Trip Reports
02-21-2007, 09:25 PM
Sue Holland - February 2006 - Villas at Wilderness Lodge
Time of Year: Winter
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: VWL
Accommodations: Studio
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran, DVC
Sue Holland -- February 2006 - Walt Disney World (VWL)
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 - 45), DVC member
Dates: February 10 & 12, 2006
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: Villas at Wilderness Lodge
INTRODUCTION:
The original plan was to spend 3 nights starting February 3rd at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge. SB is out of town for a few weeks, and I figured hanging around WDW alone was more fun than hanging around home. Our seasonal passes are valid, the weather is usually great, and the crowds should be low – plus friends were going to be there during my trip and I was looking forward to seeing them. However, SB ended up with the opportunity to do the Orioles’ Fantasy Camp in Sarasota, Florida – all expenses paid, plus payment for his appearance/participation, and only an hour or so from where we live. Unfortunately the dates were Feb 2-5! Luck was on my side though, and I was able to move my Villas at Wilderness Lodge reservation back one week. This way I can stay with SB in Sarasota during the camp – we’ll each do our work during the day, and have the nights together. I later heard from Greg (formerly of the Comedy Warehouse) and learned he would be performing there during my trip, which was an added bonus. The weather ended up being lousy last weekend, so it seems there were a number of reasons changing my dates was a good thing!
Unfortunately this weekend the weather won’t be as wet, but it will be quite cold – especially by my standards! There will be no pool time, and I hope I can stand the nights and early mornings when temperatures will be in the 30’s and 40’s. Once again I decided to book a reservation to try a restaurant that was basically new to me. I of course booked LeCellier, as no trip is complete without eating there. I also booked lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern in the Magic Kingdom. It’s been at least 15 years since I was there last, and frankly was never impressed with it. However, there’s a menu item I’d like to try – let’s hope it is a bigger success than the veggie panini I tried at Tony’s last time!
Besides the 2 meals, my plans include 2 evenings at Comedy Warehouse and the middle evening will be spent enjoying one of the parks (most likely Epcot – it’s so pretty there at night, and a glass of wine while sitting on a bench sounds more appealing than standing in line for an attraction). Since Villas at Wilderness Lodge is so close to the Magic Kingdom, I’ll probably start both days there – staying only briefly on Saturday since my lunch at LeCellier is at 11:40. That should get me to Epcot before the Soarin’ fastpasses are all gone for the day, lol! I may try to get over to the Premium Outlets if there’s time, but that’s not a major priority.
The plans so far are:
Friday 2/10: Work, Dentist, Drive to WDW, Comedy Warehouse
Saturday 2/11: MK, LeCellier, Epcot, possible AK
Sunday 2/12: MK, Liberty Tree Tavern, possible outlets, Comedy Warehouse
Monday 2/13: Leave by 5am to get to work on time!
DAY 1 – Friday 2/10/06
Who: Sue (47), DVC member
Plan: Work, Dentist, Drive to WDW, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: Most of the day didn’t go too well. Work was hectic, but I left in time for my 1pm dental appointment. Once there, after the dentist had drilled down to the nerve he discovered he had to do a root canal – which meant my 1-hour appointment became 2.5 hours. That put me on the road much later than expected, and I experienced some periods of miserable traffic in Sarasota, Tampa, Lakeland, and just before WDW. I swear I’m not doing this drive from Ft Myers again until after Florida tourist season has ended! I love being up here, but it’s not worth the aggravation.
I arrived at the Wilderness Lodge to check in, and was happy to see no wait at all. I got my key to my studio over in Villas at Wilderness Lodge, then took a detour to Roaring Forks because I was hungry. They have a limited selection of “grab & go” stuff available, including some sandwiches, salads, and desserts. I ended up just getting an oatmeal raisin cookie, as the chicken wraps looked rather soggy and I didn’t really care for the other choices. As it turned out the wrap would have been wasted, because my mouth is still numb. When I tried to take a drink of chocolate milk in the studio I realized I had to be very careful or I’d be wearing it, lol!
The resort looks beautiful, and the studio seems to be in great shape. Unfortunately, it was after 7pm and the first Comedy Warehouse show is seated at 8. I knew I had a very good chance of missing it even if I raced around getting settled into the studio (forget trying to find something to eat, since I can’t chew now anyway). I let SB know I’d arrived, unpacked what little stuff I’d brought with me, then headed out to see how it went. I called Leesa from the car and explained I wasn’t going to make it tonight – and confirmed our meeting time & place for Sunday.
After getting gas at the Pleasure Island Hess station, I drove over to Premium Outlets and went to Character Premiere. It felt strange to be here at night, lol! I didn’t buy anything, and really didn’t spend much time (more time driving than shopping). I returned to Disney property and went directly back to the resort. The novocaine had finally worn off, but the area worked on was still too tender for any serious chewing. I made some cappuccino and nibbled on part of the (soft) oatmeal raisin cookie.
Thoughts on Villas at Wilderness Lodge (since there’s not much else to today’s report <g>) – there are things I like a lot, but also things that turn me off from this resort. The biggest negative besides the remote location (to me, being near the Magic Kingdom means you’re far away from most of what I enjoy at WDW – and it’s a long drive home from Pleasure Island) is the parking. Here you park a mile from your room, even in the closest spaces. Valet isn’t much of an improvement, since that’s up at the original hotel and you’d have a fairly long walk to get to the Villas. On a more positive note, the resort is gorgeous inside, and the studio is quite comfortable. I like driving up and knowing I’m staying here as opposed to driving into the All Stars – it’s just a different atmosphere (one we dvc members get spoiled by).
Overall today wasn’t one of my better Disney days, but I’m looking forward to the rest of the weekend!
DAY 2 – Saturday 2/11/06
Who: Sue (47), DVC member
Plan: MK, LeCellier, Epcot, possible AK
Actual: I’d set the alarm for 6:45, but was up around 6. I didn’t sleep very well, as not many positions were comfortable (due to the root canal soreness). Usually I don’t have any discomfort after a root canal, so this was a bit of a surprise. I showered and fixed some cappuccino and toasted half a bagel for breakfast. The bagel was a bit of a challenge to chew, lol, but I managed. It was due to be in the upper 70’s today but was lingering at 45 this morning. That makes it tough, as I don’t want to carry a heavy jacket around when it finally warms up! So, I’ll risk being chilly this morning and a little on the warm side later.
I left the studio about 8:30 and walked briskly over to the dock to catch the next boat to the Magic Kingdom. Since tomorrow it might be cooler, I decided to start with Big Thunder today, and save the indoor Space Mountain for tomorrow. The boat pulled in just as I arrived, and although the line was quite long I still got a seat. The boat was empty when it arrived, but later I think it’s shared with Fort Wilderness. The park hadn’t opened yet, so I waited by the entrance to the train station. I’ve seen the opening show enough times I didn’t need to bother with it today. Once that was done, I was one of the first few guest onto Main Street. Some of the cast members from the stores were out on the sidewalk waving with Mickey gloves on their hands. I headed to Adventureland and had to wait less than 3 minutes for the park to open. There were only about 20 other people there with me! At 9 the cast members walked us into the park, and I ended up being the first person at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
They had both sides operating, and I got to ride (in my favorite seat – the back row) 3 times in a row without getting off. After the third ride people were waiting to board, so I decided that was enough. I could have gotten back in line since it was so short, but I was happy with my 3 rides. It had been a long while since I did the Jungle Cruise, so I headed over there but found it didn’t open until 10. Since I’d planned to leave this park by 10, the Jungle Cruise will have to wait for some other day/trip.
I wandered over to Fantasyland and did Peter Pan. That always sounds so dirty, lol – but you know what I mean. It was basically a walk-on at that point. Next I sailed with the well-behaved audio-animatronic children in It’s a Small World. Our entire boat consisted of a woman with 2 young children and me. When I got off though, it was much busier. It was getting close to 10 am and I was seeing an increase in the crowds so I decided to head out of the park. Once I exited through the turnstiles it was a challenge finding my way out of that area! Hordes of people were coming in, and to exit you have to fight your way against the incoming traffic.
Only the resort monorail was boarding, so I had to use that one. Luckily, the monorail arrived just as I got to the top of the ramp, and I only had 1 stop before reaching the TTC. Once there I walked over to the Epcot monorail, which arrived just as I did – so far my luck with Disney transportation today has been good! At Epcot entry was pretty quick, and the park didn’t feel too crowded. I headed first to the Land to pick up a fastpass for Soarin’ (12:15-1:15) then went back outside and stopped to watch the Kristos perform. After that I browsed in Mouse Gear and then walked back to World Showcase since it was almost 11. I got to Norway just before 11 and joined the line for the Maelstrom. The ride opened in a few minutes, and the wait wasn’t bad at all. Nobody stayed for the movie – not sure if it was running or not. I sat on a bench to update my trip notes so far, then walked to Canada and checked in at LeCellier for lunch.
I was seated shortly before my 11:40 reservation time, and had another great lunch there. I tried a new pinot grigio I hadn’t noticed on the wine list before, and it was very good. Between that, the breadsticks and the cheese soup, I had all I needed. I’d brought another excellent trip report (Lisa & Andy Cubbon’s report of their Disneyland & southern California trip) and read about half of that while I enjoyed my wine & soup. It was pretty windy when I got back outside – when it starts raining it has the potential to be rather miserable!
I walked back to the Land and arrived shortly after my fastpass window had opened for Soarin’. It always irks me to see stupid people – a lady with a party of about 5-6 people were ahead of me entering the fastpass line. However, they were too early and ended up just being in the way of other people. At this attraction the time is shown in DIGITAL format, so there’s no mistaking whether it’s 12:17 yet or not – so what’s the problem people??? I could see if you were going by your watch you might be off a few minutes, but the time is posted so clearly – why is it so hard to understand?? Ok, enough of that rant <g>.
Soarin’ was great, and I got the first row (the best one) this time. I never ask for it, and seem have spent equal time in all 3 rows. I picked up another fastpass on my way out (3:48-4:48 but ended up not using it. I headed back to World Showcase and did a loop starting on the Canada side. I would have seen the movie in France but wasn’t willing to wait 25 minutes for the next show. Instead, I wandered around and browsed through some of the shops in some of the countries. I returned to Future World and rode Spaceship Earth, which had practically no wait at all. I also rode the ride inside Imagination, but that might have been before my World Showcase loop earlier. I sure do miss the original Imagination ride!
I went back to World Showcase and started with Mexico this time. In Germany I got a glass of the wine I liked 2 weeks ago, and sat on a bench for a while. It was windy but very pleasant outside, although the clouds were building up behind me. Eventually I started walking again, and ran into David & Janet (Comedy Warehouse regulars) so I stopped to chat with them. By the time I got back to Future World the wind had really picked up and the sky was very dark. The big question was whether I’d get out of the park before the rain started!
I debated whether I wanted to do dinner as a glass of wine and an appetizer from the Territory Lounge (outside Artist Point in Wilderness Lodge), or get something light from the Land to eat in the room. I decided to see if the tomato/mozzarella salad looked good, and went to the food court in the Land. Besides the tomato/mozzarella they also had a cucumber/tomato salad (both are side items, at $2.89 each) so I bought one of each to bring back to the resort.
As I headed to the exit, it started to rain. The wind was worse than the rain, although once I got out to the bus stops it wasn’t that bad. The Wilderness Lodge bus was waiting for me, and I got one of the last available seats. It stopped first at my resort, then continued on to Fort Wilderness. I can’t imagine camping (especially in a tent) in rain, with expected 35-degree nights! Give me a nice resort – you can keep the “roughing it”! I put my salads in the refrigerator, talked to SB for a while, updated the report, and relaxed a while. My original plan was to wander around Epcot tonight, but I left due to the weather – and now it didn’t look like it was even raining! Then I realized – my balcony is covered, and that’s why nothing was wet out there, lol! When I opened the sliding glass door, I could hear the rain and feel the cold raw air. So much for sunny Florida!
After watching the Olympics for a while a little bit of cabin fever set in – although not enough that I considered heading back to the parks. I put on warmer clothes and walked over to the main Wilderness Lodge, thinking perhaps I’d visit Territory Lounge after all. The lobby was pretty busy – several people checking in, some possibly waiting for Whispering Canyon Café, and others just sitting around chatting. I went into the lounge to check the appetizer menu, and there really wasn’t anything that had a strong appeal. If the lobby wasn’t so busy I might have gotten a glass of wine and sat out by the fireplace in one of the rocking chairs. Instead, I decided to stick with what I had in the studio. I wandered around the lobby a bit and browsed in the store before returning to the Villas. I sat in a comfortable rocking chair there, but then noticed I had no cell phone signal. SB was doing a lesson and would be calling soon, so that wasn’t going to work!
I returned to the studio and was glad I didn’t miss his call – he was out in that snowstorm affecting the northeast. I spent the rest of the evening talking to him, watching the Olympics, and doing jigsaw puzzles online. The 2 salads I bought at the Land today were both excellent, and I’ll gladly get those for meals in the future. I never did make it out for the Electric Water Pageant – that will have to wait for a warmer visit!
Overall today was a really nice day. Getting to ride Big Thunder 3 times without getting off was pretty cool, lunch at LeCellier was terrific, and the stormy weather held off long enough for me to do pretty much all I wanted to do today. I’m enjoying my stay here at Villas as Wilderness Lodge, although I think I’d be less thrilled with it if I’d been going to Comedy Warehouse and commuting back here each night! We’ll see how it goes tomorrow night – I’m definitely not skipping the Warehouse then.
DAY 3 – Sunday 2/12/06
Who: Sue (47), DVC member
Plan: MK, Liberty Tree Tavern, possible outlets, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: I slept much better last night, and was in bed by 10pm! I’d set the alarm for 6:30 and got up then. Breakfast was cappuccino and biscotti, and once again I was out the door at 8:30 to catch the boat to Magic Kingdom. It was COLD and very windy – the air temperature was 45 degrees, but with an almost 20-mile per hour north wind it felt much colder. I was surprised to see people in every single hot tub I passed! In every case it was a parent with one or more kids.
Today the wait for the boat was pretty long, and it was miserable standing out there on the dock. Even the tourists from up north were complaining about how cold it was and trying to keep their kids sheltered from the cold wind. The boat arrived just as the park was opening (we could hear the music) and it was standing room only since it came from Ft Wilderness. I stood where I’d be the first person off, and watched the endless stream of strollers coming on board. We got to the MK around 9:15 and entry was very quick.
I headed first to Space Mountain, where I picked up a fastpass with a 10:05 return time. The standby time was posted as 20 minutes, and although I doubted that was true I decided to skip it. Instead, I went to Fantasyland and pretty much walked right onto the Pooh ride. This ride always has nice warm heat, and that’s what I needed more than anything else! Coming back outside it was very windy, to the point the outdoor merchandise was blowing away and cast members were having to retrieve it. I thought about riding the Snow White ride but there was a short line waiting in a very cool & windy area so I skipped it. I returned to Tomorrowland and decided to give the Space Mountain standby line a try. As expected, it was much shorter than 20 minutes. I was given the front seat, which is always cool. After my trip to space I checked out Buzz Lightyear – earlier it was not open, although they were issuing fastpasses. It was still closed – I checked a few more times but it never opened while I was in the park. I don’t even really like this attraction (probably because I suck at hitting the targets), but it was an indoor ride!
It had been several years since I did Carousel of Progress, so I stood in the sun until the doors opened and went inside. The theater is really looking shabby, but the show was fine. It’s not something I want to do every trip, but I enjoyed it today. When it ended it was time for Space Mountain, where I picked up another fastpass for 10:50 before boarding. Next I went to Haunted Mansion, which was pretty busy but I didn’t have any wait. Some teen boys were sneaking their way through the crowd to get into the boarding line faster – I’m sure they cut almost 20 seconds off their wait, lol.
After Haunted Mansion I went back to Tomorrowland, where it was time for another ride on Space Mountain. A lady with a little boy was trying to use their fastpasses, but when the cast member said he had to be measured, it was obvious the kid was way too short. The mother kept trying to adjust his head, asking the cm “are you SURE he’s too short?” Duh – I could see empty space between the kid’s head and the measuring stick thingy. The cm politely stuck to his guns and turned them away. By now the standby line was pretty full, so it was great breezing past everyone. I got the front seat once again (2nd time), and enjoyed my final ride of the trip.
Once I got off the ride it was time to return to Liberty Square (or whatever they call it). I sat in a sunny rocking chair between Hall of Presidents and the Heritage House shop. It was set back in an alcove and was sheltered from the wind! I updated my trip notes, and then around 11:20 walked over to Liberty Tree Tavern to check in for my 11:30 lunch reservation. They started seating people at 11:30 and I was the 3rd or 4th party called. One thing I noticed – there’s lots of room between tables here, most likely to allow room for the characters to move around at dinner. I like a little space – I don’t need to be so close to my fellow diners I can hear every word of their private conversations!
I ordered the Colony Salad, which has chicken, apples, walnuts, cheese, and field greens in a really nice vinaigrette. It was delicious, but way too much for me – it’d be perfect if Sheila & I were here together splitting the meal. I ate around 1/3 of it, and had the rest packed up to go since I’d spotted a dessert on the menu I was tempted to try. The salad will be a big lunch for tomorrow at work. I ordered the warm chocolate lava cake with raspberry sauce. It came with a big scoop of cherry chambourd ice cream, which I didn’t bother with. I’m not a fan of cherry ice cream and all I wanted was the lava cake. The cake was delicious, although it’s not something I’d have to order again. I would eat here again, and order the same salad. Overall it was a great lunch, and I was happy I decided to give it a try.
I decided to go back to my warm studio at the resort, so I headed down Main Street and exited the park. It was really busy with people arriving, even this late in the day. The boat stopped at Ft Wilderness first, then continued on to Wilderness Lodge. The wind was still very strong, and it was a cold walk over to the Villas. I put the salad in the fridge, and talked to SB for a while – turns out he’d called a few times but I never heard the phone ring or knew I had voice mail waiting. I updated the trip report and relaxed in the studio the rest of the afternoon. At one point I walked over to Roaring Forks and got a couple of things to bring home – oatmeal raisin cookie for me and a magic cookie for Chris.
Leesa arrived around 5 or so and I went to meet her in the lobby to bring her back to the studio. SB & I had recently bought a couple of extra laptops and Leesa was going to set up a few things on them. Mine is a spare, so I can send the more expensive one out for repair and not be laptop-less. In his case the laptop he uses belongs to his company, and it’s a piece of junk. This way he’ll never be without one either. We got some stuff loaded, then had to rush out of there shortly after 7 to make the trip to Comedy Warehouse. I was concerned that parking would be a pain, and needed to allow a lot more time for the “commute” since we weren’t at OKW! Luckily we hit the traffic lights right, and when I pulled into our usual parking lot I spotted a couple who looked like they might be leaving. Woohoo – we ended up with a great spot, instead of circling the lot like other cars were doing!
We had about 20 minutes before the first show, so we got our wrist bands at Adventurer’s Club. As we were finishing, I turned around and was facing Debbie (deseylou)! I had no idea she was here, but she knew I was, and had been looking in my usual places to see if she’d find me <g>. Her first try was the Ghiradelli store – no Sue, but she got some free chocolate, lol! We met her friend Mary Jo and the 4 of us saw the first 2 Comedy Warehouse shows together. First we killed some time downstairs at the Adventurer’s Club. Robby was working as Graves (butler) tonight – he works some nights at Comedy and some nights here but it was the first time I’d seen him doing this character.
Shortly before 8 we went over to Comedy and were glad to get inside where it was warmer! Carol Stein was on the keys tonight. The 8:00 cast was Greg, Matt, John, Christine & Lisa. The audience wasn’t very good (somewhat dull, somewhat just plain dumb), and the show struggled somewhat as a result. They opened with a poem called “The Junebugs do the Jitterbug”, suggested partly by a young boy down front. He raised his hand a lot, and the cast would refer to him as “Junebug” from that point forward. Lisa & Matt created a scene where they were a couple breaking up. Greg directed the action, pausing them to get suggestions from the audience. Lisa was leaving Matt for Donald Trump, played by John with a very bad wig. Eventually she decided to stay with Matt, who worked at McDonalds but ended up going to jail for years for robbing a popcorn cart.
They did Forgotten Songs next. Matt & John wore Viking hats and sang “Thor’s Eye”. Greg was Jessie McCarthy, singing about his breakup in “Dumbfounded”. Lisa came out with huge fake breasts, complete with protruding nipples, and sang “It’s Cold Outside”, lol! Bet the Junebug boy liked that <g>. They also did Letters to the Editor, with the topic being video games. Greg wrote to Teen People, Christine wrote to Good Housekeeping, and John wrote to Golf. They closed the show with a song about a candle shop manager who was caught on videotape having sex with his boyfriend in the store’s restroom. Another fun story for Junebug boy – but I’m glad they didn’t refuse to take the story because someone was silly enough to bring their child to the club. Co-workers of the guy heard about the sex act, and found it on the videotape – then shared it with another co-worker. Amazing stuff <g> - glad I don’t work with those people!
The 9:00 cast was Greg, John, Jake, Lisa & Matt. They did Styles, where the scene is performed using different styles of movies, music, television & books. John & Jake were at the American Idol auditions, and were both really funny. Schmeopardy was next, hosted by John wearing a big afro wig. Greg was Lucky, a whiny building inspector who was missing an arm from a parking garage ramp that fell. Lisa was a bail bondsman, who was ok being in the jail because she’s so ugly men don’t want her. Matt was a body jewelry maker named Robby P. The real Robby P is the cast member who splits his time between Comedy Warehouse and Adventurer’s Club (butler over there tonight), and Robby came over and watched himself being roasted by Matt. Overall the whole show was really funny – much better than the first one.
I talked to Greg for a while after the show, then headed out – Leesa walked me out to the gate since it was warmer to keep walking than to sit on the bench waiting for the next show! I drove back to Villas at Wilderness Lodge – a long drive, but not terrible. It might get tiring night after night, but I imagine my stays here will be relatively short (few nights or so).
SB was waiting up for me when I got back to the studio. I packed up my stuff quickly and talked to him, then watched a little tv hoping to get tired enough to fall asleep quickly. I need to be on the road by 5 a.m. in order to be at work on time at 8, and would have to be up no later than 4 a.m. to do that. I hated missing the next Comedy Warehouse show, since Mary was working that one, but I didn’t dare stay out any later since I had to be up so early.
SUMMARY:
Overall this was a really nice trip, despite the rocky start Friday and the miserable weather last night and today. I realize it’s worse up north, but I don’t choose to live up there – I like the weather we usually have here in Florida! I enjoyed trying Liberty Tree Tavern, and that went much better than my try at Tony’s last time. It was also nice doing Carousel of Progress after such a long time. Villas at Wilderness Lodge was terrific, except for having to park so damn far from the building. If I didn’t need a car, it’d be almost perfect. I will stay here again, but probably won’t risk it during a month when the walk from the car can be so cold & windy!
My next DVC trip will be a short one – in a few weeks SB & I will be spending a night at the Hilton Head resort, then a night at Boardwalk Villas. We’ll be traveling from Washington DC back home to Ft Myers, and decided to break the trip up with the 2 DVC nights. After that I have a solo weekend trip at Saratoga Springs in late August after baseball season is under way.
Until next time, thanks for reading!
Sue Holland
Time of Year: Winter
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: VWL
Accommodations: Studio
Ages Represented in Group: Adult
WDW Experience Represented in Group: Veteran, DVC
Sue Holland -- February 2006 - Walt Disney World (VWL)
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 - 45), DVC member
Dates: February 10 & 12, 2006
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: Villas at Wilderness Lodge
INTRODUCTION:
The original plan was to spend 3 nights starting February 3rd at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge. SB is out of town for a few weeks, and I figured hanging around WDW alone was more fun than hanging around home. Our seasonal passes are valid, the weather is usually great, and the crowds should be low – plus friends were going to be there during my trip and I was looking forward to seeing them. However, SB ended up with the opportunity to do the Orioles’ Fantasy Camp in Sarasota, Florida – all expenses paid, plus payment for his appearance/participation, and only an hour or so from where we live. Unfortunately the dates were Feb 2-5! Luck was on my side though, and I was able to move my Villas at Wilderness Lodge reservation back one week. This way I can stay with SB in Sarasota during the camp – we’ll each do our work during the day, and have the nights together. I later heard from Greg (formerly of the Comedy Warehouse) and learned he would be performing there during my trip, which was an added bonus. The weather ended up being lousy last weekend, so it seems there were a number of reasons changing my dates was a good thing!
Unfortunately this weekend the weather won’t be as wet, but it will be quite cold – especially by my standards! There will be no pool time, and I hope I can stand the nights and early mornings when temperatures will be in the 30’s and 40’s. Once again I decided to book a reservation to try a restaurant that was basically new to me. I of course booked LeCellier, as no trip is complete without eating there. I also booked lunch at Liberty Tree Tavern in the Magic Kingdom. It’s been at least 15 years since I was there last, and frankly was never impressed with it. However, there’s a menu item I’d like to try – let’s hope it is a bigger success than the veggie panini I tried at Tony’s last time!
Besides the 2 meals, my plans include 2 evenings at Comedy Warehouse and the middle evening will be spent enjoying one of the parks (most likely Epcot – it’s so pretty there at night, and a glass of wine while sitting on a bench sounds more appealing than standing in line for an attraction). Since Villas at Wilderness Lodge is so close to the Magic Kingdom, I’ll probably start both days there – staying only briefly on Saturday since my lunch at LeCellier is at 11:40. That should get me to Epcot before the Soarin’ fastpasses are all gone for the day, lol! I may try to get over to the Premium Outlets if there’s time, but that’s not a major priority.
The plans so far are:
Friday 2/10: Work, Dentist, Drive to WDW, Comedy Warehouse
Saturday 2/11: MK, LeCellier, Epcot, possible AK
Sunday 2/12: MK, Liberty Tree Tavern, possible outlets, Comedy Warehouse
Monday 2/13: Leave by 5am to get to work on time!
DAY 1 – Friday 2/10/06
Who: Sue (47), DVC member
Plan: Work, Dentist, Drive to WDW, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: Most of the day didn’t go too well. Work was hectic, but I left in time for my 1pm dental appointment. Once there, after the dentist had drilled down to the nerve he discovered he had to do a root canal – which meant my 1-hour appointment became 2.5 hours. That put me on the road much later than expected, and I experienced some periods of miserable traffic in Sarasota, Tampa, Lakeland, and just before WDW. I swear I’m not doing this drive from Ft Myers again until after Florida tourist season has ended! I love being up here, but it’s not worth the aggravation.
I arrived at the Wilderness Lodge to check in, and was happy to see no wait at all. I got my key to my studio over in Villas at Wilderness Lodge, then took a detour to Roaring Forks because I was hungry. They have a limited selection of “grab & go” stuff available, including some sandwiches, salads, and desserts. I ended up just getting an oatmeal raisin cookie, as the chicken wraps looked rather soggy and I didn’t really care for the other choices. As it turned out the wrap would have been wasted, because my mouth is still numb. When I tried to take a drink of chocolate milk in the studio I realized I had to be very careful or I’d be wearing it, lol!
The resort looks beautiful, and the studio seems to be in great shape. Unfortunately, it was after 7pm and the first Comedy Warehouse show is seated at 8. I knew I had a very good chance of missing it even if I raced around getting settled into the studio (forget trying to find something to eat, since I can’t chew now anyway). I let SB know I’d arrived, unpacked what little stuff I’d brought with me, then headed out to see how it went. I called Leesa from the car and explained I wasn’t going to make it tonight – and confirmed our meeting time & place for Sunday.
After getting gas at the Pleasure Island Hess station, I drove over to Premium Outlets and went to Character Premiere. It felt strange to be here at night, lol! I didn’t buy anything, and really didn’t spend much time (more time driving than shopping). I returned to Disney property and went directly back to the resort. The novocaine had finally worn off, but the area worked on was still too tender for any serious chewing. I made some cappuccino and nibbled on part of the (soft) oatmeal raisin cookie.
Thoughts on Villas at Wilderness Lodge (since there’s not much else to today’s report <g>) – there are things I like a lot, but also things that turn me off from this resort. The biggest negative besides the remote location (to me, being near the Magic Kingdom means you’re far away from most of what I enjoy at WDW – and it’s a long drive home from Pleasure Island) is the parking. Here you park a mile from your room, even in the closest spaces. Valet isn’t much of an improvement, since that’s up at the original hotel and you’d have a fairly long walk to get to the Villas. On a more positive note, the resort is gorgeous inside, and the studio is quite comfortable. I like driving up and knowing I’m staying here as opposed to driving into the All Stars – it’s just a different atmosphere (one we dvc members get spoiled by).
Overall today wasn’t one of my better Disney days, but I’m looking forward to the rest of the weekend!
DAY 2 – Saturday 2/11/06
Who: Sue (47), DVC member
Plan: MK, LeCellier, Epcot, possible AK
Actual: I’d set the alarm for 6:45, but was up around 6. I didn’t sleep very well, as not many positions were comfortable (due to the root canal soreness). Usually I don’t have any discomfort after a root canal, so this was a bit of a surprise. I showered and fixed some cappuccino and toasted half a bagel for breakfast. The bagel was a bit of a challenge to chew, lol, but I managed. It was due to be in the upper 70’s today but was lingering at 45 this morning. That makes it tough, as I don’t want to carry a heavy jacket around when it finally warms up! So, I’ll risk being chilly this morning and a little on the warm side later.
I left the studio about 8:30 and walked briskly over to the dock to catch the next boat to the Magic Kingdom. Since tomorrow it might be cooler, I decided to start with Big Thunder today, and save the indoor Space Mountain for tomorrow. The boat pulled in just as I arrived, and although the line was quite long I still got a seat. The boat was empty when it arrived, but later I think it’s shared with Fort Wilderness. The park hadn’t opened yet, so I waited by the entrance to the train station. I’ve seen the opening show enough times I didn’t need to bother with it today. Once that was done, I was one of the first few guest onto Main Street. Some of the cast members from the stores were out on the sidewalk waving with Mickey gloves on their hands. I headed to Adventureland and had to wait less than 3 minutes for the park to open. There were only about 20 other people there with me! At 9 the cast members walked us into the park, and I ended up being the first person at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
They had both sides operating, and I got to ride (in my favorite seat – the back row) 3 times in a row without getting off. After the third ride people were waiting to board, so I decided that was enough. I could have gotten back in line since it was so short, but I was happy with my 3 rides. It had been a long while since I did the Jungle Cruise, so I headed over there but found it didn’t open until 10. Since I’d planned to leave this park by 10, the Jungle Cruise will have to wait for some other day/trip.
I wandered over to Fantasyland and did Peter Pan. That always sounds so dirty, lol – but you know what I mean. It was basically a walk-on at that point. Next I sailed with the well-behaved audio-animatronic children in It’s a Small World. Our entire boat consisted of a woman with 2 young children and me. When I got off though, it was much busier. It was getting close to 10 am and I was seeing an increase in the crowds so I decided to head out of the park. Once I exited through the turnstiles it was a challenge finding my way out of that area! Hordes of people were coming in, and to exit you have to fight your way against the incoming traffic.
Only the resort monorail was boarding, so I had to use that one. Luckily, the monorail arrived just as I got to the top of the ramp, and I only had 1 stop before reaching the TTC. Once there I walked over to the Epcot monorail, which arrived just as I did – so far my luck with Disney transportation today has been good! At Epcot entry was pretty quick, and the park didn’t feel too crowded. I headed first to the Land to pick up a fastpass for Soarin’ (12:15-1:15) then went back outside and stopped to watch the Kristos perform. After that I browsed in Mouse Gear and then walked back to World Showcase since it was almost 11. I got to Norway just before 11 and joined the line for the Maelstrom. The ride opened in a few minutes, and the wait wasn’t bad at all. Nobody stayed for the movie – not sure if it was running or not. I sat on a bench to update my trip notes so far, then walked to Canada and checked in at LeCellier for lunch.
I was seated shortly before my 11:40 reservation time, and had another great lunch there. I tried a new pinot grigio I hadn’t noticed on the wine list before, and it was very good. Between that, the breadsticks and the cheese soup, I had all I needed. I’d brought another excellent trip report (Lisa & Andy Cubbon’s report of their Disneyland & southern California trip) and read about half of that while I enjoyed my wine & soup. It was pretty windy when I got back outside – when it starts raining it has the potential to be rather miserable!
I walked back to the Land and arrived shortly after my fastpass window had opened for Soarin’. It always irks me to see stupid people – a lady with a party of about 5-6 people were ahead of me entering the fastpass line. However, they were too early and ended up just being in the way of other people. At this attraction the time is shown in DIGITAL format, so there’s no mistaking whether it’s 12:17 yet or not – so what’s the problem people??? I could see if you were going by your watch you might be off a few minutes, but the time is posted so clearly – why is it so hard to understand?? Ok, enough of that rant <g>.
Soarin’ was great, and I got the first row (the best one) this time. I never ask for it, and seem have spent equal time in all 3 rows. I picked up another fastpass on my way out (3:48-4:48 but ended up not using it. I headed back to World Showcase and did a loop starting on the Canada side. I would have seen the movie in France but wasn’t willing to wait 25 minutes for the next show. Instead, I wandered around and browsed through some of the shops in some of the countries. I returned to Future World and rode Spaceship Earth, which had practically no wait at all. I also rode the ride inside Imagination, but that might have been before my World Showcase loop earlier. I sure do miss the original Imagination ride!
I went back to World Showcase and started with Mexico this time. In Germany I got a glass of the wine I liked 2 weeks ago, and sat on a bench for a while. It was windy but very pleasant outside, although the clouds were building up behind me. Eventually I started walking again, and ran into David & Janet (Comedy Warehouse regulars) so I stopped to chat with them. By the time I got back to Future World the wind had really picked up and the sky was very dark. The big question was whether I’d get out of the park before the rain started!
I debated whether I wanted to do dinner as a glass of wine and an appetizer from the Territory Lounge (outside Artist Point in Wilderness Lodge), or get something light from the Land to eat in the room. I decided to see if the tomato/mozzarella salad looked good, and went to the food court in the Land. Besides the tomato/mozzarella they also had a cucumber/tomato salad (both are side items, at $2.89 each) so I bought one of each to bring back to the resort.
As I headed to the exit, it started to rain. The wind was worse than the rain, although once I got out to the bus stops it wasn’t that bad. The Wilderness Lodge bus was waiting for me, and I got one of the last available seats. It stopped first at my resort, then continued on to Fort Wilderness. I can’t imagine camping (especially in a tent) in rain, with expected 35-degree nights! Give me a nice resort – you can keep the “roughing it”! I put my salads in the refrigerator, talked to SB for a while, updated the report, and relaxed a while. My original plan was to wander around Epcot tonight, but I left due to the weather – and now it didn’t look like it was even raining! Then I realized – my balcony is covered, and that’s why nothing was wet out there, lol! When I opened the sliding glass door, I could hear the rain and feel the cold raw air. So much for sunny Florida!
After watching the Olympics for a while a little bit of cabin fever set in – although not enough that I considered heading back to the parks. I put on warmer clothes and walked over to the main Wilderness Lodge, thinking perhaps I’d visit Territory Lounge after all. The lobby was pretty busy – several people checking in, some possibly waiting for Whispering Canyon Café, and others just sitting around chatting. I went into the lounge to check the appetizer menu, and there really wasn’t anything that had a strong appeal. If the lobby wasn’t so busy I might have gotten a glass of wine and sat out by the fireplace in one of the rocking chairs. Instead, I decided to stick with what I had in the studio. I wandered around the lobby a bit and browsed in the store before returning to the Villas. I sat in a comfortable rocking chair there, but then noticed I had no cell phone signal. SB was doing a lesson and would be calling soon, so that wasn’t going to work!
I returned to the studio and was glad I didn’t miss his call – he was out in that snowstorm affecting the northeast. I spent the rest of the evening talking to him, watching the Olympics, and doing jigsaw puzzles online. The 2 salads I bought at the Land today were both excellent, and I’ll gladly get those for meals in the future. I never did make it out for the Electric Water Pageant – that will have to wait for a warmer visit!
Overall today was a really nice day. Getting to ride Big Thunder 3 times without getting off was pretty cool, lunch at LeCellier was terrific, and the stormy weather held off long enough for me to do pretty much all I wanted to do today. I’m enjoying my stay here at Villas as Wilderness Lodge, although I think I’d be less thrilled with it if I’d been going to Comedy Warehouse and commuting back here each night! We’ll see how it goes tomorrow night – I’m definitely not skipping the Warehouse then.
DAY 3 – Sunday 2/12/06
Who: Sue (47), DVC member
Plan: MK, Liberty Tree Tavern, possible outlets, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: I slept much better last night, and was in bed by 10pm! I’d set the alarm for 6:30 and got up then. Breakfast was cappuccino and biscotti, and once again I was out the door at 8:30 to catch the boat to Magic Kingdom. It was COLD and very windy – the air temperature was 45 degrees, but with an almost 20-mile per hour north wind it felt much colder. I was surprised to see people in every single hot tub I passed! In every case it was a parent with one or more kids.
Today the wait for the boat was pretty long, and it was miserable standing out there on the dock. Even the tourists from up north were complaining about how cold it was and trying to keep their kids sheltered from the cold wind. The boat arrived just as the park was opening (we could hear the music) and it was standing room only since it came from Ft Wilderness. I stood where I’d be the first person off, and watched the endless stream of strollers coming on board. We got to the MK around 9:15 and entry was very quick.
I headed first to Space Mountain, where I picked up a fastpass with a 10:05 return time. The standby time was posted as 20 minutes, and although I doubted that was true I decided to skip it. Instead, I went to Fantasyland and pretty much walked right onto the Pooh ride. This ride always has nice warm heat, and that’s what I needed more than anything else! Coming back outside it was very windy, to the point the outdoor merchandise was blowing away and cast members were having to retrieve it. I thought about riding the Snow White ride but there was a short line waiting in a very cool & windy area so I skipped it. I returned to Tomorrowland and decided to give the Space Mountain standby line a try. As expected, it was much shorter than 20 minutes. I was given the front seat, which is always cool. After my trip to space I checked out Buzz Lightyear – earlier it was not open, although they were issuing fastpasses. It was still closed – I checked a few more times but it never opened while I was in the park. I don’t even really like this attraction (probably because I suck at hitting the targets), but it was an indoor ride!
It had been several years since I did Carousel of Progress, so I stood in the sun until the doors opened and went inside. The theater is really looking shabby, but the show was fine. It’s not something I want to do every trip, but I enjoyed it today. When it ended it was time for Space Mountain, where I picked up another fastpass for 10:50 before boarding. Next I went to Haunted Mansion, which was pretty busy but I didn’t have any wait. Some teen boys were sneaking their way through the crowd to get into the boarding line faster – I’m sure they cut almost 20 seconds off their wait, lol.
After Haunted Mansion I went back to Tomorrowland, where it was time for another ride on Space Mountain. A lady with a little boy was trying to use their fastpasses, but when the cast member said he had to be measured, it was obvious the kid was way too short. The mother kept trying to adjust his head, asking the cm “are you SURE he’s too short?” Duh – I could see empty space between the kid’s head and the measuring stick thingy. The cm politely stuck to his guns and turned them away. By now the standby line was pretty full, so it was great breezing past everyone. I got the front seat once again (2nd time), and enjoyed my final ride of the trip.
Once I got off the ride it was time to return to Liberty Square (or whatever they call it). I sat in a sunny rocking chair between Hall of Presidents and the Heritage House shop. It was set back in an alcove and was sheltered from the wind! I updated my trip notes, and then around 11:20 walked over to Liberty Tree Tavern to check in for my 11:30 lunch reservation. They started seating people at 11:30 and I was the 3rd or 4th party called. One thing I noticed – there’s lots of room between tables here, most likely to allow room for the characters to move around at dinner. I like a little space – I don’t need to be so close to my fellow diners I can hear every word of their private conversations!
I ordered the Colony Salad, which has chicken, apples, walnuts, cheese, and field greens in a really nice vinaigrette. It was delicious, but way too much for me – it’d be perfect if Sheila & I were here together splitting the meal. I ate around 1/3 of it, and had the rest packed up to go since I’d spotted a dessert on the menu I was tempted to try. The salad will be a big lunch for tomorrow at work. I ordered the warm chocolate lava cake with raspberry sauce. It came with a big scoop of cherry chambourd ice cream, which I didn’t bother with. I’m not a fan of cherry ice cream and all I wanted was the lava cake. The cake was delicious, although it’s not something I’d have to order again. I would eat here again, and order the same salad. Overall it was a great lunch, and I was happy I decided to give it a try.
I decided to go back to my warm studio at the resort, so I headed down Main Street and exited the park. It was really busy with people arriving, even this late in the day. The boat stopped at Ft Wilderness first, then continued on to Wilderness Lodge. The wind was still very strong, and it was a cold walk over to the Villas. I put the salad in the fridge, and talked to SB for a while – turns out he’d called a few times but I never heard the phone ring or knew I had voice mail waiting. I updated the trip report and relaxed in the studio the rest of the afternoon. At one point I walked over to Roaring Forks and got a couple of things to bring home – oatmeal raisin cookie for me and a magic cookie for Chris.
Leesa arrived around 5 or so and I went to meet her in the lobby to bring her back to the studio. SB & I had recently bought a couple of extra laptops and Leesa was going to set up a few things on them. Mine is a spare, so I can send the more expensive one out for repair and not be laptop-less. In his case the laptop he uses belongs to his company, and it’s a piece of junk. This way he’ll never be without one either. We got some stuff loaded, then had to rush out of there shortly after 7 to make the trip to Comedy Warehouse. I was concerned that parking would be a pain, and needed to allow a lot more time for the “commute” since we weren’t at OKW! Luckily we hit the traffic lights right, and when I pulled into our usual parking lot I spotted a couple who looked like they might be leaving. Woohoo – we ended up with a great spot, instead of circling the lot like other cars were doing!
We had about 20 minutes before the first show, so we got our wrist bands at Adventurer’s Club. As we were finishing, I turned around and was facing Debbie (deseylou)! I had no idea she was here, but she knew I was, and had been looking in my usual places to see if she’d find me <g>. Her first try was the Ghiradelli store – no Sue, but she got some free chocolate, lol! We met her friend Mary Jo and the 4 of us saw the first 2 Comedy Warehouse shows together. First we killed some time downstairs at the Adventurer’s Club. Robby was working as Graves (butler) tonight – he works some nights at Comedy and some nights here but it was the first time I’d seen him doing this character.
Shortly before 8 we went over to Comedy and were glad to get inside where it was warmer! Carol Stein was on the keys tonight. The 8:00 cast was Greg, Matt, John, Christine & Lisa. The audience wasn’t very good (somewhat dull, somewhat just plain dumb), and the show struggled somewhat as a result. They opened with a poem called “The Junebugs do the Jitterbug”, suggested partly by a young boy down front. He raised his hand a lot, and the cast would refer to him as “Junebug” from that point forward. Lisa & Matt created a scene where they were a couple breaking up. Greg directed the action, pausing them to get suggestions from the audience. Lisa was leaving Matt for Donald Trump, played by John with a very bad wig. Eventually she decided to stay with Matt, who worked at McDonalds but ended up going to jail for years for robbing a popcorn cart.
They did Forgotten Songs next. Matt & John wore Viking hats and sang “Thor’s Eye”. Greg was Jessie McCarthy, singing about his breakup in “Dumbfounded”. Lisa came out with huge fake breasts, complete with protruding nipples, and sang “It’s Cold Outside”, lol! Bet the Junebug boy liked that <g>. They also did Letters to the Editor, with the topic being video games. Greg wrote to Teen People, Christine wrote to Good Housekeeping, and John wrote to Golf. They closed the show with a song about a candle shop manager who was caught on videotape having sex with his boyfriend in the store’s restroom. Another fun story for Junebug boy – but I’m glad they didn’t refuse to take the story because someone was silly enough to bring their child to the club. Co-workers of the guy heard about the sex act, and found it on the videotape – then shared it with another co-worker. Amazing stuff <g> - glad I don’t work with those people!
The 9:00 cast was Greg, John, Jake, Lisa & Matt. They did Styles, where the scene is performed using different styles of movies, music, television & books. John & Jake were at the American Idol auditions, and were both really funny. Schmeopardy was next, hosted by John wearing a big afro wig. Greg was Lucky, a whiny building inspector who was missing an arm from a parking garage ramp that fell. Lisa was a bail bondsman, who was ok being in the jail because she’s so ugly men don’t want her. Matt was a body jewelry maker named Robby P. The real Robby P is the cast member who splits his time between Comedy Warehouse and Adventurer’s Club (butler over there tonight), and Robby came over and watched himself being roasted by Matt. Overall the whole show was really funny – much better than the first one.
I talked to Greg for a while after the show, then headed out – Leesa walked me out to the gate since it was warmer to keep walking than to sit on the bench waiting for the next show! I drove back to Villas at Wilderness Lodge – a long drive, but not terrible. It might get tiring night after night, but I imagine my stays here will be relatively short (few nights or so).
SB was waiting up for me when I got back to the studio. I packed up my stuff quickly and talked to him, then watched a little tv hoping to get tired enough to fall asleep quickly. I need to be on the road by 5 a.m. in order to be at work on time at 8, and would have to be up no later than 4 a.m. to do that. I hated missing the next Comedy Warehouse show, since Mary was working that one, but I didn’t dare stay out any later since I had to be up so early.
SUMMARY:
Overall this was a really nice trip, despite the rocky start Friday and the miserable weather last night and today. I realize it’s worse up north, but I don’t choose to live up there – I like the weather we usually have here in Florida! I enjoyed trying Liberty Tree Tavern, and that went much better than my try at Tony’s last time. It was also nice doing Carousel of Progress after such a long time. Villas at Wilderness Lodge was terrific, except for having to park so damn far from the building. If I didn’t need a car, it’d be almost perfect. I will stay here again, but probably won’t risk it during a month when the walk from the car can be so cold & windy!
My next DVC trip will be a short one – in a few weeks SB & I will be spending a night at the Hilton Head resort, then a night at Boardwalk Villas. We’ll be traveling from Washington DC back home to Ft Myers, and decided to break the trip up with the 2 DVC nights. After that I have a solo weekend trip at Saratoga Springs in late August after baseball season is under way.
Until next time, thanks for reading!
Sue Holland