I love credit cards so much! v6.0 - 2023 (see first page for add'l details)

[Judique]

Add me to the list of people who want to follow you and have 0 posts! I'm new the whole Instagram thing but it seems it's time for me to get on board.

@afan followed you as well!

I haven't opened my instagram account in years and I'm not sure I ever made a post!
I set it up to follow my DD when she went to Shanghai, Cambodia and wherever else she went on that trip.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

Thrifty Traveler sent an email about a Flying Blue sale, 25% off. We're booked JFK-CDG-FCO in November and could change that to another flight earlier that day that has the promo rate, which would be nice as we'd have more time in Rome (arriving 9 am local instead of 5 pm!). We'd basically gain a day in Rome, so that's worth the $50 change fee per person.

But the flight schedule worries me with only a bit over one hour layover. Every time I've been to CDG it's taken a while. But I haven't had a connection with the same airline before, I assume I'd still have to collect my luggage and take it through customs, then check it again and go through security, no? If so, I don't know why Air France seems to think this would work. Any thoughts? I'd love to have the miles and get an extra day in Rome

I would be worried about an hour layover in CDG as well. It always seems to take a LONG time, as we've always had to change terminals, even for connecting flights. We've done the ORD-CDG-FCO. But if the alternative is a 5 hour layover, I'm not sure which I'd pick? Also, I'm not the type to run out and explore when arriving from overseas, so getting in at 9 wouldn't really appeal to me. But I know a lot of people are the type who can hit the ground running...

I don't know about luggage- sorry I'm no help there.

 

[Haley R]

Now to the actual trip report! Overall, we had a really great time even though Germany was not the original plan for the trip. We were able to find so many family friendly activities and got to experience traveling with a 3 year old lol. It wasn't easy, but we learned a lot. This trip was practice for our trip to Japan in May which will have even longer flights. He actually did really well with both of the long flights from IAD-Munich so I'm hoping the same happens for Japan.

We started out by flying to IAD and staying there for a night before the flight to Munich. We used the United Polaris lounge at IAD and it was pretty nice! It was very big and we were able to use the nap room as well as the shower room. The buffet options weren't great, but we ate dinner in the restaurant and that was really good. For the flight we gave Ds a melatonin tablet to help him sleep and he slept the entire flight. I only slept about 30 minutes, but it was still a great flight.

In Munich, we actually stayed a little outside the city in an apartment hotel called Wunderlocke. It gave us a ton of space with a kitchen and washer/dryer so it was fantastic. We got a bunch of groceries from Aldi and whoever mentioned buying water bottles-THANK YOU! We visited Marienplatz and the Glockenspiel, the Residenz, the English Garten, Nymphenburg Palace, Olympiapark, and the Marchenwald Fairy Tale park. We also visited a ton of playgrounds lol. Ds loved watching the Glockenspiel and we all loved seeing the surfers on the river in the English Garten. The Fairy Tale park was absolutely amazing and perfect for us as a family. They had a ton of very unique rides and playgrounds.

After Munich, we drove about an hour and a half South to Fussen. We stayed at Hotel Schlosskrone in a typical hotel room. It was hard to switch from the apartment hotel to a normal hotel room, but this area and the hotel itself were beautiful enough that it made up for it. It also had a kids room and Ds loved playing with the toys in there. This hotel provided a free breakfast that was great and it was right in the center of Fussen. We really enjoyed walking the streets and eating way too much gelato. Here we visited the Lechfall waterfall, Neuschwanstein castle, the alpine coaster in Oberammergau, and Lake Forggensee. The alpine coaster was absolutely amazing. We had to drive 45 minutes to get there, but it was so much fun we ended up doing it twice! The Neuschwanstein castle was also very cool. We hiked up early in the morning to the Marienbrucke bridge and there were only about 5 other people on the bridge at the time. It was so awesome, even though the hike was difficult. Ds insisited on hiking the whole way up the gravel path.

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

@FreeDiningFanatic your pictures are absolutely stunning!! I have a few friends who have gone, but I’ve never really looked into it since we don’t really like cold weather vacations/cold places. (I say that I have trauma from living in the north most of my life, lol). But your pictures look incredible, and we are very outdoorsy people, love to hike, etc. so it looks like a trip like this would be right up our alley. I’m definitely going to add to our bucket list… the scenery looks amazing

 

[wanderlust7]

@FreeDiningFanatic Loved your trip report! That's a great puffin pic! I'd like to go back a third time too. There's so much more to explore! I need to put the crevice waterfall on my list.

 

[elgerber]

The goats are killing me! I love goats!

 

[palhockeymomof2]

Thankful for this hobby. I'm making an unplanned trip in September (again, made one in May when my sister had major surgery. Used my VX travel credit for one of the flights). I ended up paying cash for this ticket because the prices weren't bad (I'll get 5x MR points), but I felt completely comfortable checking all the various ways I could get there just in case there was some good deal on points.

I did miss the mini-CP on SW by 2 days (sister didn't ask for me to come and help -- this time with Mom -- until today). However, we may try for the regular CP in January, so no big deal.

All the input and sharing this thread provides is really helpful, so thanks to everyone here!

I don't think I've opened a new card since March, but was working on an Amex retention offer and now a 2x MRs for 3k spend. It's been nice to have a mental break from 'strategy' for a while since I'm still fairly new to all this. I've got property tax coming up this fall and then a rehearsal dinner in the spring. I *think* it's time for me to PC my CSP to a Freedom and then wait for an elevated bonus, I opened my CSP in Sept 2019. If I downgrade in October, I can wait 30 day and re-apply for CSP?

You can apply for a new CSP 4 days after a PC

 

[Haley R]

After Fussen, we drove north about 3 hours 40 minutes to Nuremberg. This was our least favorite of all of the areas we visited and that's mainly because of where we stayed. We didn't realize at the time that our hotel was not in the historical part of Nuremberg. We ended up being by a lot of clubs and hookah bars. The area was very dirty with beer bottles left on sidewalks, trash everywhere, and graffiti. People here were also not nearly as friendly as in Munich and Fussen. We stayed at the Adina Apartment Hotel so we could have a kitchen with a washer/dryer. The washer/dryer didn't even work so we had to use one from another room which was a huge pain. We did like being able to cook our own meals though and we had a separate bedroom. In Nuremberg we visited the DB Railway Museum, walked through the historical areas (Hospital of the Holy Spirit, Hangman's Bridge, etc.), Playmobil Fun Park, and the Imperial Castle. The DB Railway Museum was fantastic and had an amazing kids area. We spent a lot of time here. We also enjoyed visiting the Imperial Castle before heading back to Munich for our flight. Playmobil Fun Park was extremely cute, but overcrowded because of the Bavarian holiday so we couldn't enjoy it as much as we would've liked.

We stayed in the Hilton Munich Airport before flying the next day back to IAD. This hotel was great and right next to the airport so we woke up and went straight in the airport in the morning before our flight. We ended up using the Lufthansa business class lounge and it was terrible. Extremely small with very limited seating and it was completely packed. I ended up taking ds to an indoor playground they had in the terminal and dh stayed in the lounge, but he joined us shortly after because he said it was horrible in there. It was nothing like our United Polaris lounge experience.

I feel like there are so many more things I could share, but these posts are long enough. If anyone has any questions please feel free to ask. We had a great time!

 

[punkin]

@afan followed you as well!

I haven't opened my instagram account in years and I'm not sure I ever made a post!
I set it up to follow my DD when she went to Shanghai, Cambodia and wherever else she went on that trip.

I really should set up Instagram...

 

[Judique]

Talking to a friend earlier today and told her I was going to the beach later in September. Staying on my IHG points and free night.

She said, 'let me check my IHG free night, to see if it's expired yet'.

She checked and her expiry was September 29, so she booked a night for me! This saved me 38K points!

It's nice to have friends!

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

I would be worried about an hour layover in CDG as well. It always seems to take a LONG time, as we've always had to change terminals, even for connecting flights. We've done the ORD-CDG-FCO. But if the alternative is a 5 hour layover, I'm not sure which I'd pick? Also, I'm not the type to run out and explore when arriving from overseas, so getting in at 9 wouldn't really appeal to me. But I know a lot of people are the type who can hit the ground running...

I don't know about luggage- sorry I'm no help there.

Thanks. Yeah, 1 hr seems crazy. We are the types to hit the ground running, so if this could work it would be awesome to get an extra day. I thought maybe I was missing something if Air France thinks this is feasible, but we've always needed 2-3 hours connecting at CDG in the past.

One option would be to book this promo fare and then know we'll miss the connection, then hopefully they would just put us on the next flight to Rome after (3 hr 45 min layover), which still allows us to have most of the afternoon in Rome. But I'm probably too type A to chance things like that. I guess I should probably leave things as they are.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

I usually do a price breakdown for trips, but when traveling with so many people, I'm not sure it's helpful, so instead, I thought I'd do my top tips for planning a trip to Iceland:

1. Just order a digital guidebook from Iceland with a View. She's done all the research for you- what to wear, what to pack, highlights in each area, plus maps. Watch her content on youtube as well, it's great! This will save you hours and hours and hours of planning.
2. Book your lodging well in advance (like 10-12 months), especially if going in the peak summer months. When possible, book flexible cancellation, because you're sort of putting a puzzle together. T
3. Aim for the summer months, like June-August, especially if you aren't a fan of cooler temps. You'll get a ton of daytime hours (even the midnight sun if you go in early summer), warm temps (50s and 60s- perfect for being active) and it's easy to self drive in the summer months. The colors are amazing in the summer!
4. Unless you're going for just a few days (IcelandAir has a free stopover!), don't stay only in Reyjkavik. Get out and explore the rest of Iceland on your own.
5. Iceland is known for being expensive. It is. The same lodging we stayed in in 2021 had a 100% price increase in 2023! But, outside of airfare, lodging, car rental/gas, you can do and see a lot for very few fees. While food is expensive like any island, if you choose to cook your meals, it can be very reasonable.
6. Consider staying in cabins, cottages, guesthouses, etc. As points enthusiasts, we are sort of conditioned to stay in hotels, but you'll be really limited if only staying in hotels.
7. We've done amazing tours and experiences, like a zodiak tour of the glacier lagoon, hiked a glacier to an ice cave and visited the Blue Lagoon. A lot of these you can book on credit card portals. But, you really don't have to pay big fees to have an amazing experience. Maybe pick just one "tour" you have to do and self explore otherwise.
8. If your only opportunity is to visit the Blue Lagoon to or from the airport, I recommend skipping it. It can be a great experience, but the locker rooms can be very, very chaotic, and after an overnight flight, jet lag and time change, you might be low on patience. Your spa-like, $100pp experience might not be worth the pricetag when your flesh is touching someone else's in a crowded locker room. We wish we had just stuck with our spa at the hotel in Reyjkavik (free with status!)
9. Embrace gas station food! It's not unusual for a "restaurant" to be in a gas station or connected to one. Or get an icelandic hot dog or a bowl of soup. It's the icelandic way!
10. Move locations every two days or so. We aren't fast paced travelers, but unless you want to drive a ton, you'll need to move along every couple of days. But don't forget to slow down and just enjoy the beauty of it all.

 

[mmmears]

@Haley R - Thanks for sharing. I love your pics!!! I'm so glad you had a great vacation and it's an impressive use of points all along the way.

@FreeDiningFanatic - Thanks for sharing as well. I love your pics. We've been to Iceland once, had to cancel 2020, and now it's on my list for a second, longer visit. It's such an incredible place.

Thrifty Traveler sent an email about a Flying Blue sale, 25% off. We're booked JFK-CDG-FCO in November and could change that to another flight earlier that day that has the promo rate, which would be nice as we'd have more time in Rome (arriving 9 am local instead of 5 pm!). We'd basically gain a day in Rome, so that's worth the $50 change fee per person.

But the flight schedule worries me with only a bit over one hour layover. Every time I've been to CDG it's taken a while. But I haven't had a connection with the same airline before, I assume I'd still have to collect my luggage and take it through customs, then check it again and go through security, no? If so, I don't know why Air France seems to think this would work. Any thoughts? I'd love to have the miles and get an extra day in Rome

We've been flying on AF through CDG and then transferring to a shorter hop for a few years now. While I absolutely hate the 5 hour layover (with a passion) I still wouldn't risk the 1 hour layover in that direction. It takes a while to get through customs, plus the second flight is not usually super close to the first. I'm not sure about November, but going through customs I saw a really backed up line to get in (we had a bypass lane because the hotel pickup offered it as an option so didn't have to wait but I was shocked at how long it was). I think this may be the new normal post-Covid, or maybe it was just the summer travel rush? It would be very tight on the way home, but much less risky since you wouldn't need to clear customs. We did it on a flight home and the jetway broke and all the other gates were full - finally they just pulled up some stairs and we had to go down to the tarmac then climb back up to the airport but we lost almost a half hour and were running through CDG to get to our gate.

Are you flying in J or economy? The lines to board those inter-European flights for economy are also a mess. If J then it's no issue. But if J, then you can use the AF lounge in T5 (I think) which is by far not my favorite but much less crowded.

Just my 2¢ here.

Exciting news! Our DS is finishing his masters in animal nutrition at UF Gainesville and will be starting a new job at the Philadelphia zoo in October! Lots of new changes for him! He needs a new (preferably used) car (Rav 4 or Ford Escape) so will be trading in his F150 truck for something more city friendly. So he may have to get some financing. He will be coming back to Texas to do the truck trading and car purchase towards the end of September. Should I open a new Chase biz card or should he? I'm hoping to put some of the purchase price on a CC. This would be his first biz card. He has a CSF and a SWA priority, and is an AU on my Amex gold, CF, and C1 Venture X. he's 3/5 for Chase. He also wants to set up a bank account in Philadelphia. He said there's a Cap1 cafe bank near the zoo? He says his current bank Regions does not have branches up there. Does anyone know of any bank bonuses with Cap1? He won't have a large amount of money to deposit, but will have direct deposits from his new job. Thanks for any input! I just love this group!

I don't have banking ideas, but I want to send my congratulations to your son!

 

[djmeredith]

I’m at Universal for opening night of Halloween Horror. It’s a nightmare and not in a good way, lol. The waiting areas are not organized so they were sending people one way only for other staff to have that way blocked and send us back. Then it starting pouring. We called an audible and ducked into the Jimmy Fallon ride where it was air conditioned and dry. Now we are waiting out the storm I. The gift shop. What a mess! Luckily the storm is only going to last about an hour. I will never attend opening night again because eso the disorganization. We are staying at Swan Reserve with P2s 5 FNCs. Love the hotel!

 

[CyndiLouWho]

Exciting news! Our DS is finishing his masters in animal nutrition at UF Gainesville and will be starting a new job at the Philadelphia zoo in October! Lots of new changes for him! He needs a new (preferably used) car (Rav 4 or Ford Escape) so will be trading in his F150 truck for something more city friendly. So he may have to get some financing. He will be coming back to Texas to do the truck trading and car purchase towards the end of September. Should I open a new Chase biz card or should he? I'm hoping to put some of the purchase price on a CC. This would be his first biz card. He has a CSF and a SWA priority, and is an AU on my Amex gold, CF, and C1 Venture X. he's 3/5 for Chase. He also wants to set up a bank account in Philadelphia. He said there's a Cap1 cafe bank near the zoo? He says his current bank Regions does not have branches up there. Does anyone know of any bank bonuses with Cap1? He won't have a large amount of money to deposit, but will have direct deposits from his new job. Thanks for any input! I just love this group!

Congrats to your DS! How exciting! His degree encompasses my 2 favorite subjects, animals and nutrition. My degrees are in animal science and human nutrition though I work in human nutrition.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

I’m at Universal for opening night of Halloween Horror. It’s a nightmare and not in a good way, lol. The waiting areas are not organized so they were sending people one way only for other staff to have that way blocked and send us back. Then it starting pouring. We called an audible and ducked into the Jimmy Fallon ride where it was air conditioned and dry. Now we are waiting out the storm I. The gift shop. What a mess! Luckily the storm is only going to last about an hour. I will never attend opening night again because eso the disorganization. We are staying at Swan Reserve with P2s 5 FNCs. Love the hotel!

It's not just opening night. It's very disorganized generally. We were there last year and already inside the park before the event started, so didn't have to wait outside to get it but it was still a mess inside. We felt like the TMs were playing ping pong with us in telling us to go one way, then the next set would have us turn back the way we came, only to be told again it's the wrong way... But it got better once the event started. What was such a headache for us was that we were trying to get to dinner reservations but nobody would let us get there even with explaining what were trying to do and showing the reservation on the app. Finally I had to get a little angry and got through one of the barricades that way and made it to dinner about 25 min late from all the walking back and forth.

 

[afan]

I'll write up a review after my stays for the hotel thread, but what craziness is this. I know a lot of people don't like top sheets but omg just a comforter is too hot and no other blankets. I brought one but it's in my big suitcase. Turned the a.c. down to 66 from 69 and it still didn't help. Didn't get anywhere near the sleep I should have/needed. Will stop by the fd after breakfast and ask for them to bring something.

Happy with most everything else but I sleep hot.

 

[wanderlust7]

I'll write up a review after my stays for the hotel thread, but what craziness is this. I know a lot of people don't like top sheets but omg just a comforter is too hot and no other blankets. I brought one but it's in my big suitcase. Turned the a.c. down to 66 from 69 and it still didn't help. Didn't get anywhere near the sleep I should have/needed. Will stop by the fd after breakfast and ask for them to bring something.

Happy with most everything else but I sleep hot.

If I remember right, I think all the hotels we stayed at in Japan was like this. Must be a cultural thing.

 

[Haley R]

I'll write up a review after my stays for the hotel thread, but what craziness is this. I know a lot of people don't like top sheets but omg just a comforter is too hot and no other blankets. I brought one but it's in my big suitcase. Turned the a.c. down to 66 from 69 and it still didn't help. Didn't get anywhere near the sleep I should have/needed. Will stop by the fd after breakfast and ask for them to bring something.

Happy with most everything else but I sleep hot.

We had the same problem in Germany. Only 1/3 of our hotels had an AC that could actually cool the space and all of them had thick comforters with no sheet. I woke up hot a lot

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

@Haley R loved your trip report and pics also! Munich has been on our list for a long time, and we plan to go in 2025 for our next international trip. So glad to hear you guys loved it.