Day 7 - Part 3 & Day 8 - Part 1 Anything But the Dreaded Good-bye!!

[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 and Day 8 - Part 1 Anything But the Dreaded Good-bye!!!

After our religious experience known as Soarin’, Fanlover was ready to call it a day. She went back to the hotel on the bus though I’m quite certain she’d rather have soared over the Napa Valley. The rest of us wanted to wait around another hour until Illuminations began. I was surprised Fanlover didn’t want to stay for the last hour to enjoy Epcot and of course Illuminations, but I wasn’t about to cause a stir. I must have been pretty happy because keeping my mouth quiet is quite a rarity!

We wandered around World Showcase and made it to the tail end of British Invasion. Dapper dad didn’t realize this back theatre even existed. Oh how I love showing new things to my family! I’m not just another pretty face.

…I heard that.

Everyone enjoyed the songs and the ambience. Strangely enough, I didn’t recognize the song that was playing when we first arrived. I was pretty sure that I knew virtually ever Beatles song ever written so I was more then surprised. No doubt I’d know the next song.

I didn’t.

I guess I’m not much of a Beatles fan after all.

However ToT sis seemed a little distracted. Was she sad that our trip was drawing to a close too? No, she was distracted because she knew that the France pavilion was nearby. Inside the French pavilion, lay the infamous French pastries.

Her nose always knows.

Now it was her turn to be a woman on a mission. She and Cocoa bil went inside to drool while the rest of us enjoyed the sights and smells outside the pavilion. The boys were now wearing the glow-in-the-dark necklaces from the night before. I couldn’t believe our dollar store gift had been such a success! Maybe I should do all my Christmas shopping at the dollar store too. No glow-in-the-dark necklace or toy car was too good for my family.

Just then, ToT sis came over to us with quite a story to tell. Apparently when it was her turn to order her dessert, her beloved napoleon, she noticed that the napoleons were ALL GONE! The horror! Didn’t they know that ToT sis was leaving tomorrow?

It was going to get ugly.

But wait. It turned out that they DID know she was leaving tomorrow! They brought out a fresh tray of napoleon. ToT sis was smiling ear to ear. No children were hurt during our visit to the French pavilion. Cocoa bil bought a pastry for him too. I’m sure he bought his treat if for no other reason, to prevent ToT sis from having to eat alone.

Plus, I hear French pastries go well with hot chocolate.

The question was whether they could wait until tomorrow morning to eat their treats. I never did find out when they ate their pastries. My money is on that night at the hotel after the kids went to sleep. I’m sure they waited once the kids went to sleep so as to prevent from having to share.

Dapper dad reminisced by telling us that the last time he had been in Epcot with his two daughters; it was him who paid for all of our many treats. I think he was happy to pass this particular torch onto Cocoa bil and Goofy guy!

We continued our walk around World Showcase all the while discussing the events of our family trip and the possibility of future trips. I’m ashamed to admit that Goofy guy and I have never been to Europe. The real Europe that is! ToT sis and Cocoa bil have been many times and absolutely loved it. They were inspired by World Showcase and started encouraging us to take the plunge and go to Europe whenever our wallets allow. I would absolutely love to go.

I hope Goofy guy was taking notes!

I’m all for broadening my horizons (each year, we try to do a Disney trip and a trip somewhere new – last year we had a disastrous trip to Puerto Plata…but I digress!), but by going to Europe, we would have to forgo a trip to Disney or two in the next couple years. A tough decision to be sure – but I think it’s a worthwhile sacrifice. I think…

Maybe I should ask for donations to that trip instead of another Disney trip.

We continued walking until we arrived in Mexico. We quickly ducked inside but didn’t have time to go on the ride without missing the beginning of Illuminations. What a tease! It was still fun to check out the pavilion and of course the pyramid. Goofy guy and I briefly reminisced about our trip to the Mayan Riviera. Cocoa bil and ToT sis are the world traveller’s of the family, but at least Goofy guy and I can say we’ve been to Mexico. Cocoa bil and ToT sis can only say they’ve been to England, and France, and Italy and Spain and…

I’m so depressed.

We found a good viewing spot just outside of Mexico for Illuminations. I just love the music. It always brings a tear to my eye…yadda yadda…I know; I’ve become a broken record! We all enjoyed the show, but the boys were understandably tired. It was time to go.

We slowly made our way out of Epcot, soaking it all in. We showed the boys the sparkling lights in the pavement, but the cool effect was lost on them. We had two very tired boys on our hands. I saw many kids their age in strollers during the trip yet our boys walked the entire time without complaint. That’s pretty darn amazing if you ask me. Had there been a stroller large enough for me, I may have rented one.

Fanlover greeted us when we returned to the hotel. The boys were basically sleepwalking as they walked into their room. They deserved a good night sleep. Fanlover offered to baby-sit the boys while the rest of us took one last dip in the pool together. Fanlover had already gone swimming while we were at Epcot, so we didn’t feel too guilty.

This time.

We quickly changed into our bathing suits and started walking down the hall towards the pool. ToT sis and I were commenting to each other how happy we were and how our trip was practically perfect.

I wish we had bitten our tongues.

Just then, a woman with her 10yr old boy came walking down the hall towards us. When they arrived at their room, she shoved the boy VERY hard into the room and slammed the door. For a brief second, I actually thought it was a joke. Here we were in the happiest place on earth; surely no one would act that way towards their child.

I was wrong.

Before heading to the pool, we walked closer to this woman’s room and heard her screaming obscenities at her son. We heard words that cannot be written here on the DIS.

In fact, they shouldn’t be uttered anywhere.

We were dumbfounded. That poor boy. We didn’t know what to do. But then Cocoa bil sprang into action and fortunately found a security guard just around the corner. The security guard stood with us outside the room for a couple minutes and then phoned for back up. She was going to go into the room, but felt that under the circumstances, she shouldn’t go alone. While she waited for reinforcements, she asked us to leave and go about our day.

We stood around for a little longer until the others arrived, and then we decided to leave for the pool. We were all pretty upset by what we had witnessed, but realized we had done what we could. It was in security’s hands now. Fanlover was sitting outside the boys’ room just a few doors down, so she was still able to hear/see what was happening.

It was hard to see people behave that way, right after our family trip of a lifetime. That old familiar feeling of guilt crept in. We discussed the situation for a little while longer until we made the group decision to let it go. We wanted to enjoy our last evening together.

The pool temperature was perfect again tonight. We sat there reminiscing about the last few days. We were all looking forward to getting together at home for a Disney recap dinner and slide show. I was willing to draw out the fun for as loooong as possible. I don’t think any of us wanted the night to end. We swam for about a half hour until we all had to face the facts that we were exhausted. If we didn’t get to bed soon, drowning would become a real possibility. Cocoa bil went for a final hot chocolate run while I realized what his stocking stuffer was going to be this Christmas. By then he’d likely be on a serious Disney hot chocolate withdrawal.

Back at our rooms, Fanlover told us that four people went inside the hotel room with the woman and son. They were in there for a few minutes and then came back out and continued talking for another few minutes. It had gotten dark by then, so Fanlover couldn’t see who left or stayed. At least there was no more yelling. We all prayed that the boy would be okay.

Sleep came quickly that night because before I knew it, it was the next day and we were woken by a little knock at the door. Maybe it was Mickey Mouse coming to tell us that our trip wasn’t really drawing to a close. Maybe he was coming to tell us we were all paid up for another week. You know what they say, “When you wish upon a star your dreams come true”….

I was testing that theory.

It turned out that it was Boomer and Splashboy. Wonderful! It wasn’t Mickey, but still equally as good. The boys were giving us their leftover bread since they were leaving today.

Bad – now I wanted Mickey back.

Still, I had to admit that it was nice of them to leave us the bread since we were here for 3 more days. After getting ready to start the day, Dapper dad drove Goofy guy to the Dolphin hotel to pick up our rental car. This was the only day of the trip where we needed our own car since we were driving out to Cocoa Beach to visit friends. I hoped everything would go smoothly picking up the car. We have always rented our cars at MCO so this was yet another new experience for us. However, while this was a new experience, I was still willing to let Goofy guy enjoy this one alone.

I went back to bed.

I woke up a few minutes later and phoned my friend in Cocoa Beach to make plans for today. I was looking forward to seeing our friends, but dreading saying good-bye to my sister and family. At least Dapper dad and Fanlover were staying for one more day. I was desperately trying to hold onto that thought in order to prevent the tears from welling up in my eyes. But just in case, I stacked my pockets with Kleenex. I wasn’t taking any chances.

Dapper dad and Goofy guy made it back to our hotel in good time. Goofy guy managed to get us a blue cavalier. It was no convertible, but it served our purposes well. I could always stick my head out of the window in order to feel the wind in my hair anyway. I was dragging my toes and I knew it. We should have left a few minutes ago, but I was prolonging the inevitable. I think it was better that Goofy guy and I left first so that we didn’t have to stand there watching ToT sis and family pull away in their van.

I’m pretty sure I would have chased after them screaming and crying like a mad woman.

We knocked on ToT sis’ door and sadly announced that we had to leave now. The boys ran out and gave us each great big hugs. I started to pull away as I normally do when hugging someone, but Splashboy didn’t want to let go just yet.

Kleenex…where’s my Kleenex…

I knew EXACTLY how Splashboy was feeling. God Bless him for not crying though. If he had started, there would have been no hope for me. There wasn’t any hope for me regardless. I gave Cocoa bil and ToT sis a big hug each all the while commenting on how much it meant to me having us all together. We all uttered a few more things to each other, but to be honest, I forget the actual words. I do, however, remember the feeling. We all had the trip of a lifetime. No amount of little temper tantrums, hot weather, wet carpet or other minor nuisances could diminish all the amazing adventures we had. How many other families discover in Disney that they have celebrities in their midst? How many other people have discovered that their sister has the remarkable ability of opening up her mouth wider than the size of her head?

That reminds me, I must call Guinness World of Records.

As we stood there hugging each other, we all realized just how lucky we were. Goofy guy dragged me out to the car and we honked to everyone as we drove by – Kleenex in hand. Dapper Dad and Fanlover were planning on having a relaxing day before meeting up with us again tonight. ToT sis and family were planning on having lunch at the hotel, and then begin their long drive home. ToT sis was hoping to find a Nike outlet mall on the way home in order to replace the sandals that had been stolen, ahem, misplaced at Typhoon Lagoon. I hope she found some.

With conflicting emotions, we got onto the highway and headed out towards the beach. What a trip we just had! Elton John may say that Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word, but for me, the hardest word is saying good-bye.

 

[AlaskaMOM]

I just loved reading your trip reports! I'm just sorry that it's over.....

 

[MOMOFMNM]

awwwww....how awesome!!

really got me ready for my trip!!

I pray(and think they will be) as good of sports as the boys were!!


"now its time to say goodbye..."

I am shocked you did not have this in your report...
"to all our family..."


LOL

 

[VanniGirl]

What a wonderful trip - thanks for sharing!

 

[Valentine]

Oh.. say it isn't so.. you ARE going to tell us about your last 3 days too aren't you??? PLEASE

Kathy

 

[sheridee32]

your vacation must have been wonderful. i agree with you that the daper dans are great. my daughter works on main street and is friends with the guys when we were there in june they knew i was celebrating my b-day so i got called out on two different days. i hope yoyr nephews had a blast we are taking our grandaughters to see there aunt and her employer the mouse in june of 06 and i have one that is a dare devil and wants to ride everything and the sad thing is she isnt tall enough either and the one that is tall enough is a scardy cat. start planning your next trip.

 

[ead79]

I really enjoyed your report—thanks for taking the time to write it! Your nephews sound positively adorable, and I think I know who their absolute favorite aunt is.

 

[Credit Man]

Thanks for the great report!

 

[dazzled]

I so enjoyed ready all of your trip report. Sounds like you had a great family vacation. I hope that one day my family, sisters family and mom and dad can make that magical trip to the World!

Would love to hear about your last three days.

 

[CJK]

Thanks everyone!! I'm glad people enjoy my ramblings

I think I will continue writing the report for the next 3 days. I can't promise it will be as interesting however!!! What am I going to do without ToT sis and family????

 

[tiki23]

Awww...so sad to see your trip come to an end. I want to hear about the last three days, too!

Thanks so much for sharing.

 

[babytrees]

Oh Yippeee!!! More reports

I will tell you I had the kleenex out while reading this because I didn't want it to be the last report!

Treasure your family!!

 

[Duck-Ga]

Made cry, you know what is being at work with tears in my eyes? You should be a writer. No offense but other reports are not that elocuent as yours, you really put my imagination at work, and i trasnported my self into your adventure.

Thank you for sharing, and waiting for those 3 remainig days

 

[LeslieM]

Sitting here with empty kleenex box, envying your wonderful family trip. As all have said, can't wait for more of your eloquent, funny reports. Wait! I'm late to this report so I can just read on - yay!

 

[Minniespal]

Enjoyed reading your report ~ Thanx for posting.