Crouch Family On Tour

I’m going to deal with these two together as they were both lazy days by a pool and dinner out in the evening.

Day 3 – First full day in Negrar

We spent the day chilling out by and in the pool at the agriturismo. The owners have added a pergola with plants growing up and over it and extra large sunshades since we were here the last time. This made it very simple to be able to sit in the shade and read my book after I had had a swim.

We did mange to drive into Negrar to get something to eat for lunch but afterwards it was back to chilling out by the pool until we needed to shower and change for dinner.

Bethany had decided she wanted to go to the local restaurant for dinner, which we went to on the last evening last time. It is advertised as a pizzeria but does lots of other food too.

Pizzeria Trattoria Da Gigi

We asked Francesca to book us a table outside in the shade at 8pm. We drove down the single track road and parked in the upper car park. We then bumped into Francesca and her daughter collecting pizza 🍕 for their dinner. She told us our table was upstairs so we headed there to be seated. As we arrived the table was in the shade of a tree but as the sun went down Bethany and Michael got sun in their eyes.

The sunset 🌅 was stunning as usual and we were surprised how busy the restaurant was on a Tuesday evening.

I ordered a pizza and the other two carnivores ordered steak with side orders of potatoes and grilled vegetables.

The pizza as usual was very tasty 😋 and Michael and Bethany easily finished their steaks. Dessert was called for!

I ordered stracciatella semifreddo.

Michael had fruits of the forest pannacotta.

Bethany went for crema catalana.

My half litre of local red wine also went down well, after the Aperol Spritz and before the limoncello!

The bill by our standards was cheap. We paid and headed off back up the single file road at the instruction of the traffic co-ordinator.

Day 5 – Aquardens

I found a leaflet about this spa in reception at the agriturismo. I thought it looked like a great place to chill out.

It advertises that it is Italy’s largest thermal water park. Don’t however expect water slides and similar attractions. It is all about relaxing and wellness.

We bought day tickets which cost 35€ each and meant we could stay as long as we wanted. We got changed, found a locker each (which locked with the magnetic wrist band we had been given) and made our way into the indoor pool area to try to find out where to collect towels. We found the Aqua Shop relatively quickly but there was no-one around so we had to wait.

After finally getting our towels we went outside and found some chairs in the shade by one of the large pools. We spent the next hour trying out all the pools which ranged from 28C to 37C and had different hydrotherapy jets and such like. We also found the Kiwi Beach area which had deep sand, sunloungers and umbrellas. There were also beach volleyball courts and a mini football pitch. We didn’t see anyone playing while we were there.

We had lunch at the sandwich bar and spent the afternoon in the pools a d chilling in the chairs. You weren’t supposed to take photos but I managed a sneaky one!

We headed back to the agriturismo around 4:30pm and asked Francesca to recommend somewhere for dinner. She recommended a place on the Valpolicella wine tour which was 200m from a place we ate at last time we were here.

Osteria dalla Bice

We had been told that the food was good and were surprised to see plastic patio furniture set up outside. The view however was stunning!

The menu was varied and what I particularly liked was the mix and match pasta dishes. There was a choice of 5 types of pasta and 6 sauces. There was also an option to have two or three combinations. I chose to have two combination and went for bigoli (a local speciality like thick spaghetti) with traditional ragu and gnocchi with sliced leeks.

Bethany chose tagliatelle with tomato, bacon and onion sauce. Michael went for steak which was served with roasted potatoes, breaded aubergine and cooked red onion. Everything was eaten very quickly as it was all so tasty.

Dessert sounded lovely but when it came it was less inspiring. They had obviously just been taken out of the freezer and the sauce a fruit added to the plates.

I had white chocolate semifreddo with raspberry and strawberry sauce.

Bethany and Michael both had cheesecake with caramelised peaches.

All in all it was a lovely meal and the view as we left was equally as good as when we had arrived.

Day 2 – Milan and onward

I had booked tickets for the Duomo including the rooftop by lift for 10am. Michael had a call to do at 9am so we headed into town on the metro and found a cafe doing breakfast in the Galleria Vittoria Emanuele II.

Cracco – Bistrot

It wasn’t a bad view for breakfast. Michael and I ordered the standard Italian breakfast – croissant, toast, butter, jam, fruit juice and tea or coffee – and Bethany ordered a cheese and ham toastie with orange juice. Michael did his call and was finished by just after 9:30am leaving us plenty of time to wander outside and find the right entrance.

After a brief bag check we scanned our tickets and made our way up to the lift. There was no queue and we got in the first lift that arrived. It only held 8 people plus the lift attendant so I can imagine the queue gets quiet long as the day goes on.

On arrival at the top the attendant pointed us in the right direction and we set off towards the rooftop terraces. Even though we had seen the stunning architecture from the ground, nothing had prepared me for the first view from the roof.

We then walked along this first level and at the end made our way up more steps on to the top level.

A number of years ago I use to be part of a group called Cathedral Camps. We would spend a week or two of our summer holidays cleaning, dusting, polishing and painting cathedrals all around the UK. I did ten in different cities and sometimes it involved us using cherry pickers to get to difficult to reach locations. I’m not sure I would have liked the job these guys were doing!

Beneath is a picture from the front of the cathedral to give you an idea how high up they were.

After doing the circuit of the rooftop terraces we took the stairs down into the cathedral. I was surprised that it was only 139 steps down.

Inside was just as stunning as outside. As a stained glass window fan I was in seventh heaven. I could have spent hours just gazing at the windows and following the stories. Here are a few of the many pictures I took of the stained glass.

And here are a few views around the cathedral showing the columns and other architectural features.

Our tickets also included entrance to the archeological museum underneath the main cathedral so we went down to have a look. This excavation was 4m below the level of the current cathedral and part of it is thought to date back to 400AD.

Just before leaving Bethany spotted the signs of the zodiac on the floor. It just happened that we walked passed mine.

As we headed to our next location I couldn’t help but take a couple of photos from the front against the clear blue sky.

Next stop was Castello Sforzesco but, as we had to walk down one of the main shopping streets, we couldn’t resist having a look in Desigual. Around 30 minutes later we carried on our way with an extra bag – oops 😬

The view of the Castello is quite imposing and amazing to think of the number of bucks it must have taken to build such a big fort.

We walked through the Castello and on into Sempione Park. Bethany couldn’t resist playing on the rings as we walked passed.

There were also interesting sculptures in the park.

At the far end of the park was the Arco della Pace (Arch of Peace) and the view through the gardens back to the Castello was lovely.

We decided we needed a break for lunch and that afterwards we would head straight to the station so I could have a look around and also to see if we could collect the hire car a bit earlier.

We found a lovely restaurant behind the Arco Della Pace and sat at a table outside.

Deseo Milano

It just happened that the restaurant was right next to two tram-lines so we got to see the old trams going back and forth on their routes.

We decided that we would catch the tram to the metro station to get us to the main station. I went across to look at the map and found that the number 1 would take us to Cadorna station where we could catch the green metro line to the central station.

We arrived at Central Station at 2:45pm and our car was booked from 4pm. We went to ask if the car would be available early but the staff in the Avis office were very unhelpful. They said the car would not be ready before 4pm and there were not even sure they had the car that we had booked. Michael was less than impressed but we agreed to come back at 4pm. This gave us some time to wander round the station.

Unfortunately we also came across another Desigual store and added to our purchases 😬We then went to have a sit down in the food court to wait until we could collect the car.

At two minutes to four we decided to risk heading down to Avis to see if they had a car for us. The reception this time could not have been different. The lady was extremely polite and helpful and checked with the garage what cars were available after asking us how much luggage we had. Everything was quickly organised and she gave us directions to find the garage where we had to collect the car. She even came outside with us to point us in the right direction.

It was a very warm 300m walk to the garage but we found it easily. We handed our paperwork to the guy on the desk and he said someone would bring the car out to us. There were cars being driven in and out at speed all the time even tough the garage was very tight for space and was at the bottom of a steep winding ramp!

Our car appeared from the back and the guy driving it reversed it up to a car that was already parked, to allow other cars to be driven passed, but didn’t stop in time and actually hit the parked car. We couldn’t believe it when he got out, picked up a cloth and a spray bottle and proceeded to polish the area he had hit. Michael went to check it out and there appeared to be no damage to either car.

We put the hotel address into sat nav and set off to collect our luggage. After a couple of incorrect turns we parked up outside the hotel and for the first time opened the boot. We couldn’t believe how small it was, definitely not a car for us at home as Bethany’s hockey bag would not fit in it. We managed to get our three suitcases and one rucksack in the boot by removing the back parcel shelf. The other two rucksacks had to go on the back seat with Bethany, who also didn’t have much leg room. After a bit of juggling with seats we all managed to get comfortable and set off on our way to Negrar.

The journey itself was uneventful and we parked in the supermarket car park just after 7pm. We shopped for food for dinner – bread, butter, ham, cheese, salami, crisps and drinks – and then made our way up the hill to Agriturismo Canova.

Agriturismo Canova

Francesca, the owner, was pleased to see us again and she showed us to our room, which was exactly the same one as last time. We quickly unpacked our swimming things and went for a well earned dip in the pool.

After our swim we went back up to the room, had our dinner, unpacked and headed to bed determined to have a lazy day on Tuesday.

Day 1 – Getting there plus a wander round Milan

Following the journey home after our last visit to the Veneto Region, Michael has sworn that we would never drive to Italy again. I was disappointed as there were lots more places I wanted to visit. Luckily in between the new Gotthard Base Tunnel has opened and reduced the train journey to Milan to 3 hours 40 minutes. Michael had already made the journey for work and had said it was very comfortable. With this in mind we decided to go to Italy again this summer but we would travel to Milan by train, collect a hire car and drive on to the same place we stayed at last time.

We don’t normally choose to go back to exactly the same place but as there were still places in the area I wanted to visit and the agriturismo had been exceptional we decided to book again.

The plan was arranged to take the train to Milan on Sunday morning, stay overnight in Milan so we could do some sightseeing and then pick up the hire car on Monday afternoon and drive to Negrar. We would stay there until Saturday morning and then head back to Milan to catch the train back to Zürich late afternoon. Michael booked the train tickets, hotel, hire car and agriturismo and we were all set!

Sunday morning arrived and the weather didn’t decide to play fair. It was bucketing down with rain when we needed to walk to the station with our luggage. By the time we got to the station our shoes and shorts were soaked. Not a great start to the holiday!

We got to Hauptbahnhof in plenty of time and were able to go and buy our breakfast from Starbucks and Coop. We then went up to the platform and our train was already waiting.

The part of the journey I was most excited about was going through the tunnel. The map below shows the old route with twists and turns on the left and the new route on the right.

This aerial photo shows the entrance to the tunnel – very unassuming!

The weather north of the tunnel wasn’t great

But after covering the 57km in just over 17 and a half minutes

…we finally found some blue sky!

And everything had become very Italian although we were still in Switzerland.

After a short stop at the border to change train crew and check passports we were on our way again towards Milan. We arrived, with Swiss efficiency, on time in Milan Central station. We joined the mass of passengers making their way out of the station and walked to our hotel.

We were booked into the Best Western on Piazza Lima. It was about a 10 minute walk from the station. We were able to check into our room even though it wasn’t officially time. When we found our room we started to unpack what we needed for our overnight stay and found that lots of our clothes at the top of our suitcases had got wet on the way to the station. This meant unpacking more than we had intended to.

After all the damp clothes had been hung up to dry we set out to explore Milan. Unusually I didn’t have a guide book but I had been on the internet and managed to find a one day itinerary recommendation. My main destination was the cathedral and Michael wanted to visit the Starbucks Reserve Roastery again.

Bethany had already grabbed a map at reception and after locating the hotel we set off to explore. The hotel was right next to a metro station but we chose to walk to get our bearings better. First target was the Duomo.

We passed the Natural History Museum on route.

After a brief stop at the LEGO shop,

…we walked though a shopping street and caught our first glimpse of the Duomo.

The view from the front was even better.

We planned to go up on the roof on Monday so we carried on wandering. I spotted the Aperol Terazza but it was a bit early to indulge.

We walked through the most beautiful shopping arcade – Galeria Vittorio Emanuele II.

After this it was time to make the pilgrimage to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery. It was nothing like any Starbucks I had previously been to!

There was a normal Starbucks coffee bar but also a cocktail bar, cake shop and pizza bar. There was also a full coffee roastery in the centre with staff filling and emptying the machines and bagging the coffee to go out to stores.

This picture is made up of coffee bag labels.

We decided to stop here for something to eat and so Michael could try one of the special reserve coffees.

After our late lunch we set off again to explore Milan spotting the great old fashioned trams on the way.

Our next stop was the church of San Maurizio. It was stunning inside but very unassuming from outside.

The church was right next door to the archeological museum so we saw some relics of columns on our way out.

I had spotted a location on the map that I wanted to wander by. Luxottica is one of the biggest spectacle frame and sunglasses manufacturer in the world and their brands include Ray Ban and Oakley. Their head office is in Milan.

It was actually pretty uninspiring. The Oakley shop next door was more interesting.

We walked on passed Cadorna station with an interesting sculpture outside.

After this the next stop was the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie. This is where Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper is painted on the refectory wall. I hadn’t bought tickets and usually you have to book a long time in advance so we just visited the outer buildings.

The next destination was our last planned stop for Sunday – Castello Sforzesco.

On our way back to the hotel we passed the Swiss Centre.

We decided that as we had walked 12km round Milan that we would have a quick swim in the hotel pool and then eat in the hotel restaurant. There was a special Milanese menu that Bethany and I decided to have.

The view from the restaurant on the 6th floor was good but the view from the rooftop terrace on the 8th floor was even better. The top of the Duomo was just visible.

After dinner we returned to our room to plan Monday and book tickets for the Duomo.

We had absolutely nothing planned for our last day apart from dinner at Europe Wine Bistro again.

Michael decided he needed a haircut so Bethany and I dropped him off a Supercuts and headed into Venice to take a couple of pictures.

After picking him up and a quick visit to the supermarket for drinks, we decided to use another of Florian and Bruno’s tips and headed for Myakka River State Park.

The state park is a protected area where different birds and animals live but is especially known for alligators.

We visited the welcome center and then drove into the main part of the park to the biggest lake. We passed lots of camping grounds on the way.

We walked up to the edge of the lake being careful not to go too close. We then went up to the restaurant and actually saw an alligator in the water nearby.

After a look round the gift shop we made our way towards the exit and stopped at the tree walk and nature trail.

The tree walk involved walking up 36 steps in the first tower, then across a wooden bridge in the trees to a second tower.

There were then a further 80 steps to the top of the second tower. This brought us well above the tree tops so we could see for a long way across the park and the surrounding countryside.

After we made our way down the steps, Bethany and I decided to walk round the nature trail keeping and eye out for birds 🦅 , snakes 🐍 and lizards 🦎 . There were wooden bridges and walkways on route for when the ground is wet. We heard lots of scuffling in the leaves and undergrowth but only actually saw one lizard 🦎 .

After returning to the car we drove back to the house to get ready for our final meal at Europe Wine Bistro.

We packed all our leftover food and drink into the polystyrene cooler and other bags to give to Florian and Bruno. It seemed a shame to leave it all in the house to be disposed of.

We had decided that we were going to have tapas for our dinner so it was just a case of choosing from the large range of dishes. We chose 21 dishes as recommended for 3 people. They all came beautifully presented and served with bread. As we were ordering we had said “we’ll start with these and we can always order more.” It wasn’t necessary to order any more as they were filling.

I had managed to leave a little bit of room for dessert as Bruno had promised to do his ‘drunken pears’ for the next time we visited.

They were delicious! 😋

As we were still at the restaurant at the end of service, Florian and Bruno invited us to go for a drink with them. They took us to a wine bar that they go to regularly and we sat outside while drinking a great bottle of red wine.

We decided that we really had to go back to the house to pack as we would be leaving at 8:30am the next day. We said our fond farewells and promised to visit again.

I was surprised how easily the packing went considering all the Starbucks mugs, fridge magnets, t-shirts, clothes, sweets and macaroni cheese that we had bought. We were all set for the journey home.

We decided to hit the shopping malls first to get an idea of what shops were nearby. The first mall we went to was The Mall at University Town Center just outside Sarasota about 30 minutes from where we were staying.

It was a pretty high class mall including Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s and Dillard’s. We were very pleased to find Apple, Microsoft, Pandora, Tumi, Starbucks, Claire’s and The Cheesecake Factory.

We were looking for shorts for Bethany to wear for school and were frustrated to find all the girls shorts were really short and the only way to find longer ones was to look in the boys sections. After wandering the full length of both floors we had a break at Starbucks and headed off to the next mall.

Next up was an outlet mall at Ellenton. It was the same company as the one we had been to in Kissimmee but didn’t have all the same shops. Luckily it had a Justice store – girls clothes from toddler to teenager. Bethany was in her element and they had mid length and Bermuda shorts for girls. She picked out a numbers of pairs of shorts, a skirt with shorts underneath and a few t-shirts. We got the whole lot for less than what two pairs of shorts would have cost us in Switzerland.

Bethany also found a Claire’s outlet where she bought lots of bits and pieces that she had already seen in other branches.

I also bought a new purse at Fossil and we found a great set of reuseable cups at Starbucks.

We then drove over towards the coast to drive along the Sarasota Keys.

We started at the north end at Anna Maria Beach and then drove along Longboat Key and down to St Armand’s Circle.

The keys were very narrow in places, so narrow that we could see water on both sides. The views were great but not easy to photograph from the car.

We decided that we would come back and visit St Armand’s Circle as there were lots of shops and restaurants. This would however have to wait as we had to get back for our restaurant reservation.

On the way into Sarasota we drove over a longer bridge.

We were surprised how big the town itself was. We drove back along the I-75 as it was faster.

After a quick shower and change of clothes we drove back into Venice to the restaurant.

Bruno and Florian moved to take over the restaurant in August 2016. When they were in Switzerland they were both store managers for Starbucks in Zurich. Previously Bruno had trained and worked as a chef. He is now doing all the cooking while Florian runs the front of house.

Bruno and Florian do a mixture of European food including a number of dishes from Switzerland and tapas with various flavors.

We decided to have tapas for starters and full main courses. The tapas were really tasty and interesting. We were definitely looking forward to our main courses.

I had Chef Bruno’s Special – chicken in a Dijon mustard sauce served with rice. I had already started to break up the rice before I took the photo so it doesn’t look quite as it did when it arrived.

Bethany chose Riz Casimir.

And Michael had Crevettes à la Provençale.

Everything was delicious.

For dessert Michael had Hot Love – warm berries with vanilla ice cream – and Bethany had chocolate mousse.

I had enjoyed a glass of sangria followed by two glasses of Pinot Grigio, as the wine was on two glasses for the price of one.

There are regular offers on at the restaurant to try to increase footfall.

Bruno and Florian eventually found time to come and chat with us. They had been relatively busy, for the off season, and only had one waiter to help them out. We also got a tour of the back of house. The kitchen was small and we were more amazed by the food Bruno had prepared.

If you ever happen to be on the Gulf Coast near Venice we would definitely recommend calling in for lunch or dinner. You can check out the rest of the menu online.

Europe Wine Bistro

We left just before they were due to close and said that we would definitely be back before we go home.

It was now time to move on to the more relaxing part of the holiday. Doing theme parks every day can by no means be called relaxing.

Before we leave Kissimmee, just a bit more information about the condo we rented and the complex.

Windsor Hills is very convenient for Disney World and only just over half an hour from Universal. Located just off I-4 and 192 Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, it makes access to the whole area very easy. The resort is located where the red dot is.

There were lots of different styles and types of accommodation available – condos with use of the main pool, townhouses with plunge pools or hot tubs in the back yard and larger houses with their own pools. Our condo was perfect for us with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, full kitchen, washing machine, tumble dryer and small balcony.

We only used the pool a couple of times but it was very nice and heated to 28C – a bit too warm for cooling down after a hot day. It was very quiet during the week but busier at the weekend. They are currently building a new children’s area with a water play area and two water slides.

In the morning when we left was decided to visit an outlet mall near Sea World, just off I-4. We couldn’t get into the next house until after 4pm so we spent a couple of hours wandering round the mall and had our lunch in the food court – Subway for Bethany and me, Starbucks for Michael.

We then travelled over to the Gulf Coast. In total it took around two and a half hours.

After we arrived at the house, Bethany had a quick dip in the pool and we headed off to find the closest supermarket.This turned out to be a massive Walmart. As usual we were completely overwhelmed by the size and choice of everything. We had invited friends over for a barbecue the next day so we shopped for everything we needed.

Bethany decided we would have Mac ‘n’ Cheese for dinner!

We spent a relaxing evening watching the Spengler Cup ice hockey play offs.

On Monday we decided to have a lazy mooch around Venice.

I went out for my run first thing in the morning before it got too warm. I ended up running down to the local park and alongside the Intercoastal Waterway. The view was lovely and the route relatively flat but I didn’t expected to see the sign that greeted me at the entrance to the park.

I didn’t see any alligators but I stayed well away from the waters edge. I did however see a snake, birds and lizards. There were lots of people out walking, cycling and rollerblading.

We drove into Venice along the Tamiami Trail and parked near the centre.

We walked up and down Venice Avenue and found the restaurant our friends run. There were lots of bars, restaurants and small shops along the street. We even found one that could have belonged to my mum.

We then went home to wait for Florian and Bruno to arrive.

We had a lovely afternoon and evening eating, chatting and catching up on what they had been up to since they moved to Venice almost two years ago. We were having such a great time I forgot to take any photos. We did manage to arrange to eat at their restaurant on Tuesday evening and they gave us lots of tips for things to do in the area.

We were looking forward to exploring!

When we were in Chicago in August 2016 we went to Medieval Times for Caroline’s birthday and we all really enjoyed it. While we were there Bethany was bought a blue mirrored hurricane glass with her drink in it. Unfortunately some time last year, while unpacking the dishwasher, Michael managed to drop it on the tile floor and it smashed into tiny pieces. Bethany was devastated as it also reminded her of Caroline. We solemnly promised to get her a replacement and as soon as she saw that there was a Medieval Times in Kissimmee it was decided that we had to go again.

Last time we had been cheering for the blue knight. This time we were on the side of the black and white knight.

The menu however was the same, all to be eaten without cutlery!

The back story was also different as instead of a king it is now a queen in charge.

The show started with the introduction of the six knights and we all waved our flags and cheered at the appropriate time.

Then the queen arrived and our soup was served.

During the meal there was entertainment with Lippizaner horses and falconry.

Then the queen’s guard came on and gave us a demonstration followed by the head horsewoman.

Then the main event started. The knights performed various tasks on horseback and then moved on to jousting and hand to hand combat.

Our knight managed to get into the last two but was eventually beaten by the red and yellow knight.

It was a really fun evening and good value if you take into account the food, drink and entertainment. They do try to get as much money out of you as possible while you are there with photos, drinks from the bar, glasses, flags etc. We ended up with two glasses, a ‘decent’ flag and a picture with the queen (which was taken as we arrived).

It was even better value this time as they had special offers on for the school spring break meaning the tickets were significantly reduced in price.

We would definitely recommend it as a fun evening out.

This was to be our last day at Disney using up the old tickets 😢

We drove to the car park as usual and paid our $22 for the day and parked in Film 55.

I had managed to book 3 Fast Passes in advance through the app so we had an idea of where we needed to head – Muppet Vision 3D, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular and Voyage of the Little Mermaid.

We were a bit early for the first Fast Pass so to use up some time we went to Star Wars : Path of the Jedi. This was a film experience spanning the whole Star Wars saga and included footage from The Last Jedi.

After this it was time for our Muppet Vision 3D Fast Pass so we headed round the corner to the theatre. I remembered this one from our last visit so it was nothing new but Bethany found it fun.

As we were driving in we could see a large area under construction and we assumed it was for the new Star Wars area opening next summer. As it turned out the entrance was next door to the Muppets.

The gate was being guarded by a security guard.

As our next Fast Pass was for Indiana Jones we had a while to wait. The stand by wait time on Star Tours – The Adventure Continues had come down from 45 minutes to 20 minutes while we had been in the Muppets show so we decided to give it a go.

It was very much the same ride I remembered from last time with a few small updates. Still fun to do!

As we left Bethany found a space racer to sit on.

We watched a bit of the Jedi Training : Trials of the Temple on our way to the stunt show. Bethany was unfortunately too old to take part but she would have loved to be able to join in. All the kids were dressed up in Jedi outfits and were taught how to use a lightsaber and to channel the ‘force’. We walked further across towards Center Stage and managed to catch some of the Star Wars – A Galaxy Far, Far Away show. It was a mixture of film segments and actors dressed up as the Star Wars characters.

Next up Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. I loved this show last time and hoped I wasn’t going to be disappointed seeing it a second time.

It was just as much fun the second time watching it and Bethany agreed that it was ‘epic’.

Our next Fast Pass was for Voyage of The Little Mermaid. This was a puppet show involving puppeteers in black clothes moving the 3D puppets in time with the music and film segments. There was also a ‘real’ Ariel and the prince. Michael used the 20 minutes to catch up on a bit of sleep.

Just next door was Stars Wars Launch.

This was a film about some of the making of the recent films and it also gave a bit of an insight into what to expect when the new Star Wars area opens next year. It looks like it will be amazing!

After the film we were able to view props from previous films. There were also meet and greets with BB8, Chewbacca and Kylo Ren.

As we had used all our Fast Passes I looked for something else. We really wanted to do Toy Story Mania but the Fast Pass for the ride had been suspended for the duration of the American schools spring break. The stand by wait time had been over 60 minutes all day. The new Toy Story Land is due to open on June 30th this year so I don’t know if the ride will still be there after this has opened.

The only Fast Pass available that we hadn’t already done was for the next performance of Beauty and the Beast – Live on Stage. This was a much shortened version of Beauty and the Beast performed live.

Bethany didn’t want to go on the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster and none of us wanted to go on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror so we were done with Disney.

We wandered out towards the park entrance via Hollywood Boulevard and had a last look round the shops.

We took our final tram trip to the parking lot.

There was also building work going on in the car park for what appeared to be a chairlift or cable car, perhaps linking to new hotels which are yet to be built.

This may have been the end of our Disney World experience but it was not the end of our fun for today. Check out the next episode!