Everything started out well that morning, with the exception that no one really wanted to get up out of bed at 6am. We all got going, including the girls. Alyssa and Jenna were both getting ready for school without any gripes. Alyssa was taking charge with grace and Jenna was listening. This was definitely a positive sign. K and I were out the door around 7:15am. Our flight didn't leave until 9:55am, so we had about 2 hours and 40 minutes to get to our gate. It takes about 1 hour 20 minutes to get to the airport, so we have plenty of time. No problem. We decide to wait on breakfast until we get closer to the airport. We're in Raleigh and I made the mistake of saying, "We're making really good time. I'm glad the traffic isn't too bad." or something crazy like that. About 2 seconds later, I look out and there is a sea of brake lights. We find out on the radio that there had been a wreck and traffic was backed up for 9 miles. My heart sunk and I started to panic. We were barely crawling along the interstate. Luckily, hubby had the sense to get Garmin to reroute us off of the interstate. Thank goodness he knew how to do that, otherwise I think we would have missed our plan. We end up getting to the airport at 9:15...we still have to find a parking spot, check our bags, and get through security. It takes a few minutes to find a parking spot (nerve wracking), but once we do, we are off and running. The jogging on the treadmill is starting to pay off! When we get into the airport, our flight is boarding. I beg people to let us go to the head of the baggage check in line and thankfully, they agree. The lady kindly tells us that since we are checking in late, she can not guarantee our baggage will make the plane. **sigh** So the worst case scenario is that I enjoy the cruise in the clothes I am wearing now LOL Off we go, running to security. That went pretty fast. Next we are running down the airport to the gate. We finally get on the plane and except for worrying about my bag, I breathe a huge sigh of relief. After sitting for a few minutes, the stewardess says they are loading the some late check in bags on the plane and then we'll be on our way. I am crossing my fingers that it is my bag...it has the Disney travel tag on it after all; it has to get on the plane.
We chose the Disney's Ground Transportation option so we got to ride the Disney bus from Orlando International Airport to the port plus Disney picks up our checked luggage at the airport and transports it to our room on the ship. This is a heavenly option and worth the extra money. At this point, I just have to relax and hope that my bag made the plane. After asking at least 2 Disney people if they were going to get my bag (in which they said yes), I let it go and got on the Disney bus. It's about an hour ride from the airport to Port Canaveral. It's a nice coach and they play Disney Cruise info on the tv's. It was much better than driving ourselves.
We made it into the Cruise Terminal safe and sound. This gorgeous model of the ship was on display in the lobby.
Since we are Castaway Club members, we got a shorter check in line at the cruise terminal (love that!) It wasn't long until we were going aboard. We headed to Beach Blanket Buffet for lunch. The view was amazing from the 9th deck of the Disney Wonder. Just a hint of what was to come...
NASA in the distance
Carnival Sensation at Port Canaveral...not as classy as the Disney Wonder, IMO
After lunch, we walked around the ship and then went for the safety drill at 4pm. Those are oh, so much fun. There's nothing like standing around for 15 minutes with a huge, cumbersome life jacket around your neck. That was short-lived and we were soon leaving port. We went to the theater and watched Bolt before dinner. We had the late seating (8:15) which worked out nice. Less kids and more time to do things during the day. Our first meal was at Tritons. It is a very classy restaurant...named from the character on The Little Mermaid. The food was delicious and the service excellent. When we got back to our stateroom, we had our first towel animal waiting for us.
More coming soon....
1 comment:
I would have been so stressed in that traffic line, then not to be sure my bag was on the flight, sounds like you coped really well.
Can't wait for the next instalment...
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