Trip Report Part 1

Part 1 Flights, accommodation and a few parks.

Background, 2 adults 2 kids (11 and 13 girls)

Flight Gatwick Orlando with Virgin no problems kids thought the food was great and passed off uneventfully. Arrived at Orlando at the same time as a large thunderstorm. The ramp was closed so our luggage took 2 hours to get off the plane and 2 of the cases were soaked through.

Car through US Autos for the 2 weeks was 拢280 ($560) and was collected from Alamo. Had paid for standard SUV and at the desk they did their best to get me to pay for a Hummer, final offer was an extra $600 for the 2 weeks. Turned it down and went to the lot to pick up the car and no standard SUV鈥檚 left so was given a large Jeep Commander with 7 seats.

Accommodation was at Windsor Hills in a 3-bed townhouse. The location and the house were fantastic and would recommend to anyone. House had 3 bathrooms, plunge pool and plenty of space. Clubhouse had games room large swimming pool and small shop. Location great for Disney and plenty of dining around.

Booked Universal through SouthWest offer 7-day multi ticket

Disney 14 day tickets through deal with themeparktickets. co.uk

First park was Animal Kingdom and as with the rest of the holiday got there at opening time and it was not too busy. Straight onto a safari bus and being early most of the animals were up and moving. Whilst walking through the park were pulled to one side with a few others and given fast passes to all the rides as part of the Disney give away, saved having to wait. Unfortunately the heavens opened up and whilst I was persuaded to buy 3 $7.5 plastic Macs I refused to spend so much on myself. By the time I had been on the rapids and Everest I was soaked to the skin and the dye on my shoes had turned my feet brown!!!!. Forced to buy a Mac and a change of clothing so in the end my miserly side ending up costing me about $60 instead of the original $7.5. Dived in the rainforest caf茅 for lunch sat at the bar and was served straight away. Food better than expected.

Decided to return to the villa and dry out. In the evening we went to Outback just of the 192, whilst the food was good the service and cleanliness of the restaurant left a lot to be desired.

Magic Kingdom, kids felt they were a little too old for this park but water rides and got them back on board. Weather much improved and around 96 degrees and would remain so for the rest of the holidays. Again as they day drew on the crowds increased so called it a day at about 2 pm and went back to sit by the pool. Returned later for the evening but the place was so crowded gave up and left as the fireworks were going off. Tip; avoid Friday evenings at Magic kingdom. Had lunch at the 50鈥檚 diner and whilst not cheap was fantastic, server Mark instructed the children to get there hands off the table. Worth a visit but make sure you book when you get into the park.

Saturday, so it must be shopping, and boy when you are with 3 females my role was quickly established as bag carrier and bank. They managed to spend about $1000 at the outlet stores mainly on R Lauren, Hilfiger etc. 7 hours later we emerged from the shops and with only one mall completed I feared for the rest of the trip. Quick pizza and then to downtown Disney. At Disney Quest I found heaven in the historic games on the 5th floor and relived my teenage years with Pac Man, Missile Command, tempest and the kids designed their own roller coasters which I then had to ride and went a very pale colour and vowed never to return. Both the kids love this place and as it is include in the tickets was very good value would have hated having to pay $37 each every time we wanted to go in.

Sunday, Typhoon Lagoon, again early arrival and plenty of space. Spent most of the morning playing with the waves, by lunchtime it was heaving and standing room only on the beach. Grabbed a hot dog and headed off the house and pool for a break. Later went to Millennium Mall of junction 78 of I4. Dinner at the Cheesecake factory. Food excellent and took some extra cheesecake home for another day. Luckily not enough time to shop so only had to pay for the meal.

Monday, Universal studios. Paid the extra for fast pass and did not cue all day. I do not understand people spending thousands to come to Orlando but will not pay the little extra for fast passes and then sit for an hour or more at each ride. Shrek 3D must be the best film ever! All got soaked on the Jaws water ride and the Areosmith rollercoaster blew everyone away with the acceleration. Lunch at hard Rock and more shopping and 3 pairs of crocs, again I get to pay and carry. This is becoming a bit of a theme! In the evening dine at Bubba Shrimp, great food and atmosphere that everyone enjoyed.

Part 2 to follow, shuttle launch and more shops

Trip Report Part 1

Good report. Roughly how big was your plunge pool at Windsor Hills?

Trip Report Part 1

Plung pool about 3m by 3m perfect for 2 kids to play in and adults to sitin and drink a few glasses.

Nick

Nick, we ate at the Outback at Formosa too. We had no worries about the service or the cleanliness but we found it unbearably cold.

One night the waitress even had her coat on.

Thanks Nick.

Jenny

Maybe we just got there on a bad day. Went to another Outback at near Florida Mall and excellent.

Nick