schumigirl
It's a bit of a roodie doodie word for lady parts
- Joined
- May 15, 2007
And, we`re back!!
At least from November 8th of this year, Brits are welcome to visit the USA again after a very long time!!
It has been such a long time since we were last in Orlando, and it feels like even longer at times, but other times it feels like it was only last month. Very strange time for so many of us since March 2020 when the whole world seem to lose so much.
I can remember very innocently thinking with so many of you back then, well if we don`t make May this year, we`ll definitely make it in September, completely unaware of the length of time this was going to take before we began to show signs of a little bit of normality. And this little Pre Trip Report is for us very exciting and a sign of a more normal time ahead.
Waiting on the borders opening up has been stressful at times, but like everything else, when you can`t change things, there`s no point in worrying, but as some of my friends and several on here will have listened to me rant many times there are times you need to do just that.....bless them, they know who they are and I sincerely thank them......❤
We often reminded ourselves how lucky we are though.......although we lost 5 trips through the pandemic, we`ve been healthy and happy and that`s what really matters. I`ve had 3 close family members have Covid quite bad, and one is still recovering after many months, so it has affected us slightly. I had it right back in the beginning of March 2020, I was fortunate to have a mild strain with no temperature and only losing taste and smell, but the worst cough ever ensued!! So, apart from that we`ve been doing good and carrying on with our lives as normally as we can. And really our lives haven`t been affected much at all, apart from travel, we`ve carried on as normal and found the positives in everything, being together as a family has been one of those, when so many have been separated through all of this. I have one friend who hasn`t met her new granddaughter who lives in the States since she was born, she`s almost 2 now, but you can bet she had her flights booked the minute after this announcement!!
So many of you have kept in touch which has been lovely through all of this, most of us are experiencing similar things and issues in our own little corner of the world, and it`s been lovely keeping in touch.
But, with the borders now opening up soon, I`m going to take a chance and do this Pre Trip.....with the full knowledge that at any moment in time, it could stop due to many things......
We are all double vaccinated and due boosters soon, but before we can fly, and rightly so we have to take a test within 72 hours of flying to show we are negative. If this shows positive, we don`t fly......a little bit of a last minute cancellation is not the best idea.....but that`s what travel insurance is for. And who wants to fly to another country if you`re ill or there is a chance you can pass on something to someone who could be very vulnerable. I wouldn`t want to be that person.
So we have our back up trip of May next year and then September and even December too.......so although we do hope we can make it this year, we`re prepared for the worst.
We`ve both said this pandemic has taught us, nothing can be taken for granted. We`ve been fortunate to visit every year since 2007 and we had 10 visits in 3 years alone. Not too shabby.....I think someone told me we`d spent over 300 nights in UOR. But, we do want to start travelling again to the US.......so time to start the build up again..........
I`m often told I have an indefatigability gene, and I do, rarely will I let something beat me.....so if this one doesn`t work out, we move on to May 2022.
So.......who are we, for anyone who doesn`t know.........there might be someone out there.....
Carole`n`Tom to most of our friends, joined at the hip as we are very rarely if ever are not together, and we like it that way. Since Tom took early retirement 4 years ago we have extended our trips to the USA and loved every second of them.
Tom oftens says retirement is the best job ever.......and it is. He loved what he did in business, but he enjoys retirement more.
We have been married for 29 years, and next year for our 30th....well, I`m already plotting.......he is a little nervous I have to say, but it won`t be too extravagant.......lol........
This is us on a recent dinner out........
Weirdly several of our friends are travelling to Orlando in the next year at various times and have all reported their adult kids are all tagging along for the first time in a while.....it is contagious!!
So........the when and where......
We fly Virgin Atlantic on November 24th and stay till December 8th. Virgin have been excellent with us throughout the pandemic. I`ve become an expert at deferring flights after they`ve been cancelled by them, not through choice of course. You can contact them and either get a full refund, or defer them for the future which is what we have been doing every trip so far, so we already have May and September flights for next year....I`m sure there will be a slight amendment to the cost, but I really don`t care, it`ll be worth it.
We have PE seats booked, and even with a change of plane as VA no longer fly the nicest planes in the sky, the Jumbo jets are no more sadly, the different configurations were fine with us and hopefully we`ll keep those seats.
I watched with a great sadness on youtube, most of the Virgin planes we have been on take off for their last flight before going to either Spain or Wales to be scrapped.....it was quite emotional to watch, and the pilots made a show of the planes and stopped for the crowds who had come to wave them off, pilots were waving to everyone and then when they took off and were clear of the ground, they did a very sad wing wave several times rocking the plane from side to side
.......I know one of a friend of a friend who was a pilot for VA did one of them and he assured us, they were as emotional as those watching. I think emotions many have been heightened this last 18 months......lol......yes, Tom and Kyle thought I was crazy too!!!As most of you know our hearts belong to Royal Pacific Resort and Sapphire Falls......but this trip is solely at RP. It`s one of our shorter stays at 14 nights, but we are so excited it`s going ahead finally. We made this booking way last year and having cancelled so many, it`s nice just to be able to plan a little now and hope for the best. Our friends at the hotels are so happy the Brits are coming back.
Most of you know I can ramble along about most things, and I will in future posts, but this is one I wanted to make now before I talked myself out of doing a Pre Trip Report at all.......just in case!!! As I said earlier, we have always taken for granted the ability to fly anywhere we want, when we want....we don`t just assume now.
I`ll run through most things booked in the next posts, including rental car issues, overnight hotel issues and having to actually make reservations....something alien to us!!!!
I hope anyone who reads this enjoys it, it might be a bumpy ride, especially if it is cancelled abruptly for Covid reasons......but, we can`t not do something in case the worst happens.......
Hope you enjoy reading and commenting along the way.......it`s nice to be back.......
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along to what I hope will be a fun filled trip......
! Fingers & toes crossed that this one sticks 
for you!
