wicket2005
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- Joined
- Mar 31, 2005
- Messages
- 5,959
Sunday, 16th July 2006
Hi Friends
I am glad you got my last letter okay; post from over here can sometimes take some time.
Anyway you would think that after hardly having any sleep for 46 hours I would have slept like a log! Unfortunately, someone started to mow the grass at 1 am and whats that, is it a monster coming into the room at 3 am. Otherwise known as the air conditioning and Craig making strange noises in his sleep!
Eventually I woke up at 5.30 am, too excited to sleep again just like the kids on that Disney advert who dont want to wake their parents but they are also awake too. My tummy woke up about 10 minutes after me, as they tend to do, making it impossible to go back to sleep till it had been fed. By then Ian was awake so we headed down to the hotels Red Deli for coffee and cookies. There is nothing like eating in your room with the thought of a whole 2 weeks in Orlando ahead of you, is there?
After last years holiday, you may remember me saying we would be more adventurous and not go to the Ponderosa for breakfast day in and day out, even if it is cheap and cheerful. I had prepared a list of local breakfast places to try where did the family vote to have their first breakfast? Yep, you got it the Ponderosa. Typical. With a sense of déjà vu we entered the restaurant and spied a familiar face. Kathy the dotty waitress from last year who spoke just like Dustin Hoffmann in Tootsie. Fortunately we were not served by her but by a rather eager young man who earned his tip get a haircut! We were on a healthy eating regime for five minutes that morning so Gary and I had oats and fruit, Craig fruit and eggs and Ian fruit and the cooked stuff. Why do American eggs taste so strange? What do the hens do to them? I found out the answer later on, but at the moment, green eggs and ham about sums them up.
Anyway we felt full which was the main thing and, thankfully, we were not at Islands first thing. You know what it is like on those rollercoasters first thing in the morning. Instead we had picked to go to Animal Kingdom and have a leisurely stroll around with it being the first proper day and all that.
Our leisurely walk quickly turned into a mad scramble as the hoards of people entered the park all walking like lemmings to the latest attraction Everest. No other attraction was as popular and no other attraction had a line the size of this one. Thank goodness for fast passes and the fact that some people do not know how to use them.
Leaving the quickly growing line of people that meandered around like a great colourful snake to their own devices we headed to Kali River Rapids. In fact, we had two goes on it because everyone was joining in the conga at Everest. Naturally we got wet but as we were wearing super drying clothes and it was super hot so it didnt bother us.
What did bother us was going into the ultra freezing air conditioned Dinosaur building. It felt distinctly chilly as we headed on to this ride. We squelched and splattered along to the seats, and were almost spun dried as we were thrown around on the ride. Apologies must be sent to those that sat in our seats after us especially if they were avoiding water rides.
The fast pass for Everest was due. I approached the ride with a touch of trepidation especially as both Gary and I were still suffering from the effects of whiplash after the car crash in March. I planted myself down with everything tense to protect my neck. I also made sure Ian and Gary sat in the front row to offer further protection at least that was my story. Truth was I didnt quite fancy the front row for my first go. The ride was sheer class though and you must go on it several times when you return.
After this adrenalin rush it was time for a quiet stroll up the Pangani Trail. We admired a rabbit trapped in one of the cages, but were a bit red faced when the CM said it was actually a duka and was supposed to be in there! The gorillas were hiding so it was a bit like Spot Wally in the jungle. Magnificent creatures arent they?
There was this adorable little creature sitting in front of us on the safari ride, a little blonde haired, two year old American girl who greeted us all with a hi as she looked back at us. Her parents allowed her to stand up on the truck but, fortunately, the driver spotted her and told her to sit down. She immediately replied you got it, which was really cute for one so young to sound so grown up American. We did see lots of animals though sometimes you felt you were in the Jurassic Park jeep peering into bushes without an animal to be seen.
Pizzarafi followed for lunch. Another family favourite. The kids had pizza, Ian apple pie and me a chicken/ham cooked sandwich with crisps, it was yummy. The healthy diet plans now safely catapulted out of the window; narrowly avoiding Stitch who was loitering outside for a chilli dog!
Waddling from the restaurant we went straight over to a cave like viewing area which I remember you mentioning just the other day. It has the cutest otters in that you ever did see. I could have spent ages just watching them.
We headed back over to Asia and Kali River Rapids. Would you believe it people were standing in a 90 minute line now. Trying not to be too smug we passed by. It does pay to get into the parks early even if it does half kill you in the process.
Craig had especially requested to see The Flights of Wonder show again. We saw it back in 2000 but avoided it last year. The father in law smashed out enjoyment of the show telling us what a good ventriquilist the lass was as the parrot sang, when he saw the video. He did have a point but in the true spirit of Disney we lapped up the show again.
By now it was so hot that anything looking like water looked so inviting, we decided to go to Blizzard Beach for a cool down. Twenty minutes later I was running for my life from this most enormous wave that was about to crash down on top of me, even though I was only in a foot of water at the time. For some reason the rest of them thought it was really funny watching me running away every couple of minutes or so.
I escaped to the Lazy Creek and had preplanned not to sit in one of those rings, getting stuck in one doing a perpetual circuit of the creek was not my idea of fun another story, another year. I kindly offered to push the chosen one round. It was extremely relaxing as the dimpled sun light flickered through the trees. This is the life. I added to their enjoyment by ensuring they cooled down by accidentally allowing their rings to hit ice cold showers, how kind am I?
Suitably refreshed we left, and then had the added benefit of a Turkish steam bath as we entered our car and drove to MGM. The breeze from the trolley ride to the entrance helped to cool us down again.
Rosies All American Cafe tempted us for tea. I plonked down, naturally picking the wrong seats, being under the full glare of the sun. Being Brits we stuck it out. Gary and I (that sounds posh doesnt it Microsoft Word keeps correcting my me and Gary entries) had chicken strips which I know are a particular favourite of yours but these were quite hard. I was worried I was going to break a tooth. A poor bird, looking the worse for wear, hobbled around on one leg by the tables. I was sure it had been hit by one of these strips in the past. Ian had a burger whilst Craig only had a sprite. Heat and food just do not mix well for him.
We cooled off quite nicely in the Great Movie Ride with its super air conditioning. I actually enjoyed this ride, last year I nearly fell asleep on it. I would like to see an up to date film on it though. From there we went on Muppets 3D.
Craig thinks Ian is just like Beaker not only do they share the same red hair but both get squeaky when they get agitated. The row of seats shook quite a bit as we laughed when Beaker was on. I am glad to say though that is as far as the resemblance to Beaker goes.
Gary particularly likes the Backlot Tour which we headed to next. The first part of the show seems to be a bit hit and miss, sometimes it is working, sometimes not. This time it wasnt, so following half a show we were quickly on the trams for our tour. I spotted the bone ball from Pirates 2 hiding behind some bushes so I got a photo which I was quite chuffed about. The Catastrophe at the end was as good as we remembered. The kids had not remembered the best place to sit so I positioned them on the left hand side. They got a little bit wet.
Rock n Roll Rollercoaster was quite busy and we couldnt be bothered to wait. We left the park to go to the heart and soul, in my opinion, of Disney the Magic Kingdom. Now I know you have exactly the same feelings as me when you see the castle coming in to view. It is almost like you are coming home isnt it? The ferry gave us a relaxing journey to the entrance.
Top priority this year was the revamped Pirates of the Caribbean ride. I do like what they have done and I will not spoil some of the effects for you because I know you cannot wait to see it for yourself. I will say Jack looked extremely life like though, yo ho, yo ho a pirates life for me!
Life did feel good as we sipped our pineapple dole whips outside the Swiss Family Treehouse. I know you just discovered them yourself recently too, they are so refreshing. I usually call them floaties which conjures up other images.
I remember telling you how it took us 1 ½ to get out of Disney after the fireworks last year so it will come as no surprise to you that we legged it out of the park just before the fireworks started. We couldnt face being in a long queue tonight after being on the go for so long. We must have looked quite strange as we hurried out of the park and onto the ferry boat.
I know you had said watching the fireworks from the ferry dock at the other side was a good place to watch them. Well it is but not as good as seeing the castle close in the foreground. A lot of other creatures had chosen to watch from there too, millions of bugs of all descriptions seemed to be in the air or on the ground. I had to keep swatting myself. The lads and Ian couldnt stand it and were slowly edging away to the trolley park. I would say I did enjoy the fireworks though but was glad they had finished after an extremely large bug thudded to the ground next to me. To all intents and purposes it looked like a large leaf, an American kindly informed me that if you touched that you would feel its sting for a week and on that note I too headed for the trolley park.
Mission accomplished we had beaten the crowds but not the bugs back to the car. Our first full day and what a full one it was. How come the first week always seems to last for ages but the second week goes over in a flash? One of lifes greatest mysteries.
Once again, dear friends, I hope this letter brings back happy memories for you or lets you envisage the delights to come.
With love
Bev, Ian, Gary and Craig
xxxxxxx
Ps I hope to send you some photos soon.
Hi Friends
I am glad you got my last letter okay; post from over here can sometimes take some time.
Anyway you would think that after hardly having any sleep for 46 hours I would have slept like a log! Unfortunately, someone started to mow the grass at 1 am and whats that, is it a monster coming into the room at 3 am. Otherwise known as the air conditioning and Craig making strange noises in his sleep!
Eventually I woke up at 5.30 am, too excited to sleep again just like the kids on that Disney advert who dont want to wake their parents but they are also awake too. My tummy woke up about 10 minutes after me, as they tend to do, making it impossible to go back to sleep till it had been fed. By then Ian was awake so we headed down to the hotels Red Deli for coffee and cookies. There is nothing like eating in your room with the thought of a whole 2 weeks in Orlando ahead of you, is there?
After last years holiday, you may remember me saying we would be more adventurous and not go to the Ponderosa for breakfast day in and day out, even if it is cheap and cheerful. I had prepared a list of local breakfast places to try where did the family vote to have their first breakfast? Yep, you got it the Ponderosa. Typical. With a sense of déjà vu we entered the restaurant and spied a familiar face. Kathy the dotty waitress from last year who spoke just like Dustin Hoffmann in Tootsie. Fortunately we were not served by her but by a rather eager young man who earned his tip get a haircut! We were on a healthy eating regime for five minutes that morning so Gary and I had oats and fruit, Craig fruit and eggs and Ian fruit and the cooked stuff. Why do American eggs taste so strange? What do the hens do to them? I found out the answer later on, but at the moment, green eggs and ham about sums them up.
Anyway we felt full which was the main thing and, thankfully, we were not at Islands first thing. You know what it is like on those rollercoasters first thing in the morning. Instead we had picked to go to Animal Kingdom and have a leisurely stroll around with it being the first proper day and all that.
Our leisurely walk quickly turned into a mad scramble as the hoards of people entered the park all walking like lemmings to the latest attraction Everest. No other attraction was as popular and no other attraction had a line the size of this one. Thank goodness for fast passes and the fact that some people do not know how to use them.
Leaving the quickly growing line of people that meandered around like a great colourful snake to their own devices we headed to Kali River Rapids. In fact, we had two goes on it because everyone was joining in the conga at Everest. Naturally we got wet but as we were wearing super drying clothes and it was super hot so it didnt bother us.
What did bother us was going into the ultra freezing air conditioned Dinosaur building. It felt distinctly chilly as we headed on to this ride. We squelched and splattered along to the seats, and were almost spun dried as we were thrown around on the ride. Apologies must be sent to those that sat in our seats after us especially if they were avoiding water rides.
The fast pass for Everest was due. I approached the ride with a touch of trepidation especially as both Gary and I were still suffering from the effects of whiplash after the car crash in March. I planted myself down with everything tense to protect my neck. I also made sure Ian and Gary sat in the front row to offer further protection at least that was my story. Truth was I didnt quite fancy the front row for my first go. The ride was sheer class though and you must go on it several times when you return.
After this adrenalin rush it was time for a quiet stroll up the Pangani Trail. We admired a rabbit trapped in one of the cages, but were a bit red faced when the CM said it was actually a duka and was supposed to be in there! The gorillas were hiding so it was a bit like Spot Wally in the jungle. Magnificent creatures arent they?
There was this adorable little creature sitting in front of us on the safari ride, a little blonde haired, two year old American girl who greeted us all with a hi as she looked back at us. Her parents allowed her to stand up on the truck but, fortunately, the driver spotted her and told her to sit down. She immediately replied you got it, which was really cute for one so young to sound so grown up American. We did see lots of animals though sometimes you felt you were in the Jurassic Park jeep peering into bushes without an animal to be seen.
Pizzarafi followed for lunch. Another family favourite. The kids had pizza, Ian apple pie and me a chicken/ham cooked sandwich with crisps, it was yummy. The healthy diet plans now safely catapulted out of the window; narrowly avoiding Stitch who was loitering outside for a chilli dog!
Waddling from the restaurant we went straight over to a cave like viewing area which I remember you mentioning just the other day. It has the cutest otters in that you ever did see. I could have spent ages just watching them.
We headed back over to Asia and Kali River Rapids. Would you believe it people were standing in a 90 minute line now. Trying not to be too smug we passed by. It does pay to get into the parks early even if it does half kill you in the process.
Craig had especially requested to see The Flights of Wonder show again. We saw it back in 2000 but avoided it last year. The father in law smashed out enjoyment of the show telling us what a good ventriquilist the lass was as the parrot sang, when he saw the video. He did have a point but in the true spirit of Disney we lapped up the show again.
By now it was so hot that anything looking like water looked so inviting, we decided to go to Blizzard Beach for a cool down. Twenty minutes later I was running for my life from this most enormous wave that was about to crash down on top of me, even though I was only in a foot of water at the time. For some reason the rest of them thought it was really funny watching me running away every couple of minutes or so.
I escaped to the Lazy Creek and had preplanned not to sit in one of those rings, getting stuck in one doing a perpetual circuit of the creek was not my idea of fun another story, another year. I kindly offered to push the chosen one round. It was extremely relaxing as the dimpled sun light flickered through the trees. This is the life. I added to their enjoyment by ensuring they cooled down by accidentally allowing their rings to hit ice cold showers, how kind am I?
Suitably refreshed we left, and then had the added benefit of a Turkish steam bath as we entered our car and drove to MGM. The breeze from the trolley ride to the entrance helped to cool us down again.
Rosies All American Cafe tempted us for tea. I plonked down, naturally picking the wrong seats, being under the full glare of the sun. Being Brits we stuck it out. Gary and I (that sounds posh doesnt it Microsoft Word keeps correcting my me and Gary entries) had chicken strips which I know are a particular favourite of yours but these were quite hard. I was worried I was going to break a tooth. A poor bird, looking the worse for wear, hobbled around on one leg by the tables. I was sure it had been hit by one of these strips in the past. Ian had a burger whilst Craig only had a sprite. Heat and food just do not mix well for him.
We cooled off quite nicely in the Great Movie Ride with its super air conditioning. I actually enjoyed this ride, last year I nearly fell asleep on it. I would like to see an up to date film on it though. From there we went on Muppets 3D.
Craig thinks Ian is just like Beaker not only do they share the same red hair but both get squeaky when they get agitated. The row of seats shook quite a bit as we laughed when Beaker was on. I am glad to say though that is as far as the resemblance to Beaker goes.
Gary particularly likes the Backlot Tour which we headed to next. The first part of the show seems to be a bit hit and miss, sometimes it is working, sometimes not. This time it wasnt, so following half a show we were quickly on the trams for our tour. I spotted the bone ball from Pirates 2 hiding behind some bushes so I got a photo which I was quite chuffed about. The Catastrophe at the end was as good as we remembered. The kids had not remembered the best place to sit so I positioned them on the left hand side. They got a little bit wet.
Rock n Roll Rollercoaster was quite busy and we couldnt be bothered to wait. We left the park to go to the heart and soul, in my opinion, of Disney the Magic Kingdom. Now I know you have exactly the same feelings as me when you see the castle coming in to view. It is almost like you are coming home isnt it? The ferry gave us a relaxing journey to the entrance.
Top priority this year was the revamped Pirates of the Caribbean ride. I do like what they have done and I will not spoil some of the effects for you because I know you cannot wait to see it for yourself. I will say Jack looked extremely life like though, yo ho, yo ho a pirates life for me!
Life did feel good as we sipped our pineapple dole whips outside the Swiss Family Treehouse. I know you just discovered them yourself recently too, they are so refreshing. I usually call them floaties which conjures up other images.
I remember telling you how it took us 1 ½ to get out of Disney after the fireworks last year so it will come as no surprise to you that we legged it out of the park just before the fireworks started. We couldnt face being in a long queue tonight after being on the go for so long. We must have looked quite strange as we hurried out of the park and onto the ferry boat.
I know you had said watching the fireworks from the ferry dock at the other side was a good place to watch them. Well it is but not as good as seeing the castle close in the foreground. A lot of other creatures had chosen to watch from there too, millions of bugs of all descriptions seemed to be in the air or on the ground. I had to keep swatting myself. The lads and Ian couldnt stand it and were slowly edging away to the trolley park. I would say I did enjoy the fireworks though but was glad they had finished after an extremely large bug thudded to the ground next to me. To all intents and purposes it looked like a large leaf, an American kindly informed me that if you touched that you would feel its sting for a week and on that note I too headed for the trolley park.
Mission accomplished we had beaten the crowds but not the bugs back to the car. Our first full day and what a full one it was. How come the first week always seems to last for ages but the second week goes over in a flash? One of lifes greatest mysteries.
Once again, dear friends, I hope this letter brings back happy memories for you or lets you envisage the delights to come.
With love
Bev, Ian, Gary and Craig
xxxxxxx
Ps I hope to send you some photos soon.
