Trip report: EK business class and more...DXB to MAN to JNB to CPT to DXB
Jul 28, 2013, 11:55 pm
#1
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Trip report: EK business class and more...DXB to MAN to JNB to CPT to DXB
Trip report:
Emirates Business class Dubai to Manchester ek17 (a380), Manchester to Johannesburg (ek21 and ek763), Federal Air from Johannesburg to the safari at Ulusuba, then onto Cape Town with South African Airways, 4 nights in Cape Town and a wine tour, then back to Cape Town ek771 (business).
Part 1:
DXB to MAN
As usual the emirates chauffeur was 15 minutes early, I received a text and hurried my wife along as usual! The car service Emirates offer is excellently run, always on time (or early) and this was no exception. My wife and I were dropped off in 15 minutes from where we live in downtown to the emirates dedicated business and first class check in area. There was no queue at check in and we proceeded swiftly to the lounge which was the "old" lounge at b gate as our flight departed from b17 so no train ride to terminal a despite us being on the A380. This seems to be a common occurrence for this flight that i take quite often.
The A380 in business is such a vast cabin, however fortunately for my wife and I it was rather empty meaning the service was fantastic. Usually EK's service in J and F is excellent and this did not disappoint. We were looked after by a chap called Themis who made the flight one of the more enjoyable ones on the A380. Personally I prefer the 777 with 42 business seats as opposed to 76 on the big bus.
We got a nice greeting as we are both gold frequent flyers on EK and settled in. I do like the bar on the A380 and if you haven't been on it before it is a great experience, everyone is always fairly jovial and up for a drink or two...
Settling in...
Continental breakfast to start
Lunch starter was the Tuna which I really enjoyed
The last bits of my wife's beef main course, again it was excellent:
The wine list
Cheese to finish with a nice glass of the Malbec blend and plenty of Veuve beforehand!
Overall, this was one of my better experiences on the A380, great service and an enjoyable flight. Tonight we fly to JNB via DXB from MAN both on the 777-300 ER so it will be good to compare the service and the seats which are slightly angled rather than flat.
I am really looking forward to the MAN lounge and will try to take some decent photos!
Emirates Business class Dubai to Manchester ek17 (a380), Manchester to Johannesburg (ek21 and ek763), Federal Air from Johannesburg to the safari at Ulusuba, then onto Cape Town with South African Airways, 4 nights in Cape Town and a wine tour, then back to Cape Town ek771 (business).
Part 1:
DXB to MAN
As usual the emirates chauffeur was 15 minutes early, I received a text and hurried my wife along as usual! The car service Emirates offer is excellently run, always on time (or early) and this was no exception. My wife and I were dropped off in 15 minutes from where we live in downtown to the emirates dedicated business and first class check in area. There was no queue at check in and we proceeded swiftly to the lounge which was the "old" lounge at b gate as our flight departed from b17 so no train ride to terminal a despite us being on the A380. This seems to be a common occurrence for this flight that i take quite often.
The A380 in business is such a vast cabin, however fortunately for my wife and I it was rather empty meaning the service was fantastic. Usually EK's service in J and F is excellent and this did not disappoint. We were looked after by a chap called Themis who made the flight one of the more enjoyable ones on the A380. Personally I prefer the 777 with 42 business seats as opposed to 76 on the big bus.
We got a nice greeting as we are both gold frequent flyers on EK and settled in. I do like the bar on the A380 and if you haven't been on it before it is a great experience, everyone is always fairly jovial and up for a drink or two...
Settling in...
Continental breakfast to start
Lunch starter was the Tuna which I really enjoyed
The last bits of my wife's beef main course, again it was excellent:
The wine list
Cheese to finish with a nice glass of the Malbec blend and plenty of Veuve beforehand!
Overall, this was one of my better experiences on the A380, great service and an enjoyable flight. Tonight we fly to JNB via DXB from MAN both on the 777-300 ER so it will be good to compare the service and the seats which are slightly angled rather than flat.
I am really looking forward to the MAN lounge and will try to take some decent photos!
Last edited by m3red; Jul 29, 2013 at 7:11 am
Jul 29, 2013, 12:25 pm
#4
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Join Date: Aug 2012
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In the man lounge now, very nice it is as ever.
Aug 2, 2013, 7:26 am
#5
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: MAN DXB ✈️
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Part 2 pictures to follow...
So after a very quick trip back to the Cheshire countryside we were ready to head back to MAN. The chauffeur was 15 minutes early and we were picked up in a new e-class Mercedes and driven the 25 mins to the airport. The check in queue was minimal and we were quickly through security and in the sanctuary on the emirates lounge. The lounge is very spacious especially on the non a380 flight and today business was only about 2/3 full. The lounge offers a pretty good view of the Tarmac and we had a few snacks and a couple of glasses of Moët (to help us sleep...).
View from the lounge...
Screen...
Avoid the middle seat if possible...
Boarding was easy although travellers out of MAN will know the lounge is a fair distance from the gate which is a bit of a nuisance. We settled in and I opted for some more champagne and the prawn curry for dinner which was again very good, desert was skipped, one film was watched and then we both slept until about an hour from landing, a first for me. The seats and layout is different from the 380 with a 2 3 2 layout, we had 7j and 7k which is the second row in business and my personal favourite as it is in a mini cabin of 2 rows (6 and 7). There is often much debate on the angled "lie flat" ek 777 seat but I actually like it and prefer the 42 passengers against 76 with the service being much better. I do find both the 777 and 380 seats narrow as I am quite tall and broad (think rugby winger not prop!). We landed and unfortunately had to get a bus to the terminal. One bad thing about arriving in Dubai is the occasional remote landing. As a business passenger you do get a separate bus (not quite as bling as the first class bus but still nice enough) which drops you off at arrivals or transfers. We quickly cleared security and proceeded to find where our flight 763 to Johannesburg would depart. We had to ask which gate and terminal because we landed at 7 and the flight was not until 10.15 and not up in the departure board and we were told gate A8 which was a bit of a pain as we arrived between gate c and b so it was a fair walk and a train to get to the new lounge. The trains run every few minutes and it is a very short journey and a lift to the lounge and we could relax before boarding at around 9.30.
This was only my second time in the new lounge as it is usually B gate for me some reason and it is quite impressive and in my view a big improvement on the lounge at terminal B. Boarding was straight from the lounge and actually quite painful. Being the "a380" terminal you have to get a lift from down to the ground level and there was a massive queue to get on with only one bridge for business and economy and the usual one bridge for first. I like the one bridge for first as if you are paying that money then it should be a first class service but it took us a good 15 minutes on the bridge before we settled into 7j and k again. The flight felt long (it was around 8 hours) but the service was again superb, with the crew making a nice champagne cocktail with a flower (see the picture) because we were celebrating a belated honeymoon. I won't bore you with the flight details but the food was nice again and I had some excellent cheese and red wine as my "light" bite before landing. Interestingly on this flight in business the champagne was Bollinger, not the usual veuve or Moët so it was a nice change.
Special champagne cocktail
We arrived into Tambo International and cleared through immigration quite quickly and our bags were already in the carousel waiting for us which was a bonus as we were both flagging a little from too much emirates excess and two long flights. Luckily we had booked the intercontinental at the airport which was literally right outside the airport. Check in was straightforward and the room was nice with a large comfy bed, nice shower and bath which was separate and some nice touches with a nespresso machine and good tea and mini bar selection, unfortunately no pictures as I was a little tired. We both had a quick shower and wondered to the bar to have a little dinner and a drink before our flight to Ulusaba the next morning.
We were up fairly early the next day after a decent nights sleep and we checked out of the room and walked round the corner to the bus terminal which was where the Federal Air kiosk was located. Check in was by name, bags were weighed and we were driven to the Federal Air lounge which was really nice. I have attached some photos below and some of the little Cessna that would take us to Ulusuba airstrip. The journey to Ulusuba began....
Packed and ready...
Boarding cards...
Fed air lounge
Little Cessna
View from the lounge...
Screen...
Avoid the middle seat if possible...
Boarding was easy although travellers out of MAN will know the lounge is a fair distance from the gate which is a bit of a nuisance. We settled in and I opted for some more champagne and the prawn curry for dinner which was again very good, desert was skipped, one film was watched and then we both slept until about an hour from landing, a first for me. The seats and layout is different from the 380 with a 2 3 2 layout, we had 7j and 7k which is the second row in business and my personal favourite as it is in a mini cabin of 2 rows (6 and 7). There is often much debate on the angled "lie flat" ek 777 seat but I actually like it and prefer the 42 passengers against 76 with the service being much better. I do find both the 777 and 380 seats narrow as I am quite tall and broad (think rugby winger not prop!). We landed and unfortunately had to get a bus to the terminal. One bad thing about arriving in Dubai is the occasional remote landing. As a business passenger you do get a separate bus (not quite as bling as the first class bus but still nice enough) which drops you off at arrivals or transfers. We quickly cleared security and proceeded to find where our flight 763 to Johannesburg would depart. We had to ask which gate and terminal because we landed at 7 and the flight was not until 10.15 and not up in the departure board and we were told gate A8 which was a bit of a pain as we arrived between gate c and b so it was a fair walk and a train to get to the new lounge. The trains run every few minutes and it is a very short journey and a lift to the lounge and we could relax before boarding at around 9.30.
This was only my second time in the new lounge as it is usually B gate for me some reason and it is quite impressive and in my view a big improvement on the lounge at terminal B. Boarding was straight from the lounge and actually quite painful. Being the "a380" terminal you have to get a lift from down to the ground level and there was a massive queue to get on with only one bridge for business and economy and the usual one bridge for first. I like the one bridge for first as if you are paying that money then it should be a first class service but it took us a good 15 minutes on the bridge before we settled into 7j and k again. The flight felt long (it was around 8 hours) but the service was again superb, with the crew making a nice champagne cocktail with a flower (see the picture) because we were celebrating a belated honeymoon. I won't bore you with the flight details but the food was nice again and I had some excellent cheese and red wine as my "light" bite before landing. Interestingly on this flight in business the champagne was Bollinger, not the usual veuve or Moët so it was a nice change.
Special champagne cocktail
We arrived into Tambo International and cleared through immigration quite quickly and our bags were already in the carousel waiting for us which was a bonus as we were both flagging a little from too much emirates excess and two long flights. Luckily we had booked the intercontinental at the airport which was literally right outside the airport. Check in was straightforward and the room was nice with a large comfy bed, nice shower and bath which was separate and some nice touches with a nespresso machine and good tea and mini bar selection, unfortunately no pictures as I was a little tired. We both had a quick shower and wondered to the bar to have a little dinner and a drink before our flight to Ulusaba the next morning.
We were up fairly early the next day after a decent nights sleep and we checked out of the room and walked round the corner to the bus terminal which was where the Federal Air kiosk was located. Check in was by name, bags were weighed and we were driven to the Federal Air lounge which was really nice. I have attached some photos below and some of the little Cessna that would take us to Ulusuba airstrip. The journey to Ulusuba began....
Packed and ready...
Boarding cards...
Fed air lounge
Little Cessna
Last edited by m3red; Aug 2, 2013 at 7:42 am
Aug 25, 2013, 10:29 am
#7
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: MAN DXB ✈️
Programs: Skywards Gold
Posts: 6,831
So after a short but slightly scary flight we arrived at the private Ulusaba airstrip. We were met by our driver Ryan and quickly sat down for a glass of champagne whilst our bags were unloaded and put onto the vehicle. We were then driven the 5 minutes to the safari lodge at Ulusaba where we were shown around and shown to our room, elephant room number one. This was the best arrival at a hotel I have experienced and everything was top notch as you would expect.
The view from the Cessna on the way to the airstrip.
The room was not as big ask had imagined but it was very well done in traditional African style and had a lovely view out into the bush.
A few pictures of the room.
We settled in and had a quick bite to eat and a shower before our first game drive at 4pm. We would have 2 drives a day, 6am til 9 and then 4-7 so it was quite exhausting. The days would start with a wake up call at 5.30 am and met with the other guests in the main lodge for a quick coffee or tea before heading out. Hot water bottles and blankets were provided in the land rovers that were well set up with 6 seats each row being slightly higher than the other.
The car, in a bog!
We would then come back have a shower/snooze and then have some lunch before meeting everyone at 3.30 for tea and cakes before the evening drive commenced. The lunch was outside on the deck where individual tables were setup for the parties, there were no more that 15 guests staying so only a few tables were required. In the evening after the game drive most people hit the bar straight away (that literally had everything) and then we would all sit down and have a communal dinner at a rather long table where everyone would discuss the days sightings. The dinners were actually really good and included kudu and ostrich that was sourced from sustainable farms.
The first drive was incredible, we saw elephants, wild dogs and a leopard in a tree with her mother watching her from below, this was truly incredible.
Some of the wild life we saw...
The view from the Cessna on the way to the airstrip.
The room was not as big ask had imagined but it was very well done in traditional African style and had a lovely view out into the bush.
A few pictures of the room.
We settled in and had a quick bite to eat and a shower before our first game drive at 4pm. We would have 2 drives a day, 6am til 9 and then 4-7 so it was quite exhausting. The days would start with a wake up call at 5.30 am and met with the other guests in the main lodge for a quick coffee or tea before heading out. Hot water bottles and blankets were provided in the land rovers that were well set up with 6 seats each row being slightly higher than the other.
The car, in a bog!
We would then come back have a shower/snooze and then have some lunch before meeting everyone at 3.30 for tea and cakes before the evening drive commenced. The lunch was outside on the deck where individual tables were setup for the parties, there were no more that 15 guests staying so only a few tables were required. In the evening after the game drive most people hit the bar straight away (that literally had everything) and then we would all sit down and have a communal dinner at a rather long table where everyone would discuss the days sightings. The dinners were actually really good and included kudu and ostrich that was sourced from sustainable farms.
The first drive was incredible, we saw elephants, wild dogs and a leopard in a tree with her mother watching her from below, this was truly incredible.
Some of the wild life we saw...
Last edited by m3red; Aug 25, 2013 at 10:52 am
Aug 25, 2013, 11:00 am
#8
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: MAN DXB ✈️
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The seats in our room...
View from the bed to the bathroom shows the traditional style...
There was a great walk on a rope bridge to the safari lookout where elephants, hippos and crocs could be seen, we walked to this lookout most days after breakfast...
The view from the lookout
View from the bed to the bathroom shows the traditional style...
There was a great walk on a rope bridge to the safari lookout where elephants, hippos and crocs could be seen, we walked to this lookout most days after breakfast...
The view from the lookout
Aug 25, 2013, 11:51 am
#9
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The view from Ulusaba air strip looking at the sun rise
A romantic picnic one day...
Breakfast in the bush one morning was awesome, fresh fruit pancakes and of course champagne all freshly prepared by our chef.
Some days on the drives we would stop for a coffee and hot chocolate or in the evening a beer wine or g and t! Very civilised and definitely my kind of safari!
Ulusuba was definitely somewhere that met expectations, the lodge manager Robyn was excellent and could not do enough to assist with anything. One night we arranged for a private dinner in the wine cellar and got to chose our own wine! I picked a Pinot noir whilst the wife went for a Chardonnay Pinot noir blend by haute cabriere which I must say was very nice indeed.
We also had a massage one day that was really nice and needed after all the travelling and early starts!
A romantic picnic one day...
Breakfast in the bush one morning was awesome, fresh fruit pancakes and of course champagne all freshly prepared by our chef.
Some days on the drives we would stop for a coffee and hot chocolate or in the evening a beer wine or g and t! Very civilised and definitely my kind of safari!
Ulusuba was definitely somewhere that met expectations, the lodge manager Robyn was excellent and could not do enough to assist with anything. One night we arranged for a private dinner in the wine cellar and got to chose our own wine! I picked a Pinot noir whilst the wife went for a Chardonnay Pinot noir blend by haute cabriere which I must say was very nice indeed.
We also had a massage one day that was really nice and needed after all the travelling and early starts!
Aug 27, 2013, 11:17 am
#10
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: MAN DXB ✈️
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The safari was undoubtably the highlight of the trip and I wasn't looking forward to the federal air flight back to jnb, business class this was not!
Fortunately it was a twin prop larger plane and we were back and in the lounge at jnb for the flight to cpt. I must say I will not moan about an ek lounge again! The Saa lounge was poor, minimal food but I just cracked open a few largers!
The seats were comfortable enough and the meal was actually ok...
After the 2 hour flight we took a shuttle to the taj hotel in central capetown.
Fortunately it was a twin prop larger plane and we were back and in the lounge at jnb for the flight to cpt. I must say I will not moan about an ek lounge again! The Saa lounge was poor, minimal food but I just cracked open a few largers!
The seats were comfortable enough and the meal was actually ok...
After the 2 hour flight we took a shuttle to the taj hotel in central capetown.
Aug 27, 2013, 11:41 am
#11
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: MAN DXB ✈️
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Posts: 6,831
The Taj in Cape Town is a stunning hotel, we stayed in the heritage rooms with a table mountain view and it was stunning. I really can't say enough good things about this hotel, the staff and service were excellent and it did have a boutique feel to it.
In Cape Town we did the touristy things - the V&A, Robben Island and Camps Bay...
Table mountain
Camps Bay
Mandella's cell
The onto the wine lands....
In Cape Town we did the touristy things - the V&A, Robben Island and Camps Bay...
Table mountain
Camps Bay
Mandella's cell
The onto the wine lands....
Aug 27, 2013, 11:46 am
#12
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After Cape Town we went onto the wine lands which were pretty spectacular, may favourites were Jordan's and Glen Carlou...
Another stunning location...
It wasn't all wine for 3 days...
Another stunning location...
It wasn't all wine for 3 days...
Aug 27, 2013, 11:55 am
#14
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The wine tour was heavy going, we did 5 tastings a day and drank a lot along the way, but it was great fun and a great way to enjoy the wine lands and spectacular countryside in this region.
After the tour we headed back for another couple of nights at the Taj before the long flight back to Dubai.
The car arrived on time as ever and we were promptly through check in and into the lounge which was shared with Saa again so again it wasn't great. The one saving grace was the beers and the view of the Tarmac that was great. I saw the plane land and was gutted it was the a343...
Turning onto the runway at cpt
The terrible entertainment and seats...
I have a bad back and 10 hours on this plane was awful, and I let ek know that this plane does not justify the cost of the ticket! The service was good but the seat for me being 6 foot 2 and 15 stone was not at all comfortable. I wish this wasn't the end of my trip because it was a bad way to end! Fortunately, that's the last I will probably ever see of those seats! Ek sort it out please!
After the tour we headed back for another couple of nights at the Taj before the long flight back to Dubai.
The car arrived on time as ever and we were promptly through check in and into the lounge which was shared with Saa again so again it wasn't great. The one saving grace was the beers and the view of the Tarmac that was great. I saw the plane land and was gutted it was the a343...
Turning onto the runway at cpt
The terrible entertainment and seats...
I have a bad back and 10 hours on this plane was awful, and I let ek know that this plane does not justify the cost of the ticket! The service was good but the seat for me being 6 foot 2 and 15 stone was not at all comfortable. I wish this wasn't the end of my trip because it was a bad way to end! Fortunately, that's the last I will probably ever see of those seats! Ek sort it out please!