Trip Report: Travel Time (Day 1, Part 1 | December 2021)

 Friday, December 13th

I’m beginning my trip report the day before we’re flying again. We’re also spending the night in Buffalo through Park and Fly again. It’s just so convenient-especially if you have a very early flight. 

I took this day off so I could relax. It also gave me time to clean and spend quality time with my cat before leaving. Around 1:45 I headed to my mom’s to drop off the Murphy cat. I also talked to her for a bit. This was Murphy’s first stay with her in a couple of years, but I’m sure they’ll be happy together.

On my way to my dad’s I stopped at the bank to get cash. I don’t typically carry cash so I need it for my tips.

My stepmom did work today, so we couldn’t head to Buffalo until around 5 PM. We got dinner at Cracker Barrel which is now one of our traditions. I got a BLT and a salad which was good. 

We stayed at a new hotel this time. It was the Days Inn. We picked it because it was very close to the airport and had on-site parking. I thought it was a nice hotel and found the staff to be friendly. 

I moved some of the stuff in my suitcases around because I didn’t like how they were packed. Then, I took a unisom and fell asleep around 9:30. My goal was to start the trip off with a good night’s sleep.

Saturday, December 14th

It’s the official travel day!

And my hopes for a good night's sleep were dashed. I woke up around 1:30 and tossed and turned until 3ish. At least I tried. 

We walked out the door of our hotel around 4:45 AM. As we got to the lobby, the shuttle was just pulling away. We weren’t in too much of a rush so we waited patiently. The shuttle came back about 10 minutes later. More people showed up while he was gone. Now, there were more people than could fit. People were pretty mean to the driver who was also working the front desk. I felt bad and gave him an extra tip. So did my dad.

The airport was actually pretty busy-especially for Buffalo. But we checked in and headed to security. My stepmom’s TSA precheck fell off her account so she had to go through the regular line. Our flight was out of gAte 19 and my boarding position was A19 which was interesting. Maybe only to me. Lots of shops and restaurants were open early. They weren’t the last time we flew. Maybe things are returning to normal.

We boarded around 6:00 and that was a pretty fast process. I bought WiFi on the plane so I could buy Genie+ make a reservation at 7 AM. I was able to get a 11:25 Lightning Lane for Big Thunder. I also played with the lenses that came with Genie+. 

This was also the first flight I had without any nerves or fear. Starting Lexapro several years ago helped, but didn’t make it go away completely. I really credit watching Mentour Pilot’s YouTube channel. He covers aviation accidents which may sound terrifying. Instead, it helps me see how rare accidents are and all the efforts that go into protecting you.

I watched some downloaded YouTube videos and Disney+ videos. Olaf Presents is absolutely hilarious-highly recommend.

We landed at MCO at 8:50 which was over 30 minutes early. Fortunately, our gate was ready for us so we didn’t have to wait around. We disembarked, got our bags, and headed to Magical Express. The line was long and went back to the second elevator. But like usual, it moved fast.

Trip Report: Two Days of Travel (Day 1, Part 1| July 2021)

 Day 0: Tuesday, July 20th

Another trip report where I’m starting my trip before the official Disney trip. This is another father-daughter trip and it was a slightly spontaneous vacation. We’ve also never been to Florida in the summer so this should be interesting.

We had a fairly early flight-leaving BUF at 6:15 AM so we decided to spend the night in Buffalo. So, this is really the first of two travel days.

I worked a full day today. I think I tried to leave a bit early, but it wasn’t very successful. At home, I did those last minute things like taking the trash out. I had one suitcase and a cat to get to the car. I’m lazy so I attempted it in one go. Fortunately, I have a nice neighbor and he helped with my suitcase. Seriously, he can’t move unless I move because he’s great. 

As I drove to my grandma’s to drop off my cat, it started to rain. I also couldn’t remember if I locked my door or not. I may have had a minor breakdown in my car. My dad told me we weren’t in a hurry and to go back to my place. I was worried about being “late” plus there was a weather advisory. My door was locked but I would’ve been worried the whole trip if I hadn’t double-checked.

I got to my dad’s around 7 and we headed to Buffalo. We took my car, but dad drove. Traffic ended up backed up on the thruway for about 2 miles before the exit. It took us like an hour. We still have no idea what caused it. Maybe construction. Maybe an accident. Maybe both.

Sadly, because of this we were too late to hit up the Cracker Barrel. We tried Denny’s, but they had to close early. Subway was closed, too. Subway was closed, too, so we ended up at McDonald’s for dinner. I realized we normally go to Buffalo on Fridays so restaurants are open later.

At the hotel, we checked in and then took the car to the off-site parking. It was in a kind of creepy place, but did seem very secure. In the room, we watched the latest Summer of Chaos video from All Ears. I took a shower and went to bed.

Day 1: Wednesday, July 21st 

Now, it’s the official travel day.

We woke up at 4 AM which is sooooo early. And we took the hotel shuttle to the airport at 4:30. While the offsite parking was a bit creepy, the employees at the hotel were very nice. Dad and I both agreed we would stay here again. 

Surprisingly, the line at the Southwest counter was pretty long. So dad called an audible and we went with a skycab (skycap? IDK). Then, we went through security. The TSA agent said something about the picture on my license. But I’m pretty sure that’s my most recent picture. 

We boarded our flight at 5:45 and were off to Midway. Originally, we booked direct flights, but Southwest moved them to having a layover. What are you going to do? I slept a bit on and off.

At Midway, we stopped at the first restaurant we saw for breakfast. I got a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. Later I learned that restaurants had tater tots and I’m sad I didn’t get some. Then, we went to our gate which was at the other end of the airport. We definitely made a good restaurant choice because they got long lines right away. We ate and eventually got on the plane.

Around 11:30 we landed at MCO. We went to baggage claim and filled our water bottles while we waited for the bags to arrive. Once we got those, we were off to Magical Express which always feels like a mile long walk.

The Magical Express line was pretty long, but it moved quickly. We waited maybe 10 minutes for our bus once we got in line for our hotel. They still assigned seats on the bus, but there was no social distancing. Our bus driver, Virginia, was very good. We stopped at Coronado Springs first and then All Star Movies. Our room wasn’t assigned yet which wasn’t a surprise. We left our bags at Bell Services. He said we could have them delivered automatically when our room was ready. I didn’t know they could keep track that way, but it was nice.

Up Next: Feisty Sheep