“I had a feeling we our weekend cruise to The Bahamas was going to be canceled. I was right. Almost the minute our flight landed in Orlando last Thursday, we started hearing cancellations were possible. Once we got the word we were stuck. I had some hotel points, so my wife Donna and I decided to avoid trying to rebook a flight back to Denver. We chose instead to soak up some sun in Orlando.
On Friday, we went to Daytona Beach where it was Bike Week. From the looks of things, nothing was any different than any other Bike Week. When we returned to our hotel, we found ourselves with many other would-be cruisers at the pool. One group of three ladies had settled into their cabins when the cruise operator asked everyone take their things and leave the ship immediately. Another group of six college students from Iowa were also asked to leave their ship. When the Theme Parks were closing on Sunday, it started getting very real.
On Saturday morning the hotel advised us that they were taking precautions: Only one restaurant would be open for breakfast. No buffet. Menu only. Different restaurant for lunch and dinner. The bar remained open (thankfully). Hand sanitizer stations suddenly materialized at the elevators, the entrance to the hotel and the entrances to the restaurants. There were a lot less people at the pool. By Monday we could count guests at the pool on one hand.
Tuesday was our day to return to Denver. There were exactly six people at breakfast. Four at the pool. The Orlando airport was chaotic as usual. It was when we arrived in Denver that I was struck by the new reality: The usual crowd of cars at baggage claim was thinner. The parking deck seemed lighter. The off-site parking that normally has thousands of cars in dozens of rows was vacant. Our car and about 20 more were all that remained of the thousands that were there just 96 hours earlier.
The whole trip had a surreal feeling to it. Ordering dinner at our favorite Mexican place and having them bring it out to the car only amplified that feeling. It’s a bit like how it felt in the aftermath of 9/11. The difference this time: It’s probably going to last a lot longer.“
Must be nice hanging out at home I work 10 to 12 hours a day we don’t stop for anything so far. The office staff are working from home. I enjoy the show been a listener for many years.Hang in there guys.