Travisaurus

My wait-listed GUC for this leg was just cleared (very stoked). Would love to hear anyone else's experience with this particular journey. (I'm in 12D)

The NRT segment is just a 3-hour layover so I'd also be interested in anything I should check out in the airport (I've never been there) besides hanging in the SC.

Cheers!
Travis

MSPeconomist

There are two SCs, both with showers and beer machines. There's also a very bad KE lounge. Unfortunately the AF lounge is gone. I don't know how the area looks now, but there had been a Virgin lounge under construction next door to the KE lounge and a large open area in front with some interesting furniture for relaxing and some artwork.

IMO NRT is efficient and pleasant enough, very clean, but not charming and lacks any special features to make it unique. The shops and food outlets near the DL gates are very limited and generally not interesting, although it can be fun to look at some of the food offerings. [Taking food home tends to cause delays and/or trouble with customs, so look but don't buy.] Around the DL gates, you can find bad souvenirs, low quality Japanese "silk" clothing and accessories, sudoko books and Japanese comic books, a limited selection of English language periodicals (generally expensive for what it is), and some cute cheap little electronic toys such as mini robots for entertainment, such as little dog-like things.

If you walk toward the UA and other *A gates, at about the halfway point, where originating passengers emerge from security, there is a small collection of elegant expensive duty-free stores. Window shopping here can be fun for a very brief period of time. Usually there are multi-lingual young models passing out free samples of alcohol or perfume here.

If you walk farther to the *A gates, you're likely to see some interesting aircraft, such as SQ, TK, NZ, TK, LH, LX, etc., including A380s and 787s. It's a long walk buy mildly amusing if you want some exercise or have time to kill. Note also the entrance to the ANA Suites lounge; it's nice. There's also a large UA lounge with a FC section upstairs; somehow the interior reminds me of the old Oasis at JFK T4, now reincarnated as the wingtips lounge there, but what you can see is nothing at all special and in fact the lounge seems tired and dated.

BenA

If you enjoy Japanese cuisine, I'd recommend preordering the Japanese meal on the Seattle-Narita segment. Just open your reservation up, say "special services", and pick the "Japanese Meal" option for the relevant segment.

I recommend it in that direction because I happen to think the Japanese meal is a bit better originating in the US - the catering out of Japan can include some dishes more challenging to my western palate, like fattier cuts of chicken or fish, but the meal as catered in the Pacific Northwest hubs (PDX, SEA) tends to be a real crowd pleaser.

If you drink alcohol, try the sake or shochu onboard the flights - both are exclusive to Delta One on routes to/from Japan. (although a lower quality sake is available in economy, too).

MSPeconomist is dead on with her advice on Narita, and I don't have a lot to add - it's a fun place to explore for an hour or two if you need to stretch your legs, but you won't get a particularly great taste for Japan from the shops and restaurants. I'd focus instead on hopping into the Sky Club and taking a shower to freshen up; the extra seven hours to Singapore can really start to drag by the end and a shower helps a lot.

My usual anti-jetlag strategy is to eat dinner right out of Seattle, take a couple-hour nap after the meal service, and then try my best to stay awake the entire rest of the way to Singapore. That way, when I arrive late at night local time, I'm ready to crash and wake up ready to roll first thing the next morning.

Upon arrival in Singapore, you'll likely discover the MRT has shut down for the night. Taxis there are relatively affordable and certainly reliable, but if you're on a budget, you can also use shared minivans from the "Ground Transportation Desk" in the arrivals area - you'll save a few dollars while only waiting about 15 minutes extra, and I've often only had to share the ride with one or two other customers.

Lastly, if this is your first time in Singapore, I recommend a visit to Makansutra Glutton's Bay. It's an edited collection of hawker centre food stalls designed by Singapore's famed food blogger K.F. Seetoh, conveniently located next to the Esplanade theatre; it's open in the evenings and is a great one-stop way to try some of Singapore's most famous foods (satays, Hainanese chicken rice, chili crab) without fussing about with figuring out which stall to order from.

CarmenOM

My method for dealing with the middle-of-the-night Singapore arrival is to book a room at the airport transit hotel, about $60 for one person for six hours. It is five minutes from your arrival gate, inside the secure area. You can get to sleep immediately and save a lot of hotel money on that short first night. (I travel for pleasure, not business, so it's my dime)

Immediately upon landing I get a bowl of wonton soup at a 24-hour place on the mezzanine floor, then check into the hotel for six or seven hours. In the morning I eat a classic Singapore breakfast at the Killiney Kopi Tiam, also on the mezzanine floor; it's a branch of a long-time Singapore coffee house.

If you have time, wander a bit around that great airport before going into the city, since your departure will be in the very early morning. Check out the butterfly garden.

Then you can take the subway, shared van, hotel bus, or a taxi into the city.

MSPeconomist

Some people do it, but the transit hotel only works if you don't have checked bags. I wouldn't want to let mine be unclaimed overnight and then have to retrieve them the next day when there are no DL staff on duty.

hockeystl

It works just fine if you have checked bags, assuming the OP doesn't have anything they need out of them for the night. SIN isnt exactly a high crime area. I've done the transit hotel a few times with checked bags and retrieved them the following morning without any problems.

BenA

Mmmmm, great suggestion. I've even on occasion chosen to skip a lounge breakfast in favor of kaya toast at Killiney. ^

I will caution anyone considering staying overnight in the transit area to use the real transit hotel, not a lounge.

There's another option you'll find when researching - the "slumberettes" in the Rainforest by SATS lounge. Those still have real beds and are cheaper, but not conducive to a good night's rest. The night I spent there before an early morning connection to KL, the rooms were only divided by curtains and populated by large families that were constantly coming, going, and chatting amongst themselves. I honestly might have been better off in a secluded corner of the terminal.

The shower facilites were decent, though.

DL2SXM

so, first a question for you; you redeemed GUC's for your trip which meams your confirmed Diamond Medallion - In your opinion, is it worth being a Diamond Medallion?

So, your in J SEA to SIN. You'll probably be on a 767 on SEA to SIN. Not sure if your looking for advise on seating, but go with anything in row 1 on the 76, it has tons of extra leg room for your feet. The 777 is on NRT to SIN. Seat 7 A or 7D is the way to go as it offers extra privacy from all the other seats. Whatever you do, dont select seat 10C as its direcly across from one of the lavs.

3 hr layover in SEA, spend it in the lounge. It overlooks the runway and all the Delta gates so you get great shots of some cool action. 3 hours isnt a long time so drink, eat, and be happy...and enjoy!

DL2SXM

I dont get the showering part. I mean, you probably showered before you left your house for the airport, right? Do people really feel the need to shower again, during a 3 hour layover,just to get back on a plane and land 7 hours later? I would just wait to shower at the hotel. Nothing like a nasty airport shower lounge

BenA

I always get hot when sleeping on aircraft under the cozy DL/Westin bedding, which translates to feeing sweaty and gross. I also find that the shower halfway in Narita helps "wake me up", making the mini-day I'm trying to create for jet lag reasons more effective. To each their own - I enjoy having the facilities available but there is certainly no obligation to use them. DL tends to keep their showers quite clean - particularly in Japan...

That said, the sentence you quoted was referring to the SATS Rainforest lounge in Singapore. In that case, I'd just completed a full 24 hours of travel and was about to embark on a day in KL without using a hotel - so I feel that in that situation a shower was very important. Anyone staying in the airport on arrival to avoid a hotel night likely feels similarly.

ND76

There is an observation deck with small openings in the fences where you can insert camera lenses. I took some pictures out there on one of my trips.

FlyingWithers

No problem leaving a bag until the next morning down at the luggage area. I have done this several times and the folks ther keep thm locked up and want an ID and ticket stub to get the bag.

fdog

1) On arrival in NRT, do NOT dilly-dally with exiting the aircraft. You will have to clear security before entering the rest of the terminal, and with only a couple of WTMD's and x-ray machines, it turns into a giant loss of time as it fills up with Y pax. So take advantage of flying in F and get there first.

2)When you walk into the NRT SC, immediately ask at the front desk to be put on the list for the shower. Otherwise, you won't get a shower in time.

3)Personally I've just gone to the hotel instead of the transit hotel. It's less moving parts and the PanPac is great about getting us checked in despite being the middle of the night.

4) Don't let anyone talk you into eating durian.


All the best, James

MSPeconomist

If you're staying in a top hotel in Singapore, paying for an extra night when you arrive at 2-3 am and another night when you must leave for the airport at about 4 am upon departure, seems wasteful. Napping and showering at the transit hotel upon arrival is much cheaper.

Orwaid

Hi -

The three hours will go fairly quickly.

1) You have to clear security at NRT. Depending on when the flight arrives, it will take you 5-20 minutes.

2) As for lounges, I prefer the one by Gates 14-18. Fewer, smaller planes usually means less crowding.

3) SC showers are a definite YES. Always stop in for one between flights.

- It cleans off any sweat and grime you have
- It hydrates your skin
- It gets rid of bedhead

4) SC food is OK, nothing like special

5) Absolutely get the Japanese meal between USA-NRT.

6) The transit hotel is another good call. You can reserve in advance. Splurge for the deluxe room if they have one.