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Thread Starter
VIP Dibber
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Last day and going out with a bang.. or lots of them. 22 June 2024.. or ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’ by John Denver.
Well this is it! Our last ever time spent in Orlando. We were packed and checked out of the excellent Star Island Resort at dead on 1000. It has been an absolutely wonderful place from which to vacation in Orlando and at a quite incredible price of $135 per night plus resort fees of $19 for a superb, 3 Bedroom Apartment in absolutely excellent decorative order. I unhesitatingly recommend this place to anybody seeking similar as it absolutely has the lot. We were once again stationary by 1005… at Machine Gun America! As many who have followed will be aware, Matt joins the Army on 07 July 2024. He has badgered us on at least the last 5 USA vacations that he wants to fire a Machine Gun, well now he is 18 and he can. ![]() Matt carries out clear safe drills on a GPMG, earlier in his life… The ‘deal’ cost $199 including tax and for that, he got to fire 25 Rounds in each of a AR15, AK47, MP5.. or so he tells me. They also threw in a free T Shirt at that price. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() By the end ‘Osama’ looked like Clyde Barrow of Bonnie and Clyde fame and would have been leaking like a Sieve. We had one very happy young Man! ![]() It was a shame about the couple that flew over Osama’s right shoulder.. Matt must have ‘pulled’ his shots. We were soon away and up on the i4, with bad congestion throughout. This road is never a pleasure. We stopped for Wendy’s Baconator all round, before arriving at Busch Gardens at 1300. Whilst Mandie and I fancied a stroll, Dan and Matt headed for Iron Gwazi. Apparently the queue was short, but due to XPress Pass holders, it took 45 minutes to get on. Meantime, Mandie and I caught the Serengeti Train as well as viewing various Birds and Wildlife… and sweating profusely. ![]() ![]() ![]() Dan and Matt had been told to be at the Exit Gate at 1515, but at 1430, they phoned to say that they were done… done because they could not realistically expect to get on any further rides within time. We moved on to the Airport, where Car drop, Check in and to Gate were formalities. We now await the departure of this 777 to LGW. It is on time. ![]() The plane was on time.. and the journey, in our exit row seats.. good. We had 3 in a row and one seat immediately behind, that Dan volunteered for when he found the other two in the row were to be unoccupied. ![]() Dan gets lucky! ![]() ![]() ![]() The main meal was Chicken with Mashed Potato and was thoroughly revolting. Before landing, we were given a sweaty, Bacon Roll that tasted marginally worse than the Chicken. I took this very clear photograph of the Needles as we flew past. ![]() We arrived in LGW ahead of time. We had the usual charade of everybody standing up and grappling for their luggage… before waiting 25 minutes for the Air bridge to open and also for us all to leave row by row. This stupid behaviour never ceases to astonish me. Some will be aware of the issues that we had parking Dans Car in the Gatwick Long Stay, when we had booked it with our own, Polo. Longstay were good to their word. A brief conversation, giving our Sir name and the originally intended vehicle and the barrier was raised. Excellent service. Dan drove the whole 6.5 hours as he appeared to be and indeed stated that he was fresh and alert. ![]() We passed Stonehenge, unusually busy. It is always nice to see it.. before English Heritage eventually get the A303 buried in order that everyone who wants to see Stonehenge will then pay them for the privilege. The excitement mounted as we were to see our new extension… but it wasn’t finished. More about that later and in the relevant Thread.. but I am too tired to do it now.
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![]() 2005 onwards.. lots of times! Index of all my Trip and Pretrip reports..https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho...6#post15662196 Edited at 09:08 PM. |
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Thread Starter
VIP Dibber
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Observations, Conclusions.
Well that was it and the vacation was over. ![]() 18 nights away. Handluggage only. California, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah ,Nevada, Arizona and Florida visited (7). 11 different USA accommodations Time zones +8, +7 and +5 1850 miles in 8 days, 4 up with baggage in a Mustang Convertible at 42 miles per UK Gallon.. plus 300 miles over 6 days in a Chevy Malibu. 2 Kayak expeditions 1 Horse Ride 4 Parks visited (albeit briefly) That is a brief summary of what we achieved in a fast, octane fuelled, final family Longhaul. WHAT WAS GOOD. The bit out in the Midwestern States, albeit at times the driven mileage was too high for Mandie. Sedona, which was a last minute addition on the advice of fellow Dibbers was absolutely stunning, when viewed along with Oak Canyon. Kayaking on the Colorado, Horse riding in Monument Valley, G Canyon at Dusk and Dawn, Walking in Mesa Verde are absolute bucket list things. Anything on the 66 can only be viewed as an iconic experience, 7 M Mountains, Bonnie & Clyde, Hackberry, Giganticus Headicus, Roadkill Cafe, ‘Standing on a Corner in Winslow Arizona’, Wigwam Motel, cars from the 1960s and backwards are things that many have heard of, but not so many have experienced. We have now driven the 66 out as far as Holbrook pretty much from LA and this part of ‘The Mother Road’ is simply an awesome experience. Tombstone is really special, reeking of History and with far more to it than just the Gunfight at the OK Coral. The Star Island resort was both a fabulous and a very affordable family location. The Heartattack Grill was an absolute scream of an experience. Matt finally getting to spray rounds from Machine Guns and the joy that it bought him were reward in itself. Hitting 6 different big Coasters in Busch Gardens and off again in just 1 hour 25 was awesome. WHAT WAS NOT SO GOOD. Tipping. Whilst I am not against the general concept of tipping, I am rather sick of the expectation of staff, the utter lack of tact and in honesty, the amounts requested/demanded. I cannot see why a Waitress in Rainforest Cafe at $200 for four of us is working any better or harder than a Waitress at Denny’s at $80 for the four of us. The Denny’s girl probably works harder. The tip should be the same. The tip most certainly should not be 20% and regardless of the bill price. I know that other Dibbers will not agree, but I simply will agree to differ. It is my money that we are talking about. Orlando, overcrowded, roads over congested, hot but humid and we have come to the conclusion that none of us are prepared to queue for things on the scale expected in Theme Parks. It makes less than no sense to queue for 90 minutes in order to experience less than 1 minute of pleasure.. particularly when you have experienced that pleasure on many previous occasions. We are done for good and I am utterly certain of that. We have moved on as our boys have grown, realising that we were lucky to do it all when it was both affordable and achievable. We will always like Discovery Cove.. although as a 12th or so visit, it has lost any excitement for us. Vegas. Mandie and I already knew that we could take it or preferably, leave it, having been before. Crowded, Tacky, Sweaty, Classless, Stinking of Weed and generally unpleasant. We only were there firstly because it was the perfect starting place for what we wanted to achieve and secondly because being so near, we wanted Dan and Matt to experience it. Had it simply been Mandie and I, we would have just stayed a night at the South of the Strip and then moved out next morning. You will note that we only spent one full day in Vegas in any case, the other being Kayaking on the Colorado. WILL WE RETURN TO THE USA? Probably, as Mandie would like to see New Orleans and we both want to experience a Caribbean Cruise. Perhaps we could combine the two? We would also like to see New England in the Fall. We shall see! It must be said that the USA is becoming increasingly expensive, over and above the rate of inflation and I now question whether other locations are now offering vastly better costings. We used to regard the USA as very good value for the money.. but most certainly not any more! WILL WE RETURN TO FLORIDA? Possibly. I like anywhere/pretty much everywhere between the Alabama Border and Key West, particularly the Panhandle.. other than the pricing of accommodation and the expectations re tipping. WILL WE RETURN TO ORLANDO? No. I see absolutely less than no point. There is nothing there that I might want to do or experience again. WHAT NEXT? Well, we have our fabulous Indo China trip next January. This may totally change the way that we view subsequent vacations. It is going to cost pretty much the same as a USA vacation, yet consists of Culture, private tours and utter, sumptuous luxury throughout… with no driving. We may fall in love with the people and the various Cultures of the Far East. We will not plan anything beyond that Vacation until we have seen it, done it appraised it. FINALLY. I am hoping that everybody enjoyed the trip report. Yes, they can be very time consuming, however I actually get a great deal of enjoyment in writing them. I am not a Socialiser or heavy Drinker in the evening and therefore I write the report as I am winding down over a glass of wine. I then proof read and edit the following day. I am also hopeful that my trip report(s) are helpful to others in their own planning. POSTSCRIPT. The day after we returned home, we collected a new Cat from the Cats Protection Society. He is a one year old Mainecoon and is called ‘Loki’ ![]() Welcome to Penryn, Loki!
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![]() 2005 onwards.. lots of times! Index of all my Trip and Pretrip reports..https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho...6#post15662196 Edited at 03:42 PM. |
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VIP Dibber
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Sounds amazing and full on trip. Can't wait to follow along on your adventure. Hope you all have a great holiday and a large bank account
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Oh Oh booked again! ![]() |
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Thread Starter
VIP Dibber
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Not as expensive as you might think!
Cheaper than a WDW fortnight. There are four of us. Disney 14 day tickets .. £2500 saved. Flights at £475 each instead of around £900 .. £1700 saved. Hotels around the same price as Orlando. Car hire about the same, but gas much cheaper. Food cheaper than Orlando, particularly if you eat in Orlando parks. Attractions.. yes, some money spent on Kayaking, Horse Riding, National Park pass etc.. but then again, we generally do such things on any vacation including Orlando. At the end of the trek, you will have a spread sheet detailing every single expenditure, right down to a lollipop!
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![]() 2005 onwards.. lots of times! Index of all my Trip and Pretrip reports..https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho...6#post15662196 Edited at 10:52 PM. |
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VIP Dibber
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You need a day for 'Collapsed. Worn out.' somewhere in that list, I think
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Rule 6 - Thou hast not to like it, thou hast just to do it! It is hard to light a candle, easy to curse the dark instead. |
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VIP Dibber
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I am really looking forward to another of your trip reports. Have an amazing holiday.
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Thread Starter
VIP Dibber
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I am already working on this trip report outside of the forum and with that prep, am hoping that it will be my best one yet!
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![]() 2005 onwards.. lots of times! Index of all my Trip and Pretrip reports..https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho...6#post15662196 |
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Excited about Disney
![]() Join Date: Dec 17
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Looking forward to reading this. You will be going to some of the same places as my family in September, LA to Huston.
Reading about your travels will probably help with my planning. |
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Thread Starter
VIP Dibber
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That is good to hear.
I deliberately make my trippies have detail to assist others in their planning.
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![]() 2005 onwards.. lots of times! Index of all my Trip and Pretrip reports..https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/sho...6#post15662196 |
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VIP Dibber
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following along ! cant wait - I cannot believe how little luggage! I promised DH that our next trip would be a lot less luggage but I cannot seem to manage it!
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