Go Back  FlyerTalk Forums > Community > Trip Reports
Reload this Page >

Dubai for the Weekend from Australia – Emirates First Class

Dubai for the Weekend from Australia – Emirates First Class

Old Sep 30, 2014, 2:11 am
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: ADL
Programs: Qantas, Singapore Airlines
Posts: 32
Dubai for the Weekend from Australia – Emirates First Class

In 2001 we used the last of our Ansett points for a round Australia First Class trip, completed in July. Ansett collapsed in September 2001.

Move forward to August 2014, with Qantas not doing so well and an impending sense of Déjà vu, we decided it was time to burn some points and have a bit of fun.

We recently moved to Adelaide, where there are not many direct international flights, and certainly very few with first class. That is except Emirates, which operates a daily flight to Adelaide from Dubai. Regular checking of the Qantas FF search engine showed pretty open availability, but only for about 4 days out at any point in time.

On Friday 29th September I was checking out Qantas.com and noticed that there was availability for the 10pm flight that night, and that we could return on Monday via Melbourne. This meant the opportunity to fly on a B777 and A380.

I booked it straight away. The cost was 540,000 QF points + AUD1563.44 in fees and charges for two. (Ouch Qantas!)


Emirates flight EK441
Adelaide – Dubai Friday 29th August 2014
Aircraft Boeing 777 300ER A6-ECS
5 seats occupied of 8

After a bit of a scramble to get ready, we were off to the airport, checked in and in the rather crumby Qantas club lounge by 8pm. I must say that Adelaide Airport does not cater very well for first class passengers. No priority anything!

We were amongst the last to board, deciding that standing in the long line for customs/immigration just didn’t seem right under the circumstances.

Once on board, everything changed for the better. The cabin crew were excellent and sensing our holiday mood, were very friendly and attentive. (Offering to take photos etc)

We had checked in with seats 1E and 1F, but the crew asked if we would prefer 2E and 2F, which to us seemed better seats.



On the ground in Adelaide – Suite 2A unoccupied


Mood lighting


Lining up with the runway


Very powerful take-off from Adelaide’s (relatively) short runway.


No overhead lockers - Loved the stars.


Still some distance to go


Drinks were offered followed by ‘have anything you want, anytime’ menu.
Here is some of the food we ate that night:



Caviar – Yum, first time since SQ first way back in 1998


Mezze Starter – Fantastic, how could you not enjoy this?


Prawn Biryani – Really good.


Citrus Pudding with vanilla ice-cream, delicious.

After dinner, the beds were made up and we slept for 6 or 7 hours, waking in time for some tea and fruit before an ungodly early arrival into Dubai.


Comfortable and private


Dubai from the air

On arrival we were at a remote stand. This was not a problem. The ‘first class’ bus was waiting for us and the other 3 passengers:



Once off the bus, it was a bit of a walk to arrivals and gave a sense of just how huge the airport is.
Formalities quickly executed, we were in our Emirates provided car and on our way to the hotel in no time.

Travelling international first class is not something I get to do very often.

Back in the 1990s, before beds on planes were invented, I experienced 3 round the world SQ first class trips. They were fantastic then. It has been a long time between drinks and things have seriously moved on.

I’m not fussy and probably easily impressed. This flight was fantastic. I couldn’t wait to get on-board the A380 for the return trip.

But first we had Dubai to experience for the weekend.

To be continued.

Last edited by standch; Sep 30, 2014 at 2:38 am
standch is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2014, 2:38 am
  #2  
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: NBO, MEL
Programs: QR Platinum, TK Elite
Posts: 1,353
What a great start. Waiting for the rest of the report.
roadwarriorafrica is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2014, 4:25 am
  #3  
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Hilton Contributor Badge
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: IAH
Programs: DL DM, Hyatt Ist-iest, Stariott Platinum, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 12,759
Originally Posted by standch
I booked it straight away. The cost was 540,000 QF points + AUD1563.44 in fees and charges for two. (Ouch Qantas!)
Ouch indeed! We paid less that half the tax and fees for a revenue fare in EK Y for a weekend trip, granted it was a mistake fare (another trip report I'm working on).

Emirates F looks like something crazy nice that I'd like to experience one day!

Last edited by krazykanuck; Sep 30, 2014 at 6:26 am
krazykanuck is offline  
Old Sep 30, 2014, 6:06 am
  #4  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: ADL
Programs: Qantas, Singapore Airlines
Posts: 32
Dubai, Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st August 2014

We arrived at the Sheraton Mall of the Emirates hotel at about 6:30am.

We didn’t want to take a chance of not being able to check in early, so we had pre-paid the previous night. We checked into our club floor room and after a quick freshen-up, headed downstairs for a very substantial buffet breakfast. The breakfast was great, with lots of western, middle eastern and sub-continental choices.

After napping for a couple of hours we headed out to explore Dubai. This was not our first visit. We had previously played tourist, doing the Bedouin camp thing and visiting the various souks.

So we continued with our transport themed weekend and set about to discover Dubai via the metro system. This mostly elevated rail system is a great way to get around in a very comfortable way. The temperature was in the high 30s Celsius but the metro system was beautifully cool, with air-conditioned walkways and stations.

We bought day Gold Passes for the metro for about AUD11 each. This entitled us to travel in the Gold section of the front (or rear) car, which was less crowded and more comfortable. It also allowed for great train-buff photos.

We visited the Dubai Mall, and also took the train to the end of the line.


Gold cabin – Dubai Metro


The end of the line - Creek Station


Literally the end of the line






View from our Hotel


It is very hard to fit this building in frame!


Mall of the Emirates (or is it Dubai mall?)


Rooftop pool – Sheraton Mall of the Emirates


On day two we relaxed around the pool and later in the day headed out to the airport by train, just to check it out. It was about 3pm and very quiet.


Massive terminal building


Taxiing A380


Deserted at 3pm

After dinner at an Iranian restaurant we had an early night, ready for the return flight on the A380 and the fulfilling of that shower dream.

Last edited by standch; Sep 30, 2014 at 6:37 am
standch is offline  
Old Oct 1, 2014, 6:39 am
  #5  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: ADL
Programs: Qantas, Singapore Airlines
Posts: 32
Dubai Terminal 3 First Class Lounge

The Emirates car picked us up at 7:40am, precisely 2.5 hours before our flight was due to depart. Traffic was light and we were at the airport checking in before 8:15. I don’t recall any queues for anything and I think we were in the lounge by about 8:30.

The lounge was vast, and pretty comfortable. We had a very light breakfast, knowing how much we were likely to eat on the plane.

















It was soon time to board. We walked to the gate, which was opposite the Business class lounge and after a passport and boarding pass check, it was a quick lift ride to the air bridge, enter the plane and turn left.

Last edited by standch; Oct 1, 2014 at 6:45 am
standch is offline  
Old Oct 1, 2014, 6:42 am
  #6  
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Dubai, UAE; Southern UK
Programs: BA Silver; EK Silver, IHG Gold
Posts: 92
Isn't the shower on the 380 simply the best of inventions?
I've done it numerous times and it never gets old, though it does still feel a little weird stripping naked on a plane!
derekmines is offline  
Old Oct 1, 2014, 6:50 am
  #7  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: ADL
Programs: Qantas, Singapore Airlines
Posts: 32
Smile

Originally Posted by derekmines
Isn't the shower on the 380 simply the best of inventions?
I've done it numerous times and it never gets old, though it does still feel a little weird stripping naked on a plane!
Yep, luxurious, decadent and surprisingly practical.

Oh, and knowing someone is right outside the door the whole time!
standch is offline  
Old Oct 1, 2014, 7:26 am
  #8  
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: BWI
Posts: 1,782
That's a fun last minute getaway for sure! Nice train pictures.
farbster is offline  
Old Oct 1, 2014, 10:13 am
  #9  
 
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: MAN DXB ✈️
Programs: Skywards Gold
Posts: 6,825
Originally Posted by derekmines
Isn't the shower on the 380 simply the best of inventions?
I've done it numerous times and it never gets old, though it does still feel a little weird stripping naked on a plane!
I like it as it saves me time at the other end meaning I can go to bed without showering.

The heated floor is good and the shower also generally sobers me up!
m3red is offline  
Old Oct 3, 2014, 7:59 am
  #10  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: ADL
Programs: Qantas, Singapore Airlines
Posts: 32
Dubai to Melbourne - September 1st 2014

Monday 1st September 2014
Flight EK406 Dubai – Melbourne
A380 Seats 3E, 3F
9 of 14 seats occupied.

We were seated in 3E and F, with the galley immediately behind. There was no noticeable disruption from the galley during the flight.
Suites 4a and 4k were empty, so we each moved over for take-off. There was lots to see on the ground and in the air.























The suites were very similar to those on the B777, although they were noticeably narrower. There was no real decrease in comfort level due to this. The ceiling was much lower, too. I think I preferred the 777, but there really wasn’t much in it.
The lavatory situation was interesting too. 2 for 8 people on the 777, 3 for 14 on the 380, with two of them being the shower suites. Unexpected long waits for the one remaining loo occurred during the 380 flight while other passengers were taking their showers. This was exacerbated by the business class folk sneaking through to use it, as it is just in front of the curtain.









As this flight departed at 10:10am and we were well rested, we decided to stay awake and enjoy as much of it as we could. We ended up having just a few hours’ sleep towards the end of the flight.
A lot of the other passengers were continuing from other destination and so went to sleep soon after boarding.
We decided to have a leisurely lunch about 1.5 hours after boarding. Due to the departure time, the menu included continental breakfast, full lunch/dinner, and full breakfast items. (pretty impressive)

I booked my shower for 4 hours into the flight.

Lunch:











On learning we drink little or no alcohol, the wonderful Purser Claire brought us these virgin mojitos. It was a lovely gesture and we had several chats to Claire during the flight. You could tell she really wanted her guests to have a great experience.


Venison – very tasty


From the snack menu –Udon noodles with prawns.



A while after lunch it was time for my shower. What sort of luxury is this?!
The room was beautifully prepared and very clean. The five minutes of actual water-time in the shower is fine; I was even able to just luxuriate with the last couple of minutes of water.
It was amazing actually feeling clean and refreshed on a plane.









Back to 3F in my Emirates PJs, I relaxed and watched one of my all-time favourite movies, nibbled on fruit and had some more food from the snack menu.





I was always a little bemused when writers of trip reports say that they wish the flight was longer. I now understand!
All too soon we were on approach to Melbourne and the end of our impromptu weekend away.

I would love to do it again.

Cheers.

standch is offline  
Old Oct 3, 2014, 9:33 am
  #11  
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Europe
Programs: M&M mainly
Posts: 318
Beatiful pictures, thx for sharing.
AhogZ is offline  
Old Oct 3, 2014, 9:46 am
  #12  
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: AA, B6, UA, HH, WoH
Posts: 455
great trip. really nice pictures. thanks for sharing your experience.
BOSOGG is offline  
Old Oct 3, 2014, 4:19 pm
  #13  
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: singapore, the netherlands
Programs: SQ PPS, KLM Platinum, Air Berlin gold, HHonors Gold, SPG gold
Posts: 81
Great review, I recently flew business out of Dubai on the A380 and had a lovely experience. I can't imagine how much better first must be. also watched North by northwest for the first time on that flight - was ribbed by my youngish colleague but a classic for sure!
tingadingling is offline  
Old Oct 3, 2014, 5:04 pm
  #14  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: ADL
Programs: Qantas, Singapore Airlines
Posts: 32
Originally Posted by tingadingling
Great review, I recently flew business out of Dubai on the A380 and had a lovely experience. I can't imagine how much better first must be. also watched North by northwest for the first time on that flight - was ribbed by my youngish colleague but a classic for sure!
Thanks. Business class on the A380 looks very comfortable, and the bar area is a nice touch.
I also went for walk through the economy cabin, and it didn't look too bad. Very different from the 10 across zoo on the 777!

I cop lots of ribbing from my partner every time I watch North by Northwest. I guess I've seen it about 15 times now
standch is offline  
Old Oct 3, 2014, 5:10 pm
  #15  
 
Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Sydney
Posts: 74
Awesome report. Looks like EK really looked after you. Thanks for the report
SYDSiderFlyer is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

This site is owned, operated, and maintained by MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Designated trademarks are the property of their respective owners.