Jim_Iain Live Blog - Infinity B2B - Carribbean and East Bound TA

[BBsails]

What??  You and Iain are sailing again?!  Leaving us behind in soggy Sunnyvale 🙂 You're going to be Zenith Plus soon!!

 

Bon voyage

Betsy

 

PS:  How well I remember those two typhoons

[ecslady]

Enjoy!  Following along again.

[Purplsmurf]

12 hours ago, Carnevale said:

We are so looking forward to your posts.  You have been so very helpful as we are getting to know Celebrity and as we are doing the west bound TA on Infinity in October we expect there’s a lot to learn from your experiences.  Have a wonderful time!  We appreciate the time you will take to share your experiences!

We are doing this one as well. Our first TA!

 

I have never followed one of Jim’s blogs so very much looking forward to it!

[micheleata]

Looking forward to reading about your adventure!  I have really enjoyed reading some of your other reviews.

[Jim_Iain]

5 hours ago, Lastdance said:

Oh how I enjoy seeing those luggage tags, as they represent that the dream is real!

I agree @Lastdance when they arrive it feels REAL.   Up until I finally had a cabin assignment about 1 1/2 weeks ago all I could do was print a blank luggage tag.

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, caymancouple said:

See you onboard both cruises.  We are doing the exact same ones.  We leave for Miami tomorrow, and on to Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday.

Wonderful to hear.   We were chatting last number wondering how many B2B's will be on the cruise.   Wondering what the first cruise will be like as it will be both a short cruise and also will be over Easter weekend.   I'm hoping it won't be a "Booze Cruise" and not over run with kids. 

 

We will be flying to FLL on Wednesday so will only be overnight.   Definitely introduce yourself if you see us on board. 

[Jim_Iain]

5 hours ago, abbydancer said:

I'm following.  I still hope to meet Iain someday.  Also jealous of your time in Scotland.

 

5 hours ago, silkismom said:

I'm following along, as often as possible we will be in Holland for a river cruise. 

 

5 hours ago, zencruisers said:

Following along. Enjoy!

 

4 hours ago, voyager70 said:

Always enjoy your live blogs, thanks for taking us along once again and have a wonderful time on your sailings!

 

 

4 hours ago, ecslady said:

Enjoy!  Following along again.

 

36 minutes ago, micheleata said:

Looking forward to reading about your adventure!  I have really enjoyed reading some of your other reviews.

 

Thanks for following along.   I learn so much from all of you, I only hope I can return the favor.

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, BBsails said:

What??  You and Iain are sailing again?!  Leaving us behind in soggy Sunnyvale 🙂 You're going to be Zenith Plus soon!!

 

Bon voyage

Betsy

 

PS:  How well I remember those two typhoons

Betsy

 

I hope that the winter rains will finally be over with by the time we get back.   I just got back from my daily walk down to Mountain View and the skies are starting to look stormy again.   Hold down the fort.

 

Jim

[Jim_Iain]

4 hours ago, Purplsmurf said:

We are doing this one as well. Our first TA!

 

I have never followed one of Jim’s blogs so very much looking forward to it!

 

Glad you will also be along for the TA.   It should be a really fun cruise. 

 

BTW-   I just got this from the shoreside concierge and thought it might be helpful to you

 

I wanted to communicate with you the Chic Nights Date I was just provided: 

April 24 - Sea Day
April 28 - Sea Day 
May 4 - Sailing out from Malaga , Spain

[SleepingUgly]

Totally following along.  I have done ZERO westbound and ZERO eastbound TAs, haha, and also no B2Bs.  Still quite a few years to go before I hit retirement age, when I can take as long of vacations as I want without people at work flipping out that I'll be out of reach for more than one day, so I will live vicariously through you (and others) until then. 

 

Safe travels!!

 

Linda

 

[cheeseheads4ever]

Hey Jim!

 

Looking forward to your blog. Enjoy your cruise!

[Jim_Iain]

Planning for this trip was a bit more time consuming than normal as we plan on flying to Scotland for 10 days at the end of the cruise to visit's Iain's family.   I booked a flight on KLM from Barcelona to Glasgow using ChoiceAir and got a pretty good fare.    Many other's have reported that flight to and from Europe are high this year and we discovered the same for our flight home to San Francisco. Initially the best fare in Business I could get out of the UK was over $5,000 pp.   ChoiceAir again came to our rescue.  I started checking different days of the week and different departure airports and was reward by finding a United non-stop from Frankfurt to SFO for $1,300 each.   I then was able to book a BA flight from Glasgow to Frankfurt for $150 pp.

   

We were planning on staying with Iain's sister while in Scotland but later had to book an AirBnB because his niece left her husband and moved back home with her 2 kids.   We often use AirBnB so was our first choice in searching for a place.   I found a really nice 2 Bedroom cottage in Troon for $75 per night.   It really looks cute and is directly on the seafront.  Since we have an early morning flight out of Glasgow we opted to spend the last evening at the Glasgow Airport Hotel which is directly across from the terminal. 

[Jim_Iain]

13 minutes ago, SleepingUgly said:

Totally following along.  I have done ZERO westbound and ZERO eastbound TAs, haha, and also no B2Bs.  Still quite a few years to go before I hit retirement age, when I can take as long of vacations as I want without people at work flipping out that I'll be out of reach for more than one day, so I will live vicariously through you (and others) until then. 

 

Safe travels!!

 

Linda

 

 

I can emphasize with you about having a difficult time getting away with the limited amount of vacation we American's get.   I think you would really enjoy a TA.   They have a huge following and once you have done one you will be addicted.  

 

Retirement really is a game changer and it is nice when you really don't have any restrictions from being away for longer periods of time. 

[kimberlydrzymala]

Did you get a flight in business class for 1300.00 on choice air? I am following along as I loved your other blogs. Have a great trip!

 

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, kimberlydrzymala said:

Did you get a flight in business class for 1300.00 on choice air? I am following along as I loved your other blogs. Have a great trip!

 

Yes was able to pick it up using ChoiceAir. I had to play around with different dates and airports before I found it.  

[Jim_Iain]

Passports are out and packed in my backpack.   Iain travels using both his US and British   

 

 

[edunava]

Good morning from Barcelona.

 

We embarked on May 6 in the Infinity, I hope your comments ..... thanks!

Oh! Leave the boat in good condition please. 😊

 

Good trip!!!!
Edu.

[Dawniepoo]

12 hours ago, SleepingUgly said:

Totally following along.  I have done ZERO westbound and ZERO eastbound TAs, haha, and also no B2Bs.  Still quite a few years to go before I hit retirement age, when I can take as long of vacations as I want without people at work flipping out that I'll be out of reach for more than one day, so I will live vicariously through you (and others) until then. 

 

Safe travels!

Linda

 

I'm in the same "boat" as you. We want to do a TA too, but there is NO WAY my employer would allow me to take that much time, and we are far from retirement. This is the closest we are going to get!

[OhioDogLover]

Love your blogs.  Will follow along on your adventures.

Thank you for posting.

 

Ohiodoglover

[jimbri]

Looking forward to your review.  Have a great time!

[rcssmom]

Following along as well.  Enjoy your trip.  I will be along in spirit as I read of your adventures.  Thanks for sharing with us.

 

Karen

[sdnich]

 I will be following along also look forward to hearing about your TA have never done one and hope to after retirement also so we can spend time  on each end also . I was also very interested to read about your move up bid!! pretty good move up ! We were able to get a Royal suite(from SS) on our Panama Canal cruise last year before they started this program when it dropped down after final payment  !  We loved it but we probably would not pay upfront the amount that it would cost ! We are happy with a SS but will watch for the move up bids in the future.

[scottygirl]

16 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

   

We were planning on staying with Iain's sister while in Scotland but later had to book an AirBnB because his niece left her husband and moved back home with her 2 kids.   We often use AirBnB so was our first choice in searching for a place.   I found a really nice 2 Bedroom cottage in Troon for $75 per night.   It really looks cute and is directly on the seafront.  Since we have an early morning flight out of Glasgow we opted to spend the last evening at the Glasgow Airport Hotel which is directly across from the terminal. 

I will be in Scotland at the end of May visiting family. Staying with my cousin.  Enjoy!

Edited April 16, 2019 by scottygirl

[Jim_Iain]

32 minutes ago, scottygirl said:

I will be in Scotland at the end of May visiting family. Staying with my cousin.  Enjoy!

 

Hopefully it will be as nice as last year.  We will be going to Ayrshire. 

[Jim_Iain]

Just printed boarding passes.   We have a 7:25 flight tomorrow morning out of San Jose.    It is a 10 minute ride and so much easier to fly out of compared to SFO which is 30 minutes away. 

 

We we will be using Lyft tomorrow as we have some 10% off credits.