RTW in F/J - Hand Carry Only - Iceland, Finland, Washington and a few other places

PrezRegan · 2024-10-12T12:17:51+1100

Despite going to bed close to midnight local time, I still woke up at 0430. Ughhh jetlag. With not much else to do I checked out of the hotel and made my way towards the JAL Flounge. Immigration and security was very quick, no need to take anything out of my bags, and the e-gates worked like a charm. I think leaving my hotel (which was attached to Terminal 3) and getting to the Flounge probably took no more than 15 minutes!

I went straight to the dining room for breakfast. The lounge offers a la carte through a QR code reader on your table and everything is made quick and fresh. I think it was less than 5 minutes from me placing my initial order for a beef curry and a sushi platter before it arrived. The food was fresh and delicious and I gorged myself a bit! The sake here is very good, highly recommended.

I'm now in the Salon section of the lounge where it is much quieter, and still has a great view of the apron. It's a balmy 20-something degrees and sunny here - I wish I had more time to explore Japan but I am also keen to get home (and stop living out of a suitcase!)

PrezRegan · 2024-10-12T23:11:41+1100

JL37
HND-SIN
11:29-17:42 dur 7h 13m
B787-9, Seat 2K

My last Oneworld flight as part of this mammoth RTW was as pleasurable as all the others that preceded it. Whilst the JL Sky Suites III are better than the denser Aria configuration that you can also find on JAL's 787, I did find the seat a bit narrow. Despite this, the service onboard was excellent, and the food top notch - I think of all the flights I've taken, JL takes the cake (pun intended) in terms of overall catering. Also, I love their boarding music...

Again, I thankfully had no issue with fitting all my carryon luggage in the overhead bins! A basic amenity kit and slippers is provided, but no PJs which makes sense as it is a daytime flight.

Because I can't edit the post on my last flight in F to add the menu, PFA that and this flight's menu attached at the end of the attachment list of this post.

Because I had eaten a lot in the lounge I asked to be served last, which the FA (Toma) was perfectly happy to oblige. I opted for the Japanese set menu and it was fresh and flavourful, tasting as good as anything I've had in a restaurant. In terms of drinks, I started with the champagne then when I couldn't decide which sake to have Toma suggested I try both! It wasn't a taster but a proper pour of each and both were excellent, very refreshing and smooth.

Meal complete, I had a nap.

Landing into Singapore was smooth and I got a nice picture of clouds as we descended.

Immigration and customs was quick as always. I was tempted to see if I could use the QF lounge on arrival as a Platinum but I figured I'd eaten enough for the day... I'm sure someday I'll fly O* out of Singapore and then I'll be able to check out the lounge.

Getting a rideshare from Changi is very straightforward and clearly signposted. There are lots of options to choose from - interestingly, GoJek (an Indonesian rideshare) worked out to be the cheapest, coming in at about 10 SGD cheaper than Grab. There was a slight delay in finding a driver but after about 5 mins I was on my way to my final hotel on this trip, the PARKROYAL Collection Pickering, located right next to Chinatown and famous for its green vegetation facade.

As a Titanium GHA member I was upgraded from the basic room to a Club room, with club access. The room is very nice, and the club access is definitely appreciated as it comes with free breakfast, afternoon tea, and coughtails in the evening.