Brad's Intercot Excursion Day 8 - A Disappointing Departure & Final Thoughts

[brad192]

10/16/07 - Tuesday

Cast – Just Me, 48 Yr. old Disney Nut, engineer, singer, and thespian.

Dates – 10/9 thru 10/16

Accommodations – Pop Century, 50’s section, room 3434.


Well, it’s finally here – departure day. Aw Pooh! I got up about 8, showered, dressed, and finished packing. Uh oh, I bet I’m close on the weight for my checked bag! Everything fit though, whew! Headed down to the food court for my morning OJ, and to burn the last 5 snack credits on my DDP. I wanted to get something that would a) travel well, b) last awhile after I got back, and c) remind me of the trip. Aha! Mickey Rice Krispy Treats! Snagged 4 chocolate ones & a plain. Poof! No more snack credits. Returning to my room, they all fit nicely into my carry on. I still had time to kill, so I did a bit more shopping in the gift shop & got a really nice WDW branded windbreaker for the cool fall Michigan days ahead. Cramming that into my carry on, I made a last check of the room & was ready to go by 9:45. My DME pickup wasn’t until 10:45, so I kicked back on the bed & watched a little resort TV until about 10:15 when Mousekeeping knocked on the door, effectively kicking me out. I gathered my round, full, firmly packed bags & headed for the DME pickup. Ran into Lanny (hoop de doo) and his gang while waiting, and found that we had the same pickup for MCO. I wheeled my bags out to the stop & grabbed a seat under a palm tree to wait for the bus, enjoying the warm breeze & sunshine, thinking to myself that it’s going to be a whole different story back in Michigan (I was sooo right!)

Our scheduled pickup time came & went with no bus in sight, but I wasn’t too worried yet. About 10:55 a Mears bus rolled up & I thought to myself this can’t be for us. Wrong! The driver, with a less than Disney attitude, announced to us that he was “helping out” DME and that this was indeed our bus back to MCO. Aw Pooh, again! Our luggage loaded, we climbed aboard a standard old bus – no Disney departure video, no special Disney décor, no Magic. Upon our arrival at MCO, the driver insisted that we remain on the bus until he had unloaded our luggage. Huh? Just get me my bag, bubba, and I’ll be on my way. Fortunately, mine was one of the first off the bus, so I departed for check in quickly.

Checking in, I set my bag on the scale wondering if I was indeed over the 50 lb weight limit. Nope! Just under at 48.5 lbs! Now that’s planning! Checked in, I made it thru security with no problems, although the bag screener took a hard look at my carry on. Probably had never seen so many Mickey Rice Krispy Treats before. Heading for the gate, the Magic of Disney store pulled me in like a black hole, and I ended up buying couple more things there, including the ever elusive Illuminations CD I had been hunting for all week. I continued toward the gate, grabbing a turkey wrap thing & a drink for lunch. Ehh. With about an hour before boarding, I bought a magazine & camped out at the gate to eat my so-called lunch & read. The plane boarded right on time, and we were wheels up at 1:55. It was an uneventful flight home, until we were approaching Detroit. Apparently, another plane had declared a mechanical emergency & needed to land immediately! Every other plane, including ours, was put in a holding pattern while the plane with the emergency landed. We circled about 40 minutes, and were finally told the other plane had landed safely, and that we were now cleared to land. The plane touched down about 20 minutes late, and I retrieved my luggage, got to my car, paid the outrageous parking fee ($144.00!), and fought the rush hour traffic home thru the 45 degree, windy, rainy late afternoon. Glad I had my new WDW jacket! My cats nearly freaked out when I arrived home, and wouldn’t leave me alone for the rest of the night. It took a little of the sadness away. I unpacked, did laundry, and then started looking at the calendar & began planning to take my next WDW trip!

Final Thoughts:

This was one of the best trips to WDW I’ve had. Not only was it fantastic meeting all the Intercot people & having fun with them, but it was the first time I could relax a little & not feel like I had to do everything offered. The weather was near perfect every day, and the crowds were manageable too. I got to do a lot of the new stuff that wasn’t there my last trip, and finally got to do several things I always seemed to miss before. I’ll certainly never again wait 3 years to return as that’s just plain wrong, and if the budget allows it I’m going to try to do 2 trips a year from now on. I’m addicted, I know, but as addictions go, it could be a lot worse than a love for the Happiest Place On Earth!

The Highlights (in no particular order):

Meeting a whole lot of wonderful Intercot folks.
MNSSHP – what a fun time!
Soarin’ – Wow!
Finding Nemo – Double Wow!
The private meet & greet with Mickey.
The Illuminations party.
Intercot swag.
Ralph, my towel dog.
The new, improved HM.
DDP – I gained 6 pounds!
And finally – Being able to relax, enjoy the magic, and be stress free for an entire week. Ahhh.

The Lowlights:

Waiting (and worrying) on my luggage delivery from DME for 5 ½ hours.
Not achieving my rollercoaster goal.
The 40 minute ordeal inside PotC.
Forgetting to get a Dole Whip – shame on me!
That darn blister on my left foot.
Being so sore the last two days I could barely get out of bed.
Losing a roll of film that had all my Nemo show pictures on it.
The disappointing ride back to MCO on a regular Mears bus.
Leaving WDW – ‘nuff said.

Thanks everyone for reading my sometimes long-winded trip reports, it’s been fun writing them & reading all your responses. Right now, I’m tentatively looking at a May ’08 return to the World for another week of fun, so if any of you will be there at that time, maybe we could meet up & relive the “glory days” of the 10th anniversary meet. See Ya Real Soon!

[KylesMom]

Brad, it's been a real pleasure reading your reports from start to finish. You've effectively put the magic into words for us all to enjoy - a few times I was right along with you!

Thanks for sharing your wonderful trip!

[dolphinmickey9170]

Hey Brad, how did the cats feel about Ralph?

We'll be there in May as well, the 17th-23rd. Maybe we will see ya! Thanks somuch for sharing your wonderful reports. It has been a great pleasure reading them. Looking forward to the next trip!!

[faline]

That bit about staying on the bus while they offload your luggage seems to be standard operating procedure for Magical Express. It has occurred every time (except once) that we've used this service. I rather liked the exception!

It was good to meet you! I'm glad you had such a great trip and are already planning a return!

[offwego]

Thank you so much for sharing your reports! It was fun to read about your trip.

[AbeeNormal]

I really enjoyed reading about your trip, thanks for taking me along.

I can't wait to hear all about your trip in May.

Will you consider a trip in January? We could really use I guide, we've never been.

Don't forget your Dole Whip in May

[hoop de do]

Thanks a billion for your reports. You do an admirable job relating your experiences.It looks like our paths may cross again because my wife and I will be going to the WORLD 5/15 to 5/20/08. Needless to say if you are there maybe we can hook up for a lunch or dinner or even go Soarin'.
Talk to ya' later.

[MissStyles]

Brad - I had a blast with you - it truly was a pleasure Thank you so much for all your reports. I'm glad you made it home safely and are already planning another trip!!!!!!!!!!! I guess I'll see ya around here

[ChipnDaleGal]

That is so sweet that you had a feline welcoming committee when you got home. Never fun to go home, but at least now you can start dreaming about the next trip. It was so nice to meet you Brad, and I am very glad that you were able to come down during all the big Intercot Meets! Thanks for sharing it all with us in your great reports!

[irish1967]

I really enjoyed your trip reports, Brad! Thanks for sharing the magic with us!

[MamaStyles]

HI Brad,

I really enjoyed your trip report, I join with you in the 'sadness' on leaving WDW

It was great meeting you Intercot weekend.

I think you should move to FLorida, then you can enjoy many weekend trips to WDW, the excitement is ALWAYS there



Marcie

THERE'S A GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL TOMORROW......

[LottaLubes]

Hello Brad...my daughter and I spent some quality time together reading your reports. We had a lot of fun...thanks for taking us on your journey!

[DizNee143]

what a great trip you had!! i really enojyed reading all about it!! i jsut got back the beiging of this week..and your reports made me feel like i was back there...god i miss it so much!! but thank you for sharing your trip with us!!

[TikiGoddess]

Originally Posted by brad192

I’ll certainly never again wait 3 years to return as that’s just plain wrong, and if the budget allows it I’m going to try to do 2 trips a year from now on. I’m addicted, I know, but as addictions go, it could be a lot worse than a love for the Happiest Place On Earth![/SIZE]

That is my choice -- visiting two times a year. Even though they're usually short trips, I still enjoy being there and getting my fill of the Magic. I've been lucky to be able to do this the last three years but I don't think that pattern will continue! The hubby and bank account are not too happy with this plan.

So glad you had a great time! I enjoyed meeting you and wish we had had more time to talk. I'll look forward to your trip reports in March.

Kathy

[princessgirls]

Brad,

Thanks for sharing your great vacation with us!! You put a lot of effort into your reports and they were fun to read.

Remember, life is short and we all work hard. Take time to ENJOY the things that make you happy.
That being said... happy planning for your next trip.

Julie

[realtreebar]

thanks for the trip report!! "gotta love"

[Here we go again...]

I enjoyed reading all of your reports. The long winded part is where we feel like we are living the trip with you.
Thanks, and let us know when you get your pictures up!