A 60th Birthday to Remember

 Back in October when I decided I wanted to go on a Disney Cruise to celebrate turning 60 years, I knew I would have a great time. I did not know my vacation would extend into a 3-week extravaganza! The cruise and the pre-visit to Vancouver were 9 days of glorious fun, but then I was scheduled to attend a 4-day training in Chicago. Since I would be in the Midwest, I decided a quick stop in Lincoln, Nebraska on my way home was needed to see my parents and sister. So the adventure continues.

On Monday morning, we had one last meal with our servers, Anthony and Galang at Tiana's Place. It was a yummy breakfast and then it was time to leave the ship. I was carrying my luggage off the ship since I had switched to a smaller carry-on suitcase for the last part of this journey. The boys had to wait for their luggage to be unloaded from the ship, so I caught an Uber to the airport. My flight to Seattle was supposed to leave at 12:15 pm.

Now if you are at all familiar with my travel troubles, this next part will not surprise you. The organization that was sponsoring the training in Chicago was paying for my airfare, but they would not cover an international flight. So I had to book a flight from Vancouver to Seattle and the travel agency would book me a flight from Seattle to Chicago. The travel agency was really behind and although I had been asking for over a month about an update on my tickets, I did not receive a ticket to Chicago until July 4 while on the cruise.  That was pretty stressful, but it finally worked out. 

I had my four one-way flights confirmed and I was ready. 

Alaska Airlines to Seattle, United Airlines to Chicago, United Airlines to Omaha, Southwest Airlines to San Diego, what could go wrong?

I arrived at the Vancouver airport with plenty of time to spare. I was unable to get my boarding pass on the app, so I planned to do it at a kiosk in the airport. However, when I arrived, none of the Alaska Airlines kiosks were working and the counter was closed. I looked for my flight on the screen of all departing flights and it wasn't there. My flight was supposed to leave at 12:15, but the only flight leaving from Vancouver to Seattle was at 1:30. "Hmm...that's weird," I thought. Eventually, the counter opened, and I handed my passport over to the agent at the counter. She couldn't find me listed on a flight from Vancouver. Wait, What? I showed her my flight info on the app, and she pointed out that the flight to Seattle that left at 12:15 was NOT from Vancouver. It was from VICTORIA! We had visited Victoria the week before and it took 90 minutes to get there by ferry. Ay-yi-yi! How did I book the wrong flight???

After a long phone call to the reservations department, they were able to switch my ticket to the 1:30 flight leaving from Vancouver. My original ticket was a non-refundable ticket and this new ticket was more expensive, but they let me pay the difference (instead of charging me for the entire ticket again). My panic attack started to subside and once I had a boarding pass, I headed to security. I made it through security without a hitch, gathered up my things, put on my shoes, and walked to immigration. The nice thing is that when you are leaving Canada and returning to the U.S. you go through immigration before you even get on the plane. Once I was through immigration and walking to the gate, I suddenly realized that I was missing my suitcase. I had left it in security! I was so flustered from the ticket debacle that I had not grabbed my suitcase off the track when I was getting my things.

Back to the immigration officer I went to explain that I left my suitcase behind. I must not be the only one who has done this because they pointed the way back to security and told me to just come through the immigration line again once I picked up my suitcase. Fortunately, my suitcase was still sitting at the end of the track, and no one had accidentally claimed it or moved it to a lost and found or whatever. I grabbed my suitcase and headed back to security. I got the same officer, and she waved me through since she recognized me. Whew!

I still had plenty of time before my flight left so I began looking for the boys. Their gate was coincidentally right next to mine. Eventually, they showed up and I got a chance to say goodbye again before I boarded the plane for Seattle. The rest of the trip was smooth. I landed in Seattle, found the United Airlines gate and connected to the wifi and caught up on emails and wrote my last blog post until my flight to Chicago took off at 5:00 pm. With the time change and the nearly four hour flight, I made it to my hotel around midnight.

The Summit training I am attending is going well and I am getting to know my newly hired math teacher. Today is the last full day. Tomorrow is a half day and then it's back on a plane to fly to Lincoln. As I think about this trip that was part 60th Birthday Celebration and part business and family visits, I am happy that my trip has been so memorable. 

View from the convention center on Lake Michigan

The time in Vancouver was awesome and I loved all of the different things we did while there. Vancouver is a pretty city and a fun place to visit. 

Getting to go to Chicago has been fun. Even though I'm not getting out much to see the city, I did get to experience a tornado evacuation which is something I have never done before.

View from my hotel room on the 24th floor.

I am looking forward to seeing my parents and their new place. It will be good to visit with them and the rest of my family.

The Disney Cruise, however, is the highlight of this trip. Joe expressed it well when he said, "I am being treated like I am a rich person." The crew and cast of the cruise line were so accommodating and kind. We never a grouchy staff member and those who were assigned to our stateroom and table got to know us so well. We were warmly greeted by name each morning and evening and even if we saw them at another location. The rooms were comfortable and everything you needed was available. The ship was well maintained and beautiful. And the excursions were fun and informative. And finally, the scenery was exquisite. Alaska is a gorgeous state and the views were breathtaking. 

I can head home in a few days knowing that I have a wealth of experiences and memories to treasure for a long time. Happy Birthday to me!