16/7/11, The End

Don't cry because it's over, Smile because it happened."

Author: Dr. Seuss

15/7/11, Shopping & Magic Kingdom

Shopping day today. No point in taking any spare dollars home now. Spent the day at the outlets on Vineland Avenue. We were only meant to spend a couple of hours there, but it took up most of the day. Got David a funky car-stroller so he wasn't complaining too much.

Home for some pool time only to find that the air conditioning had packed in. The villa is now boiling. Tried to contact the management company but no luck. Found a large fan in the garage to help try and cool the place down. We could be in for a very uncomfortable night.

Out to Magic Kingdom tonight for the last time. Went to watch the electrical night time parade. This was fabulous. David entertained the waiting crowd with his hula hoop skills.

These hoops are provided by Disney cast members to keep kids entertained as they wait. We then made our way up to the front of the castle for the final time. We saw the "Magic, Memories and You projection show". We had no idea this was happening. We were just waiting for the fireworks at 10pm, when this great show started. It was amazing. This was followed by the 'Wishes'  firework display.

Brilliant way to end our holiday. David then wanted to go and ride 'It's a small world" at 10:30pm. Not my idea of a thrill ride, but David really enjoyed it.

We got home to an e-mail from the management company....the air con will be fixed first thing tomorrow morning!  Oh well, here goes....our last sleep before home.... it's gonna be a hot one!

14/7/11, Animal Kingdom 2

Went to Animal Kingdom today to finish anything that we missed on our first visit. Seems like ages ago since we were there last. On entering the park we took David to Dinoland. We then headed for Finding Nemo, the Musical. Lion King, eat your heart out. This performance is fab. It would not be lost in the West End. Then the Heavens opened and the Florida rain descended on us. We hid under our Mickey Macs for about 20 mins.

"Do it like this, Mum!"

Then out came the sunshine, and dried up all the rain. Flights of Wonder was our next stop. The birds here are amazing and put on a great show. David saw a big owl. The man explained that these owls eat deer. David was not happy. He thought that if these large owls eat all the deer that means we won't get any presents from Santa. Rudolph as Owl fodder!!

An American Bald Eagle

The show ended just in time to pick our spot outside Africa for the Jungle Parade. This parade is one of our favourites. Loads of colour and Disney Magic.

High five!

Alison and I then went to ride Expedition Everest. Great coaster with unexpected twists and turns. Great day out!  Home to dip in the pool where David was perfecting his dive.

The 'Dave Dive'

Out to TGI Fridays for tea...

Ding Dong!!

13/7/11, Downtown Disney & Fantasmic

Started the day off in the Golden Corral. Their breakfast Buffet finishes at 11am and then their lunch buffet is served. Great opportunity to have brunch... American style. We arrived at 10:45am and I had my breakfast. Just after 11am I had my lunch. Bacon, eggs, sausages, beans before 11am, followed my chicken and mashed potatoes with gravy. Fab!!

Yummy!

We then headed to Disney Quest and finished  some games that we missed the last time. We were on the River Raft Ride and then went on the Pirate ride. Great fun!

We went to Ridemakerz where David  spent his birthday money on a remote control car (Lightning McQueen). You actually buy all the bits and David builds it in the shop. He wanted the extra wide chrome alloys with the red flames tyres. Great place.

Adding the rims!!

The car that David built

We strolled through Pleasure Island and David spent some time in the Lego Imagination Center. Did some shopping in a Disney store, ate some ice cream and then headed for home. Spent an hour in the pool. Tried to stay out of the burning sun after yesterday. After tea we headed out to Hollywood Studios to watch Fantasmic. We love this show, but poor David was a little traumatised by the villains chasing Mickey. He left crying..."Daddy, don't ever take me here again!" We met a nice American couple sitting behind us who were taken by David. Big guy kept calling him 'Doode'. Gave David a dollar for his next vacation to America. Bring it on!!

Fantasmic

12/7/11, Clearwater

Relaxing day spent in Clearwater. It took about an hour and a half to get there from our villa in Orlando. We found a perfect parking place and a great spot on the beach. The beach is absolutely stunning with wonderful white sand. The beach is fed by the warm waters of the Gulf and swimming in it is a pleasure. I do not exaggerate when I say it is like sitting in the bath. I have never felt anything like it. Could have stayed in it all day.

David spent most of the afternoon crashing into the warm waves.

 

Look at me!

OOOPS!

Got it!!

It was very hot and on our return to the villa we realised that we were all rather red. Alison looks like the pepperoni on her pizza. Talking about the pizza, we stopped in dominoes on the 192 on the way home. Their menu and the taste of their pizzas are nowhere near as good as at home.

11/7/11, Hollywood Studios 2

Another busy, fun packed day today. We headed out early to Hollywood Studios.

This was our second visit here, and again it was busy and very hot! We went, first of all, to see Voyage of The Little Mermaid. Nice musical show in a very cool theater. I then went onto Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. This must have the best start to any thrill ride on the planet. After the countdown your car takes off and reaches 60mph in 2.8 seconds. We then went to see Journey into Narnia. Disappointing is an understatement. I thought that I had been in the usual Disney holding pen before the actual show....no! It WAS the show. After some lunch in the shade we headed for the Indiana Jones Stunt show. Fab!

We went from here to watch the Pixar Parade where the pre-show involved David entertaining the crowd by shaking his 'tail feathers'.

Shake these tail feathers!!

We then went to see Beauty and the Beast, before heading for the Studio Backlot Tour. We finished the day in Toy Story Mania. This was fun, but I don't understand how it sells all it's fast passes by 12 noon and constantly has queues of over an hour. A very busy day. We will probably head to Clearwater tomorrow.

Tower of Terror!

10/7/11, David's fifth birthday

What a great day we had today celebrating David's birthday. We set off for the Magic Kingdom and picked up his official birthday badge. We then had a meet with Mickey and Minnie and both signed David's birthday card.

Mickey and Minnie meet the Nicolsons

We then got a ride on Thunder Mountain. David just loves this ride. We met Donald Duck and Goofy and then went to watch the Bears' Jamboree. After this David got a ride on a Carrousel.

This was followed by a magical lunch inside Cinderella's castle at her Royal Table.This was absolutely brilliant. I thought it might have been a typical Disney buffet, like we had at Mickey's barbecue. This would have been no bad thing. Not a chance. All through the meal I was referred to as a 'Lord'. David and family met Cinderella before we received the official Royal invitation to our table.

Look into my eyes

After seating us inside we were given the most fabulous menu. After I made my request for their fabulous 'pork three ways' the waiter replied "As you wish my Lord". Could get use to this! Alison was always spoken to as 'Princess' and Dave as 'Young Prince'. It was fine dining of the highest quality....until I knocked a whole glass of Sprite across the rich carpet!

Sleeping Beauty

David never managed to finish his pizza, so being Dad, I helped. The waiter approached our table..."Pillaging My Lord?" During our meal David met with Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Belle and Ariel, the Little Mermaid.

Snow White

David was brought a special birthday cake for his dessert. The waiter lit the candle and started singing happy birthday at the table. He had to stop because David had blown out the candle before he finished the first word...hilarious.

Blow

After the meal we went to see Monsters Inc laughing floor. This was real fun as the monsters interacted with the audience. David wanted to ride Pirates of the Caribbean again. Even better the second time round. We finished the day with a splash on Splash Mountain. Throughout the day David was wished happy birthday by so many people. One cast member dressed up as a pirate noticed us in a line and came over to me and said, "On your travels today, could you look out for David? If you see him, could you wish him happy birthday from me?" Then, as he turned around, "David! I never saw you there, buddy. Happy Birthday!" The cast members were fab. We would pass an ice-cream stall and the attendant would shout, "Happy birthday, David". The best was when we left the park and, still in Disney property, stopped for some petrol. Alison and David went in to the petrol station to pay. While they were in some Disney cast members were also buying some petrol on their way home. One of them noticed David's badge and insisted all staff and customers stop to sing "Happy Birthday" to David, right there inside the shop. Only in Disney!

9/7/11, Blizzard Beach & Kissimmee

Hot, hot, hot. 100 degrees here today. Add the humidity and you get an idea of how difficult it is to breathe. We paid a second visit today to Blizzard Beach. This is a great water park, though David seems to have developed a preference for the huge wave in Typhoon Lagoon. We arrived at 11am and found a nice spot next to the kiddie pool. David is getting very confident in the water and began to practise swimming underneath. He is thrilled that he can hold his breath for 18 seconds. We slid down some water slides and went up Mount Gushmore on the chair lift and came back down on a thrilling family raft ride.

Walking around is a problem as the concrete pavement is so hot. Disney being Disney have tried to combat this by sprinklers hidden in bushes and fence posts that actually soak the pavement.

Stopped off on the way home in Publix. The store on H27 is always nearly empty. It is a totally different shopping experience to Walmart. It is twice as expensive and the staff actually take your shopping to the car for you. Customer service...American style. David has invented his own form of personal entertainment as we travel to and from the parks. He makes up adventure stories where we all need to play a part. I Spy gets a regular run. Yesterday,  David....."I spy with my little eye, something beginning with i"...........Mum and Dad gave up....Davids says, "It's going to rain!"

David went to the MacMillan's villa for some play time while Alison and I headed out on the town. We headed to Downtown Kissimmee for a bite to eat in the Outback Steakhouse. I managed to put away the 20 ounce New York Strip. and their famous Bloomin Onion...

Bloomin Onion

Leave some for me!!!

We then went to see the traditional Sat night car show in the Old Town.

Picked Dave up on the way home and returned to the villa to find that the mad American washing machine had moved across the utility room. The thing weighs a ton!! Weird!!

8/7/11, Shuttle launch & Downtown Disney

Winding down now as we enter our last week. Was meant to go and watch the shuttle launch today on the Space Coast but felt that the chances of a launch were slim due to the weather. I cancelled our Jet Ski expedition, where we were to take two ski's out to a sandy Island near the launch pad. Saved $450. Glad we did because the traffic around the area was horrendous before and after the launch. We spent the morning in the pool at the villa and watched the launch on telly. Just after the Shuttle took off we ran outside. We have a large open area out the back with clear, unobstructed views to the East. Our neighbors were also out. Then we heard someone shout...'there it is'. we  looked, and sure enough we saw the Shuttle as it climbed high in the sky. Great moment!! Then the rain came. Thunder! Lightening. Never heard a noise like it...OK I have, in big D's Church. Really weird hearing the weather man stating that a low pressure is developing from the Bahamas.

Spent some time on Skype talking to the family (little bro says he lost a stone....hmmm!!! dropped an Olag somewhere).

We then headed out to Down Town Disney and enjoyed some time in Disney Quest. David loved it. Playing non stop on five floors of games.

Catch some fish!

Bang it Dad!!

Headed home, stopped in Walmart for some food shopping. Me and Dave then cooked some fajita at the villa.

Cooks

A nice relaxing day. Cooler than it has been all week. Only managed to reach 85 degrees today.  Nice evening. Could jump in the pool at 10pm.

7/7/11, Boggy Creek & Backyard Barbecue

Today was spent on the hunt for Alligators. We took a boat ride on Boggy Creek. David loved the whole experience. The air boat was a little slow in comparison to Dad's RIB. David actually got to hold a real, live Ally

 

We really enjoyed the airboat ride as it sped across the lake. We even saw a real American Bald Eagle

It's windy out here

After Boggy Creek we headed for Celebration and enjoyed a cup of coffee in Starbucks. What a unique town this is. As we were having coffee we could see and hear the clouds rolling in, No doubt about it, it was going to rain...Florida style

Celebration

Headed home with the rain storm chasing us along the 192 and then up H27. We just made it into the villa when the heavens opened. We chilled for a couple of hours and then got ready to head out to dinner. Tonight we went to Mickey's Backyard Barbecue. Do not miss this. I would go as far as to say that this was the highlight of our holiday. Dancing with Mickey, Minnie and Goofy to our favorite Country music. It was fab!!! Though I must admit here that I made a bit of a BOOO...BOOO. After turning up at the gate we realised that we were booked in for next Thursday and not tonight.. Oh dear!! But Disney being Disney they made sure we were OK and let us in regardless. WOW!! We danced all night!!

DAVID GOT A LITTLE DANCE GOING WITH GOOFY

My pals

6/7/11, Seaworld

Spent the day in Seaworld. Not a Disney park but has a couple of very good rides. We headed first of all to see the Shamu show. The show was good and David clapped all the way through. David also got a ride on the Shamu express. He screamed all the way along, just cause everyone else was.

My pal Shamu!

We then wet to watch the Clyde and Seamore show. Just as I remembered it the last time I was here. Hilarious and well put together. We then watched a fantastic dolphin show. This was much better than when I saw it eight years ago. By this point I was a little 'showed out'. I was needing to experience some serious coaster twists. No better way to fulfill that desire than KRAKEN. Great fun, just what I needed. However I hadn't really experienced anything until I went on MANTA...Wow!!  I was a little dissapointed to be in the end car, but now I know this is where you experience the most 'G'. The ride was brilliant!! I have never experienced anything like it. Face first!!!!!

We also bumped into the MacMillan parade. They seemed to be having as much fun as we were, David was glad to get a wee play with Sam....

 A very enjoyable day in Seaworld. Stopped in the Golden Coral on the way home for their evening buffet.

One day I will do it for real!

5/7/11, Islands of Adventure

Spent the whole morning by the pool. This seems to be the way forward with the heat at the moment. David continues to impress with his confidence in the water. Alison went by herself to Walmart to do some shopping and yes the car came back in one piece. Went out at 2pm to watch Cars 2 in the Ciniplex on City Walk. What a great film. Much better than the original. After the film we headed across City Walk to Islands of Adventure. Headed straight for Spiderman and was on the ride within 30 mins.

This has to be one of the best rides out there. I was a little apprehensive for Dave when the ride got going. There are points where 'baddies' jump on the bonnet of the spinning car and then there is the spectacular drop of the multi story building. No need to worry after the drop from which we are all saved by Spiderman, David shouts out 'Thank you Spidey'.  No fear!! After the ride David got his chance to meet his hero....

We then headed up the park and into Toon Lagoon.

We took a ride on Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges. Got absolutely drenched. This ride gives you a soaking like no other. After the ride we managed to change David. We then found these walk in Dryer machines that helped dry you a little.

After something to eat we made our way around the park to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. This is truly an amazing place. The attention to detail is incredible. We used the 'Child Swap' facility on the Forbidden Journey which gave me and Alison the opportunity to ride it. Never again for me!!!!! I can ride the best of coaster again and again. This one had me beat. It wasn't the motion or the speed. It wasn't the fact that you soared and dived from incredible heights. It wasn't even the Dragon that blew fire in your face..it was..it was.... the SPIDERS!!!!!! ARRGHHHHH!!!  Eyes Closed tight. First and last time.

We then took David onto Flight of the Hippogriff. He went on it three times. As the night was drawing to a close I made time for a ride on Dragon Challenge where two coasters actually race each other. Great thrill ride.