With some deliberation, we'd decided we should grace the Magic Kingdom with our presence on our last day--it'd been between DHS and MK, but we felt we'd done everything we wanted at DHS.
Plus, there are no Dole Whips in DHS.
No rush to get to the park right at opening this time since we didn't plan to repeat any of the major attractions. We did want to get there close to opening, however, so it was with sad hearts that we checked tou of the hotel, loaded up, and headed for the MK.
Remember Gus?
By this time we'd become so savvy at World navigation that we didn't need him. Actually, I think he felt neglected by Day 3; we kept leaving him in the hotel room. But we brought him out again in preparation for the drive back to the airport. I include this solely as a bittersweet detail.
For me. Because I have no Gus and also because his reemergence was symbolic of the end of our trip. You probably don't really care, except perhaps some appreciation for Karl Urban's gorgeousness.
Anyway. Before we actually needed to use Gus, however, we had Mickey's Philharmagic to see. So after passing Go and collecting our $200--
Ahh. If only Disney had a sign reading Go that dispensed $200. It'd have almost covered our park tickets.
So after not passing Go or getting any money, we went to Philharmagic. We all liked it, even though we decided Muppet Vision 3D is better, and even though it's really Donald's story and not Mickey's. Which, according to many of the workshop presenters at the writing conference, and were MP a novel, would set up false expectations for the reader and cause vast irritation and potential hurling of the book a) across the room, b) out the window, or c) at one's spouse. Particularly if one's spouse had been irritating, in addition to the false advertising of MP.
After finishing with Mickey's Falsely Named Philharmagic, we moseyed on over to the other attraction we felt we'd missed: Country Bear Jamboree.
I know, I know. In hindsight, I am as confused about this perception as you are.
But it was only 10-ish and CBJ hadn't yet opened, which should have clued us in. Maybe Post-Disney Depression hit early and our cognitive processing was affected.
Still, we rallied from the seeming setback. We'd go to Aloha Isle for our last Dole Whips!
It was closed.
We rallied again. We would film a Gratuitous Video about the closed state of Aloha Isle! So we did, complete with embellishments of Nevi's part: "Agony! Sorrow!" said with the back of her hand placed on her forehead as if she were a heroine in a romance featuring Fabio on the cover.
Nevi also gave us a high-in-verisimilitude reenactment of Jack Sparrow "wandering" away from us during MPPP. A convenient bush provided a child stand-in, and she sort of petted it while explaining that during his wandering, Jack would also stop to speak to children.
No, I am aware that a bush is no replacement for a child. But I think it was better for Nevi to pet the bush than someone's actual child.
We also have on digital film an older woman who felt we blocked the path of her Rascal-riding husband. Her vibrant "EXCUSE US!" will live on.
But like it was better for Nevi to pet the bush rather than a real child, better "EXCUSE US!" than "Out of the way, ungracious and inconsiderate whippersnaps!" Because she didn't seem like the type of person who would bother herself to add the final "er." Just a feeling I have.
Filming ceased and we bounced over to CBJ.
The horror.
Like a terrible car accident, you want to stop looking, but you can't seem to pull your eyes off of it. And then, when you're told it's okay to take pictures, your better sense leaves you entirely, and you waste your camera's memory with shots such as these:
I think I'll use them to scare my future progeny into proper behavior. "The Country Bears at Disney World don't like bad children! They'll come get you if you're not good!"
Of course, it's quite possible that by the time I actually manage to
have kids, CBJ will be gone or revamped into, I don't know, Country Bears' Falsely Named Philharmagic. And it'll have Mickey instead.
But what the progeny don't know won't hurt 'em.
Anyway, Nevi proved herself in fine form our last day, because as CBJ came to its clamorous and eyeball-melting conclusion, she mimed hanging herself.
I laughed. A lot.
Once free of CBJ, we made a last stop at Aloha Isle and were pleased to see it open. So we purchased our second, and final, Dole Whips and sat at a table to feel morose.
It was at this point we witnessed the Magical Duckling Cuteness (MDC) I mentioned in the first post.
And in this last one, the Cute Duckling is hiding behind his momma. But there's still a bit of fuzzy duckling behind her.
We then departed MK, as we wanted to stop in Downtown Disney to look at our Photopass pictures. We had a 40% off online orders code from MPPP, so after looking at the pictures (and our watches) we decided we'd order pictures online later.
A pass by Earl of Sandwich to get lunch to eat at the airport, and we were off.
Gus directed us to the nearest gas station to the car rental place, but it didn't take us long to decide we didn't want to pay $5/gallon. Well, Melneth and I decided that; Nevi was in the backseat, absorbed in her book again, so I don't think she really paid attention to us. After discovering some of Gus's maps were outdated (he led us to a gas station that didn't exist), we found a place with prices as decent as we were likely to get, so we filled up, returned the car, and rode the shuttle to the airport.
Though our flights departed from the same terminal, our gates were at opposite ends, so we spent a bit of time in the central waiting area to figure out who owed whom what while scarfing our lunches. So much so that we were unable to make our final Gratuitous Video, as we'd originally planned. Nevi and Melneth had the earlier flight time, so after hugging and praying for a safe flight for each other, they went there way and I went mine.
And that was the saddest part of the last day. Not leaving the World, but leaving my friends.
My flight on Southwest left on time. I sat next to a nice couple headed for Oregon; the plane would continue directly there after stopping in Denver. Our window faced east, and the woman next to me remarked that Denver was "flatter than she expected." She wanted to know where the mountains were. To the West, my friend, to the West.
Kinda like Tolkien's elves departing to the West.
So I deplaned, collected my checked luggage, took the bus to the RTD lot where I'd left my car ($7 each way for a bus trip from the RTD lot to the airport is a whole lot cheaper than even economy airport parking; shout out to my coworker who first informed me of this idea!), drove home. Stopped to grab food from Wendy's (and I NEVER eat fast food) since I was tired, had to go to work the next day, and felt depressed about leaving the World and my friends behind.
Unlocked the door to my apartment, peered at floor's entryway in the dimness, and shrieked.
Oh yes. DBAG.
Honestly, I've pretty much gotten over DBAG and don't cringe so much whenever birds land on my balcony, so I'll just skip over the disposal of the bird carcass to save myself from regressing back to revulsion of my avian--well, I wouldn't call them friends. My avian acquaintances.
So we've come full circle. Not quite the Circle of Life, I suppose, but a circle nonetheless. Elton John would be proud. As would Simba. After he'd given me a lecture about how humans are evil and have destroyed the planet
but there's still hope as humans are starting to become environmentally aware etc. etc. etc. that is.
And after having spent the last couple of minutes staring at that mocking, blinking cursor, I've concluded I don't have a true ending for this particular post. I started to type something about "full circles mean you can just start the trip report over again," but that's not true since I'll be posting Final Musings. So this, with apologies to T. S. Eliot (which I neglected last time) is the best I can do:
This is the way my TR
almost ended
This is the way my TR
almost ended
This is the way my TR
almost ended
Not with a bang, but a fizzle.
Up Next: Final Musings, or Cogitations, if you will.
Sorry you weren't!
Very glad that even if sleep deprivation or something addles your mind, there's no way you can be subjected to Country Bears!
