IT`S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE...COCKTAILS, STEAKS AND CAKES..11 JOLLY HOLIDAY NIGHTS @ RPR-DEC 2019

[Vicki Rickerd]

that got old very quickly I`m told......lol.......

I used to think they would understand when they got older, but now I think its just a mom thing. Amazing to think those tiny squished red faces grow into such wonderful young men. Life flies by which makes the time we spend together more important.

two cocktails called Coquinos

Already added this to my list. I think I am just going to spend a whole day at Strongwater drinking.

 

[schumigirl]

I used to think they would understand when they got older, but now I think its just a mom thing. Amazing to think those tiny squished red faces grow into such wonderful young men. Life flies by which makes the time we spend together more important.





Already added this to my list. I think I am just going to spend a whole day at Strongwater drinking.

Yes, I think it is a mum thing.......I just made sure I enjoyed every second with him......they do grow up so quickly and yes, time with them is to be treasured.


I think the coquino cocktail is a seasonal one, but hope they extend it longer as it was beautiful.......

I‘m glad they don’t open till 4pm or I’m sure we’d be in there for lunch too......lol.......love it!!!

 

[Worfiedoodles]

Brilliant first day! What a spectacular arrival, you were all situated before the masses deplaned. I'm loving starting the trip with a drink at Strong Water! Now our son is 21, I think we will definitely head over there to try some of the gorgeous cocktails. That meat platter looked like just the thing to fill your tummies enough to keep moving. I hadn't considered adding our son to the rental car insurance, so you've given me a tip. Of course he'd like to drive, I don't know why I didn't think of it...can't wait for another installment!

Maria

 

[AprilDreamsOfDisney]

We must have had the worst nights sleep ever in the history of bad nights sleep.......I can`t even blame the bed as it was incredibly comfortable and had the best pillows anywhere. We just didn`t sleep.

Oh, that's terrible, Carole! Sleeping poorly before a long day is awful - for me it sometimes turns into a "Toss and turn and know how few hours I have until I have to get up" and then "check the clock and realize I have very few hours until I have to get up and then stress that I'm not sleeping" and then "not sleep because I'm stressing and worrying". Sigh.

it was all very nice and we sat for a while just watching the world and his brother pass us by heading for their flights......it doesn`t look overly busy today, but it`s still busy.....I guess airports don`t have quiet days.

Lol, my family and I wonder this each time we're in an airport - are there any quiet days at airports anymore? We also wonder where on earth everyone is going, especially when it's some ungodly early hour like 4 am on a Tuesday ...

And I`m especially happy Kyle is with us.....I keep looking at him and smiling......that got old very quickly I`m told......lol.......

Awww, I'm sure you get to have as many fawning moments with Kyle as you please! It's a Mother's Right! You must have been overjoyed to have him along. We're so lucky to have children who bring us such joy.

So, I chose to watch two episodes of Chernobyl. Yep, aren't those fun episodes to choose to watch!!!!

I've heard great things about this show - do you recommend it? Is it very difficult to watch, but worth it?

It was lovely......the sun was shining and it was a darn sight warmer than where we had just come from.

Hooray for sunshine and warmth! The frigid temperatures on the day you flew out sounded rather unpleasant (as did the cold walk to the airport entrance!) But, I imagine you were happy with your dress and sandals now! Hooray!

Seeing the tree, the gingerbread village makes us grin from ear to ear......we are home.

How lovely to be surrounded by familiar things and things you love when you're at your home away from home.

Our friend had arranged for the meat selection and a welcome card to be sent when we had checked in

So glad to hear you were welcomed back, as per usual, in such a caring and warm way. But again, you must exude warmth and friendliness! I think people's energy usually comes back to them!

I also had a few giggling at me whipping out my plastic straws...…don`t leave home without them....

Is it all converted to paper straws!? Oh, I detest them. They always dissolve and taste terrible. I have a silicone straw that perhaps I should bring with us in March ...

Climbing in to that comfy bed is bliss.....and we are not sure we even said goodnight to each other.

Sounds like you deserved a wonderful rest after a wonderful day, Carole! So glad you had a comfy bed and restful sleep.

Loving the trip report, Carole!!

 

[schumigirl]

Brilliant first day! What a spectacular arrival, you were all situated before the masses deplaned. I'm loving starting the trip with a drink at Strong Water! Now our son is 21, I think we will definitely head over there to try some of the gorgeous cocktails. That meat platter looked like just the thing to fill your tummies enough to keep moving. I hadn't considered adding our son to the rental car insurance, so you've given me a tip. Of course he'd like to drive, I don't know why I didn't think of it...can't wait for another installment!

Maria

Thanks Maria......

Yes, we were so lucky arriving when we did....I would have hated to have to stand in that line if we had been later!!!!

I think Strong Water will be our new first night tradition, even if we are at RP.......doesn`t take long to walk over, and, yes, I`m sure you`ll love it.....and your son will too I`m sure. Their cocktails are the best!!!

Alamo used to have the wife/husband as the second driver, but now they deem a couple as one driver, so adding Kyle was perfect. And as he doesn`t drink......lol....we had a chauffeur....although technically that never happened. Tom doesn't mind not drinking.

The meat platter was divine!!! The pineapple sweet chilli salsa was gorgeous and I still talk about that....I think I may have eaten most of that!!! Yes, it was warmly received......

I`m so glad you`re enjoying reading along so far......

 

[schumigirl]

Oh, that's terrible, Carole! Sleeping poorly before a long day is awful - for me it sometimes turns into a "Toss and turn and know how few hours I have until I have to get up" and then "check the clock and realize I have very few hours until I have to get up and then stress that I'm not sleeping" and then "not sleep because I'm stressing and worrying". Sigh.


Lol, my family and I wonder this each time we're in an airport - are there any quiet days at airports anymore? We also wonder where on earth everyone is going, especially when it's some ungodly early hour like 4 am on a Tuesday ...


Awww, I'm sure you get to have as many fawning moments with Kyle as you please! It's a Mother's Right! You must have been overjoyed to have him along. We're so lucky to have children who bring us such joy.


I've heard great things about this show - do you recommend it? Is it very difficult to watch, but worth it?


Hooray for sunshine and warmth! The frigid temperatures on the day you flew out sounded rather unpleasant (as did the cold walk to the airport entrance!) But, I imagine you were happy with your dress and sandals now! Hooray!


How lovely to be surrounded by familiar things and things you love when you're at your home away from home.


So glad to hear you were welcomed back, as per usual, in such a caring and warm way. But again, you must exude warmth and friendliness! I think people's energy usually comes back to them!


Is it all converted to paper straws!? Oh, I detest them. They always dissolve and taste terrible. I have a silicone straw that perhaps I should bring with us in March ...


Sounds like you deserved a wonderful rest after a wonderful day, Carole! So glad you had a comfy bed and restful sleep.

Loving the trip report, Carole!!

Thank you so much April.......yes, it`s a vicious circle not sleeping!!! the more you tell yourself you need to sleep, the more awake you become!!

Airports are just alive seemingly 24 hours now! And how good do some people look at 6am!!! I think I`m doing well being showered and hair dried at that time of the day .....but some ladies just look fabulous!

Chernobyl was hard to watch, and frustrating to watch due to what they did as to what they should have done, but it is amazing tv and very accurate. I wasn't sure at first when it came on over in the UK, but I was hooked from the first second, so although it looks depressing, and I guess it is, but it`s incredibly well done.

Yes, paper straws are everywhere......I detest them......with frozen drinks they are hopeless, actually with most drinks they`re rubbish!

It was so lovely being back, and yes, receiving such a warm welcome from so many folks we know so well is fabulous! And boy were we ready for that sleep

Always happy to see your comments April, so glad you`re enjoying this one so far...….

 

[schumigirl]

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 30TH






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We slept so well......no waking up as we were in a strange bed, no noises from around us and when I did wake I realised we had slept till 7am, which was a good 8 hours....more than I usually sleep at home. I felt a little groggy at first, and didn't really want to get up, but I could hear Kyle was already up, so knowing I wouldn't be disturbing him I got up and went through where he was quite bright looking...….he was keen to start the day!!! Tom meanwhile was still sleeping......I have a very loud laugh and we were howling at something Kyle loves to watch on American tv.....the ads for medication.....they are hilarious and he had been looking forward to seeing them again. His tv had gone on first thing so he could catch a few to laugh at........

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Yes, no wonder folks prefer the disease to the medications!!!!!

Fatal Death!!!! That one really cracked us up a few years ago...…is there any other kind!!!!

Tom soon awoke to our howls of laughter and eventually he got up too.......there really is something quite lovely about the first morning of a vacation......and to our delight, the sun was shining and it was warm.....we would have 81F today.

Initially we thought of doing the parks this morning, but decided to get sunscreen and other things first and we would go to the parks later today to do some rides and see the Macy`s Parade......despite it being a Saturday. Usually we avoid Saturdays like the plague, but we just didn`t want to wait any longer, and Kyle of course even more so was desperate to get in and do some rides. He had waited long enough.

Once we were all showered and dressed, we headed upstairs to the Club Lounge where wer had a lovely welcome from several familiar faces and were introduced to a couple of new folks. It is so nice to be here...

And we had a little extra welcome too on one of the tables...

We loved this!!!!! I knew Kayla, the manager had done this for us......she is a star!!!! She had made a Halloween themed one for us in September which was so cute......I`d keep this one too as a souvenir......

Kyle got tucked into his cereal almost immediately......we were still chatting and catching up on news and how everyone was doing......

Breakfast was lovely......they have a whole new selection of pastries and they look so much better than the older ones....they are larger and have a definite flavour to them, you can see the extra fillings and they do appear more attractive. And tasty!

Kayla comes up and it is so good to see her!! We adore her and spending time with her is always a pleasure......and she has done some amazing things with the lounge since she took the position of manager here. But, we had a good old catch up and it just felt so lovely being back, sitting down and just talking.

We did have a lazy morning, we hadn`t planned on doing much, so after we left the lounge we went downstairs to head off to Wal-Mart for some bits but first wanted to stop off to properly see the new grab and go and Orchids during the day........

We all love the way Orchids looks......it is incredibly modern and fresh and we knew the same standard would be in place and couldn`t wait to have an evening here for sushi.

The big tv and the new seating area is particularly pleasing to see....the addition of this works so well, and it seems to be a much more popular area now than it was before.....sometimes during the day you`d see the odd person maybe waiting to leave the hotel, but now it has become a proper area in it`s right to spend some time. It`s nice to see.

The Grab and Go is exactly what RPR has needed for a long time.......Orchids breakfast was always popular, but this will take their offerings to a new level. Similar to Dutch Trading in Sapphire it offers lots of options from breakfast through lunch and dinner. It is so impressive and there are more seats to sit in than I thought there was going to be, ideal for everyone......they have done it beautifully and it is a hit with guests!!

We meant to try some of the food offerings, like the pizza or the sandwiches but we just never got around to it. We always seemed to be doing something else.....

Anytime we passed, it was busy. Very busy, which is lovely to see. I think guest feedback always showed folks wanted a place like this, and it is a brilliant addition to this hotel.

As we came out of the grab and go, we met so many folks we know and chatted away to everyone......and this is one of our favourite things about the hotel......so many know us so well and we love catching up with them too.

We had thought we might do Wal-Mart then go for lunch somewhere, but it was now lunchtime (yes, we had chatted a lot) so Kyle suggested we eat in Jake`s and then go pick up sunscreen and other things we needed. So that sounded like a plan......we all like Jake`s, but first some Christmas tree pictures of course....

I love Christmas trees......all shapes and sizes, all colours of decoration work for me......as long as the tree is green. Not a fan of blue, white, black, silver or even purple trees......I very much like traditional ones...in the home anyway I can see why some stores have coloured trees, especially in the parks. They fit there.

And the trees at both RP and Sapphire are two of my favourites over here in the hotels.....Christmas here is always amazing...….

The gingerbread village is lovely. You can really smell it and everyday at set times, the pastry chefs are working on it, making it larger and adding more detail. They are happy to chat and you can ask them questions about the display. It`s quite impressive the amount of detail that goes into them.

Down to Jake`s Bar, I of course gravitate to the beautiful tree outside both restaurants down here.

I am drawn to trees and although Tom and Kyle love our trees at home, they haven`t got that same fascination for them that I do......Kyle at this point was studying a menu inside the bar......time for lunch...….

Oh I did find a picture of tree that Tom would love!!!!!

I told him, no....we`re not having one...….no!

​

Jake`s was the quietest we had ever seen it for a Saturday lunchtime...it was already after midday, there`s usually at least a few tables filled by now.

Although we had just sat down when folks did start traipsing in......

Jake`s is so familiar.....and we did love the style and design of the bar, and we did wonder how it would be changed and themed when they finally do get around to updating it. I believe Islands is next for the revamp next year and again, there are so many traditionally themed items in there reminiscent of the South Pacific theme, it`s hard to imagine it any other way.

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Kyle immediately orders a non alcoholic strawberry daiquiri....his favourite......we both stuck to strawberry lemonades.

Although I did have my old faithful plastic straw......not the drainpipe paper things they try to get you to use now.

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Strawberry daiquiris and chocolate cake......he`s happy. Oh and Pizza too.....

​

Jake`s pizza is one of Kyle`s favourites…..not as good as Sal`s at PBH according to the expert.......but he loves this one........plain old cheese pizza....

I decided to order, and I`m not sure why, the new chicken sandwich....I should have gone for the burger...…it was alright, but not great. I left off the ranch dressing and asked for a side of honey mustard......the fries however, were amazing.

Tom of course, went for the crawfish chowder......he had dreamed of this since we were last here......it is gorgeous!

The menu has changed slightly for Jake`s. The fish and chips have gone and one of the sandwiches I liked. It feels lacking in something, but still very well executed and there was nothing wrong with my sandwich, it just didn`t suit me.

Once we paid up we headed out to the car, only stopping to chat once.....and into the car where we went to Wal-Mart which is a five minute drive away.

Sunscreen and some goodies for us along with shampoo, conitioner and shower gel were picked up and we headed to Best Buy to put a new bundle in our American phone. Last time we needed a new chip, but she said this time we didn't. So as this was a short trip we put $15 on the phone and then headed back home. It took a while as it was a Saturday afternoon and this area is busy at the best of times......so it took a little longer to get home.

Where we all had a snooze!! Couldn't believe it, we hadn't felt tired at all, till we got back to the hotel. Then we all looked at each other and we all knew what each other was thinking......sleep!!!

Wouldn`t do us any harm I guess.

Later we planned to do the Macy`s Parade and if we felt like it the Castle light show........


More to follow......

 

[keishashadow]

Since we unceremoniously lopped off the U portion of our trip to enjoy the first few days of Rise of the Resistance at WDW, really looking forward to getting my quota of Universal cheer here .

Again, sorry to miss you guys this trip but i’m Sure you had your hands more than full meeting folks. A bit of a balancing act on a shorter trip, especially when an adult child is along. Mine always tease me with mumbling my warning to them of long ago...stranger danger lol.

Alamo used to have the wife/husband as the second driver, but now they deem a couple as one driver, so adding Kyle was perfect. And as he doesn`t drink......lol....we had a chauffeur....although technically that never happened. Tom doesn't mind not drinking.

Now, why didn’t I think of this ingenious idea? Filing it away for next trip with jr. So glad he has finally crossed the age threshold where they don’t sock it to him for rentals.

Chernobyl was hard to watch, and frustrating to watch due to what they did as to what they should have done, but it is amazing tv and very accurate. I wasn't sure at first when it came on over in the UK, but I was hooked from the first second, so although it looks depressing, and I guess it is, but it`s incredibly well done.

Probably the best thing on tv in years. Really enjoyed it but the mr still hasn’t viewed it for some reason.

Fatal Death!!!! That one really cracked us up a few years ago...…is there any other kind!!!!

Yes, one really has to wonder what brainiac dreamed up that warning lol.

 

[NancyLuvsMickey]

That was soooo sweet of Kayla for reserving your table in the lounge for you!!!!

And Kyle's chocolate cake count is now at 3...

 

[Owlpost23]

Carole-loving the report so far,but I'm really disappointed in the revamp of the lobby area.I would have to see it in person,but it seems so antiseptic,and not South Sea-ish at all.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

What?! No more fish and chips at Jake's?! But, but, we always ate that...I guess we will be finding something new to love, but not that chicken sandwich

Seriously, it does sound like a very nice first day, finding your feet and getting set up for your fabulous trip! I love that you had a reserved table for your first breakfast. You are such fixtures there, it is really nice to recognize your loyalty -- plus you all are just a delight and everyone loves you! The revamped pastries sound lovely, it is great the effort is being made to keep things fresh and improving.

Looking forward to our next installment!

Maria

 

[schumigirl]

Since we unceremoniously lopped off the U portion of our trip to enjoy the first few days of Rise of the Resistance at WDW, really looking forward to getting my quota of Universal cheer here .

Again, sorry to miss you guys this trip but i’m Sure you had your hands more than full meeting folks. A bit of a balancing act on a shorter trip, especially when an adult child is along. Mine always tease me with mumbling my warning to them of long ago...stranger danger lol.

Now, why didn’t I think of this ingenious idea? Filing it away for next trip with jr. So glad he has finally crossed the age threshold where they don’t sock it to him for rentals.

Probably the best thing on tv in years. Really enjoyed it but the mr still hasn’t viewed it for some reason.

Yes, one really has to wonder what brainiac dreamed up that warning lol.

I‘m Sure we’ll manage a meet sometime next year.......yes, short trips and I did laugh at stranger danger......thankfully most folks we meet are normal......lol.......

Oh yes, until Kyle was 25 putting him on the insurance was crazy money.....but now he’s 25.....lol.....we have a chauffeur...although that never panned our this trip! So yes, get your boys as named drivers....

Chernobyl was amazing tv. It’s weird saying I enjoyed it as the incident is anything but pretty, but it was accurate and raw and we were hooked. But, not an easy watch.

Sounds sick, but we love those ads......the worse the disease the healthier they make the folks look in the ad.......and fatal death is a classic!!!

Will try and put plenty of Universal atmosphere into the pictures.......

 

[schumigirl]

That was soooo sweet of Kayla for reserving your table in the lounge for you!!!!

And Kyle's chocolate cake count is now at 3...

He did have quite a few!

Although we have store bought some very chocolatey Yule Logs for over the next few days, I did make a flourless chocolate cake today for my two guys.......that is always popular.......

Kayla is amazing. She is the best thing to hit the lounge for a long time.....and is one of our favourite folks!!

 

[schumigirl]

Carole-loving the report so far,but I'm really disappointed in the revamp of the lobby area.I would have to see it in person,but it seems so antiseptic,and not South Sea-ish at all.

Thank you........

Yes, it is losing the South Pacific feel as it had it. Maybe the pictures don’t capture the warmth that is still there.......especially in Orchids.....but when you’re there it feels so much nicer.

I do hope you like it once you are actually there, it is a change and I do admit to missing the ornate hand carved wood that was everywhere...but it does still feel as warm as it did before.

But, many folks feel the same way you do and yes, it is different.

And again, always glad to see you post here...hope you’re doing ok...

 

[schumigirl]

What?! No more fish and chips at Jake's?! But, but, we always ate that...I guess we will be finding something new to love, but not that chicken sandwich

Seriously, it does sound like a very nice first day, finding your feet and getting set up for your fabulous trip! I love that you had a reserved table for your first breakfast. You are such fixtures there, it is really nice to recognize your loyalty -- plus you all are just a delight and everyone loves you! The revamped pastries sound lovely, it is great the effort is being made to keep things fresh and improving.

Looking forward to our next installment!

Maria

Kyle loved the fish and chips.....and I’m disappointed they‘re gone. The chicken I have to say, was cooked beautifully, but the whole sandwich didn‘t work for me.....

I don’t know if you ever tried the burger, but.....it is amazing! For a simple burger it is fabulous!

Thank you.......yes, we feel very valued there and we know so many of the folks there so well. We did smile at the reserved sign.....Kayla is amazing, although there were a few folks in the lounge look disappointed when they saw it was “just us” lol......think some expected someone a bit more special......lol........

Will update soon......

 

[Tink2Day]

It's crazy, it's good for a headache but may cause a headache, good for stomach upset but can cause nausea and/or diarrhea. It's the FDA that requires all of this , subsequently our patients come in and they argue that they can't take this or that because of the side effects.
Well I've worked for a practice that did clinical drug trials, my sister has been a QC manager for 30 years with the Federal Clinical drug trial program and any and every potential side effect is required to be listed, even if only ONE person mentions it.
The whole thing is nuts.
However Fatal Death is really overkill.

Kyle's pizza looks so good, was it a barbecue base or regular marinara? I know he likes the BBQ base the best. Your chicken sandwich looks like it may have had a Fatal Death, looks kind of pale and sickly.It looks boiled, maybe fried is better??
What? No picture of the chocolate cake? That means I'll have to read to keep track and not just look at the pictures.

Oh you and my mom would get along fabulously. She LOVES Christmas trees, we have several and she's always wanted to keep one of ours up and put decorations on it according to the Holiday, Valentines, St. Paddy's, Easter......I had to have an intervention with her.

 

[SCDizFan]

There is something so exciting about sitting at the airport waiting on an intercontinental flight people watching even though you are looking at a nine hour flight. It's just so exciting!

I don't know if you know but our South Florida train system, Brightline will be renamed Virgin early 2020 and are supposed to finish the West Palm Beach to Orlando leg sometime in the next 18 months. That will open up Miami to you guys as an airport. The Virgin train from Orlando to Tampa will be sometime 2022. It will be 90 minutes from West Palm to Orlando which is almost an hour off drive time.

 

[schumigirl]

It's crazy, it's good for a headache but may cause a headache, good for stomach upset but can cause nausea and/or diarrhea. It's the FDA that requires all of this , subsequently our patients come in and they argue that they can't take this or that because of the side effects.
Well I've worked for a practice that did clinical drug trials, my sister has been a QC manager for 30 years with the Federal Clinical drug trial program and any and every potential side effect is required to be listed, even if only ONE person mentions it.
The whole thing is nuts.
However Fatal Death is really overkill.

Kyle's pizza looks so good, was it a barbecue base or regular marinara? I know he likes the BBQ base the best. Your chicken sandwich looks like it may have had a Fatal Death, looks kind of pale and sickly.It looks boiled, maybe fried is better??
What? No picture of the chocolate cake? That means I'll have to read to keep track and not just look at the pictures.

Oh you and my mom would get along fabulously. She LOVES Christmas trees, we have several and she's always wanted to keep one of ours up and put decorations on it according to the Holiday, Valentines, St. Paddy's, Easter......I had to have an intervention with her.

Oh gosh yes, I agree....they have to put anything on the list if even one person has an adverse reaction!!! I have an uncle who is on a rather strong medication and the first thing on the warnings is you may suffer from suicidal thoughts......lol.....he saw the funny side of that as someone who is constant pain!!! Fatal death was probably the funniest one....although not if you`ve suffered from it of course

That one was the regular tomato base, he forgot to ask for bbq sauce.....he does get another later in the trip with bbq sauce....I love a bbs sauce base too! Tom not so much......I do have Italian friends who physically shrink away in horror when we have a pizza like that.....lol.....they won`t even taste it to see how good it is...….

I did forget!!!! He got one of the flourless chocolate cake to take away....he popped it up in the fridge and had it later.....before I took a picture of it!!!! So, yes, he`s at 3 now!

lol.....yes, love the sound of your mum......although maybe she`s worse than me as I do enjoy when they`re all down and we can get the house back to normal.....but actually taking them all down isn`t fun, takes so much time to make sure everything is well wrapped up to avoid breakages......like the sound of your intervention

 

[schumigirl]

There is something so exciting about sitting at the airport waiting on an intercontinental flight people watching even though you are looking at a nine hour flight. It's just so exciting!

I don't know if you know but our South Florida train system, Brightline will be renamed Virgin early 2020 and are supposed to finish the West Palm Beach to Orlando leg sometime in the next 18 months. That will open up Miami to you guys as an airport. The Virgin train from Orlando to Tampa will be sometime 2022. It will be 90 minutes from West Palm to Orlando which is almost an hour off drive time.

Yes, I do love the airport buzz...usually more so once we have dropped baggage and got through security.....then it`s much more relaxing. People are fascinating to watch and chat to...….and occasionally you do see some very odd things!

Yes, we had seen the info on the train...it does look to be a little exciting for travellers. I didn't realise it was such a huge project till we looked more into it and friends filled us in on details. I`d certainly consider flying into Miami. We have a couple of friends who fly into Tampa and drive to Orlando from there, not too far, but couldn`t imagine driving from Miami after such a flight, guess you could stay overnight, but the train sounds such a good alternative.

 

[kbelle8995]

No more Fish and Chips they have the best fish and chips on property. This is up when they took away the pretzel bread sandwiches. Come on Jake's