By RamonRamon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Trekking to Machu Picchu Trip Report
Trekking to Machu Picchu Overview American Airlines MIA-LIM A321 Neo First Class Review Westin Lima Hotel Review Exploring Lima Palacio del Inka Hotel Review Exploring Cusco Tambo del Inka Hotel Review Trekking to Machu Picchu JW Marriott Lima Hotel Review American Airlines LIM A321 NEO First Class Review
Flight Overview
This was one of the best American Airlines flights I have experienced with a solid dining experience, good service, and the ability to use the strong Centurion Lounge in Miami as a part of the connection. However, the narrow body experience on a nearly 6 hour flight meant that I would likely choose a wide body plane on another airlines for my next flight to Lima. Pros- Centurion Lounge Miami, Quick Boarding, Solid Main Course, Good Service Cons- No seat back in-flight entertainment, Spotty Wifi, narrow body medium-haul flight international flight, no lie flat seating 
American Airlines A321 Neo
Centurion Lounge Miami
After landing from our Washington D.C. Regan National Airport (DCA) flight we headed to the American Express Centurion Lounge Miami which we had access to as Amex Platinum authorized users. The last time we were here the lounge was super crowded. This time it was also most as crowded with no seats available with views of the tarmac. During this time the lounge was also enforcing social distancing and we sat in the overflow seating which is off of the entrance. As the lounge grew more full people became more frustrated and started removing signs to sit where there was supposed to be social distancing. Christina’s suggested this was frustrating and may have been alleviated if they walked guests to seats like they do in the Phoenix Centurion Lounge. When the lounge hit its capacity limits it stopped accepting guests
Lounge Overflow Seating
The hot meal options included scrambled eggs, shakshuka, balsamic roasted sausage hash, old fashioned oats, and blueberry lemon pancakes. I tried the eggs, shaskuka, and lemon pancakes. I am a pancake lover but didn’t like these pancakes. I only like pancakes that are sweet not savory. I liked the scrambled eggs and loved the shakshuka which is something I have never tried before.
I really like the Centurion lounges but the biggest problem with them which remains today even after the end of social distancing is the overcrowding. No matter how many or added or any expansions the lounges don't see to have space. We passed through Miami several additional trips but have been unable to use the Centurion lounge Miami because of really long waits. Because of this we are considering cancelling our American Express Platinum cards because of limited ability to use the lounge access benefits.
Boarding Gate
Boarding
We headed from the lounge to our boarding gate D50. The flight boarding started at 11:23 about 50 minutes before departure. The A321 plane had 20 Business Class seats and initially five were empty but right before boarding four of the empty seats were filled by flights attendants heading to Lima. The economy cabin was only about half full and it was a quick boarding process.
Plane and Seat
I found the A321 NEO to be an improved 737 Max but still not great for a medium-haul international business class flight. The biggest advantage was that the seats had more pitch and better legroom than the 737 Max. The better legroom was driven by better position of the bars holding up the seats in front. Also, the seat unlike the Max had a built in tablet holder in the front, since our flight these have been added to the vast majority of American Airlines planes that don't have seat back in-flight entertainment. The seat also had power in the armrest with space to store a tablet. Another positive feature was a USB charger on the right side of the seat. Overall, the seat was more comfortable overalls than 737 Max on American Airlines. Our flight departed at 12:18 five minutes early. Because there was no seat back in-flight entertainment we relied on the Wifi and American Airlines streaming movies and television shows However, it was frustrating because we lost Wifi coverage at 3:44 PM with 2:29 to go in the flight. I hope the transition to newer satellite based coverage at many U.S. airlines including American Airlines will allow for there to be very limited Wifi downtime. 
Botteg Brut 2020 Champagne
Food and Drinks
The dining service started off with a drink order at about 1 pm. We ordered champagne which came in a mini-bottles and was average. It was Bottega Brut 2020, so not all a vintage champagne, and was served with pecans. Then came food service which went from front to back just like drink orders. No one was able to preorder which was frustrating thankfully we were still able to get our first choices. Raviolli or ribs with potatoes were the options and I ordered the ribs and Christina ordered the ravioli. Everything was served on one tray which is the Covid-19 pandemic standard of service. My meal came with ribs, potato, shrimp, salad, bread with butter, and cheesecake. The ribs were above average though I would say I preferred the short ribs I had on my DFW-DCA flight over the ribs on this flight.
The shrimp salad and the cheesecake were good which is something coming from someone who isn’t a fan of shrimp salad or cheesecake. The bread though was bad because it was dry and hard. Christina actually liked her ravioli which was the best entree either of us have had American Airlines though that is a low bar. Christina did not like the bread or broccoli salad she was severed though she did like the cheesecake. We then ordered red wine which I thought was mediocre but Christina strongly disliked. Then we tried the white wine which was above average. At 1:55 pm finished eating with 4 hours and 22 minutes to go in the flight. Then around 5 pm the flight attendant came around with a snack basket this offer chips, peanuts, and two seat treats. We tried the two sweet treats (sweet and savory). They were both low-calorie organic snacks and I didn’t like them. Overall, this was one of the best dining experiences we have had on American Airlines though that is a low bar. While the drinks and snacks left a lot to be desired the main dishes were solid.
Service
When we came onboard we were handed a wipe but did not have any sort of special greeting which is sadly typical of American Airlines customer service. However, before landing the flight attend came by to thank us for flying with American Airlines. Also during our dining the servicing was good and attentive. One area where we were impressed was that the flight attendants did a great job reminding everyone to wear masks and we thought it was because there are Lima based. Service on this flight overall was solid and good by American Airlines standard. If fact it was much better than the vast majority of American Airlines flights we have taken and this may because the crew was international or that American Airlines send there best crew to staff international flights. 
Outside Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez
Arrival
As we started our decent there was major fog so we couldn't see much of the city of Lima. Also there an announcement made that the Lima airport requires either two masks or a mask and face shield. The requirements for Covid-19 in Peru were interesting including requiring two face covering in all crowded indoors spaces. I found this particularly interesting because in the many people wouldn't even wear one mask and the theme of Peru taking public health particularly Covid-19 seriously throughout our trip would continue throughout our trip and really impressed us. We landed in Lima at 6:03 pm.
Take Away
Overall this was one of the best flight experiences we have had with American Airlines though I will admit that is a low bar. As usual the American Express lounges are impressive if you can actually get into one because of the overcrowding. The boarding process was speedy, the main coursed were solid, and the service was good. The A321 Neo was definitely a better experience than the 737 Max but still left a lot to be desired including no seat back entertainment, spotty Wifi, an no lie-flat seats on this narrow body plane all of which were annoying on this nearly 6 hour flight. While I would consider flying American Airlines again on this route I would probably try to fly a wide body plane on another airlines like Delta or its partner LATAM.
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By RamonRamon is the creator of Traveling Companion. He focuses on flight review, hotel reviews, and helping stretch your travel dollars, miles, and points further.
Trekking to Machu Picchu Trip Report
Trekking to Machu Picchu Overview American Airlines MIA-LIM 737 Max First Class Review Westin Lima Hotel Review Exploring Lima Palacio del Inka Hotel Review Exploring Cusco Tambo del Inka Hotel Review Trekking to Machu Picchu JW Marriott Lima Hotel Review American Airlines LIM A321 NEO First Class Review 
Machu Picchu
Introduction
In August/September 2021 Christina and I got the opportunity to continue our journey together to all of the inhabited continents of the world going to Peru in South America. The choice of Peru was driven by the beauty of the country and the opportunity to see Machu Picchu. We originally planned to take this trip in September 2020 but after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic we cancelled the trip and we rescheduled it for 2021 once COVID vaccines rolled out. We ended up going to Lima, Cusco, and El Valle Sagrado (The Sacred Valley). This would give us an opportunity to see the capital and largest city in Peru, the historical capital of Peru, and Mach Picchu one of the Ancient and the Modern Wonders of the World.
Booking Flights
When we originally booked our tickets we planned to fly from Washington D.C to Miami on American Airlines and then from Miami to Lima and on to Cusco, Peru on Avianca. However, after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic Avianca stoped flying From Miami to Lima and from Lima to Cusco and still don't fly there today. When we rebooked our flight we instead booked flights from Washington D.C. Reagan National Airport (DCA) to Miami International (MIA) to Lima Jorge Chavez International Airport (LIM) in Business Class on American Airlines after exchanging our previous tickets plus a small fee. Then to get to Cusco we purchased Premium Economy tickets, which is the highest class offered on this route, from LIM to Cusco Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport (CUZ) for $225 each. 
LATAM A320
Booking Hotels
For our trip we took advantage of Christina's Marriott status and all four hotels we stayed at during this stayed at during this stay were Marriott properties including some of the nicest hotels we have ever stayed at. For our first stay in Lima we spent three nights at The Westin Lima for which we paid $565 for a one king bedroom. We also used Christina's suite night upgrades to an Executive Suite on the club floor. For our one night before we departed Lima we stayed at the JW Marriott Lima using a Marriott Bonvoy 35,000 point credit card award night which offered a value of 0.5 cents per point based on the standard King bedroom cost of $162. For our stay in Valle Sagrado we stayed at Tambo del Inka and used 50,000 points plus a Marriott Bonvoy 50,000 point certificate and $77 to cover the resort fee for a King Deluxe Room. This offered a great value of 1 cent per point based on a standard King deluxe room cost of $483. It is frustrating that you still have to pay a fee on Marriott award stays. For our stay in Cusco we stayed at hotel I had long dreamed of staying at Palacio del Inka for two nights and paid $662 for a King bedroom. We then applied another one of Christina's suite night awards to upgrade from the King Bedroom to an Imperial Marquis Suite. 
Palacio del Inka Hotel Entrance
Summary
Our trip to Peru was magical and we go came away with a lot of respect for seriousness with which Peru takes public health and love of the beauty of the country. Not only did we have a spiritual journey to Machu Picchu, enjoy the wonderful Peruvian cuisine, but we came away with a deep sense of awe for Valle Sagrado a magical and peaceful place where we would love to return again. |
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