A long day!

We were all up at 6.30am and getting ready to leave the hotel by 7.30am. Outside the weather was grey and overcast and I looked forward to getting through the cloud and seeing the blue skies and sunshine again.

We left the hotel at 7.30am and joined the throng in the airport. As a treat I had booked us into the No.1 lounge and this gave us access to the Premium Security channel, which was a huge bonus. We managed to get through very quickly, although Keith was scanned by the body scanner. We were able to go into the lounge at just after 8am and I was determined to get my money's worth!

First impressions were a bit disappointing, I have to say as it was very busy and resembled a hotel dining room. I honestly didn't think it would be so crowded! We found a table and ordered bacon rolls and while they were being prepared we helped ourselves to cereals, yoghurt, fruit and croissants. The coffee was very good and you could have as much as you wanted.

The lounge overlooked the airport apron so we could see all the planes taking off. I began to feel a little nervous! After we'd eaten we sat on more comfortable seats by the bar and indulged in a couple of drinks. Yes, I know it was early but they were free and I needed to steady my nerves!

Keith then spotted a much quieter area called The Library and this was lovely. No children under the age of 12 were allowed in and it was a haven of peace and quiet. Perfect!

A vodka and tonic...just to help me relax before the flight!

Keith in contemplative mood.

We kept watching the flight screens and all too soon we were told to go to gate 566, a fair walk away. We reluctantly left the serenity of the lounge and made our way to the gate where people were already boarding the plane.

We were amongst the last to board but there was plenty of room for our cabin bags and Mike, Sophie and I sat together while Keith sat on the aisle seat in front.

The flight was OK, if a little noisy at times. Unfortunately we had a child behind us who kept kicking the seat and after I'd swapped with Mike, it really got on his nerves. I passed the time by reading, sleeping (a bonus) and watching the film "Allied" again. I borrowed Sophie's headphones which were fantastic at cutting out all the background noise! We were fed at regular intervals - lunch was a coleslaw salad followed by Toulouse sausages served with mashed spuds and broccoli in a delicious onion gravy as well as a Gu pudding and cheese and biscuits. Again, all drinks were free but I just had a glass of wine with my meal.We also had a sandwich, crisps and a chocolate biscuit just before we landed.

We were due to arrive in Orlando at 3.30pm but I think there was a storm as I could see huge banks of clouds out of the window and our estimated arrival time fluctuated between 3.50pm and 3.40pm. When we touched down the captain told us that another six flights had arrived at the same time as us so we had to sit on the plane for another hour. Luckily they turned on the in-flight entertainment and the air-conditioning but it soon began to get very uncomfortable. A lot of babies were crying and it was huge relief when we finally disembarked.

However, a huge mass of people awaited us in Immigration and although we completed the checks at the kiosk, we still had a wait to be seen again. We had fingerprints taken (except Sophie, probably because she had been in January) and then we were allowed through. Phew! By now we were all very tired and several babies were screaming, their parents looking very harassed.

We took the shuttle to the main airport and then eventually found the Virgin rep tucked away by the rental car desks. She gave us directions and the address of the villa and we went over the road to pick out our car. I went for a dark blue Toyota Camry and after checking it all over and loading our bags into the boot, we gingerly set off into the rain!

Keith was directing me and we found our way onto the 417 where we passed through numerous tolls. We had forgotten all the coins we had at home, but in retrospect this was probably good as it would have taken us ages to fiddle around with all the different denominations, and we just handed over dollar bills!

From the 417 we took the I4 towards Tampa and then came off the interstate towards Clermont. We knew this road well and I was delighted to discover that there were traffic lights as you turn left into Highlands Reserve. This will make it a lot easier to get in and out of the estate.

Our villa is in Troon Circle and we are very pleased with it. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a lovely cosy dining room/lounge and a large kitchen. We dumped our bags and then went straight out to Publix where we bought some coffee, tea and milk and then headed to the nearby Applebee's for dinner.

Fortunately, there was no wait and we were seated immediately. We started with boneless chicken wings and mozzarella sticks, followed by burger for Mike, a lime chicken dish for Sophie and chicken and shrimp for Keith and I. At the end of the meal we were all shattered and it was great to just have a short drive back to the villa and a very welcome sleep!

Some photos:

Our bedroom