Downtown Disney, Mercado & Airport

The morning breaks with the family in turmoil trying to get everything ready. Well we decide to go off and have breakfast, which we all do. (I can't actually remember where we ate that day, but it wasn't Bob Evans or the Ponderosa. Still it was very pleasant, all eight of us together again for breakfast.) Just a thought - I think was either Shoneys or Sizzlers (both good) but I can't be sure (because you're Gordon you buffoon).

We return to the hotel and sign out. The entire luggage is placed into the respective cars and off we go to Downtown Disney where Virgin has a sign-in facility for the aircraft. We give them our major luggage and keep the hand luggage. We the have the whole day, well most of it, to do with as we please. Joy and Chris want to do their own thing again, so off they go.

We take a walk around Downtown Disney, as I wanted to go into the Virgin Megastore that is there. I go off looking at CDs whilst the other meander around the shop. I don't find what I'm after, and go upstairs where everyone else is looking at books. We all get together but Andrew is missing! We can't find him anywhere. Then suddenly he is spotted, sitting on the floor reading! In the middle of the shop there he is reading a book on the American Presidents. He is so engrossed that he hasn't realised that we are looking for him. A couple of books are purchased here, but no CDs or computer games etc.

Andrew reading at the Megastore.

We then go off and walk around the other shops. We go into the Rainforest Cafe, where Lauren (and if the truth be known, Anita) fall in love with a denim outfit for Lauren. She really looks good in this outfit and it's something that not many other kids will have when she gets home. The chances are that although it may be one size too big for her, she will have grown out of it within a year. - Still we'll have to go back and buy her another one - won't we?

Andrew on the other hand goes into the Disney sports shop and buys a singlet shirt and a medal. Again he looks very good. Well we continue walking around this area and decide to have a proper ice cream. We go to this really posh ice cream parlour. Andrew and Lauren have really superb ice creams. After we have done the area we decide to go off and visit somewhere else. We go to a shopping area that is called the Mercado. It has a very European feel. Here we buy a few things in a kite shop. Most of them will go to Ray, Anita's dad. We also buy a few T-shirts and this and that and remember that the entire luggage is all ready signed in. The hand luggage is tagged, but we are still carrying it around. We have to buy another bag for hand luggage, as Anita hasn't got one yet. We spot a really nice bag, but unfortunately it is not really a hand luggage bag. We grab some lunch here, well burger and fries type things, and I have a couple of beers, or so, as it is probably the cheapest place we have come across in America for buying beer.

After our lunch we decide that we should do something and so we think crazy golf. We go to try and find a good crazy golf site, and fortunately as we are driving around we spot a shop that seems to sell luggage. We go in and buy Anita a bag, which is big enough to hold everything that we have bought today, which might have caused us a problem had we not bought it.

We then go and play crazy golf, well Andrew, Lauren and Russell play while I try and video it (mainly video of feet - not too interesting methinks), Anita takes a few photos, and scores at the same time. It is a really close game, and everyone wins! It then becomes time for us to head off to the airport. No one really wants to go home, although we have missed Mum & Dad lots.

We arrive at the airport and have to hand over the A-mobile. It is a sad day. Anita wanted to take it home with us; still you can't take everything although Anita did suggest that the plane jettison everything else so that the A-wagon could stay where it belongs - i.e. with US.

Well we enter the airport, and Russell and Brigitte go off to get some duty free and other shopping. The rest of us wait. The aircraft is called, and we go on. This time we are sitting in two groups of three, with Joy and Chris as a further two. It is decided that to start with Anita will sit with the kids, and I will sit with Russell and Brigitte. There is not much space for us this time. It is also beginning to become late afternoon in Orlando. We are flying overnight, which may be a blessing in disguise, or it may not be. As another point of interest the films on the way back are not as good for the kids, as when we came, then again they aren't that brilliant for the adults either. The foods arrives, the kids' first as before but with even less choice than before. Ours then follows shortly behind. Unfortunately all the good stuff had been eaten before it got to us, so my first choice was out. We were also offered a drink at this point. I consumed my beer exceptionally quickly, which was a mistake, as we didn't get offered another one for ages.

The kids began to get tired, indeed they laid their heads on Anita's Lap. She had all their plates in her hands, and because I was behind her I didn't see this. A hostess walked pass. "Can you please take these trays" Anita asks politely. "I'll get to you when I can," she says. The trays are removed shortly after, and the kids settle down on Anita, but don't really sleep. I am behind and manage to grab a bit of shut-eye and watch the odd bit of film. The journey is an absolute nightmare for Anita, which she only tells me after wards. The time really drags for her. The kids come too, about six O'clock. By now I am aware of Anita's problem. She asks me to get some drinks for the kids. "When I am able" comes the curt reply from the hostess. They do actually get a drink. We can see the sun beginning to rise. I complemented Virgin on their choice of cabin staff for the outward journey. The return journey is completely the opposite. They are almost rude. Yes I know that they will have had a long day, but something tells me that if you take up this job, you take the highs with the lows.