Conclusion
I'm glad I had the opportunity to take this trip while I was still young. Cambodia can be a tricky place for the older crowd, but it's something that shouldn't hold you back in visiting. It's totally worth the effort to see the temples of Angkor.
As for the flights themselves - Royal Jordanian was on time and reasonably comfortable, but from my two experiences, it had many service faults and inconsistencies. To begin with, where is the priority boarding? Both FA crews were generally just looking to get service done more than anything else. I will give the purser on JFK-AMM (who didn't work in the C cabin) props for handling my seat mate with poise when he became visibly angry at not having anything to eat. The Crown Lounge is an excellent facility - minus the showers costing a criminal 15 JOD. If RJ wants to keep pace with their glitzy neighbors in the UAE, they will need to differentiate themselves, and I don't think they are doing that right now.
+ Buffet style meal service for Breakfast on AMM-BKK
+ Crown Lounge is excellent
+ City Terminal is a cheap way to get to the airport
- No priority boarding at JFK...or even AMM
- Amman airport is quite run down and badly needs the new terminal
- Minimal effort by FA's, was only asked one time for my choice in drink, rest were offers on trays with preselected options
Cathay's new C product is top class and could almost be mistaken as a first class product. Service was generally consistent and friendly, though the main dishes offered in C could be improved upon. The refurbishment of The Wing means that you should avoid it until it's complete. Small gestures, like providing a water bottle before dimming the lights, makes a world of difference - and Cathay FA's have this touch of service excellence. Cathay's base, HKG, is a wonderful airport and probably my favorite airport I've been too so far. Singapore's Changi is on par, but the gate security is kind of a nuisance.
+ Service effort was the same regardless of load - no slacking
+ C seats that could be classified as BusinessFirst (I'm looking at you CO)
+ IFE selection is HUGE
- Main dishes are poor
If you can stomach the prices, I hear the Sofitel in Siem Reap is lovely, but I can definitely recommend the Sofitel in Phnom Penh. It's a bit out of the way from the main attractions of the city so if you want to be much closer, the Raffles is probably a better choice. The Villa at Siem Reap were wonderful hosts who took care of all my needs, even taking caring of my airfare reservations without charge so I highly recommend both their hotel and their tour packages as well. That covers it all - if there's something you want to know more about, just let me know and thanks for reading!