Sunday, August 16th…..we are off to Orlando (finally!).
Surprisingly, I actually managed to sleep fitfully before morning….in fact, we ALL did. Generally speaking we are usually a tad restless and no one ends up getting any substantial shut-eye, but for some reason, we slept rather soundly. Not that I was complaining….travelling rested is much better than being dead on your feet, particularly when our day was starting at 4:15 am.
Side note…..I woke up at 4:05. Perfectly timed. And thank the Lord I did, because our scheduled wake-up call never came, and I have no idea why
. When 4:30 am rolled around, I had exited the shower and the wake-up call was still MIA, I had Steve stroll down to the front desk to make sure the shuttle was still booked for us (it was booked at the same time and with the same desk clerk that the wake-up call was scheduled, so I wanted to be safe rather than sorry) and yep, the driver would be ready for us at 5:30 as requested. We didn’t bother making an issue of the missed call but it’s a good reminder to have a back up plan (set the alarm on the cell phone or the clock radio) in situations like these.
The kids got up and dressed reasonably agreeably considering the god-awful early hour. Steve made the pilgrimage to the Tim Hortons across the street and came back empty handed….they weren’t open yet. We found out from the shuttle driver later there was a 24-hour stand-alone Timmie’s a few blocks down, but by then we were on our way to the airport and it was too late to enjoy a double-double before heading through security. In the absence of our planned breakfast, Steve and Jake made the pilgrimage to the hotel’s little Marketplace and came back with this:
The breakfast of champions. Okay, not really
. But it gave us enough energy to put one foot in front of the other if nothing else.
Just before 5:30 am, we dragged the luggage to the foyer and the shuttle was waiting for us. We were the only ones riding that morning and the driver was both friendly and chatty. We were on our way!!!
Syracuse airport is tiny, and at that early hour there’s really nothing much happening. With boarding passes in hand (printed before we left the house the day prior), it was a quick and easy drop off of our luggage. We took a few pics, sped through security (short, short lines) and were off to the gate.
The kids grabbed some more food (the options at the airport were a little better than the hotel…..they have added some new kiosks since last summer, including a Dunkin Donuts and a smoothie places) and we settled in to watch the sun rise. Excitement was high and we were all ready and raring to go (lol, except for Steve, who was still sleepy!!).
You would think he wouldn’t have that much energy so early in the morning. What a goof.
We watched the sun rise over our plane, which had been parked overnight and was just waiting for travellers. It was a dreary, wet morning (carried over from the previous evening’s heavy rain) and really quite cool, low 50’s at best. We were happy to trade that dismal weather for Orlando’s sunshine and heat.
It wasn’t long before we were called to board. Steve and I had Even More Space seats, so we were able to get on the plane first (Jake and Sweetie would not be far behind, as they were seated just two rows behind us in row 3). When I upgraded our seats, there were only 2 Even More Space seats left on our outbound flight, so Steve and I snapped them up. I knew Jake and Sweetie wouldn’t want to be separated (particularly when this was Sweetie’s first time flying) and Steve is the biggest, so he got the first EMS seat and I got the second knowing the other two wouldn’t want to split up. I think they enjoyed having their own little private time anyway.
I will admit now that I was a teeny bit apprehensive about this flight. It was on one of Jetblue’s smaller planes (the Embraer) which has the 2 seats/aisle/2 seats configuration. The last time we rode on the tiny plane, I threw up from New York to Florida, and I have wondered by then if the smaller plane wasn’t the culprit. We would also soon find out how well Sweetie tolerated air travel (she was offered our customary Gravol but opted out….I let it be her choice). At any rate, I had nothing to fear as everything went smooth as silk with no airsickness nor turbulence to speak of. We enjoyed the onboard TV’s and the free snacks:
….and landed at MCO a full 25 minutes ahead of schedule to sunshiny skies and temperature of 87 degrees.
As our GPS voice would say…..”You have arrived”!
.
(and he definitely plans to have kids), I think my odds are pretty good. 
Sorry!! For the record, I wasn't referencing anyone in particular. Honest!! 
. I know my ticker re-set to 12 months once our arrival day arrived.
I have been using the HabitRPG site to get organized lately, and, while I don't know that I'm getting that much more done overall, it is making a big difference in getting me back on track with stuff I've let slide. 
How neat that the seating worked out so well! Jake and Sweetie are adorable together, and I'll bet they had a lovely time. 
None of my kids have flown before so this could be interesting!!
....but sweet nonetheless 
More updates in the next installment!
. pigletto, would you know? You have way more Alamo experience than I do!!!
from Jake, Sweetie and Steve (who had successfully parked the van and just joined us in the Diamond Lane office). She confirmed that they were able to honour all our requests (top floor unit with skylight, near the Fountains pool, not bordering the highways) and gave us the resort map, our activity schedules and dining specials for the week. She then took us over to the main counter to get our area maps, coupons, voucher for a free Picaboo photo book, check-in items (tooth paste, etc.) and for the sales team to extend the offer for us to attend the Owners Update (aka timeshare pitch).
