My first "overseas" redemption is in progress.

[mec]

2 passengers -18 days from late June into July...

PIT -EWR - UA x
EWR - BOS - UA x

layover Boston (1 night at the Residence Inn Downtown Seaport [1 35k cert related to $95 fee {$3.39 per fee dollar} ] )

BOS - LIS - TP i
LIS - FLR - TP i

Florence (5 nights at the St Regis [240k marriott {0.02 ppd} ] )

FLR - VIE - OS i
VIE - MUN - OS i
MUN - DBV- OU i

Dubrovnick (Planning to Rent a car at DBV, drive to Herceg Novi, Montenegro... 2 Nights at Apart Hotel Griffone, then driver to Zabljak, Montenegro... 2 nights somewhere, and see about Bobotov Kuk, then drive to Dubrovnick for 3 nights [yet to be booked] )

DBV - VIE - OS i


Vienna (4 nights in Vienna at Le Meridian [140k marriott {0.007 ppd} ] )

VIE - ZRH - LX i
ZRH - GVA - LX i
GVA - JFK - LX i
EWR - PIT - UA x

(230k Aeroplan miles +$499.xx USD in taxes and fees. (190k MRs transfered at 1.2 and 2k transfered at 1.0) {not sure how to value this flight, google has a Business class booking through TP for about $4,600 per seat, that would put it ~0.045 mpd} ] )

 

[mec]

We will be arriving in Florence on June 23rd. the day before the feast of St John the Baptist, and I am very interested in attending the Calcio Storica championship match at the Piazza Santa Croce. It seems tickets can only be purchased locally a week in advance of the date. I was planning to email the hotel to see if they could help arrange tickets. If anyone knows of another path, I'd love to hear about it.

I'd guess a FirenzeCard would be the way to go for the museum circuit, and may rent a car one day to drive to Voltera. Nothing is really set in stone past the Calcio Storica and festivities of June 24th. Though I am researching the Medicis, the art and architecture and the former denizens of the city to guide me on my visit.

From Herceg Novi, the plan is to relax and explore Kotor bay for a day and a half before driving inland to Zabljak, there from whence to set out to mount Bobotov Kuk. The short route is said to be about 4 hours one way so I think that should use up most of my day at Durmitor. This is where I would like to add a week to this trip. I feel I could spend days exploring Durmitor and Bosnia afterward, but such are the limitations of my time.

When we head back to Dubrovnick the plan is to stay 3 nights at the hotel Excelsior, a kayak trip, a small amount of exploration of the old town and frequent dips in the Adriatic.

Vienna is planned to be art museums, I'd like to see the Belvedere and the Klimts there, music, thinking about 2 shows at St Charles Church, and food and drink at a leisurely pace before departing VIE at 06:25 for 24 hours of travel home, just within an extended calendar day.

I probably invested a dozen or more hours between putting together routings on Aeroplan's web site, one leg at a time, and on the phone with their reps. The original plan involved starting in Vienna and Departing from Istanbul with Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia in between, and doing so about a month earlier. TK was unbookable. That and the prospect of attending the Calcio Storica started me exploring this settled on option. There were phantom availabilities on TP out of from YYZ to LIS to FLR that would have cut a day off of the travel to Europe, and I think it was my fourth call to Aeroplan when this set of flights was booked during the hour long conversation and multi step checking and confirmation process.

I have never been to Europe and look forward to this trip expectantly... And welcome any suggestions drawn from your experience.

 

[notalent]

I was planning to email the hotel to see if they could help arrange tickets. If anyone knows of another path, I'd love to hear about it.

Could the Amex Plat concierge help here?

 

[mec]

Could the Amex Plat concierge help here?

That may be an option. I converted my Platinum card to a Green card last year with the intention of upgrading it to Platinum for the 60k bonus at some point in the future. I didn't realize, until recently, that I am sitting at 5 / 24 this month and will be at 4 / 24 after January 1st... and the Ink Preferred Seems to be calling my name. I don 't want to overlap the two 5k spending requirements though, so that would put the Platinum near the end of March... if the Ink is approved. If they can assist me, that should be plenty of time to try them, because these tickets Just aren't possible until some time in June.

 

[notalent]

I converted my Platinum card to a Green card last year with the intention of upgrading it to Platinum for the 60k bonus at some point in the future.

Unless you are getting one of the other flavors of Platinum cards, I haven't heard of an upgrade offer of 60k.

 

[mec]

I have an offer for it now on my PRG account. It seems to go back and forth every few months between 60k for 5k spend and 25k for 2.5k spend... since the time I downgraded the original Platinum to Green. When I click on the offer I have the option to upgrade either the PRG or the Green card.

 

[jnjustice]

I didn't realize, until recently, that I am sitting at 5 / 24 this month and will be at 4 / 24 after January 1st

I just saw this and wanted to mention that if you convert your Green to a Platinum card then you still have the same card number so it would not affect your 5/24 status.

 

[mec]

I just saw this and wanted to mention that if you convert your Green to a Platinum card then you still have the same card number so it would not affect your 5/24 status.

I'm under 5/24 as of the beginning of this month. As soon as I finish the SUB spend on the Hilton business card, I'm planning on applying for the Ink Preferred. That will probably take up most of the time between now and the trip if I get approved. I'm seriously considering applying for an Arrival Plus after that to use for room charges (likely dinners and drinks in Florence and Dubrovnik) and possibly other eligible miscellaneous charges. I don't see much opportunity to redeem lounge use on this trip, so the Platinum isn't a high priority at this point. Thanks for the tip though.

 

[mec]

I've booked the last 5 hotel nights of this trip. After Herceg-Novi, 2 nights at the Polar Star hotel, a "studio one bedroom, mountain view outside of Zabljak, Montenegro and then 3 nights at a "seaview room with a terrace" in the new building at the Hotel Excelsior in Dubrovnik.

Next up, looking into tickets and car rental.

 

[mec]

...

Next up, looking into tickets ...

I received a response this morning to my email, to the Saint Regis, of last night.

"Dear Mr mec,

Referring your kind email dated this morning, we are very pleased to inform you that Calcio Storico Fiorentino will be available starting the beginning of June, we will take good note about your request and we will contact you about that date. We will also send you our authorization form to be properly filled up with your credit card information and send us back via fax (our email system does not accept for security reason)

We are at your disposal for any further assistance you might need, we remain

With our best regards.

..."

It appears that this hurdle will be successfully cleared.