And so, just like that, we were on the very last day in Florida for 2025. The time had flown by, and it had been yet another memorable trip. Neil had been good company and hadn’t rolled his eyes once when one of us needed a sit-down or had quietly whimped out of a ride.
The weather was stunning again as we had our final breakfast by the pool. I’d arranged a late checkout with the owner, although Karen remained sceptical after our earlier run-in with the cleaners — she was convinced they’d appear at 10am regardless. By then we were almost packed anyway, just in case, and had already cleared out the car. Fortunately, Karen’s fears didn’t come to fruition, and we all idled by the pool until midday. Having this extra time feels almost like an additional day tagged onto the trip. The hawk came to say goodbye, and we even had a surprise visit from a raccoon as it darted past us.
At noon we had our lunch outside before disappearing to get ourselves ready and complete the final packing. Just after 1pm, Neil started loading the cases into the car, and at 1.35pm we pulled out of the drive for the last time. The villa had become a real home-from-home, and we agreed it was a shame it was already booked for the dates we wanted next year. Instead, we’ve found one on Emerald Island and hope it will be as suitable for us as this one.
I filled up with petrol at the new 7 Up gas station on the corner of Funie Steed Road and Formosa Gardens before we drove to the airport. Dropping the car off was simple, as was check-in. Karen and I had our boarding passes amended to show TSA PreCheck, which meant we sailed through a separate security line with no queue. Neil joined us about 15 minutes later.
The Club MCO lounge was busy and just as unspectacular as our last visit. Karen and I had a couple of margaritas to make up for the poor selection of food.
Eventually, we walked to the gate just as boarding was starting. On this flight, Karen and I were ‘slumming’ it in Premium Economy. As it was one of the newer planes, there was actually a decent amount of legroom.
I decided not to watch any films and instead tried to get some sleep after the so-so salmon meal. Before the trip I’d done some research on ‘smart’ rings. Rather than splurging well over £300 on something purely to monitor my sleep, I went down the Temu route and bought one that may or may not be accurate for £6. I’ve been wearing it in bed for the past three weeks, and I actually feel it gives me a reasonable measure of how long I’m asleep and — just as importantly — the quality of that sleep. According to the app, I slept poorly for 4 hours and 5 minutes. It will be interesting to see what it records on my first night at home.
I was awake for breakfast which, although hot, was poor and dry, and I left most of it. I felt a bit guilty when I heard the couple behind us complaining because the crew had run out of the hot option by the time they got to them. I grimaced further when they said they’d paid over £2,500 each for their Premium seats — knowing we’d used reward points. In the end, the steward brought them spare hot options down from Upper, which was good of him.
There was no queue at Immigration, and our cases were already on the carousel by the time we reached it. Within 20 minutes, Sunny had brought our car to us. It was a challenge getting all the bags in — we had an extra passenger and extra luggage compared to the drive down — but we managed it.
By the time we hit the M25, both Karen and Neil were asleep. Neil needed it, having been near a screaming toddler for much of the flight. We’d overheard others nearby saying the child hadn’t stopped for over eight hours.
The drive back wasn’t too bad, considering we were hitting the remnants of Storm Claudia and the usual roadworks, especially at Thickthorn. We dropped Neil off, and by the time I was on Woodland Road I was already missing him.
At home we decided to unpack quickly, knowing jet lag would soon flatten us. Our pre-ordered Waitrose delivery arrived on time, and after some food we were both struggling to keep our eyes open. Karen was snoring by the middle of Strictly, and I was asleep in bed by 8.35pm according to the Temu sleep ring.
Reflections on this year’s trip to follow. But for now, I just need to make a note of when I can book the flight back to Florida for 2026.
