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Old 11 May 19, 08:49 PM  
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gjdjud
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HEY MICKEY YOU'RE SO FINE,YOU'RE SO FINE YOU BLOW MY..MONEY. MAY 2019 Travel Day.

TRAVEL DAY AND CHECK IN AT PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER

INDEX

It was a very restless sleep for us all. Nothing to do with the quality of the beds. The beds at the Premier Inn were fine but I think a combination of being over tired and excitement caused us all issues. My biggest problem was having one measly pillow as the kids and Kelly nabbed the extra ones. Lily’s constant fidgeting and someone else’s non stop snoring didn’t help matters. We had a few noisy neighbors as well.

I think I was wide awake by 5am and I’m pretty sure Kelly was as well. I felt like I’d been out on the lash when I woke up. Later on I needed some aspirin for a headache which was unusual for me. By 5.30am I think we were all awake. The mood amongst us was good but I could tell we were all awake too early. There was no chance we were going to get back to sleep especially when Evie was talking about a friend of hers. She meant to say she “picks and chooses” but Evie said she “pickens” like she was and 18th Century British sailor which had us in hysterics for ages.

By 6.30am I had showered and changed and was on to going through my hand luggage for the umpteenth time. We were all ready by 7.30am which was really way too early. An anxious Evie really wanted to get going so we were out the hotel by 7.45am. We couldn’t even get into the V-Room until 10am. I had a feeling that Kelly’s favourite “I told you so” would be making an appearance within an hour.

Overall the Premier Inn was fine and very convenient and I’d definitely consider staying again the night before but I’d bring another pillow or 4.

It was a short 5 minute walk to the departure area in The North(remember GOT style).





Security looked busy but I was pretty sure that with the V Room we got Premium Security access which we did. We showed our boarding cards and were into security with the person checking our passes telling us to tell Mickey Mouse off for stepping on his foot last time he went.

The security were very good with Evie, asking us if she’d be ok without her cane while they scanned it etc. Lily had gotten a beep when she went through the scanner so had to go through a full body scanner. They were good with her as well and showed her on the screen that it was her Mouse Ears that set it off!

We were all done without too much bother and now had about an hour and a half to kill before we could go through to the V-Room. Kelly had her hindsight face well prepared for the inevitable. We found some seats and re-adjusted our hand luggage just making sure we had put everything away properly as I tend to rush and get flustered

I wanted to get some new headphones so we headed to Dixon’s(I didn’t know they still existed). I wish I could say I was buying a super expensive state of the art ones but alas no. A whole £25 lighter we were on our way to pick up some sandwiches for the flight.

We didn’t have much confidence in the plane food so we thought we better get some sandwiches in case. We tried WH Smith’s but nothing grabbed us so we walked all the way over to the other end of The North to go to Boots. It was heaving in there so I think we panick bought our provisions.

We found some seats but we still had over an hour to kill. Evie by 9am was moaning saying we should have stayed in the room. Kelly’s face lit up like she had won the lottery as she got her “I told you so” out.

After a little moseying around it was finally 10am so we headed to the V-Room. On the way the info boards were showing our flight was scheduled to be on time at 1pm.

I was expecting a queue for the V-Room but we got straight in. The lady who checked us in said she’d get us a pre boarding warning so we could get on the plane early so it would be less stressful for Evie. The start of lots of amazing service by Virgin all day.

Just before 12 noon, a lady came to find us to tell us we could head down to the gate. We were off like a shot to find the gate which was unfortunately all the way over the other side of The North. We saw our plane. It was the aptly named Tinkerbell.



When we got to the gate it wasn’t open yet. There was no one else there but as we were a special assistance booking they checked our boarding passes and passports and let us through and told us to wait by the seats just before the gangway to the plane. All very friendly and very good at giving us exact info. They said it would be a couple of minutes before we could go on which is exactly what happened.



We headed straight upstairs to the Bubble and “Dibbers Row.” Very soon after getting on, one of the cabin crew came over with tablet for Evie that was set up for people that were Visually Impaired.



Several other cabin crew came over to check if we needed anything. It was all really good. One of the cabin crew even took the girls to the cockpit to meet the pilots(before takeoff) which was brilliant for the girls.





I didn’t think they did this anymore especially as the pilots were busy getting ready for the flight. Before they did the safety demonstration they brought the equipment round for Evie to look as well.

As luck would have it the two seats next to me were unoccupied. They had it on the system that they were taken but a few of the cabin crew made a point of telling us if they were no shows then one of the girls could join me in my row. Luckily for us they were no shows so Lily took the window seat. We now had the two back rows with a spare seat in each in the middle. Lovely.

It was scheduled to leave at 1pm but it was about 1.45pm when we actually took off due to a delay when another plane hit some birds when taking off. I hoped they meant the feathered variety not the kind of “birds” most pilots are interested in They did say we had a good chance of making the time up and that we’d land around 5pm local time. Take off was eventful in that the cupboard door containing loads of bags popped open at take off which caused most of the bubble to ≈≈≈≈ themselves as a suitcase fell down hard to the floor which made a really loud noise.

The flight really dragged. I find it difficult to watch too much although it didn’t stop me being snappy every time Kelly tapped my shoulder. I didn’t mean to do that to be honest. I started Aquaman but got bored after 10 minutes. I managed the latest episode of Billions and watched a specially altered version of the Game Of Thrones latest series, episode 3, The Battle Of Winterfell. It had the lighting altered so it was much easier to watch. Absolutely amazing and one of the best episodes of tv ever. I also watched an old favourite of mine, Inception. I was told never watch something on a plane you’ve never seen as it’s to difficult to concentrate. I love a bit of the Skymap so gave that a good watch. Is it sad that I get excited when I see Titanic on the map? Anyone else know what Kelvin Seamounts are?

The food choice was really poor and Kelly, Lily and I all declined it. We had the sandwiches we bought with us. I ate way too many Haribos for a 43 year old man. Evie did want the plane food and she asked for the pasta but they ran out so they bought her a meal from Premium economy which was Teriyaki Chicken which she enjoyed.

Evie was her terrible self regarding the toilet and must have gone about 15 times. Lily was good and only went a couple of times. I thought I’d dawn the short straw by having Lily next to me as that girl can talk like you wouldn’t believe but she was very good.



Drinks were frequently brought round which was nice as on the last few flights you only seemed to get when you asked.

After what seemed forever we finally made our approach to Orlando where we landed at 5.05pm local time about on schedule. We were a little concerned about getting our wheelie cases as they had been in the cupboard at the back with loads of other cases on top but thankfully the cabin crew got them out for us. We were held back while PE and first class on the lower deck were let off but then we were next and off really quickly making sure we thanked the cabin crew for their brilliant service. It would be hard to fly with anyone else now.

The heat hit us straight away as we went towards immigration. My worst fears started to appear as were filtered into a crowd of people coming from a flight from Glasgow. A Norwegian flight was also in Immigration. I thought this was going to be a long one. As we walked though one of the Immigration Officers saw Evies cane and directed us to straight through to Row A bypassing all the queues! I hate to come across as us using Evie’s visual impairment but they did direct us there with no prompting by us.

We were through in minutes but then waited awhile for the luggage. To be fair, passengers that we know were behind us of the plane soon passed us with their luggage while we waited.

Now the next dreaded bit. 4 cases and hand luggage. There was no way we were going to do the second bag drop so struggled up to escalators which actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It did bring a bit of a sweat on though! We jumped straight on the monorail without any wait.

We headed over to A side as we needed to pick up the $200 giftcard from the Virgin desk. I couldn’t remember where it was exactly so had to look at my paperwork. It was level one near luggage carousel 8a. We found it fairly easily after getting a lift down and it was a quick process to collect.

Next back onto the lift down to The Tunnel level to collect the car. Through the Tunnel and back on a lift up to the Alamo level still wheeling the cases. Hot and sweaty! Once we found the garage I found someone to direct us to the full size SUV line as I know they had to give us the keys for a Full-size. He promptly took us to the standard line and walked off. I knew instantly that wasn’t correct so we had to wheel the cases back. I found another attendant who apologised for the mix up and went to get us some keys. I asked if had a Ford Expedition. He returned and apologised that he didn’t have one so gave me a free upgrade to a Chevy Suburban! Result. I couldn’t believe the size of it!



I wanted to spend a few minutes getting my self sorted but could feel Kelly getting impatient as she was waiting outside the car as she couldn’t get in as the gap between cars wasn’t big enough and she was in a huff about being sweaty and hot. The long day was starting to take its toll.

I connected my phone to the Android Auto installed in the car and the display was the same as in my car at home so I got the Port Orleans address sorted via google Maps and we were off once we passed through the checkout and had my licence checked and credit card swiped. We left the garage at 6.30pm after landing about 5.10pm so not bad at all. I hoped to be at Port Orleans about 7pm in my planning and that’s exactly what the sat nav said.

The car was a beast and it took a few minutes to get used to it and I requested silence from the girls for the first little while. Once we got going it was really straightforward. There was a little traffic on the I4 but we got straight through to the Disney area very comfortably.



I did take a wrong turn near the end which added a few minutes to the drive. A few words were said but it had been a long day. I was starting to feel very tired just as we drove into the resort.

It was great to finally drive in. We parked up and went to check in.



The resort looked lovely and it felt much more to our liking than Riverside. If I’m honest I don’t think I soaked it in as we were all really tired. Thankfully it was fairly quiet and check In was quick and straightforward. We were asked if we wanted to opt out of mousekeeping for a $50 giftcard but we wanted to keep it. We were shown our room on the map which was a ground floor room in block 2. It looked very close by. We also got our Magic Bands.



We headed back to the car to get our bags. I switched out of the parking space reserved for check in to a disabled bay once I displayed our disabled temporary parking permit.

There was no one around to help take our bags which was a bit annoying so we wheeled them over ourselves. Thankfully it wasn’t far at all and we had a great corner room location on the first floor a stones throws away from the pool and food court.



The room was lovely. It was absolutely freezing though with the air con on full blast which we will appreciate later on in the holiday. As normal the room was a mess approximately 30 seconds after we entered.



Me and the girls wanted to have a look around the resort but I think Kelly would have preferred a shower and a sit down so again a few tired words were said. We did head off and had a quick mosey around. The pool looked great and I think the girls wanted to go in but to be honest me and Kelly were too tired to deal with that this evening.



We headed into the food court to have a look.



Our first Disney eats!

It was about 7.45pm and so it was fairly busy. Not too bad though. We initially popped in to get our refil mugs but I fancied eating and so did Evie so we all ended up eating.

A much smaller food court than Riverside it still took awhile to decide where we’d eat. It’s the sort of place that once you’d ordered you see something else that you wished you’d gone for instead! Kelly saw several things.

The are several different sections you go to order from ranging from burgers to pizza and pasta etc. There is a bakery bit as well but if I’m being honest I was half asleep!









Kelly and Evie both got bacon cheeseburgers which came with a choice of two sides. Both chose fries and slaw. Nice big fat chips which I’d not seen at Disney before. Both enjoyed their burgers.



Lily went for a kids Mac and cheese. She chose a cookie and grapes as her two sides. She loved the Mac and cheese.



I went for something different but I’d had my eye on it for ages. The Beignet Burger. This was delicious. Not sure I’d get it again but I’m pleased I tried it. Think a burger with donuts as the buns. Sorry I’m not more descriptive but like I said I was half asleep.



We also asked to switch the drinks for snack credits which was fine on the adult meals but we were unable to this on a kids q/s meal. I also asked if we could eats our mains first and get the snack credits after. This was fine and she wrote it on the receipt.

When we went back we chose a cookie, Mickey Ears brownie and an Aladdin cupcake. If I’m being honest not all of those have been eaten yet!



Overall not to bad at all

4 q/s credits used.

Once done we headed back to the room. Lily was asleep in minutes and Kelly really wanted to get organised and squared away which again caused a few tired words but I’m guessing that’s understandable after such a long day where we’d all been awake for nearly 24 hours.

We got settled as best we could and were in bed about 9.45pm. 10 minutes later I had a panic attack thinking I wasn’t given a parking permit for the car. I rushed down to reception to get one and put in the car. Turns out they don’t do that anymore! Wasted trip but nice to see the resort at night and it was fairly busy still.

So the end of what I’d consider a pretty successful travel day!

THANKS FOR READING!

Edited at 04:51 PM.
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Old 11 May 19, 09:54 PM  
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katnav
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Great travel day. Love seeing the pictures of FQ, so excited for our stay in August.
It's very understandable with the pressure and stresses of travel day to have a few words at various points (I know we certainly do)
Such a lovely feeling to be finally there. Enjoy
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Old 11 May 19, 10:08 PM  
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Thrilled to hear the flight went smoothly.

I’m always like Kelly at the hire car garage, I just want to get going, but obviously as the driver the OH needs to get acquainted with the car. That car is a beast by the way!

I really am so happy you guys are back, I hope you’re having a wonderful time. Crazy to believe after all that planning you are there right now living the dream.

I’m like Kelly, I need to get everything in the room sorted before I can go to bed no matter how shattered I am.

Lovely to hear from you, hope you've had a marvellous Saturday.
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Old 11 May 19, 10:20 PM  
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Great to hear that both the airport staff and the flight crew were so helpful. Sounds like a successful, if long, travel day - I found the flight dragged this time too. Bit of a bonus about the empty seats next to you too.

Your car looks huge!

Hope you've had a great first day and don't wake up too early tomorrow.
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Old 11 May 19, 10:47 PM  
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Hope you have a wonderful time , enjoying reading along
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Old 11 May 19, 10:54 PM  
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Aaah travel day, always a long day and ‘words’ had between many a couple I bet 😉
Glad you arrived safely, you can relax and enjoy every minute now 🙂
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Old 11 May 19, 11:06 PM  
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Glad to see about the airport/airline staff being so good with Evie.

Travel day is always stressy but you’ve got lots of fun days ahead of you.

Great start doing the 2 reports.

Oh, and enjoy driving your monster truck
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Old 12 May 19, 07:49 AM  
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JenD1
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‘Words’ on travel day are inevitable. Nerves, excitement then tiredness. I’m now following from our holiday in Edinburgh 😀 Hope you get some sleep and aren’t awake too early (I bet you are).
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Old 12 May 19, 08:19 AM  
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Glad the trip went so smoothly, now you can relax a bit and enjoy!
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Old 12 May 19, 09:22 AM  
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gjdjud
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Originally Posted by katnav View Post
Great travel day. Love seeing the pictures of FQ, so excited for our stay in August.
It's very understandable with the pressure and stresses of travel day to have a few words at various points (I know we certainly do)
Such a lovely feeling to be finally there. Enjoy
Thank you. Honestly we are loving POFQ so far.

Originally Posted by collybird View Post
Thrilled to hear the flight went smoothly.

I’m always like Kelly at the hire car garage, I just want to get going, but obviously as the driver the OH needs to get acquainted with the car. That car is a beast by the way!

I really am so happy you guys are back, I hope you’re having a wonderful time. Crazy to believe after all that planning you are there right now living the dream.

I’m like Kelly, I need to get everything in the room sorted before I can go to bed no matter how shattered I am.

Lovely to hear from you, hope you've had a marvellous Saturday.
Thank you for reading I knew full well we’d be up early the next morning so we should have sorted everything then. The car is beastly bu t great!

Originally Posted by mrsdjh View Post
Great to hear that both the airport staff and the flight crew were so helpful. Sounds like a successful, if long, travel day - I found the flight dragged this time too. Bit of a bonus about the empty seats next to you too.

Your car looks huge!

Hope you've had a great first day and don't wake up too early tomorrow.
Thank you for reading. A good travel day looking back. Virgin were great. Unfortunately not so successful with the sleep.

Originally Posted by Mexy02 View Post
Hope you have a wonderful time , enjoying reading along
Thank you. Notes have been done for day 1 but unsure when I will get round to doing it though.

Originally Posted by Floridafour View Post
Aaah travel day, always a long day and ‘words’ had between many a couple I bet 😉
Glad you arrived safely, you can relax and enjoy every minute now 🙂
I think we’ve had worse in regards to “words”

Originally Posted by SuziQz View Post
Glad to see about the airport/airline staff being so good with Evie.

Travel day is always stressy but you’ve got lots of fun days ahead of you.

Great start doing the 2 reports.

Oh, and enjoy driving your monster truck
Thanks for reading. I was really surprised by the effort Virgin made

Enjoying the vehicle so far

Originally Posted by JenD1 View Post
‘Words’ on travel day are inevitable. Nerves, excitement then tiredness. I’m now following from our holiday in Edinburgh 😀 Hope you get some sleep and aren’t awake too early (I bet you are).
You guessed correct thanks for reading

Originally Posted by GezzasGem View Post
Glad the trip went so smoothly, now you can relax a bit and enjoy!
Definitely relaxing and enjoying so far just struggling with sleep but that will come.
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