October 2015. Trip Report What I Wrote. Travel day 2.

[Gabblemum]

Sorry Travel Day 2 has taken nearly 2 years to write, will try harder.

I love reading people's Trippies and feel guilty for not writing one. So in part to ease my guilt and in part to re-live the now dimming but still sparkling memories I decided to have another crack at it.

We are a family of 4. Myself serious planner but never laminate. DH not overly interested until we get there, and 2 DD's ages at the time Amelia (17) and Abigail (12). We are travelling 18th Oct for 2 weeks.

So to recap on Travel Day 1 - We travelled to the Airport and had our Bon Voyageeeee read out on the Dibbcast. Still a highlight and still a listener.

We stayed at The Courtyard by Marriott at Gatwick. We had a couple of drinks & something to eat in the bar and then tried to get some sleep.

Wakey, Wakey! Not often this is met with a Thumbs up.

And we are off! VA Economy.

Unfortunately Amelia has a migraine coming on, but we got to nice & early so she was not too bad in the end.

Let's try to remember films watched...

Kingsmen

Cant remember anymore.

Anyway... the flight was uneventful and we where soon queuing in immigration, also uneventful and straight to the Garage to collect the car. We went for the same one we had 2 years previously only in black this time. A Town and Country (we knew this had a drop down DVD Player). I love this car, it's so easy to drive and the sliding rear doors mean, I don't have to worry about the kids hitting another with the doors in the car parks.

Top tip 2nd trip. Still do your research... you think you know, but do you? On our first trip I knew the way from the airport to the Hotel. I had researched it, and even done a dry run care of Google Earth and another step by step link which I can no longer remember the name of but found on The Dibb. SATNAV programming had been practiced as brought from the UK, but doesn't work quite the same way in USA. But had I done any of that 2nd time round... no. Never crossed my mind. So before long we where heading the wrong way in Rush hour traffic (Jam, the only one I have ever seen before or since in FL) down the I4. DH and I squabbling and no closer to remembering how to programme the SATNAV or where Universal Studios was!

Once we managed to turn ourselves around signs started to appear & we where not too far away after all. About the same time we remembered out SATNAV works on attractions not address!

View from our Hotel window. (Hulk being dismantled)

We had learnt from a previous trip that to get the kids to the pool quick, pack swimming stuff and Sun cream in cabin bag (along with first night / day clothes just in case cases go astray).

So when asked do we want help taking bags to the room we could say yes, but not this one. Anyway, we (me) hadn't thought it all the way through as I still had to wait for bags to be brought to room, but at least the others got down to the pool in record time.

I feel like I have to say yes to this service and obviously tip the person bringing the bags to the room, but for timing alone think I will give it a miss next time (for there will be a next time). On the upside when I got to the pool my first cocktail was waiting for me.

I think RPR is probably one of my favourite places I have ever stayed.

Another from room view albeit zoomed.

So after a quick change we had reservations Tchoup Tchoup. It does look as good in real life as in the photos. I had checked the menu before making reservations and thought it all sounded lovely. Of course menus change all the time & maybe we were just too tired for this style of dinning. So when the menu came, we all agreed that there wasn't anything on it that any of us really wanted. We could make do but didn't really want it. My husband spoke to a lovely waitress and said very politely, we have changed our minds and she could not have been nicer. This is not something I was comfortable doing and not something I would ever consider normally. But I am so glad we did. Please do not let this out you off TCHOUP TCHOUP. It is still some where I want to eat but maybe later in the Holiday.

So instead we ate at the Bar burgers all round. I still didn't fancy much so just had a small Nachos! OMG I never thought I would finish them. In fact I don't think (we) did. They where so lovely though. In fact sad as it sounds this may have been the best meal of the holiday too. Circumstances probably contribute to this though, first night, post Tchoup Tchoup, not expecting anything from it.


And so to bed.

[app]

New Photo Added by Gabblemum - 1 Jul 17 1:37 PM.