Starting our Journey
Our trip started smoothly. We had a quick breakfast. Our driver was waiting for us at 6:45 am, as scheduled.
Arrival at the airport was effortless. There was no line at the Business Class check-in desk. Our Global Entry pass included TSA Precheck. Again, there was no line. We proceeded to the lounge and had another breakfast. Our flight was delayed by half an hour, but we received ample status reports via text and email. Our flight was uneventful, which is always delightful. They served us a lovely lunch about halfway through the flight. Immigration and customs in Canada was quick and easy. Somehow, in all of the transfers, I lost my cane. It was not the first time and undoubtedly not the last time.
Getting to the hotel was very frustrating. My instructions from the hotel had been to call their shuttle line and request a pickup after we collected our luggage, which is what I did. No answer. I tried calling the hotel. Again, there was no answer. I tried both numbers two more times. We walked to the shuttle pickup area and found someone waiting for the same hotel. He said the hotel had told him it would be a half-hour before they picked us up. We went back into the warm terminal and waited. A shuttle to Best Western showed up at the expected time. Unfortunately, it was for the wrong Best Western. Later, another Best Western van arrived. Again, wrong Best Western. We discovered that there are three nearby Best Western Airport hotels. Worse, our fellow passenger had been calling the wrong one. Eventually, we did get through to our hotel and got picked up. The total elapsed time for the 10-minute drive was two hours! The hotel was short-staffed. They were sharing duties as front desk and shuttle driver.
For supper, we walked to the restaurant attached to our hotel. It was highly short-staffed. One guy filled every role: greeter, waiter, etc. Apparently, much of their staff was out sick. The dinner was delicious nonetheless.
PATH
Friday was our only full day in Toronto. Alice was exhausted from rushing for months to move and prepare for this trip. She stayed at our hotel and rested.
It was bitterly cold and windy—not unexpected in Toronto in February, but we’re packed for Tahiti and the South Pacific. Even wearing every layer I had, I was still cold, so I decided to stay indoors as much as possible.
Toronto has something called PATH, a network of underground pedestrian tunnels that create the largest underground shopping complex in the world. The staff at our hotel had never heard of PATH, but I found it without their help. It was a nice, warm walk with lots to see. I bought a new cane and a large bottle of spring water for Alice.
For supper, we attempted to go back to the same restaurant. This time, they were so short-staffed that they were closed. We walked (in the cold) to the nearest restaurant.
Flight to Florida
It was already time to leave Toronto. We had breakfast at the hotel and took their shuttle back to the airport. No delay this time.
Air Canada has separate gates for flights to the United States and a separate check-in desk for Business Class customers. We had snacks in the lounge and proceeded to our gate. We passed through United States immigration and customs prior to boarding our plane. It was scary easy! We followed the signs to Global Entry. Another sign said to look at the camera. We didn’t push any buttons; we just looked at the camera. It printed something out. We handed the paper to the immigration officer. He looked at Alice, said, “You must be Alice,” and waved us through. We never showed anyone our passports. It was all done by facial recognition.
Once onboard, the flight attendant offered us a preflight beverage, which is normal in Business Class. I told her this was the first leg of an Around-the-World tour and asked if she had any champagne for us to celebrate. She didn’t but had prosecco, a white sparkling wine from Italy, similar to champagne.
The flight was uneventful. Always a delight.
Our driver was waiting for us at the Orlando Airport. He took us to The Villages—more on that in the next post.