usvi-on-line
We made it home..probably blacklisted from ever flying again
We made it home..probably blacklisted from ever flying again
Here is a abbreviated trip report as we were only down for 5 days. We went down last Wed. and the trip was pretty uneventful. Luckily we traveled down with Grammy & Poppy so when Emma got crabby, I could hand her off. Thursday was spent at Maho and it was beautiful. After being down in May when the weather was yucky and all the mosquitos, this was a real treat. Emma just sat at the edge of the water and giggled. Emma stayed on STJ on Friday while mommy ventured over to STT to do a little shopping and get some jewelry fixed. Another great weather day but very hot. I then went to Red Hook to meet the owner of the villa next to my parents. She was flying in for the surprise b-day party we were going to on Sat. On Sat. we went to the b-day party that was being held at Oppenheimer. What a fun day!!! We all floated out in the ocean with bottles of beer and listened to great music (particularly loved when the DJ played to Jaws theme to get us out of the water when they wanted to serve the cake!) Sunday was another Maho day...not much to say...sun, sand, warm weather! The only two places we ate the whole time was Island Blues and Big Belly Deli since the rest of Coral Bay was closed. The food was great and we got to sit at the water an relax.
Monday was travel day and I was petrified!! Having a just turned 2 year old and flying alone was not the easiest decision. Of course during packing, Emma decided to carry her DVD player around and dropped it...never to work again and was sent to the dumpster. Anyway, we got on the downtown ferry and off we went. Made it to downtown with no trouble, got the taxi and got to the airport with no trouble, made it easily through the USAirways line, customs, and security with no trouble, got on plane and flew almost 3 hours to Charlotte....then TROUBLE. Seems my little angel decided to cut a molar on the ride home. She slept up until this point, woke up, put her finger in her mouth and then started to SCREAM!!! I gave her Motrin, held her, sang to her, gave her the binkie....and nothing worked. Mommy, flushed red wtih embarassment had to politely ask the peoplpe behind me to return the binkie as Emma whipped the sucker with the power of a quarterback. After three passengers and a stewardess all tried giving us something to calm her down, I finally got her to be quiet with a combination of horrible singing and the the death grip bear hug. So at this point I was doing ok.....until they made the announcement that we are 10 minutes from the airport and everyone needed to take their seat. Since Emma is now 2, I couldn't hold her during landing. SO I put her back in the seat and she screamed like I was killing her! We finally land and I just sink down in my seat, hoping to be invisible to the passengers deplaning and waiting for the stewardess to ask us never to fly again!
I had three people come up to me and tell me that they were parents and they all went through this, and then I had one snot nosed brat from first class tell me to (and I quote....Leave the kid the F*&CK home!). I told him to kiss my ass, grow up and next time actually pay for your ticket instead of using mommy & daddy's frequent flier miles.(whole other story)
So I make my way over to the next flight and who do I hear, but my little darling start to scream again!!!! I could feel the daggers fromt he people staring at me and saying, "Oh crap, there is a baby on this flight"
Luckily it was time for more Motrin and the little angle slept the whole next flight!!! We get into Philly and finally after waiting for 45 min. for the luggage, 20 minutes for the car and then driving an hour to get home, I put her in her own bed at 12:30am.......1:20 am I hear screaming as our security system here at home decided to croak and announce Burglar Burglar for half an hour! So she and I snuggled in our bed until her daddy came home from work at 6am, then we all took a LONG nap.
Not sure when I will attempt this again....but had alot of fun anyway. Here are a few pics from the trip...
Monday was travel day and I was petrified!! Having a just turned 2 year old and flying alone was not the easiest decision. Of course during packing, Emma decided to carry her DVD player around and dropped it...never to work again and was sent to the dumpster. Anyway, we got on the downtown ferry and off we went. Made it to downtown with no trouble, got the taxi and got to the airport with no trouble, made it easily through the USAirways line, customs, and security with no trouble, got on plane and flew almost 3 hours to Charlotte....then TROUBLE. Seems my little angel decided to cut a molar on the ride home. She slept up until this point, woke up, put her finger in her mouth and then started to SCREAM!!! I gave her Motrin, held her, sang to her, gave her the binkie....and nothing worked. Mommy, flushed red wtih embarassment had to politely ask the peoplpe behind me to return the binkie as Emma whipped the sucker with the power of a quarterback. After three passengers and a stewardess all tried giving us something to calm her down, I finally got her to be quiet with a combination of horrible singing and the the death grip bear hug. So at this point I was doing ok.....until they made the announcement that we are 10 minutes from the airport and everyone needed to take their seat. Since Emma is now 2, I couldn't hold her during landing. SO I put her back in the seat and she screamed like I was killing her! We finally land and I just sink down in my seat, hoping to be invisible to the passengers deplaning and waiting for the stewardess to ask us never to fly again!
I had three people come up to me and tell me that they were parents and they all went through this, and then I had one snot nosed brat from first class tell me to (and I quote....Leave the kid the F*&CK home!). I told him to kiss my ass, grow up and next time actually pay for your ticket instead of using mommy & daddy's frequent flier miles.(whole other story)So I make my way over to the next flight and who do I hear, but my little darling start to scream again!!!! I could feel the daggers fromt he people staring at me and saying, "Oh crap, there is a baby on this flight"
Luckily it was time for more Motrin and the little angle slept the whole next flight!!! We get into Philly and finally after waiting for 45 min. for the luggage, 20 minutes for the car and then driving an hour to get home, I put her in her own bed at 12:30am.......1:20 am I hear screaming as our security system here at home decided to croak and announce Burglar Burglar for half an hour! So she and I snuggled in our bed until her daddy came home from work at 6am, then we all took a LONG nap.Not sure when I will attempt this again....but had alot of fun anyway. Here are a few pics from the trip...
Please let all your happy memories of the trip eclipse the memories of your stressful flight home. Crying babies happen on flights, right? I'd rather deal with a crying baby (you can always put on headphones) than a toddler kicking the back of my seat all the way to my destination.
I'd love to see more of your pictures if you have any to share.
I'd love to see more of your pictures if you have any to share.
It's like looking in your soup and finding a whole different alphabet.
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hoosierdaddy
- Posts: 920
- Joined: Tue Jan 20, 2009 11:53 am
- Location: Indiana
Yikes! It happens - people who can't deal with it need to chill.
I had my first one kicking a seat of the passenger in front of her once (I think she was less than 2 years old) - which I didn't realize the whole time. At the end of the flight, she gets up, looks over her seat totally enraged, and yells at my daughter! I was sort of speechless but think I managed to say "hey lady, if she was kicking your seat the WHOLE time, why didn't you say something?".
I had my first one kicking a seat of the passenger in front of her once (I think she was less than 2 years old) - which I didn't realize the whole time. At the end of the flight, she gets up, looks over her seat totally enraged, and yells at my daughter! I was sort of speechless but think I managed to say "hey lady, if she was kicking your seat the WHOLE time, why didn't you say something?".
Anthony for Virgin Islands On Line
Yeah, this is a tough one. Parents have responsibilities to deal with the kids and other passengers have responsibilities to politely insist on their comfort. 2 years is a very difficult time for the kid, since they can't understand the why of things. It sounds like you did the best you could.
I have a 12 year old who STILL has severe ear pain when re-compressing after a long flight. We do the ritual of Sudafed, Afrin and Advil before the flight and before the descent. Sometimes it just goes bad. For some reason people are more empathetic to a 5' 3" blond under distress than a 2 year old. The pains the same, but I think people are more "that could be me" than "bloody baby!"
Ear plugs are good, for everyone, including kids. I like Virgin Atlantic, they give them to everyone.
Cheers, RickG
I have a 12 year old who STILL has severe ear pain when re-compressing after a long flight. We do the ritual of Sudafed, Afrin and Advil before the flight and before the descent. Sometimes it just goes bad. For some reason people are more empathetic to a 5' 3" blond under distress than a 2 year old. The pains the same, but I think people are more "that could be me" than "bloody baby!"
Ear plugs are good, for everyone, including kids. I like Virgin Atlantic, they give them to everyone.
Cheers, RickG
S/V Echoes - Coral Bay - St. John, VI
Oh boy...my every fear all combined into one trip. i'm sorry to hear about what you went through.
Babies on planes are tough. As a parent, I never want to be "that guy", however, as a frequent business traveler, I cringe when I see babies on board. Mainly because I don't know the parent and can't "trust" that they'll try to calm the little one down. I've seen people just let their children scream and do nothing...and reject even the kindest intentioned advice/help from people.
Sounds like you did your best to make the best out of a lousy situation.
As others said...hopefully it didn't "ruin" the trip
Babies on planes are tough. As a parent, I never want to be "that guy", however, as a frequent business traveler, I cringe when I see babies on board. Mainly because I don't know the parent and can't "trust" that they'll try to calm the little one down. I've seen people just let their children scream and do nothing...and reject even the kindest intentioned advice/help from people.
Sounds like you did your best to make the best out of a lousy situation.
As others said...hopefully it didn't "ruin" the trip
Re: We made it home..probably blacklisted from ever flying a
Of course during packing, Emma decided to carry her DVD player around and dropped it...never to work again and was sent to the dumpster
This made me gasp in horror!
As long as you did all you could to smooth the situation, and it sounds like you did, I wouldn't worry about any discomfort the crying may have caused.
Sure, a crying baby can be annoying but I have been subjected to bad behavior from adults that infringed on my flight enjoyment.
And the jerk that mouthed off to you? People pick on babies because they are easy targets and can't fight back. Would he have said something similar to a 400 pound man that spilled over into his seat for the entire flight?
This made me gasp in horror!
As long as you did all you could to smooth the situation, and it sounds like you did, I wouldn't worry about any discomfort the crying may have caused.
Sure, a crying baby can be annoying but I have been subjected to bad behavior from adults that infringed on my flight enjoyment.
And the jerk that mouthed off to you? People pick on babies because they are easy targets and can't fight back. Would he have said something similar to a 400 pound man that spilled over into his seat for the entire flight?
We took our 4 year old, our almost 2 year old last summer with a sitter, her friend annd another 14 yr old friend who was with the other family that went with us. We had all the help you could get and I will not take them again until the youngest is at least 4! Just not worth it, the 4 yr old was OK , but the non- sleeping, then had the same experience you had on the plane as he was teething as well. I can take them to a local lake and they would have the same good time!! It will be great when they get just a little bit older though. Until then....
I'm glad you had a response back to the first class jerk. You should've told him that if he expected total peace flying on a commercial plane, he was insane, and next time he should take a private jet instead. We've all experienced horror stories about badly behaved kids, badly behaved adults, parents who ignore their kids, adults who are loud/drunk/high jerks... but most people really do try to act civilly. I always fly with earplugs or noise cancelling headphones - and I've yet to have a crying baby "ruin" a flight for me.
Now that I'm pregnant, I have more sympathy for those with crying children on planes than ever before. I've witnessed a mom dissolve into a total puddle of tears because she couldn't get her toddler to stop screaming before takeoff. I felt so bad for her - and do know that is the reaction of most people. Until airlines ban kids from planes (which will never happen), travelers should expect this from time to time.
Moving on, it does sound like you had a nice time. Seeing a two year old sit by the water's edge and happily giggle must have been very cute. Glad you got some free time as well!
Now that I'm pregnant, I have more sympathy for those with crying children on planes than ever before. I've witnessed a mom dissolve into a total puddle of tears because she couldn't get her toddler to stop screaming before takeoff. I felt so bad for her - and do know that is the reaction of most people. Until airlines ban kids from planes (which will never happen), travelers should expect this from time to time.
Moving on, it does sound like you had a nice time. Seeing a two year old sit by the water's edge and happily giggle must have been very cute. Glad you got some free time as well!
Maybe next time bring enough Motrin for everyone else on the plane, as well.( that was a joke, by the way...)
I can only imagine what I put my parents, and anyone else involved, through at that age...
I understand the humility aspect, and that kinda' sucks. Travel days can be cranky for everyone.
I have no children, but have been taught a lesson of patience through the years.
Shame on the jerks with their cussin' you & yours.
Hopefully they felt bad about it later!
Gorgeous pictures, and don't beat yourself up!
Did you by any chance see the Phils game with the father who gives his daughter the foul ball, and she throws it back into the crowd? Then rather than have her feel like she did something wrong, he holds & hugs her.
Magic & love!!!
Smiles-
MJ
I can only imagine what I put my parents, and anyone else involved, through at that age...
I understand the humility aspect, and that kinda' sucks. Travel days can be cranky for everyone.
I have no children, but have been taught a lesson of patience through the years.
Shame on the jerks with their cussin' you & yours.
Hopefully they felt bad about it later!
Gorgeous pictures, and don't beat yourself up!
Did you by any chance see the Phils game with the father who gives his daughter the foul ball, and she throws it back into the crowd? Then rather than have her feel like she did something wrong, he holds & hugs her.
Magic & love!!!
Smiles-
MJ
Oh I feel for you. I remember once when my oldest was 2 she was having such a fit I couldn't snap her into her car seat in the Target parking lot. I had to get someone to hold her down!
Reading your story gave me a few heart palpitations. I distinctly remember that time period (for one of my girls) and it can be exceptionally difficult.
Hopefully her stubborness will be an asset later.
There was nothing you could do- such a nightmare.
The only other alternative is a giant bag of m and ms...don't ask me how I know that works!
Reading your story gave me a few heart palpitations. I distinctly remember that time period (for one of my girls) and it can be exceptionally difficult.
Hopefully her stubborness will be an asset later.
There was nothing you could do- such a nightmare.
The only other alternative is a giant bag of m and ms...don't ask me how I know that works!
"Sponges grow in the ocean...I wonder how much deeper it would be if that didn't happen."
My little ones have been flying since they popped out and have with very little exception done exceedingly well. I am an overpreparer but there is very little you can do about a 2 year old with a new molar. Stuff comes up that you'd never expect - even with grown-ups. I took my mom to Boston for her birthday one year and on the flight home she was stricken with a kidney stone. HORRIBLE.
Our only child related horror story happened on a red eye from San Francisco to DC with my then 18 month old daughter. She had a horrible ear infection that had just been diagnosed in the ER that day. A nightmare experience in itself. Didn't think we'd make the flight but we did and she slept the entire time, I think she was too wiped out from the infection to put up much of an argument and she had good drugs.
The thing is, in almost all cases, the parents of babies/little ones who are crying are mortified and suffering more than any person sitting near them who has to *gasp* hear a baby cry could possibly be. I do the best I can and hope for the best from those around me, typically I have been pleasantly surprised my the kindess shown to my kids. Of course I do think it helps that I have high expectations for my kids and correct their incorrect behavior.
That said, every kid is different. We took our daughter to London when she was just under 3. I would rather kill myself than take my current under 3 little man anywhere that far! That said, he's been to STJ at 10 months, 19 months and 2 1/2 and we've never had an issue. It is a BOAT LOAD of work for me keeping him occupied and happy but its doable and so very worth it for me!!
Our only child related horror story happened on a red eye from San Francisco to DC with my then 18 month old daughter. She had a horrible ear infection that had just been diagnosed in the ER that day. A nightmare experience in itself. Didn't think we'd make the flight but we did and she slept the entire time, I think she was too wiped out from the infection to put up much of an argument and she had good drugs.
The thing is, in almost all cases, the parents of babies/little ones who are crying are mortified and suffering more than any person sitting near them who has to *gasp* hear a baby cry could possibly be. I do the best I can and hope for the best from those around me, typically I have been pleasantly surprised my the kindess shown to my kids. Of course I do think it helps that I have high expectations for my kids and correct their incorrect behavior.
That said, every kid is different. We took our daughter to London when she was just under 3. I would rather kill myself than take my current under 3 little man anywhere that far! That said, he's been to STJ at 10 months, 19 months and 2 1/2 and we've never had an issue. It is a BOAT LOAD of work for me keeping him occupied and happy but its doable and so very worth it for me!!
!