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Day 1 Peter
Pan - PLEASE teach me to fly!!! Despite only getting 4 or 5hrs of sleep, I was up
early and ready to go! My parents and sister’s family were already in Florida enjoying the sights
and smells of Cocoa Beach and the Kennedy Space Center. We, on the other hand,
were still at home having had to attend two weddings the day before. Yes, we’re
happy for our friends as they embark on married life together, yadda yadda
yadda, but we’ve got a date with a mouse! Ya, that probably sounds a
little harsh, but people ought to know by now that it’s dangerous territory
getting between Goofy and me. Um, not my husband Goofy, - the other one.
Prior to the trip, my family agreed to arrive at Disney at the same time. Besides,
I threatened to wrestle them all to the ground if they so much as glanced in
Mickey’s direction before we arrived. Good thing they didn’t call
my bluff – I may have broken a nail. On our first night in Florida together,
we were all staying at a little motel just outside of the Orlando airport.
I was able to book all 3 rooms for us through priceline ($35 a night at the
La Quinta). Our plan was to get up early the next day and check in at the All
Star Movies Resort.
But, I’m ahead of myself here. Right now, we’re still in Canada.
Can you tell I’m excited? We finished packing and waited for our friend
to drop by to pick us up and take us to the airport. I was more excited than
usual (if that’s possible). On previous trips, we always drive to the
closest international airport, drop the car off in park ‘n fly, take
the shuttle to the airport, wait 3hrs, etc… No, we weren’t doing
that this year! Our little local airport now flew to the United States. The
best part is that you only have to be there 1hr prior to your departure! Woohoo!
We arrived at the airport in good time. I have such wonderful friends. Not
many people are willing to listen to someone babble incessantly about Disney
when they’re not fans themselves. Gasp Yup, I have many
friends who do not share my love of Disney. In my humble opinion, I think it
is THEM who need the support group, not me. 
Things were off to a flying (pardon the pun) start, right? Well, not quite.
You see, our airline was Northwest Airlines. The mechanics had gone on strike
the day before our trip. NWA assured us that flights would run on time, but
we were concerned. Well, more like alarmed. I should probably say right now
that I am considered somewhat of a Drama Queen. I’m not entirely sure
if that’s true however. Doesn’t everybody cry at Hallmark commercials
and scream at jumping frogs who happen to cross your path?
I tried to be calm, really I did. We check-in at the airport and went through
security. There were only about 10 people on our plane in total (it was a very
small plane). I was the token female. Normally I would enjoy this men to woman
ratio (grin..), but this time, however, I was the lucky recipient of the only
body search at security. I’ve had to take off my shoes before and have
someone wave a wand at me, but never like this! The female officer patted me
down with her hands, removed my shoes, and tucked her fingers inside my shorts
around the waist. “Is this normal”? I wondered. I have a
habit of giggling when I’m nervous and since I was more than a little
nervous to begin with, I was downright hysterical. The entire search was probably
no more than 2 minutes, but it felt more like 60! I think my giggling made
the security staff a little uncomfortable because I’m sure I caught them
sighing with relief when I left. That’ll teach you to put your hands
down my pants lady!
We had never been on a propeller plane before so we were pretty excited. However,
we failed to realize just how bumpy a little plane could be. I may be the Drama
Queen in our family, but my husband, Goofy Guy, is the motion sickness King.
Our flight was only 1 hr in duration, but I was beginning to think that Goofy
Guy wasn’t going to make it. I didn’t know a face could turn so
many different colours. It was kind of pretty now that I think about it.
Thankfully, we arrive in Detroit all in tact and with empty airsickness bags.
We had 3hrs before our connecting flight so we decided to grab lunch at A & W.
I realized with a smile that this would be our last meal where we’d have
to actually give cash in order to receive our food. Ahh, gotta love free dining.
We reported to our gate and checked our flight status. Oh oh. Our flight is
delayed a half-hour. The La Quinta only offered shuttle service until 11pm
at night and our flight was now arriving in Orlando at 10:30pm. We were cutting
it close. No problem. Just so long we are able to go to our family character
breakfast the following day at the Polynesian Resort, I was fine. We were both
starting to feel the effects of having only a few hours of sleep last night,
so we decided to try to get a little sleep while we wait for our flight.
Half an hour later, I go check the schedule again. Our flight is now delayed
an hour. That familiar sense of panic started to set in. “Stay cool,
stay cool” I kept telling myself. I knew we’d definitely miss the
last shuttle to our motel, but we can always take a cab. I didn’t want
to ask my family to pick us up since they’d likely already be sleeping.
Ten minutes later, the NWA employees at our gate made an announcement. They
said that our plane was no longer available.
WHAT?
“What do you mean ‘not available’? This must be
a joke. Where’s the candid camera? Don’t they know we’ve
been planning this trip for 2 years? Move aside - I’ll fly
another plane, any plane, myself! Oh, where is Peter Pan when you
need him”! Goofy Guy poked me in the shoulder and said that
while I was falling into the pit of panic (is this what Alice went
through?), I failed to hear that they were sending another plane
in its place. It was just going to take another hour or so. Okay,
my heart resumed its regular beating pattern. Everything was going
to be fine.
Just then, another announcement was made. The new plane they were sending was
a smaller plane. They were asking for 40 people to volunteer to get bumped
from this flight and go on a later flight that night. To compensate these people
for their trouble, each person would receive a round trip voucher for
a future trip to anywhere in the U.S. or Canada. Okay, you would think I wouldn’t
even consider this bump since I was so desperate to meet up with my family
wouldn’t you? Well, not exactly. You see, traveling is my passion and
the very thought of getting free vouchers for future trips meant that there
would DEFINITELY be ANOTHER trip in our near future!
Oh decisions, decisions! I was so tempted. We had already been delayed a few
hours, what’s a couple more? Maybe while in Disney, the Disney magic
would take over and it wouldn’t matter that I haven’t slept? After
all, it IS the happiest place on earth… However, Goofy Guy is the voice
of reason in this relationship. He reminded me how, ahem, “cranky” I
get without sleep. He also reminded me of an earlier conversation where I said
I would cry if I missed that first character breakfast with our nephews. Hmm,
maybe ‘Drama Queen’ isn’t that inaccurate a description of
me after all….
Even before we made our final decision, the decision was made for us. Forty
other people had volunteered. We lost our chance. I must admit that there’s
still a little part of me that regrets not taking NWA up on their offer. But
then the more logical side of me jumps in and says that our trip could not
have been so magical had I been more sleep-deprived and there was no guarantee
we would have made it to Disney in time or not. I guess things really do have
a way of working themselves out.
Our flight to MCO was pretty uneventful. We were bumped to the exit row, which
was an added bonus. Goofy Guy is 6ft tall so he welcomed the extra legroom.
We never did get an explanation on what to do in case of emergency however.
Hmm – I’m glad I didn’t realize this omission on the trip
or I may have panicked – surprise surprise There were no televisions
on board which was just as well since we tried to sleep most of the way. “Tried” is
the operative word here considering all the snorers around me. Too bad I forgot
my earplugs.
We arrived at MCO at 12:30am. Goofy Guy phoned our motel to make sure they
were still holding a room for us. My parents had asked that we phone them at
the motel as well to ensure we arrived okay. My dad insisted he pick us up
at the airport, rather than have us take a cab. Did I mention before my dad
is wonderful? Within minutes we were driving in my dad’s van back to
the motel. We couldn’t help but notice how hot it was – even at
1am. It was definitely a sign of what was to come.
Without incident,
we check-in to the motel. I considered banging on ToT Sis’ room
to let them know we had arrived, but I figured cranky children
the next day would be too big a price to pay for the little bit
of joy I'd feel tonight. My dad (I guess I should call him Dapper
Dad) tells us that the plan was to meet downstairs of the motel
at 7:45am for a light continental breakfast and leave for Disney
at 8am. We weren’t eating at the Polynesian until 10:30am
so we figured a light b-fast was in order to help tie us over.
Wow – we were going to have 2 nights of little sleep in a
row. But, who am I to complain – we made it – and we’re
in Disney (almost). Complainers need not apply. We went to bed
with visions of Mickey waffles dancing in our heads… We
had arrived!
Day 2 - Part 1...
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