Day 21
Today is out last full day and for the first time ever, I think we are ready to go. We aren't fed up, or desperate to leave by any means, but we all feel content and ready for home.
The kids have been asking for Blizzard Beach since we arrived, and since neither Phil nor I really like it, we've been putting it off, but it's their request for the last day and so off we go.
We get their right for opening, and I rush everyone in and find us a perfect spot to sit, 2 sunbeds, 2 chairs, right under a shade and with a view of the Ski School teen area. Perfect.
So, Molly and I go to find her a life jacket, and I buy a magazine. I have big plans for the day and they involve a sunbed, a cold drink and a magazine. Nothing more than that. When we get back, Katie informs me she's too old for this area and they won't let her go on anything. Molly says she'd really rather be in the big pool! Aargh. Times ticking away, and I've got my perfect spot all sorted.
I chuck everything in bags and we dash around to the wave pool, and find some seats under a shade, no sunbeds but a couple of chairs which will do. We get all settled, and I'm quite pleased I've got a seat in our second location when Molly informs me that I had misunderstood, and she wanted to be in the pool at the first area! Katie doesn't' care where we are as she wants to go off and do the big slides. Ooops. I guess I should have listened more carefully.
The kids see Goofy so they go off for a photo, and then we all go into the wave pool for a while. We've never really done this pool before as in the past we've been in the really little kids area. It's good fun, and we get some tubes and float a while. When we get out, Katie and Phil go off to investigate the bigger slides, and Molly and I go back to our original location so she can go on the icebergs. She has a long wait to try it, but she has a pretty good go when she gets on, however she falls off about 3/4 of the way across. She's annoyed because she wanted a photo taken, but you have to get to the end for a photo. Undeterred, she's straight back around and into the queue. However, the photographer goes off on a break. I can't believe it as I know her main goal is a photo. However, she waits in the queue, and just before she starts to go across a new photographer turns up. Molly manages to make it all the way across, and we get a photo.
She has a go on the slides, and then we head back to our chairs by the main pool. It's getting to lunchtime now and I'd getting hungry as we skipped breakfast to get to the park early.
Molly plays in the pool for a while whilst I read my magazine, but there is lightening off in the distance and so I call Molly out of the pool as I am expecting them to close it. They don't close, so she goes back in again, but then there is more lightening and some thunder. Eventually, the announcement comes over that the park will close due to the weather. We decide to head out of the park before the rain comes down. It's not been a long trip to Blizzard Beach but the kids have been on a few slides and we enjoyed the pool.
We get back to the car as it starts to rain, and head back to our hotel. We change and decide to head to Downtown Disney which is very close to the hotel. It's raining a little, but not so much that we need our poncho's on, although it keeps threatening to get heavier at any moment.
Molly is still looking for Bullseye, who just doesn't appear to exist, at least not in format she wants, which is plastic rather than soft. We have a good look in the Toy Store but he is not there. We've not eaten yet today, so we decide to go to Earl of Sandwich. We ate here at the start of our trip, and had enjoyed it. As, I say to Phil, it feels like months since the last time we'd eaten there, but it must have been 2 1/2 weeks. We decide to share sandwiches in order to save some room for ice cream. Phil and I have roast beef, and the kids have a Pizza Sandwich on 'big bread'.
After our lunch, we do some shopping. Or more realistically, some browsing. We do buy a few things, some antenna toppers (Phil gets a really cool Super Hero Mickey, I opt for a classic Minnie Mouse), some Mickey Corn Holders and a couple of picture frames, but we really don't buy very much. Especially considering we had come out with the express intention of buying souvenirs, but there really wasn't much that we wanted/needed. I'd been tempted by a watch all holiday but in the end I just wasn't that bothered and so I didn't get one.
After we've done some shopping, it's time for Ghiradelli's. Phil and I decide to share a hot fudge sundae, and the kids order kids sundaes. We rather foolishly assume the kids sundaes will be small. Smaller than the adults one's anyway! They are, of course, enormous.
The ice cream is delicious but there is an awful lot left over when we are finished.
With our shopping done, we walk back across to the hotel. It's not the poshest hotel on the block but you can't deny the location is superb.
We have a little nap, and I try and pack. That's quite an interesting challenge. We're allowed 4 20kg bags, we've got 4 cases but we haven't got a scale so I don't know what they weigh. I do manage to get it all into the 4 bags but they are bursting at the seams. I think we will be ok on weight as 3 of the bags are relatively small. I think we need to get some bigger bags next time, except small bags does mean we are more likely to be safely within our luggage allowance.
We are meeting up with Dave, Bev and kids for dinner, so we get changed and head to Chillis for tea. I've never eaten here before, and I would rate it as OK but not somewhere I'd dash back too. It has a similar menu and feel to Applebees but I think I prefer Applebees, although I couldn't really say why.
Whist we are ordering a balloon artist appears, and he makes the kids the most amazing balloons. I don't really like people 'pestering' me in a restaurant, but I have to give this guy credit, he was good fun and his balloons were amazing. James had a wacky hat, Molly had a castle, Katie had Harry Potter on a broom stick, and Nicola got Edward (I think, I'm no Twilight expert). They were all very clever, and he chatted on to the kids whilst he made them. He definitely earned his tip.
Dinner was pretty good. Phil had Fajitas, I had 3 starters, which included Buffalo Wings, Chicken fingers and something else.. It's a long time since I had decent Buffalo wings but these were really nice. Quite spicy but cooled down nicely with the blue cheese dressing. The kids had Quesadillas. We are so over restaurant food by now, that we have no starters and no dessert!
After dinner, we have to say goodbye to our friends. We met Dave, Bev, James and Nicola at a Dibb Meet in South Shields 10 years ago, and we've met up either in the UK or Orlando most years since then. This is the first time we've shared so much of our holiday though, and it really made such a difference to our trip. The kids all get on so well, and now that they are a bit older they can go off and leave us to have a chat or a drink. We just really enjoyed their company, so thank you guys, it was brilliant, and we will definitely have to 'see ya real soon'.