Airports & Transportation: Charlotte International Airport – CLT (Charlotte, NC)
Our family LOVES traveling!!! We especially enjoy it if we are able to get a reasonable priced flight out of the nearest airport, Greenville, SC (GSP). If we cannot get a flight out of Greenville then Charlotte International Airport CLT is our next airport of choice. Charlotte is not too far from Greenville and often has great tickets. We try to always leave a little bit earlier than we anticipate because with traffic and the occasional rain shower it can slow you down. Plus we typically park in the long term parking and catch the shuttle to the airport so that takes a little more time then a quick drop off at the airport.
On our last two big trips we flew out of Charlotte International Airport CLT. One of our trips was up to New England and the Midwest and our most recent trip from Charlotte was to Anchorage, Alaska. Brina and Karlie went to their last day of their Robotics and Software Computer Game Programming Camp at the Roper Mountain Science Camp while Jake and I tackled the last few items we needed to get done at work. I came home from work, picked up Jake, and then we picked up the girls from camp on our way to the airport. Traffic was pretty good and we only had a few sprinkles of rain on the way to Charlotte so we made good time, despite our unscheduled potty break stop a couple exits before the airport. Jake was able to wrap up more work items and a couple calls on the way to the airport as I drove.
We quickly found out that the Charlotte airport can be a little busy on Friday afternoons and evenings. It took us longer than normal to find a parking spot in long term parking. We were beginning to think the lot was completely full, but we found one eventually near the end of the lot. Once we found a spot to park and got all our luggage out of the van we immediately made our way to the canopy to wait for the next bus to arrive. Thankfully they have a bus pick up people every few minutes. The first bus that arrived at our canopy location was completely full so we had to wait for the next bus which we could see coming down the road. They had a bus probably every 2 to 6 minutes going through the parking lot.
The long term parking bus drops you off at the basement level and directly across the walkway from the check in counters. Once you get into the airport you’ll need to take either the escalators, stairs, or elevator up to the 2nd floor to check into your airline and drop off your luggage.
We’ve had great experience even during the busier times of getting through the check-in lines fairly quickly and smoothly. You can go through any of the TSA check points because all the terminals merge immediately after the check points. We typically pick the TSA line with the shortest line or one with the most open lines at the time. As long as you follow the TSA guidelines (take off your shoes if over 12 years old, no liquids, etc….) you should get through pretty quickly. The terminals are well marked and easy to get to as well. If you are looking for a snack, drink, or restrooms they have a number of options and locations just outside the main terminals as well as along the terminals.
It can get crowded at times, but we’ve always had good luck flying out of Charlotte. The employees are friendly, professional, and do their best to get you on and off your plane in a timely manner. They do not have any control over the weather, but otherwise we’ve had no issues. Thankfully this flight was the same. Quick, easy, and on time! Thank you CLT!
Travel & Transportation: American & Alaska Airlines
Our family traveled via the Alaska Airlines for the first time on our recent family trip. Alaska Airlines had us fly via American Airlines to Portland, Oregon then on Alaska Airlines from Portland to Anchorage, Alaska. On our way back we flew from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with Anchorage Alaska to Seattle, Washington and American Airlines from Seattle to Charlotte, North Carolina.
The only complications we had was checking in with American Airlines in Charlotte at the beginning of our trip. The person checking us in at Charlotte was busy socializing with her co-workers and complaining about how she still had another hour of work before she could leave and she already had too many people and luggage go through her counter that day she needed a break. We weighed all our luggage at home and it was weighing under 50 pounds, however, their scales had them weighing at 50.1 pounds, 50.3 pounds, and 49.8 pounds. She checked the first one which was the lightest suitcase, threw it on the conveyor belt, it missed, fell off so someone else picked it up off the floor and put it on the conveyor belt. Then she weight the 50.1 and the 50.3 suitcases and refused to allow them past the counter until we took something out. Both were 50 pounds just a hair over .1 and .3 over. We had to lighten them by .1 and .3 which basically meant we took out a pair of socks and the other a pair of shorts and added them to carryons. It was annoying, but we should have made them a little bit lighter before leaving home just in case the scales were off. She could have had a better attitude and more pleasant as it appeared that she did not enjoy her job and we were just another inconvenience to her at the end of her shift. We travel fairly often with our kids and family so we encounter a wide variety of personalities. We have flown American Airlines many times over the year but have not encounter this type of attitude so maybe she was have a tough day, who knows…
The American Airline pilots, stewardesses, and other crew members were pleasant. After we got checked in with the person at the counter who had a bad attitude the rest of the trip was smooth and enjoyable.
We arrived in Portland, Oregon had a little bit of time before our next flight so grabbed a bite to eat and stretch our legs. Portland was a nice airport with plenty of options to eat and seating while we were waiting for our next flight to take off.
We arrived in Anchorage, Alaska in the middle of the night. Anchorage had a beautiful airport. It was not busy at that time of day. Even though most of the stores and restaurants were closed it was clean and the people we did encounter while in the airport were pleasant. We had to ask directions to find out which luggage claim terminal we need to be at and it took the luggage a little while to get out on the conveyor belt. Since it took more than 20 minutes to be delivered the Alaska Airlines offered everyone that asked vouchers for $25 off their next flight or Alaska Airline Rewards. I guess they have a policy that if it takes longer than 20 minutes to deliver your luggage they compensate the travelers with Rewards or money off which was really cool. We have never had an airline do that before and actually we thought they were fairly quick compared to some of the other flights we had been on even earlier this summer.
Alaska Airlines seemed to have a great group of employees, high quality service, and a loyal group of travelers. It appeared that they treated their reward members based on the interactions we had with other travelers on our trip. It was refreshing to see an airline take pride in their work and provide quality service to those choosing to travel with them.
Our flights home were pleasant, smooth, and enjoyable on the Alaska Airlines again. We were only in the air for 28 minutes from Vancouver to Seattle, but we rode on a type of plane the kids have never been on before so they were fascinated by the ride. It was the only flight that I can remember that allowed the passengers to board both the front and back of the plane simultaneously (you went in the front if you were in the front half of the plane and in the back if you were in the back half of the plane) which provided for a quick and easy boarding for everyone! The plane arrived at the gate in Vancouver a few minutes later than planned but they gave us a heads up in advance and they still had us loaded and we took off basically on time because they made of the delayed time by loading rather quickly which was really nice.
We would definitely fly Alaska Airlines again if we have another opportunity. It was a great experience and a wonderful first impression of the beautiful state of Alaska. Flying the Alaska Airlines was a great experience for our family. We have flown a variety of airlines both within the United States and internationally. We would highly recommend you check out Alaska Airlines if you ever have the opportunity to visit their beautiful area!!
Vacation: “Catamaran Adventure” on Philipsburg, St. Maarten (Part 2 – Pictures)
We enjoyed visiting the beautiful island of St. Maarten!
Here are some pictures we took during our excursions that day!
A map of St Maarten in the port! When we got out at each port there were maps of the location and usually a lot of people offering to “help” us see the island. We had our excursions planned the day before so it allowed us the freedom to say “No Thank You” to all the offers. Plus one of the many benefits to going on an excursion that was through the cruise line was that they guaranteed that you would arrive back on the ship in time or they would hold the boat for you. When you go on an independent excursion if you don’t make it back to the port on time they just leave you!
Mom and Dad in St Maarten! Mom, Dad, Jake, and I walked through the town. It was neat seeing all the different shops and talking with the people that lived on the islands.
Spending time together in St. Maarten! (Jake & Bridgette) It was difficult getting a picture near signs without having other tourists in the middle of the shot. This sign was further on away from the port so we were able to get pictures without a group of random people being in it. This picture was taken on the edge of a little park in Philipsburg.
Huge private boat docked at the same port! We were told that it was Steven Spielberg's boat! This boat was huge and docked near our ship, it was Steven Spielberg’s boat (or so we were told)! You know a private boat is big when they have garages on their boat for smaller boats!
Snorkeling near St Maarten, somehow I was one of the first people in the beautiful water! Snorkeling was a fun adventure! It always takes some time getting use to the gear but everyone had fun swimming around!
We saw some schools of Black & Yellow striped fish and pieces of metal during our snorkeling adventure! Our camera is waterproof so Jake was able to bring it into the water and take some pictures of the fish. They were a little harder to see with all the sand in the water but we still found a few.
We saw several beautiful and huge boats on our excursion! We saw some amazing ships while on the catamaran. I had no idea that there were so many private boats. It was a beautiful place to visit.
The airport was so close to the beach it literally looked like the airplanes were landing on the beach with all the people! It was really neat watching an airplane land in St Maarten. The plane really looked like it was going to land on the beach with all the people.
Helicopter that had crashed on the port....now retired! We saw this helicopter on the port on our way back on the catamaran. It had a rough life that ended in a crash and was being stored on the pier. We knew our little one who enjoys cars, trucks and planes would get a kick out of seeing this one.
One of the Beach Taxi Boats going back and forth all day! If you are planning on going to the beach these Beach Taxi Boats were a great choice. You could ride them as much as you like all day for $6. They went back and forth every few minutes. You could spend the morning at the beach go to the boat for lunch then come back to the beach and hang out for the rest of the afternoon.
A Vacation To Remember series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Fun in Flight
AirTran Flight to San Juan, Puerto Rico On Saturday morning we flew out of Altanta to San Juan, Puerto Rico on AirTran. It was wonderful having direct flights! Flying is a little more intense than it use to be especially with all the extra fees to pick your seat, luggage, etc… plus the additional security procedures you go through prior to arriving at the terminal. We both arrived safe and early for our flight. We met up with my brother Lee and his wife Becky who were coming from Baltimore, thankfully their flight ended up being ahead of schedule so everyone made it.
Overall the check in and flight was smooth and enjoyable. Since it was almost a 4 hour flight we found ways to occupy our time. Jake and I played our first rounds of SORRY! Revenge Card Game which is a card version of “Sorry” the board game. It was a quick game and fun. The following are ways that help us make the time on the airplane “fly”:
- Sleep – it is a great time to catch a few winks of rest while in flight.
- Play a Game – usually we stick to card games like “SORRY Revenge”, “Five Crowns”, “Quiddler”, or other card games if we are playing with 2 or more people. There are plenty of games to play if you are the only one wanting to participate as well such as “Sudoku,” “Mad Libs,” crossword puzzle and more.
- Read or Listen to a Book – catch up on a book you’ve been wanting to read. If you forgot to bring a headset usually the flight attendant can get you a set.
- Listen to Music – it is a relaxing way to pass the time in the air plus it tunes out crying children or snoring adults. If you didn’t bring an MP3 player or something to listen to many of the airplanes have built in channels on the armrest and you can listen to while traveling.
- Watch a Show or Movie – we watched a short show on Jake’s phone (both of us brought headphones but many airplanes will give you one for free). That 40 minutes was fun and went by quickly for us.
- Leisurely Eat your Snack – you are in no rush so take your time savoring the pretzels, cookies or snack and sipping on your beverage. If you want more ask, they are more than happy to serve you. We have even made a game out of the snacks….for example count how many pretzels are in each bag, you would be amazed at the difference between bags!
- Write Your Blog Posts – on the way out I wrote a list of blog topic ideas that I wanted to write about and on the way back I started writing out a couple of the articles I wanted to post soon. It gives you a head start on the topics you are wanting to discuss especially after being gone for a week, the schedule tends to be packed already.
- Update Your Journal or Pictures – if you write in a journal update regarding the adventures you are having. If you are not into journals but have a lot of pictures you took during your time away go through the pictures (I have been known to take some strange pictures) during the flight and delete the ones you know you will never print and do not want.
- Work on a Craft – many crafts are small and can be done in a relatively short amount of time. Have you tried drawing, cross stitching, or other small crafts that you can do while flying.
- Write Notes – write your postcards that you were unable to finish or thank you notes to those who made the trip enjoyable. Everyone loves receiving a hand written note of “thanks” or appreciation! Thankfully I had all my postcards done by this time, however, I had plenty of thank you notes to write! Write the notes, address them (if you know the addresses) and when you get home all you have to do is put a stamp on them and stick them in the mail!
- Read a Magazine – airlines always have a couple to look at and there are many months I don’t have the time to enjoy reading through one of our magazines so flying gives me a good excuse to read a magazine I enjoy from cover to cover if I want!
For those who struggle with the pressure when descending the best item I have ever purchased for airplane trips is ear planes. I had one really bad flight and was in so much pain with all the pressure that I never leave home without my ear planes if I am flying. They really do make the trip so much more pleasant for everyone on your flight! You can purchase them at most pharmacies.
We enjoy time in the air because it gives us an extra opportunity to relax and do some fun activities we normally don’t have time to do at home. So next time you fly sit back, relax, and enjoy those extra few moments of leisure. Who knows when you’ll be able to read several chapters of a book or play a game with your spouse. Our time in flight always goes by quickly, hope yours does too.
We arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico early that afternoon and found a Wendy’s across from the airport where we grabbed a bite for lunch and waited for the rest of our crew to arrive. A couple hours later Dad, Mom, Josh, Jeremy and Amber arrived. Thankfully all the luggage arrived with everyone. The next step was finding a taxi to get us to our boat!
A Vacation To Remember series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
