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Chase offers 10x total points on most hotels and cars and 5x total points on flights when you purchase through Chase Travel. However, you need to be careful because at times the dollar or points cost more than if you were to book directly with the provider. I have found my points go further with United if I transfer them rather than use them to book through Chase Travel. I try to book when flights first become available. You need to be careful with United because their points requirement bounce all over for a week or so before they settle down...then they tend to gradually increase. When preparing to book, check the required number of points required for a flight two to three weeks before your flight date to see what you should actually expect to pay. When our flights to London became available, United initially wanted 275,000 points per person for one-way business class. We paid 120,000 points after waiting a couple of weeks...today the cost is up to155,000 points. When I book United with points, I go through the booking process until I need to apply the points, I then go to the Chase website to transfer the points over to United. It happens almost immediately. I then refresh the booking page on the United site and apply the points to the booking. Occasionally you'll find a good deal on Chase Travel. In 2023 we booked a hotel stay for cash in midtown Manhattan through Chase and got a very good deal. You just need to check all sources.

I have no experience with Regent Air; however, after issues with both Princess eZAir and Flights by Celebrity over the years, I decided to take control of our own air travel. I applied for a Chase Sapphire card and have transferred Ultimate Reward points to United in order to purchase trans-ocean travel in business class. We now cruise 2+ months a year, mostly on Regent, so there's no problem accruing enough points. I've had complete control over our air travel bookings and no longer have to go through the cruise line's air department to book, make a change, or correct an issue. The primary benefit is that I no longer have to pay for first class or business class air and get a $6,000+ credit from Regent for booking our own air. For changes I am unable to make on an airline's website, I have been contacting them via Twitter (X?) DMs. I provide our frequent flyer numbers, email addresses, dates of birth and Flight Locator Number in my initial message along with a description of my issue and permission to make changes. I would say my issues are usually addressed within two hours. This method eliminates having to wait on hold for an indeterminate length of time and explaining everything verbally which comes with its own set of possible problems.

If you haven't visited any of the three you listed, I'd recommend you go to Florence, one of the great cities of the world. I'd save Lucca for another trip...and Pisa for way down the line, after you've visited every other interesting site in Tuscany.

Thank you to all so much for taking the time to provide your thoughts and suggestions. We have many more options than I had originally thought. We're in port 7:00am until 7:00pm on turnaround day, so will have plenty of time to enjoy whatever we decide to do.

@TheOldBear & @John Bull... Thank you so much for taking the time to provide your thoughts and suggestions. We have many more options than I had originally thought. We're in port 7:00am until 7:00pm on turnaround day, so will have plenty of time to enjoy whatever we decide to do.

As suggested, call the airline and provide your record locator number to determine your status. Since it's a Sunday, IT may be working on their website and causing temporary issues. Hopefully all is well. When this is all behind you, consider finding a TA that provides service on weekends. My TA has office hours on weekdays; however, her agency is open 7 days a week from 9 AM to 8 PM. For an emergency outside regular office hours, I have her cell number for calls and texts.

Post #267 mentions a box for storing deck cushions on the balcony of PHs.

According to Google Maps it a bit of a walk...3.1km.

Thank you, @mrlevin... We haven't visited either, so we'll likely do one if offered.

We're booked on a B2B in September onboard Splendor around the UK then down to Barcelona. Our only turnaround day experience with Regent has been in Miami where limited excursions were offered. Has anyone experienced a B2B in Southampton where excursions were offered to in-transit cruisers? If so, what was offered? Thanks...

We're booked on a B2B in September onboard Splendor around the UK then down to Barcelona. Our only turnaround day experience with Regent has been in Miami where limited excursions were offered. Has anyone experienced a B2B in Southampton where excursions were offered to in-transit cruisers? If so, what was offered? Thanks...

We've cruised out of the Port of Civitavecchia many times and have never noticed a place to purchase wine or snacks on its grounds. There are plenty of places in Rome to make your purchase. We've found the Coop stores offer a good selection at reasonable prices. Be sure you are up to date on your cruise line's policy regarding bringing wine onboard.

On Splendor and Grandeur cruises, lounge cushions were placed inside between the slider and curtain every evening regardless of weather conditions.

We haven't cruised on Oceania, but from what I have read and heard first-hand your suspicions are well founded. Fellow cruisers on Regent who have also cruised on Oceania feel Regent's food is better. We enjoy the entertainment on Regent, but it's closer to what you describe on Oceania than what might be available on lines such at Celebrity. There are lounges with entertainment as well as a main stage with well done shows. Our second cruise experience on Celebrity was 55 days on the Edge in the Med and a TA. We enjoyed an excellent time in the Retreat. The food was mostly excellent and the entertainment was top notch. As mentioned above, we're on the Ascent for a TA in October. If you haven't reached final payment for your Oceania cruise, I strongly suggest you give one of Celebrity's Edge class ships a close look. There are some good videos on YouTube you might want to check out.

Very interesting... We visited Napa Valley a number of years ago, but didn't get over to Russian River, and more recently Paso Robles in 2019. I'll have to look for some Russian River Pinot Noir to try. We always book winery tours and tastings when we travel in Europe. We're looking forward to an overnight in Bordeaux in October. We have a full schedule threre with the highlight being dinner at Château du Tertre.