It was certainly an adventurous arrival!  I awoke at 4AM to get ready for my shuttle to the airport that was set to pick me up shortly after 5AM.  Well, they were on time!  It was a rather nice ride to the airport, as early as it was, and I was greeted at the departure gate by several of my principal colleagues who had arrived a bit earlier than I.  We spoke and immediately knew it was going to be a great time together!

LC’s flight was later than mine and I knew he would end up meeting me at our resort after he rented the car.  I departed the DC area on time and arrived in Orlando ahead of schedule.  That is where the transportation’s ease ended.  Please keep in mind the Central Office had arranged and paid for all of our transportation and accommodations, so we were all just following the itinerary they had provided us.  With that said, we got to the desk where the hotel shuttle was arranged and presented the confirmation number that proved we all had a ride to the hotel.  Well, all but one of us was in the system and luckily he had missed the flight and would hopefully be arriving some time later in the evening.  The trouble would come up again upon our return when a ticket would have to be purchased for him even though our confirmation shows a paid trip and their system did not show the same information.  Well, he wasn’t there so no big deal.  That fiasco took about 45 minutes.

We all finally boarded the shuttle and we were dropped off at a nice Hilton Resort.  The problem is, this is Orlando and there are dozens of Hilton Resorts.  Yes, you guessed it, we were dropped off at the wrong Hilton!  Another 30 minutes later, a shuttle brought us to a much grander, and the correct, Hilton Resort across from Sea World.  Fun!  Well, we’re not there yet…

Arriving at the check-in desk, the first person checked in successfully as she is our Head of Schools and the first on all our lists.  Then I was next…and I was not in the system.  OK, to make the long story short and sweet, the ten rooms booked online never fully loaded into the Hilton database so most of us did not show on the computer.  Luckily, the rooms were secured and our suites…and I DO mean suites, are lovely.  A king size bed, kitchenette, balcony with a beautiful view of the lake, a lovely sitting area and TV are all standard amenities here in the resort.  This is nice – and a great spot to lay my head.

LC joined our group shortly after we were all settled in our suites, almost four hours after landing.  What an experience!

LC and I spent some time by the pool, swimming and relaxing in the hot tub.  Nice!  I have begun to take photos that will be posted on Flickr when I return and have already begun purchasing some things to send back to the house.  Tonight we relaxed at a sidewalk table of a very nice wine bar in downtown Orlando, a very gay-friendly and family-friendly series of neighborhoods.  A very nice start to the conference and vacation weekend.

Workshops start at 8:30AM tomorrow and I already have my events scheduled out with a selection of exciting presentations.  There is always an opportunity to grab some free stuff in the exhibit hall, things I can use as gifts for the staff when I return.  Aren’t I a nice boss?

Let the journey here in Orlando continue!