Aimee and Lauren's Split Year Split Stay Part One- February 2016- Intro and Travel Day

[xAimeex]

Hello! I've finally started this report! Sorry for the delay, hope you enjoy reading! There's a slightly boring intro first so do feel free to skip through to travel day! I accidently uploaded this before I'd edited and added in emoticons! Hopefully it reads ok! I'm such a technophobe, this is why Lauren is in charge of our Instagram hehe. (If I had enough image space left I'd be adding an embarrassed smilie in here! Hehe).


Trip Report Index here!


Intro


The Cast-


Jill and Sean in the back (AKA Mum and Dad) and Lauren and I! I think this is the only photo I took of all of us together this trip!




Welcome to Part 1 of my 2016 trip report! We're incredibly lucky (and broke!) to be doing a split stay this year...with a difference.


The 2 parts of our split stay are 6 months apart!


If you read my last report you'll know we came back from 5 nights at Universal Studios just over a month ago! The 'second half' of our split stay will be in Disney this summer.


We've always dreamed of going for 3 weeks and having enough time to really explore the Universal parks and Disney as well! We squeezed all 6 parks (not including water parks) into 13 nights last summer which was amazing but we definitely felt like we could have used more time especially at Universal!


This year we'll finally manage to do that!


The Universal trip in this report was actually never meant to happen. Lauren and I had booked the Disney trip way back in April last year before our August 2015 trip and hadn't really planned Universal in to it.


However when we came home last August we knew we desperately wanted to return to Universal to properly do it justice!


We'd been toying with the idea of maybe going for February half term while we were still out there in August. It sort of started as a bit of a fantasy really.


However when we returned and Mum and Dad got wind of our idea they told us they really fancied visiting Universal as they had heard how much fun Lauren and I had there in 2015!


They visited Islands of Adventure with us in 2010 to see Hogsmeade but had yet to see Diagon Alley!


Lauren and I had already had a sneaky look on the Travel City Direct site and knew that their prices for February half term were not too crazy.


We were messing around with dates within the half term week and soon realised it was going to be a lot cheaper to fly out on the Sunday and return after 5 nights!


We discussed whether that was completely insane! I mean who would fly all that way for 5 nights?!


It turns out that we would! We've done Disney in a week before and with Universal only consisting of 2 parks it started to seem a little less mad!


We knew we wanted to stay in one of the onsite hotels as we'd loved the early entry and express passes in 2015!


Our first choice was Royal Pacific Resort as we loved it there in 2015 but it wasn't available for the dates we wanted.


With Mum and Dad now joining us on the trip we began looking at the Cabana Bay family suites.


These have a small kitchenette area and a small 'lounge' area behind a divider screen. The beds are both within the same area though.


As the family suites don't offer a separate sleeping area anyway we decided we might as well price up Hard Rock Hotel as well as this would offer the benefit of express passes and we knew how invaluable these could be! Especially as this trip would fall during half term and the first full day would be Presidents Day!


We decided that if we were to stay at Cabana Bay we'd probably buy express passes for Presidents Day and the day after as we found the Tuesday after Memorial Day in May to be busier than the Monday!


Taking that additional cost into the equation HRH would only cost around Ł100 more per person and we'd have express passes for the entire trip!


At Ł797 per person for direct Virgin flights and 5 nights in a garden view room at Hard Rock Hotel including express passes we really couldn't argue! It also included car hire but as we don't drive out there (and Universal hotels charge $20 a night parking!) we just didn't collect the car.


We did have a lot of discussions about all sharing one room. We've done 1 night stays all together but 5 nights was a fair bit longer.


We came to the conclusion that it really wouldn't be an issue. With the parks so close by we'd really only be in the room to sleep and if we did need a break from each other the lobby at HRH is beautiful and has loads of seating and free wifi!


It didn't take us long to decide to book! Lauren and I had only been back for 3 days when we put down the deposit!


Our dates were 14th-19th February. We flew out on the Sunday of half term and left Orlando on the Friday night arriving back in the UK early Saturday morning! This was actually nice in a way as it meant we had time at either end of the holiday to prepare/recover hehe.


The flights were a delta code share which I think is why we got such a good price! The only difference we found was that we had a different flight number to the usual VS... number other than that literally everything else was the same!


We played chicken for a while about booking seats. We really debated not paying but as the seat map filled up we decided to give in and pay the Ł200! We'd missed bubble seats by this point but we managed to get a row downstairs with an exit behind so we'd be able to recline at least. We were quite glad we booked them in the end as on the way out there were only 4 seats free on the whole plane and 2 of those were seat plus bookings.


The countdown to the trip went surprisingly quickly with the huge distraction of Christmas in the middle of it!


Before we knew it we were in single digits! The week before we went ended up being a little stressful as the little one I look after came down with a bug.


Poor little thing was full of cough and cold and feverish. We had a very quiet week at home but I was really worried about catching it!


Obviously that's the last thing you want on holiday (especially such a short one). I also have asthma and my chest can get really wheezy (Lauren has refused to share a room with me once before in Italy because of it hehe) so the thought of catching a cough and keeping everyone up all night was playing on my mind.


I took every precaution I could think of! I took vitamin c and zinc tablets. I used Vicks first defence spray every 4 hours while I was at work (this stuff is amazing and I believe it was this that kept the cold away!) I drank water and orange juice by the litre. I washed my hands constantly. I was in bed by 9 every night (I'm never in bed before midnight). I took my brown steroid inhaler just to give my lungs a bit of extra back up. Voice rest when my throat started to feel sore. Anything I thought might keep me healthy, I did it!


I'm pleased to say it all worked and I didn't even get a sniffle! Phew!


Thankfully the little one was on the mend ready for half term too!


I don't work on Friday's so luckily had a couple of days before we left to get sorted as I literally did no holiday prep in the evenings so all my washing/ironing etc was left rather last minute but I was just glad not to be ill!


That brings us up to day 0! As with last year I'm not going to dedicate a separate day to it as it was a fairly boring pre-travel day.


We all had to pack so the majority of the morning was spent undertaking that task! We were only taking 3 suitcases between the 4 of us as we didn't really need more than that for 5 nights.


Mum took a small hand luggage suitcase and Dad and Lauren took backpacks.


I was using a really cute Minnie Mouse weekend bag from Primark despite the fact that this was a non Disney trip. I needed an excuse to use it and this seemed as good a time as any! The only downside was I bundle packed basically all my clothes for the week into it and it was really heavy to carry (although only 6kg in weight! I normally take the full 10kg allowance).


We avoided any repeats of the missing ant powder drama of 2015 (see last year’s trip report!) thankfully! The biggest 'drama' this year was Lauren accidentally ordering our dominos takeaway to be delivered straight away at 4 rather than at 5:30 hehe first world problems I know! It was fine though we ate what we could when it arrived and saved the rest for a little later when we were more hungry!


Our original plan for the night had been to watch Forrest Gump (in preparation for the trivia quiz at Bubba Gumps) but it had been deleted off the planner so Lauren and I watched Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone! We've seen it a hundred times but it never ever gets old and it felt very appropriate considering where we'd be spending the next few days!


I think that brings us nicely to Day 1! Again sorry for the slightly boring rambling above! Hopefully it'll get a little more interesting from here on in!



Day 1- Sunday 14th February- Travel Day


Valentine’s Day was the last thing on our minds today as it was finally travel day!


We all went to bed around 11 the night before. The alarm was set for 6:30 but I woke up around 6. I was too excited to go back to sleep!


The first thing I did was check the traffic news to see how the roads were. Travelling in the summer we don't have to worry about icy roads or snow so I thought it best to check there were no delays anywhere.


Thankfully all the roads to Gatwick were clear so that was one less thing to worry about!


Lauren woke up not long after and Mum and Dad were awake before half past too.


The past couple of trips we've left around 7am for the airport as we had an airport lounge booked and wanted to make sure we arrived in plenty of time.


With this being a budget trip we hadn't bothered booking one this year so we were in no rush this morning. We also hadn't been that impressed with the No. 1 Lounge when we'd used it before.


Lauren and I got up and did make up etc. before we all set about packing the last few bits and pieces in to the suitcases!


I'd bought a pack of cookies and cream Poptarts for breakfast but none of us were that hungry after snacking on Dominos pizza and sides all evening the night before!


The usual chaos of dragging suitcases towards the front door and sorting out luggage straps and locks descended but we were soon ready to go!



My bags ready to go!


My favourite luggage tag ever!



We took our usual travel day outfit pictures and selfies hehe. Lauren looks like a rock star whereas I look like I'm going to a funeral!






Slytherin head band!


As I said above we're not seasoned winter travellers! We went to Florida in November once but that was almost 12 years ago!


In the build up to this trip we'd had absolutely no idea what kind of clothes to wear to travel in or what to pack. It's all so simple in the summer hehe.


We'd basically packed a bit of everything! Shorts, t-shirts, jumpers, cardigans, tights, leggings, gloves, ear muffs, hats. Lauren and Mum were also bringing jeans!


The other dilemma we had was whether to bring coats or not. We didn't want to be lugging them around the departure lounge and they'd take up a lot of luggage space if we didn't need them in Florida (which thankfully we didn't!)


Lauren had decided to bring her leather jacket as it was quite light weight so no hassle to carry at the airport. Mum wore hers and decided to pack it in her case when we arrived at the airport. I put mine on for the drive as it was very chilly out, with the intention of leaving it in my boot when we got there. Dad being a man of course didn't need a coat at all, not even for the journey hehe.


We were all ready to go by 8 so we started loading up my car. As always I am the designated airport driver as nobody else has a car big enough for the luggage!


Thankfully with only 3 suitcases and 4 small pieces of hand luggage it was a lot easier to fit it all in compared to August the previous year!


We were all set to go by 8:10! As we pulled away it was a balmy 3 degrees out! Just slightly colder than when we left in the summer last year hehe.



Traditional car selfie!



The journey was a breeze! There weren't many other cars out at this time on a chilly Sunday morning! We didn't even meet a queue of traffic on the Gatwick slip road as we had done last time!


We were pulling in to the long stay car park at 8:40!


We were in section C today. We had to drive right to the end of the car park to find any empty spaces! It took me ages to decide where to park!


About a month before the trip some scumbag had left a ginormous dent in my car when it was parked and driven off without leaving a note! I was really ‘thrilled’ about the Ł450 worth of damage they left and really wished I’d been around to see Karma take it’s revenge!


As you can imagine I'm a bit wary about other people’s parking these days! It took me a while to decide which cars looked like the best to leave my baby next to hehe.


After 5 minutes I'd finally picked a decent space surrounded by well parked cars! Of course I knew that there was a chance these cars would be gone before we got back and other people could be parking beside me but all I could do was hope for the best!


I figured they had plenty of CCTV in the car park too which made me feel better!


We headed over to the bus stop for the shuttle to the South terminal. One was just pulling in as we arrived so we jumped on! It was a lot easier with fewer suitcases! We were on our way at 8:50.


It was a quick 5 minute journey and we were soon pulling in outside the terminal! I love this, it's usually the part when it finally feels like we're going on holiday!


I managed to walk inside the terminal this year without knocking over my suitcases and nearly tripping over them (see 2015 travel day hehe) so that was a high point! Terminal pavement-0 Aimee-1!


We'd checked in online the day before so just needed to go through bag drop!


It was really quiet over there and they didn't even have a line set up. They were sending people to wait behind the next family at the desks.


The bags all weighed in plenty under the 23kg limit! Mine was 8.8kg, Lauren's was 13.2 and Mum and Dad's was 17.8 as they were sharing a case!


Another benefit to such a short trip is you don't need to pack much! Plenty of room to bring back shopping!


We weren't asked to weigh our hand luggage today which was good.


The check in girl was chatting to her friend at the next desk the whole time she was dealing with us apart from when she had to inconveniently ask us questions like ‘had we packed our own bags?’ etc. This is one of my pet hates! Like when you're buying something in a shop and the till assistants are busy chatting amongst themselves!


The luggage belt wasn't working today so we had to carry our suitcases over to the big luggage trolleys to be taken to the plane.


We were all sorted by 9:10! We headed straight up the escalators to security next. We sorted our liquids into bags before heading through.


It wasn't too busy in there. It took about 10 minutes for us to get through. I was asked to take my shoes off but the rest of the family were allowed to keep theirs on. I was wearing boots with a heel though.


As always it put MCO to shame with how flawlessly its run!


None of our bags needed to be searched so we used to little luggage stations to sort our liquids/laptop etc into bags again.


We were soon heading in to the duty free shop! Nobody bought anything in here but you have to walk through it to get to the departure lounge.


We stopped off in the news shop where I bought a bottle of coke, water and my airport staple... A huge box of mini Daim bars!





We decided to try and grab seats in the upstairs section of the departure lounge. We managed to get the same seats as last year that look out over the main atrium type area. They were near the toilets and we like to look out at the hustle and bustle of excited travellers so this seemed like a good base!





We spent an hour or so taking it in turns to look in the shops.


We all had a few last minute bits to get.


Mum and Dad had been to the downstairs Boots which was manic so Lauren and I headed to the upstairs one seeing as we were on that level and it was so much quieter so definitely worth popping up there instead.


I bought some throat sweets just in case I did start to feel ill while we were away. Upsettingly these cost Ł4! I'd meant to buy some in Tesco but just hadn't got around to it! Worst part is I didn't even need them but I was glad I took them just in case.


I also bought some new ear phones as mine had gone funny on the plane last year (although still worked fine at home) so I grabbed some for around Ł7.


As I was in the queue waiting to pay I suddenly felt really dizzy. Lauren and Mum were waiting outside for me so I had a quick check to see who was behind me and if it was likely they'd be able to catch me if I did faint!


Thankfully the queue moved quickly and I was fine! I didn't tell Mum and Lauren I felt ill as I didn't want them to worry.


Once we were back at our seats I had some coke and water and felt a bit better. I decided it might be because we hadn't eaten anything yet so Lauren and I popped over to WH Smiths so I could grab us a packet of crisps each and a magazine.


I felt so much better after I'd eaten them so I think it was just down to hunger and overheating a little as it was really warm in the airport! I was glad I'd left my coat in the car as I was warm with a cardi on.


We all made use of the 90 minutes free Wi-Fi while we were waiting! As nice as it's been having an airport lounge to relax in on previous trips we didn't really miss it.


It didn't really feel much different sitting in the main departure lounge really. We just didn't have a runway view or a buffet hehe. To be honest as none of us had been that hungry this morning it probably would have been wasted on us today anyway.


It was obviously quite a bit busier than the lounges hehe. We saw quite a few school ski strips with it being the winter half term but they were no bother.


There was also a large swim team of teenagers wondering around in small groups. Again they were no trouble but we did notice one boy aged around 11 or 12 strolling along with his passport in his hand! If I'd been in charge of the group I don't think I'd have allowed the children to be responsible for something as important as that while unattended! He'd also bought a ginormous bag of chocolate haha I bet his Mum would have been thrilled hehe.


Time actually passed surprisingly quickly! I'd had plans to perhaps do a little shopping in Cath Kidston and Accessorise but we never made it down to the former and after a quick look in the latter Lauren and I decided we didn't really need anything in there.


The gate was due to be announced at 12 so at around 11:40 we took it in turns to go along to the toilets.


We gathered up all our bags and headed down the escalators as the boarding gates are downstairs. We waited near the big information boards and just before 12 it was announced as gate 21!


As you tend to do we hot footed it over there in the hopes of getting some seats at the gate!


It was a long old trek over there, thank goodness for the moving walkways! As much as I loved my Minnie Mouse bag I did miss having a pull along suitcase in this moment hehe.


When we arrived it turned out they weren't holding us at the gate after all and everyone was walking straight through to the plane! I love it when that happens! Although it means you're sitting on the plane for longer (which I know wouldn't be everyone's idea of fun) but I love being in our plane seats and getting settled so it was ideal for us!


Unfortunately after we'd shown our passports and boarding cards, Lauren was called over for a secondary security search.


This explained why I hadn't been able to print the boarding passes from home the day before.


Poor Lauren had the exact same thing happen to her on our 2013 trip so I felt bad that she'd been picked again today. Of course it's completely random but still.


It's nothing to worry about but a bit of a pain as they open your bags to check inside etc. Lauren was also asked to take off her shoes and patted down.


She wasn't very happy to have been selected again when it's never happened to the rest of us but it only took a few minutes.


As soon as Lauren was sorted we headed through the gate towards the walkway for the plane!



The plane!


I love this moment! Nothing like the anticipation and excitement of waiting to get on the plane knowing you're flying to your favourite place in the world!


As everyone was heading straight on to the plane there was no line like you get with staggered boarding by section!


We were soon on and found our seats! We'd booked the 3 seats in row 37 on the left side of the plane and then the aisle seat in the row in front (AKA Dad's seat).


Hehe poor Dad but to be honest he's quite happy to get a bit of peace from us women! He was sitting with a nice couple who kept themselves to themselves and didn't need to get up too often so that was ideal for Dad!


Despite the plane being really quiet at this point I still found myself rushing to get my stuff sorted and move out of the aisle even though we weren't blocking it for anyone else!


I took out the stuff I needed for the flight and stored my Minnie Mouse bag in the overhead locker!


It was my turn for the window seat (yes Lauren and I are that sad we still take turns hehe). Lauren took the middle seat and Mum was in the aisle.


Lauren said she thought it seemed like there was less leg room compared to the bubble but I don't think it was any different but then my legs are a lot shorter than Lauren's! The only thing we did really miss from up in the bubble was the little cubby hole beneath the window as it's so useful for storing away the little pillows they give you and any bottles of drinks etc.


We were in our seats belted up by 12:15 hehe. We knew we still had ages until take off so we read the magazines I'd bought and did some people watching as the plane filled up.



One last glimpse of gloomy England for a few days!



Dad spotted one of his work colleagues get on with her family! About a week before the trip they’d been talking in the office and the conversation had turned to holidays. She had mentioned that she was away for February half term, Dad had mentioned that we were too! It turned out she was heading to Orlando too. Dad asked what day she was flying on and they’d quickly realised that we were all on the same flight! How’s that for a small world!


We spent a little while chatting as this was their first time to Orlando! They were seated over on the opposite side of the plane though so had to head over to their seats.


Once the plane was mostly full up a couple with a baby got on. They came straight over to the exit space behind our seats to start complaining that they had been told they didn't have bulkhead seats and couldn't have a sky cot for their baby.


I did feel bad for them at first as they'd clearly been given the wrong information at some point down the line. From what I could hear they'd been told on the phone after booking that they definitely had bulkhead seats with the sky cot so didn't need to pay to pre-book seats.


Unfortunately the flight was incredibly busy, only 4 seats spare on the whole plane with 2 of those allocated to seat plus.


From what I understand bulkhead seats can only be requested not guaranteed as it depends if someone else has a greater need on the day.


Unfortunately there were a lot of babies on the flight today and I guess they must have been younger than this couple’s baby so took priority. There were also people with medical conditions which obviously are the first priority for bulkhead seats over any baby.


The cabin crew were so calm and patient as the mum was giving them a really hard time. They explained the situation and that unfortunately the seats can't be guaranteed but the Mum wasn't having any of it. She didn't seem to understand that there was nothing the cabin crew could do about it.


They even went to the trouble of finding seats for the parents next to each other so at least they weren't sitting apart but she still wasn't happy.


On one hand I felt sorry for her having been given incorrect information but at the same time she was being really difficult towards the cabin crew when it wasn't their fault and they couldn't chuck anyone else out of the bulkhead seats for her as they all took priority unfortunately.


It was very frustrating as we'd been due to take off on time as we'd all boarded so early but because she was putting up such a fight we were now going to miss our take off slot. I can understand how frustrated she must have been but it's not really fair to delay other passengers when it's obvious no amount of fussing is going to get the result you want.


At one point she came back over to speak to the cabin crew to complain that the people in the bulkhead seats in front of them didn't even have a baby. The cabin crew politely explained that the people were in those seats due to medical conditions.


I started to lose sympathy with the Mum at that point. Her sense of entitlement that she should be in those seats over someone with a medical condition was really sad. I'd imagine the people didn't have visible conditions but surely she must have known that medical reasons will always take priority for the bulkhead seats whether visible or not.



Major respect to the cabin crew as they remained so calm the whole time they were trying to help!


As the seat belt signs went on the Mum decided this was the time that she absolutely had to change the baby's nappy.


Now don't get me wrong, I've looked after so many babies and I know when they go they go but part of me did wonder whether the Mum was just doing it to be difficult and make a point of how annoyed she was.


After all that fuss she finally took her seat again!


I looked back at the member of cabin crew behind us and told her she had the patience of a saint!


Her name was Tanya (I hope I spelt it right!) and it turned out she was a dibber and had read some of our reports! What a small world! She, Lauren and I all got chatting as she was a Disney fan too and had not long been back from Hong Kong Disneyland! She was so lovely and said she'd be back for a proper chat later in the flight!


We eventually took off at 1:20. Not massively late but still frustrating knowing that we'd likely have been taking off on time without all the fuss before.


I finished reading my magazine until we were up in the air and Lauren made a start on watching Jurassic World as it's one of her favourite films!


Soon after take-off the cabin crew brought round menus and customs cards. I filled ours out as tends to be tradition these days. It's an odd case of role reversal as although Mum and Dad are obviously the parents, Lauren and I are very much in charge if they come on holiday with us. We book the holidays and plan then, we deal with and carry the travel documents and it's my job therefore to fill out the customs form!


I don't think they mind, it certainly makes their lives easier!




The economy menu



I had about 6 films I wanted to watch but decided to start with Spy as I'd heard it was really funny!


I plugged in my new ear phones but could only hear sound in one ear. I was a bit worried I had another set of ear phones that wouldn't work properly like my old ones!


I tried the ones Virgin provide and had exactly the same issue so I tried with my new ones again and fiddled about with the lead until they worked.


It meant I had to hold it at the right angle for the sound to work properly so I think it was an issue with the connection in the arm but it wasn't really a problem.


The film was good although a little gory in a couple of scenes but very funny! I love Melissa McCarthy and Miranda!


At around 2 the cabin crew brought round drinks and pretzels. Tanya kindly gave us 2 lots of pretzels each which was really nice of her as we love these!






They brought round hot towels after. We all continued watching our films until lunch. Dad watched Spectre as he's a big fan of James Bond films! Mum watched Everest, she said it was really good!


Lunch was served around 3:15.


Mum and Dad both ordered the chicken in mushroom sauce while Lauren and I had the spaghetti and meatballs.



Spaghetti and meatballs


Chicken in mushroom sauce



We all really enjoyed our food. The spaghetti and meatballs was absolutely delicious! Really tender. It was much better than we were expecting although a little difficult to eat with plastic cutlery.


For once Lauren even ate the bread roll! We dipped them in to the sauce from the spaghetti!


Even more shocking (and upsetting for me hehe) was that Lauren liked the pudding!


It was a GU salted caramel chocolate ganache! The caramel layer was underneath the ganache, it was yummy but very sickly so I didn't mind that Lauren wanted to eat hers (plus she let me have the caramel from hers as she doesn't like it hehe)






We also had cheese and biscuits, the usual salad that we didn't touch and as it was Valentine’s Day we got a little Lindt heart! If we'd known you got chocolate we'd have been flying on Valentine’s Day for years!


By the time we'd finished eating and chatting for a while it was less than 6 hours to go!


Shortly after lunch tea and coffee was served along with a little chocolate!


Lauren told me she had started watching Pixar's The Good Dinosaur but hadn't been able to get in to it. She warned me in no uncertain terms that I shouldn’t watch it until the way home unless I wanted to spoil my mascara before arriving in Orlando hehe.


Normally I'd have started watching another film at this point but as Lauren had given up on hers we decided to get out our Harry Potter colouring books (for adults, honestly! Some of the designs are really tricky ).






I brought the Animal Kingdom adult colouring book on the plane last year and found it a good way to pass the time.


With this being a Universal only trip it only seemed right to bring our Harry Potter ones.


I coloured in the Hogwarts Crest and Lauren coloured in a couple of the house crests.


Some of the pictures looked really difficult so we stuck to nice easy ones hehe. It was like an OCD dream until we went over the lines!






Tanya came over to chat for a bit and gave me and Lauren a little bag of goodies which was so kind of her! We were really grateful, it was nice to have a few extra treats to eat!





Yummy goodies!



We had a great chat! We talked Disney and hair and make-up while flying! We asked Tanya how she managed to keep her hair and make-up so perfect on a long haul flight! Apparently the trick is really good quality make up!


She was so nice and it was great to be able to chat with a member of cabin crew who really gets Disney! It was really interesting to hear about Hong Kong Disneyland, especially all the cool snacks!


Tanya had to get back to work so we thanked her for our snacks again!


I started watching Pan next! I'd missed it when it was on at the cinema but Mum and Lauren had both said I'd really enjoy it!


Lauren decided to watch Goosebumps. Not long after we'd started the films, cabin crew brought round mini fab ice lollies which is always a nice little sweet treat!



A blurry picture of an ice lolly we've all seen before hehe


We both enjoyed the films. I thought Pan was a brilliant take on the Peter Pan story! I found Garrett Hedlund really endearing as Hook (and really good looking too), he made a character that you know in the end will turn out bad, likeable!


By the time it finished there was less than 2 hours 45 minutes to go! The flight was going really quickly which was nice especially on such a short trip!



Quick check of the seat map!



Not long after there was another drinks service. They never let you go hungry or thirsty on a Virgin flight!


Lauren made a start watching Minions but she couldn't get in to it so we spent some time doing a Harry Potter trivia quiz together on her phone!


We also passed some time going over our plans for August and checking all our meal times were ok as we'd be booking our ADR's in a couple of days!


We flew a route that took us down overland of the Northern States. With it being mid-February the snow covered scenery was beautiful!









It was soon under 2 hours to go! I noticed how bad my skin was as I hadn't remembered to bring face wipes to take my make-up off like I did in 2015! Will definitely remember next time!


The cabin crew started serving afternoon tea with about an hour and a half until landing.


We really enjoyed the wraps they'd served last year and they were serving them again today just with different fillings!


Mum and Lauren went for the vegetable wrap which they both really enjoyed! It had roasted vegetables in with cheese and salsa.






Dad and I both had the chicken and bacon wrap. This had Sweet chilli mayo in and was absolutely delicious too and I don't even like bacon particularly!






The wraps are so much better than the finger sandwiches they used to serve as the bread was always a little dried out but the wraps stay perfect and fresh!


We also had a small bag of 'plane' crisps and a chocolate caramel bite. This was slightly different to last year as it didn't have shortbread in this time but was still nice!






It also came with 2 peppermints but they were lemon flavoured which was a bit weird, I didn't like them and Lauren didn't eat hers.


It was a great afternoon tea though! We had a choice of juice, tea or coffee as well.


By the time we'd finished eating there was only an hour left of the flight! Lauren and I didn't bother starting any more films and spent the rest of the flight chatting about our plans for the next few days! You can't beat the excitement of knowing your whole holiday is still ahead of you! Even when you know you only have a few days!


With around half an hour left of the flight cabin crew started to prepare for landing. They brought around love hearts which Lauren and I have always eaten long before landing hehe.


I love flying in and seeing the coast! It felt weird to think we were in Florida though! I don't know if it was because we knew we were only staying for 5 nights or perhaps because we weren't doing Disney but it really didn't feel like we were coming in to land at MCO!


We landed at 5:20 Orlando time. It seemed to take an age to drive over to the terminal but we didn't mind as Tanya was sitting behind us so we chatted a bit more and she showed us some pictures from her trip to Hong Kong Disneyland which looked amazing!


Once the plane was parked it wasn't long before we were all getting off the plane. We said goodbye to Tanya and thanked her again for making the flight such a good one!


We didn't notice much difference between getting off from the bubble and downstairs as thankfully immigration was really quiet!


We've been very lucky the past few trips with almost empty immigration lines and we worry every trip that it will finally be our turn for a 2 hour wait but today wasn't that day.


I don't know if it's due to being on the 1pm flight or if we've just had amazing luck with it but I'm sure it will run out one trip!


We only waited about 5 minutes before reaching the self-service machines! We were queuing near Dad's work friend but unfortunately as first timers they couldn't use the machines but the main line was very short anyway thankfully. We said goodbye and wished them an amazing trip!


We all answered the questions on the machine and had our pictures taken and fingerprints scanned. I collected up the print outs and kept them carefully together after losing mine last year!


We were sent over to an immigration officer who was pleasant enough! I'd ticked that we were bringing in food but he didn't even ask about it. A couple of questions and a few stamps later and we were making our way out of the immigration hall and over towards the luggage carousel!


We only waited 5 minutes for all the suitcases which was lucky! I was pleased to have mine back as it meant I could balance my Minnie Mouse bag on it rather than carrying it!


With our bags all together we headed over towards the customs line. There had been quite a big queue for this last year but it was empty today and I'm pleased to report that the customs officer was much nicer than the guy last time!


He looked at our form and again didn't ask what food we were bringing and was soon waving us through!


Hooray! I love the relief of knowing you're in! With only a few bags between all of us it was an easy trip up on the escalator!


We waited a couple of minutes for the monorail and were soon on our way towards the main building! It was only 6:05 so we'd made good time!


As we started to move the Voiceover lady said "Welcome to Orlando" which again just felt so bizarre! It just didn't feel like we were here!


Another odd thing for us was that the sun was already setting! You don't get that at 6pm in August!


There was a beautiful view of the sun going down on the horizon but I didn't have enough hands to grab my camera unfortunately!


Once we were off the monorail we headed over towards the A side stopping to take in the beautiful sight of the atrium and the fountain! I love the familiar smell as you walk through!


We'd booked a town car with Florida Magical Tours again as we've had really good service from them in the past!


We headed down to level 1 and walked along until we spotted our driver. It was the same guy who had collected me and Lauren last year!


We followed him out to the car. Last year we'd been upgraded to a larger car but we had the town car this year which is still lovely!


The boot is huge and with so little luggage there was plenty of room!


The roads were fairly busy so we had plenty of time to chat with the driver about the weather etc. he said it had been a little chilly but was starting to warm up which was good to hear!


As we were driving the sun set completely and I had to keep reminding myself that it was still early! We were treated to a beautiful skyline as the sun set fully and Lauren managed to get some photos on her phone this time!









We eventually pulled up outside of Hard Rock Hotel at 6:45!


Even in the dark it was still an amazing sight! We loved the guitar fountain but I didn't manage to get a great photo of it in the dark.





We headed in to the beautiful lobby and were immediately impressed! It smelt amazing and looks really glamorous in there! When you walk in you definitely know you've just stepped in to a deluxe hotel!


We headed over to check in. There were a couple of families already being served so we waited a couple of minutes before being called over.


We had a great check in guy called Blake! He was really chatty and was clearly passionate about rock music and enjoyed working at the hotel! This was a complete U-turn compared to our check in experience at Wilderness Lodge last year!


We were given room 5137! We decided to get our express passes after we were checked in so headed over to the machines.


There were 4 so it didn't take long. Dad and Lauren's pictures printed out completely blacked out but Lauren's had been the same last year and it hadn't been a problem.



4 express passes in hand we headed towards the lifts and up to floor 5!


It was quite a long walk from the lifts to our room but we didn't mind. HRH is really easy to navigate as there is only 1 set of lifts that everything leads off rather than towers like they have at RPR!


The room was fab (although little did we know this would be the only night we spent in this room). We loved the decor! I liked the drumstick art on the wall and the celebrity mirror where you could see who you were as tall as! I meant to take pictures of us against it but forgot!


















As it was dark we couldn't see out of the window but we had a nice view of the green near the river.


Mum was really tired and decided she wasn't hungry after all the food on the plane so she stayed behind to unpack a bit while the rest of us went downs to Emack and Bolio’s for an ice cream dinner!



We loved this staircase!








They do amazing cones here covered in all sorts of yummy things!


I went for the Reese's peanut butter pieces cone with Oreo ice cream! It was incredible! The ice cream had big chunks of Oreo in, yum!





Lauren also had Oreo ice cream but in a chocolate sprinkle cone which she enjoyed!






Dad wasn't that hungry either so just had a strawberry smoothie which was really good!


You order at the ice cream counter but have to pay at the register over where the little food shop part is (this sold cereal, milk, pop tarts, crisps, bottled drinks etc). I grabbed a bottle of smart water here and along with my ice cream it came to $11.16.


Lauren's ice cream came to $6.66 (eek devils ice cream hehe) and I'm not sure how much the smoothie was sorry.


We took all our yummies back up to the room to eat. A lady in the lift said my ice cream looked impressive hehe.


Lauren and I did our best but didn't manage to finish our ice creams, they were really yummy though!


I remembered I had a parcel I needed to collect! Way back in October last year I'd ordered a couple of fab Harry Potter hair bows for the trip from Hot Topic! However when I came to pack they were nowhere to be found. I literally turned my room upside down trying to find them but they never turned up.


I was really gutted as it was too close to the trip to order any more now. I then had a brainwave and decided to have a look on ETSY for some!


I found a really cute set of 3 bows that weren't too expensive. I decided to have them shipped to the hotel for when we arrived!


Mum and Dad also had lanyards that didn't have the plastic bit on. Mum had ordered a Gryffindor one from the platform 9 and 3/4 store but it had arrived as just the lanyard so Dad decided to come down with me so that we could ask if they had any of the little plastic wallets spare that we could use.


We stopped at the concierge desk first and the lady said she'd have my parcel sent up!


Next stop was the shop but unfortunately they didn't stock the plastic wallets but suggested we tried in the parks the next day.


When we got back to the room we were all exhausted so unpacked (which didn't take long with so little in our cases) and had quick showers before getting ready for bed.


We were all practically falling asleep by 8:30, I think mum probably had gone to sleep! There was still no sign of my parcel so I decided to ring down and ask.


The lady on the phone said it could be a while as they were very busy tonight so I asked if she could cancel the delivery until tomorrow but she said it was already in the system.


We were all so tired that we decided to just go to bed anyway.


We turned the light out at about 8:45 and were all soon fast asleep!


There was a knock on the door at 9:30. I barely woke up to go and get my parcel and hand over the tip. I chucked it down and literally climbed back in to bed and went back to sleep thankfully!







Harry Potter hair bows!



Another good travel day!


Thanks for reading x

[Rincelex]

Love those bows, can I ask where did you get your HP luggage tag - I must have one.

Tracy

[Gusgusmummy]

Loved reading this ! Can't wait for the next day xx

[dreamingdisney]

I have been keeping an eye out for the start of your report! Sounds like you had a nice calm travel day and I'm looking forward to reading more

[thebig40]

Looking forward to reading more!

[NikNak]

Sounds like the perfect travel day! Looking forward to reading more

[PrincessCastle]

Been looking forward to this trippy! I like it when people have a HP obsession that is on the same level as me *virtual high 5*

Good flight, except the lady who wanted the sky cot. Rude. You ain't the queen love. I get that's what she wanted but if she was told it wasn't guaranteed and other people need it more you just get over it don't you!

Tanya was lovely giving you the little goodie bags, such a small world she's a dibber too!
Love the hard rock! Can't wait to stay again in October. Never knew about those ice creams though, will definitely have to check those out.

Love the bows, super cute!
Can't wait to read more x

[nanasamboy]

Yaaaaaaay! Another Aimee and Lauren trippie! Was so excited to come home from a ridiculously long day, to read this Excited to see what you all get up to!

[Sparksy72]

I am so looking forward to reading your report! Those ice-creams look amazing 😊

[Henderson]

Great start, can't wait to read more. thanks for sharing & thanks for giving the heads up via Instagram