DAY ONE --- TRAVEL DAY ONE --- TRAVEL
July 31, 1997, THURSDAY
Wow!! What a day this has been. Odessa, Texas, to Orlando, Florida, in just two very tiring hops. First a little about us: Bianca is a 46 year old female police sergeant in Odessa, TX. Christina is my fifteen year old daughter. This is will my sixth trip to the World and Christina’s third trip. We spent eight days there for Thanksgiving, 1996. This trip we are taking Christi’s best friend, Amanda Hill (also 15 years old). The girls have been best friends for ten years--since kindergarten. This is Amanda’s first trip to Walt Disney World and we are thrilled to be getting the chance to show her everything that we love.
Amanda’s mother (Charolette) was going to take us the airport so my car would not be there for nine days. Our flight to Austin was scheduled for 1:20 PM. My plan was to be at the airport approx. one and a half hours early, check our luggage, and then eat lunch while waiting on our plane. Naturally Charolette and Amanda were late and didn’t get to our house till almost 12:10 PM. We checked in with less than 35 minutes till departure time. We were all starving, so we ran to the airport cafe and ordered hamburgers. This plane just had to be on time, and they started boarding just as the hamburgers were delivered. We took one bite each, left the food, went through Security, and ran for the boarding area. By taking Southwest Airlines, we knew we would get honey roasted peanuts (Yuk) and soft drinks on the way to Austin, Texas. An hour and a half later, we arrived in Austin. For strange reasons, Southwest Airlines would not check our bags through to Orlando. So in Austin, we had to retrieve all of our luggage and then re-check it for the next flight. Now Austin is not an extremely large airport, but it is long and skinny. Baggage claim is at one end and check-in at the far end (equivalent of a city block or more). Imagine the bags for three "women" for nine days, and then maybe add a bag or two. By the time our bags arrived at baggage claim, we had about an hour and fifteen minutes to our next flight. Running through this long lobby with all our bags (on a luggage cart and in our arms), we must have been a real sight to see. By the time we stood in line at the ticket counter and checked in, there was maybe 45 minutes to flight time. Then we still had to stand in line for boarding passes. No time again for lunch. Quick cokes and chips and on the next plane. But at 8:15 PM, we were FINALLY in Orlando, Florida. Next the line at the rental car agency. My first hero of the day: the agent there was a retired New York City Police sergeant. When he discovered that I was a police sergeant and in town for an Fraternal Order of Police convention, he upgraded my rental car to a full-size for no additional fee. Finally we are in the car and on the road. Only 10:00 PM, after traveling what seemed like ALL day long. Our reservations didn’t begin until the next day. Off we went on the freeway. We found a McDonald’s and the girls didn’t think they could wait another minute for food. After burgers and fries, we found a small motel fifteen miles from Disney World and checked in for the night. Goodnight girls of mine.