Wow! And did you say, "No Characters?!" Finale About This Page:

[sarah_belle]

I can't wait to read more, but I am sorry your trip is coming to an end. Great installment!

Sarah

[poohsgirl]

[ QUOTE ]
Oh Mickey woke me up way to early! But he did tell me to get up and at 'em so I had to listen. It's Mickey after all! I nudge DH and he grunts. I think for a second and decide, let him sleep. I get showered, grab some money, make sure I have my AP and off to pick up DS#1. When I get to Alligator Bayou, not only is DS#1 there, so is DS#2. #2 is my sleepy head and it really shocked me that he was up and ready to go for 7 am.


[/ QUOTE ]
<font color="purple">What won't we do for our kids?!?
Can't wait for more!
Loved your article in the Passporter Newsletter! </font>

[Diz]

On Friday I leave for another trip. Thought I'd better finish this one first!



Day 9



Mickey wakes me up this morning, but I don't jump out of bed happy. I'm sad. This is the last time I'll hear his voice until October.



This morning is a swim and pack morning. The Dteens have one last opportunity to hit the pool and they take it. After swimming they pack up their stuff, load it in the van and we're....not going anywhere!



MIL has disappeared between the room and the van. Now where did that woman go?! Oh, someone says she went to the front desk to get out her unused traveler's checks. Okay. We'll check the rooms, finish moving things around the van to make room (everyone bought so much stuff!) and then we'll head over to Guest Services and pick her up.



I go into room #1 - ok. Nothing left behind. Not in too bad of shape either for a group of guys hanging out in there all week! Kudos to the guys!



Room #2 - a little more messier. Sorry gals, but you know it's true! Nothing left behind, but wait! Oh no, MIL locked the safe and took the key with her! Is it empty and she just locked it...or is it full of cash? Now we couldn't leave that behind, now could we?!



DS#1 runs over to the main building and asks her for the key. I don't have the key is the response. Oh no! Here we go! He runs back to the room (I asked him why he didn't just call ) and relays the message. So off to the van, over to Guest Services and I say to MIL, you have to have the key. It's not there. No, no. I don't have it! Really I don't! She didn't have a big purse with her this week. She used something about the size of the passporter lanyard, but it was all black. I ask, can it be in your purse? No, no. I was just in there. It's a large key and I would have seen it. She has some envelopes with her so she goes through them--no key. I just about grab her purse because at this point it is getting late and we have breakfast ps at Whispering Canyon Cafe. As I grab I say, can I look inside. Oh of course you can. I reach in the first compartment--there's the key! I told you before MIL is known as Super Dingbat. She gets her traveler's checks and off we head back to the van, back to the room. No cash in the safe, though. MIL says on the way out of the room, I really have a lot of traveler's checks left. I thought I'd spend more money than I did. That's when I reminded her that we set everything up so that the meals were pre-paid (Q&amp;C and breakfast vouchers) or paid by cc. She didn't want to spend a lot of cash and so I worked very hard to follow that request. She said, you sure did a great job of that. I spent less cash here then I do at home in a day!



Well we say goodbye to POR our home for the past week. We head to the Wilderness Lodge. The Dteens ask why this is such a great restaurant. My Dfamily says, you'll see.



Let's just call the rest of the day...Ketttttt-chhhhhhhuuuup!



The fun began as we entered the restaurant. The CM was perfect for our gang. He didn't let the Dteens give him any guff! Some of us order the all-in-one meal and others order off the menu. The Dteens were surprised at how "rude" the CMs were. They still hadn't caught on to the act. LOL! Little by little, they figured it out and were laughing their heads off! Then breakfast came. Ashley asked for ketchup. Up until now, no one had asked for ketchup in the restaurant. You should have seen her face! It was priceless! All the Dteens loved every moment! There were at least 20 bottles of ketchup on the table! Ashley couldn't believe it. She lined them up and took a picture. It will be a great memory for her. Then someone else asked for ketchup in the dining room so all of the Dteens got up and carted the bottles over to them. But they forgot to keep one! And Jennifer now needed ketchup. Yup! Ketttttchhhhhuppppp! LOL! Back the ketchup comes to us! It's priceless! The Dteens are having a ball!



It was a perfect last meal for us! Laughing is a great way to end a Dtrip!



Well we've finally had our bellies full and we make a stop in the gift shop. I WL's store so this is a must for me. I look lovingly at the Mleather jacket I've always wanted. WL has always had it since my first trip there and every year since! I look longingly and say, only if. It's $395 and too much right now. (Side note: Later in August I find out that the coat would be mine! DS#1 brought it home with him at the end of August! Thank you DD and DS#1. They bought it for me as a gift! Used DD's 35% off too!)



We leave WL and head off for our last-minute shoppping at DD. I have nothign to buy can that be? Yup. So I get an iced tea and sit at one of the outside tables at Ghiradellis. DH grabs his book and joins me. It is hot! But it is a great location to watch the Dteens go back and forth! And we weren't too far from the van so they could drop off their packages on their way past. And boy did they have packages! The Dteens made sure to buy their moms and dads a gift -- not just a $5 keychain gift. But extravagant, wonderful gifts! One was a hugh crystal eagle....another was a Maleficient mantle clock...you get the picture. They were great gifts!



When everyone was finished, we had ice cream before leaving. I the Strike It Rich Sundae. Maybe one day I'll strike it rich and I'll live in Celebration. The Dteens all tried something different - but they soon found out the ice cream can fill you up!



All day DD has been working and so we were planning on meeting up with her at her apt. and then heading to Hard Rock Cafe on the way out of town. We get in the van and drive to backstage MK and the Dteens are ooohed and awed at the behind the scene view. We get to DDs apt but she's not there! We have a key and go inside. We wait...and wait...and wait. But no DD. We were just about to leave when she called that she had an unscheduled mgr mtg and she was now on her way home. I'm so happy. I didn't want to miss saying goodbye to her.



DD arrives and enjoys showing off her very first apt to her cousins. The Dteens thought it was funny because her kitchen is all Coca-cola decor and in her living room is a corner with a Coca-cola table and some more decorations plus half of the living room is Disney which leads into her bedroom which is all Disney. LOL! She has the best of 2 worlds. The Dgals the bathroom - everything matched (rugs, shower curtain, baskets, etc.). They thought it was so cute. MIL is smiling from ear to ear. Her plan is working. She wanted her grandkids to see how important it is to go to college, get a good job and get your own apt. She's eating this all up!



DD changes out of her mgr clothes and while she does that, her and I are alone in her bedroom talking. DS#1 is staying on with her because he is still working at MK for another week and a half. DS#2 is supposed to stay but has asked if he could go home. DD is disappointed. She wants him to stay. But transportation is impossible for DS#2. He can't get throught the back gate because he's not a CM. Even if he could, he'd have almost 3 miles to the TTC because he couldn't go in the back door of MK. So he's stuck at the apt while DD and DS#1 work. I'm just as shocked as DD. I never thought he'd want to leave.



While we're talking, I look over and see a Dspiral calendar about 3 inches thick. I open it and see that it has a ton of Dinformation in half of it and this year's calender in the other half. I ask DD about it. She was given it as part of her work at Ticketing back in January. She only used it for one or two entries. I say, are you using it now. No, I never really used it at all. I ask, can I have it. It's mine.



We're finally ready to leave and the Dteens say they aren't hungry. What! Not hungry! We have HCC gift certificates we bought on Hotwiresavingsclub.com. But nope. A big breakfast and ice cream did them in. We decide to just get on the road, leaving DD and DS#1 to find dinner on their own.



Goodbyes are said. A few tears shed. But we gotta go.



It was a wonderful trip. Everything was accomplished that we planned to do. MIL had precious time alone with her grandchildren. And now that I'm writing this a little over a month later, it was a very important trip. 2 of the grandkids are headed back to Germany and will not be back to the States for at least 3 years - and by then they'll be over 18. This trip was perfect timing!



It was so much fun! It was wonderful to see the hardened Dteens warm up to WDW...to each other...to grandma. And it was a blast to see how excited they were to have a picture taken with the characters. Wow! No Characters?! is not the way the trip ended. Wow! Bring on the Characters! is the result. Surprised my MIL, but she loved watching them get so excited over seeing a character! It added so much to the overall magic.



It was a Magical Gathering from our first foot on WDW property to our last.

[katspjs]

What a wonderful and magical trip you all had. I so enjoyed reading it! Looking forward to your next one.

[BabieeMelly]

Wow, what an AMAZING trip! I'm 17, so being around the age of your sons, neices and nephews I completely understand their excitement when it came to all the rides, shows and shopping! I'd LOVE to someday try out the Magical Gathering events - especially the Illuminations Dinner and wishes Cruise after the way you described them! Are your DS and DD doing the Walt Disney World College Program, or do they have permenant jobs there? I'm glad you had such a magical trip, and I hope your trip this Friday is just as amazing! Have fun!

[luvnwdwgal]

Thanks for sharing your trip!! I really enjoyed reading about all your "magic"! Looking forward to your next trip report!

[Coinbeach]

Wonderful trip report...And everyone has great memories, that's the best part!!!!!!!

[Diz]

[ QUOTE ]
Are your DS and DD doing the Walt Disney World College Program, or do they have permenant jobs there?

[/ QUOTE ]

My DD started with the WDWCP. She did 3 internships. She is now ending management training. She passed her tests and is now going to things like union contracts and stuff. She is so happy because she has her own apartment, a good job and just today, she got a kitty!

DS#1 (16) was working this summer as a Seasonal Employee. He had a blast! He's hoping to get some hours while we are there this month and in December. He plans on doing the WDWCP when the time comes. He tries talking me into moving to FL every day.

[pparm]

Just got all caught up on your report! It was funny to read the end and look at your countdown timer and see your leaving in a day! Have a great time and enjoy MNSSHP!
Paula ºOº

[KrisLuvsDisney]

What a great trip report! I enjoyed reading it!

[Grammy Grumpy]

Thanks for the great report. Just got all caught up and you've had another one! We'll be there in December also. What dates are you there? -- Barb

[Diz]

Oh I can't wait for December! We're leaving late Christmas Eve and driving the night through. We'll be in WDW BoardWalk on December 25th-30th! I can't wait!

When are you going?

[Stephanie P.]

I had a great time reading your trip report! Glad you guys had such a good time!

[RazberSwrl]

Just caught up with your report....thanks for sharing, I really enjoyed it!

[jakenjess]

Great trip report! I'm so glad everyone had such a magical time. Thanks for sharing!