DIY *A and OW RTW 2009 in the top cabins
Aug 9, 2009, 10:47 am
#16
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: BNE
Posts: 2,622
Hong Kong - 1 night at the Novotel Citygate
I caught the complimentary shuttle to the hotel. I had stayed at the hotel before and knew what to expect. It is a decent hotel attached to the Citygate Outlets at Tung Chung which has its own MTR station.
My wife joined me for one last night and we dined in a Shanghai Restaurant in the shopping centre. Quite ironically, despite visiting Shanghai on this trip, I had never eaten their cuisine. I bottled out of dining alone in a restaurant on the streets of Shanghai and ended up at the hotel's dinner buffet. Which really was not a wise move as it, along with 3 small beers, ended up costing RMB 480 (i.e just short of £50)!!!!
The main thing that will stick in my head about this hotel on this visit is the appallingly slow 'broadband' internet connection that cost HK$120 for 24hrs. Seriously, I recall dial-up back in 1998 being quicker!!!
I caught the complimentary shuttle to the hotel. I had stayed at the hotel before and knew what to expect. It is a decent hotel attached to the Citygate Outlets at Tung Chung which has its own MTR station.
My wife joined me for one last night and we dined in a Shanghai Restaurant in the shopping centre. Quite ironically, despite visiting Shanghai on this trip, I had never eaten their cuisine. I bottled out of dining alone in a restaurant on the streets of Shanghai and ended up at the hotel's dinner buffet. Which really was not a wise move as it, along with 3 small beers, ended up costing RMB 480 (i.e just short of £50)!!!!
The main thing that will stick in my head about this hotel on this visit is the appallingly slow 'broadband' internet connection that cost HK$120 for 24hrs. Seriously, I recall dial-up back in 1998 being quicker!!!
Aug 9, 2009, 10:54 am
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: BNE
Posts: 2,622
Hong Kong – London Heathrow
Air New Zealand
NZ39
777-200ER
Business Premier
Seat 5K
I arrived at the check-in desk exactly an hour before departure. To be honest, I didn’t really what to be on this flight, I’d much rather spend a few more days with my wife in Hong Kong. I presented myself to the check-in agent, there were no other passengers at any of the NZ check-in desks, and asked whether he could put me on Monday’s flight instead. He looked into it, made a couple of calls, and then said that they couldn’t change it because the NVB and NVA dates on the ticket meant that I had to fly today. Anyway, he checked me in, handed me my BP and lounge invite and pointed me towards security.
After clearing security and Immigration, I popped into the duty-free shop for my last purchase and then jumped onto the transit down to the far end of the terminal. I headed straight for the gate and boarded immediately. As I looked into the cabin, I realised that my window seat was already occupied. I asked if the passenger was sure that this was his seat. He said ‘Yeah – 5J’. He was in 5K. He apologised profusely and moved across the aisle to his allocated taking his wife who was seated in 4K with him.
I settled into the seat and took up the offer of a glass of champagne. It appeared that the video safety briefing was inoperative and a wry smile spread across the face of FA as she heard ‘Crew – Manual safety demonstration’. After a lengthy wait, the demo got underway in quite a jittery manner.
I was pleased to note that the seat belt sign was turned off very quickly after departure. I think without exception on all of the other flights on this trip it has not been turned off until we were at cruising altitude!
The flight was a day flight and I set myself the target of staying awake for the duration in the hope of minimising jetlag. I was a few films along the way; Leaving Las Vegas, Platoon and W. It has to be said that the NZ selection of films onboard did not really appeal to me, so I watched two films that I had seen before.
The crew were absolutely wonderful, probably the best crew that I have had for quite some time. They were all in their 20s and 30s, had a great sense of humour and delivered excellent service. At one point during the flight, I took my empty champagne glass back to the galley as I wanted to lie down for a while. Just as I got there, one of the crew was pouring a glass for another passenger. When I went to hand back the glass, another member of crew said “You don’t want to do that. Look we’ve only just opened another bottle! Why not have another?” Kind of hard to decline really! Actually, typing this now, I think I will get in touch with NZ and inform them of their wonderful crew.
There were a young family seated on the other aisle at the front of the aircraft, directly in my line of vision. Immediately after the seatbelt signs had gone out, Mum was up and out of her seat catering to her two children. This continued for the majority of the flight and was of no inconvenience as the children behaved themselves quite well. In fact it was a pleasure to watch Mum so frequently stretching to reach the overhead compartments in such a tight fitting almost see-through top!
The son did almost get a bit boisterous once, hanging over the partition and trying to hit his sister. However, Dad shot out of his seat and delivered a crisp slap to the back of the boy’s head. Rather unsurprisingly, the boy behaved after that. I think the crew appreciated how well the kids had behaved and understood as they became a little restless late on in the flight. The crew member with the sweet tray as we descended towards Heathrow recruited the son to perform the task of walking around the cabin and offering the sweets to the other passengers as he escorted him.
Now, I have a bit of a confession to make here. You may notice the lack of photos for this flight. Well, there is a reason for that: some idiot deleted the photos from the camera before they had been transferred to my laptop. No names mentioned of course! Okay, okay - I’m guilty! Come on - at least I did not leave the camera behind this time!
Heathrow Arrival
We received the usual welcome. We parked on a remote stand (which I suppose at least saved us the lengthy walk to Immigration), by the time we reached the baggage reclaim the monitors were asking us to ‘Wait’ rather than inform us of which carousel our luggage would be one, despite having priority tags my luggage (as well as many other Business passenger’s) was very late arriving, the baggage belt actually grinding to a halt mid flow and the baggage reclaim area in T1 looks fitting of a third world airport.
Only at Heathrow!
Air New Zealand
NZ39
777-200ER
Business Premier
Seat 5K
I arrived at the check-in desk exactly an hour before departure. To be honest, I didn’t really what to be on this flight, I’d much rather spend a few more days with my wife in Hong Kong. I presented myself to the check-in agent, there were no other passengers at any of the NZ check-in desks, and asked whether he could put me on Monday’s flight instead. He looked into it, made a couple of calls, and then said that they couldn’t change it because the NVB and NVA dates on the ticket meant that I had to fly today. Anyway, he checked me in, handed me my BP and lounge invite and pointed me towards security.
After clearing security and Immigration, I popped into the duty-free shop for my last purchase and then jumped onto the transit down to the far end of the terminal. I headed straight for the gate and boarded immediately. As I looked into the cabin, I realised that my window seat was already occupied. I asked if the passenger was sure that this was his seat. He said ‘Yeah – 5J’. He was in 5K. He apologised profusely and moved across the aisle to his allocated taking his wife who was seated in 4K with him.
I settled into the seat and took up the offer of a glass of champagne. It appeared that the video safety briefing was inoperative and a wry smile spread across the face of FA as she heard ‘Crew – Manual safety demonstration’. After a lengthy wait, the demo got underway in quite a jittery manner.
I was pleased to note that the seat belt sign was turned off very quickly after departure. I think without exception on all of the other flights on this trip it has not been turned off until we were at cruising altitude!
The flight was a day flight and I set myself the target of staying awake for the duration in the hope of minimising jetlag. I was a few films along the way; Leaving Las Vegas, Platoon and W. It has to be said that the NZ selection of films onboard did not really appeal to me, so I watched two films that I had seen before.
The crew were absolutely wonderful, probably the best crew that I have had for quite some time. They were all in their 20s and 30s, had a great sense of humour and delivered excellent service. At one point during the flight, I took my empty champagne glass back to the galley as I wanted to lie down for a while. Just as I got there, one of the crew was pouring a glass for another passenger. When I went to hand back the glass, another member of crew said “You don’t want to do that. Look we’ve only just opened another bottle! Why not have another?” Kind of hard to decline really! Actually, typing this now, I think I will get in touch with NZ and inform them of their wonderful crew.
There were a young family seated on the other aisle at the front of the aircraft, directly in my line of vision. Immediately after the seatbelt signs had gone out, Mum was up and out of her seat catering to her two children. This continued for the majority of the flight and was of no inconvenience as the children behaved themselves quite well. In fact it was a pleasure to watch Mum so frequently stretching to reach the overhead compartments in such a tight fitting almost see-through top!
The son did almost get a bit boisterous once, hanging over the partition and trying to hit his sister. However, Dad shot out of his seat and delivered a crisp slap to the back of the boy’s head. Rather unsurprisingly, the boy behaved after that. I think the crew appreciated how well the kids had behaved and understood as they became a little restless late on in the flight. The crew member with the sweet tray as we descended towards Heathrow recruited the son to perform the task of walking around the cabin and offering the sweets to the other passengers as he escorted him.
Now, I have a bit of a confession to make here. You may notice the lack of photos for this flight. Well, there is a reason for that: some idiot deleted the photos from the camera before they had been transferred to my laptop. No names mentioned of course! Okay, okay - I’m guilty! Come on - at least I did not leave the camera behind this time!
Brunch
Wake-up Drinks
Start your day with a fruit smoothie, your choice of juice, freshly brewed or decaffeinated coffee, tea, jasmine tea, herbal tea or hot chocolate.
Light Breakfast
A bowl of muesli topped with yoghurt and fresh fruit is available as a lighter option.
Brunch
Fruit and cereals will be offered followed by a hot bakery selection and your choice of hot meal.
Fresh Fruit salad
Yoghurt, natural or blueberry
Alpen muesli, Just Right Harvest Fruit cereal, Weetbix, Cornflakes
Hot Brunch
Spinach and cheddar omelette
With bacon, chicken sausage, mushrooms ragout and blistered cherry tomato by Peter Gordon
Smoked chicken brunch tart
With courgettes, carrots, mushrooms, gruyere, Mediterranean salsa and baby rocket by Geoff Scott
Shanghai noodles
With vegetables and dim sum selection
Hot Bacon Roll
A warmed roll, buttered and filled with grilled bacon, offered with caramelised onion jam and barbecue sauce
Main Meal
Starter
Cured and seared tuna with baby spinach, ratatouille and crayfish mayonnaise by Geoff Scott
Bakery
Garlic bread, laugen rolls or sourdough bread
Main Course
Tamarind braised lamb shanks
With dates, minted lemon and hazelnut pesto, green beans, potatoes and roasted parsnips and carrots by Peter Gordon
Cumin seasoned chicken breast pan roasted
With mushroom glaze, leek and thyme risotto, carrots and sugar snaps by Rex Morgan
Oriental fried snapper
With ginger, garlic and herbs, egg fried rice and steamed pak choy
Dessert
Lemon scented panna cotta
With passionfruit coulis and Florentine biscuit by Peter Gordon
Cheese and Fruit
A selection of fine New Zealand cheese and fresh seasonal fruit
Hot drinks
Freshly brewed or decaffeinated coffee, tea, jasmine tea, herbal tea or hot chocolate.
Wake-up Drinks
Start your day with a fruit smoothie, your choice of juice, freshly brewed or decaffeinated coffee, tea, jasmine tea, herbal tea or hot chocolate.
Light Breakfast
A bowl of muesli topped with yoghurt and fresh fruit is available as a lighter option.
Brunch
Fruit and cereals will be offered followed by a hot bakery selection and your choice of hot meal.
Fresh Fruit salad
Yoghurt, natural or blueberry
Alpen muesli, Just Right Harvest Fruit cereal, Weetbix, Cornflakes
Hot Brunch
Spinach and cheddar omelette
With bacon, chicken sausage, mushrooms ragout and blistered cherry tomato by Peter Gordon
Smoked chicken brunch tart
With courgettes, carrots, mushrooms, gruyere, Mediterranean salsa and baby rocket by Geoff Scott
Shanghai noodles
With vegetables and dim sum selection
Hot Bacon Roll
A warmed roll, buttered and filled with grilled bacon, offered with caramelised onion jam and barbecue sauce
Main Meal
Starter
Cured and seared tuna with baby spinach, ratatouille and crayfish mayonnaise by Geoff Scott
Bakery
Garlic bread, laugen rolls or sourdough bread
Main Course
Tamarind braised lamb shanks
With dates, minted lemon and hazelnut pesto, green beans, potatoes and roasted parsnips and carrots by Peter Gordon
Cumin seasoned chicken breast pan roasted
With mushroom glaze, leek and thyme risotto, carrots and sugar snaps by Rex Morgan
Oriental fried snapper
With ginger, garlic and herbs, egg fried rice and steamed pak choy
Dessert
Lemon scented panna cotta
With passionfruit coulis and Florentine biscuit by Peter Gordon
Cheese and Fruit
A selection of fine New Zealand cheese and fresh seasonal fruit
Hot drinks
Freshly brewed or decaffeinated coffee, tea, jasmine tea, herbal tea or hot chocolate.
Heathrow Arrival
We received the usual welcome. We parked on a remote stand (which I suppose at least saved us the lengthy walk to Immigration), by the time we reached the baggage reclaim the monitors were asking us to ‘Wait’ rather than inform us of which carousel our luggage would be one, despite having priority tags my luggage (as well as many other Business passenger’s) was very late arriving, the baggage belt actually grinding to a halt mid flow and the baggage reclaim area in T1 looks fitting of a third world airport.
Only at Heathrow!
Aug 9, 2009, 11:45 am
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: BNE
Posts: 2,622
When researching where to have our brunch, I found this excellent article. It identifies many good buffets according to various criteria. It certainly helped me to decide on the Marriott but after reading the reviews perhaps you'll find one better suited to your preferences.
Aug 9, 2009, 4:47 pm
#23
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Argentina
Posts: 40,210
TEX277 - You like your grub. 
I don't blame you, that buffet looks great as does your meal at Joël Robuchon. Another super report and a interesting choice of airlines ysed on your round the world routing. ^
I don't blame you, that buffet looks great as does your meal at Joël Robuchon. Another super report and a interesting choice of airlines ysed on your round the world routing. ^
Aug 9, 2009, 11:43 pm
#25
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: SFO
Programs: United 1kMM; AA EX Plat, Hilton Diamond and SPG Plat
Posts: 2,013
Great trip report, thanks. Did the UA food taste as good as it looked. I was quite surprised, because I feel there food is so much lower in taste/quality as most other carriers.
Aug 10, 2009, 2:25 am
#26
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,011
TEX277 - great report.
Aug 10, 2009, 2:27 am
#27
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: BNE
Posts: 2,622
I spent so long looking at the article and looking at each restaurant's website trying to work out which one would suit us best. However, from that list I doubt you could make a bad choice!
With regards to the choice of airlines, UA/US were a necessity in getting to LAS as I was booking so late. I had only travelled on Cathay in economy and as they are based in the land of my wife's family and are a 5* Skytrax airline, I began to view their First Class as something to aspire to.
Personally, I think 75000 BA miles for SFO-HKG (and on to PVG on KA) represented a fantastic opportunity to fulfil this aspiration that was just too good to pass up. Especially when you consider that a journey from LHR-HKG (which has roughly the same flight time) would have cost 120,000 BA miles!!!
You must know that report writing is no 5 minute job! It is amazing how much time writing such a report takes when you factor in the writing, proofreading (yes I am sure there are still a few typos in there!), resizing photos, uploading them, formatting the text and inserting the photo links.
I like reading through the feedback that I receive and I know that others will use these reports to research their own travel plans. I know that's what I do! I was a little surprised when researching this trip that there are not too many images of Dragonair F and Shanghai Airlines J kicking about. Hopefully I have gone some way to help rectify those issues.
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food on United. The one exception being the jacket potato! I think perhaps that's just one of those items of food that maybe don't lend themselves to consumption at 38,000ft.
Aug 10, 2009, 9:26 am
#30
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: London, UK
Programs: AA 2MM - PLT, BA GGL, SPG Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 6,221
Nice report TEX277. NZ is a nice carrier. Need to do more with that outfit. But CX still remains my favourite airline at the moment when travelling in the pointy end.