We're home and planning the next one!!
- Thread starter Busy Busy
- Start date
australiankaren
I do love me my free H20...thank you Mickey.....DV
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2007
Have learnt 3 things from this TR so far:
1.key rings are great xmas ornaments
2.book the afternoon tea at GF
3.norway buffet was a good thing for me to reserve for this trip as my princess (DH) will love it
keep up the good work!
1.key rings are great xmas ornaments
2.book the afternoon tea at GF
3.norway buffet was a good thing for me to reserve for this trip as my princess (DH) will love it
keep up the good work!
I called WDW to make to afternoon tea reservation - the website is a pain and I couldn't find it anywhere - definitely worth the call!!
As for the key rings as decorations - I will make ANYTHING into a Christmas decoration - and DH was so proud of me for braving that damn yeti that we searched the gift shop for something. In the end, there it was, fuzzy and fabulous - I just need to put a silver ribbon on it and come on Christmas!!
Help it's cold in Sydney today, I'm going to make a potato bake and then do some more typing!
As for the key rings as decorations - I will make ANYTHING into a Christmas decoration - and DH was so proud of me for braving that damn yeti that we searched the gift shop for something. In the end, there it was, fuzzy and fabulous - I just need to put a silver ribbon on it and come on Christmas!!
Help it's cold in Sydney today, I'm going to make a potato bake and then do some more typing!
ESPN AT THE BOARDWALK: While DD and I were having fun at the Grand Floridian, the boys were at ESPN watching the Champions League Final. For months they had been up at all hours of the night watching game after game. They had been disappointed as every English team was eliminated, then the last 2 Spanish teams bit the dust in the weeks before we left on our holiday - (DS's coach is Spanish - and all of the boys in the team hang off every word the coach says - so of course they love the Spanish teams). So now, they were left with 2 German teams in the final - I asked them if they still wanted to watch the game - um, are you mental, YES!!!
DD and I arrived back at the Boardwalk after our gorgeous afternoon tea, we headed to ESPN and there was alviv line up, I told the girl on the door that my DH and DS were already in there and she sent us straight in. We are big fans of ESPN - being crazy sports fans, we watch it at home and whenever we had the TV on during our trip it seemed to be on one of the 6 ESPN channels!
We ate at the ESPN in the Disneyland Downtown Disney twice back in 2009, and then at the one in NYC on that trip too. We can always find yummy food there, and they serve a Bloody Mary that is one of the best I've had.
We sat with the boys amongst the throng of fans, there were people watching Lacrosse on the TVs behind the bar and they were screaming away, then there were all of the soccer maniacs going nuts, couples, families with kids, all kinds of people. Eating was not going to happen for DD and I, but their spicy Bloody Mary was PERFECT!! We loved it here, lots of atmosphere and stuff on the walls to look at, and the staff were lovely. If you like that sports bar atmosphere, but with a family feel - this is a great place to go.
...and just in case you weren't up watching the final at 2am - Bayern Munich scored in the final minute of the game to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1.
DD and I arrived back at the Boardwalk after our gorgeous afternoon tea, we headed to ESPN and there was alviv line up, I told the girl on the door that my DH and DS were already in there and she sent us straight in. We are big fans of ESPN - being crazy sports fans, we watch it at home and whenever we had the TV on during our trip it seemed to be on one of the 6 ESPN channels!
We ate at the ESPN in the Disneyland Downtown Disney twice back in 2009, and then at the one in NYC on that trip too. We can always find yummy food there, and they serve a Bloody Mary that is one of the best I've had.
We sat with the boys amongst the throng of fans, there were people watching Lacrosse on the TVs behind the bar and they were screaming away, then there were all of the soccer maniacs going nuts, couples, families with kids, all kinds of people. Eating was not going to happen for DD and I, but their spicy Bloody Mary was PERFECT!! We loved it here, lots of atmosphere and stuff on the walls to look at, and the staff were lovely. If you like that sports bar atmosphere, but with a family feel - this is a great place to go.
...and just in case you weren't up watching the final at 2am - Bayern Munich scored in the final minute of the game to beat Borussia Dortmund 2-1.
RELAXING IS SOOOOO IMPORTANT!| We hadn't necessarily had a crazy day - breakfast, afternoon tea, wandering the Boardwalk - nothing strenuous at all, but I can't stress enough how important I think days like this are. We'd had 4 days of park, park, park, park - and I had planned for us to stay out of the parks for the 3 days of the Memorial Day long weekend - nothing like a red light 10/10 crowd prediction to help me make up my mind!!
After our Boardwalk and ESPN fun and games, we were pool bound ASAP, it was hot and we couldn't wait. My amazing DH (who works for himself) was still doing work on his computer throughout the trip. He decided to head up to the Riverside Mill and do some work on the laptop while the kids and I walked the loooong 30 steps to the pool.....Hahahahaha!!
We had no plans for dinner, so we spent ages by the pool, DD barely got out - she made a few friends and I loved watching her so happy. DS spent time in the pool, by the pool, and of course - on Facebook!! I read my book (which I never get a chance to do at home), and soon DH was back and joined us for some fabulous family rest time.
We didn't leave the pool until 7pm - and after getting changed we headed up to the Riverside Mill for dinner. OMG - there were so many people there, Memorial Day weekend was mental everywhere. I lined up to get our dinners(all 4 of us wanted things from different counters), DS took the stuff back to the table and I jumped into one last line - to get myself a create your own salad. This was so yum and perfect after such a hot day.
We had a drink in the bars while the kids spent time in the arcade. When we were ready to leave, they weren't - so they stayed there!! DS15 was amazing - he took such good care of DD and we were never worried about them - if you don't have a 6'4" teenager to take with you on your trips - he might be available!!
DH and I took the washing over to the laundry, I took my mug and my book and stuck around over there. Time alone was hard to come by on this trip - so 1 hour on my own hanging in the laundry was fine by me. I would have sat by the pool, but it was dark and raining. I actually met some lovely people there, from St Louis and Kentucky - the first things that people say are....Australia is my dream destination, and how long does the flight take? They always freak out when you tell them that it's almost 14 hours from Sydney to LA - then they quickly understand why you're spending 13 nights there!!
So, with the washing done (great feeling), I headed back to our room and watched some basketball - I feel like I was asleep seconds after hitting the pillow. Relaxing is exhausting...and a must-do!!
After our Boardwalk and ESPN fun and games, we were pool bound ASAP, it was hot and we couldn't wait. My amazing DH (who works for himself) was still doing work on his computer throughout the trip. He decided to head up to the Riverside Mill and do some work on the laptop while the kids and I walked the loooong 30 steps to the pool.....Hahahahaha!!
We had no plans for dinner, so we spent ages by the pool, DD barely got out - she made a few friends and I loved watching her so happy. DS spent time in the pool, by the pool, and of course - on Facebook!! I read my book (which I never get a chance to do at home), and soon DH was back and joined us for some fabulous family rest time.
We didn't leave the pool until 7pm - and after getting changed we headed up to the Riverside Mill for dinner. OMG - there were so many people there, Memorial Day weekend was mental everywhere. I lined up to get our dinners(all 4 of us wanted things from different counters), DS took the stuff back to the table and I jumped into one last line - to get myself a create your own salad. This was so yum and perfect after such a hot day.
We had a drink in the bars while the kids spent time in the arcade. When we were ready to leave, they weren't - so they stayed there!! DS15 was amazing - he took such good care of DD and we were never worried about them - if you don't have a 6'4" teenager to take with you on your trips - he might be available!!
DH and I took the washing over to the laundry, I took my mug and my book and stuck around over there. Time alone was hard to come by on this trip - so 1 hour on my own hanging in the laundry was fine by me. I would have sat by the pool, but it was dark and raining. I actually met some lovely people there, from St Louis and Kentucky - the first things that people say are....Australia is my dream destination, and how long does the flight take? They always freak out when you tell them that it's almost 14 hours from Sydney to LA - then they quickly understand why you're spending 13 nights there!!
So, with the washing done (great feeling), I headed back to our room and watched some basketball - I feel like I was asleep seconds after hitting the pillow. Relaxing is exhausting...and a must-do!!
Aussie Wendy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2008
Before I go back and read the rest of your updates just have to say you have sold me on Sanaa next time we get there-sooner than later I hope. Ok..more reading..writing some more of my TR can wait awhile while I read yours 
Aussie Wendy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2008
I called WDW to make to afternoon tea reservation - the website is a pain and I couldn't find it anywhere - definitely worth the call!!
As for the key rings as decorations - I will make ANYTHING into a Christmas decoration - and DH was so proud of me for braving that damn yeti that we searched the gift shop for something. In the end, there it was, fuzzy and fabulous - I just need to put a silver ribbon on it and come on Christmas!!
Help it's cold in Sydney today, I'm going to make a potato bake and then do some more typing!
Wish I'd thought of that!! I should have looked for a turtle in DLP too to mark my bravery at riding Crush-I remember lots of soft toys but I am sure I would have found one-clever thinking!
Aussie Wendy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2008
I agree - "down" days are necessary. Not that I always follow what I preach.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTRE: Now - I need to warn you - I am obsessed with space. My mum and dad made us watch the space shuttle launches together from the beginning and in 1997 we all travelled to Orlando together and saw the amazing shuttle Columbia launch. I haven't married a man who shares my obsession, and when we were in Orlando in 2011, there just "wasn't enough time" to visit KSC. I sucked it up, reasoning with myself that, yes, DD had just turned 7 and would probably be bored....but not this time....we were going if I had to carry them all on my backs!!!
So, up and at it, we were out the door at 7am. We planned to have breakfast somewhere along the way, and be ready for opening at KSC. Great plan, except we were on the toll way before we knew it and there was nothing but trees and swamps along the way. We were at KSC by 8am - drove in and found that the place didn't open until 9am!! OK, we punched McDonalds into the GPS and headed to the one at Cocoa - 10 minutes away.
Cocoa is such a crazy place....lots of trailer parks, tattoo parlors and piercing places....but nobody around so early on a Sunday morning. The McDonalds was great and the people there were really nice - a Vietnam veteran sparked up a conversation with me at the counter, and he was very funny.
Back at KSC we stood at the giant board trying to figure out which package to buy. This drove me crazy, doing things like taking the launch pad tour was an extra $25 each, the vehicle assembly building tour was an extra $25 each - I wanted to do them all, but we settled on the general admission and the Saturn 5 rocket tour - at least at WDW it's one price to get in and see everything. Considering that certain husbands weren't even that thrilled to be here - I took what I could get!!
We spent some time in the rocket garden - we got to walk along the gangway that the Apollo 11 astronauts used to get to the rocket that took them to the moon - WOW!!
We headed into the new Angry Birds section - there are billboards all over I-Drive for this attraction, and it was terrible!! Completely boring and we couldn't get out fast enough!!
After a while we headed to the buses to go out to the Saturn 5 - we got to see an amazing movie about the plans in the '60's to go to the moon, DD thought the hippies in the movie were hilarious! So, all fired up and excited, we were then sent into a big theatre where you get to see a great show using the actual control panels used in the Apollo 8 mission. DH had asked if we would get to see any of this, and he was impressed by it....but I knew what was next, and I knew how much more there was to be amazed by.
The doors opened and we walked through to the most amazing sight that a space buff can see - the Saturn 5 rocket - suspended on its side it stretches 363 feet long - this is the same kind of rocket that those amazing men rode to the moon!!
All along the room are giant displays for each of the Apollo missions, info on who went and what they did, as well as newspaper front pages from all over the world from the day of the first landing.
I had specifically watched my DH's and DS's faces as they walked into the giant room - they both had the exact reactions that I wanted them to have. Finally my husband realised why I had wanted us to come, and hopefully my family now get why I have always talked about it so much.
There was an amazing movie about the first moon landing and a fantastic display of moon rocks, log books, space suits - all sorts of great stuff.
Eventually we jumped onto the bus back to the main area where we hit the gift shop. You can even buy an adult sized space suit there - crazy!!
The shuttle Atlantis is there, inside a big hangar where there is a giant museum being built around it - this will open in July - so I'm going to have to go back!!
All in all, we had a great day at KSC - but, it's expensive and you'll probably have to pay more to see the shuttle display when it opens, but I got to convert my DH that day, and my whole family loved the Saturn 5 section. If you love space - it's a must do.
So, up and at it, we were out the door at 7am. We planned to have breakfast somewhere along the way, and be ready for opening at KSC. Great plan, except we were on the toll way before we knew it and there was nothing but trees and swamps along the way. We were at KSC by 8am - drove in and found that the place didn't open until 9am!! OK, we punched McDonalds into the GPS and headed to the one at Cocoa - 10 minutes away.
Cocoa is such a crazy place....lots of trailer parks, tattoo parlors and piercing places....but nobody around so early on a Sunday morning. The McDonalds was great and the people there were really nice - a Vietnam veteran sparked up a conversation with me at the counter, and he was very funny.
Back at KSC we stood at the giant board trying to figure out which package to buy. This drove me crazy, doing things like taking the launch pad tour was an extra $25 each, the vehicle assembly building tour was an extra $25 each - I wanted to do them all, but we settled on the general admission and the Saturn 5 rocket tour - at least at WDW it's one price to get in and see everything. Considering that certain husbands weren't even that thrilled to be here - I took what I could get!!
We spent some time in the rocket garden - we got to walk along the gangway that the Apollo 11 astronauts used to get to the rocket that took them to the moon - WOW!!
We headed into the new Angry Birds section - there are billboards all over I-Drive for this attraction, and it was terrible!! Completely boring and we couldn't get out fast enough!!
After a while we headed to the buses to go out to the Saturn 5 - we got to see an amazing movie about the plans in the '60's to go to the moon, DD thought the hippies in the movie were hilarious! So, all fired up and excited, we were then sent into a big theatre where you get to see a great show using the actual control panels used in the Apollo 8 mission. DH had asked if we would get to see any of this, and he was impressed by it....but I knew what was next, and I knew how much more there was to be amazed by.
The doors opened and we walked through to the most amazing sight that a space buff can see - the Saturn 5 rocket - suspended on its side it stretches 363 feet long - this is the same kind of rocket that those amazing men rode to the moon!!
All along the room are giant displays for each of the Apollo missions, info on who went and what they did, as well as newspaper front pages from all over the world from the day of the first landing.
I had specifically watched my DH's and DS's faces as they walked into the giant room - they both had the exact reactions that I wanted them to have. Finally my husband realised why I had wanted us to come, and hopefully my family now get why I have always talked about it so much.
There was an amazing movie about the first moon landing and a fantastic display of moon rocks, log books, space suits - all sorts of great stuff.
Eventually we jumped onto the bus back to the main area where we hit the gift shop. You can even buy an adult sized space suit there - crazy!!
The shuttle Atlantis is there, inside a big hangar where there is a giant museum being built around it - this will open in July - so I'm going to have to go back!!
All in all, we had a great day at KSC - but, it's expensive and you'll probably have to pay more to see the shuttle display when it opens, but I got to convert my DH that day, and my whole family loved the Saturn 5 section. If you love space - it's a must do.
PrincessInOz
Thanks for my avatar, Mary Jo!
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2010
Sounds like a great day at KSC.
My DH grew up with the Apollo missions. Getting him there wasn't the problem. Getting him out.....was.
Glad your family are all converted now.
My DH grew up with the Apollo missions. Getting him there wasn't the problem. Getting him out.....was.
Glad your family are all converted now.
I LOVE the sound of your 'down' day; High Tea, sport and relaxing by the pool? My perfect day - I could easily have tagged along.
Having a 6ft plus teenager sounds like it definitely has it's advantages. I often dream that I have enough money to take one of my older nieces or nephew along to help
How did you find out what would be playing at ESPN? I'm wondering if they will broadcast the AFL footy finals in September?
Having a 6ft plus teenager sounds like it definitely has it's advantages. I often dream that I have enough money to take one of my older nieces or nephew along to help
How did you find out what would be playing at ESPN? I'm wondering if they will broadcast the AFL footy finals in September?
OUT AND ABOUT IN ORLANDO: On our way home from Kennedy Space Centre, we stopped at one of the squillions of 24 hour Walgreens. I love this place - you can get anything there and it is SO CHEAP!!
We grabbed some more sunscreen, magazines and snacks - all things that I could have bought in the POR gift shop - but the selection at Walgreens is killer - and they have a body moisturiser AISLE!!!!
We went to Super Walmart later in the week - that will need a post of it's own!!
So, after snacking and swimming, we decided to head back out again in our giant beast of a car (which by the way, cost $40 to fill up! I still can't believe how cheap the petrol was - and that car was not necessarily fuel efficient!)
A few years ago, a friend of mine and her family had spent 4 weeks driving down the East Coast from New York to Miami - they had their 3 kids with them and the swore by eating at the Golden Corral chain of restaurants. My friend was really impressed with the selection of food and the fact that they had VEGETABLES!!! So, we decided to take her advice and have dinner there.
We threw it into the GPS and found one not far from Downtown Disney - there were about 3 in the close by area. We got there and it was FULL!! We got the last table in the place and were then thrown to the wolves - OMG, I can be a bit of a snob when I want to be, but I controlled myself and made the best of a CRAZY situation!!
We had a lovely waitress who kept our drinks full and the table clear, and the food was pretty good. There was a massive selection of food, Chinese, Mexican, BBQ, and they even had steaks that a guy was cooking to order. They had great soups and lots of salad stuff, and yes, lots of vegies!! There was a chocolate fountain that was constantly surrounded by kids, and fairy floss!! Food wise - I recommend it, people wise - yikes!!
The woman on the front counter tried to sell us a time share apartment (no thanks), and we saw a lot of tattoos and bare midriffs during dinner!! It was a redneck buffet!!!
When I spoke to my friend about it, she mentioned how close it was to the Nickelodeon Hotel (where they had stayed), nooooo, this was nowhere near there. So, my advice to you is - consider the Golden Corral, it's a great price and there is so much food there - but go to the one on South I-Drive - that's south, south, south, south, south, south, south.....for your own sake - got me?! (snobby rant over!!)
We grabbed some more sunscreen, magazines and snacks - all things that I could have bought in the POR gift shop - but the selection at Walgreens is killer - and they have a body moisturiser AISLE!!!!
We went to Super Walmart later in the week - that will need a post of it's own!!
So, after snacking and swimming, we decided to head back out again in our giant beast of a car (which by the way, cost $40 to fill up! I still can't believe how cheap the petrol was - and that car was not necessarily fuel efficient!)
A few years ago, a friend of mine and her family had spent 4 weeks driving down the East Coast from New York to Miami - they had their 3 kids with them and the swore by eating at the Golden Corral chain of restaurants. My friend was really impressed with the selection of food and the fact that they had VEGETABLES!!! So, we decided to take her advice and have dinner there.
We threw it into the GPS and found one not far from Downtown Disney - there were about 3 in the close by area. We got there and it was FULL!! We got the last table in the place and were then thrown to the wolves - OMG, I can be a bit of a snob when I want to be, but I controlled myself and made the best of a CRAZY situation!!
We had a lovely waitress who kept our drinks full and the table clear, and the food was pretty good. There was a massive selection of food, Chinese, Mexican, BBQ, and they even had steaks that a guy was cooking to order. They had great soups and lots of salad stuff, and yes, lots of vegies!! There was a chocolate fountain that was constantly surrounded by kids, and fairy floss!! Food wise - I recommend it, people wise - yikes!!
The woman on the front counter tried to sell us a time share apartment (no thanks), and we saw a lot of tattoos and bare midriffs during dinner!! It was a redneck buffet!!!
When I spoke to my friend about it, she mentioned how close it was to the Nickelodeon Hotel (where they had stayed), nooooo, this was nowhere near there. So, my advice to you is - consider the Golden Corral, it's a great price and there is so much food there - but go to the one on South I-Drive - that's south, south, south, south, south, south, south.....for your own sake - got me?! (snobby rant over!!)
ORLANDO PREMIUM OUTLETS: It was the Monday of the Memorial Day weekend, and despite the obvious reason to have Memorial Day, there are two other things that Americans stop for on this day......shopping and BBQ!! I remember so clearly an ad on the radio, "it's Memorial Day, let's get ready to GRILLLLLLLL !!
So, considering that it was early in the day and nobody was in the mood for ribs yet - we decided to do the only decent thing - contribute to the American economy and shop, shop, shop!!
We drove to the Premium Outlets on North International Drive - there are about 4 different outlet malls along I-Drive, but the north one had all of the shops that we wanted. It took us a while to get there, but we found a park pretty easily and off we went.
The problem with this mall is that it's an "outside" mall, so all of the shops open onto big open walkways. It was a hot day, but this place is open until 11pm AND you can buy cocktails and beer at lots of little stands everywhere. Anybody feel like a margarita with your Nikes??
We hit all of the big shops and everybody scored some great stuff - the added bonus was that some shops had extra discounts just for Memorial Day. As I walked into one ladies clothing shop I was welcomed with "hi, we have a further 40% everything in the store".....hooooooray!!!
DS got so much sports gear and I don't think that there is a Nike polo shirt that my DH doesn't have, DD got some super gorgeous shorts in the Hurley shop - $6 each, and jeans, tops, dresses and pants in Aeropostale (whatever that is)!!! I scored some lovely summer dresses and tops, and we all got new undies and socks. They have a big food court there, we were too hot to eat, but each got a medium soft drink (cold + sugar to continue on) - the medium size reminded me of an Aussie milkshake cup - it looked as tall as from your elbow to your wrist - the large was like a bucket!!
So, shopped out and hot, we found our car and came straight back to POR, we needed a long swim!! We didn't have any plans for dinner, but we had popped into the Old Key West Resort the night before (full resort hopping post coming soon), and LOVED it. We had seen the menu outside Olivia's Cafe there and liked the look of it, so I jumped onto the WDW site and made us a dinner reservation.
We swam and sunned and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. Now that is the way to spend a long weekend!!
So, considering that it was early in the day and nobody was in the mood for ribs yet - we decided to do the only decent thing - contribute to the American economy and shop, shop, shop!!
We drove to the Premium Outlets on North International Drive - there are about 4 different outlet malls along I-Drive, but the north one had all of the shops that we wanted. It took us a while to get there, but we found a park pretty easily and off we went.
The problem with this mall is that it's an "outside" mall, so all of the shops open onto big open walkways. It was a hot day, but this place is open until 11pm AND you can buy cocktails and beer at lots of little stands everywhere. Anybody feel like a margarita with your Nikes??
We hit all of the big shops and everybody scored some great stuff - the added bonus was that some shops had extra discounts just for Memorial Day. As I walked into one ladies clothing shop I was welcomed with "hi, we have a further 40% everything in the store".....hooooooray!!!
DS got so much sports gear and I don't think that there is a Nike polo shirt that my DH doesn't have, DD got some super gorgeous shorts in the Hurley shop - $6 each, and jeans, tops, dresses and pants in Aeropostale (whatever that is)!!! I scored some lovely summer dresses and tops, and we all got new undies and socks. They have a big food court there, we were too hot to eat, but each got a medium soft drink (cold + sugar to continue on) - the medium size reminded me of an Aussie milkshake cup - it looked as tall as from your elbow to your wrist - the large was like a bucket!!
So, shopped out and hot, we found our car and came straight back to POR, we needed a long swim!! We didn't have any plans for dinner, but we had popped into the Old Key West Resort the night before (full resort hopping post coming soon), and LOVED it. We had seen the menu outside Olivia's Cafe there and liked the look of it, so I jumped onto the WDW site and made us a dinner reservation.
We swam and sunned and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. Now that is the way to spend a long weekend!!
OLIVIA'S CAFE - OLD KEY WEST RESORT: The Old Key West Resort is really close to Port Orleans - it would have been rude not to pop in!!
On our visit there after our Golden Corral "experience", we couldn't believe how beautiful it was there, so many happy people and DD was given a balloon animal by a CM - so it instantly became her favourite resort. I want the seating area off their lobby for my lounge room - but I was heard saying that at a couple of other resorts that week too!!
We got ready after our lovely afternoon by the pool and made our way to OKW. We wandered for a bit and then checked into Olivia's. In the entry they have hundreds of framed photos on the walls of families who have had their pictures taken at Olivia's and then sent the pictures back there. There were years of lovely happy faces on those walls - I could have looked at them all night!!
We headed in and sat at a great table right in the middle of the room. Out waitress was FULL of information for us, but the flip side of her being so nice and full of info was that she was crazy slow!!
There was a table next to us who had kids who were hungry and thirsty and she just wasn't handling things - the dad was pretty over her by the end of their dinner.
We chilled out and figured that it would be a stretched out dinner - no point freaking out. DH kept to the root beers (never on earth has there ever been a more revolting drink created - YUCK!), because he was driving, but it would have been rude for me to at least try a cocktail or two!!
I had another awesome Bloody Mary - I always think of my mum when I have one - she and I need to do a Bloody Mary crawl around WDW one day!! I also think of my mother-in-law whenever I have a gin and tonic - what is this saying about my family?!
Just off topic for a second....my in-laws LOVE gin and tonics. Back in 2008, they flew from London to Queensland to have an amazing 2 week holiday with us. We got their room all set up at the resort with some groceries and of course, the gin and tonic.....but when they arrived, my father in law said that we needn't have bothered and proceeded to pull from one of their suitcases:
1 bottle of gin
2 bottles of tonic
2 glasses
1 ice cube tray
1 chopping board
1 knife, and....
3 lemons!!!!
You can't do that!! Yes you can, they did!!
Back to Olivia's!! They have pineapple cococut bread there - just like 'Ohana, wow - that is amazing bread!! We ate conch chowder (tomato based and deeelish), conch fritters, amazing burgers and fabulous key lime pie. I also rekindled my love for the yummy WDW pomegranite lemonade here - I spotted a glass of it go by and remembered how much I had loved it back in 2011 - how had I forgotten about it?
After a slightly long, but very enjoyable dinner, we left feeling very happy and very full!! We spent some more time in the gift shop and looking at the gorgeous pool area. I need to move to Orlando so that I can just move from one resort to another - this place was divine!
Olivia's has a very relaxed, laid back atmosphere and the food was great, I would definitely recommend it if you're in the area. It was really easy to get a reservation and you get to see another amazing resort while you eat great food - a win/win situation!!
Once we were done, we headed back to POR where DH and DS sat at the bar - yes, they let the kids sit at the bar - what a great place! The basketball was on, and it was Monday, so no "Chicken George / Yee Haw Bob / crazy piano nutcase dude", so it was nice and quiet!!
The boys had a great time while I took DD to the caricature guy to have a picture of her done. It came out so well, and there were a lot of people stopping to look at how good a job the artist was doing - he was such a talent, and we love that drawing!!
Afterwards, the kids went to the arcade and DH and I hung in the bar for a little longer - you just want to bottle that gorgeous, relaxed atomosphere - I loved our stops there - grown up drinks and grown up time - even if it was just for 15 minutes, fabulous!!
We watched the last quarter of the basketball back in our room, we'd had another amazing day!!
On our visit there after our Golden Corral "experience", we couldn't believe how beautiful it was there, so many happy people and DD was given a balloon animal by a CM - so it instantly became her favourite resort. I want the seating area off their lobby for my lounge room - but I was heard saying that at a couple of other resorts that week too!!
We got ready after our lovely afternoon by the pool and made our way to OKW. We wandered for a bit and then checked into Olivia's. In the entry they have hundreds of framed photos on the walls of families who have had their pictures taken at Olivia's and then sent the pictures back there. There were years of lovely happy faces on those walls - I could have looked at them all night!!
We headed in and sat at a great table right in the middle of the room. Out waitress was FULL of information for us, but the flip side of her being so nice and full of info was that she was crazy slow!!
There was a table next to us who had kids who were hungry and thirsty and she just wasn't handling things - the dad was pretty over her by the end of their dinner.
We chilled out and figured that it would be a stretched out dinner - no point freaking out. DH kept to the root beers (never on earth has there ever been a more revolting drink created - YUCK!), because he was driving, but it would have been rude for me to at least try a cocktail or two!!
I had another awesome Bloody Mary - I always think of my mum when I have one - she and I need to do a Bloody Mary crawl around WDW one day!! I also think of my mother-in-law whenever I have a gin and tonic - what is this saying about my family?!
Just off topic for a second....my in-laws LOVE gin and tonics. Back in 2008, they flew from London to Queensland to have an amazing 2 week holiday with us. We got their room all set up at the resort with some groceries and of course, the gin and tonic.....but when they arrived, my father in law said that we needn't have bothered and proceeded to pull from one of their suitcases:
1 bottle of gin
2 bottles of tonic
2 glasses
1 ice cube tray
1 chopping board
1 knife, and....
3 lemons!!!!
You can't do that!! Yes you can, they did!!
Back to Olivia's!! They have pineapple cococut bread there - just like 'Ohana, wow - that is amazing bread!! We ate conch chowder (tomato based and deeelish), conch fritters, amazing burgers and fabulous key lime pie. I also rekindled my love for the yummy WDW pomegranite lemonade here - I spotted a glass of it go by and remembered how much I had loved it back in 2011 - how had I forgotten about it?
After a slightly long, but very enjoyable dinner, we left feeling very happy and very full!! We spent some more time in the gift shop and looking at the gorgeous pool area. I need to move to Orlando so that I can just move from one resort to another - this place was divine!
Olivia's has a very relaxed, laid back atmosphere and the food was great, I would definitely recommend it if you're in the area. It was really easy to get a reservation and you get to see another amazing resort while you eat great food - a win/win situation!!
Once we were done, we headed back to POR where DH and DS sat at the bar - yes, they let the kids sit at the bar - what a great place! The basketball was on, and it was Monday, so no "Chicken George / Yee Haw Bob / crazy piano nutcase dude", so it was nice and quiet!!
The boys had a great time while I took DD to the caricature guy to have a picture of her done. It came out so well, and there were a lot of people stopping to look at how good a job the artist was doing - he was such a talent, and we love that drawing!!
Afterwards, the kids went to the arcade and DH and I hung in the bar for a little longer - you just want to bottle that gorgeous, relaxed atomosphere - I loved our stops there - grown up drinks and grown up time - even if it was just for 15 minutes, fabulous!!
We watched the last quarter of the basketball back in our room, we'd had another amazing day!!
BLIZZARD BEACH: It was a really hot day, so we decided on a trip to Blizzard Beach, we had been there back in 2011 and loved it - in fact it was DD8's favourite part of our 2011 holiday.
We planned 2 water park days so that we could check out Typhoon Lagoon too - but the second one just never happened - it's a scary thought when it's Tuesday and you know that you are leaving on Sunday and you can feel the days running low and you start to FREAK OUT!!
We drove over, grabbed some towels and threw our stuff into a locker and headed to find some loungers - wow - it was packed that day. We walked past where we had sat last time - completely full - and continued on towards the other end of the giant wave pool. We finally found a great spot, partly shaded by some gorgeous trees, close to the wave pool, close to the lazy river entry point, close to the food place and close to some great slides - that extra 3 minute walk was definitely worth it!!
That wave pool is HUGE, and we had a ball in there, you can grab a rubber ring and float in that, or just bob around by yourself - I definitely need one of them in my back yard!!
The kids headed off to the slides, DH had a lie on the lounger and I headed off to the lazy river - another thing that I need in my backyard!! There is nothing better than a lazy river - and I could have stayed on it all day!!
We went on a few bigger slides, Teamboat Springs is a family water slide where you all jump into a giant raft and scream your way to the bottom - fantastic!!
The kids slid and slid all day, but the chair lift that takes you to the giant slide and Teamboat Springs broke down - and you definitely don't want to climb up all of those stairs in the heat - so we spent our time on "ground level" and discovered lots of other slides that we didn't go on last time.
We ate lunch from the little hut nearby, the kids had hot dogs, DH had a pulled pork sandwich and I had a chicken ceasar salad that was really yummy. They have a special refillable mug that it just for the water parks - it's $10 and you can use it just like one of the resort mugs. I got it assuming that we could use it if we went to Typhoon Lagoon later in the week - but it has a bar code on it and can only be used on the day of purchase - you have to scan the bar code at the drinks machine before it will work. Not to worry, we had lots of drinks from it through the day and most definitely got our moneys worth.
Suddenly we were staring up at a GIANT black cloud - it was HUGE. There was barely time to grab our stuff and jump under a shelter (which was only 10 steps away). We stayed under there for about 15 minutes while it passed over, and while we were there, we chatted to a couple who were from Yorkshire in England, 10 minutes from where my in-laws were originally from!! Amazing! They had their parents, brothers and kids with them and were staying in a huge house that sleeps 20 - they were having a ball and were there for 3 weeks!! It's so smart to bring your own baby sitters!!
Once the storm was over, we decided to hit the road - we were all pretty wrung out and we had a big dinner planned for that night. We headed back to gorgeous Port Orleans and had another swim!!
Blizzard Beach is FANTASTIC - especially with kids who are old enough to go off on their own for a while. One day we'll get to Typhoon Lagoon, but for now, Blizzard Beach is a MUST-DO!!!
We planned 2 water park days so that we could check out Typhoon Lagoon too - but the second one just never happened - it's a scary thought when it's Tuesday and you know that you are leaving on Sunday and you can feel the days running low and you start to FREAK OUT!!
We drove over, grabbed some towels and threw our stuff into a locker and headed to find some loungers - wow - it was packed that day. We walked past where we had sat last time - completely full - and continued on towards the other end of the giant wave pool. We finally found a great spot, partly shaded by some gorgeous trees, close to the wave pool, close to the lazy river entry point, close to the food place and close to some great slides - that extra 3 minute walk was definitely worth it!!
That wave pool is HUGE, and we had a ball in there, you can grab a rubber ring and float in that, or just bob around by yourself - I definitely need one of them in my back yard!!
The kids headed off to the slides, DH had a lie on the lounger and I headed off to the lazy river - another thing that I need in my backyard!! There is nothing better than a lazy river - and I could have stayed on it all day!!
We went on a few bigger slides, Teamboat Springs is a family water slide where you all jump into a giant raft and scream your way to the bottom - fantastic!!
The kids slid and slid all day, but the chair lift that takes you to the giant slide and Teamboat Springs broke down - and you definitely don't want to climb up all of those stairs in the heat - so we spent our time on "ground level" and discovered lots of other slides that we didn't go on last time.
We ate lunch from the little hut nearby, the kids had hot dogs, DH had a pulled pork sandwich and I had a chicken ceasar salad that was really yummy. They have a special refillable mug that it just for the water parks - it's $10 and you can use it just like one of the resort mugs. I got it assuming that we could use it if we went to Typhoon Lagoon later in the week - but it has a bar code on it and can only be used on the day of purchase - you have to scan the bar code at the drinks machine before it will work. Not to worry, we had lots of drinks from it through the day and most definitely got our moneys worth.
Suddenly we were staring up at a GIANT black cloud - it was HUGE. There was barely time to grab our stuff and jump under a shelter (which was only 10 steps away). We stayed under there for about 15 minutes while it passed over, and while we were there, we chatted to a couple who were from Yorkshire in England, 10 minutes from where my in-laws were originally from!! Amazing! They had their parents, brothers and kids with them and were staying in a huge house that sleeps 20 - they were having a ball and were there for 3 weeks!! It's so smart to bring your own baby sitters!!
Once the storm was over, we decided to hit the road - we were all pretty wrung out and we had a big dinner planned for that night. We headed back to gorgeous Port Orleans and had another swim!!
Blizzard Beach is FANTASTIC - especially with kids who are old enough to go off on their own for a while. One day we'll get to Typhoon Lagoon, but for now, Blizzard Beach is a MUST-DO!!!
WanderlustNZ
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2012
I've always though a huge family holiday like that sounds like so much fun. Although I wonder if after 3 weeks of staying in the same building with all your family, irritation might start sinking in?
I often travel with my MIL as I get along with her really well and she helps out so much with my son. But I think 3 weeks with any of my other relatives would be one of those things that looked better in my head than it did in real life.
By the way, still loving your TR.
PrincessInOz
Thanks for my avatar, Mary Jo!
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2010
Sounds like great resort and pool time. Looking forward to the next update.
Aussie Wendy
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Jul 4, 2008
Sounds like you are had a really great time-filing it all away for future reference!
Share this page
-
What's Your Ultimate Indulgent Disney Springs Snack?
-
See 3 New Loungefly Backpacks Coming Soon to Your Collection
-
Tiana's Bayou Adventure Full Ride-Through at Magic Kingdom in WDW
-
Indulge With This Refreshing Disney Parks Mint Julep Recipe
-
Record-Breaking 'Moana 2' Trailer Reaches 178M Views On First Day
GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.
Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!
