00:00:00:03 - 00:00:06:21
Chris
We've been busy. Boston, Barcelona. Rome and a cruise planned specifically around a solar eclipse.
00:00:06:22 - 00:00:13:17
Katie
So today is all about travel. We're talking flights, hotels, and more. Plus, the number one thing you have to do when visiting Rome.
00:00:13:19 - 00:00:21:07
Chris
I also tested Clear Concierge for the first time, a $180 service at the airport. I'll tell you who it's actually for.
00:00:21:13 - 00:00:35:12
Katie
Plus, a listener question about international spending that might change what card you use abroad. It's all coming up next on the Upgraded Points podcast.
00:00:35:13 - 00:00:38:12
Chris
Hey, I'm Chris, welcome to the Upgraded Points podcast.
00:00:38:12 - 00:01:08:00
Katie
And I'm Katie. And today we are talking about Clear Concierge, a reader question about what credit card to use overseas. And then we're going to talk all about travel. We've got trips to Boston, Barcelona and Rome, and a cruise that I took specifically to see a solar eclipse. Before we jump into all of that, don't forget that a freeway to support the show is by leaving us a five star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and you can always leave comments on YouTube or wherever you're watching or listening.
00:01:08:00 - 00:01:22:15
Katie
We really appreciate all of that, and if you'd like to email us, you can reach us at podcasts at Upgraded Points. So let's jump right into it. Chris, I've heard about Clear Concierge, but I've not used it. How was it? What's what's the deal on that?
00:01:22:17 - 00:01:46:11
Chris
It was it was pretty cool. I'm not sure if I'm the target market, but I had to try it because I got an email for a free 12 month free trial of Founders Card. And for listeners who are not familiar, the Founders Card is not a credit card. It's like a membership that offers benefits and discounts on travel and some elite status at hotels and airlines.
00:01:46:12 - 00:02:16:00
Chris
Normally, Founders Card costs between 600 and $1000 per year. So yeah, they offered it to me for free for 12 months. I'm taking it. I don't care what it is, but I'll be honest, on the first level, the basic level, that's $600 level that I'm trying. It's pretty basic without jumping to the elite tier. There's just not much there because I already have the elite statuses that they offer, but they just added Unlimited Clear Concierge.
00:02:16:05 - 00:02:41:01
Chris
This is this a service that at the airport, if you have clear membership, the concierge is a $180 full gate or arrival service that you can use unlimited times as long as you have founders card. And so I activated my founders card and I logged into clear and they made the reservation. And it for was $179. And then I it was so it was that part was good.
00:02:41:02 - 00:02:41:19
Chris
Yeah.
00:02:41:21 - 00:02:45:15
Katie
Better than 180 always.
00:02:45:17 - 00:03:04:16
Chris
So the process was pretty much the agent texted me I was on my way to the airport. I, you know, I ended my flight information and he came out and met me and my family at our Uber, helped us with our bags, brought us to check in, got us through security, and then walked us all the way to the lounge, which is pretty cool.
00:03:04:17 - 00:03:25:09
Chris
For this trip we were traveling light and I mean, we didn't need the service, but I wanted to test it out. And you know, I saved $180 on it, so it was good. So I'm probably not the target market, but this could be really interesting for families with small kids that who are not used to traveling. You get those extra bags and car seats and all that extra stuff.
00:03:25:09 - 00:03:35:00
Chris
Or maybe seniors who just aren't comfortable navigating an airport alone. I think the service is pretty cool, but again, I'm not sure if I'm the target market.
00:03:35:01 - 00:03:53:09
Katie
Yeah, yeah, I probably I probably am not either. I don't think that's something I would pay for. But like you said, I think in some situations and for some people it could really make or make the difference. It's always good to have options to make travel easier. So so awesome. Thanks for doing the hard work of trying that out for free.
00:03:53:11 - 00:03:55:21
Chris
Yeah, I'll do it again. Probably.
00:03:55:23 - 00:04:15:05
Katie
Bull. So let's jump into our main topic today because we have a lot to talk about. And it's all about travel today. So Chris just visited Boston and then I went on a solar eclipse cruise that took me from Barcelona to Rome. So let's jump right in. Chris, let's start with you. How was Boston and where did you stay?
00:04:15:07 - 00:04:37:14
Chris
Boston was great, and I stayed at the Intercontinental in Boston. Now, listeners know that I'm always up in the Boston area, but I'm really rarely in the city itself. And it had been years before since my kids have actually been in the city. So my wife and I really wanted to end our trip in the city, you know, after a week in Maine and then a week in Vermont.
00:04:37:14 - 00:05:01:23
Chris
So it was nice before catching our flight home. But that worked out nicely because the Intercontinental Boston and invited us to stay for two nights. And honestly, it was a great end to our, you know, New England tour. I'm quite familiar with Boston in the hotel scene. I've worked in Boston and hotels for a couple of years after college, and just the Intercontinental had always been, I don't know, elusive to me.
00:05:01:23 - 00:05:25:19
Chris
I'd never been in there, I just hadn't visited. And I've tried to book it in the past, just haven't been able to. But the location is really good, especially with the massive seaport expansion. If anyone's been to Boston over the years, recent years, you know what I'm talking about. So like out the front door, you have the classic old Boston, which is you can walk to the North End or Quincy Market, the Public Gardens and Beacon Hill, all that good stuff.
00:05:25:19 - 00:05:43:07
Chris
But at the back of the hotel, you walk over the bridge and you're in the Seaport District, which is tons of new shopping and dining entertainment. So a really cool location. I took the train there after I dropped our rental car at the airport, so that was super easy. On the way back we Uber it. It was 30 bucks, but we got a standard room.
00:05:43:07 - 00:06:07:22
Chris
It was pretty big. The hotel was renovated in 2022. Bathrooms still felt a little a little dated, but the room was huge and the bed was comfortable and ahead of you over the harbor. So like, awesome. One thing that surprised us about the hotel is that it had a lounge, which is just not something you see nowadays, and I'm trying to think of other hotels in Boston that have this, and it's a very small group.
00:06:07:22 - 00:06:30:20
Chris
So you get lounge acts if your club member, if you're in the club room or a suite, you can use your milestone rewards to get club access or it's free if you're a royal ambassador status. But had, you know, the basics breakfast, snacks and happy hours. So for a family it could easily pay for itself. We ate at the at the hotel, the nice northern Italian restaurant there.
00:06:30:22 - 00:06:55:13
Chris
I think it was called Steaks and Wine. They have an outdoor patio back overlooking the water. S'mores, like. It was hard to believe we were at a city hotel in Boston. It was kind of giving more of like a resort feel, right? There's a pool, a lounge. We did a golf simulator and lawn games. It's like, I don't know, it was really cool way to see Boston and someone who thought I knew everything about Boston.
00:06:55:13 - 00:07:13:03
Chris
So I will leave it at this. It was a sign of a good hosted stay because I've already booked myself back using my IG free night certificates, so that's how good it was. I'm going back to spend my own points. I found availability for 44,000 IG points, so 40.
00:07:13:03 - 00:07:16:07
Katie
4000 for an intercontinental oh wow.
00:07:16:08 - 00:07:31:05
Chris
During the summer. So it goes. It's dynamic, so it's getting more expensive on some nights. But I booked for 44,000. So I used my certificate and I just added 4000 on top of it. So in my mind that is a steal.
00:07:31:08 - 00:07:45:13
Katie
Absolutely sounds great. I have been to Boston many times. We actually lived outside of Boston for like a year when I was a kid, but I haven't been in a long time and it's one of the city's that's on my list for a long weekend, so I'll definitely put that hotel on my list.
00:07:45:14 - 00:08:07:19
Chris
Good. It's it's a good long weekend. And like I said, it's changed so much. So it's like even from someone that thought they knew it. It's it's it's worth a visit. Cool. All right, well, let's take a break. And when we get back, we're going to talk about all about Katie's travels.
00:08:07:21 - 00:08:14:05
Chris
Real quick before we jump back in. If you're listening to this podcast, you're exactly the kind of person we built our free newsletter for.
00:08:14:06 - 00:08:20:14
Katie
We break down the best credit card offers, transfer bonuses, travel news and award alerts so you stay ahead of the game.
00:08:20:16 - 00:08:25:18
Chris
A lot of the deals we talk about on the show don't last long. The newsletter is where we fly, goes fast.
00:08:25:19 - 00:08:38:09
Katie
It's totally free and you can sign up at upgraded points.
00:08:38:11 - 00:08:44:18
Chris
Welcome back. Enough about me. I want to hear all about the Eclipse Cruise. Katie. Let's hear it.
00:08:44:19 - 00:09:15:15
Katie
Okay, so let's start briefly with my lights because I got a great deal going out there. I flew American Airlines premium economy both ways, which we've talked a lot about for about premium economy. It is a nice sweet spot. I booked these through Alaska going out there. I got my flight all on one ticket from Columbus to Philadelphia to Barcelona for 30,000 Alaska at most points in $5.60.
00:09:15:17 - 00:09:37:22
Katie
The whole thing. That's awesome. I was pumped, and that's for tickets because my mom was with us. So I was so excited. And then on the way back, it was it was nice. It wasn't quite as good. We did roam to Chicago for 35,000 points and $64, so it's still a good deal, but I did have to still book that separate positioning flight.
00:09:37:23 - 00:09:40:21
Katie
But man, 30,000 points going out there.
00:09:40:23 - 00:09:42:18
Chris
That's an economy price.
00:09:42:19 - 00:10:06:18
Katie
Yeah yeah. And for premium economy now it was the older American Airlines premium economy which I've flown many times before. But it did feel a little dated after I was able to experience the new American Airlines premium economy when I was coming home from London. But it's still a pretty comfortable way to go back and forth to Europe, you know, especially on daytime flights.
00:10:06:18 - 00:10:28:20
Katie
But we did an overnight flight for that price. Like I was not passing up that price. So yeah. So yeah, I was really excited. And my husband and I each have the Atmel Summit card. So I was able to use both of our 25 K companion awards on this booking. So like it felt free. It was basically free as far as I was concerned.
00:10:28:22 - 00:10:53:00
Katie
Wow. Yeah. So so that was great. I wanted to mention that while we were in Philadelphia. Oh, I had I had an interesting experience at the Chase Sapphire Lounge in Philadelphia. So we get to the airport and we at that point, it was still with the three hour layover rule. It has since changed. It changed about a week after I flew.
00:10:53:00 - 00:11:13:05
Katie
And now it is a five hour rule, which is, isn't it improvement for Chase Sapphire lounges? But I was actually within the three hours, so no problem. So we get in line and it's like the line was on one side of like the walkway. And then the guy like checking you in was by the door. And so we're like walking up to him.
00:11:13:05 - 00:11:46:02
Katie
And literally as we were walking up to him, my flight got delayed past the three hours. Like I watched a change as I was about 12 seconds from him. Oh, and he looked and he's like, no, like you're outside of three hours. And on top of being just annoyed that I just realized my flight was delayed, I was always under the impression that that three hour time limit, which is now five hours, was based on the original departure flight or the original departure time.
00:11:46:07 - 00:12:16:12
Katie
And I mentioned that and he's like, yeah, that's what everyone says, but you're not getting it. And he was he was pretty gruff about it. He was not in a good mood. And so I was mad. But when I got home, I did send a quick note to one of our contacts at Chase because I wanted to know, like, is, you know, what actually is the is the rule because I wanted to make sure that there was no confusion because I was reading the official chase information, and it was a little unclear.
00:12:16:12 - 00:12:46:11
Katie
And they did confirm that that five hour limit for layovers. And I think it's still three hours for if that's your your original originating airport is based on your current departure time that is shown on your boarding pass. So and I was wondering like if you had a paper boarding pass. Paper like are they scanning it and seeing the updated time in the computer, or are they just looking at your boarding pass?
00:12:46:11 - 00:12:51:19
Chris
So yeah, I think that's just to verify the name that matches.
00:12:51:19 - 00:13:11:09
Katie
Yeah. So this could be a good reason to get a paper boarding pass because had I had that I think I would have been able to get in. So I was a little salty about that. But and I was even more salty because. So after that we decided to go to this and jury lounge. Okay. Philadelphia. Yeah.
00:13:11:11 - 00:13:36:00
Katie
Great. It sucks. Sorry. Century and lounges. Some of them are amazing. Some of them like the Seattle Lounge. I love. The lounge in Philadelphia is not amazing. They're just inconsistent across the brand. And I hope that's something that they address going forward. But this one was tiny. It was crowded. I already had to wait over 45 minutes to get in the.
00:13:36:01 - 00:13:54:21
Katie
The buffet was small with very few options. The food was pretty mediocre. It was just not a great experience, and I was just kicking myself for not just going to the Admirals Club, but we had my mom with us and like she can get into the Centurion Lounge, but I had too many people to get into the Admirals Club and we didn't want to ditch her.
00:13:54:23 - 00:14:10:06
Katie
In hindsight, I just stitched my mom and like, sent her to the Centurion Lounge and taken the rest of us to to the Admirals Club. But again, like, it's a total first world problem. But if you're in Philadelphia, try to get into the Sapphire Lounge and not.
00:14:10:07 - 00:14:11:03
Chris
With your paper boarding.
00:14:11:03 - 00:14:33:02
Katie
Pass with your paper boarding pass. Exactly, exactly. But yeah, after that we got on our flight totally uneventful, which is always how we like our flights. So our first stop we this whole trip was our family vacation. I was there with in-laws, sister in law and my mom, my husband and daughter. There were seven of us total and we had booked this cruise, which I'll talk about briefly in just a little bit.
00:14:33:06 - 00:14:59:18
Katie
But the cruise left from Barcelona, so we flew in and stayed three extra nights in Barcelona, and I booked the Kimpton Vivid Dora through the edit by Chase, and I was able to use one of my $250 credits from my reserve card, Sapphire Reserve, and I was also able to use that $250 hotel credit that is out this year for select hotel brands, and is one of the brands that it uses.
00:14:59:18 - 00:15:20:16
Katie
So I was able to use $500 in hotel credits and then just pay for the rest in points, so I was really happy with that. It included breakfast and a $100 food and beverage credit, which I think they ended up giving me. It was 80 or €85. So the check in we got there, our rooms were not ready, so we dropped our bags and went and explored.
00:15:20:16 - 00:15:46:16
Katie
And then when we came back, check in was very hairy. There was a lot going on and my mom, my mom and I were checking in at the same time. And we both book through the edit and we both have IHG platinum status, and she got an upgrade and I didn't. And it was. And so the only thing I can think of is my her status was already on her account.
00:15:46:16 - 00:16:15:20
Katie
And I added mine while I was booking and like it's fine. Like it was fine, no big deal. But with bookings through the edit, you're supposed to get an upgrade if one is available. And in my experience with the edit as well as fine hotels and resorts, that rarely happens. And it's kind of annoying. And it really takes away from those programs knowing that a lot of these hotels are not giving out upgrades when they are kind of supposed to.
00:16:15:21 - 00:16:33:11
Katie
So that was a little annoying, but like, whatever, it's fine. We got a welcome gift, and I'm not sure if it was because we booked through the edit or because of our status. And that was and I think it was from the status, but who knows. It was a hairy time and I wasn't really all paying attention to everything that was happening.
00:16:33:12 - 00:16:55:13
Katie
There was a lot going on. We got a $20 or €20, I guess, raid the bar credit, and so you could use that at the bar. There was a coffee bar in the lobby or for the minibar in the room. And so that was kind of nice because we didn't really have a chance to, you know, the breakfast was included, so I didn't need to go to the coffee bar, and we didn't really go to the bar of her.
00:16:55:13 - 00:17:00:21
Katie
So I was able just to grab some snacks from the minibar on my way out, and it was all covered. So that was nice.
00:17:00:22 - 00:17:01:15
Chris
Nice.
00:17:01:17 - 00:17:11:18
Katie
So one of the reasons I was so harried at this time was because I was planning on a low cosmo.
00:17:11:20 - 00:17:14:02
Chris
Oh, you have a co-host today?
00:17:14:04 - 00:17:17:17
Katie
Yeah. So. Wow. Okay. Yeah.
00:17:17:18 - 00:17:19:01
Chris
That's 4K folks.
00:17:19:02 - 00:17:41:07
Katie
This is my cat. She's not supposed to be in here, and I didn't realize she was in the room, so we're going to try to ignore her. So I was a little on edge because I was planning on using the Kimpton social password, which you did earlier, and I had always thought about. But like the anxiety inducing nature of this promotion.
00:17:41:09 - 00:17:44:04
Katie
Osmo, really? This is.
00:17:44:06 - 00:17:44:17
Chris
Hey.
00:17:44:21 - 00:17:45:03
Katie
Oh, my.
00:17:45:03 - 00:17:48:06
Chris
God, this is engagement firming. I know.
00:17:48:08 - 00:17:53:13
Katie
This is going in a real.
00:17:53:15 - 00:17:57:11
Katie
She's the trouble troublemaker for a lot of reasons, but that's another episode.
00:17:57:12 - 00:17:58:08
Chris
Hard to tell.
00:17:58:09 - 00:18:24:14
Katie
So the Kimpton Social password, if you're not familiar, is a promotion that they does about twice a year, and they have a secret password, which we always report on. So make sure you're on our newsletter list and you will make sure to get that password. And when you go to not log in check into your room. You say a social password and you get a special prize.
00:18:24:14 - 00:18:43:12
Katie
And for through the end of the month. So it's going to be pretty much over by the time this, this airs was in bloom and out of office. So you have to work that into the conversation when you're checking in, which is super awkward. But I was determined to do it. You inspired me, Chris. You you did it.
00:18:43:12 - 00:18:53:02
Katie
And so I got in and I said it. And thankfully, because my biggest fear was the person was going to look at me like, what are you talking about?
00:18:53:03 - 00:18:54:09
Chris
Did you say it in Spanish?
00:18:54:10 - 00:19:06:09
Katie
Oh no, I can't. I don't speak a word of Spanish. So no, but so I said it and she kind of looked at me and was like, you know, what kind of gave me a nod?
00:19:06:09 - 00:19:07:15
Chris
And I was good.
00:19:07:17 - 00:19:32:05
Katie
Yes. So she went in the back and pulled out a box. Cosmo for real? This is ridiculous. She went and pulled out a box of, like, little cards. And so I got to pick a card and I picked a free tote bag. And I was really excited about this. So I got this cool little Kimpton Vivid Dora tote bag.
00:19:32:06 - 00:19:33:00
Chris
That's nice.
00:19:33:00 - 00:19:47:15
Katie
Yeah. And it says have fun on the back. And I just thought that was so cute. And I actually carry tote bags when I'm in Europe a lot, just because I have my water and everything. And if you go to a store, a lot of times they'll charge you for a bag. So I was really happy with that.
00:19:47:15 - 00:20:13:03
Katie
And then my mom did it and she got free drinks. So that's a fun little promotion. Now that I've done it, I'm not as scared of it. So definitely try. The location of this Kimpton was fantastic. Like, I cannot say enough about what an amazing location it was in right in the middle of the Gothic quarter, right on the, you know, cobblestone streets with shops and restaurants and just anything you could ever want.
00:20:13:04 - 00:20:35:14
Katie
I love being in a walkable neighborhood and this was just perfect. The decor of the hotel was nice. It was great food. The staff was super friendly and helpful. My reservation included breakfast, so there was a buffet. And then they also gave you a menu if you wanted to order like an egg item or, you know, pancakes or crepes or whatever, really great food.
00:20:35:14 - 00:21:01:10
Katie
We had dinner and then room service one night and the food was just delicious. Just overall, highly recommend this place. I really, really loved it. I would book it again 100% if I visit Barcelona again. So the one thing I do want to mention, in case anyone does have this booked through the edit. So when I was checking out I was charged a tourist taxed, which it happens in Europe.
00:21:01:10 - 00:21:24:00
Katie
Sometimes it's hit or miss. I've probably 50% of the time don't get charged and sometimes I do. I was surprised because this was not disclosed by Chase when I was booking. And so I kind of questioned them and they said, oh yeah, Chase doesn't tell anyone. So I was like, okay, so I paid it and figured I'd work it out with Chase, because at that point it's not going to do anything to argue with the hotel.
00:21:24:01 - 00:21:42:20
Katie
So I called Chase when I got back, and they took my information and called the hotel and came back and said, yeah, you know, it's a tourist tax. It's a legit charge. I was like, kind of like, well, okay, yeah, I get that. But when I booked through Chase, it was an all in price. There was no there might be a tourist tax.
00:21:42:21 - 00:22:05:00
Katie
There may be. And so once I kind of said that, they went back and came back on the phone and were like, yeah, you're right. We'll we'll refund it. And it ended up being about $90 for the three nights. So if that happens to you and not necessarily just at this hotel anywhere, if you're charged a tourist tax, double check your booking to make sure that it was disclosed.
00:22:05:00 - 00:22:21:22
Katie
If it was disclosed that there might be a tourist tax, then you're going to be on the hook for it. But if not, call whoever you booked through and argue it because that should be disclosed at the time of booking. And so, you know, I had to push back a little bit, but they ended up agreeing to refund me.
00:22:21:22 - 00:22:26:23
Chris
So nice. So you so refunded you or the hotel.
00:22:27:00 - 00:22:44:07
Katie
Chase is going to refund me and I don't know if they're on the back end going to go after the hotel because I think the hotel was in the right. It was Chase who didn't say that. You know, because you're in Europe, you might have to pay this tourist tax. So but Chase agreed to refund me. So I was happy with that.
00:22:44:12 - 00:23:02:19
Katie
Yeah, but Barcelona was great. Loved it. Easy to walk around. We did a tapas and flamenco tour. We we hired a guide to take us to a couple restaurants and we went to a show. It was just awesome. I loved the city. I will absolutely go back and heartbeat if I have the chance to. So highly recommend it.
00:23:02:20 - 00:23:31:14
Katie
If if you're looking for another destination. So let's skip over the cruise for just a bit. And I want to tell you about the Hilton Garden in Rome Colosseum. And for those of you that have been listening to the show for a while, you might remember that this was a hotel that was booked for me because I originally booked the Hyatt Regency Rome and the Hyatt Regency Rome is having some issues, to put it lightly.
00:23:31:14 - 00:23:51:01
Katie
It was supposed to open last year and it's still not open. It is currently scheduled to open on December 1st. Do not book this hotel. It will not open. Don't do it. All the details of that backstory, if you're interested, are in episode 66. And I also wrote an article, so we'll link that here if you would rather read about it.
00:23:51:03 - 00:24:12:03
Katie
But long story short, the hotel didn't open. I had a reservation, so they booked me at the Hilton Garden. And now I'm a self-proclaimed hotel bougie hotel lover. And that's not a secret. I don't think so. You know, this is not a hotel I would normally book. And I had actually gotten a great deal on a backup hotel, but we had four rooms.
00:24:12:03 - 00:24:29:04
Katie
The rest of my family didn't have that deal. So this actually saved a ton of money for us. So I just kind of went with it. It was only two nights. It was it was it was fine. I had low expectations and, you know, it was clean. It was modern. You know, it was I don't stay at Hilton Garden Inn.
00:24:29:04 - 00:24:50:10
Katie
It's very often. But it was it was fine. It was nothing wrong with it. So, you know, if you're in the situation where this is where you're staying because of the High Regency or because you have Hilton points or whatever, like really nothing wrong with it. It was a comfortable room, a modern room. Breakfast was included. So there are no Hilton Elite food or beverage credits at this hotel, which I was.
00:24:50:11 - 00:25:17:22
Katie
I guess it kind of surprised me. But just so you know that that's included. Breakfast was medium, but, you know, whatever it is within walking distance to the Colosseum. So that was nice. But otherwise I did not love the location. I was really, you know, and we had come from Barcelona at the beginning of the trip with the Kimpton and like the most amazing location and this was not and to be fair, that Hyatt Regency was not either.
00:25:17:22 - 00:25:36:00
Katie
So I knew on this I was not going to be in a good location either way. So and that, you know, that happens sometimes Rome hotels are really expensive. So it was fine. I don't know if I'd recommend it necessarily unless you're, you know, I didn't look up the price, but I'm sure it's pretty reasonable. Or if you have some Hilton points, like it's a fine place.
00:25:36:00 - 00:25:48:11
Katie
So I don't really have too much to say about that. But I do have to tell you, the one thing that you have to do when you go to Rome is do a Vespa tour.
00:25:48:13 - 00:25:48:22
Chris
Oh.
00:25:48:23 - 00:26:19:18
Katie
It was it was the like literally the best thing I've ever done. I cannot imagine a better way to see Rome. And my husband booked this and I actually, like, wasn't too excited about it at first, but it turned into just the coolest thing ever. We did a three hour evening tour we had. There were just my husband and daughter and I, so we had two Vespas and they each had little sidecars, and then we had two drivers, so two of us got to be in the sidecars.
00:26:19:18 - 00:26:38:02
Katie
And then one person wrote on the back. And the tour made lots of different stops at different viewpoints throughout the city. So we were able to like, take turns. And so we all got to try the different seats. But it was just it was one of those tours that was just amazing, where, you know, it was really hot in Rome.
00:26:38:02 - 00:27:05:20
Katie
And the tour started I think at 630. So the sun was starting to go down. It was starting to be a little cooler. And then as the evening, you know, got got later, the lighting was just spectacular. So it was a little bit cooler, this gorgeous lighting. We're tooling around the streets of Rome on these little streets that look like they should be for pedestrians only, but our guys are just driving in them and parting the ways, and people are just looking at us like, that's so cool.
00:27:06:00 - 00:27:25:00
Katie
We had three different groups of people stop us, like at stoplights, or when we were stopped to check out something like asking where they can book this tour. We stopped for gelato on the way. Like it was just awesome. So highly recommend. If you were in Rome, look up a tour with a little sidecar.
00:27:25:05 - 00:27:25:16
Chris
Nice.
00:27:25:17 - 00:27:27:23
Katie
Can't say enough about it.
00:27:28:00 - 00:27:32:23
Chris
So your husband is his tour guide. Purchase was approved.
00:27:33:04 - 00:27:42:16
Katie
It was. And I was kind of not thrilled with it. And I told him, like halfway through, like, I don't know what we spent on this, but it was worth every penny. Like good job.
00:27:42:16 - 00:27:43:11
Chris
He I hope.
00:27:43:13 - 00:27:43:16
Katie
It.
00:27:43:16 - 00:27:45:17
Chris
Was awesome, something.
00:27:45:19 - 00:28:01:19
Katie
He didn't. We actually found a different tour company to book through, and I don't have all the details of that right now, but if anyone's interested in this and wants to know who I booked with, feel free to email me. I'd be happy to send you the information. But it was. It was great. It was awesome. Can't say enough about it.
00:28:01:20 - 00:28:36:00
Katie
So yeah. So between those two stops, we were on the solar eclipse cruise and this was on the Sun Princess. And the Sun Princess is one of their newest class of ships. This particular ship is just about two years old. It is the newest ship I've ever been on, so it was a really cool experience. We were learning that this particular class has new stabilizers, and it made the ship have almost zero movement, you know, on big ships, a lot of times you don't really feel too much, but you feel some.
00:28:36:06 - 00:29:05:10
Katie
This was like literally nothing. You never had sea legs when you got off. It was it was really impressive. So for someone who's maybe a little nervous about feeling the ship, these newer class ships are amazing. Our room was awesome. So we booked a mini suite and we had three room, three adjoining rooms next to each other. So we were able to open up our balconies and so we could kind of get to all three rooms through the balcony.
00:29:05:10 - 00:29:24:04
Katie
So it really felt like we had kind of a big, you know, a giant suite with connecting balconies. But the room itself was so spacious. And like I said, this was the newest ship I've ever been on, and it was so nice to not feel like an old dated ship, which a lot of the ships are these days.
00:29:24:05 - 00:29:47:16
Katie
This was fresh and modern and good lighting and plenty of closet space. The room was enormous and the bathroom like it was such a good size bathroom for a cruise ship. Full size shower. It just looked great and it really made a difference. The last couple cruises I've been on have been on older ships, but we booked them for the the itinerary and we're not too concerned with spending time on the ship.
00:29:47:16 - 00:30:12:12
Katie
But man, if you're on a new ship it really makes a difference. So highly recommend. It was great. We really enjoyed it and I charged all of these expenses. All of my cruise spend goes on my Ink Business preferred card, because that one still earns three points per dollar on all travel, including cruises. So if you have that one and you're thinking about booking a cruise, that would be a really good option.
00:30:12:14 - 00:30:36:11
Katie
And we actually got on YouTube a comment on one of our recent episodes from Janet, and it kind of fits in. So I wanted to read it and it says, speaking of cruises, could you do a podcast on how to maximize cruise points with credit cards? I've been using my Amex Green card for cruises because it still gets three x back on cruise purchases, because that one still earns three X on all travel.
00:30:36:13 - 00:30:51:07
Katie
A great idea Janet. I 100% agree. It's a question that we get pretty often, so keep an eye out and I think we'll we'll have one of that. An episode about cruises and points coming up soon. Yeah, I thought that was a great idea. So we'll we'll pencil that in and do our schedule.
00:30:51:12 - 00:30:55:02
Chris
So what about the eclipse? Did you see the did you see it.
00:30:55:04 - 00:31:15:19
Katie
We did. It was really cool. So the eclipse the path of totality started way up. And it went through Iceland and came down through through parts of Europe. And so we were right in the middle of the path of totality in the Mediterranean, and the ship was able to drive. So it's like, you know, in prime spot to see the eclipse.
00:31:15:19 - 00:31:38:00
Katie
And there were a lot of people on the cruise that were there specifically for the eclipse. They had some professors of something very impressive from a college in Canada. There they were giving lectures on meteors and, you know, space and all kinds of stuff. They did a whole solar eclipse talk. So it was really it was the programing.
00:31:38:00 - 00:31:56:10
Katie
It was nice surrounding the eclipse. And we got so lucky that the side of the ship that had full view was our side. So we got to watch it from our balcony instead of going up on deck with everyone who had rooms on the other side, so that that was just dumb luck. It was it was really beautiful.
00:31:56:15 - 00:32:24:10
Katie
The funny thing was, though, it was clear. And just as the totality was starting, the clouds rolled in literally for just a couple minutes and the clouds started rolling out as soon as the totality was over. So that totality where you see like the ring we couldn't see. But the cool thing about this was this was a sunset solar eclipse.
00:32:24:12 - 00:32:45:10
Katie
So right after the path of totality, like while it was still in the like, you know, whatever the full eclipse, I don't know what it's called. The sun was setting, so it wasn't. It was really cool to see that. And it made the sun into kind of a, like a sail shape, or it looked like kind of a shark fin on fire, like out in the distance.
00:32:45:11 - 00:32:45:20
Chris
Okay.
00:32:45:21 - 00:33:09:10
Katie
It was a really neat and just the lighting was cool. And so it was still a really nice experience. We had actually seen a full total solar eclipse, I think it was was it 2024? There was one in the US and we happened to still be in the the total or the path of totality. So we just went out in our backyard and got to see that one.
00:33:09:12 - 00:33:30:05
Katie
So this was actually my second eclipse and it was really nice. I'm glad we did it. I don't need to book. I'm not going to be an eclipse chaser. I mean, there were some people there that had been like three, 4 or 5, six, seven eclipses and like this was their thing. Good for you. Like, it was cool, but it didn't change my life or anything.
00:33:30:07 - 00:33:58:19
Katie
But it was my my sister in law was super excited about booking this. So it was. It was a great trip. We really enjoyed it. Nice ship. Good ports. Yeah. Overall it was nice and I actually took a vacation. So it's been a couple of weeks since we've recorded. Actually, it's nice to be back. I didn't check emails except for maybe two days while I was on vacation, so it was nice to actually kind of like check out and just, you know, remove myself from the world for a while.
00:33:58:21 - 00:34:03:07
Chris
That sounds like an awesome trip, and especially with family. And that's a cool experience.
00:34:03:08 - 00:34:04:01
Katie
Yeah.
00:34:04:04 - 00:34:29:06
Chris
All right, well, let's wrap things up. We have one question that we received, and this one came in through email. And she says, regarding one of your more recent podcasts, as someone who finds little use to the Amex Gold card like Chris does since we spend so much time abroad, what are your thoughts on the Atmos summit? Visa gets three points on all foreign currency spend.
00:34:29:08 - 00:34:40:03
Chris
Also, I found it super easy to get status on Alaska which translate to to status on American. Thank you so much! I enjoy the podcast for Monica. Katie, do you want to tackle that one first?
00:34:40:07 - 00:35:02:00
Katie
Yeah Monica great point. And actually you are not the only one that made this comment to us. And once I started seeing these comments, I was kind of shocked that we didn't talk about this card because we didn't use foreign purchases as one of our categories. I think this was referring to our what's in our wallet episode. So I'm really glad you and the other people who mentioned this brought this up.
00:35:02:00 - 00:35:37:07
Katie
Yes, the Atmos Summit card is amazing and it is what I use abroad. Unless I have a hotel card or something that earns more points. But 98% of my travel abroad, all of my expenses go on the App Summit card to earn three points per dollar in every purchase 100%. Thank you for mentioning that. And yes, it is kind of cool how sort of easy it is to earn Alaska status between, you know, you can earn points on the card towards status and also award flights count towards status to.
00:35:37:13 - 00:35:46:16
Katie
So yes, Monica, thank you for mentioning that as we should have mentioned that on that episode. Chris, you don't have this card, do you?
00:35:46:18 - 00:35:50:11
Chris
I don't, I remember you signed up for it right when it came out and I didn't.
00:35:50:11 - 00:35:52:10
Katie
And is this one you're thinking of?
00:35:52:11 - 00:36:17:00
Chris
Yeah, it's on my short list. And so definitely it's a, it's a it's a really good card. But ignoring the sign up bonus for a second for me to switch my spend on my biggest purchases. Right. Groceries and gas and dining. I'd be trading three x points that can only be used with Atmos versus three times flexible points with city.
00:36:17:00 - 00:36:30:17
Chris
And I'm sending them to American Airlines, which is my preference. But for in everything else card. Right. This is going to earn every three X and everything else that's actually a slam dunk. Maybe I'll go apply after this episode.
00:36:30:19 - 00:36:50:16
Katie
It's amazing. And like, you know, even if you're just traveling abroad a few times a year, all those souvenirs, all the entrances to museums or, you know, tours that you book while you're there, dining, like all of that is three points per dollar. And you don't have to think about anything. And it's not an American Express, so you don't have to worry if they're going to take American Express or not.
00:36:50:17 - 00:36:53:15
Katie
I love this card for for spending abroad.
00:36:53:16 - 00:36:57:23
Chris
So yeah. Good call. Thank you for calling us out on that. That's a good that's a good option. Great.
00:36:58:04 - 00:37:06:12
Katie
Yeah, absolutely. Cool. Well this was a fun one. We had a visitor from my cat who is.
00:37:06:14 - 00:37:07:18
Chris
Four legged guest.
00:37:07:22 - 00:37:22:05
Katie
I know, I know, I will close the door next time, but I always like talking about travel. It's always a fun time. I'm glad to be back. And we will be back next week with a brand new episode. And until then, Chris, I will. I'll talk to you next week.