i'm thinking about getting on that marriott points program. i only stay at them maybe 3 time s a year for various deposition/business trips but some points are better than no points i suppose. i guess i could purposefully start staying at marriotts more to get points and eventually get a free stay somewhere.
A buddy is trying to convince me to give Cuba a go with a group in November. I have to be honest, I am intrigued but I vaguely recall reading not-so-good things both in here and elsewhere. On one hand it would be a neat experience to visit, on the other it could be absolutely miserable. Anyone have any thoughts on it?
Sitting in the Newark airport, waiting on my flight to Paris at 6PM. Both lounges I have access to are in different terminals and require me to exit and enter a security checkpoint. Torn as to what I should do. Also, if anyone has any recommendations on things to see/eat/do in Paris or Amsterdam, let me know. Those are the first two cities on my European backpack trip.
If the flight is 8 hours from now you need to either leave the airport and go into NYC or most definitely leave your terminal and go into the lounge.
"I guess I should pick up $20 bills. I only find a few a year but I guess I could eventually buy tacos with them"
I've been fortunate enough to spend a lot of time in NYC. There's not much I can think I want to see or do that would take less than 3 hours.
Kauai: - Take a sunset cruise from Hanalei Bay to see the Na Pali Coast. It's an incredible sight. - Check out the St. Regis Princeville, they have a cool patio that you can see the sunset from while looking towards Hanalei Bay. - Use one day to hike/explore Waimea Canyon. There is enough to do/see in the Canyon that you will be tired when you're done. We always drive to the top and work our way down. - Drive along the south coast from Spouting Horn to Poipu Beach State Park. There is a cool hike from the Shipwreck's Beach (right outside the Grand Hyatt) along the coastal cliff/Poipu Bay golf course. You can get some incredible photographs. - Try a Puka dog in Poipu - On the way to Princeville/Hanalei Bay, take in the sights on the Coconut Coast (east coast) and make a stop in Kapaa. Some cool local shops and really good coffee at Java Kai. - We've done zip-lining in Princeville, but had the most fun ever on the ATVs at Kipu Ranch. A lot of the ranch has been used to film some movies and the ride gives you a couple of unique viewpoints of the island. - Like Maui below, we always stop at Costco to get the essentials (beer/wine) and they normally sell the big blue book. It's a great reference tool and details a lot of the excursions. Maui: - Eat at Mama's Fish House in Paia. It is absolutely worth the drive. - Road to Hana is a must. - Drive up to the summit of Haleakala. They're really cracking down on the number of people up there to see the sunrise, not sure it's worth the extra hassle. - We took a catamaran (Trilogy) over to Lanai. It's pricey but a lot of fun - saw a ton of dolphins on the way over and ended up exploring the island more than we first anticipated. - We did more exploring when we stayed in Kaanapali (it was a pretty typical beach resort strip) and a lot more relaxing in Wailea. The cool part about Wailea is all the hotels have free shuttles and makes it easy to go to the restaurants in Wailea. We hit up happy hour at Monkey Pod, probably the best beer list I've seen on any of the islands. We prefer Kauai because we don't have to drive nearly as much and it feels the most pure/non-commercialized.
always always always join the membership program for any hotel, rental car, airline, whatever even if you only stay at a particular place every once in a while it adds up over time. For example, there's only one city I go to for work where we stay at a Hyatt property, but over the course of several years I built up enough Hyatt points for three free nights that we used for a weekend trip.
Service to Cuba scaled back by U.S. airlines Just six months after U.S. carriers began operating regular commercial flights to Cuba, Frontier Airlines and Silver Airways have become the latest airlines to cut service to the island nation. The news comes after JetBlue and American Airlines both announced plans in the last two months to reduce their service to Cuba, either by scaling back on the number of flights or flying smaller planes to Cuba. The cutbacks suggest that the nation’s airlines may have overestimated the demand for flights to Cuba when U.S.-based airlines scrambled for the slots offered last year by the Obama administration to fly to Havana and other Cuban cities. Denver-based Frontier Airlines, which flies one daily flight between Miami and Havana, said it will end that service June 4. An airline spokesman said the cost of operating the route was higher than expected and other carriers offered more seats than needed to meet the demand. Florida-based Silver, which flies 21 round-trip flights a week, primarily to smaller Cuban cities, said it will end Cuba service on April 22. The carrier also cited excess supply offered by other carriers. “It is not in the best interest of Silver and its team members to behave in the same irrational manner as other airlines,” Silver spokeswoman Misty Pinson said. In September, before the restrictions to Cuba were lifted, the average round-trip ticket to Cuba from the United States cost $399, according to the Airlines Reporting Corp., a company that provides ticket settlement services for airlines. Source: Los Angeles Times, 2017-03-20
Almost went to Kathmandu for a weekend during one of my long India trips, but even the Mumbaikers told me they thought I'd find it too dirty. I could only imagine what those people would consider "too dirty." Went to Bangkok that weekend instead
What did you think of the lounge? I went to it when we flew out late Friday night/Saturday morning, but they were close to closing and I thought it was pretty mediocre, especially compared to the Seoul and Hong Kong lounges.
Yea, that is kind of where I stand. I have done minimal reading but nothing has made it sound that great, more so "meh" at best.
how early would yall get to DWF airport? thinking maybe an hour and 15 minutes to check in and get through security and get to gate
PJP3 or anyone familiar with Tokyo, if I were to land there on the way to Bangkok at 430 pm and fly out the next morning at 11 am, is that worth it? Would love to go out for a dinner but is it too much of a hassle?
If you don't get too jet lagged, I'd absolutely do it. There's an express train that takes like a bit over an hour to get into tokyo from the airport. Definitely worth it just to get some food and see the city. Tokyo doesn't have many traditional tourist sites so its great just to walk around and take in the vibe. I can't stay up all night anymore, so I'd probably grab a cheap hotel for a few hours of sleep, but if you can stay up all night and crash on the plane, more power to you. Is the other option just stay at the airport? or is there another flight that has less of a layover and you're seeing if you want to take a longer layover just to see tokyo?
There's a 29 hour leg with like a 6-7 hour layover and a 40-41 hour leg with a night in tokyo. Would love to go out to dinner and walk around, but didn't want to deal with it if the exiting/returning to the airport was a big pain in the ass
I'd do the night in tokyo then. Narita express leaves right from the terminal to the center of the city. Very simple.
I've done it as well with a 9 hour layover. Took the train in, went to Asakusa and had some incredible sushi at some place, walked around a while, then hopped the train back to the airport. Very easy
Someone sell me on a honeymoon destination. I had Oslo lined up for November for $625 roundtrip combined and the fiancé struck it down because she trusts her grandma too fucking much. "It'll be too dark to enjoy anything". Oh what the fuck ever. So I need somewhere warmer or brighter... for November/December. I'm not opposed to the cold climate as I think it'd be neat to snowboard on a honeymoon. I keep an eye on Scott's Cheap Flights daily. I'm about to strong arm her into something and tell her mom to quit fucking suggesting Sandals.
for that time frame I agree with bwi2 its high on my list and for a vacation that you likely want to mix sight seeing/hiking/etc with some down time it'd be great imo
Argentina/Uruguay. Great wine, great food. Buenos Aires would be a "romantic" city that your wife would probably love. Beaches in Uruguay are great.
Travelled through DFW today at 11:30am. You could walk up to the very front for both precheck and normal security.
I went to Havana for 3 nights recently. I think it is worth going while it is still mostly non-Americanized. It feels like going back in time. Some parts are a pain in the ass (your credit cards and cell phone won't work, you have to use a currency they made for tourists, wifi is largely unavailable), but it is cheap and easy to get there and Cubans loved seeing us. Lots of Americans are going now so not sure how fast things will become touristy and/or lose their charm. If you wanna get drunk and ride around in an old chevy with a cigar and feel like you're Hemingway you should go.
I saw Jason Garrett checking in like a poor at DFW going to the combine. Jerry can't fly that dude private?
Arkadin what did you do for phones in Thailand? I have verizon, but can't tell if they work in Thailand. Usually try to just go with wifi, but can be annoying as fuck with Uber.
I have tmobile with free international. Though I've been with/know people with Verizon who have bought the day pass thing and it's fine
My wife and I have been looking at doing a short three night trip down there in May, any recommendations?
I know the currency conversion is pretty absurd and it's cheap as fuck. I usually take some cash depending on where I'm going. Use cards where ever I can...but for cabs, markets, etc was thinking about a grand, but 100 a day seems like a lot
I wouldnt worry about your phone. It's the only place I've been where uber was less convenient than a tuktuk or a cab. Tuktuk is the way to go for anything that's not like a ride to the airport or something. Cheaper and more fun. You'll have WiFi lots of places once you get there and you won't really need it in transit