This hurricane wasn't in my passporter...

[lonegungal17]

Hey ya, I'm Mel and you've wandered into my trip report. Good choice, you have very good taste.

This trip report will be prove that the best laid plans never go the way you want. I started planning this trip 11 months ago and had to rebook and plan bits of it during the actual trip. It was stressful at the time but makes the story more interesting for you.

Lead cast:
Me (Mel): Sometimes known as Lilo, sometimes Tinkerbell... I indentify with short bossy people because I am one.

DH (Malc): Wishes he was Grumpy but is truly more like Stitch to my Lilo.

Stitch (Stitcherella when I need him to be): Hangs on my back most of the time and wears funny clothing.

Crocodile (Faolan): One of the lovely lime green friends from the croc exchange I run. Known to Malc as the other thing he has to carry.

Supporting cast:
Devin: Best friend from high school. We will be staying with her for part of this trip.

Josh: Another friend from my youth, will be visiting with him as well.

Megan: Devin's friend.

If you would like to read more about me my pre trip report is here for your reading enjoyment.

This trip report will be covering my trip home to Michigan to see my friends (I've been living in England for the last 6 years), two days at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio and 13 days at Disney. I wish I had known 11 months ago that 13 is a very unlucky number. More on that later...

Mel

 

[I love OKW]

OOhh, I can't wait to hear more....soon please??

 

[DisneyJo]

Hi Mel, it was good to meet you

 

[OhMari]

I can link your pre-trip on, let me know.
Marisa

 

[lonegungal17]

Sorry, for the lack of pictures, I promise some in the next update.

Our story begins August 9th at 4:15am, hubby and I wake up before the alarm and get the last few things together before our cab at 5am. We eat a quick breakfast and say goodbye to the cat . Our neighbour will be feeding her for the next few weeks.

*Note the suitcase in the background is not the one I took.

The cab driver phones at 4:50am to say he's downstairs. We grab our bags and head down to the cab, I'm disappointed when I see it because I asked the company to send a bigger car because we had loads of luggage and they hadn't. So we put as many bags in the trunk as we can and DH has to sit in the back with the biggest bag, while I sit in front with the driver. The driver is very strange and seems a little sexist. He goes on and on about how it's nice my husband is taking me on vacation and he hopes we are going somewhere nice. I mostly ignore him instead of telling him I'm the one paying for the holiday.

After 10 minutes we arrive at Norwich train station and board our train to London. We both fall asleep on the train since it's so early and the two hour journey seems to go by in 20 minutes. At Liverpool Street we finally discover how difficult it will be carrying these bags through the metro. We both had one large rolling bag, one carry-on plus DH had a backpack and I had my purse for our personal items. I don't understand how a busy station like Liverpool street can have no lifts. We had to carry our bags up and down 3 flights of stairs before making it to our train for Paddington station. When we started down the last set of stairs, a nice man decided he was going to help me with my bag because I was struggling. Unfortunately, he didn't ask me before grabbing the bag out of my hands so I was freaked out for a second because this man had just taken my bag. When he noticed this he realized what he had done and then asked me if I wanted help, so I let him carry it down the rest of the way for me.

We struggled on and off the metro to Paddington station where we found even more stairs and no lifts to get to the Heathrow express. We rode the short journey standing with our bags since there wasn't room on the luggage racks. At Heathrow we check in for our flight and dropped off our bags, happy not to see them for a few hours.

We start to go through security and I get stopped and asked if they can check my liquid. This makes me nervous but I have nothing to hide and it’s not like I can say no. I get DH to follow us and the lady takes us off to the side to test a few of my liquids. She tells me about her job and how she has to test so many liquids today. Since DH is there she decides to test some of his as well. After a few minutes she lets us go and we find our gate. DH parks at the gate with the bags and I go off in search of food. I get myself an egg and bacon sandwich, a water, a flap jack for later and a candy bar for DH since he wasn’t hungry.

We board our British Airways flight to Chicago (we will be connecting here before going to Detroit) and instantly feel good about this flight after seeing the free socks and toothbrush on our seats. I had paid extra to fly with British Airways this year after having bad flights with US Airways last year. DH sat next to the window and I sat in the middle seat next to a women flying alone. I prefer an aisle seat because I like to stand up and walk around a lot during the flight, so I felt bad asking the woman to move every time I wanted up. I watch Kung Fu Panda, What Happens in Vegas and episode of The Big Bang Theory, before falling asleep for the rest of the flight. We arrive in Chicago 15 minutes early, pick up and drop off our bags. We go through security in Chicago and the security lady barks at DH to remove the lap top from the bag before scanning it. She yells there are signs all over the airport telling us to do this. We hadn’t needed to do that in London and we honestly hadn’t seen one sign telling us to do that. The other three people behind us apparently missed these signs as well. Once we’re through security, we find a little newsstand and I buy myself a Butterfinger bar, some cashews and some other random American candy I can’t get at home. When I’m finished I phone Devin to double check she’s coming to pick us up in Detroit. Dev’s a nice girl but always needs to be reminded about important things. After we find our gate and set out to find the Wolfgang Puck express I found on the internet airport map the week before. I assume this Wolfgang Puck express will be like the one at downtown Disney but it just serves sandwiches and drinks so we decide not to get anything. We grab a bottle of water before heading back to our gate as our flight should be boarding in 15 minutes. We watch the flight go from boarding in 7 minutes to 1 minute, to go back to boarding 7 minutes again. This goes on for 40 minutes before we finally get on our plane and leave for Detroit. With the delays United airlines is looking a lot like how US Airways was last year but things will get worse for United later. We arrive at Detroit nearly an hour late, we find the baggage carousel and I phone Devin again to let her know we’ve finally arrived. She tells me she waiting outside in her jeep. I leave DH with the bags and walk outside where it’s pouring down rain (I will become very used to rain this trip) and find her and her friend Megan. I then go back inside multiple times grabbing our carry on bags and taking them out to the jeep while DH still waits for our bags. Finally the carousel starts and our bags come out in the first few items. We grab them and load everything up in the jeep.

We drive back to Devin’s house about an hour and a half away in Lexington Michigan stopping to pick up a burger from Wendy’s (something else I can’t get in England). When we get out of the jeep to unload the bags the cold hits me and I start shivering. It’s the middle of August I’m wearing leggings, a t-shirt, a sweater and a jacket and I’m cold. This isn’t right. I lived in Michigan 18 years before moving to the UK and I never remembered it being so cold in August. In my head I am starting to panic because I had decided not to bring any jeans as they are too heavy. I only have shorts, skirts and leggings for the next few weeks. I decide I will have to buy some jeans soon or freeze to death. When we get in Devin’s house it is as cold as outside. I decide the best thing to do in put my pjs on as they are the warmest thing I own. I brought long sleeved pjs this year after freezing in air conditioned rooms last year.

All of us decide to watch a movie, I look through Devin’s movies but I’ve seen most of them. Instead we watch a movie I brought instead called Loser. For some reason the disc won’t play on Devin’s multi region DVD player so I get out my lap top and start to play it on that. About a half hour into the movie the lap top battery starts to die to I go and find the power cord. I go to plug it in forgetting I need the converter. I go look in the suitcase for it not remembering if I packed it. Finally, I ask DH where he put it as he always brings it with him. He says he didn’t pack it, didn’t I bring one? Honestly, we packed loads of electronics and nothing to plug it into. A plug converter was then added to my growing list of things to pick up soon before giving up on the movie and heading to bed.

Could a lack of power for all our electronics, including 3 cameras ruin our vacation? To be continued...

 

[DisneyJo]

Sounds like a long trip, we flew BA too and I watched the same films as you Also I didn't pack the US plug convertor, I packed the one for Europe instead, how stupid

 

[lonegungal17]

Hubby and I are still clearly on UK time when I awake at 6am and him shortly later on the 10th of August. We try not to wake up Devin and Megan as we dress as warm as possible as it’s still freezing for summer in Michigan and go outside to take pictures of the view of Lake Huron from Devin’s backyard.

When we go back inside, I make DH some peanut butter toast and me oatmeal while we sit in front of the TV. Dev and Megan get up an a few hours later. Around 7:30am, I decide to call Josh and make plans for the day but he’s still at work so I’ll have to call him back later. We watch Full House and a couple episodes of Sabrina by the time Dev and Megan are finally ready. I call Josh again and we make plans to meet at the Big Boy in Port Huron at around 11:30am. Devin, Megan, DH and I drive to Port Huron in heavy rain. Our first stop is Wal-mart so we can buy a plug converter and some warmer clothes. DH and I go in while Megan and Devin stay in the jeep. DH and I rush around Wal-mart looking for our plug converter. We find a converter after checking pretty much every aisle in the store. We also pick up two more ponchos, a small camp towel for use on water rides later, 2 pairs of jeans and pj pants for me and a hoodie for DH. We find Devin and Megan in the parking lot and drive to Big Boy to meet Josh. We arrive and go inside but have to wait another 15 minutes before Josh finds the place. Devin is telling Megan about Josh when he finally walks in. I say, ‘There’s Josh,’ as he’s walking past the restaurant and Devin does a double take and tells me, ‘that’s not him.’ I assure her it is and she is shocked at how different he looks. Devin hasn’t seen Josh in person in about 10 years and hasn’t really spoken to him since high school.

Me and Josh later that day.

We spend the time catching up and enjoying our lunch. I had the salad bar so I could get broccoli soup and have a salad with French dressing and the Chicken Parmigiana (you would never believe I’m on Weight Watchers at home ), DH had the vegetable stir-fry dish and everyone else had the salad bar and breakfast buffet. After lunch Josh follows us back to Devin’s house. Six months ago I agreed to help Devin do a photo shoot for a web site she wants to post her photography on. It had stopped raining and the sun was coming out so we decide in the car, we are going to do that when we get back to the home. The original plan called for pictures of both me and DH but because it was still chilly so I told DH to sit it out. The aim of the web site is a take pictures trashing a wedding dress. Megan had gotten me a cheap ($10) dress to wear for the shoot, it was a size too big so we ended up safety pinning me into it. Josh who had no idea what was going on went to bond with DH over the weather channel, while the girls did my hair and make up. Once they were done I felt prettier than I had on my own wedding day but that might have been because I had already lost nearly 30lbs since then. We took the pictures on the beach in Devin’s backyard. Megan also took part in the pictures wearing a dress that was the total opposite of my wedding dress.
DH and I before we trashed the dress:

Some during shots taken by DH:

Megan and I in the water.

Devin, Megan and me, after Devin decided she wanted to play too.

Josh and a trashed me.

After the photo shoot both Megan and I were freezing, we hurried inside to both have showers and watch a bit of the Olympics. We had pizza for dinner and watched Sweeney Todd and Clue before finally turning in early for bed. We would be driving to Cedar Point early tomorrow to start the next part of our trip.

Mel

 

[DisneyJo]

How great you met with your friends and the photoshoot looked like lots of fun, you looked so pretty too

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Great report so far!!

 

[lonegungal17]

At 7am, we said goodbye to Josh and started our drive to Cedar Point. Devin was suppose to join us but at the last minute ran into some money problems; she and Megan agreed to just drive us to Ohio. We stopped at McDonald’s for breakfast where I had my first Bacon, egg and cheese biscuit in 6 years and DH had a coffee. It was as yummy as I remember. Thanks to Megan’s sat nav the drive from Michigan to Sandusky, Ohio was pretty easy. We arrived at the Hotel Breakers by 10am and said our goodbyes to Megan and Devin.

I have really happy to be staying at this hotel. I had went to Cedar Point nearly every year as a child and had always wanted to stay there. The hotel was built in 1905 and was gorgeous.

I checked in but our room wasn’t ready yet, so we found our bathing suits and put them on under our clothes, dropped off our luggage and headed for the water park Soak City.

We got ourselves a locker and way overpriced towel, I went off to do the slides and DH went off to the wave pool. I’m not a very strong swimmer so I normally stick to the water slides at parks. After, I rode all the tube slides, my favourite being Eerie Falls which are water slides in the dark. It was getting cold so I found DH at the wave pool and we went back to the hotel to see if our room was ready. It was, so we grabbed our luggage and which to check it out. Our room was in the older section of the hotel, the room was dated but we didn’t really mind as we were close to the lobby and 5 minute walk to the parks. We changed clothes again and head off to the main park to get something to eat.

We ended up at Johnny Rockets. DH had the Streamliner which was the veggie choice with a coffee and I had the bacon cheddar single with Mountain Dew, we shared an order of fries and onion rings.

The restaurant was themed as a 50s Diner. The food was pretty average but we were both hungry. I ended up getting a strawberry milk shake at the end of the meal which I regretted after drinking half of it. I felt sick for the next few hours. Being sick didn’t stop as from making Ocean of Motion our first ride. I don’t think I’ll do that again anytime soon.

After posing for a few pictures with Snoopy and Woodstock, we were off to ride the Maverick.

Maverick is Cedar Point’s newest coaster so the line said 90 minutes. A 90 minute wait is reasonable at Cedar Point as they have no fast pass system and this is one of their headliners. So we waited and waited and 100 minutes later we finally got to ride. The ride was fast, high and very smooth. After riding Maverick we were ready to ride any coaster in the park.

Next up was Mean Streak, which is their biggest wooden coaster. I don’t remember waiting long for this one and afterwards we knew why. The coaster was loud and very jerky. I didn’t feel safe in the car the whole time, as there was a large gap between me and lap bar. We did a bit of shopping and got ourselves a Cedar Point fanny pack for DH, which somehow I ended up wearing most of the trip instead of him. We then got in line for Mine Ride and were two people from riding when they closed the ride due to a technical fault. So we left the line and went off to find my favourite ride the Iron Dragon, this coaster is pretty unique as you hang in car under the track (kind of similar to Peter Pan).
The rest of the night was blur shopping and coasters we rode Disaster Transport, Raptor and Magnum XL-200.

At the end of night I finally faced my fear of the Corkscrew and really enjoyed it. I’d been afraid of this ride since I was child; my mother had told me some people had fallen out of car of one of loops in the 80s. After riding it once, we ended up on it 2 more times with no wait. By this time it was nearly park closing, so we headed over to catch the end of Cedar Point firework and laser show. We grabbed a slice of pizza before walking back to the hotel for the night.

Mel