Nieuw Amsterdam Cruise

It was cold. Actually, it was very cold. Coming from freezing DC to Florida, I expected it to be warm and sunny. Well sunny it was, between the rain sprouts, but as my mother used to say, it is a step-mother sun: beautiful but lacks any warmth. Foolishly, I packed my coat in my luggage, and did not bring anything warm with me so I was freezing on the way to the port. Part of our rate included a transfer to the port – but as there were about 40 of us in the hotel, they brought in a big bus for that. The hotel is not far from the port, and the trip took no longer than 15 minutes. Much less than it took to pack and unpack the bus full of 40 people luggage.

Security and check-in were relatively fast, and in about 30 minutes we were already on board and in our room. Unfortunately, the cold, windy weather was a scene that remained well into the cruise. Not before we hit San Juan the sun and warmth were noticeable.

Having been cruising for quite a while, I do not get too excited over the port of call. The sad thing about the Caribbean islands is if you have been to one, you have been to them all. Frankly, I enjoy the cruise experience very much (and particularly, if it is a charted cruise like this one), that the port of call are really secondary. In some cruises I never bother to get out.

When we reached Half Moon Cay, which is Carnival Corp. private island in the Bahamas, the weather was still windy and cold, and I opted to stay on board. People who went to the island said the weather was fine and all have a great time. I just enjoyed a quiet day on board.

By the time we got to Puerto Rico the sun was out. Having been in San Juan only couple of months ago, we decided just to take it easy. We got used very fast to the getting to bed in 3 AM and waking up at 10, so we started the day slowly. After breakfast/lunch on the boat we just roamed into town. Originally I had us a room booked at the Hilton and we thought of having a beach day there, but as we started the day so late, I just took advantage of the being able to cancel the reservation by 6PM and forgo that plan. We strolled through the old town and made some purchases; soon enough we were back on board.

The surprised guest entertainer for the night was Wayne Brady who put on an incredible improve act. The house was packed and everyone was on the floor laughing. One of the advantaged on going on charters is that the entertainment is so much better than on a regular cruise. Of course the price of admission includes that expectation, but it is still nice to such caliber shows when on vacation.

The next day we were in St. Thomas. I choose to repeat the Champagne Catamaran Cruise to St. John. We had a very good time, despite the fact it was raining on and off and it was not the perfect weather I had last time.

Two quick sea days on the way back to Fort Lauderdale and the cruise was over. Of course, those cruises are over much too fast. I will be happy to be back on the Nieuw Amsterdam in June, sailing the Mediterranean Sea.

Mid Winter Cruise

The day did not start very well. We had to get from our house to DCA, and with the expected usual weekend track work on Metro we left particularly early – or so was the plan. Some last minute delays, and being stuck at the cross roads waiting for the longest cargo train ever to pass made us at least 20 minutes off the time table. We thought we are just going to change the trains from the red line to the yellow line at Fort Totten instead of Gallery Place, however, letting the Green train pass us, and no Yellow train in sight we discovered that the Yellow train does not get to Fort Totten this weekend. So Green train it was to L’Enfant Plaza, only to board the Yellow train, which took the Blue train route this weekend (though nothing about THAT was posted on the web-site). So as you can see from the map, we really took the long route to get to the airport. That delay was another 40 minutes delay. Luckily, there was no line at the US Airways check-in, there was no problem checking in the luggage, and security was relatively quick at 20 minutes – so we just got to the get with 5 minutes to spare prior to boarding. Needless to say I was nervous the whole way.

US 1905 – DCA - FLL

This flight was going to be a special flight – not only it is a beginning of a nice vacation, but it was the flight that will push me over to have A3 Star Gold status. My partner and I booked on the flights on different PNRs and chose window and aisle seat hoping that the middle seat will remain empty – which it was. All in all, US Airways continues to leave good impression. The flight was a normal flight. There is really nothing to report on. It was a normal flight in economy class. My luggage arrived after about 15 minutes intact, which is more than one can expect.

I'm glad to report that four days later the flight had posted and now I am a proud A3 *G.

Obligatory leg room picture

Hilton Garden Inn – Fort Lauderdale Airport – Cruise Port

We had a good rate through the charter line we to this hotel. It included breakfast (that I would have gotten anyway as Hilton Gold, so I took the points this time), transfer from the Airport to the hotel, and from the hotel to the Port, plus shuttle service from the hotel to downtown Fort Lauderdale in the evening. So, even if I could get a different hotel a little cheaper, with all the add-ons it was no brainer.

The hotel is a standard Hilton Garden Inn, if you ever been to one you know what I am talking about.  It is a little old and a little run-down. It does not seems like anyone had been cleaning the vents in the room for years, and the shower could use some fix-ups as it seems that the water controller is almost out of the wall. Other than that, there is nothing special about this hotel – good bed, decent breakfast (if VERY crowded), spacious room and free internet. All in all, I would stay here again if given similar deal, but it would not be my first choice.

Bathroom Vent

In the next post I'll talk about the curise

 

Stowe Vermont

Having to travel with skis excluded the option of taking the metro to the airport. As much as I like DCA because of its metro access, carrying skis and luggage during rush hour in the morning is just not a viable option. As such we drove to the airport. Finding the economy parking was easy if you follow the signs, though it is a bit of a trek outside of the new terminal. The price was reasonable at $12 a day. One can save some by staying at a near-by hotel, but that means another shuttle (smaller than the bus the economy parking is using) with all the luggage. We chose convenience.

Check it was quick and swift. Being *S I should receive free checked bag for each person on the reservation, and ski equipment counts as one bag. No matter what I did online, I could not make US Airways web-site to recognize the free bag allowance, although it did recognize my status. At the airport, it was no problem as no charges were asked for at check-in. The agent seemed confused about the ski bag but upon checking with a college it was quickly checked in without a problem. We did not experience the same issue in Burlington; they are well used for travelers with skis.

I have recently canceled my Continental card (I would have kept it open if they offered  a retention bonus; unfortunately, I approached it the wrong way and was immediately transferred to the consolidation department instead of the retention department). Be that as it may, the timing of the cancel was just right, as I did receive the two free day passes for United Club. As this flight left from concourse B and not C, I used them, instead of the day pass I had from the US MasterCard, I originally intended to use. I cannot wait to get to *G. The United Club was exactly as I remember: rather small but welcoming space. At the early hour, it had some breakfast items, fruits, and hot and cold drinks.  Free WiFi cards were received, and it did work without a problem. It is one of my favorite clubs in the system, as it never seems to be crowded, and I have always received good service here.

Plane Watching

Plane Watching

DCA United Club

Some more Plane Watching

 I usually dread flying for any length of time in a regional jet; however, I was really surprised how comfortable the E175 series is. The seats were comfortable, even in economy, leg room decent, and service, despite limited was warm and welcoming. If all US Airways flights are going to be like this, then there is still hope for the airline. It was a really nice experience, with the usual domestic service of drinks only (but I got the whole can!) The flight went on without a problem, and we were in Burlington before the official time of arrival.  I was really impressed with the luggage handling in Burlington, the luggage and we arrived at the luggage area almost at the same time. There are good things to be said about small airport after all.  

Leg Room

The cheapest rental-car  deal we got was on Thrifty, but that would necessitate another shuttle. So, again, we chose the convenience of an on-site rental car with Enterprise, which was the cheapest after Thrifty. As a note for the planners, the prices stayed pretty much stable and lowest until about 3-4 weeks prior to the trip when they have started to climb up. Unfortunately, they only car they have left was a Chevy which we will never drive after the Hawaii fiasco (the car lost its breaks and shut itself down on the Road to Hana – yes that was fun; we barely survived that trip). So they pull another car a Dodge Avenger from the National stock and give it to us with a significant discount. In hind sight that was the best of all possible worlds, as driving in the snow, at -15 degrees requires a car with some oomph.

Forty-five short minutes later we were in Stowe, checking in to the Stoweflake resort. Check-in was fast and with a smile. Our packet was prepared in advance, and even though it was only around 1, our room was ready. As I previously wrote, last year we had a very small and cramped room. This year the room was larger, and it had ample storage space for all the equipment and luggage. The bathroom was enormous, probably about the size of the room from last year. The only drawback was the room was on the second floor, but that was easily mitigated by the comfort and size of the room. If you ever going to Stoweflake, make sure you order a spa room.

In the first night, I thought it was a good time to spend a Restaurant.com coupon I had from last year that was never used. I know that would have probably meant that the food quality will not be the greatest but for a dinner it would do. We were surprised. “The Pub” which is the restaurant of the Gray Fox Inn had surprisingly good food. We really enjoyed the tentative service and the visit of the Chef to the table. Despite our worries that the restaurant was empty (it was a freezing Wednesday night after all) we enjoyed the food so much that we came back for another meal on Saturday. At that time, the place was packed and there was a live music as well. I quickly redeemed another Restaurant.com for the second visit as well. If you get a chance try the Chicken Marsala or the Mixed Grill dish.

The locals (including our server at “The Pub”) recommended Harrison’s as the best restaurant in town. Luckily, we could get a reservation for a Friday night, and it was indeed the best restaurant in town. The place is small and homey. The food was just out of this world. If you are not that hungry stick with the appetizers, they are bigger than the main dishes. Everything we had at the table was delicious. Our server was attentive and provided excellent advice and recommendation. It was clearly one of the best culinary experiences I had in quite a while.

Sadly, every good thing has to come to an end. And it is nice to get back to above freezing temperature from the minus 18 that we endure most of the week. The drive to BTV was uneventful; so was returning the car and checking in. BTV being so small (basically one holding room) and security was very fast. The flight back was uneventful although almost completely full – another good service provided.

All in all, a nice ski vacation.

Hotel's redemption comparison

There have been a lot of talk in the blogs lately about the value of hotel point. I have tried to make a (very) crude comparison between all the hotel's program. I am not as familiar with all the programs, so if you spot a mistake please let me know.

The assumptions were:
1. Redemption will be at the highest tier (but not specialized hotels).
2. For CC use - all nights were paid with the credit card.
3. For extra CC use - $1000/m for normal categories, and $500/m for bonus categories, for 6 months.
4. No special bonus (booking with CC, instead of upgrade, etc) were taken into consideration.
5. The new redemption levels were used for Priority Club (Intercontinental)

The spreadsheet below shows how much one need to spend on hotels in order to redeem 1,4 and 7 nights:

Highest Level:

		Level Name	Bonus	Point per $		1 Night					4 Nights					7 Nights
				w/o CC	w CC	w/o CC		w CC		w CC + Spend	w/o CC		w CC		w CC + Spend	w/o CC		w CC		w CC + Spend
						Points	$	Points	$	$	Points	$	Points	$	$	Points	$	Points	$	$
Hilton (fee free)	Low	Diamond	50%	11.25	17.25	50,000	$    4,444.44	50,000	$  2,898.55	$          811.59	170,000	$  15,111.11	145,000	$    8,405.80	$       6,318.84	262,500	$  23,333.33	262,500	$  15,217.39	$    13,130.43
w/o double dip	High	Diamond	50%	22.5	28.5	50,000	$    2,222.22	50,000	$  1,754.39	$          491.23	170,000	$    7,555.56	145,000	$    5,087.72	$       3,824.56	262,500	$  11,666.67	262,500	$    9,210.53	$       7,947.37
w double dip	Low	Diamond	50%	7.5	13.5	50,000	$    6,666.67	50,000	$  3,703.70	$       1,037.04	170,000	$  22,666.67	145,000	$  10,740.74	$       8,074.07	262,500	$  35,000.00	262,500	$  19,444.44	$    16,777.78
	High	Diamond	50%	15	21	50,000	$    3,333.33	50,000	$  2,380.95	$          666.67	170,000	$  11,333.33	145,000	$    6,904.76	$       5,190.48	262,500	$  17,500.00	262,500	$  12,500.00	$    10,785.71
Hilton (fee)	Low	Diamond	50%	11.25	20.25	50,000	$    4,444.44	50,000	$  2,469.14	$                    -	170,000	$  15,111.11	145,000	$    7,160.49	$       4,049.38	262,500	$  23,333.33	262,500	$  12,962.96	$       9,851.85
w/o double dip	High	Diamond	50%	22.5	31.5	50,000	$    2,222.22	50,000	$  1,587.30	$                    -	170,000	$    7,555.56	145,000	$    4,603.17	$       2,603.17	262,500	$  11,666.67	262,500	$    8,333.33	$       6,333.33
w double dip	Low	Diamond	50%	7.5	16.5	50,000	$    6,666.67	50,000	$  3,030.30	$                    -	170,000	$  22,666.67	145,000	$    8,787.88	$       4,969.70	262,500	$  35,000.00	262,500	$  15,909.09	$    12,090.91
	High	Diamond	50%	15	24	50,000	$    3,333.33	50,000	$  2,083.33	$                    -	170,000	$  11,333.33	145,000	$    6,041.67	$       3,416.67	262,500	$  17,500.00	262,500	$  10,937.50	$       8,312.50
Hyatt		Diamond	30%	6.5	9.5	22,000	$    3,384.62	22,000	$  2,315.79	$       1,368.42	88,000	$  13,538.46	88,000	$    9,263.16	$       8,315.79	154,000	$  23,692.31	154,000	$  16,210.53	$    15,263.16
Intercontinental	Low	Platinum	50%	7.5	12.5	50,000	$    6,666.67	45,000	$  3,600.00	$       2,640.00	200,000	$  26,666.67	180,000	$  14,400.00	$    13,440.00	350,000	$  46,666.67	315,000	$  25,200.00	$    24,240.00
	High	Platinum	50%	15	20	50,000	$    3,333.33	45,000	$  2,250.00	$       1,650.00	200,000	$  13,333.33	180,000	$    9,000.00	$       8,400.00	350,000	$  23,333.33	315,000	$  15,750.00	$    15,150.00
Marriot	Low	Platinum	50%	15	20	40,000	$    2,666.67	40,000	$  2,000.00	$       1,400.00	160,000	$  10,666.67	160,000	$    8,000.00	$       7,400.00	240,000	$  16,000.00	240,000	$  12,000.00	$    11,400.00
	High	Platinum	50%	7.5	12.5	40,000	$    5,333.33	40,000	$  3,200.00	$       2,240.00	160,000	$  21,333.33	160,000	$  12,800.00	$    11,840.00	240,000	$  32,000.00	240,000	$  19,200.00	$    18,240.00
Starwood		Platinum	50%	3	5	35,000	$  11,666.67	35,000	$  7,000.00	$       5,200.00	140,000	$  46,666.67	140,000	$  28,000.00	$    26,200.00	210,000	$  70,000.00	210,000	$  42,000.00	$    40,200.00

Medium Level:

		Level Name	Bonus	Point per $		1 Night					4 Nights					7 Nights
				w/o CC	w CC	w/o CC		w CC		w CC + Spend	w/o CC		w CC		w CC + Spend	w/o CC		w CC		w CC + Spend
						Points	$	Points	$	$	Points	$	Points	$	$	Points	$	Points	$	$
Hilton (fee free)	Low	Gold	25%	9.375	15.38	50,000	$    5,333.33	50,000	$  3,252.03	$          910.57	170,000	$  18,133.33	145,000	$    9,430.89	$       7,089.43	262,500	$  28,000.00	262,500	$  17,073.17	$    14,731.71
w/o double dip	High	Gold	25%	18.75	24.75	50,000	$    2,666.67	50,000	$  2,020.20	$          565.66	170,000	$    9,066.67	145,000	$    5,858.59	$       4,404.04	262,500	$  14,000.00	262,500	$  10,606.06	$       9,151.52
w double dip	Low	Gold	25%	6.25	12.25	50,000	$    8,000.00	50,000	$  4,081.63	$       1,142.86	170,000	$  27,200.00	145,000	$  11,836.73	$       8,897.96	262,500	$  42,000.00	262,500	$  21,428.57	$    18,489.80
	High	Gold	25%	12.5	18.5	50,000	$    4,000.00	50,000	$  2,702.70	$          756.76	170,000	$  13,600.00	145,000	$    7,837.84	$       5,891.89	262,500	$  21,000.00	262,500	$  14,189.19	$    12,243.24
Hilton (fee)	Low	Gold	25%	9.375	18.38	50,000	$    5,333.33	50,000	$  2,721.09	$                    -	170,000	$  18,133.33	145,000	$    7,891.16	$       4,462.59	262,500	$  28,000.00	262,500	$  14,285.71	$    10,857.14
w/o double dip	High	Gold	25%	18.75	27.75	50,000	$    2,666.67	50,000	$  1,801.80	$                    -	170,000	$    9,066.67	145,000	$    5,225.23	$       2,954.95	262,500	$  14,000.00	262,500	$    9,459.46	$       7,189.19
w double dip	Low	Gold	25%	6.25	15.25	50,000	$    8,000.00	50,000	$  3,278.69	$                    -	170,000	$  27,200.00	145,000	$    9,508.20	$       5,377.05	262,500	$  42,000.00	262,500	$  17,213.11	$    13,081.97
	High	Gold	25%	12.5	21.5	50,000	$    4,000.00	50,000	$  2,325.58	$                    -	170,000	$  13,600.00	145,000	$    6,744.19	$       3,813.95	262,500	$  21,000.00	262,500	$  12,209.30	$       9,279.07
Hyatt		Platinum	15%	5.75	8.75	22,000	$    3,826.09	22,000	$  2,514.29	$       1,485.71	88,000	$  15,304.35	88,000	$  10,057.14	$       9,028.57	154,000	$  26,782.61	154,000	$  17,600.00	$    16,571.43
Intercontinental	Low	Gold	10%	5.5	10.5	50,000	$    9,090.91	22,001	$  2,095.33	$          952.48	200,000	$  36,363.64	88,004	$    8,381.33	$       7,238.48	350,000	$  63,636.36	154,007	$  14,667.33	$    13,524.48
	High	Gold	10%	11	16	50,000	$    4,545.45	22,002	$  1,375.13	$          625.13	200,000	$  18,181.82	88,008	$    5,500.50	$       4,750.50	350,000	$  31,818.18	154,014	$    9,625.88	$       8,875.88
Marriot	Low	Gold	25%	12.5	17.5	40,000	$    3,200.00	40,000	$  2,285.71	$       1,600.00	160,000	$  12,800.00	160,000	$    9,142.86	$       8,457.14	240,000	$  19,200.00	240,000	$  13,714.29	$    13,028.57
	High	Gold	25%	6.25	11.25	40,000	$    6,400.00	40,000	$  3,555.56	$       2,488.89	160,000	$  25,600.00	160,000	$  14,222.22	$    13,155.56	240,000	$  38,400.00	240,000	$  21,333.33	$    20,266.67
Starwood		Gold	50%	3	5	35,000	$  11,666.67	35,000	$  7,000.00	$       5,200.00	140,000	$  46,666.67	140,000	$  28,000.00	$    26,200.00	210,000	$  70,000.00	210,000	$  42,000.00	$    40,200.00

Low Level:

		Level Name	Bonus	Point per $		1 Night					4 Nights					7 Nights
				w/o CC	w CC	w/o CC		w CC		w CC + Spend	w/o CC		w CC		w CC + Spend	w/o CC		w CC		w CC + Spend
						Points	$	Points	$	$	Points	$	Points	$	$	Points	$	Points	$	$
Hilton (fee free)	Low	Silver	15%	8.625	14.63	50,000	$    5,797.10	50,000	$  3,418.80	$          957.26	170,000	$  19,710.14	145,000	$    9,914.53	$       7,452.99	262,500	$    30,434.78	262,500	$  17,948.72	$    15,487.18
w/o double dip	High	Silver	15%	17.25	23.25	50,000	$    2,898.55	50,000	$  2,150.54	$          602.15	170,000	$    9,855.07	145,000	$    6,236.56	$       4,688.17	262,500	$    15,217.39	262,500	$  11,290.32	$       9,741.94
w double dip	Low	Silver	15%	5.75	11.75	50,000	$    8,695.65	50,000	$  4,255.32	$       1,191.49	170,000	$  29,565.22	145,000	$  12,340.43	$       9,276.60	262,500	$    45,652.17	262,500	$  22,340.43	$    19,276.60
	High	Silver	15%	11.5	17.5	50,000	$    4,347.83	50,000	$  2,857.14	$          800.00	170,000	$  14,782.61	145,000	$    8,285.71	$       6,228.57	262,500	$    22,826.09	262,500	$  15,000.00	$    12,942.86
Hilton (fee)	Low	Silver	15%	8.625	17.63	50,000	$    5,797.10	50,000	$  2,836.88	$                    -	170,000	$  19,710.14	145,000	$    8,226.95	$       4,652.48	262,500	$    30,434.78	262,500	$  14,893.62	$    11,319.15
w/o double dip	High	Silver	15%	17.25	26.25	50,000	$    2,898.55	50,000	$  1,904.76	$                    -	170,000	$    9,855.07	145,000	$    5,523.81	$       3,123.81	262,500	$    15,217.39	262,500	$  10,000.00	$       7,600.00
w double dip	Low	Silver	15%	5.75	14.75	50,000	$    8,695.65	50,000	$  3,389.83	$                    -	170,000	$  29,565.22	145,000	$    9,830.51	$       5,559.32	262,500	$    45,652.17	262,500	$  17,796.61	$    13,525.42
	High	Silver	15%	11.5	20.5	50,000	$    4,347.83	50,000	$  2,439.02	$                    -	170,000	$  14,782.61	145,000	$    7,073.17	$       4,000.00	262,500	$    22,826.09	262,500	$  12,804.88	$       9,731.71
Hyatt		Gold	0%	5	N/A	22,000	$    4,400.00	N/A	N/A	N/A	88,000	$  17,600.00	N/A	N/A	N/A	154,000	$    30,800.00	N/A	N/A	N/A
Intercontinental	Low	Club	0%	5	N/A	50,000	$  10,000.00	N/A	N/A	N/A	200,000	$  40,000.00	N/A	N/A	N/A	350,000	$    70,000.00	N/A	N/A	N/A
	High	Club	0%	10	N/A	50,000	$    5,000.00	N/A	N/A	N/A	200,000	$  20,000.00	N/A	N/A	N/A	350,000	$    35,000.00	N/A	N/A	N/A
Marriot	Low	Silver	20%	12	17	40,000	$    3,333.33	40,000	$  2,352.94	$       1,647.06	160,000	$  13,333.33	160,000	$    9,411.76	$       8,705.88	240,000	$    20,000.00	240,000	$  14,117.65	$    13,411.76
	High	Silver	20%	6	11	40,000	$    6,666.67	40,000	$  3,636.36	$       2,545.45	160,000	$  26,666.67	160,000	$  14,545.45	$    13,454.55	240,000	$    40,000.00	240,000	$  21,818.18	$    20,727.27
Starwood		Prefred	0%	2	4	35,000	$  17,500.00	35,000	$  8,750.00	$       6,500.00	140,000	$  70,000.00	140,000	$  35,000.00	$    32,750.00	210,000	$  105,000.00	210,000	$  52,500.00	$    50,250.00

No matter what elite level one is, Hilton seems to come up as the best value.

I'll be happy to share the Excel file if anyone is interested.