Concluding our Walt Disney World travelogue ...

1. Our flight was not until 7 that evening.  The day before, we got the Disney Magic Express confirmation of when we should pick up the bus to MCO.  Alas, Southwest is not one of the airlines that lets you check your bags through and get your boarding passes at WDW, but it was still a convenient service.  So we got up around 9, called the bellcap service to pick up our luggage at 10, got packed, and headed off. 
2. Well, Kitten and I headed off -- Margie stayed for the bellcap, while Kitten accompanied me to the Business Center at the main complex.  Two of the five computers were down, and the other three were occupado, but we eventually got onto one to print off Margie's boarding pass for Southwest (thus graduating us from a C queue to a B queue -- if we'd done it the previous evening, it would have been the A queue).  While the Business Center computers are $10 for 15 minutes, and the printer is $1/page (yeesh!), it's all free if it's having to do with travel arrangements, which is kind of nice.
3. Margie caught up with us at that point, and we headed over for a last breakfast.  Good waffle, but one is advised to stay away from the Pepper Market right before the meals change (Lunch starts at 11, Dinner at ... 4?).  The staff is busy trying to prep the next meal and get it set up, and the patrons are busy trying to get last helping of the previous meal.  Since we had already been auto-checked-out, had to pay with a credit card, rather than the insidiously easy cardkey/room charge card.
4. Since we'd not finished Epcot, and since Katherine was jonesing to finish her mask, we headed back there.  We eschewed any rides, and just went straight to World Showcase, heading clockwise to start in Mexico (the ride there is down for refurb and "rebranding" as a Three Caballeros ride), Norway (always a long line for Maelstrom, which we skipped this time), and China (skip the green tea/plum wine slushies),   We managed to slip past the face painting stand, and make it to Germany.  While Kitten queued to see Snow White, I got ice cream cones for the womenfolk, and a citrusy hefeweize for myself.
5. In Italy we saw a fun juggler.  We ran across a lot of street performing types during this trip, and considered it worth our while to stop and watch in each case.  Highly entertaining for kids and adults alike.
6. We made it to the US, then to Japan.  That should have been the final stamp and dongle for Kitten's mask, but we found out the Mexican lady hadn't stamped it.  So, after enjoying once again the Tin Toy exhibit there, and while Margie did a bit of shopping, Katherine and I headed back over to Mexico (which was, of course, directly opposite us).  We hoofed it, since we'd proven last time that, unless the boat is at the dock and about to leave, it's faster to walk around World Showcase than depend on the launch to take you across.
7. Great acrobats (with stacked chairs) in France.
8. Kitten got her mask stamped in Mexico.  She'd already gotten the cool certificate in Japan, so she felt pleased that she'd accomplished her mission.  Somehow we managed to miss Margie (as she walked over going the other direction), but all was well because it allowed her to buy me a frozen margarita  (and a kiwi margarita for herself, which wasn't nearly as good).
9. And it was time to head back to CS for the bus, so we did so.
10. We sort of hung out at the shop, then Katherine and I stocked up on lemonade in our CS mugs while Margie went to the luggage claim area to get our checked bags so we could shift them over to the bus.  She discovered the "Hershey's Kissmobile" over there, tied into some convention going on, and holding an odd videotaped/karaoke contest/event for "World's Best Mom" (with plenty of bags of mini-kisses for the kids).  That chewed up an inordinate amount of time, so we had to quick get our bags before the bus arrived.  There was enough time for me to change to a fresh shirt, then we were on the bus, and heading to the airport.
11. Ignore the signs on Level 1 that imply there are ticket counters down there for a few airlines, including Southwest. There are not.  Go up to 3.
12. The Southwest counter area was a madhouse.  Not sure why.  We electronically checked in (no Dave Hill, International Man of Mystery problems), then checked our bags (like Ontario, we had to lug them over to the X-ray machines ourselves).
13. We had a couple of hours to kill, so we grabbed dinner at Macaroni Grill (Orlando has a wealth of restaurants and shops; it's more of a mall than an airport, sometimes).  Security on the Southwest side was trivial go through.  We got to the gates, I stood in the B queue, and when we finally boarded we had seats about 2/3 of the way back on the plane.
14. The flight home was uneventful.  Mercifully, I'd been informed (while at WDW) that the business trip that I'd been going to fly directly from Orlando to was canceled, so that made life easier for everyone.  We staggered to the car (which Kitten had memorized the location of), and drove home.  We got Kitten to bed, and then ourselves.  And it was all good.

-fin-

Filed under :: Travel - WDW 07