wilma-bride
<<This space intentionally blank>>
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2005
- Messages
- 22,681
So, anyway, I thought it was about time I got my finger out and started my trippies. Not least because I am mainly relying on memory and, being almost 34 now (jeeze, how did that happen), the early signs of Alzheimers are starting to show. You know the ones where you walk into a room and forget what you went in for, when you start doing something, someone speaks to you and then you cant remember what it was you were doing. Anyhow, I digress. Now, where was I?
Oh yes, the cast aka our family:
Me Joh, 33 - chief planner extraordinaire, obsessive and impulsive (Monica has nothing on me), 3rd visit to WDW and Orlando. Having lost 3 stone in preparation for this trip, I have bought loads of shorts and skimpy tops now it just remains to be seen if Ill pluck up the courage to wear them. Most looking forward to meeting up with internet buddies and first ever MNSSHP.
DH Gary, 39 STILL does not get it, STILL doesnt do holidays but STILL really enjoys it when he gets there, also 3rd visit to WDW and Orlando. Most looking forward to 2 weeks off work!
DD1 Sian, 13 mini planner in training, 1st trip to Orlando and WDW. Well into her first year of being a teenager, she can sulk, pout and huff with the best of them. Makes Kevin the Teenager look like an angel. Diagnosed with ADHD when she was 6, she has been on Ritalin ever since. We are hoping to tire her out so much she might actually sleep. Most looking forward to the thrill rides.
DD2 Rhiannon, 12 slightly dumb blonde (you may think this unfair but reserve judgement until youve read all the trippies). Complete opposite of her sister in almost every way imaginable. Can eat for Britain! Most looking forward to Cat in the Hat and 1 Fish, 2 Fish (and I suspect that will be her limit on rides).
DS Daniel, 3 has suddenly decided that he would much rather be going to The Merica with us than to Butlins with Grandma and Grandpa. Has been slightly appeased with the promise of presents!
Day 1 Were all Going on a Summer Holiday - Monday 9th October 2006
For some reason, I thought it would be fun to give each day the title of a song. A possible alternative for today would be Hunting High and Low (all will be revealed).
The long awaited day is finally here. The in-laws have arrived to take charge of Daniel, the suitcases are packed and sitting in the spare room, the house is reasonably clean and tidy, the girls have been packed off to school for the morning and Daniel is at nursery. I am due to pick the girls up at lunchtime, bring them home for a quick sandwich before we head off to Gatwick to spend the night in a family room at the Hilton. Basically, everything is running like a well-oiled machine - what could possibly go wrong???
The fly in the ointment, the spanner in the works is that Garys precious cat, Ollie, has chosen today to do a disappearing act. Most of the morning is spent scouring the estate and surrounding main roads trying to track down the stupid animal as Gary refuses to leave until he knows the cat is home safely. Eventually, he strolls up to the door just as we are loading the suitcases into the car. He is immediately put under house arrest and the in-laws have to promise not to let him out of their sight for the next 2 weeks (hmm, could be difficult as theyre off to Butlins on Friday). I placate a worried Gary by phoning my friend Becky, who is on cat-sitting duty while Doreen, Charles and Daniel are away, and fill her in on the situation. She assures me that she will be extra vigilant in her duty of care and Gary is thus satisfied. Finally, we can leave.
The trip to Gatwick is uneventful and even the M25 is not too bad. We arrive at the Hilton at 4.30 and pull into the car park. After checking in and being issued with a voucher for the Summer Special car park, where the car will be spending the next 15 days, we dump our cases in our room and head back down to the car, setting off in search of the SS car park. 10 minutes later were there, the car is duly left and were on the bus back to Gatwick. I phone home briefly and speak to Daniel, who makes me promise I will bring him some blue trainers with flashing lights from The Merica and then I hear a loud clatter as he drops the phone on the floor and rushes off to get his tea. MIL assures me all is well and I tell her we will call once weve arrived at our destination.
Back at the Hilton, we collect our suitcases from the room and walk over to the terminal for twilight check-in. We are flying with MyTravel and, according to the BAA website, we can check in the night before as our flight is leaving before midday. However, we have been told by Airtours that twilight check-in is only for flights leaving before 9 am. I am all set for a battle if refused, though, on the basis that I have read that others have been successful
My argumentative skills were not required, however, as we arrive at the terminal and find the check-in desk open with no queue this is the life! Less than 20 minutes later, we have said goodbye to our cases and are ready for food. Having brought our hand luggage over with us in case the check-in operator needed to see it, we decide to drop the bags back to the Hilton first and then come back to find something for dinner. Bags duly dropped, we return and the decision is made that we will eat at Frankie and Bennys, the only other real option being the pub-type place or Pizza Express.
At F&Bs, we order diet cokes all round and peruse the menu. Rea decides she wants pizza and some chips and Sian settles for a chicken club sandwich. Gary opts for fish and chips and I choose the New York spicy platter. When Rea asks the waitress, Jane, for a margherita pizza with no tomato sauce, she points out that she could have the garlic pizza bread with cheese starter, which is the same size but a lot cheaper. Rea agrees, although this turns out to be a mistake as it is very garlicky and far too strong for her she doesnt enjoy it at all. The rest of us heartily enjoy ours and I dont feel at all guilty about ordering dessert too, having spent the last 10 months denying myself the little pleasures in life (like chocolate, crisps and puddings!) For dessert, Rea has the Cinnamon Waffle Crunch, Gary the Banoffee Sundae and Sian and I have the Chocolate Marble Cheesecake. All the desserts are delicious but Reas is declared the nicest. A very enjoyable meal all round (with the exception of the garlic bread) and not too badly priced at £56.25. We leave a tip (£5) and depart F&Bs at around 8 pm.
Next stop is La Senza, where I buy a cute pair of shortie pyjamas for the bargain price of £9. A quick stop at WHSmith to buy a magazine and a couple of bottles of diet coke as well as a new dark chocolate Flake (which is far too sickly, even for me) and then we return to the Hilton. Gary heads straight up to the room while the girls and I stop off in the bar so I can have a cigarette. Feeling guilty for taking up a table, we order lemonade and a diet coke - £4.85. We sit and people watch for a while I have introduced the girls to a favourite game of ours, which basically involves making up little stories about various people around us Gary and I do this a lot and the girls join in with gusto but, unfortunately, not quite the correct amount of tact and diplomacy required for the game. Fearing we may be lynched after Sian loudly announces the arrival of a sugar daddy and his bit of stuff, I drag them back to our room.
We get changed into our PJs and watch Life Begins, then settle down to sleep at 10 oclock. I suspected we wouldnt get much sleep and it turns out I wasnt wrong!
I probably should mention at this point that we werent particularly impressed with the family room at the Hilton it was basically a standard double room with a set of metal bunk beds over to one side. The bunk beds were (according to the girls) very uncomfortable and they creaked incessantly all night long. However, we only paid £171 for the family room with 15 days parking so it wasnt too bad. I still think staying overnight at Gatwick beats travelling the morning of the flight and adds an extra day to the holiday so we will always do that if we can.
Total spend for today:
£78.25 (not including the cost of the Hilton which was paid in advance)
Oh yes, the cast aka our family:
Me Joh, 33 - chief planner extraordinaire, obsessive and impulsive (Monica has nothing on me), 3rd visit to WDW and Orlando. Having lost 3 stone in preparation for this trip, I have bought loads of shorts and skimpy tops now it just remains to be seen if Ill pluck up the courage to wear them. Most looking forward to meeting up with internet buddies and first ever MNSSHP.
DH Gary, 39 STILL does not get it, STILL doesnt do holidays but STILL really enjoys it when he gets there, also 3rd visit to WDW and Orlando. Most looking forward to 2 weeks off work!
DD1 Sian, 13 mini planner in training, 1st trip to Orlando and WDW. Well into her first year of being a teenager, she can sulk, pout and huff with the best of them. Makes Kevin the Teenager look like an angel. Diagnosed with ADHD when she was 6, she has been on Ritalin ever since. We are hoping to tire her out so much she might actually sleep. Most looking forward to the thrill rides.
DD2 Rhiannon, 12 slightly dumb blonde (you may think this unfair but reserve judgement until youve read all the trippies). Complete opposite of her sister in almost every way imaginable. Can eat for Britain! Most looking forward to Cat in the Hat and 1 Fish, 2 Fish (and I suspect that will be her limit on rides).
DS Daniel, 3 has suddenly decided that he would much rather be going to The Merica with us than to Butlins with Grandma and Grandpa. Has been slightly appeased with the promise of presents!
Day 1 Were all Going on a Summer Holiday - Monday 9th October 2006
For some reason, I thought it would be fun to give each day the title of a song. A possible alternative for today would be Hunting High and Low (all will be revealed).
The long awaited day is finally here. The in-laws have arrived to take charge of Daniel, the suitcases are packed and sitting in the spare room, the house is reasonably clean and tidy, the girls have been packed off to school for the morning and Daniel is at nursery. I am due to pick the girls up at lunchtime, bring them home for a quick sandwich before we head off to Gatwick to spend the night in a family room at the Hilton. Basically, everything is running like a well-oiled machine - what could possibly go wrong???
The fly in the ointment, the spanner in the works is that Garys precious cat, Ollie, has chosen today to do a disappearing act. Most of the morning is spent scouring the estate and surrounding main roads trying to track down the stupid animal as Gary refuses to leave until he knows the cat is home safely. Eventually, he strolls up to the door just as we are loading the suitcases into the car. He is immediately put under house arrest and the in-laws have to promise not to let him out of their sight for the next 2 weeks (hmm, could be difficult as theyre off to Butlins on Friday). I placate a worried Gary by phoning my friend Becky, who is on cat-sitting duty while Doreen, Charles and Daniel are away, and fill her in on the situation. She assures me that she will be extra vigilant in her duty of care and Gary is thus satisfied. Finally, we can leave.
The trip to Gatwick is uneventful and even the M25 is not too bad. We arrive at the Hilton at 4.30 and pull into the car park. After checking in and being issued with a voucher for the Summer Special car park, where the car will be spending the next 15 days, we dump our cases in our room and head back down to the car, setting off in search of the SS car park. 10 minutes later were there, the car is duly left and were on the bus back to Gatwick. I phone home briefly and speak to Daniel, who makes me promise I will bring him some blue trainers with flashing lights from The Merica and then I hear a loud clatter as he drops the phone on the floor and rushes off to get his tea. MIL assures me all is well and I tell her we will call once weve arrived at our destination.
Back at the Hilton, we collect our suitcases from the room and walk over to the terminal for twilight check-in. We are flying with MyTravel and, according to the BAA website, we can check in the night before as our flight is leaving before midday. However, we have been told by Airtours that twilight check-in is only for flights leaving before 9 am. I am all set for a battle if refused, though, on the basis that I have read that others have been successful
My argumentative skills were not required, however, as we arrive at the terminal and find the check-in desk open with no queue this is the life! Less than 20 minutes later, we have said goodbye to our cases and are ready for food. Having brought our hand luggage over with us in case the check-in operator needed to see it, we decide to drop the bags back to the Hilton first and then come back to find something for dinner. Bags duly dropped, we return and the decision is made that we will eat at Frankie and Bennys, the only other real option being the pub-type place or Pizza Express.At F&Bs, we order diet cokes all round and peruse the menu. Rea decides she wants pizza and some chips and Sian settles for a chicken club sandwich. Gary opts for fish and chips and I choose the New York spicy platter. When Rea asks the waitress, Jane, for a margherita pizza with no tomato sauce, she points out that she could have the garlic pizza bread with cheese starter, which is the same size but a lot cheaper. Rea agrees, although this turns out to be a mistake as it is very garlicky and far too strong for her she doesnt enjoy it at all. The rest of us heartily enjoy ours and I dont feel at all guilty about ordering dessert too, having spent the last 10 months denying myself the little pleasures in life (like chocolate, crisps and puddings!) For dessert, Rea has the Cinnamon Waffle Crunch, Gary the Banoffee Sundae and Sian and I have the Chocolate Marble Cheesecake. All the desserts are delicious but Reas is declared the nicest. A very enjoyable meal all round (with the exception of the garlic bread) and not too badly priced at £56.25. We leave a tip (£5) and depart F&Bs at around 8 pm.
Next stop is La Senza, where I buy a cute pair of shortie pyjamas for the bargain price of £9. A quick stop at WHSmith to buy a magazine and a couple of bottles of diet coke as well as a new dark chocolate Flake (which is far too sickly, even for me) and then we return to the Hilton. Gary heads straight up to the room while the girls and I stop off in the bar so I can have a cigarette. Feeling guilty for taking up a table, we order lemonade and a diet coke - £4.85. We sit and people watch for a while I have introduced the girls to a favourite game of ours, which basically involves making up little stories about various people around us Gary and I do this a lot and the girls join in with gusto but, unfortunately, not quite the correct amount of tact and diplomacy required for the game. Fearing we may be lynched after Sian loudly announces the arrival of a sugar daddy and his bit of stuff, I drag them back to our room.
We get changed into our PJs and watch Life Begins, then settle down to sleep at 10 oclock. I suspected we wouldnt get much sleep and it turns out I wasnt wrong!
I probably should mention at this point that we werent particularly impressed with the family room at the Hilton it was basically a standard double room with a set of metal bunk beds over to one side. The bunk beds were (according to the girls) very uncomfortable and they creaked incessantly all night long. However, we only paid £171 for the family room with 15 days parking so it wasnt too bad. I still think staying overnight at Gatwick beats travelling the morning of the flight and adds an extra day to the holiday so we will always do that if we can.
Total spend for today:
£78.25 (not including the cost of the Hilton which was paid in advance)
