Part 13
December 14, 2005
Now it's time to say goodbye...
The last day of a trip is never a fun one. Today, I had a few missions to accomplish before boarding the plane that would take me back into the real world.
After some last minute packing, I had bell services pick up my bags to hold until it was time to go, and I stopped by the ATM in the lobby to make sure I wasn't totally broke. The ATM reported that I still had $250- Whew, safe! (Or so I thought.)
I caught a bus to MK, where I walked as quickly as possible to the hat shop to buy Stitch and Minnie ears for my two nieces, and then POTC to pick up a pirate Eeyore that I'd been wanting. I really wanted one last ride on POTC, but there just wasn't time.
Next I caught a boat to WL. I stopped by the front desk to see if they had ever found the shirt that I had left in the room. They hadn't, but the lady had me fill out a slip with my name and address, just in case. I considered buying a new one, but I had already spent way too much money on this trip, and I had a glimmer of hope that since this was Disney, maybe there would be some Magic and I would come home to find my shirt in the mail.
Feeling as though I had done everything I could to try to recover my poor t-shirt, I set off on my second mission at WL: buy a whole bunch of brownies to take home with me. What counteracts Post-Disney Depression like chocolate? I stopped in Forks, prepared to stock up, only to find that they didn't have any of the frosted brownies today! Doh!
I hopped the boat back to MK, saying a fond farewell to WL as we pulled away. Goodbye, beautiful lodge, see ya real soon.
I felt awful back at PO-R when I discovered that all I had left was a $20 bill, so I didn't have any ones to tip mousekeeping or the Mears driver who picked me up. Sorry, guys!
All too soon (although not technically, since my flight was of course delayed) I was back home, where it was freezing cold, and nobody tells you to have a magical day. To make the harsh reality of the Non-Disney world a little harsher, I logged into my bank account online, and found something very bad. Remember how the ATM told me I had $250 that last day? It lied. A check I had forgotten about got cashed a few days before, and so everything I bought on the night before I left and that last morning got me a $33 overdraft fee. That $8 Pamelia's Punch at the AC? Try $41 once you add the fee. The $1.50 bottle of water at the airport? $34.50. The $3.50 pen I picked up at the airport Disney store for my sister? $36.50. You get the idea. By the time it was all said and done, my bank account was -$900. Yuck! Good thing I didn't buy the brownies or the 2nd WL shirt, I guess! (And yes, I talked to the bank manager about the fees, hoping to get at least a couple taken off, since 5 of the things I had put on my debit card cost less than $5 each. Nope, they didn't take any charges off. Yep, I closed my account there and switched banks.)
Financial woes aside, this was one of my best trips to date. It was a great balance of alone time and time with friends or on tours. I got to visit my favorite resorts, try a new one, make fireworks go off with a magical plastic spoon, and learn the importance of botany. I had a otter pond in my back yard, and a dead fish squished in my fingers. I got locked out of my hotel room. Three times. I got to dance in the street to the Beatles and Arabic music, both in the same day. I found Nemo, some great souveniers, and bliss. I can't wait to go back.
See ya real soon, WDW. It's nice to know you're always there waiting.