I am always in awe of people in TV shows/ films who manage to stay asleep whilst their husband gets up and leaves the room. Maybe their partners are really quiet and stealth like, roll over quietly in such a way as to not disturb the beautiful lady by their side, and exit the bed leaving a fluttering kiss on the sweet wife’s forehead so as not to wake them. This is something I can only dream about because I apparently married a hippopotamus who can seemingly create the effect of an earthquake by turning over in bed. And this phenomenon is even greater when he’s actually trying to be quiet. Needless to say, for the second day running, I was awake at 2.30am. At least the girls stayed asleep.
Steve had told us he’d text when he was near to Hollywood Studios so we could get up to go and watch him. However, I decided the girls would probably need a bit of coming round, so once he text to say he was off I woke them, and we walked to watch from the Boardwalk (there are loads of exits/ entrances at Yacht Club without having to go through the lobby). There weren’t many spectators, but it was still great to cheer on all the athletes that ran past us, and Steve was with us much sooner than we originally thought (clearly when he agreed to waiting until later in the pack to start to give the girls more time in bed, he wasn’t actually listening. Who’s have believed it!!)
Anyway, as soon as they’d given Daddy a hug the girls asked if they could go back to bed, where they happily stayed watching Mickey shorts until Steve got back with his medal.
Now as it was our last full day, we had a Magic Kingdom Park reservation (we always like to go and say goodbye) and a California Grill tea booked. However, the 50th set meal menu and price, especially with Polly being 10 and classed as an adult, along with the fact that we were all pretty tired from was niggling at the back of my mind. I checked on the My Disney Experience app and found a Yachtsman Steakhouse reservation and 5pm. A quick share of the menu with Steve and the girls and we all decided that we would rather do that one this occasion (any menu that has the option of steak with mac cheese is always going to win my two over). I quickly modified and cancelled the California Grill reservation and got us booked in for our steak feast without the need for any transport!
There was no sign of anyone napping so we decided to rope drop Magic Kingdom to ride Seven Dwarves Mine Train and a few other bits for one final time this trip.
We actually managed Speedway (again…it’s always a bit like Groundhog Day with my two!) and Dumbo as well as The Tiki Rooms (Steve and the girls have never done this. Steve’s face was a picture! The girls have now declared it as a tradition just so he has to do it every trip) and the Hall of Presidents which we all love and never fails to make me incredibly emotional.
We were going to head over to Tom Sawyer Island, but we were in Frontierland and on Big Thunder by 10am (the girls’ disliked it almost as much as DLP!) and it didn’t open until 11 so we decided to save that one for next time. We did manage to see Chip & Dale though, which made the girls happy, especially when they asked them to shake their tale feathers!!
We caught another cavalcade as we were walking towards the castle (followed by a sprint to catch the other side of the cavalcade on Main Street again) and managed to get some Photopass photos of the girls.
By now everyone was hungry, and the girls wanted Cosmic Ray’s mac cheese whilst watching Sonny Eclipse (another of our weird traditions) so we mobile ordered the kids meals for them and the 50th meal for Steve and me to share. The food was actually pretty good and for once there was loads of tables to choose from as they were only allowing people inside if they showed their mobile order confirmation.
Polly was insistent that she wanted to go on Carousel of Progress one final time, so Steve decided he’d return the car and meet us back at the hotel whilst I stayed with the girls for one final farewell to Uncle Orville. We had deliberately chosen to pick up and drop off the car a day either side of arriving/ leaving as we knew it was too small for us and all our luggage, and the money we save in doing this paid for the Uber to the airport which made a lot more sense than paying a hefty upgrade fee for a bigger car.
The park was now so busy that we actually had to queue for Carousel of Progress (after a brief Stitch sighting) and fill in every available seat. We ended up sitting on the right as you look at the stage, which we have never done before (the girls wanted to be on the end, so they weren’t sat next to a stranger), and it was really nice to see different details to the ones we usually notice from the centre.
We set off out of the park once the show had finished. When we are at Yacht Club, we are happy to jump on either the Boardwalk or Yacht & Beach Bus (the Swan & Dolphin used to be an option too, but they now drop at the transportation centre), but the Yacht Club bus came first anyway. The girls chatted happily whilst I utilised the free bus WIFI to fill in our passenger locator forms (it’s really useful to have your passport photos on your phone so that you have all the details to hand), and we were back before we knew it. Steve was only a few minutes behind us as he got the shuttle straight back to the hotel, and we had a nice afternoon around the quiet pool. There was actually lifeguard training taking place which the girls loved watching, but once that was over, we had the whole place to ourselves. Steve went and got us a few drinks from the quick service inside the hotel, and we had a lovely, peaceful few hours.
At around 4pm we headed inside to get changed for tea. I had to wash the girls hair as it was still in the plaits I’d done for the 5k two nights ago, but it wasn’t too traumatic (well, not any more traumatic than trying to get Winnie to wash her hair ever is!) and we were soon ready to go.
The Yachtsman is a really nice restaurant. It felt very fancy (which was a bit odd when you’re looking out at people in their swimsuits), and all the staff were really nice. If anything, it was a bit over fancy in terms of service (you know, when the server comes to show you the bottle of wine before pouring it as if the label is going to mean anything to you. I mean, doesn’t everyone really just pick the one that doesn’t cost a kidney but isn’t quite the cheapest on the menu, just so they can pretend to look as if they know what they’re doing and don’t look tight?!) but the girls loved him, and I suppose that with the price of the food they do cater for people a lot posher than us. Food was absolutely amazing (as a tip, don’t eat all the bread then order two sides each plus an extra helping of crab on top of your steak. It will be possible to consume everything but may look and feel 9 months pregnant upon leaving the restaurant!) and we all had a really lovely last evening.
After the meal we did think about either having a night swim, or heading into Epcot, but it had turned really chilly so after a quick photo we decided to head inside for a big family snuggle with a movie. At this point though the emotion took over, and Winnie started sobbing saying she really didn’t want to go home as shed had such a lovely time. Obviously, this made me cry (because, as the girls say, their hearts are made from my heart so when they cry, I cry) and we all ended up standing hugging on the Boardwalk until we were in a fit state to go into the hotel (I’m not entirely sure but I think a promise of looking around the shop may have helped bring Winne around!)
Sleep came quickly for everyone, and before we knew it, we were waking up on our last morning for a final walk to Hollywood Studios.
We’d managed to get a late checkout of 12.30pm which meant we could wait to pack until we were back from the park. We only had 1 suitcase and a hand luggage case to sort out, so knew it wouldn’t be a huge job (even with the heaviest medals in the world to fit in.)
We got to Hollywood Studios before rope drop and headed straight for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railways while Steve went for a coffee!! We’d just got on the ride when all the lights came up, and it was immediately obvious there was a big issue. Luckily, as we had literally only just pulled away from loading, we were the first car to be evacuated, and were given a lightning lane pass for any time later that day. We didn’t think we’d be in the park to use it but weren’t too worried and headed for Slinky Dog instead. We also managed to get on Toy Story Mania just before the offsite guest crowd arrived, which was a bonus that we weren’t planning. We decided to call it quits and head back to pack, but just as were passing the Chinese Theatre we noticed the ride was back up, so hopped in the lightning lane and rode it again. On the way out we caught the Pixar Cavalcade which was a nice bonus.
The girls had seen a ‘Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow’ desk sign at Animal Kingdom Lodge which they really wanted to buy Steve. However, by the time we got to go and get it without him knowing, they had sold out. They’d spotted one in Hollywood Studios so Winnie devised a plan to persuade Steve to get her a Starbucks so Polly and I could go and get it, but the queue was so big that he didn’t go for it at all and promised her something at the hotel instead. She then thought on her feet and said she was desperate for the toilet. As he took her, Polly & I rushed in the shop. I was worried that as we’d had the final room bill my magic band may not work (I knew it would but worry about everything) but found an emergency $20 note in my pocket, so paid quickly. As we were leaving, we practically bumped into Steve and a panicked looking Winnie, so I had to shove the sign in my back pocket (not the easiest as there wasn’t much room in the shorts after the Yachtsman fest!) It turns out all the toilets were occupied so Steve told Winnie they’d find me to take her instead. She tried to stall him as long as she could but was so worried, we wouldn’t have had time to get the sign. Her little face was so relieved when Polly whispered that we had it. A boat was just pulling in as we got to the exit, so we legged it and hopped on (sitting on a boat with a sharp desk sign digging into your bum is not the ideal way to travel!). We were back in our room in no time. The girls put the sign on the bed when Steve went to take the cases to bell services, but they ended up having to tell him to look at it as he didn’t even notice!
We decided to head to the quiet pool for one last time. We took our washing to do while we were there and had our case with clothes for the journey next to the sunbed. Steve went to get Boardwalk pizza for lunch (which took forever even though we mobile ordered, giving him time for a sneaky beer!)
We hadn’t arranged a transfer back to the airport, which was making me anxious, but I needn’t have worried. We just ordered an XL Lyft as we were heading to collect the cases and it was waiting when we got to reception. You can always see which car has been assigned to you on the app, so if you aren’t happy with the size etc you can always cancel and try again. Our driver was absolutely lovely, and the car was perfect. It cost us $33 plus tip (if I’d booked half an hour earlier it was showing $45 so be aware prices will fluctuate) and we were at the airport in no time. Testing rules had changed whilst we were there, so we wanted to be early enough in case there were any issues, but we were through in no time. Security was fast and before we knew it, we were sat in the most miserable terminal on earth, eating a soggy Burger King (because if you have to eat rubbish food at the terminal it may as well be cheap!) The girls then put on their pyjamas (another tradition!), and we chilled out and waited to board.
The flight was delayed slightly, but nothing major. I can’t really tell you much about the flight home as we all slept most of the way (the one benefit of crazy early wake ups at the end of your trip) and we were back at the car with our cases in record time.
We really did have an amazing trip. The worry definitely did play a big part, especially in the build-up, but it is definitely still the most magical place on earth, and I feel so lucky that I got to spend another fabulous trip making the most precious memories with Steve and the girls. Although my heart is full every day with these three by my side, it is definitely fuller now that it has had its fill of Disney magic, and for that I am so incredibly grateful.
Thank you so much for reading about our adventures. Until next time!
Doodle & Peg Do Disney 