wilma-bride
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- Joined
- Jul 13, 2005
- Messages
- 22,681
CAST
Me Joh (32) Chief (well, only) planner, lover of thrill rides, impatient and exciteable
DH Gary (38) Chief photographer, also lover of thrill rides and mad about Tigger!
Getting there aka The Longest Journey
Belfast to Great Yarmouth - Sat 17th September
Due to the fact that we are now in Northern Ireland, we have to endure the additional hassle of flying from here to mainland UK in order to reach our final destination.
As the PILs are kindly looking after DS while we are living it up in Orlando, our first stop is Great Yarmouth to deposit DS with the in-laws, before making our way to Gatwick for our departure to Florida.
It is worth pointing out at this stage that DH had only TWO JOBS when it came to planning and organising this trip:
Job number 1 Arrange transport from home to Belfast City airport (as, for security reasons, we are not allowed to leave our car at the airport)
Job number 2 As chief photographer, ensure that the flash cards are empty and there are plenty of batteries for the digital camera.
Last night, DH breaks the news to me that Craig (our taxi driver for the trip to City airport) has gone to a works do and casually mentions that he hopes he remembers to turn up. Cue serious stressing out on my part.
However, despite a sleepless night and much tearing out of hair, Craig duly turns up dead on 7:45 am, as requested. We pile in and set off for City airport. DS is over-excited at the thought of going on an aeroplane AND going to see Grandma and Grandpa. As a result, our plan of a leisurely breakfast while waiting to board goes out of the window as DS refuses to eat the yummy Frosties we buy for him (at a very reasonable £2.50 for a small box!!!) The flight is only just over an hour and passes without incident. On reaching Norwich airport, we claim our luggage and head over to the Europcar desk to pick up our hire car, which will be our method of transport for the next 24 hours.
We stop at a Little Chef at Acle, for an early lunch and arrive at Caister-on-sea just after 1. A pleasant afternoon is spent, relaxing in the garden with DS in his element as PILs have bought him a toy lawnmower, which blows bubbles. He spends hours mowing the lawn, while we (cruelly) point out bits hes missed.
Once DS is settled in bed for the night, we pop out for fish and chips for the four of us, then watch telly for a while before heading off to bed. I have a minor trauma when I discover an eight-legged freak in our bedroom, which manages to evade both DH and DFIL. Announcing that I cant possibly sleep while that thing is loose in the bedroom, I opt to sleep on the sofa and flounce off with my duvet. I spend a restless night, dreaming of eight-legged creatures invading the Magic Kingdom.
Gatwick here we come - Sun 18th September
After another sleepless night, I am up early and spend an enjoyable hour curled up on the sofa with DS, who wakes just before 7, watching kids telly snuggled under the duvet.
At 8, I decide DH needs to get up (as punishment for his failure to evict the freak the night before) and send DS off to find Daddy. DFIL sets off for church (hes a vicar), bidding us farewell and promising he will take good care of our child over the next week, which we dont doubt.
By 11, we are showered, dressed and ready to go. I try not to cry as we wave goodbye to our little boy, who seems oblivious to the fact that his parents are deserting him and asks Grandma if he can mow the lawn. They are off to a barbeque this afternoon so DS is already excited about the prospect of food and other kids to play with!!!
We stop for lunch, again at Little Chef, at around 1 and arrive at Gatwick just before 3. After dropping the hire car off, we head for the South Terminal and Twilight Check-in. We are finished by 3.30 and, after collecting our Travellers Cheques, from Travelex, we check in at the Gatwick Hilton. The rest of the afternoon is spent chilling out, dozing and watching telly before heading over to The Village in South Terminal for dinner at Pizza express. The food was very nice. I had a margherita and DH had a chicken salad with honey and lemon dressing, which he declared was delicious. We wander round the shops for a while and then head back to the Hilton, where we watch telly again before deciding to try and get some sleep at 11.
A long, uncomfortable flight and a tour of I-Drive - Mon 19th September
I wake at 6 and get dressed before heading down to the lobby to have a cigarette and read my book. At 8, I head back up to the room and wake DH. After showering and getting dressed, we check out of the Hilton and head over to the Terminal again. We decide to go straight through security and get breakfast in departures. This proves to be both a good and bad choice. Good because the queue to get through security is so long, I suspect if wed left it till later, wed have been cutting it fine. Bad because the queues for breakfast in departures were even more horrendous. Eventually, we join the queue for Garfunkels and wait 30 minutes to be seated. Breakfast was poor. The service was bad, food was worse and it was very expensive but what do you expect at the airport?
After breakfast, I head for the Lepers Colony (or smoking area, as its also known) for a nicotine fix, before my enforced 10 hour withdrawal. Then we head down to the holding area, where we wait for the gate number of our flight to appear on the screens. DH wanders off to WHSmiths and buys (shock, horror) XS All Areas, the Status Quo autobiography. I cant resist making a comment on exactly how much of it will get read seeing as my DH doesnt do books but he assures me he will read it. And he actually opens it and starts to read while were waiting (needless to say, he read about 15 pages and he hasnt picked it up since!)
Our flight and gate number appear on the monitors and we head down to the gate area, to await boarding. Our plane is there (Southern Belle, if I remember rightly). We wait for an age until all the Upper Class, Premium Economy and other passengers are boarded. As we are sat near the front, we are among the last to board but we finally get on the plane at about 12:15. Our plane is one of the new ones, with games, which Im pleased about as none of the films available for the outbound flight appeal to me.
We take off just after 12:30 and settle in for the long flight. About an hour into the flight, the meal is served - feta salad, some sort of chicken dish and profiteroles. The attendant asks if Id like wine and I opt for orange juice. Big mistake! She pours the orange juice into the plastic cup and, as she leans over me to put it down, she manages to squeeze the top of the cup so it cracks, spilling the entire contents into my lap. That, in itself, wouldnt have been so bad if she had apologised but no apology, just a tissue thrown in my general direction. So Im sat in my seat, with my dinner on the tray and no way of moving from my seat to try and clear myself up. DH tries to help by moving my tray but just ends up spilling the orange juice which has landed on the tray into my lap as well so I hiss at him to leave it alone (or words to that effect) and push my call button. After 10 uncomfortable minutes, a hostess finally comes past so I shove my tray at her and ask her to take it away so I can clean myself up. She just smiles and says Oh, have you had an accident dear. Shes just lucky that I didnt wipe the painted-on smirk off her face. I head to the toilet, to try and mop up the mess but to no avail. Unfortunately, I dont have a change of clothes in my hand luggage so I cant take my jeans off so I just have to endure being wet, sticky and uncomfortable for the remaining 7 hours of the flight. A great start. Unfortunately, Im ashamed to say, this means I spend the majority of the flight sulking and refuse to talk to DH or eat anything, which just makes things generally worse.
We finally arrive at Orlando without further mishap and DH and I are on speaking terms again. We manage to negotiate the usual rigmarole of immigration, collecting luggage, customs, leaving luggage again and collecting luggage again all of which takes about an hour. We find the Virgin rep, who directs us to the shuttle bus. After the usual wait for the final stragglers, we are off the time is now 6:15 pm (we landed at 4:30). Oh well, its only 20 minutes or so to I-Drive so we should be settled at our hotel by no later than 7. Wrong!!! After a tour of I-Drive and the South end of the Drive, Sea World, Orlando Convention Centre etc. we are all a bit confused as our hotels are located at the North end of the drive. After our driver has driven up and down I-Drive twice, past each of our hotels at least 3 times without actually stopping, we come to the conclusion that he doesnt know where he is going. Finally, he drives back down I-Drive to the McDonalds at the South end and parks up, admitting he has to wait for another driver who knows where theyre going. Eventually, a Mears bus pulls up and a lady boards the bus and announces we will be at our hotel within 10 minutes. We finally arrive at the hotel and check in at 7:45. I cannot believe it has taken an hour and a half to do a 20-minute journey.
By this time, we havent got the energy to do anything more than walk down to the nearest Dennys, where we both have the Meat Lovers Skillets (to any other fans out there, they are now served in a bowl rather than the skillet meaning the portion size is significantly smaller!) and a couple of very welcome ice-cold Diet Cokes. The bill comes to $20.11 so we leave $25 (must be feeling generous) and stroll back up the drive to the Holiday Inn, where we unpack, shower and dive into bed by 10:15.
I dream of drowning in Orange Juice and getting on a bus, only to end up back at home!
Me Joh (32) Chief (well, only) planner, lover of thrill rides, impatient and exciteable
DH Gary (38) Chief photographer, also lover of thrill rides and mad about Tigger!
Getting there aka The Longest Journey
Belfast to Great Yarmouth - Sat 17th September
Due to the fact that we are now in Northern Ireland, we have to endure the additional hassle of flying from here to mainland UK in order to reach our final destination.
As the PILs are kindly looking after DS while we are living it up in Orlando, our first stop is Great Yarmouth to deposit DS with the in-laws, before making our way to Gatwick for our departure to Florida.
It is worth pointing out at this stage that DH had only TWO JOBS when it came to planning and organising this trip:
Job number 1 Arrange transport from home to Belfast City airport (as, for security reasons, we are not allowed to leave our car at the airport)
Job number 2 As chief photographer, ensure that the flash cards are empty and there are plenty of batteries for the digital camera.
Last night, DH breaks the news to me that Craig (our taxi driver for the trip to City airport) has gone to a works do and casually mentions that he hopes he remembers to turn up. Cue serious stressing out on my part.
However, despite a sleepless night and much tearing out of hair, Craig duly turns up dead on 7:45 am, as requested. We pile in and set off for City airport. DS is over-excited at the thought of going on an aeroplane AND going to see Grandma and Grandpa. As a result, our plan of a leisurely breakfast while waiting to board goes out of the window as DS refuses to eat the yummy Frosties we buy for him (at a very reasonable £2.50 for a small box!!!) The flight is only just over an hour and passes without incident. On reaching Norwich airport, we claim our luggage and head over to the Europcar desk to pick up our hire car, which will be our method of transport for the next 24 hours.
We stop at a Little Chef at Acle, for an early lunch and arrive at Caister-on-sea just after 1. A pleasant afternoon is spent, relaxing in the garden with DS in his element as PILs have bought him a toy lawnmower, which blows bubbles. He spends hours mowing the lawn, while we (cruelly) point out bits hes missed.
Once DS is settled in bed for the night, we pop out for fish and chips for the four of us, then watch telly for a while before heading off to bed. I have a minor trauma when I discover an eight-legged freak in our bedroom, which manages to evade both DH and DFIL. Announcing that I cant possibly sleep while that thing is loose in the bedroom, I opt to sleep on the sofa and flounce off with my duvet. I spend a restless night, dreaming of eight-legged creatures invading the Magic Kingdom.
Gatwick here we come - Sun 18th September
After another sleepless night, I am up early and spend an enjoyable hour curled up on the sofa with DS, who wakes just before 7, watching kids telly snuggled under the duvet.
At 8, I decide DH needs to get up (as punishment for his failure to evict the freak the night before) and send DS off to find Daddy. DFIL sets off for church (hes a vicar), bidding us farewell and promising he will take good care of our child over the next week, which we dont doubt.
By 11, we are showered, dressed and ready to go. I try not to cry as we wave goodbye to our little boy, who seems oblivious to the fact that his parents are deserting him and asks Grandma if he can mow the lawn. They are off to a barbeque this afternoon so DS is already excited about the prospect of food and other kids to play with!!!
We stop for lunch, again at Little Chef, at around 1 and arrive at Gatwick just before 3. After dropping the hire car off, we head for the South Terminal and Twilight Check-in. We are finished by 3.30 and, after collecting our Travellers Cheques, from Travelex, we check in at the Gatwick Hilton. The rest of the afternoon is spent chilling out, dozing and watching telly before heading over to The Village in South Terminal for dinner at Pizza express. The food was very nice. I had a margherita and DH had a chicken salad with honey and lemon dressing, which he declared was delicious. We wander round the shops for a while and then head back to the Hilton, where we watch telly again before deciding to try and get some sleep at 11.
A long, uncomfortable flight and a tour of I-Drive - Mon 19th September
I wake at 6 and get dressed before heading down to the lobby to have a cigarette and read my book. At 8, I head back up to the room and wake DH. After showering and getting dressed, we check out of the Hilton and head over to the Terminal again. We decide to go straight through security and get breakfast in departures. This proves to be both a good and bad choice. Good because the queue to get through security is so long, I suspect if wed left it till later, wed have been cutting it fine. Bad because the queues for breakfast in departures were even more horrendous. Eventually, we join the queue for Garfunkels and wait 30 minutes to be seated. Breakfast was poor. The service was bad, food was worse and it was very expensive but what do you expect at the airport?
After breakfast, I head for the Lepers Colony (or smoking area, as its also known) for a nicotine fix, before my enforced 10 hour withdrawal. Then we head down to the holding area, where we wait for the gate number of our flight to appear on the screens. DH wanders off to WHSmiths and buys (shock, horror) XS All Areas, the Status Quo autobiography. I cant resist making a comment on exactly how much of it will get read seeing as my DH doesnt do books but he assures me he will read it. And he actually opens it and starts to read while were waiting (needless to say, he read about 15 pages and he hasnt picked it up since!)
Our flight and gate number appear on the monitors and we head down to the gate area, to await boarding. Our plane is there (Southern Belle, if I remember rightly). We wait for an age until all the Upper Class, Premium Economy and other passengers are boarded. As we are sat near the front, we are among the last to board but we finally get on the plane at about 12:15. Our plane is one of the new ones, with games, which Im pleased about as none of the films available for the outbound flight appeal to me.
We take off just after 12:30 and settle in for the long flight. About an hour into the flight, the meal is served - feta salad, some sort of chicken dish and profiteroles. The attendant asks if Id like wine and I opt for orange juice. Big mistake! She pours the orange juice into the plastic cup and, as she leans over me to put it down, she manages to squeeze the top of the cup so it cracks, spilling the entire contents into my lap. That, in itself, wouldnt have been so bad if she had apologised but no apology, just a tissue thrown in my general direction. So Im sat in my seat, with my dinner on the tray and no way of moving from my seat to try and clear myself up. DH tries to help by moving my tray but just ends up spilling the orange juice which has landed on the tray into my lap as well so I hiss at him to leave it alone (or words to that effect) and push my call button. After 10 uncomfortable minutes, a hostess finally comes past so I shove my tray at her and ask her to take it away so I can clean myself up. She just smiles and says Oh, have you had an accident dear. Shes just lucky that I didnt wipe the painted-on smirk off her face. I head to the toilet, to try and mop up the mess but to no avail. Unfortunately, I dont have a change of clothes in my hand luggage so I cant take my jeans off so I just have to endure being wet, sticky and uncomfortable for the remaining 7 hours of the flight. A great start. Unfortunately, Im ashamed to say, this means I spend the majority of the flight sulking and refuse to talk to DH or eat anything, which just makes things generally worse.
We finally arrive at Orlando without further mishap and DH and I are on speaking terms again. We manage to negotiate the usual rigmarole of immigration, collecting luggage, customs, leaving luggage again and collecting luggage again all of which takes about an hour. We find the Virgin rep, who directs us to the shuttle bus. After the usual wait for the final stragglers, we are off the time is now 6:15 pm (we landed at 4:30). Oh well, its only 20 minutes or so to I-Drive so we should be settled at our hotel by no later than 7. Wrong!!! After a tour of I-Drive and the South end of the Drive, Sea World, Orlando Convention Centre etc. we are all a bit confused as our hotels are located at the North end of the drive. After our driver has driven up and down I-Drive twice, past each of our hotels at least 3 times without actually stopping, we come to the conclusion that he doesnt know where he is going. Finally, he drives back down I-Drive to the McDonalds at the South end and parks up, admitting he has to wait for another driver who knows where theyre going. Eventually, a Mears bus pulls up and a lady boards the bus and announces we will be at our hotel within 10 minutes. We finally arrive at the hotel and check in at 7:45. I cannot believe it has taken an hour and a half to do a 20-minute journey.
By this time, we havent got the energy to do anything more than walk down to the nearest Dennys, where we both have the Meat Lovers Skillets (to any other fans out there, they are now served in a bowl rather than the skillet meaning the portion size is significantly smaller!) and a couple of very welcome ice-cold Diet Cokes. The bill comes to $20.11 so we leave $25 (must be feeling generous) and stroll back up the drive to the Holiday Inn, where we unpack, shower and dive into bed by 10:15.
I dream of drowning in Orange Juice and getting on a bus, only to end up back at home!
