dat4life

A friend hounded me for some time about going to a Formula 1 race. Back in January 2022, we toyed with the idea of going to the 2022 Miami Grand Prix. But race day tickets alone were in the eye watering upper four digits, which was probably byproduct of the novelty (inaugural race), pent up COVID demand, and the Netflix effect. My friend jokingly said it would be a lot cheaper flying to Barcelona for the Spanish Grand Prix. While we’ve been friends for a while, one thing he seems to always forget is I NEVER joke about travel.

The next day, my parents asked if I wanted to join them on a transatlantic cruise. They sailed a westbound transatlantic cruise on the Disney Magic back in 2019 and enjoyed it so much they booked the 2020 eastbound cruise. We all know what happened next. Finally in 2022, most cruise lines started ramping up their schedules to some semblance of normalcy. Disney’s 2022 schedule had the Magic heading back east to Europe in early May 2022, and it would dock in Barcelona the day before the Spanish Grand Prix. Which was absolutely perfect. Plus, a transatlantic cruise was pretty high up on my travel bucket list. So I went ahead and locked that part of the trip in.

Of course, nothing is ever free. Since my parents picked up my portion of the cruise, I bought their return tickets back to the US. For my dad, I burned 57,500 AAdvantage miles for American Business Class from Barcelona to West Palm Beach via Philly. For my mom, I bought a super reasonable $2,300 round trip ticket from Paris to New York. And for myself, I booked a ticket for the same flights as mom but in Premium Economy which set me back a very palatable $900. That would set us up for a nice fall European trip.

Like I said, I don’t kid about travel. My friend was a bit surprised when I showed him all of the confirmations, but he got hard to work making his own arrangements. I still had a few positioning flights I needed to set. To position from Houston to Miami for the cruise, I booked a First Class ticket on United for $230. There were plenty of options to get my mom and I from Barcelona to Paris. But I ended up booking tickets on Vueling. The timing of the flight worked out perfectly, and it was hard to beat a €95 fare that includes checked bags and seat assignments. I bought a couple of tickets on Vueling to get my mom and I from Barcelona to Paris. And finally, I was able to grab First Class seats for my mom and I from New York back to Houston on American for $250.

In short, it was a fun and unusual trip for me. Most of my trips are hectic as I try to pack in as much as possible in as little time as possible. I enjoyed the slower pace of travel more than I expected. This was as refreshing of a vacation as I’ve ever been on. At very least it was an interesting experience of polar opposites: a slow boat and super-fast cars (and planes).

Previous Trip Reports
2022:The Dam Weekend (SQ/AA J; U2/AF Y)
2021: Chasing Bourdain and Perfect Tinder Pictures (AA/A3/LH J; BA Y; UA Domestic F)
2021: How The Turntables: MQD Running With My Parents (AA Domestic F; AM J; UA Y)
2020: Purgatory: Tales of Pandemic Travel in the U.S.
2020: The Last Dance (CX F)
2019: An Unexpected Jaunt Around The World (UA/CX/TG/BR/OS J; AK Y)
2018: Pilgrimage to the Fatherland (CX/MU J; CX W; WN/MU Y)
2017: The Ultimate Flake (AA F; SQ F and Suites; CX/MS/CA/MH/KL/JL J; TK Y)
2017: The Earth IS Round (UA/LH/HU/CZ/TR Y; CX/BR J)
2017: Something Old and Something New (SQ A350 J / AA J)
2015: Christmas in Asia (AA/CX/UA J; BA/AA/CX Y)
2015: A Manic Fall(AA/WN/UA/CX/FD Y; CX F; AA F)
2015: An Apartment in the Sky (Etihad Apartment First Class, AA Y, BA J/Y, QR Y)
2014: The End of An Era (JL/CX/TG/QF A380 F, OZ J, KA Y, and a Chinese Bullet Train!)
2014: A Tale of Two Cities (AA 77W J BA Y IB Y AF J)
2013: It’s The Most Wonderful Time of The Year (AA/MQ F AS Y)
2013: Geeking Out Across America (AA F)
2012: Around The World and From Sea to Shining Sea (AA F/Y, CX F, SQ F, UA F, DL F, WN Y)
2011: Everybody look at me because I'm sailing on a boat (KL J and DL Y)

dat4life

After months of anticipation, it was finally time! The plan called for flying to Florida a day before the cruise to meet my parents. My dad actually works in Florida, and my mom decided to spend the week before the cruise there. I was still working from home full time then, so I was able to pack in stages in the weeks leading up to the trip. Now that I think about it, packing ahead of time is progress for me! I ended up working into wee hours the day before, but with a midday departure I still had plenty of time to walk the dogs, mow the lawn, and pack a few last-minute items.

The Uber dropped me off at Terminal E of George Bush Intercontinental Airport 90 minutes before departure. That gave me time to check my bag and grab a bite to eat at the Centurion Lounge.












United Airlines 1696
Houston (IAH) – Miami (MIA)
Depart: 12:00PM
Arrive: 3:45PM
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
Seat: 2A (First Class)

Waiting at the end of the jetbridge was a crap legacy Continental 737-800 with absolutely awful seats in First Class.



In a nice contrast, the cabin crew were absolutely lovely. Pre-departure beverages of choice offered. I stuck with a club soda.



Judging by the conversations I overheard while the plane was still boarding, I definitely wasn’t the only one on the flight headed to catch the Magic the next day.

Departure was smack dab on time. Not much to report on the flight. Flight attendants were super proactive about refills.



I passed on the snack offered. And the views on final approach to Miami were absolutely beautiful.





As usual, plane spotting was super interesting in Miami.







Bags hit the belt relatively quickly, and it was off to the rental car center where a grabbed a lovely Cadillac XT6 from National. Then was it 90-ish minute trip up I-95 to meet my parents at their condo in the Palm Beach area.

Had just enough time to hit the beach.



And then a delicious red snapper dinner.

dat4life

I woke up to a gorgeous sunrise the next morning.



Our embarkation time was at noon, so we were out the door by 9AM after a quick breakfast. The first order of business was to return the rental car at the airport. This was a bit of a strategic miscalculation on my part. I incorrectly assumed National had a car return facility at the Miami Cruise Port. I didn’t realize this until a couple of days before the trip, and it was too late to figure out something else.

But my little mistake did turn up something pretty cool. While we were waiting for an Uber at the rental car center, I heard a plane on final approach that just sounded different than the run of the mill airliner. I looked up to see a 60 year DC-8 on short final. That was the first I’ve ever seen a DC-8, so it was a super cool av geek moment for me.



It was a short ride over to the cruise port, where a familiar sight greeted us.



My family has always been huge Disney fans. We’ve been to the theme parks many times over the years, so it was only natural our fandom would bleed over to cruising. And it did back in 2011 when we embarked on our very first cruise aboard the Disney Magic around the Eastern Mediterranean. The Magic first sailed in 1998 making it one of the older cruise ships. But one thing Disney does exceptionally well is maintenance and upkeep, and she looks just as fresh as I remembered 11 years before. In the age of mega cruise ships, the Magic’s smaller size and sleek lines really make it a stand out in my opinion

Disney deployed the Magic to New Orleans in February 2023. A high school friend of mine, who’s now a tugboat captain, got these fantastic shots of the Magic as she sailed up the mighty Mississippi.





Porters grabbed our massive bags out of taxi. We then headed to the end of the massive check in line, i.e. the quintessential Disney experience. To their credit, the line moved fairly quickly and there were workers handing out water constantly.



At the time, COVID protocols were still in place which slowed down the check in process. Before we could check in, we had to take a COVID test and get the result before we were allowed to check in. That took about two hours total. But eventually we made it onboard.









We went straight to our cabin.







Our larger veranda cabin was in the aft section of deck 8.





One of the cool little features of the room are the lampshades with a map of the areas Disney sails and each of their ships.





I regretted not getting my own cabin for the cruise, but it wasn’t completely awful sharing a cabin with my parents. There was a curtain I could pull if I needed privacy, and overall it was roomy enough for the 3 of us. The sofabed was comfortable enough. Plus we spent plenty of time in the common areas and the veranda.



Our cabin attendant did an amazing job keeping our cabin in tip top shape. One of the highlights of course is the towel art and turndown chocolate.

dat4life

After we dropped off our carry ons, we went to upstairs to the Cabanas buffet for lunch before heading up to the top deck to watch the ship get underway.







I breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as we entered the Atlantic and left Miami behind. Six days with very limited internet and no cell service… While that might sound boring to most normal folks, it was absolutely heavenly for me.

I spent most of the time reading the ebooks on my iPad and a few good ol’ fashioned hard copy books. It was a perfect pairing with the smell of the ocean, the crisp and cool breeze, and this view.



The sunrises and sunsets were absolutely amazing.





My parents and I enjoyed the daily cooking show, which was hosted by EPCOT’s executive chef. It was a fun and tasty way to spend an hour as we could sample what was being cooked and it was paired with wine.









We did laps around the ship’s walking/jogging deck every day.



The beer tasting was fun and delicious.



My dad and I did a mixology class. Let’s just say they didn’t skimp on the pours, as we were both pretty happy afterwards.









One of the cooler activities the ship put on was a presentation and Q&A session with the First and Second Officers about technical aspect of the ship.



There were also a few musicals, which were naturally Disney themed. Obviously, they were super cheesy, but any Disney fan would find it entertaining.

dat4life

Of course, if that wasn’t enough to keep you occupied there’s always food and plenty of it. I wouldn’t liken the onboard food to fine dining, but it was very good. Between room service and other outlets, food was available pretty much 24/7.

Breakfast could be taken via room service, one of the sit down restaurants, or at the buffet upstairs. We typically ate at the buffet for the views. The variety was excellent and ranged from traditional benedicts and omelets to Asian food. I grew very partial to congee, pan fried tofu, and bok choy in the mornings (naturally not pictured).





We did eat breakfast at one of the sit down restaurants. The food was nicely plated. But I preferred the variety of the buffet.





For lunch, we ate at the buffet as well. Again, the variety was great. I probably ate 5 pounds of stone crab claws every day for lunch. There were also a couple of quick service outlets with burgers, sandwiches, fresh fruit, and ice cream on the top deck. Those were also pretty tasty.

Dinner was primarily served at the sit down restaurants, though you could use room service and the quick service outlets as well. We ate at the sit down restaurants every night. While everyone is assigned a table and servers, we rotated through all of the sit down restaurants each evening, which all had different themes. Again, the food was good and not amazing. Regardless, it was very enjoyable.

Here’s a sample menu:



Every dinner started with a breadbasket, dip, and butter. The breads and dips rotated every night.



And of course appetizers.









Then some main courses.













Desserts were the highlight of dinner in my humble opinion.

dat4life

The days passed quickly and we were approaching our first port of call in the Ponta Delgada. But the ship was on a collision course with tropical cyclone riding the leading edge of a frontal system. The crew did a great job with regular updates. The captain gave a presentation before one of the musicals explaining the issue at hand and his decision to keep all four engines running to keep up the ship’s speed to stay ahead of the bad weather. Eventually the captain made the call to cancel the port of call at Ponta Delgada. While the ship could have docked safely, we would have likely gotten stuck there.



As we neared the cyclone, the seas became high. It looked and felt a lot like Kracken weather. While noticeable, it was never uncomfortable onboard.



Because of the canceled port of call, we ended up with 7 consecutive days at sea which is a long stretch. But there was an unexpected benefit: docking in Lisbon a day early. That gave us an extra night in Lisbon.

The ship started slowing down once we passed 30 nautical miles from the coast. There was noticeable uptick in ship traffic, and seagulls eventually began swarming around the ship. A pretty thick fog/haze bank developed as we neared the coast. But eventually, solid land was sighted for the first time in 7 days.











The 25 de Abril Bridge was a beautiful sight.



The weather began clearing up as we neared the cruise port.



I really enjoyed my visit to Lisbon in December 2021, and I was looking forward to another visit and showing my folks around.

We were allowed to disembark shortly after the ship docked. Boy, did it feel good to be back on dry land. We walked along the waterfront over to the Timeout Market.



The octopus hot dog was as delicious as I remembered it.



We took our time walking back to the ship.







I woke up to an absolutely gorgeous day and the ship taking on fuel.



We headed back into Lisbon first thing in the morning. Our first stop was the Lisbon Cathedral.







The views from the balcony were lovely.





We then headed out to the Rua Augusta promenade.







This looked a little different without the Christmas Market set up.







Since we were around the corner, we stopped at A Ginjinha for ginga before heading to lunch. One of my favorite memories from my prior Lisbon visit was lunch at Cervejairo Ramiro. It was some of the best seafood I’ve ever eaten. When I found out Lisbon was one of our ports of call, I immediately grabbed a reservation.

Buttered fresh bread and sauteed shrimp kicked off the meal.



Followed by pork sandwiches.



Clams steamed with white wine, butter, and garlic



Fresh crab salad.



Steamed spider crab legs and dip.



And finally grilled giant prawns.



Everything was absolutely divine. After the lunch, we took a few laps around the city before circling stopping for my mom to shop to walk it off. Eventually, we circled back to the ship before the 4pm all aboard time.



The ship pulled away from the dock a few minutes later. The views on the way back to sea were absolutely gorgeous.

















The pilot boat came roaring out of nowhere right after was passed the bridge.

dat4life

Lisbon kicked off a string of 4 straight ports of call. Next up was Cadiz, Spain. We were still a little ways from the port when I woke up. I enjoyed a cup of coffee on in the cool morning air on the veranda taking in the sights.

First up was the HMS Al Jubail of the Royal Saudi Naval Forces. It was built in Cadiz by Navantia, and delivered to Saudis on March 31, 2022. So she was less than two months old when I saw her.



Followed by a Spanish Navy frigate, the SPS Victoria.



We docked at the port 30 minutes later.



Cadiz is a pretty little town with a large shipyard operations.



We ended up buying tickets for a hop on and hop off tour.



Our first stop was the Cadiz Cathedral.















Then off to the Castillo de San Sebastian.











We stopped for a snack of anchovies and fresh bread.



And then headed back to the port to check out the open air shopping area across the street.







After some souvenir shopping and gelato, we headed back to the Magic.

A couple of hours after the ship got underway, we were taking a walk around the track on deck 4 when I heard an aircraft that sounded military and noticed a ship off in the distance. Intrigued, I ran back to the cabin to grab my DLSR and headed to the top deck in hopes of seeing something.



The ship was the Juan Carlos, one of the Spanish Navy’s amphibious assault aircraft carriers.
A couple of minutes later, a flight of two AV-8Bs Harrier IIs overflew the Magic before circling back to land on the Juan Carlos.













My love obsession with aviation reached fever pitch with military aircraft. At one point when I was young, my dream job was to be a U.S. Navy pilot. I spent hours reading about military aircraft and played every flight simulator under the sun. It was an absolute childhood dream come true to be able to watch naval aviation in action firsthand.

Along the same vein, I did JROTC in high school. One of my most vivid memories was my naval science instructor talk about his Mediterranean tour and sailing through the Strait of Gibraltar. Sailing through the Strait late that evening brought back those memories. I wish we transited during the day, but it was still pretty darn cool seeing the lights of Tangier pass on by.

dat4life

Our next port of call was Malaga, Spain. I woke just as the ship was docking to a beautiful sunrise.



I was heading out on an excursion for a little hike at the Motes de Malaga Natural Park, while my folks were going to take a city tour.

We got packed on a bus for an hour to get to the park. The Spanish country side was absolutely beautiful.





The hike was a decent 2 miles with some elevation changes.























After getting back from the ship, I had some time to explore near the port before all aboard.







Our next and final stop was in Cartagena.





With an all aboard time of 1pm, we just had enough time for a lap around the city.









There were some interesting sights as the Magic sailed away.

dat4life

The next morning, we docked in Barcelona and disembarked for good. While I was ready to move on to the next phase of the trip, it was still sad leaving the Magic behind. The past 13 days were as close to perfect as could be. Food was pretty good overall. But service is where the Disney really shined. As I mentioned, our cabin attendant was phenomenal. Just a day into the trip, he figured out our schedule and got our cabin turned around by the time we finished breakfast. The evening service is intended to be a turndown service, but he managed to do a full clean every night. As we neared Europe, I asked the our head waiter if he knew what time we would be sailing the Strait of Gibralter. He circled back with me evening before the transit that we would be entering the straights about 11pm local time. And he was right. The Magic might not have the bells and whistle newer cruise ships have, but its smaller size means more personalized service and it was still a very comfy ride.

It was an interesting feeling stepping onto another continent fully refreshed and without a hint of grogginess. I think I could get used to that. After clearing immigration and claiming our massive bags, we hopped into a taxi and headed toward the Hyatt Regency Barcelona Tower.

I booked two rooms for two nights. Since I booked relatively early, I was able to get a reasonable rate of €160 per night per room. I thought that was a better deal than using 12,000 points. The hotel was sold out during those nights because of the Spanish Grand Prix. The hotel staff couldn’t have been more helpful. They moved heaven and earth to find available rooms for us despite arriving at 9AM. Globalist benefits were fantastic as well. Breakfast could be taken in the restaurant or club. And both of our rooms were upgraded. So we ended up with one Executive Suite and one City View Loft Suite.

I let my parents have the Loft Suite, which they enjoyed.





There was a half bath next to the entry door.













Our rooms were right on top of each other and had the exact same view.



Other than the novelty of a two story suite, I thought the Executive Suite was far better design.



There was also a half bath next to entry door.







The Executive Suite’s coup de grace was its bathroom which was huge.









Overall, it was a fantastic stay.

dat4life

Now on to the main event, and my purpose for coming to Europe – the Spanish Grand Prix. My buddy got to Barcelona the week before and was also staying at the Hyatt Regency. After making sure my parents were settled for their city and food tour, I met him up and we headed over to the track for the practice round.

The Spanish Grand Prix is held at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, which is horribly misleading as it’s nowhere near Barcelona nor Catalunya. It’s in Montmelo, or more accurate, a good ways outside of Montmelo in the middle of nowhere. To get there, we walked 15 minutes from the hotel to the train station, take an hour-ish train ride to Catalunya, and then walking another 30 minutes to the track. While it would have been a pleasant in the fall, it was an absolute scorcher that weekend.

The practice round was a good opportunity to get the lay of the land for race day. We ended up leaving a bit early to beat the crowd on the way home. Dinner was a quick affair at a nearby restaurant. And we hit the sack early in anticipation of a long day.

We were out the door a little after 8am to repeat the walk and train combination to the track arriving at the Montmelo Station around 10am. As we didn’t eat breakfast before leaving the hotel, we grabbed food from one of the vendors. The frankfurter on baguette and a Fanta set me back just €6, and they were far tastier than any stadium food I’ve eaten back home.





Of course, we had to stop to buy some F1 gear. While I still think NFL/MLB/NBA gear is stupid expensive, F1 took it to a whole new level.





I could help but smile as we neared the last steps of our long trek. Just like any sports event I’ve been to; the palpable excitement of crowd is really a feeling like no other.

This might be a good time for a little confession. I’m very passionate about sports, and I’ve traveled long and far to support my teams. But I’ve watched never a second of a F1 race or really any race. In fact, the closest thing I’ve been to any sort of a race is watching Talladega Nights (the movie and maybe some Sports Center highlights. Yet, this is the furthest I’ve ever traveled for a sports event.

Fortunately, we found our seats the day before as it was an absolute pain to get to. Our seats were in the main grandstand, just beyond the start/finish line.









And they’re off!







It was a little annoying having to keep up with the progress of the race by a TV screen a good way down the track. But roar of the cars and excitement of the crowd made it a heck of an experience. Max Verstappen ended winning the race, but it was fun watching Lewis Hamilton recover from a terrible start and finish 5th. We ended up not being able to get a view of the finishes, as everyone started crowding the grandstand and standing on the bleachers.



A good number of geniuses decided to jump the fence onto the track for a better view of the trophy ceremony.



As for us, we tried hoofing it back into Montmelo to avoid the crowd, only get right into the thick of the crowd. The line for the train spanned the street and stretched for several blocks.



My buddy and I doubled back and found a bite to each and more importantly drinks in town. The day was an absolute scorcher, which in combination with the metal bleachers did not make for the most comfortable experience. I chugged several bottles of water and still felt dehydrated.

We went back to the train station an hour later and it was not any better. I then spent a good part of the next hour trying to hail a cab to no avail. Finally, we decided to take the train away from Barcelona and then switching directions at the next station. It worked like a charm, and probably saved us a good couple of hours. Of course, the train was absolutely packed to the gills at Montmello. But we had seats and made friends with this lovely couple from Florida who also decided to come to Spain as it was cheaper than going to the Miami Grand Prix. Sunburned and exhausted, we stumbled back into the hotel just before 8 pm. I bade my friend goodbye, and headed up to my room for a long shower and went straight to bed.

dat4life

I had yet another o’dark thirty wake up the next morning. After packing up my last bits, I headed upstairs to my parents’ room to grab my mom and her massive bag and then it was off to the airport. The original post-race plan was for the three of us to hop on a flight to Paris and then heading to Normandy. Then things pear shaped. My dad needed to get back to work, so he actually ended up flying back to Florida the day before. I was still hoping to still go to Normandy with my mom after my dad dropped out. But less than the week before the cruise, I had a meeting that I couldn’t miss pop up and it would require me to cut my vacation short. I begrudgingly moved our flight home up, uttering a few four letter words while doing it. In the end, we still had a day in Paris which is always a treat.

Mom and I stepped out of a cab at the airport before 6am for our Vueling flight to Paris. As Vueling was an ultra low cost carrier, I figured giving us some extra time would be wise. Indeed, it was. The bag drop was long, and it took nearly 45 minutes before we were able to be temporarily free of our bags. We made up some time as security was surprisingly quick. That gave us just enough time for a quick pit stop at the the Sala VIP Canudas, which we accessed with my Priority Pass card. It was actually a pretty nice and modern lounge.

Vueling 8242
Barcelona (BCN) – Paris (CDG)
Depart: 8:00AM
Arrive: 10:00AM
Aircraft: Airbus A320
Seat: 4C (Economy Class)

Not much to say about this flight. It departed and arrived on time. Seats were acceptable for the 90 minute flight. We parked at a remote stand, and bags were quickly on the belt. Overall, Vueling did quite well and I was happy to have flown yet another new airline.



I have a confession to make. One of the reasons I was hell bent on going to Paris was to use my Hyatt Category 1-7 free night certificate. As the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome moved up to a Category 8 shortly after I booked, this was likely my last chance to use a certificate for it. Too boot, this night was a peak night requiring 35,000 points and the revenue rate was €1,600. TL;DR – I think I did a great job maximizing the heck out of that certificate.

We got to the hotel a little after 11am. Our room wasn’t quite ready at the time. Consistent with my previous experiences with the hotel, they offered us drinks at the lobby lounge while we waited. Our room was ready in about 30 minutes.

We got upgraded from a standard room to a very nice Twin Deluxe room.



















A few minutes later, a welcome gift was delivered consisting of fresh baked madeleines and a bottle of red wine. The welcome back note was a really nice touch.



While I really enjoyed my stay at the Hotel du Louvre the year before, the Park Hyatt reminded me why they’re still the top dog. Service was absolutely impeccable, and the entire staff really went out of their way to make us welcome. For example, when my mom and I went to lunch a little while later it started raining. A bellhops standing by the door with umbrellas and handed an umbrella to each of us. When we got back, he took the umbrellas from us and asked us how lunch was when we got back.

The rain eventually cleared up, and we spent the rest of the day revisiting some old favorites.

dat4life

The next morning we enjoyed breakfast at the Park Hyatt before heading back to the airport. The Globalist breakfast benefit covers room service or the restaurant. At all my past stays, I had early flights so I took advantage of room service. Our flight to JFK didn’t depart until noon, so we had plenty of time to eat the restaurant. The buffet was fantastic in terms of variety and quality and included made to order egg dishes. The smoked salmon and fresh pastries were my favorites on the buffet.

We checked out after breakfast. While we waited for our cab, I noticed a familiar looking face behind us also waiting for a car. I couldn’t quite place it at the moment, but it hit me as we got into the cab and I confirmed it with quick Google search. It was Coco Gauff who was for the French Open, which was the reason hotel rates were sky high.

After dumping our bags yet again at check in, we headed to the Admirals Club which was just past security.



A friendly attendant welcomed us back in after a quick scan of my boarding pass.

While not the most chic space, it’s a perfectly comfortable and pleasant space to kill time.



















We were still stuffed from hotel breakfast, so we found a couple of comfy chairs to hang out for an hour or so before heading to the gate.



American Airlines 45
Paris (CDG) – New York (JFK)
Depart: 12:15PM
Arrive: 2:25PM
Aircraft: Boeing 777-300ER
Seat: 18H (Premium Economy)

My six year streak of flying at least business class long haul came to an end/ but I was still really intrigued about American’s Premium Economy product. That said though, I was still kinda sad when I parted ways with my mom at the business class galley as she turned left toward 4J and I turned right for my walk of shame.

The Premium Economy cabin looked like a blown-up version of domestic First Class.



Since I booked late, most of the good seats were taken. But I managed to select 18H, which was an aisle seat in the center section.



Premium Economy not only looks like domestic First Class, it sure felt like it too. Albeit, there were a few extra bells and whistles. Like an entertainment system.



A bottle of water and a pillow and blanket set were already at the seat.

The IFE controller was next to my left leg. Along with a storage compartment that also housed a power port and headphone jack.



The footrest did make things a little more comfy.



Departure was on time.



Lunch was served about 45 minutes after takeoff. Options were chicken or shrimp and rice. I went the latter.

[img]https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52942357360_02d7acce1f_c.jpg[/img[

Lunch looked a lot better after removing all the wrappers. I liked the real crockey and cutlery, which is pretty much the same setup as domestic First Class. The shrimp and rice was actually really good. The low point of the meal was the sad looking salad.





Funny enough Premium Economy got fed way before the rear of the Business Class cabin even got their appetizers.

A midway across the Atlantic, the flight attendants made another drink run and served a midflight snack of ice cream.



The pre-arrival meal was served 90 minutes out. The only thing left when the cart reached me was the orzo salad. And it was very good.



Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised with American’s Premium Economy product. Overall, I have to say it was very good. The flight attendants were pleasant enough. The hard product was solid, and the food was actually good. I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to fly American Premium Economy again, and it really was perfect for a short transatlantic day time flight.

The Boeing 777-300ER took a little over 7 hours to travel the same distance the ship needed 7 days to travel. And it made it 45 minutes ahead of schedule. Our flight to Houston departed from LaGuardia, so we hopped into a cab after clearing immigration and grabbing our bags.

dat4life

We checked our bags in one last time, and headed to the Admirals Club which is on a terrace overlooking the concourse. Just like with the rest of the airport, the new Admirals Club is a massive improvement. It’s a large, comfortable, and very attractive space.



























Weather was bad throughout the U.S. that day, so our flight ended up getting delayed by a couple of hours.

American Airlines 738
New York (LGA) - Houston (IAH)
Depart: 6:30PM
Arrive: 9:45PM
Aircraft: Airbus A319-100
Seat: 2B (First Class)

Not much to talk about here. It was a run of the mill American domestic First flight. The flight ended up being packed to the gills, so I was glad I paid the premium for First Class as our upgrades would have never cleared. Dinner was actually kinda decent.



Anyhow, it was wonderful couple of weeks. But I was sure glad to be home! Thanks for following along.

theshaun

Excellent report! Thanks for sharing.

lamphs

I enjoyed the read!