Finished packing and left the Boardwalk Inn.
Depression has well and truly set in. The thought of spending several hours cooped up inside a virgin aircraft is bad enough - the fact it is back to a cold England is almost too much to bear.
Cruised up I4 then peeled off towards the Florida Mall. It would appear the GF has credit left on her card that she wants to use at Victorias Secret! I selected a coffee from Barnies and a chair to sit and sulk in
Left Mall at 11am and doubled back on ourselves to the Kmart we passed on the way. Attempt to buy the last minute requests from home -biscuits and sweets unavailable in the UK.
Headed back to Disney - I seem to be under the control of my subconscious, reluctant to leave the mouse...
Had lunch at Crossroads, steak n shake again. I had been mulling over the cases, concerned about my case containing all the heavy stuff! Repacked the cases in the car park - did it exceed 32kg limit...?
Airport - checked in - my case weighed exactly 32kg! Lucky I had switched some things around!
Coffee at Starbucks and strolled around looking for somewhere to eat. Didnt fancy McCoys just wanted a sandwich. Orlando airport has changed a lot and appears to be in the middle of more building work. Found our way to the foodcourt - skipped the counter service options and got a table at a bar type place. I had the Cuban sandwich(?) which tasted okay and seemed pretty good value at $8.
Finally boarded the aircraft the very back row and wedged myself in the seat for the duration. I half watched various films (Bruce Almighty, Identity and something else) and flicked through the TV channels. Failed to get any sleep. This was due to the woman who stood two foot away chatting to anyone who went to the toilets. She complained incessantly about the seats being too small and how they arent designed for the average person. That maybe true, but she was certainly, erm, much bigger than the average.
Landed in Manchester. Great. Pilot announced the local temperature to be 45 degrees, half that in Orlando. Baggage reclaim was mind-numbingly slow. It was 9.40, nearly three hours after landing, that we eventually got home. Struggled through the door past the mountain of post. Home. One thing helped me get over the depression of being back The thought that I can start planning my next trip!
Final Thoughts
I had built up the Disney Resorts in my mind to be the ultimate Orlando accommodation. I had convinced myself that the price premium was worth it. However, I think I was wrong. The Wyndham, Hilton and other Downtown Disney hotels offer an excellent location at (especially with Priceline) a very reasonable rate. For our needs; no children, no interest in EMH, driving. They offer everything we expect. I wouldnt think twice about staying there again.
The CSR just wasnt for me. Sorry, simple as that. Boardwalk Inn, I loved or rather the Boardwalk area. I would stay at the Inn again, but only for a couple of nights. Maybe with a decent offer or AP rates, Id stay longer. The Swan and Dolphin appear to offer all the advantages without the same cost. My CSR money would have got me a room at the Dolphin. Either way these prices do not compare to those available at Downtown Disney.
Disney People have commented about slipping standards and cutting of costs, but Disney still does entertainment better than anyone else. I cannot think of anything to complain about in the parks. Yes the food and drink is expensive but I had budgeted for that. Counter service food is grossly overpriced whilst the table service options can work out much more reasonable.
We barely queued for anything. The longest queue the whole time in Orlando was at checkin for our flight home! The weather was hot 90+ every day, I cannot imagine trying to do the parks in the middle of August with the lengthy lines involved. Previous trips we have focussed more on doing the rides and attractions. We missed so much doing Disney that way. The rides and attractions are only 30% of what WDW is. The entertainers throughout the parks, and especially at Epcot, are magnificent. If Disney starts cutting back on these they will lose an incredible part of the Magic.
The car hire was probably a mistake too. Yes, we needed a car, but I shouldnt have upgraded. The Intrepid, Concorde and 300M are all very similar in size. I did a paltry amount of miles (I filled up only once) and I wasted a chunk of money.
The direct Virgin flight saved so much time the premium cost over flying with Delta or another scheduled operator was worth every penny. But, its only 8 hours. The charter options out of Manchester are more plentiful and I will seriously consider them next time. I will have difficulty in booking an indirect route unless it is much, much cheaper!
11 nights is not a bad length of time. It works out no cheaper than a full 14 days though. We missed out Disney Quest, Pleasure Island, the mini-golf, water parks etc etc. At least our tickets never expire! Next time I might spend more time away from the parks. More time exploring my resort and possibly less time in shops!
Friends cannot understand why I would want to go on a kids holiday to Florida. These are usually friends that have never experienced it. I challenge anyone to go for a fortnight in the Med and come back feeling as relaxed as I did from my vacation.
Thank you for reading my trip report. My next one will be better. I shall study hard and one day I will rival Kevin Stringer for the crown!!!
Depression has well and truly set in. The thought of spending several hours cooped up inside a virgin aircraft is bad enough - the fact it is back to a cold England is almost too much to bear.
Cruised up I4 then peeled off towards the Florida Mall. It would appear the GF has credit left on her card that she wants to use at Victorias Secret! I selected a coffee from Barnies and a chair to sit and sulk in
Left Mall at 11am and doubled back on ourselves to the Kmart we passed on the way. Attempt to buy the last minute requests from home -biscuits and sweets unavailable in the UK.
Headed back to Disney - I seem to be under the control of my subconscious, reluctant to leave the mouse...
Had lunch at Crossroads, steak n shake again. I had been mulling over the cases, concerned about my case containing all the heavy stuff! Repacked the cases in the car park - did it exceed 32kg limit...?
Airport - checked in - my case weighed exactly 32kg! Lucky I had switched some things around!
Coffee at Starbucks and strolled around looking for somewhere to eat. Didnt fancy McCoys just wanted a sandwich. Orlando airport has changed a lot and appears to be in the middle of more building work. Found our way to the foodcourt - skipped the counter service options and got a table at a bar type place. I had the Cuban sandwich(?) which tasted okay and seemed pretty good value at $8.
Finally boarded the aircraft the very back row and wedged myself in the seat for the duration. I half watched various films (Bruce Almighty, Identity and something else) and flicked through the TV channels. Failed to get any sleep. This was due to the woman who stood two foot away chatting to anyone who went to the toilets. She complained incessantly about the seats being too small and how they arent designed for the average person. That maybe true, but she was certainly, erm, much bigger than the average.
Landed in Manchester. Great. Pilot announced the local temperature to be 45 degrees, half that in Orlando. Baggage reclaim was mind-numbingly slow. It was 9.40, nearly three hours after landing, that we eventually got home. Struggled through the door past the mountain of post. Home. One thing helped me get over the depression of being back The thought that I can start planning my next trip!
Final Thoughts
I had built up the Disney Resorts in my mind to be the ultimate Orlando accommodation. I had convinced myself that the price premium was worth it. However, I think I was wrong. The Wyndham, Hilton and other Downtown Disney hotels offer an excellent location at (especially with Priceline) a very reasonable rate. For our needs; no children, no interest in EMH, driving. They offer everything we expect. I wouldnt think twice about staying there again.
The CSR just wasnt for me. Sorry, simple as that. Boardwalk Inn, I loved or rather the Boardwalk area. I would stay at the Inn again, but only for a couple of nights. Maybe with a decent offer or AP rates, Id stay longer. The Swan and Dolphin appear to offer all the advantages without the same cost. My CSR money would have got me a room at the Dolphin. Either way these prices do not compare to those available at Downtown Disney.
Disney People have commented about slipping standards and cutting of costs, but Disney still does entertainment better than anyone else. I cannot think of anything to complain about in the parks. Yes the food and drink is expensive but I had budgeted for that. Counter service food is grossly overpriced whilst the table service options can work out much more reasonable.
We barely queued for anything. The longest queue the whole time in Orlando was at checkin for our flight home! The weather was hot 90+ every day, I cannot imagine trying to do the parks in the middle of August with the lengthy lines involved. Previous trips we have focussed more on doing the rides and attractions. We missed so much doing Disney that way. The rides and attractions are only 30% of what WDW is. The entertainers throughout the parks, and especially at Epcot, are magnificent. If Disney starts cutting back on these they will lose an incredible part of the Magic.
The car hire was probably a mistake too. Yes, we needed a car, but I shouldnt have upgraded. The Intrepid, Concorde and 300M are all very similar in size. I did a paltry amount of miles (I filled up only once) and I wasted a chunk of money.
The direct Virgin flight saved so much time the premium cost over flying with Delta or another scheduled operator was worth every penny. But, its only 8 hours. The charter options out of Manchester are more plentiful and I will seriously consider them next time. I will have difficulty in booking an indirect route unless it is much, much cheaper!
11 nights is not a bad length of time. It works out no cheaper than a full 14 days though. We missed out Disney Quest, Pleasure Island, the mini-golf, water parks etc etc. At least our tickets never expire! Next time I might spend more time away from the parks. More time exploring my resort and possibly less time in shops!
Friends cannot understand why I would want to go on a kids holiday to Florida. These are usually friends that have never experienced it. I challenge anyone to go for a fortnight in the Med and come back feeling as relaxed as I did from my vacation.
Thank you for reading my trip report. My next one will be better. I shall study hard and one day I will rival Kevin Stringer for the crown!!!
.. great report! Thanks a lot!
(sure that isn't the correct smiley!)
