Archive for January, 2013
Day Sixteen – Travel Home Day
Well, the day had finally arrived for us to return home to England. We woke around 7.45am and finished packing our expanding luggage. We had bought an additional suitcase from the Samsonite shop but that wasnt enough. We also had to use a Samsonite travel bag we had bought to get everything in. So, on our way out we had two checked in bags and one piece of hand luggage. On our way back we had four bags to check in and two pieces of hand luggage!
We had a leisurely breakfast. paul had a bagel with cream cheese, I had cinnamon cereal and Tasha had chocolate lucky charms.
We spent a few final minutes soaking up the sun by the pool and left the villa around 11.45am. We said goodbye to the lovely villa that had been our home for the past week and set off for the airport.
We arrived at the airport at 12.30pm after a clear journey up the I4. It was all very simple thanks to Andy (our friend) who had allowed us to borrow his US Sat Nav System. The car drop at the Hertz desk was very simple and we were soon inside the terminal building. It had turned out a scorching hot day so we were relieved to be inside the air conditioned building. Unfortunately we found out when we arrived that check in for our flight didn’t open until 2.30pm so we had a long wait ahead of us. Eventually, check in opened and I headed towards the Upper section.
Only kidding ;-). We were booked into Premium Economy and had the Airbus back which meant no upper deck but a better in flight entertainment system and better seats – apparently!
After check in we walked around the airport and bought Tasha a new watch strap for her swatch watch. We decided to have lunch at a nice italian restaurant so sat down to order. There wasnt much that I fancied on the menu so I ended up ordering a pizza with a strange concoction of goats cheese, red onion and mushroom. It tasted as strange as I thought it would! Paul ordered a pasta dish and Tasha ordered spaghetti and meatballs.
We then went through security and I spotted the beauty shop! I headed over to get a gelish manicure and rescue my poor nails. Tasha nd Paul sat reading and chatting to other passengers for a while. Eventually we were on the plane. It was much more cramped than the 747. The seats were good as they had a wrap around head rest which meant that you could lean and sleep in them. It felt very limited on space in the aisles though. I would choose the bubble in the 747 every time if I had the choice 😉
We were given a bucks fizz before take off and were soon on our way.
It was an uneventful flight with a few pockets of turbulence. I watched Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Lucky One and Wonderlust on the way home. I managed a few period of sleep but not much.
Our food on the way ho,me was smoked salmon starter, braised beef and leek stew with dumplings or penne pasta or chicken stir fry with chili sauce. Dessert was strawberry and rhubarb crumble tart.
Just before landing we were offered a breakfast of scrambled eggs and bacon.
The cold hit us at Heathrow as we landed, brrrrr. Our bags arrived swiftly and we went to recover the car from valet parking. It took us around 70 minutes to drive round the M25 and we all went straight to bed as we got home. The alarm clocks were set for lunch time, when we got up and unpacked and got ready for work the next day.
It was hard to believe that our wonderful holiday was over. None of us suffered any jet lag the next day and we were soon back into the routine of work.
The next night was bonfire night so we celebrated with a few fireworks in our garden.
Thanks for reading along and for those who have been with me for the whole journey – well done for your staying power!
Gill x
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Day Fifteen – Hollywood Studios (again!)
Well we had finally got to the end of our holiday. This was our last full day in Florida and I woke up feeling a little emotional. We had decided that despite being there three times already, we wanted to go back to Hollywood Studios. We absolutely love the rides at Hs and still had a few rides that we hadn’t done there.
We were up at 7.45am and after a quick breakfast set off for the Studios. As soon as we entered the park we turned right and headed towards Tower of Terror.
It was another amazing ride – a must do in HS 10/10
We walked over to Rock N Roller Coaster and it was walk on to another fab ride 10/10
Next we decided to walk over to Art of Animation again stopping along the way to take some photos.
We played around in Art of Animation and did another animation class – not as good as the last one but still pretty good. We then headed over to Start Wars. We rode this a couple of times on our last visit but this ride was amazing. The rides are all different and there about six in all so its pot luck which one you get. 9/10
We then went over to American Idol. This was a new one for us and it was very good. There were three judges, one of whom was briefed to be the hard man, aka Simon Cowell. It turned out to be very amusing with three brave acts plucked from the park that day – one of whom was very good. Next we stopped for lunch at Backlot Express. We hadn’t eaten here before and it was a surprise hit. Paul had buffalo nuggets and fries, Tasha had hot dog and fries, I had chicken salad.
Next we went over to the Stunt, Camera, Action show. This was one that Paul wanted to see. It was great show with a surprise performance from Lightening McQueen! The sun was back out and the weather had really heated up again. It was a complete change from the cold weather earlier in the week.
As it was so warm we decided to go back and sit round the pool for the afternoon. Tasha had fun in the water while Paul and I polished off the last drops from our bottle of chardonnay and finished off the crisps. It was a very hot afternoon, reaching 87 degrees, and a lovely way to end our holiday.
The sun went down and it was time to change for dinner. We had talked about which restaurant to go to for our last night and had a hard decision, but in the end we chose Longhorn. We left the villa around 6.45pm and found the restaurant packed. We were asked to sit at the bar for 15 minutes and have a drink whilst we waited for a table – not a problem 😉
My choice was a watermelon margarita – delicious! Paul had a mojito and Tasha had a strawberry lemonade.
We were invited to take our table after about five minutes – just as the drinks arrived.
As an appetizer we shared shrimp with a dip . It was served in a lovely light, crispy batter. Almost like a tempura. Very nice.
For main course, I had a filet steak with vegetables and ceasar salad. Paul had a rib eye steak with fries and salad. He said it was the best steak that he had ever eaten! My filet steak was also melt in your mouth delicious. Tasha had chicken with jacket potato and salad. It was all served with lots of warm honey bread. As it was our last night, Paul had a glass of red wine and I had a glass of white wine. It was an outstanding meal and a fabulous way to spend our last night.
We got back to the villa around 8.45pm and watched a film before going to bed. Tomorrow was travel home time 😦
Thanks for reading along.
Gill x
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Day Fourteen – Hollywood Studios & Epcot
Today we woke up at 7.30am and had a light breakfast at the villa before leaving for Hollywood Studios. We passed under the Disney Bridge on the way in and it always brings a little lump to my throat. The Disney Magic is real!
We arrived at HS just in time for opening at 9am and headed straight to Rock N Roller Coaster for another great ride on our favourite coaster. 10/10
Then it was time for another ride on Tower of Terror. The theming as you enter the hotel is just fantastic. .
We had another great ride – been better than the others on previous days. The drops are all different each time you rider which means that the air of suspense is maintained. On the way out I bought a great ToT themed towelling wrap skirt which will be perfect to wrap round my bikinis when on holiday in Menorca (my other favourite holiday destination).
Next we went to the animation workshop. This is a great experience where you get to sit with a Disney animator and learn the tricks of the trade. They literally talk you through how to draw one of the characters and you get to take away your artwork with you. Our workshop drew the loveable Pluto. We had a great animator who asked a question of the audience at the end of the event to win his own drawing. (Q – What type of dog was Pluto originally? A – A bloodhound)
Paul answered correctly so we got to take home a genuine Disney animation! It wasnt quite as good as mine though 😉
We left HS at 11am and headed back towards the villa. Tasha wanted a Macdonalds for lunch so we stopped on Highway 192 to pick up a meal for her. Paul and I ate the food we had leftover at the villa for lunch. We spent a relaxing afternoon reading by the pool which was bliss. We were really starting to feel tired now after all the very early starts and the hectic pace of the parks.
That evening we planned to eat at Longhorns. So far we had eaten fantastic meals in all the restaurants so we were staring to get a little anxious going to a new place, thinking that it wouldn’t be as good as the previous places. However, it just kept on getting better and better. We headed off around 7pm. It was a lovely warm and balmy evening. Quite a change for the days earlier in the week.
We got seated fairly quickly and were served a warm loaf and flavoured butter. For appetizers Paul had chicken wings, Tasha had salad and I had a Tuna sashmi with wasabi which were all delicious. Our mains were Pork Chop for Paul, chicken salad for myself and sirloin steak with fries for Tasha.
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To finish we all shared a chocolate brownie with cream and ice cream.
We had another superb meal and had really enjoyed our dining out in the second week.
We left the restaurant around 8.30pm and decided to go over to Epcot to see Illuminations Fireworks. It was still lovely and warm as we arrived. We walked through the park towards the world showcase. Our preferred spot was to find a table in the Rose and Crown pub area in England. The seating at the Rose and Crown has a great view over to the fireworks if you are lucky enough to get a table. Although we arrived around an hour before the show was due to start all the tables were taken 😦
Many people stay there all night with just one small drink so it didn’t seem the best way to run the area! We went to get ourselves a drink and stood around to see if a table came free. As we waited we saw a bunny hopping through the gardens!
We got chatting to a group of Americans stood next to us. It turned out that they were Disney employees on a special managerial programme that week. They had been given special effects glasses to use when watching the fireworks which they generously gave to Tasha to use. It turned the fireworks into lots of mini Mickey shapes. The fireworks and music were spectacular as always.
We left the parks with the crowds and were soon back at our villa. Windsor Hills is a perfect location – so close to Disney and lots of fab restaurants. I felt a little sad as we left Epcot tonight, knowing that our wonderful holiday was almost at an end and not knowing if we would ever return to the Disney magic.
Thanks for reading along.
Gill x
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Day Thirteen – Shopping and Relaxing
Today we woke at 7.30am. We had a lazy start to the day and took our time over breakfast. I had fresh fruit, Paul had a bagel and cream cheese and Tasha had chocolate Lucky Charms. We decided to go to Publix for food. This was a new supermarket for us as we usually use Walmart but as it was the closest to Windsor Hills, we thought we would give it a try. As it was Halloween today there were lots of special cakes on display.
The supermarkets in America are fantastic. There is so much choice and the sizes of produce are massive. I wish we had taken an empty suitcase to bring lots back. One great find we made here was Chipotle flavour Tabasco Sauce. Although we brought a bottle back it’s also available in Tesco over here and is delicious. Great to add to stews or sprinkled on steaks. Here we are wandering down the aisles in food heaven!
We dropped the food off at the villa and went over to Premium Outlets for more shopping. It was very busy and we only just got a parking space. The purchases this time were: Lots of Ralph Lauren polo shirts, jumpers and t-shirts for Paul. Converse T-shirts for Paul. RayBan polarised sunglasses for both Paul and myself, Samsonite luggage to match our other luggage, a Samsonite travel bag and luggage labels. Lots of Claires Accessories bits for Tasha.
We went back to the villa and spent a blissful afternoon by the pool drinking Lime-aritas and eating crisps. The weather had started to warm up now so we were making the most of the sun.
We decided to try Bahama Breeze for dinner that night. We went for an early dinner around 7.00pm and were seated straight away. We ordered drinks and I had a low cal citrus margarita which was very tasty. For starter we decided to share a spinach dip – delicious!
For main course Paul had a curry with flat bread, I had beef chipotle and rice and Tasha had chicken pasta. I felt that the menu here was more limited for me – not as many healthy options, but it was Tasha’s favourite meal of the whole holiday.
We went home at 9.00pm and had a relaxing evening at the villa. Tomorrows plans were to go back to Hollywood Studios – yay, back to Disney!
Thanks for reading along.
Gill x
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Day Twelve – Universal Studios and Shopping
Today we woke around 7.30am. After showering we packed our bags and went down top the lobby to check out of the hotel around 8.30am. We left our bags with the concierge and went down to the basement to find somewhere to eat breakfast. We didn’t fancy a full breakfast so chose to eat at the snack bar in the hotel food shop. There was a good choice of food. Paul had a cheese, bacon and egg croissant. Tasha had a chocolate croissant (what a surprise!) and I had a cheese and egg croissant.
We wandered over to Universal after breakfast. I tried out a few of the different seetings on my new camera whilst we were waiting to go in:
It was another bitterly cold day. All the staff members were dressed in hoodies, jackets, scarves and there were us tourists dressed in shorts and t shirts again. At least we had our hoodies purchased yesterday to keep us slightly warmer. There was a funny moment when Men in Black characters walked down the queue and quized me on why I was dressed in such inappropriate clothing for the weather??? It was unusually cold for the time of year! Our first stop on entry was Shrek 4D. It was another 4D effect simulation ride ( most of the rides at Universal and IOA were this type – which meant that they got slightly predictable for me). Nevertheless, it was a good ride and we gave it a 9/10.
Next we rode despicable Me. Now I hadn’t seen the film so I had no idea what a Minion was or the story behind the ride but this was all explained by the pre ride video. The ride was funny and the characters were waiting for us on our way out. A great opportunity for a photo. 
We wandered through the streets heading over to the Mummy ride again. It was still pretty empty in the park, probably due to the bitterly cold weather.
After our second ride on Mummy, we rode Disaster. We used our front of line pass but to be honest the queues were so small that it didn’t make any difference. A fairly mundane ride which we gave a 7/10 to.
Next we went over to the ET Ride. This one really needs a big makeover as it is very dated and old. The ride consists of ride on bicycles that soar over the towns and cities below as in the ET Movie. It broke down half way round and we were left suspended in the air for around 10 minutes in the pitch black until the got it going again. We were all given a free fast pass for any ride in the park by way of an apology but I didn’t need it as I already had front of line passes for us all so I gave it away to a family in the park. Only 6/10 for this one.
We stopped for a short time to see a parade going through the park before heading off to ride Terminator.
We thought this was a great ride with some good special effects and great acting from the characters. a 8/10 ride for us.
Paul spotted Marilyn Monroe and couldn’t resists having his picture taken (note the thick fur coat she is wearing in the cold weather!). I on the other hand wanted to have a picture with one of my favourite characters – Shrek!
I spotted a RayBan shop so popped inside to get some proper sunglasses so I didn’t have to wear the Mickey Mouse ones I picked up at Disney. Here is a picture of Tasha modelling them.
Then, we stopped for a quick photo with Shaggy and his Mystery Van – no Scooby Doo today though 😦
It was now around lunchtime and we had seen pretty much all there was to see at Universal. Another disappointing park for me. I am totally in awe of how Disney manage to make their parks a much more amazing experience. I’m afraid Universal doesnt have a patch on Disney for me and I wouldnt rush back at all.
We went back to the hotel to collect the car and then decided to go to the nearby Millenia Mall for a spot of retail therapy. It was a lovely Mall and we spotted Keith Lemon in the Chanel shop whilst we were in there. We managed to get a few purchases. Tasha bought: Ugg boots, Vans plimsoles, an Abbercrombie dress. I bought Abbercrombie jeans and Mac make-up.
We went back to the villa and it felt good to be back in our temporary home. After a quick change we decided to have an early dinner at Millers Ale House on the 192. Tasha wore her new Abbercombie dress and I wore my new Abbercormbie jeans!
We arrived at Millers Ale house and were seated straight away. We ordered drinks and then a plate of Nachos to share between the three of us. It was MASSIVE!
Tasha had spaghetti with meatballs for main course. Paul had Ribs with fries and I had a filet steak with vegetables and a jacket potato. For dessert we all shared a chocolate and peanut butter cake. I had a spoonful (for testing purposes only!) and it was delicious. The food was superb and very good value.
We left the restaurant around 8.30 and went back to the villa to watch TV for a while. The news was full of the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy.
All in all, another good day for us. Tomorrow we were planning more shopping.
Thanks for reading along.
Gill x
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Day Eleven – Hard Rock Hotel and Islands of Adventure
We woke up early (thanks to an alarm clock) at around 6am. We were all up, showered, dressed and on our way to the Hard Rock Hotel by 7am. The journey was smooth and quick, thanks to Andy’s Sat Nav again!
On arrival at the hotel we valet parked the car and went to check in. Our room wasnt ready but that didn’t matter as we were there early to make the most of the free two-day early entrance and fast passes. The process was fairly easy and we had soon dropped our bags with the concierge and were making our way through the hotel towards the Universal Walkway. We took a few pictures on the way of the fabulous memorabilia displayed in the hotel.
As we went outside we realised just how COLD it was today. My weather app on my i-phone showed that it was a very chilly 9 celsius. We were all dressed in shorts and t-shirts so you can imagine how cold we were. I turn very grumpy when I’m cold so it had the makings of a very irritable day thanks to Hurricane Sandy.We decided to walk down to Islands of Adventure rather than take the boat in a bid to warm ourselves up with the exercise.
We got chatting to another family while queueing and it turns out that they were from The Chalfonts in Buckinghamshire (small world!). As we entered the park for the first time we headed towards Harry Potter World which is the only part of the park open an hour early specifically for Universal Hotel Guests. Everywhere else was eerily empty as we took a few pictures.
We were soon entering Harry Potter World and stopped to take a few pictures near to the Hogwarts Express. The snowy streets added to the bitter cold weather and just made me feel even colder.
The castle beckoned and we headed inside to ride the Forbidden Journey. There was no queue so I was able to take lots of shots of the fabulous theming inside the castle as we wandered through.
We were all very excited about this ride but it failed to deliver to expectations. It was good but not anything spectacular. None of us had any interest in riding it again so a 9/10 maximum for us. We headed over to Flight of the Hipograff. All i can say about this ride is – don’t bother. It’s so quick that it’s hardly worth walking onto it. It’s very tame so just a 5/10 for us. I couldn’t persuade Tasha to ride The Duelling Dragons ride so we pottered around spotting Olivander’s Wand Shop with a massive queue – people had started queueing at 8am and it didn’t open until 9am.
We decided to head over to the other side of the park so that we could ride some of the more popular rides before it got too busy. Nothing was open yet but I did spot a Cinnabon shop so we stopped to try the infamous cinnabon and to have a coffee to warm up. The cinnabon was delicious – a very gooey cinnamon bun with extra cream cheese frosting and pecan nuts. I dread to think how many calories it contained but as a one off treat it was worth it. We headed over to the Spiderman ride and we all loved it. It was a 4D effect ride and the special effects were great. Very different and a better ride for us than Forbidden Journey. 10/10
Next we went on Poseidons Fury. There was a long lead up to this ride and at one point I wondered what it was all about but it was worth the wait. Great special effects were the highlight and a 9/10 ride for us.
We walked past this baby and I tried my best to persuade Tash and Paul to go on it but I failed 😦
As there were still no queues, we decided to go back on Spiderman as it was so good first time round. Another 10/10 ride
We wandered round the park for a while stopping to take lots of pictures in the quirky Toon Lagoon.
Next, we wandered through Jurassic Park. The ride wait times were still ver short – probably due to the sub arctic weather! By this time we had all bought ourselves hoodies to keep warm but they only took a slight edge off the cold.
We soon found ourselves back at Harry Potter World as we had walked a full circle of the park. Paul and Tasha decided to try a Butterbeer. Paul had the ordinary one and Tasha had a frozen Butterbeer. personally I preferred the frozen version – it was a caramel flavour, quite sweet but not too bad at all.
Next we headed towards Seuss Landing and took some more photos but there were no rides of any interest to us here. They all seemed very tame and for younger children.
We went back over to Toon Lagoon for another wander round
By now it was around lunch time. Tasha had an ice drink and we drooled overt the very calorific sweets in the shop.
We decided to take a look at Universal Studios on the way back to the Hotel.
The queues were quite big here but we had our fast passes so we headed towards Twister. This was ok but not a patch on the equivalent ride at Hollywood Studios (Backlot Studio Tour). The special effects were ok so I gave it a 7/10.
Next we went on Revenge of the Mummy. This was a surprise hit for us. It was an indoors ride so we weren’t expecting the fast and furious roller coaster ride that we got. A great ride and 10/10
We took a few photos at Fisherman’s Wharf of the child eating shark then headed over to Men in Black.
The Men in Black ride was also a bit of a disappointment. It was similar in style to the Disney Toy Story Mania or Buzz Lightyear rides but not as good – just a 6/10 for me.
On the way out of the park we spotted a few characters and Paul was particularly taken by Betty Boop!
When we reached the hotel our room was ready so we went to have a look around. We had a really nice room with plenty of space but it was a typical hotel room. I’m sounding like a stuck record now but Disney was better in terms of theming. At the Disney Hotels you feel as if you are staying in a small apartment rather than a hotel room – I’m definitely a Disney Fan 😉
The sun was out and it had started to warm up at last so we headed down to the pool area for lunch. The pool was superb with lots of space and lovely areas to sit and watch the world go by. We had a selection of buffalo chicken wings, calamari and salad washed down with a glass of wine then headed back to the room for an afternoon siesta as we had been up so early that morning.
We set the alarm clock for 6pm and were soon up and dressed for dinner. We were heading down to Bubba Gumps at CityWalk for dinner so caught the courtesy boat across the lake.
We were soon seated and our server told us how to use the ‘Run Forest Run’ and ‘Stop Forest Stop’ signs.
Paul ordered a Coronarita (Margarita with a corona beer!) whilst I had a very large flavoured margarita (I cant remember what flavour but it was nice 🙂
For dinner, Paul had Jambalaya, I had Shrimp and Vegetable Skewers and Tasha had Chicken Tenders and Fries with a Blueberry Jelly. The ‘Jelly’ was served on the side of Tasha’s plate and she mistakenly thought it was a dip for her fries so she had an interesting concoction! We all shared a dessert sampler which was enormous. We couldn’t finish it between three so I’ve no idea how one person could get through all that food!!
WE went back to the hotel on the boat and took a few more shots of the great theming before collapsing in bed around 9.30pm
A very cold but busy day. I was slightly disappointed in Islands of adventure and Universal but there was another day ahead.
Tomorrow’s plan – Universal Studios.
Thanks for reading along
Gill x
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Day Ten – Animal Kingdom and Windsor Hills
Today we had planned to go back to Animal Kingdom. It is one of our favourite parks and we wanted to cover some of the rides that we hadn’t yet managed to fit into our previous visits. We got up around 7.30am and had breakfast at the villa. Bagel and cream cheese for Paul, cinnamon cereal and fresh fruit for me and chocolate Lucky Charms for Tasha. We wanted to arrive at the park for opening so we set off around 8.30am and headed for the shortcut down the Sherberth Road that we had heard of (Thanks to our Friend, Andy’s sat nav which we had borrowed!). It turned out to be a great short cut but we were directed to the staff entrance. Paul did a quick u-turn and we headed round to the guest entrance. We arrived in plenty of time at around 8.40am. It was another chilly morning so we huddled together waiting for the rope drop at 9.00am. Our first stop was the safari ride again. This time it was even better. We saw so many animals and got some great shots.
It was a great safari and a good driver! From here we headed over to Asia again and onto Expedition Everest.
We spotted some very cheeky monkeys who had us and a few tourists giggling away with their antics – some of which are far too rude to publish in a family blog!!
Next it was time for a quick ice cream break before we headed for the Maharaja Jungle Trek. It was an interesting trail, both educational and fascinating. There were lots of animals to see including my favourites – the Fruit Bats.
We pottered around the park for a while and then decided to head back to the villa and spend the afternoon lazing round the pool. Paul and Tasha went in but it was way too cold for me – even with pool heating on. I stuck to the lovely hot jacuzzi instead 😉
Paul and Tasha had a competition to see who could get onto the lilo the fastest. Paul was still trying about an hour later 😉
We had a lovely afternoon in warm sunshine with a big bowl of pretzels and a bottle of Chardonnay to wash them down. (Well, we were on our holidays!)
That evening we had decided to try Longhorns Steakhouse which was a short drive away from the villa on Highway 192.. We got dressed for dinner and left the villa around 7pm.
On arrival we sat at the bar and I had a delicious pomegranate Margarita. Whilst sat at the bar we noticed some rather interesting bottles!
We were soon called to our table and sat to browse the menu. It was nice to sit down and have a ‘proper table service meal’ after the first week of Disney quick service dining. I’m afraid I didn’t keep notes of what we had to eat but I do remember that it was absolutely delicious. From the photos, we had a warm honey bread followed by Blooming Onion, to share, for starter with a thousand island dip.
For main course Paul had a Rancher Steak, complete with a fried egg, fries and salad. I had a melt in the mouth filet steak with fresh vegetables. Tasha had a steak and fries.
The food was superb and we had a lovely evening. We arrived back at the villa around 9pm and watched Tv for a short while before going to bed.
The plans for tomorrow were to be up very early and get to the Hard Rock Hotel for a couple of days at Universal and Islands of Adventure! Harry Potter here we come.
Thanks for reading along.
Gill x
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Day Nine – Boat Trip & Villa at Windsor Hills
Today was our last day at the Port Orleans Riverside Hotel. According to my daily planner we were having a lazy morning today followed by a trip to Downtown Disney before checking out of the hotel. We couldn’t check into our villa until 3pm so we had a few hours to kill before we moved on to the next phase of our holiday.
We went for breakfast at the hotel. Paul had an omlette, Tasha had waffles with fruit and I had a cinnamon bun. (Oh how I miss those cinnamon buns!)
We caught the boat to Downtown Disney and our plan was to go to Disney Quest (an indoor theme park). Unfortunately my plan failed and when we arrived we saw that it didn’t open until 12pm! We wandered round the shops at Downtown Disney for a while. Paul spent some time in the Harley Davidson shop with his green eyes working overtime.
We wandered round for a while taking photos but it was quite a cold day so we decided to head back after a while.
We still had plenty of time to kill so we decided to rent a Pontoon Boat for an hour or so. Paul had been itching to do this all week and really enjoyed the gentle ride down the river to the Old Key West Hotel and the Downtown Disney. The boat cost around $60 for the hour and was great value. Highly recommended.
Tash and I sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the view!!
We then went back to our room to pick up our bags and took a final photo of the Alligator Bayou block that had been our home for the past week. We checked out and took a cab over to the Hilton Bonnet Creek to collect our Avis Hire car and head to Windsor Hills.
We arrived at our villa at 4pm and took a quick look around. There were three bedrooms and bathrooms on the ground floor and a further three upstairs, a big games room, kitchen, dining area, breakfast nook, lounge and spa pool. It was massive!
After our quick look round we decided to head off to Walmart to stock up on supplies – wine, beer, pretzels, bagels, cinnamon rolls, etc. We also bought pizzas for dinner, a tub of hot wings and an American cheesecake sampler . The bill came to $147 . On the way out we spotted a beautiful sunset which the photos don’t do justice to.
We ate our meal and watched TV for a while before going to bed. All in all a great day and we felt very settled in our new home for the next seven days. Tomorrow’s plans were to head back to Animal Kingdom.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Day Eight – Blizzard Beach
According to our daily planner today was going to be spent at Blizzard Beach. This was a new park for us as we didn’t manage to fit it in on our last trip. We had heard that Typhoon Lagoon was the best water park so had prioritised that last time round. As usual the water park didn’t open until 10am so we had a relaxing start to the day. According to my notes we were up late and I didn’t make a note of what we had for breakfast. I’m sure it will have involved something chocolately for Tasha and a cinnamon roll for me!
We arrived at Blizzard Beach just after 10.30am and it was still very quiet. Result! My first impression was good. The theming was superb as usual at Disney.
We walked towards the iceberg pool which is where Tasha had wanted to go first.
It was a little overcast and the wind was blowing up so not the best of days for a water park but it didn’t deter Tash and she was straight in the pool jumping across icebergs.
Paul persuaded me to go on the chairlift up the mountain to the raft ride. I was absolutely petrified. I have a very bizarre fear of chair lifts and the fact that it was extra windy today didn’t help. In fact the chairlift closed shortly after we had used it due to the high winds. The raft ride was great but I didn’t venture back on the chairlift again all day!
My notes say that we went on all the rides at Blizzard Beach except Summit Plummit. When you see the photos of it you will realise why I gave that one a miss 😉
It was really empty on the park all day and every ride was walk on all day – just brilliant. After a while the storm started to brew and it began to rain. We headed over to the beach area for cover and came across the Polar Pub which served the most amazing Margaritas. It would have been wrong not to try one!!
The sun soon came back out and we headed for lunch. I had a turkey club with fries and a fruit cup. Paul didn’t have anything. Tasha had hot dog, fries and chocolate cake. We went on a few more rides and took some photos of the great theming.
Before we left we sat and had a couple more drinks at the Polar Pub. It had been a fabulous day and this is definitely our favourite water park now. It’s so much quieter than Typhoon Lagoon. It has great rides and a lovely pub on the beach. What more can you ask for?
We got back to the hotel around 6pm and had a quick change before dinner. I had a salad and carrot cake. Paul had a burger and fries followed by carrot cake. Tasha had soup and fruit. |Then we headed for the bar to see the famous Yeehaa Bob. We had heard a lot about him and his show was supposed to be great fun. He was certainly a character and we are pleased that we didn’t miss the show whilst staying at Port Orleans. He had all three of us up dancing at different stages of the night.
All in all a great day followed by a few drinks and superb entertainment.
Tomorrow we move to our rental villa in Windsor Hills for a week!
Tips: Blizzard Beach is a great Water Park. Dont miss the Margaritas at the Polar Pub. Yeehaaa Bob is not to be missed.
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