Just returned to Colorado after 12 days in the BVI aboard Heart of Gold with TMM. This was trip number 40 or so for my mother who first came to the BVI in 1977. We are all so happy she still wants to return to the islands despite losing my dad to cancer 10 years ago. The BVI continue to be a special place for all of us and it is wonderful for my mom to see her grand kids develop a love for the islands too. We had a group of 11 including my 6 and 8 year old boys who were excited to return for their second trip to the BVI.

It is not easy to get to Tortola in a single day from Colorado so we generally stay a night in St. Thomas and take the first ferry the next day. Our journey began with the usual excitement of a long planned trip and despite a short and restless nights sleep for all we were in good spirits as we boarded our first AA flight of the day from Denver to DFW. Originally we were supposed to go direct from Denver to MIA but got routed through Dallas. No big deal. Plenty of time for our connection to STT.

Arrive in Dallas and there is a slight delay on our connecting flight due to weather in Florida. No worries. Plenty of time to make our connection. Kids are doing great. We are going to the islands! As we near the west coast of Florida the Captain informs us that we are going to have to circle and wait out some thunderstorms over MIA. Shouldn't be more than 30 minutes. Maybe we have a problem. If our departure gate is close to arrival we should be OK. Of course we are in row 33. 45 minutes of circling and the Captain now tells us that we are going to have to land in Ft. Myers and refuel before heading to Miami. No way we can make our connection now.

However, if we can't get into Miami chances are our flight to STT won't leave on time either. There may be hope of making it to islands today after all.

An hour in Ft. Myers and things are looking bleak. We are now scheduled to arrive at the exact same time our flight to STT is now scheduled to leave. We are still in row 33.

Our short flight to Miami is without incident and we are on the ground taxing to our gate. I pull up the status of the STT flight. It is a vacation miracle, our flight has been delayed again and we will be able to make it no problem. I am smiling the kids are still doing great.

A half an hour later we are still on the ramp waiting for an open gate. Our window of opportunity is shrinking fast. The kids are still doing great. Dad, however, is starting to fray a bit. Another 15 minutes and we are moving to a gate. Time is not on our side though and our flight is now scheduled to leave as we pull into the gate.

Row 33 is towards the back of the plane. All hope drains from me as it seems to take an excruciatingly long time to open the cabin door. Lots of people have close connections everyone is up and standing. I begin to search for a hotel.

We deplaned at gate D4, our flight to STT was going out of D1. We all ran to the gate and can you believe it? Our flight has been delayed another 30 minutes! We will make it to STT tonight. Granted it will be midnight and our kids will have been travelling for over 19 hours at that point but we will be in the islands.

We quickly grab some food for the kids and get ready to board at lucky gate number D1. Interestingly our new departure time comes and goes, there is no announcement, no information at the gate, nothing. Another 15 minutes or so pass and a fellow passenger says, “It looks like we are going out of gate E5 now.”

Good lord, E5? This is confirmed about 10 minutes later by someone at the podium and 150 tired travelers make the schlep though D to the Sky Train to E terminal were we go through what seems like an absurdly long concourse to reach our gate. There is however no plane at this gate and in fact there are not even any lights on at the gate.

This is where things start to get a little weird. I pull up my American Airlines app and instead of E5 it now says D1. You have got to be kidding. We are not going anywhere until we find out where our plane is really leaving from. As it turns out D1 was right all along.

150 very tired and now somewhat angry travelers make their way back through the interminably long concourse E to the Sky Train where we return to concourse D. The route back to concourse D has also gotten longer and my kids are asking how many miles have we walked today.

Did I mention that it is now midnight and we are scheduled to arrive in St. Thomas at 2:30 am?

We arrive back to D1 and there is no information on the board and no one from AA is saying anything including “hey sorry we sent you on a two mile goose chase to E5.”

I kid you not, another 45 minutes passes before anyone from American says anything. When they do finally communicate there is a near riot in the Miami Airport.

Our flight is now leaving from gate E10. You know E10. It is just a little past E5. I am pretty sure we can find it.

My kids are somehow doing just fine and think this is all kind of funny. I have been beaten into submission and walk zombie like the entire 4 miles back to E10.

Long story long, we arrive in St. Thomas at 4:00 am. Take a cab to Windward Passage, sleep a couple of hours and take the first ferry to Tortola.

The first ferry turns out to be the first ferry I rode in 1980 to the BVI, The Bomba Charger. We survive being below with the diesel fumes and the one child who is prone to sea sickness somehow makes it without blowing chunks.

By 3:30 we are in The Bight, I am drinking a cold Carib and kids jumping off the bow. Life is good.