And update and a thank you to all!
This board is an amazing place, and I want to thank all those who advised me and held my hand when I needed it. It helped in more ways than I can explain, and owe all of you. My heartfelt thanks.
So, here's what happened:
I called FSS the day before the flight, and made a reservation. I gave them the information regarding my car service. The next day, on the way to the airport, the called the car service, and confirmed I was on my way. Then, the FSS rep called me on my cell, when I was a few minutes away from the airport, and I described myself (blonde, trenchcoat, wheelchair). He was waiting for me outside the terminal, boarding pass in hand, and took it from there.
I had packed extremely light, concerned about the weather, so I had nothing to check in. The FSS rep took me through security and it went much quicker than usual (even with the rigamarole of the special manual check due to my being in a wheelchair). I still had an hour to kill prior to boarding, so I was taken to the Admirals' Club, where I munched on a bagel and had a Diet Coke. A gentleman introduced himself, and asked if there was anything on the news about Isaac. It turned out he had homes both in NYC and San Juan, and had been booked on the evening flight to SJU. That flight had been cancelled, and he had been re-booked on the 6:40 am flight. He warned me that, as a result of the cancellation of the evening flight, he suspected our flight was overbooked. At that point, I was glad to have the FSS and to be in the AC, where, if the flight got cancelled or anything else went wrong, I could more easily and personally get the issue resolved.
A few minutes later, the FSS came to take me to my flight. He took me to the gate, and I was pre-boarded (this part I am used to in any event).
The flight itself was uneventful --a 738 which, even when completely full, is quite comfortable in F. The seats are (IMO) a great improvement over the 757s which used to fly this route, and the little trays everywhere (to hold drinks, for example) make much better use of space. The seats are very, very comfy, and the cabin is, somehow, incredibly quiet. Which, given my state of mind, probably helped. I ended up listening to some soothing music on my iPad.
We arrived at 10:40 -- exactly on time. The 11:20 Eagle flights to the Leeward Islands were cancelled a few minutes later, much to the chagrin of several passengers.
In general, I would say that if you are flying under difficult conditions, or you need a little extra help for whatever reasons, FSS is worth the money. They speed things up, give you assistance every step of the way, and are incredibly helpful with the little things. OTOH, for the everyday type of flight, where you are simply trying to get from point A to point B, and you really don't need assistance (not saying that shorter TSA lines and waiting in lounges rather than at the gate does not make for a more pleasant travel experience for all), I wouldn't bother. It's just a great thing to have in your back pocket in certain circumstances, very useful, and good to know about.