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- Sep 2, 2003
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Friday 21st October 2011
Finished our last minute packing and checked out of the Sheriton. We then drove to Cracker Barrel and had breakfast. I chose yogurt, granola, and apple-bran muffins which were delicious and Tony chose eggs and sausage plus the apple raison bread we all had on our first visit. With orange juice and coffees, this was still under $20.
A couple of pics of the Cracker Barrel store. We love shopping in here.
We then headed out to Madeira Beach where our friends Anne and Brian have their time-share.
Anne saw us arrive and came out to meet us and obtained a parking permit for us.
Their apartment is lovely right on the beach with a large balcony and fab views of the gulf.
We walked along the beach for a bit, then had drinks and snacks on the balcony.
After that we made our way to the shopping and restaurant area that is on the bay. Its like a boardwalk with fishing boats and cruisers. Very pretty.
We had lunch at a lovely restaurant called Sculleys grouper sandwiches all round! Delicious.
We had a wander around the shops where Tony bought a t-shirt thats black and white and transforms to colour when the sun shines on it.
Back at the apartment complex, we met some of Anne and Brians American and Canadian friends. They have had their time-share a long time and it works differently to ours. They all usually go at the same time each year and always have their own apartment, so they all meet the same people each time and have become good friends.
We had a swim in the pool and then tried out the fabulously warm hot-tub.
We left Anne and Brian just after 4, but got stuck in a vast amount of traffic around Tampa so were late getting back to Orlando. Consequently, we were too late to meet up with the others at Chillis, so stopped at Applebees instead.
Applebees was good.
I had a huge glass of red apple sangia, which was tangy and yum and went straight to my head as alcohol always does. We shared an appetizer our very favourite Spinach and Artichoke Dip.
Then both had a steak with mash and broccoli. The steaks were cooked just how we like them and it was all very nice indeed. We shared the Maple Bondie for dessert again our favourite.
After dinner, we drove to Wilderness Lodge Villas where we were staying with Joh, Gary and Daniel for the night. This was the first time we had ever stayed in a Disney resort and we were very excited. Joh and Gary had already given us a key, so we let ourselves into their apartment and tried not to poke about and look at everything! Luckily, we had only been there a matter of minutes when they all turned up and gave us a quick tour. And very lovely it was too.
They had had a great day at Islands of Adventure, although the wait for The Forbidden Journey was an hour. They sampled butterbeer and had a good meal in The Three Broomsticks.
After Islands, they played a round of mini-golf, but cut it short when the children started getting hungry. They had a lovely meal at Chillis and then took the children to the arcade at Wilderness Lodge which they all enjoyed.
We chatted for a bit, then got ourselves organised for bed. Tony and I were having the sofa bed in the lounge and it was very comfortable.
Tomorrow: The start of our cruise on The Disney Magic!
Finished our last minute packing and checked out of the Sheriton. We then drove to Cracker Barrel and had breakfast. I chose yogurt, granola, and apple-bran muffins which were delicious and Tony chose eggs and sausage plus the apple raison bread we all had on our first visit. With orange juice and coffees, this was still under $20.
A couple of pics of the Cracker Barrel store. We love shopping in here.
We then headed out to Madeira Beach where our friends Anne and Brian have their time-share.
Anne saw us arrive and came out to meet us and obtained a parking permit for us.
Their apartment is lovely right on the beach with a large balcony and fab views of the gulf.
We walked along the beach for a bit, then had drinks and snacks on the balcony.
After that we made our way to the shopping and restaurant area that is on the bay. Its like a boardwalk with fishing boats and cruisers. Very pretty.
We had lunch at a lovely restaurant called Sculleys grouper sandwiches all round! Delicious.
We had a wander around the shops where Tony bought a t-shirt thats black and white and transforms to colour when the sun shines on it.
Back at the apartment complex, we met some of Anne and Brians American and Canadian friends. They have had their time-share a long time and it works differently to ours. They all usually go at the same time each year and always have their own apartment, so they all meet the same people each time and have become good friends.
We had a swim in the pool and then tried out the fabulously warm hot-tub.
We left Anne and Brian just after 4, but got stuck in a vast amount of traffic around Tampa so were late getting back to Orlando. Consequently, we were too late to meet up with the others at Chillis, so stopped at Applebees instead.
Applebees was good.
I had a huge glass of red apple sangia, which was tangy and yum and went straight to my head as alcohol always does. We shared an appetizer our very favourite Spinach and Artichoke Dip.
Then both had a steak with mash and broccoli. The steaks were cooked just how we like them and it was all very nice indeed. We shared the Maple Bondie for dessert again our favourite.
After dinner, we drove to Wilderness Lodge Villas where we were staying with Joh, Gary and Daniel for the night. This was the first time we had ever stayed in a Disney resort and we were very excited. Joh and Gary had already given us a key, so we let ourselves into their apartment and tried not to poke about and look at everything! Luckily, we had only been there a matter of minutes when they all turned up and gave us a quick tour. And very lovely it was too.
They had had a great day at Islands of Adventure, although the wait for The Forbidden Journey was an hour. They sampled butterbeer and had a good meal in The Three Broomsticks.
After Islands, they played a round of mini-golf, but cut it short when the children started getting hungry. They had a lovely meal at Chillis and then took the children to the arcade at Wilderness Lodge which they all enjoyed.
We chatted for a bit, then got ourselves organised for bed. Tony and I were having the sofa bed in the lounge and it was very comfortable.
Tomorrow: The start of our cruise on The Disney Magic!
