We're at the end of our tenth day in Florida, halfway through our holiday. It seems we picked the absolutely perfect time of year to come - not only is the the weather glorious (it's very hot but mostly bearable), but the place is practically deserted. Who knows if it is the recession or because there are no school holidays, but there is hardly anyone in the parks - the longest we've queued was for Manta - the new coaster at Sea World.
I was really worried about the hotel before we came, I had the idea of a dodgy American motel in my head, but the hotel we're staying at is really nice. Clean rooms, friendly staff, plenty of onsite ammenities and several pools. Being on Highway 192 means we're really close to everything, and there is every type of restaurant and fast-food chain you can imagine a short walk away.
Our first day here was spent at Animal Kingdom where we got really, really close up with some white rhino on the Safari, and then almost as close up with a tiger on the Maharajah Jungle Trek. For some reason we got considerably wetter than anyone else on the Kali River Rapids, which was fun until the Sun went in!! Expedition Everest is a pretty impressive ride, I always love dark coasters & something about the mystery of the Yeti really makes for a good freaky atmosphere!
Sunday we did Sea World, which never ceases to be amazing. The shows have been updated since I was last here 10 years ago (you'd be amazed at what hasn't changed in some of the parks), but I don't think the Shamu show could ever get boring! Manta is very similar to Alton Towers' Air, apparently there's not another one like it in the area, so I guess we Brits are spoilt!
Yesterday we visited Aquatica, which is way better than either of the Disney water parks. The map makes the beach area look small, but the beach is huge, and there are plenty of loungers to go around. There was very little queuing or hassle which made for a lot of fun, and more of the slides and rides are multiple-riders which also made it very enjoyable. One warning - wear sandals when walking around - the floor gets HOT!
Of course we've done many of the other parks on the other days, but if I write about everything I'll have nothing to talk about when I get back! Tomorrow is our day at Discovery Cove, where we get to swim with Dolphins. I am SO excited, and we still have another ten days here, so there's bound to be more to tweet about & I'll keep adding photos to my Flickr Stream :)