A little bit of moderation in Dubai.

[simongr]

Were/Are channel 10 doing an actual show about this trip or Dubai in general? I am just wondering why so many of them were there?

 

[markis10]

Before we knew it, the night was coming to a close, just as the fog set in, so we had an interesting ride home at midnight! Needless to say no photos, although the fog was still present 6 hours later when I got up to head home.

 

[markis10]

Were/Are channel 10 doing an actual show about this trip or Dubai in general? I am just wondering why so many of them were there?

We were not privy to what they were there for or what they did the day before, I suspect they were there to present a bit of modern Aussie culture to the locals. I very much enjoyed their company on the tours and at dinner, very nice people!

 

[Major]

Was that really Fosters behind the picture of Eddy ?

 

[markis10]

It was off to the airport on the 6.30 bus, strangely not much conversation was had, and it might surprise people to know that its peak hour in Dubai, with working hours starting very early and finishing early in Dubai. Traffic at the airport was horrible, we soon found our spot and proceeded to the check in desk for Y, where things were moving slowly given the newness of it all for the Emirates staff.

The EK Crew Uni!




Once checked in it was off to the F lounge via train, entry was granted and it was time for breakfast.

 

[markis10]

The lounge has its own Duty Free store for Alcohol and Perfume so they can sell it and package it up for the trip home, you need to get a limited release tag at the F lounge gate for your flight where you will see your duty free off, until the oversize luggage collection area in Syd/Mel. You can check pricing here before you go:

http://www.dubaidutyfree.com/content/upload/documents/52-67_DV Listings APR13.pdf

No doubt that will change month to month. Try and mark the box with a distinctive mark, they dont stand out when there is 20 waiting in Sydney!

 

[bossreggie]

We were not privy to what they were there for or what they did the day before, I suspect they were there to present a bit of modern Aussie culture to the locals. I very much enjoyed their company on the tours and at dinner, very nice people!

Totally agree. Very down to earth. Since returning I've been contacted by Carrie Bickmore and Chris, her OH. (He's the producer or something on her show) Chris Brown and his mate Marty..... (Absolute legend!) Have asked me to catch up with them in SYD. (There will be more scotch) I think LW and markis10 were there when Marty was telling us about one of Chris Browns classic pick up lines!! Hi-Larious, as we say in the suburbs. (It involved a donkey) Also Tara Moss sent me a few pics she had taken. She's a talented photographer. This is one of her pics of the sunset. I think it is amazing.

 

[drewbles]

Wonder how long did the tables last

Probably a lot less time than the Fosters on tap did (why is it that everyone outside of Australia still believes we actually drink that crud here!). Stupid marketing geniuses

 

[Pushka]

It's good to see Carrie having some fun and a new relationship after the death of her husband a couple of years ago, Obviously I've never met her but as a presenter on TV she seems a nice fun gal. Of course she is, she was born in Adelaide.

 

[markis10]

Soon it was time to board, and my secret would be revealed, I had checked the aircraft operating this flight the night before and had known for a while it was the original config, which meant we had a 1 in 3 chance (as alluded to in an earlier post) of getting Nancy Bird, sure enough it was the Bosses worst possible aircraft!

We boarded without incident and it was then the cabin manager mentioned what aircraft it was, the look on Bossreggies face was priceless, and sadly the only time I did not have a camera handy. After a few drinks all was well, and we took off. Lunch was served soon after in PE, and once the J service was complete we were moved to J seating, which made for a comfortable flight home.

Around 20 minutes out from Sydney (over a place most folks probably have never heard of - Bindook) we lowered our gear, which was very odd, and then commenced a high speed descent which resulted in full use of the runway (16R) rolling through to the end where a tug was waiting. Once on the ground we were told the aircraft had a hydraulic issue that impacted the steering, but otherwise was minor in nature. It was a slow haul back to the gate, and it took two hours for the luggage to be retrieved as they had to reboot NBW a couple of times to get the doors working. We were almost home, but for this report I will say we were home, the time went too quickly!


I would like to take this moment to thank RedRoo, the team at QF corporate, the Dubai tourist authorities, our guides Arabian Adventures and fellow travellers, Emirates and also the team at the JW Marriott Marquis for making the trip so special. For someone who had never been to the middle east before and was a confirmed Asia lover, I now have a new destination to plan many return trips for. Thank you for reading.


PS. As it turned out it was to be NBWs last trip in the old config, flying to Manila for a refit two days later.


The view on climb heading home.



PE lunch


Almost heaven!

 

[Storyteller]

I do believe it was the P1 launch photos!

Hah! I was right!!
that was my entry for the trinket competition...

 

[markis10]

Was that really Fosters behind the picture of Eddy ?

Yes, did not see many with a glass of beer in their hand when the alternative was Peroni.

 

[markis10]

Wonder how long did the tables last

Longer than the Taittinger it was holding, was still up when we left.

 

[bossreggie]

Longer than the Taittinger it was holding, was still up when we left.

I think Ryan and I had a fair amount of that Taittinger. We stayed up until about 4am at the hotel! Champagne was flowing freely. Happy Boss!!

 

[JohnPhelan]

Thanks very much, Markis10 (and QF WP and Boss) - fantastic photos and a great read. I will be visiting DXB later this year, so am very keen to find out all I can, and this thread has been hugely helpful.

 

[simongr]

I echo JohnPhelan's comments - thanks for this. The diving in the aquarium is now on my list for my trip!

 

[Stoopidsteve]

Thanks to our mods and BossR for the pics and reports. This thread alone has probably done more to allay fears/suspicions and done good for Dubai tourism on this forum than all the naysayers have damaged the redroo's choice of partner and routing. So for QF, mission accomplished. I'm now regretting that I'll only have approx 1:45hrs in DXB enroute to LHR in a few weeks. Is that enough time to enjoy the Flounge dinner and a shower? thanks again all.

 

[Paddy55]

I must I've gone from being merely intrigued by the TR to being quite keen to visit Dubai sometime soon - the photos you've taken and experiences you've have painted quite a picture!
Thank you

 

[KLN]

many thanks to BR, QF WP and Markis for this combined TR. have read all 46 pages in 1 go. Tablet now very empty of battery. loved every minute of TR. haven't been to Dubai since 2007 on the way to Bahrain F1 that year. MR KLN has gone to bed and given up, but he does know the importance of AFF trip reports. still doesn't want me to fly QFF, as i usually only fly MH and SQ via points redemptions but it looked like so much fun anyway. hope you've had a blast. enjoyed every minutenofnthe last 46 pages.

 

[anat0l]

Before I posted this, I checked and this thread has had 38,000 views or thereabouts.

I think that says a lot in itself.

Hats off to QF WP, markis10 and bossreggie - thanks for sharing your invaluable insights into what was indeed a special journey.

Although a good portion of what you did can be branded as "exclusive", I think it shows the potential for Dubai and not merely some monotone drop-jewel in the middle of a deserted expanse.

A thing that wasn't often discussed - what was the weather like? I can see most were in short sleeves and pants usually below the knees / shin, even if not full length - I take it this is "modest" enough? (Modest dress is oft discussed when going to Muslim societies, e.g. Malaysia, Indonesia, etc.)