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December 5, 2003 – Day Seven
Last day. Big sigh here.
We wake up around 6:30 but lounge in bed until 7:00. No hurry today.
We have a light breakfast and coffee and then pack up all our junk.
We carry our bags down to Bell Services and store them there. Around
10:45, we head to Downtown Disney via the bus and spend about 2
hours, and several hundred dollars, buying souvenirs. I get a golf
shirt (no surprise there) and Barb a nightshirt. We get some stuff
for the kids and my Dad and also splurge on some very nice Christmas
ornaments.
We catch a bus back and decide to exit at the Yacht and Beach
Clubs to check out their decorations. Very nice. I also use this
opportunity to finish off a roll of film, shooting mostly across
the lake towards the Boardwalk. We stroll around to the Boardwalk
Bakery and decide to split a turkey sub and have a cup of coffee
which we take at a table on the Boardwalk. We sip, eat and people
watch until about 2:30.
We take up some space in 2 easy chairs in the lobby for a while.
At 3:00, I decide to go outside and begin retrieving our luggage.
Our driver is due at 3:30 and actually shows at 3:15. It’s
an uneventful ride to the airport. We check in curbside, get ‘A’
boarding passes and enter.
There’s a Disney Store in the airport, which we visit, and
Barb reminds me I never bought the Mickey cocktail shaker I was
looking for. I find it here and part with another $20.
We head to our gate where we learn our 6:10 flight is now listed
as 6:25. We hit ‘Seattle’s Best Coffee’ –
in my opinion, false advertising - for coffee and a bagel. Our flight
now just says ‘Delayed’ which is not a good sign. We
head to the gate to sit – barb with her book and me with the
NY Times Crossword Puzzle (I’m addicted. I do it every Sunday).
They finally explain that our flight is delayed in Islip due to
weather. The Northeast is getting a major storm – a classic
Nor’easter. They tell us it should be in by 7:00.
At 7:00, they announce that the flight is in range and should land
around 7:10. It will take 8-10 minutes to clean the aircraft and
then we can board. The 75 people waiting at the gate use this as
a cue to jump up and rush to line up at the A-B-C ropes for boarding.
I cannot believe this. Not only are the A-B-C’s in line, so
are the 25 people that are waiting to pre-board. I can’t understand
this mentality.
We finally board and leave at 8:00. It’s a fairly bumpy ride
home (exactly what is ‘chop’?) and we arrive at 10:45.
We left Orlando at 78 degrees; we land in Albany where it’s
16 degrees. Michelle and Stephanie are waiting there for us. We
grab our luggage and drive home. Another trip in the books.
Musings and Observations- I hate to leave. It’s not so much
I don’t want to go home – I do. I just hate to leave.
Miles Walked Today – 3.7
Post Script – About 2 hours after we arrived home, it began
to snow. It snowed all night, all day Saturday, and into Sunday
morning when it changed to flurries. It finally stopped completely
Sunday afternoon – as the Jets lost. Complete bummer all around.
I wound up cleaning up 22” of snow. In 15 degree weather.
In the wind. April is starting to sound pretty good.
Final Thoughts:
I love Disney World. I probably love it for different reasons than
I did 15, 10 or 5 years ago. When I’m there, I lose all (well,
most) stress. I enjoy most everything about it; the resorts, the
parks, the attractions, the restaurants – all of it. In seven
days, I never ran into a nasty CM. I love that everyone I do business
with while I’m there seems happy and eager to help.
I especially enjoy seeing the smiles on other guests. I enjoy
exchanging ‘Good Mornings’ with a complete stranger
in a hotel hallway. I enjoy hearing other families asking “What
was your favorite ride?” I guess I’ll go back.
Thanks for reading.
Questions or comments? Email me at srusso@nycap.rr.com
Please put ‘Trip Report’ in the Subject line.
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