It has been pretty painful trying to get home to YYC from Houston. We had booked through trip.com and any requests for changes have to go through them (not that I could get a westjet agent on the phone, I've tried). I've gone down to the Airport here in Houston as well to see if the check-in agents could assist and no dice.
Trip.com has to put in the request through West Jet, and the last 3 requests they have put in (including one request via United) have all been rejected by Westjet as the flights were full. The issue here is it takes 12-16 hours to find out, which puts us out another day each time. Now we're hoping to get on a flight for July 4th but it wouldn't surprise me to be booted off that one as well.
Any creative ideas for how to get back? I've thought about booking our own flights and seeking compensation later; however, the flights are brutally expensive and we'd potentially be out of pocket thousands of dollars if we were unsuccessful in getting compensated. The other thought i had was booking a much cheaper flight to Kalispell for <$1000 and having a family member drive down to Montana and pick us up.
It has been pretty painful trying to get home to YYC from Houston. We had booked through trip.com and any requests for changes have to go through them (not that I could get a westjet agent on the phone, I've tried). I've gone down to the Airport here in Houston as well to see if the check-in agents could assist and no dice.
Trip.com has to put in the request through West Jet, and the last 3 requests they have put in (including one request via United) have all been rejected by Westjet as the flights were full. The issue here is it takes 12-16 hours to find out, which puts us out another day each time. Now we're hoping to get on a flight for July 4th but it wouldn't surprise me to be booted off that one as well.
Any creative ideas for how to get back? I've thought about booking our own flights and seeking compensation later; however, the flights are brutally expensive and we'd potentially be out of pocket thousands of dollars if we were unsuccessful in getting compensated. The other thought i had was booking a much cheaper flight to Kalispell for <$1000 and having a family member drive down to Montana and pick us up.
That really sucks. The Montana option doesn’t sound terrible. I know you don’t need to hear this right now but for everyone else, this is why I never book through a third party.
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Sorry to hear, a huge inconvenience. I would say that things will likely improve quite quickly now that maintenance is back on the job. I’m not really sure how things work with ticket re-sellers.
I can tell you that as of right now, there looks to be several seats open on the 1815 flight from IAH to YYC on the 4th. The earlier flight looks full.
Good luck.
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I’m interested in recommendations for several days in Tokyo. I’ll be checking Trip Advisor as well.
A day trip to Mount Fuji is a must; it’s a long day including a return trip by bullet train. Our traveling companions are suggesting a visit to the baths but I don’t know. We’ll do a guided or non-guided walking tour and a food tour.
Does anyone have any good recommendations for Amsterdam?
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The Rijksmuseum is great. Van gogh museum is good, and takes less time.
The Jordaan district is always a great place to visit and just generally walk through (the better / more expensive hotels are in here; also Anne Frank house is here). Go to Winkel 43 for their Apple pie and mint tea - its busy and probably overrated, but i like it.
Canal tours are great if you have time.
The north side, NDSM, is a cool up-and-coming place. Pllek is a cool spot on the water that has food, cocktails and turns into a dance spot at night.
On the other side of the north is Opedius Brewing and a ton of chill restaurants like Lowlander, Hanger, and Hotel de Goudfazant.
Rent bikes and tour the Eastern Docklands canals.
Tons of great cocktail bars and a good culinary scene. French Bistros seem to dominate the space.
There is no real "dutch cuisine" - or at least nothing to write home about. But you have to go to an Indonesian Rijsttafell for true "Dutch experience.
Zaandam is a ferry-ride away. Its got some windmill museums and a couple other traditional industry museums like cheese etc.
De Pijp is the new hipster area and has a good food market if you want to check out a ton of different small bites.
I want to go to the restaurant Vuurtoreneiland so bad, but havent been able to yet. If you are planning it in advance, take a look.
It's in an old military fort on an island near the entrance to AMS. The restaurant has a ferry with a bar that takes you out there. Most of the cooking is on the old wood-fired ovens/stove.
Honestly, Amsterdam (the whole Netherlands, really) is just pure vibes. AMS centre is theme-parkish but the area around it are just wonderful to walk around.
If you are there for a bit, Utrect, Leiden, The Hague are all amazing places to check out, and are only a 30 minute train ride away.
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I’m interested in recommendations for several days in Tokyo. I’ll be checking Trip Advisor as well.
A day trip to Mount Fuji is a must; it’s a long day including a return trip by bullet train. Our traveling companions are suggesting a visit to the baths but I don’t know. We’ll do a guided or non-guided walking tour and a food tour.
If you have the time, a stay in a Ryoken/Onsen near Mount Fuji is a must (if you have tattoos, you may not be allowed in the Onsen, so double check that).
Go to a baseball game if its on. An absolute must. You can get tickets at 7/11.
Senso-Ji is a great temple/shrine in the heart of the city. I also liked walking around Ueno Park.
Tsukiji Market - they have some crazy expensive tours where you can go watch the tuna/fish auctions each morning.
Best thing to do is search Tokyo by neighborhood. Each day, i would go check out a different neighborhood and spend the day there. Each one has its own feel and vibe.
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I’m interested in recommendations for several days in Tokyo. I’ll be checking Trip Advisor as well.
A day trip to Mount Fuji is a must; it’s a long day including a return trip by bullet train. Our traveling companions are suggesting a visit to the baths but I don’t know. We’ll do a guided or non-guided walking tour and a food tour.
I’m checking with a friend who used to work for a Japanese tour company to see if she still has contacts. When we were there, she organized a day trip to Nikko and Lake Chuzenji. Nikko was very good and the lake and falls were an ok stop. Most of the time was in Nikko though.
When are you going?
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Speaking of Tokyo, what's a good area of town to stay in? I'm looking for something that is relatively family-friendly, and can be a good base to explore from. I'm not sure how walkable Tokyo is, so I'm assuming there will be lots of metro rides, as the place looks massive.
And like money guy, I'm definitely open to good suggestions for 1-2 day trips out of Tokyo that's not Mount Fuji (only because I already know it)? We're going in November, so I'm hoping for some nice fall countryside experience.
I’m checking with a friend who used to work for a Japanese tour company to see if she still has contacts. When we were there, she organized a day trip to Nikko and Lake Chuzenji. Nikko was very good and the lake and falls were an ok stop. Most of the time was in Nikko though.
When are you going?
We’re going in mid-April 2025. I’ll add that to my original post.
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Tsukiji Market - they have some crazy expensive tours where you can go watch the tuna/fish auctions each morning.
They closed the market in Tsukiji half a decade ago and moved it to Toyosu. The outer market is still there but is basically full out a tourist trap. It's a full of Chinese tourists now but you can get food there still I guess.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Table 5
Speaking of Tokyo, what's a good area of town to stay in? I'm looking for something that is relatively family-friendly, and can be a good base to explore from.
As long as you are somewhere along the Yamanote line, you'll be in pretty good shape. You'll be able to get any where pretty easily even if you were not on the line but it would just make it that much easier. There are major hubs there and you can focus on things that you like.
Last edited by chemgear; 07-02-2024 at 12:43 PM.
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We’re going in mid-April 2025. I’ll add that to my original post.
Early to mid April is like the best time to go. Cherry blossom season. May isn't bad. June - August would be dumb with it being brutally hot, humid, and rainy. Typhoon season. I mean you can also go in the winter but why?
Speaking of Tokyo, what's a good area of town to stay in? I'm looking for something that is relatively family-friendly, and can be a good base to explore from. I'm not sure how walkable Tokyo is, so I'm assuming there will be lots of metro rides, as the place looks massive.
And like money guy, I'm definitely open to good suggestions for 1-2 day trips out of Tokyo that's not Mount Fuji (only because I already know it)? We're going in November, so I'm hoping for some nice fall countryside experience.
Further to this, here is the map that you should have with you. It's not as bad as it initially looks. A print out to have with you would be a good idea.
It would be fairly unusual for you to drive/take a taxi around Tokyo. Public transport is pretty awesome and can get you pretty much everywhere. Walking is definitely in the cards though, which is good. You'll only gain 15 pounds from all the good food that you'll be eating rather than 30 pounds.
Unless you want to take the shinkansen for longer trips, this map will even help you get to the "outskirts" of tokyo if you were searching for things like rare videos games in their suburbs for example . . .
When you are there, google maps will also help point you to which stations to go to for your desired destinations even down to the platform numbers. Sometimes they are off but you'll figure out when you are there in person.
While most hotels/home base areas would be viable, take the time to google map the walk from your hotel to the nearest station. You'll be doing that trip A LOT during you're stay. Our favourite places to stay are always a minute or two walk from the station or the underground entrances. Makes it easy and comfortable, especially on days when it rains or hot.
Last edited by chemgear; 07-02-2024 at 12:58 PM.
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Thanks, really appreciate the insight. I'm just getting going on research, but it always helps to start with good intel on getting around, as I find that can make a big difference. We definitely don't mind walking, and are looking forward to travelling by metro...but with a 8 and 11 year old, Im trying to keep things efficient.
Are any of these "favourite places" specifics you can recommend?
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For some ideas, look up the YouTube couple “Jumping Places”. They were in Tokyo (and a bunch of other places in Japan) this Spring and it might give you some ideas/inspiration. Note they don’t normally travel with Chris’ parents but they were in tow for this trip.
Thanks, really appreciate the insight. I'm just getting going on research, but it always helps to start with good intel on getting around, as I find that can make a big difference. We definitely don't mind walking, and are looking forward to travelling by metro...but with a 8 and 11 year old, Im trying to keep things efficient.
Are any of these "favourite places" specifics you can recommend?
Would love an update on this when you get back! My kids are 8/10 right now and I'm pushing hard for Tokyo as our next big trip, but my wife is uncertain.
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They closed the market in Tsukiji half a decade ago and moved it to Toyosu. The outer market is still there but is basically full out a tourist trap. It's a full of Chinese tourists now but you can get food there still I guess.
That would be in line with the last time i was there. I believe they still do the fish auction at the new one (toyosu)?
to add to the area of the city and getting around, Google maps is very good at using public transit when routing. I never used taxi's/cars once when there
That would be in line with the last time i was there. I believe they still do the fish auction at the new one (toyosu)?
to add to the area of the city and getting around, Google maps is very good at using public transit when routing. I never used taxi's/cars once when there
Yeah, that should still be there though not really my thing to haul my ass up that early.
And I think taxi's are pretty pricey too. Though with the currency exchange, things are looking up for the CDN to Yen even with the Bank of Japan defensive actions. Not as crazy as Americans living it up though with their dollar!
Thanks, really appreciate the insight. I'm just getting going on research, but it always helps to start with good intel on getting around, as I find that can make a big difference. We definitely don't mind walking, and are looking forward to travelling by metro...but with a 8 and 11 year old, Im trying to keep things efficient.
Are any of these "favourite places" specifics you can recommend?
I'd suggest staying near Ueno for efficiency and is the most cheapest way from the Airport without additional transfers. It's one of the main stations connecting the airport rail line to the "rest" of the metro/JR lines in Tokyo (right on the Yamanote line/Tokyo’s central loop line as mentioned).
Bonus is that there's museums nearby and the Zoo is next to the station. It's ~$5 CAD per adult admission (and they have pandas at that Zoo).
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