Cruise news: From R21,378* for 2 adults sharing a balcony cabin on the 17th November 2013 MSC Opera cruise from Durban to Maputo, Portuguese Island & Inhambane.

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Out of breath running across the airport looking for the right check-in desk…"they can certainly make airports more user friendly" in my head, "or I could have just tried getting here on time…but anyway, this is not how I imagined my first flight", as I pace in between crowds trying to find my way but maintaining that whole "I know where I'm going, I'm a frequent flyer who's just late for her flight, these things happen...You know, even in the movies" kind of look, when truth was, the only place I've seen "these things happen" was, in fact, in the movies! Luckily one of the guards saw through my theatrics and helped me find my way. "Hey", I thought, "I've been saving for this trip, it wouldn't have been memorable if it went without hitches." My flight boarded at 13:15 as planned, I don't have enough money to splurge, I had to ask a friend for a lift to the airport, which was the main reason I almost missed the flight, But I'm here now, not sure how this whole thing will go but I was flying with South African Airways so I heard you don't pay for the snacks, perfect! Sitting in the aisle because I checked in late did take away from the whole experience. Remember, I only saw people flying in movies so I imagined that I would be sitting next to a window and watching as the aircraft lifted off; but hey, next time I just need make sure that I check-in on time and request the window seat. I strapped myself up, safety belt nice and tight, and then concentrated on the flight safety video, thinking, in just 2 hours I would be out of Cape Town and in Johannesburg, sounded too good to be true. I have a thing of falling asleep when I travel, I was fighting that urge so hard, going through the magazines they provide for entertainment and reading the safety booklet…still keeping the "cool cat" act but sleep got the better of me so there I was, dosing off…woken up by the clutter of what sounded like crockery, only to notice that it was just the cabin crew dishing out the snacks I was anticipating. Even though I was told that these were free I still needed to be sure that I don't eat and have to pay later because if that was the case I would just ask for water and go back to my sleep. I whispered to the guy sitting next to me, "Is it true that I don't have to pay for the food" he looked at me and smiled, "Yes it's true" he responded, "You must be used to flying with Mango, South African Airways is different to them". Just there I couldn't contain the excitement, I leaned towards him and told him this was my first flight, he smiled and said "well this is the smoothest you'll get". I smiled and looked away not knowing what he just said meant. There was something about the cabin crew, they seemed so calm while walking up and down the aircraft and it's something I admired, thinking I would not be able to even walk to the lavatory while the plane was flying, and to think I had dreams of being a flight attendant. They got to me and offered me something to drink, I had juice and then they started dishing out the sandwiches, which tasted too divine, whole wheat brown bread with slices of cheese, rocket, tomato and beef pastrami, with a chocolate mud cake for a treat. I looked around at people who flew on a regular basis and wondered how they got used to this. For me it was a great experience, best two hours of my life minus not sitting next to the window, but still, this memory is at the top of my top 5. The smiles on the attendants' faces when they served you, made me feel more than your average Joe, I felt like I was a business lady and I was just a 20 turning 21 year old student in economy class…I could get used to this feeling. Finally, we landed; there was a bit of a shake there and thought "slight turbulence" oh how I was anticipating this feeling. Off we loaded and onto the buses that the airline had organized to take us to the actual O.R Tambo airport, I was savoring every moment and wishing it wouldn't end there. Off the bus I hopped and back on my "cool cat" stride to pick up my luggage. Then I saw my father with a card that read "Yonela Mtyobile" and I smirked, he's always supported my dreams and accepted that I was a sucker for living like I was in a movie. My heart pounded and I couldn't wait to get to him and talk his ear off about my first flight experience but instead when I got to him I said "I had a great flight". Words seemed to fail me and of course when I flew back to Cape Town, there were some slight delays but that did not take away from their great service. That was 5-star treatment - I will never forget it. Written by Yonela

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