Have to say it's really horrible writing up a trip report as it means that the holiday is well and truly over - YUK
Cast:
Me - Tina (46)
My twin sisters - Tracy and Jayne (43)
My brother in law - Neil (46)
Nephews - Samuel and Jacob (16 & 15)
Niece - Emily (13)
Have to start by saying that we had a brilliant time and I really hate being back to normality, commuting to London every day!
Saturday 5 April
D Day has finally arrived and we're off to the airport (it's only taken 11 months to arrive and we haven't really been counting down the days, hours and minutes )
Myself, Jayne and Jacob set off for Gatwick at the ridiculous hour of 06.30 for a 12.45 flight. My sis is paranoid about the traffic on the M25 as it can be absolute hell. Well this morning it wasn't and we sailed through and in under1 hour we were in the Virgin lounge for our treatments. All very civilised really as the main Gatwick terminal was absolutely heaving - you could really tell that many schools were on holidays. Our flight left on time and our Upper Class experience was great from start to finish.
When we arrived at MCO we sailed through immigration (5 mins) and collected our suitcases. I had read about the US Immigration services pulling teenagers with new passports to one side and questioning them but I have to say that we saw none of this and the officials that we met at the airport were great and very welcoming.
Unfortunately due to Virgin changing terminal arrivals our driver was in A or B whilst we were in A or B (sorry cannot remember which way around it was). We used FL Tours as they were recommended by the DIS Boards in the Transportation section and they were good when they finally found us and we went off to OKW in our stretch limo, which my neph absolutely loved. The trip to OKW was great as there was a terrific thunderstorm going on, it was thunder and lightning all the way with torrential rain, but as we all like storms - well let's face it we get very few actual storms in Berkshire! - we were thoroughly enjoying ourselves.
When we arrived at OKW we had a slight battle for the buildings we liked but we reached a compromise in the end which we were very happy with - South Point, across from the quiet swimming pool. We had a two bedroom apartment which was very clean and perfect. Despite the storm raging housekeeping managed to bring us some extra pillows and towels as we were 7 people.
My other sister, Tracy and her family travelled from Heathrow via Minneapolis and left home 3 hours before her 14.30 flight. They had a 15 min journey to the airport, which is much easier than getting to Gatwick. Heathrow, just like Gatwick was packed but their North Western flight took off on time and landed just 15 mins late. They had 1 hour 50 mins to clear immigration, pick up their luggage and then re-submit it as they had checked in straight through but you need to pick up your luggage when coming from another country. They made their flight with 10 mins to spare, but they did it! On the flight the pilot announced that it was lucky that they had not arrived in Orlando earlier as the airport had been closed for 3 hours because of the storm - were we lucky to have arrived just before it got really bad! They arrived at OKW at about 12.30am, which was 05.30am UK time and we all had bagels as our bodies thought it was morning and we were just up incredibly early - again!
Sunday 6 April
As you can imagine, even after arriving late the day before we were all up by 7am, so we picked up the phone and booked Crystal Palace in MK for breakfast at 08.10. Within 20 minutes of making the booking we were ready and at the OKW bus stop. The sun was shining and it was lovely to see MK on our first day. The breakfast was brilliant and I would thoroughly recommend it, even if you haven't got children. It was loud, but the food was great and plentiful - oh those Mickey waffles with syrup - yum, yum, yum!
After breakfast we headed to our first ride of the holiday - Pirates of the Caribbean, which was great and we all liked the improvements, although I think that they could have gone further! We then went on many, many rides and had great fun as it was warm and it was just nice to soak up the atmosphere. By midday the park was heaving as although Spring Break had finished in many States, the amount of Brits was unbelievable. We've been before at this time of year and it has not been as busy as it is now. We found that throughout our 13 day vacation the parks were all very, very busy.
Just after going on Buzz Lightyear's ride - about 1pm, the heavens opened and we ran for the shops and purchased our annual Disney poncho's as we never have enough room in our cases to take them back to the UK with us. We then proceeded back to OKW so the adults could snooze and the children went to the pool - in the rain!
In the evening it absolutely tipped down and as we had reservations at Chefs de France, we did what any hardy Brits would do and donned our Disney ponchos and set off. The phrase 'raining cats and dogs' doesnt really describe the rain in Orlando, it's more like 'raining bulls and cows'. Within 5 minutes of being out we were soaked and a tad chilly, but we're a hardy family so we just carried on regardless.
The food at Chefs was good, but not as good as it used to be. My French Onion soup was OK and I had duck which again was OK, but nothing special. On the whole the party did enjoy the meal though and the bottle of wine we had really went down well. We had planned to go to the Flower Power concert but we were all wet and tired so we went back to OKW, to a quick swim in the pool (mad nephs!) and then to bed.
Monday 7 April
We had planned to go to a park on this day but unfortunately we could not resist the pull of the Premium Outlet Mall! We spent a good 6 hours shopping, well my sisters and I did, the other lightweights left after a couple of hours to go to Pirates Golf! We picked up some amazing bargains and the Premium Outlet Malls coupon book definitely came in handy as we saved a fair bit. One thing to remember when printing off the coupon is that there are two booklets you can get, one you print directly from their website and the other one you collect from the Food Court, they are both very good and we managed to save a fair bit.
In the evening we had dinner at the California Grill and it was good, but not great, definitely the only thing worth 2 dining credits was the view and it was great. We watched the fireworks from the viewing platform and it was nice but a bit breezy. My two nephs then went into MK and we headed back to OKW for a quick baileys and then bed.
Tuesday 8 April
Today everybody, bar me went to Disney's Hollywood Studios and I lounged around the pool reading a very strange romantic pirate novel - typical holiday romance reading!
At 3.30pm we all met up again and headed to the Florida Mall to shop. I thought that 5 hours would be enough there as we had already spent loads at the Premium Mall - how wrong was I. We all split up into little micro groups and went our separate ways. Well Jayne and I ended up spending nearly 4 hours in Macy's as their clothes were great and to us Brits, so cheap. We virtually took over a dressing room and must have tried on literally hundreds of outfits. After doing only one store and having a quick look around we decided that we did indeed need another day there as Tracy had been to Nordstroms and had brought some absolutely fab things. The boys hit Abercrombie and Fitch and came out with so much as the prices were brilliant. Emily also came out with a fair few items from there as she has the perfect figure for their clothes. An example of the savings you can make is: Emily brought a little sundress from Abercrombie for $70, the same dress on the UK website is £80 - have to say that I'm absolutely discussed with what Abercrombie charges for clothes in the UK - Rip off Britain!
We then headed back to Downtown Disney for a quick table service dinner at Wolfgang Puck's, which was excellent value and very tasty. We got there at 10.30 so only just made it as they close at 11pm.
Wednesday 9 April
As it was very hot today we went to Blizzard Beach for the day. It was packed but my family got on rides, which pleased them and I just went round and round the lazy river and sun worshipped.
We had our first 'Magical Moment' and were all given fast passes to Tower of Terror so we managed to get in a ride before dinner.
We had booked the Fantasmic Dinner Package at Mama Melrose' (Neil's choice) and boy am I glad we did as the service and food was great. Between the 7 of us we covered many things on the menu and everybody loved all of their three courses (3 courses were included in the dining plan) and cleaned their plates. They do a brilliant cocktail called 'Mudslide Martini' which we loved and could not get enough of! Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. This is one restaurant that I have never been to before and I would definitely do it again!
Fantasmic was great and they have added to the scenery (last time we went was Dec 2006). Well worth the one dining credit.
Thursday 10 April
Yummy, another breakfast, this time at the Cape May Café. I love breakfast here as it's not as busy as other places as it's smaller. The interaction with the characters was great and the food brilliant.
We then took the boat to Epcot and went on a few rides but it was very busy so we decided to go back to the pool and sun worship again.
In the evening we went to the ESPN café to watch play-off hockey and we loved it. I had the chilli/cheese dog and it was great. We had a pitcher of beer and watched two hockey games so we were all contented. The atmosphere was very good and we all loved it. We paid for this meal as it's a really cheap place to eat and not worth using a dining credit. If you like sports you'll love this place.
Friday 11 April
We had nothing planned for today so we went to the Animal Kingdom and did the rides. The girls left the park at 1ish for a swim and a nap only to find out that disaster had struck and our two bedroom, top floor apartment had flooded. As we were walking up to our building Emily and I noticed workmen and pumps but thought nothing of it, but when we walked into our apartment the master bedroom had no bed and indeed no furniture in it. Tracy and Jayne then walked though the door and we realised that something had gone wrong as every stick of furniture from the master bedroom had been moved and quite a lot was wet. A guy then came in and apologised and asked us to pack everything up (no mean feat considering what we had managed to buy thus far). He said that it was a burst pipe that had occurred under our floor and had flooded the two apartments below as well. Luckily somebody on the 2nd floor was actually in and alerted the OKW staff as that could have been dangerous if they had switched on a light.
Luckily we had tidied up that morning so the only things damaged were shoes, a handbag and a bag with electrical items in. We were asked to put the damaged items into a bag and give them to the guy who they sent to help us move. These included:
3 pairs of shoes as although all of our shoes had got wet these were ruined
My lovely new Italian handbag
2 x PSP's and games (nephs)
1 x i-pod
I have to say that OKW management were great and sorted everything out. They replaced the i-pod, PSPs and games and gave us money for the shoes and the handbag. The apartment they moved us to in Building 46 was great and had a brilliant view of the waterway going to Downtown Disney. Unfortunately we missed our nap and swim that day but you cannot help things like this happening.
Saturday 12 April
Unfortunately I have absolutely no idea what we did during the day, but it may have involved some sun worshipping!
In the evening we went to the Spirit of Aloha dinner show at the Polynesian. The food was basic, chicken and ribs, but the wine and soft drinks were plentiful. The show was good fun and worth the 2 dining credits. It was lovely being able to sit outside in the evening as we went to the 8pm sitting.
After the show we went to MK for the 2nd showing of Spectro Magic and a spot of Disney shopping.
Sunday 13 April
My family spent the day at Typhoon Lagoon having fun and I just sat around the pool soaking up the rays.
This was a very special evening for us, as the ice Hockey team that I do the PR for won the play-off title for the 2007/08 season. Luckily, in anticipation of the win - or if I'm telling the truth - by chance, we had booked dinner at Narcoosees at the Grand Floridian. When we arrived we sat by the bar having cocktails, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic and then we had dinner. We decided to have starters and went for the whole three courses and I have to say that we loved it. The food was fantastic, as was the service and the spectacular views. I think that this really was the best use of 2 table credits and I would thoroughly recommend it.
After dinner we were picked up for our Wishes Cruise and although it was not raining, it was 'friggin freezing' and that's putting it mildly! Luckily the boats are well used to weather fluctuations so they had blankets on board to wrap ourselves in. The sky was clear and the fireworks were great, but it must have been as cold as the UK that night!
Monday 14 April
We decided to spend the whole of today in Epcot as we had booked at the Coral Reef restaurant. We went on some rides but not all as it was very busy. Soarin was, as usual very good as was Test Track. We spent hours ambling around the world showcase which was relaxing and pleasant as it was fairly warm-hot.
Dinner at Coral Reef was a bit hit and miss really. Every time we go to this restaurant they are running behind. It didnt worry us but our server was not the best and the meal was fairly rushed. The food was good but the desserts were fantastic. Would probably go there again but not sure as it had gone down hill from our last visit.
Tuesday 15 April
Today we shopped, shopped and shopped some more at the Florida Mall. We all split up into smaller groups so that we could make best use of the time, but 6 hours later we were still shopping. Nordstroms really is a fantastic store and I managed to purchase shoes, a lovely Elliot Luca handbag and many hair bands, which were not cheap but at least they had the variety that I wanted. Tracy, Jayne and myself all managed to visit most of the big department stores and made very hefty dents in our credit cards.
Wednesday 16 April
After a delightful breakfast at Boma (their off the bone ham is just sooo tasty) we proceeded to the Animal Kingdom for some more rides and fun. As it was hot and nearly the end of our hols I only stayed there for a little while and then headed back to my lovely pool at OKW.
In the afternoon my sisters and I headed back to the Premium Outlets Mall for some last minute, must have shopping.
In the evening we went to MK for a counter service dinner and to watch the fireworks for the last time on our hols. We stood just by the castle and the view was fantastic.
Thursday 17 April
As this was our last full day and knowing what weather was waiting for us in the UK, my family decided to go back to Blizzard Beach and do Summit Plummet, amongst others. As Jacob had a bad throat and cold I stayed with him and started to pack - yuk yuk.
When everybody else returned from sunning themselves we all finished packing before going out. It was at that moment that I realised that I was going back with 17 pairs of shoes and Jayne with 16 pairs. We really did buy a fair bit as we both easily filled two suitcases.
In the evening we had booked one of my favourite restaurants, Le Cellier. Our server was great and we had a brilliant meal. This restaurant has never let us down and is the absolute best use of 1 table service. We then watched the fireworks for the last time in Epcot.
Friday 18 April
Home day - yuk. We finished up the last of the packing and then our two parties went their separate ways.
Jayne, Jacob and I went to Downtown Disney to check-in and I have to say that the queue was very long. Luckily we were Upper Class so did not have to wait but I really pitied the people with small children as check-in for them looked very slow. We then made a last visit to the Virgin Megastore and hopped onto the ferry back to OKW as Jacob was still feeling unwell.
We had lunch and just relaxed around the pool until our Virgin car came to pick us up.
The flight home was delayed an hour which was fine, but I have to say that I was disappointed in the plane, it was old and dirty. The food was also very sub-standard and none of us really ate anything as it really was that bad. We all put on our sleep suits for very little sleep as it was so hot, even with the air blowers on. When we arrived at Gatwick they had cancelled one of the cars to take us home so we had to stand around waiting for a car to fir three people and luggage in became available. Arrived home and went to sleep!
Summaries
We were on the Disney Dining Plan and one thing I would say is when you pay the gratuity and for any extras get a receipt to say that you have paid if you pay cash as if there are any problems you have no backup if you have no receipt to say you have paid.
All in all the Dining Plan is still a good idea if you want to keep watch of what you are spending on food, but I dont think that we would do it again as it's not great value. We were left with many snack and counter service credits as it's impossible to eat that much food and taking off what we had left we worked out that we didnt save a penny by having the dining plan. Also OKW is not good for snacks on the plan as we wanted to use it mainly for breakfast, bagels, croissants etc and you cannot get these at OKW.
Pre-booking restaurants is still a good idea, even though they didnt seem as busy as the last time we went.
Shopping really is great value for Brit's as the exchange rate is brilliant. Even full price items are cheaper than Britain. The only things that are exactly the same price as in Europe are European designers e.g. Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior.
We had a brilliant holidays and even though we spent way toooooo much money on shopping it's still a really brilliant place to take a holiday.
Cast:
Me - Tina (46)
My twin sisters - Tracy and Jayne (43)
My brother in law - Neil (46)
Nephews - Samuel and Jacob (16 & 15)
Niece - Emily (13)
Have to start by saying that we had a brilliant time and I really hate being back to normality, commuting to London every day!
Saturday 5 April
D Day has finally arrived and we're off to the airport (it's only taken 11 months to arrive and we haven't really been counting down the days, hours and minutes )
Myself, Jayne and Jacob set off for Gatwick at the ridiculous hour of 06.30 for a 12.45 flight. My sis is paranoid about the traffic on the M25 as it can be absolute hell. Well this morning it wasn't and we sailed through and in under1 hour we were in the Virgin lounge for our treatments. All very civilised really as the main Gatwick terminal was absolutely heaving - you could really tell that many schools were on holidays. Our flight left on time and our Upper Class experience was great from start to finish.
When we arrived at MCO we sailed through immigration (5 mins) and collected our suitcases. I had read about the US Immigration services pulling teenagers with new passports to one side and questioning them but I have to say that we saw none of this and the officials that we met at the airport were great and very welcoming.
Unfortunately due to Virgin changing terminal arrivals our driver was in A or B whilst we were in A or B (sorry cannot remember which way around it was). We used FL Tours as they were recommended by the DIS Boards in the Transportation section and they were good when they finally found us and we went off to OKW in our stretch limo, which my neph absolutely loved. The trip to OKW was great as there was a terrific thunderstorm going on, it was thunder and lightning all the way with torrential rain, but as we all like storms - well let's face it we get very few actual storms in Berkshire! - we were thoroughly enjoying ourselves.
When we arrived at OKW we had a slight battle for the buildings we liked but we reached a compromise in the end which we were very happy with - South Point, across from the quiet swimming pool. We had a two bedroom apartment which was very clean and perfect. Despite the storm raging housekeeping managed to bring us some extra pillows and towels as we were 7 people.
My other sister, Tracy and her family travelled from Heathrow via Minneapolis and left home 3 hours before her 14.30 flight. They had a 15 min journey to the airport, which is much easier than getting to Gatwick. Heathrow, just like Gatwick was packed but their North Western flight took off on time and landed just 15 mins late. They had 1 hour 50 mins to clear immigration, pick up their luggage and then re-submit it as they had checked in straight through but you need to pick up your luggage when coming from another country. They made their flight with 10 mins to spare, but they did it! On the flight the pilot announced that it was lucky that they had not arrived in Orlando earlier as the airport had been closed for 3 hours because of the storm - were we lucky to have arrived just before it got really bad! They arrived at OKW at about 12.30am, which was 05.30am UK time and we all had bagels as our bodies thought it was morning and we were just up incredibly early - again!
Sunday 6 April
As you can imagine, even after arriving late the day before we were all up by 7am, so we picked up the phone and booked Crystal Palace in MK for breakfast at 08.10. Within 20 minutes of making the booking we were ready and at the OKW bus stop. The sun was shining and it was lovely to see MK on our first day. The breakfast was brilliant and I would thoroughly recommend it, even if you haven't got children. It was loud, but the food was great and plentiful - oh those Mickey waffles with syrup - yum, yum, yum!
After breakfast we headed to our first ride of the holiday - Pirates of the Caribbean, which was great and we all liked the improvements, although I think that they could have gone further! We then went on many, many rides and had great fun as it was warm and it was just nice to soak up the atmosphere. By midday the park was heaving as although Spring Break had finished in many States, the amount of Brits was unbelievable. We've been before at this time of year and it has not been as busy as it is now. We found that throughout our 13 day vacation the parks were all very, very busy.
Just after going on Buzz Lightyear's ride - about 1pm, the heavens opened and we ran for the shops and purchased our annual Disney poncho's as we never have enough room in our cases to take them back to the UK with us. We then proceeded back to OKW so the adults could snooze and the children went to the pool - in the rain!
In the evening it absolutely tipped down and as we had reservations at Chefs de France, we did what any hardy Brits would do and donned our Disney ponchos and set off. The phrase 'raining cats and dogs' doesnt really describe the rain in Orlando, it's more like 'raining bulls and cows'. Within 5 minutes of being out we were soaked and a tad chilly, but we're a hardy family so we just carried on regardless.
The food at Chefs was good, but not as good as it used to be. My French Onion soup was OK and I had duck which again was OK, but nothing special. On the whole the party did enjoy the meal though and the bottle of wine we had really went down well. We had planned to go to the Flower Power concert but we were all wet and tired so we went back to OKW, to a quick swim in the pool (mad nephs!) and then to bed.
Monday 7 April
We had planned to go to a park on this day but unfortunately we could not resist the pull of the Premium Outlet Mall! We spent a good 6 hours shopping, well my sisters and I did, the other lightweights left after a couple of hours to go to Pirates Golf! We picked up some amazing bargains and the Premium Outlet Malls coupon book definitely came in handy as we saved a fair bit. One thing to remember when printing off the coupon is that there are two booklets you can get, one you print directly from their website and the other one you collect from the Food Court, they are both very good and we managed to save a fair bit.
In the evening we had dinner at the California Grill and it was good, but not great, definitely the only thing worth 2 dining credits was the view and it was great. We watched the fireworks from the viewing platform and it was nice but a bit breezy. My two nephs then went into MK and we headed back to OKW for a quick baileys and then bed.
Tuesday 8 April
Today everybody, bar me went to Disney's Hollywood Studios and I lounged around the pool reading a very strange romantic pirate novel - typical holiday romance reading!
At 3.30pm we all met up again and headed to the Florida Mall to shop. I thought that 5 hours would be enough there as we had already spent loads at the Premium Mall - how wrong was I. We all split up into little micro groups and went our separate ways. Well Jayne and I ended up spending nearly 4 hours in Macy's as their clothes were great and to us Brits, so cheap. We virtually took over a dressing room and must have tried on literally hundreds of outfits. After doing only one store and having a quick look around we decided that we did indeed need another day there as Tracy had been to Nordstroms and had brought some absolutely fab things. The boys hit Abercrombie and Fitch and came out with so much as the prices were brilliant. Emily also came out with a fair few items from there as she has the perfect figure for their clothes. An example of the savings you can make is: Emily brought a little sundress from Abercrombie for $70, the same dress on the UK website is £80 - have to say that I'm absolutely discussed with what Abercrombie charges for clothes in the UK - Rip off Britain!
We then headed back to Downtown Disney for a quick table service dinner at Wolfgang Puck's, which was excellent value and very tasty. We got there at 10.30 so only just made it as they close at 11pm.
Wednesday 9 April
As it was very hot today we went to Blizzard Beach for the day. It was packed but my family got on rides, which pleased them and I just went round and round the lazy river and sun worshipped.
We had our first 'Magical Moment' and were all given fast passes to Tower of Terror so we managed to get in a ride before dinner.
We had booked the Fantasmic Dinner Package at Mama Melrose' (Neil's choice) and boy am I glad we did as the service and food was great. Between the 7 of us we covered many things on the menu and everybody loved all of their three courses (3 courses were included in the dining plan) and cleaned their plates. They do a brilliant cocktail called 'Mudslide Martini' which we loved and could not get enough of! Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. This is one restaurant that I have never been to before and I would definitely do it again!
Fantasmic was great and they have added to the scenery (last time we went was Dec 2006). Well worth the one dining credit.
Thursday 10 April
Yummy, another breakfast, this time at the Cape May Café. I love breakfast here as it's not as busy as other places as it's smaller. The interaction with the characters was great and the food brilliant.
We then took the boat to Epcot and went on a few rides but it was very busy so we decided to go back to the pool and sun worship again.
In the evening we went to the ESPN café to watch play-off hockey and we loved it. I had the chilli/cheese dog and it was great. We had a pitcher of beer and watched two hockey games so we were all contented. The atmosphere was very good and we all loved it. We paid for this meal as it's a really cheap place to eat and not worth using a dining credit. If you like sports you'll love this place.
Friday 11 April
We had nothing planned for today so we went to the Animal Kingdom and did the rides. The girls left the park at 1ish for a swim and a nap only to find out that disaster had struck and our two bedroom, top floor apartment had flooded. As we were walking up to our building Emily and I noticed workmen and pumps but thought nothing of it, but when we walked into our apartment the master bedroom had no bed and indeed no furniture in it. Tracy and Jayne then walked though the door and we realised that something had gone wrong as every stick of furniture from the master bedroom had been moved and quite a lot was wet. A guy then came in and apologised and asked us to pack everything up (no mean feat considering what we had managed to buy thus far). He said that it was a burst pipe that had occurred under our floor and had flooded the two apartments below as well. Luckily somebody on the 2nd floor was actually in and alerted the OKW staff as that could have been dangerous if they had switched on a light.
Luckily we had tidied up that morning so the only things damaged were shoes, a handbag and a bag with electrical items in. We were asked to put the damaged items into a bag and give them to the guy who they sent to help us move. These included:
3 pairs of shoes as although all of our shoes had got wet these were ruined
My lovely new Italian handbag
2 x PSP's and games (nephs)
1 x i-pod
I have to say that OKW management were great and sorted everything out. They replaced the i-pod, PSPs and games and gave us money for the shoes and the handbag. The apartment they moved us to in Building 46 was great and had a brilliant view of the waterway going to Downtown Disney. Unfortunately we missed our nap and swim that day but you cannot help things like this happening.
Saturday 12 April
Unfortunately I have absolutely no idea what we did during the day, but it may have involved some sun worshipping!
In the evening we went to the Spirit of Aloha dinner show at the Polynesian. The food was basic, chicken and ribs, but the wine and soft drinks were plentiful. The show was good fun and worth the 2 dining credits. It was lovely being able to sit outside in the evening as we went to the 8pm sitting.
After the show we went to MK for the 2nd showing of Spectro Magic and a spot of Disney shopping.
Sunday 13 April
My family spent the day at Typhoon Lagoon having fun and I just sat around the pool soaking up the rays.
This was a very special evening for us, as the ice Hockey team that I do the PR for won the play-off title for the 2007/08 season. Luckily, in anticipation of the win - or if I'm telling the truth - by chance, we had booked dinner at Narcoosees at the Grand Floridian. When we arrived we sat by the bar having cocktails, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic and then we had dinner. We decided to have starters and went for the whole three courses and I have to say that we loved it. The food was fantastic, as was the service and the spectacular views. I think that this really was the best use of 2 table credits and I would thoroughly recommend it.
After dinner we were picked up for our Wishes Cruise and although it was not raining, it was 'friggin freezing' and that's putting it mildly! Luckily the boats are well used to weather fluctuations so they had blankets on board to wrap ourselves in. The sky was clear and the fireworks were great, but it must have been as cold as the UK that night!
Monday 14 April
We decided to spend the whole of today in Epcot as we had booked at the Coral Reef restaurant. We went on some rides but not all as it was very busy. Soarin was, as usual very good as was Test Track. We spent hours ambling around the world showcase which was relaxing and pleasant as it was fairly warm-hot.
Dinner at Coral Reef was a bit hit and miss really. Every time we go to this restaurant they are running behind. It didnt worry us but our server was not the best and the meal was fairly rushed. The food was good but the desserts were fantastic. Would probably go there again but not sure as it had gone down hill from our last visit.
Tuesday 15 April
Today we shopped, shopped and shopped some more at the Florida Mall. We all split up into smaller groups so that we could make best use of the time, but 6 hours later we were still shopping. Nordstroms really is a fantastic store and I managed to purchase shoes, a lovely Elliot Luca handbag and many hair bands, which were not cheap but at least they had the variety that I wanted. Tracy, Jayne and myself all managed to visit most of the big department stores and made very hefty dents in our credit cards.
Wednesday 16 April
After a delightful breakfast at Boma (their off the bone ham is just sooo tasty) we proceeded to the Animal Kingdom for some more rides and fun. As it was hot and nearly the end of our hols I only stayed there for a little while and then headed back to my lovely pool at OKW.
In the afternoon my sisters and I headed back to the Premium Outlets Mall for some last minute, must have shopping.
In the evening we went to MK for a counter service dinner and to watch the fireworks for the last time on our hols. We stood just by the castle and the view was fantastic.
Thursday 17 April
As this was our last full day and knowing what weather was waiting for us in the UK, my family decided to go back to Blizzard Beach and do Summit Plummet, amongst others. As Jacob had a bad throat and cold I stayed with him and started to pack - yuk yuk.
When everybody else returned from sunning themselves we all finished packing before going out. It was at that moment that I realised that I was going back with 17 pairs of shoes and Jayne with 16 pairs. We really did buy a fair bit as we both easily filled two suitcases.
In the evening we had booked one of my favourite restaurants, Le Cellier. Our server was great and we had a brilliant meal. This restaurant has never let us down and is the absolute best use of 1 table service. We then watched the fireworks for the last time in Epcot.
Friday 18 April
Home day - yuk. We finished up the last of the packing and then our two parties went their separate ways.
Jayne, Jacob and I went to Downtown Disney to check-in and I have to say that the queue was very long. Luckily we were Upper Class so did not have to wait but I really pitied the people with small children as check-in for them looked very slow. We then made a last visit to the Virgin Megastore and hopped onto the ferry back to OKW as Jacob was still feeling unwell.
We had lunch and just relaxed around the pool until our Virgin car came to pick us up.
The flight home was delayed an hour which was fine, but I have to say that I was disappointed in the plane, it was old and dirty. The food was also very sub-standard and none of us really ate anything as it really was that bad. We all put on our sleep suits for very little sleep as it was so hot, even with the air blowers on. When we arrived at Gatwick they had cancelled one of the cars to take us home so we had to stand around waiting for a car to fir three people and luggage in became available. Arrived home and went to sleep!
Summaries
We were on the Disney Dining Plan and one thing I would say is when you pay the gratuity and for any extras get a receipt to say that you have paid if you pay cash as if there are any problems you have no backup if you have no receipt to say you have paid.
All in all the Dining Plan is still a good idea if you want to keep watch of what you are spending on food, but I dont think that we would do it again as it's not great value. We were left with many snack and counter service credits as it's impossible to eat that much food and taking off what we had left we worked out that we didnt save a penny by having the dining plan. Also OKW is not good for snacks on the plan as we wanted to use it mainly for breakfast, bagels, croissants etc and you cannot get these at OKW.
Pre-booking restaurants is still a good idea, even though they didnt seem as busy as the last time we went.
Shopping really is great value for Brit's as the exchange rate is brilliant. Even full price items are cheaper than Britain. The only things that are exactly the same price as in Europe are European designers e.g. Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Dior.
We had a brilliant holidays and even though we spent way toooooo much money on shopping it's still a really brilliant place to take a holiday.
