Bags are checked through.

Note on Marriott Marquis food. Lunch and dinner is buffet... same dishes lunch and dinner.

I am flying LCA-DXB-AKL in Business class (first time flying Emirates) and qualify for STPC and have requested a hotel. I have both a US and Cyprus passport. Do I need to get a visa for the UAE in advance or does Emirates assist with this on arrival in DXB? Thanks

No visa required for US passports.

What about Cyprus (EU) passports?

Not sure, but doesn’t matter. The simple answer is that visas are not required for Dubai Connect (STPC is the QR name for it).

At check-in in LCA you’ll get printed vouchers for Dubai Connect. On arrival at DXB you’ll present the vouchers and your passport to the DC desk before immigration. If your passport requires a visa, the DC desk will issue you a slip for presentation to immigration before proceeding to the Chaffeur Drive desk if in F or J.

Or you could apply for a Dubai visa from under Dubai Connect in your "Manage My booking" page and walk straight to immigration.

Any recent experience for DC in Y, what hotels are on offer?

If you have the option to apply for DC in "Manage your booking", does that mean you are 100% eligible for it?

Not sure about 100%, but in general yes. Even if you don’t strictly qualify, there are several examples in this thread where people have been offered DC beyond the stated parameters. Best way is to book and confirm, though?

Tried searching here and can't find any recent/conclusive answers on some Dubai Connect logistics. Traveling in F and purposefully booked a 19.5 hour connection to spend a few hours checking out the city and then sleeping before flight next morning on to the US. I was surprised to see Dubai Connect offered in manage booking. Was wondering how a couple of things work:

Do I need to head to the Connect desk immediately or could I have lunch in the F lounge and then head over?
Have seen information saying you can and cannot pick the time you're picked up for the ride back to the airport.

Finally, I had originally intended to use the transit hotel inside the airport (thinking I wouldn't qualify for Connect) so I had emailed them about logistics of leaving/returning. Even with Connect available there is something nice about waking up already in the airport (even if the room is pricey for what it is). Their response was a bit garbled/seemingly copy and pasted together bits of pre-written text but they did claim if I left the airport at 2pm after arrival, spent a few hours in the city, and came back around 8pm to head to the hotel and sleep I would be denied entry. They wrote: "the immigration authority will not allow them to come inside until 3 hours prior to your departure flight time." Again, I've seen inconsistent things online here. Some saying if you have proof of a transit hotel reservation you'd be let through eg up to 12 hours before your flight. You'd think they'd mention that if it were the case so I'm confused here on what's permitted.

Finally from reading some other related posts it seems like the issue here is that the second flight is to the US? That normally I could leave and come back 12 hours before flight but US is 4 hours only?

Appreciate any insight and experience here!

I cannot answer the intricacies of how long before the flight (especially US) you can pass through immigration, but as far as your opening question is concerned: no problem having lunch in the F lounge first. You then need to go 'back' through transit security (which is possible but not obvious) and then take your vouchers (which you will have been handed at checkin for your fitst flight) to the CD desk after passing through immigration.

The hotel will have a separate desk to deal with pickups back to the airport. In my (limited) experience I could choose the time. Because of the volume of people needing to go back, you sometimes get a 'bus' for this and it's almost a shuttle service. I have only stayed at the Meridian and they seem to have a special EK 'wing' to organise all of this.

Since you are in F, you can pre-book your own CD pickup back to the hotel so no need to rely on the STPC transfer at specific times. If you are a LM Dubai then they will allow T-90 minute pickup from memory.

You can exit the airport and come back whenever you feel like, don't worry about what rubbish is in the email.

As for lunch in the F lounge, yes plausible but as said above once you land you have to decide if going to arrivals or transit and there is no easy way to back peddle so you have to return to the transit security desk and let them know that you need to exit so they let you through.

Thanks for laying this out. Very helpful. When you say go back through transit security a bit confused on what that means vs just exiting to arrivals/CD desk after spending time in lounge. The two times I’ve connected in DXB it was late, kind of a blur, and was escorted from gate to lounge so fuzzy on the transit process and how I’d double back as you say.

The lounges in DXB are in the departure area and there are no signs for exit or arrivals in that area, hence the reason for needing to go in reverse back through transit security to then pick up the signs for arrivals.

Booked one way MEL - BRU in EK F with Qantas points.

Have a long connection of 1310 on one day to 0830 the next day.

Earlier Brussels flight was 55 minutes after arrival of first, so less than the MCT.

I don't have Dubai Connect showing up in my manage booking - is this because it's one way or because it's on points?