[therooster]

I flew UC with my 4 month old (outbound 4 month & 6 month Inbound) to Orlando.
He got a lot of attention from the crew and you could see the passengers faces drop a little when we got on but he slept all the way both legs of the flight.

When we got off another customer actually commented how well behaved he was. Would I do it again?

Yes but as he could sit on our knee and go in his bassinet it was very easy to do. A 2 year old would be harder as they have to be in there own seat for take off and landing but this will only be 30 minutes- 1 hour & then they can sit on your seat with you

[therooster]

An update on the Aviation ADR claim TUI defended it stating that they did cancel both flights within 14 days of departure but we were not entitled to compensation for both (only for the outbound) as it was a holiday.

Aviation ADR took around 100 days to deliberate but have now confirmed that we are entitled to compensation for both flights and TUI need to pay the full compensation within 30 days it took 18 months but it shows that when you know your rights it is worth to hold out and keep pushing!

[therooster]

This is the email from TUI

Dear

Thank you for taking the time to get in touch with us regarding your flight delay.

Unfortunately, we are unable to locate flight TOM2777 on 13/06/2022 between TFS and MAN.

We may be unable to locate your flight in our system for a number of reasons.

Please ensure you have checked the following information:

• Your flight number / route / date must match your booking confirmation.

• Our flights can take up to 48 hours (from when the aircraft arrives at its destination) to be available in the system. If the above details are correct, please resubmit your claim form once this period has passed.

• You should claim for the correct part of your journey – if you are delayed on your return flight, you must enter the flight details of the return journey.

• If your flight was diverted, please ensure your original scheduled route is included on your claim form.

• We only hold details of any flights that are delayed by more than 3 hours (as per the Air Passenger Rights Rules). If your flight was not delayed in excess of 3 hours upon arrival, we will be unable to locate the flight in our system. As per the Air Passenger Rights Rules, a flight must be delayed by more than 3 hours due to non-extraordinary reasons for compensation to be paid.

• Please also ensure that your flight was operated by TUI. You can check this by looking at the flight number on your booking confirmation. If it begins with “TOM” or “BY” it was operated by TUI. To claim compensation under this legislation, you must claim through the airline that operated the flight, even if your holiday was booked through TUI.

Please note if your flight was cancelled and did not depart, then you should have received contact from us around next steps. Claims regarding cancelled flights are not handled through this system and will not be recognised.

For further information regarding the Air Passenger Rights Rules and your eligibility, please visit our website for more information here.

Once again, thank you again for contacting us.

[therooster]

Richie wrote:

Was the flight TOM2777 cancelled by TUI Airways or was your booking on a TFS-MAN flight cancelled by the tour operator TUI UK?

If TUI Airways, the operating air carrier, cancelled the flight, do you have an e mail from TUI Airways refusing UK261 compensation?

The holiday was cancelled but both flights were also cancelled. This was due to the disruption TUI had at Manchester.

I do have an email of tui refusing EU261 as they couldn’t find the flight despite providing evidence of this they were not willing to respond to emails hence why I sent to Aviation ADR

[therooster]

meta wrote:

You need to be certain of the date they were cancelled…

The email from TUI cancelling the flights arrived into my inbox on the
01 June 2022 at 02:21

[therooster]

Richie wrote:

Did TUI Airways pay compensation for the MAN-TFS flight cancellation?

How many days notice did you get that the TFS-MAN flight would be cancelled?

They did pay out for the Manchester to Tenerife flight with no issue.
Both flights were cancelled with less then 14 days notice if I remember correctly it was 10 says

[therooster]

I just got an email from Amex stating this as well (they will no longer book restaurants not on the offer)

[therooster]

I went to Sri Lank in April 2022 and had an absolutely fantastic time. One of the most beautiful places I have ever been too (Including the Maldives!)

If you want some recommendation let me know

[therooster]

Alex wrote:

therooster wrote:

Does anyone know if withdrawing cash via curve (linked to Virgin CC) will cause a fee?

For me no fee

Thanks Alex, will give it a shot later today

[therooster]

Does anyone know if withdrawing cash via curve (linked to Virgin CC) will cause a fee?

[therooster]

On this I spoke with both VS & Hawaiian Airlines and they couldn’t let me know if there was a fare code to look for!

[therooster]

flyer68 wrote:

I’m sure you’ll have a blast either way. Not that I would fully trust Tripadvisor, but the SS is number one on traveller rankings for Maldives, and the IC is number 61. That would probably indicate some level of difference. Our experience at the SS over Christmas just gone was easily the best we have had at any hotel in the Maldives or elsewhere. The Points Guy has done reviews of both properties over recent months.

Could that have something to do with how new the IC is? It has 5* on Trip, it would be interesting to know the algorithms!

[therooster]

pbcold wrote:

Thank you therooster….what is the lighthouse?

It is one of the restaurants there, it has a very European vibe which is something in the Maldives!

[therooster]

You will have a great time pbcold!
Enjoy and make sure you enjoy the lighthouse

[therooster]

squawk7700 wrote:

Many thanks for the reviews so far – looks like I’ve got a difficult choice to make!

If the IC automatically comes with “Club” benefits, is there really any benefit in me paying to become Ambassador for $200? I’m already Spire. As far as I can tell it would likely be an upgrade to a sunset view villa – but otherwise the villa is the same?

If anyone is lucky enough to have been to both then I would be very glad to hear of any opinions as to which they preferred!

Everyroom gets club benefit regardless of if you paid cash, points or status.
You do get free soft drinks in your mini bar which is topped up. You also get a personal experience with the GM & Resort Manager they show you around the island (this might be for some normal guests but out of 6 who came on our boat we were the only people)

You do get the upgrade, if you are going to stay at more IC that year I would recommend AMB. You also get buy one get one free for a night (cash only)

[therooster]

No the prices for seaplane are fixed on reward nights at the IC, although I did find that they didn’t mind the weight being over a couple of KG.
There is free snorkeling, kayaking, paddle board & pedalo everyday at the IC.

The food menu can be found here – https://maldives.intercontinental.com/restaurantsandbars

We found the prices to be okay, it was around $100 for 2 adults main courses & a shared desert. You get water with the meal and bread (which was amazing)

We had a very special meal onto of the lighthouse roof on Christmas day as a surprise from the hotel it was honestly amazing! We only had to pay for the main course (we had A8 Wagu) but it was a memory that’s for sure

[therooster]

I stayed at the IC Maldives and had an amazing time.
It is a club hotel, we stayed on points (Amb) we got a room upgrade to sunset Overwater villa.

The evening drinks was 5-7 and they would make practically anything you asked for, we also found that if you became friendly with the staff & built a rapport they would really go out of the way (free drinks, special meals etc)

If you have any specific questions let me know, we were there for 11 nights over Christmas

[therooster]

VerdantBacon wrote:

Tossing up between IC and WA in Maldives, would be really great to hear a first hand review, especially with anything Spire gets as extra.

Enjoy your trip!

Sure! I’ll do a full trip report when I get back.
The General manager personally welcomed me as a spire ambassador and has come over a number of times to check if everything is okay so they do recognise status (I also got a room upgrade) but will detail all in the trip review

[therooster]

Mirp wrote:

How was flight? Which airline did you fly with? How was transfer to resort?

Enjoy your honeymoon!

Thank you! We flew Emirates first from LHR to DXB flight was fantastic having a shower on a flight is very surreal!