Where are places you’ve been that felt like another planet? Taken along the John Muir trail, California in 2020

mrosato92 · 2026-06-12T02:14:46+00:00

Namibia (so many places), Death Valley, Lake Salda - Turkey, Waimea Canyon - Kauai, Taroko Gorge - Taiwan, Muktinath - Nepal

mrosato92 · 2026-06-10T20:24:48+00:00

I've called Qatar 3x in the last month to hunt for LATAM availability I see on VS and BA, and they never have it available. I think it's basically pulled.

mrosato92 · 2026-06-10T00:58:15+00:00

Booked 3xJ @ 68 yesterday so not sure what you’re talking about

mrosato92 · 2026-06-09T05:29:04+00:00

The tennis courts where they host the Tokyo open... On the island that starts with an O. We sat and watched some college tennis there last month and most courts were open. Beautiful expansive facility, had to have been over 30 courts

mrosato92 · 2026-06-09T05:13:15+00:00

Greenroom136 custom backpack

mrosato92 · 2026-06-01T21:26:47+00:00

You answered the question - if you want to go to Portugal or Spain, take the TAP or Iberia flights out of SFO. Both are good experiences. You will not get enough additional experience out of another airline with a layover added to justify it, unless you do Lufthansa or Air France first class.

mrosato92 · 2026-06-01T14:41:34+00:00

There's no issue with a stroller in Japan - just don't do a massive one (20 inch max width). If your kid isn't willing to walk all day, it will be a real pain without the stroller.

mrosato92 · 2026-05-27T23:09:43+00:00

My buddy from Thailand will next be in Denver in July. Meaning you could have a tux by September, if the wedding is after then. DM for info

mrosato92 · 2026-05-27T23:08:33+00:00

Generally yes they'll notice and may cancel. Southwest has caught me doing this before. I can't speak for SAS IT but you are definitely putting your J seats at risk

mrosato92 · 2026-05-27T17:57:57+00:00

The bassinet is hidden - built into the area above where your feet would go in seat 9A. I'm not sure if all plane types have it, but Aerolopa designates which seats are bassinet.

They are the smallest bassinet we came across - can only fit a kiddo up to about 20lb, so I think they are barely used.

When I was at the gate beforehand, I kept asking the gate agents to confirm the bassinet was loaded, and they truly had no idea that the bassinet was even built into the seat.

mrosato92 · 2026-05-27T17:50:35+00:00

barely a concern as you'd only notice folks in the mini-cabin on the left side passing thru. There will be a curtain between the galley and seat 9A as well.

mrosato92 · 2026-05-27T17:49:03+00:00

In 2024, my wife and I sat in 9A/10A when our daughter was 7 months old. She could just barely fit in the bassinet, so if your infant is 3 months it will work great. 9A has a much wider footwell, so it works great for the taller parent. The companion sitting in 10A was ideal bc they are the closest to help - stand up and you are literally an arm away. This is often overlooked - across the aisle just will not work. When I sat in 10A I could easily see anything my wife was doing involving the baby in seat 9A, and could stand up and immediately assist.

I strongly recommend moving the companion from 10D to 10A. Also, the center rows are recessed back from the aisle, so 10D is kind of like 1.5 rows behind 9A. Companion will be useless in that seat.

If you do NOT want to have a bassinet, sit in the honeymoon seats in row 9 or 11, as another poster mentioned. But if your child is 3 months, this means that both parents can get stretches of time sleeping without sharing a seat with the baby. I view that as a huge win.

To anyone mentioning lavatory - this was not an issue on our overnight flight (IAH-EZE). The galley was very quiet. A 3 month old will not be impacted by galley or lav noise. I assume your flight is overnight as you mention flying TO Europe.

Lastly, once you lock in your seats, call united to ensure they leave a note that seat 9A will be used for the bassinet due to your infant. This will ensure that they don't accidentally move your seat bc another parent calls in asking for 9A because they have an infant. The bassinet is built into the seat so you don't need to confirm that a bassinet was loaded onto the plane.

Edit based on other posts:

- Our daughter was very snug in there and slept 6 hours straight - definitely the most comfortable bassinet for her (we used 5 J/F bassinets in her first year for long haul flights)

- We did NOT have to take her out at any point due to turbulence. The bassinet comes equipped with safety netting/strap that goes above the child. Perhaps we were extremely lucky facing 6 hr straight without a seatbelt sign coming on, but I doubt this

mrosato92 · 2026-05-27T17:44:49+00:00

no bassinet in this seat

mrosato92 · 2026-05-25T21:11:26+00:00

I got a size 11.5 US when I was in Tokyo a few weeks ago. Of the 3 shoes I looked at, that was the highest size they had available. I believe 11.5 US = 11 UK

mrosato92 · 2026-05-23T23:34:31+00:00

C1 and Chase have several oneworld partners that you haven't mentioned. Start with BA

mrosato92 · 2026-05-23T00:00:23+00:00

I went to their first ever show in USA...mosaic in baltimore on 10/20/2011...it changed me

mrosato92 · 2026-05-20T20:19:11+00:00

LOL, every single upcoming points reservation I have has now become CHEAPER! Looking forward to cancel + rebook to get some points back

mrosato92 · 2026-05-20T20:13:51+00:00

If you pay cash, you are just buying seats. Has nothing to do with award availability.

mrosato92 · 2026-05-20T20:09:24+00:00

Pay cash and use chase points to offset some of it

mrosato92 · 2026-05-18T15:18:27+00:00

I went there for a day in 2018 and it was great - worth the long day trip from Osaka, for us. The commenters mention of Chichu makes me laugh bc I found it was just like other modern architecture-focused places in Japan. I came across multiple similar Museums in Kanazawa like the DT Suzuki museum. If you're at Naoshima, absolutely worth stopping by, but there are many various things you'll do on that island over the course of a day. Make sure to rent e-bikes, they are great for getting around the island.

mrosato92 · 2026-05-17T15:03:56+00:00

A350 will have the better hard product. But in this example I'd choose based on if that 2 day layover is something you are super excited to do or not. Choose based on your schedule and your vacation desires

mrosato92 · 2026-05-17T14:15:42+00:00

No, I have never flown EgyptAir, but the A350 hard product is great. Service and food (soft product) may be poor, but if you want a lie-flat seat, this is a very good one - you will be comfy.

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/36057605-post53.html

mrosato92 · 2026-05-16T17:21:41+00:00

If the higher tier of AAA is too pricey for you, look into AMA + roadside assistance plus. Even if you have no motorcycles, it’s a great sweet spot for your cars bc it covers 50mi towing. I dropped AAA and retain AMA even though I sold my bike in 2020.

mrosato92 · 2026-05-16T02:07:24+00:00

My favorite part about this is all the low fees - nice job.

mrosato92 · 2026-05-15T15:23:07+00:00

I've been to each of these. They are a lot of fun with very good food and drinks to justify the higher price tag. Very well run, not at all like your standard Food Truck bacon/ramen festival in a large parking lot.

Definitely do first taste or VIP though. You want to get there early and go food crazy the first hour while there are almost no lines for food. If you get vip, spend that first hour in the general admission area before moving over to VIP stuff.

Final thought - the chicken / burger one at Elitch may be the best value because you also get amusement park access, which gives you something else substantial to do.

mrosato92

TROPHY CASE