Finally got my passport

Damnyankee · Apr 9, 2009

next to the ****ter isn't that bad either. you have a place to get up easily and walk around.. trust me on that flight you will.

seattle to tokyo.. aprox 8-9 hours.
LA to Melbourne 13.5 hours.. direct. I do lots of walking.

Mrs. Crash · Apr 9, 2009

Ok picked one by the ****ter, thanks for your help :;

Damnyankee · Apr 9, 2009

hey, my 16 years of international travel had to come in handy at some point in time.

AnnaBanana · Apr 9, 2009

Damnyankee said:
next to the ****ter isn't that bad either. you have a place to get up easily and walk around.. trust me on that flight you will.

seattle to tokyo.. aprox 8-9 hours.
LA to Melbourne 13.5 hours.. direct. I do lots of walking.

yes, but next to the crapper, introduces a whole host of 'ambiance' Crista may not be too interested in dealing with... I mean come on, after all she is on vacation from the hubby, including his gas, why park yourself right next to the one spot where everyone contributes to the blue ice block?:redneck:

Mrs. Crash · Apr 9, 2009

anntyper said:
yes, but next to the crapper, introduces a whole host of 'ambiance' Crista may not be too interested in dealing with... I mean come on, after all she is on vacation from the hubby, including his gas, why park yourself right next to the one spot where everyone contributes to the blue ice block?:redneck:

Maybe I'll get lucky and some drunk will walk out having forgotten to zip up...:redneck:

Damnyankee · Apr 9, 2009

next to teh crapper on a 777 is not "next to the crapper".

its a big area

Boosted · Apr 9, 2009

Mrs. Crash said:
Yeah I just signed in and saw "Upgrade to premier lines for $39.00":haha: If I'm looking at the seating right, it's like 9 seats across.. :eeek: That's a big ass plane. Only thing open is pretty close to the back.

Chances are you will be going to Tokyo and back on a 777 which is the line I work on.... :awesomework:

If so, be prepared to ride in the best rated and most comfortable airplane in the industry. :;

Mrs. Crash · Apr 9, 2009

Boosted said:
Chances are you will be going to Tokyo and back on a 777 which is the line I work on.... :awesomework:

If so, be prepared to ride in the best rated and most comfortable airplane in the industry. :;

That's right, we were talking about that. Yes it's a 777. So does that also mean I can blame you if it falls apart? If I fall outta the sky, my ghost is coming to Haunt you!! :haha:

Boosted · Apr 9, 2009

Mrs. Crash said:
That's right, we were talking about that. Yes it's a 777. So does that also mean I can blame you if it falls apart? If I fall outta the sky, my ghost is coming to Haunt you!! :haha:

Not gonna happen....if falling apart is on your wish list, see if you can get a flight on an Airbus.... :fawkdancesmiley:

Boosted · Apr 9, 2009

Mrs. Crash said:
That's right, we were talking about that. Yes it's a 777.

Damn my posting before reading the whole thread.... :cool:

Comet · Apr 10, 2009

Let's see. Rice is all sticky here, you're good. Speaking of crapper, be prepared to enjoy the wonders of the squat toilet! It's funny, they have the most advanced and the most archaic toilets in the modern world. Often times they are right next to one another. Always go for the "Western" toilet :D I only use a squatter in extreme emergencies, but I've finally mastered using them without ****ting all over myself! :haha:

Comet · Apr 10, 2009

Oh and yes, the 777 is a nice plane, but please remember, it is the airlines that choose the seating arrangements. United's economy is not the greatest, but it's good you're short! :D

hwcurtice · Apr 10, 2009

Boeing 777

I was working on a job at Sea-Tac a few years ago. A little job for British Airways. They have a contract to do flight engineering for Aeroplot or however it's spelled.

Anyway, the one flight that comes into Sea-Tac is a 777. This plane, according to the flight engineer, looks like crap on the inside, picture duct tape on the seats and stains on the carpet, but the plane is flying 22 out of 24 hours a day! It just keeps on going.

Oh, and it just came from Tokyo, if I recall. They changed flight crew, passengers, loaded with fuel and took right off again. to Moscow... And it would be back the next day about the same time....

Boeing 777, the Dart, Nova, and Maverick of the airways!

Yes, my wife works for Boeing too. So I'm not biased at all.

You'll be fine on that plane. Enjoy your flight. I'm sure someone will make sure Mike doesn't trash the homestead too much.

64FJ40 · Apr 10, 2009

Damnyankee said:
A recommondation.. spend a few bucks (actually more than a few cause they are expensive) and get yourself a set of Noise canceling head phones.

Not sure if you were looking for a pair, but the daily deal (until 10pm 4/10 or they sell out) on woot is these:

Able Planet Clear Harmony Active Noise Canceling Headphones with Linx Audio

$39.99

+ $5 shipping

<DL style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; WIDTH: 355px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; HEIGHT: 140px" originalPadding="0px 0px 0px 0px" originalSidePaddingTotal="0" jQuery1239341128700="40"><DT>Condition: </DT><DD>New </DD><DT>Product: </DT><DD>1 Able Planet Clear Harmony NC200 Active Noise Canceling Headphones </DD></DL>

http://www.woot.com/

Comet · Apr 10, 2009

hwcurtice said:
Boeing 777, the Dart, Nova, and Maverick of the airways!

Not sure I'd call it that, but the way Aeroflot maintains it, probably so. Mental note to self, do not fly Aeroflot. My feeling on airlines is if I can see how ****ty they take care of the stuff the passenger sees, just think about the stuff they can't! Some are better than others. It's all about maintenance, just like your car. The FAA has minimum safety requirements, but I like to see an airline that goes above and beyond. Both from safety and comfort.

Mrs. Crash · Apr 10, 2009

Well I bought one pair of the noise cancelling headphones, 2 extra batteries :redneck: and a converter thing in case I get to one of my layovers and there is a place to plug in somewhere. I know Mark has them for the house, but I figured just in case there was somewhere at the airport.

hwcurtice · Apr 10, 2009

Comet said:
Not sure I'd call it that, but the way Aeroflot maintains it, probably so. Mental note to self, do not fly Aeroflot. My feeling on airlines is if I can see how ****ty they take care of the stuff the passenger sees, just think about the stuff they can't! Some are better than others. It's all about maintenance, just like your car. The FAA has minimum safety requirements, but I like to see an airline that goes above and beyond. Both from safety and comfort.

You have to realize, at the time, and I don't know if it has changed, Areoflot was almost running broke. They put their money into keeping the planes flying and let simple pleasures, like new seat covers, pass on by. This was over 5 years ago. Matbe things have changed and the planes are better kept now. Only one way to find out. Only be sure to fly Boeing, not Airbus.... Or whatever other plane they use....

JeeperAmyJo · Apr 10, 2009

Mrs. Crash said:
Well I bought one pair of the noise cancelling headphones, 2 extra batteries :redneck: and a converter thing in case I get to one of my layovers and there is a place to plug in somewhere. I know Mark has them for the house, but I figured just in case there was somewhere at the airport.

Make sure if you are bringing anything electric that you have the plug adaptor thingys. Not all countries use the same 3-prong system we have. I know I got a little set at a travel store once for fairly cheap. You probably know this already, but I figured if you hadn't, you would want to know.

Mrs. Crash · Apr 10, 2009

JeeperAmyJo said:
Make sure if you are bringing anything electric that you have the plug adaptor thingys. Not all countries use the same 3-prong system we have. I know I got a little set at a travel store once for fairly cheap. You probably know this already, but I figured if you hadn't, you would want to know.

:;That's the converter thing I bought. But thanks for the warning.

Comet · Apr 11, 2009

At any of your lay overs, look for plug ins. Most airports have them at the waiting areas.

ChrisCo · Apr 12, 2009

I have nothing to contribute to the tips for international travel (it's been 20 years since I flew over seas, and all of the tips I had for ya' have already been covered). However, I think it's f'n cool that you're making the trip :awesomework:

You gonna' do daily updates out here?

Mrs. Crash · Apr 12, 2009

ChrisCo said:
I have nothing to contribute to the tips for international travel (it's been 20 years since I flew over seas, and all of the tips I had for ya' have already been covered). However, I think it's f'n cool that you're making the trip :awesomework:

You gonna' do daily updates out here?

haha well I'll be getting on the computer to talk to my kids, so I'm guessing I can update. I'm not sure how often I'm gonna hog Marks computer though. :;

Mrs. Crash · Apr 19, 2009

So where is the best place to take care of Currency exchange? I'm going to do it before I leave. Do all local banks do it? Do you need to go to Exchange places? Googling it shows several banks. Closest being Woodinville. Not sure if that's where I'd need to go or if any of the banks in town would do it.

64FJ40 · Apr 20, 2009

Mrs. Crash said:
So where is the best place to take care of Currency exchange? I'm going to do it before I leave. Do all local banks do it? Do you need to go to Exchange places? Googling it shows several banks. Closest being Woodinville. Not sure if that's where I'd need to go or if any of the banks in town would do it.

Most banks that I have talked to don't have much (if any) foreign currency on hand without prior notice. Whichever bank that is in the Albertson's parking lot (BofA maybe?) was able to get British Pounds for me, but I think I had to give a day's notice.

Last time we went to London, we just did it at the currency exchange place at the airport. Their rates weren't horrible. I seem to recall it was about equal with what the bank charged when I used my debit card by the time you calculate exchange rate and fees.

Comet · Apr 20, 2009

Crista,
Do you have an ATM with a VISA or MC logo? I suggest getting $100 (10,000 yen) or so before you leave. They have a money exchange place right in the airport. Kind of a rip off rate wise, but with that small amount no big deal. You could wait until you arrive in Tokyo and go to the Citi bank machine and get money there, but for a first timer I always suggest bringing some cash just in case the machine doesn't like your card. Once you get here, then we can go to the post office, which is where I do all my banking. It's really close and has never failed me. Plus the rates seem to be better than anywhere else.

Mrs. Crash · Apr 20, 2009

Yeah I have Visa and Mastercard. I figured I'd leave most of it in the bank. Then change some cash, Cause I know they will have goodies at the airport :clappy:

After spending the day looking through the different airports I will be at. Not a single one is one story. I believe this to be so tourists like me can not only get lost, but see 5 floors of stores and get all giddy. I did see Massage chairs in one of them :cheer: Tokyo I think.. And I Believe it was Sendai that has actual accupunture... :haha:

Comet · Apr 20, 2009

I would wait to buy airport trinkets on the way out. Also, get used to vertical buildings. This is Japan. They even have stacked parking on racks.

03 CON · Apr 20, 2009

Comet said:
I would wait to buy airport trinkets on the way out. Also, get used to vertical buildings. This is Japan. They even have stacked parking on racks.

lmao, I know you know, but that right there for a vertically challenged person is funny!

Mrs. Crash · Apr 20, 2009

03 CON said:
lmao, I know you know, but that right there for a vertically challenged person is funny!

Hey now, I will fit right in, in Japan. :fawkdancesmiley:

Mrs. Crash · Apr 21, 2009

So I'm dying to know, for those of you who travel, what immunizations do I really need to get? When I went to my Dr, I was there to ask about the chicken pox vaccine. (for my own purpose, not cause I was traveling) I mentioned going to Japan and he said "well since you'd have to go the Snohomish Health Dept to get that, you might as well get a Hep A Shot, not that you would really need it for Japan, but if you are there, might as well" So I went in today to ask about these shots. They said that they don't do debit/credit. Cash only and apparently medical doesn't cover this.. So to get Chicken Pox Vaccine, Hep A, and Tetnus, it's just over $200.00 :mad:

Do I need all these to go to Japan?? Do they really ask you to carry your medical history/updated vaccines etc.?