The original plan was drive to MCI and park in the long term parking. Cost roughly $6/day. It's called Economy Parking and shuttles run from the shelters to the terminal every 10 minutes. You can print a coupon at www.flykci.com for a free day of parking if you park 3 consecutive days. Third day of parking is free! As it turned out we didn't need the parking, my daughter offered to get up at 6am and drive us to our terminal. Curbside service, not available during heightened levels of security, is again available at Kansas City International airport for dropping off passengers at their respective airline. KCI has a unique terminal design that allows passengers to arrive and leave the airport directly at their airline arrival and departure points.
After we said our good-byes at the curb, we took our luggage and headed to the airline self-service terminals. Everything went smoothly checking in. However, we had packed light, observing all the 3-1-1 rules, so that we would not have to check our luggage at $25 a bag. That was a plan-fail. Even our small "carry on" suitcases did not fit in the "carry on" sizer. I was still in a great vacation bliss mood so I decided what the heck let's just check our luggage. And the best part about flying American Airlines was we got to check two free pieces of luggage when we paid our "courtesy" upgrade fee. I recommend if you fly American Airlines, upgrade to first class whenever possible.
As first time first class flyers, we were pretty much newbs. Apparently, people don't talk and have as much fun in first class as they do in economy class. We didn't care. We were on a going-on-vacation high and just cause the lady in front of us kept looking back between the seats and giving us "the look" we didn't let her deter us. Oh and yes, the seats in first class have spaces between them with arm rests big enough for two arms each!! And I am pretty sure my carry-on luggage would have fit overhead and my big backpack stuffed with all my fun stuff to do and eat on board easily fit under her seat so we could lock eyes every time I went to retrieve and she was looking back giving us "the look." I just smiled and would have pulled the shade if there had been one.
"American Airline Passengers departing to Ft. Lauderdale on Flight 600 we will be announcing boarding instructions momentarily." This is where they explain the Zone system and how we should be ready to board when our zone is called for our on time departure at 11:35am. Then the next announcement explained a slight delay in our boarding while "maintenance finishes up a project." It's never good when they can't tell you the nature of the project. Soon our departure time changed to 12:10pm. "The Project" was taking longer than expected. We decided to grab a quick bite to eat and rushed back to our gate just in time to hear, "The plane is being taken out of service please be patient while we try to find another plane." Really, I see several planes out there and you can't find one.
Now while many people were getting a little grumpy and complaining,Connor and I were playing on-vacation- are-us. And heck, we were in Texas so why not take some time and get acquainted with the locals. Only in Texas!
The nice thing about Dallas-Fort Worth airport is that there are a lot of things to do past security. It is like a giant shopping mall not like at Kansas City International Airport where all the shops are outside the security check points. We were instructed to stay near the gate to get further instructions but we had plenty of time to venture off and return several times and visit the shops.
By this point some passengers were getting a little cranky. Really? I was just extremely grateful we didn't have "a little maintenance project" while we were in the air half-way between Dallas and Fort Lauderdale somewhere over the Gulf of Mexico. Me, I was just happy we had a new plane and our pilot had done a diligent job of his preflight checks! He promised to make up for it by requesting the fast lane. Amazingly, we took off nearly three hours late and arrived in Fort Lauderdale only 1 hour and fifty minutes behind schedule. I am thinking our pilot's request for the fast lane was approved. We landed safely and in the big scheme of things, that is the most important part.
Not to worry. After all the bags went around the carousel several times and we determined ours were not among them. Connor noticed some bags over in a first class holding area. Dang! We did not know that first class bags came off first and were taken off the belt and put in a special spot for our convenience. That would have made us feel very special but then we would have missed all the excitement watching the economy class passengers, in several different languages by the way, diving for their luggage as it passed by them.
Luggage in hand, we hopped on the bus and headed with all the First Class and Economy class folks alike, to the Rental Car Center. Where Connor charmed our attendant by asking him if he was Jamaican. Okay, so he's never seen a guy from England with a tan who speaks with a half- Queen's English and South Florida accent. Our rental car dealer had so much fun with it, as did his colleagues, that we got a free upgrade to a Mid-size.
On the drive up I-95 North to our Ramada Inn Resort, we meet the first member of our welcoming committee. The first welcome we got was from the guy that gave us the 'Welcome to Florida wave" while passing us on the right shoulder at 80 MPH. You know in Missouri you get a ticket for driving the speed limit in the fast lane, that is why we were in the slow lane. He may have been upset when I slowed down when he pulled up on my bumper and flashed his lights. I thought he was pulling me over or something.
We had fun with that all the way to the resort. After we got checked in we played a few games of Foosball in the game room, had dinner at the resort buffet, and went to our room to admire the pool side view. We contemplated a late night swim but opted for falling asleep to a Netflix instead. End of Day One!TRAVEL TIPS: WHAT WE LEARNED ON OUR VACATION
1. Check out your airport's website for coupons and special deals days before your day of departure.
2. Arrive in plenty of time to get your boarding passes and get through security before the crowd gets there, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 hours before departure should keep you in vacation mode. Remember your flight will board approximately thirty minutes prior to your take off time so plan to be through security an hour before departure and you'll have a half an hour to relax before you board or work through any snags you encounter in the check in process.
3. If you get a chance to upgrade to First Class when checking in, take it. It's nice to be pampered once in awhile. And on American Airlines you'll be glad you did because we felt really cramped in when we were in coach.
4. Get bigger luggage (not too big- you do have to lug it from the airport to your next mode of transportation) and check it in. Then you don't have to worry about the 3-1-1 rules for your vacation supplies. It's worth the $25. However, wait and pay the baggage fee when you check in because if you are offered a First Class upgrade checking in 2 pieces of luggage is included.
5. If you still want to try to pack light and use carry on luggage you can save the $25 check fee by taking your "carry on" bags to the gate. At that point if they won't fit in the overhead, most airlines will check them at the gate for free. They will be on the gangway waiting for you when you deboard. Kind of nice for free but you do have to lug them to your next gate if you have a connecting flight.
6. Be nice to your security officers...you think you're bored they do this all day long; a boring, yet important job.
7. Bring some on board snacks cause you are lucky to get a bag of peanuts these days. And sorry, graham crackers aren't cookies. Also, pack a pair of earphones in your carry on bag or purse so you can listen to the in-flight shows or music.
8. Keep your carry on bag as small as possible. I have a back pack that has a laptop section. Even though I don't use my laptop on board I still do not want to check it. In coach, my back pack would not fit under the seat and had to be stowed above. So make sure you have anything you want during your flight, in your purse or smaller bag that easily stows in tight places. Rule of thumb: less is more. You'll be lugging this heavy pack all day long.
9. Please be pleasant and talk to your neighbor. At least a few pleasantries; keeps the whole rubbing elbows thing less awkward.
10. Charge your Kindle and your Camera before you leave the house! Put them in your purse or small bag before you board so you'll have them during your flight. And don't forget to pack their chargers in your luggage to recharge when you arrive at your destination.
KEEP READING THE BLOG THIS WEEK TO GET MORE TRAVEL TIPS FROM "WHAT WE LEARNED ON OUR VACATION"
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