Wednesday, 20 May 2015
Holywood Studios, Old Town and Animal Kingdom
I didn't get a chance to do Holywood Studios blog, so combining it with Animal Kingdoms. Maybe best doing a couple of days together as I am exhausted at night when I get in from the parks.
Holywood Studios was fantastic. We had fast passes for Star Tours, Aerosmith and Lights Motors Action. Once again with our Memory Maker we just kept stopping every camera person for a picture. It really is paying for itself tenfold. We have all these pictures to download, including ones from the rides as well. Pictures we probably wouldn't have purchased because we have them from before but because we can download them and print them off at home it makes it much more worth it. I highly highly recommend this to anyone, especially those with families who are getting pictures done with cast members too. It is so good!! I know $199 seems like a lot but if you bought one picture from disney it probably costs more than $25, i may be wrong but you think about it, 8 pictures and it has paid for itself. We probably had more than 8 in the first day, and the fact that you get the new attractions video footage too just makes it even more special!
Rock n Rollercoaster was as outstanding as I remember, we were on the back row and wow was it intense. So have been on the front middle and back, middle is best if you don't want it to be too intense but if you want more of a thrill then try for front or back.
Star Tours has been updated since we were last here and it was much much better. Had it not been updated I would not have been as fussed on doing it, but so glad I did. I would do it again as I know that you can get a few different scenarios which is pretty cool.
We ended up not waiting for Lights Motors Action as it was very very hot and we have done it so many times already so we aren't missing anything.
Has been so long since we did Under the Sea with Ariel so we went and did that which was great craic. We headed round and saw The Muppets 3d, loving these shows again.
We headed home for a little chill time in the afternoon and then went out to Oldtown in the evening. I am actually gutted at how much it has changed. I know they went bankrupt and were bought over but it was very commercialised and all about gift shops. The general store was so modern and all gift stuff, it used to be old timey and had loads of classic coke style products, i loved it. My favourite taffy shop is gone. I enjoyed getting to see all the natural gemstones. As a jewellery maker this kind of thing is right up my street, but that was the most exciting thing for me really. It just didn't have the same appeal as it used to. I know there are new rides and stuff for fun spot but it just isn't the same. For those who like Primeval Whirl in Animal Kingdom but not wanting to join the huge lines, there is one with the same style track at fun spot Old Town. Anyway after that we just headed to pizza hut for dinner, yummy bone out buffalo wings and large pizza. Man was it tasty!!! Will go back to Oldtown and see the car cruise on friday night for the modern cars, hopefully that will make it all seem better for me.
Animal kingdom was day 3, So after another lovely breakfast, served by the lovely sara. We headed on and wow i love this place. I still can't believe it is the least favourite park!! Also I know people are complaining about all the work going on but personally it doesn't bother me. At the end of the day they are just trying to add new things to keep us happy and there is no other way to add new rides. Yes it takes a little of the magic away but if we want updated magic then we need to endure the boards and let them get our new stuff going :-)
Sooooooo we went straight to our first fast pass, it was on Dinosaur. Great craic, although i have to say I think they take the picture at the wrong time. I think they need to take it at the end when the t rex comes at you. We loved the picture anyway, We then headed and were able to get on primeval whirl. They had a couple of issues with one of the tracks but we were moved over straight to the other track, thankfully the line wasn't huge or i would have been really annoyed. So our next stop was the Walking Trail. I love that. One of the things I love most about Animal Kingdom is clearly the animals. It just gives you such a different experience at the parks and I know that Busch is bigger but still love it. After the Walking Trail We went to Expedition Everest.... WOWOWOWOWOW loved it, we got great picture on it too. After that we headed over to Kilimanjaro safari. Think it was the best one we had ever done. I like that they talk more about the reservations and saving the animals that are becoming extinct. I enjoyed the whole pretend thing about the poachers but think this way is going to talk more to people about helping out than the wee skit. Tough to be a bug was a great way to get out of the sun and have a little fun as well.
So after all that and a lot of fun photos taken we headed home for another rest afternoon by the pool. Dinner was Longhorns on 192. It was the best steaks we have ever ever had!! Absolutely amazing!! Hubby had an 18oz ribeye, mine was big enough at 11oz. So juicy, done medium. Tasted gorgeous. I will definitely be back there!!! We had a dander round super target as had never been in one before so that was a good experience. Couldve spent a fortune lol. But lucky for hubby I didn't lol.
Home and chilled with a cup of typhoo tea before bed. The rain was bouncing though not much thunder and lightening to be seen. Have been really lucky so far and not been caught out in the rain at all. Though that could still come lol. Tomorrow is a lay in and shopping day, so that will be nice to take it all a little easier and get out of the heat. It has been over 30c everyday since we got here. I swear May used to be cooler lol. That is why we chose this month and not June but oh well, factor 50 on and I will be fine, though a little red. I am just trying to be very careful and not get too burned.
Hope I am not boring you all. If you have any questions about anything please just ask. I will share some of my pics so far in a separate blog post. xxxxx
Holywood Studios was fantastic. We had fast passes for Star Tours, Aerosmith and Lights Motors Action. Once again with our Memory Maker we just kept stopping every camera person for a picture. It really is paying for itself tenfold. We have all these pictures to download, including ones from the rides as well. Pictures we probably wouldn't have purchased because we have them from before but because we can download them and print them off at home it makes it much more worth it. I highly highly recommend this to anyone, especially those with families who are getting pictures done with cast members too. It is so good!! I know $199 seems like a lot but if you bought one picture from disney it probably costs more than $25, i may be wrong but you think about it, 8 pictures and it has paid for itself. We probably had more than 8 in the first day, and the fact that you get the new attractions video footage too just makes it even more special!
Rock n Rollercoaster was as outstanding as I remember, we were on the back row and wow was it intense. So have been on the front middle and back, middle is best if you don't want it to be too intense but if you want more of a thrill then try for front or back.
Star Tours has been updated since we were last here and it was much much better. Had it not been updated I would not have been as fussed on doing it, but so glad I did. I would do it again as I know that you can get a few different scenarios which is pretty cool.
We ended up not waiting for Lights Motors Action as it was very very hot and we have done it so many times already so we aren't missing anything.
Has been so long since we did Under the Sea with Ariel so we went and did that which was great craic. We headed round and saw The Muppets 3d, loving these shows again.
We headed home for a little chill time in the afternoon and then went out to Oldtown in the evening. I am actually gutted at how much it has changed. I know they went bankrupt and were bought over but it was very commercialised and all about gift shops. The general store was so modern and all gift stuff, it used to be old timey and had loads of classic coke style products, i loved it. My favourite taffy shop is gone. I enjoyed getting to see all the natural gemstones. As a jewellery maker this kind of thing is right up my street, but that was the most exciting thing for me really. It just didn't have the same appeal as it used to. I know there are new rides and stuff for fun spot but it just isn't the same. For those who like Primeval Whirl in Animal Kingdom but not wanting to join the huge lines, there is one with the same style track at fun spot Old Town. Anyway after that we just headed to pizza hut for dinner, yummy bone out buffalo wings and large pizza. Man was it tasty!!! Will go back to Oldtown and see the car cruise on friday night for the modern cars, hopefully that will make it all seem better for me.
Animal kingdom was day 3, So after another lovely breakfast, served by the lovely sara. We headed on and wow i love this place. I still can't believe it is the least favourite park!! Also I know people are complaining about all the work going on but personally it doesn't bother me. At the end of the day they are just trying to add new things to keep us happy and there is no other way to add new rides. Yes it takes a little of the magic away but if we want updated magic then we need to endure the boards and let them get our new stuff going :-)
Sooooooo we went straight to our first fast pass, it was on Dinosaur. Great craic, although i have to say I think they take the picture at the wrong time. I think they need to take it at the end when the t rex comes at you. We loved the picture anyway, We then headed and were able to get on primeval whirl. They had a couple of issues with one of the tracks but we were moved over straight to the other track, thankfully the line wasn't huge or i would have been really annoyed. So our next stop was the Walking Trail. I love that. One of the things I love most about Animal Kingdom is clearly the animals. It just gives you such a different experience at the parks and I know that Busch is bigger but still love it. After the Walking Trail We went to Expedition Everest.... WOWOWOWOWOW loved it, we got great picture on it too. After that we headed over to Kilimanjaro safari. Think it was the best one we had ever done. I like that they talk more about the reservations and saving the animals that are becoming extinct. I enjoyed the whole pretend thing about the poachers but think this way is going to talk more to people about helping out than the wee skit. Tough to be a bug was a great way to get out of the sun and have a little fun as well.
So after all that and a lot of fun photos taken we headed home for another rest afternoon by the pool. Dinner was Longhorns on 192. It was the best steaks we have ever ever had!! Absolutely amazing!! Hubby had an 18oz ribeye, mine was big enough at 11oz. So juicy, done medium. Tasted gorgeous. I will definitely be back there!!! We had a dander round super target as had never been in one before so that was a good experience. Couldve spent a fortune lol. But lucky for hubby I didn't lol.
Home and chilled with a cup of typhoo tea before bed. The rain was bouncing though not much thunder and lightening to be seen. Have been really lucky so far and not been caught out in the rain at all. Though that could still come lol. Tomorrow is a lay in and shopping day, so that will be nice to take it all a little easier and get out of the heat. It has been over 30c everyday since we got here. I swear May used to be cooler lol. That is why we chose this month and not June but oh well, factor 50 on and I will be fine, though a little red. I am just trying to be very careful and not get too burned.
Hope I am not boring you all. If you have any questions about anything please just ask. I will share some of my pics so far in a separate blog post. xxxxx
First Day Magic Kingdom:
Wow what a first day. The weather was gorgeous and being back in Magic Kingdom was absolutely, well... Magical lol.
I had forgotten just how amazing Magic Kingdom was. So after a breakfast at Ihop, we got the ferry over to Magic Kingdom. For me it is the only way to start it off. I love passing the Polynesian and Grand Floridian and watching as the Castle gets closer. I felt really very emotional going back to Disney, I knew it was going to catch me but it hit more than I thought it would.
We had already decided we wanted Memory Maker and Magic Bands so we went to find out how to get that sorted. Then it was time to just have some chill time and dander around to see what was different and see what rides had short lines. We had fast passes for the evening as we hadn't been able to get on early enough for earlier times. It was such a gorgeous day and walking round the park just felt like being home!! We hadn't done Philarmagic in quite a few years so was really fun getting to see that again. I had forgotten how funny it was. We had never done Buzz Lightyears ride either, boy was that good craic. I am rubbish at those games but was actually doing ok with that one until my wrist decided the movement was too much lol. But was a laugh anyway. Space Mountain was so much fun, faster than I remembered though.
We actually stood around to watch a street Parade, cannot think what it is called right now, it was some type of street party with lots of characters dancing. I will have to look that up, but it was good to finally stand and chill and watch a parade which we never do. Think we will definitely be taking in more of those parades this time, we haven't really done that a lot before, but it really is so enjoyable to just enjoy the fun.
As normal we headed home for a while in the afternoon and had a dip in the pool to cool off. Gotta love a cool refreshing swim in the pool. Shame I nearly killed myself getting in the jacuzzi, lost my balance, thank goodness I had my hubby there to catch me or I would have hit my head on the side. Doh!! Trust me to try and knock myself out lol. But I am grand, one or two bruises but nothing that won't heal up soon lol.
We head back to the park later for the night shows and to do our fast passed rides, I am still not sure about the idea of the fast pass plus and having to plan everything so much in advance. It really feels like it takes a lot of magic away planning every single day 30 days in advance.
Anyway we grabbed a hot dog and soda at Caseys Corner, yum yum! Of course washed down with Orange Fanta, real orange not the watered down rubbish from the UK lol. I have a real hate for how rubbish it is back home, so normally drink club orange back home, keeping fanta for here. We had a we stroll around the park just taking it all in then went and found a spot close to the castle for the parade and wishes. I have to be honest I really am not a fan of Main Street Electric Parade, it is not a patch on Spectromagic, but I know that they have to change things up every so often but the Electric Parade music is so annoying and repetitive that it is hard to enjoy it!
The new part that comes on before wishes is absolutely amazing!! Celebrate the Magic it is called. Breathtaking, I actually teared up again lol. A lot of tearing up today. Wishes of course was just out of this world. You cannot even describe to anyone what it is like as you cannot explain how magical it is. After Wishes we walked over to do Seven Dwarves Mine Train. Absolutely loved it. Amazing how smooth the new rides are, definitely so much fun. Want to do that again :-)
So we got home and were able to check out our photos from throughout the day. Memory Maker is already worth every penny and it is only day 1.
Tomorrow we are off to Holywood Studios. So time for sleep. Looking forward to more IHOP in the morning. What is your favourite place for breakfast? We just adore IHOP and always go to the same one every single year, out on 192. :-)
Good night all. xxx
I had forgotten just how amazing Magic Kingdom was. So after a breakfast at Ihop, we got the ferry over to Magic Kingdom. For me it is the only way to start it off. I love passing the Polynesian and Grand Floridian and watching as the Castle gets closer. I felt really very emotional going back to Disney, I knew it was going to catch me but it hit more than I thought it would.
We had already decided we wanted Memory Maker and Magic Bands so we went to find out how to get that sorted. Then it was time to just have some chill time and dander around to see what was different and see what rides had short lines. We had fast passes for the evening as we hadn't been able to get on early enough for earlier times. It was such a gorgeous day and walking round the park just felt like being home!! We hadn't done Philarmagic in quite a few years so was really fun getting to see that again. I had forgotten how funny it was. We had never done Buzz Lightyears ride either, boy was that good craic. I am rubbish at those games but was actually doing ok with that one until my wrist decided the movement was too much lol. But was a laugh anyway. Space Mountain was so much fun, faster than I remembered though.
We actually stood around to watch a street Parade, cannot think what it is called right now, it was some type of street party with lots of characters dancing. I will have to look that up, but it was good to finally stand and chill and watch a parade which we never do. Think we will definitely be taking in more of those parades this time, we haven't really done that a lot before, but it really is so enjoyable to just enjoy the fun.
As normal we headed home for a while in the afternoon and had a dip in the pool to cool off. Gotta love a cool refreshing swim in the pool. Shame I nearly killed myself getting in the jacuzzi, lost my balance, thank goodness I had my hubby there to catch me or I would have hit my head on the side. Doh!! Trust me to try and knock myself out lol. But I am grand, one or two bruises but nothing that won't heal up soon lol.
We head back to the park later for the night shows and to do our fast passed rides, I am still not sure about the idea of the fast pass plus and having to plan everything so much in advance. It really feels like it takes a lot of magic away planning every single day 30 days in advance.
Anyway we grabbed a hot dog and soda at Caseys Corner, yum yum! Of course washed down with Orange Fanta, real orange not the watered down rubbish from the UK lol. I have a real hate for how rubbish it is back home, so normally drink club orange back home, keeping fanta for here. We had a we stroll around the park just taking it all in then went and found a spot close to the castle for the parade and wishes. I have to be honest I really am not a fan of Main Street Electric Parade, it is not a patch on Spectromagic, but I know that they have to change things up every so often but the Electric Parade music is so annoying and repetitive that it is hard to enjoy it!
The new part that comes on before wishes is absolutely amazing!! Celebrate the Magic it is called. Breathtaking, I actually teared up again lol. A lot of tearing up today. Wishes of course was just out of this world. You cannot even describe to anyone what it is like as you cannot explain how magical it is. After Wishes we walked over to do Seven Dwarves Mine Train. Absolutely loved it. Amazing how smooth the new rides are, definitely so much fun. Want to do that again :-)
So we got home and were able to check out our photos from throughout the day. Memory Maker is already worth every penny and it is only day 1.
Tomorrow we are off to Holywood Studios. So time for sleep. Looking forward to more IHOP in the morning. What is your favourite place for breakfast? We just adore IHOP and always go to the same one every single year, out on 192. :-)
Good night all. xxx
Monday, 18 May 2015
Travel Day: One Couple, Two Flights and Three Airports
Hey everyone, so travel day came on 16 May, we got up at 5am to prepare for leaving just before 7. After just a few hours sleep I was dreading the travelling. We were flying from Belfast to Newark and then Newark down to Orlando International. We had never travelled this way before and I was very very anxious about this.
Well lets just say my worst fears were realised!!! When we checked in at Belfast we were given boarding passes right through, but we were informed that our flight from Newark was overbooked and we couldn't be guaranteed a seat number until we got to the boarding gate in Newark.. So we would just have to hope for the best and wait!!! Which didn't do much for my anxiety! However there was nothing we could do about it so it was time to just get from Belfast to Newark..... The airplane was a sardine can in disguise!! I could have cried when I realised just how small it was. Thomas had told me it would be 3 either side but I didn't realise how small and seeing that tiny tin can scared me!!! But it got even worse when I realised we were on the back two seats which meant there was no way to recline. It was a horrible flight, long uncomfortable and each meal coming round we had to take just whatever was left, so our main meal I had a spinach ricotta type thing and Thomas had a chickpea masala which was actually really full of flavour. I like that they constantly offer you refreshments, thats about the only thing that I can say good about it.....
So we got to Newark, went through immigration and sailed through the airport and over to the gate we were checking in all the while hoping that we would have a seat on the plane!! While we waited to find out we went and had food in the wee pizza place in the terminal. I had a pepperoni calzone, boy was it tasty!!! Thomas had a big slice of pizza with sausage and pepperoni. Absolutely delicious!!
Anyway getting to the flight! I was actually starting to tear up as people were boarding the flight and our names hadn't been called yet. I was sure we weren't getting on that flight at all. Thomas went up to the desk again and they had boarding tickets for us. Either side of the plane 5 rows apart. So we had to sit apart for 3 hours. I have to say that was not the most pleasant of experiences for us!! Though we both got sitting beside nice couples so I guess it could have been worse.. It was so uncomfortable and after having a long flight out to new york this just made it even longer.
I have to say I will never fly that way again!!! It was exhausting and body breaking for me!!
Anyway things got a little better when we found out we were getting a mustang!! Thomas was a very happy boy! Thomas had bought Navmii USA, having used the UK one at home a lot for work it should have been great, but we couldn't get it to find the locations we were going to, it wouldn't bring up West Irlo Bronson Mem Highway just the east side. Absolutely gutted, as we had left our sat nav at home with family as it needed updating anyway... So luckily we figured that before leaving as we still had a chance to hire sat nav from the car hire people at budget. We put the address in for Ocean beds and we were on our way, once again i had a happy hubby with his mustang. We got to the rental pick up place and were greeted by happy workers, I expected at nearly 9 at night that it would be a lock box and we would have to come back the following morning for registration, but nope they were still open so we got it all sorted and found out where we would be staying and headed on.
We were very happy when we got to the location and saw the gated community we were staying in. Our villa has a gorgeous pool with a hot tub, the pool is only 5ft deep but hey its a good size so we have fun. There are 5 bedrooms with 3 bathrooms. Two master bedrooms with beds bigger than my whole bedroom lol.....
Anyway that is enough for tonight. We had a long and tiring trip but we are in Florida and that is the start of our amazing adventure. I cannot wait to share more of our holiday with you all.
Introduction to me and preparations for holiday
Hello everyone, think I should start by telling you a little about me.
I am Lyndsey :-) I am 31 married to my lovely husband Thomas, he is in his 40's. We have no children, we are the children lol. This trip is our 5th visit to Florida. We are from Belfast Northern Ireland.
I should also mention that I have a lot of health issues, won't go in to it all, but hey I have a blog about that to if you really want to know more. However, so you can have an idea, I have Fibromyalgia and Arthritis.
It has been 5 years since our last visit, and it has been a long and tough time. My health hit rock bottom, I had to leave work. My father in law passed away from Cancer. I lost one of my precious fur babies before Christmas. Anyway last June I actually cried when my husband said to get the laptop and start looking at holidays!!
So we found a great deal with Travel Republic for Flights from Belfast to Orlando International with a connection in Newark flying with United. We chose an Executive Plus Villa, one of the ones that is allocation on arrival, always a little scary and exciting lol. We also decided to go for a convertible again.
So our holiday will be very different to what we are used to as my health is a not as good as it once was. I live on pain killers and need plenty of rest. We have also discussed the possibility that I may need a scooter or wheelchair if I get bad, but we will play it by ear. I am hoping if I take it easy that I won't totally wreck myself too much.
I have to be honest I am not sure how much I like the idea of the new fast pass plus stuff. Some of our fast passes are at random times because it is so hard to get online at 5am to get the good things booked in. I will reserve my judgement for it and be open minded, but I just think it takes away the magic of it all.
Anyway, I will be posting here most days sharing my thoughts and excitement and hopefully you will maybe learn a bit from my experiences too.
If you have any questions at all please feel free to ask, :-)
Chat to you all soon.
Loves Lyndsey xxx
I am Lyndsey :-) I am 31 married to my lovely husband Thomas, he is in his 40's. We have no children, we are the children lol. This trip is our 5th visit to Florida. We are from Belfast Northern Ireland.
I should also mention that I have a lot of health issues, won't go in to it all, but hey I have a blog about that to if you really want to know more. However, so you can have an idea, I have Fibromyalgia and Arthritis.
It has been 5 years since our last visit, and it has been a long and tough time. My health hit rock bottom, I had to leave work. My father in law passed away from Cancer. I lost one of my precious fur babies before Christmas. Anyway last June I actually cried when my husband said to get the laptop and start looking at holidays!!
So we found a great deal with Travel Republic for Flights from Belfast to Orlando International with a connection in Newark flying with United. We chose an Executive Plus Villa, one of the ones that is allocation on arrival, always a little scary and exciting lol. We also decided to go for a convertible again.
So our holiday will be very different to what we are used to as my health is a not as good as it once was. I live on pain killers and need plenty of rest. We have also discussed the possibility that I may need a scooter or wheelchair if I get bad, but we will play it by ear. I am hoping if I take it easy that I won't totally wreck myself too much.
I have to be honest I am not sure how much I like the idea of the new fast pass plus stuff. Some of our fast passes are at random times because it is so hard to get online at 5am to get the good things booked in. I will reserve my judgement for it and be open minded, but I just think it takes away the magic of it all.
Anyway, I will be posting here most days sharing my thoughts and excitement and hopefully you will maybe learn a bit from my experiences too.
If you have any questions at all please feel free to ask, :-)
Chat to you all soon.
Loves Lyndsey xxx
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