ptcflyer

Flew Jetstar from HNL to SYD before. Perfect flight. Buy your baggage allowance in advance. Flights are on newish 787. No frills. I follow this flight and it goes with little hitch. Jetstar did have a lot if operational issues....but do carry travel insurance. But it is important to know that people have options for one-stop or two stop connections to SYD or BNE for cruise offerings. When I have the opportunity to save two to three thousand dollars for 2 pax ... I roll the dice with the Jetstar / Southwest HNL connection.

We are on this cruise. B2B2B. Alaska to Sidney. On the airfare for people looking at this itinerary in future, we booked Jetstar Airlines from SYD to HNL. Then Southwest FROM HNL to ATL. $275 on the Jetstar Flights. SOUTHWEST is usually $350 from HNL to east coast. We used miles and companion pass. We easily saved $1300 per ticket over booking a major carrier all the way which would have been $2000 per ticket.

Celebrity. did confirm the. B2B2B is fine! As long as we do not depart in Hawaii and stay. on to Sydney, which is what are confirmed for.

I have a theory on cruise inventory. The Cruise lines are being much more aggressive giving away cabins to Gamblers in the Casino. (directly through Blue Chip Club and through third party gambling agents) I have received 15 free cruises in the past 2 years with very minimal gambling. I do believe that rather than "trash" cruise pricing and sell the cabins, they are literally reducing inventory to the paying public and giving away cabins to fill the Casino and hopefully they make more money. With reduced inventory that they before sold at a heavier discount, they are focusing those promotions on casino gamblers.

Spoke with another Celebrity agent.... it is being reviewed by management. But I suspect your advice is correct. Should be good once all itineraries are accounted for.

Question: I booked Seattle to Vancouver followed by Vancouver to Honolulu followed by Honolulu to Sydney on Celebrity Solstice. Celebrity is saying this violates the Jones Act. It does violate if you only take into consideration the first back-to-back.... Seattle to Honolulu without a "distant" foreign port..... but should they consider the fact that my beginning is Seattle and my end point is in Sydney with a Back to Back to Back Itinerary?

I am excited that I was able to put together 35 days on the Solstice -- September - Seattle via Alaska, Hawaii, Tahiti to Sydney. All on Blue Chip Verandah or higher. Then we are sailing on Edge November through December 21 from Rome to Sydney via New Zealand. 28 of 52 days are on Blue Chip! We have a near World Cruise for 25 cents on the dollar. Since Covid, we have received 11 free cruises, 1 upgrade to Sky Suite, and earned Elite Status by being an Amethyst Craps table minimum gambler. I have received 10x comps to gambling losses. Unheard of in the gaming industry to get so much for so little. We have taken every cruise offered!

My wife and I have sailed on the 2022 Viking World Cruise for 135 days plus a transatlantic just before for 14 days. We have cruised 56 Days on Celebrity and getting set for a 86 day jaunt from Seattle to Sydney and then Rome to Sydney on the Solstice and Edge starting in September. Comparing long term trips... Viking cannot be beat. We enjoyed a small cruise culture with Bible Study, made life long friends, and felt the Cruise line catered to our entire travel experience with shore excursions and endless intellectual "talks". On shorter cruises, they are really are not too different.... other than big ship vs small ship. Occupancy really plays a difference. When we did our World Cruise, the ship was only 1/2 full. We have done several Post Covid Cruises on Celebrity that were 1/3 full. When the ships are lightly booked... all ships are great! Viking's conducting a world cruise during the Omicron phase of Covid was amazing and annoying at the same time. Daily testing was conducted.... and some individual "lockdowns" were forced even symptom free. But kudos to Viking for pulling it off. Internet. Free on Viking, but is not good at all. Expensive on Celebrity, but excellent. Food. Very good on Viking. Exceptional on World Cruise. Very good on Celebrity.... and great if you budget for specialty restaurants. Celebrity is formulaic and the same most everywhere. Viking has a very Euro theme to the food. But the Chef on the World Cruise was very talented to offer a range of dining experiences based on where we were in the world. During the World Cruise....I would have killed for a ChicFila. Rooms are nicely thought out on Viking, but small. Upgrades are expensive and limited. I prefer rooms on Edge class ships over Viking. We use Accessible cabins... which are not provided on Viking without a huge upgrade charge, but are offered at no additional charge on Celebrity. Big nod to Celebrity! Attention to Detail: Viking is amazingly superior. The managers really work with the staff to provide that next notch level of detail. The World Cruise showcases this like no other cruise! The finance manager greeted every passenger by name as we departed the ship! When it was my birthday on board... most of the crew members said Happy Birthday to me. We were able to reserve rooms and hold parties. They are incentivized to study the passenger lists and memorize names! Truly amazing. On normal cruises, it is not that way... but the attention to detail remains amazing. The back deck (deck 7) on Viking is just a great place to hang out and enjoy the pool, food, and drink. No place more special on any cruise ship. We really enjoy the quiet on Viking. No loud music anywhere. No gambling. No kids. The clientele on Viking is more "refined".... if not "snobbish" for many. We had to search carefully to find more "red pilled" friends on Viking. I wish they offered scheduled gatherings on the Daily .... "Friends of Donald T" or "Friends of Nancy P" to help you find like minded people. (Only frequent cruises will get that). Cost: You can typically travel in Celebrity suites for a similar cost of a normal Viking room! Budget $1000 per day per couple on Viking normal cruise.....to $850 per day for World Cruise. You can do much better on Celebrity verandah for similar itineraries. We are doing 70 days with Blue Chip free cruises and big discounts. (split between Verandah and Aqua Class) Our total 70 days will average well under $200 per day for both of us including port fees, tips, limited drinks with Elite Status, several shore excursions, and 3 night specialty dining package per 2 weeks. I do not spend too much in the Casino, but have been blessed with many free Blue Chip Cruises due to Covid. We have cruised Princess, Carnival, Royal, and others. I think that Celebrity and Viking are a great, comparable balance for big ship / small ship experience. Would not hesitate to book with either to get the itinerary you want.

Cruised like crazy since Covid. Here is our list of taken and planned trips. 2022/2023 Cruised and Booked Dec 2022 - 7 night Apex Caribbean* Feb 2023 - 7 Night Solstice Mexico* Mar 2023 - 7 Night Solstice Mexico* April 2023 - 22 Night Carnival Transpacific* Scheduled: Sept 2023 - 7 Night Solstice Alaska* Sept 2023 - 9 Night Solstice Hawaii* Oct. 2023 - 17 Night Solstice Tahitian Treasures* Oct. 2023 - 14 Night Edge - Med / Suez Nov 2023 - 12 Night Edge India / Sri Lanka / Singapore Nov 2023 - 14 Night Edge Bali / Australia Dec 2023 - 12 Night Edge New Zealand* 128 Nights on Celebrity / Carnival 2022/2023 2021 / 2022 July 2021 - 7 Night Equinox Caribbean* August 2021 - 7 Night Edge Caribbean* August 2021 - 7 Night Reflection Carribean* November 2021 - 14 Night Viking Sea Trans Atlantic Jan 2022 - 138 Night Viking Star World Cruise Total 173 Nights Cruising. (Celebrity / Viking). 2021/2022 * = Free Blue Chip Club or Free Carnival Cruise

Long time Celebrity cruiser here. We took advantage of free Casino cruise offer on Carnival Luminosa 22 day Trans Pacific last month. (22 Days for $349 in Verandah). Only gambled one or two Carnival cruises 10 years ago.... with less than $1,000 loss. Was worried about the down grade to Carnival, but in reality it was an okay cruise. Likes: Burgers better. Mexican Buritos Great offering. Casino was busier with friendly staff. Comedy Club was definitely a consistent theme. Sea Day Brunch was very good!!! Best pancakes I ever had! MDR dinners were comparable, but service was definitely less formal. Technology and scheduling meals, etc was a bit better with Carnival. Without kids, the cruise was very comfortable and did not feel crowded. Elevators arrived in an instance and 95% of the time, no one else joined us. Dislikes: Frequent, long public announcements of activities throughout the day. (No published activity planner). Loud music at the pool with DJ was not to my taste. Ship decor and layout were inferior to Celebrity. (narrow halls, low ceilings, mediocre room decor). Less selection in Cafe. Only one daily cleaning. (no night time turndown.). Ship maintenance was comparable to Solstice... could be better. Towel pick up required room number... with check in / check out. Crew tried to please, but they did seem a bit stretched In most departments. With the right offers, right itinerary away from summer and Holidays.... Carnival isn't a terrible alternative.

Worry not. I have been at sea for 180 days last year. Viking World Cruise Plus a bunch of free Celebrity Cruises. I always get high speed internet so I can work while sailing. There are always plenty of activities... and it is shocking how smooth the sailing is 95% of the time. They key is to be selective on the food. Drinks lots of water. Managing details at home can be challenging, and just plan that you are bound to forget something. Internet with phone and ability to do bill pay fixes a lot of issues that might creep up. It is helpful to have someone at home to triage incoming mail...to open and scan anything important you were not anticipating.

Going on the Solstice March 11 to March 18 from Atlanta. We are on the opposite budget extreme. Verandah Accessible Cabin. Cruise Fare: Blue Chip Club Offer - Just taxes: $287. Flying Southwest ATL - LGB - ATL. 42,000 Miles My Wife goes at no extra charge with Companion Pass. $22 taxes total. No pre departure stay. $100 RT Uber from LGB to Port to LGB. $250 Discounted High Speed Internet. Do not drink .... so no drink package. $300 Tips budget. All In: $ 959.00 $68.50 Per Person Per day. Blue Chip BONUS: $100 free play in Casino. Free drinks in Casino. Free Digital Photo Package. Just did this same cruise a few weeks ago... and the service was fabulous! Food was very good. Ship was 1/2 full. Lost $700 in the Casino, but received a free Blue Chip offer that we redeemed for a 12 Day $5,500 Asia cruise for the fall on the Solstice.

For those with US Frequent Flyer Points..... Here is my strategy to get from ATL to Brisbane. Booked Southwest Airlines with points and companion pass..... 18,000 points for two of us to Hawaii. And then I booked Jetstar for 2 tickets Plus Bags for about $1,000. All in for 9000 Southwest points and $500 per person. I decided to stay in HNL for an overnight to break up the trip. Planning on spending a few days in 'Brisbane' before boarding. Not happy about the "Covid" restrictions. Still trying to figure out "insurance".

Never in any danger. It is FEAR and FEAR alone during the aftermath that drives tourism away... My luck will run out only because of the pure physics involved with traveling the world.... not because I dare to travel in the aftermath of upheavals. The closest I have come to death, by far, is a stray bullet that killed a woman across from me in a Las Vegas Casino fired by a common criminal being accosted by a security guard.... right here in the good old USA.

Best trips are right after major disasters, pandemics, and geopolitical events. Scored a $999 round trip to Hong Kong with 5 nights hotel... on Cathay Pacific right after Hong Kong Bird Flu in 1998. Toured South Africa as one of a few tourists and was only one of two guests at an entire Game Lodge (Sabi Saba) in 1994 right after terrorist attacks and Nelson Mandela was freed. Flew on the Concorde round trip to Paris for 175,000 sky miles with only 30 passengers on the plane soon after it resumed services from its crash. Toured an empty tourism Thailand during and after the Student Riots in May, 1992. Was one of a few tourists with empty game lodges and excellent rates after the Terrorist attacks in Nairobi. Cruised on a half empty Viking Cruise Ship for the 2021 / 2022 World Cruise (138 days) that was affected by Covid.... had huge rebates.... nice upgrades..... and paid about 1/2 of the typical daily rate. Had to be tested every day and the entire itinerary changed the day before we left... but it was an incredible journey. Right now, Celebrity and other cruise lines are giving away cabins to small time gamblers on their gambling lists. I have booked a dozen free cruises on Celebrity (Just pay taxes for verandah or higher cabin).... traveling all corners of the globe. (Thanks to slow Covid recovery... and Celebrity aggressively trying to fill cabins). The best and most memorable adventures are when you dare to go .... when nobody else will. Next trip: The Mexican Riviera on a seemingly empty Solstice.... Single 7 Day Verandah Cabin... for $223.00.