This is a Trip Report from the Premium Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
The V Room was fantastic after all the madness of bag drop and security. We didn't see much of our children at all as they loved the games so much, so my other half and I drank teas and coffees and watched the planes landing and taking off from our great vantage point over the South terminal runway. This was actually fantastic for me as a nervous flier - you can see how easy and normal it all looks, and I felt much calmer about the flight by the time we were called to Gate 17, at 12.15pm. The children were issued with their K-iD backpacks as our boarding passes were scanned, and they were thrilled. At this stage I started feeling really anxious about the flight again (seeing the crowds at the gate always does that to me), so I got out the litlle laminated card we got on the flying course and went through the ideas there. We boarded Virginia Plain and made our way up to the Bubble, and on first impression I was very impressed; it was calm and quiet, and felt very spacious. Just as I was starting to worry again, the lovely Roxy-Popsy suddenly appeared at my side and introduced herself to us all, then very sweetly gave me a lovely bag of goodies she'd gathered at various points, including chocolates, shortbread squares, blue overshoes, a game of aeroplane bingo to play with the children, a Florida guidebook, and a coveted silver VS pen with a little red plane tail on it! I was beyond thrilled, it was so kind and made me completely forget to be scared after she went back to the UC cabin for takeoff. Takeoff at about 1.30pm was very smooth (and they didn't seem to do that 'reduce power' thing immediately after takeoff that makes you feel like you're falling, so I was very happy). I sat with my 6-year-old son and managed to stay totally calm for him too, which was great. The inflight entertainment started soon after we reached cruise height, and it was the Odyssey system, which actually I thought was rather good. I watched Easy A and played a LOT of Tetris, and kept checking the SkyMap to see where we were. Both children were fully occupied watching Despicable Me, Megamind, and the Disney channel throughout the flight. We had pre dinner drinks, then I had the chicken and hubby had the beef (both lovely). Minor gripe that neither child had a child meal despite requesting them weeks in advance, but the lovely cabin crew wrote down our return flight details to ensure we'd get them then. We had a Baileys after dinner, then later an ice cream run too. Oh, and one other minor gripe.....how hopeless are the wineglasses in PE? They are only just shorter than the trolley slots they sit in, so a couple were broken as the cabin crew lifted trays out of the trolley (cue broken glass on the cabin floor), then a couple more went as people dropped them - they are made out of very thin glass. I appreciate the nice idea of proper wineglasses, but they need to be MUCH sturdier in the PE cabin environment.
Roxy-Popsy popped back up to see how I was faring a couple of times, bless her, and then she took me down to meet two of her lovely daughters (sat in downstairs PE) and I also met Mr R-P and saw the UC cabin. I sat in R-P's seat in UC and the cabin crew there kindly offered me a drink from the amazing bar, so I had a G&T and chatted with R-P as she sat on her ottoman. The UC cabin was fabulous; I'd never been in it before (definitely now an aspiration in future!), though I felt slightly ashamed being in rather 'relaxed' sportswear (sorry UC cabin!). Unfortunately the seatbelt light then came on for light turbulence, so I had to go back upstairs. With my G&T, of course.....my husband was very jealous!
R-P took a couple of photos of me with her daughters in PE, and in the UC cabin with Mr R-P, which I'm happy for her to post if she wants to!The rest of the flight was very relaxed and I felt very calm, and really excited about my first trip to Florida. We landed at about 5pm and were rapidly into the Immigration queue (where we said a fond farewell to R-P and family as they wound past us), then were admitted without incident, and off to Alamo to pick up our car.
Overall, it was a GREAT flight - the food, entertainment and cabin crew all excellent I thought, but it was meeting R-P and her fun but reassuring presence that really made the experience special. I think all nervous flyers should be paired up with a V Flyer regular from now on, it was quite brilliant! It also meant that I spent my time in Orlando with no worrying about the flight home at all, which was a first for me.
Thank you, Roxy-Popsy!
Now the return flight was a whole different story.......I will try to get to that tomorrow!
sounds like you enjoyed your experience even though it probably filled you with dread beforehand.
. It seems too good an opportunity to miss 
