Leg 4 - Orlando

Muppets 3D
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Hi all!!

We arrived in Orlando pretty late after taking a connecting flight in Miami. Part of our package got us a rental car and we were lucky enough to be upgraded to a convertible Chrysler Sebring Touring - loving our lives!!

We got to the Ramada Eastgate and, true to form, Nicki got us a different room!! That's twice in a month!! In her defence, it did not appear that the room had been cleaned - beer cans, etc.

Day 1 - SeaWorld

D&N at Bud the beer horse
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Seaworld was a lot of fun. Saw many different kinds of sea creatures, the place is like an aquarium and theme park in one. Really enjoyed the killer whale show (with world famous Shamu. Other shows we saw were the sea lion, otter and walrus show; the pet show; and the dolphin show. We realised how spoilt we had been in Cayman because we just breezed through the turtle and sting ray tanks.

Day 2 - Disney/MGM Studios

Saw the following shows: Beauty & the Beast (Daryl really wanted to see that one); Indiana Jones; Star Wars simulator (Owen you would have loved it); Muppets 3D; The Great Movie Ride; High School Musical (Beckham, you would have loved it); Backlot Tour; Lights, Camera, Action (stunt show); Journey into Narnia; and Fantasmic. Also saw a complete history of Walt Disney and checked out the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids set.

Shamu
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Day 3 - Rest day/Timeshare/Ripley's

Part of the deal we got meant we had to go listen to some guy try sell us some timeshare. About five minutes in Nicki told him that her parents owned a few timeshares and after that we just chatted to the guy for an hour and a half - no sales involved. One of the luckiest breaks to date!! And then we got free tickets to Universal - score!!

We then went to Ripley's Believe It or Not - no great shakes, but we did see a few interesting things. Don't worry Terry, I did get some video of that guy whose whole body is double-jointed - I'll send it to you as soon as I can!

The blinger convertible
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Day 4 - Universal Studios

Saw the following attractions: Terminator 2 3D; Horror Movie Make-Up; ET (The Extra Terrestrial); Back to the Future; Movie Animals; Men in Black (you have to shoot aliens and Daryl got the highest score out of the people on the ride with us - so not competitive); Jaws; Earthquake; Twister; and Shrek 4D. Totally wiped by the end of the day!

Day 5 - Kennedy Space Centre

Drove out to Cape Canaveral, over an hour from the hotel. When we arrived we took a bus tour of the facilities (those that we're allowed in anyway) which made three stops. The first was an observation facility where you can see the major launch pads (still a few km's away). We got to see the shuttle Atlantis which is due to be launched in March. We also drove by the shuttle assembly building (one of the world's largest buildings in terms of volume). The 2nd stop was the Apollo facility. These were the rockets first used in space and moon exploration. They have a full size rocket in the building - massive!! The 3rd stop was the building where they assemble the various modules of the International Space Station. We then went back to the main tourist area and went inside a space shuttle, saw the astronaut's memorial and the rocket garden. We saw a 3D I-max movie on the International Space Station, narrated by Tom 'I can like to jump on your sofa' Cruise.

Ripley's Believe It or Not
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At the end of the day we saw one of the best things on our trip so far. On Friday there was meant to be a launch of some kind and we debated whether we should rather go on that day to try see it. It didn't quite work out for us, and apparently not for NASA either. So on Saturday afternoon, shortly after 6 pm, we saw the launch of the THEMIS rocket, carrying five satellites into space. What an incredible experience - once in a life time for sure!! We got some good video footage of the event.

My wifer at Universal
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Next up, waking up at 4 am to go to La Guardia and our next destination, New York City. "I'm leaving today...."

Totsiens!