2017 Holiday - Day 2 - Hollywood Studios

The jet lag kicked in around 4.30 or so and so I got up at 5am and sat on the balcony. It was humid already, but nice to sit and listen the peace and quiet. It's not often it's like that round here! We can hear both the Hollywood Studios and EPCOT fireworks from our room as the hotel is situated on the Boardwalk area between them both.

We had a light breakfast in the Club Lounge (pretty good oatmeal for me, Raisin Bran for Clare and Matthew went for fruit and toast) before heading off to walk to Hollywood Studios and get there for the Extra Magic Hour 8am opening. It's a pleasant walk - perhaps a mile or so - and ambles round the Boardwalk and then along a small pond before arriving at the park.

We got through the security and gate quite quickly and then headed for an old favourite Toy Story Mania. We joined the Standby line and got in after about 25 minutes wait. Now they have the extra tracks there, it wasn't as bad as it used to be. Matthew won the first round, taking 136k points to my 122k points. Suffice to say this please him greatly...

Clare and Matthew then decided to head for Rock n Roller Coaster. Those who know me, know of my deep loathing of thrill rides, but I was looking forward to spending some time wandering the park - looking in the shops and watching one of the street shows (if I was lucky enough to catch one). The published wait time for the coaster was about 45 minutes, so I headed to The Trolley Car Cafe (which is a Starbucks in disguise) for a coffee and then walked around the Sunset Boulevard area looking the the shops and watching the world go by.

The guys appeared about half an hour later and headed to Sweet Spells for a cookie before off to Tower of Terror using their Fast Pass. I sat in a shady spot and rested my eyes until they came out about 20 minutes later. Matthew stopped for an enormous donut from the stall close by, then we headed to Sweet Spells where he picked up a raspberry slushie. He declared both to be excellent.

We had a wander round the park and looked at some of the construction going on. The new Star Wars land, that will open in 2019 looks like it's going to be pretty cool!

It was then back to Toy Story Mania using our Fast Pass. I narrowly defeated young Matthew this time. He'd led by about 20k points through most of the games, until the final one where he blamed cramp in his arm, allowing t to nudge ahead or both him and Clare (by a mere 100 points!) to take victory with 131k.

We then legged it to Sci Fi Dine In for our lunch reservation. This is a restaurant themed like an old 50's outdoor cinema - where cars would park to watch the film (think of that scene in Grease and you'll get the image!). The tables are convertible cars and you can watch the 'feature' on the big screen ahead of you. Another test for gluten-free passed. They had an excellent allergy menu, and I chose a vanilla milkshake with a turkey and bacon wrap and fries. Clare and Matthew had burgers. There was a bit of a wait, because my food has to be prepared freshly, but the food was good. The 'feaure' on the screen (that showed old adverts, trailers and cartoons from the era) wasn't long enough and looped back round again whilst we were there. It's also very dark in there! Can't really see what you are eating!

Back out into the Florida sunshine it was off to Star Tours for Clare and Matthew whilst I watched a group of kids go through Jedi training. It was similar to what Matthew did back in 2011, but had been updated to include both Darth Vader and Kylo Ren (effectively doubling the number of kids that could take part). It was little more chaotic, but fun nonetheless.

We then went to Star Wars Launch Bay which was a highlight for me. There was a short movie from people at Lucasfilm (Katherine Kennedy, Dave Filoni, etc) about what Star Wars meant to them before heading into an exhibition of props and models from the movie. Clare and Matthew stopped for a drink in the Cantina:

Back out once more for a walk to the entrance and a chance encounter with Donald Duck (in original Sailor costume) before watching the March of the First Order parade. It was short, but fun, and we stood in the right spot to be 'harassed' by a stormtrooper

But we soon blew them away with our Jedi powers!

We then strolled back to the resort. Matthew and Clare hit the pool, but by now it was too warm and humid for yours truly. I hit the arcade! A decent version of Pirate of the Caribbean pinball was there (bit of a sticky left flipper though) and I managed to get a decent score of 46m on one go. I shall ook to better that over the course of the holiday!

A light dinner in the lounge (chicken skewers and rice), before Clare and I strolled into EPCOT to look round the Food and Wine festival. A number of stalls caught our eye, and we shall be back another night!

2017 Holiday - Day 1 - Arrival

Arrived at Disney's Beach Club Resort on Saturday 14th October after an uneventful flight. We were looking forward to immersing ourselves in the 'Disney bubble' for the next 12 nights. We checked in, and already there was a problem - the room type they had us down for was not correct. We were supposed to be on the Club Level, but they had us down for a regular Pool/Lagoon View room. Luckily, I had the original invoice on my phone which showed the correct room type. They only had a room on the third floor, but we could be transferred to the correct room Monday.

We decided we liked the third floor room, and would stay there. We went up to the Club Lounge for a bit to eat and Matthew had some nuggets and Clare a beer whilst I talked to Chef Chris about gluten-free options. I'd heard good things about how Disney treats allergy guests and this was their first test. They passed with flying colours! Chef Chris walked me round all the options pointing out what I could eat, and that included the chicken nuggets! He also said he could rustle up some chicken or salmon on nights when there wasn't anything for me. Brilliant! I settled down with a bottle of GF Angry Orchard Hard Cider and all was good.

We went for a bit of a stroll afterwards, but then turned in not long after that.

2016 Holiday Day 12 - Kancamagus Scenic Highway

Today we were going to take in the scenic sights of the Kancamagus Highway - about a 35 mile drive between Conway and Lincoln on Route 112 - with plenty of stops on the way for walking and scenic viewing. We'd bought a parking pass from the ranger station near Conway so we were able to park in all the parking spots on the highway.

We stopped near a covered bridge to begin with (the Albany Covered Bridge) where I also finally photographed the car we hired. It's a Chevrolet Traverse and it's huge! I wanted a big car, as I drive such a little car back home, and it's really fun to drive - although tricky to park!

We then headed to the Lower Falls a where we skipped over the large flat rocks and had a paddle in the cool, clear water

We then had a walk round Rocky Gorge Scenic Area, where there was a lovely bridge and a short walk to a tranquil pond (Falls Pond) where we spotted a frog in the shallows, but no moose much to Clare's disappointment...

We then parked up and had a short walk to Sabbaday Falls (maybe about half a mile or so). They were a lovely cascade - not the biggest - but pretty nonetheless. Lots of people stopped at this one - even thought we'd been early to try and avoid the crowds - because it is such an easy hike. Lots of good viewing platforms - the falls come down in sections - so it was good to see the bridges and stairs to help see them as well as possible

We stopped at a number of other viewpoints on the way across the highway - looking out over lovely views of the White Mountains National Park. Mt. Kancamagus tops out at 3763 ft - so your ears don't half pop on the way up and down!

We then decided to head to Vermont - so Matthew could tick off another American state. It was a 90 minute drive into the State and round back into New Hampshire and on the way back Clare wanted to stop off at Ripley Falls - somewhere we'd been in 1998 when we last visited New Hampshire. The hike is a hard one - it's not paved in any way and you are constantly traversing over tree roots and rocks either descending or ascending. We passed people on the way who'd given up but we finally made it and it was spectacular...

Having got back to the car we were pretty tired at this point - and hungry and thirsty having exhausted our supplies - so as we drove back we agreed to stop in McDonalds in North Conway. They still have the cable cars that you can eat in - as they did in 98 - so it was fun to sit in them again. A word of advice - if you order a meal in the US it does not come with a drink - they are charged separately. It you all want Coke - order one drink and use the fountains to refill as many times as you like! We forgot this...

2016 Holiday Day 11 - Attitash

After a breakfast in the hotel room we packed up a lunch and some swimming gear for Matthew and headed out to Attitash mountain park. In the winter it's a ski and snowboard complex but in the summer it has slides, a coaster and a water park. Now we aren't talking about the north east version of Disney here, but there looked enough to keep us entertained. Especially the giant zip wires - but more on that later...

One thing that is akin to Disney, though, are the prices and the slightly confusing tickets. As regular readers will know I'm not s thrill seeker and am quite happy with the bags and a good book whilst Matthew and Clare get their adrenaline kicks. Zip wire tickets and park admission are $105 each and general admission $49 so not a cheap day out. The confusing side was if you weren't going to participate in any activities I'm not sure you'd need a ticket as there are no entry gates - you can stroll right in. Tickets are checked on rides.

Anyway, Clare and Matthew went on the coaster first which takes you up 1400 feet before dropping you down using gravity. You can control the speed you go with a handbrake. They found it quite rickety but I suspect that is down to being used to Disney rides.

Next up was the zip wire. After the safety briefing they were taken to the top of a nearby mountain and went down two zip lines. They both enjoyed rushing through the trees at speeds of 60mph+. Whilst I enjoyed a turkey and cheese wrap from the cafe and reading my book!

With everyone on terra firma we had a spot of lunch together from the picnic we'd brought with us before deciding on what next. Matthew and Clare went on the Alpine Slide (a concrete slide which you go down in a little cart) and then Matthew got changed into his swimming shorts to try the water slides and a large jump from a 10m tower onto an inflatable bag (that was coated with water).

We were surprised when we looked at our watches that we'd been there nearly six hours. We decided one last thing to do would be to ride the chair lift up to the top of Bear Peak (where the zip tour started) for a little walk round and a nice ride up and down. The chair lift takes about 10 minutes one way it and was smooth and peaceful ride up and down.

We then headed for home, (stopping at Dunkin for a snack and drink) had a wash and brush up and headed to the White Mountain Hotel to eat in their restaurant. I had a cod and rice dish, Clare had lobster mac and cheese and Matthew had chicken tenders. All was very good as was the lovely view from the restaurant.

2016 Holiday Day 10 - Canterbury Shaker Village

Bit of a drive today to southern New Hampshire to visit the Canterbury Shaker Village. We missed the start of the guided tour, so we decided to guide ourselves. The village documents some of the life and times of the Shakers, as well as having a number of exhibits from their design and lifestyle.

We had a look round the infirmary, which was fascinating in seeing how they were able to treat their own and others. Some of their treatments were cutting edge.

We wandered round some of the other buildings, looking inside at the displays and watching a fascinating movie about how the Shakers started and how they lived their lives. The weather was a little cooler today - upper 70's - but the sun was out and it was a pleasant day for walking round the village

We drove back and after a bit more shopping at Shaws supermarket we decided to eat in Sea Dog Brewing Company. It has quite a pub feel about it, but was very laid back in style. Clare had the fish and chips - the fish was lightly battered and the chips crunchy and I had a fish sandwich - pretty much the same but in a roll - with sweet potato fries. All was pretty good - we were happy with the food and service. The kid's menu had a wide variety too.

2016 Holiday Day 9 - Shopping and Relaxing

Not much activity today. We decided to go round the outlet shops of North Conway and buy a few bits and bobs. We hit the pool later and did some reading and watching TV.

We ate at Brandli's which is just over the road from the hotel. We had a delicious pizza (topped with mushroom and peppers) and a plain pasta and sauce.

So just a day relaxing and recovering some energy!

2016 Holiday Day 8 - North Conway

We decided to not do a great deal today as we had a long day in the car yesterday getting to North Conway, NH. So we went for breakfast in the hotel (which was OK, but not up to par of the Dan'l Webster Inn) before deciding to get some of our own supplies from the nearby supermarket - Hannafords. We'd have breakfast in the room tomorrow, as there is plenty of places to store food and cutlery (we purchased some disposable bowls and such like from Hanaford).

That done, we headed out to have a game of mini golf over at Pirate's Cove. This appears to be a chain of mini golf courses, but was still a very fine course. We played 36 holes, and after a close fought battle I won by two strokes!

We found the two most important sites in North Conway - Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds - so we checked out Dunkin and found they only did Strwaberry Frosting, not Vanilla as well. Must be a New Hampshire thing! Matthew liked to alternate between the two flavours!

We then went back to the room for a bit before heading up to the White Mountain Hotel for a bite to eat. We ordered a hot dog for Matthew, Clare had a burger and I had a turkey and ham sandwich. There was enough to take some home and have the next day!

Then we hit the pool, wandered round the nearby outlet shops before turning in...