Anyhow, we boarded through 1L, with much of the J traffic trudging through (not sure if this is normal practice with CX?). A glass of PDB champagne and some nuts were a great start, although I'm a bit disappointed that the cost cutting has eliminated the amuse bouche. When we pushed back, there seemed to be more delays with taxiing before finally throttling up the engines for takeoff. I was dozing in and out as it was well past midnight by this point. Once we reached cruising altitude, the crew sprung into action and set up the bassinet in 2K, whereas I had my seat prepared for supper.



The seat and F cabin
















Managed to snap this 6 second exposure while we were sitting ducks...turned out better than I expected




Charging and other ports




A light and small cubby




Seat controls for reclining into a bed and returning upright for takeoff/landing/taxi




Footwell for storage. There is also a door that swings open from the aisle side that can store a carry-on as well as hang up any clothes you may have. I just stuffed our folding stroller and my jacket in there, but didn't snap a picture




The customary orchids weren't there when we boarded, but were placed into the holding spot just prior to takeoff




Bassinet in 2K




Amenity kit






Shortly after takeoff




Tonight's menu

















Caviar, delicious as always



Personalized message from the crew



I opted for the HK style milk tea as drink of choice since the Cathay Delight wasn't on for the month of March



Clam chowder was a little on the salty side, but still quite good



Some Glenmorangie Signet...Wasn't feeling the JW Blue just because I have a bottle of my own, but not one of the Glenmorangie



Nice detail on the glass



The salad and smoked duck was decent



Contemplating what to watch over supper



The braised veal cheeks were delicious and presented wonderfully



Dessert was the black sesame sweet soup



Once mealtime was over, I asked the FA to make my bed so I could do some catchup and write the text for the report, since I had already missed posting in the QF lounge like I had hoped. I began editing pictures around 3:30AM, trying to ward off sleep until it was the equivalent of 8 or 9PM HK time to ease the transition when we arrive. I lasted maybe 45 minutes before succumbing to fatigue





Wokeup across the international date line and ready for a snack!





The bowl of noodles hit the spot, accompanied by more HK style milk tea



Watching "Chasing the Dragon" while I ate



Pralines



Our son looking out the window...jet setter in the making



About T-2 hours, breakfast was served, starting with a plate of fruit. We asked the FA whether they recommended the dim sum, or the lobster congee...we ended up with the former and it was pretty decent considering it's still airline food at the end of the day. Combo'd with still water, a smoothie, and Ying Yang custom made . I just asked the FA to mix a little bit of coffee in with the milk tea







Preparing for landing





On approach during a hazy day



And we're finally here! Taxiing towards our gate, arriving roughly 1.5 hours later than scheduled. Good thing we didn't have a connection to make





This beauty was parked nearby



And awaiting our luggage before exiting landside. So much for priority as our second bag took forever to come out. I was on the cusp of asking the airline where my bag was when it was finally spotted on the carousel





Miraculously, our son did really well on the flight, and got positive comments from fellow F passengers and the purser, saying how well behaved he was. Mrs. ChongL did a fantastic job taking care of him the entire time, but even in F, she was understandably exhausted when we arrived. The bassinet was DOA for us as well since baby ChongL would wake up as soon as we put him down in it, but we made use of it as storage space during the flight. Otherwise, baby was sleeping on the seat adjacent to mom (thank you wide seats on CX F!). Also, since we were in 1K and 2K, we shared the aisle with the middle seats and both those passengers interacted with our son a little bit, and the purser even asked if she could hold him (which she did ). We weren't sure how our son would react on his first flight ever, let alone long haul, so we were crossing our fingers he would be manage-able. Whenever he made a small peep, we would try to quiet him down or pace the aisles to eliminate any potential disruption to the other pax. This approach seemed to work well (thank goodness!) and kept the peace for the flight. The LAX-HKG is the longest flight on the trip, so at least that's out of the way, but we hope he stays as good as he was on the upcoming legs.

Next up: Intercontinental Hong Kong and pigging out over a few days