We had packed up last night so this morning it was just the final bits and pieces and then we got everything in the car. Considering I’d bought a big pillow we did pretty well.
We drove over to Melbourne. The traffic seemed quite heavy with lots of big trucks. I was very jumpy the whole time but actually it was fine. Just a bit stressful when it’s unfamiliar roads.
We got to Melbourne about 11:30 and our flight isn’t until 16:40 so we went for some lunch. We went to Cheddars Scratch kitchen. We had never been here before and it was all very tasty but a bit more food than we really needed at the moment.
After our lunch (which I don’t think anyone finished) we popped into Target for any last minute buys.
Katie bought an iPad case, and we got some snacks.
Then it was straight to the airport.
And straight past the entrance to the airport. It was pretty poorly signposted. We did a quick U turn and found the airport and car hire drop off. All very easy and into the very 70s looking airport. It really is like stepping back in time. Even at checkin the bags are weighed and then manually moved to the conveyor at the back. I haven’t seen that in years.
Security took a little while as there was only one queue for standard passengers (a faster one for premium).
It was all pretty smooth though and we are currently in the terminal waiting for our flight which has had a short delay due to a thunderstorm.
The crew just announced that they couldn’t use the air bridge if there was lightning within 5 miles. And ‘you can’t predict the weather’. Have to admit I thought we could predict the weather. The weatherman comes on TV what very day and does exactly that…
They briefly opened the air bridge and boarded premium passengers and then it closed again…
Eventually we were all on board and then a further delay as all the bags weren’t loaded. We left about 2 hours late.
I can’t complain though. The Manchester flight boarded an hour and a half before us and then they sat at the gate with all the passengers on for 90 minutes and took off just before us.
Once we were airborne we were given a drinks service and a meal. No choice. It was chicken and mash. It was ok as airplane meals go.
I passed the time watching the rest of Succession and then started the White Lotus.
The flight wasn’t too bad and pretty soon it was time for breakfast (yogurt and a nutri-grain bar) and then we were landing in Newcastle.
We got our cases pretty quickly and then jumped in a taxi home.
And that’s it. Another adventure over. Probably the last one to a Disney for a while. We have decided we want to cruise more and see other parts of the world.
But I can see us doing a Caribbean cruise with a few Disney days tagged on. One day.
Skating on Thin Ice 