Queenie
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2005
- Messages
- 3,144
Here we go finally, part one of this year's Trip Report! This is suprisingly long, sorry!
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Cast:
Me: Sophie (18/19) - 2nd Trip
Scott (30) - 7th Trip, My best friend and housemate
Linda (5?) Lost Count of Trips, Scotts Mum
Graham (5?) Lost Count of Trips, Scotts Dad
We were due to fly out at 2pm Friday morning but on Thursday, Scott went off to work as normal. I spent the day packing and tidying up the house so it would look nice on our return. At 4.30pm the kittens were in their carriers ready to be driven to the cattery. Scott arrived home at 4.30 on the dot and 10 minutes later we were at the cattery handing them over and saying goodbye very hard for us as this was our first holiday with animals. Wed planned to have a proper roast dinner but ended up at the chippy because we just couldnt be bothered with the palaver. The final packing was done before we headed over to Huddersfield to see an old friend play a gig. He was touring whilst we were in Florida (typical) so we were cramming one last gig in. Unfortunately going out meant we werent in bed until way past midnight but we figured the excitement of flying to Florida would wake us up in the morning.
Friday morning we were up at 6.45am and I was feeling sick already. Id showered on Thurs so I didnt have to bother and Scott could get in and out quickly. We packed the final few bits and pieces, toothbrushes, hairbrush, teddy bear in the hand luggage (that bears well travelled these days he comes everywhere with me as Im paranoid about losing him to a house fire when Im on holiday. He's also a great travel pillow!) At 9am we were ready to leave so we got the bags into the car and headed off to Stockport. We almost made it to the end of the street when I remembered that Id forgotten the bag of stuff I was lending my mum whilst I was away. A quick nip back and we were on our way again. This time we made it all the way to my mums where we were leaving the car for the fortnight. We unloaded the hand luggage with the help of two nosy squirrels who wanted us to give them some nuts but left the suitcases in our boot so we could just roll them down the driveway into the cab. Half an hour was spent at my mums where I started feeling increasingly sick at the prospect of flying. She gave me $60 for Disney paper craft stuff as its expensive for her in the UK and also my birthday cards from family so I could open them on the day.
The cab Id booked arrived 5 minutes early and soon we were on our way, after waving goodbye to my now very jealous mum and to the car. My mum lives 10 minutes from the airport so we were there in no time. Travel City now does check in at The Station so we headed there immediately and were surprised at how quickly we got through. From arrival to leaving with our boarding passes took only about 20 minutes! We walked straight over to our terminal and went through security quickly with no problems. Just ahead of us were a group of about 20 blokes in drag who were giving everyone especially the security personnel a good laugh.
After security we had a look out of the window and spotted our plane at a distant gate before heading to the pub. I dont normally drink at the best of times, certainly not at 11am and before getting on a plane but this was for a reason. It was sort of, drinking for the sake of it as once I was in America it was no longer legal for me to drink for 2 weeks, until we returned to England. We had a drink each and sat talking to a young family who were taking their baby daughter out to Florida so she could meet Mickey on her 1st birthday. For a less than 1 yr old that kid could really shift it, her parents were permanently on their feet chasing after her!
We took a stroll around the shops but didnt buy anything as Id pre-bought magazines and snacks the week before to save money and so I knew how much stuff I had to put in my hand luggage. We ended up eating in Burger King and by now I was feeling so sick with worry that I had to take my first dose of Kalms. After eating we went and sat on the sofas in the lounge so we could watch the screens. I went and bought an enormous bottle of water and just as I came back, our gate was announced. A surge of humanity rose and headed down the long corridor towards our gate, I felt like apologising to the other TCD people whose flight was due to leave 3 hours before hours but which was now scheduled to depart 10 minutes after! By now I was feeling like death warmed up and even managed to throw up before boarding. We were almost the last people on board but this suited me fine as it meant less waiting around. Wed been put in the middle two seats which I hated, being able to see out calms me down slightly but here I couldnt see a thing. I was sat next to another lady who hated flying and only did it to get to Disney at least I wouldnt be the only scared one. After taxiing we eventually took off about 15 mins late fine by me after last years 23 hour delay!
The plane was lovely. I managed to temper my fear of flying during take off with Kalms and Rescue Remedy; Im generally fine once were up and cruising. Although we didnt have seatback TVs, I wasnt interested in the two movies and I had a good enough view of a screen for the 20 minutes or so I would be watching The Simpsons or Spongebob. The meals came round about 2 hours after take off and was actually very tasty indeed well I thought so anyway! I chose the beef, very good quality it was too, which came with roast potatoes, a mini Yorkshire pudding, carrots and peas all of which (except the peas I cant stand them with a roast) were wolfed down quickly. Scott chose the chicken which came with the same minus the Yorkshire. Both the meals came with a bread roll & butter, cheese and crackers, a raspberry sponge and a mini Galaxy choc. Yum! I scoffed the lot including Scotts bread and butter as he doesnt really like plane food.
About half way through the flight a very large drunken Geordie started swearing at his wife so everyone looked away or turned their headphones up a little louder and it stopped within a few minutes. Perhaps an hour later exactly the same thing happened and once again everyone ignored it, not wanting to get involved. Maybe 2 hours before the plane was due to land, it happened again and this time it didnt stop. The guy was now slurring his words and Ive never heard such foul language. Another man politely asked him if he would mind watching his language as the plane was full of children and then we almost ended up with a fight. Within seconds half a dozen people were on their feet shouting at one another. The air hostesses appeared out of nowhere and asked the drunken man to calm down which he refused to do. Some more shouting occurred, including the bloke swearing at his wife again, before he lunged for his daughter who was maybe 8 or 9 and tried to hit her. This was the last straw and the Captain immediately came down from the Cockpit to intervene. The mans family, all of whom were now very visibly upset were taken away towards the front of the plane we didnt see them again until immigration. The family had been sat in a group of 3 seats by the window, and partially in the middle block. The two window rows in front and behind the drunken man were also cleared, he was left to sleep off the alcohol which he thankfully did.
By now we were on our final descent into Sanford and we arrived a few minutes after our scheduled time. We taxied into the gate and sat there for 10 minutes with most of the passengers getting increasingly restless. When the doors finally opened, we saw the air hostesses talking to a pair of very intimidating security officers with guns. After a few minutes, the hostess led them over to our drunken friend. He had been close enough to us that I clearly heard one of them say in a very stern voice Would you mind coming with us sir? All of a sudden the big man wasnt so big anymore and he was led off the plane with the officers. As he exited, a whispered cry of yes! went up across the cabin. We all exited the plane and I noticed the man who had stood up to the Geordie having his hand shaken by a few people, along with the air hostesses being thanked with a lot more meaning than normal.
As we stepped off the plane we felt that first blast of Florida heat. The queue at immigration was long but by the time wed walked along the twisty queue line we only waited about 30 seconds before being shown to a booth. They sure know how to move large numbers of people quickly in America. The immigration officer was one of the friendly ones and the new fingerprints and photo routine was done in seconds. We walked through to baggage claim and I spotted my case almost immediately. Scotts took almost half an hour or just enough time to get you in a total panic that its been put on the wrong flight! We walked straight through customs and out to the car pick up zone. The car was picked up in about 25 minutes, wed bagged a 4 door white Dodge Neon which we were more than happy with. The cases just fit in the boot and, after Scott had spent a few minutes adjusting the car and getting acclimatised to it, we set off towards the I4 on our hour long journey south to Summer Bay and Kissimmee.
The drive down was hassle free with very little traffic. Driving past all the familiar turn-offs, it felt like wed never been away. We arrived at Summer Bay at around 8.30pm, informed the guards that we were staying with someone and read off the apartment number, before pulling into the car park. Scotts mum and dad were waiting for us and we told them about the flight whilst we unloaded the car into our bedroom. We were very hungry so we all jumped into Grahams car a seven seater Dodge Town & Country somewhat overkill for two people really and headed around to Dennys next door. I ordered a steakhouse strip steak with double fries, Scott had a steakhouse strip with shrimp, fries & mash, Linda got a chicken strip salad and Graham who wasnt very hungry simply ordered pancakes. Of course he forgot that even a small sounding meal is anything but small in the USA so he ended up with a huge pile of pancakes covered in butter and maple syrup with bacon and sausages! The food was ok; I dont really like Dennys. Scott was very disappointed as Dennys Surf & Turf was his favourite meal ever and it was decidedly rubbish, a cheap cut of meat and horrible shrimp.
We retired back to the apartment and listened to what Linda and Graham had been up to during their first week in Florida. We tried to stay awake until midnight so we could adjust; but by 11 we were falling asleep on the sofas so we all headed to bed. After doing a bit of unpacking and cleaning our teeth, we finally got to bed around 11.30pm (4.30am UK time) and fell asleep immediately. No wonder as wed been up for almost 22 hours straight!
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Cast:
Me: Sophie (18/19) - 2nd Trip
Scott (30) - 7th Trip, My best friend and housemate
Linda (5?) Lost Count of Trips, Scotts Mum
Graham (5?) Lost Count of Trips, Scotts Dad
We were due to fly out at 2pm Friday morning but on Thursday, Scott went off to work as normal. I spent the day packing and tidying up the house so it would look nice on our return. At 4.30pm the kittens were in their carriers ready to be driven to the cattery. Scott arrived home at 4.30 on the dot and 10 minutes later we were at the cattery handing them over and saying goodbye very hard for us as this was our first holiday with animals. Wed planned to have a proper roast dinner but ended up at the chippy because we just couldnt be bothered with the palaver. The final packing was done before we headed over to Huddersfield to see an old friend play a gig. He was touring whilst we were in Florida (typical) so we were cramming one last gig in. Unfortunately going out meant we werent in bed until way past midnight but we figured the excitement of flying to Florida would wake us up in the morning.
Friday morning we were up at 6.45am and I was feeling sick already. Id showered on Thurs so I didnt have to bother and Scott could get in and out quickly. We packed the final few bits and pieces, toothbrushes, hairbrush, teddy bear in the hand luggage (that bears well travelled these days he comes everywhere with me as Im paranoid about losing him to a house fire when Im on holiday. He's also a great travel pillow!) At 9am we were ready to leave so we got the bags into the car and headed off to Stockport. We almost made it to the end of the street when I remembered that Id forgotten the bag of stuff I was lending my mum whilst I was away. A quick nip back and we were on our way again. This time we made it all the way to my mums where we were leaving the car for the fortnight. We unloaded the hand luggage with the help of two nosy squirrels who wanted us to give them some nuts but left the suitcases in our boot so we could just roll them down the driveway into the cab. Half an hour was spent at my mums where I started feeling increasingly sick at the prospect of flying. She gave me $60 for Disney paper craft stuff as its expensive for her in the UK and also my birthday cards from family so I could open them on the day.
The cab Id booked arrived 5 minutes early and soon we were on our way, after waving goodbye to my now very jealous mum and to the car. My mum lives 10 minutes from the airport so we were there in no time. Travel City now does check in at The Station so we headed there immediately and were surprised at how quickly we got through. From arrival to leaving with our boarding passes took only about 20 minutes! We walked straight over to our terminal and went through security quickly with no problems. Just ahead of us were a group of about 20 blokes in drag who were giving everyone especially the security personnel a good laugh.
After security we had a look out of the window and spotted our plane at a distant gate before heading to the pub. I dont normally drink at the best of times, certainly not at 11am and before getting on a plane but this was for a reason. It was sort of, drinking for the sake of it as once I was in America it was no longer legal for me to drink for 2 weeks, until we returned to England. We had a drink each and sat talking to a young family who were taking their baby daughter out to Florida so she could meet Mickey on her 1st birthday. For a less than 1 yr old that kid could really shift it, her parents were permanently on their feet chasing after her!
We took a stroll around the shops but didnt buy anything as Id pre-bought magazines and snacks the week before to save money and so I knew how much stuff I had to put in my hand luggage. We ended up eating in Burger King and by now I was feeling so sick with worry that I had to take my first dose of Kalms. After eating we went and sat on the sofas in the lounge so we could watch the screens. I went and bought an enormous bottle of water and just as I came back, our gate was announced. A surge of humanity rose and headed down the long corridor towards our gate, I felt like apologising to the other TCD people whose flight was due to leave 3 hours before hours but which was now scheduled to depart 10 minutes after! By now I was feeling like death warmed up and even managed to throw up before boarding. We were almost the last people on board but this suited me fine as it meant less waiting around. Wed been put in the middle two seats which I hated, being able to see out calms me down slightly but here I couldnt see a thing. I was sat next to another lady who hated flying and only did it to get to Disney at least I wouldnt be the only scared one. After taxiing we eventually took off about 15 mins late fine by me after last years 23 hour delay!
The plane was lovely. I managed to temper my fear of flying during take off with Kalms and Rescue Remedy; Im generally fine once were up and cruising. Although we didnt have seatback TVs, I wasnt interested in the two movies and I had a good enough view of a screen for the 20 minutes or so I would be watching The Simpsons or Spongebob. The meals came round about 2 hours after take off and was actually very tasty indeed well I thought so anyway! I chose the beef, very good quality it was too, which came with roast potatoes, a mini Yorkshire pudding, carrots and peas all of which (except the peas I cant stand them with a roast) were wolfed down quickly. Scott chose the chicken which came with the same minus the Yorkshire. Both the meals came with a bread roll & butter, cheese and crackers, a raspberry sponge and a mini Galaxy choc. Yum! I scoffed the lot including Scotts bread and butter as he doesnt really like plane food.
About half way through the flight a very large drunken Geordie started swearing at his wife so everyone looked away or turned their headphones up a little louder and it stopped within a few minutes. Perhaps an hour later exactly the same thing happened and once again everyone ignored it, not wanting to get involved. Maybe 2 hours before the plane was due to land, it happened again and this time it didnt stop. The guy was now slurring his words and Ive never heard such foul language. Another man politely asked him if he would mind watching his language as the plane was full of children and then we almost ended up with a fight. Within seconds half a dozen people were on their feet shouting at one another. The air hostesses appeared out of nowhere and asked the drunken man to calm down which he refused to do. Some more shouting occurred, including the bloke swearing at his wife again, before he lunged for his daughter who was maybe 8 or 9 and tried to hit her. This was the last straw and the Captain immediately came down from the Cockpit to intervene. The mans family, all of whom were now very visibly upset were taken away towards the front of the plane we didnt see them again until immigration. The family had been sat in a group of 3 seats by the window, and partially in the middle block. The two window rows in front and behind the drunken man were also cleared, he was left to sleep off the alcohol which he thankfully did.
By now we were on our final descent into Sanford and we arrived a few minutes after our scheduled time. We taxied into the gate and sat there for 10 minutes with most of the passengers getting increasingly restless. When the doors finally opened, we saw the air hostesses talking to a pair of very intimidating security officers with guns. After a few minutes, the hostess led them over to our drunken friend. He had been close enough to us that I clearly heard one of them say in a very stern voice Would you mind coming with us sir? All of a sudden the big man wasnt so big anymore and he was led off the plane with the officers. As he exited, a whispered cry of yes! went up across the cabin. We all exited the plane and I noticed the man who had stood up to the Geordie having his hand shaken by a few people, along with the air hostesses being thanked with a lot more meaning than normal.
As we stepped off the plane we felt that first blast of Florida heat. The queue at immigration was long but by the time wed walked along the twisty queue line we only waited about 30 seconds before being shown to a booth. They sure know how to move large numbers of people quickly in America. The immigration officer was one of the friendly ones and the new fingerprints and photo routine was done in seconds. We walked through to baggage claim and I spotted my case almost immediately. Scotts took almost half an hour or just enough time to get you in a total panic that its been put on the wrong flight! We walked straight through customs and out to the car pick up zone. The car was picked up in about 25 minutes, wed bagged a 4 door white Dodge Neon which we were more than happy with. The cases just fit in the boot and, after Scott had spent a few minutes adjusting the car and getting acclimatised to it, we set off towards the I4 on our hour long journey south to Summer Bay and Kissimmee.
The drive down was hassle free with very little traffic. Driving past all the familiar turn-offs, it felt like wed never been away. We arrived at Summer Bay at around 8.30pm, informed the guards that we were staying with someone and read off the apartment number, before pulling into the car park. Scotts mum and dad were waiting for us and we told them about the flight whilst we unloaded the car into our bedroom. We were very hungry so we all jumped into Grahams car a seven seater Dodge Town & Country somewhat overkill for two people really and headed around to Dennys next door. I ordered a steakhouse strip steak with double fries, Scott had a steakhouse strip with shrimp, fries & mash, Linda got a chicken strip salad and Graham who wasnt very hungry simply ordered pancakes. Of course he forgot that even a small sounding meal is anything but small in the USA so he ended up with a huge pile of pancakes covered in butter and maple syrup with bacon and sausages! The food was ok; I dont really like Dennys. Scott was very disappointed as Dennys Surf & Turf was his favourite meal ever and it was decidedly rubbish, a cheap cut of meat and horrible shrimp.
We retired back to the apartment and listened to what Linda and Graham had been up to during their first week in Florida. We tried to stay awake until midnight so we could adjust; but by 11 we were falling asleep on the sofas so we all headed to bed. After doing a bit of unpacking and cleaning our teeth, we finally got to bed around 11.30pm (4.30am UK time) and fell asleep immediately. No wonder as wed been up for almost 22 hours straight!
