Welcome to Orlando

Note to Self:  Pre-Purchased Seat Selection whenever POSSIBLE!

My journey began at 315 a.m. with the ear-piercing shriek of my alarm clock.  I stumbled from my warm bed into the dark morning, showered, dressed and finished packing my bag.  Yes I managed to fit all into one suitcase weighing in at only 43 lbs.  My pre-ordered cab was on time and I arrived at the airport to be checked in by a friendly and most helpful Westjet agent.  The flight left only a few minutes past the scheduled departure and it was a smooth restful flight to Toronto.  Thanks to the male flight crew on board (at least that's what they told us) we arrived 15 minutes early.  This was my first time connecting through Toronto to the US and I have to admit I was a but worried about the whole process but with the hour and 45 minutes in between flights we made it with time to spare.  There was a bit of panic felt by all when after having retrieved our luggage from a special transit area we were met by a line-up of about 100 people or more waiting at US customs but they moved us through very quickly.

This is where my journey took a turn and hence the note to self above.  Being cheap myself I had never thought about purchasing seat selection.  Why pay when you can get it for free 24 hours in advance.  However if one forgets to go on-line 24 hours in advance and attempts to check-in only 7 hours prior to departure there are more than likely not going to be any great seats left available.  I was left with the choice of 2 middle seats, I chose 4 E.  A very large man boarded the plane and proceeded to sit beside me, or should I say on me.  I find it terribly unfair that even though we more than likely paid the exact same fare, he received 1.25 seats and I only .75 of a seat.  Not only was I forced to squeeze these child bearing hips into 3/4 of a seat but the man had obviously not showered in a week.  It was almost unbearable and I prayed for a quick flight.  I was never so happy to get of a plane and breathe fresh air after this excruciating 2.5 hour flight. 

Once of the plane you follow the signs to the shuttle tram and once on board are taken to a different terminal where you will await your luggage.  From the luggage carousel we were only about 100 feet from the Meats Transportation desk where I picked up my transfer to the hotel.  The cost of round trip transportation was only $33 and for us it was a pleasant 20 minute drive to the Beautiful Hyatt Grand Cypress.  Our driver was friendly and shared some interesting area information with us on the way, including a recommendation for the Mexican restaurant next door where we enjoyed a delicious Steak Fajita on Tuesday night at a very reasonable cost.

The hotel itself is magnificent and if it wasn't for all the wonderful attractions available in Orlando there really would be no reason for leaving the resort.  There is a large atrium for the lobby, with small ponds, exquisite carvings and statues and 2 lovely tropical birds to greet you as you walk by.  The grounds are immaculate, with lush greenery, colorful flowers and lakes and waterways meandering throughout.  The pool is large and framed on my side by a man made rocky outcropping.  You can actually swim into these narrow caves through water falls.  The sound of the water cascading over the rocks is quite soothing.  They have towels available at their activity hut where you can also rent paddle boats or bicycles.  The rock climbing wall looks like a real challenge, perhaps we'll try it this weekend.  Supposedly there are alligators living in the man made lake on the property so I am not sure about the boats.  But I definitely either want to rent bikes or take a walk around the 5 miles or so they have of trails around the property. 

I was pleasantly surprised to find out Disney World is located next door and I can clearly see Epcot Center from my balcony as well as the nightly fireworks display at about 9pm. I am looking forward to some free time so I can take advantage of a few of the attractions in and around the area.

Stay tuned for more from Orlando.