theDIBB

theDIBB (https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/index.php)
-   Walt Disney World and Florida Trip Reports (https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=56)
-   -   Finally! A Four Week Adventure: Week 3 (https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=1233207)

Rac20 5 Aug 22 03:08 AM

Finally! A Four Week Adventure: Week 3
 
Saying goodbye to Windsor Hills, IHOP, Disney Golf, Celebration and our second villa

I didn’t sleep well last night at all.
I heard footsteps at about three which turned out to be DS13 who wanted a drink but didn’t dare get one due to the two giant cockroaches having a party in the kitchen.

I was quite brave - dodged the cockroaches and got him his water but then struggled to return to sleep. I woke in a panic at 8:30 as it was moving day! Luckily, we’d done most of the packing last night and so we were ready to leave for 9:40. I even had time for a cup of coffee before we hit the road.

Really sad to say goodbye to the villa at Windsor Hills. I loved the amount of space under the lanai which was big enough for four lounge chairs plus a table that seats 6. Perfect for escaping the heat of the sun or the lashing rain.

I also loved how close you are to both Disney and Universal - will definitely be looking at staying in this area again.

The villa wasn’t the most modern but it was well equipped and a great size and suited us perfectly.

After leaving, we headed to IHOP. We were going to the one on International Drive closest to the convention centre but there seemed to be a lot of people waiting outside so we carried on until we came to the next one a couple of miles down the road.

This was our first time out for breakfast in Orlando and the service was not a patch on what we received in New York. The table wasn’t cleared before we were seated, I was given a half cup of coffee and then I had to get the attention of a server for a refill.

We ordered the following: three coffees, one chocolate milk, strawberry and banana French toast with a side of bacon, New York Cheesecake pancakes, chocolate chip pancakes combo and then DH ordered something with steak tips that I can’t remember the name of. This came to just over $60.


We then decided to play Disney golf which is included in our ultimate tickets. You need to play before 4pm and you get the parking verified by the cashier so that you don’t have to pay. This was for the Fantasia golf course. We played the putting green course. DS16 was very pleased with himself because he managed to complete the course under par!

DS13 gave up half way round and I came second much to DH’s disgust! 😅

We had a quick stop at Celebration on the way to our second villa and had a walk round the lake. Said hello to “Howard” the duck. He’s not a real duck but a plastic one on the lake. Not sure what the purpose of the plastic duck is or if in fact he’s really named Howard.


It was almost time to leave for our second villa. The reason we have two villa stays is because DS16 chose this villa for our stay in 2021 but it got cancelled. When we moved our dates to 2022, it was booked up for the first week that we were in Orlando.

It seems better furnished than the last villa but the location isn’t quite as good. The boys are happy with the games room and this villa has a jacuzzi. Which is red hot! I didn’t expect it to be heated at all and we haven’t paid for heating so wondering if the last guests had and it will go off? I’m not querying it anyway because it’s really nice!

Oddly, there is no welcome folder. There is also no notice with the license information on. Is that odd? I think it’s odd. I thought they had to display it. Does anyone know?

I’ve emailed Debbie’s Villas to ask for the management company information as I have no idea what to do about bins. How often they need emptying and where to put the rubbish.

Here are some photos:


We’ve had a lovely first evening. DH and DS16 made the trip to Walmart (right near our last villa!) to get supplies and DS13 and I played in the pool whilst gone.
We had a picnic of cheese, biscuits, rustic bread, hummous, chicken (for the boys), potatoes for tea.


Afterwards, we played games i the pool before playing a game of pool and the football table.

We have had a super busy day today!

Tomorrow, we are going to EPCOT!

ClaireNJ 5 Aug 22 01:53 PM

Great moving day new villa looks good & a nice pool too
We love IHOP & Celebration, it’s so cute & tranquil there
Enjoy EPCOT 😎🇺🇸 X

Paradise Palms 5 Aug 22 02:21 PM

A welcome pack and the licence should be there. It is a requirement that the licence is displayed.

Rac20 6 Aug 22 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paradise Palms (Post 15576736)
A welcome pack and the licence should be there. It is a requirement that the licence is displayed.

This is what I keep telling my husband! He told me I was over reacting. 🤷🏼

Rac20 6 Aug 22 03:27 AM

Day 14: Epcot and a poorly boy

I didn’t sleep well again last night ! 😩 I think for the following reasons: 1) There are 3 doors that get into my room. I’m paranoid someone will come in through one of them. 2) DS16 did come in through one of them at about 1:30 to tell me he didn’t feel great and did I have any painkillers and 3) I needed to be awake before 7 to get our place in the virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy.

I woke up properly at about 6:45 and went on MDE to get ready to get in the queue. I was repeatedly refreshing from 6:59 and as soon as it turned to 7 joined the queue and got boarding group 69. How did hundreds of people get 68 boarding groups before me - in the 1 second or less it took me to join the queue - 68 boarding groups! The mind boggles.

Anyway - mission accomplished! I was really excited to ride it and hoped it didn’t break down or anything.

DS16 was still not feeling too well so DS13 and DH headed out to find him some drugs. They came back with Advil, nasal spray and something else that I can’t remember but it lists a thousand ways it might kill you on the back and leaves you wondering whether you’d be better off just putting up with your cold. 😅

We had a breakfast of pancakes, bagels, bacon (for the boys) and scrambled eggs and set off for EPCOT for about 9:30.

DH was desperate to ride the new Ratatouille ride so we headed there first and it was only about 45 minute wait. I’ve seen wait times for this ride get up to 100 minutes so 45 minutes seemed like a good reason to ride it.


We had our photo taken when we left the ride

DS16 is still smiling on the inside.

I checked MDE and our virtual queue time had changed from 14:45 to 12:20 so headed to Guardians. There was still about 45 minutes to wait inside but quite a few interesting videos from the Guardians to watch.

A few photos from the ride queue.


I loved the ride! It’s great fun! And really smooth. Really hope to get to ride it again. It’s fab.

When we came off, DS16 asked if he could go back to the villa as he really was struggling so DH drove him back. It’s no fun being in a park if you’re not well so think he made the right decision.

Whilst he was gone, DS13 and I had a snack in Sunshine Seasons. I remember this was quite a nice little cafe in 2016 and I got a tasty egg mayonnaise sandwich and fruit pot. Fast forward to 2022 and the food offerings are slim pickings. No sandwiches at all. DS13 got a pepperoni pizza roll and I got a cinnamon bun.


We then queues up for Soarin. I downloaded Avengers pack for Heads Up and the guy next to us in the queue thought it was hilarious that I knew so little. There are things in that pack that I’ve never heard of and I’ve watched all of the marvel films and spin offs. It is a tough pack!

After Soarin, we went on Living with the Land. DS13 chatted away about “stuff” to do with growing vegetables - I can’t remember what he was on about but he seemed quite knowledgable. I remember thinking I was impressed with how much he knew.


We then went on Figment - that’s an odd ride. I’m going to leave it there. It’s just a bit odd.

I do feel that area of EPCOT could do with a revamp. It all feels rather old.

By the time we got off Figment, DH was back talking about horrendous storms and flooding he had to drive through. We had missed it all!

We headed to Test Track and we were the last group to ride it before inclement weather closed it. Felt really lucky that we got on as it does close quite a lot due to the weather.


We spent the remainder of the time looking round the different countries in World Showcase and trying a couple of foods from the Food and Wine festival.



DS13 was lucky enough to visit Japan in 2018 and he loves it so spent a while in the Japan shop. He bought some sweets and a couple of toys.



It was getting quite late by this point and I wanted to get back to check on DS16 so we headed on out. Stopping quickly to get a photo in front of Spaceship Earth.

My hair is crazy by this point! I’m missing my straighteners! 😅

We were home for just after 7pm and spent a couple of hours in the pool before eating a late tea of pasta and garlic bread. DS16 did join us in the pool and does seem a bit brighter so hopefully tomorrow, he’ll be on the mend.

ClaireNJ 6 Aug 22 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rac20 (Post 15577679)
Day 14: Epcot and a poorly boy

I didn’t sleep well again last night ! 😩 I think for the following reasons: 1) There are 3 doors that get into my room. I’m paranoid someone will come in through one of them. 2) DS16 did come in through one of them at about 1:30 to tell me he didn’t feel great and did I have any painkillers and 3) I needed to be awake before 7 to get our place in the virtual queue for Guardians of the Galaxy.

I woke up properly at about 6:45 and went on MDE to get ready to get in the queue. I was repeatedly refreshing from 6:59 and as soon as it turned to 7 joined the queue and got boarding group 69. How did hundreds of people get 68 boarding groups before me - in the 1 second or less it took me to join the queue - 68 boarding groups! The mind boggles.

Anyway - mission accomplished! I was really excited to ride it and hoped it didn’t break down or anything.

DS16 was still not feeling too well so DS13 and DH headed out to find him some drugs. They came back with Advil, nasal spray and something else that I can’t remember but it lists a thousand ways it might kill you on the back and leaves you wondering whether you’d be better off just putting up with your cold. 😅

We had a breakfast of pancakes, bagels, bacon (for the boys) and scrambled eggs and set off for EPCOT for about 9:30.

DH was desperate to ride the new Ratatouille ride so we headed there first and it was only about 45 minute wait. I’ve seen wait times for this ride get up to 100 minutes so 45 minutes seemed like a good reason to ride it.


We had our photo taken when we left the ride

DS16 is still smiling on the inside.

I checked MDE and our virtual queue time had changed from 14:45 to 12:20 so headed to Guardians. There was still about 45 minutes to wait inside but quite a few interesting videos from the Guardians to watch.

A few photos from the ride queue.


I loved the ride! It’s great fun! And really smooth. Really hope to get to ride it again. It’s fab.

When we came off, DS16 asked if he could go back to the villa as he really was struggling so DH drove him back. It’s no fun being in a park if you’re not well so think he made the right decision.

Whilst he was gone, DS13 and I had a snack in Sunshine Seasons. I remember this was quite a nice little cafe in 2016 and I got a tasty egg mayonnaise sandwich and fruit pot. Fast forward to 2022 and the food offerings are slim pickings. No sandwiches at all. DS13 got a pepperoni pizza roll and I got a cinnamon bun.


We then queues up for Soarin. I downloaded Avengers pack for Heads Up and the guy next to us in the queue thought it was hilarious that I knew so little. There are things in that pack that I’ve never heard of and I’ve watched all of the marvel films and spin offs. It is a tough pack!

After Soarin, we went on Living with the Land. DS13 chatted away about “stuff” to do with growing vegetables - I can’t remember what he was on about but he seemed quite knowledgable. I remember thinking I was impressed with how much he knew.


We then went on Figment - that’s an odd ride. I’m going to leave it there. It’s just a bit odd.

I do feel that area of EPCOT could do with a revamp. It all feels rather old.

By the time we got off Figment, DH was back talking about horrendous storms and flooding he had to drive through. We had missed it all!

We headed to Test Track and we were the last group to ride it before inclement weather closed it. Felt really lucky that we got on as it does close quite a lot due to the weather.


We spent the remainder of the time looking round the different countries in World Showcase and trying a couple of foods from the Food and Wine festival.



DS13 was lucky enough to visit Japan in 2018 and he loves it so spent a while in the Japan shop. He bought some sweets and a couple of toys.



It was getting quite late by this point and I wanted to get back to check on DS16 so we headed on out. Stopping quickly to get a photo in front of Spaceship Earth.

My hair is crazy by this point! I’m missing my straighteners! 😅

We were home for just after 7pm and spent a couple of hours in the pool before eating a late tea of pasta and garlic bread. DS16 did join us in the pool and does seem a bit brighter so hopefully tomorrow, he’ll be on the mend.

Hope your son feels better now
Great you got Guardians and loved it, I’m not good with rides like this so think I’ll miss it 😬🤮
Love your Princess T-Shirt it’s cute 💕, love the plaits as well x
And of course I love the cinnamon bun too 🙊😋😋😋

Paradise Palms 6 Aug 22 01:14 PM

Great blog, you seem to be packing in a lot. Hope your son feels better soon.

Rac20 6 Aug 22 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ClaireNJ (Post 15578172)
Hope your son feels better now
Great you got Guardians and loved it, I’m not good with rides like this so think I’ll miss it 😬🤮
Love your Princess T-Shirt it’s cute 💕, love the plaits as well x
And of course I love the cinnamon bun too 🙊😋😋😋

Thank you.🥰

T. Shirt is a Primark cheapie that my mother-in-law kindly changed the sleeves for me so it’s more of a tank top.

The plaits will likely be a dominant feature - my hair straightners are not working great. Must not be dual voltage. 🙈 Anyway, my hair is a frizzy mess! 😅

Guardians wasn’t too scary but it does disorientate you a bit.

DS has got a bit of earache and his throat feels funny but not sore. Going to see how he is today and if he’s no better, I’ll have to take him to be seen by someone I guess. Hope it’s not an ear infection as they are really not fun.

Rac20 6 Aug 22 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paradise Palms (Post 15578193)
Great blog, you seem to be packing in a lot. Hope your son feels better soon.

Thank you. Spending more time in the villa this holiday so to us doesn’t feel like we’re doing as much but the boys seem to prefer it.🤗

ClaireNJ 6 Aug 22 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rac20 (Post 15578211)
Thank you.🥰

T. Shirt is a Primark cheapie that my mother-in-law kindly changed the sleeves for me so it’s more of a tank top.

The plaits will likely be a dominant feature - my hair straightners are not working great. Must not be dual voltage. 🙈 Anyway, my hair is a frizzy mess! 😅

Guardians wasn’t too scary but it does disorientate you a bit.

DS has got a bit of earache and his throat feels funny but not sore. Going to see how he is today and if he’s no better, I’ll have to take him to be seen by someone I guess. Hope it’s not an ear infection as they are really not fun.

Hope he gets better soon x
Your Hair looks good anyway, I just pull mine up on holidays don’t have to worry then
My DIL is with us next year & I’m concerned how long she’s going to take to get ready 🤦🤦🙊🙊
She said she wants to look “ photo ready” for her first time in MK 🤣🤣🤣


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 11:39 PM.

Powered by vBulletin - Copyright © 2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.