JUST RETIRED – GOING CRUISING – NEED LOUNGE ADVICE

Q –  Down here in Greenville we’re fixing to party. Just retired from Boeing and ready to do one or two cruises a year until I’m ninety. Been following following your information online and reading all I can. We’ve previously done two cruises – both on Norwegian. Our plan is to alternate a cruise on Oceania with a cruise on Sea Dream.  Hear the food on Oceania is something worth experiencing. Sea Dream is totally casual and small. But my question has nothing to do with all that. We want to try to get into the best lounges before our flights. This is important to us and we’re trying to devise a strategy. We like to get tot he airport early and then connect in Atlanta or another large city where we can relax before our long flights. So my real question is who has the best lounges in airports? 

A – We like your plan. Especially the alternating larger and smaller ships. The Sea Dream fleet is well-maintained but the 100 guest ships are slowly approaching their own retirement years – so experience them as soon as you can. 

Ordinarily, we would recommend the American Express Centurion Lounges. They are the class leader at the moment and you will find them in Dallas, Houston, New York.San Francisco and Miami. But airlines like Delta and American are really upping their game. Since it is likely you will be using Atlanta more than any other location, we would suggest that you purchase a one day pass at two or three of the clubs and compare before buying into the membership. Also check out “The Club” which operates in 11 US airports on a daily fee basis. Finally, savvy travelers like to use www.loungebuddy.com  which makes it easy for flyers to locate and purchase access to more than 300 lounges worldwide. Our team congratulates you on your retirement.