JenniBarra
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2002
Monday, September 2
::sigh:: Our last day at the Resort. We pack up and take some last pictures from our balcony. Then its off to White Water Snacks for a simple meal of pastries.
Its terribly hot again. Everyone decides that the goal of the day is to stay in the shade as much as possible!
First, we ride around on the train. We had been hoping that maybe Keith and Dad could ride up front in the tender car, but this was not possible. (Keith and I have done this before, but not my parents.)
We then debate going on Splash Mountain. The line is very long, probably because everyone figures it will be a great way to get cool on such a warm day. (Id take Grizzly River Rapids over Splash Mountain because I dont like the drop!) In the end, we waited. We did have entertainment for a bit, as there was a banjo player outside the queue. Keith had requested Zippity-Doo-Dah and got it at least until a string broke on the banjo! The line moved on and, soon, we started hearing Zippity-Doo-Dah again because the banjo player, after replacing the string, spotted our new place in line and came by to play it before moving back to his original location.
After we got inside the building and up the stairs, I noticed what looks like honey on what had been the exit of the Country Bear Playhouse, since we could now see over the construction walls. (At the entrance, I saw a beehive wrapped in clear plastic.) While there is no official announcement yet in regard to a Winnie the Pooh attraction, I will leave it to others to draw their own conclusions. ; )
We had a late lunch at the Blue Bayou. Wonderful, as always!
After lunch, we hit several of the Fantasyland dark rides and the Matterhorn, too. We wanted to go on the Monorail and Keith suggested trying to ride up front or in the tail cone. Due to security concerns, theres no sitting up front with the driver, and while the tail cone seating is still available, it was Code 90 yesterday. (We learned that this is the term for when its 90 or more degrees outside. Theres no windows that can be opened on the end of the Monorail, so on really hot days, they dont accept passengers back there since it could really heat up if the Monorail was unexpectedly stalled on the tracks.)
By the time we had returned from our round trip, it was about time to depart. Mom and Dad were going to get back on the Monorail to exit at Downtown Disney, stopping at ESPN Zone to pick up a gift for someone, before heading to the rental car. Keith and I wanted to take the more traditional route out of the park since we have certain departure rituals.
As always happens, we pause near the Main Street train station to take one last look back at the castle. At some point on our trip down Main Street, I inevitably mist over. I still vacillate between whether I find this acceptable behavior for a grownup. Keith told me, though, that its all part of the process and that it means its still magical to me after all these years and all these trips.
When we passed the World of Disney, we saw Stephanie. She had been at DCA for the last show of Blast and was headed for her car anyway, so Keith asked if she would like to accompany us on our way. It was nice to see her again and she was quite sympathetic at my sadness to be leaving. We made one stop to have our picture taken at the giant Stitch in front of the movie theater and then said goodbye at least until November, when we hope to be back.
Unfortunately, our airport/flight experience on the way home was not so great, especially compared to our wonderful earlier trip experiences. I was already tired and hungry, so it was bad timing to have been one of the people pulled aside at security for extra scrutiny (especially when theyre having people take off their shoes and youve been wearing the same shoes for four days straight!) I know I look really threatening with my head to toe Mickey gear and Mickey carry-ons! : P Having gone through all that, we were ready for dinner, only every place with food had probably closed in the time it took us to get through security. (Keith eventually managed to find someone and convinced her to sell us some muffins, so we ended up with at least something.) As if that wasnt enough, a baby screamed pretty much through the entire flight! ::sigh::
Despite that sour note, we did have a really, really terrific trip and would consider going again, as just the four of us.
I have heard that the antidote to the sadness at coming back home from a Disney trip is to be planning your next one. I am fortunate in that, in just a couple weeks, I will be making a short detour to Walt Disney World when I head back east on a business trip. : )
::sigh:: Our last day at the Resort. We pack up and take some last pictures from our balcony. Then its off to White Water Snacks for a simple meal of pastries.
Its terribly hot again. Everyone decides that the goal of the day is to stay in the shade as much as possible!
First, we ride around on the train. We had been hoping that maybe Keith and Dad could ride up front in the tender car, but this was not possible. (Keith and I have done this before, but not my parents.)
We then debate going on Splash Mountain. The line is very long, probably because everyone figures it will be a great way to get cool on such a warm day. (Id take Grizzly River Rapids over Splash Mountain because I dont like the drop!) In the end, we waited. We did have entertainment for a bit, as there was a banjo player outside the queue. Keith had requested Zippity-Doo-Dah and got it at least until a string broke on the banjo! The line moved on and, soon, we started hearing Zippity-Doo-Dah again because the banjo player, after replacing the string, spotted our new place in line and came by to play it before moving back to his original location.
After we got inside the building and up the stairs, I noticed what looks like honey on what had been the exit of the Country Bear Playhouse, since we could now see over the construction walls. (At the entrance, I saw a beehive wrapped in clear plastic.) While there is no official announcement yet in regard to a Winnie the Pooh attraction, I will leave it to others to draw their own conclusions. ; )
We had a late lunch at the Blue Bayou. Wonderful, as always!
After lunch, we hit several of the Fantasyland dark rides and the Matterhorn, too. We wanted to go on the Monorail and Keith suggested trying to ride up front or in the tail cone. Due to security concerns, theres no sitting up front with the driver, and while the tail cone seating is still available, it was Code 90 yesterday. (We learned that this is the term for when its 90 or more degrees outside. Theres no windows that can be opened on the end of the Monorail, so on really hot days, they dont accept passengers back there since it could really heat up if the Monorail was unexpectedly stalled on the tracks.)
By the time we had returned from our round trip, it was about time to depart. Mom and Dad were going to get back on the Monorail to exit at Downtown Disney, stopping at ESPN Zone to pick up a gift for someone, before heading to the rental car. Keith and I wanted to take the more traditional route out of the park since we have certain departure rituals.
As always happens, we pause near the Main Street train station to take one last look back at the castle. At some point on our trip down Main Street, I inevitably mist over. I still vacillate between whether I find this acceptable behavior for a grownup. Keith told me, though, that its all part of the process and that it means its still magical to me after all these years and all these trips.
When we passed the World of Disney, we saw Stephanie. She had been at DCA for the last show of Blast and was headed for her car anyway, so Keith asked if she would like to accompany us on our way. It was nice to see her again and she was quite sympathetic at my sadness to be leaving. We made one stop to have our picture taken at the giant Stitch in front of the movie theater and then said goodbye at least until November, when we hope to be back.
Unfortunately, our airport/flight experience on the way home was not so great, especially compared to our wonderful earlier trip experiences. I was already tired and hungry, so it was bad timing to have been one of the people pulled aside at security for extra scrutiny (especially when theyre having people take off their shoes and youve been wearing the same shoes for four days straight!) I know I look really threatening with my head to toe Mickey gear and Mickey carry-ons! : P Having gone through all that, we were ready for dinner, only every place with food had probably closed in the time it took us to get through security. (Keith eventually managed to find someone and convinced her to sell us some muffins, so we ended up with at least something.) As if that wasnt enough, a baby screamed pretty much through the entire flight! ::sigh::
Despite that sour note, we did have a really, really terrific trip and would consider going again, as just the four of us.
I have heard that the antidote to the sadness at coming back home from a Disney trip is to be planning your next one. I am fortunate in that, in just a couple weeks, I will be making a short detour to Walt Disney World when I head back east on a business trip. : )
Thank you so much for providing a 
