Jump to content

happy cruzer

Members
  • Posts

    6,936
  • Joined

Recent Profile Visitors

The recent visitors block is disabled and is not being shown to other users.

happy cruzer's Achievements

5,000+ Club

5,000+ Club (4/15)

  1. Please report how it goes with the corkage fee. Since the wines by the glass are ordinary we usually carry on wine. If they do not charge a corkage fee when you have a package that is a pretty good value.
  2. Good question. We typically do the free upgrade to Princess platinum. Hopefully op has that policy. it is tricky in that sometimes they want you to travel at a certain time and cruisers decide to do a different option. And it only covers things booked through Princess. Credit cards often have some travel insurance.
  3. Just WOW! Thank you for the responses. I've read them many times and each time see a new item of interest. In the past we have always done a credit card for the cash back feature. And been an AAdvantage member (but no status at this time) because of business funded travel out of DFW. So at this time we are most comfortable with AA but starting to explore the options using their partners. The two Citi cards that I mentioned in the original post are offering 70000 mile bonus at this time as well as extra miles for AA purchases. That is why they moved to the top of my list. And I believe that as long as you have the card the miles do not expire and if the card is cancelled the miles do not expire for two years. The drawback for cards that get miles for us has always been the getting to the award levels, limits on award ticket availability, and mile expiration dates. Did the Barclay's AA card for one year to get the AA miles then cancelled it one year ago. Looking at the terms for the Citi cards that does not seem to be a problem. Just trying to make a good plan and avoiding a big mistake. Again thanks for all the very useful advice.
  4. Hello, Thanks to all the excellent info on the USA to Singapore thread (special shoutout to Gardyloo) we are looking at booking a Oneworld RTW ticket (business class). Lots of information out there. So our interest started because we were planning a trip to Madrid in the fall and an cruise March 2025 that starts in Singapore and ends in Hong Kong. Our home airport is DFW. Played with the Oneworld tool to see what the options are. Of course our plans are getting more ambitious :). It looks feasible to start in Oslo for the Europe part of the trip, then do a US part in the middle, then the Asian part and finally end in Oslo. I am sure to need to do much more detailed planning in the next two month. But what seems to be important now (so we have the card to use to purchase the flights) is to apply for a credit card that gets miles (AA seems to be the most usful). So looking at the AA site, they are currently offering Citi AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite and Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite. Anyone care to share an opinion on which credit card to pick? We are leaning toward the Executive because of the Admiral's Club access, credit for Global Entry, and the extra mile awards. But if purchasing the business class RTW get lounge access, then it really comes down to value of the miles. We have not booked with miles very often so have a hard time determining the value. Advice? Sorry, if this question is vague, getting started on the learning curve.
  5. Did you purchase airfare? Did the price on that change? Sometimes if the airfare has gone way up in price and cruise price drops, your bottom line is about the same which may take some of the sting out. Have a great cruise!
  6. Thanks GeezerCouple. I do read the Cruise travel insurance page. It has helped me a lot. That's how I found that my credit card generally has enough for my travel insurance. And I do supplement my medical coverage for trips depending on the trip difference. I was curious about coverage for flight ticket that is paid for as one unit and extends for 365 days. If no one responds here, I definitely will ask on the other page. Also thanks for saying double check. The 60 day limit was for trip cancellation/interruption. The credit card does cover trip delay for 365 days, at a low limit of coverage but probably good enough. Are we having fun yet 🙂 ? All good.
  7. Thank you the post about RTW tickets. I have been looking at the OneWorld option and it seems to meet my needs. Any pointers about travel insurance for the flights? I normally use my credit card for air travel insurance; it's good enough normally. But it excludes travel over 60 days. So I think that means on ticket purchased for travel over 365 day would be excluded. Also when you are traveling and need to make a change, who do you contact? Oneworld or the individual airline? Again thanks and I am doing my research but thought you might could point me the right way based on your experience.
  8. Good luck with the fan. I took one on for a RCL cruise that started in Tampa. The cruise had delayed boarding due to fog so it was madness in the security area; I'm not sure they were being as picky as usual. Enjoy your reviews. Thanks.
  9. So can you book with flights by celebrity one year out then shop for better tickets then perhaps cancel the flights before final payment? Could be a nice safety net.
  10. Maybe. Every ship has items that have distributed costs. A water slide may add less per passenger on a mega ship than better dining on smaller lines. We just focus on the price that includes the items we want, if there is extra stuff no big deal.
  11. You say the Indonesian dish was tasty yet you don't rate HAL's lasagna or meatloaf? Food is indeed subjective; many would go just the opposite. 🙂 Agree the higher cost proteins are what people mean about quality declining. Sometimes its the labor intensive items like baked goods. It's all subjective. Like you recommended research and proper expectations are important.
  12. Maybe it's your expectations. If you expect exactly what you had in the past, you probably will be disappointed. Looking at restaurants in our area, the offerings are not what they used to be and the cost is up. Same on cruise lines. So yea, we pay more and get less. We have found that if we avoid beef, we can get a fair meal most places. Plus the majority of younger diners do not want the "old" traditional dining experience anywhere - land or sea. We find that it is hard to even find the traditional dining and if you do it really costs because it is so rare. If you can adapt to the change by setting your expectations, then you can still enjoy.
  13. I don't fancy spending a huge amount on a special cruise because there are no guarantees. You do not know that the ship will make a port or what the weather will be. Too much like putting all your eggs in one basket. Rather we like planning nice trips/cruises with several options in case something happens. Whenever someone says trip of a lifetime, I start to worry because stuff happens and Murphy's law seems to rule. 🙂
  14. Mdr on carnival seems to have better traditional dining times. And for us a better menu. We do the mdr on carnival and upd on rccl.
  15. No designated driver? No searching for a restaurant near you? Good start!
×
×
  • Create New...