Miles of sandy beaches dotted with properties and snake lines of roads with tiny coloured dots that are cars can be seen.  As there is invariably little cloud the sun is up waiting to welcome us to your best ever vacation in Orlando.

“Fasten Your Seat Belt and Cabin Crew prepare for landing” and now we just wait… Maybe up to 30 minutes getting lower and lower. We may come in from the North and see Downtown Orlando on the right as we descend gently above the bustling city. Or we may approach from the South over miles and miles of shrub land dotted with innumerable lakes that reflect the sun with bright flashes.

Then suddenly we are much lower crossing The Beach Line Expressway from the North or SR – 417 from the South and we are down. Slight bumps and the reassuring power of braking and thrust reverse. As our plane slows to ground speed there is a buzz of sound, of human voices – we are here…

As soon as “the aircraft comes to a complete standstill” everybody jumps up and gathers their belongings in double quick time. The isles fill with anticipation and sometimes frustration as we wait and wait for First Class passengers to disembark first. The lines start to move and we still politely let people go first but wish they would just be a little quicker, please.

A nod, a smile and a thank you to the Cabin Crew member who wishes us a good trip and then a waft of hot air as we step from the door onto the air-ramp. “Wow, is it always this hot?”

We move as quickly as those before us will allow up the ramp and into an unimaginative set of corridors to eventually enter a very large room with queuing spaces before small booth areas. This is Immigration.

Officers of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a part of The Department of Homeland Security, conduct all aspects of inspection upon arrival to the United States of America. These include Immigration, Customs and Agricultural Inspections.

All paper work must be in order. Official yet friendly staff announce this loudly and herd the throng to balance up the queues. The same officers also quickly check our paperwork and point out any errors. A quick glance around and we see The Flag and a picture of the President with a welcoming message along with many signs about Homeland Security. It’ is all a very erious business and taken as such buy us all.