The cast:
Paul, 37 years young - a fully paid-up Disneyaholic
Helen, younger in years and looks - the most organised member of the family
Ryan, 5 months old - a Disney fan in the making
After our expectedly early night we are well rested for our trip to Busch Gardens. As mentioned before we have Silver Passports that mean this trip is essentially free of charge. We leave the resort at 8.45am and pull into the car park at Busch dead on 10.00am not bad going at all. Our last couple of trips have found this place deserted so its nice to see a few more people around, although the park is by no means crowded. First up is Montu a walk-on with no line. Whilst were not allowed to stay on its simply a matter of walking straight round to the entrance to ride again. A nice way to get the blood pumping this early in the morning!
Next we wander across to Kwazi, the wooden coaster that was built a couple of years ago. Only one side of the attraction was open here, so things moved much more slowly, taking around 30 minutes from start to finish. The coaster itself is unlike anything else at the Florida parks the feel and noise of the wood is very different to the likes of Kraken or Hulk.
All coastered out for a while we head off to the Crown Colony for lunch, where Helen has salad and chicken pasta and I go for clam chowder and seafood medley a kind of tasty fish casserole. We wander up the Tidalwave attraction and for some reason I decide it would be a good idea to get completely and thoroughly soaked. I still dont know why I did it! Unfortunately Kumba had been shut down due to technical difficulties. Of course this wasnt signposted anywhere people needed to walk right up to the entrance to ask the staff member who was clearly more interested in polishing her nails. Busch has some wonderful attractions but Disney it isnt!
We decided to try out the new Haunted Lighthouse attraction, a 4D show in the vein of Tough to be a Bug and Honey I Shrunk the Audience. It was pretty good but to be honest everything felt a little forced and obvious. A quick trip to the brewing centre to quench my thirst and we then decided to head back to the BW for a swim.
A couple of comments on Busch: firstly, in my opinion the staff fall some way short of the standards seen at Disney and the other Orlando parks. Also we were amazed at the number of guests smoking around the park it seemed at times that almost everyone was lighting up and carrying around lit cigarettes. With a small child in a stroller this is a big concern and something that will make us think twice before visiting next time.
We make it back to the BW by 4pm and head off for a swim. As the main pool slide is being renovated we are allowed to use Stormalong Bay at the Yacht & Beach Club, so decide to take advantage of the circumstances. Ryan has a little play in the sandy area, and we laze around for a while relaxing in the sunshine.
Hunger is starting to get the better of us, so we head back to the room to change and then head out in the car. Weve decided to try the Cheesecake Factory at the Mall at Millenia tonight, about a 20 minute drive along I-4. We find the restaurant easily enough and walk past the cheesecake selection on the way to our table Helen making a mental note to skip the appetizers
I go for nachos and popcorn shrimp, whilst Helen has Mahi Mahi, fries and broccoli. I am stuffed afterwards so settle for a coffee while Helen finally selects the vanilla bean cheesecake. The waitress brings an enormous slice and after four or five mouthfuls its clear that (a) the dessert is delicious, and (b) a carry-out box will be needed. We waddle to the car and then back to the BW via the gas station where I am able to completely fill the tank for around $15 compared to the £45 it costs in the UK. Oh, if only we could take petrol back with us
Day 13, Its a holi-holiday
Paul, 37 years young - a fully paid-up Disneyaholic
Helen, younger in years and looks - the most organised member of the family
Ryan, 5 months old - a Disney fan in the making
After our expectedly early night we are well rested for our trip to Busch Gardens. As mentioned before we have Silver Passports that mean this trip is essentially free of charge. We leave the resort at 8.45am and pull into the car park at Busch dead on 10.00am not bad going at all. Our last couple of trips have found this place deserted so its nice to see a few more people around, although the park is by no means crowded. First up is Montu a walk-on with no line. Whilst were not allowed to stay on its simply a matter of walking straight round to the entrance to ride again. A nice way to get the blood pumping this early in the morning!
Next we wander across to Kwazi, the wooden coaster that was built a couple of years ago. Only one side of the attraction was open here, so things moved much more slowly, taking around 30 minutes from start to finish. The coaster itself is unlike anything else at the Florida parks the feel and noise of the wood is very different to the likes of Kraken or Hulk.
All coastered out for a while we head off to the Crown Colony for lunch, where Helen has salad and chicken pasta and I go for clam chowder and seafood medley a kind of tasty fish casserole. We wander up the Tidalwave attraction and for some reason I decide it would be a good idea to get completely and thoroughly soaked. I still dont know why I did it! Unfortunately Kumba had been shut down due to technical difficulties. Of course this wasnt signposted anywhere people needed to walk right up to the entrance to ask the staff member who was clearly more interested in polishing her nails. Busch has some wonderful attractions but Disney it isnt!
We decided to try out the new Haunted Lighthouse attraction, a 4D show in the vein of Tough to be a Bug and Honey I Shrunk the Audience. It was pretty good but to be honest everything felt a little forced and obvious. A quick trip to the brewing centre to quench my thirst and we then decided to head back to the BW for a swim.
A couple of comments on Busch: firstly, in my opinion the staff fall some way short of the standards seen at Disney and the other Orlando parks. Also we were amazed at the number of guests smoking around the park it seemed at times that almost everyone was lighting up and carrying around lit cigarettes. With a small child in a stroller this is a big concern and something that will make us think twice before visiting next time.
We make it back to the BW by 4pm and head off for a swim. As the main pool slide is being renovated we are allowed to use Stormalong Bay at the Yacht & Beach Club, so decide to take advantage of the circumstances. Ryan has a little play in the sandy area, and we laze around for a while relaxing in the sunshine.
Hunger is starting to get the better of us, so we head back to the room to change and then head out in the car. Weve decided to try the Cheesecake Factory at the Mall at Millenia tonight, about a 20 minute drive along I-4. We find the restaurant easily enough and walk past the cheesecake selection on the way to our table Helen making a mental note to skip the appetizers
I go for nachos and popcorn shrimp, whilst Helen has Mahi Mahi, fries and broccoli. I am stuffed afterwards so settle for a coffee while Helen finally selects the vanilla bean cheesecake. The waitress brings an enormous slice and after four or five mouthfuls its clear that (a) the dessert is delicious, and (b) a carry-out box will be needed. We waddle to the car and then back to the BW via the gas station where I am able to completely fill the tank for around $15 compared to the £45 it costs in the UK. Oh, if only we could take petrol back with us
Day 13, Its a holi-holiday
