Sounds like a plan for Don and me to conduct some extensive business seminars! I knew you, being the sharp and shrewd tax consultant, would come up with something and indeed you did - and very quickly, I might add! Your check's in the mail, Kathy! Thanks! I'm switching our tax business from H&R Block over to you, immediately!

Air can now be booked from FLL back home. Anyone book their return air yet?

Kathy and Denise, you guys are too funny! :app:

I do like the Telethon idea though.

No air yet, but we have been looking. One way air to DFW from FLL is from still too expensive on AA for a non-stop and Southwest and Airtran (requiring one stop) can't be booked yet.

Where is everybody staying in Nice? I am going to look at the Beau Rivage again and see what they have. If we get enough money from the Telethon, maybe we can even spring for the Hotel Negresco! LOL

O/W air with United from FLL, one stop, into John Wayne/Orange County, is $264PP. The other carriers were far more, so we may go with United. We also have a United credit to put towards our tix.

I think we should probably keep in mind that our return is the Monday right before Thanksgiving. Not sure how heavily booked that week will be. Therefore, we may reserve this week. If the air goes down, we can always get a credit from United for the difference.

We're booked in Nice at Le Grimaldi as of now, unless I can get an employee rate at one of my properties. It's too early for me to inquire about that.

We booked at La Perouse. They include airport transfers which were 100 Euro last time to Monaco, I think - private driver.

I have mileage seats on hold for a NS flight from FLL/LAX. I am 8000 miles short so I am trying to convince Frank that they are worth buying a few miles. Probably cheaper then the overweight charges if the suitcases go over 50lbs!

Kathy, we ran into something similar where we were short some miles. Rather than transfer from Starwood Account (we like to do that in 20k increments in order to get the 5k bonus) we just got that airlines' credit card (no fee for 1st year), made ONE purchase and got 15k miles than canceled the card. Piece of cake!

LOL, Marcie! I was going to make the very same suggestion! We've done this quite often.

Different mileage program. I have enough AMEX/Delta miles but I was saving them. Thanks for the suggestion. Those seats will be gone by the time I get the mileage credit to use for this. I guess even if I went shopping and used this card it'd be too long.

Well, this may be putting the cart before the horse, well in our case, the hotel before the ship, but we have booked the Le Palais De La Mediterranee for two nights pre-cruise. Just one step closer. Also started looking at airfares. We would prefer to be doing an AA/BA flight to Nice so that we may be able to use miles to upgrade our TA flight. However, Lufthansa looks like a better option and has better flight times. We have no miles with them or any partners, but maybe we can transfer our AMEX miles over.

Good to see you are inching towards the entire CROSSing, Don!

We're taking Lufthansa from LAX into Frankfurt. Very short stopover and change of planes into Nice, getting us there at 2:00PM. We're using our United miles to upgrade on the LAX/Frankfurt leg. If you're able to upgrade to Lufthansa Business class, go for it. Lufthansa's Business class is excellent! I believe Lufthansa upgraded their Business class cabins not too long ago.

Denise, do you remember how many miles it is to upgrade? We have that same flight out of Frankfurt, but just a day later. I think we have about a 3 hour layover in Frankfurt. The AA/BA route gets us in earlier, but only has a 45 minute layover at Gatwick. I also don't think it is even possible to get off the one flight, get through customs and get to the other flight in that amount of time, let alone our luggage making the transfer. I remember we had two hours between flights at Heathrow last year and it was tight.

Don, We used 30,000 miles per person, for the one segment, over water, upgrade, redeeming United miles.

We found we need to book connecting flights through LHR with lots of time in between. The last flight we had connected through LHR, we had two hours time to do so. Because of distance and the crowds coming in for World Cup, as well as going through security again, we just made it onto our connecting flight! If it were me, I wouldn't even consider a 45 minute connection.

We like Frankfurt airport and it's less hassle. As I had said, if you can upgrade with Lufthansa, do it. Their Business class was superb the last time we flew with them.

Great news Don - hope it all comes together. LH was superb when we flew home last year from WINE, Rome to Frankfurt to Dulles - 747, we were in row 3 tons of room, great service, overall great experience, loved their business class.

This year though, we decided to use some of our AA miles we've been saving for several years, so first we have to fly to Chicago, then from there we are in FC on a 777, with the "suite" seats, (thats if of course if the plane doesn't get a switch out the last minute to the "coffin" seats, but even that is supposed to be fantastic)then on to Nice on BA. Going in two days early, have booked a resort in Provence. Sounds like several of you will be seeing each other in Nice.

We're all booked too. We are going home from FLL Non Stop in 1st on AA and actually even get home in time for dinner the 19th. I had to buy 8000 miles but it was still cheaper than buying coach tickets.

Won't that be terrific to come home without having to fly for 12 hours to get here? Okay, now all we have to do is plan out our port visits.

Oh yeah, have to remember to book JetBlue in a couple of months for the FLL-IAD segment. They are only up to Sept 11 right now.

Its fun doing all this planning and looking forward to meeting all those we haven't met, and seeing those again that we have. Should be one great "crossing"!!!

Well another step taken today. We signed up for a Delta SkyMiles Account. We are still a little a little over 3,000 miles away from a business/elite upgrade and we would have been there had we transferred our AMEX miles over before the 15th, when the 20% bonus expired. Bummer! However, I think we have enough points in our Starwood account to make it up.

Got our confirmation back from the Hotel, so we are all set there.

Now I'm just waiting for the right opportunity to tell work that I am going to need off for those three weeks. :eek: A bunch of sales would sure help the cause!

Oh boy - sounds like you are gonna do it!! Just tell your boss Don, that its really really important, or better yet, invite him along, then he can't refuse you! <img border="0" alt="[vhappy]" title="" src="graemlins/icon_vhappy.gif" />

Now we just need to make sure Mark and Karen do the TA part, I will still have the "welcome aboard" party as promised way back.

JoAnn! :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy:

Actually, Greg is a pretty cool guy and someone that I could easily sail with, but for 16 days, eight of which are at sea? :eek:

Anybody ever do an overnight around the London Gatwick Airport? Any suggestions. We are thinking of doing non-stop flight from DFW to LGW, stay overnight and then fly to Nice the following morning.

Don, it has been many years, but we once did an overnight at Gatwick. At that time there was a hotel connected to the airport, and as I recall we just wheeled our luggage right over to check in.

Have you found any good rates from DFW or are you going to use Delta miles? We're still trying to figure out the best way to go on our air for CROSS. I keep thinking that perhaps we will see some better deals in a couple of months, but I don't want to wait too long. Our AA miles are limited, and I hate to use them for an open jaw.

Editing to say: YEA! So glad you will be aboard for the entire CROSS itinerary!

Sounds like a done deal, Don! :banana:

Hooray! Don - looking forward to crusing with you and Diana again! We'll have to have another impromtu bottle of Veuve on the Verandah!

Priscilla, we found round trip coach air to LGW non-stop for $626 on BA and for $662 on AA including taxes. If we went on AA we could upgrade the outbound for 25K miles to business class. The air one way to NCE from LGW on BA is $83. The problem with the route is that there is not enough time to connect to the flight to the only flight from Gatwick. We would have to either fly into Heathrow or bus up to Heathrow. So, we figured we would layover, spend the day in London, and then take the flight the next morning over to NCE.

We thought about using airmiles going over and returning from FLL and it runs 40K miles per person in coach on AA, but that is Thanksgiving week when we get back and is a blacked out date. No frequent flyer seats available on the return. So, we may just pay the price, use less miles to upgrade to business on our flight to LGW.

Did this all make sense? Talking airmiles and airfares is like figuring taxes. Just as confusing, but a lot more fun! LOL

Don,

Well said!
But those airlines are a lot more frustrating!

Don, we stayed at the airport Hilton at Gatwick several years ago. The hotel is connected to the airport which is really handy if you have an early morning flight to Nice. (That was a few years ago, so it may be some other brand hotel now). If you stay there, you can take the train into London after you drop your bags at the hotel.
In fact, that sounds like a good idea--we may investigate doing the same thing.

Peggy, it is still the Hilton. I am looking at the London Gatwick Sofitel (used to be Le Meridien) as well, which is more convenient because it is in the North Terminal, which AA and BA fly into and out of. The Hilton is in the South Terminal. Also, that night you can go ahead and check your luggage and check-in on your flight, so all you have to do the next morning is go through security and straight to your gate. Very convenient.

Don, you may want to check on that, because they changed it for the Paddington Hilton when we were in London last year. They were not letting people check luggage at the train stations or off site due to extra security. That was for Heathrow, but, the situation is the same.

Kathy, I already did on the official Gatwick website. Actually this is on site in the terminal. If the flight is before 3:00 the next day, you can go to the check-in kiosk in the north terminal between 4pm and 10pm the night before your flight and get your boarding passes and check in your luggage.

BTW, for those interested I found the Exclusive Hotel Suisse with Sea View rooms for only 105 Euros per night. It is #5 on the tripadvisor list. Anybody know anything about this hotel?

That's terrific, Don. It would be wonderful to check luggage and just have an overnight case with you to travel to Nice with!

Thanks for the info, Don. Let's keep in touch about air information. You too, Peggy. We're all in the same dilemma here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. If I see any good deals, I'll let you know.

Thanks, Priscilla. So far it looks like getting a round trip and throwing away the return or booking with Regent are the best deals. We're going to hold out a little longer before we buy tickets--surely the prices will come down some.

I've got an idea - All you fine folks from TX should just charter a plane! :) Getting your tix through Regent is the easiest; however, what about the thrill of the challenge to find THE air deal? ;) Good luck to all with the tix!

We've yet to book our FLL to SNA flight. Soon!

Us too Denise - we need to book our FLL - IAD tickets, which we plan to do on JetBlue, but they aren't booking that far out yet, I think in about 6 weeks. Everything else is in place and we can't wait to see you'all onboard the ship!!

Aha, Denise, what an idea! Maybe we could borrow Mark Cuban's plane to fly our little group of Texans to Nice. Otherwise, we all are behind you and JoAnn and everyone else who is all set up with tickets. Oh well, we will catch up.

Peggy, that's what I'm thinking also -- either a round trip and not use the return flights, or Regent air. Like you, I'm waiting and hoping for better fares. I won't get nervous for a little while yet.

By the way, I've been meaning to ask, is there an early deadline for reserving Regent air? We've always gotten better deals on our own, so this is the first time we've even considered Regent air. If there is no real rush to reserve Regent air, I am fairly comfortable waiting a little while longer to see whether prices will come down, with Regent air as Plan B.

Priscilla,

As long as you get there, regardless of when you book, that's the bottom line :) Although you know I have the ability to make you nervous if you don't book quickly, as I will bug you on a regular basis :D

Priscilla, here is what we have found. $468 one way airfare on Lufthansa DFW-NCE on airfare.com I was a little leary about airfare.com, but I did some checking on flyertalk and they are legitimate. The rate code is W and therefore does not qualify for frequent flyer miles and you cannot use miles for upgrades. It is nonstop from DFW to Frankfurt, and then a 4 hour layover before the nonstop flight into NCE and arrives at 2pm.

Also, if you have miles on AA, it takes 40K miles per person and it will cover DFW to NCE as well as FLL back to DFW. The flight over goes through London and there were seats available to Gatwick nonstop and onto NCE on BA, but there isn't enough time to connect to the 7:45am flight (the only BA flight from Gatwick), so it would require an overnight. You can find flights with one stop to Heathrow and they have more flights to NCE, but none you can use miles on until 11/3 at 4pm, so it wouldn't work.

Another option is to fly to Paris with miles and then hop on Air France to NCE, which has fares from $68.

We are still talking, but considering taking the nonstop flight to Paris on AA, spend a day or two, and then hop on one of the Air France flights.

We will be on this segment as we are doing the "Grand Crossing" from Istanbul back to Ft. Lauderdale.

Perhaps I will get to meet many of you!

Jan

WOW all the way from Istanbul, that means you will be on a whole month before we get on. Are you sure you won't be the CD by then????? :app:

I would hope you would get to meet all of us. We will certainly look forward to meeting you both. There is a group on the Oct 6 portion you probably know and I have some clients on the Oct 13 week maybe you will meet them. What cabin are you in, Kathy can add you to the roll call.

Jan,

I added you to the roll call on the first post of our thread.

BTW - my husband, Frank grew up in Denver - Cherry Creek area and is a DU Alumni.

Don, thanks so much for that info! We're running low on AA FF miles. I wish we had enough but I don't think we will. The Paris route sounds like a good option.

Thanks again. I really appreciate your sharing of information. I am a member of Bestfares.com and am going to check with them also. I'll let you know what I find out.

Jan--glad to hear you'll be on the ship when we get on in Monte Carlo. It will be great to see you again--we'll look forward to it.