Sue Holland - May 2007 - BWV [Archive]

Sue Holland

10-05-2007, 04:21 PM

Who/When/Where:

Who: Sue (48), DVC member
Chris (20), my son
Amanda (18), Chris’ girlfriend
Renay (40?), ex Sister-in-Law
Erica (16), niece (Renay’s daughter)
Andrea (14), niece (Renay’s daughter)
Kelley (40’s), Renay’s sister – WDW Virgin
Dates: May 24 - 29, 2007
Travel Method: Personal car, Southwest Airlines, Disney’s Magical Express
Resort: Disney’s Boardwalk Villas Resort
Experience: Varies from a first-timer to extremely experienced

INTRODUCTION:
About a year or so ago my sister-in-law (SIL) Renay suggested taking the kids to meet me at WDW (they live in NH). My brother wasn’t interested in going again (they’ve been twice in the past 16 years). I figured it’d be a nice chance to spend some time with my nieces so I gave her some possible dates. She & my brother split up later that year, and I assumed the trip wouldn’t happen, so I booked myself a solo trip over Memorial Day weekend (as usual). However, she still wanted to come, so I changed my studio to a 2-br villa at Boardwalk. Initially the boardwalk view was only available every other night, but I went on the waitlist and it came through. Renay, her sister & the girls can share the 2nd bedroom and bathroom, leaving me to enjoy the master bedroom/bath by myself! I hate having anyone sleeping in the living room (and sharing my bathroom), so as far as I was concerned we were at “full occupancy” even though there’s only 5 of us. Some time later I mentioned the trip to my son Chris, and invited him & his girlfriend to join us for part of the trip. I decided I could live with them in the living room for 1 night, so they’ll camp there when they arrive on Friday. I tried to book them a studio at Boardwalk for the next 2 nights, but both nights were not available at first. I booked Saturday night, but had to take Saratoga Springs for Sunday night (on March 21st the waitlist came through came through for Boardwalk – the kids are set for both nights there without moving). So, we became a party of 7 for most of the trip.

As for experience, Renay and the girls (Erica & Annie) have been twice before. The first time was with us when the girls were in strollers! Kelly has never been, so it’ll be fun to see her reaction to it all. Chris grew up with frequent WDW trips – both before I purchased DVC and even more frequently after. It’s been almost 4 years since he’s been there, as once he started working it was harder for him to take time off to accompany me. Amanda has been before, but not very often and I think she’s only seen a couple of the parks. Her dad has a place in Orlando, so I doubt she’s ever stayed on property (to do it right <g>) before.

With such a diverse group coming and going at different times, we have a mix of different park passes. I have the FL Resident Seasonal pass, plus an annual Pleasure Island pass (dual – good for me plus a guest), so I’m set for the 4 theme parks as well as Comedy Warehouse. The New Hampshire (NH) group (Renay, Kelly, Erica & Annie) will have 4-day passes with park hopping. I think their passes came with a “free” day, so if the pass is one that expires we might head into Epcot the night they arrive. They’re set for the 4 theme parks. Chris & Amanda will have 4-day Florida Resident passes with park hopping and 4 extra “fun” visits (water parks, DisneyQuest, etc) which expire 6 months from first use. They don’t know it yet, but I booked a studio at Animal Kingdom Villas for them during Labor Day weekend to use up more of their passes.

The NH group will undoubtedly love the wild rides I don’t ride – such as Expedition Everest, the original Mission Space, Tower of Terror, etc. Chris is a weenie like me, and I’m not sure where Amanda falls. The NH group will most likely want to spend a lot of hours in the parks (open ‘til close), and the Boardwalk Villas location will be very convenient for everyone to come and go as they please. I imagine we’ll start each morning as a group, heading to a park together. After the morning I’ll be ready for a break, and some people may want to hop to another park (or also take a swim break). I’m sure the others will enjoy the parks in the evening – I may join them some nights, depending on where they go. After so many years away, Chris plans to be a park commando this trip but we’ll see if he really gets up early enough for morning extra magic hours <g>!

We only booked 2 meals for this trip. According to Renay, the girls prefer counter service meals and she’d rather save the money instead of doing all table service meals. We’ll have breakfast in the villa but will eat out for lunch/dinner. We booked a lunch at LeCellier for the 3 older folks – me, Renay & Kelly. We also booked a lunch at 50’s Prime Café for everyone, where we’ll celebrate Erica’s 16th birthday. I later booked another solo dinner at Alfredo’s since I enjoyed the fettuccine there last month. If I eat outside I don’t need the reservation, but since late May is quite a bit warmer than late April I might choose to eat inside where it’s air conditioned this time.

The NH group is flying down on Southwest Airlines and using Disney’s Magical Express to get to and from the resort. Their flight lands at 6:05 pm on Thursday, so I think they’ll get to the Boardwalk around 8pm. Chris & Amanda drive up Friday after school – and I drive up Thursday afternoon. Chris & Amanda will drive home Monday, and the rest of us leave Tuesday. The NH group has an early afternoon flight, so they’ll most likely be picked up by Disney’s Magical Express around 10 am. I’ll be on the road by 4:30 or 5:00 am, since I have to work that day!

With the NH group expected around 8pm on Thursday, I won’t head to Pleasure Island for Comedy Warehouse that night. We can get settled and explore the Boardwalk area a bit – perhaps watch Illuminations from our balcony (we have boardwalk view). Friday we’re planning to start the day in the Magic Kingdom, as Renay thought the girls would want to go there first. Chris & Amanda should arrive by late afternoon, and I’ll take them to Comedy Warehouse for the evening if they still want to do that (they’re now talking about just staying in the theme parks). They know they can’t get into any of the dance clubs since they’re not 21 years old, but still wanted to go to Pleasure Island when we first booked the trip. Saturday we’re starting in Epcot, Sunday in MGM Studios, and Monday in Animal Kingdom.

The plans so far are:
Thursday, 5/24: Work, Drive to WDW, Boardwalk
Friday 5/25: Magic Kingdom, possible Comedy Warehouse
Saturday 5/26: Epcot, Adult lunch LeCellier, Epcot (Sue)
Sunday 5/27: MGM Studios, Group lunch 50’s Prime Time Café, possible MK
Monday 5/28: Animal Kingdom
Tuesday 5/29: Drive to work (4:30 a.m.)

DAY 1 – Thursday 5/24/07
Who: Sue (48), DVC member
Renay (40?), ex Sister-in-Law
Erica (16), niece (Renay’s daughter)
Andrea (14), niece (Renay’s daughter)
Kelley (40’s), Renay’s sister – WDW Virgin

Plan: Work, Drive to WDW, Boardwalk

Actual: Before the trip I had offered to grocery shop for Renay and the others, so I finished getting the perishables during my lunch break at work. I had zero interest in leaving Disney property to pick up groceries but didn’t mind doing it from home. I worked until 1pm and then hit the road, arriving at Boardwalk Villas around 3:45. Normally I prefer to not use valet parking (I hate having to wait for them to bring the car around, and when I want to go somewhere I’d rather just walk to the car), but for this trip I decided to at least use it for my arrival. With a trunk full of heavy stuff (including a case of water), I don’t want to be making multiple trips up that long hill and then perhaps way down another long hallway in order to get my stuff into the room. So, I pulled up to the front entrance and let them take care of my car and my “stuff”. It took a while waiting for someone to help me – usually at any Disney resort they’re right on you as soon as you pull up, but not here today. Finally I got someone to put my bags on a cart, and gave him the car keys (he was wearing a uniform so I’m sure he wasn’t just a guest <g>). Whenever I get the car for the first time, I’ll just put it in self-park for the rest of the trip. In case anyone is wondering, the daily valet parking is $10 for non-members but as a dvc member I would not have to pay anything (except the tip). For me it’s more convenient to self-park.

Inside I only had to wait a few minutes to check in. A manager was expediting the line and was the 2nd person to welcome me home (the security guard was the first). I was directed over to a cast member at the concierge desk area and he was also extremely friendly and upbeat. Check in only took a few minutes, thank goodness. I picked up the room keys for everyone, and asked if they could send a card up for Erica’s birthday at some point. If they don’t, it’s no big deal – I won’t say anything to the others just in case. I got my room numbers, and was a bit concerned because they are VERY low and if I remember correctly the lower the room number the longer the walk down the hallway!

Back at Bell Services I gave them my ticket and they said they’d be right behind me with the luggage. That turned out to not be true, as I’ve been in the villa a good half hour now and no sign of my stuff yet! I took several photos, checked everything over, and decided to update the report while waiting. The studio is at the very end of the hall – only 1 room is past us! I hope we don’t get noise from JellyRolls here! We have 3 separate balconies instead of 1 longer one, unfortunately. The view is nice though, and best of all the villa is beautiful! Too often I’ve thought the BWV rooms looked somewhat rundown and dingy, but this one is very nice. I checked the refrigerator carefully, and was happy to see it’s not covered in rust like the one in my friend Chris’ 2br villa last month! The walls look freshly painted and are not marked up from previous guests. Overall, everything looks perfect – except the lack of luggage!

I called Bell Services at about 35 minutes after checking in, and was told the guy was just walking into the building with my stuff. So, after he makes the 1+ mile walk down the hallway he should be here! It finally arrived and I got everything put away quickly. I was hungry, so I snacked on a few crackers with a couple slices of cheese, then headed out to wander inside Epcot for a little while.

I took the staircase at the end of our hallway, and ended up by the path to MGM. To get to Epcot it’s more convenient to walk back down the hall to the center of the resort. Entering Epcot was a breeze, and I headed over to Germany to pick up a glass of wine. Inside the wine store a group of 4 German guests were hogging the entire counter and taking forever! They would order 1 glass of wine and all take sips, discuss it, then move on to a 2nd, 3rd and finally 4th glass. They had to discuss/argue over who would pay for each one, and once that was settled they still stood there at the ordering counter as if that was where they planned to drink their wine! Of course the cast members said nothing, not wanting to offend them. I wormed my way around the back of the one on the end and pulled the menu over so I could “finally” order my glass of wine (which has gone up $1 since last month). The wine was ok – probably not worth the wait, lol!

I walked back to America just as Mary’s voice was announcing the start of the Guess Who concert. I took a seat in the last row but didn’t stay long. It was a bit too loud and too “rock & roll” for me. Stringy long hair on men just isn’t my thing, either. I got up and moved over to a bench in Italy and that was perfect! I could hear the music without it being too loud, there was a nice breeze, and I could people watch to my heart’s content. I took a few photos for other guests, but mostly just sat and enjoyed the wine and music. I actually recognized several of the songs (I must be old, lol)!

After the concert I started walking around again and next stopped in China to watch the acrobats. They were doing a different show than what I’ve seen recently, and it was very good. Just as I was about to take a picture, Renay called from the airport to say they were waiting in line for the DME bus. I’d stepped out of the crowd, and after I finished talking to her there was no point going back as there was no room to see anything. Maybe I’ll catch it again later in the trip.

I continued around and did the rather lame Gran Fiesta Tour in Mexico – this time with no wait. There was a long line when I got off the ride, though. From there I stopped in Canada and listened to Off Kilter for a while – they’re always good. Eventually I walked back to the Boardwalk and browsed through the shops before going up to the villa. I no sooner got into the villa when Renay called to report they were on WDW property – so I turned around and walked back to the lobby!

I sat in one of the big rocking chairs overlooking the big lawn and talked to SB while waiting for them to arrive. Soon they got there – after stopping at the Caribbean Beach Resort. The girls were so big - just taller than me, but they’re supposed to be little girls <g>. I hadn’t seen Kelley since Renay’s wedding to my brother (1989?) but she quickly felt like an old friend. We made the long trek to the villa, where they unpacked and got a bit cleaned up. They liked the villa, and should be comfortable in their “studio”. We talked about plans for the evening – it turns out they have a 5th day free on their passes, but it expires in 14 days so they’re not able to save it for a future trip.

They hadn’t eaten for a while, so we walked over to the Dolphin and had a light dinner at Picabu. On the way in Chris called me, asking if he & Amanda could come up tonight instead of waiting for tomorrow. I figured what the hell – that way they could start out with us in the morning. They got on the road about 9pm, so I knew to expect them around midnight.

At Picabu the staff working were very friendly, and it wasn’t busy at all. We all got the 20% dvc discount as well, which was nice. Andrea got a chicken Caesar salad, Renay & Erica shared a (huge) chimichanga, Kelley got a turkey sub and I got the soup of the day (tomato). The soup was a very large portion, and nice and thick. It was regularly $3.99 but with the 20% discount my dinner was a whopping $3.19! Can’t beat that, especially at Disney!

After dinner we walked through the Boardwalk pool area and then got upstairs to the villa just before 9pm. Kelley opened up a bottle of wine, as Renay wanted to drink wine on the balcony while watching the fireworks – and that’s what we did! At one point Renay told me my phone was ringing, so I went inside and checked both cell phones but saw nothing. Then I saw the message light blinking on the regular phone and found out I’d missed a call from Bill (Major Woody). Unfortunately he didn’t have his cell so I couldn’t call him back – he and his wife were walking around the boardwalk area. Sorry, Bill! We enjoyed the fireworks and talked about what to do next.

The girls wanted to rent a surrey bike, so we figured we’d do that after we finished our wine. Renay went into her room and found Erica was already in her pajamas. She laughed, saying there’s no nightlife at home so the poor girl is conditioned to think the day is over by 9pm <g>. She told Erica to get dressed again, then we went downstairs and out to the boardwalk. Erica got a pressed penny with the Boardwalk Resort on it – nice inexpensive souvenir. We rented the surrey bike for a half-hour and they told us that would be about 2 laps around the lake. There were 5 of us and only 4 sets of pedals, so I sat in the middle of the back seat and went along for the ride! They did great on the hills – I think the fact that we had no heavy people on the bike really helped. We also finished the 2 laps in about 20 minutes, and that was with some pretty slow spots in traffic. It was fun though, and I never did see Bill while we were riding around.

After we returned the bike we walked into Epcot. By now it was 10pm – I can’t believe I was out in a park at that hour, lol! We got our extra magic hour wristbands at the top of the International Gateway entrance and headed to the Land to ride Soarin’. I was hoping for almost no wait, but the standby time was posted as 60 minutes. Ugh – I figured there was a good chance the real time would be less, so we got in line. It was actually about 40 minutes or so until we were strapped into our seats, so that wasn’t too bad after all. Since it was their first time I wanted it to be as good as possible, so I asked for row 1 and they sent us to the center section, row 1! We had perfect seats, and it was a great ride. By the time we got off there was no wait at Living With the Land, so we rode that. The greenhouse sections sure look strange at night, when it’s dark outside. You see more during the daylight, but it was still interesting. They were amazed at some of the things we saw.

By now it was 11pm or later, so we headed back to the resort. I called SB to share what we’d done and say goodnight to him. After we left Epcot we decided to take the Friendship instead of walk – it was crowded and we had to wait a bit, but it was an ok ride. We at least had seats. After the long hallway trek we were back in our beautiful villa. Kelley went over to the kitchen sink and washed our 3 dirty wine glasses – I knew I liked this lady, lol!

They retired to their room and I checked the living room closet for pillow for Chris and Amanda, but didn’t find any. Just then Renay came over asking if I had any extra pillows because they didn’t have any for the sofa bed. It made no sense for the pillows to be missing, so I called housekeeping. They were out of pillows, but said there should be 2 in the sofa bed when you pull it down. I tried it on the living room sofa bed, and sure enough they were there – but in a strange spot. I told Renay and we checked the one in her room – sure enough, both pillows were there <g>. Pillow crisis solved – I went back to my side of the villa and prepared to finish up the report. Just then Chris called, wanting to know if the hallway ever was going to end, lol!

Soon they were knocking on the door and I let them in. Amanda was awestruck at how beautiful the resort was, and loved the villa. She mentioned a Ramada Inn on a visit years ago – so no wonder she was impressed. She’s a really nice girl, and I’m glad Chris is with her – so I don’t mind treating them to dvc once in a while. Renay came over to see Chris – shocked that he was no longer a skinny little boy. At 6’2” he’s pretty tall, and although he’s not fat he’s not skinny either. I hung around talking with Chris & Amanda for a while – Chris was sharing their plans with me. Amanda asked him if he’d planned out everything for all of their days, and he said he did. It was almost like listening to myself there <g>. I didn’t realize I was teaching him to be a WDW trip planner, but I guess I did!

I went to my bedroom to finish up the report, while Chris & Amanda made another trip out to the car (that hallway is going to be the death of us all) and wandered around the resort for an hour or so. It really is beautiful here, both during the day and at night. At night it’s special though with all the lights reflecting on the water, and this late at night it’s very quiet and peaceful.

Good news – no noise from JellyRolls even though there’s only 1 villa separating us. I wonder if there might be some noise on a lower floor, though. Today was a long day – I did an awful lot more than I ever do on an arrival day. But, it was a great day. I’m glad everyone made it in safely, and I think we’re all going to get along great during the trip. With 7 people, that’s not always a safe assumption to make!

In the morning we’re heading to Magic Kingdom and people will split off from there as the day progresses.

DAY 2 – Friday 5/25/07
Who: Sue (48), DVC member
Chris (20), my son
Amanda (18), Chris’ girlfriend
Renay (40?), ex Sister-in-Law
Erica (16), niece (Renay’s daughter)
Andrea (14), niece (Renay’s daughter)
Kelley (40’s), Renay’s sister

Plan: Magic Kingdom, possible Comedy Warehouse

Actual: I’d set my alarm for 6:15 because I wanted to have time to get online to post the report, and due to sharing the bathroom/shower with Chris & Amanda. They were planning to head to the MK around 8 to get their vouchers converted into the actual park passes, while the rest of us planned to be out the door by 8:30. I slept with the drapes open, wanting the sunrise to wake me – at home I’m up too early for work to have that luxury.

Last night I was woken up at 2:13 by lots of loud, drunken, stinky people who had evidently just left JellyRolls after it closed. It didn’t last too long, thank goodness – but since I never heard the many more people outside earlier in the evening, these folks really stood out.

Chris and Amanda were up sometime after 7, but other than Renay we never saw anyone from the other room. Turns out the girls were scared to come over – to them I guess Chris is some strange man sleeping in the living room, lol. They made oatmeal in their kitchenette, and later we moved their breakfast stuff over into their fridge for tomorrow morning. Chris had some cereal, as did I. Chris & Amanda left at 8 for the Magic Kingdom so they’d have time to exchange their vouchers for park passes. When I went into the others’ room I was hit with a wall of warm humid air – they had the balcony door open (not all night) and it felt gross in there! After a long cold winter they were just wanting to enjoy any warm air they could find, but I asked them to keep it closed so the a/c wouldn’t get damaged. Before we left I threw their damp towels in the dryer to freshen them for next use.

The rest of us left about 8:15 and arrived at the bus stop just as the MK bus was ready to leave. The cast member at the bus stop held it for us, and we took our seats. The next stop was the Swan, where the crowd waiting filled the remaining seats, then we went to the Dolphin and crammed as many people as humanly possible into the aisle. Some kid sneezed all over my leg, actually getting me wet. That was disgusting! I was tempted to use his t-shirt to dry myself off.

We got to MK just as the opening show was concluding, and rushed a bit to beat the ferry boat pulling up to the dock. We got through security and the turnstiles quickly, and met Chris & Amanda in front of City Hall. Thank goodness for cell phones – it was really easy to stay in touch during the trip. We decided I would take all the passes to get fastpasses for Space Mountain while those who wanted to ride Splash Mountain would head there, then we’d all meet at Big Thunder.

Kelley, Renay and the girls went to Splash – they enjoyed it, but Renay said it was more than a “splash”, lol. Chris won’t ride it, and Amanda had ridden it during Grad Night a year ago & didn’t care to ride it again. So, they went with me to Tomorrowland and rode Buzz Lightyear while I got the fastpasses. I only had to wait a couple minutes for them to finish the ride, as they had no wait at all. There was also no wait for the Astro Orbiter so we rode that before walking towards Frontierland to meet the others.

Renay called just as we were entering Liberty Square, and soon we were all at Big Thunder. Chris won’t ride this, so he waited at the exit and tried to take a picture of us on the train. The posted wait was 10 minutes, but we never stopped walking. We got the very back of the train, which is the best part! It was fun, and after meeting up with Chris we all went to Pirates of the Caribbean. I expected a wait, but they had both sides open and we walked right onto our boat. The others hadn’t been on this since before the movie updates, and they’re evidently not repulsed by Jack Sparrow like I am <g>. Must be that long stringy hair thing, and the fact he looks too damn feminine.

We were doing really well hitting the major attractions – it was now only 10 minutes past 10. We went to Jungle Cruise next, where we encountered the longest wait (10-15 minutes). Our skipper was excellent, and never stopped with the silly puns. Many I hadn’t heard before, so it was a lot of fun. From there we walked right onto the Haunted Mansion, then went back to Tomorrowland and used the Space Mountain fastpasses – except for Chris, who opted to wait in the arcade. Everyone loved Space Mountain, so they picked up another one to use later in the day since they’d be staying in the park.

At this point we were getting hungry, so we discussed our options and went to Cosmic Ray’s. They have the best variety, although having 3 separate bays is a pain. The chicken bay was almost deserted, and getting food there was very quick. At the burger bay lines were long, but they’d only get longer later. Amanda got chicken tenders & fries, then went to secure a couple of tables with Erica & Andrea. I think the NH group may have all gotten kids’ meals – either chicken nuggets or the salad with chicken. The salad actually looked good – I might get that next time. The best thing is the kids’ meals come with a small bottle of water, and the portion of food isn’t more than a person needs. Speaking of more than a person needs, Chris got the bacon double cheeseburger with fries <g>. I was amazed that he just wolfed it down, along with one of my mini corndog nuggets (from my kids’ meal) and part of Amanada’s chicken tender. Yikes!

After lunch we went over to the new Monsters Inc Laugh thingy. The posted standby time was 60 minutes, but I didn’t see how that was possible given the length of the line so I checked with the cast member. He said they were experimenting with the fastpass system, and that time wasn’t really accurate. When I asked what his best estimate of the true time was, he said “maybe 15 minutes”. So, we got in line <g> and it was probably 15 minutes before we were in the theater. This was the first time for all of us, and I think we all enjoyed it. Chris wished it was longer, so he must have really liked it!

After we got outside we split up. Chris & Amanda were going to attempt Fantasyland and then head over to Epcot for probably the rest of the day. The others were going to meander around MK trying to do as many of the other attractions they can get into. I decided to return to the resort and spend an hour by the pool, but as I was leaving I noticed how cloudy it was. There’s no rain expected, but there’s not much sun either. Instead of laying by the pool in the shade I talked to SB for a while, then sat on the balcony with the laptop and updated the report. That actually went quicker than expected, and I had time to kill before General Hospital at 3pm so I decided to take a walk around the lake. While I was gone the resort delivered a couple balloons and a signed birthday card for Erica – I’ll add her birthday button and the certificate a cast member made for her on my last trip.

My walk was nice – when the sun was out it was pretty hot, but when the clouds covered it the air felt almost cool. Probably it was just the influence of the strong winds. Not many people were out walking around, and the carts outside on the boardwalk were not open yet. I went back up to the villa and got online for a while. I thought about a quick jaunt into Epcot, but that would have taken more time than I had since I wanted to catch General Hospital (missed the last 2 days).

Around 4 I went back out to wander around some more, this time walking over to MGM Studios to see how long it will take from our stairway. It took me 15 minutes or so to get to the security bag check, walking at a leisurely pace. I believe it’s just about 1 mile. I entered the park and walked around a while, browsing through the shops before heading back out. The walk back felt longer, but I still got there faster than the friendship!

I climbed the 5 flights up to the villa and found Kelley and Erica were back. They had just climbed up the same stairs <g>. Erica liked her balloons & card, and she’ll wear her birthday button on Sunday. The 4 of them had stayed in the MK and rode a few more attractions (Snow White, People Mover, etc) and then rode the monorail to Epcot just to ride it. They walked through Epcot to get back to the villa – Andrea & Renay took the boat while Kelley & Erica walked & got back first. Soon Andrea arrived, followed by a tired Renay. The teens headed down to the pool for an hour while the adults hung out on one of the balconies with wine, crackers and cheese.

When the girls came back from the pool Renay cooked up some pasta for dinner. I was full from the crackers and cheese, so I skipped the pasta. Chris & Amanda had returned from Epcot and weren’t hungry yet either. After discussing who was doing what, it ended up with Chris & Amanda coming with me to Comedy Warehouse – then splitting off for shopping and possibly Rainforest Café late. Once again, as soon as their dinner was finished Renay and Kelley were doing the dishes and putting the kitchen back in perfect condition!

I absolutely hate waiting for my car to be brought up by any valet runner, so I called from the room and asked that it be brought up. We finished getting ready, made the long walk down the hallway and went outside to find an absolute zoo out there. Plus, they had not even taken my keys out to send anyone to get the car yet – and the guy working in the booth had zero customer service skills. Eventually the car was brought up (about 10 minutes) and we had to wait to leave because we were totally blocked in! I will never use valet parking here again – if I have a big load to unload I’ll let them take it and then go park the damn car myself.

The drive to Downtown Disney seemed to take a while, as there was a lot of traffic and we hit some of the lights. I parked over near Planet Hollywood since we were going to wander the West Side, and had to really hunt for a parking space (near the far end of the lot). Once we got to the West Side I was surprised how crowded it was, which I assume is due to the holiday weekend. We walked down to Cirque du Soleil so Amanda could see part of the video. She hates clowns, but I think she’d like the show despite the clown parts. They’re not performing during this trip, though. We wandered back towards Pleasure Island and went to the ticket booth to get a complimentary ticket for Amanda. I got Chris in with my dual annual pass.

We went to the Adventurer’s Club to get our wrist bands and sat inside for a while. I spotted Leesa and went to sit with her, while the kids went downstairs to get drinks and look around some. Soon it was time to head to Comedy Warehouse for the first show. Not many of the regulars were there tonight, other than Maureen & her daughter, and Dave with some strange people. A new keyboard player (Steve Merritt) was working, and I liked him – he’s very enthusiastic and does a good job.

The 7:45 cast was Brian, Lisa, Missy, David & Matt. They did a phone interview with a lady who frankly acted like an *** – trying to be funny but only looking like a complete jerk. Some of her comments were downright mean (directed towards her sister), and I don’t understand why the sister would bother with this piece of crap if that’s what she’s like on a regular basis. The cast did a good job creating a song about her life, though.

Matt & Missy started a scene interrupted 3 times for the last line of dialogue to become a song. Matt was judging a cooking contest Missy had entered, and she’d spiked her meatballs to make him fall in love with her. David was another (female) contestant, and Brian was Missy’s new husband. It was a funny scene – in fact this whole show was great. The 3 songs were “I’m afraid I’m going to have to disqualify you” as a reggae song, “I had to” as a country song, and “Blue Ribbon” as a polka.

Next was Schmeopardy, hosted by Matt. Lisa was a pirate technician (pyrotechnician was the suggestion), Brian was a very old recently retired Disney bus driver (from the opening phone interview), and David was Lance Puck the pharmacy tech. After the show Chris & Amanda left to get something to eat at Wolfgang Puck’s Express in the Marketplace (at least that was the last plan) and go shopping over there. I stayed for the next show with Leesa. Although Chris has been away from here for several years, he still knows the place like the back of his hand so there’s no worry they can’t find their way back to the villa. In fact, Amanda was asking what different things were, and Chris was nailing every single question.

The 8:50 cast was Brian, Lisa, David, Missy & John. They did Styles, where the scene changes to be performed in different styles of music, movies, tv & entertainment events. John was stealing his grandmother’s (Lisa) engagement ring to give to his girlfriend in this funny scene. Next they did Point Counterpoint, where 2 actors debate opposing sides of a variety of topics. Tonight it was Missy as a 12 yr old high school senior and Brian as the student union president of the University of Central Florida. The topics were Mrs. Doubtfire, anxiety, wookies, spanking, and waste. Both actors were particularly sharp & witty tonight, which made it a fun scene.

The last structure was the one where 2 actors start a scene then another says freeze and taps out one actor – replacing him in the same position but starting an entirely different scene. This was very brief, as I think it was heading into some funny raunchy material <g>. Overall this was a very good Comedy Warehouse night, as both early shows were excellent. SB called just after the show ended, and I was planning on leaving after this one anyway, so I said goodbye to Leesa and headed out to call him back & chat awhile.

I headed back out to the car and drove back to the Boardwalk, finding a parking space surprisingly easy considering it’s a holiday weekend. Nobody else was home yet, so I made a cup of cappuccino and sat out on the balcony with the laptop to finish up the report for today. As I was typing I heard someone calling “Hey Mom – go call the elevator” and it was my darling son & Amanda down below. I told them I’d toss them a shower curtain to climb up <g>. I held off on finalizing the report to hear what they’d actually done tonight. I don’t know if the others ended up at MK as planned or went elsewhere – guess I’ll hear in the morning. Turns out they did eat at Puck’s, with a very long line of people ahead of them (typical for that place). They tried Rainforest Café but were told it was a 1 hr and 45 minute wait so they said “no way”. They were both tired, as was I – so I went to my bedroom to watch the 11pm news and post the report.

Today was a terrific day, and I’m really glad the group is meshing together so well. There have been no dramatic moments or attitudes, and I don’t expect any down the road. I’m really loving being here, and it’s fun having everyone else around. I enjoy their company yet still have solo time, which is a perfect situation!

DAY 3 – Saturday 5/26/07
Who: Sue (48), DVC member
Chris (20), my son
Amanda (18), Chris’ girlfriend
Renay (40?), ex Sister-in-Law
Erica (16), niece (Renay’s daughter)
Andrea (14), niece (Renay’s daughter)
Kelley (40’s), Renay’s sister

Plan: Epcot, Adult lunch LeCellier, Epcot (Sue)

Actual: I slept with the drapes open again, loving seeing the sky change as the sunrises. It’s so pretty with the lake, lights, etc. This morning was very cloudy, but the sky still brightened nicely enough to wake me up. I never heard any noise from people leaving JellyRolls last night, and none of the others heard it the first night.

I showered, had cappuccino and an English muffin for breakfast, and hung out online until it was time for the others to be up. Chris had asked me to make sure he & Amanda were up around 8 – but they got up a little after that (after my 2nd attempt). They’re going to stop downstairs to check in to their own studio on their way to Blizzard Beach (driving). They left shortly before Renay & the others came out, then the 5 of us headed downstairs to walk over to Epcot. We saw Chris & Amanda at the front desk on our way out, and stopped to make sure everything was going ok.

We arrived in Epcot with perfect timing – had about 2 minutes to wait at the top of the hill. I took everyone’s passes and got us fastpasses for Soarin’ while the others went to Mission Space. The teens rode the wild side and the adults rode the gentle side. Both teens said they didn’t feel like it was spinning at all, both last night and this morning. They got out of the attraction around 9:45 – I was sitting outside watching a baby rabbit eating some leaves.

We went to Test Track and did the single rider line with hardly any wait at all. It wasn’t a tough choice to do that rather than the 40-minute standby line! From there we took a detour to the butterfly garden, where I refrained from making any comments about them being “just bugs” <g>. Their colors are pretty, but I no more want a butterfly landing on me than I’d want a fly or lovebug. The others tried to get one to land on an outstretched finger, but most of the butterflies were in the few houses they have set up in there, not moving.

We walked through Mouse Gear, where Renay picked up a package of 4 AA batteries and said it would probably be $20. We all laughed, but when she came back I asked her how much they ended up costing and she said $16! That is absolutely ridiculous to gouge people like that! I thought about running out to Sam’s to buy a bunch of batteries to sell to Disney guests at $10 for 4, but then I would have had to leave property and I just couldn’t do it <g>. I might have made enough to buy more dvc points, though!

Next we went over to the Seas with Nemo, and fortunately the line was moving very quickly. We didn’t slow down until the very last section, which was a good thing since we never saw what the standby wait was before getting in line! I wish the ride had more aquarium time and less cartoon time, but I guess that wasn’t possible given the layout of the building. We looked at the manatees briefly, then went to see Turtle Talk with Crush. This was my first time, and I’d only heard rave reviews about the show. It was cute, but not something I’d wait for again. I got tired of all the “dude” and “totally awesome” stuff – but I was definitely glad I finally saw it, dude <g>.

When we came out of the Seas it was about 11am and raining lightly. Damn – what is it with the stupid cloudy weather this weekend?? This is the sunshine state! Normally I’d be roasting and hoping for a stray cloud to pass by, but now that I’ve got guests who want to get a tan we have nothing but clouds & some rain. We walked quickly over to the Land and used our fastpasses for Soarin’, hoping the rain would have stopped by the time we get back out. SB called while we were in the fastpass line (at a stand still), which surprised me since reception is usually so poor in there. I did notice they had 3 cast members at the fastpass entrance, and they studied each person’s fastpass closely. They’re still the old format, too.

Soarin’ was great (2nd row this time) and we stopped at the food court so I could get a rice krispie treat for later. When we came outside the rain had stopped, but it must have rained quite a bit because there were actually puddles in the area. We sent the teens off and told them to call us at 1pm – they ended up spending their time shopping but didn’t ride any attractions.

Renay, Kelley & I walked over to Canada and checked in at LeCellier for our noon reservation. They called us in about 5 minutes, which was probably 10 minutes before noon. We had a terrific waitress (do they ever have a bad one here??) and except for the food being very slow coming out of the kitchen everything was excellent. The waitress kept checking back with us, apologizing for the delay. They each got the steakburger – Kelley’s with blue cheese and Renay with cheddar. They forced themselves to finish the burgers because they were very good. I stuck with the cheese soup and skipped the wine today. For dessert we shared the tiny crème brulee sampler and the chocolate moose. The moose is now $1 more and rather significantly smaller in size. It was really too big before, so that’s no big deal – but paying more for less was a bit much. It’s no longer something I have to have. Renay bought lunch, which was very nice of her.

Back outside I talked to SB while Renay called the girls to see where they were. They were still in Mouse Gear (again), so she told them to come meet us in Canada over by Off Kilter. Once they arrived we walked back to the Boardwalk and ran into Chris & Amanda dragging their luggage down the hall to their studio. They got one really close to the elevator! They’re also on the 5th floor, in a dedicated studio overlooking the grassy area. Chris said it was a boardwalk view, because they can see the boardwalk <g> but it’s actually preferred view. They may be able to see some of the Illuminations fireworks from their balcony.

The rest of my group changed into swimsuits and went down to the clown pool. I stopped at Chris & Amanda’s on my way down. The pool was pretty busy, but thanks to the cloudy weather we found 5 chairs along the back. The girls enjoyed the slide, then Renay & Andrea spent some time in the hot tub while the rest of us did some reading. There wasn’t much sun, and a few times it rained – very disappointing. Soon we went back upstairs, and I let Renay use the laptop to do some of her online school (she’s working on a master’s degree program) while I sat on the balcony. After she finished they were ready to head back to Epcot, and I knew they planned to spend hours going through every inch of World Showcase. I decided to stay at the resort to work on the trip report and meet up with them in a couple of hours or so. I took the laptop out to the balcony and got caught up. It was nice and breezy out there, and sitting there with a glass of wine was far more enjoyable than looking in shops I see all the time. About 4:15 I went inside and called housekeeping because nobody showed up to do the trash & towel service I rescheduled for today. Sure enough, they showed the date “changed” but changed to tomorrow! That was the original day, and I’d thrown all the towels used by me, Chris & Amanda into a heap on the floor thinking they’d be replaced today. She offered to bring me some towels, but I still had 1 clean one so I said not to bother. Housekeeping had already finished for the day, so I’ll just wait for tomorrow (and next time call sooner if they mess up again).

Around 5 I decided to head out. I was concerned about being cold, as I didn’t bring any cool weather clothes because it wasn’t supposed to be like this! However, now that we weren’t at the pool anymore the sky was clearing and when I got outside I found it was actually nice & warm. I called Renay once I got into Epcot and found they were in the big shop in Japan. In the couple of hours they’d been gone they had only gotten that far, because as Renay said – they are looking at everything! When they were here as a family evidently they never got to go to Epcot because my brother didn’t like it! I decided to ride Spaceship Earth and would head out to the countries after that. Renay mentioned she was in a wheelchair. Evidently last November she injured her knee carrying turkeys from the church out to some one’s car. It wasn’t bad enough to require surgery, but she did physical therapy through December until her insurance changed. After the walk to Epcot her knee was swollen and it hurt to walk, so she decided to rent a wheelchair at Int’l Gateway in the hopes that she’ll be able to walk well tomorrow.

Spaceship Earth was a walk-on, which is typical for this time of day. Towards the end of the ride SB called, but it was too loud to hear him. It was frustrating, as I knew he couldn’t wait for me to get off the ride since he had to get ready for his game. I walked back to World Showcase and called Renay – they were still in Japan, but now watching the people play the drums. I met up with them over there, and we continued working our way around the countries. Renay & her daughters were eating their way around the world, but Kelley & I just watched <g>. They had kaki gori from Japan, gelato from Italy, potstickers in China, and I don’t remember what else. We also went in every shop, and looks at lots of the exhibits. I won’t have to do any of that again for a while <g>!

By 8pm we had finally cleared Mexico, and they decided to head over to Spaceship Earth. I let them know what else might be open in Future World, then headed back to the villa to catch the end of SB’s game. I fixed some crackers & cheese and a glass of wine, and wanted to sit on the balcony with it but I couldn’t hear the game even with the volume turned all the way up on the laptop. The cords weren’t long enough to reach outside, and since there’s no wireless here I was stuck inside. I at least had the pretty view though!

SB’s game ended at 6 minutes before 9, so I went out to watch the fireworks from the balcony off the living room. A little after 9, Chris & Amanda showed up (using their key to this villa) and watched them with me – that was nice! We sat out there chatting, and they shared their day with me. They had a lousy experience at DisneyQuest, after Chris had told Amanda how she was going to love it there. They only got to do a couple of big attractions as the lines were 80 minutes long at the others. They waited to play air hockey, but the people playing kept playing again & again even though others were waiting. The food was awful, and it used to always be terrific. They ended up not staying long and feel like their admission was wasted. Their time at Blizzard Beach was wonderful for the first hour (extra magic hour), and non resort guests were already lined up waiting an hour for the park to open! During that first hour they did lots of slides, and Amanda said once 10am rolled around the influx of non-resort guests was incredible. By then it was cooler and raining, so they only stayed for the morning.

Tonight they were interested in playing miniature golf, and since the dvc discount is only 15% but my passholder discount is 50% Chris asked if I’d go over with them to get the tickets. I figured what the heck – my feet were hurting earlier from all the standing around but they were fine while walking. SB called and I talked to him for a bit while Chris & Amanda took the cereal & milk down to their studio. When they came back I was ready to go, so we went down the stairwell and walked over to the Swan. I asked at the front desk for directions to the golf course, which was very easy to find. It’s not a bad walk from Boardwalk Villas at all.

Unfortunately, there was a long line and when the family ahead of us finally got up there to pay, they were told their tee time was about ½ hour away. Chris checked with Amanda, and they decided to skip it rather than be out so late. We walked back to Boardwalk Villas, talking about plans for tomorrow. We stopped at my villa to check the early entry park tomorrow – since it’s Epcot, they’re going to go in at 8am to ride Soarin or pick up fastpasses for later (if fastpass machines are working early) before meeting the rest of us at MGM. I could hear the others in their room, but since the door was closed I didn’t say anything. Once Chris & Amanda left, SB called again so I said goodnight to him and then settled down in bed to finish up the report.

Today was another very nice day, except for the weather during the first half. Having lousy weather at the pool was a disappointment, but it should be nice the rest of the trip. Traveling with a group is a totally different experience than doing a solo trip or one with just SB. I find I do more waiting around, playing the host to my guests. While I don’t mind, it can be tiring at times. Overall though, they’re an easy group to hang out with! LeCellier was great (as usual – and this time nothing was spilled on me), and I enjoyed spending time with Chris & Amanda.

Tomorrow we’ll head to MGM, where I’ll sit around waiting for them to do the thrill rides, then we have Erica’s birthday lunch at 50’s Prime Time Café. Hopefully we’ll enjoy the sun/pool, and I might join Chris & Amanda for Spectromagic if I can stand the crowds at MK (it’s evening extra magic hours – shudder).

DAY 4 – Sunday 5/27/07
Who: Sue (48), DVC member
Chris (20), my son
Amanda (18), Chris’ girlfriend
Renay (40?), ex Sister-in-Law
Erica (16), niece (Renay’s daughter)
Andrea (14), niece (Renay’s daughter)
Kelley (40’s), Renay’s sister

Plan: MGM Studios, Group lunch 50’s Prime Time Café, possible MK

Actual: This morning I woke up shortly before 6:30 – I can tell I’m wanting to sleep longer, but I don’t want to do that since I have to get up so early day after tomorrow. Breakfast was another English muffin and cappuccino, eaten indoors today. I should have taken it out onto the balcony and watched the boardwalk come to life! Chris called about 8 to report they were entering Epcot and headed for Soarin. The NH group and I left the villa about 8:30 and since Renay’s knee was feeling good this morning we took the stairs down and walked over to MGM. If she was having trouble we would have taken the boat from the Swan. She checked at the resort last night and called again this morning, but no wheelchairs were available here.

We got to MGM about 10 minutes before 9, and although the lines at the turnstile extended all the way back to the ticket windows, there was one with absolutely nobody. Kelley & I went up to ask the cast member if that one was open, and she said “come on in”. It was just as they opened the other turnstiles, so we were the first ones into the park. I have no idea why nobody was in that line, although I do think stupidity/not paying attention has to play a large part. We waited a few minutes for the others to get through the turnstile, then walked up to Sunset Boulevard to wait for the park to open.

They did a little pre-show with Nora Desmond and then we were allowed to head down the street. They went to ride Tower of Terror while I got fastpasses for everyone (used mine to get one for Amanda) at Rock N Roller Coaster. They were off ToT by 9:25, which was about the best time I’ve seen there. They said they were in the 2nd elevator of the day. Chris & Amanda were still on their way to MGM so I suggested to the NH group that they do the single rider line at Rock N Roller Coaster (RnR from now on). They did, and were out within 10-15 minutes! By now it was about 9:35 or so, and we headed over to the Great Movie Ride. I didn’t ride, since I figured Chris & Amanda would be arriving during the ride and I needed to give SB a wakeup call before I’d be off the ride.

I started walking back to get Amanda a fastpass for Tower of Terror (ToT) but as I got to Sunset Blvd Chris called to say they were entering the park. I waited for them, and we walked down together for Amanda to get her own fastpass. From there she did the single rider line at RnR while Chris & I waited. I talked to SB and then when Amanda emerged we walked over to the Great Movie Ride and reached the exit just as the others were coming out. We had about 45 minutes until lunch, so we went back to RnR so they could use the fastpasses to ride together. After coming out, the NH group picked up another fastpass for later. We split up for the next half hour, with Chris & Amanda poking through the shops on Hollywood Boulevard and the rest of us walking over to NY Street. We caught the end of the High School Musical thingy. Evidently my nieces had performed in a production of that back home, with Andrea in the lead role. It was awfully peppy <g> but good clean fun.

We headed over to 50’s Prime Time Café, where Chris & Amanda were waiting for us. We were seated almost immediately, and had Auntie Claire as our server. We had her for our server on Thanksgiving, with Tom, Leanne & family – she’s one of the really good ones! She made a big fuss over Erica’s 16th birthday, and after the meal brought her a birthday card, cupcake, and made the restaurant sing Happy Birthday. We got lots of interaction, but it wasn’t overbearing. It was just fun, and everyone enjoyed it. For food, Andrea got the chicken Caesar salad and it looked really good (not overly huge, but definitely enough). She forced down every last bite after Auntie Claire told her to finish it <g>. Erica & Renay shared the pot roast, and based on how quickly they both ate it, it must have been good. Auntie Claire showed everyone in the room what a great job Renay did cleaning her plate – telling them to notice the tongue tracks, lol! Kelley had the turkey sandwich, Chris & Amanda shared the chicken sandwich, and I had the fried herb cheese. We looked at the dessert menu but decided to skip it in favor of being able to snack elsewhere later. Kelley bought lunch for everyone, which was a very nice treat!

We stood outside talking about who was doing what next, and then split up for a while. The NH group planned to say for another couple of hours – they were heading to Star Tours to let the teens ride, then wanted to do the Drew Carey thing and use their fastpasses for RnR. Chris & Amanda were staying in the park a while, then going to Epcot where I would meet up with them later. Amanda went to use her fastpass at ToT while Chris & I stopped at Starring Roles bakery. I got a couple of the flourless chocolate cakes for everyone to snack on in the villa, and got Chris the banana split cake. This was actually a thin layer of chocolate cake, topped by several inches of some soft banana tasting stuff. It was pretty good. I left him to finish his cake & go meet Amanda, as I was heading to the pool.

As I was walking back to the Boardwalk he called to say ToT had broken down as he got there. He didn’t call back later, so I guess Amanda wasn’t trapped on there! I changed into my swimsuit and went down to the clown pool. It was pretty busy but I found a chair near the back. I read some magazines, and relaxed for about 1.5 hours then went back up to the villa. It was around 2pm at this point, and housekeeping had just finished the trash & towel service (dishwasher was running). I threw my laundry in the washer and jumped in the shower to clean up. When I came out the others were getting ready to go to the pool for a while – except Kelley, who sat on the balcony (shaded) to read more of her book. I listened to SB’s game on the internet while updating the report. I wish I could have heard it from the balcony, but there’s too much outside noise. It was still a relaxing afternoon, even though I was inside.

Renay called from the pool, seeing what my plans were for the rest of the day. They stayed at the pool until about 3:30 or so, then went to the front desk to pick up a wheelchair for the rest of the trip since her knee was bothering her again. I watched the episodes of General Hospital I missed this week (SoapNet), which were on during SB’s game. Around 4 I put Renay online with the laptop so she could do some homework, and I walked over to Epcot. Chris called as I was entering World Showcase to report he & Amanda were on their way. They were currently on the boat from MGM, which was at the Boardwalk stop. He suggested I wait for them in France, so that’s what happened. I went into the Guerlain store to apply some of my perfume <g> and then got in line for a Gran Marnier orange slush.

Chris & Amanda arrived just after I got the slush, and BOY are those great! The only problem is they melt so fast, and it’s nearly impossible to not be spilling the darn thing! As a result, I had to drink it quickly to keep from making a mess. I’d prefer to have it on a cooler day or inside an air conditioned building. We walked around the countries, stopping to sit down in America at a table outside. Amanda bought a cinnamon sugar pretzel for Chris and a regular one that we all shared. On my way in to the park I’d thought about getting one, but didn’t want to carry the leftovers around – so this worked out perfectly.

We continued around the countries, stopping to look at the train display in Germany. I think it was just weeks ago I posted somewhere that now that Chris is grown up I no longer have to stop & look at that thing, lol! I guess in some ways we never grow up. In Norway we wanted to ride Maelstrom but it had a 40 minute wait. However, the fastpass return time was barely 40 minutes away. So, no-brainer, we got fastpasses and then walked over to Test Track for them to use the fastpasses they’d gotten earlier. I was going to do the single rider line until I got inside and saw that it extended almost to the entrance to the building! No way! So, instead I made a restroom break and ran into the NH group on my way back to Test Track. They were headed for Ellen’s Energy Adventure & invited me to come along but I didn’t have the available time.

Pretty soon Chris & Amanda came out of Test Track and we walked back to Norway and had to wait less than 5 minutes for our fastpass window to open up. Once it did, we practically walked right onto a Viking ship. The standby line looked horrible – there’s no way I’d do that! After Maelstrom we stopped at the Cool place but they were still out of the watermelon soda from Mexico. Chris wanted to ride Journey Into Imagination, but he was thinking back to the original ride. We went over there, and of course it was a walk-on. He missed the horrible 2nd version, but they both thought this one was ok.

By now it was after 6:30, so we headed towards the exit. Along the way we ran into the NH group again, this time headed to Honey I Shrunk the Audience. We left the park (I’ll have to ride Spaceship Earth one more time tomorrow night) and took a crowded monorail over to the TTC, where we transferred to another crowded monorail to a packed Magic Kingdom.

It was truly horrible in there in terms of crowds! We decided to ride the train, and it was packed – each time they had to leave people at the station. At one point 2 obnoxious jerks were stretched out taking up an entire row, and refused to move for this family looking for seats (remember, the train was FULL). I was so glad to see the family go find a cast member & ask for assistance with these jerks. The cast member came back and told them to get the hell up and make room for others (ok, maybe not those exact words – we were too far away to hear). They did – in fact, they both moved into the row behind them with the rest of their lovely party.

We got off the train in Toontown, which must have had half the world’s supply of strollers present. We took the walking path to Tomorrowland and STOOD IN LINE to ride the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. We enjoyed the ride, but it was so funny to see every single car occupied! You could barely walk in Tomorrowland, and we ended up getting separated in the crowd as we headed towards Main Street. Thank goodness for cell phones!

I’d told the kids we wouldn’t find a spot to sit for the parade if we weren’t out there early – Chris had forgotten what it was like, and Amanda had no idea. I think they thought I was crazy until we got out there at 8pm and found almost no spaces left along the curb. We managed to find a spot we could squeeze into, and then lucked out when 20 minutes later the family next to us left (and were soon replaced with a smaller family).

Chris went off to find food but was unsuccessful. Amanda likes McDonald’s fries so he tried the cart in Frontierland but they were all out. Other places he passed had horrible lines, so he came back after about 20 minutes. I mentioned the candy store had caramel apples and they’d slice it for him (he has veneers on his teeth since a childhood accident and cannot bite into an apple’s skin) so he went there and came back eventually with a caramel apple that had been dipped in white chocolate and rolled in coconut. He gave me one small piece of a piece and ate the rest of it himself! It was good, though.

Finally shortly after 9 Spectromagic started, and it was wonderful. That music just doesn’t get out of your head afterwards, though! When it ended I scooted through the stores (less crowded) and exited the park. They were staying to see Wishes and perhaps ride a couple things if it would be possible without long waits – and planned to get food at Cosmic Ray’s.

At the bus stop the Boardwalk/Swan/Dolphin bus was ready to leave, but since I was a party of 1 the driver said he had room for me. I don’t think he could have fit another person on that bus! I had to stand, but didn’t mind since it was so convenient and it beats standing waiting for the next bus! Boardwalk is the first stop, and I was off the bus immediately since I was standing up front.

Back in the villa I could tell the NH group had returned & was probably in bed. I’d told them about the flourless chocolate cake I’d bought for us and they had eaten some of it. I called SB and talked to him for a while, then took the laptop out on the balcony and finished up the report before going back inside to get online to post it. It’s so beautiful out here at night – if I’ve been saying that in every day’s report, I apologize for being redundant – but it really IS nice!

Today was a nice easy-going day. It wasn’t my usual day, since I never go to MGM anymore and also don’t generally spend time in the parks (other than Epcot) at night. I was perfectly content not riding anything at MGM in order to help my group with the fastpasses so they could ride more. Lunch was fun – and it was nice having everyone together. I enjoyed the time spent with Chris & Amanda, too – it’s been a long time since he & I have been on vacation together.

Tomorrow we’re all starting out at Animal Kingdom, and then we’ll split off from there.

DAY 5 – Monday 5/28/07
Who: Sue (48), DVC member
Chris (20), my son
Amanda (18), Chris’ girlfriend
Renay (40?), ex Sister-in-Law
Erica (16), niece (Renay’s daughter)
Andrea (14), niece (Renay’s daughter)
Kelley (40’s), Renay’s sister

Plan: Animal Kingdom

Actual: Today I followed the usual routine – up at 6:30, English muffin & cappuccino out on the balcony, time spent online. It’s sad knowing this is my last morning here and I’d love to be able to just stay here until I fly up to see SB on Friday. Who needs work anyway?? I enjoyed every minute of the view and the beauty of the boardwalk. Hopefully I’ll spend more time out here later today or tonight.

When I came out of my bedroom I was startled to see a Disney envelope on the floor in the entry way. At first I thought they had us down as checking out today instead of tomorrow, but it was just the NH group’s magical express info for tomorrow – whew!

We decided drive to Animal Kingdom today (incuding Chris & Amanda in their car) and headed out at 8:30. Chris & Amanda dropped their stuff in our villa, then Chris went down to check out. In the lobby they realized Amanda’s car keys were in her bag up in the villa, so we went ahead and agreed to wait for them at the AK entrance. We must have hit every damn light, but eventually got there and had a decent parking spot. It was easier to walk in rather than walk to the tram, especially since we had the wheelchair with us. Renay used it between attractions, but we left it parked outside & she walked in the queue areas.

Getting through security was easy, and soon Chris & Amanda were there. I’d checked at Rainforest Café for a lunch reservation for them but was told they were all booked up but would be taking walkups. Evidently there’s a chicken finger thing she loves there. Once we got inside the park Chris & I went to get everyone’s fastpasses for Kilamanjaro Safari while the rest of them rode Expedition Everest. It was almost 9:20 by the time we got inside the park, and the standby time at Everest was 45 minutes so they did the single rider line. After getting the fastpasses (return time 10:05) Chris & I walked over to Everest & watched the ride for a while. Just as we went inside to find the ride exit, they all showed up.

It was still 20 minutes until our safari time, so Chris & Amanda went to wait for us there while the rest of us went to Dinosaur. Surprisingly, the wait was only 5 minutes! Kelley and Renay chose not to ride, so it was just me and the 2 teens. They ended up doing most of the ride with their heads down, so I guess it was a bit much, lol! The photo was funny because all you saw of them was the top of their heads. They were laughing and smiling at the end though, so it wasn’t too traumatic.

We went back to Harambe to meet Chris & Amanda, and had a terrific safari. We didn’t see everything, but we saw the baby giraffe, several baby elephants, and the zebras were out also (among all the usual animals). The driver did a great job, too. By now it was approaching 11am. Chris & Amanda planned to do the Pangani Trail, then try Rainforest Café, then come back to the Boardwalk Villas to use the pool. I was heading back to the pool now, and the others were going to do Pangani and then wander around from there going on whatever interested them. They’d no doubt be at the pool later – perhaps when I’m inside listening to the game and watching General Hospital.

On the way out I stopped at Flame Tree Barbecue and got an order of onion rings. They tasted good, but of course were full of grease that even a napkin squeeze wouldn’t get rid of. I need to quit getting these, as they really aren’t worth the calories! A couple of ducks were watching me, but at least they weren’t pecking at my feet to get my attention like they did to SB last time! A couple of little boys from way across the area came over and started trying to feed them grapes right next to my table. I asked them to please feed the ducks near their own table, and the ducks would follow them. They did, so I was spared the feeding frenzy happening around my chair!

After eating most of the onion rings I headed out of the park and drove back to Boardwalk Villas. Later today I’ll pack up some stuff & bring it to the car so in the morning I can make a single trip. I changed into my swimsuit, worked on the report briefly, and by noon was headed downstairs to the clown pool. If it was a solo trip I’d head to the quiet pool, but I figure if the others show up while I’m still out it would be at this pool.

It wasn’t long before the NH group arrived, saying it was just too crowded at Animal Kingdom. The girls wanted to work on their tans, so this was the better place to be. A little later Chris & Amanda showed up, after eating at Rainforest Café (15-minute wait). They enjoyed their lunch, spent a little time in the pool, then went up to the villa to shower before getting on the road. I chatted with Renay for a while, then about 2pm went upstairs for my own shower and to listen to the rest of SB’s game.

Chris & Amanda were just leaving, and planned to stop at her dad’s house in Orlando before going back to Ft Myers. Kelley was in the other room reading magazines, since she wasn’t interested in a tan and it got too hot by the pool. She showed me their RnR photo from yesterday, which was pretty funny. They all made weird faces on purpose. Tonight they plan to do Downtown Disney, and specifically plan to separate into a teens and non-teens group. Evidently the teens have been getting on their nerves, and are kind of grouchy. How you can be grouchy while on vacation was beyond us, but they’re certainly entitled to a break from any teen “attitude”. I didn’t want to give up my last chance at Epcot, so I’ll see them later in the villa.

I took my shower, packed up a bit, then listened to SB’s game while watching General Hospital. The others left about 4 for Downtown Disney, and we agreed to meet back at the villa later. I figured I’d be back by 8, but actually was back by 7. I was planning to leave at 4 also, but SB’s game went into extra innings so I stuck around as long as I could without risking my dinner at Alfredo’s.

I finally left about 4:30, and got to Alfredo’s about 10 minutes before 5. There were tables available outside, so I told the host I had a reservation inside but wanted to sit outside. What is it with these guys from Italy?? I’ve always read reports where they were very friendly & flirty with guests, but I never thought they’d bother with an “older” woman. However, they treated me like I was some hot young Italian girl <g> - very strange, but nice in a harmless way. I took the only 2-top table that had a seat in the shade, and found that shade was disappearing as the sun moved. This location gets the afternoon sun, which is the hottest of the day. It was quite toasty out there, even when it was shaded.

I repeated what I ordered last time – pink pinot grigio and the appetizer fettuccine alfredo. This time I hardly ate any bread, and couldn’t finish the fettuccine. I guess those onion rings earlier did me in – my stomach was feeling a bit queasy earlier but my dinner didn’t bother me. I skipped dessert – no room tonight, plus there was still a whole flourless chocolate cake thingy in the fridge at the villa.

I was out of there shortly after 5:15, and still hadn’t heard from SB so I knew the game was still tied. I walked around the rest of the countries and went into Future World. I thought about doing Spaceship Earth or Living With the Land, but I didn’t want to be stuck on a ride when he called since he’d be calling shortly before the bus left to return to their “home” city and it was a 4-5 hour trip. I wandered around Future World trying to find a quiet spot where I could hear him on the cell phone easily, and was surprised by how noisy Epcot is when you’re looking for quiet. Same is true for all the parks, though! I found a spot near Imagination and sat there for 30-45 minutes in the shade playing a video game on my blackberry. Finally I decided to just return to the villa and spend my last night on the balcony.

As I reached World Showcase SB called, and I found quiet in the wheelchair viewing area for Illuminations (roped off until 8pm). When we finished talking, I made another loop around the countries, starting with Mexico. I’d already seen enough of the shops and there was no point in buying anything to drink since I had wine left in the villa. Once I finished wandering I exited through the International Gateway and walked back to Boardwalk Villas. The hallway seemed like the longest part of the walk, but it was also the coldest!

The others weren’t back yet, so I updated the report and relaxed a bit. I’ll take another shower tonight before I go to bed, which will save me time in the morning. I also plan to make a trip down to the car to put some stuff in the trunk so I have a lighter load in the morning.

Overall it was a great trip, and I really enjoyed my villa at BWV. I’m liking this resort more, but only with the boardwalk view. Staying here with a standard or preferred view is not something I’d want – I’d be at BCV instead for this location.

Although I’ve vacationed at Walt Disney World more times than I can remember (well over 100 trips), I never run out of things to do. This trip there were a number of things that were “first time” events for me. They include – the Laugh attraction in MK, Turtle Talk with Crush at Epcot, and getting something larger than a studio at Boardwalk Villas. It was also the first time in a long time that I’d invited so many people on the trip. I used to bring people a lot when I first joined dvc, but eventually that got old. Having a group along means you spend more time waiting for everyone, but as long as you don’t try to stay joined at the hip everyone can have a great time. Our group was good about splitting up and letting everyone do their own thing, knowing we’d be back together to do stuff another time.

I’ll be back next year for this long weekend, but for a solo trip. I may try for Boardwalk Villas again, but only if I can get boardwalk view again. In the meantime, I’m taking the summer “off” from visiting WDW due to my FL Resident Seasonal pass not being valid and I have 4 trips to visit SB and at least 3 business trips during this time. I’ll be back Labor Day weekend, and will be spending most of that trip at the new Animal Kingdom Villas. Chris & Amanda will join me for 1 night, but in their own studio.

Until then – thanks for reading.