Other Options...

We have a long layover in Dubai this November on the way to Cape Town. We’re flying Emirates business. I’m debating spending more Amex points for 1st or whether to save it for another flight. I am tempted to go First at least the way over to Dubai be refreshed for our long layover. We booked a private tour to take us around. We'll have to go back for more later. I'm curious, what are your thoughts on drinking alcohol on the plane after the story of the British woman who was jailed in Dubai for having a measurable blood alcohol level from drinks on the plane? Sounded like there was a lot more too the story. I'm not terribly concerned and plan to drink responsibly on the plane, but was curious about your thoughts.

My dd is dying to go to the Maldives but it isn't high on my list. I can't do beach / sun vacations (though I make an exception for Hawaii). Though the underwater restaurant sounds intriguing!

@Cousin Orville I definitely would not drink on the plane heading to Dubai. What happened to the British dentist is downright shocking. I know there were issues with her Visa, but throwing her and her small child in jail? That's crazy! I believe she's stuck in Dubai until December for her court hearing, though I haven't been following the situation very closely. I'm not much of a drinker though and never drink while flying.
 
I ended up canceling my Costa Rica trip with Thomson. By virtue of their Smart Traveler Benefits program, I was able to get a 100% refund of my deposit (the program has since changed and this benefit is no longer available). My initial interaction with Thomson was great, but once I was transferred from sales to trip management, it became less so (could simply be the person I was assigned to, but it was disappointing). What finally did it, though, were the flight costs. For our dates and from our airports, the flights for two of us nearly approximated the cost of the trip. I couldn't justify it. I ended up booking again with Austin Adventures. We'll be going to the Grand Canyon with them! I looked at other itineraries (including ABD) and while other itineraries hit more places, Austin feels right. I like that the trip will be more active and include less travel time than many other itineraries and I know the group won't be any larger than 18. I worked directly with Carol Austin to book the trip and I have no complaints. I considered the Austin Costa Rica trip since the flights were round trip and would have cost less, but the trip for 2019 has seen a significant price increase because of the addition of a couple internal flights (again, less bus), so I decided to wait on that one. We'll be sailing to Alaska next year, so I'm saving my pennies for our excursions. We'll do Costa Rica another time.
 
We traveled with Austin Adventures to Belize this summer. The trip was perfect! Nothing but good things to say about them. We will be traveling with them again Summer 2020 (I wish it were sooner!). Please report back and let us know how it went.
I will, for sure. We absolutely loved our Yellowstone trip, so I have very high expectations for the next trip.
 


On other options - we are working with a travel specialist for a trip to Paris. 6 people total (4 of us + my parents). She's coming up with great ideas, but if any of you have suggestions for places or activities not to miss with 11 and 14 year old boys, would love to hear them.

This is for our spring break, we are going in March.
 
On other options - we are working with a travel specialist for a trip to Paris. 6 people total (4 of us + my parents). She's coming up with great ideas, but if any of you have suggestions for places or activities not to miss with 11 and 14 year old boys, would love to hear them.

This is for our spring break, we are going in March.

This thread has some suggestions:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/a...ily-to-barcelona-london-and-or-paris.3706570/

Our boys were a little older(15 & 16) than your boys when we took them to Paris. We did a mix of private tours and exploring on our own, which is what we prefer. Besides the obvious highlights that you go to Paris to see, one of our favorite things was our own food tour that we planned out before we arrived. There was nothing better than to get lost in the streets of Paris trying to find our next food destination.
 
On other options - we are working with a travel specialist for a trip to Paris. 6 people total (4 of us + my parents). She's coming up with great ideas, but if any of you have suggestions for places or activities not to miss with 11 and 14 year old boys, would love to hear them.

This is for our spring break, we are going in March.

We spent a few days in Paris after our Med cruise in 2011 when my kids were 6 and 8. We all loved touring the Paris catacombs. We bought our entry tickets from Viator and got to skip a lot of lines.
 


On other options - we are working with a travel specialist for a trip to Paris. 6 people total (4 of us + my parents). She's coming up with great ideas, but if any of you have suggestions for places or activities not to miss with 11 and 14 year old boys, would love to hear them.

This is for our spring break, we are going in March.


We have booked private half day tours with Paris Muse several times over the years.

When DD was 11 she adored the kid-centric “If Buildings Could Talk” tour. We all did. The guide walked us through the history of the city pointing out all sorts of interesting things like the builders’ initials in the original city wall, where canon balls were still embedded in homes, how to read stained glass windows like comic books, etc.

We also like to have their guides take us through the museums, like the Orsay, so we can see, for example, the art in order of how painters influenced each other.

Paris is so easy to do on your own, but there’s so much under the surface it’s well worth engaging a good guide for some of your time
 
We worked with a phenomenal private tour guide for two of our days in Paris and another when we went to Normandy. Well worth it! So much better than being with a larger tour group.
 
Third for Paris Muse. Guides had my 7 and 9 year old boys at the time in awe through "Buildings Could Talk" and "Louvre" tours. Phenomenal company to work with.

We also did those two tours with them when our girls were younger and they were exceptional.
 
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We’ve done Notre Dame with Families which was very good. For anyone traveling without children, we’ve used Paris Muse as well for an adults only Louvre Tour - The Da Vinci Code. Not an overly serious tour, but it was a lot of fun.
 
Thanks all very much. The travel agent we're working with is good in terms of hotel and travel arrangements, but she's not checking all the boxes re: understanding what teenagers/preteens want to do. Paris Muse looks like it has specific tours aimed at the 12 and up age group, which is exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks!!
 
I second (or third) the thanks. Next year on the ABD I plan to skip Versailles (I can live without gilt and bicycling) and check out some Impressionists. This will be an excellent option!
 
So ironic as I was looking up Maldives info last night! I was watching one of my favorite YouTube bloggers, Kara and Nate, in the Maldives and I can't stop thinking about it. Ok, that settles it, I have to go now :D

We have a long layover in Dubai this November on the way to Cape Town. We’re flying Emirates business. I’m debating spending more Amex points for 1st or whether to save it for another flight. I am tempted to go First at least the way over to Dubai be refreshed for our long layover. We booked a private tour to take us around. We'll have to go back for more later. I'm curious, what are your thoughts on drinking alcohol on the plane after the story of the British woman who was jailed in Dubai for having a measurable blood alcohol level from drinks on the plane? Sounded like there was a lot more too the story. I'm not terribly concerned and plan to drink responsibly on the plane, but was curious about your thoughts.

I will have to look up those bloggers. DH's dream trip is over-water bungalows so we are finally making it a reality with the Maldives trip. A few Hilton card sign up bonuses to get enough points for a few nights. Plus, specifically picking up the Hilton Aspire for the free weekend night and the $250 resort credit. DH and I each have one of those. We can use the resort credit to pay for the sea plane transfers to/from the resort. That card gives you automatic Diamond Status so we will get complimentary breakfast, complimentary afternoon tea and an extra 15 minutes added on as a bonus for any spa treatments. Plus, when you book on points you get the 5th night free.

We used Alaska miles too book our flights. Here is the way I see it. This is a 15 hour flight. I will have a glass of Krug shortly after we take off, perhaps some Port before I turn in for the night if I am feeling adventurous. This will likely be sometime within the first 3 - 4 hours of the flight. By the time I wake up again before we land, 11 more hours will have gone by and there won't be any alcohol in my system. If asked upon landing, I will honestly be able to say that the only thing in my system is coffee.
 
I will have to look up those bloggers. DH's dream trip is over-water bungalows so we are finally making it a reality with the Maldives trip. A few Hilton card sign up bonuses to get enough points for a few nights. Plus, specifically picking up the Hilton Aspire for the free weekend night and the $250 resort credit. DH and I each have one of those. We can use the resort credit to pay for the sea plane transfers to/from the resort. That card gives you automatic Diamond Status so we will get complimentary breakfast, complimentary afternoon tea and an extra 15 minutes added on as a bonus for any spa treatments. Plus, when you book on points you get the 5th night free.

We used Alaska miles too book our flights. Here is the way I see it. This is a 15 hour flight. I will have a glass of Krug shortly after we take off, perhaps some Port before I turn in for the night if I am feeling adventurous. This will likely be sometime within the first 3 - 4 hours of the flight. By the time I wake up again before we land, 11 more hours will have gone by and there won't be any alcohol in my system. If asked upon landing, I will honestly be able to say that the only thing in my system is coffee.

Nice travel hacking! Reading this reminds me I need to start reading that thread in the Budget Board and up my hacking game. Your inflight strategy seems sound. I'm looking forward to Emirates and the A380 lounge/bar. I wish we had a little more time in Dubai, but it will be nice to see it for a few hours. We're taking a private tour to get us around the city quickly - we should see the Burj Khalifa, Zabeel Palace and several other brief stops around Dubai. It's been on my bucket list to see the Burj.

I would never travel to a country where I would have to worry about my consumption of alcohol nor being tested for such. Cheers.

I can totally understand that! In the UAE, there are bars everywhere. So, it's not illegal to drink, but it is illegal to show signs of drunken behavior in public. The UAE Attorney General claimed she wasn't jailed because of alcohol - it was because she was taking pictures or filming in a secure area (like airport passport controls around the world) and arguing with the passport control agent. Regardless, it's still alarming. I'll enjoy my layover and continue on my way.
 
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https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/celebrity-travel/alex-trebek-canadian-arctic-safari

I need an intervention before I book this trip! I have been a Jeopardy fan since university and have always wanted to see polar bears in their natural environment. But to spend a week with Alex Trebek -- I love when they do categories when he travels -- he seems so knowledgeable.

We will be just back from Japan on June 14th so the date works. I am being strong for now. Only 16 spots so maybe I'll hold 2 spots and think about it :ssst:
 
https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-tips/celebrity-travel/alex-trebek-canadian-arctic-safari

I need an intervention before I book this trip! I have been a Jeopardy fan since university and have always wanted to see polar bears in their natural environment. But to spend a week with Alex Trebek -- I love when they do categories when he travels -- he seems so knowledgeable.

We will be just back from Japan on June 14th so the date works. I am being strong for now. Only 16 spots so maybe I'll hold 2 spots and think about it :ssst:

DO IT!!! If we weren't already scheduled for DD's Danube ABD that week, I would have hopped on this. I can't imagine seeing narwhals in their environment with Alex Trebeck-so cool!
 

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