8. Rome to Dubai via Qatar Business Class
After our wonderful cruise we caught a taxi to the airport and arrived in about an hour. The lounge was rather subterranean but adequate, though I took no photos. Boarding resumed and we boarded our next (and always welcome) 787-8.
Rome to Doha
Boeing 787-800
Duration ~ 5h
Business Class
3K + 4K
With minimal taxiing we took off in the direction of Civitavecchia and passed over the cruise ship within 30 seconds of take-off. We then commenced with a decent 180 degree turn and headed towards Doha, and settled at 41,000 feet. Unfortunately I had a filthy window, but tried my best to get some of the great views we experienced.
By then we were quite hungry and piled into a very delicious late lunch.
Baileys and warm nuts
Delicious soup
Chicken kebab
Very tasty feta and tomato salad
Gnocci
Cheese platter
And Qatar's delicious desserts...
I settled back to watch some movies. Qatar's IFE is not really adequate enough as I had watched most of the good stuff on the outbound flight. I went to the "All time greats" section and the first movie I saw was Dodgeball. Scandalized, I exited and decided to watch series for the rest of the flight, namely Futurama and Modern Family.
We landed safely in Doha and had a short layover of about 2 hours before our flight to Dubai. We did a bit of last-minute gift shopping and then headed for the gate, to once again... our Boeing 787-8
Doha to Dubai
Boeing 787-800
Duration ~ 45 minutes
First Class
3A + 4A
This is the shortest flight I have ever been on. Despite the fact that it's 45 minutes, it's actually only 375km. It's even referred to as a
shuttle. For some reason it's considered to be First Class, and we received First Class tags, as well as extras in the cabin, such as Arabic coffee and dates.
Mint and Lemon juice... pure sugar.
They offer a full meal on this flight, but they bring all the courses at once.
Arabic coffee and date
After take-off to the North we turned right and settled at 21,000 feet. I asked for some tea and a Laduree dessert.
We spent a few minutes at cruise altitude before descending and landing in Dubai for the last part of our vacation.