This bit of the holiday is always the worst - on the way out you look forward to the 4hrs in the lounge at Dublin, and the 9 1/2 hr flight is an opportunity to relax but coming home you dread the 40 hrs without sleep - knowing you are going to be trashed for the next few days.
Anyway the easy bit is getting up early - I use the last of the cereal and pretty quickly we have the cases loaded into the car and we say goodbye to Cypress Pointe, another good holiday here and if we didn't already have timeshare with Disney I would definitely buy here - you can't beat the location for the theme parks and walkable restaurants and bars.
The flight isn't until 10 o'clock tonight so we have plenty of time to kill. Fortunately the weather is supposed to be the coldest of the holiday so we won't be dripping in sweat and stinking of b.o. when we board the plane.
I secured a couple of fast passes for Animal Kingdom last night so we head over there is the early morning near freezing temperatures. Spring Break really has kicked in, as despite the weather and the earliness of the day, it's busy (and COLD) .
We go for the safari first but the temperature makes it a bit of a waste of space as there are a lot of animals which must have opted to stay in the warmth of their barns , no giraffes , no elephants , no rhinos - the list goes on. I do get some reasonable pictures of what's still alive in these arctic conditions but definitely a last day disappointment.
We walk through the tiger display, and they must be up for the cold as they are the most active I've ever seen them, and then our first fast pass of the day is a front row experience travelling to Everest to look for the Yeti. We spot a dark shadow of a figure, but I think it looks more like the mighty Chewbacca than any fictional mountain being. It's then back across the park to see if the Gorillas are out and about, and then a mad dash across to the Lion King for our second fast pass. It's a sell out and this show never fails to deliver, even if you have seen it 30 times !
It's time for our final fast pass, on the most dreadful Primeval Whirl, but it's all I could get and then it's time for some final retail therapy and lunch at Downtown Disney (sorry Disney Springs) . Saving one of my favourites till last - it's the House of Blues and Jambalaya and then for those last minute gifts that you have been putting off buying cos you didn't want to waste time in shops !!
There are quite a few but by about 5pm we are finished and decide to take a leisurely drive to the airport. Because it's 5pm the traffic is heavy but we get to the airport at about 6ish, and with nothing else to do, we head for a bar. You can do even more shopping at the airport but I'm all retailed out !
I run up a bar bill of about £75, not difficult when the beer is about £8.50 a pint but it doesn't feel too long till our flight is called and we are boarding the plane for the first leg of our flight home. By now I have a nasty bout of indigestion and I've packed the tablets in the case, so it's an uncomfortable flight back to Dublin. I try to sleep to pass the time but don't have much luck - wish we had flown first class again !!
Once we land at Dublin we sail through immigration and pay the $25 to access Aer Lingus lounge - I have a couple of cups of tea , but I'm not feeling too grand at all, and throw up in the very posh executive toilets. After 4 hours of not drinking (the opposite of the outward bound journey), its time to head to the gate for the final leg to Newcastle.
Great once again the Friday flight is full of pissed up Hen and Stag parties , I feel ill, and the flight is delayed for an hour - but we get home eventually to a plate of fish fingers and waffles and then bed by 10.20.
Bye till 31st August !!
There are quite a few but by about 5pm we are finished and decide to take a leisurely drive to the airport. Because it's 5pm the traffic is heavy but we get to the airport at about 6ish, and with nothing else to do, we head for a bar. You can do even more shopping at the airport but I'm all retailed out !
I run up a bar bill of about £75, not difficult when the beer is about £8.50 a pint but it doesn't feel too long till our flight is called and we are boarding the plane for the first leg of our flight home. By now I have a nasty bout of indigestion and I've packed the tablets in the case, so it's an uncomfortable flight back to Dublin. I try to sleep to pass the time but don't have much luck - wish we had flown first class again !!
Once we land at Dublin we sail through immigration and pay the $25 to access Aer Lingus lounge - I have a couple of cups of tea , but I'm not feeling too grand at all, and throw up in the very posh executive toilets. After 4 hours of not drinking (the opposite of the outward bound journey), its time to head to the gate for the final leg to Newcastle.
Great once again the Friday flight is full of pissed up Hen and Stag parties , I feel ill, and the flight is delayed for an hour - but we get home eventually to a plate of fish fingers and waffles and then bed by 10.20.
Bye till 31st August !!