Sue Holland - May 2003 - Offsite, Old Key West Resort

Time of Year: Spring
Travel Method: Personal Car
Resort: Offsite, OKWR
Accommodations: Studio
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran, DVC Member
Comments: Despite unusually warm weather, this 10-day trip provides more than enough good times to remind Sue why DVC is worth the money. Note: As Sue spend 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.

Sue Holland -- May 2003 – Walt Disney World (Offsite, OKWR)

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:

Sue (me), DVC member
Appearances by:

Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular
Tracy & Tyger, Comedy Warehouse regulars
Pete & Judy, DVC members from NJ
Flo, DVC member
Patty, Patron of the Arts
Dates: May 2 - 11, 2003
Travel Method: NEW Personal car (1st road trip)
Resort: Leesa's condo (4nts), Disney's Old Key West Resort studio (5nts)
Experience: Veteran, DVC Member

INTRODUCTION:

This is another of those trips that started out short but then grew. I think I booked 3 nights at OKW and planned the night before at Leesa's. When I realized I still had vacation time that needed to be used (or lost) by June 30th I extended the OKW stay through Thursday, figuring I'd come home on Friday. Next the desktop computer started acting up - refusing to recognize that it has a modem, and we were unable to diagnose the problem over the phone so I need to bring it with me for Leesa to work on. This means I'll have to return to her place on Friday to pick it up, so I might as well just spend the night and bring her out to Comedy Warehouse. I've got theater tickets for a 2pm show on Saturday back home, but I should easily make it back in time. Going up, I decided to leave early on Friday and add that night at Leesa's, to burn up a few more vacation hours. There you go - a 4-night trip morphs into 8-nights! Actually, I'm very much looking forward to this trip - particularly my 5 nights at OKW. Recently I've been making frequent short trips, and in some cases never even getting to OKW, so it feels like I'm long overdue there.

This will be the first trip for my new car, which will be less than 2 weeks old. Chris needed a car to get to work after Publix transferred him to a new store opening this week, so being the good mother I bought myself a new car and gave the other one to him. For the curious, the new car is a Saturn L200 and I love it!

This trip should be relaxing, although there are a number of people I want to see and meals I want to eat. LeCellier and Wolfgang Puck's are at the top of the list, and I also want to try a tomato & mozzarella salad at Captain Jack's in Downtown Disney. It will be my first visit to that restaurant! Breakfasts will be in the studio, hopefully yogurt/granola things bought at Mara in Animal Kingdom Lodge - which requires several trips over there. Nights will be spent at the Comedy Warehouse, which is the main attraction for me. During the day I look forward to spending some days at Typhoon Lagoon catching up on some reading and enjoying the bobbing waves in the wave pool. Other days I'll wander around a theme park, taking in some favorite attractions. I have plans with Pete & Judy to walk from OKW to Downtown Disney following the Conch Flats trail along the golf course and through the old Disney Institute. We'll get to see the progress made at Saratoga Springs, and then enjoy a great lunch at Puck's. Mostly I want to relax and escape from work, and there's no better way to do that than spending time with friends on Disney property!

A couple of days before the trip I realized (actually I was told <g>) that Grad Nights were scheduled for my first 2 nights and the following Friday night. Normally I could care less about Grad Nights, but they delay the opening of Pleasure Island to allow the high school kids to have a private party there before going to the Magic Kingdom. On these nights PI opens at 9pm, so we miss the first 2 shows at Comedy Warehouse. Even more troubling was learning that some of the actors would be performing in a comedy/improv show during Grad Night at the Diamond Horseshoe - and of course the people over there want the best performers, so that means more subs than usual at the Comedy Warehouse. However, a friend was able to share the lineup of who was working at each location, and there were enough of my favorites to give it a try.

The day before the trip brought more changes. During a conference call we scheduled a statewide budget meeting - for the Monday & Tuesday I return to work. Rather than drive home and turn around the next day to drive to Gainesville, I'll just stay at Leesa's through Saturday night and then make the relatively short drive to Gainesville (2 hours) on Sunday. The good news is I've got dinner plans with Tom & Leanne, so that will be the bright spot of my Gainesville stay. After the meeting I'll have 2.5 days before I turn around to come back to Orlando for Layden's show, so things will be hectic but hopefully it'll also be a lot of fun!

The plans (subject to change) so far...

Fri 5/2: Work, meet Leesa at Comedy Warehouse
Sat 5/3: Lunch at LeCellier, Epcot/MGM with Patty, meet Flo at Comedy Warehouse
Sun 5/4: Check in to OKW, Typhoon Lagoon, Comedy Warehouse
Mon 5/5: Typhoon Lagoon, Comedy Warehouse w/Pete & Judy
Tue 5/6: MK, afternoon with Pete & Judy, Wolfgang Puck's lunch, Comedy Warehouse
Wed 5/7: Typhoon Lagoon, Comedy Warehouse
Thu 5/8: AK, Comedy Warehouse
Fri 5/9: MK, Return to Leesa's, dinner Atlanta Bread, Comedy Warehouse
Sat 5/10: Typhoon Lagoon?, Comedy Warehouse
Sun 5/11: Breakfast at Mara?, Drive to Gainesville


DAY 1 FRIDAY MAY 2, 2003

Who: Sue, DVC Member
Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular

Plan: Work, meet Leesa at Comedy Warehouse

Actual: The original plan called for me to leave work at 3 in order to get to PI in plenty of time for the first show. However, with PI opening late, I didn't really need to be there 3 hours before the new first showtime. I ended up leaving about 3:20, and arrived around 6. I thought about staying later, but remembered that the drive can have a lot more traffic if I leave close to 5pm, and didn't want to deal with that again!

My parking lot in Pleasure Island was closed off for Grad Night buses, but I found a spot easily in the next lot. My first destination was Wolfgang Puck's Express on the West Side to see if they had the tortilla soup today. They did not, so I left - nothing else was of interest, particularly since quality & service has been so spotty there in the past 6 months or so. All of Downtown Disney was surprisingly uncrowded, but that didn't last - within an hour or so it felt mobbed. I walked over to the Marketplace and stopped in Ghiradelli for a chocolate sample. Instead of the caramel squares, they were giving out a new square with carmelized almond pieces - it was wonderful! In Once Upon a Toy they were having "Game Night" tonight from 6-8pm. They had a giant Sorry game set up on the floor, and guests were their own playing pieces. I saw a couple of other games as well, but didn't go over to see which ones they were.

I browsed through several more shops - I like what they've done in the Gourmet Pantry, making it more of an eatery rather than a store. They're providing some competition to Wolfgang Puck's Express! Speaking of Puck's, I decided to check their menu and was surprised to see that not only was it different from the West Side location - my tortilla soup is available here every day! It was really busy, with a long line, but since I had nothing better to do I decided to go in an order some tortilla soup for dinner. Most of the line was a huge indecisive party (8-10 people), and since they had all 3 registers open the wait was barely 5 minutes. My soup was dished up and waiting for me before I had time to walk across to the pick up area, which was also nice! The patio area was mobbed, so I grabbed the last empty table across the way.

It was a beautiful night for eating outside, and the only minor distraction was the 3-4 year old boy who was crying (sounded tired) non-stop. It didn't seem to faze his mom, who simply held him on her lap and let him cry while she and the rest of the family ate their dinner. I was glad they were 3 tables away, and glad the kid wasn't screaming - it was undoubtedly far more annoying up close but from a distance you could almost ignore it (and be thankful those days are behind me <g>). The soup was delicious, and they gave a 10% discount for DVC members. I'm glad I discovered the soup at this location, and will come here rather than the West Side from now on.

After dinner I browsed in a few more shops, then went and played some games in DisneyQuest. It had gotten so crowded outside I feared it would be really busy inside, but there were not that many people there. After a while I left DQ and walked along the water - pleased to see the Saratoga Springs (new DVC) construction coming along nicely. The first building has 4 stories on it so far, which I think may be all it's going to have. I can't wait until the design starts to take shape. I sat on a bench across from the back of the West End Stage in PI, and waited for the high schoolers to get out of there. Disney had blocked off the entire walkway along the water, so when the kids would leave PI they'd be diverted there & not interfere with the crowds on the regular street. When they finally left, it was amazing! There was a river of teens, shoulder to shoulder, passing by for almost 30 minutes! They all seemed to be having fun, and now were on their way to the Magic Kingdom. Leesa arrived & called me - she was on the other side of the river of kids. I managed to cut through and join her, then we walked down to the main gate to wait for the turnstiles to open.

We got into PI at 9, and headed for the Comedy Warehouse. It felt really strange seeing the first show so late at night! Carol Stein was on the keys tonight, and the 9:15 audience was really big. We had a very LOUD group of people from a dental hygiene convention - directly behind us.

The 9:15 cast was Christine, Philip, Karl, Lisa & Todd. Lisa is one of the new subs hired this year, and this was only the 2nd time I've seen her work. I liked her on her opening night, and tonight she did a great job again. The show started out a little slow with a 1-Act Play led by Karl. Todd & Christine were in a jail in NJ, where the cop (Philip) previously attended beauty school with Christine and dated her until he slept with her sister. Next Philip came out and created a song called "Your Eyes are Illuminated", as a polka! This was absolutely FABULOUS, and really got the audience going. They played Up Your Alley about dental hygiene (coincidental - not realizing the convention was there), with Chris as host Lois Common Denominator. Karl was a vampire named Vlad the Impaler. Lisa was hysterical as a ditzy blonde dental hygienist named Pearlie White who'd been giving herself too much of the laughing gas. Philip was a one-armed guy named Roger, who was head of Animal Husbandry Division at Animal Kingdom. He'd discovered an African parrot with teeth, which is how he lost his arm, and his answers were full of Disney-bashing - which he does so well! The closing number was a bit of a let-down, but the story was just so gross it was hard to make a funny song out of it. A coroner was working on a partly decomposed body while a news crew was filming, and a big maggot jumped from the corpse into his mouth and he swallowed it! Overall it was a great show, with a great audience, and considering that so few of the veteran regulars were working it was a very pleasant surprise. Many of the young ladies in the audience seemed to really like Todd - when he came out on stage for the 1-Act Play a whole bunch of them were screaming, which was certainly flattering to him.

The 10:30 cast was Philip, Karl, Chris, Brian & Todd. Before the show Philip made one of his announcements - this time "Ladies & gentlemen - A generous gratuity helps keep your beverage saliva-free." LOL! This audience was extremely loud & boisterous, almost to the point of being a little disruptive. The reason? Many were drunk, including the lady who was seated by the phone. The cast created a few verses about her leaving the hubby & kids at home to come get drunk at Disney for her Mother's Day trip - which the audience enjoyed.

They did Fill in the Blank with 2 audience volunteers. Todd & Brian were a couple of hicks at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, and ended up getting jobs as Elvis impersonators. It was pretty funny. Next was Cliché, and Philip led the torture of Karl. They were in a sardine cannery and Karl had to guess the Australian saying "Wubba chubba that up ya." Karl had such a hard time with this, and kept trying to make words even after Philip told him the beginning was not in English. He really struggled, but that's how we in the audience get our entertainment - at the expense of some actor trying to guess Wubba Chubba from a series of clues, lol! He finally got the sounds to come out right, and ended the scene. During the structure some of the audience started yelling out clues or similar words - it was very distracting. One jerk came into the club with a lit cigarette, and carried down to his seat in the front before throwing it outside, then lit up one inside as soon as the show was over even though he stayed inside for a while. It was amazing how that one cigarette in a big place like that still stunk up the place. Anyway, this show was also very good, and I was glad we came to CW tonight.

We chatted briefly with some of the cast on the way out, then drove back to Leesa's. I finished up the report and got it posted before 2, and finalized plans with Patty for tomorrow. Leesa demanded to know where her trip report was as soon as she logged on - I think she's been taking lessons from a Lisa in Ft Lauderdale!

Today was a really good start to the trip, and I can't wait for the rest of it!

DAY 2 SATURDAY MAY 3, 2003

Who: Sue, DVC Member
Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular
Patty, Patron of the Arts
Flo, DVC Member

Plan: Lunch at LeCellier, Epcot/MGM with Patty, meet Flo at Comedy Warehouse

Actual: I was up around 8:30, which is late for me but not too bad since I was up until 3! I'd heard from Flo and she wasn't going to make it to CW tonight since she's spending the night at a relative's on the other side of Orlando. I'd written to let her know of PI's late opening, so it's probably better that her first visit be on a "normal" night.

I forgot to mention something that happened last night after we left CW. They had the walkway along the water blocked off for a private party, with a cm stationed there to prevent anyone from entering. We had a problem, because that is the exit we use because it is flat. Leesa can't climb the stairs, and the ramp is too much for her to handle. We could take it very slowly, and allow a long time for the walk up the hill, but she'd be useless once she got up there and we'd still have a long walk ahead of us to the car. I tried explaining it to the cm, but she wasn't interested in any of it - she just kept telling us there was a ramp, and Leesa could just use that! Arrgh - I can sort of understand why she might think we were just trying to break into the private event, since Leesa's disability is not visible - but she could have been a bit nicer or maybe listened without cutting us off. Luckily Todd hadn't left the area outside CW so we asked him to walk us out through the cm exit (with security's ok) and that's how we got out of there.

I showered, dressed, got online awhile, and generally puttered around until I felt like leaving. Leesa was still in her room sleeping, but I didn't expect to see her before I left this morning. Breakfast was caramel hot chocolate, but I skipped eating since lunch was coming up so soon. Around 10:45 I drove to WDW and parked by Beach Club Villas. I know their lot isn't anywhere near full during the day, and I really hate the parks parking lots and having to ride the tram like "offsite scum" <g>. I'm not avoiding the parking fee - I get free parking, but I am avoiding the theme park parking headache! Plus, I enjoy walking through the BCV.

It was a beautiful warm sunny day - not too hot (yet), and I had a pleasant walk into Epcot through the International Gateway. The construction is done along the walkway from the old Beach Club, so the shortcut to the Villas is open again. The alligator was happily swimming around in the water near the quiet pool, and then went to lay in the grass on the edge.

I walked over to Spaceship Earth, which had a long line but I knew it would move quickly so I decided to ride. Sure enough, in about 5-10 minutes I was seated on the ride. Afterwards I was browsing in MouseGears when Patty called from the tram in the parking lot. We met at the entrance, and walked back to Canada together for our lunch at LeCellier. We were given a beeper and told the wait would be 15-20 minutes, which is unusual from my many experiences here. The first beeper didn't work, so she gave me another one, and we sat on a bench and chatted. Eventually the cm came over and asked if we were the Holland party, saying she'd been beeping us for a while but we weren't responding. I showed her the beeper, which never went off, and she realized she'd written down the wrong number! I'm not sure how long we ended up waiting, but we didn't mind.

Patty had never been to LeCellier, and ended up enjoying it! She got a Moosehead and I stuck with wine, then we both had the cheese soup. It was delicious as always, and enough for a meal. Our server was VERY perky & cheerful, and she did a good job for us. This place has never disappointed me, and I look forward to returning almost every trip.

After lunch we walked back to Beach Club Villas, where we looked in the models so Patty could see what dvc members expect in terms of our lodging <g>. I got the members' pin, and gave it to her since I've gotten one on past visits. She liked the resort, and we walked through Stormalong Bay so she could see that - and now has another reason to look forward to my November trip! Since I'll be solo in my studio, I can register her as well and she can join me at Stormalong Bay.

We made a detour to see my new car, then walked over to Boardwalk and followed the path into MGM Studios. It seemed really busy here - Hollywood Boulevard was a sea of bodies! There was no sign of any Streetmosphere going on, so we headed further into the park and ended up riding Star Tours. The posted wait was 20 minutes, but the real wait was probably not even half that long. We looked for a pin her sister is interested in, but had no luck there. Still hoping for some Streetmosphere action we sat on the last bench available - in the broiling sun! Finally after a good 30 minutes or longer Patty thought to just call Layden's cell phone to see if he was here, but with the Grad Night work he wasn't even at the Studios today! We were kicking ourselves for not thinking of calling an hour ago, lol, and since neither of us cared to watch the parade we headed out of the park.

This time we took the slow boat back to Yacht & Beach. I got my car & drove back to Leesa's, while Patty walked back to Epcot to retrieve her car from that lot. We had a really nice day, and I'm glad she was able to spend this time before starting a really busy period at her job.

Back at Leesa's we worked on some computer stuff (a HUGE pain in the butt, but I'm grateful to have her expertise), then headed out for PI around 7:30. Tracy had mentioned last night being unable to find a single parking spot when she & Tyger came out to see a movie there (they ended up going home when they got as far as the Cirque area and there were still no spots), so I wanted to get there before the lots were all filled up again.

Sure enough, parking was a nightmare. We stalked a nice family returning to their van and took their spot, otherwise we would have had to give up on PI. None of the handicapped spots were available either, and if we had to walk too far for Leesa then it would have been pointless to even park the car. I later found out that Enterprise (rental car) has their big meeting for their managers this weekend. They've got 6300-6400 people, and they're all staying offsite - so they drive in to PI. The entire Rock & Roll Beach Club was set aside for them, along with the waterfront area again. Since capacity of the island is only 7000 people, that doesn't leave much room for regular guests. Thankfully tonight is their last night!

After parking we walked down to Ghiradelli for a sample, then sat on a bench outside McDonalds until it was time to get in line at the PI turnstiles. Outside the Comedy Warehouse we ran into several cm's that we know, and chatted with them before heading down to the door.

The 9:15 cast was Philip, Krista, Joy, Brian & Lisa. They opened with the poem "Fried green tomatoes", which was cute. Next they did Styles, where the actors had to use different styles from movies, tv shows, songs, and authors. Philip & Krista were in a scene about a treadmill - he was a heart patient and she was his doctor. It got a little strange at times, but they did a terrific job! Cliché was next, with Brian leading Joy's torture. They were at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, and Joy had to guess "Old coaches never die, they just lose their balls." Some of them weren't sure they could say that - including Joy once she figured it out, but since none of the words were offensive they did. A little double entendre never hurt anyone with a sense of humor! Joy had a pretty easy time of guessing it, although they did make a few clues a little more difficult when she was getting word after word somewhat quickly. The clues were all great, and it went really well. They closed the show with an embarrassing story about a guy having sex on his honeymoon who figured they were on such a high floor nobody could see inside, but when he went out on the balcony people across the way applauded his performance! Overall it was a great show.

We talked to Nancy after the show, clearing up the meaning of "this" Friday vs "next" Friday, lol! I guess I goofed when I told her I was coming up, so she thought I wasn't here this week. We made plans for later in the week, then she went back to work when we went in for the next show.

The 10:30 cast was Philip, Brian, Krista, Chris & Lisa. Other than the opening & closing numbers, the entire show was Conducted Story. Chris was the conductor and the story was called "I'm a daydreamer." The story was entertaining, and since the actors were all doing so well Chris invoked a rule that they could not use any pronouns. Very quickly, Brian used one and had to die. He died by a beach ball in a soap opera death, with Philip's help. It was funny, but way too short - it felt like we were cheated because it was so short. Philip died next, doing Edgar Allen Poe's animal catcher's death. This was also extremely short - not sure why, though. Lisa died by a showerhead in the style of a Broadway musical, and then Krista wrapped it up in a folk song. She did a really nice job with it. Overall it was a good show, but not as funny as the earlier one. Everyone did a good job, it just didn't seem as funny - and the too-quick deaths disappointed me, especially to have 2 in a row like that.

On the way out Chris was at the door, so I stopped to tell her Greg said hi to everyone - she agreed to spread the greeting to the others since they weren't out. It still seems strange that he's not at the Warehouse.

Leesa was doing better tonight so we went up the ramp slowly. By the time she got to the top, she was pretty much finished for the night - it took all the strength out of her legs. We got to the elevator to go downstairs, and walked out to the car but it's a good thing we weren't further away. Back at her condo I finished up the report and responded to Tim, who was filling in as the "Where's the trip report?" person for tonight. I'm going to need a vacation after this vacation if I'm under such pressure, lol!

Today was a great day from start to finish. I had a great time with Patty, got my LeCellier lunch, and Leesa & I saw a couple of good shows at the Warehouse. Hopefully the rest of the week will be this great - and I can't wait to get back home to Old Key West tomorrow!

DAY 3 SUNDAY MAY 4, 2003

Who: Sue, DVC Member

Plan: Check in to OKW, Typhoon Lagoon, Comedy Warehouse

Actual: I made it a point to get to bed a little earlier last night - by 1:30, since I wanted to be up and out by 9am this morning. Breakfast was raspberry hot chocolate and half an asiago cheese bagel, and I was out the door at 8:45. My first stop was Animal Kingdom Lodge to buy a yogurt/granola thing at Mara. Since I brought a cooler this time, it should stay cold until I can get into the studio. Mara was very busy, with very long lines and only 2 cashiers working! What's up with that?? Morning/breakfast is the meal most likely to be eaten here, and it should be a no-brainer to staff up during those hours. I was impatient waiting in line, but even worse were all the people who'd be eating a plate of cold eggs by the time they got through the line - pretty poor show for a deluxe resort!

I drove to OKW (the security guard gave me a "Welcome Home" after finding my name on the list) and went to check in, stopping to say hi to Angelo and the guys at bell services. It feels so good to be back here! There was no wait to check in, and the cm looked for an available studio that met my requests since they had several that were not occupied last night. I ended up in building 35, which I have been in many times and it's a building I like. The Old Turtle Pond Pool is closed for retiling until Sunday, but that won't bother me. I may still go over and use that laundry room, even though I can't go in the water at all.

I brought my stuff up to the studio (top floor, water view) but didn't bother to unpack since I wanted to get to Typhoon Lagoon. I got there just after 10, and it wasn't crowded at all --far less crowded than it was in March! I got my favorite spot facing the wave pool (no sign of that territorial bumblebee), and there were lots of empty chairs for quite a while. I followed my usual routine - reading at the edge of the wave pool, reading more back at my lounge chair, in the wave pool for the half-hour of bobbing waves, then back to the lounge chair until I'd had enough. I did part of a tax course, and will finish that up another day. It's boring as hell, but doing it in a pleasant environment helps! It was almost 1:30 when I left to return to OKW.

After unpacking & getting settled in for the next 5 nights I ate some of the yogurt/granola thing (hungry but too scuzzy to go anywhere to get food), took another shower and got dressed for the rest of the day. I drove over to the Premium Outlets to see what they had in Character Premiere this time. First I stopped in the Starbuck's at the food court since I have a gift card and there are no Starbuck's at home (Barnes & Noble won't take the Starbuck's card). I love their frozen mocha coconut frappuccino, but since it has a bazillion calories I don't get them very often. Today, this was lunch/dinner and it was delicious! Character Premiere didn't have anything I wanted to buy, but it was still worth making the trip. As I was leaving I realized I didn't visit the Timberland store - guess the lesbian lessons didn't take <g>. I did think of Adie & Lisa, and that "rugged & durable" t-shirt they bought me - I can't believe I forgot to pack it for the trip (yeah, right…it's so unlike me, lol).

Back at Old Key West I parked the car and walked across the street to the bus stop. It was 4pm but I figured I had time to do a couple of quick things at Animal Kingdom. Bus after bus came for everywhere except AK, and finally when a second bus came for 2 of the parks I got up and used the phone to find out where the damn bus was! It had been 30 minutes at this point, and while I was on the phone the bus showed up. The driver asked if I was going to the front of the resort, and I said I was headed to AK hoping to do a couple things there before it closed. There was nobody on the bus, and he left the resort immediately rather than stop at the other 2 bus stops - which was certainly nice for me, but hopefully nobody else like me was sitting there hoping to go to that park! We got to AK at 4:45, there was no wait at security or the turnstiles <g> and I headed back to Dinoland.

In the ultra-tacky Chester's & Hester's section I decided to try the (fairly) new Primeaval Whirl since I've never done that. The wait was about 5 minutes, and they put me with a lady and her daughter. It was a pretty fun ride - I would do it again and probably keep my eyes open next time, lol! By the time I got off it was after 5 and the park was closed. I checked Dinosaur just in case, but it was closed. On the way out I stopped at the pin cart to look for a specific pin, but wasn't surprised when I didn't find it.

At the bus stops, the line for All Stars was huge - they had all 3 resorts sharing a bus. Each bus that came got packed to capacity, with lots of people standing and even more people left at the bus stop for the next bus. It took forever for our bus to arrive (about 20-30 minutes), and then the driver missed the ramp for Blizzard Beach and had to backtrack way out of the way (he explained this later and apologized - I had been wondering what the heck was going on). When we got back to OKW he announced "You're finally home, folks".

I went up to the studio and watched the local news while updating the report. When I checked in this morning they gave me a coupon for a free 1-day rental of the new Pal Mickey thing. For anyone who's been living in a cave lately, this is a plush Mickey Mouse that talks to you to give you tips or share information while touring the parks. I have absolutely no desire to carry a plush Mickey Mouse doll around the parks, so I won't be using the coupon this trip (it expires 9/30/03) but maybe if I'm doing parks with someone I'll get it just for the laughs. Now if they had an irreverent, sarcastic, "R"-rated version of Mickey that would be more my style and I'd definitely get it! I'd like to see Philip from the Comedy Warehouse provide the dialogue, since he's so good at poking fun at Disney <g>.

I left for Downtown Disney around 7, and was thrilled to have it back to normal! I was able to park in my usual spot, without any searching. I had about 30 minutes to kill so I got my PI wristband and then walked around the West Side. I was a little hungry, so at Bongo's window I got one of the mashed potato balls (papos rellenos?) since that was the smallest thing on the menu. It was the perfect size - enough without being too much. I sat on the same bench as I did Friday night, and enjoyed the music and nice weather.

Soon I entered PI and hung around the Comedy Warehouse until it was time to get in line. I was seated across from long row, with a nice bunch of teachers who were here for a reading convention. I saw David in his usual spot, with another lady friend, so I went down to say hi and made arrangements to see the next show with them.

Carol Stein was back on the keys tonight. The 8:15 cast was Philip, Chris, John, Brian & Joy. The opening interview seemed to go on forever, and the guy who answered the phone had no energy or personality at all. The song was good though, and some of the actors really picked on the guy! They did Scene Freeze, where they freeze the action and switch to a different scene incorporating whatever positions they're in. Chris had vacuum cleaner, John had jewelry, Brian had alligator and Philip had fireman. Some of the scenes were really funny, and most of them were pretty weird (which is good)! Next they did the name rhyme game, which I love as a structure to open a show, but it seemed kind of awkward in the middle of the show like this. Not sure if it was just me, though - they did a good job with it, but to me it didn't feel right. Brian was the winner, and his prize was being tortured in Cliché. He had to guess he was in a massage parlor, which he got almost immediately. The Cliché was "You can't sling hash in a tornado." The clues were good, and Brian had half of it when he just started blurting out a bunch of stuff and guessed the cliché! It was such an abrupt ending, I was disappointed we missed whatever the rest of the clues would have been. Overall it was a pretty good show.

David went upstairs to get the pass for the next show, and the 3 of us chatted until the door opened. His friend Betsy was really nice --very friendly, and I enjoyed meeting her. I'm glad she didn't think I was barging in on her date, too!

The 9:15 cast was Philip, Brian, Chris, John & Todd. Philip opened the show with a Winnie the Pooh sticking out of his pants, then acted surprised to see it there and made a comment like "Isn't it embarrassing when you have pooh in your pants?" He pulled Pooh out and threw him backstage, lol! The phone interview moved along like it's supposed to - Philip is good about getting the info quickly. Todd rang the bell in Should Have Said. John was an employee in a McDonalds, Brian was the boss, and Chris was a co-worker who evidently is dating the boss. There were a few funny moments, but mostly it was just strange and it ended very abruptly (the lights went out as Brian was about to say another line), to no applause at all. Ouch! Next they did Emotions, which generally is always good. Tonight getting the emotions was like pulling teeth - I think I shouted out a half dozen or so, which is not normal, but the audience was very slow. Chris & Brian were a couple on an airplane on their way to visit her mother. This scene also ended very abruptly - way shorter than normal, after Brian told Chris she could lick John's nuts. John was the flight attendant who brought the peanuts Brian had been yelling for, and Christine was licking them out of his hand. Overall this show was just ok.

The next show was 30 minutes away, and Bruce told me Mary was off tonight, so I couldn't see any reason to stick around for the next one. I would have stayed for the chance to see Mary, so I was glad to know she wasn't there so I didn't waste my time. I think I'll head to Magic Kingdom in the morning, so having an early night tonight is the smart thing to do!

I left PI and drove back to OKW. I absolutely LOVE coming "home" to OKW after a night at Comedy Warehouse, and I'm so happy to be here this week! Overall today was a very good day. Having my studio ready at check-in is always a pleasant surprise, Typhoon Lagoon was nice since it wasn't too crowded, I did something I'd never done before (Primeaval Whirl), and although it sounds like I did a lot, it was still a relaxing day. Comedy Warehouse was fun also, even though the shows were not as great as they usually are. Hopefully tomorrow night will be more "normal".

DAY 4 MONDAY MAY 5, 2003

Who: Sue, DVC Member
Pete & Judy, DVC Members from NJ

Plan: Typhoon Lagoon, Comedy Warehouse w/Pete & Judy

Actual: Since I was just at Typhoon Lagoon yesterday, I decided to make this a Magic Kingdom morning. I'd set the alarm for 7:30 and since I did not get online it was easy to be out the door by 8:30. For breakfast I finished the yogurt/granola thing and made some raspberry mocha cappuccino. I drove to Wilderness Lodge and parked there because I was planning to use the pool after doing my favorite Magic Kingdom attractions. As a reminder, DVC members are allowed to use the pools at every resort except Animal Kingdom and Yacht/Beach Club, so spare me the flames <g>. From WL I took the boat to the Magic Kingdom, arriving shortly before 9. There were a lot of people there, and the characters had just arrived on the train, but I got through security quicker than I've ever experienced here! By the time I got to the end of Main Street it was time for rope drop, so I headed directly to Space Mountain. I picked up a fastpass for 10:10 - 11:10, and then since they just opened the doors I was able to walk right onto the ride. I got the very back seat, which is one of the 2 I like best (the other being the front seat). It was a great ride!

Since Pooh is closed for a refurb, I went straight to Peter Pan's Flight and walked right on that. Next I went to Frontierland and rode Big Thunder Mountain with no wait. When the train came back in to the station there were people waiting, so I got off and went around to get in line again figuring it couldn't be too long of a wait yet. There were several very large groups of students on some tour that must have been related to science. The 2 rows directly in front of me (in the last car) each had 2 of these students, who were riding holding a large (uncovered) cup full of water. By the end of the ride 3 were empty and 1 had about an inch or so left - and I was not thrilled to have 3 cups of water splashing back on me! They should have given them their own train, without regulars guests behind them! They were all girls, and their natural behavior was to hold the cups so the water wouldn't get on them - so they held them up in the air! They still got very wet, but so did I (grumble, grumble, grumble).

After that ride I needed to get out into the sun to dry off - and walked over to the Haunted Mansion. In a few minutes the doors opened, and it was a nice (& dry) ride. By then it was fastpass time, so I returned to Space Mountain and this time got the front seat! It was another great ride - I like this one. After a ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority I left the park, thinking I'd go to the pool at Wilderness Lodge. The park wasn't horribly crowded this morning, although by 10:30 it was busier than I am willing to put up with.

As I exited the MK I saw the boat to Wilderness Lodge pull away, so rather than wait for the next one I just walked to the Contemporary and used that pool. I like it there, primarily because it's a big pool with a huge deck area and it never seems crowded. Wilderness Lodge is prettier, but people get packed in like sardines there, and I really like my personal space! After setting up my lounge chair I got changed and went to cool off in the pool for a while. I lasted by the pool for about 2 hours, but it was just too hot to stay any longer. The weatherman said the heat index was almost 100 degrees, and it's expected to continue most of the week.

When I left the pool I got changed back into clothes and went to wait for the boat that was arriving. The driver/captain was Nancy & Clinta's friend Karen, so I sat up front and talked with her during the trip. At WL I got my car and drove back to OKW, then went to the bus stop to catch a bus to Downtown Disney. My rotten luck from yesterday continued - I saw a bus for each of the 4 parks, then they started repeating before the Downtown Disney bus came. I was so aggravated! A lady arrived at the bus stop and asked if I'd been here for the last bus that came - and I told her I've been here for the last FIVE busses that came! Finally my bus arrived, I was the only passenger, and the driver dropped me off right at the walkway to the shops rather than at our bus stop - something I didn't ask for, but it was to save a few steps.

I went right to Wolfgang Puck's Express in the Marketplace, and ordered a bowl of the tortilla soup for lunch. Only about 3 other tables were occupied, so it was nice & peaceful. The soup was delicious, and even though it was not exactly soup weather I enjoyed every drop! After lunch it was almost time for the Trumbo Ferry to arrive from OKW, so I went to the dock and watched it arrive. I was the only passenger, and took a few pictures of the Saratoga Springs construction as we cruised by (this was the reason I didn't just drive my car to the Marketplace - I wanted to ride the boat back).

Once back at OKW I walked to the Peninsular Rd bus stop and hopped on the next bus to ride back to my building. Had it not been broiling hot outside, I would have just walked! It felt great to be back in the air conditioning, lol - and I managed to get out of the shower in time for General Hospital to start, so I was happy. Of course, I don't know what happened today because I ended up being busy with a bunch of things and didn't really focus on the tv. I ordered our tickets for the Fringe show on 5/16, and then got to work with the Mug Queen in Ft Lauderdale to have a mug created for that show. I really like the finished design, and it should look great in real life.

The afternoon hours flew by - I didn't leave the studio until 7! At Downtown Disney I parked in my usual spot and walked over to Ghiradelli for a chocolate sample (& I bought one for later). I can't believe I don't have any chocolate in my studio, but I left it all at Leesa's! Back at PI I ran into Pete & Judy on the street, and we got in line at Comedy Warehouse at the appropriate time to be seated in long row. Next to me was a really nice girl who was on the college program, and on the other side of her were David and tonight's ladyfriend. It's fun being here with familiar faces! Carol Stein was on the keys tonight.

The 8:15 cast was Philip, John, Jake, Joy & Brian. They did Scene Freeze, where they rotate between 4 different scenes created from different subjects. Jake had lawn darts, Philip had DNA, Brian had bidet, and Joy had George Foreman Grill. It was crazy, but entertaining! Next was Up Your Alley about embalming, with an audience volunteer who'd been embalming people for 33 years. Jake was the host Jim Roberts (so everyone had to say Up Yours Jim Roberts several times - Jim is one of the keyboard players who wasn't working tonight). Philip was Nigel Worthington from Oxford University, who studies Egyptian stuff. John was Ron - a test dummy for embalming. The audience volunteer (also Ron) was really funny - he probably got the most laughs, telling us how he does his wife's makeup every day, it's tough getting her to lie still, and she's 102 years old! They closed with an embarrassing story about a woman who was collecting semen from an elephant and got hit in the head with his very large penis - as a worker in a zoo! They had a great time with that one, lol! Overall it was a good show, particularly for the first show of the night.

We went right out to get in line for the next show, and this time we were seated behind tech row. It was fun watching what Bruce (sound tech) does, but it was also a little distracting because I'd miss what was going on onstage when I was watching what Bruce was doing. The 9:15 cast was Joy, Brian, John, Mary (finally <g>) & Jake. They opened with a poem called "The Jack-O-Lantern ate my shorts", which was ok but seemed a little bit long. Mary rang the bell in Should Have Said, with John & Jake playing jai lai in a cute scene. Next was Forgotten Songs. Mary & Brian were (I think) Oleo and Eternity, singing a jazzy song called "Beatnik Surprise." Jake was Guadalahara Joe singing a Mexican song called "El Gotto" about a mexican cat. Joy & John were SeaWorld employees singing about their job as "Grouper Scooper". All 3 of the songs were entertaining.

They played Schmeopardy next, hosted by Joy as Alexis Quebec. Jake was a golfer named Jennifer (even though he was not in a woman's costume) from the LPGA. Brian was a redneck named Cleetus who was a brain surgeon after finishing his correspondence course 2 weeks ago. Mary wore the pink sequined gown and was Karl, a guy who believes recycling is beautiful (garbage man). She even grabbed at her crotch like a guy might, but didn't look like a guy at all. They did a great job - it was pretty funny.

After the show I said goodbye to Pete & Judy, and chatted with Jake. Mary was talking to a guest, but when she was done we got to spend some time together between shows. Even though she's in the next 2 shows and Jen B was coming in, I wasn't going to stay - I'd seen the schedule at Bruce's table and wasn't real excited about the structures planned. However, I ended up not leaving until it was almost time for the doors to open - but most likely by that point I'd have been seated behind someone anyway.

I drove back to OKW and finished up the report for today. It was a very full day - even though I spent time in the studio this afternoon it wasn't really "down" time as I was working to get some stuff done for later in the month. MK was great for the 90 minutes I was there, and I was able to do everything I was interested in - some things twice. The Contemporary pool was very nice - until it got incredibly hot! For me, a morning at MK followed by a little pool time at the Contemporary is a nice day. I enjoyed seeing Pete & Judy again, and look forward to spending tomorrow afternoon with them. I'm glad they enjoyed the Comedy Warehouse, too!

DAY 5 TUESDAY MAY 6, 2003

Who: Sue, DVC Member
Pete & Judy, DVC Members from NJ

Plan: MK, afternoon with Pete & Judy, Wolfgang Puck's lunch, Comedy Warehouse

Actual: Since I did the MK yesterday there was no need to repeat it today. Instead, I made last night an early night knowing I'd attend the DVC Member Update thing at 8am, just in case there was anything of interest happening. I'd like to know when they expect Beach Club Villas to sell out, as I plan to add more points there but don't really have a need for them until later this summer.

I'd set the alarm for 7, and was out the door to drive to Community Hall by 7:45. As I drove through the parking lot a familiar face walked by - it was Rick Gabauer and his wife Leslie! We chatted briefly, and were all headed to the same place. The member update was quite full, and Pete & Judy were already there. I introduced the 2 couples, then talked to Pete & Judy until it began. The guide gave an overview of each DVC resort, then went through the other places we can use our points. There wasn't any new information, but I didn't go in expecting any. Pete was hoping to win one of those white baseball caps that say "member" on them, and I was mostly attending to increase his odds he'd get one. Sure enough, I won one - and gave it to him. A couple of interesting facts mentioned - Beach Club Villas was the fastest selling resort ever, with $1 million in sales per day at the $70/point preview price. Last year there were 40,000 Interval Int'l owners who wanted to trade into our resorts, but since only 3,000 DVC members wanted to trade out, the other 37,000 families were out of luck. The new point structure for the II trades is really reasonable, but I can barely tear myself away from the Comedy Warehouse to cruise - not sure I could do it to go sit at some resort somewhere!

They also mentioned a couple of people did one of the bike riding tours in Europe, and someone did the African Safari last January. Generally on those exchanges food & equipment are included, which is one reason the points are so much higher. The photo of the bicycling tour reminded me of Mary at the Comedy Warehouse. In August she'll be bicycling 500 miles in 6 days to raise money for AIDS & HIV. It's called the Empire State AIDS Ride, and every rider has to raise $3200 in donations to be eligible to ride. She's training now, which I find amazing given how brutally hot it is already, and it'll only get worse! During the ride, she'll pedal from Niagara Falls to Manhattan, camping out each evening. Riding 500 miles on a bike is amazing enough, but the fact that she's doing it to benefit such a worthwhile cause makes it even more special. If anyone reading wants to help her reach that $3200 requirement, just send me a private email and I'll send you the link to the website. Donations can be made online with a credit card, or you can mail a check (it's all tax-deductible, too).

After leaving the update I drove to AKL and went straight to Mara. It wasn't even 9am yet and they only had 3 of the yogurt/granola things left!!! I walked quickly (running and shoving small children out of my path would have been too embarrassing <g>) and bought 2 of them --this will last me the rest of the trip, so I don't have to come back over here. They had more cashiers working this morning, so lines were short - thank goodness! I put the yogurt in the cooler, then drove to Animal Kingdom and parked like a day guest (or offsite scum, depending on your perspective).

On my way through security the phone rang - a co-worker calling to report another facility had some money they did not need to spend, so we discussed our priorities and had it resolved by the time I got through the turnstile. The park wasn't crowded at all yet, which was nice. I went to Dinoland first and walked right into Dinosaur. I thought it was crowded, but that was only because the dumb tourists all congregated just barely inside the door to the preshow room. Once I excused myself past them, most of the room was empty! I didn't understand why they stood at the entrance like that - I'd never seen that happen before. Dinosaur was fun, and I especially liked the cool air conditioning! That was one of the primary reasons for riding this attraction, and I wasn't disappointed.

I stopped at Primeval Whirl thinking I'd pick up a fastpass, but there was NOBODY in the loading area! Hell, who needs fastpass?? I walked in and was given my very own ride vehicle, and this time managed to keep my eyes open during the ride. No question this is a very tacky attraction but it's fun! It reminds me of a carnival ride, and I wouldn't be caught dead at a carnival (yuck) so this is my only chance to ride this sort of thing. When my ride ended there were people waiting to get on, otherwise I would have gone through again.

Instead, I walked to Harambe and got a fastpass for the safari since the standby line was filled in all of the way. With about 40 minutes to spend, I went in search of Gus on the Pangani Trail. The Trail was very busy - unpleasantly so. If I didn't want to see Gus I would have bailed out and sat on a bench, or just left the park without doing the safari. Some of the family was over by the glass, but there was such a huge mob of people I couldn't get close enough to see who it was. On the bachelor side I eventually found Gus down by the waterfall. He of course kept his back to the people, and occupied himself eating some branches and treats left out by the keepers.

At one point KJ came walking over, just as the person I'd left in charge at work called about the earlier issue. While I was talking to her I almost missed the fact that KJ had come down and was sitting facing people while he ate some snacks! I was able to get back over just in time to take a picture before he wandered off. Gus moved from spot to spot, but the only time he faced people he was too deep in the shadows to be photographed - and without Kathy for bait I wasn't optimistic that he'd be showing himself this morning. Finally at 10:35 it was time for my safari, so I left the Trail.

The Safari was very good - I had my own little bench towards the front, and the driver did a really good job. When it ended I left the park and drove back to OKW, and had 10 minutes to cool off in the studio before leaving to meet Pete & Judy at the entrance to the Conch Flats Trail. Before the Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa construction it was possible to follow the trail all the way from OKW through Disney Institute and into the Marketplace. Now, the trail is not accessible all the way - we ended up being detoured around the massive construction site, down towards the main road, across the grass, past the rock-climbing wall, then through more grass/trees before reaching the Marketplace. We got a great view of the construction, and it looks like they're working in a much bigger area than just the old ugly Townhomes section.

When we finally arrived at the Marketplace I was surprised to see it had only taken us 45 minutes. We went into the Christmas store to cool off, as we were extremely hot! After cooling off we continued walking, when suddenly I heard someone yelling my name. We were near the dvc kiosk, and sure enough - it was Marti from DVC! It was great running into her, and we stopped to chat for a while. Dennis - don't bother IMing me to say hi to her if I see her again…I told her you said hi today <g>. We continued on, and were seated right away when we got to Wolfgang Puck's Café.

The menu is smaller than before, with all of my favorites gone. Our waiter mentioned they were between menus, and a great new menu would be starting in 6 weeks. Judy got the spinach salad, I got field greens with chicken, and Pete got something that I couldn't identify. Everyone enjoyed their food - my salad was huge and very tasty. I brought half of it back, thinking I might eat it some other day. We wandered back to the Marketplace and split up at World of Disney. Pete & Judy needed to shop, but I just wanted to get home & cool off! As I approached Ghiradelli a man came up to me and was talking to me as if we knew each other. He was darned cute - but with a baseball cap and sunglasses I didn't have a clue who he was. I apologized, and asked where I knew him from - and he said Comedy Warehouse. LOL, I still hesitated and then realized it was Jamie - one of the keyboard players. He lifted off his hat & sunglasses to prove his identity, lol, and we stood around talking for a little while. He's always been nice & friendly.

I continued to the dock, and waited in the shade for the Trumbo Ferry to arrive. Today there were 4 other passengers with me, and it was a nice relaxing ride. I had trouble staying awake, so hopefully I get a second wind after my shower! I walked to the Peninsular Road stop and waited for the next bus, then rode back to the studio since it was so hot. General Hospital was just starting, so I turned that on and updated the report while watching.

Once GH was over I took my shower (which felt great after the hot day) and got online to catch up with the rest of the world. I was eager for an update from Lisa in Ft Lauderdale, who was whining last night that she'd be slaving away in a sweat shop today printing my mugs. I ate a few bites of the leftover salad, but the lettuce was so wilted it was terrible! I may eat the chicken later, and put the rest in the trash since housekeeping comes for Trash & Towel service tomorrow.

Around 6 I was ready to go somewhere, but when the weatherman said the heat index right now was 93 in the shade and 105 in the sun - holy cow, suddenly I wasn't so eager to leave the studio! Instead, I read all the downloaded messages and took my time getting ready to leave. A little after 6:30 I decided to wander around Port Orleans for a while - talking about that resort with Pete & Judy earlier today made me nostalgic, I guess. I meant to park at PO French Quarter, but missed the entrance because the name was gone. Later I would realize that was the first clue I missed! At PO Riverside I parked the car and wandered around inside the main building. I like the feel of this resort, and may have to book a short stay here after it's refurbished. Outside they had the horse and carriage from Ft Wilderness, but I didn't ask why. I figured I'd walk down the path along the river to PO French Quarter, then if I ran out of time I could grab any bus back to Riverside. As I got to the bridge between the 2 resorts I was surprised to see the walkway completely blocked off with big wooden planters of trees. Rather than turn around, though - I couldn't see any construction ahead on the path so I climbed up the embankment, crossed the road, and went down the other side to keep walking on the path.

As I came to the first building I noticed the building appeared to be vacant - each room had the blinds open, and all rooms were dark. As I got further in it finally dawned on me that the resort had closed yesterday, and I was wandering around somewhere I probably shouldn't be. It was strange seeing the pool completely empty, and not a soul around! Since there would be no buses coming by until November or December, I turned around and repeated the climbing up and over the road to get back to Riverside before Mickey's secret service found me and subjected me to unspeakable horrors (most likely that Pal Mickey dude I insulted in an earlier day's report).

While I was walking, my friend Sheila called from Ft Myers to see if I was going to be busy meeting other people tomorrow. Her boss told her today to take tomorrow off, so she decided to come up and spend the day with me at WDW. We're not sure if we'll go to Typhoon Lagoon or some park, but I told her whatever she wanted to do was fine with me.

Back at Riverside I sat in the lobby to cool off before driving to Downtown Disney. I hate that it's so damn hot this week, but being here in the heat is better than not being here at all! After entering PI I saw Clinta (Nancy's husband) so I talked to him for a while before going up to the Comedy Warehouse. I met David outside the line and he invited me to join him and tonight's lady friend.

Jim Roberts was on the keys tonight. The 8:15 cast was Brian, Jake, Mary, Jen B & Matt - WOW, a great cast! Unfortunately, the show wasn't as good as the cast. Jake rang the bell in Should Have Said, where Matt was collecting coins. The scene was short, but cute. They did Scene Freeze, and rotated among the 4 scenes rapidly and for quite a while. Matt had Chicago, Jake had taster, Jen had eggs, and Brian had anniversary. It was pretty good, but I guess I expected more than pretty good. Next was Up Your Alley about census taking, hosted by Jen as Mrs. Gee Witherspoon. Brian was Ronald Blenger, a character I didn't quite understand - he went door to door under the guise of census taking, but really was there to enlighten them about stuff. Jake was Decklin, a funny hick who resents the govt and repeatedly answered questions with "none of your beeswax". Mary was Touchy Feely, who does seminars on how to get in touch with your senses. She was a somewhat spacy character, which nobody does as well as Mary, but overall the structure was just ok tonight.

After the show I talked with Mary for a while, then went out to get back in line for the next show. I was shocked to find hardly any line, and I ended up seated in tech row, which is pretty good for being in line 5 minutes before the doors opened. The entire Island seemed really quiet tonight, but the CW shows had a good turnout by the time the doors closed.

The 9:15 cast was Joy, Mary, Jen B, Brian & Matt. They opened with a poem called Catfight. Matt led a Disney musical called Wendy. Jen was Wendy, a girl from North Dakota who wants to go to Louisiana with her cheerleading friends to get beads. Brian & Joy were her very uptight, hick parents on the farm, who would not grant her permission to go, so she met up with her friend Mary and they went anyway. They drove Mary's dad's John Deere tractor all the way, since neither wanted to fly on an airplane, lol! Once in Louisiana as the girls were on their balcony getting ready to get some beads they noticed the drunken bead thrower was Wendy's dad - and her mom was stripping in a nightclub. It may not sound very Disney, but it was a fun scene and they did a good job with it. Next was Emotions, which I always look forward to. However, the audience was almost in a coma - the suggestions took forever, which then made the scene short since they've only got so many minutes in each show. Mary & Matt were in a bar --he as a drunk and she as the bartender. Matt was kind of hard to understand, and made noises rather than words at one point, but I was sorry it was cut short because it was funny. I thought this show was much stronger than the first, but decided to make it another early night.

I stopped to talk to Jim Roberts on the way out, then drove back to OKW. In the studio, I ate the lunch leftovers and finished writing the report before getting online for a while.

It was another full but wonderful day. I skipped MK, but got to see Gus at AK and do a few attractions, had a great time with Pete & Judy, and enjoyed myself at Comedy Warehouse. It was an unexpected bonus to run into Rick & Leslie this morning, and Marti this afternoon - I love how in this huge place it's so common to run into someone I know, but that's why I consider myself to have 2 homes - Ft Myers and here!

DAY 6 WEDNESDAY MAY 7, 2003

Who:

Sue, DVC Member
Sheila, fellow cruiser June & Nov 2003
Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular
Tracy & Tyger, Comedy Warehouse regulars
Dann & Josh - WDW Guidebook authors
Plan: Typhoon Lagoon, Comedy Warehouse

Actual: I ended up staying up later than planned last night, thanks to some delays getting an online connection (and most likely a long list of local call charges for unsuccessful attempts) and then catching up on the email. It was tough getting up, but I wanted to be ready to go when Sheila arrived, so I got up just after 7. Breakfast was cappuccino and some of the yogurt/granola, and I spent time reading downloaded posts until she arrived.

Sheila arrived just before 8. We hung around talking about what to do with the day, and decided to stick with Typhoon Lagoon. We walked over to the Old Turtle Pond laundry and I threw some stuff in a washing machine, then we walked over to the Southpoint pool to get Sheila some towels to use at the water park (to be returned to OKW later). We got back to the laundry room just as my stuff was finishing --I only washed those items that needed to line dry, so we weren't waiting on a dryer to go through it's cycle. Back in the studio we watched some trash tv - I can't believe people watch these shows day after day - it's no wonder society has gotten so bad!

Around 9:40 we drove to Typhoon Lagoon. Sheila activated her PAP and we were in the park in just a few minutes. There wasn't any wait to get in at all. We took my usual spot, which had 2 lounge chairs and 2 sand chairs already there. After putting down our stuff we went over to the wave pool and sat at the edge in sand chairs for over an hour. It was hot outside, but with the water splashing over us it kept things comfortable. We spent a few minutes reading on our chairs before it was time for the 30 minutes of bobbing waves, then we returned to the chairs. Sheila rode around the lazy river, but wasn't pleased with the extra stuff they've added to spray water on people. We'd called Disney earlier and made a lunch priority seating at LeCellier, so around 1pm or so we got ready to leave Typhoon Lagoon.

After a brief stop at the studio we drove to Epcot. Marti had told me she'd be working at the DVC booth in Future World, so we stopped to chat with her on the way to World Showcase. After leaving Marti we stopped at the maze they set up for the Flower & Garden Festival. It was themed to the dogs of Disney, and contained a few really nice topiaries that all included Disney dog characters. There were a couple of playground-type areas full of rambunctious kids but we avoided them since we didn't have any duct tape with us. It was a cute maze - worth checking out if you're in the area, but certainly not worth a trip to Epcot just to see this!

We walked to LeCellier and were early for our 2:50 ps but they were able to seat us almost immediately. I got the soup, Sheila got the Toronto chicken sandwich, and everything was excellent! At first the multi-grain breadstick was hard as a rock, so I mentioned it to our server and she brought a new (soft) one. We shared the kid's chocolate "moose" for dessert - Sheila had never seen it before and thought it was really cute. It's also delicious! There was a solo lady dining a couple of tables away, and on her way out she stopped at our table to say she reads my trip reports and had come today to try that chocolate moose for the first time. She had figured out by what I was eating that I had to be Sue Holland. I was glad she liked the moose and soup - I would have felt bad if she ordered them and hated them! I think I'm picky enough though that I'm like Mikey in the old Life cereal commercials - it's safer to assume I'll hate it, but if I do like it then surely the rest of the world will also.

Our server took my Disney Dining Experience card and came back saying the discount was deducted. However, when I looked at the check she had applied a cast member discount instead of DDE. They're both 20%, and although CMs don't get a discount on alcohol and DDEs do, neither of us drank any with lunch today so that was a moot point. However, the other difference is the CM discount automatically adds a 15% gratuity and the DDE does not - it's left up to the guest. I didn't like that she'd felt obliged to give herself a 15% gratuity, and if it had been left up to us she would have done much better than that (especially since the check was fairly low), but we left exactly what the check called for.

On the way out we stopped to fill Marti in on our lunch and the maze, and waited for her to finish setting up an appointment for a couple of prospective members with a demon child. If they join, I hope they're not on the other side of my connecting door! The kid was 4 years old and was climbing/swinging from the DVC desk, was running around yelling Marti's name when she was on the phone, and I guess earlier he'd run off & gotten lost. He even stepped on Sheila's foot as he was running around, and he was a HUGE 4 yr old. I really needed some duct tape - but this is the first day I've seen any kids who needed it so I guess that's not bad at all <g>.

We stopped & rode Spaceship Earth on the way out, then drove back to OKW. Sheila began the drive back to Ft Myers & I went inside to shower and get dressed for the rest of the day. I'm glad she was able to come spend the day - it was a lot of fun! She also left a donation for Mary's AIDS bike ride, so I'll bring that in to the Warehouse tonight.

I had about 2 hours to kill before I needed to get ready to go to Comedy Warehouse, so I spent it online catching up with today's email and downloading some files from work. Tonight was the last night I didn't have to be out until almost 8pm (the next 3 nights it'll be earlier), so I had to bite the bullet and wear a New York City-themed sweater I'd bought that Mary wanted to see. Originally the weather looked cooler for this trip! I cheated and carried the sweater - I can put it on when I'm in air conditioning but not when I'm outside in this heat!

I left the studio around 7:15 and called Leesa as I went to the car. Once at Downtown Disney I went to Ghiradelli for a sample to kill a little time, then returned and talked to Clinta at the outdoor Rock & Roll Beach Club bar. When I went up to CW I ran into David and another friend - one I'd met before, and we sat on a bench to wait for Leesa's arrival. We saw Tracy & Tyger in line, and after checking with the cm I pulled them out to join us at the back door. Jim Roberts was on the keys again tonight.

The 8:15 cast was Krista, Karl, Joy, Matt & Mary. They did Fill in the Blank with 2 audience volunteers. Mary & Karl were in a scene where she had car trouble due to hitting a turtle with breasts. Krista was Karl's mother, feeding the hippo that Mary bought to support the zoo. The volunteers did a good job and the actors were all great - it was an excellent start to the show! Next Joy & Matt sang a children's song called Blueberry Tuba. This was also excellent, and we were hysterical when Joy would make tuba noises as Matt would sing, then he'd make tuba noises to drown her out when it was her turn, lol! It was great. They played Schmeopardy, with Karl as host Wink Narcolepsy. Matt was a caveman named Nog who'd been frozen until recently - unfortunately at times he only grunted so we didn't get the full benefit of his talent. Joy was funny as a dairy farmer named Bo Vine - she was kind of dirty (usually she's pretty straight-laced) and it worked. Krista was a twinkie filler named Cindy Hoho, and was a very loud, hyper, perky blonde. The structure was very funny and overall it was a fantastic show - a great way to start the night! After the show one of the audience volunteers from Fill in the Blank introduced himself to me - it was Johnny Black from radp. I remembered him posting that he planned to find/meet me at CW during a previous trip, but it didn't happen, so we finally got to meet. I loved his suggestion of a turtle with breasts!

The 9:15 cast was Krista, Joy, Jen B, Mary & Matt. They opened with a funny poem called "You are so beautiful to me". Next Krista directed a scene that took place at the mall. Jen & Joy were sisters working handing out chicken samples at the mall food court, and Jen wanted to share Joy's husband. It was pretty funny - definitely strange, too! They performed a Madrigal, where each of 4 actors sings a tabloid headline, then the conductor switches from person to person and they scramble the words to create new headlines. The starting headlines were: 1) Ray Charles angry over no braille on drive-up ATM 2) Gore wins 3) Ice cream deboner spotted in Cleveland 4) Alien baby wins lottery. They did a good job - this is almost always very enjoyable. They also did Actor's Nightmare, with it being Matt's nightmare. In this structure 3 actors read all of their lines from 3 different real scripts, and the actor having the nightmare has to improvise his lines and make sense of everything the other 3 are saying to create a single scene. This can be tough, but tonight it was pretty good. Overall it was another good show.

After the show Mary came over - I showed her the sweater, and gave her Sheila's donation for the bike ride. We talked to Jen for a while - she just turned in her resignation tonight and her last night will be 5/30. I won't be in town for her going away party, but I imagine I'll probably make a special trip up here for her last night. Before the next show started Josh came down to say hi, and I made plans to talk with him & Dann after the show. Josh & Dann co-authored a couple of WDW guidebooks that I really enjoyed - and they're fellow DVC members and really nice guys. They wrote WDW Resort Outing, which is geared towards gay & lesbian travelers but I found it great fun to read as well, and Making Memories - which I read on the DVC cruise last February.

The 10:30 cast was Jen, Chris, Karl, Krista & Mary. They did a great opening song, making fun of a guy who's spent 7 years folding t-shirts at the Gap. The rest of the song (except the closing number) was Conducted Story, led by Jen. The title was "The Mighty Mouse" and it got bizarre but that's a good thing! Chris died first, in a jail, by soap. Karl died by a moose head, with Mary trying to play a moose but she kept losing her antlers! I think the funniest part was watching her accidentally getting her antlers caught in the door or having them simply fall down off her head. Time must have been running out, because Krista did an Agatha Christie death - the lights went off, a gunshot was heard, the lights came on, Krista was dead on the stage. That left Mary to wrap up the story, which she did having the audience fill in the blanks when she'd pause. It was a fun structure and a very good show overall.

After the show I stopped to see Jim Roberts briefly, then found Dann & Josh and introduced them to Mary. We all talked for a short while until Mary had to get to the meeting held after this show each night, but I wanted her to meet them since their coverage of the Comedy Warehouse is so favorable in their guidebooks. Dann, Josh & I hung around catching up until almost midnight - it was great seeing them again, and I can't wait for the new edition of their books. We parted company and I drove back to OKW to finish up the report, thrilled by what a great day it had been. From start to finish, it was a perfect day spent with a variety of friends.

DAY 7 THURSDAY MAY 8, 2003

Who: Sue, DVC Member
Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular

Plan: AK, Comedy Warehouse

Actual: Since I'd done AK earlier in the week, but especially because it's SO damn hot this week, I decided to skip the return visit. Instead, I slept in until 8, had some cappuccino and yogurt/granola for breakfast while reading the posts downloaded last night, and headed for Typhoon Lagoon again shortly before 10. At least there I can sit in the water and be cooler than I'd be walking around a hot theme park!

Typhoon Lagoon was terrific again today! It got busy, but not until around 11:30 or so, and I left shortly after 12:30. I sat & read at the edge of the wave pool, holding the book over my head when the waves would break over my chair and when heavy-footed kids would go running by! The bobbing waves were fun too, and it didn't feel as congested out there as it had been the day before. A family set up camp right at the end of my spot, essentially blocking me in. The mom acted all put out when I climbed over the bottom of one of her lounge chairs and said "excuse me" trying to get out of my prison to go in the wave pool - she had to interrupt putting on her lotion to allow me to pass. With as big as this place is, you'd think people would find a spot where they are not trapping someone else!

On the way back I stopped at Downtown Disney and got a cheese pretzel from Wetzel's, since I really liked it last time and hadn't gotten one yet this trip. I brought it back to OKW, but it wasn't nearly as good as I remembered, so I should have gotten the cinnamon sugar version instead of wasting all those calories on what I had. Oh well, there's always next time. I looked at some of my photos, and sent a few to a couple of friends, then took my shower so I'd be able to watch General Hospital while packing my suitcase.

I got a little restless, so before GH ended I went to the bus stop figuring I should have enough time to ride to Animal Kingdom and at least ride Dinosaur and Primeval Whirl. This time it took about 15 minutes or so for the bus, and by the time I got to AK it was after 4:30. I didn't want to drive though, because I didn't want to bother with a hot car. Lots of people were streaming out of the park, so it was tough working my way upstream to get into the park. I went straight to Dinoland and checked Primeval Whirl when I saw how long the line was I backed out. That line is incredibly hot, as there's no air conditioning, and it would have been miserable standing there. I went to Dinosaur and walked right on, greatly enjoying the air conditioning! I was off the ride less than 5 minutes before 5, so I decided to take my chances with Primeval Whirl again. The line was shorter, so I went in this time, even though it was really hot. I rode with a nervous couple who were riding for their first time, but they did fine. By the time I got off the park was closed, so I returned to the bus stop and waited for the OKW bus.

Back in the studio I rested a bit and watched the local news, then left for Pleasure Island around 6:30 or so. The Island doesn't open until 7pm now, so I met Leesa at the entrance near Planet Hollywood and we waited for the turnstiles to open. We talked to Joe a while outside the club, then went to the backdoor. Before the show started Carol Stein stopped by to chat since there wasn't anyone seated below us. The audience was very small for this show, and unfortunately they left their senses of humor back at their resorts!

The 7:20 cast was Mary, Jake, Jen B, Chris & Matt. Mary directed a mini-play where Matt & Jake were on a deserted island with a beach ball. Jen was a mermaid who showed Matt how to escape, but he failed to return right away with a boat to rescue Jake like he was supposed to. It was a cute play. Next they did Up Your Alley on the subject of golf. Jen was the host Gia Pet, and they had a 15 yr-old boy from the audience as one of the contestants. He didn't exactly help the scene, and at one point made a rude comment to Chris' character, which I thought was way out of line. The other 2 contestants were Mary as an Indian with Native Americans Against Golf - their position is the govt should give them all of the golf courses and they'd call it even. Chris was a senior citizen named Selma Slicer who's in a senior citizen golf club that plays 5 holes in 5 hours. Mary, Chris & Jen all had some funny lines, but the audience wasn't really responding so it kind of went flat. Overall it was disappointing - the talent was there, the material was decent, but the lack of audience response kept it from getting past "ok".

Outside we met David, and teased him about not being with one of his many lady friends tonight. I asked him if maybe there were none left in Orlando he hasn't dated, lol. Once inside Pete & Judy were seated in tech row and called to me, so I went up to talk to them for a while before the show started.

The 8:15 cast was Mary, Jen B, Jake, Chris & John. They opened with the name rhyme game, which Mary won. A couple of actors seemed to draw a blank and died sooner than expected, but it wasn't so quick the structure was too short. Since Mary won, she got to choose what they'd do next, and she decided they would do the "real" story of Snow White, starring herself as Snow Beige. Jen was the evil self-absorbed stepmother and John was the alcoholic father. Jake came in as Crappy, the tall dwarf, and Chris was Stoney the druggie dwarf. Other dwarfs included *****, Sleazy & Dummy. Jen came to the door as a religious nut who got Mary to eat the apple, and Dummy kissed her to wake her up. It was strange, but fun! What's not to like about characters named *****, Sleazy & Crappy???

They played Schmeopardy, hosted by Chris. Jake was a firefighter in the underwater city of Atlantis. Jen was Maria Porko, a pig farmer. John was funny as Bob, a guy who did a mail order course to become a priest in the church of Bob. Overall it was a pretty good show. When we went in for the next one Pete & Judy were seated behind us, so I introduced everyone and we chatted until the show started.

The 9:15 cast was Philip, Matt, Krista, Jen B & Jake. They opened with the phone thing and got a 16 yr old girl from Celebration who didn't seem very on the ball. They did a terrific Western Ballad about her life, and got the show off to a great start! They sang that you don't have to be smart if your family is rich <g>. Philip rang the bell in Should Have Said, where Krista was needing change in the laundromat. Matt came in and gave her change for her dollar, but then expected her to have his baby for his service. It was funny but short - perhaps because it was kind of sleazy they didn't want things to go on too long? Next they did Forgotten Songs. Philip & Matt were AMC Theater employees singing "Going to the Movies", which was very good. Krista was a worker from the Polynesian Luau show (wearing leis and a seashell bra) singing an extremely brief "My dog has fleas." The final song was "Caribou Man", performed by Jen as a redneck and Jake as part man, part caribou. He brought the house down with his portrayal of Caribou Man - it was hysterical! He was wearing a viking cap, and had the big white Mickey gloves on each horn to serve as his antlers. His verses were sung making sounds rather than words, but it was the funniest thing - the audience reaction/applause when they finished was really great! Next they did Emotions, starring Jen & Philip in a cd store. It was great also - overall this was a terrific show!

The 10:30 cast was Mary, Philip, Krista, John & Chris. They opened with the poem "Jump into the jacuzzi", which was really funny - about a 73 year-old's hot date. They did Fill in the Blank using the entire audience, with Mary & John working at a car wash. They were working on the catering van for gayday, and Mary figured out that John was gay because he was the only person who worked there who hadn't asked her out - even the girls do. Chris came in as the girl she'd been with last night, and then Mary decided she was gay. That bothered John because gay was HIS thing, and they got into a whole competitive thing - whatever one did, the other followed suit. It was a funny scene.

They did This is Your Life next, which I hadn't seen in a while. Mary was the interviewer, and she had this (obnoxious) guy from Miami who was here with his wife celebrating their 1-year anniversary. She asked how they met - he was sleeping with someone who gave him his wife's number and suggested he call her. He was classy enough to use some gestures to represent sex, figuring he couldn't say it (at least in the words he'd use) onstage. Ick! He was really vague about his first kiss - didn't remember her name, etc. The cast created a really funny re-enactment, with the guy being a total loser and Krista coming in wearing a huge nose ring as the lucky girl. They also did a scene about his job as a truck driver, and then looked to the future having a baby & being back at wdw. The actors really did a great job, and Mary deserves a medal for not losing her patience with the guy!

John rang the bell in Should Have Said. Krista, Chris & Mary were college roommates and it was time for some tests. Krista was concerned because there was a man in her bedroom and she couldn't remember who he was - turns out he's one of her professors. She sleeps with professors to get copies of the tests in advance. Chris was hoping to cram a semester's worth of work into the next 1.5 hours before the test (sounds like MY Chris - right, Tim??), even though she's pre-med. It was a cute scene, and all too soon the show was over.

Mary came over after the show, and brought a message from Patty (her sister). Being "Patron of the Arts" is a huge responsibility, and until the Orlando International Fringe Festival ends later this month Patty is working night and day to ensure everything goes well there! Mary & I chatted for a few minutes - unfortunately she won't be working the next 2 nights, so this is the last time I'll see her this trip.

Nancy was waiting outside, so we confirmed our lunch time for tomorrow, and she took Leesa out through the cm exit while I went to my car via the guest exit. Driving back to OKW I hated knowing this was the last night here for this trip. Sometimes when you're on vacation after so many days you start feeling ready to get back to home, work, or whatever. However, I am so far from that point still, lol! Back in the studio I made some cappuccino, finished up the report, and got online for a while. I decided to not bother trying to do anything in the parks tomorrow morning, so I didn't care that I might be up late tonight.

Today was a really nice day. Typhoon Lagoon & Comedy Warehouse - I don't need much more than that on a vacation day!

DAY 8 FRIDAY MAY 9, 2003

Who: Sue, DVC Member
Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular

Plan: MK, Lunch w/Leesa & Nancy, Return to Leesa's, Comedy Warehouse

Actual: To do the MK this morning I'd have needed to get up early, and it just wasn't worth it to me in this heat! I'd stayed up later than usual online last night, so this morning I slept in until almost 8:30. I finished the last of the yogurt/granola with some cappuccino, and made a trip to the car to load what was already packed up. At Leesa's this weekend I can organize my stuff to only have to bring a couple day's worth of stuff into the hotel in Gainesville. It was really hot already when I went out to the car - I put stuff away and quickly retreated back to the comfortable studio since I didn't have to be out of there until 11.

Shortly before 11 I brought the rest of my stuff to the car and drove up to the Hospitality House to leave my car there. The plan was to take the Trumbo Ferry back to OKW after lunch, provided there was a ramp from the dock for Leesa - I've always used the stairs and never noticed if there was an alternative. Angelo took my laptop for safe keeping, and I found the ramp down to the dock. Olivia's was doing a bustling business this morning!

At the bus stop the 2nd bus to come was mine, so I got on and rode to Downtown Disney. As we passed the old Disney Institute I could see they are now knocking down the Bungalows over there - as part of the DVC construction that appears to be expanding. I wouldn't be surprised if Disney announces at some point that the entire resort will come down to make way for DVC. It certainly makes sense - DVC is selling better than ever at full price, while they're having to deeply discount the other resorts to try to get people here this summer.

Leesa called - she & Nancy were going to be early, and since I was already there we just moved up our meeting time. I browsed through some of the shops, then returned to Captain Jack's at 11:30. I did a really stupid thing, which we all laughed about later. I could see them through the window and wasn't watching where I was walking, and didn't notice the single small step up. My foot caught on it, as the rest of my body continued going forward - it was a slow-motion thing, but I never fell! Instead I crashed into the door with one hand to stop myself. I was glad I didn't let the camera swing out and hit the wall, or let my head crash through the window. It was embarrassing enough without causing damage, too! Nancy declared us even now - referring to our rollerblading adventure where she went diving into the grass! She wasn't hurt at all then, and I wasn't hurt today. I seem to have a knack for never getting hurt when stuff like this happens - too bad I didn't have a knack for being graceful!

We were seated quickly, and there was hardly anyone in the restaurant. I hope this place doesn't end up being closed at lunch time like so many of the others. Leesa had a chocolate milkshake for her lunch, which she said was very good. I got the Italian Tomato Salad that had come highly recommended by many of you, and I absolutely loved it! It was diced tomatoes & red onions mixed in garlic, balsamic vinegar & other spices and came with the raw mozzarella cheese and somewhat blah focaccia bread. It was cool & refreshing, and I'll definitely be back for this on future trips. Nancy got this as well, along with the field greens salad.

After lunch we hung around waiting for the boat to OKW, then Nancy left for work while Leesa & I rode back to the resort. After getting my laptop from Angelo, and hearing of his plans to retire and LEAVE in 28 months (it won't be the same without him there) we got in the car to head back to Leesa's. Along the way we stopped at SuperTarget to pick up a few things. Once back at the condo we each did computer stuff - I got all my photos off the camera and started the slow process of uploading them to Ofoto. Ordinarily I don't waste vacation time doing this, but since I have the desktop with me and will only be home for a couple of days before going away again, I wanted to get the Comedy Warehouse photos up in time for the link to be in the final day's report.

We left for PI around 7:45 and stopped at Wetzel's Pretzels for a cinnamon sugar pretzel. It was huge but delicious - I was glad Leesa was there to help eat it! We sat at a table outside and watched the parade of high school kids leaving PI.

They opened PI at 9pm and we stopped to chat with Susan outside the line. At the back door David arrived with some people but no lady friend tonight. The 9:15 cast was Philip, John, Brian, Chris & Karl. They opened with a funny poem called "I love to kiss donkeys." They did Styles, where they have to switch between different styles of movie, tv, songs & theater. Karl & Philip were going to NYC on Amtrak, and ended up finding out they are brothers even though they want to be lovers. It was outrageous at times, but I love stuff like that - they both did a great job but Philip was amazing. Brian did a great job calling for the different style changes - seeing Philip & Karl perform the scene in the style of Cirque du Soleil gives new appreciation for La Nouba, lol!

They played Schmeopardy, hosted by Karl as Wink Narcoleptic. Sometimes this structure is an excellent battle of wits and other times it kind of drags - tonight was definitely a great performance. Brian was Tom Foo, a martial arts instructor. John was funny as Rip Off, a used Suburu salesman. Chris was Monica, a travel agent working at the "Get the Hell Outa Here Agency". Overall it was a wonderful show!

Brian came over after the show and was telling us about his working at the Improv last night. Hopefully I can catch him there at some point on a future trip. I'd love to see him on a NON-Disney stage, as I'm sure he's wild! If any of you locals see that Brian Bradley will be performing there, by all means go see the show.

The 10:30 cast was Brian, Krista, John, Matt & Karl. They did Song Cue, where the scene is interrupted 3 times to turn the last line of dialogue into songs of different styles. Matt & Krista were a couple with 12 children who were in the process of giving them away. (The audience was asked for a physical activity they were doing, except for copulation, and some bozo shouted out "delivering a baby" - so they were delivering one of their babies to a new family) The receiving couple was John & Brian, and the 4 of them created a funny scene. They did "We haven't named it yet" as a reggae song, and "We think you should have the child" as a salsa song. The closing song was a broadway showtune called "Now we can be alone again".

Next they created a poem (all 5 of them) called "Breakfast tastes good at McDonald's", which was cute. They also did Letters to the Editor about wind-up toys. Brian was George W Bush writing to Daily Worker (a communist magazine) and was hysterical ranting against the "commie pinko redbags". John was a nerdy teen (he used the sound tech's name) who constantly gets beaten up by other kids - he was writing to a hiphop magazine called The Source. Karl was Bill Clinton writing to Good Housekeeping.

The closing number was a western ballad about these strange people who left their house naked in their convertible and were driving around town looking for a public place to have sex when they were pulled over by the cops in Sarasota, FL. Some of the jokes were a little predictable, but it was still pretty funny. Overall it was another great show - 2 for 2 tonight!

We met up with Nancy after the show and walked out with her so we could transfer some of Leesa's stuff from her car to mine. Back at Leesa's condo I finished up the report and got to bed fairly early, since I plan to head back to Typhoon Lagoon tomorrow and need to allow driving time from here.

Today was a nice day. Leaving OKW is always miserable, but knowing I've got another 38 years there does take the edge off that misery <g>. Lunch with Nancy was fun, and that salad will be a new staple on my list of Disney foods. Comedy Warehouse was great tonight - the actors did really well and the audience was responsive at both shows.

DAY 9 SATURDAY MAY 10, 2003

Who: Sue, DVC Member
Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular
Tracy, Comedy Warehouse regular

Plan: Typhoon Lagoon?, Atlanta Bread, Comedy Warehouse

Actual: I slept in until around 8, then spent some time online until it was time to leave for Typhoon Lagoon. Breakfast was mint hot chocolate and ½ of a peanut butter bagel brought from home and left in Leesa's freezer! I was out the door shortly after 9:30.

I thoroughly enjoyed my final day at Typhoon Lagoon, following the usual routine. I left sometime after 1, and Leesa was up when I got back to the condo. We pretty much just hung out on our computers most of the afternoon, and left for the evening around 5:30.

We stopped at Atlanta Bread, where I got the ½ veggie sandwich. It was pretty good, but something seemed different about it. I'll be eating at the Atlanta Bread in Gainesville the next 2 nights, and maybe I'll figure it out.

At Downtown Disney we went to Ghiradelli for a chocolate sample and I bought some to bring home to Chris' dad. Of course, I may eat them myself it he gives me any crap <g>. We returned to PI just before 7 and I discovered my PAP was not in my wallet. I'd taken it out for Typhoon Lagoon (leaving the wallet in the car), and evidently never put it back in! Luckily, the beach bag I use at Typhoon Lagoon was in the trunk, and I found my pass in there. Tracy met us at the turnstyle (Tyger was working), so the 3 of us went in together. I left them at the back door and went upstairs to let Susan know we were here. Soon Bob & Virginia arrived, who I hadn't seen all trip!

The 7:20 cast was Philip, Matt, John, Krista & Chris. They got some fairly obnoxious people on the phone (trying to be funny) but the cast did a good job with the song. Next John, Krista & Philip created a poem called "Jennifer Temptation" about a fat girl on a diet. It was brief but cute. Krista came out to sing a sentimental song called "Mulberry Bush" - the lyrics were funny and her voice was absolutely gorgeous! It would have been incredible even if it wasn't funny at all! They also did a 1-Act Play taking place in St Paul's. Chris was a nun who used to be his teacher, and Matt was planning to marry a girl of another faith - an Isheist (made up religion - about fighting for causes or issues). It was crazy, and very funny. Overall it was a great show, especially for the first show of the night!

The 8:15 cast was John, Karl, Philip, Matt & Chris. The opening phone call got yet another person who was somewhat of a jerk. I don't know why people can't just answer the damn questions without trying to steal the show away from the person on stage! After a decent opening song they pushed 2 stools onto the stage and we all cringed knowing that meant they were doing Story Telling. Chris & John told "The Red Leprechaun" as a married couple who'd gone to Ireland on their honeymoon and he went to a pub on their wedding night and didn't return for 3 days. They had some funny lines, but the structure still sucked - and it pretty much killed the energy for the rest of the show. If it had been followed by Cliché the show might have been salvaged, but instead they did Schmeopardy. The host was John as Alex Tribeck. Matt was a referee named Clive (lots of Harry Potter references, which Tracy enjoyed but I didn't have a clue). Karl was a mobster named Jimmy and Philip was a cobbler named Hans who has elves make the shoes. Matt was very strong (even though I didn't understand much of what he was referring to), but overall the structure was not that great, and the show in general was a disappointment. Leesa told the people sitting next to her to try another one because this was NOT indicative of what to expect here.

The 9:15 cast was Matt, Krista, Brian, Philip & Joy. They opened with a western ballad, and right from the start we could tell this was going to be a good show! Philip dressed as an Indian rather than a cowboy. Next was Fill in the Blanks - Matt came out to ring the bell but then Krista took it from him and sent him away. Joy & Philip started a scene in a spa - she was getting a massage, with Philip licking her leg while Brian massaged her shoulders and Matt played the harp. It was short but very funny.

They did 2 Forgotten Songs. Philip & Brian were Benny & Bobby singing "Hershey Squirts" about chocolate milk. Matt was the Tidy Bowl Man and Krista & Joy were the Bowlettes backing him up in "Surfing in the loo". Some of the bathroom humor was predictable, but with that title I'm not sure what else they could do - it was very entertaining. Emotions was next, with Krista as Matt's math teacher for his 3rd year in senior math. It was excellent - fast paced and really funny. This was a great show, as expected!

The 10:30 cast was Joy, John, Karl, Chris & Brian. Joy opened the show explaining they did improv and would take suggestions from the audience, and some *** in the back yelled out "take off your top." Joy replied with "Only if you take the sock out of your pants" and we never heard from the guy again, thank goodness! They opened with the name rhyme game and Joy won. She got to pick the next structure and decided to call Song Cue. From here things went downhill fast. John & Chris were a married couple digging a ditch for their own sewer and Brian & Karl were their sons. The scene started out ok, but it seemed like Joy got wrapped up in watching rather than remembering to break in to give them song titles. It went on and on and on way too long. At one point someone said something and Chris said "that sounds like a song title" soon Joy picked up on it. They did 3 songs (in a 15-minute period). "Go ahead & do it" was a country song, "We'll make a few changes" was a very entertaining gospel song, and "Daddy will still love you no matter where you are" was done in the style of Ska (sp?). The gospel song was the last one, so at least it ended on a high note.

Next they did Up Your Alley, hosted by Chris as Lois Common Denominator. The subject was archaeology. Joy was Karina, who works in Denmark digging up vikings. Karl was Iowa Johnson, and archaeologist. Brian was funny as Dr David Discus, a radio talk host who writes self-help books where you dig & pick into your issues. Brian's performance was great, but unfortunately the show overall never really went anywhere.

Tonight was a strange night - with 2 shows that were really great, and 2 that were pretty far from that! We left to drive back to Leesa's, where I finished up the report and got it posted. Tomorrow I'll post the final thoughts and the link to the photos taken at the Comedy Warehouse, sometime after I get to Gainesville to start the business portion of the trip.

Today was a good day, even though I was disappointed in a couple of the shows. Typhoon Lagoon was great, and the 1st & 3rd Comedy Warehouse shows were both excellent.

DAY 10 SUNDAY MAY 11, 2003

Who: Sue, DVC Member

Plan: Breakfast at Mara, Drive home

Actual: I decided to skip stopping at Mara for breakfast. My hotel in Gainesville has a free breakfast, so there's no need to bring any of the yogurt/granola things, and I didn't want to eat a whole one today since I plan to eat at Atlanta Bread after checking in. There was no rush to get there, but also with the hot weather and having computer equipment to transport it made no sense to try to visit any of the parks before making the drive. So, I slept in until 8:30, got the rest of the photos uploaded, had some hot chocolate & ½ bagel for breakfast, and hit the road around 10. It was an uneventful drive - arrived just after noon. My room wasn't ready, but by the time I came back from Atlanta Bread (the veggie sandwich is much better here) I was able to get moved in. Now if only I had the Comedy Warehouse to occupy my time tonight - Gainesville is such a boring place, but at least tomorrow night I'll meet Tom & Leanne for dinner.

SUMMARY:

This was such a wonderful trip, and every visit reminds me of how lucky it is that I had the good sense to become a DVC member. Having the lodging prepaid through 2042 makes it so easy to spend so much time here, and although the money spent on annual dues would cover 50-60 nights at the All Stars each year I'd rather be staying at the MUCH nicer DVC resorts. After having so many short weekend trips during the past few months I was in heaven having time to just relax in these beautiful surroundings, and to spend time with various friends without being rushed.

Patty & I had a wonderful time, and being the "Patron of the Arts" she brought a little culture to my trip <g>! It had been a couple of years since I'd seen Pete & Judy, and I was so glad we got to spend some time together - they're both terrific. Running into Rick & Leslie was nice, too - they are so "Disney" - very happy, positive people, and hopefully I'll see Rick in November. It was so cool that Sheila came up and spent the day - and it happened to be a day I didn't have any plans (although she'd have been welcome to come along with whatever was planned). It was also really nice to see Dann & Josh again. I first met them a few years ago, and they're very good company (as well as great co-authors). Seeing my local friends - Leesa, Nancy, Tracy & Tyger - was also fun, and I can't wait for our next adventure on May 16th!

The parks were relatively uncrowded, and May really is a great time to visit. It was unfortunate that it was hotter than normal, as that really detracted from the fun. However, I'm just as happy sitting in the wave pool and don't need to be in a hot theme park, so it didn't affect my trip as much as it might someone who visits infrequently. Comedy Warehouse was terrific! I saw many really great shows, and it felt good to be back there surrounded by so many familiar & friendly faces. The photo album is ready on Ofoto - the url is http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?m=6814414102.68736287803&n=45285652 The photos are all from Comedy Warehouse, so if you were hoping for WDW parks or resort pictures, you won't find any from this trip.

My studio at OKW was perfect, and my neighbors were quiet! I knew people were over there a couple of times, but there were no screaming kids or overly loud adults, so it was very nice! Of course, my Disney food was fabulous, lol! Dining here is something I always look forward to. LeCellier remains my favorite, and I was glad to eat there twice this trip. Wolfgang Puck's Café was also very good, but I'll wait for their new menu before returning. Captain Jack's was a new place for me - since it used to be primarily seafood I never bothered with it, but now that the menu is different there are things I'll eat. The Italian Tomato Salad was great - definitely worth another trip.

The next few trips will be short, unfortunately. On May 16th Tim, Chris & I will be coming up via limosine (perhaps not practical, but what the hell - you only live once) but not spending the night. We'll visit a friend at the concierge lounge at AKL, then head to Comedy Warehouse for a couple of shows. When we leave there with a bunch of friends we'll be headed to downtown Orlando to see Layden's show in the Fringe Festival, then dropping everyone off at PI on the way home to Ft Myers. It should be lots of fun, even though it's very short. Then, I return the following weekend for 4 nights and may come back the weekend after that for Jen B's last night at Comedy Warehouse.

On June 7th we leave on a 7-night cruise on Holland America Line's new ship, the Zuiderdam. It'll be our first experience cruising in a full suite with concierge service, and HAL is our favorite line so we're really looking forward to this trip! Since it's not a Disney trip in any way, shape or form, it won't be posted on the message boards or newsgroup. It will be on a yahoogroup called AllCruiseTalk. If you want to receive the report via email drop me a line before then and I'll add your address to the mailing list I'll set up. If you already receive this trip report via email, I'll put you on the new list UNLESS you tell me not to. We get back on June 14th, so unless I drag the laptop ashore in St Thomas and post the first half from there, the reports won't be coming until 6/14.

Until next time - thanks for reading.



Sue Holland