I love credit cards so much! v6.0 - 2023 (see first page for add'l details)

[CyndiLouWho]

Is Staples the only fee free MC/Visa offer out there right now?

 

[DogCat]

FYI - no need for the reminder. You can cancel now and your subscription will stay intact until the 3 months is up, and then just not renew. I always sign up and immediately cancel any streaming service where I’m using a promo code. Easy!

WOW! Really? This is awesome information I can use. So many times I meant to cancel and missed the date.

So I am able to cancel my one month paid subscription to ESPN right now and enjoy the rest of the month I paid for? Game changer!!

 

[mom2febgirls]

Amex is being really slow on the Dell credit on the Platinum Biz. I'm on day 11 and still seeing no credit. I looked and I made a purchase back in February on another Platinum Biz and that one credited in 4 days or so.

Same for me. I had a Dell offer on my plat biz that posted after my purchase, but I'm still waiting for the credit. My payment is due soon, so I'll have to pay and have a negative balance when it posts.

Thanks for this. I am having the same problem. The tracker shows I've used it, I've gotten the money back from the offers I had on the card, not the credit. I chatted at AMEX yesterday and they said it could take 4 weeks :/

 

[Crazed4DisneyinSC]

This is going to be a VERY long post, sorry to everyone in advance! I'm trying to sort of my thoughts on our 11 day trip. It was a whirlwind and went by WAYYY too fast. I tried to post this on Reddit, but there's a 10,000 character limit and I would need like 5 separate posts to get all this down, so I'm just doing it here. To anyone who doesn't care about JAPAN, please skip, LOL. We used points for our flights, and points for all hotels. Our expenses for attractions, eating, transportation, and souvenirs was not more than $3000.

Wednesday 10th:

• landed at HND @ 2pm, 25 minutes late
• our flight to HND was terrible. 14 hours in economy, 2 seats together in the second to last row, lots of turbulence and the plane shook so much. We didn't sleep a wink, and we vowed to never do economy again on this long of a flight. It was seriously miserable.
• immigration/customs were super long lines, but Japan is so efficient it only took 45 minutes to get through and get our bags. We had our QR codes ready of course.
• we must've landed at the furthest gate possible, cuz it took about 20 minutes to get to the main area where you could take a bus after collecting baggage
• we had a 3:20 airport limo reservation, and by the time it took us to get to the bus section (3:05), it was cutting it close. We were a little frantic, trying to find out where to go and there wasn't much help. We found an info desk, and she told us to go down the wrong elevator, which led to different buses. We could see the airport limo buses in a different section, but there were gates you couldn't pass so we had to go back up the wrong elevator and take a different escalator down. During this time I was looking up on my phone the next bus departure, and had changed it to 4:20 as we were almost sure we wouldn't make the bus, and then we finally found the bus at 3:15 and I was able to change the reservation back to 3:20 (you can make changes up to 5 minutes to departure).
• We got to our hotel (Hyatt Tokyo Regency) by 4:15. Bus drops you right at the door. There was about 7-8 people working in the front lobby at all times throughout our stay. It became a theme that anytime you got off the elevator and headed toward the lobby, they were jumping to help you. As soon as we checked in the first night, two ladies insisted on taking our bags, and bringing them to our room even. DH was a little taken aback by this, and kept reaching to try to take his bag, as he was not keen on letting a woman lug a 50lb bag for him, but they were very insistent in helping. We stayed here for 5 nights and loved this hotel. We used the 7-11 attached almost daily, and went to Tully's attached one morning and enjoyed our breakfast there. The train station was below the hotel and came in really handy, although a few times we had to walk to Shinjuku station instead for a different train.
• We had planned to eat in Omoide Yokocho this night, and sightsee a little, but we were exhausted. We went to Shinjuku station to exchange our JR Passes, which I would not advise. I thought the lines here would be a little less than the airport, but it took at least an hour here. We then found a ramen place and ordered some food, and went back to the hotel.
• We were in bed by 9, and awoken at 4:15 by a 5.1 earthquake in Chiba. What a way to start our vacation to say the least! I was awoken by the entire bed/building shaking, and then almost immediate our phones started blaring EARTHQUAKE super loud. The emergency alert was almost as scary as the actual earthquake. We couldn't get back to sleep after that and we were a bit shook.

Thursday 11th: (11k steps)

• had a super early start, due to being jaunted awake by the earthquake
• had breakfast at Starbucks within a 5 minute walk of the hotel. They opened at 7am and we were the first ones inside, lol
• got to Meiji Jingu by 8, and very little people were there. Spent almost 2 hours wandering, taking photos, and getting a matcha ice cream (we really dislike matcha... thought we might like the real thing in japan, we still do not)
• by 10 we were at Takeshita Street in Harajuku, and we took the picture of us on the screen and wandered in and out of shops until our Mipig reservation at 10:30
• we enjoyed our mini pig experience a lot, but at the end we saw some of the pigs biting and fighting eachother, and it made me a little sad.
• afterwards, we wandered around Harajuku some more, hit up our first gachapon store (HUGE), the Sanrio store, and just taking it all in. We enjoyed this area.
• finally stopped for lunch at Yakiniku Like in Shibuya around 12:30, where you grill your own meat. It was delicious and affordable. We spent $16 for 2 people and we were full!
• Hit up the Disney store, Pokemon Center, Nintendo Store, and Onitsuka Tiger over the next few hours. Saw the famous 3D billboard was which cool. It was raining by now, so we grabbed some clear umbrellas. Went into a starbucks and tried Japan's exclusive melon frappuccino, which I enjoyed.
• Had a 5pm reservation at Chiku Chiku hedgehog cafe. I would not do this again. The hedgehogs clearly did not enjoy it, they were all sleeping and you were bothering them honestly and I felt bad for them, and it just wasn't a good experience.
• had a 6pm reservation at Shibuya Sky. Since it was still raining, they said the top outside deck was closed, and we could change our reservation to another day if we wanted. We were super disappointed and went into the change line, trying to figure out when we could change it to. We were having trouble fitting it in another time and decided to just go up anyways. Well 20 minutes after we went up, they opened the top deck and we got to go anyways. By this time we had missed sunset, but we still loved the experience. This was our favorite observation deck (we did 3 total during our trip), and I'd gladly go again. We went up and down the escalator so many times trying to get the perfect picture, lol.
• Hit up the Hachiko statue, and Shibuya crossing. It was 8:30 and we were exhausted, headed back to hotel. Grabbed some dinner at 7-11. The fruit sandwich with strawberries/mango/pineapple was delicious, and I dreamt about it the rest of the trip haha.

Friday 12th: (17k steps)

• Got to Asakusa/Senso-ji by 9:30, and was here until 12. Spent lots of time taking pictures and wandering, checking out all the souvenir shops, and eating snacks (strawberry daifuku!). As would become a theme throughout our trip, the places was PACKED with school children. Every temple we went to over the next week was packed with school kids. Why weren't they in school? They were everywhere! Buying snacks, filling the souvenir shops. They seriously were like tourists in their own country. It baffled us.
• We had a 3pm reservation at the Owl Cafe fukurou, and since we weren't hungry after eating all the snacks, we headed to Akihabara to just wander for a few hours. We went to another gachapon hall (even bigger than the first), went in/out of video game stores and electronic stores, and finally found a ramen place to eat at.
• Our owl cafe experience was amazing, and I would 100% do this again in a heart beat. The owners really care about their animals, the owls all look happy and healthy, and the owners ensure you have the best experience possible. All the owls are absolutely stunning. The owners take professional pics and give you one at the end as a keepsake. He even filmed a really cool video for us on his iPhone and airdropped it to me. They went above and beyond. My DH did get pooped on by his owl, LOL, but when will you ever get to say that again. He also kept trying to fly away from my husband and go back to his perch, which did make for some really cool photos and videos of his entire wingspan. His owl was SUPER active, whereas mine just sat really still and calm the whole time. It was really fun!
• Headed next to Skytree center, where we checked out another Pokemon center, Marvel store, Kirby store, and shopped around. They had a really cool outdoor food hall type place, but we were still stuffed from late lunch. We did the observation deck, which was just okay. One and done. Back to the hotel by 9.

Saturday 13th: (20k steps)

• this was our chance to see Mt Fuji, although the weather was not cooperating. For this day and the next 3 days, there was basically 100% chance of cloudy, rainy weather. So we were pretty sure we wouldn't actually see Mt. Fuji. We went back and forth contemplating whether we should actually go or not, and decided finally to just do it. We're glad we did, even though we didn't get to see Fuji. It rained all day.
• We took the Fuji Excursion train at 7:30 from Shinjuku. We thought we had enough time to find the train, but the station is HUGE and we nearly missed it. This would be another theme for us in Shinjuku station... if you think you have enough time, you probably don't. We'd leave 15-20 minutes, but sometimes it took that long just to get to our train through tunnels and such. So I'd go much earlier than you think, at least 30 minutes.
• The JR Pass covers the section from Shinjuku to Otsuki. From Otsuki to Kawaguchiko, you pay onboard.
• We got off at Shimoyoshida station and headed up to Chureito Pagoda. The view was beautiful, and would have been magical if we could see Fuji. Nevertheless, we enjoyed it. We were here for an hour (9:30-10:30).
• Went back down and took the train one stop to Mt Fuji station, then took a bus to Oshino-Hakkai. This was honestly one of my favorite places we went. The little village is beautiful. We saw all the ponds except one, and all the trees/bushes are manicured beautifully. The bonsai is exquisite. I kept telling DH I would live in that village. We spent about 2 hours here, from 12-2:30, enjoying the sights, shopping, and snacking (so much dango!!)
• went back and took the train to Kawaguchiko. By this point it was 3pm and still raining. We were wet and tired and knew we would not be seeing fuji, and the ropeway was closed, so we tried to get an earlier train back, but they were all full. We had reservations for the last train at 5:30, so we just killed the last few hours. We ate at an amazing soup place right across from the station. The soup was served in a huge caldron type bowl that fed us 2 for $10. It was absolutely delicious, and just what our souls needed after the chilly, rainy day.
• We walked to the lake, shopped in some little shops for souvenirs, and headed back on the train at 5:30. We got back to Shinjuku by 7:30.
• From here, we were getting a little hungry so we headed to Omoide Yokocho. Holy freaking insanity. My mistake for not realizing it was a saturday night and the most crowded night there probably is. We walked through the alleys but all the izakayas were packed. We got pictures and headed out of there. Went to walk and see the Godzilla head. Again, Shinjuku was completely packed with wall to wall people. It was like Times Square x 10. Definitely an experience to be had once, but my system was a little in shock after having a beautiful, relaxing day in the countryside, and coming back to a complete jammed city. I was getting anxious so we started walking back to the hotel trying to find dinner.
• We went to a Yakitori restaurant that we stumbled upon, which serves skewers of different things. We each ordered a combo of 5 different skewers, and alcoholic drinks, and were seated in a nice little private room. We enjoyed our dinner here.

Sunday 14th: (19k steps)

• sent our luggage out to Kyoto from the hotel this morning. cost was $38 for 2 large bags
• made it to Teamlab planets a few minutes late, but the queue was pretty long and it wasn't an issue. We really enjoyed two of the rooms here, but we were done in an hour. We got some really cool pictures, and for that I would say it was worth it.
• We headed to Tokyo Tower with plenty of time before our 2:30 reservation. Explored some of the shops inside, ate lunch in the food court, and went up. This viewpoint was okay, again one and done.
• Next, we headed to Starbucks Roastery Reserve. Being 5:00 on a Sunday, I wasn't sure what to expect. The wait time said 90-120 minutes when we arrived. We got our numbered ticket, and went to Don Quijote to shop while we waited.
• This Don Quijote was huge, and their fish tank at the entry was quite impressive!! Stocked up on some candy here, and soon enough it was our turn. We only actually waited 40 minutes to get in to SBux.
• This place was huge and so nice inside. Got lots of pictures. Ordered some pastries (this wound up being our dinner, lol) and found some seats on the first level. I was sad to not get to order coffee, but it was about 6pm and it would surely keep me up all night. We got to sample some iced coffee with olive oil that a worker was handing out, and got to witness them actually sorting beans and the conveyors working. It was all really cool to see, being a Starbucks fan in the states. We left a little after 7, and by then people were just walking in, no more wait.

Monday 15th: (29k steps)

• took a 7am shinkansen to Osaka. Again, another cloudy rainy day, so no Mt Fuji viewing on the ride. We left our bags in a locker at Osaka station, and headed to Osaka Castle. We only walked around the park and did not go inside. It was nice. We ate a HUGE grilled meat platter lunch here that was delicious.
• Namba Yasaka Jinja. We took pics and it was a quick stop.
• Headed to Kuromon Ichiba market for some snacks aroudn 3pm. Here i ate a scallop, sea urchin, and some takoyaki. Not a fan of takoyaki. I enjoyed the sea urchin though, and I love scallops so that was delish. Spent about an hour at the market.
• We headed to Dotonbori. It was dirty and crowded, and by this point we had come to the conclusion that we didn't really care for Osaka. We would skip Osaka completely if we could do it over again. It just wasn't for us. It felt like a grungier and grimier version of Tokyo, not in a good way. The people were a little ruder. I ate the 10 yen cheese coin which was REALLY delicious, and we headed to Kyoto.
• I had made a shinkansen reservation for 9pm, but we wound up leaving closer to 7:15. This turned out to be a disaster, since we had to go to a JR counter to change our timed ticket. We finally got on a train by 8. If I had to redo this part, I wouldn't have made the return reservation and just have left it open so we could get on a non-reserved car for whenever we wanted.
• Checked into our hotel - Ana Crowne Plaza Kyoto - by 9pm. Our luggage was waiting for us in the room. A stark contrast from the Hyatt, only 1 person working in the lobby for our entire 3 night stay. This sometimes proved tricky, as multiple people were trying to checkin or checkout or send luggage or ask questions, and this poor guy was running around ragged! There was a 7-11 within a 5 minute walk, and a train station next door. The JR line was a 15 minute walk. We didn't like this hotel as much as the Hyatt, but it worked for us because it's what we had points for.

Tuesday 16th: (20k steps)

• still exhausted from our previous day in Osaka, but got a late start around 9, and we changed our plans (swapped our Wednesday itinerary with today's) to make it a lighter walking day.
• passed by Shinsen-en Garden on our walk to Nijo station, and popped in to take pics and feed the carp. Nobody was here so I got some good pics.
• Stopped at Cafe Tyrol to eat breakfast, and it was fantastic! Highly recommend; it was cash only.
• We got to Fushimi Inari Taisha by 9:30am. Much later than I had originally wanted, but it turned out to be fine. We spent about an hour and a half here. We did not walk up the entire way. We only headed up about 20-25 minutes, and could find plenty of clear spots for pictures. We ate some ice cream on the way out and headed back to JR station to go to Nara.
• Made it to Nara by a little after noon. First stop, Nakatanidou for mochi. Waited for about 15 minutes to see the pounding... what a show! The mochi was absolutely delicious, and I went back for seconds.
• Headed to the park, and went in near Kofuku-ji, and saw our first deer. This would turn out to be my favorite day. I absolutely loved feeding the deer. At the beginning of the park they were a bit aggressive, but as you continued, they seemed more docile, and I got better at hiding the crackers and approaching single ones that weren't in groups to gang up on you, lol. Again, TONS of school children here!! When do they actually go to a classroom?
• headed to Todaiji, which was PACKED with kids. I believe the entire Japan school system was there, lol. The temple was so massive and impressive. We enjoyed it although it was crowded. We wound up getting a bus from right outside the temple area back to the JR station. We spent about 5 hours in Nara total, and felt it was perfect.
• back to Kyoto by 7, stopped at the Shinsen-en garden AGAIN as the sun was setting to get a beautiful pic. no one there.
• stopped by a ramen restaurant for dinner before retiring by 8pm

Wednesday 17th: (23k steps)

• we got another late start (by this point we were really tired every day), and didn't get to the bus station to head to Kiyomizudera until 9:30. GO EARLIER THAN US!! There were at LEAST 200 people in line for the bus. I was ready to call it off, but the buses came every 5 minutes, and we were on a bus by 9:47. Still, super crowded.
• Nothing changed once we got there, again super crowded and so many school kids. You couldn't get any picture without someone else in it. We didn't spend too much time here, only an hour. We may have enjoyed it more if it wasn't so crowded. I wound up getting stopped and interviewed by some middle school kids, which was a fun and memorable experience, along with a picture to remember them.
• Headed down to Sanneizaka shopping street, got ice cream, walked up Nineizaka, past Hokan-ji, and then to Kodai-ji Temple by noon. We enjoyed this a lot more, as there was barely any people here. The bamboo forest was a HIGHLIGHT and the main reason we chose to go here. Because we got such great pics in this bamboo forest, we would forego the Arashiyama bamboo forest madness the next day, and I'm glad we made that decision.
• By this point we were basically templed out, and chose to scrap the last temple - Kennin-ji - on our list. Headed to Nishiki market for some seafood around 2!
• Had another giant scallop, and some crab au gratin that was to die for. Cash only at most places. It was so hot this day - 90 degrees - that we were fried, and headed back to the hotel to rest by 4.
• We rested for around 3 hours and then headed out to the Pontocho area. Walked along the river, and then headed across to Gion. Got some delicious taiyaki on the way, that I wish I would have went back for seconds on!
• headed to Hanamikoji Street around 8pm to see if we could spot a geisha. Walked up and down with no luck. Walked down an alley, almost out of the streets, and finally saw one coming out. She was within 5 feet of me and I was shocked and stunned, all I could do was stare. We were pretty excited we actually saw one. As we headed back out, we decided we'd fulfilled what we came for, and thought "what are the chances we'll see a second one?". Within 5 minutes of us saying that, we saw another. Unbelievable. We spent about half an hour here in total. There were TONS of tour groups with guides in the area, and signs posted all over warning of no pictures and a fine. Of course we saw people taking pictures all over.
• We went back to another Yakiniku Like for dinner, and it was again delicious. This time it cost us about $28 total, but we ordered much bigger servings as we were starved.
• At this point in the trip, I got a message stating my data was used. We were using the free 5GB included on TMobile Magenta plans. I was the primary navigator using google maps all the time. DH still had data left.

Thursday 18th: (21k steps)

• sent our luggage back to Tokyo this morning. It wound up costing $53 this way, which was $15 more than the first time, same bags. I think because the hotel guy was the only one, and there were several people waiting to checkout, etc. that he might have exaggerated some of the measurements and calculated wrong. I didn't question it though. I knew our bags were heavier than before because we'd acquired a lot of souvenirs/bottles of liquor, etc. so maybe that's the reason. Oh well.
• had breakfast at Kamedo coffee by the JR station, and it was delicious. I thought their coffee was excellent. Hubby enjoyed his breakfast burger and raved about it the rest of the day. I bought Ubigi 3GB for $8 while we were at breakfast. No issue buying and activating in Kyoto. We only had 3 days left, but I figured I absolutely needed data for Disney the next day, so I bought it. It worked very well and fast!
• got to Arashiyama by around 10:30. Another later start than expected, but it turned out to be plenty of time. Left our backpacks in the lockers at the station.
• Headed first to the monkey park, as it was another HOT 86 degree day, so I wanted to do the hike before it was terrible out. That hike is no joke in the heat. Honestly it was more than I had expected to get up, but we thoroughly enjoyed this place. We fed the monkeys like 5 times, lol. I couldn't do this enough times... so fun. We were back down by 12:30.
• Crossed the bridge again and headed to Tenryu-Ji temple. Since we were quite sick of temples, we did just the gardens. They were nice, but I don't think they are a must see.
• Back in town we got some cherry blossom ice cream (DELISH!), and milled around some shops for the next 2 hours.
• took the JR line to Umahori, and walked to the Sagano station to take the romantic train at 3:30. We thoroughly enjoyed this and would do it again. The scenery was beautiful.
• got back to the Saga-Arashiyama station, picked up our bags, and headed to Kyoto station to take the Shinkansen back to Tokyo. We had a 5:08 reservation, and we had enough time to get ekibens for the ride.
• checked into Tokyo Hilton Bay by 8:40pm for 2 nights. I had booked a King Celebrio ocean room. I did check in on the app earlier in the day, and it told me we'd been upgraded to a King Executive ocean room, which gave us lounge access. This was amazing, as the lounge breakfast was incredible! So many options, both western and japanese, the food was delicious, it included beer even and I made use of the espresso machine each morning. We didn't get to enjoy the cocktail hour, as it was too late by checkin, and the next day we were in disney, but that would have been nice too I'm sure.

Friday 19th: (21k steps)

• headed down to lounge breakfast by 7:15, and then to the park and in line by 8 at DisneySea. We used a line all the way to the left, and it seemed to move faster than others. We were let into the park by 8:30. I immediately scanned our tickets into the app, and tried for Big Band Beat last show of the day and didn't get it. We headed towards Soarin.
• The line for soarin was 120 minutes immediately, so we decided to get Premier Access. Then we got Premier Access for Journey to the Center of the Earth, since the wait time was 80 minutes and as this was our only day in the park, we were trying to maximize our time. This ride was really cool!
• We headed to 20,000 leagues, which had a 5 minute wait. This area of the park was beautiful and we spent some time taking pics and going into the gift shop. We were done with these 3 rides by 10:15, and headed to the little mermaid themed area. The mermaid lagoon theater was closed, and since we don't have any kids we didn't do any rides in this area, but it was beautiful also. I just love the aesthetic here! Raging Spirits was also closed for refurb, so we headed for Sindbad.
• Also a 5 minute wait. Such a cute ride and I still have the song stuck in my head. I loved it!
• It was about 11:15 and we were ready for some snacks! On our way to Indiana Jones, we found a stand selling smoked chicken legs (like the turkey legs at Disney World, but chicken). DH got one and said it was delicious. We also got sparkling mango tapioca teas at the same cart, and they were delicious. I found the alien mochi cart almost across the street near the bridge, and of course had to get some! SO GOOD. (I thought it was supposed to be by Mama Biscotti's by toy story ride? I looked for it there later in the day and it was nowhere to be found. So tip, if you see it elsewhere in the park, grab it when you can! We walked back through this area around 4pm and the cart was gone.)
• Waited for Indiana Jones. Showed a 40 minute wait, but only took 25 minutes. By now it was around 12:30, and we were hungry, and it was pouring rain. So we went back through to the arabian looking area, and went into the place selling curry. Lunch was just okay. I'm not a huge fan of curry, maybe that's why.
• I was on the hunt for some ears, so we headed to Aunt Peg's where I got some Duffy ears and some other themed duffy stuff. So cute!
• Headed past the gondolas. I wanted to jump on them since it was a 15 minute wait, but DH said let's wait til later when the sun sets as it's more romantic. This turned out to be a bad decision. It poured the rest of the day, and by about 3:30pm the gondolas were suspended due to weather.
• I went on ToT by myself. There was a 35 min wait posted, but it took about 45 minutes. I loved it. I almost liked it more than Disney World version!
• The rain seemed to be letting up a little so we headed to Aquatopia. Psych, the skies opened again. Everyone getting off the ride was SOAKED. We aborted and hopped in line for Nemo, as most everyone else was doing, so that was a 60 minute wait, but it was covered so what more could we ask for at this point. No, we did not have umbrellas, only rain coats.
• I noticed on the app by about 3:00, Soarin said it was only open to premier access. No standby at all, and this continued through park close. So get to that early!
• Went into McDuck's Department Store and Galleria for more shopping. Tried both the garlic shrimp and milk chocolate popcorns, and enjoyed both!
• I really wanted to meet Mickey and Minnie, but those lines were 60-70 minutes all day, so we didn't do it. We spent some time going onto the ship decks and admiring the view of the park.
• By this point, the rain was really putting a damper on things, it was 5:00, and all I wanted to do yet was meet Duffy. This was BY FAR the longest line we waited in. It was posted 90 minutes ALL day, and it was at least that, if not a little more. At least it was covered.
• It was 7:00 and we headed toward the front of the park. Believe Sea of Dreams would be starting at 7:20. All the spots were taken. We stood way far in the back under a store's overhang because yes, it was still raining, but the saving grace is that most Japanese are pretty short, and so am I, so I was still able to see fairly well. I thoroughly enjoyed this show and would say it is a can't miss! Get there early or get premier access if you want a good spot. We were super far back and I couldn't get any good pics or videos. The show was quite long!
• Afterwards, we headed into Emporio to find some 40th merch, along with every other single person in the park. What a nuthouse! I wound up not really liking anything, and just got a reusable tote and flag pendant showing the 40th motif, and we were back on the monorail by 8:30.
• Another observation about Disney is that there were no photo locations, no photos on rides, and with characters you had to take your own photos. I don't know if those are still closed due to the pandemic or what.
• We were starved and thought the only thing open at the hotel would be Lawson's. We were wrong! The hilton has a Ramen spot that is open only Fridays and Saturdays, so DH got that while I went into the cafe across from it and got a noodle dish that was really good, and a fruit tart that was to die for!
• DH got a notice that his data was up that evening, but seeing as we were leaving tomorrow, it was no biggie.

Saturday 20th: (13k steps prior to our flight, lol we were busy!)

• sadly, our last day in Japan! ate in the lounge again, and checked out by 10. We had concierge hold our luggage, we paid for our airport limo reservation, and took the free shuttle at the hotel to head to Ikspiara for last minute shopping. DH really wanted some shoes. He had bought a pair of sneakers early on in our trip at ABC mart, which the thick platforms you see all over Japan, and was determined to get more as he said they were so comfortable. However, the ABC mart at Ikspiara was out of his size in literally every shoe. Determined as he was, he found another ABC mart one stop away on the JR line, so we booked it over there. He found 4 pairs of shoes, and I found one, so 5 total we bought. This location didn't do tax free which was a real bummer, but hubby was so happy he found several shoes in his size that he liked.
• we headed back to Ikspiara by 1. We had about 30 minutes before we needed to catch the shuttle back. We found a super market on the first floor and went a little nuts. I got so much red bean paste, taiyaki, and tons of pastries with red bean. We were running back to the shuttle to make it in time, lol.
• Got back to the hotel and had about 25 minutes before our airport limo bus came. We needed every single one of these minutes to repack our bags now with all our shoes, food, etc. that we bought. We had to weigh, repack, and re-weigh several times.
• Took the 2:24 bus to the airport (Terminal 1), then found the free shuttle upstairs to get to terminal 3. We went to customs to ask if we could check our tax free liquor, they said yes, we checked our bags and went through security and were into the airport by 4, plenty of time before our 5:45 flight we thought.
• Of course we got sucked in by duty free, more food souvenirs bought here.
• Got to the "food court" area, and everything was PACKED. And one thing we learned is that japanese food courts are nothing like food courts at the mall, where you get your food almost immediately. You have to get a buzzer and wait. and wait. and wait. By the time we got through a line (they were all LONG), our flight would be boarding in 25 minutes. We aborted as it was unlikely we'd get our food in time, and just got sandwiches from a vending machine.
• Our flight back was in Premium Plus, and was much better than the flight to Japan. It only took 12 hours on the Dreamliner. Much smoother ride, the seats were worth every penny, and it seemed like we definitely got preferred treatment in this section over economy. I was able to sleep twice for several hours, so the flight went super quick.
• Customs in ORD was a nightmare. We had 2.5 hour layover to catch a connecting flight, which was definitely cutting it too short. We were in our driveway by 9:45pm

Last observations:

We wound up taking cash out twice at 7-11s. My bank reimbursed me the fees, so I feel like this was really the way to go. So easy, make sure you choose yen. In total we used about $500 USD in cash. We could have gotten away with 450, as we were scrambling to pay in cash for everything the last day to use it up, but the ATMs only dispense in 10,000 yen increments.

I'm obsessed with gachapon and spent in total $40 using these machines throughout our trip.

Convenience stores, especially 7-11, really are something ELSE in Japan. I'm already missing the 7-11s; never thought I'd say that.

We never spent more than $80 in a day eating, and we would eat snacks after snacks, buy so many drinks in vending machines, etc. Most days we only spent about $60. We found food quite affordable, but we don't eat at "fancy" restaurants. We ate where the locals ate, in izakayas, ramen shops, or wherever we found. I had a list of places to eat that quickly went out the window as it wasn't feasible at all. I suggest going in with an open mind of where to eat. Everything we found was delicious, although it wasn't according to "plan".

We had lots of little unexpected expenses, like umbrellas, a belt my husband forgot to pack, pharmacy expenses (DH got sick from something he ate one night, I had a cold, and he needed some eye drops for dry eye at one point), etc. so just plan for some "extras" that you don't think you'll need. Trying to find medicines we needed and translate and make sure it was the right thing was by far the hardest thing we did in Japan. They do NOT have the same medicine brands as here at all, and it's pretty difficult finding what you need. We used the Google translate camera feature but still, took some time.

It took me at least 4 days to acclimate to the time change. I kept waking up at 2-3am every night. DH was fine though, able to adjust the first night. I was able to adjust back to EST the same night we got back, whereas he's still having trouble 2 nights back. I guess it affects different people different ways!

I really think 11 days was not enough time. If we ever go back, it will be at LEAST 2.5 weeks. I think 3 weeks would be the perfect amount of time. My DH says he could live in Japan. The culture is really amazing and I will never forget it.

ETA: added step counts for each day, LOL. Forgot I tracked those.

 

[FreeDiningFanatic]

@Crazed4DisneyinSC Loved your Japan trip report, even though Japan isn't on our radar at all. It felt like we were right there with you. I had to look up so many words! I can't believe how much stuff you guys brought back- impressive for sure.

 

[djmeredith]

So I'm a Hilton newby. I'm looking for some guidance on maximizing points/free night certificates. I just got the Biz card and I have the Surpass card. I can easily put $15k on both cards this year (estimated tax payments). So I can get my hands on three free night certificates (the one from the Biz MSR and two for spending $15k on each card). I also will have about 250k points or so.

So could I find a hotel in London (thinking early May next year) for 60k nights per point and get the fifth night free? Then stack the three free night certificates for Paris? I'm thinking I'm probably missing something.

ETA: Looks like the tricky part will be finding rooms that aren't premium room rewards.

As others have said, you are giving yourself plenty of time to find availability so hopefully you will not have any problems. I was in London last week and I highly recommend the Conrad St. James. It may be too many points though. I am at the Hilton Paris Opera now and do not recommend it unless it is the only option to use your pts.

Thanks so much. I guess I was wrong in thinking it would work how the annual FNC takes like 8 weeks to post. Thanks so much for correcting me!

DP for the FNC on my new Aspire. Approved Feb 23 and just received the FNC about 2 weeks ago (maybe 3 weeks).

Good idea on looking at an Aspire or no fee card. I need to do more research.

I think part of the issue I was having with Award nights (when I was looking at April 2024) was I needed a room for 3 in Paris. I saw a little more availability for a room for two so maybe I need to think about two rooms per night in Paris. Kids will be 20 and 19 so it seems like hotels allow that one of them could be on the second reservation when I checked policies.

Be sure to check availability of a rollaway. I remember seeing some of the European Hilton properties did offer them (don't remember which ones).

 

[speedyfishy]

It may be too many points though. I am at the Hilton Paris Opera now and do not recommend it unless it is the only option to use your pts.

This was the hotel I was considering in Paris. Why don’t you like it? Do you have another Hilton suggestion in Paris?

 

[djmeredith]

I am at the Hilton Paris Opera now and as I stated above, I do not recommend it. It sits literally right in front of the St. Lazare train/Metro station (there is a bus driveway separating the station and the back of the hotel. I somehow did not realize this (I did switch last minute to this hotel and didn't have time to do my usual obsessive research). As with many train/bus station areas, this block has more than its fair share of unhoused people and it is a very high auto/bus traffic area. It is impossible to get an Uber in front of the hotel, you have to go across the street and even that is dicey. I have not stayed at the Maison Astor Hilton property, but based on my research I would definitely recommend it over this Hilton.

A couple of caveats to keep in mind with my opinion. I prefer aspirational properties and stayed at the Grand Hyatt Place Vendome in August so my standards were probably a little skewed coming into this property. We just stayed at 2 Conrads before this, so again expectations were probably a little skewed. I am paying OOP for the 4 nts here and it is a ridiculous rate for the quality of this location/property. So that stings.

A few pros: it does have the executive lounge which is nice to have even if it is mediocre (no bottled water ??); the train station being close is good when you need the Metro/bus; Printemps/Galleries Lafayette/Opera are a few blocks away; rooms/bathrooms are clean; and twin deluxe room is plenty spacious. If it is the only Hotel I could get on points, then I would stay here again rather than pay OOP. However, if I have any other option, I will not stay here again.

 

[djmeredith]

This was the hotel I was considering in Paris. Why don’t you like it? Do you have another Hilton suggestion in Paris?

Was typing my opinion when you posted this. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

 

[djmeredith]

Can anyone recommend a moderately priced restaurant/cafe in Paris that serves authentic French food? I am a picky eater but my nephew is an adventurous eater. I want to give him the opportunity to experience a good French meal, but I'm unsure about choosing a restaurant.

 

[chattadisser]

Is Staples the only fee free MC/Visa offer out there right now?

It is as far as I know.

 

[speedyfishy]

Was typing my opinion when you posted this. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

Thank you so much for your review. We will try somewhere else.

 

[EACarlson]

Nashville airport question. Is there any food outside of security there? I'm landing at 9pm Thursday but have to wait for a colleague until 12:30am before we can head to the hotel. Don't really want to leave just to have to come back but will have to eat.

 

[elgerber]

Nashville airport question. Is there any food outside of security there? I'm landing at 9pm Thursday but have to wait for a colleague until 12:30am before we can head to the hotel. Don't really want to leave just to have to come back but will have to eat.

I think in one of the areas, there is a bar/coffee place just outside where arriving passengers come in. I would guess its not likely open at that time of night though. I landed at 8:30 in March, but I can't remember if it was open or not.

https://flynashville.com/dining-at-bna?location=pre-security&type=dining

this is all there is.

 

[KPK02090]

Yes, I have had the points post, as well as the extra FNC (when offered as part of the SUB) for multiple Hilton Biz. Don't ever check with Amex; rely on whether you get the pop up.

Can you hold multiple Hilton Biz at the same time?

 

[mmmears]

Good idea on looking at an Aspire or no fee card. I need to do more research.

I think part of the issue I was having with Award nights (when I was looking at April 2024) was I needed a room for 3 in Paris. I saw a little more availability for a room for two so maybe I need to think about two rooms per night in Paris. Kids will be 20 and 19 so it seems like hotels allow that one of them could be on the second reservation when I checked policies.

Rooms for 3 are harder to find in Europe. I have a bit of experience trying to get them on points since we often travel as 3 and really don't need or want a second room. Hyatt's easier since I can just bump us up to a suite with the suite night upgrades (or using more points), but you can also book a room for 2 on points and then contact the hotel and ask if you can pay to upgrade to a basic room for 3 (both the Marriott Copenhagen and the PHPV did this for me on our cancelled 2020 itinerary). Often the rooms that sleep 3 are a bit more than the basic room you get on points, but sometimes there are options to use points for the larger room (Cotton House in Barcelona, which is a Marriott, had that option for this summer). I will admit that a room for 3 is the first thing I look for in a hotel in Europe - if they don't have one I just keep looking. I'm sorry I don't have Hilton ideas for Paris so I can help more.

 

[wanderlust7]

Can you hold multiple Hilton Biz at the same time?

If you can get past the pop-up. The terms are different now (emphasis mine):

"Welcome offer(s) may not be available to applicants who have or have had this Card or previous versions of this Card. American Express may also consider the number of American Express Cards you have opened and closed as well as other factors in making a decision on your offer eligibility. If an offer is not available to you, we will notify you prior to processing your application so you have the option to withdraw your application."

It would need to be 90 days from the last approval due to the 1/90 rule for same cards.

I'm not sure if this would be poking the bear though.

 

[newski_mom]

@Crazed4DisneyinSC - thanks so much for the writeup! I saved it all in my trip planning folder. I'm sure DH and I won't be going to Japan until we retire (soonest that would be is 3.5 years), but I love the detailed report and want to be able to reference it later!

 

[djmeredith]

What are my lounge options at CDG if I’m traveling intra Schengen (KLM terminal 2F)? I have Priority Pass, but I don’t see an actual lounge in 2F. I also have AmEx Plat. Does the Plat get me access to the Sky Team lounges since I’m flying a Sky Team partner? Or is that benefit only available when flying Delta itself?

 

[ctinct]

Those of you in the Northeast near a Shoprite, check your Chase offers. Two of my cards have 10% back up to $10. Gotta love those grocery store offers.