Miami 2022: Diary – Day 9

The alarm went off and we reluctantly rubbed our eyes and got up. While we didn’t have an early morning flight, we needed to hurry to get to breakfast when it opened in order to have enough time to get to the airport.

Breakfast and Checkout

We were greeted by the familiar hostess from previous mornings who sat us in the restaurant this time instead of the back area we had normally been placed. We had a nice view of the river and watched several boats come in. On many the party was still going strong from the night before!

We quickly ate and signed the check before heading up to the room to finalize the packing. We triple checked our youngest’s bag for a water bottle as he has a history of getting stopped at security. Most of the time it’s not his fault for putting the bottle there, but he doesn’t check as rigorously as he should before heading to the airport. We of course found a bottle we had put in the bag from the Moxy hotel a few days prior.

Downstairs I ordered the Lyft while I checked out. I was worried it was going to take awhile to get one as it had on previous days, but fortunately it was only a few minutes away.

At checkout I checked the printout and was surprised at the amount on the bill. I expected some charges from the rollaway bed, though I had hoped they would look the other way on those due to their mistake at checkin giving us a room with someone else’s gifts in it.

The part of the bill I was more concerned with was they had added an amount of gratuity on the bill from breakfast that I definitely did not add. While I don’t want to take anything away from the workers, and I’m sure they didn’t enter the gratuity as it was entered on the bill, it definitely wasn’t accurate.

In addition, as a Globalist, the terms and conditions specifically state the tax, service charges, and gratuity are included in the free breakfast. What I think happened is that there was an automatic gratuity added to the bill. I also added a tip and they ended up charging me for both the automatic part and the part I added. If it was just the part I added, that would be fine, but I shouldn’t have been charged the automatic part, which was also not clearly specified on the bill as such.

It was a bit of a mess, but when I challenged that part they quickly wiped it off the bill. This is why I always check the receipt when I check out!

Airport Chaos

The Lyft driver arrived shortly after I completed checkout and we were lucky to have a minivan. It easily held all our luggage and comfortably seated the four of us. It was an uneventful 45 minute ride to the Ft. Lauderdale airport.

The airport was a different story. While we expected it to be busy, we were not prepared for HOW busy it was. There were long lines to get to the checkin kiosks and equally long lines to drop off checked bags. Several people were flying internationally and there was a lot of confusion.

Clear Registration and Checkin

We were fortunately to be there with plenty of time so we could patiently wait our turn. Once our bags were safely dropped off, we headed for the security lines. PreCheck didn’t have much of a line but the regular security line was quite long. We noticed that there was also a line for Clear.

As a benefit of my AMEX Platinum card I got last summer, I get a yearly $179 credit for clear. With that and a discount any United MileagePlus member can get, I was able to get the service for both myself and my wife. The kids can go through with us for free so the family is covered.

I had already registered my biometrics, but my wife had not. The line wasn’t busy so we decided to go through that process since the registration takes only a couple minutes. We had the time and we would be done with it.

The process was painless for and we were quickly on our way the the assistance of a helpful agen. We didn’t save any time this time, but a few days later my wife was traveling for work and, due to flight cancellations/rebooking and the related chaos, she found herself needing to get through security quickly and Clear came to the rescue. She made it home just hours before a snowstorm hit!

Going through the security check, my youngest made it through without incident. My wife wasn’t so lucky, though. Her back got flagged for a liquid. In the end they found a jar of some sweets from home and they took it away. She was bummed, and it was a chocolate spread and not anything most people would consider a liquid. She should have eaten it!

Flight Home

The gate areas were also crowded but we were able to find a seat to wait for our boarding time. Our plane was on time and the flight was uneventful. We were happy to land back at the Westchester County Airport, though we found even that was busy. There were multiple flights with luggage on the belt in baggage claim, though the crowds quickly thinned out once the bags arrived.

The boys were hungry (hangry) so while I waited for our bags, I sent my wife upstairs to see if the restaurant was open. She found two restaurants, though one was more of a bar and they seemed to share the same kitchen. In any case we had a good meal that hit the spot.

Once we finished it was time to call a Lyft. Despite being an airport, the closest ride was almost 20 minutes away. We waited inside because the weather outside was a far cry from the 70+ degree weather we had experienced in Miami!

While the driver had to drive further to come pick us up than he drove us to our house, he was pleasant and professional. Despite the cold, we were all happy to finally arrive at home.