Day 1, Sunday November 26, 2006

Our plan was to get away from the house by 7 a.m., however at 4:55 a.m. Gary asked, “Are you awake?” to which I answered, “Yes, I am now.” I had just gotten back to sleep after being awake since 2 a.m.  Not much sense just lying there so we got up, showered, had coffee and hit the road by 6:15 a.m. We stopped in Gananoque for breakfast at McDonalds and then took the Parkway to the 1000 Island Bridge. It was slow going through customs; the officer was being very thorough and seemed to be checking all the cars inside and out. When we pulled up he asked the usual questions and we got through fairly quickly. The only thing I had to do was throw out the roast beef sandwich meat I had brought with us, no beef can enter the country. I knew that but thought I might get away with it. By then it was a nice sunny day and we enjoyed a pleasant drive through New York and into Pennsylvania. Zak is a real trooper but Zoë does not like it, I don’t think she ever will. We arrived at our first destination by 4 p.m. and settled in for the night.


Day 2, Monday November 27, 2006

We were up and on the road by 8 a.m.; it was fairly sunny with a bit of cloud cover in spots. The drive was pretty uneventful, straight down I81 with a few stops for lunch and gas. The mountains were very pretty and the countryside nice and clean.  We drove out of Pennsylvania and through Maryland and West Virginia into Virginia. The distance through Maryland and West Virginia was only about 40 miles. We arrived at our destination about 4 p.m. and settled in for the night. The campground was nothing to write home about but was a place to park and hook up.


Day 3, Tuesday November 28, 2006

We were both wide awake at 5 a.m. so we got up and decided to get an early start, we showered and had coffee and were on the road by 6 a.m., it was still dark. There was a Cracker Barrel just down the road so we stopped for breakfast; by the time we were back on the road it was daylight. It was a nice sunny day and the further we drove the warmer it got. When we stopped for lunch it was time for shorts. I think it was about 72 degrees by then. This day was the longest drive at 360 miles but because we got such an early start we arrived at the campground by 2:45 p.m.  It was nice to be able to get set up and enjoy some of the day. They had a doggie park there so we took Zak & Zoë over for a play. Zak had fun, but we were right next to the interstate and Zoë did not like the noise. We had a shorter drive day planned for the following day so we hoped to stop at a few stores or outlet malls along the way. I still had a bit of Christmas shopping to do, although most of it was done and wrapped. We planned to be in St. Augustine early the next day and would spend 2 nights there.


Day 4, Wednesday November 29, 2006
We managed to sleep in a little later Wednesday morning, Gary was up about 6:45 a.m. and I rolled out just after 7 a.m. We got ourselves ready in a short time and Gary was getting everything unhooked when he noticed the rear jack had not retracted. It would not go up so he pondered the situation for a bit and then decided that the only way we could get on the road was to manually force it up. Not an easy feat, he got the blocks out and used the axe that dad had given him and literally pried it back up into place. We were on the road by 8:30 a.m. We stopped several times along the way, there were lots of stores I wanted to check out. I got some good Disney bargains at the outlet mall. By the time we got to the campground it was dark, but it looked pretty neat. The ocean was right across the road and you could hear the surf. Each site was very secluded with trees and palms and shrubs. I was looking forward to seeing it in the daylight. After we had a bite to eat we went to the pool, Gary had a swim but I stuck to the hot tub, it was a beautiful evening. After we got out of the pool we walked across the street to take a look at the beach, the surf was crashing in.

Day 5, Thursday November 30, 2006
We both slept in this morning, it must have been the breeze off the ocean and the sound of the waves. It had rained overnight but was looking like a nice day. We decided to take the dogs right down to the beach before we did anything else, they needed to have a good romp. There must be something about a beach that Zoë loves because as soon as she gets on the beach she starts barking and races around like a puppy. She likes to run after the birds and chase Zak; the whole time she is on the beach she is barking her happy bark. Zak of course loves the beach and raced up and down the waters edge. After we tired the dogs out we went back to the camp and got cleaned up to go into the city. We caught a cab and got to the old part of St. Augustine about 11 a.m., we just wandered up St. George Street doing some window-shopping and picture taking. We stopped at a little pizza place for a slice of pizza for lunch and then continued to walk around the historical part of the city. It was very hot so we decided to go back to camp and take the dogs over to the beach again. After they had a good run we went to the pool for a swim. We both really like St. Augustine and the campground is great so the next time we come down this way again we will plan a longer stay.

North Beach Camp Resort, St. Augustine, FL


Day 6, Friday December 1, 2006

 

  Site # 317 at Fort Wilderness

 

Finally, the day we go to Disney, we were up and on the road bright and early. The plan is to stop at a couple of shops along the way. We made it to Orlando in good time and our first stop was the Disney Outlet store, lots of good bargains to be found. We then stopped at Wal-Mart for a few things before we got to Fort Wilderness. We arrived at the Fort Wilderness Campground about 12:30 p.m. and the site that we wanted was already filled so we take the next closest one, site #317. It is perfect, backs right onto the canal and pet walk and is right across the road from the comfort station. We started setting up camp when we noticed a bit of commotion going on, two small dogs were on the run and all the campers were trying to catch them.  They had escaped from a trailer. After several attempts, with the Disney security involved by this time, the frightened dogs were captured.
Our first stop was EPCOT so that we could pick up our Disney Dining Experience card.  We walked through EPCOT to the International Gateway to catch a boat to MGM. While standing in line Gary struck up a conversation with a lady waiting for the boat also. She happened to be from Canada and at Disney for Mousefest. We came to find out she was Tacey, a fellow “Taginator”. Small world! We made it to MGM and had time to wander through a couple of shops before our Advance Dining Reservation at Sci-Fi Café. The meal at Sci-Fi is okay, but the theme of the restaurant is great. After dinner we headed over to the Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights. It is fantastic this year with the music from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and the dancing light show that happens every fifteen minutes.  By this time we were tired so we headed back to the camp and called it a night.

Osborne Family Lights at Disney's MGM Studios


Day 7, Saturday December 2, 2006

Expedition Everest

Up and ready to go, we headed to Animal Kingdom. We had tickets for the Annual Passholder preview of the new stage show called Nemo. Before going to the theatre we stopped at Expedition Everest to pick up a fast pass. The Nemo show was great, the people who hold and control the puppets are very much a part of the character and you tend to watch them more than the puppets. I give the show a top rating and will look forward to seeing it again. After the show we went over to ride Expedition Everest. It is such a fun ride, I quite like it. By now it was time to go back to camp and tend the dogs. It is a very hot day and the air-conditioned RV felt good. 

After we had lunch, spend some time with the dogs and had a short nap we were ready to go to Downtown Disney. We had dinner at Planet Hollywood and then went to the AMC theatre to watch Nightmare Before Christmas 3D. It was very cool. The day ended with a bus ride back to camp and a couple of tired campers flopping into bed at about 10 p.m.


Day 8, Sunday December 3, 2006
Sunday morning and it promised to be a very hot and humid day so the only place I wanted to be was at Typhoon Lagoon. It is the greatest water park! Once we got there we scouted out a spot with an umbrella, dumped our stuff off and hit the wave pool. We spend a bit of time lounging and building up strength so that we could manage a few rides down Crush’n Gusher. This is a water roller coaster and lots of fun! 

We were starting to take on the lobster look by early afternoon so we thought we should call it a day and go back to the camp. The dogs were ready to romp by then so we spend some time out by the canal with them and then back to the RV to cool down. Before we knew it, it was time to get cleaned up and head over to Pioneer Hall for the Hoop Dee Doo Review. Even though I have seen the show many times before, I still find it a refreshing way to spend the evening. It is so upbeat and the cast do a great job. After the show and dinner was over we headed back to camp, walked the dogs and crashed into bed.

 

After that we hopped on an inner tube and floated around the lazy river, life doesn’t get much better than that.

 

Hoop-Dee-Do Review


Day 9, Monday December 4, 2006

This was our fourth day at Disney and we still had not been to the Magic Kingdom. We were meeting Jenn & Eric and their two boys for lunch but we had a couple of hours before that so we caught the boat over to the Kingdom. I always love that first walk up Main Street when you are visiting Disney; it is such a great feeling. We stopped to watch the Main Street players for a few minutes and then walked over to the Caribbean Plaza.  We get there just in time to catch the pirates street show with Captain Jack Sparrow. It is a pretty good show. Then we took a ride through the Pirates of the Caribbean; it is such a great ride. After the ride we strolled through a few of the shops and decided we should get back to camp so we can let the dogs out before meeting Jenn and her family.

Captain Jack Sparrow at the Magic Kingdom

Jake and Scottie

We met Jenn and Eric and the boys at the Trails End for lunch then walked over to the barns and livery to show the boys the horses. After that we gave them a bit of a tour of the campground and ended up back at our RV. The boys had fun feeding the ducks and then playing in the park. We said our goodbyes, they were going to Hoop Dee Doo for dinner and we were going to EPCOT for the Candlelight Processional.

Our dinner package included dinner at le Cellier, our favourite EPCOT dining place. We both order the same thing every time we go, the maple glazed filet for the entrée and the maple crème brulee for dessert. As always it was excellent. After dinner we wandered through the countries on the way to the American Theatre, this included a stop at Canada to watch Off Kilter; they are such a great group.

The narrator for our show was Mario Lopez, he was very good and the choir was awesome. The show is so good that it has become a tradition for us to see it whenever we go to Disney in December. After the show we raced off to The Land to try and catch Soarin’ before it closed. We just make it under the wire and had the ride pretty much to ourselves. It was a great day and we were once again exhausted by the time we get back to camp.

The Candlelight Processional


Day 10, Tuesday December 5, 2006

Susan, Gary, Zak & Zoë

This morning met Susan (Topaz), a fellow Taginator, for breakfast at the Trails End. We walked over to the Trails End and had a nice rock in the rocking chairs and watched as the boat docked and Susan made her way up to the restaurant. The breakfast there was really great, so much better than their lunch or dinner buffet. We ate enough that we wouldn’t need lunch. After we finished we walked to the RV to show Susan the campsites and introduce her to Zak and Zoë. It was a beautiful day and she really enjoyed being at the campground and out by the canal. Susan left us to go over to the Magic Kingdom and we romped the dogs for a bit. We rode our bikes down to the settlement to catch the bus to MGM. When we got there Gary went to ride the Rock’n Roller Coaster while I checked out the pin store, we met at the Tower of Terror and then went on to ride the Great Movie Ride. We had dinner at Hollywood and Vine and then went to watch Fantasmic. After the show we walked through the Osborne Family Lights before returning to the campsite. Another great day.
A Disney tip from Carol – If you are cycling through the Fort Wilderness Campground and you feel the urge to slow down and dive from your bicycle into the juniper bushes, please remember that I advise against it.  This will quite likely result in very itchy arms and legs; it certainly did in my case.

Day 11, Wednesday December 6, 2006
Wednesday was a pretty lazy day.  We slept in and after a slow start we headed off to Animal Kingdom.  We picked up a Fast Pass for Kilimanjaro Safaris and then caught the Flights of Wonder show.  While waiting in line we ran in to our friends Jenn and Eric and their boys Scottie and Jake.  It was fun for us to sit with them and watch the boys reactions as they watched the show.  After our safari ride we stopped for lunch at Tusker House before heading back to the motor home.  We took the dogs out for a run and then rested a bit before leaving for dinner.  On our way to the Contemporary Resort Hotel we stopped at the Trails End where we met a group of Tagrel friends who were there for WillCAD’s  Begin at the End Reduxe” meet.  WillCAD, MikeS, GloriaK, FLsharon, GroupHugJohn, Tracy, Zach, Amymouse, DaisyDuck001, AUBandPilot, Mike Newell and Rosebud  had met there for dinner before they went on a hay ride.  After a brief visit with them, we continued on to the Contemporary for our dinner in the Concourse Steak House.  It was excellent.  After dinner I just had to do some shopping, so Gary waited in the concourse while I visited the shops.  Since the next day was going to be a long one, with lots of MouseFest meets, we headed back to the camp ground early.  I did a little laundry before we crashed for the night.

Mom and baby at Kilimanjaro Safaris


Day 12, Thursday December 7, 2006

LimeGreenCheri, Carol & Gary

Thursday we got off to a slow start.  We phoned home, spoke to Gary's mother and then my parents.  They described the snow that has been falling for a few days, and is forecast to continue a few more days.  We sure hope it's gone by the time we get home!  After playing with the dogs for a bit we headed out, caught the boat to the Magic Kingdom and arrived about 10:30 a.m.  As we walked up Main Street USA toward the castle, the Main Street Players began to perform their song and dance show.  We stopped to take a few pictures, and who ran up and hugged me?  Why it was LimeGreenCheri, my Taginator friend from Georgia. She was there with her friends Liz and Michelle. After a short chat, we went our separate ways.  It was close enough to lunchtime so we had a hot dog at Casey's, then Gary went to get a Fast Pass for Peter Pan while I went to the Frontier Trading Post for some pins.  

We met in front of the Haunted Mansion and took a Doom Buggy ride.  Next we decided to ride It’s a Small World, the ride is still one of my favourites. By the time we got through It's a Small World, it was time for our Peter Pan ride.  Next came my big thrill of the day!  As we walked out of Peter Pan, the Dream Squad was there handing out lanyards with special "Dream" pins.  I was just elated! It was just the best thing to have happen.

 We wandered over to Tomorrowland and stopped for a Strawberry Swirl, then I beat Gary's butt on Buzz Lightyear.  By now it was time to get back and let the dogs have a little run, so we caught the boat back to Fort Wilderness. We had a bit of a break and then I left to go over to the Magic Kingdom to attend the Mike Scopa Dole Whip meet. The boat was late so I didn’t get there until it was almost over, but as I was checking at the bag check I walked through with Moley, she had just spent the morning with Robin. 

Dale and I

Fireworks from the Rose Garden

When I finally did get to the Dole Whip meet I met lots of Taginators. Dave was busy handing out pins and buttons and we all had a bit of a visit. At 4 p.m. we all headed to the Pirates of the Caribbean meet, it was a blast as we all sang the pirates song while converging on the ride. After the meet was over I went to Liberty Tree Tavern to meet Gary. We had a wonderful dinner and visited with some more Taginators. 

After dinner we were staying in the park for the Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party so we watched the special show in front of the castle. After that it was almost time for the Fireworks meet held at the Rose Garden and co-hosted by Deb Wills and Dave Card. This annual event is one of my favourite Mousefest meets. After the fireworks, at BetsyAnn’s suggestion, a bunch of us headed down to the Haunted Mansion for an unofficial meet. It was a hoot. Then Gary and I went off to watch the parade and immediately after the parade caught the boat back to the campgrounds. We were both exhausted!


Day 13, Friday December 8, 2006
We had to get our lazy butts moving, this was the day for Deb Will’s safari meet at Animal Kingdom and we did not want to miss this one. There were over 100 people there and it was a super meet. Right after we all headed to Expedition Everest to tackle the Yeti. The meet was organized by LimeGreenCheri, BetsyAnn and Moley. We had enough Taginators to fill the train. It was a blast. Gary and I then went back to the camp for lunch and to spend some time with the dogs.

Jambo Mike!

Stop, Drop & Roll

After lunch we were off to MGM for the Stop, Drop and Roll meet, hosted by SusanL and GloriaK. There was an excellent turn out and everyone got his or her fast pass for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, posed for a group picture, then proceeded to the Tower of Terror. After the drop portion of the event everyone went back over to the roller coaster for the roll part. There was a bit of concern that everyone would not be able to enter at the same time but with some smooth talk from GroupHugJohn the CM allowed all the Taginators in. When we had finished Gary and I caught the bus to Wilderness Lodge and had a nice dinner at Whispering Canyon, then we went back to the dogs for a couple of hours before heading off to the Beach Resort for the Gift Exchange meet that was hosted by SusanL and BriarRose (BaciBecky was also a host but had to cancel her trip).
We arrived at the Beach Club and the solarium was already filled with lots of excited Taginators and presents piled high in the middle of the room. It was an awesome group and we had so many laughs my cheeks still hurt. LimeGreenCheri managed to get in most of the pictures trying to out do BetsyAnn, Snickerdoodlesmommy is now planning revenge on EJ4Disney and MargaretJ!  Mik has quite a few new stuffed animals, WillCAD looks lovely in his Minnie Mouse bath towel, Jimbolini was glad he didn’t get a thong, Tacey ended up with the tigernator, Photographer got . . . and lost . . . and got a Disney Trivia game – it just goes on and on with the evenings events but I will wrap it up for now, I am bushed and the Soarin meet is first thing in the morning.

Susan, Briar Rose & Lynn

WillCAD and his Minnie Towel

LimeGreenCheri, Frogman & BetsyAnn


Day 14, Saturday December 9, 2006

It was Saturday morning, EPCOT Mousefest day and I had gone into “Lazy Butt” mode. We had boarding passes for the Soarin’ meet, so cleverly made by Kathleena, and there was no way we were going to make it in time; I was worried we were going to be late for the Brunch at the Ball. We did get to EPCOT by 10:15am and went straight to the Electric Umbrella to get set up. Jimbolini was waiting for us when we got there and together we got the prize table organized and the ballots ready for everyone to fill in, Gary ran off to make arrangements with the PhotoPass people to be there to take our picture. We had a great turn out and everyone had a good chance to visit and stop for a bite to eat. At 11:30 we all headed out to the front of the fountain to have the group picture taken. We had the banner there that Frogman had made last year and when we were done, the Marathon group posed for their pre-race photo.

zakerdog, Tacey & Gary

CandiB & BriarRose

Teeyore loved brunching with us!

CandiB &SusanL

Stinkerbelle & Pirate

WillCAD & Jimbolini

Brunch at the Ball

Belle & Tagrel

Gary hurried off to the Dolphin with Dave as soon as the photo was finished and I had a chance to wander through Mouse Gears. I then walked over to the International Gateway and caught the boat over to the Mega Meet. I was a bit early so I was able to have a nice chat with RaySharpton while we waited for the doors to open at 1 p.m. The meet was huge, there were twice as many tables set up this year and the attendance was awesome. I helped Dave at the Tagrel table for an hour while Gary was a greeter, then we decided to take a quick break. We walked through to hotel and found a nice little café, we just sat down when CShore and AliKat came along and joined us. We had a very nice visit and before we knew it we had to get back to the meet in time for the prize draws. I didn’t win anything this year but we had three Taginator winners; Miss Bianca, Beast and EJ4Disney.

After the meet I caught the bus back to the campground to tend to the dogs while Gary took the boat over to MGM Studios to buy my Christmas present. Today they released the new cell from Disney Animation Gallery and that’s my Christmas present. You had to pre-order and pick it today in order to get the special signed 3-way framed cell.  This release is Lady and the Tramp. I’ll have to act surprised on Dec. 25th.  Gary got back to the campsite not too long after I had finished romping the dogs so we sat for a minute and then walked over to the settlement to catch the boat to the Magic Kingdom. We had a hamburger at Pecos Bills, watched Philharmagic, rode Snow Whites Scary Adventure and then decided to catch the boat. As we were leaving we just got to the exit gates when the space shuttle went up so we were able to watch it until it went out of sight. By the time we got on the boat Wishes was starting so we were able to watch the fireworks from the water. All in all it was quite a day, we had a great time but we are way too tired to make it to the Karaoke meet, maybe next year……….!!

Day 15, Sunday December 10, 2006

We had a note from RoguePony & JohnnyBlack yesterday saying that they were camped right next door to us so when Gary went out first thing in the morning he ran into them and had a bit of a chat. I would have gone out too but I was still in my nightshirt and didn’t want to scare the new neighbours. We got ourselves ready by 9:30 a.m. and rode our bikes down to the dock to catch the boat over to the Magic Kingdom. We were meeting up with some Taginators for breakfast at the Crystal Palace, this was our moderator meet. It was nice to sit and visit with everyone and we had some fun with the characters. We were missing Belle who had to catch an early flight and LimeGreenCheri, she had gotten a call from home that her Grandmother had passed on; we were all very sorry for her. After breakfast I gave everyone a goodbye hug, as we probably would not see many of them again until next year. 

Alicia, Tagrel, MissBianca, CShore, AliKat

SusanL, Lynner, BriarRose, Cheryl, Topaz, Bookwood

Bob, Moley, Frogman, MargaretJ

Gary, BetsyAnn, zakerdog, Elaine, Paul

Carol, Tigger, Gary

Pooh, BetsyAnn

Eeyore, AliKat, CShore

Moderators breakfast - photo courtesy of BriarRose

Zak & Zoë with their favourite mouse!

Gary and I then returned to the campground to play with the dogs before returning to the Kingdom for the 3 p.m. Pin meet.  

We were walking up Main Street and ran into SusanL, one final goodbye to her, she was on her way to the airport. The pin meet was held at the Noodle Station and there were quite a few people there, including some Taginators, Tacey and her daughter Crystal, Stinkerbelle and Pirate. After the meet Gary and I got a Fastpass for Buzz Lightyear and then took a ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority (I still call it the WEDway People Mover). We had an ADR for the Plaza and arrived just in time. It was a good meal and even though they make great banana splits, we were both too full to even consider it.

After dinner we rode Buzz and Gary beat me this time; then we walked over to Country Bear Jamboree.  I miss the Christmas version. Then we watched the SpectroMagic parade. Right after the parade we went straight to Pirates of the Caribbean and walked right on the ride. I really like what they did to this ride, Captain Jack Sparrow was a great addition. When we finished the ride the fireworks were just starting so we made our way through the crowd and headed out to catch a boat to the campground. When we got there we picked up the dogs and walked them down to the shore to watch the Electric Water Parade . . . that was very cool.

So Mousefest is over for another year, it was a fun time and I really enjoyed seeing old friends and meeting new ones. I plan to be here for Mousefest 2007 and do it all over again.


Day 16, Monday December 11, 2006

Monday morning and no MouseFest meets to go to, what will we do? We started the day off with a little visit with RoguePony then hopped on our bikes and rode down to the docks to catch the boat to the magic Kingdom. It was not very crowded and we were able to walk on Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain. We then started to walk over to get a FastPass for Peter Pan when we ran into Jenn and Scotty and Jake, they were doing their favourite rides one last time before they had to leave for the airport. We said our goodbyes and then went and got the Fast Pass. We decided to go over to Tomorrowland and ride Space Mountain, and then rode Pooh’s Adventure on the way back to Peter Pan. 

Gary & the Liberty Square Riverboat

Woody's Cowboy Camp

After the ride we went into the Columbia House for lunch and met Cshore and AliKat; they were also finishing up some last rides before heading to the airport. After lunch we went over to Jungle Cruise, the line was a bit long there so by the time we got our ride done it was time to go back to camp and romp the dogs.

Carol at Donald's Tree Farm

A scene from the Jungle Cruse

We spent the afternoon with them and had a little nap before we had to get ready for dinner. We caught the boat over to the Contemporary and then the Monorail to the Polynesian. As we walked into the Polynesian we ran into Rosebud, she was having dinner at ‘Ohana too. We had a window seat in ‘Ohana and were able to watch the fireworks during our dinner. After a wonderful meal we caught a bus to Downtown Disney; I wanted to do some shopping. As I was wandering through the World of Disney I ran into WillCAD, he was doing some last minute shopping before his flight the next day.

We then went back to the campground; it was another great day in Disney.

 

Zoë likes to play with the ducks!


Day 17, Tuesday December 12, 2006
  1. The Meadow Trading Post

 

Zoë & Zak catching some rays!

The new entry to The Seas with Nemo & Friends

Gary is unaware that he is in danger!

We decided to spend the morning at the camp rather than go to the parks this day.  I wanted to take down all the Christmas decorations and get partially ready for departure.  We packed up everything and Gary got the rear hydraulic jack up, it still wasn’t working right so he had to force it up manually. I then went to the Meadow Trading Post to get some bread and we had sandwiches for lunch. After lunch we walked the dogs, fed the ducks and then had a nap. It was a really nice day out and we enjoyed just lazing around. It was about 3 o’clock when we went to catch the bus to EPCOT. We started off with Spaceship Earth then the new Living Seas with Nemo. It is really cute, and I like it better than the old ride. Next we walked over to Canada just in time to catch the Off Kilter show.

Off Kilter

After that we started making our way over to China for our dinner ADR. We stopped at Mexico, rode the ride then walked over to Norway. We didn’t ride the Maelstrom but wandered through the shop. We arrived at China and watched a bit of the outside show and then went into the restaurant for dinner. We had a great dinner there, the food was very good. After dinner we walked back to Future World through the light canopy. Gary went off to ride Mission Space and I waited for him at Test Track, when he finished the ride we both went on Test Track.

We decided to leave EPCOT and go back to the campground, we were both tired and the next day was our last Disney day and we wanted to get an early start.

Which one is the Troll?


Day 18, Wednesday December 13, 2006

The plan was to get to the Magic Kingdom for rope drop, but alas that didn’t happen, we tend to take things a bit slower when we stay in the campground. The park seemed nearly empty as we walked down Main Street. We stopped in front of the castle to watch the Year of a Million Dreams show and then walked through Liberty Square to get a fast pass for Peter Pan, but when we got to the ride there were hardly any people waiting in the queue so we just got in line. After the ride we walked over to Toon Town and had a nice chat with one of the Dream Squad cast members. He was explaining to us how some of the prize distribution worked and then asked how many times we had been to Disney. When I answered that this was my 28th trip he presented us with “Honorary Citizens” buttons.  We left him to go and catch the train to Frontierland.  

Our last day - how sad!

We've never seen the streets so empty!

When we arrived at Frontierland I looked down the street and it was almost empty; it seemed very strange. We continued to walk through Adventure Land, I wanted one last ride on the Pirates, it was there that I found all the missing people, I have never seen the line so long in all the years I have been going to Disney.  It made me wonder if the real Jack Sparrow was making an appearance. The line was two to three deep, out the attraction and down the street to Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Ride. We passed on that idea and decided to watch the Tiki Birds instead. After the show we wandered over to Casey’s for one last hotdog before returning to the campground. I always hate that last walk down Main Street, but at least this time I know I will be back in a month.

 

 

By the time we got back to the campground it was raining quite hard, we gave the dogs a quick walk and then Gary lied down while I did some stuff on the computer and got my pins ready to take to Downtown Disney that evening, I was going to do some pin trading before dinner. Before we left for Downtown Disney we finished getting everything packed up so that we could be ready to pull out first thing in the morning. By the time we were catching the bus it had stopped raining and was quite warm. I did some trading while Gary read his book until it was time to go to Raglan Road for dinner. The meal was okay - not bad but not my favourite.  But the restaurant is really something to see, so I am glad we tried it. My favourite at Downtown Disney is still Captain Jack’s. After dinner I did a bit more trading and then we caught the bus back to camp, it was lights out, no more Disney days left.

Goodbye Goofy!

One last ride on the Walt Disney World Railway


Day 19, Thursday December 14, 2006
We got up early, showered and packed the last few things and then went to the Trails End for breakfast before leaving Fort Wilderness. The breakfast at Trails End is on of the best buffet breakfasts at Disney in my opinion. After breakfast we took the dogs for a quick walk, fed the stale bread to the ducks and then hit the road. We got a bit turned around leaving the campground but ended up where we had wanted to go anyway - the Outlet Mall so I could do one last bit of shopping. 

Check-out time!

Long days on the road are soooo tiring!

We got a bit behind schedule and the day was dreary so neither of us was too talkative as we drove up I-4 to I-95. We left Florida, drove through Georgia and arrived at Point South just before dark. It was a long day and we were both tired.  Fortunately the KOA Campground at Point South has a little pizzeria, so dinner was quick and easy.

Day 20, Friday December 15, 2006
It was a pretty uneventful day, we got away early and stopped at the Waffle House for breakfast, not my favourite place, I don’t think we will do that again. We drove for a bit and then stopped at a Wal-Mart so I could pick up a few food items for our trip home. It was a very nice sunny day and the temperature was warm, it was a good day to travel. We arrived at the Wytheville campground about 4 p.m. so we had daylight to set up and a chance to give the dogs a good romp. We watched some TV and then crashed for the night with the heater on, it was frosty outside!

Day 21, Saturday December 16, 2006

We left the campground about 8 a.m. and drove right onto I-81; it was straight up the highway from here on in. The sun was shining and it was another beautiful day although quite cool. I noticed that as we drove through the mountains that the ponds and puddles were frozen. We were making good time and that was a good thing, our plan was to stop and have a quick visit with Cinderella and Prince Charming (Claire & Ron) and the earlier we got there the longer we would have. We found their place with no trouble; Claire had given us great directions. They were waiting for us and gave us a big open arms welcome. They have a beautiful home and after a quick tour we sat down for some coffee, homemade cookies and fruit salad. It was a pleasant break from a long day of travel. We actually stayed longer than planned; we were having such a nice time. As we were leaving Claire brought out the doggie treats and Zak and Zoë had a new friend. Zoë, who is not all that fussy about traveling in the RV thought that she would like to stay with the nice lady with treats.

Cinderella  & zakerdog at MouseFest 2004

By the time we arrived at the campground it was dark and the office was closed so we drove around in the dark to find a campsite and got settled in. We were both tired so we called it an early night.


Day 22, Sunday December 17, 2006
The last day on the road – yahoo! We woke up very early and decided to just get going; we were both anxious by this time to get home. We only stopped for gas once and had a quick bite at McDonalds.  Other than a couple of Rest Area stops we drove right through. We arrived in Kingston about 3 p.m., it was a nice day, a bit of sun and the temperature was in the 50’s. We unloaded the RV and then Gary did the winterizing so it is ready to put in storage for a couple of months.  We have no immediate plans right now for a road trip, but you never know. All in all it was a great adventure, one that I hope we can do again next year for MouseFest 2007.