A Decade of Disney Dreaming - 2017- Day 27 - Our last night in Magic Kingdom

[walt4it]

Welcome back and thank you for such persistence in getting to Day 26. Appreciate all of your posts and your encouragement to finish this all off.
We are nearly there!

Today was the day most people dread the most - that final day of a Disney ticket with the thought of going home tomorrow.

If you missed DAY 26 it is just a click here away


The whole index is here

Welcome to DAY 27


Tuesday 22nd August 2018 -Our last park day.

We woke and recognised we needed to get something for Joes ear.

He joined me on the car and we visited Walgreens and then Walmart and then the Wawa for a cash top up.

We ended up rearranging the fast passes and put our schedule back a touch- we headed into Magic Kingdom and parked in the villains lot
Hook 324 and quickly got a tram and the monorail into the park for one final time.

It was 2-50 and now the three o'clock parade was now running an hour earlier we had missed the parade.

We were welcomed into the park with the Halloween overlay for Main Street which was a bonus for us since we would be missing the first party night on Friday.

We took a while to walk up Main Street with the detail in the pumpkins really catching our eye, nearly as much as the calendar, yes we were still in August!

Our first stop was a busy again fast pass line for Space Mountain- it did not take quite as long today and we were soon onboard although the bottle of water in the rucksack pocket headed overboard half way through - eek!
Even the exit screens had heard how poor my golf was, I was not even on the golf trip to Mars!

Carousel of Progress was our next stop and it proved an amusing first stage when we had to sit through it twice as someone had stood up!

Punishment was handed out with the same Valentines scene for the second time- not only did we know the script I felt as if we had got to know him that bit more!

We had a Splash Mountain fast pass next and we got very very wet!

A ticketed fp for big thunder followed and we then needed to cross the park for a buzz ride with another fp- this one replaced the first of the afternoon and as we queued I was able to get another fp for the speedway- boys request as we had not managed to ride this year.

Ice creams shared in the hub - well Alison and I shared!

Then on to Mickey in Town Square - the interaction was superb and so responsive to the words we said. It seems such a shame that this will never be experienced again this year and after so many wonderful interactions, this one was memorable.

We soaked up the place and having wondered around Town Square we got on the train just for one last walk from the back of the park to the front.

It was coupled with the thoughts of going home - never a pleasant experience!

The boys got fish and chips from Columbia Harbour House and we took them to the hub in readiness for the evenings finale.

We were close to the front with space around us and without restrictions on our view.



Time passed quickly and we were stood up at 8-50 as many people made a bit of a scrum in pushing through the crowds. The two ECV's that were directly in front of us proved a useful barrier.

Once more the Once Upon a Time fireworks captivated us.

Alison was amidst a Joe moment with the couple behind her being emotionally enthralled at the hugs and emotion he was feeling – they actually said to Alison after the fireworks that they were transfixed – just by a family being each other’s best friend.

I would lie if I added a whole host of emotion from me - it still wasn't Wishes , it was a superb firework display with a hugely strong message possibly one that will grow stronger over time but the message that you can achieve your goals with the support of friends.

I have promised a review all the way through this trip and here it is –
As a firework show and projection show too it cannot be faulted, what it lacks is the originality of the music, the opportunity to move away from simply regurgitating film sound tracks with emotional songs that pull at the heart strings.

I feel a bit let down by this as I have to admit it is the music of Wishes that did for my emotions and not just what I was seeing. There is still a moment of the Wishes soundtrack that makes me well up as it brings back so many special memories in this past Decade and way back to my very first visit.
I hope that HEA brings about new memories and finds a place in my heart in any future years.

We hit the Speedway as soon as the fireworks ended, a use of that very last fast pass- it proved useful as we got through the queue quickly and felt that whiplash feeling as we were driven around at speed. No matter the time of day the smell here remains the same and whilst that can be pleasant it would be interesting to see if the speedway gets a more ecologically friendly makeover in the upcoming years with Tron due in the future.
We exited high on fumes and the final minutes of our holiday.

We made it back to The Castle to see Once Upon a Time and became aware we had company close by - our friends Neil, Karen, Rees and Katie had been in the park all night, yet did not want to disturb our own final night, yet wanted to say goodbye one last time- we were touched they had wanted to do this, and also that they had also deliberately set out to not impinge on our farewell to Magic Kingdom was a moment that brought my first golf ball moment.

Their appreciation of tonight, for us as a family, will live with us for so long- they had made plans to deliberately not keep in touch via text all day, it was at our final moment we got the chance to share a final, sad goodbye. They wanted to be part of that as I know both Neil and I have shared a conversation in the past about the final night in MK - the one you never really want to leave. To have them all as part of this ramped up the emotion and was so appreciated by us all.
Hopefully is not two years until we meet again, as that is far too long for 8 people who have a shared passion for WDW and a true understanding of what we were feeling tonight, and proof that the theming of the fireworks is true in real life!

We had one last mission before we left the park and that was for a photo in the Tangled area near Small world - we arrived to a closed queue line and had missed our chance by minutes, the Cast Member helpfully told us they would be open again tomorrow from 8:30pm - too late, I said, we would be on a plane by that time - today was our last Disney day.

I think she also sensed the emotion too!

She had said no to so many sad (and one rather angry) families, yet asked us to sit aside, as she continued to tell people to return another day.
As the last family in the queue had their photo taken, the lantern extinguished and the CM had a quiet word with the photographer and another CM, we had seen everyone else depart (including a rather rude family who were their own worst enemy – gobby and full of pointed fingers to the CM)

Just when all was lost, a little sprinkle of pixie dust came our way, it was the closing shot of the holiday. There was something so fitting about this experience.

The lantern was lit in the flick of a switch and we were photographed in seconds we were so thankful of the CM’s involved- they knew what we were experiencing and if I ever have the chance to tell them how much that picture has meant they would recognise that their slight Disney rule bending tonight has had a long term impact.

They all wished us a safe flight and we set off to make our way out of the park- walking through the Castle made it special and we all breathed it all in – slowly.

We stopped in the shop to buy a wedding gift for my God Daughter and her husband to be- (they planned their day to ensure we would not be in Florida ) sorted, and we were then on our way to the TTC via the resort monorail- we didn't speak, we didn't need to.

We sensed everything that we had done this time with a real sense of pride, thanks and a sadness it has to end - all eyes watched the castle disappear from view as we entered Contemporary and after a stop we were ready for the trek to the car.

The tram queue was still busy and no tram in sight so we walked, once more soaking up the night air, I walked with Joe, hand in hand telling him to just soak it all up.- it was a way of avoiding tears, it was a way of just recognising that all these days spent together doing a Florida holiday are needed by us all.

It is the only time we get to be together, a time to laugh, to enjoy and a time in which we love just being together – as we left Mk for the last time , as I have written before – as if by magic a golf ball sized lump appears in your throat, an incontrollable urge to cry yet a proud recognition that all those hours of planning and plotting surprises has been achieved.

I had swallowed that golf ball far too many times tonight , there was an immense pride, yet a sadness as we never know nor even expect we will return again.

As we approached the car, I then made Joe’s night by opening the sliding door from the key fob- he was speechless (it really is the little things! ) and once again adrenaline kicked in- the denial of sadness and the kicking in of absolute reality. We wanted to be back into the villa for one last sleep and not before we ensured the contents of the fridge were used.

Alison and I got the oven on for some ribs for tea - it was getting late. The boys tackled the remaining Sprite that was in there whilst Alison and I started on the beers that remained!

The boys headed to bed around half twelve and we ate outside making sure we ploughed through the remaining beers, cider and wine.

We had done it! Another year of planning, plotting and building a dream trip complete we shared our stand out moments of the trip, things we had missed (Dining plan and Disney hotel!) and most of all, we shared the same love of the villa.

This has been the most amazing place to stay for the whole of the trip – I’m not sure if Dave reads all of the business I’m sending him, but I can’t think of a better place to stay – it was the star of the trip and a place that I know is already booked for 2019. This Villa was a place I would love to live in for every remaining day of my life, it was a the centre of our trip and gave us every single thing we could ever wish for.

We hot tubbed for way too long and with Alison close to being comatose we headed to bed and set the alarm for the morning. It was quarter to three and sleep was rapid.
Just one more picture though

We were heading home tomorrow


That whole tale and a little more can be read by reading a little further.
DAYS 28/29 are here

[flo-tinka]

Golf balls all around 😥 (especially when you expressed your thoughts about Wishes: RIP) but it must help to know you are headed back so soon.
Sorry to hear about Joe’s ear but glad it didn’t stop you enjoying the special MK finale.
Get packing now

[walt4it]

Originally Posted by flo-tinka

Golf balls all around 😥 (especially when you expressed your thoughts about Wishes: RIP) but it must help to know you are headed back so soon.
Sorry to hear about Joe’s ear but glad it didn’t stop you enjoying the special MK finale.
Get packing now

See more...

Packing is on the list of jobs for later today.

Will need to add to the travel home day that the stuff I got from Walgreens was brilliant - that morning we had even thought that he may struggle to get on the flight if it was anything worse

Hope to get this whole trip report finished by Sunday night, as always thank you for your continued reading, it has meant a lot seeing the same people posting across so many trip reports. Appreciate it

[Guest]

An amazing trip report! Thank you for sharing with us all. The last day is always so emotional, but i think you got it soooo right. A toast to Disney dreaming!

[summersun]

thanks for sharing x

[FLAFantastic]

Love the lantern pics ❤❤

AnnMarie

[mick]

What an amazing time you all had in MK some wonderful family holiday photos as others I like the tangled one


Joan

[TractorBoy]

About time you finished it. What took you so long?

Seriously really love reading your exploits. Those two boys must make you and your good lady so proud. They certainly would me.

Splash Mountain mobot! Love it!

On to the next one.

Hope you all have a fabulous time

[walt4it]

Originally Posted by jensolo

An amazing trip report! Thank you for sharing with us all. The last day is always so emotional, but i think you got it soooo right. A toast to Disney dreaming!

See more...

Thank you for making this your third post on The Dibb
Welcome to this special place, that is always about Disney Dreaming.

Really appreciate your post and for reading the trip report - so far - a couple more posts to do. Delighted you got the emotion of our last day.

[Reetser]

It was great (but sad) to catch up with you on your last night! (I just wish we could do the same this year as well! )

Nothing beats a last evening in MK with that slow sad walk out backwards! “No you turn away first!”

It’s so unbelievably close now to the next one for you that the sadness of a last days trip report soon gets blown away!

I like your style “walt4it’s!” I like your style!