And So It Begins
If you are considering travel during Spring Break, don’t do it. It’s painful.
But since I didn’t have a choice in the matter, I boldly embarked for the airport this morning. It’s amazing how Spring Break can transform a crowded airport that normally functions well into a place of total chaos. I’ve never seen so many clueless people in all of my travels. They slowed down the check-in lines, TSA line, and security.
As feared, the flight to Orlando was packed full of parents with their children in tow. They were all over the place, like an invasion. Babies, toddlers, small children, older children — you name it, they were all on my plane. And once on the plane, all of them played musical chairs multiple times to make sure they were sitting together. It was a sight to behold — truly unlike anything I’ve ever witnessed before.
The business travelers were few and far between. We tried to maintain some semblance of normalcy by ignoring the chaos, but it was tough. I’ve never been so glad to get off a plane in my life.
Once in Orlando, I got away from the Spring Breakers as soon as I could. I’m here to represent my company at VoiceCon (the largest communications technology conference in my industry). It’s is being hosted again at the Gaylord Palms. The Gaylord is a pretty cool place — like a mini city encapsulated in one resort. Check out the pics below:
Don’t feed the gators.
The Gaylord Palms room.
This isn’t the best room I’ve had at the Gaylord. I prefer rooms with an interior view of the atrium (see pics above), but it’s still decent. The furnishings are nice, the bathroom is huge, and it has a full shower with a bench (no tub), which is a rare find in a hotel.
The room features a computer with hotel services (messaging, conference info, etc) and free Internet access for those who don’t have their own computers — a nice convenience. For business travelers, it’s also equipped with wireless (IMO every hotel should have wireless. I hate it when they don’t offer it).
The service at the Gaylord is outstanding. Check-in was fast and room service came in less than 30 minutes. If you are headed to Orlando, it’s definitely a resort to consider visiting while you are here.
After the pre-show meeting, we headed to Sunset Sam’s (Gaylord’s Seafood restaurant) for dinner. I’m not a big fan of seafood, but everything is fresh here, so I decided to try the Mahi Mahi (blackened with Cajun seasonings). It was fabulous. I highly recommend it.
The show starts tomorrow, and since I’m working the late shift, I should be able to participate in the morning workshops. It will be a long day (booth duty ends around 8 pm), but it should be fun.
Have a great Monday!
