Note: Click here for the photo index for my Aruba trip. Click on any of the thumbnails on the index or in this trip report to see a larger view.

I had won the trip from the local radio station back in November 2003. It's soooo cool being the 10th caller when they have these contests! LOL. The local station had been giving a trip a day away in November 2003 to Jamaica, Aruba and some other islands as part of their winter promotion. I had tried earlier in the month, but always got a busy signal... until one of the last few days of the promotion.

When the phone rang instead of giving me a busy signal, I was thinking that I had dialed the wrong number... but realized that wasn't possible since I had the radio station's number on speed dial on my cellphone. :D I'm sure I sounded like an idiot on the radio and babbled and oohed and ahhed about winning.

Anyway, it took me over a year to finally go on the trip. I had thought my boyfriend (serving in the US Navy) was going to be able to go with me, but because of the fact that we're currently fighting a war against Terrorism, he wasn't able to take leave to go with me. So, I asked a girlfriend of mine to go, and she just happened to be able to reschedule her vacation since she had cancelled her trip to Hawaii.

Artemis flew in from NYC on Tuesday the 14th... we went out to dinner with a bunch of friends before going back to my house to re-pack her things into a rolling carry-on bag. After reading other trip reports on the bulletin boards, I told her it was important to take only what we needed and only carry-on so we didn't have to deal with waiting for our luggage at the airport.. that turned out to be a good thing!

We called it an early night cause the SuperShuttle driver was expected at my house by 5AM the next day.

We woke up at about 4AM on Wednesday morning. It was rough getting up while it was so dark outside... plus, it was incredibly cold. The SuperShuttle driver showed up on time, and we were on the road and headed to the airport. The drive from my house to the airport is generally about 45 minutes, but the driver got us there before 530AM! Oy! Our flight on US Airways to Philadelphia wasn't until 740AM. So, we had PLENTY OF TIME since it seems like the airport's first flights don't leave until 7AM...

I was quite impressed with the check-in kiosks for US Airways... it was able to read our passports and it was so quick! Artemis and I made it through security quite easily. At first, I was a bit nervous because of all the news about females being targeted for patdowns and such, but it was a breeze. I guess they could tell we just really wanted to get on the plane and get headed towards Aruba!

The flight from Washington, DC to Philadelphia was really short... I think they said it was only 21 minutes of flying time. But it was a bit bumpy and I was feeling a bit green by the time we landed. I've never been airsick before, and it was definitely not a good feeling. But after getting off the plane and waiting at the next gate (which for some reason felt like it was 2 concourses away), I was feeling much better.

The flight from Philadelphia to Aruba was smooth. Quite nice... I napped and felt quite good when we landed in Aruba...

Artemis and I only had carry-on bags, so we managed to get down to Customs fairly quickly. The lines weren't very long and it seemed like everyone breezed through fast... Heading towards the exit of the airport, there were some nice folks giving everyone Little Switzerland shopping bags... had a bunch of fliers and coupons for services on the island.

Taxis were everywhere so it was easy to get one to the hotel. Taxi to Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino - Marina Tower from the airport was $15.00. Our driver was really nice... mentioned that whenever you take a cab, to be sure to check the number or ID of the cab just in case you ever mistakenly leave something behind. Makes it easier for them to figure out where your stuff may be. Our driver, Bruce, had a story about a gentleman earlier that morning that left his entire carry-on case of medications and couldn't accurately describe the taxi he left it in... by late afternoon, they still hadn't located his bag for him.

Arrived at the Renaissance Aruba Resort and Casino - Marina Tower. The ride from the airport to the hotel didn't seem to take very long... went to reception to check-in, but we were a bit early since check-in is generally at 4PM. Nelson at the front desk gave us some information and asked that we have a drink at the bar and check back closer to 4PM to see if our room was ready. No problem! The Blue Martini Bar is right next to the front desk! So, we had our first drinks of our trip - some frozen concoction off their menu that Dino whipped up - quite delicious. Yum!

We headed over to the spa to see if we could check our email really quick and let our families know we made it without incident. I also was trying to get details on my cellphone since Cingular was to have setup my phone so I could receive as well as call with my own phone. Had to go online to find the overseas number to call. That part cost quite a bit ($21 for about 3 minutes) to call Cingular from the hotel.

Anyway, 4PM rolls around and we go back to the front desk. They had to change our room (#1319), but that was okay. We get checked in and up to our room and change into something cooler... The room overlooks the main street in front of the hotel... so looking out on the narrow "balcony" we were right across from Rhumbas. I thought noise would be an issue, but during our stay at the hotel, any street traffic was minimal and wasn't a problem at night. I noticed that there were smoking and non-smoking rooms mixed on the floor, but that wasn't too much of an issue. The room they gave us didn't have that lingering cigarette smoke smell, so we were fine.

The room overall was comfortable for two of us. Two double-beds which were comfy. A bit narrower than I expected based on the photos online and from the brochure... it would have been cramped with 3 or more people in the room. The bathroom was definitely smaller than expected. Thank goodness it was just two of us. I know if my boyfriend had gone with me, he'd either think it was normal sized if he was on a Navy ship... but knowing him on vacation, he'd be complaining about cramped quarters.

At about 5PM, we decided that we MUST go and see the private island before the shuttle boats stopped at 7PM. So, we went down to the lobby to wait at the shuttle boat stop. It was very interesting to see it inside the lobby area. Your room key is also your shuttle boat key. Everyone over the age of 12 needs a key to get on the shuttle boat. Nice little box to slide your room key in to give you access to get on the boat.

The shuttle boat ride is pretty nice... it's pretty cool the first time to come out of the pathway from the hotel and out towards the pier where you can see the cruise ships docked. Then, the boat speeds up and you feel the wind blowing and the water spray up... quite refreshing... We got to the pier of the private island and just stood there and stared for a bit. Wow! It was an incredible view... we went to check out both sides from the pier.

It was really quiet that afternoon. There weren't very many people on the island. The left side, as noted on the bulletin boards, is more family oriented... it's a larger area and Papagayos is also on the same side. The parrots are also on the left side of the island.

The right side, which is more adult oriented, is a bit smaller, but I thought the view was nicer.

So, Artemis and I just stood in awe taking in the view and the tranquility. Then Ouch! I look down and it was the first mosquito bite of the week. Definitely couldn't miss it cause it was a huge mosquito and the bite area quickly swelled up. But it was okay... my toes were in the sand, and I was getting drunk off the view.

The flamingos were walking around, and I snapped a couple shots of them with the sun setting behind them. Snapped a few more pictures before it was time for the last shuttle boat back to the resort.

Since it was our first night on the island, we really hadn't made plans on where to go for dinner because we figured we'd just go with the flow. So, we decided to stroll around the resort and go over to Seaport Marketplace to see what was around... at first, we thought about sushi at Sushi-Ya. But then opted for dinner at Villa Germania.

Dinner at the Villa Germania at Seaport Marketplace - $62.00 for both of us... Artemis had the mozzarella and tomato salad and the grouper for her entree... she also had a sip of some really bad Merlot. I think the Merlot may have been corked or just sitting out way too long. Artemis wasn't too impressed with the grouper. From my side of the table, it didn't look so great either. I wasn't too hungry, so I opted for the Mediterranean Crepes and the Pumpkin Soup. Both were okay. The crepes had a spinach and cheese mixture... two crepes and the soup, it was quite filling. We ate quite a few of the homemade dinner rolls... Artemis and I agreed that the dinner rolls were the best part of the meal.

After dinner, we strolled around a bit around the marketplace to see what else was around... then, stopped in at the Seaport Casino to see what the slots were like... I think I managed to win $20 playing the quarter slots.

We managed to wake up close to 9AM on Thursday morning. Changed into bathing suits and coverups and headed down to the lobby area to figure out what to do for breakfast. The private island does not serve food until 11AM.

So, we decided on the Aruban Sunshine Breakfast at La Terraza Café Bistro at Renaissance Mall. Quite nicely done... of course, it's hard to really mess up on eggs and toast. Had our first pastechis there... they were quite a treat. The Aruban Sunshine Breakfast seemed like quite a deal. $8.75 per person and it included two eggs, bacon, ham or sausage, toast, pastechi, orange juice and coffee. Not bad!

After breakfast, we took the shuttle boat over to the island to bake in the sun. Spent a few hours there. Yes, it meant that we were roasting during the hottest sun hours... but it felt nice, and we were good about reapplying sunscreen. Snapped more pictures of the incredible view. It was quiet that day. The water was quite refreshing after taking in the heat of the sun. We had our first ChiChis and Tropical Coladas on the beach. Of course, we had to snap a picture of ourselves having our first drink on the beach!

We did have a bit of rain throughout the day and evening... I thought it would last a few minutes, but one of the downpours (yes, it was a downpour) lasted for quite some time. It was a little disappointing, and Artemis and I did pout about it, and I think we did do a prayer/dance to the Sun God, but once it cleared, it was nice to see the sunshine.

We figured we'd better leave the island around 4PM to dress for dinner. I had made reservations online for Driftwoods for 6PM. So, we headed back to the hotel and got ready. Since we had no clue as to where we were going, and there didn't seem to be any detailed street maps available, we were going to take a cab from the hotel. However, the hotel staff told us it was only a couple of blocks away and gave us precise directions. So, it was a nice and short 5 minute walk over to the restaurant.

Dinner at Driftwood - $90.00 for both of us. We shared the Shrimp Stuffed Mushroom Appetizer and shared a Mixed Green salad. Both were quite yummy... We had to have a round of drinks so it was a ChiChi for me and Aruba Ariba for Artemis. I also had the Seafood Soup before our entrees. Artemis chose the Mahi Mahi grilled, and I had the Grouper Aruban Style. Incredible! Both fillets were the size of the plate. Knowing that whatever is caught on the boat is the catch of the day, I figure if I'm ever game enough for charter fishing, I'd definitely be going out with Herby to catch some fish!

The funny part of the evening was with the staff... When it came time to order another round of drinks, one of our waitstaff said he didn't know what a ChiChi was... and he'd ask, "ChiChi?" and Artemis and I would repeat it over and over again. Finally, he grinned and said, "Just kidding!" Then, later, we asked another one of the waitstaff where the ladies room. In the most straight matter of fact face and voice, she said, "We don't have one. You'll have to go outside to the parking lot." I'm sure we looked at her with a major "HUH?! WTF?!" expression. Then, she laughed and pointed to the corner of the restaurant.

Dinner was incredible... and the entree portions were enormous. Artemis and I couldn't finish and felt like we had to be rolled out the door. So, we skipped dessert and took the stroll back to the hotel. It certainly felt good to walk a bit.

Back at the hotel, we decided to go down to the Blue Martini Bar. I was trying to be good, so I had tons of wonderful Aruban water... If I could have, I'd have bottled it to bring home with me. Artemis had a few Peach Martinis. After the martinis, it was time to call it a night.

Another morning in Aruba! We got up and into our bathing suits. We decided on pancakes for breakfast. We had hoped to go to Linda's, but couldn't really figure out where it was in relation to the hotel. So, we walked over to Seaport Marketplace and had pancakes at The Dutch Pancake House. They were quite nice. After breakfast, we walked over to the pier where the shuttle boat picks up closer to the Ocean Suites.

Just a little bit of rain, but it went by quickly. Definitely lighter and shorter than the day before. Of course, we had to have more ChiChis and Aruba Aribas on the beach. Quite nice when they come around while you're relaxing and soaking in the sun to ask if you'd like a cocktail.

We decided to venture over to the other side of the island. It was quite busy that afternoon. Especially closer to Papagayo Bar & Grill. I think everyone had ran for cover when the rain came... and they lingered longer to have lunch. Artemis and I decided to have lunch at Papagayos too. We had a couple of wraps and it was about $23.00.

For dinner, I had made a reseravation at Chalet Suisse. With all the recommendations for it on the bulletin boards, it was on our must try list. So, we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. This time, we had to take a cab out to the restaurant. Fare from the hotel to the restaurant was $9.00.

Dinner at Chalet Suisse - $125.00 for both of us. We started off with ChiChis and Aruba Aribas. Artemis had the Caesar Salad and the grilled grouper entree. I went with the Avocado De La Mar appetizer and lobster tail entree. The lobster tail was definitely huge! Another round of drinks and we felt like the food was going to pop out of us... but we figured dessert would be a nice treat... so, we shared the Apple Streudel for dessert. Quite a nice way to wrap up dinner! Took a cab from the restaurant back to the Renaissance - $9.00

We tried to wake up early, but it was still a bit later than expected. We got dressed for the beach! Of course! We were past the halfway point of our trip and still needed more sun! So, we went down and had a quick breakfast at La Terraza Café Bistro again before heading over to the island.

We stopped in at the shop on the island. Artemis was browsing through the suntan oils and lotions and picked up a bottle of the Hawaiian Tropic Dark Tanning Oil. It said it had a protection factor of 15, so we figured it would be okay. We only had a couple more days left and wanted to get a darker tan. So, we opted to bake and roast on the beach a bit. We definitely got quite a bit of sun that day. My nose was just a tad pinker and my shoulders had just a teeny bit of red. I was good and lathered on the after sun gel.

Saturday was most definitely *THE* most absolutely gorgeous weather day we had the entire trip... absolutely beautiful blue skies and tons of sunshine. No grey clouds or rain during the day! It felt a bit cooler, or perhaps the sun just didn't feel as hot. A nice breeze every so often as well. It was perfect!!!! Made me wish that everywhere around the world had weather like that day!

Shopping day!!! I had hoped to purchase a few tanzanite items on this trip. So, we browsed through a few shops. We stopped in at Ram's Bijoux Jewelers. I thought I was just going to browse, but browsing turned into buying. I'm sure American Express just loves me! After buying a few items there, we headed to the souvenir type shops to pick up t-shirts and other knickknacks for family and friends back home. I had thought that most of the stores were staying open a couple hours later as part of the X-mas Bazaar, but didn't seem as that was the case. One of the shops was actually waiting for us to leave so they could close up. Ooops! But we did make a note to ourselves that we'd have to go back there on Monday morning to shop for the last minute items.

We had originally planned on going to Madame Janette's for dinner. However, never managed to confirm our reservations. So, we asked the front desk on where to go for dinner. They suggested El Guacho or Blossoms. Well, we figured we could eat sushi pretty much at home. So, we decided on El Guacho's. Of course, since we still hadn't found a street map showing where things were on the island, we took a cab. Thank goodness too cause if we had to walk there, we would have gotten lost! Cab fare from the hotel to the restaurant was $5.

Dinner at El Guacho - $106.00 for both of us. We didn't have a reservation for dinner that night. The wait was going to be about 45 minutes. So, they offered a table upstairs in smoking and said that there were others that weren't smoking and just wanted seating. So, we said okay and took the elevator to the 2nd floor. It wasn't very smokey, however, you could tell it was the designed smoking area. There was certainly a lingering cigarette smoke smell in the air. We shared the shrimp cocktail. The shrimp were enormous! We also shared the Caesar Salad. I think this was probably the best Caesar Salad I've had in ages! Since I don't eat red meat, I decided on Pumpkin Soup and the Caribbean Seafood Sampler. The Pumpkin Soup was wonderful! I think I could have had that all night. As for the seafood sampler, it wasn't really up to par. Especially having eaten at Driftwoods and Chalet Suisse the two nights before. However, Artemis selected the Filet Mignon and loved every bite! Of course, we had to have a ChiChi and Aruba Ariba with dinner. The ChiChi knocked me out!!! I felt overly full as well as sleepy. So, I skipped dessert, but Artemis had the Oreo Crust Cheesecake. She said it was incredible. Not the typical cheesecake she's had back home in NYC. She said it was more of a mousse texture.

It was raining when we left the restaurant... it sort of felt good, but it made everything so dark. We got a cab back to the hotel, and pretty much called it a night since it was late... and we told ourselves we had to be good and attempt to wake up early on Sunday morning.

Our last full day on the island... we knew we wanted to get some more time out in the sun... and it seemed the best since most of the shops were closed. So, we decided on trying out the all you can eat breakfast at the Renaissance - Café Brasserie. It was a nice buffet with an omelet station. $35.00 for both of us for breakfast.

After breakfast, we headed over to the island to get in the last full day's worth of sun. Definitely baked and roasted... and worked on finishing off that bottle of Hawaiian Tropic Artemis had purchased. Afterwards, we headed back to the hotel. Wanted to grab a bite to eat before we went over to the spa for our massages. So, we had a couple of caesar salads at the Blue Martini Bar. Quite nice and relaxing.

Earlier in the week, Artemis and I had made appointments at the Okeanos Spa at the Renaissance. I had orginally planned on going with the Water Lily After-Sun Soothing Body Wrap. However, when we arrived, they looked at me and noticed that I didn't have too much of a sunburn and suggested I forgo the Water Lily wrap because it would be too cooling. So, instead, we both got Swedish Massages! OMG! It was my first ever massage. I know, I must have been crazy to wait so long to have a massage. It was absolutely incredible. I went with 50 minutes and Artemis had the 75 minute massage... afterwards, we were both definitely in a state of relaxation that felt like we could have drifted into a long deep sleep. It was wonderful!

After our massages, we figured it was time to figure out dinner. So, we went back to the front desk and asked for a recommendation. It was our last night on the island so we wanted to make sure dinner would be something wonderfully memorable. Nelson at the Renaissance recommended Marandi. He called the restaurant to see what seating was still available and the only reservation left was 930PM. Which turned out to be great timing.

We went back to the room to get ready for dinner and since we were still in a state of relaxation, we took it really slow on getting ready. We took a cab from the Renaissance to the restaurant - $8.00.

Dinner at Marandi - $136.00 for both of us. It was definitely worth it!!!! The bread and dip they serve was delicious. The pumpkin seeds and the pesto in the dip was sooooo yummy! We stared at the menu and wanted to try everything!!! Since it was getting hard to decide, we asked our waiter on what he'd have if it was his last dinner on the island. He recommended the Salade-Marandi and the ‘Ménage à trois’. So, Artemis and I shared the Salade–Marandi. On their website, it's described as an Italian style salad of fresh mozzarella, tomato, pesto, pine nuts & spring onions. It was wonderful! The mozzarella had a wonderful melt in your mouth texture.

We also shared the Marandi Supérieure cause I have a thing for figs. The website describes it as a delicious palet of Parma ham, fresh figs, spinach leaves, grated Peccorino cheese & a honey dressing. Wow! It was absolutely incredible. Just the right combination of saltiness and sweetness.

For our entrees, Artemis had the Catch of the day served with fresh home made tagliatelle & a truffel sauce. Our waiter said it was a local fish, but I can't recall the name. It was a nice firm white fish. I went with the waiter's recommendation and had the ‘Ménage à trois’ - grouper filet, lobster tail & shrimp served with potato-herb pancakes & a lobster tarragon sauce. It was absolutely perfect!

We figured that if our salads and entrees were this incredible, we had to have dessert. So, we shared the Apple Pie with the Mint Syrup and Vanilla Ice cream... to die for! We also ordered the Apple Pie with just the Mint Syrup to take away as a thank you for Nelson's recommendation.

We were the last guests at the restaurant. Our waiter called a cab for us since it was so late. So, Tommy came by to pick us up. He waited as we took a few snapshots in front of the restaurant. Cab from the restaurant to the Renaissance was $8.00.

When we got back to the hotel, we dropped off our thank you for Nelson at the front desk. Artemis and I still were chatting about how wonderful dinner was. And since we had such a wonderful day between the sun, the spa and dinner, we figured we had to try our luck one more time at the casino.

We went back to the room to get the bucket of quarters we had won the other night and headed back down to the Crystal Casino. I think we were both a bit crazy cause we laughed a lot... and when we were at side by side slots and both had accumulated enough on the win count, we whipped out the camera to catch the quarters go "ka-ching ka-ching ka-ching" on a short video clip.

I have no idea if cameras are allowed in the casino. But no one stopped us as we laughed hysterically and did our crazy "ka-ching" show. After we taped a few clips, we decided that we weren't going to win the big jackpot and get $18,000 to afford the timeshare at the Marriot's Surf Club... so, we decided to call it a night.

Attempted to wake up early since it was our last day on the island... we managed to wake up at 8AM... got into our bathing suits... went down to reception and requested a late check-out. Yippie! We now had until 2PM to check-out instead of noon. We went down to the lobby/mall area and grabbed muffins and coffee from Umbrellas at Renaissance Mall. Then, took the shuttle boat out to the island. We spent a couple of hours trying to catch a few more wonderful sun rays to make sure we were thoroughly baked and roasted!

About 11AM, we figured we still had to do a lot of last minute souvenir shopping, so we reluctantly took the shuttle boat back to the resort. We then walked over to the Seaport/Renaissance Mall area and dashed around like mad tourists shopping for last minute items. Definitely got quite a bit of stuff! Wondered how in the world we were going to be able to pack everything! We picked up t-shirts and knickknacks. Also, we had to stop at the Scuba Aruba shop to get the "Every Hour is Happy Hour" t-shirts we had seen in one of the display windows. With time slipping away, we went back to the Aruba Aloe shop at Renaissance Mall to pick up a few more bottles of sunscreen and lotion.

Afterwards, it was back to the room to clean up and attempt to cram everything into our suitcases and check-out of the hotel. We ended up using some of the totes we bought to use as carry-on. We figured it was just going to be easier to each check a bag.

Close to 2PM, the clock won't stop... so we had to go down and check-out. It was so sad. We didn't want to leave... but we had to get into the cab to go to the airport. Our flight to Philadelphia was set for 5PM. We got to the airport and didn't have much of a line to check-in. Going through security and customs was quite easy... I did have to give up my Clementine at US Customs... so much for having a snack before the flight.

NOTE:Okay, so to end the trip report at a "happy" point, it would be here... if you want to finish reading what happened on our US Airways flight home, then I guess it would be okay to continue... but it might be depressing... or it might make you angry... or it might scare you about what's happening with US Airways...)

Anyway, waiting at the gate wasn't too long. Artemis and I watched some of our video clips on the camera and made a couple more of saying bye for now to Aruba. Our flight leaving the island went quite smoothly. We both napped for a few hours and woke up about an hour before landing in Philadelphia.

What a shock to land in Philadelphia!!! The pilot had announced that there were clear skies, but then he added that it was only 18 degrees in Philly! OMG!!!! Thank goodness I had changed into jeans and a sweater at the airport in Aruba.

We landed a bit earlier in Philly. But we had to sit on the plane for another 20 minutes. Why? There wasn't anyone available to drive the jetway to the plane. So, we had to sit and wait. I couldn't believe that it was the start of the holiday travel week, and they didn't seem to have anyone working!!!

This is where an incredible vacation begins to end on a sour note. After 20 minutes, we finally were able to deboard the plane. OMG! It was freezing! Artemis turned to talk to me and all I could think was, is that her breath in the air?! And I replied and saw mine! It was that cold!!! When we get into the concourse, we don't have too far to go. Our outbound flight to DC was just a few gates over.

But, the airport was freezing! It was as though they didn't have any heat turned on anywhere! Even the water in the restroom was ice cold! I thought restrooms were supposed to have hot water in the faucets for sanitary reasons. Anyway... Artemis and I walked around to stay warm and stopped at the coffee stand. We both opted for hot hot hot tea... and it was certainly hot. I just held the cup to warm my hands. We went back to our gate to wait. At least we had hot tea to attempt to stay warm. Other people at our gate just stared at us funny wondering where our winter coats were.

Then, the flight back from Philly to Reagan National -- well, our flight was supposed to board at 940PM... the gate attendant that had been at our gate disappeared around 915PM... the pilot of our flight came off the plane and started looking around at 930PM for the gate attendant. No one in sight... he walked over to the other gate and asked where the gate attendant was... the woman said the attendant was on her break but would be there shortly...

So, 940PM... you'd think at boarding time, someone would be there and give the whole lecture about since we're flying into National that no one was allowed to stand within 30 minutes of landing and that since the flight time was shorter than 30 minutes, this was a no standing flight and stuff.

But no... no one was there. No airport personnel and no US Airways attendant. Quite a few of us went to the other gate to ask about the gate attendant... we even asked the supervisor that was strolling along like she had other stuff to do.

Still... no one... 10PM comes along... our flight leaves at 1010PM... she finally strolls up as if she didn't want to be there that night... eating her popcorn and ignoring the hundreds of people at the gate.

1005PM - she finally deems it okay to acknowledge everyone... and starts taking boarding passes... but the nitwit forgot to unlock the gate to the jetway! So, we're all crushed down at the bottom of the ramp and the people behind me didn't bother to budge and tell her that the door was locked. So Artemis hiked back up the ramp to tell her, and she acted quite annoyed by the situation.

Anyway, after getting out of Philadelphia, our flight back to National was fine. Our pilot was great. Of course, Artemis and I cringed when he announced that it was only 20 degrees in DC. Of course, you'd think landing back at home would be okay... but that wasn't the case.

Our flight came in at ontime at 11PM. Everything seems to be okay... until we get to the baggage claim area. Everyone stands around waiting for about 10 minutes. No bags show up. So, we wait some more. Still no bags. Some people go up to ask the US Airways staff what the hold up is... they say the bags will be there shortly. Um... yeah, right!

We then find out that there are only 2 (Yes, holiday season and only 2) guys working to bring bags from the planes to baggage carosels... so, instead of bringing the bags right away, they're waiting for ALL the flights that are arriving between 11PM and 1130PM before bringing the bags over.

We didn't get our bags until 1145PM... By then, our SuperShuttle driver had already left... Artemis and I were beginning to feel a sense of being stranded. I called the SuperShuttle service, and the person working the night shift told me all his drivers wouldn't be back near the airport anytime soon. He asked that we take a cab, and he'd reimburse me the difference... but then, after finishing the phone call with SuperShuttle, our savior stopped at the door! Yes! A SuperShuttle driver was there to pick us up! The driver happened to have dropped off another person very close to the airport, so he figured he'd swing back by the airport just in case someone else needed a ride! That someone was us!!! We thanked him profusely! We thanked him for having heat in the van!!!

Artemis and I arrived back at my house close to 2AM... just in time to lug our bags upstairs and pass out!