IanSo the day has finally arrived!! It has been an eventful day, really; lots to think about, but overall it went OK! I started the day with a quick blog below; note I said Heathrow terminal 4…when my terminal was 3…..I was tired, OK!
So after I had gotten myself ready, I went downstairs and grabbed some breakfast! Premier Inn have an unlimited breakfast in the morning, so it was nice to fill my belly up, ready for my flight! I didn’t get an Uber in the end as I didn’t realise the hotel has a shuttle bus programme to terminal 3, so I jumped on that, and it was cheaper!! Unfortunately, I missed the bus despite being there on time! They left 3 minutes early! So that put me back a little bit!
I was expecting a long wait for security and bag drop, but I was pleasantly surprised. I think it was about 1 hour in total, as I got pulled for a body scan!! After I cleared security, I headed to WHSmith to buy snacks and drinks for the flight. I underestimated how much I actually needed…I should have bought more! I had run out of most of my snacks about halfway through the flight!! Anyway, with that done, I headed to my lounge while I waited. Overall I was happy with it but probably won’t do it again; it was crowded and full, making it difficult to relax. Initially, I couldn’t find any seats!
After some time in the lounge, it was time to head to the gate; my gate was 35, so a bit of a walk from the lounge, and it was quicker to use the travelator, which I had never used before. That was an interesting experience! As I approached the gate, I saw the plane we were flying on. I didn’t realise just how big those planes were! However, I didn’t have to wait too long to board as they boarded me as soon as I got there! The seat was comfy enough but was not brilliant on my back, but the pillows helped! I had the whole row to myself, which was nice; I could spread out more.
There was a slight delay taking off due to frost on the plane, but it wasn’t too bad, plus the flight was quicker than advertised, it was meant to be a 10 hour and 10-minute flight, but it ended up being a 9 hour and 35-minute flight which is good. So here’s the video for take-off.
The flight itself wasn’t too bad, there were a couple of bits of turbulence on the way, but it wasn’t too bad! It was a weird experience flying… I felt like I was floating in the air, and at times, it felt like I was riding a bus; I know, weird, right? But it was a pleasant experience. The Take off was a bit strange as I could feel the pressure building up as we took off, but it wasn’t bad. While in the air, I felt the pressure in my ears the whole time, which I assume is normal. It only started to pop as we began to land! I kept myself busy on the flight by catching up on some Netflix I hadn’t seen. Virgin Atlantic kept us fed and watered, which was nice, and the food was OK. I heard mixed reviews from the airline food!!
So after a little bit of a wait on the tarmac after we landed, I sailed through security! They are using biometrics now, so I just walked up to the desk; they asked me some questions like why am I here and for how long and just walked through! There was about a 30-minute wait for bags, though, which was annoying!
Unfortunately, it wasn’t all plain sailing… My transfer to the hotel got messed up, and I ended up taking a taxi from the airport. The weird thing is there were two other groups and me in the cab that also had their transfer messed up, and they happened to be British, so the 5 of us were just chatting in the cab; I met an older couple who were Disney veterans and experts who helped me with a few tips and a young couple who had been several times. It was weird, to say the least! The downside is I ended up having a tour of Orlando as the taxi driver took the other two first, so it took me about an hour and a half to get to my hotel! I was exhausted!! Here is a quick room tour.
After I checked in, I nipped downstairs to get a few small essentials from the shop and grabbed some dinner as I was really hungry. They do an unlimited refill mug which was about £15 for the whole stay, which allows me to get soft drinks, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, you name it; I think it’s a good deal! The food was good, giant onion rings, and the burger was a little overcooked but OK.
After I had eaten dinner, it was time for me to pack my stuff away and head to bed. Overall I had a great experience, I had hoped to go to Walmart, but it was too late, and I was too tired so I will do that in the morning. There is so much I want to do I don’t know where to start! I set up an Itinerary, so I will follow that as I think that will help control my excitement a little. So tomorrow, I will probably head to Wal-Mart in the morning and head to one of Universal parks in the afternoon. My Disney trip is next week, so I will need to keep a strict timetable for that next week! This week it’s about relaxing and enjoying my trip!! If any hints and tips, please let me know; if not, see you tomorrow!!
