I love credit cards so much! v7.0 - 2025 (see first page for add'l details)

Hawaii - we are starting to book activities for our June trip! We are doing Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island.

1. For those that have been- is a luau worth it?

2. Any other recs appreciated!
We hiked Diamond Head in Oahu and loved Volcanos National Park on the Big Island.
1. I think I’m in the minority but didn’t enjoy the luau. We did the Aulani one but just not my jam.
2. Oahu - Kualoa Ranch has lots of activities to choose from. We did a movie set tour but they also have zip lining and UTVs
Maui - Road to Hana. Get the app that you will guide you and tell you where to stop.
We also liked Diamond Head in Oahu, and enjoyed our tour at Kualoa Ranch. We did the movie set one where you see Jurassic Park filming areas, King Kong, Lost, 50 First Dates, things like that. You get to drive around a pretty large area of the ranch. Volcanoes NP in Big Island, and Haleakala NP in Maui are both worth it. Road to Hana is a MUST in my opinion. So is Mauna Kea Observatory. I don't know if they still do it (this was pre-covid), but the observatory had stargazing nights and it was the most incredible view I've ever seen of the Milky Way (and we've done some stargazing in other "dark sky" places, but the Big Island was worlds above them).
 
If I stay at a Hilton in Europe and charge food to my room, using my amex, will the $50 apply once it's converted to usd?
 
Hawaii - we are starting to book activities for our June trip! We are doing Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island.

1. For those that have been- is a luau worth it?

2. Any other recs appreciated!

We did those islands in 2024.

1- We really enjoyed Toa Luau on Oahu. It's North Shore area, run by local families, and entrance also gets you into Waimea Valley Waterfall and Gardens. Was a really nice night all around for our crew, and bookable on Chase Travel portal so we did it with CSR 1.5x points for some added savings. We were looking for a luau fully under control of a local business, versus something run by a major hotel chain, etc, and this one was lovely.

2-

Where to begin?! Sleeper hit for us was Hilo on Big Island. We loved that area, it felt much less touristed than anywhere else we went. We got a VRBO in the Oceanview Mauna Loa Shores which is right at a beach park with sea turtle visitors, just up the street from a really cool black sand beach (Richardson) and easy access to the rest of Hilo. We were using SW for island hops and were able to fly direct Oahu-Hilo, did a couple days in Hilo, used our Volcano National Park day as our transfer day from Hilo to Kona, and then flew Kona to Maui for our next hop. Our original plans just had us on Kona for our whole Big Island visit and we were so glad we split because Hilo ended up being really exceptional.

Hanuama Bay on Oahu is unbelievable. Do your research about how to snag reservations (they only open a few days in advance, are closed certain days, book quickly, etc) but your Disney VQ and LL skills will translate well into snagging a good spot and then having the most amazing walk-off-the-beach snorkeling experience.

We opted to pay for a private guide for our Road to Hana. It was the biggest excursion expense of our trip but there ended up being a lot of traffic and we were really glad that we weren't the ones trying to drive. Our guide had some interesting stops that I doubt larger groups could even do: at one point he pulled over next to what looked like any other tree and had us shimmy through an opening you could barely see from the road. We ended up walking down into this incredible underground cave with tree roots growing down into it, absolutely stunning. I'm sure a larger tour group wouldn't try that because the space underneath would be way too tight. Not sure if the self guided tours direct to it, but even if they had I don't know that I would have had the confidence to climb down without the guide there telling me. We did lots of other hikes, waterfalls, etc on our own, so I'm not opposed to creating a self guided tour, but I'm glad we splurged for the Road to Hana.

We hiked, kayaked, snorkeled, etc, with a combo of booked excursions and self guided tours. I don't want to blow up this thread any more but, if you want to PM me your email, I can send you docs I created and the specific tours we booked at various locations.
 
I'm looking at a Princess cruise and I remember someone here has sailed with them but I can't remember who it was. If anyone has advice/recommendations can you please send them my way. Potentially considering Royal Princess in Alaska (was just invited to join extended family on a particular journey).
We sailed the Majestic Princess 3 years ago for Alaska. We are NCL cruisers (relaxing at Mr Sanchos on Cozumel off the NCL Encore right now), but we chose Princess for the itinerary. We wanted to see Glacier Bay and NCL rarely goes there. I liked the ship but the food was a real disappointment. The MDR was terrible and the buffet was confusing. The specialty restaurants were great and the Captain’s Table was one of the best meals I’ve eaten.

I believe that the Royal is a sister ship to the Majestic. We booked an obstructed view large balcony and selected a cabin in the front of the ship. It was giant! I might give Princess another try on our next Alaskan trip but avoid the MDR as much as possible.
 

The MDR was terrible and the buffet was confusing. The specialty restaurants were great and the Captain’s Table was one of the best meals I’ve eaten.
Thanks for the review - I appreciate it. It sounds like we'll be nickeled and dimed regarding food if we sail with Princess... But we do want to see Glacier Bay if we head up there again. Sailed DCL in 2011 and missed out on seeing Glacier Bay.
 
Anybody have any spring break suggestions, other than a cruise or theme parks, for two 18 year old boys and their adults? We will be starting from the southeast part of the country and only have 7 days. Proximity to a beach is preferred for at least part of the trip. I've got United and Delta pts I can use if that influences your suggestions.
Costa Rica if you're outdoors types.
 
Resy has also been hard for us. I found a pizza place in Anaheim to get a gift card at.

Staycation sounds nice!
The $10 DL Plat resy credit is particularly absurd. Thankfully, with the Toast gc method I've been able to start stacking it on a gc at one of my local places. There is precisely one option for this in my area so I hope they're good- and I'm glad to have a $100 credit to throw at it because $10 at a time would take me all year to save up for a meal there!

I still actually have my $50 Hilton credit too. Considering rolling the dice and stopping in a Garden Inn nearby that I learned has a snack area to buy stuff and seeing if it credits.
For those with upcoming Hilton stays it can be worth contacting the property and asking about pre-paying toward your bill. Hilton's Signia and WA at Bonnet Creek Orlando have done that for me. I emailed them to ask and they sent me a secure payment method for applying it toward my future stay charges.
 
Hawaii - we are starting to book activities for our June trip! We are doing Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island.

1. For those that have been- is a luau worth it?

2. Any other recs appreciated!

We did those islands in 2024.

1- We really enjoyed Toa Luau on Oahu. It's North Shore area, run by local families, and entrance also gets you into Waimea Valley Waterfall and Gardens. Was a really nice night all around for our crew, and bookable on Chase Travel portal so we did it with CSR 1.5x points for some added savings. We were looking for a luau fully under control of a local business, versus something run by a major hotel chain, etc, and this one was lovely.

2-

Where to begin?! Sleeper hit for us was Hilo on Big Island. We loved that area, it felt much less touristed than anywhere else we went. We got a VRBO in the Oceanview Mauna Loa Shores which is right at a beach park with sea turtle visitors, just up the street from a really cool black sand beach (Richardson) and easy access to the rest of Hilo. We were using SW for island hops and were able to fly direct Oahu-Hilo, did a couple days in Hilo, used our Volcano National Park day as our transfer day from Hilo to Kona, and then flew Kona to Maui for our next hop. Our original plans just had us on Kona for our whole Big Island visit and we were so glad we split because Hilo ended up being really exceptional.

Hanuama Bay on Oahu is unbelievable. Do your research about how to snag reservations (they only open a few days in advance, are closed certain days, book quickly, etc) but your Disney VQ and LL skills will translate well into snagging a good spot and then having the most amazing walk-off-the-beach snorkeling experience.

We opted to pay for a private guide for our Road to Hana. It was the biggest excursion expense of our trip but there ended up being a lot of traffic and we were really glad that we weren't the ones trying to drive. Our guide had some interesting stops that I doubt larger groups could even do: at one point he pulled over next to what looked like any other tree and had us shimmy through an opening you could barely see from the road. We ended up walking down into this incredible underground cave with tree roots growing down into it, absolutely stunning. I'm sure a larger tour group wouldn't try that because the space underneath would be way too tight. Not sure if the self guided tours direct to it, but even if they had I don't know that I would have had the confidence to climb down without the guide there telling me. We did lots of other hikes, waterfalls, etc on our own, so I'm not opposed to creating a self guided tour, but I'm glad we splurged for the Road to Hana.

We hiked, kayaked, snorkeled, etc, with a combo of booked excursions and self guided tours. I don't want to blow up this thread any more but, if you want to PM me your email, I can send you docs I created and the specific tours we booked at various locations.
Loving this as I'm in planning stage for 2027.
@TheOneWithTheTriplets I'd love info if you're open to sharing.
 
Anybody have any spring break suggestions, other than a cruise or theme parks, for two 18 year old boys and their adults? We will be starting from the southeast part of the country and only have 7 days. Proximity to a beach is preferred for at least part of the trip. I've got United and Delta pts I can use if that influences your suggestions.
Puerto Rico maybe. You’ve got the history of Old San Juan including the old forts, beaches, El Yunque (rainforest), rum tours (recommend Ron Del Barrrilito over BACARDÍ, yes the 18 years can drink), and bioluminescent bays.
 
The $10 DL Plat resy credit is particularly absurd. Thankfully, with the Toast gc method I've been able to start stacking it on a gc at one of my local places. There is precisely one option for this in my area so I hope they're good- and I'm glad to have a $100 credit to throw at it because $10 at a time would take me all year to save up for a meal there!


For those with upcoming Hilton stays it can be worth contacting the property and asking about pre-paying toward your bill. Hilton's Signia and WA at Bonnet Creek Orlando have done that for me. I emailed them to ask and they sent me a secure payment method for applying it toward my future stay charges.
This is a great tip! Thank you!
 
Thanks for the review - I appreciate it. It sounds like we'll be nickeled and dimed regarding food if we sail with Princess... But we do want to see Glacier Bay if we head up there again. Sailed DCL in 2011 and missed out on seeing Glacier Bay.
So I did no dinners in the MDR. We did a few breakfasts and lunches which were decent (embarkation lunch was top notch). Ate one breakfast at the buffet (it was okay but not nearly as nice as DCL's IMO). But if you're doing a package, the upgrade from Plus to Premier is a no brainer if you like specialty dining. I think it's an extra $35/day but you get excursion credit and each specialty meal is $55 + tax (or so depending on the ship). Once you purchase a package, there's really no nickle and diming to be done. The only thing we did do which cost extra was the 360 Experience which is only available on a few ships but was amazing.
 
I have a couple of United questions…we have the AmEx Platinum and recently picked up the United Explorer. Since the Explorer card comes with a free checked bag for DH and I, I’m trying to figure out what I can use the Amex flight credit for. We haven’t had a chance to use our two lounge passes with United yet so I’m not sure how their lounge works. Does United allow the cardholder to use one of the included passes and then purchase a guest pass for someone traveling with them?
 
I have a couple of United questions…we have the AmEx Platinum and recently picked up the United Explorer. Since the Explorer card comes with a free checked bag for DH and I, I’m trying to figure out what I can use the Amex flight credit for. We haven’t had a chance to use our two lounge passes with United yet so I’m not sure how their lounge works. Does United allow the cardholder to use one of the included passes and then purchase a guest pass for someone traveling with them?

United travel bank has worked in the past.

Flyertalk will have the most current dp for specific airlines and use cases.
 
Do UR transfers ever get “stuck” between spouses, or are they always immediate? I transferred a small amount (under 10k) today to make sure the connection between DH and I still worked and it went to the right card (I haven’t needed to transfer in a few years). So now I want to transfers 100k, but will chase flag a second larger transfer right after the initial one, and will it then take longer? Or is this not a thing with chase directly like it is transferring to some of the travel partners?
 


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