August 26: Mears, Marmaduke and Many Other New Experiences

Travel day. We awoke about 4:30 am, departed the house about 6 am, arrived at my In-laws at 7 am, dropped off at the airport around 7:45 am, took a 10:05 flight and arrived in Orlando at approximately 12:45 pm. Needless to say, it had been a long day and it was only half over. Maybe that's why our experience with Mears Transportation, our shuttle service from airport to resort, wasn't all that I had expected. First of all, I thought that the shuttle was specifically for our family. Thus, when I was a bit surprised seeing strangers awaiting the next van to arrive. Secondly, we were given one of those buzzer things when we checked in at the Mears stand; you know, the ones they give you when you are waiting to be seated at a busy restaurant. Again, I expected to jump in the shuttle immediately and be on our merry way. Finally, we had to sit on the shuttle an additional 20-30 minutes at least while we stopped at various other hotels in the Orlando area dropping off the "stowaways" that hijacked our ride. Forty-five minutes later, we were dropped off at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort, which we would call home for the next 5 days. Thankfully, the rest of the day was much more enjoyable...we went down to CityWalk for a while, took a swim in the pool and ordered up an early evening snack to the room while watching the movie "Marmaduke" on the TV. That image alone of both kids in PJs, sitting on the edge of the bed, table pulled up to them, snacking on Mac and Cheese/Salad/Fruit, and watching a movie that hadn't even come out on video yet erased all remaining stress of the morning. I am so looking forward to the next 4 days!