Nala and pride "Here we go again!" Final thoughts and COMPLETE! Updated 7/30 About This Page:

[mattnkatsmum]

I'm so sorry your report is coming to and end. And what a wonderful last instalment. I too laughed out loud at the mouse droppings episode, but felt a little choked at the poignant end.

[coastgirl]

Nala, talk about timing--I am trying to decide between Chef Mickey's and Crystal Palace, and your description is very helpful! I often type "LOL" but rarely really, really mean it...the sprinkles were a spit-my-coffee-over-the-keyboard moment. Although I could totally believe Mickey had wee cousins with pink droppings at the World.

Thanks for articulating the specialness that I am beginning to understand. For me, it's dd on the carousel. Worth every penny and every moment of plotting and planning. Looking forward to your next tr!

[lauren-roxy]

Wonderful and heart-felt update Nala!! Love the pictures of Kiara with the characters!! I was laughing so hard about the sprinkles, that is something that I would have done too. Sounds like you really had a lovely trip this time. I'm so sorry that it's coming to an end.

[Jillybean]

Oh Nala! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rofl2.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rofl2.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rofl2.gif[/img] Those sprinkles will get you every time! Thank goodness, you discovered the true source in time! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

And I love how you were able to realize that tie between your father's love for Disney and yours. It made me remember the caption for your sig pic of Kiara on the carousel "That smile is what makes me come back to Disney."

[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/love.gif[/img]

Jill

[Nala]

The wake up call came at a painfully early hour the next morning. It was so early, even Kiara, the child who doesn’t sleep past 5 AM, was not awake yet. Guess she has finally adjusted to the time change. Unfortunately, it was too little, too late. I knew we would spend the next week or two getting her back to our time zone. (Who knew only a one hour difference could mess a kid up so much?) There wasn’t much to do since the packing had been done the night before, so we quickly got ready, packed up the remaining items and called Bell Service to collect our bags.

As we waited for Bell Service to come to our door, I made a final sweep of the room, and as I did I carefully watched the clock. A few minutes before six, I stepped out on the balcony one final time. It was still quite dark but I figured my last look from that spot would afford me a final glance of one of my favorite things at the WL. The geyser. I stood there and waited, The hour approached. And then it pasted. So I waited a few more minutes. Still nothing. I checked the clock. 6:05. Hmmmm. But I didn’t give up. I figured the geyser was just a little off this morning. Another five minutes passed and I forced myself to accept the fact that it just wasn’t going to erupt. I never thought that perhaps it was shut off during the wee hours of the morning. I remember thinking how ironic it was. Here I was about to go back into the harsh reality of real life, and this was just the beginning of indications that I was stepping out of my fantasy world. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif[/img]

Bell Service knocked on the door and took our bags. It was time. I took one final look across the courtyard and then left the room and closed the door on the final chapter of this magical trip. We made our way through the deserted lobby and once again I was struck by its awesome beauty. At this early hour, it was quiet and empty and afforded me a final look around with out any distraction. We headed outside and waited about ten minutes for our town car to arrive. True to form, our Happy Limo driver arrived on time and was friendly and courteous. We loaded up and were on our way. We chatted with the driver about our trip for a while and then the conversation fell off. Grumpy and Kiara were both catching a little cat nap and I was left to watch the sites along the way to Sanford. Traffic was light at the hour in the morning and we arrived at the airport in about 45 minutes.

We checked in for our flight and when we received our boarding passes I was grateful that mine was not once again plastered with the big S’s that I had seen on the flight down. We breezed through security in about five minutes (gotta love those small airports!) and headed to our gate to wait for our plane. It was running a bit late and we took to entertaining ourselves with whatever we could. After Grumpy finished the paper he brought from the WL, (he was cruising the help wanted ads of the Orlando paper) he for some reason started reading his boarding pass. And when he started laughing I was totally confused as to what could possibly be so funny. He then told me to take a good look at mine. And this is what I found:


Look at the arrival city. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] Remember the ordeal with our flight being cancelled from Peoria and being moved to a flight from Rockford? I looked at Grumpy and said “Holy cow! How are we going to get our van? “ [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/rofl2.gif[/img] Of course we both knew it was a mistake that was never changed in the computer, but we cracking up about it. Guess we were a bit easily entertained that morning. Our plane finally arrived and since it was late, the dreaded airline know as Allegiant decided to kick boarding into high gear and load from both doors. The Allegiant employee assured us that both doors would lead to Rockford and Grumpy and I laughed that the back entrance would really come out in Peoria. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]

We were all ready to do the super charged boarding when a call came in stating the airplane had a mechanical problem and there would be a slight delay. Those are NOT the words a person who hates to fly enjoys hearing. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/eek.gif[/img] Allegiant assured us it was a quick fix and we would be on our way shortly. The time they quoted for the delay passed and then the free drinks were brought out. A bad sign, especially from an airline that charges for soft drinks. . I guess they figured they would pacify the masses with a free soda before they broke the bad news. The delay was going to be longer and this time they didn’t quote a time. Grumpy, who worked for American years ago, was certain we would be spending quite a bit of time in Sanford.

But, after about a half an hour, we were finally able to board. And I only hoped that Allegiant was more diligent in their mechanical repairs then they were in their reservation process. Obviously they were as I am here to tell the story and we had a safe and uneventful flight. And yes, the plane did land in Rockford.

We headed to our van, made the three hour drive home and completed the last leg of our journey.

Up next, favorite memories and final thoughts.

[ilovedisney0_0]

I have loved reading every word of your TR! What a beautiful, magical time you had. Thank you so much for sharing it with us!

[img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] Amy

[luvnwdwgal]

The final day and the trip home is always so sad! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] Looking forward to your favorite memories and final thoughts! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[DrDolphin]

Sorry to hear you had to go back to the real world!!!! And too funny about the boarding pass... glas to hear the back of the plane made it to Rockford!

[lauren-roxy]

Glad you made it home and landed at the right city Nala!! Sorry your magical vacation had to come to an end, I too always look around our room the day we leave with a heavy heart. Can't wait to read your final thoughts!!!

[Colexis Mom]

Glad you made it home safely Nala [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/zwavin.gif[/img] Mechanical issues on planes are not my favorite things either [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502no_prv.gif[/img]

Looking forward to your final thoughts [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[Nala]

To quote Rafiki, “It is time”. Time to close this trip report, which has been a long time coming!


Golly, where does one possible start with favorite memories of such a wonderful trip? Logic would dictate at the beginning, so I will take that approach.

Starting a trip out with a free upgrade is always a great way to begin. Our upgrade with Happy Limo was a sure sign that magical things were going to happen on this trip. And walking into the AKL for the first time as a resort guest was a wonderful feeling. Being able to finally tell Grumpy about his birthday surprise was a total high. (even though he confessed to Tara and Angie he was on to me!) Concierge level was incredible as was the Sunrise Safari. And our view, WOW! It’s no wonder that Grumpy fell head over heals with the AKL.

And speaking of Angie and Tara, meeting those two wonderful PassPorters was an absolute joy. Grumpy also enjoyed our meeting and the two of them helped convince him that this board I hang out on is not full of internet freaks and weirdos, but instead is full of fun, wonderful people who share a common love. Kiara was also totally smitten with the two of them and asked about them for days to come. She was a bit messed up on their names and kept calling them Ashley and Kara, but I knew who she was talking about. [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

And then there was the move to the WL. While Grumpy was not happy about this, I was thrilled. And receiving yet another upgrade there from a standard view to that beautiful courtyard view was pure magic. I cannot put into words how much I love that view! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thewave.gif[/img]

There were so many other moments that were special. The CM at TE who gave Kiara the Mickey rice crispy treat, the couple on the bus who gave Kiara the stuffed animal from Dinoland and all the other little things that mean so much to us. And of course there were the big moments.

For Grumpy it was the fishing excursion and seeing his little girl land her first bass. And he also enjoyed his birthday dinner at the Concourse Steakhouse. I have to agree that this was one of my favorite meals. Not only did we enjoy the food and service, but we also loved watching the monorail go by and Kiara’s reaction every time it did.

For Kiara, I’m sure the highlight of her trip was wearing that princess dress and mingling with the Disney royals at CRT. The smile on her face in the pictures says it all. Funny how something as little as a princess putting a big smooch on a little girl’s face could mean so much. Collecting princess kisses is now a full time hobby for her at WDW. And a ride on the carrousel or the Magic Carpets is still a big thrill and a must do. Speaking of big thrills for Kiara, our evening at ‘Ohana and being able to finally see Wishes and ENJOY them for the first time was another big hit. And those Power Rangers at MGM! A huge “WOW” for her.

The fireworks from ‘Ohana tops my list too. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was to sit and watch Kiara’s face filled with awe and excitement as she was finally able to see Wishes with out being terrified. That was a tearful moment for me. And while I most enjoyed watching my husband and daughter having their happiest moments, I had my own. Ridding EE for the first time. Seeing the couple from Buffalo from the year before. The AK at night. The chocolate sprinkles at CP. And of course my new discovery of a favorite treat, the citrus swirl. But of all of these things, my most favorite memories of this trip are the smiles I saw on Kiara’s face. That was always priceless.


Things I learned on this trip:

A split stay is a really great way to enjoy several resorts. However, I was not found of living out of a suitcase for the first few days. I just didn’t see the point in unpacking and it was a bit of a pain. If we do a split stay in the future, I will divide the stay more evenly and not do a 3/6 night split.

And while I knew Grumpy was found of watching North American wildlife, I was unaware of his love of all wildlife. He was enthralled with the African animals outside our balcony and spent every possible moment watching them when in our room at the AKL.

This was also our first time at a resort with a zero entry pool and the three of us loved it. It allowed Kiara to just walk right in while Grumpy or I were able to sit on the side and keep an eye on her. A real bonus for me as that cold water was not something I was too fond of!

Jiko is a to die for restaurant! The Concourse Steakhouse is one of the most underrated restaurants on property.

Leaving WDW has always been painful to me, but I am starting to realize that every time gets a little harder. While Kiara mentally is still enjoying the little things, I fear the day will come when they no longer hold the same charm. One of the blessings of having a child with a disability is that that day is probably a lot farther off then that of a normal child. I am hopeful that we will have many more years of a princess kiss or a ride on the carrousel making our baby so very happy.

And last but not least, I cannot pull anything over on my darling Grumpy. While I worked so hard to keep his birthday surprise a secret, he was on to me!

So, what is left to say? The magic of Disney is alive and well and we were touched by it over and over. And there is no doubt in our minds that we will return every chance we get. My passionate love of WDW has enabled me to inflict it on my pride. Thankfully, their love is now as great as mine.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this long, drawn out report. The kind words in your posts have both blown me away and flattered me. I feel blessed that five years ago I found this community and discovered there are others in the world as obsessed with Disney as I am. You guys rock!!!!!

And for anyone who wants to put theirself through reading another one of my trip reports, stay tuned for the next one. Coming soon “Kiara’s Not So Scary Surprise”.

[Colexis Mom]

Great job Nala [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

What a magical time you guys had, with so many precious moments! I'm so looking forward to the Halloween trip [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/082502yes_prv.gif[/img] [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/thanx.gif[/img]

[DrDolphin]

Thank you for such a wonderful report!!!

[Tink and co.]

Alright already, let's get started with the next trip! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] Seriously, I really enjoyed your report and can't wait for the next one!

[luvnwdwgal]

What a WONDERFUL trip report! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/applause.gif[/img] I am soooo looking forward to the next one! [img]/ubb/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]