Life Begins at 50 The Dream Tour With Lots of pictures

[kevg1889]

Day 14 Part 2 AKL & Crystal Palace

Here are a few more shots of us enjoying the views on the savannah

It was soon time for us to head off for MK, where we had managed to get a last minute ADR at Crystal Palace, for our last supper. We soon caught a bus and got to MK at around 8-30pm.

Everyone was already in position for the light parade when we got there, so we headed off to see if we could get on Buzz. Unfortunately, the line was very long, so we went to check in at the Palace & watched the parade as we waited to be seated. We got a nice table by the window, overlooking the castle. I have to say, we really enjoyed the food in here, which is buffet style with plenty of choice & very good quality. This was made all the more enjoyable by the character interaction with Pooh, Tigger, Ee-haw & Piglet.

This was our first real experience with the characters this year, as opposed to previous years where we had spent hours in line waiting for the kids to get autographs & pictures. They certainly spent plenty of time mingling with the guests & did a parade around the restaurant with all the kids following on behind, waving flags & singing etc - If only my two youngest grandsons were here!! We got to see all the fireworks from our table & this had been a really lovely meal experience, which I would certainly do again in the future. There was a very good selection of food, and I particularly enjoyed the salads

Yet again, we had eaten so much, that we couldn't do the sweets justice, so just had little samplers of some of the ones on offer.

TO BE CONTINUED BELOW

 

[kevg1889]

Day 14 Part 3 Goodbye to the Magic Kingdom


So with our bellies full, we had a few more pictures taken with the characters (only to show the grandkids you understand, you can see from our faces that we didn't really want to do it!!)

Even the floral arrangements in the reception area are excellent, made up to look like the characters.

So we went off to have our last little session in the kingdom of dreams, starting in Tomorrow land, where I let Ben win for once on Buzz. As a punishment for beating me, I had him put behind bars with the zoids.

Next we rode the Tomorrow land transit authority ride, which tours all around tomorrow land. We had somehow managed to avoid this ride on previous visits, and I really enjoyed it, as it went through Space Mountain etc. I enjoyed it so much that we rode it again, before we split up a bit, so that Ben could have a few more turns in the Indy Speedway, while Lisa & I went off for one last performance from my MK favourite, Mickeys Philharmagic. It was truly wonderful & the best way possible to finish our time in MK. One last chance to have photopass pictures taken in front of the castle,

and the photographer really caught our mood on this one, looking suitably depressed, as our time was now up.

It was time for our last bus journey, at just after midnight, back to our home of the last two weeks. Yet again, we fell into bed, totally exhausted & totally enthralled by the day we had experienced.

 

[Lizzy Lemon]

You are going to have to go back with the grandchildren so you can do another addictive report for us. Really enjoyed reading them.

 

[kevg1889]

Day 15 Depression Sets In!!
Wednesday 8th August 2007

I really, really didn't want to open my eyes. Not because I was tired, but because I knew that once I got up, it would be the last time I would wake up in paradise. I got up at 7-45am & went for coffee, before getting my team up. We had to pass the massive spider, dangling from the trees on our way to the car park, well at least me & Ben did, I think Lisa took a 3 mile detour so that she avoded it!!

We went off to the Golden Corral for brekky, which wasn't great, but that might have been because I didn't really feel like eating, I think it is called depression!! We bought a large travel bag from the shop next door & set off back to finish packing. Ben & I got out of the way by going to the pool, while Lisa finished off, before she joined us for a last dip. Oh how I was going to miss this wonderful paradise.

We had to be out of our room by 11am, so at 5 minutes to, we finally decided to give in & went up to get our cases. I set off to get the car, asking for a porter to pick up our luggage on my way to the car. Then disaster struck, as I got out of the car to open the boot, ready for our luggage. I went to get back in the car, only to find the doors locked & the keys inside!!

Oh my God, what do we do? We were due to check in at the airport in just over an hour, & Sandford is an hours drive away. Luckily, we had taken out the additional roadside assistance policy when we arrived, and after a very long phone call to them, they eventually said that they would have a locksmith out to me within the hour. I contacted First Choice, to let them know we would be late, but as we had pre-booked seats thanks to our premier booking, we did not need to be there until 2-40pm at the absolute latest. The locksmith duly arrived at 12-30pm & we were quickly on our way, but the traffic on the I4 was bad & I was beginning to panic about the fuel level in the car.

We made it to Sandford at around 1-45pm, literally with just fumes in the petrol tank. We very quickly checked in & got through security, to take up our place in the Royal Palm Lounge, again thanks to our premier booking. This was marvellous, with Ben playing on play station games & on the internet, drinking complimentary coke & eating complimentary crisps & cookies. Lisa & I took advantage of the two free glasses of beer each & spent our last few dollars on a plate of buffalo chicken pieces, which were very, very nice. It was a totally relaxing way to spend our time in the airport, & before we knew it, we were being called through to board our plane.

We took off just 5 minutes late, after a slight worry about a warning light which turned out to be nothing serious. Yet again, we had sparkling wine, and this time I was able to take advantage of the drinks, so had 3 Baileys. We had wine with our meal, which was a pasta salad, bread rolls & butter, Beef Diane, with an alternative of chicken, which Ben had, then strawberry cheesecake, followed by cheese & biscuits with coffee & mints. There were top ups of wine & coffee, before I passed on the journey playing bejewelled & who wants to be a millionaire as well as watching TV programmes. I think I managed to close my eyes for around 10 minutes, before being woken up for breakfast, which was fresh fruit & yoghurt with croissants, butter & jam and of course tea & coffee.

We landed into East Midlands airport a little early & had to get on the courtesy bus back to the terminal building, where we had quite a long wait to get through passport control. All our cases were first off the conveyor, except one, which was probably last off. We later learned from a note inside that it had been opened by customs, but it eventually arrived, & we were pleased to see that my sister in law & nephew had joined my mother in-law to pick us up. Everything just about fit into the car, and we set off back up to Sheffield, arriving home just before 7am. So it was over, just a million memories left from an amazing 2 weeks that neither Lisa, Ben or I will ever forget as long as we live.

 

[kevg1889]

Final Thoughts

How do you sum up all that has gone before in just a few words??

This vacation took a lot of planning, which I would not have been able to do without the help & guidance of people on these boards. We also called on AllEars.net & read books like the Unofficial Guide & passporter information sheets. All this wealth of information guided us to plan every day to perfection. There is not a single minute of our 2 week vacation that I would change if I could do it all again.

We have undoubtedly spent a lot of money, possibly more than we should have, but we were determined to make this a one-off luxury holiday in celebration of my 50th birthday. Luxury has been the key to it all, we travelled in luxury, we stayed in a luxury resort & we have certainly had luxury experiences.

We will never, ever, forget our day at Discovery Cove. Not only the dolphin experience, but seeing Bens face as he snorkelled with the fish, and hearing him describe it as the best day of his life, how do you put a value on that? Our decision to book into the Hard Rock was also worth every penny. Not only did it give us the chance to spend time at City Walk, and experience the superb pool area there, but we went to the front of every line at every ride, while others were spending their day waiting - priceless. Likewise, the Ultimate Tour at Busch Gardens was a total luxury experience that gave us an unforgettable day. Feeding the giraffes, front row seats on rides like Sheikra, and best seats in the shows, plus the Crown Colony Restaurant experience, again priceless. And how do you ever describe going down in a cage with sharks swimming all around you? All experiences that I never, in my wildest dreams imagined that I would ever do.

Disney's philosophy is getting people to believe that dreams really can come true, and, you know, I now believe them, because so many of mine came true in just two very short weeks. It was the first time that Lisa & I had been away in such a small group; usually there is a crowd of us. Perhaps this afforded us the opportunity to do certain things that we would never be able to do in such a large crowd? My biggest regret is that other members of our family were not there to share our experiences with us, but their day will come, because I want them all to be able to do what we have done.

We asked ourselves whether we preferred to stay on Disney property, or in the luxury villas that we have stayed in before. Both have their merits, but it was just wonderful to be embroiled in the Disney way of life. To get on transport wherever you wanted to go, and to be treat like someone special by all the cast members, to have your beds made & have pixie dust sprinkled over you on several occasions, what's the word? Priceless!!

So as I type these memories, just 2 weeks after we got home, it all seems a distant memory. Did it really happen, or did we just wish upon a star? Who knows, but what a dream it was, and what a lot of adventures we had in our dream - enough to keep us happy until we can return to do it all again, hopefully taking other members of our family into never never land with us.

Thank you for taking the time to read my report, it has taken many hours to put together, but they have been enjoyable hours. I hope to add a few more video clips over the coming weeks to add to it, as I know how important it was to me to see other peoples experiences in planning our dream trip.

Thanks again - Kev, Lisa & Ben

 

[jtlover]

I havent left the airport yet so I did get to read your report. Thanks for posting your report I feel like we were all there with you. It was good, especially with all the photos

 

[Debz]

An excellent report!! Thank you so much for sharing your adventures with us. I enjoyed every moment of it. The time spent planning really paid off. It certainly sounds like you had many magical moments.

 

[CustardTart]

I have so enjoyed reading about your holiday of a lifetime! It's a wonderful trip report and I'm sitting here with a tear in my eye now it's finished. I'm so happy you guys had such a fab time - you totally deserve it!

You've definitely given me some ideas for our future trips and I hope you get to return to the magic soon...

 

[natalielongstaff]

a truly fantastic trip report thank you for sharing it with us

 

[CPer'sMom]

What an absolutely wonderful TR!! I'm so sorry to see it end ~ I have enjoyed reading every word of it over the past few days and had tears in my eyes reading your wrap-up.

The 3 of you made many, many amazing memories together that will last a lifetime ~ that's what a Disney dream vacation is all about! and you certainly made the most of every minute of your trip

Thanks again so much for sharing your trip and all the great experiences with us!! Such a marvelous 50th birthday celebration!!

 

[irongirlof12]

if this is being the big 50 ! then bring it on Thanks for sharing your amazing trip with us.( Please pass on compliments to wife, really super wardrobe! especially liked the dress at AKL/jiko)

 

[wicket2005]

It has been lovely reading about your adventures and I very much hope that you get to go back there. Thank you for taking the time to post and include photos.

 

[kevg1889]

Thanks for the lovely comments everyone. Watch out for a few more video clips being posted, once my fingers recover from all the typing!! I have over six hours of video to get through, as well as the 200 photos that I posted in my report, so hopefully the memories will linger on for ever.

Thanks again - Kev

 

[Beth__WDW23/6/02]

Fantastic trippie report Kev,throughly enjoyed it.
Will keep my eyes peeled for the vid clips etc...Ive really enjoyed this TR something soo "special" about it.
Well done and Im glad you all have a magical time.

 

[Glendamax]

Kev this was a wonderful report! It isnt often that we get trip reports from men! So it was great hearing everything from a male point of view.

I love the look on your face in the photos! You look soooo excited and happy! I hope that I'll be able to take a lengthy vacation like you someday - but, I'll have more down time! You all were really BUSY!

Thanks again for taking so much time to share your trip with us! It was trully memorable!

 

[kevg1889]

Yes it was certainly busy Glendamax, but we also seemed to get more time around the pool than we have had on previous visits. Staying on Disney property made it possible to get back for a rest in the afternoon, as opposed to staying in the parks all day, which is very tiring.

 

[KayleeUK]

Brilliant Kev - just Brilliant

Thanks for sharing your trip with us!

 

[WDWLinda]

Of course you know that you've been spoiled for all future trips - this will be the one you'll compare them all to. I hope they can all be so luxurious!

Thanks for sharing your family and your trip with us. It was nice to see how to do it all first class.

Have fun planning the next one!

~Linda

 

[burly]

Thank you so much for sharing your trip and memories with us. Priceless.

 

[Shane]

Hiya Kev.

Thanks for sharing your trip report, a great read