Showing posts with label Southwest Airlines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Southwest Airlines. Show all posts

Saturday, July 12, 2025

The Back to Back- Travel Day & Ft. Lauderdale

Living the Suite Life
June 25-26. 2025 
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 


We love the Florida Beaches and Ft. Lauderdale did NOT disappoint! 

Travel Day
It was a busy morning as we dropped off Rockefeller with our friend and then drove to Buffalo to meet up with my dad as Natalie and Luke would be staying with them during this time. My parents are retiring and will be packing up their home of 31 years to move to the Houston area near us. This allowed the kids to help them with the packing process but more importantly, have an additional time to spend at "Gigi and Poppy's House" one more time before they move. 


I took a "backseat" for this trip to Buffalo... Natalie Grace drove us the whole way! 

After we dropped the kids off in Buffalo, we made our way back home to grab our luggage and travel documents and head to Hobby Airport for our evening flight. As we suspected, the traffic was horrendous and it took nearly 2 hours to get to Hobby airport from our home in The Woodlands- it usually takes 1:15. Once at Hobby, we parked at our usual Parking Spot 2 location and got on the shuttle to the terminal. The airport was busy but not near as busy as our Memorial Day 2025 flight out of Hobby. 


Hobby Airport Summer Evening 
This was not too crowded... Hobby has so much to offer and is so much smaller than Bush Intercontinental! 

We grabbed some dinner at GastroPub before our flight only to find out our Southwest Flight was delayed nearly an hour- gotta love Southwest! This dinner with drinks (and tip) cost $92. Once again, I need another job to pay for airport food. The flight was not full but we were able to get on an exit row and had 2 seats all to our selves with extra legroom and side room as well. The flight had some turbulence and the captain was trying to out run a storm so the stewardesses shut down service very early.  


Loaded Fries at GastroPub- This was a WINNER! 


Our plane finally arrived... Now we wait! 


We normally fly with the kids so cannot sit in the exit row...
WOW, this is NICE! 

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale at 10:50PM local time and all of our luggage arrived as well so our trip was already a success. We walked around the outside of the terminal and got our Uber to the Gallery One Double Tree Hotel on Ft. Lauderdale Beach. This hotel offered some suites but when we checked in, we were given the President's Suite on the highest floor of the hotel (Floor 14). This room was so nice and offered a balcony with views of the city as well as a sky light. We settled in and then ordered Taco Bell via Door Dash- don't judge! It was a late night but we were excited for the next day exploring Ft. Lauderdale.


Welcome to Ft. Lauderdale! 


The Gallery One by Double Tree Suite 1415


Why does Taco Bell actually taste better late at night??

Ft. Lauderdale Beach and Happy Hour Day 
We woke up and got ready for the day around 9AM before going down to the Lobby to enjoy breakfast. Unfortunately, Double Tree does not offer FREE BREAKFAST so we opted to eat at the Vue Restaurant in the lobby. This was NOT CHEAP but was good. The total cost (with tip) was $48. 


The Vue Breakfast Menu

After breakfast we made a run to CVS to get a few items we forgot and then we explored the Ft. Lauderdale Galleria which was next to our hotel. We then made our way to the Ft. Lauderdale Beach just 2 blocks from our hotel. The waters were beautiful and so peaceful. We should have gone back to change into our swim suits but we opted to go to a nearby bar to watch sports instead. McCorley's on the beach was not crowded and we enjoyed watching the College World Series recap in the AC. Our morning drinks (with tip) cost $32. 


A view of the Ft. Lauderdale Galleria from our balcony. 


This hotel was so "bougie" and we loved it! 


Walking from the hotel to the beach (2 blocks) we crossed a drawbridge. 


Another view of the hotel from the bridge. 


Hello Atlantic Ocean... We've missed you! 

We love Ft. Lauderdale! 


We really enjoyed this beach and wish we would have swam!
The waters were calm and it was SO peaceful! 

We decided to get lunch nearby and opted for a Philadelphia transplanted Pizza joint right on the beach- Primanti Bros. This offered pizza by the slice, full pies and sandwiches at a crazy low (1990s) price point. The food was piping hot, the AC was blowing full blast and we were able to see the pizza being made from the dough to the oven to the table. We both tried their signature sandwich which had pastrami, coleslaw and fries INSIDE the sandwich. It was... interesting! But YOLO! The cost (with tip) for our lunch was $33- Be advised they ONLY accept CASH! 


The Primanti Bros kitchen... Right there! 


This was the MASSIVE pizza by the slice... This was HUGE! 


The Famous Primanti Bros Sandwich... This was also MASSIVE! 


The inside of the sandwich... Look at those fries (it was weird)! 


The entrance to the restaurant right on the beach! 


Their menu... WOW SO CHEAP! 


Fresh made dough...Fresh made toppings... Fresh pizza! 
This was SO GOOD! 

After lunch we walked down to about 6 blocks south to the hotel district of Ft. Lauderdale and we had hoped to go into the Hilton Rooftop Bar but it had a "business casual" dress code and our shorts and t-shirts were not cutting it so we had to settle for the Hilton Lobby Bar Happy Hour but it did not disappoint! These drinks (with tip) cost $32. We enjoyed a few "fancy" drinks here and then made our way back to the Double Tree for our hotel's Happy Hour on the marina. 


A $17 cocktail just tastes better in Florida! 

We opted to take a nap since our hotel Happy Hour did not start until 5PM. This was a great idea as we were both so hot and tired. We slept until 5:30PM and then made our way downstairs to find out a massive crowd getting ready to board a company dinner cruise on a fancy yacht. The bartender was so sociable and we enjoyed talking to other customers, plus the view was INCREDIBLE. I would HIGHLY recommend this hotel and would stay here again in a HEARTBEAT. Our Happy Hour drinks (with tip) was $82. TIP- This Happy Hour was not a traditional Happy Hour as it was only a 20% on your tab, so the $17 drinks were still very pricey. 


The Vue Bar outside of the Gallery One Hotel! 


I would HIGHLY recommend this hotel! 

Shortly after 7:30PM we opted to walk back to the Galleria to eat at PF Changs. We have a PF Changs at our local mall and I usually encourage trying something new but we did not want to walk back towards the Ft. Lauderdale hotels or call an Uber so this worked out perfectly for us. This dinner (with tip) cost $86 but it was SO GOOD. I forgot how good this National chain really is! 


Wow... PF Changs! This was SO GOOD! 

We went back to the hotel and called it a night early as we were just really tired. We watched some Friends and ESPN before falling asleep before 10PM... Man, we're getting old! 

It was a day spent exploring Ft. Lauderdale, the beach and more and we loved every minute of it but we were SO READY for this new cruise adventure- THE BACK TO BACK! 


As much as we HATE flying... We loved this day in Ft. Lauderdale! 

Stay Tuned for Embarkation Day on Cruise #1. 

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Anthem of the Seas (Alaska)- June 2025








 


Carnival Conquest- 2006

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Monday, April 15, 2024

Platinum Pacific Style- Travel Day 2

 "God Bless Texas"

Friday, February 23, 2024 
Travel Day- Long Beach to Houston

Morning 
It's always the worst day of any cruise and it's usually the only day with an actual alarm but the day had arrived and our cruise was officially over. We were up around 7:30AM as we had to be out of the stateroom by 8:30AM. We did our traditional Main Dining Room for our Disembarkation breakfast. TIP- We much prefer the MDR to the Lido buffet as SO many people will be towing their own luggage and in our experience, it is just a little too chaotic for our last day of vacation. The Main Dining Room is so much quieter and peaceful. 


Luke wanted to go all out with his LAST "good breakfast" as he said! 


After breakfast, we went back to our room to get our bags before getting ready to get off the ship; however, around 8:15AM they made an announcement that debarkation was a little slower than usual so we walked around the upper decks one last time before getting in line to get off the ship. TIP- Due to my Platinum status, we were able to debark with the Top Tier group and was off the ship around 8:40AM. We were also able to use the Platinum line at customs which also helped to speed up the process. 


A view of downtown Long Beach


We loved the Carnival Radiance? 


Another view of beautiful Long Beach! 

Our flight back to Houston did not leave until 1:25PM so we did not have any real plans. And that right there, was our mistake. We walked out of the terminal right into Uber and Taxi's asking where we were headed and we had no answer. Instead of prepping and figuring that part out, we got into a large van and had a guy take us to a holding spot at what would be a Dunkin Donuts. TIP- You cannot turn in luggage for a flight more than 4 hours before and you cannot get into the terminal without dropping off luggage first so we had to find something to do. The driver got us to Dunkin and then we opted to get an Uber to the airport around 10AM to drop off luggage and get checked in. It was kind of a mess and in hindsight, I will now always plan the afternoon for our flight home. 

We got to the airport around 10AM and got checked in during a rush of people. We spent the next 3 hours in the small airport of Long Beach enjoying an open restaurant and lunch before boarding our plane back to GOD'S COUNTRY! 

The loaded Italian sandwich from the airport was good... worth the $22 I paid for it, NO! 
Seriously, I need a second job just to pay for the food in the airport! 

Afternoon
The flight was delayed by 45 minutes but that did not bother us too much. The fire alarm also went off as we started to board the plane, which was a little dramatic but made for some memories! The flight itself was painless and rather quick. We ended up not having anyone in either of our middle seats which meant we could all spread out and enjoy the flight home. We got home to Houston around 8PM central time and were back at our home in The Woodlands by 9:30PM. 


Take me home.. To the place, I belong! 

We're riding in comfort today! 

This cruise was one for the MEMORY books and we all enjoyed this cruise so much. We loved being able to try not just new ports but also a new EMBARKATION port. We loved sailing from Long Beach and would sail from there again, in a heartbeat. 

Our next cruise will be this summer, without the kids. Chris and I will be returning to MY favorite cruise line- ROYAL CARIBBEAN and will be heading back to their private island- Coco Cay in the Bahamas. We have been to CoCo Cay in 2015 before it was "Perfect Day at CoCo Cay" and all built up! We loved the gorgeous waters and the private mentality of the island but we are excited to see how much is has been built up during these nearly 10 years. We will be departing from Miami and Chris has never been so that will be fun as well! Just 45 more days... 

BUT... Our next vacation is in just 5 short weeks as we travel to Los Angeles to check off TWO MORE MLB Stadiums on our Bucket List. This will be # 28 and #29 for me and #20 and #21 for the kiddos! It is going to be AMAZING so be sure to check back for updates! 

Once again, we GREATLY appreciate your continued support of our blog. Even just clicking on the blog post links and sharing our posts with friends and family members who may be cruising helps our business! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask! 

Up Next... Royal Caribbean to the Bahamas! 
We are SO EXCITED to finally get BACK TO CoCo Cay! 
Perfect Day at CoCo Cay... Here we come!  

God is Good... ALL THE TIME! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Allure of the Seas- July 2023





 


Carnival Conquest- 2006 


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Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Platinum Pacific Style- Travel Day

"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". 

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. 


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! 

Click on a link to see our past cruising adventures:
Allure of the Seas- June 2023





 


Carnival Conquest- 2006 


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