Vacation Frustrations

            Well, I’m back from a week of vacation in Mexico. Amy and I stayed at an all-inclusive resort near Cancun. No, our bank account can’t afford such trips, but my wife is an excellent hunter for bargains, and this was one of them. We had some good times, but many episodes during our “off time” were less than enjoyable.

            The first leg of our trip began in Nashville. We drove there the night before to board US Airways Flight 1125 for Charlotte, North Carolina. We rose at 3:30 a.m. to drive to the airport and go through the process of checking bags and passing through security.

            Our flight was ready to leave, and we lined up to board. As we reached the check-in, a female employee informed us that the overhead compartments were already filled and our carry-on bag would have to be checked and stowed underneath. I protested, and Amy said that the duffle bag would fit under the seat. However, this employee was rude and determined not to let us board with the bag. I left it, and then remembered that my passport was in one of the pockets. If I’d not retrieved it, my entry to Mexico would have been denied.

            My concern centered on the fact that all of our medications, as well as electronic devices and cameras, were purposely placed in this bag so they would arrive unharmed at our destination. I was also furious about not being allowed to take a bag on. The ticket prices we paid included our right to take one carry-on bag each and one personal item on board.

            I sat in my seat and fumed about the situation, and my temperature spiked as I watched passengers after us come on board with carry-on bags. They placed them in empty spaces that the employee told us weren’t available. By the time the plane landed in Charlotte, I was ready for war.

            The baggage problem paled next to our next problem. We were picked up at the airport in Puerto Morelos, Mexico for a ride to the Dreams Tulum resort. I noticed road signs that seemed to indicate we were going in the wrong direction but just passed it off to my lack of understanding of Spanish.

            When the cab pulled into the resort, my suspicions were confirmed. We had been taken to the Now Jade Resort. Amy and I exited the cab and sat down at the check-in desk. As we tried to explain the problem, the receptionist, first, and then the manager told us that no rooms were available at the Dreams Resort.

            As it turned out, the company we worked with on arrangements, PLANET-GETAWAY, had changed our arrangements the day before we left. Amy contacted them and was told the original room confirmation was set, but the company pulled the old “bait and switch” on us. I was livid, but the fact was that we either took the room at Jade or sat on the curb for four days until our return flight on Thursday.

            We endured a mandatory sales pitch that was a condition of our trip, a 90-minute presentation that turned into more than a 3-hour marathon. The sales person promised it wouldn’t be like a timeshare, high-pressure attack, but he lied. I finally told the guy NO MORE, but Amy did it better. She told him “ENOUGH! Call us a cab!” The fact that the rain fell in buckets during the entire time kept us from fuming more about the waste of time.

            As things turned out, our stay at Now Jade was wonderful. The resort was comfortable and beautiful, and Amy and I enjoyed our trip. We returned home on Thursday, picked up grandson Madden, and traveled to Knoxville. By Tuesday we were again exhausted, but Amy had to return to work, and I began to the crusade against US Airways and Planet-Getaway.

            Ah, it’s good to go, but it’s also good to come back!