I had three choices – United out of Dulles, Southwest out of Baltimore, or US Airways out of National.

United was quickly crossed off the list, simply because I didn’t want to deal with the time or expense of getting to Dulles. In fact, I didn’t even check their fares.

So my decision was quickly narrowed between Southwest and US Airways. At first I was leaning towards Southwest, the carrier I’m most loyal to. They have plenty of nonstops from Baltimore to Providence, and plus I’ve never had a bad experience with them.

But in the end I went with US Airways – for a few reasons. First, they were only $5 more expensive than Southwest. I would save on airfare flying out of Baltimore, but those savings would have been quickly eaten up in the costs of getting to the airport. I was only carrying a bag onboard so Southwest’s generous luggage policy had no effect on my purchase decision. Most importantly, National is incredibly convenient for me because it has a Metro stop right across from the terminal.

So, with that background, let’s get to the trip report:

US Airways Flight 1724 (DCA-PVD)
Aircraft: Airbus A319, N716UW, New Colors
Seat: 15A
Pushback: 9:12 PM (3 minutes early)
Takeoff: 9:26 PM
Landing:  10:21 PM
Gate Arrival: 10:24 PM (8 minutes early)

I was only in the office for a couple of hours on Friday, so a friend and I decided to go spotting at Gravelly Point (highly recommended). Since I was getting off at the airport Metro stop anyway, I figured I’d head over to a US Airways kiosk and print out my boarding pass. I had checked-in online the night before, but didn’t have a chance to print my boarding pass.

US Airways encourages passengers to check-in online by offering boarding in Zone 3 – a decent perk considering it takes minimal effort. Naturally I was a bit surprised, then, when a Zone 5 boarding pass popped out of the kiosk. I figured that US Airways, like Southwest, would hold your boarding position after checking in online, but apparently not. I can’t say this is a huge complaint but I was a bit annoyed.

Anyway, I was back at the airport a few hours later to catch my flight. After traveling to and from Dulles earlier in the week, I really began to appreciate the convenience of National. Getting from my dorm room at Catholic University to my gate took only about 50 minutes, and that includes changing Metro lines midway. And naturally, getting to and from National is a lot cheaper than it is at Dulles.

Once I had cleared security (which was a breeze), I was on a mission: to have my first Five Guys burger. A bunch of my friends have highly recommended the place, and they were completely justified in doing so!

After my food excitement, I just hung out in the terminal, waiting for the flight to board. Since I was in the last boarding group, I was a bit concerned that there wouldn’t be any bin space left, but was happy to find some near my window seat (15A).

Once I had settled in, the flight crew began making their initial announcements. Oddly enough, at one point our flight was referred to as the “shuttle” to Providence. (If this is a sign that US is about to ramp up their PVD-DCA flights, I would be happy, of course. )

I was quite happy when our A319 pushed back early and taxiied to Runway 19 for takeoff. A left turn after departure offered some great views of DC, and later on in the flight I really enjoyed peering down at Philadelphia, and later on, New York all lit up.

Only soft drinks are complimentary on US Airways, with booze and snacks available for purchase. Considering the short length of the flight, I didn’t see any need in getting any food, so I just opted for a ginger ale. As soon as I put down my tray table I remembered that US Airways utilized onboard advertising.

Another new thing I noticed was an onboard menu – something that was added since I last flew on US Airways last july. On one hand, I thought there wasn’t much of a point to it since most of what’s in there can be found in the in-flight magazine already. But the menu does give the airline more flexibility in terms of showing off the items available for purchase, and my guess is that the advertising that’s sold in the menu recoups the cost.

As we crossed over Long Island we began our descent into Providence. Our 180-degree right turn to align with Runway 23 offered some great views of downcity, and soon we landed and pulled into gate 5 for an early arrival.

US Airways Express Flight 1724 (PVD-DCA) – Operated by Republic
Aircraft: Embraer 175, N115HQ, New Colors
Seat: 14A
Pushback: 5:00 PM (10 minutes early)
Takeoff: 5:14 PM
Landing:  6:15 PM
Gate Arrival: 6:21 PM (18 minutes early)

When I arrived at Providence, I was happy to find a nice relic from a years ago on a sign outside the terminal. I could barely see it, but thanks to my friend Nicole’s photoshopping skills, here it is:

Anyway…

Security at Providence was a breeze, as it usually is. Once I got to my gate, I noticed that the inbound flight was a bit delayed, so I worried if we might leave a bit late, but those fears were unfounded as boarding began ontime. Since I had access to a printer this time, I was able to board with Zone 3, and then walked down a jetway that has seen better days.

I was looking forward to riding in this E-Jet. First, I would be able to cross the E175 off the list of aircraft I have yet to fly. Second, I think theseaircraft are very comfortable, and debunk some of the rumors about how uncomfortable regional jets are.

My only complaint is the windows. From my seat (14A), the window wasn’t very well aligned, and I had to look backward most of the time. From my look around the cabin, it seemed that many seats weren’t well aligned with the window. Though that’s more of an issue with US Airways’ decision on cabin configuration than anything.

Anyway, we pushed back early, and began taxiing to Runway 5, only to turn around a few seconds later to head to Runway 23. Soon, we were off.

The flight was pretty basic – I spent most of my time looking out of the window, and there certainly were some good views of Manhattan to be had.

Service was very quick and I opted for a Coke. Both Republic flight attendants were incredibly polite.

I was a bit bummed as we began our descent because it appeared that we would not be flying the River Visual approach for Runway 19, which I think is one of the most interesting and enjoyable out there. But I soon realized that we would be landing on Runway 33 – another fun final descent. Not as interesting as River Visual, but it was interesting – the pilot is about parallel to 1/19 until about the threshold of that runway and then makes a quick turn. Fun!

After that it was a quick taxi to the gate, and we ended up pulling in a bit early.

Concluding Thoughts

I’ll be honest. After spending twelve hours on Virgin America last week it was a bit underwhelming to board a US Airways A319 devoid of IFE. But I can’t say that matters a whole lot on a short flight, though. US Airways has been focusing on a lot of the fundamentals lately – on-time performance, cabin appearance, etc. And both my flights had clean aircraft, good service, and arrived early. Can’t really complain about that!

After waiting in the club for a few minutes, Rhett Workman (head of Corporate Real Estate for Philadelphia and the international stations), who arranged everything, came to greet me. The first thing he did was get me listed on the earlier flight back to Providence with better seat availability, and then we headed into the executive offices, which actually used to be part of the US Airways Club.

A330 model in the offices.

Soon after we entered, Rhett was already introducing me to his co-workers, and needless to say I was a bit nervous to be meeting high-level executives. Hopefully I made a good impression! Afterwards, Rhett brought me to his office and after talking a bit, he gave me a copy of the PHL Master Plan and talked me through it, which I found really interesting.

Rhett then took me to meet the rest of his department, and he introduced me to Bruce Miller, Manager of Philadelphia Properties and Facilities, who was going to take me around a bit so I could learn more about his job. I really enjoyed this as I was able to see part of the terminal that most people never see, like the baggage system and the crew lounge.

Bruce was very kind to introduce me to an incredible amount of people along the way. I even met the domestic chief pilot!

Along the way, I talked with Ruben Arroyo, who is a Project Manager in the IT department, but is in the same office as Corporate Real Estate since the two departments are always working together. He came to US Airways from another industry, and I asked him what the transition was like. He said that a lot of the IT stuff is the same in every industry, but in the airline industry you see the results of your work fairly quickly, and it’s also different when a company like an airline is running 24/7.

After a great with Bruce and Ruben, it was time to head back to the office, but on the way I got this great view of the ramp.

Once I got back, Joan McAleer (she worked for US in many capacities over the years, and now works for the firm Burns & McDonnel but maintains an office at US Airways because of all the work they do) took me to the front of Terminal B where there was a meeting about improving the current curbside check-in system, and it was just cool to see all the attendees come to a solution very quickly.

I walked back to the office from the meeting with Ruben and Patrick Fallon, who is the Facilities Manager.  Fortunately, the security line at the terminal was very fast.  Then, Joan took me to Rhett’s office, and we were able to talk for awhile. I really enjoyed that because she has had many different positions in the airline industry.

Rhett came back from a meeting and then it was time for the most exciting part of the day – the tower tour! That was certainly something that I wasn’t expecting to do. Rhett first took me to meet Ken Levin, who is the ATC and Airfield Manger for PHL. Ken has one of the coolest offices I’ve ever seen. If I had this view, I would never get any work done!

Ken and I talked for awhile about operations at PHL and the various runway configurations they use, and the efficiency of each. I’m sure that if there was time, I could have talked to him for a few hours!

Next it was up to the tower. US Airways operates two of these at PHL to coordinate ramp operations. Take a look at that picture above (also taken from Ken’s office). Basically, when an aircraft gets onto that asphalt taxiway, the FAA tower is responsible for it. All of the concrete in front of that is taken care of by US Airways. I learned that a setup like this is traditional for most hub airports.

View from the tower – awesome!

After a great tour, I went to lunch with Rhett, Patrick, and Joe (also from Rhett’s team), and we had a nice discussion about things affecting the airline industry and US Airways.

Once lunch was over, it was time to head back. Rhett had to get to a meeting, so I thanked him for a great day and bid him farewell, and he was nice enough to let me wait in the US Airways Club until it was time to grab my flight.

What a great day! I can’t say I had specific expectation, but a tower tour was a total surprise. I would like to warmly thank Rhett and his co-workers for being so hospitable and giving up so much time of their busy day. This was an incredible experience, and I learned a great deal!

Today, I have my usual flight reviews, and later I’ll be sharing my experiences at the airport in another post.

This trip was an interesting experience for me, because it was my first time traveling on a buddy pass (thanks, Rhett!). The perk of such a trip, obviously, is the lower cost in fare, but it’s only on a space-available basis. I was listed on flights that looked pretty good – the 7:10 AM down and the 3:55 PM on the way back.

But, alas, thanks to the help of SeatCounter I noticed that the 7:10 had only one seat left for booking, so it was already overbooked. I decided it would be a smart move to be at the airport for the first flight out just in case, which ended up being the right move.

I walked into the terminal around 4:45 to find a relatively short check-in line at the US Airways counters with plenty of open kiosks. But, either everyone ahead of me needed extra assistance or didn’t know have to use them, and only went up when one of the agents became available. The kiosk for elites, however, was moving very fast. I could also tell why US Airways is now charging extra to check bags at the airport (Wednesday was the last day before that came into effect) as that seemed to be what was slowing most things down. I’m not the biggest fan of fees, but at least this one has the potential to make things move faster (and increase revenues).

Soon one of the agents started to get people to get to the open kiosks. When I told her I was on a buddy pass, she told me to try the kiosk myself, and let her know what happened. Unfortunately, it didn’t work, but she was able to help me very quickly. When I asked about my prospects, she told me that both flights were full, but while the 7:10 am flight had a few standbys, I would be the only one on the 5:50, so we both agreed that I should be listed on that flight and see what happened.

Security, as usual, was very quick. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my checkpoint friendly bag as it broke (and currently on its way to the manufacturer), so I brought the uber-stylish Bryant University laptop backpack, which I believe is going to be a very hot item for the Fall 2009 season.

I walked to gate 6 and arrived about ten minutes prior to the 5:20 boarding time (since I last took the first flight out, the departure time has been moved ten minutes earlier). Once an agent arrived at the gate I asked about my chances, and he told me to wait until everyone boarded, but a minute later he walked up to me and handed me a boarding pass. Nice!

I can’t say I was excited to be on a CRJ instead of a 319 (I’ll be happy when the first flight is upgraded to an E-190 later this summer), but it meant I was getting there. My seat was 3C, which I noticed would be the first time in many years I would be in an aisle instead of a window. It was also weird to using a “real” boarding pass instead of one printed online. I really do wonder how much money airlines save by encouraging people to print online, and now they’re getting ad revenue that way.

US Airways Express Flight #3655 (Operated by Air Wisconsin)
July 8, 2009
Depart Providence (PVD):  5:59 AM
Arrive Philadelphia (PHL):  6:58 AM
Duration:  0:59
Aircraft: Bombardier CRJ-200 (N423AW)
Seat: 3C

When I received my boarding pass, it was already a few minutes past boarding time, but it’s not like it takes that long to fill a CRJ anyway. The gate agents were quick to pass out tags for bags that would need to be gate checked, and then boarding got started. I noticed that unlike my last flight on US Airways, they said people who checked in online could board with Zone 3, which I believe is how it should be.

Heritage sticker.

I plopped down into my seat and it was a short wait for departure (we pushed back early). Our flight attendant was just hilarious, telling everyone not paying attention to the safety demonstration would be tested, and that if we had to evacuate, he didn’t want to hear all the people who didn’t pay attention complain! It was enough to earn him a round of applause.

We taxied over to runway 5. Behind me was a pilot taking his family down to Disney World, and I could hear him teaching his daughter a few things, like that since why runways are numbered, which I just found really cute. We took off and were in the clouds pretty quickly, and then passed through to see the morning sun (one of my favorite moments in flying).

The flight itself was pretty normal. (Yes, I do realize I’ve written over 700 words to explain what happened before I boarded.) The flight attendant did a drink service, and I just flipped through the inflight magazine. The FA also listed connecting flights, which was not done on my last flight three weeks prior.

Soon we began our descent and came in on runway 35, and if memory serves this was the first time I had landed on it. I later learned during the day that it makes good operational sense to have the CRJs land on that runway as it is a short taxi to
Terminal F.

We arrived at gate F33, and then I walked over to the bus stop to get to Terminals B/C. I was pretty excited for some nice ramp views during the ride, and I wasn’t disappointed.

I’ll really miss the old color scheme – I always found it to be very classy and elegant.

Since I landed right around 7 in the morning, I needed to spend some time waiting since I wasn’t supposed to meet Rhett until 8:30. I then headed to the food court since I hadn’t had breakfast yet. On the way, I got a nice shot of one of the few aircraft in Republic Airways colors.

After breakfast, I wanted to head to Terminal A-West. First, I think it’s the nicest terminal in the airport. Second, I forgot to get a picture of the Liberty Bell made out of Legos (one of my favorite toys “back in the day”).

I explored a bit more and then went up to the US Airways Club to meet with Rhett at 8:30. Interestingly, the corporate offices used to be part of the club, but were converted after 9/11. Rhett wasn’t around yet, but the agents at the desk were very nice and let me wait in the lounge. They also checked my flight back, and said it would be tight, but the 1:50 PM flight looked good.

And, I’ll fast forward to the end of my day…

Once our day was over, Rhett was very nice and said I could wait for my flight in the US Airways Club. Because we had such a full schedule, I only had about half hour to enjoy it, not that I’m complaining! I really don’t have a lot of experience in airport lounges so I can’t compare it to anything, but I was pleased. There’s a great view, and it’s obviously a step up from the terminal. Before I left, I made a point of eating some Biscoff cookies as Fish suggested. (They are indeed delicious!)

After my brief visit in the lounge, I walked down to gate C31. The agent there was really friendly, and was able to hand me a boarding pass for seat 8C right away. Great!

US Airways Flight #1842
July 8, 2009
Depart Philadelphia (PHL): 2:05 PM
Arrive Providence (PVD): 2:40 PM
Duration: 0:35
Aircraft: Embraer 190 (N968UW)
Seat: 8C

I was excited for this flight as it would be my first ride on the Embraer 190, and I was very impressed. It was pretty easy to see why the E-Jets often get high marks from travelers. The cabin was nice and spacious (especially compared to the CRJ I was on), and the leather seats were pretty comfortable.

Taken in flight.

We pushed back a couple of minutes early, and began our taxi to runway 27L. The captain came on to tell us that it would be a 10-15 minute wait to takeoff, but a minute later he addressed us again to let us know that the order had been reshuffled, and we taxied to the runway and took off. I’m pretty sure that was my fastest departure out of PHL ever!

One thing I noticed was the mesh curtain between coach and first. I have since found out that this is an industry standard, which I didn’t know (I guess that’s what happens after flying Southwest for awhile). For some reason, being able to look through made me think of a variation of a Pam Ann joke: “Look, economy! First class gets snacks – free snacks!”

Anyway, the flight attendants were prompt with their drink service, and after a very quick flight we were touching down on runway 5 and then pulled into gate 5, and it was time to go home, after a very exciting day.

Parked at gate 5 at PVD.

I was originally booked on a roundtrip ticket on Southwest, but I ended up having to cancel the first leg. In order to meet Gary Kelly, I needed to be at his hotel lobby by 9, and since the first Southwest flight arrived at 8:25, that wasn’t going to work. So, I booked the 6am US Airways Express flight. It was a bit pricey because I had to book it last week, but hey, it’s not every day that one gets the chance to meet a Fortune 500 CEO. 

So, I got up around 3:15, and a bit before 4 my dad and I set off to the airport. Funnily enough, he had a one-day trip was well, though he was headed to Chicago. 

Getting to the airport was really easy, the only issue was that the ticket machine for one of the parking garages was broken (of course, the garage that we had a coupon for). But, everything else went very quickly, first because I had no bags to check, and second, security had only a very short line. I was past security by quarter to five. Nice. 

Even though I had only flown out of PVD a couple of weeks ago, I still like walking the terminal. It was just great seeing the ramp as the sun was rising. One thing I found interesting is that Southwest was parking two of its RONs where American used to be. 

Anyway, you know you’re flying out of PVD when Dunkin’ Donuts has about 30 people waiting for it to open at 5, and I was one of them since I didn’t eat at home. I really can’t wait for the second Dunkin’ to open. 

I didn’t have much more time to explore as boarding time for my flight was 5:30. 

US Airways Express Flight #3655 (Operated by Air Wisconsin)
June 15, 2009
Depart Providence (PVD):  6:03 AM
Arrive Philadelphia (PHL):  7:00 AM
Duration:  0:57
Aircraft: Bombardier CRJ-200 (N401AW)
Seat: 11F 

Ah…PVD-PHL. How I remember flying this route on a 757. Times have changed. Now I’m just excited that the first flight is getting upgraded from a CRJ to an E-190. 

But wow – I had to think the last time I was on a regional jet, and it was back in 1998 on a Fokker 28 between YYZ and BOS. Memories.

Boarding began promptly around 5:30. As one might expect, it went pretty quickly considering it was a CRJ. I have to say, I didn’t find the aircraft as cramped as I expected. If I was an inch taller I’d have to crouch walking down the aisle, though. Luckily, the seat next to me was empty, so I was able to put my bag in front of that seat, allowing me to stretch out. The legroom wasn’t too shabby at all, I think.

View from my seat.

The legroom was good! I even felt comfortable in the CRJ. Yes. I said it. Maybe it’s much worse on longer flights, but it was fine for this.

I will say, though, that this particular aircraft looked really tired inside, and needed some work done. The flight attendant was only able to do a limited beverage service because the coffee maker was broken.

(Taken during the flight.)

We pushed back a few minutes before our scheduled departure time of six. Since runway 5 was the active that enabled us to be first in line for takeoff. I have to say that this takeoff was just beautiful. It was overcast, but the clouds were very low so soon after takeoff we broke through them and the sun is shining. Personally, this is one of my most favorite moments in flying.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Other than that, the flight was pretty normal. The flight attendant did the aforementioned drink service, and I finalized my questions for Gary. 

Soon we began our descent…

…and landed on runway 9R. I was hoping to land on the 27 end because it has a nice view of the terminal…but oh well. Then we taxied over to Terminal F, which is solely meant for regional flights. We parked at the gate around 7:05, which was a wee bit early.

Click here to view the embedded video.

After deplaning, I headed to the Terminal E SEPTA station, as Terminal F doesn’t have one. The train just makes a lot of sense. There are trains leaving every 30 minutes, and the ride downtown only takes about a half hour. My roundtrip ticket cost only $14. The train was also very convenient for me as Market East Station is connected to the convention center.

The train arrived a bit after eight, and I wasn’t meeting Gary until 9 so I headed into the convention center to pick up my badge, and then walked to the Marriott lobby where I was going to interview Gary. (I’ll have the interview soon.) 

Then, I walked the show floor a bit, and eventually headed up to the ballroom to see Gary’s speech (once again, more on that later). I was able to meet up with the director of my airport (PVD) before the speech, and it was great to see him again. He’s really done a fantastic job since he’s come here. For example, he’s made great progress on the runway expansion.

Anyway, after the speech I met up with fellow aviation blogger Jonathan Heckman (who works in the city) and we went to lunch in Reading Terminal Market, and I got this delicious pastrami sandwich.

Yum!

With Jon. 

Later, I walked the show floor a bit more, and then it was time for a session on airline-airport relationships, which was very interesting to say the least. I was shocked by a couple of things said by the representative from United, but I’ll leave that for another day.

By then it was time to snag a train, which was very easy.

I got to PHL pretty quick and I was really impressed when I walked in. PHL’s recently opened the D/E connector, which is great. Before, E was kind of exiled (one would have to go through security again), which is annoying for Southwest considering it operates out of both terminals. The new security checkpoint is excellent, and there’s some nice new retail as well. Terminal E is currently being expanded as well, but I don’t know who’s going to be using that extra space. (Might Southwest just move everything to E? I’ll have to ask.)

You can see the new connector in the background.

Terminal E expansion.

Anyway, I saw that college students are supposed to get free Wi-Fi. Awesome! Too bad AT&T didn’t send enough coupons. So, I decided to walk the airport. I went from E all the way to A-West, though I only explored terminals D & A-West. The latter is very nicely put together. 

Unfortunately, during said walk, the weather deteriorated. When I saw that all the displays above the US Airways gates on the ramp said “ramp closed,” and saw lightning, I figured things were taking a bad turn. Hooray, ground stop!

I had burned enough time so I walked back towards my gate, but bumped into someone from Southwest who I met earlier during the conference, and we had a really great chat. Unfortunately, I had to head to my gate so we couldn’t talk too long. 

Southwest Airlines Flight #629
June 15, 2009
Depart Philadelphia (PHL): 9:16 PM
Arrive Providence (PVD):  9:54 PM
Duration: 0:38
Aircraft: Boeing 737-700 (N785SW)
Seat: 17F

The gate agent kept us informed about the arrival of our flight, and had us line up early. When that 737 came in, Southwest moved fast. Based on my photo timestamps, the plane pulled into the gate around 7:55 (our original departure time), and we were pushed back and taxiing around 8:15. Impressive.

Unfortunately, there was a line for takeoff, and we waited about 40 minutes. At least I had someone nice to talk to. We started chatting while waiting to board, and scored a row with an empty middle in “secret first class.” At one point he actually lived about 5 minutes from where I live today. Small world!

Eventually, we were off.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The flight itself was pretty uneventful. My seatmate ordered some wine and the flight attendant didn’t charge, so I’m assuming they were comping drinks due to the delay, which is a nice gesture. 

Soon enough we were on approach to runway 5, and we landed around 9:54. Considering our scheduled arrival was 9:25, that isn’t too bad.

Click here to view the embedded video.

After that, I waited for my dad’s flight from Midway to arrive, and we headed home. Luckily, the parking garage accepted the coupon for a free day that was for the garage with the broken machine. Woo! 

Overall, a great day. I’ll have more posts about the conference itself soon.

For some reason or another I woke up a bit before four in the morning. Before going back to bed, I went out onto the balcony and could see the glow of the Miami coastline, which was just beautiful. Sadly, none of my photos came out too well.

Anyway, I got up a bit after six to finish up some packing and get my final meal onboard, which is always sad. After that, it was back to the cabin again, and then to the priority departure lounge that I talked about earlier. The lounge closed down at 8, but our luggage tag color was called right before then, so then it was time to make that sad walk down the gangway.

The luggage situation in the terminal wasn’t the best. Basically, when we got to the carosel it was filled with bags from color groups called before us, so those working didn’t exactly have much space to put new bags down onto the belt. So, it took roughly 40 minutes to collect all of our luggage. Then, it was time for a painless customs check that took only a few seconds, and then we waited for the car service.

The car arrived right on time despite part of 95 being closed down. Unfortunately, this really slowed down our ride back to Fort Lauderdale, but we had plenty of time to get to our flight on time. The driver was really great though.

We walked into the terminal a few minutes after 10 to find this long line for check-in, but it moved pretty quickly. After looking at the luggage tags, it looks like that there were plenty of cruise passengers from Miami, and I believe Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas was in Fort Lauderdale.

Allegiant’s way of saving money? (Used in lieu of traditional signage behind the check-in desk.)

Soon enough it was time for security, which went pretty well except that I was told to remove my laptop from my bag despite it saying “checkpoint friendly” in big letters on it. After I went through, one TSA agent asked me why I took my laptop out. Grrr. I know it’s not a huge issue, but it just annoys me as in this case people are buying something extra to get through security faster. Anyway…

We were in the terminal a bit after 11, which provided plenty of time to wait and walk around. Unfortunately, the terminal that Southwest uses (T1B) really isn’t the best.  There are some food places and a couple of shops right after security, but other than that it’s pretty much a big rectangle full of seats. At least it provided some nice views of departing traffic.

Another nice perk is that FLL has free Wi-Fi, and that was complimented nicely by the abundance of power outlets that Southwest provides in its new boarding areas. Sadly, one charging table wasn’t working, but after I told the gate agent someone was there to fix it very quickly.

Eventually it was time to board, and I was very happy the gate agents stressed staying in order.

Southwest Flight #2178
May 30, 2009
Depart Ft. Lauderdale (FLL): 2:31 PM
Arrive Orlando (MCO): 3:12 PM
Duration:  0:41
Aircraft: Boeing 737-700
Seat: 15F

We ended up choosing this flight because the timing of the nonstops weren’t the best, so this one-stop through Orlando made sense.

Boarding went well, and since I was the first regular passenger I was able to talk with some A-List members. Those who were aware of it love the priority security loved it, and other really appreciated the priority check-in at PHX (it’s currently in testing). So, hopefully the program is working for Southwest.

I plopped down in 15F, the flight attendants took drink orders, and we pushed back right on time at 1:40. Sadly, we had to wait 50 minutes to take off. But, at least I saw some interesting things, like the US Airways PSA livery and I think the only Saab 340 painted in the new Northwest colors.

Eventually we took off.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Sadly, the ride was pretty bumpty, so the flight attendants weren’t able to give out drinks and snacks. Oh well. Soon enough we were arrived in Orlando. We could have moved around to a new seat, but since the exit row was taken we stayed put.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Southwest Flight #2178
May 30, 2009
Depart Orlando (MCO): 3:49 PM
Arrive Providence (PVD): 6:03 PM
Duration:  2:14
Aircraft: Boeing 737-700
Seat: 15F

Boarding started pretty quickly, and sadly, an annoying kid who liked kicking the seat was behind me. Oh well. We took off at 3:49, which was pretty impressive considering we had parked at the gate only about a half hour ago.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The flight was pretty much your basic Southwest flight. Soon after departure, snacks were given out.

Soon enough, we were getting near Rhode Island.

I believe that this is the elusive “Mystery Farm.”

In the end, we landed at 6:03, and parked a few minutes later, so we had arrived on time. Nice.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I just want to point out one more improvement at PVD – the new ramps! Before, you had to walk back to the security checkpoint and then go down to the baggage claim, now there are ramps that take passengers directly there, which is nice.

And then…it was time for the post-cruise depression to set in.

St. Maarten

I’ve already blogged about my visit to Maho Beach here. As plane geeks know, there really isn’t anything more important than visiting Maho.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

I was happy to be visiting San Juan again because last year it poured and was basically a waisted stop. Unfortunately, the ship was only in port for six hours, from 8 to 2. In addition, many places aren’t open that early. Anyway, I really enjoyed just walking around the city a bit and then doing some shopping.

One cool thing about San Juan is that the ship docks right near Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport. Here’s a picture I took as we were leaving.

Labadee, Haiti

This is Royal Caribbean’s private destination on Haiti, which I just find beautiful. This was my third time there, and the past two times have just been beach days, and I was happy to be doing an actual excursion. My dad and I ended up doing the kayaking tour. We actually did alright because it is aimed toward beginners. But it was very nice to paddle around to some areas that you can walk over to, and the tour guide was really informative. The only annoying thing is that your last stop is a beautiful secluded beach. Unfortunately, there are some very overbearing vendors.

The only other negative of this day was that tendering was very slow. I almost missed my excursion. Luckily, a dock is under construction and will be open later this year.

Cafe Promenade

This location is perfect for a quick snack or meal. As the name implies, it is located on the Royal Promenade, and I think it just adds to Royal Caribbean’s goal of trying to make the promenade feel like a main street. Anyway, coffee and tea are free here, specialty coffee beverages will cost you extra. There’s a very generous selection of breakfast pastries in the morning, and small sandwiches and pastry later in the day. My favorite was the double chocolate peanut butter brownie.

Sorrento’s

A relatively new addition to the Royal Caribbean lineup, Sorrento’s is the line’s concept for a pizza place. Before, Cafe Promenade would serve pizza, and to tell you the truth, I’m glad there is now a dedicated pizza place. I really do think it tastes better. The restaurant offers a few styles of pizza, along with other Italian items like fried eggplant. Desserts and paninis are available as well.

Winjammer Cafe

This is the ship’s large buffet, and I mainly ate here at breakfast. There’s a great selection of food available, and I also really enjoy the omelet station. I tend avoid this spot for lunch, simply because it can become pretty crowded. A casual dinner is also available here, though I’ve only done that once on another ship because I like the main dining room so much. You can’t go wrong in the Windjammer though.

Chops Grille

This is one of Royal Caribbean’s specialty restaurants on the Liberty (the other is Portofino, an Italian place), and for the first time we gave it a try. The cover is $25, but it’s all you can eat after that, and obviously wine and such is extra. I went with the filet mignon and was very happy with it. Overall, I was pretty pleased with Chops. At $25, it is cheaper than steakhouses on land, but then again, the food in the main dining room is delicious. The steak was very good, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve had better at steakhouses on land. And while the service at Chops to be great, the waiters and waitresses I’ve had on land have been more knowledgeable about the food.

Room Service

We went with room service on the day we were in San Juan. The ship pulled in at 8 and left at 2, so we figured why not get a quick breakfast in the room and then get off the ship right away. Unfortunately, the food was late, wrong, and cold. Oh well. It was disappointing, considering all my other experiences with room service have been very positive.

Main Dining Room

My Time Dining

We decided to try Royal’s new dining option. In the past, there was only main and late seating in the dining room, at 6:00 and 8:30. Now, My Time Dining allows guests to walk in whenever, though you can make a reservation. It wasn’t too organized at first. We asked for a window, but were escorted to one with a view of the porthole, so we moved to a table with a few of the dining rooms below. We were given the same window table the next day. But, all of a sudden, the day after that, our head waiter noticed the person in front wasn’t doing the best job, and made sure we got a nice railing table.

I also noticed that compared to past sailings, the meal moved along much faster with My Time Dining. Overall, I’m mixed on the whole thing. One thing to consider is that the shows are still based on main and late seating, so you’re kind of locked into that schedule if you want to go to those. A nice aspect is that you can make reservations with other people who are doing My Time Dining, so one night we dined with a couple from our CruiseCritic group. This can be nice, because with regular seating, if you have tablemates, it can be hit or miss.

Service

I’ve never received bad service on Royal before, but these guys  were just a cut above the rest. Kamen, our head waiter was great. In the past, I once had a head waiter that was basically invisible until it was time to pick up his tip. But Kamen came by every night to make sure everything was going well.

Out waiters, Amar and Suresh, were also just fantastic. They were constantly coming by to make sure we had what we needed, and their suggestions were always spot-on. They definitely went the extra mile here. They quickly remembered I always have a Coke with dinner, so they had one waiting, and also remembered what kind of tea I like. Meanwhile, when I ordered the molten chocolate cake they also brought along ice cream without asking because they thought I would like it. Things like this are what make service excpetional to me.

One thing that surprised me is that the executive sous chef was coming around asking for feedback. Never seen that before, but it was appreciated.

Food

The food was absolutely delicious, and there’s not one meal I didn’t like. If I had to choose one favorite, it was probably the roast duck.

One thing I like about cruising is that since all the food is included, it’s very easy to try new things. So, for example, I tried escargot for the first time, and I loved it!

Anyway, only a couple of parts left, I promise.

The Meet & Mingle went incredibly well! It was so great to finally meet all of the people that I had been chatting with for months online. Royal always puts out a nice spread, and usually raffles off some logo items. Many of us participated in a gift exchange where items from our hometowns were raffled off, and that was pretty cool.

Meanwhile, BoardingArea history was made at this event, as fellow blogger Marshall Jackson and I were able to meet in person!

Generations will remember this historical moment for years to come.

After the Meet & Mingle it was time for the “Cabin Crawl,” where members of our group signed up to take a look at the various types of cabins onboard. The highlight of this was probably the Owner’s Suite. There was a very nice couple in our group that has cruised over 80 times, and they booked  a balcony stateroom, but were upgraded. Apparently, Royal treats its super-loyal customers very well.

Overall, a great day. Really, CruiseCritic rocks. It’s great to get on the ship and already know people!

One reason (of many) that I was excited for this cruise was that it would be my first as a platinum member, as it would add a few new perks for me. I believe it qualifies for priority check-in, but I got that because I was in a suite anyway. It also provides robes, but this is, once again, also a junior suite perk.

The first benefit is the coupon book for each member, but I was kind of disappointed, as they didn’t seem that much better than theose I had received as a gold member. I was also disappointed to see that the coupon for a free meal at Johnny Rockets (there’s usually a small cover charge that is a bit annoying, but does do a great job of controlling crowds) had been replaced for a 2 for 1 milkshake coupon. The only coupons I used were 10% off a logo item and $7.50 of free internet service (which isn’t too much at $0.55/minute).

On Sunday, we received an invitation for the Welcome Back Party for all members on Monday evening, which went pretty well.

There was a nice selection of appetizers, and the band was pretty good. My parents and I found a couple from our CruiseCritic group and sat with him. Unlike last time on the Liberty, the captain actually came and spoke for a bit. Finally, one of the loyalty ambassadors spoke to us as well. She gave a brief overview of the upcoming Oasis of the Seas, and then pitched the Royal Caribbean Visa card.

On Wednesday, another reception on Thursday night, though this was only for members who were platinum and above.

On Wednesday evening, the free gifts were distributed, and this time it was tote bags.

Anyway, Thursday was the other reception, which wasn’t a whole lot different than the other one. Once again, we sat with CruiseCritic friends.

Mmmm.

One of the loyalty ambassadors and the cruise director recognized a few of the most seasoned cruisers onboard, especially one who has cruised with Royal nearly 200 times, and has been on over half of the Liberty’s sailings (the ship is a little over two years old).

Cruise director with the most frequent cruiser onboard.

There were a few competing theories about how this guy is able to cruise so much, but the most plausible one that I’ve heard is that he owns a chain of dive shops in the Caribbean, and cruising is an easy way to go visit them.

Another perk was the private departure lounge on the last day, which was very nice. Unfortunately, the invitation that we received was just confusing.

The first confusing part of the letter was that we had access to “priority departure,” which would allows us to get off right after those who selected express departure (passengers who are the first off and carry all their luggage with them). But this doesn’t make sense, because who would want to get off right after them? Everyone’s luggage is given a colored tag that is delivered at an assigned time, and the letter didn’t mention any special marking for “priority.” So, all this perk would do is give one more time to wait for his or her luggage in the terminal, apparently, which is, well, kind of pointless.

Then the letter says that we should just go to one of the regular lounges if we don’t want to take advantage of the benefit. Which benefit are we talking about here? The lounge or departure? Confusing. Also, why the heck does the lounge have to close early at 8? They did kick people out at that time (luckily, my color was just called), but it’s not like there was another event coming. Whatever. At least there was food in there, which I don’t think the regular lounges have.

There is definitely a noticeable size difference, as the Grand is about 70 square feet bigger than the Junior. This extra space did make a very nice layout. My sofa bed and my parents’ bed were facing each other with a curtain going accross the room. This worked out great. My parents could draw the curtain when they wanted to sleep, and I could walk in later at night and not disturb them as much, especially because the bathroom was on my side. In the junior, the two beds are parallel and the curtain doesn’t go out that far.

Junior:

Grand:

As you can see, the GS does have a very different style of furniture. The furniture in the JS is very similar to that in any other cabin.

Interestingly, the balcony for the Junior (101 square feet) is bigger than the one on the Grand (89 square feet). The balcony in the JS isn’t as wide as the one in the GS (just because the cabin is narrower), but apparently it is a bit deeper.

The bathroom in the GS, with its two sinks and Viking mosaic (I’ve had the same face stare at me on the Mariner, Navigator, and Liberty – I do hope I have a picture somewhere in my backups) is very spacious, but the one in the JS is nice as well. The one in the latter is noticeably smaller, but it still has a tub.

Junior:

Grand:

In the storage department, the JS wins by a wide margin. As you can see, the cabin comes with a great walk-in closet.

Meanwhile, you can see the closet space behind the bar in the GS in this photo:

Don’t get me wrong, the GS had plenty of storage space, I just greatly preferred having a walk-in closet with shelves. It was also large enough to double as a changing room.

Many of the differences between the two cabins have a lot more to do than the physical rooms. GS and above receive very nice perks, such as access to the concierge lounge (and the concierge can be much more helpful and powerful than guest relations at some points), reserved seating at shows, and priority tendering.

Both of these cabins are quite nice, but obviously I do like the GS better due to a nicer layout and access to suite perks. The only major perk for the JS is the walk-in closet. The most important factor, however, is price. On this last cruise, I think the difference between the GS and JS was over $2,000, which I think is a bit pricey. But I have seen other itineraries when its a lot less, and in that case I would go for the nicer suite.