wilma-bride
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- Joined
- Jul 13, 2005
- Messages
- 22,681
The One With the Bling
Cast:
A quick reminder of the cast since its been about 3 years since I last posted a trippy
Me Joh, under 40 (yay!), chief planner and Orlando obsessive
DH Gary, 40 years and 4 days, the reason for this trip, wanted to go ski-ing but, hey, lifes a bee-atch
DBF Best friend, Christine, the same side of 40 as Gary, best friend, drinking partner, source of much amusement (and, to be fair, not all of it at her expense)
DBFDH Christines wonderful husband, Mark, also that side of 40, lovely fella, game for a laugh and all round good egg
When I left you last, to partake in boring things like day-to-day life and housework, being a wife and mother and more exciting things like a DIS meet with some of my new bestest friends and BREAKING NEWS!!!! planning yet another childless trip to WDW. Save the stonings and slaggings for the upcoming pre-trippy please Ive paid my dues already for this particular child abandonment episode
Thinking about it, I suppose I should consider myself lucky if anyone is actually reading this I mean, its been that long that I actually had to go back and read my last instalment just so I could remember where we were and what wed done. I know that the trip report audience is a fickle one and that leaving a trip report unfinished is a crime punishable by the risk of single viewing figures. And yet, I pray that those of you with an understanding nature will find it in your hearts to forgive me. Anyway, I digress enough of all that bleeding hearts rubbish and on with the story.
We left off after yet another cold but enjoyable day in Orlando, having sadly left the Boardwalk behind us and checked into the Homewood Suites. We had celebrated Christines birthday in style and today we were off to do some serious spending.
I was up early no great surprise as there was a distinct lack of alcohol consumed by me last night. I really wanted a cigarette but it was still dark outside and I didnt feel brave enough to venture out on my own in the dark (see the previous episode for the explanation fo why). I sat in the lounge area and read my book until the first strains of light started showing through the curtains, then decided to risk it. I went out the main door, to stand outside reception, instead of the side door (which was controlled by your room key but wasnt particularly well lit). After I finished my cigarette, I came back through the lobby and saw that breakfast was being set up. I grabbed a cup of tea for sleeping beauty and a glass of OJ for me and carried them back to the room, together with a couple of glazed donuts. For those who dont know, the Homewood Suites offer a complimentary buffet breakfast. It wasnt haute cuisine but it was very nice and, more importantly, FREE!
When I finally managed to rouse Gary from his slumber (involved turning the volume on the TV up, slamming the door a couple of times, then phoning Christine and asking her to phone back so I could let it ring a while) we got showered and dressed and went down for breakfast. Christine and Mark were meeting Marks sister and her husband (who were driving up from Palm Beach to MCO) and Gary and I had an appointment with our DVC guide to talk through our possible purchase (at this point I was going to drag out the suspense but 99% of you already know that we are the proud owners of DVC at SSR so no point in that). We arranged to meet back in the lobby around lunchtime, before heading out to do some shopping. The DVC thing went off OK (hence the serious spending) and we met C & M back at Homewood Suites. I should say, at this point, that Christine had wanted to get some Playmobil stuff for her kids and I remembered there being a massive Playmobil store at one of the malls. Typically, I couldnt remember which but I thought it was more likely to be the Florida Mall so we decided to head there first. By the time we got there (it took a long time and we did take the scenic route), we were all feeling hungry so headed to the food court. Those who have been to the Florida Mall will know that this is an undertaking, in itself. It takes at least an hour to tour all the various food stations to try and decide what you want and, by the time, youve tried all the free samples that are being handed out, youre barely hungry when the decision is made. Even so, I decide to be adventurous (NOT!) and head for Chick-Fil-A while the others partake of bourbon chicken from one of the Asian places. They definitely made the right decision because their food was lovely while mine was plain average. Thatll teach me.
Our tour of the shops began in earnest, although we bought very little. Gary and I were on a mission to try and find Daniels requested chocolate lollipops a harder task than first thought and Christine was desperate to buy up the Playmobil shop WHICH WAS NO LONGER THERE!!! After wandering around every square inch of the mall (twice), we quickly realised there was no Playmobil store. I was so sure it had been there too. For some reason, I just couldnt see it fitting in at Mall at Millennia. Even so, Gary had remembered us seeing it in October too so there was nothing else for it than to head out to Mall at Millennia because it must be there, right? Wrong! It wasnt there either. We didnt buy anything here I tried to buy a nap set from the really posh place that sells the great massage chairs and the ultra comfy pillows (cant remember the name) but the snooty sales assistants were more intent on closing a huge sale with some guy in a suit than they were on serving me. So they missed out on the $120 I was prepared to part with for a pillow, bed socks and blanket. Not sure who was the biggest fool there.
We were ready to leave by this point but now we had to make another decision. This is where taking me out of my comfort zone has its drawbacks. Normally I am so organised and have everything planned down to the last minute. As you will know from reading my earlier reports from this trip, I had taken more of a relaxed attitude this week. The result of this was that, when a decision actually needed to be made, I was more indecisive than Mavis Riley. We had plans to go to Universal that evening but it was almost 4 oclock now and we still needed to shower and change. So, did we eat here, then quickly dash back to get changed or did we go and change, then head up to Universal and eat there. Decisions, decisions! Christine and I, fearing we would be stuck there all day, voted to try and get a table at the Cheesecake Factory. However, there was a 40 minute wait for a table so we quickly changed our minds and headed back to Homewood Suites, where we did a quick wash and change, before driving up to Universal. Preferred parking again, with the Annual Pass discount, but we were a bit further away tonight (cant remember where but I think it may have been Cat in the Hat). When we got to Universal, I remembered reading good things about Lombards so we decided to try and get a table there. We were seated straight away by a very friendly lady and our server came over and introduced herself. She said her name was Kirsten but her name badge said Rachel, or something like that. We pointed out the fact, at which she muttered something about multiple personalities, laughed and left to get us some drinks. She turned out to be a great server and kept us laughing throughout our meal there. Christine and I ordered the fish and chips and Gary opted for the Asian chicken wrap. Mark wasnt particularly hungry so said he may just have dessert. The fish and fries were lovely, a definite 10 out of 10. Gary really enjoyed his wrap but it was massive and he couldnt finish it. We all ordered desserts Mark made up for his lack of entrée by choosing a massive chocolate brownie with ice cream and cream
I had the flourless chocolate cake
Gary chose cheesecake
and Christine opted for Key Lime pie
Gary was being a bit tight with his dessert and when I tried to try a bit, he spread his whipped cream over the whole thing so I wouldnt have any (I HATE cream). Our server stopped by the table to see how we were enjoying our dessert and I told her what Gary had done. She promptly turned his plate around to reveal the back of his cheesecake, where there was no cream and said Get a big bit of crust thats the best bit anyway. None of us managed to finish our desserts we were all stuffed to the gills. We paid the check and left a huge tip she was a great server, by far and away the best of the whole trip. The parade was due to start around 8ish and it was only just gone 7 so we wandered around a bit. Christine fancied a cup of coffee it was really quite cold so we went to try and find one. Easier said than done. We ended up at Schwabbs, which was just about to close so then headed across the way to the Cheesecake factory place and joined a huge queue there. Mark and I joked that we were going to get a big slab of cheesecake as we were feeling peckish in all honesty, I think I might have been ill if Id actually tried to eat anything else. We finally got Christines coffee, then went to try and buy some warmer jackets. I got a great Universal Studios hoodie, which I absolutely love. Christine really wanted one too but were worried wed look like sad twinnies so she bought a purple one instead. She also bought a scarf, which was really long, so we wound it round both our necks and off we went.
We found a place outside Mels Diner to watch the parade and settled down to wait. For some reason, in all my research and planning, I had remained pretty ignorant about Mardi Gras at Universal. I had read that the floats came past and people threw beads but, for some reason, I had it in my head that they were little round plastic beads, which I had also read loads of people tried to catch I couldnt see the attraction myself so I was prepared to just stand back and watch. What I hadnt realised was that they were necklaces strings of beads! Cast your mind back, if you can, to my second set of trippies, Fred and Wilma Second Time Around, in which our intrepid travellers had befriended a Universal cast member on the DIS boards, had arranged a secret phrase to be spoken if said cast member were to be spotted and said cast member presented me with a string of gold beads. Despite the hundreds of dollars spent on gifts brought back for my then almost 3 year old, his absolute favourite present was those beads. He still has them to this day, albeit that there are only about 4 or 5 beads left on the string. So, now, when I realised that these were similar to Daniels favourite beads and that, best of all, they were all different colours well, I had to get me some beads. Luckily for us, we had height on our side did I mention Mark is 6 1. Needless to say, we caught ourselves some bling that night serious bling.
Daniel was very pleased we neednt have bothered with the Lego or the chocolate lollipops. I did keep a couple of the best ones back for myself, to wear on special occasions.
The parade was really good I have yet to see a Disney parade (other than MNSSHP) so I cant really compare. But I imagine it was very different loads of scantily clad women and men but really well done and very loud. We all really enjoyed it.
Next, we headed over to where Huey Lewis and the News were paying this was another part of the trip that Christine and I had been looking forward to. It was really cold so we had to have a dance to keep ourselves warm. The band were fantastic and we loved it but, once we had heard Power of Love and Stuck on You, we were ready to leave. It took us a while to get back to the Homewood Suites, where we gathered once again for a few beers in an attempt to make a dent in the supplies before having to leave the remainder for housekeeping the next day.
I had a very small hole in my stomach by now, so tried also to make a dent in the massive tub of ice cream I had bought the night before. I failed miserably, giving up after just a few spoonfuls. We finished our drinks and I went downstairs with Mark and Christine for a last cigarette before retiring to the room to finish packing. It was a sad night, realising we had to leave the next day. I can honestly say, I was not ready to go home.
Cast:
A quick reminder of the cast since its been about 3 years since I last posted a trippy
Me Joh, under 40 (yay!), chief planner and Orlando obsessive
DH Gary, 40 years and 4 days, the reason for this trip, wanted to go ski-ing but, hey, lifes a bee-atch
DBF Best friend, Christine, the same side of 40 as Gary, best friend, drinking partner, source of much amusement (and, to be fair, not all of it at her expense)
DBFDH Christines wonderful husband, Mark, also that side of 40, lovely fella, game for a laugh and all round good egg
When I left you last, to partake in boring things like day-to-day life and housework, being a wife and mother and more exciting things like a DIS meet with some of my new bestest friends and BREAKING NEWS!!!! planning yet another childless trip to WDW. Save the stonings and slaggings for the upcoming pre-trippy please Ive paid my dues already for this particular child abandonment episode
Thinking about it, I suppose I should consider myself lucky if anyone is actually reading this I mean, its been that long that I actually had to go back and read my last instalment just so I could remember where we were and what wed done. I know that the trip report audience is a fickle one and that leaving a trip report unfinished is a crime punishable by the risk of single viewing figures. And yet, I pray that those of you with an understanding nature will find it in your hearts to forgive me. Anyway, I digress enough of all that bleeding hearts rubbish and on with the story.We left off after yet another cold but enjoyable day in Orlando, having sadly left the Boardwalk behind us and checked into the Homewood Suites. We had celebrated Christines birthday in style and today we were off to do some serious spending.
I was up early no great surprise as there was a distinct lack of alcohol consumed by me last night. I really wanted a cigarette but it was still dark outside and I didnt feel brave enough to venture out on my own in the dark (see the previous episode for the explanation fo why). I sat in the lounge area and read my book until the first strains of light started showing through the curtains, then decided to risk it. I went out the main door, to stand outside reception, instead of the side door (which was controlled by your room key but wasnt particularly well lit). After I finished my cigarette, I came back through the lobby and saw that breakfast was being set up. I grabbed a cup of tea for sleeping beauty and a glass of OJ for me and carried them back to the room, together with a couple of glazed donuts. For those who dont know, the Homewood Suites offer a complimentary buffet breakfast. It wasnt haute cuisine but it was very nice and, more importantly, FREE!
When I finally managed to rouse Gary from his slumber (involved turning the volume on the TV up, slamming the door a couple of times, then phoning Christine and asking her to phone back so I could let it ring a while) we got showered and dressed and went down for breakfast. Christine and Mark were meeting Marks sister and her husband (who were driving up from Palm Beach to MCO) and Gary and I had an appointment with our DVC guide to talk through our possible purchase (at this point I was going to drag out the suspense but 99% of you already know that we are the proud owners of DVC at SSR so no point in that). We arranged to meet back in the lobby around lunchtime, before heading out to do some shopping. The DVC thing went off OK (hence the serious spending) and we met C & M back at Homewood Suites. I should say, at this point, that Christine had wanted to get some Playmobil stuff for her kids and I remembered there being a massive Playmobil store at one of the malls. Typically, I couldnt remember which but I thought it was more likely to be the Florida Mall so we decided to head there first. By the time we got there (it took a long time and we did take the scenic route), we were all feeling hungry so headed to the food court. Those who have been to the Florida Mall will know that this is an undertaking, in itself. It takes at least an hour to tour all the various food stations to try and decide what you want and, by the time, youve tried all the free samples that are being handed out, youre barely hungry when the decision is made. Even so, I decide to be adventurous (NOT!) and head for Chick-Fil-A while the others partake of bourbon chicken from one of the Asian places. They definitely made the right decision because their food was lovely while mine was plain average. Thatll teach me.
Our tour of the shops began in earnest, although we bought very little. Gary and I were on a mission to try and find Daniels requested chocolate lollipops a harder task than first thought and Christine was desperate to buy up the Playmobil shop WHICH WAS NO LONGER THERE!!! After wandering around every square inch of the mall (twice), we quickly realised there was no Playmobil store. I was so sure it had been there too. For some reason, I just couldnt see it fitting in at Mall at Millennia. Even so, Gary had remembered us seeing it in October too so there was nothing else for it than to head out to Mall at Millennia because it must be there, right? Wrong! It wasnt there either. We didnt buy anything here I tried to buy a nap set from the really posh place that sells the great massage chairs and the ultra comfy pillows (cant remember the name) but the snooty sales assistants were more intent on closing a huge sale with some guy in a suit than they were on serving me. So they missed out on the $120 I was prepared to part with for a pillow, bed socks and blanket. Not sure who was the biggest fool there.
We were ready to leave by this point but now we had to make another decision. This is where taking me out of my comfort zone has its drawbacks. Normally I am so organised and have everything planned down to the last minute. As you will know from reading my earlier reports from this trip, I had taken more of a relaxed attitude this week. The result of this was that, when a decision actually needed to be made, I was more indecisive than Mavis Riley. We had plans to go to Universal that evening but it was almost 4 oclock now and we still needed to shower and change. So, did we eat here, then quickly dash back to get changed or did we go and change, then head up to Universal and eat there. Decisions, decisions! Christine and I, fearing we would be stuck there all day, voted to try and get a table at the Cheesecake Factory. However, there was a 40 minute wait for a table so we quickly changed our minds and headed back to Homewood Suites, where we did a quick wash and change, before driving up to Universal. Preferred parking again, with the Annual Pass discount, but we were a bit further away tonight (cant remember where but I think it may have been Cat in the Hat). When we got to Universal, I remembered reading good things about Lombards so we decided to try and get a table there. We were seated straight away by a very friendly lady and our server came over and introduced herself. She said her name was Kirsten but her name badge said Rachel, or something like that. We pointed out the fact, at which she muttered something about multiple personalities, laughed and left to get us some drinks. She turned out to be a great server and kept us laughing throughout our meal there. Christine and I ordered the fish and chips and Gary opted for the Asian chicken wrap. Mark wasnt particularly hungry so said he may just have dessert. The fish and fries were lovely, a definite 10 out of 10. Gary really enjoyed his wrap but it was massive and he couldnt finish it. We all ordered desserts Mark made up for his lack of entrée by choosing a massive chocolate brownie with ice cream and cream
I had the flourless chocolate cake
Gary chose cheesecake
and Christine opted for Key Lime pie
Gary was being a bit tight with his dessert and when I tried to try a bit, he spread his whipped cream over the whole thing so I wouldnt have any (I HATE cream). Our server stopped by the table to see how we were enjoying our dessert and I told her what Gary had done. She promptly turned his plate around to reveal the back of his cheesecake, where there was no cream and said Get a big bit of crust thats the best bit anyway. None of us managed to finish our desserts we were all stuffed to the gills. We paid the check and left a huge tip she was a great server, by far and away the best of the whole trip. The parade was due to start around 8ish and it was only just gone 7 so we wandered around a bit. Christine fancied a cup of coffee it was really quite cold so we went to try and find one. Easier said than done. We ended up at Schwabbs, which was just about to close so then headed across the way to the Cheesecake factory place and joined a huge queue there. Mark and I joked that we were going to get a big slab of cheesecake as we were feeling peckish in all honesty, I think I might have been ill if Id actually tried to eat anything else. We finally got Christines coffee, then went to try and buy some warmer jackets. I got a great Universal Studios hoodie, which I absolutely love. Christine really wanted one too but were worried wed look like sad twinnies so she bought a purple one instead. She also bought a scarf, which was really long, so we wound it round both our necks and off we went.
We found a place outside Mels Diner to watch the parade and settled down to wait. For some reason, in all my research and planning, I had remained pretty ignorant about Mardi Gras at Universal. I had read that the floats came past and people threw beads but, for some reason, I had it in my head that they were little round plastic beads, which I had also read loads of people tried to catch I couldnt see the attraction myself so I was prepared to just stand back and watch. What I hadnt realised was that they were necklaces strings of beads! Cast your mind back, if you can, to my second set of trippies, Fred and Wilma Second Time Around, in which our intrepid travellers had befriended a Universal cast member on the DIS boards, had arranged a secret phrase to be spoken if said cast member were to be spotted and said cast member presented me with a string of gold beads. Despite the hundreds of dollars spent on gifts brought back for my then almost 3 year old, his absolute favourite present was those beads. He still has them to this day, albeit that there are only about 4 or 5 beads left on the string. So, now, when I realised that these were similar to Daniels favourite beads and that, best of all, they were all different colours well, I had to get me some beads. Luckily for us, we had height on our side did I mention Mark is 6 1. Needless to say, we caught ourselves some bling that night serious bling.
Daniel was very pleased we neednt have bothered with the Lego or the chocolate lollipops. I did keep a couple of the best ones back for myself, to wear on special occasions.
The parade was really good I have yet to see a Disney parade (other than MNSSHP) so I cant really compare. But I imagine it was very different loads of scantily clad women and men but really well done and very loud. We all really enjoyed it.
Next, we headed over to where Huey Lewis and the News were paying this was another part of the trip that Christine and I had been looking forward to. It was really cold so we had to have a dance to keep ourselves warm. The band were fantastic and we loved it but, once we had heard Power of Love and Stuck on You, we were ready to leave. It took us a while to get back to the Homewood Suites, where we gathered once again for a few beers in an attempt to make a dent in the supplies before having to leave the remainder for housekeeping the next day.
I had a very small hole in my stomach by now, so tried also to make a dent in the massive tub of ice cream I had bought the night before. I failed miserably, giving up after just a few spoonfuls. We finished our drinks and I went downstairs with Mark and Christine for a last cigarette before retiring to the room to finish packing. It was a sad night, realising we had to leave the next day. I can honestly say, I was not ready to go home.
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