terry&mike

The port in Singapore is easily doable on your own. Close to everything, great public transportation right at port, well signed and easy to get around. 

You may also want to check with the cruise line on their international Business class air. Oftentimes they have very good fares. 

One thing you may want to consider is that you use your miles to buy one ticket from your home all the way through on Delta, and you use cash to buy the other ticket from your home all the way through, on Delta, same itinerary. Then you have Delta tie the 2 reservations together. This way, you don't have to worry if a flight delay causes you to miss your connection, as it falls to Delta to get you to your final destination. 

We are sailing Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles on the Pacific Princess in April, a segment of the world cruise. We have a port side balcony cabin, forward located. Very much looking forward to it. I visited Panama independently on a land trip in 2018 and visited the locks and the very good museum in Panama City, and really enjoyed it. 

Also check the rates from the cruise line for air, they often have very good pricing.

18 hours ago, bmar808 said:

I am sending your recs to them in a text right now! They may not listen to me so I'm hoping maybe they'll listen to others but even if they don't, I can say I at least provided the information. 

I'm already hearing about my lack of compromise, which includes not only our flights but even the cruise excursions. 

 

I have decided that we are doing what all the wise people here have suggested and booking what fits for husband & kids.  Thank you a million for your thoughts and input on the various aspects!!

Hello, this is the downside of trying to put something together for a group. I feel your pain, and am sorry for it. I take a group, usually 12-26 people, on a trip somewhere at least once or twice a year. In 2020 it is a 3 week trip across Southeast Asia for 29 in January, and a land and river cruise in Portugal for 18 in October. It started out being a very small group of just our friends, and has grown to include some clients as well.

Long ago, I found the best way to handle it is to book exactly what I want, and once I have myself booked, then I send out an email to the group to see if anyone would like to join us. I let them know our plans as to the booking, the air, possible excursions, etc, and make sure to put a note that they are welcome to join us on anything they like, or go their own way at any point, that it is their vacation, and to enjoy. 

10 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

That is the wrong week for us.  We would need a week of Dec. 20 2021 type of date.  Thanks.

Yes, I didn't think that actual sailing date would work for you, as we fly out in just 4 weeks from now - I thought you might want to look at the itinerary route to give you some ideas for future cruise itineraries to look out for. Once you know the itinerary you like and want, you can watch for similar sailings to be released and be ready to book. 

Happy travels!

A couple of times a year Princess has an itinerary that sails from Singapore, 3 ports Vietnam, Taiwan, 2 days in Hong Kong, 3 ports in Japan which include the disembarkation port of Tokyo (Yokohama). This route is sailing Jan. 6, 2020, on the Diamond, if you want to take a look at it for future ideas. I have a group of 29 sailing on it, and we have waited for over a year for it to finally be here!

Yes, it is a perk from the Sip n Sale - 3 guests in a mini suite. Guests 1 and 2 received Premier Beverage Package, Guest 3 received Coffee & Soda Package and wants to upgrade to Premier Beverage Package and pay the difference. Value at 14 days cruise of Coffee package is $330.26, of Premier Beverage package is $991.06. 

Has anyone had any luck in upgrading a beverage package once on board? For example, guest has a Premier Coffee & Soda Package as a perk. Guest would like to pay the difference in value to upgrade to a Premier Beverage Package. Have checked with Princess and it cannot be done in advance, they said check with Guest Services once on board. 

Has anyone had any luck in upgrading a beverage package once on board? For example, if a guest has the Premier Coffee & Soda package on their reservation as a perk, but would like to upgrade to the Premier Beverage Package - can they pay the difference in the value of these two packages?

Oh, and that should have said Indonesian Rupiah for IDR, not Balinese Rupiah. 

I don't know if this will be helpful, and each person has their own comfort level and travel style, but the information below is what I have posted on my web site on the page "Things To Do Before You Go" for my group that is traveling on the Diamond Princess from Singapore to Tokyo in January: 

Get cash for the countries you’ll be visiting: this is a personal choice, and totally up to you how you like to manage your money in general, and when traveling. Personally, I like to hit the ground running and I feel like having a bit of “walking around money” in my pocket makes me more efficient, so I bring along both U.S. Dollars cash and a bit of local currency for the places I’ll be visiting. You can also choose to locate and withdraw cash from ATM’s as you travel, visit money exchange booths, or rely more heavily on credit cards, whatever your preference, as I said, this is a personal choice. I order foreign currency in advance from my bank, always requesting smaller bills, a couple of weeks before departure. Only you can judge your spending habits and style, keeping in mind that street vendors and small shops will lean towards cash, while major stores, large businesses, and nicer restaurants will usually accept credit cards.  Below are the amounts of foreign currency I will be purchasing, and amounts of USD (small bills) cash I will be bringing, this will cover the 2 of us. I don’t mind having extra USD cash with me as it is easy to bring it back home if I don’t use it, I can buy foreign currency on the spot if needed, and it helps in a pinch. I will have a credit card for larger purchases or nicer meals. Of course, we all have different spending habits, so your mileage may vary – you do you.

• Bali: this only applies to a few of you, as most of you start in Singapore. Mike and I are staying for 4 nights and have budgeted some money for casual meals, shopping, touring, tips. I will be buying $284 usd worth of IDR (Balinese Rupiah) and bringing $150 usd small bills cash. Cash society, credit cards accepted in higher end places.
• Singapore: Mike and I are staying for 2 nights and have budgeted some money for taxis, casual meals. I will be buying $125 usd worth of SGD (Singapore Dollars) and bringing $50 usd cash. Credit cards regularly accepted.
• On Board Ship: most everything you do or purchase on board the ship will be charged to your shipboard account and settled by the credit card you have on file with the cruise line. I will be bringing along some usd cash for thanking any service staff who go above and beyond, or for tips in specialty restaurants, or for whatever could pop up, in the amount of $170 usd cash. Mike will most likely be bringing a larger stash of usd cash for the casino that he will not disclose to me to keep me out of his business!
• Vietnam: we have 3 ports in Vietnam, and most of us are on tours in 2 of these ports, so those days you will only need money for lunch, a $5-$7 per person tip to the guide, and possibly some street vendor shopping; maybe a bit more when not on a tour. They like USD in Vietnam, but often won’t make change so focus on small bills, also on bills in good shape. I am bringing $288 usd cash.
• Hong Kong: credit cards are widely accepted here, so I’m just bringing enough local cash for street food or small purchases. I will be buying $50 usd worth of HKD (Hong Kong Dollars) and bringing $50 usd cash.
• Taiwan: I’m only getting a little pocket money for wandering around or a taxi, as I don’t have any specific plans here. I will be buying $50 usd worth of TWD (Taiwanese Dollars). They prefer smaller bills in Taiwan, and credit cards are randomly accepted.
• Japan: We have 3 stops in Japan (Osaka/Kyoto, Toba, and Yokohama/Tokyo), and in 2 of those stops Mike and I, and several of you, are on a tour which includes lunch, and tipping is not done in Japan, so I don’t need much money here. I then will stay on for 2 full days in Tokyo. I have budgeted for some spending money, some casual meals, and some entrance fees. Japan is heavily a cash society. I will be buying $340 usd worth of JPY (Japanese Yen) and bringing $100 usd cash. 
• Money Round Up: as a summation of the above, to cover 2 people for the amount of time I am visiting, I plan to purchase $284 usd worth of IDR for Bali, $125 usd worth of SGD for Singapore, $50 usd worth of HKD for Hong Kong, $50 usd worth of TWD for Taiwan, and $340 usd worth of JPY for Japan; and bring along about $808 usd cash.

I always pre-order a bit of local currency for each port, as I like to hit the ground running with some local cash in my pocket. Everyone is different on this, so go with your comfort level. I pre-order from my local bank, and my exchange rate has not varied much at all from the exchange I am given when using ATM's overseas. 

21 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

Sure hope you read the disclaimer and policies of your "new travel site".  Personally, I wouldn't trust using a website where they can't even use proper English and punctuation.  Or where they explicitly state that "action you take upon the information you find on this website (www.MyFlightMart.com), is strictly at your own risk."

 

But what do I know.

 

YMMV

 

I'm agreeing. I'm in the travel business and always am looking for new sites to refer clients to, this one does not make me feel confident in their ability to perform. Hopefully, I am wrong on this. 

Hello,

I am taking a group of 29 on the Diamond Princess, Jan. 6, 2020, sailing from Singapore to Tokyo. They released most of the shore excursions in September, only about 4 months out. 

In our offerings, they do have a disembarkation transfer and tour, ending at Haneda Airport for $129.95, for flights after 5pm, and one ending at Narita Airport for $179.95, for flights after 6pm.  Both appear to be a bus tour with visits to Meiji Shrine and Sensoji Temple, and time for lunch. 

As you are flying to Asia, take a look at Celebrity Air's pricing on Premium Economy seating, as it tends to be priced very well. Premium Economy is a different class of seating than Economy, offering a better seat that is slightly wider with more leg room, slightly more recline, more comfort, often small footrests. Premium Economy is booked as an actual ticket class when you book your flight, like Economy, Premium Economy, Business, First. It is often not offered on the domestic flight legs, as many don't have true Premium Economy seats.

Economy Comfort, Economy Plus and those similar products are just an Economy seat, usually located towards the front of the Economy section, with more leg room, sometimes a few other services like priority boarding, or beverages, but not a different actual seat. These generally can only be selected after you have purchased your Economy ticket, then you go to the airline and access your reservation and pay an upgrade fee for each leg you want to upgrade. You usually cannot see what the exact fee and availability is until you have booked your Economy ticket. 

I think for Asia, you will be much happier with Premium Economy. 

4 hours ago, Kaylacool said:

I've booked a cruise and ezair flexible fare with Princess.

With a current promo Princess have I can save over $500 on the cruise cost. If I contact my travel agent to rebook with the cheaper fare, what happens to the airfare compenent. Does it have to rebook as this would be a worry as currently airfares are $100s of more and are no longer flexible only fixed.  Ideally I would want to keep the airfare but rebook the cruise.  Is this possible? 

thanks

Kayla

I'm not sure the terms in Australia. In the US, if you are before final payment and you "refare" your cruise (not cancel and rebook) then your air that you have saved to your reservation does not change. If you need to cancel your reservation, and "rebook" then you will not retain your saved airfare. 

10 hours ago, Zach1213 said:

In my experience, as someone who flies from North America to Europe monthly, if you can’t do a daytime flight, the best thing to do after you land in the morning is just keep going...go go go, get fresh air and sunlight, eat good meals and drink plenty of water, and then crash early. Get a good nights sleep, and by the next morning I’m pretty much on schedule. 

I also practice this method and find it works very well for us. We travel internationally about 6 times per year. 

You can also have your TA send you a document of the "Gifts" on your reservation.

This brings up something I have coming up. I have a dinner party for 12 people that I am hosting/paying for on Diamond Princess for DH's 60th birthday. I paid the $29 pp fee in advance, as the ship requested, to secure the reservation. Usually, when DH and I dine in a specialty, I leave $10 cash ($5 pp) for the wait staff, unless the service is poor. Based on that, I was thinking I should leave $60 for the birthday dinner, but it sounds as if many think this is not necessary. Thoughts?

9 hours ago, Lazz said:

How do you cut the zip ties off when you get to your destination?  You can not carry any sharp objects on the plane.

I always have nail clippers in my carry on.

I use zip ties to secure the zippers together. This way they can be cut off by security where needed, but for random baggage thieves it's an extra step for them. I also know immediately when I take them off the baggage belt that they've been opened.

I have found EZ air Business class rates for international destinations to be from very good to incredibly good, especially when booked far in advance. 

She may have boarded the flight using the new biometric screening. On September 14 we flew Atlanta to Amsterdam, on Delta, and only needed to look at a facial recognition scanner and get a check mark on the screen to board. As to her boarding pass and ID, possibly she misplaced them after TSA or had stuck them somewhere in her belongings and couldn't recall where.