Seven weeks on a DONE4 plus a cruise with hand luggage only.

[dragonman]

SIN – NRT Singapore Airlines SQ 12 in Y

The last leg before the DONE4 starts from NRT and a rare chance to sample the wares of Singapore airlines. Check in was painless maybe a 5 minute wait, been a while since checking in with no status at all. Through immigration in another 5 so that leaves 2 hours before the flight, enough time to visit the QF F lounge in the other terminal.

Its pretty uninspiring at breakfast time, caught up with some oz papers an apple juice and a croissant and back to terminal 2 for the flight. Security at the gate no great hassle and in no time in 34K (having changed from 33K the day before as 34J appeared to be vacant) and scored that vital unoccupied seat next to me. In Y that’s the difference between relative comfort and pure hell in my experience.

On this flight lunch is served:
Appetizer: marinated prawns with lettuce
Main course: Beef goulash with roasted veg and pasta
Dessert: a cornetto
Prawns were good, goulash was cooked maybe 3 times as long as it should have been, passed on the cornetto.

Drink service was good and FA’s were attentive. The AVOD system worked but in the 747’s the screens are tiny and glare makes them almost unwatchable at times. Overall I guess SQ offered a slightly superior Y service to QF but my last few QF flights have been chockers so I am not sure the comparison is entirely fair.


Getting through NRT customs was easy (quick exit from plane and mst passengers in transit to LAX) although I have never filled in as many forms as Japan seems to require. 2900Y and the bus takes me straight to the TCAT which is adjacent to the Royal Park hotel and I am in my room 1 hour after landing. Not too bad at all.

 

[dragonman]

Re: Seven weeks on a DONE4 plus a cruise with hand luggage. Is Tokyo cheap or what?

Royal Park Hotel , Kanto Tokyo Dec 22 to Dec 25

Great value hotel, less than $800 for 3 nights, large rooms, free internet. I would have like to stay in the Hyatt but its twice the price and your humble author here is self-funded.

I had been warned about the price of eating out here. If I ate in the hotel its about $100 a head and up. Walk out of the hotel and head for a variety of noodle (ramen) and sushi places and prices and it is so cheap it beggars belief. A Sushi Train fan in Sydney I walked up the road until I found "Sushi Otaru" Ate more than I should have (8 plates) total bill less than $10 Aud. Taxis around town cheapish as well.

Its a great place if you are occasonally prepared to step from your comfort zone. Cheers and a merry xmas to all.

 

[Evan]

Sounds like your enjoying a lot already

Yes when ever anybody asks about Japan they always say isn't it expensive ? and i provided as you say your happy to be a little outside your comfort zone its a great country to visit and not nearly as expensive as everybody seems to believe it is.

E

 

[dragonman]

In the Sakura F lounge at NRT.

Very nice - great views free internet and nice food. While sitting here and contemplating the imminent trip to Rome I did a search for trip reports NRT-FCO. No luck not a one I could find at least not in english. So there's your xmas challenge!

 

[dragonman]

NRT to FCO in Business Class.

Caught the Airport bus from the TCAT to Narita. This takes about 45 mins and was painless on xmas day since there was not much traffic around. This is the first leg of the DONE4 and with some trepidation and an e-ticket I approached the JAL ticket counter. I had pre-booked seat 1A and this was all good, the flight to Rome is a 2-class 747 so boarding pass in hand I head for the Sakura F lounge clearing immigration and security in about 5 minutes on the way. It has a nice selection of food and drinks and the famous beer pouring machines. The lounge has a great view over the airport, and the service, as it always is in Japan, is impeccable.

The flight JAL 409 is 12 hours and 45 minutes long and knowing this I had my laptop and some dvd’s to read so no problems (or so I thought).

Boarding and turning left the business cabin is in two sections, I assume that the upper deck is part of the economy configuration. It turned out that the cabin was one third full at best. I score the luxury of having nobody in seat 1B so I can really spread out.

No pre-takeoff drinks are offerred. The amenities such as they are pick and choose from a basket. The headphones are cheap and not noise reduction. Curiously I was offered a cardigan (no pjs this is a daytime flight).

Shortly after take-off I wonder where the power outlet is. There is none but they do offer batteries, but alas my macbook is not catered for so that reduces the dvd time. This leads to profuse apologies from the CSD. The AVOD is Magic II, the older set-up but works well. The seat is of the old non-lie flat type. Not an issue for me this time as the flight lands at 6:50 pm so I aim to stay awake and sleep once I get to the hotel in Rome.

The food and drink service is outstanding. Half – finished soft drinks are replaced often. The menu has two categories – Western and Japanese. I opt for the western option and luch and dinner are served on the flight.

Lunch

Amuse bouche
Terrine of lobster
Cold Carrot soup

Fillet of Beef with piquant sauce or Seafood Bouillabaisse
Fresh Salad
Bread or Steamed Rice

Cheese, Fruits and Petit Fours.

The meal was very good and I accepted the offer of some miso soup After the meal sandwiches were offerred at regular intervals until dinner:

Dinner

Barley and lentil risotto
Fried conger eel
Fresh salad
Fruit
Bread

Overall it was a good experience with great service. I was the first to get to immigration and nobody was looking like they cared at customs. Down to the airport express train all ticket offices shut (its xmas) took about 20 mins to get a ticket from a machine, and about 30 minutes into the Rome Termini station. A 10 minute walk to Hotel Diocleziano and a very long day comes to an end.

 

[dragonman]

FCO – LHR BA 555 Club Europe

Nothing in Rome seems to be very well organised. The idea was simple - go to Termini (Rome’s central station) catch the train to the airport, check in and go. Not easy to figure out the ticketing system on the trains, but finally matters resolve and 40 minutes or so later I am at Fiumincino Airport.

The BA counters are a nightmare. Nobody seems to pay any attention to who checks in where, and by going to the wrong line, I check in Italian style. Passport queue 20 minutes, security another 20 and find the BA lounge, no computers, mediocre food quality but its peaceful.

Go to the gate at boarding time (3:00 already 30 minutes late) and nothing happens until 3:20 then there is a stampede - no pre-boarding of anyone. On the plane in seat 3A and happy to find nobody in 3B. No pre- takeoff drinks offered but orders taken for post-takeoff. The food is two sandwiches, a mini cornish pastry and a scone with cream and jam. No audio or video available but attentive staff in a half-full cabin. It’s a long way from what even premium economy should be.

First off the plane and in transit fast-track security with my carry-on and laptop stuffed into it until the I take it out at x-ray and it has stayed out since. 5 minute wait for a bus and then its off to T4. This report comes to you from the computers outside the BA F lounge, where I enjoyed Broccoli and stilton soup and now I am off for a shower to help kill the 3 hour wait.

 

[JohnK]

Very nice trip report.

Look forward to reading about the rest of your trip.

 

[dragonman]

LHR-DXB Club World
DXB-LHR Club World

This was my first ever mileage run and to be honest would have preferred to stop-over at least one night but for a few reasons this could not be. This flight leaves at 9:40pm and boarding was on time. BA109 is uses the older Club World in a 777. The seating is in a yin-yang arrangement and I had the same seat in both directions.

I had been assigned a boarding pass to Dubai but could not get the return leg at either FCO or LHR, and I was a little worried about getting one at Dubai.

The service in both directions was good. LHR-DXB offered dinner and a light breakfast.
I had Loch Fyne smoked salmon, Shaun Hill’s smoked haddock and prawn fish pie and apple and blackberry pie with custard.

The entertainment system is not on demand but was adequate. I had seen most of it so watched stuff on the laptop for a while and slept until breakfast (it’s a 7 hour flight).

Breakfast was a choice of fresh fruit or yoghurt with honey and a selection of breads and pastries. I declined knowing that I would soon be on the return leg.

Landed on time around 8:15 am and then off to get boarding pass for next leg back. I find the transit desk but can only see Emirates staff. I ask them and they say “you must ask men in blue jackets”. None to be seen. They turn out to be 4 seats along seated on very low chairs and invisible if you are 2 metres from the counter. The questions start “why are you not staying in our country?” I eventually persuade him yes it is bizarre and I would have liked t stay and he gives me a BA boarding card and off to the BA lounge. Nice assortment of drinks and sandwiches and off to board the return leg.

Flight BA 108 leaves on time at 10:10 am. Lunch is poached prawns with coconut and green salad, followed by grilled fillet of beef and then a strawberry tart. I would say that on this flight about one quarter of the cabin was less than five years old, boy was I thankful to have my Bose noise-reduction headphones.

Immigration and fast-track card in hand I head off to find fast-track closed and a 45 minute wait at immigration. Its 2pm on sat 29 Dec but between xmas and new year anything to do with transport in London is likely to be reduced.

On the tube and I have been travelling for a long time but I console myself with SC’s earned and to be honest for a day and a half I sit and people feed me. Life could be worse.

 

[simongr]

I have done the LHR-DXB-LHR run. If staying alone in London there are worse ways to spend a Saturday night. Not sure I agree with your assessment of the quality of the IFE though :shock:

I guess I was just lucky being able to print both BPs at LHR before I flew.

 

[dragonman]

Not sure I agree with your assessment of the quality of the IFE though :shock:

I guess I was just lucky being able to print both BPs at LHR before I flew.

Not sure what you mean - do you think the IFE is good or bad. I guess the lack of on-demand reduces its attractiveness to me.

The BP's? Well the story was that flight's tomorrow so we can't do it....

 

[simongr]

I may be confusing the 777 LGW-BGI with the 777 LHR-DXB as one (maybe both) have those pathetic little screens. I rate the BA IFE below QF - which is a big call. I also have a lot of problems with the empower points. I was lucky on the DXB flights though as I was doing thr run to have some peace and quiet whilst reading the last Potter book so IFE was not used much.

 

[dragonman]

I may be confusing the 777 LGW-BGI with the 777 LHR-DXB as one (maybe both) have those pathetic little screens. I rate the BA IFE below QF - which is a big call. I also have a lot of problems with the empower points. I was lucky on the DXB flights though as I was doing thr run to have some peace and quiet whilst reading the last Potter book so IFE was not used much.

Agreed totally on IFE but a big problem for me was the lack of easy connectability for laptop power. 50 quid on BA duty free for the adapter? They are 'avin a laugh.

 

[Evan]

Agreed totally on IFE but a big problem for me was the lack of easy connectability for laptop power. 50 quid on BA duty free for the adapter? They are 'avin a laugh.

Last time i was on a BA flight they may have been 50 quid but atleast they were targus brand and seemed good units.

empower is the standard socket used on a lot of airlines and reasonably common. I have issue with there they place it in the seat and it sticking out at you on some seats, atleast in WT+

E

 

[dragonman]

LHR-TXL Club Europe
TXL-LHR Club Europe

These award flights were on BA’s premium intra-Europe product. The exit through LHR was relatively painless and this despite having to stuff the laptop inside the carry-on (I had left some stuff in London to make this easier). The flight to Berlin on New Year’s Day had about 8 people on it of whom myself and friend were the only two at the club end. The only reason the flight was not cancelled was that the return leg was completely full. The service was great (as you might expect) a snack was served but I had eaten in the BA F lounge. Berlin immigration was fantastic, each arrival gate has its own officers. The flight back was similarly uneventful. It is disappointing that BA cannot even offer any sort of entertainment system on these flights.

 

[dragonman]

LHR- HEL Club Europe

At last LHR lifts their stupid one carry-on rule and even adopts a sensible leave your laptop in the bag policy. Contrary to other reports I have read it was necessary to remove shoes though. Still painlessly through in to the F lounge for brekkie and an on-time departure for Finland.

The night before I check-in online and note that this time there are 4 people in club, but it seems that a bunch of people got opped-up and there are in fact only a few spare seats. The same snack as in the previous flights is offered and again it’s a painless arrival in Helsinki. A big plug for the Hotel Glo, less than a year old the rooms are almost Jetson like and a flat screen with 100 channels is a novelty, although it turns out that nearly one half of them are Middle East based. Great breakfast included in the rate.

 

[dragonman]

HEL-RVN Finnair Economy
RVN-HEL Finnair Economy

This is a one-class plane going to Rovaniemi, the capital of Lapland. The Finnair seats have very reasonable legroom and a snack (ham roll) is served. The Finnair domestic product bucks the trend in that they do not charge for food or soft drinks. Check-in is efficient and there is no seat allocation its first-in best dressed. The Finns seem to be easy going and unstressed and the process seems to work fine. Arriving at Rovaniemi at 8:30 am its still dark and reasonably cool at -10 degrees. I have come to give a talk at the University and notice reindeer just wandering around in fields near the airport.

I would recommend this place to anyone who wants to go somewhere unusual. Yes its dark most of the time, but the Finnish way of making the best of the conditions was just great. The menu in the local restaurants was a little different – reindeer and elk, which I ate and enjoyed, but personally I passed on the bear fillets.

The return flight was delayed to get the ice off the runway and a one hour flight later I am in the long-haul Finnair lounge waiting for the flight to JFK. A longer report on the HEL-JFL leg will follow.

 

[Paul_PER]

HEL-RVN Finnair Economy
RVN-HEL Finnair Economy


I would recommend this place to anyone who wants to go somewhere unusual. Yes its dark most of the time, but the Finnish way of making the best of the conditions was just great.

.

Try RVN in the northern summer and you will be able to read the newspaper outside at 11pm. That is if the local mossies don't carry you off.

Hammerfest in northern Norway is also great if you want to see the midnight sun. Weird not seeing the sun set - it just dips down towards the horizon at midnight but doesn't cross it before starting to swing back up.

 

[dragonman]

HEL-JFK Business

I approached this flight with a little trepidation. The plane itself (an MD-11) often attracts poor reviews. There are also mixed reviews on other boards of the Finnair service on its flights. I checked the night before the flight and saw that my seat (1A) had a pax in 1B so switched to 6A, which had 6B empty, and so it turned out to be.

The embarkation progress was smooth the seat was an almost lie flat shell type. The FA provided me with an adaptor for the laptop, and I watched poker videos most of the way to JFK. The inflight AV system is somewhat limited for choice.

The lunch was excellent. An amuse-geule of creamed crayfish was great, I had smoked salmon, the other option was soup. The main course of reindeer was excellent, the other choices were fish or meatballs. Sorry about the lack of detail but they whipped their menus back when I was not paying attention.

Afternoon tea was served before arrival (sandwiches). It is a strange flight in that it is 8 hours 30 minutes long but you arrive 90 minutes after take off (7 hour time difference between Finland and the USA east coast). The constant service and attention was just great.

The MD-11 seemed just fine to me. Given sufficient leg-room, comfort and service I am not sure it matters to me what kind of plane it is. Anyway a two thumbs up for Finnair. It was a great experience.

 

[dragonman]

AA 1821 JFK-DFW First
AA 802 DFW-YUL Business

The long way to get there but the mileage run was the thing. The flight leaves JFK at 7:50 am so its early when I arrive at 6:15. I get both boarding passes and am pleased to see that there is a priority line through security and I am through in no time. Off to the AC, I miss the one with the Flagship Lounge (my fault) and end up in a the AC near the departure gate. I know many people comment on the lack of free food/service etc and they are right. After the BA, QF, JAL and AY lounges the Admiral’s Clubs are really disappointing.

The flight to DFW leaves on time. It’s a 4 hour 10 minute flight, no entertainment system. Pre-departure orange juice and a breakfast of a nothing omelette – no filling at all, no rolls “they did not load them on time”. Anyway read, fall asleep and Dallas beckons.

DFW has a very efficient monorail running at 1 minute intervals between terminals and in no time I arrive at the AC looking for the Flagship Lounge. Well there ain’t one. Oh and no wireless internet “that’s only for paid up AC members” and the usual lack of quality anything. Then off to the gate to find the flight is now running 30 minutes late. Well I sit and the flight posted on the terminals at the gate is not mine. Then I hear there has been a change of gate, off to the new gate and now its further delayed. In the end it was 90 minutes late, and there was no apology offered or explanation given until arrival in Montreal. The food offered was a hot beef roll, and at least there was an AV system which they started so late the movie “The Jane Austen Book Club” did not have time to finish. At least they led it run until after touchdown. Then the hassles with Canadian customs began. You can find it here if you like http://www.frequentflyer.com.au/community/immigration-and-customs/bad-experience-at-montreal-12058.html

 

[serfty]

To get to the JFK Flagship Lounge that overlooks gate 12, go straight ahead from x-ray for ~50 metres then up elevator/stair to the left of the concourse. (There's some on the right as well, but you have to walk back across.)

In the Flagship lounge, they have complimentary T-Mobile Wireless 24h cards available. Just ask! Obtain one, regesiter and use in any T-Mobile 'hotspot' (including most A/C's) for the next day or so.

• New York John F. Kennedy International Airport