The trip to New York is how I remember a similar trip to New York..nothing outstanding, beautiful views of garbage and grafitti...this is America..how gorgeous.
We arrive ON TIME!!!!OMG!!!!!!!Amtrak comes thru....ok, cmon kids, we have to catch our next train that leaves in a half hour...grab your bags.......
Up the escalator, to utter chaos....we are in New York Penn Station, and everyone looks dazed and cofused....theres about a million folks just standing around looking shell shocked, and heres our happy little brood trying to figure the whole thing out.
We finally make our way across this mass of people, and find a woman who is the customer rep...or so we assume(you folks know what happens when you assume right???LOL)
We aks her, what or where are we supposed to be, she says to wait over at the entry to a gate, but for some strange reason, this gate says no entry...so the wife goes back, and asks again, sure enough,....we're standing in the spot she says to.
OK...finally, I figure this place out...go read the board, and find our train listed, but there is no gate assignment...no sooner do I get this info to the wife, when our train is announced.....and there is a mass exodus of folks who obviously have been wondering which train we are leaving on because they all want to make sure we get on last.
OK...we finally get onboard, and all these folks who went before us must have went into some space time vortex, because for all the folks that went before us, there not a soul in sight.
HEYYYYYYYYYYY...theres T.V.s...I didnt think there was going to be any video entertainment..the kids are very excited..they thought that it was going to be boring!!!
The conductor comes by, and one of the kids asks when the movies come on...and he says...oh, those havent worked for six years.The kids are bored again.
We ride, and ride, and ride, and ride, and ride...I was going to type this about a million times, but to save on fingers, I will say that we rode forever and a day.
We meet all kids of people..some very nice, others very strange.I never get feeling comfortable in either our seats, nor with many of our companions.
There isnt much to talk about in reguard to the rest of the ride..it was all a waiting game...a very long waiting game...but I chalk that up to the anticipation of a relaxing vacation that is also much needed.
We get to Orlando an hour behind schedule..MAY 4th, at 12:30....and now...let the vacation begin.
(Did you hear the screeching sounds of fingernail on chalkboard??)
Happy Limo is to meet us, but in all the mix up with the train, I had forgotten to call and change our pick-up time....so I call them, and its going to take a half hour..OK...no problem..it is my fault.
I really have no problem with this...although it is hot..and...now for the fun to begin.
The Amtrak station has a charter service located right there, and this guy comes up to us, and starts in on a hard sell for us to take his van..we thank him and tell him we are waiting for our ride, which I had pre paid...he asks which service, and I tell him.He stars criticizing me!!It not so many words, he tells me how foolish I am, he can get us to our resort faster, and that Happy Limo will get there when they get there...now, I am beyond P.o.ed at this guy, and Amtrak......and great, I have to do this all over again........WONDERFUL.
Happy Limo comes in 25 minutes, and EVERYONE that is standing there is now looking at us, as though they had never seen a Limo before...the kids are psyched....and George our Limo driver apologizes for the wait..I tell him it was my fault, but he is still apologetic....George is his name, and he is FANTASTIC....he zip's through the traffic, and we are at the Coranado in no time, and suddenly, it all becomes real...WE"RE FINALLY ON VACATION!!!!
I give George an extra tip..he deserved it for not only being very nice, but also because he was the first person to treat us with any respect at all. I am not one for expecting people to treat me as royalty or anything similar...but George did.
Next up...Coranado Springs!!!!
We arrive ON TIME!!!!OMG!!!!!!!Amtrak comes thru....ok, cmon kids, we have to catch our next train that leaves in a half hour...grab your bags.......
Up the escalator, to utter chaos....we are in New York Penn Station, and everyone looks dazed and cofused....theres about a million folks just standing around looking shell shocked, and heres our happy little brood trying to figure the whole thing out.
We finally make our way across this mass of people, and find a woman who is the customer rep...or so we assume(you folks know what happens when you assume right???LOL)
We aks her, what or where are we supposed to be, she says to wait over at the entry to a gate, but for some strange reason, this gate says no entry...so the wife goes back, and asks again, sure enough,....we're standing in the spot she says to.
OK...finally, I figure this place out...go read the board, and find our train listed, but there is no gate assignment...no sooner do I get this info to the wife, when our train is announced.....and there is a mass exodus of folks who obviously have been wondering which train we are leaving on because they all want to make sure we get on last.
OK...we finally get onboard, and all these folks who went before us must have went into some space time vortex, because for all the folks that went before us, there not a soul in sight.
HEYYYYYYYYYYY...theres T.V.s...I didnt think there was going to be any video entertainment..the kids are very excited..they thought that it was going to be boring!!!
The conductor comes by, and one of the kids asks when the movies come on...and he says...oh, those havent worked for six years.The kids are bored again.
We ride, and ride, and ride, and ride, and ride...I was going to type this about a million times, but to save on fingers, I will say that we rode forever and a day.
We meet all kids of people..some very nice, others very strange.I never get feeling comfortable in either our seats, nor with many of our companions.
There isnt much to talk about in reguard to the rest of the ride..it was all a waiting game...a very long waiting game...but I chalk that up to the anticipation of a relaxing vacation that is also much needed.
We get to Orlando an hour behind schedule..MAY 4th, at 12:30....and now...let the vacation begin.
(Did you hear the screeching sounds of fingernail on chalkboard??)
Happy Limo is to meet us, but in all the mix up with the train, I had forgotten to call and change our pick-up time....so I call them, and its going to take a half hour..OK...no problem..it is my fault.
I really have no problem with this...although it is hot..and...now for the fun to begin.
The Amtrak station has a charter service located right there, and this guy comes up to us, and starts in on a hard sell for us to take his van..we thank him and tell him we are waiting for our ride, which I had pre paid...he asks which service, and I tell him.He stars criticizing me!!It not so many words, he tells me how foolish I am, he can get us to our resort faster, and that Happy Limo will get there when they get there...now, I am beyond P.o.ed at this guy, and Amtrak......and great, I have to do this all over again........WONDERFUL.
Happy Limo comes in 25 minutes, and EVERYONE that is standing there is now looking at us, as though they had never seen a Limo before...the kids are psyched....and George our Limo driver apologizes for the wait..I tell him it was my fault, but he is still apologetic....George is his name, and he is FANTASTIC....he zip's through the traffic, and we are at the Coranado in no time, and suddenly, it all becomes real...WE"RE FINALLY ON VACATION!!!!
I give George an extra tip..he deserved it for not only being very nice, but also because he was the first person to treat us with any respect at all. I am not one for expecting people to treat me as royalty or anything similar...but George did.
Next up...Coranado Springs!!!!
