Note: We will be traveling over the next week. Follow Miles for Family on Facebook and Instagram to see photos.
AA and Hyatt Announce Reciprocal Benefits: If you have elite status with either American Airlines or Hyatt, you can now earn miles and points from both places when you fly or stay. See this post from TPG for more details. I don’t see myself earning a ton of additional points through this partnership, but every little bit adds up.
Different Offer for World of Hyatt Credit Card: While the public offer and the referral offer for the World of Hyatt credit card is still 50k bonus points, there is another link that offers two free nights (up to a Category 7) plus a $50 statement credit. See this post from Doctor of Credit. If you were planning on getting this card to use for two nights at a Category 7, this new offer is better. However, the public/referral offer gives more flexibility for staying at properties with different values, and you can potentially get more free nights depending on where you stay.
Marriott Blackout Dates: This article on One Mile at a Time lists all the exceptions to Marriott’s “no blackout dates” policy. And there are a lot of exceptions! I ran into this issue when I was trying to book a Moxy hotel in NYC for my summer trip. Have you had this issue when trying to book with Marriott points?
Maldives Controversy: I enjoyed reading this post from Mark on Miles to Memories: Why You Will Never See a Trip Report to the Maldives from Me. Don’t skip the comments! I agree with Mark’s sentiments (see Traveling to Keep Up with the Joneses).
Opening Dates for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: Disney announced that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge will open May 31 at Disneyland Resort in California and August 29 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida. Only one ride, Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, will be open during the first phase. The second major attraction, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, will open in the fall.
Guests visiting the new Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland between May 31 and June 23 will need to make a no-cost reservation. Initially, there will be no FastPass+ (Disney World) or MaxPass (Disneyland) available for Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run ride.
I expect the crowds at the new Star Wars land to be insane for the first year. When Pandora opened in Animal Kingdom, there were 5+ hour lines for rides. No, thanks! My family will hold off until 2020 to check out the new area. Are you excited about this? Who is planning to go in 2019?
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Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
I live close to Orange County and I’m going to avoid the Disneyland area in the summer. I know it’s going to be really crazy. Plus, lowest passes for locals are blocked the whole summer (June-August), which is a good thing I guess.
thanks for linking to the Maldives article..enjoyed reading it and I completely agree. Sometimes I have to stop and ask myself same questions too (about other locations I want to visit).
@lea I think you’re smart to avoid Disneyland this summer!
Thanks for the share and for joining in on the comments Nancy. I featured yours in my follow up article on it too ;).
@Mark Ostermann Thanks! I’m enjoying your posts.
The Maldives article is spot on… unfortunately a lot of people in the comments completely missed the point of the article.
Enjoy your travels! I’ll miss the daily posts.
@projectx You’re right, some of the folks who commented missed the point for sure. I would have dropped out of that comment debate much sooner.
I have a few posts scheduled for next week, but I won’t be writing about any breaking news stories. I really like to disconnect.
You and me both! When I go on vacation I unplug. No email, internet, FB, etc.