goletans

After almost 4 hours with phone calls and emails and Hainan reps researching the issue I finally was instructed to add the III to the last name. I saw that China Air instructs to add the suffix to the first name.

It depends on the airline. You are right; I would not chance getting the name wrong because my assumption could be wrong.

Anyway, we finally got the flight all the way to the payment page only to run into another problem. Although the website showed that our payment was being processed, it never was completed. I called our CC and it was not a problem on this end. After 4 hours, the price increased just over $1000 pp AND all flights for the day we wanted were no longer available.

HUGE disappointment because the flights were as good as we found.

I will label this experience a lesson on Chinese airlines.

Greetings, oh knowledgeable ones.

I found reasonable flights for our return from Tokyo on Delta.

Our flight to Beijing is still not booked. The best we've found is on Hainan - really good reviews and best prices we've found. However, while entering my husband's name, there is no place to note his suffix - III. It is on his passport so we want the passport and reservation to match. I called Hainan and the rep said she would find an answer, but I'm still waiting.

Does anyone have experience with this issue? 

24 minutes ago, basor said:

I have sent out a bag with delicates and written cold wash and low temp dry (large black letters, circled and with stars around!) and they have come back just fine.....t

That's what we do, too, and we have been very happy with the service. You may also get 3-4 vouchers for pressing.

"Why’d you expect your spouse to get a free cruise before he has enough credits to be Platinum."

I didn't; I had asked, "My husband does not have as many sailings as I do so we will not reach our 20th cruise at the same time. We will be together on my 20th cruise. How does this enter into the free cruise deal?"

There were several responses that indicated otherwise such as

My qualification for the free cruise was not an issue. Didn’t make 20 until later. Don’t know what would if I attempted a second free one. 

and similar responses within the link to the prior topic from September 21, 2023. Here's one:

We booked what I thought what was going to be my first "Milestone Cruise" on the Vista for this December.  Our Oceania Ambassador on board my recent ATW sold it to me on board, based on my having accumulated 30 cruise credits...15 from my solo 2019 ATW, and 15 from this years, (sharing with my wife).   We had used her "Milestone Cruise", (earned prior to our wedding),  for the segment from Miami to San Francisco.   Since I was included with her on that, they now say that I had already had my first Milestone (even though I had not yet earned it at that time).   That was contrary to what the O Club Ambassador promised.   As instructed by the Ambassador, prior to the final payment date, I notified Oceania that I wished to take this as my Milestone cruise. A couple of days ago, Oceania told me I had to pay in full, as I already had my milestone cruise.  They even claimed this new one would have been my third!   My wife had one previous to us meeting, and the one we shared in December was her second.

So you see how this can be confusing.

Yes, but he is quite a few credits behind me and we're not getting any younger.

It will come down to O's math

Just in from our elite TA:

Only the person in the cabin who has reached their milestone cruise is entitled to the savings.  So what Oceania’s Oceania Club Deck will do is apply your milestone cruise to your portion of the cruise fare only.

I don't see how this is a good deal........

2 hours ago, ATWCruiser said:

Hope this link helps on your question.  It looks like you can take your free cruise together but your husband won't be able to double dip once he reaches his milestone as they have his info on record that a free cruise was already used.

Thank you. I had missed this topic.

I see that as usual with O it depends on who you talk to and when as perks change.

For now I will assume that I will be able to request my free 14-day cruise 180 days before sailing and that my husband may also get the perk. However, he will not get an additional free cruise on his 20th. Any other benefits we may or may not receive is up in the air for now. Oceania will figure out how much we will pay for the sailing. We hope it will be a solid savings.

Thank you, all. 

Flatbush Flyer, I think SOL means spouse out of luck, yes?

We are working with our TA on this who will be sorting out our credits. She was rather busy last week as you can imagine with the new bookings. 

Hopefully something will come up with the September releases that is at least 14 days. It's hard to find an itinerary with enough new-to-us ports that merit a cruise. I'd love to see Easter Island as a stop.

So many details.

Maybe someone will join in with first hand experience on this. 

Our TA told us to book our 20th, (so we could select the cabin we wanted) and 6 months out from the cruise date, she’d tell O that we wanted to take it as our freebie. Had no issues with them saying OK, and adjust the invoice accordingly.

This. makes sense to us.

At least I hope these are new questions. I did search for answers before posting.

My husband does not have as many sailings as I do so we will not reach our 20th cruise at the same time. We will be together on my 20th cruise. How does this enter into the free cruise deal?

Also a question on timing. We have several cruises booked into 2026 with my 19th (19 credits) booked. At what point will O expect/allow us to reserve the free cruise - now? or after completing my #19? We always book as soon as itineraries we want are released.

with appreciation for your experience and insights  ~ 

20 hours ago, happy cruzer said:

You may want to look  again at Gardyloo's advice.  At first the RTW or Circle tickets look complicated, put a little work and practice yielded great options.  I spent a few hours seeing how the RTW ticket works and now I am a believer!

Will do. Work and practice will be good for my aging brain. 🙃

22 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

My only further suggestion is that in your research you use BJS as the code for Beijing and TYO for Tokyo. 

GREAT advice! Thank you.

20 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

So, your two options are:

 

1)  Fly LAX-PEK, land tour to HKG, cruise to TYO, Fly TYO-LAX

 

2)  Fly LAX-HKG, land tour to PEK, Fly PEK-HKG, cruise to TYO, Fly TYO-LAX

 

I personally doubt that you will be able to find business class tickets PEK-HKG low enough to offset any savings by going to HKG vs PEK for the first leg.  But only actual research will answer that question.

 

 

Oh, good. I made sense. Yep, research continues. Although not the dates we need, this shows the range of costs - from Chase Travel.

Absolutely,  it makes more sense to end the tour in the city where the cruise starts. We could achieve this with PEK to HKG to start the cruise. What I think I'm finding is that a flight from PEK to HKG at the end of the land tour, adding this to a LAX to HKG at the start may dollar-wise be better than LAX to PEK at the start. Does this make sense? I know what I'm saying, but may not be making this clear.

WOW! I knew you all would come through with facts and ideas to ponder.

We are looking at Hong Kong and Beijing as starting points for the land tour because we can reverse the order of the cities we want to visit. The cruise is Hong Kong to Tokyo. LAX is easy to start from and end at, and we want to minimize flight time duration.

FlyerTalker

Although we will accept airline credit we prefer credit back to our form of payment. 

“One other item of note:  IMO, there is a significant service differential between the mainland Chinese carriers and other Asian airlines.  By mainland, I mean Air China (NOT China Airlines, which is much different), China Southern, China Eastern, Hainan, and Shenzhen.  OTOH, both China Airlines and EVA, from Taipei, are quite good.  Same with JAL, ANA, Korean, Cathay and Singapore.  So don't just be focused on price.”

We are happy to look at all airlines that serve our itinerary. These are helpful suggestions.

Are there any airlines you advise against? Do you have favorites?

CDNPolar

Yes, we are willing to pay a slightly higher fare with the option to cancel. We will consider South Korea. Thank you for that idea.

Zach1213

We completely understand the cost of refundable travel and have experienced its value when we had to cancel for a situation that insurance did not cover. It also brings peace of mind that is hard to put a price on.

Gardyloo

We have considered offers such as "Circle Pacific” but prefer to keep things as simple as possible.

CruiserBruce

The cruise line is Oceania. While using O flights can be a very good value, I prefer to have control over our flights and lock in said control and choice earlier than O will allow.

Globaliser

We will only accept cheap for short, direct flights from our local airport. We are looking at reasonable connections. Singapore Airlines to Hong Kong is definitely a consideration.

As we're about a year out from our March cruise, it's time to get serious about flights. We're looking at LAX to either Hong Kong or Beijing to begin a DIY pre cruise tour. At this point refundable, business class air is our preference. Today I found American and United to Beijing at $25,000. This is a firm Nope. Does anyone have suggestions on airlines, one-way tix vrs multi-city flights? It's too early to get good results on the Google Flights matrix. We may consider premium seating but were really spoiled recently by Qatar. 

My spouse has tossed "clips" of some of these pax.

Is this like a carefully aimed rubberband at the concert-goer who blocks your view at a concert - especially aimed at that the person in the front row that stands for the whole show?? Haven't resorted to this yet, but do think about it.

I checked the pricing on the two cruises we have booked that are now offering a free pre-cruise hotel. The the cost for this free pre-cruise hotel that would include a free transfer to the ship is only $1600 on one cruise and $1401 on the other. Not surprised. It will be interesting to see all the free inclusions that the soon-to-be-released itineraries will have.

OH! I forgot to add that DH is also vegetarian at home. This partly accounts for his happiness in cruising when he eats anything he wants - and does 😃

I am a vegetarian and have been the most happy with Oceania's offerings over Crystal and Silversea. I receive the GDR or specialty restaurant (for current reservations) menu 2 days before dining and have been able to (usually) select my choices. On some occasions, I have requested and received something off-menu when there is nothing I want to eat. 

1 hour ago, asnaleah said:

I got that email as well. I wonder if all cruises will have that option or only specific cruises.

only specific cruises.

https://www.silversea.com/best-luxury-cruise-deals/the-essential-fare.html

I received this in an email today from Silversea. This could be an alternative for those who are disappointed by O's Simply More. I see many Alaska itineraries included. However, the cancellation/refund policy is awful.

We are excited to announce a new fare designed for freedom-loving travellers: our voyage-only Essential fare will appeal to those who seek last-minute experiences at a great value and who prefer to manage their air, transfers and shore excursions independently. Catering to our guests’ individual travel preferences, Silversea now offers three unique fare options: our industry-leading Door-to-Door All-Inclusive fare; an enhanced Port-to-Port All-Inclusive fare which is now available on all voyages; and the new Essential fare on selected sailings that features all onboard inclusive amenities and services but does not include shore excursions.

I know, huh!🙂

The squishables for sleeping. LOVE the the high fidelity ones for concerts!!!

HA! Our amusing observation that (perhaps) people should pay more attention to their partners. This did not interfere at all with our enjoyment of the cruise at all. We were on Riviera in January and never heard any noise from our neighbors. This being said, we did find that Vista's walls were somewhat 'thin.'

Helpful Hint: Eargasm earplugs are GREAT!

I posted this on Nov. 20: 

We just returned from Vista. We could hear neighbors talking on both sides and anyone in the hall as well as TVs on both sides and neighbors when they were on their balconies. We used our Eargasms but could still hear them. One morning the woman on one side was loudly telling her partner that she has already told him "NO!" while the woman on the other side was loudly telling her partner that she has already told him "YES!" We could usually hear and understand most words. 

I hope Allura doesn't have this problem.

1 hour ago, ORV said:

Did you expect it to be?

Not really, but it shows as included on several 2025 itineraries.