Please email me anything to help me do this trip quickly and cheap! I'm a single girl from the virgin islands and I need the miles ..please email any info thank you
Originally posted by cesco.g:
Got back last night from my million miler trip. Generally a pleasant but a bit tiring trip doing 14 flights (including connections to / from MIA) in 3 1/2 days.
First of all thanks to all of you who shared their planning and travel experiences with the board. I hope I can help some who are still due to go with a couple of comments.
I was lucky to meet JayJ in Lima who fortunately had posted his itinerary. We were able to travel together the LIM-SJO and GUA - MGA - MIA legs and enjoyed a few beers together the evening in GUA.
1. Flights
All flights connected, no serious delays.
1.1. Flight VX 521 on 4-29 BOG - UIO - LIM. Did not hear or notice anything about strikes. Flight was actually operating with a load of 20% at the most.
I had a full fare Y ticket showing 2 separate segments for BOG - UIO and UIO - LIM. I called Aces U.S. reservation last week to check and was told it was impossible to get 2 boarding passes; the agent said it was "illegal". Calling back before my trip I requested 2 separate seat assignments for the 2 segments which I was given. In BOG the Aces check-in agent entered my flight and the system printed out 2 boarding passes which she handed over to me - no questions asked. On the BOG - UIO boarding pass (airline section) she wrote in black ink " *LIM* ", on the UIO - LIM she had written "no sin cupon". Bothe ticket segments were retained at check-in.
I also checked with LP who told me: as long as there are 2 separate ticket segments it counts as 2 flight segments on Aces. So it should also work this way, but you might have to call/write in because the flights might only post as one flight if you only get issued one boarding pass.
1.2. Flight TA 515 SAL - MGA - MIA, booked in business class. Getting 2 boarding passes issued was no problem at all.
2. Hotels, ground transportation etc.
2.1. CCS: stayed at the Intercontinental at the rate of $ 125.
Taxis: It is important that you negotiate the price before entering the cab.
The company Teletaxi - ph# (02) 753 9122 - offers the ride between airport and city for a fixed rate of $ 20 (12'000 Bov./local currency). For the ride to the airport it is fairly easy: call them before you check out and the driver will be waiting in his car outside the lobby. Depending on the time of your arrival you may also call them on the same phone number form the airport (they have a base nearby) and they will pick you up. The location is on the upper level road, not the road at the arrival/departure level (here are only the "airport mafia cabs"). You reach the upper level by going up the escalators inside from the arrival level, then walk across a passway outside to the upper street. You need to speak some Spanish when you call, since the dispatchers typically do not speak English.
The "mafia" fare from the airport are min. $ 30 (or 20'000 local money). At the hotel the fare was $ 40 (posted as "weekend rate").
2.2. LIM: If you have only a few hours layover and want to get out of the airport without your bags you might put them away at the "lockers". You find them (sign) on the very left side as you enter the check-in hall. You hand it over to an attendant who issues you a clain check and locks it up in a separate room. You may want to lock your bag and/or have the plastic-shrink wrapped in the hall beforehand for additional security.
People everywhere were very helpful, honest and friendly. I felt very safe there.
2.3. GUA: All hotels (Radisson, Holiday Inn, Westin, Marriott) are within a couple of small blocks from each other, about a 5 - 10 min. drive from the airport. Pick-up with the shuttle was fine after calling them from the airport as indicated on earlier post. The Radisson morning shuttle left too late for me but thanks to JajJ I was able to ride along with him from the Holiday Inn next door.
Now, lets hope all those flights post correctly and in time.
[This message has been edited by cesco.g (edited 05-02-2000).]