Going back to Thursday, we were up and away at about 7am, with little evidence of any snow left around at home (but wow how that seems to have changed in Walderslade since we left!). Airport + parking + check-in + security was all very smooth and we were having breakfast at the Grain Store in Gatwick South before we knew it.
BA flight to Tampa was fine. We appreciated the extra legroom of the premium seats, and food was ok. No sign of any children on the flight - looked mostly like older couples (not young couples like us, obviously) going for their winter break. Tampa immigration was better, but not massively better, than MCO. There were still lots more immigration desks than immigration staff, which is always frustrating. Our overall wait time was about 45 mins, but once we were through the rest of the airport process was very efficient - picked up our bags straight away, then a couple of shuttle trains to the car centre to pick up our car (no queue for the car desk as we could use a kiosk to get the paperwork, and then straight to collect the car). Car journey from Tampa to WDW was 90 mins, but very straightforward - a little slow past downtown Tampa, but then straight up I-4.
By the time we got to the hotel it was about 8.30pm, so it was a case of check-in, collect a few provisions, unpack and bed.
Friday morning we had our Keys to the Kingdom tour, so it was straight up and away to MK on the bus, but we were there in time for a quick stop at the Main Street bakery for provisions before meeting our tour guide (Justin) at City Hall, where we made our lunch orders for later on (Pecos Bill) and collected our earphones. The tour was lots of walking and talking, with Disney history and trivia, and the route was down Main Street (windows), into Adventureland (Jungle Cruise), into Frontierland (backstage to see the production area, floats and the water tanks for Splash), lunch stop, Liberty Square (Haunted Mansion), Fantasyland, into the utilidors and under Main Street to reappear near City Hall for the end of the tour.
One thing we learnt on the tour was the 'Four Keys' to a great guest experience at WDW. They are (in this order): safety, courtesy, show, and efficiency, and are guiding principles for cast members when they are interacting with guests. Very interesting, and worthy of a longer discussion than a holiday blog warrants.
Once our tour was done we headed out of the park. Our plan had been to get the bus to the Springs, but for some reason buses didn't start to Springs until 4pm, so we got the bus back to the hotel, and took a break back here before walking over to Springs a little later. We ended up having an early dinner at Chef Art Smith's, sat outside watching the world go by (shared the devilled egg started, Nicky had fried chicken, and I had the pulled pork with mac 'n' cheese). Food was excellent. Servings were huge - should have shared a main course.
We had a little wander around the rest of the Springs (including a enjoyable trip to Sugarboo) before coming back to the hotel. After a break here we steeled ourselves for a final trip out of the day to the supermarket to stock up with provisions.
Saturday morning we were up in time so we decided to stick with the plan and use our fast passes, so we went back to MK and rode the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - always fun, and then went over to Gaston's Tavern to share one of their mighty cinnamon rolls. Next up were trips on the carousel and Philharmagic before our next fast pass on the Winnie the Pooh ride! It had been some time since we'd been on that one - probably because Jake had refused to go for at least the last ten years. I think they'd even changed the 'honey pots' since last time. Then we even had time for a trip on the Carousel of Progress - always brilliant, although I find in fascinating that the first three scenes are 1900s, 1920s and 1940s, and then the last one is a big jump to an attempt to be approximately up to date. Presumably this reflects a commitment to keeping the first three scenes consistent with the original show from the 1960s Worlds Fair, whilst keeping it in some way 'relevant'. A tricky balance.
After the show we headed out of the park and took the boat to the Grand Floridian and had lunch at the Gasparilla Grill, before getting the bus to the Springs, where we did some shopping (Sephora) before coming back to our room for a relax. Dinner was at Perkins at the Crossroads, and that brings us about up to date.
