A coast to toast

Marjorie Yue flies into the new TUI airport for Florida holidays and cruises

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Landing and leaving Florida's Melbourne Orlando International Airport was a breeze, and not just because our TUI Boeing 787 Dreamliner had arrived in lively weather.

Sanford International Airport had been the UK travel giant's gateway to the theme park capital of the world, until just over a year ago when TUI became the first transatlantic carrier to fly into MLB Airport.

The move to the new Florida gateway is fast turning out to be a smart one for TUI's customers.

Located on the Sunshine State's Atlantic east coast, it's close to Melbourne's pristine beaches just 15 minutes away, while for TUI's Marella Cruise passengers it's a 35-minute transfer to Port Canaveral cruise terminal.

And MLB airport in the middle of an $150m upgrade to cater for the Dreamliners kept its promise of "an uncongested, speedy, stress-free arrival" - music to the Mickey Mouse ears of Disney World fans, not to mention those of harassed families, after a flight of nearly nine hours from Gatwick.

Our swift departure from the small airport, just under 30 minutes from landing, was a seamless experience. The "bag-first" process - collecting your checked luggage from the carousel before going through passport control and customs, was a game-changer, making for a speedier exit. For those heading straight to the theme parks, it's around an hour's drive away.