Farewell Allure, Hello Kissimmee

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Geo: 28.3467, -81.4801

After a restless night I awoke when it was still dark at about 4am. I peeked through the cabin curtains and I could see the unmistakable orange glow of civilisation in the distance, a sure sign we were close to Fort Lauderdale. I drifted back to an uneasy sleep and awoke a few hours later and Allure had docked. We quickly showered and headed down to breakfast for the last time in the main dining room. The elevators we already full of people ready to disembark and they soon started calling out the numbers for people to leave the ship. We returned to our cabin and did the last minute check to make sure we had left nothing behind. We then proceeded to Deck 5 and left Allure and all its wonders behind.

Baggage collection and immigration were a doddle and we were soon in the Hertz Shuttle Bus to pick up our rental car for the return trip to Orlando. We were given a Chevy Equinox and after setting up the satnav we were on our way. Much shouting and screaming followed as we badly navigated ourselves onto the Florida Turnpike. Miss Satnav's unflappable voice was most unhelpful as she directed us to keep left buy stay right on more than one occasion???

The miles float by as Peter sets cruise control on our journey north and west. As we approach the Orlando area we are hit by a couple of fierce downpours which are not unusual and are very localised and over very quickly. Sure enough a mile or so later there is no evidence of any rain at all.

We approach Eagle Point and the villa we will be staying in for the next 5 nights. It's 2 doors down from the villa we stayed at in 2009 and is very much the same. All on one level (it would be called a bungalow back home) it has a large Kitchen/Diner, TV Room, 3 Bedrooms, Laundry Room and its own Swimming Pool. We drop our thing and head back out to a nearby Walmart to pick up staples such as milk, juice & wine. On our return I quickly take a dip in the pool and the cool waters are very refreshing.

We decide to have an early dinner and try somewhere new. We head to Pointe Orlando and a restaurant called Maggiano's Little Italy. It was excellent but again as is common in the states the portions are ridiculously big, even more so here. I order bruschetta to start and what I get is practically half loaf of bread covered in tomatoes, onions, balsamic etc....it was delicious though and I had to prevent myself from eating all of it so I could at least make an attempt on my main. I didn't do well. My Rigatoni D (I am unsure what the D stands for) was massive. I don't think I managed half of it. I did however box it up to take back to the villa. Peter had Tomato Caprese and then another dish which I don't recall the name of but again it was mega.

We arrive back at the villa around 8pm and as Peter is now driving we have some wine here rather than with dinner. We find a channel on TV that is showing repeats of The Golden Girls but both soon find we are dropping off (We both feel like we should be residents of the complex where the Golden Girls live) and retire to bed early.

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