Back to the Future Trip Part 3

[Guest]

Sunday 3rd February – Day 2 - *Wild Thing* and we're at the Hard Rock Hotel!

Link to Back to the Future Trip Pre Trip!

Plan: Fly BA Heathrow-Miami 9.40am
BA 207
Hours: Be at Terminal ? for 6.40am
Food: Breakfast: Terminal
Lunch: Plane
Dinner: Dunno!

Notes: Pick up hire car Alamo, 2.30pm. Drive North on Florida Turnpike $20 toll, says Shirley. Find a cheap motel somewhere for night.

Actual:

I may have spent manyhousework hours surfing the DIS, but I still hadn’t checked which terminal we were departing from until last night, I even checked the times too, can’t be too careful! All the various “rudely awakening you” devices went off in succession, no inclination to ignore them this morning! 20 minutes had us all up, dressed and illegal sleeping bag stowed and out we troop, in two groups so we don’t look like we sneaked an extra one in. We’re not confident at such criminal behaviour.

The car had been taken off the night before, and the Hoppa bus turned up a few minutes later. Two others and us get on, and we thought a long tour of the salubrious establishments of the area would follow but we went straight to the terminal, my that was a thrill ride and a half! I think two wheels stayed on the ground at all times, but Test Track was a disappointment in comparison. I think the poor bus driver only had 6 – 7am on a Sunday morning to get the rest of the week’s road rage out of his system and fly! Hey, we’re nearly early, and deposited at Terminal 3 by 6.45. There are two people in front of us and we check in our motley assortment of holdalls and retire upstairs for breakie. They had even managed to link our two separate bookings, and received the reserved seats requested. BA on form again. Second independently booked item worked! We had several sets of e-tickets for some reason, so I produced them all, I’m getting cautious in my old age even.

Spot of bacon and eggs (not bad, not that expensive and can’t remember where) and off for the obligatory whisky and Boots shopping. I impulse buy a packet of Neurofen as planes give you headaches don’t they? Rang my mum, they’re swanning off to Spain for a walking holiday on Tuesday, two weeks, some people, they’re always on holiday! Had a quick look in Dixons, very glad the digital camera had been purchased before hand, they seemed to have no stock and what they did have was dearer than internet prices.

BA207 to Miami loaded up, plane full, and took off on time. The outward journey was at least 33 ½ hours. Grumpy woman from #### in front complained about her seat being kicked,it wasn’t! and she was reclined most of the way. The chap sitting next to her had disappeared after 5 minutes (before taxiing), and I wondered what was up. Of course she was suffering with nerves and took it out on me. The man had quickly upgraded to club class and disappeared, the cabin crew finally told her but why was it my fault? She even told Kate to stop talking! Sorry Ma’am, if cattle class is that common why don’t you pay for an upgrade too? Food was excellent, plenty of drinks and the children had their lunch first. I stashed my little bottle of wine for later and watched “American Sweethearts”, allowed myself to open the February Scrapbook Magazine that had been tempting me all week but had resisted. Not even that made the flight hurry along, I hate that map! Then we flew pat Orlando, agggghhhh “let me out here please!”

It can’t have been that bad as we landed half an hour early at 2pm local time, outside temperature 78, let’s hope the lousy weather forecast is wrong. Miami is not as nice an airport as Orlando International, but we shifted through customs and our bags came through. Another shuttle bus to the Alamo depot, or deeeepppppoooo as they say! There are no on site car hire sites at Miami so you takes your choice, and picks the cheapest, in my case. I let Steve get involved here and he fills in the hire forms, no we don't want an extra driver, or tank of fuel, or anything thank you. They didn’t ask about upgrade, suppose full size is posh for a motley selection of holdalls! Our Priceline voucher was fine item number 3! and we lugged our stuff across the car park to our Full Size. Past a nice red one, look at those silver SUVs, they seem to have lots of minivans. Even the sparkly blue compacts seem in good nick. Plot 139 is ours, and it’s BEIGE! Why BEIGE again, we had BEIGE last year? Boring old BEIGE, do I look Beige or something? Perhaps it’s because we’re mean and had a cheapish deal through Priceline, but BA treated us as if we’d paid full price for our seats. A slightly scruffy BEIGE (did I mention that) Toyota Camay (Camray, Camera, Cameo), whatever it was still BEIGE. However, it had the all important three full seat belts in the back and a huge trunk, see in holiday spirit now! It even went forwards and backwards, round corners and was very economical on fuel. So off we trot. What a doddle. Out of the parking lot before 4pm.

No traffic, cruise control on at a modest 69mph and off to the turnpike we go. We even evaded the first 50c toll when we brandished a $50 note, he he. Various silly tolls later and we’re on the open road, the tolls come to around $14 Bev! Shania Twain on every channel but hey, we’re here and you lot are in Chat, I did think about you all briefly, honest. The bright lights of he West Palm Beach Plaza, or service station, drew us in and a BK burger devoured by the others, me, not very hungry, my throat is sore and I dose myself with some Neurofen instead. Jeeves commandos us back in the car, he sees no reason not to go “all the way” tonight, so we do. It would have been easy to find somewhere in Fort Pierce, about half way, as the turnpike turns inland, but we were “doing it tonight” according to the boss, blow the extra $50 we’re on holiday! No sense of budget that man! Children went to sleep and before long the bright lights of Kissimmee were on us. For some reason the maps were in the boot so after a detour to the Florida Mall, stopped and got map out, we were pulling up at the Hard Rock Hotel at 8pm. Are you impressed or what, I was shouted down in my “shouldn’t we find a cheap motel for tonight” and was dispensed to secure another night at this luxurious pad for people not like us!

Had an encounter with Carole’s “Man in Black”, are they all clones? Yes we can have a room for four for tonight, I’m on the computer and all is hunky dory - booking number 4 OK! Rock on Tommy, 5 nights at the Hard Rock Hotel! Bit miffed, as he didn’t ask me if I wanted charging facilities to the room card, do we look out of place or something? I went back out to the car and took some luggage, and Steve went off to find the “self park”, again thanks to Carole's warning of self perpetuating valet charges. Lots of Louis Futon, or whatever, posh luggage on the Bell Boy’s trolley, so we pocket the tips and smuggle the sailing holdalls in, and Sally proudly pulls her Princess trolley through reception shouting “who’s sleeping in the sleeping bag tonight Mum?”

Gosh, this place is posh, lots of famous guitars. Seats you dare not sit on and the music, we love the music, “Wild Thing” was appropriately playing as we round the corner to the lifts, I like to think I'm getting more debauched as I get older. Thrill ride number two, the children love the lifts, we live in the country see and escalators are a novelty too! The music stops as we come out of the lift, and down the corridor we go to Room 5105 on the 5th floor, or is it 4th or 6th the way they work it out! Wow, what a room, huge room, white leather chairs and footstool, posh beds with reversible black and white cushions, huge bathroom, coffee maker area and mini bar, BEWARE the mini bar prices, but I did allow Jeeves one beer on the first night. Someone puts the free “check-in” CD on the mini player, provided, and we’re here. The beds are huge and sooo comfy, there seems to be a tent outside our window, was that where we were meant to be? It was taken down on day 3 and there was a nice lawn area that was a big improvement. The room is so much lighter than the Disney ones too, well moderate ones anyway.

Unpack and fall into bed, I didn’t fancy my little bottle of British Airways Merlot just yet! Didn’t fancy much else either (sorry Jeeves) other than lots of water and sleep, took some more Neurofens and dropped off surprisingly quickly.

Tomorrow: Universal Studios, we’re here! Prepare the Men in Black!

Day 3

[Guest]

lol at the illegal sleeping bag
the hotel sounds fab
Alton towers had music in there lifts kids spent all there time going from floor to floor
great trip report  ,