Fun, Sun & Strong Water Rum...*Yo-Ho*...23 Nights @ Sapphire Falls...A May 2022 TR

[schumigirl]

It is bittersweet nearing the end, Thank Goodness you have another one coming up soon!

Band-aid is a brand name we use generically to mean a type of item -- I looked this up it's called a proprietary eponym We would say band-aid for a bandage, Kleenex for a tissue, Chapstick for lip balm...I'm sure you have some in the UK, too

I do love that walk from RPR to CityWalk. It's so peaceful now we aren't jumping out of the way of the bike cabs...but of course I'd welcome them back, too.

I'm so glad you had a proper goodbye with the lounge staff. You are like family! And of course you really can't start the day with too much bubbly! I've decided this year for the holidays we will have pineapple mimosas as I've discovered I'm fond of them. I might be talked into trying some new juices as well. Mimosas are always appropriate

I hope you are surviving the heat. I never watch our news but caught a minute yesterday and they were covering the heat wave you are enduing. You must be secretly pleased as punch!

Oh we have some huge differences in words.....we speak the same language but in very different ways at times. Mention fanny pack to a 12 year old boy/girl and you`ll be met with huge muffled giggles......lol.......

biscuits = cookies
coriander = cilantro
rubber = eraser
aubergine = eggplant
nappy = diaper
jugs = pitcher
courgette = zucchini
candy floss = cotton candy

To name a few.......there are thousands......and potty is a word only used when dealing with toilet training a tot!!!

And telling someone they have nice jugs is acceptable here.....

Don`t miss the pedi cabs at all. They are handy at times though.......lol.....

The morning mimosas are the best way to start a day....any day!! The cranberry one looked nice, we make a Christmas cocktail with champagne, cranberry juice, pomegranite juice or grenadine and a christmas flower......nice! Yes, we love the staff there.

Oh blink and you`d miss it.....heatwave is gone now, lasted 4 days all in. Although it`s still not cold, just more what we`re used to here in the UK this time of year! Apart from yesterday afternoon when it was just too excessive, it`s been ok for us. Some haven`t fared so well though and we still have loads of grass fires around. Mainland Europe is so much worse than the UK though.

Glad you`re all caught up....hope you`re not working too hard and have some lovely weather too...

 

[Deb1993]

Oh bless him......kids are so resilient!

And no one reacted at all!!! Crikey at the very least you`d offer some kind of help, especially with it being a child!

Although talking of folks carrying on as normal, you reminded me many years ago where we used to live, Tom and I were in a store and an elderly lady slipped on a grape that had been dropped on the floor, fell on her knee completely shattering it (horrible sight)

It was right in front of us, so we went over and covered her with my jacket while Tom went to get someone to call an ambulance. While I was half holding this lady as she was in complete agony, two folks leaned over me to get to the packs of tomatoes one after the other!!! I was stunned at first, but then yelled at the second guy.....he asked what the big deal was, so I pulled the jacket slightly to show him the ladies shattered knee with bone that had burst through the skin.....thought he was going to pass out!!

Completely oblivious!!

OMG !!!! That was so nice of you and Tom to help. People can be a little dense.

 

[schumigirl]

OMG !!!! That was so nice of you and Tom to help. People can be a little dense.

Oh anyone would have done the same I`m sure. We were just there at the right time.

We ended up as witnesses for her in court 2 years later as she was encouraged to sue the store. She won and the judge mentioned us in his summing up as being excellent witnesses and our testimony was clear and honest. We were thrilled for her. The store involved were quite nasty through it all, but she won in the end.

Yes, people can be clueless.

 

[schumigirl]

Once we were through we always take our time in Port of Entry and take it in, the colours and the sounds if you stand under the right windows along the path. It`s fun listening to the sounds they emit to fit with the theme of this area.

We never saw the Mayor out this trip, I`m sure he was but we are usually too early to see them, or maybe just missed them altogether.

There are some wonderful character interactions around the parks and some aren`t to be missed as they are so good. It was a shame She-Ra wasn`t kept longer, she had a meet and greet near mythos and Poseidon`s Adventure, we really enjoyed that, but maybe enough people didn`t go comment how much they enjoyed it.

I think this is the least we have ever went on the Hulk on any trip.....but that new kid on the block on the other side of the lagoon had taken away and fondness for the green giant, but Tom did go on it once this morning and declared it....rough. I was glad I passed, but he did enjoy it I`m glad to say. I sat and chatted with a nurse from Sheboygan......that name still makes me laugh as I always thought it was made up and not a real place! She did say she had heard that before and from a Brit too!!

I decided to brave Dr Doom again this morning, not sure why I was so nervous on it now, but I knew it would be fine......and as we walked towards it, the little guy of this pair attracted my attention in a rather obvious way.........yep, we`d get a picture or two here!!

We`d had several wonderful meets with these two over the years....this one was way back in 2012 where they spent ages with us and instructed us in all sorts of pictures for fun!!!

LOVE the photobomber guy.......

There was another good one a couple of years ago when Kyle was wearing the "You say Villain like it`s a bad thing" shirt......they had a lot of fun with that one!!

This time they encouraged us to come get a picture as we were just going to snap them, then go do the ride.....well, you can`t say no to a super villain can you!!!

This was fun, I was glad we did stop for a picture before riding. We have so many pics from meet and greets over the years, we don`t always make a point of stopping for them now, but there are the occasional ones we will always take.

We headed up to do Doom, and there was barely a soul in the EP line, so we got on instantly, I don`t think there were many folks in the regular line either now I think on it.

I did it. And it was fine......although it is brief, that first instant of being shot into oblivion is fabulous!! And the TM who was setting it off did the fake countdown which we do like........

The woman sat beside us however, was a wreck! Her first ride and her husband wouldn`t go on with her.....imagine!!! She hated it, genuinely hated it and was in tears when she got off vowing to remove some parts of him you don`t talk about in public

I did look to see him but we missed where they went, unless he was off hiding of course which I wouldn`t blame him going by her mood......lol.......

You see allsorts of reactions on most rides. This one I`m surprised at as you can see exactly what`s happening and how high you go before dropping. Not sure what she expected. Tower of Terror I can understand as you have no idea what it`s going to be like....I do like ToT.

And after saying we don`t really get our picture taken as much.....lol.....well again, she chatted first, so of course I nominated Tom to go get a picture.

Her voice is also uncanny, completely as you`d expect of course, but it is odd when they sound so like their characters.

The park was a little quiet considering how late we were, but we were sure we`d meet crowds as soon as we headed through Potter. Not that we were complaining as we do like the park a little quieter.

Me ship the Olive is a wonderful interactive boat, ideal for little ones to roam around. It has a slide from top to bottom inside, stairs or the elevator if you need it with many interactions on each floor.

And of course, the top has the water jets that are decent to coat riders already soaked anyway on the barges as they sweep past the bottom of the boat below you.

The area behind the boat is very nice, not many folks head down there, although there are more now since VC opened and you do get a fabulous view of it from down there.

The backside of the ship has some nice little touches and nods to Popeye which are very cute, but it is a nice little area to chill out in for a little time.

And an almost perfect view of the best addition to IOA for years.....seeing folks on the ride here is nice, you can really see and hear the excitement, or terror as they get rolled along. Amazing.

We do sit for a while and watch the coaster vehicles pass us numerous times with huge smiles on our faces each time as most folks seem to just be loving it.....no-one looks as though they are hating it although some folks faces are hard to read at times.....especially going that fast.......

These guys are loving this ride......aren`t they........

​

We wander away from that area reluctantly as it so lovely, and the park is getting a little busier now.

And we still never made it to Blondie`s this trip as we planned!! One of these days we`ll make it......

More coming up......

 

[schumigirl]

We headed round to get on the VC now and we love to stop off and watch this part of the ride where the ride vehicles start to build up that extra speed to get you over the top hat part, you can really hear it revving up, so we do watch it for a few moments before we go ride it.

The line showed 65 minutes for the VC, but it looked longer, however we decided to just wait even if we only did it once today we`d be happy.

It was almost 45 minutes before we got to the front of the line, but you never really notice it as you move most of the time and again we feel so sorry for the TM who are trying to explain to folks how the lockers work and no you can`t take your phone on the ride!

We ask for the back row again and we got it....next time we`ll wait for the front more I think. But, the back row is definitely a favourite of ours as every single time we are blown away by the sheer airtime you get on there.

We got off and again exclaimed what a fabulous ride this really is......it is everything a coaster should be and then some!!! When we came off we looked to go on again as this was our last chance this trip, but the line was just much longer than before and it was bloomin hot now!!!

We did have a wander in the Discovery Centre which is something we don`t do very often as it just doesn`t interest us very much. It`s fun for little ones though.

It was a slow wander round towards Potter, but we had a stop to make first today.

Every visit we keep saying we`re going to have a drink at The Watering Hole which sits among the greenery and plants of the Jurassic Park area just before Hogsmeade, and the cocktails have always looked so nice but it`s always been too early or some other reason not to, but we did plan a stop here today.

This had a good few choices for us, so it took some time to decide, eventually I went for the Mai Tai which was Gosling`s Rum, Myers dark rum, grenadine, orange, pineapple and lime juice and is the darker of the two and Tom had Bird of Paradise which was Malibu passion fruit rum, cruzan rum, bitters, passion fruit and lime juice and they come in a tiki mug which you get to keep and I think there was a discount on the 2nd drink with those.

I have to say, the guy pouring the drinks had a very heavy pour!!!

We found a table as there were plenty, but we did move after a few minutes as the sun was beating right down on us at one point, we were just unlucky as the place has trees overhanging everywhere.

This was so nice just sitting and watching the world go past you with a nice cocktail.....or even better with two!!

I decided on the same Mai Tai again and Tom went for the Fossiliser which had coconut rum, blue curacao, pineapple juice, sour mix and sprite....I have to say these cocktails were lovely!!

They took the tiki cups back and gave us two clean ones to pop in my bag, to be honest we`d never use them.

We popped on FJ and we were on and off in no time at all. FJ is a good ride, very clever and it`s one we do maybe once or twice, it`s not a ride we have to do every day we`re visiting.

It was so busy today......that gap wasn`t an empty gap for too long as soon enough there were throngs of people swarming into any empty space. This was too busy for us......

Food is never very far from our thoughts....and it was getting near lunchtime now, so we headed out of Potter as we don`t like the food there at all and tried to think where we might like.

We did think about Fire Eaters grill for food many times and did have some Chicken Stingers during the OI event in December, but they were quite disappointing from what we remembered them being like in 2007.....who`d a thought they`d change in all that time.......lol....

This was a new addition to the park, I assume only when it`s busy is this little cart placed on the bridge between the Lost Continent and Dr Seuss area. Handy idea for upping sales there.

We stopped off after doing Cat in the Hat......what the heck is that ride all about!! Makes ET look tame.......but we thought about where we`d like to eat for lunch and after going through several possibilities including Bread Box, M`ville or somewhere else we took the handy option and thought we`d try Confisco Grille.

So many folks had said you had to book so we expected we might not get a table, but they said if we could wait 5 minutes we`d be good to go.....absolutely fine by us......and that was only a 5 minute wait because we asked for an upstairs table, otherwise we would have walked into one straight away.

Tom got a few pictures before they shouted my name......we waited about 40 seconds.

It is so much lighter and brighter upstairs. I do love the downstairs as it is themed beautifully, but we just felt like some light today.

And the views are not too bad either......

There were plenty of tables up here that were free. They had seated us over by the windows on a table for two, but we asked if we could move as we felt as though we were sitting in a corridor there, and of course no problem, the table we got was much better.

We do like this restaurant.....always have done and the menu is very good, although we did miss a few dishes they had got rid of over the years. But, it`s varied and has many good choices.

We both ordered fanta as we`d had two cocktails already, and we knew what we wanted today, Tom ordered the ribs with side salad and I went for the AP holder special of Dan Dan Noodles which they promised would be spicy. I hoped so.

I must admit, this was getting old now.......Tom`s ribs were cold when they arrived. How hard is it to serve food that is boiling hot....it`s not hard at all. But, the chef who brought Tom`s new dish up was very nice and very apologetic saying his dish wasn`t supposed to be served and had been brought in error....no problem really. And mine was sizzling hot so I was still eating when his was brought back.

The second ribs were lovely, these were sweet and sour flavour and he enjoyed the Asian coleslaw that went with it. Although it didn`t really look like any coleslaw I`d ever seen.

My salad was fresh, despite asking for no onions, there were onions in it, but they were easily picked out.

The Dan Dan Noodles were lovely....really nice. Spicy Sichuan noodles, beef, chili oil, bok choy, peanuts, with scallions. The beef could have been more flavoursome, but as a whole it was decent and it was a little spicy which was a nice surprise.

Last evening coming up.......

 

[NashvilleTrio]

Last evening coming up.......

Noooooooooooo!! Lol

 

[schumigirl]

Leaving the parks for the last time is always a bittersweet moment.......on one hand we are just so happy being here, it`s almost impossible to be sad, but knowing it will be a good few months before we`re back is not so nice. I know we`re lucky with all our trips and the time spent here, but that last full day is always edged with a sense of sadness in the background.

We walk past Voodoo and realise we never did get back there either.....so many places we didn`t make this trip....you think 23 nights is a lot, but it soon disappears.

They have a mobile ordering pick up spot now, opposite the store itself and you certainly can`t miss it that`s for sure!!

We got a boat straight away, it was mid afternoon, maybe 3pm by now, I forget exactly what time we headed back home.

Hate that last boat ride back.........

​

We had plans tonight and we also had to pack up which we hadn`t really started yet. Not my favourite task.......but before we got back to the room we met a lady we hadn`t seen for a long time and we chatted for ages to her finding out where she was working now and how she liked it and generally just chatting. She said she had been looking out for us all this last week....but we were glad to have seen her.

So, by the time we got back to the room it was too late to go to the lounge, chat to Kyle, pack and meet our dinner date tonight. So we decided we just didn`t have the time to go to the lounge which was a shame as we would miss saying goodbye to two of the ladies after saying we would. I did ask one of the ladies to apologise for us.

We Skyped Kyle who was still as high as a kite in his new job, we chatted about getting home and what he had sorted for us back home, he was certainly organised with what he had got. We were so looking forward to seeing him and him us I have to say. We are so lucky with him!!!

So, we got stuck into packing.......and you know that extra suitcase we brought along.........it wasn`t big enough.....we should have brought another one!!!!

Heck!!!!

This was tight, but we did actually, almost, nearly, essentially, practically get most things packed.......

If we were getting a badge from school, ours would say.....I tried my best!!! Poor Tom.....even he was looking perplexed at where we were going to put everything!! We decided we`d try again tomorrow as we still had all our toiletries and last minute things to put in there too.......this was not looking good!! I assured Tom this extra case would be plenty......lol.......

We showered and got changed as we had a dinner date in Strong Water and say goodbye to an old friend.....temporarily.........

Lindsey was meeting us in Strong Water tonight for dinner and drinks, we had arranged it a few days ago and were looking forward to it. We had of course asked Spider-Man along too but he was working, which was a shame as we`d loved to have met the real man under the mask.

We headed down to the lobby a little early so we`d be in the bar for her coming in......we walked into the lobby from our Guest House corridor and she had been sitting in the area in front of Strong Water and when she saw us coming she rushed towards us with the biggest smile on her face announcing she had brought a guest with her.........

It was Spider-man himself........

We were thrilled to bits to meet the man himself who we had only encountered so far in character and through a lovely email......and I can honestly say he is just the nicest person.....and I told Lindsey later, I had a little "mum" crush on Spider-Man.....he is a lovely guy who absolutely adores our Lindsey, well his Lindsey really, but we absolutely adored them as a couple, they really are so well matched and watching them together was so lovely.

He was joining us for an hour or so as he had an event to go to, so we would make the most of him and get to know him when we could.

We ordered drinks and Lindsey who had never been here before said she`d go on what I suggested.....so Rum Revivals all round, except Spider-Man who was driving and working so he stuck to water but did have some food with us.

Lindsey we knew so well by now and could talk the hind legs off a donkey when we got together with chatting, and Spider-Man was just as easy to talk to......I say again without any embarrassment, lovely, lovely guy who clearly thought the world of her which was so nice to see.

And of course we took lots and lots of pictures........

I am protecting his privacy considering his job by not posting his face publicly, but we have loads of pictures of us all, so blocking out his face in two pictures for the boards is no problem.

Maggie was looking after us tonight and I introduced them both to her and they thought she was as lovely as they saw her to be too. And it was time to order some food now......

Spider-Man had the Camarones Al Ajillo, one of my favourite dishes here which have shrimp, garlic, white wine, cilantro, tomatoes, lime juice. as I told him they were divine and he agreed.......they are just the nicest, lightest dish, full of flavour and not too heavy.

Lindsey being a pescatarian enjoyed the Vegan Breadfruit Tostones which looked delicious accompanied by sauteed mushrooms, avocado puree, red pepper sofrito and vegan chicharron which she said was divine.

I opted for the Florida Ceviche, local whitefish and scallops, shrimp, mango purée and fresh fruit.....this is lovely. Not my favourite ceviceh, but delicious and so fresh.

I haven`t forgotten my lovely husband with the presence of Spider-Man ....he had the Camarones too, but didn`t get a picture of both plates as they were the same.

We also ordered the Tuna Tiradito as we had raved about it to Lindsey, so we wanted her to try it....and like us, she loved it.

It is one of the nicest dishes, and again so fresh and full of flavours you don`t expect.

After we had eaten, we sadly had to bid goodnight to Spider-Man who had to leave, but we thanked him so much for making it to meet us. He was so lovely and said some lovely comments, that we all fell in love with him a little bit more. If Lindsey had been our daughter, we would be proud to have this young man as a son in law.

We wanted to try another drink, so I suggested we have The Last Typhoon which is also quite fruity, and yes, our guest enjoyed this one too.

We were having the nicest evening......we had spoken to Lenny earlier saying we`d see him later as he was busy tonight, but the night passed so fast.

Fernando had popped over a few times too to chat, and said to us Maria who was the manager of Orchids, but was leaving Loews was coming in to see us and Lenny and it was her night off......she had been delayed and called Fernando to tell us not to leave till she got there.......lol...we`d still be there.

At one point Fernando came over and had a package for us. Bless him, he had popped one of our favourite special wines they have for special occasions in SW, and there were two left.

He very kindly gave us one as a leaving gift which touched us tremendously. He knows we love that wine and will appreciate it a lot. We kept the last bottle he gave us for New Years Day dinner and we would also keep this one for something special. That wine is so good I want to take a bath in it!!!

It was so lovely and again bittersweet because we think so much of Fernando and it`s sweet he thinks enough of us to do something so kind is just so lovely. We have lots of hugs tonight with him too.

Eventually Maria makes it, she had car trouble and hadn`t wanted us to leave without seeing her. Next time we see her she`ll be working for someone else which is sad as she is so lovely.

She also gives us a gift and a lovely card which does make me tear up reading it later. Such a special lady, and again, we hug and we wish her well in her new position, she`ll do well.

Our evening is slowly drawing to a close and it has been so much fun.....we couldn`t believe how late it was, and this young lady has to get home and get back to work in the morning.....

Lindsey orders an Uber and it`ll be here in minutes, so we walk her out to make sure she gets in alright and wave her off, we`ll see her tomorrow, so it`s not goodbye just yet.

We head back in to say a special goodnight and au revoir to someone also very special to us.

Lenny we have known for the longest time. He is the best rum master/barman we have ever had the privilege of knowing. We have shared a lot of laughs, shared some stories of our lives to each other and generally love spending time getting to know him not just as our best barman. We know we`ll see him again of course and he will be back at Strong Water on occasion, but we do wish him the very best for his future which will be a bloomin good one with his Mrs Lenny.

After we had said out goodbye`s to him, we do the rounds of everyone else.....can`t leave without saying goodnight and we do look forward to seeing them all again in September. We manage to find Fernando and Maggie for special hugs and goodbyes. We are so lucky to know these lovely folks and have them in our life when we do visit.

I feel quite sad when we get back to our room......

But, we have a couple of lovely bottles as gifts to take home.....and the nicest card!!!

I have no clue as to how we`re going to sleep tonight.....we don`t have to worry about sleeping in, but it`s usually a last restless night for us.

The rest of the packing will wait till morning, for now I spend a little time looking out the window to all the lights in the distance for the last time till September, it`s a view we miss a lot when we`re not here.

I eventually make it into bed, we have a long day tomorrow.

​

 

[schumigirl]

Noooooooooooo!! Lol

lol......yep....last day coming up next.......

 

[Deb1993]

How wonderful that you were able to spend time with so many lovely folks - and Spiderman!!!!! How fantastic is that. I love that his identity is a mystery to us.

 

[schumigirl]

How wonderful that you were able to spend time with so many lovely folks - and Spiderman!!!!! How fantastic is that. I love that his identity is a mystery to us.

We meet the nicest of people on our trips. We have only met one or two folks who were not who they claimed to be and thankfully will never meet them again,

Our Spider-Man is such a beautiful person inside and out, but out of courtesy, we’ll keep him invisible…..I know everyone will understand.

And he’s so good looking too!!! He should be the next Spider-Man in the movies!!! He is the coolest guy ever, and again, they make the perfect couple.

 

[margareton27]

Oh anyone would have done the same I`m sure. We were just there at the right time.

We ended up as witnesses for her in court 2 years later as she was encouraged to sue the store. She won and the judge mentioned us in his summing up as being excellent witnesses and our testimony was clear and honest. We were thrilled for her. The store involved were quite nasty through it all, but she won in the end.

Yes, people can be clueless.

Wonderful of you to help. An interesting tidbit about grapes and supermarkets. Years back grapes started appearing in bags as opposed to just bunches that you bagged yourself. The produce manager at our store said that the number of lawsuits were rising because when people were picking over the grapes they were dropping on the floor and people were slipping and falling.

Have you ever tried ricotta gnocchi? Melt in your mouth. Heavenly with a nice light brown butter sauce. Yummy!

 

[margareton27]

Double post

 

[schumigirl]

Wonderful of you to help. An interesting tidbit about grapes and supermarkets. Years back grapes started appearing in bags as opposed to just bunches that you bagged yourself. The produce manager at our store said that the number of lawsuits were rising because when people were picking over the grapes they were dropping on the floor and people were slipping and falling.

Have you ever tried ricotta gnocchi? Melt in your mouth. Heavenly with a nice light brown butter sauce. Yummy!

lol......I hate ricotta cheese.......and not a fan of gnocchi either to be honest! I do like grilled trout with a brown butter sauce......

Yes, it is quite an issue here too with loose grapes and forced them to have solid non stick mats around those areas. But folks tripped up over them.....

Now, like you said they are all ready bagged unless you go to a farm store where you can still find them loose in some places. Now I want some grapes......lol......

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Now i want all the rum drinks!


And you met spiderman!!!!!!!!!! So happy he made an appearance!


The packing........yeah thats the worst lol!

Why is the last night always so restless lol

 

[schumigirl]

WEDNESDAY MAY 25TH

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It was finally here.......our leaving day. Arrival day seemed such a long time ago and yet here we were leaving already....didn`t we just get here??????

We had rather unusually slept really well last night, I only woke up once and went straight back to sleep as I didn`t want to disturb sleeping beauty next to me.

Instead of doing some packing first, once showered and dressed we headed over for breakfast, and we were quite hungry this morning....and I could already taste the champagne for breakfast for the last time in a while.....we do sometimes have friends for brunch and do the same at their homes and champagne is always on offer then, but routinely every day.......maybe not the best idea!!

We walked over and it was Lindsey and Raphael in the lounge this morning which we knew so it was lovely seeing them both and Lindsey looked remarkable considering how late she got in and how early they start work on the mornings......the joy of youth!!! I swear it takes me hours before my face falls into some kind of order!!

And I did indeed enjoy some champagne as we sat and chatted, and it was lovely and quiet today so we were able to chat while they worked.

Jen the Concierge manager came up and we managed to say goodbye to her too and asked her to apologise to the other ladies we missed last evening, she said she would.

We stayed a little longer as I was not looking forward to saying goodbye to our little Lindsey.....we waited till they had cleared up the breakfast offerings and we did have a lovely goodbye with both of them. And we do keep in touch I`m glad to say and both her and Spider-Man are doing exceptionally well I`m happy to say. There were a few tears though.

Downstairs in the lobby we looked for Rob and Milton to say goodbye to also, Rob had told us not to leave without saying goodbye, so we wouldn`t. And we were glad to have a good chat with Rob today as he had plenty of time which was nice. But we had to get back to finish this darn packing!!

It was such a beautiful day, we wished we were going to the parks instead of this, but as Tom and our friend reminded me, the sooner we leave, the sooner we`re back, which is of course true.

We had three bottles to wrap up and we did have some thick plastic bottle protectors that held the bottles of rum we brought over for Fernando and Lenny so the wines went in there and we wrapped the gin in bubble wrap and clothes and hoped for the best. We`ve never had a bottle break on us yet....famous last words!!

But, we did it......finally!!!

​

We had a late checkout so we weren`t in any rush at all today, we were meeting our friend for a goodbye before we left, so we`d clear out of the room and meet him in the lobby.

Also we weren`t planning to eat lunch here as we liked to eat at the airport restaurant, so we again were in no rush to go anywhere. But, all of a sudden it was just after 1pm and time to meet our friend, the morning had passed so fast in the end.

Without tears this time, we left the room after a final check and headed down to the desk to let them know we had gone and the room was empty which didn`t take long as miraculously there was no line at the desks.

We were just in time to meet and chat to our friend who had one of his assistants with him. They are both lovely and we liked them a lot, one we had known for years but this lady was quite new but she knew us......lol......

I hate saying goodbye to him, but we eventually thanked him for everything as always and yes, of course I`d send an email when we got home. So after lots of goodbye hugs it was time to leave........

Held it together for a little bit......

​

Poor Tom!! He hates to see me upset and starts talking about Kyle and how we`ll see him and HHN coming up soon.....so I did perk up a bit.

But, leaving the hotel, friends and Orlando in general is never easy.

However, we have a long day ahead and night too, so we set off on the drive of shame down Universal Blvd which is just a beautiful area, but I much prefer it when we`re travelling in the opposite direction!

We pull into the airport and hand the car over after getting our receipt that says there are zero charges to pay, which we do and it`s fine, we post the Visitor Toll Pass into the box that you pass then walk over taking in our last fresh air for many hours away.

Up in the elevator we get out and head to Virgin Premium Check in desks which are busy. We didn`t realise there were several flights all taking off around the same time. But the line moves slowly and we again think to ourselves how much easier this is without the testing to come home we had in December, that was a nightmare and thankfully all testing is gone now.

Eventually we get to the front and it`s the same woman who checked us in back in December......she looked and said I know both of you don`t I......how`s your luggage this time......lol.....I was doing that nervous laugh as I was a little worried due to how heavy they felt dragging them, I think I was going to get the stink eye from Tom when cases were weighed!!!

This lady has checked us in many times and again we hand over passports and ask her to check if our trusted traveller number is on it so we`ll get TSA precheck, it makes such a difference going through security. It was. But it`s best to check we`ve found as one time they missed it and we had to go through regular line which took far too long.

Now, our cases........

​

We have 4 cases and each is allowed 50lbs.....surely we wouldn`t be over....I had been so careful this time......

First two were around the right weight......third one was spot on and the 4th one was 6lbs over.......that wasn`t too bad was it......lol.....she did laugh and very kindly didn`t charge us this time, but she did remember charging us last trip.......so we breathed a sigh of relief and thanked her, took our boarding cards and high tailed it through to the food court and upstairs to McCoys restaurant for some food....we were both starving now as we hadn`t eaten since breakfast and it was now around 4pm.

McCoys is where we had eaten in December and had really enjoyed it. There was a family sitting on the seats by the bar and they were asked to move if they didn`t have a restaurant reservation, we didn`t have a reservation but the place was usually empty when we had been, and today was no different.

The young girl on the desk could have been friendlier I have to say and I did smile when she asked if we had a reservation, the place was completely deserted, not another soul in there. And weirdly she took us to the farthest table in the whole place, it was by the window I guess, not that there`s much to see here.

A bottle of champagne was our first order today and again, the waitress wasn`t the friendliest we`ve ever had initially. She got better as we went along though, and I again smiled when Tom asked for a bottle of champagne and she repeated it sounding surprised......we must look like we can`t afford it lol......

But, she eventually brought it and bless her couldn`t open it for love nor money. Tom didn`t want to offend her by offering to open it but at the same time we didn`t want half the contents all over the floor, so I said do you mind if my husband opens it for you as that one seems a little tough. She gladly accepted and watched how he did it before admitting she hadn`t opened one before!

And it was very nice!!

We took our time as we did have plenty of time today, our flight wasn`t till after 8pm, we were only so early as we had to have the car back otherwise we`d have stayed till much later.

We both opted to have the crawfish chowder but we ate it before we remembered a picture. It is divine, much better than the offerings we had from Jake`s this visit, this one was amazing and had a real depth of flavour and full of crawfish!

Tom ordered the meat feast pizza and I had the hot honey chicken sandwich again with a salad....the same meals we had in December, but they were both so delicious. The chicken was even a little spicy which was nice.

After we had eaten and paid we headed along to the quieter end of the lobby area to chat to Kyle by Skype and he was doing great and excited we would be back tomorrow, he checked what time we`d be home and said he had left some items in the fridge for us along with some bread in case we fancied some toast which I sometimes do when we get in.

As soon as we had chatted we headed down to security and went through the TSA precheck line which was much shorter than the regular lines. The officer was very pleasant and then we were also met by pleasant officers as we went through, it`s so much easier not having to bring out electronic items or take shoes and belts off. I did get the extra check as I usually do, but takes seconds.

Getting on the mini train is miserable. Genuinely miserable and everyone looks exactly the same as they all head to their flights out of Orlando.

There is an Outback Steakhouse and a Bahama Breeze through this side as well as several other options and they are all heaving with folks!! We much prefer the peace and tranquility of the restaurant.

Pop in for some duty free is a quick and painless experience, we know what we want, some pineapple and coconut Ciroc Vodka`s, and two different rums. We pay and then head down to the gate where we don`t have to wait too long for the gate opening. However, everyone is coughing, I mean everyone. The man beside me was a little annoying as he kept trying to tell me how he was a travel expert and most folks weren`t.....why is it always me!! Eventually he asked me how long did I think he had waited for his passport......it was one of those....go on guess, bet you can`t guess, you`ll never get it right, but guess anyway......I sighed and very nicely told him I just didn`t care. Rude, maybe but jeez this guy had droned on and on and I sincerely hoped he`d stop talking now. He did.

It wasn`t long till they began loading the plane and they called for Upper Class first, then Premium and as usual we had to squeeze our way through many passengers who were not in the Premium seats but decided they wanted to stand at the entrance anyway!

I went on and Tom stopped to pick up the duty free which was a heavy one today....I had got our seats and popped my bag in the overhead bin when Tom appeared and we got both bags and duty free in the bin above us. Then I remembered I needed my glasses and wanted the camera......as I always have the window seat, poor Tom was up again without a grumble....well, not too much of a grumble!! I got my glasses as the bubbly arrived for us, a nice little start to the flight.

I saw the chatty man pass and he headed to the back of the plane, I was glad to see that. Although our seats were just 2 together no-one really chats much to you.

I thought this picture was dreadful, but it shows you how not to take a close up.......lol.......

Tom looks good though!!!

I do like having the camera handy, and the outlook was pretty with the sunset tonight......

They came round and handed out our menu`s for the food tonight and this can be a hit or miss which is why we eat a decent meal before the flight.

Nothing much caught my eye apart from the lemon cheesecake which I do love, Tom isn`t keen on it, but I thoght he`d give it a try.

We taxied away and it was a quick hustle to the end of the runway where our pilot tonight didn`t even stop at the end as they usually do, then we are hurtling down the runway and we take off like we have never taken off before......we were almost upright and holy moly it took everyone by surprise, not least us....there were several audible gasps and a shriek or two and one guy shouted heck are we headed for the moon!!! This was a little unsettling but I`m sure it was due to avoiding some kind of weather system.

Once we were up we all kind of looked at each other in a nervous way trying to judge the general mood of the passengers.....

I`m not sure that was the reason CC gave everyone two drinks before the dinner service tonight......lol.....some give you one, some ask if you want two but tonight she just set them down when I asked for white and Tom asked for a beer. We didn`t say no.

I do like the interior lighting of the Virgin planes, it looks pretty and is supposed to relax you......well, not sure about that but it looks good.

I watched some of the new Scream movie....I guessed the culprits within minutes, not really difficult. Not a good movie.

On the night flights like this one, they serve the food pretty quickly, I think they know some folks like to get their head down and also if we`re sleeping they aren`t as rushed off their feet as they can be, don`t blame them really. And it does get noticeably warmer, works for me.

Food was served and we got another two drinks to go with dinner, wine from a can is not something I`d ever consider, but this is supposed to be more eco friendly......hmm. And it was ok to be fair.....

I had chosen the Red Thai Curry which came with salmon and noodles.....very odd dish indeed. I picked at it as I wasn`t really hungry, but it does pass time. It was fairly dry as you`d expect and there were the devils veg underneath......green beans!!!

The salad was tasteless and bread roll like a brick, but the dessert was gorgeous!

I had wine though, so I didn`t care........

Tom had gone for the vegetarian shepherds pie and said it was actually alright and he loved the lemon cheesecake, so I didn`t get a piece of his darn it.......lol.....

You can go up and help yourself to drinks and snacks on what is known as the Wonderwall on the plane....ideal if you fancy another drink, non alcoholic drinks, water and a selection of savoury and sweet snacks.

But, for us, once the trays were cleared we used the bathroom and then got the blankets out of their wrapping, got my neck pillow, eye mask and we had the seats recline as far as they could before getting to sleep.

We have no one behind us which is one of the reasons we love these seats and reserve them when we book the flights.

I should say at this point......we named this flight.....the death plane......so many sounded as if they weren`t going to make it home alive. One poor woman just couldn`t stop coughing which is horrible when it happens, but we felt so bad for her as she knew everyone could hear her and I`m sure she worried she was annoying folks. I`m sure some folks were annoyed but having had a cough like that on occasions, I felt only sympathy for her. CC were bringing her hot drinks with honey in it but bless her she was in a state. But, so many coughers on this flight!!

I fell asleep quickly......there was no turbulence at this point which I enjoy falling asleep to when it starts.....but I was tired and so was Tom. I glanced at one point and he was out for the count which I was glad to see.......at that point I turned to get comfy again and bam.......the darn plane dropped!!!!! Granted it didn`t drop far, but you felt that change of altitude like you were dropping on Tower of Terror!!!! There were some curse words heard around the cabin!! We always keep our seatbelt on while we are in our seats anyway, but we were so glad we did.

Some hadn`t noticed so we all got settled back down soon enough and before we knew it, the lights were being put back on and they were bringing breakfast round. The night had flown past.

Neither Tom nor I like oats of any kind, but this one sounded good....if you excluded the oats! But, the sausage, egg and cheese biscuit was delicious.....ok not the best, but decent enough. I did try the oats and thought they were lovely, but I love anything with coconut. And American tea is not good!! But, it was the only thing there I wanted.

Our flight had taken 8 hours exactly, and once we were through the usual cloud cover we landed to a dull Manchester with an absolute bang......never before have we come down with such a thud, it was as if the runway surprised the pilots! But, any landing you walk away from is a good one.

We were straight to the terminal building which was good as we could sometimes park in the middle of nowhere and get bussed back to the main building. As soon as the airbridge was there, they opened the doors and we were out for the seemingly 15 mile hike to passport checks. This is crazy how long this walk is.

The machines are empty as we are almost first there and at first I didn`t think the facial recognition was going to accept me....but after 3 goes, it let me through and we head down to baggage reclaim with me heading to the bathroom while Tom waited for the cases.

By the time I got back, 3 out of 4 cases were there......and then the 4th appeared. This was a result.

We hustled down the Skywalk to get to the Radisson before they stopped serving breakfast. We thought it was 10, but 10.30 was closing so we had plenty of time. We got a table by the window and yes, we had more bubbly....well Tom wasn`t driving so he was ok to enjoy some.

It`s help yourself buffet style here, and that included the champagne too, so Tom kept us topped up while we also had a huge pot of tea to go along with various breakfast items. I only had bacon, with toast and marmalade and it was lovely.

Staff here are very nice and they told us we could stay after they had cleared up but did we want any more food as they were doing that now, but we`d had plenty.

We should have taken some pictures, but we didn`t and none of us as we looked dreadful......lol......

Our car service called to say she was 10 minutes away and to call her when we were down at the doors. She can`t wait there for longer than a drop off or pick up or they charge them, we siad we would do that, so after a bathroom visit we went down, called and she was there. We joked we were glad she made it as in December there had been a huge accident and she had been stuck on the road for hours, we had to get the train home, but not today! We chatted for a short time and then we were both unconscious. Almost 3 and a half hours later we woke up and she said we were 20 minutes away.

Once we were home, first thing we did was empty the suitcases and get the washing machine on.......yes, I can`t help myself, it has to be done as soon as possible. We didn`t feel tired as not only did we sleep on the plane, but for over 3 hours in the car on the way home. So we managed to get everything sorted and into their new place or into piles for whoever was getting items we had brought back.

I emailed our friend to let him know we were home safely, called my mum and caught up with her then thought I`d sit down with a cup of tea, and woke up an hour later.......how did that happen!!

Kyle was at the door around 5.15 and it was marvellous to see him.....I love he wears a proper suit in this job, the last place had gone casual so they could wear almost anything within reason, it was still an office, but he looks so smart in his suits and he has a million ties which all look amazing. But, it was so good to see him!!!

We ordered takeout Chinese for dinner and it was lovely and spent some time just catching up with each other. We managed to stay awake till around 10pm, then we were like the Walking Dead......so bed it was for us.

It was good to be home.

Highlights.......​

Just about everything.

We had no lows to speak of with regards to the hotel which was magnificent as always. The weather was just amazingly hot for May which we loved we felt as if the sun never stopped shining.

With this May trip over, we have completed rather amazingly, 355 nights staying between Royal and Sapphire. And this trip was as good as ever. I forget who told us but I didn`t realise it was as many.

Staff were wonderful as always, they do make you feel like you have come home whenever you enter the hotels and it stays like that for the whole trip. Housekeeping was perfect. We had a lovely housekeeper who was excellent, we tend not to leave the place untidy, but she did a good job as everything was always glistening.

Club Lounge at Royal is just the best. Staff were fabulous and look after everyone so well.

Meeting a real life Spider-Man was certainly a highlight, as well as our little Lindsey. Both of them have an amazing future in front of them.

Parks were excellent as always. They are immaculately clean and well maintained, rides are wonderful and we only saw one grouchy TM the whole time. TM`s are fabulous and I never understand when folks say they are all horrible....and I have seen that written before.

Restaurants on and offsite were mainly top notch, but we did have a couple of meals where the kitchen let them down whether it be cool, cold or late. But, we visited some new places and loved them.

Seeing friends as always is the best! Some were leaving after this trip, but we`d see most of them again and some we just wished well.

There were several things/places we didn`t get to experience this trip, but we`ll try again for some.

Someone asked me how can I remember everything that happens on the trip as we are there for so many days....well, I have a very good memory to begin with. But, pictures remind me when they are uploaded and as we are there for such a long visit, I have the time to sit and write down notes after we come back from the parks/days out/restaurants. It certainly doesn`t affect our enjoyment of our time there......

Virgin flights were excellent as always, can`t fault anything about them.

MCO was excellent this time. Officers were very pleasant and we didn`t see or hear any rudeness folks have reported.

I think that`s about everything to sum up.......we had the best trip!!







But I do want to thank everyone here for your lovely, lovely comments along the way......I genuinely appreciate each and every one of them. I feel like I know some of you so well now after all these reports but it is so nice to log in and read all the comments.

It means an awful lot to know you enjoyed reading it.

But, until the next time, which is not that far away, hope to see you all on that TR too

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[Cara]

Almost a year of your life in your favorite place! That's a wonderful blessing!

I so enjoyed your report and will look forward to September.

 

[puppawuppa]

Thank you for the trip report. You are always so detailed. I always love reading them and the pictures are great.
Can't wait for the next one.
Kim

 

[schumigirl]

Almost a year of your life in your favorite place! That's a wonderful blessing!

I so enjoyed your report and will look forward to September.

Thank you Cara......yes, almost a year of our lives have been spent there.......

I`m so glad you enjoyed it, it`s been lovely having you along, and yes, September one will be here soon.......

 

[schumigirl]

Thank you for the trip report. You are always so detailed. I always love reading them and the pictures are great.
Can't wait for the next one.
Kim

Thank you so much puppawuppa.......

I appreciate Tom taking the time to take the pictures for me, he does enjoy it though.

And yes, look forward to seeing you on the next one too......

 

[Elsaspiritanimal]

Wonderful trip report as usual! Sounds like you had such a great vacation and now you are only a little over a month away from the next adventure! Can’t wait to hear all about that one too. Thanks for letting us all share part of the magic you guys experience!