Double Whammy - Going Home

All good things must come to an end!

After dinner Saturday night we threw all the last minute things we could find into random spots in our cases.  The checked bags had to be outside our cabin door by 10 p.m.  That was all right with me since I knew we had to be up and out early on Sunday morning.  Our assigned exit time was to meet by 8:15 and be off the ship by 8:30!  We had been told by the home office that there would be a general waiting area on the ship for a few hours, like maybe the restaurant with some coffee and breakfast available, and/or a tour option of San Juan from which we were flying away.  I had asked about this when we were given our flight schedule by the company.  We went with the provided air at a round trip cost of $45 and did not upgrade to our choice of airlines and flights.  Even with paying $25 each way for bags – check in or carry on- on American air the flight we felt was a good deal.  Of course, it included transfers as as.  NO complaint about that but we now faced 7 hours in the San Juan Airport!

When we were boarding our bus to leave the port we couldn’t help but notice both the heavy rain that was falling and the damage to the cruise port itself.  Missing roof over the covered walkway and looking a little out into the grey air we could see nearby buildings with still missing awnings and the twisted metal poles that once held them. 

Elva and I were happy to see Rosemary and Phil on our bus sitting way in the back.  I teased that although they tried to hide from us, we found them!  Had to go through another round of goodbyes.  Sure hope they are well and happy and travel with us again.

It may have been the gloom of the day that enhanced the damaged look of the city but it really is still heavily damaged.  Trees still down, businesses closed, debris from everyday life littering the streets.  Ii know that like railway stations, ports and airports are not ever in the best part of town.  But we saw no evidence of the San Juan that attracts, or used to attract, visitors.  Hotels had closed signs and restaurants had no cars in the parking lots.

When we got to the terminal we waited on the bus while all the checked bags went through the agricultural inspection.  That took about 20 minutes.  I was glad to have one less time to deal with my overstuffed bagged.  Not sure why it way heavier and seemed bigger than when I left home.  I did not buy anything at all!  Once we were inside we were directed to pick up our carry-on bag on the scanner and then collect our bigger suitcase from a space where a Viking employee was watching over them.  So far so good!

We all each went to our airlines, our Texas friends were on United.  If they had a later than five p.m. flight they could use a hospitality room at the Sheraton Airport Hotel  Judy and Manny did that.  Allan and Mary, Rosemary and Phil did not.  I wonder if they later regretted that.  I wish we had had any other option than what we ended up with!  At American Airlines we found that we couldn't check our bags or go to the gate until four hours before our flight!  That left us with a little more than three hours of waiting.  Three hours of waiting in Atlanta, or O'Hare or most civilized airports would be plausible, but not in San Juan!  This must be one of the the airports that President Trump talked about when campaigning.  There were no, not any, none at all seats!  One sort of restaurant area had about 50 seats, if that.  A coffee bar we found later had even fewer and the bar had maybe 20.  Four ships were in port sending people home after wonderful vacations.  Ours had only about 928, Carnival Fascination that had been trailing us through the islands carries 2,634!  That is just two ships.  That is a LOT of air passengers even if all were not flying home on the same day.

There was an security desk, I don't know if it was for all the airlines or just for American Airlines,

but when I asked about checking in and was told not yet, I asked about where to wait.  The lady swept her arm around to indicate the people sitting down.  I asked where we could sit as we couldn’t sit on the floor at our ages and be expected to ever get up again.  She said then you can maybe get a seat at the coffee shop in a while.  We were standing next to a cordoned off block of about 20 chairs.  I asked if we could just sit there.  She checked our boarding passes that we had printed on the ship and said “No, you did not request to be assisted!”  Hmmmnnn…sitting in a waiting room is assistance?

We started to drag our not yet checked bags, carry on, and ‘personal item’ along the area that was narrowed by sprawling passengers.  There didn’t seem to be any wall sockets so some people were trying to find somewhere to connect and settle in for their own long wait.  I spotted an unused luggage cart and told Elva to follow me as I made a bee line for it.  We tucked the bags in a corner so as not to block the entrance and took a seat.  At least it was better than the floor!  When Elva got up to find the restroom the whole thing tipped so now we needed to use strategy as well to stay aboard. 

 Elva is so very nice that when I asked her to make a sad face, this was the best she could do!

When a young man came while she was gone to get the cart, I said I understood he needed it to do his job, but wasn’t there something else he could use as my friend and I (who at the moment was at the rest room) needed it to sit as she was 82 and couldn’t sit on the floor.  I used my most concerned voice.  He persisted, but so did I.  I asked if he could just help us find a chair so we could sit and he could use the cart.  I thought he might find a couple or even one in the back room from where he had just come.  He said he would get his supervisor.  I thanked him.  

When that gentleman showed up after about 10 minutes I told him the same story.  He said okay.  I thought we were done.  Since Elva was back I started to leave to go to the restroom.  Luckily I went the wrong way. (There was only one, five stall, ladies room and it was at the other far end of the corridor.)  I saw a man and a girl were talking to the baggage guy.  I went right back over and sat down.  The man was security who started to tell us to leave and Elva, sweet soul, started to get up.  I told her to sit and wait. I told him, again, very politely that we definitely wanted the young man to be able to do his job but we needed to find somewhere to sit until we could check in because we couldn’t sit on the floor.   

Turns out that San Juan security doesn’t speak English!  He said something to the girl who replied something I could make out to be what I had said and he told her about five words.  I was a little nervous but still smiling and trying to be calm and pleasant.  She said to go with her.  As I stood up I said I hoped she was helping us find a seat…and not in the brig!  She said there were about 15 chairs and we could use two.  Yep!  You guessed it!  Right where we started!  The chairs for those needing assistance.  There were five people there, none of whom needed assistance to board but were waiting for information on flight rescheduling.  All the flights to Philadelphia were being canceled due to weather.  

So the moral of the story is sort of strange and two-fold: Be polite but persistent.  San Jan Airport needs chairs!  Especially on cruise port debarkation days!

Finally, we were four hours out from our boarding time.  We went to the kiosk area but, no.  Had to be actual flight time so rather than trek back to the chairs we waited.  The magic moment came.  We scanned the boarding passes, declined, upgrades, seat changes and other things.  Choosing to check our bags we inserted our credit cards and paid our fee.   So now we are more than halfway to our flight time!

We approached TSA Pre-Chk and couldn’t figure out the entrance.  Asking more questions gave us to find out that there wasn’t one.  Great!  We entered the line and there was a guy sort of standing doing nothing in particular so I asked why there wasn’t.  He said everyone was pre-check because Canine just came on duty.  The further instructions were to keep walking at a normal pace, just keep walking. 

At the front of the line we did get our ticket and in my case my Global card scanned.  At security no one had to partially disrobe or take their baggies of liquids out.  I was, as almost always, stopped after going through the scanner.  The new scanners do not look for metal, but for shape and my arthritis gives me a misshaped knee and left shoulder.  But this time it wasn’t even me!  It was the apple in my bag that I had taken from the breakfast buffet as a flight snack!  Not allowed!  The ham sandwiches were okay though!

Now we made our way to our gate.  The waiting area for that was in ‘the convenience store.’  Seven seats!  Yes people were once again lounging on the muddy surface of the floor.  I finally spotted a couple of seats three gateways further.  You can bet your boots we protected those chairs for each other for the next two and a half hours!

 These people weren't in a line for anything, just had no where to sit.

Flight after flight going to Charlotte, where we were heading was overbooked.  Buy outs were as high as $850 but when they got to our call ours was not.  So we did not have to decide if we wanted to risk missing our connection to go on home.  And even if we just caught a later flight it was already going to be after nine for someone to pick me up and for Elva to go on the MARTA.  So we boarded without further issues and settled in.  Me at one window and Elva across the aisle at the other.  The long flight did not have benefit of a monitor screen or working connections to AA Entertainment or GoGo.  I read.  

Guess what?  In Charlotte, seats were again scarce.  The airport was a total mess.  There was no ceiling and temporary flooring was underfoot.  Decorative rope lighting was hung to shed what light it could.  After an hour our flight was called and once we were in line to board we were told that the plane still needed to be cleaned.  There were two ladies, nicely dressed, in the line in front of us.  As our Viking Sky Captain would have said, believe it or not, one of the ladies graduated from PiHi a few years after me.  And believe it or not, her sister was in my graduating class.  Susan would have sat in front of me in any classes we shared because we most often were seated alphabetically!  

Finally in the plane after more than an hour in Charlotte, we waited more time on the runway but finally flew the 34 minute flight to Atlanta!  Crazy to have to connect through a hub!  Won't be accepting those flight plans again any time soon.  Ou flight was about an hour late which after a long day is wearing and didn't make it any treat for Christine to meet me.  

 As the sun set on another wonderful adventure we were on our way home at last!

Small world?  Yes indeed.  Is it a world I love to visit and want to see more of no matter the annoyances of flying?  Do I meet nice people that have very different lives than mine or very  much the same?  Are there some strange people I come across in my travels?  Oh yes!  

And is there exhaustion from being out of my comfort zone?  Yes, indeed!  But out of your comfort zone is the best place to be!