Day 7 (Dec. 27). This morning was our daughter's birthday as well as our check out day. Because we didn't have to be at the airport until 4:00, we arranged for late check out. This meant that we could sleep a little later than usual and then go down for a nice buffet breakfast in honor of our daughter's birthday.
The CORAL CAFE BREAKFAST BUFFET did not disappoint us. The non-stop orange juice was a pleasant surprise as were the cute Mickey waffles. When we got there, the hash browns were all gone, but they brought out a fresh pan before I went back for seconds and they were lovely. The service was excellent--our coffee cups and juice glasses were never empty and the fruit was fresh and tasty. The syrup for the pancakes and waffles was 55% maple and served warm in cute little bottles with the S/D logo. They also had bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, pancakes, bagels, donuts, pastry, cold cereal and lots of fresh fruit as well as made-to-order omelettes.
After breakfast we went back to our rooms to finish packing. My mom and my brother checked out at 11 and brought their stuff to our room. I had been feeling much better from my cold, so we went out for a walk on the Boardwalk (which I had been meaning to do through our whole stay but hadn't had the energy for). My son wanted to rent a surrey bike and we were willing to rent one for him and his sister but then it turned out that one of the drivers has to be at least 18 and neither of them qualifies. (They did suggest that if we added up their ages they would be 26 together, which is true, but not what the authorities had in mind, I'm sure.) Since none of the evil adults with him was willing to pedal along for very long, the plan to rent the surrey bike had to be given up. The kid was Not Happy and we all had to hear about it for a while.
From the Boardwalk we took the bus to Downtown Disney. There we did a little last minute shopping and we got the Birthday Girl a present of a photo album. (Most of her presents were waiting for her at home.) It was a beautiful day, just the right temperature, the sun was shining, etc. I was not surprised to hear from the bus driver that both Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom had closed to outside guests before noon.
Returning to the Resort, we made sure everything in our luggage was in order and phoned the airline to make sure our plane was on time. My mother and my brother (each leaving by a different plane) did the same. They were leaving much later than we were, so they decided not to go to the airport with us but to take a taxi. At around 10 minutes before 3 pm, we called for a bell hop. At 10 minutes after 3, when the bell hop hadn't arrived, we called to ask if one was on the way. None had been sent, so we decided to take our own luggage down. (You may notice that the bell hops were the thing I was least happy with at the S/D.) It was a bit complicated but perfectly possible since all the bigger suitcases had wheels.
Our Tiffany driver was waiting for us, so after saying goodbye to my mom and brother--who were going to have a late lunch and explore the resort a little for another two or three hours before leaving--we headed for the airport. We were sorry the vacation was over, but we were also ready to go. The kids were thinking eagerly of their friends and the presents they still had left to open at home (all the "big" boxes stayed home), and my husband and I were thinking of all the things we want to get down around the house before our Christmas vacation ends. At this point my cold seemed to be almost well, so I was looking forward to a quick trip home, a brief birthday celebration for our daughter, and getting back to our regular routine the following day.
We weren't reckoning with the Evil Airline Gods who decreed that our flight was cancelled (yes, the very same flight we had been assured was going to leave on time an hour before we left for the airport) and we had to be rerouted.
It could have been worse--instead of having to spend the night at the airport, we did get home before 10 PM (a mere five hours later than planned) but our daughter didn't get our small birthday celebration and somehow the whole thing made my cold get much worse. It was a miserable experience. After standing in a long line to be rescheduled on an alternate flight, we were sent first to one gate and then, after we'd beeen waiting there for a while, they switched us to another gate. Eventually we were assigned seats on a crowded overbooked airplane where we had to wait for them to deal with all the passengers who didn't get seats.
When we finally got home, we found that the airline had phoned our house to let us know that our airplane (which was leaving Orlando to bring us home) had been delayed. (Yes, they did know which hotel we were staying at in Orlando.) That was a good joke.
CONCLUSION: On the whole, the experience of Christmas at Disney was a positive one. We got to experience Disney things we'd never seen or done before (such as firework cruises, Cirque du Soleil and Osborne Lights) , we got to be with our family, and the resort was really beautiful. The experience was not perfect, however. Nothing ever is. We got worn out, the kids were homesick for their friends, my brother and my husband and I were a bit preoccupied about the work waiting for us at home even though we were on vacation, I got sick and it was too cold too swim. I think my mom really overextended herself. Towards the end she was looking worn out, and I believe that she would have been better off with a quiet Christmas at home. (If we had not been staying at the Dolphin, with its excellent location and convenient services, it would have been worse.) I am not sure I want to tackle Christmas at Disney World again in the near future, even though we had a great time. However, as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it was worth the hassles (and my cold). The highlights were our stay at the Dolphin, the surprisingly good meal at Akershus, and the Cirque du Soleil show.
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The CORAL CAFE BREAKFAST BUFFET did not disappoint us. The non-stop orange juice was a pleasant surprise as were the cute Mickey waffles. When we got there, the hash browns were all gone, but they brought out a fresh pan before I went back for seconds and they were lovely. The service was excellent--our coffee cups and juice glasses were never empty and the fruit was fresh and tasty. The syrup for the pancakes and waffles was 55% maple and served warm in cute little bottles with the S/D logo. They also had bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, pancakes, bagels, donuts, pastry, cold cereal and lots of fresh fruit as well as made-to-order omelettes.
After breakfast we went back to our rooms to finish packing. My mom and my brother checked out at 11 and brought their stuff to our room. I had been feeling much better from my cold, so we went out for a walk on the Boardwalk (which I had been meaning to do through our whole stay but hadn't had the energy for). My son wanted to rent a surrey bike and we were willing to rent one for him and his sister but then it turned out that one of the drivers has to be at least 18 and neither of them qualifies. (They did suggest that if we added up their ages they would be 26 together, which is true, but not what the authorities had in mind, I'm sure.) Since none of the evil adults with him was willing to pedal along for very long, the plan to rent the surrey bike had to be given up. The kid was Not Happy and we all had to hear about it for a while.
From the Boardwalk we took the bus to Downtown Disney. There we did a little last minute shopping and we got the Birthday Girl a present of a photo album. (Most of her presents were waiting for her at home.) It was a beautiful day, just the right temperature, the sun was shining, etc.
I was not surprised to hear from the bus driver that both Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom had closed to outside guests before noon.Returning to the Resort, we made sure everything in our luggage was in order and phoned the airline to make sure our plane was on time. My mother and my brother (each leaving by a different plane) did the same. They were leaving much later than we were, so they decided not to go to the airport with us but to take a taxi. At around 10 minutes before 3 pm, we called for a bell hop. At 10 minutes after 3, when the bell hop hadn't arrived, we called to ask if one was on the way. None had been sent, so we decided to take our own luggage down. (You may notice that the bell hops were the thing I was least happy with at the S/D.) It was a bit complicated but perfectly possible since all the bigger suitcases had wheels.
Our Tiffany driver was waiting for us, so after saying goodbye to my mom and brother--who were going to have a late lunch and explore the resort a little for another two or three hours before leaving--we headed for the airport. We were sorry the vacation was over, but we were also ready to go. The kids were thinking eagerly of their friends and the presents they still had left to open at home (all the "big" boxes stayed home), and my husband and I were thinking of all the things we want to get down around the house before our Christmas vacation ends. At this point my cold seemed to be almost well, so I was looking forward to a quick trip home, a brief birthday celebration for our daughter, and getting back to our regular routine the following day.
We weren't reckoning with the Evil Airline Gods who decreed that our flight was cancelled (yes, the very same flight we had been assured was going to leave on time an hour before we left for the airport) and we had to be rerouted.
It could have been worse--instead of having to spend the night at the airport, we did get home before 10 PM (a mere five hours later than planned) but our daughter didn't get our small birthday celebration and somehow the whole thing made my cold get much worse. It was a miserable experience.
After standing in a long line to be rescheduled on an alternate flight, we were sent first to one gate and then, after we'd beeen waiting there for a while, they switched us to another gate. Eventually we were assigned seats on a crowded overbooked airplane where we had to wait for them to deal with all the passengers who didn't get seats.When we finally got home, we found that the airline had phoned our house to let us know that our airplane (which was leaving Orlando to bring us home) had been delayed. (Yes, they did know which hotel we were staying at in Orlando.) That was a good joke.
CONCLUSION: On the whole, the experience of Christmas at Disney was a positive one. We got to experience Disney things we'd never seen or done before (such as firework cruises, Cirque du Soleil and Osborne Lights) , we got to be with our family, and the resort was really beautiful. The experience was not perfect, however. Nothing ever is. We got worn out, the kids were homesick for their friends, my brother and my husband and I were a bit preoccupied about the work waiting for us at home even though we were on vacation, I got sick and it was too cold too swim. I think my mom really overextended herself. Towards the end she was looking worn out, and I believe that she would have been better off with a quiet Christmas at home. (If we had not been staying at the Dolphin, with its excellent location and convenient services, it would have been worse.) I am not sure I want to tackle Christmas at Disney World again in the near future, even though we had a great time. However, as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it was worth the hassles (and my cold). The highlights were our stay at the Dolphin, the surprisingly good meal at Akershus, and the Cirque du Soleil show.
Back toOverview
But it gave her pleasure to write them, which was the important part.
