Sunday May 9th, Day 7, Orlando/Downtown Disney
After a good night's rest, we awoke on Sunday May 9th (Mother's Day) to beautiful, sunny skies. The temperature was supposed to be in the high 80s and we were ready to enjoy our last day of Florida sunshine. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 7:25 pm so we knew we had most of the day.
We took our time getting dressed and then packed up all of our stuff so we could check out of the timeshare. They had, of course, wanted to give us a tour and get us to buy a timeshare of our own, but the lady had missed her opportunity by not calling the day before to set up an appointment. We would have been willing to let them pay for our breakfast and listen to their sales pitch. The fact that they also offered to throw in 100 Disney dollars didn't hurt! But...we had told her we needed to check out and leave by 10 so if she wanted to do it, she'd have to call us while we were at the MK to make an early appointment. She never called. The condo phone rang at 9:30 as we were getting ready to leave, but it was too late. Oh well...free money would have been nice, but wasting 2 hours of my last day in Florida was not exactly an exciting concept.
By 9:45 we were packing up the car and heading out. Our tummies were rumbling and it was time for some breakfast. We knew exactly what we wanted and had mapped out how to get there with the GPS. We drove out of the WDW resort area to the more tourist-y part of town (you know....t-shirt shops, motels, etc). It wasn't long before we saw this......
We don't have these restaurants close to home so we like to indulge when we are able. The restaurant was fairly crowded as it was Mother's Day and lots of families were out to celebrate. One family, obviously tourists, were sitting close-by and Jeff and I were very intrigued by what the little boy was having for breakfast. He had several bowls of dry Froot Loops, an ice cream cone, and a large bowl of Skittles! YUM...the breakfast of champions! Sugar him up and take him to Disney!
As we rolled our very full selves out of the Golden Corral, we remembered that we had not done our check-in for the flight home. We found a little storefront that was offering internet access so we popped in and took care of business. All packed, fed, checked-in for our flight.....and the whole day ahead of us!
Our plan was to enjoy a unhurried day at Downtown Disney before heading off to the airport around 5:00. We wanted to give ourselves plenty of time to return the car, etc. By 11:20 we were driving under this sign for the last time this trip.
We found a centrally located parking spot and decided to start our day at the West End of DTD. This is actually a picture of the back of the Disney Quest building that faces the road....much cooler than the front of the building!
We stopped into the magic store and watched a demonstration, explored the magnet and novelties store and then found this store that we had not seen before.
It was kind of like a Build-A-Bear store, but for boys! You could choose a car design and add all the bells and whistles. There were cool cars displayed throughout the store that really looked and felt more like showroom. My boys, especially Isaiah, would have LOVED this place. Jeff and I took a few pictures so we could show the boys how cool it was.
We left the cool car store and decided to hop on the water taxi to take us to the Marketplace. It was a gorgeous day and a short boat ride sounded nice. And with this view, how can you lose?
As we got off the boat we stumbled on another store we had never seen before! It was the Mickey Outlet! YAY!! I think most of the items were under $5 so it was a great place to pick up some souvenirs for the boys. We got a deck of cards, a re-usable shopping bag, some magnets and I'm not sure what else, but this little store is a gem! It's kind of tucked away which is why we had never found it before. I'm really glad we did!
With some souvenirs tucked away, we decided it was a good time to call home and check on the boys. They would be home from church by now and we'd be able to talk to them. My mom had left on Saturday and the boys were staying with Jeff's sister. I assumed that Jonah would be mostly better by now, but when we called Brenda, she said he was still running a fever and so she kept him home from church. Poor kid! This strep is really kicking his booty! Anyway, we talked to him and he was excited that we would be headed home. I think he wanted a mommy hug! Then we talked to Dan who gave use some very disturbing news. It turns out that it was......wait for it.....SNOWING at home! WHAT??? I was standing in 85 degree sunshine and my son was telling me I was headed home to SNOW. Happy Mother's Day to me. He even texted me a picture of some snow in his hand so I would believe him. Sure enough....the Rochester area got a dusting of snow on May 9th...enough to cover the grass. I told the boys that instead of coming home we would fly them down to Florida with us. They liked that idea! It was nice conversation and I did miss them. As reluctant as I was to leave the warmth and sun of Orlando, I was ready to see my boys.
This is me talking to the boys on the phone. (thanks Jeff!)
After a quick talk with Brenda to firm up plans to pick us up at the airport, we said good-bye and continued our walk through the Marketplace. What DTD visit is complete without stoppping here?
I know we also visited Basin.....a store I can never get my boys to go in! I love it in there! Of course we stopped into Ghirardelli's.......YUM.....free samples! We also took a spin around the Pin Trading Store. By about 2:00 we were done shopping and had an hour or two to kill so we made the decision to hop on the water taxi and take a trip to our Home Away from Home, Port Orleans Riverside. The ride down the Sassagoula is always so relaxing and we love POR. As we waited to board, I took a last vacation feet picture...this time Jeff's.
Before long we were seeing the beautiful Mansions of Port Orleans Riverside.
Shrunken heads on the back of one of the boats!
I love it here!
All we really did was sit on the rocking chairs by the dock and wander around the dock/marina area a bit before we went back to the loading area to head back to DTD. It was almost 3:30 and we wanted to eat a little dinner before we left for the airport. We waited for what seemed like FOREVER for a boat, but finally were on our way.
I had been dreaming of the large fried scallops from Cooke's of Dublin since our last trip, so that's where we went to grab a quick bite. YUMMMMM! I swear these are the best scallops ever!
Well, we couldn't stretch it out anymore. It was almost 5:00 and time to say good-bye to DTD and head to the airport. So sad, but it had been a fantastic vacation!
Turning in the rental at MCO was a breeze and we had some time to kill while we waited for our flight. Inevitably, we boarded and headed for home. As promised, we arrived to very chilly temperatures and we were not at all happy about it.
I'll be back with some final comments and a TR wrap-up soon. Thanks so much for reading along!
Your anklet is so pretty!!
I just love MK at night!!
I hope your magical day at MK doesn't end on a bad note.
, taken a tour around the world with the IASW children, climbed a treehouse, cruised the jungle, rubbed elbows with Presidents, taken a turn on the Carousel of Progress, visited the Happy Haunts of the Haunted Mansion 
, Dreamed Along with Mickey 
, met Lilo and Stitch 
, eaten lunch with Pecos Bill, enjoyed a pineapple-y treat and toured the park on both the TTA and the railroad. Whew...that is enough to make anyone tired. 
Once the show ended, we made an attempt to break free from the crowd and move. Our goal was Frontierland, but we ended up walking toward Tomorrowland because it was just easier than fighting the crowd. Once the mob began to thin out, we went through Fantasyland and tried to find a spot in Liberty Square. Now, here is where the trouble begins. Jeff really does not do well in crowds. Saying they make him nervous and agitated is a complete understatement. Because we are smart DISers, we are usually able to avoid the worst crowds and stay out of the fray. 
The people were everywhere and my DH doesn't like crowds either...needless to say he was freaking out. Like you said, it was a lesson learned.
