Hot Air Ballooning

Its something that we’ve dreamed of doing for the longest time. So on our last trip to Orlando we decided this was the time. We booked our trip before we left the UK so we knew we were guaranteed a place on the day we wanted it.

We spoke to the pilot the night before our flight to make sure that the weather would be suitable for the flight. Sunday was to be the perfect day for the flight of our dreams.

We woke up early on the Sunday morning and prepared ourselves for this amazing day, we set off earlier than needed to make sure we arrived at the meeting point in plenty of time.

We met with the pilots, 3 in total and the rest of the crew, the other passengers arrived and we were good to go. We all boarded the vehicle and set off for the launch site which was a few minutes from Champions Gate.

On arrival at the launch site, we all helped build up the balloons and then watched these magnificent balloons come to life as the hot air was blown inside the balloons. We even had our photo’s taken inside the canopy as a momento.

Each group climbed into their perspective balloons and waited eagerly for them to take off. We were amazed that you never even felt the balloon lift off in to the air. Slowly ascending into the air, the feeling of being free became reality.

We slowly lifted above the local communities and drifted elegantly over our first lake. It was so peaceful, with just the sound of the odd blast of the burners which gently lifted you up, up and away.

The other balloons were close by and all at different heights. The sight was just great and quite unbelievable. As we drifted slowly over the second lake, we started to descend towards the water. Although we suddenly felt a little uneasy, it was obvious the pilot knew what he was doing.

The balloon slowly drifted lower and lower until the bottom of the basket just skimmed the water and then lifted back up in to the air. Leaving a trail of ripples behind us. You just couldn’t help feeling warm and fuzzy inside as you experienced such a delight.

We then watched the other balloons doing the exact same thing, the sight was amazing, as the baskets just skim the water and then begin to rise in to the sky once more. As the pilot began to search for a landing site, we prepared for a somewhat bumpy landing. To our surprise, the landing was exceptionally soft and not as expected.

The flight last around an hour, and it goes so fast. If you want to experience something totally out of this world, then this is a must. There’s no motion sickness, or even a fear of heights. We’ll definitely be repeating this adventure in the near future.