Toast with a Side of Sausages

[DisDubs]

Day 6 - Gatorland & Pool

6.00am start this morning – early, but not as early as yesterday morning..!

Breakfast this morning was cereal – Cornflakes, Kelloggs Multigrain Shapes and Fruit Loops. Cereal was followed by chocolate muffin, cherry pie and pecan pie (only on holiday..! )

Today we were visiting Gatorland. The park was really busy and the humidity was intense so we decided to call it a day at about lunchtime. We decided on Steak 'n' Shake for lunch. Myself and DH had the Jalapeno Crunch Burger. I upgraded to cheese fries. DS1 has a plain Double Steak Burger with cheese and DS2 had the kids hot dog meal. We also had a side of onion rings. Drinks were 2 x cokes, a chocolate milkshake for DH and an M&M's milkshake for DS1. As it was Happy Hour, we got all our drinks for half price! Burgers and onion rings were awesome – really juicy and flavourful. The milk shakes were also delicious but the fries were a bit of a let down. They were so skinny you couldn't use a fork to pick them up or they'd shatter and the upgraded cheese fries had barely any cheese! It didn't put us off though. The food was lovely and we'd definitely revisit. Total cost $25.75 exluding tip.

Apologies for the half eaten burger..!

Look at the state of cheese fries..! They were still tasty though..

We headed back to the villa for a few hours in the pool and the decided on a late dinner at about 8.00pm, just as a storm was brewing. Tonight's choice was Bob Evans on the 192. On arrival, the restaurant was pretty empty and we were seated straight away. While waiting to order, we noticed not too many people eating in, but a constant stream of customers collecting take out.

Apologies in advance.. We totally forgot to take pictures of our dinner. We were almost finished before DS2 said the dreaded words “the photos!”... I'll carry regardless and see what I can snip from Google Images.. Sorry!

I had the Turkey Dinner (slow roasted turkey with mashed potato, carrots and gravy). I also ordered a side of broccoli (I was craving vegetables at this stage!). I also upgraded to include a soup and sundae for an extra $1.99. Soup was chicken noodle and while very nice it had the biggest noodles I'd ever seen in a soup – they were almost like penne pasta! DH had Country Fried Steak with mashed potato and green beans with bacon. DH swapped the country gravy for brown gravy. DS1 also had the Country Fried Steak with fries but kept the country gravy on the side. DS2 had a grilled cheese sandwich with a side of mashed potato. Drinks were 2 x cokes and 2 x lemonade. Apparently, they don't sell alcohol.

(It didn't look like this..)

(Or this.. )

For desert, myself and DS2 had a fudge sundae, DH had coconut cream pie and DS1 had country apple pie. Total cost was $58.78 excluding tip, but we had a $4 off voucher, so $54.78 plus tip.

Food was a nice change to what we'd been eating for the last few days. Service was desperate though – so slow. We could see our food under the lamps but no sign of our server. Carry Out seemed to take priority over seated guests. Food arrived “warm”. My soup arrived after I had started my dinner and I'm raging that we forgot to take photos as the food looked nothing like the menu pictures! Overall, the food was just OK. The Turkey dinner was the highlight, but I'm not sure we'd go back.

Total food spends today - $80.53 excluding tips
Overall food spends - £36.26 & $640.22

[DisDubs]

Day 7 – Daytona Market

Awake at 6.45am this morning. I can't believe we're already a week into our holiday! We had a cup of coffee and a swim before heading to Denny's for breakfast. When we arrived, there was a 20/30 minute wait, so we decided to head to IHOP across the road instead, where we were seated straight away.

We had 2 coffees and 2 apple juice. DH had the Breakfast Sampler (2 eggs, 2 bacon, 2 sausages, slices of thick cut ham, hash browns and 2 pancakes). DS1 had a Pancake Combo with Mexican Churro pancakes, scrambled egg, bacon and hash browns. These pancakes were amazing! They tasted like a warm, sticky cinnamon bun. DS2 had toast with a side of sausages (surprise, surprise!), and I had the Split Decision (2 eggs, 2 sausages, 2 bacon, a slice of French Toast and 2 pancakes). Food and service were great, as always. IHOP delivers a really consistent level of quality and service - we love it! Cost was $43.45 plus tip.

Breakfast was late, so we decided to skip lunch. We had a few handfuls of kettle popcorn that we bought in Daytona Market – 2 huge bags for $10.

On the way back from Daytona, we decided that we'd have an early dinner this evening, so settled on Chilis on the 192. We thought as we'd skipped lunch, we could “splash out” a bit on a bigger dinner. Big Mistake. This was the most disappointing and expensive meal of our trip so far.

We ordered 2 lemonades, a red wine and a beer. We also ordered a sample to share as our appetiser. Triple Dipper – buffalo boneless wings, fried pickles and awesome blossom petals (that weren't awesome) – they was basically bits of onion rings. The sampler came with 3 dips and was ok, but pretty greasy. When our appetiser arrived, our server went off to get some side plates, but never returned.. This was the start of things to come..

We waited for our mains and finished our drinks and there was still no sign of our entrees or our server. The restaurant was busy but not massively busy. 40 minutes after finishing our drinks and appetizer, our main course arrived along with some ice water - we clearly weren't getting refills on our drinks!

DH and DS1 had the Smokehouse Combo – brisket and ribs, side of corn on the cob, garlic toast and fries. They said this was nice. DS2 had the cheese quesadillas and fries, which he enjoyed. I had the 1975 Chilli soft tacos and a side of broccoli. My food was stone cold, everyone else's was just warm. I went looking for our server but couldn't find her and we were hungry, so we made the most of what we had and started eating.

When our server finally returned to ask if everything was ok, I mentioned my cold food. She immediately said it was her first day and she'd get the manager. A few minutes later the manager came over to apologise. We didn't want a fuss and I had made an attempt to eat the food anyway. The manager offered us desert but we declined. Bill arrived - $88 - AND we had been charged for my meal and the side of cold broccoli, even though we had complained! I was so annoyed that I made sure to reflect how I felt in the tip. It still galls me that I had to leave a tip for such a bad experience..!

After leaving, we headed back to the villa where DH discovered his phone was gone. We rang it and it wasn't answered but the only place it could have been was the restaurant. All I was worried about was the photos for my food report..! He hopped in the car and drove back - thankfully, he got it back, but it could have been a REALLY expensive meal. We definitely won't be back to Chilis – there's much better places to eat.

Finished the evening off and calmed down with a few drinks around the pool.

Total food spends today - $141.45 excluding tips
Overall food spends - £36.26 & $781.67

[Shkyler]

Is that cheese dip in a can?! Looks delicious! Chili’s can be hit and miss sometimes it’s a pity but luckily got the phone!

[DisDubs]

Yep, cheese dip in a can! Yummy and addictive..

[DisDubs]

Day 8 – Heading to Clearwater Beach

We slept until 8.50am – we couldn't believe it..! What is the obsession with sleeping when on holiday in Florida? We wouldn't normally be so concerned with the time we wake up at home..!

DH headed to Perkins for breakfast today. They do a special offer – buy 3, get 3 free on muffins, cinnamon rolls and cookies. He came back with 2 cinnamon rolls, 2 pineapple upside down cakes, 2 blueberry muffins, 3 chocolate chip cookies and 3 oatmeal and cranberry cookies. Yes, there are only 4 of us..! We had a taste of everything and decided to bring the rest with us to Clearwater. Total cost - $14.

After a morning spent in the pool and packing, we headed to Clearwater Beach at about 1.00pm - stopping off in Wendy’s to try the new Biggie Bag. Each Biggie Bag contains fries, a bacon double cheeseburger, 4 nuggets and a drink – all for $5 – so we got one each. This was the freshest food we've had since we arrived. The burger would easily rival Steak 'n' Shake, the chicken nuggets were crispy and well seasoned, skin on fries, plus you got your drink at a free style coke machine . Yum! Total cost - $21.50 – bargain!

When we got to Clearwater, the weather was fabulous so we went for a walk on the beach. We had done a bit of research before our visit and decided to eat at Frenchy’s Rockaway Grill for dinner. Unfortunately, it seemed, so did everyone else leaving the beach! We were advised that the wait time was between 45 and 60 minutes, so we decided to leave it. The temperature at 6.00pm was 33 degrees, add two tired and hungry kids (not to mention adults) = let’s go somewhere else for dinner! Walking back, we spotted Frenchy's Original Cafe, so decided to have a look. There was no queue, a really simple menu, good atmosphere and we were seated straight away.

DS2 had possibly the best grilled cheese with crisps ever (according to him)! DS1 had a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich and fries, DH had the Grouper nugget basket with fries, coleslaw and hush puppies and I had the buffalo prawns with a side of rice and beans. We shared 2 key lime pies between us. Food was really good. Simple and tasty and service was excellent. A glass of red wine was $4.50 – the cheapest we'd come across so far. This compared to $9 for a miserable glass in Chilis. Draft Bud Lite was $1.50 for a half pint glass and a pitcher was $7.95. Needless to say, we happily rolled back to the hotel in time for the sun set. ..! Total cost in Frenchy's - $71.63 excluding tip. Really good value and we'd definitely visit again.

Half eaten - sorry! He did say it was the best grilled cheese ever!

We took a picture of the second slice of pie as well and it looks exactly like this one too..!

On the way back to the hotel, DS2 decided he'd like an ice cream, as he didn't really like the key lime pie in Frenchy's. A two scoop tub with gummi bear topping - $6.95

We enjoyed the rest of our evening sitting in the rooftop bar of our hotel, soaking up the wonderful atmosphere..

Total food spends today - $114.08 excluding tips
Overall food spends - £36.26 & $895.75

[DisDubs]

Day 9 – Busch Gardens

We slept until 7.00am this morning. The alarm clock in the hotel room had been set by a previous guest, so we were all awake early!

We were heading to Busch Gardens today, so decided on Perkins on the Boulevard to Gulf Road for breakfast on our way. Hopefully our Clearwater Perkins experience would be better than our Kissimmee Perkins experience.

Myself and DH had a Build Your Own Breakfast, both with hash browns, eggs and grilled ham. DH had pancakes and I had a cranberry and orange muffin. DS1 had the Belgian Waffle platter - waffles with scrambled egg and bacon and DS2 had sausages and toast (no surprise there..) Everything was hot, fresh and tasty and the service was very good. Total cost $45 excluding tip.

After a couple of hours in Busch Gardens, DS2 fancied some Brownie Chunk Dippin Dots - $7.91. These tasted weird but melted to regular chocolate ice cream after a while. We also shared a popcorn (no photo – sorry) - $4.50.

DH and DS1 didn't bother having anything to eat – they were too busy on the rides.

On the way home we decided on Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner. It was a bit off the beaten track, but worth it! Thank goodness for Google Maps..!

To start we had chips and queso – certain appetisers were on special offer for $4. These were really good – I nearly licked the bowl clean! DH and DS1 shared a 24 piece portion of boneless wings. Half were Buffalo (medium), the other half were Jalapeno Jammin'. They said they tasted very similar in terms of heat, but preferred the buffalo wings for flavour. I had a salad with medium buffalo chicken pieces, blue cheese crumbles and a spicy buffalo dressing. This was served with garlic toast. DS2 had chicken and cheese quesadillas from the appetizer menu and my garlic toast. We also had a side of onion rings. Portion sizes were quite big - DH and DS1 struggled to finish the 24 wings between them. Food was really good and we had a lovely, chatty server. Total cost $65.53 excluding tip. Great atmosphere, would definitely return.

There were actually four slices of quesadilla in the portion, but we asked for two slices to be boxed up for later.

When we got back to the hotel, we decided to head down to the beach and watch the sun set from Pier 60. DS2 was not happy about this. His reasoning was that we could see the sun set from our hotel window and if we stayed in, he'd also have wifi! We decided to bribe him with ice cream (and it worked, surprisingly..!) DS2 got a double scoop of Superman – banana, strawberry and blue raspberry. DS1 had 1 Superman, 1 peanut butter. Cost $11.75 from the ice-cream stand at the end of the pier. The Superman ice-cream was gross - two spoons and it ended up in the bin. I couldn't even eat it!

Total food spends today - $134.69 excluding tips
Overall food spends - £36.26 & $1,030.44

[DisDubs]

Day 10 – Busch Gardens / Heading back to the Villa

We slept until 7.20am this morning. It was lovely waking up to a beautiful view of the beach and Gulf. DH decided to run the Gulf to Bay Bridge so he headed out at 7.30am – returning at 8.30am feeling like his shoulders had got burnt!

We headed to Perkins again for breakfast this morning. I had Eggs in a Hole, DH had the Over 55’s Blueberry Pancakes with bacon, even though he's not over 55! DS1 had the French Toast platter and DS2 had sausages and toast again (in fairness, he was staring to get sick of them at this stage..!) We were served by Shelly again. Service and food were excellent- fresh, hot and quick! Cost - $38.75 excluding tip.

In Busch Gardens, we decided to get ice cream – 2 double scoops with toppings. DS2 had cookie dough & chocolate with M&Ms and caramel sauce and DS1 had strawberry & butter pecan with M&Ms and nuts. We also had a regular sprite. Cost - $16.57.

On the way back from Clearwater / Busch Gardens, we decided to stop off for a bit of shopping in Posner Park. We thought about visiting Manny's Chophouse for dinner, but everyone was so tired, we agreed on take out instead. We decided on Cici's and McDonalds, as we'd enjoyed them so much the last time.

DS2 had a 6 piece chicken nugget Happy Meal with fries and apple slices. DH also got a large fries. Cost - $6.86.

We got a large pepperoni pizza, garlic pizza bread and chicken wings from Cici's- $21.50. Again, all very tasty and satisfying. We sat around the pool eating our dinner and enjoying a few beers and a couple of glasses of wine.

Total food spends today - $83.68 excluding tips
Overall food spends - £36.26 & $1,114.12

[DisDubs]

Day 11 – Pool Morning & Premium Outlets

Woke at a respectable 8.00am. Breakfast was in the villa again this morning – bagels and cereal. We were going to go to Aquatica, but changed our mind and decided to spend the morning in the pool instead.

Lunch on the way to the Premium Outlets was Wendy's again – 4 Biggie Bags containing a Bacon Double Stack Cheeseburger, fries, 4 chicken nuggets and a drink each - $21.50. Excellent value!

Following an afternoon in the Premium Outlets on iDrive, the sky began to get very dark, so we decided to leave and head to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. Just as we arrived at the restaurant, a huge thunder and lightning storm started! We literally made it in the door, just as it all kicked off! The storm was so intense the lights in the restaurant kept flickering! We had a short 10 minute wait and were shown to a booth. While waiting to place our order we munched on a bucket of peanuts, and cinnamon rolls with honey butter.

To start, we shared a Cactus Blossom. This is an onion in deep fried batter, shaped to look like a flower. It looks like a Blooming Onion from Outback. Very tasty and the dipping sauce was lovely too.

For the main course, DH & DS1 had a 10oz Fort Worth Rib Eye. DH had his with fries and green beans, DS1 had fries and a side of rice. DS2 had a hot dog and mashed potato with a side of grated cheese and I had a 1/2 slab of ribs with mashed potato and green beans. We had two lemonades, a large red wine and a pint of beer.

The food was really good and plentiful. We were too full for desert, so decided to get the bill - $80.77 excluding tip. The storm had eased at this stage, so we didn't think the drive back home would be too bad! DH and DS1 thought the steak was a little bit salty and slightly overcooked, but felt that this was because the plates were roasting and cooking the steak, more than the chef getting it wrong..! Ribs were literally fall off the bone. The place was very busy and the server was efficient but not very friendly (as odd as a box of frogs ). Definitely a place we'd consider coming back to.

Total food spends today - $102.27 excluding tips
Overall food spends - £36.26 & $1,216.39

[DisDubs]

Day 12 - Seaworld & Independence Day

We were intentionally up at 6.00am this morning as we wanted to get to Seaworld as early as we could. We were predicting crowds everywhere today, so we had also agreed to an early dinner in the hope of avoiding the masses..!

Breakfast was a total photo fail and I also misplaced the receipt..! We can only blame the early start. DH had strawberry banana pancakes, I had a Pancake Combo – hash browns, eggs, bacon and two blueberry pancakes. I gave DS1 the bacon and shared one of the pancakes with DH. DS1 had a Pancake Combo with scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns and buttermilk pancakes. DS2 had toast with a side of sausages but hardly ate anything. He's really getting sick of them now... DS1 asked to swap his hash browns for bacon, but no swaps are allowed on the combos. I think it came to about $45 excluding tip.

Courtesy of Google Images

In Seaworld, we had three cookie ice cream sandwiches - $15.95 and DH had two free beers at 11.30am.

A tribute to Phil who points at pints..!

We were surprised at how few people were in SeaWorld this morning. By noon, we had done all of Sesame St, Wild Artic, Manta, Mako, Kraken twice and Journey to Atlantis. We decided to call it a day at about 1.00pm, as the crowds were beginning to arrive and it was really hot. We decided on an early dinner at Applebees.

To start, we had Taco Chips & Queso – fresh and delicious – we cleaned the bowl!

DH had the Whiskey Bacon Burger with fries, DS1 had a half slab of ribs with fries, DS2 had chicken and cheese quesadillas with fries and I had the grilled chicken breast with mashed potato and broccoli. DS1 also got a side of broccoli, but gave it to me. His meal came with a choice of two sides, but other than fries, there was nothing he liked the look of. DH said the burger was really nice. DS2 actually ate today, so it must have been good and I enjoyed simple food with vegetables..! The restaurant was more than half empty and lovely and cool. We were surprised - I think we were expecting everywhere to be heaving due to the holiday. Our server was friendly and efficient and was also acting as bar tender as well. Good quality food – we'd go back. Total $68.71 excluding tip.

After dinner, there were one or two shops we wanted to head back to. We also wanted to get a few things in Publix for our 4th of July evening at home. After the shops we headed to Twistee Treats for an ice-cream as we had passed on desert in Applebees. We had a Chocolate milkshake (DH), a Brownie Boat (DS2), a Reeces Cup Vanilla Twirl (DS1) and a Strawberry Waffle Cone with Nuts (me). Cost - €19.04. Great value in comparison to the ice-cream sandwiches we'd picked up in the supermarkets and parks. We really enjoyed these but DH said the milkshake wasn't as good as Steak n Shake. A quick tip – buy a tub not a cone. It was so hot my ice cream was melting faster than I could eat it and all the toppings were falling off! We'd definitely visit again.

Back in the villa, we decided to enjoy our last evening by the pool, as we thought everywhere would be rammed. We had a cooked chicken with hoagie style rolls, followed by Key Lime pie. We picked these up in Publix earlier - $20.79.

(Yes, we ate it all )

We sat by the pool enjoying a few beverages, listening to, and watching the weapons grade fireworks going off all around us..! It was an amazing experience and must have gone on for at least two hours. A great last day..

Total food spends today - $169.49
Overall food spends - £36.26 and $1,385.88

[DisDubs]

Day 13 – Travel Home Day

Our plan for today was to have one last morning by the pool, before leaving at lunchtime to head to the airport. We had paid for an extra night in our villa, so we didn't have to leave by 10.00am. This worked out very well for us and it's something we'd consider doing again. Breakfast for DH, DS2 and me, was cereal, fruit and bagels. We were really just using up the last of the villa supplies. DH decided to treat DS1 to one last pancake feast from IHOP as he absolutely loves them. A tall stack of buttermilk pancakes with old fashioned syrup - $8.16. He said they were delicious, but it seemed quite expensive in comparison to sitting in.

At the airport, we breezed through check in and bag drop – there was plenty of staff on hand and no queues. We braced ourselves for security, based on both recent comments and previous experiences, but we were through in about 15 minutes - we couldn't believe it! We had about 3 hours until our flight, so decided to head to Outback for lunch / dinner. A quick glance at the menu - $16.50 for a large glass of wine! Think I'll be sticking to lemonade..

To start we had Bacon Cheese fries – these were surprisingly delicious. Loads of cheese and bacon, plenty of seasoned fries – they didn't last long.

DH had a Bacon Cheese Burger & fries and two draft beers, DS1 & I had sirloin steak sandwich & fries and a coke. DS2 decided he didn't want anything to eat – he'd prefer some chicken nuggets from Burger King, so he just had a coke. Steak was top notch – juicy and thick and tasty. Food and service was good. Cost - $85.43 plus tip. Pricey for what we got but what we were expecting for an airport restaurant.

DS2 got some chicken nuggets from Burger King – photo courtesy of Google - $5.32

On the plane, we got the obligatory Sour Cream n Chive pretzels (does anyone actually eat these – they tasted like socks). DH had a Tiger beer, I had a bottle of wine.

We were given the menu - we had a choice of Chicken Malvani or Pulled Pork. I had ordered a kids meal for DS2 a couple of weeks before we travelled.

Kids meal came around shortly afterwards – cheesy pasta, breadsticks with hummus, cucumber, celery, carrot and cheese sticks. There was also a little bread roll, a bottle of water and a key lime pie. DS2 didn't eat a thing (apart from the Pringles he was munching on), so I ate the hummus and vegetables. Very nice if you have a child with a varied appetite (we don't).

Adults meals arrived about 15 minutes later. DH had Chicken Malvani, the tray also came with a bread roll, cheese, butter and crackers, a little bottle of water and a key lime pie. He said the meal looked awful but the rice and chicken were really good. DS1 and I had the Pulled Pork with mashed potato. This was actually gross. Neither of us ate it. It looked and tasted awful. The tray also came with a bread roll, cheese, butter and crackers, a little bottle of water and a key lime pie. The cheese and crackers were lovely though, and the key lime pie was nice, but nothing spectacular.

About an hour and a half before landing, breakfast was served. (Kids and adults breakfast was the same). We got a warm cheese croissant, a cereal bar and a blueberry yoghurt. All served with tea or coffee. None of us felt like eating, so we didn't bother. I had a cup of tea.

Total food spends today - $98.91 excluding tips
Overall food spends - £36.26 & $1,484.79


Manchester Airport - waiting for connection to Dublin

After landing in Manchester we headed to The Grain Loft in Terminal 1 for some breakfast to tide us over until our connecting flight home. We had an Ultimate Breakfast (me) with toast (2 rashers, 2 sausages, 2 eggs, beans, tater tot things and tomato). DS2 was going to have my sausages. Toast was extra, by the way. DH had a Traditional Breakfast (1 sausage, 1 egg, 1 bacon, beans and potato things) and also a side of toast. DS1 had an Ultimate Breakfast sandwich – bacon, sausage and scrambled egg in a sandwich. We also had two teas, an orange juice and a glass of milk. Total cost - £43.35. It was hot, tasty and quick. Good spot. Bit dark but plenty of tables at 6.30 in the morning.

Lastly, while trying to keep ourselves awake (we had a 4.5 hour layover), we had two coffees from Starbucks – one americano, one mocha – cost £6.55.

Total food spends today - £51.90 excluding tip

Total food spends for the whole holiday: - £88.16 & $1,484.79 excluding tips.