Everything's Going to be Different This Time 8/20-8/25 (w/pix)
- Thread starter solgent
- Start date
Thanks Belle's Mom, shyjade, blueriver, ttmom, arizonacolbys for reading my story!
18. How many packets of ketchup does WDW distribute in a year?
The parade....it was good. Pretty. I guess I'm just not a big parade lover.
However, I am a fireworks lover. When the parade was over, we moved camp to a good vantage point for Wishes. We hadn't seen it before. Wow, what a show. It's so different from other fireworks displays. All the others are basically one thing after another. This is designed and choreographed. Next time I'll have to plan a couple of evenings in the MK in order to see it more than once.
So, it was the end of another glorious day. We made our way out and found a short line at the bus stop. A bus pulled up within five minutes. As soon as we got out of the bus depot area, the driver began regaling us with trivia. DD11b urged me to write it down, so I pulled out my Palm Pilot to take notes. Therefore I can tell you that
* WDW spends $50,000 on fireworks each night.
* On average, 40,000 people visit the MK each day.
* WDW has planted 300,000 flowering bushes this year.
* WDW has planted 5 million trees since opening.
* There are 57,000 cast members.
* There are more than 250 buses in the fleet.
* There are 1000 bus drivers on staff.
* The cost of biodiesel fuel is $76,000 per day.
* A brand new bus costs $230,000.
* We were not riding on a brand new bus.
and
*WDW distributes 30,000,000 ketchup packets each year.
DH had spent another relaxing day at the pool and the fitness center. The girls and I crawled into bed and fell asleep with visions of flamingoes, elephants, fairies, teacups, rainbows, race cars, Mickey bars and ketchup packets dancing our heads.
In my next post, I will answer
19. What did I hear as I was trying to take a nap?
18. How many packets of ketchup does WDW distribute in a year?
The parade....it was good. Pretty. I guess I'm just not a big parade lover.
However, I am a fireworks lover. When the parade was over, we moved camp to a good vantage point for Wishes. We hadn't seen it before. Wow, what a show. It's so different from other fireworks displays. All the others are basically one thing after another. This is designed and choreographed. Next time I'll have to plan a couple of evenings in the MK in order to see it more than once.
So, it was the end of another glorious day. We made our way out and found a short line at the bus stop. A bus pulled up within five minutes. As soon as we got out of the bus depot area, the driver began regaling us with trivia. DD11b urged me to write it down, so I pulled out my Palm Pilot to take notes. Therefore I can tell you that
* WDW spends $50,000 on fireworks each night.
* On average, 40,000 people visit the MK each day.
* WDW has planted 300,000 flowering bushes this year.
* WDW has planted 5 million trees since opening.
* There are 57,000 cast members.
* There are more than 250 buses in the fleet.
* There are 1000 bus drivers on staff.
* The cost of biodiesel fuel is $76,000 per day.
* A brand new bus costs $230,000.
* We were not riding on a brand new bus.
and
*WDW distributes 30,000,000 ketchup packets each year.
DH had spent another relaxing day at the pool and the fitness center. The girls and I crawled into bed and fell asleep with visions of flamingoes, elephants, fairies, teacups, rainbows, race cars, Mickey bars and ketchup packets dancing our heads.
In my next post, I will answer
19. What did I hear as I was trying to take a nap?
blue_river
<font color=coral>I do believe in fairies!<br><fon
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2006
- Messages
- 8,233
Your pictures are great...they really tell the story. I'm still in pre-trip report mode (I didn't realize how long it actually takes to write one) and can't wait to start posting my own!
We enjoyed the bus trips with the trivia but I never even thought to write them down for my trip report. What a super idea...I'll have to do it next time.
I'm anxious to find out what you heard while trying to take a nap.
We enjoyed the bus trips with the trivia but I never even thought to write them down for my trip report. What a super idea...I'll have to do it next time.
I'm anxious to find out what you heard while trying to take a nap.
Here are photos of the umbrella and of American Girl doll Jess holding it, so you can see the size. If you're wondering about the dress, a friend of mine sewed it for us!
The umbrella doesn't come with anything to keep it closed. You know how on regular umbrellas there is a little strap to wrap around it and then Velcro down so it's not flapping open. We used a hair elastic to keep it neatly furled.
The umbrella doesn't come with anything to keep it closed. You know how on regular umbrellas there is a little strap to wrap around it and then Velcro down so it's not flapping open. We used a hair elastic to keep it neatly furled.
megcellent
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2006
- Messages
- 152
Great Trip Report - can't wait to read what you heard while napping!
briar*rose
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2006
- Messages
- 112
solgent, you have inspired me to write my very first trip report for my upcoming vacation!! This has been a most pleasant read.....and definetly a wonderful way to remember your trip (even the not-so-magical moments). Being someone who's been to Disney many, many times in my short life it's really fun and illuminating to read about how other people do Disney. Thank you for taking the time 
solgent said:Here are photos of the umbrella and of American Girl doll Jess holding it, so you can see the size. If you're wondering about the dress, a friend of mine sewed it for us!
The umbrella doesn't come with anything to keep it closed. You know how on regular umbrellas there is a little strap to wrap around it and then Velcro down so it's not flapping open. We used a hair elastic to keep it neatly furled.
Thanks so much for posting these...my DD8 will definately want one!
Dear megcellent, briar*rose, blue_river, thanks for your messages! I love reading trip reports from all kind of people. People with families like mine and people who are doing things very differently (couples trips, solo trips, etc.).
*********************************************************
This day was planned to be similar to our earlier day away from the parks. Except we would not leave anything and have to go back for it. I would take the girls to DTD in the morning. We'd return for lunch, then hit the pool. In the evening, instead of going out to dinner as we had on before (Boma), we were going to Cirque de Soleil.
I had heard raves about Cirque from a good friend who saw a show in Montreal. The Unofficial Guide more or less orders you to go, and the DISboards has nothing but praise. But the ticket prices! Ouch! Could a cheapskate like me really cope with that? Well, a couple of things happened to make it easier for me. First, I had bought my tickets from SW a while back, and then I noticed a post on the DISboards from someone who had just bought tickets on the same route for less. I quickly rebooked my flights and saved $330. Then, it was announced that DVC members would get a 25% discount for Category 2 seats during the time of our visit. The airfare savings would now pay for tickets for our family of five. So it's basically free, right?
I have to confess that my notes only go up to Wednesday night. I thought I would just remember the rest. And it's all coming back to me now, but if I had remembered it before I would have told the story a little differently. So here is a bonus question:
18.5) What did I discover when I went to do laundry on Weds night?
I thought I'd put a load into the washer when we got back Weds night, dry it on Thurs morning and then we'd have mostly clean clothes for the trip back. I had opened up the little closet on the first morning to see that the washer/dryer was there but hadn't been there since.
There was a leak.
Water was dripping from the ceiling and the carpet in that area was damp. I called maintenance and they were very nice. I did not want them to come right away. I wanted to go to sleep! But I felt bad, because the leak was not causing a problem for me, but it was potentially damaging the building. They said they'd come whenever I wanted. I chose 9:00 the next morning. And I did put the laundry in.
We woke up, got dressed, had breakfast, and the repairman called to let us know he was ready if we were. He assessed the situation and said he needed some parts. He also called to get another department to extract the water from the rug. DH asked him if this happens often. "Officially?" he asked. "No, of course not. Unofficially, yeah, all the time." He explained to DH that the pipes had some kind of valve or plastic part that was totally unnecessary and always breaking or falling out. I didn't really pay attention because I was getting the kids ready and, well, I appreciate plumbing, but I can't say that it fascinates me.
I did overhear him saying that the temperature controls in the room have a motion detector and if there is no motion (i.e., you have gone out), the temperature in the room goes up to 78 degrees. This technology is saving a lot of money and Disney is installing this type of sensor in other resorts. He also said that Tiger Woods likes to golf on the Disney courses.
I left with the girls before he was finished. We walked over to the Marketplace, and the time had come for the girls to make their final souvenir choices. Here's the final tally
DD11a
for self: doll umbrella
for DD11b: Scamp pin and a charm
for DD7: Stitch Tshirt (combined with DD11b)
DD11b
for self: High School Musical book and Tink earrings
for DD11a: Aristocats pin and a charm
for DD7: Stitch Tshirt (combined with DD11a)
DD7
for self: ceramic Stitch
for DDs 11a & 11b: a charm pen (has spaces so you can attach charms) and a charm each
Meanwhile, I had come to realize how much I enjoyed hearing the Disney music that plays in the Marketplace. I wanted to get a CD, and I saw "Greatest Hit" type CDs. But these were $17.99 each and of course none of the volumes had all of our favorites. I thought maybe I'd buy individual songs on iTunes and that would be my souvenir.
We returned to the room and ate lunch. I then announced to DH that he'd be taking the girls to the pool without me because I needed a nap! I hadn't slept very well the night before we'd gone to AK and MK. I was fine that day, but this was the day after and I was wiped out. They left and I happily hopped into bed ready to drift off.
19) What did I hear as I was trying to take a nap?
Rain. Pouring down rain.
Now DH is such a sweetheart I knew he wouldn't want to bring the kids back to the room because he'd want me to have peace for my nap. Also, I suppose, he knows that I get really crabby when tired, so it was in his own self-interest to protect my quiet time! But I was so tired I knew I could sleep with the kids watching TV in the other room. Also, wouldn't they get drenched just coming back from the pool? Would they just huddle there and wait? I had to intervene.
I put on my rain jacket, put their rain gear into a bag and went down to the pool. (Once again I have to say how happy I was that we were so close to it!) They were still swimming! DH said that the lifeguards expected to close the pool shortly and they didn't think it would be closed long. I left the rain gear and advised them to retreat to the Community Room if necessary. I returned to the room for a short, but very refreshing nap.
When I joined the others at the pool, DH said that they'd had fun at the Community Room. The girls had enjoyed the novelty of the game system, which we don't have at home.
We swam, we slid, we warmed up in the hot tub and cooled off in the shower. It was blissful.
Back at the room, we showered, dressed and ate a big snack or an early dinner, depending on how you look at it. This included a large sugar cookie with Mickey head sprinkles that I picked up at Artist's Palette. DH was ready and he decided to walk over to DTD so he could go at his own pace. We agreed that if we both were needed to pick up the tickets (because each DVC member can only get 4 tickets at the discounted price, we needed both of our memberships to entitle us to buy 5), he would wait for us near the box office, but if he was able to get the tickets, he would go to Virgin Megastore and we'd meet there.
In my next post, I will answer
20. What did I buy for my souvenir?
*********************************************************
This day was planned to be similar to our earlier day away from the parks. Except we would not leave anything and have to go back for it. I would take the girls to DTD in the morning. We'd return for lunch, then hit the pool. In the evening, instead of going out to dinner as we had on before (Boma), we were going to Cirque de Soleil.
I had heard raves about Cirque from a good friend who saw a show in Montreal. The Unofficial Guide more or less orders you to go, and the DISboards has nothing but praise. But the ticket prices! Ouch! Could a cheapskate like me really cope with that? Well, a couple of things happened to make it easier for me. First, I had bought my tickets from SW a while back, and then I noticed a post on the DISboards from someone who had just bought tickets on the same route for less. I quickly rebooked my flights and saved $330. Then, it was announced that DVC members would get a 25% discount for Category 2 seats during the time of our visit. The airfare savings would now pay for tickets for our family of five. So it's basically free, right?
I have to confess that my notes only go up to Wednesday night. I thought I would just remember the rest. And it's all coming back to me now, but if I had remembered it before I would have told the story a little differently. So here is a bonus question:
18.5) What did I discover when I went to do laundry on Weds night?
I thought I'd put a load into the washer when we got back Weds night, dry it on Thurs morning and then we'd have mostly clean clothes for the trip back. I had opened up the little closet on the first morning to see that the washer/dryer was there but hadn't been there since.
There was a leak.
Water was dripping from the ceiling and the carpet in that area was damp. I called maintenance and they were very nice. I did not want them to come right away. I wanted to go to sleep! But I felt bad, because the leak was not causing a problem for me, but it was potentially damaging the building. They said they'd come whenever I wanted. I chose 9:00 the next morning. And I did put the laundry in.
We woke up, got dressed, had breakfast, and the repairman called to let us know he was ready if we were. He assessed the situation and said he needed some parts. He also called to get another department to extract the water from the rug. DH asked him if this happens often. "Officially?" he asked. "No, of course not. Unofficially, yeah, all the time." He explained to DH that the pipes had some kind of valve or plastic part that was totally unnecessary and always breaking or falling out. I didn't really pay attention because I was getting the kids ready and, well, I appreciate plumbing, but I can't say that it fascinates me.
I did overhear him saying that the temperature controls in the room have a motion detector and if there is no motion (i.e., you have gone out), the temperature in the room goes up to 78 degrees. This technology is saving a lot of money and Disney is installing this type of sensor in other resorts. He also said that Tiger Woods likes to golf on the Disney courses.
I left with the girls before he was finished. We walked over to the Marketplace, and the time had come for the girls to make their final souvenir choices. Here's the final tally
DD11a
for self: doll umbrella
for DD11b: Scamp pin and a charm
for DD7: Stitch Tshirt (combined with DD11b)
DD11b
for self: High School Musical book and Tink earrings
for DD11a: Aristocats pin and a charm
for DD7: Stitch Tshirt (combined with DD11a)
DD7
for self: ceramic Stitch
for DDs 11a & 11b: a charm pen (has spaces so you can attach charms) and a charm each
Meanwhile, I had come to realize how much I enjoyed hearing the Disney music that plays in the Marketplace. I wanted to get a CD, and I saw "Greatest Hit" type CDs. But these were $17.99 each and of course none of the volumes had all of our favorites. I thought maybe I'd buy individual songs on iTunes and that would be my souvenir.
We returned to the room and ate lunch. I then announced to DH that he'd be taking the girls to the pool without me because I needed a nap! I hadn't slept very well the night before we'd gone to AK and MK. I was fine that day, but this was the day after and I was wiped out. They left and I happily hopped into bed ready to drift off.
19) What did I hear as I was trying to take a nap?
Rain. Pouring down rain.
Now DH is such a sweetheart I knew he wouldn't want to bring the kids back to the room because he'd want me to have peace for my nap. Also, I suppose, he knows that I get really crabby when tired, so it was in his own self-interest to protect my quiet time! But I was so tired I knew I could sleep with the kids watching TV in the other room. Also, wouldn't they get drenched just coming back from the pool? Would they just huddle there and wait? I had to intervene.
I put on my rain jacket, put their rain gear into a bag and went down to the pool. (Once again I have to say how happy I was that we were so close to it!) They were still swimming! DH said that the lifeguards expected to close the pool shortly and they didn't think it would be closed long. I left the rain gear and advised them to retreat to the Community Room if necessary. I returned to the room for a short, but very refreshing nap.
When I joined the others at the pool, DH said that they'd had fun at the Community Room. The girls had enjoyed the novelty of the game system, which we don't have at home.
We swam, we slid, we warmed up in the hot tub and cooled off in the shower. It was blissful.
Back at the room, we showered, dressed and ate a big snack or an early dinner, depending on how you look at it. This included a large sugar cookie with Mickey head sprinkles that I picked up at Artist's Palette. DH was ready and he decided to walk over to DTD so he could go at his own pace. We agreed that if we both were needed to pick up the tickets (because each DVC member can only get 4 tickets at the discounted price, we needed both of our memberships to entitle us to buy 5), he would wait for us near the box office, but if he was able to get the tickets, he would go to Virgin Megastore and we'd meet there.
In my next post, I will answer
20. What did I buy for my souvenir?
tammyandtommy
Just call me Duckie!
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2004
- Messages
- 1,070
OMG I just read all of this report in one sitting and I LOVED it!
blue_river
<font color=coral>I do believe in fairies!<br><fon
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2006
- Messages
- 8,233
When I called to confirm my ADRs the CM tried to sell me tickets for Cirque but when I found out the price I quickly declined. Maybe next time. I hope you will be posting some pics for us all 
BTW - Thanks for your nice comments in my tr!
BTW - Thanks for your nice comments in my tr!
MousekaMaddi
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2006
- Messages
- 2,589
lovely, easy to read report, with fab pix, thanx for sharing 
Dear carolfoy, Tammyandtommy, blue_river, MousekaMaddi thank you for posting. I am so happy that people are enjoying my story.
20. What did I buy for my souvenir?
Blue_river, they do not allow photos at CdS. Which is good because people's cameras would be flashing all the time. That would distract the performers and the audience and it would probably reduce the number of souvenir guidebooks and videos that they sell! But that's not what I bought.
The girls and I walked over to the big Cirque structure. It was still raining on and off. We did not see DH lurking around, and we concluded that his mission to pick up the tickets had been successful. He was on the lookout for us at the Virgin Megastore. He knocked over dozens of DVDs from a display as he dashed over to greet us! They were having a sale with lots of CDs and DVDs for $10 each. The worker who came over to help us pick them up joked that DH must have gotten overexcited by the low prices!
DH and the girls went up to the kids' section. I thought I'd investigate the sale merchandise, and what to my wandering eyes should appear but a 5 CD boxed set of Disney's greatest hits. The contents were not listed on the box. Instead a sign directed customers to a brochure. But there were no brochures. I asked a worker how I could find out what songs were on the CDs. "We go through those like water," she sighed. A search behind the desk revealed nothing. "I guess I could just buy it and take a chance," I remarked. She said that the store had a list that I could look at. Perfect. She found the list in a notebook and permitted me to peruse it.
Yes! These were the same CDs selling for $17.99 each at the Disney Marketplace. I hadn't been able to choose one because the Disney had cleverly mixed lame songs in with the good ones on each disk. (I wouldn't have respected them if they hadn't!) Here were all 5 for..... $34.99! SOLD!
OK, so I spent more on my souvenir than I permitted the others to spend on theirs. But mine was a gift for the whole family. When I got home I loaded the disks into iTunes and then burned a CD of our favorites. This immediately went on the household airwaves around the clock and soon we were joining in, not just on the chorus, but on all those delightlful little dialogue type sections.
"Be prepared? Prepared for what?"
"The death of the king!"
"Why? Is he sick?"
I love that song! If I ever had any kind of power, I would definitely be a tyrant. "Heed my every order, and you might survive," that's my approach to motherhood.
Tearing myself away from my visions of glory, I return to my story....
We took our seats at CdS in good time. The Category 2 seats were really very good. We were in the center of the theater. I think you can appreciate the whole spectacle better than if you are close up. I made sure that the girls had used the restroom because I did not intend to miss one moment of this pricey extravaganza.
It was totally worth the money. We were blown away. With some of the tricks, I was amazed at the person who was executing them, but I was even more awed by the person who had conceived of them. How did they ever think that a person could do such things? There were things going on all over the stage and the costumes and the design of everything was so beautiful. If I were an Olympic gymnast or figure skater, I would hire some of the talent from CdS to create my outfit and choreograph my routine. They have a way of putting things together and making even things you've seen before so dramatic and compelling and gorgeous.
One of our favorite acts (which was not presented in isolation, but along with many other things) was a group of four young girls in green dresses. They did a series of tricks where, you thought the first thing was difficult and amazing, and then they went on to do something else even more mind-boggling, but that was not the end of their act either. They just did incredible trick after incredible trick.
We walked back, highly satisfied. DH & I agreed to cancel the breakfast at 1900 Park Fare that I'd reserved. We still had groceries to consume, we didn't want to have to get up early, and we wanted to maximize our pool time. Our flight was at 3:25 and our ME departure was scheduled for 12:30.
We slept well and awoke around 8:00. This was the time that our ADR had been, so I was very pleased with our decision to skip it. Maybe next time, but not on departure day.
In my next post, I will answer
21. How did we spend our last morning?
20. What did I buy for my souvenir?
Blue_river, they do not allow photos at CdS. Which is good because people's cameras would be flashing all the time. That would distract the performers and the audience and it would probably reduce the number of souvenir guidebooks and videos that they sell! But that's not what I bought.
The girls and I walked over to the big Cirque structure. It was still raining on and off. We did not see DH lurking around, and we concluded that his mission to pick up the tickets had been successful. He was on the lookout for us at the Virgin Megastore. He knocked over dozens of DVDs from a display as he dashed over to greet us! They were having a sale with lots of CDs and DVDs for $10 each. The worker who came over to help us pick them up joked that DH must have gotten overexcited by the low prices!
DH and the girls went up to the kids' section. I thought I'd investigate the sale merchandise, and what to my wandering eyes should appear but a 5 CD boxed set of Disney's greatest hits. The contents were not listed on the box. Instead a sign directed customers to a brochure. But there were no brochures. I asked a worker how I could find out what songs were on the CDs. "We go through those like water," she sighed. A search behind the desk revealed nothing. "I guess I could just buy it and take a chance," I remarked. She said that the store had a list that I could look at. Perfect. She found the list in a notebook and permitted me to peruse it.
Yes! These were the same CDs selling for $17.99 each at the Disney Marketplace. I hadn't been able to choose one because the Disney had cleverly mixed lame songs in with the good ones on each disk. (I wouldn't have respected them if they hadn't!) Here were all 5 for..... $34.99! SOLD!
OK, so I spent more on my souvenir than I permitted the others to spend on theirs. But mine was a gift for the whole family. When I got home I loaded the disks into iTunes and then burned a CD of our favorites. This immediately went on the household airwaves around the clock and soon we were joining in, not just on the chorus, but on all those delightlful little dialogue type sections.
"Be prepared? Prepared for what?"
"The death of the king!"
"Why? Is he sick?"
I love that song! If I ever had any kind of power, I would definitely be a tyrant. "Heed my every order, and you might survive," that's my approach to motherhood.
Tearing myself away from my visions of glory, I return to my story....
We took our seats at CdS in good time. The Category 2 seats were really very good. We were in the center of the theater. I think you can appreciate the whole spectacle better than if you are close up. I made sure that the girls had used the restroom because I did not intend to miss one moment of this pricey extravaganza.
It was totally worth the money. We were blown away. With some of the tricks, I was amazed at the person who was executing them, but I was even more awed by the person who had conceived of them. How did they ever think that a person could do such things? There were things going on all over the stage and the costumes and the design of everything was so beautiful. If I were an Olympic gymnast or figure skater, I would hire some of the talent from CdS to create my outfit and choreograph my routine. They have a way of putting things together and making even things you've seen before so dramatic and compelling and gorgeous.
One of our favorite acts (which was not presented in isolation, but along with many other things) was a group of four young girls in green dresses. They did a series of tricks where, you thought the first thing was difficult and amazing, and then they went on to do something else even more mind-boggling, but that was not the end of their act either. They just did incredible trick after incredible trick.
We walked back, highly satisfied. DH & I agreed to cancel the breakfast at 1900 Park Fare that I'd reserved. We still had groceries to consume, we didn't want to have to get up early, and we wanted to maximize our pool time. Our flight was at 3:25 and our ME departure was scheduled for 12:30.
We slept well and awoke around 8:00. This was the time that our ADR had been, so I was very pleased with our decision to skip it. Maybe next time, but not on departure day.
In my next post, I will answer
21. How did we spend our last morning?
tammyandtommy
Just call me Duckie!
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2004
- Messages
- 1,070
Ahhhh you left me hanging, what am I gonna do when your TR is over? LOL
Sabrina90744
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jan 12, 2006
- Messages
- 1,372
Great report thanks for sharing!!
arizonacolbys
Owner of 2 Crazy Labs!
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2002
- Messages
- 2,280
Another great installment!
I'm glad you found those Disney cd's at Virgin - we got the same cd set last year - it really was a great deal! I also have it in my itunes.
I'm glad you found those Disney cd's at Virgin - we got the same cd set last year - it really was a great deal! I also have it in my itunes.
blue_river
<font color=coral>I do believe in fairies!<br><fon
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2006
- Messages
- 8,233
I'm disappointed there are no pics of cdS but I can understand why.
Sounds like you really got a great deal on the cd's!
I'm sorry your tr is ending so soon
I hope your last morning was eventful and not as sad as one imagines when having to leave WDW.
Sounds like you really got a great deal on the cd's!
I'm sorry your tr is ending so soon
I hope your last morning was eventful and not as sad as one imagines when having to leave WDW.
Thanks kathymc, Sabrina, tammyandtommy, blue_river, arizonacolbys for posting. You know what I feel good about? My TR is more than 5 pages, so that on the TR Board, it shows (1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page)! I love knowing that people are reading.
21. How did we spend our last morning?
I must say, the giddy anticipation was pretty much all used up at this point. I packed our bags, which didn't take long because we never really unpack. I believe in living out of the suitcase and keeping everything together rather than spreading out all over the room. DH and I separated the remaining food items into three categories: what we were definitely bringing with us (we were going to pack a lunch to eat at the airport, since we still had enough stuff to make sandwiches), what we would bring if there was room, and what we were going to leave behind (a box of pasta we never got around to cooking, the remains of a tub of butter-- not much. Our order to Wegoshop turned out to be very accurate.)
Meanwhile, the girls had caught on to the concept of a Hidden Mickey and they were delighted to discover two in our room. (At left is the headboard of the bed, at right the counter in the living room/kitchen)
At 9:00, the girls were in their swim suits and we started down the stairs. "I thought you said the pool wasn't open yet," they said. I led them across the bridge to the Paddocks section and showed them the quiet pool. There was one man swimming there. After a short while he was joined by his wife, and a short while after that, they both left. So it sure was quiet and very pretty. The girls had fun doing handstands, swimming over to the frogs spouting water, and playing with a squishy water ball. They also went to the adjacent playground. I could definitely be happy staying at the Paddocks section if we were in one of the buildings closest to this pool and the bridge.
Unfortunately the hot tub was being cleaned, and later when later the girls excitedly told me that it was open and we eagerly stepped into the frothy, bubbling water, we found out something that in retrospect shouldn't have surprised us: it wasn't hot yet. Oh, well.
We returned to the room about 10:30. DH had the food all set and the kitchen tidy. I sent DH and DD7 to the main pool. I did a final check of the room, where I discovered DH's reading glasses! Then DDs 11a and 11b and I took our (rolling) luggage to Bell Services and left it with them.
Then we joined the others for our last session at the pool. It was fun, but I had to keep an eye on my watch. All too soon the time came to get dressed. We would rendezvous at the Artist's Palette gift shop. This decision turned out well because DD7 was able to do some last minute pin-trading. She had decided to focus on Stitch and we noticed a CM manager in AP with some pins of that character on her belt display panel. "So, you like Stitch?" the CM commented as she made the exchange. "I'll have to keep that in mind when I'm refreshing my pins." I didn't have the heart to tell her that we were leaving. While the kids were occupied, I bought a large sugar cookie with Mickey head sprinkles and tucked it in my purse. (Only $2.01 with the DVC Member discount. Another good bargain, since one cookie is enough to satisfy all three girls.)
We were able to retrieve the bags from Bell Services quickly and our bus was there a few minutes later. The driver was very entertaining, pointing out construction and trailer classrooms to demonstrate the fast growth of the region. We arrived first at Terminal B and dropped off those passengers. For those of us going to Terminal A, he said, "You will see that it looks the same on the other side. Everything is the same at Terminal A, except that the people are ever so slightly different." His extremely deadpan humor just cracked me up. I gave him a big tip.
We were in Group C again, but this time I knew that as long as we were fairly close to the front of the group, our seats would be nearby even if not right next to each other. There was another flight departing before ours, and soon after it took off people began lining up and we took our places among them. While we waited in line, I produced the Mickey cookie for a "last taste of the magic."
Our trip home went smoothly. Of course, it's sad to go, but we were full to the brim with happy memories, and we know we'll be back.
In my next post I will answer
22. Was everything different this time?
21. How did we spend our last morning?
I must say, the giddy anticipation was pretty much all used up at this point. I packed our bags, which didn't take long because we never really unpack. I believe in living out of the suitcase and keeping everything together rather than spreading out all over the room. DH and I separated the remaining food items into three categories: what we were definitely bringing with us (we were going to pack a lunch to eat at the airport, since we still had enough stuff to make sandwiches), what we would bring if there was room, and what we were going to leave behind (a box of pasta we never got around to cooking, the remains of a tub of butter-- not much. Our order to Wegoshop turned out to be very accurate.)
Meanwhile, the girls had caught on to the concept of a Hidden Mickey and they were delighted to discover two in our room. (At left is the headboard of the bed, at right the counter in the living room/kitchen)
At 9:00, the girls were in their swim suits and we started down the stairs. "I thought you said the pool wasn't open yet," they said. I led them across the bridge to the Paddocks section and showed them the quiet pool. There was one man swimming there. After a short while he was joined by his wife, and a short while after that, they both left. So it sure was quiet and very pretty. The girls had fun doing handstands, swimming over to the frogs spouting water, and playing with a squishy water ball. They also went to the adjacent playground. I could definitely be happy staying at the Paddocks section if we were in one of the buildings closest to this pool and the bridge.
Unfortunately the hot tub was being cleaned, and later when later the girls excitedly told me that it was open and we eagerly stepped into the frothy, bubbling water, we found out something that in retrospect shouldn't have surprised us: it wasn't hot yet. Oh, well.
We returned to the room about 10:30. DH had the food all set and the kitchen tidy. I sent DH and DD7 to the main pool. I did a final check of the room, where I discovered DH's reading glasses! Then DDs 11a and 11b and I took our (rolling) luggage to Bell Services and left it with them.
Then we joined the others for our last session at the pool. It was fun, but I had to keep an eye on my watch. All too soon the time came to get dressed. We would rendezvous at the Artist's Palette gift shop. This decision turned out well because DD7 was able to do some last minute pin-trading. She had decided to focus on Stitch and we noticed a CM manager in AP with some pins of that character on her belt display panel. "So, you like Stitch?" the CM commented as she made the exchange. "I'll have to keep that in mind when I'm refreshing my pins." I didn't have the heart to tell her that we were leaving. While the kids were occupied, I bought a large sugar cookie with Mickey head sprinkles and tucked it in my purse. (Only $2.01 with the DVC Member discount. Another good bargain, since one cookie is enough to satisfy all three girls.)
We were able to retrieve the bags from Bell Services quickly and our bus was there a few minutes later. The driver was very entertaining, pointing out construction and trailer classrooms to demonstrate the fast growth of the region. We arrived first at Terminal B and dropped off those passengers. For those of us going to Terminal A, he said, "You will see that it looks the same on the other side. Everything is the same at Terminal A, except that the people are ever so slightly different." His extremely deadpan humor just cracked me up. I gave him a big tip.
We were in Group C again, but this time I knew that as long as we were fairly close to the front of the group, our seats would be nearby even if not right next to each other. There was another flight departing before ours, and soon after it took off people began lining up and we took our places among them. While we waited in line, I produced the Mickey cookie for a "last taste of the magic."
Our trip home went smoothly. Of course, it's sad to go, but we were full to the brim with happy memories, and we know we'll be back.
In my next post I will answer
22. Was everything different this time?
22. Was everything different this time?
On the surface things were certainly different. We loved the fancy resort with the beautiful room and the awesome pool and we planned in plenty of swimtime to take advantage of it. I enjoyed using Disney transport instead of returning to a hot car in the middle of the day. (I commute to work by bus at home so I'm used to waiting!) And our "splurges," compared to the way we used to tour, on Boma and Cirque de Soleil were really great and really memorable.
But underneath it all, visiting WDW was the same as it always was: pure fun. It's just wonderful to be in a place where your mission is to have a good time and everything is arranged to support that! We really lived and reveled in the moment.
We're hoping this was just the first of a long string of relaxing, thrilling, special times together.
In my last post, I will answer,
23. How much did it cost?
I don't know if people are as fascinated by financial matters as I am, but I kept track of every penny!
On the surface things were certainly different. We loved the fancy resort with the beautiful room and the awesome pool and we planned in plenty of swimtime to take advantage of it. I enjoyed using Disney transport instead of returning to a hot car in the middle of the day. (I commute to work by bus at home so I'm used to waiting!) And our "splurges," compared to the way we used to tour, on Boma and Cirque de Soleil were really great and really memorable.
But underneath it all, visiting WDW was the same as it always was: pure fun. It's just wonderful to be in a place where your mission is to have a good time and everything is arranged to support that! We really lived and reveled in the moment.
We're hoping this was just the first of a long string of relaxing, thrilling, special times together.
In my last post, I will answer,
23. How much did it cost?
I don't know if people are as fascinated by financial matters as I am, but I kept track of every penny!
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CLICK HERE
