The Trip Begins...Good-Bye Winter! (December 6 & 7)

When flying, our trips always begin a day early. This accomplishes two things...it keeps my stress level down by not trying to drive the three hours to Minneapolis on the day of our flight...and...it gives us the opportunity to visit grandkids! Getting a head start is even more important when traveling in winter due to the possibility of snow and bad driving conditions. And yep...we had snow that day. (The view looking out my door.)

Fortunately the roads were great and the fresh snow made the drive a little more scenic.

The next morning the temperature was 17º below zero (with a MUCH lower windchill) as we drove from our son's house to MSP. I’ll admit that I was just a little nervous that we would return to find a car that wouldn’t start. 

Check in at MSP was a breeze and the flight…with a layover in Atlanta…went smoothly. 

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale around 6 pm and when we stepped out of the terminal to get a taxi it was almost a 100º increase from what we left in Minneapolis. Ahhhhhh…wonderful!

By being Hilton Honors members, we were able to get what I considered a pretty good deal on the Embassy Suites hotel on 17th Street...our home for the next two nights. 

When we checked into the hotel, I waited maybe 2 minutes at the most, but yet the gal at the desk apologized over and over for making me wait. For my “trouble” she gave me a gift bag containing bottled waters and several snacks PLUS a code for free internet (normally $10/day.) The daily free manager’s reception was still in progress so she offered to keep our bags while we grabbed some snacks and a drink. The snacks were just that…goldfish crackers, chips, salsa, etc. and the drink of the day was a Bahama Mama. Not enough to call it a meal, but hey…it was free!

Kent and Laurel had arrived earlier that afternoon and we joined them in their suite and watched a little football. The two-room suites were nice and provided plenty of room for the four of us to hang out together.

Our rooms were on the 11th floor and from the tiny balcony off the bedroom you could get a partial view of the port although it wasn't large enough for any furniture. There was also a door at the end of the hallway that lead outdoors to a concrete “balcony” where we could go to get a better view of the ships in port. 

Although we hadn't eaten dinner, none of us really felt like going to a restaurant, so instead we walked across the street to the Harbor Shops and grabbed a frozen sandwich from the Publix grocery store and took it back to the hotel. The suite had both a refrigerator and microwave…and even a Keurig coffee maker (although the K-cups were still hotel quality coffee.) After leaving the frigid cold temps of Minnesota I can’t tell you how wonderful it was to enjoy a walk in the warm evening air.