Christmas vacation 2015
Welcome back to our nightmare! We're stuck in Dallas airport waiting to see if we can get on a flight to Orlando today.
The night has been awful we tried laying out and sleeping but it's pretty hard getting comfy on the floor with people wandering around you, we have found out though the rain and thundering last night was a tornado which so far has killed 8 people (we later find out that the death toll is 35).
To add to our nightmare we leave the airport for a cigarette (which we did previously) and ended up not being able to get back through security as it has closed, we now have to wait until 4am before going back to the gates. There's nothing around where we are no shops, no food or drink just toilets.
I end up finding the priority check in area with a comfy chair and settle myself in, unfortunately there's only one chair so Leon finds a wheelchair and rides it over! (See photos).
At 4am we return through security and back to the boarding gates, after some food and drink we set off to find out what's going on.
Leon waits at the gate where we were told the next flight would go from while I go and find someone to talk to. I finally get to speak to someone who confirms we are only on the waiting list for the next few flights out, however he searches other ways for us to get to Orlando and comes up with a plan b - fly to Chicago then to Orlando- we agree we would do this if we cannot get on the next flight.
At 6.30 we hang around the gate for the Orlando flight, we know the flight is full but if some people don't make that flight they will start filling it up with people from the waiting list - we are at number 9 and 10.
We wait and our names aren't called but then at the last second they call us over and tell us they have 7 seats left and if the people don't turn up, us and another family will be joining the flight, we wait and wait and after a while they start processing the other family and we are all smiling!!
This smile of course is short lived as the missing 7 people came running over to the gate - that's it we're not joining this flight.
Speaking to the airport lady she advises us that as we have been offered another route we would be best to take it as we are not actually confirmed on a Orlando flight until Monday. We run through the airport to another terminal just in time to board a plane to Chicago.
Once in Chicago we find out it's now snowing in Dallas which could be upto a meter deep - we definitely made the right choice!!
Around 4.30pm we finally arrive in Orlando and lucky enough we find our suitcases with ease - these came directly on the first flight from Dallas this morning as they wouldn't give them back to us,Finally things are falling into place!
We head off to the car hire place to pick up our car they offer us an upgrade on the car so now we cruising Florida in a Dodge Challenger - hell yeah baby!
We drive over to the hotel and get that all sorted, wash and head out for a bite to eat. Tonight is all about the sleep.....
Good night xxx
The night has been awful we tried laying out and sleeping but it's pretty hard getting comfy on the floor with people wandering around you, we have found out though the rain and thundering last night was a tornado which so far has killed 8 people (we later find out that the death toll is 35).
To add to our nightmare we leave the airport for a cigarette (which we did previously) and ended up not being able to get back through security as it has closed, we now have to wait until 4am before going back to the gates. There's nothing around where we are no shops, no food or drink just toilets.
I end up finding the priority check in area with a comfy chair and settle myself in, unfortunately there's only one chair so Leon finds a wheelchair and rides it over! (See photos).
At 4am we return through security and back to the boarding gates, after some food and drink we set off to find out what's going on.
Leon waits at the gate where we were told the next flight would go from while I go and find someone to talk to. I finally get to speak to someone who confirms we are only on the waiting list for the next few flights out, however he searches other ways for us to get to Orlando and comes up with a plan b - fly to Chicago then to Orlando- we agree we would do this if we cannot get on the next flight.
At 6.30 we hang around the gate for the Orlando flight, we know the flight is full but if some people don't make that flight they will start filling it up with people from the waiting list - we are at number 9 and 10.
We wait and our names aren't called but then at the last second they call us over and tell us they have 7 seats left and if the people don't turn up, us and another family will be joining the flight, we wait and wait and after a while they start processing the other family and we are all smiling!!
This smile of course is short lived as the missing 7 people came running over to the gate - that's it we're not joining this flight.
Speaking to the airport lady she advises us that as we have been offered another route we would be best to take it as we are not actually confirmed on a Orlando flight until Monday. We run through the airport to another terminal just in time to board a plane to Chicago.
Once in Chicago we find out it's now snowing in Dallas which could be upto a meter deep - we definitely made the right choice!!
Around 4.30pm we finally arrive in Orlando and lucky enough we find our suitcases with ease - these came directly on the first flight from Dallas this morning as they wouldn't give them back to us,Finally things are falling into place!
We head off to the car hire place to pick up our car they offer us an upgrade on the car so now we cruising Florida in a Dodge Challenger - hell yeah baby!
We drive over to the hotel and get that all sorted, wash and head out for a bite to eat. Tonight is all about the sleep.....
Good night xxx