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Quote:

Originally Posted by ssullivan (Post 11310580)

Our summer vacation is planned:

Two weeks
Two SaverPass award tickets for ATL-LAS (via IAH) and FCA-ATL, in F
Three nights in Las Vegas
Three nights at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon
A couple of nights in Salt Lake City
Three nights in Yellowstone National Park
Three nights in the Kalispell, MT/Glacier National Park area
A rental car that will have a ton of miles on it when we're done

I can't wait!

What a fabulous trip! I love Yellowstone! Where are you staying there?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anglo Large Clawed Otter (Post 11312209)

Good Morning, Box! FYI - It is possible to get a Fiat Punto up over 100mph on the Autobahn. Also, French people are more impatient (measured by number of honks) when you stall a stick-shift in the middle of an intersection than are Germans.

Welcome back.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdm1130 (Post 11312240)

Welcome back.

Danke. I wanted to post from STR, but internet connection prices were :rolleyes:.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anglo Large Clawed Otter (Post 11312219)

Look at Y-UP fares. Last year, UA & DL had $750ish fares from some East Coast cities to GEG in the front cabin, with all sorts of crazy routing possibilities. Might as well pay double the coach fare, fly up front, and earn more miles.

Granted, it still isn't cheap, but if you have to go to GEG for some reason, it might be worth looking into.

Yes and no. The way I look at it, the only way I would go to GEG is to play that golf course, so while miles and being up front are great, I'll pay too much to be in Y and not bounce around the country if it means that my clubs are there when I get off the plane. There's no point in me not traveling with clubs, because my clubs are custom-gripped and fitted, etc. Rental clubs would make my game go from awful to putrid.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anglo Large Clawed Otter (Post 11312209)

FYI - It is possible to get a Fiat Punto up over 100mph on the Autobahn (when on the back of a flatbed wrecker). Also, French people are more :rolleyes: when you stall a stick-shift in the middle of an intersection than are Germans.

I've corrected your post above.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anglo Large Clawed Otter (Post 11312248)

Danke. I wanted to post from STR, but internet connection prices were :rolleyes:.

All European Internet prices are :rolleyes:. :mad:

When do we get to see pictures?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anglo Large Clawed Otter (Post 11312209)

nice :rolleyes:
Welcome back .

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbm12 (Post 11310234)

Yeah, last week. Silver received and expecting a Gold in a few weeks once the NRT trip posts. :p

^

Now I wish I had another one to make me a plat for $1700 :p

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott6067 (Post 11312216)

I can say that for the three days I was there helping my adopted brother unpack that I did like the trip. The only way it could have been better was if I was able to go to the Hartmann lugguage store in the area. Guess I need to schedule a trip back there.

You keep refering to your brother as the "adopted brother." Just curious but was he adopted at an older age?

The French? Impatient? Nah.

Quote:

Originally Posted by baglady (Post 11312234)

What a fabulous trip! I love Yellowstone! Where are you staying there?

Right now we're at Grant Village. The choices for loding are quite limited due to the fact we're just now planning this for early June, while others have been planning their trips there for ages.

hmmm, IAH-CDG for $514 a/i? > 10,000 EQMs and could do a same day turn in CDG.

There is also a NW Q-UP fare out there somewhere for IAH-ONT but I can't find it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbm12 (Post 11312003)

The Hilton at the airport is fine for an overnight layover. Otherwise it is bad for a trip to Japan. You're not on the lines for the bullet trains and you're an hour or more out from Tokyo. I may not know too much about Tokyo, but I know that the HH Narita is way out of the way.

G'morning, all.

Noted. I will review the travel plans and go from here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ConciergeMike (Post 11312027)

Regardless of the truth of the scenario, I'm perfectly happy to blame C:rolleyes:mcast. ^^

Always good to blame the cable company. I have Suddenlink or as I like to call then Sudden disconnect. They took over for Cox locally and it wasnt until recently that there was a night that I didnt seem to lose coverage for 15 or 20 minutes. They are getting better.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssullivan (Post 11312098)

Oh, stop. Japan will be great!

We're going in early June. Heat should be bearable. As for the walkway over the canyon, I have no desire to do that. Besides, it's a total rip off — you pay to get into that part of the Indian reservation, then you pay for a tour, then you pay to walk out there… And having done the Grand Canyon before, I much prefer the North Rim to the South Rim. Temperatures are far more pleasant, it's a lot less crowded, and if you're driving north from there, which we are, it's not nearly as far out of the way.

There will be some new places for both of us on the trip. Las Vegas is the only stop we've both been to. I've also done Grand Canyon and Salt Lake City, but Brian hasn't been to either. Everything else on the itinerary will be new to both of us. We'll also hit about four of the six states or so he's never been to, and I'll get to add Idaho to my list.

When your in Las Vegas, I would suggest Red Rock (You can get a National park pass with a BLM tag-on for around $60) and thus save money the rest of your trip. Hoover Dam is cool but you can go on the Dam tour and the dam lake is empty so nothing to see there.

North of Las Vegas about 50 miles is Mount Charleston. This is a cool pace (useually 30 degrees cooler than the valley) to go for the day or you could stay in one of two resorts up there.

I forget, are yall going to Brice, Zion, Moab? The parks that are just inside Utah from CO are nice. I recall driving into Utah once and taking the scenic route to Moab and driving through a part of the country there were I felt like I was driving through the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

And yes I will have a fun time but jealous as I haven't been to that part of the country in a while. Also a friend of mine has a place in Glacier National park and I would love to go see that part of the country.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rolov (Post 11312104)

Did you see my Tokyo post last night , it had some useful info and a subway map in english.

I will review and bookmark. Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ConciergeMike (Post 11312132)

I really want to go to Idaho, but solely for the purpose of going here.

I actually had a chance to go to that resort on business for a chef's conference but at the last minute didnt go. Been kicking myself ever since. I think for flying the best is to go into Spokane.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rolov (Post 11312138)

You are 100 % correct .
The walkway thing is awful , I have heard from an actual tour guide in Arizona that they rush you , you can't really stop to take pics .

Hmm. I hadn't keep up since I has in Las Vegas the summer it opened. I have not been myself to experience the authentic experience one has.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssullivan (Post 11312161)

Me too. Unfortunately we can't get reservations to stay at the North Rim Lodge on the dates we want. I have a backup reservation outside the park and am checking several times a day now hoping someone will cancel and we can get a room in the park on the dates we need.

Dinner reservations will be made today or tomorrow for there and Yellowstone. Fortunately we were able to get decent lodging inside the park there, although it was filling up quickly.

LOL — Fortunately this National Executive Elite only gets cars with cruise control. The last car I had without it was an insurance rental from ::gag:: Enterprise ::gag:: in 2005. Unfortunately I drove that POS to San Antonio and back from Houston. It was Awesome™.

As for the car, we'll probably have at least two. The goal is to use National's free days for the rental car. However, due to National's unwillingness to let us rent a car for a full 14 days on free day awards, Salt Lake City is strategically positioned exactly halfway through the trip. I envision a car swap happening there.

We'll also probably be staying on points in Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and at least one night in Kalispell, maybe two (we'll probably do the third night there inside Glacier National Park). Unfortunately hotel points are no good at many of our stops, so we'll actually be paying for most of the nights on this trip, and not earning points either (other than the credit card miles/points).

At least in LAS you will have 1000s of cars to choose from unlike LBB. You may get lucky and while you have to go to the office and get a new contract they may let you keep the car and just re-issue.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdm1130 (Post 11312259)

All European Internet prices are :rolleyes:. :mad:

When do we get to see pictures?

Yeah, it's ridiculous what they charge for Internet in hotel rooms over there. Makes the standard $9.95-12.95 you see everywhere in the US seem downright cheap. We paid £6.95 for an hour of Internet in our hotel room at the LHR Marriott recently. :eek:

Quote:

Originally Posted by ssullivan (Post 11312336)

That's crazy. I think I paid £30/day (close to $60 at the time) last time I was in London. Sometimes you just can't do without the Internet while traveling (for activity/restaurant planning, etc).