Welcome to the next installment of my trip report series, detailing a journey that I’ve just concluded, which will feature assessments of flights, hotels, and even a cruise. There’s quite a bit to delve into, including reviews of business class on Lufthansa, Turkmenistan Airlines, Saudia, and Riyadh Air, as well as first-class evaluations on Air India and SWISS, along with a number of lounge reviews. Additionally, there are hotels to discuss, from the newly opened Airelles Venice to Bab Samhan Diriyah, Marriott Luxury Collection. Lastly, expect a review of our experience aboard the Four Seasons Yacht.
In this entry, I’d like to present a general outline of this journey, and I will follow up with the individual review segments in the near future.
The motivation behind this trip was to enjoy a cruise.
The luxury cruising sector is experiencing an intriguing period, with a growing number of cruise lines emerging, especially those linked with major hotel chains. I’m aiming to evaluate various luxury cruise lines, ticking them off my list one by one.
Earlier this year, I reviewed the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, which turned out to be unexpectedly delightful. Going even further upscale, we had planned a Four Seasons Yachts itinerary. Our initial travel was scheduled for spring, but the launch of the cruise line was postponed, prompting us to rebook for a July cruise (for the initial cancellation, they provided a discount on a future sailing equal to 30% of our expenditure, in addition to an extra shipboard credit).
Thus, we booked a seven-night cruise from Venice to Dubrovnik, stopping in Croatia and Montenegro. Naturally, I will be publishing a comprehensive review of the experience. Additionally, I plan to sail with Orient Express Sailing Yachts, Aman at Sea, and Explora, and I’m looking forward to being able to review all of them.
The airlines I utilized during this journey.
While Ford and I traveled together on the Four Seasons Yachts journey, our flights to and from the destination were separate. Ford flew directly to Venice and returned from Dubrovnik, minimizing his time away from home (I managed to secure saver level business class award seats for him on Air France on the outbound and KLM on the return).
Meanwhile, I enjoyed a bit of a travel adventure and took a more circuitous journey to get to and from Europe. On the outbound leg, I traveled through Turkmenistan and India, while on the return, I went through Saudi Arabia… as one does. 😉 My intention was to review as many new airline products as possible.
With that settled, let me detail the exact itinerary I booked, including the cost. I will present it in the chronological sequence of my travels, which aligns closely with the order in which I made the bookings.
To kick things off, I took Lufthansa’s Boeing 787-9 Allegris business class from Austin (AUS) to Frankfurt (FRA), requiring positioning from Miami to Austin (which I accomplished on the same day, on American). The reason for my choice of Lufthansa from Austin is that this route is served by the new Dreamliner featuring Allegris cabins, which I was eager to experience. I booked the following for 75,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points plus $58 in taxes & fees:
7/14 LH469 Austin to Frankfurt, departing 4:05 PM, arriving 8:55 AM (+1 day)
Next, I had the opportunity to try an airline I’ve been curious about for years. I flew Turkmenistan Airlines’ Boeing 777-300ER business class from Frankfurt to Ashgabat (ASB), then Turkmenistan Airlines’ Boeing 737-800 business class from Ashgabat to Delhi (DEL), enjoying a fascinating layover in Ashgabat. Turkmenistan Airlines has no partnerships, so I booked the following in business class for $1,010:
7/15 T5462 Frankfurt to Ashgabat, departing 7:00 PM, arriving 4:00 AM (+1 day)
7/16 T5533 Ashgabat to Delhi, departing 6:30 AM, arriving 10:50 AM
Next on the agenda was my return to Europe, and I booked Air India’s Boeing 777-300ER first class from Delhi to Frankfurt (FRA). My main goal here was to experience Air India’s new lounges at Delhi Airport, as I anticipated that the onboard experience with Air India would be less than stellar. I purchased this ticket for 75,000 Air Canada Aeroplan points plus $53 in taxes & fees:
7/17 AI2025 Delhi to Frankfurt, departing 3:55 AM, arriving 10:40 AM
Following that, I needed to finally reach my intended destination in Italy, so I booked a Lufthansa Airbus A321