Day Five - Typhoon Lagoon / Animal Kingdom

A bit of a long lie as the water parks don't open until 10am.  To get there we had to get the bus to Disney Springs and then change for Typhoon Lagoon.  The transport system is really efficient and this makes getting around really easy.

I have to admit that Typhoon Lagoon is one of my favourite Disney parks. We arrived just before the park opened. The first thing that struck us was the lack of a bag search or the metal detectors that are at the entrance of all the other parks. Normally on entering this water park we get a locker and then head for Katchakiddy Creek. As the kids are too big for this we went to the left hand side of the park. We were able to get some sun beds under cover by Typhoon Tilly's. We always try to get sunbeds or at least a chair undercover as it keeps our towels dry if it starts raining. (This is a real advantage as you may be on the opposite side of the park and it can take some time to get back to your stuff).  We tried to do as many of the slides as we could before the crowds started to build. As we were quite near the newest ride, Miss Adventure Falls, we started there, only a 5 minute wait.  This was a fun slide, but not the best if the day.  We then took the lazy nan river to the other side if the park and did the three slides there.  This was the first time we had done Mayday Falls and were not impressed.  It had ridges across the flow of the water (similar to sleeping policemen or speed bumps) which were very uncomfortable when you went over them. Keelhaul falls was a single rider tube slide which is similar to any number of slides that I have tried, it does however pick up a bit of speed before you exit to the pool at the bottom.  We also did the family slide, Gang Plank Falls.  This is an old favourite.

The boys went to do Kowabunga Falls.  This is a steep slide which drops you down 5 stories.  This was an exhilarating ride, but it can be a bit rough on your back and be prepared for a wedgie. Another slide we had not done before was the Crusher Gusher.  The boys did this slide and with the water jets that propel you up hill, this was our favourite slide of the day.  One good thing was we chose the line for double riders only and in front of us were three single riders.  When they got to the head of the line they were not allowed on the slide.

The girls had had an early lunch.  Once again they could have easily split the meals as the portions are quite generous.

We spent some time in the wave pool.  This is by far my favourite.  I may be getting old, but today these waves seem to be the biggest I have experienced at Typhoon Lagoon.  Every wave was greeted by a cheer.  Top tip - don't take any loose items in to the pool when the waves are on, you will loose them.  After the first wave I found a pair of sun glasses on the floor of the pool and a bandana.  As I went to hand these to a life guard I saw someone looking for a pair of prescription glasses they had lost.

Next was the lazy man river to the ice cream shops.  Family tradition is that we have a bucket of ice cream. (Literally a kids bucket, with spade, filled with ice cream).  At $13, this will do the 5 of us and is one of the few things that we would consider good value at Disney. However, as we have the dining plan, everyone had a different ice cream.

We all had another go on Crusher Gusher after lunch, taking the lazy man river to get around the park.

As we had reservations in Animal Kingdom for dinner we had to leave. We had been there 6 hours and had barely sat down (only for some food).

The transport system didn't let us down and we were soon back at the hotel to have a shower and to get changed.

As we left the hotel the daily thunderstorm started.  Needless to say the accompanying rain is torrential.   We were soaked going from the canopy at the front door to the bus station literally 50 yards away.  The rain was particularly heavy and the bus threw up some spray as it ploughed through some of the large puddles which had formed at the side of the road.  It was just before 6pm and it was like the lights had been switched off.

We arrived at Animal Kingdom and stood under the bus bays waiting for the rain to abate.  As we waited the road looked more like a river and in places rain poured off of the bus shelter like a waterfall.  We were treated to a fantastic display of lightening,  natures own fireworks display. The thunder rumbled on, with the occasional peel which was so loud (and near) that it made us jump.  Ad we waited we saw those who had decided to escape the park by making a run for it to get the bus. They were invariably soaked to the skin.  Even the Disney ponchos seemed to be unable to keep their owners dry. 

Finally the rain started to ease and for the first time the park gate became visible.  The rain was still heavy enough for us to wait a while.  It eased off some more so we went for it.  We were damp by the time we reached the entrance but at least we were not soaked.  We had a fast pass for Dinosaur, one of the few attractions still open. As the park had cleared the wait time for standby was only 10 minutes. Our next fast pass was for Expedition Everest, but this was closed due to the weather.  There were still rumbles of thunder in the area.

We had dinner reservations in the  Rain Forest Cafe, so with not much else to do we headed there.  We had a table at the very back of the restaurant.  Although quite big, it wasn't as noisy as the restaurants in Disney.  The food was good and we had a proper meal.  We had ribs and a rib, shrimp and steak combo as well as a couple of burgers.  This was followed by desert.  The total cost $160, a much cheaper option than the buffets.

One if the kids fell asleep and so we gave our River of Light fast pass a miss and headed back to the hotel and to bed.  We have an early start tomorrow.

Useless sign if the day was in Typhoon Lagoon it was by the side of a walk in pool. It read "0W NIO".  This had me baffled, until I realised I should be read from the other side. It actually read " 0M 0IN".  Two things- 1. Do you really need a sign to tell you that the depth of water is zero and 2. It was designed to be read from outside the pool, but was in a planted area where it could not be accessed from outside of the pool.  

Day Four - The Magic Kingdom

The Magic Kingdom is traditionally the first park we visit, but we have found with the jet lag it is best to take advantage to the early magic hours.

As the Magic Kingdom didn't open until 9am, we had a bit of a long lie. We were there for the park opening.  Following the suggestion given in a guide book we headed straight to the back of the park.  We got to Thunder Mountain and walked straight on.  We immediately went to check out Splash Mountain and there was only 10 minute wait.  This is a good ride to wake you up.  You don't get soaked on the ride but mist often get a good spray in the face and a wet tee shirt.

Pirates of the Caribbean was our first fast pass of the day.  We were a little delayed in getting there due to a wardrobe malfunction.  A knot that wouldn't come out. Pirates is a funny ride in that it inspired the series of movies (they should have stopped after the first).  Now the ride has been updated to reflect the movies.

We had dome time before our next fast pass so went to look in some shops, but we passed the Bear Jamboree.  It is years since we had seen this (the kids haven't seen it before) and after sitting through it we remembered why.

So back to Splash Mountain, well we had just dried off from our first ride.  That got us all damp again, but it is great fun.

We had booked lunch in probably the most popular restaurant in the park, if not the whole of Disney, Be Our Guest. When we checked in there was someone enquiring about dining, but it was fully booked.  Even with reservation we had a bit of a wait before we got into the Beast's castle.  The ordering system is fully automatic.  This caused a problem as we wanted to used our quick service credits for the meal and snack credits for dessert, so we could try the legendary grey stuff.  We ended up paying for desert.  After ordering you find a table in one of three rooms.  We headed to the West Wing.  This area isn't very big and we were lucky to get a table. The food is brought to your table in a very ornate trolley.  Very impressive, but a little Big Brother.  Once again the food was adequate.  In the West Wing you can see the rose and a picture of the prince which turns in to the beast when there is a peel of thunder. If dinning in this room, be warned that a lot of people come in to take photographs.

After lunch we passed the Aerial ride and the wait time was only 10 minutes, so we joined the queue.

As the rain was about to start we made our way to the  area, as there is a large shop their which the kids wanted to look at and it would give us some shelter. It was obviously a common place for people to grab shelter because at the doors were cast members asking everyone to move right into the shop.  The shower didn't last for very long, however one of the kids started to fell unwell and as we left the shop was sick. We asked a cast member if they could give us any medication. They directed us to the first aid point.

On the way to the first aid point, we crossed the road to the left of the castle (looking from main street). It was all set up for the parade, which had just started.  We paused on a bridge, which gave us a really good view if the parade which crossed an adjacent bridge.  Many characters in the parade waved at us as they passed, as we virtually the only ones watching from the bridge.  The mechanical dragon was especially impressive.

The first aid stop was very efficient and we got some medication, for kids, which did the trick.

Our last fast pass of the day was at the seven dwarf ride, by this point in the day the stand by queue was a wait of 3 hours.  To keep the turn over of riders high odd numbered parties were paired so that no seat was unfilled.  As a party of five we had a one of the party riding with a stranger.  However, in one of the paired rows, one if the riders in front didn't pair up as requested.  We reported this as we wanted to stick together.  The cast member sorted this for us.  But the selfish action of this one rider resulted in 6 empty seats going around the ride.  This only adds to the wait time.

After stopping for some water at Electric Rays cafe.  Top tip - many people carry bottled water, which costs $3 in the park.  However, all the quick service restaurants will give guests cups of iced water for free and you don't have to carry a bottle.  There are also numerous water fountains around the parks.

It was starting to look like it was going to rain, thunder and lightening. The foliage on the taller plants and trees became more animated.  We wanted to eat and go before the rain started.

We had booked dinner in the Crystal Palace at 5pm.  This was a character buffet, with Whinny the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eehaw.  Once again with the buffet the food was alright but nothing to write home about.  There was not a great selection, but we didn't go hungry.

After a number of these buffets, it is clear that it pretty much like eating in a canteen and not at all what I expected for table service. I am so glad we had the dining plan for free as I would be really unhappy having paid so much money for such a poor dining experience.  As each one if these have come in at $250 excluding tip (more about this later) I feel it is poor value for money.  Even the characters don't make up for this feeling.

We headed back to the hotel for a bit of a rest and then a dip in the pool.  It was clear that it had rained quite heavily at the hotel, but for once we had missed it.  We didn't get much of a rest as the kids wanted to roast marshmallows.  So down we went at 7:30pm.  The camp fire was off - due to the weather?  The pool was closed, but the life guards were all there tidying up the pool and its surroundings.  I asked and they do this before opening the pool.  We had a little wait but at last we made it into the pool.  The good thing about this time of night was that the pool was quite and the ground didn't burn your feet.

What happens when "The Man" makes the rules?  In this case Disney is "The Man".  I have complained before in this blog that as far as Disney is concerned when you hit 10 years of age you are considered an adult.  This applies to the cost of entry and all "children's" menus are for under 10.  Tonight, reading the pool rules it stated that "Children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult".  Is it me?

Day Three. - Epcot

The alarm woke us at 6:30am as we were heading out to Epcot at 7:30am.  We had breakfast booked at 8:10am in the Anker Haus Restaurant. This was well set up as one of our concerns was getting there on time.  There was someone on the gate to check for breakfast reservations. We were then given priority entry, so were first into the park. We had to go the long way around. We entered via the International Gate, but the World Showcase doesn't open until 11am. We had to go to Norway via the UK, Canada and Mexico.

This was an all you can eat buffet. We had a table in the Tower. This had only four tables, so it was really quite. The arrangement was a little strange as we were directed to the cold food and the hot food would be brought to the table later. For me this is the wrong way round. I like to have hot food and then the cold (as this involves generally sweet offerings).  The selection was not as wide as we had in Hollywood Studios.  The hot food consisted on small sausages, bacon, scrambled eggs and cheese and potato pie.  We asked about vegetarian food and was offered a hash brown, but this was more like a potato rosti. Although not offered we asked for waffles and as a result got some Mickey Waffles with maple syrup. 

The cold food consisted of a selection of fruit, cold meats, cheese, breads and some sweet pastry.  My personal favourite was the iced cinnamon buns.  There was coffee and a good selection of soft drinks. During breakfast our table was visited by a selection of Disney princesses and they had a parade around the tables with all the young princesses having breakfast.  The only downside to the breakfast was that 5 of us were on two small tables only really suitable for 4. It would have been fine for a regular meal, but for a buffet we quickly ran out of space. We had our 5 plates, cups and beakers as well as assorted cutlery and then three plates of cooked food came out and there was no where to put them. At no point did any of the servers consider removing any of the used crockery.

We had a fast pass for later in the day for the new Frozen ride, but our server informed us that it was open and we could get on pretty much straight away.  This we did and freed up a fast pass.

Our next ride was on Mission Earth.  We had a leisurely stroll, going against the tide as the main entrance was now fully open.  Having deviated from our plan we were winging it. We decided to watch the Disney \ Pixar short movies which was part of a festival.  These were excellent. The first was a Mickey Mouse adventure, the second was about a young sand piper and the third about a stray dog that was adopted.

The next stop was the Universe of Energy with Ellen.  This is probably our last visit where this will be here. Unfortunately, tiredness caught up with me and I slept through the ride.

We had time to kill before our next fast pass so spent a little time looking through the shops.  This had the added advantage of us getting out of the heat for  a little while.  We went to meet Mickey, Minnie and Goofy. Lots of pictures with the characters.

Lastly we headed to France to play the Agent P game. These are really clever games based around Perry the platypus from Pheneus and Ferb.  This used to be played on smart phones which were given to players, but now you need to bring your own.  We played on a tablet with Wi-Fi.  There are six adventures to play each based in a different country of the World showcase.

On the way to start the game we took in the O' Canada 360° film show.  We then looked through the shops in the UK, to see what was on offer. I looked at a tartan scarf and was horrified to find in was made in China.

Finally, we arrived in France.  Time for a snack in the excellent patisserie. Then on with the game.  We were given a set of clues and sent to various locations around France. At each one there is some form of interaction. It is really cleverly done and most of the people in the area have no idea of the game going on around them.  We went for a ice cream after successfully completing the mission.  I had the rather unusual cinnamon and apple crumble flavour, delicious.

Back to the hotel for some time by the pool.  Yet again we didn't make it. The thunder and lightening beat us to it.  So we had a short rest and replanned the rest of our day. We left the hotel before the rain stopped.  Destination Disney Springs. On the journey we passed a spot where some work was going on. The rain had been so torrential that it had caused a mini mudslide across the first lane of the road.  On the bus we sat towards the back and discovered a design flaw. There is an escape hatch in the roof of the bus.  With all the heavy rain water was flooding through.  The seat on either side below the hatch had puddles.

At Disney Springs we headed for Blaze Pizza. We all had individual pizzas cooked in 180 seconds. These were very tasty and fast.

Our plan had been to catch a bus directly to Epcot, but this was not an option as they don't go to the parks from Disney Springs. So we returned to our hotel (this gave us the chance to ditch the rain gear) and then onto Epcot.

We arrived just as the fireworks started. These are always amazing no matter how many times you see them.  We walked from the International Gate towards The Land.  Checking the queues on the app showed that times for Soaring had fallen as everyone was watching the fireworks.  The other thing in our advantage was there were Magic hours between 9-11pm for Disney guests.  We had our MagicBands checked to get into the building and then we walked straight onto Soaring. Personally, I have no head for heights, so this is not one of my favourite rides. I asked the cast member for the lowest row and they were happy to oblige.  On the ride I kept my eyes fixed straight ahead and I got through it.  At least I can say that I have done it.

It was getting late so we had a quick snack and took in Figment before heading for the exit. As we arrived a boat pulled up to the jetty and being tired we took the boat back to the hotel.  We would have been much quicker walking.

Day Two - Animal Kingdom

Another the early start as we are heading to Animal kingdom for the extra magical hour. There was quite a queue to get in and it was very not well organised. It was 8:11 am by the time we got in. The plan was to head straight for Pandora for Avatar Flights of Passage.  We got into the line and tried to gauge how long the wait would be. A cast member came past with an "End of Line" sign and announcing that this was the 2 hour wait point. We decided to change plan. We walked back the way we had come. By the end if the line the wait was 4 hours and this was before the official opening time. 

We headed then to the Kali River Rapids.  No queue, but then we were told Asia doesn't open until 9am. So much for this being a special magical hour. We headed for Dinosaur, but found the Expedition Everest ride open and as everyone else was at Pandora, it was dead quite. The sign said 10 minute wait. This was more a 10 minute walk to the ride. It was really great and the kids wanted to do it again, so we did. Then we went back to the Kali River Rapids, which by this time was open. Once again it was a straight on the ride. I always find this ride a gamble as you can come off a little damp or completely soaked. The decider is the fall in the ride. If you end up going down backwards you get soaked. I managed to escape just slightly damp. I wore quick drying clothes so this worked out well. One difference since the last time we were on the ride was that the bag holder in the centre was gone. Luckily I had a dry sac in my bag for the phones and such like. 

It was now time for breakfast. We headed to Starbucks. 

Harambe Village

The Harambe safari was next on our list (fast pass). Once again we had done this several times before. This is one the best times we had done the safari. Often the animals are difficult to see and inactive. Not today, they were all up and about. Even the well hidden leopard waved his tail to make himself easier to spot. 

After the safari we did the gorilla walk.  The kids love this sort of thing especially since there was a trail and badges to collect at different stations. A cast member quizzes them before giving them a badge to put in a booklet. This filled the time until our lunch reservation at the Tusker Restaurant. This was an all you could eat buffet and a major disappointment. The food was adequate but nothing to write home about. We were in a big room which was really noisy. We obviously don't have the kind if appetite to make the most of this kind of thing. Treating our kids (10 years old) as adults is just ridiculous. The total bill was $240. If not on the Dining Plan we would have been horrified by this. In the UK there is a tipping culture, but nothing like in the USA. Our bill suggested a tip of over $40. The waitress had brought us 8 drinks. That was a tip of $5 per drink, more than the cost of the drink.  I would not recommend this restaurant unless you can eat vast quantities or use it to stock up as a number of customers seemed to be doing. Some were ordering drinks and then filled mugs to go.  Cookies seemed to be a popular item to takeaway. 

Lunch over we had some time to wait before our next fast pass kicked in, so in the mean time we took in It's Tough to be a Bug. We also took the chance to get some family photographs with the Tree of Life as a backdrop.

Time then for our next fast pass, so it was back to Pandora, after our false start this morning. This time we were booked into Rivers of Na'vi  The stand by wait was 180 minutes, with the fast pass we were straight on. The ride is a boat trip through Pandora.  It was nothing special and it was always going to be difficult to capture the CGI effects of the movie in a ride. I am so glad we didn't wait 3 hours for the experience.

Last fast pass if the day was Expedition Everest.  We had done this twice but the kids really wanted to go again.

We tried to go on the dinosaur ride but there was a technical problem and the wait was an hour. We just went straight to Everest. 

We were hot, sticky and tired so decided it was a good point to call it a day and head back to the hotel. 

After a short rest it was time to cool off in the pool. We got ready and headed down to the foyer. On leaving the building it was clear that the pool was being cleared. This could only mean one thing and sure enough a few minutes later came the thunder and lightening followed by the rain.

This wasn't a passing shower, it was torrential and kept going for a good couple of hours. We went back to our room to formulate our new plan. We headed to Disney Springs for something to eat. The choice was burgers or pizza. We opted for the burgers in the Deluxe Burger Shack. They were delicious, I had the BBQ Burger. This on its own counted as a quick meal, along with a soft drink. 

There was some evidence of flooding on the route to Disney Springs, which shows how bad the rain was. 

We had a wander around a few of the shops, before heading back to the hotel. 

Bed by 10pm.

Day One - Hollywood Studios

Not too unexpectedly we are awake at around 4:30am. (This equates to 9:30am in the UK). We are due in Hollywood Studios at 8:05am for a character breakfast. Waking early gives us a chance to unpack and organise our luggage. The room, thankfully had plenty of storage for all our stuff.   We had a cup of coffee and watched the Disney channels on the large screen TV.  We were too early to take advantage of the refillable cups as the Market Place did not open until 6:30am.  As the previous day had been long and tiring we freshened up with a shower before getting dressed.  We checked our options for getting to Hollywood Studios and after looking on the Internet for the route decided to walk.  We did have plenty of time.

The Lighthouse at the Yacht Club at daybreak

We left our room at about 7:15am and made our way through the hotel to the back door.  The sun was only just making an appearance on the day.  We made our way around the lake in semi-darkness.  The sun came up behind the Lighthouse and gave a fantastic view in silhouette.  We crossed the bridge, decorated to look like two ships passing and then bore right past the Boardwalk.  We were walking along the banks of the river that lead to Hollywood Studios.  On the opposite bank was the Dolphin Hotel.  This is a huge hotel.  As we walk along the sun is rising and in the river we see numerous fish, some of them quite large.  In the water, terrapins can be seen swimming alongside the fish.  The air is warm, but the day has not yet developed the humidity which make it uncomfortable. We walk under a concrete flyover.  The railing which separated us from the river has disappeared to be replaced by grass edging and reeds on the river bank. A sign appears in the river bank warning of snakes and alligators.  It is the most compelling "Keep off the grass" sign I have ever seen.  On our left is the car park and bus station for Hollywood Studios and on the right is the unmissable sight of the Tower of Terror.

The Tower of Terror

We arrive at the park about quarter of an hour before it is due to open.  We need to clear security, which is now a two stage process.  The first is the bag search, which we were accustomed to (from our 2015 visit), but now there is also a metal detector stage.  This stage is selective in that not everyone has to go through the detector.  This second stage involves passing your bag around the detector, placing all metal objects in trays and then passing through the detector.

Having cleared security, we join a sizeable queue.  Although the park opens at 8am, this is a magic hour and is only available to guests staying at Disney Resorts.  A cast member comes through the queue to check for those booked in for breakfast.  She checks the Magicbands to ensure there is no hold ups and guests can get to the restaurants on time.  Our bands and checked and all is good.

With about 5 minutes to go before the park opens the crowd get to go through the gate where the Magicbands are checked.  The park is still not open and you can only get partially up Hollywood Boulevard before the route is blocked.  The Chinese Thearter stands majestically at the end of the road.  At last the park opens and veer to the left to the Hollywood and Vine restaurant.  As the sun has risen the temperature has as well and not being used to this it is good to sit in the shade outside the restaurant as we wait to be called to our table.  This was an "all you came at buffet", character breakfast.  The characters were all from Disney Junior shows (Doc McStuffins, Jake, Handy Manny, etc.).  The kids have outgrown these programmes, but we're still glad to meet the characters.  We had chosen this breakfast because of the time.  As we were yet to fully adjust to the time, this was equivalent to lunchtime in the UK and we had not had that much to eat the previous day.   The selection for breakfast was very good.  There was a good selection of cooked food; bacon, sausage patties, scrambled eggs, potatoes, etc., there was Mickey waffles, pancakes and various pastries, toast.  There was various cereals (Fruit loops went down well), fruit and lost of other goodies.  The server brought copious amounts of fruit juice, chocolate milk and coffee. Given the amount of food on offer it is no surprise that we all over indulged and felt full when we were finished.  The next stage was the bill.  Receipts needed signing, but I could not really figure out why? as we were on the meal plan.  This had previously been confirmed using the Magicband and the PIN number that we had set. I think the main reason for the bill is for the gratuity (tip).  My thoughts on this could be a blog entry in its own right.  It seems that the tip goes to Disney, being put on our room.

After we left the restaurant we still had some time before the park opened to the public.  We headed towards Star Tours ride. This was the first fast pass of the holiday and we shouldn't have bothered.  The wait time was 10 minutes, which was mostly taken up with the walk from the entrance to the ride.  This is one of the ride I really like. The flight seems so real, yet you barely move.

After finishing the ride we exited to the retail experience of Star Wars memorabilia. This shop is actually quite good fun as there are many different Star Wars hats and ears to try on and this is a great photo opportunity| Once we had our fill of trying the headgear on we left the shop.

We headed next to the 3D Muppet film.  It was still early, so we had the luxury of choosing where we sat in the theatre.  Normally, you have to move all the way to the right and fill all seats, however there was so few people around that we sat in the centre of the row.  When the show finished we left the theatre.  In previous visits you could take a right turn and see Phineas and Ferb, around the corner was Lightening McQueen and then the backlot scenes.  This then led to the arena where the stunt car show took place.  All this area was fenced off.  Our only option was to head to the Muppet shop, but this had not yet opened.

The next stop was the Great Movie Ride (before this is closed as well) but this had just opened as had the park to the general public.  The queue was really long, so we decided to leave this for another day.

Our next fast pass was Toy Story Mania, but we had time to kill.  As we passed the Little Mermaid show was about to begin and there was not much of a queue we went in.  This was a refreshing break from the heat.  Although we had seen these before the kids don't remember them all.

Toy Story Mania is always good fun and is very competitive, as to who can score the highest. 

Rock n' Roll Rollercoaster featuring Aerosmith

Last fast pass of the day was for the Tower of Terror, but as I have no head for heights I went off to the Rock n'  Rollercoaster as a single rider.  I love this kind of rollercoaster as it is pretty dark and you cannot see how high you are so the fear of heights is not a problem.  I also love the acceleration at the start of this rollercoaster, 0 -60 mph in less than 3 seconds.  There are three inversions on the ride, two of which are obvious but I had to concentrate for the third.  I came off the ride with a large grin on my face.  This is my favourite ride in Disney World.

This was enough for our first day as we were still tired from our journey the previous day.  We made our way to the park exit. There was a boat waiting at the jetty and we made our way aboard. We found a seat and settled back for the trip back to the hotel.  The boats travel at a leisurely pace and there was only one stop before ours. 

I left Hollywood Studios feeling a little disappointed. This has never been my favourite park, but at least there was a range of things to do.  At the moment it feels like half a park.  The "coming soon" illustrations for forthcoming Toy Story and Star Wars attractions did not help as I felt that we were missing out on these as well.

Bridge to Broadwalk

Disney Yacht Club Resort

As the boat pulled up to the jetty at the Yacht Club it was clear that there had been a substantial downpour, yet we had seen no rain. As we walk along the walkway it was also obvious that Storm'along Bay, the swimming pool area, was closed. We had returned to go for a turn in the pool.

A slight change of plan.  We loaded up with free refills and headed to our room for a short rest. We waited about half an hour, got our swimming things together and headed for the pool.  The pool was exclusive to guests from the Yacht and Beach Clubs and you needed a Magicband check to gain entry.  An additional wrist band was issued so that you could leave the pool area without having the band check to re-enter.  To refer to this area as "the pool" is doing it a great disservice.  There were actually several pools and this was more of a mini-water park.  There was a shallow pool with a sandy area, a lazy man river (very slow and very deep), two spas, and a large free form pool with a whirl-pool.  There was also a separate smaller pool at the bottom of the water flume.  This was shaped like a shipwrecked galleon.   The pool area can hold up to 1200 people, but was never that busy.  Getting a sun bed was never a problem although choice was limited if you wanted one with some shade.  The water was a lovely temperature and the bottom was covered in sand.  This was quite peculiar and took a bit of getting use to.  As with all Disney pools it was well equipped with kids floatation aids and life guards.  After a while in the pool, the breakfast had worn off and it was time for something to eat.  By the pool is Hurricane Hannah's Grill & Bar.  The bar was constantly busy, but we went to the grill for a quick service meal.  While eating we were visited by the ducks that seem to line in and around the pool.  After eating we spent a little more time in the water before calling it a day. and returning to our room.

In the early evening we went for a walk up to the Epcot International gate.  We wanted an idea if time, as we had an early breakfast booked in a couple of days time.  Most of the party then headed back to the room and to bed. The others went to the Camp Fire activity.  There is a fire pit and you can roast marshmallows. This is all provided free and it is one of the elements that I feel makes staying at a Disney resort worthwhile.  It was interesting to watch the adults advising the kids on how to roast the marshmallows.  There are a number of safety rules which need to be followed, but the one of interest was that if the marshmallow catches fire you blow it out like a candle (rather than wave it about at the end of the roasting stick).  I would have thought there would have been some advice on how to go about roasting the marshmallow, but no.  The adults, most of whom were American, didn't seem to have much of a clue either.  I, misguidedly, thought that this would be a common activity.  Most of the kid were advised to put the marshmallow near a flame.  The end result was a marshmallow on fire and a lump of carbonised marshmallow.  These were all eaten.  The secret to roasting a marshmallow is to place it near some embers (just the same as barbequing).  My daughter had golden brown toasted marshmallows. She was bemused that no-one else seemed to know what to do.  We finished the marshmallows and headed back to the room.

Time for bed and it was only 8:30pm.

Almost ready to depart

With departure day looming large it is finally time to pack, although the kids started 3 days ago.  The bulk of the stuff to be packed is all ready set out.  But it is all the little last minute things, that are likely to trip us up.  Things like clearing the memory cards for the cameras, making sure we have food for the fish and making arrangements for getting the plants in the greenhouse watered.

The plan is to depart for Gatwick when the kids finish school. We hope to get there in time for twilight check in.  A night in an airport hotel.  In the morning a leisurely breakfast and then off to catch the plane with no check in queues to worry about.

Day Eight - Premium Outlets \ Animal Kingdom

Today we escaped Disney for some retail therapy and headed to the Premium Outlet on Vine Road. As the sky was overcast this seemed like a good day to hit the shops.  We got the bus from the hotel to Disney Springs and then a taxi from there to the Premium Outlets.

Upon arrival we headed straight to the Disney Outlet shop.  The offerings here are much cheaper than the parks.  Much of the merchandise is out of date i.e. pins with 2016 on them. There is also products that obviously didn't sell (the store was full of seating pads for sitting on for the wait for parades).  Then there are the end of line items.

We browsed the shops looking for any bargain, but they seem few and far between. Or more to point there is nothing we really need.  In the end we bought a couple on items for our next adventure.  We met up with a friend who was also visiting Orlando and who we will also be seeing in Bermuda in a few weeks time. There are times when it seems like a small world - perhaps Disney was right all along.  I peeled off to a nearby supermarket, while the rest continued shopping.  It is always handy to get some snacks in.

After we all met up again it was time to return to the safe enclosure that is Disney.  It was strange to be using cash and cards after a week of just flashing your Magicband. We did a bit more looking around Disney Springs.  These new shops hold no interest, so we are looking mostly for Disney momentos. The taxi to the Premium Outlet cost $22 and on the way back only $11.  On the way we started from the Cirques de Soliel and headed down and around on to the I4.  On the way back we took the direct route along Hotel Plaza Boulevard.  Both trips were on the meter.

A brief break and a quick change and we are off to Animal Kingdom for a busy night culminating in the Rivers of Light show.  This is a new show for us as it was under construction when we visited last.

Our first ride of the day is our old favourite Expedition Everest.  The standby time is a very reasonable 25 minutes, but we had fast passes. Time for tea, I really wanted to try the flame grill barbeque, but there was no vegetarian option, so we went to Dino Land for burgers.

This worked well as when we exited there was only a 5 minute wait for the Dinosaur ride. We took the chance to do the Primeval Whirl ride.  This is not a particularly high ride, but it is high enough to make me uncomfortable. I have no head for heights.

We then made our way to Pandora for the Flight of Passage ride.  This had been really difficult to get fast passes for.  We arrived, and the first thing is a warning that this not suitable for those with a fear of heights.  I wasn't going to miss this, but if it got too bad I could always close my eyes.  The preamble builds the anticipation nicely, before the ride begins. I won't go into detail, so as not to spoil the experience.  The ride was phenomenal.  It really was an immersive experience. As for the height, well you are firmly fixed to a seat.

I am so glad we did the Pandora rides in the order we did.   The Na'vi river ride was pretty unimpressive and if taken after the Flight of Passage would have been a real anticlimax.

In the store in Pandora the must have item was a toy Banshee, like the one you ride in the Flight of Passage.  These were, pardon the pun, flying of the shelf.  At $65 each not cheap.

Pandora by night is so much better than by day.  As in the movie.  We took the opportunity to get several photographs taken by the Disney photographers.

We had a quick snack and then made our way around Africa and into Asia for the River of Light show.  The feelings on this were mixed. It probably didn't help that it was hot and sticky and by this stage we were all tired.

It was time to head for the bus to the hotel.  The bus was full of young children asleep.

Typically British obsession with the weather.  It was pleasantly warm today and quite overcast. This meant no thunderstorms.  Good weather for the kind of day we had. I hope we see some sun again.