Quick tip on the yacht transfer to the Waldorf Astoria Maldives - you can redeem 100k Hilton Points for a roundtrip transfer through Hilton Honors Experiences. It's a bit tough to get but they usually release a few of those awards at the beginning of the month. I was able to secure 2 roundtrips for 200k and saved over $2k in cash. Essentially redeeming my Hilton points for double their value. You can even buy the 100k points for $500 for a transfer that's $1k, essentially the getting half off the cash price if you don't have the points organically.
Great reminder! Thank you! Hilton Experiences is also great for redeeming for the transfer to the Waldorf Astoria Seychelles that Chew went to and mentioned in our episode. Congrats on scoring those awards! Worth every point.
Thank you guys so much for having me on the podcast! It was so amazing to converse and speak about my journey! Serena wow I’m amazed that you made that flight and are now on that cruise. I’m so excited to hear more about this
You're the best, Chew! Thank you for your support and being real with us. We need to have you on again after every business class flight to see if it changed your mind. 🤣
Thoroughly impressed by you Chew, what a great addition you made to the podcast! Hope to see you more on future shows! Would definitely check out your channel as well ❤ Thank you fir sharing your experiences with us !!
I think the fact that Chew and the whole LGTTP team have full time jobs should be talked about more. A lot of us here on YT watch these travel shows and often talk ourselves out of things because we can fall into the mindset of “well they’re travel influencers, this is what they do, they have more time than me…”. But in reality, you’re managing a job and family too. A show on that would actually be great - how to travel often while still maintaining a life. Great show as always guys, and Chew was an awesome guest.
Absolutely agree with that, I think the best part of all of us is we are regular relatable people. That’s what I believe is so inspiring. That if we can do it, so can you all!
I love Chew's channel! I like that you guys had him on and and I appreciated his take on Q suites as well. Going hungry on a business class flight? Wow! I think I'd cry.
I found Chews to explore about 6 months ago and immediately subscribed! His channel with his wife is nothing short of AMAZING! Not gonna lie, i only clicked on this video because he was on here lol. Didn't disappoint, great video. Thanks!
I'm totally with Chew on business class. The destination is what is important to us. We want our money and points for that. Getting there is not the thrill for us. If it is for you, wonderful. If not, good too. (I do wish bloggers, podcasters, vloggers would quit dissing those of us who choose to walk a different path though. Getting old.)
Glad you enjoyed this one! We will definitely have him on again! It will be fun to see if his opinion changes after taking more business class flights.
I’m with Chew on this! Never flown business but wanted to try one day, but paying for wifi in Business Class is CRAZY!! I may still do it but I appreciate his perspective and not feeling the pressure to hype it up if it doesn’t turn out to be a worth it to me.
And you know what’s even crazier? When you pay for the wifi on a plane, it is not even working well half the time! We always want to be real with our audience. Thank you for watching!
I am trying to figure out how you guys keep pumping out straight bangers for content. Chews just became one of my favorites and I’ll start following him as well. I’ll keep on beating the Hilton drum until I get everyone here on board…lol In 2018 a similar thing happened with my wife and I where AA rebooked us on Delta to get us to St Lucia for our honeymoon vacation. Didn’t think anything of it then because we weren’t traveling as much as we do now, but will keep that in my back pocket for future reference. Amazing show!
Thank you, Carlos! Please keep beating that Hilton drum for Nicole! We’re glad you are enjoying the content. We recorded something really cool for Episode 60! It’s a great thing AA was able to rebook you to enjoy your honeymoon!
I definitely appreciate Chew’s view on the why and how he prefers to travel. That is always important in this game. I’d love for Serena to share more about this Cruise and the different things the family experienced and her parents opinions about this trip. I want to do an Alaska cruise with my mom in the future, so I’d like their views to help in planning 😁🙌🏾🙌🏾. This was another great show ❤❤
Great show! I wanted to say thanks to Chew and Nicole as he also was able to assist in my accommodations for Japan when I went to visit Universal Studios in Japan last month. Enjoy the context and entertainment from everyone!
For beaches, the Philippines is way better than the Maldives or Seychelles but lacks good points hotels. To see amazing hot air balloons, come to Albuquerque and see the Balloon Fiesta in October and stay at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya which is an amazing Category 4 hotel!
Yes about the Philippines. The lack of points properties probably leads to less attention to the destination. So we hear the balloon rides in Albuquerque are crazy expensive. Are we okay just watching it? Tamaya is underrated and also not discussed a lot.
@@LetsGetToThePoints Yes, skip the balloon ride. There's between 600-700 balloons ascending at the same time (more than Cappadocia!) and it's so special.
Wow, Serena! I'm surprised AA offered to rebook you! I had a similar situation on a canceled flight but no one tried to help me. I even asked if they could rebook me on another airline and was told no! I wasn't at the Admiral's Club, so I bet that was the big difference. I'm so glad everything worked out for you and your family! 🤗 I would love to see how your cruise life is going! 🚢
Great show! I'm relieved to hear that Serena didn’t miss her cruise. We took a risk by flying on the same day as our cruise, traveling from Brisbane to Sydney a few days ago. Thankfully, everything went smoothly.
Cruises can be SO expensive, especially Icon. My trick with new ships…book as soon as the schedule opens (about 18 months to 2 yrs in advance) and work with a cruise consultant who will give you extra OBC (onboard credit). Then pay it off by earning 5x on gift cards at office supply stores and look for Amex Offers. For run of the mill cruises, there are casino status matches that can result in free cruises.
Another great show! Regarding business class, my wife and I are 40+ and value comfort on long flights. Any flight over 5 hours, and we are looking to fly biz class, especially since I am over 6 feet tall, and can't sleep in economy. Though we are fine with economy for flights under 5 hours (as long as the seat pitch is at least 30 inches!)
@@LetsGetToThePoints Agreed! Thanks also to Chew for sharing his perspective (always good to hear variable viewpoints). I echo his thoughts on Malaysia, KL was one of my favorite cities we've ever been to.
Actually at the Waldorf Astoria I got a standard room. Their most basic room at the time that i was there they were not offering because it did not have its own pool. The upgrades were bigger rooms with more bedrooms that we didn’t really need so we didn’t pressure them to give it to us
Also with hotels, we aren't usually looking for ultra luxury. We don't like others transporting our bags to the room, and see turn down service as an annoyance rather than a perk. We are usually out and about during trips, so we don't spend a lot of time in the hotel. We are fine with boutique 3 star hotels, many of which provide free breakfast.
This is a great point of how mid tier hotels can offer free breakfast and you don't even need status to get it. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We love hearing about what others think!
Thank you so much for this perspective. I agree a lot with this opinion. The thing that i love about travel is you create your experience the way you would like!
Great show! I never miss an episode and always learn a ton of stuff. I have some questions. First question is how are you supposed to order the food on Q suites to make sure you are not starving. Second question , does Serena have status with American Airlines and that’s why she was able to pay and get in the admirals club?
Hi Caroline. When you manage your booking online, you can select a meal or list a preference. Calling the airline will work too. Serena does not have any airline status. Anyone can pay for a day pass as long as space is available in the lounge.
Wow, amazing episode! Love it. Love the different perspective. And 😮 Serena! That’s right, there was a storm and my friend was messaging me too what day I’ll be getting to Miami because flights were getting canceled. So smart to go to the admirals club! Do you go there, then pay for day pass, then wait to talk to agent? I have to keep this in mind for the future. Was your United flight next day?
Every individual will have a unique experience! When someone says the Best, it might not be the Best for you! The only way to know is to try it for yourself. ✈️
I am going with my family , daughter and her family , next January….. we are an active 63-year-old couple who cruise a lot, but usually do Celebrity or WinStar so not really looking forward to this massive “icon of the seas”…. The things we do for grandkids….. were you able to find a special deal? We’ve cruise Royal Caribbean before and we could’ve sailed the exact same week on Royal Caribbean someplace else for half the price …. Crazy the markup for the ship. Have fun and I’d like to hear about your trip …. We are “plant-based eaters “so that always makes it hard for us.( like vegan, but we don’t use oil or eat processed food….. vegans can eat McDonald’s french fries. We don’t eat McDonald’s french fries😂) Thanks… we love you show…. I also sent you an email about Chiu
Serena’s parents are in their 70’s and had a blast. They also went on the behind the scenes tour of the ship. We’ll see if her parents were told how the ship handles food requirements. At the very minimum, please communicate your food preference to the cruise line right away so it’s noted on your reservation.
Hi! Capital One serves as an intermediary and likely would have gone to American Airlines for assistance. The time it would have taken to work through a middleman to get the issue resolved would have likely been too long. Thankfully working with AA directly was successful in this case!
Quick tip on the yacht transfer to the Waldorf Astoria Maldives - you can redeem 100k Hilton Points for a roundtrip transfer through Hilton Honors Experiences. It's a bit tough to get but they usually release a few of those awards at the beginning of the month. I was able to secure 2 roundtrips for 200k and saved over $2k in cash. Essentially redeeming my Hilton points for double their value. You can even buy the 100k points for $500 for a transfer that's $1k, essentially the getting half off the cash price if you don't have the points organically.
Great reminder! Thank you! Hilton Experiences is also great for redeeming for the transfer to the Waldorf Astoria Seychelles that Chew went to and mentioned in our episode. Congrats on scoring those awards! Worth every point.
Wow this is great information, i will absolutely be doing that next year!
Thank you guys so much for having me on the podcast! It was so amazing to converse and speak about my journey! Serena wow I’m amazed that you made that flight and are now on that cruise. I’m so excited to hear more about this
You're the best, Chew! Thank you for your support and being real with us. We need to have you on again after every business class flight to see if it changed your mind. 🤣
Thoroughly impressed by you Chew, what a great addition you made to the podcast! Hope to see you more on future shows! Would definitely check out your channel as well ❤ Thank you fir sharing your experiences with us !!
I think the fact that Chew and the whole LGTTP team have full time jobs should be talked about more. A lot of us here on YT watch these travel shows and often talk ourselves out of things because we can fall into the mindset of “well they’re travel influencers, this is what they do, they have more time than me…”. But in reality, you’re managing a job and family too. A show on that would actually be great - how to travel often while still maintaining a life.
Great show as always guys, and Chew was an awesome guest.
Thank you for this idea! We’re never sure what people are interested in so we’re glad you let us know.
Absolutely agree with that, I think the best part of all of us is we are regular relatable people. That’s what I believe is so inspiring. That if we can do it, so can you all!
I love Chew! He gives a very relatable perspective.
Yes he does! We are lucky to have him as a guest!
Thank you so much for the support!
I love Chew's channel! I like that you guys had him on and and I appreciated his take on Q suites as well. Going hungry on a business class flight? Wow! I think I'd cry.
Omg!!! We would all CRY our eyeballs out!!! 😭😭😭
Truly appreciate all the support and happy to share my truth. Hopefully we have a better experience in the future
I found Chews to explore about 6 months ago and immediately subscribed! His channel with his wife is nothing short of AMAZING! Not gonna lie, i only clicked on this video because he was on here lol. Didn't disappoint, great video. Thanks!
Haha! Chew is certainly an influencer! Thank you for watching and we’re glad you enjoyed it.
I'm totally with Chew on business class. The destination is what is important to us. We want our money and points for that. Getting there is not the thrill for us. If it is for you, wonderful. If not, good too. (I do wish bloggers, podcasters, vloggers would quit dissing those of us who choose to walk a different path though. Getting old.)
Glad to see I’m not the only one! Truly appreciate your comment!
We agree! No dissing necessary!
Love your guest Chews on the show ❤ would love to see him more in the future, great addition 👍
Glad you enjoyed this one! We will definitely have him on again! It will be fun to see if his opinion changes after taking more business class flights.
Thank you so much!! 😊
Chews is great. Him and his wife have an amazing aura to them. It really shines in their videos and makes it enjoyable to watch.
We agree! They are amazing humans and give off great vibes.
Thank you so much for all the support. It is much appreciated
The Chews got me wanting to go to the Seychelles!
You should visit for sure!
Same with all of us!!!
Great show guys, thank you so much. Serena, we are looking forward to watching a new episode on the Icon of the Seas :)
Thanks for letting us know you want to see more!
I’m with Chew on this! Never flown business but wanted to try one day, but paying for wifi in Business Class is CRAZY!! I may still do it but I appreciate his perspective and not feeling the pressure to hype it up if it doesn’t turn out to be a worth it to me.
And you know what’s even crazier? When you pay for the wifi on a plane, it is not even working well half the time! We always want to be real with our audience. Thank you for watching!
Thank you so much for your support! So happy to hear your perspective as well! Don’t dismiss it but see if it is worth it for you
Downloaded the episode, will watch it on my flight. Great seeing you guys!
Awesome! Enjoy your flight, Gene!
I am trying to figure out how you guys keep pumping out straight bangers for content. Chews just became one of my favorites and I’ll start following him as well. I’ll keep on beating the Hilton drum until I get everyone here on board…lol
In 2018 a similar thing happened with my wife and I where AA rebooked us on Delta to get us to St Lucia for our honeymoon vacation. Didn’t think anything of it then because we weren’t traveling as much as we do now, but will keep that in my back pocket for future reference.
Amazing show!
Thank you, Carlos! Please keep beating that Hilton drum for Nicole! We’re glad you are enjoying the content. We recorded something really cool for Episode 60!
It’s a great thing AA was able to rebook you to enjoy your honeymoon!
I definitely appreciate Chew’s view on the why and how he prefers to travel. That is always important in this game. I’d love for Serena to share more about this Cruise and the different things the family experienced and her parents opinions about this trip. I want to do an Alaska cruise with my mom in the future, so I’d like their views to help in planning 😁🙌🏾🙌🏾. This was another great show ❤❤
Hi Bizu and THANK YOU for joining us in Chicago! Thank you for being such a loyal subscriber.
Thank you so much!
Great show! I wanted to say thanks to Chew and Nicole as he also was able to assist in my accommodations for Japan when I went to visit Universal Studios in Japan last month. Enjoy the context and entertainment from everyone!
We hope you had a great time at Universal Japan last month!
@@LetsGetToThePoints It was a blast!
So happy we were able to help and you had an amazing time in Japan!
I'm with Chews, Malaysia is a place that suprised me alotttttt. Def was my favorite place on my recent SE Asia tour.
I think we all need to go to Malaysia now!
@@LetsGetToThePoints if you're a foodie I HIGHLY recommend it
Truly blew me away bro!
@@LetsGetToThePoints especially if you're a foodie, you'll be in dreamland lol
Two of my favorite TH-cam Channels in one episode. This episode was amazing! Would love a Miami meet up, especially if there is homemade oxtail! ✨
Thank you so much for all the support!
That is such a nice thing to say! Thank you. We better tell Nicole’s mom to get a LOT of ox-tail ready!
Yes, I want to hear more about the cruise!
🚢 We’ll see what we can do!
Also, so sad to hear about Bali. Highly debating if I should redo my two weeks there next month 😅
See for yourself! That’s what i think, you may just love it, but not my personal cup of tea
Everyone’s experience will be different. You should go and see for yourself!
For beaches, the Philippines is way better than the Maldives or Seychelles but lacks good points hotels.
To see amazing hot air balloons, come to Albuquerque and see the Balloon Fiesta in October and stay at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya which is an amazing Category 4 hotel!
Yes about the Philippines. The lack of points properties probably leads to less attention to the destination. So we hear the balloon rides in Albuquerque are crazy expensive. Are we okay just watching it? Tamaya is underrated and also not discussed a lot.
@@LetsGetToThePoints Yes, skip the balloon ride. There's between 600-700 balloons ascending at the same time (more than Cappadocia!) and it's so special.
I want to hear more about your cruise Serena and I love your show guys!
Thank you for your feedback! We appreciate you watching!
Can’t wait to hear about cruise and what kinds of travelers it would appeal to.
Thanks for showing interest!
@serena of course we want to hear more about your cruise!!!!!
Thank you for your comment! We’ll see if she can put together something!
Wow, Serena! I'm surprised AA offered to rebook you! I had a similar situation on a canceled flight but no one tried to help me. I even asked if they could rebook me on another airline and was told no!
I wasn't at the Admiral's Club, so I bet that was the big difference. I'm so glad everything worked out for you and your family! 🤗
I would love to see how your cruise life is going! 🚢
Hi Phyllis! Sorry it did not work out in your favor. $79 was the best money Serena spent that day for access to the Admiral’s Club.
@@LetsGetToThePoints I have added that tip to my travel notebook.😉
Great show! I'm relieved to hear that Serena didn’t miss her cruise. We took a risk by flying on the same day as our cruise, traveling from Brisbane to Sydney a few days ago. Thankfully, everything went smoothly.
Oh wow! Glad you made it to your cruise! That must have been a memorable cruise from Sydney!
serena…how did u book the cruise? any deal hacks? its so expensive!
Cruises can be SO expensive, especially Icon. My trick with new ships…book as soon as the schedule opens (about 18 months to 2 yrs in advance) and work with a cruise consultant who will give you extra OBC (onboard credit). Then pay it off by earning 5x on gift cards at office supply stores and look for Amex Offers. For run of the mill cruises, there are casino status matches that can result in free cruises.
Another great show! Regarding business class, my wife and I are 40+ and value comfort on long flights. Any flight over 5 hours, and we are looking to fly biz class, especially since I am over 6 feet tall, and can't sleep in economy. Though we are fine with economy for flights under 5 hours (as long as the seat pitch is at least 30 inches!)
Those are great standards to live by. The beauty of points and miles is that this hobby makes it possible.
@@LetsGetToThePoints Agreed! Thanks also to Chew for sharing his perspective (always good to hear variable viewpoints). I echo his thoughts on Malaysia, KL was one of my favorite cities we've ever been to.
@chew. Apologies if you mentioned and I missed this, Did you get upgraded at the Waldorf Seychelles?
Yes he did! Thanks to Diamond status.
Actually at the Waldorf Astoria I got a standard room. Their most basic room at the time that i was there they were not offering because it did not have its own pool. The upgrades were bigger rooms with more bedrooms that we didn’t really need so we didn’t pressure them to give it to us
Also with hotels, we aren't usually looking for ultra luxury. We don't like others transporting our bags to the room, and see turn down service as an annoyance rather than a perk. We are usually out and about during trips, so we don't spend a lot of time in the hotel. We are fine with boutique 3 star hotels, many of which provide free breakfast.
This is a great point of how mid tier hotels can offer free breakfast and you don't even need status to get it. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We love hearing about what others think!
Thank you so much for this perspective. I agree a lot with this opinion. The thing that i love about travel is you create your experience the way you would like!
@@ChewsToExplore So true!
100% with you on this!
Love this episode with Chew! Goes to show you how people can have different perspective on the same experience 🩵
Absolutely. We love his perspective and what he brings to the table. Thank you for watching!
Thank you, love sharing my perspective and happy you enjoyed it
Great show! I never miss an episode and always learn a ton of stuff. I have some questions. First question is how are you supposed to order the food on Q suites to make sure you are not starving. Second question , does Serena have status with American Airlines and that’s why she was able to pay and get in the admirals club?
Hi Caroline. When you manage your booking online, you can select a meal or list a preference. Calling the airline will work too. Serena does not have any airline status. Anyone can pay for a day pass as long as space is available in the lounge.
@@LetsGetToThePoints Thanks for the prompt response
Cannot wait to hear about this cruise!
Awesome! Serena had the best cruise of her life so we will see if she can showcase it more.
Wow, amazing episode! Love it. Love the different perspective.
And 😮 Serena! That’s right, there was a storm and my friend was messaging me too what day I’ll be getting to Miami because flights were getting canceled. So smart to go to the admirals club! Do you go there, then pay for day pass, then wait to talk to agent? I have to keep this in mind for the future. Was your United flight next day?
We love how we can offer different perspectives!!!
I thought Qatar airways was the best airline 😮
Every individual will have a unique experience! When someone says the Best, it might not be the Best for you! The only way to know is to try it for yourself. ✈️
I am going with my family , daughter and her family , next January…..
we are an active 63-year-old couple who cruise a lot, but usually do Celebrity or WinStar so not really looking forward to this massive “icon of the seas”…. The things we do for grandkids….. were you able to find a special deal?
We’ve cruise Royal Caribbean before and we could’ve sailed the exact same week on Royal Caribbean someplace else for half the price …. Crazy the markup for the ship.
Have fun and I’d like to hear about your trip …. We are “plant-based eaters “so that always makes it hard for us.( like vegan, but we don’t use oil or eat processed food….. vegans can eat McDonald’s french fries. We don’t eat McDonald’s french fries😂)
Thanks… we love you show…. I also sent you an email about Chiu
Serena’s parents are in their 70’s and had a blast. They also went on the behind the scenes tour of the ship. We’ll see if her parents were told how the ship handles food requirements. At the very minimum, please communicate your food preference to the cruise line right away so it’s noted on your reservation.
I flew on Turkish airlines, I am vegetarian and I thought the food was awful…good luck. I hope it’s better for you all
Oh no!!!! Thank you for letting us know. We hope Chew has a better culinary experience!
I’ve never been able to sleep on a plane. I’ve never flown biz class flat seats and I’m looking forward to sleeping.
We definitely think you’ll prefer the lie flat seats for better sleep!
It’s interesting to know that American will help you when you book via capital one. I wonder if Capital one would have helped as well…hmmm
Hi! Capital One serves as an intermediary and likely would have gone to American Airlines for assistance. The time it would have taken to work through a middleman to get the issue resolved would have likely been too long. Thankfully working with AA directly was successful in this case!
More about your cruise
Thank you for the feedback! We’ll try to get more coverage on that.
Was that business tho?
Are you referring to Chew's flight?