kaytieeldr
DIS Legend
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2005
- Messages
- 51,313
I didn't go to Florida, so I'm going to report only on actual transportation-related experiences 
or at least try.
So, okay, I had this great, low-cost trip planned to Las Vegas. I bought a TSAnta t-shirt from Woot.com for fun, but it didn't arrive until several days after I took off - so, no instigating the TSA officers
.
12/15 Ran many last-minute errands, then drove to sibling's home and called a cab to take me to Logan Express. Cab got me to the bus in time to catch the one an hour earlier than I'd planned, so for a 7:35 flight I was at Logan by 5 PM. Used curbside check-in, JetBlue charges $2 per bag, payable by card only, doesn't include tip. I knew the latter, having to charge the fee surprised me.
I'd requested a wheelchair at all four points, so here the Skycaps told me to let them know when I was ready. Despite bitterly-cold temps, I had to get in those last few cigarettes... I ended up having a nice conversation with a JetBlue Flight Attendant while we hid from the wind. She'd brought in 'my' plane, so I knew chances were good we'd be taking off on time. Their (FAs') cab came, and I had enough of the cold so I went to ask for the wheelchair. One of the Skycaps called, and sent me inside to sit and wait.
So, we get to to security - this is Terminal C, the right side - and, no scanner
or if there was one, it wasn't being used. So, shoes off, coat off, everything in bins, through the metal detector... beep! Back out. Through again. Beep! Once more, only this time I beeped going out, too - and coming back through. So, sure enough, here comes the 'dreaded' pat-down 
I'm directed to a mat, and a woman comes over and asks if I want a private screening. I tell her, "No, I'm not modest" and that if it's going to be a really intense examination, that I'm wearing a feminine hygiene product. Unlike previous pat-downs, she used the front of her hand. She told me everywhere she was going before she did, but while she did check my thighs she didn't go all the way up to my crotch. Other than that, it was very thorough but professional and not embarassing - but that's me.
So I get everything back together and we get to the gate. I'm happy to have the Kindle (I'm actually very electronic this trip). Now, JetBlue has made a change to its Extra Legroom seats. You get early boarding and, obviously, early access to the overhead bins. So the Gate Agent announces this, and that they'll be boarding rows 1-5 and 10 & 11 first, then passengers needing extra assistance, then they'll start general boarding. My seat is in row 1, so I start wheeling myself up to the jetway door.
I roll up to the Gate Agent and they tell me I can't board yet because there's nobody to push the wheelchair but someone will be there shortly - and I already know, from years of asking, that they won't trust me to propel myself. So I manuever over to the side until finally one of the GAs decides to just push me themselves. I get on the plane and fortunately my seatmates turn out to be a nice couple going to a wedding.
So we finally get to baggage claim, my luggage finally shows up, and I get out to the rental car shuttle. These come frequently, so the trip is pretty fast. Thanks to the December 2010 thread here, I'd gotten a great rate - $145 and change for a midsize for ten days. I'd found out the day before that I'm an Alamo Insider member, but I'm leery. I know I could go to the garage, but - especially since there's SUCH a maze to get through the center - I go to the counter. When I get up to the garage, I had four choices: a Hyundai Sonata, two Chevy HHRs, and a Kia Soul. I drive a Hyundai, I loathe the HHR (I drove one, once - kept it for eight hours and exchanged it for a sedan) - so I took the Soul. Nice. And for once, I actually picked up the car on time.
12/25 (yes, I came home on Christmas - very late at night) I didn't pay attention to the mileage at all, but it cost me about $20 to fill it up before I left. By the way, I tried to stay an extra day, even two. I kept my fingers crossed for snow in Boston - but it timed itself wrong
. I got back to the garage before 9:30 for an 11:29 flight; the airport is a seven minute ride from the rental location with, again, shuttles running regularly. Plus, I'd checked in for my flight already. So there were two parties ahead of me checking in cars and only one attendant. I couldn't move, I was holding my suitcases up with my toes ; when the attendant finally got to me and verified the gas and and the total, he then apologized for making me wait and took another $25 off the total!
$121 for a midsize car for ten days in Las Vegas? Not bad
At the airport, I still had to check my suitcase and get the wheelchair which went smoothly. As we approached security, I asked about the scanner but was told there wasn't one at the gates we were using
. Again, I did try. No problem getting through this time (I figured out some time during the week that it was probably my metal-band watch setting off the metal detector 
). They don't preboard the Extra Legroom passengers, but then there aren't that many - a couple of unaccompanied minors, me, a passenger behind me... another uneventful flight; I have the entire three seats to myself, but since it's row one the armrests don't go up. Scheduled to land at 7:22 actually at the gate 7:40. I don't care, I knew I was going to miss the 7:30 bus home; the next one is at nine.
Down to baggage claim, got my luggage, the attendant tried to set me up inside where I could watch for my bus but discovered two people sleeping in those prime seats. No matter. Despite the cold and the flurries, I waited (and, yes, smoked) outside.
or at least try.So, okay, I had this great, low-cost trip planned to Las Vegas. I bought a TSAnta t-shirt from Woot.com for fun, but it didn't arrive until several days after I took off - so, no instigating the TSA officers
.12/15 Ran many last-minute errands, then drove to sibling's home and called a cab to take me to Logan Express. Cab got me to the bus in time to catch the one an hour earlier than I'd planned, so for a 7:35 flight I was at Logan by 5 PM. Used curbside check-in, JetBlue charges $2 per bag, payable by card only, doesn't include tip. I knew the latter, having to charge the fee surprised me.
I'd requested a wheelchair at all four points, so here the Skycaps told me to let them know when I was ready. Despite bitterly-cold temps, I had to get in those last few cigarettes... I ended up having a nice conversation with a JetBlue Flight Attendant while we hid from the wind. She'd brought in 'my' plane, so I knew chances were good we'd be taking off on time. Their (FAs') cab came, and I had enough of the cold so I went to ask for the wheelchair. One of the Skycaps called, and sent me inside to sit and wait.
So, we get to to security - this is Terminal C, the right side - and, no scanner
or if there was one, it wasn't being used. So, shoes off, coat off, everything in bins, through the metal detector... beep! Back out. Through again. Beep! Once more, only this time I beeped going out, too - and coming back through. So, sure enough, here comes the 'dreaded' pat-down I'm directed to a mat, and a woman comes over and asks if I want a private screening. I tell her, "No, I'm not modest" and that if it's going to be a really intense examination, that I'm wearing a feminine hygiene product. Unlike previous pat-downs, she used the front of her hand. She told me everywhere she was going before she did, but while she did check my thighs she didn't go all the way up to my crotch. Other than that, it was very thorough but professional and not embarassing - but that's me.
So I get everything back together and we get to the gate. I'm happy to have the Kindle (I'm actually very electronic this trip). Now, JetBlue has made a change to its Extra Legroom seats. You get early boarding and, obviously, early access to the overhead bins. So the Gate Agent announces this, and that they'll be boarding rows 1-5 and 10 & 11 first, then passengers needing extra assistance, then they'll start general boarding. My seat is in row 1, so I start wheeling myself up to the jetway door.
I roll up to the Gate Agent and they tell me I can't board yet because there's nobody to push the wheelchair but someone will be there shortly - and I already know, from years of asking, that they won't trust me to propel myself. So I manuever over to the side until finally one of the GAs decides to just push me themselves. I get on the plane and fortunately my seatmates turn out to be a nice couple going to a wedding.
So we finally get to baggage claim, my luggage finally shows up, and I get out to the rental car shuttle. These come frequently, so the trip is pretty fast. Thanks to the December 2010 thread here, I'd gotten a great rate - $145 and change for a midsize for ten days. I'd found out the day before that I'm an Alamo Insider member, but I'm leery. I know I could go to the garage, but - especially since there's SUCH a maze to get through the center - I go to the counter. When I get up to the garage, I had four choices: a Hyundai Sonata, two Chevy HHRs, and a Kia Soul. I drive a Hyundai, I loathe the HHR (I drove one, once - kept it for eight hours and exchanged it for a sedan) - so I took the Soul. Nice. And for once, I actually picked up the car on time.
12/25 (yes, I came home on Christmas - very late at night) I didn't pay attention to the mileage at all, but it cost me about $20 to fill it up before I left. By the way, I tried to stay an extra day, even two. I kept my fingers crossed for snow in Boston - but it timed itself wrong
. I got back to the garage before 9:30 for an 11:29 flight; the airport is a seven minute ride from the rental location with, again, shuttles running regularly. Plus, I'd checked in for my flight already. So there were two parties ahead of me checking in cars and only one attendant. I couldn't move, I was holding my suitcases up with my toes ; when the attendant finally got to me and verified the gas and and the total, he then apologized for making me wait and took another $25 off the total!$121 for a midsize car for ten days in Las Vegas? Not bad
At the airport, I still had to check my suitcase and get the wheelchair which went smoothly. As we approached security, I asked about the scanner but was told there wasn't one at the gates we were using
. Again, I did try. No problem getting through this time (I figured out some time during the week that it was probably my metal-band watch setting off the metal detector ). They don't preboard the Extra Legroom passengers, but then there aren't that many - a couple of unaccompanied minors, me, a passenger behind me... another uneventful flight; I have the entire three seats to myself, but since it's row one the armrests don't go up. Scheduled to land at 7:22 actually at the gate 7:40. I don't care, I knew I was going to miss the 7:30 bus home; the next one is at nine. Down to baggage claim, got my luggage, the attendant tried to set me up inside where I could watch for my bus but discovered two people sleeping in those prime seats. No matter. Despite the cold and the flurries, I waited (and, yes, smoked) outside.
Who knows. I had the patdown at another airport last week and she went right up to, but not pressing on, my crotchal area.
