Tag: trip report

Flight Review: Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy JFK-LHR on an A330

On our most recent trip to London, Sharon and I decided that we would save some miles and book tickets in Virgin Atlantic’s Premium (Economy) cabin for the flights. When using Delta SkyMiles, each segment in Premium costs 55,000 miles while a segment in Upper Class costs 120,000 miles. We were able to find flights from New York JFK to London Heathrow on an A330. A round trip on this flight would cost anywhere from $1,600 to $4,000. We’d never flown with Virgin in their Premium cabin before, so what did we think of their product?

The first noticeable difference is that when you’re flying in Premium, you don’t get lounge access like you do when you’re flying in Upper Class. While that’s not a huge deal, it did hurt a little bit inside knowing that the Virgin Clubhouse was just down the hall but I was sitting for my flight with this view:

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To say the area of JFK’s Terminal 4 where Virgin Atlantic departs from is bland is a bit of an understatement. (Insert any generic airport picture here, but no, this is actually JFK).

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Our Food Experiences In New Orleans

When someone says New Orleans, one of the top things that people think of is the food. There are so many iconic dishes that the city is famous for, like gumbo, po-boys, muffaletta, beignets, pralines and jambalaya. It’s possible to plan a culinary adventure in the city, eating at iconic restaurants like Antoine’s, Galatoires, Brennan’s and Emeril’s and then hitting the spots claiming to have the “best” this and “world famous” that. We easily could have planned our trip totally around where we were going to eat but we didn’t do that. To my chagrin, I didn’t plan anything for the trip (besides setting up to have our parade). I’m sure that I’m not the only one who’s ever done this and I thought I’d share what I learned from our make it up as we go along New Orleans adventure.

We didn’t hit anywhere too fancy because we didn’t bring the clothes for that and we’re not the type to go somewhere if we’re not going to be dressed appropriately. I’m also sorry that I don’t have many pictures of food, except for one location, because I’m not one to take a picture of everything I eat.

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Hotel Review: Candy Cane Inn – Anaheim, CA (Disneyland)

I was disappointed when my original plans to use Disney Vacation Club (DVC) points to stay at the Grand Californian Hotel didn’t pan out as I hoped. I came up with several options as a backup, still hoping the DVC room on waitlist would clear.  As our vacation got closer and closer, it became very evident that we wouldn’t be staying at the DVC. I looked at the backup room that I booked to make sure I was still happy with it. I was, so we forged ahead with our Plan B.

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Hotel Review: Hyatt Residence Club Sedona, Piñon Pointe, Sedona, AZ

Sedona. The images that name conjures in your mind are unmistakable. Majestic red rock formations framed by a perfect blue sky. There’s no where else in the United States quite like it. Combine that with the beauty of the surrounding Oak Creek Canyon and you have an area that millions of tourists flock to see every year.  Continue reading “Hotel Review: Hyatt Residence Club Sedona, Piñon Pointe, Sedona, AZ”