Brett & Jo’s ‘This Changes Everything’ 2015 Orlando Adventure - Day 15: DTD/DS & Travel Home :o(

[Happyhaunt1000]

It is with a heavy heart (and heavy eyelids) that we gingerly get out of bed at 8:15 when our alarm goes off. Both of us are completely exhausted… but, due to the fact that we had bought way more merchandise than we either planned or expected, we need to go and buy a suitcase from the hotel store!

We both throw on some clothes and head out of the door... halfway there, Jo realises she hasn't brought her mug with her! This is almost enough for her to break down in tears, but she holds it in... I tell her it's no big deal and I jog back to the room while she waits where she is. I return a couple of minutes later, mugs in hand and we carry on over to the shop. It's really busy inside, but we get our case ($179.99 for a standard black one with a picture of Mickey on it) using the remainder of the free $200 gift card we got as a perk of booking direct with Disney, and also use up the rest of our Snack credits on three rice krispy cakes and three sugar cookies. We’ve still got a ton of Table Service credits to use, but because we've got all day, we’re going to save them till after we've had something to eat at Disney Springs and just use the rest on bags of sweets to take home.

We get back to the room and spend the next hour or so packing everything that was left on the sofa into the new case. Problem is the new case is now 26 kilos so we have to re-jig things and move stuff around in other cases so that they are all under weight. It also now means that we have one more case than we’re allowed, so we’re going to have to pay the extra when we check in later. It's now 10:55am and everything is packed, ready and waiting by the door. We have: five suitcases, a small holdall (my carry on bag), a carrier bag of clothes (that we’ll be changing into later for the flight) Jo’s handbag, and a small carry on suitcase!





We call reception and say that we’re checking out and will need help with our bags. A few minutes later a guy from Bell Services called Mustapha knocks at the door. He grabs two cases, I grab two cases, and we both head down to his golf buggy with the extension on the back for luggage. We then go back upstairs and get the remaining items and say goodbye to our room for the last time.

When we get downstairs Mustapha asks where we’re going. We tell him we need to go to reception so we can get a cab to take us round to the Downtown Disney/Disney Springs Virgin Atlantic check-in desk. He says “ok… give me one minute”. He then gets on his walkie talkie and is saying something to the woman back at reception that I can't quite hear. He then turns back to us and says “it's ok… I can take you to the check-in desk myself”. He tells us that we’ll go the back route! So he proceeds to drive us right through the resort, up to the golf course, then THROUGH the golf course (staying on the paths… you know, not just randomly driving across the fairway), then out towards the back of Cirque Du Soleil and round to right in front of the check-in desk.



I know this might sound like I’m exaggerating here… but that little surprise trip was one of the best things that happened to us the whole holiday! I know you think I'm going over the top, but there we were with way more bags and cases than two people should ever have for a two week holiday… Jo shouldn't really be lifting or moving any of the heavier cases, and we've got to get this lot down in the lift, round to reception, then into a cab (we’d obviously need one of the bigger minivan types), then out of the cab (which would have only driven for a few minutes at most) and then over to the check-in desk. Add to that that it's p***ing down with rain, we’re both tired, it's our last day and we’re miserable… and what you have is someone going beyond what is required, and helping out when we’d clearly be struggling otherwise. Mustapha helps us with our cases and wheels them right over to the check-in desk and wishes us a safe flight. I hand him $30 as a tip, and thank him profusely for all his help. (If you're thinking that's a bit excessive… I would've tipped him $10 for helping us with our bags to reception, and I'm sure a cab would've been $10-$15 with a tip… and like I said, him doing what he did suddenly made a lot of stress just go away.)

There's a guy standing at a small desk to one side who takes our names, and asks us for our $10 per person to check-in here (well worth it in our opinion, although I believe it is free if you’ve booked a Virgin Holidays package). We hand over the $20, and he asks us to put each of our cases on the scales. We tell him we’ve got an extra bag that we’ll have to pay for, and he just nods and carries on putting labels on the cases as I take them off the scales. The fifth bag goes on (the one we’ll have to pay for) and he puts the label on… he then looks at us and says “ok, you can just go over and check-in now”. Jo says “don’t we need to pay for one of those cases?” and the guy just looks at her and smiles and winks, and points over to the main desk. So within the space of five minutes, two people made simple gestures that have not only helped us out, but saved us some money. We both say thank you and walk over to complete the checking-in process.



With that done, we've the rest of the day to kill before the Magical Express picks us up at 4.10pm back at the resort. Ordinarily, we’d leave our carry-on bags in lockers here, and then head over to MK for a relaxing final few hours in the park... but because we’ve stayed an extra night, our 14-day tickets have now expired. So we are faced with the prospect of paying over $100 each for a few hours in the park… or just hang around at DTD/DS killing time by looking in each and every shop, and having some lunch. We decided on the latter as neither of us could justify dropping such a large amount of money for just a few hours in the park.

And so begun the S L O W E S T walk around DTD/DS that you've ever seen! We were looking at notice boards/menus for all the restaurants, going up and down every aisle in almost every shop that was open… it was ridiculous.We were even going into restaurant shops and wasting time in there. The Boathouse has some particularly weird boat themed items on sale.










Hey look, it's one of those things things I broke when we last visited the Boathouse!

We messaged the Sears to see if they fancied joining us for lunch (our treat) but they declined for the second time, saying they hated our guts and after spending the day with us on Friday, they didn't want to see us again! Actually, now I think about it… they already had plans and couldn’t make it!

Jo was getting hungry so we decided to have lunch at Fultons, (a) because we love it there and (b) because it would eat up a few more Table Service credits.



Jo chose the Crab Cake BLT, and I had the Lobster Grilled Cheese (which our server recommended). Normally I don't listen to server recommendations as I feel like they've been told to ‘push’ certain items as there's a lot of it in the kitchen and they don't want to throw it out. But I need not have worried, as this was one of the best things I ate during the whole trip! It was absolutely rammed full of lobster meat and the flavour was amazing.



I didn't think it would fill me up, but again I was happy to be proved wrong. I wolfed the whole thing down in minutes and it left me feeling so full that I hardly touched the root beer float I'd ordered to go with it.



In between mouthfuls of my own sandwich, I tried a little bit of Jo’s Crab Cake… but she wasn't happy with me after I had! I'd inadvertently taken a piece of ‘load bearing’ crab meat, and as such, the whole thing started to fall apart when I handed it back to Jo. She wasn't a happy bunny!


Before I destroyed it


One of the two desserts we ordered and didn't finish... no surprise there!

The age-old question… would I have been happy if we weren't on the DDP and I was paying for this? Hell, yes! So much so I'm going to make a point of going back and having that sandwich again on our next trip!

So this was our final meal using the DDP, and I've got to say that even though we had quite a few credits left, I really liked being on the plan. Mainly because it was free (technically)… but also because it was easy, convenient and the variety of restaurants meant that we didn't really eat the same thing twice (unless we really wanted to). I'd read/heard a lot of horror stories about the DDP in the past, but thinking back, I now realise that most of the negativity was coming from Americans who had paid for the plan. When you’re given it for free, I'm hard pushed to see anything negative about the whole experience.

With full bellies, we continued on, trying to waste time. First up was converting those left over credits to bags of candy to take home. We ended up with enough for 12 bags (bringing the grand total up to 18 bags of candy/cookies/rice krispy treats).





We then stopped in Art of Disney and, as is our tradition, we bought a canvas print of an attraction poster. This time we went for a retro looking Tower of Terror. It's one they use in Disney California Adventure… and for some reason they don't have one for DHS. But seeing as we've actually visited the West Coast parks, and been on the attraction itself, I’m ok with buying it.



Jo then stops off in Little Miss-Matched and buys a metric ton of socks (one of her own traditions).

It's nearly 3pm now, and even though the Magical Express doesn't pick us up till after 4pm, Jo wants to start heading back to the resort now so she can get changed into her ‘flying home’ clothes, and so that we can try and fit these new purchases (socks and candy) into our hand luggage. We decide, as we’ve got plenty of time, to take a boat back to the resort. We hadn't done this before and I wish we’d done it sooner instead of always walking or getting the bus back!













Back at the hotel Jo goes off to the toilets to get changed, and I start stuffing the extra candy into our carry on bags. Goddamn, there was so much of it! It's a little after 3:30 and we decide to walk round to the front where the coach is picking us up from. There’s already a gaggle of sad looking people already waiting by the pick up point. My favourite was the guy wearing a pair of Beats headphones and a little hat. Because Beats by Dre are quite rigid, the hat wasn't actually on his head… it was instead kind of balancing on top of the headphones… and he looked a proper douchebag!



4pm came… and then went. People were doing that thing where they look at their watch and then say (loudly enough so that people standing near will hear) “it should be here by now… it's late”. Then the people standing close to them react by saying something like “oh well… we’ll all have to stay an extra night” and then they all laugh(!) and start chatting about where they are from. I want no part of it… and thankfully by being quite a way back from the road, we can hear the conversations but aren’t dragged into them.

Around 4:30 the coach arrives and everyone’s scrambling to get on board. Me and Jo take our time… we’re in no rush! The journey to the airport was uneventful, and we were through security quicker than we've ever been in the past. For once I remembered to take everything out of my pockets so didn’t get pulled over for a pat-down! We still had some time to kill before heading down to the gate so we decided to have a little look round the shops. One of the strangest things we saw were mini astronaut suits for kids in the NASA shop! Kinda wish we’d bought one!



We then get a message from the Sears saying they are on their way to the airport and it turns out they’re heading to the same terminal as us. We tell them where we’re sitting and say we’ll see them soon. Me and Jo grab a couple of seats away from the shops in a quiet area. It remained quiet until a German family arrived and sat opposite us. There were five of them in total… but the mother vanished off somewhere almost as soon as they arrived, which left the dad and three kids. The dad sat there reading whilst the three kids jumped on a luggage trolley and started pushing each other around on it. I had no problem with that until they started pushing it in between the rows of seats and nearly smashing it into my chins (or maybe shins ) a couple of times. It was only me quickly pulling my leg out the way that stopped it from hitting me. The dad wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to his little wunderkinds and was oblivious to how much they were annoying everyone else around us. And mainly me! A short time later the Sears arrived and they came and sat with us.


German dad ignoring his kids and reading… and Stew making an entrance in the background!

Isabella talked Jo (my Jo, not her mum Jo) through her book she’d been drawing in for each day of the holiday, and in particular the day when we’d all met up at Universal (for those also reading Stews TR, you’ll know all about this book). After a little while we figured we’d better make a move down to our gate, so we said goodbye to the Sears and said we'd all have to meet up again soon back on home soil.



We hopped on the monorail and decided to get a chicken burger from Outback to take away in case Jo got hungry on the plane. Then we walked the green mile down to the gate and, as always, it was carnage! People crowded round the boarding pass checkpoint even though they wouldn't be boarding for a while; families taking up eight seats with luggage, toys and food when there’s only four of them; and people who had just generally had enough and clearly wanted to be home now! We just went and sat in a different gate that was quiet and tried to listen closely for the announcements.







When we thought it was close to boarding time we went and waited near the correct gate and then, out of the corner of my eye who should I spot… it’s the Stalkers! I mean, the Sears!



Turns out their flight was boarding at the gate opposite ours. I decided I'd chatted to them enough this holiday so blanked them until they got the message and walked away. Ok… that didn't happen… but we did only chat for a couple of minutes as we were called for boarding. We said goodbye to them (for what felt like the millionth time this holiday), got in line and boarded the plane.

The flight itself went by in a flash, but I didn't sleep a wink the whole flight… instead watching four movies and forcing down some of the most disgusting plane food I've ever eaten. I've not deliberately tried to make this food look horrible… it managed that all by itself!







As I said, the flight seemed to go by pretty quickly, and back on home soil we were through passport control and gathering our luggage in less than 15 minutes. We did our normal trick of splitting up and latching onto other families so it didn't look like we had six suitcases between just two of us. We walked through ‘Nothing to Declare’ trying not to look like people who had four cases full of new clothes and Disney souvenirs… and let out a sigh of relief when we got through unhindered.

Jo’s dad, Steve, was waiting to drive us back home, and after playing Tetris for a good ten minutes trying to fit everything into the car we were on our way.



At a little after 11am we were opening the front door, dragging the suitcases in and crashing on the sofa… another epic Orlando adventure was over with.

The End

#dibbafteryouneedaholidaytorecoverfromyourholiday

That's it ladies and gents… another Trip Report finished. (Well… not quite… but we’re nearly there I promise!)

It was a strange trip for me and Jo. Finding out Jo was pregnant literally weeks before we went really threw us… and we thought we’d have to totally change our plans. Sure we didn't go on any coasters or thrill rides… but it definitely didn't take away from how much we enjoyed being in the parks. I stuck with my vow of not riding anything that Jo couldn't go on… but I didn't go alcohol free (like she did).

This was our first experience of FP+ and the Dining Plan and while I'm still not a fan of FP+, I am a massive fan of the Dining Plan. I think we’ll definitely stay on Disney property when we go to Orlando again. Saratoga Springs was lovely, and although there were days when we had gripes (mainly with the buses)… overall it was great.

On Day 13 I went off on a slight tangent when talking about the argument me and Jo had (not argument… the bit of bickering and some Grade-A grown up sulking) and talked about how we hadn't had a holiday on our own since 2013. After writing this TR and listening to the voice memos, I realised just how much time we spent in the company of others when we’d obviously planned this holiday as a last one as just a couple. To those of you who we met up with, please, please don't read into what I'm about to say as me saying we didn't like you, or enjoy your company. Far from it! We had a great time and it made for some brilliant days/nights, fun stories, hilarious photos and the start of some good friendships. Sheluk on the DIBB commented on Day 12 and said ‘I think you two are the most social people on holiday I have ever known!’. Those of you that know me and Jo will know that we’ll chat with anyone and everyone, and will always be friendly (although maybe not if you're an ipadwomble!) but for our next holiday we have to draw a line and say that we can't do what we’ve been doing in the past few trips anymore. Instead of arranging meet-ups and spending whole chunks of our holiday with other people, we now need to focus solely on the three of us having a family holiday together. If we bump into someone in the park and they’re heading to the same area/attraction that we’re going to, then sure… of course we’re going to tag along rather than change our plans to avoid people. I'm just not going to be making plans months in advance to be in a specific place at a specific time with specific people… FP+ and ADRs already make me do this and I hate it! I'm just hoping that with it being only the three of us, my next TR (if I decide to do one) won’t be boring to read!

So while I'm talking about all the meet-ups, I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone we met and hung out with during this trip…

Rob and Lisa-Marie, who we met at Halloween Horror nights. I still feel slightly guilty for laughing so hard at LM being chased by clowns in the Springfield area when she was clearly terrified. Oh, and by the way Rob… what's happened with your TR?
Nicki and Dean who came up to us on our first full day, made me spill my drink all over Jo, and then who we hung out with at EMHs and were part of the 2015 F&W ‘Get Smashed Around the World’ day.
Sir Charles and Charlotte who also joined us for the latter part of that epic Epcot drinkathon and got stuck straight into the shots and cocktails. (I’m still not so happy about getting beaten at Toy Story… but I’ll let that slide!)
Jeff and Danny who let us be a part of their very special day at Disney. After chatting on IG for so long it was great to finally be able to meet you face-to-face and be with you on your wedding day.
Kristin who we met at J&D’s wedding and loved drinking cocktails as much as the rest of us.
Jon and Lisa… well first let me apologise to Lisa. I'm sorry for egging on Jon when we were at F&W and getting him so drunk that he threw up three times when you got back to the hotel! One day he’ll learn his limits and stop trying to keep up with me when we drink As always it was a pleasure hanging out with you guys in the parks.
Jo, Stew and Isabella... I know the ‘adults’ hang out back in the UK but it was lovely meeting Isabella. We had a great time in Universal that day and seeing her little face on One Fish, Two Fish as she soaked me and Jo was priceless!
Ryan (aka Honorary Android)... even though we only had a few minutes chatting, it was great seeing you again, and you looked very dapper.
Marissa… what were the chances of us randomly bumping into each other again at the end of EMH, so close to where we originally met and so far from where we’d seen you last!
Nicky and Neil, who we spent what felt like the quickest 6hrs with at HHN. Such an enjoyable evening, and so nice to finally meet Nicky in person after we’d chatted for such a long while.
The prize for the briefest and most random meet of the holiday goes to Kathleen, and the couple of minutes we chatted while waiting for our philly cheesesteaks! Such a nice lady… and who I'm pleased to see has finally gone from lurking and just reading, to posting comments. Attagirl Kathleen!
Thanks all of you, once again, for all the laughs.

So what's in store for Team Harding in the coming months? Well, first and foremost there's the addition of Team Member No. 3 (who, as we post this, is a week away from her supposed arrival date). If all goes to plan she’ll be experiencing her first Disney holiday when we go to Disneyland Paris for a few days later in the year with Jo’s mum and dad, and her brother, his girlfriend and their baby. As for Orlando and WDW… let's just say that we’re already looking at possibly going in early 2017, as Jo will still be on Maternity Leave and the weather will be cooler and more comfortable for the baby. Also… me and Jo are totally jonesing to get back out there! But hey, aren't we all?

Thank you to all you Dibbers and non-Dibbers who take the time to read my Trip Reports. I know they are wordy, go off on tangents and are full of rants from me about ridiculous things, so it warms my shriveled little heart to see the comments from people on here, and on Instagram and Twitter about what I write. Apologies for the stopping and starting when it came to posting up the days, but Mrs Harding really hit a wall when it came to editing my drivel and I wasn't about to stress her out to get it done and posted. Thanks for finally getting it done though Mrs H… I know it's been extra hard for you this time!

And that, my Disney loving nerds, is really the end.
I love you byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee xxxxx

[sheluk]

Is it wrong that I'm so happy to get a mention in your TR so thank you for that Mr & Mrs H!

What a fab bit of Disney magic for a lift over to Virgin then a free check in bag. Hurray for nice people!

Thank you for taking the time to share your epic adventures - and whether it's the three of you or not I'll be reading!

All the best for your new arrival- am currently drinking the last of my Orlando grey goose (cry) and will do a mini toast to the newest (to be) dibb member. Tell Jo it won't be long till it's her turn

Michelle x

[JoJo88]

Awww, you guys! Erm, I haven't actually read the rest of your report, saving it for when mine is finished, so I'll catch up with the rest sometime in 2018. However, I couldn't resist reading your final day, so that I could revel in your misery . I'm joking!

Sounds like the rest of your report is full of fun as always, so I really can't wait to catch up!

One thing I will say though, is blimey, you certainly did enjoy the DDP if the obnoxious German kids almost hit your 'chins' with the luggage trolley

#dibbafterispoilttheendingformyself

[Guest]

Thanks for sharing your holiday with us all. I love your trip reports so keep doing them! Best of luck for the imminent arrival.

[vics18]

As usual I have really enjoyed your trip report.
You've totally sold me on the DDP and staying on site too. When we next go back with our little one we're hoping we can snag free dining!
Good luck with the new arrival! X

[Grapesoda]

Awe, that's the end of an era! The next time we read a TR from you guys a little Harding will be in the mix... wishing you all the best for your upcoming arrival x

[Dissie]

Another great report. I always enjoy reading them so hope you continue to do them next time you go. Best wishes on your upcoming new arrival to team Harding

[The A team]

Fab report -again😊 Best of luck for the next few weeks look forward to hearing of baby's safe arrival in the next few weeks.

[simno1]

Loved reading your report. Good luck with the arrival of the little. You'll love Disney even more, if that's possible, when you see it through your children's eyes.

[Cinderella]

Thanks for sharing your trip! Looking forward to the next 👍