snowballs mom

If you can swing it I would definitely book premium economy instead of regular economy with extra legroom. The seats are like those in domestic first class, so they are wider along with the additional legroom. They also recline a bit further. I do not fly AA, but our UA premium economy flight allows two checked bags instead of one (DEN to LHR). As we get older my husband and I are finding sitting in economy seats for more than a couple of hours is much less bearable than it used to be, so I was very happy to discover the premium economy option for our flight to London this summer.

I recommend earlier in the summer. We were on the August 21st sailing this year, and there were very few kids on board.

We used both of ours on our ten-day Alaska cruise in August. We splurged on an aft-wrap balcony and ended up with over $1700 in OBC. (We are not gamblers so no casino deals for us.)

We had already decided that our January 2024 Constellation cruises would be our last in suites. We, too, will be booking balcony cabins and paying a la carte.

I called in several months ago to have ours applied to our August 31st Alaska sailing and heard nothing back at that time. I just received the confirmation emails two days ago stating that our request was received and the credit would be applied 2-3 days prior to the cruise. The emails came from guestadmin@carnival.com

We usually stay at the Courtyard Marriott in that same location. We like it there. There are several casual restaurants with counter service across the parking lot as well as The Hanger (a food court with a bunch of counter service restaurants and seating in a central area). We buy our wine at the Whole Foods, and have shopped at the stores a previous poster mentioned. It is a quiet location that works for us, as we want a place to hang out and relax after our flight. If you are looking for more activity, attractions, or sit down restaurants I would follow the suggestion to stay in the more touristy area close to the port.

@frankp01 I have a question for you, since I have not booked air arrangements through a cruiseline for many years. Did Cunard offer flights on multiple airlines, or did they have just one option for your itinerary. Thanks!

It is my understanding that you cannot use Early Saver price protection if your cabin category is sold out.

That actually came from a Cunard booking agent. I asked about Cunard air a couple of months ago. Apparently there is the option to purchase either refundable or non-refundable tickets through them. The non-refundable are less expensive but need to be paid for upon booking. The refundable cost more but payment is not due until final payment date for the cruise, and the tickets can be canceled.

@frankp01 We have July - August 2024 sailings and can book airfare with Cunard starting September 2nd. I have been tracking the prices for premium economy, Denver to Heathrow, through ITA Matrix to try and get an idea of when the best time would be to purchase. At this point the prices seem to be high when released, then drop about ten months out, followed by an increase. The only airlines with nonstops from Denver are United and American, and American's pricing usually is lower than United's (sometimes by a lot). I am considering booking refundable tickets with Cunard, then tracking prices in the hopes of finding better options. From what I have seen, the Denver nonstops are priced lower than connecting flights. The lowest pricing I have seen is around $1200 one way and $1500-1800 round trip for premium economy.

We visited November 2022, so post-COVID. I was a little surprised since I had read that England was pretty much cashless now, but luckily I had enough with me to cover the check.

We are the exception that proves the rule. We needed cash in Southampton at Mike's Fish and Chips - they do not accept cards. Luckily we had stopped at a cashpoint earlier in the trip. I think I withdrew 50 GBP and had 5 left by the end of our trip.

They do consider two seven day b2bs equivalent to a 14 day cruise. Shareholder OBC is $100 for the first week and $150 for the second week.

When I booked hotels in England for our November 2022 trip I found that reservations did not start to open up until eleven months out. Some were at ten months. I contacted one of the properties I wanted to reserve in Southampton, and they kindly sent me an email once my dates were available.

I am looking forward to your review - we are on the August 21st sailing and are also staying at the Riu before and after.