'Goldilocks' Hard Luck Story Wins Thrifty Car
Rental's HONEYMOON DISASTERS(R) Contest
Thrifty Seeks Equally Horrifying Entries for 2002 Contest
TULSA, Okla., Feb. 14 "Who's been sleeping in my bed?
More importantly, who's been using my bath towels?"
That's the question Debbie and Steve Meyer of Sudbury, Massachusetts,
asked themselves when they arrived at their honeymoon hideaway in Maui prior
to the wedding. They discovered the place in shambles and the previous
renters still in residence -- and in no hurry to leave! After playing
bellhops to the interlopers and helping them out with their bags, the Meyers
discovered a paradise of unmade beds, grimy floors, greasy pans and
refrigerators growing science experiments. And that's just the beginning of
the Meyers' outrageous story. For their troubles, Thrifty Car Rental awarded
them with a second honeymoon -- the Grand Prize in the company's 7th annual
HONEYMOON DISASTERS(R) Contest.
Things didn't get much better for the Meyers once the squatters cleared
out. With the wedding only hours away, the couple decided to clean up, and
went in search of towels. Finding none, they called the owner who returned
with towels, which he proceeded to shake and sniff. "I think this one's
clean," he said, handing one to the bride-to-be. That's when they left to
find more appealing accommodations.
Once they lucked into a condo (clean, no less), the Meyers had only
20 minutes to shower and dress prior to meeting the minister. They greeted
him with wet hair, and Debbie realized she had forgotten her shoes. After
finding them, they returned to a locked church and were forced to have an
impromptu outdoor wedding in a graveyard next to the church.
Charles Lindbergh (deceased) and a number of German tourists (living) were
members of the wedding party. "Of course, it was the rainforest," said
Debbie, "so it rained!"
It wasn't until the next morning -- after the honeymoon -- that the
minister delivered the real kicker: Due to a technicality, they weren't really
married! Once the papers were signed (for real this time), they spent their
first day as husband and wife on a secluded hike in the rainforest. While
admiring the scenery along a steep path, they heard a scream, and were
enlisted by rescue personnel to find a person who had fallen from a rocky
cliff.
The Meyers, deciding they'd had enough excitement for one day, returned to
the condo expecting to sip mai-tais (think "travel brochures"), and found the
condo completely enclosed in a giant tent for insect fumigation. Would the
fun never end?
Thrifty is ready to pop the question again: How disastrous was your
honeymoon? Send your tale of honeymoon horror to Thrifty (must be postmarked
by September 30, 2001). The winner will be announced on Valentines Day, 2002.
The 2002 Grand Prize features a sun-drenched second honeymoon to the
Cayman Islands including roundtrip airfare on Cayman Airways, an ocean view
villa for six nights at Villas of the Galleon, six day car rental and $1,000
cash from Thrifty Car Rental. Also included in the prize is a special tour
package with:
-- an Atlantis Submarine excursion;
-- a $200 gift certificate to the Hyatt Regency Grand Cayman Rum Point
Restaurant;
-- tickets to the Queen Elizabeth II Botanic Gardens;
-- a half-day snorkel excursion from Captain Marvin's Watersports; and
-- a half-hour jet ski rental from Kirk Sea Tours.
To share your own disastrous story or view contest rules, visit
http://www.honeymoondisasters.com or the Thrifty Car Rental web site at
http://www.thrifty.com or write your story and send it to:
HONEYMOON DISASTERS 2002
c/o Thrifty Rent-A-Car System, Inc.
Corporate Communications Dept.
CIMS #1020
P.O. Box 35250
Tulsa, OK 74153-0250
Entries not made on-line must include name, address, phone numbers
(daytime/evening) and e-mail address (if applicable).
Other honeymoon hijinks in the most recent contest include:
Kristin and Todd Ragsdale, MI: Disaster started small with luggage that
didn't make it to Cancun, but got more serious when Todd became nauseous and
dehydrated, and on the third day of their honeymoon lapsed into a diabetic
coma. A generous uncle paid $15,000 to get them airlifted to Houston as
Todd's organs began to fail. Kristin says that it was only through the
prayers of friends and family that Todd narrowly escaped death. "Did I
mention that on the fifth day of our honeymoon, I was sharing a hotel room
with my dad?" she said.
Debby and Joe Hutchins, FL: If sharing a limo ride wasn't bad enough, the
couple got an even bigger dose of Debby's obnoxious brother when he cancelled
their honeymoon suite in Long Boat Key, Florida. The newlyweds were stuck
with the only room available -- one being renovated, and overlooking a putrid-
smelling trash dumpster, not the beach! Then there were her persistent
brother's phone calls in the middle of the night asking if they liked the
room. Revenge is still very much on their minds.
Karen and Jonathan Gaines, FL: This couple learned the hard way what it
means to "miss the boat." During an eight-day Alaskan Cruise, they went
ashore in Ketchikan to buy salmon, and on returning to the dock, were shocked
to see the cruise ship pulling away early. Kindly stevedores took them by
tugboat to rendezvous with the ship, where they were forced to climb a rope
ladder in rough seas between two moving boats. But the tasty salmon was worth
the Indiana Jones stunts, according to Jonathan.
Karen and Gustavo Ramirez, CA: After a boat trip to Isla Mujeres, Mexico,
Karen and her husband were literally sent "up the river" when she accidentally
stumbled into a local boy who had recently had ear surgery. The boy's mother,
who had "connections," had them arrested and jailed overnight. When a judge
wouldn't hear the case, they convinced the police to let them go with a
$200 fine. To make matters worse, Gustavo's wallet was missing an additional
$100 when the police gave it back.
Jodi and Neal Weisbrod, NY: How many hurricanes does one
couple have to experience before they start taking it personally? First was
Hurricane David that struck on Day Three of their honeymoon in St. Maarten,
turning their beachfront villa into a sea of dead fish. Then came Hurricane
Frederick, knocking out the electricity, closing the airport, and washing up
two dead fishermen on what remained of the hotel's beach.
They made it home just in time to experience Frederick again as it struck
the eastern seaboard.
Christie and Ron Manning, OH: They were headed toward a charming bed and
breakfast in Vermont when their car was hit by a semi-truck, spun 180 degrees
and flipped several times before landing upside down in the median. They were
okay, if you didn't count the staples in Ron's head, Christie's arm in a sling
and the "his" and "hers" cervical collars. The first night of their honeymoon
was spent rubbing Ben-Gay on one another's sore spots and falling asleep with
the assistance of pain medication.
Melanie and Mark Broome, FL: The conspiracy to ruin their Costa Rican
honeymoon started out small, with two single beds at the quaint bed and
breakfast. Then there was the upgrade to the hotel room with the squeaky bed
that bordered an outdoor restaurant with noisy patrons lurking nearby. Add an
ornery thief at the beach who stole all of their valuables, broke into their
rental car and then cancelled their airline reservations, and see if you
aren't paranoid, too!
Once again, contest storytellers proved that love and humor can carry us
through even the most difficult times.
For contest rules visit http://www.honeymoondisasters.com or http://www.thrifty.com.
Thrifty Car Rental, with its affiliate Thrifty Car Sales, is a subsidiary
of Thrifty, Inc. Thrifty Car Rental is one of the world's largest
international car rental franchise networks, consisting of over 1,200
locations in 61 countries around the world. Thrifty, Inc. is a subsidiary of
Dollar Thrifty Automotive Group, Inc. .
Note: To enter the 2002 Honeymoon Disasters Contest, or to read from our
stockpile of disastrous stories from previous years, visit
honeymoondisasters.com or thrifty.com on the worldwide web.
