The flight time to Orlando from the UK is usually around nine hours, and lumped together as a whole it seems to take forever. But with a little thought and preparation it can literally fly by, and you have arrived before you know it…..
I always like to make arriving at the airport part of the vacation, so aim to be early enough to get checked in and rid of the cases so I can have a wander through the shops and have a good breakfast before the flight.
Once on board I find that if I think of the nine hours in terms of six, ninety minute slots, it goes much quicker. So with that in mind here is how I break it down into bite size pieces.
- Boarding, taxi, and take off. It seems to take a while from when everyone gets settled into their seats to the seat belt signs being switched off.
- Drinks – by the time you are all settled and up in the air the cabin crew are starting to come round with the first drinks.
- Dinner – No sooner has the on board entertainment system started than the crew begin serving dinner. It’s surprising how long it takes to serve everyone on the plane their dinner, then come round with refills of tea and coffee and finally clear away. By now you are already nearing half way through your journey.
- Movie and an ice cream. Suitably full from dinner, its time to get up and have a stretch for a while before settling down to watch a movie and enjoy a complimentary ice cream.
- Afternoon tea. Not that you are hungry yet, but the crew come around this time with sandwiches and cakes.
- Preparing to land. The last segment of the journey goes pretty quickly as you start to gather your things together, have a last stretch and a quick wash up. You can now see land beneath you, which gives you something else to look at, and before you know it the seat belt signs are switched on and you are beginning your descent into Orlando.
This is just my guide to make the time seem less of an ordeal and more a pleasure and part of our vacation, but if you use it as a basis for any flight then it makes it muchg more enjoyable.
If you are travelling with children, it can make it much easier to plan things to keep them occupied in smaller slots, rather than trying to tackle the problem of the whole nine hours in one chunk.
Enjoy your flight….. it’s the start of a magical vacation.