Thanksgiving Part II - The Solo trip strikes back (RL Updated 12/23)

[summerlvr]

Looking forward to reading more!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

We drive from NC for many of the same reasons. I can do a two-week business trip on a carry on an a laptop bag. We fill my MINI going to Disney with two people LOL.

Totally unrelated to Disney - but I have a Virginia Tech connection. I'm on the board of directors of Historic Smithfield, the museum on the Tech grounds. It's a beautiful campus!

You are a better person than me. I am a classic overpacker in ALL situations. I blame it on being a stage manager. I have to be prepared for any possibility so I need all the things.

I love that you are on the board for the museum!! Let me know if you ever get to campus. We can have coffee or something.

Looking forward to reading more!

Thanks for following along!!

 

[footballmouse]

 

[missjackiemcg]

I'm so jealous that you will be there in one week!!! What drink from Petals???

First cocktail, always a Lava Lamp! I also love a Pina Colava, but they for some reason make them better at the bar by the Big Blue Pool at Art of Animation.

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Real Life Update
​

Hi everyone! I traveled home to Minnesota for Christmas on Thursday/Friday. What a trip! I had to come on here and tell the story because there were so many things. First, I fly Southwest and from my corner of VA, the easiest way to do that is to drive to Charlotte, NC. So, I drive down the day before my flights and stay at a Marriott that has a park and fly option with a shuttle to the airport. It is literally 5 minutes from the airport so it is super easy. Wouldn't you know it, as I was driving through the mountains (same road I take to Disney) I got that crazy fog in the EXACT SAME PLACE as the Thanksgiving trip. I am now firmly convinced this IS Stephen King's The Mist and there ARE creatures living there that want to eat me.

Now, Friday flights. Oy. It was very much like I had VAtink's recent airline luck. My first flight (from Charlotte to Denver) left at 6:35am. Now, I am very much one of those "you need to be at the airport at least 2 hours before your flight" people. In fact, I believe you need to be there 2 hours before your BOARDING time, and then I usually round down. So - 6:35am flight means a 6:05 boarding time which means being at the airport at 4am which means being on the 3:30am shuttle (because you always have to leave time for the unexpected, right??). Well, then I got to thinking - are the Southwest counter and security even open that early? Google to the rescue - TSA in Charlotte opens at 3:30am and allegedly, the Southwest counter is supposed to open 3 hours before their earliest flight. Cool. Shuttle happens as it should and I walk into the airport about 3:35am. I look to security and they are open and not a huge line yet (2 years ago when I flew out the line for security ran the entire length of the terminal.) I head to Southwest. There is a line but it isn't huge (last year the line to print bag tags was over an hour.) However, the line wasn't moving because they weren't open. Ok, maybe they were slightly delayed this morning. I ask the person in front of me how long she has been waiting. Not long BUT her flight was 5:45am. So, in theory, SW counter should have been open at 2:45am. Either Google was wrong or Southwest doesn't follow it's own policies. Anyway, we all waited another 15 minutes or so and they finally opened. The line moved fairly quickly and then security was easy so I was at my gate by 4:30.

Boarding happened on time for the first flight. I had a very early boarding number (A6) so I was in row 2. Things proceeded as normal and we head out to take off. The guy in front of me starts trying to get up as we are taxiing. And then the flight attendants start throwing bags at him because he was . But of course, there was nothing they could do as we were actively taking off and it was BUMPY! We had been warned there would be turbulance because of wind. Anyway, they kept throwing bags and mouthwash and ice packs at him and after about 30 minutes, he seemed ok. It was a longish flight that had many, many moments of turbulence but at last they announce final decent into Denver. But then we don't land. And we fly and fly. And finally we land but it was really, really bumpy. But we are not in Denver, we are in Colorado Springs. Denver had a full ground stop because of micro-bursts and we were out of fuel so we couldn't circle anymore. So, now we are on the ground for who knows how long and they are not letting us off the plane. So we sit on the tarmac. They come through with water for everyone after a half hour and then with snacks after an hour. Finally, the pilot says the ground stop is lifted and we are 2nd in line to take off to Denver. I've been following my connection and it has been pushed back because that plane was also in the ground stop so it couldn't land (in fact, it could have been in Colorado Springs with us because 15 other planes were!!) But then, we don't move to get in line to take off. Because the computer system is updating and we can't go!! Oh Southwest. Finally, about 30 minutes after we are cleared, we move out to the runway and it takes at least another 15 minutes before we are in the air. And boy was it still really, really bumpy!!

Finally, we land in Denver and my app says I have 15 minutes before my next flight boards. Good thing I am at the front of the plane. I get off and move as fast as this fluffy girl can to my next gate (which luckily is at least in the same terminal.) I have time to run to the bathroom and then get to the gate. And even though the app still says boarding now, the plane isn't there yet. Ok, no problem. I have time to grab a sandwich. Because at this point, my body thinks it is 2pm and all I've had to eat is a bagel at 5am and airplane snacks. I quickly find what is marketed as a basic turkey sandwich and head back to the gate in time to hear "Boarding group A please line up." Got it. But then we just stand there and stand there. Finally, the gate agent says we are waiting on a new flight crew because our original crew timed out due to all the delays. However, I see flight crew waiting to board but they are also not being allowed on. But, I recognize the 2 really great flight attendants from my first flight. I walk over to them and ask if they are now the crew for the flight to Minnesota. And they are!!! Of course, they aren't super happy about it because they were supposed to be done for the week after the trip into Denver and be headed back to their home in Phoenix. But, they got called into service and now have to fly to Minneapolis and get home a day late. Yikes!! I feel badly but at least I know we have great crew.

The crew finally boards and I figure we will start boarding soon. Nope. Because now they can't get the fuel/weight of the plane balanced. What??? I mean, that sounds important but shouldn't that be pretty easy to do?? It takes 4 people, including the pilot, to figure it out and we finally start to board (at least a full half-hour after our scheduled delayed take-off). I get the same seat on this flight and settle in. Boarding happens pretty quickly because I think people want to GO. But then, the two men in the row in front of me start fighting. At first, it's just some verbal stuff but it escalates quickly and it sounds like it is close to coming to physical blows - over the arm rests. Yep, the guy on the aisle and the guy in the middle are fighting over the arm rest and it is getting ugly. The flight attendant steps in and offers "Generally speaking, the person in the middle gets the 2 inner arm rests." Big guy doesn't like that and says no, I was here first, I'm bigger than he is, and I want the arm rest. Middle guy isn't letting it go and starts back with you are too big for the seat and you are encroaching on my space. Now, big guy wasn't fluffy (like me) but he was just a large man - probably 6'4" with big shoulders so I get it but I also make sure that I don't take over other people's space on the plane. He simply didn't care. So then something gets said and the boarding agent (who happens to be on the plane) overhears and comes over and YELLS "You will NOT talk to my flight attendants like that. Do you want me to remove you both from the plane??" And, of course, the pilot overhears all of this and decides the 2 guys WILL get off the plane and talk with security and get this settled or neither of them is flying. They go out to the jetway and talk with security for about 10 minutes. (Yes, we are waiting all this time, argggg!!!) They finally come back in and they move the middle guy to a seat about half-way back in the plane. And then we wait some more.

Finally, the pilot LEAVES THE PLANE!! The flight attendant makes an announcement that he has left to find out why we can't get clearance to leave (apparently we've been waiting on that since before the fight.) What is happening right now??? At long last, the pilot comes back and we finally push back from the gate (about 1.5 hours after our delayed departure time which is close to 4 hours after our original departure time.) Once again, it's a really bumpy flight but we are finally landing in Minnesota. Thank goodness because I am STARVING!! That sandwich I got earlier?? Yeah, I couldn't eat it. Because apparently in Denver, a basic turkey sandwich means siracha mayo and wow can my stomach not handle anything like that. So, I'm excited to get off the plane and get to my parent's where mom has homemade spaghetti and garlic bread waiting. But, we can't leave without one more blast of drama right? As people start to get up and get their carry-on's from the overhead bin - middle seat fighter comes FLYING up the aisle, yelling at big guy fighter "Don't f'ing touch my stuff!" I guess he left his carry-on in the overhead bin in row 1 and big guy moved it around to get his own stuff. And so, they start yelling again. But this time, all of us around them start chiming in. The dad sitting across the aisle from me says "Ok guys. That's enough. None of us want to hear you fight anymore and we all want off the plane." Someone else makes another comment. And honestly, I chime with "Two grown men still fighting over an arm rest. Let it go." They grumble at each other but middle guy grabs his bag and goes back to the middle of the plane. Big guy is the first off. I soon follow and make my way to baggage claim and then to my brother's car to head out.

All in all, a travel day that should have been 11 hours from shuttle to mom's ended up being 17.5 hours. And, I think I was stranded in Colorado Springs long enough that I established residency and probably have to pay taxes there. But hey, I'm home. Can't wait to see what flying on New Year's Eve is going to bring!! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, Happy Holidays!!! I hope you and yours have a great holiday season. I doubt I will get a full update out until I get back to VA in January but I promise, there is a full Disney report coming soon!

 

[ThreeBoyMama]

Good gravy. Glad you finally made it to Minnesota. Happy holidays!

 

[cassidy57]

Real Life Update
​

Hi everyone! I traveled home to Minnesota for Christmas on Thursday/Friday. What a trip! I had to come on here and tell the story because there were so many things. First, I fly Southwest and from my corner of VA, the easiest way to do that is to drive to Charlotte, NC. So, I drive down the day before my flights and stay at a Marriott that has a park and fly option with a shuttle to the airport. It is literally 5 minutes from the airport so it is super easy. Wouldn't you know it, as I was driving through the mountains (same road I take to Disney) I got that crazy fog in the EXACT SAME PLACE as the Thanksgiving trip. I am now firmly convinced this IS Stephen King's The Mist and there ARE creatures living there that want to eat me.

Now, Friday flights. Oy. It was very much like I had VAtink's recent airline luck. My first flight (from Charlotte to Denver) left at 6:35am. Now, I am very much one of those "you need to be at the airport at least 2 hours before your flight" people. In fact, I believe you need to be there 2 hours before your BOARDING time, and then I usually round down. So - 6:35am flight means a 6:05 boarding time which means being at the airport at 4am which means being on the 3:30am shuttle (because you always have to leave time for the unexpected, right??). Well, then I got to thinking - are the Southwest counter and security even open that early? Google to the rescue - TSA in Charlotte opens at 3:30am and allegedly, the Southwest counter is supposed to open 3 hours before their earliest flight. Cool. Shuttle happens as it should and I walk into the airport about 3:35am. I look to security and they are open and not a huge line yet (2 years ago when I flew out the line for security ran the entire length of the terminal.) I head to Southwest. There is a line but it isn't huge (last year the line to print bag tags was over an hour.) However, the line wasn't moving because they weren't open. Ok, maybe they were slightly delayed this morning. I ask the person in front of me how long she has been waiting. Not long BUT her flight was 5:45am. So, in theory, SW counter should have been open at 2:45am. Either Google was wrong or Southwest doesn't follow it's own policies. Anyway, we all waited another 15 minutes or so and they finally opened. The line moved fairly quickly and then security was easy so I was at my gate by 4:30.

Boarding happened on time for the first flight. I had a very early boarding number (A6) so I was in row 2. Things proceeded as normal and we head out to take off. The guy in front of me starts trying to get up as we are taxiing. And then the flight attendants start throwing bags at him because he was . But of course, there was nothing they could do as we were actively taking off and it was BUMPY! We had been warned there would be turbulance because of wind. Anyway, they kept throwing bags and mouthwash and ice packs at him and after about 30 minutes, he seemed ok. It was a longish flight that had many, many moments of turbulence but at last they announce final decent into Denver. But then we don't land. And we fly and fly. And finally we land but it was really, really bumpy. But we are not in Denver, we are in Colorado Springs. Denver had a full ground stop because of micro-bursts and we were out of fuel so we couldn't circle anymore. So, now we are on the ground for who knows how long and they are not letting us off the plane. So we sit on the tarmac. They come through with water for everyone after a half hour and then with snacks after an hour. Finally, the pilot says the ground stop is lifted and we are 2nd in line to take off to Denver. I've been following my connection and it has been pushed back because that plane was also in the ground stop so it couldn't land (in fact, it could have been in Colorado Springs with us because 15 other planes were!!) But then, we don't move to get in line to take off. Because the computer system is updating and we can't go!! Oh Southwest. Finally, about 30 minutes after we are cleared, we move out to the runway and it takes at least another 15 minutes before we are in the air. And boy was it still really, really bumpy!!

Finally, we land in Denver and my app says I have 15 minutes before my next flight boards. Good thing I am at the front of the plane. I get off and move as fast as this fluffy girl can to my next gate (which luckily is at least in the same terminal.) I have time to run to the bathroom and then get to the gate. And even though the app still says boarding now, the plane isn't there yet. Ok, no problem. I have time to grab a sandwich. Because at this point, my body thinks it is 2pm and all I've had to eat is a bagel at 5am and airplane snacks. I quickly find what is marketed as a basic turkey sandwich and head back to the gate in time to hear "Boarding group A please line up." Got it. But then we just stand there and stand there. Finally, the gate agent says we are waiting on a new flight crew because our original crew timed out due to all the delays. However, I see flight crew waiting to board but they are also not being allowed on. But, I recognize the 2 really great flight attendants from my first flight. I walk over to them and ask if they are now the crew for the flight to Minnesota. And they are!!! Of course, they aren't super happy about it because they were supposed to be done for the week after the trip into Denver and be headed back to their home in Phoenix. But, they got called into service and now have to fly to Minneapolis and get home a day late. Yikes!! I feel badly but at least I know we have great crew.

The crew finally boards and I figure we will start boarding soon. Nope. Because now they can't get the fuel/weight of the plane balanced. What??? I mean, that sounds important but shouldn't that be pretty easy to do?? It takes 4 people, including the pilot, to figure it out and we finally start to board (at least a full half-hour after our scheduled delayed take-off). I get the same seat on this flight and settle in. Boarding happens pretty quickly because I think people want to GO. But then, the two men in the row in front of me start fighting. At first, it's just some verbal stuff but it escalates quickly and it sounds like it is close to coming to physical blows - over the arm rests. Yep, the guy on the aisle and the guy in the middle are fighting over the arm rest and it is getting ugly. The flight attendant steps in and offers "Generally speaking, the person in the middle gets the 2 inner arm rests." Big guy doesn't like that and says no, I was here first, I'm bigger than he is, and I want the arm rest. Middle guy isn't letting it go and starts back with you are too big for the seat and you are encroaching on my space. Now, big guy wasn't fluffy (like me) but he was just a large man - probably 6'4" with big shoulders so I get it but I also make sure that I don't take over other people's space on the plane. He simply didn't care. So then something gets said and the boarding agent (who happens to be on the plane) overhears and comes over and YELLS "You will NOT talk to my flight attendants like that. Do you want me to remove you both from the plane??" And, of course, the pilot overhears all of this and decides the 2 guys WILL get off the plane and talk with security and get this settled or neither of them is flying. They go out to the jetway and talk with security for about 10 minutes. (Yes, we are waiting all this time, argggg!!!) They finally come back in and they move the middle guy to a seat about half-way back in the plane. And then we wait some more.

Finally, the pilot LEAVES THE PLANE!! The flight attendant makes an announcement that he has left to find out why we can't get clearance to leave (apparently we've been waiting on that since before the fight.) What is happening right now??? At long last, the pilot comes back and we finally push back from the gate (about 1.5 hours after our delayed departure time which is close to 4 hours after our original departure time.) Once again, it's a really bumpy flight but we are finally landing in Minnesota. Thank goodness because I am STARVING!! That sandwich I got earlier?? Yeah, I couldn't eat it. Because apparently in Denver, a basic turkey sandwich means siracha mayo and wow can my stomach not handle anything like that. So, I'm excited to get off the plane and get to my parent's where mom has homemade spaghetti and garlic bread waiting. But, we can't leave without one more blast of drama right? As people start to get up and get their carry-on's from the overhead bin - middle seat fighter comes FLYING up the aisle, yelling at big guy fighter "Don't f'ing touch my stuff!" I guess he left his carry-on in the overhead bin in row 1 and big guy moved it around to get his own stuff. And so, they start yelling again. But this time, all of us around them start chiming in. The dad sitting across the aisle from me says "Ok guys. That's enough. None of us want to hear you fight anymore and we all want off the plane." Someone else makes another comment. And honestly, I chime with "Two grown men still fighting over an arm rest. Let it go." They grumble at each other but middle guy grabs his bag and goes back to the middle of the plane. Big guy is the first off. I soon follow and make my way to baggage claim and then to my brother's car to head out.

All in all, a travel day that should have been 11 hours from shuttle to mom's ended up being 17.5 hours. And, I think I was stranded in Colorado Springs long enough that I established residency and probably have to pay taxes there. But hey, I'm home. Can't wait to see what flying on New Year's Eve is going to bring!! Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanza, Happy Holidays!!! I hope you and yours have a great holiday season. I doubt I will get a full update out until I get back to VA in January but I promise, there is a full Disney report coming soon!

Omg what an event. We fly from PA to Disney every December, I will start driving if that ever happens on the plane while I am flying. I would have been terrified!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Stacybaeasm]

Good gravy. Glad you finally made it to Minnesota. Happy holidays!

Thank you! It certainly made for an interesting travel day. Can't wait to see what flying back on New Year's Eve brings. Happy holidays!!!

Omg what an event. We fly from PA to Disney every December, I will start driving if that ever happens on the plane while I am flying. I would have been terrified!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I didn't love the turbulence and the thoughts of micro-bursts are not fun. But the fight - honestly, it was a bit like watching reality TV. The hardest part was not saying something during the first part but I didn't want to get caught in it and kicked off the plane.

 

[buzzrelly]

Joining in! Sounds like a fun solo trip! I've had moments like you had where you almost talk yourself out of going...it's scary to travel alone sometimes especially if you're a worry-wart by nature which I am! I'm glad you were able to get past that and make the best of it!

What a crazy flying day...honestly, two grown men fighting over an arm rest is absolutely ridiculous! and they say women are "too emotional!" Glad you finally made it...good luck on your flight home!

 

[missjackiemcg]

Well, then I got to thinking - are the Southwest counter and security even open that early?

Google failed us with this same question flying to MCO out of Chicago!! The counter opens at 3:30, my foot!! We were there at 3:23 a.m. and all the lights were off and stanchion posts not even lined up. At 4 a.m. a lady came out to turn on the self serve screens for printing bag tags at least, but she told us they wouldn't accept any bags til 4:15. So annoying, but at least we were first in line when they eventually did start checking luggage! Our flight was boarding at 5:35, so this was too close for comfort!

I already hate to fly, but tolerate it to get us where we're going faster. If I had that experience, I might have to retire from flying altogether!! LOL Glad you made it eventually and really hopeful your ride home was much less eventful!

 

[VAtink]

Oh my goodness, your flight drama! I'm sorry my luck seems to have been transferred to you, hopefully it was only a temporary transfer!