FRIDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER
If you've read any of my trip reports before you`ll know we never plan anything except meetings with friends. Everything else goes with the flow and I never do a trip report that goes on for months.......not my style at all.......our trip falls into place however it falls. We do however spend all year at most points going through menu`s, looking at all our pictures and generally thinking what a fabulous time we`ll have on our next trip. So we are tremendously excited about our trips, I just don't have a huge list of to do things before we go. After my last report I got a pm asking why I don't give the cost of everything. Well, I just don't. It`s not the reason I do trip reports, to document what we spend. To be honest it might scare me.......lol........but it`s our main vacation of the year and whatever it costs is fine by us.
We slept well. Not great, as I think the first night of a strange bed always causes a bit of restlessness sometimes. They are however very comfortable and at one point I got up and opened the drapes as I thought if I was awake I might as well be looking at something. Seeing everything still and lit up is very pretty. Doom was so purple, I liked it! I eventually got up and got some water from the fridge, we hadn't shopped yet, so it was just what the hotel had put in. At some point or other I drifted back off to sleep, and hoped it would be at least 7am before we woke up. We never sleep late on a trip, we sometimes plan to, but it never happens.
We did have plans this morning. Our first plan of the day was to meet a friend in Orchids for breakfast. She wasn't staying at RPR but this was her last morning in Orlando, she had been here for 5 days and she had said she would come see us. We all know our friends so well......and this one is well known for being reluctant to part with money shall we say........she knows it, we all now it.....and can laugh about it with her......so when she agreed to pay the parking fee to come see us, I was surprised. Really surprised.
Anyway, we got up and had our showers and were downstairs by 7.45. She was already there and already complaining about the cost of everything........told her to stop moaning we would buy her breakfast.......she is funny though. But after a while it`s exhausting.........but we had a nice breakfast........I think we all had pastries and coffee. She had never been in RP before so she wanted to wander a little.......so we showed her around and she reluctantly agreed she could understand why we stayed there. She didn't stay long as she had a midday flight back home, she`s in the USA now.
We said our goodbyes and we were heading off to Walmart. Our first job is to buy sunscreen, water and Pepperidge farm cookies, preferably Dulce de Leche........Love them! And Tom wanted new trainers. The ones he had bought in Walmart previous year had been excellent on his feet, so he wanted another pair. I like to pick up little things if I see them.....we also needed baseball caps. Surely we would get them there.
It only takes a few minutes to drive to Walmart on Turkey Lake Road........it`s a huge store and we know it like the back of our hand now. Tom drives this morning........I don't feel like driving today, we step outside and its boiling hot.....its only around 9.30am.......wow......we love the heat and this is one thing we look forward to every year, but even for us this year was blazing hot! On the drive we see this............
The new waterpark Volcano bay is well on in it`s construction.........I`m always amazed how much they can fit in to what looks like a small space. We don't go to Waterparks ever, but I will definitely come and look at this one completed.
In Walmart, we picked up everything we needed and more possibly, I also got a new pair of Hair Straighteners to use over here......the older pair I had kept losing power, so time for new ones........well it is a birthday present.......lol.....Tom got his trainers and we pay and head back out to what feels like the face of the sun! But, we enjoy it anyways......
The Orlando Eye was taken from the Walmart car park. It looked so close.
We drive back into the car park and take the stuff we have bought to our room, the lady has been in already so we put a little sunblock on and head back out........we feel like a mall today, its hot and we need to take it easy as we have HHN tonight.........we do feel a little tired today, tired is probably the wrong word......you know when your head feels a little fuzzy due to lack of sleep........anyway, we head to The Florida Mall. This is my least or was my least favourite Mall.......I always joked there were too many tourists!!!! But they have improved it immensely the last couple of years......it used to be dull when you went in, now its light, airy and has a decent food court.
We decide to eat there after having a real wander around, we both had noodles, bourbon chicken and orange chicken, it was rather nice, but a little salty.......couldn't believe the queue in the Apple store.......for a phone! Anyway, just wandered and looked in a few stores, particularly Brookstones and Macy. Although the Macy here doesn't have as nice a feel as the one at Mall at Millenia. We went for the Chinese option after speaking to them. I am allergic to MSG among other things, but that's the one I worry about the most with Chinese in the States. I honesty cant remember what we had, but it was nice. I think I had orange chicken and noodles.......but after we ate we left and headed to Total Wine near Millenia.
We wanted to buy a gift for someone, so we quickly went in and got what we needed, then back to hotel.
It was at this point I was approached by a man, who asked if I was schumigirl........I smiled and said yes......it was the poster slford00..... he was here with his wife who was just lovely......and other family members for a visit without the children for HHN........We had a lovely chat and enjoyed hearing about their plans........we did meet them again at HHN and again had a nice chat.........I love when folks approach me to chat when they know me from here.....they were a lovely couple.
We went and asked at the desk if our friend was around and was told SF, so we decided to walk over there........it doesn't take long if you go through the Conference and Ballroom areas.........it is kinda creepy back there though......no one around and massive open corridors......I spooked myself by doing the kids voice from the Shining and saying "redrum redrum"........lol.....its bad when you spook yourself! Although that area does remind me a little of The Shining..........if a kid on a little trike had appeared I would have passed out!!
It`s like this a lot of the way there.........but, our first view of SF is the business centre there too........
It really is a beautiful hotel, and the carpet was so bouncy to walk on........we followed the path we had been told to take and we ended up in the main area of check in........
We asked if our friend was around and he wasn't. They thought he was at RP. So we headed back to RPR and by a total fluke we bumped into him just before we turned to go out of the business centre area at RP. It was just the weirdest coincidence in a hotel, or 2 hotels this size we should both meet at that point at that time. We were over the moon to see him. He was heading to a meeting, so he said he would call us when he was done. We were going to our room anyway to have a chill out.
When he called us he asked if we would like a tour of Sf. So, as we had only seen a tiny bit of it we were over the moon to go see more of it. So we headed back over to SF and met him in the lobby. I wont post the pics again as most of them are in the new Sapphire Falls thread that's been created in the hotel stickies. But we saw the Kids suite, Sapphire Suite and the exceptionally beautiful Presidential Suite. The pictures really don't do it justice. Stunning rooms.
But, we loved the hotel........the rooms, the pool area, restaurants all the little features involved in the design all add to a very beautiful hotel.
There are more pictures in future visits to SF further on, but for today we had spent a good couple of hours being shown around.........we were then given the chance to stay for a couple of nights if we wished, well, we definitely would like to do that. So it was arranged at that point we would stay our last 2 nights there. We were incredibly grateful to him for organising this for us. This however would change slightly.........
At that point we said our goodbyes and thanked him for the tour, we did appreciate it.
We then walked back and I did like this bit where it goes over the road........
But we went back to our room and Skyped Kyle........he was doing great and was glad we were having fun already. Told him we were going to HHN tonight and he had forgotten it started so early.......as we had only left two days before he didn't have much to tell........so we said our goodbyes and got showered before going up to the lounge.
Walking in to the lounge is lovely. Especially tonight when it wasn't so busy......there was one young lady we recognised from last year Lyanne, she was just lovely. But, the rest of the staff were new to us. We got our glass of wine and sat by the window and just glanced out.
We see that the hot option tonight is macaroni cheese casserole.......we usually don't eat the hot option but this looked nice and we did feel hungry right now. So we each had a plate with some salad........and another glass of wine of course.......we did enjoy it.
Lyanne came over and told us someone who used to be a supervisor in the CL a couple of years ago had called to find out if we were visitng yet this year as he would love to see us again. Mike, is now the supervisor over at PBH.......we were over the moon to know he was back. Lyanne asked if we would like his email, but our emails are a hit and a miss in America so we asked her to find out when we he was working next week and we would go over and visit with him. So she arranged that for us. He is such a nice guy and we got on so well, we were looking forward to meeting with him.
We sat till around 7pm and then decided it was time to do HHN.
starousse............glad to have you here..........hope you enjoy it......I always like reading folks trips reports too before a trip........definitely adds to excitement..........December is just around the corner now, somwont be long..........
glad you got your sign eventually. And how lovely your son picked it up.
<3
Hope you`re going to share that popcorn 
and of course hope you enjoy reading.......
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