Queenie
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2005
- Messages
- 3,144
I thought I should really try my hand at this trip report lark, apologies if this is rather scant on details but I went to Florida last September and wrote down no notes as I hadnt even heard of trip reporting when I went. Anyway, enjoy!
Friday Sept 17th
Scott went to work as normal whilst I double checked the lists to make sure we had everything packed that could be and got toiletries lined up in the bathroom ready to be shoved into a bag the following morning and hastily packed into our suitcases. In the evening Scotts parents (Linda and Graham) arrived with Roger in tow. The evening was spent double checking every passport, ticket and any other thing we could think of and constantly arranging and re-arranging them in piles on the coffee table. We all went to bed early as we had to be up early, I slept surprisingly well as I had expected to be awake all night with excitement.
Saturday Sept 18th
Finally the day had arrived for my first trip to Florida! We were up early to catch our 9am taxi from our house in Leeds to Manchester airport. The taxi arrived exactly on time and the driver remembered Scott and his parents from their last trip (two years ago we were impressed.) The journey was quick with no traffic jams or similar hold ups and we arrived at the airport in plenty of time to check in. As we unloaded our bags and suitcases from the taxi, the driver handed Linda a big bag of Campino sweets to say thanks for choosing their company for our journey and wished us well on our trip we were all really touched by this and made a mental note to use them every time we flew from Manchester!
When we arrived at the check in queue we got the first inkling that something was wrong. Before wed even joined the queue, an Air Atlanta employee handed us a letter explaining that there was a problem and that we wouldnt be taking off at 2pm as scheduled. They didnt know when we would take off but were told thered be more information at 1pm, for now we just had to check in as normal and go to the departure lounge, we were also each given a meal voucher to get some food as it wasnt known how long we were going to be waiting. Well time passed (very very slowly as it does in airports) and 1pm arrived, huge crowds gathered around the display screens waiting for news and when it did flash up, all it said was more information at 4pm. Great another 3 hours. Some people went up to the information desk and at about this point rumours began to fly around the passengers on our flight; the plane is still at Sanford, the crew are all ill, theres a problem with one of the engines. No one knew what was happening which made it all the worse. When 4pm arrived and again the display simply changed to more information at 6pm people started to get very wound up (especially those with small children which was perfectly understandable as a group of adults we could entertain ourselves by browsing the shops, reading books etc, I have no idea how the people with babies and toddlers coped!)
It was becoming obvious we were not going to be flying that day; very upsetting for us all but wed rather that than being put on a faulty plane! Finally, at 9pm Air Atlanta made an announcement that we would not fly today, they were arranging for hotels to be found for us all and wed fly first thing Sunday morning. Those with young children were rounded up first and taken to the nearest hotel and gradually we were all taken away to various hotels around the airport. Our party ended up at the Crown Plaza hotel a very posh place with a very posh restaurant. Air Atlanta had arranged for everyone to be given a free hot meal so when we arrived the dining room was full of hungry people being given plates of chips and lasagne evidently the quickest thing they could rustle up. Our suitcases had been left at the airport so none of us had any change of underwear or clothes to sleep in. Never mind, at least we had a bed for the night. After spending the remainder of the evening in the bar, we went to bed (via a TV interlude of Match of the Day Scotts only high point of being delayed all night) disappointed that we werent in Florida but hopeful for the following day.
Sunday Sept 19th
We were all woken super early by the wake up calls arranged by Air Atlanta and re-convened in the dining room for breakfast (again free on behalf of Air Atlanta) which was very yummy indeed. We grabbed our stuff from the rooms (and one of the free copies of Independent on Sunday that was in the lobby) and were shown onto a coach for the 5 minute trip back to the terminal. After going through the baggage check again with many apologies from the employees for putting us through it again we were back in the departure lounge. When an announcement came over that our flight was now delayed until 1pm you could hear the collective groan from the entire room no one believed that we would actually fly then. When, finally, the announcement came over that our flight was now beginning to board there was a cheer from the whole room!
The plane looked awful from the outside and was obviously one that theyd found somewhere and dusted off to use, however as long as it got us to Orlando in one piece I didnt care! At this time I started to really panic as I do NOT like flying. Luckily my tub of Kalms was in my hand luggage and some were quickly thrown down my throat. I took the window seat (which I had requested for take off and landing as it helps calm me down seeing whats happening) and we all got settled in. As the plane taxied around I saw the remains of a burnt out 747 by the runway in an area obviously reserved for fire training surely they could have put that somewhere you dont go past as youre about to take off??? Finally, after a delay of 23 hours, we took off!
The flight was non-eventful. We spent our time looking out at the beautiful scenery below us, listening to music (me and Scott had invested in iPods before the trip so we wouldnt need to carry lots of CDs) and reading from the small branch of WH Smiths we had amassed between us during the hours in the departure lounge. Several hours (and a Harry Potter movie) later we touched down at Sanford (well, I say touched down, more like smashed down, I have never felt a plane hit tarmac with so much force before and neither had any of the others and Linda and Graham have taken hundreds of flights in their time.) However even with the bumpy landing there was still a huge cheer as we finally touched down. Walking out of the plane through the tunnel we felt that first blast of Florida heat. We got through customs quickly with only a few hold ups (Graham and Linda had extra questioning, me and Scott had it later after picking up our bags, Roger got through unscathed but had his hand luggage checked back in Manchester and was frisked there too.) Walking out into the Florida sunshine was like bliss after so many hours in airports and planes. Scott and Graham went off to get the cars and I watched lizards on the floor whilst trying to adjust to the burning heat. Our cars were great. Graham and Linda got a white Ford something or other (it was very big) whilst us young uns ended up with a 2 door silver Dodge Stratus coupe! We loaded up quickly and headed off south towards the timeshare at Summer Bay.
On our way south we hit a major traffic jam on the I4 but I wasnt all that bothered as it gave me more time to look around at all the new and strange things (driving on the right was quite frightening at first my only previous trip to the USA was with school so we used coaches all the way.) Florida seemed like another world with all the enormous cars and strange things by the side of the road (monster trucks, unfamiliar restaurants and signs for things Id only ever seen on TV.) Eventually we found our way through the traffic to Summer Bay and went to check in. After our no-show the previous day we were worried that we might have lost the room but the staff had contacted Travel City to find out what had happened and knew the flight had been delayed so the room was ours. As Graham booked us all in, Roger and Scott took me on a tour, the place is exactly how you picture paradise in your mind with the shimmering lake running up onto a sandy beach with palm trees all along. The pool was crystal clear and the hot tub looked relaxing and perfect for relaxing after a long day in the parks. We re-joined the others and found our apartment which was large and cool. Rooms were decided upon and suitcases left, with just a quick change of clothes we headed off to the next door Dennys for a much needed meal.
Id been told about Dennys for years; just say the word to Scott or Roger and their mouths begin to water at the thought of surf and turf! I joined the boys in this classic meal and, to be honest, couldnt see what all the fuss was about. Oh well. The dessert menu looked stunning although I really didnt feel up to it quite then, evidently some mild jetlag had set in. We finished up our meal and headed across to Publix to buy up some breakfast food, beers and a large supply of Oreos before returning to our apartment. A discussion was had over what to do the next day. Our original plan had been to spend the first full day in Florida relaxing but after losing out on a day we decided to head straight into the parks. I was asked which park Id like to do first but I yielded to the greater knowledge of the others as this was my first trip. It was decided that we would do Seaworld first as its a slightly gentler park to begin with and the others thought it might be a disappointment after a Disney park. We all headed up to bed knackered but happy wed finally arrived.
Friday Sept 17th
Scott went to work as normal whilst I double checked the lists to make sure we had everything packed that could be and got toiletries lined up in the bathroom ready to be shoved into a bag the following morning and hastily packed into our suitcases. In the evening Scotts parents (Linda and Graham) arrived with Roger in tow. The evening was spent double checking every passport, ticket and any other thing we could think of and constantly arranging and re-arranging them in piles on the coffee table. We all went to bed early as we had to be up early, I slept surprisingly well as I had expected to be awake all night with excitement.
Saturday Sept 18th
Finally the day had arrived for my first trip to Florida! We were up early to catch our 9am taxi from our house in Leeds to Manchester airport. The taxi arrived exactly on time and the driver remembered Scott and his parents from their last trip (two years ago we were impressed.) The journey was quick with no traffic jams or similar hold ups and we arrived at the airport in plenty of time to check in. As we unloaded our bags and suitcases from the taxi, the driver handed Linda a big bag of Campino sweets to say thanks for choosing their company for our journey and wished us well on our trip we were all really touched by this and made a mental note to use them every time we flew from Manchester!
When we arrived at the check in queue we got the first inkling that something was wrong. Before wed even joined the queue, an Air Atlanta employee handed us a letter explaining that there was a problem and that we wouldnt be taking off at 2pm as scheduled. They didnt know when we would take off but were told thered be more information at 1pm, for now we just had to check in as normal and go to the departure lounge, we were also each given a meal voucher to get some food as it wasnt known how long we were going to be waiting. Well time passed (very very slowly as it does in airports) and 1pm arrived, huge crowds gathered around the display screens waiting for news and when it did flash up, all it said was more information at 4pm. Great another 3 hours. Some people went up to the information desk and at about this point rumours began to fly around the passengers on our flight; the plane is still at Sanford, the crew are all ill, theres a problem with one of the engines. No one knew what was happening which made it all the worse. When 4pm arrived and again the display simply changed to more information at 6pm people started to get very wound up (especially those with small children which was perfectly understandable as a group of adults we could entertain ourselves by browsing the shops, reading books etc, I have no idea how the people with babies and toddlers coped!)
It was becoming obvious we were not going to be flying that day; very upsetting for us all but wed rather that than being put on a faulty plane! Finally, at 9pm Air Atlanta made an announcement that we would not fly today, they were arranging for hotels to be found for us all and wed fly first thing Sunday morning. Those with young children were rounded up first and taken to the nearest hotel and gradually we were all taken away to various hotels around the airport. Our party ended up at the Crown Plaza hotel a very posh place with a very posh restaurant. Air Atlanta had arranged for everyone to be given a free hot meal so when we arrived the dining room was full of hungry people being given plates of chips and lasagne evidently the quickest thing they could rustle up. Our suitcases had been left at the airport so none of us had any change of underwear or clothes to sleep in. Never mind, at least we had a bed for the night. After spending the remainder of the evening in the bar, we went to bed (via a TV interlude of Match of the Day Scotts only high point of being delayed all night) disappointed that we werent in Florida but hopeful for the following day.
Sunday Sept 19th
We were all woken super early by the wake up calls arranged by Air Atlanta and re-convened in the dining room for breakfast (again free on behalf of Air Atlanta) which was very yummy indeed. We grabbed our stuff from the rooms (and one of the free copies of Independent on Sunday that was in the lobby) and were shown onto a coach for the 5 minute trip back to the terminal. After going through the baggage check again with many apologies from the employees for putting us through it again we were back in the departure lounge. When an announcement came over that our flight was now delayed until 1pm you could hear the collective groan from the entire room no one believed that we would actually fly then. When, finally, the announcement came over that our flight was now beginning to board there was a cheer from the whole room!
The plane looked awful from the outside and was obviously one that theyd found somewhere and dusted off to use, however as long as it got us to Orlando in one piece I didnt care! At this time I started to really panic as I do NOT like flying. Luckily my tub of Kalms was in my hand luggage and some were quickly thrown down my throat. I took the window seat (which I had requested for take off and landing as it helps calm me down seeing whats happening) and we all got settled in. As the plane taxied around I saw the remains of a burnt out 747 by the runway in an area obviously reserved for fire training surely they could have put that somewhere you dont go past as youre about to take off??? Finally, after a delay of 23 hours, we took off!
The flight was non-eventful. We spent our time looking out at the beautiful scenery below us, listening to music (me and Scott had invested in iPods before the trip so we wouldnt need to carry lots of CDs) and reading from the small branch of WH Smiths we had amassed between us during the hours in the departure lounge. Several hours (and a Harry Potter movie) later we touched down at Sanford (well, I say touched down, more like smashed down, I have never felt a plane hit tarmac with so much force before and neither had any of the others and Linda and Graham have taken hundreds of flights in their time.) However even with the bumpy landing there was still a huge cheer as we finally touched down. Walking out of the plane through the tunnel we felt that first blast of Florida heat. We got through customs quickly with only a few hold ups (Graham and Linda had extra questioning, me and Scott had it later after picking up our bags, Roger got through unscathed but had his hand luggage checked back in Manchester and was frisked there too.) Walking out into the Florida sunshine was like bliss after so many hours in airports and planes. Scott and Graham went off to get the cars and I watched lizards on the floor whilst trying to adjust to the burning heat. Our cars were great. Graham and Linda got a white Ford something or other (it was very big) whilst us young uns ended up with a 2 door silver Dodge Stratus coupe! We loaded up quickly and headed off south towards the timeshare at Summer Bay.
On our way south we hit a major traffic jam on the I4 but I wasnt all that bothered as it gave me more time to look around at all the new and strange things (driving on the right was quite frightening at first my only previous trip to the USA was with school so we used coaches all the way.) Florida seemed like another world with all the enormous cars and strange things by the side of the road (monster trucks, unfamiliar restaurants and signs for things Id only ever seen on TV.) Eventually we found our way through the traffic to Summer Bay and went to check in. After our no-show the previous day we were worried that we might have lost the room but the staff had contacted Travel City to find out what had happened and knew the flight had been delayed so the room was ours. As Graham booked us all in, Roger and Scott took me on a tour, the place is exactly how you picture paradise in your mind with the shimmering lake running up onto a sandy beach with palm trees all along. The pool was crystal clear and the hot tub looked relaxing and perfect for relaxing after a long day in the parks. We re-joined the others and found our apartment which was large and cool. Rooms were decided upon and suitcases left, with just a quick change of clothes we headed off to the next door Dennys for a much needed meal.
Id been told about Dennys for years; just say the word to Scott or Roger and their mouths begin to water at the thought of surf and turf! I joined the boys in this classic meal and, to be honest, couldnt see what all the fuss was about. Oh well. The dessert menu looked stunning although I really didnt feel up to it quite then, evidently some mild jetlag had set in. We finished up our meal and headed across to Publix to buy up some breakfast food, beers and a large supply of Oreos before returning to our apartment. A discussion was had over what to do the next day. Our original plan had been to spend the first full day in Florida relaxing but after losing out on a day we decided to head straight into the parks. I was asked which park Id like to do first but I yielded to the greater knowledge of the others as this was my first trip. It was decided that we would do Seaworld first as its a slightly gentler park to begin with and the others thought it might be a disappointment after a Disney park. We all headed up to bed knackered but happy wed finally arrived.
thats the last thing i would have wanted to see on take-off 
