Sue Holland
03-02-2008, 12:40 PM
Who/When/Where:
Who: Sue (49), DVC member
SB (50), Sexy Boyfriend (same one as before, lol)
Dates: February 29 – March 2, 2008
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
INTRODUCTION:
I wrote in the January report that SB & I had ended our relationship in late December. We were able to resolve the issues and got back together in late January/early February. So, he’s back in the reports, and we’re looking forward to the future together.
This was a rather spur-of-the-moment trip – not even thought of until February 15th. I knew President’s week would be a nightmare the entire week, and he begins spring training March 6th (then I cruise on March 9th), so that left one weekend in between. I called Member Services (DVC) on the 16th to check availability and found I could have either Saratoga Springs or Boardwalk for the weekend. I chose Saratoga Springs, as for this trip it makes more sense. It just so happens friends of mine are staying at Saratoga and their trip includes that weekend. SB mentioned eating at Wolfgang Puck’s Café, and seeing some Comedy Warehouse shows, so Saratoga really is the best location for us this time.
He’ll take me to work Friday, then return to pick me up in the early afternoon for the 3-hour drive to WDW. Hopefully we’ll check in about 4, so the studio should be ready. My only requests were Downtown Disney view, upper floor. We booked Olivia’s Café for an early dinner Friday night at 5pm. He loved the prime rib he had at Turf Club on an earlier trip, but it is not on the menu there according to allearsnet.com. It might have been a special or something, but it is on the Olivia’s Café dinner menu. Old Key West is right on our way to Epcot, so it works out perfectly. We hope to ride Soarin’ at Epcot, and will wait in somewhat of a line since this trip is so short.
Saturday we’ll spend the morning at Magic Kingdom, and if we finish up early enough might to do the safari at Animal Kingdom. Saturday night we’re meeting a friend of SB’s for dinner at Wolfgang Puck’s Café, then meeting Leesa, Kathy (Figaro on radp) and Den for Comedy Warehouse. Sunday will be Animal Kingdom if we haven’t done the safari yet, then Earl of Sandwich and some shopping at Downtown Disney before heading home. It’ll be a short trip, but I guess that’s better than no trip! We can hit the highlights and rest assured we can do the rest on future trip (especially me – I will be back in April, May & September solo).
The plans so far are:
Friday 2/29: Work, Drive to WDW, Olivia’s Café dinner, Epcot
Saturday 3/1: MK, Wolfgang Puck Café dinner, Comedy Warehouse
Sunday 3/2: AK, Earl of Sandwich, Drive back home
DAY 1 – Friday 2/29/08
Who: Sue (49), DVC member
SB (50), Sexy Boyfriend
Plan: Work, Drive to WDW, Olivia’s Café dinner, Epcot
Actual: Today started out crazy. During the first hour of work I learned we were 50 minutes late leaving to deliver breakfast to all of our residents, the paychecks due to arrive yesterday (for issuance today) never made it and we had no idea where they were, and I met with an almost 30-year employee to tell her she was laid off and had 2 weeks of work left. After all of that, the rest of the day was a piece of cake and I was out the door when SB arrived at 1pm. Fortunately breakfast ended up being delivered on time or slightly late (depending on the location) since we got it delivered in record time, the paychecks arrived after making a tour of several FL cities in error, and the employee so far is dealing with her news well.
It was an easy drive – just under 3 hours. Check in went smoothly, with no wait. We have a studio on the top floor of the building nearest to Downtown Disney. I doubt he’ll want to walk it, but it would be very convenient. When we arrived I discovered he had not put his jacket in the car like I’d asked him to do several times, so he has nothing but short sleeve shirts to wear these next 2 chilly nights.
We got into the studio and unpacked, then hung around until it was time to head for Old Key West. I asked if he’d rather skip dinner and go to the outlets to get a sweatshirt, but he’s going to play macho <g>. We left early, around 4:30 for our 5:00 Olivia’s Café reservation. It’s such an easy drive from Saratoga Springs.
At OKW we walked through the store and went to the Gurgling Suitcase. To my shock we were the only ones there! Usually it is pretty busy, but not today. The bartender is Ramona from the Adventurer’s Club, so it was nice chatting with her. SB got a light beer and I had a glass of pinot grigio. A few other people came in for drinks, but mostly it was pretty quiet. With the DDE discount and 18% gratuity it was $12-13.
We took the rest of our drinks next door to Olivia’s Café and got a table outside since it was a beautiful evening. Our server was ok – pleasant but not terribly competent. Today’s soup was the buffalo chicken, which I know I love so I ordered that instead of my usual tomato & mozzarella. SB got the prime rib and we decided to share the Caesar salad. The bread is delicious – pina colada bread with pineapple and coconut, warm & soft. Soon the Caesar and my soup arrived and I tried to explain to the guy who brought it out that I wanted the soup when SB’s prime rib came out. He had no clue, so finally I just said never mind. When the server came to check, I asked her to bring the soup later, but SB decided he would eat this one.
The Caesar salad here is unlike anything we have ever seen. It is positively HUGE, with 3 large uncut stalks/heads of romaine. I cut and cut and cut the darn thing, lol. Between the 2 of us we managed to finish it, but honestly it is way too much for any one person. It tasted pretty good, though. After a while the prime rib and my soup arrived. I liked the soup a lot – it was creamy and spicy (had to blow my nose a couple of times). SB’s prime rib was good, but he said the one at Turf Club last year was better. Overall it was a very good dinner, except for the initial glitch with how the food came out. After DDE discount and the 18% gratuity it was around $38, so not bad. We had no room for dessert, either.
From there we drove over to Epcot, and managed a parking spot pretty close to the entrance so we didn’t need the tram. Entry was easy, and security gave a very cursory glance at everyone’s bags. At the turnstile we were behind a party who was denied entrance because they had been to the Magic Kingdom and didn’t buy hopper passes. They were foreign, and thought the “park” meant the entire WDW – or at least that’s the excuse they tried. The cast member wasn’t having any part of that, and told them about the 4 separate parks.
Our first stop was Spaceship Earth, which had almost no wait at all. On the ride SB was wondering if he’d left his wallet at the bar, the restaurant or the studio as he didn’t have it in his pocket. With that on his mind, he still enjoyed the enhancements. This time the ending was working and it was hysterical seeing our faces on the screen. It might be corny, but I was laughing out loud at how silly we looked <g>. After the ride we left the park and drove back to Saratoga Springs, where we found his wallet on the kitchenette counter. While there the sunset over Downtown Disney was absolutely beautiful, so it wasn’t an entirely wasted trip. Oh, coming into the resort we were exposed to a security cast member SB dubbed Sergeant York. He insisted on seeing our resort id even though we had the parking pass in the window and it was not even 7pm. He told us the parking pass “didn’t mean anything – that is just for parking”. I swear, put some men in a uniform and it goes to their head! From this point on we used the back gate near our building.
We drove back to Epcot and resumed our touring there. By now Spaceship Earth had a longer wait, so I was glad we did it when we did. It was still not bad though. I had checked the tip board earlier and knew there were no fastpasses left for Soarin so there was no point going over there yet. Instead we went to Test Track and did the single rider line – we were in the preshow within 5 minutes. We didn’t get the same car, but that’s ok. He was with a family of 5 and I was with a couple of unrelated groups – the 2 in my row talked in some asian language and seemed excited by the ride.
By now it was almost 7:45 so we decided to try Soarin. I made the mistake of cutting us through MouseGear – what a mobbed place that was! At Soarin the posted wait had gone from 60 to 55 so we did the Circle of Life movie to kill more time. We both enjoy this movie anyway, although I rarely see it on my solo trips. After the movie Soarin was down to 50 minutes so we got in line. I’m not sure what was going on, but I hardly saw any fastpass people in the other line, and we were on and off the ride within 20 minutes total! We got the 3rd row, way at the end but it was still a good ride. SB noticed we were much closer to the ground in the scenes.
Next we decided to take a stroll around World Showcase, so that’s where we headed, starting with Mexico. He had wanted an ice cream but at Fountainview they were closing and actually put the chain across right in front of me (about 8:35). In Mexico we did the Grand Fiesta Tour with the cartoons characters and enjoyed that. This was his first time since the refurb. We skipped Norway and got him a chocolate waffle cone at the Outpost between China & Germany.
In Germany I tried a new wine, which I really enjoyed & will buy again. I think it was Valkenberg (sp?), an auslese. SB had found a spot to watch Illuminations, and although he was a beginner at this he had an excellent unobstructed spot near the railing. The people at the railing were a kid in a stroller and mom in a scooter so even a shorty like me had a great view “behind” people. Although I still greatly prefer the first version, this one is definitely better seen in person around the lagoon rather than on a boat or at the bridge by Boardwalk.
Once the crowd cleared out we continued walking, and got almost to Canada when I remembered I meant to stop for a chocolate chip cookie at the bakery in France. We backtracked and I went inside while he waited on a bench. It was a bit of a zoo in there, but at least both sides were open. The cookies were always at the register, so after standing not moving for a long while (someone further up either was buying for 17 people or just had the brain of a petunia and wasn’t too swift) there was a big gap with no people at the register so I went up. To my surprise – no cookies there, and when I asked they told me they’re in the case in the line now, lol. So, I went back and waited until finally the people in front of me started moving. It’s a great cookie, but that wait was a bit much for just a cookie <g>.
In Canada we stopped to watch the movie, which we both enjoyed. I had seen the new version once before, but this was his first. At this point it was 10pm or so and we were finished with the park. I think the standing still for Illuminations did our legs & feet in! We began the trek out of the park, walked to the car and drove back to Saratoga Springs. This time I messed up on the directions and we ended up by the Marriott offsite, but we found our way back. We used the back gate to avoid Sergeant York and his power trip <g>.
We spent a lot more time in a park than we normally do the night of arrival, but it was an excellent start to the trip and we got more done than had hoped. The weather was great too – warmer than expected, so he was comfortable with short sleeves. Overall it was a terrific day!
DAY 2 – Saturday 3/1/08
Who: Sue (49), DVC member
SB (50), Sexy Boyfriend
Plan: MK, Wolfgang Puck Café dinner, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: We changed up the plan a bit, trying to do both AK and MK today. Since the safari is the most important attraction we’ll start with Animal Kingdom. I was up first, since I’d set the alarm for 6:30 so I could finish yesterday’s report. He was up shortly after I showered, and we puttered around the studio for a while. Once I got online he checked sports scores online and I drove up to the main building to pick up some breakfast.
Surprisingly the Artist’s Palate wasn’t busy at all, and I had zero wait. I got their breakfast bounty plate, which had eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, biscuit and a small Mickey waffle. They do give the DDE discount here, which helps since this platter is $8.29! Back in the studio I ate the waffle with my cappuccino and biscotti, and he ate the rest. Honestly I didn’t think any of it looked like anything special, but he seemed to like it.
We were out the door by 8:30, and caught the bus to Animal Kingdom (4th bus to arrive). There was hardly any wait at the bag check area, and not much of a line at the turnstiles either. We were inside by 5 minutes to 9, so we had a brief wait before the Tree of Life. They didn’t do the preshow this morning, but at 9am the cast members took down the ropes and told us to “walk, not run” to our attractions.
We, along with thousands of others, walked back to Harambe for the Kilamanjaro Safari. I’ve never seen this many people headed there since Expedition Everest has been open! Since we didn’t plan to spend a lot of time at this park we skipped the fastpass and just did the standby line. It actually worked very well, as the line didn’t slow down until just before the boarding area. Our driver was an older guy named Richard and he did an excellent job. The highlight was seeing the male lion standing up & walking around for a while before settling back down to regally look over us. That was the first time we’d ever seen him up and about like that in plain view.
After the safari we picked up an entertainment guide to see when the first Lion King show would be, but it started about 4 minutes prior. We got a popcorn and soda, and sat at a table for a while. Chris had called last night, so I returned that call and found he & Amanda would be coming up tomorrow for a week (spring break). We’ll be leaving before they get here, so our paths won’t cross this trip. After finishing the popcorn we decided to head over to the Magic Kingdom to see what we could do there.
There is no bus that goes from Animal Kingdom into Magic Kingdom. There is a bus that goes to the Ticket & Transportation Center, but I avoid that god-awful place like the plague. We decided to catch either the Contemporary/Poly or the Wilderness Lodge/Grand Floridian bus, depending on which came first. Almost immediately the Contemp/Poly bus pulled up, so we rode over to the Contemporary and rode the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. When it stopped at the TTC and I pointed out the long line of cattle herding up to board the monorail from there, SB was glad I knew to take the bus to the Contemporary!
It was actually a breeze entering Magic Kingdom, despite the time of day. Inside it was pretty crowded, but we never really experienced any long waits. Main Street was pretty crowded, but we patiently made it to the end and decided on Haunted Mansion for our first ride. The wait time was posted as 10 minutes, and the line was all the way back to the entrance. Thankfully it kept moving, and our wait probably was almost 10 minutes. The stretch room was filled to capacity, and we had to wait in line to board our doom buggy. But, the ride is great, and I do like the enhancements they made last year.
Next up was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The wait here was also posted as 10 minutes, but the line was more than halfway down the outside walkway. We tried it anyway, and once we got inside the building it went very quickly. We waited for the back seat, and it was a fun ride! He wanted to do Splash Mountain, and I said I’d wait for him at the exit. After watching it a while, he decided people were getting pretty wet so he skipped it too. I didn’t want to get wet, but mostly I don’t like big drops.
It was getting to be lunch time so we went to Caseys Corner since he really likes those hot dogs. We got a hot dog, side of chili, corn dog nuggets and light lemonade. The hot dogs here really are good, and they’re huge. He turned it into a chili dog and I had the corn dog nuggets. The lemonade was surprisingly good – normally I don’t care for anything other than water or wine. There were lots of ducks walking around looking for food but thankfully people were obeying the “don’t feed” signs.
The rest of our MK time was spent in Tomorrowland. We rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (TTA), and once we got off I ran over to pick up fastpasses for Space Mountain (return time 1pm). From there we did Carousel of Progress, which was the first time for SB. It’s not a “must do” by any means, but once every few years it’s ok. We had a strange lady in there who evidently the “remain seated” rule doesn’t apply to. Once the theater started moving she got up and stood a while, then walked to take seats in another row – shining some stupid little light so she could see where she was going. Hellooooo????? There are people in this darkened theater – how can shining a light be considered ok?? The cast member also said no video or photography of any kind, so what does dimwit do? She whips out her cell phone to take a picture. She was something else – the size of a man, long frizzy hair, carrying a Pal Mickey along with a backpack, dressed like a frump – something just wasn’t right about her. Fortunately she didn’t shine any more lights or move during the rest of the show.
We had about ½ hour to kill so we went back and rode TTA twice without having to get off.
After the second ride our window at Space Mountain was just opening. We were fortunate to have a group of cheering dance competition teen girls right behind us. They were so loud, and while I’m glad they’re having fun their cheering was just plain obnoxious and they should have been told to shut up & respect their fellow guests. They got a lot of dirty looks, but I just ignored them since we would soon be in the boarding area.
Space Mountain was a blast – we both like this ride, even though it can be jerky. I thought it felt smoother than normal, so maybe it gets less jerky as the day goes on. I’m never still in the park to ride it this late in the day.
At this point we were done with the parks. Tomorrowland was a mob scene, and we had done more than we’d hoped to do. We left the park and walked right onto our Saratoga Springs bus! We relaxed in the studio for a bit and finished the chocolate chip cookie from France. Those are better than Disney cookies, and I’ll be buying them every trip. Wish I’d bought 2 last night!
SB fell asleep watching a show about Pete Rose (SB used to play against him in the old days), and after I updated the report I decided to visit the gym here since I didn’t get to the gym at home yesterday. I walked over, and it wasn’t crowded at all. A few guys were using the ellipticals and treadmills, but otherwise I had the place to myself. I used to think it was a nice facility, until this gym I’m going to at home opened. Now in comparison this place is just ok – although it is nicer than most of the fitness centers in the other resorts.
They provide ice water, towels, and even earphones here. I used the equipment, and will use the treadmill at my gym after we get home tomorrow. The gym here was awfully warm, too – 72 degrees. That’s way too hot for working out! When I finished I browsed through the shop and then walked across the bridge and around the lake since it was such a nice day. Life just doesn’t get any better than being on vacation at a Disney resort – no work worries, no anything but leisure and pleasant thoughts/activities! This is definitely the life!
Back at the studio SB was still napping, but he heard me come in. Around 4:15 or so he took another shower and we started talking about heading out for a drink before dinner. We made a reservation at Puck’s Café and a friend of ours is meeting us there at 6 for dinner. She used to be a tv news person back when SB was playing in the big leagues, and she was sort of a little sister type to him and a few of his teammates. I met her last year, when we had dinner at Raglan Road. After dinner we’re meeting other friends for Comedy Warehouse, so it’ll be a busy night! In the end, we never went for a drink, and finally left the studio about 5:30 to drive over to Downtown Disney. Now you all know I would have walked, but I let him win this one, lol.
We really should have walked, as parking was a real pain! I’ve never seen so many cars in the West Side lots at this time of day when nothing special was going on. Sadly, it seems to be occurring regularly, and parking at Downtown Disney is harder than it used to be (and it was always a nightmare at the Marketplace end). We got to Puck’s about 10 minutes early and asked for a table outside since it was so nice tonight. Once we were seated (at the same table as last time, when a windy rainstorm forced us inside mid-meal) SB called Stephanie to let her know we were outside. He’d warned me earlier she tends to be late, and today she was on her way home when he called – she thought dinner was at 8 instead of 6, lol! She had to come as she was, which was perfectly fine for Puck’s.
Our server wasn’t very great – not purposely bad but just not as attentive or polished as many are. I had a new (to me) pinot grigio, SB had a 7 and 7, and Stephanie had a virgin pina colada. I saw they have the tortilla soup back on the menu, and I love that so I ordered it for my dinner. SB was rolling his eyes at me ordering “just soup” but when he saw it he understood. It’s a very large portion, and it’s really thick & filling (and delicious). He had the spaghetti with jumbo meatball (the size of a baseball) and Stephanie had the crab cakes. Everything was good, and I had a card for a free piece of carrot cake so we all shared that. We enjoyed the time spent with Stephanie, and about 7:20 we said our goodbyes and headed to Pleasure Island.
We went to get our wristbands at Adventurer’s Club and found Leesa, Kathy & Den sitting just inside the door. We hung out there chatting until it was time for the first show at Comedy Warehouse. Tonight Jamie was on the keys.
The 7:45 cast was Jake, John, Jennifer Br, Brian & Matt – great cast! We had no idea Jake was in town, and it was a treat to see him. He’s SB’s favorite, so SB was really pleased. The first scene was Matt & Jen in an airport parking garage where he was wanting to propose to her. The scene was interrupted 3 times for them to turn the last line of dialogue into a song. They did “I’m just going to say no” as a jazz song, “Alright I get it” in rap, and “Ow my elbow” as a country song.
Next was schmeopardy, hosted by Matt as Alex Quebec. Jake was Pedro Pinocchio, a marionette maker. John was Ken Daver (cadaver), a haunted mansion attendant. Brian was Ivan Trump, a guy who works for his father. Brian had arranged a blonde wig as a bad comb-over but could not match the real Donald’s awful hair.
Overall it was a really good show. Afterwards we stopped to see Jake, then returned for the next one. I forget the exact showtimes/seating times, so I’ll round to the nearest hour from this point.
The 9pm cast was Brian, Jake, Matt, Jennifer Br & Missy. Jamie played “It’s Raining Men” on the keys, and the men took turns leaping across the stage, except for Matt who walked across with a surly look on his face, lol. They did Fill In The Blanks using 2 audience volunteers. Missy & Matt were in the Library of Congress. Next Matt & Brian wrote greeting cards for unusual occasions suggested by the audience. They also did Cliché, where Jen was tortured. The cliché was given by Kathy – “I’m not sleeping, I’m just warming my eyeballs”. The clues were great, and we were all surprised how well Jen did figuring it out after she had all the sounds.
The 10pm cast was Missy, Brian, John, Matt & Philip. They told a story where every time an actor appears on stage the scene leaps forward in time. It started with Matt as a boy being suspended from school and carried through his time in jail and subsequent anger management problems.
Next they demonstrated the world’s worst of various occupations suggested by the audience. The last structure was creating the next Disney musical, set in a garage and starring a bungee cord hanging on the wall. It got crazy and a little raunchy, but it was a lot of fun. We laughed a lot tonight, which is what you should do at a comedy club <g>. We all were finished for the night, so we said goodnight and went our separate ways until next time.
SB & I went to the car and drove back to Saratoga Springs, and were in for the night. I made some cappuccino to drink while I finished up the report and he watched ESPN for a while. Bet that was a shocker <g>.
Today was a busy but very nice day. The weather’s been perfect, and although the parks were crowded we seemed to really be lucky with the wait times and transportation. The comedy shows tonight were very good, and it was nice seeing old friends again!
DAY 3 – Sunday 3/2/08
Who: Sue (49), DVC member
SB (50), Sexy Boyfriend
Plan: AK, Earl of Sandwich, Drive back home
Actual: Since we visited Animal Kingdom yesterday there was no need to repeat that. I wanted to get a rice krispie treat from Goofy’s Candy Co to take home, and it would be hard to keep the chocolate from melting if we went to a park with it!
I was up by 7:30 and he was up about 8:15. The bill was hanging from the door, and although the amount didn’t scare me it still was bad news in that we had to go home. Why can’t they just let me stay here forever and still pay mysalary???
We were out the door by 8:40 and drove (his idea – not mine) over to Downtown Disney. We filled the car up with gas at the Hess Station there, which was a good use of our extra time. We got to Earl of Sandwich just before 9 and I was surprised to see people eating in there already. We were order number 33 or 36! They must have opened earlier.
SB got the full monatagu and I got the caprese. It seems to take longer to get the food when it’s not busy in here, and today was no exception. It was tasty, though and we were not in a hurry. I took half of mine home, and it wasn’t too bad mid-afternoon. After eating we went to see how the Wolfgang Puck’s Express refurb as coming along, but there was a big fence blocking any view. It’s due to open in a couple weeks, so I’ll see it on an upcoming trip. At Goofy’s Candy Co I had a Mickey rice krispie dipped in milk chocolate then had other candy & caramel added – yum! I also couldn’t resist one of those marshmallow thingies I used to get, and it was nice & fresh. Our last stop was Ghiradelli, where we got chocolate caramel square samples (too full to eat them then) and some chocolates for my office.
Finally we were done, and he even mentioned it’s so hard to leave WDW. Who would have figured?? I guess I’ve done a good job hooking him on the place. The drive home was easy, and after I went to the gym we spent the afternoon lounging around, finishing the report (me) and napping (him).
I won’t be back to WDW until April 11th, and that will be at Beach Club Villas. If the weather is nice I might just have to skip the parks (mostly) and enjoy Stormalong Bay.
I’m down to only SIX days until my Holland America Line (HAL) cruise, so I’d better get busy packing for that!
Who: Sue (49), DVC member
SB (50), Sexy Boyfriend (same one as before, lol)
Dates: February 29 – March 2, 2008
Travel Method: Personal car
Resort: Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
INTRODUCTION:
I wrote in the January report that SB & I had ended our relationship in late December. We were able to resolve the issues and got back together in late January/early February. So, he’s back in the reports, and we’re looking forward to the future together.
This was a rather spur-of-the-moment trip – not even thought of until February 15th. I knew President’s week would be a nightmare the entire week, and he begins spring training March 6th (then I cruise on March 9th), so that left one weekend in between. I called Member Services (DVC) on the 16th to check availability and found I could have either Saratoga Springs or Boardwalk for the weekend. I chose Saratoga Springs, as for this trip it makes more sense. It just so happens friends of mine are staying at Saratoga and their trip includes that weekend. SB mentioned eating at Wolfgang Puck’s Café, and seeing some Comedy Warehouse shows, so Saratoga really is the best location for us this time.
He’ll take me to work Friday, then return to pick me up in the early afternoon for the 3-hour drive to WDW. Hopefully we’ll check in about 4, so the studio should be ready. My only requests were Downtown Disney view, upper floor. We booked Olivia’s Café for an early dinner Friday night at 5pm. He loved the prime rib he had at Turf Club on an earlier trip, but it is not on the menu there according to allearsnet.com. It might have been a special or something, but it is on the Olivia’s Café dinner menu. Old Key West is right on our way to Epcot, so it works out perfectly. We hope to ride Soarin’ at Epcot, and will wait in somewhat of a line since this trip is so short.
Saturday we’ll spend the morning at Magic Kingdom, and if we finish up early enough might to do the safari at Animal Kingdom. Saturday night we’re meeting a friend of SB’s for dinner at Wolfgang Puck’s Café, then meeting Leesa, Kathy (Figaro on radp) and Den for Comedy Warehouse. Sunday will be Animal Kingdom if we haven’t done the safari yet, then Earl of Sandwich and some shopping at Downtown Disney before heading home. It’ll be a short trip, but I guess that’s better than no trip! We can hit the highlights and rest assured we can do the rest on future trip (especially me – I will be back in April, May & September solo).
The plans so far are:
Friday 2/29: Work, Drive to WDW, Olivia’s Café dinner, Epcot
Saturday 3/1: MK, Wolfgang Puck Café dinner, Comedy Warehouse
Sunday 3/2: AK, Earl of Sandwich, Drive back home
DAY 1 – Friday 2/29/08
Who: Sue (49), DVC member
SB (50), Sexy Boyfriend
Plan: Work, Drive to WDW, Olivia’s Café dinner, Epcot
Actual: Today started out crazy. During the first hour of work I learned we were 50 minutes late leaving to deliver breakfast to all of our residents, the paychecks due to arrive yesterday (for issuance today) never made it and we had no idea where they were, and I met with an almost 30-year employee to tell her she was laid off and had 2 weeks of work left. After all of that, the rest of the day was a piece of cake and I was out the door when SB arrived at 1pm. Fortunately breakfast ended up being delivered on time or slightly late (depending on the location) since we got it delivered in record time, the paychecks arrived after making a tour of several FL cities in error, and the employee so far is dealing with her news well.
It was an easy drive – just under 3 hours. Check in went smoothly, with no wait. We have a studio on the top floor of the building nearest to Downtown Disney. I doubt he’ll want to walk it, but it would be very convenient. When we arrived I discovered he had not put his jacket in the car like I’d asked him to do several times, so he has nothing but short sleeve shirts to wear these next 2 chilly nights.
We got into the studio and unpacked, then hung around until it was time to head for Old Key West. I asked if he’d rather skip dinner and go to the outlets to get a sweatshirt, but he’s going to play macho <g>. We left early, around 4:30 for our 5:00 Olivia’s Café reservation. It’s such an easy drive from Saratoga Springs.
At OKW we walked through the store and went to the Gurgling Suitcase. To my shock we were the only ones there! Usually it is pretty busy, but not today. The bartender is Ramona from the Adventurer’s Club, so it was nice chatting with her. SB got a light beer and I had a glass of pinot grigio. A few other people came in for drinks, but mostly it was pretty quiet. With the DDE discount and 18% gratuity it was $12-13.
We took the rest of our drinks next door to Olivia’s Café and got a table outside since it was a beautiful evening. Our server was ok – pleasant but not terribly competent. Today’s soup was the buffalo chicken, which I know I love so I ordered that instead of my usual tomato & mozzarella. SB got the prime rib and we decided to share the Caesar salad. The bread is delicious – pina colada bread with pineapple and coconut, warm & soft. Soon the Caesar and my soup arrived and I tried to explain to the guy who brought it out that I wanted the soup when SB’s prime rib came out. He had no clue, so finally I just said never mind. When the server came to check, I asked her to bring the soup later, but SB decided he would eat this one.
The Caesar salad here is unlike anything we have ever seen. It is positively HUGE, with 3 large uncut stalks/heads of romaine. I cut and cut and cut the darn thing, lol. Between the 2 of us we managed to finish it, but honestly it is way too much for any one person. It tasted pretty good, though. After a while the prime rib and my soup arrived. I liked the soup a lot – it was creamy and spicy (had to blow my nose a couple of times). SB’s prime rib was good, but he said the one at Turf Club last year was better. Overall it was a very good dinner, except for the initial glitch with how the food came out. After DDE discount and the 18% gratuity it was around $38, so not bad. We had no room for dessert, either.
From there we drove over to Epcot, and managed a parking spot pretty close to the entrance so we didn’t need the tram. Entry was easy, and security gave a very cursory glance at everyone’s bags. At the turnstile we were behind a party who was denied entrance because they had been to the Magic Kingdom and didn’t buy hopper passes. They were foreign, and thought the “park” meant the entire WDW – or at least that’s the excuse they tried. The cast member wasn’t having any part of that, and told them about the 4 separate parks.
Our first stop was Spaceship Earth, which had almost no wait at all. On the ride SB was wondering if he’d left his wallet at the bar, the restaurant or the studio as he didn’t have it in his pocket. With that on his mind, he still enjoyed the enhancements. This time the ending was working and it was hysterical seeing our faces on the screen. It might be corny, but I was laughing out loud at how silly we looked <g>. After the ride we left the park and drove back to Saratoga Springs, where we found his wallet on the kitchenette counter. While there the sunset over Downtown Disney was absolutely beautiful, so it wasn’t an entirely wasted trip. Oh, coming into the resort we were exposed to a security cast member SB dubbed Sergeant York. He insisted on seeing our resort id even though we had the parking pass in the window and it was not even 7pm. He told us the parking pass “didn’t mean anything – that is just for parking”. I swear, put some men in a uniform and it goes to their head! From this point on we used the back gate near our building.
We drove back to Epcot and resumed our touring there. By now Spaceship Earth had a longer wait, so I was glad we did it when we did. It was still not bad though. I had checked the tip board earlier and knew there were no fastpasses left for Soarin so there was no point going over there yet. Instead we went to Test Track and did the single rider line – we were in the preshow within 5 minutes. We didn’t get the same car, but that’s ok. He was with a family of 5 and I was with a couple of unrelated groups – the 2 in my row talked in some asian language and seemed excited by the ride.
By now it was almost 7:45 so we decided to try Soarin. I made the mistake of cutting us through MouseGear – what a mobbed place that was! At Soarin the posted wait had gone from 60 to 55 so we did the Circle of Life movie to kill more time. We both enjoy this movie anyway, although I rarely see it on my solo trips. After the movie Soarin was down to 50 minutes so we got in line. I’m not sure what was going on, but I hardly saw any fastpass people in the other line, and we were on and off the ride within 20 minutes total! We got the 3rd row, way at the end but it was still a good ride. SB noticed we were much closer to the ground in the scenes.
Next we decided to take a stroll around World Showcase, so that’s where we headed, starting with Mexico. He had wanted an ice cream but at Fountainview they were closing and actually put the chain across right in front of me (about 8:35). In Mexico we did the Grand Fiesta Tour with the cartoons characters and enjoyed that. This was his first time since the refurb. We skipped Norway and got him a chocolate waffle cone at the Outpost between China & Germany.
In Germany I tried a new wine, which I really enjoyed & will buy again. I think it was Valkenberg (sp?), an auslese. SB had found a spot to watch Illuminations, and although he was a beginner at this he had an excellent unobstructed spot near the railing. The people at the railing were a kid in a stroller and mom in a scooter so even a shorty like me had a great view “behind” people. Although I still greatly prefer the first version, this one is definitely better seen in person around the lagoon rather than on a boat or at the bridge by Boardwalk.
Once the crowd cleared out we continued walking, and got almost to Canada when I remembered I meant to stop for a chocolate chip cookie at the bakery in France. We backtracked and I went inside while he waited on a bench. It was a bit of a zoo in there, but at least both sides were open. The cookies were always at the register, so after standing not moving for a long while (someone further up either was buying for 17 people or just had the brain of a petunia and wasn’t too swift) there was a big gap with no people at the register so I went up. To my surprise – no cookies there, and when I asked they told me they’re in the case in the line now, lol. So, I went back and waited until finally the people in front of me started moving. It’s a great cookie, but that wait was a bit much for just a cookie <g>.
In Canada we stopped to watch the movie, which we both enjoyed. I had seen the new version once before, but this was his first. At this point it was 10pm or so and we were finished with the park. I think the standing still for Illuminations did our legs & feet in! We began the trek out of the park, walked to the car and drove back to Saratoga Springs. This time I messed up on the directions and we ended up by the Marriott offsite, but we found our way back. We used the back gate to avoid Sergeant York and his power trip <g>.
We spent a lot more time in a park than we normally do the night of arrival, but it was an excellent start to the trip and we got more done than had hoped. The weather was great too – warmer than expected, so he was comfortable with short sleeves. Overall it was a terrific day!
DAY 2 – Saturday 3/1/08
Who: Sue (49), DVC member
SB (50), Sexy Boyfriend
Plan: MK, Wolfgang Puck Café dinner, Comedy Warehouse
Actual: We changed up the plan a bit, trying to do both AK and MK today. Since the safari is the most important attraction we’ll start with Animal Kingdom. I was up first, since I’d set the alarm for 6:30 so I could finish yesterday’s report. He was up shortly after I showered, and we puttered around the studio for a while. Once I got online he checked sports scores online and I drove up to the main building to pick up some breakfast.
Surprisingly the Artist’s Palate wasn’t busy at all, and I had zero wait. I got their breakfast bounty plate, which had eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, biscuit and a small Mickey waffle. They do give the DDE discount here, which helps since this platter is $8.29! Back in the studio I ate the waffle with my cappuccino and biscotti, and he ate the rest. Honestly I didn’t think any of it looked like anything special, but he seemed to like it.
We were out the door by 8:30, and caught the bus to Animal Kingdom (4th bus to arrive). There was hardly any wait at the bag check area, and not much of a line at the turnstiles either. We were inside by 5 minutes to 9, so we had a brief wait before the Tree of Life. They didn’t do the preshow this morning, but at 9am the cast members took down the ropes and told us to “walk, not run” to our attractions.
We, along with thousands of others, walked back to Harambe for the Kilamanjaro Safari. I’ve never seen this many people headed there since Expedition Everest has been open! Since we didn’t plan to spend a lot of time at this park we skipped the fastpass and just did the standby line. It actually worked very well, as the line didn’t slow down until just before the boarding area. Our driver was an older guy named Richard and he did an excellent job. The highlight was seeing the male lion standing up & walking around for a while before settling back down to regally look over us. That was the first time we’d ever seen him up and about like that in plain view.
After the safari we picked up an entertainment guide to see when the first Lion King show would be, but it started about 4 minutes prior. We got a popcorn and soda, and sat at a table for a while. Chris had called last night, so I returned that call and found he & Amanda would be coming up tomorrow for a week (spring break). We’ll be leaving before they get here, so our paths won’t cross this trip. After finishing the popcorn we decided to head over to the Magic Kingdom to see what we could do there.
There is no bus that goes from Animal Kingdom into Magic Kingdom. There is a bus that goes to the Ticket & Transportation Center, but I avoid that god-awful place like the plague. We decided to catch either the Contemporary/Poly or the Wilderness Lodge/Grand Floridian bus, depending on which came first. Almost immediately the Contemp/Poly bus pulled up, so we rode over to the Contemporary and rode the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. When it stopped at the TTC and I pointed out the long line of cattle herding up to board the monorail from there, SB was glad I knew to take the bus to the Contemporary!
It was actually a breeze entering Magic Kingdom, despite the time of day. Inside it was pretty crowded, but we never really experienced any long waits. Main Street was pretty crowded, but we patiently made it to the end and decided on Haunted Mansion for our first ride. The wait time was posted as 10 minutes, and the line was all the way back to the entrance. Thankfully it kept moving, and our wait probably was almost 10 minutes. The stretch room was filled to capacity, and we had to wait in line to board our doom buggy. But, the ride is great, and I do like the enhancements they made last year.
Next up was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. The wait here was also posted as 10 minutes, but the line was more than halfway down the outside walkway. We tried it anyway, and once we got inside the building it went very quickly. We waited for the back seat, and it was a fun ride! He wanted to do Splash Mountain, and I said I’d wait for him at the exit. After watching it a while, he decided people were getting pretty wet so he skipped it too. I didn’t want to get wet, but mostly I don’t like big drops.
It was getting to be lunch time so we went to Caseys Corner since he really likes those hot dogs. We got a hot dog, side of chili, corn dog nuggets and light lemonade. The hot dogs here really are good, and they’re huge. He turned it into a chili dog and I had the corn dog nuggets. The lemonade was surprisingly good – normally I don’t care for anything other than water or wine. There were lots of ducks walking around looking for food but thankfully people were obeying the “don’t feed” signs.
The rest of our MK time was spent in Tomorrowland. We rode the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (TTA), and once we got off I ran over to pick up fastpasses for Space Mountain (return time 1pm). From there we did Carousel of Progress, which was the first time for SB. It’s not a “must do” by any means, but once every few years it’s ok. We had a strange lady in there who evidently the “remain seated” rule doesn’t apply to. Once the theater started moving she got up and stood a while, then walked to take seats in another row – shining some stupid little light so she could see where she was going. Hellooooo????? There are people in this darkened theater – how can shining a light be considered ok?? The cast member also said no video or photography of any kind, so what does dimwit do? She whips out her cell phone to take a picture. She was something else – the size of a man, long frizzy hair, carrying a Pal Mickey along with a backpack, dressed like a frump – something just wasn’t right about her. Fortunately she didn’t shine any more lights or move during the rest of the show.
We had about ½ hour to kill so we went back and rode TTA twice without having to get off.
After the second ride our window at Space Mountain was just opening. We were fortunate to have a group of cheering dance competition teen girls right behind us. They were so loud, and while I’m glad they’re having fun their cheering was just plain obnoxious and they should have been told to shut up & respect their fellow guests. They got a lot of dirty looks, but I just ignored them since we would soon be in the boarding area.
Space Mountain was a blast – we both like this ride, even though it can be jerky. I thought it felt smoother than normal, so maybe it gets less jerky as the day goes on. I’m never still in the park to ride it this late in the day.
At this point we were done with the parks. Tomorrowland was a mob scene, and we had done more than we’d hoped to do. We left the park and walked right onto our Saratoga Springs bus! We relaxed in the studio for a bit and finished the chocolate chip cookie from France. Those are better than Disney cookies, and I’ll be buying them every trip. Wish I’d bought 2 last night!
SB fell asleep watching a show about Pete Rose (SB used to play against him in the old days), and after I updated the report I decided to visit the gym here since I didn’t get to the gym at home yesterday. I walked over, and it wasn’t crowded at all. A few guys were using the ellipticals and treadmills, but otherwise I had the place to myself. I used to think it was a nice facility, until this gym I’m going to at home opened. Now in comparison this place is just ok – although it is nicer than most of the fitness centers in the other resorts.
They provide ice water, towels, and even earphones here. I used the equipment, and will use the treadmill at my gym after we get home tomorrow. The gym here was awfully warm, too – 72 degrees. That’s way too hot for working out! When I finished I browsed through the shop and then walked across the bridge and around the lake since it was such a nice day. Life just doesn’t get any better than being on vacation at a Disney resort – no work worries, no anything but leisure and pleasant thoughts/activities! This is definitely the life!
Back at the studio SB was still napping, but he heard me come in. Around 4:15 or so he took another shower and we started talking about heading out for a drink before dinner. We made a reservation at Puck’s Café and a friend of ours is meeting us there at 6 for dinner. She used to be a tv news person back when SB was playing in the big leagues, and she was sort of a little sister type to him and a few of his teammates. I met her last year, when we had dinner at Raglan Road. After dinner we’re meeting other friends for Comedy Warehouse, so it’ll be a busy night! In the end, we never went for a drink, and finally left the studio about 5:30 to drive over to Downtown Disney. Now you all know I would have walked, but I let him win this one, lol.
We really should have walked, as parking was a real pain! I’ve never seen so many cars in the West Side lots at this time of day when nothing special was going on. Sadly, it seems to be occurring regularly, and parking at Downtown Disney is harder than it used to be (and it was always a nightmare at the Marketplace end). We got to Puck’s about 10 minutes early and asked for a table outside since it was so nice tonight. Once we were seated (at the same table as last time, when a windy rainstorm forced us inside mid-meal) SB called Stephanie to let her know we were outside. He’d warned me earlier she tends to be late, and today she was on her way home when he called – she thought dinner was at 8 instead of 6, lol! She had to come as she was, which was perfectly fine for Puck’s.
Our server wasn’t very great – not purposely bad but just not as attentive or polished as many are. I had a new (to me) pinot grigio, SB had a 7 and 7, and Stephanie had a virgin pina colada. I saw they have the tortilla soup back on the menu, and I love that so I ordered it for my dinner. SB was rolling his eyes at me ordering “just soup” but when he saw it he understood. It’s a very large portion, and it’s really thick & filling (and delicious). He had the spaghetti with jumbo meatball (the size of a baseball) and Stephanie had the crab cakes. Everything was good, and I had a card for a free piece of carrot cake so we all shared that. We enjoyed the time spent with Stephanie, and about 7:20 we said our goodbyes and headed to Pleasure Island.
We went to get our wristbands at Adventurer’s Club and found Leesa, Kathy & Den sitting just inside the door. We hung out there chatting until it was time for the first show at Comedy Warehouse. Tonight Jamie was on the keys.
The 7:45 cast was Jake, John, Jennifer Br, Brian & Matt – great cast! We had no idea Jake was in town, and it was a treat to see him. He’s SB’s favorite, so SB was really pleased. The first scene was Matt & Jen in an airport parking garage where he was wanting to propose to her. The scene was interrupted 3 times for them to turn the last line of dialogue into a song. They did “I’m just going to say no” as a jazz song, “Alright I get it” in rap, and “Ow my elbow” as a country song.
Next was schmeopardy, hosted by Matt as Alex Quebec. Jake was Pedro Pinocchio, a marionette maker. John was Ken Daver (cadaver), a haunted mansion attendant. Brian was Ivan Trump, a guy who works for his father. Brian had arranged a blonde wig as a bad comb-over but could not match the real Donald’s awful hair.
Overall it was a really good show. Afterwards we stopped to see Jake, then returned for the next one. I forget the exact showtimes/seating times, so I’ll round to the nearest hour from this point.
The 9pm cast was Brian, Jake, Matt, Jennifer Br & Missy. Jamie played “It’s Raining Men” on the keys, and the men took turns leaping across the stage, except for Matt who walked across with a surly look on his face, lol. They did Fill In The Blanks using 2 audience volunteers. Missy & Matt were in the Library of Congress. Next Matt & Brian wrote greeting cards for unusual occasions suggested by the audience. They also did Cliché, where Jen was tortured. The cliché was given by Kathy – “I’m not sleeping, I’m just warming my eyeballs”. The clues were great, and we were all surprised how well Jen did figuring it out after she had all the sounds.
The 10pm cast was Missy, Brian, John, Matt & Philip. They told a story where every time an actor appears on stage the scene leaps forward in time. It started with Matt as a boy being suspended from school and carried through his time in jail and subsequent anger management problems.
Next they demonstrated the world’s worst of various occupations suggested by the audience. The last structure was creating the next Disney musical, set in a garage and starring a bungee cord hanging on the wall. It got crazy and a little raunchy, but it was a lot of fun. We laughed a lot tonight, which is what you should do at a comedy club <g>. We all were finished for the night, so we said goodnight and went our separate ways until next time.
SB & I went to the car and drove back to Saratoga Springs, and were in for the night. I made some cappuccino to drink while I finished up the report and he watched ESPN for a while. Bet that was a shocker <g>.
Today was a busy but very nice day. The weather’s been perfect, and although the parks were crowded we seemed to really be lucky with the wait times and transportation. The comedy shows tonight were very good, and it was nice seeing old friends again!
DAY 3 – Sunday 3/2/08
Who: Sue (49), DVC member
SB (50), Sexy Boyfriend
Plan: AK, Earl of Sandwich, Drive back home
Actual: Since we visited Animal Kingdom yesterday there was no need to repeat that. I wanted to get a rice krispie treat from Goofy’s Candy Co to take home, and it would be hard to keep the chocolate from melting if we went to a park with it!
I was up by 7:30 and he was up about 8:15. The bill was hanging from the door, and although the amount didn’t scare me it still was bad news in that we had to go home. Why can’t they just let me stay here forever and still pay mysalary???
We were out the door by 8:40 and drove (his idea – not mine) over to Downtown Disney. We filled the car up with gas at the Hess Station there, which was a good use of our extra time. We got to Earl of Sandwich just before 9 and I was surprised to see people eating in there already. We were order number 33 or 36! They must have opened earlier.
SB got the full monatagu and I got the caprese. It seems to take longer to get the food when it’s not busy in here, and today was no exception. It was tasty, though and we were not in a hurry. I took half of mine home, and it wasn’t too bad mid-afternoon. After eating we went to see how the Wolfgang Puck’s Express refurb as coming along, but there was a big fence blocking any view. It’s due to open in a couple weeks, so I’ll see it on an upcoming trip. At Goofy’s Candy Co I had a Mickey rice krispie dipped in milk chocolate then had other candy & caramel added – yum! I also couldn’t resist one of those marshmallow thingies I used to get, and it was nice & fresh. Our last stop was Ghiradelli, where we got chocolate caramel square samples (too full to eat them then) and some chocolates for my office.
Finally we were done, and he even mentioned it’s so hard to leave WDW. Who would have figured?? I guess I’ve done a good job hooking him on the place. The drive home was easy, and after I went to the gym we spent the afternoon lounging around, finishing the report (me) and napping (him).
I won’t be back to WDW until April 11th, and that will be at Beach Club Villas. If the weather is nice I might just have to skip the parks (mostly) and enjoy Stormalong Bay.
I’m down to only SIX days until my Holland America Line (HAL) cruise, so I’d better get busy packing for that!