Disney with thanks, by Steve Hale

DISNEY WITH THANKS 

by Steve Hale

Hi Charmaine

I am sorry that it has taken me two weeks to get in contact properly but coming back after nearly 3 weeks has led to a bit of catching up!

I would just like to say thank you so much for what you and your team did for us for the Disney trip. It was supposed to be big budget “once in a lifetime” and it was. The problem is that we would all go back, tomorrow! But knowing that you were on hand should there have been a problem was a huge comfort

The hotels were brilliant. As you know we didn’t pay extra for the “Savannah View” room and I’m glad as we had a perfectly good view of the animals and, to be honest we weren’t in the room very much. If we weren’t at the parks we were in the pool.

The house was great and although we really wanted a games room we hardly used it. We did, somehow use all 5 bedrooms at different times somehow though…

We didn’t heat the pool in the house so it was a bit nippy and Rachael didn’t go in but me and the boys did and that was great fun. (Rachael probably wouldn’t have gone in even if steam was coming off of it). If we did it again I might pay for it but I dint think we would have spent much more time in it in any case so better use of the money elsewhere.

Saw alligators, dolphins, manatees, bald eagles pelicans, a snake (on the path at the Animal Kingdom Lodge!) and various other assorted wildlife actually in the wild as well as those in Seaworld and Discovery Cove.

Discovery Cove was great fun and probably worth the money...just. But Rachael got to “swim” with a dolphin which is what she really wanted to do.

Spent longer in the parks than I expected us to do. I think we did them all at least twice (except The Hollywood Studios). It’s the attention to detail that amazed me

The Hard rock was a “mad” hotel. It was great that it was a 10 minute walk to the Universal Parks and the pool was great. For some reason they made a big thing about there being speakers under the water so you could still hear the music. Not sure why. They also did a “dive-in” movie. Similar to a drive-in” but you could sit in or around the pool and watch the film on the big screen in front of the bar.

Had dinner with Kevin the Minion and Grew and the next night Scooby Doo and Woody Woodpecker at one of the other Universal Hotels.

Anyway I am burbling now… so

Best bits:

Fireworks at Magic Kingdom (I nearly cried)
Harry Potter worlds (blew us away)
Epcot-all the different “countries”
Animal Kingdom Lodge Hotel foyer (breathtaking)
Discovery Cove (especially the snorkelling although the dolphin experience was good too)
Seeing the wildlife
Airboat ride
Seeing the spaceshuttle, Atlantis at Cape Kennedy
The service ethic
Weather (hot) Everything air conditioned

Worse bits:

Waiting at Cape Kennedy for the launch of the rocket for 1 and ½ hours only to find that at t minus 4 minutes 23 seconds the launch was aborted due to an incoming storm.
Driving back from Cape Kennedy in that storm. Could hardly see a thing.
The flight...bored bored bored (me only apparently)
But it was just so much more than my expectations and whether or not we go back in the future this has left me with memories that I will never forget.

Thanks once again

Best wishes

Steve

If you’d like to know more email me: charmaine@hallmarktravel.com

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