Rumour Has It! 2012 Day 15

[wizzo]

Your Cast this time are……………

Paul (wizzo)(It’s me typing this) Same as every trip, Author, Photographer, Sherpa & Accountant
Lynn (Lomaddy) – Mother, Shopper and Crowd Control.
Lauren (8 when we go) – Keen Golfer, Keen Swimmer, still believes (just) and still loves all things Disney (especially XD).
Maddy (5 when we go) – Brainiac (seriously she’s a child genius of some sort), makes me a card every day that says “I love Daddy” in it. Plays me like a cheap fiddle. She can’t wait to get back and meet Phineas and Ferb.

Index
Pre-Trip Report
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
Day 13
Day 14

Day 15 - 20th April 2012

In my role as ‘Party Leader’, I had everything running like clockwork this morning. We’d done 99% of the packing in the previous couple of days and we were up and showering at 7:30am prompt. Toiletries and soiled pants were chucked into suitcases which were then sat on, closed and weighed before heading out of the villa door bang on 9am.

I was going to have to wear my new North Face jacket all the way home. Perhaps you saw me and laughed in MCO? I didn’t have the hood up before you ask! I carried it really. It was a right royal pain in the…..


I can handle the ridicule don't worry

Rule of thumb for us is to get to DTD check-in well before 10am as that’s the time everyone has to be out of their villas and hotel rooms. We rocked up shortly after 9am and it was empty. The two big cases weighed more or less 23kg exactly (bang on the limit) and with minimal fuss we were ready to start our last day proper without the worry of checking in. We had very little to carry with the exception of one very large (but warm) ‘arctic ready’ coat!

Breakfast was going to be iHop and we decided to go back down the 192 to eat at our ‘local’ branch. Lynn and I had the breakfast sampler, Lauren had ‘baby cakes’? Where do they think up these names? Anyone remember “Moons over my Hammie”? Maddy had a ‘Create a face’.









Universal was our first port of call after breakfast to get one last use out of our annual passes before they expired later in the year (Turns out we’ll be using them again! ). I popped in the surf shop at Citywalk to “look” at the Oakley sunglasses I wanted and given that our annual passes give us 10% off I bought them!

Once inside Universal we went straight back to the Mummy but Lauren wasn’t feeling as confident as she was the first time she rode it. I don’t think it was the ride that scared her. It was Imhotep himself. I don’t blame her she is only eight.

We got some frozen lemonades and the kids and I left Lynn basking in the sun (just for a change) while we rode the Simpsons. We were gone about 30 minutes or so I’d say. Upon our return Lynn was almost passing out with the heat, she’d drunk all the lemonade and was “loving it! ”

I fell on the sword again and took the girls on MiB. It suited us as we could all sit together in the ‘3 to a row’ fashion that it is. Again this was about 30 minutes worth of sunbathing for Lynn.





Upon exiting MiB we scooped Lynn up and into a bucket as she’d been in it so long she’d more or less melted and headed over to Twister.


Eeeeek Students!







I got a rare opportunity to do an attraction with just Maddy as Lauren didn’t want to go on Twister. For some reason Maddy loves Twister now! I suppose I’d have been impressed when I was five too.





Some last minute tat from the Universal shop was the next order of the day before exiting the park and heading to Islands of Adventure. We really are getting our money’s worth out of these annual passes! This is park hopping on steroids!

We headed to Seuss Landing and as ‘The Cat in the Hat’ was down, the girls rode Caro-Seuss-El while I watched (in the sun). By the time they’d finished CiTH was up and running again so we all went for a spin (literally).



We made our way up to Harry Potter stopping briefly to “read books”?


COME ON GIRLS WE’RE ON HOLIDAY!



When we got to Hogmeades, Forbidden Journey was as 30 minute wait, I didn’t think that was too bad but Lynn doesn’t do anything over about 15 minutes!

We continued around the park in the hope of getting on Pteranodon Flyers but that was 45 minutes. Eeeeeekk.

We continued on with strict instructions that there were to be no water rides as these were the clothes we’d be in for the next 18 hours. We found solace in Spiderman. The wait was 25 minutes but a ‘crew member’ told us there was a storm due very soon so the big rides (outside) would be shutting down very soon. It was going to get a lot busier in Spidy.

By the time we came out of Spiderman it was already threatening rain (Peter Kay, “Everybody inside it’s spitting! ”).



It was mid-afternoon by now and we decided the last thing we needed was ‘Soggy Bits’ sat on that plane so we made our way into one last theme park shop before leaving. Various last minute tat purchases were made but before that Lauren inadvertently re-enacted a classic ‘Caddyshack’ moment. I have no idea why all my trips keep mirroring Caddyshack, but they do.

She’d picked up one of those rubbery tube/sleeve toys that are hard to keep hold of…..do you know the thing? This is one…………..


Water Snakes?

She then masters not letting it slip through her hands and starts jiggling it up and down at a high rate of knots in the middle of the shop going “Dad, Dad, Look at this! ” I can’t describe what it looked like here (without being banned). Think Bill Murray and the ball washer in Caddyshack (search for it you tube if you haven’t seen it) or “shaking it like a Polaroid picture” (to quote Andre 3000)

Obviously I wrenched it from her hands as quickly as possible to save further embarrassment!

On the walk back through Citywalk Lynn hinted that the unisex Oakley Sunglasses were “Nicer than she thought they’d be” and she “Hadn’t realised”. Being the wonderful husband and father that I am, (you don’t need to reply to this thread Lynn), I steered her into the Surf Shop again and told her to pick a nice pair.

She was instantly drawn to the Titanium models with the $400 price tags on them. The conversation that took place went like this……………….

Lynn……I like these Titanium ones
Me………How much?
Lynn……..$400
Me……….You better look again
Lynn………..It definitely says $400
Me………….I meant in a different cabinet dear!

Now we were both singing from the same hymn sheet, she found a lovely pair for $120 minus the 10% annual pass discount again. Well done Lynn! It turns out that half the F1 drivers are rocking the same unisex style this season, so she’s happy with that.



Yeah I know I know mine are hideously blue again. I don’t know what it was with blue this holiday! They go with the coat and trainers though!

Continued...

[wizzo]

As we got onto the moving walkways the heavens opened and we made it back to the car unscathed.



The kids and Lynn put leggings on (in the car) ready for the air conditioning on the plane. I didn’t need to as I was already wearing my travel shorts/trousers. Zip of bottoms a la Richard Hammond on the Top Gear Bolivia Special. Sad I know. Then we set off for the airport. I separated the Oakleys from their boxes and receipts as much as I could, given that we only had hand luggage to hide them in. We’ve never been stung by customs but you just never know.

The journey looked a lot like this.





We’d soon dropped the car off with Alamo and made our way to bag drop to check in the car seats and buggy.

By 5:30pm we were tucking into a MacDonalds (becoming a tradition) so we wouldn’t have to endure Virgin’s food! (I still ate mine when it came).



Now, it’s only recently that I’ve discovered you can ask for extra Big Mac sauce on a Big Mac! I’m sure there are loads of you out there going “What? Everyone knows that! ” but I didn’t and if you haven’t tried it then you must! It makes Big Macs even better! You can do it in America and Britain and it’s free.

The kids watched the fish, I checked to make sure the sunglasses were more expensive here and they were and before long we’d decided to push on through security and see if we could get a seat and wait the rest of the time nearer the gate.



Here’s the point where all trip reports peter out so I won’t elaborate too much. We fell lucky and got a sofa and a chair near the gate, we (Lynn) got some duty free. I stocked up on water and sweets from ‘Stellar News’. I’m sure a lot of you know it well.



We boarded bang on time. Unfortunately we took off an hour and half late however because of the electrical storms and then a warning light in the cockpit! It’s not as big a deal on your way home though, especially on a night flight.

Flight was okay, food was grim, yada yada yada. Lauren and Lynn were asleep early. Maddy was determined to stay awake as long as possible the little ‘so and so’ and wouldn’t close her eyes as you can see from the next photo. Kids!



The rest of the flight looked like this…..







Let’s hurry it up now. This is the point when you all reach for the cross in the top right of your monitors but don’t go yet! I have to sum up!

We landed and it turned out that carrying my coat was a master stroke as it was the worst April on record back home and I was toasty and warm! Suitcases, immigration and Manchester behind us we made the arduous journey home. I drank 4 cans of redbull on the way while everyone else snored and that was it, two hours later we were in our cold house and it was all over for another year (or not a year as it turns out! Pre-Trip report to follow).

I think tweeting from Orlando seemed to be a success on this trip and I intend on doing it again in the future. Hopefully more people on the Dibb will do it. I’d love to follow you if you do!

Brief Highs:

Manny’s
Buffalo Wild Wings (Formosa Gardens)
The Magic, The Memories and You!

Even Briefer Lows:

Sketchers!

So there we are, another report in the bag. It’s nice to get it finished but sad as it draws a line under another wonderful holiday.

I hope you’ve all enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed living it.

Till next time, “Peace Out” (Don’t say I’m not down with the kids)

[P&S]

Thank you so much once again for a wonderful trip report Already looking forward to the next one

[Manyin]

Hi Wizzo,

Great last day, i must admit to being a little sad that your trip is over so get a move on and do your pre-trippie.

As always sounds like you had a lovely trip, thatnks for a very enjoyable read

[CMFewkesHarrie]

A another wonderful holiday followed by a brilliant trip report!

Thanks for taking the time to share it with us.

Wll look forward to further adventures.am sure that it won't be long!

[Jlbs79]

Great trip report. Have enjoyed this very much. So has OH. Thank you.

[ROO]

Enjoyed your trippie. What a great final day, our usual aiport day consist's of us just hanging about a lot !
Looking forward to your new pre-trippie.

[Twiga6]

I love your trip reports!
Random question, on the photos of the flight home, are your girls snuggled up on pillow pets?

[JoJo88]

See, I don't feel sad reading about your last day, and you won't have felt sad writing it knowing you'll be back before you can say 'last night I heard my mama singing a song'. That is definitely the way forward, and a sure fire way to prevent the sob-fest that goes with our own departure

Such cute pictures of the girls all snuggled up and fast asleep on the plane. But what is it with you Wizzos leaving the bad weather behind you? Perfect timing!

Fantastic report as usual, and already looking forward to the next (and looking forward to not having Adele songs stuck in my head! )

Thanks for the fun

[princess boo]

Brilliant trip report, thank you I've loved it , so sad it's come to an end.