We're now on Monday morning. Mr G is away back to work. Yesterday morning I wakened about midnight and was up until about 1.30pm when I got a couple of hours sleep then went to bed at 9.30pm and got up at 6.20am. So quite happy to have sorted myself out. The minions, I mean the children had 15 hours sleep, went to bed and I have wakened them but both struggling.
I've done a food shop, so plenty healthy food again. Although our meals were pretty healthy on the holiday. Just need to sort through all the park maps etc which I have brought home with us and what I brought home for friends. Presents have all been sorted out. Stuart and Dave our Minions are settling in well. We have Banana and Apples so they are over the moon.
Next time we're considering going north of Orlando as our friends stay in Jacksonville, so would be fab to have another decent amount of time with them. But I think we have created memories. The photopass photo's are all edited. Just need some time to order the CD and then upload the many photos to costco to print off.
Will ask the rest to do a Highs and Lows list and post it too
Monday 15 July 2013
Sunday 14 July 2013
Friday 12th July 2013 - Saturday 13th July 2013
Friday morning arrives and I am wide awake at 3.30am. A friend has landed in Sarasota, so we viber each other to keep company.
Once we were all up and dressed it was strip the beds, put the towels washing on as requested in the folder. We did a tidy up as best we could and then loaded up the car, did the last run round and headed out to a breakfast in IHOP. It was quite sad saying goodbye to the villa as it's been such a wonderful place to stay.
Before we left I did check that the Glasgow flight had left on time and it had. The Manchester flight was running about 7 hours late. But because there were no delays we said we'd head to the airport once we'd had breakfast.
We arrived at IHOP on the 192. What a busy place it is later in the morning from when we were there at silly O'clock. We will still seated right away. I chose to have have the pancake combo. It was pancakes with bacon and hash browns as I don't like eggs. Was a bit gutted to not be able to have wholewheat, so I had banana buttermilk pancakes this time. I loved the hashbrown as the potato was just perfect. I felt comfmortably full. Mr G chose the pancake combo but with the red velvet. They were very yummy as he kindly allowed me a taste. Would definitely try them again. The Boy chose to have 5 mini ones with bacon too. Lil Miss chose to have the chocolate chip stack but got rather full after just a few. We finished pretty quickly and as we left there was a queue out the door with people waiting to get in.
We popped next door to the gift shop for a nose and to kill some time. Lil Miss needed the loo again, so Mr G took her in while I bought some last minute gifts. We then decided it would be a good idea to maybe head up the I4 to the airport. It was the first time I'd done such a drive in Florida, but it was easy and we were parking in the Budget spaces by 11.15am. We headed over to the terminal building to a delayed flight.
I felt Thomas Cook let themselves down. I could hear this voice yelling that we should take any medication and stuff for an overnight stay out of our main bags and put them in our hand luggage. There was someone going through the queue with letters. The manchester flight was delayed until 10pm. No one came near us as the person going through the queue moved to the back and started speaking to the people entering the queue. We heard from someone else that the Glasgow flight had a 5 hour delay. When we reached the front for check in, I asked the staff for the letter and he was astounded we hadn't been given anything. He did check us in and confirmed our seat numbers were the same that we had booked. He then put all our baggage through. We'd paid for 25kilos and didn't need it. Our heaviest bag was 17kgs. The check in guy then disappeared and came back with some pieces of paper. He explained we would be getting refreshment vouchers for $12 each to use in the departure lounge. We headed through to security.
Now it's already been a bad start to the airport experience and it was about to get worse. Mr G and Lil Miss went through the scanner fine. Mr G usually beeps and despite wearing the same clothes as travelling out in, he didn't. I then went throught and the security man said "You're fine... Oh no you are a random!" and he starts shouting "random, random!" I'm panicking about The Boy as he's not gone through the scanner yet. The guy motions him throught and he catches up with Mr G and Lil Miss. Meanwhile I have to show my palms and be swabbed. Was trying to see what was going on at the machine but another guy was getting everyone mixed up and causing no end of confusion. I spy one of those machines you get on Uk Border Force and programmes like that and the wee card has been popped in the machine and it's beeped and turned red. My knees are shaking as the one who is getting everyone confused is demanding I stand in a certain place. But the guy who was swabbing me says "She's alright, the one in the wheelchair is the positive test!" I breathe a sigh of relief and then get my shoes back and somehow have hurt one of my fingers which has turned purple and is swelling!
I'm more concerned about getting out of the little security bit that we get right on the escalator. Finally we're in the departure lounge. Mr G decides to see if there is availability in the Palm Lounge. It costs $100 but includes free drinks and 4 alcoholic drinks for me and Mr G. We were also able to use the vouchers in here. The only problem is the major lack of choice. I'm not a fan of chicken tenders or toasties as the bread is always white. I didn't fancy any of the meals really. But we got toasties for lunch. We decided to pool $24 for one meal and pay in cash and do the same later on for dinner. The good thing about the palm lounge is the free computers with internet access to keep an eye on the arrivals and departures and to contact family members back home. There was a cinema with various recent films on. A sports area with the TV. A games room with PS2's. A mini kiddie area with the disney channel. There was also a quiet area but it was very busy lol.
Finally our flight had a flight time of 10.45pm. The manchester flight was not so lucky. When we left they had been issued with further vouchers and a flight time of 1am.
Finally 10pm came and boarding started. The cabin crew were very friendly and did their best despite the delay and most of the passengers being shattered. Our meals weren't as good as on the way out. There was a choice of roast chicken which was very bland or beef which dh said the peppercorns burnt your mouth off. The vegetarian dish seemed to get moved around the dish and not eaten. I managed to get a bit of sleep. About 9.30am we received breakfast which was a blueberry muffin. It wasn't very appetising. Could have done with a bowl of cereal.
Finally we landed with no issues at 11.10am. Just a mere 6 hours and 20 minutes late. Immigration was very quick even although we'd nipped into the loo. Baggage felt like it took forever but we must have been quite quick. We were in the car with Mr G's dad by 11.50am.
The good thing about coming home was we were able to unpack and put all the clothes right away in the drawers as we'd washed it all in the villa. I then jumped in the shower before we visited some friends. After a good old chippy for tea, I was in bed before 7pm. Unfortunately I only slept until Midnight. Mr G slept for 13 hours and the children were both 15 hours when we woke them up.
Once we were all up and dressed it was strip the beds, put the towels washing on as requested in the folder. We did a tidy up as best we could and then loaded up the car, did the last run round and headed out to a breakfast in IHOP. It was quite sad saying goodbye to the villa as it's been such a wonderful place to stay.
Before we left I did check that the Glasgow flight had left on time and it had. The Manchester flight was running about 7 hours late. But because there were no delays we said we'd head to the airport once we'd had breakfast.
We arrived at IHOP on the 192. What a busy place it is later in the morning from when we were there at silly O'clock. We will still seated right away. I chose to have have the pancake combo. It was pancakes with bacon and hash browns as I don't like eggs. Was a bit gutted to not be able to have wholewheat, so I had banana buttermilk pancakes this time. I loved the hashbrown as the potato was just perfect. I felt comfmortably full. Mr G chose the pancake combo but with the red velvet. They were very yummy as he kindly allowed me a taste. Would definitely try them again. The Boy chose to have 5 mini ones with bacon too. Lil Miss chose to have the chocolate chip stack but got rather full after just a few. We finished pretty quickly and as we left there was a queue out the door with people waiting to get in.
We popped next door to the gift shop for a nose and to kill some time. Lil Miss needed the loo again, so Mr G took her in while I bought some last minute gifts. We then decided it would be a good idea to maybe head up the I4 to the airport. It was the first time I'd done such a drive in Florida, but it was easy and we were parking in the Budget spaces by 11.15am. We headed over to the terminal building to a delayed flight.
I felt Thomas Cook let themselves down. I could hear this voice yelling that we should take any medication and stuff for an overnight stay out of our main bags and put them in our hand luggage. There was someone going through the queue with letters. The manchester flight was delayed until 10pm. No one came near us as the person going through the queue moved to the back and started speaking to the people entering the queue. We heard from someone else that the Glasgow flight had a 5 hour delay. When we reached the front for check in, I asked the staff for the letter and he was astounded we hadn't been given anything. He did check us in and confirmed our seat numbers were the same that we had booked. He then put all our baggage through. We'd paid for 25kilos and didn't need it. Our heaviest bag was 17kgs. The check in guy then disappeared and came back with some pieces of paper. He explained we would be getting refreshment vouchers for $12 each to use in the departure lounge. We headed through to security.
Now it's already been a bad start to the airport experience and it was about to get worse. Mr G and Lil Miss went through the scanner fine. Mr G usually beeps and despite wearing the same clothes as travelling out in, he didn't. I then went throught and the security man said "You're fine... Oh no you are a random!" and he starts shouting "random, random!" I'm panicking about The Boy as he's not gone through the scanner yet. The guy motions him throught and he catches up with Mr G and Lil Miss. Meanwhile I have to show my palms and be swabbed. Was trying to see what was going on at the machine but another guy was getting everyone mixed up and causing no end of confusion. I spy one of those machines you get on Uk Border Force and programmes like that and the wee card has been popped in the machine and it's beeped and turned red. My knees are shaking as the one who is getting everyone confused is demanding I stand in a certain place. But the guy who was swabbing me says "She's alright, the one in the wheelchair is the positive test!" I breathe a sigh of relief and then get my shoes back and somehow have hurt one of my fingers which has turned purple and is swelling!
I'm more concerned about getting out of the little security bit that we get right on the escalator. Finally we're in the departure lounge. Mr G decides to see if there is availability in the Palm Lounge. It costs $100 but includes free drinks and 4 alcoholic drinks for me and Mr G. We were also able to use the vouchers in here. The only problem is the major lack of choice. I'm not a fan of chicken tenders or toasties as the bread is always white. I didn't fancy any of the meals really. But we got toasties for lunch. We decided to pool $24 for one meal and pay in cash and do the same later on for dinner. The good thing about the palm lounge is the free computers with internet access to keep an eye on the arrivals and departures and to contact family members back home. There was a cinema with various recent films on. A sports area with the TV. A games room with PS2's. A mini kiddie area with the disney channel. There was also a quiet area but it was very busy lol.
Finally our flight had a flight time of 10.45pm. The manchester flight was not so lucky. When we left they had been issued with further vouchers and a flight time of 1am.
Finally 10pm came and boarding started. The cabin crew were very friendly and did their best despite the delay and most of the passengers being shattered. Our meals weren't as good as on the way out. There was a choice of roast chicken which was very bland or beef which dh said the peppercorns burnt your mouth off. The vegetarian dish seemed to get moved around the dish and not eaten. I managed to get a bit of sleep. About 9.30am we received breakfast which was a blueberry muffin. It wasn't very appetising. Could have done with a bowl of cereal.
Finally we landed with no issues at 11.10am. Just a mere 6 hours and 20 minutes late. Immigration was very quick even although we'd nipped into the loo. Baggage felt like it took forever but we must have been quite quick. We were in the car with Mr G's dad by 11.50am.
The good thing about coming home was we were able to unpack and put all the clothes right away in the drawers as we'd washed it all in the villa. I then jumped in the shower before we visited some friends. After a good old chippy for tea, I was in bed before 7pm. Unfortunately I only slept until Midnight. Mr G slept for 13 hours and the children were both 15 hours when we woke them up.
Thursday 11th July 2013
A lazy start to the morning. I sent Mr G to Bob Evans for Hotcakes. The pancakes were yum yum. Then we headed to attempt to find Boggy Creek Airboat Rides as we had free tickets from when we bought our park tickets. We headed along the 192, it was interesting to see how things were different along the side we haven't been along yet. We turned off at Boggy Creek Road and into Walgreens for a loo stop. Fortunately we asked for directions as we'd have gone the wrong way.
We found it no bother once we were on the right road. The ticket office gave us a time 35 minutes away. The staff asked if they could muck about with the kids to do a photo. So we nipped into the restaurant and the loo for ice cream and drinks. Then we headed on to the airboat. We had fun with the ear defenders on. Then we swooshed through the water until we came to a quiet part. We could see an alligator nest and under the water was mama alligator. We stopped at a few other nests and to look at some birds too. It was quite cool swooshing through the reeds and plants. It felt like we were out there for more than 30 minutes. Captain Chris was very informative and able to answer questions with ease.
When we stepped off the boat, we made sure we tipped our fabulous guide. Then we were ushered to the other part of the dock where we met a baby alligator and was told all about the conservation project to save the alligators from alligator farms where they are rescued from. We got some photo's taken and then we could buy them for a set amount. We bought the family pack and also our photo from earlier when we arrived. They were a nice memory for us as we had never done anything like this before.
Once we were finished, we headed back to Disney, and played the Fairway's golf at Fantasia Gardens. It is a regret that we didn't utilise this more earlier in the holiday. We made a cracking start and got held up by a family taking too long. So when we hit a part which had another further on hole, we may just have skipped it. Once we were finished it was time for a late lunch at Longhorns. But in typical style we got side tracked and ended up in the dollar tree, target and publix. It was then we had a problem with my fairfx card being blocked despite having plenty money on it grrrrr. Have had to email fairfx for help as unable to call them.
Dinner in Longhorns was lovely and only cost $43. But had to pay it on my credit card grrr. So we headed home for wifi to work out the problem and email for help and for pool time before finishing packing.
So all washing done. Just the PJ's to go in the morning along with swim stuff. That's us almost finished here. I feel quite sad as we have had a fab time and it's been a great villa.
We found it no bother once we were on the right road. The ticket office gave us a time 35 minutes away. The staff asked if they could muck about with the kids to do a photo. So we nipped into the restaurant and the loo for ice cream and drinks. Then we headed on to the airboat. We had fun with the ear defenders on. Then we swooshed through the water until we came to a quiet part. We could see an alligator nest and under the water was mama alligator. We stopped at a few other nests and to look at some birds too. It was quite cool swooshing through the reeds and plants. It felt like we were out there for more than 30 minutes. Captain Chris was very informative and able to answer questions with ease.
When we stepped off the boat, we made sure we tipped our fabulous guide. Then we were ushered to the other part of the dock where we met a baby alligator and was told all about the conservation project to save the alligators from alligator farms where they are rescued from. We got some photo's taken and then we could buy them for a set amount. We bought the family pack and also our photo from earlier when we arrived. They were a nice memory for us as we had never done anything like this before.
Once we were finished, we headed back to Disney, and played the Fairway's golf at Fantasia Gardens. It is a regret that we didn't utilise this more earlier in the holiday. We made a cracking start and got held up by a family taking too long. So when we hit a part which had another further on hole, we may just have skipped it. Once we were finished it was time for a late lunch at Longhorns. But in typical style we got side tracked and ended up in the dollar tree, target and publix. It was then we had a problem with my fairfx card being blocked despite having plenty money on it grrrrr. Have had to email fairfx for help as unable to call them.
Dinner in Longhorns was lovely and only cost $43. But had to pay it on my credit card grrr. So we headed home for wifi to work out the problem and email for help and for pool time before finishing packing.
So all washing done. Just the PJ's to go in the morning along with swim stuff. That's us almost finished here. I feel quite sad as we have had a fab time and it's been a great villa.
Thursday 11 July 2013
Wednesday 10th July 2013
Oh dear another grumpy morning from Groovee. So much so that I refused to get organised for blizzard beach. We forgot the water I'd frozen, the refillable cups, my iphone! But we had a great time at Blizzard Beach. Rode teamboat springs twice. Summit plummit didnt work and the queue was too long, but the kids did the little area and me and the boy did the lazy river. I loved sitting in a tube on the wave machine. It was so relaxing! We left about 12ish and played some golf at Summerland next door. I got bored by the 9th hole! The others loved it.
After golf we headed to the 192 to try out Bob Evans. Lil Miss had a burger, the boy had pasta and chips. Mr G had a sandwich and I had soup and salad.
Then it was home to get packed and washings on etc. After some pool time, we had an argument as Lil Miss thought she hadn't done enough shopping. The boy wanted to go to the park. So Mr G took him to the park, then we went for some ice cream at Twisted Treats on the 192 which is shaped like an ice cream cone.
Then we popped to Premium outlets and bought a samsonite bag for the boy going to camp in August. He also got a pair a vans! His sister didn't!
Then it was home via the pizza shop and recycling and bins out! bag for the boy going to camp in August. He also got a pair a vans! His sister didn't!
Then it was home via the pizza shop and recycling and bins out!
After golf we headed to the 192 to try out Bob Evans. Lil Miss had a burger, the boy had pasta and chips. Mr G had a sandwich and I had soup and salad.
Then it was home to get packed and washings on etc. After some pool time, we had an argument as Lil Miss thought she hadn't done enough shopping. The boy wanted to go to the park. So Mr G took him to the park, then we went for some ice cream at Twisted Treats on the 192 which is shaped like an ice cream cone.
Then we popped to Premium outlets and bought a samsonite bag for the boy going to camp in August. He also got a pair a vans! His sister didn't!
Then it was home via the pizza shop and recycling and bins out! bag for the boy going to camp in August. He also got a pair a vans! His sister didn't!
Then it was home via the pizza shop and recycling and bins out!
Wednesday 10 July 2013
Tuesday 9th July 2013
Oh it was a struggle to get up this morning. We were all tired but we managed out by 8.10am to get to Universal for 9am. Me and Lil Miss needed to do the Bag search, so Mr G and The Boy ran ahead and bought express passes. This allowed us to walk on rides again. Our first ride had to be Minion Mayhem. Its a simulator but it was fantastic. We really enjoyed it. Then it was time to meet a Minion and then Marg Simpson, before heading to ET. But we got sidetracked and did transformers. WOW that was an awesome ride. Then we managed to head to ET which was a must do!
As we've heard it's going to close, we had to make memories. Then we got a bit lost so the children rode the Woody's rollercoaster. I sat under one of those fan sprays cooling down as it was a hot day.
We headed round to Simpson Land taking in the new parts. Before meeting the Simpsons. We were in the line and I was wondering where Maggie was when Mr G said the same thing. Then it was onto The Simpsons Ride which was brilliant as well. Really really enjoyed that. And we moved on to Men In Black. For Mr G being the last shooting for points game, he wanted a clear out winner as we'd all won 1 game so far! Not quite sure what happened but I think I came last!
Then we planned to get a drink but ended up on Disaster which the children were wary off but actually enjoyed. When we came out of there, we headed across to the bakery. Key Lime Pie and Cheesecake for lunch with a fruit pot. Then we headed along to Shrek but got side tracked by The Mummy. Oooh having watched You Tube video's I was not looking forward to it but it wasn't as long as I expected. The photo is hilarious as my eyes are closed tight while my face is screwed up.
We finally made it to Shrek but had a bit of a queue. It would have been a good place for a snooze if the chair hadn't kept moving, haha! Then Lil Miss and Mr G went on Rip it Rockit. They had a ball. So The Boy and I looked round the Minion store and then got a drink. We'd just found a seat when the others appeared back. They had video'ed their ride from the ride video which looked funny.
We headed down to the photo store for our photo's before we headed to the car. We headed right to Berry Town Centre to have an Applebee's for an early dinner. It was a good choice menu and good service. The food was gorgeous. They even ran over to Publix for Oreos so Lil Miss could have a milkshake. The meal was reasonable at $58 for the 4 of us including drinks and tax.
Then it was back to the villa for pool time. I did some washing and sorting to allow me to start packing. The packing hasn't happened but some great chill time has happened.
As we've heard it's going to close, we had to make memories. Then we got a bit lost so the children rode the Woody's rollercoaster. I sat under one of those fan sprays cooling down as it was a hot day.
We headed round to Simpson Land taking in the new parts. Before meeting the Simpsons. We were in the line and I was wondering where Maggie was when Mr G said the same thing. Then it was onto The Simpsons Ride which was brilliant as well. Really really enjoyed that. And we moved on to Men In Black. For Mr G being the last shooting for points game, he wanted a clear out winner as we'd all won 1 game so far! Not quite sure what happened but I think I came last!
Then we planned to get a drink but ended up on Disaster which the children were wary off but actually enjoyed. When we came out of there, we headed across to the bakery. Key Lime Pie and Cheesecake for lunch with a fruit pot. Then we headed along to Shrek but got side tracked by The Mummy. Oooh having watched You Tube video's I was not looking forward to it but it wasn't as long as I expected. The photo is hilarious as my eyes are closed tight while my face is screwed up.
We finally made it to Shrek but had a bit of a queue. It would have been a good place for a snooze if the chair hadn't kept moving, haha! Then Lil Miss and Mr G went on Rip it Rockit. They had a ball. So The Boy and I looked round the Minion store and then got a drink. We'd just found a seat when the others appeared back. They had video'ed their ride from the ride video which looked funny.
We headed down to the photo store for our photo's before we headed to the car. We headed right to Berry Town Centre to have an Applebee's for an early dinner. It was a good choice menu and good service. The food was gorgeous. They even ran over to Publix for Oreos so Lil Miss could have a milkshake. The meal was reasonable at $58 for the 4 of us including drinks and tax.
Then it was back to the villa for pool time. I did some washing and sorting to allow me to start packing. The packing hasn't happened but some great chill time has happened.
Monday 8th July 2013
Monday morning, Bright and Beautiful. So we headed to Typhoon Lagoon. We managed to find a shaded area near the toilets but also next to the beach party. So we only stayed 3 hours before heading back to the villa, but we had some quality bigger pool time in the wave pool and the lazy river and the family raft ride. The Boy liked the little slides by the wave pool. As we left, photo's with stitch were called for.
We headed back to the villa and had left over chinese on the deck before getting set for some Fantasia Golf. We had great fun on the tradition crazy golf course. But it was busy with lots of other families choosing to do the same thing. Because we have the Ultimate Tickets, We were able to play for free. They have another course which is more like golf which we hope to return too.
After golf we headed to I-Drive to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner. Well that was the plan, we popped into Super Target and did a bit of clothes/toys/bag shopping before we finally got away to Sweet Tomatoes! The menu had changed so it wasn't as good as the last time as they had changed the soups but the rest was nice. Had a good baked potato with it's own toppings. Then it was over to Universal for Blue Man Group.
As we were a bit early, we decided to wander round Universal Studio's to kill time.
It was such a warm night and lovely to wander about in. Then we headed over to the Theatre for the show. We were row P seats 16-19. This was an excellent view and very central. The show was fantastic and we really enjoyed it. Then it was home for bed.
We headed back to the villa and had left over chinese on the deck before getting set for some Fantasia Golf. We had great fun on the tradition crazy golf course. But it was busy with lots of other families choosing to do the same thing. Because we have the Ultimate Tickets, We were able to play for free. They have another course which is more like golf which we hope to return too.
After golf we headed to I-Drive to Sweet Tomatoes for dinner. Well that was the plan, we popped into Super Target and did a bit of clothes/toys/bag shopping before we finally got away to Sweet Tomatoes! The menu had changed so it wasn't as good as the last time as they had changed the soups but the rest was nice. Had a good baked potato with it's own toppings. Then it was over to Universal for Blue Man Group.
As we were a bit early, we decided to wander round Universal Studio's to kill time.
It was such a warm night and lovely to wander about in. Then we headed over to the Theatre for the show. We were row P seats 16-19. This was an excellent view and very central. The show was fantastic and we really enjoyed it. Then it was home for bed.
Sunday 7th July 2013
Had a bit of a longer lie but I was up for 2 hours with a poorly Lil Miss. Got a good long shower, before our friends arrived to collect some things they'd left here. We thought we could go to the Premium Outlets but it wan't to be. They headed up to Jacksonville and we headed to crossroads. Lil Miss started complaining of being hungry and she looked very unwell. So we headed into Steak and Shake to eat. Hadn't realised it was like a sit in Wimpy than the fast food counter I expected.
Ordered a burger which was lovely. Mr G had a burger with an egg on it. The children both chose hot dogs with no mustard. Was a very good meal and Lil Miss who had looked like death had a bit of colour in her. We popped next door to Winn Dixie. Lil Miss had sore ears so got some ear drops for her which helped and then milk/bread/fruit for the villa.
Then I got the notion to go to Downtown Disney to see about seeing the minions. We bought tickets for later on and nipped back to the villa to drop off the food and get sorted before heading back down to DTD.
We arrived parked easily at the westside, before getting food and then attempting to find a seat. It was very busy and we ended up in the front row with rocking seats. So when the people in the row behind left their row and leaned on our seats we moved! Film was excellent and very funny.
We wandered round DTD and bought some trinkets to take home and The Boy enjoyed the lego store. When we were finished we got the water taxi back to the westside before heading to H27. Had planned to go to Applebee's for tea but it was too busy to wait, so we popped into the Bamboo Wok and had a take away. The portions were huge and the food was good. The children had chicken noodle soup and no space for the chicken fried rice they ordered. Mr G got Pork with Mushrooms which was gorgeous and I had Shrimp with broccoli which was lovely. There was so much left over we left it for another day. Then we all fell into bed to sleep.
Ordered a burger which was lovely. Mr G had a burger with an egg on it. The children both chose hot dogs with no mustard. Was a very good meal and Lil Miss who had looked like death had a bit of colour in her. We popped next door to Winn Dixie. Lil Miss had sore ears so got some ear drops for her which helped and then milk/bread/fruit for the villa.
Then I got the notion to go to Downtown Disney to see about seeing the minions. We bought tickets for later on and nipped back to the villa to drop off the food and get sorted before heading back down to DTD.
We arrived parked easily at the westside, before getting food and then attempting to find a seat. It was very busy and we ended up in the front row with rocking seats. So when the people in the row behind left their row and leaned on our seats we moved! Film was excellent and very funny.
We wandered round DTD and bought some trinkets to take home and The Boy enjoyed the lego store. When we were finished we got the water taxi back to the westside before heading to H27. Had planned to go to Applebee's for tea but it was too busy to wait, so we popped into the Bamboo Wok and had a take away. The portions were huge and the food was good. The children had chicken noodle soup and no space for the chicken fried rice they ordered. Mr G got Pork with Mushrooms which was gorgeous and I had Shrimp with broccoli which was lovely. There was so much left over we left it for another day. Then we all fell into bed to sleep.
Sunday 7 July 2013
Saturday 6th July 2013
Woke up at what I thought was 6am and read my book. The neighbours were being noisy. Then remembered my kindle is on UK time! So back to sleep. Slept til 11.53am on my kindle, when I shot out of bed, worrying as our friends were due to arrive by 11am!
Our friends moved to Florida in 2006 after many years of trying and they came down for the weekend. We had our children in 2000 12 weeks apart. So we spent a lot of time together. The last time we saw them was 2007 when we randomly bumped into them in a shop at the Premium Outlets.
They arrived and we did a tour of the house and some catch up time before heading to Publix for snacks and stuff then back to fridge it all before heading to Golden Corral for lunch. We all thought The Boy was in the loo but it turned out he was watching our TV not realising we were going for lunch. A good lunch and catch up and back for our friends to check into their hotel before Mr G picked them up and we had pool time followed by snacks and such a good night. Was just fabulous. Then I drove them down to their hotel and managed to drive myself home again!
Got into bed after tidying up only to be woken up by a poorly Lil Miss who had me up for 2 hours before she told me she felt better and I slept until 8am.
Our friends moved to Florida in 2006 after many years of trying and they came down for the weekend. We had our children in 2000 12 weeks apart. So we spent a lot of time together. The last time we saw them was 2007 when we randomly bumped into them in a shop at the Premium Outlets.
They arrived and we did a tour of the house and some catch up time before heading to Publix for snacks and stuff then back to fridge it all before heading to Golden Corral for lunch. We all thought The Boy was in the loo but it turned out he was watching our TV not realising we were going for lunch. A good lunch and catch up and back for our friends to check into their hotel before Mr G picked them up and we had pool time followed by snacks and such a good night. Was just fabulous. Then I drove them down to their hotel and managed to drive myself home again!
Got into bed after tidying up only to be woken up by a poorly Lil Miss who had me up for 2 hours before she told me she felt better and I slept until 8am.
Friday 5th July 2013
Finally I have managed to sleep a bit later. 6am start today :-) We were heading to Hollywood studio's We left about 8am and got there for 8.20am. Think we can definitely say we're 20 minutes from Disney. But we weren't first. We were a few rows back this morning.
Got near the gates and spied a nice garden of Sully and Mike with a photopass photographer! Typically the boy needed the loo. We were allowed in Early to the park, so I headed up to Toystory Midway Mania for fastpasses while the kids and Mr G went to queue for Rock'n'Rollercoaster. They ended up 35 minutes, which gave me a bit of time to chill in the shade.
When they came off we headed over to Star Tours. We practically walked on the ride. But we needed 3D glasses... this was new to us. But we all enjoyed it and it was nice to see it upgraded after loving it for 15 years.
Then it was on to Muppets 3D. Same old show as always but just as funny and proper 3D as you expect it to be. Definitely a favourite for us as a family.
As we came out, there was a line for Phineas and Ferb so the kids got autographs and photo's done. Then we walked round the corner and found Lightening McQueen and Mater.
After that we headed to Toy Story Midway Mania where we met The Green Army Man outside before using our fastpasses. This was a new ride for us. But we had great fun and with fastpasses took about 10 minutes to get on the ride instead of the 80 minutes for standby. Can totally understand why it's popular. Mr G got a bit competitive after the Buzz Lightyear fiasco the other day.
After this we headed in to the Backlot Tour. We got one of those little cards to hand in to see how long it took us to queue. Noticed some differences from previous visits but at least we got a sit down tour to rest our weary feet. We did see the queue for Mike and Sully but it was too big and we forgot to return.
We headed for lunch at the Backlot Express as the kids wanted Hot Dogs. They got a table while we queued and it rained while we were getting the food. Lil Miss thought it was one of those spray things just cooling her down. We headed to the Indiana Stunt show which was another first for us. It seemed a bit patchy and I got bored. Then it was ice cream time. Boy they were huge!
We moved to the Great Movie Ride. Having used Extra Magic Hours in Disney in previous trips, this was the first time we ever had to queue for it! It had changed slightly in the way the tour guide was dressed but otherwise a good ride for sitting down on.
We then went to the queue for The Little Mermaid but decided to leave it and went to the Photographers and got a range of photo's. One told me he was off with Donald and Daisy so we were 1st in line for them. Then we bought some stamps for our postcards and while I was putting the stamps on I became aware of a man chatting to The Boy. He kept answering his phone which was old fashioned and was going on about The Boy's amnesia. A photopass photographer appeared so I knew that it was a cast member and I think we had a magical moment. Then we popped into guest relations for some disney dollars for a friend where the cast member helping us regularly visits Aberdour!
Then we stopped by the Monsters Inc photopass to get some photo's before heading for the tram. We finally found the car and headed to the Premium Outlets. We had a successful shopping trip before heading to Golden Corral for dinner. It was very busy but a good meal. Then home to chill.
Got near the gates and spied a nice garden of Sully and Mike with a photopass photographer! Typically the boy needed the loo. We were allowed in Early to the park, so I headed up to Toystory Midway Mania for fastpasses while the kids and Mr G went to queue for Rock'n'Rollercoaster. They ended up 35 minutes, which gave me a bit of time to chill in the shade.
When they came off we headed over to Star Tours. We practically walked on the ride. But we needed 3D glasses... this was new to us. But we all enjoyed it and it was nice to see it upgraded after loving it for 15 years.
Then it was on to Muppets 3D. Same old show as always but just as funny and proper 3D as you expect it to be. Definitely a favourite for us as a family.
As we came out, there was a line for Phineas and Ferb so the kids got autographs and photo's done. Then we walked round the corner and found Lightening McQueen and Mater.
After that we headed to Toy Story Midway Mania where we met The Green Army Man outside before using our fastpasses. This was a new ride for us. But we had great fun and with fastpasses took about 10 minutes to get on the ride instead of the 80 minutes for standby. Can totally understand why it's popular. Mr G got a bit competitive after the Buzz Lightyear fiasco the other day.
After this we headed in to the Backlot Tour. We got one of those little cards to hand in to see how long it took us to queue. Noticed some differences from previous visits but at least we got a sit down tour to rest our weary feet. We did see the queue for Mike and Sully but it was too big and we forgot to return.
We headed for lunch at the Backlot Express as the kids wanted Hot Dogs. They got a table while we queued and it rained while we were getting the food. Lil Miss thought it was one of those spray things just cooling her down. We headed to the Indiana Stunt show which was another first for us. It seemed a bit patchy and I got bored. Then it was ice cream time. Boy they were huge!
We moved to the Great Movie Ride. Having used Extra Magic Hours in Disney in previous trips, this was the first time we ever had to queue for it! It had changed slightly in the way the tour guide was dressed but otherwise a good ride for sitting down on.
We then went to the queue for The Little Mermaid but decided to leave it and went to the Photographers and got a range of photo's. One told me he was off with Donald and Daisy so we were 1st in line for them. Then we bought some stamps for our postcards and while I was putting the stamps on I became aware of a man chatting to The Boy. He kept answering his phone which was old fashioned and was going on about The Boy's amnesia. A photopass photographer appeared so I knew that it was a cast member and I think we had a magical moment. Then we popped into guest relations for some disney dollars for a friend where the cast member helping us regularly visits Aberdour!
Then we stopped by the Monsters Inc photopass to get some photo's before heading for the tram. We finally found the car and headed to the Premium Outlets. We had a successful shopping trip before heading to Golden Corral for dinner. It was very busy but a good meal. Then home to chill.
Friday 5 July 2013
Thursday 4th July 2013
Happy 4th of July!
Once again a 5am wake up for me. I got up and read my kindle until it died on me. Hadn't noticed how low the battery was. We were all set to leave by 8.15am. We had decided to go up to Altamonte Springs to the mall up there. We went to Hollister primarily but Lil Miss got her things. The Boy got his 49'ers had which had just come in and Mr G got the trainers and his Miami Dolphin's hat. I left with nothing! Lil Miss did get a t-shirt from Hot Topic and a skirt and a pair of jeans which were only $7.80 each.
Altamonte was a lovely mall and only took us about 45 minutes to drive from Westridge. The journey took us through Champions Gate, which was really good to see where it was.
We headed back down the road to Crossroads and tried Chili's for lunch. Think it was ok. We had the 2 for $20. I had Tipalia and Mr G got half ribs which he really liked. My fish was slightly too spicy but just cooked to perfection. The Boy and Lil Miss had pizza.
We then did the most stupid thing... we tried to hit Premium Outlets. Drove round and left again. So I have bought zilch for myself.
We headed to Publix for some chicken and salad and pudding for tea. While in Publix there was a huge rain shower. So we had some pool time until a big rainfall. We spent time lounging by the pool watching the bloke directly over the back from us by a block attempt to burn his house down with numerous fireworks going wrong. Thankfully his house is still standing.
It was lovely to be sat outside. I did have a dip in the pool but it was too cold in the pool for me with my fibromyalgia. A small dip now and then was fine. We had dinner in the kitchen and I got laundry done along with the dishwasher.
Been lovely to have a chilled day. We're at Hollywood Studio's tomorrow. And then friends are coming down on Saturday.
Once again a 5am wake up for me. I got up and read my kindle until it died on me. Hadn't noticed how low the battery was. We were all set to leave by 8.15am. We had decided to go up to Altamonte Springs to the mall up there. We went to Hollister primarily but Lil Miss got her things. The Boy got his 49'ers had which had just come in and Mr G got the trainers and his Miami Dolphin's hat. I left with nothing! Lil Miss did get a t-shirt from Hot Topic and a skirt and a pair of jeans which were only $7.80 each.
Altamonte was a lovely mall and only took us about 45 minutes to drive from Westridge. The journey took us through Champions Gate, which was really good to see where it was.
We headed back down the road to Crossroads and tried Chili's for lunch. Think it was ok. We had the 2 for $20. I had Tipalia and Mr G got half ribs which he really liked. My fish was slightly too spicy but just cooked to perfection. The Boy and Lil Miss had pizza.
We then did the most stupid thing... we tried to hit Premium Outlets. Drove round and left again. So I have bought zilch for myself.
We headed to Publix for some chicken and salad and pudding for tea. While in Publix there was a huge rain shower. So we had some pool time until a big rainfall. We spent time lounging by the pool watching the bloke directly over the back from us by a block attempt to burn his house down with numerous fireworks going wrong. Thankfully his house is still standing.
It was lovely to be sat outside. I did have a dip in the pool but it was too cold in the pool for me with my fibromyalgia. A small dip now and then was fine. We had dinner in the kitchen and I got laundry done along with the dishwasher.
Been lovely to have a chilled day. We're at Hollywood Studio's tomorrow. And then friends are coming down on Saturday.
Thursday 4 July 2013
What we Rode
Mission Space Orange
Test Track
Spaceship Earth
Soarin' (FP)
Journey into Imagination
Agent P
Met Alice in Wonderland
Boat from Morocco to Canada
Nemo and Friends
Soarin' (FP)
Ellen's Universe of Energy
Innoventions
Club Cool
Circle of Life
Test Track
Spaceship Earth
Soarin' (FP)
Journey into Imagination
Agent P
Met Alice in Wonderland
Boat from Morocco to Canada
Nemo and Friends
Soarin' (FP)
Ellen's Universe of Energy
Innoventions
Club Cool
Circle of Life
Wednesday 3rd July 2013
Finally it's the day for Epcot. Woke up this time and was able to tell the time right away. Went back to sleep until just after 5am. Then it was up and sorted for the day ahead. We reckoned we could leave by 8am instead. Once again it only took about 20 minutes from Villa to parking the car. Early meant we had time to meander before lining up for getting in. Epcot let us in about 10 minutes early. Was a bit confused with the new "turnstyles" of a mickey head but after all the issues, the new plastic cards were working.
Mr G and Lil Miss went straight to Mission Space Orange, while The Boy and I headed to soarin' for fast passes for later. We then wandered over to Test Track. We had a wait on the others and we watched the wait time go from 5 minutes to 20 in a very short space of time. We got into 2's the girls against the boys for making a car. We had a nice pink one and the boys made a minging green one. Then it was on the ride. The ride has really changed since we were last here and I have to say, it is much better now. The Boy loved it but Lil Miss was honest, she preferred the old one. We managed to get our photo on to the PP+ and we headed off.
We decided to head to Spaceship Earth. This was when I did have a slight exchange with the american family who tried to queue jump. The girl kept saying "My family need to come here!" "Haven't you heard of the word please? Manners cost nothing!" I eventually let the rest of her party through but this pushing in was getting on my nerves. Rode Spaceship Earth and straight to Soarin'
The Boy wasn't too happy about riding this ride but he enjoyed it. So we took fastpasses for later in the day. We decided to have an early lunch in Sunshine Seasons. The rest was good but the flies were getting on our nerves, It was then time for Figment and Journey into Imagination. The children loved it once again. Then it was time to get our usual family tradition of crystals! But they have stopped doing them. We were gutted!
We tried Captain EO but with a 20 minute wait, we creamed up and moved on. We found the Agent P place and Agent M was formed and we were sent on our way to The United Kingdom to explore. This meant that Agent M got a mobile phone which did a variety of things to find Agent P before having to post the phone in the secret area. We did a bit of window shopping, while hiding from a heavy shower Met Alice from Alice in Wonderland and then sat in Japan with shaved ice before getting the boat to Canada. This was something we'd never done before so it was nice to see it from another angle.
We popped into a shop and Lil Miss found the Mickey January necklace she had been hunting for. She had one before and lost it. As we prepared to leave a heavy shower came down. Out came the raincoats and we asked a Photopass Photographer to take our photo's. Then we headed over to Soarin' but decided to nip into Nemo and it was a walk on, before we headed to Soarin' again. As we still had quite a bit of time, we headed to Ellen's Universe of Energy and a wander round Innoventions. We popped into Club Cool too and the kids tried Beverley. It didn't go down well but they liked Japan's,
Then we headed to the Circle of Life for a sit down before checking into the Garden Grill for dinner. We had a below seat and we saw all the characters and had an enjoyable meal. The turkey was gorgeous and I enjoyed the fish. The Mash was lovely too. I got Mr G eating the salad and he likes Ranch Dressing yay. We really enjoyed this meal and Lil Miss ate the peach cobbler and announced it was like something she would make at school. The boy got the cupcake cone which he was delighted with.
After eating we rolled down the hill, where we got more Photopass photo's and headed back to the villa. As we hit the Highway 27, the torrential rain came down. I had an early night and the others had pool time.
Mr G and Lil Miss went straight to Mission Space Orange, while The Boy and I headed to soarin' for fast passes for later. We then wandered over to Test Track. We had a wait on the others and we watched the wait time go from 5 minutes to 20 in a very short space of time. We got into 2's the girls against the boys for making a car. We had a nice pink one and the boys made a minging green one. Then it was on the ride. The ride has really changed since we were last here and I have to say, it is much better now. The Boy loved it but Lil Miss was honest, she preferred the old one. We managed to get our photo on to the PP+ and we headed off.
We decided to head to Spaceship Earth. This was when I did have a slight exchange with the american family who tried to queue jump. The girl kept saying "My family need to come here!" "Haven't you heard of the word please? Manners cost nothing!" I eventually let the rest of her party through but this pushing in was getting on my nerves. Rode Spaceship Earth and straight to Soarin'
The Boy wasn't too happy about riding this ride but he enjoyed it. So we took fastpasses for later in the day. We decided to have an early lunch in Sunshine Seasons. The rest was good but the flies were getting on our nerves, It was then time for Figment and Journey into Imagination. The children loved it once again. Then it was time to get our usual family tradition of crystals! But they have stopped doing them. We were gutted!
We tried Captain EO but with a 20 minute wait, we creamed up and moved on. We found the Agent P place and Agent M was formed and we were sent on our way to The United Kingdom to explore. This meant that Agent M got a mobile phone which did a variety of things to find Agent P before having to post the phone in the secret area. We did a bit of window shopping, while hiding from a heavy shower Met Alice from Alice in Wonderland and then sat in Japan with shaved ice before getting the boat to Canada. This was something we'd never done before so it was nice to see it from another angle.
We popped into a shop and Lil Miss found the Mickey January necklace she had been hunting for. She had one before and lost it. As we prepared to leave a heavy shower came down. Out came the raincoats and we asked a Photopass Photographer to take our photo's. Then we headed over to Soarin' but decided to nip into Nemo and it was a walk on, before we headed to Soarin' again. As we still had quite a bit of time, we headed to Ellen's Universe of Energy and a wander round Innoventions. We popped into Club Cool too and the kids tried Beverley. It didn't go down well but they liked Japan's,
Then we headed to the Circle of Life for a sit down before checking into the Garden Grill for dinner. We had a below seat and we saw all the characters and had an enjoyable meal. The turkey was gorgeous and I enjoyed the fish. The Mash was lovely too. I got Mr G eating the salad and he likes Ranch Dressing yay. We really enjoyed this meal and Lil Miss ate the peach cobbler and announced it was like something she would make at school. The boy got the cupcake cone which he was delighted with.
After eating we rolled down the hill, where we got more Photopass photo's and headed back to the villa. As we hit the Highway 27, the torrential rain came down. I had an early night and the others had pool time.
What we rode in 10 hours
Meant to do this yesterday... a list of what we rode in 10 hours
Big Thunder Mountain
Chip and Dale Meet and Greet
Haunted Mansion
Prince Charming's Carousel
Small World
Mickey's Philharmagic
People Mover
Space Mountain (fp)
The Laughter Floor
Buzz Lightyear (fp)
Carousel Of Progress
Enchanted Tiki Rooms
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Jungle Cruise
Rainy Day Parade
Dreams Come True Show
Winnie the Pooh
Little Mermaid
Peter Pan
Big Thunder Mountain
Chip and Dale Meet and Greet
Haunted Mansion
Prince Charming's Carousel
Small World
Mickey's Philharmagic
People Mover
Space Mountain (fp)
The Laughter Floor
Buzz Lightyear (fp)
Carousel Of Progress
Enchanted Tiki Rooms
Pirates of the Caribbean
The Jungle Cruise
Rainy Day Parade
Dreams Come True Show
Winnie the Pooh
Little Mermaid
Peter Pan
Wednesday 3 July 2013
Tuesday 2nd July 2013
So again, I wakened and thought it was 7.53am... It turns out it was 2.53am!
Wakened about 5am and we got up and organised. We had breakfast did the dishwasher. We were ready to leave by 7am. We were in the Magic Kingdom Parking lot by 7.20am! We headed towards the ferryboat. The 2 cast members there told us we'd have to wait until 8am. I replied that's fine and they shocked us by letting us through and making us First family of the day on a wee boat. We got captains hats, pirate hats and swords and some scarves. It was lovely. We arrived at the gate for 8am. We had a bit of waiting about but it gave us time to study the map and work out our plan of action.
Around 8.45am, the pre show started when Mickey and Co open the park. Once we were allowed in, Mr G and the kids went straight to Splash Mountain. It started to rain but just lightly. I headed to Peter Pan for fastpasses but they wouldn't work. So I met them at Splash and we headed to Big Thunder Mountain. We were only about 7 minutes in wait time but we got split up due to poor communication between cast members. When one said sorry, I said "Sorry's not good enough, it's just ruined my magical day!" I did snap out of it eventually.
We came off and met up again and did Chip and Dale's meet and greet with Photopass. Then it was Haunted Mansion. Not a long wait there either. Then we headed to fantasyland and Mr G ran to Space Mountain where it was discovered our Ultimate Tickets were no longer working, so we got some special ones to do us until we could get to City Hall. Meanwhile the kids rode the Carousel to pass time.
We rode Small World with less than a 5 minute wait again. Then we walked right into Mickey's Philharmagic We then headed to Tomorrowland. We got some drinks. Raspberry Lemonade slush was lovely. The children and I rode The People Mover while Mr G had his coffee.
Then we used our fast pass for space mountain. The Boy and I didn't enjoy it. Then we ran to Buzz Lightyear for Fastpasses, with more flaming problems with the tickets and ran into The Laughter Floor which was about a 10 minute wait. When we came out it was time for Buzz. The rain was starting but we were inside so not too bad. We got our photopass photo's then made a break for it... we ran over to Carousel of Progress and it appeared that everyone had the same idea. We may not have dried off but we had some dry time.
When we left there it was still raining, so we headed towards City Hall to see about the park passes. But we got side tracked and got the kids a hot dog meal from Casey's which we ate on the move. We then headed to Adventureland and tried a Dole Whip.
While the kids and I went to the Enchanted Tiki Rooms, Mr G went to City Hall. He got us fastpasses for Jungle Cruise while he waited on us finishing. Then we stood in the standby line for Pirates of the Caribbean. Warning, should you sit in the front row, then expect to get wet :-D. The line said 40 minutes but in reality it was about 15. We then headed to Jungle Cruise. We were last on the boat so got the uncovered bit which meant we were wet the whole ride.
The rain was easing, so we decided to head to Peter Pan as we weren't sure if the Parade would be on. As the rain was much lighter, there was a mini parade going on, where the sing "Singing in the Rain" and the dancers are wearing waterproofs, the characters travel in vehicles. We noticed that some of the dancers kept waving at the guys stood next to us. Then the characters started intimating that the knew them. We started to believe they were cast members.
The parade was short so we headed to Peter Pan and got the fast passes for later on. When we finished there we headed out to get some photopass shots in front of the castle, then we asked for "magic ones!" We won't know what these are like until we have uploaded photopass
We headed back to Main Street.and had a look in some of the shops. Then we headed to our 3.45pm reservation with Winnie the Pooh and Friends at The Crystal Palace. We had a meal costing $200 which wasn't the best meal in the world but we did enjoy the interaction and our server was lovely.
Wandering towards Fantasyland we saw the Castle Dreams Come True show was about to start, so we took time out to watch it. The male dancers were the guys who'd stood next to us at the Parade! I knew they were cast members. After the Show Mr G and Lil Miss headed to the fastpass for Winnie The Pooh and The Little Mermaid. We caught up with them, so we standby lined WTP which said 40 minutes, but as we walked in changed to 35 but realistically was 15 minutes, we then rode The Little Mermaid taking in the building of the mine train and the new part of Fantasyland. Lil Miss adored this and was dancing away. Then it was time for Peter Pan. After we rode Peter Pan, it was time to head to the entrance. We got a Perry the Platypus for The Boy and a Hidden Mickey book for us. Then we exited the park and chose to ride the monorail back to the parking. We'd been there for 12 hours. A long day but worth it.
We would like to return for wishes and the main street electrical parade one night. But home to the pool and bed before Epcot tomorrow.
Wakened about 5am and we got up and organised. We had breakfast did the dishwasher. We were ready to leave by 7am. We were in the Magic Kingdom Parking lot by 7.20am! We headed towards the ferryboat. The 2 cast members there told us we'd have to wait until 8am. I replied that's fine and they shocked us by letting us through and making us First family of the day on a wee boat. We got captains hats, pirate hats and swords and some scarves. It was lovely. We arrived at the gate for 8am. We had a bit of waiting about but it gave us time to study the map and work out our plan of action.
Around 8.45am, the pre show started when Mickey and Co open the park. Once we were allowed in, Mr G and the kids went straight to Splash Mountain. It started to rain but just lightly. I headed to Peter Pan for fastpasses but they wouldn't work. So I met them at Splash and we headed to Big Thunder Mountain. We were only about 7 minutes in wait time but we got split up due to poor communication between cast members. When one said sorry, I said "Sorry's not good enough, it's just ruined my magical day!" I did snap out of it eventually.
We came off and met up again and did Chip and Dale's meet and greet with Photopass. Then it was Haunted Mansion. Not a long wait there either. Then we headed to fantasyland and Mr G ran to Space Mountain where it was discovered our Ultimate Tickets were no longer working, so we got some special ones to do us until we could get to City Hall. Meanwhile the kids rode the Carousel to pass time.
We rode Small World with less than a 5 minute wait again. Then we walked right into Mickey's Philharmagic We then headed to Tomorrowland. We got some drinks. Raspberry Lemonade slush was lovely. The children and I rode The People Mover while Mr G had his coffee.
Then we used our fast pass for space mountain. The Boy and I didn't enjoy it. Then we ran to Buzz Lightyear for Fastpasses, with more flaming problems with the tickets and ran into The Laughter Floor which was about a 10 minute wait. When we came out it was time for Buzz. The rain was starting but we were inside so not too bad. We got our photopass photo's then made a break for it... we ran over to Carousel of Progress and it appeared that everyone had the same idea. We may not have dried off but we had some dry time.
When we left there it was still raining, so we headed towards City Hall to see about the park passes. But we got side tracked and got the kids a hot dog meal from Casey's which we ate on the move. We then headed to Adventureland and tried a Dole Whip.
While the kids and I went to the Enchanted Tiki Rooms, Mr G went to City Hall. He got us fastpasses for Jungle Cruise while he waited on us finishing. Then we stood in the standby line for Pirates of the Caribbean. Warning, should you sit in the front row, then expect to get wet :-D. The line said 40 minutes but in reality it was about 15. We then headed to Jungle Cruise. We were last on the boat so got the uncovered bit which meant we were wet the whole ride.
The rain was easing, so we decided to head to Peter Pan as we weren't sure if the Parade would be on. As the rain was much lighter, there was a mini parade going on, where the sing "Singing in the Rain" and the dancers are wearing waterproofs, the characters travel in vehicles. We noticed that some of the dancers kept waving at the guys stood next to us. Then the characters started intimating that the knew them. We started to believe they were cast members.
The parade was short so we headed to Peter Pan and got the fast passes for later on. When we finished there we headed out to get some photopass shots in front of the castle, then we asked for "magic ones!" We won't know what these are like until we have uploaded photopass
We headed back to Main Street.and had a look in some of the shops. Then we headed to our 3.45pm reservation with Winnie the Pooh and Friends at The Crystal Palace. We had a meal costing $200 which wasn't the best meal in the world but we did enjoy the interaction and our server was lovely.
Wandering towards Fantasyland we saw the Castle Dreams Come True show was about to start, so we took time out to watch it. The male dancers were the guys who'd stood next to us at the Parade! I knew they were cast members. After the Show Mr G and Lil Miss headed to the fastpass for Winnie The Pooh and The Little Mermaid. We caught up with them, so we standby lined WTP which said 40 minutes, but as we walked in changed to 35 but realistically was 15 minutes, we then rode The Little Mermaid taking in the building of the mine train and the new part of Fantasyland. Lil Miss adored this and was dancing away. Then it was time for Peter Pan. After we rode Peter Pan, it was time to head to the entrance. We got a Perry the Platypus for The Boy and a Hidden Mickey book for us. Then we exited the park and chose to ride the monorail back to the parking. We'd been there for 12 hours. A long day but worth it.
We would like to return for wishes and the main street electrical parade one night. But home to the pool and bed before Epcot tomorrow.
Tuesday 2 July 2013
Monday 1st July 2013
After a more reasonable wake up of 6.30am, we got up and chilled outside while the children slept. Although warm, it was very dull and overcast. We had breakfast on the deck.
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We got up and decided to head to the outlets. Now we knew we had one in our head, but could we find it? We ended up in some random place on Idrive which seemed rather deserted. We ended up at Downtown Disney where we wandered round the shops and then had Lunch at Earl of Sandwich. We all really enjoyed it which was unusual for us. Mr G and I shared a Earl Club, Lil Miss took a ham and Swiss cheese and The Boy chose the kids Pizza Sandwich. It was all very tasty.
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Then we decided to try and find the outlets again. So we ended up at Lake Buena Vista outlets. The Boy went wild in Nike with footie boots, trainers and a green rucksack for P7.
Lil Miss liked a shop and got a nice top and dress. We did a lot of wandering. A huge thunderstorm crashed down and we ended up back at the car. I was driving and as we were driving back I decided to go down to Junction 55 on the I4 and look for Posner Park. So we wandered round Target. It wasn't far from our villa as we drove back up the Highway 27.
We headed on to the 192 for a Longhorn Steakhouse as Mr G wanted a steak We had a lovely meal. Mr G had steak with fries and a house salad. I had a 500 cals steak which was too rare, but the manager had it cooked to perfection for me. The Boy had a hotdog and Lil Miss fancied the side of Mac cheese with bacon and fries. We shared a Key Lime Pie too. Drove back to the villa and the rain started. But The Boy had a swim in the pool.
Now it's chill time before our 2 parks days.
Monday 1 July 2013
Sunday 30th June 2013
After a slightly later night, I woke up and looked at my kindle. 7.34am arrrgghhh wanted to be at Universal for 7.30am. Rushed into the loo and checked Mr Groovee's phone 2.35am. Whoops hadn't changed the kindle to local time.
Woke up about 5am and Mr Groovee and Lil Miss were wide awake. So got dressed and wakened The Boy. We headed to IHOP on the 192. Here we had pancakes yum yum. Jason our server was just fab and really cheered up the morning.
Then we headed to Universal for Islands Of Adventure. Parked in Preferred Parking for $22. We were in Spiderman 250. Then took the long walk to the gates. At the Gates we exchanged our express passes for the day. Then we were in.
Straight up to Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey. Was a wait time of about 30 minutes on the board. Bags were dropped in to lockers as they were adament you couldn't have them on the ride. Still saw some people with there. The walk through was quite quick then we reached the Herbology Greenhouse which is were we slowed down. We did find the queue moved quickly and we were missing out on the special bits which are there to kill time in the queue. Next thing we knew we were on the ride. You have to run fast to get on and they clip you in. The ride was out of this world and not what I expected. I understand why no loose objects. I had been a bit worried but it was an amazing experience.
Then Mr G and Lil Miss went to ride Duelling dragons while The Boy and myself rode Flight of the hippogriff. The Boy's verdict... "A bit short!" I have to agree. We then wandered to the meeting place and met the others.
We decided to head to Dr Seuss Land. Used our express passes on the train and the carousel and then we walked into Cat in The Hat where Lil Miss was told off for filming.
We then headed to Marvel Land and Mr G and Lil Miss rode the Hulk on the express pass while The Boy and I had a seat. When they came off we headed to Storm Force for a teacup ride. I was glad when that was over. Then we nipped into Express pass for Spiderman. This is a ride we've never done and WOW, we were all amazed by it. Came out of there and spied a line to meet spiderman so we did and got photo's with him and Captain America.
Then we headed to Toon Lagoon. We decided to grab some food from Comic Strip cafe. We shared fries and Breadsticks which the kids loved. Then the kids and Mr G did Dudley Do-Right Ripsaw Falls. They came off drenched. Then we headed to Bluto's Barges, which made them wetter.
Then this was where the problem came in. Mr G and Lil Miss wanted to ride Jurassic Park. We went to the drop area, but a Thunder Storm Cleared the area. For about an hour we were separated. The Boy and I walked down to the entrance but were finding it tough as I suffer from Fibromyalgia. I was cold and wet. We finally found them again and all 3 went into the dryer as the rain was so heavy it had soaked them all. The lesson of the day when our phones don't have wifi to work is to arrange where to meet in these events.
We then bought some ice cream drop things and headed to the exit. The Boy bought "Stuart" the minion. Then we headed out. Mr G popped along to the Blue Man Group box office to get our tickets for next week.
Then it was back to the villa via the Pizzano's which is at the turn off for our villa. Mr G ran in and the first thing the guy said was "Where in Scotland are you from?" His auntie lives in Calendar. We grabbed a menu and ordered some food, Then back to the villa where we had a lovely meal and then chill out on the deck of the pool because of the rain. Although it was wet the warmth allowed us to sit outside.
I did laundry on the wet washing and then when it was dry, put it in each person's room. Thought I'd have a lie down on the bed and that was me until 6.30am.
Sunday 30 June 2013
2nd Day 29th June 2013
We wakened in our huge kingsized bed at 5am ish. Decided to get up anyway. Got on with sorting all the chargers before mucking about in the kitchen with switches and turning the waste disposal on and waking the children.
After an easy breakfast of cereal and pop tarts and toast. We tidied up and got some photo's outside round the pool. The boys decided to swim but found it too cold. We covered the pool whole we were out.
Our choice for today was Animal Kingdom. This was a very hot morning and a new experience of not getting disney transport to any disney park. It was an easy process and we did remember to note our parking space.
It was very busy at the gates, quick bag check and through the turnstiles. Into the park. We had to pop in to the shop to get our photopass+ card. Very impressed with the card.
Mr Groovee went straight to Expedition Everest for fast passes, while the children and I headed up to Kilamanjaro Safari's It was a short walk and we had a bit of waiting. Finally we headed to the safari and the walk to the safari truck was longer than the ride itself. Was nice to be out in the truck seeing the wild life.
After that we walked to Asia to see what the Kali River Rapids were like. Too busy, so a toilet stop and time to collect a drink before our time for EE was ready. We had the unfortunate experience of a Brazilian Tour group barging in with the usual lack of manners when it comes to queuing. As it was, The Boy needed to be measured to get on, which he more than passed, this resulted in the group being split up and other guests blocking their way! Will be doing that more often. Was fab to see Epcot in the distance and that both kids are wee coaster junkies.
We then decided to head over to Dinoland. I decided to do some pacing and found a good seat to view Primeval Whirl while the others rode it. They were underwhelmed. But I had the amusing experience of it raining and you could tell the brits. We all stayed where we were while the Americans were shrieking and running for cover. Was quite funny as the rain was so warm.
We tried to head to Dinosaur which unfortunately was shut and we were unable to get fastpasses. So we headed to Restaurantasourus for some lunch. The smell of the burgers lured us, so we shared 2 burger and chips with water.
We decided then to head to our favourite of Festival of the Lion King. It was the first show we ever saw on our honeymoon in 1998. Its a must do for us. As we came out we raced into the line with Donald. We have photopass Plus, so we need some use from it. Had some fun with Donald. Then we headed back to the front of the park for It's Tough to be a bug. I checked the boy was ok and was laughing when he said "yes but I'm a bit wet!" Then we decided to head to the front of the park and get some photopass photo's in front of the tree of life then some "magic ones" Can't wait to see how they turn out,
We headed and bought some pin lanyards and autograph books for next time.
We headed back to the car, where we realised we would have to beep the car to see which one was ours as there were 2 next to each other whoops. Found ours and I had a turn of driving to walmart then back to the villa. Got out of the car and went to unlock and unalarm the house when a squirrel jumped out of the bushes. Gave me a right fright.
We headed to Sweet Tomatoes on the 192. Have never been here before but we loved it. We all ate well. Well worth $50 for unlimited eating. Then it was back to the villa for some pool time and chill out time, before bed. It's so lovely to be chilling outside in the warm.
Saturday 29 June 2013
First Day 28th June
Wide awake at 2am with excitement. At 4am we burst into lil miss's room singing Zipededoodah. The boy was sleeping in there and it was hilarious to see their shocked faces.
At 5.30, we were collected by Grandad who drove us to Glasgow airport. We arrived at 6.30am and had a 75 minute wait.
Despite being first we were 3rd to check in. We still had our seats which we'd booked online.
Having not been to Glasgow Airport since our last Orlando trip, the security area had really changed. Scanning your own boarding pass then we walked through security the quickest ever.
So it was time to head to Frankie and Benny's. we got a window seat which allowed us to watch the planes take off and see the action at the runway. The boy had his last roll and sausage for 2 weeks. Pancakes were the girly choice and Davscotcar had a tradition breakfast.
Then it was shopping time while Davsvotcar had his 2 pints of beer to ensure he could drive at the other end.
My sought after watch was bought yipeeee. An iPad mini was purchased along with some Made in Edinburgh badges for our friends who now live in Florida's son.
Then it was head into departures for a seat. The airside has changed a lot in 5 years. Gate was named as number 29 so we headed there and found somewhere to chill. Had hoped to be last on the plane but we weren't. Only by about 6 others.
Found our seats and settled for take off. Except seat 13F's seatbelt wasn't working, so ground crew had to be called, delaying departure by 30ish minutes.
The meals came and there was no choice. It was a James Martin bangers and mash. It was very nice and both children scoffed it along with the crackers and cheese/roll/cheesecake.
The only complaint about the flight would be the idiot man sat behind us who was served too much beer and was being a pain in the rear. Despite being told by his party to quit it. He only shut up when the lovely crew member said "sir we will NOT be serving you any more alcohol.
We had a bit of a diverted landing due to a thunderstorm. We landed and were off the plane at the same time as another flight. Immigration was busy but very well organised. The sniffer dog was going round the queue.
Immigration woman was lovely. She looked at Lil Miss's passport and said, "I've never seen that name before and I've had 2 in the last few minutes!"
Then it was to baggage. I was standing with the rucksacks when the sniffer dog could smell our sweeties and customs were at me for a second. Then we breezed through customs and headed out of the building into that warm heat. The Thomas Cook rep encouraged me to run to get our villa, so was 3rd in line.
We were allocated Westridge as we thought. Managed to talk the guy into letting me register to save us going back. Then it was to budget for the car. At this point the rain came down.
Budget tried to give us a VW beetle or a mustang. Not for a family of 4. Managed to get a gold Toyota corolla for $3 a day instead.
So we headed down the 417 which is a completely new experience for us. We made it to the 192 to get to Highway 27. Stopped at subway for a sandwich before heading to Walmart for some essentials before making it to the villa in the dark.
We found we had a privately owned villa. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms with a coloured pool. Finally about 10pm we fell quiet and slept until 5am.
At 5.30, we were collected by Grandad who drove us to Glasgow airport. We arrived at 6.30am and had a 75 minute wait.
Despite being first we were 3rd to check in. We still had our seats which we'd booked online.
Having not been to Glasgow Airport since our last Orlando trip, the security area had really changed. Scanning your own boarding pass then we walked through security the quickest ever.
So it was time to head to Frankie and Benny's. we got a window seat which allowed us to watch the planes take off and see the action at the runway. The boy had his last roll and sausage for 2 weeks. Pancakes were the girly choice and Davscotcar had a tradition breakfast.
Then it was shopping time while Davsvotcar had his 2 pints of beer to ensure he could drive at the other end.
My sought after watch was bought yipeeee. An iPad mini was purchased along with some Made in Edinburgh badges for our friends who now live in Florida's son.
Then it was head into departures for a seat. The airside has changed a lot in 5 years. Gate was named as number 29 so we headed there and found somewhere to chill. Had hoped to be last on the plane but we weren't. Only by about 6 others.
Found our seats and settled for take off. Except seat 13F's seatbelt wasn't working, so ground crew had to be called, delaying departure by 30ish minutes.
The meals came and there was no choice. It was a James Martin bangers and mash. It was very nice and both children scoffed it along with the crackers and cheese/roll/cheesecake.
The only complaint about the flight would be the idiot man sat behind us who was served too much beer and was being a pain in the rear. Despite being told by his party to quit it. He only shut up when the lovely crew member said "sir we will NOT be serving you any more alcohol.
We had a bit of a diverted landing due to a thunderstorm. We landed and were off the plane at the same time as another flight. Immigration was busy but very well organised. The sniffer dog was going round the queue.
Immigration woman was lovely. She looked at Lil Miss's passport and said, "I've never seen that name before and I've had 2 in the last few minutes!"
Then it was to baggage. I was standing with the rucksacks when the sniffer dog could smell our sweeties and customs were at me for a second. Then we breezed through customs and headed out of the building into that warm heat. The Thomas Cook rep encouraged me to run to get our villa, so was 3rd in line.
We were allocated Westridge as we thought. Managed to talk the guy into letting me register to save us going back. Then it was to budget for the car. At this point the rain came down.
Budget tried to give us a VW beetle or a mustang. Not for a family of 4. Managed to get a gold Toyota corolla for $3 a day instead.
So we headed down the 417 which is a completely new experience for us. We made it to the 192 to get to Highway 27. Stopped at subway for a sandwich before heading to Walmart for some essentials before making it to the villa in the dark.
We found we had a privately owned villa. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms with a coloured pool. Finally about 10pm we fell quiet and slept until 5am.
Friday 28 June 2013
The Final Countdown
It's finally here, our long countdown is here. We're wide awake, kids are sleeping. We'll report back once we're home :-)
Thursday 27 June 2013
24 hours time...
We will have started the long journey to Orlando...
I'm so excited I may not sleep :-)
I'm so excited I may not sleep :-)
Wednesday 26 June 2013
2 more sleeps
We're down to just 2 sleep. 1 work day for Mr Groovee and 1 school day for the children!
I can't believe it is here. Need to keep pinching myself. Think we now have everything sorted bar the hand luggage.
The Boy doesn't have football and Brownies is finished for me and Lil Miss, so may try to sort that all out tonight!
Tomorrow would be nice if we have a chill out time after school and work then an early night.
I can't believe it is here. Need to keep pinching myself. Think we now have everything sorted bar the hand luggage.
The Boy doesn't have football and Brownies is finished for me and Lil Miss, so may try to sort that all out tonight!
Tomorrow would be nice if we have a chill out time after school and work then an early night.
Tuesday 25 June 2013
4 sleeps
I don't feel well. Sore ears and throat again. Am completely exhausted. I've been trying hard to keep pacing so my fibromyalgia doesn't flare up 
Anyway, ds's bedding washed, dd's in the machine. Think we're almost there bar washing tablets!
While the kids were at bowling, got my friend's son's girlfriend to do my sparkly nails. Can't get a nice photo to share though.
Hoping the nice weather stays to allow me to get the grass cut tonight too. Brown bin day tomorrow, so would be perfect if it all goes to plan.
At least I don't need to work today.
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