The Trials of Reentry
When I got back to the Poly I took my costume box to the front desk to get it shipped back home. It took a little while because the Fed Ex label simply wouldnt print for them. After trying many things and consulting with the other CMs, the fantastic CM who was helping me started looking into alternatives so I wouldnt have to go find an off site place. He found a service that would pick up and ship UPS, and not only was it great to not have to trek around looking for a shipping place, the price was not exorbitant. I was prepared to pay a premium for convenience, but even with the $5.00 service fee the Poly charged the total was only $17.00, very slightly more than it cost me to get the box there from Seattle with my Fed Ex account and less than the airline third bag fee.
By then I was getting hungry, so I got an Adult Grilled Cheese from Captain Cooks and scored a beach side table at the Barefoot Pool Bar. The sandwich features several kinds of cheese, including blue cheese, on multi-grain bread accompanied by slightly spicy cole slaw with an Asian inspired dressing.
I relaxed and enjoyed my lunch and then rocked one last time in a hammock. I had time left for a launch ride to and from the MK, so I got aboard the little boat and stayed on for the round trip to make my final farewells to the MK and hotels.
Minnie is always about safety first.
We all enjoyed the ride.
As 3:00 rolled around it was finally time to go get my bags and begin the trek back to Seattle.
Mickey and Pluto didnt want to leave either.
As soon as I hit the airport I started missing Disneys well designed deliberateness. As I navigated the airport roadways, fighting to find the sign with my airline and then barely being able to see the small and poorly located sign for rental car return, I wanted to turn right around and go back where everything is designed to be welcoming, clear and lots and lots of fun.
I schlepped my stuff in a luggage cart to the Alaska check in, a tiny counter at the very end of the terminal. I had a welcome surprise and Disney quality service from the gal checking me in. I had gotten out my credit card to pay the $25.00 second bag fee. When she saw the card she asked if I had paid the fee in Seattle, and I said that I had. She told me she had already checked my ticket and the date it was purchased was prior to the new fees so I shouldnt have been charged in Seattle, nor was I being charged now. The only bummer was that I would have to stop at the Alaska counter in Seattle to get a credit for the fee as she couldnt issue it there, but it was well worth $25.00 to take a minute to do that. Thank you, fabulous Alaska employee!!!
I stopped in a restroom to change into warmer clothes for the flight and ducked into a handicapped stall for a minute so I could fit in with all my stuff. The seat was up and there was a sink but no towels or hand dryer. Sigh.
Then I was off to security, always a trial here in Orlando. Despite having the world leader in line management twenty minutes down the road, they have always been disorganized to the point of absurdity. One year the lines were all crazy and people were going in and coming out in an order that had nothing to do with how long theyd been waiting or who got there first. Since nothing gets people madder than unfairness in a situation like that, the line was a smoldering mass of discontented humanity. This time there had been some effort to create order, and when I entered the line, the TSA employee who checked my documents handed me a plastic encased folder with a sheaf of forms inside and asked me to give it to the next TSA employee I encountered. I lugged this folder along with the rest of my stuff and when I got to the walk through gate, I handed it to that next person. He looked at it and said, What is this? Good question, not one that I had an answer for. The papers were forms with lines and boxes on which were handwritten the times people had entered and exited the line. He was supposed to write down what time I arrived at his station. He had to find someone to tell him what to do, and then collectively they had to find somebody who knew what time it was. None of them were wearing a watch, and it took a while before one of them remembered that cell phones tell time, so he found his cell phone so they could note the now not terribly accurate time and actually let me stop being trapped there watching the show. This process of course is what is done electronically with a key card to monitor wait times at the World. Sheesh. I guess they got a little tiny point for trying, but now I really wanted to go back to where things are beautifully organized around both the safety and happiness of the visitors.
The rest of the trip out to the gate was uneventful. Goodbye little train ride! I enjoyed the last of my sweet bread and macadamia butter from the Kona Cafe while I waited to board my flight. I also had the rest of my leftovers and popcorn for snacks on the plane so would be continuing my Disney dining for a few hours longer.
Once we boarded, they announced that there were only enough pillows and blankets for one person in each row so they advised we grab them early. Too bad for those people who were boarding later! Fortunately I had my own, so that meant two people in our row were covered. There also werent enough Digi Players and very few splitters. Half of the players they did rent to people needed batteries or plain didnt work. Double sigh. It was such a huge contrast to the world I had just left where deliberate and thoughtful design is aimed at wonderful experiences, great interactions and often seamless enjoyment. I consoled myself for most of the trip by writing postcards about my fantastic magical trip to my DIS friends.
I was really thankful that my next trip to the world where everyone gets to have a happy childhood was coming up so soon.
Thanks again for a great trip report!
You rock woman!
