Vacation...finally.

Well I know I didn't post for a while but it was mainly because I was so focused on getting to the end of my contract and once you get into the last 6 weeks it is just a case of counting down and maintaining your energy and stamina! I started packing 2 weeks in advance because I was so eager to get off the ship but now that I've done 6 days on vacation, I'm ready to go back haha!

Going through the debark procedure was a lot more straightforward than before, because I knew where to go and who to find. It was sad to leave Nick behind on the ship but I went back to Canaveral 4 days after I got off so we went for lunch which was nice... and hopefully I'm going back there next Thursday to see him again.

I managed to work the system pretty well and use my Donalds (shift off recognition reward) for 2 of my 4 last Castaway shifts as well as being Welcome Line on my last cruise which was great! When I got off the ship, Florida Nick came and picked me up and we got Cheesecake Factory before going to Downtown Disney (which is a total mess right now thanks to all the revamp they're doing) and we went to see a movie called Into The Storm which was really good - like a new version of Twister!

Then I moved into the All Star Sports for four nights which was okay. I was using the Disney transportation which I quickly remembered is pretty horrible especially after park close but seen as my number one aim of this vacation was to not spend too much money, I had to deal with it. On Monday I headed out to Magic Kingdom as my first stop (of course). New Fantasyland is finished now which is good, no more cranes to be seen, however there are walls up all around the castle because they're making more standing area which in the long run will be a good thing. I tried to use the new Fastpass + system but I don't like it too much so far just because as a Cast Member, I can't book them in advance online and that means I either stand in the (longer) stand-by lines or I can choose from the Fastpasses that are left which are generally for the less popular rides and/or the less popular times of day. Either way, I ended up doing Pirates, ate lunch at Columbia Harbour House, did Jungle Cruise, saw the brand new (and AWESOME) 3pm parade Festival of Fantasy, saw Philharmagic and walked around the shops before leaving and going back to the hotel. Chilled at the hotel for a couple of hours before then heading out to Hollywood Studios with the idea of seeing the new Frozen themed fireworks however when I got there I realised how crazy busy it was especially as it was EMH. I got pizza and went on Star Tours (old habits never die) before deciding to bypass the hat/fireworks area and go on Tower of Terror, saw Fantasmic and then did Aerosmith on single rider. It was midnight by the time I got back to the hotel so I was pretty exhausted!

On Tuesday I wanted to go to EPCOT and I arranged to grab lunch with Tyler before he went to work so I got to the park at about 12.15pm and we got chicken nuggets. He went to work and I went to chat to people at the Rose and Crown which was fun. I walked around the whole world showcase, enjoying the chance to take it all in without having to rush anywhere but I decided not to do any rides whilst I was there because I was still tired from the day before. I probably should also mention that this week has had almost record breaking temperatures in Orlando, between 97-99 F each day with a heat index of 110-120!!! So, I called it quits and went back to the hotel and literally lazed around for the whole evening.

Wednesday, I decided to go to Animal Kingdom. I got there at about 11.30am and went to see the Festival of the Lion King in it's new location which is much more spacious. Then I got lunch at the quick service Yak & Yeti which was ok, did front row single rider Everest (awesome!) before going to do Dinosaur. I had a mickey bar whilst waiting for the Fastpass for Nemo I had got when I got into the park. When I was half way through the show I realised I had mistimed my day and I should have left the park at 3pm in order to get to the Dolphin resort to pick up my rental car at 4pm - oops! I couldn't get out of the show until 3.40pm and so after rushing to the front of the park and hoping the bus was there (it wasn't), I called Alamo and they sent a shuttle to pick me up... so I ended up getting my little Toyota Yaris from the WDW Car Care Center which was pretty painless in the end.

With some wheels in my possession, I went out in the evening to get food (Chick Fil A) and stop by Walgreens for a couple of things.

Thursday, I had to pack up all my stuff and put it in the car (took three trips to the room!) before driving to Port Canaveral to meet Nick. I picked him up and we got lunch at Fish Lips for a couple of hours before he had to go to work. I drove over to Cocoa Beach and looked around the giant Ron Jons before heading back to Orlando and going to the Premium Outlets to kill some time. I got my sister a pair of UGG boots (the equivalent to £85 instead of £140 in the UK!) and bought a couple of things in Charlotte Russe before Florida Nick called and said he'd got home. I was staying at his apartment for a few days so I drove over to meet him and we went out to get Thai food.

Yesterday, Nick went to work and I went out to a shopping mecca called Winter Garden Village to find me some Panera Bread for lunch :-D I'd been waiting for 8 months for Panera! They really need to open one near the Port, they'd do great business. I got a bit distracted there and ended up going to a few stores including Bath and Body Works. Eventually I left and drove to Magic Kingdom where I was determined to do the Mine Train now it is finally open after 2 years of waiting... well, it was good. But just good. I waited for an hour (which isn't too bad considering some of the lines it's had) but I was sandwiched between two particularly annoying families and it was about 100 degrees so I was melting. After I got off the ride I went to Gaston's Tavern and got a Le Fou's Brew. I've tried to cut out drinking anything other than water (in my fancy new water bottle with a Brita filter in it) in the parks in an attempt to stay healthier and save money but I made an exception for Disney's version of Butterbear because it's also really good. After that I went to see the line for Space Mountain which said 30 minutes but ended up being nearer 50 minutes (thanks again to Fastpass+) but it was still great to do it. Nick got off work so we went to EPCOT where we'd been for about 10 minutes when the heavens opened and we got trapped in France for 45 minutes waiting for the storm to pass. I was hoping for a lower deck table at the Rose & Crown for dinner but because of the rain, we ended up sitting inside. We finished eating in perfect timing though and saw the fireworks from the viewing area which was great. I had the cheese plate, fish and chips and the bakewell tart - the food was great! It's definitely improved from when I was there especially because they've gone back to the classic menu. Also, our server introduced herself and then instantly told me she'd read my blog which was hilarious!

Today I have just chilled out. We went to the pool in the apartment complex and now I've just spent the afternoon using (FREE) internet and watching TV... yay for vacation!