I think it also varies based on taxes so depending on where you fly through/from that may increase the cost e.g. if flying from LHR
RTW 2.5x - a DONE4 with stops in NYC, London and Italy (HCO only)
- Thread starter PrezRegan
- Start date
Definitely enough to get me to WP!
I think it should be enough to get me to WP! I haven't crunched the numbers in detail as I'd have to figure out earn for partner airlines etc. etc.
QF3
AKL-NYC
16:15-15:20 dur 15h 35m
B787 seat 1K
My longest flight ever and I spent most of it sleeping. Did have dinner but asked not to be woken for breakfast. Menus and food below. I decided to try something different and got the vego option which wasn’t bad.
Deplaning HCO and with MPC was super fast. I think I was out within 5 mins… there was no line and I walked straight out and to the train that connects to the subway. It took about an hour door to door to get to my hotel, Hotel Indigo NYC Financial District. Was subjected to a performance on the train by some random dude who wanted to showcase is dance and hip hop skills…
The hotel is nice and modern. Status acknowledged on check in. I don’t think I got an upgrade as I don’t think there was a better version of the double room I booked. The gym here is tiny but the location is good.
AKL-NYC
16:15-15:20 dur 15h 35m
B787 seat 1K
My longest flight ever and I spent most of it sleeping. Did have dinner but asked not to be woken for breakfast. Menus and food below. I decided to try something different and got the vego option which wasn’t bad.
Deplaning HCO and with MPC was super fast. I think I was out within 5 mins… there was no line and I walked straight out and to the train that connects to the subway. It took about an hour door to door to get to my hotel, Hotel Indigo NYC Financial District. Was subjected to a performance on the train by some random dude who wanted to showcase is dance and hip hop skills…
The hotel is nice and modern. Status acknowledged on check in. I don’t think I got an upgrade as I don’t think there was a better version of the double room I booked. The gym here is tiny but the location is good.
A super busy day today exploring NYC and surrounding boroughs.
Started with a train ride to Brooklyn via the NYSE and the 9/11 memorial. It was really moving to see in person and it’s hard to appreciate the scale of the buildings until you go there.
In Brooklyn we grabbed a bagel from the super popular la bagel delight at Dumbo before walking across the bridge. Stunning views of the skyline - it was a beautiful day.
After that we walked through Chinatown and Little Italy before heading over to Central Park. By now it was approaching mid afternoon so we grabbed a coffee from blue stone (apparently they do Australian coffee - and from the Tim Tam and straw wrapper the seem to be leaning pretty heavily on this Australian theme) and chilled in the park watching the people go by.
This break gave me a second wind but I was keen for a snack so we went to Grays Papaya, a famous hot dog joint. It was pretty good!
After this we went to Times Square which was absolutely packed, before a quick train back to the hotel.
25k steps and it’s only 17:33 - but it is counting the ones from this morning
Started with a train ride to Brooklyn via the NYSE and the 9/11 memorial. It was really moving to see in person and it’s hard to appreciate the scale of the buildings until you go there.
In Brooklyn we grabbed a bagel from the super popular la bagel delight at Dumbo before walking across the bridge. Stunning views of the skyline - it was a beautiful day.
After that we walked through Chinatown and Little Italy before heading over to Central Park. By now it was approaching mid afternoon so we grabbed a coffee from blue stone (apparently they do Australian coffee - and from the Tim Tam and straw wrapper the seem to be leaning pretty heavily on this Australian theme) and chilled in the park watching the people go by.
This break gave me a second wind but I was keen for a snack so we went to Grays Papaya, a famous hot dog joint. It was pretty good!
After this we went to Times Square which was absolutely packed, before a quick train back to the hotel.
25k steps and it’s only 17:33 - but it is counting the ones from this morning
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I’m in the middle of an ex TYO DONE4, think it’s my third this year. 4 weeks sound like luxury, love the pics!!!
HLO is the only way to travel.
HLO is the only way to travel.
Today was a bit quieter. We started with a trip to Staten island via the ferry which takes you past the Statue of Liberty for free. We were planning on going to the edge - one of the viewpoints in the city - so decided to get a different ferry to Pier 78 nearby.
In addition to being faster than taking the free ferry back and a train, this ferry also got us closer to the Statue of Liberty for $4.5.
The Edge is is the tallest building in the western hemisphere and 1100ft above the city. Thanks to the stunning weather we got some great views over the city.
Theres also a restaurant/bar there so we stopped for a coughtail as well. The edge is located in a mall and there was a pretty cool food court style area called Little Spain which has a collection of Spanish restaurants and eateries in a small area. We stopped in for some tapas and a vermouth which was quite good! Would love to go to Spain but this will have to do.
Only 11k steps today but I think I need a bit of a break after going hard the last couple of days. Tomorrow will be a quiet one whilst I catchup on some uni (unfortunately life goes on
) before my flight to SFO.
In addition to being faster than taking the free ferry back and a train, this ferry also got us closer to the Statue of Liberty for $4.5.
The Edge is is the tallest building in the western hemisphere and 1100ft above the city. Thanks to the stunning weather we got some great views over the city.
Theres also a restaurant/bar there so we stopped for a coughtail as well. The edge is located in a mall and there was a pretty cool food court style area called Little Spain which has a collection of Spanish restaurants and eateries in a small area. We stopped in for some tapas and a vermouth which was quite good! Would love to go to Spain but this will have to do.
Only 11k steps today but I think I need a bit of a break after going hard the last couple of days. Tomorrow will be a quiet one whilst I catchup on some uni (unfortunately life goes on
) before my flight to SFO.
elanshin
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Personally I like Summit One Vanderbilt over the Edge. Whilst not taller, its a lot more interactive inside (kind of a teamlab vibe they were going for). It's also the newest skyscraper observation deck.Today was a bit quieter. We started with a trip to Staten island via the ferry which takes you past the Statue of Liberty for free. We were planning on going to the edge - one of the viewpoints in the city - so decided to get a different ferry to Pier 78 nearby.
In addition to being faster than taking the free ferry back and a train, this ferry also got us closer to the Statue of Liberty for $4.5.
View attachment 469692
The Edge is is the tallest building in the western hemisphere and 1100ft above the city. Thanks to the stunning weather we got some great views over the city.
View attachment 469693View attachment 469694View attachment 469695
Theres also a restaurant/bar there so we stopped for a coughtail as well. The edge is located in a mall and there was a pretty cool food court style area called Little Spain which has a collection of Spanish restaurants and eateries in a small area. We stopped in for some tapas and a vermouth which was quite good! Would love to go to Spain but this will have to do.
View attachment 469696
Only 11k steps today but I think I need a bit of a break after going hard the last couple of days. Tomorrow will be a quiet one whilst I catchup on some uni (unfortunately life goes on
Friends showed me Los Tacos #1 (they have a few locations around NYC) and I have to say it definitely lives up to it's reputation and the line. Give it a go if you have time.
A quiet morning turned into a very interesting afternoon.
If you’ve been following along you may have noticed my cryptic reference to a surprise on arrival in JFK. Unfortunately, I had to cancel that thanks to President Trump’s flight into JFK. Thankfully I was refunded and rolled the credit into my trip out of JFK this afternoon. So what was the surprise? I’d booked BLADE — the helicopter transfer from JFK to Manhattan, chosen mainly because my hotel was only a 10-minute walk from their Wall St. lounge. Annoyingly, I only found out about the cancellation when I landed, and was a bit disappointed as the best views are apparently on the inbound run to Manhattan rather than outbound. Still, I opted for a credit rather than a refund and rebooked it for my departure.
No flights were available from Wall St. this time, so I grabbed a Lyft to BLADE’s West Lounge near the pier. The lounge itself is comfortable enough, with drinks and a small snack selection, though nothing extensive. It looked like I was going to have a private helicopter until two others turned up at the last minute.
Departure was on time. I’d been told the starboard side offered the best views, so I thought I’d missed out when the other two boarded first. But in the end, I lucked out with a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline as we passed by. On arrival, we were met by cars to take us to our terminals. When they said “private car,” I imagined a van with loud branding — instead, it was a branded BMW 3M. My driver put the foot down and I was at T8 in about 10 minutes. All up, it took around 20 minutes from leaving the West Lounge to arriving at the terminal.
At T8 I used the VIP check-in for OWE and Business/First. It’s a shared AA/BA facility and, to my surprise, this is also the international terminal with flights to LHR as well as domestic services. My mate had told me the US doesn’t do outbound immigration, which made things simple. The VIP check-in was a pleasant surprise — quiet, in its own dedicated space, and I was the only one there. With a helpful agent I breezed through both “immigration” and security, reaching the Soho Lounge within 10 minutes of arriving at the terminal.
The lounge was busy, so no photos, but it has table service for à la carte dining and a great runway view. I wasn’t expecting such a premium setup for what is technically a domestic flight, so that’s a win. I ordered anchovy toast and a Beyond Burger. First time trying the latter — I’m glad it was free because I don’t think I’d order it again. The à la carte offering is backed up by a decent buffet spread, so plenty of options.
If you’ve been following along you may have noticed my cryptic reference to a surprise on arrival in JFK. Unfortunately, I had to cancel that thanks to President Trump’s flight into JFK. Thankfully I was refunded and rolled the credit into my trip out of JFK this afternoon. So what was the surprise? I’d booked BLADE — the helicopter transfer from JFK to Manhattan, chosen mainly because my hotel was only a 10-minute walk from their Wall St. lounge. Annoyingly, I only found out about the cancellation when I landed, and was a bit disappointed as the best views are apparently on the inbound run to Manhattan rather than outbound. Still, I opted for a credit rather than a refund and rebooked it for my departure.
No flights were available from Wall St. this time, so I grabbed a Lyft to BLADE’s West Lounge near the pier. The lounge itself is comfortable enough, with drinks and a small snack selection, though nothing extensive. It looked like I was going to have a private helicopter until two others turned up at the last minute.
Departure was on time. I’d been told the starboard side offered the best views, so I thought I’d missed out when the other two boarded first. But in the end, I lucked out with a spectacular view of the Manhattan skyline as we passed by. On arrival, we were met by cars to take us to our terminals. When they said “private car,” I imagined a van with loud branding — instead, it was a branded BMW 3M. My driver put the foot down and I was at T8 in about 10 minutes. All up, it took around 20 minutes from leaving the West Lounge to arriving at the terminal.
At T8 I used the VIP check-in for OWE and Business/First. It’s a shared AA/BA facility and, to my surprise, this is also the international terminal with flights to LHR as well as domestic services. My mate had told me the US doesn’t do outbound immigration, which made things simple. The VIP check-in was a pleasant surprise — quiet, in its own dedicated space, and I was the only one there. With a helpful agent I breezed through both “immigration” and security, reaching the Soho Lounge within 10 minutes of arriving at the terminal.
The lounge was busy, so no photos, but it has table service for à la carte dining and a great runway view. I wasn’t expecting such a premium setup for what is technically a domestic flight, so that’s a win. I ordered anchovy toast and a Beyond Burger. First time trying the latter — I’m glad it was free because I don’t think I’d order it again. The à la carte offering is backed up by a decent buffet spread, so plenty of options.
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Totally agree, I have posted elsewhere on Social Media but not here that NYC ferry is far nicer than Staten Island and much closer to Liberty. It also makes me laugh that they actively put tourists off from going on this ferry and redirect them to Whitehall.Today was a bit quieter. We started with a trip to Staten island via the ferry which takes you past the Statue of Liberty for free. We were planning on going to the edge - one of the viewpoints in the city - so decided to get a different ferry to Pier 78 nearby.
In addition to being faster than taking the free ferry back and a train, this ferry also got us closer to the Statue of Liberty for $4.5.
View attachment 469692
The Edge is is the tallest building in the western hemisphere and 1100ft above the city. Thanks to the stunning weather we got some great views over the city.
View attachment 469693View attachment 469694View attachment 469695
Theres also a restaurant/bar there so we stopped for a coughtail as well. The edge is located in a mall and there was a pretty cool food court style area called Little Spain which has a collection of Spanish restaurants and eateries in a small area. We stopped in for some tapas and a vermouth which was quite good! Would love to go to Spain but this will have to do.
View attachment 469696
Only 11k steps today but I think I need a bit of a break after going hard the last couple of days. Tomorrow will be a quiet one whilst I catchup on some uni (unfortunately life goes on
Whenever I am in NY I usually buy a 10 ride pass for $29.
Easily the best way to cruise the rivers. I usually stay at Conrad Downtown and it’s super easy to catch the ferry up to Hudson Yards/ Blade terminal etc from Brookfield Place.
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So I overheard the agent saying it will be a min 45 min delay to turn a new aircraft around so I’ve heeded back to the lounge.
Interestingly, I can’t upgrade to F on this flight unless I used AA’s systemwide upgrades but if I wanted to I could pay approx 3.2k USD
Interestingly, I can’t upgrade to F on this flight unless I used AA’s systemwide upgrades but if I wanted to I could pay approx 3.2k USD
AA15
NYC-SFO
18:00-20:56 dur 5h 56m
A321T, seat 7A
I was very impressed with this flight, despite the delays which were out of their control really. I love how the AA app updates you promptly of any changes to gate and boarding etc.
I was slightly late to board after heading back to the lounge but was able to cut the line in front of the group 4 people. J on the A321T is in a 2-2 configuration but it is lie flat and quite spacious. The seat is comfy, they give you a blanket and pillow and amenity kit and you get a plated 3 course meal. I’d say it’s similar to the SYD-PER flights but much nicer (unless you manage to snag a 787 but even then I’d say AA’a food is better).
See below for the menu. I had to get the sundae of course!
The only negative I could give is that you only get 20 mins of free wifi on board. You can pay for an hour for about 20 USD or the whole flight for 29USD.
Service was friendly and attentive. I had difficulty correctly placing the accent for a whiskey onboard (Dewar) and the word “pecan”. I will practice pronouncing these words over the next 4 flights as I return to status run mode.
Caught a nice sunset out the window too. For some reason everyone else had the shades down - why bother flying in a window seat if you won’t look out it?
The pre landing baked-onboard cookie was a nice touch but super sweet.
Thankfully the hotel shuttle showed up. Time to check in to Crowne plaza SFO and get some sleep before my 0800 flight back to the east to DFW tomorrow morning.
NYC-SFO
18:00-20:56 dur 5h 56m
A321T, seat 7A
I was very impressed with this flight, despite the delays which were out of their control really. I love how the AA app updates you promptly of any changes to gate and boarding etc.
I was slightly late to board after heading back to the lounge but was able to cut the line in front of the group 4 people. J on the A321T is in a 2-2 configuration but it is lie flat and quite spacious. The seat is comfy, they give you a blanket and pillow and amenity kit and you get a plated 3 course meal. I’d say it’s similar to the SYD-PER flights but much nicer (unless you manage to snag a 787 but even then I’d say AA’a food is better).
See below for the menu. I had to get the sundae of course!
The only negative I could give is that you only get 20 mins of free wifi on board. You can pay for an hour for about 20 USD or the whole flight for 29USD.
Service was friendly and attentive. I had difficulty correctly placing the accent for a whiskey onboard (Dewar) and the word “pecan”. I will practice pronouncing these words over the next 4 flights as I return to status run mode.
Caught a nice sunset out the window too. For some reason everyone else had the shades down - why bother flying in a window seat if you won’t look out it?
The pre landing baked-onboard cookie was a nice touch but super sweet.
Thankfully the hotel shuttle showed up. Time to check in to Crowne plaza SFO and get some sleep before my 0800 flight back to the east to DFW tomorrow morning.
Last edited:
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Oh I thought I’d included it!Pics or it didn't happen!
Agree 100%. Love the sunset photo
I’ve edited the original post to include the sundae
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Good manOh I thought I’d included it!
I’ve edited the original post to include the sundae
Had you already attacked the "seasonal berry topping" or did they just wave the berries in the general direction of the sundae?
So you can choose what to put on it and I am not a fan of the berry plus fudge so just went for the fudgeGood man
Had you already attacked the "seasonal berry topping" or did they just wave the berries in the general direction of the sundae?
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Crowne Plaza SFO is old but gets the job done. I’m glad I’m only here for one night but the bed is comfy and hotel is quiet. From memory it was pretty expensive too - but so is everything near SFO. I think one night at the Hyatt in SFO was min 1k USD which is too rich even for my tastes.
The shuttle debacle continued, with the planned 0600 one not rocking up at all. When a couple of ladies who were also waiting asked the receptionist he said that the shuttle had been and the driver had signed in already so we must’ve missed it. I was sitting there from 0545 and didn’t see anything. One lady then went over and checked the sign in sheet and noticed that he had also apparently already done the 0630 shuttle which was still 20 mins in the future! A time travelling driver, how good.
The receptionist was very apologetic and did call the company that organises it. The 0630 shuttle did in fact show up thankfully and I was able to make it to the airport by 0700 for a 0720 boarding. Whilst annoying, it did save me min 20 USD (a ridiculous price for what is a 2.5 mile journey that takes 8 mins). I guess I can’t really complain as it is free and I didn’t miss my flight but it was tight as I know security can be a pain in America without (and sometimes even with TSA pre check).
Thankfully security was quick and I was able to get to the Admirals Club, conveniently right next to my gate. I love their avocado on toast station and had just enough time for one of them and an OJ before my phone buzzed for boarding. Overall I think the AA lounges are much nicer and quieter than the QF ones but it could be because they have a rule where you can’t use it based on AA status flights domestically. Imagine the uproar that would cause in Aus if QF (or VA) tried to implement that!
AA1949
SFO-DFW
07:54-13:06 dur 3h 12m
A321EOW, seat 3F
Boarding was quick for my flight to DFW. The meal options were “eggs or seafood” which did not sound promising but was actually surprisingly nice. I went with the egg.
We’re just about to land. I have about an hour before my flight to Anchorage then a long time to kill in the lounge before my flight to LA - I’ve just realised I’m pretty much doing a big triangle. I don’t plan on leaving the airport in ANC but we’ll see how I feel after the next flight.
The shuttle debacle continued, with the planned 0600 one not rocking up at all. When a couple of ladies who were also waiting asked the receptionist he said that the shuttle had been and the driver had signed in already so we must’ve missed it. I was sitting there from 0545 and didn’t see anything. One lady then went over and checked the sign in sheet and noticed that he had also apparently already done the 0630 shuttle which was still 20 mins in the future! A time travelling driver, how good.
The receptionist was very apologetic and did call the company that organises it. The 0630 shuttle did in fact show up thankfully and I was able to make it to the airport by 0700 for a 0720 boarding. Whilst annoying, it did save me min 20 USD (a ridiculous price for what is a 2.5 mile journey that takes 8 mins). I guess I can’t really complain as it is free and I didn’t miss my flight but it was tight as I know security can be a pain in America without (and sometimes even with TSA pre check).
Thankfully security was quick and I was able to get to the Admirals Club, conveniently right next to my gate. I love their avocado on toast station and had just enough time for one of them and an OJ before my phone buzzed for boarding. Overall I think the AA lounges are much nicer and quieter than the QF ones but it could be because they have a rule where you can’t use it based on AA status flights domestically. Imagine the uproar that would cause in Aus if QF (or VA) tried to implement that!
AA1949
SFO-DFW
07:54-13:06 dur 3h 12m
A321EOW, seat 3F
Boarding was quick for my flight to DFW. The meal options were “eggs or seafood” which did not sound promising but was actually surprisingly nice. I went with the egg.
We’re just about to land. I have about an hour before my flight to Anchorage then a long time to kill in the lounge before my flight to LA - I’ve just realised I’m pretty much doing a big triangle. I don’t plan on leaving the airport in ANC but we’ll see how I feel after the next flight.
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