In the past, I have literally spent thousands of dollars at Disney World on merchandise, sometimes more than the trip has actually cost (sometimes, twice, or three times the cost of the trip). I should be ashamed to say that aloud, but I'm not. I have a wonderful collection that I've curated because of it, and I'm quite proud of that fact (I also have a lot of junk, but oh well, one person's junk is another person's treasure). Every trip, there are certain things that have become trip "staples"...things I ALWAYS purchase every single trip because I can always count on those items to be there, and usually be dated with the appropriate year for that trip. On this trip, I utterly failed in my mission. What I brought home that trip, could fill one big bag (and most of it sat on my kitchen table up until about mid March of this year, the pins are STILL sitting there...I couldn't (and can't) bring myself to touch them).
The night of day 3 was my attempt at trying to rectify my lack of "duty". I had lists...carefully complied lists in my carefully made binder book that I've made every single trip since the late 90's. Shopping lists of things I need, things to buy for other people, things I would like...you know, the typical completely useless crap. I didn't touch my book. On day 3, my room was in walking distance of Disney Springs, but I took the (apparently) 7 minute journey to Disney Springs on a bus and found myself walking too soon yet again:
I obviously went into Trend-D, one of my favorite stores, because I have proof:
And I again walked past the super-popular new cookie store, but I didn't attempt the line this time (and apparently didn't stop to get a proper pic):
The next pic almost immediately after that is of an Earl of Sandwich:
But the following pic gives more context:
It was 8:05 p.m. and I was back in the room eating said sandwich. How much shopping I did, I can't say. Looking back, I'm utterly ashamed, but hey, at least my credit cards didn't suffer! I know I used up every gift card I bought, but in all fairness, I didn't buy a lot this trip (I usually start buying those early in the year since I typically plan Disney trips a year ahead, I planned this trip within the month, another first for me). But hey, the couch was a pull down murphy bed, so this was hiding behind it (another crappy picture taking excursion apparently):
That night, I did a lot of soul searching. I had planned to go to Disney's Hollywood Studios the next day, but I totally wasn't feeling it. I have never hurt that bad in my life. Another thing I have always done before a Disney trip is "train" physically. This trip, I didn't have the time. I went physically unprepared, overweight, and I suffered because of it. I cried (a lot) that night.
Also that night, I realized I didn't love Disney anymore. I had been touched by strangers on buses, in lines, at restaurants, and just in general (but no more than any other trip) and, I ALWAYS notice it, but this time, I REALLY noticed it. After COVID, I realized I never wanted to be touched by another human being again. Two years later, I'm still dealing with that trauma. Other guests have always been the bane of my existence, but never more so than that trip. In the subsequent years, well, you guys have heard the stories, they have made national (and international) news. Disney guests are the worst kind of people on the planet.
It was also the beginning of the downfall of the Disney Company for me. Chapek was in charge at the time and I hated everything he was about (things got way worse later, but this trip is what we are focusing on) and his fingers were all over the parks. There were physical changes in the parks I didn't agree with, pricing models that were bad, heck, even the Disney Cast Members had lost their magic! Store CM's were rude, couldn't get mousekeeping in the room to save my life (and I didn't want them in there but once), the Food and Wine booth CM's didn't want to wait on you, it was just a complete mess. In the time since, I have limited what I've purchased from Disney and I've not given a dime to Florida.
One final story before I depart this day...to top off this entire trip, when I got off the bus this night, I got off at the wrong stop and ended up having to walk completely around the resort! In the next post, I will show you a map of the resort, but it doesn't give a sense of scale, trust me when I say, I don't know how long I walked, but I was practically laughing in a Harley Quinn kind of way when I finally found my way back to the room (using the AirTags). It was an Epcot-ian kind of distance and if I never see that resort again, so be it! To add to the rude CM's...several of them drove past me in the little golf carts on their way through the resort and, there was a day when resort staff would stop and ask me if I needed a ride, especially the way I was limping. This night? Every one of them honked for me to get out of their way and almost ran over me on their quest to get to their location. That is probably why there are no pics from one location to the other. Frankly, I don't even want to discuss that story anymore, so on we go.
Next up, my final day in Disney World. I'd like to say it was a good end, but come on, you guys know the end of this story. What I did was, very slowly, packed up the car, and left for home...unceremoniously and with a sense of defeat. It will be a short one. By the looks of it, my last picture was somewhere in Alabama, so about halfway home, which also means I drove straight home, not either scenic way (either by the Gulf Coast or through Chattanooga). Basically, I even gave up on picture taking halfway home. But let's save that for next time, shall we?
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Linda