Later today, we just found out that our 3-day Canada tour (June 1-3, 2012) with Rill's Bus Service has been cancelled because there were only few people who signed up! They (Rill's) were supposed to fill up the bus, but it didn't reach the certain amount of people for the tour. How sad as it was when we received the news on the mail, with our check returned and the letter explaining why. {sigh!}
So, with hubby's "go signal" to let me find a new option for the trip is yet another task to handle...well, it would be worth looking forward just in case I'll find one.
hhhhmmmm!!! I'm thinking of a cruise. Gotta search, search and search!
See ya later folks!
I was getting a little bit anxious thinking that it would be my first time to travel alone going to the Philippines without the hubby. The fact that it's a long trip, I always think of the what if's. But anyway, I braved it. I would be sitting on the plane mostly anyway, I told myself..lol!
It was a good thing that Craig was with me in San Francisco International Airport to keep me company while waiting for me to check-in since my flight is not until 1:05AM (Nov. 6.) Craig was going back Baltimore at 10PM so he had to go ahead and left me. I was just suddenly feeling so sad because I won't be seeing him for at least 45 days!!! I got teary eyed while waiting for my turn at the check in area while he was waving goodbye ouch!
Anyway, all went well until I got down at HK International Airport and didn't know where to check in and where to board. I asked one of the lady and she was talking like Chinese although she was speaking in English, argh! LOL!
I got lost, went back then saw a Filipina lady who happened to be going to Manila, same flight as mine..whew! after figuring out where we were, we finally able to find the checking and security area going to our boarding gate.
The only hassle was that our plane going to Manila was 2 hours delayed, and I was starting to get a headache due to lack of sleep. I couldn't afford to nap as I might not be able to wake up in time for boarding, lol.
So, after the delay, we finally boarded, and I felt relieved! I don't have to worry about anything as long as my feet would be standing on the Philippine soil...so I said, Manila, here I come :).
Landed safely, went to my hotel took a late lunch, and slept like a baby ;).
Thank God for a safe travel...I did it, alone!
Thank God, after spending so many hours trying to book 5 people online, I finally managed to get our domestic airline tickets late last night (e-tickets). My special thanks for my husband's coming in to the rescue so these could all be done!
I hate name dropping, but this time, I thought it might be of good help to some who would be thinking of purchasing their tickets online from either of the Philippine domestic airlines online. No offense meant to the airlines I would be mentioning, but I am just sharing an experience.
Since we will be travelling during the peak season, I and hubby just decided to get our domestic air tickets earlier, so we decided checking the airlines' air fares, schedules, etc. We were glad it says on their websites we can book and pay online, so that's super cool...much more convenient for us.
I first worked with Cebu Pacific (which has a good price by the way) for a Manila-Iloilo flight. The first attempt to book and pay failed because our credit card was declined. Here comes hubby to the rescue, called our credit card bank, which gave him an answer that the anti-fraud unit is now authorizing the transaction. I tried booking again 4 times, still failed 4 times, hubby called bank again 4 times, with 4 different answers...and hubby's face was turning red!!oh-oh..I said this is not good! There were bad argues on the phone and hubby was so pissed off, so that he decided to just give up using the card and close the account...(sorry Chase).
Second option....I tried calling on Cebu Pacific's phone (call center) so we could just book and pay via phone, and I was on stand by for more than an hour!!!where all I could hear are commercial ads of Smart and Globe played gazillion times! Where in the world are those people at? Sleeping? They just lost another sale of at least more than $200 for that...why? we gave up and decided to go for another airline.
This is our second story: I and hubby decided to just then shift to Air Philippines, another domestic airline. We remembered buying our tickets online last 2007 from them, and it was okay. Just a bit more expensive than Cebu Pacific, but if we could just buy tickets without any problems, we won't mind about the price.
So, I then started booking 2 round trip tickets (I and hubby) using credit card, (byt the way, this time we are using another credit card, not Chase!) and it was okay. The hassles came in when I started booking 3 one-way tickets for Iloilo when the fillable form asked that any of the 3 passengers should be one of the credit card holders which obviously would be impossible because these 3 passengers are my family and I am buying the tickets for them. Anyway, since I couldn't reach any live person on their phone, (as usual...in the Philippines, a hotline number NEVER works!) I put one of their names on the credit card so that the tickets could go through the booking system. They went through indeed and were confirmed! I know the consequences of what I did, so I asked for hubby's rescue again, LOL!
First, hubby had to call the credit card bank and explained to them that a transaction with a different name on it might appear on the billing, and the bank said it would be okay since hubby had called them earlier to notify them about this international transaction. Furthermore, at that time, the lady said they haven't receive the transaction yet, but we won't be worrying about it anymore since they were informed about it.
Second, we called the reservations of Air Philippines. Hubby volunteered to do the call and he was on standby for 30 minutes! Thank God, we had this earphone that you can just stick it into the phone so you could be hands-free! :). Finally, the operator answered. Of course we had to tell him about what happened on the credit card with the different name on it. The guy told hubby he still has to check about this with his superior and so hubby was put on hold for another 20 minutes. The guy returned, and this time I got the chance to speak to him:
Operator: Hi mam are you Mrs. ____?
Me: Yes.
Operator: How are you related to Mrs..Ms. and Mr?____?
Me: They are my family, and I am the credit card holder. I am buying the tickets for them.
Operator: Well, mam, putting one of your family's name on your credit card is not allowed since she is not a card holder.
Me: I know it wasn't. But since I can't reach anyone on the phone, and your website is not equipped with an option of ordering tickets for people that are not card holders, I had to do that. Sorry for doing it, but I will be travelling together with them, so I'll be carrying my card with me just in case you wanna check. Are there any advices and recommendations you can give?
Operator: Mam, we should not be allowing it, but we would allow this case only for this time. But mam, pls. don't do it again? Then, you have to make a certification letter explaining that you are the credit card holder, to be presented on your check-in...blah,blah,blah!
Me: Thank You. I appreciate you giving me the information and warning. Thanks for the time and answering our queries. Bye.
Whew! Our phone transaction, including the stand by hours was 1 hour 20 minutes.
After more than an hour, I received the e-tickets on my email.
End of our ordeal! :)
Now that our trip to the Philippines is officially confirmed and booked via Cathay Pacific, I can say this is really it!...LOL!
We just receive the ticket itineraries last week from our travel agent friend, (thanks Dion) who did an excellent job in booking us to the most convenient flight, talking about looong hours of sitting on the plane.
I had to request her to book us in a shorter hours, to which she booked us from Baltimore to LA (I can withstand 4-5 hours in this), LA to HK, HK to MLA. The route from LA to HK would now be much shorter for a wait compared to New York - HK route (this one is so far I think the looooongest wait just sitting on the plane) which we had the last time we travelled to the Philippines.
Although the total length of our trip will still be the same, (at least 9,000 miles) halfway around the globe, LOL! - the hours of sitting on the plane are staggered, which means we can have enough time stretching our knees and relax.
And oh by the way, hubby is a member of Marco Polo Club (a sister company of Cathay), so we would be treated for a free snacks and beverages at the lounge area while waiting for our flight. I had been there twice, and it's really a good place where you can even take a nap, free internet, etc...it's like a small home where you can sit in the living room and watch TV or read the papers, how cool is that, huh? :).
I am starting my countdown as of today! :).
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