Category: Travel Credit Cards

Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port Hotel Review

9/10/2024

A photo review of Port Everglades Pre-Cruise hotel - Hyatt Place.

Arriving a day before your cruise is always the wisest course.

Before our Symphony of the Seas cruise we used Chase Points to book a night at the Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port Hotel.

In This Post.

Our room.

The rooms at Hyatt Place are quite spacious and would be great if you're traveling as family or even if you want to split the cost with another couple. Our room had two double beds.

Standard Room Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port Free Reward Night | Miles and Points Blog

search pre-cruise and post-cruise hotels near Port Everglades:

living space.

There is a large couch with ottoman which converts to a bed. As you can see the couch cushions were a little worse for wear. The room has a mini fridge, individual cup coffee maker, and a small sink in the area directly across from the couch, as well as a desk area.

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bathroom.

The sink is outside the bathroom door where you will also find a large mirror and very long counter top above built in drawers. If you're traveling with the circus :p, it can be nice to have the sink outside the bathroom so that while someone is showering, other members of the family can be brushing their teeth, for instance. In the case of this room, there are 2 sinks outside of the bathroom!

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Symphony of the Seas Reviews | Royal Caribbean Cruise Blog.

Breakfast Buffet.

The breakfast buffet is pretty standard for a US hotel in this category. These pictures were taken at the end of the morning shortly before the buffet closed. They served scrambled eggs, sausage patties, hash browns, bacon, pancakes, cereal, fresh cut fruit, bananas, oranges, a variety of bread and bagels for toasting as well as donut holes.

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gym.

There was also a small gym at Hyatt Place Ft Lauderdale Cruise Port, in case you want to get a quick workout in before your cruise!

Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port Hotel Gym

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Manhattan Ny Pizza Fort Lauderdale Review

As one does when arriving to a hotel late after a long travel day, we ordered a pizza. Manhattan NY Pizza was nearby and touted their pizza being made with dough from NYC so we were intrigued.

One ridiculously long wait and $24 later ... and we were a lot less intrigued... Hopefully this subpar pizza was a fluke for this local shop and if you order you'll have a better experience, especially if you dine in and can eat it when it's piping hot. :)

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Fort Lauderdale travel blog.

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hyatt place cruise port hotel review

We were happy with our experience at Hyatt Place in Fort Lauderdale near Port Everglades. There is nothing particularly exciting about this hotel, but there doesn't need to be - you're going on a cruise! That's the exciting part of staying here.

The hotel is in a good location and offers the amenities you need for a night before a cruise - a place to sleep and free breakfast. Hyatt Place also offers a free airport shuttle and they do have a cruise port shuttle available from the hotel for a fee that you can sign up for on arrival. We opted to use Uber for convenience and it being collectively cheaper for us rathe r than pay a per person rate with the shuttle van coming at a set time. Choice is yours!

Our hotel night was totally free thanks to Chase Ultimate Rewards Points. We used 8,000 points transferred from our Chase Sapphire card. See the Best Chase Sapphire Sign Up Bonus Here so you can get free hotel stays too! ;)

more hotel reviews.

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Hilton Free Night Certificate

9/3/2024

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Everything you need to know about Hilton Free Reward Night Certificates:
how to get them, how to redeem them, where you can redeem them, and what to do if yours is about to expire!

Post by: Travel Agent Marissa Books Travel

Conrade Algarve by Hilton

• Stay at Conrad Algarve in Portugal •

What to do when your hilton free night certificate is expiring

Last year I opened a Hilton Honors credit card and earned a great sign up bonus of 70,000 Hilton Honors Points as well as a Hilton free night certificate.

Hilton Honors Sign Up Bonus

Do hilton honors points expire?

While Hilton points do expire within 24 months of inactivity, I was more concerned about when my free night certificate would expire.

How to keep hilton honors points from expiring

To stop your Hilton Points from expiring you can simply use your Hilton Credit Card, stay at a Hilton Hotel, Redeem Hilton Points, Buy or Donate Hilton Points, or even just signing up for a Hilton promotion. When in doubt, buy a pack of gum with your card every so often. :)

Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam

• Stay at Waldorf Astoria in Amsterdam •

How long are hilton free night certificates good for?

Hilton certificates are good for 12 months from the issue date. My certificate was issued on September 5th. I had a daily reminder on my calendar to use this free night for the past year and here we are on September 3rd and time is up!

What to do if you free reward night is about to expire?

I have great news for you! If your free hotel night is about to expire you can actually contact Hilton for an extension. I logged into my Hilton account, chatted with a lovely agent, and was able to get a one-time extension of 14 days for my Hilton free night certificate!!

Travel Credit Cards:

Where is my hilton free night certificate?

Once a Hilton free night certificate has been awarded to you, whether as a credit card sign up bonus or for your brand loyalty in some other way, you will receive an email from Hilton Honors (mine was from [email protected]) with instructions on how to redeem.

What is the hilton honors customer care phone number?

Call Hilton Honors Customer Care at 1-800-446-6677

Can i redeem my hilton free night reward online?

While you currently cannot redeem the free night by yourself on the website, there is a way to redeem it online.

Hilton Free Night Email

Log into your Hilton account and utilizing the Hilton Chat you will be able to redeem your reward night with the chat agent. Just type "redeem Hilton free night certificate - chat with agent" into the chat box!

Free Hilton Award Nights

Are there exclusions with the hilton free reward nights?

Surprisingly, Hilton has very few restrictions and exclusions on using these certificates. There are no black out dates and you can book any night of the week. You can get a free night at any Hilton property (standard room, double occupancy) with the exception of these properties.

What is the value of a hilton free night certificate?

You may be wondering what a free Hilton award night is actually worth. The truth is, it varies. You can use this (foolishly) on a cheap hotel night costing $50 or you can take advantage of the opportunity to use it for a hotel like Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam that would normally cost upwards of $900 a night!

Where CAn I see my hilton free night CERTIFICATE in my account?

Log in to your Hilton Honors account.

Click near your name at the top right of the page.

Next click Account as shown here.

Scroll down past the section "Manage your stay" and the section about your loyalty status with Hilton.

Hilton Account

Here in your Hilton Account you will see your Free Night Reward(s), the last 4 digits of the certificate number, and their expiration dates.

Hilton Free Night Award

Hilton Best Welcome Bonus

Waldorf Astoria Doha West Bay

• Stay at Waldorf Astoria Doha West Bay •

do i have to travel before the expiration date or just make the reservation in time?

I asked the Hilton Chat representative the very question and she gave such a helpful, clear answer.

"The checkout date must be before expiration or till the expiration date"

"If your coupon is expiring on September 04, then you can make the booking with check out date of September 04"

Hilton Chat

can someone else use my hilton free night certificate?

Yes and no. So the Free Night Reward is not transferable to another person. You can't send the certificate to another Hilton Honors account. But what you can do is contact Hilton and redeem free night award certificates for someone else. Simply have them book the stay in the other person's name. A free night at a nice hotel can be a great gift!

Get the Hilton Honors Card

Hotel Reviews:

Hilton Distinctive Properties List

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How to transfer chase points to united to get free flights | Marissa books travel blog

7/8/2024

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So you've earned enough Chase Ultimate Rewards points for a free flight and you're ready to transfer them to United to get it booked - congratulations! Few things are more exciting than getting free travel.

It really is not difficult to send your Chase Ultimate Rewards Points to your United MileagePlus Account. In this simple tutorial I will show you one of the ways to do this!

-> Current Free Travel Bonuses <-

Step One: Log into your Chase Account and Click "Ultimate Rewards Points"

On a desktop you will see it at the top right of your log in page.

Step two: Select Which card you want to see

In this case since we are transferring to travel partners we need to select the Chase Sapphire Card

Step Three: Select Transfer points to partners

At the top of the page you will see the drop down menu under travel. Select "Transfer points to partners"

Step four: Scroll down to select united airlines

Scroll down to select the travel partner of your choice - in this case United Airlines.

Step five: Click transfer points

Step six: Confirm Your Mileageplus account

You will need to enter your United MileagePlus Account Number here. If you do not have an account, you can sign up for one for free here. Then click next.

Step seven: Confirm how many points

You'll go ahead and type in how many points you want to transfer. Please note, you can only transfer in increments of 1,000.

Example: If you need 38,500 points you will need to round up and transfer 39,000 points.

Click next on the bottom right when you're ready.

Step eight: Confirm details and submit

Take a moment to confirm the details of your transfer. On the left side you will see your Chase card, how many points you are moving and how many you will have left. On the right side you will see the travel partner, in this case United MileagePlus, and how many points that account will be receiving. When you're sure the values are what you need for your trip, click submit! :)

How long will it take for my chase points to show in my united account?

As you can see by the fine print on the image above, officially "most point transfers process by the next business day, but may take up to 7 business days."

In my personal experience, the points have shown up nearly instantaneously - it's amazing! If you are logged into your United account you will need to log out and then log back in to see the points.

You may have a different experience, but all I can do is share what has happened to me 100% of the time in the past 8+ years doing this. I hope you have the same experience I have had so far! :)

Tips for transferring chase UR points to United

I always recommend transferring your chase points directly to a travel partner like United as opposed to booking through their travel platform. You are almost always going to get a better value from your points that way :)
Wait until you're sure you will be booking United flights and know exactly how many points you will need to transfer. Once you make a transfer it is final and you're locked in to that travel partner (airline, hotel etc) so I always do it right before I'm ready to book my flight! :)

how do i get these amazing points for free flights?

Easy peasy lemon squeezy! You just need a Sapphire Card or if you already have one, get the United Card. With both you will get a really great sign up bonus. Bonuses are linked on the Best Travel Credit Cards Page

Are travel agents worth it?

... with tips like these, is it even a question? ;)

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Share this with a friend or save it to your Pinterest Travel Board for later - you're going to need it when all your Chase Points start rolling in ;)

Filed Under:

• Travel Credit cards
• united airline miles
• Marissa books travel
• Technical writing
• travel hacks
• TRAVEL TUTORIAL
• Chase Cards
• are travel agents worth it?

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Helping My Alaska Cruise Clients (& you!) Get Free Flights | Marissa Books Travel Blog

5/26/2024

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Post By: Marissa Books Travel

your visit to this page made me smile! ｡◕‿◕｡

Over the past month I have had the privilege to work with a lovely family on a very special Alaska cruise to celebrate a 50th wedding anniversary - isn't that amazing?!

What a great way to honor such a landmark and truly inspirational example of working hard to preserve this sacred union. :)

While the cruise is still more than a year out and it's too early to book flights, I decided to take a proactive peak at what the prevailing rates were for this year so I could match my clients with a money-saving strategy that worked for them.

I quickly realized that Southwest Airlines does not fly into Anchorage, where their cruise will depart. However, my old standby United sure does! ;)

As you can see below, I did a search paying with miles instead of money and there is potentially for flights at 15k + 5.60 taxes/fees. :)

Filed Under:

Travel Deals
Alaska Cruise
Princess Cruises
JW Travel Agent
Travel Tips + Travel Hacks
Marissa Books Travel

^ Tap to explore more of what interest you! :)

United Award Flights Nashville to Anchorage 15,000 miles

Since my client has 5 travelers, at 15k per person we need 75k miles or corresponding points to get them free flights from Nashville to Anchorage Alaska (BNA - ANC) for their Alaska Anniversary Cruise!

The United card is one I highly recommend, but in this case I recommended it along with an alternative (actually my top favorite travel card!) because there is a limited time offer of a 75,000 point sign up bonus with this card right now. It's rare to see the bonus tip over 60k so this is perfect timing! These universal travel points can be transferred to United at a 1:1 ratio. Meaning my clients have a very real potential of getting all 5 of their flights free if they choose to take advantage of this offer!

•> SEE OUR CURRENT TRAVEL BONUS RECOMMENDATIONS HERE! <•

How Much My Clients Can Save

The cash price of these flights was $354 so multiply that by 5 people and my clients have the potential to save +/- $1770 on their flights one way! Of course they do have a flight home to think about. And guess what? They could take advantage of another bonus to cover that one too ;)

This is a huge advantage of booking travel early. You have time to take advantage of these opportunities at a reasonable pace. ;) This is also the advantage of booking with a travel agent who loves travel and can help you find out-of-the-box ways to save on your trip! :)

Related timeless Wisdom

Who of you wanting to build a tower does not first sit down and calculate the expense to see if he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, he might lay its foundation but not be able to finish it, and all the onlookers would start to ridicule him, saying: ‘This man started to build but was not able to finish. (Proverbs 22:7)
The borrower is slave to the lender. (Proverbs 21:17)

Basically, taking advantage of these opportunities requires planning and responsible credit card use. If you cannot meet the threshold to receive the bonus, or you cannot pay the balance of your card each month then it's not wise to try this because the amount of fees you will incur will far outweigh the "benefits".

However, if you are in a position to leverage these opportunities financially it can really open up opportunities for you to enjoy both "a handful of rest" and display a "Here I Am! Send Me!" spirit. ;)

•> See our current travel bonus recommendations here! <•

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Airplane wing seen from window inside plane

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United Mileageplus - 60,000 MILEs - Best Travel Credit Card sign-up bonuses

11/18/2023

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One of my favorite ways to make travel more accessible is leveraging credit card rewards for travel.
I want you to travel for free too. So I'm sharing this sign up bonus on a card I personally use!

tap to compare cards

For a limited time United Airlines Explorer Mileage Plus is offering a bonus of 60,000 bonus miles at sign up! The bonus is often set at 50k so you'll get an extra 10k!

sweet deal.

How many flights can 60,000 airline miles get you?

Every airline's program works differently and values points differently. But since we are talking about united airlines, let me give you a first hand example.

I recently booked 2 flights between the US and Europe for 58,000 United Miles

So it is reasonable that you can find flights to Europe and back with your sign up bonus, let alone domestic flights! Slick, right?

Check Current United Airlines Sign Up Bonus

tap to get free flights!

My favorite benefit of the United Explorer Card is that the sign up bonus lets me travel roundtrip to Europe for free lol.

Beyond that, you will enjoy a free checked bag on United flights, 2 free passes to United Club lounges at the airport (airport lounges are so great) and some other benefits you can read about.

But let's be honest, you're here for free flights and the lounge access is a bonus. :)

United actually has several travel credit cards available so you may want to compare them to see what suits your needs best at this time. Each has its own unique perks and sign up bonuses.

Check them out below!

Compare United Card Bonuses

What's your favorite travel credit card?

Our favorite travel credit cards can be found on our Best Travel Credit Cards page. But when we aren't eligible for those bonuses, we always have a Chase United Card because the miles go far internationally!

We would love to hear what your favorite travel credit card is or your favorite trip where you got free flights from a travel credit card! :)

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Traveling through food

Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port Hotel Review

In This Post.

Our room.

search pre-cruise and post-cruise hotels near Port Everglades:

​living space.

bathroom.

Symphony of the Seas Reviews | Royal Caribbean Cruise Blog.

​Breakfast Buffet.

​gym.

Manhattan Ny Pizza Fort Lauderdale Review

Fort Lauderdale travel blog.

hyatt place cruise port hotel review

more hotel reviews.

Hilton Free Night Certificate

What to do when your hilton free night certificate is expiring

​Do hilton honors points expire?

How to keep hilton honors points from expiring

How long are hilton free night certificates good for?

What to do if you free reward night is about to expire?

Travel Credit Cards:

Where is my hilton free night certificate?

What is the hilton honors customer care phone number?

Can i redeem my hilton free night reward online?

​Are there exclusions with the hilton free reward nights?

What is the value of a hilton free night certificate?

Where CAn I see my hilton free night CERTIFICATE in my account? ​

​do i have to travel before the expiration date or just make the reservation in time? ​

can someone else use my hilton free night certificate?

​Hotel Reviews:

Hilton Distinctive Properties List

How to transfer chase points to united to get free flights | Marissa books travel blog

Step One: Log into your Chase Account and Click "Ultimate Rewards Points"

Step two: Select Which card you want to see

Step Three: Select Transfer points to partners

Step four: Scroll down to select united airlines

Step five: Click transfer points

Step six: Confirm Your Mileageplus account

Step seven: Confirm how many points

Step eight: Confirm details and submit

How long will it take for my chase points to show in my united account?

Tips for transferring chase UR points to United

how do i get these amazing points for free flights?

Are travel agents worth it?

Read Next: HELPING MY ALASKA CRUISE CLIENTS (& YOU!) GET FREE FLIGHTS | MARISSA BOOKS TRAVEL BLOG READ NEXT: Sun Princess Mediterranean Cruise with Greek Isles, Italy & Turkey - Day 1

Pin for later:

Filed Under: ​• Travel Credit cards ​• united airline miles ​• Marissa books travel ​• Technical writing ​• travel hacks• TRAVEL TUTORIAL• Chase Cards ​• are travel agents worth it?

Helping My Alaska Cruise Clients (& you!) Get Free Flights | Marissa Books Travel Blog

•> SEE OUR CURRENT TRAVEL BONUS RECOMMENDATIONS HERE! <•

How Much My Clients Can Save

Related timeless Wisdom

•> See our current travel bonus recommendations here! <•

Pin For Later & Share With a Friend!

United Mileageplus - 60,000 MILEs - Best Travel Credit Card sign-up bonuses

How many flights can 60,000 airline miles get you?

What's your favorite travel credit card?

Oh, Hey!

Get a ​cruise quote!

​Check out this recent cruise post:

all inclusive resort quote!

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living space.

Breakfast Buffet.

gym.

Do hilton honors points expire?

Are there exclusions with the hilton free reward nights?

Where CAn I see my hilton free night CERTIFICATE in my account?

do i have to travel before the expiration date or just make the reservation in time?

Hotel Reviews:

Read Next: HELPING MY ALASKA CRUISE CLIENTS (& YOU!) GET FREE FLIGHTS | MARISSA BOOKS TRAVEL BLOG

READ NEXT: Sun Princess Mediterranean Cruise with Greek Isles, Italy & Turkey - Day 1

Filed Under:

• Travel Credit cards
• united airline miles
• Marissa books travel
• Technical writing
• travel hacks
• TRAVEL TUTORIAL
• Chase Cards
• are travel agents worth it?

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cruise quote!

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