A new chapter, An empty nest, Drama school & Last year of Uni

Honeysucklelou2

Hope you have a great time away.

Spendless

Thank you - looking forward to it. 

Set off straight from work Thursday. Slight detour to DDs digs first before heading to hotel near Heathrow. 

Now at destination after most of yesterday spent travelling. Glad we had the hotel complimentary buffet  breakfast before setting off. Bought suncream at airport Boots using loyalty points. Ive woken here at 4 local time because that was 9 in the UK and havent got back to sleep. Am considering starting to unpack in the living area - we have a suite. 

We decided after checking in last night go the bar. 3 beers, 1 coke and 1 cocktail (we're back to cocktails being cheaper than a glass of wine???!) And 2 plates of bar snacks, chicken wings for DH and a plate of mixed tomatoes/cheese for me and a $100 bill already! We needed it to feel human again though. 

We said Hi and chatted to some of DHs colleagues before retiring to our room. 

 For the next couple of days most refreshments are included as DH work expenses.  Intend making the most of the pools today. 

Spendless

Well im glad i didn't use real money for the suncream because DH hadnt bought F50 like he told me he had. I thought Id got the choice between total block or frazzling under the F15 id brought with me. Instead hed bought  F30 the one i wanted and bought myself at the airport - waste of loyalty points though! I will save the unopened spare till next year.
Spent the day at the pool.and lazy river, joining DH for meals. Can i just say American sandwiches, their fillings are divine, their bread isnt.
Got tickets for Disney for Sunday and was eligible for a discount thats knocked 100USD off.

Spendless

Last night we dined in an Italian restaurant. The meal was served what they call 'family style' so instead of ordering your own plate, every course was large enough to share, so had seafood and chicken and melt in thr mouth beef, alongside 2 grazing board starters, an additional 2 salad courses and 2 mini desserts, including a butterscotch pudding ive not had before  (sort of like angel delight) plus drinks including wine and cocktail. At the end of the meal retired to bed with a heavy stomach. A goodie bag was waiting for DH, several packs of trail mixes, chocolate fruit and half a dozen cans of beer for DH.

Other than the Disney park tickets, I spent nothing yesterday (DH never spent a penny/cent either) as everything was inclusive. I even took the complimentary bottles of water from the room to the pool with me. Ive made sure ive left alone the bottles of evian water which have a tag round them saying saying they are $6 each! That price makes WHSmith on the motorway prices look reasonable!
Also left alone is going to the spa. I checked out their prices, some of the treatments are nearing $500 - no thanks lol. I'll just go round the lazy river again for some relaxation  - hahaha. 

Honeysucklelou2

Not heard of family style before but the food sounds delicious!!

Spendless

Me neither Lou. Thinking about it though every American film or TV series that shows the characters eating has the food served that way, communal portions that everyone helps themselves to and last night the phrase appeared on a menu (about the sides that would be served).
I made a promise to myself id try different things during this trip, so last night i had lobster bisque for the first time as my starter and enjoyed it. 

Asked DH why i was able to get tipsy on so few drinks here compared to home. He pointed out the measures would be different, especially with cocktails. - ahhhh yes, that would explain it - lol.

Today is our last full day here. We fly back tomorrow. 

threepenny_bit

Spendless said:

Last night we dined in an Italian restaurant. The meal was served what they call 'family style' 

I am in Canada and 'Family style' is not as popular as the USA but we do still have; less in big chain eateries though. It works out a little cheaper in many cases as you just order as many dishes as you want, choose the side dishes and share. 
Drink measures for beer are not larger than the UK - a US pint is 18fl oz and not 20 like in the uk. You can have larger measures for cocktails as you get to choose 1oz or 2 oz of alcohol in them lol! 

Spendless

Thank you for the expla @threepenny_bit

I havent been drinking beer here just wine and cocktails. 

Yesterday we were taken out for brunch complete with mimosas and then said bye to many of DH co workers who were then leaving. 

From there me and DH got an uber to an outlet. I bought a jumper, DH a t shirt. 
Then we came back to the hotel mostly packed, then it was time for the Disney park.

At brunch DH had spoken to one of the other team members, who is a Florida resident with an annual disney pass and a Disney enthusiast and she joined us. This meant we got a lift there and back who could also  park for free with her pass parking, a guide who recommended various things to experience and when DH went into one of the shops she asked for us to hang around as she'd be back and she was with a $250 gift card as a thank you from the owners of the company that DH has been working for these past few days (she is their PA)

We were both incredibly touched. The card was spent on drink and the meal we'd booked - we asked our 'tour guide' to join us, which we did. DH also treated himself to a baseball cap.

We left the park with the gift card spent but with  very happy memories. 

Today we have a Walmart trip planned to fetch various items back home and then its off to the airport. 

Spendless

And we are home. We had another nice surprise when we checked out of the hotel yesterday afternoon. Our last night there had been paid for by the company DH had been working for even though the event was over and this was our choice. This meant our hotel bill was purely for the food/drinks we had on night of arrival and after we  got back from the Disney park. On both occasions we had asked each other shall we just got to sleep now or call at the bar first and the bar won. I don't regret that decision but am amazed to think we could have had nothing to pay. Meals and drinks during them for both of us were included. I spend  2 days round the pool (free) and never needed to buy  a thing because I was either full from the meals  or had taken the complimentary water from our room (that I chilled in the fridge first) with me.  

Yet to tot up the whole cost of the trip, but I think what we've spent is on the following 
my airfare (DH is reimbursed)
Drink/food at the hotel for  arrival/night before departure - everything else  inc 1 extra night paid by the company.
2 Disney tickets - discounted due to buying thru hotel and staying & attending a conference there.
Money spent at Disney park - above gift card amount - I think this came to $60 
Personal shopping which included a fair few Xmas gifts for family and means I have bought most gifts and can finish the rest by the end of the month.

The extra night paid for plus given the giftcard DH believes saved us $500.

DH said on the way back he'd not thought to spend the last $50 note he had on food before we boarded the plane, but I said it didn't matter, we could either save that for the next trip or turn back into sterling.

. For the first time in my life we flew premium and we also had bulkhead seats.  I've experienced having xtra legroom before, managed to spread out two of us onto a 4 row seat, been given bulkhead seats, but never flown Premium and this also meant for the first time ever I slept on the plane! I've flown long haul US and Canada several times and always stayed awake, if people asked I would always answer - I can never sleep on the plane. What I wasn't aware of was previously I'd never been comfortable enough to sleep on the plane! I was aware I'd been dozing on and off but I thought it so strange on one of the times I woke for one of the cabin crew to ask what I wanted for breakfast and wondered why he was taking orders so far in advance so I queried it and learnt we were 90 mins away from landing. We'd been in the air for 6 hours and I hadn't realised! 

I also have a new found love of holidaying in November. I've been away in this month before, either if Oct half term fell late and incorporated some Nov dates or if we did the European markets with friends and cut the tail end of the month. I've never been away someone warm though, that gives me the dual pleasing habit of being able to lie in the sun plus look to see what the gift selection is in stores as I love Christmas too. 

Back to reality tomorrow when me and DH return to work, glad it's only for a short week.  

Honeysucklelou2

So glad you have had a lovely time away.