GeezerCouple

We are thrilled to have J seating on this l-o-n-g trip in November, and it will be our first time on SQ, connecting in SIN, and arriving in AKL (for a cruise to SYD, flying home on CX).
These are awards tickets in case that affects any answers.
This is our first time to the area, including all of the flight route.

The outbound flights are:
First, we'll be taking a short flight into EWR the evening before, and then...

SQ 21 (EWR - SIN; 09:45, arriving 17:15 the next day)
connecting to
SQ 281 (SIN - AKL; 08:45 - 23:35 both that same "next day").

We will no doubt be totally exhausted after that long flight.
[Important: The only other really ultra-long-haul flight was approx 2 years ago, 14 hours to Japan. We both had *serious* jet lag, and I especially was a mess, disoriented, etc.; DH was a bit better. We both slept for 36 hours almost straight, getting up once to have a breakfast, and then again later very briefly for a light supper using room service. THEN I was okay...! Yes, we are meeting again with a travel clinic doctor to try to address this.]
So we think we should get to a hotel ASAP, get a nice (room service?) meal, and get to sleep, given we have another long flight the next day, with very early start/long day.
Is there a SIN hotel airside, and if so, can we avoid going through immigrations /etc., and then also avoid security again the next morning?

Now: Seating on these two flights... we prefer to sit in middle pairs so we can travel "together", etc., whenever possible if there is 1-2-1 seating. (With 2-2, a window aisle is perfect.)
I've read on SeatGuru that these J seats may have awkward foot wells, except for bulkhead, which have full width foot space. If so, we experienced something like this on Delta One, and the extra foot space in the bulkhead was indeed much more comfortable.

Any other suggestions about seating choices (if we can get them) on the two flights, or about the overnight between the two flights?

Many thanks!

GC

Mlee888

lokijuh

I agree, the Crowne Plaza does seem like the best option for this length stay (either that or a hotel in the city) even though it does require going through immigration. The airside hotels are more basic and really more suited to 6-8hr layovers.

Immigration shouldn�t take any more than 30mins arriving into Singapore, and departing no more than 5mins (departure mostly done at automatic gates). Security is at the gate your plane will be departing from, so you need to go through that regardless of where you stay, although queues are usually quick (best to stay in lounge as long as you are comfortable with - no need to be at gates early like in the US, I usually would recommend reaching gate 30mins before departure for those who like to be their early and 20 mins for those who are OK with getting there late).

antebellum

I would recommend 11D/F. Bulkhead rows are less restrictive than other seats. Otherwise any middle row seats would be fine for a couple travelling together.
In terms of SIN layover, Crowne Plaza just after immigration will be a great choice if you don't have the burning desire to visit Downtown (given there's Jewel for you to visit too).

CedarSwampThing

GeezerCouple

Thanks very much, Mlee888, lokijuh, antebellum, and CedarSwampThing.

This is just the type of information we are seeking.

We'll try for those seats in a moment, but it may be too late (I think there is another "bulkhead" row in the next section, but that might depend upon specific equipment, etc.

And it seems the Airport Crown Plaza will be the best place for a good night's sleep, and also a "real dinner" and breakfast as well. Room service? That could be very important, if I end up with jet lag like last time. Perhaps being prepared/award of the possibility will help, although I don't know what we could have done differently. We flew to Tokyo on JL F, so we had nice lie flat seats, albeit not nearly as wide and comfy as the amazing CX F out of HKG. Maybe it was the excitement of a "first major trip like that", and I didn't make proper use of the chance to sleep? But I *really* suffered, so much so that at breakfast the next morning, it was all I could do to avoid bursting into tears in the breakfast restaurant at our hotel, and tell DH that "I **NEED** TO GO HOME... immediately... we cannot possibly stay..."
Yes, it was that bad, and totally unexpected. I had *never* had anything like that happen, not even close. I did not tell him about my feelings/impulse about that until some time later. We did interrupt breakfast - "I'm too tired to continue eating" - and went upstairs and collapsed, even though we had slept about 10+ hours when we had thought we were lying down "for nap" when we first arrived. We slept through til dinner, and had a light snack via room service, and back to sleep in less than an hour. We then woke up the next morning, went (to a different hotel restaurant) for breakfast, and had a lovely view of the special hotel gardens, and... felt back to normal.

-> At least, IF it happens again, I'll know that we can rule out any sense of "needing to go home", thank goodness.
Point is, we seriously think we should plan "as if" this may happen again, and be delighted if it does not.

How nice IS the Crown Plaza at the airport? How far (time- and hassle-wise) would a "nicer" hotel in town be?
If it doesn't have 24 hour *full* room service, for example, that might not be the best idea if we are delayed and are trying to get better nutrition in, especially as we have a full day of flying again the next day.

Any other suggestions for the 2 days of flying are always welcome!
There doesn't seem to be F available on these two flights, so we can't even wait for availability.

I think the "other" direction, from JFK through FRA has an extra stop?
-> Or can one stay on the plan at FRA and then just have the single connection (as in getting off and back on a plane) at SIN again?
Does anyone ever "stay on the plane" at intermediate stops anymore?
(Well, "single connection" other than the "night before" at EWR vs. JFK.)
But the chances of getting F awards seats on that routing... not something we can count on.
However, thus far, we have been remarkably fortunate in getting almost last-minute F seating open up, especially if we are willing to change travel day by a day either direction.

Thanks again.
And sorry if I made this sound like a Debbie Downer post. We are really VERY excited about this trip

GC

Mwenenzi

Off topic a little

Are you aware of the recently introduced NZeTA--->NZeTA required from 1 October 2019 to visit or transit New Zealand

And Australia visa requirements

• Australia immigration (incl ETA visa) & customs
  
• Smartgate at Australia & NZ immigration Click to open the wiki
  
• Au Government web site link --> Australian Electronic Travel Authority AUD$20. For passports holders from Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Hong Kong (SAR PRC), Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and United States. Beware of non government 3rd party look-a-like web sites that charge more, often found with a browser web search. Only the Au government web site/department issues visas. These other scam web sites just send your data to the Au Gov web site.
  Check your eligibility & visa type needed.
  
• For many other passport holders Au Government web site link -->Subclass 651 eVisitor
  Check your eligibility & visa type needed.
  
• FT thread---> Free Australian ETA Visa application* Click to open the wiki
  Processing Australian ETAs for free * to FT members (and up to 3 more friends & family) who have more than 80 posts, AND have at least been members for more than 12 months! Please read post 1. Thanks to Guy Betsy for his service to the FT community

Enjoy your trip to New Zealand & Australia ^

Mlee888

CedarSwampThing

The Crowne Plaza Changi is quite nice actually. One of the better airport hotels in my opinion. There is a transit hotel in the secure area of SIN but its kind of dingy and really only meant to lay your head down for a few hours. I would save a visit to downtown Singapore for another time and try and get the highest quality rest with the least amount of hassle (i.e. Crown Plaza). I have a friend who also tends to fall apart after long hauls and he finds that this is the best antidote.

tango3

Dont need to rely on room service There's plenty of good food at Jewel (though I think most restaurants close around 10pm), and at all 4 Changi terminals as well. Crowne Plaza is directly connected to T3, which has a number of 24hr eateries (Dept/Arrival levels and basement 2).

MEL-World

I've just come across this thread. I hope you have double checked the dates on your flights as your quote above is confusing - what do you mean by 'both that same 'next day'? If you leave EWR on a Monday as an example, you arrive SIN at 1715 on Tuesday so cannot leave SIN for AKL until the Wednesday at 0845 - I would say that's +2 from leaving EWR. Just checking.

I would agree with other posters that the Crowne Plaza is the best option for an overnight stay but I would stay longer in Singapore as it is an excellent destination and would allow you more time to recover. You will have the Business Kris Flyer lounge available for food etc. 24 hours a day in T2 and T3. You should be able to use this anytime before your onward flight as your stopover is less than 24 hours.

I'm not sure you will be able to get 11DF on any flight as these bulkhead seats are reserved for the most frequent SQ customers but on the long flight, Row 19 is also a bulkhead row but, due to the reasons mentioned previously are very popular and first to go.

ps107

Try selecting seats again just under 96 hours before departure. You might get lucky. But please don't do this if you're travelling to AKL on 14 Nov

GeezerCouple

It's a deal. We are flying several days later

For Flight 281, are seats 15 D&F (middle pair) also a "bulkhead" with the full width goo wells?
Docs from SQ indicate this will be a Boeing 777-300ER.

Are these too, too close to the galley (or to lines for the loo, which could be worse)?
And it seems to show these would be suitable for babies...might we get bumped (seats, not flight), and if so, how likely is it that we would not be able to be seated together?

We will keep checking and especially as that deadline/cut-off approaches, and keep our fingers crossed, especially for that long flight out of EWR.

Many thanks!

Oh, will there be Gluten-Free meal service available for DH? (He's got true celiac disease; this isn't just a "preference", unfortunately.)
Yes, we *always* travel with GF snacks, in case we are stranded, or requested meals don't show up, etc.

GC

MEL-World

Once you know your aircraft type from your e-ticket, just look for the seat map on the SQ website (under 'Our fleet') and you will see the bulkhead and bassinet seats. Row 15 on a 777-300ER is behind the galley and toilets. I'd go for the small forward cabin - Row 11, 12 14 if you can get them.

You need to work out whether you want the extra space or privacy away from the galley or loos. I would choose the space as the SQ crew are usually quite quiet and there is never much of a queue for the washrooms. I would not spend too much time on worrying about seats as there is plenty of space in J and many of the best seats will have been reserved before your 96 hour window opens. I just checked a few random dates in the next month on the EWR-SIN leg and most of the bulkheads were already reserved.

Enjoy the SQ service.