Day 14 - the longest day EVER!

Well, after our day sightseeing again yesterday, we were picked up from our hotel by our transfer driver at 7.20pm. Looking out of the back window of the car, we could see the Freedom Tower shining in the dark above the rest of Manhattan island as we emerged from the tunnel into Queens - quite a fitting last view of Manhattan I think. 

Our flight home was delayed slightly, and we eventually took off 10.45pm. Setting our watched back to UK time meant it was then 3.45am Friday morning and we were determined to get some sleep. However, as the Cabin crew began to clear away our trays from our evening meal, the seatbelt lights came on & the Crew were asked to retake their seats as we were experiencing turbulence. Well, after 10 days of theme park thrill rides you'd think we were pretty used to being thrown around, but I've never experienced turbulence like this before - and it continued for the majority of the flight. However, thanks to the storms we flew through, we had quite a tail wind which meant we flew home in just over 6 hours. 

We eventually arrived home just after 4pm this afternoon after being awake since Thursday morning - think the jet lag will really hit us tomorrow!!

Day 13 - so long New York!

Boy has today been a busy one again! 

We hopped on our hoho bus in an Uptown direction this morning , and headed for the American Museum of Natural History. The boys were excited by this as they both love The Night at the Museum. So we set about finding key elements from the film. we found the elephants, lions, moose & dinosaur. The Easter Island head (you dum dum give me gum gum) definitely had to be found, and after much wandering it was!

After a morning of education we took a stroll through Central Park. It's really hard to believe, when you're surrounded by hills and trees and lakes and grassy fields, that this was all once roads and buildings which had to be dug up for the park to be built. We found Belvedere Castle (which the boys recognised from The Smurfs movie) and went up the towers for a wonderful view of the park. 

         

         

Thomas wanted to see the Guggenheim museum, even though we found out it is closed on a Thursday, so we had a stroll up the side of the park to show him this strangely amazing looking building. 

Time for some food now. We found a really nice, typical American diner - looked a little bit "greasy-spoon" from the outside, but the food was anything but! And the portions...

We then walked to the Rockefeller Centre and had a look around the shops inside. Thomas had his ice cream radar on, so we ended up in Ben and Jerry's!

          

   

Now we are on our way to the airport to start our long journey home. Our flight leaves at about 10.30pm tonight and gets us in to Heathrow at 10.30 tomorrow morning - no doubt suffering a bit from jet lag!

Day 12 - 9/11 memorial

Last night finished with a lovely meal in Applebee's, a wander round Times Square (probably the only place in the world which is busier and brighter at night than in the day!), and a fab brownie at a cute little bakery. 

Today we hopped back on the ho-ho bus down to Ground Zero where we visited the 9/11 memorial site. Seeing some of the messages from survivors and relatives of victims really made you think. Then seeing the actual site itself, where last time we came those two tall towers stood, was really quite moment.  

          

          

         

We then jumped back on our bus  (we like these buses!!) and travelled back up to E43rd street and went to Grand Central Terminal. The boys seemed a bit "what are we going to a train station for?" on the way, but once inside it was much more "wow!" 

We then paid a visit to The Chrysler Building. I think this is the most beautiful building in the city, and looks even more stunning at night time when it is all lit up. Sadly you can't get any further than the lobby inside, but it's worth going in just to say you've been. 

        

        

            

        

Tea at Dave & Buster's again tonight. A diner we discovered in Orlando, and it has become a firm favourite - especially with Thomas who can't get enough of their Legendary Goldfingers!

         

William loves their Boss Club Sandwich

         

Neil & I love their Philly Cheesesteak sandwich 

         

  

And their pink lemonade is to die for!

         

Can't believe it's the last night of our holiday, two weeks seems a really long time, but it has just flown by, and we have been so unbelievably busy!

Off for another wander in Times Square - that place really has to be seen to be believed, and it's amazing at night time! Maybe we'll find that little bakery again for some dessert?!

Day 11 - What a day!

Today started bright and early with a shower in our very luxurious hotel bathroom!

We then went and boarded our Grayline hop on hop off tour bus and drove past New York landmarks like the Chrysler Building, Times Square and New York Library (as featured in the Ghostbusters film). 

We decided to get off outside the Empire State Building and make this our first touristy destination. The inside of this skyscraper is so beautiful, the art deco details on all the walls and floors are stunning. The boys were amazed by the speed of the elevator whisking us to the 80th floor - it took an average of 5 seconds to rise 10 floors!! At the top we looked at the exhibition telling us about the construction of the building - most astonishing fact we learned was that it took less than a year to build - wow! The views from the 86th floor were just as stunning as Neil & I remembered from 14 years ago - although the south view looks very sadly different. 

After lunch we hopped back on our bus passing through SoHo, Greenwich village (where Friends was set), Little Italy, China Town and The Financial District passing Ground Zero and Wall Street. 

We then walked down to Battery Park ready for the ferry trip out to the Statue of Liberty. 

We enjoyed a lovely afternoon walking round Liberty Island. Then we had a very distressing incident. Whilst we were waiting for the ferry to take us back across to Manhattan, people on the pier started shouting & we noticed that the ferry was heading straight for the pier at full speed. Everyone began screaming and running back towards the island. I grabbed Thomas by the hand and we ran as fast as we could as the ferry was still coming straight at us. The ferry hit the pier with some force - breaking one of the pier supports, but thankfully (as far as we are aware) no one either on the pier or in the ferry, was hurt. We were all really shaken up and there were lots of children crying - Thomas was really quite shaken, and of course we still had to get back across the river to Manhattan. They moved us all around the island to the New Jersey pier for us to await our ferry.  Thankfully we are now back on dry land, safely on our bus heading back to the Uptown area (and maybe a beer!)

Day 10 - New York City

Couldn't post this yesterday as couldn't find a free wifi spot - but here we are now!

OMG what a day! I am completely and utterly and totally knackered!

Our plane left Orlando International airport at 11.15 for our flight to JFK airport - New York. Thomas fit to sit in the cockpit with the pilots for a photo - hoping to win school's "reading in an unusual place" competition!

Do you think he'll win?!

 At the airport we were greeted by our driver & chauffeured to our hotel in a Cadillac - how cool?!

I emailed the manager at our hotel several weeks before we left asking if it would be possible to have a "room with a view". Well, after taking the express elevator to the 34th floor we were greeted with our view - of Times Square!

         

         

         

We then spent all afternoon on Fifth Avenue - all buying ourselves little treats - the boys in the Apple Store and me in Tiffany!

After an exhausting afternoon's shopping and walking we are now safely ensconced with a pink lemonade waiting for our first tea BYC style!

Orlando Statistics

Just got back from our last night in The Magic Kingdom where we finished this part of our amazing adventure the same way we started - on Space Mountain!

Here are some (very approximate) stats we've gathered from our holiday so far

111,100 steps taken

78 rides and attractions

56 miles walked

10 parks visited

9 days here

1 mouse!

Thank you Orlando, we've had an amazing time!

Day 9 - Seaworld.

Today started bright and sunny (and bloody hot again!) with breakfast at Sizzlers - don't know what Thomas is going to do without his morning pancake, or William with his bowl of chocolate slop!

Then we hit Seaworld. It was quiet when we got there so we managed to ride Manta and Kraken twice each within the first hour - score! Manta was a fantastic ride, very much like Air at Alton Towers, a face-down flying type ride which at one point goes through a "pretzel loop" which is like a backwards upside down 360' loop! Amazing!

Kraken was a "normal" roller coaster with 7 inversions - William counted them!

We then watched the Shamu show which also featured Shamu's baby - sooo cute. Glad we weren't in the splash zone though it was quite amusing watching the cross people who didn't believe it when they said "you will get wet". Sit in the soak zone - what do you expect?!

        

We then walked round to the Dolphin Show and this was far more than just a dolphin show. We were treated to acrobatics, diving, dolphin stunts and free-flying parrots! Wow!

Proof that I was here for those of you who've been asking where the photos of me are!

Now we're back in our hotel room busily packing for the next part of our amazing adventure. Tomorrow - New York baby!!

        

Day 8 - Typhoon Lagoon

Another brilliant day thanks to the "imagineers" at Disney. 

Typhoon Lagoon is a waterpark based around a huge wave pool - with the hugest waves I have ever seen. They quite literally knock you off your feet! 

We spent several happy hours (well, maybe not hours but saying several happy minutes sounds wrong!) on the Lazy River - can't go wrong lying back in a big inflatable tube letting the gentle water take you round. 

        

William swam with sharks (twice) which he said was a fab experience. He snorkelled across a pool containing hammer head sharks, ray, tang fish and other fish. How exciting! 

At one point all the pools,slides and flumes had to be closed due to an immense thunder storm, so we sat on deck chairs in torrential rain for half an hour waiting for the storm to pass - and then we managed to get straight on the rapids which has previously had a 45 minute wait!

Lights, music and magic - Disney style!

We did it! We have finally managed to watch The Main Street Electrical Parade, Celebrate the Magic and the Wishes Nighttime Spectacular fireworks show at The Magic Kingdom. I have just got two things to say - WOW and I'd you've never seen these shows you don't know what you're missing!

        

Day 7 - Hollywood Studios Park

Ok - can't believe we're half way through our amazing adventure already! 

Today started with breakfast at  Sizzlers again - apparently it's "where America comes to eat", and judging by the line at the buffet they're not far wrong! 

Today it was the turn of Disney's Hollywood Studios Park to entertain us, and it certainly did. With blisteringly hot temperatures reaching 38' we were again glad of Disney's air-con obsession - in shops, in restrooms, in queuing areas - bliss! 

We started off taking Thomas on Aerosmith's Rock 'n' Rollercoaster. Neil, William & I have all ridden this at Disneyland Paris before, but it was Thomas's first time. The launch start (where they take the ride photos) is really, quite literally, breath taking. For those of you who've not experienced it, the Rock 'n' Rollercoaster is an indoor, in the dark, coaster with loops, twists and turns, all set to a soundtrack of Aerosmith music which plays through speakers in your headrest. The first time round we were all singing along loudly to "Dude Looks Like a Lady". On exiting, Thomas declared it to be brill so we had to ride it again immediately! This time we were prepared with our cheesy grins for the launch start cameras, and this is what we came up with!

       

After our second ride, we went on one of Thomas's Disneyland Paris favourites - Star Tours. We all really enjoyed this 3-D simulator ride, but Thomas likes the Paris version better - sorry Florida!

Next we watched the Indiana Jones stunt show which was really entertaining, even I enjoyed this bit of boyishness. 

The Back Lot Tram tour, which as it says in the title, takes you behind the scenes at the studios. Based on the Paris version, we again thought the Florida version didn't quite live up to it's European original. 

We then strolled through an exhibition of costumes and props from Hollywood films, including the handcuffs and axe from the scene in Titanic where Rose (Kate Winslet) has to chop them off Jack's (Leonardo DiCaprio) wrists. Maria's travelling costume from the final scenes of The Sound of Music and the marionettes from the Lonely Goatherd scene were on display. 

      

         

      

and part of the script containing the opening dance sequence directions for the film version of the musical West Side Story. 

              

         

Our last ride today was the Movie tour ride which took us through the history of Hollywood films. 

On the way back to the car park came the highlight of my day - Minnie Mouse! I did actually want to wait and have my photo taken with her properly, but the line was too long :(

       

Forgot this one!

Forgot to mention that Thomas also went on Kumba yesterday!

Getting quite brave now hey?!

Had a lovely wander down I Drive last night after tea (at Sizzlers again coz Thomas reckons that they do the best fish ever here!). 

          

          

          

Our car, would have to be the coolest car ever!