March 18, 2016, 9:35am Brussels airport
Approximately 18 hours into first trip with two kids and 13 year old niece
We stop for bathroom break after deplaning from our longest leg over the Atlantic. Everyone has their carryons. All toys and pillows accounted for. Out of habit, Dan turns his phone back on. Everyone uses potty, baby girl gets diaper changed. Signage is limited so we begin walking, looking for the gate for our connecting flight to Venice.
Dan’s phone buzzes with email from airline. Most likely just alerting us to the time of departure. We walk a little faster and soon see immigration gate (no line) and decide to ask the young man behind the counter for directions. He directs us to exit the airport (a little scary), in order to take lift up a floor and talk to agents at the counter. We do so.
Dan gets in line. Betsy takes kids (and niece) aside for quick snacks.
Agent: “I’m sorry the flight has been cancelled.”
Dan: (sigh) “Ok, how long is the delay?”
Agent: “There is no delay. The flight has been cancelled. There is a strike at Venice airport. No flights in or out today.”
Dan: (various expletives) “What are we supposed to do? We have no place to stay in Belgium. We purchased tickets to Venice.”
Agent: (checking monitor, typing for several minutes) “There is another flight at 22:15 (10:15pm, more than 12 hours from now).”
Dan: “Is that our only option? And how do we know that won’t get cancelled?”
Agent: “We can’t know for sure. But strike is usually over by 20:00 (8pm).”
Dan: “So, we could wait here in the airport for 12 hours and still not have a flight.”
Agent: “Correct.”
Dan: “We are traveling with small children [always use this when traveling!], do we have any other options?”
Agent: (back to monitor, more minutes typing) “At 14:00 (2pm) you can fly into Milan via Munich. We have 5 tickets left.”
Dan: “Wonderful. What flights are available from Milan to Venice?”
Agent: “There are none. Venice airport strike still going.”
Dan: “Then how do we get to Venice. The destination I paid for when I purchased 5 tickets six months ago?”
Agent: “No need to worry there are trains departing Milan for Venice at regular intervals.”
Dan: “The train? So, I will need to purchase train tickets upon arrival and hope they are not sold out.”
Agent: “Correct. Unless there is a strike at the train station too.”
Dan texts Betsy to come to the ticket counter. We discuss and decide to take the chance on Munich-Milan-Venice instead of waiting for a guaranteed 12 hours for Venice flight that might be cancelled anyway.
We get our tickets and head to the terminal with 4 hours until our Munich flight. It’s tempting to lose our minds over this but the kids have done well so far and are just sitting there finishing some crackers not really affected in the least. We take a moment to appreciate their composure or perhaps indifference. Dan takes a walk, comes back with Belgian waffles. We play games and take a bunch of walks to look at airplanes taking off to pass the time. We explain to the kids that we’ll be stopping in Germany on the way to our apartment to Venice.
March 18, 2016, 2:25pm Brussels airport
Approximately 22 hours into first trip with two kids and 13 year old niece
After reassuring our 3 year old that he will still get to see gondolas, we board our flight to Munich-Milan just then remembering to send a text to our Venice Airbnb host Francesca. She assures us we’ll be ok and looks forward to meeting us. Other than the nightmarish flight situation, not a total catastrophe so far. Very strange.
March 18, 2016, 8pm Milano Centrale train station
Approximately 28 hours into first trip with two kids and 13 year old niece
We arrive in the evening in Milan. Buy train tickets, text update to Francesca, and begin our 3 hour train ride to Venice. Francesca has offered to contact the water taxi service we originally had reserved for 12pm and asked them to instead be at Santa Lucia train station at our new arrival time: 23:50 (11:50pm).
March 18, 2016, 11:35pm Santa Lucia train station
Approximately 28 hours into first trip with two kids and 13 year old niece
Venice! Remembering a sunnier more typical experience we had in 2008 when we were here last, we anxiously begin searching for our water taxi when a when a man steps out and asks: “Daniel?” in a great Italian accent. “Yes.” (Grateful expletives, then…) “Yes” again.
A 20 minute zip through the lagoon and back streets canals that we would never been able to navigate ourselves, and we are at our apartment. Just a little over 12 hours late. Francesca welcomes us and proceeds to show us how the oven works, when to take the trash out, and a bunch of other very helpful things as hosts will do.
Pajamas on, teeth brushed and a quick family meeting on how well the kids did and how proud we are of them. We also explain that by getting here so late we have unfortunately missed our of our Venice days on the itinerary but that we’ll still get up early and explore to make up for this delay.
The entire house slept until noon the next day. Turns out staying awake for 30+ hours when traveling with kids is tiring. A quick lunch and we were at the Frari Church (in situ Titians!!) and soon riding a gondola through the Grand Canal.
Lessons learned:
- Be prepared for anything – snacks and books, and activities helped pass the time on flight and through delay and train ride
- Be a team – no one is to blame (Venetian strikers, perhaps?) so make sure you support each other. Tell the kids the same. You’re all in it together.
- Embrace the adventure – “Hey everyone, I guess we’re going to Germany. Who wants to sit by the window?”
- People are kind – Our host not only waited for us for 12 hours but arranged for transportation and was quite reassuring throughout our little ordeal. It was very much appreciated and we told her so. To which she looked at us like we were crazy. What was she going to do, leave a family stranded?? Still, we thanked her again.
If you told us it would take 30 hours to get to Venice on our first trip with two kids and a niece we might have reconsidered. In hindsight it went quite well. No screaming, tantrums, or fighting and eventually the grownups even relaxed a little and used the opportunity to do some fine tuning to the itinerary. Can’t wait to go back (directly, please) to Venice in a few years with the kids.
Talk soon,
Dan & Betsy
Family conversation topic: What’s in your family “go bag” should you have a long delay or change of plans? Maybe each family member can contribute an item or two into this emergency-only bag.