Day 11 - Part 2 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

[CJK]

The Cast:

Goofy Gal (me) - Obsessive Disney Planner
Goofy Guy (my husband) - Tolerant of the Obsessive Disney Planner
Dapper Dad (my dad) - A fellow Disney lover!
Fanlover (my mom) - Fan of Disney, not fan of the heat
ToT Sis (my sister ) - Likes Disney, but Tower of Terror? Not so much...
Cocoa Bil (my bro-in-law) Likes Disney, especially their hot chocolate
Splashboy (my nephew) age 6 Never been to Disney, excited and nervous to try the big rides
Boomer (my nephew) age 4 Never been to Disney, age 4 going on 14

Dining Report
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=901786
Introductory Report
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=903652
Day 1 Peter Pan PLEASE teach me to fly!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=904193
Day 2 - Part 1 Prison or Disney?
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=904890
Day 2 - Part 2 The broom kissed the balloon
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=905052
Day 2 - Part 3 Conquering the Magic Kingdom
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=905863
Day 2 - Part 4 Splash Mountain vs. The Boy
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=906053
Day 3 - Part 1 Tower of Terror: Enter With Caution
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=907362
Day 3 - Part 2 Sittin' on Stranger's laps
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=908266
Day 3 - Part 3 Thank goodness for Dinosaurs!!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=908703
Day 4 - Part 1 Beware: Crush 'n' Gusher has a 48-inch height restriction
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=910433
Day 4 - Part 2 My Heroes: The Lifeguards
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=910561
Day 4 - Part 3 Move Over Tom Hanks - There's a New Man in Town!!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=911269
Day 5 - Part 1 Newsflash: Disney Waterslides Reveal Hidden Talents
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=912197
Day 5 - Part 2 Ghiradelli Sundaes and 4yr old Boys
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=913168
Day 5 - Part 3 Who Says Disney Isn't For Adults?!?
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=913984
Day 6 - Part 1 Becoming Famous in the Magic Kingdom!!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=914878
Day 6 - Part 2 Ballet Dancing Never Looked So Good!!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=915472
Day 7 - Part 1 Gorillas & Giraffes & Rhinos - Oh My!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=916191
Day 7 - Part 2 Flyin' to Mars, Soarin' Over California - All in a Day's Work
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=917232
Day 7 - Part 3 & Day 8 - Part 1 Anything But the Dreaded Good-bye!!!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=921037
Day 8 - Part 2 Forget Alligators: Frogs Can be VERY Dangerous!!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=921731
Day 9 - Part 1 Raspberries Are Best Eaten One Seed at a Time
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=922438
Day 9 - Part 2 Combining Wine & Space Mountain May Be Hazardous For Your Health http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=926314
Day 10 - Part 1 Relaxation & Disney - Isn't that an Oxymoron?
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=927187
Day 10 – Part 2 The Luau and the Dangerous Bus
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=927588
Day 11 - Part 1 Rain Makes You Wet and Other Fascinating Discoveries!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=928098

Day 11 - Part 2 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

Our plan was to go for a swim this afternoon. However, the rain didn’t look like it was going to cooperate anytime soon. We had arranged for the Magical Express bus to pick us up around 10pm tonight. From the airport, we would take an airport shuttle back to the La Quinta Airport West. We weren’t flying out until tomorrow morning. However, Goofy Guy suggested we get the Magical Express to pick us up earlier.

Thud

I hit the floor pretty fast. He quickly explained his logic for fear I’d faint again. We couldn’t go swimming like we had originally planned, and he was just too tired to go back to a theme park. If we arrived at the La Quinta in good time tonight, we could relax a bit and not be overtired for our early flight tomorrow.

I couldn’t deny his logic. I hated him for that.

With a heavy heart, I watched him as he rescheduled our Magical Express pick-up for 7pm instead of 10pm. I was a broken woman.

I wanted to make the most of the time we had left, so what’s a girl to do? Shop! I noticed a charm bracelet with all the major Disney characters. I remembered from a year ago, that a friend of mine had asked me to bring a charm bracelet home for her daughter the next time we were in Disney. I never found such a bracelet until today. We decided to buy it.

The bracelet looked lonely, so I bought one for myself too.

The sacrifices I make really are endless. Just as we were about to pay, a man and his son asked the cast member at the cash register if they could see her pins. I must confess to all you pin trading experts, that I know absolutely nothing about the subject. I couldn’t tell the difference between these trading pins and a bowling pin. I was fascinated with this father & son team and how they intently examined the CM’s lanyard. They must have noticed a particularly special pin because they pleaded with the CM to trade with them. It didn’t look like the CM was budging. She didn’t want to part with this particular pin.

The man wasn’t easily defeated and pulled out the big guns. He asked the CM if she liked pizza. With a quizzical look on her face, she replied with a cautious “yes”. The man then explained that he owns a Gourmet Pizza Shop in New York and he was willing to mail her a frozen pizza as soon as he gets home if she would only trade with him today. He promised that his pizza was the best ever and she wouldn’t regret it. She just may want to move to New York to be closer to the pizza.

The CM looked over at me, as if to ask if this guy was for real, but I was just as bewildered as she. I was also trying to figure out how to get in on this pizza deal.

She really took her time making her decision. I didn’t know if it was against the rules to accept bribes or not. We paid for our bracelets while she was making her decision. I’ve often wondered what ended up happening. I wish we had stayed to see the situation resolved, but we suddenly had a hankering for some pizza.

We grabbed a pizza in the food court. After eating it, I wished we had gotten in on the gourmet pizza deal in New York instead. We didn’t care for this pizza at all. The dessert made up for it yet again however. The serving sizes were a little smaller today, which suited us just fine. I didn’t think my shorts would stretch anymore anyway.

Just before finishing our dinner, a pleasant Cast Member came over to our table to say hello and wish us a great vacation. We sadly explained that we were heading home shortly, but it had been a trip of a lifetime. She chatted good-naturedly for a while and said she looks forward to seeing us again soon.

I wished I could see her again tomorrow.

We had a few more minutes to spare, so we decided to spend the rest of our snack credits. We stocked up on Mickey Ears for Fanlover and Crackerjacks for Dapper Dad (and maybe a Rice Crispy treat or two for me) . Goofy Guy noticed the red Mickey Mouse straws and decided to buy some for the boys. The straws that we had gotten for the boys last week had melted in the hot car. We were excited to have one more Disney surprise to share with the boys. I was determined not to let the trip end completely – not yet.

Our last stop was the arcade. I didn’t even know there was an arcade! Goofy Guy’s eye was drawn to a boxing game where you put on actual gloves and pretend to punch the guy on the screen. He just had to play. While he played, three teenage boys came over to watch and were absolutely mesmerized. I wasn’t impressed. Does anyone else see anything wrong with punching someone’s lights out while in Walt Disney World?

What would Snow White say?

At any rate, the time had come to pick up our luggage and catch our Magical Express bus. I was hoping the bus driver would forget about us, but there he was, right on time. Why did he have to pick today to be so prompt? I turned around and looked one last time at the lobby and with a tear in my eye, we boarded the bus. Umm, there was no one else here. This is strange. Maybe this bus wasn’t really taking us to the airport. Maybe the driver was actually surprising us with an extra vacation and was taking us over to the Polynesian. We asked the driver if he was making any other stops to pick other people up, and he said “no – next stop is the airport”. Drat! We were the only people aboard for this trip. I felt slightly guilty being the only two people on this big beautiful bus, but I quickly got over it.

Ice Age was playing on the TV, which is one of the only Disney movies I’ve only seen once. I actually wished the drive to the airport was a bit longer because a funny part was coming up next. The only thing that could have made the shuttle service better, was if we were headed in the other direction.

We arrived at the airport without incident and proceeded to phone the La Quinta to request a shuttle pick-up. I was definitely sad to have left Disney, but I did manage to find some solace in watching OTHER people actually catch their flights home while we were leaving for our hotel…never mind that we were flying home tomorrow.

See how my crazy mind works?

The shuttle arrived within minutes and the driver proceeded to tell us her life story as we drove to the hotel. It was exciting to meet yet another person who rivals myself in the Drama Queen department. We should teach a class together. Upon our return to Canada, the taxi driver who drove us home did much the same thing. I hope our driver conquered his fear of flying and decided to take his girlfriend to Hawaii as she had always dreamed.

See, I told you we had gotten close.

Are we Drama Queen magnets? Our flight home was a good one – I think. I must admit that my mind was still in Florida. Our flight could have been full of skunks and I wouldn’t have noticed. Before I knew it, we were home. The post-Disney blues were ready to set in, but thankfully, I had a diversion planned. Let the trip report writing begin!

Random Thoughts:

It was a trip of a lifetime. Together we learned that our family may be slightly crazy, but in a fun sort of way. All of our worries and concerns were unwarranted and since we’re a family of Drama Queens, we had plenty of worries to go around.

I learned that our family members had been hiding some of their hidden talents from each other:

1) ToT sis revealed to us her acrobatic ability by defying physics and opening her mouth wider than the actual size of her head. She then outdid herself by showing off her impressive tongue. It suddenly makes sense that we’re related.

2) Cocoa bil’s mild manner is all a façade. Inside him, there’s an actor just dying to run wild and now we have the pictures to prove it. It only took the Hoop Dee Doo to bring that out, and there’s no turning back now. If only Hee Haw was still in production.

3) Dapper Dad showed us that quartets are better with 5 people. Who else can sing a song with the Dapper Dans that they had never heard before and come out on top? Look for him this winter in the Magic Kingdom. He’ll be the one with the tuba.

4) Fanlover revealed to us her mastermind. I dare say no one else could come up with the idea to create an air-conditioned segway. Her cheque is in the mail. Until that time, she receives the award for most consecutive hours using the misty fan without drowning.

5) Splashboy dazzled us with how he conquered his fears. With Crush ‘N Gusher, Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain under his belt – Mount Everest is the logical next step. He also became the Hidden Mickey King, putting his poor aunt to shame.

6) Boomer amazed us with his determination. Nothing was going to get in the way of him riding Thunder Mountain and watching fast motorcycles. Sorry ToT sis, but you may have a stunt driver for a son in your future. Just ask the stranger who sat behind him at the Stunt Show.

7) Goofy Guy reinforced to me his everlasting patience. We think he should have been an Olympic sprinter considering the number of times he collected fast passes for our crew. He also rivals Cocoa bil in his ability to eat 100 ribs per sitting.

8) Goofy Gal, me, proved that it is possible to use 6 boxes of Kleenex in 10 days without even having a cold.

Tips/Suggestions

1) The free dining plan was a dream. What a treat it was to be able to eat at any restaurant without the worry of overspending. Our only worry was overeating. We highly recommend you make some Advanced Dining Reservations (ADR’s) prior to your trip. No need to plan all your meals (so you can be more flexible), but by booking your must-do restaurants, you don’t need to worry about being turned away. Would we use the dining plan if it hadn’t been free? Honestly, we’re not sure. We never, ever eat that much food so it would be hard to break even. I can see how it would be beneficial for some people however.

2) Sunscreen is your friend.

3) Bodyglide, bodyglide, bodyglide!! Did I mention bodyglide? My feet have never felt so good in all my trips to Disney. Combine the bodyglide with my teva sandals, and my feet were deliriously happy. I’ll never go to Disney without both items again.

4) We really enjoyed the All Star Movies Resort. Although each of us has a preference for other hotels, we all agreed that the All Star Movies Resort, particularly the Toy Story section, was perfect for the boys. We wouldn’t have changed a thing.

5) We all really appreciated having a rough itinerary prior to the trip. ToT sis mentioned that she liked not having to sit around each night discussing what to do the next day. It saved on time. We didn’t stick to the itinerary completely, but it was a great guide.

6) If given the chance to do it again, I think we’d prefer not to go in late August. It was quite hot and humid, even for us Disney fanatics.

7) In a word: FAST PASS! We never waited in a line for more than 20 minutes thanks to planning our day wisely and utilizing fast pass.

Since coming home, ToT sis and Cocoa bil had the family over for dinner in order to thank us for all of our trip planning and financial support (Goofy Guy and I did the planning and Dapper Dad and Fanlover provided the financial support). Like it could be the reverse! They made us a fabulous dinner and Splashboy made nametags for each person. He even cut out a Disney picture for each nametag that was relevant to that particular person. For some reason ToT sis’ nametag sported a picture of Tower of Terror.

The night ended with a slideshow of all of our pictures put together. Our goal was for the boys to remember the trip with fond memories. It appeared that we had met our goal. Both boys’ eyes were dancing as they recalled funny stories or incidents. We all agreed that our trip could not have been better. The Disney magic is alive and thriving.

Ever since our return home, I’ve constantly joked about wanting to go back right away or make this an annual event. It would be fun to all go back together; but I’m realistic to know that we’d never recapture all the “firsts” and the wide-eyed looks of the boys. We’ll always have these firsts in our memories, our pictures and of course my ridiculously longwinded trip report. Of course, I’m always willing to give it a try however.

Thanks so much for sticking with me through this month long journey. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have. You may now return to your regularly scheduled lives.

It’s amazing to me that this whole Family Magical Gathering began with a single phone call to Disney, 2yrs ago when we booked the Hoop Dee Doo.

If y’all excuse me, I’ve got a phone call to make.

 

[mjslvswdw1]

:thewave: Bravo! :thewave:
Wish the wave looked like a standing ovation(sp)! Your trip was fabulous, I'm printing yours and Delswife's first TR to take with me on the plane in 22 days! Thank you for taking the time to write such an awesome report!

Melissa

 

[Bee]

I so enjoyed your reports. Very sorry that this is the end. We will be taking our DD9 and DD10 on 10-22 and then Wonder Cruising on 10-27.

We are so looking forward to our first real vacation!

Can't wait..

Oh.. I believe your reports rank right up their with Delswife and Zurg!!

Congrats.

Now it's time to say goodbye to all your company. M-I-C see you real soon (I hope)!
K-E-Y why because we LOVE you! your reports were awesome.

M-O-U-S-E!!!

 

[tiki23]

Please pass the kleenex! Sniff; I'm so sad your trip report is over...but what a long, wonderful trip it's been!

Thanks so much for sharing your family and adventures with us.

 

[5kwallace]

Thank you for the trip reports. They were very entertaining. I'm glad that your family had a great time. :thewave:

 

[JawsCPA]

This was a great trip report. I'm glad you had a good time with your family. Sounds like planning was the key!! Hope you get back to WDW soon!!! Here's 3 cheers for your reports:

 

[eleanor]

Thank you, thank you. It was almost like being there. I am sorry that the reports are over. Hope that you get to go real soon . we hope to go in Mar. and do our first cruise. Bye

 

[Nanajo1]

Thanks for a great report. I enjoyed reading it.

 

[liquid]

Oh, I've enjoyed your trip report immensely! I thought of you and your sister last week when I was waiting for my crew at the Tower of Terror and your Dad floated across my mind when we walked past the Dapper Dans on Main Street.

 

[Credit Man]

WOW! What a trip. Thanks for your "magical" report!

 

[dazzled]

Please, quick someone get me some tissues/toilet paper. I can't believe its really over. Oh no now what will I do with my time. I have nothing to look forward to everyday.

Goofy Gal I really enjoyed your trip report. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me want to be in WDW right now. Thank you. You have a true knack for storytelling. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Cinerama]

Wonderful report---I'm so sad that it's over! Any photos to post? It sounded like you had some great shots. Thanks so much!!

 

[BCKatie02]

Awesome reports! I loved journeying through the World with you and your family. Thanks for sharing the trip with us!

:thewave:

 

[VanniGirl]

What a wonderful trip - thanks so much for sharing!!

 

[StillaCubsfan1964]

Reading your report made me feel like part of the family and that I was there with you. I'm so sad that it's the end.

I'm leaving for WDW in two weeks and I am going to try to write down every wonderful detail like you did. You're an inspiration!

 

[Kanga1]

I just have 3 little words for your trip report CJK...

I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!

Like a bestseller I couldn't put down!!!!! I felt like I was there!!!

THANK YOU!

 

[Deluzy]

What a terrific report!! I couldn't wait to get online each day so that I could check out your next edition!!

SO glad that you and your family had such a wonderful time! I am hoping that when we go with our family in Jan, we will have as much fun and magical memories as you all had!

 

[momupnorth]

Okay now what am I going to do for the next four and half months - I have been keeping my self from going crazy waiting for my family holiday by sharing yours- I will really miss this daily dose of disney holiday.

You did such an awesome job!! Thank you so much for letting us all tag along. I hope you get to go back soon .

 

[Ellester]

BRAVO! Loved, loved, loved your trip report. My girls are 7 and 4 and I could imagine all the fun through your nephews' eyes. Makes me want to call for the Hoop-Dee-Doo right now! Thanks for many smiles.....

 

[SnowWhite]

I had a tear in my eye for you knowing it was the end of your trip! I have really enjoyed your whole report, it sounds like you had a magical trip, hope ours is as great as I have planned for it to be!!! Thanks for sharing.