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#952683 by Amo
14 Oct 2019, 18:12
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As promised - the return TR in Economy Delight!

I had a lovely couple of weeks in Orlando - the weather gods were kind to me and there was no rain throughout the entire fortnight - unheard of in September!

I had chosen to book Economy Delight for the return trip. This was done as a cost saving compared to Premium plus also I could see from EF that the loads were looking pretty light so was hopeful that by booking Delight, I could have a bit more space without compromising on miles and TPs.

I checked in online promptly at T-24 - managed SEQ 4 this time. I could also see that it still looked like I had the row to myself - woo hoo!

As is tradition I dropped off my luggage at Disney Springs the morning of the flight. I arrived at 0845 to find only one person in front of me and was seen very quickly. Note they only take credit cards here now for your $10 payment (which I find to be an improvement on having to remember to save the cash!). Bag drop was nice and efficient and actually quite a pleasant interaction.

I turned up at the airport 2.5 hours before the flight. Security was saying the lines were 28-30min long - I went through in less than 15min - my tip is to always keep to the right hand side as you pick a security queue, you will end up closer to the machine rather than just joining another long line :D

The gate area (in the 80s) was pretty quiet, this was expected to be a light load and with no Thomas Cook flight taking up space (sad times) there was a seat for everyone.

Boarding commenced on time and in the correct order with Delight being called after Premium and Upper. In fact these gate announcements were amongst the clearest I have experienced for a long time, whether that was just a result of the lack of crowds I couldn't say.

I settled into my seat of 42C to find myself with no-one sat next to me - result! We only had just over 200 people on board so there was plenty of room in the main economy cabin. In fact they had moved people to the back of the plane and emptied the front cabin entirely.

I noticed the people in front of me (also in Delight) were in discussions with the CC. It seems that they had flown out in the same seats on the way to Orlando and were disappointed to be served dead last for food so had missed out on their preferred choice for a main meal. The CC were very understanding/apologetic and made a note of what they would like for this flight so they could be served their first choice.

We took off a little late but were soon on our way to London Gatwick.

So Economy Delight (formerly known as extra legroom) - I couldn't really notice the extra legroom that much plus my foot space in 42C was limited somewhat by the IFE box under the seat in front. I guess there was a bit more room but the location of the seats isn't great. I would never pick this to Orlando as you will be well at the back for immigration!!

My comrades in the row in front were also correct about the food/beverages. We were served last for everything!! Fortunately they still had some veggie meals left when they came round to me (I had gnocchi but there was also chicken curry and pulled pork) :-) . I also found that I had barely begun eating my meal and the CC were making their way from the front trying to clear away everything. If you think you are paying for an enhanced service in this seat - you are not.

That being said, the CC were lovely on this flight and nothing was too much trouble. I had pre-ordered some duty free and upon asking was informed it hadn't been loaded on this plane as they had done a last minute switch of A/C (this plane was originally supposed to go back to Glasgow). No matter, the helpful crew asked me what I had ordered and then checked and got it from their trolley instead.

With the luxury of a row to myself, I was able to spread out and lay down for a bit - wonderful! It was a rather bumpy flight home but we made good time - I saw over 650mph on the sky map for most of the way,

Breakfast was a warmed pain au chocolate, fruit pot and some yoghurt. A very nice breakfast!

We landed bang on time and were off the plane quite quickly too. The extra space in economy made it a lot easier for everyone. I walked straight up to an empty E-Gate and then went to the baggage claim area. I lucked out with my luggage too as it was one of the first off (last time I flew in Upper and it was the last off!). I was on my bus home within 30min of landing which is a proper result.

So Economy Delight - is it worth it? Yes if you want miles/TPs or that little bit of extra legroom is needed. Otherwise - I would recommend paying for the bubble seats instead!

Thanks for reading!!
#952784 by VS075
23 Oct 2019, 12:31
Thanks for the TR. I'm enduring Economy to/from MCO late-September next year and will be in a position to select seats soon (booked through Virgin Holidays) and having been in the bubble in both PE and Economy, I think I shall stick to the bubble for the return flight and try to get a close as possible to the front of the downstairs cabin on the outbound to hopefully avoid the MCO immigration queues.
#952786 by Amo
23 Oct 2019, 12:50
In theory the bubble should be the quickest off the plane for economy (assuming you aren't in the exit seats by the main door).

The main economy cabin is held back normally until after the front premium and upstairs have emptied.

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