Hi Everyone, returned home on Friday after 17 nights in Saratoga Springs, seen a few High's and Low's from people that have just got back so I thought I would add my own to join in the fun 
Always start with the Low's
Bad start - DW took ill about 3-4 days before the holiday and only got worse as we headed to Manchester the night before the flight and worse still on the flight itself. We have since found out since returning and her seeing the GP that it looks like she has had a chest infection. Ended up landing at MCO and having to go straight to the clinic in the airport where she received some anti-biotics for her sore throat but she still had a cough and shortness of breath, so 4 days later we went back to the clinic (they offer free repeat visits) where she also received and inhaler and some cough medicine. Laid her out for the first 4-5 days and the holiday planner went out the window
but with a wheelchair and some perserverance we started hitting the parks .
Wheelchair access in the parks - as a follow on to the above and this being the first time I've had to use a wheelchair in disney it was a nightmare getting around the parks, rides and shops, especially when the resort wheelchairs are quite wide and the doorframes are just slightly wider. I have a new found respect for wheelchair users over there.
Jiko - With this being a 2 credit meal I expected a bit more to be honest, food was good but not great like the California Grill.
Flights - This will appear in both sections as you'll see below in a bit but both flights were a bit too bumpy for my liking (which admitedly I have a very low tolerance for so other people on the plane were probably fine)
American Drivers - Haven driven over there for a good few years now I've seen most things over there, but for some reason this year there seemed to be more nutters than the acceptable average to the point where one driver had picked the wrong lane to join the I4 from the crossroads/buena vista junction and just swerved right in front of us, we were lucky the lane next to us was empty or else there would have definitely been an accident.
Dollar - Having used Dollar for many years (mainly for Dollar Express) but having no problems with them they caught us out at the pickup desk. They tried the same trick last year where we had booked the premium car (Chrysler 300) but tried to pass the full-sized off onto us (Dodge Charger), however this year with the DW being ill and just needing to get to a bed I drove off in a Ford Escape rather than the Jeep Grand Cherokee we had booked (and I was really looking forward to drive) as they were "out of jeeps and this was the equivalent". Any other trip and I wouldn't have left but was so flustered because Lucy was so ill and barely able to stand that I just took the keys and drove off. Only on returning have I realised that there is a £115 difference between the two so a mail has been sent off to their customer services.
High's
Flights - Virgin have no control over the turbulence so I don't hold that against them, however everything else they have control over was superb. Flights were on time/early both ways, new planes are in really good shape and the new inflight entertainment is superb (although the people in economy flying back may have disagreed as there was an announcement that there was a problem with the sound which they fixed 20 or 30 mins later). Even managed to get our original 2 seats at the back of the premium economy back after they had been lost when Virgin stopped people booking the back row.
Saratoga Springs - Although most of the Disney hotels have better theming and better ameneties in their main building (which I wish Saratoga would fix as the food and shopping choices are well below average when compared to other resorts), I just love the location and the fact that after a night out visiting one of the other hotels for a meal you can just get on the downtown disney bus and walk from the bus stop (we stayed in Congress Park)
Wild Africa Trek - with Lucy's illness and missing a few days to begin with at the start of the holiday we had more money than had planned due to lack of spending so we blew a big chunk of this on the tour and it was worth every penny. The tour was fun and not to strenuous for Lucy and the animal encounters were spectacular
California Grill - We made a point of going last year and loved it so much we booked again for this year and the meal was hands down the best of the holiday if not one of the best I've ever had. Add on the wishes fireworks at the end and it really does finish off the holiday well (this was our last night)
Disney Dining Plan - Only cause this is something offered as a freebie, you can't ask for more value for money than that really. Nearly every Disney restaurant and even quick service really does have exceptional food and service.
Weather - Only one or two nights did we actually have a rain producing storm pass overhead all other days were clear
St Augustine/Mt Dora - Decided to have a little road trip to blow off the cobwebs once Lucy was mobile and visited these two places. Mt Dora is a nice place to drop by and get a bite to eat and visit a few shops. St Augustine is a fantastic place to visit and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to go a bit further afield
The holiday overall was so nice and relaxing in general (minus the odd hiccup)
Always start with the Low's
Bad start - DW took ill about 3-4 days before the holiday and only got worse as we headed to Manchester the night before the flight and worse still on the flight itself. We have since found out since returning and her seeing the GP that it looks like she has had a chest infection. Ended up landing at MCO and having to go straight to the clinic in the airport where she received some anti-biotics for her sore throat but she still had a cough and shortness of breath, so 4 days later we went back to the clinic (they offer free repeat visits) where she also received and inhaler and some cough medicine. Laid her out for the first 4-5 days and the holiday planner went out the window
but with a wheelchair and some perserverance we started hitting the parks .Wheelchair access in the parks - as a follow on to the above and this being the first time I've had to use a wheelchair in disney it was a nightmare getting around the parks, rides and shops, especially when the resort wheelchairs are quite wide and the doorframes are just slightly wider. I have a new found respect for wheelchair users over there.
Jiko - With this being a 2 credit meal I expected a bit more to be honest, food was good but not great like the California Grill.
Flights - This will appear in both sections as you'll see below in a bit but both flights were a bit too bumpy for my liking (which admitedly I have a very low tolerance for so other people on the plane were probably fine
)American Drivers - Haven driven over there for a good few years now I've seen most things over there, but for some reason this year there seemed to be more nutters than the acceptable average to the point where one driver had picked the wrong lane to join the I4 from the crossroads/buena vista junction and just swerved right in front of us, we were lucky the lane next to us was empty or else there would have definitely been an accident.
Dollar - Having used Dollar for many years (mainly for Dollar Express) but having no problems with them they caught us out at the pickup desk. They tried the same trick last year where we had booked the premium car (Chrysler 300) but tried to pass the full-sized off onto us (Dodge Charger), however this year with the DW being ill and just needing to get to a bed I drove off in a Ford Escape rather than the Jeep Grand Cherokee we had booked (and I was really looking forward to drive) as they were "out of jeeps and this was the equivalent". Any other trip and I wouldn't have left but was so flustered because Lucy was so ill and barely able to stand that I just took the keys and drove off. Only on returning have I realised that there is a £115 difference between the two so a mail has been sent off to their customer services.
High's
Flights - Virgin have no control over the turbulence so I don't hold that against them
, however everything else they have control over was superb. Flights were on time/early both ways, new planes are in really good shape and the new inflight entertainment is superb (although the people in economy flying back may have disagreed as there was an announcement that there was a problem with the sound which they fixed 20 or 30 mins later). Even managed to get our original 2 seats at the back of the premium economy back after they had been lost when Virgin stopped people booking the back row.Saratoga Springs - Although most of the Disney hotels have better theming and better ameneties in their main building (which I wish Saratoga would fix as the food and shopping choices are well below average when compared to other resorts), I just love the location and the fact that after a night out visiting one of the other hotels for a meal you can just get on the downtown disney bus and walk from the bus stop (we stayed in Congress Park)
Wild Africa Trek - with Lucy's illness and missing a few days to begin with at the start of the holiday we had more money than had planned due to lack of spending so we blew a big chunk of this on the tour and it was worth every penny. The tour was fun and not to strenuous for Lucy and the animal encounters were spectacular
California Grill - We made a point of going last year and loved it so much we booked again for this year and the meal was hands down the best of the holiday if not one of the best I've ever had. Add on the wishes fireworks at the end and it really does finish off the holiday well (this was our last night)
Disney Dining Plan - Only cause this is something offered as a freebie, you can't ask for more value for money than that really
. Nearly every Disney restaurant and even quick service really does have exceptional food and service.Weather - Only one or two nights did we actually have a rain producing storm pass overhead all other days were clear
St Augustine/Mt Dora - Decided to have a little road trip to blow off the cobwebs once Lucy was mobile and visited these two places. Mt Dora is a nice place to drop by and get a bite to eat and visit a few shops. St Augustine is a fantastic place to visit and I'd recommend it to anyone looking to go a bit further afield
The holiday overall was so nice and relaxing in general (minus the odd hiccup)
