Busy Busy + holiday = Happy Happy!!

[Busy Busy]

Hi everybody....!

Let's start with the who, what, why, etc!!

WHO: Me-Tracey (42 - ugh!), DH Paul (43), DS13 and DD7.

WHAT: Amazing holiday!

WHY: We are always saving to go to England to visit Paul's parents and sister, but they decided to come to us for Christmas 2011, so our England savings became "wherever we want to go" savings!

WHEN: Friday 16th September - Thursday 13th October, 2011

WHERE: New York City (5 nights Doubletree Guest Suites)
Walt Disney World (12 nights Wilderness Lodge)
Bahamas (5 nights Atlantis Resort)
Las Vegas (3 nights Bellagio Hotel)

HOW: VAustralia (Premium Economy) Sydney to LA
United LA to NYC
Continental NYC to Orlando
Jet Blue Orlando to Nassau
Jet Blue Nassau to Orlando
Delta Orlando to Atlanta
Delta Atlanta to Las Vegas
Delta Las Vegas to LA
VAustralia (Premium Economy) LA to Sydney
Yep - 9 flights!!

 

[Busy Busy]

All that explained, let's get to it!

I remember writing here on Disboards that I was pleased to hear my husband open a beer on the night before we left. He had been pretty stressed out that day, and to hear him relax was great (for all of us!). Everything was ready to go with just toothbrushes to be packed, I seem to remember being in bed before midnight - I was impressed with myself!!

We had 3 suitcases - all about 1/2 full - another reason to be impressed!!

My ex husband arrived at 6.30am to take us to the airport and we set off at about 6.50am for our 10.45am flight.

We arrived and just as we walked into the terminal I heard "TRACEY" - I looked around and there was my hairdresser - she was off to Bali - so we had a hug and a laugh and we were off again. We headed to the VAustralia check in counter and walked into the Premium Economy aisle. I really felt special standing there with only one family in front of us - especially considering the Economy check in line was miles long!

By the time we were finished the ex had reappeared and we headed for coffee - time went by quickly - espcially as I was looking around picturing every woman with a husband and 3 kids in tow as Battymum!!! I looked for you Lisa - even though I knew that you weren't there yet!!

We headed through customs with a squillion others and it was in there somewhere that we saw the friends that we would be meeting up with in NYC and WDW......we got through and they eventually made it - they were held up because they were buying half of the duty free in the building!!

While waiting around I saw a friend's husband who works for Qantas - so yet more hugging - and then all 9 of us (friends have DS14, DD11 and DD6) hit McDonalds. The terminal was packed - hooray for the dollar!!

We ate and then said goodbye - they were on the Qantas flight so they headed one way and we went the other. We got to the VAustralia gate and boarding had begun - we walked through another special entrance and before we knew it arrived in heaven!!

 

[battymum]

ooh - I get a mention in the first post!!!!

Sorry to pressure you for a TR - but I miss the chit chat on here.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Oh yay, another TR, can't wait to read it. Keep the updates coming.

 

[Anne_Aus]

so excited for another TR, so am going to settle in to this thread as well

Can't wait to hear about your time in the Bahamas especially

 

[maryr1oz]

Can't wait to read all about your trip - all my favorite places!

 

[hjd0411]

Good start - looking forward to more!! These Aussie TR's are great!!!
Thanks for sharing.

 

[aussietravellers]

Oh, another TR

 

[Toy Story]

Looking forward to reading your TR, especially how your LA to NY transfer and flight went.

 

[australiankaren]

ok, I'm waiting.....with pictures please

waiting..........

waiting....................

no pressure....really.....but waiting...............

 

[Busy Busy]

Hi, don't you hate it when people start trip reports and then don't get back to update them for ages?!

I think that life is almost back to normal for us, I just need about 28 extra hours in each day! I even think that I may get to add some pics this weekend!!

OK, so we had stepped into heaven on our VAustralia flight.....we had booked the 4 seats in the back row of premium economy, they were the perfect choice for us. The plane is set up with 2 seats then 4 seats then 2 seats, so choosing the 4 in the middle meant that we could all be together and the best bit was that we could put our seats back as far as we wanted without worrying about people behind us (I always worry about it, so it was great not to have to!)

The flight attendants were AMAZING, they introduced themselves and explained the entertainment system, then I had my fabulous "welcome aboard" champs - yep at 10.15am - then I had another one!!! We took some quick pictures on Paul's phone and I tweeted them - I am 5'11" and I could cross my legs without even touching the seat in front....it really was heaven!!

We took off about 5 minutes late, and were all completely thrilled to be starting our holiday - I still felt like I needed somebody to pinch me.

I didn't sleep on the flight, everybody else did, but I was in love with the entertainment, so I was never bored. The food was OK, it's no Artist's Point, but everything was edible and hot. I watched Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, Bridesmaids, The Hangover 2, a show about New York and spent a lot of time listening to everything from the Foo Fighters to Neil Diamond! Landing in LA was a relief though, it's a bloody long flight!

Once in LA we had to deal with customs, it took an hour and a half, ugh!! The lines were all over the place and there were staff members there to point you in the right direction, but it all felt like a big mess. There were a lot of Aussie voices around us though. So we finally got our hands scanned and our pics taken and headed to grab the bags. This is where I think that we made a mistake.

I think that we could have transferred to the United terminal without leaving the secured area, but Paul insisted that we head right out to where we had caught the Disney bus to Disneyland 2 years ago. Not in the mood to argue, I followed along.....

 

[battymum]

I am picturing your tiny DD in those premium economy seats - jealous much!!!

 

[Busy Busy]

We walked out into the heat and grime and general ick that is LA airport, and after about 10 minutes, we worked out where to wait for the bus to the other terminals, then we had to wait another 15 minutes for the bus to come. All while dealing with an ever so slight amount of tension....I was VERY happy to see that bus appear!!

So off to the other terminal, we checked in and then headed through security, it was such a relief to get to our gate. I took the kids to grab something to eat at McDonalds where they asked them if they wanted whipped cream on their shakes! I said NO!!! Then I went and got 2 REALLY big coffees for Paul and I, when Paul is stressed, coffee always helps!

Paul spoke to to Simon on the phone, they had arrived too, but were in a world of drama. They had left their video camera bag on their flight from Sydney and were getting no help from the Qantas staff, when they finally called to the plane staff for them they were told that the bag wasn't on the plane - so they were also very stressed! Then their Qantas flight to NYC was delayed by 3 hours, and the kids were asleep on the floor at the gate lounge, nooooo!!!

I had a look in the shops and grabbed myself a People magazine and some Raisinettes (2 things that I had looked forward to!!). We boarded and our seats were in the last row of the plane! 3 seats on each side of the plane, we had both sides of the aisle and the middle seat....it was a totally premium economy flight though, so we were very comfy.

The flight went by pretty quickly, we all slept a little and DD7 and I did some coloring in and I eavesdropped on the conversation between the flight attendants in the galley behind us - they didn't shut up!!!

Finally we were heading into JFK, it was beyond exciting!! It was dark outside and the lights were fabulous. We even landed early! The head flight attendant had us all laughing when he announced that we had arrived 35 minutes early "because at United, that's how we roll".....hooray for United!!!

Off the plane, to the baggage carousel and out they came - it was the perfect airport experience! Paul called the car company that we had booked our transfer through, and there was the guy waiting for us as we came through the doors. He took us to a gorgeous black, 7 seater SUV thingy (I have no idea what kind of car it was!), and we were off!!

I called my mum from the car, she was thrilled to hear from us and it was great to speak to her, then Paul Skyped my ex (DS13's dad - and Paul's good friend - CRAZY!!) from his phone! There we were, driving along in Brooklyn on a Friday night while looking at Dave on the phone as he stood in his front yard back at home on a Saturday afternoon!

Before long we were headed into Manhattan. We came in further uptown than we have before, so it was great to drive down 5th Avenue. I can't tell you how much I LOVE New York, I could move there tomorrow and live amongst all of the madness without a backwards glance (as long as all of my family and friends came with me)!

We turned onto 47th Street and could see the lights of Times Square, then, at 10pm, we pulled up outside the DoubleTree and jumped out into the mayhem!!

The guys from the hotel grabbed our bags, I grabbed the kids and Paul tipped the driver. Then we headed up to the 3rd floor to check in.

 

[Busy Busy]

Ha, in her giant seat, our little Caroline looked like she was sitting on a king sized bed!!

 

[OziJo]

I'm subbing. A great start to your trip= a great start to your TR

 

[PrincessInOz]

Subbing in too...and will be here for your ride!

 

[Busy Busy]

.....so, we arrived at the DoubleTree and made it into the ground level foyer and then up to the 3rd floor to check in. It was fabulous to see that lobby with it's groovy lights and loooong curtains again.

We had one person in line before us at the check in and Paul got us all sorted in a couple of minutes. Then, with 4 chocloate chip cookies in one hand, and dragging a suitcase in the other, we headed up to our room. I think we were on the 19th floor - I'll have to check!! We walked all the way down to the end of the hallway and laughed when we realised that we were the second last room on the right - the exact same position that we had in 2009!! In we went and it felt so familiar and wonderful - I LOVE that hotel!!

The kids checked everything out and we got a few things organised and then headed straight back out to Times Square. Paul had spoken to Simon by now and they had finally made it to JFK - but the car that was supposed to pick them up (that they had paid for) was nowhere to be found and the company wasn't answering his calls......ugh. So they had waited for a cab that could fit all 5 of them and their 5 suitcases and had eventually hit the road.

We decided to walk towards the downtown end of Times Square, we checked that our favourite shops like Footlocker, ToysRUs and Sephora were still there - of course they were!! The crowds were ridiculous - just as we had expected - and the atmosphere was amazing, what a thrill to be back there again!!

We went back towards the DoubleTree and Paul thought that we should wait outside for our friends to arrive....OK, but he had left his phone upstairs, so we didn't know how far away they were. We waited for a while watching the world go by, and after about 15 minutes I'd had it, I really wanted to unpack and get all of us showered and into bed at some stage. He insisted that we wait a bit longer - it will be amazing to see their reactions to Times Square - OK....waiting, waiting. We decided that Jack would go upstairs and get Paul's phone, and as I was watching the elevator for him to come back down, who should come out of it......Simon and their DS!4!!! They had been at the hotel the whole time, and we worked out that they must have been going up in the lift as we were coming down!! Unbelievable - I knew that I didn't want to wait any longer!!!

So, Ann was staying upstairs with the girls and the boys were going to take a quick spin around Times Square - they had been calling us - but the phone was in the room!!!

Anyway, we walked back around a little more and then it was definitely time to take Caroline back upstairs. We stopped at the McDonalds on the way and grabbed a couple of things, and then headed upstairs. The boys were about 10 minutes behind us, and guess what.....Simon and Ann and the kids were staying in the room next door! We had asked to be on the same floor - but hadn't expected this!! Those interconnecting doors came in very handy the next night!!

We chomped down some pretty average McDonalds.....honestly.....a medium coke? There must have been a litre at least in there!!

I sorted out the drawers and then unpacked - I was amazing - had it done in less than 10 minutes, Paul set up the laptop and the kids got clean and went to bed. I remember sitting on the lounge looking at Paul in disbelief - how can we really be here?? Not long later I had a shower and watched my beloved Conan O'Brien......didn't make it to the end of the show though!!

 

[Busy Busy]

We had decided that 8.30am would be a good time to meet in the foyer for breakfast. Great idea - except Paul and I were awake at 5.00am!! We got up and I sat at the desk in the loungeroom and watched the giant office building next door. I had a great view of all of the offices - nothing very interesting was happening in them though.... !@#$%^&*!!

There were a few people in their offices - which was weird because it was a Saturday morning - I'm just not that dedicated I'm afraid!! It was still very dark, but soon enough it started to get light and Paul headed down to Starbucks to get us a coffee....8.30am seemed like forever away!!

Eventually the kids woke up and we all showered again - and got ready to hit the Big Apple - we were definitely ready by the time about 8.15am came!!

We headed downstairs and the tribe from next door arrived about 5 minutes later. Us girls hadn't seen each other since Sydney airport so we had a big jumping, hugging reunion and we hit 47th Street. We walked the 2 minutes to the Evergreen Diner - I had seen it Trip Advisor and it was PERFECT. Having since read Battymum's review of dinner there - I will change my review to - breakfast is perfect!!

They fit us in and really quickly the coffee and juice and eggs and bacon and waffles and pancakes and omlettes and toast and home fries and strawberries started hitting the table. Great food and wonderful service, it's no wonder that we went back there for breakfast every day after that. Not very adventurous - but we felt so welcomed there - why would we change?

We went straight to Footlocker afterwards, with Ann freaking out the whole way, this was her first taste of Times Square apart from walking to the foyer from the cab the night before and she was in awe!! We spent an hour in Footlocker and the kids all got new shoes - our friends went credit card crazy in there - we were a little calmer!

The boys dropped our shopping back to the rooms while Ann and I talked to a gorgeous lady from Brisbane that we had met at the diner. They had been at the DoubleTree for a week and were leaving 2 days later for LA. She had a few tips and we were all thrilled to be standing on the corner of 7th Avenue and 47th Street in NEW YORK CITY having a chat - unbelievable!!

When the boys got back downstairs we split up. Our friends went to do the red double decker bus tour, and we decided to walk to Macy's. We have done the bus tours and loved them, but we decided not to worry this time, this was 5 days in New York that we would not have to run from attraction to attraction...it was so much easier.

We walked through Times Square and down past the Parsons School of Design....straight out of Project Runway - very exciting, and then we went around the corner to the amazing fabric shop that they go to in that show - Mood. Mood has closed down, but I still got a picture of the sign up in the window...thankyou Mood!!!

We walked towards Macy's and just as we were about to walk through the doors we could hear our friends screaming to us from the top of a double decker bus - a funny moment.

We hit the mens wear department of Macy's like a machine, Paul had grabbed the 10% off card as we arrived and we were ready!!

We left there with Tommy Hilfiger jeans, Ralph Lauren polos and shorts and a couple of shirts. Paul was so happy with his stuff, he lives in cargo shorts and polos, so it was great to think that I was going to see him in some new ones!!

We walked over to Old Navy and got a couple of things there for the boys, and then went to another diner for lunch - it was just over the road from Madison Square Garden. Great watching New York go by while eating a tuna melt with unlimited refills!!

 

[Jade+3]

What a great start to your trip. I think your first day in NYC was our last day. We were at Madison Square Garden that same afternoon.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

Oooooh yay, New York. My family's favourite city too. And I agree, it's so wonderful when you don't have to rush from place to place and can really just enjoy the atmosphere this amazing city has to offer.

Too funny about Parson's and Mood. I did the same thing lol.