Had a lie in until 8.30! Got ready and packed to move to Renaissance Resort at SeaWorld. This is the first time I had tried hotel/resort hopping and the thought of packing cases repeatedly had been a little off-putting. However, it is quite simple, especially with the aid of numerous Disney carrier bags we had accumulated!
Checked out of hotel and headed to Celebration for brunch. Stopping en route at Goodings for some cold remedies and tissues - as I have caught a stinking cold.
A short drive down the I4 to Celebration which is 'quaint' and almost too nice. You know how something can be so tacky that it ends up being chic? Well celebration is so pleasant that it is in danger of becoming evil!? We spent some time just strolling around. The lake with the rocking chairs, the Realtors (this is an expensive place to live) and of course the shops! I can understand why some visitors think people are shipped in here by Disney to entertain the tourists. It has an almost unreal quality about it.
Had a nice early lunch in the diner, think we had something simple, Burger and fries and an omelette and salad. Washed down with chocolate shakes.
Returned to the I4 and headed North (or rather East) towards the Mall of the Millennia. As we approached my mobile rang - my bank manager "dont even think about it" he said.
This isnt your average mall. No one seems to shop here. They just visit here to imagine life as a lottery winner. I almost felt under-dressed and doubted whether I could afford to even window shop. The GF worked on the assumption that our six numbers will come up next weekend!
Seeing as there is only so much time I can stand looking at shoes I sat down in the atrium area drinking Barnies Café Latte and attempted to eat a house brick sized cake. The GF has much more shopping-stamina than I and spent a large amount of time and an even larger amount of money in Vvictorias Secret. I did the math(s)... On a £ per kg underwear is substantially more expensive than platinum!
Having exhausted my patience and tissue supply (the cold remedies hadnt kicked in yet) we headed to the hotel. The Renaissance is big... Very much a business hotel. Huge atrium with lots of tables and chairs with no-one in them! The busiest place was the pond, containing an unfeasibly large number of Coy Carp.
All the rooms are arranged around the outside of the hotel, some facing outwards (mostly over car parks) and the rest overlooking the main atrium. I, following the old 50/50 rule, chose the wrong way out of the lift and walked around three sides of the building until we reached our room was nice enough. Large and comfortable, with a small balcony overlooking the atrium.
Chilled out for an hour or two then quick changed and out for dinner. Opted for HRC at CityWalk. Parked in ET567 - appropriate as the distance between car and park was inter-terrestrial.
Shared a starter of potato skins followed by ribs for me and salad for GF. One cocktail and a mountain dew for me. Food was average. Very average. Table was in a crappy little anteroom which lacked a lot of the theming of the the main dining area. Bill was $55 inc tip.
Wandered round CityWalk, getting caught in a brief but heavy shower. Looked at the Universal pins and felt they were a poor imitation of Disneys. Overall CityWalk falls a distant third to Downtown Disney and (my new favourite) The Boardwalk. We had considered staying at the Hard Rock Hotel thinking CityWalk would be a suitable substitute for Downtown Disney. I think we got far better value for money staying at a DD hotel.
Drove back down I-Drive. Traffic wasnt too bad. Stopped off at an Eckerds and some gift shops. Really do not like I-drive. Long time since I have spent any time here Maybe I will try it again tomorrow evening..
Back to hotel for 9.30. GF squeezed her shopping into our shrinking room and modelled her new lingerie... Not sure if it's worth the mall experience... No, I stand corrected it is!
Checked out of hotel and headed to Celebration for brunch. Stopping en route at Goodings for some cold remedies and tissues - as I have caught a stinking cold.
A short drive down the I4 to Celebration which is 'quaint' and almost too nice. You know how something can be so tacky that it ends up being chic? Well celebration is so pleasant that it is in danger of becoming evil!? We spent some time just strolling around. The lake with the rocking chairs, the Realtors (this is an expensive place to live) and of course the shops! I can understand why some visitors think people are shipped in here by Disney to entertain the tourists. It has an almost unreal quality about it.
Had a nice early lunch in the diner, think we had something simple, Burger and fries and an omelette and salad. Washed down with chocolate shakes.
Returned to the I4 and headed North (or rather East) towards the Mall of the Millennia. As we approached my mobile rang - my bank manager "dont even think about it" he said.
This isnt your average mall. No one seems to shop here. They just visit here to imagine life as a lottery winner. I almost felt under-dressed and doubted whether I could afford to even window shop. The GF worked on the assumption that our six numbers will come up next weekend!
Seeing as there is only so much time I can stand looking at shoes I sat down in the atrium area drinking Barnies Café Latte and attempted to eat a house brick sized cake. The GF has much more shopping-stamina than I and spent a large amount of time and an even larger amount of money in Vvictorias Secret. I did the math(s)... On a £ per kg underwear is substantially more expensive than platinum!
Having exhausted my patience and tissue supply (the cold remedies hadnt kicked in yet) we headed to the hotel. The Renaissance is big... Very much a business hotel. Huge atrium with lots of tables and chairs with no-one in them! The busiest place was the pond, containing an unfeasibly large number of Coy Carp.
All the rooms are arranged around the outside of the hotel, some facing outwards (mostly over car parks) and the rest overlooking the main atrium. I, following the old 50/50 rule, chose the wrong way out of the lift and walked around three sides of the building until we reached our room was nice enough. Large and comfortable, with a small balcony overlooking the atrium.
Chilled out for an hour or two then quick changed and out for dinner. Opted for HRC at CityWalk. Parked in ET567 - appropriate as the distance between car and park was inter-terrestrial.
Shared a starter of potato skins followed by ribs for me and salad for GF. One cocktail and a mountain dew for me. Food was average. Very average. Table was in a crappy little anteroom which lacked a lot of the theming of the the main dining area. Bill was $55 inc tip.
Wandered round CityWalk, getting caught in a brief but heavy shower. Looked at the Universal pins and felt they were a poor imitation of Disneys. Overall CityWalk falls a distant third to Downtown Disney and (my new favourite) The Boardwalk. We had considered staying at the Hard Rock Hotel thinking CityWalk would be a suitable substitute for Downtown Disney. I think we got far better value for money staying at a DD hotel.
Drove back down I-Drive. Traffic wasnt too bad. Stopped off at an Eckerds and some gift shops. Really do not like I-drive. Long time since I have spent any time here Maybe I will try it again tomorrow evening..
Back to hotel for 9.30. GF squeezed her shopping into our shrinking room and modelled her new lingerie... Not sure if it's worth the mall experience... No, I stand corrected it is!
