We loaded up the car with beach bags full of towels for everyone, sun cream, etc. We all had our cosies on underneath our clothes.
I couldn’t believe it when we were actually in the car, pulling off the driveway at 9:02am! That had to have been a new record!
On our way!
As we were waiting at the lights to turn left into Aquatica there was a lady standing on the side on the road waiting to cross. She was dancing to herself... proper dancing! She had no earphones in or anything and when we wound the window down there was no music playing anywhere. Quicker than I could think of anything to say, Tracy put on her bestest Hill-Billy American accent and said “The sun is shinin’, it’s a brand new day, and my hips are dancin’ to the beat of the sun!” The whole car burst into laughter. I don’t know how she thinks of these things so quickly off the cuff. By the time it takes me to think of anything witty to say the moment has already passed! The woman was still standing there dancing to herself as we turned the corner.
I assumed Aquatica opened at 9am but in fact it didn’t open until 10am so we were half an hour early by the time we arrived. We paid the $12 parking fee and once through ticketing and bag check we were allowed in 20 minutes early. We got changed and I got Amelia into her Minnie Mouse UV suit. She loved it and was showing off to my Mum and Tracy, giving them twirls in the changing room as we exited our cubicle.
We got 2 lockers between the 7 of us which was a bit of a squeeze, but manageable. We then made our way to get life jackets with the intention of going to Roa’s Rapids first, but we passed Walkabout Waters which the kids were dying to go on. Unfortunately due to the fact that we were in a water park today, I’m afraid I didn’t get any photos at Aquatica
If no one minds though, I will add a few from the web so that those of you who haven’t been before will know what I’m talking about!We all had a giggle as Dad tried to squeeze into a life jacket before admitting defeat and exchanging it for an extra large one!
Walkabout Waters was great fun. Amelia was in her element. She loved the slides and sat on my lap as we went spinning around in the miniature flumes. These were also right up Dad’s street. He was a little worried when we said we were going to a water park as he can’t swim and is terrified of water. He’s OK just standing in a pool as long as it doesn’t go any higher than his waist. He said he wouldn’t go on any slides or anything that dropped him into a big pool.
The slides in Walkabout Waters were just right for him as they just came out into a little shallow pool of water. See, great for big kids too!
Dad was a total big kid and sat for ages waiting for the buckets of water to fall onto Tracy and Oliver’s heads and squirting them with the hoses!
We all loved this part. I know it’s meant for little ones really, but it’s really family friendly, and to be honest, I saw more adults in there having fun throughout the day than kids!
Next up; Roa’s Rapids! In my opinion this is the best part of Aquatica. It is SO much fun.
This photo was taken on our last visit in 2009. I can’t believe how much Oliver has grown in 3 years!
Dad was a bit weary of coming on the rapids, but I assured him he would be fine; he’d have a life jacket on and he would be able to touch the bottom which is what he was most worried about. Mum held his hand and I could see them floating behind us as we sped off around the curves and bends.
Oliver was way ahead and Tracy was behind me laughing her head off! She loved it! Paul and I had Amelia and took it in turns holding her. I think she liked it, but didn’t really express her enjoyment if that makes sense. She was just quiet, taking it all in. I’m not sure she knew what to make of it!
We went round 2 or 3 times and then got out and went for something to eat. It was only 11:15am but we were all starving! We decided to go to Mango Market. Dad and I had a turkey sandwich, Mum, Tracy and Oliver had a pizza each and Paul had chicken tenders and fries. Amelia had some of my sandwich and some of Paul’s fries.
The sandwiches were big but really dry and IMO very over-priced. I managed to find some mayonnaise which improved them slightly.
Next up was Taumata Racer. Everyone was up for it except me... again, too much like a vertical drop for my liking and also I hate getting water in my face.
I told them I would wait with Amelia while they all went on. I was so surprised when Mum and Dad said they would go on it! Not bad for a couple of oldies eh?!Well, Dad’s face was a picture! I couldn’t stop laughing! It was almost as bad as the photo I got of him on Splash Mountain! He loved it though and said it was great!
He wanted to go back to Walkabout Waters, so that’s where we headed next. More fun on the slides. Then we went over to Cutback Cove and waited a while for the wave machine to start. Paul swam right out to the back in the deep end while Mum, Tracy, Oliver and I went about half way in. Dad lay on the ‘shore’ while Amelia splashed around him. When the wave machine started I found myself getting washed back towards the beach so I went and sat with Dad and Amelia. I’m not sure if there’s something wrong with my eyes, if they’re extra sensitive or something, but the whole time we were in the Cutback Cove area and on the beach, the sun was so bright that I could hardly open my eyes. I had to really squint and had trouble seeing where I was going. I could only really look down at my feet.
Amelia was starting to flag a bit and was getting tired so Mum and Dad said they would find a sun lounger somewhere in the shade so she could lay down while the rest of us went on some rides.
We went with them to find a lounger so we would know where to look for them after. The sidewalks and the sand was so hot, it scolded the bottoms of our feet. When we came in 2009 there were jets of water at the sides of all the sidewalks which cooled the concrete down, but there were only a few working today and we found we were hopping as if on hot coals to find the next patch of wet sidewalk. It was ridiculous. I think we will definitely purchase some pool shoes next time we go.
We eventually found a lounger under an umbrella and Amelia was already asleep by the time we got to it. We laid her down and Mum and dad sat on the loungers either side of her.
Paul, Oliver, Tracy and I went off to Roa’s rapid’s again, much to Paul’’s annoyance! He does like it, but once we get on we won’t let him get off and drag him back round again! This time was no exception
Tracy and Oliver had somehow managed to fall behind us after a while. When we had gone around 3 or 4 times we decided we would get off and try Walhalla Way. However Oliver had different ideas. We managed to get off one of the exits but Oliver saw us and refused to get off, carrying on around laughing. He had also somehow managed to lose Tracy. We figured she would be along in a minute so we continued to wait... and wait... and wait. It didn’t look like she was on there anymore. I realised I had seen the same family go round twice now. I turned around to find Tracy wading towards us. She had got off at the other exit and had walked down. Still no sign of Oliver though. We figured he couldn’t still be on the rapids as he wasn’t in between the family I’d seen go past twice. So we decided we’d walk around to the other exit and see if he was waiting there. Just as we turned the corner though, we saw him walking towards us. Panic over.So we made our way to Walhalla Way. It was only about a 5 minute wait. The four of us got in our tube and were hurtled down the slide. I swear we almost went over the top at one point! It was great fun though.
From there we went on Loggerhead Lane. Paul and I had a double tube and Tracy and Oliver went in another. We somehow managed to get split up from them again. After we’d done one course we decided to get off and go and find them, and Mum and Dad. We found Mum and Dad as soon as we got off. They were just coming off the beach. Apparently there was a large mexican family who had taken cam in the loungers next to their and were so noisey that they woke Amelia up.
We went and got a drink at Waterstone Grill and I walked over and looked at the commerson’s dolphins with Amelia. Soon after Tracy and Oliver joined us. The reason we couldn’t find them was because they had gone back on Roa’s Rapids!
We decided we would take Amelia to Kata’s Kookaburra Cove so she could go on some more things before we headed home... ... that is until Paul realised he’d lost our locker key! Fantastic! He told us to go on ahead and he would go see if it had been handed in. It must have fell out of his pocket somewhere. Throughout the morning I had it secured in the clips of my life jacket, but when I took it off for lunch Paul put it in his pocket which only had a small piece of Velcro. So a little tip for you Dibbers... buy swimming shorts with a zipped pocket! The locker keys do have an orange loop on them but it was too big to go around his wrist and would have fallen off.
So on to Kookaburra Cove...
I got a little miffed here. I wanted to take Amelia on the little slides so we walked all the way to the top of the steps; fine for me, but a long way for her little legs. When I got to the top I was told we’d need a tube. So we walked all the way back down to the bottom, grabbed a tube and then went back up again to be told there was a height restriction and Amelia was too small!
I mean really... the slide was no more than a couple of feet long. And why couldn't he have told me BEFORE he sent me back down for a tube? So we walked back down the steps again feeling a bit put out. There were several different coloured slides and I realised that that was the only entrance. I hadn’t noticed when I was at the top that you could walk around to the top of the other slides. 
Doh! So we walked back up for a third time and went to the slides in the middle. I went to sit her on my lap but got told off. Apparently it was only one rider at a time! Grrrr... I was really starting to get annoyed now. So back down the steps again we went. I noticed Paul had just got back. Luckily for us, someone had handed the key in. I told him about the hassle I’d had with the slides and he went back up to the top with Amelia while I waited at the bottom to catch her. She loved it!!! After that she kept meeting Paul at the bottom of the steps and climbing all the way back up with him and I would catch her. I think she must have gone 4 or 5 times! We decided we’d better make a move as the others were waiting for us. Amelia had one last go on a little boat slide and then we made our way back to the changing rooms.
I got in a shower cubicle with Amelia and washed her hair which caused a right palaver! She hates getting water in her eyes and the shower was fixed to the wall so there was no way around it. I managed to get the shampoo out with her screaming and crying calling “Dadda, Dadda”. I heard a couple of American ladies outside laughing said “Oh Momma’s doing something wrong, she want’s her Dadda”. Lol. I managed to get her dry and dressed back in her shorts and t-shirt, all the while with her whinging and crying for “Dadda”. I then had a nightmare trying to get dried and dressed myself whilst trying to keep her out of the wet shower, preventing her from crawling under the door and stopping her from pulling the curtain open when I was standing there in my birthday suit! Not an easy task to say the least! I managed to throw some clothes on and then heard my Mum outside so I let Amelia out of the curtain and she went and sat on the little bench outside the cubicle with her. Phew.
Once Tracy and I had joined them we all went outside and met the others opposite. I went in Kiwi Traders and bought a few bits; some Aquatica socks for Amelia, a pin for Oliver, a magnet, a pen and a window cling. Some of the bits were in the sale and it all came to $11.49 with tax.
We were shocked when we got back to the car to see the temperature display said it was 97°F! We made our way out of the park and back to the villa. I went on the Dibb for a bit and then we all got showered and dressed up to go out for dinner. Despite our liberal application of factor 50 today, we had all caught the sun a lot; me more than most. But it wasn’t until I got out of the shower and saw my shoulders in the mirror that I knew the extent of the sunburn I had received. They were red raw and SO painful. I’d bought some after sun with me but it didn’t seem to soothe it. I desperately needed some Aloe Vera gel.
I called Bahama Breeze on International Drive to tell them that we would be there at 7:15pm and they put us on the list.
We arrived at Bahama Breeze on time and were shown to a large table in the centre of the restaurant more or less straight away. Our server, Annette, was fantastic. She knew everything about the menu. My Mum asked if one of the cocktails was very alcoholic and she told her exactly what was in it. We all ordered some drinks; a Bahama sunset for Tracy, Batida de Coco for Mum and Dad had a Mojito. Paul was driving, and I rarely drink, so Amelia and I had an orange juice, and Paul and Oliver had Cokes. The orange juice was fresh and so delicious. The best I had ever drank by far.
Notice the Minnie Mouse nails?
The menu was huge and I had trouble deciding what to have. Shortly before we came away I started a thread on Bahama Breeze on The Dibb asking the best one to go to and I remembered someone telling me to try the Buttermilk Fried Chicken. So that’s what I did. Paul had the same.
Oh my god, it was delicious!!! The mashed potatoes were so creamy with a hint of cheese and the chicken was succulent and cooked perfectly and the sauce was gorgeous.
Oliver went into Kevin and Perry mode when I told him he wasn’t allowed to order a full sized adults cheeseburger. He ordered one in Denny’s the other night and hardly made a dent in it. He’s not a big eater at the best of times. He sulked and cried to Nanny and Grandad who shocked me by standing up for me. When the server asked him what he wanted I quickly ordered him and Amelia kids cheese burger sliders with the promise that he could have a dessert afterwards. He was most put out that I had ordered for him, but I knew that he would have defied me and ordered an adults meal if he had the chance. He started crying again. Sometimes I wonder if anyone else’s 12 year old boys act like this. Crying when they don’t get their own way?!
When the sliders came though he really enjoyed them and admitted he was glad he hadn’t ordered a big one. Sometimes I wish he’s just listen to me in the first place!
Mum ordered the Chef’s Special Salmon and Tiger shrimp with Chimichurri sauce. She asked Annette again about the sauce as she was afraid it would be hot, but she described it perfectly (and not at all spicy-hot) so Mum went ahead and ordered. She said it was lovely.
Dad had the Shrimp Linguine which he said was “laavley”
And Tracy had the Jerk Chicken Salad which she said was really nice.
We were struggling after dinner but decided we would have a quick peek at the dessert menu. It would be rude not to!
Dad and Paul both had a Key Lime pie. It doesn't look it in the photo, but it was HUGE.
Mum and Tracy shared a Bananas Supreme
And Amelia and I shared a Chocolate Island, although I ended up eating most of it. She was more intent on feeding Paul his pudding! Oliver had the same all to himself!
After dessert we all had coffees and hot tea and got the check. Ouch! £173.97 + tip! It was a little expensive, but the meal was absolutely amazing and we couldn’t fault a thing. And I guess since some of us had cocktails and we all had desserts, it’s not so bad really. Without tip it worked out about £16 each; Worth every penny in my opinion. It was the best meal we’d had so far. We will definitely come back here again next time.
We left Bahama Breeze and walked along I drive to Pirates Cove Adventure Golf.
I had cut out a coupon from a book in Walgreens the other night for buy one get one free, but unfortunately I didn’t read the small print and it wasn’t valid at that particular location. As a good will gesture he gave us all $1 off each ticket.
It was quite fun, but a little expensive for what it was I thought, and we had another family waiting for us to take our turn the whole way around so we felt a bit rushed.
The kids got a little goody bag afterwards...
We made our way back to the car and drove back to the villa via Walgreens where I bought some aloe vera gel for my now throbbing shoulders. I swear I could have held up traffic if I had stood on the side of the road, they were that red.
I also bought some Dots as I had seen people mention them on the Dibb, however they weren’t my cup of tea
All in all we had a brilliant day today. We had so much fun at Aquatica and had the best meal by far at Bahama Breeze. I will definitely be smothering on extra factor 50 tomorrow though!
Tomorrow: Epcot!
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