Trip Reports
02-21-2007, 12:40 PM
Sue Holland - January 2004 - Pop Century, Old Key West Resort
Time of Year: Winter
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: PCR, OKWR
Accommodations: Standard
Ages Represented in Group: Teen, Adult, Senior
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Verteran, DVC Member
Comments: If it is a holiday weekend, then Sue must be heading to Walt Disney World. This report gives us our first trip report view of the new Pop Century Resort.
Sue Holland -- January 2004 – Walt Disney World (PCR, OKWR)
Note: As Sue spent time at Pleasure Island and in other adult venues on this trip, this report has some information that may not be appropriate for young readers.
Who/When/Where:
Who:
Sue (me), DVC member
Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular
Pete & Judy, DVC friends from NJ
Dates: January 16 - 20, 2004
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: Disney's Pop Century Resort (2nts), Disney's Old Key West Resort (2nts)
INTRODUCTION:
If it's a holiday weekend, I must be headed to WDW! Monday is a holiday for us, so I'm leaving early Friday and taking Tuesday off as well to make the weekend trip last a little longer. Since I tend to work 9-9.5 hour days, I'll have enough hours the other days to almost pay for my time off.
Originally I was booked for 3 nights at Old Key West - Saturday through Monday. After Disney announced that Pop Century would finally open, I wanted to try it out and get photos for a MousePlanet article. It's not worth staying anywhere for 1 night, so I booked Pop Century for Friday and Saturday nights, and will move "home" to OKW for Sunday and Monday nights. I figured to be safe, any Pop Century stay would need to be short, in case I hated it, and 2 nights sounded just right! It also saved the more expensive dvc points for that Saturday. When I booked all they had was regular rate ($77/night), but when the FL resident rates came out I was able to switch to a $49/night rate and was thrilled with my "cheap" trip. I'll work until noon Friday, and then drive up - it's much easier for me to drive during daylight and I'll arrive to hopefully find my room ready. I do dread the check-in process, as I'm thinking Pop Century will be even worse than All Stars due to the higher # of rooms.
The weather has been beautiful the entire past week, but unfortunately that is supposed to change once I get to WDW this time! Oh well, I know I'll draw the short stick in terms of weather every once in a while, and I'm lucky I don't have to trudge around in the rain for fear of not getting my money's worth from the trip. I'll be back soon, and everything will still be here. Besides the usual Comedy Warehouse evenings, I do have one new thing I hope to do - see the new Wishes fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. That will have to be Friday or Saturday, since those nights are looking rain-free at this point, and most likely I'll try for Friday figuring it'll be less crowded on that night. I still have the $5 Rainforest Café birthday coupon that expires this month, so I'll make it a point to eat something there. My friends Pete & Judy will be checking into OKW the same day I am, and I'm looking forward to lunch with them and perhaps (weather permitting) a walk to Saratoga Springs from OKW.
The plans (subject to change) so far...
Fri 1/16: Work, Check in Pop Century, Possible Wishes Fireworks, Comedy Warehouse
Sat 1/17: Animal Kingdom, Rainforest Café, Theme Park or Comedy Warehouse
Sun 1/18: Check in Old Key West, Comedy Warehouse
Mon 1/19: MK, Lunch at LeCellier, Comedy Warehouse
Tue 1/20: MK, Drive home
DAY 1 FRIDAY JANUARY 16, 2004:
Who: Sue, DVC Member
Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular
Plan: Work, Check in Pop Century, Possible Wishes Fireworks, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: I worked until just after noon, then had a relatively easy drive. Traffic is getting increasingly worse around Lakeland due to road construction on I-4, which makes it a bad idea to fly into Tampa as an alternative to Orlando. I arrived at Pop Century just after 3, and was delighted to find only 3 families ahead of me in line to check in. By the time I was called though, there was a long line of people behind me, so I guess it goes in spurts!
Check-in was quick, and I was given a 2nd floor room in the 50's section. My room overlooks the bowling pin pool, and it's a pretty good hike from the parking lot. I've read that parking is a problem here, and judging from how small the parking lots are, I believe it! I may decide to use Disney transportation to Pleasure Island even though I dread the crowded buses, but it's better than returning late at night to find no empty parking spots!
The room is typical Disney value resort, but it's more attractive than any of the All Star rooms and it'll meet my needs just fine for the next 2 nights. There are 2 double beds, nightstand, table with 2 chairs, an armoire with several drawers & shelves, and a large (27 inch?) tv. The furniture looks nicer than what's at All Stars, and of course everything is fresh & new. I didn't bother to unpack - there really isn't any point since I'm here 2 nights. I did set up the laptop and freshen up a bit, then decided to drive over to Animal Kingdom for the last hour of the day. Perhaps that's a waste of time, but what the heck!
Since it was so late there was no wait to get in. The parade was going by so I ducked through the shop to get over to the Dinoland side. First stop was Primeval Whirl, where there was no wait at all. I didn't even have to stop at the turnstile. I was seated with a couple of dad's with bad breath, but once we got moving the smell wasn't a problem, thank goodness! I swear it takes longer to walk to the exit after getting off the ride than it does to walk in, wait AND ride.
Dinosaur was the only other thing I wanted to do, and it was closed due to technical difficulties. It was so close to closing time I decided to just go back to the resort, where I found parking already getting more difficult! I checked the jogging path (they have a little map the front desk clerk can hand out) and then climbed up the bowling pin to my room. I was exhausted, most likely just stressed from a busy life, and would have preferred to crawl into bed and fall asleep tonight rather than go out. Who would have thought I'd ever prefer staying in rather than go to Comedy Warehouse - I'm sure this is a temporary condition <g>! In any event, I'm meeting someone someone when PI opens, and told Leesa I'd be meeting her for the CW shows, so I'll go but make it an early night if I'm not feeling more up to it.
Thinking some (non junk) food would be a good idea, I walked over to the food court. Although the 50's are at one end of the resort, it's actually a very short walk to the main building. I didn't see Nancy and decided to wait until tomorrow to ask for her since I can be there earlier rather than at the start of dinner time. There really isn't anything on the menus I'd eat myself, so I stuck with the pre-made thai chicken wrap I got last time. This time it wasn't wrapped as well, but it still tasted very good. With this I'm able to eat half and store the other half in a small cooler (added ice before going out tonight). I laid down while watching the local news, and left around 6pm to catch a Downtown Disney bus from the main building (Classic Hall).
There were people already waiting for the bus, and by the time it came it was another 30 minutes - completely unacceptable! The line of people was so long it would have filled 2 empty buses at the very least. Just before the bus arrived 2 parties with wheelchairs came up to the front of the line, so it was quite a while before we actually left the resort. I got off at the Marketplace, figuring it's faster to walk from there than to wait while 2 people in wheelchairs are being helped off the bus. If it hadn't taken a half hour for the bus to arrive, I wouldn't have been pressed for time.
The Marketplace was bustling, but I'm not sure why. I stopped in Ghiradelli for a sample, and looked quickly in the Home store for something a MousePlanet reader was looking for. When I got to the entrance to Pleasure Island there was a huge crowd already there, but I could tell they were with the college cheerleader group there for a big event at the West End Stage. I was due to meet the CW Entertainment Mgr Bill outside the club just after 7, but he'd called earlier to set a different meeting place since the cheerleaders had the the entire area congested. They were even using the door out back by the waterfront to let guests into the club for the first 2 shows.
At 7 the hordes of cheering kids stormed into PI and rushed to the West End Stage, so I had an easy time getting through the turnstile quickly. I met Bill and we spent an hour or so talking about Comedy Warehouse - giving me even greater appreciation for the shows I've enjoyed for so many years. At 8:20 (the 8:15 seating time is now 8:20, and the 12:05 is now 12:00) the backdoor opened, and in came Bob & Virginia, Leesa, Bonnie & David. It's the usual Friday night gang, minus Al & Lorrie! I went up to the restroom and ran into Kim - my friends Tom & Leanne's daughter. She & her son Chris are here for the weekend, so I invited them to join us for the next show since they were seated up in Alps. I visited with Joe at the door for a while, and Carol Stein's parents, then returned to my seat.
The 8:20 cast was Matt, Lisa, Todd, Mark & John - with Carol Stein on the keys (guess that's why her parents were there <g>). They opened with the phone interview of a couple from Texas. Next Matt rang the bell in Should Have Said, where John was a Michael Jackson impersonator and Mark was a little kid who had to wear the chimp suit to impersonate Bubbles. Lisa was the rich kid whose party they were hired to perform at, and eventually John died. It was strange - very bizarre, but also funny.
They did Swamp, which is the Animal Kingdom parking lot scripted piece - scaring the crap out of a little kid sitting behind us. LOL - oh well, parents don't need to be bringing toddlers to a comedy show in a bar, in my opinion (rant). Song Cue was next, with Matt & Todd as a father & son at an ice skating rink in Boston. Between the awful Boston accents and the liberal use of the word "wicked", it was completely silly! Mark was in as the zamboni driver, rolling around on a short stool with wheels. They sang "You broke my glass eye" as a country song, "Son, You want a date with a nurse?" as a Japanese rock song, and "Tell me how to be a man" as a gospel song. I didn't understand the Japanese rock song at all, but the others were good. Overall it was a very good show, particularly for the first one of the night. We talked to some of the cast after the show, and then got Kim & Chris for the next one.
The 9:15 cast was Krista, Matt, Todd, Mark & John. They opened with the poem "Jujube Come Home", which was cute. Mark directed Krista & John in a scene next, pausing the action as he saw fit to get a suggestion from the audience. They were doing pilates together, since it was Krista's 10-minute block of time for them to do what she wanted. When it was John's 10 minutes he wanted sex, but Matt came in as his therapist & used all but 2 minutes of his time - so he ended up dressing like a woman instead.
They did Up Your Alley about clowns next. John was the host Witherspoon Smith (Up yours, with a spoon <g>). Todd didn't have much to say as Jim Robinson, a guy studying the history of clowns. Mark was excellent as Fred, a mental patient who had been traumatized by clowns 25 years ago. Matt was great as Eclesiastes (sorry about the spelling - I have no clue about any religion stuff), the christian clown. The banter and insults flying back & forth between Matt & Mark were hysterical. Overall it was another good show.
I decided to leave after this one, so I said my goodnights and went to wait for the bus back to Pop Century. It came fairly quickly, and I got a seat. The ride back here is much shorter than the ride to All Stars, thank goodness! After making a brief stop at the room I went out and jogged for about a mile, then returned to work on the trip report. My cell phone rang, and it was Nancy wondering where I was. She expected me to say CW, and was surprised I was "home" and in the room. She'd just gotten off work here, so she stopped by to visit for a while before going home. That was an unexpected bonus to get to see her tonight. I realized when she was on her way over that I forgot to bring a mug/cup for my cappuccino. At the dvc resorts Disney provides mugs, but here in the value resorts they don't. I'll have to beg the cashier at the food court for an empty coffee cup, or buy a cup of coffee without the coffee! I ended up finishing the wrap since I couldn't have my cappuccino and I was a little hungry.
Today was a long & stressful day up until my arrival here. I do like Pop Century, and although it obviously doesn't compare with the dvc resorts, I'm happy to make it my new "cheap" motel rather than the All Stars. The location alone makes it the obvious choice for me - it's much closer to Comedy Warehouse. Plus, I get to see Nancy! Comedy Warehouse was fun, the shows were both good, and I appreciate Bill taking the time to discuss the club before the shows. I decided to not get online to post the report right away. Part of me just wasn't ready to deal with a big pile of email and other posts, and I knew if I logged on I'd spend hours that would be better spent getting some rest. Sorry for any inconvenience to the people who like to read the reports with their morning coffee - whip up a cocktail instead <g>!
DAY 2 SATURDAY JANUARY 17, 2004:
Who: Sue, DVC Member
Plan: Animal Kingdom, Rainforest Café, Theme Park or Comedy Warehouse
Actual: I ended up getting to bed by 12:30 last night, and slept until almost 7:30. After getting cleaned up I called housekeeping to cancel service today, then went to the food court in search of coffee cups. The food court was a zoo (8am), but luckily I saw a supervisor fixing a register and she gave me 2 empty cups. On the way back to the room I started thinking of next year. Since I'm registered for the half marathon I had to change my plans to come up the weekend before this and would have been checking out (of OKW) yesterday. I'm considering extending that trip thru the holiday weekend, but maybe I'll book here if the cheap rates are available again. Moving is a pain, but it'd save a bunch of points and give me the chance to stay here again. Back in the room I had breakfast - english toffee cappuccino and chocolate hazelnut biscotti - yum!
Around 9 I drove over to Animal Kingdom, and luckily my parking spot was at the far end of the row near where I always walk in - so no cold crowded tram for me! It was still below 50 degrees, and I used the seat warmers in my car - very cool feature that doesn't get much use in Florida! I happened to pick the security line that had a cm who took things very seriously, so it took a while to get in. I do wish they'd do away with this sham/farce, as only an idiot would think it has any impact on eliminating a terrorist at wdw!
The tip board said Primeval Whirl was on a delayed opening, so I went to Harambe first. After picking up a Kilamanjaro Safari fastpass for 10-11 am, I did the Pangani Forest Trail to see the gorillas. Gino (the dad on the family side) and his kids were out, along with one of the females. Gino was watching the guests, and at one point he had a plastic canteen bottle that he was filling with water in the stream and then drinking from. Pretty smart guy! On the bachelor side, only 1 was out (I think it was KJ), but eventually I found Gus and the other 2 around the other side of the waterfall. Gus was sitting up behind trees and brush so I couldn't get a decent photo, but the others were more visible. They were all spread out sitting solo but keeping an eye on each other.
I went to Dinoland but decided Primeval Whirl wasn't worth waiting for. Instead I walked right into the preshow at Dinosaur and enjoyed that ride. As I was leaving Dinoland I saw Marti working at the DVC kiosk so I went to visit her for a little while. I left her to get back to the Kilamanjaro Safari before my fastpass time expired, and had an excellent safari. The driver did a super job, and there were no idiots doing stuff they shouldn't do on board, so it was very pleasant. By now it was around 11:15 and the park was very crowded - much too crowded for my taste. So, I left the park and went into the Rainforest Café.
Since I was solo, I sat at a table in the bar rather than taking up a table in the restaurant. I ordered the delicious Jungle Mud - cappuccino, kahlua, bailey's and a little whipped cream. I'm not normally a coffee drink person, but this one is very good. I was torn between the bruschetta or the caribe chicken fingers and ended up going with the chicken. In retrospect I should have gone with the bruschetta since the chicken fingers were good but really no different from the Disney ones available everywhere for less money. The portion was 5 chicken tenders, and with the coffee drink I was only able to eat 2. The other 3 I brought back to the room and they can be dinner and/or a late night snack. They applied my $5 birthday certificate and gave me the 10% Safari Club discount on the food portion, so my lunch was under $10 before tip.
I drove back to Pop Century, and parked my car for the last time today. I don't know what the hell they were thinking when they designed this resort - I would bet at the value resort they get a higher % of drivers, not less, since so many FL residents use the value resorts. Unfortunately, Florida wages are more in line with the cheapie places unless you're a dvc member, lol. I got the chicken put away, updated the report, then set out on foot to walk around the end of the resort I missed last time (the 80's & 90's). I found it while jogging last night, so now I can go back and see it in daylight!
It was a very pleasant walk, and I got to see the rest of the resort. The computer pool was a bit of a disappointment - it is basically a square pool with a fake soft keyboard on the other side of the lounge chairs. Otherwise, I didn't notice any theming. I found the lovely DUH building, which is in the 80's. From back there you can hear the traffic from outside wdw, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't hear anything from inside your room. There is music from each decade playing outside, but I never heard it while inside my room.
Around 1pm I was back in my room. I'd thought about going to the pool, but it was very cloudy and when the wind blew I thought it was a little too cool for my Florida blood. Instead, I decided to get online and just relax until it was time to go see Nancy after 4. For some reason aol wasn't letting me send any mail, which was a pain! Besides sending the report, with over 250 new emails there were some I wanted to reply to, but aol just hung up indefinitely and I had to shut down and reconnect three times. I chatted with Maria for a while, and eventually made a half cup of cappuccino when I realized it was somewhat chilly in the room.
I went to visit Nancy for a while, then returned to the room and ate a couple chicken fingers for dinner. I changed into running clothes and went out jogging, this time doing 1.5 miles. Once I got cleaned up and cooled off a bit, I went to the main building to catch a bus to the Magic Kingdom. An empty bus arrived just as I did, but there were so many people waiting it filled up before I got on. The next bus came within 5 minutes though, which wasn't bad. This one was also standing room only.
I got to the MK around 6:30 or so, and people were already parked along Main Street staking out their spots for the 8pm Spectromagic. I remember when I used to do that, but I don't any more! It was mobbed - unpleasantly so. After fighting my way down Main Street I headed to Space Mountain, where as expected the fastpasses were all gone for the day. I wasn't willing to wait 30 minutes to ride (Buzz Lightyear was 70 minutes), so I stood in line to ride the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. It felt strange riding it after dark - normally this is my last attraction before leaving around 11am or so.
Hoping to avoid crowds as much as possible, I walked the path behind Space Mountain over to Toontown, talking to Chris along the way. I just missed the train, but another came pretty quickly and I rode it around to Frontierland. Big Thunder had a long wait, and of course fastpasses were gone. Pirates of the Caribbean had a 20 minute wait - no way! I was not enjoying being in such big crowds - it was hard to even walk because people were bumping into each other and I just don't like that. Eventually I worked my way back to Main Street, and walked through the stores where it wasn't as crowded. Every food place and even the candy store had huge lines - I swear it would take 20-30 minutes to buy a piece of candy, so I kept on walking, right on out the MK exit!
It was too dark to really see the Mickey statues, and I couldn't kill an hour or more looking at them anyway, so I took a leisurely stroll over to the Contemporary. It was delightfully quiet & uncrowded during my walk! Once there I went to the 4th floor and wandered around a bit, buying a small Mickey truffle for later. The Outer Rim bar didn't have any decent wines by the glass on their wine list, otherwise I would have hung out there for a little while. I checked the California Grill, but what used to be the lounge last time I was there (many years ago) now looks like part of the dining room, so I left. I did see the 4th floor observation deck, which is easy to find and quite large. It looks like a great place to watch the fireworks, but I was afraid if I stayed there by the time I walked back to MK to catch my bus the wait would be unbearable.
I wandered around outside a bit, then headed slowly back to the MK. It was now around 8:40 and many people had left following Spectromagic, but Main Street was still a sea of people standing shoulder to shoulder all the way to the castle! I found a spot upstairs at the train stations, with a direct view of the castle. Wishes was fantastic - the music was great, and I loved the really cool fireworks they use. I'd definitely see it again, and I was glad I stuck around for it tonight.
When it ended I tried to rush for the bus, but between sore feet and sore legs I wasn't moving as quickly as I normally do <g>. Pop Century had the only queue that was completely filled in and overflowing! However, they brought in 3 buses at one time, then as soon as they left they brought in 2 more. I made it on the 4th bus - the line was that long, but at least it moved quickly.
Back at the resort I ate the last chicken tender and the truffle, finished up the report, and got to bed fairly early (around 11). Today was a nice day, with a good mix of doing stuff and just relaxing. The MK crowds were a pain, but I sort of expected them and I'll just get up early to hit my favorite attractions with little or no wait tomorrow before the rain arrives tomorrow afternoon. It felt a little funny not going to Comedy Warehouse, but I wanted to sleep more than I wanted to be there tonight. Tomorrow will be a different story, though <g>.
DAY 3 SUNDAY JANUARY 18, 2004:
Who: Sue, DVC Member
Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular
Plan: Check in Old Key West, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: Today it was originally supposed to start raining sometime shortly after noon, so I decided it would be best to get up EARLY and have some fun before the weather turned. I'd set the alarm for 6, so I could check in at Old Key West early and still get to Magic Kingdom during Extra Magic Hour. When I got up though, I learned the front moved faster than expected, and by 6:45 it was raining steadily outside - yuck! After waking up, there wasn't any point trying to go back to sleep, so I figured I'd just hope for the best.
After a shower to wake myself up I finished packing up, made cappuccino and had a piece of biscotti for breakfast, and was out the door by not long after 7:30. At OKW I stopped to talk to Angelo, then checked in without a wait. The cm told me what section I was in (without asking), but not my building number. I put my stuff in the car and waited for the MK bus to arrive, which came with only 2 other people on board. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to go in the rain, but I had notwhere else to be since my studio wasn't ready.
At MK it wasn't crowded at all, so I guess if you don't mind the rain this would have been a good time to visit. It was fairly warm for January, but I found it very damp & chilly. I was wearing Tevas (didn't want sneakers to get wet), so my feet were freezing from being wet. Let's just say I was NOT comfortable - not by a long shot! But, I figured I'd hop from indoor attraction to indoor attraction so it wouldn't be too bad.
My first stop was Buzz Lightyear, which was pretty much a walk-on. The flashes of light near the end are extremely annoying, and confused me a bit until I saw the photos available at the exit. I don't think it really belongs here, and how many overpriced attraction photos can a family buy??? I went over to Space Mountain, which had a 20 minute standby time posted, and just picked up a fastpass for 10:15. I wasn't interested in waiting 20 minutes for this just yet, when there were other things to see. I trudged through the rain & puddles to Fantasyland and walked onto Pooh and then Snow White. The lady of the couple in front of me on Pooh kept taking flash pictures, but I didn't feel like starting anything with her. I could see the photos on the lcd screen, and they would have come out much better if she left the flash off, but I didn't bother to tell her that, either <g>. Passive aggressive on my part??? Perhaps <g>.
At Peter Pan there was a 5 minute posted wait, and this one probably took at least that long. From there I went across the walkway and rode It's a Small World, along with many others. Hmm, I'll bet the weather had something to do with this ride's popularity so early in the day, lol! By now it was just after 9, and the rest of the park had opened. I continued over to Haunted Mansion and did that, then returned to Tomorrowland. With the rain I wasn't going to bother with Big Thunder (not sure if it was even running), and Pirates doesn't thrill me. It was a little too chilly to be whipping around on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, so this is probably the first time I've not ridden it during a MK visit! Space Mountain had a 30-minute standby time posted, but I had absolutely nothing to do and figured at the very least I'd be warmer than I was outside! In fact, I walked right onto the ride - without even slowing down. I got the front seat on the left side, and went immediately around and went through the standby line again to ride the right side. There was just 5 minutes or so to go until my fastpass time, but I was ready to leave. I was cold, tired & uncomfortable - definitely not dressed for the weather today.
Figuring my studio wouldn't be ready for quite a while yet, I decided I'd go to Wilderness Lodge and curl up near a fireplace in the Villas to read for a while and try to warm up. The boat arrived quickly, but it takes a while to get to WL since it stops at the campground first. At least it was warmer than outside, though. By the time we got to WL it had stopped raining for now! I went inside to a restroom and tried to dry off my feet and Tevas with some paper towels (wishing they had those hot air blowers), then stopped at Roaring Fork to buy a magic cookie bar for later, then went up to the lobby. Whispering Canyon Café was making the lobby a decidedly unpleasant place to be, with all of the screaming & yelling (by the servers). No wonder nobody was choosing to sit by this fireplace to relax, lol! I called OKW to check on the studio and to my surprise, it was ready - at 11am! I'm in 2626, which is real convenient but also next to the bus stop (noise). I didn't really care about the noise factor though - I can live with bus noise or toilet noise - it's just people noise that drives me up the wall!
Since the studio was ready, there was no need to kill time. I decided to have lunch at Captain Jack's and then return to OKW to rest. The Downtown Disney bus came quickly, and then stopped at the Grand Floridian before going to DD. The Polynesian & Contemporary share a different bus. I was absolutely miserable - cold wet feet are awful to walk on, and it was so damp I just could not get comfortable. I was seated quickly, and ordered a glass of the pinot grigio and the Italian tomato salad. My server was good about not rushing me through there - I'd brought a magazine and knew I'd need a little extra time to finish the glass of wine so she held off on putting in my food order. It was a fairly busy lunch spot today, although there never seemed to be a wait while I was there.
The food was excellent - tiny bits of tomato, cucumber & red onion with 4 small balls of fresh mozzerella and a couple wedges of crisp focaccia bread. I started feeling full halfway through, but didn't want leftovers so I forced myself to eat it all. I think I just wasn't feeling too great from being so cold & miserable. With the Disney Dining Experience discount I think it was around $11.50 before tip.
After lunch I went to wait for the bus to OKW, then got my car and drove to building #26. As soon as I opened the door it hit me - disgusting cigarette stench. I was absolutely livid, and although I'm not normally an emotional person I was ready to just go home at that point. I can't think of anything that bothers me more than being subjected to someone's cigarette smoke, and in a non-smoking room I've booked 11 months in advance it's completely unacceptable. I'm furious that Disney doesn't do anything about this - if I can tell some moron smoked in there, then surely a housekeeping person or the supervisor who clears the room should have noticed it. They should go after the previous occupant and hit them in the pocketbook - or put them on a "no reservation" status for a while if they're dvc members. Sorry, but there's no excuse for this crap, which happens far too often.
I called the front desk and they were very nice, telling me to come back for a new key. Of course, at that point the line to check in almost extended out the door, so I had to waste more of my day waiting in line to get this fixed. Finally I got a studio in building 55 and this one doesn't smell like an ashtray. It's also in a good location if I walk to Saratoga Springs with Pete & Judy tomorrow. I brought my stuff in from the car, then bundled up in a bunch of clothes and the thickest socks I could find and crawled into bed. I updated the report and got online, hoping I'd warm up soon! Boy, I'm sure an exciting vacationer, lol! Patty came online and IM'd, from the warmth of her bed and with a lack of ambition to match mine. The sun did finally come out, but my feet were still freezing so I wasn't going anywhere for a while.
I ended up falling asleep - slept for an hour or so (went back to sleep after you called Patty <g>). Staying in sounded soooooo good, but I decided to tough it out. Once I got out of bed and got dressed I had more energy, but with the heat on the bed was difficult to get out of (set the heat around 80 <g>). I'd eaten part of the magic cookie bar, but decided to leave the rest for later tonight. At 6:45 I was ready to go, and drove over to Pleasure Island.
It wasn't cold or anything, but I still spent about a half hour half dozing in the car. I realized I'd forgotten to bring some stuff I had for some of the CW people, but didn't feel like driving back to OKW for it tonight….hopefully tomorrow. Around 7:30 I went in and got my wrist band, then went to Bongos on the West Side for a beef empanada. The waits here are ridiculous - I've never seen such a slow place! After I finally got my empanada the inside was still cold - they hadn't heated it all the way thru. I ate most of it and threw the cold part away.
I went back into Pleasure Island and joined Bob & Virginia. Eventually Leesa arrived, and tonight Carol Stein was on the keys. The 8:20 cast was Philip, Jenn Br, Todd, Joy & Chris. After the opening phone interview they went right into Story Telling, with Joy & Todd telling "Big Table". They were teens having to sit at the little table at holiday gatherings, and thankfully the technicians ended the story pretty quickly. It wasn't going anywhere, and was borderline offensive with talk about elementary school age kids drinking alcohol, etc. Chris did a song called "Thou shalt not buy stuff", which was just ok. They did Emotions next, and this got the show going. Philip and Jenn just bought milk, and they both did a great job moving between the various emotions called for them in this silly scene! They closed with an embarrassing story about a woman who dove into the pool and lost her top at a big family gathering. We talked to the cast after the show, and soon were seated for the next one.
The 9:15 cast was Philip, Todd, John, Chris, & Joy. They opened with a cute poem called "Marriage Sucks". I wouldn't want to be the guy who called that out, lol! They created a Fill in the Blank scene using the entire audience - John & Philip were in a nursery school. The audience was pretty slow to fill in the blanks - I think they just wanted to sit and listen! It was a funny scene, as expected with John & Philip being the creators. Next they did This is Your Life, with Philip interviewing a lady to remember her first kiss, jumping on the bed to wake up her dad as a kid, winning a teaching award, and one other scene. This structure is almost always very funny, and tonight was no exception. Next Joy rang the bell in Should Have Said, where Philip, Todd & John were involved with a genie's lamp that had already been rubbed. We hung out inside talking to Todd after the show, and then were joined by Patty and a couple of her cousins who were in town visiting.
The 10:30 cast was Mary, Jenn, John, Joy & Todd. They did Song Cue, with Mary & Joy creating a scene as people cleaning a zamboni machine. It was a cute scene, although I didn't care for the rock song (too much screaming). They did "I don't have a license" as a country song, "You take the whole thing" as a rock song, and "I've rubbed every spot of it" as a reggae song. Next they tortured Todd in Cliché, which was fun. He struggled to guess his location (trash can), but did pretty well guessing "I'm going to strip you naked and hide your clothes." Several people left during the show, letting the door slam behind them rudely. Cliché was going well, so I didn't understand why they felt they had to walk out like that. I wasn't sticking around for the next show, so I said goodnight to Patty & Mary, then Leesa walked me out to the PI gate.
I was back at OKW in no time, in my very warm studio! Today wasn't the best day - between the damp rainy weather this morning, being put in a smoke-smelling room at first, and then feeling a little under the weather for a while, it was the kind of day I don't really care to repeat! I did enjoy the MK attractions and the lack of crowds there, had a great lunch at Captain Jack's, and would have enjoyed the Comedy Warehouse shows more if I'd been feeling better.
DAY 4 MONDAY JANUARY 19, 2004:
Who: Sue, DVC Member
Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular
Pete & Judy, DVC friends from NJ
Plan: Magic Kingdom, Lunch at LeCellier, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: I woke up after 9am, and definitely wasn't going to the Magic Kingdom this morning. I felt better, but still weak. I'd forgotten to charge the cell phone overight, so I plugged that in for a while and took my time getting ready for the day. Breakfast was the rest of the magic cookie bar --yikes, is that thing sweet - and some cappuccino. Leesa had given me an extra advil last night, so I took that, figuring once it kicked in I would be almost good as new.
Around 11 I walked out to the bus stop and took the bus to Epcot. Epcot was much less crowded than it was on my last trip over New Years! Spaceship Earth had a 10 minute wait, Test Track 60 minutes, and Mission Space 55 minutes. Everything else was basically a walk-on. I decided to walk around World Showcase, which gave me just enough time before meeting Pete & Judy at LeCellier at noon.
They were there already, and we had a wonderful lunch. Pete & Judy are such nice people, and it's always a pleasure spending time with them. They shared a beef tenderloin salad and soup, while I got the soup. Judy & I got the riesling and Pete ordered a Canadian Coke. Our server was very good - not intrusive, yet we never had to wait for anything we needed. I used my Disney Dining Experience card and Pete & Judy bought my lunch - thanks again!
We decided to walk off lunch, so we rode back in their car to OKW, changed into shorts, and met at the beginning of the path next to building 55. Last May we'd walked the trail past the Saratoga Springs construction out to the main road and into Downtown Disney, and planned to do the same today. Once we got to the golf course pro shop it started to rain, but we were prepared with ponchos and umbrella. The first Saratoga building was very visible from where we were, and Pete took a couple of pictures. We really liked the colors - it's going to be a pretty resort, and I look forward to staying there at some point.
We kept walking, ducking into the entrance of the old Cinema to get out of the rain for a few minutes. We could see through the windows, and it was kind of sad to see the building so empty. A little further along the gates were open and we could see the construction of the main themed pool. Pete stepped inside to take a few pictures while Judy & I waited on the street, and soon we heard an angry man yelling at Pete. "You can't take pictures here - Who are you working for??" I was LOL - Pete's standing there in a yellow Mickey poncho and this guy thinks he's working for a competitor or something? I'm not sure if Pete told him he worked for the phone company in NJ <g>. Anyway, we got thrown out of there and had to go back the way we'd come. The guy said it was not possible to walk out to the main road, but he was full of crap, as cars drive in from the main road to get to the golf course.
When we got back to the pro shop we could see the parking lot behind Cirque and debated whether to walk that short section of the golf path to get there, finally deciding to go ahead and take our chances at getting yelled at again. This time nobody bothered us <g> and we walked around Downtown Disney for a while until we were tired of the rain. It was heavy at times, and it made us quite chilly in our shorts! We waited at the Marketplace bus stop and caught the bus back to OKW - it was the last resort to arrive, of course. We agreed to meet later at PI.
I got caught up online, updated the report, and changed into warmer clothes. Sometime after General Hospital ended I drove over to Premium Outlets and went to Character Premiere but didn't see anything I had to buy. I was back in time for the local news & weather, and just relaxed in the studio until it was time to get to Pleasure Island.
Since it was getting chilly I waited until fairly late to head out. After getting my wristband I met Leesa inside the Virgin store and relaxed on a comfortable couch for a while. We met Pete & Judy at 8 and entered PI with them, then ran into Jason at the back door so he joined our group as well. Carol Stein was on the keys tonight.
The 8:20 cast was Mary, John, Joy, Todd & Brian. The opening phone interview was with an older lady (married 34 years) from Long Island whose husband is a mason. Brian's verse was "After 34 years at least the bricks get laid" - you can always count on him to push the limits and shock people, but I love it! They did Emotions, with Joy & John in a ballroom that was to be the site of their wedding. It was pretty funny, and Brian came in as the wedding planner. They did Up Your Alley next, using an audience volunteer who is an expert on basketball. Mary was the host Carol Manning, an obvious parody of Carol Channing & done very well. When she told the audience to say "Up yours, Carol" whenever she said the name of the show, Carol Stein didn't look too happy - but it was probably just an act since she's far too professional to take it as a personal comment, especially when Mary was obviously Carol Channing <g>. Brian was Tamara Dribblesmore, a girl in the WNBA. Todd was PJ Wilcot, an accountant who decided to make himself eligible for the NBA draft because he likes the lifestyle. It had some funny moments, but it went a little longer than I cared for - sometimes a structure just needs to end quickly. Overall though, it was a good show, especially for the first one of the night. We talked to Todd and then Brian between shows, catching up with them.
The 9:15 cast was Philip, Mary, Brian, Joy & John. They opened with a poem called "This Sucks", which thankfully didn't suck <g>. Mary & Philip created a Song Cue scene where he had a hernia and she could heal with her hands but then would end up with whatever she'd healed the other person of. It was wild - absolute nuts, and very funny. Mary ended up with a hernia, herpes, and all the "h" diseases, until the supreme healer (Brian) came in and healed her. They gave a name, but it meant nothing to me although I figure many other people caught the significance. For songs they did "I will not let you down" as classic rock, "Better her than me" as a metal song, and "We could work together" in the style of jazz. It was a great scene, and lots of fun to watch.
Next they tortured Brian in Cliché. He had to guess he was in the foreign language section of a library, and got that much faster than John thought he would. John was telling the audience we'd be there for days, lol. The cliché was "Oh how the hoover doth suck" and Brian figured it out on his own towards the end. It was great, as always, and overall this entire show was excellent! Pete & Judy left after this show, as did Jason, so it was down to Leesa & me for the next one.
The 10:30 cast was Philip, Mary, Matt, Brian & Todd. The opening phone interview was with a college program kid from Sheridan, Wyoming. As usual, the college kids were boisterous and bordering on obnoxious, but I've seen them far worse in the past. The most annoying thing is they keep yelling out stuff like "porn" and then cheering each other as if that's the most witty thing said all night (gag). I don't have any problem with porn - I have a problem with people acting like idiots about porn <g>.
They did Styles, where the scene switches between different styles of tv, movies, theater, etc. Todd & Matt were doing laundry, and I must have been laughing too hard to take notes because all I'd written down was "very good". I don't recall the details, though. Schmeopardy was next, hosted by Matt as Alex Quack Quack wearing a wild black wig. Mary was A.T. Anti, a foreign operator working in the US. Philip was Ivan, a taxi driver from the Ukrane. Brian stole the show as Lerlea du Shuck (no idea how it's spelled), a coal miner's daughter and the prettiest girl in Sheridan Wyoming! He wore the big flowery dress, fake boobs, and ended up being a fairly nasty (slutty) girl of course. It was a fun Schmeopardy, and overall the show was very good. Mary stopped by on her way to her meeting, Leesa & I talked to a few other people, then she walked me out.
I love the short ride "home" to OKW, and getting the big "Welcome Home" from the security guard each night. At Pop Century they had some surly punk of a guy working, so needless to say there wasn't any "Welcome Home" there. Back in the studio I toasted up half of the bagel I'd brought from home, not wanting to bring it back to Ft Myers! I discovered the refrigerator was not even on, so my cream cheese was warm but didn't smell bad. I don't understand why they'd shut the fridge off - that makes no sense to me. Most people use them, and if someone doesn't, I'm still willing to pay for the little bit of electricity it would cost to leave it on!
Today was a nice day. I really enjoyed spending the day with Pete & Judy, eating at my favorite restaurant and almost getting thrown out of Saratoga Springs <g>. Comedy Warehouse was great, especially the 2nd show, and it was nice spending some time with Jason as well. I wish it was less rainy & more warm, but that's the risk of coming in January!
DAY 5 TUESDAY JANUARY 20, 2004:
Who: Sue, DVC Member
Plan: Magic Kingdom, drive home
Actual: I got up at 7:15, showered, finished the bagel with some cappuccino, and when I got offline I found a message from Patti/Pebbie from last night! I wished I'd gotten it last night, but didn't want to call her room so early this morning. I was going to drive over to AKL and leave my car there since I'd end the day with lunch at Mara (provided they have some soup worth eating), saw every other bus except the MK one and realized it would be coming any minute. So, instead I parked at the Hospitality House and the MK bus pulled in just as I got to the bus stop! I ended up walking into MK right at 9am, instead of losing at least 30 minutes or more to commuting to/from AKL.
My first stop was Space Mountain to get a fastpass for 10:05, and from there I walked over to Frontierland. I was able to ride Big Thunder twice with no wait, and enjoyed both rides. I walked back towards Fantasyland, and Peter Pan had nobody in line so I rode that. The Pooh ride had a fairly long wait so I didn't bother with that - I walked over to Tomorrowland and rode the TTA to kill the time until my fastpass window opened. At 10:05 I went into Space Mountain, and thought the ride was really rough today - I felt like I was going to end up with a headache, and I never get headaches! I decided once was enough today, so I headed out of the park. The OKW bus took a while to come, and then I was the only passenger going back to the resort.
I picked up my car and drove to Animal Kingdom Lodge. At Mara I asked about today's soup but it was one I don't like. Their everyday soups are butternut squash and the chicken pepperpot, so I got a bowl of the chicken pepperpot. I also got a yogurt/granola thing, some zebra domes & chocolate mousse crunch things, and a brownie for Chris. I probably looked like white trash filling my little cooler with ice, but it was the only safe way to transport the yogurt 3 hours back to Ft Myers!
The soup was good - and felt good on my throat. When I finished eating I began the drive home, which was tiring but uneventful. I stopped to workout with a friend on the way home, getting that out of the way so I wouldn't have to go back out.
SUMMARY:
Except for not feeling well part of the time, this was a very nice trip. I'm very glad I tried Pop Century and really enjoyed my stay. I've got 3 more short reservations there in the next couple of months and I'm looking forward to returning. One funny thing I overheard - after the Wishes fireworks at the MK the Pop Century bus stop had the biggest line. A woman in front of me said to her husband "this resort has the longest line for the bus" and her husband said "well, it IS the ghetto" <g> She corrected him, saying "no, the All Stars are the ghetto". I didn't say anything <g>.
Wishes is a great fireworks show, and definitely worth seeing. It's fairly short, so for me it's not worth giving up a night at the Comedy Warehouse but if I can see it with my car on a night they run it at 7pm I may go back to see it again later this year. Most likely I'll be on the Contemporary Resort observation deck, so I can make a hasty exit.
My first OKW studio was such a disappointment due to the disgusting cigarette smell. It's completely unacceptable, and I'll deal with OKW directly when I get my guest survey card. The 2nd studio was fine, and thank goodness one was available since that was the day I was feeling the worst!
Comedy Warehouse was fun, and I saw some very good shows. The photos won't get uploaded for another day or 2, when I've got more energy. Meeting up with Pete & Judy was great, too - but now I'll have to look forward to the next time we're at WDW at the same time.
I'm sick and tired of the drive (or perhaps just sick….and tired <g>), so I'm looking forward to staying home the next 2 weekends and not setting foot anywhere near the car! I go back to Pop Century for 1 night in early February to catch some Comedy Warehouse shows while my friends Kathy & Den are visiting from Minnesota, and then Sheila & I are embarking on the 3-day Wonder cruise.
Until next time - thanks for reading.
Sue Holland
Time of Year: Winter
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: PCR, OKWR
Accommodations: Standard
Ages Represented in Group: Teen, Adult, Senior
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Verteran, DVC Member
Comments: If it is a holiday weekend, then Sue must be heading to Walt Disney World. This report gives us our first trip report view of the new Pop Century Resort.
Sue Holland -- January 2004 – Walt Disney World (PCR, OKWR)
Note: As Sue spent time at Pleasure Island and in other adult venues on this trip, this report has some information that may not be appropriate for young readers.
Who/When/Where:
Who:
Sue (me), DVC member
Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular
Pete & Judy, DVC friends from NJ
Dates: January 16 - 20, 2004
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: Disney's Pop Century Resort (2nts), Disney's Old Key West Resort (2nts)
INTRODUCTION:
If it's a holiday weekend, I must be headed to WDW! Monday is a holiday for us, so I'm leaving early Friday and taking Tuesday off as well to make the weekend trip last a little longer. Since I tend to work 9-9.5 hour days, I'll have enough hours the other days to almost pay for my time off.
Originally I was booked for 3 nights at Old Key West - Saturday through Monday. After Disney announced that Pop Century would finally open, I wanted to try it out and get photos for a MousePlanet article. It's not worth staying anywhere for 1 night, so I booked Pop Century for Friday and Saturday nights, and will move "home" to OKW for Sunday and Monday nights. I figured to be safe, any Pop Century stay would need to be short, in case I hated it, and 2 nights sounded just right! It also saved the more expensive dvc points for that Saturday. When I booked all they had was regular rate ($77/night), but when the FL resident rates came out I was able to switch to a $49/night rate and was thrilled with my "cheap" trip. I'll work until noon Friday, and then drive up - it's much easier for me to drive during daylight and I'll arrive to hopefully find my room ready. I do dread the check-in process, as I'm thinking Pop Century will be even worse than All Stars due to the higher # of rooms.
The weather has been beautiful the entire past week, but unfortunately that is supposed to change once I get to WDW this time! Oh well, I know I'll draw the short stick in terms of weather every once in a while, and I'm lucky I don't have to trudge around in the rain for fear of not getting my money's worth from the trip. I'll be back soon, and everything will still be here. Besides the usual Comedy Warehouse evenings, I do have one new thing I hope to do - see the new Wishes fireworks at the Magic Kingdom. That will have to be Friday or Saturday, since those nights are looking rain-free at this point, and most likely I'll try for Friday figuring it'll be less crowded on that night. I still have the $5 Rainforest Café birthday coupon that expires this month, so I'll make it a point to eat something there. My friends Pete & Judy will be checking into OKW the same day I am, and I'm looking forward to lunch with them and perhaps (weather permitting) a walk to Saratoga Springs from OKW.
The plans (subject to change) so far...
Fri 1/16: Work, Check in Pop Century, Possible Wishes Fireworks, Comedy Warehouse
Sat 1/17: Animal Kingdom, Rainforest Café, Theme Park or Comedy Warehouse
Sun 1/18: Check in Old Key West, Comedy Warehouse
Mon 1/19: MK, Lunch at LeCellier, Comedy Warehouse
Tue 1/20: MK, Drive home
DAY 1 FRIDAY JANUARY 16, 2004:
Who: Sue, DVC Member
Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular
Plan: Work, Check in Pop Century, Possible Wishes Fireworks, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: I worked until just after noon, then had a relatively easy drive. Traffic is getting increasingly worse around Lakeland due to road construction on I-4, which makes it a bad idea to fly into Tampa as an alternative to Orlando. I arrived at Pop Century just after 3, and was delighted to find only 3 families ahead of me in line to check in. By the time I was called though, there was a long line of people behind me, so I guess it goes in spurts!
Check-in was quick, and I was given a 2nd floor room in the 50's section. My room overlooks the bowling pin pool, and it's a pretty good hike from the parking lot. I've read that parking is a problem here, and judging from how small the parking lots are, I believe it! I may decide to use Disney transportation to Pleasure Island even though I dread the crowded buses, but it's better than returning late at night to find no empty parking spots!
The room is typical Disney value resort, but it's more attractive than any of the All Star rooms and it'll meet my needs just fine for the next 2 nights. There are 2 double beds, nightstand, table with 2 chairs, an armoire with several drawers & shelves, and a large (27 inch?) tv. The furniture looks nicer than what's at All Stars, and of course everything is fresh & new. I didn't bother to unpack - there really isn't any point since I'm here 2 nights. I did set up the laptop and freshen up a bit, then decided to drive over to Animal Kingdom for the last hour of the day. Perhaps that's a waste of time, but what the heck!
Since it was so late there was no wait to get in. The parade was going by so I ducked through the shop to get over to the Dinoland side. First stop was Primeval Whirl, where there was no wait at all. I didn't even have to stop at the turnstile. I was seated with a couple of dad's with bad breath, but once we got moving the smell wasn't a problem, thank goodness! I swear it takes longer to walk to the exit after getting off the ride than it does to walk in, wait AND ride.
Dinosaur was the only other thing I wanted to do, and it was closed due to technical difficulties. It was so close to closing time I decided to just go back to the resort, where I found parking already getting more difficult! I checked the jogging path (they have a little map the front desk clerk can hand out) and then climbed up the bowling pin to my room. I was exhausted, most likely just stressed from a busy life, and would have preferred to crawl into bed and fall asleep tonight rather than go out. Who would have thought I'd ever prefer staying in rather than go to Comedy Warehouse - I'm sure this is a temporary condition <g>! In any event, I'm meeting someone someone when PI opens, and told Leesa I'd be meeting her for the CW shows, so I'll go but make it an early night if I'm not feeling more up to it.
Thinking some (non junk) food would be a good idea, I walked over to the food court. Although the 50's are at one end of the resort, it's actually a very short walk to the main building. I didn't see Nancy and decided to wait until tomorrow to ask for her since I can be there earlier rather than at the start of dinner time. There really isn't anything on the menus I'd eat myself, so I stuck with the pre-made thai chicken wrap I got last time. This time it wasn't wrapped as well, but it still tasted very good. With this I'm able to eat half and store the other half in a small cooler (added ice before going out tonight). I laid down while watching the local news, and left around 6pm to catch a Downtown Disney bus from the main building (Classic Hall).
There were people already waiting for the bus, and by the time it came it was another 30 minutes - completely unacceptable! The line of people was so long it would have filled 2 empty buses at the very least. Just before the bus arrived 2 parties with wheelchairs came up to the front of the line, so it was quite a while before we actually left the resort. I got off at the Marketplace, figuring it's faster to walk from there than to wait while 2 people in wheelchairs are being helped off the bus. If it hadn't taken a half hour for the bus to arrive, I wouldn't have been pressed for time.
The Marketplace was bustling, but I'm not sure why. I stopped in Ghiradelli for a sample, and looked quickly in the Home store for something a MousePlanet reader was looking for. When I got to the entrance to Pleasure Island there was a huge crowd already there, but I could tell they were with the college cheerleader group there for a big event at the West End Stage. I was due to meet the CW Entertainment Mgr Bill outside the club just after 7, but he'd called earlier to set a different meeting place since the cheerleaders had the the entire area congested. They were even using the door out back by the waterfront to let guests into the club for the first 2 shows.
At 7 the hordes of cheering kids stormed into PI and rushed to the West End Stage, so I had an easy time getting through the turnstile quickly. I met Bill and we spent an hour or so talking about Comedy Warehouse - giving me even greater appreciation for the shows I've enjoyed for so many years. At 8:20 (the 8:15 seating time is now 8:20, and the 12:05 is now 12:00) the backdoor opened, and in came Bob & Virginia, Leesa, Bonnie & David. It's the usual Friday night gang, minus Al & Lorrie! I went up to the restroom and ran into Kim - my friends Tom & Leanne's daughter. She & her son Chris are here for the weekend, so I invited them to join us for the next show since they were seated up in Alps. I visited with Joe at the door for a while, and Carol Stein's parents, then returned to my seat.
The 8:20 cast was Matt, Lisa, Todd, Mark & John - with Carol Stein on the keys (guess that's why her parents were there <g>). They opened with the phone interview of a couple from Texas. Next Matt rang the bell in Should Have Said, where John was a Michael Jackson impersonator and Mark was a little kid who had to wear the chimp suit to impersonate Bubbles. Lisa was the rich kid whose party they were hired to perform at, and eventually John died. It was strange - very bizarre, but also funny.
They did Swamp, which is the Animal Kingdom parking lot scripted piece - scaring the crap out of a little kid sitting behind us. LOL - oh well, parents don't need to be bringing toddlers to a comedy show in a bar, in my opinion (rant). Song Cue was next, with Matt & Todd as a father & son at an ice skating rink in Boston. Between the awful Boston accents and the liberal use of the word "wicked", it was completely silly! Mark was in as the zamboni driver, rolling around on a short stool with wheels. They sang "You broke my glass eye" as a country song, "Son, You want a date with a nurse?" as a Japanese rock song, and "Tell me how to be a man" as a gospel song. I didn't understand the Japanese rock song at all, but the others were good. Overall it was a very good show, particularly for the first one of the night. We talked to some of the cast after the show, and then got Kim & Chris for the next one.
The 9:15 cast was Krista, Matt, Todd, Mark & John. They opened with the poem "Jujube Come Home", which was cute. Mark directed Krista & John in a scene next, pausing the action as he saw fit to get a suggestion from the audience. They were doing pilates together, since it was Krista's 10-minute block of time for them to do what she wanted. When it was John's 10 minutes he wanted sex, but Matt came in as his therapist & used all but 2 minutes of his time - so he ended up dressing like a woman instead.
They did Up Your Alley about clowns next. John was the host Witherspoon Smith (Up yours, with a spoon <g>). Todd didn't have much to say as Jim Robinson, a guy studying the history of clowns. Mark was excellent as Fred, a mental patient who had been traumatized by clowns 25 years ago. Matt was great as Eclesiastes (sorry about the spelling - I have no clue about any religion stuff), the christian clown. The banter and insults flying back & forth between Matt & Mark were hysterical. Overall it was another good show.
I decided to leave after this one, so I said my goodnights and went to wait for the bus back to Pop Century. It came fairly quickly, and I got a seat. The ride back here is much shorter than the ride to All Stars, thank goodness! After making a brief stop at the room I went out and jogged for about a mile, then returned to work on the trip report. My cell phone rang, and it was Nancy wondering where I was. She expected me to say CW, and was surprised I was "home" and in the room. She'd just gotten off work here, so she stopped by to visit for a while before going home. That was an unexpected bonus to get to see her tonight. I realized when she was on her way over that I forgot to bring a mug/cup for my cappuccino. At the dvc resorts Disney provides mugs, but here in the value resorts they don't. I'll have to beg the cashier at the food court for an empty coffee cup, or buy a cup of coffee without the coffee! I ended up finishing the wrap since I couldn't have my cappuccino and I was a little hungry.
Today was a long & stressful day up until my arrival here. I do like Pop Century, and although it obviously doesn't compare with the dvc resorts, I'm happy to make it my new "cheap" motel rather than the All Stars. The location alone makes it the obvious choice for me - it's much closer to Comedy Warehouse. Plus, I get to see Nancy! Comedy Warehouse was fun, the shows were both good, and I appreciate Bill taking the time to discuss the club before the shows. I decided to not get online to post the report right away. Part of me just wasn't ready to deal with a big pile of email and other posts, and I knew if I logged on I'd spend hours that would be better spent getting some rest. Sorry for any inconvenience to the people who like to read the reports with their morning coffee - whip up a cocktail instead <g>!
DAY 2 SATURDAY JANUARY 17, 2004:
Who: Sue, DVC Member
Plan: Animal Kingdom, Rainforest Café, Theme Park or Comedy Warehouse
Actual: I ended up getting to bed by 12:30 last night, and slept until almost 7:30. After getting cleaned up I called housekeeping to cancel service today, then went to the food court in search of coffee cups. The food court was a zoo (8am), but luckily I saw a supervisor fixing a register and she gave me 2 empty cups. On the way back to the room I started thinking of next year. Since I'm registered for the half marathon I had to change my plans to come up the weekend before this and would have been checking out (of OKW) yesterday. I'm considering extending that trip thru the holiday weekend, but maybe I'll book here if the cheap rates are available again. Moving is a pain, but it'd save a bunch of points and give me the chance to stay here again. Back in the room I had breakfast - english toffee cappuccino and chocolate hazelnut biscotti - yum!
Around 9 I drove over to Animal Kingdom, and luckily my parking spot was at the far end of the row near where I always walk in - so no cold crowded tram for me! It was still below 50 degrees, and I used the seat warmers in my car - very cool feature that doesn't get much use in Florida! I happened to pick the security line that had a cm who took things very seriously, so it took a while to get in. I do wish they'd do away with this sham/farce, as only an idiot would think it has any impact on eliminating a terrorist at wdw!
The tip board said Primeval Whirl was on a delayed opening, so I went to Harambe first. After picking up a Kilamanjaro Safari fastpass for 10-11 am, I did the Pangani Forest Trail to see the gorillas. Gino (the dad on the family side) and his kids were out, along with one of the females. Gino was watching the guests, and at one point he had a plastic canteen bottle that he was filling with water in the stream and then drinking from. Pretty smart guy! On the bachelor side, only 1 was out (I think it was KJ), but eventually I found Gus and the other 2 around the other side of the waterfall. Gus was sitting up behind trees and brush so I couldn't get a decent photo, but the others were more visible. They were all spread out sitting solo but keeping an eye on each other.
I went to Dinoland but decided Primeval Whirl wasn't worth waiting for. Instead I walked right into the preshow at Dinosaur and enjoyed that ride. As I was leaving Dinoland I saw Marti working at the DVC kiosk so I went to visit her for a little while. I left her to get back to the Kilamanjaro Safari before my fastpass time expired, and had an excellent safari. The driver did a super job, and there were no idiots doing stuff they shouldn't do on board, so it was very pleasant. By now it was around 11:15 and the park was very crowded - much too crowded for my taste. So, I left the park and went into the Rainforest Café.
Since I was solo, I sat at a table in the bar rather than taking up a table in the restaurant. I ordered the delicious Jungle Mud - cappuccino, kahlua, bailey's and a little whipped cream. I'm not normally a coffee drink person, but this one is very good. I was torn between the bruschetta or the caribe chicken fingers and ended up going with the chicken. In retrospect I should have gone with the bruschetta since the chicken fingers were good but really no different from the Disney ones available everywhere for less money. The portion was 5 chicken tenders, and with the coffee drink I was only able to eat 2. The other 3 I brought back to the room and they can be dinner and/or a late night snack. They applied my $5 birthday certificate and gave me the 10% Safari Club discount on the food portion, so my lunch was under $10 before tip.
I drove back to Pop Century, and parked my car for the last time today. I don't know what the hell they were thinking when they designed this resort - I would bet at the value resort they get a higher % of drivers, not less, since so many FL residents use the value resorts. Unfortunately, Florida wages are more in line with the cheapie places unless you're a dvc member, lol. I got the chicken put away, updated the report, then set out on foot to walk around the end of the resort I missed last time (the 80's & 90's). I found it while jogging last night, so now I can go back and see it in daylight!
It was a very pleasant walk, and I got to see the rest of the resort. The computer pool was a bit of a disappointment - it is basically a square pool with a fake soft keyboard on the other side of the lounge chairs. Otherwise, I didn't notice any theming. I found the lovely DUH building, which is in the 80's. From back there you can hear the traffic from outside wdw, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't hear anything from inside your room. There is music from each decade playing outside, but I never heard it while inside my room.
Around 1pm I was back in my room. I'd thought about going to the pool, but it was very cloudy and when the wind blew I thought it was a little too cool for my Florida blood. Instead, I decided to get online and just relax until it was time to go see Nancy after 4. For some reason aol wasn't letting me send any mail, which was a pain! Besides sending the report, with over 250 new emails there were some I wanted to reply to, but aol just hung up indefinitely and I had to shut down and reconnect three times. I chatted with Maria for a while, and eventually made a half cup of cappuccino when I realized it was somewhat chilly in the room.
I went to visit Nancy for a while, then returned to the room and ate a couple chicken fingers for dinner. I changed into running clothes and went out jogging, this time doing 1.5 miles. Once I got cleaned up and cooled off a bit, I went to the main building to catch a bus to the Magic Kingdom. An empty bus arrived just as I did, but there were so many people waiting it filled up before I got on. The next bus came within 5 minutes though, which wasn't bad. This one was also standing room only.
I got to the MK around 6:30 or so, and people were already parked along Main Street staking out their spots for the 8pm Spectromagic. I remember when I used to do that, but I don't any more! It was mobbed - unpleasantly so. After fighting my way down Main Street I headed to Space Mountain, where as expected the fastpasses were all gone for the day. I wasn't willing to wait 30 minutes to ride (Buzz Lightyear was 70 minutes), so I stood in line to ride the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. It felt strange riding it after dark - normally this is my last attraction before leaving around 11am or so.
Hoping to avoid crowds as much as possible, I walked the path behind Space Mountain over to Toontown, talking to Chris along the way. I just missed the train, but another came pretty quickly and I rode it around to Frontierland. Big Thunder had a long wait, and of course fastpasses were gone. Pirates of the Caribbean had a 20 minute wait - no way! I was not enjoying being in such big crowds - it was hard to even walk because people were bumping into each other and I just don't like that. Eventually I worked my way back to Main Street, and walked through the stores where it wasn't as crowded. Every food place and even the candy store had huge lines - I swear it would take 20-30 minutes to buy a piece of candy, so I kept on walking, right on out the MK exit!
It was too dark to really see the Mickey statues, and I couldn't kill an hour or more looking at them anyway, so I took a leisurely stroll over to the Contemporary. It was delightfully quiet & uncrowded during my walk! Once there I went to the 4th floor and wandered around a bit, buying a small Mickey truffle for later. The Outer Rim bar didn't have any decent wines by the glass on their wine list, otherwise I would have hung out there for a little while. I checked the California Grill, but what used to be the lounge last time I was there (many years ago) now looks like part of the dining room, so I left. I did see the 4th floor observation deck, which is easy to find and quite large. It looks like a great place to watch the fireworks, but I was afraid if I stayed there by the time I walked back to MK to catch my bus the wait would be unbearable.
I wandered around outside a bit, then headed slowly back to the MK. It was now around 8:40 and many people had left following Spectromagic, but Main Street was still a sea of people standing shoulder to shoulder all the way to the castle! I found a spot upstairs at the train stations, with a direct view of the castle. Wishes was fantastic - the music was great, and I loved the really cool fireworks they use. I'd definitely see it again, and I was glad I stuck around for it tonight.
When it ended I tried to rush for the bus, but between sore feet and sore legs I wasn't moving as quickly as I normally do <g>. Pop Century had the only queue that was completely filled in and overflowing! However, they brought in 3 buses at one time, then as soon as they left they brought in 2 more. I made it on the 4th bus - the line was that long, but at least it moved quickly.
Back at the resort I ate the last chicken tender and the truffle, finished up the report, and got to bed fairly early (around 11). Today was a nice day, with a good mix of doing stuff and just relaxing. The MK crowds were a pain, but I sort of expected them and I'll just get up early to hit my favorite attractions with little or no wait tomorrow before the rain arrives tomorrow afternoon. It felt a little funny not going to Comedy Warehouse, but I wanted to sleep more than I wanted to be there tonight. Tomorrow will be a different story, though <g>.
DAY 3 SUNDAY JANUARY 18, 2004:
Who: Sue, DVC Member
Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular
Plan: Check in Old Key West, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: Today it was originally supposed to start raining sometime shortly after noon, so I decided it would be best to get up EARLY and have some fun before the weather turned. I'd set the alarm for 6, so I could check in at Old Key West early and still get to Magic Kingdom during Extra Magic Hour. When I got up though, I learned the front moved faster than expected, and by 6:45 it was raining steadily outside - yuck! After waking up, there wasn't any point trying to go back to sleep, so I figured I'd just hope for the best.
After a shower to wake myself up I finished packing up, made cappuccino and had a piece of biscotti for breakfast, and was out the door by not long after 7:30. At OKW I stopped to talk to Angelo, then checked in without a wait. The cm told me what section I was in (without asking), but not my building number. I put my stuff in the car and waited for the MK bus to arrive, which came with only 2 other people on board. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to go in the rain, but I had notwhere else to be since my studio wasn't ready.
At MK it wasn't crowded at all, so I guess if you don't mind the rain this would have been a good time to visit. It was fairly warm for January, but I found it very damp & chilly. I was wearing Tevas (didn't want sneakers to get wet), so my feet were freezing from being wet. Let's just say I was NOT comfortable - not by a long shot! But, I figured I'd hop from indoor attraction to indoor attraction so it wouldn't be too bad.
My first stop was Buzz Lightyear, which was pretty much a walk-on. The flashes of light near the end are extremely annoying, and confused me a bit until I saw the photos available at the exit. I don't think it really belongs here, and how many overpriced attraction photos can a family buy??? I went over to Space Mountain, which had a 20 minute standby time posted, and just picked up a fastpass for 10:15. I wasn't interested in waiting 20 minutes for this just yet, when there were other things to see. I trudged through the rain & puddles to Fantasyland and walked onto Pooh and then Snow White. The lady of the couple in front of me on Pooh kept taking flash pictures, but I didn't feel like starting anything with her. I could see the photos on the lcd screen, and they would have come out much better if she left the flash off, but I didn't bother to tell her that, either <g>. Passive aggressive on my part??? Perhaps <g>.
At Peter Pan there was a 5 minute posted wait, and this one probably took at least that long. From there I went across the walkway and rode It's a Small World, along with many others. Hmm, I'll bet the weather had something to do with this ride's popularity so early in the day, lol! By now it was just after 9, and the rest of the park had opened. I continued over to Haunted Mansion and did that, then returned to Tomorrowland. With the rain I wasn't going to bother with Big Thunder (not sure if it was even running), and Pirates doesn't thrill me. It was a little too chilly to be whipping around on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority, so this is probably the first time I've not ridden it during a MK visit! Space Mountain had a 30-minute standby time posted, but I had absolutely nothing to do and figured at the very least I'd be warmer than I was outside! In fact, I walked right onto the ride - without even slowing down. I got the front seat on the left side, and went immediately around and went through the standby line again to ride the right side. There was just 5 minutes or so to go until my fastpass time, but I was ready to leave. I was cold, tired & uncomfortable - definitely not dressed for the weather today.
Figuring my studio wouldn't be ready for quite a while yet, I decided I'd go to Wilderness Lodge and curl up near a fireplace in the Villas to read for a while and try to warm up. The boat arrived quickly, but it takes a while to get to WL since it stops at the campground first. At least it was warmer than outside, though. By the time we got to WL it had stopped raining for now! I went inside to a restroom and tried to dry off my feet and Tevas with some paper towels (wishing they had those hot air blowers), then stopped at Roaring Fork to buy a magic cookie bar for later, then went up to the lobby. Whispering Canyon Café was making the lobby a decidedly unpleasant place to be, with all of the screaming & yelling (by the servers). No wonder nobody was choosing to sit by this fireplace to relax, lol! I called OKW to check on the studio and to my surprise, it was ready - at 11am! I'm in 2626, which is real convenient but also next to the bus stop (noise). I didn't really care about the noise factor though - I can live with bus noise or toilet noise - it's just people noise that drives me up the wall!
Since the studio was ready, there was no need to kill time. I decided to have lunch at Captain Jack's and then return to OKW to rest. The Downtown Disney bus came quickly, and then stopped at the Grand Floridian before going to DD. The Polynesian & Contemporary share a different bus. I was absolutely miserable - cold wet feet are awful to walk on, and it was so damp I just could not get comfortable. I was seated quickly, and ordered a glass of the pinot grigio and the Italian tomato salad. My server was good about not rushing me through there - I'd brought a magazine and knew I'd need a little extra time to finish the glass of wine so she held off on putting in my food order. It was a fairly busy lunch spot today, although there never seemed to be a wait while I was there.
The food was excellent - tiny bits of tomato, cucumber & red onion with 4 small balls of fresh mozzerella and a couple wedges of crisp focaccia bread. I started feeling full halfway through, but didn't want leftovers so I forced myself to eat it all. I think I just wasn't feeling too great from being so cold & miserable. With the Disney Dining Experience discount I think it was around $11.50 before tip.
After lunch I went to wait for the bus to OKW, then got my car and drove to building #26. As soon as I opened the door it hit me - disgusting cigarette stench. I was absolutely livid, and although I'm not normally an emotional person I was ready to just go home at that point. I can't think of anything that bothers me more than being subjected to someone's cigarette smoke, and in a non-smoking room I've booked 11 months in advance it's completely unacceptable. I'm furious that Disney doesn't do anything about this - if I can tell some moron smoked in there, then surely a housekeeping person or the supervisor who clears the room should have noticed it. They should go after the previous occupant and hit them in the pocketbook - or put them on a "no reservation" status for a while if they're dvc members. Sorry, but there's no excuse for this crap, which happens far too often.
I called the front desk and they were very nice, telling me to come back for a new key. Of course, at that point the line to check in almost extended out the door, so I had to waste more of my day waiting in line to get this fixed. Finally I got a studio in building 55 and this one doesn't smell like an ashtray. It's also in a good location if I walk to Saratoga Springs with Pete & Judy tomorrow. I brought my stuff in from the car, then bundled up in a bunch of clothes and the thickest socks I could find and crawled into bed. I updated the report and got online, hoping I'd warm up soon! Boy, I'm sure an exciting vacationer, lol! Patty came online and IM'd, from the warmth of her bed and with a lack of ambition to match mine. The sun did finally come out, but my feet were still freezing so I wasn't going anywhere for a while.
I ended up falling asleep - slept for an hour or so (went back to sleep after you called Patty <g>). Staying in sounded soooooo good, but I decided to tough it out. Once I got out of bed and got dressed I had more energy, but with the heat on the bed was difficult to get out of (set the heat around 80 <g>). I'd eaten part of the magic cookie bar, but decided to leave the rest for later tonight. At 6:45 I was ready to go, and drove over to Pleasure Island.
It wasn't cold or anything, but I still spent about a half hour half dozing in the car. I realized I'd forgotten to bring some stuff I had for some of the CW people, but didn't feel like driving back to OKW for it tonight….hopefully tomorrow. Around 7:30 I went in and got my wrist band, then went to Bongos on the West Side for a beef empanada. The waits here are ridiculous - I've never seen such a slow place! After I finally got my empanada the inside was still cold - they hadn't heated it all the way thru. I ate most of it and threw the cold part away.
I went back into Pleasure Island and joined Bob & Virginia. Eventually Leesa arrived, and tonight Carol Stein was on the keys. The 8:20 cast was Philip, Jenn Br, Todd, Joy & Chris. After the opening phone interview they went right into Story Telling, with Joy & Todd telling "Big Table". They were teens having to sit at the little table at holiday gatherings, and thankfully the technicians ended the story pretty quickly. It wasn't going anywhere, and was borderline offensive with talk about elementary school age kids drinking alcohol, etc. Chris did a song called "Thou shalt not buy stuff", which was just ok. They did Emotions next, and this got the show going. Philip and Jenn just bought milk, and they both did a great job moving between the various emotions called for them in this silly scene! They closed with an embarrassing story about a woman who dove into the pool and lost her top at a big family gathering. We talked to the cast after the show, and soon were seated for the next one.
The 9:15 cast was Philip, Todd, John, Chris, & Joy. They opened with a cute poem called "Marriage Sucks". I wouldn't want to be the guy who called that out, lol! They created a Fill in the Blank scene using the entire audience - John & Philip were in a nursery school. The audience was pretty slow to fill in the blanks - I think they just wanted to sit and listen! It was a funny scene, as expected with John & Philip being the creators. Next they did This is Your Life, with Philip interviewing a lady to remember her first kiss, jumping on the bed to wake up her dad as a kid, winning a teaching award, and one other scene. This structure is almost always very funny, and tonight was no exception. Next Joy rang the bell in Should Have Said, where Philip, Todd & John were involved with a genie's lamp that had already been rubbed. We hung out inside talking to Todd after the show, and then were joined by Patty and a couple of her cousins who were in town visiting.
The 10:30 cast was Mary, Jenn, John, Joy & Todd. They did Song Cue, with Mary & Joy creating a scene as people cleaning a zamboni machine. It was a cute scene, although I didn't care for the rock song (too much screaming). They did "I don't have a license" as a country song, "You take the whole thing" as a rock song, and "I've rubbed every spot of it" as a reggae song. Next they tortured Todd in Cliché, which was fun. He struggled to guess his location (trash can), but did pretty well guessing "I'm going to strip you naked and hide your clothes." Several people left during the show, letting the door slam behind them rudely. Cliché was going well, so I didn't understand why they felt they had to walk out like that. I wasn't sticking around for the next show, so I said goodnight to Patty & Mary, then Leesa walked me out to the PI gate.
I was back at OKW in no time, in my very warm studio! Today wasn't the best day - between the damp rainy weather this morning, being put in a smoke-smelling room at first, and then feeling a little under the weather for a while, it was the kind of day I don't really care to repeat! I did enjoy the MK attractions and the lack of crowds there, had a great lunch at Captain Jack's, and would have enjoyed the Comedy Warehouse shows more if I'd been feeling better.
DAY 4 MONDAY JANUARY 19, 2004:
Who: Sue, DVC Member
Leesa, Comedy Warehouse regular
Pete & Judy, DVC friends from NJ
Plan: Magic Kingdom, Lunch at LeCellier, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: I woke up after 9am, and definitely wasn't going to the Magic Kingdom this morning. I felt better, but still weak. I'd forgotten to charge the cell phone overight, so I plugged that in for a while and took my time getting ready for the day. Breakfast was the rest of the magic cookie bar --yikes, is that thing sweet - and some cappuccino. Leesa had given me an extra advil last night, so I took that, figuring once it kicked in I would be almost good as new.
Around 11 I walked out to the bus stop and took the bus to Epcot. Epcot was much less crowded than it was on my last trip over New Years! Spaceship Earth had a 10 minute wait, Test Track 60 minutes, and Mission Space 55 minutes. Everything else was basically a walk-on. I decided to walk around World Showcase, which gave me just enough time before meeting Pete & Judy at LeCellier at noon.
They were there already, and we had a wonderful lunch. Pete & Judy are such nice people, and it's always a pleasure spending time with them. They shared a beef tenderloin salad and soup, while I got the soup. Judy & I got the riesling and Pete ordered a Canadian Coke. Our server was very good - not intrusive, yet we never had to wait for anything we needed. I used my Disney Dining Experience card and Pete & Judy bought my lunch - thanks again!
We decided to walk off lunch, so we rode back in their car to OKW, changed into shorts, and met at the beginning of the path next to building 55. Last May we'd walked the trail past the Saratoga Springs construction out to the main road and into Downtown Disney, and planned to do the same today. Once we got to the golf course pro shop it started to rain, but we were prepared with ponchos and umbrella. The first Saratoga building was very visible from where we were, and Pete took a couple of pictures. We really liked the colors - it's going to be a pretty resort, and I look forward to staying there at some point.
We kept walking, ducking into the entrance of the old Cinema to get out of the rain for a few minutes. We could see through the windows, and it was kind of sad to see the building so empty. A little further along the gates were open and we could see the construction of the main themed pool. Pete stepped inside to take a few pictures while Judy & I waited on the street, and soon we heard an angry man yelling at Pete. "You can't take pictures here - Who are you working for??" I was LOL - Pete's standing there in a yellow Mickey poncho and this guy thinks he's working for a competitor or something? I'm not sure if Pete told him he worked for the phone company in NJ <g>. Anyway, we got thrown out of there and had to go back the way we'd come. The guy said it was not possible to walk out to the main road, but he was full of crap, as cars drive in from the main road to get to the golf course.
When we got back to the pro shop we could see the parking lot behind Cirque and debated whether to walk that short section of the golf path to get there, finally deciding to go ahead and take our chances at getting yelled at again. This time nobody bothered us <g> and we walked around Downtown Disney for a while until we were tired of the rain. It was heavy at times, and it made us quite chilly in our shorts! We waited at the Marketplace bus stop and caught the bus back to OKW - it was the last resort to arrive, of course. We agreed to meet later at PI.
I got caught up online, updated the report, and changed into warmer clothes. Sometime after General Hospital ended I drove over to Premium Outlets and went to Character Premiere but didn't see anything I had to buy. I was back in time for the local news & weather, and just relaxed in the studio until it was time to get to Pleasure Island.
Since it was getting chilly I waited until fairly late to head out. After getting my wristband I met Leesa inside the Virgin store and relaxed on a comfortable couch for a while. We met Pete & Judy at 8 and entered PI with them, then ran into Jason at the back door so he joined our group as well. Carol Stein was on the keys tonight.
The 8:20 cast was Mary, John, Joy, Todd & Brian. The opening phone interview was with an older lady (married 34 years) from Long Island whose husband is a mason. Brian's verse was "After 34 years at least the bricks get laid" - you can always count on him to push the limits and shock people, but I love it! They did Emotions, with Joy & John in a ballroom that was to be the site of their wedding. It was pretty funny, and Brian came in as the wedding planner. They did Up Your Alley next, using an audience volunteer who is an expert on basketball. Mary was the host Carol Manning, an obvious parody of Carol Channing & done very well. When she told the audience to say "Up yours, Carol" whenever she said the name of the show, Carol Stein didn't look too happy - but it was probably just an act since she's far too professional to take it as a personal comment, especially when Mary was obviously Carol Channing <g>. Brian was Tamara Dribblesmore, a girl in the WNBA. Todd was PJ Wilcot, an accountant who decided to make himself eligible for the NBA draft because he likes the lifestyle. It had some funny moments, but it went a little longer than I cared for - sometimes a structure just needs to end quickly. Overall though, it was a good show, especially for the first one of the night. We talked to Todd and then Brian between shows, catching up with them.
The 9:15 cast was Philip, Mary, Brian, Joy & John. They opened with a poem called "This Sucks", which thankfully didn't suck <g>. Mary & Philip created a Song Cue scene where he had a hernia and she could heal with her hands but then would end up with whatever she'd healed the other person of. It was wild - absolute nuts, and very funny. Mary ended up with a hernia, herpes, and all the "h" diseases, until the supreme healer (Brian) came in and healed her. They gave a name, but it meant nothing to me although I figure many other people caught the significance. For songs they did "I will not let you down" as classic rock, "Better her than me" as a metal song, and "We could work together" in the style of jazz. It was a great scene, and lots of fun to watch.
Next they tortured Brian in Cliché. He had to guess he was in the foreign language section of a library, and got that much faster than John thought he would. John was telling the audience we'd be there for days, lol. The cliché was "Oh how the hoover doth suck" and Brian figured it out on his own towards the end. It was great, as always, and overall this entire show was excellent! Pete & Judy left after this show, as did Jason, so it was down to Leesa & me for the next one.
The 10:30 cast was Philip, Mary, Matt, Brian & Todd. The opening phone interview was with a college program kid from Sheridan, Wyoming. As usual, the college kids were boisterous and bordering on obnoxious, but I've seen them far worse in the past. The most annoying thing is they keep yelling out stuff like "porn" and then cheering each other as if that's the most witty thing said all night (gag). I don't have any problem with porn - I have a problem with people acting like idiots about porn <g>.
They did Styles, where the scene switches between different styles of tv, movies, theater, etc. Todd & Matt were doing laundry, and I must have been laughing too hard to take notes because all I'd written down was "very good". I don't recall the details, though. Schmeopardy was next, hosted by Matt as Alex Quack Quack wearing a wild black wig. Mary was A.T. Anti, a foreign operator working in the US. Philip was Ivan, a taxi driver from the Ukrane. Brian stole the show as Lerlea du Shuck (no idea how it's spelled), a coal miner's daughter and the prettiest girl in Sheridan Wyoming! He wore the big flowery dress, fake boobs, and ended up being a fairly nasty (slutty) girl of course. It was a fun Schmeopardy, and overall the show was very good. Mary stopped by on her way to her meeting, Leesa & I talked to a few other people, then she walked me out.
I love the short ride "home" to OKW, and getting the big "Welcome Home" from the security guard each night. At Pop Century they had some surly punk of a guy working, so needless to say there wasn't any "Welcome Home" there. Back in the studio I toasted up half of the bagel I'd brought from home, not wanting to bring it back to Ft Myers! I discovered the refrigerator was not even on, so my cream cheese was warm but didn't smell bad. I don't understand why they'd shut the fridge off - that makes no sense to me. Most people use them, and if someone doesn't, I'm still willing to pay for the little bit of electricity it would cost to leave it on!
Today was a nice day. I really enjoyed spending the day with Pete & Judy, eating at my favorite restaurant and almost getting thrown out of Saratoga Springs <g>. Comedy Warehouse was great, especially the 2nd show, and it was nice spending some time with Jason as well. I wish it was less rainy & more warm, but that's the risk of coming in January!
DAY 5 TUESDAY JANUARY 20, 2004:
Who: Sue, DVC Member
Plan: Magic Kingdom, drive home
Actual: I got up at 7:15, showered, finished the bagel with some cappuccino, and when I got offline I found a message from Patti/Pebbie from last night! I wished I'd gotten it last night, but didn't want to call her room so early this morning. I was going to drive over to AKL and leave my car there since I'd end the day with lunch at Mara (provided they have some soup worth eating), saw every other bus except the MK one and realized it would be coming any minute. So, instead I parked at the Hospitality House and the MK bus pulled in just as I got to the bus stop! I ended up walking into MK right at 9am, instead of losing at least 30 minutes or more to commuting to/from AKL.
My first stop was Space Mountain to get a fastpass for 10:05, and from there I walked over to Frontierland. I was able to ride Big Thunder twice with no wait, and enjoyed both rides. I walked back towards Fantasyland, and Peter Pan had nobody in line so I rode that. The Pooh ride had a fairly long wait so I didn't bother with that - I walked over to Tomorrowland and rode the TTA to kill the time until my fastpass window opened. At 10:05 I went into Space Mountain, and thought the ride was really rough today - I felt like I was going to end up with a headache, and I never get headaches! I decided once was enough today, so I headed out of the park. The OKW bus took a while to come, and then I was the only passenger going back to the resort.
I picked up my car and drove to Animal Kingdom Lodge. At Mara I asked about today's soup but it was one I don't like. Their everyday soups are butternut squash and the chicken pepperpot, so I got a bowl of the chicken pepperpot. I also got a yogurt/granola thing, some zebra domes & chocolate mousse crunch things, and a brownie for Chris. I probably looked like white trash filling my little cooler with ice, but it was the only safe way to transport the yogurt 3 hours back to Ft Myers!
The soup was good - and felt good on my throat. When I finished eating I began the drive home, which was tiring but uneventful. I stopped to workout with a friend on the way home, getting that out of the way so I wouldn't have to go back out.
SUMMARY:
Except for not feeling well part of the time, this was a very nice trip. I'm very glad I tried Pop Century and really enjoyed my stay. I've got 3 more short reservations there in the next couple of months and I'm looking forward to returning. One funny thing I overheard - after the Wishes fireworks at the MK the Pop Century bus stop had the biggest line. A woman in front of me said to her husband "this resort has the longest line for the bus" and her husband said "well, it IS the ghetto" <g> She corrected him, saying "no, the All Stars are the ghetto". I didn't say anything <g>.
Wishes is a great fireworks show, and definitely worth seeing. It's fairly short, so for me it's not worth giving up a night at the Comedy Warehouse but if I can see it with my car on a night they run it at 7pm I may go back to see it again later this year. Most likely I'll be on the Contemporary Resort observation deck, so I can make a hasty exit.
My first OKW studio was such a disappointment due to the disgusting cigarette smell. It's completely unacceptable, and I'll deal with OKW directly when I get my guest survey card. The 2nd studio was fine, and thank goodness one was available since that was the day I was feeling the worst!
Comedy Warehouse was fun, and I saw some very good shows. The photos won't get uploaded for another day or 2, when I've got more energy. Meeting up with Pete & Judy was great, too - but now I'll have to look forward to the next time we're at WDW at the same time.
I'm sick and tired of the drive (or perhaps just sick….and tired <g>), so I'm looking forward to staying home the next 2 weekends and not setting foot anywhere near the car! I go back to Pop Century for 1 night in early February to catch some Comedy Warehouse shows while my friends Kathy & Den are visiting from Minnesota, and then Sheila & I are embarking on the 3-day Wonder cruise.
Until next time - thanks for reading.
Sue Holland