Re-freeze and final thoughts
Trip Start
Jan 02, 2009
1
9
Trip End
Jan 12, 2009
Yellowknife,
Northwest Territories,
Canada
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Back to YK and not sad at this point. Although we did manage to get ourselves onto a lovely Caribbean cruise in the middle of January, it's been good but exhausting. Traveling with sick mini-we's has certainly changed our travel style (which we were more then aware of before we left), but we're still learning that's for sure! So, how did the day go? Again, quite like the rest... here goes!
- got to the airport using the complimentary shuttle which was GREAT. Even had a continental breakfast, so we felt like gold this morning. Kicker? It's snowing and snowing hard!
- Airplane boards on time, we lolly-gag on and settle in for our 3 hour flight. Remember yesterday... happy about 3 hours not 4? Well, we had to wait in line (the airplane) in order to get de-iced, which was literally over an hour on the runway! Yes... 1 hour sittin' on the plane and we are still in Denver! Uncool.
- We're off... fly fly fly and we're in Canada! Yip-freekin'-pyyyy! We are in Edmonton and had looked for a car rental last night to spend the day drivin' around as we have the late flight home. (Arrived at 11:20 AM; flyin' to YK at 7:20 PM). Tina went and searched the rental places herself in person and just like the internet, just way too expensive for 5 hours. So we needed to wait to check in again.
- We notice on the "arrivals" screen that the Air Canada flight that was supposed to land this afternoon was "Cancelled". Not late, but cancelled. Here we go again!
- Tina goes to Air Canada, and they outright said our flight WILL be cancelled too, so they gave us flights up to Yellowknife on First Air, and holy-hell... it's an EARLIER flight. We're thinkin': "First GOOD thing to happen to us yet".
- Kicker? Cut to two hours later and that flight is now delayed until 10:30 PM, getting into YK at midnight. We knew Canadian North was full, and we were then contemplating stayin' in Edmonton that night and just flying home the next day. Toooooo much airport time! I decided to go to Canadian North and ask, and low and behold, they upped their airplane to a bigger plane, so it opened up 24 more seats. WE GOT ON!!!! (Left at 7:20 like our original)
- We made it home... with... TWO missing pieces of luggage!! Our broken stroller is apparently still sitting in Miami. Our big huge bag that got lost on the way down, is now lost again. Did we mention that it's a Hockey Canada Hockey bag? Not small people... not small. Thankfully Dennis mustered through all of our flight changes and was a GREAT help to get us home. We're home, minus 2 pieces of luggage, but we're home! Not so major! (*side note: this showed up 2 days later)
There is actually more detail, with a few more things, but ta daaaaaa... we're home!
For our own future reference and for anyone that maybe doing a similar trip, here's a quick list of things we'd do differently, etc:
- bring walky-talkie's! (nap times one parent can go and other can watch, vice versa)
- bring our own pedialite (if in a location where there's no or limited shopping)
- bring a LOT more clothes for the girls as laundry is crazy priced on these ships ($1.95 per small piece of laundry - onesie, underwear, etc)
- get a bigger room even if it is a bit more expensive, preferably one with a balcony so again, nap time doesn't mean stuck inside!
- never book a room above a dance bar (actually look above and below the room you're in)
- make your luggage very identifiable so that no one thinks your bag is theirs (this is what we thought happened to our big bag the second time; at customs)
- distribute all NECESSARY items in all bags so that if one bag gets lost, at least you have some in other bags (ie. Baby clothes)
- bring plenty of Tylenol/ibuprofen (we actually did this, so yippee)
Done and done! WE DID IT! Bring on Mexico we says!
