NCteacherlovescruising
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Posts posted by NCteacherlovescruising
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3 hours ago, marazul said:
Here is a thought on jetlag and Madrid. I am a great believer in the "stay up, early supper and bed" theory. However, in Spain there is no such thing as early supper. Restaurants open at 8 pm and that is early. (Actually, some restaurants in tourist areas will open earlier.) In your case, you can take your Palace tour, follow the little itinerary I sent you walking to the Plaza Mayor, down the steps of Arco de Cuchilleros and on to Mercado San Miguel for lunch. Then you could go to the hotel for a 2-hour siesta (set the alarm), go to the pool for a while, and then have dinner at 8 pm and back to the hotel. Then you will be on Spanish time. The next morning take an 11 or 12 o'clock train to Barcelona.
If we’re too tired we’ll take a nap. Biggest problem with that is I’m notorious for turning off alarms and sleeping for a few hours when I’m exhausted. Otherwise we will skip dinner, go to bed early and catch an early train to BCN.
3 hours ago, marazul said:This method has worked for me. No guarantees for anyone else!
There are many good restaurants near you, like Taberna del Alabardero, Casa Gallega, Asador Real, etc. You also could go to Botín. https://botin.es/en/menu-botin-en/ You must reserve there. Their signature dish is roast suckling pig, but there is a lot more.
I don’t see us making any evening reservations because we may sleep through dinner. Thanks for the recommendations.
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On 7/12/2023 at 2:01 PM, erby2283 said:
My boyfriend used one like this. His belt loop goes through it and then it tucks inside the pants. https://www.amazon.com/Shacke-Hidden-Travel-Wallet-Blocker/dp/B00Z2AKO3G/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=3C8W06FOVPN4I&keywords=safety+wallet+that+loops+through+belt&qid=1689184740&sprefix=safety+wallet+that+loops+through+belt%2Caps%2C104&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1
That looks perfect for dh. Since it’s currently 40% off we went ahead and ordered.
I have a crossbody Travelon RGID bag too, but very different than yours. Same idea though.
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19 minutes ago, marazul said:
And it has a pool! I might try it next time.
You are going to have an amazing trip.
Thank you! We will probably be too tired to use it, but it looks nice. I appreciate all your help with my planning!!! I wanted to make that tour early because I will need to keep busy to stay awake. 😆 Our flight is from 4:40-6:40 so our bodies will say it’s 12:40 AM! I don’t know if we will make it without napping or not. Hope to make it at least till 7 or so and then just go to sleep. Dh is used to missing sleep with his job but I’m not.
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4 hours ago, marazul said:
The only you hotels are too far for walking. I just looked and saw the Ocean Drive hotel by the opera. Also Hotel Opera. I haven't stayed there, but it looks good.
I am not crazy about TA's reviews in general.
The Europa looks ok. Also the Petit Palace.
Don't forget, it is only one night.
The Ocean Drive Hotel looks nice and is close to the palace tour I'd like to do so I booked it. Thanks again!
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1 hour ago, marazul said:
Neither. You are only going to be there one night so you need to be within walking distance of the main things you can see in one day. You need to be in the area between Puerta del Sol and the Teatro Real (opera house). There are a number of good 3 or 4-star hotels in the area that would be fine for one night. Good Spanish chains are NH Hotels and Melia, but there are many international chains and independent hotels in the area. But don't stress about it. Pick one with decent reviews and you will be fine.
This will allow you to walk to the Plaza Mayor and the Palace. There are a million good restaurants in the area. The best and fastest way to get to the area from the airport would be by taxi which could cost you around 60-70€. The cheap alternative would be subways with one or two changes carrying all you luggage.
It looks like the Hotel Europa is in this area. It says they have rooms with a view of Puerta del Sol. Trip Advisor also list both of the Only You Hotels as top 10 hotels near there. 🤷♀️
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58 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:
The only bad part about starting in Spain after an overnight flight is that you might not be able to stay awake for your 10pm dinner 😅
That’s a given! Lol Tapas, wine, and early to bed it will be. 🤪
58 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:Make sure to check out the Royal Palace, Catedral de la Almudena, and Plaza Mayor. Retiro Park is a good option if you just need some space.
All 4 are on our list. Good to get another recommendation for them. Thank you!
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1 hour ago, d9704011 said:
OK, I see you're flying i to MAD.
Cannot comment on the two hotels other than I have stayed at Only You Atocha and it was excellent; I believe Only You Boutique is a step up.
How are you planning to travel around Madrid? Unless you hire taxis, I don't think there is a good chance you'll make the 0945 at the Palace.
I will check it out. Thanks! Was it close to the tourist sites? We were planning on taking a taxi from the airport to our hotel, then walking around the city, but don’t mind taking a taxi if that would get us there on time.
Edited to add:. I had looked that one up after seeing it on TA. I decided to keep looking because of the location. Someone had recommended staying more centrally located near the attraction rather than the train station. The reviews are excellent.
19 minutes ago, edinburgher said:We spent a week in Madrid but didn't stay in either of these two. There must be a few hundred hotels in Madrid so the chances of you getting numerous opinions from cruise pax are minimal, especially as they would have had to stay in both to give a comparison.
Maybe better to read online reviews on hotel booking sitess, guide books and the likes of Tripadvisor.
I got those from a travel blog and Trip Advisor. The blogger said that hotel was in an excellent location, but again that’s just one persons opinion.
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We have a direct flight into Madrid that arrives at 6:40 AM.
I am looking at the Only You Boutique Hotel or the Meliã Madrid Princesa. Would you recommend one over the other? Is so, why? Should we be able to take our luggage to our hotel (it will be too early to check in) and make it to a skip the line guided tour at Royal palace by 9:45?
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21 minutes ago, Hlitner said:
Tough question. As long as your connection meets the airline’s minimum connection time (which should be the case if they sold you the ticket) the airline will simply put you in their next flight that has available seats. These days that can sometimes mean being stuck for days. This happened to us 2 years ago at DFW when AA could not find us seats for 2 days.
If you are on your way to a cruise….kind of sad.
Hank
We were worried about missing connecting flights or lost luggage so we opted for the direct flight to Madrid. We will enjoy it for a day then take the train to Barcelona.
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9 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:
Sit tight, you have time to mull things over and to see what others on your roll call might propose in terms of private tours.
You’re correct. I have plenty of time and if the excursions I may like sell out we can always take the train.
8 hours ago, marazul said:What was the cutoff date for canceling the excursion? You could have held it until then while waiting for other options. You do have plenty of time. And yes, with 5 days in Rome a day trip to Florence could be a very good option.
I don’t see that information anywhere. I posted in the Celebrity group and most said they wouldn’t do a Celebrity excursion there so we decided to cancel. I really would like to just do our own thing there, and not be limited by a group tour. We have plenty of time to decide.
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1 hour ago, mailmama said:
Thanks everyone! I am just afraid I will walk into the pole so I really like the idea of a light string.
That would keep me awake! I don’t think I will walk into it.
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I’ve never seen an ocean view cabin like that. Nice choice!
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We made a couple modifications to our plans. We will fly from Charlotte to Madrid on June 9, arrive in Madrid on the 10th and take the train to Barcelona on the morning of the 11th. It's a direct flight (Thanks @marazul) and we will arrive in Barcelona a little earlier on the 11th than expected, with the bonus of getting to spend a day in Madrid.
We have canceled the Celebrity excursion for Livorno. Still looking at our options there. Not sure I see anything I like any better, without doing a private excursion for the two of us at a much higher cost, dealing with transport to the train station in Livorno and back, or again, a day trip from Rome. Still discussing our options. @edinburgher I have looked at that thread on excursions form Rome to Florence, but thank you!
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Just now, marazul said:
That was quick!
Happy to help.
We had decided we wanted to book flights today and it was on our short list. We loved the direct flight and easy access to Barcelona by train. Also, a couple others also mentioned this direct flight.
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1 hour ago, saticoypm said:
I'll be taking my sneakers but with this heat, I don't know if my feet will tolerate it. That's why I'm also packing my Birkenstock sandals to let my little piggies breathe.
The most comfortable shoes I own!
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3 hours ago, marazul said:
Madrid is the logical option. It's a nonstop flight from Charlotte and you have the option of either flying to Barcelona the same day or taking the high speed train from Madrid. You can also take the train from the airport into Madrid.
Madrid is a wonderful city. It would be a great opportunity to visit it. You get there on the 10th. It would be nice to have that day and a full day in Madrid before going to Barcelona the next day. I would still keep your original plan of two full days in Barcelona if you can.
Here is the train website for RENFE (train company):
The stations for the airport into Madrid are:
MADRID-AEROPUERTO T4 to MADRID PTA. ATOCHA-ALMUDENA
The stations from Madrid to Barcelona:
MADRID PTA. ATOCHA-ALMUDENA to BARCELONA-SANTS
The Puerta de Atocha train station is located at the base of the Paseo del Prado in Madrid.
It is a very convenient location near all the museums. There are many hotels nearby. Rather than staying right by the station, I would recommend picking a hotel on Paseo del Prado or near it so you can walk to a lot of places. There are many taxis available for the short ride. From there you can taxi to go visit the Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace, the Mercado de San Miguel (fabulous food court, much better than La Boquería in Barcelona). There are also ho-ho buses. And you will be near the station to take one of the frequent AVE trains to Barcelona. The ride is under 3 hours.
We booked the CLT-MAD. Thanks for all this helpful information. You are such a wealth of knowledge, which has made our planning so much easier!
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On 7/20/2023 at 11:03 PM, taxatty said:
You may also wish to consider taking the AA nonstop CLT-MAD flight, followed by what have become numerous, relatively cheap and fast trains from Madrid to Barcelona--it might work out better for you.
1 hour ago, Zach1213 said:This is the obvious answer to me. Sure, there's an additional cost...but that convenience is unbeatable. Fly straight from home to Madrid, spend a day in what is usually a woefully underrated city (Madrid...which in my book is better than Barcelona), and then an easy and scenic train ride right in to the center of Barcelona. No brainer.
OK, no brainer may be a bit over the top. Business class sure is nice, but I personally would just get to Madrid, spend the time in Madrid, take the train, and enjoy a decent PE product. That's just me.
We booked the CLT-MAD direct flight.
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6 minutes ago, Zach1213 said:
To be fair, that's kind of the "best practice" anyways (keep active, stay awake (don't nap), go to bed on the early side, wake up generally refreshed). CLT-MAD is pretty short as far as longhaul flying goes, so even if you were able to sleep on the flight, it wouldn't be a huge amount...but that's the same with ATL-LHR - you're in the air around 7.5 hours, so assuming you want to eat and drink (or basically do anything besides just go straight to sleep), you're looking at maybe five hours of sleep. Just want to set expectations that, between eastern North America and Western Europe (especially far Western Europe), the max amount of sleep still isn't a ton.
That’s true, besides our time we would land around 2:40 AM. I wouldn’t be sleepy before 11 or so anyway. Read a book and maybe get 2-3 hours sleep. I think we’re going to do this. Less chance of lost luggage and much easier than running around airports.
This would use up all our miles. I have Citi, dh has Barkleys. Then we would both apply for new cards to get the big lump sum after spending so much money. 🤪
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1 minute ago, Zach1213 said:
This is the obvious answer to me. Sure, there's an additional cost...but that convenience is unbeatable. Fly straight from home to Madrid, spend a day in what is usually a woefully underrated city (Madrid...which in my book is better than Barcelona), and then an easy and scenic train ride right in to the center of Barcelona. No brainer.
We don’t mind the extra cost. I don’t know if I will be able to sleep in PE. I guess I could get a couple hours and stay awake as long as possible, then go to bed early.
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2 hours ago, Zach1213 said:
Should be fine. Some people may talk you out of backtracking to ORD, but it does provide a longer overnight flight which CAN be beneficial if you're able to sleep on planes.
But I would definitely urge you to find some other options. This includes, but is not limited to, CLT-LHR or CLT-MAD, the latter of which could pair nicely with a MAD-BCN train.
Yes, I have another thread going which discusses some options, including CLT-MAD. CLT-LHR is too many miles for anything other than economy, which we really don’t want. If you have time, please look over the options we’re looking at and advise!
I’ve never tried sleeping on a plane before. I’m sure I could if we were in business, doubtful if economy, not sure about PE.
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34 minutes ago, fbgd said:
JFK has eight numbered terminals, but only six currently operating. For the majority of through ticketed connections you are going to connect within that terminal, so distances between gates isn't going to be enormous.
Before JFK became my home airport I'd connected through it many times, often in as little as 40mins. Airlines set minimum connection times as such because in the vast majority of cases people will make them. It's in nobody's benefit to allow people to book connections they have little chance of making.
We intentionally left off JFK because of comments on possibility of missing connecting flights there. If we put them back in the mix, we can fly business for 57k + $753.90. We would fly in the night before, also using miles. One toon options are either 2H 40M or 4H 30M, also an option of EWR at 2H 40M.
Which airport is easiest to deal with connecting flights? ATL, JFK or EWR?
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We have our search down to 3 options. I would greatly appreciate your much more experienced opinions!
1. Charlotte to Madrid. 6/9 Direct flight, 8 hours. 4:40-6:40
We don’t have quite enough miles so we would have to spend apx $1,200 (buying more miles) total to fly there in PE. We would spend a day in Madrid then take the train to Barcelona (2.5-3 hrs) the next day.
Options 2 and 3 involve us booking a separate flight to Atlanta. It would only use 9.5k miles. I chose a flight that lands at 5:38 just to allow plenty of time to make our flight from ATL-BCN.
2. ATL-BCN 6/10
ATL-LHR 10:25-11:35 (2H 50M between flights)
LHR-BCN 2:25-5:30
PE 40k + $253.90 each
(Business only has 1 seat available and we would need 2)
3. ATL-BCN 6/9
ATL-LHR 10:25-11:35 (2H 55M between flights)
LHR-BCN 2:30-5:35
Business 57.5k + $754 each
Also, if we book one of these and find a better deal in a few months, are we able to cancel and rebook? Reminder, we would be using AA miles.
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48 minutes ago, the mice said:
Can't speak from experience since we've been fortunate to not had that happen. I would think yes. But that depends on seats being available. I assume you have read about the disastrous situation with US domestic flights this past June. I don't know how things have gone at LHR.
No. I have heard that recently they were canceling a lot of flights due to storms or something. At least I think it was this month.
23 minutes ago, Globaliser said:If you are travelling on a through ticket, then yes.
Great! Thank you!
18 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:Just be sure to note the difference between "another" and "next".
There is no responsibility to put you on the next flight. Or even the one after that. They will try to put you on the next flight THAT HAS AVAILABLE SEATS. They will not bump other passengers to put you onboard.
Ok, thank you!
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On 7/18/2023 at 12:49 PM, Hlitner said:
Two things going on in this thread. We will leave the cost factors and use of miles to Flyertalker and other experts. But the issue of connection times (my pet peeve) is very important and can be the difference between an enjoyable trip and getting to your ship and a miserable day and missing your cruise. These days, agreeing to tight connections is just dumb!
When changing at LHR, one must be very careful. If your incoming and outgoing flights are in the same terminal, that is a good thing (although Terminal 5 is huge). But if you need to change terminals (this just happened to us when we had to go from T5 to T3) the process can be very lengthy (even 2 hours might not be enough).
In the past 2 years we have found ourselves running for flights (delayed arrivals causing connection issues) and, at times, having to deal with anxiety and delayed baggage (because of tight connections). We now try to always fly Business Class (on international flights) and make sure we have lounge access. Longer connection times can be boring, but it can avoid some major issues.
Hank
1 hour ago, the mice said:Depends on which terminals you arrive and depart from. And good luck if your arrival flight is delayed - better know your options for that situation.
As mentioned previously you will pay a lot to fly on AA/BA into LHR.
We have had a smooth time with 2 hrs and nightmares with more time than that. Just saying...
Others with more experience can comment better
I'll ask you both the same question, if we miss our flight are they responsible for getting us on another?
Is Celebrity going to Eliminate Butlers on Sky and Celebrity Suites?
in Celebrity Cruises
Posted
So that means if we have already booked they wouldn’t change this? We booked a Sunset Sky Suite on the Equinox for June, Barcelona to Rome. I just checked and the they still have the following suites available on our cruise.
4 Sky suites
8 sunset sky suites
8 Aqua sky suites
8 Celebrity suites and
1 Royal suite
I booked this while onboard on December. It doesn’t appear they are selling very well to me, although it’s still 320 days out. We’ve had a $700+ price drop since then, but even at that we could get a veranda for half! If they change this policy, can we change room categories without penalty (still considered an onboard booking?) What’s the point of getting a suite if we don’t have a butler and the sundeck doesn’t have a pool? I should add that I’m not a foodie so the retreat menu doesn’t seem that appealing to me. (I’m the yacht club I ordered the filet half the nights) We’d mostly be paying for retreat access and better restaurant service.
We sailed with MSC in the yacht club earlier this summer. We absolutely loved it! It was our first time in a suite with benefits though. I’m looking forward to comparing the experiences of the two. I already know that the YC will win the sun deck category because we had a lovely pool (and hot tubs we didn’t use, but others did) with plenty of loungers all day, and a full service bar and grill, got waited on with fast service from our loungers, with buffet. BTW, we did this for 57% of the cost and had a butler, and reserved theater seating every night. We were waited on constantly, we’re completely pampered and had special elevator access that called an empty elevator for us a YC guests. This may be our first and last retreat experience, but dh said he could never go back after the service we received in the YC so perhaps a move to MSC for future sailings. We’re keeping our X cruise because the itinerary is amazing! That’s why we picked it over a newer ship with a retreat pool.
We will be disappointed if we don’t have a butler to bring us coffee in the morning, but it won’t ruin our cruise. We aren’t needy and we only used our butler for morning coffee, room service, and laundry on the MSC cruise. Oh, and since the mini bar was included he asked us what we wanted it stocked with.