Y'all are life savers!!!

[fatcat04]

You might remember I was asking you about airline flights for my parents. I was considering having them fly in the day of their cruise and you resoundingly said "NO" telling me to get them a flight the day before and make it an early flight too, JUST IN CASE.

 

WELL... you were right!!! The "JUST IN CASE" just kicked in. :eek:

 

Mom and dad left this morning for their flight to catch the big O in Seattle tommorrow. I had booked them an early flight today on AA that had a connector in DFW. Both legs were full but they had assigned seats so I wasn't worried.

 

Well... their flight out of Nashville was cancelled due to mechanical problems. Thankfully I had booked them so early they had another great flight option on Delta and AA/Delta took care of the difference in price.

 

They will get into SEATAC a little after 6pm instead of approx 3pm but hey, they will get there and still be able to eat dinner and get some rest tonight AND THAT MAKES THEM HAPPY, and me too. :D

 

Only down side is they gotta go through Atlanta now.. and every good southerner dreads that experience. ;) http://www.gagirl.com/southern/atlanta.html

 

 

SO THE MORAL OF THIS STORY IS... listen to the advice of CCers because they know what they are talking about!!

 

Thanks y'all!!;)

[serendipity1499]

:) So glad you took the CC's advice..Remember you asking that question, & don't remember if I posted on your thread or not, but did read the various posts..If we must fly to a port we have always flown in a day or two earlier..

 

Love the Atlanta WEB blog...;) when I worked for the Airlines we dreaded having to go via Atlanta..We stood by for many a flight & always had to run 5 miles to standby for the next flight and so on throughout the day/night...However it kept us in shape! LOL

 

Hope your parents have a wonderful time on their cruise..:)

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Fat Cat:

 

I'm glad your parents are safely on their way to Seattle! Thanks for giving us an update:)

 

I made a copy of "Living in Atlanta" for my in-laws (from Atlanta) who are currently in town visiting.;)

 

(Thanks for your kind words, but not all CC'ers know what they're talking about. Just ask any other CC'er;) ).

 

Karin

[peaches from georgia]

Only down side is they gotta go through Atlanta now.. and every good southerner dreads that experience. ;) http://www.gagirl.com/southern/atlanta.html

 

Cute site and all so true!

 

Glad your Mom and Dad will be safely tucked in bed in Seattle tonight.

[sail7seas]

I remember that thread and am very happy it worked out okay for your parents. Glad CC'ers saved what could have been a real mess for them.

 

(pssst....we Northerners dread going through Atlanta also. :) )

 

[LAFFNVEGAS]

That is great that things are still working out even though they are not exactly as planned. Please keep us adivsed as you hear from them that they got to Seattle OK and how their cruise is on the Oosterdam.:)

[fatcat04]

I remember that thread and am very happy it worked out okay for your parents. Glad CC'ers saved what could have been a real mess for them.

 

(pssst....we Northerners dread going through Atlanta also. :) )

 

 

It is a bear.

 

Hey... momma always said, when you die, whether you go to heaven or to hell, you gotta go through Atlanta!!

And you know momma's always right ;):D

[fatcat04]

That is great that things are still working out even though they are not exactly as planned. Please keep us adivsed as you hear from them that they got to Seattle OK and how their cruise is on the Oosterdam.:)

 

Will do... I told momma to give me calls on her cell phone if she could once she got on board. I also told her to take lots of pictures of everything cause Oosterdam looks like a beautiful ship.

 

You know momma is already got the cruise bug cause she hasn't even stepped one foot on a cruise ship yet and she let it slip out the other day that she thinks we all need to cruise New England/Canada next fall... lol!! I had to giggle!! :D

[CDRMark]

I also remember your question. This is one topic that most people agree upon, ie get there early if at all possible.

There is (are?) oodles of great info here tho sometimes separating the wheat from the chaff is exhausting! :)

Hope your folks have great cruise.

Payment for the assist is feedback.

Cheers

Mark

[fatcat04]

Well folks.. they are in Seattle. Yipee!!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

That is great, I am sure they are going to have a wonderful cruise on the Oosterdam. Looks like everything is now going smooth:)

[Krazy Kruizers]

So glad you changed their original flights and everything worked out well.

 

It's always great getting there early and resting up before the cruise.

[mamaofami]

So glad your folks will not miss their cruise. It's always better to fly in a day early...usually weather related incidents, but also mechanical problems can delay or cancel a flight. Hope they have a great cruise!

[sail7seas]

Hopefully they are safely aboard and starting a wonderful cruise.

 

Glad it worked out well for them. :)

 

[fatcat04]

Hopefully they are safely aboard and starting a wonderful cruise.

 

Glad it worked out well for them. :)

 

 

They are and thank you for inquiring. Y'all are so nice.

 

I talked to them just a few minutes ago. They both sounded very tired but also very excited. They had already gone to the buffet. I loved my dad's comment, "There's so much food there, you could eat yourself into a coma!!" LOL!! Gotta love my dad. :D

 

Mom said everything was smooth as glass and the ship is gorgeous.

 

The limo service was ordered for 10:30 and was right on time and it only took them 15 minutes to get from the airport area to the port. The driver was very nice.

The porters got their bags immediately. There were lots of staff there to tell them exactly what to do.

The check in line was short and fast. Very efficient.

They got on the ship fast. They immediately had lunch at the buffet. Said it was excellent.

The room was ready by 1:30. Their surprise roses and champagne came to the room soon after they got there and their cabin steward came and introduced himself. They said he was very nice.

The bags got there about 30 minutes after they did so that was great.

They love the room and the balcony. Those VD deck 4 balconies are nice and deep.

 

Only issue was the TV and plugs are not working in their cabin but HAL was sending someone to take care of that.

And mom's camera batteries are shot... she has to get new ones when the ship's store opens. I told her to take pictures of EVERYTHING!! And to make sure to get plenty of pictures of themselves too. I know I am almost always the one behind the camera and I always forget to get any pictures of me.

 

So far HAL has taken very good care of my mom and dad and that thrills me. :)

 

Now I am watching the Sky Needle cam to see if the Oosterdam passes by and is in view.

[sail7seas]

:) You sound as excited as they are to be sailing. :) That's wonderful.

 

Good to hear all is well. I'm sure HAL will get their TV working and batteries surely will be available.

Hope everything continues to go great for them.

 

[SakeDad]

So glad to hear your parents are enjoying their cruise now. I have read several posts here regarding the TV's and plugs having "issues" so I guess it's pretty common.

Can't wait to hear how they LOVE the trip!:D

[fatcat04]

Just got another phone call from mom (probably the last til Juneau due to $$). She was almost crying with joy. They had just been out on their balcony cruising past snow capped mountains. She said it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

 

They are having a wonderful time already and I get the sneaky feeling are well on their way to catching the cruisin' bug.

:D

[LAFFNVEGAS]

That is so great to hear, looking forward ot hearing from you when you hear from them again. Our second cruise on HAL and first on the Oosterdam was this same week in May in 2004. We thought it was so beautiful so I know they will really enjoy it.:)

[cruznon]

So great to hear that your parents are having such a wonderful time! Sure sounds as if your mom is totally enthralled with cruising! It's also great to hear your excitement!