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| Sue Holland -- April 2006 - WDW (SSR)Who: Sue (47), DVC member Dates: April 28 - 30, 2006 Resort: Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa INTRODUCTION:Originally this short weekend trip was scheduled for earlier in April – the first weekend after SB left to report to work out of state. However, that was the weekend before Easter and I realized my park pass was not valid after that Friday. Rather than not having access to the parks on either weekend day, I decided to push the trip back to this weekend. Some DVC friends will be in town, and invited me to join them for some of their activities. They had dinner at LeCellier booked for Friday at 4:40, so I decided to take Friday afternoon off from work and drive up early (leaving at noon instead of 5pm) to join them. That left me able to cancel the advance dining reservation I’d made for LeCellier for lunch on Saturday, and gave me the freedom to take Saturday as a pool/resort day primarily. I may even stay for an extra show at Comedy Warehouse Friday night since I won’t need to get up early the next day! I’ve only eaten at Alfredo’s in Italy at Epcot once, and I believe I was pregnant with Chris at the time (he’s 19.5 years old now). I don’t recall being impressed, and know they get slammed pretty consistently on the message boards, but I was in the mood to try someplace new to me. They have a mozzarella/tomato salad, which paired with a nice wine will be the perfect dinner for me. If I like the place, I’ll be back – if not, at least I gave it a try. Sunday will be my main park day, followed by a fairly early evening the night before. I’ll start in the Magic Kingdom, hit my favorite attractions, then stop for lunch at Columbia Harbor House. We used to eat there occasionally when Chris was in a stroller – I guess it’s time to try them again, lol! I’ll head to Epcot after that, hoping to get a fastpass for Soarin’ at some point this weekend. Maybe I’ll visit Premium Outlets for the Character Premiere store, but I’m not convinced I really want to leave property at all on such a short trip. I hate the surrounding traffic, even when it’s light! Once again I’ll be staying over Sunday night so I have the whole day available to me. I’ll be up by 4am so I can be on the road before 5am, driving to arrive at work by 8. It’s far from ideal, but it’s worth doing to have the 2 full days here. The
plans so far are: DAY 1 – Friday 4/28/06Who:
Sue (47), DVC member Plan: Work, Drive to WDW, Check in Saratoga, Dinner LeCellier, Comedy Warehouse Actual: Work went by pretty quickly – wish I could leave at noon every day! The drive up was easy until just after highway 27 on I-4. At that point it became a parking lot, and I didn’t notice it until I’d passed the exit. Had I been thinking, I would have taken 27 north to Clermont and gone in that way (longer distance but 40-50 mph is better than 10mph). So, the last 6 miles were a pain, but finally I arrived on WDW property and zipped over to check in at Saratoga Springs! The security cast member said Welcome Home, checked my photo id and sent me up to check in. There was no wait at all, and my non-smoking studio was ready. I got what I requested – Congress Park with a view of Downtown Disney. Once again I have the last room next to the stairs, which gives me a view off 2 sides of the balcony and I only have neighbors on one side. The stairs will be very convenient for walking to/from Pleasure Island later tonight. I unpacked quickly, watched a little of General Hospital, chatted with SB, then headed out to the car shortly before 4pm. I drove over to Beach Club and left the car there while I walked into Epcot to meet some DVC friends at LeCellier for dinner. I was about 15 minutes early so I sat on a shady bench just outside the restaurant and waited for the others to arrive. A solo lady tried to find a table for any time this evening for dinner, but they came back out to tell her they were completely booked up all night. Anyone who doesn’t make advance dining reservations really can’t expect to get into any of the popular places since this dining plan went into effect (when the dining plan is free in Aug/Sep it’ll be even worse – definitely book far in advance). I spotted a woman walking down the path with her camera extended, snapping pictures along the way – and knew it had to be Donna, lol! Sure enough, it was Donna, Pat, Debbie & Claudia. I’d never met Claudia before, and she was a real hoot – very funny lady. We were seated almost immediately and had a lot of laughs catching up on the adventures these 4 had been through since arriving 24 hours ago. Let’s see, there was public urination during Spectromagic, and some young teens almost having sex along Main Street (before some guest finally told the boy to knock it off) for at least 15 minutes in front of all the families, and the usual assortment of interesting people. Our dinner ended up being a 2-hour meal, which I assume is due to the dining plan and ordering all 3 courses. All 4 of them had the dining plan, but were not going to be ordering everything so I ended up having my meal covered by their credits (thanks again guys). Basically I ordered my wine, but ate the soup Donna ordered but did not want to eat. She in turn ate a salad that Pat ordered but didn’t want <g>. Pat & I shared the kids’ chocolate moose dessert, which was yummy as always. We also put the alcohol they got on my check, to get the 20% off for Disney Dining Experience. For entrees most of them had the filet mignon, which seemed to be great. One person got the prime rib, which was a pretty big portion. Claudia got the s’mores dessert, which was unlike any s’mores I’ve ever seen. It had a couple marshmallows on a skewer, then had some ice cream between a couple of brownie-type things on a plate. She said it was good! Overall it was a really good meal, and great company. Donna had brought me a fastpass for Soarin’ but by the time we left LeCellier it was time for me to get back to Saratoga Springs. I’ll try to use it tomorrow – no harm in trying, and if they say no that’s no big deal. They headed back to OKW and I drove back to my resort to update the report and freshen up a bit. I left before 7:30 to walk over to Pleasure Island, arriving in plenty of time. Along the way I stopped in at Ghiradelli to get my chocolate sample, and bought one for Leesa since she wouldn’t have time to make it over there. I waited for her inside the Adventurer’s Club, then we headed over to Comedy Warehouse to wait for the first show. A new guy named Randy was on the keys (new to me at least), and we met up with Larry & Phyllis (other regulars) once inside. It was a very small audience – much smaller than I’ve ever seen on a Friday night, even though it was first show. I wonder if the construction going on outside is keeping people away (if I wasn’t such a Comedy Warehouse fan I know it would turn me off and keep me from coming to the Island). The 8:00 cast was Lisa, Matt, Christine, Robby & Brian. They did Emotions, where Matt & Christine were alligator wrestlers – it was very funny. Robby then came out and sang “Reggae Polka”, which was kind of weird – those 2 styles don’t exactly go together, but that’s what the audience suggested! Actor’s Nightmare was next, where all actors but one read all of their lines from scripts – the actor without a script has to make sense of it all, so it’s his “nightmare”. Tonight it was Brian’s nightmare, and the scene was set in a video game. Normally I really enjoy this structure, but the video game aspect made it too hard for me to follow. There was plenty of laughter from others in the audience, so I think the problem was me rather than anything happening up on stage. In any event, when it ended I was glad to see them move on to something else (better). After the show I gave Brian something I’d brought for their prop room, and talked to Christine for a while. The 9:05 cast was Brian, John, Lisa, Christine & Robby. They did a new structure called Slap Happy, which is hard to describe but fun to watch. 2 actors start a scene, then someone else taps them out and replaces them in the scene but as a different character. Each actor remains in his same character as he enters/leaves the scene. Tonight Lisa & John were siblings, where she had stolen his diary and told his parents what she’d read in it. Brian and Christine eventually came in as the parents, who were upset to learn John knew about their drug use, group sex, etc. Lisa was permitted to marry her brother (John), but was already pregnant with her father’s (Brian) baby – very dysfunctional family <g> but it made the scene interesting! Next Robby had to create a poem in a Hawaiian language while doing the hula, as Brian interpreted his words/actions for the rest of us. I always love this, and Brian does it really well – it was hysterical. The poem was about living with the dolphins, and was really funny. They also did Cliché, which ended the show. Robby was tortured & had to guess he was at the DMV in Manchester, NH – and then guess the cliché “It’ll happen before you’re married twice”. As always, the clues were very creative, and the entire scene was excellent. My DVC friends had been seated above us (but thankfully didn’t throw anything down or spit on us <g>) and waved goodbye as they were leaving. After the show we lingered, talking to John & Lisa before stepping outside briefly before the next show. The 10:15 cast was Robby, John, Matt, Joy & Brian. John & Joy did a Fill in the Blank scene, using the entire audience. John was a hitman hired by her husband (Brian) to kill her, then Matt came in as a hitman hired to kill John. It was a very funny scene – everyone was really good. Brian & Matt then did Transformations, where they do similar actions as the scene morphs from the starting point through different things and then ends back doing what they started with. In this case they were sleeping while camping together. They did a good job, but this isn’t one of my favorites. Schmeopardy was next, which was much better. Joy was host as Alexis Quebec. Matt was Johanne S Gutenberg, a printer. Robby was Charlie, a nurse shark. Brian was crazy as Yvonne, a welder by day and flash dancer by night. He kept breaking into that rapid dance the girl did in the Flash Dance movie, and John would come out from backstage and dump a cup of water over his head. Overall it was a great show, and really the entire evening (all shows) were very good. I was happy! I said my goodbyes to Leesa, ran into Joy on the way out, then left the Island. I was due to call SB at 11:15, but he was still on the bus (on a road trip – the bus takes the team from the park back to their hotel) so we didn’t talk long then. I expected my walk back to Saratoga might be rather deserted at this hour, but that wasn’t the case. Some of the shops in the Marketplace still had guests in them, so they must close at 11:30. In any event, there were quite a few people around, and I passed a few families on the path back to the resort. Not sure about the family with the girl who wasn’t old enough for kindergarten walking back at 11:30pm, but maybe they’d just arrived from the west coast and it only felt like 8:30 to them. Once I got back into the studio SB called, so we chatted for a little while and then turned in – the report can wait until morning. Overall it was a great day – dinner with the DVC friends was a lot of fun, and the night at Comedy Warehouse was great too! I’m glad I’ve got 2 whole days ahead of me, too! DAY 2 – Saturday 4/29/06Who:
Sue (47), DVC member Plan: Pool, Dinner Alfredo’s, Epcot Actual: I didn’t get up until 7:45, which felt great! I slept really well – the Disney beds are always comfortable, and the resort was completely quiet. I left the drapes open, and had the view of the lights from Downtown Disney reflecting on the lake as I went to sleep, and the beautiful sunshine as I woke up. I’d be showering later, so I just cleaned up a bit and threw on some clothes, then made some cappuccino and called SB to wake him up at 8:30. His game is early today, so he needed to be up early. At 9 I left the studio (down the staircase) to walk over to Earl of Sandwich for breakfast/lunch. I was customer #13 of the day, and took my caprese sandwich to eat at an outside table. I’ll definitely have to schedule an April weekend next year, as the weather is so perfect for everything I enjoy doing here. After eating I walked back to Saratoga Springs, changed into my swimsuit, and by 10 was heading over to the quiet pool for some relaxation. There were hardly any other people there, and those who came generally didn’t stay long. There were a few kids, but none who were unruly or misbehaving at all. It was really nice! The one thing I didn’t like was all the love bugs – which Disney doesn’t have any control over. Their seasons are September and May, so they’re just a little early this year. I read a couple of magazines (which I left with another couple on nearby chairs) and part of the new book about Barbra Streisand before leaving at 1pm to return to the studio. It had been a wonderfully relaxing & comfortable morning, except for those damn love bugs! I’m tempted to perhaps skip my park plans tomorrow & just return here, but we’ll see. I showered, dressed and caught part of SB’s game before leaving for Epcot. I toyed with taking the bus rather than driving, but decided to stick with the freedom the car gives me. Plus, it’s so much easier entering through the International Gateway than coming in the front entrance. I wished my dinner time was later, as I wasn’t hungry at all yet – but I knew I didn’t stand a chance of getting it changed at this late notice. As it turned out I was feeling hungry by the time 4pm rolled around, so I was glad I didn’t try to change it. I parked at Beach Club Villas again, and once inside Epcot headed straight over to Soarin’. I was surprised to see fastpasses available for 7:30-8:30 (it was now 3pm) so I went ahead and got one. It was just now time for yesterday’s fastpass, so I went to the entrance and was waved in by the cast member. Cool – I get 2 rides today! I ended up in the 3rd row this time but it was still a good ride. Afterwards I walked over to Spaceship Earth and rode that since there was no wait. It stopped twice, but only briefly, so I wasn’t late for dinner! I arrived in Italy just before 4, and asked to be seated outside. The chairs out there were not comfortable on bare legs, but I used the napkin from the other place setting to line the cushion so I didn’t get all sweaty. Other posters are right – the cast members working here are definitely eye candy, lol! I had to wait a while before my server decided to take my order, although he and another person did tell me he’d be with me shortly. I ordered a pinot grigio & chardonnay blend, along with the mozzarella caprese salad and was not pleased that they both came at the same time. I was even less pleased to see a glass of red wine, since the wine I’d ordered was definitely white! The server took the red back and I had to wait for my white – I would have preferred to have my wine first, and then have the food come a little later. I also had to ask for bread & butter, after seeing it on everyone else’s table but mine. The caprese was pretty good, but for $8.95 I was expecting more than 3 tomato wedges (all combined barely half a tomato) with the mozzarella. It was very pleasant sitting outside, and I read some of Rodney’s trip report I’d printed off from RADP to pass the time (excellent report). Overall it was a good enough dinner, but I’m not sure I’ll be rushing back to try it again. I was out of there by 4:30, which seems really fast but I didn’t feel rushed. I walked over to Germany and got a glass of wine from there – I like the $4 wine there better than the $7.95 wine at Alfredo’s. I sat on a bench and updated my notes and read some more of the trip report (Rodney’s), enjoying the sunny afternoon. By the time I finished the wine it was after 5, which meant I was able to get another fastpass. I walked back to the Land for the 2nd time and picked up a fastpass for Living With the Land with a 6pm return time. At this point it was almost 5:30 so I only had a half hour to kill. I went over to Test Track and saw the single rider line had a 30-minute wait. Normally I’d skip it if it meant waiting 30 minutes, but since I had time to kill I decided to get in line. There was no reason for it to take 30 minutes, but they were not running enough single riders through there fast enough. Once a group came through & got put onto cars, there was a long gap before the next group, and cars were going out with empty seats! SB called while I was in the pre-show, so I stood back and let everyone go ahead of me while I talked to him. His game had gone very poorly (they were ahead when I stopped listening, but later threw it away), so they were making the players sit on the bus for 1.5 hours just for the hell of it before riding back to the hotel. I was the last single rider, which is how I saw the gap I described above. Once I got off the ride it was time to make my 3rd trip to the Land, and pretty much walked right on to Living With the Land. There sure seemed to be a lot of pumpkins showcased this time! SB called again from the hotel as I was getting off my boat, so I sat outside to talk to him before heading back to World Showcase. In Germany I decided to get another glass of wine, and found a long line in there. While I was waiting someone I know came in (Sharon – Com Whse regular) and we chatted briefly. I took my wine out to a bench, and then remembered I was planning to listen to the concert in America. I found another empty bench right next to the theater, and it was a great spot to listen to the music. I’ve heard of Gary Puckett but didn’t know what songs he was known for, yet almost everything he did tonight was familiar to me – and very good. Once the concert was done I heard Mary, the Voice of Epcot, thanking people for coming, lol! Her voice is everywhere in Epcot, even when she’s elsewhere! By now I was in my window for Soarin’, so I walked back to the Land for the 4th time and got in line. This time I got the 2nd row, which is better than the 3rd. I was on the end of the row, and the lady on the end of the next vehicle had a death grip on her seat – it was pretty funny since this attraction doesn’t scare me at all (don’t ask me to go on Splash Mountain, though). Once I got off the attraction I fought the crowds to get to the exit and left through International Gateway. I decided to stop in the Market at Beach Club Villas to get a cookie, but they were pretty much out of almost everything. There was also a kid making way too much obnoxious noise in there, so I left without looking for anything else. Once back at Saratoga Springs I stopped at the main building and bought a cookie in Artist’s Palate, then went back to the studio. I was feeling pretty tired, perhaps from the sun earlier today (or the wine). I ate part of the cookie, got settled in for the night, talked to SB, and finished up the report in time to turn in early. It was a really nice day – a good combination of relaxing & busy. I enjoyed everything I did, except for swatting an endless stream of love bugs at the pool! DAY 3 – Sunday 4/30/06Who: Sue (47), DVC member Plan: Magic Kingdom, Lunch Columbia Harbor House, Epcot, Possible Comedy Warehouse Actual: This morning I woke up a little after 7, and decided to get up around 7:15. I spent some time online, had cappuccino and half a bagel for breakfast, then headed to the bus stop at 8:30. Every time I use buses from Saratoga Springs I always have to wait a while, both coming and going. Today was no exception, but the wait wasn’t too long. Strangely, when the MK bus arrived and everyone got up to line up where the bus should stop – the driver stopped back at the 2nd bus slot! There were no other buses following, so it made no sense – and everyone walked down to the parked bus to board. It arrived empty, but was standing room only by the next stop. At the next stop someone in a wheelchair arrived just as we were set to leave, so the driver stopped to load (or TRY to anyway) that party. She had to get everyone standing on the bus to move towards the front, then got the people sitting to stand up out of the way. Then, the lift wasn’t operating, so we sat there while she tried to figure that out. She tried shutting the bus off and restarting it, and finally another MK bus pulled in behind us so the party with the wheelchair got on that one, lol! I’m sure they were frustrated, too. We got to the MK just before 9 and although it looked mobbed it was actually pretty quick getting through the silly security and the turnstiles. It was completely overcast and pretty breezy – almost chilly, but I left my jacket at the resort figuring it would be warmer. I went to Space Mountain first, which already had a line. I picked up a fastpass with a 10:05 return time – amazingly they didn’t have all of the fastpass machines open yet so there were lines there too. A cast member was uncovering them one at a time – not sure why that couldn’t have been done BEFORE guests were admitted into the park! The Pooh ride was a walk-on, so I did that before heading over to Frontierland. Big Thunder was moving quickly so I got in line and ended up with the very back row. It was fun as always, and since it wasn’t real busy yet I got right back in line for one more ride. After that I rode Pirates of the Caribbean, with no wait. I had 2 flash photography nuts in the row behind me, so it was like riding in a lightning storm with all the flashes of light. I sincerely hope none of their photos come out – and for the life of me can’t imagine why anyone needs multiple shots of every single scene in there! I tried to notice if the dog at the end looked as mangy/bizarre as friends have said, but my eyes had trouble focusing with the flashing going on. It definitely didn’t look realistic, though. After Pirates I went back to Tomorrowland and waited 5 minutes to be able to get another fastpass for Space Mountain (10:50 return). At this point it was 10:10 so I went to use my first fastpass and found that the attraction had just shut down! I left and rode the TTA, enjoying the view inside Space Mountain with all the lights on. It still appeared closed when I finished TTA, so I walked over and did the Haunted Mansion with a small wait. By this time it was getting really crowded, so I went back to Space Mountain to see if it had reopened yet. It had, so I used my first fastpass and got almost to the boarding area before it shut down again. This time I waited, after about 20 minutes it started again, and it took a bit longer to clear out the backlog. I decided not to bother with the 2nd fastpass, as it wasn’t worth the time it would have taken. When I went outside I was pleased to see sunshine finally! I went to Liberty Square and went into the Columbia Harbor House – which had long lines of course. I ordered the salad with chicken, feta cheese, pineapples & pecans, then had to wait while several orders taken after mine came up first. I would have thought a salad would be simple get out, but I was wrong. I asked if they had a “to go” container, but they do not. The salad comes in a plastic bowl, so the CM gave me a paper plate to put over the top of it. I decided to just eat there, so I went upstairs where it definitely is much quieter than downstairs. Except for the thundering running of a little boy on the wooden floors, it was pretty peaceful up there. Oh well, to me it’s a dining establishment, but to others it’s evidently a track & field venue <g>. The salad was good, but not really special – not worth a repeat trip for me at least. I ate some of it, then took the rest with me to eat later at the resort (or to toss in the trash). I was really in the mood for a big pretzel, but of course couldn’t find a pretzel wagon anywhere. I’ve wanted one on the past several trips, but always end up putting it off too long and then find the wagons all closed (at Epcot). I may have to head back over there or to Animal Kingdom later to get one. I left MK and waited (and waited and waited) for the Saratoga Springs bus. We had a very lively driver – extremely cheerful and upbeat. I put the rest of the salad in the fridge, then changed into my swimsuit and headed back to the quiet pool. The couple I gave my magazines to yesterday were there again – in the same chairs, same swimsuits, even same positions! I laughed and commented to them that they were still here, and he said they spent the night on their chairs, lol! There was only 1 other woman there, so it was nice & quiet. The lovebugs were back, but weren’t as bad as yesterday. I spent an hour or so reading another magazine, and enjoying the nice weather. Earlier today I’d gotten to thinking about the free dining plan in September and wondered if it might make sense to change my Labor Day weekend trip from my DVC resort to a value resort. Paying for the dining plan makes no sense for me, as I don’t eat $37.99 worth of food in a day. However, I can save the DVC points for a future trip (or rent them out), and if the price I end up paying for my value room isn’t too much higher than what I’d be willing to pay without the dining – then it might be fun try some “free” expensive meals. I called Disney Travel, and explained my situation. I’d have to buy a 1-day base ticket, which I could save and have that cost applied towards my Seasonal Pass renewal – so that’s a wash. There’s a 3-night minimum with the free dining, and they had a room at Pop Century available. After backing out the value of the 1-day ticket, it worked out a room rate of $78 plus tax for each night, which is a decent rate even if I wasn’t getting free dining. So, I booked it – and will figure out whether I want to change any of my existing dining reservations for that trip sometime soon. I’m unsure at this point whether I’ll come home after the 3 nights, or keep the 4th night at OKW to extend my stay a little. Around 2:30 I went back to the studio to update the report and listen to some of SB’s game. They pulled ahead 1-0 while I was listening, then 2-0, but were tied going into extra innings when I left – I hope they win today, as he’s been pretty stressed over it lately. Losing when you play your best is one thing, but the players have been playing like they don’t even care – which makes the losses tough for the manager/coaches to take. Around 4:15 I left the studio and drove to get gas at the Hess station before parking at Boardwalk. I walked in to World Showcase and turned right, headed to Germany. In Germany I got a glass of wine and found a shady bench outside. I sat there people watching, then was joined by a couple from Holland. They were in the middle of their 2-week trip, which made my paltry 3 nights seem really pitiful! They were very interesting people, and we sat there talking for over an hour. During that time SB called, and his team lost again. Now he’s got a 4-hour bus ride back to their home field. I had planned to go back to the resort and drink the individual bottle of Riesling I’d brought (the kind that come in a 4-pack), but it was so nice at Epcot I decided to stick around a while. I can always bring that wine back home & save it for next trip! I got another glass of the wine from Germany, then walked over to “my” bench next to the America Gardens Theater and listened to Gary Puckett again. After the concert ended and the crowds cleared away, I went to finally get a pretzel. I was surprised to see they are now on the dining plan, which will be great for me in September. However, one of these pretzels would be a full day’s quantity of food for me, lol, so I’m not sure I’ll really benefit getting one in addition to 2 other huge meals! I found a bench in Japan and finished my wine while I ate one of the “ears” off the pretzel. That was just the right quantity, but I ate a little more until the leftover pretzel would fit in my backpack. It’s too good to throw away – I’ll eat it later or tomorrow and zap it in the microwave to heat it up. I wandered around World Showcase a bit longer, then wandered around the Boardwalk for a while before returning to Saratoga Springs for the evening. I set the alarm for tomorrow and got comfortable online to finish up the report and wait for SB to call after his bus ride ended. I did spend some time sitting on the balcony, and ate a little more of the salad (pretty wilted – saving it for later wasn’t a very good idea). Today was another great day – I just love being here and not feeling any pressure to do any more or less than I feel like doing. I didn’t do a single attraction in Epcot today, and that would be hard to do if I didn’t have my seasonal pass. I wish this trip hadn’t been so short, but a short trip is better than no trip – and spending what used to be WDW time with SB while he’s away is more important to me. My next trip will be a 4-night holiday weekend in May, then I won’t be back until Labor Day weekend in September. Until then – thanks for reading, and I hope to be reading all of your trip reports during my time away!
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