Trip Report Forget about your worries and your strife. 🌞 Live trip report.

Quick recap of my pre-trip report to refresh memories or as just as catchup.
I (Mimi) am going on a solo trip to Disney World, 14 glorious days at AKL to do what I want, when I want.

This morning I woke up excited and ready to go, I threw the last things into my suitcase, double checked everything and happily went out in the rain to catch the bus to the train station. I gave myself plenty of time to get to the airport incase of delays etc. but luckily everything went smoothly and I arrived at the airport with plenty of time to share.
I looked around the shops a bit and took some photos to kill the time.

These cups in a cafe don't spin but are cute none the less.

Finally it was time to board my first flight.

This add made me smile as it was spot on.

The flight from Amsterdam to London was only 50 minutes and kind of boring except for the 2 Dutch ladies sitting in the row behind me. They were very unhappy that none of the flight attendants spoke Dutch,keep in mind that this was a British Airways flight, and complained loudly that it shouldn't be allowed for airlines to fly out of Amsterdam without at least one Dutch speaking crew member and the ladies refused to speak English to the crew. I didn't understand their logical at all and was happy the crew members didn't understand what they were saying. I was tempted to turn around to point out their stupidity but refrained.

Soon enough we landed safely at Gatwick, my hotel was easy to find and the check in staff were friendly and professional. My room is as expected, small and modern.

The shower is right in front of the toilet without a barrier not the best layout but fine for just a night.

No view as my room doesn't have a window.
Now I am just watching some TV, wishing it was tomorrow.

 

[Go.Nijntje]

Following!
Enjoy your vacation.

Thank you! Beyond happy to be here right now.

 

[Go.Nijntje]

Following along, too!! By the way, do you adjust easily from the time change, or does it take you a few days once you arrive?

It usually takes me a day or two to get over the jetlag. Thanks for following along.

 

[Go.Nijntje]

Count me in! Have an amazing trip.

Thanks Matty.

 

[Go.Nijntje]

I hope your flight went well and you are safely in Disney now!

My flight was perfect, I had a super stressful moment at immigration but will save that for the trip report.

 

[Sillysidewalker]

Following. Two weeks at AKL would be amazing. I have no idea how to relax but I feel like I could pretend there. Enjoy your trip and safe travels.

 

[Go.Nijntje]

It's 4am and I can't sleep any more so I thought I would wrap up my travel day and arrival.
As I mentioned earlier my plane was kind of old and the screens very small and bad quality with a very limited number of films and shows. It wasn't an issue for me but if you were counting on the BA entertainment system to keep you occupied for the 10 hour flight you would have been disappointed.
I had a bit of Shirley status as most of the seats around me were empty.

It made the flight much more comfortable because I could spread out.
We landed at MCO at 4.50pm local time and I joined the long que at immigration. First stop was the automated machine, you feed it your passport and it takes your fingerprints and picture, you also have to give it some info about where you are staying etc. After that the machine spits out a white piece of paper and you move on to the next que where an immigration officer checks your details.
All good in theory, but when I put my passport in the machine a message flashed up saying PASSPORT INVALID FOR TRAVEL DUE TO 6 MONTH VALIDITY.
My heart just sank and my hands started shaking, I knew my passport is only valid for another 5 months but I had checked online and it said for people from ESTA countries (that includes the Netherlands) your passport just needs to be valid for the duration of your stay. Now I have a B2 visa for the US so I don't apply for an ESTA but I hadn't anticipated any problems.
So without my piece of paper from the machine I had to join another long que to wait for an actual person to look at my passport. While waiting in line I googled passport validity with visa and the first site I went on did say that if you have a visa for the US your passport needs to be valid for six months or longer to be allowed to enter.
To say I was freaking out at this point would be an understatement. My stay at AKL is non refundable and so is my 14 day ticket, not to mention my airfare. I took a quick deep breaths and started planning.
Plan A. explain to the immigration officer it was an honest mistake and beg for mercy.
Plan B. Catch the BA flight back to Gatwick that same evening and on to Amsterdam from there. Apply for an emergency passport at Amsterdam airport and take the first flight back to MCO. Worst case scenario I would be back by Saturday.
I felt calmer now I had a plan, the line moved quickly and pretty soon I was facing an immigration officer. He also scanned my passport and saw the same message, he checked my visa and called over a supervisor. They had a quick chat about wether or not the Netherlands is included in the 6 month rule but the officer never mentioned to the supervisor that I have a visa not an ESTA. The supervisor confirmed that Dutch people's passports need to be valid for the duration of stay and no more was said.
I had to have a talk with another immigration officer who put in additional details. This is normal and happens every time I enter the US with my visa but soon he was stamping my passport and I practically ran out of there.

On to the fonorail, just missed it but couldn't care less.

Hi Mickey

Followed signs to concourse B to get on the ME.

Until I was finally home.
First stop, picking up my magic band at registration.

After that it was time to settle in for 14 nights.

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

Hope nothing else goes that bad for you.

 

[Go.Nijntje]

My home for the next two weeks, luckily I remembered to take pictures before I unpacked.

The bed still has a runner.

Comfortable sitting area with sleeper sofa.

Wardrobe with fancy clothes hangers just like @BuddyThomas room.

Bathroom amenities

Bathroom tiles

Pretty mirror.

It was too dark to take pictures of the balcony and view but I am sure I will take many during the coming days.

 

[Go.Nijntje]

Hope nothing else goes that bad for you.

Thanks, it was so stressful but it all worked out fine.

 

[MinnieM123]

So happy to hear that you finally made it through customs. I would have been freaking out--glad it all got resolved.

 

[coachwnh]

Looking forward to following along!

 

[ELeigh]

So glad you made it! Can't wait to follow along

 

[Longers]

OMG I would literally have freaked out if that would have happened to me!
I also checked online before I went as my passport was due to expire and saw it only had to be valid for the duration of stay. - my passport caused issues with online check in and then I was chosen for every check at the airport but thankfully no issues at MCO

Anyway all that is behind you - soak up that Disney magic - looking forward to seeing what’s in store today.

 

[Songbird76]

I will time a couple of bus journeys for you and post them.
I didn't realize you spoke Dutch so well since we always chat in English, but of course you count!

Thank you! I'm most interested in knowing how long it takes to get to each park, and how long you have to wait for a bus....do they really come regularly. Because it was pretty sporadic at CBR when we stayed there and it made the planning a bit difficult.

 

[Songbird76]

I woke up 2 hours before my alarm was due to go off, on a work day this would make me cranky but it is going to Disney day!
About 15 minutes after I woke up my neighbor used her own hairdryer and set of the fire alarm, the staff here were quick to respond and polite about it, I'm guessing this happens on a regular basis.

How did using the hairdryer set off the fire alarm??

 

[Songbird76]

It's 4am and I can't sleep any more so I thought I would wrap up my travel day and arrival.
As I mentioned earlier my plane was kind of old and the screens very small and bad quality with a very limited number of films and shows. It wasn't an issue for me but if you were counting on the BA entertainment system to keep you occupied for the 10 hour flight you would have been disappointed.
I had a bit of Shirley status as most of the seats around me were empty.
View attachment 257254
View attachment 257255
It made the flight much more comfortable because I could spread out.
We landed at MCO at 4.50pm local time and I joined the long que at immigration. First stop was the automated machine, you feed it your passport and it takes your fingerprints and picture, you also have to give it some info about where you are staying etc. After that the machine spits out a white piece of paper and you move on to the next que where an immigration officer checks your details.
All good in theory, but when I put my passport in the machine a message flashed up saying PASSPORT INVALID FOR TRAVEL DUE TO 6 MONTH VALIDITY.
My heart just sank and my hands started shaking, I knew my passport is only valid for another 5 months but I had checked online and it said for people from ESTA countries (that includes the Netherlands) your passport just needs to be valid for the duration of your stay. Now I have a B2 visa for the US so I don't apply for an ESTA but I hadn't anticipated any problems.
So without my piece of paper from the machine I had to join another long que to wait for an actual person to look at my passport. While waiting in line I googled passport validity with visa and the first site I went on did say that if you have a visa for the US your passport needs to be valid for six months or longer to be allowed to enter.
To say I was freaking out at this point would be an understatement. My stay at AKL is non refundable and so is my 14 day ticket, not to mention my airfare. I took a quick deep breaths and started planning.
Plan A. explain to the immigration officer it was an honest mistake and beg for mercy.
Plan B. Catch the BA flight back to Gatwick that same evening and on to Amsterdam from there. Apply for an emergency passport at Amsterdam airport and take the first flight back to MCO. Worst case scenario I would be back by Saturday.
I felt calmer now I had a plan, the line moved quickly and pretty soon I was facing an immigration officer. He also scanned my passport and saw the same message, he checked my visa and called over a supervisor. They had a quick chat about wether or not the Netherlands is included in the 6 month rule but the officer never mentioned to the supervisor that I have a visa not an ESTA. The supervisor confirmed that Dutch people's passports need to be valid for the duration of stay and no more was said.
I had to have a talk with another immigration officer who put in additional details. This is normal and happens every time I enter the US with my visa but soon he was stamping my passport and I practically ran out of there.

On to the fonorail, just missed it but couldn't care less.View attachment 257263

Hi Mickey
View attachment 257244

Followed signs to concourse B to get on the ME.
View attachment 257245

Until I was finally home.
First stop, picking up my magic band at registration.

After that it was time to settle in for 14 nights.

Oh, I would have been so so nervous! This is why I hate traveling alone. I'm always terrified something will go wrong and I'll be stuck somewhere without anyone knowing where I am. You handled it beautifully. Quick thinking, coming up with a plan, just in case. And I learned something new...make sure passports are valid for at least 6 months for DH and the kiddos.

 

[*Flynnderella*]

Oh my gosh I would have freaked out too! I just got back from NYC and i find the US immigration officers SO scary! I always feel like I’ve done something bad even though I haven’t
I hope you have an amazing time & I’ll be following along, green with envy
Room looks gorgeous and can’t wait to read more

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

It's 4am and I can't sleep any more so I thought I would wrap up my travel day and arrival.
As I mentioned earlier my plane was kind of old and the screens very small and bad quality with a very limited number of films and shows. It wasn't an issue for me but if you were counting on the BA entertainment system to keep you occupied for the 10 hour flight you would have been disappointed.
I had a bit of Shirley status as most of the seats around me were empty.
View attachment 257254
View attachment 257255
It made the flight much more comfortable because I could spread out.
We landed at MCO at 4.50pm local time and I joined the long que at immigration. First stop was the automated machine, you feed it your passport and it takes your fingerprints and picture, you also have to give it some info about where you are staying etc. After that the machine spits out a white piece of paper and you move on to the next que where an immigration officer checks your details.
All good in theory, but when I put my passport in the machine a message flashed up saying PASSPORT INVALID FOR TRAVEL DUE TO 6 MONTH VALIDITY.
My heart just sank and my hands started shaking, I knew my passport is only valid for another 5 months but I had checked online and it said for people from ESTA countries (that includes the Netherlands) your passport just needs to be valid for the duration of your stay. Now I have a B2 visa for the US so I don't apply for an ESTA but I hadn't anticipated any problems.
So without my piece of paper from the machine I had to join another long que to wait for an actual person to look at my passport. While waiting in line I googled passport validity with visa and the first site I went on did say that if you have a visa for the US your passport needs to be valid for six months or longer to be allowed to enter.
To say I was freaking out at this point would be an understatement. My stay at AKL is non refundable and so is my 14 day ticket, not to mention my airfare. I took a quick deep breaths and started planning.
Plan A. explain to the immigration officer it was an honest mistake and beg for mercy.
Plan B. Catch the BA flight back to Gatwick that same evening and on to Amsterdam from there. Apply for an emergency passport at Amsterdam airport and take the first flight back to MCO. Worst case scenario I would be back by Saturday.
I felt calmer now I had a plan, the line moved quickly and pretty soon I was facing an immigration officer. He also scanned my passport and saw the same message, he checked my visa and called over a supervisor. They had a quick chat about wether or not the Netherlands is included in the 6 month rule but the officer never mentioned to the supervisor that I have a visa not an ESTA. The supervisor confirmed that Dutch people's passports need to be valid for the duration of stay and no more was said.
I had to have a talk with another immigration officer who put in additional details. This is normal and happens every time I enter the US with my visa but soon he was stamping my passport and I practically ran out of there.

On to the fonorail, just missed it but couldn't care less.View attachment 257263

Hi Mickey
View attachment 257244

Followed signs to concourse B to get on the ME.
View attachment 257245

Until I was finally home.
First stop, picking up my magic band at registration.

After that it was time to settle in for 14 nights.

My goodness. What a scary event at customs. My heart would have been beating so loud others could have probably heard it. I would have gone into full panic anxiety mode. Thank goodness you were ok and even had a backup plan. Your hotel room looks lovely. Seems you could have squeezed of few of your closest Disney friends into your room as stowaways.

 

[21stamps]

Whew, glad that worked out! Your room is beautiful, soak up the magic!

 

[Tuvalu]

Enjoy every magical moment! Can’t wait to see you (and any other friends) in the chair!