Pre-Holiday Preamble
CAST & CREW
Going to Florida:
Me: Mark (49)
Wife: Debra (47)
Daughter #3: Lucy (12)
Already in Florida:
Daughter #2: Alexandra (20) working at the Polynesian
Staying at home:
Daughter #1: Charlotte (25) is too old to go on holiday with her parents, apparently
Son #1: Nicholas v2.0 (18) lives in bedroom, eats, plays guitar, oblivious (mostly)
Our history with the mouse goes back to 1994 when, as a reward from my generous Managing Director at the time, I was offered an all expenses paid, two week vacation to Florida with the first week to be spent at Disney and the second at the beach over in Clearwater. Being a nervous flyer I wasn't sure this was a good idea and spent a weekend nervously considering whether I could really turn down such a fabulous opportunity. Our main concern, other than my fear of travelling close to 500mph at 30,000ft in an aluminium tube, was the fact that our youngest child at the time was only six months old. Clearly he wasn't going to remember anything about it and to be honest his two year old sister probably wasn't going to get much out of it either. Which left Charlotte, who was nearly six at the time, as the only one of our children who might actually enjoy the experience. If we did decide to go it was going to be a lot of work for the pair of us with not much opportunity to relax. Was it really worth the hassle?
After a fraught few days going back and forth we decided that we couldn't say no. Money had been tight for a few years and there was no way we could afford that kind of holiday on my salary at the time. So with only seven weeks to prepare we decided on a week at (what was) Dixie Landings and a week in (what turned out to be) a much less nicer hotel in Clearwater. I can't remember it's name exactly although the Adam's Mark rings a bell. The truth is we weren't there very long as after seven days in the happiest place on Earth a dark and grubby hotel on the beach at Clearwater was not going to cut it. With my wife (Debra) in tears we made our way back to Orlando the next morning and, thanks to my generous mother-in-law, we managed to book a room at the Caribbean Beach for the remainder of the second week. That holiday changed everything for us (profoundly so as it happens) and we were both determined to go back. We couldn't afford to go in 1995 but my work circumstances changed for the better and so we were able to return in 1996. And 1997. In fact, and I say this not without a little embarrassment, we returned every year after until 2007. Actually from October 2006 to May 2007 we went three times because Charlotte, then 18 spent her Gap year working at the UK Pavilion in EPCOT. We haven't always stayed in Disney (when the budget wouldn't stretch for instance) and one year we didn't visit Disney at all but I don't like to talk about that one as it was the first and last time we would ever stay in a Villa over there (ten minutes down the road my ####). Over the years we have also been Vacation Club members and although we never managed to stay in our 'home' resort which was the Boardwalk we did have an amazing experience at the Beach Club Villas in 2003 and also had three weeks at Saratoga Springs in 2005 with the in-laws which was a little too out of the way although still very nice. Best of all we have experienced a couple of their premium resorts including the Grand Floridian (courtesy of a Charlotte 50% discount) and in my opinion it wasn't as good as the Beach Club. Mind you we had a Club Level room there (thanks again) so it probably isn't a fair comparison. Being a big fan of EPCOT the five minute walk from our room to the entrance was also an important factor for me personally but then again I did enjoy boating on the lake when we were at GF. If you ever get the chance I'd say go for it... I'm not sure it's really worth the money but it is something you will remember for the rest of your life. And for me, that's what it boils down to in the end.
As you can probably tell we have helped to boost the Florida economy quite considerably over the years. Looking back I can state quite categorically that I have no regrets and wouldn't change a single thing about it. We both know that we have been very fortunate both in being able to afford our annual holidays to the Sunshine State and also for being able to experience Disney when it was at its very best. Our three eldest kids effectively grew up at Disney and that has had an impact on two of them at least as Alexandra spent last summer working in the Magic Kingdom on the popcorn stand at the end of Main Street (mostly) and will spend her entire third year of university working at the Polynesian Resort. In fact she started seven weeks ago which is why myself, Debra and Lucy are heading back in early September for the first time in four years. Actually, that's not strictly true as Charlotte did take Lucy over there last summer to visit their sister while we stayed at home and enjoyed the lovely English summer. That last bit was sarcasm by the way. You might need to get used to that in subsequent reports.
I'll be totally honest and say that if Alexandra wasn't working over there we wouldn't be going. We've had more than our fair share of the theme park experience and I have been more than happy to move on with the idea of experiencing other places (although you won't find me in Kavos, Benidorm or Ayai Napa any time soon). Having said that, the minute we booked the flights back in June I got that familiar buzz again and now, two weeks out, I find myself still excited at the prospect of going back. It helps that we have a heavily discounted Club Level room at the Polynesian (thanks to Alex) which is a resort we have never stayed at before but seems to be well liked going by the reports I've read on Trip Advisor, almost exclusively so. I can't say that I'm as keen to revisit the parks although we will spend at least a day in three of the four for Lucy's sake as she claims that she doesn't remember any of her previous visits. She may also be playing the 'guilt' card as it wouldn't be the first time. I know for certain that we will be going to Typhoon Lagoon at least once as we've always had a good time there and I've genuinely missed being smacked in the face by that awesome wave. I hope it hasn't been toned down since we were there last? In the past we have planned these holidays like a military campaign (not that we ever stuck to it) but this time the emphasis is on relaxation by the pool and park visits only for as long as we can stand them. Lucy loves being in the pool more than anything and also has a tendency to adopt the nearest family with kids of a similar age so there is a good chance we will get to spend some quality time doing absolutely nothing, nichts, nada, etc. All we need is for the good weather to continue and we're sorted. I really hope saying that hasn't jinxed it.
The only last thing to say about our itinerary is that we will be starting out by heading to Fort Lauderdale for a couple of days, specifically to the Sawgrass Mills outlet mall as we've never been there before and we've read really good things. I'm not sure if our minds and bodies will be up to the challenge having only landed the night before but who doesn't love the idea of a bargain? As professional shoppers we feel duty bound to check it out and report back our findings. It's a dirty job and all that.
I hope to provide a daily trip report soon after we get back but be warned the last one I started (for our road trip through California and Nevada in July/August of 2008) I actually finished writing on Christmas Day (of the same year I'm pleased to say) and it was almost 100 pages long. My intentions for this new one are completely different but you never know. I have certainly enjoyed reading about other peoples' experiences over the years so I hope some of you will enjoy reading about ours. I also thought about tweeting during the holiday, mainly for the benefit of the two we are leaving behind but I seriously doubt Nick v2.0 -- we all prefer version 1.0 (pre-hormone upgrade) -- will be remotely interested in what we are up to or our whereabouts. He may not even realise we have gone away until we get back or the food runs out. Charlotte, on the other hand, may be. I don't know anything about hash tags or how it all works but if I do decide to give it a go I will update this post with the name you need to follow @goingbacktofloridaseptember2013 or something just as easy to remember.
Anon.
CAST & CREW
Going to Florida:
Me: Mark (49)
Wife: Debra (47)
Daughter #3: Lucy (12)
Already in Florida:
Daughter #2: Alexandra (20) working at the Polynesian
Staying at home:
Daughter #1: Charlotte (25) is too old to go on holiday with her parents, apparently
Son #1: Nicholas v2.0 (18) lives in bedroom, eats, plays guitar, oblivious (mostly)
Our history with the mouse goes back to 1994 when, as a reward from my generous Managing Director at the time, I was offered an all expenses paid, two week vacation to Florida with the first week to be spent at Disney and the second at the beach over in Clearwater. Being a nervous flyer I wasn't sure this was a good idea and spent a weekend nervously considering whether I could really turn down such a fabulous opportunity. Our main concern, other than my fear of travelling close to 500mph at 30,000ft in an aluminium tube, was the fact that our youngest child at the time was only six months old. Clearly he wasn't going to remember anything about it and to be honest his two year old sister probably wasn't going to get much out of it either. Which left Charlotte, who was nearly six at the time, as the only one of our children who might actually enjoy the experience. If we did decide to go it was going to be a lot of work for the pair of us with not much opportunity to relax. Was it really worth the hassle?
After a fraught few days going back and forth we decided that we couldn't say no. Money had been tight for a few years and there was no way we could afford that kind of holiday on my salary at the time. So with only seven weeks to prepare we decided on a week at (what was) Dixie Landings and a week in (what turned out to be) a much less nicer hotel in Clearwater. I can't remember it's name exactly although the Adam's Mark rings a bell. The truth is we weren't there very long as after seven days in the happiest place on Earth a dark and grubby hotel on the beach at Clearwater was not going to cut it. With my wife (Debra) in tears we made our way back to Orlando the next morning and, thanks to my generous mother-in-law, we managed to book a room at the Caribbean Beach for the remainder of the second week. That holiday changed everything for us (profoundly so as it happens) and we were both determined to go back. We couldn't afford to go in 1995 but my work circumstances changed for the better and so we were able to return in 1996. And 1997. In fact, and I say this not without a little embarrassment, we returned every year after until 2007. Actually from October 2006 to May 2007 we went three times because Charlotte, then 18 spent her Gap year working at the UK Pavilion in EPCOT. We haven't always stayed in Disney (when the budget wouldn't stretch for instance) and one year we didn't visit Disney at all but I don't like to talk about that one as it was the first and last time we would ever stay in a Villa over there (ten minutes down the road my ####). Over the years we have also been Vacation Club members and although we never managed to stay in our 'home' resort which was the Boardwalk we did have an amazing experience at the Beach Club Villas in 2003 and also had three weeks at Saratoga Springs in 2005 with the in-laws which was a little too out of the way although still very nice. Best of all we have experienced a couple of their premium resorts including the Grand Floridian (courtesy of a Charlotte 50% discount) and in my opinion it wasn't as good as the Beach Club. Mind you we had a Club Level room there (thanks again) so it probably isn't a fair comparison. Being a big fan of EPCOT the five minute walk from our room to the entrance was also an important factor for me personally but then again I did enjoy boating on the lake when we were at GF. If you ever get the chance I'd say go for it... I'm not sure it's really worth the money but it is something you will remember for the rest of your life. And for me, that's what it boils down to in the end.
As you can probably tell we have helped to boost the Florida economy quite considerably over the years. Looking back I can state quite categorically that I have no regrets and wouldn't change a single thing about it. We both know that we have been very fortunate both in being able to afford our annual holidays to the Sunshine State and also for being able to experience Disney when it was at its very best. Our three eldest kids effectively grew up at Disney and that has had an impact on two of them at least as Alexandra spent last summer working in the Magic Kingdom on the popcorn stand at the end of Main Street (mostly) and will spend her entire third year of university working at the Polynesian Resort. In fact she started seven weeks ago which is why myself, Debra and Lucy are heading back in early September for the first time in four years. Actually, that's not strictly true as Charlotte did take Lucy over there last summer to visit their sister while we stayed at home and enjoyed the lovely English summer. That last bit was sarcasm by the way. You might need to get used to that in subsequent reports.
I'll be totally honest and say that if Alexandra wasn't working over there we wouldn't be going. We've had more than our fair share of the theme park experience and I have been more than happy to move on with the idea of experiencing other places (although you won't find me in Kavos, Benidorm or Ayai Napa any time soon). Having said that, the minute we booked the flights back in June I got that familiar buzz again and now, two weeks out, I find myself still excited at the prospect of going back. It helps that we have a heavily discounted Club Level room at the Polynesian (thanks to Alex) which is a resort we have never stayed at before but seems to be well liked going by the reports I've read on Trip Advisor, almost exclusively so. I can't say that I'm as keen to revisit the parks although we will spend at least a day in three of the four for Lucy's sake as she claims that she doesn't remember any of her previous visits. She may also be playing the 'guilt' card as it wouldn't be the first time. I know for certain that we will be going to Typhoon Lagoon at least once as we've always had a good time there and I've genuinely missed being smacked in the face by that awesome wave. I hope it hasn't been toned down since we were there last? In the past we have planned these holidays like a military campaign (not that we ever stuck to it) but this time the emphasis is on relaxation by the pool and park visits only for as long as we can stand them. Lucy loves being in the pool more than anything and also has a tendency to adopt the nearest family with kids of a similar age so there is a good chance we will get to spend some quality time doing absolutely nothing, nichts, nada, etc. All we need is for the good weather to continue and we're sorted. I really hope saying that hasn't jinxed it.
The only last thing to say about our itinerary is that we will be starting out by heading to Fort Lauderdale for a couple of days, specifically to the Sawgrass Mills outlet mall as we've never been there before and we've read really good things. I'm not sure if our minds and bodies will be up to the challenge having only landed the night before but who doesn't love the idea of a bargain? As professional shoppers we feel duty bound to check it out and report back our findings. It's a dirty job and all that.
I hope to provide a daily trip report soon after we get back but be warned the last one I started (for our road trip through California and Nevada in July/August of 2008) I actually finished writing on Christmas Day (of the same year I'm pleased to say) and it was almost 100 pages long. My intentions for this new one are completely different but you never know. I have certainly enjoyed reading about other peoples' experiences over the years so I hope some of you will enjoy reading about ours. I also thought about tweeting during the holiday, mainly for the benefit of the two we are leaving behind but I seriously doubt Nick v2.0 -- we all prefer version 1.0 (pre-hormone upgrade) -- will be remotely interested in what we are up to or our whereabouts. He may not even realise we have gone away until we get back or the food runs out. Charlotte, on the other hand, may be. I don't know anything about hash tags or how it all works but if I do decide to give it a go I will update this post with the name you need to follow @goingbacktofloridaseptember2013 or something just as easy to remember.
Anon.
