Poll

Should I toivel in the Berezina or in regular mikvah before Shabbos/YT?

Berezina
5 (55.6%)
Regular mikvah
1 (11.1%)
Berezina on YT morning
3 (33.3%)

Total Members Voted: 9

Voting closed: April 13, 2024, 07:31:27 AM

Author Topic: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.  (Read 10579 times)

Offline ExGingi

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ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« on: April 08, 2024, 12:57:58 PM »
Exited customs at DME. I figured it might be more interesting to just post randomly, than wait for something orderly that might never come.

This is mostly a non-touristy trip. Some of the locations we will of no interest to the general public, but the experiences are definitely of interest. Especially traveling with 3 generations (including myself), lots of luggage, carry-ons and personal items, flights on Egyptair with some LM redemptions, and a connection in CAI.

After loading a van with luggage, and another with passengers, and a drive of over an hour, we reached the place where we will be most of the time.

After a while we sat down for dinner. The table was set with sliced white bread and sliced black bread. And fresh vegetable platters (Russian style).

I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

Offline Dan

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Re: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« Reply #1 on: April 08, 2024, 12:58:58 PM »
How did you wind up booking?
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline ExGingi

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Re: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« Reply #2 on: April 08, 2024, 01:14:42 PM »
How did you wind up booking?

Will be posted. Posts are random and out of order.
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

Online AsherO

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Re: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« Reply #3 on: April 08, 2024, 01:22:59 PM »
What's it like transiting in CAI nowadays?
DDF FFB (Forum From Birth)

Offline ExGingi

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Re: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« Reply #4 on: April 08, 2024, 01:27:01 PM »
Russian agents (and possibly some Egyptians) joking around after most people went through security at gate.

I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

Offline ExGingi

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Re: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« Reply #5 on: April 08, 2024, 01:29:12 PM »
What's it like transiting in CAI nowadays?

I would assume that if your destination isn't Moscow it's not bad at all. Lounges look decent, but located in various areas not very conventional.
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

Offline ExGingi

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Re: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« Reply #6 on: April 08, 2024, 01:30:35 PM »
How did you wind up booking?

LM spiliting Europe into 3 zones creates some attractive redemptions (and HC opportunities, if you manage to book them).
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

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Re: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« Reply #7 on: April 08, 2024, 01:42:04 PM »
Very timely to be leaving (transiting) Egypt before Passover.

Offline ExGingi

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Re: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« Reply #8 on: April 08, 2024, 03:11:44 PM »
Very timely to be leaving (transiting) Egypt before Passover.

We experienced a serious יציאת מצרים, though going from there to Russia is at best like getting to ארץ עמון ומואב. 

My tabletop folding shtender was a casualty of the gate security check.

Mental and emotional damage (which could also cause additional expenses) were another major casualty.
« Last Edit: April 08, 2024, 04:15:57 PM by ExGingi »
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

Offline ExGingi

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Re: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« Reply #9 on: April 09, 2024, 02:04:03 PM »
I just discovered that we brought in (by mistake) a forbidden item!

https://s01.cdn-pegast.net/get/fe/0a/dc/53a8598019089fe36bec62eec0673bbb01dd307283f5a9d130daa971ec/Памятка%20пассажиру_Eng.pdf

A 5 lbs bag of Idaho potatoes! One of the very few forbidden agriculture items.
« Last Edit: April 09, 2024, 02:23:26 PM by ExGingi »
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

Offline lcm

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Re: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« Reply #10 on: April 09, 2024, 06:36:28 PM »
I just discovered that we brought in (by mistake) a forbidden item!

https://s01.cdn-pegast.net/get/fe/0a/dc/53a8598019089fe36bec62eec0673bbb01dd307283f5a9d130daa971ec/Памятка%20пассажиру_Eng.pdf

A 5 lbs bag of Idaho potatoes! One of the very few forbidden agriculture items.
Am I allowed to ask why you brought potatoes to Russia?

Online aygart

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Re: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« Reply #11 on: April 09, 2024, 07:50:15 PM »
Am I allowed to ask why you brought potatoes to Russia?

תבן אתה מכניס לעפריים
« Last Edit: April 09, 2024, 08:14:29 PM by aygart »
Feelings don't care about your facts

Offline ExGingi

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Re: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« Reply #12 on: April 09, 2024, 07:56:05 PM »
תבן אתה מכניס לציפורי לעפריים
FTFY.

Exactly!!!
« Last Edit: April 09, 2024, 08:05:32 PM by ExGingi »
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

Offline ExGingi

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Re: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« Reply #13 on: April 09, 2024, 08:04:13 PM »
Am I allowed to ask why you brought potatoes to Russia?

When you go shopping for the trip/Pesach along with current shopping at KRM, and items are packed in boxes, which then get packed in suitcases, mistakes happen.
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

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Feelings don't care about your facts

Offline ExGingi

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Re: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« Reply #15 on: April 09, 2024, 08:29:24 PM »
EgyptAir doesn't have a KSML option. However, by emailing the ticket office KSML was ordered. JFK-CAI was Regal. CAI-DME Hermolis (arrived partially frozen, but BH edible) we didn't have the chicken hot meals, breakfast was warmed up, but was half cold.

Following usual DDF advice we brought along lots of food, and had a hot logic (which we didn't end up using). DW lacks a little of כח הצמצום וההגבלה, so all the food ended up being a burden of extra things to schlep. We had more carry-ons + personal items than officially allowed, but other than the agent at the entry to the TSA security line at JFK terminal 1, no-one said a word.

I don't know how things were in Economy, but in J nobody bothered to make sure everything is stowed for takeoff and landing. I had items all over the floor next to me and next to adjacent empty seats. No turbulence warnings (not that turbulence was too serious, but at a point that there was some, there was no announcement to return to seats).

I guess the good thing was that I was exhausted, as I got no sleep the night before the flight or even a Shabbos nap, so despite the old 777, I slept most of the flight. Crew in J was nice.

Check-in agents at JFK were also nice (including the business class check-in agent who had an Arab name, wore Muslim style hair covering and had a Palestinian flag pin, but was super nice and helpful to us). They gave DD a seat for her infant for JFK-CAI segment, even though she held a lap infant. Check-in took forever as every person being checked in required a manual verification that they had Russian visas, something the agents were a little surprised to see, as they normally don't get visa alerts for people checking in to their flights to CAI with a US passport. Unlike the rest of the family, who all had complete RT PNRs, I booked JFK-CAI-JFK revenue, and CAI-DME using LM. It took the agent a while (including going to ticket counter for assistance) to have me checked all the way through to DME). While we were very careful in packing, to make sure no individual has more than 3 liters of Alcohol in their luggage, and that only adults have alcohol. We checked all the bag weights to make sure we're within our allowance (70lbs for J and 50lbs for Y), but they didn't bother weighing most of the bags.

Strollers didn't show up at the gate in CAI, and weren't at the carousel in DME. Supposedly they will be brought to us at some point.

I will write later about the "security" nightmares in CAI.

Traveling with 20 carry-ons and 20 personal items in a party of 18 including 7 children under 12 and an infant, is a recipe for leaving something behind at a certain point, especially when forced to go through multiple security checkpoints, including waiting about an hour for one of them to open up.
« Last Edit: April 09, 2024, 08:43:45 PM by ExGingi »
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

Offline Sam 77

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Re: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« Reply #16 on: April 09, 2024, 08:44:26 PM »
Tickets alone must have cost a fortune



Offline ExGingi

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Re: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« Reply #17 on: April 09, 2024, 08:48:34 PM »
Tickets alone must have cost a fortune

How about Russian visas at $450 each? Not required for Israeli citizens, but I gave up mine less than a year ago.
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan

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Re: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« Reply #18 on: April 09, 2024, 08:49:32 PM »
 
How about Russian visas at $450 each? Not required for Israeli citizens, but I gave up mine less than a year ago.
>:( >:(

Offline ExGingi

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Re: ExGingi's 3 generation wedding & Pesach trip to Russia.
« Reply #19 on: April 09, 2024, 09:04:28 PM »
Tickets alone must have cost a fortune

Lifemiles North America to Europe Zone 1 is a nice bargain sweet spot, IF you manage to book. I should have started off by booking two RT in J, which were available when I started looking, but by the time I made up my mind I was only able to get 1 RT in J (which was the only thing bookable online). Unfortunately, the scare of inventory and price changes (and not being aware of how cheap it is in Y using lifemiles, had me book 2 adults and 2 children in Y revenue, for about $300 more than the revenue price was a few weeks later. DD booked her entire family at those rates 🙁.

I initially booked the Chosson a one way revenue, but once I got LM to actually respond properly and issue tickets that were not bookable online, I paid the cancelation fee and booked him using LM.

Initially a revenue RT in J could have been had for a little over $3,000, but hoping to have award inventory released I held off. I ended up buying JFK-CAI-JFK in J, booked CAI-DME online for 42k LM, but am still hoping to book DME-CAI in J using HC for under 20k LM, if they won't come through I'll probably buy a separate ticket for that segment.
I've been waiting over 5 years with bated breath for someone to say that!
-- Dan