Mandymouse's Crafty Week in WDW for Hubby's 50th (Jan '15)

[mandymouse]

Mandymouse's Crafty Week in WDW for Hubby's 50th

Castmembers

Mandy (me, 51), Paul (50), Kerry (23) & Becky (21)

Itinerary

09th Jan ~ Stay the night at the Trafford Centre, Manchester
10th Jan ~ Fly to Orlando Airport, Check in at Pop Century
12th Jan ~ Paul's 50th
17th Jan ~ Fly home
18th Jan ~ Land home

9th January 2015

It was going to be a busy day today. I was up early and had the house tidied quickly before my 9am hair appointment

Around lunchtime the girls were on their way to Manchester for an afternoon of shopping and a Nando's at the Trafford Centre, and while I waited for Paul to finish work, I finished off the packing and chilled. He got home around 4.30 pm, and after a quick pizza and stop at the petrol station, we hit junction 3 of the M6 at 5.30pm

Just after Christmas we had a few nights away at Cheshire Oaks & the Trafford Centre, and due to road works where the toll road meets back up with the M6 and the sheer volume of traffic, it had taken us 3 hours to do a normal 1 1/2 hour journey. That afternoon the girls had messaged us to say the M6 was slow, but as we re-joined it from Toll Road to the road works, we sailed right through, and by 7.15 pm we had checked in at the Premier Inn at the Trafford Centre

Once leaving our luggage in our room and saying 'hi' to the girls who were chilling in their room after a busy afternoon, we headed to our favourite Champagne bar at the shopping centre

After a couple of drinkies we headed back to our room for a reasonably early night ... ooh am I too excited to sleep ?

 

[mandymouse]

Saturday 10th January


I was surprised that I slept so well. I was up around 7am, and after a quick shower, we left our hotel and were on our way to the airport. The airport is only a 15 minute or so drive away, and as we had booked parking at the car park opposite terminal 2, within minutes we were handing over our luggage and heading up the escalator to security

After the huge lines at security in September which took about 40 minutes to get through, this time there was no-one ahead of us. We switched on our iPads and other devices, and went through the scanner where I was the only one who didn't need patting down due to the alarm going off

Our first stop was brekkie at Frankie & Benny's. We had 1 latte, 1 tea & 2 juices, 2 New England breakfasts, a bagel, pancakes and toast and within 10 minutes we were all devouring it. The bill was approx. £38 with a 15% off voucher that we'd found on the Eat, Drink & Fly website

Next we had a wander around duty free. The girls bought me a lovely Pandora plane charm as a late birthday present, and I treated myself to some Marc Jacobs mini perfumes

When we had finished wandering around the shops, we parked ourselves at the bar for a drinky (it just has to be done), and we just chilled till it was boarding time

Our plane (Hot Lips), was due to depart at 12.30 from Gate 204 and around 11.45 they began boarding

We pulled away from our gate on time, but it was a good 20 minutes before we actually got to the runway

It was going to be a long flight, with us not landing in Orlando till 5.30

I won't lie I was a bit nervous about take off as it was a very windy morning, but thankfully take off was very smooth and moments later the seat belt sign switched off and drinks were being served

It looked like a very quiet flight as it wasn't long till dinner was being served. Paul, Kerry & Becky all had the Spanish Style Chicken (which by all accounts was OK), and I had the Beef Burgundy which was very tasty

After dinner a Gu Pud was brought round, though I didn't try one, then after I typed this up I settled down to watch a movie. I began watching Transformers Age of Extinction, but soon lost interest, then watched Into the Storm which was okay. As we flew over Goose Bay the scenery below looked breathtaking

We were given a Fab ice lolly, then I settled to watch The Equalizer which was okay and killed a few hours. After watching the last two episodes of How I met your mother, and with an hour and a half till we landed, afternoon tea was brought round, though none of us fancied it

We landed at 5.30pm, and although we joined the end of a long line at Immigration, we were still driving away from the airport within an hour later

Half an hour later we checked in at the Pop Century, where check in was empty, then we drove over to our new home for the week, rooms 7306 & 7308 in the 80's building near the Computer Pool

We were all starving by now, so headed back to the main building to use some of our Quick Service Dining Plan credits. I had sesame chicken, Paul had a cheeseburger, Kerry had a pulled pork sandwich and Becky had a tuna sandwich. We all had a dessert, I had a tie dye cheesecake and we all thought it was very nice

It was only about 8.30pm (1.30am) back home, and we just wanted to try and stay up for another hour, so drove to Wal-Mart for a wander round

Thankfully we didn't need any shopping as it was so busy, and by 9.45pm we were all in bed

Tomorrow ~ First day in the parks (yay !!)

 

[mandymouse]

Sunday 11th January

I slept quite well, just waking very briefly at 12, 2 & 4, but being able to get straight back to sleep. We started stirring around 6.15 and not much later we got up

After a few cold days in Orlando, the weather was starting to warm up today. It was a little nippy this morning, but we still were able to wear shorts, t-shirts and just a cardigan or jacket

This morning we were off to Disney Hollywood Studios. We arrived just after 8.30am, but we weren't sure what to expect as the Marathon would be running through the park. The park was already open and we walked straight up to Toy Story Mania, which we were pleased to see was already open and was a walk on. As always I was rubbish and Paul truly wiped the floor with me lol. As we exited the ride we ran into some of the army soldiers so grabbed a few pics

Next we had a FP for RockNRollerCoaster, then we rode Tower of Terror (again with not much of a wait). We strolled through the shops and had a pastry and drink at Starring Rolls. We continued wandering around the park and stopped for a photo with Lightning McQueen and Mater, then we rode Star Tours

As it was warm, but cloudy, and we'd promised the girls a visit to Bubba Gump this holiday, we got back in the car and headed for Universal. We were seated straight away and we all enjoyed a lovely meal where we all started with Onion Strings and 4 delicious Starboard Sunrise cocktails then I had a cheeseburger, Paul had fish & chips, and the girls had shrimp, to finish Becky & I shared a choc chip cookie sundae, we all really enjoyed it

The sun was starting to come out and it was turning into a lovely day. We wandered around City Walk and bought a few things at the Hard Rock, Billabong and Bubba Gumps shops

We returned to the Pop Century and enjoyed an hour sitting by the pool for an hour, then I came back to the room to decorate it for Paul's 50th birthday tomorrow

We were meeting some friends in Epcot tonight, so we quickly got changed and caught the bus over. We met Karen & Jon (who had ran the Marathon that day) in the UK Pavilion, and we enjoyed a chat and good laugh while listening to the British Revolution band

After an hour is so they left to pack for their Disney Dream cruise the next day and arranged to hopefully meet up on Friday for all of our last evening

Paul and I headed over to Italy when I realised that I had lost part of my Selfie stick . We retraced our footsteps as the last time I'd had it was in the UK, but the lights had been dimmed around World Showcase and we just couldn't see anything that has been dropped

Sadly we continued round to Italy, but Paul began to feel a little unwell, to make matters worse, they had stopped selling my favourite Rose Regale , so after drinking something the server suggested instead, which was too sweet, Paul said he needed to leave

IllumiNations began and we quickly left the park, thankfully there was a bus waiting and we even managed to grab a couple of seats

I was a bit hungry so I grabbed something to eat at the Pop Century food court, then we had an early night

Tomorrow ~ Paul's 50th Birthday

 

[pampat]

I love your trippies, Mandy. Can't wait for the next chapter.

Pam

 

[eeyorefanuk]

I believe we were only talking about this a few days ago

Love your ears. I bought the red and green Xmas ones in dec

Loving your report again

Ps missing then anthem lol

 

[dolphingirl47]

Checking in. Looks like you had a smooth trip. You managed to get a lot done that first day. I can't believe that they no longer sell Rosa Regale at the Italian Pavilion.

Corinna

 

[Jets fan]

Haven't been on here for ages and am glad I did. Enjoying your trip report

tina

 

[Tony Bush]

Following along Mandy.... How lucky to get a walk on at Toy Story!!!!! The food looks yummy, makes me hungry And as for the drink.... well there's never a trippie from you without it

Tony

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Enjoying your report, hope we get through MCO as quickly in July.

Hope Paul didn't have the birthday blues and was feeling better for his big day

 

[wdwluvrs]

following along your reports are always fun Mandy Happy Belated BD Paul

 

[Chilly]

Oh I hope Paul is better for his birthday tomorrow.

 

[mandymouse]

I love your trippies, Mandy. Can't wait for the next chapter.

Pam

Thanks Pam

I believe we were only talking about this a few days ago

Love your ears. I bought the red and green Xmas ones in dec

Loving your report again

Ps missing then anthem lol

So pleased you came over to say hello last week, we've been wishing we were back on the Anthem of the Seas for the past week now (lol)

Checking in. Looks like you had a smooth trip. You managed to get a lot done that first day. I can't believe that they no longer sell Rosa Regale at the Italian Pavilion.

Corinna

Don't worry Corinna, I couldn't get it at the stand in the Italian Pavillion, but I found out a few days later that I could get it in the wine shop there

Haven't been on here for ages and am glad I did. Enjoying your trip report

tina

Thanks Tina

Following along Mandy.... How lucky to get a walk on at Toy Story!!!!! The food looks yummy, makes me hungry And as for the drink.... well there's never a trippie from you without it

Tony

LOL, thanks Tony

Enjoying your report, hope we get through MCO as quickly in July.

Hope Paul didn't have the birthday blues and was feeling better for his big day

Thanks, he was much better the next day

following along your reports are always fun Mandy Happy Belated BD Paul

Thanks Mike

Oh I hope Paul is better for his birthday tomorrow.

He was thanks Claire

 

[mandymouse]

Monday 12th January

I had a terrible nights sleep, I seemed to nap and wake up every hour. Paul seemed to sleep well and woke up feeling much better, phew ! as today is his birthday

He opened his pressies and cards, though wasn't overly impressed with the blow up zimmer frame I had bought him

This morning we were off to the Magic Kingdom. We drove over and parked in Simba 11, then caught the tram to the TTC, then took the Monorail to the park

We took the usual photos around the statue and castle, then went to use our first FP+ which was the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. We had hardly any wait, and afterwards all agreed it was cute but we wouldn't have waited too long for it

We headed towards the Haunted Mansion, but it was down, so we rode Big Thunder Mountain followed by Pirates of the Caribbean. Our next FP+ was Buzz Lightyear where Paul beat me hands down. We rested our legs on the TTA, then it was time for some lunch at Cosmic Ray's

It was due to pour down this afternoon, so we decided to have a shopping afternoon. We wandered around the shops on Main Street USA, where Paul bought me a lovely WDW Pandora bracelet as a late birthday present, and the girls bought some Pandora goodies too. We then exited the park

First stop was the Florida Mall where I bought Paul a Microsoft Band (smart watch thingy) for his birthday, and I bought a new Selfie stick (I was still gutted from losing part of my other one and just wanted it replaced ASAP)

Then here is where things went squew whiff. Someone had the bright idea to go to the Premium Oultlets at the bottom of international Drive. It was already raining when we got there, but after we got parked and wandered towards the mall, it began to pour down. We got absolutely soaked, and it wasn't till we were soaked right through before we had the bright idea to put some ponchos on (lol)

As we squelched our way round the shops, I treated myself to a gorgeous Kate Spade bag with some Christmas/birthday money

We were due to eat at Teppan Edo tonight at Epcot for Paul's birthday celebrations, but sadly we had to cancel it as we would've got soaked getting over to World Showcase. So we decided to drive down to the Kobe Japanese Steakhouse near DownTown Disney instead. We still had a lovely time, and I always enjoy the show they put on with the volcano onions and throwing food around. We started with soup, then a salad, then the veggies and noodles followed by rice and the steak and chicken we had ordered, there was so much food, and it was tasty too, and I had a couple of Mai Tai's too

After a delicious meal, we headed back to the Pop, and decided to see if Petals Bar was open, and thankfully it was, so we finished off the evening with a couple of Mai Tai's which were super strong, and which helped me sleep a lot better overnight .. result !!

 

[pampat]

Ahhh, what a nice afternoon for me: reading your next instalment!

Pam

 

[dolphingirl47]

I am glad that Paul was feeling better. What a shame that the weather threw a spanner in the works, but it looks like you had a successful shopping day. Dinner looked lovely.

Corinna

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

Glad the birthday was a success, even if a little wet! It looks like you made the most of it and the cocktails went down a treat

 

[Jets fan]

Love, love, love your bag. Sounds like you had a great day.

 

[mandymouse]

Ahhh, what a nice afternoon for me: reading your next instalment!

Pam

I am glad that Paul was feeling better. What a shame that the weather threw a spanner in the works, but it looks like you had a successful shopping day. Dinner looked lovely.

Corinna

Glad the birthday was a success, even if a little wet! It looks like you made the most of it and the cocktails went down a treat

Love, love, love your bag. Sounds like you had a great day.

Thanks everyone

 

[mandymouse]

Tuesday 13th January

We were up around 7am, and after showering and getting ready, we set off for Disney Hollywood Studios. We didn't have a FP+ for RockNRollerCoaster today, so we rode that first as there was hardly a line. We then used our first FP+ for Tower of Terror. Next we had pastries and drinks at Starring Rolls for brekkie

The girls went off to get some Frozen face paints done, then we caught up with them for our FP on Toy Story Mania

We had a wander around the park taking various photos and popping in to see Mike & Sully

Our final FP this morning was for Star Tours, then we split up as the girls had an ADR at 50's Prime time, and as it was warm, me and Paul headed back to the Pop for a chill by the pool

After a lovely relax for an hour or so, we got ready for a drinky around Epcot. We caught the bus and started at Sunshine Seasons for some dinner. We both had Mongolian Beef, then I had a Key Lime Pie and Paul had a cheesecake

We wandered through MouseGear then headed to World Showcase where I had a quick photo with Duffy Bear. Paul's first drink was a Carlsberg in Norway, then we grabbed some snacks in China where we shared some Curried Pockets and Egg Rolls

Next we had a Liebfraumich in Germany where the girls caught up with us after their day in DHS and walking to Epcot after a brief stop in the Boardwalk

I was pleased to find that although I couldn't get a Rosa Regale from the cart in Italy the other day, I was able to get one in the wine shop, so I enjoyed a couple of glasses and paul had a couple of Peroni's, and we soaked up the lovely weather while watching the street entertainer

We continued round World Showcase where I stopped off for a Grey Goose Slushie and Paul had a Kronenberg in France, and we finished off with a beer and a Bacardi & diet coke in the UK. I also treated Paul to a bar of Cadburys Dairy Milk which cost $3.95 before tax!!!!!!!!!! What??????

We walked towards the exit of the park, and popped back into MouseGear where Paul bought a few things with his birthday money

We got the bus back to the Pop Century and enjoyed a Mai Tai and shared a Tuna Sandwich with chips (crisps) before heading to bed

 

[Mrs Doubtfire]

I love how on holiday you can just eat and drink whenever you feel like it, even if it's midnight and you feel like a breakfast

It's nice that you split up and meet again with the girls. This year we are taking our nephew for his first visit and I know my daughter is wanting them to go off and then meet us later, a bit of independence!