So, our trip did not exactly go as planned. We left Birmingham on June 5th at our scheduled time and arrived in Atlanta as scheduled. We then found out our flight in Atlanta was delayed ten minutes which was no big deal since we had a two and a half hour layover in Kingston before flying to Antigua. We boarded the flight in Atlanta and left our terminal to get in line behind all of the other plans taking off. We were behind so many planes taking off that we proceeded to wait on the tarmac for an hour and a half. This made me a little uneasy seeing as how we did not know yet or not if we were going to have to go through customs when we arrived in Kingston or if we would be able to just pass through the airport to our connecting flight since we were technically “not entering the country.” We began walking towards this sign with an arrow saying to follow it if you were in Kingston for a connecting flight. After a few minutes of waiting in that line a lady from customs came and toke us out of the line and said that we must go through customs, gather our bags, recheck our bags, check-in with Caribbean Airlines for our next flight and go through all the security check points before boarding our connecting flight for Antigua. This is when I really started to worry that we might miss our connecting flight.
We passed through customs and went to the baggage carousel to collect our bags. It was at least thirty minutes before they began being unloaded onto the carousel from the plane. Quickly we saw Clint’s bag coming and grabbed it. We kept looking and looking and looking for mine when all of a sudden they say they are finished unloading bags from the flight. I am thinking how great it is that they just lost my luggage and how we are about to miss our connecting flight. Shortly after a line begins to form behind the Delta counter, nearly half of our plane was missing their luggage. Clint barrels his way to the front of the line explaining to everyone how we have a connecting flight and could we please step in front of them? From there we are required to fill out a lost luggage form. After finalizing everything on the lost luggage sheet we begin running with a Delta employee to the Caribbean Airlines counter to re-check his bag and check-in for the flight. Upon arriving at the counter the lady working the desk tells us the plane just left. There are no words to describe the look on either of our faces. What were we going to do? We had no hotel reserved in Jamaica, no form of transportation, no food or a way to know where we were going to eat…it was a bad feeling.
The lady at the counter senses how agitated we both are and says that Delta can put us in the Hilton in Kingston (not a good part of town), pay for our meals and for our transportation until the following Sunday when they have another flight to Antigua. No thanks that was not going to cut it. We had already paid Sandals and knew that we would not be getting any of that money back, so I suggest to Clint to call Sandals and ask if there is any way that they could let us stay in one of their Jamaican resorts for two nights until we could fly to Jamaica. They amicably agreed and described to Clint which resorts were the closest to the Kingston airport. He tells me that the two closest ones were the Sandals Dunn’s River Villagio and Spa and Sandals Grande Ocho Rios. I quickly remembered that we had received a magazine from Sandals about two weeks before we left stating that they had remodeled the entire resort, so I chose that resort. Delta then books us on the flight leaving Kingston Sunday and gives us a copy of our itinerary. We then get into the cab (paid for by Delta) and ride for three hours until we arrived at Sandals Grande Ocho Rios at 7:00 pm. We immediately notice how this resort is not what we expected nor what we paid for in Antigua. The resort is split into two sections, one on the beach and one across the street from the beach. However, the concierge had everything in order for us to check-in just as if we had planned to go there all along.
Saturday (June 6th) we spent about three hours on the phone trying to locate my luggage. They said it should be at the airport in Kingston when we got there Sunday morning to fly to Antigua. The rest of the day Saturday we relaxed by the pool in Ocho Rios. Luckily I had packed two outfits and one swimsuit in my carry on which I hoped would last me a couple of days. After dinner as we were walking back to our room there was a wedding party and guests gathered around the front of the lobby. I looked over at them and as I did missed the step I was about to step down onto. I fell down the stairs and began seeing black circles. I immediately tried to stand up and noticed that I had really twisted my ankle quiet badly; however, all I wanted to do was get back to the room. I was mortified standing in front of all of the people starring at me.
Sunday (June 7th) we wake up and pack all of our stuff in order to be ready by 9:00 am which is when the same taxi driver who brought us from the Kingston airport to Sandals was scheduled to pick us up. I began to get worried that he may not show up and if not we will have no way of getting to the airport. I go and speak with one of the employees working in the concierge lounge and ask how much it would cost to take a cab from the resort. Her response is $150, so we go ahead and get $150 changed into Jamaican dollars. Soon after the cab driver scheduled through Sandals arrives. It is about ten minutes before 9 am at this point. Clint says well lets just wait until 9:05 am to see if the cab driver from the airport shows up and at 9:05 on the dot he arrives. So, luckily we did not have to pay the $150; however, now we are stuck with Jamaican money just as we are supposed to be leaving the island.
We ride in the cab for the three hours to the airport and get in the line for our flight’s check-in. We were in the line approximately thirty minutes before we reached the front. Upon trying to check Clint’s bag in, the manager for Delta comes over and says that we will have to take a seat because we are flying as #1 and #2 on standby. Are you kidding me? Clint and I are livid at this point. No one on Friday mentioned anything about us flying standby. The employee then begins to tell us that not only are we flying standby but that the flights is already overbooked as well because it travels from Antigua to Barbados and then to Trinidad, so it is basically a three-in-one flight. He says that the gates for boarding close at 1:00 pm because the flight left Kingston at 2:00 pm and so he could not let us know if we would be on it until 12:50 pm. At this point Clint is ready to catch the first flight out to Atlanta and then connect to Birmingham.
As we are waiting I proceeded to bite all of my fingernails off. I had been waiting on this trip for an entire year and was almost in tears at the fact that it was about to be ruined. In the meanwhile we are asking about my bag that was promised to be in the airport just one day prior and where is it? It was absolutely nowhere to be found. Meanwhile Clint is trying to bribe the Delta employee just so that we can get onto the plane. He will not take a bribe; however, he does say that it is promising that we will make it on and to come back and check again at 12:50 pm.
At 12:50 pm Clint approaches the employee who says we made it on. YIPPEE!!!!! We hurry to check his bag, go through security and board the plane. We literally sat on the plane and counted the minutes until we took off because we knew there was a small chance that they could come and ask us to get off, but if we were in the air there would be no turning back. We arrive in Antigua as scheduled, get Clint’s bag and walk to the Sandals desk to be transported to our resort. FINALLY!!!
Upon arriving we looked throughout the airport hoping one of the bags standing alone would be mine; however, no such luck. After checking in to our room we notice how much more posh and luxurious this resort is than the Grande in Ocho Rios. We relax in the room for a little while and go to get ready for dinner and we notice a few problems. There was no iron in the room, no hot water in the shower and the jets in the Jacuzzi tub will not turn on. We call concierge to discuss the problems. After waiting a little while we go to dinner because they still had not brought us an iron.
Monday (June 8th) we wake up so that Clint can go and take his refresher scuba course when we notice that the safe will not open. His certification card was in his wallet in the safe. We call concierge and they proceed to send five employees to the room to work on opening the safe. The safe was opened three hours later. After calling Delta on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we find out that my bag went from Kingston to San Juan and was then forward to Antigua; however, no one at the Antigua airport will answer the phone to say if it was there or not. I suggest to Clint for us to just get a cab ($40) and go to the airport to see if the bag was there or not for us. When we arrive at the airport I am quiet anxious seeing as how this is now the 6th day I have gone without my bag. And, suddenly there it is!!!! We grab the bag and head back to the resort and from then on everything was great!!!
While in Antigua we went on a Sunset Sailing Cruise, Clint went Scuba Diving, we Snorkeled, I went three times to the Spa, and we rented a car for the day to tour the island for ourselves.
Saturday (June 13th) we get to the Antigua airport to board our plane to go home and they tell me they have no tickets for me, just tickets for my husband. I start thinking we are now going to be stuck in Antigua; however, they got me on the flight next to Clint. I have never been so ready to get home in my life!!!!
