Queues!

Well, we were awake ay 4am (3.48am to be precise) and as there were no chance of getting back to sleep, Keith and I got up and had a cup of coffee. It was still very dark outside (obviously) so we crept around exploring the villa and I managed to get the wifi working. Unfortunately, Mikey had done something with the television the night before and that was refusing to work so we emailed the owner to ask for help. He had pressed the "power"button which we later found out was the last thing we should have done...huh?

It takes us about two weeks to fully understand how a new house works and discover where all the light switches are (and which lights they turn on and off) and then of course it's time to go home. Sometimes we find out a piece of vital information on the last day that would have made our stay a lot easier...

Anyway, we managed to unpack, shower and dress and then the children woke up, a little befuddled by their strange surroundings! We had a quick breakfast and decided to go and register at Hotel Beds (Florida law, apparently) and do a shop before spending some time by the pool.

It was a beautiful day but a little on the chilly side! We are here quite a bit earlier than in previous visits so we hope it warms up a bit! We found the office of Hotel Beds very easily and saw the Thomson rep who explained about damages and where to go for help if we needed it (we just hope we never see him again!). We also explained about a few issues with the villa such as the television, a broken handle on one of the patio doors and the blinds on the living room French doors which were also misbehaving.

That chore completed, we headed for a Super Target on the 192 and filled our trolley with all the essentials we would need for the next few days. On our previous holiday we had enjoyed a wine called Rex Goliath and we found a Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel as well as a Chardonnay. Sophie whizzed about buying make-up and weird and wonderful American foods (poptarts) and we managed to spend about $140!

Back at the villa, the temperature had risen quite a bit so it was time to do some sun-bathing and relax after all the travelling yesterday. Mikey went into the pool which was freezing and Keith and I sat and watched all the golfers strolling or driving past. We even have two crows that make a lot of noise as they go about their business...how weird is that?!

Our villa is lovely, by the way. We have four bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open plan kitchen/dining room/living room which leads out onto a terrace by the pool. We also have another sitting room at the front of the villa with a dining table and chairs that we will probably never use.

The villa overlooks a strip of firs that give out onto a golf course, so the views are lovely. We have neighbours either side but so far everyone is lovely and quiet and we had a peaceful day nodding off at intervals and relishing the warmth of the sun.

Our Thomson rep had done his stuff and we were visited by two great women from the Management company who showed us how to use the TV (the problem wasn't serious!) and noted the damage so we wouldn't be charged for it. They promised someone would be out to fix the door so we were all happy with that.

By 4.30pm we were all ready to go to Universal to activate our Flex tickets. The traffic on the I-4 was very, very busy and at one point we were queuing because of roadworks. It was a pattern that set the evening! At Universal we parked and we were soon queuing up at the entrance. At the moment in the US it's Spring Break and Easter, of course, so there were thousands of people streaming out of the park. We hoped it wouldn't be too busy!

It took us a while to activate the tickets as there were a few people ahead of us all wanting complicated things. We received our little credit card sized tickets and went to the turnstiles were we had to have an imprint of our index finger so the tickets couldn't be sold on to anyone else.

We headed for Shrek first (we are such creatures of habit!) which only had a ten minute wait. Second on our list was ET which Keith had never been on before. You have to give your name to an attendant and then you're given a little credit card which is taken off you just as you board the ride. The good thing about these rides is that there's a lot to see before you actually reach the ride itself so the waiting time passes very quickly.

We all loved ET as it's a nice, gentle ride with lots of beautiful colours and a fair bit of swooping about as we were all on bicycles with ET in the front basket. As the ride ends, ET appears and thanks us all by name which is a nice touch!

We decided to go on The Simpsons ride and then have something to eat in City Walk before heading back for the cinematic show at 10pm. I love the Simpsons ride and there wasn't a long wait at all so we were soon taking our seats, amazed at the audacity of one little girl who was determined to sit at the front of the car!

The ride didn't disappoint (it never does!) and afterwards we made our way back to City Walk, deciding to eat at Bubba Gump, However, there was a wait of 50-55 minutes and in hindsight we should have gone somewhere else but we sat it out (luckily we had a seat outside)and watched the thousands of people streaming past.

By the time we were seated it was 9.30pm so we had to give up on the cinematic show. As the park is open all next week until 10pm we hope it'll be on again. Our food was lovely, though, which more than made up for the wait. We started with some of the most delicious garlic bread we've ever had, and then the children chose beefburgers, Keith had fish and chips while I opted for shrimp skewers with a bourbon sauce. We had no room for dessert and by now we were all very tired so it was a chilly walk back to the car (I really should have brought a jacket with me!) and a busy trip back along the freeway to the villa.

It was heaven to pour a glass of wine and relax in the lounge but I did something with the TV and we lost the picture again...oops!