Most of Day 8 would be spent in the car driving home to Raleigh, but the ten-hour trip afforded us a small amount of leisure time before hitting the road. We decided to eat another rare restaurant breakfast since we weren’t rushing out to a park and tour the resort before heading north.

We arrived at an unusually quiet Whispering Canyon Cafe for our early 8:00 AM reservation and enjoyed a peaceful meal in a normally boisterous restaurant. Most of the tables were empty so we missed out on the fun, but the Mickey waffles and banana bread french toast were delicious!

As our table was available immediately, the boys only had time to play at the Lincoln Log table in the waiting area following the meal. Such a perfect idea for a playspace in this resort!

Afterward, we met with other guests at the fireplace in the lobby for a free resort tour led by an extremely knowledgeable guide. As I explained in my earlier Wilderness Lodge review, our hour-long tour led us from the magnificent lobby to the Carolwood Pacific room in the DVC villas building, through the Territory Lounge and Artist Point restaurants, and ending outside beside the stream in the courtyard. Not much is free at Disney World, but the daily Wilderness Lodge tour is a lovely exception.

Following the tour, we returned to our room to finish packing and check out. Before leaving Disney property, we had one last stop in Disney Springs for final purchases.

We were on our way east on I-4 before noon and soon heading north on I-95 for the long afternoon and evening drive home.