theDIBB - Buses, Bars and Bargains. January 2020. A summary.

Index

I’m going to try and do this in order.
National Express.
We got a good price for a return, although it was around the houses it worked for us as we could have a drink, sleep and not stress about driving. The drivers were helpful, the guy in Gatwick was amazing :thumbs-up
We now know we can take any coach to and from Gatwick which was a bonus. A train would be our preferred travel but no messing about on tubes and getting there on time would make us book again.

Travelodge
Clean, near the airport and refurbished rooms with a massive bar area. Easy to get the shuttle as well although they should update the website with the prices and say it’s cash only. Would absolutely stay here again.

BA
Great service. Doing Twilight check in and getting rid of the cases was amazing, it made the next morning so much easier.
Shame a few passengers put a stop to alcoholic drinks on the way out but understand why BA made that decision.

Lynx buses
So apart from the timetable not being totally accurate the lynx buses provided a good service from the airport and to Disney. Friendly drivers and for us personally was worth the savings.
We only used the airport and Disney bus but saw plenty going up and down International Drive.

Enclave Suites
Decent sized room and clean. You choose when to have housekeeping. Bar not very big but so many other bars about it’s not a big deal. I made good use of the refillable cup. Swimming pools lovely. Only downside for Matt was having a ground floor, maybe we should have asked to change when we checked in. Great location on I Drive and good value.

I Trolley
So these were really hit and miss, sometimes it was a few minutes, other times up to 20. I’d say the average was about 10. They were mostly empty though and we always had a seat.
After seeing the driving and being able to have a drink it’s still preferable to hiring a car, again this is for us personally.

Universal/Islands of Adventure/Volcano Bay/City Walk
We loved not having to wait for rides. Hagrids is amazing.
We enjoyed all our visits here and it was like riding everything for the first time as couldn’t remember much from 10 years ago. Making use of the single rider queue helped. Discovering the bus from Surfside was perfect as well.
Can’t really say a lot about Volcano Bay, I found the Tapu Tapu bracelets confusing and the park was massive to walk around but Matt enjoyed the main ride. I would visit again as it’s included in the ticket price but wouldn’t buy a separate ticket.
City Walk golf was fun, mostly it’s just expensive bars. Liked Bubba Gumps and the meals looked good coming out. Would like to get another chance to try Rising Star though, just arrive a little later than we did.
Bars and Restaurants
We discovered so many new places to eat and drink, and still lots more we didn’t have time for.
Sweet tomatoes was a surprise hit and we really made the most of happy hours. Matt liking Taco Bell was a highlight.

Shopping
Surprisingly did a lot of this, we managed to find bargains in the outlets. Ross was an experience we will never forget.

Seaworld
For Matt it was a very successful day, he loved the 3 main rides. All day dine was excellent value and you only really need to have 2 meals to get your moneys worth. We just went for it. :pgig:
I enjoyed the show but I think you really need to plan your day here as the park is huge and I ended up walking around in circles.

Disney Springs/Boardwalk
We enjoyed this a lot more than we thought we would. Boardwalk was beautiful. Didn’t do any shopping in Disney Springs but would go back just for Earl Of Sandwich. The boats were great as well.

I think that’s it, I will add more if I think of anything.

Than you to everyone that has read and commented, it’s very much appreciated. Any questions I can help with just ask.