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Kingdom and Dragons

gladysorlando984

My adventure started today with a plane delay that has me spending the night in Detroit. The Detroit to Seoul was so delayed I would miss the connection to Korean Air so Delta booked me in a Marriott and I will leave in the same flight tomorrow. Now I have to get the money back for the extra hotel night which was quite expensive.

Comments

British

We are home. The Qatar dinner was Lobster thermidor, the best lobster I have ever tasted!

sudhamali

British Can you message me how you booked on quatar ?by yourself or through travel agent?

Noreen

Smiling Sam - Are you leaving from Tucson on your trip to Egypt? We had to go through Chicago when we used them for Southern Africa. The other alternatives are Dallas or Los Angeles.

gladysorlando984

Happy to see you are home safe, thank you for al the points on the trip.

Smiling Sam

Noreen - We are adding a few days on each end of our trip in Seattle, visiting family. Our Qatar flights are roundtrip Seattle/Cairo.

AlanS

Smiling Sam
2:08PM edited 2:23PM
. . . .Our Qatar flights are roundtrip Seattle/Cairo.

Don't you go thru Doha both outbound and inbound?

I didn't think any mideast carriers went direct, from the US to another country without a stop in their home base e.g. Emirates via Dubai, Turkish via Istanbul, and Qatar via Doha.

British

Yes, pretty sure they always stop in Doha. I know Sam knows that.

Smiling Sam

AlanS - Yes, through Doha. I said round trip, not nonstop.

Noreen

Smiling Sam - Did you book your own flights with Qatar air?

Smiling Sam

Noreen - Yes, I booked on the Qatar website. They are a partner of American Airlines.

mil

Gladys Hi! Hope your doing well and ready for the weekend.
I'm here doing what I love best! planning my xtra activities and checking details on my next trip. Tauck Kingdom & Dragons next year 2023.
I do have a question, did Tauck offer the personality suites at the Raffle?
and did it felt short to be only a pre-day or should I do 2?
Please advise at your convenience.
Thanks

British

You should do at least two days pre stay Mil. I’ve no idea what personality suites are at Raffles. We did go into a presidential suite on the guided tour of the hotel, it costs thousands to stay there. I should think by the time you visit, the hotel will be back to being fully booked and better staffed. One day, we did not get our room serviced and we had to call late afternoon. Our so called butler, unlike the experiences Gladys and Smarks mentioned with there’s, was hard to get hold of the one time we needed help. We booked our spa treatment weeks before. The entire trip was far less formal when it came to dressing up, certainly with the group of people we found ourselves with, which was a positive for us. I wore my dresses for evening anyway since I had packed them

mil

Hi British.
There are 12 personality suites, they are name as a tribute to renowned guest that have visited the hotel over the century, they keep memorabilia related to the legend the room was name after. Some of them are: Ava Gardner,Charlie Chaplin,Elizabeth Taylor, Pablo Neruda, etc.. So, Tauck probably gets the Std suites, are they big?
About the 1 or 2 pre-days, my reservation is for 2.- but the direct flight Sea-Sing. as is , it's not avail. on Wed.- so I would have to fly on Thurs. my tour starts Sat. I don't suffer from Jetlag so I'm not concern but would like that xtra day to see more ... so, final desicion will depend on the flight.- I will not fly to CA. that I know.
I'll keep researching.
Thanks B.

gladysorlando984

Mil the rooms at Raffles are nice and big, I was very, very pleased with the suite, you'll have a bedroom and living room both very spacious. I missed my extra days due to the mess up with my flights which meant that I was not able to see all the places I had planned on so 2 pre days will give you enough time. It's a wonderful trip, you'll love it.

mil

Thanks,Gladys.
Yes, it's the Std suites, which are great as I have seen on Youtube.- I'm going by myself so it is fine.
I read about the unfortunate oddyssey you went through.. That's why I always try to fly direct flight only, as possible. I would imagine that by next year flights should go back to normal and as is... Singapore Air is doing good, no staff or pilot shortage.
I'll keep an eye on the airline .. they might reestablisg daily flights. Have a great weekend.
Thanks a million.

mil

Britsh -Gladys sorry to bother you guys... question, were the suites at the Amanjiwo resort in Java the Garden Suites? all the way down to the lowest level? and at the Jimbaran bay Four Seasons were they all Garden villas or ocean view villas?
and doing my homework...
I should verif. and ask if there is a poss. upgrade. -
Any info it's appreciated.

British

Hi Mil, I think the Java hotel was the one where there were walls all around the rooms, we had a massive patio as big as the size of the floor plan as a house with all sorts of furnishings on it. The Four Seasons, we had one of the best rooms in the hotel , high up with fantastic views of the ocean and totally pro are. We have only just started downloading photos so it will be a while before I sort them and remember which was which hotel etc all the hot
Es were out of this world apart from the Phoenix which was a quick one night stop for just sleeping in. They may change that before you go.

mil

British helloooo.
Yes! You are right, that’s the Java hotel. Favorite of Brad Pitt by the way & others… 😁
I was just wondering if Tauck is giving the ocean view villas at the FS.Jimbaran Bali or garden ones.
I got an amazing corner suite at the One&Only Cape T. With a terrace for a cocktail party of 60. … it was great

mil

British & Gladys thanks for the report, I finally had a chance to finish reading it. -
One thing I have to admit, the 4.5 hours each way to see the dragons has gotten me thinking... But I guess it is something I will never see anywhere else... So, I'm in! for now....
The stairs and tracking don't bother me. But I'm getting a little concern about food options on rest. outside the hotels, I am allergic to fish and of course the main option/ protein source is fish. - will it be difficult to accommodate my allergy issues on these menus?
I can always live out of rice )
Also, do the hotels, have ATM machines? Are the duffel bags, cloth bags?
Once in Bali-Denpasar, did you have a free afternoon? where anyone could add a visit to a non- included Temple.
Did you feel the tour was a little weak on Temple sighting?
I initially had selected 4 most see temples, not included in the Tauck itinerary. As a photographer I would love to take some shots of specific themes, like the rituals, the religious offering and of course temples architecture, locals and flora. -
So, looking at each temple both of you mention on this report, I see some similar features that I have in my mind as desire shots. So, I'm down to 2 temples, which is much easier to accommodate
Do any of you remember visiting the Sacred Water Temple (Pura Tirta Empul)? if it's a surprise, please PM me.
Please advise.
Thanks!
Mil.

British

Here are our memories and hopefully Gladys will make any corrections as her tour was right before mine so should not have varied.
It’s very easy to avoid fish wherever you go on the trip. But as you know Tauck want to know that before you go and then you remind the tour director when you arrive. If your allergy is severe, I would mention it to the waitstaff at every meal too. I’ve been on at least one tour where I’ve seen an epi pen in the tour director’s bag when they had it open. But no idea if that is a standard thing they all carry.
I don’t recall ATM machines in the hotels. We did not need any local money in Singapore, but you will need it for Bali. We got some cash at an ATM in the town of Ubud on our free afternoon…the Four Seasons is way out of town, you can get a shuttle, free, or a taxi which you will need cash for. We bought batik, look around, some is very low quality, some is wonderful.
The Tauck bags are cloth, I think I posted a picture on Gladys’s thread, I did not ask her permissions sorry Gladys. I will confirm as Smarks50 did on her report from the tour that they are not good quality bags and the first timevMr B tried the zipper on his, it broke. ThE TD gave is a spare one.
I can’t recall the free time at that Four Seasons, but please be aware that the traffic is terrible so you must factor that in for any journey there. Even at night, the streets are jammed with traffic. Our late night drive to the airport on our return home was just as.bad and slow, the usual scooters etc.
We were satisfied with the number of temples we saw and even though we stayed on two extra days, our intention was just to relax and reflect. There was another couple on the tour who took extra tours to temples after the end of the tour. I think I already PM’ed you about one….that one is especially for wonderful photography. They used one of the local guides we had to take them. The local guides were some of the very best we have ever had on any Tauck tour. I could email them to ask them to message you with details, The husband reads the forum, so maybe he will see this and respond.
We did not go to the water temple you mention. . You will have plenty of opportunity to see the religious offerings and at one of the villages you will see women making them.

mil

British, Thanks a million!!!!!!!!!!!!!! as always great info.
As you mention the traffic factor, it has made me re-think a little.
I will do the Sacred water temple.. it's something different and the FS in Sayan does offer the tour.. so that one is a go!
The FS has it as part of a combo they put together called: "Can You Keep A Secret, excursion.” This is part of the description..
The Tirta Empul is famous for the melukat bathing ritual. It’s a refreshing experience; absolutely perfect for shaking off any negativity. The water temple is well-loved by tourists and locals alike. It's about 45 minutes from our Resort and part of the Pilgrim Temple Voyage that it's offer. For a more local experience in a nearby village.
I email the concierge already and got the info. but do please give my email to the local guides , I would love to talk or schedule a guided tour if possible, with them. British I will PM my email to you.
Now regarding any other temples.. I might pass on those and instead just stay at the hotel and relax.. take a vacation from the vacation.
THe FS Denpasar does offer several activities that I would like, a cocktail class, a garden & temple photography classes etc.. then they also have the Spa ( A most) and of course the beach, the pool etc.. .
So, I have decided to chill around the hotel and enjoy it.
About the ATM's I will check the FS, because they normally have one on site.
Yes, I saw the Duffel picture, thanks.
Hey dear, we are getting a storm in.. as I writting this, power is blinking so, I'm going to send the reply before it gets delete.
Have a great weekend
Thanks

gladysorlando984

Mil I never had need of local money, used my credit card all the time and a couple of times used dollars for tips.
I don't remember ATM's in the hotels.
The room in the last FS had a beautiful ocean view from the private pool.
Hope you are okay with the storm

mil

Hi Gladys, good morning.
We lost power last night as expected and it came back this morning around 7:00 am . for me it was a blessing because that forced me to go to sleep early...
But it was also a pain, because last night I was going to monitor the airfare, I believe the flight opens up at midnight-pacific time for booking, I will have another chance tonight to verified it before Sunday night, that's when I will have to purchase my ticket.
Today, it's cold and rainy.. I'm staying home.. so, I should be able to finish my travel homework today. it only takes me a couple of hours to put everything together.. I take out a calendar and star filling the days where I'm having extra activities..
Today I'm planning a lazy day... I'll join Morpheus as much as I can today..They (news) are talking about possible snow! that I don't want.. I need my overtime
Thank you lady,for the info.
Have a lovely weekend.
M.

gladysorlando984

Glad to know that no damage except for the power going out. By now you have probably booked your air, it's a bit more expensive these days isn't it? Have a good rest of Sunday and hoping you don't have any snow.

mil

I'm booking on the 7th of 8th of this month... 355 days from return date, so I would say Monday night early Tuesday morning, I did a practice run last night, they do open the flight at midnight- and so I got all the personal info. set , I'm a krisflyer member so it should be easy.
No snow forecast! Yahoooooooooooooooooooo.
Have a great Sunday, too.
Thanks

gladysorlando984

Mil I lost track of time in booking my flight to Porto next year with Delta using miles, now they are all sold.
I will have to set some kind of alarm in the future

mil

HOLY s...moke! but you're still going, right? Check Air France, they are partners, you could use Delta mileage from the US to Charles d Gale and pay for the France-Portugal fare. what a bummer
It's 355 days from the return day.
Here I'm getting all ready and set up, as midnight strikes I'm in front of the computer... I won't sleep in peace till I have the ticket, supposedly tomorrow. Imagine me flying for 16 hours in economy. I would come out with my booty flat like the locals
Well, try air France to see what happens, if it comes to the worst get economy plus, I heard they are not bad...
Good luck, and keep me posted.

itskr

gladysorlando Keep trying to get seats using miles. Sometimes airlines release more seats

PureLuxury

Good Luck All--I've read the airlines are making it extremely difficult to use miles for business class seats. The demand is there and therefore--they don't feel the need to release the seats. I pay for my business class tickets and use my miles for domestic travels--less headache (for me)

OurTravels34

Pure Luxury: I do the same. Using miles can be an issue internationally and it certainly has become more difficult.