Tuesday, July 07, 2009

That’s a wrap

As the crowd disperses, we follow the flow out through the tunnel and out the gate. Goodbye, Disneyland. It’s been really good seeing you again after all these years.

While taking pictures during the Flag Retreat, my SD card memory on my phone ran out of space. I realize with a little chagrin that I don’t have a backup – my extra SD card is in my MP3 player, which I misplaced months ago. Hmm. Brandon thankfully says I can use the remaining space on one of his. There’s really only the trip home to photograph now, but I still don’t want to miss anything.

Brandon and I walk past the Mickey benches to the bus loading area and take our place on loading zone 3. As soon as we see the trolley approaching with “Route 3” displayed, I call Becky and let her know we’re on our way. Since the trolley drops us off right in front of the Overland Stage restaurant at the Sheraton, we’ll just meet her and Benjamin and anyone else who wants to join us there.

As we travel down Harbor Boulevard, I can’t help but keep ticking off our “lasts” – last time on Disneyland property, last ART ride, last trip down Harbor. It’s bittersweet. I’m really, really tired and ready to be home, but I always dislike not knowing when or if we’ll be back here again.

The trolley drops us off in front of the restaurant, and a few minutes later Becky, Benjamin, Bob & Linda come walking up. There’s a slight wait for a table, and then we’re seated.

Okay, we’ve eaten here twice before, and the Prime Rib French Dip sandwich I had on the first night was really good. Do I go back to that, or order something new? Eventually, I settle on the “Santa Fe Burger,” which comes loaded with roasted chiles, pepper jack cheese and guacamole – I’m in the mood for something with a kick. It’s pretty tasty.

Brandon and I let the others know what we’ve done since we parted after lunch, and then we found out about their afternoon. They first went to Fantasyland to ride Peter Pan’s Flight, but the wait was too long – so they rode Mr. Toad’s Ride! I'm curious about that. How did they like it? They’re kind of “meh.” It wasn’t a story they were familiar with, so they found it hard to get too excited about it. It was fun, but nothing spectacular to them.

From there they went to it’s a small world. Benjamin especially seemed to enjoy finding the Disney characters, a recent addition to the ride, among the singing dolls.

Finally they walked over to Tomorrowland to see if Autopia was up and running. It was! Benjamin and Becky rode, and both seemed to really enjoy it. Just from looking at the track yesterday, it did look like a lot of fun. Six Flags Over Texas has a drive-your-own-car attraction, but it’s just one big loop over flat terrain. Autopia twists and turns up and down hills – and with the monorail track overhead!

Once supper is over we head back to the rooms. Packing time! I always enjoy packing for the trip home much more than packing to leave on a trip. The latter is more stressful, since you have to make sure you have everything you might possibly need, balanced by the desire to travel as lightly as you can. But for coming home? No contest – you’re just throwing everything you own into any available bag. It’s only a matter of making sure you’re not leaving anything in the room.

Apart from our hanging clothes and my socks, we never really unpacked, so repacking is that much easier. I’m also enjoying the fact that the logistics of this trip are making the return a bit less stressful. Our land/sea trips we’ve taken before require two repackings – one to get from Walt Disney World to the ship and another to return home, and with the second one, our bags are to be packed and out in the hallway by 11:00 the night before we return. This time we just have the one repacking, and are departure tomorrow is at a comfortable time, with the Super Shuttle picking us up at 9:15.

The sun has set and we enjoy the view from our balcony one last time. Of course we have to watch the Disneyland fireworks. I have to say, this view from our room has been one of the very best things about this trip, and that’s saying something.

With the fireworks and packing done, we settle in for the night. Sleep comes easily at the end of such a busy vacation.

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