Matt and Erica in the USA

Day 3 - Segways, Fishes, and Dinner in Paris, Fireworks in Morocco

2008-08-14T15:17:00.002+10:00

So, this morning started early - very very early.

We awoke early with our call from Stitch - "No more sleeping", and headed over to EPCOT for our Segway tour. After spending some time doing practice laps inside and playing Segway Limbo, we headed into the outdoors.

The Segway tour is a great way to get around the world showcase at Epcot, and comes with some interesting tidbits about the construction and history of the Buildings and of the World Showcase itself.

The Segways were easy to control, and move at a fair pace (although Disney limits them to the tortice speed).

Amount Not Spent on Tour: $190

When we were done we recieved our limited edition Segway Pins (Disneyworld is Pin Crazy). And headed off to lunch at "The Land". This was another of the "Family Style All-You-Care to Eat" places. The food wasn't that great (and erica thought the Catfish was damned awful). But the characters were a lot of fun. Chip and Dale came around and were heaps of fun, as was mickey and pluto who also made an appearance.

Amount not spent on Lunch: $41.98

Following lunch we collected our Fastpasses for Soarin' and went on the Nemo ride as well as Journey into Imagination with Figment (who is a purple dragon). We then headed outside to join our AquaSeas tour.

After signing the various release forms and other things. We were pretty quickly kitted up and headed into the Aquarium, where we hung out with the fishes for about 40 minutes or so. Pretty impressive view of the fish (and an even more impressive view of the people peering through the glass!).

After we were done with the fishes and the sharks we headed back to get changed and recieve our t-shirts and pins, and next thing you knew we were back in EPCOT.

Total Not Spent on Aqua Seas Tour: $230

We rode Spaceship Earth and then we went back to the hotel for napping.

Following a good afternoon nap we headed back to Epcot in time to ride Soarin' - which is an excellent "Hang-glide" over California, where you enjoy the sights and smells of the Californian wilderness. An Excellent 5 stars ride - the queue was awful, so we were glad that we had got Fastpasses earlier in the day.

Following Soarin' it was off to dinner in Paris at Chefs de France.

Les Tartes des Chefs - Original flatbreads from the brick oven
Tarte a la Flame Alsacienne - Alsace specialty. Flatbread baked with cream fraiche, onion and bacon $8.50
Tarte a la tomate et fromage de chevre - Tomato and goat cheese tarte $9.25

Entree

Champignons sauvages et quarte fromages - Wild mushrooms and four cheeses $8.95
Cassolette d'escargots de Bourgogne au beurre persille- casserole of escargots (snails) from Burgundy baked in parsley and garlic butter $9.95
Tartare de saumon legerement fume, sauce moutarde - Tartare of raw salmon lightly smoked with cucumber dill and honey mustard sauce $10.50
Assiette de fromages de France - French imported cheese plate $9.95
Assiette Campagnarde - rustic assortment of French pates, and charcuteries $9.75
Ratatouille et calamars, sauce tomate - fried calamari and ratatouile, spicy tomato sauce $10.75

Potages (Soups)
Bisque de Homard - Lobster bisque $6.25

Soupe a l'oignon gratinee - the classic onion soup topped with Gruyere cheese - $5.95

Soupe du jour $5.50

Salades (Salads)
Salade maison - selected greens, house vinaigrette dressing $5.25

Salade de chevre chaud - Baked goat cheese with walnuts, fresh grapes, tomatoes, endives and arugula salad $7.95

Poissons (Fish and Seafood)
Noix de Saint Jacques et gambas sautees Flan d'epinards, sauce a l'oseille - Sauteed scallops and black tiger shirmp served with spinach flan and sorrel sauce $28.95

Thon poelle aux olivesSeared tuna (rare) sliced and served with olives and caper sauce, fresh greens and shoestring fries $27.95
Filet de Saumon, crepe de pommes de terre Coulis de poivrons rouge - Grilled salmon served on a potato pancake with red pepper sauce $26.95

Plat Vegetarien (Vegetarian Entree)
Lasagnes de legumes du soleil a l'huile d'olive au thym - zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, onions and tomato baked into thin layers of pasta - $18.95
Gratin de macaroni - Baked macaroni with cream and gruyere cheese $17.95

Viandes (Meat and Poultry)
Jarret d'agneau aux haricots blanc- lamb shank with navy beans $25.95
Plat de Cote de Boeuf au Cabarnet sur un lit de polenta - Beef short ribs braised in Cabernet on a bed of polenta $26.95
Demi poulet fermier roti, pommes puree au basilic et tomate braisee - Half of an all natural roasted chicken, basil mashed potatoes and braised tomato $24.95
Canard au miel, haricots vert et pommes de terre douce - Roasted breast of duck and leg confit, french green beans and sweet potato, spicy honey sauce $27.95
Filet de boeuf grille, sauce au poivre noir Gratin Dauphinois et haricots verts - Grilled tenderloin of beef with a black pepper sauce original potato gratin of Savoy and green beans $31.95

Delices et Gourmandises

Desserts - $6.95
Creme Brulee - Vanilla Creme Brulee served with a Madeleine
Clafoutis bleuets, sorbet et coulis aux fruits Rouges - blueberry clafoutis, with red berry sauce and sorbet.
Tarte au chocolat, banane et noix de coco, sauce pralinee - Chocolate tart with banana and coconut, praline sauce with chocolate ice cream.
Crepe a la pomme et cannelle, glace vanille, caramel jus de pommes - crepes filled with cinnomon apple, vanilla ice cream and apple caramel sauce
Assiette de Sorbets du jour et son palmier - Daily assortment of fresh sorbets served with an elephant ear
Salade de fruits infusee au the Earl Grey, sorbet mangue - fruit salad infused with Earl Grey tea syrup and served with mango sorbet
Profiterolles au chocolat - Puff choux with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce.

Dinner here was excellent, with our Server (Jimmy) just recently arrived from France as part of the Disney International College program. I had the Escargot, followed by the Beef, with the Apple Crepes for desert, and I believe that Erica had the mushrooms, hmm I cant quite remember - and the Sorbet for desert

We also had a lovely bottle of French Red with dinner.

Total Not Spent at Chefs' de France: $169.70

Following dinner we strolled over to Morocco to watch Illuminations (the fireworks and light show at EPCOT) from our VIP viewing position. Very impressive again!.

After the fireworks we strolled to America nad saw the American Adventure - an Anamatronic show telling the hisotry of the USA.

We were both ready to head back to the hotel following an Exciting day at EPCOT.

Total Not Spent Today: $629.48

Disney World Day Two - On Safari (The second day of Erica-mas)

2008-08-01T09:46:00.004+10:00

Breakfast - Donald's Safari Breakfast at the Tusker House
This morning we were only running a little bit late, having been caught at the entrance to the Animal Kingdom for the Opening Ceremony for the park.

We made our way through the crowd to the Tusker House restaurant in Africa, and were pretty much immediately. Of course it being the second day of Erica's birthday, there were many "happy Birthday's" on the way through the restaurant.

Breakfast was a buffett, serving the following:

Assorted Cream Cheeses; Jams; Jellies, and Fruit Chutney;

Yogurt Station
Fresh Fruit

Cereals

Milk
Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

Scrambled Eggs

Oven-roasted Yukon Gold Potato Wedges

Bacon and Sausage Patties

Vegetable Frittata

Ham and Cheese Frittata

Spiced Corned Beef Hash

Cheese Blintzes

Beef Bobtie Quiche

Yam Casserole

Carved Rotisserie Honey-glazed Ham

Oatmeal

Mealie Pap (Porridge)
Warm Cinnamon Rolls

Warm Banana-Cinnamon Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

Blueberry, Banana Nut and Apple Muffins

Whole-grain breads

Turnovers

Cheese-filled Danish

Apple Danish

Chocolate and Plain Croissants

There were many opportunities to meet with characters:
And it being erica's Birthday, she joined in with the festivities by joining Donald Duck in a Conga Dance around the restaurant.

This was an enjoyable breakfast, pretty low key, good fun with the characters - and good food.

Amount not spent on this meal: $37.82

Africa

After breakfast we headed off to the Safari - no real queues for the Safari experience, so we were on pretty quickly. Our guide was great, and there were many animals out enjoying themselves prior to the heat of the day hitting.

Following our safari, we wandered around the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail, seeing a number of animals up close, including Hippos, Meerkats and Gorillas, then headed over to Asia.

Asia
After walking from Africa to Asia we were a bit hot and bothered, so grabbed a cup of tea and a lemonade at the tea house, then collected our fast pass tickets for our Kali River Rapids ride, while we waited for our fast pass time to come around, we walked the Maharaja Jungle Trek - seeing tigers and birds and bats and snakes.

Time for our Kali River Rapid ride came around fairly quickly, and we certainly enjoyed using the fastpass line rather than the stand-by queue. That said, we ended up on a raft with the most amazingly backward appalling american family, who didn't seem at all capable of following simple instructions ie. Put on the Seatbelt. Otherwise and enjoyable trip on the rapids with everyone getting completely soaked.

One of the interesting things about this ride is the element of sadism built into it - you can stand on a bridge and control the anamatronic elephants squirting water over people on the ride.

Lunch - Yak and Yeti Restaurant
Having gone on safari, trekked between Africa and Asia, and gone rafting on rapids, it was time for lunch.

Appetizers
Steamed Mussels - Fresh Prince Edward Isle black mussels, white wine, lemon grass and Thai basil broth $9.99
Seared Ahi Tuna - chilled, sesame-encrusted ahi tuna, wasabi aioli, and sweet chili slaw $9.99
Pork Pot Stickers - pan seared or steamed, soy lime dipping sauce $7.49
Prawn Flavored Crisps - peanut sauce $4.99
Wok-Fried Green Beans - battered green beans, sweet Thai chili dipping sauce $6.99
Pork Egg Rolls - chili plum dipping sauce $7.99
Lettuce Cups - minced chicken breast, chopped vegetables, maple tamarind sauce, crisp lettuce cups $10.99
Dim Sum Basket - Pork pot stickers, shrimp siu mai, cha su bao, and pork sie mai steamed on a banana leaf, soy lime dipping sauce $12.99

Soups and Salads
Wonton Soup - pork wontons, clear chicken broth and vegetables $4.99
House Salad - Romaine and iceburg lettuce, almonds, sesame seeds and sesame dressing $5.99
Mandarin Chicken Salad - chilled chicken, romaine and iceburg lettuce, Mandarin oranges, almonds, sesame seeds, rice noodles and plum dressing $13.99

Specialties
Seared Miso Salmon - miso glazed Atlantic salmon, jasmine rice, baby bok choy and shiitake mushroom stir-fry $20.99
Crispy Mahi Mahi - filet of mahi mahi, Japanese bread crumbs, Cantonese sweet and sour sauce, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables $19.99
Duck with Anandapur Glaze - roasted half duckling, orange wasabi glaze, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables $21.99
Tempura Shrimp - chili plum sauce, coconut-ginger rice, stir fried vegetables $18.99

Noodles
Lo Mein - Lo Mein noodles, carrots, cabbage, green onoins, bean sprouts; Chicken $14.99; Shrimp $16.99
Pho - Lemon grass scented broth, poached shrimp, rice noodles, tranditional Vietnamese garnishes $16.99
WokYour choice of jasmine or brown rice
Crispy Honey Chicken - tempura chicken, broccoli, carrots, honey sauce $15.99
Stir-Fried Beef and Broccoli - flank steak, broccoli, brown sauce $16.99
Sweet and Sour Chicken or Pork - Tempura chicken or pork, ginger, garlic, bell peppers, pineapple $15.99

Grilled
Baby Back Ribs - slow-roasted ribs, hoisin BBQ sauce, chicken fried rice, sweet chili slaw $22.99
Shaoxing Steak and Shrimp - skirt steak, tempura-battered shrimp, jasmine rice, stir-fried vegetables, chili plum dipping sauce $22.99
Maple Tamarind Chicken - Seared chicken breast, Indonesian tamarind glaze, coconut ginger rice, baby bok choy, shiitake mushroom stir fry. $17.99

Desserts
Mango Pie - shortbread cookie crust, fresh whipped cream, raspberry sauce $6.99
Chocolate Brownie Sundae - chunks of brownie, vanilla ice cream, chocolate and caramel sauces, fresh whipped cream $7.99
Fried Wontons - Skewers of fresh pineapple and cream cheese wontons, vanilla ice cream, honey vanilla drizzle $7.99
Sorbet - Mango, lemon, raspberry $5.99

We had the Lettuce Cups and Dim Sum basket to begin, Erica had the Duck and I had the Tamarind Chicken, and for Dessert Erica went with the Sorbet, and I had the Fried Wontons

Total Not Spent: $77.94

Back to the Wilderness Lodge
Following lunch Erica felt a bit of jetlag hitting, and having had an early start we decided to head back to the hotel and erica grabbed a nap. While she was sleeping I decided to take a boat out on Bay Lake (Amount not spent $46)

Dinner - Jiko, The Eating Place, Animal Kingdom Lodge

This was one of the highlights of our dining experiences at Walt Disney World, a wonderful meal with wonderful service from Darelene our server. There was very little to not enjoy about this meal.

Jiko is located in the Animal Kingdom Lodge, located next to the Animal Kingdom Park. The Animal Kingdom lodge looks out onto a savannah - but we will get to that after we are through dinner.

We were seated almost immediately, and made our selections from the menu.

From the Cooking Place
Lamb "Patis" - pulled lamb rolled in phyllo, with mint-cilantro chutney $9.00
Lentil "Pastilla" - Lentil filled phyllo pockets with a sweet and sour sauce $7.00
Maize and Sweet Potato "Tamales" - herbed maize pudding and truffled sweet potato mash with shredded goat cheese in corn husk boat $8.00
Pokanoket Farm Seared Ostrich Filet - creamy vidalia onion fondue, rocket cream, spiced cherries $13.00
Chef's Specialty Flatbread - with artichokes, capers, green olives, tomato-basil sauce, four cheeses $9.00
Barbecued Chicken Flatbread - with grilled onions, apple julienne, and four cheeses $10.00
Kalamata Olive Flatbread - with four cheeses, and Laura Chenel's soft goat cheese $9.00
Taste of Africa - Kalamata Olive Hummus, Durban Tikka Masala, and Malay Spinach-Lentil Dip with Lentil Pappadam, whole wheat lavosh, and flaxseed Naan bread $9.00

Soups and Salads
Roasted Zellwood Corn Soup - Meyer lemon creme fraiche, freeze dried corn kernels and basil chiffonade $7.00
Field Greens and Vegetable Salad - mixed greens with tomato, onion, radish, toasted lavosh and lemon dressing $7.00
Seared Ahi Tuna - with African spices, golden beets, watercress, Zough yogurt and South African sea salt $11.00
Cucumber, Tomato and Red Onion Salad - with arugula, cottage cheese and watermelon vinaigrette $8.00

Entrees
Spiced Crusted Pork Tenderloin - with ragout of raosted mushrooms, smoked bacon, Yukon gold potatoes, and sweet onion jus $26.00
Chermoula Roasted, Tanglewood Chicken with red-skin mashed potatoes, preserved lemons, kalamata olives, roasted garlic, and harissa $26.00
Swahili Curry Shrimp - shrimp ragout with East African curry sauce, artichokes, piquillo peppers, sweet peas, and coconut rice pilaf $28.00
Seared Filet of Arctic Char - with golden mealie POP, braised country greens, tomato broth and fennel pollen salt $31.00
Kenyan Coffee BBQ-Braised Beef Short Rib - with crushed Idaho and Sweet Potatoes and Onion-Garlic Sauce $35.00
Maize-crusted and Seared Halibut - with vegetables of the moment, tomato butter sauce, and crispy sweet potatoes $30.00
Portland Pier Scallops with stewed eggplant kottu, chickpeas and crispy okra julienne $31.00
Oak-Grilled Filet Mignon - with macaroni and cheese and red wine sauce $37.00
Wood-fired Lamb Loin - with Berbere spiced lentils, baby carrots and lemon infused demi glaze $28.00
Grains, Peas and Vegetables - kamut, pearl and black barley, wheat berries, quinoa, garbanzo peas, with roasted vegetables and seared tandoori tofu $24.00
Jiko Cheese Selection - Offered as entree or dessert (Changes often) - Mt. McKinley, Chevre, Idiazabal sheep, Purple Haze Goat, Ossau-Iraty Ewe France and Benedictine Blend US with spiced fruit jam and crostini $14.00

Desserts
Madagascar Vanilla Bean Mouse - with cardamom-spiced pound cake, macerated strawberries and strawberry sauce $8.00
Pistachio Creme Brulee - with a chocolate layered bottom $8.00
House-made Lemon Curd - with pomegranate and blueberry compote, white chocolate biscotti and sour cream ice cream $8.00
Tanzanian Chocolate Cheesecake - with chocolate ganache, Amarula sauce, and lavender ice cream $8.00Autumn Spiced Pumpkin Roll - (no sugar added) with apple and cranberry compote, cinnamon ice cream and finshed with grated nutmeg $8.00

For starters I had the Chicken Flatbread, and Erica had the lentil Samosas, for the Main course I had the Steak, and erica had the Lamb, and for dessert Erica had the cheese plate and I had the Creme Brulee. We accompanied the meal with an excellent South African Pinot.

Total Amount Not spent: $199

After dinner we wandered around the resort, having a look out on the savannah with the night vision goggles provided by the Animal Kingdom Lodge cast members. We then headed home for a well deserved sleep.

Total amount not spent today: $360.76

Disney World Day One (The first day of Erica-mas)

2008-07-29T11:47:00.006+10:00

So finally, we got to Disneyworld - 30+ hours, 5 flights, lunch with the Lewis's, and a partridge in a pear tree, well not really 'cause thats Chrstmas, and the celebration we were celebrating was the week of Erica.

Disney's Wilderness Lodge

We got to the hotel, The Disney Wilderness Lodge was our home during the stay - and in the Disney style, we were "Welcomed home" on arrival.

The lodge is designed to look like the great National Park Lodges of the Western United States, and is quite beautiful.

The view from our room took in the courtyard of the lodge, the pool, and we had a view over Bay Lake.

The inside of the lodge was just as impressive. As we would learn through the week, Disney is about detail - miniscule detail, and most of the time they get it right.

We had been upgraded to have Concierge club access, which provided coffee and soft drinks and snacks during our stay, and our room was ready on arrival. We got to our room, and then headed down to lunch at the Whispering Canyon Cafe.

Whispering Canyon Cafe, Disney's Wilderness Lodge
The Whispering Canyon serves a "All you can eat" skillet for lunch, with the servers acting a little mean to the customers, all part of the schtick.

Appetizers
Southwestern Chicken Soup $6.49
Western Chips and Dip - Homemade Corn Torilla Chips with a bowl of freshly made salsa and queso dip $8.49
Cheese and Sausage Plate - cheddar cheese with sliced pork sausage, crackers, and barbecue dipping sauce $7.99
Chili - $6.49

Canyon Skillet All-You-Care-To-Eat
Smoked pork ribs, oven-roasted chicken and pork sausage, served with beans, seasonal vegetable, creamy coleslaw, mashed potatoes and fresh baked corn bread $15.99 per person

Entrees
Veggie Enchilada - cowboy beans and quinoa pilaf and enchilada sauce an Tillamook Cheddar cheese $10.99
Roast Chicken - with coleslaw and mashed potatoes $14.99
Chicken Salad - mixed greens with grilled chicken breast, cheddar cheese, candied walnuts, and honey-roasted walnut vinaigrette $12.99
Buffalo Chicken Salad - mixed greens with buffalo chicken tenders, black beans, blue cheese, and apple vinaigrette $12.99
Slow-smoked pulled Pork Sandwich - with beans, choice of grilled vegetable pasta salad or french fries, and BBQ sauce $10.49
Smoke House Stack Sandwich- turkey, ham, bacon, American cheese, lettuce, tomato, with shallot mayonnaise, on focaccia roll, served with grilled vegetable pasta salad or potato chips $9.99
Pan-seared Rainbow Trout - with roasted potatoes, smoked bacon, onions, spinach, and fresh cucumber relish drizzled with chili oil $16.99
Chicken Sandwich - grilled chicken breast sandwich topped with espresso BBQ sauce, bacon, cheddar cheese and choice of grilled vegetable pasta salad or french fries $13.49
Angus Chuck Cheeseburger - with cheddar, lettuce and tomato, served with choice of grilled vegetable pasta salad or french fries $11.99
Buffalo Bacon Cheeseburger topped with bacon, cheddar, spicy chipotle mayonnaise, lettuce, onions, and tomatoes served with grilled vegetable pasta salad or french fries $13.99

Desserts
S'more Cheesecake - NY Style Cheesecake on a Graham cracker crust topped with chocolate ganache and marshmallows $5.49
Apple Caramel Pie - crumb-topped deep dish apple pie with vanilla ice cream $5.49
Kahlua-flavored Chocolate Cake - chocolate mousse filling and fudge icing $5.99
Cinnamon Tortilla with Vanilla Ice Cream - topped with fresh bananas and banana-caramel sauce $5.49

So for Lunch we had:

Western Chips and Dip and the Cheese and Sausage Plate to start, followed by the Canyon Skillet.

We passed on dessert, so this meal would have cost us $48.46, being on the Platinum plan, however this was included in the cost of our package (I will be including rough totals along the way).

All in all while it was a hearty meal, it really was nothing special, and the restraunt was basically empty - which I think, paradoxically, made the service a little worse.

Following lunch we rushed to grab a shower, and get to the Grand Floridian Spa. Thus began the Erica and Matt tradition of running late!

Grand Floridian Sp, Grand Floridian Resort

Spa was very relaxing and enjoyable, we both had 50 minutes of Swedish Massage, and it would have been nice to loiter longer in the steam room or sauna, but we had Dinner with a princess to get to. (Cost of Spa Appointment $260 - on the plan).

Cindarella's Royal Table, Magic Kingdom

So, we raced to dinner with Cinderella, half suspecting we would be told that because we were late that it would not be possible to get in (this is one of the most popular places to eat in Disney World, with reservations filling 180 days prior to eating).

After photos with Cinderella, we where whisked upstairs to the Grand Dining Hall in the castle for dinner (The Menu Follows)

Appetizers
Choice of one:
BLT Salad - a mixture of frisee, iceberg lettuce, baby spinach, with applewood bacon, tomato, eggs, red onion and roasted shallot vinaigrette

Castle Salad - Mixed Field greens with Blue Cheese, Raspberries and Candied Walnusts tossed in a Berry Vinaigrette Vegetable Spring Roll with soy bean and bok choy salad and ginger-garlic sauce

Corn and Crab Soup with sour cream and chives

Entrees Royale
Choice of one:

Roast Lamb Chops with fingerling potatoes, Vegetable Ragout, and drizzled with a Herb Pesto

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with orzo cheese casserole, cremini mushrooms and a port wine reduction

Lemon Lavender Chicken on Mashed Potatoes served with Wilted Spinach and a chicken Jus

Roast Prime Rib of Beef with gratin potatoes and a cabernet sauce

Pan Seared Salmon with a grain pilaf, Grilled Asparagus and glazed with Rosemary-lemon

HoneyCheese Tortellini with julienne vegetables, garlic marinara Sauce and fresh Romano

Finale
Choice of one:
Chocolate Cream Cheese Buckle with choclate ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce

Poached Pear on Angel food cake topped with Mango Sorbet and drizzled with a Port Reduction

Raspberry Sorbet

Erica played the role of princess for the evening.

The dining room itself was pretty impressive, with windows with a view out to Fantasy Land.

And the Fairy Godmother and her small band of mice assisted in making the meal jolly:

And of course, this being the beginning of the week of Erica's Birthday, there was cake and fairy dust on the table!

The dinner was barely average however, and the service a bit gruff (this is one of the few places in Disney where the tip is included in the total price, so there was I guess no reason to perform). We both had salad followed by the beef, and it was just not that impressive. Dessert was better, with erica having the sorbet (the first of many), and I had the Pear Angel Food cake.

All up had we paid for dinner I think I would have been more dissapointed, but the location was pretty stunning, and we weren't down anything for having eaten there, so it goes.

Total cost had we not been on the plan: $82.00

Following dinner we went on a few rides in Tommorowland, and Erica slept through some them. Splash mountain beckoned.

We went and watched the fireworks from our special VIP viewing point (Note to disney: cut down the tree in front of the special VIP viewing location). The VIP viewing sites cause some consternation to the other people in the parks who seem to camp out for _hours_ to get a half decent view, and seemed quite perturbed when Erica and I waltzed up five minutes prior to the fireworks starting, oh well.

The fireworks are very impressive, and the message laudable.

After the fireworks we went back to tommorrowland, saw the carousel of progress, and then pretty promptly headed home to bed.

End of Day 1 - total not spent: $390.46

Day 1 - Getting there is half the fun... (or alternatively - will this day ever end) (Part Two - Sydney-Honolulu-Los Angeles-Dallas-Orlando)

2008-07-28T09:49:00.008+10:00

Ok, it's been a while, but when the story ended the intrepid explorers where in the Qantas First Class lounge waiting for the departure of JQ 3 to Honolulu.

Time to board came, and we headed to he Gate to jump on board our Jetstar flight to paradise.

Jetstar Flight JQ 3 - Sydney to Honolulu (Starclass) Airbus A330

We didn't really know what to expect on this segment, we where booked in StarClass which is variously pitched as Premium Economy or as a Business Class product.

We boarded (our seats had been changed to far less desirable ones than we had assigned ourselves on the web), so we had a middle and aisle seat in the centre section of row three, rather than the window and aisle seat we had picked (it had been stolen by a family needing the bassinet position). Sparkling something was served before takeoff, and the rather substantial amenities pack distributed.

Entertainment came on individual hand-held video on demand units, and included a hillarious "Airport" style documentary about Jetstar international.

Dinner was chicken or beef, nothing too exciting but not bad either.

Apart from the fact i was stuck in a middle seat, I was pleasantly surprised at how good this flight was, it is definately closer to business than economy, and by and large a not entirely unpleasant way to spend 9 hours in the air - it will be interesting to see this product develop with the introduction of Jetstar's 787 fleet when Boeing finally get around to delivering them.

We arrived in Honolulu early on the 19th August (will this day never end), and where quickly through immigration and customs - we needed to check in for our American Airlines flights, so had to sit around and wait for the Agricultural inspection counters to open, so we decided to hang out at a Starbucks and enjoy the heat.

Lucky we did really, cause halfway through my frappachino a young Australian girl came up to me and told me that we had accidentally swapped bags through customs - so there was some baggage stuff to sort out. Once that was done, we where able to check in for the American Airlines flights.

American Airlines staff are really some of the more pleasant airline staff you could come across (well the ones manning the first class counters are), so after a pleasant chat with our check in agent and some suggestions about nice plases to spend a couple of hours that are not Honolulu airport, we headed off to have breakfast at the Aloha Towers shopping mall.

Breakfast was nothing special, but we wandered the dock out the back a little bit.

The dock looked out onto Pearl Harbour, so it was interesting to see the flags of many nations on the ships moored at the dock.....

After looking at the shops briefly, and Erica spotting the Honolulu campus of the University of Phoenix we headed back to the airport.

Honolulu Airport is big - American Airlines shares it's lounge with Qantas (it is actually a Qantas Club that American Borrows during the day), and it seemed to be miles away from the gate. After a refreshing shower in the lounge and some loitering up there, we headed to the gate, grabbed a coffee - (Erica would not allow me to purchase the pinapples that where for sale everywhere).

Soon enough, time to leave paradise - think we will have to return and have a better look at some point.

American Airlines Flight AA 284 Honolulu-Los Angeles (First Class) 767-200

The American Airlines service to Los Angeles was very enjoyable, with International Business Class seats and pleasant crew. I mostly read and slept through the flight, enjoyed a good meal, and some good wine. This flight proved that when American tries they can get it right.

We arrived into LA a little late, but with time to spare before our flight to Dallas.

We discovered on arrival that the Admirals Club at Los Angeles closes at midnight, so no lounge for us, but we hung out at the gate waiting for our delayed flight to Dallas.

American Airlines Flight AA 2414 Los Angeles-Dallas (First Class) 737-800

Nothing much to report on this AA flight, it was a red-eye Nuts and Drink flight. We mostly slept through the flight, waking up to discover that we where in Dallas (Late, but none the less in Dallas)

American Airlines Flight AA 1734 Dallas - Orlando (First Class) 757

We raced through Dallas Airport to connect with this flight - well actually we raced to the train, then took a scenic tour of the airport, then raced from the train to the gate, but never the less...

Breakfast was served, the plane landed in Orlando, we got off, our bags made it onto the luggage belt.

So some 30 or so hours after leaving Sydney we were in Orlando, Florida!

After haggling with Alamo (our rental car agency) about whether or not we needed fuel/random bits of insurance/a set of steak knives/a convertable we where out of the airport and onto Florida's toll roads - oh f*&@ does anyone have $1.25 to pay a toll - exact change required right...

But in about 1/2 an hour we had reached the entrance to the most magical place on earth...

Getting there is half the fun

2008-07-19T17:14:00.002+10:00

Matt says that I'm not really blogging unless I post to the blog, so despite the fact that we are about to run away and board the aeroplane, here is my first post.

Day 1 - Getting there is half the fun... (Part One - Canberra to Sydney)

2008-07-19T16:32:00.002+10:00

Well, Departure day finally dawned and we were off to Canberra Airport to begin our intrepid journey.

CabExpress got a cab to our door ahead of time and we where off with our 7 pieces of luggage to the airport. Surprised about the number of Kangaroos hangin out along the road behind Mt Majura - it was almost a perfect way to depart, pass a bit of early morning wildlife...

Canberra Airport checkin went smoothely, and I avoided scalding the check in agent who didnt seem to entirely believe me when I said that Hawaii was a part of the USA. She suggested that it was an island, and so different than the US - I practiced my "Coping with stupid people that can otherwise F*** up my day" strategies, gave her a quizzical smile and headed off to the lounge.

Erica ate toast with Vegimite - i drank cofee, boarded our 9:40 am flight and left the Peoples Socialist Republic of the ACT.

Arrived on Sydeny about on time, headed up stairs to the new Business class lounge to go to the bathroom, then came to find Erica's parents who where taking us out for lunch.

Lunch was, as is usual when shared with the Lewis's, an enjoyable "event".

For now, we are ensconsed in the Qantas First Class Lounge, having enjoyed the good wine, the food, and their internet connection, we await the call to board JQ3 our Jetstar flight to Hawaii.

I am imagining that Jetstar will be a little like flying "Pam Anne" - They only make the same mistake twice...

By popular demand it is a travel blog...

2008-07-14T16:04:00.001+10:00

So following Erica's farewell dinner on Saturday night, it seemed that there was overwhelming demand for a blog to be created of our intrepid journey to the USA.

So, consider it done. Time will tell as to whether this is a project that we will see through, but who knows...

Matt