Final days at Disney

The boys were a little flat after my parents left. Flynn was quite confused because when he went to bed they were sleeping next to him and when he woke up they were gone. The plus is that we have spread out over the two rooms and we have a lot more space. We spent the morning at the Typhoon Lagoon water park. We did a pretty neat reef swim experience, where you snorkel through an area with rays, sharks and other fish. It was included as part of the water park entry and was quite impressive. The lack of sun safety here is crazy - people are covered in oil, laying out in the sun for hours. It reminds me of the beach when I was about 12. You can see them walking around later, red raw, still not covered up. The sun is definitely not as strong as at home though, as I fry easily and have not been burnt at all yet.
After the water park we stopped for lunch at the Contemporary resort. The monorail goes right inside the building, which is an 'A' shape. We continued on to the Magic Kingdom to get more cards for the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game. The boys are keen to get full sets of cards but I think it is unlikely. We forgot to take my parents' cards to the park, so are 10 cards shorter than we should have been. We arrived back at our resort and had an evening of down time - dinner at the cafe, s'mores at the fire pit and a movie night of monsters inc. The resort is very peaceful and we took a bunch of photos for future memories.

On Sunday we again zipped over to the Magic Kingdom to pick up another set of cards. This time we found out that there is a game associated with the cards so the boys bought a few of the game packs. We rode Buzz Lightyear Spaceranger Spin and for the first time ever I was the winner in team Starrett. We had lunch at ESPN so Flynn could try the peanut butter, jelly and bacon burger (don't ask....). Still full of emery, the boys voted to head on to Animal kingdom so Campbell could face his fears and ride Expedition Everest. We are now back at the hotel, and the boys are playing a game of dodgeball with the other guests.

Hot hot hot

We started off today at the Magic Kingdom so the boys and my mother could test out the "sorcerers of the magic kingdom" game. They picked up their game cards and were pounced on right outside by a guy who wanted to trade. He was very serious and we could not believe that an adult was spending time collecting trading cards, but the boys were quite happy to trade with him. We managed a few rides in and around the interactive game. I have a real soft spot for the Peter Pan ride but the boys carried on about it a bit. It was very crowded and very hot so we made our way out, against a human tide coming into the park. Epcot was a better choice - still hot but a lot less crowded. We had lunch at the Moroccan restaurant which was OK but not great. It was still very hot so after a few rides we headed back to the resort for downtime. Our dinner was the best meal we have had at Disney- Italian at Portobello at Downtown Disney. We scored an outside table and had a lovely time as the air cooled down for the evening.

The Priettos join Team Starrett

We have had two busy days at Walt Disney World. We pulled up at the hotel at exactly the same time as my parents. We were actually 15 minutes early but I KNEW my dad would be early so I scheduled   Our car pick to work with that. We have two rooms across from the pool and close to everything, so we settled in and started out for the parks. Over the last two days we have hit Hollywood Studios, Epcot and Magic Kingdom, picking out the good rides (and a few "lame" ones for me) and trying to minimise Campbell's time in the shops. I put on my big girl pants and rode the Rocking Roller Coaster - a coaster that goes upside down and is super fast. I admit to closing my eyes the whole time so I could not see the upside down part, and doing slow breathing to get through it. It turns out I laugh hysterically when nervous, Having proven my bravery, I am now exempting myself from all speedy rides.
The boys have had a lovely time showing my parents 'the world'. We have ridden all the forms of transport (bus, boat, monorail), eaten at a variety of themed restaurants and played a competitive game of mini golf. Predictably, Dad won and I came last. I have included a photo of my dad checking of the dessert menu at the 50's prime time cafe. I have also include Flynn with his ridiculous turkey leg.
Flynn acquired a birthday badge and wore it throughout day 1, getting 'happy birthdays' and stickers all day. Josh wore the badge on day two, getting himself a free root beer slushie, a chocolate cake, a birthday song and and a cupcake. Flynn is a little peeved at Josh's wins. Campbell will wear the badge  today......is there something wrong with letting my boys deceive Disney about a birthday? Is this the start of the Starrett boys' criminal career?

Universal day 2

We all woke up properly this morning so I think we have adapted to the new time zone. We were entitled to early entry to Harry Potter World by virtue of staying at the n site hotel, so we headed over at 8am. The forbidden journey ride is just amazing. The theming is perfect, the ride is complex and it is not difficult to imagine that the movie was shot in a real setting and that you are actually there. We tried the butterbeer, which was sweet but good. Jason is still not completely well so I have attached a photo to this post that represents him. We did a few more rides and then headed off to the outlets to check out the shopping. It was fairly unimpressive and jason was feeling worse so we taxied back to the hotel and he had a sleep. The rest of us went back to the park to ride dragon challenge (josh and Flynn) and flight of the hippogriff (Anna and Campbell). Josh felt a bit dodgy at this stage so the remaining 3 of us did one last ride before going to explore one of the other on site hotels (portofino). This hotel had an Italian theme and Flynn was quite impressed.
Everyone was recovered by dinner time so we revisited our successful meal choice from New Orleans by going to another Emeril's restaurant. It was also excellent. We trooped back to the park for some final rides and i tried to get team Starret to watch the movie show finale. you cam see Josh's opinion in the attached photo. we walked back to the hotel and then settled in for the night.

A different Universe

We flew from Mexico to Florida today for a quick visit to Universal Studios. The boys were a little tired and prone to squabble but they settled down one we arrived at the Hard Rock Hotel. The day was rainy and miserable but we ventured out anyway so Flynn could go on his favourite ride - the Rip Ride Rocket. Campbell and I abstained but the others had two rides on this thing. We then went for a game of Monster Mini Golf (won by Jason) that was quite fun. The boys are pretending to be Mexican today, saying Hola and Gracias to people. I am supposed to be part of this too but I keep forgetting.
It finally started pouring down so we trooped back to the hotel, drenched, and Jason came down with some kind of stomach bug. He has been sick on and off all night but the last four hours have been good so fingers crossed. The boys and I had a good dinner at the hotel restaurant, the Kitchen, and we relaxed with a TV night.

Last day in Mexico

We had a quiet day today. We spent an our at the games section, where a family mistakenly picked up our camera and started taking photos of themselves. once we sorted that out we were all laughing and there are now photos of us on THEIR camera. After a fiercely competitive game of pool, we caught a bus down the hotel strip to explore the shops. Josh bought a sombrero (why? why?) and they all bought a few more junky souvenirs, including some quite cool woven wrist bands with words on them. you choose the words, the colours and the closing bead and the fellow whips them up in a few minutes. It was pretty steamy and Campbell felt sick so we arrived back at the hotel fairly early and snoozed and watched TV. Josh took advantage of the free room service (the boys love it!) and we caught up in much needed down time. After dinner at the Italian restaurant at our resort, we had a lovely evening swim in the pool. We saw some huge birds, called Frigate, that were shaped like pterodactyls. The wingspan was 2.5 to 3.5 metres. There were only two other people in the whole pool area, which has an infinity edge overlooking the beach, so it was a nice end to the day.

Muy bien Mexico

We had an amazing day today. We were picked up from the hotel by our private guide, Jerry. We were a little late due to the non appearance of our room service breakfast but Jerry was unfazed, and told me that 'today we travel as family' so time was not a problem. Jerry gave us an engaging history of Cancun, the Yukatan and the Maya while we travelled to our first stop. He asked the boys lots of questions to keep them interested. To my surprise Flynn knew the date Columbus came to America.
We drove past rural Mexico and had glimpses inside the one room shacks/houses that today's Mayans live in. We could see the hammocks for sleeping, tables with bright oilcloth on them and lots of dogs. Everyone was friendly and all the children waved. It was Saturday so there were a fewgangs of  children roaming around (looking for trouble says Jerry). We saw many people in bicycles or on the tricycle with the cart in the front that seems to be the primary rural form of transport.
When we arrived at Cenote Park Maya we went through a ritual with a shaman to purify us and keep us safe since we were foreigners. Lots of chanting and smoke made from a resin that smelled like church incense. The shaman was very serious, but there was a Photographer capturing the whole thing to sell us photos later.
We changed into our swimmers and had an outside shower to clean off ready for our adventure. We then rappelled down a rope into a cenote, or sinkhole that is part on an underground river. It was a loooong way down but I was the only one who was a little scared. Once in the sinkhole there was a great set up of zip lines, ropes, diving platforms etc for us to play with. It was magical. Jerry had us there early ahead of the crowds, so we were on our own for about an hour in the cave.
We left after a group of Germans arrived and walked up to a Mexican lunch. There were hot, hndmade tortillas rolled and cooked on the spot by an older Mayan lady (yum), beans, rice, chicken in a few sauces, empanadas and other good things. We were all hungry after the exercise so we ate a lot.
We then continued on our way to Ek Balam, which translates as Black Jaguar. It is a partially excavated site with a huge pyramid that you can still climb (as opposed to Chitchen Itza which is for looking only). The scale of it was incredible and we couldn't help but contrast it with the wooden shacks that today's Mayans are living in.
Hot and weary we trooped back to the van where Umberto, the driver had cold towels and cold water for us. Everyone had a little snooze on the way back to the hotel. Jerry gave us a test and we remembered almost everything. He was a wonderful guide- arguably the best I have experienced anywhere.
We did teppanyaki for dinner and sat with a friendly older couple. Cambo and Flynn did a spot of shopping in the rock shop, where on of the shop assistants fell in love with Flynn's dodgy Italy hat. he tried to trade him for a new hat at ne would buy Flynn form the shop but it was no deal. The boys refused to sing along with me to the mariachi band (lame), so we trooped upstairs for bed.

Whoh Mexico

We were picked up at 6am by a limo and driven to the airport. As we boarded I was offered an upgrade to business class. I am ashamed to say I dropped Jason like a hot potato and settled in to luxury. Customs and bag collection in Mexico took about 10 minutes and we were out in the hot, humid air. Check in at the Hard Rock was very swish - our bags disappeared at the entrance and we were given cool towels, cocktails and a flower.
The room has a giant jacuzzi next to the bed, a balcony that looks over the lagoon and a free bar (NOT a mini-bar) stocked with 1litre bottles of spirits. The boys' room is the same but had floaties, a plastic bucket and spade and kiddie 3 in one shampoo.
Everything is included - the food, the drinks, the activities, and odd extras like sunscreen. Flynn is super excited about the free room service.
We had a swim at the beach and were given loungers, an umbrella and when we came back to the chairs they had left cold water for us on our little table. This is the life.
We had dinner at the Mexican restaurant. It was marginally too different for the kids but they had a go. We then played a game of shuffle board.

Jason, Flynn and Cambo have now gone to the fire show (?) but I am going to bed and Josh is watching he TV and playing minecraft simultaneously.

Last day in New Orleans

Jason had trouble sleeping so went out at 6am to take photos. He came home with cereal and skim milk - such a treat after two days of American hot breakfasts. We spent quite a bit of time trying to find a tshirt that Flynn just had to have. He has been anxious about buying it ever since we saw it. We must have spent an hour looking in every shop unsuccessfully. In the end Jason suggested a different shirt and Flynn agreed straight away. Josh tried an Aligator sausage, which the boys agreed tasted like choitzo. I was too lame to try it - it smelled horrible.

The boys went back to the hotel for a TV break and Jason and I looked at a few more shops. We went backand purchased something I had been drooling over for two days - a vintage Chanel bracelet. It is only a few weeks off Mothers' Day right?

We had a spectacular lunch at Emeril's restaurant, NOLA. The two best dishes were:


BUTTERMILK FRIED BREAST OF CHICKEN

with Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Country Ham Cream Gravy and Sautéed Sugar Snap Peas

"SHRIMP & GRITS"

Sautéed Gulf Shrimp, Grilled Green Onions, Smoked Cheddar Grits, Apple Smoked Bacon, Crimini Mushrooms and Red Chili-Abita Butter Sauce

The boys ate dessert but we were too full.

We have had two funny experiences with drinks waiters here. They come over and refil when just an inch is gone from the glass. Jason's was refilled 13 times today, Josh's 9. The waiter last night was even MORE intrusive. 

After lunch we did a 3 hour mini bus tour. I was keen to see the Katrina areas and we thought we might get some interesting facts and commentary about the city. It was pretty dull. The abandoned houses were a little shocking and it seems like some of the money from tours should be given to a restoration fund.

We skipped dinner as we were all really full from lunch but we went over to the hard rock again to get some dessert for the boys.

I made everyone go to bed early since we had a 6am airport  pickup in the morning. 

A Day of Exploration

     After knocking on their door and ringing their phone in their room for an hour, we decided to get a spare key for the boys' room (they had taken our key into their room last night). That didn't help, as we could unlock their door, but couldn't get through the manual latch they had locked to keep ghosts and vampires out. After another hour or so, we were finally able to get the boys up & moving.

     We walked to Canal Street & had a gourmet (cough, cough) breakfast at IHOP (International House Of Pancakes). Anna mused at the 'Americanness' of IHOP's use of 'International' in its title. There are 1500 locations across America, and it wasn't until August 2012 that they opened a franchise in Dubai that they went beyond America. Hmmm. A bit like having a Baseball World Series and not inviting any other countries to compete.

     Everyone was happy and had full bellies (and the drinks were GOOD).

     The St Charles street car was easy to catch and pretty cheap ($1.25 each one way or $3 for a day-pass). Anna was on fire with observational quips noting that 'Street Car' is a ridiculous name for a tram, since ALL cars drive on the street.

     Alighting the street car at Washington, we walked through the Garden District, headed for Magazine Street. We ducked into the Lafayette Cemetery. Gate-crashing a large tour group, we listened to inane commentary (the highlight of which (if repetition warrants importance) was that the Brennan family liked bananas!) before going our own way & reaching Magazine Street.

     Billed as a six-mile-long street of shopping, cafes & bars that has something for everyone, the Starretts rebilled it as boring. We bailed via a stop at Starbucks to have a rest (use the restrooms), use their wi-fi and have an ice-lime refresher.

     We found a book shop on the way back & made a few purchases to stock up on boredom busters for the upcoming flights.

     Once we street-carred back to Canal, Flynn needed to go to a games shop where he found a wii game he wants; only to find out it's not compatible with Australian wii consoles. BOO!

     Next was Cafe Du Monde for beignets; French doughnuts that have been buried alive under a mountain of icing sugar, They tasted like the scones with cream that Mum used to make when I was a kid,

     We zig-zagged back to the hotel past dodgy buskers (How is standing still whilst holding a picture frame worthy of a tip??? Ditto re: the guy walking around in a huge pink feathery drag outfit. At least the dog who played dead in a cardboard coffin had trained for her act. The most exciting performance was a swarm of bees that decided to call a post at the church its temporary home.

     One of the must-do items for Josh & Flynn on this trip is to eat turtle and alligator, so back at the hotel we checked on-line to find a suitable dinner venue (Oh, by the way, have we mentioned that our hotel is haunted? It is! Have we mentioned that we saw the ghost of room 644 and heard the dead soldiers in the ballroom? No? That's because we didn't).

     We set off for our dinner destination & checked the menu. Turtle Soup.... tick! Pecan-crusted Alligator... tick! Josh then said he'd order them, but there was no guarantee he'd eat. Flynn said  he didn't want anything. Hmmm. Bucket list fail.

     We then went to Maximo's Italian Grill - most food was OK, but overpriced. My meal was the winner: candied onion in chilli dressing on huge scallops on sauteed baby spinach with lemon. The scallops were massive, but not as massive as the bill.

      Flynn wanted dessert, so we walked home a new way, hoping to find somewhere that could provide him with something sweet on the way. We revisited a could of places from the ghost and vampire tout (the convent, the site used for 'Interview With a Vampire' and the home of the guy who called us 'Assholes' and 'Future Walmart Shoppers of the Supernatural.' Unfortunately for Flynn, we finished empty-handed in the dessert stakes. BOO!

     Flynn still hasn't been able to get in a swim. After several aborted attempts, the planets had aligned (i.e. the other boys showed some interest) and all was good in the world of recreational aquatic pursuits except that the pool was closed for a private function. BOO! Poor Flynn.

     An early night for everyone to ensure that everyone's sleeping patterns get back on track, Hmmmm, that didn't work, I couldn't get back to sleep after 3am, Bugger! 

New day in New Orleans

We had a slow start this morning and it was 9.30 before we managed to leave the hotel for breakfast. We walked up to the French market and had breakfast at the first place we found - a small outdoor cafe with a buffet. It was pretty ordinary but did the job. Josh has found his new job - he was excited about the man who was in charge of shooting a water pistol at the birds to keep them out of the cafe. We spent the day wandering the streets in the French quarter. Everyone found something they liked. jason spent time in the music shops, the bookstores and a hot sauce shop. I drooled over the antique jewellery and the boys bought their usual tourist rubbish. We had a very late lunch at the Hard Rock and Jason tried a Hurricane. Not nice at all - $13 worth of medicine in a souvenir glass.
Everyone we have run into is SO friendly. The man at the hot sauce shop gave the boys free iceblocks and then gave them silly glasses to take a photo with. The guy at the Hard Rock refilled all the sodas for free. The architecture is beautiful but the quarter is fairly rn down and smells like garbage. I expect that outside the tourist areas it is a little sad.
We ended the day with a ghost tour of the French Quarter. The gothic tour guide, Professor Alexander did a great job telling stories about the houses and the history. The kids really enjoyed it - Flynn listened quite carefully and had a few questions for the tour guide at the end.

New Orleans arrival

We reached New Orleans at 11.40pm. The boys were a little confused about the time zone changes - Flynn asked would he be allowed to go to bed, even though it was not bedtime at home. Bed was exactly what we all needed after a 29 hour transit time. Despite being tired everyone was  in good spirits. We were picked up in a stretch limo and proceeded to act like boguns by taking a few dozen photos. We  LOVE our hotel. The ladies at the desk were super friendly and gave us free water, printed out the menu of the all night deli and were generally delightful. The boys are in a separate room around the corner which they are quite pleased about. Josh said to listen out for the party in room 545. I did not dignify the comment with a response. The hotel is a traditional French quarter building which has been beautifully restored. The rooms ate small but cute and the bathroom is lovely. I am going to settle in for the night now.



The desk ladies really are delightful. They grabbed jason on the way through the lobby for a food run and upgraded our room. We have now moved into a king room which is three times the size of the other one.

A long way to go for lunch....

The flight got off to a slow start with a 1 hour delay on the Tarmac due to maintenance paperwork. We had a pretty uneventful flight complete with bad food and cramped conditions. Poor Jason swapped seats with a lady so she could sit with her friend, only to find that his new seat had a boombalada lady in the adjoining seat. She poured over and under the armrest and Jase spent the whole flight cringing in the remaining part of his seat. We were efficiently picked up by Lindy and Greg and went back to Krista's for a fabulous lunch with everyone. Bread, cheese, salami, red wine, coffee, pasta and all kinds of other bits and pieces to nibble on - absolute heaven after the plane food. We collected a few items for the suitcases (barkeepers friend, t-shirts for dad and Jason and a pack of my favourite cookies). The boys had "cousin time" in the yard before heading off to the dollar store to waste money on junk. They trooped back with bags of rubbish, just in time to head off to the airport for our flight to New Orleans. It was great to be able to fit a visit and a meal in.

Transit

I have a packing regime that should work well. We get the bags out and line them up, open. Then I tell the boys what to put in, item by item - "5 pairs of underwear" etc. this time it was a farce:
Me - "Three pairs of shorts. Flynn, nice shorts, not those ones. No they are not all nice- none of them are nice"
Me - "Pack one shirt with a collar"
Josh - "why do I need a collar".
Flynn - "I don't 't have any shirts with a collar"
Jason "Do I need a collar?"

And so on.......

We made it to the airport in plenty of time and are now surveying the expensive, uninspiring food choices. We are sitting in the same seats that we did in September and it seems like yesterday.

More tomorrow after our flight

2013 and we are off again.....

Only a few more days till we head off on our next family adventure. The travel preparation almost feels routine now- changing money, packing bags, printing out itineraries and a last minute flurry of washing and cleaning. There is still excitement in the air though as we count down the last few days. Our destination this time was dictated by the need to fly in and out of North America to use our frequent flyer points. We are having lunch in San Francisco with family and then heading on to New Orleans. After that we fly to Mexico, followed by a trip to Universal Orlando. We then meet up with my parents at Disneyworld before we fly home.