Live report - 3 weeks in Orlando

[Julia Ann]

Team Boat Springs is a fun, family raft ride at Blizzard Beach. .

Of course, i remember it now, i'm just not good at remember the ride names in the water parks, apart from Summitt Plummit, which i have never been brave enough to do!

Yeah i see what you mean about being far from a major airport, we live 30 minutes from Birmingham airport but they only appear to run direct flights during summer time. Although see what happens once the run way is extended by 2014 (i think). We're on a tight budget at the moment so we are trying to save pennies here and there and hope to make it out there for our 10th wedding anniversary oct 2015, which will be DD first trip (she will be almost 8). It's hard waiting as last visit was 2006 but i can't have everything.

Glad the kids are eating ok and everbody enjoying the themselve, enjoy the rest of your trip

 

[fairytale]

Lunch was a reasonable chicken curry, though the CMs warning that it was hot demonstrated that our pallets are made of sterner stuff

QUOTE]

Great Trip Report, thank you so much for taking the time to post.

May I ask, where did you get the Chicken Curry fron at DHS? was it good?

We always seem to really struggle with a good CS at this park

 

[princessoftea]

Great TR

 

[Cyrano]

Lunch was a reasonable chicken curry, though the CMs warning that it was hot demonstrated that our pallets are made of sterner stuff

QUOTE]

Great Trip Report, thank you so much for taking the time to post.

May I ask, where did you get the Chicken Curry fron at DHS? was it good?

We always seem to really struggle with a good CS at this park

Our favourite CS eatery at DHS is the ABC Commissary Others in our group had Fish and Chips. I think another choice was chicken noodle salad, as well as the curry

 

[Cyrano]

I've kept up with your report & I must say I admire your stamina. By our 3rd week we are definitely in relaxed mode - getting up late - playing a game of crazy golf or going to the water park/pool for a hour or so certainly no rope drops for us!

I hope you continue to have a brilliant holiday - and am looking forward to your reports on Universal as we gave it a miss at Christmas.

DSIL2 prefers later starts but is happy to queue for 60 mins for rides
DW rule is no longer than 20 mins so apart from evening fireworks we really have to go for as soon as possible for park opening.

 

[Cyrano]

Yesterday we headed to our favourite park - Animal Kingdom. The plan was to skip Safari and aim for Flights of Wonder and Bugs Life. Of course the ubigtious FP for Everest were on the cards

We completed Bug's Life, Dinosaur, Maharajah trail, Everest, Kali River Rapids and Flights of Wonder before calling it a day.

After lunch we headed to the pool while SIL headed to Typoon Lagoon.
We managed about an hour before the onset of rain had me calling the troops out the pool.
Within 5 minutes we had a great thunder storm. The Typoon Lagoon travellers were given no warning so got absolutely soaked.

In the evening the others decided to have a relaxing time. We on the other hand hit The Florida Mall. DW and DD had a good time in Hollister!

 

[Cyrano]

For those that are interested I asked about micro sim for iPad. For pay as you go they have a 100mb plan which expires after 7 days for a cost of $10.00.

 

[disneyholic family]

we love AK too!!!! the landscaping is so beautiful, i start smiling the moment i step through the turnstile!!!! just gorgeous there!!!

so sad that bug's life will be closed when we're there....even just walking through the queue area is lovely......

by the way, how's the weather been? hotter than hades?

i keep trying to prepare the family....they haven't been in the summer for 6 years and i'm sure they've completely forgotten..
they keep thinking it's the same as we have here, but i know that orlando is worse at the height of the summer.....
we're warmer year round i think, but we don't get that hellish 99 degrees/ 100% humidity of orlando in june/july/august....

and how have the WDW crowds been? not that i can do anything about the crowds, but i sort of like to be mentally prepared....actually i like to expect even worse and then be pleasantly surprised

 

[Cyrano]

Sorry for the lack of updates.
Now having to cope with wi-fi in the hotel lobby. Posting this on iPhone while the girls are in the shop.
Will post up details later

 

[Cyrano]

we love AK too!!!! the landscaping is so beautiful, i start smiling the moment i step through the turnstile!!!! just gorgeous there!!!

so sad that bug's life will be closed when we're there....even just walking through the queue area is lovely......

by the way, how's the weather been? hotter than hades?

i keep trying to prepare the family....they haven't been in the summer for 6 years and i'm sure they've completely forgotten..
they keep thinking it's the same as we have here, but i know that orlando is worse at the height of the summer.....
we're warmer year round i think, but we don't get that hellish 99 degrees/ 100% humidity of orlando in june/july/august....

and how have the WDW crowds been? not that i can do anything about the crowds, but i sort of like to be mentally prepared....actually i like to expect even worse and then be pleasantly surprised

We have had a mixed bag with the weather Beth. A bit more rain than last year but not nearly as hot. High has been 92, although with humidity it has felt about 100.

The crowds have seem busy than before. Definitely park for rope drop helps, but after 11 every park has been very busy

 

[Cyrano]

A lazy start was agrees by everyone and we were done at breakfast at 8.45am.
It was way to busy and we definitely prefer our solitude at 7.15am

We had decided to let the kids have some fun at Disney Quest so we headed to Premium Outlets first .

Everyone broke into their family groups and we met back up at 11.45 with our various purchases .

We hoped we might catch a glimpse of the last shuttle in the sky, but the clouds were very low.
However we managed to watch it on tv at a cafe. The countdown stopped at 31 seconds for what seemed like an age, before it resumed.

The troops had a couple of hours at Disney Quest before hunger set in.
DW suggested that we head over the Earl of Sandwich. This proved a hit with everyone

The heavens opened just as we finished lunch. With the car parked up at the West Side we ducked through shops and made it as far as Lego.
I then braved the elements and phoned the others when I was outside of TRex.

The rest of the evening was spent packing cases and having a glass or two of grape juice

We are off to Royal Pacific and Universal for the next 4 days, so the Internet access will be patchy.

 

[Tink2312]

Have a great time at Universal. Enjoying the updates

 

[disneyholic family]

we watched the shuttle launch on TV too
it was covered live on ever channel i have access to (Sky, BBC, France 24, Fox, CNN, etc etc etc)
i was on sky, but got annoyed by the anchorwoman's blather so switched to Fox, where they just left it to the nasa announcers for the countdown and liftoff...
but got annoyed with them after the launch when they swallowed the party line about how it's great the whole thing is being privatized.....hogwash....
but i won't go there....

as for weather - 92? wow!!! what luck for you - a veritable cold wave....
i hope it's 92 for us....when i was there in june last year, it was 99 or higher every day...i really hope it's 92 (or 80's would be even better, but that's impossible)....i can survive 92 even with 100% humidity...

looking forward to your royal pacific report!!!
does universal have free internet? or do you have to pay like at disney?

 

[misspickle]

looks like your all having a great time ,
really enjoying the updates

 

[wayneg]

looking forward to your royal pacific report!!!
does universal have free internet? or do you have to pay like at disney?

We paid for it last year in the room, Nigel (DISwolves) used it free in the lobby.

 

[disneyholic family]

We paid for it last year in the room, Nigel (DISwolves) used it free in the lobby.

i find it so irritating when i have to pay for internet..

so many hotels now offer it for free....

 

[wayneg]

i find it so irritating when i have to pay for internet..

so many hotels now offer it for free....

Although I have complained on here over the years about hotels charging for internet my opinion now is I would rather pay and get a good fast connection than slow free connection, Holiday Inn Express LBV in Feb was so slow we hardly used it.
Problem is the price Disney charge it should be super fast, it isn't, at times its useless.

 

[disneyholic family]

Problem is the price Disney charge it should be super fast, it isn't, at times its useless.

adding insult to injury!

 

[DISWolves]

Yes.....had good coverage in lobby . Being our first day, I was awake at some stupid hour, so took my netbook and had a few hours surfing
Enjoy the remainder of your stay

 

[wicket2005]

You get free Internet in rooms if you are a gold or platinum member at the rpr.