DAY 3
FRI 13th OCT 2000
I
wake up and look at the clock. 3:30 AM. Shortly after the girls
wake up with Georgia complaining about India fidgeting about, so
Tam goes in with India and George clambers in with me. Tam is
soon moaning about India wriggling around. Ah, poetic justice.
We are all up and having showers by 5:00 AM. Apologies if you had
the room next to us that night but the time difference is to
blame.
By 6:30 we are driving along International Drive where we stop to
buy a few odds and ends before an all you can eat breakfast at
Ponderosa for $3.99. The family shuttle back and forward between
our table and the counters with amazing regularity and vast
quantities of food are consumed. We finally waddle out and I
consider calling the Orlando Bomb Squad as there is a strong
chance that one of us may explode.
Back to the Delta Orlando Resort where we pick up our bags and
head off to the Boardwalk Villas.
Pulling into the driveway to the resort is quite a moment for us!
We draw up to the reception area and are greeted by a pleasant
chap who unpacks our car, parks it and stores everything for us.
I feel that this is what I was born for. Park the car my good
man, I'll ring you when I require it again.
Check in is very quick as it is still only 9:00 AM, (we don't get
a 'Welcome home' though) and we wander off for a look around.
This is certainly a place that lives up to all expectations,
beautiful decor and wonderful views.
We
roam along the Boardwalk, then up to the quiet pool and Community
Hall where the girls would probably play all day on the free
video games if we let them.
The main pool is next and we plonk ourselves down on 4 sun beds
and finally start to relax. the girls, of course, are straight
into the water and spend ages going down the impressive slide.
(Georgia with her arm bands on).
I am writing this led on a sun bed beside a lovely pool with the
sun blazing down from a cloudless Florida sky. A couple of hours
into our first DVC stay and I already know that we have done the
right thing.
Tammy is in the pool trying to teach Georgia to swim which, given
Tammy's prowess in the water, is somewhat akin to me educating
someone in the finer points of cooking. But then again, I
shouldn't complain as I'm relaxing while she does all the hard
work. She does have some success as Georgia manages to swim a few
strokes.
11:30 AM on the first real day of our holiday and I haven't
sampled the local brew yet. This is put right without further ado
with a beer from the Leaping Horse Libations pool bar. We are
charging most of our expenses to the room for the first time ever
and will find out whether this turns out to be a good idea or not
when we get the final bill.
After a look around and me doing my Steven Spielberg bit with the
video camera, we walk over to the Yacht and Beach Club to use the
pool. As other people have said, this is more like a small water
park than a pool and the girls spend a happy couple of hours
playing in the sand and water. Tam and I also spend a happy
couple of hours enjoying some peace and quiet. (And a beer!)
At 3:00 PM our room is ready so back to the Boardwalk we go. We
are in a standard view studio, number 2099, overlooking the
entrance. We enter with some trepidation, hoping not to be
disappointed. We certainly are not as the room is very tastefully
furnished, clean and pleasant. I know that some find the studios
to be too small, especially for a family of 4, but all I can say
is that they must be used to the more palatial American homes
than us because it is certainly large enough for us. I think that
if you are used to basic hotel rooms then this is a huge
improvement and perfectly adequate for two adults and two small
children.
Bell services deliver the luggage very quickly and we are soon
unpacked.
At 4:00 we go to Community Hall for the girls play Goofy Bingo.
While they are doing that Tam and I go to the General Store to
purchase the vital beer supply. On our return to watch the girls
at play I can only say that I am shocked and horrified.. They are
playing bingo with Disney characters instead of numbers but the
spelling is all wrong! I mean, Mowgley? Brear Bear? No self
respecting Disney fan would get this wrong. Shudder.
One of the shops on the Boardwalk is the Wyland Gallery that has
wonderful paintings and sculptures of sea creatures. None are
priced and as Tammy says, if you have to ask the price you can't
afford it. Well, I didn't ask the price and I still probably
couldn't afford it.
Back to the room to shower and change where Georgia has a bit of
a tummy ache. She must also be very tired as we got up very early
this morning and she has done an awful lot of swimming today.
We are out of the room at 5:45 and on our way to the Belle Vue
Lounge for a drink. A pleasant spot for a beer but then again it
would have to be absolutely awful to put me off my beer.
Over to Beaches and Cream we go to meet Trish and Kev who have
just moved to Florida from Maine. We met them when Trish
organised a New Year's Eve RADP meet which we attended.
I will be employing the patented Stringer marking system for our
meals on this trip with marks out of ten. Hardly scientific but
at least it gives a feel for our likes or dislikes. Obviously I
will once again be referring to Tammy's trip notes for the
details. Tam and I share a burger (9) and then we all attack a
huge chocolate sundae (9). I can't remember what it was called
but it had just about everything under the sun in it. Showing the
true Dunkirk spirit we chomp away until it is no more.
Trish and Kev tell us about their move to Florida and the change
of climate and we all enjoyed a very pleasant evening.
At 9:15 we wander back round to the Boardwalk and part with Trish
and Kev, promising to keep in touch and hopefully meet up next
year.
Tired as everyone is, the girls still want to watch the Epcot
fireworks from afar, so we stroll the Boardwalk again to watch
from the bridge. All we can see are the high fireworks and just
about hear the strains of the distant music but it is still
enough to rekindle the feelings that we all have for this
excellent show.
Back to room and the girls are tucked up in bed while I sit on
the balcony with a beer to enjoy the comings and goings at the
Boardwalk entrance and ponder on life.
Am I exceptionally lucky or has all this fallen to me through
good planning? So many people never get to enjoy the things that
I have seen at WDW many times over and now I am staying in one of
the highest rated timeshare resorts in the world. I come to the
conclusion that, while planning may have played a part, I am
still one lucky devil.