Jumping the Pond

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Sleepy90
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Jumping the Pond

Post by Sleepy90 » May Tue 15, 2012 4:13 pm

It's here AT LAST the day we have been waiting for:-

WE ARE ON HOLIDAY

Tomorrow we will be on the plane and off to Neverland.
Some last minute things to do before we hit the train station for the first leg of our trip.

First things first the cat needs to be taken to the cattery so:_

Gauntlets- Check
Chain Mail - Check
Cleaning Materials - Check

:lol: Really she is not that bad, however all cat owners will know that they seem to sprout sixteen legs when you are trying to get them into a cat basket.

Back at home collect the cases and we are on our way. Two trains later we are at the airport and ready to hit the Virgin Holidays twilight check in. Less than 20 minutes later everything is booked in we have our seat numbers and our cases are of to holding, we won't see those again until we get off the plane tomorrow

Off we go to the hotel to book in for the night. Excitement is rising.
Ahhh a room with a view.

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cy1229
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Re: Jumping the Pond

Post by cy1229 » May Tue 15, 2012 5:22 pm

I laughed out loud when I read your description of a 16-legged cat because it's TRUE!!! A normally docile animal (for the most part, balloons notwithstanding) becomes so crazed, and the claws feel like bbq skewers! Fortunately we have a good friend who comes over every couple of days and throws some food down for Nemo. I think he LIKES it that we're leaving the house to him for awhile.

I am so excited for you for your trip! How long of a flight is it? Do you go straight to Florida, or stop in New York first? Where will you be staying? :) Have a smashingly good time!
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Amy
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Re: Jumping the Pond

Post by Amy » May Tue 15, 2012 6:35 pm

Woo-hooo! I can't believe your holiday is here already :D Looking forward to all the fun things you see and do while you're here. Have a fabulous and safe trip :D

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Re: Jumping the Pond

Post by Sleepy90 » May Wed 16, 2012 2:08 am

Sorry to throw you of like that girls but the holiday was in February.
Normally I would not even attempt a trip report but a few new things happened on this one so I thought I would give it a go, we will see what happens.

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Re: Jumping the Pond

Post by Amy » May Wed 16, 2012 6:49 am

Sleepy90 wrote:Sorry to throw you of like that girls but the holiday was in February.
Normally I would not even attempt a trip report but a few new things happened on this one so I thought I would give it a go, we will see what happens.
Sneaky, sneaky! :twisted: Hey, a trip report with pictures is good no matter when it happens! Bring it on ;)

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Re: Jumping the Pond

Post by Sleepy90 » May Wed 16, 2012 1:47 pm

Amy wrote:
Sleepy90 wrote:Sorry to throw you of like that girls but the holiday was in February.
Normally I would not even attempt a trip report but a few new things happened on this one so I thought I would give it a go, we will see what happens.
Sneaky, sneaky! :twisted: Hey, a trip report with pictures is good no matter when it happens! Bring it on ;)
Hmmm Sneaky isn't he the eighth dwarf, the one no one knows about because he is never seen.

Well the morning arrives after a very peaceful nights sleep (the beds in this hotel are excellent) and the excitement has risen, tonight we will be in Port Orleans French Quarter. This will be our first time at this hotel even though we have wandered around it when staying at Riverside last year.

After booking out of the hotel we head across on the monorail to the other side of the airport to the V-Room, this is Virgin Atlantic's own private lounge. On arriving the steward asks if we would like to register for our car in advance this means that when we get to the other side we can go straight to the garage and get our car (no more lines) saving time absolutely we are up for that.
Car sorted time for a little breakfast while we watch the planes taking off from the lounge windows. Cooked breakfast followed by well basically whatever you what it is a serve yourself eat what you like kind of deal.
the tannoy announces our flight and we are of to the flight gate.

What do you know no lines straight through and on the plane in about 10 minutes flat. The plane for today is an airbus, we take our seats which I have to say are not as roomy as the 747 we usually get but my mind is soon taken of that by the in flight entertainment. You can queue up films that you would like to watch in a library and then access this when the film you are watching has finished.
It is a nine and a half hour flight so what to watch.
This flight was smooth and thanks to the entertainment system did not seem as long as it really was I watched Zookeeper, Rio, Cars2 and was almost the whole way through Harry Potter when we shut down for landing.

Now we have to wait in an enormous queue for customs. We are through at long last and collect our baggage of we go to the other side of the airport and as the guy said straight to the garage to get the car. We got a grand Cherokee no problems out of the garage and we are on our way to our home for the next two weeks.

At Port Orleans we sign in and the girl behind the desk is from Newcastle (small world) she says we have preferred room, we later find out that this means close to the dining area and it was. Time to unpack and then head down for a snack and then we are heading to bed we are still working on UK time and it is stupid o'clock in the morning for us.

Just time to notice that the car that we picked has Michigan plates. Had to take a picture for Amy and no it wasn't taken that night as it was dark.

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Re: Jumping the Pond

Post by cy1229 » May Wed 16, 2012 4:42 pm

Sleepy you totally fooled me. TOTALLY.

HOORAY for Michigan plates! Ok, the license plates are just average, but HOORAY for Michigan!!! My home. I don't think Michigan has ever had "interesting" license plates, now that I think about it. Indiana did once, with a silhouetted farm scene in front of a "sunset." And Ohio's plates right now are pretty snazzy.

So how did you like your room? If my parents ever stop spending our inheritance by taking us to WDW on their DVC points, hubby and I are trying to make a list of resorts we definitely want to try, and those we can do without. So, how did you like POFC?
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Amy
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Re: Jumping the Pond

Post by Amy » May Wed 16, 2012 5:34 pm

I did not have the luxury of so many movies when I first flew across the Atlantic. That sounds like it was nice :D
That's funny that your rental was Michigan plate ~ small world indeed! I'm on my phone currently, but I'll post one of the "pretty" plates in a few. They're ok, but I like the simplicity of the plain Jane plates just as well.
Stupid o'clock :lol: that sounds like one of my brothers talking!
I'm waiting on the edge of my seat in antici....pation of some more pictures!

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Re: Jumping the Pond

Post by Amy » May Wed 16, 2012 6:07 pm

cy1229 wrote:Sleepy you totally fooled me. TOTALLY.

HOORAY for Michigan plates! Ok, the license plates are just average, but HOORAY for Michigan!!! My home. I don't think Michigan has ever had "interesting" license plates, now that I think about it. Indiana did once, with a silhouetted farm scene in front of a "sunset." And Ohio's plates right now are pretty snazzy.

So how did you like your room? If my parents ever stop spending our inheritance by taking us to WDW on their DVC points, hubby and I are trying to make a list of resorts we definitely want to try, and those we can do without. So, how did you like POFC?
See, Michigan has "pretty" plates...I just like the plain ones better :mickey:
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NaCler
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Re: Jumping the Pond

Post by NaCler » May Wed 16, 2012 11:03 pm

Keep the report coming Sleepy! Now I'm bummed as I was probably there at some point during your 2 week trip and didn't get to meet up with y'all!

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Re: Jumping the Pond

Post by Soarin08 » May Fri 18, 2012 8:36 pm

Is this the trip when I met you two??? Seriously a couple of the best outings I've had with my fellow Disney people... can't wait to read all this!
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Sleepy90
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Re: Jumping the Pond

Post by Sleepy90 » May Sun 20, 2012 11:58 am

NaCler wrote:Keep the report coming Sleepy! Now I'm bummed as I was probably there at some point during your 2 week trip and didn't get to meet up with y'all!
If I had known you were going to be down then we would have totally been on for a meet up. Maybe next year.

Yes Soarin this is the trip we met you on more to come on that later, I definately hope you are still around when we come next year. Joe is going to need someone to ride TOT with.

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Re: Jumping the Pond

Post by Sleepy90 » May Sun 20, 2012 2:05 pm

Beep Beep Beep, BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP. What the? Its 3.30am and we are awake anyway but what is that infernal racket. Remember we said last night that we were close to the dining hall well here comes breakfast. The noise outside is the catering truck backing up to deliver today's fresh foods.
Well we are awake anyway so we may as well have a cup of tea (brought with us as your tea is a bit weak for my taste) hmmm now I feel better as it is so early we go back to bed to snooze for a while the lorry has gone by now.

A little later we are back up and set for round two of tea. At this point I venture into the bathroom, quickly to return announcing to Joe "there is a beetle in the bathroom" off he goes for inspection armed with a tuppleware container. He emerges to inform me that was no beetle it is a cockroach which is now in the container and ready for disposal.
We decide on capture and release for the little creature who will now been known as Cyril. I am now hoping that he hasn't informed his little friends to his whereabouts and we don't get his family coming to look for him.

We turn on the TV and the weather channel to see what we are going to get in the way of weather for the rest of the week. Yea it's gonna be hot.

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During the early morning tea we have now decided that we want to go and do the Harry Potter ride at Universal (I can hear you all hissing at the screen you know) and so we need to go to the morning briefing at Riverside as Virgin Holidays do a deal that you get in one hour early just like the guys that stay at the Universal hotels.
As we get ready to move Cyril stays in his capture pot and as we go out the door he is now ready for his big adventure.

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Half way between French Quarter and Riverside he is given his freedom, so long hope we don't see you again.
Tickets purchased we are of to Universal tomorrow morning. While we are here we decide to have some Hot Chocolate and a warm cinnamon bun yumm. OH NO cinnamon buns are all gone, never mind there is a tasty looking apple cobbler with my name on it. We wander slowly back the way we came and head back to the room to pick up the camera before heading out to Magic Kingdom.
Car is parked and we walk in towards the TTC then it's down to the Ferry. I can see Cinderella's Castle that's it I'm all a flutter.
Joe takes a picture of the Grand Floridan on the way across using his new lens.

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Through the gates we are here at last. First stop the candy store, how we love the smell in this place and it is always the first place we enter when we arrive at the park. Up main street slowly, there are a few things covered with tarps including the Main Street Bakery which is a bit of a shame because this means you can not get a good picture of the castle and there is a crane at the side of the castle as they are painting the tiles on the towers so no pics. Into tomorrowland we fastpass Buzz and head to the TTA. When we finish we wander towards Fantasyland and get our first glimpse of the Beast's castle. It is looking good and we are looking forward to all the new bits that will probably be up and running next year.

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We head on down to the Mansion and see the new queue for the first time. Looks good but make sure you have your hand sanitizer with you if you want to play, after the mansion we wander back to Buzz for our fastpass time. Back through fantasyland again and stand to watch the victims that are on Splash Mountain the splashing seems to be quite intense today so we watch a few people getting soaked and then wander on through to Pirates. After that it is quite late in the afternoon so decide to go to the Grand Floridan for lunch, we are on the dining plan but only quick service so are not sure if they will have anything or not.
Down at the front of the park and head towards the monorail, then we see the boat.

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After the little boat ride we wander round the foyer for a look at how the other half live. Joe spy's this and has to take a picture of it you know how he loves things at strange angles (if you don't you will by the end of this report) and takes it from immediately below.

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If you haven't tried the quick service here it is really good. We both had sandwiches and yoghurt's but the sandwiches were way to big so we could only manage on each and we pack the other in our bag to munch on later.
Back outside we catch the boat again which takes us on the rest of the trip over to the poly and then back to the launch dock at the Kingdom. Inside we wander back up Main Street and head towards adventureland where Joe takes a picture of the new bridge, the last time we were here this was closed for refurbishment. I liked the old one but this is less steep better for wheelchairs I assume.

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We meander around for a little while longer and then decide to head back to the hotel before wishes as we are a little tired and we have an early start tomorrow morning.

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Re: Jumping the Pond

Post by Amy » May Sun 20, 2012 2:14 pm

Yay for more pictures. I wouldn't have been a very happy camper if I had been awoken at 3:30 am by a truck delivering food :evil: I hope that didn't happen every morning of your trip :shock:
That shot of the rotunda in the Grand Floridian (I presume) is beautiful! I love looking at things in new ways too :D
I'm surprised it was so warm in February. It seems like the warm, weird weather that held us in it's grasp was down in Florida as well.
Looking forward to more!

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Re: Jumping the Pond

Post by cy1229 » May Sun 20, 2012 9:37 pm

I'm very intrigued by your self-importing of tea, Sleepy. When I was growing up, we drank tea with every single dinner (either hot or iced, usually hot) and we used four tea bags in one tea pot, drank it "black." When my sister visited her pen pal in the UK in the late 1980s, her friend's mother was absolutely surprised to find that we drink it black. :-) Maybe it's my grandfather's English ancestry coming through.

I love the shot of the Grand Floridian! Joe likes taking a fresh approach toward photography, doesn't he? :)
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