Orlando Airport

Today I am in Charlotte, NC for a corporate team meeting, and it’s late buy I’m not sleepy. So, being a roadwarrior-lite (lately, anyway) I decided to try the new Microsoft Office Live Beta. I chose the Essentials package, to see if it would be useful for project management.

Well, two weeks into it, I decided I didn’t like it (at least not for the price). So I decided to cancel the beta, before I was charged.

Not easy, at all. I followed the steps to get to the Support Page, then the Cancel My Account page. But the page was empty. I tried it several times, and each time the page was blank. So I called the support number that Help finally coughed up. Then they needed to give me to another callcenter. Then another. Finally, I got the right number you need to cancel an Office Live account. To save you some time, here it is: 866 591 5483.

Available 24/7, but you’ll wait on hold for a long time. I called at 11:30PM on a Thursday night, and waited 20 minutes to speak to someone.

Here are our top 7 posts, in order:

1. [Airport Parking Secrets]
   
2. [Rental Cars]
3. [Vacation Home Rentals]
   
4. [Bus] information
5. [Airport Limo]
6. [Nearby Hotels] with free shuttles is very popular.
7. Money and ATM info is here.

Due to today’s foiled terrorism plot in the UK, new security measures have been put into place at all US airports, including Orlando.

First, all flyers should arrive two hours early for flights, even domestic ones.

Also, no liquids or gels are allowed in carry on bags. That means no toothpaste, hand creams, hair gels, beverages, or any other non-solids are being permitted on the aircraft.

Please note, the language says “on the aircraft”. That means liquids or gels purchased inside the airport, even after you have passed through security, will not be permitted onboard. Any beverage you buy while waiting for departure will have to be consumed before boarding.

For road warriors who ONLY use carry on luggage and never check bags, this new will require some thought on how best to pack, what to buy at the destination, and whether it now is necessary to check a bag.

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From the Dayton Daily News. By Clark Howard

Contributing Writer

You can’t walk through the lobby of any Orlando hotel these days without seeing signs for reduced rates or free tickets to the area’s amusement parks. Of course, there’s a hitch: You have to hear the pitch of salespeople who want you to buy a time share.

The dream they’re selling is having a place at a luxurious resort where you can vacation each year. You buy either a specific week or points that can be exchanged for any week. There are people who adore this system, so much so that they buy multiple weeks at various places.

They like that it forces them to take a vacation when they may not otherwise have left town. Other people love that you can buy a share in a particular place but use it like a voucher for another place anywhere in the world.

Owning a time share means having a perpetual obligation. You own it forever, and you can pass it on through your will. It’s fine as long as you want it. But that’s the end of the good news.

The shock sets in when people see their maintenance fees go up or get hit with assessments that leave them with no rights to appeal. When you buy a time share from a developer, most of what you pay for is marketing, sales, promotions and commissions. Almost none of the money goes to the value of the time share. Typically, time shares lose 80 percent of their value immediately. What other purchase would you want to make that loses that much?

Another problem arises when you want to sell. Most people find that it’s almost impossible to do. I get a lot of calls and e-mails from people who want to give their time share away, and nobody will take it! Because they lose so much value and are so difficult to sell, I consider time shares to be a defective purchase.

Another problem arises when you want to sell. Most people find that it’s almost impossible to do. I get a lot of calls and e-mails from people who want to give their time share away, and nobody will take it! Because they lose so much value and are so difficult to sell, I consider time shares to be a defective purchase.

People who are still sold on the idea would do well to buy one from someone who’s desperately trying to get rid of it. Some buyers have found good deals on eBay, but I’d suggest doing a lot of study on the resort before you buy. Check out the Timeshare User’s Group site, www.tug2.net, for information.

If you have a time share you cannot sell and you just want to be rid of it, consider donating it. Look at donateforacause.org. They’ll be happy to take it off your hands!

Posted Question: Last time I returneda car at Orlando i forgot fill the tank and it costs too much .

Answer: Yeah, I get caught with this fairly often, too, especially on business travel.

Here’s a link to the nearest gas stations for Orlando International. I usually use the one on Hofner (item “F”) on the map.
-Dean

Just a quick followup to the post about the Atlanta airport. The person ahead of me entering the Delta airlines lounge used an American Express platinum card (the ‘real’ amex platinum card, not the Delta-branded one), which gets you into the Crown Room free if you’re flying Delta that day.

I had never seen anyone ahead of me ever do that, so I asked the desk agent if they see it a lot. She said it’s becoming so common, that Delta hardly ever sells new Crown room memberships (at the desk?) anymore.

The American Express Platinum Card (www.americanexpress.com/platinum) provides free access to Delta, Northwest, and Continental airport lounges, in Orlando and everywhere else, on the days you fly that particular airline. It’s pricey at about $400/year for an annual fee, but that’s about the same price as membership for even one of those airline’s clubs, so if you travel on those airlines a lot, it’s a good deal.

I’m on a 1 night trip to Atlanta, and once again I had to fly into Atlanta (Hartsfield) airport. And once again the same thing bugs me about this airport. The design is one long corridor, instead of a more modular design (like you-know-what-airport).
Now, no offense to the fine citizens of Atlanta, but why design an airport like a ladder or long tunnel, so that everyone has to take the same train to get to Baggage and Ground Transportation? If you’re unfortunate enough to deplane at Terminal C or farther, it takes too long to get out of that airport. Add to that the fact of the train being underground, not elevated, and I already feel hemmed in and a little less happy before I even get to Avis . I appreciate the nice mural with the happy people that greets you when you finally start to emerge from the underground train lair into the sunshine, but at that point it’s too late. I already feel a little dehumanized.

At least the above-ground part of the airport is nice and open. And the city itself is amazing, with great food. I stayed at the Hilton Atlanta Airport this time, and was very pleased. A bit pricey at $169, but free candy and bottled water, and Starbucks in the lobby, made it feel more like home.

-dean

Extra note: flying back home, I saw the same ID-checker I usually do, still smiling and making people feel better. If she’s not paid extra for that, she should be.