Trip Reports
02-20-2007, 10:48 PM
Sue Holland - November 2003 - All Star Movies
Time of Year: Holiday
Travel Method: Personal Car
Resort: ASMoR
Accommodations: Standard Room
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran, DVC Member
Comments: Thanksgiving is a time of tradition; of being with family, eating turkey and mashed potatoes; or something like that. For Sue, Thanksgiving this year was reading by the pool (and watching people fall in), eating too much (but not turkey) at Downtown Disney, and then hooking up with her son later in the day.
Sue Holland -- November 2003 – Walt Disney World (ASMoR)
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.
DAY 1 WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2003:
Who
Sue, DVC Member
Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular
Connan, Ruggedly Handsome friend of Leesa
Patty, Patron of the Arts
Plan: Work, Drive to AS Movies, AK?, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: I left work at 11:15, and except for a half hour lost due to a big traffic accident on I-75 the drive was pretty easy. Any holiday traffic didn't seem to be an issue yet, which was good news! I pulled into the All Star Movies about 2:45. Immediately the valet parkers took the car and a bellman took me and my luggage up to the concierge lounge….oh wait, that was a different trip <g>. I parked in the parking lot, walked inside, and was surprised to not find a half million people waiting to check in! The cm gave me a choice of 2 different buildings, and I was at my room before 3pm.
I chose one of the Mighty Ducks buildings, a 3rd floor no-smoking room. I know somebody smoked in here at some point, but it's not totally disgusting enough to schleppe my stuff back to the car, return to the front desk, etc. I do wish I'd brought some candles, though - maybe I'll buy some tonight. In case there's someone who is not familiar with the All Star Movies, it's the newest (until Dec 14th) of Disney's "value" resorts. There are a couple of large pools, but no water slides and pretty much no other amenities. Rooms are the smallest on property, at 260 square feet. The furnishings & décor can best be described as functional - they're not luxurious or something you'd want in your house! Most rooms have 2 double beds, a square table with 2 chairs, 3 deep drawers for your clothes, a 19" tv, sink outside the bathroom, and a closet rod with a whole 5 hangers! The cutest thing is the wall sconce that looks like a box of movie popcorn when the light's not turned on. For 3 nights I'll be fine here - I'm on the quiet side of the building rather than the pool side, which is good.
After putting my stuff in the room I headed for the bus stop, having decided to try to see Gus at Animal Kingdom today rather than Saturday. That'll leave Saturday free for MK (I know that's the worst possible day, but it's my only option) since I've made other plans for Friday. Whew - I said the plans were subject to change! <g>
The AK bus arrived just after I did, and I was the only passenger. The park was very busy, but I didn't realize just how bad it would be until I passed the tip board and saw that Primeval Whirl had a 60 minute wait with just over 2 hours before the park closes! Dinosaur also had a long wait, so I skipped that area for now and went back to Harambe to see Gus on the trail. Luckily I beat the parade, which they were running at 3:45 today. I could smell him before I could see him - he was definitely stressed today. His lips were pulled really tight, and his whole posture was stiff. Two of the younger boys were staying on either side of him, exerting their attempts at dominance, and Gus wasn't liking that at all. He never got where I could get a good picture of him, either. The trail was very busy, and I was impressed with the cm who kept talking to the crowd, actually teaching them about the gorillas. Too often they're talking to each other, so this was nice!
After I left the trail I got caught by the tail end of the parade over in Asia. Eventually I got to Dinoland, along with a huge mob of others. The wait was still too long at Primeval Whirl, so I assumed Dinosaur would be just as bad, and decided to leave the park. I can't see putting up with the crowds and waits when I know I'll be back! Of course, I'm wondering just what the hell I'll be doing all day on my New Year's trip - better bring some books to read!
On the way out I stopped in the store that used to have a candy counter, but that's been removed. After reading Johnathan's reports on radp this week I was interested in getting a haystack <g>. Instead, I left empty-handed and waited for what seemed like a very long time for an All Stars bus to arrive. They have the buses from this park stop at all 3 resorts, so considering they're serving 6,000 rooms I expected to see buses coming more frequently. It was standing room only by the time everyone boarded, but almost half the people got off at Sports. The Music stop is actually closer to my room, but I stayed on until Movies because I wanted to buy a candle in our shop (I knew where it was located in the shop).
After purchasing the candle I stopped at the food court - this is one area that All Star Movies does really well. It's so much better than the food court at Port Orleans Riverside, even though that's a nicer resort! I decided on an oatmeal raisin cookie - I figure between the oatmeal and the raisin it's almost good for me <g>. The pleasant experience in the food court came to an end as I approached the cash registers. It wasn't busy at all, and my cm wasn't openly rude, but it was obvious she would have preferred I hadn't interrupted her personal conversation with a co-worker (wearing latex gloves) who was hanging on her wall. She kept turning to talk to this person, and I'd have to say something to get her to turn back to see I was handing the money to her. In a fantasy world I would have liked to have slapped her, but I couldn't very well do that in real life <g>. I should have gotten her name and made a comment on the comment card when it comes, but it's too late for that. I remember when you never ran across cm's ignoring guests while working, to have personal conversations (in a foreign language, too).
I ate some of the cookie on the way back to the room, updated the report & then got online to check email while watching the local news/weather. It still looks warm (83) tomorrow, so I'll stick with plans for Typhoon Lagoon - rather than get up early for MK extra magic hour. Around 6:20 or so I decided it was time for Downtown Disney, hopefully to get something to eat before meeting friends for Comedy Warehouse shows.
It was busier than normal at Downtown Disney, but I guess that's to be expected through the weekend. At Bongo's outdoor window I got a beef empanada, which was excellent! It tasted better than usual, but maybe I was just hungry. I took it to a bench across from Saratoga Springs and ate my dinner. For dessert I went to Ghiradelli, where the sample today was their new peppermint chocolate thing. It's a layer of milk chocolate topped with white chocolate with little pieces of candy cane. It was pretty good, but not something I'd buy - although I thought I might not like it at all. I browsed through some of the shops, and as I was walking back towards Pleasure Island Johnathan ran up to stop me (his mom had seen me walk by wherever they were). It was nice seeing him again, and we stopped to chat for a little while. He's one of my Old Key West "neighbors", although it nearly killed me to have to drive past OKW later tonight to get to the lovely All Star Movies! I belong at OKW <g>!
It was almost time to meet Leesa & Connan, so I went to the PI entrance to await their arrival. We headed straight to Comedy Warehouse, and only had about 10 minutes to wait for the door to open. Jim Roberts was on the keys tonight, which was very nice. He's so talented on the keys, and a really nice guy. The audiences tonight were all large - not fat, just big in numbers (not getting into one of those "wdw is full of fatties" threads I see on radp) and almost all of the seats were taken. This is unheard of for a first show on a Wednesday, but the holiday is bringing big crowds out.
The 8:15 cast was Mary, Karl, Lisa, Matt & John. They opened with a family on the phone - it turned out they met when he was 21 and she was only 16 (married 23 years now), but allegedly didn't date until she was 19. They had their kids with them, and her mother. The cast did a good job creating a funny song about their life, with Matt saying the guy waited until she was 19 and on the first date went straight to 3rd base! They did Scene Freeze next, where each actor starts a scene about a word, then the others join in and rotate between scenes. Lisa had sleep, John had beer, Matt had car, Karl had shop, and Mary directed the scene. I thought it dragged a bit, but towards the end it got really funny when they started throwing out references to the family from the phone. That was a good move!
Next Mary & Matt did a Fill in the Blank scene using a couple of audience volunteers. They were in Rio on the beach - he was trying to pick her up but she wasn't interested. John came in as her boyfriend. The whole thing was silly but very funny - the audience was loving it. They closed with an embarrassing story about a guy who was wearing a Santa suit and the pants fell down when he was dancing at a nightclub. Overall it was a really good show - especially considering it was the first show of the night!
The 9:15 cast was Krista, Mary, John, Lisa & Karl. I cringed when I saw the 2 stools being brought to center stage, because that means Story Telling. This time it was Karl & Lisa telling "Slimey Texas". I'll have to stop being so negative about Story Telling - tonight it was actually very good, and lately they've been getting better. In Slimey Texas, Karl was a wealthy old man who works in a waste disposal company. Lisa was his young wife, who worked at the company as a receptionist and was attracted to his money. She played the part very well, and Karl did well too - it was a fun story.
They did Styles, where the scene has to be performed in a certain style until they're given a new style. They use styles of music, tv, movies, etc. In this scene John & Krista were bike riding, but she was irritated with him because he always wanted to do whatever she wanted to do. If she liked something, he liked it too - they were dating. Mary kept doing walk-throughs across the stage, changing to whatever style was in effect at the time. It was a very funny scene - tonight was going great! They closed with a pet peeve of nose picking - oh well. Sometimes it's a classy audience, sometimes it's not <g>.
Patty arrived in time for the next show. The 10:30 cast was Krista, Karl, Matt, Brian & John. I was surprised to see Brian working on a Wednesday, but it was a pleasant surprise. I think Matt did the opening phone interview and got some loser from Massachusetts. He's a young guy, but doesn't work because he's got a bad leg. However, he hunts in the woods, fishes, and does other recreational stuff that I would think require the use of his "bad leg" - yet he's unable to work (yeah, right - deadbeat). His girlfriend is a daycare worker. He was also very drunk - and later interrupted another scene to tell us he has a drinking problem. He was proud of the fact that "I eat everything I kill" - which if you must be a hunter I guess it's better to kill the animals for food instead of for a trophy. Anyway, the guy was a jerk, so the cast came out and created a hilarious song about him & his life!
Karl rang the bell in Should Have Said, where Brian started a scene in a beauty shop in Kansas. Matt came in for a haircut, and then Krista came in as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, perfectly imitating Judy Garland's portrayal of Dorothy. She was excellent! She was looking for her dog, and eventually Toto landed back in the beauty shop. Krista used mostly real lines from the movie, too. The scene was very funny, but it ended fairly quickly.
Next they did Forgotten Songs, and tonight they were all incredible! John & Karl were a couple of redneck hunters (father & son) singing "My dog left me for my wife". John was the son, who had to serve as the hunting dog and retrieve what Karl shot, since the real dog left him for his wife <g>. Matt & Krista were absolutely awesome as a long-married couple who just can't stand each other anymore but are catholic so divorce isn't an option. They sang "How can I grieve if you just won't die" - each wishing for the other to die. It was a classic, and absolutely hysterical. However, the really amazing performance came from Brian and the lady he pulled from the audience! Brian was an Italian lover-boy named Alberto, slinking across the stage and playing to a middle-aged lady who'd previously shouted suggestions out. His song was "No means yes in Venice". At first I was a bit put off by this lady, who started tossing her hair around and acting like a showgirl (she was my age or older, very heavy, and I have to applaud her guts to carry on like she did - although I think her teen daughter was a bit mortified <g>). Brian first sang to her, then pulled her up and when singing his suggestive lyric she would say "yes, yes, yes, YES" into the microphone as well. She started gyrating against him, groping him, running her hand up his thigh! He brought her up onto the stage and it continued - and it was hysterical! Krista came out as a cop with handcuffs, but Brian and the lady ended up using them as a toy - he mentioned being a bad boy, so she spanked him with the cuffs. As he led her back down off the stage, she reached out and grabbed his butt in her hand - surprising him! It was unbelievable - one of those songs/scenes you never expected but will always remember <g>! The lady's husband, young son & teen daughter were all sitting in the front row - something tells me she's the life of any party, as they seemed pretty used to her, lol!
Next they did Up Your Alley, about massages. Krista was the host as her Mrs. Holden character. Karl was Ike, a guy who works at Sharper Image and knows about technology for massages. John was Alex, a guy who's had over a million massages and has no bones left in his body. Matt was Kim Lee, the owner of Happy Lady Massage Parlor. Coming after the hilarious Forgotten Songs, this scene was a letdown, but at least they kept it pretty short. The audience didn't have many questions, so it was pretty tough all around.
They closed the show with an embarrassing story about a lady whose skirt fell down in front of many people when she was at the bus stop on her way to work. Part of her story seemed a bit contrived, but the cast still did a great job with it. Matt came out to do his verse as a flaming gay guy, and watching him reminded me of former CW cast member Layden. I commented on it to Patty, and she agreed - Matt was doing an exaggerated Layden character - too funny, and well done! This was a fabulous show, except for a little dip with Up Your Alley.
Leesa & Connan left after the show - they'll be cooking Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow (although Connan's hoping his work will be mostly sitting in front of the tv <g>). They were very nice to invite me over, but with Chris arriving tomorrow afternoon I'll stick around here. Besides, Leesa understands how difficult it is for me to leave the hallowed WDW property! Patty & I finalized our Friday plans, and walked out together. As I said earlier, driving past OKW and not turning in there is rather unpleasant - but my room here at All Star Movies is nice & quiet. It doesn't smell anymore either, since I burned the candle earlier. Parking was a pain - I had to circle around searching for a spot!
I made some cappuccino and ate a piece of biscotti while finishing up the report and reading my email. Today I did everything on the plan, and had a great time. The parks are definitely going to be more crowded than I like this trip, but I'll do what I can in the hour or so I can stand them before leaving <g>. The night at Comedy Warehouse was a good ending to the day, as all 3 shows were terrific! Hopefully they'll be good tomorrow night, too - but I don't imagine they'll top Brian's Forgotten Song!
DAY 2 THURSDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2003
Who: Sue, DVC Member
Chris (17), my son
Plan: Typhoon Lagoon, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: I'd set the alarm for 8 but was awake earlier and ended up getting up at 7:30. It's a warm sunny day - perfect for Typhoon Lagoon, and most likely the last day like this for a while. I spent the morning reading yesterday's messages while watching the early morning tv shows and start of Macy's Thanksgiving parade. Breakfast was cappuccino and biscotti, and I left for Typhoon Lagoon around 9:40. However, as I headed out the door I decided instead of driving all the way to TL I'd rather just park my body on a lounge chair at the quiet pool here in Mighty Ducks. So, that's what I did!
The quiet pool was appropriately named - most people didn't stay too long and it was never crowded. I spent a few hours here reading, enjoying the warm weather. A group of adults came and sat in the shade near me, to watch their 2 kids in the pool and socialize a bit. They were a lively bunch, to say the least. At one point, one of their group - a very large woman, got up to bring a snorkel mask to her kid. Next thing I see is her doing a belly flop into the pool - fully dressed! She was wearing shoes, glasses, the works! She said she lost her balance and fell in, and her friends were screaming with laughter - it was pretty funny! She stood there in the pool and took her shoes off to set on the pool deck before walking over to the ladder to get out of the pool!
I left the pool about 1 and walked to the food court to see what the soup of the day was, but today they were doing a turkey dinner at that station instead (no soup). I wasn't interested in turkey, especially at $14/person - so I headed back to the room to shower and get dressed. I called home, and headed out in search of lunch by 2. First I stopped at Wide World of Sports to look for a pin that a friend wanted - it's a pin that was released only at this location. They had the pins behind the counter (heaven forbid they should be on display where everyone can see them <g> - this pin stuff seems nuts to me) and I was able to buy 3 for her since I'm not a cast member. Cast members are limited to buying 2 - go figure.
From WWOS I went to Downtown Disney and parked at the West Side to go to Wolfgang Puck's Café. They were doing a turkey dinner ($25/person) but also serving the regular menu, so I decided to eat here. I was seated on the back patio, facing Saratoga Springs. Now that the scaffolding is down it reminds me a lot of Boardwalk Villas because it's multi-color. I find that rather unattractive, but I know the interiors are gorgeous and that's what matters most to me. I was glad to see Puck's wasn't overly busy, and it was a gorgeous afternoon. I was ordered a glass of reisling from Washington state, and was going to just get the toy box tomato salad (several types of tomato, parmesan cheese, oil & basil) but the soup of the day sounded so good I decided to order that as well. The soup was a cream of potato with applewood bacon. My server was terrific, and let me sit there reading for a long while between courses - I ended up ordering a 2nd glass of wine, too - uncharacteristic for me. The salad was great, and I ate most of it - wanting to allow room for the soup. When the soup came out I couldn't believe how good it was! I was also very filling - I literally rolled out of there, more stuffed than I'd ever want to be again. Before DDE discount and tip it was about $30 - and a LOT better than a turkey dinner would have been <g>. Actually I saw the turkey at the next table, and it looked good but way more than I'd ever want to eat. The pumpkin pie was an individual tart, presented really well - much nicer than a boring slice of pie. Still, that meal is not worth $25 to me. Instead, I spent $30 and had 2 appetizers <g>.
I thought about requesting a wheelchair to roll my newfound girth to the car, but forced myself to walk instead. It was either move or risk exploding, lol! Hopefully this awful overstuffed feeling will be gone by tomorrow, when I'm planning to risk killing myself in a spin class. Should be interesting <g>.
I drove back to All Star Movies just after 4, and laid on the bed (stretching out might make me feel less full) and updated the report, then got online for a little while. Chris (alone - Drew isn't coming after all) was on the road, on his way here, and would be calling when he got on or close to wdw property. He ended up hitting traffic pretty close to here, but arrived around 5:40, which wasn't bad.
We walked over to the food court because Chris was hungry despite having Thanksgiving dinner and pie 4-5 hours ago. He got the chicken strip wrap and a macadamia & white chocolate chunk cookie, eating it as we walked back. We took his car to PI, which was an experience. He put this god-awful muffler thing on there that makes it sound like a race car - I hate it. I can hear him coming a block away, though <g>. I asked him how he can stand it being so noisy, and he was shocked - he said that's the best part, lol!
Parking was a pain at Downtown Disney - must be shoppers and movie goers. It was fairly deserted when I was here earlier today, but very busy tonight. We started walking through the West Side, and as we approached the DVC kiosk I saw it was Marti working there. She had told someone earlier that she just knew she'd see me today - and she was right! We had a nice visit. On our way back to PI we stopped in Candy Cauldron since Chris was hungry again. He got one of those jawbreakers on a stick, and I got a small truffle. I saw the haystacks, but they were too big for today, and I wasn't crazy about the white chocolate.
We met Leesa at the PI entrance, and she used her dual-person pass to get Chris in as her guest (thanks, Leesa). She walked through with us, then went to meet Connan at the AMC Theater. Tonight Carol Stein was on the keys, and the first show wasn't as crowded as I expected. The 7:20 cast was Brian, Steve, Lisa, Karl & Robby. This was my first time seeing Robby on this stage, and I thought he did really well. He looked comfortable out there, which might be half the battle! Brian opened with the phone thing but got a guy from Minnesota who refused to say what his occupation was, other than that he "served people's pleasures". He's not a waiter, bartender, or anything Brian asked, so perhaps it's something that isn't exactly legal in this country! He was with his wife - he'd met her in Orlando on a vacation but she speaks no English, and he didn't want her questioned about what she did for a living either. Finally Brian had to let the guy go since he wasn't giving any information and they needed to get the show started. They rang the phone in the next row, got information quickly from that guy, and did the opening song.
Next was Scene Freeze, led by Steve. Brian had scotch tape, Lisa had hopping, Karl had taxes and Robby had Chili Day. They tried, but it was just ok - barely ok. Fill in the Blank was next, with 2 audience volunteers. Lisa & Steve were fingerpainting in a home for mentally disabled people. Lisa was the worker there and Steve was a resident. Brian came in as another resident with severe ADHD. All 3 actors are very funny & talented, and there were some funny lines, but I just didn't care for comedy created around a mentally impaired person. It just didn't feel right to me.
Lisa rang the bell in Should Have Said, set in the Jurassic period. Robby, Steve & Karl were each a different type of dinosaur having a meeting & arguing about the future. Overall the show was disappointing, but we hoped for a better 2nd show.
The 8:15 cast was Steve, Krista, Robby, Lisa & Karl. Krista & Steve did Story Telling as 2 cops telling "Red Paper Towel". They had neglected to put out traffic cones and an accident resulted, so now they were sternly admonishing the accident victims (the audience) for not realizing the red painted rolls of paper towels they'd put out were to be treated like traffic cones. It was funnier than I made it sound, lol, and it turned out to be the only funny segment of the show. Boy, I never thought I'd be saying Story Telling was the best part of the show!
Steve directed Song Cue, where the scene was interrupted 3 times to have the actors create a song from the last line of dialogue. Karl & Robby were runners who were competing with each other. They sang "That's it, oh, that's it?" as a samba song, "I don't want to see you get hurt out there" in the style of bluegrass, and then ran their final race in the style of Baroque. Robby's a very good singer, that was probably the highlight of this structure tonight. Overall the show was ok. We talked to Carol after the show, and said a quick hi to Steve & Robby. Chris wanted to skip the next show since the first 2 were not very good, but I pulled rank as the parent and he stayed for the next one.
The 9:15 cast was Brian, Krista, Matt, Steve & Karl. They opened with a poem called "The Bimbo", and did a good job with it. Steve directed the action when Matt & Krista created a scene, pausing for audience suggestions at key moments. Matt & Krista were both crossing guards, and she was crossing the street to talk to him. He was hysterical stopping traffic and hurrying people along. She was a nose-picker and they had to compete to see who'd get the crossing guard job at the new school opening - it was supposed to be a jumping jack competition but they just talked about it since Matt said he knew both of Krista's "hips" were fake <g>. He took off his crossing guard uniform & threw it over the stop sign, which then caused an accident. Brian came in as a very drunk Glen Campbell laying in the road. Eventually Matt killed him, which caused Krista to fall in love with him & the scene ended. It was VERY funny - everyone involved was just excellent!
Next they did Madrigal, and this was also great. Karl was the conductor, and the songs they started with were "Michael Jackson is an alien", "Bigfoot lives", "Boy eats other foot", & "Elvis seen, uh, at the Thanksgiving day parade". The guy suggesting that one said "uh" in the middle of it, so they took it exactly like that, which made it even funnier. In Madrigal they take turns making new songs from the words in the original 4, and of course Brian came out with the one that was most risque. He said "Michael Jackson eats a boy" and Krista gasped and covered her face with her hands. Matt looked a little shocked, too - but that's Brian <g>!
They did Hot Seat, and this was Chris' first time seeing this structure (he'd been hoping for Cliché). Brian had to guess that he had smelled his own underwear at the south pole because he couldn't listen to the radio. Steve & Karl were the interrogators, and thanks to Steve & Brian it got really wild. They were throwing punches, doing all sorts of stuff - and it was all hysterical! It was crazy, but in the best kind of way <g>. Overall it was a fantastic show, and I was so glad to end the CW portion of the trip on such a positive note. I talked to Brian briefly on the way out, and then we left PI. Chris wanted to go to Virgin, so I decided to take the bus back.
They have a bus for Movies and another for Sports/Music, and since the Movies bus came first I took that one. I wanted to get the updated park hours, so I had to stand in line in the damn lobby with the people checking in. Heaven forbid they have the housekeeper leave one in the room, or put a stack on the counter when it's time to start a new set of dates! I tell ya, the concierge level here does NOT live up to Animal Kingdom Lodge concierge - but it does have a different palate similar to the Grand Floridian <g>.
Chris ended up getting back to the room before me, and called wondering where the heck I was. He went to look in the shop & wander around a bit, while I got to the room and finished up the report. Today was an untraditional Thanksgiving, but I was happy with everything I did. Skipping Typhoon Lagoon was the right thing to do - it was very relaxing just walking down the stairs to the quiet pool here. Lunch at Puck's was fabulous, but I won't eat so much next time! It's a shame the first 2 CW shows kind of sucked, but the 3rd one really made up for it. It was nice to see Steve back (as good as ever), and I'm glad I finally saw Robby perform. I also enjoyed having Chris up overnight - although I'll be feeding him constantly until he leaves for home <g>. I hope everyone else had an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.
DAY 3 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2003
Who: Sue, DVC Member
Chris (17), my son
Patty, Patron of the Arts
Plan: Magic Kingdom, LeCellier lunch, Epcot
Actual: Chris was asleep before midnight, and I went to bed shortly after that. It was nice to be able to sleep for a long time! I woke up around 7 but didn't get up until almost 8. He'll sleep until I wake him up at 10 <g>. I had some cappuccino and biscotti while spending time online. Last night when posting the report aol hung up, so I didn't bother getting back online at that point.
Today the original plan has been abandoned. Instead of going to the Magic Kingdom we are going to go to the YMCA and take a spin class taught by Mary from CW. Patty is able to get us in there today, and will also be taking the class. It'll be the first time for Chris and me, and he obviously doesn't know what to expect or he wouldn't have said he wanted to go! A friend who does spin classes in NJ swears they're fun, but they sound like torture to me - and I've always hated stationary bikes. However, it's good to try something new once in a while, and see how much (or how little) I'm able to do <g>.
The class ran into the time I'd need for the LeCellier lunch, so I canceled that and was luckily able to rebook for dinner along with Patty. That was a good trade! I'll still get to see the Epcot lights after dinner, too. So, while this isn't going to be your typical tourist vacation day at WDW, I'm looking forward to the new plan more than the old!
We went to the food court to get Chris some breakfast - chocolate chip pancakes with sausage. We also got an oatmeal raisin cookie for me and another macadamia white chocolate cookie for him - for later. The food court was unpleasantly crowded, which was a little bit of a surprise since it was 10:30 - why aren't these people in the parks???
We stopped back at the room to grab towels and bottled water, then drove over to the YMCA to meet Patty. We got there a little early since traffic was lighter than I expected, so we sat out front and waited for her. Patty works at the Y, and graciously got us access for the day. We spent 30-45 minutes using different pieces of equipment - they have a lot here! It's so much more complete than the hotel fitness centers I'm used to, and the circuit training club I go to at home.
Mary arrived and soon it was time for the spin class. I've never been to a spin class and wasn't entirely sure what to expect. Patty had described Mary as a "sadistic nazi" when teaching the class, but I was happy to not see any sadistic or nazi-like qualities at all <g>. Previously I've tried stationary bikes in hotel fitness centers, and hated them. They were boring as hell and just never felt right. These bikes in the spin class were in a different league - they felt really solid, and pedaling was very smooth. I liked these a lot better than the other kind. When Mary said 30 minutes had passed, I couldn't believe it - it felt like we'd just started the 45-minute class. Overall it was great class, and except for an uncomfortable bike seat (ANY seat would be uncomfortable when you're not used to riding), I did the entire class without any trouble at all. Chris did great, too.
The 4 of us wandered out together, and chatted a little before heading off in our separate directions. Chris & I drove back to All Star Movies, where I gave him $20 for gas and his cookie before he began the drive home. I updated the report, talked to Larry in Scotland, and then took a shower & got dressed for the rest of the day. Unfortunately the cold front seemed to be a little delayed. It's hot now but will be cold after it passes, so if I head out too early I'll be too hot since I'll need to dress for the cold weather to come - make sense? Staying at Beach Club Villas would have been easier - but I don't think they would have given me a studio there for $47 <g>.
After my shower I had a half cup of cappuccino and part of the oatmeal raisin cookie, but was afraid to eat too much since LeCellier was coming up! Around 3:45 I decided to head out, walking to the bus stop at All Star Music. Hopefully I won't be cursing using Disney buses, but I can always plead with Patty for a ride back if necessary. It's still 82 degrees, so I threw a long sleeve shirt in my backpack and carried a light jacket. I get the feeling I won't experience any really cold weather until tomorrow morning, though.
All the other buses came first, and finally the Epcot one arrived. It went next to Movies, but I think it was still a little shorter walk to Music than to the Movies bus stop. When I entered Epcot I immediately noticed it was much busier than normal, and even SpaceShip Earth had a line. Usually at this time of day it's a walk-on. I got in line, since it moves quickly and I enjoy this attraction. Afterwards I decided to see how long the waits were at the 2 thrill attractions, so I walked over there. At 4:30 Mission Space was out of fastpasses, had a 110 standby wait and a 50 minute single rider wait. I was glad I wasn't interested in riding, as there's no way I'd wait in any of those lines. Test Track was only slightly better, with no fastpasses, 90 minute standby and 45 minute single rider. I skipped that one, also!
I could finally see the front approaching, and the wind was starting to pick up. I spent the rest of my time walking loops around World Showcase, enjoying the nice weather and watching all of the people nearby. Passing through America I heard Mary's recorded voice announcing the Candlelight Processional. This has got to be the most popular show at Disney, based on the crowds & lines, although I personally can't stand it (for me). The theater was full and already the line for the next performance (in a couple of hours) for standby people extended from America to Italy, where it looped around some and then continued to the border of Germany! Even if the show was something I wanted to see, I cannot imagine waiting 2 hours for the chance of possibly getting in after the dinner package guests got the best seats - makes no sense!
As I approached Canada again Patty called, and was waiting for me at the entrance to LeCellier. Dinner is a zoo here compared to lunch - very busy! The Candlelight Processional dinner package adds to the crowds, and we were lucky to get a priority seating 2 days ago! We had a wait, and went inside to sit on a bench when it started to rain outside. Luckily for us, the rain ended before we left the restaurant, so it didn't affect us at all!
Our server was very nice, and didn't seem bothered that we only were ordering soup and wine. We both had the Chateau St Michelle riesling (or riceline if you're from St Pete) and the cheese soup. Patty also ordered a side of asparagus which I chose not to share <g>. We raised our soup spoons in a toast to Larry in Scotland, and then ate/drank our delicious meal. I'll go back to doing lunches here whenever possible, because it's quieter and I prefer eating earlier. When we left LeCellier we immediately noticed the air was quite a bit cooler - I added 2 more shirts!
We walked over to the Lights of Winter and watched them change colors with the music for a little while. The Christmas tree is pretty (same as past years) but I was disappointed they don't have Cast In Bronze performing this year. They didn't have anyone else in their place, either --perhaps another entertainment cut?? We decided to go to Comedy Warehouse since we knew Steve was working tonight, so we left Epcot and rode over to PI in Patty's car.
We got to CW just before they closed the door, so we made it to the first show. We were seated on the top row, but we didn't care at that point. Carol Stein was on the keys again tonight. The 7:20 cast was Lisa, Steve, Matt, Brian & Krista - a great cast! They opened with the name rhyme game, and I think they hit every possible word for the first name. It took forever for the first person to be buzzed out. Eventually Matt won.
They did Fill in the Blank with 2 audience volunteers next. Brian & Matt created a scene set in the 60's. Matt was the hippie son and Brian was the police officer dad, with Steve coming in as the ugliest mom I've ever seen! Wow - he should be thankful he wasn't born a girl, especially if he ended up with hair like the hideous black wig he was wearing, lol. The scene was cute, and moved quickly - they all did a good job with it. When it ended Krista came out asking for a song title and sang a holiday song called Fruitcake. Her lyrics were funny, and the audience laughed a lot, and of course her voice/delivery was excellent.
Matt rang the bell in Should Have Said, where Steve created a scene about winning a penny. He was caught at the carnival by his boss, played by Krista. She did one of her characters who talks funny, and he called her on it - saying she talks like a freak. He had a secret desire to quit his job to become a ballerina, and they discovered Krista had natural ability since she had the bones removed in her arms. They ended up going off to be dance partners together. It was a pretty good scene, and a good show overall. Everything moved along and the audience was responsive - good news for first show!
We talked to a few people on the way out, then chatted with regulars David, Bob & Virginia outside. The 8:15 cast was Steve, Brian, Robby, Matt & Lisa. I was sorry to lose Krista, but I'm really impressed with Robby and was glad to see him coming in for this show. He's amazingly good for someone with so little experience at CW. They did a funny opening song about a young marine who answered the phone.
Next up was Story Telling, featuring Robby & Matt telling "Autumnal Renaissance". I didn't know what to expect, but it was hilarious! Two nights in a row for Story Telling to be great - I love to be wrong if it means the show will be better than I expected! Both Robby & Matt talked in a renaissance-era dialect, and were just plain silly (but not stupid - the story was well constructed). We could hear Philip cracking up in the tech booth - he was loving it too!
They did Madrigal, directed by Steve. The tabloid headlines were "I married Julia Roberts", "Michael Jackson arrested again", "Father gives birth to apes", and "Gary Coleman weds Anna Nicole Smith." It went really well for a while, but there wasn't enough different word combinations from those 4 headlines, so it got a little repetitive after they'd used all the funny stuff. Thankfully, Steve didn't let it go on to the point the audience would have been left thinking it sucked, though.
Up Your Alley was next, with a volunteer from the audience as one of the experts. The topic was Fantasy Football, and I was glad to see Lisa come out as host Anna Nicole Smith. She does that so well, lol! Steve was a beer-drinking bubba named Bud Ball, who works in a manure plant. He belched frequently, scratched his belly, and did a good job as a bubba <g>. Brian stole the show almost just by walking on stage, but he had it clinched when he spoke for the first time. He was wearing a tight football jersey, feminine blonde wig, and was absolutely flaming. His name was Randy Bottoms, a tight end. Each time he'd say something it would have a double entendre, the audience would laugh, and he'd tell them to shut up. It was hysterical. He was talking at one point about how sometimes you have a ball in your hand, and next thing you know your end zone is penetrated, but it doesn't matter because either way, you score. The audience was loving it!
They closed the show with a pet peeve about a guy who's mom used to wake him up by saying "Rise & Shine". That of course led to a number of references to a man's body part "rising", and Patty & I were 2 of the 3 people in the audience (per Brian) who "got" Brian's joke in his verse. Not sure if that means we have superior intellect, or just questionable morals, lol! For sure it means we like to laugh <g>! This was another great show - I was glad we came out, and decided to stay for them both. We talked to a few people on the way out, and then she gave me a ride back to the trailer park - oops, I mean All Star Movies concierge.
It was kind of nice being in early for a change. I made some cappuccino and ate a biscotti while finishing up the report and reading email. It's supposed to be 45 degrees in the morning, but I'm still going to head to Magic Kingdom until the crowds get bad (hopefully that won't be 9:15 <g>). Today was a terrific day. The spin class was a lot of fun, and I'm very glad I went. LeCellier is always wonderful, Patty's great company, and the bonus was seeing a couple of great Comedy Warehouse shows even though I didn't expect to be there tonight.
DAY 4 SATURDAY NOVEMBER 29, 2003:
Who: Sue, DVC Member
Plan: Animal Kingdom, Drive home
Actual: I'd set the alarm at 7, to give myself plenty of time to get packed up and out of the room before riding the bus to the Magic Kingdom for park opening. Around 1:30 I was woken up by my next door neighbors who seemed to enjoy opening and closing their drawers repeatedly (connecting room) while getting the kids settled down. I was sure to repay the favor when I got up just before 7, though <g>. I wish I had a vacuum cleaner, as the carpet in front of the connecting door really needed cleaning, hehehe.
On tv they said it was 43 degrees with a north wind, so it feels like the 30's. Around 7:45 I brought my stuff out to the car and drove over to the main building to get breakfast. I brought a cup with cappuccino mix and only had to add the hot water there, and got the kids' french toast. I laughed when I saw it - one thin slice of bread made into french toast, cut in half, with a pile of bacon on the side <g>! Oh well, I didn't want a big breakfast, so I guess I got what I wanted.
After eating I had a little time to kill so I walked back to the room and then went to the bus stop at All Star Music. There was a wait this time, and when the bus came the line of people waiting completely filled it up. I was the last person to get on, standing right behind the line near the driver. Getting through security was surprisingly easy considering the number of people already here today. I looked at some of the 75 Mickey statues, but it was so crowded I quickly gave up and decided to see them when I left the park.
I waited in line at the turnstile, they did the opening ceremony up on the train station, and then they let us in. Many people stopped for character photos, so it was a mess getting to Main Street, but once I got past there it felt amazingly uncrowded for the first half hour or so. I went straight to Space Mountain to get a fastpass, and the darn thing didn't print. However, the computer knew I had gotten one, so when I tried another machine it gave me a "not valid" fastpass. They ended up with over half the machines not operating correctly here today, so the cast member gave us replacement fastpasses if we had one of the misprints. My return time wasn't until 10:05 - 11:05, so I headed off to see what else I could do.
The Pooh ride had almost no wait, so I rode that. At Snow White they were practically begging people to come ride, but nobody was in the queue. I wasn't in the mood for it, so I skipped it in favor of Peter Pan's Flight. There was nobody ahead of me on this - it was amazing! Next I walked over to Big Thunder Mountain and walked right onto a train. Even though it's chilly, it's still a fun ride - and the line still wasn't long so I went around and rode it again! It was getting close to my fastpass time, so I did Haunted Mansion on my way walking back around the park. Fantasyland was now getting very busy, with lines that snaked back & forth quite a ways.
At Space Mountain the line outside the attraction extended pretty far back, and was full inside. Thank goodness for fastpass, as I was able to walk right past all of those people. Actually, the standby line said 35 minutes, and the fastpasses being given out were for a return in 45 minutes, so unless all those people already had a fastpass I don't know why they chose to stand in that line! Oh well, their loss. Space Mountain was fun, as always, and on the way out a father/daughter behind me offered me their extra fastpass (evidently mom/wife chose not to ride after all). I thanked them, and got to ride again! I've given away plenty of fastpasses to strangers, but this was the first time I was on the receiving side of the transaction.
I can't leave Magic Kingdom without a ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, so I went there next. There was a LINE here! Yikes - I waited and did it anyway, though. It was rather chilly, but it gave me the chance to update my notes a bit. When I finished the ride I headed out of the park - it was getting close to 11 by now and it was definitely way too crowded for me.
I stopped in the candy store to pick up a few gifts, then took my time looking at the different Mickey statues. I was dismayed to see several ignorant families climbing under the ropes to stand on or next to the statues for pictures - as opposed to just standing in front of the rope. At one point as I was seeing it happen for the 8th time I mentioned to the mother - "you know, they put the ropes there to keep people OUT". They hesitated and almost came back, but evidently decided "who the hell is this broad <g>" and went back under the ropes for their photos. I just walked away disgusted - it's not my battle, after all. If it was my park, though - they'd be given one chance to stop doing that, then they'd be gone for the day.
I just missed the All Star bus, so I stood in the sun where it was marginally warmer. Finally the next one came, and it stopped at all 3 but starting with Movies. I guess this way they give the Movies people a chance to have a bus that's not already full from the previous 2 resorts! I went to the food court for lunch before starting the drive. I got another cookie for Chris, and the turkey sandwich on pretzel bread. The sandwhich wasn't exactly what I expected, but it was good - I ate some of it and brought the rest home for Chris to eat before he goes to work.
The drive home was traffic-free, and I came home to find every single door & window wide open! The temperature inside was 65 degrees, so it looks like it's flannel sheet time already. I quickly ran through the house closing everything except the windows in Chris' room - he likes the cold.
SUMMARY:
I had a great time this trip - even more than expected. Being at All Star Movies certainly isn't as nice as being at a DVC resort, but for a short trip once in a while it works out just fine. The rooms are just fine for me on a solo trip, as long as I bring something to boil water for my cappuccino. The food court isn't bad here, and when I've got someone (like Chris) to eat most of it, I can find plenty of things to order here. I'll be at Pop Century for 2 nights in January, and it'll be interesting to see how it compares to the All Stars. The location is much better for me, since it's so much closer to Comedy Warehouse. Unless I absolutely hate everything else about Pop Century, I might add a short trip there like this one next Thanksgiving.
Spending time at the Mighty Ducks pool was surprisingly pleasant, and I didn't miss Typhoon Lagoon at all. Of course, having the added entertainment of the lady falling into the pool fully clothed is something I've never seen at Typhoon Lagoon! I enjoyed watching Gus and the boys at Animal Kingdom, but wish Gus would have been in a more relaxed mood (& willing to pose for photos). It's all natural behavior - as the boys get older they are going to do more challenging of Gus, which won't sit very well with him at all.
Patty was teasing me about leaving WDW property to go work out at the YMCA, saying I'd better be careful because I was turning into a local. She knows I generally don't leave, but Mary's spin class was something I wanted to do and I didn't think to ask the Y to relocate the class here on property for me <g>. The class was much more enjoyable than I'd feared it would be - and the time flew by since it was not at all like torture. My club doesn't offer any classes like this, but I definitely do it again on future trips. My legs definitely feel like I did something positive for myself yesterday, but there's not any real pain.
Comedy Warehouse - I'm not going to repeat what I've already said. It was great overall, with a few slow shows but many more that were good to excellent. I'm looking forward to the next visit already! The parks were also fun this trip, and maybe skipping the parks last time helped put me more in the mood for them this time. I refuse to deal with crowds, but I enjoyed what I did in each park, and don't feel like I missed anything I really wanted to do.
The 75 Mickey statues are really cute. Each has a little sign on the base that tells who created the statue, and I was surprised that many of them are not obvious. I expected Paul Wylie's statue to be about ice skating, but it didn't appear to have anything to do with that, and the same was true with many others. A few were obvious - Ellen's had her name on the t-shirt, crossing out Disneyland to create Ellenland <g>. I took several photos, but didn't take notes to identify who created each one. If you want to just see them without knowing the background, the album is on Ofoto here. http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=34p4jkm.81itpmtb&x=1&y=2t2kef
The Comedy Warehouse photos from early November and this trip are located at here. I've also sent the direct link to the people on the CW list.
My next trip begins 6 days after this one ends - next Friday. I'll be staying offsite at Vistana (timeshare) with friends from Minnesota for 3 nights. We're planning 2 nights at Comedy Warehouse and 1 night to see Wishes at Magic Kingdom. In addition, we're going to attend the big MouseFest meet on Saturday afternoon at the Dolphin Resort. It should be a busy but fun weekend, and hopefully I'll get to see several friends who will be in the area. Most of all, hopefully it won't be as cold as it is right now!
Until next time - thanks for reading.
Sue Holland
Time of Year: Holiday
Travel Method: Personal Car
Resort: ASMoR
Accommodations: Standard Room
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran, DVC Member
Comments: Thanksgiving is a time of tradition; of being with family, eating turkey and mashed potatoes; or something like that. For Sue, Thanksgiving this year was reading by the pool (and watching people fall in), eating too much (but not turkey) at Downtown Disney, and then hooking up with her son later in the day.
Sue Holland -- November 2003 – Walt Disney World (ASMoR)
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.
DAY 1 WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2003:
Who
Sue, DVC Member
Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular
Connan, Ruggedly Handsome friend of Leesa
Patty, Patron of the Arts
Plan: Work, Drive to AS Movies, AK?, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: I left work at 11:15, and except for a half hour lost due to a big traffic accident on I-75 the drive was pretty easy. Any holiday traffic didn't seem to be an issue yet, which was good news! I pulled into the All Star Movies about 2:45. Immediately the valet parkers took the car and a bellman took me and my luggage up to the concierge lounge….oh wait, that was a different trip <g>. I parked in the parking lot, walked inside, and was surprised to not find a half million people waiting to check in! The cm gave me a choice of 2 different buildings, and I was at my room before 3pm.
I chose one of the Mighty Ducks buildings, a 3rd floor no-smoking room. I know somebody smoked in here at some point, but it's not totally disgusting enough to schleppe my stuff back to the car, return to the front desk, etc. I do wish I'd brought some candles, though - maybe I'll buy some tonight. In case there's someone who is not familiar with the All Star Movies, it's the newest (until Dec 14th) of Disney's "value" resorts. There are a couple of large pools, but no water slides and pretty much no other amenities. Rooms are the smallest on property, at 260 square feet. The furnishings & décor can best be described as functional - they're not luxurious or something you'd want in your house! Most rooms have 2 double beds, a square table with 2 chairs, 3 deep drawers for your clothes, a 19" tv, sink outside the bathroom, and a closet rod with a whole 5 hangers! The cutest thing is the wall sconce that looks like a box of movie popcorn when the light's not turned on. For 3 nights I'll be fine here - I'm on the quiet side of the building rather than the pool side, which is good.
After putting my stuff in the room I headed for the bus stop, having decided to try to see Gus at Animal Kingdom today rather than Saturday. That'll leave Saturday free for MK (I know that's the worst possible day, but it's my only option) since I've made other plans for Friday. Whew - I said the plans were subject to change! <g>
The AK bus arrived just after I did, and I was the only passenger. The park was very busy, but I didn't realize just how bad it would be until I passed the tip board and saw that Primeval Whirl had a 60 minute wait with just over 2 hours before the park closes! Dinosaur also had a long wait, so I skipped that area for now and went back to Harambe to see Gus on the trail. Luckily I beat the parade, which they were running at 3:45 today. I could smell him before I could see him - he was definitely stressed today. His lips were pulled really tight, and his whole posture was stiff. Two of the younger boys were staying on either side of him, exerting their attempts at dominance, and Gus wasn't liking that at all. He never got where I could get a good picture of him, either. The trail was very busy, and I was impressed with the cm who kept talking to the crowd, actually teaching them about the gorillas. Too often they're talking to each other, so this was nice!
After I left the trail I got caught by the tail end of the parade over in Asia. Eventually I got to Dinoland, along with a huge mob of others. The wait was still too long at Primeval Whirl, so I assumed Dinosaur would be just as bad, and decided to leave the park. I can't see putting up with the crowds and waits when I know I'll be back! Of course, I'm wondering just what the hell I'll be doing all day on my New Year's trip - better bring some books to read!
On the way out I stopped in the store that used to have a candy counter, but that's been removed. After reading Johnathan's reports on radp this week I was interested in getting a haystack <g>. Instead, I left empty-handed and waited for what seemed like a very long time for an All Stars bus to arrive. They have the buses from this park stop at all 3 resorts, so considering they're serving 6,000 rooms I expected to see buses coming more frequently. It was standing room only by the time everyone boarded, but almost half the people got off at Sports. The Music stop is actually closer to my room, but I stayed on until Movies because I wanted to buy a candle in our shop (I knew where it was located in the shop).
After purchasing the candle I stopped at the food court - this is one area that All Star Movies does really well. It's so much better than the food court at Port Orleans Riverside, even though that's a nicer resort! I decided on an oatmeal raisin cookie - I figure between the oatmeal and the raisin it's almost good for me <g>. The pleasant experience in the food court came to an end as I approached the cash registers. It wasn't busy at all, and my cm wasn't openly rude, but it was obvious she would have preferred I hadn't interrupted her personal conversation with a co-worker (wearing latex gloves) who was hanging on her wall. She kept turning to talk to this person, and I'd have to say something to get her to turn back to see I was handing the money to her. In a fantasy world I would have liked to have slapped her, but I couldn't very well do that in real life <g>. I should have gotten her name and made a comment on the comment card when it comes, but it's too late for that. I remember when you never ran across cm's ignoring guests while working, to have personal conversations (in a foreign language, too).
I ate some of the cookie on the way back to the room, updated the report & then got online to check email while watching the local news/weather. It still looks warm (83) tomorrow, so I'll stick with plans for Typhoon Lagoon - rather than get up early for MK extra magic hour. Around 6:20 or so I decided it was time for Downtown Disney, hopefully to get something to eat before meeting friends for Comedy Warehouse shows.
It was busier than normal at Downtown Disney, but I guess that's to be expected through the weekend. At Bongo's outdoor window I got a beef empanada, which was excellent! It tasted better than usual, but maybe I was just hungry. I took it to a bench across from Saratoga Springs and ate my dinner. For dessert I went to Ghiradelli, where the sample today was their new peppermint chocolate thing. It's a layer of milk chocolate topped with white chocolate with little pieces of candy cane. It was pretty good, but not something I'd buy - although I thought I might not like it at all. I browsed through some of the shops, and as I was walking back towards Pleasure Island Johnathan ran up to stop me (his mom had seen me walk by wherever they were). It was nice seeing him again, and we stopped to chat for a little while. He's one of my Old Key West "neighbors", although it nearly killed me to have to drive past OKW later tonight to get to the lovely All Star Movies! I belong at OKW <g>!
It was almost time to meet Leesa & Connan, so I went to the PI entrance to await their arrival. We headed straight to Comedy Warehouse, and only had about 10 minutes to wait for the door to open. Jim Roberts was on the keys tonight, which was very nice. He's so talented on the keys, and a really nice guy. The audiences tonight were all large - not fat, just big in numbers (not getting into one of those "wdw is full of fatties" threads I see on radp) and almost all of the seats were taken. This is unheard of for a first show on a Wednesday, but the holiday is bringing big crowds out.
The 8:15 cast was Mary, Karl, Lisa, Matt & John. They opened with a family on the phone - it turned out they met when he was 21 and she was only 16 (married 23 years now), but allegedly didn't date until she was 19. They had their kids with them, and her mother. The cast did a good job creating a funny song about their life, with Matt saying the guy waited until she was 19 and on the first date went straight to 3rd base! They did Scene Freeze next, where each actor starts a scene about a word, then the others join in and rotate between scenes. Lisa had sleep, John had beer, Matt had car, Karl had shop, and Mary directed the scene. I thought it dragged a bit, but towards the end it got really funny when they started throwing out references to the family from the phone. That was a good move!
Next Mary & Matt did a Fill in the Blank scene using a couple of audience volunteers. They were in Rio on the beach - he was trying to pick her up but she wasn't interested. John came in as her boyfriend. The whole thing was silly but very funny - the audience was loving it. They closed with an embarrassing story about a guy who was wearing a Santa suit and the pants fell down when he was dancing at a nightclub. Overall it was a really good show - especially considering it was the first show of the night!
The 9:15 cast was Krista, Mary, John, Lisa & Karl. I cringed when I saw the 2 stools being brought to center stage, because that means Story Telling. This time it was Karl & Lisa telling "Slimey Texas". I'll have to stop being so negative about Story Telling - tonight it was actually very good, and lately they've been getting better. In Slimey Texas, Karl was a wealthy old man who works in a waste disposal company. Lisa was his young wife, who worked at the company as a receptionist and was attracted to his money. She played the part very well, and Karl did well too - it was a fun story.
They did Styles, where the scene has to be performed in a certain style until they're given a new style. They use styles of music, tv, movies, etc. In this scene John & Krista were bike riding, but she was irritated with him because he always wanted to do whatever she wanted to do. If she liked something, he liked it too - they were dating. Mary kept doing walk-throughs across the stage, changing to whatever style was in effect at the time. It was a very funny scene - tonight was going great! They closed with a pet peeve of nose picking - oh well. Sometimes it's a classy audience, sometimes it's not <g>.
Patty arrived in time for the next show. The 10:30 cast was Krista, Karl, Matt, Brian & John. I was surprised to see Brian working on a Wednesday, but it was a pleasant surprise. I think Matt did the opening phone interview and got some loser from Massachusetts. He's a young guy, but doesn't work because he's got a bad leg. However, he hunts in the woods, fishes, and does other recreational stuff that I would think require the use of his "bad leg" - yet he's unable to work (yeah, right - deadbeat). His girlfriend is a daycare worker. He was also very drunk - and later interrupted another scene to tell us he has a drinking problem. He was proud of the fact that "I eat everything I kill" - which if you must be a hunter I guess it's better to kill the animals for food instead of for a trophy. Anyway, the guy was a jerk, so the cast came out and created a hilarious song about him & his life!
Karl rang the bell in Should Have Said, where Brian started a scene in a beauty shop in Kansas. Matt came in for a haircut, and then Krista came in as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, perfectly imitating Judy Garland's portrayal of Dorothy. She was excellent! She was looking for her dog, and eventually Toto landed back in the beauty shop. Krista used mostly real lines from the movie, too. The scene was very funny, but it ended fairly quickly.
Next they did Forgotten Songs, and tonight they were all incredible! John & Karl were a couple of redneck hunters (father & son) singing "My dog left me for my wife". John was the son, who had to serve as the hunting dog and retrieve what Karl shot, since the real dog left him for his wife <g>. Matt & Krista were absolutely awesome as a long-married couple who just can't stand each other anymore but are catholic so divorce isn't an option. They sang "How can I grieve if you just won't die" - each wishing for the other to die. It was a classic, and absolutely hysterical. However, the really amazing performance came from Brian and the lady he pulled from the audience! Brian was an Italian lover-boy named Alberto, slinking across the stage and playing to a middle-aged lady who'd previously shouted suggestions out. His song was "No means yes in Venice". At first I was a bit put off by this lady, who started tossing her hair around and acting like a showgirl (she was my age or older, very heavy, and I have to applaud her guts to carry on like she did - although I think her teen daughter was a bit mortified <g>). Brian first sang to her, then pulled her up and when singing his suggestive lyric she would say "yes, yes, yes, YES" into the microphone as well. She started gyrating against him, groping him, running her hand up his thigh! He brought her up onto the stage and it continued - and it was hysterical! Krista came out as a cop with handcuffs, but Brian and the lady ended up using them as a toy - he mentioned being a bad boy, so she spanked him with the cuffs. As he led her back down off the stage, she reached out and grabbed his butt in her hand - surprising him! It was unbelievable - one of those songs/scenes you never expected but will always remember <g>! The lady's husband, young son & teen daughter were all sitting in the front row - something tells me she's the life of any party, as they seemed pretty used to her, lol!
Next they did Up Your Alley, about massages. Krista was the host as her Mrs. Holden character. Karl was Ike, a guy who works at Sharper Image and knows about technology for massages. John was Alex, a guy who's had over a million massages and has no bones left in his body. Matt was Kim Lee, the owner of Happy Lady Massage Parlor. Coming after the hilarious Forgotten Songs, this scene was a letdown, but at least they kept it pretty short. The audience didn't have many questions, so it was pretty tough all around.
They closed the show with an embarrassing story about a lady whose skirt fell down in front of many people when she was at the bus stop on her way to work. Part of her story seemed a bit contrived, but the cast still did a great job with it. Matt came out to do his verse as a flaming gay guy, and watching him reminded me of former CW cast member Layden. I commented on it to Patty, and she agreed - Matt was doing an exaggerated Layden character - too funny, and well done! This was a fabulous show, except for a little dip with Up Your Alley.
Leesa & Connan left after the show - they'll be cooking Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow (although Connan's hoping his work will be mostly sitting in front of the tv <g>). They were very nice to invite me over, but with Chris arriving tomorrow afternoon I'll stick around here. Besides, Leesa understands how difficult it is for me to leave the hallowed WDW property! Patty & I finalized our Friday plans, and walked out together. As I said earlier, driving past OKW and not turning in there is rather unpleasant - but my room here at All Star Movies is nice & quiet. It doesn't smell anymore either, since I burned the candle earlier. Parking was a pain - I had to circle around searching for a spot!
I made some cappuccino and ate a piece of biscotti while finishing up the report and reading my email. Today I did everything on the plan, and had a great time. The parks are definitely going to be more crowded than I like this trip, but I'll do what I can in the hour or so I can stand them before leaving <g>. The night at Comedy Warehouse was a good ending to the day, as all 3 shows were terrific! Hopefully they'll be good tomorrow night, too - but I don't imagine they'll top Brian's Forgotten Song!
DAY 2 THURSDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2003
Who: Sue, DVC Member
Chris (17), my son
Plan: Typhoon Lagoon, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: I'd set the alarm for 8 but was awake earlier and ended up getting up at 7:30. It's a warm sunny day - perfect for Typhoon Lagoon, and most likely the last day like this for a while. I spent the morning reading yesterday's messages while watching the early morning tv shows and start of Macy's Thanksgiving parade. Breakfast was cappuccino and biscotti, and I left for Typhoon Lagoon around 9:40. However, as I headed out the door I decided instead of driving all the way to TL I'd rather just park my body on a lounge chair at the quiet pool here in Mighty Ducks. So, that's what I did!
The quiet pool was appropriately named - most people didn't stay too long and it was never crowded. I spent a few hours here reading, enjoying the warm weather. A group of adults came and sat in the shade near me, to watch their 2 kids in the pool and socialize a bit. They were a lively bunch, to say the least. At one point, one of their group - a very large woman, got up to bring a snorkel mask to her kid. Next thing I see is her doing a belly flop into the pool - fully dressed! She was wearing shoes, glasses, the works! She said she lost her balance and fell in, and her friends were screaming with laughter - it was pretty funny! She stood there in the pool and took her shoes off to set on the pool deck before walking over to the ladder to get out of the pool!
I left the pool about 1 and walked to the food court to see what the soup of the day was, but today they were doing a turkey dinner at that station instead (no soup). I wasn't interested in turkey, especially at $14/person - so I headed back to the room to shower and get dressed. I called home, and headed out in search of lunch by 2. First I stopped at Wide World of Sports to look for a pin that a friend wanted - it's a pin that was released only at this location. They had the pins behind the counter (heaven forbid they should be on display where everyone can see them <g> - this pin stuff seems nuts to me) and I was able to buy 3 for her since I'm not a cast member. Cast members are limited to buying 2 - go figure.
From WWOS I went to Downtown Disney and parked at the West Side to go to Wolfgang Puck's Café. They were doing a turkey dinner ($25/person) but also serving the regular menu, so I decided to eat here. I was seated on the back patio, facing Saratoga Springs. Now that the scaffolding is down it reminds me a lot of Boardwalk Villas because it's multi-color. I find that rather unattractive, but I know the interiors are gorgeous and that's what matters most to me. I was glad to see Puck's wasn't overly busy, and it was a gorgeous afternoon. I was ordered a glass of reisling from Washington state, and was going to just get the toy box tomato salad (several types of tomato, parmesan cheese, oil & basil) but the soup of the day sounded so good I decided to order that as well. The soup was a cream of potato with applewood bacon. My server was terrific, and let me sit there reading for a long while between courses - I ended up ordering a 2nd glass of wine, too - uncharacteristic for me. The salad was great, and I ate most of it - wanting to allow room for the soup. When the soup came out I couldn't believe how good it was! I was also very filling - I literally rolled out of there, more stuffed than I'd ever want to be again. Before DDE discount and tip it was about $30 - and a LOT better than a turkey dinner would have been <g>. Actually I saw the turkey at the next table, and it looked good but way more than I'd ever want to eat. The pumpkin pie was an individual tart, presented really well - much nicer than a boring slice of pie. Still, that meal is not worth $25 to me. Instead, I spent $30 and had 2 appetizers <g>.
I thought about requesting a wheelchair to roll my newfound girth to the car, but forced myself to walk instead. It was either move or risk exploding, lol! Hopefully this awful overstuffed feeling will be gone by tomorrow, when I'm planning to risk killing myself in a spin class. Should be interesting <g>.
I drove back to All Star Movies just after 4, and laid on the bed (stretching out might make me feel less full) and updated the report, then got online for a little while. Chris (alone - Drew isn't coming after all) was on the road, on his way here, and would be calling when he got on or close to wdw property. He ended up hitting traffic pretty close to here, but arrived around 5:40, which wasn't bad.
We walked over to the food court because Chris was hungry despite having Thanksgiving dinner and pie 4-5 hours ago. He got the chicken strip wrap and a macadamia & white chocolate chunk cookie, eating it as we walked back. We took his car to PI, which was an experience. He put this god-awful muffler thing on there that makes it sound like a race car - I hate it. I can hear him coming a block away, though <g>. I asked him how he can stand it being so noisy, and he was shocked - he said that's the best part, lol!
Parking was a pain at Downtown Disney - must be shoppers and movie goers. It was fairly deserted when I was here earlier today, but very busy tonight. We started walking through the West Side, and as we approached the DVC kiosk I saw it was Marti working there. She had told someone earlier that she just knew she'd see me today - and she was right! We had a nice visit. On our way back to PI we stopped in Candy Cauldron since Chris was hungry again. He got one of those jawbreakers on a stick, and I got a small truffle. I saw the haystacks, but they were too big for today, and I wasn't crazy about the white chocolate.
We met Leesa at the PI entrance, and she used her dual-person pass to get Chris in as her guest (thanks, Leesa). She walked through with us, then went to meet Connan at the AMC Theater. Tonight Carol Stein was on the keys, and the first show wasn't as crowded as I expected. The 7:20 cast was Brian, Steve, Lisa, Karl & Robby. This was my first time seeing Robby on this stage, and I thought he did really well. He looked comfortable out there, which might be half the battle! Brian opened with the phone thing but got a guy from Minnesota who refused to say what his occupation was, other than that he "served people's pleasures". He's not a waiter, bartender, or anything Brian asked, so perhaps it's something that isn't exactly legal in this country! He was with his wife - he'd met her in Orlando on a vacation but she speaks no English, and he didn't want her questioned about what she did for a living either. Finally Brian had to let the guy go since he wasn't giving any information and they needed to get the show started. They rang the phone in the next row, got information quickly from that guy, and did the opening song.
Next was Scene Freeze, led by Steve. Brian had scotch tape, Lisa had hopping, Karl had taxes and Robby had Chili Day. They tried, but it was just ok - barely ok. Fill in the Blank was next, with 2 audience volunteers. Lisa & Steve were fingerpainting in a home for mentally disabled people. Lisa was the worker there and Steve was a resident. Brian came in as another resident with severe ADHD. All 3 actors are very funny & talented, and there were some funny lines, but I just didn't care for comedy created around a mentally impaired person. It just didn't feel right to me.
Lisa rang the bell in Should Have Said, set in the Jurassic period. Robby, Steve & Karl were each a different type of dinosaur having a meeting & arguing about the future. Overall the show was disappointing, but we hoped for a better 2nd show.
The 8:15 cast was Steve, Krista, Robby, Lisa & Karl. Krista & Steve did Story Telling as 2 cops telling "Red Paper Towel". They had neglected to put out traffic cones and an accident resulted, so now they were sternly admonishing the accident victims (the audience) for not realizing the red painted rolls of paper towels they'd put out were to be treated like traffic cones. It was funnier than I made it sound, lol, and it turned out to be the only funny segment of the show. Boy, I never thought I'd be saying Story Telling was the best part of the show!
Steve directed Song Cue, where the scene was interrupted 3 times to have the actors create a song from the last line of dialogue. Karl & Robby were runners who were competing with each other. They sang "That's it, oh, that's it?" as a samba song, "I don't want to see you get hurt out there" in the style of bluegrass, and then ran their final race in the style of Baroque. Robby's a very good singer, that was probably the highlight of this structure tonight. Overall the show was ok. We talked to Carol after the show, and said a quick hi to Steve & Robby. Chris wanted to skip the next show since the first 2 were not very good, but I pulled rank as the parent and he stayed for the next one.
The 9:15 cast was Brian, Krista, Matt, Steve & Karl. They opened with a poem called "The Bimbo", and did a good job with it. Steve directed the action when Matt & Krista created a scene, pausing for audience suggestions at key moments. Matt & Krista were both crossing guards, and she was crossing the street to talk to him. He was hysterical stopping traffic and hurrying people along. She was a nose-picker and they had to compete to see who'd get the crossing guard job at the new school opening - it was supposed to be a jumping jack competition but they just talked about it since Matt said he knew both of Krista's "hips" were fake <g>. He took off his crossing guard uniform & threw it over the stop sign, which then caused an accident. Brian came in as a very drunk Glen Campbell laying in the road. Eventually Matt killed him, which caused Krista to fall in love with him & the scene ended. It was VERY funny - everyone involved was just excellent!
Next they did Madrigal, and this was also great. Karl was the conductor, and the songs they started with were "Michael Jackson is an alien", "Bigfoot lives", "Boy eats other foot", & "Elvis seen, uh, at the Thanksgiving day parade". The guy suggesting that one said "uh" in the middle of it, so they took it exactly like that, which made it even funnier. In Madrigal they take turns making new songs from the words in the original 4, and of course Brian came out with the one that was most risque. He said "Michael Jackson eats a boy" and Krista gasped and covered her face with her hands. Matt looked a little shocked, too - but that's Brian <g>!
They did Hot Seat, and this was Chris' first time seeing this structure (he'd been hoping for Cliché). Brian had to guess that he had smelled his own underwear at the south pole because he couldn't listen to the radio. Steve & Karl were the interrogators, and thanks to Steve & Brian it got really wild. They were throwing punches, doing all sorts of stuff - and it was all hysterical! It was crazy, but in the best kind of way <g>. Overall it was a fantastic show, and I was so glad to end the CW portion of the trip on such a positive note. I talked to Brian briefly on the way out, and then we left PI. Chris wanted to go to Virgin, so I decided to take the bus back.
They have a bus for Movies and another for Sports/Music, and since the Movies bus came first I took that one. I wanted to get the updated park hours, so I had to stand in line in the damn lobby with the people checking in. Heaven forbid they have the housekeeper leave one in the room, or put a stack on the counter when it's time to start a new set of dates! I tell ya, the concierge level here does NOT live up to Animal Kingdom Lodge concierge - but it does have a different palate similar to the Grand Floridian <g>.
Chris ended up getting back to the room before me, and called wondering where the heck I was. He went to look in the shop & wander around a bit, while I got to the room and finished up the report. Today was an untraditional Thanksgiving, but I was happy with everything I did. Skipping Typhoon Lagoon was the right thing to do - it was very relaxing just walking down the stairs to the quiet pool here. Lunch at Puck's was fabulous, but I won't eat so much next time! It's a shame the first 2 CW shows kind of sucked, but the 3rd one really made up for it. It was nice to see Steve back (as good as ever), and I'm glad I finally saw Robby perform. I also enjoyed having Chris up overnight - although I'll be feeding him constantly until he leaves for home <g>. I hope everyone else had an enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday.
DAY 3 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 28, 2003
Who: Sue, DVC Member
Chris (17), my son
Patty, Patron of the Arts
Plan: Magic Kingdom, LeCellier lunch, Epcot
Actual: Chris was asleep before midnight, and I went to bed shortly after that. It was nice to be able to sleep for a long time! I woke up around 7 but didn't get up until almost 8. He'll sleep until I wake him up at 10 <g>. I had some cappuccino and biscotti while spending time online. Last night when posting the report aol hung up, so I didn't bother getting back online at that point.
Today the original plan has been abandoned. Instead of going to the Magic Kingdom we are going to go to the YMCA and take a spin class taught by Mary from CW. Patty is able to get us in there today, and will also be taking the class. It'll be the first time for Chris and me, and he obviously doesn't know what to expect or he wouldn't have said he wanted to go! A friend who does spin classes in NJ swears they're fun, but they sound like torture to me - and I've always hated stationary bikes. However, it's good to try something new once in a while, and see how much (or how little) I'm able to do <g>.
The class ran into the time I'd need for the LeCellier lunch, so I canceled that and was luckily able to rebook for dinner along with Patty. That was a good trade! I'll still get to see the Epcot lights after dinner, too. So, while this isn't going to be your typical tourist vacation day at WDW, I'm looking forward to the new plan more than the old!
We went to the food court to get Chris some breakfast - chocolate chip pancakes with sausage. We also got an oatmeal raisin cookie for me and another macadamia white chocolate cookie for him - for later. The food court was unpleasantly crowded, which was a little bit of a surprise since it was 10:30 - why aren't these people in the parks???
We stopped back at the room to grab towels and bottled water, then drove over to the YMCA to meet Patty. We got there a little early since traffic was lighter than I expected, so we sat out front and waited for her. Patty works at the Y, and graciously got us access for the day. We spent 30-45 minutes using different pieces of equipment - they have a lot here! It's so much more complete than the hotel fitness centers I'm used to, and the circuit training club I go to at home.
Mary arrived and soon it was time for the spin class. I've never been to a spin class and wasn't entirely sure what to expect. Patty had described Mary as a "sadistic nazi" when teaching the class, but I was happy to not see any sadistic or nazi-like qualities at all <g>. Previously I've tried stationary bikes in hotel fitness centers, and hated them. They were boring as hell and just never felt right. These bikes in the spin class were in a different league - they felt really solid, and pedaling was very smooth. I liked these a lot better than the other kind. When Mary said 30 minutes had passed, I couldn't believe it - it felt like we'd just started the 45-minute class. Overall it was great class, and except for an uncomfortable bike seat (ANY seat would be uncomfortable when you're not used to riding), I did the entire class without any trouble at all. Chris did great, too.
The 4 of us wandered out together, and chatted a little before heading off in our separate directions. Chris & I drove back to All Star Movies, where I gave him $20 for gas and his cookie before he began the drive home. I updated the report, talked to Larry in Scotland, and then took a shower & got dressed for the rest of the day. Unfortunately the cold front seemed to be a little delayed. It's hot now but will be cold after it passes, so if I head out too early I'll be too hot since I'll need to dress for the cold weather to come - make sense? Staying at Beach Club Villas would have been easier - but I don't think they would have given me a studio there for $47 <g>.
After my shower I had a half cup of cappuccino and part of the oatmeal raisin cookie, but was afraid to eat too much since LeCellier was coming up! Around 3:45 I decided to head out, walking to the bus stop at All Star Music. Hopefully I won't be cursing using Disney buses, but I can always plead with Patty for a ride back if necessary. It's still 82 degrees, so I threw a long sleeve shirt in my backpack and carried a light jacket. I get the feeling I won't experience any really cold weather until tomorrow morning, though.
All the other buses came first, and finally the Epcot one arrived. It went next to Movies, but I think it was still a little shorter walk to Music than to the Movies bus stop. When I entered Epcot I immediately noticed it was much busier than normal, and even SpaceShip Earth had a line. Usually at this time of day it's a walk-on. I got in line, since it moves quickly and I enjoy this attraction. Afterwards I decided to see how long the waits were at the 2 thrill attractions, so I walked over there. At 4:30 Mission Space was out of fastpasses, had a 110 standby wait and a 50 minute single rider wait. I was glad I wasn't interested in riding, as there's no way I'd wait in any of those lines. Test Track was only slightly better, with no fastpasses, 90 minute standby and 45 minute single rider. I skipped that one, also!
I could finally see the front approaching, and the wind was starting to pick up. I spent the rest of my time walking loops around World Showcase, enjoying the nice weather and watching all of the people nearby. Passing through America I heard Mary's recorded voice announcing the Candlelight Processional. This has got to be the most popular show at Disney, based on the crowds & lines, although I personally can't stand it (for me). The theater was full and already the line for the next performance (in a couple of hours) for standby people extended from America to Italy, where it looped around some and then continued to the border of Germany! Even if the show was something I wanted to see, I cannot imagine waiting 2 hours for the chance of possibly getting in after the dinner package guests got the best seats - makes no sense!
As I approached Canada again Patty called, and was waiting for me at the entrance to LeCellier. Dinner is a zoo here compared to lunch - very busy! The Candlelight Processional dinner package adds to the crowds, and we were lucky to get a priority seating 2 days ago! We had a wait, and went inside to sit on a bench when it started to rain outside. Luckily for us, the rain ended before we left the restaurant, so it didn't affect us at all!
Our server was very nice, and didn't seem bothered that we only were ordering soup and wine. We both had the Chateau St Michelle riesling (or riceline if you're from St Pete) and the cheese soup. Patty also ordered a side of asparagus which I chose not to share <g>. We raised our soup spoons in a toast to Larry in Scotland, and then ate/drank our delicious meal. I'll go back to doing lunches here whenever possible, because it's quieter and I prefer eating earlier. When we left LeCellier we immediately noticed the air was quite a bit cooler - I added 2 more shirts!
We walked over to the Lights of Winter and watched them change colors with the music for a little while. The Christmas tree is pretty (same as past years) but I was disappointed they don't have Cast In Bronze performing this year. They didn't have anyone else in their place, either --perhaps another entertainment cut?? We decided to go to Comedy Warehouse since we knew Steve was working tonight, so we left Epcot and rode over to PI in Patty's car.
We got to CW just before they closed the door, so we made it to the first show. We were seated on the top row, but we didn't care at that point. Carol Stein was on the keys again tonight. The 7:20 cast was Lisa, Steve, Matt, Brian & Krista - a great cast! They opened with the name rhyme game, and I think they hit every possible word for the first name. It took forever for the first person to be buzzed out. Eventually Matt won.
They did Fill in the Blank with 2 audience volunteers next. Brian & Matt created a scene set in the 60's. Matt was the hippie son and Brian was the police officer dad, with Steve coming in as the ugliest mom I've ever seen! Wow - he should be thankful he wasn't born a girl, especially if he ended up with hair like the hideous black wig he was wearing, lol. The scene was cute, and moved quickly - they all did a good job with it. When it ended Krista came out asking for a song title and sang a holiday song called Fruitcake. Her lyrics were funny, and the audience laughed a lot, and of course her voice/delivery was excellent.
Matt rang the bell in Should Have Said, where Steve created a scene about winning a penny. He was caught at the carnival by his boss, played by Krista. She did one of her characters who talks funny, and he called her on it - saying she talks like a freak. He had a secret desire to quit his job to become a ballerina, and they discovered Krista had natural ability since she had the bones removed in her arms. They ended up going off to be dance partners together. It was a pretty good scene, and a good show overall. Everything moved along and the audience was responsive - good news for first show!
We talked to a few people on the way out, then chatted with regulars David, Bob & Virginia outside. The 8:15 cast was Steve, Brian, Robby, Matt & Lisa. I was sorry to lose Krista, but I'm really impressed with Robby and was glad to see him coming in for this show. He's amazingly good for someone with so little experience at CW. They did a funny opening song about a young marine who answered the phone.
Next up was Story Telling, featuring Robby & Matt telling "Autumnal Renaissance". I didn't know what to expect, but it was hilarious! Two nights in a row for Story Telling to be great - I love to be wrong if it means the show will be better than I expected! Both Robby & Matt talked in a renaissance-era dialect, and were just plain silly (but not stupid - the story was well constructed). We could hear Philip cracking up in the tech booth - he was loving it too!
They did Madrigal, directed by Steve. The tabloid headlines were "I married Julia Roberts", "Michael Jackson arrested again", "Father gives birth to apes", and "Gary Coleman weds Anna Nicole Smith." It went really well for a while, but there wasn't enough different word combinations from those 4 headlines, so it got a little repetitive after they'd used all the funny stuff. Thankfully, Steve didn't let it go on to the point the audience would have been left thinking it sucked, though.
Up Your Alley was next, with a volunteer from the audience as one of the experts. The topic was Fantasy Football, and I was glad to see Lisa come out as host Anna Nicole Smith. She does that so well, lol! Steve was a beer-drinking bubba named Bud Ball, who works in a manure plant. He belched frequently, scratched his belly, and did a good job as a bubba <g>. Brian stole the show almost just by walking on stage, but he had it clinched when he spoke for the first time. He was wearing a tight football jersey, feminine blonde wig, and was absolutely flaming. His name was Randy Bottoms, a tight end. Each time he'd say something it would have a double entendre, the audience would laugh, and he'd tell them to shut up. It was hysterical. He was talking at one point about how sometimes you have a ball in your hand, and next thing you know your end zone is penetrated, but it doesn't matter because either way, you score. The audience was loving it!
They closed the show with a pet peeve about a guy who's mom used to wake him up by saying "Rise & Shine". That of course led to a number of references to a man's body part "rising", and Patty & I were 2 of the 3 people in the audience (per Brian) who "got" Brian's joke in his verse. Not sure if that means we have superior intellect, or just questionable morals, lol! For sure it means we like to laugh <g>! This was another great show - I was glad we came out, and decided to stay for them both. We talked to a few people on the way out, and then she gave me a ride back to the trailer park - oops, I mean All Star Movies concierge.
It was kind of nice being in early for a change. I made some cappuccino and ate a biscotti while finishing up the report and reading email. It's supposed to be 45 degrees in the morning, but I'm still going to head to Magic Kingdom until the crowds get bad (hopefully that won't be 9:15 <g>). Today was a terrific day. The spin class was a lot of fun, and I'm very glad I went. LeCellier is always wonderful, Patty's great company, and the bonus was seeing a couple of great Comedy Warehouse shows even though I didn't expect to be there tonight.
DAY 4 SATURDAY NOVEMBER 29, 2003:
Who: Sue, DVC Member
Plan: Animal Kingdom, Drive home
Actual: I'd set the alarm at 7, to give myself plenty of time to get packed up and out of the room before riding the bus to the Magic Kingdom for park opening. Around 1:30 I was woken up by my next door neighbors who seemed to enjoy opening and closing their drawers repeatedly (connecting room) while getting the kids settled down. I was sure to repay the favor when I got up just before 7, though <g>. I wish I had a vacuum cleaner, as the carpet in front of the connecting door really needed cleaning, hehehe.
On tv they said it was 43 degrees with a north wind, so it feels like the 30's. Around 7:45 I brought my stuff out to the car and drove over to the main building to get breakfast. I brought a cup with cappuccino mix and only had to add the hot water there, and got the kids' french toast. I laughed when I saw it - one thin slice of bread made into french toast, cut in half, with a pile of bacon on the side <g>! Oh well, I didn't want a big breakfast, so I guess I got what I wanted.
After eating I had a little time to kill so I walked back to the room and then went to the bus stop at All Star Music. There was a wait this time, and when the bus came the line of people waiting completely filled it up. I was the last person to get on, standing right behind the line near the driver. Getting through security was surprisingly easy considering the number of people already here today. I looked at some of the 75 Mickey statues, but it was so crowded I quickly gave up and decided to see them when I left the park.
I waited in line at the turnstile, they did the opening ceremony up on the train station, and then they let us in. Many people stopped for character photos, so it was a mess getting to Main Street, but once I got past there it felt amazingly uncrowded for the first half hour or so. I went straight to Space Mountain to get a fastpass, and the darn thing didn't print. However, the computer knew I had gotten one, so when I tried another machine it gave me a "not valid" fastpass. They ended up with over half the machines not operating correctly here today, so the cast member gave us replacement fastpasses if we had one of the misprints. My return time wasn't until 10:05 - 11:05, so I headed off to see what else I could do.
The Pooh ride had almost no wait, so I rode that. At Snow White they were practically begging people to come ride, but nobody was in the queue. I wasn't in the mood for it, so I skipped it in favor of Peter Pan's Flight. There was nobody ahead of me on this - it was amazing! Next I walked over to Big Thunder Mountain and walked right onto a train. Even though it's chilly, it's still a fun ride - and the line still wasn't long so I went around and rode it again! It was getting close to my fastpass time, so I did Haunted Mansion on my way walking back around the park. Fantasyland was now getting very busy, with lines that snaked back & forth quite a ways.
At Space Mountain the line outside the attraction extended pretty far back, and was full inside. Thank goodness for fastpass, as I was able to walk right past all of those people. Actually, the standby line said 35 minutes, and the fastpasses being given out were for a return in 45 minutes, so unless all those people already had a fastpass I don't know why they chose to stand in that line! Oh well, their loss. Space Mountain was fun, as always, and on the way out a father/daughter behind me offered me their extra fastpass (evidently mom/wife chose not to ride after all). I thanked them, and got to ride again! I've given away plenty of fastpasses to strangers, but this was the first time I was on the receiving side of the transaction.
I can't leave Magic Kingdom without a ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, so I went there next. There was a LINE here! Yikes - I waited and did it anyway, though. It was rather chilly, but it gave me the chance to update my notes a bit. When I finished the ride I headed out of the park - it was getting close to 11 by now and it was definitely way too crowded for me.
I stopped in the candy store to pick up a few gifts, then took my time looking at the different Mickey statues. I was dismayed to see several ignorant families climbing under the ropes to stand on or next to the statues for pictures - as opposed to just standing in front of the rope. At one point as I was seeing it happen for the 8th time I mentioned to the mother - "you know, they put the ropes there to keep people OUT". They hesitated and almost came back, but evidently decided "who the hell is this broad <g>" and went back under the ropes for their photos. I just walked away disgusted - it's not my battle, after all. If it was my park, though - they'd be given one chance to stop doing that, then they'd be gone for the day.
I just missed the All Star bus, so I stood in the sun where it was marginally warmer. Finally the next one came, and it stopped at all 3 but starting with Movies. I guess this way they give the Movies people a chance to have a bus that's not already full from the previous 2 resorts! I went to the food court for lunch before starting the drive. I got another cookie for Chris, and the turkey sandwich on pretzel bread. The sandwhich wasn't exactly what I expected, but it was good - I ate some of it and brought the rest home for Chris to eat before he goes to work.
The drive home was traffic-free, and I came home to find every single door & window wide open! The temperature inside was 65 degrees, so it looks like it's flannel sheet time already. I quickly ran through the house closing everything except the windows in Chris' room - he likes the cold.
SUMMARY:
I had a great time this trip - even more than expected. Being at All Star Movies certainly isn't as nice as being at a DVC resort, but for a short trip once in a while it works out just fine. The rooms are just fine for me on a solo trip, as long as I bring something to boil water for my cappuccino. The food court isn't bad here, and when I've got someone (like Chris) to eat most of it, I can find plenty of things to order here. I'll be at Pop Century for 2 nights in January, and it'll be interesting to see how it compares to the All Stars. The location is much better for me, since it's so much closer to Comedy Warehouse. Unless I absolutely hate everything else about Pop Century, I might add a short trip there like this one next Thanksgiving.
Spending time at the Mighty Ducks pool was surprisingly pleasant, and I didn't miss Typhoon Lagoon at all. Of course, having the added entertainment of the lady falling into the pool fully clothed is something I've never seen at Typhoon Lagoon! I enjoyed watching Gus and the boys at Animal Kingdom, but wish Gus would have been in a more relaxed mood (& willing to pose for photos). It's all natural behavior - as the boys get older they are going to do more challenging of Gus, which won't sit very well with him at all.
Patty was teasing me about leaving WDW property to go work out at the YMCA, saying I'd better be careful because I was turning into a local. She knows I generally don't leave, but Mary's spin class was something I wanted to do and I didn't think to ask the Y to relocate the class here on property for me <g>. The class was much more enjoyable than I'd feared it would be - and the time flew by since it was not at all like torture. My club doesn't offer any classes like this, but I definitely do it again on future trips. My legs definitely feel like I did something positive for myself yesterday, but there's not any real pain.
Comedy Warehouse - I'm not going to repeat what I've already said. It was great overall, with a few slow shows but many more that were good to excellent. I'm looking forward to the next visit already! The parks were also fun this trip, and maybe skipping the parks last time helped put me more in the mood for them this time. I refuse to deal with crowds, but I enjoyed what I did in each park, and don't feel like I missed anything I really wanted to do.
The 75 Mickey statues are really cute. Each has a little sign on the base that tells who created the statue, and I was surprised that many of them are not obvious. I expected Paul Wylie's statue to be about ice skating, but it didn't appear to have anything to do with that, and the same was true with many others. A few were obvious - Ellen's had her name on the t-shirt, crossing out Disneyland to create Ellenland <g>. I took several photos, but didn't take notes to identify who created each one. If you want to just see them without knowing the background, the album is on Ofoto here. http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?c=34p4jkm.81itpmtb&x=1&y=2t2kef
The Comedy Warehouse photos from early November and this trip are located at here. I've also sent the direct link to the people on the CW list.
My next trip begins 6 days after this one ends - next Friday. I'll be staying offsite at Vistana (timeshare) with friends from Minnesota for 3 nights. We're planning 2 nights at Comedy Warehouse and 1 night to see Wishes at Magic Kingdom. In addition, we're going to attend the big MouseFest meet on Saturday afternoon at the Dolphin Resort. It should be a busy but fun weekend, and hopefully I'll get to see several friends who will be in the area. Most of all, hopefully it won't be as cold as it is right now!
Until next time - thanks for reading.
Sue Holland