Vacation/Sun-N-Fun

If you have been reading along you know by now that our flight to SNF was a no-go due to crappy weather. I was not a happy camper but the thought of vacation time with my Bride and a chance to attend the airshow provided reason to smile. Mary did the packing and I pretty much stayed clear. I laid out the things I wanted to take along and she made all our "stuff" fit. The plan was to fly on a US Airways flight Monday morning, rent a car, check into the Orlando Radisson Resort and enjoy the time away from work, Delaware and yucky weather.

Monday morning we are packed and ready to go, waiting on our airport shuttle ride. Delaware Express Shuttle gets to the house at 11:15am, fifteen minutes early, I'm thinking good karma. Our driver was really nice and we chatted about everything from traffic, flying and our vacation destination. One really nice thing that I have to mention is when our drivers cell phone rang she reached over and shut it off, without checking the call. She never interrupted the ongoing conversation with a call and I was impressed. In just about thirty minutes we were at curbside unloading and checking our bags. Our driver got a nice tip for her services and for not taking the cell call. Our check in was fast and painless even though US Airways is now charging $2 a bag at check in. Good grief, they even have their hand in the baggage guys pocket. Our guy also got a nice tip since he had us on our way in short order with bags squared away and our boarding pass ready to go.

We made our way through Terminal B and found seats that provided a view of the ticket folks and waiting area. At this point Mary and I both commented on the reasons we hate to fly commercial. The people who must talk on the cell phone that talk so loud you can't hear yourself think or that stroll with their bag back and forth as if it helps them be heard. Ugghhh...and of course we end up next to the guy that left home with out the box of tissues since he either had to be drowning or trying to hack up a fur ball. I must have made a face (or two) since the nice lady and her husband sitting across from us started to giggle. One of them commented that this is why we fly or it's not like this when we fly. They asked us if we were attending Sun-n-Fun and we acknowledged (I had my AOPA hat on). All four of us got a good laugh talking about the reason why we fly ourselves. I explained that I was working on my instrument rating so the wx kept us from flying today, they also would have flown but their aircraft was in the shop with a leaky wing tank. The couple hails from Michigan and were planning to stay in Lessburg with friends.

Finally time to board and things seemed to be going smoothly, we actually were running on time. Well I spoke to soon since one of the crew came on to let us know that normally he would be alerting us to push back but the baggage had not been loaded even though the aircraft was buttoned up and ready to go. Huh, I'm thinking we all might need our bags so I guess we can live with the twenty minute delay to load the plane. It was 1:43 pm and we were soooooo close to getting out on time. With the aircraft finally loaded we taxied to join the conga line waiting to depart and did so around 2:30pm.

There was a long line to get out of Philly but we made our way to the the head of the line and bugged out in short order. Mary was nodding off already and I was trying to get a look at the USS John F. Kennedy that was recently added to the mothball fleet just north of the airport. I got a quick glimpse of the flat top as we climbed into the clouds. We turned out over New Jersey before turning south for Florida.

Once above the layer it was blue sky and clear. This gorgeous on top view came to an end as we got closer to the Carolina's and ended up even thicker as we crossed into Georgia and Florida. The flight crew did a very nice job with a smooth landing into Orlando (MCO).

Mary called Narcosee's restaurant as soon as we were leaving the airport in our sporty grey Pontiac Grand Prix. We passed on the mustang convertible since I wasn't sure about the wx and I just could not make myself drive a ford (another discussion for another day). The dinner slot was pushed back until 8:30 which allowed for us to make the hotel, shower, change and drive to Disney's Grand Floridian. Valet parking was available so of course I took advantage. We checked in and made our way to the bar as we waited to be called for our table.

We met a nice lady from Atlanta Georgia that overheard us talking about missing the chance to stop at Jekyll Island. She offered some great info about places to stay and eat and provided the added bonus of the Island history. We thanked her for the info and great conversation then headed off in response to our call for our table.

Mary and I each had surf and turf which I have to say was absolutely fantastic! The fillet was cooked to perfection and the lobster cooked just as tender. We both enjoyed the fireworks and light show over the magic kingdom from or window seats and talked about our honeymoon just three and a half years ago. It was a nice way to start our vacation and just relax and enjoy our time together.

Tuesday - Day one had Epcot on the agenda. Mary and I finally got out of bed and found some breakfast then got on the road. Parking is always easy at Disney with a short walk to the tram car. We toured Epcot making stops in Italy (of course) for lunch, and a host of other countries to check out shops. The place was crowded and it was getting warm. After lunch I started to feel ill. I felt light headed, almost sick to my stomach at times and sweating up a storm. We continued to make the rounds and on our way to the new Soarin' ride I decided I needed to get back to the hotel.

Wednesday - Day two was a stay close to the hotel day. We decided that we would use our second park pass on Thursday in hopes that I was feeling better. Mary spent the better part of the day poolside and i spent it sick in bed. I was dead beat tired, had no appetite and just could not get comfortable. Mary on the other hand worked her tan and was looking good as she checked in on me. I hadn't eaten a thing since lunch on Monday so I thought I would try some dinner. We went to a really nice steak house just a short drive from the Radisson. Charley's Steakhouse always has great service and even better food. I ordered a fillet with a baked potato and Mary had a rack of Lamb with a baked potato. I barley ate half my fillet and only put a dent in the potato, I was still feeling pretty bad. Mary said the Lamb was cooked to perfection and she did a pretty good job finishing up. We ordered a slice of carrot cake to go just in case.

Thursday we were off to Hollywood Studios (Disney MGM). I was feeling a little better so we tried breakfast at IHOP. I had pancakes and fresh fruit (only ate one pancake) Mary had the Mayor's breakfast. Oh it was cute, a stack of pancakes covered in mini chocolate kisses and some purple and blue syrup with a lollipop stuck in the top. Yes, it also had green eggs and ham. I wish I took a picture. MGM was a pretty good day as we made the rounds taking in shows and riding the tower of terror. I ran out of gas and by late afternoon was feeling ill again. We headed back to the resort; I crawled into bed and Mary got a few more hours of pool time.

Friday started off with me feeling a bit better and actually wanting to try and eat some breakfast. We made our way to IHOP and had a nice breakfast then got hassled by the "time share" salesman as we left the building. One family was walking away saying no just as Mary and I were trying to do. The one child said quick run! it's the time share guy! We all cracked up. Only my Bride would have compassion as she is telling me that the guy is just trying to make a living. It's a good thing she is so nice, it balances our act with me being the....well the other end of the scale.

We fueled up the rental and pointed south on I-4 for flying activities, yes, Sun-N-Fun!! The weather was looking better and I was feeling a little bit better. The trip from Disney to Lakeland was about 40-50 minutes. Everyone seems to obey the posted speed limits which really freaked me out. I'm used to doing battle everyday on I-95 to and from work where if your not doing 70-85 your road pizza. Maybe it was just the fact that we were on vacation and it seemed everyone was happy and playing nice....nah it must be that I'm running a fever.

AS we were directed to parking Mary snapped a few pictures of a pair of F-15's circling to land at the show. We parked in some cow field (couldn't miss the smell) and hiked towards the main gate. Once inside we were both overwhelmed by the size of the show-grounds and all the people, we are used to the Millville airshow at KMIV. Welcome to the big leagues as we walked and walked, did I mention how far we walked? Light Sport aircraft seemed to pave the way in from the gate. We checked out a few and agreed they look way to small to enjoy and travel in. The forums were packed and there was a forum for almost everyone to attend. We peeked in on a few as we strolled along; working with fabric, welding, painting and the list goes on and on. After picking up a few souvenir shirts we headed over to the bus depot/barn to hop a ride to the flight line. We made a stop to see the war birds, vintage aircraft, the flight line and then walked around looking for vendors. The one electronic gizmo I wanted to check out I could not find, maybe for the better, I'll wait to see what others have to say about it prior to me plunking down the ducket$.

Mary and I each drank down some bottled water to cool off and she even tried a corn dog. I had a bite but it didn't thrill me. Mary thought it was pretty good. By late afternoon I was once again feeling the effects of my week long sick. I was getting very tired and the gut was feeling sick. We made our way back to the main gate disappointed that we didn't catch up with anyone from the fourms and that we didn't make it through the vendors.

Saturday we were packed and ready to head home and of course I was feeling much better. Go figure! We made a breakfast stop then headed to Orlando to return the rental car and check in for our flight. We took off on time and was sporting a full load since taking on stand-by's from the grounded American Airlines flights. Once again we were in and out of the soup mainly from the Carolina's north. WE were put in a hold over the Woodstown OOD VOR and after four spins around the track we were vectored to Philly to land. It's good to be home, we missed our zoo.