 |
| Greetings from Batuu |
At 7 am, while everyone was still asleep, I attempted to join a boarding
group for one final ride on Rise of the Resistance and was delighted when I got one! Once we were all up and ready, we packed our bags, checked out of our hotel, and left our luggage at the front desk while we spent the day at the park. Ashley was in a lot of pain from
a week-old twisted ankle that’s been bothering her the whole trip. She was
limping along when we realized this wasn’t sustainable for another day, so Chad
took her to get a wheelchair, and Jackson and I stopped for coffee at Market
House (it’s actually Starbucks, but Disney disguised it to perfectly match the
turn-of-the-century theme of Main Street). Jackson paid for our coffee, and then we
met up with Chad and Ashley at Jolly Holiday Bakery Café.
 |
| Dole Whip and raspberry lemon float |
In Adventureland, we went to The Tropical Hideaway and enjoyed a
feast of bao, lumpia, Dole Whip, and a raspberry lemon float. We sat at a table along
the shores of the Jungle Cruise which is temporarily closed for refurbishment,
so our view of the Amazon River was blocked by a fence painted with Disney’s famous
color “Go-Away-Green.” After we ate, we decided to take a quiet cruise on the Mark
Twain Riverboat. As I pushed Ashley along in her wheelchair, I had flashbacks of
pushing our kids around Disneyland in their strollers when they were little. To
prevent the tears that were sure to come if I let those memories linger, I pretended to let go of Ashley’s wheelchair at the top of the hill next to Tarzan’s
treehouse and scared her to death. I laughed as I pictured her leveling the crowd and crashing through the fence into the Rivers of America. (A helpful life tip: when you start to feel emotions, make a joke and the emotions will go away.) Once we were ready to board, Chad rolled Ashley
onto the boat, and then he and Jackson took the stairs to the top level where
the best views of the park and Tiana from The Princess and the Frog were
located. Meanwhile, Ashley peeked over the railing and enjoyed the cruise from a 6-year-old's perspective.
 |
| Beautiful Tiana |
 |
| About to join The Cause |
When our app notified us that it was time to board Rise of
the Resistance, we trekked to Galaxy’s Edge and got in line for our last
experience. And our last ride was the best ride of this entire trip. The cast
members were totally in character, and there were a couple new surprises that enhanced
the experience a thousand percent. And it kills me to not spoil it for you.
After the best ride our lives, we went to the Milk Stand for
a tasty treat. If you saw The Last Jedi, you’ll recall that Luke
Skywalker milks an alien sea cow and drinks the green stuff that squirts out of
its udder. Apparently, the creative minds at Disney must have thought that when audiences watch
that scene, we’re all like, “Oh my gosh, I have got to taste that stuff!” Because not
only can you taste it, but you can get in a line 10-people deep and pay $7.99 for
an entire cup of it. You can also buy the blue bantha milk that Luke drinks in
A New Hope. That one was our favorite.
 |
| Sipping green milk under a First Order banner |
We spent a long time exploring the rest of Galaxy’s Edge
before heading over to Sleeping Beauty’s castle and into Fantasyland, then
Tomorrowland, then back to New Orleans Square. We rode rides, walked (and rolled) for miles, snacking our way through the park. Eventually, our last day in the park had come to an end, and we were all exhausted. As we exited the park, I ordered an Uber to take us
to the airport. The app said our driver was 3 minutes away. We crossed the
street, picked up our bags from the hotel, and as we walked out the lobby door
our driver pulled up. The timing could not have been more perfect. We had a 13-minute
drive to the John Wayne airport and we settled in for our 7:15 flight home.
Once we picked up our cars from the parking garage in
Seattle, we hugged Jackson goodbye. It was hard to watch him drive away to his
house in Bellingham because we got so used to him being around this past week. As our kids get older, family vacations become more difficult
to plan. They have their own jobs, their own schedules, their own lives. But
Chad and I have over 20 years of memories we’ve made with them and look
forward to many more. This trip will just become one of those memories we
cherish and hold on to and reminisce about when we’re old. Which seems to be happening at lightspeed.
 |
| Home sweet Home |
Welcome to The Cause. May the force be with us,
-The Niemeyers
So sweet! I'm so glad you had that time together.
ReplyDelete