huge portion, lol, so Leesa took the leftovers home. We walked down to Ghiradelli & got a chocolate sample, and ended up talking to a very friendly cm working in there. We ran into Christine from the CW a few times during our travels as well. We got to the Comedy Warehouse shortly after 7pm and ran into David. We chatted with him and he said he was going to save us seats <g> so we counted to make sure we'd be in long row anyway. Tonight there were enough people that the first show wasn't in jeopardy! Sure enough, inside Dave had sat in the 3rd seat from the end, leaving the 2 at the end of long row for us. The 7:20 cast was Brian, Philip, Chris, Krista & Joy. Chris & Philip did a scene about being on a date (older woman, younger man) where he wanted to play basketball and she did not. The scene was interrupted several times for different styles of movies, TV, theater & music. It was pretty funny - good for a first show! They also did the game where each actor has a word or idea and they take turns changing the scene to reflect their topic. Brian had riding motorcycles, Krista had playing football, Joy had club dancing and Chris had rollerblading. It was over before we knew it - a very quick game tonight! We waited with David for the next show (8:15) and the cast was Greg, Joy, Brian, Chris & Krista. Chris rang the bell for Should Have Said, with Brian unclogging a toilet with his body. He claimed to see another world down in the sewer system. It was a pretty good (brief) scene. They did Letters to the Editor, with a subject of toy flying pigs. Joy wrote to Cycle World (as an overweight person riding a bicycle to get in shape), Greg wrote to Time magazine, and Krista wrote to Soldier of Fortune. Krista was very funny as a "tough" person! Next was Up Your Alley, hosted by Chris as Lois Common-Denominator. The topic was in-store product demonstrations, and they had a volunteer from the audience as one of the contestants. Greg was Bradley Bryant (BB), who wrote a book about dating on a budget where you basically take your date to in-store product demonstrations for dinner. Krista played Misty, a sexy-type who demonstrates Oreck vacuum cleaners. The game went well - it was really cute. After the show David left for the Boardwalk, where an excellent performer was supposed to be singing in Atlantic Dance. Krista came over and thanked me for giving her a story to close the first show. She was trying to solicit an embarrassing story, and the girl who volunteered told about the time she was in a play and accidentally flashed everyone in the audience - but she was 15 at the time. Krista refused to take it, because the girl was underage at the time. Nobody else was raising a hand, so I volunteered one I'd used several years ago. We chatted for a few minutes, then Leesa & I left to wait outside a few minutes for the next show. We went back to long row and when the guests came in we saw Tracy & Tyger seated in the row of barstools on the floor. Tyger came over to talk to us until the show started. The 9:15 cast was Krista, Greg, Todd, Chris & Philip. Chris directed a 1-act scene with Philip & Todd, pausing the action for suggestions. They were brothers in their attic trying to get into their grandma's hope chest. Someone suggested Todd had pms, and he did a hysterical job at that! Overall the scene was a good one, and both actors did well. They played Schmeopardy next, with Philip hosting as Alex the Drek. Greg was Mr. Greg, a kindergarten teacher with a cigarette and really nasty attitude towards kids. Chris was Samantha Davenport, an upper-class elderly lady who noticed lots of lonely older single women in her condo complex and became their pimp. Krista was Amazing Elasto Face, a circus freak. She can make all sorts of crazy faces, and did throughout the game. It went by quickly, and they all did a great job. This was probably the best show overall of the 4 we saw. After the show I complimented Todd on his pms portrayal, and then Greg stopped by. He w |