The Emirates First Experience - What to Expect?

[GCflyer]

My partner and I recently experienced First Class in Emirates on the 777 from Hong Kong to Dubai for the first time. To summarise.....

HK Lounge - 2/10 - A big let down - thankfully we checked out the Qantas space first which was far superior.

Cabin - 9/10 - As we had the whole cabin to ourselves it was like our own private jet. Space galore.

Service - 7/10 - Staff were nice and attentive but I thought a little pushy in regards to getting the meal service over and done with as quickly as possible for a 'dine-on-demand' experience.

Alcohol 10/10 - First time trying Dom - loved it. Hennessy Paradis was smooth but wouldn't rush to spend $1300 on a bottle! Wines were all top notch and partner enjoyed working her way through the coughtail list.

Food 3/10 - Ok this was the major downer - I'd rate it well below Business Class standard in every other airline I've flown. In fact the meals on our next Emirates flight in Business were much better. Cheese Board and Caviar were the only dishes we enjoyed out of the 8-9 we tried.

Overall we really enjoyed our experience and would definitely book it again using points if available. Using $18k of my hard earned cash? No way.

 

[kermatu]

Lamb chops.

Superb.

Had grand plans to have both the cheese and a dessert. Alas, sanity and my bursting stomach prevailed. As nice as the dessert sounded, simply cannot pass up the best cheese board in the sky.

Did not disappoint.

Accompanied with the 1976 port. Not as good as the ‘63 but one can’t really complain.

 

[kermatu]

Overall we really enjoyed our experience and would definitely book it again using points if available. Using $18k of my hard earned cash? No way.

Pity it wasn’t all you had hoped. I too wouldn’t pay such a price. But was lucky to get return to Singapore in F for approx $4k so jumped on it. Sadly flying QF on return.

 

[jjj777ccc]

Then a wonderful caviar serve. With vodka shot.

View attachment 203625

Huge serve?!

nice view on the IFE too!

 

[GCflyer]

Pity it wasn’t all you had hoped. I too wouldn’t pay such a price. But was lucky to get return to Singapore in F for approx $4k so jumped on it. Sadly flying QF on return.

Oh it was by no means a bad experience! The food was the only real let down, definitely keen to try some other airlines or the a380 in First Class to compare. 4k is a great price - I would have jumped on that too

 

[kermatu]

Huge serve?!

nice view on the IFE too!

Sure was. On both counts.

 

[kermatu]

While I couldn’t have dessert, did manage some ‘snacks’ about 80 minutes from landing:




Overall an excellent flight.

A lightly loaded F cabin on the 777 is great. Otherwise the A 380 offset seats offer a bit more privacy without needing to close the door. The smaller bathroom does also lessen the experience.

 

[serfty]

HK Lounge - 2/10 - A big let down - thankfully we checked out the Qantas space first which was far superior.

Surprising! In my opinion the Qantas HKG space and is F&B offering does not even come close to that of the EK lounge.

 

[Forg]

Surprising! In my opinion the Qantas HKG space and is F&B offering does not even come close to that of the EK lounge.

I understand wanting to try something new, but I thought that generally the F lounge in the "home airport" of a top-tier carrier would be the one they put the most effort into & would therefore almost always be the one to use in that "home airport"? I've not been there, but I've heard the Cathay F lounge in HK is one of the better lounges in the world (or is there an F+ lounge that mere F tickets wouldn't let you enter?).

 

[serfty]

I understand wanting to try something new, but I thought that generally the F lounge in the "home airport" of a top-tier carrier would be the one they put the most effort into & would therefore almost always be the one to use in that "home airport"? I've not been there, but I've heard the Cathay F lounge in HK is one of the better lounges in the world (or is there an F+ lounge that mere F tickets wouldn't let you enter?).

The CX F lounges at HKG (Wing and Pier) are IMHO miles ahead of the Qantas offering. To be honest I rarely go the Qantas lounge when flying Qantas out of HKG.

 

[jase05]

I understand wanting to try something new, but I thought that generally the F lounge in the "home airport" of a top-tier carrier would be the one they put the most effort into & would therefore almost always be the one to use in that "home airport"? I've not been there, but I've heard the Cathay F lounge in HK is one of the better lounges in the world (or is there an F+ lounge that mere F tickets wouldn't let you enter?).

The CX F lounges are miles ahead IMO but the OP was flying with EK so didn’t have that choice.
The QF HKG lounge is ok but thought the EK lounge is better

 

[Forg]

The CX F lounges are miles ahead IMO but the OP was flying with EK so didn’t have that choice.

As an infrequent flyer, I keep forgetting that the EK/QF lounge-usage agreement isn't a OneWorld thing!!

 

[GCflyer]

Yes as mentioned unable to access CX lounges with EK tickets so no dedicated 1st lounge available. We also found the Emirates business lounge in Dubai very average....particularly food wise. The reasoning behind flying Emirates from HK (besides visiting HK) is the low fees on reward tickets.

 

[SOPOOR]

thanks for your posts #Kermatu

I am doing to my first F in Emirates long haul in July , im doing a 12 hr stop over in dubai, I chose this so that I have the A380,
soooooooooo looking forward to it

 

[jase05]

Yes as mentioned unable to access CX lounges with EK tickets so no dedicated 1st lounge available. We also found the Emirates business lounge in Dubai very average....particularly food wise. The reasoning behind flying Emirates from HK (besides visiting HK) is the low fees on reward tickets.

Just out of interest which J lounge did you visit in DXB?
Some are better than others

 

[GCflyer]

Just out of interest which J lounge did you visit in DXB?
Some are better than others

Concourse C from memory - had researched the better options available however this was the closest to our gate and we were limited by time and sheer size of the airport.

Look I'm probably coming across as a bit negative - in no way would I discourage people flying Emirates First Class, it was great! We just didn't really rate the food either in the air or in the lounges and usually it's one of the things I look forward to most.

 

[Forg]

Look I'm probably coming across as a bit negative - in no way would I discourage people flying Emirates First Class, it was great! We just didn't really rate the food either in the air or in the lounges and usually it's one of the things I look forward to most.

I had the same opinion, and given that really the only extra you get over J is the food & drink, I didn't see the value in paying money for it ... going to one of the best restaurants in the world quite a few times looks like better value for the same money.

But why you'd expect onboard food to be as good as a middling restaurant is a different matter. I think I did, which is silly, it's all pre-prepared & then microwaved. Until they fly proper cooks around with proper kitchens, it's not going to be possible.

 

[kermatu]

thanks for your posts #Kermatu

I am doing to my first F in Emirates long haul in July , im doing a 12 hr stop over in dubai, I chose this so that I have the A380,
soooooooooo looking forward to it

That’s why it’s worth keeping this thread going I reckon. Give people tips and some idea what to expect. Does ruin some of the surprise though.
my biggest tip is look at the menu in advance and plan accordingly. My 2nd big tip is if you aren’t enjoying something don’t hesitate to ask for something else. Not something I’m great at but this is the place to do it.

Enjoy!

 

[SOPOOR]

That’s why it’s worth keeping this thread going I reckon. Give people tips and some idea what to expect. Does ruin some of the surprise though.
my biggest tip is look at the menu in advance and plan accordingly. My 2nd big tip is if you aren’t enjoying something don’t hesitate to ask for something else. Not something I’m great at but this is the place to do it.

Enjoy!

agree!!
im a big caviar fan, not so much of a huge drinker, maybe 2-3 drinks is enough per meal or im going to be too drunk to be able to apprecaie things,
so im going to ask for extra caviar, ensure I get my goodies pack, and shower,
not sure what can wrong in first class excpet technical difficulities,

but I have the first world problem of 2 consecutive flights!

 

[Flying mermaid]

Everyone has different tastes and perceptions. I prefer TPR in Singapore to the Qantas Sydney F lounge - I know many don’t agree with me So what one person really enjoys food wise, another will find poor value. Would be boring if we were all the same.