ilovesalchows

To follow up, I reached out to Avalon and they referred me to a Travel Agent.  To confirm with your experience, it seems I can book it at the reduced rate without airfare.  I'm not ready to pull the trigger on this, we have another Europe trip this summer and I need to get past that one first.  I can't wait, I love the "I just booked a fabulous trip" euphoria.

Excellent, will check directly with Avalon and report back.  Thanks!

Hey Team, question for you.

I am shopping around for a Basel-Amsterdam cruise next summer and I had decided on Avalon.  Then they changed their pricing by adding the airfare promotions.  I don't want their airfare, so they are no longer competitive price-wise with Ama, Emerald, etc.  Do they ever price out the cabins without the air promotions?  For instance, the cabin I was looking at was $2899 when I first started looking, but now they are adding "free air" but have raised the price $1000.  I plan on using points for all or some of my family's flights, so this is not needed. (I would also never trust a 3rd party to book international flights for me, but that's another post)

Thanks in advance for your tips.  I have enjoyed reading through this thread, especially when people post pics!  And it has confirmed my interest in Avalon above others.

Child passports are valid for 5 years.  Once they are 16 they are valid for 10.  My kids are on their 3rd passports.

Definitely order ahead if it is important to you in economy.  Coming home to Pdx last time they had nothing to sell by the time they got midway through the economy cabin.

Or better yet, buy in the terminal and bring your own food and snacks on.  

They told us to keep them if we took them, so I am not sure if they were "used" or not.

They gave them out in Virgin Upper Class last week, SEA - LHR.  Only one person I noticed changed into them.  Luckily those bathrooms are pretty large.

The did not give them out on BA yesterday in Business.  

1 hour ago, Gardyloo said:

One big drawback to Alaska's program is that they don't allow multiple partners on one award - either Alaska + 1 partner or the partner alone.  So itineraries like American to London then BA to Oslo don't show up.  

 

However, there are numerous open flights from DFW to London in business class in August using AS miles; the OP would have to purchase a cheap one-way connection to Oslo from London.  

This is where FinnAir awards come in handy.

AS almost never gets those AA rewards flights in J.  I don't see any available for those dates.  

I am flying the old config in Upper Class in two weeks, SEA-LHR.  I made sure to grab a seat in the A row for privacy.  While not the best layout, for the 100k flying blue points it was a steal.

Not sure if you are flying with it, but alcohol is very expensive in Singapore.  

Thanks!  I'll look into it.

Good morning!  (Or afternoon if you aren't in the western US)

We are planning a Classic Rhine River cruise in summer 2025 and I see a Maginot Line excursion from Strasbourg on Avalon and Gate 1.  Does anyone know if any of the other cruise lines offer this excursion?  We are happy to pay extra.

I do like the Avalon option, but since it's summer and two of the people in our group, my dad and my teen son, would really love a plunge pool.  I was hoping Emerald or AmaWaterways offered a similar excursion.  Avalon only has a whirlpool.

Thanks in advance!

My family of 4 flew that same route in PE in November of 2019.  It was as comfortable as a 17 hour flight can be without being in business.  Not sure if the flight times are the same, but we chose the LAX departure instead of the Seattle flight because it left at night, meaning we would be tired enough to sleep.  I think I got about 6 hours, which is great for me.  We were in the middle 4 seats and it was fine since we are family and the kids were still small.  Food was great and so was the service. I would say it was the best PE experience I've ever had, but still not anywhere near business with a lie-flat seat.  (Not that you asked, but Condor was the worst PE)

I suggest you watch videos on YouTube so you can see what it is really like.  

Not sure how much you want to spend, but the TWA Hotel at JFK has day rooms and is an awesome experience.  You can plane spot from the heated pool over the runway.

It looks like both flights are bookable on their own.  I assume you have logged in to United and looked at your own record?  I don't think you have anything to worry about.  

That being said, if you can change your flight for a credit without penalty, you should go ahead and do it.  

If it is on Alaska Air, usually when you check in for the flight there is an option to grab an earlier flight for a fee.  Not sure what it is now, but it was $25 per person last time I did it.

41 minutes ago, GORDONCHICK said:

Many of us have pre or post cruise plans, so yeah.  And it helps keep the packing lighter!

This.  My family of four travel super light, and we are extending with land tours in Europe on both ends.  I will gladly pay the high prices for laundry.  I also wash underwear and tees in the sink with the travel laundry soap sheets.  

We loved the TWA hotel, it was such fun.  Nothing like waking up in the airport for a morning flight either.

Be careful with the minors flying internationally.  You will likely need extra documentation if their parents aren't traveling with them.

Coming from the US you probably weren't going to be flying into Trieste regardless.  It's not a major airport.  The lion's share of travelers are booked into Venice.  It's really not a big deal to take the train over to Trieste.

If you are purchasing your own ticket home, why wouldn't you just buy an open jaw (multi city) ticket on your own for the whole thing?  Probably cheaper than whatever you are trying to do here.  

In general, I wouldn't try to use the BOGO unless you are saving a LOT of cash or planning a straightforward itinerary.  It's not worth it to save a couple hundred dollars.  

13 hours ago, brandy4598 said:

I am on the Pearl next year out of Trieste. Venice is listed as a tender port. Does the ship stay in Trieste for the Venice day and NCL ferries people over to Venice? Wondering if it would work if we fly into Venice a couple of days early and then use the "Venice" day to walk around Trieste. 

100% do this!  Venice is so lovely to wander around at night and in the early morning before it gets crowded.  Much better way to get over jet lag and make sure you don't have any worries about missing the cruise as well.

I booked Iceland Air for our cruise and we were able to choose our seats for free at booking in economy.  As mentioned above, they have different levels of economy.  Only the "light" version doesn't include free seats.  Of course, if you use BOGO, it is a mystery as to what fate class you will get until you have your confirmation #.

Classes of Service | Icelandair

Venice is building the new terminal to accomplish its goals.  They want cruises only to begin or end in Venice so people are likely spending the night and eating at local restaurants.  In the interim, the city has no interest in being a tendered port stop.  Day trippers cause a lot of congestion and don't spend a ton of cash.

I assure you Venice loves tourists, but they are in it for the long haul and don't want to see their city destroyed.