Is the sleeping room with a few reclining chairs dark enough to get a real nap? Or is it out in the open around the other chairs?

It is really not worth it. You'll probably arrive at the C gates, enter schengen, walk to the welcome lounge, go back, exit schengen, clear security, don't know. It is up to you, if you feel running up and down the FraPort halls. If you arrive at B gates, then go for it, but if you arrive at C gates ...

it is a separate room and it is darker. You can get a nap.

It's a long time since I checked the room and things may have changed but I seem to remember it was separated from the business area by a frosted glass partition and wasn't as dark as the snooze areas you find in some SEN lounges.

This is very correct description.

Shame. Are there only three snoozing chairs there? I doubt Ill get one if so with all those early morning arrivals:(

Once in CDG, I visited the AF arrivals lounge where it was a completely dark room of four chairs, and I slept for 4-5 hours, it was great!

I've only been in the Welcome Lounge a few times because I usually arrive in FRA in the afternoon after the lounge has closed. The Welcome Lounge is usually very quiet and people don't stay there long, so you probably won't have any problem getting one of the snoozing chairs. An eyemask and earplugs might help.

For a 4-5 hours sleep I would always go for a day room in a nearby hotel.

Really looking forward this lounge actually!

We are booked in business for the following flights:

LH403 EWR > FRA arriving 7:25 AM with a connection to VCE at 12:20pm. This should be a good way to shower, eat nap during the connection time. (We were unable to book the earlier FRA - VCE flight.

Welcome Lounge Access for UA C arrivals
 

I had no problem entering this morning on a UA C ticket. Simply showed the agent my boarding pass stub.

Welcome lounge vs. SEN
 

Flew BOS-FRA-HEL in C early this week. Just wanted to thank the FTers who recommended going landside and using the welcome lounge. Great advice!!

Came in at 0600. After a short wait at passport control (as we came in non-Schengen from the US) got landside quickly, lounge well marked. As I walked in and showed my BP I was immediately offered a shower, which I enjoyed greatly!!! Then had a liesurely breakfast, including hot eggs and meats, plus a lot of cold stuff. Really first rate food (somehow I had thought they did cooked-to-order, but that is not the case). At that time of day the lounge was quiet and not very full.

I also visited the SEN lounge out in the Schengen A gates. By this time it was closer to 0800. It was packed - took a while to even get a seat. Food / drink selections much more limited. Still quite a decent lounge, but I sure made the right move by spending the bulk of my time in the welcome lounge, and would not have thought of going landside without the advice here. Thanks, gang!

I'm looking at changing an existing award booking (as availability has popped up) from YYZ-(messy routing)-MRS to YYZ-FRA-MUC-MRS (all LH metal, in J).

It looks like I have 2 options:

4h05 at FRA, and then 1h45 at MUC
or
1h55 at FRA, and then 3h55 at MUC

The FRA welcome lounge looks great, and after reading this thread and a couple of other posts, I'm thinking option 1 is looking better (sleep all the way through on the flight, shower and breakfast in the FRA welcome lounge, and time to nap or work depending on how I feel before the MUC flight).

I have a couple of questions:

1. Is it paid-for wi-fi in the lounges at both FRA and MUC? And if yes, any idea how much it costs?
2. Everything I am reading so far makes me think option (a) above will be better... am I missing something, or is there anything else I ought to be aware of? I'm travelling on my own, with either all carry-on or 1 checked bag, never transited throuh FRA before but flown in/out of there once before.

Thanks!

For someone who's arriving from IAD with UA F and leaving for NRT with LH F, 6 hours later, do you guys recommend using this place opposed to other lounges? I'm arriving at 7am and don't mind taking a shower and hot breakfast before heading to NRT (11 hours flight!). Thanks.

Presumably you can use the FCT or FCL since you are departing in LH F.
I can't compare the Arrival Lounge to those, but it is *waaay* better than any of the SEN lounges in FRA.

I haven't tried them myself but aren't there wired workstations with (free) Internet access in the Welcome Lounge? I thought I've read about them on FT...

I can't access the price info right now but the charge is something like €8 per hour?

As a Business Class passenger (not *G) you'll only have access to the Business Lounges in MUC. The Welcome Lounge in FRA is definitely a better option. You may also like to check the FRA connection thread.