We made it !!!
Posted: Sun Jul 15, 2007 7:02 am
Trip Report #1 Travel Day
Hello Forumites. Coming to you from the deck at Villa Catalina. 6:30 AM and I'm wide awake
(happens when you are in bed by 9:30. Thought I do a quick report. Can't promise daily updates in the future.
Background: Our group consists of me, husband and husband's 19 yo daughter. The trip as originally conceived included husband's 17 yo old daughter as well. However, its been a rough year with her acting out wise and we are unfortunately somewhat estranged right now. She decided to opt out of the trip. A month before the trip we decided to invite husband's cousin and her boyfriend from San Diego. ( So far so good, boyfriend is a blast, cousin great too!)
Travel Day: Flights were arranged so that the California group would change plans in NY and we were able to travel together to STT. Boarded early, plane fully loaded 15 minutes before schedule.... then a 90 minute wait at the gate while luggage was loaded. Well we lost our slot and arrival delayed by about an hour.
Arrived STT, plan made, I would go to rent a car counter the rest would deal with luggage. Was first on line at Budget and the bags started coming off within 15 minutes. This is looking good. Then it comes to a grinding halt. We all find our bags with the exception of the 19 yo. Waiting, waiting, waiting... Im getting that bad feeling, no one else from our plane is still around. We do a loop to see if maybe another passenger mistakenly picked it up. After about an hour we have to resign ourselves that the bag is not here. 19 yo melts down. She's a great kid, brilliant,
(sophomore at Yale... sorry I just have to brag a bit) lively, interesting but very high strung. She doesn't handle "blips" like this very well. I swing into gear. Track down a Delta agent fill out the forms, along with another lovely couple who similarly lost only one bag and trudge back to baggage claim. 19 yo, in denial about the lost bag, wants to wait to see if it will come. I try to explain it's one plane a day, nothing more is going to come until tomorrow. After some back and forth we are off the find the car and to do some food shopping at Cost U less. I would recommend it. Prices were excellent for staples, dry goods, milk, snacks, booze etc. The selection of meat was not great and the produce was a little picked over. We stocked up and headed for the barge.
More tears from the 19 yo on the barge. She calls her Mom who yells at her for losing the bag, more tears, those big gulping kind. Husband is not a happy camper. He knows from experience that if the 19 yo isn't happy, no one is happy.
Arrival on STJ magical as usual. Didn't realize they moved the ferry landing since last visit 2 years ago. So much easier in and out. Villa Manager, the lovely Myrtle Penn, was right there to meet us. Up to Chocolate Hole. Myrtle is great, I explain about the lost bag, had given Delta her phone as well as ours. She offered to help coordinate the, hopefully, eventual delivery.
We do a quick once over with the house. More on that latter. It's good, but not great.
We start to get settled and low and behold the 19 yo realizes that she has a significant amount of stuff in a small bag that at the last minute me the wicked step mother, had persuaded her to carry on. Luckily she had the bathing suit and any essentials in her regualr carry on, but the small bag reveals a number of other "outfits" as well as some jewelry she thought was in the checked luggage. I think I will leave the lecture about checking jewelry to another day
. Big smile breaks out on her face and my husband sighs audibly, drawing a big laugh from everyone.
By this time we are exhausted, but famished. I had a wild hair about cooking, but was over ruled. We went to Compass Rose @ Pastory Gardens, it was a great choice. The food was really very good we had a mix of pastas, fish and chips, grilled Mahi Mahi. Service was quick and pleasant and the prices were great. Five dinners, a round of drinks for just over $100 ! I think its a keeper. By the way, note to RickG. I had my first Dark and Stormy. Loved it. Most rum drinks are too sweet for my taste. I think I found my drink for the trip.
Back to the Villa. We decide to watch "Borat" on the DVD, but it was non operational. Probably the best thing any way, and its off to bed.
After a very rainy night, I've never heard it rain so hard, a beautiful day has dawned. Well the group is starting to rouse. More soon come.
Hello Forumites. Coming to you from the deck at Villa Catalina. 6:30 AM and I'm wide awake
(happens when you are in bed by 9:30. Thought I do a quick report. Can't promise daily updates in the future.
Background: Our group consists of me, husband and husband's 19 yo daughter. The trip as originally conceived included husband's 17 yo old daughter as well. However, its been a rough year with her acting out wise and we are unfortunately somewhat estranged right now. She decided to opt out of the trip. A month before the trip we decided to invite husband's cousin and her boyfriend from San Diego. ( So far so good, boyfriend is a blast, cousin great too!)
Travel Day: Flights were arranged so that the California group would change plans in NY and we were able to travel together to STT. Boarded early, plane fully loaded 15 minutes before schedule.... then a 90 minute wait at the gate while luggage was loaded. Well we lost our slot and arrival delayed by about an hour.
Arrived STT, plan made, I would go to rent a car counter the rest would deal with luggage. Was first on line at Budget and the bags started coming off within 15 minutes. This is looking good. Then it comes to a grinding halt. We all find our bags with the exception of the 19 yo. Waiting, waiting, waiting... Im getting that bad feeling, no one else from our plane is still around. We do a loop to see if maybe another passenger mistakenly picked it up. After about an hour we have to resign ourselves that the bag is not here. 19 yo melts down. She's a great kid, brilliant,
(sophomore at Yale... sorry I just have to brag a bit) lively, interesting but very high strung. She doesn't handle "blips" like this very well. I swing into gear. Track down a Delta agent fill out the forms, along with another lovely couple who similarly lost only one bag and trudge back to baggage claim. 19 yo, in denial about the lost bag, wants to wait to see if it will come. I try to explain it's one plane a day, nothing more is going to come until tomorrow. After some back and forth we are off the find the car and to do some food shopping at Cost U less. I would recommend it. Prices were excellent for staples, dry goods, milk, snacks, booze etc. The selection of meat was not great and the produce was a little picked over. We stocked up and headed for the barge.
More tears from the 19 yo on the barge. She calls her Mom who yells at her for losing the bag, more tears, those big gulping kind. Husband is not a happy camper. He knows from experience that if the 19 yo isn't happy, no one is happy.
Arrival on STJ magical as usual. Didn't realize they moved the ferry landing since last visit 2 years ago. So much easier in and out. Villa Manager, the lovely Myrtle Penn, was right there to meet us. Up to Chocolate Hole. Myrtle is great, I explain about the lost bag, had given Delta her phone as well as ours. She offered to help coordinate the, hopefully, eventual delivery.
We do a quick once over with the house. More on that latter. It's good, but not great.
We start to get settled and low and behold the 19 yo realizes that she has a significant amount of stuff in a small bag that at the last minute me the wicked step mother, had persuaded her to carry on. Luckily she had the bathing suit and any essentials in her regualr carry on, but the small bag reveals a number of other "outfits" as well as some jewelry she thought was in the checked luggage. I think I will leave the lecture about checking jewelry to another day
. Big smile breaks out on her face and my husband sighs audibly, drawing a big laugh from everyone.By this time we are exhausted, but famished. I had a wild hair about cooking, but was over ruled. We went to Compass Rose @ Pastory Gardens, it was a great choice. The food was really very good we had a mix of pastas, fish and chips, grilled Mahi Mahi. Service was quick and pleasant and the prices were great. Five dinners, a round of drinks for just over $100 ! I think its a keeper. By the way, note to RickG. I had my first Dark and Stormy. Loved it. Most rum drinks are too sweet for my taste. I think I found my drink for the trip.
Back to the Villa. We decide to watch "Borat" on the DVD, but it was non operational. Probably the best thing any way, and its off to bed.
After a very rainy night, I've never heard it rain so hard, a beautiful day has dawned. Well the group is starting to rouse. More soon come.
You all know what i mean if you have or had a 13 yr old 
. I say, wear sneakers on the plane too, just in case