I've got to sit down and read all of your advice after work. I am new to the game and have only redeemed domestic flights, so yes - the blogs and pretty pictures are what I'm basing my goals on. We have not scheduled the cruise (we're military - which makes planning particularly difficult) but have selected the one we'd like to do. It sails in and out of Venice, but I'm excited to try and fit in a stopover or two. If it doesn't happen for another year, we can still have a nice domestic vacation later this year. As I mentioned, this is a learning experience for me and you've all shared the exact type of opinions and suggestions I was looking for.
As for mile balance - we're each around 75k in Avios, on UA, and a balance sitting in Chase. Total of about 200k each across the carriers. Looking to choose three more cards for my next set of applications.
Thanks, everyone. Will do my homework and figure out what you're talking about...!!
