And Nanny Came Too! Day 11 - Nanny Flies Home!

[zummerzet66]

Tuesday 15th April 2008

The Cast:

Me (Matt) 42, though young at heart!
DW (Claire) 41, and ditto
DS11 (Samuel), already a teenager!
DS9 (Tommy), daredevil coaster rider!
and Nanny!

So, today is Nanny's last day, and we've offered her the chance to re-do whatever has been her favourite. She opts for breakfast in the villa (Grrrrr!) followed by Animal Kingdom so, after coffee, toast and doughnuts (be still, my rumbling tum!), we head up Old Lake Wilson, across the 192 into Sherberth Road, and into AK in time for opening. Nanny wants to see the Lion King show again, so we head straight there for the first show of the day. It's very quiet, and the theatre is probably less than a quarter full. We get front row seats, near Simba



I can never get enough of this show. Even though only the first few rows of the four sections are occupied, the cast still give it their all, and this time both the boys get picked out to join in.







After the show, we head off for the Pangani Forest Trail, hoping to catch a glimpse of, amongst other things, the Gorilla. He's proving somewhat elusive, with just the briefest flash of his backside before he disappears out of view.

(no, that's Nanny in the pic, not the Gorilla!)


Try as I might, we cannot persuade Nanny to ride on Everest before she goes! We have to settle for a pic instead.



It's time to start thinking about leaving the park to grab some lunch before the drive up to Sanford, so DW and I decide that, as Nanny has dined out pretty well this last week (Kona, Boma, Chef Mickey's, HoB, Bahama Breeze etc), we'll show her something a little more down to earth before she heads home. CiCi's it is, and, to be honest, I'm actually quite impressed. Sure, the place is nothing to write home about (it reminds me of a departure lounge), but there is nothing wrong with the Pizzas. They are hot, fresh and plentiful, and the warm cinnamon cake for dessert is excellent!

We head off to Sanford suitably stuffed, and drop Nanny off at the check-in. Being Premier Class, she has her pass for the Palm Lounge, so off she goes, and we head off back down to Prime Outlets. After a quick wander around, we're not overly impressed, so we head across the lot to the Festival Bay Mall. Now, this place really does need to have a few more retailers move in, because it's a nice place, but the empty units are not doing it any favours at all. At one point, we stood looking at the jewellery on offer at a stand in the middle of the aisle, when a voice in my ear says "they'll let anyone in to America these days". I turn around, and am absolutely astonished to see our next door neighbours! (well, I say next door neighbours, but we actually moved house last year so they're not any more, but they were for 10 years before we moved). We had no idea that they were coming to Orlando on holiday, nor did they know that we were, but here we are in the same shopping mall at the same time. Spooky! They are flying home same day as us, but with BA, not Virgin, but we agree to look out for each other at MCO.

We're now hungry again (all this walking and shopping soon burns off the CiCi's pizza!) so DW asks if we can try a place she's always wanted to go to. Ruby Tuesday's it is, then. The place doesn't look much from the outside, being on the end of a strip-mall on the 192, but it's very nice on the inside, and we enjoy one of the best meals of the holiday. James is our server, a tall, but very softly spoken chap who is attentive without being overbearing, and he serves us the following:

Me: Bison Bacon Burger
DW: Classic Burger
DS's: Cheeseburger Minis

We then opt for desserts, something we haven't done much this trip, but the Blondie sounds too good to miss, and so it proves! $55 with drinks and tip is very good value.

We spend the evening relaxing in the villa, ready for more park action in the morning.

[jamjar84]

Sounds like fun.

We 'bumped into' friends (quite literally I was coming out of a candy store and walked right into my friend) in the mall a few years ago, we didn't know that they were going and vice versa, it was quite funny to randomly meet them.

[natalielongstaff]

how funny that you managed to bump into your friends !

[suzycute]

Bumping in to your neighbours like that reminds me of a well loved (or not so loved!!) WDW attraction . . . . .It's a small world after all!!

[cap'njack.]

Another good day...shame Nanny had to fly home though, a week just doesn't seem like enough time to experience WDW.

Really funny bumping into your neighbours in the Mall though

[mandymouse]

How nice that Nanny got to choose where to spend her last day in WDW