iluvcruising2

Did a round trip on SQ Business and Virgin Upper Class, SIN-LHR-IAD a few weeks back. First time flying on Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, so that was pretty exciting. I was trying out my new video camera for most of this trip, so much of the footage was in video form. But for the review, I will post screenshots from the video to illustrate, so there is no need to view the videos if you don't wish to.

SQ flies from Singapore Changi Terminal 3. My flight was SQ 306, which departs 0110hrs. As I had completed my work for the day, I went to the airport rather early. Take note the roads in Singapore are more congested during the evening peak hours so the ride took a bit longer than usual, but still nothing too extreme. Taxi rides in Singapore are also fairly inexpensive, my ride cost about 30 SGD for a 32km run.

Check in for Business Class at Changi Terminal 3 is at Row 5. (common row for all Business class flights). It was empty when I got there, so check in was a breeze.


Here is a short video of the check-in area.

Once through immigration, instead of heading straight to the lounge, I walked around a bit to stretch the legs first. Then I decided to head to the Long Bar by Raffles which is located above the DFS store. This place opened about a year back and provides complimentary taster cocktails. It was uncrowded - I think most passengers are unaware of this. See the screenshot.


So I had a nice Singapore sling. It is a taster portion, so don't expect a large serving.


In this short video, some footage of the Long Bar experience. Any passenger can get a free taster drink here, regardless of class of travel and you don't need to purchase anything.

Next, my lounge experience at the SilverKris Lounge.

iluvcruising2

The SilverKris Lounge at Singapore Changi Terminal 3 is SQ's flagship lounge. There are two sections within the lounge, one for Business Class and the other for First. I believe all Star Alliance carriers will use the SilverKris lounge. Take note that SQ sets up a separate KrisFlyer Gold lounge, for Star Gold members.


The SilverKris lounge can get rather crowded during peak hours. SQ is in the process of upgrading her lounges all over the world, but the Singapore SilverKris lounge has yet to be upgraded. This is very noticeable when you compare this lounge with the newer incarnations in say London Heathrow or Sydney - there are very few power points available in Singapore Terminal 3. So I am looking forward to SQ revamping their flagship lounge, though I do not know when they will do so.

I planned to take my dinner at the lounge this evening, so let me show you what I ate. I told myself not to eat too much (since there would be more food on the flight) but the greedy me ended up having three rounds of food.

Here is the first round. Some fish, meat and ee-fu noodles. All very good.


Second round, Pasta, chicken, some small dessert.


Third round, I had rice with some of this braised tofu.


In between, some sweet longan dessert dessert which was available in these nice small pots. Delicious!


There was this Masala Chai Latte tea station which I hadn't noticed from previous visits. Maybe this was new, or I had just missed it. I didn't try it.


Overall, a very pleasant time in the lounge. Also had time to catch up with more work, so that was fruitful. Here is the video I made of my lounge experience.

offerendum

I see, you had some food at the lounge Would be interested in the logan dessert

Mlee888

Nice report so far. I spend quite a bit of time in this lounge.

Just one thing, SQ in Singapore departs from T2 as well as T3.

Looking forward to the Virgin Atlantic pics.

iluvcruising2

You are absolutely right. SQ departs from both T2 and T3, so gotta check your flight details. Thanks for pointing this out.

iluvcruising2

Now we come to the first leg of the flight - SQ 306, SIN-LHR. From the lounge, it could potentially be a fairly long walk to the gates that your SQ flight departs from so give sufficient time. One oft-repeated criticism of Singapore Changi is that they do the security screening at the gates, instead of earlier on. The feedback is that this adds additional stress that the point of departure. So here are the lines at the boarding gate. I do prefer to get all the security done earlier. My biggest bugbear with Changi's system is that I have to empty my water bottle at this point, though they do provide water coolers in the waiting area after the security.


This being a late, red-eye flight, passengers went to gate early. Boarding commenced quite early too. I quickly got to my seat to relax.


I use this app called FlightRadar24. Always fascinated by it. The plane I was flying on today was 9V-SWP, an 8-year old retrofitted Boeing 777-300.


Now checking out what movies to watch on the KrisWorld system. You will discover that the handheld device is a touchscreen, however, the actual screen is not a touchscreen. Didn't matter to me. I usually catch up with movies on flights. I watched Deadpool and Kung Fu Panda on this flight.


Takeoff was smooth and soon it was time for supper. Before that, these were the options for mains available. Seared Kurobuta Pork Loin with Bourbon Sauce, Lobster Dumplings Noodle Soup or Skinless Chicken Skewers from the newly launched Deliciously Wholesome menu. I had none of these since I booked the cook. Show you what I had shortly.


And here were the choices for breakfast. Singapore Roti Prata, Griddle Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Baked Crepe with Scrambled Egg and Chives. Again I booked the cook for breakfast. Show you what I had later.


Spotted this beautiful live Orchid in the toilet.


Supper begins! This was the starter for the evening. Tuna Takati Greek Salad. The tuna was quite good.


For my main, I Booked the Cook in order to try a dish from the new Deliciously Wholesome menu. The dish I chose was Citrus Steam Seabass with lettuce puree, legumes, radishes and sunflower seeds. I didn't expect the dish to look like this. On first look, it looked a bit like wild rainforest! Anyway, first impressions aside, now that I look at the picture it didn't look too bad. What I liked was a large piece of white fish (hidden under the green citrus puree). The fish and puree concoction was quite refreshing. Overall, if you like white fish and you are looking for something lighter, I think this is not a bad choice.


After a good meal, I got some sleep and woke up some hours later. It was about 5 hours to landing when I decided to get a snack. On previous trips, I asked for noodles. This time round, I opted for a warm Ciabatta which was filled with pork in teriyaki sauce. The taste was decent.


Breakfast service started about 2 hours before landing. Some fresh fruits and warm croissant to start.


For my Book the Cook breakfast, I opted for the Nasi Lemak. This is my second time eating this and it was just as good. However, it is a rather heavy option for breakfast and I wasn't feeling particularly hungry this time round. Perhaps a lighter choice would have been better. I would keep that in mind for future flights.


After a pleasant breakfast, we were soon to land in London. Landing was smooth and we quickly got to our landing gate. Overall another very pleasant and enjoyable flight on Singapore Airlines.


Here are the video flight reviews of my flight, which I cover all of the above, in two parts.

Part 1 - Boarding and take off

Part 2 - Meals on board. Hope you enjoy the videos.

Stay tuned, as next I will look cover my time at the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, where I spent a good 3 hours, and subsequently the Virgin Atlantic flight to Washington DC.

TOMFORD

Nice! Hope you enjoyed your time in DC!

iluvcruising2

Yes, I had a good time, though during the weekend I was there it rained a lot.

iluvcruising2

Once the plane landed, we got off quite quickly. So now I had to find my way to Terminal 3. I had done my research beforehand and I was fully aware that I had to transfer terminals. SQ uses the newer Queen's Terminal 2B. I had to find my way to Terminal 3 and likely take a bus.

The signs in English were easy enough to follow, though I found the route to walk to be rather long and winding. There were many steps up and down, and I figured that if you have difficulties in climbing stairs, doing a transfer at LHR would not be fun at all.

There was also the classic scene of a large number of transfer passengers staring at the electronic screens to try to figure out which terminal their connecting flight departed from. I was absolutely sure that mine departed from Terminal 3, so I didn't have to check. Here is a picture taken while waiting for the bus.


Another view of the waiting area. The buses were frequent enough.


Once I got to Terminal 3 and cleared security again (no lines at all, even for non Fast Track passengers), finding the Virgin Clubhouse was not difficult. At the entrance, the receptionists found my name on their list and ushered me into the stylish oasis. First look.


It was quite crowded, though I could find an empty place (near the entrance) to myself. I decided to settle down there for a bit. Looked at the breakfast menu, and there were so many choices. I didn't know what to choose.


Well, maybe I was still too full from my earlier flight. Not really hungry, but I still ordered something to drink and eat. Meantime, check out the beautiful lounge.


The waitress brought me my coffee.


And a beautifully done Eggs Benedict. I liked it that they only serve one portion with one egg. That was enough for me.


This is the Internet log-in screen. I found the internet connection to be reasonably fast. Definitely good enough to deal with your emails.


They had a pretty comprehensive cocktail selection, as you can find online or see in my video. I couldn't resist trying a cocktail, even though it was 10am in the morning. So I tried a random drink called Lady V. The description was Hannah Devine, Earl Grey infused gin, fresh lemon, strawberry cordial and cucumber (shaken). It tasted ok.


At another part of the lounge, there was a Pool table, and later on, there were people playing. Good fun.


If you wanted to do some plane watching (and smell some aviation fuel), you should check out the rooftop area, which looks like this.


LHR is certainly a busy airport and you could watch plenty of aircraft movement from this rooftop garden. Today, I managed to catch two planes having a standoff. Both of similar size. Both Delta. Who will blink first?


I had read a lot about this lounge, watched videos, and was full of anticipation. Overall, it lived up to its expectations and I had a wonderful time. However, there was one embarassing and very public blemish. This picture says it.


If you still don't get it, here is another picture. Ok, I shan't say more. Hope they get it fixed quickly.


This is the area of the large screens. Comfortable chairs. Good place to catch up with some work on the laptop too.


In terms of quality of food, drink and decor, the Virgin Clubhouse at London Heathrow must be the best business class lounge that I have used so far. It certainly lived up to its reputation. I made several videos of the lounge, if you want to see more of it. Here they are.

Here is part 1 of the video.

Here is part 2. This video shows you the bar area as well as the pool table and some retro games.

Here is the final video, more scenes of the Clubhouse.

I'm glad I had the slightly longer layover on this SIN-LHR-IAD route and that certainly gave me all the additional time to enjoy the Virgin Atlantic London Heathrow Clubhouse.

iluvcruising2

Onward to my virgin Virgin Atlantic Upper Class flight! There was a boarding call in the lounge, which was helpful. As I exited the Clubhouse and walked towards the gates, I realised that Terminal 3 looked really old and somewhat shabby, compared to say Terminal 2 and Terminal 5. I must have flown from Terminal 3 before, since SQ operated from Terminal 3 for a long while. Anyway, this review is not about Terminal 3. I found my way to the gates and here was the aircraft that would take me to Washington DC. Her nickname was Miss Sunshine. My flight was VS21.


I took this video while waiting to board. Plenty of Virgin Atlantic planes. Also took the opportunity to refresh myself on Virgin Atlantic. So in 1999, Singapore Airlines acquired a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic for 600Mil GBP, only to sell it off for only 224Mil GBP to Delta Airlines in 2012. It currently operates about 40 jets and has even ordered the A380, but not yet delivered.

iluvcruising2

I assume this is a coincidence. Gate 21 for Flight VS 21!


I boarded the aircraft with much excitement. First impressions? Stylish cabin and stylish colours, but oh the cabin did feel very cramped. No doubt about that. Didn't help that I just flew on SQ Business Class.

Also it didn't help that the overhead lockers did not have that much space for so many passengers in Upper Class and some skill was required to get the various cabin bags to fit overhead. And for those that didn't fit, the cabin crew had to store them elsewhere. Looked like we were flying with a full cabin in Upper Class. But I shouldn't be complaining. It was already a privilege to be flying in Upper Class, so let's enjoy it for all it is worth!


I was in Seat 8A, a window seat but very near the bar area. This is the forward view from my seat. As this flight was booked quite late, I had little choice left for a window seat.


When I turn back to look, this is what I see. The bar area.


I got a champagne as a welcome drink, and there was a small bottle of water already on my seat. Notice the small space to put the glass and bottle. I had to be very careful not to topple it.


The glass was cleared after I finished the drink. But I didn't know what to do with the bottle of water and also the headphones. There just wasn't much space (if any) to put them anywhere and since we were about to take off, I didn't want them flying around. My solution? In the shoe.....


Now let's take a look at the menu. Didn't look bad. For the mains, there were 4 choices (originally I thought 3, but I was wrong). There was free range roast chicken, fillet steak, smoked trout salad, and a vegetarian option (tomato and mozzarella gnocchi)


There was an amenity kit containing useful stuff.


Relaxing before take-off. Due to the way the seats were angled, you get a good view of the legs of other passengers. I suppose this is not a view you get everyday!


Our plane was delayed in departure due to some cargo issues, the pilot talked about some batteries in the hold that required more paperwork. Anyway, better safe than sorry, especially with the news that a plane had crashed the night before. (EgyptAir Flight MS804) Condolences to all the victims and may the perpetrators be brought to justice.


This concludes the first part of my virgin Virgin experience. The plane took off shortly after. Here are two videos I made.

Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Boarding the plane Part 1 (LHR to IAD)

Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Pushback and Takeoff Part 2

Next instalment, I would cover the meals. Now, that was the real highlight of this flight!

iluvcruising2

I remember this drink was not bad, but I didn't really know what it was. Perhaps this menu will shed some light.


My tray table set up, all ready for some food! The bread was good.


Loved these salt and pepper shakers. The table cloth was also rather stylish. Decided to do this picture.


I opted for something light to start as I had been eating so much in the past 18 hours. So I chose the caesar salad to start. It was light indeed.


For the main, I decided to go for the beef option. I remember I had a very nice beef main on Air Canada when I flew from LHR to Ottawa last year. This time round, the beef wasn't as good, but still decent.


This was the dessert. Coconut slice and some mousse. I remember this tasted very good.


As I was full by now, I decided to skip the cheese course. So I didn't get any cheese.


The flight attendant helped me convert the seat into a bed. I didn't know how to do it but turns out that the concept was similar to SQ. You had to flip the main seat over and there were covers and a blanket. The bed was comfortable enough, no complaints. Always a privilege to be able to lie down flat and stretch completely on an aircraft. I was getting tired so I decided to get some sleep.


Here is the video I made of the lunch. After my sleep, which wasn't very long, I would have gorgeous afternoon tea!

iluvcruising2

I think I slept for about 3 hours, or maybe less. Anyway, I don't recall that the cabin lights were dimmed as this was a day flight, and there was a constant buzz of activity, as I was seated near the bar area. When I got up, I decided to get more food. Yeah. Food. So I asked for the afternoon tea service. First, the tea came in this nice looking mug, which was cool.


The English Afternoon Tea followed shortly. This was how it looked like. Very appetizing. The scone was warm, the sandwiches were cold. All tasted delicious. Very happy.


Now here is where I became a glutton. Was I full? Yes. Was I greedy? Even more so. What happened was that as I was finishing up my English afternoon tea, the passenger seated in front of me ordered a gourmet burger and I watched that beautiful burger delivered. Oh gosh, it looked so good that from being full, I got hungry again. So, when the attendant was clearing up my tray, I politely asked if I could have a burger as well. Heh. She must have thought that I was a greedy man but of course she didn't show it. Her answer was a very jovial, 'why not?'. Cool.


The burger looked good and tasted even better. Looking at it now is making me hungry again. I felt like a glutton after eating so much. But guess what? I was flying on Virgin Atlantic. So be it!


Now I mentioned the bar area earlier. With this being a day flight, I noticed that the area was quite popular indeed. There was always at least a couple of passengers hanging around there. Some seated, some standing. There was a lot of chit chat, not just with fellow passengers but also with the crew. So yes, there is some noise coming from the bar area and I could hear it all from my seat.


A short video of the bar area, when nobody was there.

This is a more comprehensive video of the afternoon tea plus gourmet burger experience. Very memorable!

Soon, it was time to land. We managed to arrive in Washington DC not too much behind schedule. Touchdown was smooth and here is a picture of the plane in Washington DC.


This was my first time flying into Dulles and therefore I was unprepared for the ride on this Star Wars-like vehicle which brought us from the aircraft gates to Arrivals (quite amusing).

When I arrived at the Arrivals Hall, there was a huge crowd. This was going to take some time and it certainly took a long time, almost 2 hours before I got out! There was no fast track lane either. I told myself, for the return flight, I had better get to the airport very early. This wraps up my Singapore to London to Washington DC leg. Next instalment will be the return flight IAD-LHR-SIN. Thanks for reading!

FlightNurse

Great report, however, I remember when Virgin was a big kick about only flying planes with 4 engine across the pond, I see that has changed.

iluvcruising2

You mean their marketing campaigns? Haha.