[Mr. Mermaid]

Day 7: August 3, 2003

This would be my last full day at Walt Disney World. I decided that it should be devoted to all the things I loved. Today was the Magic Kingdom's Surprise Morning, so I was immediately off to the Magic Kingdom. The line for it was so long at the resort so I got into the Epcot bus instead which only had like 5 people in it. I guess the people at All Stars share my feelings toward Epcot, hehe. At Epcot, I boarded the monorail to the TTC and then took the ferry to the Magic Kingdom. Although the monorail is cool, it's nothing like being on top of the ferry, being right in front, with the breeze in your hair, and having the Magic Kingdom slowly appear before you. I rode the railroad around the park first, just to absorb everything. I'm not sure if I did any rides, it just felt like I was there to just take in the magic. I went to see Cindellera's show for the fourth time! I can't help it, I'm addicted to this show. I pretty much know all the songs and dialogue and the dance movements now. I can't get enough of it! During the character greeting after, I met Donald! I then went browsing through Main Street. Paula, I got Maegan a little something. Remember me asking who her favorite princess was? Hehe. After that, I went back to watch the show again! LOL! I am so addicted to this show. Does anyone know if the songs are on cd? Or will ever be on cd? I need it!

I then went off to the MGM Studios to see all my favorites shows again. I went to see Voyage of the Little Mermaid again. In the waiting area, I got into a conversation with this mom and her two little girls. She saw I was wearing an Ariel pin and said "Oh look, he likes the Little Mermaid." I replied "I love of the Little Mermaid!" They asked me about the show and I talked a bit about the Little Mermaid to them. Hehe. The show was very fun again but I do have one complaint. This was not the same Ariel who moved me last time. She had the voice right but sang Part of Your World all wrong. I was like "You're butchering my song, woman!". She sang some parts too fast and too low. She was too playful on some parts when she should have been more emotional. Yes, yes, I know, I'm hopeless. LOL. It's just the Ariel who sang before did it perfectly. Maybe it was her first day, I dunno. I then went to see Sorcerer Mickey! After that, I went to see Beauty and the Beast again. I've seen the Broadway version and I know this little stage doesn't compare to it, but for a 30 minute show, it's wonderful! After the show, it began to rain again. I hate Florida weather. I had hoped to see Buzz and Woody but they wouldn't be out in this rain. They had canceled the Stars and Motorcars parade again. But I saw it already so it was ok. I decided to go play Who Wants to be Millionaire. I think I actually could have gotten into the hotseat. I got every question right, I just intentionally answered slow so I wouldn't go to the hotseat. It was still raining so I went on Star Tours again. It was actually more fun the second time. Hey, it stopped raining. Woohoo! I went to eat dinner at Pizza Planet. Had a pizza and some salad. I strolled around for a bit and bought 2 cds, "Where Magic Lives." and "Magic in the Streets." I then went to Fantasmic! about 2 hours before showtime. Sitting there waiting... it started raining again. Nooo! And it kept raining all the way up to showtime. No one knew if it was going to be delayed or canceled. Then at 9 pm, "Welcome to Fantasmic!". A chorus of like 10,000 people erupted in cheers. It was hilarious. I was like "What? In the rain?" And then as fate would have it, the rain soon stopped. The show was on. I gave Fantasmic! my final night and it did not disappoint. Just such an incredible show.

I went back to the resort and packed my stuff to get ready to go home the next day. Man, that was sure depressing. But I would have one more day.

Day 8: August 4, 2003

This is it. My final day. Well, no point in moping around. Let's enjoy it! Where should I spend my final day.. pffft, like that's a hard question. I left my luggage in my room for luggage assistance to pick up and went to check out. I then took the bus to the Magic Kingdom, but I didn't go in just yet. See, I saved something for my last day, Chef Mickey's! So it was off to the Contemporary. This was so much fun. So much better than my experience at Crystal Palace. There was so much character interaction. In fact, I met some of them twice! There was Goofy, Chip, Dale, Pluto, Minnie, and Mickey of course! Minnie went and sat beside me and gave me a bunch of kisses. It was funny. It was nice to have something like that on my last day. Now, it was on to the Magic Kingdom. I had to 2 pm to enjoy myself. Let's see.. what did I do first. Come on, you should know this by now. Cinderella's Surprise Celebration! Hehehe! I then went into Fantasyland. I visited Ariel's Grotto. I didn't go see her though, just played around a bit in there. I then rode Cinderella's Carrousel. It's such a simple ride, but I think it's very magical. I then went to ride "it's a small world". Yup, I've definitely defected. Hehe. Next, I went over to Frontierland to check out Goofy's Country Dancing thing. If you want character interaction, you'll get a lot in this show. But be warned, you gotta dance. Goofy, Chip, Dale, Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye were all there... all country dancing. Hehe. Great photo opportunities though. But I didn't take any photos. It's funny, on my first 3 days, I used up nearly 7 rolls of film. But since then, I've only done 3. I had one exposure left on my 10th roll. I was saving it for something special. I then went back to Fantasyland and rode Snow White's Scary Adventures. After that, time was ticking away. I only had a little bit of time left. I decided to stroll around all over the Magic Kingdom just to see everything one last time. I stopped at Cinderella's Fountain, made a wish, and unloaded all the change in my pockets into it. What was my wish? Well, if I told you, it wouldn't come true, now would it? ;) I then went back to the castle for my very last attraction. For the 7th and last time, I watched and sang along with Cinderella and company. Then... I had to go. I slowly walked back down Main Street. I stopped at the flagpole and turned around to see Cinderella Castle for the final time. And with my last exposure, I took the photo... my final memory. I know its a bit cheesy but I had to do something. One final act. So I just stood there and softly sang the final verses of the Part of Your World reprise.

I don't know when, I don't know how
But I know something's starting right now.
Watch and you'll see,
Someday I'll be
Part of Your World.

And with that, I said "Goodbye". Then in what was a really embarrassing moment, I just broke down. I guess it all just hit me at once. The fact is was over. This adventure, this magical week in fantasy was at an end. It was too much for me to take and I ended up running out of the Magic Kingdom in tears. At the bus stop, I took time to calm myself down. This was a pain I knew I would feel today but knowing it would happen didn't make it feel any better.

I made it back to the resort, got my bags, and Rob picked me up to take me to the airport. Since my flight was delayed, he took me out to have some pizza at Celebration. I know I didn't do many thrill rides in Disney. But I think I got the scariest thrill ride then, Rob driving down a Florida highway in the pouring rain. He dropped me off at the airport and with that, my trip was over.

Final Thoughts

I've gotten a bit over the depression of not being at Walt Disney World anymore. Actually, writing this report made me feel so much better. It was nice getting to relive all the moments of my trip and being able to share it with you. Going alone was really cool. I got to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. But there were times where I got a bit lonely. It was very sweet of some of you to call and check up on me. Made me feel special. :) Thanks to Rob for driving me around and spending time with me. And thanks to Cheryl for coming to see me.

Two years ago, I took a trip that changed my life. It restored hope and magic to my heart and gave me dreams to pursue. This trip strengthened my desire to see them through. For 8 days, time was frozen. I didn't know what day was what. I was shut away from the outside world with no cares. I didn't know what was going on outside and didn't want to know. My room had a TV but I only used it to see the schedules for the day. For 8 days, I wasn't in central Florida, I was in a dream, where my body was able to join my head in the clouds. I will always cherish these days as the most magical of my life, even the crummy parts. Hey, even dreams can have bumpy parts. My third trip will most likely not be for a few more years. What will I be? Where will I be? I have no idea. Who knows. Maybe I'll have achieved some of my dreams by then. Only time will tell. All I know is that the magic will be waiting for me once again.

Target Date: Christmas 2005