Trip Report Summer 2025 - From the UK, Extended Family all 11 of us!!

chrish16 · Jan 30, 2026

Day 8 - 5:30am Alarms, Dolphin Dreams & the Case of the Missing Bud

This morning began with a 5:30am alarm. Today was Discovery Cove day, so we were up, dressed, and questioning our life choices by 6:30am, arriving in good time for 6:45am. The first small hurdle of the day appeared almost immediately: we hadn’t realised that wheelchairs need to be pre-booked. Luckily, Discovery Cove saved the day and sorted an ECV for Val.

We were given a dolphin swim time of 12:40pm, with our groups split. We paired Val and Stephen with Catherine’s family so they could all go together, which worked perfectly. Doors opened at 7:15am and we made a beeline straight for breakfast.

We’d booked a cabana, but it wasn’t quite ready yet, so after breakfast we went to get wetsuit-ed up. By the time we were done, the cabana was ready, bags unpacked, and we headed over to Serenity Bay and the lazy river - but not before I managed to get Chris to photo my favourite snack in Discovery Cove

Once everyone was life-jacketed up — and by “everyone” I mean everyone except Noah — we had a gentle float around. Yes, little Noah is now officially a better swimmer than the rest of us. Since starting secondary school, he’s been attending swimming club weekly and now casually jumps off 3-metre diving boards, while the rest of us cling to flotation devices like Victorian children near open water.

After one lap, I returned to the cabana while Chris took Val, Stephen, Catherine, Mia and Olivia to the aviary, which they absolutely loved.

I, meanwhile, did something extremely out of character…

I had a nap.
An epic nap.

Chris woke me just in time to head over for the dolphin swim, and I regret nothing.

Our dolphin swim was with Rose, who was incredible. We’d arranged for the buoy to be delivered to the others with the personalised message. The Discovery Cove team went one step further and kindly arranged for all 11 of us to get a group photo with the buoy — which was such a lovely touch.

Straight after, we headed to Laguna Grill for lunch, where we played yet another thrilling round of Where’s Val? (the recurring holiday game). We eventually located both Val and Stephen after we’d finished eating, so Chris and I sat and enjoyed a relaxed chat with them before wandering back to the cabana.

Chris then went off to try the snorkelling and squeeze in another lazy river lap, while I — predictably — returned to the cabana with my book. I’ve officially accepted that I’m no longer a waterpark person. I prefer peace, shade, and fictional characters who don’t splash me.

This was also the moment we discovered that a bottle of Bud Val had opened earlier was now… empty.

No one confessed.
No suspects identified.
The case of the Bud Thief remains unsolved.

Before we knew it, it was 4pm, and with the park closing at 5pm, we rounded everyone up to get changed and head back to the cars. A special shoutout to Molly, our cabana host, who was absolutely incredible all day and made everything run smoothly.

We headed back to the resort to drop everything off — including Thomas and Paul, who opted to bail and stay put — before heading straight to Epcot. Tonight’s mission: Luminous, plus ticking off a few long-standing snack cravings.

First stop, though, was Nemo and Crush, which the family absolutely loved. This was also the point where Caitlin and Noah announced they were ditching us to ride Guardians of the Galaxy instead of watching the fireworks (they then got the bus back to Riverside). I don’t know how we’re related either.

Snack stop number one - the daily poutine. Sadly, this time it was a bit too salty for me — a rare Disney disappointment.

Next up, Les Halles, where Chris got his beloved raspberry macaron, which fully lived up to expectations.

I then headed over to Regal Eagle to grab a meat platter to share with the rest of the family, who had camped out near the Japan pavilion. On the way back, I spotted the funnel cake stand — and obviously had to stop.

This resulted in me carrying:

A meat platter
A funnel cake
A drink
My dignity (barely)

I had to phone Chris to come and help me carry everything back, much to his obvious delight.
We all happily snacked our way through the meal and funnel cake before settling in to watch Luminous, which was a lovely end to a very full day.

Chris wanted to take a photo of us as we were leaving - I personally feel he was trying to video evidence the fact that I currently resembled Monica from friends after using the shampoo and conditioner in Discovery Cove and not tying my hair up - feel free to laugh along

Afterwards, we took a slow walk back to the car to avoid traffic and headed back to the resort.

Disclaimer - Thomas met Caitlin and Noah off the bus at Riverside and took them to the Food Mill for dinner. I did not, in fact, let them starve while we wandered Epcot eating funnel cake.

If you prefer to watch:

chrish16 · Jan 31, 2026

Day 9 - Missing Shoes, 44 Degree Regret and Walmart Lists

Day 9 began with yet another Hughes Family Incident - but firstly take a look at what we returned to last night - love a bit of Disney design.

Somewhere between yesterday and today, Noah’s trainers vanished. After a brief investigation (and mild panic), we realised he’d left them at Discovery Cove. How? Still unclear. Apparently, Noah wore his trainers to Discovery Cove, changed into his Crocs, and then — at some point — abandoned said trainers on a sunbed like an offering to the dolphins.

So yes. Noah left his shoes at a water park.
After several phone call’s to Discovery Cove they said they would call if they discovered them – thankfully the did call back later in the day!

Chris and I had a DVC tour booked at the Grand Floridian, with our transfer picking us up outside Riverside at 10:30am. Our driver, Brian, was lovely and chatty — which was exactly what my slightly melted brain needed at this point - distraction.

Our DVC guide, Jordan, was brilliant and incredibly knowledgeable. He showed us around the Poly Tower, which was absolutely stunning… and also slightly outside our current budget. Still, it was lovely to wander around the resort and peek into the rooms. We’ll just file that under “Maybe one day” and move on.

When we got back to the room, we had a voicemail from Discovery Cove letting us know that Noah’s shoes had been found and were ready for collection. Cue immediate departure to retrieve them.

Now, to be clear: Noah does own other shoes. However, Noah is very particular about what he wears — in fact, about everything he wears — so collecting the trainers was absolutely non-negotiable.

Shoes reunited. Balance restored.

From there, we drove straight to Hollywood Studios to meet up with the rest of the family. The humidity was brutal, with a real feel of 44 degrees, which is less “theme park fun” and more “why have we done this?”

First stop was The Trolley Car Café, where we all grabbed drinks and regrouped. The rest of the family had already been in the park for a couple of hours, and with the weather starting to turn, they sensibly headed out — while we stayed behind to ride Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster, a firm favourite and absolutely worth the rain.

As we exited the ride, the rain had already arrived. Proper rain. So we pivoted immediately to food — at which point Caitlin bailed and hopped on a bus back to the resort.

Chris grabbed the BBQ beef brisket bowl from Sunshine Ranch Market, which he really enjoyed. Thomas and I went with chicken tenders from Fairfax Fare, plus a chicken Caesar salad from Catalina Eddy’s – Noah had his trusty lunchable and snacks. Once fed, morale improved significantly.

Next up was Tower of Terror, followed by booking a DAS return time for Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. We made the sensible decision to call off Fantasmic due to the weather — we’ll save that for another day when we’re not soaked to the bone.

On our way out, we popped into a few shops and picked up some more merch, including a Thumper teddy for our little Thumps back home — because leaving Disney without buying something fluffy is illegal.

Thomas had his eye on a very specific computer mouse, so Chris located the nearest Best Buy and off we went. The boys had an absolute whale of a time inside, while I stayed in the car, living my best life with my Kindle and some peace and quiet.

Back at Riverside, we headed to Val and Stephen’s room for a family meeting — also known as Walmart Shopping List Planning. We agreed to buy shared essentials (toilet roll, butter, bread, milk — thrilling holiday content) and populated the list like the organised adults we briefly pretended to be.

We returned to our room to finish packing, then walked over to Riverside Mill to grab dinner and settle our room bill. With checkout looming in the morning, we wanted everything sorted so we could leave without stress.

It’s our last night staying at Disney, and while the day included missing shoes, torrential rain, and 44-degree heat, it somehow still managed to feel very us.

One more sleep till we move to the villa. And, hopefully, no more lost footwear.

Tomorrow is Mia's 14th Birthday

and our checkout day

If you like video:

chrish16 · Jan 31, 2026

Day 10 - Mia Turns 14, Disney in the Rain & the Great Target Panic

Today was Mia’s 14th birthday — happy birthday, Mia!

And what better way to celebrate than packing up mountains of cases and shopping bags, questioning our life choices, and moving house… Disney-style.

With both cars fully loaded (and by “fully” I mean every available inch was occupied), we headed to Riverside Mill for breakfast. Once fed, Chris and I drove the cars over to Magic Kingdom, while the rest of the family sensibly took the bus — because it turns out you can’t fit people and luggage into the same vehicle. Who knew?
It was a drizzly, damp kind of Disney day, but honestly? If you’re going to get rained on anywhere, Magic Kingdom is the place. We spotted the rest of the family on Main Street watching the Rainy Day Cavalcade, which we all enjoyed — despite being slightly soggy. Spirits remained high, ponchos were deployed, and Disney remained our happy place.

We split off from the rest of the group because we’d booked TRON using our DAS pass. After the cavalcade, we popped into Big Top Treats to spend the last of our snack credits — because leaving Disney with unused credits is a crime.
We grabbed Rice Krispie treats and popcorn to share, then headed to Gaston’s Tavern for the legendary ham and gruyère sandwich and crème brûlée croissant. The rain meant tables were scarce, but we managed to snag a seat just in time. Victory.

Then it was time for TRON — which we all loved… and immediately complained about because it’s far too short. Still incredible. Still over too soon.
We tried to meet up with the rest of the family to watch Carousel of Progress, but they were deep in the queue for Winnie the Pooh. We agreed to meet later for the afternoon parade and headed over ourselves.

Carousel of Progress is criminally underrated. Air conditioning, comfy seats, and a genuinely lovely story? Yes please. As we exited, Stitch was dancing with a group of guests, which was unexpectedly wholesome and a perfect Disney moment.

With one goal left — use every last credit — I sent Chris, Caitlin, and the boys to Cosmic Ray’s, while I speed-walked to Friar’s Nook like a woman on a mission.

I returned victorious with:

• A mac & cheese hand pie
• Loaded tots
• A strawberry lemonade

The boys shared chicken tenders and fries, Caitlin opted for a Cobb salad, and everything was thoroughly enjoyed. Mission accomplished.
The weather still wasn’t behaving, so Festival of Fantasy was replaced by the rainy day parade. The rest of the family watched and loved it, while we opted for Space Mountain, which never disappoints — especially when you’re already soaked and slightly delirious.

After Space Mountain, we grabbed the cars and drove to check in at the villa. Once we had access, we unloaded Chris’s car and he headed back to Magic Kingdom to pick everyone else up. Meanwhile, Caitlin, Thomas, Noah, and I unpacked my car and began the great holiday reorganisation.

Once Chris returned, we finished unloading, grabbed very quick showers, and headed out to LongHorn’s Steakhouse — Mia’s birthday dinner choice.

We went to the one on 192, where we were met with a huge queue and a 40-minute wait. So naturally, we made the excellent decision to take everyone to Target while we waited.
This was a mistake.

Just 20 minutes later, I received a message saying our table was ready. Cue absolute panic. I sprinted around Target (and yes, I will admit it felt like Walmart level chaos) trying to locate every family member and herd them back to the restaurant.

We arrived at LongHorn’s with one minute to spare before losing the table. I’ve never moved so fast in my life.

I’d signed up for a free appetiser, so we ordered onion petals and shared them with the whole family, who were seated next to us. The meal was delicious, everyone was happy, and Mia had a lovely birthday — which is really all that mattered.

We headed back to the villa for a calm, relaxing evening, grateful to be unpacked, fed, and finally stationary.

A rainy Disney day, a birthday well celebrated, and a Target trip we’ll never speak of again.

chrish16 · Feb 1, 2026

Day 11 - McGriddles, Meltdowns & The Great Scooter Saga

Day 11 began with an early 7am start, which immediately required food-based motivation. We stopped at McDonald’s on I-Drive, where I tried my first ever bacon & egg McGriddle — and honestly? Life-changing. I devoured it. I’m also secretly thrilled that these are coming to the UK in February because I will absolutely be revisiting this moment.

Fully fuelled, we arrived at Loews Royal Pacific for our overnight stay. Check-in took around 30 minutes, after which we were handed our Express Passes — a moment that always feels like being given a golden ticket.

With passes secured, we hopped on the water taxi to CityWalk, which is one of my favourite ways to arrive anywhere. Relaxing, breezy, and zero walking — perfect.
Once at Islands of Adventure, we collected our annual passes and everyone else’s 14-day tickets, grabbed our accessibility pass, and headed into the park.

Obviously, the first ride of the day had to be The Cat in the Hat. As tradition dictates.

We reactivated our refillable mugs and then headed to VelociCoaster… which we did not ride because our bags wouldn’t fit in the lockers

Instead, we made our way to Hogsmeade to meet the rest of the family, who were in the queue for Olivanders, so we did what anyone would do — went to Honeydukes.
At this point, reality hit hard. My fibro was absolutely doing me dirty, so we headed back to the park entrance to hire an ECV/wheelchair. $75 later, I was mobile again and ready to rejoin the group.

We managed to sneak on Hagrid’s — despite feeling like we might actually perish in the heat — and it was, as always, incredible and still a firm favourite.

Lunch was at Fire Eater’s Grill, where Chris had a… soggy chicken kebab. Not the highlight of the trip. The garlic pita chips also failed to impress, which felt personal.
We then rode Forbidden Journey before unanimously deciding it was far too hot and heading back to the hotel to see if we could check into our rooms early.

On the way out, Val’s scooter also decided it had had enough of the heat and completely ran out of power. Turns out that the night before, Val and Stephen assumed that because the battery was still showing green, it didn’t need charging.

Spoiler alert: it did.

Cue Chris, Stephen and Thomas manually pushing the scooter from just outside Islands of Adventure all the way back to Royal Pacific. Core memories were made. Mainly sweaty ones.

Back at the hotel, Val and Stephen’s room wasn’t ready, so they joined us in ours. I promptly fell asleep, and a glorious afternoon storm rolled in — confirming that we had made the correct decision to retreat.

At 5:30pm, we rallied and headed back on the water taxi with Val, Stephen, and the kids to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., using our Landry’s card.

Once seated, I realised I had misplaced our Express and annual passes — all of them — which were in my card wallet. Cue me speed-walking back to the boat dock to see if they’d fallen out of my pocket. No luck.

Thankfully, I had our annual passes on my phone, meaning we could still get back into the park — just without Express. Crisis partially averted.

Dinner was lovely, and after eating I felt well enough to head back into the park. Val and Stephen decided to head back to the hotel, so we carefully explained which boat to get and how to get back to the room.

This information was… not retained (More on that at the end)

Back at Islands of Adventure, Guest Services very kindly printed us temporary paper Express passes, and I picked up another ECV.

After some classic scanner chaos at Hulk (phones, keys, battery packs, pockets — you know the drill), we rode The Hulk. Noah rode it for the first time and absolutely loved it — a proud parent moment.

Next, the boys and I rode Dr Doom, while Chris refilled the refillable drink. Our final plan was VelociCoaster, which was now… down. Naturally.

So instead, we rode Hagrid’s again — this time in the dark — and it was incredible. Possibly even better at night.
A little shopping on the way out (because obviously), a mandatory Cinnabon stop, and we headed back to the hotel by just after 11pm.

When we finally arrived back at Loews Royal Pacific, utterly shattered and running on fumes, we headed straight to reception to get new key cards — because I was convinced I’d lost ours.

What followed was a surprisingly long and complicated process involving:

Questions
And the small issue of needing photo ID

Of course, my ID was in the room.
The room we could not access.
Because I “didn’t have” the key cards.

After a fair bit of back and forth (and me internally replaying every decision I’d made that day), I suggested that a member of staff could escort me to the room so I could retrieve my passport for identification purposes.

Up we went.
The door was opened.
And there — proudly displayed on the TV unit — sat the wallet.

Inside the wallet?

The Express Passes
The Annual Passes

On the plus side I had not lost them - I had simply never taken them with us in the first place.

I stood there in silence, questioning my life choices, blaming menopause, fibro and heat exhaustion. The poor staff member, to his credit, was incredibly polite and did not laugh (at least not to my face).

With keys recovered, dignity slightly bruised, and it now being 11:30pm, we collapsed into bed and were asleep within minutes.

The Adventures of Val

The next day, we asked Val and Stephen how their evening went after leaving us.

It turns out they had:
• Got on the wrong boat
• Still don’t know which hotel they ended up at
• Been rescued by brilliant boat staff who returned them to CityWalk and redirected them to the correct dock
Once back at Royal Pacific, they then spent ages trying to get back to their room.

Stephen got into the lift before Val and the scooter, and the doors closed. Stephen went up a few floors, got out, and told a couple entering the lift that his wife was stuck outside.

The couple went down, found Val waiting, and informed her that her husband was upstairs. They helped reunite the pair, and the terrible twosome finally made it back to their room at around 10pm…

Considering we left them at 7:15pm, this was quite the journey.

And that is why you can’t leave Val and Stephen alone on holiday.

Tomorrow join us for Universal Studios.

Video version:

chrish16 · Feb 2, 2026

Day 12 - Oversleeping, Lost Grandparents & G-Force Regret

We overslept. No alarms. No backup alarms. Just the consequences of last night’s chaos meant we forgot to set the alarm. So after a later start than planned, we made our way to CityWalk at 9am via the water.

First stop was Cinnabon, where Chris ordered the sausage and egg sandwich. Thomas tried a bite and immediately decided it wasn’t for him, so I whisked the kids off to Starbucks in Islands of Adventure for damage control.

Once the kids were fed and watered, we headed to The Hulk, where Chris had already ridden with Paul. Catherine, Val, Stephen, and the girls headed off to Seuss Landing, while the kids and I joined Chris and Paul for a second go.

During this ride, Chris experienced a brief vision blackout. A quick Google later reassured us that this is apparently common on high G-force rides.

At 10:30am, we finally managed to ride VelociCoaster — a long awaited win. Chris has officially declared it his favourite ride!

We met the rest of the family in Hogsmeade and boarded the Hogwarts Express, heading off to London King’s Cross (Florida edition).

First stop was the Knight Bus, where we enjoyed an… interesting conversation with the shrunken head. Always a highlight.

We then entered Diagon Alley, where we spent a lot of time — largely because Mia is a huge Harry Potter fan. I'm so grateful to Catherine for capturing this photo with Noah - especially as he thinks he's too old for holding my hand/cuddles (unless they're on his terms)

Val and Stephen sensibly headed to The Leaky Cauldron for shade and a sit down, while the rest of us explored.
At Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes, we picked up puking pastilles which Thomas and I almost broke our teeth trying to eat! Mia also bought some potions — not for drinking, just for displaying in her room.

Mia had been searching everywhere for a Marauder’s Map, and we finally found a huge one in Diagon Alley. At $50, it wasn’t cheap, but it made her day.

We split up briefly to ride Escape from Gringotts, which everyone enjoyed, then regrouped for lunch at The Leaky Cauldron. Catherine’s family joined a couple of parties behind us.

We couldn’t see Val and Stephen inside, so Chris rang them — they were outside, sitting on a bench enjoying the sun. We agreed to meet them when we finished eating.

Food eaten, we emerged… to find Val, but no Stephen.

Val had set off to find us and, in the process, lost Stephen. She said she’d go back for him.

Ten minutes passed.
Then fifteen.

Chris and Thomas went off to locate them, and after a kerfuffle and some cross words exchanged between the parents-in-law over whose fault it was, we collectively decided that the heat was making everyone grumpy and it was time to move on.

We headed to Men in Black, which Val, Stephen, and our family all rode and enjoyed.

Next up was The Simpsons Ride. I decided to try it for the first time ever — a bold choice for someone prone to motion sickness. Val and Stephen joined us.

Stephen was tannoy-announced several times for holding the front of the ride vehicle instead of the safety bar. I can confirm that neither Stephen nor I will be riding this again.

We met Catherine’s family again and wandered over to ET. On the way, we lost Val AGAIN.

Chris backtracked to Simpsons. No Val.
Eventually, he found her coming out of the restrooms.

At this point, I’m convinced we need to attach a bungee cord to Val for future trips.

Everyone reunited, we rode ET, which the older family members really enjoyed. Sadly, the name system glitched and ET didn’t say goodbye to us — Universal, please fix this. It’s emotional.

Chris was determined to show everyone The Bourne Stuntacular, so we headed that way, stopping first at the Annual Pass store, where Noah got a swim shirt and Chris picked up an EPIC Universe hoodie.

Catherine, Paul, and the girls met Bart and Lisa, and Chris had to join in, obviously.

The Bourne show was a hit with the whole family. Afterwards, we browsed the Wicked store, which I absolutely loved as a Wicked superfan.

Our final ride of the day was Rip Ride Rockit — and Noah’s first time, which was a big win. Chris found it a bit too jerky this time – you can tell he’s getting old.

We left the park, collected the cars, and headed to the Premium Outlets for some much-needed retail therapy. We’d forgotten just how massive they are, so we spent just over an hour there.

Stephen, Val, Thomas, and Noah were dropped at the food court with drinks, while the rest of us shopped. I, naturally, stocked up at Bath & Body Works.

We reconvened in the food court, where Chris and I shared pizza slices (Meat Primo and Chicken, Bacon & Ranch) plus a breadstick — all excellent choices. A quick look in the Character Warehouse followed, but nothing jumped out.

Back to the cars, then back to the villa — dropping off Stephen, Val, Thomas, and Noah — before heading to Walmart.

And wow.
It was rammed.

Chris asked an employee if it’s always that busy at 9pm, and the answer was a casual yes. We’ve officially decided that Target is our future — calmer, brighter, and far less likely to cause emotional damage.

We didn’t get back to the villa until after 10:45pm, completely exhausted, slightly delirious, and ready for bed.

Another day survived. No grandparents permanently lost. This time.

YouTube version:

chrish16 · Feb 3, 2026

Day 13 - Chill Day

The day we had all been waiting for finally arrived… the chill day.

Naturally, in true holiday fashion, I woke up ridiculously early at 6:30am, because apparently my body didn’t get the memo

Rather than wake anyone else, I crept downstairs for a cuppa and some cross stitch, fully embracing my inner pensioner. Around 7am, Val appeared and we ended up having a long, heartfelt chat, which was actually really lovely.

By 9am, I’d officially changed into swimwear and headed straight for the hot tub, Kindle in hand, living my best relaxed life fantasy. Around 9:30am, the rest of the family slowly emerged and joined us in the pool area — proving once again that nobody else wakes up early on holiday.

After a morning of pool antics (no one drowned, success), we grabbed some lunch and then migrated indoors.

Noah and Paul took over the air hockey in the games room, I treated myself to a long bath, and Catherine bravely tackled some holiday laundry — I’d been keeping on top of ours daily.

By mid-afternoon, Chris and I started to get a bit twitchy. You know that feeling when you’ve relaxed just enough and now need to leave the house? That.

We decided to escape to the Premium International Outlets. The rest of the family opted to stay put, but Caitlin joined us, clearly sensing that shopping was imminent.

Thankfully, the outlets weren’t too busy, and we enjoyed a genuinely lovely, stress-free afternoon. Shopping bags acquired, we headed to Steak ’n Shake for dinner while the rest of the family conducted a full-scale raid of the villa freezer for pizzas and pasta.

We offered to come back and go out again for dinner later, but everyone was very happy with their freezer-based feast.

Caitlin and I both acquired new bags (essential holiday purchases), after which she split off for what she called “serious shopping” — otherwise known as Bath & Body Works and Victoria’s Secret.

We had a good laugh at the ridiculous length of outlet receipts. Honestly, they’re long enough to use as scarves!

Speaking of Bath & Body Works… I popped back in because they had a $1 hand bac offer. Yes, I stocked up the night before. Yes, I still bought more. It would have been irresponsible not to. Gifts for friends at home, obviously (and maybe a few for me).

Chris, Caitlin, and I drove to Steak ’n Shake, where I enjoyed my now-legendary double garlic steak burger. Truly one of the best burgers ever. At this point, it’s officially a must-do every trip.

We received a message from the villa requesting more milk, so we stopped at Target (because we have learned from Walmart) after grabbing fuel at Wawa.

There was a bit of a queue getting back into Windsor Hills, but it was made so much better by the presence of a possum casually hanging out by the roadside, which provided excellent entertainment.

Back at the villa, Thomas, Catherine, Noah, and Olivia were mid-game in the games room, and the evening settled into a perfectly chilled mix of chatting and games.

An early night followed, because tomorrow… Wild Florida awaits.

Video:

chrish16 · Feb 5, 2026

Day 14 - Gators, Popcorn & Fantasmic Tears

The alarm went off at 6:30am, which can only mean one thing … we were doing something worth getting up for. Today’s mission was Wild Florida.

We’d booked an airboat ride for 9am, meaning we had to be there by 8:45am — or earlier if you factor in mandatory family toilet breaks. We arrived at 8:30am, successfully herded everyone to the bathrooms, and waited patiently for our adventure to begin.

Soon enough, we boarded the airboat with Captain Mark, our fearless guide in the search for alligators. It was a fairly quiet morning in gator terms, but Mark’s eagle eyes (literally) spotted a stunning great blue heron, which honestly stole the show.

Not long after, we found a very well-hidden alligator, followed by some adorable baby gators, which somehow managed to be both cute and mildly terrifying. We returned to the dock having seen plenty — and also having collected an impressive number of dead bugs on our clothes, which I assume were complimentary souvenirs.

After a quick mooch around the gift shop (because it’s the law), everyone was sent for another toilet break before we headed into the animal park.

We popped by to see Crusher, who was living his best life — chilling in his enclosure and clearly not bothered by tourists at all. We then watched the Crusher show, where he performed like a true professional. The kids especially loved the petting zoo, which was a definite highlight.

By lunchtime, we were all done at Wild Florida — perfect timing, because the kids were already planning their immediate return to the pool.

On the way back, we stopped in St Cloud for lunch at Chick-fil-A, which the entire family enjoyed almost as much as we always do.

Back at the villa, we all had some downtime. Chris and I somehow fell asleep for a couple of hours — a truly shocking development, as I never nap. Clearly, the early mornings and theme park miles had finally caught up with me.

After some discussion, we decided to head back out to Hollywood Studios to finally see Fantasmic, after being rained off earlier in the week.

It was very busy — Saturday crowds doing Saturday things — but we wandered through a few shops before refilling our popcorn bucket. The queue took over 10 minutes, but the popcorn was absolutely worth it.

Chris spent a concerning amount of time contemplating a talking Mickey popcorn bucket. In the end, we resisted… barely.

Next stop was Toy Story Land, where we rode Slinky Dog Dash with Val and Stephen. They loved it — although Val screamed the entire way round, which delighted the children immensely.

If you ever want proof of Val having the time of her life, skip to 32:56 in the video. Bonus points for her yelling at Chris mid-ride. Comedy gold.

We grabbed food at ABC Commissary, just enough to keep us going, before heading to our seats for Fantasmic at 8:15pm.

Anyone who’s read these trip reports before will know this is my absolute favourite evening show. It’s pure nostalgia for me — and yes, I cry every single time.

This was our first time seeing the newly reimagined Fantasmic since Covid, as it hadn’t restarted during our 2022 trip — and it was just as magical as ever.

A perfect end to a very full day… gators, popcorn, screaming grandparents, and all.

Video if you prefer:

chrish16 · Feb 8, 2026

Day 15 - Rockets, Scooters & Cheesecake Decisions

Once again, I was up stupidly early — because apparently my body clock is permanently set to Disney time. The upside? Everyone woke up to a full-on breakfast buffet. Bacon, eggs, waffles, pancakes and tater tots. Honestly, it was less “villa breakfast” and more all-you-can-eat hotel spread. No one complained.

Suitably stuffed, we piled into the cars and headed off to Kennedy Space Center. The drive was smooth, easy, and suspiciously calm… which clearly meant the chaos was waiting for us at the entrance.

Trying to actually get into Kennedy Space Center was an experience in itself. If there is an award for choosing the worst possible queue, we win it every time.

We were stuck for around 20 minutes while machines refused to work, people couldn’t figure out how to scan tickets, horns were blaring, voices were raised, and staff members looked like they were seconds away from launching themselves into orbit. Eventually — miraculously — we made it in.

Tickets collected from will call, we headed straight for the bus tour. While waiting, we witnessed a cautionary tale - someone had left uneaten McDonald’s on a pushchair. Huge mistake. The local birds swooped in and made very short work of it. Very entertaining.

We boarded the bus after some aggressive musical chairs courtesy of Olivia and Mia, and set off. Along the way we admired wildlife casually crossing roads – always such a cute watch.

Our first stop was The Gantry — a first for u. The views at the top were incredible, and we spent about 45 minutes soaking it all in.

Then it was time to board the bus again… except something was missing.

We hadn’t lost Val.
We hadn’t lost a child.
We had lost the entire scooter.

Yes. The whole thing.

When we arrived earlier, the bus driver had asked Val if she could walk off the bus, which she could. We assumed the scooter would be unloaded for us to grab later. Spoiler: it was not.

After some back-and-forth discussions (and Chris going into full problem-solving mode), the scooter was eventually recovered, reunited with Val, and loaded back onto the bus. Crisis averted.

Next stop - Apollo/Saturn V Center, where we decided it was food time. Our tickets included meals, which sounds simple — until you find out you can only redeem one voucher at a time.

Ordering food for seven people became absolute chaos. Orders were being shouted out while I was still placing the next one. Eventually, through teamwork and mild panic, we got everyone fed and sat down to eat.

We popped into The Right Stuff gift shop, where I very nearly bought a t-shirt but showed immense restraint. Thomas bought a pendant — which he broke later that day — but thankfully they replaced it without issue.

Back at the Atlantis building, Chris made his mum and dad pose for a mini photoshoot before we went inside… but not before grabbing some Dippin’ Dots to share.

By this point, the kids were getting a bit bored, so we didn’t linger too long — although Noah, Chris and Thomas absolutely loved the slide as usual.

After some discussion, we grabbed drinks from Starbucks and started the long drive back. Plans evolved (as they always do), and we split up:

Villa crew - Val, Stephen, Caitlin, Thomas and Noah

Food mission crew - The rest of us

We headed to Cheesecake Factory, only to be told there was a one-hour wait. No problem, we thought — let’s pop to the outlets across the road.

Except it was Sunday.
They closed at 7pm.
It was 7:15pm.

So instead, we went to Five Below, which is best described as B&M or Home Bargains on holiday. Caitlin loves Hello Kitty and it seemed Hello Kitty lived in Five Below with all the merch in there - so we took photos to send to Caitlin.

Back to Cheesecake Factory, we were seated pretty quickly. First came the famous bread, which was just as incredible as I remembered.

Chris ordered a cocktail that absolutely floored him. One sip in and I knew — I’m driving back to the villa. Turns out American cocktails are not for the faint-hearted (or for Chris).

Food highlights:

Crab wontons
Deep-fried mac & cheese
Cheeseburger spring rolls (excellent choice, if I do say so myself)

As always, portions were enormous, so we took leftovers home for Val and Stephen.

And of course, you cannot leave Cheesecake Factory without cheesecake.

We came home with:

Lemon meringue
Three berry
Chocolate
Snickers

All received very high ratings.

Back at the villa, the boys were in the games room, so we joined them for a couple of games before finally heading to bed — full, tired, and already laughing about losing an entire scooter - but praising ourselves that this time we didn't lose Val

YT verison:

chrish16 · Feb 11, 2026