A Game For All The Family

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dsoup's picture
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They trap in the people with mobility problems? That doesn't seem like a good idea at all!

LifeIsForLiving's picture
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Sorry to hear about the bumps in the road along the way, but it sounds like quite an adventure.

bali's picture
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Note to self -- always have an umbrella in WDW!

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May 2008 CSR mickey

Brad's picture
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bali wrote:
Note to self -- always have an umbrella in WDW!

I prefer to just grab a poncho.

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Day 9

Animal Kingdom

Woke up about 9am, had breakfast in the Villa and headed to Animal Kingdom! Sian and Bill werent sure about doing Animal Kingdom, they hadnt done it before (Sian doesnt like animals in captivity at all) but after a fair bit of persuasion from me they agreed to give it a ago Smile

We had a look at the show times for Lion King and Finding Nemo and the Parade time so that we could plan our day around them. So we decided to head to Dinosaur first as Finding Nemo was first on the list. Anne wasnt feeling it today so didnt go on and Cliff stayed with her. We then went to see Finding Nemo. Sian said it was worth going to Animal kingdom just for that show " and she'd never seen the film! We then went round to see Lion King which is my personal Favourite in all of the parks. It didnt disappoint! On the way round we stopped to do Its Tough to be a Bug.

Then it was time for lunch. We decided that we would head round to Yak and Yeti cafe for some Chinese food, we were getting a bit sick of the typical burger type lunch. On the way we stopped to watch the band play

The food was to die for! We really enjoyed the food here, more so than any other park lunch.

We then went back on ourselves to go on the Safari which was fab. We saw loads of animals, I was worried as it was the middle of the day, they would all be sleeping and seeking shade but as it was out of season a bit they seemed all to be about, including an ostrich that was stood right next to the truck!

Then it was time to watch the parade Smile There was a girl on the other side of the parade route that was rather erm, interesting! After watching her for a while I think she might have worked there and she was obviously with a guy who she was trying to cop off with and she was showing off and going very very OTT when the people came past on the parade, screaming, jumping up and down etc, very odd! I thought at first she might have been on something :S

After the parade had finished, we headed over to the River Rapids where we got rather wet! It was then time for Expedition Everest! We rode twice Smile the last time we were the last train of the day. Anne didnt like the look of it and I couldnt persuade her to go on, though I think she would have liked it. So she waited for us and waved as we went round. The second time it was just me, Simon and Cliff, we sat at the front this time and it was worth it just for the view when you stop at the top " you could see for miles and miles!

After that, it was time to go back to the villa to get out of the wet clothes.

We decided to go to Mannys for dinner... The guy from our villas management company recommended it to us. We got fairly dressed up as we were told just how popular it is, so we called ahead and then went down. Oh. My. God. I did NOT feel comfortable in there. I dont know what we were expecting but we werent expecting what we found! Our table wasnt ready so we sat at the bar to get a drink. The barman left a little to be desired! I asked if they had a cocktail menu and was told no, its a bar, they stock everything and I should know what cocktail I want, and I wasnt told in a very nice way either!! I told him I wouldnt have a drink then, honestly I was nearly in tears, never been spoken to that like that in Orlando Sad it was made even worse when we sat down and there was a cocktail menu in the main menu Sad The food was okay as was the waitress but I wouldnt go back there again.

Once we finished we went back to the villa. We sat by the pool for a while having a drink and a chat and then headed to bed.

Tomorrow " Hollywood Studios!

__________________

Our Very Merry 24 nighter Nov/Dec 15
Watson's go West May 15
The one with all the birthdays Oct 14 4 Big Birthdays and a Vow Renewal thrown in
The OMG trip June 14 30th Birthday present from the hubs
Girly trip March 14 A last min cheapy week
September 13 our first all DVC stay
TR May 2013 the last min bargain trip offsite
Oct 2012 TR with a cruise!big family trip featuring the beach club, AKL, the dream and a villa offsite
TR on a budget May - June 2011offsite condo
TR Sept - Oct 2010 big family trip in an offsite villa

dsoup's picture
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Those are some great pictures at Animal Kingdom!

RobynPrincess's picture
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Day 10

Hollywood Studios!

We were up about 9am today, had breakfast in the villa before getting in the car and heading to Hollywood Studios. Was one of the hottest days of the holiday apart from day 1 in Miami. Very very hot! As we had quite a late night, we were late in getting to the park, I think we got there about 11:30, which as we only had 1 day to do everything, wasnt that long!

We found the parade and show timetable and began to plan our day around it, plus we had an ADR for 50s Prime time at 2:20 so we needed to make sure that we would be nearby for that. First off was the Great Movie ride, a personal favourite Smile

Then it was time for Muppets 3D (actually while writing this TR I am watching a Muppets Christmas Carol!)

Star Tours was closed as was one mans dream which is another of my personal favs Sad I wasnt too bothered about star tours though, it always made me feel a bit sick.

We had a wonder around the streets of New York. . . .

Met Mike Wizowski

Then headed over to 50s Prime Time for our ADR. We were about 45 mins early but we went in and asked if we could wait there as it was so hot! We were told that we couldnt Sad even though when we went in at 2:20 there were people who I heard that they were going to wait in there for 2 HOURS until their ADR Sad ah well. . . .

Inside 50s Prime Time. . .

We have never done an ADR before so was very exciting. We loved the atmosphere and our server was great. Bill was wearing a Birthday badge as it was our last day at Disney and it was his birthday the day after our parents got home, so he was given a birthday cupcake!

The food was really nice, if not a little pricey! Simon had a fishfinger sandwich which is his ultimate favourite so he was very happy Smile

After Lunch we went to Toy Story Mani where Sy got the highest score of all of us, I think he cheated though as we were in an adapted carriage and it had a fire button and not a pully thingy " if you have been on the ride you will know what I mean! Plus we have it on the Wii and hes completed it (too much free time if you ask me!).

We then went to the Backlot Tour.

After that we did the Stunt Show.

It was then time to head over to see Beauty and the Beast, we sat right at the front which was brilliant! I love that show Smile

It was then Time for Tower Of Terror! My FAVOURITE ride in all of Orlando! Plus Sians favourite. Anne took one look at it and said no way so she sat at the exit and waited for us. It was so funny, Cliff was making the silliest noises! A kind of 'oooooooh' noise, very hard to write down, it made us laugh though. Straight away we wanted to go again... We did manage to get Anne on this time, Cliff told her he thought she would like it (baring in mind she doesnt like things that go up and down lol). Well she didnt like it much! Hehehehe! The photo was brilliant, she was gripping onto Cliff for dear life with her eyes closed and he head buried in his armpit! She said she didnt think she would like to do it again after that. . . Not that anyone could blame her.

We then went over to Rockin Rollercoaster. This time Anne, Cliff and Sian sat out while the rest of us went on. We got to the bit where you watch the trains go in front of you and Bill turned to me and said 'oh, I don't remember them going this fast before, have they sped it up?'. No dad, they havent! He still went on mind you.

We got an ice-cream and a drink outside and then made our way to Fantasmic! The queue was horrendous. As I always go out of season, I wasnt really prepared. We did get a seat though as we could sit in the disabled bit to one side. Once we were sat down I went to get some popcorn, we then settled down to watch the show...

Once the show was finished we started off back to the car, it wasnt a great experience, we sat and waited a while for the queues to die down but even so it wasnt pleasant trying to fight our way out. We got back to the car safe and sound and went back to the villa.

We werent really hungry enough for a big meal so we just picked at a few bits outside by the pool. It was soon time for bed.

Tomorrow SeaWorld!

__________________

Our Very Merry 24 nighter Nov/Dec 15
Watson's go West May 15
The one with all the birthdays Oct 14 4 Big Birthdays and a Vow Renewal thrown in
The OMG trip June 14 30th Birthday present from the hubs
Girly trip March 14 A last min cheapy week
September 13 our first all DVC stay
TR May 2013 the last min bargain trip offsite
Oct 2012 TR with a cruise!big family trip featuring the beach club, AKL, the dream and a villa offsite
TR on a budget May - June 2011offsite condo
TR Sept - Oct 2010 big family trip in an offsite villa

RobynPrincess's picture
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Day 11

SeaWorld!

Today it was just Me, Simon, Anne and Cliff. Sian and Bill didnt fancy SeaWorld so they went shopping instead.

Had breakfast in the Villa and then got in the car. Sian and Bill dropped us off and arranged a time for us to be picked up at closing. We had a small cooler with a couple of sandwiches and snacks in, we were told we couldnt take the sandwiches in but we could take the other bits in so Cliff ran them back to the car. When he came back the guy asked if we had put them in our kids stroller? We didnt have one but I think this was the general idea of how to get round not bringing them in! It was really annoying seeing others taking sandwiches out of their bags in the day and eating them though. I wasnt too fussed really as I like the food at SeaWorld and wanted to eat there anyway hehehe.

First off we did what we had done the past few days at Disney, planned our day around the shows and which we wanted to see (we wouldnt have time for them all!). We decided to do the Shamu and Dolphin shows, we would have liked to do the sealion show too but it was on at the same times as the other shows and we wanted to see them more.

We walked round to see the Stingrays and feed them. I love the feeding them, even more than feeding the dolphins - and that's saying something!

Then it was on to feed the dolphins. . . .

Waiting in line to feed them was awful though, this was the worst day or our holiday for lovebugs, you couldnt swat them away from your face quick enough. After this day, I wouldnt go in September ever again. I was utterly miserable.

It was then time to watch the dolphin show. We got a great seat and the birds flew to the lady standing right beside Simon!

We then wandered round to see the Sealions after visiting the Manatees.

We then went on Journey to Atlantis. Anne didnt fancy going on it so she took some pictures as we went past

We didnt go on any of the coasters, I was really ill last year after Manta so didnt want to do it again and we werent fussed about going on Kracken either.

We then went to see the Penguins and the Sharks. Afterwards we felt a bit hungry so had a look at the map to decide where we wanted to eat. We decided on the restaurant by Wild Arctic. On the way round we stopped at the Dolphin Nursery, was lovely watching the little ones playing, one of the older ones loved to pose for the camera. . . .

We didnt want to eat too much as we were going to Tony Romas for dinner. Lunch was really good, we had chicken fajita wraps which were really full and fresh.

We then went into Wild Arctic. Anne and I went through the walking entrance and the boys took the helicopter. We waited for what seemed like ages by the Polar Bear. When they did arrive I took a picture of Anne and Cliff

We watched the Beluga Whales playing for ages. We were then watching the Walrus swimming around.

It was then time to watch Believe. The show was half empty which was really sad Sad the show was no where near what it used to be, made me feel very upset actually. All of the work that the trainers have put in over the years was wasted as they couldnt get near the Orcas Sad if and when they get back in the water with them they will have to spend a lot of time training them again.

We then headed to the car. We were late by the time we got there as it had taken a while to get out in the massive crowds, it was okay though, Sian and Bill were waiting there for us. We then went to the Prime outlets to get Cliff some shoes, he has UK size 13 feet so has a lot of trouble buying shoes in the over here. We managed to get him into 1 shop to get them before he had had enough and so we left. We did pass another big shoe shop on I Drive so we stopped there too, he got 5 pairs of shoes in about an hour! He beats my record Wink We then went to Tony Romas for All You Can Eat Ribs. Dinner was brilliant as usual for Tony Romas.

It was then time to head back to the villa to bed!

Tomorrow. . . . . Chef Mickeys for Breakfast and IOA in the Afternoon!

__________________

Our Very Merry 24 nighter Nov/Dec 15
Watson's go West May 15
The one with all the birthdays Oct 14 4 Big Birthdays and a Vow Renewal thrown in
The OMG trip June 14 30th Birthday present from the hubs
Girly trip March 14 A last min cheapy week
September 13 our first all DVC stay
TR May 2013 the last min bargain trip offsite
Oct 2012 TR with a cruise!big family trip featuring the beach club, AKL, the dream and a villa offsite
TR on a budget May - June 2011offsite condo
TR Sept - Oct 2010 big family trip in an offsite villa

dsoup's picture
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They told you you couldn't wait there for your ADR??!?? That's bizarre!

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It's a shame that Believe isn't what it used to be. I don't think they will ever do it with the trainers in the water again as a new show is being launched next year. Whether they are back in the water for the launch of the new show hasn't been announced yet.

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Enjoying all your updates Robyn - keep them coming! awesome

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cdub's picture
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dsoup wrote:
They told you you couldn't wait there for your ADR??!?? That's bizarre!

We do that all the time. Of course we don't actually ask...

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Day 12

Started the day off early as we have our second ADR of the holiday, Breakfast at Chef Mickeys! We got there, checked in and had our picture taken while waiting for our table.

Our first impressions were that it was VERY noisy. Our waiter was okay, he did look a bit like Barry Manilow in the plastic surgery and fake tan department. There was something quite odd about him, he didnt really listen to what we were saying and walked off half way through talking to us at one point. We headed up to get some food and to be honest we werent that impressed. Simon and Anne got their moneys worth for all of us with the smoked salmon but I had 3 Mickey waffles and that was about it. Certainly not worth the almost $200 it cost us including tip.

We got a couple of good pictures with the Characters, though they didnt want to hang around, some missed out our table completely Sad

This is 1 pic DH HATES, I cant understand why hehehe



Overall, I wouldnt go there again which is a real shame as this is my favourite hotel, one that I would really like to stay in if I could ever afford it. We felt it wasnt good value for money, we would definitely do a character meet again but we would try somewhere different.

After breakfast we decided to go back to Islands of Adventure to do WWOHP as Anne missed out on this last time and we hadnt been on the new ride yet.

We all decided that we would try out the ride, even my mum who is terrified of spiders, I knew they were in there and had warned her about them, I was on the lookout and she was to close her eyes when I told her to.

We got to the non moving platform and Anne decided not to go on. Cliff waited with her while we went on (only 4 at a time). As it started I was almost squealing with delight, I am a massive Harry Potter fan! I was a little worried though as I get motion sickness and had read online that it can make some people who suffer quite unwell. I neednt have worried though as I was fine. We did however get stuck right in front of the dragon who was breathing out 'fire' only it was warm steam, and we were there about 10/15 mins, so our legs were all damp and hot from it by the time we moved on. Once we got back Sian got off - she didnt like being stuck, and Cliff got on and we rode again, but this time without it breaking down.

We saw some Hogwarts students singing on the way out

After that we headed to Jurassic park to ride again, but Anne didnt want to go on this either so she waited for the rest of us while we went on.

Anne then decided she did want to ride HP so we went back there but this time we went to the moving platform. Anne did then change her mind again and went back out once we were about to get on. The man on the ride asked DH Simon, if he needed a larger seat and Simon replied that he didnt know as he went on it earlier in the non moving platform and he just got on the one he was given. Unfortunately Bill and I had gone on ahead as there was supposed to be 5 of us so we didnt witness what happened next. . . . .

When we got off we waited for a while to Simon and his dad to come off, I was getting a little worried as they were getting on the ride after us and I did see them get off again. The man sitting them had been really nasty to Simon telling him he must have sat in the larger seat as there was 'no way' he would fit in a normal seat!! Shock To which Simon replied that he wasnt told it was a larger seat that he was in before. So they moved him and his dad onto a larger carriage and when securing him in the man said 'see, I can only just fit you into this one you're so big'!! Now Simon is a big guy, he is overweight, there is no 2 ways about it, but what the man said to him wasnt very nice, and Simon said he said it in a nasty way too. Simon was really upset by this man and his attitude (and he was English!) and spent the rest of the day upset by him too. In fact, I actually made a complaint on the way out which there was no real apology for, they took our details and said they would let us know the outcome but they never did. This was once again a reminder that we were no longer in Disney.

Anyway, after HP the heavens opened, we got very wet walking to the nearest cafe. We all sat down or about an hour with a warm drink. A couple of us actually fell asleep!

This was the view from one side of the lake to the other, in the pouring rain.

After an hour passed and the rain hadnt let up, we decided to buy some ponchos and head out and back to the car, all the rides were shut so seemed little point in hanging around! We decided to head to DTD to do a bit of shopping, we got soaked rubbing from the car to the shops but we did manage to get a few bits and pieces while we were there. I got my friend Kelly some Coffee that she liked Smile I had looked in the shop in Magic Kingdom but they didnt have it there.

After about an hour or so, we headed back to the car and to the Villa to get changed. It was quite cold being in the airconditioned shops when you were soaking wet still.

We then decided that we would go to Outback for dinner as we had had such an amazing meal there before. It didnt disappoint! We had a fab meal again. We had pretty much the same thing as we had had last time as well. Plus a few cheeky cocktails Wink

It was then time to go back to the villa. When we got back we went for a dip in the pool (now that we could finally use it!) and sat outside for a while just taking in the atmosphere, after all for our parents, it was nearing the end to their holiday. . . . .

Tomorrow, we split up! The boys (and Anne) go to Kennedy Space Centre and Sian and I go shopping!

__________________

Our Very Merry 24 nighter Nov/Dec 15
Watson's go West May 15
The one with all the birthdays Oct 14 4 Big Birthdays and a Vow Renewal thrown in
The OMG trip June 14 30th Birthday present from the hubs
Girly trip March 14 A last min cheapy week
September 13 our first all DVC stay
TR May 2013 the last min bargain trip offsite
Oct 2012 TR with a cruise!big family trip featuring the beach club, AKL, the dream and a villa offsite
TR on a budget May - June 2011offsite condo
TR Sept - Oct 2010 big family trip in an offsite villa

dsoup's picture
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I look at all the pictures first, so I saw all the Chef Mickey's pictures and then saw the WWOHP pictures and was trying to figure out what attraction they were from. I hadn't figured out you had gone to IofA and was confused. laugh

Great TR!

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Today is the first day we split up. DH Sy, DD Bill and DPIL Anne and Cliff head off for Kennedy Space Centre while dropping us off to pick up a hire car for the day, on the way. So as far as KSC goes, all I know is that they LOVED it and want to go again.

As for my mum and me? Well we did what any girl should do in Florida with no men around.... We went SHOPPING!

We were up early as the others had a long day ahead, I had booked car hire online the night before and it was only down the road pick up. When we got there the man told us he didn't have any cars left! He sent us to his other branch where there were definitely cars.... Only there weren't any there either! We ended up going to the airport to get one, but then the time was getting on for getting to KSS so we were worrying a bit about the others not getting enough time there. I think in the end they got there about 12pm but they did stay until close so it wasn't too bad.

Once the rather gorgeous man had shown us to our car and signed all of the paperwork we were on our way. First stop, Mall at Millenia. We had a quick wander before our tummy rumbling got the better of us ad we headed to the food court. We had some really yummy Chinese food. There was so much we couldn't finish it all. We then wondered up to the other end of the mall and had a mooch but Sian wasn't too keen as she was looking for gifts to take home and the shops in there were really expensive. We did have a quick look in Juicy though

We then went to the Premium Outlets, neither of us had been there before. Was very excited to see a Swarovski shop though, spent a little time in there looking around. Mum did get a few bits to take home but not all that she wanted.

By the time we'd been around both malls it was about 4pm or so! So we headed back towards the villa while stopping to get some food from the supermarket on the way.

We spent the rest of the afternoon/evening having a swim in the pool and doing some reading (we both like to read a good book) until the others came back at about 9:30pm.

Some pics of KSC

Tomorrow, a lazy morning, IOA in the afternoon and then HHN in the evening!

__________________

Our Very Merry 24 nighter Nov/Dec 15
Watson's go West May 15
The one with all the birthdays Oct 14 4 Big Birthdays and a Vow Renewal thrown in
The OMG trip June 14 30th Birthday present from the hubs
Girly trip March 14 A last min cheapy week
September 13 our first all DVC stay
TR May 2013 the last min bargain trip offsite
Oct 2012 TR with a cruise!big family trip featuring the beach club, AKL, the dream and a villa offsite
TR on a budget May - June 2011offsite condo
TR Sept - Oct 2010 big family trip in an offsite villa

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Posts: 2859

Day 14

We had a lazy morning today as it will be quite a late night. We had a late breakfast in the villa (Sy made pancakes!) and then a laze in the pool before deciding what to do during the day. We did some packing before we went out as tomorrow we would be leaving the villa (thankfully). Cliff and Bill wanted to get some more lounge pants from Walmart so we decided to go there before going to US/IOA " we weren't sure which we would do before HHN. Sian managed to get the rest of her presents in Walmart. We all got a few little bit to bring home in there, Sy got a few Tee's, Anne got some presents for their family.

We then headed to the car park of IOA/US. The idea was that we were going to US as there were a few things we didn't do on our first day and we could wait there while they shut the park for HHN but Anne wanted to go on Harry Potter (finally!) so we went to IOA. We got to the park about 3pm and headed straight to WWOHP and Anne DID go on Harry Potter and LOVED it we even went on it twice! We then went on a few more rides, Spiderman, Popeye's, Ripsaw falls and then got changed cause we were so wet

It was then time to head over to US for HHN! Before we booked the tickets we went over what it was like to make sure everyone would be happy with going " meaning I went over and over it with my mum cause she's a wimp about scary things and I didn't think she was going to enjoy it. It was still daytime when we first went in, we headed to our first house while going through a few scare zones on the way. Everyone was enjoying it " so far " until we came out of our first house. My mum said she liked it but I could tell from her face she didn't like it really! In fact that was the only house she went in all night she liked the scare zones and the normal rides in the dark but didn't like the houses, too scary we did all of the houses, I was a bit nervous about doing a couple of them, the orphanage in particular " I'm not good with children and scariness but it was one of the best houses, wasn't scary but the detailing was amazing! We stopped to get some hotdogs and fries beside Jaws before going on it in the dark which was brilliant, my mum said it was worth the cost of the ticket just to go on that.

Some pictures of HHN

After we got home (about 12:30am!) we went straight to bed, tomorrow it would be time to leave the villa and say goodbye to our parents as they fly home, and we stay another week.

__________________

Our Very Merry 24 nighter Nov/Dec 15
Watson's go West May 15
The one with all the birthdays Oct 14 4 Big Birthdays and a Vow Renewal thrown in
The OMG trip June 14 30th Birthday present from the hubs
Girly trip March 14 A last min cheapy week
September 13 our first all DVC stay
TR May 2013 the last min bargain trip offsite
Oct 2012 TR with a cruise!big family trip featuring the beach club, AKL, the dream and a villa offsite
TR on a budget May - June 2011offsite condo
TR Sept - Oct 2010 big family trip in an offsite villa

RobynPrincess's picture
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Posts: 2859

The time has come to say goodbye...

Today is the day we leave the villa and our parents leave us

We spend the morning packing while Cliff and Sy take our bags to the hotel we are moving to (Sheraton Four Points on I-Drive) as we wont get us and all of our bags into our car - seeing as we've all added an extra bag to our flight allowance! Once we're packed and ready to go we leave the villa and head to Celebration for a wander around and an ice-cream. We find a fab pet shop with gorgeous little dog outfits, Anne and I were nearly buying the shop!

We also take a little drive around to have a look at the houses made up for Halloween.

Here is the field of Pumpkins for sale!

It was then time for all of us to head to our hotel to check in and so that our parents could get changed and ready for their flight Sad

It was then time for all of us to head to our hotel to check in and so that our parents could get changed and ready for their flight

Our hotel room was ok. I would have been very worried about the wardrobe space had we been there for more than a week! The view was quite good though, we were on the 11th floor (I think). The lifts were room key operated which was good to know, gives you a bit of safety peace of mind. It was then time to take our parents to MCO. We dropped our parents off at the departure bit and we went to swap our car, we changed from our big car to the cheapest you can get " well as there was only the 2 of us it didn't seem important to get a big flash car now

We found them where we left them but without their baggage, they had checked already! There was no queue whatsoever. It was then time for a very teary goodbye we walked to security with them and waited for them to go as far through as possible. We then went to pick up our new car. At the desk we had the hard sell that we needed a bigger car for our luggage (erm what luggage??!) and we were told we could get a 241 upgrade, we then went to get our cheapy car and they didn't have any " hence the reason for the 241 upgrade, we were already getting upgraded once! We picked out one that looked a bit like a PT cruiser, I am a girl so I have no idea what it was, only that it was black hehehe

We then headed back to the hotel with me crying all the way cause I didn't want our parents to leave

We got Taco Bell to eat as we were starving by then. We didn't know what to do in the evening as we hadn't planned anything so we decided to go to the boardwalk I've never been before and I really liked it, we hired one of the bike things, I have no idea what they are called but they looked like this...

We also went to a nice club/bar thing but my shoes were rubbing my feet (damn new shoes!) so we didn't do any dancing, we did have a couple of drinks though " soft ones as DH was the only driver on the car, silly woman wouldn't let me go on the car even though it said we could on the booking! Nor would she let me just be the main driver (I don't really drink) as it was Sy who booked the car....

The boardwalk did look lovely lit up at night though

Tomorrow, Aquatica and a haunted carriage ride!

__________________

Our Very Merry 24 nighter Nov/Dec 15
Watson's go West May 15
The one with all the birthdays Oct 14 4 Big Birthdays and a Vow Renewal thrown in
The OMG trip June 14 30th Birthday present from the hubs
Girly trip March 14 A last min cheapy week
September 13 our first all DVC stay
TR May 2013 the last min bargain trip offsite
Oct 2012 TR with a cruise!big family trip featuring the beach club, AKL, the dream and a villa offsite
TR on a budget May - June 2011offsite condo
TR Sept - Oct 2010 big family trip in an offsite villa

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Posts: 2859

Day 16

We head to IHOP for breakfast, we didn't have to go far as it was next door Wink Unfortunately the service wasn't very good, we sat for about 30 mins before anyone came to take our order, and it wasn't even busy! The food was good though as always Smile

We then headed to Aquatica. I have never seen anywhere to busy! It was rammed FULL of people, we could barely find a lounger it was that busy. I wouldn't go any rides as I couldn't stand for the amount of time you would have to in the queues that were there, which is a shame. We did go in all the pools and rapids though so it wasn't a total waste of a day Smile we didn't stay for too long though as we had to have an early dinner before our haunted carriage ride at Disney's Fort Wilderness resort.

We went back to our hotel and showered and got changed and ready to go out. We went to Tony Roma's for dinner and had great food.



It was a bit of a rush getting to Fort Wilderness though as we weren't really sure where to go. When we did get there we had to park the car and take the bus to where we had to get the carriage from. Once we got off the bus we couldn't find it anywhere! We did find it eventually but we were almost late, they thought we weren't coming. Our driver was an old lady who was really lovely, she kept talking to us but we couldn't really hear what she was saying as she was facing forward so we just made what we hoped were the right noises hehe. She then put the tape on that told us the story of The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow. The story was far scarier than anything I had seen in Universal on their HHN! It really creeped me out as it was so dark and there was no one else around but us.

Here are some of the pictures from our ride...

Afterwards we thanked the lady and I had my picture with the carriage

We then got the bus back to our car and drove back to the hotel. We tried to get as early a night as possible " we're night owls " because tomorrow Sy gets his Anniversary present from me, Discovery Cove!!!!

__________________

Our Very Merry 24 nighter Nov/Dec 15
Watson's go West May 15
The one with all the birthdays Oct 14 4 Big Birthdays and a Vow Renewal thrown in
The OMG trip June 14 30th Birthday present from the hubs
Girly trip March 14 A last min cheapy week
September 13 our first all DVC stay
TR May 2013 the last min bargain trip offsite
Oct 2012 TR with a cruise!big family trip featuring the beach club, AKL, the dream and a villa offsite
TR on a budget May - June 2011offsite condo
TR Sept - Oct 2010 big family trip in an offsite villa

Brad's picture
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So many great pictures! I'm afraid those pictures of HHN are NOT going to help me convince DW that it's not that scary. That looks terrifying!

dsoup's picture
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So many wonderful pictures. Great TR Robyn! Can't wait to hear about Discovery Cove!

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Day 17

Discovery Cove

Neither of us have been to DC before, we've never been able to afford it but as it was our anniversary I bought the tickets as a surprise for Hubby.

We woke up early and headed straight to DC, I don't quite know who was more excited! We parked the car, by the time we got there it was about 10am. We checked in and were given a time of 3pm for the dolphin swim. We then headed round the corner to have our photo taken, I didn't realize that this photo was free and I looked dog rough! Ah well... We then headed round to the next bit to be told where everything was and where to go next. We then headed t
he next spot and were told where to go to get some breakfast and where the lockers were (we seemed to see a lot of people on the way in telling us things!). We decided to have some food before getting our wetsuits and getting changed. We had croissants and some fruit with some diet coke to wash it down with, it was really nice and the servers were really friendly. We then went to get changed, we both opted for waistcoat wetsuits as we were told that we would be too warm in the full suits " if going back I would go for a full suit personally as I think I would have felt more comfortable. Sy had read online about borrowing prescription goggles so we went to get him some once we were changed. We then went for a wander round to explore. First stop, the Ray pool! Wow, just wow. It was very cold and I'm not really supposed to get too cold but oh boy it was worth it! Just standing there while they swim around you, I thought at the time it would be the highlight of my day, but the day got better and better as it went on.

We then decided to go in the slow moving river, and got out where we saw the aviary. Feeding the birds was amazing! I don't really like birds all that much but it was an amazing experience. We were walking at one point and one just flew onto Sy's arm and landed for the food he was carrying!

After the Aviary we went for a drink and a sit down in the shade. After a quite swim in the pool, it was then time for lunch.

The food was really, really lovely and coming from a fussy eater like me, that means a lot hehehe. I can't now remember what we had (I'm writing this in Jan and we were there in Oct!) but I do remember feeling very happy with the food Smile The only downside was that there was a big queue for lunch Sad I think we waited about 20 mins though it might have been longer. This was honestly the only downside of the whole day!

It was then time for our Dolphin swim!!! We sat down and filled in the damage waiver and watched the video. We then had lots and lots of questions answered by the heavily pregnant guide Smile she then let on that we should have been in the water by then but the trainer for a day tour (I think that's what she called it) were in the water and we would have to wait until they were finished. When we did get into the water we had 2 dolphins, 1 who was just being trained and 1 who was fully trained and desperate to play! It felt like the time just flew by and we were told the time was up and we were taken to see our pictures. Having seen the prices online for picture packages I was adamant that we weren't having one, I even wondered what idiot would send all that money on one! Well, this idiot right here!!!! We said we would buy 1 or 2 but we couldn't choose as there was so many to choose from, so we ended up buying all of them on DVD! Oops! Ah well, it was worth it to us Smile

After the buzz of the dolphins we headed back to the Ray pool for feeding time " we had been told what time it *might* be but they couldn't confirm, so we hung around for a little while and sure enough, the fish arrived. After the dolphins, I think this was the highlight of my day " feeling the rays swim up and around you was out of this world amazing.

We went round the lazy river once more and fed some more birds but it was then time to think about leaving. The time really did fly by all day, we couldn't believe it was time to go already. We headed back to our locked to give back out wetsuits and change into our clothes again. We then stood in the massive queue to pick up our photo's " if we were going again I would suggest one person in the party queue up while the others get changed and then swap as we were there about half an hour.

We then waved bye to the animals and headed out to the car feeling very sad to be leaving.

We got a quick picture by the car as we hadn't taken any pics of the new car yet.

On our way back to the hotel feeling rather sad we decided the best way to cheer up was to go to the Prime Outlets hehehehe so off we headed, we managed to cheer ourselves up quite a lot too....

We stopped for a Beard Papa's Cream Puff at the Prime outlets and then we hopped back in the car and went back to our hotel. We had to get an early night as tomorrow we were doing the KTTK Tour!

__________________

Our Very Merry 24 nighter Nov/Dec 15
Watson's go West May 15
The one with all the birthdays Oct 14 4 Big Birthdays and a Vow Renewal thrown in
The OMG trip June 14 30th Birthday present from the hubs
Girly trip March 14 A last min cheapy week
September 13 our first all DVC stay
TR May 2013 the last min bargain trip offsite
Oct 2012 TR with a cruise!big family trip featuring the beach club, AKL, the dream and a villa offsite
TR on a budget May - June 2011offsite condo
TR Sept - Oct 2010 big family trip in an offsite villa

cdub's picture
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Okay...what's a Beard Papa's Cream Puff? silly

RobynPrincess's picture
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Its the best cream puff you will EVER taste - trust me and next time you're in orlando, go find it in the prime outlets
and if your budget can stretch, have a mango shower too Wink

We have a beard papa's in london, its the only 1 I have ever seen, whenever I am in town I have to stop by! 2 years ago when I saw one in the outlets I think some people thought i was extremely mad the way I screamed and ran for it

__________________

Our Very Merry 24 nighter Nov/Dec 15
Watson's go West May 15
The one with all the birthdays Oct 14 4 Big Birthdays and a Vow Renewal thrown in
The OMG trip June 14 30th Birthday present from the hubs
Girly trip March 14 A last min cheapy week
September 13 our first all DVC stay
TR May 2013 the last min bargain trip offsite
Oct 2012 TR with a cruise!big family trip featuring the beach club, AKL, the dream and a villa offsite
TR on a budget May - June 2011offsite condo
TR Sept - Oct 2010 big family trip in an offsite villa

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this is the website http://muginohointl.com/main.php?nav=franchise_information

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Our Very Merry 24 nighter Nov/Dec 15
Watson's go West May 15
The one with all the birthdays Oct 14 4 Big Birthdays and a Vow Renewal thrown in
The OMG trip June 14 30th Birthday present from the hubs
Girly trip March 14 A last min cheapy week
September 13 our first all DVC stay
TR May 2013 the last min bargain trip offsite
Oct 2012 TR with a cruise!big family trip featuring the beach club, AKL, the dream and a villa offsite
TR on a budget May - June 2011offsite condo
TR Sept - Oct 2010 big family trip in an offsite villa

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We did Discovery Cove in 2007 for Mr's T's birthday. It's an incredible place and so relaxing. The amount of information they throw at you just as you arrive can be overwhelming, but fortuately there were four of us to rememberit all. Did you notice much evidence of the new bits they are building?

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I can only please one person per day. Today isn't your day... tomorrow doesn't look good either.

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no didnt see any building work going on at all Smile

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Our Very Merry 24 nighter Nov/Dec 15
Watson's go West May 15
The one with all the birthdays Oct 14 4 Big Birthdays and a Vow Renewal thrown in
The OMG trip June 14 30th Birthday present from the hubs
Girly trip March 14 A last min cheapy week
September 13 our first all DVC stay
TR May 2013 the last min bargain trip offsite
Oct 2012 TR with a cruise!big family trip featuring the beach club, AKL, the dream and a villa offsite
TR on a budget May - June 2011offsite condo
TR Sept - Oct 2010 big family trip in an offsite villa

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Wow -- this TR just gets better and better! I love the pics from the Haunted CArriage Ride! How much fun that must have been.

You guys look so cute with the dolphins, too!

I'm not sure I could have done Halloween Horror Nights at IoA, though... SCARY! eek

Can't wait for KTTK!

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May 2008 CSR mickey

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I dont actually find HHN scary at all, its all actors pretending to be scary, when you think of it like that it makes it not to scary Smile

__________________

Our Very Merry 24 nighter Nov/Dec 15
Watson's go West May 15
The one with all the birthdays Oct 14 4 Big Birthdays and a Vow Renewal thrown in
The OMG trip June 14 30th Birthday present from the hubs
Girly trip March 14 A last min cheapy week
September 13 our first all DVC stay
TR May 2013 the last min bargain trip offsite
Oct 2012 TR with a cruise!big family trip featuring the beach club, AKL, the dream and a villa offsite
TR on a budget May - June 2011offsite condo
TR Sept - Oct 2010 big family trip in an offsite villa

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RobynPrincess wrote:
I dont actually find HHN scary at all, its all actors pretending to be scary, when you think of it like that it makes it not to scary Smile

Do they try to startle you much?

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dsoup wrote:
RobynPrincess wrote:
I dont actually find HHN scary at all, its all actors pretending to be scary, when you think of it like that it makes it not to scary Smile

Do they try to startle you much?


as much as i would like to say no, so you give it a go, that's exactly what they do. They jump out at every opportunity

__________________

Our Very Merry 24 nighter Nov/Dec 15
Watson's go West May 15
The one with all the birthdays Oct 14 4 Big Birthdays and a Vow Renewal thrown in
The OMG trip June 14 30th Birthday present from the hubs
Girly trip March 14 A last min cheapy week
September 13 our first all DVC stay
TR May 2013 the last min bargain trip offsite
Oct 2012 TR with a cruise!big family trip featuring the beach club, AKL, the dream and a villa offsite
TR on a budget May - June 2011offsite condo
TR Sept - Oct 2010 big family trip in an offsite villa