So Orlando, Florida was meant to be the last warm weather stop before the bitter chill awaiting me in DC, Boston and New York. Only Mother Nature had other plans...

First off I needed to hit the drug store to pick up a few items. Walgreens came through and met all my needs and more. Shops are crazy over here. Walgreens is meant to be a pharmacy yet it also stocks half a supermarket. Suited me. Picked up snacks for my theme park days and saved me a trip to an actual supermarket.

Given the chilly weather here, all the mor shocking to me after balmy Mexico, it was time to hit the mall. I'm not prepared for cold weather! I hopped on the bus to the end of my street where there is an outlet mall. A couple of hours later I had new underwear this allowing me throw away a few pairs that haven't faired so well on the road, a Banana Republic (the US Country Road) sweater and a dress, plaid shirt and printed pants from Forever 21. I'm so glad to be reunited with Forever 21. I foresee many stops there on the US leg of my trip.

After a Denny's breakfast, the agenda for my first full day in Orlando was Universal Studio's Island of Adventure. Or more specifically, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Boo yah! Somehow I managed to miss the free shuttle bus offered by the hotel and had resigned myself to taking a taxi. Thankfully the front desk pointed me in the direction of the public bus to get me there which was simple and only cost $2. Once arrived it was straight to Harry Potter and it did not disappoint. First off I walked through a Hogsmede/Diagon Alley amalgamation which is amazing. The attention to detail is incredible. I actually felt like I was walking in Harry Potter's world. Then it was time for a ride. The first is a simulator that takes you on a flight through the Hogwarts grounds to a Quidditch match. Even the scenery just to get to the ride is cool. You walk through Hogwarts castle and along the way see talking paintings, the Fat Lady, Dumbledore's office and the Defense of the Dark Arts classroom. Not gonna lie, I was geeking out at the whole thing. After my broom 'flight' I headed to the Hippogriff ride which had a looooong and boring wait. The ride is cool but really short and I'm not sure it's worth the wait. At this point I stumbled upon a performance by the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students and stopped to enjoy this. Afterwards it was time to hit the Dragon rollercoaster and far out, that ride was incredible. Super fast, lots of twists and upside down action. To finish off my day I headed into the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer, stopped by the Hogwarts Express for the necessary photo and browsed the shops - Zonko's and Honeydukes.

At this stage it was the early afternoon, and not being interested in the rest of the Island, I departed. Still needing more winter clothes, I headed to Florida Mall. Talk about heaven...Victoria's Secret, Old Navy, Abercrombie & Fitch, Gap, Forever 21, Sephora, JCPenny, Macy's, Zara, H&M etc. I managed to work out my credit card a little more and after wearing the same small collection of clothes for 8 weeks plus, new clothes are very welcome. However I was not successful in my number one mission, to get winter (and rain especially) appropriate shoes. My Converse will have to do until New York when I'll have time to shop again.

On Tuesday it was time to hit Disney after another Denny's breakfast. This time I did not miss the shuttle and soon arrived on Disney property. I collected my ticket and was allowed to chose the character I wanted on it. I went traditional and chose Mickey! Then it was on to Hollywood Studios. My theme park plan is simple. No cross crossing all about the place if I can help it. Pick a route and stick to it. Rides ad attractions for the day included a train ride celebrating the best of Hollywood films, a flight through space, the American Idol experience, a Muppet 3D movie, a tour of Disney Studios, learning about the legend of Jack Sparrow, love highlights of the The Little Mermaid and a Broadway style presentation of Beauty and the Beast. My very favourite rides were the Rock n Roller Coaster, a roller coaster in the dark set to the music of Aerosmith. And the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, a haunted stomach dropping elevator ride. To finish off my day I watched the Parade featuring the characters of Pixar.

Once finished at Hollywood Studios, I wasn't quite ready to head 'home' and decided to hit Downtown Disney. This area open to the public and mostly for the benefit of Disney Resort stayers is huuuuge. It's shops and restaurants abound including the worlds largest Disney merchandise store, which of course I visited and wandered round every section of the store to end my first Disney day.

Wednesday brought about another Denny's breakfast and a visit to Epcot. This was the most interesting of the parks. It's whole premise is education, about the past, the future and different cultures. I hit the Future Worlds East and West enjoying a history of communications, education about energy narrated by Ellen DeGeneres, a trip underwater to Nemo's home, a flight over the landscapes of California, a train ride through the Disney greenhouses, an environmental film presented by Simba, Timon and Pumbaa, a journey into imagination and the Coca Cola shop where I could sample a bunch of sodas from all over the world.

Next it was on to the World Showcase which was my favourite part of the day. When Disney theme something the attention to detail is incredible. Everything from the restrooms to the trash cans are perfectly decorated to fit the relevant theme. Starting in Canada I journeyed through the world and visited the UK, France, Morocco, Japan, USA, Italy, Germany, the USA Wild West, China, Norway and Mexico. By the time I walked the 'world' I was thoroughly pooped and headed back to my hotel, hitting TGIF's for dinner.

Of course Thursday began with a Demny's breakfast. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I purposely saved Magic Kingdom for my last Disney day - sad face, and I'm glad I did. Magic Kingdom was the busiest park I visited and much of my day was spent in line waiting for the attractions. However this was my favourite park simply for it's magical (duh), truly whimsical feel. I got to be a kid again for a day enjoying all the classic Disney characters of my childhood. The free shuttle from my hotel drops off at Epcot and from there you take the complimentary Disney transport system to visit other parks, resorts and Downtown Disney. To get to Magic Kingdom was a fun two step journey. First take the Monorail to the transportation centre and if you're anything like me, have the Simpsons monorail song in your head the whole time. Then hop on the retro Ferryboat to Magic Kingdom, which drops you right off at Main Street USA, the entrance to the park.

Walking through Main Street USA was like walking through the Main Street of any small US town circa 1950. First on my agenda was heading up to Cinderella's castle to awe at it and get that all important photo. By the time I journeyed from Epcot to Magic Kingdom and got my photo at the castle, it was time for the Party Parade, a high energy, dancing parade which I had an excellent view of. After the Parade, it was time to visit Tomorrowland where I saw Stitch (of Lilo & Stitch) escape from a high security prison and rode the famous Space Mountain, which I've now ridden three times, in Paris, California and Orlando. Next stop in the Kingdom was Adventureland to experience the ride that inspired the Pirates of the Caribbean films. The next station on my magical tour was Frontierland. Unfortunately Splash Mountain was closed, which was a bummer and meant the line for the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was really, really long. Of course this didn't stop my cueing up for it. After the Frontier, I stopped by Liberty Square to visit the Haunted Mansion.

And just like I saved Magic Kingdom for my last day, I saved the most exciting section (to me at least) of the park last. Hello Fantasyland! This part of the park was absolutely my favourite, but was also the most frustrating due to the long wait times and shrill American voices of parents scolding their children, who for the most part were just excited by their Disney experience. The first part of my fantasy was a flight through Peter Pan's world. This was followed by the signature Disney ride, "it's a small world" which took is through each continent and I finally saw some Australia and New Zealand representation in Disney. By the time I toured the small world, it was time to head out and secure good viewing position on parade route for the main Parade. I'm not going to lie, the parade excited me just as much as the small children all around me. I saw all the classic Disney characters like Mickey and Minnie, Buzz, Woody and Jessie, Daffy Duck and Goofy, Mary Poppins and Bert, Peter Pan and Wendy, and my favourite, the Disney princesses.

After the parade it was back to Fantasyland to take a hunny pot through the Pooh Bear's Hundred Acre Wood and ride a shell through the world of Ariel. Then it was off to train station to ride the Walt Disney World railroad back to Main Street USA. Here I browsed the shops - only browsed, no purchases made, because the majority of the things on sale is stuff I would later wonder why I bought. That's how Disney gets you. Caught up in the magic of the park, especially in Magic Kingdom, things seem more special than they are and you can spend a small fortune on useless crap. To finish my Disney experience I lined up to meet Mickey Mouse and got a photo with him. Don't judge me!

After Disney my last night in Orlando was boring. Denny's where I joined a way cute grandpa and grandson on vacation for dinner, packing (I've expanded to two bags now...eep!) and an early night in preparation for my 5am wake up - vomit, for my flight to Washington DC.

Food chains I ate at in Orlando...
1 Denny's.
2 TGIF's.
3 Chili's.