DAY 17 - SATURDAY
I wake up at 8.00 but it feels like I haven't actually been asleep. We take our pop-tarts down to the Mara for a DIY breakfast with the refillable mugs. I'm going to miss these big plastic beakers when I get home.
We watch TV for a bit - following all the latest developments with Francis. Every TV channel is now weather related with reporters dotted around all the likely "hot spots" where they think Francis will make land.
Another Disney letter slides under our hotel room door. This is to confirm arrangements for today. All parks closed and advice is to be back inside the hotel by 2.00pm. The weather channel also confirms this and warns that there may be some tornado's inside the hurricane as it passes over. Blimey! I wasn't expecting that. No wonder they are telling us to stay inside.
We decide to go out for lunch but as we walk down the corridor towards the lobby - there is a lot of noise coming from below. The hotel has brought in some characters to entertain the guests. Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Suzie are all posing for photo's and signing autographs. DD panics - she hasn't got Suzie's autograph in her book so we have to wait while she goes back for it and then grabs a minute with Suzie to take some pictures.
We eventually make it out of the front doors to the car park, pick up "Happy" and head up to the 192. Unfortunately, everything is either closed or in the process of closing. All the shop, restaurants and supermarkets are closing early so that they can board up the windows and get their staff away. Suddenly it really brings it home to us that this is for real! We phone DS1 & DGF to see if they want to come back to the AKL with us but they are determined to stick it out at their own hotel - so we go back to AKL.
At 2.00pm a curfew is imposed and nobody is allowed out of the hotel. The pool is closed as is the Mara restaurant too. All the doors are closed and Disney Cast Members are posted at all exits. It feels a bit strange to be trapped in a hotel but somehow quite reassuring too. As I said before - we are in the best place. Disney has laid on a band, African drummers and the characters are here to stay all day and evening. The cast members have organised some games - including a "hidden Mickey" competition and a scavenger hunt - both with prizes of little animal pencil toppers for the kids. Two free coffee and soft drink stations are set up in the lobby and extra TV's are also brought in. The band are playing and singing Disney songs and the atmosphere is like a carnival.
It's hard to believe that there is such severe weather on the way - all is so calm in the hotel. I notice that they have brought in lots of sandbags and are placing them around all the doors. Disney has also relaxed a few of the rules today and people are bringing their pets up to their rooms. "Dinner Bags" are brought in at $5.00 each. They contain a roll, crisps, dessert, drink and an apple. Not exactly "Hote' Cuisine" but pretty good value for Disney.
We check out the weather channels in the room and the reports say that Francis has actually stopped moving! A bit frustrating really as we were supposed to be going home yesterday and here we are - 24 hours on - and still no sign of bad weather.
Francis makes landfall at 9.45pm - it's expected to reach us by 2.00am and continue to batter us up to 8.00pm tomorrow (Sunday) with expected tornado's pretty much anywhere. It's a bit surreal really - there's this guy on TV telling us that we are in big trouble and downstairs in the lobby a band is playing "The Birdie Song" while a naughty Pluto tries to bite the limbo pole! For some reason it reminds me of the scene in Titanic where the band keeps playing as the ship goes down! Right to the bitter end!
Despite all of the worries - it has been quite a relaxing day and I think that we are far better off than most people in Orlando at the moment.
The Weatherman confirms that tropical storm "Ivan" is now hot on the heels of Francis! I hope we can get out before the next one comes along!
We top up with more free coffee (don't even need the refillable mugs now!) and make tracks for bed. DD seems to have had a good day today. She has played games, made a few new friends in the hotel lobby and won some good little prizes. The staff are certainly helping to keep the kids minds off the problem. This is quite a physically relaxing finish to our holiday and has given us some extra time to spend in the hotel.
Tomorrow - who knows - more of the same as today I expect. Probably some pretty rough weather though I would imagine!
Night all -
I fall asleep singing the Birdie Song.............
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz
I wake up at 8.00 but it feels like I haven't actually been asleep. We take our pop-tarts down to the Mara for a DIY breakfast with the refillable mugs. I'm going to miss these big plastic beakers when I get home.
We watch TV for a bit - following all the latest developments with Francis. Every TV channel is now weather related with reporters dotted around all the likely "hot spots" where they think Francis will make land.
Another Disney letter slides under our hotel room door. This is to confirm arrangements for today. All parks closed and advice is to be back inside the hotel by 2.00pm. The weather channel also confirms this and warns that there may be some tornado's inside the hurricane as it passes over. Blimey! I wasn't expecting that. No wonder they are telling us to stay inside.
We decide to go out for lunch but as we walk down the corridor towards the lobby - there is a lot of noise coming from below. The hotel has brought in some characters to entertain the guests. Minnie, Goofy, Pluto and Suzie are all posing for photo's and signing autographs. DD panics - she hasn't got Suzie's autograph in her book so we have to wait while she goes back for it and then grabs a minute with Suzie to take some pictures.
We eventually make it out of the front doors to the car park, pick up "Happy" and head up to the 192. Unfortunately, everything is either closed or in the process of closing. All the shop, restaurants and supermarkets are closing early so that they can board up the windows and get their staff away. Suddenly it really brings it home to us that this is for real! We phone DS1 & DGF to see if they want to come back to the AKL with us but they are determined to stick it out at their own hotel - so we go back to AKL.
At 2.00pm a curfew is imposed and nobody is allowed out of the hotel. The pool is closed as is the Mara restaurant too. All the doors are closed and Disney Cast Members are posted at all exits. It feels a bit strange to be trapped in a hotel but somehow quite reassuring too. As I said before - we are in the best place. Disney has laid on a band, African drummers and the characters are here to stay all day and evening. The cast members have organised some games - including a "hidden Mickey" competition and a scavenger hunt - both with prizes of little animal pencil toppers for the kids. Two free coffee and soft drink stations are set up in the lobby and extra TV's are also brought in. The band are playing and singing Disney songs and the atmosphere is like a carnival.
It's hard to believe that there is such severe weather on the way - all is so calm in the hotel. I notice that they have brought in lots of sandbags and are placing them around all the doors. Disney has also relaxed a few of the rules today and people are bringing their pets up to their rooms. "Dinner Bags" are brought in at $5.00 each. They contain a roll, crisps, dessert, drink and an apple. Not exactly "Hote' Cuisine" but pretty good value for Disney.
We check out the weather channels in the room and the reports say that Francis has actually stopped moving! A bit frustrating really as we were supposed to be going home yesterday and here we are - 24 hours on - and still no sign of bad weather.
Francis makes landfall at 9.45pm - it's expected to reach us by 2.00am and continue to batter us up to 8.00pm tomorrow (Sunday) with expected tornado's pretty much anywhere. It's a bit surreal really - there's this guy on TV telling us that we are in big trouble and downstairs in the lobby a band is playing "The Birdie Song" while a naughty Pluto tries to bite the limbo pole! For some reason it reminds me of the scene in Titanic where the band keeps playing as the ship goes down! Right to the bitter end!
Despite all of the worries - it has been quite a relaxing day and I think that we are far better off than most people in Orlando at the moment.
The Weatherman confirms that tropical storm "Ivan" is now hot on the heels of Francis! I hope we can get out before the next one comes along!
We top up with more free coffee (don't even need the refillable mugs now!) and make tracks for bed. DD seems to have had a good day today. She has played games, made a few new friends in the hotel lobby and won some good little prizes. The staff are certainly helping to keep the kids minds off the problem. This is quite a physically relaxing finish to our holiday and has given us some extra time to spend in the hotel.
Tomorrow - who knows - more of the same as today I expect. Probably some pretty rough weather though I would imagine!
Night all -
I fall asleep singing the Birdie Song.............
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz
