It's my last day.

I still drag myself out of bed at 5:30.... and no, it wasn't to get on an airplane. Are you crazy?!? There's still park time!
I quickly dress and pack up all of my junk- uh, stuff and realize that Houston, I have a serious problem.
I can't get
all of that to fit.
uh-uh. Not happening. There will have to be a sacrifice as that suitcase (extra-large suitcase, I might add) is not wanting to zip up.
Now for a sacrifice.. no time to see if I can ship something home. What will it be?.....
Good-bye Mickey. You've been hanging out for days now waiting to either be eaten or taken home (I'd been leaning towards the taking home as I was having a hard time wanting to eat the little guy)
So, everything packed minus one molded white chocolate Mickey Mouse, and I'm off after hanging the "Do Not Disturb" sign on my door. I knew that Mousekeeping would be eagerly waiting to pounce on my room this day as I was marked as a check-out.
My breakfast had consisted of the remaining Cadbury chocolate digestives. Yeah, healthy - I know............ But yummy!!!
*sigh*
No wonder I gained 10 lbs on this trip.
Well, time to walk it off as I trek the mile to DHS for one last morning in a Disney theme park. (Does anyone know how far the walk really is from The Boardwalk to DHS? I'm curious to know)
I arrive to the Studios around 7:15 am for a 8:00 EMH. I was a bit surprised by how many people were already there. I join a line at the turnstiles and chat with the family standing in front of me. Based solely upon observation they're:
A) Canadians (the Canadian flag on one of their back-packs was a good tip-off)
B) Staying at the Animal Kingdom Lodge (they were eating breakfast from packages marked from the Mara.)
It was their first trip to Disney so I attempt to be helpful, as always, and give them some tips about things such as Toy Story Mania (as in - you better go
now to either jump in the queue or grab a FP or you can wipe that off of your list for the day.)
CM's began passing out a tip guide that had a FP for the 1st LMA show printed on it. Too bad that I wasn't going to be in the park that late, I've yet to see that thing. (Must put it on the list for next trip)
We were let in for rope drop and it was pretty packed. Finally rope drop and we're off! At Sunset the crowd splits: half to TSM and the other half down Sunset.
(I was in the half down Sunset in case you don't recall my opinion of TSM.)
We begin to reach the end of Sunset and the crowd is dividing once again - but in my favor. I'm finally at the very front of the rushing crowd as most people veer off towards RnR while I trek on towards
I grab a FP for ToT for later and then jump into the non-existent stand-by line. I managed to nab what I thought was a pretty cool perspective of the tower:
I love the music in the queue; not just that it's '40's music but that they give it that canned old timey feeling. It's rather haunting. Love it, love it, love it! Disney did great with the ToT theming.
I walked directly into the first library, no waiting, and was one of the first at the elevator once the boiler room doors opened. I've posted this pic earlier in the report - but here is when it was actually taken:
I was quite proud of myself for actually capturing that with a little point and shoot camera. (RIP my little camera. It had to go when the new iMac computer came. It was too old and while I had software for Mac's for it; the software was too old. Oh, well, time to upgrade it!)
On this trip to the Twilight Zone, I experienced a drop sequence that I had never experienced before: The elevator went up before it plummeted down on that very first drop and then we dropped down far enough to the bottom to see the exit elevator doors and the images of the ghost waving before being pulled back up for another drop.
Hmmmm.... don't know. Nice to experience a new drop, though.
It's 8:15 am and I'm off of ToT and rushing over to RnR which was already at a 30 min wait. Via the Singles line I walked straight into the pre-show (see? A perk for being solo!) Chris was actually in the pre-show! I was shocked! (If I wasn't trying to watch my image count for all of the photos that I plan to post - I'd put the fainting smiley right here). "Chris" is the guy (or sometimes girl) that goes into the Studio to get the guitar for Steve Tyler. He's been MIA for years now. But he was here this morning. (Pretend that there is a woo-hoo smiley right here)
After taking the fastest limo in the world to LA for an Aerosmith concert, I suddenly found myself back in central Florida and I went off to explore the park one last time:
I finally realized that you can get a straight shot of ToT from the RnR courtyard - where have I been??? (picture the confused smily right here)
I finally stop under the hat when I spy to my two little eyes:
Chip and Dale!!!! Woo-hoo!
Of course you
better believe that I was in that line!!!! Yeah, the pic's turned out horrid but I had one last photo-op with my chipmunks! Woo-hoo!
After one last ride through the Twilight Zone on the Tower of Terror, I slowly began my sad little trek back to the front of the park. I stopped off to purchase the Photopass CD (oh-my-gosh! Did that take
forever to purchase!!!) and then began the sad little trek back to the Boardwalk Inn.
Somewhere along the way, while being completely and utterly miserable that my vacation was over, I had the grand idea of eating at Spoodles for breakfast! So, instead of going up to my room (Of which I was certain that Mousekeeping was waiting outside the door, fresh linens in hand, just waiting for that "Do Not Disturb" sign to be removed so that they may enter and attack my room in preparation for the next guest to visit it that night. Remember how I said that I was going to work out a deal with Disney in order to pay them a monthly rent (much cheaper than nightly hotel cost) in order to live there??? Yeah, still working on that one)
Oh well, back to more important thoughts: I had enough time for breakfast at Spoodles - didn't I?
Well, I hoped that I did. If not, I'd just miss my ride back to MCO and miss my flight. Oh well. I could stay another night at the Boardwalk. I don't mind... seriously....
They were able to squeeze me in at Spoodles - barely. It was quite packed. Everyone wanted to eat there that morning - quite the contrast to my last breakfast there. I was finally seated and I informed my waiter that I was in a rush. I had some concerns that my room key was about to become inactivated and therefore leaving my luggage trapped inside of my room upstairs.
I quickly scarfed down some yummy French Toast and raced back upstairs to enter my room just as the clock officially strikes check-out time. I take a bite of my Mickey ear (bye-bye Mickey, sorry that you can't come home with me), toss him in the trash, grab my ultra-heavy suitcase that I can barley move and begin the long and sad trek down the endless corridor towards the elevator bank.
Magical Express comes all too fast and they're playing the stupid leaving WDW video. Do they
have to rub it in that your vacation is over? Can I start tossing things at the television screen? I don't want to watch this! Stupid leaving WDW video!!! (picture the mad smiley right here)
I arrive at MCO and, not to my surprise, have to pay $50.00 in order to get my suitcase home with me.
Told you that it was packed! I should know, I'd been lugging it around forever.
I was going to have to lug that thing up stairs once I arrived home.
Fun... fun.... fun...
(please note the sarcasm in those "funs")
I make my way through TSA, they never give me trouble - I look innocent... which is a good thing since I am! I am, I tell ya!
Stop it.
That's not nice.
I sit in a crowded waiting room for what seemed like
hours. OK, if I'm going to have to leave Disney than I want to be home.
Now. I don't want this waiting at an airport. Remember - I'm petrified of flying. So, my nerves are working up a storm and I'm getting seriously restless. I don't want to get on that plane, I'm too darn worried that it's going to crash.
Suddenly an alarm beings to go off in the airport. Don't worry, we don't have to leave the terminal - nothing too serious but I'm forced to listen to this "Whoooop - Whooooop" followed by a programed voice coming over the PA instructing that an alarm has been activated, to remain calm, and it's being looked into... then back to the "Whoooop - Whoooop" followed by the recording followed by more "Whoops" followed by the recording followed by the "Whooop"....
... and I'm edgy b/c I'm about to have to get on an airplane and the "Whooops" are loud and annoying the crap out of me......
and then there is this kid.
This little girl, probably around six or so, is on the row of seats behind me - like the back of my seat and the back of her seat butt into each other. Obviously the kid is restless and wanting to play. She's plopping down onto her seat, jumping into her seat, attacking her seat... all which disturb me... giggling and screaming. Loudly. Over and over and over and over...
and the "Whooop- Whooop" is still going on and I'm still edgy due to my impending flight and the shrill scream, giggle, ram into the seat, scream, "Whoop-Whoop", giggle, plop!, scream, "Whoop-Whoop, ram, scream, "Whoop-Whoop", giggle....
.. and I was about to lose it. I whipped around in my seat and gave her a look. I don't exactly know what kind of look I gave her but her face froze in the middle of a giggle and it turned from the expression of a smile into that of horror. She stood up, turned around, sat down properly in her seat and I didn't hear another peep out of her until boarding time.
And I never had to say a word.
Her mother was clueless.
Finally we boarded. (picture the banana smiley here)
Up in the air I was sad. I had no idea for when I would next return but now, as of today, I've made a decision.
(picture
lots of bananas smilies here with a lot of whoo-hoo smilies)
I'm planning for a Oct 2010 trip - after tax season ends. I love Halloween and want to go back to another
MNSSHP. However, I mentioned this to a co-worker today and she brought up that end of Oct is usually when the firm trip is (the firm trip is every other year - not every year). We've already been told that it will be another cruise to the Bahamas in 2010 and I'd be an idiot to pass up a free cruise! So, I'm going to have to wait until more info for exactly when in 2010 they'll book the cruise before I set my Disney dates. But, I'm planning a Oct 2010 WDW trip to the Boardwalk Inn. I'm now completely and utterly spoiled and must stay there. I also plan to go back in Jan 2011 and do the Disney 1/2 marathon (picture the banana smiley here). So.. two WDW trip in the plan! Soooo excited!
Thank you to all of you that stuck out my TR. I'm sorry that some of those updates took a little long in coming, there were periods of time when I was just too busy to update. If any of you that have been posting on here go to WDW and do a TR - please PM me a link to your TR as I would love to read it!