Let The Memories Live Again! – Day 14

We arrived at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood Airport around 6am in the morning. It was really warm when we stepped out of the airport. The weather was forcasted to be pretty warm during our stay in Florida, which was a stark contrast to the weather at Las Vegas. We took the shuttle to National Car Rental, where we were about to use the Emerald Aisle once again. However, we took a slight risk this time as we needed a seven-seater as another family would be joining us. We panicked momentarily as there were none on site, but felt relieved when we saw one of the staff driving a Dodge Grand Caravan. We rushed to take it before realising that it was actually the top of the line R/T version with leather seats and upgraded suspension. We loved the ‘car shopping’ experience at National and felt it was much more fun than Hertz, which locks you to a single vehicle.

Before the long drive to Orlando, we stopped at The Original Pancake House. This was right outside the airport, and was convenient as all of us needed a bite before the nearly 4 hour drive up to Orlando. The pancakes were nice and fluffy, and the waffle that I ordered was equally tasty. Another plus was that Kids eat free, so Ashley enjoyed a free meal! Since we stopped nearby, we headed to a nearby Target to pick up drinks to carry us through Disney, and although there weren’t much choice in Target, we were able to get enough drinks to last us through the drive.

So begins our drive towards Orlando. This was going to be another long uneventful drive on the Florida Turnpike. Before heading to the hotel that we have booked at Disney, we stopped by The Catfish Place. This was a place that we have now gone to three times in a row as we dearly enjoy the food here. It’s a small and cozy place, that the locals eat at. This was an enjoyable experience as we haven’t seen this place change at all in the past three years, and it felt almost homely to us when we returned. The food was as good as ever, and we ordered a plethora of Catfish, Shrimp and other items. They were all delightful and we left for the third time happy.

After lunch, we headed to Walmart to hopefully get us enough drinks for the entire trip. I joked that it looked like we were preparing for the apocalypse as the trolley we were using was literally filled with drinks.

Soon after, we reached Disney’s Art Of Animation Resort for our one night stay. This was the first time that we would stay at a Disney “Value” resort. And although the rooms were smaller, the decoration was really well done, and there weren’t much difference between this and the other resorts that we had stayed in before. We had requested before hand for a water view and high floor and got them. We could not request for the Ariel Building though but we were surprised that we were assigned to it. Ashley would not have liked King Triton or Ursula.

We washed up and then made our way to Disney Springs (formerly Downtown Disney). Unlike what other’s have reported, we didn’t face a problem with the car park, and we were able to find a spot near the Cirque Du Soleil theater. We headed to Raglan’s Road Irish Restaurant and Pub where we were treated to a lively Tap Dancing show which Ashley took part in as a volunteer. We had Shepard’s Pie, Fish and Chips and Burgers, and the Bailey’s Shake was to die for.

After dinner, we headed to World of Disney to shop, where I got a Star Wars pin. The counter was much improved here to accommodate more guests shopping. We returned to the room, where Ashley was keen to point out all the special things in this particular room. We were sure to take as many photos as we could.