Virgin Check in @ Downtown Disney

[Pinklepurr361]

Hi

We are hoping to use this facility and wondered about a few of things;

1. If you are staying off-site, can you still use this facility?
2. Do you need a valid park pass to go into Downtown Disney or is it free?
3. We will be flying home UC, is there a separate check-in to save worrying about queues?
4. I assume that suitcases are taken off us at this time, but we will probably have quite a lot of hand-luggage too (2 adults + 2 kids) which we don't particularly want to lug about all day. Is there somewhere where it can be stored for collection later in the day?

Thanks

PP

 

[saratogagirl]

Hi
I will try to answer as best I can
If you are staying off site, yes you can use this facility.
You will not need a pass to get into Downtown Disney, this area requries no ticket, the check in area is located in the West Side area, to the back of the Virgin megastore.
There is a seperate check in for Upper Class
As far as I am aware there is no storage area for he hand luggage, I am sure that someone will correct me if I am wrong, we normally just leave ours in the boot of the car, carry valuables with us ..

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Re hand luggage, it really depends on what you are proposing to do.

if you are going to visit a park, AFAIR you can rent a locker to put the luggage in, I am not so sure that Downtown Disney has them, though I seem to recall some lockers under the Pleasure Island stairs, next to the toilets and lift to the main stage (anybody?)

if you have your own car then just leave them in the trunk.

We use DD Check in and we stay at our own villa (yes as UC their is a separate line, but they don't seem to have the purple boarding cards there for some reason, this has caused us some amusement when queuing on the red carpet to board the plane and the sniffy check in girl says "this line is for UC you know" so we cahnge them at the desk when we get to MCO) but we keep the large Slazenger cricket bag with us for putting in little 'uns car seat etc and just check that in when we get to MCO as there is a seperate UC line at MCO check in. Hand luggage never a problem as we keep it in the trunk.

 

[Pinklepurr361]

Thanks for your replies.

Yes, we have our own car so we can leave non-valuables in the boot. I wasn't sure if that would be safe enough but I guess it will be OK.

Excuse my ignorance, but are you saying we get purple coloured boarding passes for UC to differentiate when boarding from those travelling in PE and E? Also, for example, if we go on a shopping spree on our last day, we can check any extra luggage in at MCO even though we've checked our other bags in earlier in the day? If so, that sounds great especially if we can go straight to the UC desk and no have to stand in line!

Sorry, but this will be our first trip and I want to make sure I know exactly what we should be doing.

PP

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Thanks for your replies.

Excuse my ignorance, but are you saying we get purple coloured boarding passes for UC to differentiate when boarding from those travelling in PE and E? Also, for example, if we go on a shopping spree on our last day, we can check any extra luggage in at MCO even though we've checked our other bags in earlier in the day? If so, that sounds great especially if we can go straight to the UC desk and no have to stand in line!

Sorry, but this will be our first trip and I want to make sure I know exactly what we should be doing.

PP

Yes, thye econ and PE get red edged baording cards, UC get purple. Purple is the UC colour used in various places.
Yes, you can check extra bags at MCO after checking your main bags in at DD.

As its your first trip, are you doing UC both ways? and which airport Manchester or Gatwick?

 

[Pinklepurr361]

We're doing E out and UC back but depending on finances nearer the time we may upgrade the outbound flight too. We're flying from LGW. Any tips? Is there an UC lounge at MCO?

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

We're doing E out and UC back but depending on finances nearer the time we may upgrade the outbound flight too. We're flying from LGW. Any tips? Is there an UC lounge at MCO?

It depends on how many miles you have in your account but you may be able to upgrade at the airport.

Virgin's LGW clubhouse is the best at the airport, with hot and cold food, free drinks of all types, beauty treatments (book ahead) a cinema, a games room, a tv room, a computer room a library/smoking room (though this will go in June) a shoe shine man.

At MCO Virgin share the lounge along with BA funnily enough, the Delta Airlines Crown room in terminal B after security and the mini tram, it's a haven of piece and quiet and you get free drinks, but not a lot else.
As they do not serve food there nor let you bring food in, we always eat at McCoys restaraunt at the Airport Hyatt hotel before going to the lounge.
http://orlandoairport.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/entertainment/restaurants/index.jsp

At MCO unlike the bear pit which is LGW gate, they have a separate red carpet section for UC pax, PE (I think) and AU card holders to board first.
On board, you will be blown away with the UC cabin, only 14 seats and completly different to the back of the plane. it is said by meany that once you have "turned left" when entering the aircraft you won't want to turn right ever again!
There is nothing like the feeling when you take off reclined in your seat (none of this "seats in an upright position" for UC pax) with your feet up.
Once you have eaten, you can change into your VS supplied Pijamas (you can take them home with you, I use mine all the time!) and your seat is converted into a 6feet long bed, complete with pillows and duvet, or you can sit at the UC bar (yes, I said bar, with bar stools) and drink whatever you want.
An hour before landing, your hot breakfast (which you order from the menu before sleeping) is supplied to you and the bed converted back into a seat.
When you get back into LGW don't forget that now Virgin share US Airways revivals lounge where you can get freshened up, have a shower and something to eat before heading home.

Any other questions, just ask

 

[Pinklepurr361]

Our kids will be 8 and 6 at the time of travel so I don't think we'll be eligible to use the lounge unfortunately.

This will be our first long haul trip with the children, although we have done quite a lot of short haul flights and my DH insisted that if we have to fly overnight, we may as well do it in style and comfort! I can't help but think we are being very extravagent but I know I am going to have such a grin on my face when I turn left onto the plane instead of right!

We've never flown Virgin before so don't belong to any clubs etc so do you recommend joining one, or can we still ask for an upgrade on the outbound and just have our credit card handy!

Sorry for all the questions!

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

this is the joy with Virgin (well, except Manchester, but that is down to the fact that they use other peoples lounges and Manchester has for a B & s airport a downer on children) that they CAN go in the lounge!
my son is five and has been in Virgin clubhouses since he was, well 3 months old. Its not a problem either at Gatwick or Orlando. If you are flying econ out I think you may be able to buy access to the LGW clubhouse, you can phone Flying Club when you join (Its free by the way and gives you 10% discount off Virgin Holidays) and check.

Yes, join Virgins Flying Club at this url, https://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/frequentflyer/joinnow/index.jsp

you will earn 2,168 miles in Economy per person out in economy and a further 8,762 miles on the way back, giving you some 10,930 miles per person you can use to upgrade next flight with Virgin either under miles plus money (basically a discount for the price) or upgrade from one class to another, i.e. per person round trip Economy to Premium economy is 20,000 miles

and you can now per person buy 25,000 miles per annum to use on upgrades or other items.

children under a certain age cannot be members of the Flying Club but you can use your milesto spend on them.

You can buy upgrades with your credit card if they are available on the day. these may be quite expensive compared to upgrading. I have never done it so its a grey areas with me

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Oh I forgot to ask, who have yoiu booked with? if its direct with VA, you can pre book your UC seats on the web site when you are a FC member. if its withs omeone like Virgin holidays, you can get the bookingb ref from them and choose your seats.
I would suggest, as you have two little 'un with you, that you try and get 6A & 6K for them (right at the pionty bit with no pax in fromnt and 7A & 7K for you two, as this is the next seats along. All these are the furthest away from the bar as well.

 

[Ric]

Yep - go for 6A,6K,7A and 7K. It's a nice family unit. I can confirm that kids are allowed in the lounges if travelling UC. I think the age restriction applies if you're trying to book the clubhouse separately (as mentioned on VH web site). You'll love UC. It feels a bit weird taking off since you're sitting on a diagonal but that sensation disappears once you're in the air. Recline that seat, put your feet up and enjoy your own little world. Our children loved it. It's going to be hard flying anything else now.

 

[Pinklepurr361]

Thanks everyone for your advice.

I have now joined the Virgin frequent flyer club as suggested and I have made a note in my diary to pre-book the seat numbers as soon as it is possible to do so. We've booked with Virgin Holidays and have a booking reference number. It's good news about the lounges, if I hadn't of asked here then I wouldn't have known!

Thanks again

PP

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Thanks everyone for your advice.

I have now joined the Virgin frequent flyer club as suggested and I have made a note in my diary to pre-book the seat numbers as soon as it is possible to do so. We've booked with Virgin Holidays and have a booking reference number. It's good news about the lounges, if I hadn't of asked here then I wouldn't have known!

Thanks again

PP

PP, The Virgin web site is having a few problems at the moment (mainly due to the new flight times changing) but go on in a few days, You will neeed to register a password and name to your FF card account, then go to "Update bookings" and put in the Booking reference and the flight number and date (of your outward flight) and you can then reserve the seats you want.
If that still does not work, contact the Flying Club for your reference
They have just added a cute countdown to your flight(s) telling you how long before you fly.
Any problems, just ask

Oh! just one thing more, each adult needs to individually join the FFC to get their miles.

 

[Ric]

I have now joined the Virgin frequent flyer club as suggested and I have made a note in my diary to pre-book the seat numbers as soon as it is possible to do so.

Once you've booked your seats I would keep checking they're still allocated from time-to-time. We reserved ours at the earliest opportunity yet when we came to check-in online we were presented with a totally different set of seats! Luckily we were still able to re-reserve the ones we wanted. I'm told this can happen if some aspect of the original flight is changed. I never found out what the cause was in our case.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Wev'e had it happen a couple of times when the flight times have changed slightly and the computer re allocates the seats, which is why I am keeping an eye on the Virgin web site at the moment with its "problems"
the other is that if they have any disabled UC pax, they do give them the 6A & 6K seats sometimes. Not really sure why in that case as its the farthest from the toilets and the bar...

 

[Ric]

I think something about the seating arrangement on our outward flight must have changed since we later met a family who were on the same flight and had a slightly different problem...their entire row of pre-allocated seats didn't even exist!

Seriously, though, the thing that fooled us was that the booking summary always quoted our original seats (and I checked a lot). It was only when we came to perform the online checkin that we discovered what had happened. I suspect if I had gone into the actual seating map each time then I might have seen something different. There seems to be a disconnect between the summary and the actual seat allocation. Even when I phoned VS they had us down for the original seats. Bizarre.