Well, it's been quite a hectic time, so ya know it had to end on an equally tumultuous note. Last night we were supposed to fly back home at 6:30PM. The flight was delayed for technical reasons, but we weren't concerened, after all, there was plenty of time to procure another plane. Two hours later they finally got us boarded. We waited for a painstakingly long time on board, wondering what the delay was. At 9:00PM the captain came over the PA system and announced that the small airport we were flying back to was not giving us permission to land, and that due to construction there they were closing at 10:30PM, which didn't allow for our flight to leave that night. We were cancelled, and told to disembark the plane.
The chaos, frustration, and anger was palpable. We had been at the airport for nearly 6 hours at that point. One couple we sat near and had been passing the time in conversation with had been there for 10 hours! Children hadn't eaten, no hotel accomodations could be easily made, and it was a sheer madhouse. They finally made arrangements for us to stay at either of two local low-budget motels, but the transfer/shuttle was so incompetent and small that there was reason for more tension and super-frustration. I finally decided at 10:45 to get a rental car, as the rental agencies were about to close for the night and I didn't want to risk being stranded in the airport, having to sleep on the floor (which did happen to at least one person I talked to today).
We got to the hotel in our rental and found a mob of people who had called a 1-800 reservations number for Holiday Inn (whereas we called the local Holiday direct and got our reservation secured as soon as we found out what hotels were available nearby, as the choices were scant) but they were turned away due to the fact that our flight was the second one cancelled that day. There were a lot of unhappy campers to say the least. We got settled in and went out to McDonalds at 12:30 AM for some supper to eat. After all of the tension of having the normal high-pressure vacation itenerary, to being redirected due to a hurricane, and then having to make midnight arrangements for an unexpected 11th night in unfamiliar beds, all with a 6 year old (and other serious health concerns in the family), we finally got a flight home today and I am typing this from the comfortable confines of my den. Tis so true, there's no place like home.
