Seabourn for air arrangements?/Concierge?

[wripro]

leonid,

 

i dont use a deep discount broker or frequent flyer broker. i use a TA who does lots of business with virgin atlantic and gets better fares for his valued customers. since i travel alot he puts me in that category. however even if you go to the website and click on lowest fare for upper class as maunakealady suggests, you should be able to do much better then the 2 for 1 thru PTS.

[Prunella]

Hello John

 

Whereabouts will you be sailing on the Silver Shadow? I have never managed a cruise for my birthday, lucky you!! I shall be celebrating down here in deepest darkest Somerset, but it will certainly be with champagne so I will have one for you as well!

[wripro]

maunakealady,

 

98 bps seems high. i pay 65 for a mercedes E class (plus tip of course) not sure what kind of car you will be getting. an S class mercedes or a limousine would of course, be more expensive.

[maunakealady]

wripro, thanks for your feedback here. could you recommend a limo service to us? I think we're being picked up by a mercedes, but I don't care about the make of car, as long as it's comfortable and reliable.

[lord of the seas]

wripro, thanks for your feedback here. could you recommend a limo service to us? I think we're being picked up by a mercedes, but I don't care about the make of car, as long as it's comfortable and reliable.

Hi Maunakealady,You must take into account how much luggage you have as most of these cars will only carry two large suitcases in the trunk and one in the front with the driver.The company I use can be Emailed on chauffeurdriven@ntlworld.com

 

Regards

John

[lord of the seas]

Hello John

 

Whereabouts will you be sailing on the Silver Shadow? I have never managed a cruise for my birthday, lucky you!! I shall be celebrating down here in deepest darkest Somerset, but it will certainly be with champagne so I will have one for you as well!

Hi Prunella,I will be sailing from Venice to Barcelona and it will take seven days.The 7th August is a sea day, so there is a good chance that it will be a formal night.

Somerset is not that dark! and the weather should be good for you

Cheers

John

[Prunella]

We love Somerset nearly as much as Seabourn! Last year I just missed a birthday cruise by 5 days we sailed on the Spirit Istanbul to Rome it was wonderful,we had two days in Venice which is worth the whole trip in my opinion, also the Croatian (spelling? how I miss my spell check) Coast is a great favourite of ours, would do the whole cruise again anytime.

[wripro]

maunakealady,

 

i use a company called Central Chauffuer. their website is http://www.centralchauffeur.com. The owner is a man named steve and hes very accomodating. if you call tell him Henry from California referred you.

as i said its 65 bps for an Eclass mercedes. They also have S class for a bit more. as previously stated it depends on how much luggage you will have.

[Leonid]

To all the travelers who have gotten great, low fares on VA: Must be a different website than the one that I just visited. No way thay VA can beat what I got through PTS for a one way fare (we're cruising back to the US). Unless you all are dealing wtih PTS idiots, no way! I suggest that you check the VA web site for SFO to LHR or JFK to LHR and then check with PTS. I doubt that your website fare for two "Upper Class" tickets will beat PTS.

 

Leonid

[maunakealady]

John and Henry, many thanks for the chaffuer company recommendations. we will only have carry-ons with us at LHR, as we're using Seabourn's Luggage Valet service for the cruise.

 

Leonid, the one way fares are always terribly expensive. better to book round trip air and throw away the return ticket - it actually comes out cheaper.

 

okay, general question about London environs - has anyone eaten at The Fat Duck? and how was it?

[Jane Pond]

If you have just carry-ons, you can just make your way out of LHR and take the next black taxi in line. It's much cheaper that way, and there will be plenty of room for your baggage. Last time I did it it was about 55 BP.

 

Jane

[shefinch]

Do you have access to the American Express Platinum Travel Service? If there are good deals on the AE 2 for 1 deals they have them. However, the last time we tried for a 2 for 1 the AE Platinum Air "Expert" got us a great deal to Istanbul return Athens on Air France--not 2 for 1. From Tucson Arizona it was about $3000 round trip First Class in U.S. Business Class over

water!

As far as I know we have access to the Am Ex Platinum Travel Service but it never seems very competitive when we have asked for quotes. Assume with Air France you went via Paris? The trouble is we are so lazy we always want to go direct! I guess in the States you are used to doing two or three legs to get to Europe!:o

[shefinch]

John and Henry, many thanks for the chaffuer company recommendations. we will only have carry-ons with us at LHR, as we're using Seabourn's Luggage Valet service for the cruise.

 

Leonid, the one way fares are always terribly expensive. better to book round trip air and throw away the return ticket - it actually comes out cheaper.

 

okay, general question about London environs - has anyone eaten at The Fat Duck? and how was it?

Yes we have eaten at The Fat Duck several times. It is only a few miles from where we live. It was excellent a few years ago when it first opened but for us now Heston Blumenthal has gone way over the top with his snail porridge and egg and bacon icecream. We didn't like it at all the last time we went. He had opened a restaurant called the Riverside Brasserie in Bray Marina which we started to go to in preference to the Fat Duck as the menu was like his original menu but he has now sold that. He has, however, opened another restaurant next to TFD called the Hind Head (I think) which serves much simpler fare. We haven't tried that yet - I believe it gets booked up months in advance. It depends what you want I guess!!:o

[maunakealady]

shelfinch, thanks for your helpful feedback on the Fat Duck and the other restaurants. I think we'll pass on the Fat Duck this time around - we aren't overly enamored with snail porridge, bacon & eggs ice cream etc., unless it's truely fantastic. but it sounds a bit more gimmicky than delicious.

[Seadoc]

Mauneakealady has posted several times in this thread with an implication I found impossible to understand: that PTS, through their Int'l 2-for-1 program (based on the purchase of a single FULL FARE 1st or biz class ticket and the issuance of a second ticket for taxes due only) does not charge th4e same price (for the "first" ticket) as the airline in question.

 

I have just spoken with PTS. They reiterate that their price for the "first" ticket is PRECISELY that of the airline ("seat-for-seat", itinerary-for-itinerary and class of service-for-class of service). Their price for the second ticket is, indeed, just the taxes due and payable on the first ticket.

 

They reiterate that thire program requires the p[urchase of a FULL FARE REFUNDABLE ticket in either 1st/biz class to qualify for the twofer...which I suspect all who are posting here already know.

 

Therefore, PTS seems to confirm that by using their program one saves almost (the difference being the tax on the second ticket) 50% over the price the airline would charge for the two identical tickets.

 

If anyone's personal and verifiable experience is anything other than that above, please post.

 

Thanks.

[maunakealady]

Seadoc,

 

you are correct - PTS is a great deal if you wish to pay "full fare". then you can get a refund or change your flight as many times as you'd like.

 

we saved almost $4,000 by purchasing restricted air through the airline's own website (same seats, same flight). we will have to pay $200 if we need to reschedule the flight. we will have to pay for our own car transfer from Heathrow to London (about $100).

 

okay, let's do the math....

[bldsld]

Also, the web fares can be less expensive, so it is understandable how Maunakealady might get a preferential discount just from that fact alone.

 

Denyse

[lord of the seas]

John and Henry, many thanks for the chaffuer company recommendations. we will only have carry-ons with us at LHR, as we're using Seabourn's Luggage Valet service for the cruise.

 

Leonid, the one way fares are always terribly expensive. better to book round trip air and throw away the return ticket - it actually comes out cheaper.

 

okay, general question about London environs - has anyone eaten at The Fat Duck? and how was it?

Hi Maunakealady,I have eaten at the Fat Duck and it is definately worth a try if you have the time.I also eat at the Hinds Head Hotel which has been recently transformed from a nice local Pub into a nice Pub with an excellent Restaurant Menu,The fries (Chips) are to die for.The other well known Restaurant in the same area is The Waterside Inn which is French Quisine and has Three Michelin Stars,it is owned by Michel Roux who is the consultant Chef for Celebrity Cruises

Regards

John

[maunakealady]

Denyse - thanks for verifying that I'm not in the twilight zone.:rolleyes:

 

 

John, thanks for the feedback on the Fat Duck. right now we are waitlisted for Gordon Ramsay (and we have St John reserved as a back-up).

 

bon appititie and happy landings.

[lord of the seas]

Denyse - thanks for verifying that I'm not in the twilight zone.:rolleyes:

 

 

John, thanks for the feedback on the Fat Duck. right now we are waitlisted for Gordon Ramsay (and we have St John reserved as a back-up).

 

bon appititie and happy landings.

Maunakealady,

Do try the Gordon Ramsay in Royal Hospital Road,Chelsea. it is much better than his Restaurant at Claridges and consistantly gets better reviews.I know Gordon personally and I know which he thinks is better.it is smaller than the Claridges Restaurant and has a much more refined clientele (No footballers and c list celebs posing for the cameras)

Regards

John

[maunakealady]

John, the Hospital Road restaurant is where we're waitlisted. apparently there are only 14 tables so it's not easy to get a reservation. I tried to get reservations last week for the end of August through the excellent concierge at the Dorchester, thinking he might have more influence at Gordon Ramsay than AmEx Platinum concierge service. Gordon Ramsay books reservations exactly 1 month in advance, and by the time the Dorchester concierge got through to the restaurant the tables were all gone. :(

 

we are sad about this, as we'd like to eat our way through the UK and continental Europe. and we are gourmet food deprived - Hawaii is not known for it's epicurian fare...

 

best regards.

[Jane Pond]

I am hoping that tomorrow the concierge at my hotel can get me a reservation at GR's. (They may be on holiday). I had a really wonderful luncheon in April, albeit very expensive. I had the opportunity to meet him and we had a nice chat. I had eaten at Verre in Dubai, and he told me he was just back from a grueling filming of his 'Hell's Kitchen'.

I am keeping my fingers crossed.

 

What should be my second choice? I was thinking of Petrus.

 

Jane

[cruisr]

Hi,

 

I am tired now, so I did not read all the threads BUT are your trying to do dinner of lunch at Gordon Ramsey? They have a wonderful Prix Fixe lunch that is a relative steal. Check out their website and you will see. It is also easier to get res. for lunch then dinner. Lunch is only served M-F. Good luck.

 

Also, did you ever get the Ecco sandels I mentioned in an earlier thread?

Cheers.

Cruisr.

[Jane Pond]

So, MLady, will we be in London at the same time? (25/28)?

 

Jane-and I think that 'luncheon prix fixe is, perhaps relative, although had I not added the Kobe beef and lots of champangne, I could have done better<G>.

[Winner]

MaunakeaLady--we just returned from Maui (a big birthday celebration) and found Chez Paul as wonderful as it was on our honeymoon 26 years ago. We also loved Pacific'O for the beachfront atmosphere, wonderful service and great food. There are indeed fine restaurants in Hawai'i but you may have to fly to Maui!