wagonwheel2
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Jul 29, 2005
- Messages
- 21
OK, so I only planned for this trip for 1+ years. I read all there was to read, found this great forum, and prepared for the trip of a lifetime...Now don't get me wrong, it was a great trip, but maybe not one to go down in the history books ! 
I'll try to do this day by day, so you get how some stuff built to where it got !
Day 1: Apr.15/06 - IT's HERE...Time to get on a plane and fly into the warm sunshine. Now I honestly thought that a 6am flight was a great idea, as we would be transferring flights from Halifax to Montreal, and then onto Orlando. Leaving early meant we would get into Orlando at 12pm. Great ! Great for big folks who don't need a whole lot of sleep...not so great for my little folk ( son 4 yrs old ), who is a very bad morning person.
Mama was prepared though. Dressed little buddy in his clothes for flight night before, and let him sleep to last minute, which was 3:30am...ouch. Did I mention that Mama was more excited than 4 year old, and wasn't able to sleep at all ! 
So here we are with Mama bleary eyed, and feeling sick to stomach from adrenaline overload, and little buddy, not happy one bit about being dragged into cold car, in the dark.
We get to airport at 4:30am, and have to park in weekly parking lot. Oh Oh...Hubby now tells me, by the way, as we circle round and round, the paper mentioned there was a shortage of parking spots out here...HUMMMM. Finally find last spot at very far end of lot, and have to walk very long, cold way to get to terminal. Also shortage of luggae carts and we drag everything and sleeping kid with us. Did I mention it's only 5 degrees Celius ?
OK, were in ! Nice short line ups for check in, so we start up. Lady from airline approaches us, and informs us that new system is in place, we must now check ourselves in....
Huh !? SHe herds us with now wide awake hyper little buddy to a kiosk and says go to it. OK. I figure, how hard is this, swipe a card, put in a flight number, get boarding pass, right...WRONG...I had to input my life's story, and details, all with very impatient people waiting behind me. How do you spell that .... what's the zip code for the hotel...got the phone number honey ??? I CAN DO THIS, even though I'm functioning on no sleep. We get boarding passes, finally after machine ate one, and collective groan went up from crowd...sorry but I didn't eat it, yell at the machine. JEESH. Get our luggage checked, and now wait for flight. Finally, a little peace....Did I mention little buddy is now rearing to go. So excited was he, that while chattering and talking non-stop and eating cherrios dry, he manages to choke and trow up on my hubby, who nicely caught it cause he didn't want to get the airport floor dirty ! GREAT 
Now little buddy hates one thing the most in this world, and that is throwing up. Full blown crying fit erupts, and makes gag reflex work harder. Funny how that is. OK, now I am a health care professional. I can handle this, with no sleep, and little patience, except, as soon as he gags, I started. Unfortunate chain reaction. Hubby now looks at us both like he's seriously re-thinking this whole vacation thing.
We all calm down, get on the flight, and little buddy talks non-stop to Montreal, in a really loud voice only a kid can make early in the morning when people are trying to sleep. Really though, he was great on plane. No issue. Thank God. Mama tried to sleep, but with non-stop chaater from seat next to her, it was a no go.
Connection in Montreal was great. Except for one thing. We'd had a tlak to little buddy aboit walking in the airport and how we's have to do a lot of it. No more than 2 feet off plane..."Daddy, I'm awful tired. Can you carry me please ? Insert batting eyelashes here and soulful eyes". Now my hubby is a big man, but now he has large 4 year old kid and 2 carry on's. No way. Mama sets everything down in the aisle, and has a little talk with little buddy, and lays down the law. Let's just say little buddy got the point, and understands that when Mama is travelling with no sleep, she is a force to be listened to. On the plane to Orlando with no problems. Little buddy now keeping a respectful small distance from Mama whom he seems to think has been replaced by someone else....!
Ahh, finally touch down in Orlando. Love to see the palm trees as we come in. We have no problem getting through airport and jump on the tram to get our luggage. Poor little buddy unfortunately thought we were jumping on monorail, and got very excited to see Disney. Had to break his little bubble and explain we were still at airport. Got shuttle to Hertz which is off site, and we were only people on bus. Nice rental car, Camry Solara, but it's only 2 doors. Oh well, little buddy doesn't really need a door. Or so we thought, until we started driving and he realized he couldn't put his window down...oh oh ! Little buddy has almost obsessive thing with windows...how we forgot, I blame on lack of sleep. Both Mama and Daddy put their windows down and ate bugs so little buddy could feel better. Whatever works.
I now take this opportunity to give thanks to MAPQUEST. It had our directions nailed to a "T". Very easy to get to our hotel, Marriott Cypress Harbour. Review of hotel to come next.
I'll try to do this day by day, so you get how some stuff built to where it got !
Day 1: Apr.15/06 - IT's HERE...Time to get on a plane and fly into the warm sunshine. Now I honestly thought that a 6am flight was a great idea, as we would be transferring flights from Halifax to Montreal, and then onto Orlando. Leaving early meant we would get into Orlando at 12pm. Great ! Great for big folks who don't need a whole lot of sleep...not so great for my little folk ( son 4 yrs old ), who is a very bad morning person.
Mama was prepared though. Dressed little buddy in his clothes for flight night before, and let him sleep to last minute, which was 3:30am...ouch. Did I mention that Mama was more excited than 4 year old, and wasn't able to sleep at all ! So here we are with Mama bleary eyed, and feeling sick to stomach from adrenaline overload, and little buddy, not happy one bit about being dragged into cold car, in the dark.We get to airport at 4:30am, and have to park in weekly parking lot. Oh Oh...Hubby now tells me, by the way, as we circle round and round, the paper mentioned there was a shortage of parking spots out here...HUMMMM. Finally find last spot at very far end of lot, and have to walk very long, cold way to get to terminal. Also shortage of luggae carts and we drag everything and sleeping kid with us. Did I mention it's only 5 degrees Celius ?
OK, were in ! Nice short line ups for check in, so we start up. Lady from airline approaches us, and informs us that new system is in place, we must now check ourselves in....
Huh !? SHe herds us with now wide awake hyper little buddy to a kiosk and says go to it. OK. I figure, how hard is this, swipe a card, put in a flight number, get boarding pass, right...WRONG...I had to input my life's story, and details, all with very impatient people waiting behind me. How do you spell that .... what's the zip code for the hotel...got the phone number honey ??? I CAN DO THIS, even though I'm functioning on no sleep. We get boarding passes, finally after machine ate one, and collective groan went up from crowd...sorry but I didn't eat it, yell at the machine. JEESH. Get our luggage checked, and now wait for flight. Finally, a little peace....Did I mention little buddy is now rearing to go. So excited was he, that while chattering and talking non-stop and eating cherrios dry, he manages to choke and trow up on my hubby, who nicely caught it cause he didn't want to get the airport floor dirty ! GREAT Now little buddy hates one thing the most in this world, and that is throwing up. Full blown crying fit erupts, and makes gag reflex work harder. Funny how that is. OK, now I am a health care professional. I can handle this, with no sleep, and little patience, except, as soon as he gags, I started. Unfortunate chain reaction.
Hubby now looks at us both like he's seriously re-thinking this whole vacation thing.We all calm down, get on the flight, and little buddy talks non-stop to Montreal, in a really loud voice only a kid can make early in the morning when people are trying to sleep. Really though, he was great on plane. No issue. Thank God. Mama tried to sleep, but with non-stop chaater from seat next to her, it was a no go.
Connection in Montreal was great. Except for one thing. We'd had a tlak to little buddy aboit walking in the airport and how we's have to do a lot of it. No more than 2 feet off plane..."Daddy, I'm awful tired. Can you carry me please ? Insert batting eyelashes here and soulful eyes". Now my hubby is a big man, but now he has large 4 year old kid and 2 carry on's. No way. Mama sets everything down in the aisle, and has a little talk with little buddy, and lays down the law. Let's just say little buddy got the point, and understands that when Mama is travelling with no sleep, she is a force to be listened to. On the plane to Orlando with no problems. Little buddy now keeping a respectful small distance from Mama whom he seems to think has been replaced by someone else....!
Ahh, finally touch down in Orlando. Love to see the palm trees as we come in. We have no problem getting through airport and jump on the tram to get our luggage. Poor little buddy unfortunately thought we were jumping on monorail, and got very excited to see Disney. Had to break his little bubble and explain we were still at airport. Got shuttle to Hertz which is off site, and we were only people on bus. Nice rental car, Camry Solara, but it's only 2 doors. Oh well, little buddy doesn't really need a door. Or so we thought, until we started driving and he realized he couldn't put his window down...oh oh ! Little buddy has almost obsessive thing with windows...how we forgot, I blame on lack of sleep. Both Mama and Daddy put their windows down and ate bugs so little buddy could feel better. Whatever works.
I now take this opportunity to give thanks to MAPQUEST. It had our directions nailed to a "T". Very easy to get to our hotel, Marriott Cypress Harbour. Review of hotel to come next.
The cleanliness of this place was immaculate, and we were very happy with the accommodations. Now to stock it with all the bad food I have not been eating for past 4 months ! 
Can't wait to read more...since we're leaving tomorrow morning w/ds 5!!! 
We get in, and little buddy is so excited, his eyes bright, smiling...for now...as the ride starts, and we go into the mountain, the smile seems a little less bright, and he now has a death grip on Mama's hand. Ok, no problem, wait til he feels the wind whipping by as we get going...OK, my hand is now numb, and he's loudly asking to get off ride. As we slide past stuffed donkey. I'm valiantly trying to salavage this ride " Look buddy a donkey, wait, now don't break the skin on Mama's hand...just close your eyes buddy...more screams, OK...open your eyes buddy, better to see what's coming...nope, not liking that black drop..." Needless to say we got off quickly, and little buddy promptly told us " I'm not going on any more rides at Disney, not even when I'm old..." OK, I have 2 big issues here, little buddy is in full mutiny, and he think's I'm OLD !!! 
