Thanks for all the info.

Yes - now that I realize the explorer award is gone. its kind of killing my planning. And I was saving all these miles just for this.

Now I am planning on just doing some small one ways on CX from PVG to BKK to SGN to NRT and back to PVG for about 3 of the weeks.

Then will have to figure out how to get from PVG into Paris and then out of Rome back to PVG 10 days later.