Moomba

I left the airport around 11am for the ride to the train stop where I caught the transit to terminal 8. Once at the airport I made my way to the Premium AA check-in desks. I was checked in quickly and got my BP before heading off to the priority security lane. The queue was quite short but the JFK TSA seem to be the most inefficient on the planet and throughput was quite slow.

After security I made my way to the AC complex. The AC itself is being refurbished but the Flagship lounge was still open and I was escorted to the door and let inside.

The lounge was the quietest I had ever seen it.


AA Flagship Lounge JFK


On offer were some sandwiches, two soups and various salads and crudités and dips. The liquor had not been put out, I expect because of local liquor laws as it was a Sunday.


Food offerings AA Flagship Lounge JFK


I grabbed a bowl of soup and some mineral water and sat down to wait for my flight. At around noon the liquor rolled out and the lunch spread was set out a while later.

I did grab a sneaky Sam Adams prior to making my way infield to my gate.


Sam Adams Flagship Lounge


My flight was leaving from the mid field terminal and on the way I noticed this interesting piece of art in the terminal building.


Artwork JFK Terminal 8


As usual AA started with a pre-board and then invited First only to board.


Flight AA1223 JFK-DFW (First)
Aircraft: B738
Departure time: 15:00
Seat 5A

On board I took my seat and my jacket was taken a while later. There was no pre-departure beverage on this flight.

The crew announced a flight time of 3 hours and 22 minutes and we pushed back at 14:58. For JFK it seemed to be quite a quick taxi before we took to the air at 15:15.

After the crew eventually got up they handed out those cheap earphones to those that wanted them and then got about the drinks service. My pre-ordered meal was confirmed and I asked for a scotch and dry of course.

The menu for the flight was a choice of:

Roasted Vegetable Ravioli
With roasted vegetables and tomatoes in a light cream sauce

Grilled Chicken
Served chilled with cobb salad and creamy cilantro dressing

The crew supplied the whole can of ginger ale and a second bottle of scotch right at the get go. I know many of you will be disappointed not to see a picture of my warm nuts and for that I sincerely apologise. A hot towel was handed out before lunch.


Remains of Scotch and Warm Nuts


The meal service began with the whole meal delivered on the tray. There was a small salad and a starter of prosciutto and melon.


Lunch Tray


The pasta was very cheesy but tasted OK.


Pasta Main


Bread was offered from a basket with a choice of whole-wheat or sourdough.
I asked for some of the white wine that was a sauvignon blanc from Argentina.

After the meal the crew offered small plates of lemon meringue pie that was pretty nice.

Lemon Meringue Pie


The flight was pretty uneventful after that. The movie playing overhead was Lady in the Van but I didn’t listen in. It would have been hard anyway since the two people behind me failed to have any volume control of their voices.

We touched down at 18:47 and taxied up to the gate. I made my way through to the baggage claim where I had to wait 20 minutes or so for my bag to appear; thanks Sheraton JFK.

I went outside and grabbed a shuttle to the Hyatt DFW. I had pre-checked in and selected points as my bonus but at the check-in desk the woman insisted I chose one or more of the other options. I selected a beer and some gourmet sandwiches and then made my way to my room.

The room was quite spacious with nice views over the airport and runway.


View from Hyatt Regency DFW



Hyatt Regency DFW


My beers and sandwiches arrived and were very tasty. I hadn’t enjoyed a Shiner Bock since I worked for 13 months in San Antonio 7 years ago and it was a nice little trip down memory lane.


Diamond Amenity Hyatt Regency DFW


The next morning I skipped the hotel breakfast and caught the shuttle back to the low A gates. There was not queue at check-in and security took minutes. Take note JFK.

I walked back up to the AC at gate 23 and made my way inside. Once again I was only given one drink chit before heading upstairs.

Inside the offerings were much the same as the SFO club with porridge, cereal, yoghurts, bagels etc.

I grabbed some more porridge and honey and a coffee and sat down to wait out my fight. I was sitting in a section that was a no mobile zone that people seemed to respect. However the wall between that zone and the next did not go to the ceiling and you could hear everyone yelling into their phones next door.

The gate was way down then end of the A gates so I made my way down there quite early.

The usual AA boarding procedures were followed and I made my way down to the shiny A321 aircraft and on board.


Flight AA2481 DFW-SJU (Business)
Aircraft: A321
Departure time: 12:45
Seat 3F

I grabbed my seat and pre-departure water was offered. The crew apologised and said there was no ice loaded. This caused a slight delay, as they didn’t want to operate such a long flight with no ice.

The crew announced a flight time of 4 hours and 13 minutes and we pushed back at 12:51 before taking off at 13:05.

This flight was operated by one of the newer A321 birds and the seats are quite a step up from the older 737 jobbies. They include individual IFE that was rather nice on this longer flight.


AA A321 F/J Seat



AA A321 F/J Seat



AA A321 F/J Seat


Drinks orders were taken and my pre-ordered meal was confirmed and a hot towel was handed out.

The meal options were:

Lentil Chili
With polenta cake and tomato chutney

Barbeque Chicken
Served chilled with mixed greens and black beans


Scotch & Warm Nuts


I wasn’t offered seconds on the drinks or nuts this time and the meal was handed out quite early on in the 4 hour flight. I opted for the BBQ chicken salad this time and it was OK apart from the chicken being slightly tough.


Meal Tray


I opted for some white wine again and it was a chardonnay this time.

After the meal the dessert offered was a carrot cake.


Carrot Cake


I was able to use the IFE on this flight being an A321 meant personal screen IFE.

I listened to some music for most of the flight before we touched down in a humid San Juan at 18:14.

The airport had been re-vamped since my last visit and the baggage hall was quite different from what I remember. The bags took a while to come out but mine was one of the first dozen or so.

Outside I grabbed a cab to the Sheraton Old San Juan and at check-in I was told I had been upgraded to the Governor’s Suite on the top floor.

The suite was huge with a large living area, full size dining room with table and a separate bedroom and bathroom. There was also a balcony that looked out to the side of the building with some bay views.


Bedroom Governor’s Suite Sheraton Old San Juan



Bathroom Governor’s Suite Sheraton Old San Juan



Dining Room Governor’s Suite Sheraton Old San Juan



Living Room Governor’s Suite Sheraton Old San Juan



Living Room Governor’s Suite Sheraton Old San Juan


This whole portion of the trip was one big mileage run and the DFW-SJU route is over the golden 2000 mile mark which scores maximum tier points with BA Executive Club.

As such I only spent one night at this hotel before the trip back to JFK via DFW began again the following day.

Moomba

I checked out around 10:30 and grabbed a cab back to the airport. I remembered from my last trip that I needed to get my luggage passed through a bug screening x-ray check before taking it to check-in. I approached the area that two machines one to the left and one to the right. There was quite a queue on the left and no one at the right. I was a bit bemused by the sheep attitude of people and walked straight up to the right hand one and pushed my bag through.

I then approached the manned premium check-in desks and handed over my paperwork and set my bag on the scale. I noticed a sign saying the Admirals Club is now closed at SJU. I thought this quite odd as there are quite a lot of AA flights from SJU to JFK, DFW, MIA, ORD to name the one I know of. I asked the agent if this was a temporary thing but she hadn’t been told anything.

I made my way up to security where they did have a priority lane but it moved quite slow as staff and wheel chair users also used this lane and had priority over the priority line.

I eventually made my way through and on the way to the gate noticed a Priority Pass lounge run by Avianca. Saved!

I followed the directions up the elevator and down a corridor and found the lounge. The agent welcomed me in with my PP card and I entered the blue and white domain.


Avianca Lounge SJU


The breakfast offerings were still out and included assorted cereals, pastries and some filled rolls. There was some free pour alcohol and soft drinks, juices, coffee and tea available to drink.


Avianca Lounge SJU



Avianca Lounge SJU

I grabbed a seat by the window that had great views over the tarmac.

Close to the time of boarding I wandered down to the gate. I arrived 15 minutes before the boarding time printed on my boarding pass and they had already commenced boarding. I was able to walk straight up to the priority line and then down on board.

Flight AA2186 SJU-DFW (Business)
Aircraft: B738
Departure time: 13:33
Seat 5A

Once on board I settled in to the older 737 aircraft and fired up my iPod in the absence of any other decent IFE on these birds.

The crew announced a flight time of 4 hours and 46 minutes. There was no pre-departure beverage on this flight. It is funny how you can gauge a crew in the first few minutes and I knew this was going to be a just get the job done crew and it was.

We pushed back at 13:26 for a take off roll at 13:38.

After the belt signs were off the crew came around with a hot towel and then confirmed my meal order and took drinks orders.

Well last time I forgot to take the Scotch and Warm Nuts before I finished and this time you get none at all!

The menu for this flight was a choice of:

Spinach and Kale Manicotti
With chunky tomato sauce

Beef Filet
With herbed butter and lobster mac and cheese

The meal tray was passed out and I was offered wine and bread. As my crew gauge indicated earlier there were no offers of more bread or wine during the meal. There was a salad and a prawn starter on the tray to go with my beef main course.


Lunch Tray


There were however some wonderful views over the Caribbean Sea below.


Caribbean View



Caribbean View




After the main the crew offered apple pies for dessert.


Dessert


The service beyond this point was an ‘ask and ye shall receive’ affair.


DFW Approach


We touched down at 17:37 and taxied up to the gate. There was a short walk to the baggage claim where I waited around 15 minutes for the bags to appear.

I then called the Element hotel and told them where I was and they said they would send the van around.

The van eventually came and I was on my way to my home for the night.

At the hotel the happy hour was just finishing as I checked in and the staff quickly came over to ask if I wanted a drink before they shut up shop. I ordered a beer and completed check-in. I grabbed a couple of snack items and drank my beer before making my way up to the room on the top floor.

It was quite nice affair and would be pleasant enough for a longer stay in the DFW area. A major plus for this hotel was a laundry room. I was able to do a load of washing a dry it before heading back to my room with enough clean clothes to last me the rest of my trip.


Element Hotel DFW



Element Hotel DFW



Element Hotel DFW



Element Hotel DFW


That night there was a huge electrical storm that constantly lit up the sky and lashing rain falling. Ah Texas I remember you well. With all the crashing and bashing I though the roof was going to blow off.

I survived the night and after breakfast in the lobby ordered a ride back to the airport for 08:30. I had read stories on FT of the shuttle sometimes taking a lot of detours on the way so wanted to leave plenty of time. There was one other booked at that time but as it turns out was a no show. So it was just the driver and I and a direct route to the low A gates again for my next flight.

The experience was much the same as two days earlier with no queue at check-in and a fast priority security check.

I once again visited the Admirals Club and had some porridge and juice for breakfast.

I once again wandered down to the gate way too early and ended up walking the entire length of the A gates at DFW and back again before ending up at the gate again with time to spare before boarding.

Boarding did commence with F and military in uniform and I made my way on down to the aircraft.

Flight AA2481 DFW-JFK (First)
Aircraft: B738
Departure time: 11:25
Seat 5F

Once on board I took my seat and the purser dropped by to thank me for being an Executive Platinum. It seems AA systems don’t necessarily allow the crew to differentiate between their own elites and other FF program elites.
I was offered a pre-departure beverage and the crew announced a flight time of 3 hours and 11 minutes.
We pushed back at 11:23 and took off ten minutes later at 11:33.

After the belt sign was off a hot towel was handed out and drinks orders were taken. My meal order was confirmed by the purser who used my name in every interaction on this flight.

On the menu for lunch was:

Lentil Chili
With polenta cake and tomato chutney

Barbeque Chicken
Served chilled with mixed greens and black beans

This was the same menu I had on the DFW-SJU flight so I opted to go with the curry this time.

First up though was the obligatory Scotch and Warm Nuts that I know you will enjoy seeing another picture of.


Scotch & Warm Nuts


I was given a second bottle of scotch when the drink was delivered.

The meal trays were then handed out and rolls and wine offered. The tray came all at once with a salad, starter and carrot cake along with the curry.


Meal Tray


The meal was fine and the curry was quite spicy but flavourful.


The rest of the flight was pretty uneventful and the crew did come by often to enquire if I needed another drink.

On the approach to JFK we had some great views of Manhattan on the right side.


Manhattan View



Manhattan View



Approaching JFK


We touched down at 15:45 at a gate in the in-field terminal and I walked down and up and down over to the baggage claim to wait for my bag. It eventually arrived and I caught the transit to Federal Circle and called the Hilton to arrange a pick up.

The van arrived quite quickly and I hopped on for the short ride to the hotel.

I was upgraded to an executive room with a great view out over JFK.


Hilton JFK



Hilton JFK View



Hilton JFK View

Next up 16 hours of bliss but CX catering scores a home goal.

Moomba

Initially I had planned to take the afternoon flight from JFK to HKG on CX as it offered a Lunch and Dinner service rather than Breakfast and Lunch offered on the other flights. I know I am sad but breakfast is my least favourite meal on a plane. However with the daylight savings time change the morning flight changed from 09:00 to 10:00 departure and along with it the menu switched to Lunch and Dinner.

I was able to change my flight to this earlier flight that meant a mid afternoon arrival into HKG as well, which was an added bonus.

I checked out of the Hilton after a nice stay with great views bypassing the breakfast offerings in the lounge, as I knew the day would be food filled anyway.

The shuttle driver had a few stops to make and mine was the third. He had been asked to use the arrivals roads, as the departures ones were busy with the morning rush. This meant having to go up a floor to the check-in desks. I first wandered around to the premium area that CX used to share with BA but no longer do it seems. I backtracked and found the First line and waited a couple of minutes before being checked in. Security was a breeze with what seemed like only the CX flight passengers using it.

I wandered around the terminal for a bit before heading up to the BA First lounge that CX use at JFK. As has been noted by others this lounge is a poor cousin and only used by BA Gold cardholders and other OW Emeralds. The real BA F passengers use the JFK Concorde Room, which was closed at this hour of the day anyway.


BA First Lounge JFK


The lounge had smoked salmon, cold meats, cheeses, cereals, bagels, pastries, fruit, yoghurt, porridge and the full on liquor array.


BA First Lounge JFK


BA First Lounge JFK


BA First Lounge JFK


BA First Lounge JFK

I grabbed a coffee and some porridge to snack on for breakfast. I then played the who are the other passengers in First and who are Emeralds game I often do in lounges.


Breakfast BA First Lounge JFK


As usual I left the lounge far too early and made my way down to the gate. The gate already had some queues forming staff were forming lines of First / Emerald, Business / Sapphire, etc.

Boarding soon commenced with the F line being processed first.

Flight CX0841 JFK-HKG (First)
Aircraft: B777
Departure time: 10:00
Seat 1A

On board I was escorted to my seat and yes BA even though there is a closet at the seat the crew took my jacket and hung it for me.


CX First Seat



CX First Seat


The crew delivered a sleeper suit and amenity kit with Aesop products and each one introduced themselves to me. I was asked those words we long to hear on boarding. Of course I would love some champagne please.


CX First Amenity Kit and Sleeper Suit


An amuse bouche was delivered along with an empty glass. The bottle then appeared and some of the luscious Krug bubbly was mine for the drinking. The amuse was smoked salmon with avocado and a yuzu crème fraiche.


Amuse Bouche & Krug


The ISM dropped by for a chat and told me the flight time would be 15 hours and 5 minutes. A hot towel was delivered on a nice little tray before we pushed back at 09:56. The person behind me was on the phone through the entire safety briefing.

We took off at 10:17 and once safely in the sky the crew dropped by with menu and wine list and enquired about a post take off drink.

I asked for some more bubbly to go with my nuts, see it isn’t always Scotch and nuts.


Krug & Nuts



Menu



Wine List


German Promotional Wines


I gave the crew my lunch order and asked to hold off a couple of hours for it to be served. They said not a problem and noted that I would eat at 12:30 JFK time.

We tracked up North over the frozen Canadian landscape and I sat and supped on champagne whilst listening to some music and enjoying the views. Does life get any better?


Frozen Landscape


At the appointed time the crew dropped by and asked me if I was ready to eat. Of course I was, especially knowing the little salty morsels would be on the way soon.
The crew set the table including a nice little welcome note signed by the crew.

Of course failing vodka the only drink to have with Caviar is Champagne.


Caviar & Krug



Caviar


My next course was a lovely flavourful soup with crunchy croutons.


Lunch Soup


A substantial salad with king prawns was next on the menu. The prawns weren’t too tough as they can sometimes be on planes. I opted to try one of the German showcase wines to go with these two courses. The Weingut Hietlinger Riesling was quite deliciously dry and not too sweet for a Riesling.


King Prawn Salad


Next up I took my chances on beef on a plane and whilst it wasn’t as rare as I would have liked it was pretty tasty.


Lunch Steak


I switched over to the French red wine and wasn’t disappointed with that decision.

I declined the dessert option but decided to scoff down some cheese with more of the red vino.



Cheese


Finally a double espresso was ordered and delivered soon after with a few, too hard to resist, pralines. A hot towel was delivered after the meal.


Espresso & Pralines


I watched a movie or two before deciding I needed to try and get some sleep on this flight.

I asked the crew to make up my bed and I hunkered down for a few hours sleep. I awoke around 7 hours out of HKG, gee that is a whole flight left to go.

I watched some more IFE before ordering a bowl of the noodles for a mid-flight snack.

I accompanied this with a pot of jasmine tea.


Noodles & Jasmine Tea



Noodles


After I had finished another hot towel was brought to my seat.

Around two and half hours out of Hong Kong, which would have been lunchtime in HK, the enquired if I would like to eat again. Of course I would.

As usual with second meals on CX the starter is always fruit. Not sure why but that seems to be the norm.

I elected to drink the Chablis with this meal and it was pretty fresh and tasty.


Fruit Starter



Fruit


After the fruit I decided to try the pork chop. Boy was that a mistake. I could not cut the chop it was like leather. I ate the rest and sent the meat back informing the crew of its inedibility. They asked if I would like to try something else and also said they would make a note to inform catering of the problem.


Inedible Pork Chop


I decided I was sated enough and declined any further main course but opted for the lush cheesecake offering.


Cheesecake


Another hot towel was delivered after this meal also.

After meal I watched some more IFE and then readied myself for landing changing back into my civvies and squirrelling away the wonderful PYE sleeper suit for future use.

We landed at 13:32 and taxied up to our gate that was quite close to immigrations. I was able to use the bio gates and was through waiting for my bag in moments.

Priority tags work with CX and my case one was one of the first to be delivered.

I exited customs and made my way over to the AEX and caught a train into Kowloon. I then grabbed the shuttle to the Hyatt Regency TST. I like this hotel, the lounge is good, the room upgrades for Diamonds seem to be ones with great harbour views and location is pretty close to the MTR station.


Hyatt Regency TST Room



Hyatt Regency TST Room


Hyatt Regency TST Room


Hyatt Regency TST Room


Views from Hyatt Regency TST


Views from Hyatt Regency TST

The executive lounge has a pretty decent breakfast spread with some fresh cooked items on order as well.


Breakfast Hyatt Regency TST



Breakfast Hyatt Regency TST


Breakfast Hyatt Regency TST


Breakfast Hyatt Regency TST


SPG has been peeing me off lately with lacklustre upgrade experiences and their current promo was useless for my single night stops. To top it off the only place I was going to stay more than one night on this trip was the SFO stay and twice in HKG. Both of these were ineligible though as SFO was a day before the promo started, in the no pro gaps they love to have and the HKG Sheraton and W weren’t participating.

So I decided for my second night I would try out the Conrad that I had fond memories of in the past. I left my suitcase with the Hyatt and would return in a couple of days for another two-night stay and caught the MTR over to Admiral.

I paid a little extra for the harbour view room and at check-in they told me they upgraded me to a suite. When I got up there though it was on such a low floor the harbour views were very limited so I went back and asked for a higher floor non-suite and they obliged.

The lounge offerings at the Conrad didn’t seem as substantial as I remembered from past stays though. I didn’t get to try the breakfast, as my flight out the following morning to CGK was early.

I have no idea why I took no photos of the Conrad; I think it may have been some holiday burn out setting in.

After a bit of a HK break next up it is off to NRT via CGK.

Moomba

As noted earlier I skipped breakfast at the Conrad and caught the train over to Kowloon as I had an AEX Kowloon return ticket. From there I caught the AEX over to the airport and walked up to the check-in desks. I tried in vain to change to the later flight and had checked that there was still some D availability whilst on the train. However ticketing said no go on the change so I had to stick with the original flight and a long layover on CGK.

I made my way through security quickly and then used the bio gates to enter airside. There was no gate posted two hours out so I made my way down to the Pier to get some breakfast.

I opted for my new breakfast staple, porridge and had to try their eggs Bennie.


CX The Pier F Lounge Porridge


CX The Pier F Lounge Eggs Bennie


The gate was posted and I was pleased to see it was close to the pier so only a short walk to get there. I arrived about 5 minutes before the scheduled boarding time. However boarding didn’t start until around 25 minutes later.

When it did start it was the usual CX efficiency to the fore with Elites boarding first.


Flight CX0777 HKG-CGK (Business)
Aircraft: A330
Departure time: 09:20
Seat 12A

I boarded and went to my seat and unpacked my goodies. The crew came around with pre-departure drinks of water, OJ or Apple juice. No amenity kits on these mid-haul flights with Cathay.


CX J Seat Controls



CX J IFE Screen



Pre-departure Apple Juice


The captain announced a flight time of 4 hours and 13 minutes and also noted that cabin was warm as the APU was snafu. The crew dished out a hot towel just before we pushed back at 09:55. We taxied out and took off at 10:09.

After the belt sign was off the crew started the breakfast service. Firstly offering a round of drinks and then coming back with the trays with the fruit starter on them.
The crew offered a basket of various pastries and rolls.


OJ



Meal Tray



Fruit Starter


The ISM dropped by to say hello and handed out Indonesia customs forms.

After the starter the crew offered Special K, Corn Flakes or Muesli to follow. I opted for the muesli option with some yoghurt.


Muesli & Yoghurt


The main courses were shown to me and I selected a chicken stir-fry dish that was quite tasty. I can’t remember what the other options were and the crew took back the menus later in the flight so I failed to secure one for this report.


Stir-fry Chicken


The crew topped up my juice and water during the meal. The tray was removed and there was no further service on the flight until around 90 minutes out when the crew passed by with trays of juice or water.

We touched down at 13:33 and taxied to the gate.

After disembarking I made my way to the transit desk to be told they wouldn’t be able to get me a boarding pass until around 2 hours before the flight, which meant a wait of just over 5 hours.

I had tried in vain to get a boarding pass printed from the JAL online systems but the computer kept saying no.

The agent went away and with my passport to see what she could do. Around 30 minutes later she returned and said she could not issue a boarding pass and I could wait there for a few hours or as an Aussie I could clear immigrations and customs with no visa fees. I opted for the latter and queued up for the quite painless process of entering Indonesia. I walked out through customs and upstairs to the check-in area. I immediately thought urgh did I do the right thing as it was hot and humid landside and the airport terminal building lacks decent AC.
They did have free wifi though and I was able to check priority pass and what do you know there was a landside lounge I could use.

I found the lounge and made my way in. The agent took my PP details and informed me that there was a 3 hour limit on my stay. This was an hour short of what I needed but still better than nothing.

The lounge had some hot food options and various cold beverages and alcohol could be purchased.

I found a seat under an AC vent and sat down to wait it out. They had Wifi in the lounge and I kept myself amused on my iPad for the few hours I was there. I didn’t sample any of the offerings apart from some juice and later to use the facilities.

I left after my 3 hours were up and went for a walk up and down the terminal building to get some exercise in for the day. I then proceeded to go through a security check before getting to the check-in desks inside the secure area. The JL desks were not yet open and there was a sign saying when they would. There were a few people waiting and I joined them. Eventually the check-in crew started setting up and people joined the various lines for First, Business, etc.

I was one of the first served and I was checked in with no issue and the agent directed me to the emigrations area further down the terminal and also gave me an invitation to the Pura Indah lounge.

At emigrations the gent said here for only a day? I said a long transit. He smiled and stamped me out of the country.

I made my way down to the lounge briefly browsing some of the duty free shops. The lounge agent welcomed me in and directed me to the First section of the lounge.

The lounge had various soups, satay, Fuseli with paprika sauce, fried banana, salads, sandwiches, cheese and potato croquettes and some sweet treats. Also there was some beer and other cold drinks in the fridge.


Pura Indah Lounge CGK


Pura Indah Lounge CGK


Pura Indah Lounge CGK


Pura Indah Lounge CGK


I grabbed a beer and some satay and munched away.


Satay & Beer


I made my way down to the gate at the other end of the building where a proper security check was done; you know the liquids, belt etc. palaver.

After this I walked down to the gate where a BP and PP check were done by Indonesia officials and then the checked again by airline staff at the gate. I was directed to the right where the F and J passengers were seated and the rest were herded off to the left. About five minutes before the scheduled boarding time they invited F & J to start to board.

Flight JL0726 CGK-NRT (First)
Aircraft: B777
Departure time: 21:55
Seat 2A


Both doors had jet bridges but only F passengers were invited down to door 1. I made my way down and the lead crewmember greeted me at the door and escorted me to my seat.


JL 777 F Suite


JL 777 F Suite


JL 777 F Suite



The senior F crew dropped by and introduced herself and offered me bubbly and a hot towel.


Pre-take off Bubbly


There were immigrations forms and fast track slips at the seat as well as a Bose headset and slippers. The crew gave me a Lowe amenity kit and separate Shiseido men’s kit and handed out the menu and wine list.


Amenity Kit Contents







Menu











Beverages

The crew said I was one of only 2 on board in F tonight and they could make up the bed in at another seat for me.

I inquired about the champagne as, nice as it was, I didn’t think it was the Salon and the crew confirmed it was the one from Business class, the Delmonte.

The lead informed me of a flight time of 6 hours and 15 minutes and said I could have whatever I wanted from the menu at whatever time I wanted it.

A hot towel was delivered just before we pushed back at 21:54 and we were in the air by 22:10.

Another hot towel was delivered after take off and the crew asked me what I would like to drink. This was a real dilemma as it was a choice of Salon or my nectar of the gods Taittinger Comtes De Champagne. I opted for the Salon and decided to change into the PJs they crew had given out earlier. When I emerged from the bathroom the crew were waiting with a hangar and offered to hang my clothes for me.


Bubbly


The crew made up my bed in 1A and then set the table for me in 2A for a serving of Caviar with more Salon champagne. When I was done with the Caviar the crew asked if I would care for another round. You don’t have to ask me twice.


Caviar Supper


More champagne and caviar for it is.


More Salaon Bubbly



Two empty pots of Caviar


I was still feeling a little peckish so I asked for the seafood curry. This is a bizarre dish consisting of a plate of rice with a seafood curry sauce. Although the curry sauce packed quite a seafood punch there was no actual protein in the sauce.


Seafood Curry


Nonetheless it filled a hole and when offered something else I decided to finish off with a fruit plate and some more champagne of course. I scoffed down the fruit with the exception of the papaya that I take exception to.


Fruit to Finish


It was off one door up to seat 1A and some kip, after one more hot towel. The crew gave me a bottle of water and wished me a good sleep.

During the night I woke parched and finished off my water before going to the bathroom. When I got back to my seat there was a new bottle of water and the crew approached with yet another hot towel.

I kicked back for some more sleep before waking 90 minutes out of Tokyo. The lead crew told me it was perfect timing as they were about to start the breakfast service.

A hot towel was placed before me prior to the meal service and I was offered some OJ.

The breakfast started with the same fruit plate as I had earlier this time the crew had removed the papaya from the plate before serving. Now that is observation skills and proactive service standards to the max.


Fruit Starter


I also ordered some of the coffee that came with a timer to indicate when I should take the plunge.


Morning Coffee


A salad was net up that was fresh and crunchy.


Salad


The main I chose was the one western option that was OK but nothing really first class about it.


Salmon Omelette


Hot towel number six made its way to me after the meal as we prepared for landing.

After the meal I changed back into my civvies and packed away my camera in the overhead. Just then the magnificent sight of Mt Fuji appeared to rise above the clouds. Back up to the locker to retrieve my camera to take a few shots.


Fuji-san makes an appearance



Fuji-san makes an appearance


Fuji-san makes an appearance

All three crew, including the flight lead, who had been working the F cabin stopped by to thank me for flying JAL and hoped I would be back with them again soon.

We touched down at 06:55 and taxied up to the terminal. I exercised my fast track pass and gent had to call over an immigrations agent to man the desk. I was quickly processed and with no luggage to collect made my way out through customs.

I was on the train platform by 07:20. There is a Seven Eleven cash machine at the train station level and I was able to take out some cash for my trip. I then bought a ticket on the Skyliner train, the alternative to the Narita Express. This train took me to Ueno where I transferred to the JL Yamanote line to Shinjujku. I could have gotten off at Nippori as well realised later. The Skyliner train was quite empty and had a cool view from the driver’s cab showing on the overhead monitors at various stages along the journey.


Skyliner Train



Skyliner Train


Skyliner Train


I walked up to the Hyatt Regency in Shinjuku, chosen as it was much cheaper than the Westin and the Sheraton is a bit meh.

I was permitted to check-in early as long as was happy with two singles instead of a king. I was fine with this and the room was high up on the executive levels.


Hyatt Regency Tokyo Twin Room


Hyatt Regency Tokyo Twin Room


Hyatt Regency Tokyo Twin Room

I pottered around Tokyo for the day and decided I couldn’t resist the temptation to return to Blacows for another Wagyu beef burger.

The Executive lounge did a nice evening service with some self serve snacks and the staff delivered a plate with some canapés on it as well.


Hyatt Regency Tokyo Club Lounge Canapés


During the evening my world moved as Tokyo experienced a 4.3 magnitude earthquake. Sitting on the 25th floor of a hotel and the building moving from side to side has to be one of the freakiest feelings I have experienced. You head tells you this is mild and the buildings in Tokyo are built for it but that primal fear and complete lack of control our powerful senses.

There was another smaller tremor the following morning not long before I went down to the lounge for breakfast.

On offer were some cereals, yoghurts, pastries, sausage and bacon with scrambled eggs and a pasta dish. A pretty decent spread for a hotel lounge.


Hyatt Regency Tokyo Club Lounge Breakfast



Hyatt Regency Tokyo Club Lounge Breakfast


Hyatt Regency Tokyo Club Lounge Breakfast

This completes the RTW portion of this epic.

Up next the ride back to the UK with a small break in Hong Kong.

Moomba

I checked out late morning and walked down to Shinjuku station where I caught two trains to get to Haneda airport.

At the airport I located the CX check-in desks and approached the First lane. I was dealt with swiftly for my flight to HKG. When I enquired about fast track security I was told there was one up the other end but the security down near the CX desk was empty. So it was. There was no queue at all and I dealt with post haste. The emigration officer was waiting for me also and I was stamped out of the country a few seconds later.

My first stop was the JL F lounge, the entrance to which was a few steps away.


JL F Lounge HND


JL F Lounge HND


JL F Lounge HND


JL F Lounge HND


JL F Lounge HND

I grabbed some cold pumpkin soup, some curry and rice and some dim sum from the offerings and a glass of red wine.


Pumpkin Soup & Red Wine


Curry & Dim Sum


I then decamped to the room with a feel of an old gentleman’s club and downed a glass of bubbly.


Games Area JL F Lounge HND


Memorabilia Display JL F Lounge HND

Closer to the time of the flight I moved on down to the CX lounge. This was a lot busier and had the usual offerings and of course the noodle bar.

I grabbed another drink and sat down to wait until the flight was ready to leave.

Close to the time of boarding I made my way down to the gate where a considerable queue had already formed at the gate. There were the usual three queues that CX do, one for first/emerald one for business/sapphire and one for others.

Boarding started a little after the scheduled time and the queue moved along quite quickly.

Flight CX0549 HND-HKG (First)
Aircraft: B777
Departure time: 16:35
Seat 1A

I was directed to my seat that was a whole 2 feet away from the door. A crew member dropped by and asked the magic question. Of course the answer was yes.


CX 777 F Suite


CX 777 F Suite


Pre-departure Bubbly


The bubbly was the Duetz Amour and it does slip on down rather easily. They were boarding J through door 1 even though both doors were used for boarding.

The F purser introduced herself and told me the flight time to Hong Kong would be 4 hours and 5 minutes. A hot towel was placed at my seat on the little tray.
Also the menus were handed out on the ground. We pushed back at 16:30 and taxied out for a take off time of 16:55.

After the seat belt sign was turned off the crew came by and asked for drinks orders.

This time I will surprise you all and opted for a Johnnie Blue on the rocks. This was delivered with some Japanese rice snacks with wasabi peas.


Scotch & Rice Snacks


I was offered seconds on the drinks and nibbles.

The dinner service then began.

The prawn starter was very tasty with a distinct sesame oil tang to it.


Table set with Starter



Prawn Starter


I decided to have the soup even if it was cauliflower.


Cauliflower Soup


Next up the main and yet another disappointment. The lamb was tough but nowhere as bad as the pork chop and was still edible.


Tough Lamb


I decided to go the whole hog on this meal and had the cheese course next. One of the cheeses was vile though.


Cheese Plate


Following this I couldn’t resist the cheesecake before the usual double espresso and pralines finale.


Cheesecake



Coffee& Pralines


These shorter F flights on CX are pretty much a drink, eat, land affair and it wasn’t long after the meal service ended that we started our descent into Hong Kong.

We touched down at 20:02 and taxied up to the gate.

With no luggage and the bio gates available to me I was able to quickly exit the airport and catch the AEX into Kowloon. I was headed back to the Hyatt Regency TST for a two-night stay. I had used one of my four upgrade certificates for this stay and at check-in this was confirmed. The agent also offered to grab me a couple of beers as the evening club happy hour had finished. This was a nice touch from what have proven to be pretty decent club staff at this hotel.

The suites are on the edges of this building and as such don’t offer as good a view as the other rooms that face out towards the harbour. The room was a strange arrangement with a smallish living area, are large bedroom and then the bathroom the other side of the bedroom. There was a bottle of red wine on the table and a bowl of fruit as a suite welcome amenity.


Hyatt Regency TST Suite



Hyatt Regency TST Suite


Hyatt Regency TST Suite


Hyatt Regency TST Suite


Hyatt Regency TST Suite


Hyatt Regency TST View


Hyatt Regency TST View



Hyatt Regency TST View


The lounge offerings were much the same as my earlier stay for both breakfast and the evening cocktail hour.

For my final night in Hong Kong I had pre-paid a room at the W. After checking out of the Hyatt Regency I caught the shuttle back to Kowloon station and then went upstairs to the Elements mall and on into the W. I had been pre-upgraded to a cool corner room that had some spotty views over the harbour interrupted somewhat by the apartment complexes and office building near the hotel.

In the room was a tree arrangement with marshmallows stuck to them and my first name in chocolate blocks attached to the trunk. About two hours after I checked in someone knocked on the door with a welcome gift of a drinks voucher for the Woo bar downstairs.


W Hotel Hong Kong Cool Corner Room



W Hotel Hong Kong Cool Corner Room


W Hotel Hong Kong Cool Corner Room



W Hotel Hong Kong Cool Corner Room


After this brief stay in Hong Kong all that was left to do to complete the journey was fly back to the UK in the loving arms of CX.

Moomba

In a journey very familiar to me these days I checked out of the W and made my way down to Kowloon station and jumped on an AEX back to HKG.

I checked in at the First podium and was told the gate was in the 60s. Security was quite swift and I once again used the bio gates to exit Hong Kong.

I walked the full length of the airport down to the Pier First Class lounge and stopped by the restaurant for a light lunch.

On the menu today were the following:


Pier F Lounge Menu

I opted for some Fragrant Chicken followed by the Chef’s Special Garoupa.


Fragrant Chicken



Garoupa


Both were quite nice and went down well with the glass of Sauvignon Blanc I was drinking.

I decamped from the dining room and went down to the lounge area and found a space by the window. I ordered a flat white and sat down to wait for my flight.


Flat White


The lounge is quite well equipped with power and in a seat alcove containing 6 seats there were 12 power outlets hidden in the side tables.


Lounge Power


I do like this lounge with the rustic tables and autumnal tones, it is a very pleasant place to rest.

Pier F Lounge Decor


I noted a gate change for my flight back up to gate 4. This meant a hike back up to the Wing lounge. I made this walk far too early that I regretted when walking into the Wing. The lounge was much busier but also as it is not a room but open to the airport it was much more humid and hotter than the tranquil Pier lounge.

I grabbed a drink and noticed that my flight had posted a 50 minute delay due to the late arrival of inbound aircraft.

Leaving it much later than I normally would I made my way through the J lounge downstairs and up to Gate 4. The usual queues were forming and a queue monitor pointed me over to the Emerald / First queue that only had a couple of people in it.

Soon after boarding commenced and I was about to start my journey home.

Flight CX253 HKG-LHR (First)
Aircraft: B777
Departure time: 14:35
Seat 1A

I was escorted all the way to seat 1A and my jacket was taken and hung in the closet at the seat. I was offered PJs and an amenity kit containing the Aesop products.


CX F Amenity Kit


The lead F purser introduced herself and enquired if I would like some champagne.

Well you know I was kinda sick of bubbly by this point so I declined. NOT.

The champagne glass and an amuse bouche of smoked salmon was delivered to my seat and the bottle of Krug soon appeared.


Krug & Amuse


A flight time of 12 hours and 41 minutes was announced by the captain. He also went on to explain that because of bad weather the Chinese authorities had restricted flights over Chinese airspace and hence the delay. He also said he negotiated a different routing to avoid the problems and that we would be off soon.

A hot towel was placed at my seat and my bubbly was re-filled on the ground before we eventually pushed back at 15:22.


Krug & Hot Towel

We took off at 15:45 and routed South West out of Hong Kong via the Captain’s negotiated route.



After the belt signs were off the crew dropped by with a menu and asked what I would like to drink. I stuck with the Krug to go with my warm nuts whilst we swung South to go North.




Menu





Wine List

The German promotional wines were the same as on my JFK-HKG & HND-HKG flights.



Krug & Nuts


Odd Routing on IFE

My bubbly was re-filled once before the lunch service began.


More Krug

To start with of course I wanted the Caviar. The table was set and the little welcome card was placed at the table. I mentioned to the crew that I had quite a few of these little cards. She said do you keep them? I said yes and the menus as mementos of my flights. At this point I got curious so I opened up my flights spread sheet and counted up that this was my 30th First flight on CX over the past 10 years.


Lunch Table Set


Caviar

I ate my meal and watched as we did a big arc over south China and back up to head over Mongolia and Russia to get back to the UK.


Routing on IFE


Fly by

Next up on the food front was the salad with prawns.


Prawn Salad

I drank the lovely Sauvignon Blanc with this course.

I followed this up with the Lamb and once again it was a bit tough and well done for my liking.


Lamb Main

I switched over to the French red wine and again was not disappointed.


Moomba is definitely feeling over indulgence syndrome and skipped both the cheese and dessert courses.

Finally I finished with the usual espresso and pralines.


Espresso & Pralines

A hot towel was presented after the meal.


I watched some movies and TV programs before asking the crew to make up my bed. I needed to catch some rest in order not to screw up my body clock too much for when I back in the UK.

After a few hours kip I awoke and ordered the noodles and some jasmine tea. I know I am getting a bit boring and repetitive.


Noodles

These both went down a treat and I continued to find some more movies and TV programs to amuse me for the remainder of the flight.

Around 2 hours out of London the crew came around with a hot towel and set up the table again for my last meal of this trip.

As usual with the second meal it consisted of a starter of fruit.


Fruit Starter

I opted to follow this with the wok fried chicken. The chicken was quite nice and the rice and vegetables beautifully cooked.


Wok Fried Chicken

The finale was a cheesecake with blueberry compote. Lovely it was too.


Cheesecake

After the meal preparations were made for landing and I changed back into my civvies and listened to some music until we touched down at 21:25.

We parked at a gate about as far from immigrations as you can get and I made the long walk to there. I had forgotten that the bio machines at T3 were being replaced and had to actually see a real life person to get into the country.

The bags started to appear at the carousel quite soon after I arrived and my bag was one of the first few out.

A quick trip home on the HEX and a couple of tubes and finally this journey, and so too this report, was complete.

I hoped you enjoyed coming along with Moomba on this ride.

Happy contrails.

stu1985

Ah great, Moomba! I always enjoy opening up the TR forum to see that there's an update from you. This was no exception. Great pics! CX F is getting higher and higher up my list to try one of these days!

Spymon

A great and emotional read. Thanks for rekindling the memories of my stay at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco, I don't think I'll ever forget the ridiculous cocktails and giant portions of food I had in the Pied Piper Bar.

Moomba

Thanks stu1985. CX is still one of my favourite carriers although catering seems to be a weak point these days.

Thanks Spymon.

grandgourmand

Seems like you left a few scattered eggs behind in the second caviar serving on JAL. For shame!

Great TR.

AvidFlyer1990

Dear Moomba, thank you for the pleasure of your exceptional TRs. I really appreciate it.

And I am truly sorry to hear about your loss. As an only child of my parents, living thousands and thousands of miles away, believe me when I say this, I understand! Hope you stay strong...and safe travels!!

Moomba

I know I should be banned from flying First ever again.

Thanks for your kind words AvidFlyer1990.

mentor of monty

Brilliant stuff Moomba, thank you. If you don't mind me asking, what is the cost of the RTW ticket you used for this trip?

Moomba

Thanks mentor of monty. The current cost of a 3 continent AONE ticket ex Japan is around 6200 GBP plus taxes that will add around 20% to this.