The Lowden family holiday report - November 2009
Day 1 - Thursday 12th November 2009
No rush today. We are booked in to the Britannia Country house hotel in Manchester after 3pm. Packing got done last night, just last minute details, cleaning pond pump, camera’s, memory cards, leaving contact numbers for the house sitters etc.
Everything done, we set off about 1.30pm for our 125 mile trip to the hotel. 5 miles later we pulled in to Alford’s Nursery for lunch! During this time we realised the Passporter’s book that Kenny and Elaine had bought us was still at home. So after lunch, we returned home and then we set off for the 2nd time.
Weather on route was appalling but we got to the hotel ok and went to check in. We stayed here when we went to Italy in August so everything should be straight forward. Well it would have been if I had not booked the hotel for Friday night as opposed to Thursday night. So several phone calls later (some in secret so Michelle could not hear) the hotels were changed without extra cost to the Thursday.
A few pints, a bottle of wine, some more phone calls in secret, we got to bed to be ready for the 6.45am taxi booked for the following morning.
Day 2 - Friday 13th November 2009
UK side:
Up bright and early, eager and ready for our first trip to Florida! Really looking forward to this. Had a bath (at 6am) to send secret text messages again, then with plans laid and everything sorted, off to the airport. (Got dried and dressed first)
We arrived at T2 early (did not need to check in till 7.20) I sent the first call, which was rejected as agreed. We walked in to the terminal and was immediately greeted by a member of staff and asked to scan the passports in to a machine in the start of the queue for check in. Oh dear, things have gone wrong already, a frantic 2nd call made (in secret) and it was rejected again as agreed. “SO Thomas IS coming then?” I heard Michelle say. The 4 months of planning, the forged travel documents and the last minute calls and texts were at an end! The final surprise had not gone to plan but Michelle finally had got her last surprise for her 40th Birthday.
(For those that do not know, Thomas is in the Royal Navy and is 19. This trip to Florida was birthday present to Michelle for her 40th. The holiday was a surprise for her birthday, along with the discovery cove trip. She got to find out about this on her birthday back in August. However, I knew she would have liked our son there, but been in the armed forces does not necessarily allow guaranteed time off. She would be gutted if he was coming, then something stopped that happening at the last minute. We therefore decided to make it a last surprise at the airport. Hence the secret calls (to rearrange his hotel booking as well) and texts to confirm what we would do at the airport itself. He had not got a lot of help from the airport staff , so he had got in to a place where he would see us walk up to the check in desk, then at the last minute sneak up and ask his mum, if he could “tag along”. The first call was to say we were at the airport, the 2nd to say we were at check in. Neither required an answer. Where we got stopped and got asked to scan the passport we were out of his view.)
So surprise over, I no longer needed to remember what I had said to who about what and could get on with out “family” holiday! We got through to departures, had a “mooch” around the airport and went to our boarding gate.
USA side:
We landed at 2.15pm (Local time) and due to us being seated in the little cabin just before premium economy, we were amongst the first off the plane. Remembering some advice, we kept to the right for the first security checks, (I had filled in 7 green slips for the 4 of us, so only 3 boo boo’s) and got to our bags off the carousel, walked through the next check, handed our blue form in, dumped our luggage at the next belt to be taken to the car rental area and walked to get our rental car. Again, due to advice given, (We really owe Kenny & Elaine for their help, advice and loan of equipment) we had joined Dollar Express and walked straight up for our car, signed the paperwork and we were in our car leaving Orlando Airport just short of 2 hours after landing.
Sat Nav, (Yep, courtesy of Kenny & Elaine) working we found where we were staying some 30 miles from the airport, unfortunately we had to go to the office first, so turned around, got our paperwork from the coded out of hours locker and back to he villa. Initially impressed, but the heated pool we had paid for was cold and non of the TV’s worked. A few phone calls made, bags unpacked and we were off to Walmart for provisions. A trip through heavy traffic to Downtown Disney (DTD) and a bit of searching, we found the Earl of Sandwich and ate our first meal on American soil…..nice! Danielle and Michelle shared an Hawaiian and a meatball , me and Thomas the same plus an Italian sarnie. Then a very quick route around before heading back to the car and the villa. Working it out, it was 11pm before we got to bed, allowing for the 5 hour time difference we had been up almost 23 hours, sleeping was not a problem!
Day 3 - Saturday 14th November 2009
We were up for 6.15, showered and at the Magic Kingdom (MK) for 7.45. We got to our Character breakfast just in time for our booking of 8.15. All went well until Tigger arrived, then Danielle started crying and shaking, really upset. So we got a few hurried photos, while she stayed her distance. Talking to her after, even she could not understand why she had done that. Pooh was next, Danielle got a little closer and due to Pooh’s patients, Danielle, (who had started crying again) touched his hand and agreed to a photo. With Piglet been a bit smaller, Danielle was ok and also managed Eeyore who is the biggest one of the 4! We tried Tigger again but Danielle (and she did try, bless her) just could not get near him without crying. Again, due to advice from friends, we got a guest pass, (as Danielle is special needs) and continued with our first day in the land of Disney!
We had a blast, got 16 autographs, Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Tigger, Princess Jasmine, Goofy, Buzz Lightyear (a stamp), Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse, Princess Aurora, Cinderella, Belle, Fawn, Tinkerbell, Terence and Scrooge McDuck
We had a walk around Swiss Family Tree house, (did wonder, if they could build all that, why they could not have built a boat?) The enchanted Tiki room, the Haunted Mansion, Mickey’s PhilharMagic, (best 4d movie we have ever seen) Space Mountain, Walt Disney’s Carousel of progress, Stitches great escape and finally Thunder mountain and splash mountain. We also saw the celebration parade in the afternoon before making our way back to the Castle for the turning on of the Christmas lights….wow. Goosebumps and almost tears when that happened!
At 7pm we got the SpectroMagic Parade, again, Wow! Then we stayed there at the Mickey & Walt Disney Statue, for the Wishes Firework Display…..AGAIN….WOW! Sorry for repeating Wow! But Wow. We had been in park for 13 hours by the time we left and enjoyed it for 13 hours (Danielle was a little short of 13 hours enjoyment) but what a great first very full day in Orlando! For Gibbo, if you are reading this, the pineapple dole whip float is very refreshing!
Day 4 - Sunday 15th November 2009
Lazy start to the day, after yesterday we needed a late start. We were still up and about from 9am, with me updating this report and Michelle, catching some rays and Danielle trying to get in the cold heated pool. Michelle did get in the cold heated pool sometime before 10 as Thomas threw her in. Thankfully I was in the shower at the time, so even Michelle struggled to blame me for that one!
We got to Downtown Disney just after midday and headed towards T-Rex. (another recommendation) as we hadn’t made a reservation, we did not think we would get in, 10 minutes later, we were called through. Amazing place and good food. Boneyard Buffet for me and one for our son, (had to be done!) Danielle made a Dinosaur and we were on our way to look round the rest of DTD. A 30 minute boat hire and a few shops (inc the huge
Disney Store) we headed for Disney Quest.
Michelle & Danielle made a virtual roller coaster, as did me and Thomas, however non of us realised that we really did ride our design, virtually! Michelle looked a bit iffy after coming off her 2 our of 5 rated ride, this did not look good for me and Thomas as we had designed a 4 our of 5 coaster, we survived and only felt a little sick! After battling aliens with a light sabre, galleons with cannon, riding the river rapids in our inflatable and a very poor attempt at guitar hero by me, we headed back to the villa and bed. Another late finish.
Day 5 - Monday 16th November 2009
Another early one today, need to be at Discovery cove for 8am, so we set off at 7.15 for our day at Discover Cove and our swim with the Dolphins. Our swim was booked for 9.55am and we got a Dolphin called Hutch. What a fantastic experience, Dolphins really are amazing mammals. We gave him various signals to do different tricks and even had a short swim with him. All too soon, it was all over and we had the rest of the day to spend in Discovery cove. A wonderful place and something we would love to do again, but not on this holiday. All of a sudden 14 days does not seem long enough! A walk around the aviary and a swim around the park in the heated fresh water pool before we had our lunch, then a few hours catching rays (the sun variety) before going to the Ray pool and then a swim in the salt water coral pool. Thomas had a bit of a shock with this one, as we swam to a shipwreck mock up, he swam down to a hole in the side of the sunken ship and came face to face with a very large fish with teeth, he backed quickly. Later he found that there was a glass partition built in to the side of the ship, so as you would expect, he was not in any danger! We enjoyed our day so much, we completely forgot it was the space shuttle launch which we were told we could have seen from where we were, so missed it if we could have done.
We left there about 6.30 and went to Orlando Premium outlet for retail therapy. (Who invented that phrase? Did not seem that therapeutic to me!) A couple of watches for me and Michelle, some Swarovski crystal, a leather jacket, wallet and hat for Thomas, plus our bargain of the day for Danielle. (A Disney Coat form the Disney outlet there for $25 instead of the original $189) and we decided to go for a meal and headed for the Villa, planning on stopping off on route. However a crash had closed the 192, 3 miles from our turnoff. We got sent back down the 192 so stopped off at Longhorn steakhouse for dinner. Not too bad but we have no plans to go back. The 192 was still closed when we left so got turned around again and kept going until Sat Nav gave us another option instead of do a U turn!
Day 6 - Tuesday 17th November 2009
It’s Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party tonight, so a late finish (Midnight) Despite what we want to do (get up and go!) we start with a morning catching up (kids laying in) and me typing this, it may get put on the DIS, but it’s main reason is, as a memory report for Michelle’s 40th birthday present memories.
We set off for Epcot, deciding to park at MK, (using our diamond parking pass) we got the monorail and got to Epcot just gone 10.30am. We only got a couple of autographs in Epcot, Chip n Dale and Donald Duck. The park was fairly quite so we got quite a lot in. We went experienced, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, The Land, Mission Space, The Sea’s with Nemo and Friends, Soarin, Spaceship Earth, and Test Track. Michelle also got a passport and Danielle a mask that had various paper shapes attached from each of the worlds in the World Showcase. However as we had gone straight to Teppoa Edo in Japan for our lunch, we missed Canada, the UK and France for our stamps for the passport and the paper shapes for Danielle’s mask. We left Epcot at 6.15 and got the monorail back to MK ready for the 7pm start of
MVMCP.
IT WAS SNOWING down MAIN Street, we were in our shorts and T Shirts and it was snowing, okay it was foam but the effect was spot on! We got a great photo, from the park photographers with the castle in the back ground and not many people in the background and got a spot near the Hub and watched the Celebrate the season show, then waited for Mickey’s once upon a Christmastime Parade, both were brilliant. Another couple of autographs (Woody and Lilo with Stitch) a few more rides, the magic carpets of Aladdin, Peter Pans flight, another look at Mickey’s Philharmagic, it’s a small world and Tomorrowland speedway and finally a photo with Father Christmas, we left the park just gone midnight and headed home. Our feet really were starting to ache now!
I will try and post photos, as soon as I work out how!
You are having a lovely time and are doing extremely well as newbies over there when I think back to our first visit I laugh as we were hopeless.
I think that story is going to come up a lot in the future.
You seem to be fitting lots in too. Keep taking those pics. We have been checking them out on FB but we are really looking forward to getting together when you get back and going through your album 
We lost ours last year on the way back from WDW - at least you had most of the pics backed up.
