Originally Posted by
bisonrav
Resurrecting this seldom visited thread, because I have rather stupidly booked myself into World Traveller with the family for a trip out East.
I do occasionally wander back into the World Traveller cabin on a call of nature, and I must admit it always strikes me as looking like I imagine a WW1 hospital ship must have looked, with groaning and twisted bodies wrapped in thin blankets, crammed into every conceivable nook and cranny, or else glassy eyed and hungrily supping thin cabbage gruel or eking out a fun sized mars bar.
Every now and then one of them breaks through into the one of the better cabins, presumably in a search for food, where they are thankfully swiftly rugby tackled by one of the attendants and dragged away from the upmarket grooming products in the toilets dedicated to the better class of passengers.
But (oh the humanity!) I am booked in WT for a flight to Singapore, and I am hearing terrible tales of the reduced rations in steerage, presumably intended to starve the passengers such that they fit into the new seating arrangements. I have a hungry but fussy 2 year old, and a Malaysian wife (eating is the national sport in Malaysia), and so I need to know a few things, viz:
1) What is the likely childrens' menu?
2) Any ideas as to the probable main meal options to/from SIN? I'm hearing chicken curry is quite likely, plus presumably a veg option (omelette?).
3) What do WT serve as the second meal?
4) The paid options look like the business class menu, is that what they are?
5) Anything worth having from the "special dietary requirements" list?
I'm guessing I won't have much luck bringing both wife and boy into the lounge, as he's just over two now. So I may be looking to lend the missus out to someone going into the Concorde room should there be anyone. It's BA011, 3rd November, about 7pm departure.
As a frequent gruel-consuming, mini mars bar-nibbling, stunted groaner on this route, I can go someway to answering three of your questions.
1) I do not know.
2) Curry and pasta feature heavily, this is correct. The pasta dish is usually the vegetarian option. The curries are always the best option IME, though I wouldn't spend too much time thinking about it as they are nothing to look forward to. The 'starter' on the tray is almost always some kind of coleslaw: cheap, mass catering of the worst kind. Dessert has always been a chocolate pot in recent times, usually with caramel or something similar in the bottom. This is quite comfortably the best part of the meal and is really very nice. After the dessert, it's the bread roll and butter that I appreciate most. If you're a red wine drinker, always choose the Tempranillo over the Cabernet (after a couple of mini G&Ts before dinner, it's just about drinkable).
3) The second meal is breakfast, and has no redeeming features whatsoever, as far as I'm concerned. It has been radically cut back to a small tray with a watery, flabby English breakfast that features edible (if worryingly grey-coloured) bacon and the worst scrambled egg known to man. The other option might well be a cheese omelette. I've never dared try this having been so badly scarred by the egg that's served in the other dish. It truly is the thing of nightmares. Oh, and you'll also get a raisin danish. I tried it just the once and will never do so again. Moist would be the antithesis of an appropriate descriptor. Sadly, what was easily the best part of the meal - a yogurt or muesli pot - was removed sometime last year. I'd just drink tea, if I was you, and grab some kaya toast or roti prata for you and the family when you arrive at SIN airport before going through to collect your bags. This will also alleviate your wait at the woeful immigration queues that are common for BA11, especially if you're at the back of the upper deck. Frustratingly, this flight typically arrives into T1 just after a Lufthansa A380, and you can be waiting for half an hour, if not longer.
4) The paid options that you can pre-book in WT are not the same as the business class options. It's a different menu. I tried the 'Taste of Britain' once and was very impressed indeed. Much better (in quality if not presentation) than any Club World meal that I've been served. I'd highly recommend it, if you're planning on eating meals on board and not in a lounge/restaurant beforehand.
5) I do not know, but I doubt it would make an awful lot of difference.
For me, surviving in Y on the SIN flights just comes down to appropriate preparation. Stock up with water and juices at Boots after security; do the same with a range of snacks to keep you going through the night, or bring these with you from home. A decent eye mask and ear plugs will make a huge difference too, though perhaps less so for your 2 year old. Last but not least, approach the experience in a positive, upbeat frame of mind and your quality of life onboard will be much more tolerable. I've learned this one the hard way
If it'd been a month later, I would have been very glad to have whisked your wife away to the CCR prior to your flight! Unfortunately, I'll be on the other side of the world in early November.