Kevin Stringer
11-16-2006, 12:17 PM
DAY 11 – FRIDAY 27th OCTOBER 2006
Whos’ going:
Me, Kev – Husband, father, friend and all round good egg.
Wife, Tam – she hates to be called ‘the wife’ so I left the ‘the’ off. Make sense?
India, nearly 16, eldest daughter.
Georgia, now 13, youngest daughter.
Deb & Matt – good friends
Susan – another good friend, joining us for part 2 of the holiday.
Up at 7.45am as we have to finish packing and go and pick up Susan (our friend from Tulsa) from the airport.
We eat a quick breakfast and load up the car. Tam and I are going to fetch Susan while Deb and Matt tidy up the villa and then take the girls with them to the Boardwalk. Matt is under strict instructions not to sell the girls into white slavery no matter how tempted he is.
Tam and I leave at 9.00am to try and be at the airport for 9.30am to meet Susan by the taxi and bus pick up area. As we approach Orlando International problem number one arises. Terminal A or Terminal B? We plump for Terminal B on the basis that Susan flew in last night and stayed at the Hyatt and that is located in Terminal B.
Wrong!
We park the car and hunt around to ill effect. At 10.10am we find a phone and ring Susan’s mobile. She is happy to hear from us as she has been worried that we’ve been in a car crash, struck by lightening, abducted by aliens or some other such tragedy. Actually I quite fancy being abducted by aliens and carried off to the planet Booze where experiments would be conducted to establish my tolerance to beer and ladies in tight orange hot pants. As long as they don’t come near me with that probe I’ll be happy.
I digress. Susan (the foolish woman) has chosen to wait at terminal A on the basis that this is the terminal she arrived at last night. A poor excuse. Over to terminal A where we find Susan waiting. I jump from the car and shout ‘Where the heck have you been? We haven’t got all day you know’.
I have to confess this isn’t quite the truth. I actually say ‘Hi Susan, lovely to see you again’. One reason being that it IS lovely to see her again and another that it is mostly my fault for not specifying more accurately a pick up point.
We load up the already full car and the poor little thing huffs and puffs along the road to the Boardwalk, arriving around 11.00am.
The rest of the gang are there waiting for us and Deb and Matt meet Susan for the first time. Susan survives the experience so that bodes well for the rest of the holiday.
Off to Epcot for more Food and Winery. This time there is no driving involved so we indulge ourselves as is appropriate.
Here’s another list of what we experience:
France – Goats Cheese Tart 8.5, Chardonnay 6.5, Riesling 7
Spain – Papas Con Chorizo 7, Albondijas 7.5, Monticello Criazza 7
Morocco – Beef Kefta Pocket 8.5, Chicken Bastilla 8, Casa beer 8
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m225/tammystringer/Morocco.jpg
Hops and Barley (mucho beer baby!) – Boston lager 8, Cherry wheat 7.5 (it really does taste of cherries), 11th anniversary festival beer 8, Hefeweizen 6, Octoberfest 8
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m225/tammystringer/alldrinkingbeer.jpg
Now that’s what I call drinking!
Australia – Wills Domain Cab Sav 8, Yellowtail Shiraz 8
Scandinavia – the meatball thingy again 9, Salmon Tartare 9
Chile – Porotos Granndos 5, Chilean custard thingy 9, Reserve Cab Sav 8
Mexico – Chilaquilas 8.5, Dos Equis 8
Now, as you can tell from some of the highly accurate and detailed description of the foodstuffs, it was Tam’s job to take the notes. I’ll have to have a strong word with the woman. I mean, who knows what the heck a Porotos Granndos is?
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m225/tammystringer/VikingMatt.jpg
No reason to put in this photo other than India looks a bit devilish and Matt looks a bit uncomfortable!
We return to the Boardwalk where our 2 bedroom villa is ready at 3.50pm. We are in 3015 and 3017, which is in a fine position just above the Big River Brew Works and Grill, although Matt moans about the long walk from the lobby. Deb and the girls do the requisite admonishing.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m225/tammystringer/boardwalk1.jpg
Hard to find a better view to wake up to.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m225/tammystringer/boardwalk2.jpg
Except maybe this one!
Bell services deliver our luggage and I’ve got to feel sorry for the poor guy as we must have about 20 different packages and suitcases. He tells us there is good news and bad news. The bad news is some of the beer bottles got smashed. Boo! The good news is that they are sending up 24 bottles to replace them. Hooray!
Susan has brought gifts for all of us and spends an age handing them out, as there are so many. There are sweatshirts, T shirts, watches, books, Halloween stuff, Disney dollars for the girls, stickers and on and on and on. You think I exaggerate? I do not. She is a wonderfully generous person. One of my favourite gifts is a limited edition paperweight that is a replica of the Epcot opening day ticket.
After all the activity we give Susan our paltry gifts.
The living arrangements are discussed. Me, Tam and the girls are in the studio, while Deb and Matt have the bedroom of the one bedroom unit. This leaves Susan with the sleep sofa in the living room. The hardest part for them is definitely going to be the bathroom facilities. It has the potential to turn into a Brian Rix farce with so many doors. I can just see Matt with his trousers round his ankles as the vicar’s wife enters the room. Or the Benny Hill theme playing as Deb (dressed in a nurses uniform) chases him around the Boardwalk trying to hit him with a bedpan.
Perhaps my imagination is getting the better of me.
Unpacked, showered and changed we are out to Epcot just after 7.00pm. We don’t do anything much except stroll around to my favourite spot in Norway to watch Reflections of Earth. It is quite crowded tonight due to Extra Magic Hours, so we join a long queue for food in the Cantina in Mexico, along with a Dos Equis.
We watch RoE, which is as wonderful as ever, Tam says it always makes her want to cry.
At this point we leave the girls to have fun in Epcot while the adults walk over to Jellyrolls.
As we are queuing to enter Deb shouts out ‘Sam!’ This isn’t a mild case of Tourette’s, she has spotted Fantasia Sam, a friend of ours from the DIS Boards. Sam comes over to chat for a while. She is a very bubbly person and full of fun (and, at this point in the evening, alcohol!).
We sit on stools at the back of the room, but later manage to get a table. It’s pretty full and we enjoy a great night being entertained by the highly skilful piano players. There are a group of people by the bar from Ohio who keep shouting out their state name and spelling it in sign (think of YMCA) ‘O’ ‘H’ ‘I’ ‘O’. Thank the lord they didn’t come from Mississippi.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m225/tammystringer/Jellyrolls.jpg
Lord knows how we manage to look relatively sober. I did say ‘relatively’.
There is also a convention going on and it’s a first time experience for me watching a whole throng of singing, dancing chiropractors. Let’s face it, that’s not an every day occurrence. If someone throws their back out tonight, they’re in the right place.
We close the place down and stagger home (not far, one of the joys of staying at the Boardwalk) at 1.50am. The next day someone says it was raining as we walked back. I didn’t feel a thing.
Kev
Whos’ going:
Me, Kev – Husband, father, friend and all round good egg.
Wife, Tam – she hates to be called ‘the wife’ so I left the ‘the’ off. Make sense?
India, nearly 16, eldest daughter.
Georgia, now 13, youngest daughter.
Deb & Matt – good friends
Susan – another good friend, joining us for part 2 of the holiday.
Up at 7.45am as we have to finish packing and go and pick up Susan (our friend from Tulsa) from the airport.
We eat a quick breakfast and load up the car. Tam and I are going to fetch Susan while Deb and Matt tidy up the villa and then take the girls with them to the Boardwalk. Matt is under strict instructions not to sell the girls into white slavery no matter how tempted he is.
Tam and I leave at 9.00am to try and be at the airport for 9.30am to meet Susan by the taxi and bus pick up area. As we approach Orlando International problem number one arises. Terminal A or Terminal B? We plump for Terminal B on the basis that Susan flew in last night and stayed at the Hyatt and that is located in Terminal B.
Wrong!
We park the car and hunt around to ill effect. At 10.10am we find a phone and ring Susan’s mobile. She is happy to hear from us as she has been worried that we’ve been in a car crash, struck by lightening, abducted by aliens or some other such tragedy. Actually I quite fancy being abducted by aliens and carried off to the planet Booze where experiments would be conducted to establish my tolerance to beer and ladies in tight orange hot pants. As long as they don’t come near me with that probe I’ll be happy.
I digress. Susan (the foolish woman) has chosen to wait at terminal A on the basis that this is the terminal she arrived at last night. A poor excuse. Over to terminal A where we find Susan waiting. I jump from the car and shout ‘Where the heck have you been? We haven’t got all day you know’.
I have to confess this isn’t quite the truth. I actually say ‘Hi Susan, lovely to see you again’. One reason being that it IS lovely to see her again and another that it is mostly my fault for not specifying more accurately a pick up point.
We load up the already full car and the poor little thing huffs and puffs along the road to the Boardwalk, arriving around 11.00am.
The rest of the gang are there waiting for us and Deb and Matt meet Susan for the first time. Susan survives the experience so that bodes well for the rest of the holiday.
Off to Epcot for more Food and Winery. This time there is no driving involved so we indulge ourselves as is appropriate.
Here’s another list of what we experience:
France – Goats Cheese Tart 8.5, Chardonnay 6.5, Riesling 7
Spain – Papas Con Chorizo 7, Albondijas 7.5, Monticello Criazza 7
Morocco – Beef Kefta Pocket 8.5, Chicken Bastilla 8, Casa beer 8
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m225/tammystringer/Morocco.jpg
Hops and Barley (mucho beer baby!) – Boston lager 8, Cherry wheat 7.5 (it really does taste of cherries), 11th anniversary festival beer 8, Hefeweizen 6, Octoberfest 8
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m225/tammystringer/alldrinkingbeer.jpg
Now that’s what I call drinking!
Australia – Wills Domain Cab Sav 8, Yellowtail Shiraz 8
Scandinavia – the meatball thingy again 9, Salmon Tartare 9
Chile – Porotos Granndos 5, Chilean custard thingy 9, Reserve Cab Sav 8
Mexico – Chilaquilas 8.5, Dos Equis 8
Now, as you can tell from some of the highly accurate and detailed description of the foodstuffs, it was Tam’s job to take the notes. I’ll have to have a strong word with the woman. I mean, who knows what the heck a Porotos Granndos is?
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m225/tammystringer/VikingMatt.jpg
No reason to put in this photo other than India looks a bit devilish and Matt looks a bit uncomfortable!
We return to the Boardwalk where our 2 bedroom villa is ready at 3.50pm. We are in 3015 and 3017, which is in a fine position just above the Big River Brew Works and Grill, although Matt moans about the long walk from the lobby. Deb and the girls do the requisite admonishing.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m225/tammystringer/boardwalk1.jpg
Hard to find a better view to wake up to.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m225/tammystringer/boardwalk2.jpg
Except maybe this one!
Bell services deliver our luggage and I’ve got to feel sorry for the poor guy as we must have about 20 different packages and suitcases. He tells us there is good news and bad news. The bad news is some of the beer bottles got smashed. Boo! The good news is that they are sending up 24 bottles to replace them. Hooray!
Susan has brought gifts for all of us and spends an age handing them out, as there are so many. There are sweatshirts, T shirts, watches, books, Halloween stuff, Disney dollars for the girls, stickers and on and on and on. You think I exaggerate? I do not. She is a wonderfully generous person. One of my favourite gifts is a limited edition paperweight that is a replica of the Epcot opening day ticket.
After all the activity we give Susan our paltry gifts.
The living arrangements are discussed. Me, Tam and the girls are in the studio, while Deb and Matt have the bedroom of the one bedroom unit. This leaves Susan with the sleep sofa in the living room. The hardest part for them is definitely going to be the bathroom facilities. It has the potential to turn into a Brian Rix farce with so many doors. I can just see Matt with his trousers round his ankles as the vicar’s wife enters the room. Or the Benny Hill theme playing as Deb (dressed in a nurses uniform) chases him around the Boardwalk trying to hit him with a bedpan.
Perhaps my imagination is getting the better of me.
Unpacked, showered and changed we are out to Epcot just after 7.00pm. We don’t do anything much except stroll around to my favourite spot in Norway to watch Reflections of Earth. It is quite crowded tonight due to Extra Magic Hours, so we join a long queue for food in the Cantina in Mexico, along with a Dos Equis.
We watch RoE, which is as wonderful as ever, Tam says it always makes her want to cry.
At this point we leave the girls to have fun in Epcot while the adults walk over to Jellyrolls.
As we are queuing to enter Deb shouts out ‘Sam!’ This isn’t a mild case of Tourette’s, she has spotted Fantasia Sam, a friend of ours from the DIS Boards. Sam comes over to chat for a while. She is a very bubbly person and full of fun (and, at this point in the evening, alcohol!).
We sit on stools at the back of the room, but later manage to get a table. It’s pretty full and we enjoy a great night being entertained by the highly skilful piano players. There are a group of people by the bar from Ohio who keep shouting out their state name and spelling it in sign (think of YMCA) ‘O’ ‘H’ ‘I’ ‘O’. Thank the lord they didn’t come from Mississippi.
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m225/tammystringer/Jellyrolls.jpg
Lord knows how we manage to look relatively sober. I did say ‘relatively’.
There is also a convention going on and it’s a first time experience for me watching a whole throng of singing, dancing chiropractors. Let’s face it, that’s not an every day occurrence. If someone throws their back out tonight, they’re in the right place.
We close the place down and stagger home (not far, one of the joys of staying at the Boardwalk) at 1.50am. The next day someone says it was raining as we walked back. I didn’t feel a thing.
Kev