WDW, Day 5 - EPCOT, and home again

Though I assumed the kids would protest loudly about heading to the park for only a half day when we woke them up that Friday morning, they were happy to have a last shot at EPCOT, but also surprisingly looking forward to going home. We adults said we must've had just the right amount of time then, since they neither fussed about staying or leaving!

We hadn't made it to all the countries in the World Showcase at EPCOT to finish Isaac and Abigail's passports, so were able to do that leisurely, ride some last rides, see a few shows, enjoy lunch and dessert before heading back to our hotel for the shuttle to the airport. We visited Norway, China and Mexico. In Norway we rode Maelstrom, a fun water ride that didn't soak us, and in China saw another great 360 view movie. China's gift shop was the most impressive, with art and clothing that were so beautiful. Mexico's marketplace a fun place to visit, and we enjoyed the Mariachi Cobre band that performed while we meandered through.

One of the major benefits of staying on the Disney property is obviously, the convenience to parks, and another is free shuttles back and forth from the resort to the parks. The Magical Express, which picked us up at the airport and delivered us to the Port Orleans, also took us back to the airport Friday. It was so nice to check our baggage that a.m. at the hotel, and then just come back in the afternoon, get on the shuttle, and show up at the airport ready to load the plane, without having to deal with our luggage till we landed in Birmingham. The whole process worked like a charm, and made our lives so simple!

Again, our flight went well, and was delayed for about half an hour in Orlando only, with no problem after that. We arrived home safe and sound, happy to be in Alabama, and so thankful for the memories we made together as a family. God really blessed us in so many ways throughout the week, and we're still re-living favorite aspects of the trip!

We are grateful to friends who checked in on, and fed, our many pets while we were gone. Also, sweet Autumn, my Disney-fanatic of a friend, helped us prepare for this trip in many ways. She bought my official planning/guide book as soon as we started talking about this trip, sat down with my parents and us to give advice and answer questions months ago, bought me Disney-themed maternity shirts for every day of the trip, and had wrapped goodies for the kids to open each day as well. We are always spoiled by her, but this trip really brought out her generous side in an incomparable way! Thank you, precious friend!!

Final thoughts - Our kids were great ages to truly take in and enjoy the activities and sights, deal with the pace and length of the days, and were amazingly well-behaved. We saw lots of toddlers, but repeatedly said how we wouldn't want to take younger kids, because they just wouldn't be able to absorb all there is, and with our limited time, it would've been exhausting to go at the pace we did. Besides that, it is an expensive trip to take young children on who will probably never remember any of it! If any of you need any tips or recommendations for planning your own trip to DisneyWorld, I have copious notes and files I made to help us plan and am happy to pass them along. I can't say enough about how fun and special this time was.