Today was travel day back home :-(. We had the best time and were so bummed to leave! When I ran into Kim and Mike the day before they said we could join them for their transportation back to the airport that was leaving at 9:30am. We woke up around 7 again and went for breakfast.
At breakfast we all ordered the same thing we’d had the day before! I really loved that omelet and today Allyssa and Katie got to try the chive butter too. We all three had an immunity shot to stave off any germs from the plane.
After breakfast we headed to the beach shop one last time. Allyssa and I had both left our purchases on the boat at the dinner ferry so we were able to get them back from Red Sail. We shopped for a bit then went to the other shop at the Kimpton. They had a dress on display that Allyssa had been eyeing for days but unfortunately it turned out the only size they had was too big for her. We left that store and headed back to the beach shop one more time because Katie decided she wanted a gift for her mom that she’d seen. While we were there I also got a few gifts for my sisters. Katie started saying “see you next time” instead of goodbye so that we would have to return to the island! Allyssa and I loved this and adopted it immediately.
We left the beach shop for the last time (for real this time) and went to grab our stuff from the room. We said see you later to the lovely room and oceanfront view and headed down to meet Kim and Mike.
The transportation they had arranged only cost $10 per person, while the one we took from the airport when we arrived was $40! It was nice to feel like we were getting a deal and we really appreciated Kim and Mike inviting us to join them.
When we got to the airport we checked our bags then went through security. Allyssa had the SSSS on her boarding pass so they thoroughly dug through her bag and patted her down. Good news, she was deemed not a threat. Bad news, they made a mess of her stuff and she had to re-pack it all. Kim had also been stopped by security so we were already off to a great start.
At the airport we did a little shopping. Katie and I both got sweatshirts and Kim and Mike got a bottle of rum. When we were done shopping we all grabbed food then played Monopoly Deal. It was weird playing open hand now that we actually knew how to play, but in a shocking turn of events Mike emerged victorious. Allyssa asserted once again that she is not good at the game, however Katie and I remain suspicious. Before we were able to play another game Katie had to board her flight to Miami. We said “see you next time” then Kim, Mike, Allyssa, and I headed back to our gate to wait for our flight.
The flight to CLT was thankfully uneventful. When we arrived the customs process was so easy I didn’t even realize when it was over. I had to collect my bag at baggage claim then recheck it a little ways up. Allyssa had been conditionally approved for Global Entry so she had her interview during this but we met back up. We had to go through security again as though we had just arrived to the airport so we said “see you next time” to Allyssa then Kim, Mike, and I got in line for security. Mike and I made it through without event, however apparently the bottle of rum Kim had purchased in GCM had a bottom too thick for the machine to read so she was unable to carry it on. She had to be escorted back to the area to check bags, then escorted back to the security line. The process took quite a while!
While Kim was having fun with TSA, Mike and I went to scout somewhere to have dinner. We found a place that had burgers which Mike had said was what Kim wanted. We grabbed a table and waited for Kim.
Once Kim arrived we had a lovely airport dinner. The most notable item on the menu was chips and guac for $19. I could not figure out what in the world $19 worth of guacamole would look like but it will remain a mystery because I was not about to spend the $19 to find out.
After dinner I walked Kim and Mike to their gate and hung out with them until boarding. Following my final “see you later” for the trip I was on my own. I headed to my gate to await the flight to CLE which was unfortunately delayed. Other than the delay the flight went smoothly and we landed back in CLE sometime after midnight. I took an Uber home and arrived around 1am.
And that concludes my time in Grand Cayman – for now! This was an incredible vacation with so many highlights, we counted down for months and it was so much better than I even anticipated. I had the time of my life doing activities like scuba, sunset sail, jet skiing, stingrays, etc etc. It was also super fun to spend some down time at the beach. This was the first time I had met Katie and Allyssa in person and they were so awesome, plus it was super fun to make all the friends we did. I am so grateful the trip made it out of the KKL Fan Club Teams chat and am already looking forward to the next one.
In the wise words of Katie Kennedy,
See you next time!
Allison Around the World 