One of my concerns in booking this vacation (see trip report
here) was the unknown. I booked the outbound without having booked the return on the date I needed (I booked a dummy return in September to have something on the books). Fortunately, just two days ago, on Expert Flyer, a married segment from Singapore to Seattle popped up, with 2 in Z (first) and 2 in D (business). We'll finally fly the 380 in first, and try that shower in the sky! We're so excited.
Using Alaska miles for the booking was relatively easy and straight forward. The only hiccup I encountered was that each time (so far) I asked for lounge access, the agents were confused by the booking. One EK agent at the Dubai business lounge went so far as to ask if I were an EK employee. Once I told her I booked with AS miles, and after a short visit with a supervisor, we were allowed in. I expect the same issue on the return, but it's just a minor inconvenience.
For anyone planning to book with AS miles on short notice, at least in my experience, expert flyer was a godsend, and really helped me nail down the itinerary I needed, about a month in advance.