DAY 8 - THURSDAY
Up at 6.30 today and sipping coffee on the "Master" balcony while the sun makes its way up the skyline. 74 degrees at the moment. Bay News Nine bloke says 89 degrees and sunny with thunderstorms later. I swear this guy only works one day a week and the rest is a recording playing in a loop! Thunderstorms and Fantasmic just don't mix!
Why can't I remember to ask someone about that flippin' honking noise?
We go to Epcot via McDonald's for a sausage & egg McMuffin to occupy DS's mouth for a few minutes. Yes - the computer babble is still pouring out! Mega pixel this.......gigabyte that......!
9.15 arrival - park "Happy" near to the front of the park and show two fingers to the man at the entrance. He doesn't get the joke and replies with a solitary finger in response! No sense of humour these Disney Police!
It's very quiet inside but I am determined to ride Mission Space first so we rush (well - I rush - the others lag annoyingly behind!) over to this attraction. I Fastpass Test Track before we go in and to my delight we walk straight on. This is now my new favourite ride. WOW - that take-off is something else! I was a bit worried that the other members of the party might "bottle out" of this one when they saw it but it's a great family ride for all four. You all get a job to complete during the mission and if I say so myself - I really feel that I was the most accomplished "button pusher" on our flight! I feel certain that if anyone from Space Kennedy was watching then they would surely sign me up for astronaut training camp!
Then we go back to Test Track and walk straight on with our fastpass. Last time here - DD was too small to ride this and was very disappointed and DW didn't ride this either as she was not feeling too good. They both absolutely love it - particularly the speed test at the end around the building - DD squeals with delight all the way round. What a fab start to the day.
As we exit - the sun is really getting its act together with the temperature now at 90 degrees (and it's only 10.30am!) so we stroll over to Ice Station Cool to try out the weird and wonderful drinks. Walking into this cool place from the searing Florida heat is wonderful. We all try every drink over the next 20 minutes and - according to my memory - the worst one is a "Veggie" something but to my surprise (after reading many bad reports!) my favourite is Beverley. DW finds this absolutely disgusting so it just goes to show - there's no accounting for taste. One woman's poison is another mans mead!
Honey I Shrunk the Kids is next - brilliant - followed by Figment and then off to send various Emails home to friends and work. I find a particularly fetching picture of myself morphed into a monkey (OK - shut up about the baboons bum on my head!) and send it to work telling them that I may be late back as I'm having a bit of trouble with my hair!
After a quick stop at the Refreshment Port for some McNuggetts, Fries and Drinks for the "moaning Minnies"- we head off into the "World" starting anti-clockwise with Canada and their big-screen film show Oh-Canada. Then we move on to England. DW and me can't resist the Fish'n'Chips at the Yorkshire Fish & Chip shop - Slluurrpp.
The sun is really doing it's best to "fry" us all now. DD and DS are starting to get irritable. I desperately want to press on round the world but each country we get to - the mood darkens. DD is too hot and tired and DS has developed a major headache (which I suspect is caused by a lack of megabyte exposure). We argue in America, Bicker in Italy and almost come to blows in Germany. We skip past most and only dive in to each one to get out of the searing heat. The rides in Norway (Maelstrom) and Mexico (El Rio del tempo) only serve as a minor distraction and the moaning and groaning becomes unbearable. So - against all my better judgement - we exit the World and head back - via The Living Sea and Spaceship Earth - to the car park to collect "Happy".
The poor van almost sighs with relief when we open his doors and let the rush of hot air out. Thankfully we had remembered the cooler bag today and in the boot are 12 ice cold cans of Vanilla Coke and Minute-Maid lemonade. Good tip this - cooler bag and ice packs will keep drinks cold and fresh for when you come out of the parks.
After a re-fuelling stop at McDonald's - (yes I know we keep going there but I do like the Mexican-Chilli salad that they sell) we drive over to MGM to try our luck with Fantasmic.
It doesn't look good to be honest and the threatened "Doppler" thunderstorms are all around. I begin to worry - this was our favourite memory from 2002 and we really want to see this show. We stroll up to the theatre and sit in anticipation with the 6000 other fans to see if they will actually start the show. To our delight - they do - and the whole thing is just as brilliant as I remember from two years ago. In fact it is even better as we are treated to some spectacular additions to the skyline by mother nature as the thunderstorms and lightening pass by on both sides (but not on us).
I have to tell you - this music sends chills down my spine. DS had downloaded a bunch of Disney tunes from the internet to a CD and I have had it in my car for weeks. Every time I get in after DW has borrowed my car - she sets the CD player to the Fantasmic track and the volume up to full - so that when I get in and turn the key - it blasts your head off!
We pick up "Happy" and drive back to Bahama Bay for the last time. Were moving on to Animal Kingdom Lodge tomorrow so there is packing to be done.
I leave this complicated task to DW - an amateur packer such as myself could not possibly know how to fold a T-Shirt or two!
For my part - my job is to force myself to eat all of the perishable contents of our fridge/freezer! Well - waste not-want not as they say! After a whole pot of Ben & Jerry's "Half-baked" and a pack and a half of talcum powder donuts - I give up!
Bay News 9 Bloke says there is a possible hurricane coming our way! Huh! I doubt it - Hurricane Charlie has only just passed - I wouldn't think it's possible for two to come in close succession. (They don't call me Michael Fish for nothing you know!)
Bed at 11.00 pm
Night all -
I dream of my bank manager force feeding me buckets of ice cream while DS looks on laughing and shouting "I'll only stop if you buy me a laptop".
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Up at 6.30 today and sipping coffee on the "Master" balcony while the sun makes its way up the skyline. 74 degrees at the moment. Bay News Nine bloke says 89 degrees and sunny with thunderstorms later. I swear this guy only works one day a week and the rest is a recording playing in a loop! Thunderstorms and Fantasmic just don't mix!
Why can't I remember to ask someone about that flippin' honking noise?
We go to Epcot via McDonald's for a sausage & egg McMuffin to occupy DS's mouth for a few minutes. Yes - the computer babble is still pouring out! Mega pixel this.......gigabyte that......!
9.15 arrival - park "Happy" near to the front of the park and show two fingers to the man at the entrance. He doesn't get the joke and replies with a solitary finger in response! No sense of humour these Disney Police!
It's very quiet inside but I am determined to ride Mission Space first so we rush (well - I rush - the others lag annoyingly behind!) over to this attraction. I Fastpass Test Track before we go in and to my delight we walk straight on. This is now my new favourite ride. WOW - that take-off is something else! I was a bit worried that the other members of the party might "bottle out" of this one when they saw it but it's a great family ride for all four. You all get a job to complete during the mission and if I say so myself - I really feel that I was the most accomplished "button pusher" on our flight! I feel certain that if anyone from Space Kennedy was watching then they would surely sign me up for astronaut training camp!
Then we go back to Test Track and walk straight on with our fastpass. Last time here - DD was too small to ride this and was very disappointed and DW didn't ride this either as she was not feeling too good. They both absolutely love it - particularly the speed test at the end around the building - DD squeals with delight all the way round. What a fab start to the day.
As we exit - the sun is really getting its act together with the temperature now at 90 degrees (and it's only 10.30am!) so we stroll over to Ice Station Cool to try out the weird and wonderful drinks. Walking into this cool place from the searing Florida heat is wonderful. We all try every drink over the next 20 minutes and - according to my memory - the worst one is a "Veggie" something but to my surprise (after reading many bad reports!) my favourite is Beverley. DW finds this absolutely disgusting so it just goes to show - there's no accounting for taste. One woman's poison is another mans mead!
Honey I Shrunk the Kids is next - brilliant - followed by Figment and then off to send various Emails home to friends and work. I find a particularly fetching picture of myself morphed into a monkey (OK - shut up about the baboons bum on my head!) and send it to work telling them that I may be late back as I'm having a bit of trouble with my hair!
After a quick stop at the Refreshment Port for some McNuggetts, Fries and Drinks for the "moaning Minnies"- we head off into the "World" starting anti-clockwise with Canada and their big-screen film show Oh-Canada. Then we move on to England. DW and me can't resist the Fish'n'Chips at the Yorkshire Fish & Chip shop - Slluurrpp.
The sun is really doing it's best to "fry" us all now. DD and DS are starting to get irritable. I desperately want to press on round the world but each country we get to - the mood darkens. DD is too hot and tired and DS has developed a major headache (which I suspect is caused by a lack of megabyte exposure). We argue in America, Bicker in Italy and almost come to blows in Germany. We skip past most and only dive in to each one to get out of the searing heat. The rides in Norway (Maelstrom) and Mexico (El Rio del tempo) only serve as a minor distraction and the moaning and groaning becomes unbearable. So - against all my better judgement - we exit the World and head back - via The Living Sea and Spaceship Earth - to the car park to collect "Happy".
The poor van almost sighs with relief when we open his doors and let the rush of hot air out. Thankfully we had remembered the cooler bag today and in the boot are 12 ice cold cans of Vanilla Coke and Minute-Maid lemonade. Good tip this - cooler bag and ice packs will keep drinks cold and fresh for when you come out of the parks.
After a re-fuelling stop at McDonald's - (yes I know we keep going there but I do like the Mexican-Chilli salad that they sell) we drive over to MGM to try our luck with Fantasmic.
It doesn't look good to be honest and the threatened "Doppler" thunderstorms are all around. I begin to worry - this was our favourite memory from 2002 and we really want to see this show. We stroll up to the theatre and sit in anticipation with the 6000 other fans to see if they will actually start the show. To our delight - they do - and the whole thing is just as brilliant as I remember from two years ago. In fact it is even better as we are treated to some spectacular additions to the skyline by mother nature as the thunderstorms and lightening pass by on both sides (but not on us).
I have to tell you - this music sends chills down my spine. DS had downloaded a bunch of Disney tunes from the internet to a CD and I have had it in my car for weeks. Every time I get in after DW has borrowed my car - she sets the CD player to the Fantasmic track and the volume up to full - so that when I get in and turn the key - it blasts your head off!
We pick up "Happy" and drive back to Bahama Bay for the last time. Were moving on to Animal Kingdom Lodge tomorrow so there is packing to be done.
I leave this complicated task to DW - an amateur packer such as myself could not possibly know how to fold a T-Shirt or two!
For my part - my job is to force myself to eat all of the perishable contents of our fridge/freezer! Well - waste not-want not as they say! After a whole pot of Ben & Jerry's "Half-baked" and a pack and a half of talcum powder donuts - I give up!
Bay News 9 Bloke says there is a possible hurricane coming our way! Huh! I doubt it - Hurricane Charlie has only just passed - I wouldn't think it's possible for two to come in close succession. (They don't call me Michael Fish for nothing you know!)
Bed at 11.00 pm
Night all -
I dream of my bank manager force feeding me buckets of ice cream while DS looks on laughing and shouting "I'll only stop if you buy me a laptop".
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
