There is nothing better than finding that dream vacation that fits into your budget and offers an itinerary that crosses off a few items of your bucket list.  I was looking to book a cruise to the Caribbean where I would begin the cruise in San Juan.  I wanted to visit as many of the islands as possible without a full day at sea. I found that amazing vacation, now all I needed to do was to book the flight.  As I began my search, I immediately noticed that fares were anywhere from $600 to $800 per person, so much more than the actual price of the cruise.  I continued my search over the next couple of months, but the rates did not seem to budge.  I was waiting for flights to come down in price, but I was  also concerned that I would not be able to book the cruise at such a spectacular rate.  I was becoming a bit discouraged.

One Sunday, watching a football game, I happened to see a commercial that Southwest Airlines was offering flights to the Caribbean.  I immediately hopped online and found exactly the flight that met my criteria.  Two airline tickets for $400 per person round trip from Columbus, Ohio to San Juan, Puerto Rico.  I immediately booked the flight, followed by booking the cruise. Thank you Southwest Airlines!!

Fast forward to the date of my departure….

I knew it was going to be a long day of travel, but what  I did NOT know was that the date of my departure would go down in history as one of the worst snowstorms in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States.  With flights cancelling three plus days in advance in preparation of the storm, it was a bleak future for some travelers with connecting flights in Boston, New York, Washington DC and even as far south as Atlanta.

Weather stations were calling for unbelievable snow falls of anywhere from 3 to 6 inches in Ohio to over two feet of snow in Washington DC.  My heart sank, but I was hopeful that I would make it on the flight, until I realized that I did not have a direct flight, and I had a stopover before my last leg to San Juan!  Was the connection in Baltimore?  I immediately pulled up the itinerary and YEAH!  I was scheduled to fly to Orlando!  YESSS!!!  I would not be affected by the cancellations and I couldn’t be happier.  I wasn’t out of the woods yet….there could be snow in the morning causing flights to cancel.

Early morning and the first thing I did was check outside…NO SNOW.  This was really happening.  I was on my way to San Juan, Puerto Rico!  I left in plenty of time and arrived a couple of hours before takeoff feeling relaxed and overjoyed.  I watched the news learning about the horrific weather hitting the east coast.  I was saddened by the people stranded over 12 hours on highways that came to a stop because of the weather.

I had a great flight to Orlando, was provided a couple of free drinks and made it to the airport ahead of schedule.  Much to my surprise, the final flight to San Juan was just a couple of gates down from our arrival gate, again, another plus for flying Southwest!

It wasn’t until I prepared to take off from Orlando that I learned close to 20 passengers did not make it out of their originating city.  Again, I was reminded of the devastating weather in the mid-Atlantic.  I was also happy that I had booked my trip one day before the cruise so that I would be certain not to miss the ship.  It was time to just sit back and enjoy the ride to San Juan!  Thanks Southwest!  I will definitely fly you in the near future.  Thanks for saving my vacation.

If you are interested in booking your flight through Southwest Airlines, visit their website at www.southwest.com or call them at 1-800-I-FLY-SWA!!

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We made it to San Juan, Puerto Rico!!