3 Performances + 4 Days at WDW=Total Exhaustion! Dreams Do Come True!

[LadyGracey]

Quick Links:

Pre-TR
Post 1 (this post)
Post 2: A Packing Odyssey
Post 3: RideMax is Fun!
Post 4: Almost there!
Post 5: Just little things...
Post 6: Tikis On Sale and Other Nonsense
Post 7: We're Off to See the Mouse!

Trip Report Begins Here! Click for index!

Hi everyone! I tried to do one of these once before, but it never got finished--a victim of a month of long hours at work. So, I'm trying again with a new trip--and since I'm not working this summer I have no excuse not to work on it!

The Cast:
-Me (26) Teacher, actor (more about that later), obsessive Disney planner, lucky enough to live close to WDW!

-One of my best friends...we shall call her Minnie Mostly because she is endlessly optimistic, sweet, and thoughtful, thinking about everyone else before she does something for herself. She is also a Disney nut and obsessive planner. Two obsessive planners...one trip! Minnie has not been to WDW since last year (during which she reintroduced me to the wonder of all things Disney). Now, let me explain: She used to travel religiously to WDW with her family several times a year (they live in Texas, so it's not too far). Then things in her life got...well, complicated. Her family decided they didn't want to go there anymore, among other things. Then she learned that I had an AP, so we planned to meet up in the beginning of May when I had a little break from school insanity. She bought an AP with her Disney Visa points and got a room at the WL (which she had always wanted to stay at)...but again, life just took another weird turn and she was unable to go. Again. It was probably the third time she'd had to cancel a trip within a year. But not this time...

This is us at Epcot last year...she's like my big sister.

Why the Title?
Well, because I'm an actor too. Originally the trip was just her coming to see our musical (which, BTW, if you're in Tampa over the next three weekends, you must come see!) and go to the FL Aquarium and St. Pete and basically just hang out. Then, one of us said, "Well, why don't we go to Disney too?" Like you have to ask!

So far, our pre-Disney trip consists of:
-Me, doing a Friday night show.
-Minnie arrives Saturday (woo!)
-One night at the Marriott Waterside in Tampa (and, another show)
-Lunch at the Columbia Restaurant (touristy, but good Spanish/Cuban food, and I don't think you can visit Tampa without going to the original one on 7th Avenue. It's sacrilege.)
-Another show, Sunday matinee. (That's the three shows. By this time I will already be tired...)
-Drive to Disney Sunday evening!



Now, what you REALLY want to know...The Disney Trip:

Hotels:
-Sunday/Monday night at Wilderness Lodge, Courtyard View!
-Tuesday night: Contemporary

I would never, ever be able to afford these on my own! So thanks to her for splitting the cost! Plus she has massive Disney Visa points, which will pay for most of it. I love my friend! I have stayed both places before...the Lodge is by far my favorite hotel. My previous CR stay didn't count, as when I
was there, it was only one night, I was about six years old, and they still had plastic furniture in the rooms. So that will be an (almost) totally new experience. Plus there is a MONORAIL going through the hotel!!! Minnie has never stayed either place--she is really excited!



ADRs so far:
Sunday night @ Narcoosee's
Monday night @ Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue.

I've never been to either place, so this should be exciting! Have I mentioned how we both LOVE food? And corny jokes? I'm sure both will come into play later on. We are also thinking about Chef Mickey's (since we're at the CR anyway, and it was a ritual when I was a child) or maybe we can get into 'Ohana (meat on a stick--what's not to love??)



So, as I'm sitting at my computer this morning checking my email (well, not really morning, as it was 11 AM, but we rehearsed late last night!) I found a little surprise...Minnie had emailed me the usual stuff, like should we do this or that. Then:
"Oh, did I forget to mention this? I got us a Tower MK View room at the CR."

turned to Uhh, yeah, you kind of forgot to mention that!!!

So now we are thinking of getting takeout or room service and sitting on our balcony to watch the fireworks. Maybe that WOULD be a good Chef Mickey's night...go get pics with Mickey and pals (I know I'm an adult, but I'm a geek for character greetings) and stuff ourselves silly, then watch Wishes. I've never done Chef Mickey's for dinner, so don't know how good it is...I know the breakfast is good (my dad always took us there when I was little, and he knows a good buffet when he sees one!) Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Well, that's all for now. I promise to add some pics later...after I do a little packing! Stay tuned!

 

[LadyGracey]

I just looked at my ticker...only 10 days?!?!


Since the next week is going to be absolutely insane, what with the show opening tomorrow, I decided to go ahead and pack what I could yesterday (especially since the laundry was caught up--for now.)

This is just some of the stuff I've decided to take with me...

And this is the rest. I know I'm going to regret it, dragging this suitcase through three hotels! And that's just the clothes...this doesn't count my Crocs and the shower stuff (there's another whole bag for that!) I have two outfits for every day (since we're doing some nice dinners/shows), plus a couple extra ("just in case," as my mother would say). I guess I'm a compulsive overpacker...hope I'm not the only one!

While trying to figure out how all this was going to fit in one suitcase, I watched Seven Samurai for some Eastern wisdom.

The Samurai look on with interest. Probably laughing at me behind my back. But I wouldn't know, because they only speak Japanese.

Finally, after much struggle, it all ended up in the bag...

Look Ma, it fits!

Dream Mickey is ready to go!



I made these luggage tags a few weeks ago. They're actually "make-your-own-keychains" from Michael's. You just snap the plastic backing off and add your own insert. I found the fonts and pics online, then used some of my scrapbooking stickers as accents. What do you think? (sorry, the pics are kind of blurry, but you get the idea)

And one with Figment, where he belongs: with Dreamfinder!!!

Next on my "to-do" list: Figuring out how the heck RideMax works, OR: Getting my $30 Worth

 

[LadyGracey]

Futzing with RideMax

I debated for a long time as to whether to get RideMax. It was $30, after all, and since I consider myself to be a pretty good itinerary-maker on my own, I was reluctant to fork out the $$ on something that may or may not save me time. Then I thought back to last summer--the heat, the crowds, the endless lines...and I figured, even if it saves us an hour of waiting in the already-miserable heat, it would be worth it. Especially with friends from out-of-town coming.

So, I bought it. The program itself looks deceptively simple. Just enter the park, the date, the rides you want to do, regardless of order, tell the program when you are arriving and leaving the park, and when you'd like to take breaks. Then it either gives you a nice, pretty little sheet you can print, or it spits back "too many attractions in this time frame" (meaning: Stupid, it's the middle of June! There's no way you can ride ToT, RnRC, the Backlot Tour, and the Great Movie Ride in the space of four hours. ) In other words, RideMax won't work miracles for you. It still works best, it seems, when you're prepared to be there at rope drop (still the only way you have a chance of seeing everything you want). Then it brings back one heck of an impressive itinerary! But, if you're going into the parks later in the day, and you still want to make the most out of your time, it can give you the optimal itinerary (but still not without potentially long lines) for your time frame. I've discovered that it takes a little experimentation (especially if you're doing two parks in one day, like we are) with time frames and attractions to really get the best itinerary. I think it's worth the money if it saves me a little time! But I won't know for sure until we actually get there and use it.


So far, we are doing:
Sunday after the show: Dinner @ Narcoosee's, then MK for EMH.
Monday: late breakfast @ 'Ohana (more on that later), then AK/MGM (not necessarily in that order), then Hoop-Dee-Doo at 9:30 PM
Tuesday: move to Contemporary, Epcot day, ADRs to be determined.
Wednesday: maybe breakfast somewhere, my friends catch the ME, I go to MK (because I CAN, and I have nothing better to do other than drive home!)

We are trying to get reservations at Chef Mickey's for dinner on Tuesday, and perhaps Brown Derby for lunch on Monday? Though with unlimited Mickey waffles that morning, and gut-busting buckets o'chicken @HDDR, maybe it's best to have a pretzel. Or just a Cobb salad.
I think I will gain 10 pounds on this trip. Thank goodness my costume is too big to begin with!!! (I still have to come back and do another weekend of shows!)

A New Addition!

Minnie is bringing her son along!!! So, we have an addition to our plans. We shall call him Goofy. Goofy is a few years younger than me, and in all the years I've known Minnie, you know I've never met him? I feel like I know him, though, just because I've heard about him so much. I am very excited that he's coming along. He's a big Disney nut too, and he has a personality much like his mother (which means, it's a lot like mine, too--strange...we like Monty Python. Enough said.) Also, Minnie has some back problems that don't allow her to go on coasters anymore even though she loves them. I don't mind riding stuff by myself (when I go with my mom, she won't ride anything that's remotely bumpy, so I do a lot on my own anyway) but Goofy loves coasters and such, so I have a riding partner. Plus, he hasn't been to WDW in a loooong time...even longer than his mother! He is thrilled to be coming, not just to Disney, but to my show too, which is nice.

Oh, and did I mention, that Minnie does not want me to pay for my part of the room??? I can't believe her. She is so sweet! So instead I will pay for some of the meals for everyone.


Now, for the really BIG news!

Minnie called me yesterday morning:
"I have something to tell you. I hope you're not going to be too upset."
"Okay. Is everything alright?"
Yeah, it's just that...well, I had to cancel our reservations at Wilderness Lodge."
OK, so I'm a little disappointed. I love WL. We were going to see the geyser from our room. But I figured, since Goofy was coming, maybe we needed to get rooms that were a bit less expensive (she had talked about maybe getting him his own room). Which was fine, I'm just glad to go.
"What happened?"
"Well, I had to cancel it, because I got us a room at the Polynesian."







She did WHAT now???

"Is that okay?"

By this time I am literally in tears. I have always wanted to stay there, since I was little and we camped at Fort Wilderness. I wanted to go on my birthday, but it was all booked except for rooms that were well out of my price range. Heck, every room is well out of my price range anyway, without one heck of a passholder discount. I really wanted to sit on the beach with a Dole Whip at three in the morning and watch the castle change colors, and have people say "Aloha," and ride the monorail!

"Yes, that's okay! That's great!"
"Well, I knew you always wanted to stay there. It just showed up online this morning. So I booked it." That was some major at work!

So now I have to change my ticker because...WE ARE GOING TO THE POLYNESIAN AND THE CR!!!

 

[LadyGracey]

I just had to say...

ONLY 6 DAYS!!!


I actually have three days off until I have to go back to the theater...I almost don't know what to do with myself! I can use the time to finish planning and packing, though. And sleep. Sleep is good.

We are thinking about not going to the Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue, because it will take a big chunk out of park time. I don't care so much about park time, because I go more often than they do. But both Minnie and Goofy have been to HDDR twice, so Goofy was going to go to DisneyQuest because he didn't want to do it again. Besides, it will save us some $$ that we can spend on a TS meal in a park. Also, it's less convenient to get to FW now that we're not at WL (not that I'm complaining... )

I really need to get to planning so I can email them some itineraries. I sympathize now with all the DISers that plan trips with people who don't live right near them--sometimes it's easier to just sit down and show them stuff, but we can't do that. I wish Minnie lived closer--though, we'd probably get into trouble if she did! Either that, or we'd spend all our $$ at Disney and have to eat ramen noodles every day.

I am debating whether we should request a specific longhouse at the Poly--I like the idea of Rarotonga and Tokelau, but those rooms don't all have balconies, and have only one sink. I think we'll at least request a balcony or patio, for sure, but since there's not a lot of bad views, should we just wait and see what longhouse the Tiki gods give us? Anyone have any Poly expertise to share?

 

[ILMICKEY]

Hey!! I have no expertise on the Polynesian. Sounds great though. What a surprise!! I have also always wanted to stay there. Maybe someday! If you go to Ohanas let me know if it was good. I have ressies there.

Have an awesome time!

 

[LadyGracey]

Hi ILMICKEY! Thanks for replying. I am really excited! Only 4 days now!

We are going to the character breakfast at 'Ohana, which I have not done before. I have been to the dinner twice, and it is awesome! The turkey and steak are my favorites...as are the potatoes, which I have managed to somewhat recreate at home from a recipe I found online. Best bread pudding EVER, too!!! Hope you enjoy it!

 

[LadyGracey]

Other than a few little things, I'm mostly done. I have been looking all over town for those cool tie things (you know, the ones you soak in water, and they puff up all huge?) I had a couple that I've used a lot, and I pulled them out of the back of a drawer yesterday (haven't used them since last year!) and *tried* to hydrate one. it ended up looking like...well, not like it's supposed to. So I've driven all over trying to find them, and then finally just broke down and went to Jo-Ann to buy some fabric to make my own. (I did find some really neat Disney fabric--I'll take a picture later.) Then, as I'm walking through Wal-Mart looking for the water-absorbing crystals, what do I find?? A whole DISPLAY full of cool ties, for $2.50 each! Grrrr. So I bought some anyway--some for me, and some for Minnie and Goofy, AND the water-absorbing crystals (that material is NOT going to go to waste even if it kills me!)

I also bought one of those Misty Mate personal mister things. Not the big one that's like an insulated water bottle with a hose attached--the one I have is a little handheld tube that you fill with water and then pump the bottom. It seems to work pretty well, and you don't have to pump it very often--it will mist for a LONG time on one 'set' of pumps. I figured this would be much easier to tote than my big Disney mister fan. I have a little handheld fan that I bought at WDW last summer, that I can use too-and both of these put together are 1/4 the weight of that big, heavy fan. They had a big assortment of different Misty Mates--insulated ones, ones with straps, even some that come with a whole fanny pack attached--so if you're in the market for a more convenient way to keep cool than lugging your $20 Disney fan bottle (and cheaper too!) check them out. I believe they have a website too. I'll let you know in my trippie how it worked for me.

Looks like the weather's going to be good--but I'm glad I picked my thinnest and most comfortable T-shirts and capri pants to take along! The AccuWeather realfeel temp on Tuesday is 100!!! Afternoon showers, too, so I packed plenty of disposable ponchos!

We decided to keep HDDR after all--even though she's been before, Minnie is really looking forward to going. I think Goofy will be going to DisneyQuest whether we go to FW or not, so we might as well go!

 

[ILMICKEY]

100!!!! Yuck! That is waaaaaay to hot!! Take lots of breaks to swim and drink lots of water. I am sure the fans will help.

 

[LadyGracey]

Today wasn't as hot, thank goodness...this afternoon it only got up to 86 or so. But Orlando is normally quite a bit warmer than it is here, since they don't have the benefit of the seabreeze. Plus it's been cloudy with some rain on and off all day. I'm still not leaving without my trusty Misty Mate, though!

 

[LadyGracey]

Today was intended to be a sort-of laid back day...I had to go and do some chores for my grandma (she's 84 and still lives on her own, but has trouble vacuuming and cleaning showers and stuff). Then, of course, I had to stop in at the Disney Store...and they were having a HUGE sale!!! Like I needed an excuse to buy more Disney stuff, right?? Even better, all the Tiki Kingdom items were marked down, so I bought a couple more of the plastic glasses and an iced tea pitcher (I already have the martini shaker and two glasses...and they weren't on sale when I got them either!), plus some T-shirts ($4.99!) and a cute little brown bead necklace that has little flowers engraved on it, and a hula-ing Minnie charm. Thought it would be cute to wear with my Hawaiian shirt (yes, I'm a dork, wearing that shirt to an island-themed hotel, but I never get a chance to wear it, and likely will never make it to Hawaii!) Also picked up a new pair of all-black Crocs Scutes (for those of you that don't know, they're slides, kind of like Adidas or Nike sport sandals, except without the velcro and built on the Crocs sole. They even have holes in them for my Jibbitz!) I have a pair of black and green ones that I've just about worn the soles off of--I've worn them almost every day, even to work. So now I have a nice, new pair for the trip.

Just a *slight* change in schedule...Minnie left me a voicemail today, and she and Goofy have decided they're going to drive instead of fly. They're leaving tomorrow and should be here Friday afternoon, a day ahead of schedule. I'm looking forward to them coming early, because I have sort of run out of things to do (other than a little bit of final packing and washing my car) and I'm starting to feel restless. Has that ever happened to anyone? You plan and plan and plan, and spend hours thinking about your trip--then, when everything is done, and you have nothing left to occupy your mind until you go, you get in a rut? I'm sure that will change once I get back to the theater tomorrow evening, though--I won't have time or energy to think about anything but getting back into the show.

Only 4 more sleeps to go!!!

 

[LadyGracey]

Only 2 Sleeps Left!


Now that I have that out of my system...

My friends made it to Mobile last night, so they are a little behind schedule, but they will be here sometime this evening. We're probably not going to meet up until the morning, because I have to get to the theater earlier than usual (we have a new stage floor that came in today, which is different and slightly smaller than the space we originally blocked in, so we have to go and reblock some of the dances, AND do a show tonight! crazy) Still, this will be my last pre-trip entry! Next time you hear from me I will hopefully have lots of exciting things to share, and lots of pictures! I am so excited!

Thanks for reading, everyone! Until next week!

 

[ILMICKEY]

Have a wonderful time!!!

I'll be waitin for a report!

 

[LadyGracey]

Hi! Just got back last night...AND...

We Got a BIG Dream!!!

But you'll have to wait to read about that in...my absurdly long and picture-filled trip report!

 

[ILMICKEY]

Well come on!!

You can't write something like that and keep us hanging!!!

 

[LadyGracey]

I can hardly believe it's already over! It's weird, how time passes so quickly at WDW! Here begins my Official, Rambling and Occasionally Irreverent Trip Report.

To review (and, for you readers who just want to skip to the good stuff):

The Cast!
Me (LadyGracey)
My friend, "Minnie"
Her son, "Goofy"

The Schedule! (these will turn into links once I post chapters)
Day 1: Tampa! FL Aquarium/Show!/Marriott Waterside
Day 2 Part 1: What exactly is a Cuban sandwich?? Columbia Restaurant, Another show

Day 2 Part 2:Aloha Disney! I Got Lei'd at the Polynesian (not really)

Day 2 Part 3: Food Porn! Narcoosee's/MK
Day 3: An Alien Is Stalking Me! 'Ohana/DS/Hoop-Dee-Doo
Day 4: A Dream Granted, or Picking My Jaw Up Off The Floor! CR/Epcot/AK/Concourse Steakhouse
Day 5: Do We Have To Get Out??? Last Hurrahs at MK/Epcot


Now, I know you're all wondering...what exactly was the dream we got???

Well, you're all going to have to READ MY TR TO FIND OUT!!! Can you stand the anticipation??? Let me just say that (at least for us) it was really incredible!!!


First up: Oops, I forgot to take pictures at the Florida Aquarium!

 

[LadyGracey]

Well come on!!

You can't write something like that and keep us hanging!!!

LOL!!! Okay, okay! Here I go!

 

[LadyGracey]

Minnie and Goofy had finally arrived the night before, but it was so late that we decided it was best not to meet until Saturday. Well, by the time I got up, half the morning was already gone! They decided to go find breakfast while I hauled myself out of bed and showered, and got ready to meet them downtown. They were quite enthralled with the Village Inn pancake house!

I finally made it to the hotel at about noon, meeting Minnie in the lobby. I was going to spend the night with them there (Tampa Marriott Waterside) so that we could just go to WDW from there and I wouldn't have to meet them somewhere again. The hotel is NICE! It's right along the river downtown, next to the convention center, and on the streetcar line that goes all the way into Ybor City (which is where our theater is). Down the street is the cruise ship terminal and a big shopping/dining/entertainment complex called Channelside, and the Florida Aquarium.

Our room on the 14th floor of the Waterside.

View down the Hillsborough River towards Channelside and the port.

Looking across the river to Harbour Island.

The St. Pete Times Forum, home of the STANLEY CUP WINNING Tampa Bay Lightning!




We decided to take the streetcar down to the aquarium. It was PACKED--ever year on Father's Day weekend, they let in dads for free, so there were tons of families. (Getting us ready for Disney crowds, maybe???) Luckily, teachers get in for free too, which saved me 20 bucks! The lady in the box office was so sweet, that she let Goofy in for free too, as a "father"!

Alas, I did not take any aquarium pictures... sorry. But there were lots of fish. And sharks.

Isn't it odd that this fish is bigger than the shark?

Then we went for a short ride on the streetcar through Ybor City, and I showed them the theater and everything. Ybor was created by the cigar workers who came over from Cuba over a hundred years ago. They settled here to work in the factories that made some of the finest cigars in the world, both living and working in the area. While very few of the workers' homes still exist, many of the old red-brick cigar factories are still there, now turned into offices and shopping complexes.

Our theater!

This was one of the three original movie palaces in Tampa when it was built in the 1920s. Since then, it has been a B-movie house, an X-rated theater, and most recently a Goth/punk/metal nightclub. The club went out of business, and the owners want to make it into more of a legitimate venue. Hence, our show! Most of the buildings along this street are nearly 100 years old--it used to be the "main street" of the neighborhood, but now is mostly restaurants and nightclubs. A wild place to be after 10 PM, let me tell you!

The windows along the street. We decorated them to advertise the show. Can you tell it's about the 1980s???


After a quick dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, it was time to head back to the theater. Again, no pictures, as it's hard for me to take pictures of myself while I'm onstage. Maybe once we get a DVD I'll do some screen captures.


Then it was off to bed early...because tomorrow...WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!

Onward to Day 2!

 

[Ozymoe]

I'm really enjoying your report. It's the first trip report I've read in ages so I'm exited to see you got a Dream Surprise!

What are you doing in your show? Is it a musical review? Lol...I'm a theatre nut as well as a Disney nut...community theatre mostly, but I finance my Disney habit by acting in a Standardized Patient program that tests medical students.

 

[LadyGracey]

Thanks for reading! I'm glad you enjoy it--hope others do too! The good stuff is coming!

*Technically* this show is community theater because we don't get paid for this production, but it's not the same as other groups I've worked with. All of us have either worked professionally (like at Busch Gardens or with event production companies, or are theater educators like me) or are people who aspire to be professionals. There are some good community theaters here, but the dynamic is different--not necessarily bad, it's just more of a hobby or social club, whereas we function more like a professional theater company (of course I'm biased because I'm on the board, but whatever!) Our show is about a show choir in the 1980s and the stereotypes and problems encountered by the characters (plus a bunch of hilarious 80s references!) It's kind of like a review, because all the songs were popular hits back then, but they are integrated into the storyline. and was written by a local guy who took it to New York and got it produced. Now there's a bunch of people interested in it, and who knows where it could go from here?? We are supposed to take the show to Kissimmee in October, but I don't think anything has been finalized yet.

How do you get into that kind of work? That sounds interesting! What kinds of stuff do you test them on?

 

[LadyGracey]

This morning, we slept in a little, because we knew we'd have a late night ahead of us...we were going to EMH at the MK!

When we opened the curtains, there was a Carnival cruise ship in port at Channelside. Alas, again, no pictures. I wish the Disney cruises sailed from here!

I took my friends to lunch at the Columbia Restaurant, "a Tampa institution since 1905," or something to that effect. Really, it is good. They've been on the same corner for over 100 years, and they've just kept adding onto the restaurant, so that it's a patchwork of different-themed dining rooms (I think there are 15 of them!)

They seated us in the "patio" room, which is themed like a 2-story Spanish courtyard, complete with palm trees and a fountain in the center.

This is not my photo--again, I didn't take pictures. Guess I was saving those memory cards for WDW!

Now, the Columbia serves Spanish and Cuban food, and what can best be called "Tampa food": dishes that originiated in Ybor, but were created by the immigrants from Cuba. Definitely not as spicy as Tex-Mex food, but for anyone who's not used to spices, it can be a little...well, interesting. So I hoped my friends would like it. We ordered some deviled crabs (croquettes made with cracker crumbs, spices, and crabmeat that are deep-fried--good Tampa food!) and some chicken croquettes. Minnie and I both had the Cuban sandwich (ham, hard salami, Cuban roast pork, mustard, and pickles on Cuban bread--more on that later) and 1905 Salad (which is their own recipe: ham, Swiss cheese, Spanish olives, Romano cheese, and tomatoes with iceberg lettuce and a Worcestershire/oil/vinegar dressing). Goofy had the palomilla steak, which is a piece of meat pounded out until very thin, then grilled really fast and topped with diced onions and lime, with fried plantains and yellow rice. Sorry I didn't take pictures. This seems to be a recurring theme. But hopefully my description is enough for you food-porn addicts.

Every meal they serve there is accompanied by a huge slab of hot Cuban bread. I was explaining to my friends that the best Cuban bread comes from Tampa (something to do with the use of city water--kind of like bagels in New York) but that it's not authentic Cuban bread (and doesn't taste the same, for some reason) if it's not baked with a palmetto leaf down the middle of the loaf. The leaf gives it a long crease at the top, and it's just always been done that way in the old bakeries. Of course, they take the leaf off before they sell it--but sometimes a tiny, stringy edge of palmetto will end up baked into the very top part of the bread. There's nothing wrong with it--the leaves are cleaned before they're used, they're edible, and I guess when you live here and eat it all the time you don't think anything of it. But for my friends:

Goofy (looking at his piece of bread): What is that?
Me: What?
Goofy: This. (pulls a little string of palmetto off the top of the bread).
Me: Oh, it's just part of the palmetto. It's fine.
Goofy: Oh, I see. So it's not real Cuban bread unless it has leaf hair. I see.

Smarty pants.

Of course, he ate it anyway. Goofy loves bread--I think he ate more of that during the trip than anything else.

After lunch, we went back to the theater for the matinee. Of course, the whole time I'm onstage I'm thinking about going to the Poly, and the traffic, and what I'm going to have at Narcoosee's. Hopefully I didn't look distracted!

When we were done, I found Minnie out front, and Goofy wasn't with her. He hadn't slept well the night before, and he has allergies and the fog machine we use in the show had gotten to him on Saturday night. He decided (and I don't blame him!) that he really just wanted to go lay down and not breathe stinky fog juice, so Minnie sent him on to Orlando to check into the room, and then she and I would meet him there before dinner.

5:00--we're on the road to WDW!!!!

Keep reading...please...