8 bottles of Krug to BKK in CX F – A New Year's Eve story
Jan 4, 2016, 1:15 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Scottsdale
Posts: 2,949
8 bottles of Krug to BKK in CX F – A New Year's Eve story
.
Well, the stars finally aligned once again – and I have another tale of excess to share.
To be honest, 8 bottles were in fact consumed – but they were a mix of Krug, Laurent Perrier and vintage Deutz.
With the impending devaluation of AA miles in March, I decided to clear out my account with a 67.5k redemption to BKK – soon to be 110k.
I was originally booked on JL in F, leaving LAX at around noon, but decided to take CX at midnight on New Year's Eve instead.
My AA flight from PHX got me to LAX at 3:30 pm, so I had over 7 hours at the excellent Qantas F lounge at TBIT. The plan was to eat and drink quite merrily on the ground, and then hit the bed right after takeoff.
So, without further ado, here's the story of my New Year's Eve adventure on CX.
BOTTLES #1 & 2:
I rolled up to the bar at Qantas' First Class Lounge at 4pm and perused the menu. My last visit here was for a morning flight and they were only serving breakfast. Now, I was able to enjoy their full menu with true restaurant-quallity food.
I ordered the pulled pork tacos – which were out-of-this-world. A glass of Laurent Perrier was the perfect choice to wash them down.
Over the course of seven and a half hours, I had sampled the seared bass, hanger steak, pasta, a couple of salads and another serving of those delicious pulled pork tacos.
Oh, and 2 bottles of the Laurent Perrier Champagne – which was only slightly more than one glass per hour.
BOTTLES #3 & 4:
Boarding was chaotic, but once I turned left and the CSD welcomed me by name without looking at my boarding pass – life got a whole lot better.
Champagne was offered, and the first glass of Krug was poured – celebrating New Year's Eve and the beginning of a long journey. The clock struck midnight right at my first sip, and the crew were all very joyful about the moment – even though they actually celebrate their New Year next month.
I had two glasses on the ground during boarding, and then the captain made the announcement that a passenger had celebrated a little too much and wouldn't be flying with us that night. Another glass was poured while we waited for his bags to be offloaded.
I'm normally not a huge fan of Krug, as I find it a bit too sweet for my taste. But they mix up a new batch every few years, and this one was actually quite good.
It took forever taxiing for takeoff and I was getting sleepy. My bed was made moments after we leveled off, and I was given a fresh glass of Krug to sip on while I drifted off to dreamland.
My plan to sleep immediately after departure and have dinner upon waking was very prescient, as our 77W experienced severe turbulence for the next four straight hours. There was no service of any kind during this time, as every passenger and crew member was strapped in tight. I was laying in that big, beautiful CX bed with the seatbelt cinched around me as the plane bucked like a mechanical bull.
Things calmed down, I got some decent sleep, and then was served an awesome steak. This slab of beef was was at least two and a half inches thick and totally delicious. I tried a few of the red wines that CX was featuring, but nothing struck my fancy. I stayed with the Krug and estimate that I had about two bottles during the 15+ hour flight.
Later I had the Chinese pork rib dinner as a snack and then freshly scrambled eggs for breakfast.
BOTTLES #5 & 6:
Arrival into HKG at sunrise was spectacular, and I was soon in the new Pier first class lounge. My connecting flight to BKK wasn't until 2:25 pm, so I had seven hours to kill. I could've taken an earlier flight, but I really wanted to explore the newly remodeled Wing and Pier F lounges. Plus, this: particular flight to BKK had first class with the same longhaul suites I flew in on.
A breakfast of baked eggs with chorizo and cheese was jaw-dropping, and the smoked salmon was a perfect companion.
I'm now laying on a couchette in a private dayroom for a nap – with the nose of a CX 777 right outside my window. With the sounds of airport hubbub swirling around me, It's impossible to sleep. So, I headed to the bar and got a glass of Veuve Clicquot.
Then it was off to the Wing F lounge for a shower in their sleek new cabanas, and then a few gasses of Veuve at their Champagne bar. The lounge was dead and I was dreaming of lunch back at the Pier, so I took the people mover train back to the "high" gates.
After an awesome "Clay Pot Chicken," I had the seared salmon and mustard pork – all washed down with more VC.
It's time for boarding and I've consumed 9 glasses of Champagne over the past 7 hours.
BOTTLES #7 & 8:
With CX now flying their F suites into BKK, this 2.5 hour flight is an E-ticket ride for pampered travelers.
Rather than serving Krug, CX had the 2005 Deutz Blanc de Blanc as their Champagne for First Class. I tried to keep an open mind about the Deutz as I gave it a serious tasting, and my assessment was that it's exceptional – and it's a dead-ringer for the incredible 2002 - 2004 Salon that JL serves in F.
Professional reviews score the 2005 Deutz at 93-95 points, and I would definitely put it at the high end of that scale.
The crew were very proactive about pouring me glass after glass, and by the time we began our descent I had polished off two bottles.
The CSD came by with a fresh bottle, and for the first time in my life – I actually refused a top-up before landing.
EPILOGUE:
When I wrote the epic tale of 8 bottles of Dom, I thought for sure it would never be repeated. The hangover was so severe that I haven't even come close to half that amount on any of my trips since.
I'm now a bit older, but no wiser. Willing to throw caution to the wind for one last big hurrah.
They say 'what doesn't kill us make us stronger.' Well, here's to being strong in 2016.
Happy New Year,
Macabus
*Here's a link to the original trip report: "8 bottles of Dom from LAX-BKK on SQ in F"
Well, the stars finally aligned once again – and I have another tale of excess to share.
To be honest, 8 bottles were in fact consumed – but they were a mix of Krug, Laurent Perrier and vintage Deutz.
With the impending devaluation of AA miles in March, I decided to clear out my account with a 67.5k redemption to BKK – soon to be 110k.
I was originally booked on JL in F, leaving LAX at around noon, but decided to take CX at midnight on New Year's Eve instead.
My AA flight from PHX got me to LAX at 3:30 pm, so I had over 7 hours at the excellent Qantas F lounge at TBIT. The plan was to eat and drink quite merrily on the ground, and then hit the bed right after takeoff.
So, without further ado, here's the story of my New Year's Eve adventure on CX.
BOTTLES #1 & 2:
I rolled up to the bar at Qantas' First Class Lounge at 4pm and perused the menu. My last visit here was for a morning flight and they were only serving breakfast. Now, I was able to enjoy their full menu with true restaurant-quallity food.
I ordered the pulled pork tacos – which were out-of-this-world. A glass of Laurent Perrier was the perfect choice to wash them down.
Over the course of seven and a half hours, I had sampled the seared bass, hanger steak, pasta, a couple of salads and another serving of those delicious pulled pork tacos.
Oh, and 2 bottles of the Laurent Perrier Champagne – which was only slightly more than one glass per hour.
BOTTLES #3 & 4:
Boarding was chaotic, but once I turned left and the CSD welcomed me by name without looking at my boarding pass – life got a whole lot better.
Champagne was offered, and the first glass of Krug was poured – celebrating New Year's Eve and the beginning of a long journey. The clock struck midnight right at my first sip, and the crew were all very joyful about the moment – even though they actually celebrate their New Year next month.
I had two glasses on the ground during boarding, and then the captain made the announcement that a passenger had celebrated a little too much and wouldn't be flying with us that night. Another glass was poured while we waited for his bags to be offloaded.
I'm normally not a huge fan of Krug, as I find it a bit too sweet for my taste. But they mix up a new batch every few years, and this one was actually quite good.
It took forever taxiing for takeoff and I was getting sleepy. My bed was made moments after we leveled off, and I was given a fresh glass of Krug to sip on while I drifted off to dreamland.
My plan to sleep immediately after departure and have dinner upon waking was very prescient, as our 77W experienced severe turbulence for the next four straight hours. There was no service of any kind during this time, as every passenger and crew member was strapped in tight. I was laying in that big, beautiful CX bed with the seatbelt cinched around me as the plane bucked like a mechanical bull.
Things calmed down, I got some decent sleep, and then was served an awesome steak. This slab of beef was was at least two and a half inches thick and totally delicious. I tried a few of the red wines that CX was featuring, but nothing struck my fancy. I stayed with the Krug and estimate that I had about two bottles during the 15+ hour flight.
Later I had the Chinese pork rib dinner as a snack and then freshly scrambled eggs for breakfast.
BOTTLES #5 & 6:
Arrival into HKG at sunrise was spectacular, and I was soon in the new Pier first class lounge. My connecting flight to BKK wasn't until 2:25 pm, so I had seven hours to kill. I could've taken an earlier flight, but I really wanted to explore the newly remodeled Wing and Pier F lounges. Plus, this: particular flight to BKK had first class with the same longhaul suites I flew in on.
A breakfast of baked eggs with chorizo and cheese was jaw-dropping, and the smoked salmon was a perfect companion.
I'm now laying on a couchette in a private dayroom for a nap – with the nose of a CX 777 right outside my window. With the sounds of airport hubbub swirling around me, It's impossible to sleep. So, I headed to the bar and got a glass of Veuve Clicquot.
Then it was off to the Wing F lounge for a shower in their sleek new cabanas, and then a few gasses of Veuve at their Champagne bar. The lounge was dead and I was dreaming of lunch back at the Pier, so I took the people mover train back to the "high" gates.
After an awesome "Clay Pot Chicken," I had the seared salmon and mustard pork – all washed down with more VC.
It's time for boarding and I've consumed 9 glasses of Champagne over the past 7 hours.
BOTTLES #7 & 8:
With CX now flying their F suites into BKK, this 2.5 hour flight is an E-ticket ride for pampered travelers.
Rather than serving Krug, CX had the 2005 Deutz Blanc de Blanc as their Champagne for First Class. I tried to keep an open mind about the Deutz as I gave it a serious tasting, and my assessment was that it's exceptional – and it's a dead-ringer for the incredible 2002 - 2004 Salon that JL serves in F.
Professional reviews score the 2005 Deutz at 93-95 points, and I would definitely put it at the high end of that scale.
The crew were very proactive about pouring me glass after glass, and by the time we began our descent I had polished off two bottles.
The CSD came by with a fresh bottle, and for the first time in my life – I actually refused a top-up before landing.
EPILOGUE:
When I wrote the epic tale of 8 bottles of Dom, I thought for sure it would never be repeated. The hangover was so severe that I haven't even come close to half that amount on any of my trips since.
I'm now a bit older, but no wiser. Willing to throw caution to the wind for one last big hurrah.
They say 'what doesn't kill us make us stronger.' Well, here's to being strong in 2016.
Happy New Year,
Macabus
*Here's a link to the original trip report: "8 bottles of Dom from LAX-BKK on SQ in F"
Last edited by macabus; Jan 21, 2016 at 10:35 am
^
Jan 4, 2016, 5:19 am
#5
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: South Africa
Programs: Star Alliance, Oneworld, BA Gold, Royal Orchid
Posts: 149
On my next trip I'll be drinking only Champagne! (I'll leave the wine sampling for another time.)
At the mention of CX F and their fantastic lounges I was transported right back to an RTW I did a few years back. Thanks for the great tale and allowing a moment of reminiscing!
At the mention of CX F and their fantastic lounges I was transported right back to an RTW I did a few years back. Thanks for the great tale and allowing a moment of reminiscing!
Jan 4, 2016, 7:20 am
#8
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Geneva, Dubai, Paris
Programs: Disillusioned Cent
Posts: 1,880
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...-bkk-sq-f.html
Jan 5, 2016, 3:12 am
#11
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Scottsdale
Posts: 2,949
That's exactly what I thought when my first flight took off.
Thanks Tom, I take pride in never having posted a trip report with photos.
It leaves little to the imagination.
Thanks Cap – cheers, M.
I'm rooting for you Wolf.
It's really the only way to fly CPT.
It leaves little to the imagination.
Thanks Cap – cheers, M.
It's really the only way to fly CPT.
Jan 5, 2016, 1:10 pm
#12
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Body in Downtown YYZ, heart and mind elsewhere
Programs: UA 50K, refugee from AC E50K, Marriott Lifetime Plat
Posts: 5,132
Not once, but twice now! But my dear macabus, you know that things must be done in threes. I look forward to your next 8 bottle flight! 
Jan 5, 2016, 1:23 pm
#13
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Toronto, Canada
Programs: Aeroplan Airmiles AMEX-MR Alaska Airlines
Posts: 692
i dont know how you do it but i envy you. i find champagne too bubbly for my liking and i max out at one bottle. maybe i should see how many bottles of scotch i can finish on a 14 hour flight?
Jan 6, 2016, 9:44 pm
#15
Suspended
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: SHA, SIN, AMS
Programs: BA, SQ, EK, FB, SPG
Posts: 452