havaneselover
Dreaming about a Disney cruise
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2009
I know. It closed 2/6 and my first charge was 12/12.
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Controversial Topics
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I love credit cards so much! v5.0 - 2022 (see first page for add'l details)
- Thread starter SouthFayetteFan
- Start date
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havaneselover
Dreaming about a Disney cruise
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2009
I just got another 2,085 points back from SW. And it's funny because I'm connecting through ATL and basically picking up dd for her spring break to visit my parents in Naples. Both our flights are the same amount of points. So I guess I'm flying to/from ATL for free or something
And I am trying to figure out the dog situation. Since I'm meeting DD in ATL I can only bring one dog this trip. I think my ex will keep the older dog (but whether or not he'll hand feed her I'm not sure) but my mom will probably not be happy if i bring the puppy (but she'll pretend it's fine). I could leave the puppy with the ex but his dog hates her. At least when DS and I go down two weeks later we can each take a dog.
And I am trying to figure out the dog situation. Since I'm meeting DD in ATL I can only bring one dog this trip. I think my ex will keep the older dog (but whether or not he'll hand feed her I'm not sure) but my mom will probably not be happy if i bring the puppy (but she'll pretend it's fine). I could leave the puppy with the ex but his dog hates her. At least when DS and I go down two weeks later we can each take a dog.
Good to know. I'm learning so much here! You guys are awesome. DH is usually the $ person in our house. But I am the looking for deals/ways to save person so I'm branching out into this and it's not something I'd have normally done. So thanks to everyone for answering all my questions. I've already screwed up one thing bc I didnt ask here 1st, don't wanna make that mistake again.
chattadisser
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2010
We've all made mistakes and left some points, or an even better deal, on the table. Live and learn. Don't beat yourself up about it.
FreeDiningFanatic
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2015
Sharing a travel hacking trip report and cost breakdown from this weekend, for those interested.
Trip report and type: Super romantic, ultra-aspirational points redemption over a long weekend (3nts) in Los Cabos, Mexico
Travel group: Myself and husband, 44. We rarely travel without our kids, only having done so four times in 25 years.
No pre-departure COVID testing is required for Mexico. For my peace of mind, I administered BinaxNOW at home COVID tests (Walgreens 2/$24) the day before departure. This helped me feel more secure that it would be unlikely that they would test positive while in Mexico and that we would have to quarantine there. But with the Omicron variant, we did consider rescheduling, not out of fear of the virus itself, but of being subjected to government mandated quarantining in Mexico.
I always buy trip medical insurance through insuremytrip.com and did this for our travel party ($59 total). $250,000 primary medical insurance pp and $1M med evac, + more coverage.
Flights
I booked flights on Southwest using points/companion pass.
Points: 12,948+13,695= 26,643
Taxes: ($79.61+$34.61)x2=$228.44
We had a 2hour connection in Houston and were planning on having multiple lounge and restaurant options between Centurion lounges and the CSR restaurant benefit. Travel hack fail: I realized while enroute that we were headed to Houston Hobby HOU, not IAH, where all the good options are. So hash browns at Chic Fil A it was!
Transportation. We used insideloscabos for roundtrip private airport transportation for $133. Everywhere else we used Uber. $21.05 for 5 uber rides, insanely cheap. Total transportation cost= $154
Accommodations. So here’s the aspirational part of the trip. We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal, which is apparently a bucket-list type resort destination. For a standard room, it costs 120k Hilton points each night. We booked 2 nights with points and one night with a FNC between our two Hilton accounts.
Availability can be hard to find, but we were flexible and saw three nights pop up in January over a weekend and snatched them. I later switched one points night to a FNC when the certificate became available.
There aren’t really even words to describe how amazing this stay was. This resort is carved into the cliffside at the tip of the Baja, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. Your journey begins as you are driven through a 1,000 footlong tunnel carved straight through the mountainside.
You’re greeted immediately by your personal concierge with welcome margaritas or hibiscus water, offered a tour, then swept over to a personalized check-in. We have Diamond status with Hilton due to the Aspire card and between that and noting in advance we were celebrating our anniversary and looking for some romance, we were upgraded from their standard pacific view room (already amazing) to an OCEAN VIEW DELUXE TERRACE PLUNGE POOL KING room. A 360 degree tour of the room can be found here
Upon arriving to the room, they had a welcome gift of a 200ml bottle of Clase Azul tequila in a handpainted bottle especially made for the Waldorf Astoria.
They also provide a woven beach bag and cosmetics bag as gifts. Each afternoon, they send up chips, salsa and guacamole, along with a bucket of Coronitas.
Our concierge sent us a bottle of Prosecco for our anniversary, which was so thoughtful.
We were feeling incredibly spoiled already on this first day. The room itself is 850+ square feet, with a hacienda feel. Romance is taken to the next level with a fireplace, a soaking tub for two and open rain shower. On the terrace you have your own heated plunge pool (standard in all rooms throughout the resort). With taxes/fees, this room books for $2495/nt (the standard room for $2068).
That night we enjoyed fireworks provided by the resort (the resort was hosting a special event, so we got to enjoy the fireworks as well), followed by dinner at El Farallon. We’ve had several dinners here before, but it doesn’t get old. Waves crash below as you watch fish jump and in the winter, whales spout. El Farallon serves a four course meal and the service is impeccable. This time, I opted for the vegetarian courses along with my flounder, and it was excellent. This is a signature, memorable experience. The menu changes daily and consists mainly of fresh seafood. Again, service really showed and they knew (concierge) we were celebrating our anniversary, and provided a dessert tamale in addition to their standard churro dessert.
Breakfast
With Diamond status, we received complimentary continental breakfast, which as resumed as a buffet. This breakfast takes a lot of flack on Flyertalk, because there is a $9 upgrade if you opt for the egg station. Our servers were so kind each morning and were very clear about what was included in complimentary breakfast, including Mexican specialties, only excluding the egg station. I found the breakfast to be wonderful, from charcuterie to roasted vegetables, soups, tamales, an ever changing offering of quesadillas, fruit, Mexican pastries, yogurt, cereal, etc. I guess if you are looking for a typical American style breakfast, you’ll be disappointed. My opinion is that you should try to enjoy the local flair as much as possible- and I am a picky, picky eater, so I know that’s not easily done for many. Between complimentary breakfast and the afternoon amenity of chips/guac, we never felt the need for lunch or other snacks. The room is also set up with a mini-fridge stocked with juices, soda and water, and cashews and apples in our room were restocked daily.
Spa
We were torn on whether to keep our spa reservation because it is pricey, but ultimate decided to keep it and we are so glad we did. They recommend arriving 45 minutes early to enjoy their facilities, which includes a sensory circuit if you will, consisting of a sauna, steam room and ice room, and hot tub. I cannot say enough about the service. Again, you couldn’t go 5 feet with someone offering to guide or assist you.
We enjoyed the couples massage room. I adored the 50 min hot stone massage, while my husband enjoyed a deep tissue massage. My massage was seriously good, with perfect pressure and I really enjoyed the alternating cold and hot stones, said to be good for breaking down inflammation.
Following the spa, we were escorted to the spa’s private pool area. If you weren’t staying at the resort, you could make a pretty full day out of the spa, between the sensory circuit, treatment, relaxation area and pool. You can’t take but a few steps without a light snack or refreshment.
The one thing I would change about the spa setup, and we’ve experienced the same elsewhere, is that the sensory circuit is separate for men and women. I would have enjoyed experiencing this with my partner.
Also, upon checking out the spa prices were different (17% higher when factoring additional tax/service charge) than the menu which had been sent by our concierge. When I showed her the menu provided, she mentioned they raised their prices in November (though I was sent the menu just days prior), and she quickly adjusted the price. This was the only minor service blip the entire trip and they were quick to rectify it.
Total resort cost, charged to our Aspires:
Spa services= $510.90 including gratuity and 16% tax
Dining & gratuities= $240.08
We used two Hilton Aspire cards during our stay, each one has a $250 resort credit per card member year.
Out of pocket cost= 750.98-$500 Aspire credits= $251
(Less value of points earned $228) = Total Out of Pocket cost $23
Retail value of our upgraded room= $7485
Points used= 240k points, 1 FNC
Redemption value= 2.1 cpp
Amex Hilton Aspire breakdown
Dining experiences.
We made reservations in advance, almost all through opentable. In Cabo, everyone we encountered wore at least one, often two masks, diligently. We didn’t observe any spacing restrictions at tables.
Casa Martin, Cabo San Lucas just outside city-center
This restaurant has a beautifully eclectic courtyard, which you enter by stepping through an old hacienda style door. This meal was ridiculously delicious. I ate vegetarian again and we shared a country salad to start. OMG, this salad had lightly grilled romaine lettuce, which sounds awful, but is so, so, so tasty. I’m going to try doing that at home this week. It gave it a roasty kind of char that was so delicious. I had a meal called Vegan- again, unbelievable. The hubby had the catch of the day, seabass. Everything was out of this world. The courtyard setting was very picturesque and we enjoyed live music by a Cuban singer, but mostly an American gentleman. Outstanding entertainment. Total= $67
Bar Esquina, Cabo San Lucas a few streets off the marina
Again, such a cute setting. Very moody, only lit by candlelight. Outdoors meets indoors as it’s really a pergola setting surrounded by high shrubs and curtains, giving the feeling of being indoors, yet you are completely outside. Listen people- we had an avocado flatbread I am still thinking about and plan to try to make this week. It was a flatbread with tomatillo baked over it, no cheese. Then it was topped with thinly sliced tomatillos, kalamata olives, avocado and cilantro. We also split the catch of the day and roasted vegetables. The live music here was also so, so good. Total= $75
Outings
Humpback whale boat tour- Cabo Trek, 2.5 hours.
On a previous trip to Cabo, we did a whale watching tour and while we loved seeing these amazing creatures, we felt like they were stalked by irresponsible boats. This time around I tried to look for a responsible boating operation. We selected Cabo Trek, who according to their website they are “the first ecotourism company in Mexico to obtain the official recognition of “Responsible Whale Watching Operator” assigned by the World Cetacean Alliance”. They have a marine biologist on every tour, and we felt very educated about humpback whales after our adventure. According to their website “Our RABEN (Mexican whale rescue network) certified captains are experts in anticipating the next best whale watching spot and maintain a safe and responsible distance from the whales.” We enjoyed a tour of Land’s End’s famous arch, lovers and divorce beaches, a sea lion colony and then out to the Pacific to see some whales. We saw many whales, often in groups of 2-3, as the whales come here to give birth and mate. The marine biologist said this made every humpback whale a Mexican citizen, lol. We saw mostly tail dives, but weren’t lucky enough to see any breaches this trip. We even saw a pod of dolphins- so magical.
The group size was 13, which I think was a bit much with COVID. I’d definitely recommend sitting up front at the bow if you can. It was a warm, sunny day and sea. We loved this tour and I’d book it again, though perhaps private if our group size was right. Total cost w/gratuity= $212
Talavera shopping
I am including this as an outing because we found an adorable Talavera pottery shop called Cobalto and treated ourselves to a beautiful keepsake by Javier Servin, as well as Talavera ornaments for our lils as souvenirs. Doing a bit of research on Talavera has inspired me to look into a future trip to Puebla, Mexico and piggy-back that with Mexico City and San Miguel Allende, two cultural locations I have been hoping to get to.
Departure. US requires a negative covid test for re-entry within 1 day of departure. We pre-ordered eMed’s BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag At-home Test 6 pack and brought them with us. Easy proctored testing from our resort with results within 15 minutes.
I just saw when logging into my order that they upload a prescription for each user, as well as a receipt with CPT and diagnosis codes. I am going to attempt to submit this to my health insurance and will report back on the success/failure. Total cost= $28/each= $56
We were able to use the kiosks for SW at the airport, and then just had our COVID docs checked at the gate. No one ever asked to see our Mexico required health questionnaire QR code, as they had on a visit last year.
We enjoyed the VIP Lounge in Terminal 2 as we departed SJD utilizing Priority Pass through CSR. Again, very relaxing and but the food was not very good and our particular server was almost non-existent, though we saw most other servers being very attentive. The airport was chaotic and the airport food lines were insane, so we were glad to have this option.
Total trip cost=
$874 cash, not including souvenirs
240k Hilton points
1 Hilton FNC
27k Southwest RR points
Retail cost= ~$10,000
Final thoughts- If you made it this far, you are a champ, and I bet you can’t believe I still have final thoughts. I guess my big takeaway is that we are so, so fortunate to be able to take a trip like this. The romantic couples time was something I didn’t even know we were missing, and I am so glad we got to experience this resort together. I really don’t know how we’ll find something equivalent in the future for a short trip, but I know we need to travel together solo, at least every few years, now that the kids aren't tiny anymore. Thanks so much to everyone who contributes to this board- we would have never had an experience like this if it wasn’t for you.
Trip report and type: Super romantic, ultra-aspirational points redemption over a long weekend (3nts) in Los Cabos, Mexico
Travel group: Myself and husband, 44. We rarely travel without our kids, only having done so four times in 25 years.
No pre-departure COVID testing is required for Mexico. For my peace of mind, I administered BinaxNOW at home COVID tests (Walgreens 2/$24) the day before departure. This helped me feel more secure that it would be unlikely that they would test positive while in Mexico and that we would have to quarantine there. But with the Omicron variant, we did consider rescheduling, not out of fear of the virus itself, but of being subjected to government mandated quarantining in Mexico.
I always buy trip medical insurance through insuremytrip.com and did this for our travel party ($59 total). $250,000 primary medical insurance pp and $1M med evac, + more coverage.
Flights
I booked flights on Southwest using points/companion pass.
Points: 12,948+13,695= 26,643
Taxes: ($79.61+$34.61)x2=$228.44
We had a 2hour connection in Houston and were planning on having multiple lounge and restaurant options between Centurion lounges and the CSR restaurant benefit. Travel hack fail: I realized while enroute that we were headed to Houston Hobby HOU, not IAH, where all the good options are. So hash browns at Chic Fil A it was!
Transportation. We used insideloscabos for roundtrip private airport transportation for $133. Everywhere else we used Uber. $21.05 for 5 uber rides, insanely cheap. Total transportation cost= $154
Accommodations. So here’s the aspirational part of the trip. We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Los Cabos Pedregal, which is apparently a bucket-list type resort destination. For a standard room, it costs 120k Hilton points each night. We booked 2 nights with points and one night with a FNC between our two Hilton accounts.
Availability can be hard to find, but we were flexible and saw three nights pop up in January over a weekend and snatched them. I later switched one points night to a FNC when the certificate became available.
There aren’t really even words to describe how amazing this stay was. This resort is carved into the cliffside at the tip of the Baja, where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. Your journey begins as you are driven through a 1,000 footlong tunnel carved straight through the mountainside.
You’re greeted immediately by your personal concierge with welcome margaritas or hibiscus water, offered a tour, then swept over to a personalized check-in. We have Diamond status with Hilton due to the Aspire card and between that and noting in advance we were celebrating our anniversary and looking for some romance, we were upgraded from their standard pacific view room (already amazing) to an OCEAN VIEW DELUXE TERRACE PLUNGE POOL KING room. A 360 degree tour of the room can be found here
Upon arriving to the room, they had a welcome gift of a 200ml bottle of Clase Azul tequila in a handpainted bottle especially made for the Waldorf Astoria.
They also provide a woven beach bag and cosmetics bag as gifts. Each afternoon, they send up chips, salsa and guacamole, along with a bucket of Coronitas.
Our concierge sent us a bottle of Prosecco for our anniversary, which was so thoughtful.
We were feeling incredibly spoiled already on this first day. The room itself is 850+ square feet, with a hacienda feel. Romance is taken to the next level with a fireplace, a soaking tub for two and open rain shower. On the terrace you have your own heated plunge pool (standard in all rooms throughout the resort). With taxes/fees, this room books for $2495/nt (the standard room for $2068).
That night we enjoyed fireworks provided by the resort (the resort was hosting a special event, so we got to enjoy the fireworks as well), followed by dinner at El Farallon. We’ve had several dinners here before, but it doesn’t get old. Waves crash below as you watch fish jump and in the winter, whales spout. El Farallon serves a four course meal and the service is impeccable. This time, I opted for the vegetarian courses along with my flounder, and it was excellent. This is a signature, memorable experience. The menu changes daily and consists mainly of fresh seafood. Again, service really showed and they knew (concierge) we were celebrating our anniversary, and provided a dessert tamale in addition to their standard churro dessert.
Breakfast
With Diamond status, we received complimentary continental breakfast, which as resumed as a buffet. This breakfast takes a lot of flack on Flyertalk, because there is a $9 upgrade if you opt for the egg station. Our servers were so kind each morning and were very clear about what was included in complimentary breakfast, including Mexican specialties, only excluding the egg station. I found the breakfast to be wonderful, from charcuterie to roasted vegetables, soups, tamales, an ever changing offering of quesadillas, fruit, Mexican pastries, yogurt, cereal, etc. I guess if you are looking for a typical American style breakfast, you’ll be disappointed. My opinion is that you should try to enjoy the local flair as much as possible- and I am a picky, picky eater, so I know that’s not easily done for many. Between complimentary breakfast and the afternoon amenity of chips/guac, we never felt the need for lunch or other snacks. The room is also set up with a mini-fridge stocked with juices, soda and water, and cashews and apples in our room were restocked daily.
Spa
We were torn on whether to keep our spa reservation because it is pricey, but ultimate decided to keep it and we are so glad we did. They recommend arriving 45 minutes early to enjoy their facilities, which includes a sensory circuit if you will, consisting of a sauna, steam room and ice room, and hot tub. I cannot say enough about the service. Again, you couldn’t go 5 feet with someone offering to guide or assist you.
We enjoyed the couples massage room. I adored the 50 min hot stone massage, while my husband enjoyed a deep tissue massage. My massage was seriously good, with perfect pressure and I really enjoyed the alternating cold and hot stones, said to be good for breaking down inflammation.
Following the spa, we were escorted to the spa’s private pool area. If you weren’t staying at the resort, you could make a pretty full day out of the spa, between the sensory circuit, treatment, relaxation area and pool. You can’t take but a few steps without a light snack or refreshment.
The one thing I would change about the spa setup, and we’ve experienced the same elsewhere, is that the sensory circuit is separate for men and women. I would have enjoyed experiencing this with my partner.
Also, upon checking out the spa prices were different (17% higher when factoring additional tax/service charge) than the menu which had been sent by our concierge. When I showed her the menu provided, she mentioned they raised their prices in November (though I was sent the menu just days prior), and she quickly adjusted the price. This was the only minor service blip the entire trip and they were quick to rectify it.
Total resort cost, charged to our Aspires:
Spa services= $510.90 including gratuity and 16% tax
Dining & gratuities= $240.08
We used two Hilton Aspire cards during our stay, each one has a $250 resort credit per card member year.
Out of pocket cost= 750.98-$500 Aspire credits= $251
(Less value of points earned $228) = Total Out of Pocket cost $23
Retail value of our upgraded room= $7485
Points used= 240k points, 1 FNC
Redemption value= 2.1 cpp
Amex Hilton Aspire breakdown
Redemption value | ||
| $250 airline incidental credit | $250 travel funds with Southwest | |
| $250 resort credit | $ 250 | |
| Diamond status | | |
~ complimentary breakfast | $30/day | |
~ room upgrade | $427/day | |
| Annual free night certificate | $ 2,068 | |
| Points earning | $ 228 | |
| ||
| Total value this trip | $ 4,167 | |
| Aspire Annual Fee | $ 450 | |
| ||
| ||
| ||
| Points earned | P1 | P2 |
| Base points | 5,175 | 1,159 |
| 100% Diamond bonus | 5,175 | 1,159 |
| 2022 Points promotion | 2,500 | 2,500 |
| Myway preference | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| Aspire card 14x | 7,252 | 1,624 |
Points subtotal | 21,102 | 7,442 |
| | |
Total points earned this stay | 28,544 | |
Value at .008 | $ 228 |
Dining experiences.
We made reservations in advance, almost all through opentable. In Cabo, everyone we encountered wore at least one, often two masks, diligently. We didn’t observe any spacing restrictions at tables.
Casa Martin, Cabo San Lucas just outside city-center
This restaurant has a beautifully eclectic courtyard, which you enter by stepping through an old hacienda style door. This meal was ridiculously delicious. I ate vegetarian again and we shared a country salad to start. OMG, this salad had lightly grilled romaine lettuce, which sounds awful, but is so, so, so tasty. I’m going to try doing that at home this week. It gave it a roasty kind of char that was so delicious. I had a meal called Vegan- again, unbelievable. The hubby had the catch of the day, seabass. Everything was out of this world. The courtyard setting was very picturesque and we enjoyed live music by a Cuban singer, but mostly an American gentleman. Outstanding entertainment. Total= $67
Bar Esquina, Cabo San Lucas a few streets off the marina
Again, such a cute setting. Very moody, only lit by candlelight. Outdoors meets indoors as it’s really a pergola setting surrounded by high shrubs and curtains, giving the feeling of being indoors, yet you are completely outside. Listen people- we had an avocado flatbread I am still thinking about and plan to try to make this week. It was a flatbread with tomatillo baked over it, no cheese. Then it was topped with thinly sliced tomatillos, kalamata olives, avocado and cilantro. We also split the catch of the day and roasted vegetables. The live music here was also so, so good. Total= $75
Outings
Humpback whale boat tour- Cabo Trek, 2.5 hours.
On a previous trip to Cabo, we did a whale watching tour and while we loved seeing these amazing creatures, we felt like they were stalked by irresponsible boats. This time around I tried to look for a responsible boating operation. We selected Cabo Trek, who according to their website they are “the first ecotourism company in Mexico to obtain the official recognition of “Responsible Whale Watching Operator” assigned by the World Cetacean Alliance”. They have a marine biologist on every tour, and we felt very educated about humpback whales after our adventure. According to their website “Our RABEN (Mexican whale rescue network) certified captains are experts in anticipating the next best whale watching spot and maintain a safe and responsible distance from the whales.” We enjoyed a tour of Land’s End’s famous arch, lovers and divorce beaches, a sea lion colony and then out to the Pacific to see some whales. We saw many whales, often in groups of 2-3, as the whales come here to give birth and mate. The marine biologist said this made every humpback whale a Mexican citizen, lol. We saw mostly tail dives, but weren’t lucky enough to see any breaches this trip. We even saw a pod of dolphins- so magical.
The group size was 13, which I think was a bit much with COVID. I’d definitely recommend sitting up front at the bow if you can. It was a warm, sunny day and sea. We loved this tour and I’d book it again, though perhaps private if our group size was right. Total cost w/gratuity= $212
Talavera shopping
I am including this as an outing because we found an adorable Talavera pottery shop called Cobalto and treated ourselves to a beautiful keepsake by Javier Servin, as well as Talavera ornaments for our lils as souvenirs. Doing a bit of research on Talavera has inspired me to look into a future trip to Puebla, Mexico and piggy-back that with Mexico City and San Miguel Allende, two cultural locations I have been hoping to get to.
Departure. US requires a negative covid test for re-entry within 1 day of departure. We pre-ordered eMed’s BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag At-home Test 6 pack and brought them with us. Easy proctored testing from our resort with results within 15 minutes.
I just saw when logging into my order that they upload a prescription for each user, as well as a receipt with CPT and diagnosis codes. I am going to attempt to submit this to my health insurance and will report back on the success/failure. Total cost= $28/each= $56
We were able to use the kiosks for SW at the airport, and then just had our COVID docs checked at the gate. No one ever asked to see our Mexico required health questionnaire QR code, as they had on a visit last year.
We enjoyed the VIP Lounge in Terminal 2 as we departed SJD utilizing Priority Pass through CSR. Again, very relaxing and but the food was not very good and our particular server was almost non-existent, though we saw most other servers being very attentive. The airport was chaotic and the airport food lines were insane, so we were glad to have this option.
Total trip cost=
$874 cash, not including souvenirs
240k Hilton points
1 Hilton FNC
27k Southwest RR points
Retail cost= ~$10,000
Final thoughts- If you made it this far, you are a champ, and I bet you can’t believe I still have final thoughts. I guess my big takeaway is that we are so, so fortunate to be able to take a trip like this. The romantic couples time was something I didn’t even know we were missing, and I am so glad we got to experience this resort together. I really don’t know how we’ll find something equivalent in the future for a short trip, but I know we need to travel together solo, at least every few years, now that the kids aren't tiny anymore. Thanks so much to everyone who contributes to this board- we would have never had an experience like this if it wasn’t for you.
Last edited:
elgerber
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 17, 2000
Question. When we cancelled our Hawaii trip in 2020, my absurd first class fare was booked through Chase, so it was refunded in an absurdly large credit. The business card UR's that it was booked with is long closed, and all my UR's are now with my CSP. Can I still use the credit through Chase, and if yes do I have to call?
I can book it with AA directly, but they said I would have to pay a $50 external fee.
I can book it with AA directly, but they said I would have to pay a $50 external fee.
How does the Amex Aspire airline credit work if you used SW RR points? We have one of those and this is something I know nothing about (Lol another thing)
SouthFayetteFan
Saving Money on Disney Vacations since 2006
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2014
Southwest next release will be THURSDAY 3/3/22 for travel through November 5th, 2022.
Schedule Release dates and parameters are subject to change so stay posted! Given that this is still roughly 2 months away, my next reminder won't be for a while unless something changes.
For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases including today:
Release Date | Time (eastern)
12/16/21 | 7:50am
12/08/21 | 6:45am
06/10/21 | 7:15am
04/01/21 | 9:10am
12/10/20 | 7:15am
08/13/20 | 9:15am
Schedule Release dates and parameters are subject to change so stay posted! Given that this is still roughly 2 months away, my next reminder won't be for a while unless something changes.
For those that care about "release timing" it can vary, but here are the recent "go live" of previous releases including today:
Release Date | Time (eastern)
12/16/21 | 7:50am
12/08/21 | 6:45am
06/10/21 | 7:15am
04/01/21 | 9:10am
12/10/20 | 7:15am
08/13/20 | 9:15am
StephPlum
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2011
thanks for the reminder. I need to book for Sept 10-21 so anxiously waiting for this next opening
wanderlust7
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2015
Back from a week at Lake Tahoe. Finally used up the bulk of my Delta Vacations voucher at the Marriott Grand Residence Club, Lake Tahoe. I put a review here:
Marriott Grand Residence Club, Lake Tahoe
We also stayed 2 nights at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe using Amex hotel credits. We got all of the Globalist benefits and points for the stay. Does anyone know how the points are calculated? Is it based on the FHR room rate (minus taxes/fees?) or some internal rate that Hyatt is paid? I can't make the numbers work out.
We were not asked for the plats that the reservations were booked on. But the FHR letter did say to pay with an Amex in the name of the eligible member, so we put it on a MSR Amex.
I put a review with more details here:
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe
We had a good trip and were grateful to have missed the snowmageddon nightmare over Christmas.
Marriott Grand Residence Club, Lake Tahoe
We also stayed 2 nights at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe using Amex hotel credits. We got all of the Globalist benefits and points for the stay. Does anyone know how the points are calculated? Is it based on the FHR room rate (minus taxes/fees?) or some internal rate that Hyatt is paid? I can't make the numbers work out.
We were not asked for the plats that the reservations were booked on. But the FHR letter did say to pay with an Amex in the name of the eligible member, so we put it on a MSR Amex.
I put a review with more details here:
Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe
We had a good trip and were grateful to have missed the snowmageddon nightmare over Christmas.
chattadisser
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 15, 2010
@FreeDiningFanatic What a wonderful trip! It sounds heavenly. I agree, we should all try to get away for couples trips. Sadly DH and I haven't been on one in about 7 years but it was a fantastic trip.
Glad you could hack your way to this incredible trip. Now I've got it on my list of places to visit and I would have completely overlooked this resort without your report!
Glad you could hack your way to this incredible trip. Now I've got it on my list of places to visit and I would have completely overlooked this resort without your report!
platamama
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 6, 2009
There are a couple of ways. Make sure you've selected SW as the airline before doing anything though. This is not something you can switch to another airline once you've started using the credit.
First, you can use the Aspire to pay the taxes/fees that go with the award flights. That is the most direct and straightforward approach. Second, you can purchase cheap SW fares with the Aspire card (<$100 as a guideline) and then cancel the SW fare to receive SW travel funds. Whether or not this method still works is not guaranteed nor is it guaranteed to work in the future, and is not something you can dispute with Amex if you're not reimbursed because their terms specifically exclude tickets. That said, it's how I have >$1400 of SW travel funds in DD's SW account (most of it done last month).
ive booked fncs and get my benefits my wife got upset thought we paid for an upgrade when we did a back-to-back local trip since they were going to expire. I have to reminder her im a globalist.
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im on the fence of canceling this card or downgrading, im not seeing the value in the certificate anymore, and I've gone Hyatt, for the most part, do you this card is worth keeping?
calypso726
Escaping reality one Disney vacation at a time
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2006
I think that would depend on your travel goals. But we both seem to be in the same boat. Using the FN cert as it stands, with peak and off peak pricing, is getting increasingly more difficult. My AF doesn't come about again until August and I have a few FN certs that have been extended until June. Marriott announced that early in 2022 one would be able to top off a FN cert with up to an additional 15K points for a stay so that could make them more useful in the short term. However, Marriott's BonBlah program is switching to dynamic pricing in 2023, so who knows what that may wind up looking like. I am also on the Hyatt bandwagon, so between the 2 Hyatt cards, 2 IHG cards, 2 Radisson Rewards cards and 4 Aspire cards in this household, I am set for hotel stays here and abroad. I will very likely either downgrade or outright cancel all the Bonblah cards.
wanderlust7
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Mar 10, 2015
Did you try for retention already? There's a 60k no spend offer out there, but seems highly targeted. I was only able to get 20k for $3000 spend. I was on the fence too, but because I had a planned Bonvoy stay where I would spend $300 regardless, decided to keep it another year.
calypso726
Escaping reality one Disney vacation at a time
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2006
We did this recently. I'm Globalist but PlanePrincess is not. Call your concierge person and explain what you'd like to do. Then put your DH on the line so he can book the hotel in your name with his FN cert.
When we did this we wound up with 3 completely separate reservations using DH's FN cert on night one, and two of mine on nights 2 and 3. My concierge person advised not cancelling and rebooking into one continuous reservation since there was no availability at the hotel and she was afraid I'd lose the rooms. This was over New Year's and I wanted the 3 night stay, 12/30-1/2 all to go towards my 2022 nights since we were checking out on 1/2. This would not happen if we'd kept at at 3 separate reservations. So, when we checked in I asked the front desk if they could switch the reservation into one consecutive one and they were able to do that.
CaliforniaGirl09
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2009
Too funny! I’m stressing about getting the CP in time for Princess too. I’m almost there. You guys will appreciate this … I’ve almost done the $12k spend to get the $112k points so I’ll need about $13k more. It’s our 30th anniversary today and the only reason we decided to do something to celebrate is that I found a Southwest Hotel deal for $12k points so we decided to go shopping and have dinner in the city!
GZanta77
(fka: uksaint)
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2018
Too funny! I’m stressing about getting the CP in time for Princess too. I’m almost there. You guys will appreciate this … I’ve almost done the $12k spend to get the $112k points so I’ll need about $13k more. It’s our 30th anniversary today and the only reason we decided to do something to celebrate is that I found a Southwest Hotel deal for $12k points so we decided to go shopping and have dinner in the city!
Congrats on 30 years.
We hit 25 next year and are planning some special trips to celebrate.My fee comes up in March. I'll try asking was on the phone? or chat?
Yes the same hotels I was able to book for 30k pre "adjustment" were going for 60k a night to use the certificate I had to wait for availability to change for certain places (was trying to do a staycation before they expired) it truly became a chore, it used to be so so easy.
Also a little off-topic, but if chase came out with a premium Hyatt card that says gave you a free cat 1-7 and every 10k in spend you got 6 nights vs 4 i would upgrade in a minute.
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