Jan 11 - Ft Lauderdale, FL

Departure day - Jan 11

Here  is a glimpse into the life of three senior ladies - two who have mobility challenges, and the other gets to look after us!!  Thank God for Mary!

Our wake up call came at 5:30 AM and when we got to the lobby to wait for the shuttle about 25 min later it was FULL!!!!!  So we got a spot to stand near the door and as the shuttle approached we went outside to be ready ( under the scornful glare of a couple of people who had been waiting at the door for a few minutes!  Ooops!)  The helpful driver took our bags and Dianne’s walker and we found the last three seats on the bus!

At the airport the shuttle dropped us off at a basement door and the driver was kind enough to take our suitcases to an elevator that took us up to the departures level.

As it happened, an Air Canada employee got on the same elevator, sized up our situation and when we got off the elevator she took us to another employee and asked him to get us wheelchairs and a luggage cart as it was a very long walk to the check-in counter we had to use for Special Assistance.

When we reached the line up for the check in counter it was 6:30 AM and there were many people with wheelchairs, strollers, dog crates, walkers, canes, etc already in line.  Our two attendants took us right to the waiting area and we got checked in.  They even put our luggage on the drop off place for us!

At 8:00 AM we were taken to Immigration and Security, and then to a waiting spot for the electric cart which would take us to the gate.  Hurry up and wait! We had to wait there for a domestic flight to deplane as our gate was in an area where they use the halls for both domestic and US flights - and the two cannot mix!!!

Finally we were at our gate in time for our 8:30 boarding time.  Bad news - no coffee shop and no washrooms!!  8:30 became 9:30 as the very cheerful agent at the gate explained that there was another domestic flight deplaning and we had to stay in the waiting area until they cleared AND there was a mechanical issue with our plane!!   They had to replace a tire!   LOL.   Boarding finally began - there were about 4 electric wheelchairs or scooters, and at least 6 wheelchairs, plus some of us with canes in the Pre- boarding group.

So at 10:30 here we sit on the plane waiting for luggage to be loaded and for clearance to leave.  Oh - but before we actually take off we need to go through de-icing!!!  Oh!! Wait!!  Another announcement!  IT WILL BE ANOTHER 25 min before they finish loading everything!!  Still no coffee!!  and no breakfast!!!

11:45. We are finally in the air!

2:30 PM we are about to land in Ft Lauderdale.  Yay!  We were among the last to leave the plane  because of needing the wheelchairs, and since there were so many people requesting Special Assistance it took a while to get wheeled out .  When we got to the gate, there must have been 500 people waiting to board our plane, and a West Jet flight!  We were taken there in the wheelchairs but Dianne and Mary ended up being ‘plunked’ in one area, but I was ‘plunked’ in a different area around the corner from them to wait for an attendant to get us to Baggage Claim.

I flagged down one of the attendants and said the three of us needed to stay together, and finally he came back and took me to join them.  🧑‍🦽‍➡️👩🏽‍🦽👨‍🦼. After waiting about 45 minutes I tossed my patience over my shoulder and marched up to the Air Canada desk to see what was happening!  The Air Canada agent apologized and explained that the company handling the wheelchairs was ‘very short staffed’ (understatement of the year!) and she spoke to a supervisor who said he would get someone.  Very soon after, one guy came back and when we said the three of us were together he said ‘Oh God! And tried to figure out what he could do!!!  LOL

So he decided to take Dianne and me to baggage claim and go back for Mary.   When we arrived, we saw the three suitcases which had been taken off the carousel  and placed beside the unclaimed luggage office!!!  BUT - no walker!!!!  OMG!  So I explained our situation to the guy on duty and he made a couple of phone calls and said he would be back!  By this time Mary had arrived and the only other Special Assistance attendant came along!  Then the agent who had made the calls came over to us with Dianne’s walker safely in its plastic bag!!!  I figured it had come to Baggage Claim by another route, and not with all the suitcases, so was being held in a different area!!  Phew!!   The two guys divided up the ‘cargo’ - one of them pushed   me and my suitcase, the other took Mary and two suitcases, and Dianne walked with her walker to the taxi stand!!

It was an uneventful trip to the Best Western Oceanside, thankfully, and we got to our room just before 5 PM!!!!  Exhausted after a very long day!!!  

                                       Proof of Life! - Barely!

Dinner at the little restaurant in the hotel and we are back in our room for an early night!!!

We are safely settled and looking forward to a slow start to the day tomorrow - breakfast here, and then a shuttle will take us to our home for the next week - Sky Princess!

Amen and good night!!

Three tired dames

😱😵‍💫🥱