Sunday:We met at the airport at 6-30 am. Some of us had met before and there was much joy as people caught up with old friends. After we had got rid of our luggage we went through to the departure lounge where we got drinks and something to eat for breakfast. Soon it was time to catch our first plane to Charlotte. Food and films seemed to be constant and the time soon passed. We did not have a lot of time at Charlotte before it was time for the plane to Orlando.
On arrival we were met by Kirstine and after loading our luggage into the mini bus we set off on the short trip to our villa. When we arrived we were amazed. “Wow it’s a palace” “we are staying in a palace” “come and look, it’s a lovely house, its enormous” were some of the remarks as we entered our house. We were all tired so after a drink we went off to our bedrooms, Wendy had the Mulberry suite, and Debbie Holt had the Jade suite, Karen the Zen and Lionel the Savanah. Betty was in the library, Peter and Francis were in the jungle room, Tom in the Harry Potter room, Debbie Twin had the Plantation suite and Kirstine had the Key West suite. The rooms are lovely we were all tired so after a drink we went to bed
Monday (by Debbie Holt):
When we woke the sun was shining and breakfast was set for us outside by the pool. After breakfast we went in the mini bus to Downtown Disney. We had a look around and I bought a Disney hat. It was very nice there. It was lovely there I was very excited. We had some lunch and a drink in a café and did some more exploring and then we went back to the villa for a dinner of crispy chicken fillets with salad and potatoes followed by ice cream.
Tuesday (Peter Atkins):Great excitement today. After breakfast in the sun we made an early start to visit the Kennedy Space centre, where some of us dined with an astronaut.
He was very good. After the space man did a talk we had our lunch. It was a very hot day and we went on a coach all around the centre and luckily the coach had air conditioning. We took pictures of the rockets. It was interesting looking at the space stuff. We saw some of their uniforms too.
Wednesday (Karen Tilley):
By today we were very tired and pleased to hear we could have a lie in and relax at the villa in the cinema or pool. At lunch time we had a BBQ and as we British do, we took it inside due to a thunder storm. It was very hot. Some people went for a swim but most of us sat and chatted and watched films in the cool house.
I went shopping with Wendy and Kirstine to get drinks and food for our meals. I helped push the trolley. I helped to find the food and put it in the trolley. I bought shampoo and conditioner. Then we loaded the mini bus and went back to the villa and I helped unload the shopping and put it all away. It was quite a lot as there are 10 people to feed. The food was quite different as it was all American. The vegetables were enormous.
Thursday (Lionel Dunn):We woke to lovely sunshine although we had thunder in the night. Today was a trip to Hollywood Studios. We went on some rides. I enjoyed the ride when we went into a set on a train and they faked a tanker blowing up. That’s why I sit on the door side or you get wet. Then we went on this thing and you belt yourself into a seat and it drops a hundred feet and then you shoot up again. Then there is the ride that goes to Mars. It was a good day out and we were glad to get home to a dinner and pudding all ready for us.
Friday (Peter Atkins):
After breakfast we set off to Epcot for the day. We went on a simulator. It was alright till we ran out of space. I was in the middle and Frances and Tom were at the end and Tom pressed the sleep button and we all fell asleep. We did the finding Nemo ride and the trip to Mars and we went on some little boats. It was hot and raining so we got wet but soon dried.
Saturday (Betty Steingold):Today we have a boat trip in the Everglades and hopeful some sightings of Alligators. The boat ride was very interesting and we got all the way round and saw the animals and we saw a cow. We had a lovely picnic lunch. And then we saw more of the animals and then we went in the shop. I bought some lovely blue and white earing. We had our photos taken holding an Alligator.
When we got back we had a lovely homemade quiche and salad followed by jelly.
Sunday:
Well after the last few busy days we had a well-earned day of rest. Playing pool ,swimming and watching films in the cinema. We are all starting to get a good tan as it is very warm,despite the frequent rain and thunder storms. We had a lovely Roast chicken dinner and were so full of roast potatoes we fell asleep in the afternoon.
Monday (Debbie Twin):Here is what we came for MAGIC KINGDOM, MICKEY MOUSE. We all set off with great excitement, Kirstine took us to see the parade. We saw Peter Pan and then we saw the Fairies and we saw the Princes in her castle. We saw the Pirates and Mickey Mouse and Pluto. We saw Dumbo the elephant followed by marching soldiers and Beauty and the Beast. it was excellent, it was marvellous and so entertaining watching them march down the street like that. " I liked the big buildings and the old fashioned shops", said Karen.
Tuesday (group chats):
We are having a quiet day with a bit of a trip to the shops. We had a late brunch in the lanai. Some of us went in the pool. We had an early meal as we are off to see the Cirque du Soleil. It was wonderful. We laughed so much our sides hurt. the clowns were so clever. The acrobats had us sitting on the edge of our seats they were so daring, and the costumes were lovely.
Wednesday (Francis Avis):And so back to Magic kingdom today. We saw Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and Pluto by the castle. We went on a jungle cruise and we saw elephants and they squirted water at us. It was raining. We went on a ride called small world which so nice we went twice. We went on a ride called Pirates of the Carribean and it broke down so we had to get off. We went to see a show, it was lovely. It was very hot again and when we got back to the house it was lovely and cool. I had a nice cold beer and sat in the shade on the Lanai. Some people had a nice cool dip before dinner.
Thursday:
We are all beginning to run out of steam so some of us are having a quiet day at the villa with maybe a bit of a swim and some gentle sun bathing. We decided it would be nice to help with the jobs so Debbie (Twin) was in charge of cups of tea, Karen peeled the potatoes for dinner and Frances set the table for dinner.
Karen and Debbie had a swim .The others went to Animal Kingdom where they went on Safari in a jeep. We saw loads of animals they said it was like being in Africa. We went on the log flumes and got soaked. It was so hot we were soon dry. When we got back we had a swim to cool off. We had Elvis Presleys favourite meal, Meat loaf.
Friday:After a late start we had a BBQ brunch and did a bit of packing and tidying up around the villa. We have reached our last day and so we set off for the gift shops to buy last minute gifts and souveniers. There was so much stuff around and it was so much cheaper than in the Disney parks. When we were all finished we went back to the villa to pack and get changed as we are booked for dinner at the Rainforest café in Downtown Disney. We had a super meal and fancy glasses that lit up or had frogs on top and we could take them home. There were plants and trees and animals hanging from the ceiling. The animals moved and made noises and there were frequent thunder storms. It was a lovely last evening.
Saturday:
Time to leave our lovely Villa, we have to say our goodbyes today. Lots of tears and lots of “see you next year”.