Dec 2024 – Jan 2025

We Don't Talk About Colombia

The Fab Five visit Colombia! Hopefully this doesn't turn into a GoFundMe page. Read more

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We Don't Talk About Colombia
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- Day 27
- Monday, December 30, 2024 at 8:36 AM
- ☁️ 27 °C
- Altitude: 7 m
- Colombia Cerro La Popa 10.412292, -75.52615810°24’44” N 75°31’34” W
To Buy a Fat Pig...
December 30, 2024 in Colombia ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
To market, to market on our last day in Cartegena and Colombia... also our last day with Elliot 😳.
The markets were what all good markets should be: busy, noisy, dirty, and alive. There were some clothes and trinket sections but, by and large, it was all about the food. Fresh produce, hung meats, boiling stews, herbs and spices all combined with the smell of gasoline, sweat and the sea to produce something exotic yet familiar and inviting.
Why were we there when are leaving tomorrow morning? Because we were about to attend a private cooking class with Chef Randy back in his kitchen!
We washed the street dirt off and got to "work" grating, chopping, learning and laughing for several hours as we learnt (in theory) to make a Caribbean feast of salsa covered sea bass along with all the sides, dessert and drinks.

What a great way to end a whirlwind South American tour. Food, music, people. culture, natural wonders and lots of happy memories. Thank you Colombia!Read more
TravelerYou're welcome anytime... Remember you are our ambassadors in Sydney. Thanks a lot for trusting Colombia. I hope we can cross paths again.
12/30/24Reply
TravelerThanks Pablo. Even after the big lunch we couldn't resist going to Crepes and Waffles one last time for dinner. We tried your Thai chicken one. Not bad!
12/30/24Reply
TravelerPablo the rest of Colombia wasn't the same without you 😂. The family voted that our time in Medellin and surrounds was our favourite!
12/30/24Reply
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We Don't Talk About Colombia
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- Day 28
- Tuesday, December 31, 2024 at 12:44 PM
- ☀️ 25 °C
- Altitude: 33 m
- United States Osceola Mobile Park 28.343975, -81.38663128°20’38” N 81°23’12” W
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Home again, home again Jiggity Jig
December 31, 2024 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
I was back behind the wheel today as we left Colombia for one of our DVC "homes": Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa.
12 months ago I stumbled across a rental deal for under $20/day - the only catch was that it had to be Miami to Miami. The flights were more reliable from Cartegena to Miami as well so it was time to get reacquainted with the Florida Turnpike. Fortunately it was flowing much better than our drive to Vero Beach so the 4 hr trip only blew out because we got too excited in Walmart.
Yes, it is NYE but we've never been keen on staying up. We'd rather rope drop tomorrow while everyone else is still bleary eyed. There were several errands to run and things to set up too so we were all glad that we didn't try and burn the candle at both ends from day 1.Read more
Traveler I hope nobody raised their hands with the Playlist
1/3/25Reply
TravelerLara was a stereo dictator
1/4/25Reply
Traveler😂😂😂😂😂
1/4/25Reply
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We Don't Talk About Colombia
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- Day 29
- Wednesday, January 1, 2025 at 6:47 AM
- ☁️ 17 °C
- Altitude: 12 m
- United States Lake Overstreet 28.409552, -81.58751728°24’34” N 81°35’15” W
The Gathering
January 1 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
We bossed rope drop at Magic Kingdom today and finally made it onto 7 Dwarves Mine Train. Clearly the revellers were still struggling.
The Dapper Dans made an appearance too so everything else was a bonus.

There are heaps of attractions so I'm going to limit my Disney documentation to things that tickled my fancy.

The other 17 people in our group arrived today. The tired and the not so tired all met up at Animal Kingdom to tick off the unbeatable combo of Satu'li Canteen and Flight of Passage. Some of the little ones were a bit nervous. You never know whether they'll come off the more exhilarating rides grinning like a Cheshire Cat or scarred for life. Overall they tended more towards grinning, but not to the Cheshire Cat level..maybe more like a quokka.
Well met, all!Read more
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We Don't Talk About Colombia
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- Day 30
- Thursday, January 2, 2025 at 4:25 PM
- ☀️ 18 °C
- Altitude: 33 m
- United States Lake Overstreet 28.411454, -81.58841828°24’41” N 81°35’18” W
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Caw Caw Rawr!
January 2 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
The wilderness must be explored! This park is my favourite and always brings back happy memories of the 3 kids earnestly claiming their ranger badges.
An old favourite was followed by dinner at a restaurant that I've always wanted to try... Jiko: the cooking placeRead more
Traveler Love it!
1/3/25Reply
Traveler The one on the left?
1/3/25Reply
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We Don't Talk About Colombia
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- Day 31
- Friday, January 3, 2025 at 8:09 AM
- ☀️ 8 °C
- Altitude: 31 m
- United States Magic Kingdom 28.417253, -81.58373328°25’2” N 81°35’1” W
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Multipark multipass
January 3 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C
There have been so many reincarnations of the fast pass over the years. Today was our first experience with the multipass lightning lane version 17.1

Don't get me started on my "When I was a boy" stories about paper fast passes that were free! So... it was an educated guess on how it would work on a busy day. The strategy of prioritising early LLs over desirable LLs didn't really pay off as hoped. It was decent enough in that we were able to get through a reasonable volume but it wasn't a home run as there weren't many tier ones released after park opening. In retrospect on very busy days it would've been best to go for quality over quantity. We also should've backed ourselves to get the virtual Q's on offer. Strategy rant over.

There were lots of firsts today! First roller coasters for some, first time visiting Star Wars Land for others. Sharing firsts with friends and their kids is always super rewarding. The highlight of the day, however, was hearing the blood curdling scream of the Hanna women when Chewbacca jump-hugged them!

Sleep in tomorrow!!Read more
TravelerSo fun to share firsts! I can’t wait to bring my grandkids to WDW! Thanks for the LL reviews!
1/5/25Reply
Traveler Looks more like a pie!
1/5/25Reply
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- Day 32
- Saturday, January 4, 2025 at 6:20 PM
- 🌙 13 °C
- Altitude: 32 m
- United States Bay Lake 28.409661, -81.57248328°24’35” N 81°34’21” W
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Birthday princess
January 4 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 13 °C
Today was moving day. We relocated from VGF to Disney's Boardwalk Villas so we made it a leisurely day at the outlets rather than hitting the parks. There was no intention to buy anything apart from a few gifts for relatives, but somehow Lara always seems to walk away with half a bag of stuff!

The main event today was Fi's birthday dinner at Wilderness Lodge. The signature restaurant is a Snow White themed character dining at Artist's point.

The characters were very charismatic - especially the evil Queen who seemed to enjoy her role a little too much! It was such a lovely evening. Happy birthday to a dear friend : )Read more
TravelerIt was so magical sharing my birthday with you at WDW!!! 🥳🥰
1/7/25Reply
Traveler 😂
1/7/25Reply
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- Day 33
- Sunday, January 5, 2025 at 6:21 AM
- 🌙 6 °C
- Altitude: 50 m
- United States Disney’s Hollywood Studios 28.359611, -81.55636128°21’35” N 81°33’23” W
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Lightning Strikes Twice
January 5 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 6 °C
Multipass Lightning Lane day 2 of 2. Would the outcome be more productive? (Given that it was for Hollywood Studios I will now insert a drum roll: 🥁🥁🥁🥁🥖) Drum baguette - close enough

Yes! Much more productive!!

The group covered ROTR, Slinky Dog, Rockin Rollercoaster (2x), TSM, Star Tours, MMRR, Frozen Sing-along, Indie, Smugglers Run, Tower of terror and Fantasmic

Epcot will be the last park for the group to cover and then we'll begin to explore the parks rather than trying to conquer them.

Special shout out today to "Just Eric". lYKYKRead more
Traveler What?!! Such a real shame! That was a whole story in itself! How did they feel the blanks?
1/8/25Reply
Traveler 😂 may have to drop off some incredible “friends” later as Mitch would have said!
1/8/25Reply
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- Day 34
- Monday, January 6, 2025 at 11:15 AM
- ☀️ 23 °C
- Altitude: 21 m
- United States Epcot Center Ultralight Airport 28.368103, -81.54803928°22’5” N 81°32’53” W
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Corn Hole, Corn Dog and a Pickle
January 6 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Completed the quaddie with the gang at EPCOT today. Teenage boys once again proved handy to snag us a Cosmic Rewind virtual queue.

A few rides and snacks later we decided to take advantage of the warmest day of our stay (26 degrees) to head to blizzard beach. A new food discovery: the butter and sugar crepes from La Creperie are now on the must buy list.

The afternoon was a good chance for everyone to enjoy the resort and recharge. The all-in corn hole competition that followed wasn't exactly reading-a-book-by-the-pool relaxing, but it was a lot of fun.

We then embarked on the carnival style boardwalk dinner of champions: corn dogs and a giant pickle! Once every 3 years can't be too bad for you, right?Read more
Traveler We love the crepes too! Had them 3 times!
1/8/25Reply
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- Day 35
- Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 10:13 AM
- ☀️ 6 °C
- Altitude: 29 m
- United States Disney's Hollywood Studios 28.356067, -81.56094428°21’22” N 81°33’39” W
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The Carousel is Calling
January 7 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C
A short day at Hollywood Studios was a chance to say goodbye to Muppet Vision 3D and to try Rodeo Roundup BBQ. Time will tell if Animal and the rest of the Muppets prove to be a suitable replacement for Aerosmith as they move to Rockin Rollercoaster.

Rodeo Roundup was tasty and fun, but won't make it to my list of must dos. Satu'Li still holds pride of place at the top of that list.

We chilled at the resort in the afternoon, but the kms are starting to add up. I've added a band-aid to a second toe now and the energy levels are sagging towards cruise casual. Fortunately, my favourite ride is waiting for me tomorrow... Carousel of Progress: it's better than a Bacta tank.

"There's a great big beautiful tomorrow...🎶"Read more
Traveler 😂
1/7/25Reply
TravelerI’ve never been on the Carousel of Progress!
1/8/25Reply
TravelerWhaaatttt!???!!!!!! Really??
1/8/25Reply
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- Day 36
- Wednesday, January 8, 2025 at 10:20 AM
- ☀️ 10 °C
- Altitude: 36 m
- United States Magic Kingdom 28.418433, -81.57890328°25’6” N 81°34’44” W
Fairway to Heaven
January 8 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C
I couldn't convince the kids to hit the full size links course, but I did manage to drag all the teenagers to mini golf! We usually play the Winter course near Blizzard Beach so playing the Summer Course behind Boardwalk was a real treat. The course has lots of pretty characters and features as you'd expect, but it is also quite challenging. Unfortunately, my putter must have been unbalanced because I didn't win. I'll mention it to guest services tomorrow.Read more
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- Day 37–40
- January 9, 2025 at 6:55 AM - January 12, 2025
- 3 nights
- 🌙 4 °C
- Altitude: 23 m
- United States Epcot Center Ultralight Airport 28.367242, -81.55603928°22’2” N 81°33’22” W
Monsieur Marathon
Jan 9–12 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 4 °C
The original trigger for this trip was to run the Disney Marathon so that we would get medals and qualify to purchase special running shoes. We didn't make it into the virtual queue which was disappointing at the time but we now realised the sliding door realities for today:
A) waking at 0300 to stand outside in 4 degree temperature in running gear whilst being herded into starting groups
B) sleep past all that and have dinner at Monsieur Paul instead

Option B suddenly didn't seem so bad after all! More on Monsieur Paul later.

The day was another post-FOMO pleasant hybrid of rope drop, siesta and resort activity in the afternoon sun. This time Team Pickleball finally made an appearance. The middle children were kind enough to join us and accept their whooping with good grace. As a reward, Steve bought them ice cream!Read more
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- Day 38
- Friday, January 10, 2025 at 12:01 PM
- ☀️ 19 °C
- Altitude: 21 m
- United States Epcot Center Ultralight Airport 28.362858, -81.55994228°21’46” N 81°33’36” W
Auf Wiedersehen
January 10 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 19 °C
In the blink of an eye 10 days rolled by. With every trip there is a somewhat poignant realisation that the days of spending holidays with kids being kids are limited. Despite the age differences they all engaged with each other and treated each other with kindness. Good job parents!

It'll be fun to look over the highlights as the photos and posts trickle in over coming days. Everyone takes away something different that sticks with them: the progression to a big kids' ride, the hole-in-one, the morning stroll along the waterway, the smell of Soarin'...

We all gathered for a group dinner at Biergarten. I'd been there a couple of times already but I didn't mind because it is a good place for groups - as hoped they were able to group all 20 of us together. To the gang: Danke Schoen, safe travels onwards and home.Read more
TravelerThanks Mal and Bel for arranging this amazing time at Disney!!! Without you we would not have done half the things we did, nor would we have had such great company!! It was so much fun, I believe even Paul is starting to grow Mickey ears!!!!
1/11/25Reply
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- Day 40
- Sunday, January 12, 2025 at 1:34 AM
- 🌙 25 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- North Atlantic Ocean 23.559804, -72.59583223°33’35” N 72°35’45” W
Anchors Away
January 12, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌙 25 °C
We are becoming masters of the Florida Turnpike. This time we didn't miss a single express lane and kept up with Google's predicted drive time of just under 4 hours. The running of the Marathon and the runs of a family member delayed the Nobles' arrival, but they made it with time to spare.

For concierge class, the welcome aboard was a little nonexistent, but once we made contact with the right people we were well looked after. The boat has lots to offer and is well designed into little neighbourhoods so, besides the walking, it doesn't feel crowded. The concierge area is amazing. They advertised happy hour from 5-8 for suite guests, but we discovered that this extends from 11am for beer, wine, speciality coffee and even Magnum icecreams. Between 5-8 they add cocktails! Lucky we didn't get the drinks package. I've scoped out the Pickleball, table tennis, minigolf, corn hole and trivia so it should be a good week.Read more
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- Day 40
- Sunday, January 12, 2025 at 7:28 PM
- ☁️ 26 °C
- Altitude: 28 m
- Saint Martin Mont de Marigot 18.065675, -63.08264718°3’56” N 63°4’58” W
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Potato Potaato
January 12 in Saint Martin ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
I'll cram 2 sea days in with our first port day rather than inundate the penguin with 50 food photos.

So... Our first port: the complicated tiny island containing the French Saint Martin and the Dutch Sint Maarten. A bizarre gentlemen's agreement between the settlers left the island with 2 of every system. 2 police forces, 2 taxation systems, 2 health care systems... It seems so inefficient. At least it is peaceful. Actually, they label themselves as "the most friendly Caribbean island". We only came across lovely people so maybe they are right! We took a guided minivan tour with the Nobles which was just the right length to keep everyone happy. Some good sights, a bit of history, a cool drink and a dip in the ocean... and we also checked out Maho Beach briefly to see the planes fly over.Read more
Traveler 🤣
1/14/25Reply
Traveler Oh this is too cuuute!
1/19/25Reply
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- Day 43
- Wednesday, January 15, 2025 at 9:20 PM
- ☁️ 25 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- U.S. Virgin Islands Little Krum Bay 18.331514, -64.95299118°19’53” N 64°57’11” W
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Deja Vu
January 15 on the U.S. Virgin Islands ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
We were all excited to go by jeep to a beach on St Thomas with (included) SUPs, snorkels and underwater scooters. Unfortunately, our private tour operator had some mechanical issues so he had to refund us and cancel which was lucky in a way because 1) I told him the wrong port and 2) It gave us time to enjoy the ship with hardly anyone on board.

Usually the pickle ball courts are packed but today we couldn't even find a 4th player.Read more
Traveler What a coincidence!
1/17/25Reply
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- Day 46
- Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 2:38 AM
- 🌬 23 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- North Atlantic Ocean 25.98267, -78.35704225°58’58” N 78°21’25” W
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Final Day on Coco Cay
January 18, North Atlantic Ocean ⋅ 🌬 23 °C
Royal Caribbean promotes their island as Perfect Day on Coco Cay. It was the stop for the last day of our cruise and the last day of our holiday. As far as holidays go, this has been one of the really good ones. Disney and the Cruise have been great fun, but a lot of that is due to the company. Colombia, on the other hand, was just fascinating and stunning. Go. I'll add a picture from home tomorrow (ish) to make Penguin complete the map but this is me signing off.Read more
Traveler Can’t resist a rope drop…!!
1/17/25Reply
Traveler The fatty bus 🤣🤣
1/17/25Reply
TravelerGlad to hear you had a great holiday and the company didn’t slow you down! Safe travels home and we’ll see you back in the land of Oz.
1/18/25Reply
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- Day 48
- Monday, January 20, 2025 at 6:51 AM
- ☁️ 15 °C
- Altitude: 163 m
- Australia Cresswell O’Reilly Lookout -33.732161, 151.14061133°43’56” S 151°8’26” E
Back in the Coop
January 20 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Home sweet home
Work sweet work 😳
Travelerawww Moose must have been so happy to see you guys!
1/22/25Reply
TravelerBig time. But he is in great shape thanks to Lara's legion of friends and the Yoongs.
1/22/25Reply
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Trip end
January 20, 2025