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Monday, February 19, 2007

Hotel adventure

So, my flight back to Winnipeg Sunday at 3:20 was cancelled.

They were transferring all of Air Canada's passengers to Bearskin, but by the time I got to the airport, all the Bearskin seats were full. We had called like an hour and a half before we actually went to the airport -- we were having lunch at the Hoito with Zia Mary and Jeff -- and they told us that there were no Bearskin seats available. But, it turns out that was because Air Canada reserved all of the leftover seats for passengers from my flight that was cancelled. If we had only said that we were from that flight, I would have got a seat.

But, alas, I did not. And all the flights from Thunder Bay to Winnipeg Monday morning were full as well.

They decided they would put me on a plane and fly me to Toronto, give me a hotel room for the night, and then fly me to Winnipeg Monday morning.

So I went to the airport -- my flight left at 6:40 I think -- but my plane was delayed an hour. So I sat there with my dad and Nina and her friend and we had Tim Horton's. I had hot chocolate with whipped cream. I like the Tim Horton's here though, on campus, because they put chocolate shavings on top of the whipped cream when you get a hot chocolate. This one did not.

So I finally made it onto the plane -- we left at about 7:10 -- and we landed in Toronto at 9:00-9:10, about that. I was supposed to go to Customer Service to get a bunch of vouchers: one for the hotel, two for the shuttle bus there and back, and a meal voucher so I could eat. So I went there, and there were about seven or eight people in line. Six computers at the desk. But only two people working. Awesome. And they were taking like 10-15 minutes per person. We probably moved at a rate of one floor tile every half hour. It was terrible.

So I waited in that line for an hour and a half. Finally, I got my vouchers. The Customer Service counter is still on the "secure" side of security, so at this point I hadn't even gone out to get my suitcase. Over an hour after my plane landed.

So I went out and they have three carousels for baggage, and I didn't even know where to look for my suitcase -- the girl at Customer Service told me it should still be on the conveyer -- so I had to wait in another line up (only about five minutes though) to ask the baggage man where my bag is supposed to be. His response: "Shit, you've been here how long?"

He told me Carousel 1 and I went and found my bag. Then I left and went to find something to eat.

But, no one told me that all of the restaurants are on the secure side of security. And the ones that were on the other side were all closed, because at this point it's 11:00 PM.

Then, after I was frustrated about the food and the waiting in line, etc., I got onto an elevator that was going up when I wanted to go down to get to the shuttle buses. At this point I was just so stressed and, I'm not going to lie, I cried a little bit. Dragging my suitcase along. I was tired and hungry and frustrated and I just wanted to go to sleeeeep.

Considering it's now 11:00 and I was supposed to land in Toronto at twenty after eight.

Anyway so I go outside and I wait 30 minutes for this stupid shuttle. The hotel I stayed at is called Four Points Sheraton, I think. Anyway. So I get onto the shuttle bus, and I'm the only one, and the driver tells me how the man who got out of the shuttle bus when I got on had got onto the wrong shuttle bus so she had to drive him back to the airport so he could catch the right one.

What an idiot. Right? Let's continue...

So I get to the hotel. I go to the front desk. I give the man my last name. He looks it up. "Could it be under another name?" No, I say. Air Canada is paying for it. I have a voucher.

"Oh, is it green?" he asks.

It's blue.

There are two Four Points Sheraton hotels in Toronto. The shuttle buses are exactly the same, but they have different addresses written on the side door. Go figure.

So I hop back onto the shuttle bus and go back to the airport. It's 11:45 now.

I find three more estranged people -- one girl had already gone to the wrong hotel. The other two were about to get onto the wrong shuttle but the driver saw their vouchers and said something to them.

So we wait, and we wait.

About 12:05 AM now, on Monday, the correct shuttle arrives. We cram like a good 12 people into the bus, which is just a van with three bench seats. We go to the hotel.

As hectic as my night was, I liked the hotel room. It was nice. I took some pictures.


This was my bed. Mmmmm, comfy.

I got three hours of sleep. I had to be at the airport at 5:30 AM to catch my 6:30 flight to Winnipeg this morning.

They put me in first class! I've never been in first class before. I was excited when they booked my ticket Sunday afternoon but by this hour I was just so tired and so frustrated...

So I slept. I think I was sleeping before take-off. I slept right through the meal. The stewardess came and asked if I would like my meal though, when I woke up... but it was salmon and I said no.

The chairs were pretty nice. I couldn't figure out where people got those tables though -- I eventually found it: they're hidden in the arm. They just fold right on out. They're neat. I liked them.

Anyway, I was happy to get to Winnipeg. I rushed to Stats to hand in my assignment. My prof still hasn't found my first one, so I have to go "chat" with him on Wednesday. Sigh.

Then I wrote a French test that I did pretty decently on, I think.

Now I'm going for lunch.

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