We always have a great time travelling with the Paisley Maloneys. There was talk I think back in the summer that maybe we should go back to Marco Island sometime because we always have fun there. Then we thought, hey why don’t we spend Karen’s birtday there. And with that, we had another vacation to look forward too.
We spent last night at the Hilton Garden Inn Toronto Airport ($147.88 CAD including taxes) because of our 6:20am flight with Air Canada (25000 Aeroplan miles + $196.71 CAD / person). It did not take us long to get checked in and get the bags dropped off. Where things slowed down was in US Customs. Karen and I breezed through with our NEXUS cards while it took Dave, Cathy and the boys a little longer.
Since there was still about a half an hour before we were to board, Karen and I took the boys to the Plaza Premium Lounge. One of the benefits of my BMO World Elite Mastercard, is that I receive four free airport lounge passes per year. We thought why not use them since the year is almost over. We were able to enjoy some breakfast before we had to make our way to the gate. Once we got there, Cathy tells us that they made an announcement that our flight is delayed because of the crew being delayed in US Customs. Are you kidding me? I got up at 3:00am for this. Finally one and a half hours later, we were on our way to Fort Meyers. The flight was fine and shortly before 11:00am, we landed to a warm and sunny day in Florida. After getting our bags, we headed over to Alamo ($225.08 USD including taxes, 306 miles driven) to pick up our SUVs which we booked through Costco.
Where was our first stop, but at Cracker Barrel of course. It was just nice being able to relax and enjoy a leisurely meal after our flight. While doing research for this trip, Karen came across Manatee Park which happens to be located just fifteen minutes from the restaurant. Manatee Park is where the manatees come to escape the cooler waters of the Gulf of Mexico from November to March. The reason why they come here is because of the warm water that is discharged into the canal from Florida Power and Light. We did see quite a few manatees but it was so hard to get a picture of them. We were lucky that there was a volunteer there who gave us a ton of information. Because it was getting late, we decided not to stop at the Miromar Outlets but to head directly to our rental house.
Karen and I arrived at the house around 4:30pm and we did not have to wait too long for Dave, Cathy and the boys to arrive. They had to drop by the Marco Island Vacation Properties office to pick up the keys. We walked into the house and as we approached the lanai, we saw that the pool practically had no water. This was not a good way to start our vacation. After a few phone calls and an email, we hope to have this resolved in the morning.
In the meantime, Dave headed out to get some bait, while I went to Michelbob’s Championship Ribs & Steak to pick up dinner. Nothing is better than enjoying BBQ ribs outside on the lanai. After dinner, Cathy and I headed over to Winn-Dixie to pick up some groceries while the rest of the gang went down to the dock for some night time fishing. Because it had been such a long day, it was an early night for all.
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