It was all sorted. It had been sorted for weeks and weeks and weeks and it was just a question of everything arriving, packing and getting ourselves to the Hilton the night before we travelled. That and maintaining my DIS fixation of course - well you lot will keep bringing up things I didn't know!
Collected the tickets from the travel agents 3 weeks before travel and it suddenly seemed very real.
But where are these flextickets?
Phonecalls to ATC Travel in Swansea bring the assurance that they send them out between 14 days and a week before travel so they won't get lost. I resume waiting.
7 days before departure I am told not to worry they'll be there. 3 days before departure I am told they are really busy, its a boom time, but they haven't missed a delivery yet.
1 day before we go to the airport am told they will be sent special delivery and be here in the morning.
Day of travel they can't be contacted. Phone ABTA who phone me back 3 hours later to say ATC Travel has ceased trading.
Well, at least I hadn't booked the whole holiday through them. A few posts on the DIS and a bit of reassurance later the depression has lifted and DS2 and I are waiting for DS1 to finish school so we can get the show on the road.
Bags in the car, fond farewells to DW (who seems to be smiling a bit more than she ought to be at the prospect of us deserting her) and we are on our way - straight into a nice traffic jam on the A12 and M25.
Endure the usual bout of 'Are we there yet?' from DS2, a bit of squabbling over who ate how many sweets or drank which drink and arrive at the Hilton at 6.45 pm. Nice lady at reception tells me that we have been allocated a room on the executive floor and we should proceed to our dedicated check-in area on the 3rd floor. I was tempted to ask her if she had seen the 'junior executives' I was travelling with, but figured this was a reward for the stress I had gone through and we headed on up. Checked in, informed of the free drinks, snacks and complimentary breakfast and headed to room.
Oops - one double bed. Quick count to make sure there were three of us and then back to reception. Nice lady apologises and gives us a twin room and an assurance that an extra bed will be delivered very shortly.
Dump bags in room and back to lounge for some free (soft) drinks, oodles of crisps, pretzels and canapes and a stint on the free internet terminals where we found that the last person to surf the DIS from here was Frances G! Take car to car park, return to airport terminal, wander round the shops and feed kids in McDonalds. Back to hotel, grab some more cokes from the lounge and back to room where extra bed has been installed as promised.
A bit of TV and then sleep as I want to be there for when check-in opens in the morning. Yes I am definately mad.
Collected the tickets from the travel agents 3 weeks before travel and it suddenly seemed very real.
But where are these flextickets?
Phonecalls to ATC Travel in Swansea bring the assurance that they send them out between 14 days and a week before travel so they won't get lost. I resume waiting.
7 days before departure I am told not to worry they'll be there. 3 days before departure I am told they are really busy, its a boom time, but they haven't missed a delivery yet.
1 day before we go to the airport am told they will be sent special delivery and be here in the morning.
Day of travel they can't be contacted. Phone ABTA who phone me back 3 hours later to say ATC Travel has ceased trading.
Well, at least I hadn't booked the whole holiday through them. A few posts on the DIS and a bit of reassurance later the depression has lifted and DS2 and I are waiting for DS1 to finish school so we can get the show on the road.
Bags in the car, fond farewells to DW (who seems to be smiling a bit more than she ought to be at the prospect of us deserting her) and we are on our way - straight into a nice traffic jam on the A12 and M25.
Endure the usual bout of 'Are we there yet?' from DS2, a bit of squabbling over who ate how many sweets or drank which drink and arrive at the Hilton at 6.45 pm. Nice lady at reception tells me that we have been allocated a room on the executive floor and we should proceed to our dedicated check-in area on the 3rd floor. I was tempted to ask her if she had seen the 'junior executives' I was travelling with, but figured this was a reward for the stress I had gone through and we headed on up. Checked in, informed of the free drinks, snacks and complimentary breakfast and headed to room.
Oops - one double bed. Quick count to make sure there were three of us and then back to reception. Nice lady apologises and gives us a twin room and an assurance that an extra bed will be delivered very shortly.
Dump bags in room and back to lounge for some free (soft) drinks, oodles of crisps, pretzels and canapes and a stint on the free internet terminals where we found that the last person to surf the DIS from here was Frances G! Take car to car park, return to airport terminal, wander round the shops and feed kids in McDonalds. Back to hotel, grab some more cokes from the lounge and back to room where extra bed has been installed as promised.
A bit of TV and then sleep as I want to be there for when check-in opens in the morning. Yes I am definately mad.
