I love credit cards so much! v4.0 - 2021 (see first page for add'l details)

[LynnTH]

Background: We are huge Disney fans and have sailed 30+ times on different lines, including many with our kids at various ages. We have a couple planned but not yet sailed since the pandemic, so all info is pre-Covid.

Each cruise line has things it does better than the others. NCL has the best live music and an all-inclusive feel as you can usually book with free drinks and dining packages included. Princess appeals to our nerdy-side with Seminars given by experts on local customs and culture. Carnival has the most ships, so more options for getting the perfect itinerary (ports are usually the reason we choose to cruise), especially if your dates are limited. DCL has a great kids club that allows everyone under 12 to hang out together. DCL is a safe bet for those worried about having a bad cruise experience--a solid B for us. Royal Caribbean is my kids' favorite and my top recommendation for families with teens, but you have to be careful to choose the right ship. We prefer mega-ships with more activities and options for everyone. On most lines, the older/smaller ships will run shorter itineraries with less experienced crew and tend to have worse service, food, shows, and onboard experience as a whole.

Hope this helps! I would wait to book until you start getting post-Covid reviews to see which line handles it all better. Cruise critic has a few reviews straggling in but not enough yet to get a clear picture of the differences.

Thanks for all of this. We do go on a lot of cruises. Mostly Carnival and some RCCL. But never to Europe. So Ports will probably be the most important thing. Everyone going will be over 21 at the time so don't need to worry about kids clubs at all. I do like the bigger ships though. Most of the itineraries for Spring 2023 are not out yet. Fingers crossed most of the Pandemic will be behind us and we can travel without restrictions. Will most likely pay more just to book refundable fares - just in case.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I'm totally reading the Hawaii chat. I skipped over it this summer, but I need to get planning on a trip for us this summer w/ my mom. She just did the 100k CSP sign up. Time to look into another good one for her for Hawaii. I guess maybe based on which hotels we might want to do. So time to start reading.

Does Hawaiian Airlines do any midwest-to-Honolulu routes? They usually have a generous SUB for an easy MSR.

 

[elgerber]

Does Hawaiian Airlines do any midwest-to-Honolulu routes? They usually have a generous SUB for an easy MSR.

I haven't been able to find any.

 

[iujen94]

Thanks for all of this. We do go on a lot of cruises. Mostly Carnival and some RCCL. But never to Europe. So Ports will probably be the most important thing. Everyone going will be over 21 at the time so don't need to worry about kids clubs at all. I do like the bigger ships though. Most of the itineraries for Spring 2023 are not out yet. Fingers crossed most of the Pandemic will be behind us and we can travel without restrictions. Will most likely pay more just to book refundable fares - just in case.

My sister and I sailed Celebrity to Italy and Greece a few years ago for her 50th birthday. I’m a loyal RCCL cruiser, but Celebrity was amazing and the food was outstanding. A great option to consider without little kids!

 

[LynnTH]

My sister and I sailed Celebrity to Italy and Greece a few years ago for her 50th birthday. I’m a loyal RCCL cruiser, but Celebrity was amazing and the food was outstanding. A great option to consider without little kids!

Thanks. Will look into that one also!!

 

[Judique]

Saw a DP for retention on the Bonvoy Brilliant for 60k no spend. I'd keep it for that! So gave it a shot via chat, but only got 20k for $1500 spend or $75 for $1000. Another month until the anniversary, guess I'll try again when the AF posts.

Thanks for posting this. I've decided to keep my Brilliant at least until years end and my fee just posted. I'll give it a shot as well.

 

[becauseimnew]

AA changed our return flight out of the Big Island (KOA), it went from a 1.5 hours layover at DFW to a 6 hour layover at LAX, instead of getting home at 9:30AM, we now don't get home until 5:30PM. Even if we switch to a "better" flight, the earliest we'd be getting home would be 3:30PM that's 12 hours of travel.

They do have better flight options out of Maui, what are the odds that they let us change our departure airport for free?

Chatted with AA - and I can change the departure airport to OGG. I was really hoping to change the date too, but they don't allow date changes.

Original trip
5 nights HNL (Hyatt Regency), 5 nights Wailea (Residence Inn) & 2 nights at Volcano NP on the Big Island.
We could do 7 nights HNL & 5 nights Wailea.

I'll ask DH for his opinion, I really don't think he'll care either way. So what do you travel experts say?

 

[wanderlust7]

Chatted with AA - and I can change the departure airport to OGG. I was really hoping to change the date too, but they don't allow date changes.

Original trip
5 nights HNL (Hyatt Regency), 5 nights Wailea (Residence Inn) & 2 nights at Volcano NP on the Big Island.
We could do 7 nights HNL & 5 nights Wailea.

I'll ask DH for his opinion, I really don't think he'll care either way. So what do you travel experts say?

Were there more things you wanted to do on Oahu that you originally couldn't fit in?

I really enjoyed our stay near Hana. You might want to consider 2 nights there in between HNL and Wailea (assuming you can still change the Wailea res). We did a vacation rental, but there's also the Hana Maui Resort for 30k Hyatt.

 

[LilSweetPeaPhoto]

Does Hawaiian Airlines do any midwest-to-Honolulu routes? They usually have a generous SUB for an easy MSR.

I don't think so. I will likely have bennies on HA starting next month. But I'll likely buy tickets, LOL.

 

[mmmears]

Thanks for all of this. We do go on a lot of cruises. Mostly Carnival and some RCCL. But never to Europe. So Ports will probably be the most important thing. Everyone going will be over 21 at the time so don't need to worry about kids clubs at all. I do like the bigger ships though. Most of the itineraries for Spring 2023 are not out yet. Fingers crossed most of the Pandemic will be behind us and we can travel without restrictions. Will most likely pay more just to book refundable fares - just in case.

We were all about the ports during our cruise, too, so really all the bells and whistles on the ship were of little importance to us (not completely unimportant, though). About the flights, we have used both URs and MRs transferred to VA, BA, and AF in the past few years. There are so many more options that way compared to collecting airline points, so that's our plan going forward as well.

 

[tink1970]

Thanks! Did you fly directly into Vancouver? Debating between flying into Seattle and taking the train to Vancouver or not. Any hotel recommendations for Vancouver?

TBH while I agree with @mmmears about the cost of flying into Vancouver, it's worth it since I find the overall hotels are better than in Seattle. We've stayed at the Pan Pacific prior to both cruises and it was convenient but my favorite hotel is the Fairmont Pacific Rim-so gorgeous and I had at the time some sort of status with Fairmont through their co brand Chase card (rip ). It was one of my favorite hotel stays ever and the spa is amazing. If I go again that's where you'll find me

 

[SleepyatDVC]

I did the MDD this year as did my DH. Since it is still early in the day - I would either SM Chase or call and have them lower the limit on your CSP, since they gave you a high limit. Better chance of getting instant approval on CSR. You can always get other Chase UR cards later, but this will be your only chance at getting points for CSR until 48 months from now.

One other thing. You can use the $300 Travel Credit and then next year when the annual fee comes due - use the $300 Travel Credit again before cancelling or downgrading the card. (if your plan is not to keep the card)

I always keep 1 CSR between DH and I. We get a lot of value in using the points for cruises and other travel on the Chase Website (or right now with the PYB). So, that makes up for the annual fee.

We sent a SM requesting them to lower the CL on the newly approved CSP but never heard back. Just checked online and the CL is unchanged.

Time was ticking and approaching the 24 hour mark, so DH submitted the CSR application. He got instant approval again. Woohoo! For the same obscenely high CL as before. It was probably based on the same gross income he inputted for both cards.

Now hoping that when the rep processing the SM (form earlier today) requesting them to lower the CL on card #1, doesn't flag the account because they notice card #2 was just approved...

 

[wanderlust7]

We sent a SM requesting them to lower the CL on the newly approved CSP but never heard back. Just checked online and the CL is unchanged.

Time was ticking and approaching the 24 hour mark, so DH submitted the CSR application. He got instant approval again. Woohoo! For the same obscenely high CL as before. It was probably based on the same gross income he inputted for both cards.

Now hoping that when the rep processing the SM (form earlier today) requesting them to lower the CL on card #1, doesn't flag the account because they notice card #2 was just approved...

Congrats!

The rep lowering the CL will just be focused on that, I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[SleepyatDVC]

Congrats!

The rep lowering the CL will just be focused on that, I wouldn't worry about it.

Thanks to everyone here that held my hands through this, but especially you!

 

[havaneselover]

Used my second Amex FHR credit to book Cotton House Hotel in Barcelona for one night pre-cruise. Then I used Bonvoy points to book two nights at the London Edition after the cruise. Is Ryan Air the best/cheapest/easiest way to get from Barcelona to London?

 

[wanderlust7]

Used my second Amex FHR credit to book Cotton House Hotel in Barcelona for one night pre-cruise. Then I used Bonvoy points to book two nights at the London Edition after the cruise. Is Ryan Air the best/cheapest/easiest way to get from Barcelona to London?

We did Easyjet a few years ago. Vueling and even BA can be cheap too. Don't forget to factor in baggage costs.

 

[ski_mom]

Just curious if you've had issues with language barriers on the European Cruises? We're looking into an extended family cruise and wondered if that would be a possible issues to consider?

 

[iujen94]

Just curious if you've had issues with language barriers on the European Cruises? We're looking into an extended family cruise and wondered if that would be a possible issues to consider?

None whatsoever on our Celebrity cruise to Italy and Greece. Almost all of the passengers we encountered spoke English, and definitely all of the staff.

 

[GZanta77]

Used my second Amex FHR credit to book Cotton House Hotel in Barcelona for one night pre-cruise. Then I used Bonvoy points to book two nights at the London Edition after the cruise. Is Ryan Air the best/cheapest/easiest way to get from Barcelona to London?

Ryanair would fall into the 'last resort' category for me generally - this is the airline that tried to charge passengers to use the bathroom. If there is a way to charge extra for something Ryanair will find it.

If you have access to Avios or URs/MRs that can be converted to Avios - you can often get good value on BA redemptions within Europe. Otherwise, I would fly EasyJet over Ryanair - there is also Vueling but I have no personal experience with them.

EDIT: Also pay close attention to which 'London' airport they use. Many Ryanair flights will go into Stansted or Luton, I think EasyJet is Gatwick or Luton, BA will probably get you into Heathrow.

 

[Hoosier John]

Does Amex Biz pull certain credit reports?
I can't unlock Equifax for some reason ... says call 9-5 ET & I don't take my phone to work
Equifax seems very sensitive. They won't allow my VPN to run either.
The other two are fine.