Options
Grand Australia and New Zealand Tour - Oct 6-25, 2014
We are taking the reference Tauck tour and are looking to book premiunm economy seats on Qantus from NY
Am interested if anyone has done this on a long flight and if so to compare it to Business Class on a comfort basis. The seats are wider and recline more than economy but do not lay flat as in business class The price differential to Business class is about $4,000. On such a long flight is it worth the extra money to go business class?
Also for this tour Tauck is saying to restrict baggage to 50# each, due to the many interior flights. Do people adhere to this? Not many changes of clothes for 21 days. Will need lots of laundry service
Am interested if anyone has done this on a long flight and if so to compare it to Business Class on a comfort basis. The seats are wider and recline more than economy but do not lay flat as in business class The price differential to Business class is about $4,000. On such a long flight is it worth the extra money to go business class?
Also for this tour Tauck is saying to restrict baggage to 50# each, due to the many interior flights. Do people adhere to this? Not many changes of clothes for 21 days. Will need lots of laundry service
0
Comments
Luggage allowance. I already posted my opinion on people complaining About lack of luggage allowance today. Chose wisely and you will be able to take lots of clothing and still be under the weight allowance. The first tip is to make sure your suitcase weighs very little when empty, some are really heavy before you even put clothes into them. Lightweight none iron clothing that you can layer for colder temps. These tours are not fashion trips. I have been on Tauck trips to. Africa where people are dripping in diamonds on safari and visiting Masai villages-- so inappropriate, no wonder we Americans get such a reputation.
We flew business class on frequent flyer mileage and it was definitely a really pleasant experience ( if you can afford it, or can use mileage to upgrade or redeem) We slept in comfort while people in economy were awake and cramped into their seats. Sometimes Tauck or other travel agents are able to secure business class and somewhat reasonable prices because of their frequent bulk purchases. Ask.
Luggage was definitely weighed (even hand luggage) but it was mainly on the interior Qantas flights through Alice Springs and Ayers Rock. Most of us were prepared to pay the overweight charges, but somehow our Tauck group managed to get all the luggage checked through with a group check-in and no one was charged. Good luck.
Joe P
I flew Virgin Australia business and unlike my travel mate Shescha had to pay dearly. :-)
I think you should use these guidelines: age, health, normal sleep patterns, and of course money when deciding. In my case the first three guidelines outweighed the money. I opted for the flatbed and did not regret my decision.
If you can't do business definitely do the upgrade. Any extra room is better than none.
Hopefully you are flying direct. I think a 14 hr flight with a layover in Sydney will be harder on you then you think. You will be tired and grumpy while waiting for the next hop. At least I know I would have been. You might as well get it all out of the way.
Also without a layover you have a better chance of all your luggage getting there with you. Remember to have your first flight book your luggage all the way. When in doubt have a luggage scale with you. Keep the dimensions in mind. I don't think I saw anyone breaking the luggage rules on size. Most women can get away with a carry on and a purse. I used a normal size backpack instead of a purse, this gave me a little extra for camera and reader.
My sister and I also went in two days early. By the time the Tauck tour started we were good to go. At least give yourself one extra day. Due to the cost of the Langham, an earlier tripper booked 2 days in another hotel.