I recently returned from a 7-night Alaska cruise on Holland America Eurodam ship (see my previous post). The cruise was a round-trip sailing from Seattle with port stops at Juneau, Glacier Bay National Park, Icy Strait Point, Ketchikan and Victoria, British Columbia. I’ve sailed on Disney Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, Carnival and MSC, but never […]

I just read this post on Frequent Miler, and the news is very disappointing. Beginning 10/1/24, Bilt has reduced the maximum bonus points you can earn on Rent Day from 10,000 points down to 1000 points. The change is listed in the terms and conditions of this month’s Rent Day promotion: This is a major […]

Glamping with Hyatt Points: You can now earn and redeem World of Hyatt points at 13 Under Canvas glamping sites. Under Canvas is part of the Mr. and Mrs. Smith umbrella, and award prices are dynamic. See this link for available glamping properties, most of which are located near U.S. national parks. Bilt August 2024 […]

This morning, in a press release, Southwest Airlines announced it will soon end its open seating policy. While this has been rumored for a while, I’m still in shock it’s actually happening. Three upcoming changes on Southwest Airlines include: Assigned seats Premium seats with extra legroom (and additional cost) Red-eye flights The press release has […]

Due to the timing of some upcoming international trips, I decided this summer was a good time to renew my younger two kids’ passports. It’s just easier to do it over the summer when they’re out of school.  I’m happy to report that we received their new passports in record time! The Timeline Sunday, July […]

Europe 2024 Trip Report So Far: Back from 18-day Europe Trip, Review: Iberia Business Class DFW to MAD, Hits and Misses from my First MSC Cruise, DoubleTree by Hilton Amsterdam Centraal Station Review, Two Days in Amsterdam, Visiting Efteling the Dutch Fairytale Theme Park, Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol Ok, the title “slumming it” is purely in […]