Solo trip- January 19-28th, 2003, Day Nine: Last day :(

[The Sybah Shelstah]

1/28/03

It's the last day of my trip- and a partial day at that.

I get up around 9:30ish and having really mixed feelings. I had stayed up late packing everything so I wouldn't have to do it today and it just sets in that today is the last day. On one hand I'm missing my family but on the other hand there is just something about that last day and knowing you have to leave. It's just a bummer- no matter what. But I have also pretty much done everything I really wanted to do. I think. LOL

Had showered the night before but decided I wanted to take yet another (and my last for a long time I'm sure) shower without having to worry about hurrying up before the kids need me for something. Hey, if you have young childen (or have had) then you know what I mean about feeling rushed in the shower. LOL


So I finish up packing (oh btw- I had to buy another smaller carry on type luggage bag at one of the stores we had went to on that Saturday- because with all the souveniers and mugs and stuff I couldn't possibly stuff it all in my luggage! So now I have one huge bag, one not so huge bag, and one smaller bag. More luggage. Lovely. LOL)
Oh and they are heavy. Really heavy. I'm not kidding. I'm so glad they will pick them up from the room for me. LOL

Decide to have breakfast at the food court again ($3.75) and saw DMRick and her husband having breakfast there then also. Talked awhile and then ate my breakfast.. and then decide to go to DTD again. Did some things at Disney Quest (some old games like pacman, Galaga, Donkey Kong, etc. You know- the ancient games I grew up with. LOL) and Virtual Jungle Cruise (don't do this alone- unless you have muscle bound buffed up arms. LOL Trust me on this) and Pirates of the Carribean (really fun. Really! I'm not kidding.), and then got quickly bored with the place. I think my kids would LOVE it though! I'll just have to avoid the area where you have to pay for the games and get tickets. My kids are addicted to anything that gives you points or tickets so they can use them to buy the cheapest toys in the world.
LOL

Walked around DTD window shopping, bought some fudge in a container from the candy cauldron (I think that is what it was called) and then head back to the hotel because I wasn't sure how long it would take. It was only a short wait for the bus and ofcourse I got back to the resort with 2 hours to kill and yet no room to go to. Ick

so I just sat barely nibbling on fudge (which is odd for me- I'm a chocoholic) watching Donald Duck cartoons on the big screen tv that I'm JUST now figuring out is in the far end of the food court (guess where we'll be sitting on our next trip? Way back there where no one seemed to sit the entire trip yet it has that big tv. LOL) and killing time doing nothing.

Finally time for Mears to get there (hey, they told me on the way here to the resort that I was SUPPOSED to be on a big huge bus- like the ones I had seen others get in all week- but that they'd take me in the shuttle bus to get me there quicker since it was late that night...... yet they pick me up in a shuttle bus and drive around picking up more and more people till I am CRAMMED in the seat- literally. Talk about feeling like a sardine! *sigh* Oh and did I mention I'm the only one (besides the father) that is crammed up with a child with a balloon that won't stop hitting me with it while he plays with it (he was about 9/10yrs old- he could have had a little consideration... he wasn't 2 for crying out loud) and then opened a drink (got chastised by the driver for this also- but what can he do once the drink is open? He's gotta drink it) and making me worry the entire time if he would spill it on me. He was kinda hyper.
Ohwell..... such is life. It was just preparing me for the real world again where I have my own 8yr old (now 9) that is hyper also. LOL

Flight back uneventful- I couldn't sleep even though I wanted to though. And my ticket said "dinner" but they didn't serve anything except drinks. I had thought they didn't serve food anymore on flights but I hadn't flown Delta before and wasn't sure why it would say dinner if they didn't serve dinner?
Ofcourse on the news recently, about a week AFTER my trip, they talk about how DELTA (yes, Delta. not any other airline- Delta. LOL) is trying out a new thing of having food available but you pay for it on the flight. I would have done that. I was hungry.
LOL

Anywho...... then back home again. Kids were thrilled with gifts and I was glad to see them. But I was also glad I had my time at WDW. And now we'll go again, at a better (less busy, I hope) time and I've done almost everything already and know my way around pretty good. I also know of more things to do that I didn't know about before (like at FW/etc.) and I can't wait for us to all go again!

I hope my trip reports weren't too detailed, too long or boring. I know some are HILARIOUS to read.... but I'm just not that funny.
haha


(ps. did you count how many times I used my refillable mug? *sigh*)

Oh and one last thing- no towel animals for me. Ohwell. LOL
Actually nothing really exciting in my room at all the entire trip (a pretty long stay- even if it was the ASMu). In fact, some days my room wasn't cleaned at all. Oh and I forgot to mention that one day I had the do not disturb ticket in the door -that day I was running late to go with DMRick on Sat- and I did that because I had valuables NOT in the safe and didn't have time to put them in there. But they still cleaned my room anyway and stuck the "do not disturb" key right back on the tv! I called the front desk and at first they acted like I must be mistaken, then they said someone must have pulled it out of the door so that housekeeping wouldn't know. Well, either she put that key back on my tv or she should have NOTICED that I didn't have the key in the room when she put a NEW key back on that tv- right? Either way she should have gotten the hint not to come in to clean. So adament to clean my room that day eh? LOL Yet other days before that- not cleaned at all. -bed not made, no new towels,trash not emptied... not touched.

I wonder... does everyone tip daily for housekeepng no matter what? Or do you only tip when they are doing an exceptional job? Or do you tip at the end of your stay? (that one doesn't sound right because you might not have the same housekeeper every day, right?) Just wondering how everyone does that tipping housekeeping thing. We've always stayed in cheaper hotels for one night or so OR we've stayed in condo type homes that you don't get housekeeping while you are there- so I'm not sure I handled that right.

Also I was there 9 nights with the same bedding. Is that normal? Just curious about that- seems like an awful long time to stay without the bedding changed the entire time. They would just make the bed up everytime. (how do I know? Because one of the first nights there I went to sleep with mascara on and the mascara tiny smear was still on the pillow case when I left LOL)

Oh, one day I DID get towels folded in such a manner that they held some of my brushes and toiletries in them. That was the day housekeeping woke me up doing the next room. LOL But no towel animals. I am so unloved. But I guess it's a good thing- now that I think about it. Because if it they would have done that in the last few days I wouldn't have been able to take a picture of them anyway! Oh wait... yes I could.. on my digi camera. Darn, so unloved.
LOL

The end.

 

[KayleeUK]

Thanks for all of your reports

Kaylee

 

[bjakmom]

Thanks for the reports! Wow - what a fantastic break for a busy mom!!! My last trip was the first time any of the kids were old enough for me to even go to the parks alone when they wanted to rest at the hotel - one afternoon I went to MK to watch and tape the parade again - went to MGM for the same - and after the parade at AK I got on last safari - had the seat all to myself, so I could shuffle back and forth from side to side and see everything - then meandered through the trails in a way that I never could have with the kids along - a little disney magic on your own goes a long way (IMHO)!

 

[2belles'mom]

Okay--to answer some of your mousekeeping questions!

Our stay at WL was for 8 nights over Christmas. We had three rooms, two adjoining and then the other next door. I tipped EVERY DAY, 2 bucks. But it still seemed to be "luck of the draw." My brother next door tipped 2 bucks too. My parents did NOT tip everyday--they were going to tip at the end of the trip. Okay, with that said, the first or second day, can't really remember--my parents had a beautiful swan towel thing. My brother got a cool rabbit thing. We got nothing! And we hap tipped and my parents hadn't! Go figure..... Of course, my daughters were very upset because the noticed this right away. Then it happened again the next day! The swan in my parents room had "babies"--little duck things, and by brother got another rabbit. We got nothing. And we had kept on tipping.

Finally, we started to get some cool stuff, but it was only once we had establish a first-name relationship with John, our mousekeeper. And you see, my parents--who had not toured all day every day with us--had established this relationship earlier. By the end of the trip--the last 4 nights maybe?--John was making elaborate slides and swimming pools with the towels and posing the girls' toys and dolls all around the room. I still don't think we ever got the towel bunnies and whatnots, but it was still pretty cool.

We DID have our sheets changed at least several times. I know this because our messy-marvin kids did wonderful things such as get lolly-pop goo and other sticky things on the sheets on a regular basis. Maybe you have to be really messy!

Also, (didn't happen this trip with John) if I ever return to an unclean room, I call housekeeping and request a cleaning, and the DO come clean it. Wouldn't work if it is really late at night, but if come for an afternoon break and notice it has not been cleaned, give mousekeeping a call to make sure they will get to it before your return!

And finally, I did think your trip reports were HILARIOUS! You ARE funny, and thanks so much for sharing your adventure!

 

[katypop]

thanks for taking the time to write such a great trip report, i have read them all and really enjoyed them, especially as i am planning for my very 1st solo trip. i'm glad you had such a good time. i am also going to cirque de soleil and am glad you liked your seating, i think i have the same seat in may! center, second tier with the aisle right in front of me, seat 3 i enjoyed your report on spa day LOL this is something i am planning for, only at csr where i'm staying, and it will be my 1st time for a massage and facial too... not sure whether i'll chicken out or not, but i hope not
anyway, welcome back

katypop

 

[jmkst58]

Thanks. Great reports......

 

[vald1977]

Thanks for taking the time to write such a detailed report! Glad that the solo trip went so well. Have fun with the kids and DH when you go back in September!