Disney Day 7: Departure

We were up bright and early today to catch Disney's Magical Express from our resort to the airport. Our resort's bell service never showed up as scheduled to pick up our bags from our room, so in a last-minute rush, the girls and I struggled to get all our (heavy) bags across the grounds of the resort to the airport check-in area of the lobby in time to make the bus. As it turned out, we needn't have panicked; the check-in in the lobby took longer than expected due to malfunctioning machinery (to print our boarding passes), so we ended up catching a slightly later-leaving bus. From one bench Abigail and Hillary kept a keen lookout for the bus while Suzanna and I got some final glimpses of the resort before departing. We ended up getting to the airport with enough time to get through security and to our gate but not with a lot of time to spare.

The flight from Orlando to Denver was eventful. First, Hillary had an upset stomach and threw up in the restroom; I got to go in and help her clean up. Second, because Hillary was seated on the aisle, one particular flight attendant took notice of her and would smile or tickle or greet her each time he passed by. At one point, he saw Hillary sitting with a far-off look, and he asked if she were bored and, thus, would like to help him. She agreed, and he said, "Better get the camera ready, Dad." I did, and this is what I was able to photograph: Hillary as an honorary flight attendant! First she helped him distribute lemonade to passengers throughout the plane. A little while later, she helped him to collect trash from passengers who had cups and napkins to discard. She got to wear a United Airlines apron, and he made her a name tag with a piece of tape and a marker. Hillary was very honored to be asked to help, and she took her responsibilities seriously.

We had a bit of a layover in Denver, so we had a bite to eat in the airport and then read and relaxed at our gate until we were able to fly to Bismarck. (Well, first Suzanna and I went on a fruitless journey through the airport to find a United agent who could correct an error with the name on her Mileage Plus account. The solution, of course, will require our mailing in documents rather than an actual human being's simply keying in the correction. Harrumph.)

When we landed this evening, the temperature was about 80 degrees colder in ND than what it was in FL this morning! We ran to the vehicle and waited impatiently for it to warm up! By the time we were leaving the Mandan city limits, the van was cozy, the sky was pitch black, and the atmosphere in the vehicle was very sleepy. It was a quiet drive back home.

The girls plan to bring their Disney World paraphernalia to school tomorrow to show their teachers and classmates. They've assembled their travel journals, autograph books, Epcot passports, caps, and lanyards with Disney pins, and they will wear their tie-dye Mickey Mouse T-shirts. They should also be bringing home tomorrow afternoon stacks of makeup work from the days of school they missed while in FL. It's nice to be back home and in our own beds again.