I should mention that something I never considered is they have also refurbished the loo in the F cabin and this is now brighter with a minimalistic look as there is much more white (and no wood) in the WC. I liked the cleaner look but it comes at a cost: the tap is now just like in WT and you need to hold down the cold and separately the hot to get any water…gone is the infra red sensor with the nice convenient temperature adjustment slider. What were they thinking?
All told, I actually prefer the OF cabin as a whole (although I only experienced this on the 747 so the layout probably is a major factor in my view here) as it was truly elegant without being ostentatious. I liken the difference as such; OF is British understatement, NF is more the newly rich Russian crowd. (I would have a go at my fellow Canadians, however, we are neither new or old money!) Nothing wrong with either, just your idea of taste I guess. I like subtle instead of bling. However, in terms of sleeping and the bed itself, I would definitely go with NF as it is wider and longer than OF or CW and is a really stable full bed so that you don’t have the problems of feeling like your seat is going to collapse when you need to get up (at least at my weight and compared to a CW seat).
I was a bit surprised at how ‘used’ the cabin looked already, I realise that the planes are almost always in use and it is getting a good workout…however, for a ‘new’ product there were a worrying amount of scrapes, bangs, and marks that devalued the overall luxury of the cabin at this young age. (by no means is it cheap, rather I just expected NF to be ‘new’ for at least another year…unrealistically).
As this was officially a CW 3 class flight there was no PJ’s or wash bags and the food was CW fare. It seemed quite strange to get the CW food and drink in F! (Hence a new first).
The timings of the drinks and food service were fine and on time and done in an efficient, pleasant manner and the cabin crew came around several times to offer extras or more drinks…(maybe because the CW cabin was only 1/3 full but nevertheless a good job). I did get the feeling that they served the main CW cabin before coming to do the two of us in F (but I wasn’t complaining!) this could have been my imagination.
The food was hot and good. I chose the onion and thyme biscuit with carrot on the side as my starter which was nice. The side salad has changed and is now a mixed green leaf salad instead of the (mainly) rocket leaf salad in the past. As a main I had Chicken Tikka Masala which was fine. I choose the cheese as a dessert (so as to extend my enjoyment of the wine you see!).
So, overall, a great trip, with decent crew and food, with the superb added bonus of nearly 10 hours in NF and only one other pax to have to share it with. I think overall people will be happier with NF as it gives a more private space and a better bed which is longer and wider. I am not sure if I would ever pay full whack to fly NF over CW, even if I could afford it regularly, however, with a much smaller and more intimate cabin, first class service, CCR visit and the usual PJ’s and wash bag in a forward facing window seat...well, let’s see what this Friday’s lotto draw brings ;-)
Comments and questions always welcome!