Daily Discussion — Wednesday, August 5, 2026 - Daily Threads

RE: Daily Discussion — Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Ben Schlappig — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 20:13:11 +0000

@oldcrowaz Appreciate all the thoughts, will look into all of those. I guess one thing I'm curious about is if people actually sleep well on trains? I sleep fine on boats and planes, but I feel like trains are a whole different beast. Or are non-Amtrak trains somehow smoother, heh?

RE: Daily Discussion — Wednesday, August 5, 2026

OldCrowAZ — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 18:30:15 +0000

@lucky Thanks for the reply Ben. I’ve been taking a deeper dive into this and you are right on the cost. A bucket list trip for sure. As for trains, I’m intrigued with the Belmond Royal Scotsman, The Golden Eagle Silk Road Express, and The Ravos Rail Pride of Africa. The Rocky Mountaineer looks cool too but I want something not in North America. Of course, the Venice Simplon Orient Express looks amazing but cost is off the charts.

RE: Daily Discussion — Wednesday, August 5, 2026

jb84usa — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 14:17:30 +0000

Nice updated post today! Deafening silence. So true.

Google removed all of the fake positive reviews in addition to removing the negative review bombing.

RE: Daily Discussion — Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Ben Schlappig — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 08:42:05 +0000

@timr Thanks for the heads up! Sadly still no first class redemptions though, eh? :-(

RE: Daily Discussion — Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Ben Schlappig — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 08:41:19 +0000

@oldcrowaz Thank you! Great question, and the short answer is YES, I'm fascinated by some of the train trips, and would love to review them at some point. Any in particular that you think would be most interesting? My only reservation is that the prices of some of those journeys are eye-watering, even compared to safaris and the top end of the cruise world.

RE: Daily Discussion — Wednesday, August 5, 2026

HNL — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 03:10:39 +0000

@beleza

Heat is the new cold. Seriously both extremes have impacts on airframes, passengers, airline crew, field conditions, . . .

RE: Daily Discussion — Wednesday, August 5, 2026

TimR — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 02:38:22 +0000

Starlux is now bookable via Etihad Guest, albiet rates are much higher than Alaska

RE: Daily Discussion — Wednesday, August 5, 2026

OldCrowAZ — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 21:24:27 +0000

Ben,

Congrats on the new rollout!

Given you’ve recently posted some luxury cruise reviews, have you ever considered doing the same for luxury train travel? There are some amazing train itineraries out there so curious.

Thanks!

RE: Daily Discussion — Wednesday, August 5, 2026

jb84usa — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 19:24:41 +0000

@lucky Oh... they are all family of the GM's. Look closer at the names.

GM: Diego Lozano Vara

5/5 Reviews all within minutes of each other: Matilda Lozano Fredberg (owns travel agency Abbecue), Emil Fredberg, Linus Fredberg, Luisa Lazano, Reuben Lozano Vara, Lidia Vara Lopez.

RE: Daily Discussion — Wednesday, August 5, 2026

Ben Schlappig — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:46:52 +0000

@jb84usa Lol, obviously this is fake as could be, especially about the professional security. But what's the theory as to her connection to the resort? Obviously she has some sort of travel agency business, but is there a closer connection we know of?