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| Sue Holland — May 2004 — Walt Disney World (PORFQ)Note: As Sue spent time at Pleasure Island and in other adult venues on this trip, this report has some information that may not be appropriate for young readers.Who/When/Where: Who:
Dates:
April 30 - May 3, 2004 This will be another short trip - basically just the weekend, plus a few hours on Monday morning. However, it's been a month since my last visit and it will be another month until my next, so I'm grateful for whatever time I can squeeze in. Originally I was going to be at WDW for a week in the middle of May, but I changed those plans to a cruise when Holland America enticed me a fabulous rate on my own cabin. The chance to try solo cruising was too tempting, so I booked it. One unplanned benefit is now I'll be at WDW at the same time as my friends Pete & Judy from NJ! We made plans for lunch at LeCellier, and will spend time together wandering around after that. I won't be able to leave work early - my work life is very busy right now. So, I won't get up there until 8pm, but since it's Grad Night Pleasure Island won't be opening until 9. That should give me time to get checked in at PO French Quarter and get over to PI for the 9:15 Comedy Warehouse show. Saturday the weather looks good, and it's been ages since I was at Typhoon Lagoon, so I'll spend the first part of the day there. The evening will be Comedy Warehouse again, of course. Sunday is for Pete & Judy, then Monday I hope to hit a few favorites at the Magic Kingdom before driving to work for a 2pm meeting. The plans (subject to change) so far...
DAY 1 FRIDAY APRIL 30, 2004: Who: Sue, DVC Member Plan: Work, Drive to WDW, Comedy Warehouse Actual: Today didn't exactly go as planned, unfortunately. Recapping the events will sound like whining - which is probably appropriate since I'm in a pissy, whiny mood. The work day went well - very productive and satisfying. I left at 5 to make the 2.75 hour drive to WDW, arriving 4 hours later! Between several spots of slow (5-10mph) traffic, several bouts of heavy rain where it was nearly impossible to see what was in front of me, I finally arrived at Port Orleans French Quarter just before 9. It was raining - no, let me correct that - it was a freakin' downpour, complete with tons of thunder and lightning. Keep in mind the whole reason to add this extra night was to get to the Comedy Warehouse for the first couple of shows. I left my car parked under the covered area and ran inside hoping to check in quickly to still make it over to PI, but that was not to be. There was a damn LINE of people waiting to check in! They had 3 of the slowest cast members I've ever seen checking people in (maybe all 3 parties had complications??), and there were 4 parties in the queue ahead of me. Over 20 minutes later I reached the front desk, where the cm didn't even bother to offer me all the paperwork you get at check in. I wanted some of it, and had to ask for the pieces I wanted. I was given a room in building 7, which I believe is the building closest to Riverside. In the dark, who knows?? I drove over there and parked at the end of the building, sloshed through water almost to my ankles while carrying my stuff and an umbrella, only to find my room was at the far opposite end of the building. At least at that point I was under cover, though! I'd thought about driving to PI instead of the room, but I didn't have much of a chance of getting there in time for the 9:30 show, and between the heavy rain & lightning I was defeated (for tonight). The room was a pleasant surprise, although I wasn't thrilled to see it connected to the room next door. The furniture is big & dark, which is not exactly my taste. However, the furnishings are pretty and the room itself doesn't appear dark at all. It's definitely a lot nicer, and a little bigger than the Pop Century rooms. The bathroom in my room is separated from the sleeping area by an actual door. Through the door is the area with the double sinks and closet, then separated by a wall without a door is the room with the tub & toilet. I've heard of some rooms having a privacy curtain, and although most people like that, I'm glad I don't have to look at that. It just seems really tacky to me, and I have no use for it. If I need privacy, that's what doors are for - not long curtains hanging from a doorway <g>. I unpacked and got settled into the room - still wishing I was at PI but it wasn't worth trying to make the trip at this point. I was hungry, so I had a late dinner of cappuccino and biscotti since it's all I had with me. I'll have to buy breakfast one day, now <g>! So, the trip up was a major disappointment and pain in the you-know-what! I need to learn to not make these after-work drives, as too often it's an awful experience and it's certainly not worth renting a Disney room to arrive at 9:30 and watch tv! Since tomorrow's plan is to go to Typhoon Lagoon when it opens at 10, I could have easily made the drive up in the morning. Of course, now it's looking like rain in the morning, so who knows what I'll end up doing. Sorry if this report sounded too negative - eventually I'm due for a crappy vacation day, so hopefully now I'm set for all good times from here on out! DAY 2 SATURDAY MAY 1, 2004: Who: Sue, DVC Member Plan: Typhoon Lagoon, Comedy Warehouse Actual: I was up around 6:30 or so - no sign of sun breaking through the clouds yet, so I scrapped the plans for Typhoon Lagoon. I realized I'd forgotten to pack a few items, so I got ready quickly and then drove off property to a nearby Walgreens to get that errand out of the way before returning to the room for a cappuccino & biscotti breakfast. Last night the room was great for sleeping - no noise from anywhere except the occasional turbo toilet, and the bed is nice & comfortable. It's really tall, too - which I like. I wandered around the resort, and checked in the food court for breakfast ideas for Monday. Although I'm in the furthest building, it's not a long walk to the bus stop. When I got there the Magic Kingdom bus was waiting, so I got right on. All the seats filled up, so when it got to Riverside (just the main stop) those guests had to stand. We arrived at the MK by 8:45 and had a short wait for the park to open. My first stop was Space Mountain to get a fastpass, and since the line was short I also rode it standby. The line never stopped moving, and once in the boarding area the cm was looking for single riders so I advanced even more quickly. I decided against Pooh - the line wasn't very long but it was full of families with little kids so I knew the odds of being seated with an adult who feels the need to narrate the ride in a high-pitched baby-talk voice was greater than I wanted to risk <g>. I did ride Peter Pan's Flight, basically walking right on. It stopped towards the end, which is the first time I've had that happen. Soon we were moving again, though. I headed to BigThunder and walked right on there, too. It was a great ride, and when we got back in the station I saw there were no people for one of the rows of the last car, so I got to ride again! From there I stopped for a ride on Haunted Mansion and then returned to Tomorrowland to use my Space Mountain fastpass. I can't leave the Magic Kingdom without a ride on the old People Mover, so that was my last attraction. By now the park was getting very crowded, which is to be expected on a Saturday! It might have sounded crazy to even come here on a Saturday, but I knew I'd only be here until 10:30 or so. I had a short wait for a PO bus, and was the only passenger. I changed into my swimsuit, grabbed my bag, and headed for the pool. Along the way I took some photos needed for a future article, then found an empty lounge chair and got situated. The chairs around the pool were mostly taken, although the pool didn't look very busy - maybe people "saving" lounge chairs?? Kids were enjoying the water slide, and although my chair faced the dragon's mouth I really didn't watch people coming down the slide. I'd brought a continuing education tax thing, and did that - then read a couple of magazines. It was a little too warm, but not unbearable, and it was nice & relaxing lounging in the sun. I was there around 2 hours or so, then decided it was time to think about eating. Back in the room I took a quick shower & got dressed, then had a brain fart and went to the bus stop to get to Downtown Disney. I knew I didn't want to bother moving my hot car, but I should have gone to the marina and ridden the boat - oh well! At the Marketplace I finally found a pin I'd been looking for - a Tinkerbell that says "It's all about me". My new food service director told me her hag of a secretary had recently huffed that she (director) thinks it's all about her. When she told me, I knew I had to find her the pin to wear - although now the hag won't see it since she retired (with 10 minutes notice, which is really 9 minutes more than we needed) a few days ago <g>. That phrase has become a joke between us, because the secretary was so out of line. At Basin I bought more body butter, since mine was almost empty, and I walked past Ghiradelli without going in for a chocolate sample! I saw it was just the caramel thing - no big deal, but I may stop in later tonight. For lunch I went to Earl of Sandwich and ordered a caprese sandwich. I only had a very short wait (2:30-3:00) and found a nice shady table outside. The sandwich was great - I ate half and brought the other half back with me. I'm not sure it'll be any good later, but I took a chance. After a stop to pick up some stuff in the candy store, I went to the marina and rode the boat back to French Quarter. The Saratoga Springs buildings look really nice - hard to believe the first one will be opening in under 3 weeks now! It was a really nice ride back to the resort, and the driver narrated along the way. I walked back to the room and updated the report, then relaxed online for a while. So far the weather has been nice & sunny - no rain yet, but they're saying we may have the violent storms again by late afternoon & into the evening. If so, I'll be out in it - I'm not missing Comedy Warehouse again! Around 7:30 or so I drove over to Downtown Disney and found that parking was a nightmare. My usual lot was closed off for Grad Night, but I did find a spot very far away in another lot. I went to the Marketplace, which was mobbed! It's not pleasant being there when it's like that, so I made a quick trip to Ghiradelli for a sample & some foil wrapped chocolates I was unable to get last month, then decided to try the West Side. It was busy there too, but definitely less crowded. It was starting to rain, so I browsed in the Cirque shop and Virgin store to kill time. Around 8:45 I got in line for Pleasure Island, and they let us in a few minutes early. Susan was working the line, so I let her know I'd be here for the first 2 shows, then went to wait downstairs. After everyone was seated I saw the Ft Pierce family waving from up near the top - haven't seen them in a while! There was also a streetmosphere girl wandering through for Cinco de Mayo. She was flirting with the men, talking to people, etc - and was wearing the biggest blonde wig I've ever seen. On the keys tonight we had John deHaas (sp?). The 9:15 cast was Philip, Brian, John, Mary & Christine. After and opening number about a couple who didn't give much information (the cast did a good job with it anyway) they went right into the 2-person Story Telling thing. This time it was Christine & Brian telling "Cheesy Cheese". They were a farm couple, with lots of dysfunction. Brian was an alcoholic drinking "cough syrup", and he kept purposely mispronouncing words to irritate her. Then they talked about their beloved cow Bessie, who had died, and Brian started imitating the cow. Overall the scene had a few sick moments, but it was pretty hysterical much of the time, thanks to Brian's character. Chris kind of played the straight guy off of him, which was probably the smartest thing to do. The show was definitely off to a good start! Next Mary called the action in Scene Freeze. Philip had "cha ching", and came in as a stuttering Chinese guy nervous about a job interview - it was so funny! John had Thanksgiving, and was the turkey being stuffed by John. Christine had sock drawer, and Brian had pop tart. They moved between 4 different scenes rapidly, getting frozen in some pretty wild positions - some of which I captured for Ofoto later <g>. They also did Emotions, with Mary & Philip in an elevator, in what was another very good scene. Overall this was a terrific show. After the show I talked to Mary a while, then visited with Brian & John before heading out. They noticed I haven't been here in a while - that's the one drawback to being busy at work, and cruising so often. I wish I could be here more often, but I can't stand the drive any more often than I'm already doing it. I went outside to wait for the next show, glad it had stopped raining. Since the backdoor is near the cm break area, I got to see/greet several familiar faces, which was nice. Once the next show was seated I saw the Ft Pierce family, but since I was alone I couldn't really leave my seat. Kelly came down though, so we got to talk to each other before the show started. The 10:30 cast was Mary, Mark, Brian, Christine & John. They opened with an orthodontist from Rochester on the phone - he'd taken his entire staff to wdw as a reward! Next they wrote a play, with Brian interrupting to get suggestions from the audience frequently. Christine & Mark were in an Indian casino in Montana. She was working him for a massage & sex, while he was training to form his own militia and kill people who seem jerky. Mary came in as the lounge singer singing her own version of Hokey Pokey, and John was both the cocktail waitress and the pit boss who was a fellow militia leader. It was a good scene - fun to watch. Christine led the others in a Madrigal, which was just ok. I think the tabloid headlines might have been too similar, but it wasn't as good as it usually is. The headlines were "Janet Jackson obvious on the right" (this made no sense, except to the drunk guy who said it - although we know what he meant), "Jessica Simpson gets new brain", "Alien hangs Michael Jackson over balcony" and "Martha Steward redecorates her jail cell". They also did Letters to the Editor, with the subject being chairs. Mary wrote to Maxim, disagreeing with an earlier article about reading men's body language when they sit. Brian was a video game junkie writing to Gourmet Dining about the casserole he made from all the leftover foods he found under the sofa cushions. John wrote to Opera News, pleading with them to give the fat opera singers chairs to sit on while they sing because it must be hard to move their girth from stage left to stage right, lol! It was very good, and all too soon another show had finished. I stopped to talk to Mary briefly before her meeting, then headed out. I met up with the Ft Pierce family and walked out with them, and was back at French Quarter in no time after the long hike to the car. This location is really as convenient as Old Key West in terms of getting home from CW. Today was a much better day - no complaints that I can think of. I did skip Typhoon Lagoon, but I enjoyed my time at the pool here and don't regret changing the plans. The bonus was getting the MK stuff out of the way today, so now I don't have to do anything Monday morning before heading to work. Hopefully tomorrow will be another great day - I'm looking forward to spending time with Pete & Judy again. DAY 3 SUNDAY MAY 2, 2004: Who: Sue,
DVC Member Plan: LeCellier Lunch, Comedy Warehouse Actual: I woke up early, but since there was no place I had to be before lunch I didn't get up until around 7:30 or so. I just wasn't tired enough to go back to sleep for any longer. For breakfast I finished up the biscotti and had some cappuccino. Today it's already sunny, although it's supposed to be very humid. The weather will turn gorgeous tomorrow - after I leave, of course <g>. I decided to use Disney transport today, since it's easy to get to/from Port Orleans. However, first I needed to visit All Star Sports for a friend, so I left to drive over there. In hindsight, I should have called first! Traffic was awful, with lanes and entire roads closed due to the inline marathon this morning. Eventually I got there, and found lines at all the registers in the shops. Why on earth are people shopping when they should be headed to the parks, anyway??? Also, the queues at the bus stops were ridiculously long - made me very glad I wasn't staying here, as the whole think just looked so tacky & low-class (the way guests are expected to be content standing in lines longer than what I consider reasonable). Please, please, please - somebody remind me of this if I ever start talking about booking a value resort again (Pop Century included)! For me, French Quarter or another moderate is clearly worth the little bit extra to not be treated like such scum. Eventually I got to the head of the line and found the pin I was looking for was sold out already - that's why I should have called before going over. It took until 10 to get back to French Quarter - round trip it was about an hour thanks to the inline marathon. I really don't think they should do these things unless they can do it early enough that it's finished before the parks open - creating this traffic mess is very inconvenient for too many people! Back at French Quarter I walked to our bus stop, and sat on a bench since we don't have to stand like cattle at this resort. By the time it came there were enough people to fill the bus, so we didn't make any stops at Riverside. Entering Epcot was easy, and I was on Spaceship Earth by 10:30. All the stuff has been removed from the exit area, so it looks pretty bleak. I wandered through Mouse Gears, and saw a watch I liked - one that had a short band. I tried it on, but thought the face was a little bigger than I really wanted - plus there's nothing wrong with the watch I'm already wearing. So, I didn't buy it. By now it wasn't quite 11, but World Showcase was open. I rode Maelstrom first and then backtracked to do the boat ride in Mexico - both were walk-ons that early. I'd been noticing the shirts each country has - form-fitted with lots of pictures, colorful, with some decoration on them. I wish Epcot had them all in one location, but they don't - so I made the rounds of the countries looking at them all. Unfortunately, although there were many cute ones, even the smalls were a little longer than I wanted them to be. However, in France I found one in a tanktop style that came in x-small, so it was a little better. After narrowing my search to between France & Italy, I ended up buying the one in France because it was smaller. I met another shopper in there & we chatted about how nice it was to see smaller shirts instead of the big baggy manly t-shirts all the time! They have no fitting rooms in these stores, so I had to try it on over the shirt I was wearing - very bargain basement-like <g>. The alternative was to not buy it at all though, as I wasn't going to risk having to make a return trip to return the darn thing. My shirt shopping filled all the time before meeting Pete & Judy. When I got to LeCellier they were just checking in at the desk, so it was perfect timing! They had just arrived from NJ, after checking in at Boardwalk Villas. It was another wonderful lunch - excellent food and company. Our server was terrific, too. I of course had my wine and cheese soup, which I always look forward to! After lunch we walked to MGM Studios to pick up the free commemorative coin they're giving out to passholders. It was a long hot walk, but it seems whenever we're together it's either hot or raining so I guess I shouldn't complain! MGM felt mobbed when we arrived, but when we left 15 minutes or so later the crowds had cleared out significantly. We went to the big hat and got our coins - they stamped our passes so there's no chance of any passholder getting more than one. By now it was 2-2:30 and we decided to head out. Pete & Judy needed to unpack and make a grocery store trip, and I thought my air conditioned French Quarter room was sounding pretty good! We agreed to meet at 8 for Comedy Warehouse, then I headed to the bus stop. It felt good to just relax in the room for a while. I updated the report and then got online to catch up with email & other reading. It's hard to believe I'm going home tomorrow, but I'm ready to get back to work since I only have a week before I start traveling a lot more for the next month or so. A little after 3 I decided to run over to Animal Kingdom so I could say I visited all 4 parks this trip. I drove over and got there shortly before 4, beating the parade. Primeval Whirl just finished their fastpasses and Dinosaur was closed today, so I ended up standing in line for about 15 minutes or so for Primeval Whirl. Is that ride worth a 15-minute wait?? Not really, but I wanted to do something before turning around and driving back to the resort. I finally got back to French Quarter just before 5, and settled in to cool off and relax until it was time to go out for the evening. Leesa called from Seattle wanting some shopping advice, wondering which shirt & size I thought was best for the person she was buying for. She was taking a chance, since I couldn't see the shirts at all! Around 7 I drove over to Downtown Disney and found a parking space in my usual lot. I skipped the Ghiradelli sample tonight, choosing instead to find a quiet bench by the water over at the West Side from which to make a phone call. Saratoga Springs really looks nice - it's so exciting to have another beautiful dvc resort opening. I headed back to PI and ran into Bob & Virginia, stopping to talk with them for a while. Once inside PI I chatted with Susan at the door until Pete & Judy arrived. Jamie was on thekeys tonight - always nice to see him. The first show was pretty crowded by first show standards, and the audience seemed like they were already loosened up <g>. The 8:20 cast was Brian, Philip, Joy, John & Todd. They got a drunk lady from Canada on the phone. Her husband drives a garbage truck and on their first date they went skinny dipping (their 15 yr old daughter looked thrilled to hear that <g>). The song the cast created was excellent, and a couple of them got pretty nasty (in a good, entertaining way <g>). Brian said she came to Orlando because she drank Canada Dry, lol! Philip's verse was about the husband taking out ANY trash, referring to her! It was so funny - a great start! Todd & Brian created a Fill in the Blank scene using 2 audience volunteers. They were 2 guys naked in a hot tub on a ship in 1970, rubbing canadian bacon on themselves. There were a lot of risque comments made, and the scene kept getting funnier & funnier. The volunteers did a good job, and Philip came in as the captain of the ship, and John was in as the towel steward. I was sorry to see this one end, as it was really funny! Next they did Hot Seat, with Philip being interrogated until he admitted he'd wrestled an alligator at the Elvis tribute show at the Econo-Lodge because the alligator had stolen his wallet. Some of the clues led him in some funny directions, and he got absolutely crazy & silly - which he does so well. It was a wild show, but great fun! The 9:15 cast was John, Philip, Brian, Joy & Chris. John & Philip did Story Telling, talking about the Commander Woodchuck. I think I missed part of this, but even with 2 strong actors the story paled compared to the last show. Next they did Forgotten Songs, and they were all great. Philip came out as a manic Orvil Redenbacker Jr Jr to sing Popcorn. Brian & Joy were lounge singers in a Denny's bathroom singing "Employees Must Wash Hands". Their song was pretty gross at times, but it worked - it was very funny. John came out wearing a sling over his arm and a neck brace, singing "Slipping & Sliding on the Boardwalk" about being left screaming & writhing by his girlfriend who stole his money after he fell. Overall this show wasn't as great as the first one, but it was still mostly very good. It was raining by the time the show ended, and with the long gap before the next one we all decided to leave. It felt really strange to not have Mary coming in for the 10:30 - but it was kind of nice leaving early for a change. It'll be a month before I'm back, but I think it'll pass quickly (I hope). I drove back to French Quarter, where it wasn't raining (Florida weather - go figure). Since I hadn't had dinner I walked over to the food court and got an oatmeal raisin cookie from the bakery, then returned to the room to finish up the report. Tomorrow's report will be very brief, since I may not do anything other than breakfast before driving to work. Today was another nice day, and I did everything on the plan. I'm glad I found the shirt I bought, loved having lunch at LeCellier again, saw a couple great Comedy shows, and it was great having Pete & Judy's trip overlap mine again. DAY 4 MONDAY MAY 3, 2004: Who: Sue, DVC Member Plan: Possibly MK, Drive to work for 2pm meeting Actual: Since I'd been able to do my Magic Kingdom favorites Saturday morning, I had no desire to repeat them again today. I have a lot of work to do this week, and begin traveling quite a bit next Sunday, so I figured the best thing to do would be to drive back earlier and hope to get a little more done today at the office. First though, I'd have breakfast at the resort since it's been years since I ate here and I'd already eaten all of my biscotti. I ended up waking shortly after 6, and decided to just get up. It was a gloomy, overcast day --which made it easier to leave! I arrived at the food court just after they opened at 7, and it wasn't busy at all. I ordered the kids' breakfast platter, which was huge plate of scrambled eggs, 2 strips of bacon, small biscuit and some potatoes. I couldn't eat it all, and can't imagine any young child needing their own plate (plenty to share with little kids). The price was right - $3.06 after the Disney Dining discount. I ate at a table outside, then returned to get my stuff from the room and begin the drive back. I was on the road by 7:30, and at work by 10:15 - no traffic this time, thank goodness! SUMMARY: My next non-business trip will be a 7-day HAL cruise on the Zuiderdam beginning May 15th. It's basically a repeat of the western Caribbean itinerary I've done a few times before, but it will be my first solo cruise - I've got the stateroom all to myself! I'll use the Panama Canal cruise mailing list for that report, so if you got that one you'll get this one <g>. My next WDW trip will be a 2-night stay at OKW with my Dad in early June. We won't be bothering with the parks, since the reason for the trip is just the Comedy Warehouse. Then I'll be back the following week for a conference, which means 3 more nights at Comedy Warehouse. Sue Holland
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