Z'Loth

What would really be amusing, if it were possible, is the airline "bumping" the skiplagger from their original flight, and rebooking them on a non-stop flight to the actual destination in basic economy.

I'm still shaking my head over this "skiplagging" or "hidden city ticketing". As I understand it, it takes advantage of the fact that a ticket from A → B → C is cheaper than a ticket for A → B , and usually destination B is one of the following hub airports for American Airlines: Charlotte Chicago–O’Hare Dallas/Fort Worth Los Angeles Miami New York–JFK New York–LaGuardia Philadelphia Phoenix–Sky Harbor Washington–National Simple Flying has an article back in 2021 titled American Airlines Issues Skiplagging Warning To Travel Agents as this is a violation of their rules, or "conditions of carriage". From what I can see, this would not apply to cruisers as you have to travel with just a backpack that can fit under your seat as your checked baggage would make it to the ultimate destination. But, hey, those are the rules the airlines have set down. And, forget about using TSA Pre-Check as your Trusted Traveler Number is a form of Personal Identifiable Information, but has to be entered as part of your airline profile.

"Your identity is your most important possession. Protect it." And, quite frankly, some of the best people I worked with have unusual or hard to pronounce names. From both my job and Toastmasters, I make it a point to properly pronounce people's names. And, yes, I have dealt with a Howard Duck many years ago... yes, that actually was his name.🥲 And one of my former co-workers was named "Bucky".

I use either a 1 to 2 splitter or a 1 to 4 splitter when I cruise. These cables have no surge protectors. If you are wondering why surge protectors are a big deal on ships, it's for safety reasons. Land-based power consists of a 120 volt "hot" leg and a "neutral" leg (plus ground), thus if the surge protector goes off, it can do so safely. Marine-based power consists of two 60 volt legs (plus ground) which carry current and total 120 volts, but the surge protector can't safety dump the power, thus it's a fire hazard.

From someone who considers a $4 bottle of Beringer Vineyards White Zinfandel at Spec's to be "overpriced" (partially because they are a teetotaler), I'll just say that $100k would be plenty to retire my mortgage and get some niceties done on my home. Also, there are plenty of people who have much more money than common sense.

I was in my reservation and was looking at the drinks package under Drinks → Drink Packages. I've attached a screenshot below. Because the link includes my booking number and removing that argument from the link does not direct to the same page, I've attached the screenshot of what I saw below. Based upon what I saw, I did NOT see any non-alcoholic beverages listed.

I'm reviewing the drinks package that is included with my upcoming cruise, and it appears I have the "Classic Package". This includes Vodkas, Whiskeys, Rums, Tequilas, Beers, Gins, Liqueurs and Cognacs, and "A large selection of wines from various regions around the world". All nice and all, except that I practically don't drink alcohol. No, I won't say never, but the time between instances is practically years. I just never liked the taste. Is there any non-alcoholic beverages in that package, or should I talk to celebrity about switching to the "zero-proof" package?

How much is the cab fare from the port to FLL? It shouldn't be that far unless the driver takes the scenic route.

Thank goodness for noise cancelling headphones.

Since you are in Fort Worth (and I in Dallas), the question becomes "Why not American Airlines?" since DFW is the HQ and hub airport for that airline. As I'm getting older, I'm placing more of a premium on finding a "non-stop" flight and perhaps paying a little bit more for "Main Cabin" seats rather than "Basic Economy" seats. Having said that, during my recent trip on AA, I did not leave my window seat at all during both directions my 3 hour flight. All I can do, as a passenger, is to make the process as painless as possible, and that also means having Global Entry which includes TSA Pre-Check.

Truth... my 82yo mother was in the hospital last year, and wanted to watch Golden Girls while in bed. No problem, we'll stream from my server to her phone. But getting her to listen headphones was either "too complicated" or "messes with my hair".

For my upcoming cruise, I'm flying a mid-day flight from DFW to FLL on a mid-day flight on Friday for a cruise departure on Monday. That is plenty of padding for flight changes, and allows me to explore FLL. My concern is my return flight. As it is, it's a 11:30 AM flight which should be extremely doable considering how close the airport is. An earlier flight would be more challenging than a later flight.

Shrug. Since I live in DFW, the choices for non-stops are either American Airlines or Southwest. If I lived in Houston, it would be United. And, if it was Atlanta, it would be Delta.

I carry a set of cheap Tozo Ear Buds just so that I don't bother anyone.

During the pandemic, there were reduced requests for passports, and many contractors who handled the passport processing were let go. This was an ideal time to get your passport renewed at regular speed. Now, we have people who are engaged in post-pandemic "revenge travel" and, oh yeah, they need a passport, but the personnel aren't there. Remember, a passport is form of government-issued identification, plus there are checks so that criminals and those who owe child support can't get one.

Two articles of note, similar topic: NBC News: Need a new passport? State Department says apply at least 6 months before your departure Travel Market Reports: U.S. Passport Renewal Wait Now Six Months Long

Ideally, your friend should have your airline and flight number. There are a number of online services that will let them know which gate you are arriving at through a mobile browser... especially if they are picking you up at the mega-airport such as DFW International. However, I also tell my ride to not leave for the airport until I call/text them that we have landed and are docked at the gate. In my experience, it takes a minimum of 30 minutes to deplane, find the luggage pickup area, and pick up my luggage, so ideally, they should be waiting at the cellular lot until I have my luggage. Also, I make sure to treat my friend to a very nice sit-down dinner as well in exchange for their time and gas.

Per https://www.cbp.gov/travel/preclearance, the following Canadian airports have United States Preclearance: Calgary International Airport Edmonton International Airport Robert L. Stanfield International (Halifax Preclearance) Montreal Trudeau International Airport Ottawa MacDonald-Cartier International Airport Lester B. Pearson International Airport (Toronto Preclearance) Vancouver International Airport Winnipeg International Airport In effect, once you pass through PreClearance, you are in the "United States", and your flight is a domestic flight.

From Time Magazine: Long Waits for U.S. Passport & Visa Processing: What to Know

No kidding. According to some reports, the backlog for an interview appointment is up to 18 MONTHS. You might be better off to take a overnight trip to Mexico and then doing a "Interview On Entry" once conditional approval was granted. And, they are also saying that if you aren't traveling internationally more than once-twice a year, you are better off using TSA-Precheck, but you cannot apply the unused portion to a Global Entry application. This is why you need to double-check the expiration of your passport and your TSA-Precheck or Global Entry. If it's less than a year to expiration and no travel is expected in the near future, then apply for the renewal now... and hopefully, it'll be done before Christmas.

It's much easier to get a TSA-Precheck only appointment than a Global Entry appointment.

As I understand it, CLEAR costs $189 per year to utilize, and unless I'm being reimbursed for the service either through my employer or as a credit card benefit, I'm not interested. Global Entry with TSA Pre-Check, at $100 for five years, is a better value for me considering the infrequency of my travel.

Uhhh.... I'm a electronics geek, so yeah, browsing at electronics shops is my thing. Still, not really interesting in paying the airport premium at the airport gift shops.

As inspired by articles from Travel+Leisure and The Points Guy, the advice is to be at the airport at least two hours early for a domestic flights, and at least three hours early for a international flight. Really? Now, I have Global Entry which includes TSA Pre-check which helps shorten the wait to go through TSA checkpoint. However, I'm more used to the Sacramento International airport (SMF) which is a small metropolitan airport. Since then, I moved to Dallas and haven't had an opportunity to travel much thanks to that C-word. Dallas Love Field (DAL) is about the same size to SMF, but is primarily served by Southwest Airlines. The other airport is Dallas-Fort Worth International (DFW) which is one of the largest airports in the United States. During a recent trip, my gate changed from Terminal A the previous evening, to Terminal D when my mother and I arrived and checked in at the airport, back to Terminal A immediately after check-in. Thank goodness DFW has those SkyLink trains, but it didn't help that the plane departure was delayed one hour due to mechanical issues. Still, it feels like two hours is excessive, and I'm not terribly interested in paying airport prices for food or travel electronics. Thoughts?