bengunn
Pirate Member
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2001
- Messages
- 375
Day 22 Back to Orlando, Mini-golf and the Flight Home
Previous episodes:
Prequel
Day 1 The trip to Orlando
Day 2 Animal Kingdom
Day 3 Magic Kingdom
Day 4 Typhoon Lagoon, Shopping and Illuminations Cruise
Day 5 - Islands of Adventure
Day 6 Epcot
Day 7 Seaworld
Day 8 Universal Studios
Day 9 Epcot and the Magic Kingdom
Day 10 Discovery Cove
Day 11 Kennedy Space Centre
Day 12 Disney MGM Studios
Day 13 Blizzard Beach
Day 14 Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios
Day 15 - Cypress Gardens and the move to Bradenton
Day 16 Anna Maria Island
Day 17 Siesta Key
Day 18 Sanibel Island
Day 19 Our Silver Wedding Anniversary
Day 20 Busch Gardens
Day 21 - Rain, Shopping and Salvador Dali
The Cast:
Richard (bengunn): Chief planner
Kathy : DW, just wants to go on holiday
Josie : DD 20, at Reading University, Assistant Planner, not very good at getting up
Sam : DS 17, just done AS exams, can get up very quickly when he wants to
Friday 6th September
This really was our last day and the plan was to drive back to Orlando, check-in as soon as possible, and then maybe play some mini-golf before we had to return to the airport. This holiday went slowly at the start but seems to have rushed by during the last week (somehow all holidays seem to go like that); it really did not seem like nearly 3 weeks since we had started off in Animal Kingdom.
We did not have to leave the villa until 11:00 and it was a combination lock so there were no keys to return. We finished packing (leaving our cooler for the next residents), loaded the car, took some photos of the villa, said goodbye to the ducks and then left at pretty much dead on 11:00.
We drove straight back to Orlando, with only one loo stop, and parked at MCO at 13:10. We checked in quickly (nice short queue) and left MCO at 13:40. We had a slight detour, as I missed the turn and ended up heading north, but we got to Downtown Disney at 14:10. We had a quick lunch of chicken strips at Missing Link ($32 for 4) and then did some final shopping at the Disney Store.
We decided to go to Fantasia Golf and got there at 15:30. We played on the crazy golf part of it and managed 10 holes of this excellent fun course before we thought that we ought to leave. We left at 16:35 and arrvied back at MCO at 17:05 where we returned our hire car (the return process was very quick).
We made our way to the departure lounge, found some seats and took turns guarding our bags and looking around. Unfortunately, they are rebuilding the food court and so the choice of food was somewhat limited. We grabbed some drinks and cookies from Starbucks and then went through security; I got searched including my shoes! We caught the train to the satellite gate area and had the usual wait until boarding. The plane took off on time and we had an uneventful flight home, landing on time at 09:30.
Saturday 7th September
Baggage collection was the usual chaos but we eventually found all our cases plus the beach umbrella we had bought in Bradenton and went to find a taxi. I took a taxi back to the Cumberland House Hotel while the others looked after the luggage; I left at 10:40 and was back with the car at 10:52, which I thought was pretty quick. I stopped in the no parking area and fortunately the others were looking out and came quickly with the cases. We left the airport at 10:55 and set off on what should have been about an hours trip back home. Unfortunately, when we got to Arundel, the A27 was closed and all traffic was being diverted up a road that rapidly became a car park (not a real one you understand just that nobody was moving). I turned round and ended up going back via Bognor Regis arriving home at 12:55. This long drive back was not the best way to end a holiday!
Epilogue
We had a wonderful holiday and it has been great to relive it (now 7 months later) by writing these trip reports. Coming to the end of this last report is almost as sad as coming to the end of the holiday
.
Sadly we have no plans to return at present; after our first trip 11 years ago, Kathy had had enough by the end of 2 weeks, but the children were younger then and this time was much more enjoyable. The extra week chilling out in Bradenton was certainly worth while.
So, will we return, possibly without the children? Well a trip to DLP seems a possibility as the new studio park is now open. I would like to return to Florida in the future but cannot see us doing it for two or three years at the very least. Florida and children at university do not really go together from a monetary point of view. Still if we go after 2005, the new AK area will be finished so there will be even more to see.
I think on the next trip, if there is one, we would be more selective in the things we do and park hop a bit more; we did waste a bit of time going on rides that we would not go on again (particularly in Future World at Epcot and some at MK).
Well I cannot think of anything else to say now except goodbye from these trip reports. I will still be hanging around the boards though, reliving our holiday through other peoples experiences.
Previous episodes:
Prequel
Day 1 The trip to Orlando
Day 2 Animal Kingdom
Day 3 Magic Kingdom
Day 4 Typhoon Lagoon, Shopping and Illuminations Cruise
Day 5 - Islands of Adventure
Day 6 Epcot
Day 7 Seaworld
Day 8 Universal Studios
Day 9 Epcot and the Magic Kingdom
Day 10 Discovery Cove
Day 11 Kennedy Space Centre
Day 12 Disney MGM Studios
Day 13 Blizzard Beach
Day 14 Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios
Day 15 - Cypress Gardens and the move to Bradenton
Day 16 Anna Maria Island
Day 17 Siesta Key
Day 18 Sanibel Island
Day 19 Our Silver Wedding Anniversary
Day 20 Busch Gardens
Day 21 - Rain, Shopping and Salvador Dali
The Cast:
Richard (bengunn): Chief planner
Kathy : DW, just wants to go on holiday
Josie : DD 20, at Reading University, Assistant Planner, not very good at getting up
Sam : DS 17, just done AS exams, can get up very quickly when he wants to
Friday 6th September
This really was our last day and the plan was to drive back to Orlando, check-in as soon as possible, and then maybe play some mini-golf before we had to return to the airport. This holiday went slowly at the start but seems to have rushed by during the last week (somehow all holidays seem to go like that); it really did not seem like nearly 3 weeks since we had started off in Animal Kingdom.
We did not have to leave the villa until 11:00 and it was a combination lock so there were no keys to return. We finished packing (leaving our cooler for the next residents), loaded the car, took some photos of the villa, said goodbye to the ducks and then left at pretty much dead on 11:00.
We drove straight back to Orlando, with only one loo stop, and parked at MCO at 13:10. We checked in quickly (nice short queue) and left MCO at 13:40. We had a slight detour, as I missed the turn and ended up heading north, but we got to Downtown Disney at 14:10. We had a quick lunch of chicken strips at Missing Link ($32 for 4) and then did some final shopping at the Disney Store.
We decided to go to Fantasia Golf and got there at 15:30. We played on the crazy golf part of it and managed 10 holes of this excellent fun course before we thought that we ought to leave. We left at 16:35 and arrvied back at MCO at 17:05 where we returned our hire car (the return process was very quick).
We made our way to the departure lounge, found some seats and took turns guarding our bags and looking around. Unfortunately, they are rebuilding the food court and so the choice of food was somewhat limited. We grabbed some drinks and cookies from Starbucks and then went through security; I got searched including my shoes! We caught the train to the satellite gate area and had the usual wait until boarding. The plane took off on time and we had an uneventful flight home, landing on time at 09:30.
Saturday 7th September
Baggage collection was the usual chaos but we eventually found all our cases plus the beach umbrella we had bought in Bradenton and went to find a taxi. I took a taxi back to the Cumberland House Hotel while the others looked after the luggage; I left at 10:40 and was back with the car at 10:52, which I thought was pretty quick. I stopped in the no parking area and fortunately the others were looking out and came quickly with the cases. We left the airport at 10:55 and set off on what should have been about an hours trip back home. Unfortunately, when we got to Arundel, the A27 was closed and all traffic was being diverted up a road that rapidly became a car park (not a real one you understand just that nobody was moving). I turned round and ended up going back via Bognor Regis arriving home at 12:55. This long drive back was not the best way to end a holiday!
Epilogue
We had a wonderful holiday and it has been great to relive it (now 7 months later) by writing these trip reports. Coming to the end of this last report is almost as sad as coming to the end of the holiday
.Sadly we have no plans to return at present; after our first trip 11 years ago, Kathy had had enough by the end of 2 weeks, but the children were younger then and this time was much more enjoyable. The extra week chilling out in Bradenton was certainly worth while.
So, will we return, possibly without the children? Well a trip to DLP seems a possibility as the new studio park is now open. I would like to return to Florida in the future but cannot see us doing it for two or three years at the very least. Florida and children at university do not really go together from a monetary point of view. Still if we go after 2005, the new AK area will be finished so there will be even more to see.
I think on the next trip, if there is one, we would be more selective in the things we do and park hop a bit more; we did waste a bit of time going on rides that we would not go on again (particularly in Future World at Epcot and some at MK).
Well I cannot think of anything else to say now except goodbye from these trip reports. I will still be hanging around the boards though, reliving our holiday through other peoples experiences.
