Sue: Chief organiser and planner
Jorge: (DH) Happy as long as he's in Orlando
Rebecca: (DD 8) Happy as long as she gets her own way!
Day 9
Rebeccas fishing day.
We have a meeting scheduled with our Management Company today but are free afterward so Rebecca gets the choice of where we go. Unfortunately it seems that she has got the fishing bug. God knows why all they have managed to catch are a couple of minnows. As it's Presidents Day there is no earthly point in going to a park so we agree to come back after lunch and she can fish.
I really fancy Japanese for lunch but Kobe Steakhouse on 192 is closed when we get there and, as we cant agree on an alternative we end up at Golden Corral. The buffet lunch is a new one for us and is OK. As quick lunch its a bargain at $28 and we are in and out in 20 minutes. Suitably full we head back to the villa so that Rebecca can go fish!
Its nice that we can give Rebecca a little more independence here so I dont mind her going off on her own as long as I know where she is. At home our road is used as a rat run with cars whizzing past at about 40mph so I sometimes feel guilty that she cant go out and play in the street as I used to when I was her age many, many years ago LOL.
When she gets back we drive over to Boardwalk and hire a Surrey Bike, thinking it looks like an easy ride. No such luck! Rebecca sits in the middle and does nothing while Jorge and I pedal away. We are fine around the Boardwalk and on the flat areas but there are two slight hills either side, between BW and the BW Villas/Y&B Club. Believe me, these hills feel like mountains when you are pedaling a heavy Surrey Bike. The only way to get over is to pedal furiously and try to build up enough speed to get the other side without having to resort to getting off and push!! We manage to do two circuits (thats 4 mountains!) without having to get off, we even beat another bike in a race! We had hired the bike for half an hour but after 25 minutes have had enough so return it and leave with aching legs, $18 poorer.
Food was now called for so we hobble back to Beaches & Cream and have hot dogs followed by the most enormous Fudge Sundae I have ever seen. After dinner we waddle over to the International Gateway to catch the Illuminations Fireworks and get a pretty good view although the globe is hidden behind a wall. After the fireworks, and because we are too lazy to walk we grab a friendship boat to take us back to Boardwalk and home.
After partaking in our nightly ritual of a glass of wine we float off to bed.
Tomorrow is a gamble, US, the day after Presidents Day
Day 10
Universal Studios
Brekkie again in the villa and we arrive at US around 9.30am. Valet parking as it only costs $8 with our APs. There is rain in the air so we are wearing our light rain jackets and it is absolutely freezing, with a cold wind blowing. I am hoping it warms up later before frostbite sets in.
Once inside we head straight for Shrek but there is already a 60 minute queue and we divert to the FP queue, in itself a 15 minute wait! The FPs are coming out at 2.30pm so we have to plan the day around these. We get Jimmy Neutron passes at the same time: 1.30pm so can do both together. In the meantime we wander over to MiB and get past the 20 minute queue by doing single rider walk-on. Becky and I are in the same car while Jorge goes ahead and we compare scores at the end. Jorge beats my score by a mile!
BTTF is now a 40 minute wait so we decide against it and we are content to just wander round the park for a while. Good job, as its getting busy and all the rides have long queues; obviously the holiday crowds are still here. Theres even a queue in Starbucks for coffee. Rebecca is keen to see Nickleodeon as she wants to get slimed, so we arrive there at 11.40 for the 12.00 show. The CM says that there is only two places left but lets us in anyway. The show is OK and has not changed much since we last saw it 4 years ago. Rebecca is gutted that she is not picked for anything so we end up promising her a repeat show later in the day. Suckers!
With grumbling tummies and stamped hands we head back to the Nascar Café for lunch. As its still early the place is quiet and we are seated, for some reason, on the other side of the restaurant from everyone else. So much so that it is 15 minutes before the waiter sees us. He apologises and takes our order. Pulled Pork for me, Pizza for Becky and Catfish for Jorge. 10 minutes later he is back with our meals and we are happy at the speedy service. Happy that is until Jorge cuts his fish its raw inside! We send it back but by the time its redone Becky and I have finished our meals and she is away in the arcade area. We leave with another apology from the waiter and a 10% discount off the bill for our spoilt meal.
Outside again and its still freezing. I am so cold that its starting to spoil my day. So we venture into the Universal shop and buy two of their rapidly depleting stocks of warm jackets. At $69 for both they are not too expensive and at least we can wear them again.
Suitably warmed we head back to US for our FPs on Jimmy and Shrek. Both are fab. Afterwards Rebecca reminds us of our earlier promise to do one more time in Nick. After a lengthy wait, Rebecca again doesnt get picked for anything! She begs and pleads to see another show but we have reached our Nickelodeon limit and refuse. When we come back into the park proper the crowds are even bigger and there is no point in trying to do anything else here. We don't fancy tackling IoA today so home we go.
As soon as we step foot in the door Becky is off to the fishing jetty again and we take the opportunity for some peace and quiet. Luckily the weather has improved enough for us to BBQ with our friends Richard & Wendy for dinner and we spend a pleasant evening over a few glasses of wine (a recurring theme in these trip reports!)
Tomorrow is our last day and Jorge has booked us tickets to see Orlando Magic play basketball, as a lifelong sports hater this is an evening which I am not altogether looking forward to.
Jorge: (DH) Happy as long as he's in Orlando
Rebecca: (DD 8) Happy as long as she gets her own way!
Day 9
Rebeccas fishing day.
We have a meeting scheduled with our Management Company today but are free afterward so Rebecca gets the choice of where we go. Unfortunately it seems that she has got the fishing bug. God knows why all they have managed to catch are a couple of minnows. As it's Presidents Day there is no earthly point in going to a park so we agree to come back after lunch and she can fish.
I really fancy Japanese for lunch but Kobe Steakhouse on 192 is closed when we get there and, as we cant agree on an alternative we end up at Golden Corral. The buffet lunch is a new one for us and is OK. As quick lunch its a bargain at $28 and we are in and out in 20 minutes. Suitably full we head back to the villa so that Rebecca can go fish!
Its nice that we can give Rebecca a little more independence here so I dont mind her going off on her own as long as I know where she is. At home our road is used as a rat run with cars whizzing past at about 40mph so I sometimes feel guilty that she cant go out and play in the street as I used to when I was her age many, many years ago LOL.
When she gets back we drive over to Boardwalk and hire a Surrey Bike, thinking it looks like an easy ride. No such luck! Rebecca sits in the middle and does nothing while Jorge and I pedal away. We are fine around the Boardwalk and on the flat areas but there are two slight hills either side, between BW and the BW Villas/Y&B Club. Believe me, these hills feel like mountains when you are pedaling a heavy Surrey Bike. The only way to get over is to pedal furiously and try to build up enough speed to get the other side without having to resort to getting off and push!! We manage to do two circuits (thats 4 mountains!) without having to get off, we even beat another bike in a race! We had hired the bike for half an hour but after 25 minutes have had enough so return it and leave with aching legs, $18 poorer.
Food was now called for so we hobble back to Beaches & Cream and have hot dogs followed by the most enormous Fudge Sundae I have ever seen. After dinner we waddle over to the International Gateway to catch the Illuminations Fireworks and get a pretty good view although the globe is hidden behind a wall. After the fireworks, and because we are too lazy to walk we grab a friendship boat to take us back to Boardwalk and home.
After partaking in our nightly ritual of a glass of wine we float off to bed.
Tomorrow is a gamble, US, the day after Presidents Day
Day 10
Universal Studios
Brekkie again in the villa and we arrive at US around 9.30am. Valet parking as it only costs $8 with our APs. There is rain in the air so we are wearing our light rain jackets and it is absolutely freezing, with a cold wind blowing. I am hoping it warms up later before frostbite sets in.
Once inside we head straight for Shrek but there is already a 60 minute queue and we divert to the FP queue, in itself a 15 minute wait! The FPs are coming out at 2.30pm so we have to plan the day around these. We get Jimmy Neutron passes at the same time: 1.30pm so can do both together. In the meantime we wander over to MiB and get past the 20 minute queue by doing single rider walk-on. Becky and I are in the same car while Jorge goes ahead and we compare scores at the end. Jorge beats my score by a mile!
BTTF is now a 40 minute wait so we decide against it and we are content to just wander round the park for a while. Good job, as its getting busy and all the rides have long queues; obviously the holiday crowds are still here. Theres even a queue in Starbucks for coffee. Rebecca is keen to see Nickleodeon as she wants to get slimed, so we arrive there at 11.40 for the 12.00 show. The CM says that there is only two places left but lets us in anyway. The show is OK and has not changed much since we last saw it 4 years ago. Rebecca is gutted that she is not picked for anything so we end up promising her a repeat show later in the day. Suckers!
With grumbling tummies and stamped hands we head back to the Nascar Café for lunch. As its still early the place is quiet and we are seated, for some reason, on the other side of the restaurant from everyone else. So much so that it is 15 minutes before the waiter sees us. He apologises and takes our order. Pulled Pork for me, Pizza for Becky and Catfish for Jorge. 10 minutes later he is back with our meals and we are happy at the speedy service. Happy that is until Jorge cuts his fish its raw inside! We send it back but by the time its redone Becky and I have finished our meals and she is away in the arcade area. We leave with another apology from the waiter and a 10% discount off the bill for our spoilt meal.
Outside again and its still freezing. I am so cold that its starting to spoil my day. So we venture into the Universal shop and buy two of their rapidly depleting stocks of warm jackets. At $69 for both they are not too expensive and at least we can wear them again.
Suitably warmed we head back to US for our FPs on Jimmy and Shrek. Both are fab. Afterwards Rebecca reminds us of our earlier promise to do one more time in Nick. After a lengthy wait, Rebecca again doesnt get picked for anything! She begs and pleads to see another show but we have reached our Nickelodeon limit and refuse. When we come back into the park proper the crowds are even bigger and there is no point in trying to do anything else here. We don't fancy tackling IoA today so home we go.
As soon as we step foot in the door Becky is off to the fishing jetty again and we take the opportunity for some peace and quiet. Luckily the weather has improved enough for us to BBQ with our friends Richard & Wendy for dinner and we spend a pleasant evening over a few glasses of wine (a recurring theme in these trip reports!)
Tomorrow is our last day and Jorge has booked us tickets to see Orlando Magic play basketball, as a lifelong sports hater this is an evening which I am not altogether looking forward to.
