IRMO12HD

My son and DIL received their flight details in June (June 24) for an October (4) departure.  So about 100 days out.

As an update to my question:

my son and DIL received their flight arrangements on about Day 100.  They will fly Southwest COS-SEA via Denver, and United SEA-COS via Denver.  Flight itinerary is actually pretty good, with an afternoon departure in both directions and a reasonable layover.  I found it interesting that it is split into two one way segments on different airlines.

On 6/10/2024 at 2:00 PM, ontheweb said:

For those who fly Iceland Air, be aware that they do not serve a free meal even when crossing the Atlantic.

 

The one airline that Iceland Air shares miles with is Jet Blue/

I believe Iceland Air also shares miles with Alaska Airlines

4 hours ago, NW Pacific said:

NCL does use Southwest.  At least 16 months ago.  The very worse flights from PDX to LAX and return.  Outgoing flight left at 5am.  Return flight from LAX 8pm.  Just my opinion

Thank you for the info!

Booked BOGO air from Colorado Springs to Seattle for my son and daughter in law for an NCL Alaska cruise in early October.  I'm looking for feedback on what airlines NCL has booked flights with.  They'll most probably route them through Denver, but the primary airlines that I've found are Southwest, United, and American in terms of low fares.  Does NCL book Southwest?

P.S.  I did post this in the Cruise Air category; unfortunately no one bothered to answer my question, and instead gave me sage advice on why one shouldn't use NCL Cruise Air.  I'm aware of the risks and have made alternative arrangements for my son and daughter in law just in case.  But, I'm hoping someone who has used NCL Cruise Air can enlighten me as to on what airlines they were booked.

Booked BOGO air from Colorado Springs to Seattle for my son and daughter in law for an Alaska cruise in early October.  I'm looking for feedback on what airlines NCL has booked flights with.  They'll most probably route them through Denver, but the primary airlines that I've found are Southwest, United, and American in terms of low fares.  Does NCL book Southwest?

Finally, regarding the Schengen stamp.

I tried getting it in Malaga, Spain (our only weekday port stop!), but since it was an interim port, the (National Police) authorities couldn't give me a stamp.  They said I could only get it at the first port of entry (Punta Delagado in the Azores) or our final port (Civitavecchia).

As it turns out, I was able to get my passport stamped in Civitavecchia, along with everyone else.  Semi funny story -- when I got to the Passport Control agent (who was very curt and obviously not enjoying his day), he growled at my "Buon Giorno," grabbed my passport and inspected it, and then stamped it . . . with the "Exit" stamp instead of the Entry stamp.  He then growled again (not kidding!), lined through the stamp with a pen, and stamped it with the entry stamp.  I was a bit concerned that his German counterparts might take exception to his pen and ink correction, but they did not, and I was able to depart Germany on May 10.

Oh, and I now have a transferable, does-not-expire Southwest airfare credit because I didn't make the PE to BWI.  I'm sure I'll find a use for it at some point.

Results of my efforts, starting with May 6 as my Day 1, and ending with May 9 as Day 4 and my flight from Frankfurt on Delta Airlines on May 10.

Day 1 (May 6):  Marked myself present for a mission to Dover and Travis at about 1530; roll call was supposed to be at 2230.  Mission date and roll call changed to Wednesday 8 May at 0730

Day 2 (May 7): No flights.  Slept in, toured around the Airbase and Ramstein, played 9 holes of golf, had a nice dinner.

Day 3 (May 8 ) Roll call at 0710; arrived at 0613. Not selected (although after looking at the online Roll Call document, I think I should have been).  Checked in to the Air Force Inn as I had only booked the Hotel Michaela for May 6-8.  About twice the price, but it was really nice to be right on base and close to everything.  The rooms are quite nice.  Patriot Express to BWI for 5/9 shows 20 seats available.  Roll call at 1535 tomorrow

Day 4 (May 9)  Left my bags in the hotel storage for the morning; roll call is pushed to 1700.  I have train tickets to get to Frankfurt leaving at 1800 so this is going to be tight.  In the end I don't make this flight either (again, I think there was an error based on the roll call stats, but that's all water under the bridge.  Classic advice is to not give up until the aircraft leaves the ground, but I couldn't do that and still get to Frankfurt to my hotel while it was still light -- also couldn't cancel my Frankfurt hotel room after 1800 and get my money back)

My lessons learned:

I think I calculated the lead times for registering for Space A pretty perfectly.  The flight schedules just didn't work in my favor.  Because I was traveling solo, I wasn't as flexible in my travel plans for lodging and getting around in general.  If I try it again (which I will), I'll build more of a buffer of time on the end to give me more time to catch a hop.

My luggage plan worked well; I had my 26" suitcase, a backpack, and my Travelon purse which carries quite a bit.  I was able to maneuver it pretty well, even at the Kaiserslautern train station where the elevator for my train platform wasn't working and I had to lug it up the stairs!  

This will constitute both a continuation of my notes from March 25 and then the results of my Space A efforts in conjunction with a cruise.

I made the following "preparations" as I went along.

Registered at Ramstein, Spangdahlem, and Mildenhall 55 days in advance of my hoped for departure date of May 8 or earlier.

Registered at Naples NAS 40 days in advance of my hoped for departure date of May 6 or earlier 

Booked a provisional hotel (free cancellation) at the port of Civitavecchia for May 5 in case I got stuck in terms of transportation (cancelled it while on the cruise); 

Researched and eventually booked FlixBus from Rome to Kaiserslautern leaving at 5 pm on May 5 (our disembarkation day), due to an impending national rail strike that was supposed to start at 5 p.m on May 4, and go through 9 pm on May 5.  As I became more concerned about the extent of the rail strike, I also booked the ship to Rome (center -- the Tiburtina train station) transportation for $79.  I probably could have caught a train, but this turned out to be a much smarter and more relaxed choice.  As it turned out, the strike didn't affect all of the trains I thought it would, but I was already committed to the (20 hour!) bus ride to K-town via Munich.

Made sure I could fit everything into a big suitcase and my backpack, as the flix bus would supposedly only allow one carryon (not the case, but oh, well).

Made a reservation for a hotel in Ramstein that was near both the Airbase and the train station.  The Airbase was supposedly walkable but I never tried it.  It was Hotel Michaela, and was a really nice place to stay.  I had a large room with a large patio for about 120 Euros/night.

Ramstein has a pretty good bus service onto the base; the bus stop is near the train station, and it costs 2 Euros.  Taxi was about 12 Euros.

I'll use this as a timeline and (sort of) live blog for my experiences using Space A travel as a means of getting back home (to Eastern Washington state) after a Transatlantic cruise.

First, a few notes:

I am retired so will be Cat VI.

My cruise takes place in mid April - early May, before the main PCS season begins and the (DODDS-Europe) school year ends, so (theoretically) I won't be competing with as many AD and Cat 2-5 travelers.

My cruise ends in Civitavecchia, Italy on a Sunday, with a port stop the day before in La Spezia, Italy, so I should be able to see and use the 72-hour schedules for the relevant terminals.

I have booked a refundable flight via Delta just in case I don't catch a hop, which gives me a way back (and, if they need it, a viable return ticket to show the Schengen authorities)

My  main concerns:

1.  Where, when and how I will get a Schengen stamp for my arrival in the Schengen area.  We have four port stops before reaching Civitavecchia, all in Schengen countries. They are: Portugal (Azores), Spain (Malaga, Cartagena), and Italy  My concern is that two of those four stops occur on a weekend, so I will have to find an office/agency that is open.

2.  I usually book travel in advance, but since I'm not sure where I'll try to catch a hop first, I'll have to "wing it" for either train or air travel to wherever I hope to fly out of.

3.  I'm still wrestling with what kind of luggage I'll bring; carryon only, or one suitcase and my trusty backpack.

Next up: what I have done (or am doing) to prepare.

I've sailed once on Norwegian at the discount rate -- owing to the low cost of the cruise itself (7 night Seward AK - Vancouver BC), it wasn't substantial, but was enough to pay for a couple of drinks aboard (I declined the beverage part of the Free at Sea).  I will say that I was impressed by the degree of detail they put into recognizing their military passengers.  Other discounts, a patch, a challenge coin, extensive welcome packet, a reception).  I was happy with my pre-cruise and my cruise experience.

So far my spreadsheet is developing a clearer picture (well, maybe -- it's Space A, after all!) of where my best chances of catching a hop back to the States after my TA cruise might be.  Definitely Ramstein is the best possibility, but the travel there from Rome is continuing to provide a few wrinkles.  In about two weeks I'll start sending out my emails to the different departure points, bearing in mind that the Navy Air Stations use a different signup period (up to 45 days in advance) from the Army and Air Force installations, which have a signup period of 60 days.

I appreciate your details!  I'll be on Odyssey in April for the Transatlantic, and will have six sea days in which to explore :-)

A little bit more than two months until I head across the Atlantic, and put (hopefully) the Space-A perk to the test.

I've been monitoring flights (scheduled and non-) and have a pretty good feel for what my options will be as far as catching a hop back to CONUS.  I still haven't resolved my concerns about how/when/where I can get a Schengen stamp in my passport -- will be checking in every port!

I still have my return ticket on Delta in case Space A doesn't work out -- but it's refundable, so I'm hoping!

23 minutes ago, alserrod said:

 

Hello:

 

First of all, a few small comments... but I think they are important in the context.
- Morocco is not Europe but Africa. It is not an opinion but simply a reality. It is not part of the European Union and to travel between Morocco and any EU country you must present a passport and have all customs control. Furthermore, for immigration reasons, it is a border that has a lot of control
- Berlin - Amsterdam is not a domestic flight. They are two different countries (yes it is a flight within the Schengen zone)
- Monaco (for Monte Carlo) is an independent country. It is not part of the Schengen area but has an agreement with France. Honestly, if your port of entry was Monaco I have no idea how customs formalities are carried out (be careful, you can only enter Monaco without entering France if you do it on a yacht through the port. Anywhere around it is already France)

 

I have been on cruises with stops outside the Schengen area twice and I had very few formalities. I don't know if it helps you since the departure and arrival were in the Schengen zone.

 

1- Flight from Madrid to Athens. No passport control upon arrival (it is the European Union and Schengen zone, the strange thing is that they would have asked for it)

One of the stops was in Dubrovnik. Croatia (before it was part of the EU, and later the Schengen area). I had a passport and they didn't ask me for anything at the port. Best of all, there were some passengers who missed the boat and the agent helped them organize a flight so they could get on board two days later. They did not have any problems leaving the country (or entering Italy).

I returned with a Venice - Madrid flight in which there was, logically, no passport control either.

 

2- Departure and arrival from Barcelona (and logically only the documentation control requested by the shipping company)
One of the stops was Tunisia. There the police asked us to fill out a "visa" with our information. They checked (very quickly) that the information we had written matched the passport and stamped the passport and visa.

 

Upon leaving the boat, the police asked us for half of the visa (a small piece of cardboard) and to show our passport (just to see that we had it on us). They already had all the data on the possible passengers who could disembark.
Upon returning to the boat, the Tunisian police asked us for the other half of the visa. If the visas when entering and leaving coincided, then everything was perfect and no one had been left on the ground.
The closest thing to what appears in the Argo movie.

but I don't know if it can help you. I don't know, exactly, how travelers from another country enter the Schengen zone.

 

What is worth noting is that if your ship stops in Funchal, that is Portuguese territory and it would be your first entry into the European Union.

 

On flights within the Schengen area (includes the entire EU except Ireland and some nearby and not so close countries like Iceland) there is NO passport control.

 

It is possible that some country establishes controls (as is the case of Germany that you mentioned) but you can change countries so many times without controls.

 

 

I invite you to use Google Maps and see two curiosities about all this
- the first is to choose several international borders by road. Look on Google Maps as there are no customs of any kind in either of the two places.
- the second... look for the Schengen location. It is in the country of Luxembourg. Think about what their life would be like before the free movement treaty and why they chose that small town to name it.

 

 

 

Thank you!  Our first port stop in Schengen is Punta Delgado in the Azores.  According to what I can find about Schengen stamps, that's where I should get one.

52 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

When we travel from the USA to Europe, our Passports are normally stamped at our first port of entry.  If that place is NOT a Schengen country, our Passports are normally stamped at our first "Schengen" port of entry be it on a ship or at an airport.  That being said, 3 years ago we had problems because our Passports were never stamped (by anyone) despite having been in multiple European countries (including Spain and Monoco).  For some weird reason, it was never done.  We debarked our Seabourn cruise at Monte Carlo where there were no authorities and simply walked down the gangway onto the pier where we were met by our car/driver.  We drove to Nice (so crossed the border into France) where we spend a few days.  We than flew from Nice to Amsterdam where we changed to a flight which took us to Prague.  Again, nobody stamped our passports.  Very strange.

 

Three weeks later we flew from Prague to Munich where we were to catch our flight back to Newark.  Germany, unlike most Schengen countries, always has passport control (even on domestic flights such as our flight from Amsterdam).  The German official was very "unhappy" to not find any Schengen entry stamp.  It took about 15 minutes of explaining (and showing all kinds of supporting documents including cruise ship ticket, airline boarding passes, hotel receipts, etc. until the German official finally let us go (he did put a Schengen entry stamp into our Passport).  What made the experience so much "fun" was that his partner (who shared the same counter) was laughing and kept rolling his eyes (out of sight of his partner) as he watched the situation unfold.

 

Our experience with Europe is that both Germany and the UK will carefully follow their own procedures (which are strict) while most of the Schengen countries (other then Germany) are hit/miss on how they handle entrees.  

 

As to those who want Passport stamps (some travelers have this desire) it is also hit/miss if an official will do it when they do not deem it necessary.  My advice to any traveler is always print-out hard copies of documents (i.e. cruise tickets, airline reservations/boarding passes, etc) and have them with you (in a pocket or carry-on) just in case!  Border/immigration officials have respect for real documents, and much less respect for what comes out of one's mouth.

 

Hank

Thanks for the background!  What you experienced in Germany is exactly what I'm trying to be proactive about.  Our first stop in the Schengen area will be Punta Delgado in the Azores, so theoretically that is my first port of entry into Schengen, and where/when I should get the stamp.  I just haven't been able to figure out who to check with to see if it will be possible.

Frankly, I'm not a "passport stamp collector," I just want to make sure that I grease the skids as much as possible.

Great advice on maintaining hard copies of my transportation documents; will definitely do that.

On 1/30/2024 at 4:32 AM, alserrod said:

DOCUMENTATION IN SPAIN

 

 

Depending on your nationality, you must carry a passport. Check with embassies if you also need a visa and how to obtain it.
If you are an EU citizen, your national identity card will be sufficient. In the case of minors, only with ID, official parental authorization is required. If parents accompany you, it is obviously not necessary. If the minor has a passport, nothing else is necessary.

 

>> About entry into Spain

 

In Spain, the borders with countries in the Schengen area and with the rest of the countries are different.

 

Whatever nationality you have, they will not ask you for documentation for a trip within the Schengen area. This includes road trips from Portugal or France and any air or boat travel from any Schengen country. You will see that they indicate the destinations in this area as if they were domestic flights and there is no cabin for passport control.

 

That is, it doesn't matter what your nationality is. If you are coming to Spain from France, Italy, Germany, Greece, Belgium,... (or if you are leaving Spain for these countries) they will NOT ask you for documentation. You will only need valid documentation that proves your identity for the airline, not for border control.

 

If you come from a country other than the Schengen zone, they will ask you for documentation upon arrival as in a regular passport control.

 

 

 

>> Carry documentation with you

 

Spanish regulations require that you carry with you the documentation that allowed you to cross the border.

 

In other words.... you must carry your passport with you when you are in Spain.

 

Spanish citizens massively carry their documentation with them (an official card inside their wallet) for a historical reason. That makes it more difficult, in that case in which they require documentation, to try to explain why you don't have it.

If I am a US Citizen on a ship originating in the US (Florida) and stopping in the Azores, Malaga, and Cartagena before heading to our final destinations in Italy, do you know if I can request a Schengen stamp in my passport at our first stop in the Schengen area?  This will simplify my subsequent travel plans after the cruise ends.  From what I understand, there probably won't be an opportunity to get it stamped in Civitavecchia.

16 hours ago, InsureMyTrip said:

Yes! Unlike other types of insurance, you can purchase a travel insurance plan for someone else.  All you need to purchase a policy for someone else is basic information about the travelers - like their age, gender, home address, and birthdates.

When you purchase a policy for someone else, you will need to ensure the traveler is the person listed on the policy. If they need to make a claim, they will need to provide proof of your payment for their prepaid, non-refundable trip costs. It will then be the traveler who is reimbursed for the claim, not the purchaser.
 

Thank you!

I am paying for my son and DIL's cruise to Alaska this fall.  If I purchase a travel insurance policy for them, or if they purchase it, will they be able to claim reimbursement if the trip is cancelled due to medical, etc?  That's what I want them to be able to do, but am not sure how it works if I pay for the cruise.

18 hours ago, ollienbertsmum said:

Thanks, you are not insulting my intelligence.  I am from Europe and have traveled to Asia, Africa and North America - but I don’t know the process of replacing a lost passport.   I will be looking it up before my next trip. 

Me, three!

Well, more than 3 years later I'm still asking the question -- has anyone used Space A to get to or from a cruise?  I'm hoping to test it out this spring after a TransAtlantic from Florida to Italy.  I'll post my results. 

@USN59-79, I think that if you're retired military, you and your spouse (assuming both of you have military IDs), can fly together as Category VI.  She could not, I believe, fly Space A on her own.

My DH and I will be on the westbound portion; I'll be interested to see how the card room in the "Windjammer Annex" will look.  I also wonder if there's a place to do jigsaw puzzles.  On Voyager's TA from Copenhagen to Boston, the puzzles were in one of the alcoves.  Very busy place, with two puzzles going at a time

2 minutes ago, Tree_skier said:

My experience with the 3 night package is the courtesy reservation isn't a real reservation it is just a placeholder.  When you board go straight to a specialty restaurant and get it sorted.  Also, you may want to confirm your bogo at that time since reports indicate some ships are holding the line on using it day 1 and 2.  

Thanks for the advice -- I will definitely check as soon as we board.  

I've been reading all of the comments, and definitely appreciate all of you registering your thoughts and preferences!  We're booked on Serenade for the Westbound Panama Canal (Miami-Los Angeles) and this time I booked the 3-night dining package for both of us.  This will be our first cruise as D+, so I'm new to the BOGO deal, but will be researching it.  Under the 3-Night package, I booked dinner for the second day, but recognize that we won't find out where it is until we board.  I personally love Izumi, and we've never eaten at Chops or Giovanni's Table, so I'm inclined to accept the reservation if it's for Izumi or Giovanni's Table, or change it if it's for Chops.  Then, we can figure out where to use our other two "nights" from the dining package, and where to use the BOGO.