Wednesday 30th August

Today was a day everyone had been looking forward to. We had been watching the weather and he moved this trip as today was predicted the best weather with zero chance of rain.

It's a fair drive to Clearwater so we packed up the car and headed off around 8.45am. It took about 95 minutes to complete the journey with 58 miles being on the I4 before we skirted the outskirts of Tampa. It's fair to say the sun was out in force and we found all day parking and headed for the beach.

We chose a cabana, made ourselves at home and headed for the sea. What can I say other than it is a really beautiful place. There is a real charm about it. Aside from a trip to McDonalds for a quick lunch we spent the day on the beach, mainly in the water floating over the waves. We had taken a couple of inflatables and these certainly help... A pink flamingo and a candy topped doughnut, in case you were wondering.

We left the beach around 6.30 and after browsing a few shops grabbed something to eat before we set off on the trip home.

We were back at the villa just after 9 after a brilliant day at the beach.

Tuesday 29th August

So it's going to be a quick post - we headed back to Universal Studios for the morning. Had lunch at Simpsons before donning ponchos and heading to Osland of Adventure.

We didn't stay too long as the sun had come out and everyone was tired and wanted to Splash in the pool so we headed for the villa.

Shame was that the weather had changed by the time we made the short journey home. Oh well...

We headed to Disney Springs for tea and plumped for Planet Hollywood. This has changed significantly since we were last there. The refurb is fab - shame the same can't be said about the food... We sent all four meals back and the replacements weren't much better!

We mooched round the shops taking in the atmosphere before leaving around 11 to head home.

Monday 28th August

Today we returned to Epcot, we had a couple of Fast passes booked - Soarin' and Mission Space. Usually you can't get FPsfor Soarin' and the queue is so long we don't tend to queue. It was good - it has recently been refurbished- but compared to AKs Flight of Passage, it is not in the same league. Mrs J joined us for Mission Space which was a bonus.

So then it was straight to World Showcase, after we had purchased ponchos - yes, the weather was that good. Our dinner reservation was at Via Napoli at 2.25pm. We visited a few of the World expos and then headed to Italy for our lunch.

We went for the half meter pizza to share - you should have seen a pic on journi - it was fab :)

We then wandered round the remaining Worlds, grabbing a quick snack in China, before standing in the rain to watch Illuminations. Glad to have seen it, but the weather could have been kinder.

After the show we headed for home and were back at the villa by 10.

Sunday 27th August

Not quite sure how this happened but after a long discussion we decided to tackle 3 parks in one day culminating in the Happily Ever After show and fireworks at Magic Kingdom.

We weren't out very early as the weather was awful but eventually we donned the ponchos and headed out. First up was Hollywood Studios where we rode the Tower of Terror and Aerosmith twice. Mrs J joined us on the tower - a really big step as she has refused to ride it since we have been back to Orlando with the girls. Despite being very quiet the first time, she came off the ride beaming before announcing that she wanted to do it again. We were happy to oblige...

We then exited the park and headed for Animal Kingdom. We were on a mission to do Flight of Passage again (apologies for the confusion- I have been calling this Flight of Pandora...) The wait time was 2 hours and proved fairly accurate. We were lucky as the weather turned as we were queuing inside- so some luck there...

We then left the park and headed for the Magic Kingdom. We had managed to snag a few fast passes and headed off to do them - Winne the Pooh and Space Mountain. We managed a fair few other rides before heading to the castle to watch the fireworks.

Splash Mountain closes for refurbishment today so we went for our last ride on this attraction this year - in the dark... The girls then rode Thunder Mountain before the park closed and we joined the masses four our trip back to the car.

It wasn't too bad as we were back in the villa in just over an hour at 11. Shows what you can do in a day! That is likely to be our last trip to these parks as our tickets run out and we have other things planned - but as you know plans can change and often do...

Saturday 26th August

Today was the day for one of my birthday gifts from earlier in the year. A trip to the Kennedy Space Center. To say I have been looking forward to this is an understatement... It was about an hour and a half drive from the villa. We had hoped to get there for opening but it wasn't to be, arriving at about 9.45, but having said that, none of the attractions started until 9.30 so that was fine.

What can I say about the day, other than WOW... what an experience. Just being there and walking in the footsteps of all those great pioneers. Taken back to a time watching the early shuttle launches and the preparations - all that history...

The day rushed past so quickly - we managed to do everything except the talk by the astronaut timings and the weather jinxed this but we managed to meet him, shake his hand and get an autographed picture. His name is Charles 'Sam' Gemar and travelled on the space shuttle on 3 missions STS-38, 48, 62.

The tour around the spaceport was fantastic seeing where the space shuttles were launched from, together with the changes NASA and SpaceX are making for the next set of missions.

I took more photos on this one day than on the holiday so far...

KSC closes at 6 and we were there pretty much up until the end. The drive back was a bit of a challenge as the weather had got a lot worse with the wipers on the max and speeds reduced due to visibility and the weather, but we made good time anyway stopping off at Manny's Chop House for something to eat, around 8.30. It was very busy and we needed to wait for a table - everyone seems to eat a lot later over here...

A word about the roads - we visited 6 till pay stations each way so needed to have plenty of change on us. Other than that driving is OK - there are still idiots in cars wherever you go...

Friday 26th August

with the weather not being great we decided to go shopping - this time to Mall at Milennia. Not so much shopping as it is very high end and not an outlet. Having said that bargains can still be found, if you keep your eyes out.

It's a lovely mall to browse round and has the single best incentive for going there - The Cheesecake Factory. You can have a full meal there, but we always just go for the cheesecake. All the choices are gorgeous but very filling and rather rich - but so worth it.

By the time we had finished our cheesecake it was only 1.30pm, and The Florida Mall was only 4 miles away, so we headed there.

According to all the web sites this is the outlet that the locals go to, so we decided to take a look. There wasn't a great difference aside from a larger number of budget shops.

Again one big plus for this location was that it had a Carlo's Bakery. If that doesn't mean anything to you then you haven't seen Cake Boss and need to check it out.

We all purchased something, Mrs J went for Strawberry Cheesecake- yes I know... Miss B and Miss H went for cupcakes and I had a Cannoli.

After a bit more browsing we headed home, however the traffic was a nightmare and added 45 minutes to our return journey. After arriving home and chilling for a bit we headed out to Pizza Hut for tea. Drama ensued when our waiter (who was the manager) disappeared as the girlfriend of the head chef had been in an accident as she brought him to work. Both escaped unhurt but the car was totalled. That would explain the flashing lights outside then...

The rest of the evening was uneventful and we got back to the villa around 10pm.

Thursday 24th August

we headed back to Universal today, but it was the turn of Islands of Adventure. Miss B and Miss H started with the Hulk, before we all rode Spider-Man, a great ride. It was scorching hot today and we had taken ponchos as we were all going to take on the water rides. Miss B decided to go sans poncho, a very brave decision.

First up was Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges. All of these rides pretty much guarantee you a drenching, but depending on where you sit, you can come off considerably worse. Miss H and I escaped pretty much but Mrs J and Miss B were soaked.

Next up was Dudley Do-Rights Ripsaw Falls and we all got soaked. My downfall was due to my good wife who grabbed my poncho to cover her legs which left my shorts uncovered. Not happy...

Finally on our trio of water rides was Jurassic Park River Adventure, which really surprised us. In the past we had been absolutely soaked riding this, but this time - nothing. Not that it mattered as we were soaked anyway.

But we had successfully completed the water rides...

We had a late lunch - chicken tenders and chips - far too much but we eat it all as we didn't want it to go to waste...

We had purchased the 1 day refill cup. You pay up front and then can refill it as many times as you like for that day. There is one constraint - you have to wait 10 minutes between visits. There are over 100 different drink combinations and we started working our way through them.

King Kong was next up. It was a 60 minute wait and wouldn't queue that long again but think it has a single rider queue, so we shall see.

We headed into Hogwarts next. We had discussed a game plan and put it into action. As anyone who has ridden this attraction will know, the lockers are a nightmare. So we had decided to ride in pairs as single riders whilst the other pair held on to our belongings. Miss H and I walked straight to the end of the single rider queue and straight onto the ride. What a result - we were back within 10 minutes of leaving. We swapped over and the same result. Why wait 80 minutes when you can walk straight on. The girls rode this once more, and guess what - same result. Whilst they were on the ride the heavens opened - what a downpour but it soon passed and the sun came out again.

A few more rides and we decided to call it a day. It was 6.30pm and we needed to go food shopping and fill up the car at the petrol station. We visited a few shops - some of which are new to me - Ulta Beauty and we ended up at Dollar Tree. You guessed it - like Poundland but everything is a dollar.

Sitting watching Impractical Jokers while I type this. Another fab but very tiring day.

Wher Are The Pictures?

So, the more observant of you will have noticed that the blog is bereft of pictures. This is down to a technical hitch and as a result I have created a Journi site and uploaded the pictures there. If you want the link you will need to email us your email address and I will send you an invite. Thanks...

Wednesday 23rd August

So with fast passes booked there was no chance of a lie in, so we headed to Hollywood Studios for our rides. First up was Aerosmith- we weee on within 15 minutes so we rode it again as single riders and the wait time was about the same.

We decided to sneak in a Tower of Terror before our next FP - the standby time was 40 minutes, but didn't seem to drag as we had wifi and plenty of battery life. We rejoined Mrs J and headed off to Star  Tours - and no, we weren't wearing our ears today.

We stopped at the Backlot restaurant for a quick takeaway- chicken nuggets and fries before it was time for our last FP - an oldie but a goldie - Indiana Jones. Still a great show, even when you know what's coming.

So we decided to switch parks and head for the Magic Kingdom. This time we travelled by boat from the transportation centre. It was very quiet and very relaxed compared to first thing in the morning.

We headed straight for Jungle Cruise as we had abandoned this ride waiting for it to reopen on our last visit. Wait time was fairly accurate at 40 minutes. After a quick stop for a Dole Whip we had to hot step it over to Buzz Lightyear for an additional Fast Pass. Good job as the standby time was 75 minutes.

We were queuing for the Raceway when lightning stopped play and was joined by rain and thunder. We chose an indoor ride to queue for and decided on the Haunted Mansion, which had a 40 minute wait time, but was under cover, for when the heavens opened.

After the ride we headed off to grab a drink and decided to call it a day. It was 7.30pm by this point and everyone was shattered. It's not always the heat that gets you as even when the sun goes in, it is the humidity that gets you.

On the way home we stopped off at Chick-Fil-A for a quick bite and were back at the villa before 9.

Sitting in the lounge watching baseball whilst I type this blog, feeling very weary. So goodnight all.

Tuesday 22nd August

With the Comcast engineer arriving in the morning, we had arranged with the management company that looks after the villa, that they would be here. Comcast were due to phone them before they arrived. You can guess what happened- they arrived at 8am so we had to hang around whilst he sorted out the issue. Turns out it was a problem with the cable, so he had to link up a new one. Someone will be round to bury the cable within the next week. We now have TV and wifi, finally... Will certainly make life easier.

The impact of hanging around meant we had missed or first Fast Pass, so we decided to amend our plans. Instead of heading to Animal Kingdom, we headed back to the outlets at International Drive. The girls had some more shopping they wanted to do, popping back to Victoria's Secret for one.

Last time we were there, the majority of food outlets were closed but this time Five Guys was up and running. A mighty fine burger - one of the best. If you have not had one you are seriously missing out!

Before we left the outlets we popped into the Disney store for some Mickey ears. We had planned to create matching t-shirts but they didn't progress as planned so when we saw the ears...

So we headed back to the car and set off for Animal Kingdom. First up was Flight of Pandora, probably my second favourite ride after Tower of Terror. The standby time was showing as 115 mins but actually that was an understatement- it took over 2 hrs 35 mins but everyone was happy when they came off the ride so suspect we will be back before we finish.

Next up was Primeval Whirl followed by Dinosaur - both had minimal standby lines so we're both very quick. We then had a Martin first - a sunset safari - which was fab. Saw a lot more animals - both cheetahs and three lions. Don't normally see these during the day.

So it was quite late by the time we left AK and we stopped at Friday on the way home - they seem to have dropped the TGI bit over here. It was a bit late at 9 to eat but everyone was hungry. We made it back to the shop on site before it closed to grab some milk before turning in quite late for us.

Monday 21st August

Today was our first visit to a water park and we had chosen Typhoon Lagoon, probably our favourite water park. Having said that we haven't been to Volcano Bay yet. Keeping an eye on the latest trip reports as it is experiencing some teething issues - google it if you want to know more. We were up early and changed and waiting at rope drop. The lockers are now all digital now, so no queuing for keys and having to carry them with you - plus anyone in your party can access them if needed.

It was a scorcher of a day and some of us got burnt, despite layering on the sun cream. It wasn't overly busy and we spent about 3 hours there. Only the need for food stopped play.

We then headed the short drive to Disney Springs. Two years ago this was a building site with narrow walkways surrounded by boards. Wow - what a difference- all the areas linked in one huge open space. Stunning... We had lunch at the Earl of Sandwich before wandering around all the shops, pausing to have a sit down at Starbucks, for a coffee.

We then headed home for a lounge in the pool. A great way to unwind after a long day. Tea was at the villa using up some of our left overs from the previous days.

With no TV and wifi, it was lights out around 10.30. The Comcast guy is due tomorrow...

Sunday 20th August

So today was a double header in terms of parks. First up was Epcot, with our first Fast Pass being test track. We had time to do a few rides before this and did have a look at Soarin' but the wait time was 80 minutes. Miss B and Miss H aren't fans so decided to hold out for our Fast Pass later in the holiday.

We did visit World of Coke or whatever the actual name is to try beverages from around the world and ended up with everyone having to drink Beverley. Those who have been will know... I'm sure lots of people like it but it is a bit bitter for us!

We went for some character photos before switching parks. We managed to get our photos with Mickey, Minnie and Goofy. Result...

After a family vote on how to get to Hollywood Studios, the vote was to drive so we hopped back to the car and did the small drive to HS.

Managed to do all the favourites- Star Tours, Aerosmith and the Tower of Terror despite not having fast passes. Also managed the Magic of Walt Disney.

The weather whilst fine became overcast so after a long day headed home. We had planned a quick stop at Chick Fil A but had forgotten that it closes on a Sunday. Isn't it always the way? You only remember when you are outside... We popped our nose in Pollo Tropico but decided to plump for Panda Express for a Chinese.

TV and Wifi update - we don't have any...

Saturday 19th August

so it was neither Disney or Universal today, nor the Space Centre or Clearwater - so that could only mean one thing... The first of our shopping trips...

We arrived at Premium Outlets International Drive just after 9.30, 30 minutes before the stores opened. By the time we got to the Customer Services desk to collect our coupon book, there was only 15 mins to wait until 10.

So having learnt my lesson from previous years, I decided on a different approach and we decided to go our separate ways and meet up at 1pm.

By 1pm the girls had managed to visit 4 shops in 3 hours...

Lunch was disappointing and good at the same time. Disappointing as due to an electrical issue the majority of restaurants in the food court were closed. Miss H missed out on a Five Guys. The others went for a Subway whilst I tried something new - Panera. Think Posh Subway - haven't been to Earl of Sandwich to compare. Maybe another first for this holiday?

So at 1.45 we went our separate ways again, agreeing to meet up again at 5pm. Shortly before 5 I got a message that they were running late and to meet at Bath and Body Works. So that was the final shop before we headed home with our haul. 

I thought I had picked up the bargain of the day - a pair of Under Armour trainers for $14, but was beaten by Miss H with a Victoria's Secret phone cover, which was free. She won on a technicality as they didn't ring it through on the till...

Took us a bit longer to get home due to the traffic and making a mistake with the directions which meant we needed to do a loop.

The girls jumped into the pool when we got home before Miss H joined me on a trip to Super Target to get something for tea. It was getting late on a Saturday night and we suspected that everywhere local would be busy, so grabbed fresh pizza to cook.

Wifi and tele update - we have none still. Haven't heard any update so will chase tomorrow. It's starting to become a real pain and if it isn't going to get sorted soon will need to think about plan B.

So just typing this up after a late tea.

Friday 18th August

So everyone was awake and up early. Not sure how long this will last for...

Today it was the turn of Universal and after a quick discussion, we decided on Universal. The traffic wasn't too bad and it took us around 30 minutes to get there and park.

Haven't mentioned it before on this holiday but security has really stepped up a level. You now have to go through airport style detectors now to get in the parks. So this adds a bit of time but I'm not complaining about that if it keeps us safe.

First up was Despicable Me, which was a really slow queue and no where near the advertised wait time, but in fairness all the other rides we rode were very quick.

For example, on The Mummy we were able to walk straight up to the front of the line and were all on within 5 mins.

The new Jimmy Fallon ride was a real surprise. We hadn't read up on it and it was amazing. A race through New York. A must visit destination...

The girls had lunch at the Simpsons. I skipped eating yesterday as I haven't been well. The food was good and the three girls demolished one of the party doughnuts - google it...

After lunch we pretty much completed every ride at the park and rode some repeats. Single rider definitely paid off - otherwise we would only have achieved a fraction of what we did.

We left the park about 6pm and popped into the Toothsome Chocolate Emporium- again you can google it...

I had a coffee but Miss H and Mrs J indulged. Miss H didn't really like her milkshake but did get to keep the glass. Mrs J chocolate bread and butter pudding was great but very rich, so we took the leftovers home.

After a short browse we headed back to the villa, stopping at Publix on the way - think Waitrose and you will have a good idea.

In terms of the temperature it has been around 95 with a real feel of 106 plus. Very warm but very nice.

The weather had promised thunderstorms but we were spared these until the drive home. The lightning was stunning.

Wifi and tele update - there isn't any...

So everyone turned in early around 10pm, happy but shattered.

Thursday 17th August

So the wifi is still not working. The owner and the management company are on the case so will have to let that play out. Using the wifi at the parks is a bit of a help but is hampering the blog reporting. Also having a problem with photos... need to google that - oh wait we can't...

Anyway will persevere but there will be a bit of a delay...

So today was Magic Kingdom. Everyone is still waking up UK time, but at least are able to go back to sleep. We were all up around 7.45 so got ready to head off to the park.

We had 3 fast passes booked for the morning which are our favourite rides at MK - the Mountains, Thunder, Splash and Space. First up was Thunder, which had a standby time of 80 minutes! With our Fast Pass we were on the ride home in less than 15 minutes. It is very satisfying walking past a huge queue. Having said that it works both ways...

Next up was Splash, but unfortunately they were experiencing technical problems so Disney let us know and said they would honour the Fast Pass as and when the ride was fixed.

So we headed for Space Mountain, not one of my faves but I am in the minority there.

We did a few more rides and headed for Starlight Cafe for lunch. It's a bit of a tradition- yes I know we have a lot of them, but it's unanimous that we were going there.

After lunch was test track, a ride that sends shivers through me at just the thought of it. This year it was my turn to be driven round by Miss H, who treated the drive as if we were in bumper cars - purely for the effect I hasten to add. Hard to believe she will be driving shortly...

So we did a few more rides and headed back to Splash, where the Standby queue was over 80 minutes and headed for the Fast Pass queue. As we queued they advised they were experiencing technical difficulties again and that the wait time for Standby users would increase. Note, no mention re Fast Passes. 

I suspect that the ride was overrun with everyone returning who had missed out on their Fast Pass as the queue was ushered through very quickly, passing by hundreds of Standby riders. Doesn't always work in your favour but when it does...

Late afternoon the thunderstorms stopped play for around 40 minutes after we had visited the Pirates of the Caribbean.

So we took advantage of the break in the weather to head back to the car.

Driving home a warning light for the engine came on so we headed home to call Alamo. This was about 6.45pm. They advised that there was a replacement car at the MK Alamo, but we needed to be there by 8pm. So we headed off to MK for the second time. 

They swapped the car very quickly. Will need to check my credit card as the receptionist asked whether it had a full tank of petrol...

We were back at the villa by 8 to pick up the girls and grab some tea. Didn't want to go too far so headed to Outback.

Another fab, but tiring day and everyone is in bed before 10, so with no tele or internet, I am writing this blog.

Having said that I have spoken to the owner twice and Comcast and it seems like it may get sorted tomorrow... Fingers crossed.

First Full Day

So the usual tradition for our first day is usually Hollywood Studios, however we have started with Magic Kingdom previously.

This year we went for something different and decided to start with Animal Kingdom. We had set the alarm for 8am but were all up and about so decided to head off early. 

Due to the popularity of the Avatar, the park has been opening early to allow people to queue for the rides. We were unable to get Fast Passes for Flights of Pandora so decided to just get in the queue and wait it out.

The queue time was showing as 2hrs 20 mins. It actually took less time so was under 2 hours, but not by much...

It was absolutely fabulous and well worth the wait. If you want to know more about the ride google it, as don't want to give away spoilers.

Suspect we will be doing that ride again before we finish our holiday. As we had started really early it didn't take too much out of the day. We did miss our first Fast Pass which was a character meet and greet, but it was well the right decision.

The world of Avatar is brilliantly brought to life by Disney, exactly what you would expect from them. I have to confess to not being the greatest fan of the film but love the imagery.

Next up was Expedition Everest, a real family favourite, and it didn't disappoint. We all rode on the back cart, which adds a level of excitement. Having used our Fast Pass, we rode again as single riders, which took less than 15 mins to be on the ride again.

We had a lunch reservation at The Rainforest Cafe, which was fab, as always. Due to the popularity, our reservation was at 2pm, so we were all a bit hungry.

Our final Fast Pass was the other ride in Avatar - Rivers of Na'vi. It was showing a wait time of 80 mins, but we were on in around 10 minutes. Not a bad ride,again brilliantly done. It left us all feeling a bit meh. Not sure if we will be back for this one? Only time will tell...

Tea was a home made affair using the leftover pasta from the night before. Exhausted we turned in around 10.30.

Orlando Bound

So the day had finally arrived and our holiday was here. The countdown that had started at over 150 days had ticked down to zero.

So the alarm was set for 4am and we were all up and ready, with the car loaded,and we hit the road at 5.

It was an uneventful drive to the airport. This year we were flying from Heathrow, which is a change from the usual - Gatwick. It's so much neater and therefore reduces the travel time significantly.

The parking was different, in as much as you find a spare bay and leave your car there. When flying from Gatwick we tend to use APH, where you drop off the keys and they move your car around.

Checking in was very quick and in no-time we were through security and gate side.

So time to grab some breakfast and a coffee before boarding commenced.

We were not flying direct, due to cost, so therefore made considerable savings by travelling in-direct. So first up was a flight to Atlanta. Flight left on time and wasn't too bad. Delta had a problem with the in flight entertainment which took a couple of hours to resolve. 

Breakfast choices were a bit bizarre. It was either scrambled egg or Thai chicken curry and this was at 11am...

We arrived in Atlanta more or less on time and cleared immigration, collected our suitcases, re-dropped them off and re-cleared security before heading to the gate.

The flight time to Atlanta is just over an hour so not too bad, after our earlier flight. We were slightly late into Orlando International as there were thunderstorms in the area that we needed to avoid. This affected all flights into the city.

The benefit of an in-direct flight via the States, is that you clear immigration at first point of entry. So our time clearing Orlando airport was very quick.

Having watched a couple of you tube videos took me through the online check in process for Alamo and allowed us to use the kiosk to complete the paperwork.

So 10 minutes later we head off to the car park to collect our car.

This year we chose a Toyota Corolla and within 30 minutes had arrived at the villa. There's a lot to be said for going back somewhere you know. Found our bearings very quickly and not a lot has changed since 2015.

So after dropping off the suitcases and a quick swim we headed off to SuperTarget. We didn't do a big shop but just grabbed a few things we needed.

After that we went to the Olive Garden for something to eat and also to help keep us awake.

We tried valiantly to stay awake but tiredness took a hold so we packed up the remainder of our meal and took it home.

Lights out was a very respectable 10.30pm for a great travel day.

So What's New?

The picture above is of the Epcot Center under construction in early 1982.

So last year we visited the States but decided on a different type of holiday, choosing Clearwater. What a great decision that was, with the family deciding it was the best American holiday to date.

Now that's some accolade. Maybe it was just the right holiday at the right time for all of us? We are all so fond of Clearwater that we are going to go back for a day this year. But hang on that's not new, so what is?

So, to be clear the following are new since our last visit in 2015 or new activities that we will be doing...

King Kong at Islands of Adventure
Kennedy Space Centre
The World of Avatar at Animal Kingdom
Volcano Bay water park
The Amway Centre to see Ed Sheeran

 That's only a fraction of what has changed, but if you want to have a look yourself checked out the link below

http://www.visitorlando.com/blog/index.cfm/2016/8/21/Orlandos-New-and-Upcoming-Attractions-Opening-in-2017/

So, it's Sunday as I finish this blog, and we have started packing, which is a good job as we fly on Tuesday...

Just need to check in tomorrow and we should be done.

To say we are excited would be an understatement... Not long now...

Can You Guess Where We Are Going?

So, it's not a very big secret where we are going on holiday this year, and if you needed a clue, the title of the blog and the picture above is a bit of a giveaway...

Where are we going? Yes, to remove any element of doubt we are off Stateside again to visit one of the fun capitals of the world,  that place is Orlando...

As I type this we are well into our countdown with some 46 days to go and all the organisation is complete. Flights are booked, villa is sorted (just the balance to settle), car hire booked, insurance bought, theme park tickets in hand and the itinerary almost locked down ahead of the fast pass window opening.

This year Mrs M has taken over the itinerary planning for a change and I am quite enjoying someone else leading on this. It takes so much effort and planning and you can't keep everyone happy. Think we are on version 9 at the moment... But looking awesome.

This time we are going for 18 days of magical fun and adventures, staying in the same gated community we have been to before - Windsor Palms. It's so convernient, we know where everything is and can easily find our way around. What more do you need?

Oh and it has a private pool and a hot tub - just perfect for cooling down after a busy day at the parks.

We could all do with a break so this holiday can't come soon enough for us. Excitement levels rising!