This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
As we pulled into the drive-through check in, I reflected on the number of times I had passed here on my way to park in the long term car park and had only imagined using the facility and here we now were. Formalities were completed extremely efficiently (if the staff there were a little bewildered by two passengers arriving so early for the 12.30 flight this was soon rectified when I explained we were on our way to the Clubhouse[:w]). Soon after our driver dropped us off at the arrivals level and we literally breezed through to security control and (perhaps a first in recent times for us) there was no queue whatsoever.
Mrs Buns and I were warmly greeted and made our way to some vacant seats. Even at this early hour the Clubhouse was quite busy (two relatively early flights to the Caribbean) but nevertheless service was prompt and efficient. Mrs Buns opted for her usual of the bacon roll whilst I elected for smoked salmon and scrambled egg signature dish. It would have been ruse to decline the offer of Mumm champagne so we readily accepted[:I].
I renewed my acquaintance with the Shoe-shine man who is one of the personalities of the Clubhouse that, to my mind, truly makes this Clubhouse stand out. After much persuading, Mrs Buns took the plunge as it were and for the very first time had a treatment in the Clubhouse. She followed my lead in tackling the ravishes of the never ending winter and went for the Hot Hands. By this time the Clubhouse had thinned out and we sat back to enjoy the relaxation and take time to chat with the Manager (who is well acquainted with V-Flyer). For those who follow my TRs, I am pleased to report that Mrs Buns maintains her 100% record of celeb spotting in the Clubhouse this time a famous European golfer.
All too quickly, it was time to make our way to the Gate. We bade farewell to the Clubhouse Staff (I remain convinced this place could be a holiday destination in itself) and made our way to Gate 36 in the Satellite Terminal. The removal of the monorail does make it rather a trek, but it does stimulate one after such a period of inactivity. We arrived to find the Gate a bit of a scrum as the Priority Boarding sign (it seems as there is only one sign to be moved between the Gates) was still at Gate 35 as the earlier MCO flight had been late leaving. We joined the fairly fast moving queue only to be identified for additional screening before boarding the aircraft. This was undertaken and fairly quickly we were back on out way making a bee line for 7 & 8K and securing the overhead bins for our stuff. Soon settled with the Laurent Perrier fizz, I took a sharp intake of breath when 6 A & K was occupied two young children with mum in 7A.
I know there has been considerable debate about this subject all I will say is that mum came fully prepared with a rucksack full of games and other diversions for the children and as a result they were an absolute delight for the entire flight[oo].
The aircraft was G-VAST Ladybird and true to the information on V-Flyer, the configuration had been altered to that seen on the LGW fleet (i.e. 14 seats UC, two rows of PE downstairs and the upper deck entirely PE). For the many youngsters on the flight, the ability to access games was a bonus.
Push back was at 12.40 and 10 minutes later we were airborne. Seatbelt signs were off pretty quick and having looked at the audio and video offerings I opted to take out my I-Pod shuffle and immerse myself in Kirsty McColl, Madness, and Diana Krall amongst others. A big thank you here goes to MCuth who introduced me to the benefits of I-Pod and taught me the ropes of getting the best from the technology (not usually one of my strong points).
Food wise, the new UC menu was in evidence and I started with the Salmon Salad followed by the vegetarian cottage pie (as I wanted to avoid the sausages) but I did succumb to the rhubarb crumble and custard. I agree with other reporters who mention the after taste to the Tenterden, but the port ensured that I was able to take a few hours rest before sandwiches were served. IMHO these are a vast improvement on the previous offerings[y].
Throughout the flight the crew were attentive and efficient and whilst no sign of the Carlos magazine otherwise I was to leave the flight very impressed with the service[^][^].
Before I knew it the aircraft was making its descent into MCO and we touched down (as the pilot promised) eight hours after leaving LGW. Disembarkation was fairly painless but the Immigration Hall was unusually full (this being due to the late arrival of the VS 27 just ahead of us) so by the time we arrived at the carousel our bags were awaiting our collection.
Armed with the customs form, we nervously made our way forward (as every other time we have arrived we have been singled out for close inspection) only to find we were waved through.
One point of difference since we were there in December was that the requirement to undergo screening after you have dropped your bags off but before you board the monorail to the main terminal has been substituted with now segregating incoming international passengers until they have reached the main terminal.
Once we arrived in the main terminal and descended to the arrivals level we were met by our driver who took us to the Sirata Beach Resort in St Pete Beach some 120 miles away and we made good time so that within three hours of landing we were in our hotel.
Return TR to follow
