Day 1 - Let the holiday begin. Universal Orlando.

 

Orlando City 5.30am

We have arrived! It is 5.30ish in the morning. And while we slept the 4-5ish flight from LA to Orlando, the jet lag is very real.

We were very lucky that on our arrival to the Hard Rock Hotel, we have been given an upgrade and early access to the room. It was still dusk and the sun was not yet risen. What to do with a whole day ahead of us? At which time Belle declared she had a sore throat.

We had been debating this question for at least 3 months. Do we fill in the day with shopping, or start early in the parks. After a loooonnnngggg shower, we agreed to go into the parks. Belle was determined that the sore throat was dehydration and would ignore her symptoms.

I think our fatigue softed the usual glow and buzz that we would normally have experienced and a lot of the morning was spent in auto drive. We had left the parks by 11am to head to Hard Rock for an early lunch. Steve and the kids snuck in a burger while I relished the short ribs and the best fries I have had in a while.

 

While we headed back to the parks after lunch, Belle was fading and no longer able to ignore or body aches, and the rest of us were just fading. I think we were back in the hotel by 2.30pm. Not even Butterbeer could keep us going. With Belle tucked into bed, the rest of us tried to keep our eyes open. Steve got caught 4 times looking at his phone with his eyes closed. Meanwhile I tried to watch a movie standing up. Ultimately by 4pm we all agreed none of us were particularly hungry and would try to go to sleep and with all our fingers crossed, hope that we would make it through the night. I was slightly terrified when I woke at 8.30pm that I wouldn't go back to sleep, but relieved when I woke again at 1.30 and ecstatic to make to 3.30. Despite the many wake ups, we managed to sleep right through until 6am, feeling mostly refreshed and ready to start day 2.

Steves little surprise. You cant find these little gems outside of the colder parts of the USA so Steve had arranged for them to be delivered to Orlando. In my experience, they are best enjoyed when it is freezing, however, with two boxes, as long as we can keep the truffles cold, they will be amazing in Canada.