Title Chosen: World of Friendship! October 2017 Girls Getaway: Aloha to the Poly/ MCO Hyatt p33-4

[annie170]

I love looking in the gift shops, but I'm pretty frugal, too. I don't have any problem buying souvenirs for my daughters or grandkids, however, I have a hard time buying for myself.

My husband travels a lot for his job and has TSA precheck. Whenever I travel with him, it's about a 50/50 chance that I'll get it too. When I don't, he has to stand and wait for his commoner wife to get through security.

That's crazy that security made you unpack the food and have it tested! Not sure I've ever seen that.

Oh no! Cancelled flight! Was there a weather issue at home?

On our January, 2017 trip, we had a small tornado go through Orlando, which cancelled our flight. When I booked the trip, I was concerned about snow flying out of Chicago. I didn't bank on Orlando weather issues in January. Luckily, my husband, and his platinum status with Southwest, was able to get us on the last flight out of Orlando that had not been cancelled. Arrived home at 3 am and got up two and a half hours later for work!

Interested to hear how this plays out for you!

 

[natebenma]

I love looking in the gift shops, but I'm pretty frugal, too. I don't have any problem buying souvenirs for my daughters or grandkids, however, I have a hard time buying for myself.

My husband travels a lot for his job and has TSA precheck. Whenever I travel with him, it's about a 50/50 chance that I'll get it too. When I don't, he has to stand and wait for his commoner wife to get through security.

That's crazy that security made you unpack the food and have it tested! Not sure I've ever seen that.

Oh no! Cancelled flight! Was there a weather issue at home?

On our January, 2017 trip, we had a small tornado go through Orlando, which cancelled our flight. When I booked the trip, I was concerned about snow flying out of Chicago. I didn't bank on Orlando weather issues in January. Luckily, my husband, and his platinum status with Southwest, was able to get us on the last flight out of Orlando that had not been cancelled. Arrived home at 3 am and got up two and a half hours later for work!

Interested to hear how this plays out for you!

When I am shopping for souvenirs, I tend to go for the food!

That stinks when some, but not everyone in the traveling group has TSA pre-check. My youngest son will often have pre-check, so he goes through alone and has to wait for the rest of us. We also had that issue with the class trip. Some of the teens had pre-check. We tried to keep the group together and have the pre-check kids stay with us, but the TSA agents didn't want them to do that.

The food thing was new, and making us put our shoes on the rollers instead of in the bins. I don't have an objection to doing either, but give us some notice BEFORE we get to the conveyor belts. It really caused a lot of confusion and chaos.

Yes, weather issue back east.

That is good that you were able to find a flight to get you home. There was nothing flying to the east coast that evening.

 

[natebenma]

No, you are NOT sleeping in the airport
Sunday, October 29, 2017


It was a dark and stormy night.


Not in Orlando, surprisingly, but back home.


So much so that flights were being cancelled that night all along the east coast due to a nasty nor’easter.


I thought my best hope was to talk to the gate agent at Nannette’s gate where I was, since her flight to Texas was still on schedule and he was not being overrun by passengers like I’m sure was happening over in the waiting area for the Manchester flight. I explained the situation and he pledged to help me try to rebook a flight home. He said there was absolutely nothing going out that night and the earliest I could get a SW flight to either Manchester NH or Boston was two days later, with connections, on October 31. Halloween. My Birthday.


Meanwhile, I was texting and talking to Mark on my phone. He was also scoping out flights. I really didn’t want to change airlines because the gate agent told me I couldn’t get a refund from my canceled flight and would have to pay for the additional flight.


Mark didn’t care. He wanted to get me home as soon as he could.


Normally, when I fly out of Manchester, I drive and park there because it is an easy airport to get into and out of. But this time, since my flight was scheduled to land around 11 pm, I used a car service for transport to the airport. This turned out to be a good call, because that allowed us to book a flight to either Manchester or Boston.


Mark found a direct Jet Blue flight to Boston that was departing at 7 am the next morning, October 30.


Mark booked the flight and then we had to figure out where I would spend the night.


I told Mark I would spend the night in the terminal waiting for my flight, but he did not support that idea at all. The Southwest representative gave me a couple of phone numbers of hotels close to the airport, but when I tried to call, I was not able to reach anyone.


Mark said he would try to book a room at the Hyatt right there at the airport. My cheapskate side started showing and I was afraid the rate would be way out of my comfort zone, especially since we also had to pay for the new flight. The room turned out to be just over $100 after applying a AAA discount, and it is a good thing Mark booked it when he did because I was told at checkin that it was literally the last room available there due to all of the flight cancellations.




I went up to my room, which was on one of the top floors of the hotel, ditched my carryon bags, then went back down to the terminal to find my suitcase that had been ejected from my cancelled flight.


I returned to my room, but I was too exhausted to return to the terminal to find some dinner. I had the leftovers from Skippers , so I ate that.

I have always been intrigued by this hotel, so I guess I should look on the bright side that I got to check it out. I had a really neat room view, overlooking the security line. I would be able to see the line the next morning, sort of- I was overlooking the TSA pre-check, so it wasn’t the line I would be using.


Want to see some pictures?


I don’t remember the room number, but it was on one of the higher floors


This was the very cool view from the hallway of the floor I was on.





Unfortunately, I was just too exhausted to use this uber-cool rooftop pool!



Here’s the room:





















I went out on the balcony where I had an awesome view of the airport terminal


















Next Up: Flying the Friendly Skies

 

[natebenma]

Flying the friendly skies
Monday October 30/Tuesday October 31


The next morning I got up and had my shortest commute ever to an airport!


I could even look down from my balcony to see the crowds at the security checkpoint

Unfortunately, this is the TSA precheck area- Not the lane I’m looking for.




I passed by this lounge area- there was someone stretched out on one of the couches who apparently had spent the night sleeping in the terminal.





There was a pretty substantial line when I got to the security checkpoint.






Remembering the issues I had the previous afternoon, I was prepared by taking out the cookies I had in my carryon and guess what! They didn’t want the food out this time.


Seriously?!? They changed the rules again in less than 12 hours?


GRRRR!!!





After getting to the gate area, I had some time to get breakfast. As I waited in line for something for Burger King, I was checking my phone and I discovered two things:

1) School back home was cancelled because there was no power thoughout most of my town

2) There was a creep behind me. He was reading my phone over my shoulder and made a comment about how I pronounce my last name. Stop it!


When I boarded the plane, I found I was seated in a very large row, next to a jump seat used by one of the flight attendants, Susan.




Exit row?


I had a fantastic time chatting with my new friend Susan while she was seated during take off and landing. I told her my tale of how my flight was cancelled the previous day and Jet Blue saved my butt by being able to fly me home a full day earlier than Southwest could get me home. We talked about our families and she asked about my job at the farm. At the end of the flight, she told me to look her up on Facebook and send her a connection request, so I literally made a new friend on this flight.


I regret not asking Susan if we could take a picture together, but I didn’t know the protocol about whether it was ok while she was working so I kind of have a fail there.


But I did take a bazillion pictures from the unique window




















In the car on the way home, I learned that electricity had gone out at my house around 2 am, so I would be coming home to a dark, powerless house. And a pretty grumpy husband. Mark really doesn’t do well without electricity. At one point he ran out and purchased a marine motor so he could run a radio and some lights. We have a propane powered camp stove, so we were able to heat up some leftover coffee and even cook some meals from the food we had to transfer to coolers.


Power remained out through the rest of that day and most of the following day, which was Halloween/my birthday. There was another another day of no school and more grumpiness. Around 9:30 that night, power was restored!


Wednesday November 1


The last incidents from the trip were a couple of phone calls I made the following day.


The first thing I did was call my dad’s phone/internet/cable provider. As you may recall (or maybe not, since I have been writing this for nearly a year), the day I departed on my trip, I discovered I had inadvertently lost the telephone number my dad has used for more than 50 years and everyone was telling us we couldn’t get it back. With the power back on, and a few quiet moments with everyone else back at work and school, I was able to reach someone at the company to help. My dad’s phone number was restored!


I also called Southwest. At the airport, they had told me that they couldn’t refund the money for my cancelled flight, but they could issue me a credit for future travel. I didn’t have any plans to travel in the foreseeable future, so that option was not acceptable to me. When I was able to speak to someone about this, I was able to get my money back.


And finally, I sent a message to Jet Blue about how their flight attendant Susan helped make my return flight an enjoyable one.


A satisfying end to another epic trip with my girlfriends.


Thanks, everyone, for reading along and helping me relive our adventures!

 

[MeghanEmily]

Oh my goodness, what a lousy situation! But thank goodness Mark got you that room when he did! I've always been kind of curious about that hotel, too. So regardless of the circumstances, it's kind of cool that you finally got to stay there.

Ew to the creep in your security line! This would have weirded me out. There's being friendly, and then there's being far too nosy/interested in a stranger's business. *shudder*

How cool! You had some great views and good conversation.

Wait, did you say that Halloween is your birthday? Or right around Halloween? That's a neat little fun fact! It must have its pros and cons.

Glad to hear you made it home safely (and that power was eventually restored!) Thanks so much for sharing your trip stories with us

 

[natebenma]

Oh my goodness, what a lousy situation! But thank goodness Mark got you that room when he did! I've always been kind of curious about that hotel, too. So regardless of the circumstances, it's kind of cool that you finally got to stay there.

Ew to the creep in your security line! This would have weirded me out. There's being friendly, and then there's being far too nosy/interested in a stranger's business. *shudder*



How cool! You had some great views and good conversation.

Wait, did you say that Halloween is your birthday? Or right around Halloween? That's a neat little fun fact! It must have its pros and cons.

Glad to hear you made it home safely (and that power was eventually restored!) Thanks so much for sharing your trip stories with us

Mark really saved the day (night) for me! I was relying on the SW gate agent who was promising to help me, but he was getting nowhere!

It was kind of fun to check out the hotel. I just wish I was not too tired that night to explore, or get a decent dinner, or swim.

The incident with the guy in line was seriously creepy. Because he used my name, it was clear that he was reading over my shoulder while I was on Facebook. ICK!

It really was a silver lining that I met Susan and made a new friend.

Speaking of birthdays... Hope you have a SUPER, magical one!

Yes, my birthday is on October 31, Halloween.

It really is more of a blessing than a curse- there is always a party to be found on my birthday and most people are able to remember it.

However...

One Halloween, when the kids were younger and I had been married to my husband for more than 20 years, this happened:

As usual, I got up early with Mark as he was getting ready for work.

No happy birthday wishes from him as he left for work. He knew it was Halloween, because he was coming home early for Trick or Treat.

I didn't get any emails or texts from him throughout the day.

I told my friend, Tara about this and she was horrified! She happened to be working for a florist at the time and she sent me a "Boo-quet" because she felt sorry for me.

When Mark came home and saw the flowers, he asked "What's that?"

I told him "Tara sent them"

"For what?" he asked.

"For my birthday. It falls on Halloween this year."

 

[MeghanEmily]

Speaking of birthdays... Hope you have a SUPER, magical one!

Thanks so much!!

However...

One Halloween, when the kids were younger and I had been married to my husband for more than 20 years, this happened:

As usual, I got up early with Mark as he was getting ready for work.

No happy birthday wishes from him as he left for work. He knew it was Halloween, because he was coming home early for Trick or Treat.

I didn't get any emails or texts from him throughout the day.

I told my friend, Tara about this and she was horrified! She happened to be working for a florist at the time and she sent me a "Boo-quet" because she felt sorry for me.

When Mark came home and saw the flowers, he asked "What's that?"

I told him "Tara sent them"

"For what?" he asked.

"For my birthday. It falls on Halloween this year."

Oh my goodness, no way!!

If it makes you feel any better, Nathan was almost out the door for work this morning when he stopped dead in his tracks and went, "...Wait! It's your birthday!! Happy Birthday!" It's been a busy work weekend for him, so I didn't blame him. But it was pretty funny.

 

[Katesdad]

Hyatt is my go-to hotel for our DCL trips. Fly in the night before, take the DCL transfer first thing the next morning and take Magical Express over to WDW when the ship gets back in to port. I have also been at several conferences there. Best stay I had there was when I watched a shuttle launch from the pool deck area. It was spectacular. AAA discounts work great, just like the AARP discounts I get now too. Also use my Hyatt points to help pay for the room.

Glad it all worked out for you in the end with SW.

Katesdad

 

[pkondz]

See? That's how you gauge love.

Yes, I admire Ariel for her mind. You?

Almost exactly the same things!


Thing.

I column like I see 'em

Nice one.

Good thing yours got lost in the mail. You would have been disappointed to receive a coconut when you were expecting spuds.

I've never actually thrown out a coconut before. It would be a new experience.

The cookies were good, but not "free in the store while you are staying on Waikiki Beach" good.

Dog Tag- a little metallic ID tag that you can get in different shapes (I chose Mickey). It will engrave a name/address on the back. I got mine to put on my camera bag in case it gets lost.

Gotcha.

Ironically, I misplaced the tag I made before I had a chance to affix it to the bag.

Agree. The Tragical Depress is the WORST ride Disney has ever designed, and I'm including Stitches Great Escape in the mix.

Well of course. When you exit Stitch, you're still in MK.

Did the TSA get their idea to charge for their Express Pass from Universal?

Of course. The Dark Side.

Yeah, the removing the food thing was new to me. And short lived- coming up.

Standing by.

Shoes off (but not in bins- that's nasty- we got yelled at for that).

oh dear

 

[pkondz]

It was a dark and stormy night.

Cool opening line! You should copywrite that!

So much so that flights were being cancelled that night all along the east coast due to a nasty nor’easter.

I hate those words.

You won't get any presents on Christmas. Nor Easter.


I sad.

the earliest I could get a SW flight to either Manchester NH or Boston was two days later,

Two days!!!!

with connections, on October 31. Halloween. My Birthday.

Best time for a birthday.

Mark didn’t care. He wanted to get me home as soon as he could.

Good man.

Mark found a direct Jet Blue flight to Boston that was departing at 7 am the next morning, October 30.

Way to go Mark!

I told Mark I would spend the night in the terminal waiting for my flight, but he did not support that idea at all. The Southwest representative gave me a couple of phone numbers of hotels close to the airport, but when I tried to call, I was not able to reach anyone.

Not surprised. Assume everyone was calling them.

The room turned out to be just over $100 after applying a AAA discount,

That's cheap!

and it is a good thing Mark booked it when he did because I was told at checkin that it was literally the last room available there due to all of the flight cancellations.

Lucky! Close call.

I had a really neat room view, overlooking the security line.

Cool!

Want to see some pictures?

Unfortunately, I was just too exhausted to use this uber-cool rooftop pool!

I want to say "next time".... but I don't think you want a next time.

The next morning I got up and had my shortest commute ever to an airport!

I bet!

there was someone stretched out on one of the couches who apparently had spent the night sleeping in the terminal.

Ha! They don't have a Mark, obviously.
(But I bet the chairs left a dent.)

I was prepared by taking out the cookies I had in my carryon and guess what! They didn’t want the food out this time.

As I waited in line for something for Burger King,

What did you get Burger King?

1) School back home was cancelled because there was no power thoughout most of my town

eep!

2) There was a creep behind me. He was reading my phone over my shoulder and made a comment about how I pronounce my last name. Stop it!

Who does that?!?!?!

Exit row?

Leg room!

I regret not asking Susan if we could take a picture together, but I didn’t know the protocol about whether it was ok while she was working so I kind of have a fail there.

The protocol is to eject the passenger immediately. regardless of altitude or attitude (the plane's... not yours... well... yours too.)

In the car on the way home, I learned that electricity had gone out at my house around 2 am, so I would be coming home to a dark, powerless house.

Well... poop. No way to celebrate a birthday.

And a pretty grumpy husband.

That too. Same comment as previous one.

Around 9:30 that night, power was restored!

Phew!

Heh. Just in time for lights out.

As you may recall (or maybe not, since I have been writing this for nearly a year), the day I departed on my trip, I discovered I had inadvertently lost the telephone number my dad has used for more than 50 years and everyone was telling us we couldn’t get it back.

I do remember that!

My dad’s phone number was restored!

Good!

I also called Southwest. At the airport, they had told me that they couldn’t refund the money for my cancelled flight, but they could issue me a credit for future travel. I didn’t have any plans to travel in the foreseeable future, so that option was not acceptable to me. When I was able to speak to someone about this, I was able to get my money back.

Lucky. Normally airlines won't reimburse for flights cancelled due to weather. Mechanical, yes. Weather, no.

Thanks, everyone, for reading along and helping me relive our adventures!

Thanks for sharing them with us!

 

[rteetz]

What an eventful journey home! Glad it all worked well in the end. I always love reading your trip reports Dee and hope to read another one soon enough.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Was Ninja Mom's flight affected by the weather on the east coast that day?

That was very smart of Mark to get you a room and an alternate filght so quickly. The hotel room looks like it was very nice. But what a mess you had to return to! Did you lose all the food in your refrigerator?

 

[natebenma]

Was Ninja Mom's flight affected by the weather on the east coast that day?

That was very smart of Mark to get you a room and an alternate filght so quickly. The hotel room looks like it was very nice. But what a mess you had to return to! Did you lose all the food in your refrigerator?

~Ninja's flight was about 3 hours earlier than mine, so I believe she was able to get out of there as scheduled.

If I recall correctly, we were able to salvage a lot of the food. We had a camp stove that we used to cook some of the perishables. Other stuff we put into a cooler with freezer packs. We have a chest freezer that was packed pretty full and I don't think the things in there thawed out at all.

 

[annie170]

That's great you were able to get one of the last rooms at the Hyatt and an early flight the next morning. Considering you had no power for two days, waiting for the Tuesday flight may not have been a bad idea!

I figured those rooms at the Airport Hyatt were really expensive. I may now consider that with later flights. Definitely cheaper than Disney resorts.

How nice that you made a new friend. I love when that happens!

You were lucky to get a refund from Southwest. Did you ask to talk to a supervisor?

Your birthday flowers story is funny. Men!

 

[amazingact21]

Yikes, that sounds like a stressful travel experience. I can just imagine how exhausting it must have been, trying to talk to the Southwest agent and then talk to Mark to try and figure out a new, last minute game plan. I'm happy that everything worked itself out, that you snagged the last Hyatt room, and were able to be back home the following night. Although the lack of power had to be a stark reminder that vacation was over and you were back to the real world...

Loved reading this latest report! It was such fun and made me wanna spend some time in the parks with friends.

 

[missangelalexis]

That really stinks! I'm glad you were able to book a flight the next day with Jet Blue and in the end you were able to get a refund from SW! And at least you can say you stayed in the airport hotel And how nice to make a friend on the way home!

I very much enjoyed reading this report, thank you for sharing!!

 

[JanetMom]

First off, congratulations on finishing this trip report! I know you spend much thought and effort on your reports so it is an accomplishment to get through to the very last moments.

Can you imagine the two of us planning a "Disney on a Dime" or a looney, if you so desire.

Passing up dessert and hanging out at Ghiradelli for free chocolate samples and begging for free cups of ice water around the world.

It was not my favorite airport experience ever!

I have heard that about the Canadian flights. Disney requires that you be at the airport a stupid amount of early, and then there is nobody there who can even help you!

We could definitely do Disney on the cheap! I have no shame in walking into Ghiradelli to get my free sample.

I don't really mind getting to the airport early as I've usually had my fill of Disney by the end of the week and I like the people watching. That said, sending Canadians flying to Toronto to the airport an hour earlier makes no sense. First off, the agents aren't always at the counter so you might have to wait to drop of your bags, and more importantly... we clear customs on arrival in Toronto, so our time spent in security is no longer than someone flying to another US destination. On one of our trips home from Disney our plane arrived in Toronto and we had to wait in the plane for an extra 30 minutes because there was no one from the US to open the door at our gate. When the plane lands in Toronto we are still technically in the US until we go through the customs agents to get back into Canada. Ok, rant over.

You have figured out the "mystery" photographer!

This is going to be a year when I constantly have a big lump in my throat!

Ben accurately pointed out to my husband that it will be different when he goes away to school than when Nate did because he was still at home. And Nate is not very far away, about 40 minutes. But now we are at the very real prospect of having one who will probably want to move out west when he is done with school and another who will be in DC for school and ultimately wants to work overseas.

*sniff*

Your trip to DC sounded exhausting, but a really great way to mark Ben's senior year.

It is a tricky time at this stage of parenting. Such mixed emotions seeing them grow up to be successful adults, but not wanting them to be too far away.

Our son moved out (but within the same city) for two years and is now back at home. I'm not sure how long he will stay, but I'll have him for as long as he wants as I love having him back.

Mark really saved the day (night) for me! I was relying on the SW gate agent who was promising to help me, but he was getting nowhere!

It was kind of fun to check out the hotel. I just wish I was not too tired that night to explore, or get a decent dinner, or swim.

The incident with the guy in line was seriously creepy. Because he used my name, it was clear that he was reading over my shoulder while I was on Facebook. ICK!

It really was a silver lining that I met Susan and made a new friend.

Speaking of birthdays... Hope you have a SUPER, magical one!

Yes, my birthday is on October 31, Halloween.

It really is more of a blessing than a curse- there is always a party to be found on my birthday and most people are able to remember it.

However...

One Halloween, when the kids were younger and I had been married to my husband for more than 20 years, this happened:

As usual, I got up early with Mark as he was getting ready for work.

No happy birthday wishes from him as he left for work. He knew it was Halloween, because he was coming home early for Trick or Treat.

I didn't get any emails or texts from him throughout the day.

I told my friend, Tara about this and she was horrified! She happened to be working for a florist at the time and she sent me a "Boo-quet" because she felt sorry for me.

When Mark came home and saw the flowers, he asked "What's that?"

I told him "Tara sent them"

"For what?" he asked.

"For my birthday. It falls on Halloween this year."

The hotel at the airport looks great. I'd love to spend some time floating in the pool watching the planes come and go! I'm sure I'll never stay there as a Disney hotel just a bus ride away is more tempting, but maybe I'll do the DCL thing someday and take advantage of staying at the airport.

That guy does sound like a creep! If you are rude enough to read over someone's shoulder keep your thoughts to yourself. Glad you recovered with your new friend on board.

Thanks again for documenting our trip. It was fun to look back and remember it through your eyes. Can't wait for the next time!

 

[wdwnut61]

Mark is a saint
I’m glad he was able to get you on another flight and grab your room at the Hyatt
What a creeper behind you in security
I had the exit row on an AA flight to Orlando lots of leg room and right next to one of the flight attendants
Thanks for sharing another one of your adventures with us

 

[cindianne320]

Ugh- travel delays stink! We actually stayed at the Hyatt before our cruise in June and it was perfect- nothing like getting off a late night flight and being at your hotel! And in the morning, right downstairs to the DCL bus!

Sorry you didn't have power when you got home. I hope it was restored soon!

 

[natebenma]

Oh my goodness, no way!!

If it makes you feel any better, Nathan was almost out the door for work this morning when he stopped dead in his tracks and went, "...Wait! It's your birthday!! Happy Birthday!" It's been a busy work weekend for him, so I didn't blame him. But it was pretty funny.

PHEW!!! Glad he remembered! The only thing worse than your spouse forgetting your birthday after being married 20 plus years is having him forget when you are still newlyweds!

Hyatt is my go-to hotel for our DCL trips. Fly in the night before, take the DCL transfer first thing the next morning and take Magical Express over to WDW when the ship gets back in to port. I have also been at several conferences there. Best stay I had there was when I watched a shuttle launch from the pool deck area. It was spectacular. AAA discounts work great, just like the AARP discounts I get now too. Also use my Hyatt points to help pay for the room.

Glad it all worked out for you in the end with SW.

Katesdad

I thought the Hyatt was a decent play to stay, especially with my circumstances. Even better for you that you can use Hyatt points!

Wow! Seeing the shuttle launch from the pool deck must have been amazing. We were lucky to get to see one, very briefly, while in EPCOT almost 10 years ago.

What an eventful journey home! Glad it all worked well in the end. I always love reading your trip reports Dee and hope to read another one soon enough.

Thanks so much for the kind words!

I love writing trip reports because it helps me remember the trip and gives me an excuse to look at all the pictures I took again.

Right now, no Disney trips on the horizon.

I didn't write about the Fantasy cruise last fall, not sure if that is going to happen or not. I'll probably post some pictures from our recent trip to DC looking at schools for Ben.