Friday the 13th & Just a Little Bad Luck

Just as we were getting up, the thunderstorms started…exactly when the weatherman had said they would begin. The rain was the precursor to the storms that would become a blizzard by the next day. Our 4:30 am shuttle to the airport got us there earlier than we would have needed, but I am a worry wart and get stressed if I think we are going to be late.

We cleared the first hurdle of the day when we set our luggage on the scale. Bob’s weighed 48 pounds and mine was 49. To be truthful, mine would have been closer to 60 pounds if I hadn’t begged him to take some of my stuff. I’m not sure why we rate, but our boarding passes were marked TSA Pre-Check. For the last few years we have consistently gotten TSA pre-check when flying…without paying the fee. Takes a little bit of the hassle out of going through security.

The first leg of our flight (to Atlanta) was overbooked and they were offering a $500 Visa gift card to someone who was willing to be bumped. They announced that whoever gave up their seat could take a flight tomorrow which made me really laugh. (When we had gone through security one of the guys told me that they were already planning to close the airport in the evening to keep planes from being stranded there tomorrow morning when the storm hit.) There would be NO flights tomorrow regardless of the promises being made at the gate! Here is what the forecast was showing...heavy snow + strong winds...not a good combination.

 

With the on board entertainment, the flight went by quickly. I loved looking out the window and knowing that we were rising above all of the nasty storminess that was going to plague those on the ground!

In Atlanta, we had enough time to get from one gate to the other even though it involved taking the airport train. I had just finished reading an article in USA Today on the plane that stated Atlanta was the busiest airport in the world and was glad that we weren’t rushed. That kind of stress is not how I want to start my vacation!

When we reached Ft. Lauderdale we picked up our luggage (always a relief when it shows up at the carousel!) and called the shuttle to our hotel…Hyatt Place. By the time we got outside the shuttle was waiting…a nice change from last fall when we waited about 45 minutes.

It was about 1:30 pm local time when we got to the hotel and I was pleased to find out that a room was ready and we could check in right away. Our room was #301…exactly 2 floors above where we stayed in October.

What blizzard?? This was the view from our hotel window...so far removed from what was happening at home!

After our night of very little sleep and early wake up, we both took a nap. Or at least rested. I was too keyed up to really fall sound asleep. When I got up, I decided to check our credit card account online. I wanted to make sure that a certain transaction had gone through and when I looked through the charges there was one for $249.99 for some fishing equipment! I questioned Bob, but it was what I feared…a fraudulent charge. Ugh. Things had been going smoothly so far, but maybe Friday the 13^th was starting to affect us.

Having the fraudulent charge was particularly bad timing since we were planning to use that card as our main card while we were traveling. I guess the good news is that we were still in the U.S. and could call and report the charge. A very kind lady reassured us that we were not responsible for the charges and put our mind at ease. I have no idea when the card number was stolen, but I suspect maybe a skimmer at the gas station we had used the night before.

Feeling rested after our naps, we took a walk around the shopping center next to the hotel. I had foot surgery a couple of months prior and it was still bothering me otherwise we probably would have walked the mile to the waterfront to watch the boats come and go under the lift bridge.

We saw quite a few lizards on our walk (a novelty to us Minnesotans!) and just enjoyed all of the beautiful tropical plants. The warm breeze was heavenly and the thoughts of a blizzard were fading in our minds.

Our dinner plans were a repeat of what we had done last October. We walked a short distance to Pollo Tropical...a fast food restaurant that serves Caribbean style food. It isn't fancy but it was close, the food was good and it was cheap and fast...perfect. 

A shower, a little TV and then it was time for bed. Only one more sleep until we begin our adventure!