Picking up from my last post, many moons ago, packing for vacation was successful. We left that Friday night for our hotel that was minutes away from our karate tournament that was being held the same Saturday we were to fly out of Pittsburgh. We had is planned well. Big M and I would compete in the morning, have lunch on the way to the airport, and check our baggage in at the airport with an hour to spare before our flight. No sweat.
Both little Ms were a little nervous at the prospect of flying. Neither of them had been in an airport before, let alone on a plane. We had done our best to describe what the boarding procedure would be like and how the plane would sound and feel during take off and landing, but, as we all know, experience is the best teacher. We each had our carry-ons and plenty of things to keep us busy during the flight. We were as ready as we could be.
The weather had different ideas.
As we were eating lunch, we received a phone call stating our flight had been cancelled due to bad weather in our layover spot in Philadelphia. Not to fear the call went on, we had been rebooked on another flight and our trip would continue as planned. Whew!
We decided our lunch would not be as leisurely as intended so we could get to the airport sooner and make sure all details of our changed flight were in order and our four tickets were still together. I could only imagine the airline separating the adults from the children by mistake.
My dedicated husband dropped the boys and I off at our airline's door and went to park the car in long-term parking. By this time the snow was really flying and the temperature had dropped to the teens. Burrr!!
I grabbed the folder with our ticket information and headed to the desk to check our luggage and double check our tickets and changed flights. This is where the fun really started. Due to increased weather in Philadelphia, no flights were allowed in or out. The flight we were rebooked on was supposed to have a layover in Philly just like our first flight. So now our second flight was cancelled. While I talked with the booking agent to find another flight, my man had joined us from his trip through the snow from the parking lot.
All our airline's fights to Orlando are routed through Philly. Since Philly was closed, flights south were limited. After a 30 minute computer search, a direct flight to Miami was found that had four seats available. Book it, Danno! There was even a connecting flight from Miami to Orlando only 45 minutes after the first plane landed. Fabulous! We would only have to wait at the airport for four hours for the flight. No problem. We had full charges on all our electronic gadgets, books at the ready, and even a few card games tucked into our carry-on bags. Plus there is always wonderful people-watching in an airport!
So we found our gate and created a base-camp, so to speak. Food was available nearby. Two moving sidewalks were within eyeshot. A power station for recharging was easily accessible. We settled in for the duration.
It was fun to watch the giant plows clear the runways, blowing the snow tens of feet up into the air. Ground crews and baggage handlers braved the freezing air, that was now in single digits, to shovel paths for the taxiing planes and scurrying luggage trolleys. Time passed and we received another message from the airline, this time by text, that the flight - while not cancelled- was to be delayed. No problem, gadgets were recharged. Stomachs were filled. Legs were exercised. We would wait it out, after all, Disney was at the other end of this trip. Our tickets for the "Happiest Place on Earth" ran from Sunday to Saturday, dinner reservations began on Sunday evening. Getting there was just the beginning of the adventure, right?
Another flight delay and then another. After the flight being cancelled and then re-instated, we finally boarded our 5:00 flight around 8:30. It had been a long day of waiting, but we were on our way at last! We got our bags tucked away and got into our seats. The plane was sprayed down with de-icer and we taxied to the runway. The little Ms were nervous, slightly scared, and anxious to reach our destination. They each had a window seat. As the plane picked up speed and we were pushed back into our seat cushions, grins of excitement creeped across their faces and the glint of adventure lit their eyes as we rose off the ground, leaving it further and further below.
They watched the city lights fade from view and then settled back to enjoy the fight. We landed in Miami four hours later, only twenty minuters after our connecting flight to Orlando had taken off. Yep, the fun of air travel continues. To be concluded in tomorrow's post.
