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Like much of America, Orlando is all about going big, so check in to the Hard Rock Hotel to kick start your experience. From Eric Clapton’s guitar hanging in the lobby to the memorabilia that covers all the walls, this place knows how to create a great experience. After dumping your bags on the king-sized bed, head down for a swim in the pool to refresh yourselves. With its sandy beach, volleyball court and jacuzzis, the pool is a great place for a party, something only added to by its underwater sound system, designed to ensure you never miss a beat.

Once you’ve worked up an appetite, catch a cab the short distance to Seasons 52 for dinner. One of the most highly rated restaurants in Orlando, this wine bar/grill promises fresh, seasonal food, perfectly prepared. If it’s not too cold, ask one of the attentive staff for a table on the patio to enjoy the stunning view with your meal. After you’ve savoured filet mignon so tender it melts under your fork, move on to SkySixty. This rooftop lounge bar has half-price drinks before 11pm on Friday nights, so it’s always busy with a great atmosphere, and a wonderful way to get a feel for Orlando.

Make sure you’re up early on Saturday morning, then grab your room key and jump in a water taxi to Universal Studios. Staying at the Hard Rock gets you an hour of early opening before the rest of the world is allowed into the park, so make the most of the chance to hit the biggest rides when they’re free from queues. Once you’ve ticked these off the bucket list, wander around the film sets and workshops before heading to Hogsmeade for an English-themed lunch at the Three Broomsticks – turns out the Americans make pretty decent shepherd’s pie.

In the afternoon, escape the crowds and spend the afternoon on the water with a Jet Ski tour of the harbour. Sammy Duvall’s Watersports Centre offers tours of Bay Lake and Seven Seas Lagoon, with instructors close at hand for the timid. Once you’re done zipping around on the cresting waves, zoom back to dry land for a round of mini golf.

Less time-consuming than a full-sized round, Orlando specialises in themed pint-sized golfing experiences, so make for Disney’s Winter Summerland. This course offers two routes, one along a Florida beach and one heading to the North Pole, so take your pick and get putting.

Dinner tonight is at Luma on Park. Arrive early enough to get some of the legendary complimentary truffle popcorn before it runs out, and then sit back with a glass of one of their fabulous wines and choose from a menu of phenomenally delicious dishes, mostly local and organic and always beautifully presented. Stay for a couple of classic cocktails at the bar, and then move on to continue your night at IceBar. Another great Orlando experience, this bar does what it says on the tin, serving it’s vodka shots in glasses made from ice that you’ll need one of the toasty capes they provide to cope with. If the cold’s a little too much, move in to the Fire Lounge, where Orlando’s top DJs play the best house and dance music til dawn.

When you wake up on the final morning, have a quick mosey Downtown to pick up last-minute Disney presents. With the biggest and best themed stores in the world, it’s the perfect place for delighting any children in your life. Once all the shopping is complete, say goodbye to the sun and catch your shuttle back to the airport.

Cheapflights: What do you always do when you travel – any routine procedures?

Andy Lynes: Despite the frequency of my trips, I’m still an anxious traveller and have to check and re-check that I’ve packed my passport and have all my travel documents. I carry them in my laptop bag and I feel compelled to look several times on the journey to the airport in case they’ve somehow disappeared.

CF: What is your travel pet peeve?

AL: I hate it when there is no tea and coffee making facilities in the hotel room. I like to make myself a coffee when I arrive and in the morning when I wake up and not have to call room service to get a hideously overpriced and probably lukewarm cup delivered. Ludicrous hotel Wi-Fi rates also get my goat.

CF: What is your favourite kind of trip (preferences, romantic, city, beach etc)?

AL: I never tire of visiting new cities. I do my research to find the best restaurants and bars, but nothing beats wandering around the streets and following your gut instinct. Talking a left turn down a side street and stumbling across a bistro or café somewhere by accident that turns out to be great always feels like a small triumph.

CF: Best destination you have ever been to and why?

AL: I celebrated my 40th birthday in Paris. My wife and I stayed at the Le Meurice hotel and had one the best meals of our lives in their restaurant. It’s a beautiful city and we walked for miles around it. I love the Musee d’Orsay, as much for its amazing architecture and design as the fabulous art.

CF: Where in the world offers the best value for money?

AL: I recently visited Brooklyn for the first time and there is a very exciting food and drink scene which offers fantastic value compared to Manhattan. Accommodation is also more affordable.

CF: Where would you pay to stay? Is there anywhere you think offers great value and a great deal?

AL: If you love wine, then Alsace offers fantastic value. Many of the top winemakers are represented in the charming medieval village of Eguisheim, which is also a great base from which to explore the surrounding wine country. You can drink grand cru wines for a fraction of the price you’d pay for them in the UK and a fraction of the price of grand crus from other French regions. The regional cuisine is hearty and delicious too.

CF: What is the best airport you have flown from and is there a tip to make this airport experience great?

AL: Vancouver Airport is beautifully designed with lots of space and feels almost tranquil. It’s worth arriving early to take the self-guided tour (download here) of the First Nations Art Collection and Architecture that includes the huge Jade Canoe sculpture by Bill Reid whose work is wonderful.

AL: When you fly, is there a tip you can share to make the experience a great one?

AL: The only way to have a great flying experience is to travel Business or First Class, but I’ve found that accepting the crowds, queues, delays, intrusive security routines and lack of room on board makes the experience far more bearable than if you huff and puff your way through it.

AL: If there was one travel nightmare trip, where would it be to and what would it involve?

AL: Delhi to the Taj Mahal by taxi was the most frightening trip of my life so far. “Do what thou wilt” appears to be the whole of the law of the roads in India. I don’t know how we avoided head-on collisions with the numerous trucks thundering directly towards us from the opposite direction, or the cows in the middle of the road, or the dancing bears. And I thought we’d never extract ourselves from those gridlocked crossroads. The driver insisted on diversions to visit his various relations’ businesses, so the trip was punctuated by several lengthy pitches from rug salesman and a terrible meal in a not exactly pristine roadside café.

(Image: hisgett)

The flight, operated by Boeing test pilots, was conducted to evaluate the aircraft’s systems. Additional test and customer flights will follow.

Registered A7-HHE for its Qatari Government customer, the aircraft is expected to be delivered this month, say programme sources.

© Matt Cawby

The first delivery of the 747-8 had initially been planned for late 2011, but post-certification rework caused the delivery to slide into early 2012.

The first airline configured 747-8 for Lufthansa is expected to be de