Checking out, golf & leaving Florida

Congo River Golf

We wake early – well everyone appears wired – being as how we are going home today – and its going to be a long day! Everyone has baths or showers even Andy and Stef (yes two amounts of water in two days! lol) A quick breakfast, finishing up all that we can, and pack the car. It is quite full!

Drive down to reception, dive in, and check out. Only things I have to pay for are the toys that were bought at the pool – and yesterday's dinner from the H20 bar. I came out into sun – and can't see the car. I walk one way, and then I hear a horn blast – and turn and see them all sitting there laughing their heads off again! Another senior citizen moment here then - lol.

Lake Buena Vista Shopping Outlets

We drive to Lake Buena Vista Outlets to drop off our bags and get our boarding passes to save some time later. Oh and yes to but another suitcase. Lauren and I go and find the first suitcase shop – but they are very expensive, so walk round to the second one. Much better – and I decide on the one that I want to buy. The salesman comes over and I say I'd like to take this one please – only he goes into his long sales spiel. I cannot get a word in edgeways – and then ten minutes or so later he asks if I want to buy it! Back to the car and fill it – it takes all our spare stuff – just! Mind you it is a nice suitcase!

We check in – leaving our cases and obtaining our boarding passes etc - and then off we go – realising that we can't do too much shopping as we only have our hand luggage – and most of that is already full! But what to do – well actually we go shopping, Andy wants another hoody that he'd seen in Sports Dominator yesterday. So we go and buy it – only thing is Andy had read the price tag incorrectly. It was more expensive than he thought! Andy and Stef also buy a t-shirt for one of their mates. We go into the tacky shop beside and buy some pressies for Biz, Zan & Tonty, (friends from Bristol – long story over the names – lol) and a tankini for mum.

Congo River Golf - one of the holes

We still have a few hours to waste – can't shop anymore- well apart from the fact we could be slightly poor – there is no space in the bags for anything else! We chat and decide to go and play some crazy golf, heading up I-Drive to Congo River golf. We spend about an hour playing – even in the rain – well its not that heavy – but the family behind us stop after 16 holes, and run in doors. You can also feed the alligators here – which we do – it is quite funny to watch.

We look around and there is a Denny's over the road. As this the third Saturday that we have been in Florida, and on the other two we had eaten in a Denny's we decide to head over, and make it three out of three! Although I have to admit I only realised that when typing up the diary! Andy, Stef, Lauren and I walk over as Anita brings the car around. We enter first and are seated – and await her. Our server is OK about the wait – but as we are seated around the corner, out of the way, so I have to stand while we wait for Anita.

Dennys

She comes in and joins us, and our server Joan comes over and takes the order. When she brings over the shakes she only has enough hands to bring over the three shakes, and two of the cups that are used to make the shakes – i.e. you get more than just one cupful! She passes the cups to Andy and Stef, and tells Lauren hers will be over in a minute. Five minutes later she returns to say that someone has removed the cup – but she'll bring Lauren over another shake to make up for it. Which she does. After we finish our meals, Joan comes over and sits with us – and chats for maybe 15 minutes. Seems she has a business degree, but works as a waitress to support her kids! Seems nice – if a little racist ("no way will a black man ever be president"!).

Walgreens

We drive back towards Walgreens – we need to stock up on a few medicinal bits and pieces, and then we get onto the I-4 for the drive up to Sanford Airport. The weather is bad – it is really raining. The traffic gets a bit heavy – and then we come to an almost crawl for a couple of miles – the reason – an accident – but everyone is rubber-necking and slowing down to get a good look. We pick up speed again, and then slow down for another accident! Andy is going potty as we keep seeing a motorcyclist riding a very flash bike – in the rain with just a t-shirt on. The bike is a higherbusa or something.

Dollar

The drive to the airport is not too bad, and the sun even shines as we get close. We find the rental returns section, and then the Dollar rank. We pull in – and are asked if we had any problems. Anita advises about the couple of times that it refused to start – which the representative types into her machine. She gets it to read the window details strip – and it starts to beep. Anita and I look at each other a bit worried. I thought it might be the driving through the toll problem, but nothing is said. It keeps on beeping as she types some more stuff into it, and then says we can go. A touch strange if you ask me!

We enter the airport – and there is a very long queue to get through security. One of the airport staff comes over and advises that there is another way through security – across the way, so we walk back, and go that way. We still have two cans with us – a can of coke – and a beer. As we get to the security centre – Anita asks the lady there if there is somewhere to dispose of them. She says she'll take them – so as not to waste them! Wherever we go we try and take with us the idea of recycling.

We have to virtually strip down, as we go through security, well we take off our shoes, and have to remove all metal and empty our pockets. Quickly though we are through, although I thought at one point my portable hard drive was going to cause us problems!

Into the departure lounge, it is very busy. Anita and I go into the duty free – and eureka they have Southern Comfort Reserve! This is a very very nice drink! We buy two bottles, and then go and find the lounge that we had paid extra for.

Royal Palm Lounge

It is called the Royal Palm lounge and looks very nice as we get to the front desk. We have to sign in, and we all get bracelets we have to wear, although Anita's and mine are different in that we have two alcoholic drinks each. We look around, and try and find some seats together – the only place we can find is "the quiet area" – which is not so good for the kids. It is very busy here too – but fortunately a flight is called and we manage to grab a table in the "not so quiet" area. The kids cant get on the Internet computers here or the playstations as everything is being used.

Andy gets his laptop out, but when he tries to get on the Internet it tells him he needs a password. I think about this, and go to the front desk to obtain the password. I am even prepared to pay for it! There are still a lot of people trying to get in – and the queue is very long, but I see a business card on the desk, which has the internet details on it. it is free if you have purchased the tickets , so I take one and walk back to Andy who is happy.

He signs on – but the battery is dying very quickly. He turns it off although Stef and Lauren wanted to continue, but there is not enough battery. They walk off, and then come back and ask if they can borrow the laptop, as they have found somewhere to plug it in, in one of the storage areas. It was quite funny to see them sitting on the floor with the laptop between them. Andy and I go off and buy some magazines – joining a queue in the newsagents. The two women there were probably the worst sales people I think I have ever seen – each transaction talking at least five minutes – no matter what was being bought! Our server even had the time to fill up her quarters tray – as we were waiting although she didn't need to – as she had one already in the change thingy!

We have our two free drinks each – the kids can have as much coke as they want. As Anita and I are still thirsty – I go over and pay for a drink each. It is actually not too expensive! We sit and let the time pass, and just as I am going to get another drink, the flight is called. Quite a lot of the people in the lounge are on this flight – so the toilets are very busy, and we all need them. Andy and I decide we can't wait in the queue – its about 60 deep – so we go out of the lounge, and find a toilet in the departure lounge which has no queue what so ever!

Do I think it was worth "buying" the Royal Palm Lounge tickets? Yes I do. It would probably have been a lot worse sitting out in the main lounge, especially with all the "rabble"?

Boarding Pass

We go back and find the others, pick up our bags and head to wards the departure gates, to join yes you guessed it, another long queue. The kids are all looking good – wearing their flash clothes with Joker or Spongebob. A few of the staff working the airport comment over the clothing. Don't think that they have ever seen anything like it.

We get on the plane – and there is a big fight over who is sitting where. In the end we virtually all sit as we did on the way here. Take off is good – and the we begin to watch the film – "The Waitress" which Lauren has already seen. Unfortunately about three quarters of the way into the film, it breaks down. They try a couple of times to get it going again – without success, and stop altogether. No announcement is made! I still do not know what happened at the end of the film to this day!

I read a little and Anita actually naps a bit. The journey home is a bit quicker than on the way out. At about 6 am BST the staff come round and wake everyone up – for a light breakfast that is not worth the bother. The muffin is disgusting, the orange juice very watery. That is about it! Still we are now only a hour away from home, and ahead of ourselves thanks to the tail-wind!.