[Our pack-it-all-in trip, June 4-12, 2011, Part 6 – Days 8 & 9, and final thoughts

[Aurora]

Our pack-it-all-in trip, June 4-12, 2011, Part 6, Days 8 and 9, and final thoughts

Days 8 and 9: Saturday was our check-out day, and we had a long drive ahead of us back to Chicago, but we were in no hurry to get going. Had breakfast in the room, packed everything up, loaded the car, and walked over to the Contemporary to see if there was anything we missed in the gift shops. From the BLT bridge, I took some photos of the monorail driving in and out of the Contemporary. I have such fond memories of this – it was one of my very first thrills of Walt Disney World during my first visit as a kid in 1978.

DH checked out at the front desk and asked for a printout of our room charges – we had very few, because we tend to spend more when we’re charging to the room, so we try to avoid that. The desk CM asked how our stay was, and DH said it was very pleasant overall, and he also mentioned the housekeeping and maintenance issues. We wanted to use a different credit card than what was on the room, so DH stepped away from the desk to phone me from the lobby to get the CC numbers. When he returned to the desk, the CM had, without request, taken off all the charges to try to compensate us for our inconvenience. Very nice guest service and much appreciated, since despite our request for housekeeping on our first day, housekeeping only came on their usual 4th day for towel and trash.

We left around 1 p.m. and drove up I-4 to I-95 and the Florida coast. I packed everyone’s swimsuits and towels separately so we could go for a dip in the ocean. We stopped at Flagler Beach – a very laid-back, relatively undeveloped local beach about 15-20 miles north of Daytona with parking along and across the street. We found out about it from an older gentleman at a gas station, and it felt like a hidden gem. Had a great swim in the waves – we could only spare about an hour, unfortunately – and then back on the road.

We drove north with a stop in Savannah for an early dinner and then cut over to I-26 north of Charleston to head to Greenville, S.C. for an overnight stay at Crowne Plaza Hotel. In the morning we ate at the Waffle House across the street from the hotel and then got on the road again.

I was hoping to stop in Asheville, N.C. for a peek at the Biltmore Estate, but it was $69 an adult for a self-guided tour, or even just to drive through the gates. (These were weekend on-site rates; I didn’t know you could buy advance tickets online for a weekday for $20 less per person.) So we took a pass. We headed on through the Great Smoky Mountains through a pretty heavy rainstorm – but beautiful! – and just kept trucking through the rest of the day until we made it home around midnight. It’s been almost two weeks since our return home, and every day, at least one of my kids mentions how much they miss Florida.

Some final thoughts that didn’t make it into the day-by-day report:

It was really great to spend some of this vacation with Sis and her family. It was the best of both worlds – DH and I had plenty of time with our own kids and a good amount of time with my sister’s family, and the little kids and big kids got to hang out with each other.

We didn’t use PhotoPass for this trip, and I took fewer photos than I ever have before. I think this was because we didn’t spend as many days in the parks – actually the fewest we’ve ever spent at WDW – three days. Our last trip was six days in the parks plus one water park day (we flew that time), and six years ago, we did Disneyland in three days, but that was way more doable with just two parks. I would not go to WDW again with just three park days planned. We didn’t visit Animal Kingdom and felt like we missed a lot in the parks we did visit – mostly the ability to just take it in along the way.

Although we were able to make a couple of very enjoyable stops along the way, I also don’t think we will drive again, at least not if we have only a week’s vacation and two drivers. We drove for a total of four days (about 20 hours drive time, not including stops) and vacationed for five. Money is getting tighter for us and I don’t know when our next trip will be, but we’ll either wait for the big kids to be old enough to help out with driving and do the whole route commando-style, or we’ll save up the money to fly and rent a car next time.

One big surprise – we didn’t get any rain the whole time we were in Florida. It was actually a little weird – I’m so used to the 20-minute daily storm or even the half-day rain. We got only one brief little spitting for about five minutes mid-week – I wouldn’t even call it rain; it was less than what we get standing next to someone with one of those fan misters.

When we unpacked our clothes at home, they all had that “vacation” smell. I don’t know what that is – whether it’s the combination of air conditioning, sunblock and humid tropical air, or something else, but I want to know why someone hasn’t bottled it yet. They could make a TON of money. I don’t know if I believe in aromatherapy, but I do believe in the smell of Disney World.

[brian2000boston]

I am so glad you posted this, you have no idea how much searching I was doing earlier today trying to find part 6.

Your trip sounded great and i can promise if you find a wat to bottle that smell i will be your first customer.

Thanks for the great stories, i am sad its over. I really enjoyed living your vacation through your great trip report.

[T-Belle]

" I don’t know if I believe in aromatherapy, but I do believe in the smell of Disney World."

I just LOVE that quote!!! Thanks so much for sharing.

[Aurora]

Originally Posted by brian2000boston

I am so glad you posted this, you have no idea how much searching I was doing earlier today trying to find part 6.

Your trip sounded great and i can promise if you find a wat to bottle that smell i will be your first customer.

Thanks for the great stories, i am sad its over. I really enjoyed living your vacation through your great trip report.

Originally Posted by T-Belle

" I don’t know if I believe in aromatherapy, but I do believe in the smell of Disney World."

I just LOVE that quote!!! Thanks so much for sharing.

Thanks so much! If I ever do find a scent that comes close, I'll be sure to let all my intercot friends know!

[vizsla]

Thanks for the report.

[KylesMom]

It's been great to hang with your family - thanks for taking us along for this short but sweet trip. Your reports must have been good, because it seemed like you were vacationing for much longer!

I have to agree with you about the drive - the last time we attempted it, it was entirely too much (especially getting stuck in a traffic jam for hours upon hours on the way home). Granted, last summer we were stuck at O'Hare for hours upon hours the day of the big flood, but at least we were still in Florida at the end of the day.

I don’t know if I believe in aromatherapy, but I do believe in the smell of Disney World.

Love it!

[DizNee143]

i hate the last day..
but sounds like you guys had a nice overall vacation..
and i so agree with you about that "disney smell"

[faline]

Awww! The end of the trip is always sad! Thanks for the reports! I enjoyed reading each and every one!

[Aurora]

Originally Posted by KylesMom

Granted, last summer we were stuck at O'Hare for hours upon hours the day of the big flood, but at least we were still in Florida at the end of the day.

Yeah, I'd rather be stuck ANYWHERE if I knew I would be in Florida by day's end.

[CanadaLovesDisney]

Thanks for sharing! You reminded me of some things I need to bring along for our upcoming trip!

And I'll take 5 bottles of that scent
Yesterday as I drove down the road someone was burning something and I could smell the fake burning wood that they have on spaceship earth! I got so excited and smiled the whole way home!

Now if I could only recreate the smell of the confectionary...

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the Report!