My Disney World wrap-up

OK, Jane and Kathi are my favorite blog readers, so I shall capitulate to their wishes and post a few thoughts about this year's family trip to Walt Disney World.

Dates: 9/25 to 10/3 or 4, I forget which

Resorts: Pop Century the first and last nights, the Beach Club most of the time

The Mouse was fine and wonderful at times, less wonderful at other times. I've been writing a trip report, but I didn't post it here because I am pretty darned frank about ... stuff. It's pages and pages long. It's just too frank. Y'know?

In general, it was a very good trip. Not our best, most magical trip, but very good.

Bad stuff:
- My overall mental health for the last few days
- The heat and HUMIDITY!!!! (Never going in September again -- November is our favorite time for weather and the Food & Wine Festival)
- The crowds as of Friday, Sept. 29th
- The food at Tony's Town Square is barely school cafeteria quality, and it used to be one of our favorite restaurants, with a marvelous shrimp pasta thing that made me fall over in ecstasy and incoherent rapture
- My feet swelled and rubbed against the *tops* of my Crocs, causing really horrible blisters on the *tops* of my *feeties*
- Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (9/29) was HORRIBLE!!!!!!!! They oversold the event by about 20,000 people in my opinion, and it was a massive waste of time, energy, and money.

Good stuff:
- Air conditioned shops, attractions, and our room at the Beach Club
- I didn't start feeling unwell until the sixth day of our trip
- The crowds until Friday of that week were quite low and manageable
- Epcot (including twinkly sidewalks, dancing fountains, Soarin'!!!!!, Mission:SPACE, the Food & Wine Festival, the Rose & Crown lunch, chocolate glace at France, and five nights of watching the fireworks)
- One night, the kids went off together and left me and Wesley to tour Epcot on our own. Magnifique!
- Stormalong Bay (the mini-waterpark pool at the Beach Club which has sand in the bottom, defying all the logics of pool filter systems and delighting Wesley to no end)
- Waiters at Stormalong Bay would actually take my order and bring me cocktails to my deck chair -- HOW COOL IS THAT???
- Dinner at the Concourse Steakhouse at the Contemporary (Woodrow's 14th birthday dinner)
- The creme brulee au chocolat at the France kiosk at the Food & Wine Festival (deserves a line all its own!!!)
- My Tinker Bell flip-flop pins that I bought
- My funky Mickey WDW t-shirt that I bought on our last night (I should post a picture)
- Expedition Everest in the Animal Kingdom, and the knowledgeable CM's in the Maharaja Jungle Trek -- I want a pet fruit bat of my own!
- Mickey's Philharmagic in the Magic Kingdom (I always bawl at Tinker Bell)
- Woodrow finally rode ALL the thrill rides with me and Wesley, and he *loved* them!!!
- Illuminations Fireworks Cruise on our first night -- Captain Josh was wonderful, and the fireworks were magical -- the boat ride was just icing on the cake
- Fireworks, fireworks, and more fireworks

All in all, it was a lovely trip and I was not ready to come home. But I'm going back in November to meet three friends for our usual every-other-year Food & Wine Festival jaunt. I plan to get more souvenirs and drink more adult beverages on that trip... Tee hee!