Back In England
After 9 hrs 30 mins on the plane, we reached Miami and had to land in turbulance. Aaaah, I have missed flying! Though seriously, turbulence rules! And I'd forgotten how much I love Florida - even the run down bits and building sites look nice! Palm trees everywhere, bright and sunny.... and really nice people.
Despite it being unseasonally cold, Miami was amazing! As well as Ocean Drive (the main street right next to the beach) being all art-deco stylee, it was just how I imagined it: volley ball nets next to the beach, people roller blading/skateboarding while walking their dogs. Just a really nice, lively, relaxed atmosphere.
Plus, Lincoln Ave Mall had a Ghirardelli's!! They were handing out a free sample of their caramel chocolate to everyone who walked in the door. Needles to say we went back quite a few times! We did a bit if shopping too, where I spent some Christmas money on an iPod nano - the newest love of my life!
Christmas Eve saw us driving up to Orlando, to our hotel in Disney's Carribbean resort. Disney sure as hell doesn't do anything by halves! Our room was overlooking a massive lake, which had a path running along side it joining all the sections of the resort to the main eating and shopping bit. At random points along this, there were fake Carribbean beaches, complete with white sand, volley ball nets and hammocks!
On Chirstmas Day we were up at 7am, and headed out to Disney's MGM Studios. As every- one else decided to head to Maguc Kingdom for the Christmas Day parade etc, it was virtually empty in the morning! Rock n' Rollercoaster (starring Aerosmith) ruled! There's no cranking up a hill at the beginning, just 0 - 60 in 2.8 seconds. Much G-force felt, followed by the rest of the coaster with an Aerosmith soundrtack being blasted in your ears!
Followed by Terror Towers - lift drop. It's so well done! The story is, in 1939 a bunch of people went in a lift, and lightning struck, they disappeared into the twilight zone, the lift fell, bla bla. You queue in the basement of a hotel, waiting for the service lift. And it takes you up through the "twilight zone", until all you see is a single dot of light ahead of you. This stretches into the long vertical line, which splits as the doors open and you're taken into the lift shaft - all done in pitch black, and really spooky! After being dropped, it throws you back up again, and opens the shutters in the front of the tower so you can see over the entire park.
We basically went round and round on those two, and also hit Star Tours - a simulation one, where you're on a star cruiser heading for a tour of Endor, but your droid pilot is new and you accidently get mixed up in the fight on the Death Star. It takes you through a canyon run across the Death Star and a "jump to light speed". :D
We opened our presents when we got back to the hotel, and then went for dinner in a restaurant on the site of the main Disney hotel. From where we were sitting, we could see across a lake, with a perfect view all the way over to Cinderella's castle (where the Christmas Day fireworks would be going on). During the amazing nosh, they dimmed the lights and played the same soundtrack for the fireworks those in Magic Kingdom were listening to. They were fuckin' awesome! They even managed to get some fireworks up that made smily faces and presents when they exploded.
Boxing Day was spent at Universal Studios' Islands of Adventure. They're cheeky bastards, and take every chance to rip you off, but they kinda make up for it with the Hulk Coaster, the Amazing Adventures of Spiderman (3D simulation stylee), Duelling Dragons (two coasters running together that go really close to each other), Jurassic Park log flume, and a boat where you can squirt water at people going round on a river raft.
Much shopping was done, and I'm now the proud owner of a Stitch pyjama case, a Stitch mug that's the same size as my uber Donald Duck one, and a metal Harley Davidson sign.
Now I'm back in cold, miserable England.