Simpsons returned - time for home

[Lizzy Lemon]

Monday 3rd August 2009

Caught a taxi to DTD to drop off the luggage. I think they opened at 8.15am. We arrived at approaching 8am and were quite a way down the queue, the staff were getting organised - very slowly. They looked ready to go but decided to stand around talking instead, eventually without a smile between them they started the proceedings. Fine end to the holiday, they looked as miserable as we felt at the thought of going home. VA had changed our seat allocation to bulkhead. We had been allocated three seats by a window and an aisle seat on the same row months ago by special needs department. I do like a window seat but the lady checking us in said at least we will have more leg room, which we did, it was nice being able to stand up and stretch our legs just in front of our seats but I found sleep impossible in these seats. At least in a window seat you can rest your head against the side of the plane. We went to look for a taxi to take us back to the Poly to leave the hand luggage at the hotel but couldn't find one so called Mears to come and pick us up at Disney Quest. We went to spend the rest of the morning at MK, we saw Pirate Tutorial, POTC ride, Jungle Cruise, Shake It parade and finally had lunch at Cosmic Rays.







Had our last photopass picture taken in front of the castle.



Ashley was starting to look really fed up and I'm afraid I got quite upset here, we'd had a lot of him keep wanting to stay in the room playing on his PSP all holiday, I couldn't believe him not making the most of our time in Florida, he had got another 5 weeks at home ahead of him to relax before returning to school. When Ashley has a miserable moment it's very hard to get him out of it and I'd just had enough and the tears started. I tried to hide in the back of a shop having a good feeling sorry for myself moment before venturing out, turned round and Ashley has disappeared. We'd got a couple of hours before our taxi was picking us up from the hotel and I'd got visions of searching MK frantically looking for him. He was hiding sheepishly in the shop, I didn't know whether to hug him or yell at him. I did neither just made my way to the monorail with the others following.

Our last sighting of MK.


Fetched a drink from Capt Cooks and sat and watched the boys have a swim.



It was so hot this afternoon even though they had nothing to change into for the journey home they dried so quickly they were fine.



I had kept a clean t-shirt to change into which I was thankful for as I didn't have a cooling dip in the pool. FL Tours picked us up promptly for our return journey to the airport and we were asking the driver where he went for his holidays and what the coast of Florida is like. If the boys didn't want to come to Disney again John and I were determined to find somewhere in Florida to go!

Arrived at the airport and went straight to the TV screens to see the flight was going to be on time.



Last look around the gift shops.





Wish we were going the other way.



Virginia Plain brought us home, we travelled on this one in 2007.



Passed some time having a coffee and Ashley with his Nintendo, happy that he's now got permission to play on it for hours.



On the plane - playing more games! The sunset was beautiful, someone would lift the window blind and flood the plane with the most beautiful colours and would promptly put it back down again. It seemed hardly anytime at all and the same thing happened with the sunrise. It's a truly wonderful sight from up there above the clouds.



Trying to do the impossible, sleep vertically!



I gave up in the end, luckily the journey passed quickly, I don't remember watching a film as nothing interesting was on, they were the same films as the outbound flight and nothing appealed. The one thing I can remember is an awful smell around the cabin not long before landing. They were serving breakfast and the staff came down one aisle handed Glen and Ashley a heated wrapped roll consisting of scrambled eggs and slice of processed ham, didn't come on a tray it was just handed to them. One sniff, one look and they handed them to me which I then handed to John who proceeded to eat both of them. Consequently when the stewardess came down the other aisle we refused ours. We were then served a coffee. I can't describe the smell, it was awful I thought someone had been taken ill. I work on a hospital ward and thought I was used to strange smells but that took some beating!!!! Arrived back to a rainy Manchester (does it ever stop raining there?) through immigration, bag pick up and on the way to pick up the car from the Radisson by 7.45am. Went slightly wrong on the journey back as they had set up a diversion on the motorway and we didn't follow it properly but got back on track and were back home by 9.30am. Seemed so strange to be arriving back home at the beginning of a day, started on the unpacking straight away, had a load in the washing maching before you could blink and passed the rest of the day in a haze before admitting defeat and heading to bed at 8pm. John had to be back at work for 5am the following morning. Back to normality with alarming speed. Thanks everyone for sticking with my reports, your kind comments have been much appreciated. Hopefully see you next year with a Florida coastal trippie.

[wideeyes]

Thanks for your great trip report.

I think all kids have moments like that, though for me it was my 19 year old sister I couldn't get off the DS. She is not coming with us next year.

It's not raining here in Manchester today, it is actually quite warm today I'm right near the airport, you can actually see my house from the plane depending on the direction it is going.

[disney_princess_85]

I could really feel your disappointment there. The end of a holiday sucks.

Thanks for your reviews, they've been great!

[jamjar84]

Coming home is always the wort part of a holiday.

Thanks for posting your TR, I've enjoyed reading it, fingers crosed you get to see a bit of Coastal Florida next year.

[Dimplenose]

I agree about the breakfast buns I think we must have been offered the same choice when we flew home a week later - the smell was really stomach turning.

[suzycute]

I've really enjoyed following your trip through your reports - many thanks for sharing your holiday with us!

[SusanEllen]

Thanks for your entertaining report, wonderful descriptions, and beautiful photos. Was John usually the photographer? Whichever one of you is responsible (or both) deserves praise for managing different angles and artistic composition of some familiar spots.

About the mini-meltdown in the MK shop--we're often warned about kids having such a moment and told it's almost a certainty at some point in the vacation, but no one seems to talk about a similar adult moment of overwhelming disappointment--and yet I think they happen more often than anyone wants to admit. Grownups probably have ways of disguising it better so that it doesn't so much look like an all out tantrum, but when expectations are too high for reality and/or time is starting to run out I think many of us have at least a sinking feeling of loss and a panicky sense that time is running out. I try to remember to take a few deep breaths and say those immortal lines of Dr. Seuss, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."

Thanks to you, Wendy, and to John and the boys for sharing your fun.

[Lizzy Lemon]

Originally Posted by wideeyes

Thanks for your great trip report.

It's not raining here in Manchester today, it is actually quite warm today I'm right near the airport, you can actually see my house from the plane depending on the direction it is going.

Glad to hear it doesn't always rain, must know we are coming!!!

Originally Posted by disney_princess_85

I could really feel your disappointment there. The end of a holiday sucks.


Thanks for your reviews, they've been great!

Thanks for your kind comments, I'm back at work and saving up for the next one, its all planned just got to book if and when John gets permission for annual leave.

Originally Posted by jamjar84

Coming home is always the wort part of a holiday.

Thanks for posting your TR, I've enjoyed reading it, fingers crosed you get to see a bit of Coastal Florida next year.

Planning on Sarasota and some time in Orlando too.

Originally Posted by Dimplenose

I agree about the breakfast buns I think we must have been offered the same choice when we flew home a week later - the smell was really stomach turning.

Weren't they gross - did you eat yours? I'm guessing not

Originally Posted by suzycute

I've really enjoyed following your trip through your reports - many thanks for sharing your holiday with us!

Thankyou

Originally Posted by SusanEllen

Thanks for your entertaining report, wonderful descriptions, and beautiful photos. Was John usually the photographer? Whichever one of you is responsible (or both) deserves praise for managing different angles and artistic composition of some familiar spots.

About the mini-meltdown in the MK shop--we're often warned about kids having such a moment and told it's almost a certainty at some point in the vacation, but no one seems to talk about a similar adult moment of overwhelming disappointment--and yet I think they happen more often than anyone wants to admit. Grownups probably have ways of disguising it better so that it doesn't so much look like an all out tantrum, but when expectations are too high for reality and/or time is starting to run out I think many of us have at least a sinking feeling of loss and a panicky sense that time is running out. I try to remember to take a few deep breaths and say those immortal lines of Dr. Seuss, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."

Thanks to you, Wendy, and to John and the boys for sharing your fun.

John took the vast majority of photos but I did take some, over the years I've copied what he does so between us we manage to have enough photos to fill a few DVD's to show family. I would love to host a Disney night and all my Disboards friends round to view them, they are the only ones who truly appreciate how we feel.

Your comments about adult meltdowns really hit the nail on the head, it was a huge sense of disappointment about what we had not managed to do, looking back it was a silly moment on my part as we had filled almost every minute of each day, I don't think we could have done more. We went with the intention of relaxing and chilling if we didn't get things done but with me that didn't work even though I wanted it to, it was a long way to go to miss things out and I'm not that type of person, I'm a get up and get things done type of gal. I also think a lot of the upset was apprehension about coming home, have a lot of stress with Ashley and his needs regarding school/homework/life in general which 99% falls on my shoulders and the thought of having another 12 months in front of me going through all that before hopefully being in Florida again was too much, added to which Glen said he may not come with us again (although he's OK with a coastal holiday) made me feel family life as we knew and enjoyed it in the past is over. Better stop there or I will have another moment. Thanks again.

[ILuvJimny]

How sad that your trip and your trip report is done. I looked forward to checking every few days to see what fun adventures you had.

I understand how sad you felt when there was so much you had not been able to do on the holiday - even though you were there for quite a long time. DS and I grabbed a Lamp post at the front of Main Street and said, " No! We don't want to go! We haven't got to do everything we wanted to!!" I guess it just gives us something to look forward to for the next visit.

I really like Suellen's quote of Dr Seuss: "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." At least your teenagers didn't lose you and then get on the wrong bus to get back to the hotel like DS did!

[Snowy-girls]

Thank you so much Wendy for sharing your family holiday with us,i for one really enjoyed it.x.

[wideeyes]

I thought you did loads, especially with two teenagers in tow.

[Cyrano]

Wendy really appreciated sharing your holiday with you

Originally Posted by SusanEllen

About the mini-meltdown in the MK shop--we're often warned about kids having such a moment and told it's almost a certainty at some point in the vacation, but no one seems to talk about a similar adult moment of overwhelming disappointment--and yet I think they happen more often than anyone wants to admit. Grownups probably have ways of disguising it better so that it doesn't so much look like an all out tantrum, but when expectations are too high for reality and/or time is starting to run out I think many of us have at least a sinking feeling of loss and a panicky sense that time is running out. I try to remember to take a few deep breaths and say those immortal lines of Dr. Seuss, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened."

As always Susan vey profound

Originally Posted by Lizzy Lemon

Your comments about adult meltdowns really hit the nail on the head, it was a huge sense of disappointment about what we had not managed to do, looking back it was a silly moment on my part as we had filled almost every minute of each day,

The honesty in your reports has been very refreshing

[Pegasus928]

I have really enjoyed reading your reports and the honesty that you have displayed. It's always interesting to see what others enjoy and dislike about Florida, WDW, Universal etc. - especially when it is different to our own experiences.
I can also understand why you were so upset on the last day. I would think it happens to us all at some point towards the end of the holiday, but it's how we deal with it as adults that sets us apart from the kids (although aren't we all kids really when in the MK).
I was also very interested in reading how the holiday was in relation to Ashley, as I know how it is with our DS (14) who has aspergers. It's amazing how many similarities there are between your experiences and ours, and it is always good to know that the feelings of frustration, anger, sadness and guilt are shared by others in the same situation. I always find it so hard to explain to people that holidaying with a special needs child is probably 2 or 3 times more difficult than holidaying with a normal child - yet the rewards are at least 10 times higher when they come out of themselves a little and do something new, exciting or just out of the ordinary.
Thank you for taking the time to write your report and post all your fantastic pics.
I hope I can do one equally as well when we return after our October trip.

[A Small World]

A brilliant report - just the type I like with lots of pictures and comments about thoughts and feelings. Some of your pics are wonderful.

You sound as though you had a great time

Thanks for sharing and taking the time to write this

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Really enjoyed all your report!