Space A - Someday!

[IRMO12HD]

Has anyone used / considered the use of Space A as a means to get to / from a cruise?  Obviously, it would mean padding time on the front and/or back ends of a cruise, but could also present an opportunity to take advantage of last-minute cruise pricing.  Thoughts?  As a clarification, I'm retired, so recognize that the time element is not as much of a factor for me.

[Roger88]

8 minutes ago, IRMO12HD said:

Has anyone used / considered the use of Space A as a means to get to / from a cruise?  Obviously, it would mean padding time on the front and/or back ends of a cruise, but could also present an opportunity to take advantage of last-minute cruise pricing.  Thoughts?  As a clarification, I'm retired, so recognize that the time element is not as much of a factor for me.

No sure it will work, especially these days when Coronavirus is like everywhere. No one is going to wait for last minute to make an exclusion. In any case, I hope there will be other people who could help you with your question 

[IRMO12HD]

Just now, Roger88 said:

No sure it will work, especially these days when Coronavirus is like everywhere. No one is going to wait for last minute to make an exclusion. In any case, I hope there will be other people who could help you with your question 

I agree, @Roger88, that this won't happen for a long while -- if at all, I guess, since Space A is on indefinite hold for my category -- but I'm curious as to whether it has been used in the past by anyone.  When Covid-19 is a thing of the past (or at least under control), and cruise travel returns to some semblance of normal, perhaps it will be a more logical question.  Right now, it's just a dream . . . but one that I enjoy thinking about.

[USN59-79]

It has been used in the past, but not by me.  We have cruised around Japan on the Diamond Princess with a couple from Washington State who used Space A to get to and from Japan.  They enjoyed spending a few days before the cruise in Japan and didn't care if they got home a few days later after they got off the ship.  They lived not far from McChord AFB and were able to park their car there when flying.

[IRMO12HD]

On 2/17/2021 at 2:04 PM, USN59-79 said:

It has been used in the past, but not by me.  We have cruised around Japan on the Diamond Princess with a couple from Washington State who used Space A to get to and from Japan.  They enjoyed spending a few days before the cruise in Japan and didn't care if they got home a few days later after they got off the ship.  They lived not far from McChord AFB and were able to park their car there when flying.

Thanks, @USN59-79; that is exactly the input I was hoping for :-)

[DiplomatOne]

On 12/13/2020 at 1:27 AM, Roger88 said:

No sure it will work, especially these days when Coronavirus is like everywhere. No one is going to wait for last minute to make an exclusion. In any case, I hope there will be other people who could help you with your question 

The concept is great,  however if you are on a time schedule it may be a challenge,  remember rank has its privilege.  On duty, anyone with travel orders, family emergencies etc. have priority. Also if you're disabled Veteran  your spouse ( or companion) is not able to accompany you,  it's a solo flight for you. I woul not consider Space-A if you are planning of cruising. Good luck. 

[IRMO12HD]

On 4/15/2022 at 9:39 AM, DiplomatOne said:

The concept is great,  however if you are on a time schedule it may be a challenge,  remember rank has its privilege.  On duty, anyone with travel orders, family emergencies etc. have priority. Also if you're disabled Veteran  your spouse ( or companion) is not able to accompany you,  it's a solo flight for you. I woul not consider Space-A if you are planning of cruising. Good luck. 

Thanks for the input, @DiplomatOne.  As I mentioned in my original post, I am retired -- as an Army retiree, I am Category 6, which is the "lowest" category, but not at all dependent on rank -- just seats available and time of sign up.   I would not use it if I was on any kind of set schedule, but was interested to hear of (any) others' experiences with it, and could see using it with flexible back up (i.e., refundable commercial flights).

[USN59-79]

On 4/15/2022 at 9:39 AM, DiplomatOne said:

The concept is great,  however if you are on a time schedule it may be a challenge,  remember rank has its privilege.  On duty, anyone with travel orders, family emergencies etc. have priority. Also if you're disabled Veteran  your spouse ( or companion) is not able to accompany you,  it's a solo flight for you. I woul not consider Space-A if you are planning of cruising. Good luck. 

I am not sure why my spouse couldn't accompany me if I am a disabled veteran.  I am a retired Navy person who also happens to be 100% disabled due to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam.  Are you saying that my wife could not accompany me on a space-A flight?

[IRMO12HD]

Well, more than 3 years later I'm still asking the question -- has anyone used Space A to get to or from a cruise?  I'm hoping to test it out this spring after a TransAtlantic from Florida to Italy.  I'll post my results. 

@USN59-79, I think that if you're retired military, you and your spouse (assuming both of you have military IDs), can fly together as Category VI.  She could not, I believe, fly Space A on her own.

[USN59-79]

1 hour ago, IRMO12HD said:

Well, more than 3 years later I'm still asking the question -- has anyone used Space A to get to or from a cruise?  I'm hoping to test it out this spring after a TransAtlantic from Florida to Italy.  I'll post my results. 

@USN59-79, I think that if you're retired military, you and your spouse (assuming both of you have military IDs), can fly together as Category VI.  She could not, I believe, fly Space A on her own.

I suspect that is true.  However, once when I was on active duty she flew Space A from California to Taipei to visit her sick mother on her own.  I am fortunate that my daughter retired from American Airlines, so that offers me opportunities to fly space available with them and also get an interliner price on a cruise.  So I have never tried to use military Space A since I retired.

[IRMO12HD]

A little bit more than two months until I head across the Atlantic, and put (hopefully) the Space-A perk to the test.

 

I've been monitoring flights (scheduled and non-) and have a pretty good feel for what my options will be as far as catching a hop back to CONUS.  I still haven't resolved my concerns about how/when/where I can get a Schengen stamp in my passport -- will be checking in every port!

 

I still have my return ticket on Delta in case Space A doesn't work out -- but it's refundable, so I'm hoping!

 

 

[IRMO12HD]

So far my spreadsheet is developing a clearer picture (well, maybe -- it's Space A, after all!) of where my best chances of catching a hop back to the States after my TA cruise might be.  Definitely Ramstein is the best possibility, but the travel there from Rome is continuing to provide a few wrinkles.  In about two weeks I'll start sending out my emails to the different departure points, bearing in mind that the Navy Air Stations use a different signup period (up to 45 days in advance) from the Army and Air Force installations, which have a signup period of 60 days.