The Home In Time For-ty Tour 2010 Day Fourteen 2nd Sept 2010

[mkingdon]

Previously on this tour...

The bit before we go Day One
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four
Day Five
Day Six
Day Seven
Day Eight
Day Nine
Day Ten
Day Eleven
Day Twelve
Day Thirteen

Day Fourteen – 2nd September 2010

I’ve been forty now for at least 48 hours, and still no sign of a sports car, hair piece (as opposed to herpes) or eighteen year old girlfriend. So much for life beginning!

Contrary to popular belief, the drugs do work, and Louise is slightly better this morning, as in she can actually walk to the bathroom rather than crawl on all fours, as she had to the previous day.

We’re all awake at 8 this morning which is much better, and we are ready and out for 8.40. That is earlier than the girls make it out the door for school!

You may have noticed the complete lack of a buffet thus far? Fear not, today is the day when we, well I, intend to make up for that in a big way. We are booked into the Captain’s Grille at the Yacht Club for a “light breakfast”.

After a pleasant stroll through to the Yacht Club, we approach the CMs at the podium thing, and two of them scream, hold their hands to their faces, and run quickly to the kitchen. It appears even the making of an ADR did not give them sufficient warning that it was me coming for breakfast. Reinforcements are sent for, extra supplies hurriedly ordered, and two extra ovens are quickly switched on. Despite all of that we are seated immediately in a half empty restaurant, and drinks of coffee and juice are served, but thankfully not in the same cup.

The menu is quite frankly a poor attempt at distraction, as I only have eyes for the buffet. Louise joins me with the girls opting for a fruit platter. Obviously they are the milkman’s!



I take an initial wander to the buffet just to case the joint and evaluate the challenge that awaits. I return to my table with some fruit and a small cake, just to keep me busy whilst I plan my attack. The fruit and cake are just a signal to my body to get ready for the onslaught of calories to come, and these don’t actually count as real food. Consider these the equivalent of warm up stretching exercises, but without the lycra.



I then make my way through Eggs Benedict, waffles (2 of), pancakes (4 of), some normal breakfast stuff such as bacon, eggs, sausage and then I waddled back to collect some caramel bread pudding. Frankly this has no place on any breakfast menu, but I tackled it all the same. Come on Disney, I can take whatever you throw at me. I laugh in the face of your calorie ridden caramel bread pudding. Do you not know who you are dealing with?

I was getting the evil eye from Louise after six visits to the buffet, as the suited business types, eating their granola and fruit around us, were starting to look at me in an odd way. So I call it a day at that, thankful for the complete absence of a belt on my suitably baggy shorts. I feel full, but honestly could go on. Should I really admit that?

After that we (well I) am in no fit state to do anything other than lie down, so we go back to our room and get ready to do just that. We grab what we need for some time by the pool.

We also need to wash come dirty stuff so after a long wander trying to find a laundry; we set the dirty stuff off, walk to the quiet pool, only to find a laundry in the building there! D’oh!

With Louise settled in at the pool, the girls and I set off for Epcot.

They wanted to do some rides, and I had missed O Canada yesterday, so felt compelled to return to complete the full set of countries.

Not long ago, O Canada was an aged standing joke, but now since the Martin Short revamp it is one of the best attractions in World Showcase. I enjoyed it, again. The song itself makes me feel ever so patriotic, and I don’t even come from Canada!

That complete I leave the girls in Epcot, and wander back to the pool. How odd to leave the girls to their own devices in a theme park. This is the second time this trip, and another sign of the changing stages in life. It was literally last week that they were in strollers, holding some sort of stuffed toy, being persuaded that Big Thunder Mountain was not too scary.

Look





I am racked with abject fear at the thought of them hurtling towards other milestones, such as learning to drive, going to college/uni, going away on holiday with their friends and getting married. Mainly as all of those sound bloody expensive to me, and rather than do anything sensible like save up, I’ve squandered all our money on these bloody holidays to Florida.



Just so you know they do Captain Eo, Journey Into Imagination and a few other bits.

On my walk back to the hotel, I take some final pictures of Epcot…through the tears.







For some reason including this random patch of grass. My emotional state is obviously to blame.



Upon my return to the quiet pool, Louise is melting and has had to resort to actually going in the pool.



As you can see, once again this quiet pool is VERY busy!

For the next few hours I look at lots of this.



I am trying to imprint the view, heat and feeling of bliss into my head for the long bleak winter to come at home.

When sweat reaches crannies I can’t even wash I too take to the water.



Majestic



This is indeed a lovely spot.



Wisely after a swim in the cool water, I check on my smalls a couple of times, and I also visit the laundry too to see if our clothes are done. This is pretty much it for most of today, and there is nothing wrong with that.

A traditional foot shot.



The girls return at around 2pm, hot and ready for the pool.



Hunger kicked in (for the girls, not me, what do you think I am some sort of monster!) at around 3.30 and Louise and I wandered down to the poolside bar to get them something. Hotdogs it was, with a cocktail for Louise, and a non alcoholic slush thing for me.

Not the most flattering photo of Emily, but vital to the telling of the tale, or you may feel I fibbed re the hotdog.



We did more nothing until around 5pm, and then headed back to the room to get ready for our meal at California Grill. Having just left the cooling waters I gave the girls a ten minute head start on the journey back to the room, so I could dry off in the hot sun, and they could start the shower, hairdryer and straightener marathon. My need for the latter two of those is not great.

Whilst that happened some packing was done, and it turned out that we seemed to have lost a load of clothes somewhere along the way. Mostly T shirts of mine! I made a quick call to the Hard Rock, but nothing had shown up there, so we have no idea where they went astray. It helped with the cases though as now we had a fighting chance of actually closing them. If you happen to come across a pile of T shirts, mostly food stained, and look like they’ve been stretched, let me know.

In a fog of hair spray, after sun and a residue of Hannah Montana, we are out at 7.10pm. After a brief stop to watch the turtles, we set off. I always feel like I am short changing the occasion and your good selves if I pass up the chance of a turtle head joke, but even I understand every joke has a finite life.



Tonight was one of those that just worked, from start to finish. The timing of our ADR worked our perfectly. As we arrived the sun was just beginning to set.






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We’d even managed to persuade the girls to wear a dress, which hasn’t been seen since about 2005! See how they delight once again in featuring in a photograph! Honestly they do smile quite a lot in real life!



We check in, just behind a hen party, and I have never seen so many mahogany coloured, over made up females in my life. We go through the normal staring and salivating thing, but I tell them to move on and soon we are taken up to the California Grill in that special elevator! Imagine Willy Wonka without the glass. That reminds me of a film I saw listed on the Pay Per View in a hotel once when staying away with work, but the O and A in Wonka were swapped around. Due to the stringent analysis of my expenses, I did not partake in that cinematic delight.

We are seated almost immediately, and have a superb table right by the window. The Gods are with us tonight.

So our view isn’t bad!



WARNING – Gratuitous multiple shots of the same view!









Food wise, we go for some appetisers. Well, I did skip lunch. There is a special cheese board on offer, which Louise and I plumped for and the girls got a BBQ Chicken Flatbread (posh pizza).





The cheese board was “interesting” as there are around five squares of cheese (not supermarket squares, think sugar cube size), with some unusual accompaniments. These included honeycomb, dates and toast type stuff. I am such a foodie!

I enjoyed it but Louise declared that “it tastes like sick” and passed on most of it. Louise is obviously not classy, like what I am.
Outside the sun continued to set, and we took more photos.









We then had –

Me, Louise and Emily – Filet Mignon



Rebecca – Chicken



In for a penny, in for (hundreds of) pounds, we go for dessert too.
Me & Rebecca – Chocolate Cake



Only mine had the special message though!

Louise & Emily – Chocolate Crème Brule



Everything we ate was utterly delicious.

During the quite lengthy meal, we watch the Pageant make its way across the Lagoon, and darkness claim the Magic Kingdom, which became a multi coloured delight right before our eyes.







We finished eating at around 9.30, and (a little scared to do so) asked for the bill. Brace yourselves.

It was $350, including a very good tip, as our server was lovely. She then invited us to take our time and when we were ready wander out onto the observation deck to watch Wishes. We did so, waiting about fifteen minutes for it to start, just taking in the incredible view of what seemed like most of Florida. The place really is quite flat.
It was a little breezy up there but still warm enough for T shirts (or hoodies) depending on your tolerance.



Viewing the fireworks here gives you a real perspective of how far away from the castle most of them are when launched.

The music is piped in and is timed to perfection.


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I make no apologies for the excessive amount of photographs that now follow…I’ve paid $350 for the privilege!










































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[mkingdon]

I think that should do it!

Wishes, combined with this being our last proper night, created the usual emotional response, from me mainly. Slowly we wander back inside and into the elevator down to our car.

A stunning, emotional and never to be forgotten experience, and then there was the fireworks too. A truly special evening and one of those that you somehow just know will be one that is remembered for years to come.

The drive home is uneventful and we are all in bed within ten minutes.

Here's the index of all days

[Helen0705]

What an amazing evening !
Photos are fab !

[Disney_Diva]

Wow what a fantastic day.
The food looks to be worth the money let along the amazing view of wishes
wow
x

[Maz]

Fabulous last day and evening. When Cali Grill works to perfection, it is fantastic.

[Guest]

When I saw your view of the castle from the restaurant I felt so happy, well worth the money for a view like that. Love your trippies!

[summersun]

great day

[dubletrub]

You got a good view then! Superb pictures and another great read.