"Bruh, Where's My Phone"
Sunday, February 18, 2024
Travel Day- Houston to Long Beach
It's GO TIME!
Morning
As per the usual for the 1st day of vacation, we woke up early and excited at 5AM. Unfortunately, this is literally our NORMAL as we have a school start time of 6:45AM and live about 30 minutes from our school. So it was just another day! We were out the door and waiting (AND WAITING) for our Whataburger breakfast by 5:30AM. Despite having placed the order in the Whataburger app 20 minutes before arrival, Whataburger did not have our order and we had to wait for them to make our food. Sadly, I had already PLANNED for this slow down and despite the 20 minute delay at Whataburger, we were "right on time".
As per the usual for the 1st day of vacation, we woke up early and excited at 5AM. Unfortunately, this is literally our NORMAL as we have a school start time of 6:45AM and live about 30 minutes from our school. So it was just another day! We were out the door and waiting (AND WAITING) for our Whataburger breakfast by 5:30AM. Despite having placed the order in the Whataburger app 20 minutes before arrival, Whataburger did not have our order and we had to wait for them to make our food. Sadly, I had already PLANNED for this slow down and despite the 20 minute delay at Whataburger, we were "right on time".
We made the 45 mile/ 55 minute trip to Houston Hobby Airport where our Southwest flight to Long Beach departed at 8:55AM. We arrived right at 7AM and had no issues and only a 10 minute wait to get through security! TIP- Hobby airport is so much easier to get through security than Bush Airport in North Houston. We think the additional driving time is worth it. However, we will fly out of either... Whichever is cheaper!
TIP- Southwest Airlines has open seating and you can sit where ever you like once on the plane. However, you must check in for your flight 24 hours PRIOR to the flight departure time. They have "boarding groups" and these are a first come first serve order of who checks in and the timing of their check in. We opted to pay the $25/ per person fee for "EARLY BIRD CHECK IN" which automatically checks everyone in 36 hours before flight time. This proved to be worth the $100 as we got boarding group A (56-59); which is basically the top 25% of the passengers.
Once we got through security, we made our way to our gate and then got some coffee at Peet's Coffee in the terminal. While waiting for our plane to arrive, we learned that this flight was only about 70% full. We were already doing the happy dance thinking about the empty seats for our 4 hour flight.
Hello Houston Hobby... Long time, no see!
This was the best thing I read ALL DAY!
Our ride arrived around 8:15AM and we literally watched all 6 of our suitcases get onto our plane to California! Once on board, Chris and Natalie snagged the open and very spacious front row while Luke and I went back to row 12 and spread out hoping nobody would join us and we would have an open middle seat. Chris and Natalie were not so lucky and a middle passenger joined them but Luke and I were able to enjoy this long flight without a middle person!
Hello Boeing 737- Take me to Cali, please!
We were SO EXCITED to NOT have to share the row!
I seriously LOVE that he will still hold my hand... It may not last very much longer!
Please NEVER GROW UP- or at least STOP growing up!
The flight was fairly boring with lots of cloud coverage and not a lot of turbulence. Luke was able to see Phoenix and the Rocky Mountains in particular with his window seat. We also flew quite literally right over my in-laws property just north of Lubbock, TX.
Goodbye Houston!
Hello Southern California!
The Carnival Panorama was in port and headed out on a 6 day cruise to the Mexican Riviera!
We touched down in Long Beach about 15 minutes earlier than planned and were able to get to our gate very quickly. Long Beach airport was SO COOL. We were able to de-board the plane via stairs and even 2 exits which made the debarkation of the plane SO MUCH EASIER. This also meant a gorgeous entrance to Southern Cali as we walked from the plane to the airport terminal. TIP- After having flown in and out of LGB airport, I would HIGHLY recommend anyone trying to avoid LAX and flying to Long Beach. This airport was so chill and laid back and has a very California vibe that we LOVED!
I am not sure when the last time I got off a plane without a jetway!
This was SO COOL!
We LOVED Long Beach Airport!
#FLYLGB
Waiting for our LYFT in front of this tiny airport!
This airport may literally be my new favorite!
Once in the terminal, we made our way to baggage claim and waited for our luggage to arrive before contacting our Hotel about the shuttle. This shuttle turned out to be a "LYFT" paid by the Hotel but we were happy with this "free" shuttle to The Pacific Inn, our hotel for the evening. Our LYFT driver was a local who gave us lots of tips and tricks for our upcoming April 2024 Baseball trip to LA and Anaheim.
Afternoon
Once we arrived at The Pacific Inn, we were able to get checked in and leave out suitcases with the hotel and go and get lunch. However, I learned once we started to pay that the bank had not put our vacation notice on the right day so I had to spend 20-30 minutes trying to get a LIVE person on a Sunday to take the hold off my debit card! Thank goodness for Juan in the Walmart Bank in Conroe! We got it all figured out and we were on our way to Schooner or Later, a Diner's Drive-Ins and Dives in Seal Beach. We decided to walk to this restaurant which was about a mile from our hotel at the Alamitos Bay Mariana Center. WOW... Southern California weather makes me SO HAPPY (and jealous). It was a gorgeous walk and we made it to this diner around 12:30.
Once we arrived at The Pacific Inn, we were able to get checked in and leave out suitcases with the hotel and go and get lunch. However, I learned once we started to pay that the bank had not put our vacation notice on the right day so I had to spend 20-30 minutes trying to get a LIVE person on a Sunday to take the hold off my debit card! Thank goodness for Juan in the Walmart Bank in Conroe! We got it all figured out and we were on our way to Schooner or Later, a Diner's Drive-Ins and Dives in Seal Beach. We decided to walk to this restaurant which was about a mile from our hotel at the Alamitos Bay Mariana Center. WOW... Southern California weather makes me SO HAPPY (and jealous). It was a gorgeous walk and we made it to this diner around 12:30.
A view of Seal Beach near our hotel!
Walking across the Marina to Schooner or Later!
1.3 miles later, we have arrived!
We checked in with the hostess to learn there was over an hour wait. We didn't care as we really love to try DDD places on vacations. The marina was gorgeous and we enjoyed some drinks on the water while we waited for our table. Once seated, the service was OUTSTANDING and the food was even better. The kids devoured their meal and Chris and I enjoyed trying each others orders as well. Overall, this was a GREAT place to visit while in Long Beach and not too expensive for California prices. We paid $100 (with tip) for our food order and right at $50 for our drinks.
Ok, OK... Vacation can FINALLY begin!
Cheers to California and CRUISING!
We loved the California weather- It was 65* and GORGEOUS!
Poor Natalie had DNow weekend at church and was up until 3AM the night before!
She was tired!
I love this guy so much!
Luke and I LOVED walking this marina as we waited for our table!
We are finally seated around 1:45PM.
TRUST ME... IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT!
Luke ordered the "Very Berry Pancakes" and they were HUGE!
(He ate every bite)
Natalie's order was a bit unique for her but "Fish and Chips" for the win!
I ordered what Guy did on Diner's Drive-ins and Dives, as I always do.
This Turkey Club was AMAZING!
Chris ordered the "Patty Melt" and after tasting mine he wished he would have ordered the Turkey Club as well!
After brunch, we tried to walk and get some Long Beach souvenirs but we had a hard time finding local shops. We walked away from our hotel about .5 mile and then we got a phone call saying our room was ready so we headed back to The Pacific Inn.
I found this hidden gem on Cruise Critic as a lovely place to stay before sailing out of Long Beach! The reviews were spot on and we agreed- this place was perfect!
This suite was HUGE and we loved it! This is too far from our attractions we will visit in April but it would be PERFECT for an extended LA stay! We paid $259/ night and this was about $200 less than the downtown Long Beach hotels!
We got into our MASSIVE Executive suite and got settled before taking a quick nap. We were all so very tired from the early morning and the long flight! Once we got up, we opted to go towards Seal Beach for some shopping and beach time.
We made it the 5 blocks to downtown Seal Beach and did some shopping before getting down to the beach around 4:30PM. This beach was gorgeous with soft sand and gorgeous views of the Pacific. The kids ran up to the high hill of sand to get a quick look (and Natalie took a picture) while we rolled up our pants to go into the FRIGID waters of the Pacific. The kids and I RAN out into the ocean while Chris stayed back with our shoes. The waters were SO COLD and all three of us came RUNNING back into shore after getting no more than knee high deep in the water (fully dressed). We got back up to the shore line and Natalie yells "Bruh, where's my phone". The rest... Is history!
The ONLY beach picture I took... Just moments before the crisis!
"Bruh! Where's My Phone?"
Even watching this now... it breaks my heart for Natalie! |
It can (and could) happen to any of us!
We spent the next hour+ looking for her phone. We knew she had taken a picture on top of the sand hill and then we all went into the ocean at the same time. I didn't even think about her phone. She was wearing loose jogger pants with very small and loose pockets and her phone had to have just fallen into the ocean without any of us knowing. We looked all over that beach, asked 4-6 lifeguards and even filed a police report with Seal Beach police. The 1st 2 times we called her phone it rang but the times beyond that, it went immediately to voicemail. We used Life360 and her location never changed from the minute we realized it was lost. We also did the Find My app and her location never changed. We called ATT and they advice us to erase the device and remove it from our account in case it was found. Since we were boarding a cruise ship the following morning, we were very worried about identity theft and etc. Chris was FURIOUS to say the very least.
Evening
We stayed on the beach trying to find the phone until about 5:45pm and then we decided to head back to the hotel to use Natalie's iPad to erase her phone. The "highs" and California/ vacation vibes were gone and were all on edge. We were not hungry but we decided to stop at the Seal Beach boardwalk to get a light dinner at NYC Pizza. This was anything BUT NYC pizza and was the biggest disappointment of the trip. TIP- True NYC pizza is ONLY found in New York City! This placed tried... but failed! I will admit that the prices were AMAZING for California! They offered a special of 2 large slices and a drink for only $8.95! We also grabbed some ice cream at Bruster's in hopes of raising our spirits but we were all still super bummed.
The menu at A Slice of New York Pizza in Seal Beach!
The outside of this hole in the wall!
Ice cream makes almost anything better...
We walked back to the hotel and got showered and took care of erasing Natalie's phone and deleting it form our ATT account. Right outside our suite room was the hotel pool and hot tub. It is not our style to get bathing suits wet prior to boarding a ship but honestly, we didn't care at this point! We had enough of this day and needed the relaxation. Chris and I enjoyed the hot tub while Natalie and Luke did some pool time as well. We called it a night around 9PM to get ready for our Embarkation Day aboard the Carnival Radiance.
This was a well appointed area of the hotel and we enjoyed the hot tub!
It was not the way we thought our fist day would pan out but we tried to make the best of it. Poor Natalie had all kinds of emotions and I truly felt for her as she had to start HER vacation like this. However, I was so grateful that is was HER phone and not mine or Chris's as it has SO MUCH info on it and linked to our bank and credit cards! Nowadays, it is so convenient to have everything on your phone but it's these situations that remind me to keep it all close! We have now learned our lesson and will be sure we have ALL devices with an adult prior to running out into the frigid Pacific waters (or anywhere else for that matter).
It was all ok... BECAUSE the next day we get on a CRUISE SHIP! Seriously, those are the BEST DAYS EVER!
Stay tuned for Embarkation Day on the Carnival Radiance!
God is Good... ALL THE TIME!
Carnival Breeze- September 2022 (Kellie's 40th)
Carnival Dream- June 2019
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- March 2019
The Norwegian Breakaway- November 2018
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- 2018
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- March 2019
The Norwegian Breakaway- November 2018
Royal Caribbean Liberty of the Seas- 2018
Carnival Legend- ALASKA- 2016
No comments:
Post a Comment