March 2008

Tuesday 18^th/ Wednesday 19^th March 2008

We left Kidwelly around 12pm and stopped for lunch at Cribbs Causeway. We then drove straight to Gatwick and checked our luggage in at the twilight check-in. We’d never tried it before because we normally leave Kidwelly too late and we couldn’t believe the difference it made. We had a leisurely Burger King at Gatwick before making the short drive to the Oakhurst Bed and Breakfast where we had booked for the night. We can’t recommend this place highly enough. The room was clean and bright and the breakfast was excellent. As soon as Jon had finished serving our breakfast he jumped into the minibus and drove us over to the South Terminal. Not having luggage to worry about at this stage is great and the twilight check-in is something we will always try and aim for. We will probably try out the Downtown Disney check-in when we leave even though there is a charge of $10 per person for this. 

The flight was very comfortable and the children were very well behaved. Nia coped very well with everything and although we left Gatwich an hour late we still arrived at MCO on time. It always puzzles us how they do that – the flight took exactly 8 hours from take-off to landing while last February it took 9 hours.

Immigration at MCO was a piece of cake this time – we were seated at the front of the plane so we were near the front of the queue for immigration. We did get a ticking off because they found an apple in Rhidian’s hand-luggage. We tried to explain that we thought one of the children had eaten it but they still made a note of it.

Unfortunately one of the suitcases and buggy didn’t appear so Rhid went to sort out the car while Nic waited – the missing items eventually arrived and we had a very easy journey over to the villa. We called in Publix as usual and also ordered a take-out pizza. The villa looked clean and bright and it was very exciting to arrive.

Thursday 20^th March

We (Rhid, Nic, Joseff and Nia) were up at 3am this morning! We watched CBeebies on the brilliant sling-box which lets us watch Sky on the laptop over the internet. We did doze for a few hours and finally got up about 5am. We don’t have Flextickets this time and because we didn’t want to start our Disney passes yet (they expire 14 days after first use) we decided to visit Universal Studios and buy day tickets. We got there about 9.15 am and managed to walk on to E.T. straight away with no queuing.  The woman there was peeved with us because we made up names for ourselves again. Rhid was Bill, Daniel was Huey (“as in the duck?!”), Joseff was JayJay and Nia was Susan. After E.T. we went over to Men in Black for two rides using the Baby Switch. This was Joseff’s first time and he was quite nervous at first. He later decided that he did like the ride. The big disappointment in Universal was that the Simpson’s ride hadn’t opened yet. We thought it was a bit of a cheek to open the gift shop before opening the ride so we didn’t go in there on principle. I suppose that’s something to look forward to next year. We then went over to Jaws but Joseff was too scared this time. He managed Jimmy Neutron though after quite a long time queuing – the crowds were beginning to pile in now and the sun also came out after an overcast start (it rained a lot overnight).

We then had lunch at the Finnigan’s Bar and Grill which we all enjoyed very much. We timed it for the Blues Brother’s show which added to the experience. After lunch Daniel and Sara went on the Woody Woodpecker roller-coaster (not Daniel’s favourite it must be said) and Rhid and Nic took Joseff and Nia to the Barney show. Nia wasn’t quite so frightened this time but still cried towards the end. It was all getting a bit much for her and she soon fell asleep. Rhid, Dan and Sara went to the Fear Factor attraction because we had always missed it before. We really enjoyed it and Sara’s face when two volunteers from the audience had to drink blended spiders, sour milk and mud was a picture! Dan and Rhid then went on to Revenge of the Mummy (a big hit again) and used the single rider queue which is a brilliant idea. Sara then joined Rhid and Nic for Beetlejuice which is quite entertaining. That was enough for the first day and we left about 6pm. We enjoyed our first swim and Rhid and Nic had a Chinese from our favourite Chinese (China 1).

Friday 21^st March

Nic wasn’t well today and spent the day in bed. We had a rest day planned anyway and the rest of us enjoyed the pool for most of the morning. For lunch Rhid took Dan, Sara and Joseff to Denny’s – the 192 was packed and we had to wait for a table. After lunch we played crazy golf at the Bonanza course on the 192 – it may not be as good as Pirate’s Cove but we really enjoyed it all the same. It was nice to play crazy golf without pushing a buggy around, although Joseff kept tearing off after his ball down steep slopes and around water features. We went swimming again and Dan and Sara had a subway. We relaxed in the villa for the evening and planned our first Disney visit of the holiday – Magic Kingdom tomorrow.

Saturday 22^nd March

The jet lag still means that we were up around 5am (apart from Daniel). We made it to the Magic Kingdom by 8.30am feeling pleased with ourselves for getting there before the opening time, only to find that the park had already opened at 8am because of Easter! This was Joseff and Nia’s morning so we went straight over to Fantasyland. The crowds hadn’t started to build up and we rushed from one ride to the next with very little queuing. We managed to fit in Tea Cups, Dumbo, Snow White, Carousel, It’s a Small World, Philarmagic, Winne the Pooh and Peter Pan and it was still only 11.20am! We always miss out Dumbo because the crowds are ridiculous for such a tame ride, but it was nice to fit it in for the younger two and they really enjoyed their morning. We had lunch in Joseff’s favourite – Cosmic Rays and the bad jokes always make us laugh (“my girlfriend has nearly perfect vision; 20:20:20:20:20:19”). We had finished Fantasyland in a morning and decided to attack Tomorrowland next, leaving Frontierland and Adventureland for another day. We thoroughly enjoyed the new Monster’s Inc Laugh floor, all feeling relieved at not being picked out to be the butt ofeverybody else’s jokes. Buzz Lightyear Spin was a hit as usual and we then had three goes on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority to relax. It’s the only ride we can think of that doesn’t demand anything from you. Carousel of Progress was next and the annoying song was stuck in our heads for the rest of the day – Rhid was fast asleep by the end along with the man next to him. We then spent an hour in Toontown which was very busy by now. It gets too congested here because it’s quite small and we were glad to jump on the train and do a lap of the park. Rhid really enjoyed the Hall of Presidents with Dan, Sara and Jo (it was Nic’s turn to carry Nia out kicking and screaming).  Haunted Mansion was next – we enjoyed it but it was very crowded and they let far too many people in at the same time making it quite uncomfortable with the younger two. The Fastpasses for Space Mountain were now due and Nic took Dan and Sara while Rhid tried to control Joseff and Nia in the shop – it was raining quite heavily by now. We were glad to get back to the villa and feeling very tired.

Sunday 23^rd March

We had a relaxing morning today and enjoyed the pool and hot-tub. The weather was lovely and by lunch time it was very hot. We didn’t see the point getting to MGM (sorry, Disney’s Hollywood Studios) until later on so we had a leisurely lunch in our favourite restaurant, Chilis. DHS was busy, especially around the Tower of Terror which a real bottle-neck. We got fastpasses for the Tower of Terror and watched the High School Musical 2 show (Nic thought it was rubbish, Sara gave it an 8.5 out of 10). We were just in time for Playhouse Disney and we were very disappointed to find that the Bear in the Blue House is not a part of the show any more. It wasn’t the same because the children didn’t recognise most of the characters. The Muppets is always a favourite and we enjoyed that before going back to Tower of Terror. This is one of Rhid and Daniel’s favourites out of all the rides in Orlando. Nic took the others to see the Beauty and the Beast show and then we all did Star Tours. We then finished the night off on the Great Movie Ride (as we always seem to do in MGM).

Monday 24^th March

We were a bit slow getting going today. The weather wasn’t great and we didn’t make it to Epcot until 11.30am. It was busier than we’ve ever seen before – you had to queue for ages just to get through the turnstiles. None of us had the appetite for fighting our way through the crowds so we decided to go on the Monorail to Magic Kingdom to see if it was any better. It wasn’t. By now we were all hungry and getting fed up so Sara suggested going over to the Fort Wilderness for lunch which is what we did, taking the boat from the dock. We visited the Trail’s End restaurant again and enjoyed it. The price for adults is $14.99, 3-9s $9.99 and kids under 3 eat free. The food isn’t bad and you can eat as much as you like. We then caught the bus back to Epcot (it’s meant to be for resort guests only but nobody checks). It was still busy and we had a simple plan – we wanted to do Test Track and Soarin; anything else was a bonus. There were no fastpasses left for either so we tried the old babyswitch scam at Test Track. They are more strict on this now – we normally ask for Babyswitch fastpasses and they hand them over without any problem. We then use these as normal fastpasses. Now they want one group to go straight over and queue in the normal queue first so we made up some excuse about sorting the children out and coming straight back. We then joined the fastpass queue and even then the attendant insisted that only 3 could use the Babyswitch fastpass. He said the only way around it was to split up – he did have a change of heart when Sara started to jib about having to join the single rider queue and kindly gave us an extra fastpass. Joseff really enjoyed his first experience of Test Track although he was as white as a sheet by the time the ride had finished. We did exactly the same with Soarin and we really enjoyed that – Joseff again thought it was great and he is getting more confident on the rides now. We then queued for Finding Nemo which is ok and then visited the Turtle Talk with Crush for the first time. This was surprisingly entertaining and made us all laugh. We then went over to Honey I Shrunk the Audience which we all enjoyed and Joseff then insisted on Journey into Imagination with Figment. We called in Champions’s Gate for a Subway and we were all very tired tonight. We have decided to have a day off from theme parks tomorrow and have an early start on Wednesday.

Tuesday 25^th March

We spent a lazy morning in the villa enjoying the Games Room again. This is such a bonus when you have older kids, and the pool table is addictive. We then went for a drive to Lake Buena Vista because we had heard so much about it. We found another Pirate’s Cove there and had a round. We gave Nia a small club and let her walk around with us. She thoroughly enjoyed climbing and kicking her ball into the hole. It made things more difficult for the rest of us though, not to mention the groups behind! After golf (and yet another lunch in Denny’s) we went over to the cinema on International Drive. This is the cinema we visited on our first ever visit to Florida as a family. We barely recognised the place because of all the development around it. We watched ____________ which the children enjoyed and then we called in Walmart on the way home for some essentials.

Wednesday 26^th March

Early start today – we were in the Magic Kingdom before 8.30am which is pretty good going, especially with Nia. We wanted to tackle Adventureland and Frontierland today and we got off to a good start. We did Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain very quickly and it was Joseff’s first time on both, He enjoyed them but I don’t think he’s in a rush to do them again! We then did Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean before stopping for some McDonald’s fries. All we did after lunch was Magic Carpets and Country Bear Jamboree. By now the crowds were unbelievable. We would definitely think twice about coming at Easter again. At times it was unpleasant trying to get from one part of the park to another, especially with the stroller. I think in future we will put up with the heat and come in August. We were glad to get back to the villa and a long swim.

Thursday 27^th March

Today was the best day of the holiday so far. It was another beautiful day and we got to Animal Kingdom not long after 8am and Dan and Rhid rushed off to get Everest fastpasses. We then met up for Kilimanjaro Safari at the best time of day for seeing the animals. We went over to the Finding Nemo show yet and the children (and Nic) were very excited about it. Every time we tried to do it last year the show was cancelled for one reason and another. This time there were no problems and the show didn’t disappoint – it was spectacular, and Joseff in particular thought it was great. Even the older two raved about it as well. It was time for Everest by now and we managed to fit in three rides because of the Babyswitch. Sara plucjed up the courage to try it this time and she was glad that she did. We had an early lunch in Pizzafari and then did It’s Tough to be a Bug which was excellent – Nia was very brave! Nic then took Daniel and Sara to Primeval Whirl while Rhid took Joseff around all the stalls in Dinoland U.S.A. Joseff had a great time and we managed to come away with two dinosaurs as prizes. Nic and Joseff then went on TriceraTop Spin while the rest went to get fastpasses for Dinosaur. Nic got soaked on the Rapids before we returned to Dinosaur. This ride is terrifying – even Daniel looked petrified on the photo! We watched the parade from a shaded spot near Asia and then went straight over to Flights of Fancy; a bird show we had never fitted in before. The children enjoyed this although the hosts of the show were quite annoying. We then finished off with the Lion King show which is a brilliant way to end the day at the Animal Kingdom. We finally left Animal Kingdom after almost a 12 hour day. It was very busy today but I think we are getting used to the crowds and although the park gets congested, we navigated our way around well today and managed to fit everything in. We called in Cracker Barrel on the 192 on the way home (finding a short-cut home from Disney in the process.) Nic had been desperate to try this place out since our first visit and if we didn’t visit on this holiday she threatened never to come to Florida again. This place was great – good atmosphere with plenty of families, so we didn’t worry too much about the kids being noisy. The food was good and it all came to $42 (including dessert and coffee.) We always seem to end up in Denny’s but I think we have found our new favourite restaurant. It was a long day but the most enjoyable day in the parks so far. Lazy morning tomorrow and then maybe Aquatica when the weather warms up.

Friday 28^th March

We got to Aquatica by about 11am amid absolute chaos in the car parks. It was a very busy day and everybody wants to visit Aquatica because it just opened this year. It was very hot by the time we got to the gates and the queues were already very long. You got the feeling that the park and staff weren’t geared up for big crowds and things didn’t get any better once inside. All the lockers, sun loungers and parasols had long gone and we couldn’t find any shade. We ended up dumping our stuff on the path outside the baby changing area. Between everything we considered just going somewhere else but we felt better after half an hour in the kids pool. Joseff and Nia loved the slides and water fountains and we found it difficult to keep up with them as they ran around and around. We then went over to Roa’s Rapids which we thought was a gentle lazy river like the one in Typhoon Lagoon – no chance! The current carries you off at quite a pace and Nic and Sara were glad that they had put lifejackets on. After one lap Rhid, Nic, Sara just managed to make it to the exit with Joseff and Nia, only to see Daniel sailing past. We waited and waited for Daniel and started to get anxious – but Daniel had got off later on, not realising that there were two exits. We finally met up and Rhid and Dan did one more lap of the rapids. Dolphin plunge was the one ride we felt we couldn’t miss in Aquatica so Rhid, Dan and Sara went to join the queue while Nic amused the younger two. There was an 80 minute wait for Dolphin plunge and there was no shade – Dan and Sara were wearing sun-protective clothing but Rhid was going to suffer by the evening! Dan and Rhid were disappointed with the ride – you go down in darkness first and then you fly through the dolphin bit. It all happened so fast and with the spray as well we couldn’t see how you were supposed to see the dolphins. Sara said she saw a dolphin but Rhid and Dan didn’t see a thing. As a slide it’s quite good, but as Dan and Sara said it was no better than the slide in Llanelli leisure centre! In the meantime Joseff and Nia had spent an enjoyable hour in the baby pool playing with the boats. We were all hungry by now and we managed to grab a table to have a sit down in the shade. We felt refreshed after a meal and some shade and we decided to hang around for a while again because we could see the crowds were getting less and the sun wasn’t quite so hot. Rhid, Dan and Sara then went over to the lazy river and did three laps, enjoying the views of the fish and dolphins. We were passing Walkabout Waters on the way back to the others and Joseff and Sara couldn’t resist it. We had a great time here and we went on every slide in turn. Nia was coping with the heat and Nic had finally found a sunlounger by now so Rhid took Dan and Sara to try out some of the other rides. We tried Whanau Way next, expecting a huge queue but most people seemed to have gone home by now and we got three goes with hardly any waiting. Taumata Racer was probable the best of all the slides and we had two goes on this before finishing with HooRoo Run and Walhalla Wave, both excellent. We had a great day in the end and Dan and Sara in particular enjoyed being in a water park again (the last time we visited any of the water parks was on our first visit five years ago). Aquatica has some issues; it’s not fair that people just leave towels on five or six sun loungers all day and only use them for an hour at lunch-time. People were even leaving bags and towels on tables outside the eating areas and expected exclusive access to them all day. People buying food had to carry their trays away from the eating areas to look for shade. There also needs to be more shade around the queuing areas. Apart from the negatives, we enjoyed our day at Aquatica and the children are already asking if we can go back before the end of the holiday. Cracker Barrel again on the way home.

Saturday 29^th March

Another lovely, warm day and we had a lazy morning which was very much needed after yesterday. We enjoyed the pool and the hot-tub and we invented a game for the children where they used the buggy as a Disney transportation boat making stops in Fort Wilderness, Magic Kingdom and the Contemporary Resort. This kept them amused for a while. We then painted eggs for Easter which we were supposed to do last weekend but didn't have time. We had lunch in the villa and made our way over to Sea World. Arriving at 4 o’clock probably isn’t the best idea for Sea World. Even though it’s open late you miss most of the shows. We enjoyed looking at the animals, especially the underwater Dolphin viewing area and then we watched the Clyde and Seamore show. Rhid and Dan then went over to Cracken while Nic took the others over to the kids area. We met up for Shamu rocks which we really enjoyed. The evening show is so much better than the shows during the day. Rhid and Dan then went on Kraken in the dark and then we headed home.

Sunday 30^th March

We decided to go back to MGM today to finish off things off there. We didn’t rush in the morning and had a swim before leaving. We started with the Backlot Tour before watching the Lights, Motors Action stunt show. We then got a good spot to watch the afternoon parade. In the meantime Rhid and Dan booked a table at the 50s Prime Time Diner for later on. The parade was different to what we had seen before – the whole thing stops for about 15 minutes for some sort of show. The children seemed to enjoy it and we had a chat with a family from North Carolina. The husband had visited Cardiff on a tour of the UK when he was at school. Lunch at the Diner was quite an experience. The waitresses treat all the guests as children (“get those elbows off the table”) and ours kept calling Joseff “milk-boy”. Lunch seemed to take an eternity and we missed the first few minutes of the Indiana Jones show. We then fitted in the Voyage of the Little Mermaid and Magic of Disney Animation before Rhid and Dan went to use their Tower of Terror Fastpasses. We also got on the back row of the very last ride of the day of Aerosmith a Rock ‘n Roller Coaster. Nia’s talking seems to have come on in leaps and bounds on this holiday and she shouted Mickey Mouse at the top of her voice whenever she saw his picture.

Monday 31^st March

We decided to try out Blizzard Beach today and had a brilliant day. We got there quite early and the pace was so much slower than Aquatica. We found a lovely shaded spot on the beach near the kids’ area and the lockers, toilets, food places and free refills were just a short walk away.  We couldn’t help making comparisons with Aquatica but I suppose it’s unfair because Aquatica is so new. We’ve driven past Aquatica twice since visiting there and seen closed signs because the park is running at full capacity. The children loved Blizzard Beach and we did more or less everything in the park without too much waiting. We’ve never really thought of ourselves as a water park family but we’re not so sure after today. Once you get over the stressful first half hour while you get things sorted you are set up for an excellent day. Dan and Sara did most of the big rides and had a great time, especially going up to the summit on a cable car while Joseff and Nia loved the kids area. The only thing left at the end of the day was Summit Plummit which attracts most of the queues. Rhid and Dan decided they couldn’t leave without doing it and were petrified by the time they got to the front of the queue. Spurred on by the fact that when friends of ours had visited Blizzard Beach last year, Wyn had been brave enough to go on it, they didn’t chicken out! It’s quite a ride and you can see why they tell you to cross your legs on the way down! Excellent day, and it wasn’t over yet. Outside Blizzard Beach is the Summer Winterland Crazy Golf that Joseff was desperate to try. It was a great laugh and much better than the other Disney crazy golf which we were very disappointed with. It’s a strange feeling listening to Christmas music in the bright sunshine in shorts and T-shirts but the children loved it. We went over to Denny’s on I-Drive afterwards and home to bed feeling tired again.

Tuesday 1^st April

We were in Seaworld early this morning to finish things off. All the way to Sea World Joseff was trying to play April fools tricks on us so it was a relief to arrive! We got in to the first Pets Ahoy show which never disappoints, Nia in particular enjoying it. We had a ride on the Shamu Express roller coaster and we were just in time for the Shamu Believe show – we love seeing Shamu but find the presentation a bit over the top. We sat in the splash zone but the children were disappointed that no water came near us.  Joseff was determined to see Elmo and the Bookaneers (even though it’s awful) so Nic had the pleasure while Rhid took Dan and Sara on Wild Arctic. We bought some supplies of fudge and said farewell to Sea World for 2008. We went straight over to Epcot because we wanted to show Joseff the countries in the World Showcase. We have fond memories of Daniel collecting flags and getting his passport stamped back in 2002 and we wanted Joseff to do the same. Joseff wan’t quite as enthusiastic it must be said – half way round he asked Rhid if this could be possibly put off to another day and he told Nic it was boring! The tiredness was really kicking in by now after a 10 hour theme park day! We all did the ride in Mexico which was quite entertaining and Rhid and Dan enjoyed the 30 minute show in America – well worth doing. We also caught the Flower Power show – the twin sons of Ricky Nelson (originally called The Nelsons) performing some of his well known songs. We finished off with the Beatles and always enjoy their set, although they did seem a little jaded this year (George Harrison just finishing off a yawn as he stepped forward for a lead guitar solo).  It was raining by the time we were leaving and we realised that apart from a few drops on Monday the weather has been perfect on this holiday. The difference in temperature between February and March/April is dramatic and we have all enjoyed the sunshine.

Wednesday 2^nd April

Yet another water park! We decided because we had enjoyed the water parks so much we would fit in Typhoon Lagoon. We had another enjoyable day and the children have enjoyed the water parks as much as the theme parks, if not more. Blizzard Beach is still our favourite but Typhhon Lagoon was good. The highlight for Dan and Sara was snorkelling with the sharks and stingrays which was a good experience. Sara was very nervous but was proud to have done it, we even sneaked in for a second go. What pleased Rhid most was that we hadn’t noticed on the way in that you had to pay $20 per person for each length of the reef! Nobody asked if we had paid so we saved ourselves $120! We did all the rides in the park and Joseff and Nia loved the kids pool and the slides. We finished off with the biggest ice-creams we have ever seen (they were called Garbage Pails and you had a bucket full of ice-cream with a spade to eat it all!) before heading over to Fort Wilderness for the evening. We got on the bus to the Meadow Outpost and spent the evening toasting marshmallows on the campfire listening to the campground songs. The film followed and it was a lovely experience to watch Tarzan under the stars.

August 2007

Friday 10th

It was a comfortable flight but we'll never fly into Miami Airport again. We had to get on a bus to get the car which is no joke with four kids, car seats and all the luggage. We'll never moan about MCO again!

We arrived in Naples at about 9.30pm and the villa was lovely - not quite as good as ours(!), but very nice all the same. We've never seen Sara so tired - she broke her heart once in the villa and wanted to go home! (I don't feel too good Daddy, I don't know what's wrong with me, I think I need to go home!)

Saturday 11th

Up at some ridiculous time so had an early swim. After some sleep we all felt better and Sara decided she was fine to stay on in Florida after all.We did some shopping at Sweetbay where Rhidian discovered Waldorf Salad. He was to consume large volumes of the stuff by the time we left Naples. We didn't find a Sweetbay near our villa in Orlando so we'll have to do some research before next year. We relaxed for a few hours and then spent the evening on the beach in Naples enjoying the beautiful sunset and being bitten to death while talking to a friendly American who was proud of his Irish ancestry. We also went for a walk around the National Park which gave us a taste of the real Florida that we hadn't experienced before.

Sunday 12th

We spent the morning on the beach and had lunch at Perkins. One of the highlights of our holiday was seeing a dolphin swim around Naples pier. The heat was just too much by now so we went back to the villa to relax and enjoy the pool. We went back to the beach later in the afternoon and bought some fishing rods. Rhidian spent most of the time untangling Joseff's line but we enjoyed fishing from the pier even though we didn't catch anything.

Monday 13th

We spent the day in the Everglades today and it was a day we will always remember. We stopped the car on the way down and there was an alligator in the lake no more than 10 yards away from us, just watching our every move. Unfortunately, as soon as we got the camera he disappeared under water. We went for an airboat ride and it has to be said it's nothing like Gentle Ben. It was overpriced and very touristy - the alligator was a fake and Totch's Island was nothing to write home about. We did enjoy speeding through the mangrove trees and pulling up a crab trap. The highlight was holding a real baby alligator at the end. We spent the rest of the day driving around the Evergaldes National Park and enjoyed the scenery. We called in a museum in Everglades City which used to be a Trading Post and Post Office - that was very interesting. Excellent day, real Florida - but we probably won't rush back to the Everglades. We came home via Marco Island and some other interesting towns and Daniel convinced us to have lunch in Wendy's. I didn't think it was possible to lower your standards from McDonalds Llanelli, but Wendy's succeeded (service and food.) By about 10pm we were all speaking to Daniel again.

Tuesday 14th

We went to Tin City today and the shopping there was a little bit over-rated in our opinion. It had plenty of character but there was hardly anybody around so you couldn't really relax being the only family in every shop, especially with Joseff and Nia's track record of breaking things. We went on a boat trip around Naples and although we enjoyed it was disappointing not to see the dolphins. Rhidian and Nicola spotted one from a distance but the children missed it (they were too busy eating their ice creams) although we did see a Manatee. The houses around Naples harbour are amazing - the guesthouses are bigger than most houses in Wales. We had a meal in a Sports Bar in Tin City and enjoyed a game of electronic darts with the children. We spent our last evening in Naples on Vanderbilt Beach with the intention of watching the sunset but soon made a run for it when a typical Florida storm moved in from the sea.

We loved Naples and it's a beautiful place, much more unspoilt that Orlando. We used the pool every day and we will always remember Joseff being soaked by Rhidian with bucketfuls of water but never flinching. The children enjoyed something different but they are ready now for some Theme Park action! We are all really looking forward to seeing our own villa again and the children are excited about staying in their own bedrooms.

Wednesday 15th

We left Naples at 9.30am and enjoyed a leisurly drive up the West Coast. That's the most driving we've done in Florida and it was great. The bridges over vast expanses of sea were good fun to drive over and the excitement never waned. We drove through Sarasota but didn't make it to the beach there because the traffic was so bad. Instead we called in Treasure Island to visit the place Rhidian and Nicola stayed in on their first ever visit to Florida in 1994. The old Satellite Motel was still there and it was nice to re-live the memories. We went for a walk to the beach and found that the waves were much bigger than in Naples so we decided to have a go at body-surfing which we had planned to do in Naples. That was great fun although the big sign warning us about stingrays did frighten us a little. We then headed over to Orlando after a McDonald's drive-through (we were drenched after swimming and a heavy shower with the biggest rain drops we've ever seen.)

Arriving at the villa was really exciting and it was great to see it looking as clean and bright as when we left it in February. We celebrated our arrival in Orlando by having an evening meal in Denny's. The children love Denny's and we couldn't find one in Naples so this was a treat. Unfortunately, Joseff's excitement got the better of him and he managed to be sick all over the table as Rhidian was paying. We made a sharp exit and had to avoid that particular Denny's for the rest of the holiday. Never mind, there's plenty more! That's another restaurant on the list of places to avoid after Joseff's tendency to be sick whenever we eat out - already on the list are McDonalds in Llanelli and Carmarthen and every Pizza Hut within a radius of 30 miles of Kidwelly (oh yes, and the ones in Hammersmith and on Oxford Street in London), the Trail's End Restaurant in Fort Wilderness, the Pizza Planet in MGM and the Crystal Palace in MK.

Thursday 16th

We had lunch in our favourite restaurant - Chilli's in Champions Gate. We then headed over to Islands of Adventure for the rest of the day. It rained at first so we got off to a slow start but we fitted in Hulk, Spider Man (Joseff's first ever go - enjoyed, but too scared for a second ride), Popeye Barges (absolutely soaked and never really dried off), Jurassic Park, Duelling Dragons, Flying Unicorn, the Caro-Seuss-El, If I Ran the Zoo and Cat in the Hat (numerous times, one of Joseff's favourites.) We also watched the stunt show on the lake which was quite good.

Friday 17th

We needed to do some shopping today so went to downtown Orlando for the first time. It's not a bad drive and the skyscrapers are very impressive but the roads did get busy towards the end, the roadworks not helping much. After visiting the shops we discovered by accident the Orlando Science Museum and decided to have a look. We had an excellent afternoon here, well worth a visit. We felt that it was a cross between Techniquest and the Natural History Museum and the children really enjoyed themselves. We learnt a lot about the natural Florida. We then headed back to the villa for a very important occasion - the US premiere of High School Musical 2. This was the highlight of the holiday for Sara because she could tell all her friends that she had seen the film a month before it's shown in the UK!

Saturday 18th

We visited the Premium Outlets today and wondered what all the fuss was about. Sara somehow convinced us to buy a huge High School Musical cushion which will take a whole suitcase when we leave! Rhidian's mood after walking around the shops improved when we found a great cookie shop where we spent an enjoyable half hour. Daniel was a bit disappointed because he thought he would be coming away with bags full of designer sports clothes but we thought the choice for kids was pretty poor. Joseff and Nia had a Woody and Jessie toy to play with so they were quite content to wander around the shops. We then spent a few hours in the Universal Studios and had a good time. Nic took the older two to ET and Rhidian took Joseff and Nia to the Barney show. Unfortunately Nia was petrified of Barney and Rhidian had to carry her out screaming half way through the show. Joseff refused to leave and enjoyed the rest of the show on his own.

Sunday 19th

Today we visited the Fort Wilderness Campground to relive the memories of our first visit to Florida. We had reservations at the Trail's End Restaurant where our friend Ken was still serving tables. It's an American buffet which Rhidian loved becasue he could eat as much as he wanted, especially corn bread, but the kids being picky were unimpressed. We hired speedboats and enjoyed a couple of hours on the lake exploring the Disney waterways. You can take your boats all the way over to the Magic Kingdom and a few of the Disney hotels which we really enjoyed.

Monday 20th

We spent the day in Universal Studios which we have enjoyed a lot more this time with the kids getting older. We took a take-out home with us from the excellent China 1 at Champions Gate - highly recommended and better than the take-away in Kidwelly any day although they didn't have any badly translated hand-written signs on the walls, but then again you can't have it all.

Tuesday 21st

We spent the morning in Downtown Disney and had lunch in Planet Hollywood. We then headed over to SeaWorld for our last Theme Park visit of this holiday, the fireworks at the end being a fitting climax. We then went back to the villa to pack.

This holiday has been completely different to our previous visits to Florida. We didn't pound the theme parks as much this time becuase the children loved the pool so much and not having to travel anywhere to swim. The heat also took some getting used to and we were always concerned that Nia was coping with the heat and wasn't dehydrating, so that obviously slows you down. Nia loved the pool which was great - she was splashing around in just her arm bands with no fear at all. Not visiting Disney did feel strange although the visits to Fort Wilderness and Downtown Disney meant that the youngest got to see Mickey anyway. Can't wait for our next visit which will probably be Easter 2008.

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February 2005

This is the diary of our visit to Florida in 2005 when we stayed in the Disney Fort Wilderness Campground. This was Joseff's first visit.

Fri 11th Feb 2005

Just like the last time jet lag meant we were all up and about ridiculously early. Today was always going to be Joseff's day and we headed for the Magic Kingdom and Fantasyland. We took the car and it's a waste of time because you end up on the Monorail anyway. We managed to fit in a lot today and left Frontierland out for another day. Here are the rides in order:-

Peter Pan, Snow White, Carousel, Philarmagic (new, excellent), Winnie the Pooh, Tea Cups, Stich's Great Escape (not that great), Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain (Sara's first go, very brave!), Barnstormer Goofy's Rollercoaster, Minnie's Country House, Walt Disney Railroad, Donald's boat play area, Jungle Cruise. Not bad for the first day!

Sat 12th Feb

After a lazy morning and some unpacking we finally got to the Magic Kingdom by about 3pm (it was open until 11pm). We got there by boat after a slight mishap (we got on the wrong boat which took us to the Contemparary resort and back to Fort Wilderness!) It was very busy and Splash Mountain was closed when we arrived. We got FastPasses for Thunder Mountain and went in the hall of presidents for the first time - very good. We then headed off to the Haunted Mansion and enjoyed it. After that we went on Thunder Mountain and discovered a useful scam - the baby switch. You just present Joseff at the gate and get an extra FastPass which can be used by up to three people! Splash Mountain was working by now and while Rhidian, Daniel and Sara got wet Nicola and Joseff enjoyed the Country Bear Jamboree. Nicola, Daniel and Sara then finished off the day with PhilharMagic -3D- it was very cold by now. We had food today in Pecos Bill. In two days we've more or less covered Magic Kingdom. In fact we don't want to go back there for a while!

Sun 13th Feb

After church (!) we visited MGM and really enjoyed our day. We started with PlayHouse Disney and Joseff loved it. We went straight over to the Little Mermaid show. Daniel and Rhidian did Tower of Terror (very scary but brilliant) and then Rock 'n' Roller coaster while Sara, Nicola and Joseff watched the Beauty and the Beast show (excellent). We then all went to the Indiana Jones show and then over to the Backlot Tour. We watched Muppets in 3D and then Rhidian, Daniel and Sara finished off with Sounds Dangerous (waste of time really).Very good day - we can't believe how quickly it went. Plan for MGM next time - we want to watch Fantasmic so we'll get there early enough for Millionaire (4:05 or 5:10) and then fit in the Great Movie Ride (remember the voiceover game in Sounds Dangerous). Joseff would enjoy PlayHouse Disney again.

Mon 14th Feb

We made it to Islandsof Adventure 5 minutes before opening Rhidian and Daniel did Hulk straight away (twice) -brilliant.We all did the Spider Man ride making use of the baby swap facility.We all agree  that  it's probebly the best ride we've ever been on for cleverness.Nicola,Daniel and Sara went on Storm Force Accelatron and then Daniel, Sara and Rhidian got soaked on Dudley Do Ripsaw Falls (best log flume we've ever been on). We all had a go on Pteranadon Flyers, which wasn't as tame as the leaflets made out, and then Daniel and Rhidian gave Duelling Dragons a go. It's scary and fast but we were glad to have given it a go (although we wouldn't rush back!) We then arrived in Seuss Landing which was excellent. This was great for Sara and Joseff in particular - The Cat in the Hat, One fish two fish, and carro -SEUSS -ell were great rides for them and meeting the characters was exciting. We then headed back to Jurrasic Park River Adventure because we had Express tickets (no point because there wasn't any queue anyway). That's a really good ride although Rhidian and Daniel found that sitting in the front isn't the best idea! To finish off, Nic, Sara, and Joseff enjoyed Seuss Landing again and in particular the If I Ran a Zoo play area while Dan and Rhid had two goes on Hulk and SpiderMan with very little queuing.

Islands of Adventure didn't disappoint - it really is a great theme park although not quite as vast and daunting as we thought. The Express tickets didn't work for us - it means a lot of doubling back on yourself and they are definitely not as good as FastPasses. The Baby Swap system works much better than in Disney though, because there's a room to sit down and wait and a short cut back for those on the ride. We'll be going back to IOA hopefully and you would be hard pressed to find better rides than Hulk and SpiderMan.

P.S. We also did Poseidon's Fury which was OK.

P.P.S. City Walk looks very good, probably better than DownTown Disney.

Tuesday 15th

The plan for today was to rest in the morning and head over to MGM to watch the Fantasmic show.We managed to fit all these in before getting into the Fantasmic show-Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,Great Movie Ride,Muppets,Playhouse Disney and Tower Of Terror.The Fantasmic show was brilliant but it's a long night when you arive 1and a half hours before it starts. It's worth it though. We took a little tour around the campground this morning to have a nose at the amazing camper-vans they have here and we managed to get some washing done.

Wed 15th

What a day! We wanted to get to Universal Studios out of the way this week to know what's worth going back for. We followed the Brit's Guide advice and got there at 9am and worked anti-clockwise around the park starting with Back to the Future to avoid the crowds. The plan worked brilliantly because we had done a lot of the big attractions before stopping for lunch. Back to the Future was just okay - a simulator ride which is nothing to get too excited about. Men in Black is much better - a shooting game similar to Buzz Lightyear Spin - definately worth going back for. Jaws was next and it's excellent although a bit scary - Joseff didn't seem to mind and called it the Fish Ride for the rest of the day. Earthquake was good - set in a New York tube station. Rhid and Daniel went on the Revenge of the Mummy next - a good ride, although Daniel was scared! It's a roller-coaster with some very good effects. We headed over to Twister next which we thought was the best attraction of the morning - excellent. We had lunch in Finnegan's Bar and Grill and it was nice to have some proper food for a change, especially with the Blues Brothers show going on just outside the door. Shrek 4-D came next which the children enjoyed and then Rhid, Dan and Sara did Terminator 2 - very good and Daniel in particular enjoyed it. The Animal Planet Live show was excellent and Joseff loved it but his favourite came next - a Day in the Park with Barney. He's desperate to go again! Rhid and Daniel headed over to the Blues Brothers show while Nic, Sara and Jo enjoyed the Woody Woodpecker Kidzone. We finished the day off with the Woody Woodpecker Nuthouse Coaster and ET whcih was great. You had to give your names and after a while searching for Rhidian we had to settle for Rob! Universal Studios was a lot. Here are the rides in order: Back to the Future, Men in Black, Jaws, Earthquake, Revenge of the Mummy, Twister, Shrek, Jimmy Neutron,Ternimator 2, Animal Planet Live, Day in The Park With Barney, Blues Brothers, Woody Wood Pecker Nut House Coster, ET and Curious George Playground.

 That would be enough entertainment for some familys-but not us! We headed straight over to MGM for the Extra magic night-an extra 3 hours opening after closing time for Disney Guests only.We had food in the ABC then somehow managed to do the following- Star Tours, Muppets, Tower Of Terror(Nicola and Sara's first go they loved it) and Great Movie Ride to finish-We were nearly sleeping! It was 10.15 when we walked out of the Movie Ride- Rest tomorrow! that was our last visit to MGM we think Josef was sad to say bye bye to Mickeys hat.

Thurs 17th

Neadless to say that we were tired today and only made it to Epcot in time for lunch at 1o'clock.Even then we didn't have much energy for queing or planning our way around Future World.To be honest if it wasn't for Test Track we could probably give Future World a miss altogether.Rhidian and Sara went on Test Track eventually where Sara made a new friend(from London) and kindly gave one of her Disney badges.Rhidian and Daniel then went on Test Track-we are agreed that it is a brilliant ride that's by for the best in Epcot.There lies the problem-it is in a victim of it's own success in a Thme Park devoid of any thrill rides.The queing is terrible-even in fastpas we had to wait quite a long time and at 12pm the next available FP was 4.05-5.05.We then saw the Honey I shrunk the audience show which really is excellent. There are now loads of 3D shows in Disney and Universal but they really do work! We then did Journey into Imagination with Figment which is the most boring ride ever.

We then headed over to World Showcase feeling a bit tired, jaded and theme park over-indulged. The World showcase soon changed that - the atmosphere after dark was great and we were lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time for two live music shows! Off kilter were great and Joseff insisted on getting out of his buggy for a dance, and we also enjoyed British Invasion doing Beatles (and other) numbers. The fireworks were just as good as we remembered and we then went back to Future World to make use of he Extra Magic Hours (1am!). Unfortunately Test Track was closed so we tried Mission Space instead. If I'd have read up on this attraction first I would never have gone on it - it is the frst ever ride to provide sick bags and that's all that needs to be said! Very clever though, the G-Force was very realistic (far too realistic for me!)

We finished off with spaceship Earth and left Epcot shortly before 11pm. Too late really, we need a rest day tomorrow. We have a FP left for Test Track but apart from that I think that's it for Epcot.

Fri 18th

No theme parks today - lazy morning, lunch in Denny's then shopping in Florida Mall. Oh, and Crazy Golf in Pirate's Cove.

Sat 19th

We got up early today and headed over to the Animal Kingdom to make use of the Extra Magic Hour. We got there about 8.10am which is pretty good. We got Kilimanjaro Safaris out of the way first and we really enjoyed seeing the animals, especially Joseff. It's tough to be a bug is (yet another) brilliant 3-D show and from there we all had a go on the Kali River Rapids - Rhid got off the worst. We just missed the Festival of the Lion King but made it for the next showing - excellent. Primeval Whirl is a new ride and is pretty good - Sara was very disappointed to be a couple of cms too short. Dinosaur was next and Nic and Sara went first - very brave. It's a pretty frightening ride but very good. While waiting for the parade Nic took Dan and Sara to see Bugs again. Tarzan Rocks was the finale to our day (it was cancelled the first time we tried). We left about 5.30pm which sounds early (it was open until 8pm) but it was quite a long day. Animal Kingdom is a lovely place but it does get terribly crowded. Nice day though. 

Sun 20th

Two days in one really - we arrived at Seaworld at 9:30am and ended up in the Priority Parking opposite the main entrance (wrong turn!). It was very very busy and quite unpleasant at times later in the day. According to the Brit's Guide, Sunday is a busy day in Seaworld anyway but it's President's Day tomorrow and judging by the traffic on the I4 last night (mainly headed for Kissimee) a lot of people are here for the weekend. It's another thing to consider when planning future holidays, although it's practically impossible to juggle school, VAT, quiet times in Disney etc etc. Anyway, we love Seaworld but not when it's this crowded.

We started with the Clyde and Seamore show which is absolutely brilliant - the stadium was packed. We then headed for the Penguin Encounter which is good and then Rhid and Daniel enjoyed Kraken twice (stopping for half a minute at the top on the 2nd go was not our idea of fun though). Joseff enjoyed the alligators and manatees before we headed off for the Shamu show - couldn't even get seats in a huge stadium (had to stand up for most of the show). We decided to go back for the next show and Daniel and Sara went in the Splash Zone! We then spent some time in the Dolphin Cove which is great, but it wasn't feeding time and there were queues of people waiting to buy food 50 minutes before the shop opened.

The heat and the crowds then got to us and we decided to get out of there, but we managed to fit in the Odyssey show which we thought was just OK. We then called for a pizza on I - Drive to plan our evening. We decided to go home, change into warmer clothes and head over to the Magic Kingdom which was open till 12am. It was busy but most of the crowds were lining up for the parade so the ride queueing was as good as it gets. We managed to fit in the following :- Magic Carpets (x2), Swiss Family Treehouse, Enchanted Tiki Room, Jungle Cruise (not the same when the guide is from Hong Kong!), Pirates of the Caribbean (the open sea scene with the ship is brilliant), PhilharMagic, Winnie the Pooh, Buzz Lightyear and Carousel of Progress. Amazing when you consider we also managed to fit in the Fireworks (Wishes) and the SpectroMagic Parade (excellent).

We were getting off the Carousel of Progress at 12:10am and we got in shortly after 1:00am! That's a long day. Joseff will remember it - we were watching the stingrays glide past in Seaworld, then something resembling a shoe floated past. It was Joseff's in fact - he had thrown it in. Not content with just feeding the stingrays, later Joseff threw his shoe in the water while we were waiting for the boat to the MK. To cap this off, someone stole his blanket while we were on Pirates of the Caribbean!

Quite a day, but tomorrow will be different. We've hired a golf cart for 4 days and we are turning the pace down a bit for the rest of the holiday - still fitting in mornings/evenings in the parks. We'd like a few hours in SeaWorld again, a visit to a water park and at least a few hours in Universal/IOA. We also want to hire a boat and play crazy golf once more. We are planning a character lunch for the last day.

Mon 21st

Today was the first day that we didn't visit any theme parks. We enjoyed 36 holes of golf at Pirates Cove which was enjoyable but stressful with Joseff. We sorted out a golf cart for the rest of the week and generally took things a little slower.

Tue 22nd

Back to normal! We had some unfinished business in SeaWorld so we headed straight there this morning. We timed it perfectly for Dolphin feeding time and it's a great experience being so close to so many dolphins. Nicola was in a good position with the camcorder so we look forward to seeing that. We then headed over to Wild Arctic (Rhid and Jo on foot, the rest by air) and really enjoyed half an hour with the Polar Bears, walruses and the Balugan Whales. We were then just in time for Pets Ahoy and loved it. Joseff couldn't contain his excitement and it was great to see him enjoy something so much. We then had a leasurly lunch in Denny's before heading over to IOA for the rest of the day. We managed to fit in the following:-

Hulk, The Cat in the Hat, If I Ran the Zoo, Votage of Sinbad Show, Duelling Dragons (Ice this time), Flying Unicorns, Hurassic Park River Adventure. We finished off on Spiderman but missed Hulk by a couple of minutes.

Wed 23rd

If Sunday was two days in one, today was three days in one! We headed over to Universal but the crowds were ten times worse than last week. Nic, Sara and Jo visited Lucy a Tribute while Rhid and Dan went over to IOA and Hulk. The queues were terrible so we so we grabbed fastpasses and crossed over to Universal Studios. By 12 o'clock Rhid and Dan hadn't done 1 ride! Nic and Sara did ET with Joseff and after a leasurly lunch we got on Jaws and Twister without any hassle. Nic and Sara took Joseff to see Barney while Rhid and Dan went back to Hulk. Nic, Dan and Sara went on Back to the Future. Dan and Sara finished off on the Woody Woodpecker Coater. Not the most productive visit to Universal - the lesson is - get to the parks early, even before they open. That's easier said than done with Joseff, especially in the second week when tiredness is kicking in. Glad to leave Universal in the end because of the crowds. Went back to Fort Wilderness and straight over to magic Kingdom (Rhid, Dan and Sara) and ebcause of a heave shower the place was emptying. The normal closing time was 12am but we had 3 extra magic hours! After food we practically had the place to ourselves. We managed to fit in all these rides as well as having a great seat for the MK fireworks:-

Country Bear Jamboree, Magic Carpets (twice), Jungle River Cruise, Pirates of the Carribean, Haunted Mansion, Philarmagic, Cinderella's Caroussel, Mad Tea Party, Stich's Great Escape, Buzz Lightyear, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, Space Mountain, Indy Speedway (Daniel struggled to reach the pedals!), Snow White, Peter Pan and Thunher Mountain. We got in at 3am! 16 rides in one night is not bad although we were shattered.

Thurs 24th

No theme parks!

Very slow start - Rhidian, Daniel and Sara were paying for last night and didn't get up until 10:30! We went for a swim and hired a speedboat - brilliant, and Sara loved it this time. We had food in the Trail's End, where there was an all - you - care - to eat buffet. We relaxed for the rest of the day and tonight went over to the campground. We watched a film under the stars enjoying a take-away pizza - Emporer's New Groove - a great way to spend our penultimate evening - life doesn't get any better!

Fri 25th (Last Day!)

Disappointinly it rained for most of the day. We can't complain with the weather though - it's been absolutely perfect. Today was just like being in Wales - warm but wet, dark and dismal! We went over to Epcot and got there by about 9am for breakfast. Sara really enjoyed the Princesses breakfast and we were lucky to get a place because of a late cancellation. Rhid, Dan and Jo did the Universe of Energy which was quite good and then we all had two goes each on Test Track. That's it for Epcot in 2005. We got on the Monorail and Rhid, Dan, Sara and Jo rode up front with the driver. In the MK we had lunch with Winnie the Pooh and Friends which was great fun - Joseff loved it thankfully, because you never know at this age. We had no apetite for queing by this stage, especially with the rain pouring down so we used our Fast Passes for Peter Pan and headed over to the Fort Wilderness to pack. We visited the Meadow Trading Post one last time and our hearts were a little heavy - we fought the temptation to buy everything in the shop as souvenirs. We hope to be back soon and hope it won't be another 3 years. Whether we'll be ready next February, we don't know but one thing we are sure of is that we need 2 weeks a year away from the business - it's only time we really switch off and feel that we've had a complete break from everything. It's been great and we will remember this holiday for ever - just like the first time we visited. We looked forward so much to this holiday and there was no anti-climax - we did things differently this time - pushing ourselves, even with Joseff in tow! We've had less relaxation time and will probably take longer to recover. The Universal Parks added a lot to the holiday but it's a lot extra to fit in when you do Disney and Universal. There have been stressful moments - I definately don't want to be responsible for camcorder, camera, room key, dollars, traveller's cheques, Disney tickets, Universal tickets, airline tickets, park guides, times guides etc for a long time! The extra two days on the holiday made a big difference and we will try and do that in future.

Now for the flight home....!