Our Spectacular FIRST Disney Vacation! August 2011 UK TR- OLYMPIC TORCH RELAY Mini TR

[meggiebeth]

Hallo everyone! Sorry that I haven't updated in simply ages! I'm about to do another update hopefully!

Originally Posted by TheThomsLuvDisney

Great Trip Report, Subbing In!!

I love seeing younger people writing TR's. My oldest is 14 and am hoping she will get the TR bug!

How long was your flight from England? Just curious as we are the state of Washington (west coast) and it takes us about 6 hours and that's if we are lucky enough to get a direct flight (we always have a layover somewhere because it's typically $250 cheaper per ticket).

Your family is super cute and I loved you little brother's update. I can't wait to read more!

Thankyou! And thanks for joining in too! I'm sure your daughter will love writing a TR. Especially if she loves English at school, and writing full stop!

Our flight was about 9 hours I believe. It was much more difficult than I was expecting. We were thinking about getting an indirect flight to save money but 9 hours is difficult as it is! We saved about $250 per ticket too, but that was by flying into Miami as apposed to Orlando. My father bumped into a colleugue on the plane (We were like ) And they were flying into Miami BUT getting a connecting flight to Orlando?! I couldn't believe that. It's only a four hour drive. But it did suck to get off the plane, and know that there was a four hour drive ahead of us. Next time, we want to fly into Orlando. Better get a good price!

Thanks for reading! Rory is longing to write a bit more and use the smilies again. He also has his birthday party in about a week (Disney of course ) and wants to put up a photo of him and his friends in their Disney costumes.)

Originally Posted by lbuzz52

i agree, the GF is breathtaking!

It is lovely! Thanks for joining in!

Originally Posted by joy13

Looks like a wonderful meal (sorry your veggie burger was burnt though )

It was a lovely meal. I don't really like meat alternatives much anyway. I never came across ANY Quorn in Florida. It left me wondering whether it exists in America. Lol. Thanks for reading!

[meggiebeth]

Ciao and welcome back! Sorry I haven't posted in a while... school has been really hectic! GCSEs now... and lots of coursework and things to think about. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was 5 or 6... as my mother tells me anyway.

I tried to take a photo of the restaurant... and failed miserably.



My list of things I want for Christmas:
1) A holiday to WDW in October/ November
2) £500 to buy a new camera!

Rory wanted some more puffle pin photographs:





We tried to take a photo of all of us with the timed snapshot function (or whatever it is called). The second one isn't as bad as the first... Haha.





Then Daddy took another one.



The next one he must've taken without my noticing. Or anyone noticing, apart from Willum! Mummy looks like she was telling me off for irritating Rory. Haha. It makes me laugh.



This one was meant to be a funny faced one of all of us (minus my dad) but it seemed he was actually focusing on one specific person. (Note mine and Willum's faces.)



Instead of a proper dessert, me, William and Rorsie caught sight of a tray of deserts. One of them was a chocolate Mickey- which looked delicious! So we asked for 3 instead of regular dessert. It was my only taste of American chocolate. I had heard so many stories before leaving about how disgusting American chocolate is; especially Hershey chocolate. So I wasn't too keen on trying any. This was nice chocolate however- quite dark and rich. We have Cadburys chocolate a lot in the UK, and we bought a bar in Florida to see how it compared. My dad tried it but not me. He said it wasn't anywhere near as nice as UK Cadburys. William bought a big bar of Hershey chocolate sometime in the trip and really liked it.



We said goodbye and left a tip (the FULL tip, after what we learned in DHS!) and walked back out into the GF, our bellies full, and looking forward to returning to MK.









The flooring is lovely in the GF, really pretty, smart and polished.



I saw this, and I had heard of the tea party before. It's the kind of thing I'd have loved to do when I was younger. It sounded really good- quite a price tag though!





After that we headed up to the monorail. I really wanted to look around the GF a bit more- but my family didn't want to. I told my parents other people like looking around the Disney Resorts- and they didn't seem convinced. Luckily the DDP meant that we could visit most of the Deluxe resorts.



We said au reviour to the Grand Floridian- happy with the knowledge that we WOULD return.



We passed the CR on the way to MK...



And we watched as we left our dream resort... to go to our dream park!



Honestly, if money was no option then we would stay at the Grand Floridian in a heartbeat. It is beautiful, and very central. You're on the monorail line too! Magic Kingdom was by far our favourite park, and so staying in our favourite hotel near our favourite park would be lovely. We could have stretched to stay in the GF but it would mean sharing a room- which would not go well in our family! At least in SSR we had a 2 bedroom villa.
We were really surprised after visiting both the Grand Floridian and the Polynesian, that they are similar prices to stay in both places. The Poly doesn't really have a 'feel' as nice as the GF- although it it nice to feel like you are in a tropical paradise. The GF just felt more impressive and luxurious to us.

Thankyou for reading! I hope to update real soon! It's just so nice reliving vacation memories. I drive my parents nuts when I talk about WDW the whole time. They do love talking about it but not every minute of every day, like me! They think I'm the only person in the world who has an obsession with Disney. I think visiting WDW makes you love the characters, the movies and the Disney ethos even more, and of course, feel more appreciative of what Disney actually IS.

See you soon!

[dismagiclover]

Love all of your GF photos. I've never actually visited this resort. Just seen it from the monorail and boats. In January I have 2 meals scheduled there so I'm excited to explore

[meggiebeth]

Originally Posted by dismagiclover

Love all of your GF photos. I've never actually visited this resort. Just seen it from the monorail and boats. In January I have 2 meals scheduled there so I'm excited to explore

Thanks! It's a great resort- it was one of my highlights of the holiday. What meals do you have scheduled there? I'm sure you'll love the GF and your meals!

[meggiebeth]

So, welcome back! After hopping off the monorail, we went back into MK. I had completely forgotten that the parade would be on- but the streets were lined with people. We surprisingly found a space on Main Street, a really good space.

We passed these guys on the way up Main Street.



And we were facing these buildings here:



Then... finally!



5 minutes passed... then 10... then... well it seemed like ages- you get the picture. My parents wanted to ride Splash Mountain. It had been broken down all day and was apparently open again. I was annoyed. All first timers have GOT to see the parade, right?! My parents literally dragged us all up, and we left our lovely spot on Main Street. They insisted we would bump into the parade on the way to SM. Yeah- we did... but would we get a good view? I wanted to get some decent photos too.

Of course, we did run into the parade- but there were masses of people watching and me, William and Rory had no chance of seeing over the adults. I was shoved to the front, where I could at least see. William had no interest in the parade, and Rory was influenced by his older brother and said he had no interest in it either. So they walked on to find a better viewing spot, while I stayed where I was. Joy of joys, although I could see, the photos I took had lovely views of peoples heads, hands, and cameras. If only my parents would have let us stay on Main Street.



































Thanks for reading! I hope to get another update up REALLY soon. Bye!

[ZFamily5]

Love love love that parade! Great pictures!! Out of curiosity, what time is it in England right now? It's 11:40 AM here (almost lunchtime) and we got out of school early today, so I was just wondering what time it was there...sorry for the odd question!

[meggiebeth]

Originally Posted by ZFamily5

Love love love that parade! Great pictures!! Out of curiosity, what time is it in England right now? It's 11:40 AM here (almost lunchtime) and we got out of school early today, so I was just wondering what time it was there...sorry for the odd question!

It's nearly 6pm here- time for dinner! So you're six hours behind us? That's really cool! I finished school at 3:30. When you normally finish? I'm always curious about what life is like in America.

[WDWRids]

Great parade pics! Yes, everyone must do the parade. Didn't you just love the 4 guys with the chimes. They were so funny to watch. Have a great day!!

[ZFamily5]

Originally Posted by meggiebeth

It's nearly 6pm here- time for dinner! So you're six hours behind us? That's really cool! I finished school at 3:30. When you normally finish? I'm always curious about what life is like in America.

Wow! Yeah, a six hour time difference! I usually finish school at 2:30, but our teachers had meetings this afternoon, so we only had school for 3 and a half hours. What time does your school start? I'm in high school this year, so school starts at 7:30 and goes until 2:30. I don't like how early it starts, since my bus comes at 6:40! Thing2's school (the junior high) starts at 8 and goes until 3. Thing3's school (the elementary school) goes from 8:40-3:30. Funny, I'm always curious about life in England! Maybe we should each do a "day in the life" type thing!

[meggiebeth]

Originally Posted by WDWRids

Great parade pics! Yes, everyone must do the parade. Didn't you just love the 4 guys with the chimes. They were so funny to watch. Have a great day!!

They were really funny- yeah! The parade was awesome- and great to see some of the 'rarer' characters! Thanks for reading- you have a great day too!

[meggiebeth]

Originally Posted by ZFamily5

Wow! Yeah, a six hour time difference! I usually finish school at 2:30, but our teachers had meetings this afternoon, so we only had school for 3 and a half hours. What time does your school start? I'm in high school this year, so school starts at 7:30 and goes until 2:30. I don't like how early it starts, since my bus comes at 6:40! Thing2's school (the junior high) starts at 8 and goes until 3. Thing3's school (the elementary school) goes from 8:40-3:30. Funny, I'm always curious about life in England! Maybe we should each do a "day in the life" type thing!

Wow- you finish school REALLY early! I don't think any schools in England finish that early! 6:40 is unbelievably early! You must have to get up at like, 5:30 or something! I wake up at 7:15 on school days. My school starts at 8:45- so not that early! My brother William starts at 8:35, and finishes at 3:15. I think he's in junior high, or middle school, or something like that! Rory starts at 8:45 like me- and finishes at 3:15. He's in elementary school I think. In England, we only have Primary school (Years reception- year 6) and Secondary school (Years 7- 13.) Years means grades. I'm in year 10 at the moment- and I've just started my GCSEs. What year/ grade are you in? Are you doing GCSEs, or do they call them something different in America? In England we grow up watching American movies and TV programmes, so America is really interesting to me. It was really weird being in WDW and hearing American accents everywhere! But I loved it! I want to move to America. Lol. I don't think my parents are convinced on how amazing it is! Besides, there's better weather there, right? It's FREEEEEEZING here right now. A day in the life thing would be really fun I think! It's fascinating talking to an American 14 year old. I've always wondered how different life is in the US. Btw what state do you live in? Is it really hot where you live? I don't know many states, apart from the obvious ones like Florida, California, New York... etc.

[fromscratchmom]

Originally Posted by meggiebeth

It's FREEEEEEZING here right now. A day in the life thing would be really fun I think! It's fascinating talking to an American 14 year old. I've always wondered how different life is in the US. Btw what state do you live in? Is it really hot where you live? I don't know many states, apart from the obvious ones like Florida, California, New York... etc.

Hehe, my husband who grew up in Berlin tells me he thinks its funny how people in America have an idealized version of Germany in their heads which equates just with Bavaria and how people in England have similar issue with thinking all American's are from Texas, according to him

Srry, to intrude on your conversation! That just gave me a good smile. Personally I think its funny that he has had the blessing of knowing two different cultures but he's a total stick in the mud about wanting to travel. I'd love to go and see places a lot more frequently.

Oh, and your comment about it being freezing where you are made me think of being in history class as a kid and being taught about the pilgrims coming here and not being prepared for the harsh winter temperatures. If you move here to be warm be sure you do move to Florida, or Texas or Southern California.

This time of year, I'm thinking about the problem of how many inches or feet of snow I'll be shoveling in a January and February this year! Brrrrr....I'm turning blue with cold just thinking of it.

[joy13]

Great updates! You got some nice parade photos even though your parents made you move

[ZFamily5]

Originally Posted by meggiebeth

Wow- you finish school REALLY early! I don't think any schools in England finish that early! 6:40 is unbelievably early! You must have to get up at like, 5:30 or something! I wake up at 7:15 on school days. My school starts at 8:45- so not that early! My brother William starts at 8:35, and finishes at 3:15. I think he's in junior high, or middle school, or something like that! Rory starts at 8:45 like me- and finishes at 3:15. He's in elementary school I think. In England, we only have Primary school (Years reception- year 6) and Secondary school (Years 7- 13.) Years means grades. I'm in year 10 at the moment- and I've just started my GCSEs. What year/ grade are you in? Are you doing GCSEs, or do they call them something different in America? In England we grow up watching American movies and TV programmes, so America is really interesting to me. It was really weird being in WDW and hearing American accents everywhere! But I loved it! I want to move to America. Lol. I don't think my parents are convinced on how amazing it is! Besides, there's better weather there, right? It's FREEEEEEZING here right now. A day in the life thing would be really fun I think! It's fascinating talking to an American 14 year old. I've always wondered how different life is in the US. Btw what state do you live in? Is it really hot where you live? I don't know many states, apart from the obvious ones like Florida, California, New York... etc.

Yeah, 5:45 is the beginning of my day! Much too early! You wake up at 7:15! Lucky! Thing2 is already on the bus then! So I guess schools in England start later then schools in the U.S.! Unfair! We have elementary school (kindergarden-5th grade), middle school/junior high (6th grade-8th grade) and high school (9th grade-12th grade). I'm a freshman right now (9th grade). What is GCSE? I've never heard of it before... We love hearing English accents here! Ehh...the weather here is interesting. We live in Illinois, so we have all kinds of weather. Really really really cold winters and really really really warm summers. Usually it's cold this time of year, but today it's 85 degrees! I think it's fascinating talking to an English 14 year old!

[meggiebeth]

Originally Posted by fromscratchmom

Hehe, my husband who grew up in Berlin tells me he thinks its funny how people in America have an idealized version of Germany in their heads which equates just with Bavaria and how people in England have similar issue with thinking all American's are from Texas, according to him

Srry, to intrude on your conversation! That just gave me a good smile. Personally I think its funny that he has had the blessing of knowing two different cultures but he's a total stick in the mud about wanting to travel. I'd love to go and see places a lot more frequently.

Oh, and your comment about it being freezing where you are made me think of being in history class as a kid and being taught about the pilgrims coming here and not being prepared for the harsh winter temperatures. If you move here to be warm be sure you do move to Florida, or Texas or Southern California.

This time of year, I'm thinking about the problem of how many inches or feet of snow I'll be shoveling in a January and February this year! Brrrrr....I'm turning blue with cold just thinking of it.

Haha! I guess the grass is always greener somewhere else. I do know that parts of America are cold- but I just want to move somewhere that gets hot summers. I have heard that places like Pennyslvania (Spelling?) and the Carolinas are cold in the Winter but hot in the summer. England is cold during Winter, but summer is never hot. This year was apparently one of the coldest summers in the UK. We tend to get 2 or 3 days of 30 degrees celcius weather. A typical summer day would be 17- 20 degrees. (Sorry, I don't really know fareinheit, however you spell it! ) Accompanied by drizzly rain all day, low clouds and harsh winds, well... England just has fairly awful weather! I just want to move somewhere that has warm summers. I don't really mind about the cold winters- I have that already!
It's a shame your husband doesn't like to travel much. We don't either- but we would if we could! We would love to do a 3 month tour of America, but I don't think we ever will.
Thanks for reading!

Originally Posted by joy13

Great updates! You got some nice parade photos even though your parents made you move

Thanks! It was really great seeing the parade for the first time. I just wanted to watch it over and over!

Originally Posted by ZFamily5

Yeah, 5:45 is the beginning of my day! Much too early! You wake up at 7:15! Lucky! Thing2 is already on the bus then! So I guess schools in England start later then schools in the U.S.! Unfair! We have elementary school (kindergarden-5th grade), middle school/junior high (6th grade-8th grade) and high school (9th grade-12th grade). I'm a freshman right now (9th grade). What is GCSE? I've never heard of it before... We love hearing English accents here! Ehh...the weather here is interesting. We live in Illinois, so we have all kinds of weather. Really really really cold winters and really really really warm summers. Usually it's cold this time of year, but today it's 85 degrees! I think it's fascinating talking to an English 14 year old!

Oh okay! I guess if I were in America, I would be in your grade. I'm in year 10, but I think I would be in 9th grade. What is a freshman? Lol. In the UK, you start doing GCSEs in year 10 (9th grade). We got to choose 3 subjects we wanted to study. We normally do way more than that. I chose French, history and art. But everyone has to do maths, english and ICT. We have exams at the end of year 11 (10th grade) and they are quite important. If you get at least a C, then it's a pass, and you can go to sixth form- year 12 and 13. (11th and 12th grade). But ontop of GCSE subjects, we are forced to do PE, RS and WR (Work Related). Not fair. I hate PE. In sixth form we do A levels which are even harder! You need to get really good A level results to get into university. I think the best you can get is A*. Don't you do exams like that? I guess the US is pretty different! Haha, we love American accents. We don't meet many Americans where I live though. I live in a tiny village, which looks typically English. I hear lots of Americans in London though. In WDW, I had quite a few Americans come up to me and say 'I love your accent!'. I felt like saying 'I love yours too!'
I looked up Illinois on Google Maps. It's quite northern! How cold are your winters? You're so lucky- 85 degrees! I wish I was there! It's cloudy, cold and drizzly here.
It's weird- America seems so different to England now! I didn't know you don't even have GCSEs. Lol.