tiredsportsmom
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2013
Wow our vacation flew by!!!
Thursday, June 14.........travel day
We managed to meet at Hardee's for breakfast on time!! Gave DGD L (10) & DGD A (8) their birthday bags I had been putting together. DS G (11) had already gotten his that morning at home. They all had $25 Disney gift card (Little Mermaid for L, Minnie for A and Spiderman for G), along with markers, Disney poster to color, travel games (Connect 4 and Trouble), printed puzzles, games to play, etc.
Uneventful traveling stopped couple of times to get gas, bathroom breaks, nothing exciting. Didn't make a note of stop, but someone left their wallet in the bathroom stall I went in, turned it in to check out counter, hope she got it back!
Reached Brunswick, GA around 7pm. This is when everything started going down hill...... Since we weren't sure how far we would feel like traveling and we had to pick up another DGD A (10) near St. Simons, GA we didn't make any reservations anywhere. MISTAKE!!!! Our usual go to Best Western was full, along with Hampton, Holiday Inn and couple of others. DGD A (8) starts getting upset because we are joking around about sleeping in the Winn Dixie parking lot, she wants to go home.... Nope, not going to happen little girl! We have stayed at Econolodge's before with no problems so when they said they had some rooms available that's where we headed. Got 2 rooms side by side in the back. Driving around the building gave us first clue this wasn't going to be good..... lots of people in very back of parking lot drinking & smoking, lot of trash on ground. Decided to check out rooms before getting luggage out. DIL had trouble getting light switch to work, but room appears okay. I open our door about of 1/4 of the way and gag, opened all the way and said "NOPE, no way". There was an industrial size fan under the vanity in front of bathroom blowing full force and I'm getting sick at my stomach because of the smell. DGD A(8), came over and said "Nana, your room smells worse than the zoo!" It smelled like mold, mildew and something dead!! DIL is checking the sheets on one of their beds and feels dampness! Get back in the cars, go back to front office to ask for refund, neither employee seems surprised, doesn't offer other rooms , just credits our cards and said sorry! Back to room looking, finally find 2 at Sleep Inn, one on 2nd floor, other on 3rd. DIL & I go check them out while others wait outside. Large clean rooms with clean, dry sheets and no bad smells!
By now it's 10 pm DS E (34) wants to go to Denny's since we have just snacked all day long. He misses the turn, so DH get in front and makes a turn, DS E is in other lane but makes the same turn, here come the blue lights!! We pull over along with DS E, they never talk to us and thankfully don't give DS E a ticket or warning! Pull in Denny's parking lot, it looks closed it's so dark. 4 employees in parking lot smoking, go in when we start to get out of car. 2 rather interesting characters come out, start walking down the road, 5 others seated in the very back of the place, we decide to find a McDonald's! Finally make it back to rooms, showers and bed around midnight!
Thursday, June 14.........travel day
We managed to meet at Hardee's for breakfast on time!! Gave DGD L (10) & DGD A (8) their birthday bags I had been putting together. DS G (11) had already gotten his that morning at home. They all had $25 Disney gift card (Little Mermaid for L, Minnie for A and Spiderman for G), along with markers, Disney poster to color, travel games (Connect 4 and Trouble), printed puzzles, games to play, etc.
Uneventful traveling stopped couple of times to get gas, bathroom breaks, nothing exciting. Didn't make a note of stop, but someone left their wallet in the bathroom stall I went in, turned it in to check out counter, hope she got it back!
Reached Brunswick, GA around 7pm. This is when everything started going down hill...... Since we weren't sure how far we would feel like traveling and we had to pick up another DGD A (10) near St. Simons, GA we didn't make any reservations anywhere. MISTAKE!!!! Our usual go to Best Western was full, along with Hampton, Holiday Inn and couple of others. DGD A (8) starts getting upset because we are joking around about sleeping in the Winn Dixie parking lot, she wants to go home.... Nope, not going to happen little girl! We have stayed at Econolodge's before with no problems so when they said they had some rooms available that's where we headed. Got 2 rooms side by side in the back. Driving around the building gave us first clue this wasn't going to be good..... lots of people in very back of parking lot drinking & smoking, lot of trash on ground. Decided to check out rooms before getting luggage out. DIL had trouble getting light switch to work, but room appears okay. I open our door about of 1/4 of the way and gag, opened all the way and said "NOPE, no way". There was an industrial size fan under the vanity in front of bathroom blowing full force and I'm getting sick at my stomach because of the smell. DGD A(8), came over and said "Nana, your room smells worse than the zoo!" It smelled like mold, mildew and something dead!! DIL is checking the sheets on one of their beds and feels dampness! Get back in the cars, go back to front office to ask for refund, neither employee seems surprised, doesn't offer other rooms , just credits our cards and said sorry! Back to room looking, finally find 2 at Sleep Inn, one on 2nd floor, other on 3rd. DIL & I go check them out while others wait outside. Large clean rooms with clean, dry sheets and no bad smells!
By now it's 10 pm DS E (34) wants to go to Denny's since we have just snacked all day long. He misses the turn, so DH get in front and makes a turn, DS E is in other lane but makes the same turn, here come the blue lights!! We pull over along with DS E, they never talk to us and thankfully don't give DS E a ticket or warning! Pull in Denny's parking lot, it looks closed it's so dark. 4 employees in parking lot smoking, go in when we start to get out of car. 2 rather interesting characters come out, start walking down the road, 5 others seated in the very back of the place, we decide to find a McDonald's! Finally make it back to rooms, showers and bed around midnight!
