Day 6 - Orlando to Calgary.......or so we had planned.

 17 December 2025

Steve had managed to swing a late check out so we took our time getting ready to leave Orlando today. As you can see from the photo below, Steve and I were awake early this morning. Again 😠

We headed off to Orlando airport for our next adventures in Canada. Leaving Orlando at about 4pm, we had a cruisy 2.5hr flight to Toronto, landing around 6.30pm. There was snow on the ground and we would soon be catching a flight to Calgary, getting us there around midnight. 

One of Joshua's favourite artists is from Toronto so I had to take lots of photos.  I had forgotten how big Lake Ontario is, so overlooking the city at night from the sky, it was easy to think that you were flying over an ocean (or perhaps a sea). 

As we were getting ready to disembark the plane in Toronto, Steve gave me a funny look. Isabelle later described the look as a funny smile. I immediately knew it to be otherwise. I immediately had jumped to some kind of conclusion that I can no longer remember, but actually couldn't be further from the truth. 

On landing he had turned flight mode off on his phone, only to receive an email advising that our flight to Calgary had been cancelled. We would be rescheduled on a flight to departing the next morning at 0630 to Edmonton (5 and a bit hour flight), and then from Edmonton at 1830hrs to Calgary. There had been a severe weather front come through Alberta central, closing Calgary airport. We were one of many having to have their flights rescheduled. 

After many groans from the kids, reminding them that if they want to ski and holiday in snow, then we are at the mercy of the weather. We have actually been very lucky to date, given the level of travel we have undertaken during the northern winter. We have had highways open up the day we arrive, seen New York essentially shut down due to blizzards and polar blasts the day after we leave, but this is the first time (and hopefully the last, touch wood), that we have had to change our plans as a result of the weather. 

1. A quick check with Canada Airlines, who confirmed that our luggage would remain in transit and transferred to tomorrows flights. No showers tonight, or tomorrow morning for that matter. 
2. I don't think there is any chance that Steve or I would have coped or managed the next day if we had chosen to slum out the night in the airport with the kids. It wasn't exactly cheap, but managed to find a room at one of the airport hotels. A quick air train ride and we were there. 
3. Cancel the scheduled accommodation and update the car hire. Steve and I debated the merits of delaying versus cancelling some of the plans. Some of which were dependant on whether we could negotiate earlier flights out of Toronto. 
4. Attempt to get change the current Canada Airlines flights for direct or earlier. Based on the current scheduling, we would be spending a whole day either flying or in transit. Steve waiting on hold for over 2hrs trying to get through. In the end, the need for dinner won out and we aborted this altogether. We accepted the cards that had been delt. 

Somewhere amongst all of this, Steve received a text to notify us that our luggage was now available on Carousel 4. This was alarming given we had cleared customs and weren't sure how we would get back to get them, the information was contrary to what we had been advised and we had long left the airport. I left Steve on hold with the airlines and the kids and I went back to retrieve it. While this was a little inconvenient, fortunately, the carousel was domestic and not difficult to find. We did however meet a family (who had much younger children than us), who had been informed the opposite to us. They had been waiting at carousel 4 for at least 1-2hrs following verbal advise from the airlines, but no text, only to find out that they would be without their luggage overnight as it would be remaining in transit. I was feeling a little happier now.

Sure, our plans would need to change when we eventually got to Calgary, but at least we could have a shower and sleep tonight.