Would it be dumb to do CRT on departing day?

[mommyaof2]

We really want to take our girls to CRT. I just wondered if it would be crazy to do this on departing day? Anyone ever done this? I thought it would be a nice ending to the trip.

 

[MissMagnolia]

If you have time, I don't see why not. We are eating there for lunch in a couple of weeks. I am really looking forward to it - so it DD3!!!

 

[CoolDisneyCat]

Are your kids old enough to understand why they can't stay at the MK and have to head home? I assume you have APs or don't mind using a day's ticket to just eat.

There are some great character meals outside the park like Chef Mickey's, Cape May and 1900 Park Faire.

 

[flortlebap]

Don't be disappointed if you can't get reservations though - it does fill up fast!

It would be a nice way to end your trip - but wouldn't you miss going on all the rides if you were at MK and resent the fact that you were stuck eating on your last day?

 

[jkmmah]

We're going for 10 days during free dining. I had all our days and ADR's planned out but yesterday I got the idea to try for a CRT lunch on our last day. We're planning to leave the parks around 2 to head home. I thought it would be a lovely way for us and our girls to say "goodbye" to WDW. Unfortunately, CRT was booked solid. Oh well. We'll spend our morning in the park leisurely going on our favorite rides and taking it all in, and then eat lunch at LTT which is always good, too!

 

[IluvDonald!]

My only advise, because I experienced it....is not to do a character meal the last day. Shortly after the meal, we needed to leave due to our travel arrangements. It made it VERY difficult to say goodbye, and our whole family (including dh) was very blue when we left. I would suggest it the night before you leave.

 

[loralie]

We did this in 2005...we had lunch in the castle our last day. This was before the change and I thought it would be a wonderful way to spend the last day. We have 2 boys so they did not care that the princesses were not there...they just wanted to eat in the castle. It was a BIG mistake! All week we tried to do everything we could and took very little rest so by the last day everyone was just exhausted. My 7 year old son actually said to me on our 6th day..."Mom, can we just stay at the hotel today?". I wore everyone out and it was too much.


We had a couple of problems. First it was an EMH at MK so the park comando that I was during that trip figured we would get up early check out of the CBR, leave our luggage with bell service and head to the MK for early opening. So we would do our favorite rides and then have lunch in the castle and then go back to the CBR to get the Magical Express bus to the airport. I don't remember exactly why this happened but when I called bell service to pick up our luggage so we can check out they told us we had to do it at 6:00 am. We also did the airline check in thing at the desk in CBR. We were up so early and running around getting everything done it was just too much after a very busy week that we were all exhausted. I enjoyed the castle the most out of everyone. My DH was actually falling asleep in the castle when we were waiting for them to call our name to go upstairs. The kids were exhausted by the end of the busy week. I was excited and could go, go, go but not them so it kinda ruined it for me too.

I have learned my lesson and for our 2007 trip I plan to rest a couple of days during the trip as well as the first day and the last day. We plan to do CM breakfast on our last day and not go to the parks. I will try to get a late time so it will really be more like our lunch.

Maybe if you are taking more rest time during the trip you will be fine to go to CRT for your last day but you might want to do it in the begining of the trip so it will be more enjoyable instead of running around on your last day.

Have fun,

Loralie

 

[mommyaof2]

Thanks for the replies!! I don't think that we will do it on departing day. Ya'll made some really good points. I think that we will just check out of the hotel and maybe do a few things at MK before we leave. We are getting 8 day hoppers and are leaving on day eight. It was only like 6.00 more to get the extra day but I don't want to waste it. Thanks all! Here we come WDW April 14, 2007!

 

[MomofKatie]

My only advise, because I experienced it....is not to do a character meal the last day. Shortly after the meal, we needed to leave due to our travel arrangements. It made it VERY difficult to say goodbye, and our whole family (including dh) was very blue when we left. I would suggest it the night before you leave.

We had the opposite reaction- we did CM for late breakfast on our departure day. We checked out of our resort, drove over to the Contemporary, and had some good food with Mickey, Minnie, and the gang. It made leaving more bearable, since we got to go out on a high note!!

But I can definitely see the other side of the issue- a character meal right before leaving could make some even more sad to go.

 

[jennifer293]

We did the 1900 Park Fare breakfast on departure day. I scheduled this one because I KNEW I did not want to be in a park on the day we left because the kids would not want to leave so I thought this would not be so bad.

Actually, by the time that breakfast was over I have never been so happy to leave anywhere in my life. In another thread I wrote how a RUDE lady knocked my DD2's head into the wall trying to race to the podium to check in and never apologized, and then the girls were very exhausted from being on the go for 10 days. Well once we were trying to get on the monorail to go back to POP to get our car a woman about knocked me down so she could go to the front of the monorail. I was soooooo happy to get in our car and GO HOME!!!!