Sy's BIG 30 Trip Report :)

Renting the points was easy, we rented from a UK owner on a forum here in the UK called the DIBB, it was very easy though being the control freak that i am there was this teeny tiny part of me that thought 'this person could have just taken my money and never booked it' even though I could log on and see my own booking lol. It was easy and I think if we dont buy DVC this year we will rent again

Glad you're enjoying Courtney! Thanks for liking my dresses, the navy and white spotty one, the brown and gold stripy one and the bright red,orange,blue and pink one are all ones i made

Day 12

Got up at about 8am today, though I had been awake a while - couldn't sleep for some reason! Mum and Dad had been up ages so we quickly got dressed and made our way to Grand Floridian Cafe for Breakfast. Mum and Dad were very impressed with the hotel. We valet parked the car and made our way inside. Once we got to the cafe we asked to be seated at one of James' tables. Mum and dad had brought over even more goodies for him. It was the same lady server who seated us as the last time, she was an older lady and so sweet!

I was boring and decided to have the same thing as before - why mess with perfection?

Vanilla batter brioche French toast with bacon. Sy had the American as did my mum, dad had pancakes with bacon.

Everything was fantastic and nothing was left We even used our Annual Pass to get a discount on the breakfast We then picked up the car and drove to MK to park (mum has a scooter so we couldn't leave the car there and get in the little boats to MK as they cant accommodate them I don't think.

We decided to get the boat over, nothing beats that first day out on the boat and seeing the castle come into view. Heaven

We wandered down Main Street and had a look in some of the shops. When we came out of one shop we got commandeered to dance and sing with some cast members...

It was almost time for the Move it! Shake it! Celebrate it! Parade so we found somewhere for dad to sit (he is waiting on 2 new knee's in the new year) and waited for it to start. Dad got very into the spirit and was picked on by all of the characters and dancers teehee! After the parade we went to Monsters Inc Laugh Floor. As you will know by now, I'm a huge fan Then we caught a lift on the people mover, at first mum was a bit dubious about riding it, looked dull apparently... ah but that's why it has no queue. Its such a little gem on a hot day, no queue and a nice breeze as you speed along. We then made our way over to the Carousel of Progress - a must on every trip. We then decided we should think about getting a spot for the parade as we hadn't seen it yet, so off we went, through Fantasyland and what was that?! A soft opening for the new Fantasyland Expansion?! It would be rude not to!! I thought all my Christmases had come at once! I was worse than any small child we saw.

(notice the CM's arm there hehehe)

Storytales with Belle wasn't open yet however the Little Mermaid was! So off we went to get in the queue. We stood for ages not moving, it then appeared that they hadn't actually started it yet, they were letting people queue up ready. We were there for about 10 mins and then it leapt into action.

I took a LOT of pictures as I love Little Mermaid, it was my favourite film growing up.

Told you there were a lot - and that's not even half of them lol

So anyway, we missed the parade but it was worth it. We got out of Fantasyland at 3:30 and decided we better get some food. Sy had a hankering for a tuna sandwich so we headed to Colombia Harbour. Just as we were about to go on the guy on the door stopped up and made Sy ring the bell while we all sang Happy Birthday to him and dad, everyone around stopped and sang and clapped, I think they were suitably embarrassed hehehe. He then led us in to a wheelchair seating area which was really good, they even had menus on the table so mum didn't have to rely on dad to choose something for her. Sy got a sandwich as did dad while mum and I shared some *altogether now* chicken breast nuggets hahaha. I think the heat was getting to me today, either that or the heat and the lack of sleep, and I was feeling a bit dizzy, though after the sit down and some food I was feeling much better. After lunch we decided to go on Splash mountain as we hadn't been on it yet... and surprise surprise it was closed so we made our way back out of the park ready to go and relax at the hotel. We caught the flag ceremony on the way out which we've never seen before, it was really touching.

Once we got back to the room we sat about with a few drinks and nibbles before James popped by to say hello, he brought his 2 housemates with him (he and his wife live with another couple). They were so lovely, the guy works at Sanaa and was telling me all about the animals which I loved his fiancee worked more behind the scenes but still at Disney. They ended up staying with us for about 2 hours just chatting and chilling out, they hadn't actually been to any of the rooms in AKV before and were very impressed.

Once they left I had a quick shower and changed ready to head off out to Top Of The World Lounge in Bay Lake Tower to see the fireworks, I was super excited! It was very busy inside and outside, and millions of mosquitos were hanging around the lights. The view over everything was magical though.

We didn't have to wait long until the fireworks started. The music they played was actually really quiet, this was to be the only time we saw wishes this trip as it was hallowishes before and we weren't supposed to be returning to MK. I wasn't wowed at all it just wasn't the same atmosphere, the fireworks were miles away from MK. I was getting bitten, I was straining to hear the music... it just wasn't what I thought it would be I guess. It probably would have been okay if we had already watched wishes and this was just an extra watch of it, if you understand what I mean? It was still nice, just not as nice as in the park.

On the way home we decided we needed something to eat so we drove to the 192 and got some McDonalds take away. It did the job We ate it once we were back in the room. Mum and dad then went to bed shattered while I went for a Jacuzzi bath - well I had to use it at least once!! Hehehe.

Sy and I made it to bed at about midnight.

Tomorrow, check out from AKL Aquatica and the others come to join us at the villa yay!

Day 13

Aquatica!

Woke about 9 to housekeeping wanting to know when we would be out, erm :-/ told them we didn't know but would be as quick as possible. So we packed in a mad rush and left behind the washing liquid and fabric softener we bought the day before we did go back for it but it seemed to have disappeared and housekeeping had no idea where it went... We left our bags with bellhop and went to the car. We were sad to leave AKL, 2 nights just wasn't anywhere near enough time there.

We decided to go to Golden Corral for breakfast, we don't usually do buffet meals but we went to the same place last year and had quite a nice breakfast. This time however it was not good we went in at 10:30 and at 10:45 they took away all the breakfast food and put out lunch. The food wasn't fresh and not great quality. I would say it did the job of filling us up but we didn't actually eat much at all. We wont be back that's for sure!

Then we made our way to Aquatica We paid $4 each for a towel as we couldn't bring any with us without stealing them from AKL lol. I would suggest that you take your own if you can as they were teeny tiny! We found some loungers and set down our things and let mum get her breath back (we left the scooter in the car). After layering ourselves with suncream we made our way to roa's rapids, wasn't sure how mum would cope in here but as you can just lift your legs up she was ok. She did only make it once round before she needed a rest, we went round a second time and then met them back at the loungers. Mum and dad wanted to sunbathe for a bit so we went on one of the family raft rides we then came back and made them come to the lazy river with us, it was so funny trying to get mum in the tube! Imagine a turtle on its back with its legs in the air, that will give you a good idea of what it was like hahaha! Poor mum, she did have a lovely time once she relaxed and went round to see the dolphins We went on Roa's rapids again before we decided to leave - it was a bit much for mum to stay there too long. It was about 2:30 once we left.

As we couldn't get into the villa until 4pm we decided to go to Celebration and get a yummy ice cream yay! We had a little wander around before getting back in the car and making our way to the villa.

And wow, what a villa. It was gorgeous. We were staying on Emerald Island. I took a LOT of pictures so I wont bore you with them all, here is a few...

We unpacked all of our things and made our way to DTD to meet Dad's old work friends for dinner. I had met them before but I don't remember - oops! Dad was in the Met Police, I met a LOT of work friends and its hard to remember them all... We decided to eat at Wolfgang Puck express, I had the BBQ chicken pizza again and Sy had the meatloaf sandwich again, they were just so good the first time After dinner we went to the Margarita bar for a drink, by now it was almost 10pm and I was starting to panic as the others (Sy's parents Anne & Cliff, and Steve and Jude) hadn't text us to let us know when they would be at the villa. So we made our way back to the villa and they weren't there still, we had just got in and I was about to call them when they walked in the door! Yay! Cue lots of kisses and hugging

We finally got into bed by about midnight.

Tomorrow, Universal Studios

Universal Studios

The plan for the morning was to be that Sian, Bill and Cliff would go to the shops when we got up as they would be up and ready first however Sy ended up going as well while the rest of us took it a bit easier and got ready to go. They came back with so much food! We had some breakfast before making our way out to Universal Studios but by now it was 11:20 and I was getting fidgety as it was getting so late and the park shuts early for HHN. When we got to Universal we had to queue to buy annual passes for us and pick up the tickets for the others. The queue wasn't very big but took aaaaages. We did mange to get the assistance pass there though so we didn't have to then go inside and wait again. By the time we actually walked through the gates it was 12:15! Grrr!

We decided to go to Despicable me first. Anne was unsure of the rid so she went in the stationary seats with my mum. It was really good. We then went to Twister and the Mummy, Anne, Jude and Sian didn't fancy the mummy - they went to Starbucks to wait for us. We all got a drink afterwards and sat to watch the parade... what a waste of time that was! We didn't know most of the characters oops...

We then went to Disaster. When they asked for volunteers for a gardening granny I pointed to Anne and she got chosen, she wasn't best pleased with me hehehehe She did her role well though.

We then went to Men in Black (where I got the highest score!) and then wandered round to the Simpsons, me and mum didn't ride, I've been on it before and it made me VERY sick so there's no way I would even tempt it again. It was getting late now and we were starting to feel a bit puckish so we went to get a little something by the Simpsons. Sy and I shared a pizza. Then we made our way over to ET, we all said our name was Bob when we went in, much to the CM's laughter hehehe! ET sounded very funny saying our names at the end.

It was then time to leave as HHN was starting

We came back to the villa and got into the pool and hot tub with a few drinks and nibbles. After a few hours we decided to get dressed and head out for some dinner. We went to Applebees by the Publix on 192 and had a good meal overall, service wasn't all that great though which is a real shock in Orlando - there was nothing wrong with it per se, jus not the usual service.

Sy had steak and shrimp

I had chicken strips

We came back to the villa and went to bed at about midnight.

Day 15

Today EPCOT! Woohoo!

We had breakfast in the villa this morning, it took wayyyyy too long for my liking as today was a Disney day... we were out of the house by 10:45 though so I guess it could have been worse. We parked the cars and waited for James and his wife Molly at the front gate, they were coming to see us for a few hours to have a look around and go on a few rides This was the first time we had met Molly, James fell in love and never came home, ahhhhh

First stop as always was Spaceship Earth. Though we did stop on the way for a few Photopass pictures.

We then decided to take everyone on Ellen's Energy Adventure as no one had been on it before. I think they thought we were mad afterwards lol, well its nice to do every now and again James and Molly then said goodbye and made their way out as they both had work that afternoon, while we made our way over to Teppan Edo for our ADR.

We asked at the booth if the fab server we had the other day was working - Akira, but sadly he wasn't due to start until 3pm so instead we had Mami who was still earning her ears, she was good but no where near Akira - probably cause she hadn't been doing it as long but she was still great.

Took lots of pics inside

After we finished we left and got the boat back to Future World. First stop, Soarin' Everyone loved it We then went to Finding Nemo and the Seas. We even made it to turtle talk which we have never done before, after hearing such good things about it we had high expectations and found it ok. It would be brilliant if we had children though

We then went back to Soarin' again hehehe before having a go round living with the land.

We then started walking round to France so that I could get another Napoleon Anne, Cliff, Steve and Jude went for another go on Soarin' and caught up with us later. We stopped on the way to eat little bits around the food and wine Festival. We stopped at Ireland for a cheese plate and a Guinness (my dad, not me!) and Greece for something chicken that escapes my memory sorry.

Some beef with sweet potato in Africa

The others met us in France and we got a LOT of Photopass Pictures with a great photographer.

We also went to meet Sleeping beauty and got a few pics,

We then went to get a spot for illuminations, stopping on the way for yet more photopass pictures while the others got some more food from one of the booths.

Illuminations was great, Steve and Jude were bowled over by it which was lovely It was awful getting out afterwards though, it was so busy! We all got separated but luckily everyone thought to meet at the cars. Once we got back to the villa we went in the pool for a little bit before bed, we finally made it to our bed at about midnight again. Oops!

Tomorrow, Spirit of the Swamp!

Day 16

Spirit of the Swamp Everglades Boat and MK

We had to be up early for SOTS so set the alarm for 8am. We quickly grabbed something to eat before heading out to catch our boat Unfortunately by the time we got there we pretty much all needed the bathroom - and the toilets were really yukky covered in spiders and really smelly. Something to remember if anyone reading this fancies giving Spirit of the Swamp a try.

As the boat only seats 6 people they had arranged for another boat to join us. We had Captain Andy in place of Harold and Captain Bill on the other boat. Andy was good but still not a patch on Harold! We saw lots of Gators, some year old ones and some freshly hatched ones too. We also saw some birds including a bald eagle and a spoon bill. About half way through we stopped at an island to get off and have a look around, that was pretty boring lol. There was nothing to see and there were loads of fire ants nests that we had to avoid. It would put me off booking a 2 hour ride in the future, we did a 1 hour last time without the stop and it was much better not getting off.

I took a lot of pictures but here are just a few of them...

And I love this picture... I call it 'are these really my sunglasses?' lol

Afterwards we thanked our Captains and tipped them nicely before getting back in the cars and making our way back to the villa, stopping at Walmart on the way for some things to have BBQ for dinner. As Sy and I have annual passes we planned to head to MK late afternoon, and therefore miss the BBQ (not that we minded, I don't really like BBQ all that much).

Once home we got some lunch and lazed by the pool for a few hours, before getting dressed and making our way to MK. It wasn't in the planner for today but as we had missed Wishes I really wanted to go back and see it properly from the park, we also hadn't managed to ride splash mountain yet. So we said our goodbyes and made our way there.

While we wandered round we saw that there was another soft opening for the new Fantasyland expansion, and Storytales with Belle was just opening! OMG!

I wont spoil it too much other than to say it was amazing, one of the best things I have done in a long time. I helped tell the story being the Wardrobe.

My gift from Belle...

We then went to look inside Be Our Guest

We then went to get a Dole Whip as we had only had one so far this trip - how did that happen?! Once we had the Dole Whips in hand we made our way to Main Street for Wishes. Ah, bliss. For me, it will never get better than Wishes. Afterwards we went to ride Splash Mountain and guess what, it wasn't working again! seems we were destined not to ride it so we went on Big Thunder Mountain instead. We then went on Jungle Cruise as we hadn't ridden that ride this trip either, it was quite scary at night, mains cause of the rubbish jokes haha! The park was now closing so we made our way to the car and back to the villa. Fell into bed completely shattered.

Tomorrow SeaWorld!

Day 17

SeaWorld

We were all up early and yet somehow still managed to leave late... trying to organize 8 people was becoming a bit of a mission. Had toast in the villa for breakfast and made it to Seaworld for 11am ish. It was VERY busy today, when we parked we asked for a disabled space and were told there were none left and if we wanted to park closer we would have to pay for priority? Said not to worry and then followed signs for disabled anyway and there were loads of spaces left as we parked in them! Annoyed at Seaworld

First stop was guest services to get a ride access pass and pick up some park maps. We planned our day out around the shows we wanted to see and headed to Clyde and Seamore, stopping first to say hello to the Sharks and Sealions I LOVE feeding the animals at Seaworld so bought a couple of feeding deals where you get fish for the sharks, sealions and rays. I wasn't that bothered about the sharks but as it was basically no extra to feed them as well I thought, why not?

Everyone loved the Clyde and Seamore show 'Holy Mackerel' teehee! We then went to feed the rays We all spent some time feeding them It was then time to see Blue Horizons, we spent a bit too long feeding the rays and all the good seats were taken - well other than the front seats, though they had this rather ominous sign that said 'soak zone'. Now I have seen Blue horizons before and don't remember any splashing so assumed this was just in case of splashing from the dolphins doing their jumps etc... to anyone who is going to see the show and hasn't seen it before. DO NOT SIT IN THOSE SEATS! You know what's coming don't you? There we all were in row 2 with our things, expensive cameras, we didnt even see it coming... before we knew it we were soaked to the skin! Oh boy, we looked like we had been dunked in a pool. Oh dear, oh dear... I was not popular as I said the seats would be fine... I'm sure they thought I knew and was just having them on! The show was amazing as always, its by far the best show at Seaworld.

Afterwards we decided to go on Atlantis, as we couldn't get any wetter Anne and Jude didn't want to ride so they sat and waited for the rest of us.

We were then getting a bit peckish so we decided to head to Mango Joes for some lunch consisting of sandwiches and wraps. As we were right next to the Arctic we went there next, though Anne and I skipped the helicopter ride - motion sickness! We did see the Polar bear moving which I think is a first for me When we went downstairs one of the walrus' was playing up against the window, think he was loving the attention.

Once outside and back into the warm again we made our way over to the Sky Tower, Sian and Bill waiting at the bottom though as my mum is frightened of heights.

We then went to see the dolphin nursery on our way back out to the car as the park was closing

Once back at the villa we lounged around for a while, having a few drinks by the pool before deciding where we would go to eat. We ended up just down the road at Outback. We had a little bit of a wait for a table and in the end we had 2 tables of 4 next to each other. Sy had Steak and Coconut Shimp again while I had the Chicken burger again, they were every bit as good as the first time!

We left our server with a nice big tip as he was fab and made our way back to the villa for beddies, we were starting to feel a bit tired from the pace.

Tomorrow we split up, I go with my mum and dad to IOA while everyone else going to Kennedy Space Centre (we didn't fancy it, dad did it once and said that was enough lol)

Day 18

IOA

Everyone else was up and out by 8am (just shows it can be done when its needed... Grr!). As it was just me, my mum and my dad today we got up and had breakfast at a leisurely pace, I wasn't feeling too good so didn't eat much though, just usual tummy problems.

We knew we would head to IOA today but we decided to go to the Premium Outlets near Seaworld first as we all like to shop So we got dressed and headed out. Dad drove today, his first time this trip Once there I bought a few bits for Sy for Christmas, though there wasn't much worth buying really, I don't think I was in the right place for shopping as I wasn't feeling great After a while we got some lunch at the food court and I was promptly ill again oh dear

We finally got to IOA at 2:30pm, not that it mattered though, it was all about 1 ride - Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges I think its mine and my mum's all time favourite ride! We got soaked hehehe. We did go on some other rides too though, Spiderman, Rip Saw falls, Jurassic Park and Harry Potter forbidden Journey - turns out that ride makes me feel a bit sick during the video parts, especially when I'm already feeling a bit ill...

We did manage to get a few pics around Harry Potter after riding.

Everyone else was back late and then we couldn't decide where to go for dinner, by the time we had decided time was getting on and we ended up at cheesecake factory.

It was not good. Service was awful, food barely average and expensive compared to other places similar! By the time we got home it was 11:45, way too late to eat for me and I was ill yet again Our server really could not be bothered with us and I doubt we would ever go back there again. Though Sy did get a takeaway cheesecake of Mango Key Lime - I had a taste the next day and it was lovely

It was straight to bed when we got home

Tomorrow, Discovery Cove!! Woohoo!

Day 19

Discovery cove

Woke up at 7:30 - urgh, not enough sleep! Managed to leave the villa by 8:15, only 15 mins later than planned My mum and dad didn't want to come to discovery cove, they wanted to spend the day relaxing just the 2 of them so we said goodbye and left them with our car so they could get out.

We went expecting a queue to get in like normal but there was none, maybe its cause we arrived a little earlier this time? Who knows! We got a 1.05 swim time and then went to get our breakfast. The food wasn't all that great but it was included in the price so couldn't really complain, though lunch is always good so it balances out.

After some munchies we went to get changed. I went for a full wetsuit while everyone else went for vests, my reasoning is I don't want to be mistaken for a beached killer whale (black wetsuit and white legs) so I prefer to be a little more covered up.

Yes I'm one of those girls who took a picture of herself in the bathroom *the shame*

We then went to stake out some loungers and get the sun cream on that they give you, a special one that doesn't hurt the fishies.

After layering the thick suncream on we decided to check out the new Freshwater Oasis. It was lovely to see the monkeys and otters, though I still miss the separate ray pool as I don't like going in the reef with all the fish lol.

We then went for a gentle ride around the lazy river before heading over to the reef. I am not keen n fish so didn't want to go in, I did have a paddle as the rays came quite shallow (I love rays) and Jude stayed with me. I became a bit braver and went in up to my thighs before a fish came by and I ended up in Jude's lap hahahaha! After a while though I did become brave as I noticed all you had to do was move and the fish swam away, it was staying still that made them come near me, so I made sure I kept making little movements. While we were there, an announcement was made hat they would be feeding the sharks so we went over to watch. The guys who worked there were brilliant, they knew exactly who each shark was and marked down which had eaten. Very clever. We stayed there ages watching them feed them all and asking questions once they had finished.

It was then Dolphin time! YAY! We watched a short film and were briefed about what to do in the water, we were then off in our groups. Cliff didn't do the swim this time, he said he had done it once so would sit back and take pictures (though I don't have these yet, will post them once I do). Our trainers were Melissa and a guy who's name escapes he was very funny though and they worked great together. The first dolphin we had was called Dot, she was 8 and still fairly small. We then had CJ who was a cross breed of dolphin and very rare. He was darker in colour and very gorgeous. The swim was brilliant, but all too soon it was over We said goodbye to our trainers and made our way to lunch.

I still wasn't well so didn't eat much again and after we had eaten we went back to the loungers for a bit, but I had to go and get changed as I wasn't comfortable in my swimwear when I had a tummy ache, it was still a bit damp. I came back dressed at 3:30 and made the excuse I wanted to wash my hair and knew it would take ages, didn't want to ruin anyone's day if they knew I wasn't well. So off I went to say hello to the birds in the Aviary.

Everyone else got out of the water at 5:40 and went to get showered. We left at 6:15 - by now I was feeling rather grotty

Once back at the villa we changed quickly and then went to Tony Romas. Monday night all you can eat ribs? Yes please! We waited an hour for a table, even though it wasn't busy and we were told 30 mins, damn you Tony Romas! Our server wasn't great here either, maybe a trend for us? He was okay, just not usual Orlando standards and usually Tony Roma high standards - last year we had some of the best service we had ever received here. We also noticed the menu has changed and become a lot smaller, I actually struggled to find something to eat, not that it mattered as I still couldn't manage much

Got home at 11pm and went to bed feeling unwell - still!

Tomorrow, Busch Gardens!

Day 20

Busch gardens

It was just me, Sy, Mum and Dad today We had to be up early as its about an hour or so drive away. We said goodbye to the others and set off, stopping at Wallgreens to get Sy something as he had a bit of a cold (manflu!) and then at McDonalds for breakfast. Sy was bunged up and had snored all night long, worse than normal. He had kept me up for hours and when I asked him if we would go to a spare room he shouted at me and then went and slammed the door to our bedroom so I couldn't get back to sleep. So that meant I was already in a bad mood from that and lack of sleep, plus I still wasn't well. I probably wasn't as sympathetic as I could have been with Sy today, though he was just a bit bunged up he was acting like he had full blown flu and it was really annoying me as he ruined pretty much the whole day moaning - when I think back to the day before I tried my hardest not to let anyone know I was ill as I didnt want to ruin their day, so I was getting mighty annoyed with Simon. When we got there we parked the car and checked in for our Serengeti Safari. We had about an hour before our trip so we went on a gondola ride, though my mum changed her mind at the last moment as it was so high up.

We then went to ride Cheetah hunt while mum waited outside, Sy changed his mind at the last minute, this started the same trend for the rest of the day. Sy refused to ride anything! Not one thing! GRR!! Dad and I loved it though We then grabbed a drink by where we had to check in for our safari.

The safari itself was amazing, and worth the trip all the way there just to do it. I had paid for mum and dad as their anniversary present and they were really pleased. I took one or two pictures here are a few...

We were going to ride on the train but it was closed as earlier that morning a baby rhino was born right by the track. Awwww <3 We didn't stay very late as Sy was being such a miserable git and ruining the day for us all. We didn't even go out to dinner as I was in such a foul mood by the time we got home, I couldn't stop thinking how much money I had paid for tickets to BG and that they were wasted grrr. So I went to bed without dinner and told Sy he was sleeping in the spare room all night cause of his snoring, I'm a heartless witch lol. Steve and Jude didn't go out either as Steve wasn't feeling all that great so my parents and Sy's parents went to Red Lobster and had a wonderful meal.

Tomorrow, I'm in a better mood (thankfully lol) and we head to Hollywood Studios

Day 21

Hollywood Studios and Dine with an Imagineer!

We were splitting up again today, me and Sy and my parents were off to Hollywood Studios today while Sy's parents and Steve and Jude went to Merritt Island. We all had breakfast together first though which consisted of toast and some fruit Sy and I were off to Dine with an Imagineer fairly early so didn't want to eat too much. We were out of the house by 10:15 and inside the park by 10:45. We had a quick look around the shops and watched some of the performers outside. Sy was looking everywhere for the Hollywood studios imagineers book so every shop we went past he tried to find one.

We had to be at Hollywood Brown Derby for 11:30am so we didn't have time to do any rides first but we pointed my parents in the direction of some things we thought that they would enjoy, like One Man's Dream (which they did love).

We went to check in at Hollywood Brown Derby for our lunch The restaurant wasn't quite open yet but reception was so we got our name badges and took some pictures in the lobby.

We were then told that the family who were in reception were going to open the restaurant for the day, there was a big bow over the doorway that they cut and everyone clapped, I'd not seen this before and it was a really sweet little thing to do, the little girl was so pleased with herself

We were then led through to the bamboo room where we were introduced to the imagineer for the day Rob, and also his work friend Josh, who was 'shadowing' him as he had never done it before but wanted to start. We then took our seats round the table, there were 9 adults, 4 couples and 1 lady on her own, plus the 2 imagineers in the middle.

Our waiter introduced himself to us, his name was David from Mexico, he went round and took our drinks orders while our imagineers explained what they did. They worked for Master Planning, OMG! I could not have picked better people (you don't get a choice of imagineer, but if we did have a choice I would have picked them)! This is exactly what Sy would like to do as he is an artist and architect with an engineer background. Its his dream job. When Sy told them how much he would like to be doing their job they spent a lot of time talking to him, looking back I hope the others on the table didn't feel left out... I don't think they did, I certainly didn't get that impression at the time - just looking back I know that they spoke a lot to Sy.

We all had to go round the table and say hello, who we were and a Disney thing that we love. I told everyone that I had booked the trip as a surprise for hubby's 30th birthday and they were dead impressed they also warned him he has a lot to live up to for my 30th (yes Sy, remember that bit, you best start saving now!).

A Photographer then came in to take a picture of the table which I didn't really know why but all became clear later. David came in to take our order for food. We both had the soup to start followed by the Cobb salad (though I had some of the salad missing from mine as I have such a fussy diet).

Both of them were really scrummy, I wasn't holding out much hope for eating much at lunch, as I'm so fussy, it was more for Sy to have the experience and I knew he wouldn't want to do it without me.

Sy then had beef but unfortunately there wasn't anything on the menu that I could eat, I had checked out the menu beforehand so I knew that they served chicken breast on the children's meal so I had asked David discreetly if I might be able to have the children's meal but he insisted that wouldn't be enough so he brought me 2 chicken breasts with potatoes, it was actually really good, I even had food envy from 2 of the other guests lol.

Then for dessert I had creme brulee but I made Sy have the pink grapefruit cake, he wasn't so sure but I had read such good things about it so he went with it - and he was very glad that he did! He loved it my creme brulee was good too.

As I had mentioned that it was booked as a birthday surprise for Sy, they then brought out this and made everyone sing to him

Sorry about the quality of picture, tried to take it really quickly.

It was then that the photo taken at the beginning became clear as we were handed a little leaflet about our lunch, our hosts and a picture of us all.

Pic taken on my phone camera so not the best

Then came the awkward bit for Rob, we each got a plate t remember the lunch and he wrote a little bit on each one. He said he found this really embarrassing as it makes him feel a bit like some sort of celebrity and he isn't. He gave everyone their plates first and left mine and Sy's till last, he wrote on mine the same as everyone else's.

I told Sy to take a picture of his but he got confused and took a picture of mine. His said 'It was great to meet you today, I hope it's you hosting next time' which really made his day. Its now proudly displayed in our office at home

They then said their goodbyes and made a hasty exit (probably had to get back to work!). By now nearly 3 hours had gone by We paid David and left him a rather hefty tip, he really was so kind to me and so discreet when I was worried about others thinking I was being a pain in the bum with my food problems. He more than deserved it.

I text mum as we left and arranged to meet them at the entrance for the great movie ride. We went in to ride and waited for the Western experience as we had already had the gangster this trip, unfortunately it took a little longer than expected and we were almost late to meet some lovely Disney friends in the Tune in Lounge. We got there and got a seat and then tried to suss out who it was that we were meeting (having not seen pictures before we left). I spotted Dee Straight away as she said she would be wearing her Winnie the Pooh ears She was also talking to another lady who I thought might be meeting us but in fact was just someone she was chatting to Gotta love Dee and her ability to chat to anyone, such a happy, friendly girl that she is Before long crazycatperson came in with her hubby. This is so, so awful to admit but I cant remember her or her husbands name I'm so sorry crazycatperson! That is not a reflection on them at all, I am just worse than useless with names! I used to work in a school and called them all 'honey' in my club cause I could never remember their names lol.

We had a lovely time chatting about Disney over a few drinks but before long we all had places to be so we had to say a sad farewell It was great to meet such lovely people

Dee is on the left with Crazycatperson and her hubby

While at our lunch Rob told us of his tributes on the streets of New York so we went to visit them.

This was for him and his brother

This car registration was for Rob and his wife, their initials with the year they got married

We waited around for a bit for Mulch Sweat and Shears but they didn't come (not sure why) so we went on the Muppets afterwards we went into the Muppet shop, got a lovely picture of my dad...

We then made our way to Toy Story Mania

Sy is always better at this than me, he's completed the game on the wii, you know, the one he bought me for my birthday...

We then went to the hub to wait for Mulch, Sweat and Shears again - hopefully they would turn up this time

They did come at 6:30 as planned, mum and dad really enjoyed watching them, they had begun to get a bit peeved with me for making them wait but they enjoyed it once they came.

We then went to ride Tower of Terror before heading to Fantasmic. It was very busy, we were there 20 mins left and they struggled to find us a wheelchair space, in the end mum had to get out and sit on the benches a few rows down. Just goes to show you need to get there super early!

After it finished we went back to the car, we were feeling quite peckish so we decided to stop on the way home at Chili's along the 192 for some food. When we first got there our server was a bit rubbish, he was no where to be seen! Though as soon as we ordered he changed and was brilliant.

We ordered from the 2 for $20 menu. 1 starter to share between 2 and then a main each.

Loaded fries

Fried onions with chilis

For mains we had Chicken Quesedillas (me, they were just okay)

Chicken Fajita's (Sy and dad had the same, they loved them)

Chicken fingers (mum, she wasn't impressed, not was I when I tried one either)

The food was good overall, not the best of the trip but not the worst either. It was fine for a budget meal out. We have always been to the one along I drive in the past and think that one was a little better than the 192 one.

We then headed back to the villa and were in bed by midnight

Tomorrow Shopping in the day and Halloween Horror Night in the evening

I must first tell you that I made NO notes for today so this is all from memory. I make notes at the end of the day so by the time you get to the end of this day, you will realise why there are no notes...

For breakfast we decided to head to IHOP how can it be that this was the only trip to IHOP all holiday?! Its usually a favourite of ours but just didn't manage to fit it in the plan this time.

After breakfast we were going shopping Shopping was erm, interesting. Let me state first that we had 2 cars between 8 of us, each car can sit 7 people in. 3 of the group don't like shopping but wanted to go cause they were looking for specific things. We agreed to all meet at the bar once we were done as no one knew how long we would be. So off we went in couples. Sy went into the samsonite shop and came out with a new briefcase for work... he did say he wanted to buy some more Aldo shoes but couldn't see any he liked. I went into Juicy but couldn't find any T-shirts that I liked, I am very particular (like you hadn't guessed that already?!). Outside the shop we bumped into Anne, she had tried calling us as Cliff, Steve and Jude were finished and wanted to go but as my phone was in Sy's bag he didn't hear it ring. She came with us into the Ralph Lauren shop for Sy to get a few polo shirts. We were then walking back towards the bar to meet them when Cliff found us and there was a bit of a domestic so we went into the yankee candle shop, where my dad found us and said they were in the food court and not the bar. Anne and Cliff were no where to be seen and when we met up with my parents they said Steve, Jude and Cliff had been waiting with them and were really, really mad at Anne. They had sent her off to find us and as far as Anne knew none of them had a mobile with them (as that's what Jude had told her) but turns out that they did and they were very angry with her for not calling them when she got back. Anne stayed with my parents and the others went home as they had all told her off. Anne actually cried I was very cross as its not like it was the end of the world! They just didn't want to wait and were cross that they had to!!

We got a drink and planned our next move, we decided to make our way to Bed, Bath and Beyond. I love it there always get a few bits for the house. I cant remember what we bought this trip (its been a few months now), sorry.

We then made our way back to the villa, not looking forward to getting back there and the mood that would be greeting us As it was, it wasn't too bad for us but I think Anne got it in the neck again, poor Anne. We chilled out by the pool for a while before getting changed and ready for Halloween Horror Night at Universal. It had been decided that it would be just me, Sy, Anne and Cliff going tonight, my parents did it before and didn't like it, and Jude didn't fancy it. We wanted to get there before the park closed as we had stay and scream tickets but we didn't get there till about 6:30

Once we went inside we picked up a park map and headed to a few mazes,

After we had done 2 mazes we found my friend James (he works at US and Disney) and got some drinks, after I had taken a few sips I started to feel a bit dodgy and didn't drink any more of it, gave some to Anne and threw some away again. I was starting to feel a bit headachey being sat right by all of the chainsaw girls with their very loud chainsaws.

We then went round to get a return time (with the guest assistance card) for one of the other mazes and then the others rode despicable me while I waited, I wasn't feeling up to it.

We then decided to get a bite to eat and the only place we could sit down and eat was in Finnegans so off we went. We ordered our food and then I had to go to the bathroom. I was starting to feel dizzy, it was very loud in there and a huge queue of drunk women, not good when you're feeling dodgy. I went inside and sat down and thought I was going to faint I started shaking really violently. I went back to the table, aware that there was 2 or 3 toilets and a queue of about 10 people waiting. Back at the table I felt really dodgy again and started to feel sick. Oh dear it was awful. Our food came but there was no way I could eat it. I knew we had to go home I went white as a sheet and our server called the medics to see me but there was nothing I could do, everytime I moved I thought I was going to be sick, all I kept thinking was I cannot be sick in here, people are eating. So we sat there for 30 mins, eventually Sy decided it would be best to go and get me a wheelchair to get me to the car as I was feeling so faint. While we was gone I went to move and nausea took over and I was violently sick oh the shame!! We had already got a bag in front of me just in case so it wasn't like it went everywhere but oh those poor people trying to eat around me. We were sat right in the middle of the restaurant too the server was great, she came with a big bin bag, a cold compress and lots of wet wipes. Before long Sy and his dad were back (thank god I had only shamed myself in front on Anne and not them as well!). They moved me to the chair and we went back to the car, all the while with me holding a sick bag in front of me

Once home I was sick again and then had a dodgy tummy the other way too... sorry TMI. Sy helped me shower (as I was still very shaky and wobbly) cause I couldn't face going to bed as I still felt gross from being sick. I then went to bed feeling very sorry for myself.

I have no idea what brought this on that day, I was the only one who was sick, I hadn't got too much sun, I had eaten (admittedly not a huge amount) and I had been drinking water in the day. It cant have been the alcohol as I only had 2 sips. Thankfully though it only lasted that night, I was very fragile the next day still but no more sick which is the main thing!

Tomorrow, the planner said day at the beach but the hurricane was getting stronger...

Ah Jan, Thank you so much for understanding I remembered some of the cats names though

Day 23

The plan for today was a trip to Clearwater Beach for a trip out to see the dolphins on Little Toot and for some yummy food at Crabby Bills, however a hurricane was coming in. No boats were going out to sea due to the winds plus it was due to rain, and I was still very fragile so we decided not to go. Then Steve said he really did want to go still - he is trying to swim in as many seas as possible before he goes so it was decided that we would split up again. Steve, Jude, Anne and Cliff would go to the beach while the rest of us did some shopping (without getting shouted at!). Anne didn't really want to go but felt she should, she would rather have shopped with us haha.

We took it easy this morning as I was still feeling fragile. I didn't eat any breakfast as I was scared it might come back up again They others had toast and cereal and then we decided to head to the massive Walmart near the Florida Mall to look around. We bought lots of bits to bring home, presents, Christmas presents and food stuff like a bumper pack of pancake mix! After we had finished (and about 2 hours had gone by!) we decided to get some food at the McDonalds inside the store. It was a McDonalds cafe so I'm not sure if that is slightly different but they cooked everything to order, nothing was ready prepared. I didn't have much to eat again as I was worried about being ill. It was lovely having the food so fresh though, I would definitely go back there if getting a McDonalds (which to be fair isn't all that often).

On the way home we were discussing what we wanted to do and I fancied going to MK for a few hours while Mum and dad wanted to make use of the villa pool and just spend the afternoon chilling out. So they dropped us at MK and then took the car (in case they wanted to go out anywhere). I did take mum's scooter though as I wouldn't have been up to walking around the park

There was a little meet planned at Aloha Isle though it was for before we made it to the park we decided to head there first in case they were still there, and turns out they were (apart from Kristen ) so we stayed to chat for a little bit and the lovely Dee explained to us about the Sorcerers cards and then gave us her duplicate cards so we could give it a go ourselves We then all walked to Splash Mountain together as Sy and I STILL hadn't been on it... and guess what? It was closed! Looks like we weren't going to get to ride it this trip So we said goodbye and made our way to Pirates of the Caribbean as we hadn't been on it dunno how that happened. It was fab though. We then went to get Sy a corndog, cause he has to have one on each trip, and made our way to watch Move it, Shake it parade. It was still very windy and the parade was cut short, the guys weren't out on stilts, nor where the guys out on the top of the boxes and sadly no confetti it was a bit sad but its better that everyone be safe

Parade pics

We then made our way to the Monorail to get to EPCOT. First stop, Soarin' well, after we had hit Club Cool for Sy to drink some disgusting flavoured Coke! We then wandered round the Food and Wine Festival as I wanted to get some Cheddar Cheese soup to try as I had read so many good reports of it... I did NOT like it lol. I don't know what I expected it to taste like but it tasted like fake bacon bits and pepper Sy liked it though lol we then wandered round getting a few bits every now and again.

The infamous Cheddar cheese soup... (that I hated lol)

Tuna Sushi this time for Sy

Beef Rendang

I was then starting to feel a bit dodgy again so text my mum to ask them to pick us up. They had gone for a pizza but had finished by now (we were texting via whatsapp so it was free over the internet) so we arranged to meet them at the Beach Club as it was closer than walking back to the front of the park. They got there before us so dad popped into the lobby in case we were there and panicked slightly when we weren't and called me so we went sharpish to meet them. I think he was worried as I wasn't well and thought we would get there first. He was dead impressed with the Beach Club though, as was my mum from an outside view lol.

Sy walking to the Beach Club

Once in the car I started to feel a bit better again - it had been coming and going all day - so we decided to stop at Outback on the way home for curbside to go. I hadn't ever done it before so we parked in the curbside space and went in, turns out you just stay in your car and the waiter comes out to you with menus and to take your order. Ah well, will remember that for next time. When it came to paying I wasn't sure of the protocol with tipping so we tipped the amount we would have had we been sat inside to eat.

Once we got back to the villa we noticed that had made a couple of mistakes with the order, for one they didn't give Sy coconut shrimp, just normal - and they had put it in with MY food! YUK! I don't do seafood at all so I was not impressed but hey ho. They also hadn't given Sy a sweet potato, just a normal potato. I don't know what they would have done had we called and complained, we don't know what they could have done to make it better and as we weren't about to go out again to get the right order we just left it. Nevermind! It was still good, and we even got the bread all wrapped up in foil

The others came back while we were at Outback and helped us eat the bread (or maybe I should say Cliff helped us while getting shouted at by Anne as they had already had dinner LOL)

Went to bed about 11:30.

Tomorrow, Our last full day Islands Of Adventure

Day 24

Our Last Full Day

Islands of Adventure

Woke up today to feeling rather cold? First time that has happened at this time of year. Unfortunately we were going to the park with all the amazing water rides... on the coldest day of our holiday... Oh dear. We ate breakfast at the villa and made our way to US. Anne travelled in our car while Sy travelled in the other car - as we both had annual passes we got free valet parking but obviously you had to be in the car (with ID just FYI). We parked and headed into the parks, I was already regretting not wearing a cardigan or something, we were all feeling the cold.

We turned right when we entered the park and made our way to One Fish, Two Fish. I had never ridden it before but before this trip found out about the water aspect of it so wanted to be mean and not tell anyone, unfortunately I ended up in the same fish as Sy and my dad so I kinda had to tell them or I was going to get wet too lol. It was such a fun ride its going on my must do list for every trip

A quick picture

We made our way round to Harry Potter, everyone went on Forbidden journey apart from me, my mum and Sy.

We then explored the area and shops for a bit - though not too long as some people were moaning about the 'shop' part

Inside the 3 Broomsticks

We also got 2 Butterbeer, one chilled and one frozen.

With some Hogwarts students - though obviously only 1 was English as none of the others spoke at all The girl who did speak was very funny though

Afterwards we walked towards Jurassic park but stopped along the way to get some drinks and a bite to eat. While waiting in the queue the girls who had ordered before me and were waiting could hear my accent and proceeded to ask me if I knew any of the buys in One Direction as it was their favourite band like ever! I said no but I kinda wish I'd said yes, they wouldn't know and it probably would have made their day. Ah well, cant think on the spot I guess

We then made our way to the Jurassic Park ride Anne and Jude didn't want to get wet (even though we all had a change of clothes with us) so the rest of us went on and got soaked it was great!

We then separated for some reason, though I cant remember why, and me, Sy and my dad went on rip saw falls wile mum waited at the bottom and took pics Oh how I love that ride, but not the getting out bit... dad got stuck again (as he did last time) but luckily the boats were backed up inside so there was no rush and we hoisted him out eventually. It's a bit like the seats on Space mountain, but closer together and in the wet. Your feet just keep slipping and make it impossible to get out of.

We then all met up again and rode Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges, well Anne and Jude didn't as they didn't want to get wet, so they took pictures from the bridge. We went round twice, once you're soaked through, you cant get any wetter. It was actually so cold today with the wind that when the water went over you it was actually really nice and warm haha!

Us all looking rather wet...

We then did get change though in the bathroom so we wouldn't get too cold. We even brought towels with us, mum's scooter was good for carrying all the bags of stuff We ride spiderman and I went on Dr Doom's Fearfall twice while everyone else rode Spiderman again. We then went into the big shop at the entrance/exit and got a few pics with the harry potter merch.

Always saw myself as a Gryffindor girl, I was a goody 2 shoes in school hehehe.

We then went to get the cars. For future reference I don't know that I would use the Valet again, it took SO long to get the car back, though we did see the guys helping another group get their scooter in the back of the car so was hoping they might do that for us, I had given dad some money to tip them however they brought the car back, left the keys inside and walked off, there was no opportunity to give them the money, he had gone before we were even at the car. I would hate to say its cause we were British and usually get tarred with the 'they don't know how to tip so I'm not going to bother helping them' brush but I would probably place a hefty bet on that's why they didn't bother with us, especially as they were so helpful with the families around us. Ah well, it wasn't the end of the world, just a bit of a surprise.

Once back at the villa we all changed and got ready to go out for dinner. We were headed off to Cafe D'Antonio in Celebration. We had tried to eat here earlier in the trip but Steve kept saying no he didn't want to as he didn't want Italian... I basically told him tough tonight though, if he didn't like it he could go elsewhere. I felt really bad about it but everyone else had been wanting to go there and hadn't been able to. He did really enjoy it so I think he forgave me (though honestly, I said it in jest and he took it that way, don't think he was annoyed - I still felt bad mind you).

A few pics of us all inside

Some seriously scrummy bread

My ham and garlic pizza

Sy had beef short ribs with a balsamic bbq glaze served on polenta. His favourite meal of the holiday (along with the food at Palo).

Our waitress was from the UK and took great care of us. We all had a thoroughly enjoyable meal and cant wait to return! Its somewhere that's just a little bit more special from the normal Orlando food (excluding Disney restaurants). We noticed lots of locals eating there which is a good indicator of what its like

After dinner we headed back to the villa, sorted out the last of the washing (Anne and I were the washing ladies haha) and packed some of our things away

Tomorrow, Home time :(

Day 25

Home Time

We had a late check out of the villa so there was no mad rush to pack and get out however we did want to head to DTD for a bit of shopping so we didn't want to waste too much time packing. Luckily we had done most of our washing over the last few days, so we weren't bringing home cases of dirty clothes for me to wash - though weirdly there still seemed to be masses once we got home.

We cleared out the fridge and ate rather odd things for breakfast, gerkins and cheese do not make for a good meal! We didn't want to pack too much as we wanted to buy the last few bits to bring home so we went straight to DTD after eating, Steve and Jude (not fans of shopping as you probably gathered by now), stayed at the villa to chill out. We had a good mooch around the shops and grabbed a few things to bring home, Anne and Sian wanted to make a trip to Crackerbarrel before heading home so they took one car back while me and Sy went to say hello to the DIBB meet happening at the Margarita bar. We couldn't stay too long though as we still hadn't packed and time was ticking on!

Once we got back to the villa Anne, Cliff, Steve and Jude were just about ready to leave, as we had been to Walmart the day before and the others hadn't, they wanted to head there so arranged to meet us at the airport. The plan had been to take a dip in the pool before leaving but by the time we had packed (and it took a looooooong time!) there wasn't really any time left

We didn't actually know how we were going to get everything in the car, along with mum's scooter. The plan originally had been that the others would take some of our bags however as they had left before us we didn't think about it. There was talk of making 2 trips to the airport at 1 point but we got there in the end.

A very full car, even a case on the back seat haha!

We then made our way to the airport. We decided it might be best to drop off mum and dad with all of the bags at the terminal - as we had so many bags and mum would be in her scooter so couldn't really take much. We then went to drop off the car, no problems there

Back inside the others had met up with mum and dad and were dropping their bags off, I had already checked in everyone online.

Once we had all dropped the bags off we went through to our gate to get something to eat. We had to wait a while at security for a lady to become free to pat mum down - she has a pacemaker so cant go through the metal detectors. We had decided beforehand that we would go to Outback for dinner as the food on the plane on the way home is particularly bad. We sat down and then Steve and Jude said they didn't want to be there, Steve wanted to go off and get a hotdog somewhere, he hadn't seen where to get one but he was going to find one from somewhere.

Some pics of us at the table.

Our dinner was good other than a few things forgotten, it was soon sorted though. Our last holiday meal together, awwwwwww!

Before we knew it we had to get to the gate, mum has priority boarding as disabled so we had to be ready to board first. Though as it turns out she and dad boarded and the rest of us waited which was fine by us, we were going to be sitting down long enough on the flight as it was. The flight was actually really good, there were only 2 free seats on the whole flight and 1 of them was next to us so we spread out and had the spare seat in the middle. Sy is a right 'mare on the flight home - he cant sit still! Every time I drop off to sleep he moves and wakes me up, so to get a giant seat space between us meant that I could sleep! Ahhhhh! Was amazing! There was heaps of movies that I wanted to watch but didn't cause I was too busy zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz The food was as predicted, yukky. Not much of it was eaten.

Time flew by - excuse the pun and before long we were arriving to a rather cold Gatwick. My sister was there to meet my mum and dad and take them home, our car was at Anne and Cliff's house so we were heading back there. We were expecting to make 2 trips home from the airport as they have a 7 seater car, Sy's sister's boyfriend came to pick us up and we actually managed to get us all in with all of the cases! I have NO idea how we did that, the people in the back were literally covered in bags... good job they only live a few miles down the road!

Once we were back at Anne and Cliff's house, Sy and his dad got their work laptops on as they were 'working from home' today. I don't think they got much work done somehow...

To follow, my notes on the trip and possible plans for future trips!

Final thoughts.

So we now find ourselves at the end of my trip report It might have taken a couple of months to finish but hey, it was 25 days long - that's a lot of writing I don't know if I will ever have another Trip Report that gets to 25 days in length... but then there's always my 30th in 2014 hint hint Sy I really hope that you have enjoyed reading and hearing all about our trip. I hope that its given you food for thought on what you might like to do on your next trip, and what you might not do ie sit out in the sun without sun cream on and get burnt (despite your lovely wife telling you to put cream on ).

Some overall highlights;

Loved staying onsite at Disney, despite our few problems with the Beach Club. We are total converts and cant imagine not staying onsite now hahaha. Oops! Looks like the cost of our trips is going up then

Car hire with Alamo and getting a free upgrade. The car was fab, such an easy drive and so big, hated coming home to our teeny car (okay its not exactly teeny, it just felt it after driving around in a big car for 2 weeks).

We really enjoyed MNSSHP and would love to go back at that time of year to do it again. Loved seeing all the different costumes the guests were wearing, let alone the fireworks, parades, shows and all that candy!

Disney Dining Plan, as we had never stayed onsite we hadn't used it before but it was very easy. We wont be able to use it on our next trip as we now have annual passes and are planning to do a bit more offsite eating.

The cruise, although I got a bit sick and was hopping up and down to get back to Orlando, I would still go on another cruise with Disney, maybe Alaska next?

Dining with an Imagineer, I know it was extra special as the guys were paying Sy a lot of attention but I don't think it would have mattered who they were, it was just such a lovely experience and would recommend it to others without a doubt.

Some general observations of the trip;

8 people - 4 couples - was too many people. Trying to plan and please 8 people was a bit of a mission. It was brought home on our last day at Islands of Adventure. The entire day was spent waiting around, everyone went to the bathroom at different times, wanted different rides, wanted to eat at different times, stop in the shops at different times. Someone was always waiting around for someone. I'm sure it would be easier had it been 1 or 2 families (ie adults and their children) but as 4 couples it was hard. I hate to make others wait for me so I didn't do things I would have done had there been less people on the trip.

It doesn't matter how long we go for, a few days, a week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks or longer, we are still busy every day who needs rest anyway

I didn't like the Disney buses. We usually hire a car so having to wait around all the time for buses or boats was annoying. I can understand its easier if you like a drink with dinner so you don't have to worry about having to drive, but as I don't really drink anyway its not something that would bother me. I would definitely hire a car next time even if staying onsite.

As much as I LOVED the dining plan and all the yummy Disney restaurants, I don't think I would do 2 weeks onsite with the DDP - I would miss the other restaurants of Orlando too much. I can understand people who live in America and can go to all of those restaurants at home, but for us who don't get them back home its nice to visit a few (plus they are also generally a lot cheaper than the Disney restaurants).

What Next?

This is the exciting bit Future Plans!

As I've said already, I'm 30 in 2014 so I'm hoping for a big trip for my birthday Where I hear you ask? Well, when I was 6 years old I did a class project (and show) all about Hawaii and ever since then I have wanted to go there. But being so far away and so expensive its something that I never thought would be possible. When looking back at this trip and examining just how much we spent (don't ask, too much!) we could easily afford to go to Hawaii So the plan is, in September 2014 (which is actually after my birthday which is in July but I don't want to go away during the school holidays) we will fly to San Francisco, spend a few days there exploring and visiting the Disney museum, then fly onto Hawaii and stay in Aulani (of course ) for a week or so, then Fly to LA and spend some time exploring there and visiting Disneyland! The finer details aren't sorted yet obviously, this is just a rough outline but you get the idea. Sy wanted to arrange it all but as I spend half of my life looking at things Disney, it would have been silly to not do it myself. I'm so excited about this trip

I know what you're thinking now, 'but I thought you upgraded to annual passes? Are you not going to use them?' the answer to that is YES! We are hoping to get a bargain last minute trip in May and maybe even September too we have no plans for what we will do or where we will stay as that will be booked a week before we fly. Sy has booked the time off work so will have the time off anyway, Last year in May we saw flights at less than PS200 each! We are budgeting PS300 each for the flights but hoping we might be able to get them for a little less if we can. Where we stay will all depend on how much I can earn between now and then, in my job I earn when I work and sometimes its busier than others. I have made some ADR's for May already though hehehe. If we are lucky James might be able to get us some nice CM discount on some Disney rooms, he's been sending me prices over the last few days which is driving me nuts as it just makes me wanna book now lol!

So that's it, its all over. You've seen us laugh and seen us cry, shared our ups and our downs. Now its time to say goodbye Till next time...

I just hope it wasnt too much detail