Well, some of the bungalows are nice but they are quite small and have tiny bathrooms. So worth the upgrade in my opinion

It’s about 30-50% bigger, with an extra sitting area and couch and a large bathroom.

@@randyschartner Thank you!

@@clearedfortravel would you consider joining Plannin?

@@randyschartner no

I believe it was about 30k rt when they first introduced it on the first plane and when I made this video. Haven’t kept track of pricing since.

Yes, wow.

Yes even better in real life

@@user-xr7dk6fp4g It depends on the package you book. I booked an inclusive package called Discover Serengeti which included safari drives. I highly recommend it. And yes i think horizon means second floor and savannah means first floor. The second floor is a little bit nicer but not much.

@@clearedfortravel thank you for answering! How did the all inclusive meals and drinks work? Was there a specific time you get your meals? A specific dining area? Can you take your food up to your room if you please?

@@user-xr7dk6fp4gyes there are three included restaurants and they do have opening hours. I don’t think room service was included but it had a surcharge

@@clearedfortravel thank you! My last question, I promise! But how did you get your luggage to the hotel? From what I’ve read you can’t take luggage on the small shuttle planes . I was thinking of taking a travel backpack but it makes me nervous as I’m used to traveling with at least one large luggage.

@@user-xr7dk6fp4g you’ll need to book flights separately through an airline like precision air. So check their baggage policy. They absolutely allow bags including large checked bags - they just go under the plane as there is no space for larger carryons in the small cabin

I hope you can visit it someday.

My absolute favorite villa is number 6. So probably don’t book that one because I don’t want the competition!

@@clearedfortravel 1 is also similar to 6. They are both called legacy villas.

@@FlyandStay-524 yes, the a350-1000

@@lizhall7143 of course! And in this video, I’m referring to Marriott Bonvoy platinum status. It’s not super hard to earn if you don’t have it - for example, one of the amex marriott credit cards gives platinum status just for having the credit card.

@@ericmatteson8888 hahaha ok good to know

@@clearedfortravel Not trying to mean or snotty. I had to think for a while about what it reminded me of. Check out the Michael Myers theme from Halloween (also here on KZbin)

@@DavidVillanueva-m7e Honestly it is such a unique gem. One of my favorites - hidden right in the middle of an iconic beach.

Not really. At least when I visited in June. I’ve heard it’s better other times of year when there’s less sea grass.

@@liyaah85 Yes, basically all major animals nearby except Rhino. Overall the safari was great. Next time I’d consider booking through a tour where I could spend a bit more time in different areas across serengeti to see different animals without having to do big drives each day. The disadvantage of using four seasons as home base the whole time was that it required some longer round trip drives to reach areas with lots of cheetahs, the great migration, and rhinos.

@@ChristopherWalkenPUA Yeah… one trick is you can buy enough hilton points for a lot less when they’re on sale, if you see availability of standard rooms. That can bring the cost down closer to $500/nt.

@@VlumVon hey thanks so much! That’s great feedback, I won’t use that one in the future.

Very nice and new. But no ocean views.

For what it’s worth Platte is wide open on points currently. You just have to make sure you’re searching for 2 nights minimum to see the availability. I think they’re changing their tune on points and trying to boost occupancy more.

Yes there are many palm spiders around the island and you may run into their webs along the paths between villas. They are about the size of a human hand - very large.

Ok

Actually that is the price they were charging at the time of the inaugural flight which is when I booked my video. Prices have dropped a bit since that time.

Yeah it’s extremely pricey. Personally, i thought the product and service was just as good as Emirates. And so convenient to have a direct flight if you’re heading to Japan.

It’s a subjective opinion but several top blogs like One Mile At a Time say this is tied with Emirates for 1. Singapore is great though

Yes it’s now on the DFW route as well as JFK. Enjoy!

@@clearedfortravel Thanks waiting for the Chicago to Tokyo route to open up

It’s bookable on their website.

@@clearedfortravel I don't see any Penthouses on their website.

@@RGC217 oh this suite was on the penthouse floor but the suite is called something different. You should be able to find it when you look at the photos.

@@clearedfortravel oh ok. I’ll take a close look. Thanks a lot!!

@@clearedfortravel Parlor Suite

Ya they are really cool. Thanks!

I hear ya!

Ya the cabin was kind of dusty. But also looked worse at that moment because of the angle of the sun.

Well good thing is probably no one sat in that seat for a really long time. So no need to sanitize just wipe down. Wish they still should dust once in a while. Love your videos.

@@lanaigirl Hey thanks so much! That means a lot.

Interesting comment.

Lol what’s wrong with 1a?

@@clearedfortravel I would enjoy seeing different perspectives of the cabin, but no reviewers seem to be willing to show it to us.

I see. I show what 1d looks like too later in the video. They set it up as a bedroom for me as it was empty.

@@clearedfortravel Can you explain why you ALWAYS sit in 1A?

@@jamesmoninger1982 Sure. I prefer the window seat, it’s extremely private, you get first choice of meal & fastest service. And on JAL it opens up to another empty suite so it’s easy to use the next door suite for bedroom if unoccupied.

Yeah this bathroom is nowhere near a380 bathrooms. But similar to emirates 777 bathroom.

They do serve it, it’s toward the end of the video. I don’t know why but it wasn’t served as part of the main meal, it was part of the on demand menu.

Ya 70k Alaska miles for this flight was an incredible redemption. Now eliminated as Alaska has devalued their program this month. ANA first is still pretty achievable using virgin Atlantic miles for about 70k miles. It’s not quite as amazing as JAL but still a great deal. You can find ANA award availability on United, then call virgin Atlantic to book with miles. Several banks transfer to VA like chase.

I’m putting together a full video showing how to book these top 6 first class redemptions with moles, so subscribe/get notified to see when it drops.

@@clearedfortravel Thx for the advice. I’ve flown ANA’s older product via VS miles. Can’t wait to try either The Room or The Suite next! Just subscribed.

@@marcusyoung5440 I flew the room back to US (video posted). It was great! Obviously not as fancy as this but it’s not fair to compare business vs. first.

I agree about the cash price but it was definitely worth the points. 70k miles is what most people pay for a domestic rt economy flight these days so to use them for an international first class flight to Japan is quite a value.

Just mind your own business if you can’t afford! The channel is about extreme way to travel.

@@richardborromeo8612 oh be quiet. I am allowed to comment!

The richer you are, you knock off a zero at the end. So those who pay for those seats sees $30,000 as $300. That’s how it works

How do you think it compares with others?

The prices have fluctuated over time. Currently I’m mostly seeing 18-21k in the next few weeks.

Yes although sometimes it’s nice to have privacy too especially if you need to sleep on the plane. And this suite has extra seat belts in case you’d like friends to come have dinner together.

Dont worry you can still buy a regular economy ticket and sit very close to strangers, even in between them if you get the right seat

Lol

Yes the a350-1000 is pretty great. And Japan airlines is getting more over the course of the year.

Of course!

Yeah it’s hard to imagine any flight being worth $30K. But this was a great deal with 70K Alaska miles. That’s a value of 43 cents of value per mile when most flight redemptions are about 1-2 cents per mile. Unfortunately Alaska seems to have lost availability to book JAL first in recent months but it’s still possible to book with JAL miles.

cool.

Yeah the headrest speakers were a gimmick… they don’t cancel noise from the engines and the sound disappears as soon as you lean forward. I guess they were looking for something innovative but this was a solution in search of a problem.

Interesting thanks for the tip