During my life, I have traveled many places including Colorado, North and South Dakota, Montana, and Missouri. But it is a trip to Florida and the Bahamas that stands out most of all. I have always had a close family, but this was out first trip all together. We had made plans to go to Disney World and then take a cruise ship into the Bahamas. There were 17 of us on the trip, including grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We all thought that this trip would top all trips. In a way it did, but not according to our plans. We had no idea how much could go wrong.
We were all excited as we boarded the plane in Kansas City. The plane ride was fairly smooth. Then we heard the pilot say that there was a storm in Orlando, so we would be circling until it cleared. After circling for quite some time, the pilot gave us more news. Our fuel was running low, so we had to make an emergency landing in Tampa. Finally, after three hours, our plane was refueled, the storm had subsided, and we were back on track to Orlando. When we got to the hotel, however, we found that we missed our check in time. Because the hotel was holding our Disney World tickets, we had to wait until the next morning to get them. This ruined our plans of getting to the parks early.
It was nice to get a break from the stress, while having fun at Disney World the following four days. After visiting all the parks at Disney World and Sea World, we boarded a Royal Caribbean cruise line for a three day cruise to the Bahamas. This is the time when things started to get a little complicated. My grandpa had to stay a day in the sick bay and had to have an IV for a skin infection from the sun. That evening, my mom started an electrical fire in her cabin from her curling iron. Smoke was rolling out the door. The fire crew on the ship had to come and make sure everything was okay. The next day, we were excited about taking excursions. My uncle had made plans to go swimming with the dolphins. It was cancelled, however, because the group he was with ran across a water tornado on the ocean. But even after all that excitement on the ship, we made the best of things, and still managed to have a good time.
When our three day cruise was through, we boarded a plane headed for home. We were ready for some relaxation after our very eventful cruise. However, after being airborne for about fifteen minutes, an engine on the plane blew out. Thankfully, our airplane had two engines, so the pilot was skilled enough to land the plane safely with one engine. We made an emergency landing in Tallahassee. Fire trucks had to circle our plane, before they allowed the passengers to get off. My family and I were at the airport for four hours waiting for another plane to pick us up. I personally felt terrified about boarding another plane!
We did, eventually, arrive home with memories we will have forever. I have come to realize that life is unpredictable and how you choose to handle it is important. I have also learned that it is nice just to be able to spend time with family, regardless of the problems we face. I am thankful to have a story I will tell to my children and grandchildren someday.
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