Tigerinvestigator
06-01-2008, 11:03 AM
Sunday May 18 Departure Day
The alarm clock went off way to early this morning. The girls and Jaxon got ready first and walked down to Boma for their departure breakfast. From what I heard it was a great breakfast( it must have been because it was a long time before they got hungry) and they had a good time. I stayed in the bed trying to prepare myself for the long, long, long, longlonglong......drive which was ahead. It is bad enough I had to leave my "home" but even worse I had to drive all the way back to Tennessee in one day! The smoke from wildfires had cut off our trip to St. Augustine we usually make after Disney and the girls and Jaxon had to be back at school on Monday. I slowly got up and dressed and finished packing. When the others got back from Boma we were packed and ready. A quick check out and then we were on our way. As we left the AKL grounds we ran headlong into a marathon which diverted us through the Animal Kingdom Cast Member parking. We stopped at the Hess station near the Boardwalk and that gave us one final look at Hollywood Studios, TOT, Swan, Dolphin, and Boardwalk. While I filled up the tank ($76) we caught glimpses of happy guests on their busses headed for happier times. A few minutes later we hit I-4 to I-75 and we were on our way. I had the windows down breathing in that warm Florida air (I swear it is different than the air when you get into Alabama) for a few last hours. We stopped in Cottondale and let Jaxon buy his dad a big Aligator head. We stopped in Birmingham at Shoneys (far cry from Garden Grill) and rolled back into TN about 9pm. I asked Jaxon (who was experiencing his first ever bout with Disney blues) as we were pulling up at his house if he was ready to go home or I could turn the truck around and drive another 12 hrs back to Florida and he said "turn this truck around". Another great vacation had ended just as all of the vacations before it. And here are my final thoughts:
1) The weather and crowds were perfect this week. More so than usual and we never waited in line. Only the last two days were very hot and we never saw a drop of rain.
2) Unchaperoned kids are a problem Disney will have to address at some point. I honestly don't see how a family can enjoy an entire week at a value resort with all of the unchaperoned kids. Vulgar language, loud music, public displays of overaffection, and teenagers running over small children were the norm the one night we stayed at ASMu. Moving to AKL was a blessing.
3) As a career law enforcement officer I was a little upset about the lack of security at DTD while we were there. It was a weeknite and I saw several gang members, smelled dope, and heard profanity within earshot of kids and families on vacation. This is the first night we have noticed this at DTD and they need to stop it before it gets out of hand.
4) Getting back to positive things- The official Ticket Center is great and I highly recommend this Intercot Sponsor!
5)I absolutely hate we never got to meet up with DolphinMickey and crew. We tried but it just wasn't in the schedule. We also looked for Hayden'sDad to no avail. I missed the opportunity to meet Pogo a few years ago (staying at the Poly and we were probably a few feet away watching Wishes from the beach while they watched from their balcony) and I have regretted it ever since because we have become good friends through Intercot.
6)My girls are so much fun at WDW and having Jaxon this trip made it even better.
7)The P&P Party is worth the money!
8)Jiko is the perfect place if you are looking for a good restaurant for an anniversary.
9)My final thought is this: I have always struggled with the Disney Blues as many of you have. It is a feeling of sadness mixed with disappointment of leaving a magical world behind and entering back into a not so perfect world. I have come to the conclusion that while it is painful it is also necessary. I never want to lose the Disney blues because that would mean I no longer love WDW as much as I once did. Those blues are a symbol of our love for WDW and spring hope for another trip and future vacations with our families!:thumbsup:
Thanks for reading folks.........and in the words of Jiminy Cricket....."So long".:)
The alarm clock went off way to early this morning. The girls and Jaxon got ready first and walked down to Boma for their departure breakfast. From what I heard it was a great breakfast( it must have been because it was a long time before they got hungry) and they had a good time. I stayed in the bed trying to prepare myself for the long, long, long, longlonglong......drive which was ahead. It is bad enough I had to leave my "home" but even worse I had to drive all the way back to Tennessee in one day! The smoke from wildfires had cut off our trip to St. Augustine we usually make after Disney and the girls and Jaxon had to be back at school on Monday. I slowly got up and dressed and finished packing. When the others got back from Boma we were packed and ready. A quick check out and then we were on our way. As we left the AKL grounds we ran headlong into a marathon which diverted us through the Animal Kingdom Cast Member parking. We stopped at the Hess station near the Boardwalk and that gave us one final look at Hollywood Studios, TOT, Swan, Dolphin, and Boardwalk. While I filled up the tank ($76) we caught glimpses of happy guests on their busses headed for happier times. A few minutes later we hit I-4 to I-75 and we were on our way. I had the windows down breathing in that warm Florida air (I swear it is different than the air when you get into Alabama) for a few last hours. We stopped in Cottondale and let Jaxon buy his dad a big Aligator head. We stopped in Birmingham at Shoneys (far cry from Garden Grill) and rolled back into TN about 9pm. I asked Jaxon (who was experiencing his first ever bout with Disney blues) as we were pulling up at his house if he was ready to go home or I could turn the truck around and drive another 12 hrs back to Florida and he said "turn this truck around". Another great vacation had ended just as all of the vacations before it. And here are my final thoughts:
1) The weather and crowds were perfect this week. More so than usual and we never waited in line. Only the last two days were very hot and we never saw a drop of rain.
2) Unchaperoned kids are a problem Disney will have to address at some point. I honestly don't see how a family can enjoy an entire week at a value resort with all of the unchaperoned kids. Vulgar language, loud music, public displays of overaffection, and teenagers running over small children were the norm the one night we stayed at ASMu. Moving to AKL was a blessing.
3) As a career law enforcement officer I was a little upset about the lack of security at DTD while we were there. It was a weeknite and I saw several gang members, smelled dope, and heard profanity within earshot of kids and families on vacation. This is the first night we have noticed this at DTD and they need to stop it before it gets out of hand.
4) Getting back to positive things- The official Ticket Center is great and I highly recommend this Intercot Sponsor!
5)I absolutely hate we never got to meet up with DolphinMickey and crew. We tried but it just wasn't in the schedule. We also looked for Hayden'sDad to no avail. I missed the opportunity to meet Pogo a few years ago (staying at the Poly and we were probably a few feet away watching Wishes from the beach while they watched from their balcony) and I have regretted it ever since because we have become good friends through Intercot.
6)My girls are so much fun at WDW and having Jaxon this trip made it even better.
7)The P&P Party is worth the money!
8)Jiko is the perfect place if you are looking for a good restaurant for an anniversary.
9)My final thought is this: I have always struggled with the Disney Blues as many of you have. It is a feeling of sadness mixed with disappointment of leaving a magical world behind and entering back into a not so perfect world. I have come to the conclusion that while it is painful it is also necessary. I never want to lose the Disney blues because that would mean I no longer love WDW as much as I once did. Those blues are a symbol of our love for WDW and spring hope for another trip and future vacations with our families!:thumbsup:
Thanks for reading folks.........and in the words of Jiminy Cricket....."So long".:)