June 12, 2022 Disembark the Equinox

   As the sun rose, the ship was entering the final approach to Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale. We ate breakfast is the main dining room which opened at 6:30 a.m. There were about 50 people at tables by 6:45 a.m. It is a calmer place than the Deck 14 Oceanview Café buffet for breakfast any day and especially on disembarking day. Guests were asked to vacate their staterooms by 8 a.m. today.  Location 26°05.59N  80°06.81W

  We were already waiting in the Elite and up departure area when the ship was cleared by Customs by 7:45 a.m. and passengers started leaving according to their assigned numbers. We had number 17 for the 8:30 a.m.  shuttle to the airport. The Elite and up status passengers in their departure lounge get a few minutes advance notice of the assigned number being called prior to the general announcement. Getting off the ship and finding our luggage went quickly.  The luggage was loaded on the bus and it was a short wait for the bus to fill. Step count was 2,400. It was just a 15 minute ride to the airport. 

   We were in plenty of time for 2:35 p.m. flight. We tried to check in at the kiosk, but the message was that we were too early – even though it also stated that you can check-in within 24 hours. That should have alerted us. We found a seating area to wait the two hours before the West Jet desk opened. Larry was able to load 31 photos in less than two minutes to the blog. Something impossible on the ship.

   The WestJet agent typed in our reservation number and did a double take. The departure airport was La Guardia - in New York! The flights for the Florida part of this trip are jinxed! We had an email from WestJet three days ago saying we would be leaving from Fort Lauderdale Hollywood airport. This was very puzzling to everyone. The supervisor got on the phone to WestJet Reservations and waited on hold for more than 45 minutes. After a 10 minute conversation with a WestJet agent, he gave us an update that the connecting flight to Winnipeg was cancelled and that caused the weird change to the first leg of our flight.  We did not have any email notification of a change from WestJet or our travel agent.  It took another 25 minutes to get a new itinerary, which was now the original flight to Toronto, then a late morning flight to Winnipeg tomorrow. We were to check with the gate agent in Toronto for a hotel voucher and meals. We had been at the airport for 3½ hours. On the way to security we talked to Arnie, our dinner table partner, and gave him a brief update on our morning. Arnie and Sue are flying to Austin, Texas.

   It was time to eat. We found yogurt parfaits and walked to our gate to find a seat. We were too frustrated to be walking around today. Just as we finished our yogurt, thunder roared nearby. Shortly after the WestJet flight arriving from Toronto at 1:43 p.m. the status was changed from on time to delayed. It had been circling waiting to safely land when the storm passed.  The plane was just an hour late departing Fort Lauderdale. We received two emails from West Jet advising us of the two delays to the flight. We arrived in Toronto three hours later, having been comfortable in the last row of the plane with no one in the idle middle seat.

   Going through Canadian Customs was a breeze since ours was the only flight arriving. We asked the baggage desk agent where to go to get the hotel voucher.  We found the line for WestJet Customer Service, at least there were seven agents working. It was a 45 minutes wait. The agent told us that the flight was cancelled on Friday that our travel agent should have advised us. He didn't seem too worried about the New York mix up and said since the cancellation was two days ago, we were not eligible for a voucher. We asked to talk to the supervisor and waited another 30 minutes while the supervisor dealt with other people ahead of us and then the agent said that he had contacted someone else who would be coming to see us, but they never showed up after another 30 minutes. When asked again when the person was coming, the agent said we will probably not get a hotel voucher based on the two day advance notice which we never got, so we left and went across to the Sheraton and got a nice room with a CAA discount.

   Neither of us were too hungry so we shared some chicken satay in the bar and called it a night.

   Steps today 7,522.