Comments on: CONTEST We want your vacation horror stories http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/2009/06/15/contest-how-vacation-became-a-horror/ Where Atlantans come to share where their travels have taken them and the places they'd like to go. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:53:02 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Martha Kamens http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/2009/06/15/contest-how-vacation-became-a-horror/comment-page-2/#comment-1303 Martha Kamens Fri, 23 Oct 2009 17:04:12 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/?p=260#comment-1303 At the end of July, I flew from Denver, Co to Orlando, Fla, to meet my husband who drove down a week earlier. Our 2 week vacation was going to consist of All the attractions, and visiting family, going boating, just having a great vacation. We left Orlando airport and decided to continue driving somewhere to spend the night, before we went to Miami. We found a hotel in Fort Pierce, had dinner and went for a swim in the pool.I had been in Florida for about 2 hours. After my shower, I was in the room and all of a sudden my leg collasped from under me. I couldn't get up. Paramedics were called, I was taken to the hospital, I had broken my fibula in five places. So my vacation was spent, in the hospital, where I had a rod put in my hip, 1 week in the hospital, and 4 weeks in a rehab hospital, trying to get strong enough to fly home. I am still in therapy. The only Vacation Pictures I have to show are xrays, and pictures of my injury. The best part of this vacation is when I arrived home. At the end of July, I flew from Denver, Co to Orlando, Fla, to meet my husband who drove down a week earlier. Our 2 week vacation was going to consist of All the attractions, and visiting family, going boating, just having a great vacation.
We left Orlando airport and decided to continue driving somewhere to spend the night, before we went to Miami. We found a hotel in Fort Pierce, had dinner and went for a swim in the pool.I had been in Florida for about 2 hours. After my shower, I was in the room and all of a sudden my leg collasped from under me. I couldn’t get up. Paramedics were called, I was taken to the hospital, I had broken my fibula in five places. So my vacation was spent, in the hospital, where I had a rod put in my hip, 1 week in the hospital, and 4 weeks in a rehab hospital, trying to get strong enough to fly home. I am still in therapy. The only Vacation Pictures I have to show are xrays, and pictures of my injury. The best part of this vacation is when I arrived home.

]]> By: Julie from California http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/2009/06/15/contest-how-vacation-became-a-horror/comment-page-2/#comment-1262 Julie from California Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:03:34 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/?p=260#comment-1262 Enter your comments here Enter your comments here

]]> By: Julie from California http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/2009/06/15/contest-how-vacation-became-a-horror/comment-page-2/#comment-1261 Julie from California Fri, 09 Oct 2009 02:02:09 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/?p=260#comment-1261 Left for what we thought was our dream vacation, as we have never been anywhere tropical. Left for Cabo San Lucas Mexico to stay at the VILLA DEL PALMAR resort Upon arrival we notice alot of construction all of which we were told there was none. To make this nightmare into a short story... Withing the first three days we were transferred into three different rooms each having there own problem. Air conditioning - smell- bugs etc. We asked to be transferred to our original time share resort which is on the same property., but there were no openings for at least 3 days. To pack up again and unload the refrig. is not what I had in mind.. So we all know the time frame here. We arrived on Thurs. Sept. 17th, we got into our final room on Saturday the g19th On Monday the 21st the fun begins... I woke up on Monday morning with a bite on my leg not really thinking anything of it until later that afternoon when it started to swell and become very sore. I went to report it ASAP to make sure who ever needed know about it knew about it. That night it got very swollen. I was told to go to the pharmacy downtown to see the on sight Dr. She glanced at it and prescribed three different meds. I showed the meds to our concierge in charge and she said it wasn't the right meds. I had to go to the on sight Doctor and in doing so , had to go daily to have lanced so it could drain. On the first day of the doctors visit, I asked what he thought bite me and he said it is definately a SPIDER. we complained like you wouldn't believe and were told due to the construction things happen. They also said that the rooms get sprayed every other day, 5 days under doctors care and in unbelievable pain. Oh yeah I was told not to drink, stay out of sun and rest!!!! I am in Cabo and this is what I get to do? 5th night was unbearable The morning of the 6th day the doctor had to come to our room and we wre told I needed to got to the hospital a sap . I spent 6 days in the hospital had six different surgeries , cancelled our flights twice and in the end was told we can't leave until we pay $10,000 All along being told not to worry about it because of all the issues we had gone through and everything will be taken care of. Are you kidding me!!!!! Yes lady's and gentlemen this is a true story and we are still dealing from the traumatic experience. I still have a hole in my leg, see a specialist her daily, lost my job and have no money coming in... Sound like fun? Sounds like a NIGHTMARE to me.. Let me know what you think. Left for what we thought was our dream vacation, as we have never been anywhere tropical. Left for Cabo San Lucas Mexico to stay at the VILLA DEL PALMAR resort Upon arrival we notice alot of construction all of which we were told there was none. To make this nightmare into a short story… Withing the first three days we were transferred into three different rooms each having there own problem. Air conditioning – smell- bugs etc. We asked to be transferred to our original time share resort which is on the same property., but there were no openings for at least 3 days. To pack up again and unload the refrig. is not what I had in mind.. So we all know the time frame here. We arrived on Thurs. Sept. 17th, we got into our final room on Saturday the g19th On Monday the 21st the fun begins… I woke up on Monday morning with a bite on my leg not really thinking anything of it until later that afternoon when it started to swell and become very sore. I went to report it ASAP to make sure who ever needed know about it knew about it. That night it got very swollen. I was told to go to the pharmacy downtown to see the on sight Dr. She glanced at it and prescribed three different meds. I showed the meds to our concierge in charge and she said it wasn’t the right meds. I had to go to the on sight Doctor and in doing so , had to go daily to have lanced so it could drain. On the first day of the doctors visit, I asked what he thought bite me and he said it is definately a SPIDER. we complained like you wouldn’t believe and were told due to the construction things happen. They also said that the rooms get sprayed every other day, 5 days under doctors care and in unbelievable pain. Oh yeah I was told not to drink, stay out of sun and rest!!!! I am in Cabo and this is what I get to do? 5th night was unbearable The morning of the 6th day the doctor had to come to our room and we wre told I needed to got to the hospital a sap . I spent 6 days in the hospital had six different surgeries , cancelled our flights twice and in the end was told we can’t leave until we pay $10,000 All along being told not to worry about it because of all the issues we had gone through and everything will be taken care of. Are you kidding me!!!!! Yes lady’s and gentlemen this is a true story and we are still dealing from the traumatic experience. I still have a hole in my leg, see a specialist her daily, lost my job and have no money coming in… Sound like fun? Sounds like a NIGHTMARE to me.. Let me know what you think.

]]> By: Dianne Earle http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/2009/06/15/contest-how-vacation-became-a-horror/comment-page-2/#comment-764 Dianne Earle Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:10:02 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/?p=260#comment-764 Every year my husband and I and our dearest friends travel to Myrtle Beach for bike week. We are not hard core bikers as some are, but we are middle aged (maybe a little more than middle) white collar folks who just love to ride and enjoy the experience. About 2 years ago we decided to try a new place. Everything was great on the ride to the beach, but once we arrived we were informed in no uncertain terms that the bikes could not be parked in the parking lot as this reserved for "club members" only. I didn't realized at first what that meant but my husband and friend just said "yes, sir" and moved the bikes to a place they were allowed to be parked. Well, turns out the hotel was the same one the Hell's Angels chose to stay at. They had nearly every room in the place and we were the outsiders. There was a patio with a grill, tables, etc, and a sign that said "Club Members Only", so we were not permitted to use anything on the patio even walk out onto the deck. There was also a pool, but to be honest we were too afraid to use it. The worst part was not the bikers themselves, but when we looked out our windows all we could see were, Myrtle Beach policy, SLED, U.S. Marshalls, etc. Any law enforcement agency you could imagine was there with there binoulars and cameras 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They had the entire building surrounded. It was a little scary to say the least. The hotel refused to give us back our money to try to find another hotel, so we decided to try to make the best of if. Everytime we would leave or come back to the hotel, our pictures were taken by law enforcement and I am sure we are in some book somewhere as known associates of the Angels. The entire vacation was ruined because we never knew if gunfire was going to breakout due to some nervous law enforcement agent and we felt as if we used any of the amenities we would be in deep trouble. Needless to say, we will not be returning to that hotel anytime. Every year my husband and I and our dearest friends travel to Myrtle Beach for bike week. We are not hard core bikers as some are, but we are middle aged (maybe a little more than middle) white collar folks who just love to ride and enjoy the experience. About 2 years ago we decided to try a new place. Everything was great on the ride to the beach, but once we arrived we were informed in no uncertain terms that the bikes could not be parked in the parking lot as this reserved for “club members” only. I didn’t realized at first what that meant but my husband and friend just said “yes, sir” and moved the bikes to a place they were allowed to be parked. Well, turns out the hotel was the same one the Hell’s Angels chose to stay at. They had nearly every room in the place and we were the outsiders. There was a patio with a grill, tables, etc, and a sign that said “Club Members Only”, so we were not permitted to use anything on the patio even walk out onto the deck. There was also a pool, but to be honest we were too afraid to use it. The worst part was not the bikers themselves, but when we looked out our windows all we could see were, Myrtle Beach policy, SLED, U.S. Marshalls, etc. Any law enforcement agency you could imagine was there with there binoulars and cameras 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. They had the entire building surrounded. It was a little scary to say the least. The hotel refused to give us back our money to try to find another hotel, so we decided to try to make the best of if. Everytime we would leave or come back to the hotel, our pictures were taken by law enforcement and I am sure we are in some book somewhere as known associates of the Angels. The entire vacation was ruined because we never knew if gunfire was going to breakout due to some nervous law enforcement agent and we felt as if we used any of the amenities we would be in deep trouble. Needless to say, we will not be returning to that hotel anytime.

]]> By: Martha http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/2009/06/15/contest-how-vacation-became-a-horror/comment-page-2/#comment-739 Martha Sun, 28 Jun 2009 03:40:00 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/?p=260#comment-739 Flew into Orlando, to vacation with my husband, who drove down a week before. Went to a hotel, ate dinner, went swimming. Back into room, fell and broke my Femur in 3 places, had surgery, spent the next 4 weeks in a rehab, learning to walk. Not funny but, I think it is prize worthy. Flew into Orlando, to vacation with my husband, who drove down a week before. Went to a hotel, ate dinner, went swimming. Back into room, fell and broke my Femur in 3 places, had surgery, spent the next 4 weeks in a rehab, learning to walk. Not funny but, I think it is prize worthy.

]]> By: Lisa Geeter http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/2009/06/15/contest-how-vacation-became-a-horror/comment-page-2/#comment-732 Lisa Geeter Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:48:38 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/?p=260#comment-732 We planned this vacation for weeks. Five days and four nights in a very fancy Panama City Beach Condo. My husband, son, daughter, her boyfriend, and our family friend were all driving down together. We thought we would be extra smart and have some home repairs completed while we were away. I dreamed of coming home to a clean updated kitchen each day we were away. The night before we were to leave a thunderstorm took out the power making in impossible to pack and get things ready.(taking us off schedule) Our family friend was an hour late (taking us off schedule) The morning of our outing our son woke up with a stomach virus and was sick the entire day. Nothing says fun like traveling with a six year old throwing up for seven straight hours in a car! (schedule? schedule? what is that?) We made it to the condo only to discover that they had overbooked several families and people were standing in line to talk to managers. Luckily, we were okay and made it to our rooms only to discover that the air condition returns were right in front of our doors making the temp about 110 everytime you opened the door. The next day our daughter got the stomach virus and was sick all day. The next day someone keyed our daughter's new car. In a secured parking area no less! We were left to assume that our fellow travelers were to blame. Our family friend, who has no children, endured more than enough "family time" with our kids to ensure she will never ever have any children. The last day, the traveling home day, I had the stomach virus and had just a lovely lovely ride all the way home. Everyone was sunburned, everyone was tired, by the end everyone was sick! We stragled home barely speaking to each other and just glad to be back in Georgia!!!! My only hope was my newly painted kitchen....did that work out? Uh, no....no it did not....totally wrong color and not even finished. Our entire house smelled like paint and all our kitchen belongings were sitting out over the entire house. It was a mess! I have vowed to never ever take another vacation. It is just simplier to stay on the routine and not tempt the fates! We planned this vacation for weeks. Five days and four nights in a very fancy Panama City Beach Condo. My husband, son, daughter, her boyfriend, and our family friend were all driving down together. We thought we would be extra smart and have some home repairs completed while we were away. I dreamed of coming home to a clean updated kitchen each day we were away.

The night before we were to leave a thunderstorm took out the power making in impossible to pack and get things ready.(taking us off schedule) Our family friend was an hour late (taking us off schedule) The morning of our outing our son woke up with a stomach virus and was sick the entire day. Nothing says fun like traveling with a six year old throwing up for seven straight hours in a car! (schedule? schedule? what is that?)

We made it to the condo only to discover that they had overbooked several families and people were standing in line to talk to managers. Luckily, we were okay and made it to our rooms only to discover that the air condition returns were right in front of our doors making the temp about 110 everytime you opened the door.

The next day our daughter got the stomach virus and was sick all day.

The next day someone keyed our daughter’s new car. In a secured parking area no less! We were left to assume that our fellow travelers were to blame.

Our family friend, who has no children, endured more than enough “family time” with our kids to ensure she will never ever have any children.

The last day, the traveling home day, I had the stomach virus and had just a lovely lovely ride all the way home.

Everyone was sunburned, everyone was tired, by the end everyone was sick! We stragled home barely speaking to each other and just glad to be back in Georgia!!!!

My only hope was my newly painted kitchen….did that work out? Uh, no….no it did not….totally wrong color and not even finished. Our entire house smelled like paint and all our kitchen belongings were sitting out over the entire house. It was a mess!

I have vowed to never ever take another vacation. It is just simplier to stay on the routine and not tempt the fates!

]]> By: Dale http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/2009/06/15/contest-how-vacation-became-a-horror/comment-page-2/#comment-708 Dale Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:23:02 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/?p=260#comment-708 I loved reading the stories. Granted some of them were difficult to understand but I enjoyed reading about everyone's adventures. Thank you AJC. I loved reading the stories. Granted some of them were difficult to understand but I enjoyed reading about everyone’s adventures. Thank you AJC.

]]> By: Peabody McGee http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/2009/06/15/contest-how-vacation-became-a-horror/comment-page-2/#comment-690 Peabody McGee Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:37:40 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/?p=260#comment-690 Good lord. My vain attempts at reading some of this nonsense have reminded me of a longstanding wish of mine: that people were doomed to speak the same way they write. If they were, I'm convinced that over half the population would sound like they had Down Syndrome. Good lord.

My vain attempts at reading some of this nonsense have reminded me of a longstanding wish of mine: that people were doomed to speak the same way they write. If they were, I’m convinced that over half the population would sound like they had Down Syndrome.

]]> By: Patrick http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/2009/06/15/contest-how-vacation-became-a-horror/comment-page-2/#comment-689 Patrick Sun, 21 Jun 2009 18:33:13 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/?p=260#comment-689 I went to Georgia. I went to Georgia.

]]> By: dannette walley http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/2009/06/15/contest-how-vacation-became-a-horror/comment-page-2/#comment-687 dannette walley Sun, 21 Jun 2009 01:49:27 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/still-traveling-blog/?p=260#comment-687 what a disaster a vacation from hell a great time for family bonding better u than me what a disaster
a vacation from hell
a great time for family bonding
better u than me

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