Day 8: Debarkation
How is it time already!
Seriously this is usually the saddest part of any cruise for anybody but on past voyages with those other lines... we are typically rested and ready to get off the boat and back home. Disney was a different story. They kept us so busy that it was hard to think 7 whole days had gone by and others were anxiously awaiting our return to shore so their trip could begin.
I got up at 6 am and started getting ready. We had to be at breakfast at 6:45 which was the earliest Avery had gotten up all cruise. We kept him in bed until the last possible moment and then woke him up, gathered our things, and headed to Animators Palate.
Now on our first night in the restaurant Crush didn't really feel like swimming. We weren't too upset but leave it to Disney to go the extra mile and send you off the boat with a smile. They had brought Crush back for our breakfast! Avery loved seeing all the characters pass by. Finding Nemo is one of his favorite movies.
Our servers greeted us and brought over our menus. They still had Avery's chocolate milk out and brought him orange juice on top of it. Alex and I both had coffee. It was 6:45 and we were sad after all!
While they don't rush you, it is obvious that they are working hard to get you through the meal on time. We had our food very quickly and to our joy, Crush started with our section first! The table next to us and behind us were both sleeping in so we almost had him all to ourselves! He called out Avery's green shirt right away and said his name was now Awesome Avery. When he was at the next screen I guess he caught Avery looking at him because he called him out again. It was really neat and one of the first times Avery had actually been old enough to understand and follow the whole interaction. He last saw Crush at the parks when he was 18 months old so quite an age difference.
After breakfast we thanked our servers one last time and headed out of the restaurant.
They cleared the ship for departure as we were walking down the hall to the atrium. I kid you not we walked right off the boat. No lines!
When we got to the terminal the character pictures were hanging above all the luggage aisles. We found Daisy Grey but was really awesome was that there was a Cast Member standing there asking for our room number. When we responded she replied, "oh your bags will be down this aisle top or bottom." We found our bags within two seconds and were in our car pulling out of the garage in the next five minutes....
OFF the boat, got luggage, through customs, out of garage, and on the road home in less than 10 minutes....
how does this happen? It sure doesn't happen on any other cruise lines.
We couldn't believe it. We all waved to the Disney Fantasy as we left.
The worst part? Having my navigator clear and re-set to the Disney Magic countdown with 445 days to go!!! They couldn't let me have it for a few more hours???? Oh well! The wait starts again!
Next up: Final thoughts and our video!