Kevin Stringer
Chat Host
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2000
- Messages
- 2,698
DAY 16 FRIDAY 30th MAY & SUMMARY
Whos going:
Me: Kev, 45.
Wife: Tam, 39.
Daughter 1: India, 12.
Daughter 2: Georgia, 9.
Want to know any more than that?
Go look at http://freespace.virgin.net/kevin.stringer/index.htm its really not too painful.
Todays report is going to be brief as is customary with my final day efforts. I mean, what is there to be happy about?
We get up at 9:00 am and are packed and out of the room by 11:00. The bags are stored with Bell Services and we get the bus to Downtown Disney. A quick visit to the World of Disney allows some last minute shopping before we move to DisneyQuest. We are not being picked up by Happy Limo until 5:00 pm so this seems like a good way to pass the time. Wrong!
I hadnt realised, but our 7 day passes do not include DisneyQuest. Im not paying $30 each to go in for a few hours, so we have to think again.
I suggest seeing a film, so we walk the few yards to the AMC theatre to see what is showing.
By happy coincidence Finding Nemo has opened today, so that saves any arguments as to what we should see.
Its plainly obvious that Pixar and Disney are going to have another smash hit on their hands with this one. My favourite characters are Bruce the shark and the surfing dude turtle. Like whoa dude!
See it as soon as you can. Unfortunately, I dont think it comes out in the UK until October.
After the film we wander through a couple more shops before returning to the BCV to be picked up by Happy Limo.
We arrive at MCO 3 hours before our flight and get checked in very smoothly. Once again we fail to get our pre-booked seats. They really have to re-think this programme, or else drop it entirely.
We know have a long time to wait and I suggest we have a look around the Hyatt as Ive never seen it before. I remember that many people use McCoys restaurant to have a relaxing meal before their flights, so we go and have a look at the prices.
Not bad at all, so we give it a try.
Tam and I split a turkey sandwich, India just has corn on the cob, while Georgia has chicken nuggets. With drinks all round, cookies for dessert and tip the bill is $42. A very nice way to while away the time in quieter surroundings to the normal hustle and bustle of the airport.
The rest is just boring and sad. The flight home is fine, I watch Treasure Planet (better than I expected) and Daredevil (worse than I expected).
SUMMARY
The cruise:
Im glad I have given myself a couple of weeks before writing this summary in order to put things in their proper perspective.
Overall the cruise was a wonderful experience. The food, the service, the entertainment and the islands we visited were all first class. Just sitting on the verandah and enjoying the view was lovely.
The things that I wasnt quite so keen on tend to be relatively minor gripes. The number of people can be a little overwhelming at times, especially on the first day. Some of the myriad photo-opportunities are a bit over the top, the atrium is taken up with photographers and queues waiting to be snapped at certain times on the cruise.
The staterooms can be a little less than private, you can hear people either side of you at times, although this must vary enormously depending on who you have next to you.
Also I was surprised at the number of people who made no effort at all outside of formal night to dress up. Not that there is anything wrong with this, its your holiday and if you prefer to be casual, fine. It just wasnt what I was expecting.
Would I do it again? Yes, but perversely enough after all my moaning about too many children, I would prefer to do a cruise with just Tam and I. Some of the adult only facilities are excellent and Im sure you could have a much more relaxing time if you could make full use of these.
The weather:
Having not been in one of the hotter months for a long while, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Very little rain and no worries about feeling too cold in shorts in the evenings. Maybe July and August wouldnt be so bad after all.
BCV v BWV
Ah, tricky one this. My natural loyalty towards my home resort would pull me in favour of the BWV. There is more hustle and bustle on the Boardwalk and the lounge in the Inn is one of my favourite places in WDW.
But .. the BCV exceeded my expectations. Quiet, pretty and far away from the throngs of the parks.
Ill have to sit on the fence on this one and say that if you want a livelier time stay at the BWV, if you prefer a more relaxing holiday try the BCV. Neatly sidestepped eh?
At least it shows that I should try all the DVC resorts at some time in the future as I may be surprised again.
So thats it. All over for another year. Every time it seems to get harder to leave Florida. Its almost like a second home now.
Whats next? Well, we have already booked a villa in Captiva for a week at the end of May next year, followed by another week back in a DVC resort.
Both mothers are coming with us again, so it looks like Ill be kept on my toes.
Finally, thanks very much to all those who took time to either post messages or sent me e-mail. It really does help you to keep writing knowing that there is someone out there reading.
Cheers
Kev
Whos going:
Me: Kev, 45.
Wife: Tam, 39.
Daughter 1: India, 12.
Daughter 2: Georgia, 9.
Want to know any more than that?
Go look at http://freespace.virgin.net/kevin.stringer/index.htm its really not too painful.
Todays report is going to be brief as is customary with my final day efforts. I mean, what is there to be happy about?
We get up at 9:00 am and are packed and out of the room by 11:00. The bags are stored with Bell Services and we get the bus to Downtown Disney. A quick visit to the World of Disney allows some last minute shopping before we move to DisneyQuest. We are not being picked up by Happy Limo until 5:00 pm so this seems like a good way to pass the time. Wrong!
I hadnt realised, but our 7 day passes do not include DisneyQuest. Im not paying $30 each to go in for a few hours, so we have to think again.
I suggest seeing a film, so we walk the few yards to the AMC theatre to see what is showing.
By happy coincidence Finding Nemo has opened today, so that saves any arguments as to what we should see.
Its plainly obvious that Pixar and Disney are going to have another smash hit on their hands with this one. My favourite characters are Bruce the shark and the surfing dude turtle. Like whoa dude!
See it as soon as you can. Unfortunately, I dont think it comes out in the UK until October.
After the film we wander through a couple more shops before returning to the BCV to be picked up by Happy Limo.
We arrive at MCO 3 hours before our flight and get checked in very smoothly. Once again we fail to get our pre-booked seats. They really have to re-think this programme, or else drop it entirely.
We know have a long time to wait and I suggest we have a look around the Hyatt as Ive never seen it before. I remember that many people use McCoys restaurant to have a relaxing meal before their flights, so we go and have a look at the prices.
Not bad at all, so we give it a try.
Tam and I split a turkey sandwich, India just has corn on the cob, while Georgia has chicken nuggets. With drinks all round, cookies for dessert and tip the bill is $42. A very nice way to while away the time in quieter surroundings to the normal hustle and bustle of the airport.
The rest is just boring and sad. The flight home is fine, I watch Treasure Planet (better than I expected) and Daredevil (worse than I expected).
SUMMARY
The cruise:
Im glad I have given myself a couple of weeks before writing this summary in order to put things in their proper perspective.
Overall the cruise was a wonderful experience. The food, the service, the entertainment and the islands we visited were all first class. Just sitting on the verandah and enjoying the view was lovely.
The things that I wasnt quite so keen on tend to be relatively minor gripes. The number of people can be a little overwhelming at times, especially on the first day. Some of the myriad photo-opportunities are a bit over the top, the atrium is taken up with photographers and queues waiting to be snapped at certain times on the cruise.
The staterooms can be a little less than private, you can hear people either side of you at times, although this must vary enormously depending on who you have next to you.
Also I was surprised at the number of people who made no effort at all outside of formal night to dress up. Not that there is anything wrong with this, its your holiday and if you prefer to be casual, fine. It just wasnt what I was expecting.
Would I do it again? Yes, but perversely enough after all my moaning about too many children, I would prefer to do a cruise with just Tam and I. Some of the adult only facilities are excellent and Im sure you could have a much more relaxing time if you could make full use of these.
The weather:
Having not been in one of the hotter months for a long while, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Very little rain and no worries about feeling too cold in shorts in the evenings. Maybe July and August wouldnt be so bad after all.
BCV v BWV
Ah, tricky one this. My natural loyalty towards my home resort would pull me in favour of the BWV. There is more hustle and bustle on the Boardwalk and the lounge in the Inn is one of my favourite places in WDW.
But .. the BCV exceeded my expectations. Quiet, pretty and far away from the throngs of the parks.
Ill have to sit on the fence on this one and say that if you want a livelier time stay at the BWV, if you prefer a more relaxing holiday try the BCV. Neatly sidestepped eh?
At least it shows that I should try all the DVC resorts at some time in the future as I may be surprised again.
So thats it. All over for another year. Every time it seems to get harder to leave Florida. Its almost like a second home now.
Whats next? Well, we have already booked a villa in Captiva for a week at the end of May next year, followed by another week back in a DVC resort.
Both mothers are coming with us again, so it looks like Ill be kept on my toes.
Finally, thanks very much to all those who took time to either post messages or sent me e-mail. It really does help you to keep writing knowing that there is someone out there reading.
Cheers
Kev
Thanks so much for taking the time to share them with us!! 
