Trip Reports
02-21-2007, 09:10 PM
Sue Holland - November 2005
Time of Year: Holiday
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: Offsite
Accommodations: Standard rooms
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran, DVC Member
Comments: Here's a shocker, due to an unexpected hole in her social calendar, Sue ended up visiting Walt Disney World over the Thanksgiving holiday but without doing a whole lot of planning for it.
Sue Holland -- November 2005 - Walt Disney World (Offsite)
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 (47), DVC member
Dates: November 23 - 27, 2005
Resort: Hampton Inn Lake Buena Vista
INTRODUCTION:
This trip was relatively unplanned, and very short notice (for me). Normally my trips are booked 11 months in advance, and planned even longer than that. I typically spend the Thanksgiving holiday weekend at WDW (usually at Villas at Wilderness Lodge), but since SB (sexy boyfriend) and I were here for Food & Wine Festival earlier this month I didn’t think he’d want to be back in WDW so soon (but never asked). As it turned out, something came up and he ended up being out of town for the rest of November, including Thanksgiving. Rather than face the prospect of being home without him on Thanksgiving, I decided I might be in better spirits up at WDW. Unfortunately, not a single dvc unit was available in any of the resorts, and I didn’t have any better luck calling CRO repeatedly for non-dvc rooms. So, I ended up at the Hampton Inn Lake Buena Vista. I stayed there just after it opened, and it’s one of the nicer Hampton Inns I’ve seen. It’s also close to WDW and I don’t have to deal with either I-4 or highway 192. Best of all, I’ll rack up more Hilton Honors points, which we’ll be redeeming for a 2-night stay in New York City this July.
I’d hoped to spend some time reading a trashy novel by the pool, but it looks like the weather forecast has canceled those plans! It’s expected to be only around 70 degrees or so most days, with chilly evenings. It will be busy, due to the holiday! Since I’m “offsite scum” (kidding – don’t bother writing to chastise me) I will avoid whichever park might be opening early that day for Extra Magic Hour. I booked my favorite restaurant (LeCellier) for lunch, but booked it for Friday since my Disney Dining Discount isn’t given on holidays. On Thanksgiving I’ll head to either Wolfgang Puck’s Café or Portabello Yacht Club since I have a $10 certificate that expires this Sunday. I’ve never been one who gave a crap about a turkey dinner just because it’s Thanksgiving, so I’m sure I won’t be eating a “traditional” meal. I like turkey – I just prefer it cooked at home instead of in a restaurant.
One thing I do enjoy, and something I hope to show SB one of these years, is the holiday décor in the parks. I always enjoy the Osborne Lights and was glad to see they run a bit longer this year. I’ll see them this trip, and hopefully SB & I will get there together when we’re back in early January. I also love those lights in Epcot, and will make it a point to be there some evening. I may also pop over to Comedy Warehouse for a show or 2 some night, but it’s not a huge priority for this trip. My Comedy Warehouse buddy Leesa is out of town, and I’m thinking in order to get to the parks early in the morning I will probably skip staying out late at night.
The current plans (subject to change) so far...
Wed 11/23: Work, Drive to WDW, Possible Comedy Warehouse
Thu 11/24: MK, Nice lunch, Osborne Lights
Fri 11/25: Outlets, Epcot, LeCellier
Sat 11/26: MK, AK?, Possible Comedy Warehouse
Sun 11/27: AK or Earl of Sandwich, Drive home
DAY 1 WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 23, 2005:
Who: Sue (47), DVC Member
Plan: Work, Drive to WDW, Possible Comedy Warehouse
Actual: I was able to start driving mid-afternoon and made it up to WDW without any real trouble. It was a bit nerve-wracking with so many other cars on the road, but given the fact that it’s the day before Thanksgiving it could have been much worse! SB called a few times while I was driving, and he was experiencing similar or worse traffic up north (mid-Atlantic states), so it must have been the holiday. I made a quick stop at OKW to pick up something there, then drove over to the Hampton Inn Lake Buena Vista to check in. I’d stayed at this hotel shortly after they opened several years ago, and knew that it was a clean, comfortable alternative to not being here at all <g>. Check in was a breeze, and I was in my room unpacking by 6pm.
I have a king accessible room, which is all that was available when I booked. I’m on one of the 2 floors that has refrigerator & microwave in addition to the coffee maker. I’m not sure I’ll use either, but it’s nice to have “just in case”. The fitness center is downstairs by the elevator, so I’ll most likely just use the treadmill there for my jogging this stay. I got online briefly while watching the news to catch the local weather, then headed over to Downtown Disney to wander around a while. On my way out I stopped at the fitness center to check out the treadmill, and could not get it to work. There was a sign on it saying to place a magnet in a certain spot. I went to the front desk, where they’d just put out a large gray of cookies! It would be rude to not take one, so I took a chocolate cookie with reese’s pieces and asked the staff about the treadmill. They gave me a magnet (what the heck isup with that??) and I went back to see if I could get the treadmill working. I failed, so it was back to the front desk again. This time the other staff accompanied me back to the fitness center and discovered the plug wasn’t stuck into the outlet all the way <g>. He told me I could drop the magnet off at the front desk when I was finished – which surprised me. I was wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, and munching on a big cookie – I don’t think I looked like someone who was going to run a few miles, lol! I ended up going out a different door so I wouldn’t have to pass him <g>.
The drive to Downtown Disney was pretty easy, although there’s a lot more stuff on this Palm Parkway than there used to be! I parked at Pleasure Island and walked over to the Marketplace, figuring I’d get the tortilla soup from Wolfgang Puck’s Express for dinner. I hadn’t counted on the line extending well outside of the building, though. After standing in line for a few minutes I realized this was stupid – there’s no way it’s worth standing in line for a long period just to get food. I wasn’t THAT hungry! I wandered around through some of the shops, but it was almost unbearable dealing with the crowds, the endless stream of strollers, and the noise-for-no-reason young children shrieking. There were long lines at every register, so I knew I wasn’t going to be buying anything. At Goofy’s Candy Co I saw a Christmas tree-shaped rice krispie treat that I thought was pretty cute, but I didn’t buy it (then). At Ghiradelli I got a caramel square sample, and since it was still in the wrapper I threw it in my bag for later. I wanted to buy some candy there, but the store was so crowded I decided to do that Sunday morning before I leave (when it will be uncrowded). I browsed in a few more stores, then returned to Goofy’s Candy Co to buy that rice krispie tree for dinner later at the hotel (hey – cereal is real food).
Eventually it was time to head to Pleasure Island, and once there I went to the Adventurer’s Club to get my wrist band. I spotted Dave downstairs so I went down to join him and we hung out there until it was time for the first show. Like me, his sweetie was out of town, and we both seemed glad to have the company! Jamie was on the keys tonight, and opened the show with his Rocky Top song (my favorite thing he does). The 8:15 cast was Brian, Lisa, Joy, Mary & Jake. Joy & Mary did a Fill in the Blank scene using 2 audience volunteers. They were sisters baking something, with Joy the “pretty” one who also had a Porky Pig tattoo on her face to look like their mother. Mary was the “ugly” one, meaning she had no strange tattoo or other freakish thing wrong with her other than the fact that she’s stolen 16 babies from other people <g>. Brian came in with a tattoo of a butthole on his face. Mary felt the others didn’t treat her right, so she left to follow her dream of living in a double wide trailer. It was a funny scene, and everyone did a great job.
They also did Up Your Alley, with Mary as host Yolanda. The topic was eggnog, and it was quite funny! Brian was Sidney, owner of the only eggnog bar. Lisa was hysterical as LuAnne, with Mothers Against Eggnog, who claims eggnog is devil juice and anyone who drinks it is a sinner. She called Mary devil woman and warned her she’d be burning in hell. Jake was wearing a big yellow chicken costume, and was Bessie – a genetically engineered Chick-cow. He produces both the eggs and the milk to make eggnog. The entire show was just great, especially for the first show of the night with such a small audience (less than half full). Dave had mentioned the shows have been especially good lately, and tonight certainly lived up to that. He stuck around for the next show, but I really just wanted to get back to the hotel and spend some time with SB online. I told Dave I’d come out for the first show tomorrow – I wasn’t planning to, but I should be able to get there in time after seeing the Osborne Lights. I waited for Mary and chatted with her a while, then headed out to the car and returned to the Hampton Inn.
SB was waiting for me, so we instant messaged a while. I finished up the report while watching the local news, set the alarm for tomorrow, and made it an early night. Today went well, and I’m glad to be here for another Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Tomorrow should be fairly busy, but that’s the whole idea of this trip!
DAY 2 THURSDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2005:
Who: Sue (47), DVC Member
Plan: MK, Nice lunch, Osborne Lights
Actual: HAPPY THANKSGIVING – unless you happen to be a turkey <g>. This morning I woke up with the alarm at 5:45 wishing I could have slept much later! The room was quiet last night, and the bed was comfortable – a good combination. I dressed and went down to the fitness center, where I did 2 miles on the treadmill. It’s a strange treadmill in the sense that it doesn’t track distance for you. I had to enter a specific pace, then I knew when I got to the right number of minutes I’d finished the 2 miles. It also has a little fan built in, which is a nice touch! I went back up to the room to shower and get ready for the day.
The breakfast downstairs was better than expected. In addition to the usual continental breakfast offerings (pastry, bagels, muffins, cereal, fruit, yogurt, beverages) they also had cheesy scrambled eggs, sausage patties and warm croissants. Since dinner last night was a rice krispie treat and SB wanted me to eat a decent (in his talk that means BIG) breakfast this morning, I fixed a plate with some eggs, a sausage patty and a croissant. I took it back to the room, where I’d already made a cup of English toffee cappuccino. Everything tasted great, and it hit the spot! By 8 I was ready to head out, driving over to Saratoga Springs since I refuse to drive to the Magic Kingdom and will be ending the first portion of my day in the Downtown Disney area. I purposely park away from the buildings, and my car will be gone from the parking lot long before most guests return from the parks with their cars (actually parking wasn’t a problem today – lots of empty spaces). I rode the bus to Magic Kingdom, arriving around 9. Yes, it took an hour to get there because I think I just missed the bus at Saratoga and it was a long wait for the next one.
It was mobbed, but I think I got through security and the turnstiles faster than I ever have. They had a cast member telling people to move down to use ALL turnstiles, which avoided the huge lines at the first bunch (it amazes me that people will blindly stand in a long line when they could breeze right in if they’d only wake up and pay attention to their surroundings). I went straight to Space Mountain, which appeared to have not opened yet as of 9:10 because the line extended back under the Tomorrowland Transit Authority! I got a fastpass with a return time of 10:15, and headed to Fantasyland hoping to hit a few things we skipped earlier this month. I was able to walk right onto the Pooh ride, and even had the honeypot to myself. Next up was Peter Pan’s Flight, which had a short wait but it was noticeably longer by the time I got out of there. It was almost 9:30 at this point so I headed to Big Thunder and basically walked right onto that (they had both sides open). I was even lucky enough to get the last seat!
Next I walked onto Pirates of the Caribbean, then backtracked to the Haunted Mansion. There was about a 2-minute wait there, which wasn’t bad. The ride stopped just as I was seated, but it started up again soon. At this point I’d done just about everything I wanted to do, so I walked back to Tomorrowland. The wait at the Indy race cars was posted as 90 minutes!! It was definitely very crowded at the park by now, and time for me to be getting out of there. I used my fastpass for Space Mountain, and enjoyed the ride. My last stop was riding the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (with a wait) before heading out of the park. In the candy store on Main Street they were giving out samples of the pink hot chocolate, so I enjoyed one of those (it actually tastes good, but at $11/can I can live without <g>).
I rode the boat over to the Grand Floridian and looked at the Christmas decorations. The gingerbread house looks the same, but the tree is decorated differently (better) since my last visit. Gone are those giant bird cages and mirrors that were hanging on the tree! I took a couple of pictures to show SB, then rode the monorail over to the Contemporary. There wasn’t much holiday décor there, which seems pretty typical. The line for the monorail was long, so I walked back to the Magic Kingdom bus area. Once again I just missed the bus for Saratoga Springs and it was a very long wait for the next one. I saw multiples of most other resorts before my bus arrived. SB called, so that helped pass the time. Finally I was on the bus, talked to SB again, and got off at the Congress Park stop at Saratoga. I walked over to Downtown Disney, and SB called as I was passing through Pleasure Island. I explained I was walking a LOT today since when he was with me last time I tried to strike a balance between me who likes to walk and him who hates to walk <g>. He said it didn’t make sense (to walk when it’s not absolutely necessary) but I expected that. I sat on a bench by the lake while talking to him, then when we were finished I walked over to Wolfgang Puck’s Café.
I was seated right away, and got a nice table outside by the lake. I had a nice view of Saratoga Springs and the lake, and it was very pleasant out there. Their menu had changed slightly since my last visit, including the field greens salad I intended to order. It used to be $7.95 and was now listed as a side salad for $4.95. My server said I could get either size, and I decided to go with the smaller one but added chicken to it along with a glass of pinot grigio. Everything was very good – and I was pretty much stuffed by the time I finished, so no dessert for me. Their desserts are so big I’d need somebody to share it anyway. I addressed most of the envelopes for this year’s Christmas cards while I waited for my lunch, getting that out of the way.
After lunch I walked back to Saratoga Springs and then drove back to the Hampton Inn, I got online, updated the report, watched General Hospital (they were showing an old episode – that makes no sense to me) and talked to SB. Around 5:15 I left the hotel and drove over to Disney MGM Studios to see the Osborne Lights. When I started the car the “service engine” light came on and did not go off. After checking the manual I learned I need to take it in for service, although it does not appear to be an immediate crisis since the light is not blinking. I certainly don’t want to risk driving 200+ miles home like this, though.
At the Studios I rode the tram in from the parking lot, and found entering this park also went very quickly. More people were leaving than coming, even though the park was open until 10 tonight. I stopped at Guest Services and got the hours and phone number of the AAA Car Care Center on Disney property, so I can call them in the morning. Once that was done I headed back to the Osborne Lights area and arrived just as the short little announcements were starting. It was “snowing” and VERY crowded! However, it was not too hard navigating through the crowd, especially as a solo person. It looked the same as I remembered from last year, except for an area set up for character greetings that I didn’t notice last year. It didn’t take too long to get through the area, so I stopped and rode Star Tours (walk on) before leaving the park to catch the tram back to my car.
I headed over to Downtown Disney, stopping for the bargain gas at the Hess station over there (around $.20/gallon cheaper than home). The parking lots were a nightmare, and the lot I usually park in was full – as was the next one. I kept driving until I found a spot, leery of what crowds I was going to find on Pleasure Island! I wandered around the West Side, and it was not really busy at all. I went to the Marketplace, and even that wasn’t as busy as last night, although there were a lot of people. I swear everyone must have come in separate cars or something tonight! I spent a little time sitting upstairs in the Adventurer’s Club, but didn’t see Dave. Around 8 I went over to Comedy Warehouse for the first show.
Carol Stein was on the keys tonight, and the 8:15 cast was Brian, Robby, Lisa, Krista & John. I couldn’t take many notes, as the light on my row wasn’t working and I couldn’t see my paper. They opened with a poem called “No alcohol please”, and then John & Robby did a Fill in the Blank scene using the entire audience. They were workers in the red light district in Amsterdam, and John was going to leave for Dayton and Mexico. It was a strange but funny scene. Next was Forgotten Songs, and all 3 were outstanding. Brian was hysterical as a very nerdy guy named Bill singing in a sort of bad lounge singer style about himself, in a song called “Ten Dollar Bill”. He was wearing an awful plaid blazer, curly brown wig and big glasses, and would pose seductively trying to flirt with the women in the audience – it was great! John & Lisa were also great as a couple of hippies from a commune, singing “Where Seaweed Grows”. As we all learned, seaweed grows in their armpits, between their legs, under the pantyhose John wore, and in his nose <g>. Krista and Robby were funny as 2 desperate singles in a bar at the end of the night, singing “Honky Tonk Hell”. Unfortunately, even with excessive alcohol they still weren’t looking cute to each other, and that was their “hell”.
They also did Career Day, where the audience gives occupations and each actor steps forward and is and example of the worst worker in that profession. They did teacher, mason, dolphin trainer, lawyer, mechanic, etc. It was fast-moving and funny, and overall the show was excellent from start to finish. Ok, so why would I leave when the first show of the night was so strong?? I loved the show, but wanted to spend time with SB online (if I wasn’t living it, I’d be gagging too <g>). I drove back to the Hampton Inn, picked up a chocolate chip cookie for dinner, and went up to the room. I finished up the report, and spent about an hour instant messaging with SB before downloading the photos I’d taken today.
Overall it wasn’t a bad day, although I hope I’m still saying that after I find out what the car’s problem is! My time at the Magic Kingdom was great, and I enjoyed getting out to do all the walking. Lunch at Puck’s was terrific too, and I’m glad the Comedy Warehouse show was so funny. I needed the laughs at that point!
DAY 3 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 25, 2005:
Who: Sue (47), DVC Member
Plan: Outlets, Epcot, LeCellier
Actual: I was up with the alarm at 5:45 again, having slept well. I showered & dressed quickly, then spent time with SB online while I had my cappuccino. Around 7 I drove over to Premium Outlets, where I found the parking lot almost full already! The crowds weren’t bad, so I guess everyone parked in the front lot, which made it look like it was going to be awful. I called the car care center, and then called Sheila. She & her fiancé Jerry are coming up today, and they’ll call when they get closer (thinking I may know something about the car by then). The only store I went into was Character Premiere, where I found the needed shirt for my Dad and a couple of shirts for SB. One is from the World of Disney in New York City, and we have great memories of our trip to NYC this past year (and will be back in 2006). I was out of there by 7:30, on my way back to the Hampton Inn.
Breakfast today was French toast and sausage patties – no eggs, no biscuits. I wasn’t overly impressed with it today. I took a couple slices of French toast and went up to the room. The crusts were pretty hard, so I ate the inside of the bread, updated the report and then figured I might as well head to the Car Care Center. I brought a book along, to help pass the time. I arrived at the Car Care Center shortly after 8, and got the paperwork done. They weren’t going to be able to get it in until 10, so I asked for a ride to the TTC instead of sitting there waiting. Once at the TTC they held people until about 8:45 before letting them in to access the transportation. I rode the monorail to Epcot, arriving just about 9am.
It was pretty quick getting into the park, but once inside I ran into a huge crowd headed to the Land. The entire inside was already filled in, and the whole walkway outside was shoulder-to-shoulder packed with people all the way down to the bottom of the hill! It was insane! Cast members were stationed to make sure everyone went the same way, and it was creeping along. After I got inside and was standing still for a little while I decided to just forget it – I couldn’t see waiting a long time to get a fastpass! A cast member cautioned me it would only get worse, but I figured I’d let this initial rush die down. He said fastpasses would most likely all be gone by 10:30 – yikes! I left anyway, and went to the Living Seas for a short period. There just isn’t anything in there of interest to me anymore – fish just don’t do it for me <g>. They no longer have the hydrolaters, and the ride’s been gone for years now. I guess even the movie/preshow is gone now, unless they are redoing it. In any event, I don’t think I was in there more than 10 minutes.
I returned to the Land, and this time didn’t become part of a crowd until I was inside the doors at least! It moved fairly steadily, and I was able to get a fast pass for 11:36. After all that, I ended up not even using it <g>! Sheila & Jerry were due to arrive around 10:30 or so, and it didn’t look good for their chances of riding. I walked on Living With the Land, and when I got off that the Soarin’ fastpasses were now 2 hours later (1:30) than the time on mine from 20 minutes ago. The standby wait time (this was around 9:30-9:45) was already over an hour.
I decided to try the single rider line at Test Track, and the Car Care place called while I was on the ride (during the brakes test). I called them back when I got off and away from the (noisy) attraction. Evidently the problem is something that can wait until I get the car home, as the Saturn dealership is better equipped to fix it. The guy assured me it would absolutely no harm to continue driving until I got back home.
I’d called Disney Dining earlier, and called them again now. My lunch reservation was at 12:50 for a party of 1. I tried to get a party of 3 in anytime for lunch today, but they were completely booked. When I called back I was thinking I’d skip it today if I could book tomorrow – but they were completely booked for all of lunch tomorrow too. I figured they held a few tables back for walk-ups, so we figured we’d give it a try once Sheila & Jerry arrived. I sat & talked to my friend Roxanne, making plans for later in the day. Epcot was absolutely mobbed – I don’t think I’ve ever seen it like this except for that really awful week between Christmas and New Year’s. I thought about riding Spaceship Earth, but the line was huge and snaked around on both sides – no thanks! I ended up just sitting near the entrance waiting for the others to arrive. They finally got there about 11, and discovered a problem with their passes. They’d bought FL Resident Seasonal passes last weekend, used them 1 day, and today realized the cast member mistakenly printed them as 1-day passes! They had to go to Guest Relations, where it got fixed quickly after they got through the very long line (about 30 minutes of waiting). Whew!
We walked back to LeCellier, arriving about noon. I explained I had a 12:50 ADR for 1 person and asked if they could take a party of 3 – and luckily they could. By 5 minutes later they were telling people they were not accepting any more walk-ups, so we were just in time! We ended up being seated by 12:30, which worked out great. Jerry had never been there, but really enjoyed it. He got the open face steak sandwich, which he said was excellent. Sheila got the steakburger and a chocolate-raspberry smoothie (yummy). I had a glass of wine and the cheese soup – my usual. We had a great lunch, and wonderful conversation. We shared a kids’ chocolate mousse for dessert and were all stuffed when we rolled out of there.
While I was inside LeCellier I noticed the cell phone said “no service” and when I got outside there were text messages and 4 voice mails – SB was frantic wondering why I wasn’t answering his calls. Sheila & Jerry left to walk off lunch, and I found a shady spot to sit and talk with SB for about an hour before finally leaving Epcot to take the monorail back to the TTC. Once there I walked to the kennel (I could smell the dogs – yuck – not dirty, just doggy), where they called the Car Care Center for my transport and I sat out front waiting for the driver to get there. After picking up the car I drove back to the Hampton Inn and had about an hour to relax & talk to SB before it was time to go meet Roxanne. I couldn’t believe I was gone for such a long portion of the day and all I did was Living Seas and Living with the Land!
I met Roxanne outside the Turf Club (lounge) at Saratoga Springs a little before 5. I love it in there – SB and I had a wonderful relaxing, quiet evening in there last month. Roxanne & I were the only ones there for a while, and it was nice while it lasted <g>. We grabbed a table by the window, and were taken care of by the waiter on duty – wine for me, martinis for her. We left a couple of hours or so later only because several families had come and occupied the tables all around us and at least 2 separate families had babies who were literally screaming/crying at the top of their lungs! So much for atmosphere/ambiance in an “adult” setting. We figured we’d either be arrested for child abuse or leave, so we left. There were kids there when SB & I spent time there last month, but the kids were reasonably happy/behaving. Tonight it was just unbearable, and not expected (even though it’s Disney – it’s a damn lounge/bar).
We stopped in Artist’s Palette to buy snacks for later, then I dropped her off at Downtown Disney. She was meeting her family near Ghiradelli, so I pulled into the Disney bus entrance and told her “GET OUT, GET OUT”, lol. It was easier than fighting my way through the parking lot, and I managed to avoid causing a problem for any buses. It was great spending time with her – hopefully our trips will overlap again!
I thought about going to Epcot to see the lights, but I had a yogurt parfait that needed to go into the fridge. Once I got to the room I decided to save Epcot for tomorrow night, when I wouldn’t be rushing to get over there before they closed. I finished up the report and spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the room and spending some time with SB online. Today was a very busy day – shopping was a success, the car was a pain in the butt but resulted in relatively good news, lunch with Sheila & Jerry was great, and spending time with Roxanne was a nice way to finish up the day.
I’m not sure what tomorrow will bring. I’d like to visit Animal Kingdom, but they have extra magic hour in the morning so as offsite scum it doesn’t make much sense to go there. I could repeat the Magic Kingdom or maybe just go for Animal Kingdom and take my chances. We’ll see what I’m in the mood for in the morning!
DAY 4 SATURDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2005:
Who: Sue (me – 47), DVC Member
Plan: MK, AK?
Actual: Last night I checked the WDW website to see which attractions were open during the morning Extra Magic Hour at Animal Kingdom. It turned out to be just the safari, Pangani trail, and Tough to be a Bug. Knowing that, I felt good about heading over for the 9am opening to do Dinoland, knowing I would later get a fastpass for the safari and kill the waiting time by walking the Pangani Trail. There really wasn’t anything else I wanted to do there, so I should be in and out before it gets too terribly crowded.
I was up at 6, got dressed and did 2 miles on the treadmill in the fitness center. Before I went up to the room I checked the breakfast, and today it’s biscuits, sausage patties and eggs. I’ll have a good hearty breakfast sandwich and can snack on the yogurt I have in the room for a light lunch. It’s supposed to be a sunny 80 degrees today – I’m glad the original weather forecast improved so much! I showered, dressed, spent some time online, and had my breakfast and cappuccino. I ran into a fellow DVC member (Judy) down at the breakfast – very strange running into someone offsite, but it was great seeing her & meeting her daughter.
I left the room just before 8:30 and drove over to Animal Kingdom, getting to the entrance about 10 minutes before the park opened at 9. I quickly walked over to Dinoland and road Primeval Whirl with a short wait. The wait wasn’t much longer when I got off, but it’s such a long walk exiting the ride it wasn’t worth getting in line for a second time. Instead, I walked over to Dinosaur and found a big crowd there. The posted wait time was only 10 minutes, but the line extended out of the building and snaked through the queue area for quite a distance. It certainly looked like the wait would be longer than I cared to subject myself to, so I decided to skip Dinosaur this trip.
I walked back to Harambe, arriving about 9:30. The Safari fastpasses were for 10am, so I got one and then walked the Pangani Trail. A few of the family gorillas were down by the glass, but just laying around. The 14-year old bachelor was very visible on the other side, and I watched him for a little while. The others were nowhere to be seen. Most of the guests were well-behaved, except for the moron teaching his kid to say “ooh, ooh, ooh” to the gorilla while beating her chest and shouting “want a banana?” Some people just shouldn’t leave the house <g>.
When it was 10 am I did my safari, and we saw just about every animal except the black rhinos. It was a really good ride today. I decided to leave the park after the safari, as it was getting way too crowded for me. It always amazes me that people don’t get to the park when it opens! But I guess it’s better for people like me that they don’t! I walked back to the car and drove back to the Hampton Inn. It was a gorgeous sunny day so I changed into my swimsuit and spent 2.5 hours reading out at the pool. I had most of a yogurt parfait from Saratoga Springs last night, so I ate that for lunch. Eventually I came inside to update the report and spend some time online.
Shortly after 3 I decided to head to Epcot, but just then SB called again so I spent a half hour or so talking to him on the phone. Eventually I drove over to Beach Club Villas and walked into Epcot through the International Gateway. I was hungry and had seen a salad on China’s counter-service place that looked interesting, so I headed towards France and walked around World Showcase to China. I ordered the romaine salad with fried noodles, peanuts and a peanut butter vinaigrette dressing. It was a little weird – not bad, but not good enough to order again. I was hungry enough to eat the whole thing though, and at $4.50 it was a very reasonably priced meal.
After eating I continued walking around World Showcase and into Future World. I knew the fastpasses for Soarin were gone (from the tip board), so I knew not to even bother walking over that way! I wasn’t going to wait in the 90-minute standby line, either. I rode Spaceship Earth with a minimal wait, then stopped to check out the new Club Cool place. This is the coke place that replaced Ice Station Cool. They still have the soda samples and coke merchandise, but now also sell customized cups for your coke. I can’t stand soda, so I didn’t bother to taste anything – I just passed on through.
I headed back to World Showcase, this time starting in Mexico and made a 2nd loop through the countries. In Germany I got a glass of Riesling, which was very good. I found an empty bench and sat down with my wine, watching people pass by. I noticed Mark from the Comedy Warehouse was the German equivalent of Santa <g> but didn’t stay to watch the little spiel. Eventually I continued walking, then sat near France to watch the sunset and the lighting of the Christmas tree (from across the water). It was a beautiful night! Once the lights were on I headed back to see the Lights of Winter up close, and spent some time enjoying the lights and music over there. I ran into Dave & Janet & talked to them briefly, then started out on my 3rd loop around World Showcase. This time I stopped in Italy to get a glass of a sparkling red sweet wine, along with chocolate mousse. Nancy had recommended the mousse, and it was very good. I sat on a bench in Italy while I ate the mousse, then took my wine over to the USA and sat outside the American Adventure listening to the Christmas carols being sung at the Candlelight Processional. A man from south Florida struck up a conversation, so we chatted until I was ready to leave Epcot.
I headed back to the Beach Club Villas, got the car, and drove back to the Hampton Inn about 8pm. SB was online so we instant messaged a while before I finished up the report. The rest of the night was spent relaxing online.
DAY 5 SUNDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2005:
Who: Sue (me – 47), DVC Member
Plan: AK, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: I was up at 7 and went down to do 2 miles on the treadmill. After showering I spent some time online and finished packing up my stuff. It was just before 9 when I left the Hampton Inn and drove over the Marketplace in Downtown Disney. I needed some Ghiradelli for my office, so I stopped there first to buy a container of the foil-wrapped chocolate leaves. Unfortunately, they weren’t open! It was only 9:15, so I went to Earl of Sandwich and had a caprese sandwich before returning about 9:40. They still weren’t open, but the person working inside led me to believe it’d be any minute – that they were just waiting for the cashier to be ready. In reality, I think they may open at 10 because when the guy opened the door about 5 before 10 the other worker was chastising him for opening the door before he was supposed to. At that point there were a few other customers plus me in the store, and we weren’t leaving <g>. The leaves were gone, so I got foil wrapped stars, and it took forever to check out. The guy who opened the door early is clearly not the brightest or most efficient, as it took forever. The poor lady behind me had her arms full of stuff, so I moved my stuff over to make room for her stuff on the counter while we were waiting. Finally, I was out of there – not sure the chocolate was worth the wait & the headache, but at least it was done.
The drive home was pretty easy – no real traffic.
SUMMARY:
This was a good trip, and although it was last minute it was the right place to be this holiday weekend. The Hampton Inn was very comfortable, clean and quiet and I would gladly stay there again if it was in any other location. When I’m at WDW, I want to be staying onsite – no matter how close or how decent the offsite places are. It was a bit of a pain dealing with all the traffic and lights coming onto property, particularly in the Hotel Blvd and Downtown Disney area.
I’ve never seen the parks as busy over Thanksgiving weekend as they were this year! It’s normally busy, but it just felt mobbed this year. I’d do it again in the future, but would do so knowing my park time will be extremely limited. By being at a park when it opens, I can do all I need to do in about 1.5 hours, then leave to relax at a resort before going out for the evening.
It was nice having friends in town – lunch with Sheila & Jerry was fun, and I enjoyed spending time with Roxanne. Sheila & Jerry live here in Ft Myers, but we have to go 200 miles away to spend time together, lol!
My next trip isn’t until January. SB & I are spending 3 nights at OKW and then cruise on the Wonder for 4 nights. During the OKW portion of the trip I’ll be doing the Disney half-marathon one last time. I’ll be so glad when that’s behind me!
I did take a few photos – the album has Comedy Warehouse shots first, then a few from the Osborne Lights and other holiday décor. It can be found at here.
Until next time, thanks for reading!
Sue Holland
Time of Year: Holiday
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: Offsite
Accommodations: Standard rooms
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran, DVC Member
Comments: Here's a shocker, due to an unexpected hole in her social calendar, Sue ended up visiting Walt Disney World over the Thanksgiving holiday but without doing a whole lot of planning for it.
Sue Holland -- November 2005 - Walt Disney World (Offsite)
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 (47), DVC member
Dates: November 23 - 27, 2005
Resort: Hampton Inn Lake Buena Vista
INTRODUCTION:
This trip was relatively unplanned, and very short notice (for me). Normally my trips are booked 11 months in advance, and planned even longer than that. I typically spend the Thanksgiving holiday weekend at WDW (usually at Villas at Wilderness Lodge), but since SB (sexy boyfriend) and I were here for Food & Wine Festival earlier this month I didn’t think he’d want to be back in WDW so soon (but never asked). As it turned out, something came up and he ended up being out of town for the rest of November, including Thanksgiving. Rather than face the prospect of being home without him on Thanksgiving, I decided I might be in better spirits up at WDW. Unfortunately, not a single dvc unit was available in any of the resorts, and I didn’t have any better luck calling CRO repeatedly for non-dvc rooms. So, I ended up at the Hampton Inn Lake Buena Vista. I stayed there just after it opened, and it’s one of the nicer Hampton Inns I’ve seen. It’s also close to WDW and I don’t have to deal with either I-4 or highway 192. Best of all, I’ll rack up more Hilton Honors points, which we’ll be redeeming for a 2-night stay in New York City this July.
I’d hoped to spend some time reading a trashy novel by the pool, but it looks like the weather forecast has canceled those plans! It’s expected to be only around 70 degrees or so most days, with chilly evenings. It will be busy, due to the holiday! Since I’m “offsite scum” (kidding – don’t bother writing to chastise me) I will avoid whichever park might be opening early that day for Extra Magic Hour. I booked my favorite restaurant (LeCellier) for lunch, but booked it for Friday since my Disney Dining Discount isn’t given on holidays. On Thanksgiving I’ll head to either Wolfgang Puck’s Café or Portabello Yacht Club since I have a $10 certificate that expires this Sunday. I’ve never been one who gave a crap about a turkey dinner just because it’s Thanksgiving, so I’m sure I won’t be eating a “traditional” meal. I like turkey – I just prefer it cooked at home instead of in a restaurant.
One thing I do enjoy, and something I hope to show SB one of these years, is the holiday décor in the parks. I always enjoy the Osborne Lights and was glad to see they run a bit longer this year. I’ll see them this trip, and hopefully SB & I will get there together when we’re back in early January. I also love those lights in Epcot, and will make it a point to be there some evening. I may also pop over to Comedy Warehouse for a show or 2 some night, but it’s not a huge priority for this trip. My Comedy Warehouse buddy Leesa is out of town, and I’m thinking in order to get to the parks early in the morning I will probably skip staying out late at night.
The current plans (subject to change) so far...
Wed 11/23: Work, Drive to WDW, Possible Comedy Warehouse
Thu 11/24: MK, Nice lunch, Osborne Lights
Fri 11/25: Outlets, Epcot, LeCellier
Sat 11/26: MK, AK?, Possible Comedy Warehouse
Sun 11/27: AK or Earl of Sandwich, Drive home
DAY 1 WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 23, 2005:
Who: Sue (47), DVC Member
Plan: Work, Drive to WDW, Possible Comedy Warehouse
Actual: I was able to start driving mid-afternoon and made it up to WDW without any real trouble. It was a bit nerve-wracking with so many other cars on the road, but given the fact that it’s the day before Thanksgiving it could have been much worse! SB called a few times while I was driving, and he was experiencing similar or worse traffic up north (mid-Atlantic states), so it must have been the holiday. I made a quick stop at OKW to pick up something there, then drove over to the Hampton Inn Lake Buena Vista to check in. I’d stayed at this hotel shortly after they opened several years ago, and knew that it was a clean, comfortable alternative to not being here at all <g>. Check in was a breeze, and I was in my room unpacking by 6pm.
I have a king accessible room, which is all that was available when I booked. I’m on one of the 2 floors that has refrigerator & microwave in addition to the coffee maker. I’m not sure I’ll use either, but it’s nice to have “just in case”. The fitness center is downstairs by the elevator, so I’ll most likely just use the treadmill there for my jogging this stay. I got online briefly while watching the news to catch the local weather, then headed over to Downtown Disney to wander around a while. On my way out I stopped at the fitness center to check out the treadmill, and could not get it to work. There was a sign on it saying to place a magnet in a certain spot. I went to the front desk, where they’d just put out a large gray of cookies! It would be rude to not take one, so I took a chocolate cookie with reese’s pieces and asked the staff about the treadmill. They gave me a magnet (what the heck isup with that??) and I went back to see if I could get the treadmill working. I failed, so it was back to the front desk again. This time the other staff accompanied me back to the fitness center and discovered the plug wasn’t stuck into the outlet all the way <g>. He told me I could drop the magnet off at the front desk when I was finished – which surprised me. I was wearing jeans, a sweatshirt, and munching on a big cookie – I don’t think I looked like someone who was going to run a few miles, lol! I ended up going out a different door so I wouldn’t have to pass him <g>.
The drive to Downtown Disney was pretty easy, although there’s a lot more stuff on this Palm Parkway than there used to be! I parked at Pleasure Island and walked over to the Marketplace, figuring I’d get the tortilla soup from Wolfgang Puck’s Express for dinner. I hadn’t counted on the line extending well outside of the building, though. After standing in line for a few minutes I realized this was stupid – there’s no way it’s worth standing in line for a long period just to get food. I wasn’t THAT hungry! I wandered around through some of the shops, but it was almost unbearable dealing with the crowds, the endless stream of strollers, and the noise-for-no-reason young children shrieking. There were long lines at every register, so I knew I wasn’t going to be buying anything. At Goofy’s Candy Co I saw a Christmas tree-shaped rice krispie treat that I thought was pretty cute, but I didn’t buy it (then). At Ghiradelli I got a caramel square sample, and since it was still in the wrapper I threw it in my bag for later. I wanted to buy some candy there, but the store was so crowded I decided to do that Sunday morning before I leave (when it will be uncrowded). I browsed in a few more stores, then returned to Goofy’s Candy Co to buy that rice krispie tree for dinner later at the hotel (hey – cereal is real food).
Eventually it was time to head to Pleasure Island, and once there I went to the Adventurer’s Club to get my wrist band. I spotted Dave downstairs so I went down to join him and we hung out there until it was time for the first show. Like me, his sweetie was out of town, and we both seemed glad to have the company! Jamie was on the keys tonight, and opened the show with his Rocky Top song (my favorite thing he does). The 8:15 cast was Brian, Lisa, Joy, Mary & Jake. Joy & Mary did a Fill in the Blank scene using 2 audience volunteers. They were sisters baking something, with Joy the “pretty” one who also had a Porky Pig tattoo on her face to look like their mother. Mary was the “ugly” one, meaning she had no strange tattoo or other freakish thing wrong with her other than the fact that she’s stolen 16 babies from other people <g>. Brian came in with a tattoo of a butthole on his face. Mary felt the others didn’t treat her right, so she left to follow her dream of living in a double wide trailer. It was a funny scene, and everyone did a great job.
They also did Up Your Alley, with Mary as host Yolanda. The topic was eggnog, and it was quite funny! Brian was Sidney, owner of the only eggnog bar. Lisa was hysterical as LuAnne, with Mothers Against Eggnog, who claims eggnog is devil juice and anyone who drinks it is a sinner. She called Mary devil woman and warned her she’d be burning in hell. Jake was wearing a big yellow chicken costume, and was Bessie – a genetically engineered Chick-cow. He produces both the eggs and the milk to make eggnog. The entire show was just great, especially for the first show of the night with such a small audience (less than half full). Dave had mentioned the shows have been especially good lately, and tonight certainly lived up to that. He stuck around for the next show, but I really just wanted to get back to the hotel and spend some time with SB online. I told Dave I’d come out for the first show tomorrow – I wasn’t planning to, but I should be able to get there in time after seeing the Osborne Lights. I waited for Mary and chatted with her a while, then headed out to the car and returned to the Hampton Inn.
SB was waiting for me, so we instant messaged a while. I finished up the report while watching the local news, set the alarm for tomorrow, and made it an early night. Today went well, and I’m glad to be here for another Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Tomorrow should be fairly busy, but that’s the whole idea of this trip!
DAY 2 THURSDAY NOVEMBER 24, 2005:
Who: Sue (47), DVC Member
Plan: MK, Nice lunch, Osborne Lights
Actual: HAPPY THANKSGIVING – unless you happen to be a turkey <g>. This morning I woke up with the alarm at 5:45 wishing I could have slept much later! The room was quiet last night, and the bed was comfortable – a good combination. I dressed and went down to the fitness center, where I did 2 miles on the treadmill. It’s a strange treadmill in the sense that it doesn’t track distance for you. I had to enter a specific pace, then I knew when I got to the right number of minutes I’d finished the 2 miles. It also has a little fan built in, which is a nice touch! I went back up to the room to shower and get ready for the day.
The breakfast downstairs was better than expected. In addition to the usual continental breakfast offerings (pastry, bagels, muffins, cereal, fruit, yogurt, beverages) they also had cheesy scrambled eggs, sausage patties and warm croissants. Since dinner last night was a rice krispie treat and SB wanted me to eat a decent (in his talk that means BIG) breakfast this morning, I fixed a plate with some eggs, a sausage patty and a croissant. I took it back to the room, where I’d already made a cup of English toffee cappuccino. Everything tasted great, and it hit the spot! By 8 I was ready to head out, driving over to Saratoga Springs since I refuse to drive to the Magic Kingdom and will be ending the first portion of my day in the Downtown Disney area. I purposely park away from the buildings, and my car will be gone from the parking lot long before most guests return from the parks with their cars (actually parking wasn’t a problem today – lots of empty spaces). I rode the bus to Magic Kingdom, arriving around 9. Yes, it took an hour to get there because I think I just missed the bus at Saratoga and it was a long wait for the next one.
It was mobbed, but I think I got through security and the turnstiles faster than I ever have. They had a cast member telling people to move down to use ALL turnstiles, which avoided the huge lines at the first bunch (it amazes me that people will blindly stand in a long line when they could breeze right in if they’d only wake up and pay attention to their surroundings). I went straight to Space Mountain, which appeared to have not opened yet as of 9:10 because the line extended back under the Tomorrowland Transit Authority! I got a fastpass with a return time of 10:15, and headed to Fantasyland hoping to hit a few things we skipped earlier this month. I was able to walk right onto the Pooh ride, and even had the honeypot to myself. Next up was Peter Pan’s Flight, which had a short wait but it was noticeably longer by the time I got out of there. It was almost 9:30 at this point so I headed to Big Thunder and basically walked right onto that (they had both sides open). I was even lucky enough to get the last seat!
Next I walked onto Pirates of the Caribbean, then backtracked to the Haunted Mansion. There was about a 2-minute wait there, which wasn’t bad. The ride stopped just as I was seated, but it started up again soon. At this point I’d done just about everything I wanted to do, so I walked back to Tomorrowland. The wait at the Indy race cars was posted as 90 minutes!! It was definitely very crowded at the park by now, and time for me to be getting out of there. I used my fastpass for Space Mountain, and enjoyed the ride. My last stop was riding the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (with a wait) before heading out of the park. In the candy store on Main Street they were giving out samples of the pink hot chocolate, so I enjoyed one of those (it actually tastes good, but at $11/can I can live without <g>).
I rode the boat over to the Grand Floridian and looked at the Christmas decorations. The gingerbread house looks the same, but the tree is decorated differently (better) since my last visit. Gone are those giant bird cages and mirrors that were hanging on the tree! I took a couple of pictures to show SB, then rode the monorail over to the Contemporary. There wasn’t much holiday décor there, which seems pretty typical. The line for the monorail was long, so I walked back to the Magic Kingdom bus area. Once again I just missed the bus for Saratoga Springs and it was a very long wait for the next one. I saw multiples of most other resorts before my bus arrived. SB called, so that helped pass the time. Finally I was on the bus, talked to SB again, and got off at the Congress Park stop at Saratoga. I walked over to Downtown Disney, and SB called as I was passing through Pleasure Island. I explained I was walking a LOT today since when he was with me last time I tried to strike a balance between me who likes to walk and him who hates to walk <g>. He said it didn’t make sense (to walk when it’s not absolutely necessary) but I expected that. I sat on a bench by the lake while talking to him, then when we were finished I walked over to Wolfgang Puck’s Café.
I was seated right away, and got a nice table outside by the lake. I had a nice view of Saratoga Springs and the lake, and it was very pleasant out there. Their menu had changed slightly since my last visit, including the field greens salad I intended to order. It used to be $7.95 and was now listed as a side salad for $4.95. My server said I could get either size, and I decided to go with the smaller one but added chicken to it along with a glass of pinot grigio. Everything was very good – and I was pretty much stuffed by the time I finished, so no dessert for me. Their desserts are so big I’d need somebody to share it anyway. I addressed most of the envelopes for this year’s Christmas cards while I waited for my lunch, getting that out of the way.
After lunch I walked back to Saratoga Springs and then drove back to the Hampton Inn, I got online, updated the report, watched General Hospital (they were showing an old episode – that makes no sense to me) and talked to SB. Around 5:15 I left the hotel and drove over to Disney MGM Studios to see the Osborne Lights. When I started the car the “service engine” light came on and did not go off. After checking the manual I learned I need to take it in for service, although it does not appear to be an immediate crisis since the light is not blinking. I certainly don’t want to risk driving 200+ miles home like this, though.
At the Studios I rode the tram in from the parking lot, and found entering this park also went very quickly. More people were leaving than coming, even though the park was open until 10 tonight. I stopped at Guest Services and got the hours and phone number of the AAA Car Care Center on Disney property, so I can call them in the morning. Once that was done I headed back to the Osborne Lights area and arrived just as the short little announcements were starting. It was “snowing” and VERY crowded! However, it was not too hard navigating through the crowd, especially as a solo person. It looked the same as I remembered from last year, except for an area set up for character greetings that I didn’t notice last year. It didn’t take too long to get through the area, so I stopped and rode Star Tours (walk on) before leaving the park to catch the tram back to my car.
I headed over to Downtown Disney, stopping for the bargain gas at the Hess station over there (around $.20/gallon cheaper than home). The parking lots were a nightmare, and the lot I usually park in was full – as was the next one. I kept driving until I found a spot, leery of what crowds I was going to find on Pleasure Island! I wandered around the West Side, and it was not really busy at all. I went to the Marketplace, and even that wasn’t as busy as last night, although there were a lot of people. I swear everyone must have come in separate cars or something tonight! I spent a little time sitting upstairs in the Adventurer’s Club, but didn’t see Dave. Around 8 I went over to Comedy Warehouse for the first show.
Carol Stein was on the keys tonight, and the 8:15 cast was Brian, Robby, Lisa, Krista & John. I couldn’t take many notes, as the light on my row wasn’t working and I couldn’t see my paper. They opened with a poem called “No alcohol please”, and then John & Robby did a Fill in the Blank scene using the entire audience. They were workers in the red light district in Amsterdam, and John was going to leave for Dayton and Mexico. It was a strange but funny scene. Next was Forgotten Songs, and all 3 were outstanding. Brian was hysterical as a very nerdy guy named Bill singing in a sort of bad lounge singer style about himself, in a song called “Ten Dollar Bill”. He was wearing an awful plaid blazer, curly brown wig and big glasses, and would pose seductively trying to flirt with the women in the audience – it was great! John & Lisa were also great as a couple of hippies from a commune, singing “Where Seaweed Grows”. As we all learned, seaweed grows in their armpits, between their legs, under the pantyhose John wore, and in his nose <g>. Krista and Robby were funny as 2 desperate singles in a bar at the end of the night, singing “Honky Tonk Hell”. Unfortunately, even with excessive alcohol they still weren’t looking cute to each other, and that was their “hell”.
They also did Career Day, where the audience gives occupations and each actor steps forward and is and example of the worst worker in that profession. They did teacher, mason, dolphin trainer, lawyer, mechanic, etc. It was fast-moving and funny, and overall the show was excellent from start to finish. Ok, so why would I leave when the first show of the night was so strong?? I loved the show, but wanted to spend time with SB online (if I wasn’t living it, I’d be gagging too <g>). I drove back to the Hampton Inn, picked up a chocolate chip cookie for dinner, and went up to the room. I finished up the report, and spent about an hour instant messaging with SB before downloading the photos I’d taken today.
Overall it wasn’t a bad day, although I hope I’m still saying that after I find out what the car’s problem is! My time at the Magic Kingdom was great, and I enjoyed getting out to do all the walking. Lunch at Puck’s was terrific too, and I’m glad the Comedy Warehouse show was so funny. I needed the laughs at that point!
DAY 3 FRIDAY NOVEMBER 25, 2005:
Who: Sue (47), DVC Member
Plan: Outlets, Epcot, LeCellier
Actual: I was up with the alarm at 5:45 again, having slept well. I showered & dressed quickly, then spent time with SB online while I had my cappuccino. Around 7 I drove over to Premium Outlets, where I found the parking lot almost full already! The crowds weren’t bad, so I guess everyone parked in the front lot, which made it look like it was going to be awful. I called the car care center, and then called Sheila. She & her fiancé Jerry are coming up today, and they’ll call when they get closer (thinking I may know something about the car by then). The only store I went into was Character Premiere, where I found the needed shirt for my Dad and a couple of shirts for SB. One is from the World of Disney in New York City, and we have great memories of our trip to NYC this past year (and will be back in 2006). I was out of there by 7:30, on my way back to the Hampton Inn.
Breakfast today was French toast and sausage patties – no eggs, no biscuits. I wasn’t overly impressed with it today. I took a couple slices of French toast and went up to the room. The crusts were pretty hard, so I ate the inside of the bread, updated the report and then figured I might as well head to the Car Care Center. I brought a book along, to help pass the time. I arrived at the Car Care Center shortly after 8, and got the paperwork done. They weren’t going to be able to get it in until 10, so I asked for a ride to the TTC instead of sitting there waiting. Once at the TTC they held people until about 8:45 before letting them in to access the transportation. I rode the monorail to Epcot, arriving just about 9am.
It was pretty quick getting into the park, but once inside I ran into a huge crowd headed to the Land. The entire inside was already filled in, and the whole walkway outside was shoulder-to-shoulder packed with people all the way down to the bottom of the hill! It was insane! Cast members were stationed to make sure everyone went the same way, and it was creeping along. After I got inside and was standing still for a little while I decided to just forget it – I couldn’t see waiting a long time to get a fastpass! A cast member cautioned me it would only get worse, but I figured I’d let this initial rush die down. He said fastpasses would most likely all be gone by 10:30 – yikes! I left anyway, and went to the Living Seas for a short period. There just isn’t anything in there of interest to me anymore – fish just don’t do it for me <g>. They no longer have the hydrolaters, and the ride’s been gone for years now. I guess even the movie/preshow is gone now, unless they are redoing it. In any event, I don’t think I was in there more than 10 minutes.
I returned to the Land, and this time didn’t become part of a crowd until I was inside the doors at least! It moved fairly steadily, and I was able to get a fast pass for 11:36. After all that, I ended up not even using it <g>! Sheila & Jerry were due to arrive around 10:30 or so, and it didn’t look good for their chances of riding. I walked on Living With the Land, and when I got off that the Soarin’ fastpasses were now 2 hours later (1:30) than the time on mine from 20 minutes ago. The standby wait time (this was around 9:30-9:45) was already over an hour.
I decided to try the single rider line at Test Track, and the Car Care place called while I was on the ride (during the brakes test). I called them back when I got off and away from the (noisy) attraction. Evidently the problem is something that can wait until I get the car home, as the Saturn dealership is better equipped to fix it. The guy assured me it would absolutely no harm to continue driving until I got back home.
I’d called Disney Dining earlier, and called them again now. My lunch reservation was at 12:50 for a party of 1. I tried to get a party of 3 in anytime for lunch today, but they were completely booked. When I called back I was thinking I’d skip it today if I could book tomorrow – but they were completely booked for all of lunch tomorrow too. I figured they held a few tables back for walk-ups, so we figured we’d give it a try once Sheila & Jerry arrived. I sat & talked to my friend Roxanne, making plans for later in the day. Epcot was absolutely mobbed – I don’t think I’ve ever seen it like this except for that really awful week between Christmas and New Year’s. I thought about riding Spaceship Earth, but the line was huge and snaked around on both sides – no thanks! I ended up just sitting near the entrance waiting for the others to arrive. They finally got there about 11, and discovered a problem with their passes. They’d bought FL Resident Seasonal passes last weekend, used them 1 day, and today realized the cast member mistakenly printed them as 1-day passes! They had to go to Guest Relations, where it got fixed quickly after they got through the very long line (about 30 minutes of waiting). Whew!
We walked back to LeCellier, arriving about noon. I explained I had a 12:50 ADR for 1 person and asked if they could take a party of 3 – and luckily they could. By 5 minutes later they were telling people they were not accepting any more walk-ups, so we were just in time! We ended up being seated by 12:30, which worked out great. Jerry had never been there, but really enjoyed it. He got the open face steak sandwich, which he said was excellent. Sheila got the steakburger and a chocolate-raspberry smoothie (yummy). I had a glass of wine and the cheese soup – my usual. We had a great lunch, and wonderful conversation. We shared a kids’ chocolate mousse for dessert and were all stuffed when we rolled out of there.
While I was inside LeCellier I noticed the cell phone said “no service” and when I got outside there were text messages and 4 voice mails – SB was frantic wondering why I wasn’t answering his calls. Sheila & Jerry left to walk off lunch, and I found a shady spot to sit and talk with SB for about an hour before finally leaving Epcot to take the monorail back to the TTC. Once there I walked to the kennel (I could smell the dogs – yuck – not dirty, just doggy), where they called the Car Care Center for my transport and I sat out front waiting for the driver to get there. After picking up the car I drove back to the Hampton Inn and had about an hour to relax & talk to SB before it was time to go meet Roxanne. I couldn’t believe I was gone for such a long portion of the day and all I did was Living Seas and Living with the Land!
I met Roxanne outside the Turf Club (lounge) at Saratoga Springs a little before 5. I love it in there – SB and I had a wonderful relaxing, quiet evening in there last month. Roxanne & I were the only ones there for a while, and it was nice while it lasted <g>. We grabbed a table by the window, and were taken care of by the waiter on duty – wine for me, martinis for her. We left a couple of hours or so later only because several families had come and occupied the tables all around us and at least 2 separate families had babies who were literally screaming/crying at the top of their lungs! So much for atmosphere/ambiance in an “adult” setting. We figured we’d either be arrested for child abuse or leave, so we left. There were kids there when SB & I spent time there last month, but the kids were reasonably happy/behaving. Tonight it was just unbearable, and not expected (even though it’s Disney – it’s a damn lounge/bar).
We stopped in Artist’s Palette to buy snacks for later, then I dropped her off at Downtown Disney. She was meeting her family near Ghiradelli, so I pulled into the Disney bus entrance and told her “GET OUT, GET OUT”, lol. It was easier than fighting my way through the parking lot, and I managed to avoid causing a problem for any buses. It was great spending time with her – hopefully our trips will overlap again!
I thought about going to Epcot to see the lights, but I had a yogurt parfait that needed to go into the fridge. Once I got to the room I decided to save Epcot for tomorrow night, when I wouldn’t be rushing to get over there before they closed. I finished up the report and spent the rest of the evening relaxing in the room and spending some time with SB online. Today was a very busy day – shopping was a success, the car was a pain in the butt but resulted in relatively good news, lunch with Sheila & Jerry was great, and spending time with Roxanne was a nice way to finish up the day.
I’m not sure what tomorrow will bring. I’d like to visit Animal Kingdom, but they have extra magic hour in the morning so as offsite scum it doesn’t make much sense to go there. I could repeat the Magic Kingdom or maybe just go for Animal Kingdom and take my chances. We’ll see what I’m in the mood for in the morning!
DAY 4 SATURDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2005:
Who: Sue (me – 47), DVC Member
Plan: MK, AK?
Actual: Last night I checked the WDW website to see which attractions were open during the morning Extra Magic Hour at Animal Kingdom. It turned out to be just the safari, Pangani trail, and Tough to be a Bug. Knowing that, I felt good about heading over for the 9am opening to do Dinoland, knowing I would later get a fastpass for the safari and kill the waiting time by walking the Pangani Trail. There really wasn’t anything else I wanted to do there, so I should be in and out before it gets too terribly crowded.
I was up at 6, got dressed and did 2 miles on the treadmill in the fitness center. Before I went up to the room I checked the breakfast, and today it’s biscuits, sausage patties and eggs. I’ll have a good hearty breakfast sandwich and can snack on the yogurt I have in the room for a light lunch. It’s supposed to be a sunny 80 degrees today – I’m glad the original weather forecast improved so much! I showered, dressed, spent some time online, and had my breakfast and cappuccino. I ran into a fellow DVC member (Judy) down at the breakfast – very strange running into someone offsite, but it was great seeing her & meeting her daughter.
I left the room just before 8:30 and drove over to Animal Kingdom, getting to the entrance about 10 minutes before the park opened at 9. I quickly walked over to Dinoland and road Primeval Whirl with a short wait. The wait wasn’t much longer when I got off, but it’s such a long walk exiting the ride it wasn’t worth getting in line for a second time. Instead, I walked over to Dinosaur and found a big crowd there. The posted wait time was only 10 minutes, but the line extended out of the building and snaked through the queue area for quite a distance. It certainly looked like the wait would be longer than I cared to subject myself to, so I decided to skip Dinosaur this trip.
I walked back to Harambe, arriving about 9:30. The Safari fastpasses were for 10am, so I got one and then walked the Pangani Trail. A few of the family gorillas were down by the glass, but just laying around. The 14-year old bachelor was very visible on the other side, and I watched him for a little while. The others were nowhere to be seen. Most of the guests were well-behaved, except for the moron teaching his kid to say “ooh, ooh, ooh” to the gorilla while beating her chest and shouting “want a banana?” Some people just shouldn’t leave the house <g>.
When it was 10 am I did my safari, and we saw just about every animal except the black rhinos. It was a really good ride today. I decided to leave the park after the safari, as it was getting way too crowded for me. It always amazes me that people don’t get to the park when it opens! But I guess it’s better for people like me that they don’t! I walked back to the car and drove back to the Hampton Inn. It was a gorgeous sunny day so I changed into my swimsuit and spent 2.5 hours reading out at the pool. I had most of a yogurt parfait from Saratoga Springs last night, so I ate that for lunch. Eventually I came inside to update the report and spend some time online.
Shortly after 3 I decided to head to Epcot, but just then SB called again so I spent a half hour or so talking to him on the phone. Eventually I drove over to Beach Club Villas and walked into Epcot through the International Gateway. I was hungry and had seen a salad on China’s counter-service place that looked interesting, so I headed towards France and walked around World Showcase to China. I ordered the romaine salad with fried noodles, peanuts and a peanut butter vinaigrette dressing. It was a little weird – not bad, but not good enough to order again. I was hungry enough to eat the whole thing though, and at $4.50 it was a very reasonably priced meal.
After eating I continued walking around World Showcase and into Future World. I knew the fastpasses for Soarin were gone (from the tip board), so I knew not to even bother walking over that way! I wasn’t going to wait in the 90-minute standby line, either. I rode Spaceship Earth with a minimal wait, then stopped to check out the new Club Cool place. This is the coke place that replaced Ice Station Cool. They still have the soda samples and coke merchandise, but now also sell customized cups for your coke. I can’t stand soda, so I didn’t bother to taste anything – I just passed on through.
I headed back to World Showcase, this time starting in Mexico and made a 2nd loop through the countries. In Germany I got a glass of Riesling, which was very good. I found an empty bench and sat down with my wine, watching people pass by. I noticed Mark from the Comedy Warehouse was the German equivalent of Santa <g> but didn’t stay to watch the little spiel. Eventually I continued walking, then sat near France to watch the sunset and the lighting of the Christmas tree (from across the water). It was a beautiful night! Once the lights were on I headed back to see the Lights of Winter up close, and spent some time enjoying the lights and music over there. I ran into Dave & Janet & talked to them briefly, then started out on my 3rd loop around World Showcase. This time I stopped in Italy to get a glass of a sparkling red sweet wine, along with chocolate mousse. Nancy had recommended the mousse, and it was very good. I sat on a bench in Italy while I ate the mousse, then took my wine over to the USA and sat outside the American Adventure listening to the Christmas carols being sung at the Candlelight Processional. A man from south Florida struck up a conversation, so we chatted until I was ready to leave Epcot.
I headed back to the Beach Club Villas, got the car, and drove back to the Hampton Inn about 8pm. SB was online so we instant messaged a while before I finished up the report. The rest of the night was spent relaxing online.
DAY 5 SUNDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2005:
Who: Sue (me – 47), DVC Member
Plan: AK, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: I was up at 7 and went down to do 2 miles on the treadmill. After showering I spent some time online and finished packing up my stuff. It was just before 9 when I left the Hampton Inn and drove over the Marketplace in Downtown Disney. I needed some Ghiradelli for my office, so I stopped there first to buy a container of the foil-wrapped chocolate leaves. Unfortunately, they weren’t open! It was only 9:15, so I went to Earl of Sandwich and had a caprese sandwich before returning about 9:40. They still weren’t open, but the person working inside led me to believe it’d be any minute – that they were just waiting for the cashier to be ready. In reality, I think they may open at 10 because when the guy opened the door about 5 before 10 the other worker was chastising him for opening the door before he was supposed to. At that point there were a few other customers plus me in the store, and we weren’t leaving <g>. The leaves were gone, so I got foil wrapped stars, and it took forever to check out. The guy who opened the door early is clearly not the brightest or most efficient, as it took forever. The poor lady behind me had her arms full of stuff, so I moved my stuff over to make room for her stuff on the counter while we were waiting. Finally, I was out of there – not sure the chocolate was worth the wait & the headache, but at least it was done.
The drive home was pretty easy – no real traffic.
SUMMARY:
This was a good trip, and although it was last minute it was the right place to be this holiday weekend. The Hampton Inn was very comfortable, clean and quiet and I would gladly stay there again if it was in any other location. When I’m at WDW, I want to be staying onsite – no matter how close or how decent the offsite places are. It was a bit of a pain dealing with all the traffic and lights coming onto property, particularly in the Hotel Blvd and Downtown Disney area.
I’ve never seen the parks as busy over Thanksgiving weekend as they were this year! It’s normally busy, but it just felt mobbed this year. I’d do it again in the future, but would do so knowing my park time will be extremely limited. By being at a park when it opens, I can do all I need to do in about 1.5 hours, then leave to relax at a resort before going out for the evening.
It was nice having friends in town – lunch with Sheila & Jerry was fun, and I enjoyed spending time with Roxanne. Sheila & Jerry live here in Ft Myers, but we have to go 200 miles away to spend time together, lol!
My next trip isn’t until January. SB & I are spending 3 nights at OKW and then cruise on the Wonder for 4 nights. During the OKW portion of the trip I’ll be doing the Disney half-marathon one last time. I’ll be so glad when that’s behind me!
I did take a few photos – the album has Comedy Warehouse shots first, then a few from the Osborne Lights and other holiday décor. It can be found at here.
Until next time, thanks for reading!
Sue Holland