"Daisy is a Duck!" -- Day Six (Last Day)
It is with a bittersweet sadness I awaken this morning; today is our last day at Disney Property! Last day of the vacation. On some trips, you have up and down moments, but at the end, you’re about ready to go. Other trips are just out-and-out disasters and you CAN’T WAIT to end them. Not this trip. Every day was amazing. Any obstacle thrown our way (Expedition: Everest down all day,) we just went with it. We laughed at obstacles. Poked fun of them. Throughout, we had the best conversations and as anybody that has a teenager knows, getting their attention focused with you instead of their social media is sometimes a challenge. Not on this trip. It was just wonderful.
I’m up early, shower, dress and get our FastPasses in order. No ILL for Seven Dwarfs Mine Ride today. We rode that twice already. I get a FastPass for Splash Mountain around 10 AM and I buy ILLs for Guardians at around 6 PM at Epcot. (You could still do that on this vacation. I think that has changed now.)
I run for coffee. Last time passing joggers in the morning for a while. When I return, Sophia is readying herself as I get our Thermoflasks ready for the day. We walk to the courtyard and have our breakfast. Omelet for me; light fare for her.
On the bus ride to Magic Kingdom, I still have trouble believing we are at the last day already. This trip FLEW BY!!! It seems like just yesterday we were at the Hampton Inn by the airport, watching "Star Wars: A New Hope" and getting excited about the venture. Now, it's almost over. How did this happen??
Upon arrival just after park opening, we ride Pirates first. The line moves quickly and as we exit, we can use our Splash Mountain FastPasses. After we go through the touchpoints, I get us FPs for Big Thunder valid almost immediately. We have a saying: “You’re not at Disney World until you ride Splash Mountain.” Sadly, we waited until our last day to ride it, but it truly is the best attraction in the Magic Kingdom. So much detail. So many audio animatronics. Not video mapping. Not video screens. Old school hard work and Imagineering. Great music. Just a “Magical” ride. (I hope the makeover does it justice.)
We use our FPs for Big Thunder, but as we are in line, it has a major breakdown and we get “Magic Passes” for us to use on any attraction. Hopefully, it comes back online as we haven’t ridden this either. It starts to drizzle so we go watch the Country Bears. On the way, I grab a FP for Haunted Mansion. Country Bears is cuter than I remember. Next we do Hall of Presidents. This is still a very moving attraction. Haunted Mansion is next and after I pass the touchpoints, I grab a FP for Big Thunder. It’s back, running.
Our plan was to use the “Magic Pass” for Space Mountain. We snack, shop, meander and make our way to Big Thunder. Again, when it’s been a few years since riding it, you kind of forget how good that ride is. Much better than I remember. Now, we work our way to Tomorrowland, but for some reason, our “Magic Pass” isn’t valid at Space Mountain. There are no more FPs available and it’s at 60-minute wait, so we use them instead at Buzz! One more ride on the Peoplemover. We make our way to the castle foreground. The sun is full ablaze and for the first time, I feel it. I see a cart and want To pouches a cooling rag. I recognize the Cast Member.
“Sophia, this was your Fairy Godmother when you went to the Bippity-Boppity Boutique.”
“Sophia, I remember you.”
That would have been 14 years ago. They talk like they’re long-lost friends.
We reminisce for a bit. It’s sweet. Then we say goodbye and serpentine our way through the shops before exiting to take the monorail to Epcot. (This will be the first time we actually use our Park Hopper feature.)
Epcot is open until 9 PM, but Magic Kingdom is open until 11, so we optimistically (naively) think since it’s our last day we will go to Epcot, but maybe come back to the Magic Kingdom one last time. (That temporarily takes away some of the sadness about leaving.)
I grabbed FPs for Soarin’, which will be valid soon. You have to ride the monorail at least once on a trip. Hard to fully comprehend, but I’m becoming the elder other polite individuals make room for on seats. (When did THAT happen??) Sophia tells me she was touched her Fairy Godmother remembered her.
We go straight to Nemo and then go see Turtle Talk with Crush! When Sophia was only five, she sat in front and asked Dude Crush “So, what do you eat?” Now, she’s sitting with me as other five-year-olds ask similar questions. Time goes by so quickly.
Turtle Talk technology is tremendous. The talent required is, as well. We ride Soarin’ one last time. We get much better seats, too. We want to eat at Four Seasons again, but it’s closed. There are just some pre-made food in the refrigerators. One Roast Beef left and I grab it, but it isn’t nearly as tasty as the fresh on I had earlier in the vacation.
Throughout our three trips to Epcot, we weren’t able to get Test Track FPs. Always unavailable (unless I would have gotten it first think in the morning.) Since I didn’t on our one full day there, I was never able to land another. We end up not riding it once.
We work our way over to Guardians. We’ve gotten “Disco Inferno” both times so far. I do the math. With six available songs, to get the same song on three consecutive attempts is 216:1. No way it’s happening. I don’t care what song we get, we just want a different song.
The Pre-Show was screwed up. The “teleportation” didn’t happen. Oh, well. We get into our transports (rollercoaster,) the car rotates to follow the video, REVERSE BLAST!!!
Da da, da da, da da, da da, da da, da da, da da, DAA-duh…
Are you kidding me??? Three times in a row!!! Disco Inferno!!!!
I postulate maybe ILL purchasers get only one song, although that doesn’t make sense because we are not separated from stand-by. My daughter asks a Cast Member: “Do Individual Ride purchasers get only one song?”
She informs us there’s no way to know who’s riding what ride and that the songs are random. My daughter tells her we’ve gotten the same song three times and the CM tells her, we just have to come back and try again until we get a different song. My daughter explains, “We can’t. We leave tomorrow!”
“No! You’re not leaving, hearing the same song three straight times!”
She takes my daughter by the hand and leads her through a Cast Members Only door. I follow. We exit back on the train station, but on the other side this time.
“You’re riding it again and getting a different song!”
And we did!!! We got “September.” It was so cool of her to do that for us. (The next morning after breakfast, we found a Manager at Port Orleans and made sure to acknowledge her for that “Magical Moment.”)
We start working our way to the World Showcase, planning on noshing around the World. We can see on radar, a massive storm (Deep, deep, deep red) is heading our way. We have to be careful.
Each time we’ve been in the World Showcase, Sophia has asked for an “adult beverage,” and when I’ve complied, I had it watered down. (She’s not of age.) This time, I get a Margarita on the rocks for me and a frozen one for her and I don’t’ say anything.
“Whew! That’s strong.”
I giggle. We walk to China.
“Whew!!!”
We watch Reflections of China and we are one of only two groups inside. After we grab something small to eat.
“Whew!!”
“You ok, there, Sophia?”
“That’s pretty strong.”
LOL!!!
Heavy storms look imminent a I suggest we abandon returning to Magic Kingdom, but rather leave early (it’s about 8 PM,) grab a pizza and go back to the room and pack. (We still have most of the six-pack of beer I bought.) Rain starts and people move quickly. We decide to ride Spaceship Earth one last time. It’s a walk on!
When we exit, it’s a mad exodus to the buses. Rain is coming down pretty good. One last ride on the bus to our resort. I point out the date above the driver. She says, “Stop it. You’re making me sad.”
Whole pizza in hand, we head to our room. The entire trip, she made fun of me because she’s a big college student (and I guess they party a lot,) and I’m a lightweight who rarely drinks.
“Dado, I’ll drink you under the table.”
She eats one slice of pizza, has half a beer, and falls asleep without a sound. I’m talking to myself as I watch “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” I cover her, turn on the Walt Disney World tour so I can absorb as much as I can while I drift off. Exhausted.
Sadly, our trip has come to its end. Our wonderful, amazing, dado-daughter vacation is over. It was a blur.
I hope you enjoyed journeying with us.
