A Kenyan Safari (Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Amboseli + EK F/EY J/F)
May 24, 2015, 4:07 pm
#1
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: DFW
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum, Hilton HHonors Gold
Posts: 2,863
A Kenyan Safari (Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Amboseli + EK F/EY J/F)
There are trips, and then there are TRIPS. A trip would be a weekend to Cancun or a week in Italy visiting family. A TRIP would be a road trip across Australia (like I did in 2013) or dog-sledding in Greenland.
What I am going to narrate about falls into the TRIP category. Because you don’t happen to go to Kenya – one of the best places on Earth to see wildlife – every day. Kenya is a TRIP that requires some degree of planning and thinking. While flying to Nairobi and then “figuring it out” could be an option, that’s not a very smart one if you have limited time. As my experience in developing countries taught me, things can get wrong easily when planning last minute, and wasting 1 or 2 days on a week-long trip could really ruin a trip.
All of this is magnified when you try to get first three, and then five people not only from different cities within the USA but also from different countries to take the same trip, together. As we had different budgets and expectations, we decided to look for a “mid-range” type of tour, and we ended up booking our trip through Safe Ride Tours and Safaris Ltd, a company from Nairobi.
Of course, Kenya is a big country, and having only one week on the ground we had to make some decisions. It also helped that, at first, only two of the five worked on crafting the itinerary. We didn’t really case about spending too much time in Nairobi, as we wanted to see animals; Maasai Mara was, of course, our top priority, since it’s probably the best place to see big cats in Kenya (as the northern extension od Serengeti, it gets lots of action during the wildebeest migration, but that happens during summertime); most tours then head to Lake Nakuru – which is not too far away and which is a great spot to see birds, including flamingos. This would take up 3-4 days, so we’d have two more days left; the next logical park to visit was Amboseli, to get some good wildlife pictures with the Mt Kilimanjaro as backdrop. And so we had our itinerary set.
Then we had to think how to get there. Each of us came up with different plans. I, for my part, had first booked an itinerary mainly on BA First during US YQ-surcharge glitch. I would fly BA A380 F twice and QR F on my way back, for only ~$220 in tax and fuel surcharge. But then that itinerary started to sound not so appealing, also because some schedule changes would create some long layovers and require one extra day of vacation to use the same ticket. So I cancelled this ticket, and looked for options.
Right around New Year’s Eve I found First Class availability using AS miles on DFW-DXB-NBO. Perfect flight times, get to (finally!) try EK F on the A380, DONE! I booked that. Easy peasy.
Figuring out the way back was a little bit more convoluted. I will spare you all my iterations, but in the end I decided to burn (a lot) of miles to fly Etihad Business Class to Abu Dhabi, connecting then to Etihad First Class on a Jet Airways-configured 77W to Frankfurt; from there I would fly American Airlines business class on a 767-300ER (old configuration). While I was originally planning to fly Lufthansa First Class on my way back home, I am glad I went for AA as an intestinal bug made me miserable for all my return journey – I would definitely not have enjoyed my LH flight.
I hope you will follow my report because this trip has been nothing short of amazing. Traveling with good old friends is always fun, and Kenya was very generous to us in terms of wildlife sightings and cultural experience overall. So sit tight, grab a drink, and let’s go!
What I am going to narrate about falls into the TRIP category. Because you don’t happen to go to Kenya – one of the best places on Earth to see wildlife – every day. Kenya is a TRIP that requires some degree of planning and thinking. While flying to Nairobi and then “figuring it out” could be an option, that’s not a very smart one if you have limited time. As my experience in developing countries taught me, things can get wrong easily when planning last minute, and wasting 1 or 2 days on a week-long trip could really ruin a trip.
All of this is magnified when you try to get first three, and then five people not only from different cities within the USA but also from different countries to take the same trip, together. As we had different budgets and expectations, we decided to look for a “mid-range” type of tour, and we ended up booking our trip through Safe Ride Tours and Safaris Ltd, a company from Nairobi.
Of course, Kenya is a big country, and having only one week on the ground we had to make some decisions. It also helped that, at first, only two of the five worked on crafting the itinerary. We didn’t really case about spending too much time in Nairobi, as we wanted to see animals; Maasai Mara was, of course, our top priority, since it’s probably the best place to see big cats in Kenya (as the northern extension od Serengeti, it gets lots of action during the wildebeest migration, but that happens during summertime); most tours then head to Lake Nakuru – which is not too far away and which is a great spot to see birds, including flamingos. This would take up 3-4 days, so we’d have two more days left; the next logical park to visit was Amboseli, to get some good wildlife pictures with the Mt Kilimanjaro as backdrop. And so we had our itinerary set.
Then we had to think how to get there. Each of us came up with different plans. I, for my part, had first booked an itinerary mainly on BA First during US YQ-surcharge glitch. I would fly BA A380 F twice and QR F on my way back, for only ~$220 in tax and fuel surcharge. But then that itinerary started to sound not so appealing, also because some schedule changes would create some long layovers and require one extra day of vacation to use the same ticket. So I cancelled this ticket, and looked for options.
Right around New Year’s Eve I found First Class availability using AS miles on DFW-DXB-NBO. Perfect flight times, get to (finally!) try EK F on the A380, DONE! I booked that. Easy peasy.
Figuring out the way back was a little bit more convoluted. I will spare you all my iterations, but in the end I decided to burn (a lot) of miles to fly Etihad Business Class to Abu Dhabi, connecting then to Etihad First Class on a Jet Airways-configured 77W to Frankfurt; from there I would fly American Airlines business class on a 767-300ER (old configuration). While I was originally planning to fly Lufthansa First Class on my way back home, I am glad I went for AA as an intestinal bug made me miserable for all my return journey – I would definitely not have enjoyed my LH flight.
I hope you will follow my report because this trip has been nothing short of amazing. Traveling with good old friends is always fun, and Kenya was very generous to us in terms of wildlife sightings and cultural experience overall. So sit tight, grab a drink, and let’s go!
May 31, 2015, 10:17 am
#4
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: DFW
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum, Hilton HHonors Gold
Posts: 2,863
Glitz and Glamour in the Sky: Emirates First Class Dallas to Dubai (EK F A388)
Flight EK222 DFW-DXB
First Class, Seat 3K
Airbus A380-800
Feb 21st, 2015 11:20a – 12:00p+1
Finally, the time to fly Emirates First Class came. I had flown Emirates before once between Hong Kong and Bangkok, but that was in coach. Now I was about to fly 14 hours in First Class on the company’s state-of-the-art A380.
As first class cabins go, nothing can beat the glamour associated with Emirates’. The glitziness of this product is unrivalled – perhaps only Etihad’s The Residence gets close to it. Hence my trepidation for this flight was very high.
Boarding happened through Gate 16 at Terminal D – one of the two gates equipped to handle this huge plane. Different jetways lead to different floors of the plane, and today I was going upstairs. Emirates equips its A380s with First Class on the front part of the upper floor, while the rest of it is dedicated to business class. The bar sits at the very end of the upper level.
As I was walking in, the purser greeted me at the door and handed myself into the caring hands of Maria, my flight attendant for the day. I really have to praise her great work, because she made my flight perfect. My suite today was 3K, and my first impression of it was, literally, “WOW”.
I sat down and Maria walked me through all the functionalities of the suite and of the entertainment system. She also asked me whether I wanted a drink, and I asked for some champagne.
Like I said, the suite is really as nice as people say it is. Emirates really tried to create a mini-Four Seasons Hotel room up in the sky. Every detail is well taken care of – from the orchids hanging on the side of the wall, to the snack basket, to the minibar, to the vanity mirror and its lighting. Compared to other First Class products like Cathay Pacific or Etihad, this product is certainly more stylish and in a more overstated way. Yet, I don’t feel that this suite be perfect: I felt that, compared to Etihad for instance, it’s not as spacious (although it’s spacious enough).
Maria came with my champagne, which was Moet-Chandon pre-departure. She poured me a glass, and then she poured me another one while we were still waiting on the tarmac. Another flight attendant came by offering Arabic coffee and dates, which I gladly accepted; that was followed by a steamy-hot towel, with Emirates logo on it.
We took off on time after a rather long taxiing; I am always amazed by how quiet this giant plane is during take off, which happened very smoothly.
Emirates IFE works non-stop from the moment you sit down till the moment you leave the plane, offering a seamless experience. I started watching a scary movie, but I quickly gave up on it as it wasn’t very interesting. Overall, I found the movie selection on this flight to be a bit weak – think Lufthansa for instance. But at least they had entire seasons of various tv shows, which would keep me entertained as needed.
Once airborne, Maria offered me a glass of Dom Perignon, which I gladly accepted. After that, one of the flight attendants came by and introduced me to the shower spa concept, asking me if and when I wanted to take a shower. I opted for 2h30m before landing, and he duly took note. Finally, the purser came by to introduce himself, and to offer some canapés. First some cold canapés were brought out – which were very nice – while some hot canapés required more time to be ready.
First Class, Seat 3K
Airbus A380-800
Feb 21st, 2015 11:20a – 12:00p+1
Finally, the time to fly Emirates First Class came. I had flown Emirates before once between Hong Kong and Bangkok, but that was in coach. Now I was about to fly 14 hours in First Class on the company’s state-of-the-art A380.
As first class cabins go, nothing can beat the glamour associated with Emirates’. The glitziness of this product is unrivalled – perhaps only Etihad’s The Residence gets close to it. Hence my trepidation for this flight was very high.
Boarding happened through Gate 16 at Terminal D – one of the two gates equipped to handle this huge plane. Different jetways lead to different floors of the plane, and today I was going upstairs. Emirates equips its A380s with First Class on the front part of the upper floor, while the rest of it is dedicated to business class. The bar sits at the very end of the upper level.
As I was walking in, the purser greeted me at the door and handed myself into the caring hands of Maria, my flight attendant for the day. I really have to praise her great work, because she made my flight perfect. My suite today was 3K, and my first impression of it was, literally, “WOW”.
I sat down and Maria walked me through all the functionalities of the suite and of the entertainment system. She also asked me whether I wanted a drink, and I asked for some champagne.
Like I said, the suite is really as nice as people say it is. Emirates really tried to create a mini-Four Seasons Hotel room up in the sky. Every detail is well taken care of – from the orchids hanging on the side of the wall, to the snack basket, to the minibar, to the vanity mirror and its lighting. Compared to other First Class products like Cathay Pacific or Etihad, this product is certainly more stylish and in a more overstated way. Yet, I don’t feel that this suite be perfect: I felt that, compared to Etihad for instance, it’s not as spacious (although it’s spacious enough).
Maria came with my champagne, which was Moet-Chandon pre-departure. She poured me a glass, and then she poured me another one while we were still waiting on the tarmac. Another flight attendant came by offering Arabic coffee and dates, which I gladly accepted; that was followed by a steamy-hot towel, with Emirates logo on it.
We took off on time after a rather long taxiing; I am always amazed by how quiet this giant plane is during take off, which happened very smoothly.
Emirates IFE works non-stop from the moment you sit down till the moment you leave the plane, offering a seamless experience. I started watching a scary movie, but I quickly gave up on it as it wasn’t very interesting. Overall, I found the movie selection on this flight to be a bit weak – think Lufthansa for instance. But at least they had entire seasons of various tv shows, which would keep me entertained as needed.
Once airborne, Maria offered me a glass of Dom Perignon, which I gladly accepted. After that, one of the flight attendants came by and introduced me to the shower spa concept, asking me if and when I wanted to take a shower. I opted for 2h30m before landing, and he duly took note. Finally, the purser came by to introduce himself, and to offer some canapés. First some cold canapés were brought out – which were very nice – while some hot canapés required more time to be ready.
Last edited by oneworld82; Jun 2, 2015 at 2:09 pm
Jun 2, 2015, 2:08 pm
#7
Suspended
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: DFW
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum, Hilton HHonors Gold
Posts: 2,863
In any case, I was feeling a bit bored and decided to go get some action at the bar. Maria escorted me through the business class cabin (which looks gorgeous and which was almost full) to the bar, introduced me to Carmen (our German bartender for the day) and took a picture of me. I have to admit that Emirates’ crew was much more cheerful and personable that I had anticipated. They were able to read situations very well – being personable and friendly with those who wished so, but being formal and very professional with others who just wanted to mind their own business.
The bar area is definitely a winner for Emirates. On such a long flight like this one, it becomes the perfect place where to congregate and meet new people, while sharing a drink or two together. As the selection of drinks is not as strong as in First Class, the FA’s informed me I could have drinks from he first class cabin brought to me to the bar. Also, my hot canapés were delivered to me at the bar – and they were excellent (especially the crab cake, which was very flavorful).
A hour or so (and two gin and tonic) later, I headed back to my suite to have some lunch. First class had only four people today, which ensured a fast and efficient service. The menu for the day looked like this.
The selection looked pretty good, and given the variety of food on offer it was a bit hard to pick and choose (without running the risk of having an indigestion or perennial heartburn afterwards). I started with the caviar – which was offered with a shot of Grey Goose or Imperial Standard vodka (well done!). I am not sure which brand/variety Emirates uses, but the quality was excellent. The garnishes were also very nicely done, and my only complaint is that not enough blinies were offered. Overall, this was a great way to start my dinner.
While I wanted to go straight ahead with my main course, Maria suggested I try some soup – and I obliged. I had the cauliflower and leek soup, which was really nice.
After the soup, I had lamb with roasted potatoes and a garden salad. The lamb was flavorful, tender; the potatoes were perfectly made; and the salad was a nice, simple one. Overall, my main was of great quality, and let me very satisfied. I had it with a glass of Pinot Noir, which was not particularly of my liking (I usually love California Pinot Noirs).
At this point I was feeling very full, but I couldn’t resist dessert and so I ordered the apricot and raspberry tart. In one word: delicious! This excellent meal was topped off by a nice espresso, served with Godiva pralines.
The bar area is definitely a winner for Emirates. On such a long flight like this one, it becomes the perfect place where to congregate and meet new people, while sharing a drink or two together. As the selection of drinks is not as strong as in First Class, the FA’s informed me I could have drinks from he first class cabin brought to me to the bar. Also, my hot canapés were delivered to me at the bar – and they were excellent (especially the crab cake, which was very flavorful).
A hour or so (and two gin and tonic) later, I headed back to my suite to have some lunch. First class had only four people today, which ensured a fast and efficient service. The menu for the day looked like this.
The selection looked pretty good, and given the variety of food on offer it was a bit hard to pick and choose (without running the risk of having an indigestion or perennial heartburn afterwards). I started with the caviar – which was offered with a shot of Grey Goose or Imperial Standard vodka (well done!). I am not sure which brand/variety Emirates uses, but the quality was excellent. The garnishes were also very nicely done, and my only complaint is that not enough blinies were offered. Overall, this was a great way to start my dinner.
While I wanted to go straight ahead with my main course, Maria suggested I try some soup – and I obliged. I had the cauliflower and leek soup, which was really nice.
After the soup, I had lamb with roasted potatoes and a garden salad. The lamb was flavorful, tender; the potatoes were perfectly made; and the salad was a nice, simple one. Overall, my main was of great quality, and let me very satisfied. I had it with a glass of Pinot Noir, which was not particularly of my liking (I usually love California Pinot Noirs).
At this point I was feeling very full, but I couldn’t resist dessert and so I ordered the apricot and raspberry tart. In one word: delicious! This excellent meal was topped off by a nice espresso, served with Godiva pralines.
Jun 2, 2015, 6:06 pm
#10
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 26
Looking forward to your report; I was leaving Kenya as you were arriving....Best time to be in the Mara. I flew first time EK - J class; going back in Sept. to Uganda on EK. Enjoyed it; hope I have the same stellar crew....If not, grrr....
Better experience than SAA which I have flown 6 previous safaris...excepting Swiss to DAR which was great. But too many layovers.
I have a trip report over on Safaritalk. "Lipault Ladies". Amazing 2nd visit to the Mara.Everyone should visit once in their life!
I looked at your page; nice to see all the reviews in different cities and carriers.
Better experience than SAA which I have flown 6 previous safaris...excepting Swiss to DAR which was great. But too many layovers.
I have a trip report over on Safaritalk. "Lipault Ladies". Amazing 2nd visit to the Mara.Everyone should visit once in their life!
I looked at your page; nice to see all the reviews in different cities and carriers.
Last edited by jjw2; Jun 2, 2015 at 6:27 pm Reason: Add on
Jun 3, 2015, 3:08 pm
#15
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: BWI
Posts: 1,782
Terrific trip report. Can't wait to see the safari part.
If I had those lamb chops at a Bar Mitzvah, I'd be thrilled. If I had them on a plane, I'd be over the moon. How many do you think you could have before they cut you off? Forget the Dom, pass the lamb chops!
If I had those lamb chops at a Bar Mitzvah, I'd be thrilled. If I had them on a plane, I'd be over the moon. How many do you think you could have before they cut you off? Forget the Dom, pass the lamb chops!