Day 4 in WDW - Departure Day
Sadly our time at Walt Disney World was way too short and we had to get back on the road for home, we woke up and got everything packed into our bags. We said a sad goodbye to our Villa, I hate that last walk away from the room when the realization hit you that it's over and you're going home. I had to be in the lobby at 9:30 to return my ECV, and we had a 10am ADR at Whispering canyon with Becks & family. We did a little shopping for last minute trinkets and tokens.
I attempted to settle up my bill at the front desk, but the computers were having a software update and it hadn't finished yet. Disney just assumed that everyone would be fine with settling their bill on the credit cards on file. Ummm... no, that was never my plan and my insistence on paying with cash & gift cards set more than one front desk clerk scrambling. They print out a folio for me, and then we added up all my receipts from what I had spent that morning and subtracted that from the credit I had on the bill. Then they took the gift cards and cash and had to do a cash drop directly into the safe for them. It was an absolute mess and simply boggled my mind that paying with cash & gift cards was causing so much trouble. However that was taken care and we sat down to wait for our ADR. Everyone was tired, and no one was happy we were leaving.
My rental camera was packed up to be turned back in, so these pics are just off my phone.
It wasn't too long before Becks, Carlos and Ian arrived for breakfast. So we checked in at Whispering Canyon and waited to be seated. The restaurant was only about half full, but they put us out of the way back in the corner next to the hallway to the bathroom and the server station. Okay... I know that I'm a bit of a snob when it comes to all hospitality services, but this was really the bum table and I was annoyed by the placement. In retrospect, it was probably the best possible place for them to put us because we were having ... ummm ... a lot of fun.
This one me was the absolute most joyful, playful, relaxed, fun time I had during the entire trip. I know that Whispering Canyon has been getting mixed reviews lately, and the crowds have really been subdued on my last three trips but I LOVE this place. I think that a lot of the experience here is what you make of it. You can't just sit back and expect to have fun, you have to be a part of the fun. The eight of us "bad kids" sitting in the corner were probably having more fun than every other table in there combine.
Becks and I enjoyed morning cocktails! Because everyone knows that my favorite breakfast is a Mimosa 
And my kids all indulged in bottomless breakfast milkshakes of many flavors. The waitress threw straws at us. My normally surly Katie didn't like the "attitude" of the servers at first, but when we told her that it was all part of the fun and she was allowed to be snarky right back at them she loosened up and joined the fun. Many servers stopped by our table and we just egged them all on.
Kirk and Katie rode hobby horses in the pony race because hey - they said all ages!
Ian needed some ketchup we all yelled "We Need Ketchup!" and very slowly and calmly people walked some bottles over to us.
... and then got Kirk & Ian creative in it's use.
When another family yelled for the ketchup. "We've got ketchup!" we all grabbed a bottle and rushed over like a thundering herd!! LOL... scared the daylights out of the Mom as well as the table next to them. We totally didn't care. We ate biscuts and gravy, and sausage, and bacon, and eggs and potatoes, and Mickey Waffles! It was all delicious. We discussed the wedding events and how everything went, it was a great way to debrief and vent the last of the emotion.
Becks got thirsty because a woman can not live on Mimosa alone. A big soda was needed...
We were sure to get a fast pass for the potty.
Before long, it was 11am and I was turning my camera back in. Kingdom Camera rentals drops off & picks up right in the lobby of your hotel. It was pretty wonderful, I was super happy with the service, super happy with the camera, and super happy with my pictures. If I can't pull together the funds to buy my own DSLR I will absolutely be renting from them again.
I went back to the table and had a seat. Everyone was pretty done with stuffing their faces and that realization hit once again that it was time for my family to hit the road. Geordon went to get the van and we all headed towards the Porte-cochere. After hugs and a few tears we said good-bye and got back on the road, for home.
Less than an hour later I was stopped for one last lovely Florida souvenir. I was caught in a speed trap, a police plane had clocked me doing 85 and along with about a dozen other vehicles I was pulled over and given a ticket. So annoying! I was ranting about Becks' sister and not paying attention at all to the fact that I was going too fast. The police officer was very nice, and took care of everything very quickly. I am just happy that I all I have to do is pay it online. The rest of the trip home went much more slowly, and I never need that sort of souvenir again.
Driving home seemed like it took *forever*. We made it to Chatanooga the first night and then home on the second. When I returned the rental van the next day I explained that there was a leak in the ceiling and showed them the water damage and gave them the trouble ticket number that I had opened. Enterprise comped my entire rental cost. Go them!
What did I take away from this trip?
- Weddings are damn hard work, and I have three kids. This experience is not over for me.
- Disney in June is more hot and humid than I am comfortable with. I'll stick with October and February.
- Length of stay ECV rental is wonderful, and my BFF is a Goddess for opening my eyes to that.
- Camera rental rocks, but I really want my own DSLR more than ever now.
- Wilderness Lodge Villas are lovely, but I still want to stay at BLT.
- Everyone does not always travel well together, but I know 7 people I can always have fun with.
I absolutely cannot say thank you enough for all that you did for us. It was fabulous (drama queens and all) and I promise I will be there to herd cats with you when it's one of the kids turns. But what am I talking about?! Five years and counting, right?
