12 September – Happy Birthday to me – and Islands of Adventure

As I awake on the first morning of my 58th year it is 5:30 a.m. and there is an empty bed again well apart from me lol 😜. I turn on the laptop for the daily diary updates. After a little while a little head pops round the door to wish me happy birthday, closely followed by her little body!

We make tea and coffee, and I get to open the cards that had made their way into the bags before we left. It really makes me smile opening them, and I have to find somewhere to put them on show! Hey its traditional – and very self-centered.

 

Quick showers, a final cup of tea and down to the car, and then to the Fountains Guest Services, as we have a few things to sort.

We report the spa bath, they will send an engineer as soon as possible; that we need more re-cycle bags, and also mention the distinct lack of blue-badge parking. She will take that to the management. I also ask about the linen change and find out it will be tomorrow – which is re-assuring.

Once that is put to bed we jump back into the car, and head off up International Drive as being very cocky I decide we don't need the Sat-Nav. Manage to miss the turning so put it on to rectify the situation, as I am becoming a touch confused. It appears that we are well out of our way, but it takes up quickly to the parking, and I turn it off again, just in time to miss the turning again that we need to take and we end up on another road saying studio parking – which takes us to a very quiet set of booths, as opposed to the main ones – it is only us here. We pay our parking fee, and show the blue badge, and rather than driving round we are straight into the car park and we park right beside the entrance in Spiderman 350!

Enter the security check area – and we are through quite quickly, although probably more worrying is that under the wheelchair is the tool bag, which they miss again.

Walk into City Walk, heading left towards Islands of Adventure, over the bridge and join a queue to enter the park. There is an idiot at the front who when his fingerprint fails can't remember which park he went to first, there are about 10 people in the group all of whom take their time getting through in front of us. However, we manage to get in although it seems like the day is not going to plan – (like - you plan?????? – ha ha – ED).

Bearing right we enter the area "Seuss Landing" although we are not planning to stop there, as the rides here are quite childish. So, pass through and onto the "Lost Continent" again no stops and into "The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade".

The plan is to go on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride – only true to the way the day is going - it is broken down. As we arrive at the main gate for the ride people are walking away – it may come back shortly – or it may be a while – the wait time is over half an hour already. We take the managerial decision to continue our journey.

Across the way is the Flight of the Hippogriff ride with no queue whatsoever. Now it is a roller coaster although we have done it before ,and it is not big! It is a great ride if quickly over, but it makes us both happy to have achieved something today!

Continue walking, on to the "Jurassic Park" area of Islands of Adventure to try and get on River Adventure. The first time I had been on this ride, way back when, it was just me and Lauren, and we got really wet. It is like a log flume, only a lot bigger, with a quite a big drop at the end. We enjoy the ride, and don't get too wet – a little damp around the edges, but not wet.

Continuing our journey and we arrive at "Toon Lagoon". Now there are some cool rides here that I have always enjoyed. So, we get to Dudley Doo-Right's Ripsaw Falls the wait time is very short, so walk through and get on the ride. We get a bit wetter on the ride – well it is a real log flume with two or three good drops. However, it's loads of fun and so warm, when we get off the dampness doesn't seem to matter too much – as we will dry in no time.

Next stop is Popeye and Bluto's Bilge Rat Barges. You might have noticed a theme in the last couple of rides (water? – ED) and this ride has the potential of being a really wet ride. We are sent via a back door (ok exit… ha ha) onto the start of the ride and not via the long walk around (the waiting time was 5 mins – but only took us 1 minute to get there…).

As we get close one of the crew asks us if Pat can walk from her chair onto the walkway and into the boat. That'll be a big no then. That's ok they have a boat with a ramp where the wheelchair can be rolled on. The girl asking us calls out to one of the guys as the boat is actually right in front of him – but he doesn't make a move towards it. She calls out again and this time he does manage to grab it, and we are wheeled towards it. The ramp is dropped, Pat moves across from wheelchair into one of the seats, the wheelchair is pulled back off, and I take the seat beside her to allow the other riders space. So, we are sitting together on our own and no one else joins us!

Off we go the only problem is that all of the weight in the boat is on the one side. As we move about the rides' course, no matter which way we are facing, it always turns us back on to the water – so we get wet, then wetter, well you can imagine just how wet we get. At a certain point on the ride there are a set of water guns which for a quarter gives the watchers the ability to shoot more water. With only two of us on the boat, all three guns are trained on us! When we finished the ride, we are wet – dripping – only dry place on me is on my shorts and it is a tiny patch of dry!

The next port of call on the map is Marvel Super Hero Island, and one of my favourite rides in this park is there – Spiderman! As we get there the wait time is 10 minutes, so we join the queue, still very wet – but noticing the water on the floor we are not the only ones. Issue here is that the ride is an indoor one, with the queuing area indoors too. As it is a very hot day the air conditioning is going full blast so now we are wet and cold! The ride itself as always very good – and when we get out we find a good spot for a ciggy and to dry a little. Being in the wheelchair makes it a bit difficult for Pat to dry particularly well – but slowly we are drying a little.

Next stop is Hulk, which I have never ridden (it's a big roller coaster) but even though it is my birthday I can't get out of it. OK truth is I am looking forward to it! Now since we have the wheelchair, figure we don't need a locker so get straight into the queue, through the security gates, only to have a "Mr Jobsworth" advising us that the bag on the chair has to be in a locker, it cannot stay on the wheelchair – it must be in a locker! There is an exit beside him – which he points to, advising that Pat can continue on and I can join her when I get back, obviously going against my principles of the orderly queue with no pushing in – but hey beggars can't be choosers. So, I head back and find a locker, the recording of who has which locker is not done by fingerprint, as is the case in Universal Studios and SeaWorld, but using the ticket – the cardboard ticket that is very difficult to get replaced and I am still wet – with no dry pockets!

Grasping it firmly in my slightly dryer hand, I head back into the queue, "excuse me, excuse me" onwards – back to the security gate, eyes searching for Pat. Continue with the "excuse me my partner is in front" for a few more people till I meet up with a man mountain who as I say excuse me, responds in a very threatening Spanish well it sounds Spanish to me, looking very pissed off! I stand meekly behind him – not wanting to "poke the tiger" – give me my due stupid is not one of skills (are you sure? – ED). Still my eyes are searching for Pat, and I see her in front, and as we turn a corner, man-mountain has his back to me, so I duck under the chains (in my mind it was a perfect limbo – my mind is a funny place – (you ain't lying about that – ED)).

I manage to reach Pat – who truthfully is looking a little weary, its then that I notice that there is quite a ramp – and propelling herself, added to holding the chair when at an upwards angle has taken its toll. Would have loved to have seen Mr Jobsworth – being ejected out of the park would almost have been worth it! When we had arrived, the ride wait time was 10 minutes but it is nowhere near that – more like 30. It is also a very poor wait experience too, unlike most of the rides there is not a lot to do or to keep your attention. One other issue which I spot as I am pushing Pat up the incline, is that although we had to take bag off they completely miss the tool bag again! So we arrive at the beginning of the ride, and 20 seconds or so later – ok possibly 2 minutes later – it finished! It was OK – but with the wait it's not really worth it, and quite violent too!

Now we don't follow the normal route out with the crowds, but have to follow a more wheelchair friendly one – which takes us out of a back door so we don't get to see the picture, so still no proof of me riding a roller coaster for my kids, who I am sure won't believe us.

We re-trace our route to return to Skull Island: Reign of Kong – but when we arrive the wait time is 90 minutes! In September? Hate to think what it would have been in August! Decide that maybe we could try on another day a bit earlier than the time we are at it now (we will be back at some point I'm sure).

Continuing the re-tracing our route we arrive back at Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, and unlike when we first got here it is working, and the wait time is 10 minutes! Result! As we get to where we can join the ride we are informed that either Pat will need to walk from there to the ride (another walking runway type effort) – or we can do the assisted one. We really have no choice so we take the assisted route without assistance I might add ;-) as instructions are provided on how to get to the ride. Up in a lift, then down in another one and we arrive to be greeted by a very chatty lady. She advises that we won't be too long – a bit like the Popeye ride we have to wait for a specific carriage. It arrives after a few minutes and a couple of elderly people get out and we are on. A message comes over the lady's earphone and she asks if we can possibly wait for a few minutes more as there are others coming. We are agreeable and say yes!

The couple of minutes pass, and maybe two more and the lift doors open and 5 people get out! There are two groups one of 2 and one of 3, and from the words said it would appear that the 3 were "in front". However, because we are already in the carriage only the 2 can ride with us as it holds 4 people. As the old boy gets out of his wheelchair everyone in the 3 are giving us daggers – looking exceptionally pissed off! Oh well like I give a (Stop it – ED!!)

The trouble with doing the assisted ride is that we but miss the beginning and end of the ride it happened last time and happened again. Not a brilliant user experience (you don't have the back story as to why you are sitting in something resembling a book case) – but ride still good.

We have to follow the unassisted assisted route back out of the ride i.e. up and down in the lifts – sorry elevators, and we exit the ride. As we walk away both of us are feeling a little drained – and yet hungry!

We carry on around the park, and decide to go to Ponderosa for my birthday meal – but stop at the shop just before exit of the park where we had bought Pat a lovely dress last time – and Pat sees another lovely one – which I buy – so on my birthday the only present is from me to Pat! Ha ha ha

We put the Sat Nav on as we don't want to miss the Ponderosa – but no worries we go straight there well it was only about 1 mile away.

As we enter the restaurant ,we are hoping that "Mr Misery" is not there, which fortunately he is not. I order and pay for the meals and drinks and somehow birthday is mentioned (oh by me when Pat says have two beers – well it would be rude not to as its your birthday)! The cashier starts singing "Happy birthday sweet 16", and another lady server comes round and joins in. Her name is Dawn and will be our server today! Yeehaw! She is so much nicer – and so very friendly – loves Pat's tattoos - makes a big fuss over us. The meal is great, with loads of desserts again and I have to say that the pineapple and strawberry cobbler is absolutely to die for!

Feeling very full, well I am anyway, we head back to the car. Again, decide to leave Sat Nav off as we know where we are going – and on this occasion we are correct.

As we arrive at "home" there is still no parking bay – but not too bad as car parked beside island with enough space for wheelchair – without the possibility of anyone parking close to stop the chair!

We enter the apartment and it looks the same as we left it as there are no bags left in the recycling pouch on fridge….hmmmmm

Into bathroom and there is a note from Bluegreen, advising we have been serviced by Jason (can't say I felt anything – lol) and as we walked back to kitchen area we looked down at the floor beside the door and bugger me, there are the recycling bags!

Still feeling too full to move too far, we make tea and sit on balcony and watch the sky begin to darken and cloud – so we decide to stay there rather than go poolside today.
Decide to test spa bath and yes, it is working so normal piccies of us in bath with bubbles.😉

All the sitting down and being lazy has given us the munches again, so decide on ice-cream, cookies and banana for me, ice-cream and cookies for Pat, which we proceed to eat on the balcony.

Into the bedroom and we begin to watch final series of Penny Dreadful, we get to the end of episode 2, but are starting to feel sleepy. I turn everything off, and after a quick read we then sleep!