Back yesterday . The Good, The Bad and the Indifferent !

[WileyCoyote]

The Good

Just going in the first place. Completely unexpected, last minute ( booked at 9 days out) and a welcome break from all the “stuff” that we have been dealing with recently. This was a real tonic and especially for me to spend time with the family as I see so little of them in the week these days.

First experience of booking through AirBnB – easy to use, Condo was just as described and owner was very helpful. Windsor Palms was a great resort .

Delta and Virgin – clean aircraft, great staff and delightful loos !

Virgin staff at Chicago – who upgraded Connor at check-in to Premium Economy to celebrate his 18th birthday and then upgraded the rest of us at the gate to be with him. What a wonderful gesture and made our journey home a real treat. Great respect to them.

The weather – yes it did rain , and my , some of that rain was truly torrential, but it was hot and sunny most of the time and we loved it. The rain didn’t stop us from doing anything. That Florida warmth was so nice.

The Food – and there was plenty of it . We loved it all. Longhorns, Perkins, Red Lobster, 4Rivers – all as fab as we remembered.

Universal – We had a lot of fun here and I tried some rides I had wimped out of on previous trips – Go me on the Mummy !

Seaworld and Busch – we missed these out on our last trip and really enjoyed them this time.

The Bad

Being hit by another car – no one hurt and all dealt with very efficiently by the Police but put a downer on the day

Chicago connection – we had what we thought was a leisurely 1 hour 50 minute layover. In the end we were rushing to get on at final boarding. The change of terminals took 20 minutes, security clearance was SOOOOOOO slow and downright unfriendly

Not getting all our luggage at Heathrow and being met with the lacklustre “ 3 out of 4 is pretty good” response from the “help desk” – and being told we shouldn’t have expected any better from Delta. DH did well not to completely lose it given how tired we were. Let’s hope this becomes a high and we are re united with it soon – not least as it’s the case that has got all my underwear in it


Driving and traffic. Quite apart from our bump , we had two other near misses – both related to the drivers being on their phones and getting distracted – one old lady almost ran us onto the central reservation as she veered into our lane while texting ! The traffic seemed very heavy all the time , all going very fast and no apparent rules of the road. It was scary and I wasn’t even driving ! We also passed a bad accident on the 192 one morning where a cyclist had been knocked over and killed – the body was still there with a tarp over it – very sobering and makes you realise how precious life is. Gives you a wake up call about your priorities.

The Indifferent

We had 3 flights on each travel day. Going out was hard. We were delayed at Philadelphia by an hour and I was stressing about our connection. We were exhausted when we arrived at the resort – on the upside though, we slept well and didn’t seem to have any issues adjusting to Orlando time. The homeward stops were much shorter and we coped well. Just not sure I would opt to do it again unless the price was hugely different . The flights were cheap this time and the kids coped well so it’s neither a high nor a low.

Hard Rock Hotel - it was ok but not as good as I had remembered it

The shopping – again, it was ok but didn’t seem as good as when we were there in November.

We didn’t do Disney and we didn’t really miss it – without it we definitely had a less rushed holiday but I did get a little pang when we visited Disney Springs. Maybe next time …


We had a really great time. We didnt rush around, we had lots of time to chill out. I am so grateful that we went and it happened so fast that it all seems still a bit unreal that we have already been and come back !

Will get on with the trippy when my brain is back on UK time

[cra1gyp]

Sounds like you had a great holiday. How lucky getting that upgrade, well done.
We also found the roads, I4 in particular, very frightening at times in 2013. I was trying to stick to the speed limit but seemed to just get in everyone's way. Your right, there doesn't appear to be any rules.
Suppose you just have to get planning for the next one, it keeps the holiday blues away..

[abiknox]

Great run down, I look forward to the trippy (I go in 27 days so if you could have it finished by then... !

Fab luck on the upgrade, how did they know it was his birthday?

Ive heard a bit about 4Rivers, might have to try it in a few weeks!

Shame about the car accident and the cyclist too Since we did the West Coast in September last year, I have made Aaron do the driving, my nerves go to shot if I'm left in charge anymore

[SammyScotland]

Sounds like you had a fab time apart from the bad and indifferent points. Time to start planning the next trip.

[Fuellady]

Thanks for taking the time to post your highs & lows Amanda. How lovely being upgraded for Connors birthday

Oh dear, it must have been horrible seeing the aftermath of that accident, very sobering indeed The traffic is very fast, I don't mind driving a wee up the US27, but not sure I would be confident on the I4.

Sounds like you had a great time anyway, and I'm looking forward to reading all about it in your trippy

[Moleymole]

When were you at Hard Rock? We were there 27th-30th, probably see dibbers all the time without ever knowing! 9 days out! What the... Well done for arranging your holiday in that time. How scary on the roads for you this Time? We saw a small knock on our way to Hard Rock in the rain, no casualties thank goodness.

[Beaker's Fluff]

Sounds like a fab trip Amanda.
Glad you have a nice chill with the family.
The Mummy is such a good ride, well done you!
Love the upgrade, such a nice treat for Connor, just as he though he had left you all in cattle class, and you are reunited again!
Can't wait to read all about it.

[Clare]

Sounds like you had a great trip overall with a few lows, sorry to read about the car accident.

[WileyCoyote]

Originally Posted by cra1gyp

Sounds like you had a great holiday. How lucky getting that upgrade, well done.
We also found the roads, I4 in particular, very frightening at times in 2013. I was trying to stick to the speed limit but seemed to just get in everyone's way. Your right, there doesn't appear to be any rules.
Suppose you just have to get planning for the next one, it keeps the holiday blues away..

See more...

Thanks. Yes the upgrade was a real treat. I'm so pleased I don't drive over there. I wouldn't get out of the resort complex! Hmmmm, planning for the next one. There's an idea

Originally Posted by abiknox

Great run down, I look forward to the trippy (I go in 27 days so if you could have it finished by then... !

Fab luck on the upgrade, how did they know it was his birthday?

Ive heard a bit about 4Rivers, might have to try it in a few weeks!

Shame about the car accident and the cyclist too Since we did the West Coast in September last year, I have made Aaron do the driving, my nerves go to shot if I'm left in charge anymore

See more...

Will do my best ! That's come round so quick. I haven't finished your pretrippy updates yet

Andy had asked at checkin if they would sing to him as we do like to cause him maximum parental embarrassment and the guy at check in got straight onto seeing " what he could do". He was ace. And they did sing too. They serenaded him down the gate. It was priceless.

Oh 4Rivers. It's just a must. Food heaven on a tray

Originally Posted by SammyScotland

Sounds like you had a fab time apart from the bad and indifferent points. Time to start planning the next trip.

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Thanks Sam, We had a really great time. It was just what we needed. Definitely need to get on with the next one

Originally Posted by Fuellady

Thanks for taking the time to post your highs & lows Amanda. How lovely being upgraded for Connors birthday

Oh dear, it must have been horrible seeing the aftermath of that accident, very sobering indeed The traffic is very fast, I don't mind driving a wee up the US27, but not sure I would be confident on the I4.

Sounds like you had a great time anyway, and I'm looking forward to reading all about it in your trippy

See more...

Hi Lynda, we had a great time. The lows were way outweighed by the fantasticalness ( real word ) of the overall trip. It was very much a time for us to reflect on the last few months , I think we maybe appreciate our family a bit more after a bit of a tough spell.

Will crack on with the trippy before I get back I to that devilish commute

[WileyCoyote]

Originally Posted by Moleymole

When were you at Hard Rock? We were there 27th-30th, probably see dibbers all the time without ever knowing! 9 days out! What the... Well done for arranging your holiday in that time. How scary on the roads for you this Time? We saw a small knock on our way to Hard Rock in the rain, no casualties thank goodness.

See more...

Dang, just missed you. Although a Dibber did say hello in the Club lounge ! We were there on the 26 th . It was great having so little time to stress, just went into autopilot and even no plan ( I did make one, I just couldn't find it when we were there!).
I definitely found the traffic scary this time. Maybe that's because I hardly drive myself these days as I commute by train. I'm perhaps a bit more nervy than when I was driving a lot myself?
Glad you had a good trip x

Originally Posted by Beaker's Fluff

Sounds like a fab trip Amanda.
Glad you have a nice chill with the family.
The Mummy is such a good ride, well done you!
Love the upgrade, such a nice treat for Connor, just as he though he had left you all in cattle class, and you are reunited again!
Can't wait to read all about it.

See more...

Hi Klare. His face was a picture and we couldn't believe it when they then told us all to wait. A real moment to treasure. We had a great time and I can't believe I have missed out on the Mummy and Spider-Man for all these years
Oh yes, and I bought two dresses out there

Originally Posted by Clare

Sounds like you had a great trip overall with a few lows, sorry to read about the car accident.

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Hi Clare, hope all well with you. We did have a great time and even the lows were not that huge , just down moments in a brilliant trip