TinkTatoo
Has a Tink tattoo on her shoulder
- Joined
- Feb 10, 2004
- Messages
- 2,936
Tinks Summer 2006 Tour Day 1 Getting There Eventually
Cast
Me - 44 Chief planner loves all things Disney
DH - 50 Designated driver cant wait for Vero Beach
DS 9 Hunting for Yu-Gi-Oh Cards (again)
DD 8 Minnies number 1 fan also loves Vero Beach
Thursday 27th and Friday 28th July
Thursday
We Decided to stay up in Dublin the night before as check in for our flight was at 6am and it would have meant getting everyone up and out at 4am. So this tale begins the day before. I was up early as the cats, sensing there was something going on, were running around like mad things. I made my last cup of tea for a month as its coffee all the way in Florida, and sat outside drinking it at 5:30am thinking about tomorrows journey and mentally going over what Id packed to make sure I hadnt forgotten anything.
DD got up at half 6 and she fed the cats. They were desperate to get out but were under house arrest, as we couldnt risk them disappearing and not being around when it was time to take them to the cattery. I spent the morning doing last minute tidying and bits n bobs then DD & I popped into town to pay a few bills and get a coffee (me that is not DD.) We dropped the cats off at the cattery around half 11 then all had some lunch before waiting for my mum to take us to the station for the 2 oclock train. Now my mum bless her is 72 and has never driven her Ford Fiesta over 30 MPH so we were allowing well over an hour for the two trips to the station (It should normally take about 20 minutes) Think Driving Miss Daisy with Miss Daisy doing the driving. So we eventually made the train and spent an uneventful 2 hours getting to Dublin.
We got a taxi to our Hotel (The Clarion at Liffey Valley) and I have to say we were very impressed with our room. It was an executive suite with 2 single beds and a separate room with a sofa bed and mini kitchen.
The boys bagged the twin beds and DD and I got the sofa bed. The kids wanted to go swimming so I took them down to the pool, which was very nice. It had this spin dryer thing in the changing rooms, which wrung out your costumes after swimming and they came out almost dry. (Sorry if this new fangled invention is old news in the UK but it was a first for us) We stayed in the pool for about an hour before walking over to Liffey Valley shopping center. We got some dinner from the food court (typical junk food) then I headed down to M&S and got a couple of swimming costumes. We walked back to the room and chilled while watching some TV. If you can cast your minds back to the end of July, it was extremely hot and we were in the middle of a heat wave. The windows in the room only opened a fraction and as weather this hot is a rare occurrence, air conditioning is not usually needed so the hotel doesnt have any. It was impossible to sleep and DD spent the night tossing and turning and poking me in the side every 5 minutes to tell me that she couldnt sleep. I moved the quilt on the floor for her and she tried sleeping there. She eventually fell asleep about 2am and I had to wake her again around half 5. Needless to say we were all shattered and it would have been better to have stayed at home and got up at 4am (at least we would have all had a good nights sleep)
Friday
So we were up showered and dressed and waiting for our taxi to the airport at 6am. Its only a short journey, so we got to the check in desk about half 6 and there were only a few people in front of us. There were the usual security checks while we were waiting and again they took great interest in the fact that DH was travelling on a UK passport while the rest of us had Irish ones. They asked to see his Irish driving license and took it away with his passport, like last year though it was all OK and we were soon checking in. We received our allocated seats but were informed that due to severe weather in Newark the previous evening the flight would be 2 hours late arriving. When I booked our flights the TA booked us on a later flight than we usually take and I was moaning that we had over 4 hours to wait in Newark. As it turns out with the 2 hour delay we would have never made the earlier flight.
We got some breakfast and filled out the visa waver forms. We decide to go airside as there wasnt much of a queue for security. We put all the bags on and the machine stopped while they had a good look at one of the bags. The security checker asked me what the large metal box in one of the bags was. I couldnt think what she was talking about, there was some Coco Pops for DH but I dont think Kelloggs have replaced their cardboard with a metal shield so I got a bit worried. I then realised that it was our Disney pin trading bag which is full of pins. I took it out and had to explain what it was, the security person took it away to show the screener and they went through all the pages manually before x-raying it again. Thankfully they let it though as I had visions of it being confiscated.
We went and sat near our gate and I parked DH and DS up while DD & I went shopping. There wasnt much I wanted but I did get some Lancôme face cream and a couple of coffees for DH & I. It was now about half 8 so we decided to clear US immigration and wait at the actual gate. (Once you do this you are past the point of no return and cant get back to the shops etc.) They checked our visa waver and customs forms, did the finger scan & photo and asked us why we were visiting the US, for how long and where we were staying. We must have answered the right questions as they let us in. It was crowded at our gate as our flight was 2 hours late and there was a Delta flight leaving from the same gate 40 minutes after ours. With about a hour to take off I decided it was time to give DD her anti sickness pill and luckily I gave it to her while we were in the restrooms as she promptly threw up. Not the best idea then - I thought these things were supposed to stop you being sick not make you start. Time for plan B, well I didnt have a plan B so after a spot of quick thinking I decide to use the trick I use on the cat . No not the one where you prize their mount open with two fingers, jam the tablet down the back of their throat and engage in a battle of wills until they swallow it, but the one where you hide the tablet in some food. Now, this never works with the cat who will eat everything but the tablet but it just might work with DD. Luckily we had a pan au cholate (chocolate croissant to you and I) from M&S, so I broke off a couple of bits and hid the tablet in one of those. She fell for it and there was a moment when I thought we might see it again but it stayed down - success. Meanwhile back at the ranch DS who is a coaster / turbulence junkie also looked a bit pale and told me he felt very anxious in his stomach - I have a feeling that I might spend the entire journey with little blue bags in front of one child or the other.
We eventually boarded and the plane was smaller than last years and had no seat back TVs. We were in row 11 and the window was off set to DS couldnt really see out properly. We took off 2 hours late at around 11am and our ETA into Newark was around 1pm local time. What can I say it was a very long and boring flight, DS played on his Nintendo for a lot of the flight (Id given him a new game at the airport which he was engrossed in) and DD just put her head on my lap where it stayed for most of the journey. Id ordered a fruit plate for the kids & I but apart from a few grapes, which I ate, no one else touched theirs. DD was good in that she only started getting sick with about two hours to go, I felt really sorry for her as she was just so tired and feeling rough. DS refused to eat any of the food I had bought for him and was sick himself just before we came in to land. In his case I think tiredness and hunger caused it. We landed just before 1 and even though we had cleared immigration in Dublin it still took us just over an hour to get our bags, get through customs, security and get to our next gate.
We all got something to eat but DS and DD still didnt feel great so they hardly ate anything. DD had a cuddle with DH while waiting for the next flight. We boarded our second flight at 3:15 and were due to take off at 3:45pm. While we were waiting for all the passengers to board I noticed how dark the sky was outside and it also started to rain. Once the doors were closed and they had a captive audience, the captain announced that due to sever weather over Newark extending for 100 miles there would be no planes taking off as the airport had shut down. He said we would taxi out to a holding area where we would wait out the storm and expected the delay to be at least a couple of hours. At this stage I felt like crying, we were all dog tired but especially the kids. On the taxi out I could see all the other planes parked up and it reminded me of the M25 at rush hour. We would be here for a while. DD lay on my lap and fell asleep and DS played with his Nintendo. About half an hour later I noticed some planes taking off and eventually it was our turn, we took off 90 minutes late and the captain seemed very pleased with this as he expected the delay to be much longer. We eventually got to MCO at 7:30pm - DD managed to throw up a few times and DS started crying with the pain in his ears as one of his earplanes worked loose. I think it was also to do with extreme tiredness. We went to the Budget desk and there was no queue, we saw very nice lady who gave us a Dodge Caravan with a DVD player, which will keep the kids quite on the drive to Vero Beach. Once we had the car sorted DH & DS went back up to get the bags, which came off about 5 minutes after the boys got back to the carousel and when they came back to DD & I there was a large queue at the Budget desk.
It was getting dark as we left and I was worried for DH as he had been awake for over 21 hours with a very bad nights sleep the night before. We took the 417 then off at Disney with the plan to get to ALK and take the Serberth Road shortcut. Some how he missed this and we went on a bit of a detour. I was trying very hard not to do my I told you to take that last left turn voice and to stay calm. We eventually got to the Formosa gardens area for 9pm and I made a very quick stop at Winn Dixie to get milk and water. Well do a big shop tomorrow.
We found the villa with no problem and what can I say but WOW - it was much nicer than the one we had last year and way bigger. There were some lovely towel animals.
We did a quick explore before heading to bed. DS read for a bit before lights out at 10pm and the same for the rest of us. All in all we had been travelling for 22 hours and were exhausted but we were here and happy.
Tomorrow we are just taking it very easy and a small bit of shopping.
Cast
Me - 44 Chief planner loves all things Disney
DH - 50 Designated driver cant wait for Vero Beach
DS 9 Hunting for Yu-Gi-Oh Cards (again)
DD 8 Minnies number 1 fan also loves Vero Beach
Thursday 27th and Friday 28th July
Thursday
We Decided to stay up in Dublin the night before as check in for our flight was at 6am and it would have meant getting everyone up and out at 4am. So this tale begins the day before. I was up early as the cats, sensing there was something going on, were running around like mad things. I made my last cup of tea for a month as its coffee all the way in Florida, and sat outside drinking it at 5:30am thinking about tomorrows journey and mentally going over what Id packed to make sure I hadnt forgotten anything.
DD got up at half 6 and she fed the cats. They were desperate to get out but were under house arrest, as we couldnt risk them disappearing and not being around when it was time to take them to the cattery. I spent the morning doing last minute tidying and bits n bobs then DD & I popped into town to pay a few bills and get a coffee (me that is not DD.) We dropped the cats off at the cattery around half 11 then all had some lunch before waiting for my mum to take us to the station for the 2 oclock train. Now my mum bless her is 72 and has never driven her Ford Fiesta over 30 MPH so we were allowing well over an hour for the two trips to the station (It should normally take about 20 minutes) Think Driving Miss Daisy with Miss Daisy doing the driving. So we eventually made the train and spent an uneventful 2 hours getting to Dublin.
We got a taxi to our Hotel (The Clarion at Liffey Valley) and I have to say we were very impressed with our room. It was an executive suite with 2 single beds and a separate room with a sofa bed and mini kitchen.
The boys bagged the twin beds and DD and I got the sofa bed. The kids wanted to go swimming so I took them down to the pool, which was very nice. It had this spin dryer thing in the changing rooms, which wrung out your costumes after swimming and they came out almost dry. (Sorry if this new fangled invention is old news in the UK but it was a first for us) We stayed in the pool for about an hour before walking over to Liffey Valley shopping center. We got some dinner from the food court (typical junk food) then I headed down to M&S and got a couple of swimming costumes. We walked back to the room and chilled while watching some TV. If you can cast your minds back to the end of July, it was extremely hot and we were in the middle of a heat wave. The windows in the room only opened a fraction and as weather this hot is a rare occurrence, air conditioning is not usually needed so the hotel doesnt have any. It was impossible to sleep and DD spent the night tossing and turning and poking me in the side every 5 minutes to tell me that she couldnt sleep. I moved the quilt on the floor for her and she tried sleeping there. She eventually fell asleep about 2am and I had to wake her again around half 5. Needless to say we were all shattered and it would have been better to have stayed at home and got up at 4am (at least we would have all had a good nights sleep)
Friday
So we were up showered and dressed and waiting for our taxi to the airport at 6am. Its only a short journey, so we got to the check in desk about half 6 and there were only a few people in front of us. There were the usual security checks while we were waiting and again they took great interest in the fact that DH was travelling on a UK passport while the rest of us had Irish ones. They asked to see his Irish driving license and took it away with his passport, like last year though it was all OK and we were soon checking in. We received our allocated seats but were informed that due to severe weather in Newark the previous evening the flight would be 2 hours late arriving. When I booked our flights the TA booked us on a later flight than we usually take and I was moaning that we had over 4 hours to wait in Newark. As it turns out with the 2 hour delay we would have never made the earlier flight.
We got some breakfast and filled out the visa waver forms. We decide to go airside as there wasnt much of a queue for security. We put all the bags on and the machine stopped while they had a good look at one of the bags. The security checker asked me what the large metal box in one of the bags was. I couldnt think what she was talking about, there was some Coco Pops for DH but I dont think Kelloggs have replaced their cardboard with a metal shield so I got a bit worried. I then realised that it was our Disney pin trading bag which is full of pins. I took it out and had to explain what it was, the security person took it away to show the screener and they went through all the pages manually before x-raying it again. Thankfully they let it though as I had visions of it being confiscated.
We went and sat near our gate and I parked DH and DS up while DD & I went shopping. There wasnt much I wanted but I did get some Lancôme face cream and a couple of coffees for DH & I. It was now about half 8 so we decided to clear US immigration and wait at the actual gate. (Once you do this you are past the point of no return and cant get back to the shops etc.) They checked our visa waver and customs forms, did the finger scan & photo and asked us why we were visiting the US, for how long and where we were staying. We must have answered the right questions as they let us in. It was crowded at our gate as our flight was 2 hours late and there was a Delta flight leaving from the same gate 40 minutes after ours. With about a hour to take off I decided it was time to give DD her anti sickness pill and luckily I gave it to her while we were in the restrooms as she promptly threw up. Not the best idea then - I thought these things were supposed to stop you being sick not make you start. Time for plan B, well I didnt have a plan B so after a spot of quick thinking I decide to use the trick I use on the cat . No not the one where you prize their mount open with two fingers, jam the tablet down the back of their throat and engage in a battle of wills until they swallow it, but the one where you hide the tablet in some food. Now, this never works with the cat who will eat everything but the tablet but it just might work with DD. Luckily we had a pan au cholate (chocolate croissant to you and I) from M&S, so I broke off a couple of bits and hid the tablet in one of those. She fell for it and there was a moment when I thought we might see it again but it stayed down - success. Meanwhile back at the ranch DS who is a coaster / turbulence junkie also looked a bit pale and told me he felt very anxious in his stomach - I have a feeling that I might spend the entire journey with little blue bags in front of one child or the other.
We eventually boarded and the plane was smaller than last years and had no seat back TVs. We were in row 11 and the window was off set to DS couldnt really see out properly. We took off 2 hours late at around 11am and our ETA into Newark was around 1pm local time. What can I say it was a very long and boring flight, DS played on his Nintendo for a lot of the flight (Id given him a new game at the airport which he was engrossed in) and DD just put her head on my lap where it stayed for most of the journey. Id ordered a fruit plate for the kids & I but apart from a few grapes, which I ate, no one else touched theirs. DD was good in that she only started getting sick with about two hours to go, I felt really sorry for her as she was just so tired and feeling rough. DS refused to eat any of the food I had bought for him and was sick himself just before we came in to land. In his case I think tiredness and hunger caused it. We landed just before 1 and even though we had cleared immigration in Dublin it still took us just over an hour to get our bags, get through customs, security and get to our next gate.
We all got something to eat but DS and DD still didnt feel great so they hardly ate anything. DD had a cuddle with DH while waiting for the next flight. We boarded our second flight at 3:15 and were due to take off at 3:45pm. While we were waiting for all the passengers to board I noticed how dark the sky was outside and it also started to rain. Once the doors were closed and they had a captive audience, the captain announced that due to sever weather over Newark extending for 100 miles there would be no planes taking off as the airport had shut down. He said we would taxi out to a holding area where we would wait out the storm and expected the delay to be at least a couple of hours. At this stage I felt like crying, we were all dog tired but especially the kids. On the taxi out I could see all the other planes parked up and it reminded me of the M25 at rush hour. We would be here for a while. DD lay on my lap and fell asleep and DS played with his Nintendo. About half an hour later I noticed some planes taking off and eventually it was our turn, we took off 90 minutes late and the captain seemed very pleased with this as he expected the delay to be much longer. We eventually got to MCO at 7:30pm - DD managed to throw up a few times and DS started crying with the pain in his ears as one of his earplanes worked loose. I think it was also to do with extreme tiredness. We went to the Budget desk and there was no queue, we saw very nice lady who gave us a Dodge Caravan with a DVD player, which will keep the kids quite on the drive to Vero Beach. Once we had the car sorted DH & DS went back up to get the bags, which came off about 5 minutes after the boys got back to the carousel and when they came back to DD & I there was a large queue at the Budget desk.
It was getting dark as we left and I was worried for DH as he had been awake for over 21 hours with a very bad nights sleep the night before. We took the 417 then off at Disney with the plan to get to ALK and take the Serberth Road shortcut. Some how he missed this and we went on a bit of a detour. I was trying very hard not to do my I told you to take that last left turn voice and to stay calm. We eventually got to the Formosa gardens area for 9pm and I made a very quick stop at Winn Dixie to get milk and water. Well do a big shop tomorrow.
We found the villa with no problem and what can I say but WOW - it was much nicer than the one we had last year and way bigger. There were some lovely towel animals.
We did a quick explore before heading to bed. DS read for a bit before lights out at 10pm and the same for the rest of us. All in all we had been travelling for 22 hours and were exhausted but we were here and happy.
Tomorrow we are just taking it very easy and a small bit of shopping.
