And this is why I never travel

[trinityvixen]

My family reunion was, aside from my getting no sleep on the day I flew out and having that one really bad hangover from Jack and coke Sunday, pretty awesome. I shadowed my older sister and followed the niece everywhere. All the babies that were babies at my sister's wedding are now like little kids. It's scary how much two of them look just like their dads at young ages. Scary, I tells you.

Coming back was a nightmare, pretty much for all parties involved. My brother and his girlfriend went to the airport around 3-4ish to return their car and catch a 6:30 flight to Reno. Two hours later, when I was finishing up my dinner and heading to my gate for my 9:43 flight, they call me: they were still at the Atlanta airport. You name it, their plane had it going wrong. Wrong plane, plane wouldn't work, gate wouldn't work, changed gate, outright delayed flight, late flight getting in, etc. etc. We hung out until my flight, delayed by a hour, started to board. I called from my seat to find that they were STILL waiting, hopefully to make an 11:30 flight.

I get to Newark forty minutes later than expected and immediately call for the Super Shuttle I booked. They go "Sure, go wait in this area, a bus will come soon." I head out and am immediately called back on my cell. Actually, it seems that there won't be any buses for at least an hour. Oh, and the nearest bus driver is already headed home. No idea how long it would take to turn him around again. So, the point of booking a door-to-door shuttle service is...? Anyone? Bueller?

I ran to catch the AirTrain and one of the very last NJ Transit trains to Penn Station. Took me an hour and a half to get back up to my apartment, which, all things considered, is pretty goddamned impressive for 1:30 am on Monday morning after a holiday. Still, I was pissed off to the point of murder. I now have to check that I got my entire fee refunded to me for that stupid goddamned shuttle. If they try to charge me any sort of cancellation fee, I don't care if it costs me a hundred times more in time and effort and money, I'll get it back. THEY cancelled on ME. AT ONE IN THE FUCKING MORNING.

I will say this: Newark AirTrain is staffed with super helpful people. They checked to make sure people were on the right AirTrain. One had the schedule ready for me to see whether I'd make the last NJ Transit train. Thanks to her good suggestion, I dashed downstairs at the terminal to grab my ticket for Penn Station. Since I didn't have to stop, I managed to run right onto the 1:36 am train. If I'd have had to wait another half hour for the 2:06, I might have killed somebody.

In short: HAAAAATE Super Shuttle right about now.

Comments

[gryphonrose.livejournal.com]

Glad you had a good time, and that you made it back okay and in fewer than twelve hours. That does suck about the shuttle, and you're absolutely right, they owe the full money back. Bleah.

[jendaby.livejournal.com]

Ugh! That sounds like a crazy return process! Glad that you made it home safely and that you didn't have to wait extra. Those jokers better refund you. Geez!

The reunion sounds nice! Very fun. Plus, you have reminded me that i should call my sister today, as we were originally going to be visiting her this week.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I've pretty much tried out every means of getting to and from the airport and the one that's been the least hassle is going up to my parents' house and getting a ride :P

No, truly, I have taken mass transit, I've taken a cab, I've taken the express buses that leave from Grand Central and Port Authority and Penn Station, and I've done the Super Shuttle. All of them have proven to be big headaches at exactly the time I don't want that to happen. I cannot grow wings or learn to teleport fast enough, I tell you.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Family is very important. I realize that I don't talk to these extended members often, but when we get together it's like we never stopped being together. I have a great family, and I love them to pieces, so, yeah ::grumbles:: I suppose it's worth it.

And go call your sister!

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

I originally booked the shuttle assuming I'd be shit-tired (I was) and that transit on 4th of July weekend would be nuts (it was). Otherwise, no, you're right, there are options to get to and from Newark that aren't too bad. I figured I could eat the $15 for the ticket if I had to take the PATH. Or I could bully one of my Jersey City pals to put me up for the night. (I was just hesitant to put said plan into action seeing as it was way past all of their bedtimes.)

The thing is that getting to airports from Manhattan is not hard, just lengthy when you live where I live. And after the old roommate got mugged, I was less than sanguine about having to traipse through the neighborhood on my own at 3 am burdened with my suitcase. Blah.

[gryphonrose.livejournal.com]

We often wind up as a stopover point for family and friends, since we're less than ten minutes' drive from LaGuardia and half an hour or less from JFK. But you're right, that's exactly when you don't need hassles--it was mix-ups on the way that resulted in my spending twenty-four hours in Gatwick Airport, years back. Not a bad memory now but utter hell at the time.

[hslayer.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised the cabs have been a problem, as that would've been my suggestion. Aside from NEVER fly out of Newark.

[trinityvixen.livejournal.com]

Newark has had fewer problems for me than LaGuardia, actually. It seems to close down at the first sign of a stiff breeze, but I've never been late there because of Newark's problems. Whereas LaGuardia is frequently overburdened and delayed because they have a stupid amount of traffic.

The problems with cabs are a) the expense (easily 2x the other options) and b) the experience. A cab ride is just hardly ever fun for me with the way most cabbies drive, and it seems like somehow the buses never get stuck in the traffic that the cabs do.

[hslayer.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah, I personally like JFK best of the three.

While cabbie driving is indeed mad enough to be nauseating half the time (though for me up here it's usually "car service" which can sometimes be less insane), I usually find that AND the expense to be a worthwhile trade-off for door-to-door service, and only choose between that and driving by whether my trip is long enough for parking to cost more than the service.

[droidguy1119.livejournal.com]

australia, bruce museum, cheese, cusfs, footy, sano, scott. Mostly because those are the ones aren't both easily identifiable and already covered at length in just about every entry.