Fun, Sun & Strong Water Rum...*Yo-Ho*...23 Nights @ Sapphire Falls...A May 2022 TR

[disneyseniors]

Thank you again, Carole, for taking us along with you on this trip report.
As always, it was wonderful, and I think Tom is a fantastic photographer.
The beautiful photos are always welcome. I've learned so much that I have missed previously but will now look out for.
We are hoping for a November trip this year, and can't wait.

Ruth

 

[schumigirl]

Now i want all the rum drinks!


And you met spiderman!!!!!!!!!! So happy he made an appearance!


The packing........yeah thats the worst lol!

Why is the last night always so restless lol

I`m just about to make Tom and I up some rum punch.....papas pilar rum, pineapple juice, ginger beer and lots of fresh lime.......lush!!!

Yes, we were thrilled to meet him, he is so lovely......and we were so happy he made it after all.

Like most folks I enjoy packing for coming out, but going home....it`s a trial!!! And we were surprised how well we slept the night before this time, usually I`m up and down like a yoyo......

 

[schumigirl]

Wonderful trip report as usual! Sounds like you had such a great vacation and now you are only a little over a month away from the next adventure! Can’t wait to hear all about that one too. Thanks for letting us all share part of the magic you guys experience!

Thank you Elsa......we did have a fabulous trip and yes, it`s not long till we get back!

Hope to see you on the next one too and was glad to have you along for this one too.......

 

[schumigirl]

Thank you again, Carole, for taking us along with you on this trip report.
As always, it was wonderful, and I think Tom is a fantastic photographer.
The beautiful photos are always welcome. I've learned so much that I have missed previously but will now look out for.
We are hoping for a November trip this year, and can't wait.

Ruth

Thank you so much Ruth.....

Oh a November trip will be fabulous, yes I`ll bet you can`t wait for that.

I`m so glad you enjoyed this one and the pictures too...I`ll pass those kind words on to him......he always enjoyes hearing that.....lol.......

Thank you again for your comments along the way......

 

[I-4Bound]

Another wonderful report and a great read! I’ll be having my first ever ride on Velocicoaster in one week, and I’m so excited!!

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Ahhhh, and thus ends another magnificent TR! It really is so wonderful of you to share your experiences with us

Thank you for the beautifully composed photos, the engaging commentary, and including all the small details that make everything so special

We’re ready for the next one, and I know you are, too!

 

[Minnie17]

Carole, I have to tell you…. We just arrived in New Smyrna Beach and have already devoured 2 pieces of key lime pie from JB’s Fishcamp…..

Thx for the recommendation

 

[schumigirl]

Another wonderful report and a great read! I’ll be having my first ever ride on Velocicoaster in one week, and I’m so excited!!

Oh thank you Andrea......I`m so glad you enjoyed it!!

Next week!!!! wow......you must be so hyped up for that trip and I cannot wait to hear how the Velocicoaster was for you, I`m sure you`ll love it above all other coasters!!!

You have to let us know how it went, I`m excited to hear about that......and have a fabulous time, hope it`s a perfect trip for you......

 

[schumigirl]

Ahhhh, and thus ends another magnificent TR! It really is so wonderful of you to share your experiences with us

Thank you for the beautifully composed photos, the engaging commentary, and including all the small details that make everything so special

We’re ready for the next one, and I know you are, too!

Ah bless you Maria......I`ll take any and all compliments........ and I do appreciate the lovely comments, I`m so glad you enjoyed it.

Absolutely.......I could start tomorrow but I won`t......lol.......and I know you`ll join in with the next one too!!!

Thank you again.......

 

[schumigirl]

Carole, I have to tell you…. We just arrived in New Smyrna Beach and have already devoured 2 pieces of key lime pie from JB’s Fishcamp…..

Thx for the recommendation

Oh that is fabulous to hear you enjoyed the key lime pie so much!!!!

It is absolutely gorgeous.....hope you have some again, and hope you have a fabulous time there, we love that beach. So many wonderful choices for food too!!!

Have fun......

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Beautiful trip report Carol (and Tom!) Looking forward to the HHN one! Let us know when you post it!

 

[schumigirl]

Beautiful trip report Carol (and Tom!) Looking forward to the HHN one! Let us know when you post it!

Thank you BH........I`m glad you`ve enjoyed this one and I`ll share with Tom too.....couldn`t do it without him really!!!

I will, I`ll put a link here when I do start the September one.......we are so excited for HHN after missing 2 years!! I don`t think we`re alone in that.......lol.......

 

[Deb1993]

Sad this wonderful trip report is over, but so looking forward to the next trip!!!!

 

[Gr8t Fan]

Thank you so much for such a very detailed trip report. Sorry this trip is over but looking forward to the next trip report (no pressure ).

 

[schumigirl]

Sad this wonderful trip report is over, but so looking forward to the next trip!!!!

Thank you Deb.....I`m always sad to finish a report, but glad to see it done if you know what I mean......

Next one soon.......

 

[schumigirl]

Thank you so much for such a very detailed trip report. Sorry this trip is over but looking forward to the next trip report (no pressure ).

lol.....I thrive on pressure!!!

Thank you!! I`m so glad you enjoyed it, always glad to see your comments along the way.......

 

[margareton27]

Great TR as usual. Thanks for taking us along for the ride! On to September

 

[schumigirl]

Great TR as usual. Thanks for taking us along for the ride! On to September

Thank you so much margareton......I`m happy you enjoyed it. And scarily, September is just around the corner......

Will be glad to see you on the next one too.

 

[angryduck71]

I am SO behind so I am cheating and started with the latest post and will go backward. LOL. Anyway, so happy for Kyle!!!! Sounds like a great fit career-wise.

I am not sure if I told you this story -- a few months before we divorced, my then-husband, Davy, and I went to Disney and Universal for Davy's 5th birthday. Davy just kept banging his face in -- he fell at Tom Sawyer's island (my ex wasn't paying attention when I took literally a ten minute break in the shade), he bumped into a pole when my ex was pulling him along at the race track at Disney, and he fell on his face at a picnic table. My ex was sure then I was going to divorce him (I was). But, I know none of that was on purpose -- but it DID look like we had beaten the poor kid. Spiderman -when there used to be a character lunch at Confisco Grill -- spent like 30 minutes straight with Davy. Probably trying to figure out if he needed to call social services or just put us in a web prison right there. But, it just delighted Davy. He was and still is a HUGE Spidey fan -- I'm sure probably not the "same one" you met as this was obviously 10 years ago, but I still have a soft spot for the guy.

I will try to catch up -- thought things were going back to normal, but my tennis team just got invited to a five-state-area competition so I am rushing to get ready for that.

 

[jump00]

WEDNESDAY MAY 25TH

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It was finally here.......our leaving day. Arrival day seemed such a long time ago and yet here we were leaving already....didn`t we just get here??????

We had rather unusually slept really well last night, I only woke up once and went straight back to sleep as I didn`t want to disturb sleeping beauty next to me.

Instead of doing some packing first, once showered and dressed we headed over for breakfast, and we were quite hungry this morning....and I could already taste the champagne for breakfast for the last time in a while.....we do sometimes have friends for brunch and do the same at their homes and champagne is always on offer then, but routinely every day.......maybe not the best idea!!

We walked over and it was Lindsey and Raphael in the lounge this morning which we knew so it was lovely seeing them both and Lindsey looked remarkable considering how late she got in and how early they start work on the mornings......the joy of youth!!! I swear it takes me hours before my face falls into some kind of order!!

And I did indeed enjoy some champagne as we sat and chatted, and it was lovely and quiet today so we were able to chat while they worked.

Jen the Concierge manager came up and we managed to say goodbye to her too and asked her to apologise to the other ladies we missed last evening, she said she would.

We stayed a little longer as I was not looking forward to saying goodbye to our little Lindsey.....we waited till they had cleared up the breakfast offerings and we did have a lovely goodbye with both of them. And we do keep in touch I`m glad to say and both her and Spider-Man are doing exceptionally well I`m happy to say. There were a few tears though.

Downstairs in the lobby we looked for Rob and Milton to say goodbye to also, Rob had told us not to leave without saying goodbye, so we wouldn`t. And we were glad to have a good chat with Rob today as he had plenty of time which was nice. But we had to get back to finish this darn packing!!

It was such a beautiful day, we wished we were going to the parks instead of this, but as Tom and our friend reminded me, the sooner we leave, the sooner we`re back, which is of course true.

We had three bottles to wrap up and we did have some thick plastic bottle protectors that held the bottles of rum we brought over for Fernando and Lenny so the wines went in there and we wrapped the gin in bubble wrap and clothes and hoped for the best. We`ve never had a bottle break on us yet....famous last words!!

But, we did it......finally!!!

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We had a late checkout so we weren`t in any rush at all today, we were meeting our friend for a goodbye before we left, so we`d clear out of the room and meet him in the lobby.

Also we weren`t planning to eat lunch here as we liked to eat at the airport restaurant, so we again were in no rush to go anywhere. But, all of a sudden it was just after 1pm and time to meet our friend, the morning had passed so fast in the end.

Without tears this time, we left the room after a final check and headed down to the desk to let them know we had gone and the room was empty which didn`t take long as miraculously there was no line at the desks.

We were just in time to meet and chat to our friend who had one of his assistants with him. They are both lovely and we liked them a lot, one we had known for years but this lady was quite new but she knew us......lol......

I hate saying goodbye to him, but we eventually thanked him for everything as always and yes, of course I`d send an email when we got home. So after lots of goodbye hugs it was time to leave........

Held it together for a little bit......

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Poor Tom!! He hates to see me upset and starts talking about Kyle and how we`ll see him and HHN coming up soon.....so I did perk up a bit.

But, leaving the hotel, friends and Orlando in general is never easy.

However, we have a long day ahead and night too, so we set off on the drive of shame down Universal Blvd which is just a beautiful area, but I much prefer it when we`re travelling in the opposite direction!

We pull into the airport and hand the car over after getting our receipt that says there are zero charges to pay, which we do and it`s fine, we post the Visitor Toll Pass into the box that you pass then walk over taking in our last fresh air for many hours away.

Up in the elevator we get out and head to Virgin Premium Check in desks which are busy. We didn`t realise there were several flights all taking off around the same time. But the line moves slowly and we again think to ourselves how much easier this is without the testing to come home we had in December, that was a nightmare and thankfully all testing is gone now.

Eventually we get to the front and it`s the same woman who checked us in back in December......she looked and said I know both of you don`t I......how`s your luggage this time......lol.....I was doing that nervous laugh as I was a little worried due to how heavy they felt dragging them, I think I was going to get the stink eye from Tom when cases were weighed!!!

This lady has checked us in many times and again we hand over passports and ask her to check if our trusted traveller number is on it so we`ll get TSA precheck, it makes such a difference going through security. It was. But it`s best to check we`ve found as one time they missed it and we had to go through regular line which took far too long.

Now, our cases........

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We have 4 cases and each is allowed 50lbs.....surely we wouldn`t be over....I had been so careful this time......

First two were around the right weight......third one was spot on and the 4th one was 6lbs over.......that wasn`t too bad was it......lol.....she did laugh and very kindly didn`t charge us this time, but she did remember charging us last trip.......so we breathed a sigh of relief and thanked her, took our boarding cards and high tailed it through to the food court and upstairs to McCoys restaurant for some food....we were both starving now as we hadn`t eaten since breakfast and it was now around 4pm.

McCoys is where we had eaten in December and had really enjoyed it. There was a family sitting on the seats by the bar and they were asked to move if they didn`t have a restaurant reservation, we didn`t have a reservation but the place was usually empty when we had been, and today was no different.

The young girl on the desk could have been friendlier I have to say and I did smile when she asked if we had a reservation, the place was completely deserted, not another soul in there. And weirdly she took us to the farthest table in the whole place, it was by the window I guess, not that there`s much to see here.

A bottle of champagne was our first order today and again, the waitress wasn`t the friendliest we`ve ever had initially. She got better as we went along though, and I again smiled when Tom asked for a bottle of champagne and she repeated it sounding surprised......we must look like we can`t afford it lol......

But, she eventually brought it and bless her couldn`t open it for love nor money. Tom didn`t want to offend her by offering to open it but at the same time we didn`t want half the contents all over the floor, so I said do you mind if my husband opens it for you as that one seems a little tough. She gladly accepted and watched how he did it before admitting she hadn`t opened one before!

And it was very nice!!

We took our time as we did have plenty of time today, our flight wasn`t till after 8pm, we were only so early as we had to have the car back otherwise we`d have stayed till much later.

We both opted to have the crawfish chowder but we ate it before we remembered a picture. It is divine, much better than the offerings we had from Jake`s this visit, this one was amazing and had a real depth of flavour and full of crawfish!

Tom ordered the meat feast pizza and I had the hot honey chicken sandwich again with a salad....the same meals we had in December, but they were both so delicious. The chicken was even a little spicy which was nice.

After we had eaten and paid we headed along to the quieter end of the lobby area to chat to Kyle by Skype and he was doing great and excited we would be back tomorrow, he checked what time we`d be home and said he had left some items in the fridge for us along with some bread in case we fancied some toast which I sometimes do when we get in.

As soon as we had chatted we headed down to security and went through the TSA precheck line which was much shorter than the regular lines. The officer was very pleasant and then we were also met by pleasant officers as we went through, it`s so much easier not having to bring out electronic items or take shoes and belts off. I did get the extra check as I usually do, but takes seconds.

Getting on the mini train is miserable. Genuinely miserable and everyone looks exactly the same as they all head to their flights out of Orlando.

There is an Outback Steakhouse and a Bahama Breeze through this side as well as several other options and they are all heaving with folks!! We much prefer the peace and tranquility of the restaurant.

Pop in for some duty free is a quick and painless experience, we know what we want, some pineapple and coconut Ciroc Vodka`s, and two different rums. We pay and then head down to the gate where we don`t have to wait too long for the gate opening. However, everyone is coughing, I mean everyone. The man beside me was a little annoying as he kept trying to tell me how he was a travel expert and most folks weren`t.....why is it always me!! Eventually he asked me how long did I think he had waited for his passport......it was one of those....go on guess, bet you can`t guess, you`ll never get it right, but guess anyway......I sighed and very nicely told him I just didn`t care. Rude, maybe but jeez this guy had droned on and on and I sincerely hoped he`d stop talking now. He did.

It wasn`t long till they began loading the plane and they called for Upper Class first, then Premium and as usual we had to squeeze our way through many passengers who were not in the Premium seats but decided they wanted to stand at the entrance anyway!

I went on and Tom stopped to pick up the duty free which was a heavy one today....I had got our seats and popped my bag in the overhead bin when Tom appeared and we got both bags and duty free in the bin above us. Then I remembered I needed my glasses and wanted the camera......as I always have the window seat, poor Tom was up again without a grumble....well, not too much of a grumble!! I got my glasses as the bubbly arrived for us, a nice little start to the flight.

I saw the chatty man pass and he headed to the back of the plane, I was glad to see that. Although our seats were just 2 together no-one really chats much to you.

I thought this picture was dreadful, but it shows you how not to take a close up.......lol.......

Tom looks good though!!!

I do like having the camera handy, and the outlook was pretty with the sunset tonight......

They came round and handed out our menu`s for the food tonight and this can be a hit or miss which is why we eat a decent meal before the flight.

Nothing much caught my eye apart from the lemon cheesecake which I do love, Tom isn`t keen on it, but I thoght he`d give it a try.

We taxied away and it was a quick hustle to the end of the runway where our pilot tonight didn`t even stop at the end as they usually do, then we are hurtling down the runway and we take off like we have never taken off before......we were almost upright and holy moly it took everyone by surprise, not least us....there were several audible gasps and a shriek or two and one guy shouted heck are we headed for the moon!!! This was a little unsettling but I`m sure it was due to avoiding some kind of weather system.

Once we were up we all kind of looked at each other in a nervous way trying to judge the general mood of the passengers.....

I`m not sure that was the reason CC gave everyone two drinks before the dinner service tonight......lol.....some give you one, some ask if you want two but tonight she just set them down when I asked for white and Tom asked for a beer. We didn`t say no.

I do like the interior lighting of the Virgin planes, it looks pretty and is supposed to relax you......well, not sure about that but it looks good.

I watched some of the new Scream movie....I guessed the culprits within minutes, not really difficult. Not a good movie.

On the night flights like this one, they serve the food pretty quickly, I think they know some folks like to get their head down and also if we`re sleeping they aren`t as rushed off their feet as they can be, don`t blame them really. And it does get noticeably warmer, works for me.

Food was served and we got another two drinks to go with dinner, wine from a can is not something I`d ever consider, but this is supposed to be more eco friendly......hmm. And it was ok to be fair.....

I had chosen the Red Thai Curry which came with salmon and noodles.....very odd dish indeed. I picked at it as I wasn`t really hungry, but it does pass time. It was fairly dry as you`d expect and there were the devils veg underneath......green beans!!!

The salad was tasteless and bread roll like a brick, but the dessert was gorgeous!

I had wine though, so I didn`t care........

Tom had gone for the vegetarian shepherds pie and said it was actually alright and he loved the lemon cheesecake, so I didn`t get a piece of his darn it.......lol.....

You can go up and help yourself to drinks and snacks on what is known as the Wonderwall on the plane....ideal if you fancy another drink, non alcoholic drinks, water and a selection of savoury and sweet snacks.

But, for us, once the trays were cleared we used the bathroom and then got the blankets out of their wrapping, got my neck pillow, eye mask and we had the seats recline as far as they could before getting to sleep.

We have no one behind us which is one of the reasons we love these seats and reserve them when we book the flights.

I should say at this point......we named this flight.....the death plane......so many sounded as if they weren`t going to make it home alive. One poor woman just couldn`t stop coughing which is horrible when it happens, but we felt so bad for her as she knew everyone could hear her and I`m sure she worried she was annoying folks. I`m sure some folks were annoyed but having had a cough like that on occasions, I felt only sympathy for her. CC were bringing her hot drinks with honey in it but bless her she was in a state. But, so many coughers on this flight!!

I fell asleep quickly......there was no turbulence at this point which I enjoy falling asleep to when it starts.....but I was tired and so was Tom. I glanced at one point and he was out for the count which I was glad to see.......at that point I turned to get comfy again and bam.......the darn plane dropped!!!!! Granted it didn`t drop far, but you felt that change of altitude like you were dropping on Tower of Terror!!!! There were some curse words heard around the cabin!! We always keep our seatbelt on while we are in our seats anyway, but we were so glad we did.

Some hadn`t noticed so we all got settled back down soon enough and before we knew it, the lights were being put back on and they were bringing breakfast round. The night had flown past.

Neither Tom nor I like oats of any kind, but this one sounded good....if you excluded the oats! But, the sausage, egg and cheese biscuit was delicious.....ok not the best, but decent enough. I did try the oats and thought they were lovely, but I love anything with coconut. And American tea is not good!! But, it was the only thing there I wanted.

Our flight had taken 8 hours exactly, and once we were through the usual cloud cover we landed to a dull Manchester with an absolute bang......never before have we come down with such a thud, it was as if the runway surprised the pilots! But, any landing you walk away from is a good one.

We were straight to the terminal building which was good as we could sometimes park in the middle of nowhere and get bussed back to the main building. As soon as the airbridge was there, they opened the doors and we were out for the seemingly 15 mile hike to passport checks. This is crazy how long this walk is.

The machines are empty as we are almost first there and at first I didn`t think the facial recognition was going to accept me....but after 3 goes, it let me through and we head down to baggage reclaim with me heading to the bathroom while Tom waited for the cases.

By the time I got back, 3 out of 4 cases were there......and then the 4th appeared. This was a result.

We hustled down the Skywalk to get to the Radisson before they stopped serving breakfast. We thought it was 10, but 10.30 was closing so we had plenty of time. We got a table by the window and yes, we had more bubbly....well Tom wasn`t driving so he was ok to enjoy some.

It`s help yourself buffet style here, and that included the champagne too, so Tom kept us topped up while we also had a huge pot of tea to go along with various breakfast items. I only had bacon, with toast and marmalade and it was lovely.

Staff here are very nice and they told us we could stay after they had cleared up but did we want any more food as they were doing that now, but we`d had plenty.

We should have taken some pictures, but we didn`t and none of us as we looked dreadful......lol......

Our car service called to say she was 10 minutes away and to call her when we were down at the doors. She can`t wait there for longer than a drop off or pick up or they charge them, we siad we would do that, so after a bathroom visit we went down, called and she was there. We joked we were glad she made it as in December there had been a huge accident and she had been stuck on the road for hours, we had to get the train home, but not today! We chatted for a short time and then we were both unconscious. Almost 3 and a half hours later we woke up and she said we were 20 minutes away.

Once we were home, first thing we did was empty the suitcases and get the washing machine on.......yes, I can`t help myself, it has to be done as soon as possible. We didn`t feel tired as not only did we sleep on the plane, but for over 3 hours in the car on the way home. So we managed to get everything sorted and into their new place or into piles for whoever was getting items we had brought back.

I emailed our friend to let him know we were home safely, called my mum and caught up with her then thought I`d sit down with a cup of tea, and woke up an hour later.......how did that happen!!

Kyle was at the door around 5.15 and it was marvellous to see him.....I love he wears a proper suit in this job, the last place had gone casual so they could wear almost anything within reason, it was still an office, but he looks so smart in his suits and he has a million ties which all look amazing. But, it was so good to see him!!!

We ordered takeout Chinese for dinner and it was lovely and spent some time just catching up with each other. We managed to stay awake till around 10pm, then we were like the Walking Dead......so bed it was for us.

It was good to be home.

Highlights.......​

Just about everything.

We had no lows to speak of with regards to the hotel which was magnificent as always. The weather was just amazingly hot for May which we loved we felt as if the sun never stopped shining.

With this May trip over, we have completed rather amazingly, 355 nights staying between Royal and Sapphire. And this trip was as good as ever. I forget who told us but I didn`t realise it was as many.

Staff were wonderful as always, they do make you feel like you have come home whenever you enter the hotels and it stays like that for the whole trip. Housekeeping was perfect. We had a lovely housekeeper who was excellent, we tend not to leave the place untidy, but she did a good job as everything was always glistening.

Club Lounge at Royal is just the best. Staff were fabulous and look after everyone so well.

Meeting a real life Spider-Man was certainly a highlight, as well as our little Lindsey. Both of them have an amazing future in front of them.

Parks were excellent as always. They are immaculately clean and well maintained, rides are wonderful and we only saw one grouchy TM the whole time. TM`s are fabulous and I never understand when folks say they are all horrible....and I have seen that written before.

Restaurants on and offsite were mainly top notch, but we did have a couple of meals where the kitchen let them down whether it be cool, cold or late. But, we visited some new places and loved them.

Seeing friends as always is the best! Some were leaving after this trip, but we`d see most of them again and some we just wished well.

There were several things/places we didn`t get to experience this trip, but we`ll try again for some.

Someone asked me how can I remember everything that happens on the trip as we are there for so many days....well, I have a very good memory to begin with. But, pictures remind me when they are uploaded and as we are there for such a long visit, I have the time to sit and write down notes after we come back from the parks/days out/restaurants. It certainly doesn`t affect our enjoyment of our time there......

Virgin flights were excellent as always, can`t fault anything about them.

MCO was excellent this time. Officers were very pleasant and we didn`t see or hear any rudeness folks have reported.

I think that`s about everything to sum up.......we had the best trip!!







But I do want to thank everyone here for your lovely, lovely comments along the way......I genuinely appreciate each and every one of them. I feel like I know some of you so well now after all these reports but it is so nice to log in and read all the comments.

It means an awful lot to know you enjoyed reading it.

But, until the next time, which is not that far away, hope to see you all on that TR too

Hello Carole!

Just finished your trip report - Wow!!! It is my favourite read. The details you add are so helpful……I’ve taken notes for our trip in August. Although I’m still nervous about Velociraptor. Thank you for all the wonderful pictures and making us smile and laugh along the way.
Brenda

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