Not long to go now, flying on the 24th September for 2 weeks in Orlando and a week in the beautiful Anna Maria Island in between
WHERE ARE WE STAYING ?
For the first week we will be staying in a time share unit at Disney's Old Key West Resort | And then we move on to Anna Maria Island which is a small secluded island off the coast of Tampa, near Sarasota. We have stayed here many times before and it's my idea of Paradise !! We have rented a 3 bedroom house which looks amazing | For our third (and final) week then it's a couple of hours drive back to Orlando and into our own timeshare at Disney's Saratoga Springs |
What will we be doing ?
As theme park fans we will be spending 2 weeks touring the various park , with a week in between at the beach to recuperate. Starting off with Sea World on our first day
and then it will be on to Animal Kingdom, as alongside the theme park rides we also have a love of the natural world, and being able to see some of these fantastic creatures is a real joy. Oh and don't forget we get to visits Everest
As it's September/October we will be visiting Mickey's not so scary Halloween Party at the Magic Kingdom. Personally I would prefer to head for Universal Studios and the Halloween Horror Nights but these are deemed by Julie to be a little too intense
and we may have a few days at the park that I hated 15 years ago, but has now really grown on me - EPCOT. At this time of the year it's the Food and Wine Festival so there will be plenty of eating and drinking around the world !
Too much Disney can be bad for the soul, and so we will be taking a break from Mr Mouse and heading over to the 'Dark Side' and picking up some wizarding action with Harry Potter at Universal Studios
.... and now for something completely different, a week relaxing at the beach resort of Anna Maria Island. It's about 2 hours drive from Orlando but on the way we will need to take a break and spend a few hours at Busch Gardens in Tampa (my favourite park) . The park combines by 2 favourite elements of a holiday thrill rides and wildlife.
After that week of relaxation and heavy drinking, it's back to the hurly burly of theme park central, with another 7 days of early starts and late finishes. First up is Islands of Adventure, which should be a short day given that the Hulk is down for a refurbishment so we thought we would also take in the newly opened Orlando Eye
Well we are starting to run out of Theme Parks - but there are a couple left, plus another couple of things we have built into our trip. Next one up for us is a visit to Hollywood Studios, which at the moment is undergoing huge redevelopment with the recent announcement of a Star Wars land and further development of the Pixar brand including a new coaster.
This trip marks our 10th wedding anniversary, so as a treat we are heading to Discovery Cove. We won't be swimming with the dolphins this time but there is enough other stuff at the park, plus the free drinks and food, to make it a worthwhile day out.
And that's it for the theme parks. We will be doing some other stuff like the Cirque du Soleil show at Downtown Disney. There will be some (but not too much) shopping at the Outlet Malls and there will be an unbelievable gluttony of eating and drinking - which should ensure that we fit in with our American cousins perfectly !
Food and drink (oUR fAVOURITES)
In our view the restaurants below represent the best places to eat in and around Orlando (and Anna Maria Island) and will form the basis of where we are going to eat this year. Most offer money off coupons or free desserts !! - if you register with their web-site
Dine with Shamu (buffet at Sea World, great value drinks are included)
Sweet Tomatoes (refreshing salad buffet)
Olive Garden
Bahama Breeze
Orlando Ale House (Sports Bar with great food and cheap drinks)
House of Blues (Downtown Disney - look for great deals on restaurant.com)
Seasons 52 (Out of the way but great refreshing fresh food & not the usual American fare)
Macaroni Grill (Italian)
Chevys (Great Mexican)
Chilis (think TGI Fridays and then 1/2 the price and double the quality)
Sweet Tomatoes (refreshing salad buffet)
Olive Garden
Bahama Breeze
Orlando Ale House (Sports Bar with great food and cheap drinks)
House of Blues (Downtown Disney - look for great deals on restaurant.com)
Seasons 52 (Out of the way but great refreshing fresh food & not the usual American fare)
Macaroni Grill (Italian)
Chevys (Great Mexican)
Chilis (think TGI Fridays and then 1/2 the price and double the quality)