Well what have l been up to since my last piece. I have been trying to think positively about the company restructure, I’ve been to Orlando on a Fam trip, trying to prepare for Christmas.Oh, and trying to work.
I am going to start with the Orlando fam trip, courtesy of the Orlando Tourist Board. ‘Wow’ is the best way to describe it. I have never been on such a jam packed and exhausting fam trip. But it was brilliant. It was all the attractions of Orlando, and no hotel visits, which brought an enormous smile to my face.
When you have seen one hotel you have seen them all, just different curtains. We landed late, delayed because of Virgin Atlantic’s inability to realise that they would need more than an hour to load 160 disabled children onto the flight, as well as the rest of the passengers! So we took off an hour and half late. Feel l need to mention the crew, who were like something out of a cartoon. Running up and down the aisles like kids playing chase…. not very professional. Two young male cabin crew seemed to be playing out their flirting and courting habits in front of the whole plane.
As soon as we landed we were straight into a welcome dinner, and this was to set the pace for the rest of the week. Manic. Next morning 7am start, as it was to be most mornings. Straight into Disney and its non-stop whirl of rides and shows, they even closed Hollywood Studios for us one night, so we had the park and the characters all to ourselves. They opened a couple of rides for us, and we had dinner outside with Buzz, Woody and of the other Pixar characters, l felt like a 8yr old. Excellent.
We also visited Universal parks, which don’t seem to have the magic of Disney but seem to have better rides. We went down to Busch Gardens which has to be one of the dirtiest parks l have ever been to in the US. Everything just seemed to be messy, tired /worn and dirty. The park does have some nice parts, mainly the animals, and the odd good ride, but not sure if l would make the one-hour journey from Orlando to visit again.
We also went to Seaworld, which is always a winner. We visited its new water park Aquatica , which was brand new and clean and good choice of water rides, but not a patch on the Disney water parks. Maybe it suits people who are looking for a smaller water park, as it’s not that big. We swam with the dolphins at Discovery Cove, which was a real winner with us all – a lovely setting. It’s completely overpriced for what you get, but a once-in-a-lifetime experience for some people.
One night we were taken to see the Blue Man Group show. This has to be one of the weirdest experiences of my life so far…. if anyone has seen it, please explain!
Our week finished with airboat rides at Boggy Creek, the start of the Everglades, but we saw no alligators. And we even had time for a few hours of shopping at the end of the trip.
The cost of this trip – FREE. All they ask of you is to complete their online training. I cannot tell you how much walking and how exhausted l was on my return, but ask me would l do it all again….. like a shot. One of the best and most organised fams l have been on.
So hats off to Orlando Tourist Board, you did it well.
So l am home, back at my desk and the phone isn’t ringing. The calls have more or less dried up now its nearly Christmas. So l think this is my time now to sit back and chill before the January rush. Or am l being a bit too optimistic?!
