IanHi all! We are finally here – travel day!
We had an early start this morning, we set our alarms for 05:30, but we both were up at 05:00! Guess it was the excitement that woke us up! We got showered and headed downstairs for breakfast. Here’s a quick video.
Breakfast was OK…but we were a little disappointed; the cooked breakfast was cold and had limited choices; a few things just straight up didn’t work. It was not a great experience. Overall, the hotel was good; I was just disappointed with the breakfast.
We checked out and headed for checking. Check-in was a nightmare and started my irritation with TUI. They only had two checking in and another staff member messing around with stickers rather than serving. It was hot and stuffy there, too. After nearly 45 minutes, we were finally checked in and headed to security.
Next up was premium security, and this was by far the best experience at the airport. We went in and were out within 5 minutes, which was good! I forgot to take my belt off, though, so I got flagged for a scan, oops!
The next step was departures; we went through a walkway with lots of duty-free options for us to take with us. We didn’t have a lounge this time as I didn’t think it was worth it after my last trip, so we headed to WH Smiths, the pharmacy and sat down for a Starbucks while waiting for our gate. Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long! Here is a gate, and our plane
We had a bit of a wait to board, though; I think we were waiting for about 50 minutes to board. TUI board differently to Virgin, where they board from the back forward, and since our seat was 14, we were the last to board. Once we did get on, we had a gentleman next to us who asked to move due to lack of space, which was fine for us as Mum and I had a row to ourselves! Here are a few pictures of our flight, including lunch and afternoon tea. Overall, I was disappointed with TUI; the food, no WiFi, and the staff were unfriendly and unhelpful. It just did not feel like we were welcomed because we weren’t premium. We won’t use them again.
Finally, we arrived in Orlando after an 8-and-a-half-hour flight. The flight was smooth and comfortable, so shout out to the pilots for the smooth ride; thank you! They do things differently at Melbourne Airport; we get our bags before going through customs. Unfortunately, due to the Manchester flight arriving simultaneously, we had about a 45-minute wait at the border while they worked through the number of passengers; kudos to them for their hard work getting us through! Once we were through, we walked through the TUI welcome area and got our coach. Here are a few pictures.
Finally, we have arrived! Check-in was a breeze, and the guy serving us was super helpful; he pointed us to our room, although we did get lost a bit! We are in the continental building with a poolside view. We put our bags away, changed into more summery attire and explored the hotel a bit. Here is a room tour!
Overall, we are impressed with the room and should feel comfortable for the week. It’s a nice big room, and the bed seems comfortable. After we settled in, it was time for dinner; we headed downstairs and grabbed our unlimited drink refills (they had a Halloween one, which, of course, I had to get!) And we both decided we were going to have pizza! Here’s some pictures
At this stage, we were both tired and headed back to the hotel for a rest and sleep. Jet lag is real! Tomorrow, we are having a chill day, plus a Wal-Mart trip for our stock-up for the week! I will be blogging tomorrow, too! See you tomorrow.
