The Subpopstar Project

The trip Michelle and I took to Mexico and the El Dorado Royale last week was a highly-anticipated vacation. Neither of us had taken a trip, especially an international trip, for several years. We aren't the type of people who do something like this annually, so when the opportunity presents itself you take it and enjoy the anticipation.

The issues began last Sunday almost immediately. We got up at 3:00 a.m. to get ready for the 6:00 a.m. United Airlines flight to Chicago. We got to the airport and checked in just before 5:00 without issue. About 5:15 I glanced at the departure board and saw red. Red as in the big red 'Cancelled' status comment. Naturally, there were a few seconds of panic as we joined the queue to find out what would happen. There had been two empty seats on our flight, so I knew capacity wasn't the issue.

We never got a clear answer from the United associates as to why our flight was cancelled, but they were helpful in rebooking us on an American Airlines flight leaving at 6:45 a.m. We could take that flight and still make the 9:05 connection at O'Hare. Naturally, United and American are in completely different terminals at Kansas City International. We had to obtain our bags from United, wait for a bus, head from terminal A to terminal C, recheck our bags with American, and make it to the gate. All this was completed in a fairly timely manner.

It was at that point American informed us the flight would be leaving an additional 30 minutes later due to a maintenance issue. Now, I'm not a huge fan of flying for the most part anyway, so flying on a plane needing maintenance isn't high on my list of to-do's. However, I was getting a bit nervous about the shrinking window for our connection. I relaxed as we boarded the plane and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise as we departed Kansas City.

As we approached O'Hare I realized how poorly the day was turning out to be. We flew by O'Hare in order to arrive from the East over the Lake Michigan. My nose was pressed against the window as we passed the airport at 5,000 feet. I wanted to head to the cabin and help turn the plane around but didn't feel my backseat driving from 15A would be appreciated. I was pretty sure the pilot knew where O'Hare was, but I just wanted us to get there a bit faster!

Taxiing on the tarmac seemingly took forever. I appreciated the scenic tour of runway 10/28 (formerly 9R/27L) but didn't need it to be that particular morning. The plane docked at gate L1, which conveniently was exactly 180° and 3.7 miles from the United Airlines connecting flight departure gate of B9. Michelle and I were glad we'd spent time in the gym as my cardiac fitness improvement was useful as we scurried through the various O'Hare terminals and concourses.

Upon breathlessly appeared at gate B9 we were met by a smiling woman in a United uniform who happily informed us 'they' didn't think we were going to make the flight as it was already boarded and ready for departure. We should have taken a time-out and just gotten an alternate flight. However, we boarded the flight for Cancun. Our luggage did not.

When we arrived in Cancun and realized our bags didn't journey with us we filed a Delayed Baggage Report with the United Airlines attendant. We soon came to realize this little document didn't mean much as the online equivalent was rarely updated and even today shows our luggage out for delivery. Surprisingly, there is only one flight daily between Chicago and Cancun. I expected there would be other flights as O'Hare is United's hub, but not true. Since there was nothing else to be done at the airport but pass out from the stifling heat we proceeded to the El Dorado Royale resort, our destination.

The El Dorado, and the folks working there, were lovely. Everyone was extremely kind and helpful. We were annoyed at the delayed bags, but Michelle was smart enough to pack her swimsuits in her carry-on and was kind enough to find room for a swimsuit and t-shirt for me. (Only later would I realize how wonderful this was!) We had booked a swim-up suite, which is as wonderful as the name implies. There are lazy rivers from one of the large pools that lead to rooms. We could step out the back door of our room and wade into the warm water immediately. It was delightful! As we didn't have any clothes appropriate for dinner we ordered room service Sunday night. We were grubby and tired so it fit the mood. The food was surprisingly good and we went to bed satisfied with the lodging at least.

Waking up on Monday I expected to check with United and find our luggage had been placed on the 9:05 flight to Cancun. I was infuriated to be told our bags were still sitting in Chicago! How could they let another plane head to Cancun and not include our bags on it? We were lucky to have booked the trip with a great travel agent in KC and she was on the case for us. I don't know what calls were placed but we found out late Monday afternoon our bags were on a Mexicana Airlines flight to Cancun and expected to arrive at 11:30 p.m. Monday. One of the resort's guest services associates was fantastic and contacted Mexicana in Mexico and confirmed our luggage was on board. We were excited at the prospect of having our belongings.

Though we had hoped to be disturbed in the middle of the night with a call telling us our luggage had arrived, we awoke Tuesday morning to no luggage or update. I'm guessing Cancun doesn't have 24-hour luggage delivery, but we were so hoping it did. What was more frustrating was we couldn't get any updates from United. The associates at the baggage call center couldn't even confirm our bags had been passed to Mexicana despite what we heard from other resources! We kept hoping for more information but it was seemingly impossible to obtain which kept us nervous and somewhat pessimistic our bags were even in Mexico.

Finally, about 2:30 Tuesday afternoon we received a call from the front desk: our luggage had been delivered!! I haven't been so excited about a seemingly simple thing in a long time. I still don't understand why it took 15 hours for our luggage to be delivered though. I know things can move at a different speed internationally, but I hoped delayed luggage would be a priority for customer satisfaction. Our spirits quickly lifted once we had our belongings in our possession. Taking a shower with our own shampoo and having clean clothes was a revelation. My extra t-shirt was so dirty I was having to stay upwind of people! We bought a few items from the resort gift shop before our luggage arrived but much there was overpriced. Finally, it felt like we were on vacation!

The El Dorado Royale guests could be divided into two primary categories: honeymooners and Europeans on holiday. It seemed as though most people from the U.S. and Canada were on their honeymoons. We actually met other folks from Kansas City which was a pleasant surprise. We met one neat couple who own and operate a bar/restaurant in Banff National Park. Another couple from Alberta lived near Jasper National Park where the husband is a snowboarding instructor.

The Europeans were dominated by Brits and Scottish. We ended up one night having drinks with a delightful group of guests from Wales. Hearing stories about growing up with an Irish mother and English dad while living in Wales was hilarious. A honeymooning couple on holiday from Nottingham provided great conversation. Michelle and I joined them for dinner our final night and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Alas, two and a half good days passed far too quickly. Before we knew it the time was up and we had to pack for our return trip. The El Dorado Royale resort exceeded our expections. We would definitely stay with them again. Michelle and I did miss out on some of the activities we had discussed due to the baggage issues, but we salvaged as much as we could. That said, the overall experience was disappointing. I hope I'm wiser now though: No more flying through O'Hare trying to make a connection!!