2105 - Doubletree Hotel at Disney Okay, I couldn't help it! I love this magnet! Just a little catching up to do, I suppose. Yesterday, we managed to disembark the Equinox with little in the way of hassle (a piece of my mother's luggage was not in the terminal building when we went down, but we found it (someone mistakenly grabbed it, and was returning it when we saw it) and a line to get thru Customs (you would have thought that it wasn't an issue after the stop in St Thomas), but other than that, no sweat). The van was waiting for us right where we left it, and the drive back to Lady Lakes (the Villages) was uneventful. Don't think I showed you guys this when we first got to Florida, but the sign was still there when we re-entered the room. After getitng settled in, it was time for dinner - after all, it had been hours since our last meal, and we were still on cruiseship time! So we went to this place called the Bone Fish Grill. Now, while they do not serve Bone Fish (major sports fish - but not something you eat, as I understand it), the food they have is fabulous! You really should check out their website - has recipes for at least some of their stuff (the Coconut Rum Cake is superb!). Everything we had was great, and rivaled what we had on the cruise ship. It was the perfect transition back to "real life" (except for when the bill came - I could have done without that, since I was treating). We turned in relatively early (like 9:30, and not the 12:30 we were getting into the habit of doing). This morning, we went to Perkins for breakfast (never been - not bad), then we went to Wal-Mart so I could pick up a wireless router for Mom and Joe, since all they had was a single internet hookup thru their modem. Installed that - which let me use my laptop with a degree of efficiency, and set up the info for the wireless setup so others who visit could use it, as well. Joe graciously offered to take up down to Orlando International so we could pick up the scheduled rental car, since we decided to spend a day here in Disney before we headed home. Which would also give them a couple of days to recover before my cousin Glenn, Aunt Grace & Uncle Bob, along with Glenn's daughter visited this weekend. Easy drive down (this is starting to get a bit boring - my apologies), picked up a car, and drove to Disney, where we checked into the Doubletree. Now, Doubletree is usually a prety good hotel, but this one leaves quite a bit to be desired. Not even close to our cruiseship cabin's standards - and I'll bet it doesn't come with a cabin steward! Let me see - nope, no chocolates on the pillow, nor is the bed turned down - things Juan (our steward on the ship) would never have forgetted! We had dinner at Macaroni Grill - okay, nothing exciting - and decided to head over to Downtown Disney, and walk it off. When we got there, there was a huge balloon floating above the lake there. Apparently they are doing balloon rides over Downtown Disney (up to 400 feet, I think the sign said). This is what it looked like as they were bringing it down. It is huge, and kind of neat to see suspended up there. There was a street magician performing, and he was really good. Lots of fun, closeup magic. Jay Ungar has nothing on this guy - mostly because of the insanity he performs in - very freeflowing with the crowd. It was great to watch, and we managed to see him do 2 of his shows. Then we came back to the room, fired up the computers, and now I am writing this entry. Looking forward to our last full day of the adventure, before we head back. Not really sure exactly what we will be doing tomorrow, but I am sure it will be fun. If nothing else, it will be reasonable warm - although not slated to be sunny. So now you are all caught up. Sorry that there was no morning view, but as Joe mentioned when he looked out his window this morning, there was no water! Maybe I will remember tomorrow. Hope everyone is doing well! Keep Smiling!!! Your Intrepid Servant, the Timethief Beachbum

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