To Shanghai and back on the wings of Aotearoa
 

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Featuring:
1) Qantas First Lounge Melbourne
2) Air New Zealand Business Premier, MEL-AKL-PVG-AKL-MEL
3) The Westin Bund Centre, Shanghai
4) Le Royal Meridien, Shanghai
5) Pics of lovely Shanghai
6) The Maglev

Coming soon...:)

Tease :p

I did offer a sneak preview only to be rudely turned down...:rolleyes: ;)

The Planning

I'd accumulated a huge bunch of Miles & More mileage the past year from all the *A flying I'd done, and so I'd made the decision to expend some of those mileage on a trip to PVG. A 90 000 miles business class award it was; a nice, rewarding way to treat myself after all the hard work earning those miles. ;)

M&M uses an inflexible zones system in determining award redemption levels, and makes no exceptions for going via a third zone unlike some other programs like AAdvantage. MEL is in "Australia/New Zealand/Oceania" whilst PVG is zoned "Central Asia/Far East." Going via a third zone like "South East Asia" would require extra mileage, and this eliminated the more direct options like SQ and TG as those itineraries would've required stops in SIN and BKK respectively. I then had a choice between UA/OZ via SYD and ICN, or NZ via AKL. After all the rave reviews about NZ's long haul Business Premier product, I had no hesitation in purchasing seats on NZ's business class MEL-AKL-PVG-AKL-MEL.

To understate it, travelling on an award ticket always brings out that nice, fuzzy feeling of traveling for 'free.' This was especially heightened when the taxes on my ticket only came up to approximately A$80, ie only legit airport taxes! ^

Next: The Qantas First Lounge Melbourne

Pre-flight at MEL: An unexpected visit to THE Flounge

There was a lot of queuing at the NZ Premium check-in lane. A big group of mainland Chinese tourists discovered that they were standing at the wrong lane but were quite determined to stay put anyway, until security was called to escort them over to the whY queues.

I was a little worried that my ticket wasn't entirely kosher as there'd been some reissuing and Lufthansa had mucked up a few times, but all was well and I was checked through to PVG with my bag tagged the same.

I'd arranged to meet Reggie from AFF who'd offered to guest me into the QF Flounge. Reggie was also traveling to AKL but on QF. The QF website indicates that Reggie, as a QF WP, is entitled to bring in a guest who's 'travelling together.' To us FF nerds, this inevitably led to some debate about whether flying to the same city would suffice for 'travelling together' or whether we're supposed to be flying with the same airline. On the way to the Flounge, we'd strategised on various ways to slay the lounge dragon...:D

Our fears about having to fend off a snarling dragon were unfounded - I was allowed in without even the slightest 'please explain.' It was also a rather quiet time in the Flounge so that could be it. Besides, Reggie's flight was massively overbooked and they'd had to bump people on to my flight. So my first visit to the Flounge had occurred sooner than I'd expected. Christmas had literally come early.

It is almost always the case that the promotional pictures always make lounges/hotel rooms/airline cabins and what not seem much nicer than they actually are in reality. The QF Flounge however was not done any justice at all by its promotional literature!

The combination of colours in the Flounge established a very relaxing and soothing atmosphere - white marble surfaces matched with dark purple carpets, ruby red leather seats, dark furniture framed by Jarrah. The design of the furniture, widescreen tvs and the decor lent a cozy, ultra-modern feel to the place. Unlike the rather formal and stiff eating areas of the LH FCL/FCT, the QF Flounge restaurant area was more casual and looks much more relaxing. The only feature that I wasn't really thrilled about was the flicker style flight display - the noise it generated whilst flicking was pretty distracting especially when trying to have a convo.

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As it was such a quiet time in the Flounge, the service was reasonably prompt. I had a delicious cheese, gruyere and ham omelette. Portion was a little bit on the small side but I wanted to have room for the onboard cuisine anyway. There was a good range of alcohol including some of my favourite Victorian wines, as well as the bubbly stuff. I had a glass each of the Veuve Clicquot NV and Moet NV, the former of which washed down my breakfast very well.

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I almost had to be dragged out of the Flounge when the time came to board my flight, as Reggie would attest to. ;) It'd be a long 7 months before I achieved AA EXP status and be able to access the Flounge in my own right; but for now I'd simply scan various lounge meets directories very religiously

Next: NZ124 MEL-AKL J

Nice start to the report QF009. Looking forward to the rest. Sorry we couldn't meet this time.

Sector - MEL-AKL
Flight number - NZ124
Class - Business
Seat - 3K
Aircraft - B747-400

I'd missed my boarding call and NZ did not have a separate queue for premium passengers. Consequently I'd to join the hoi polloi in boarding the aircraft. At least it was orderly.

I'd picked a seat in the nose as the upper deck cabin is shared with Premium Economy, and appeared to lack any ounce of exclusivity. That sounded just a touch snobby but if I'm flying Business - I do not want to have a shared cabin, and crew with a lower tiered cabin. I also do value priority dis/embarkation...

Sitting in the nose turned out to be a fine choice. I was in the forward-most cabin which was smaller and hence felt pretty private. There was a family with 2 young children in the same cabin but the kids were mercifully rather well-behaved throughout the entire flight.

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Pre-take off drinks were offered as soon as I was seated. A choice of orange juice, water and sparkling wine were available - no prizes for guessing what I'd picked.

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The cabin crew were generally friendly and attentive. My constant picture-taking must have conveyed the impression that it was my first time on NZ Business Premier, and one of the crew explained at length the intricacies of seat and the IFE system.

We then took off very much on time. Taking off in the herringbone configuration proved to be interesting, but not as 'different' as I'd thought it'd be. Drinks were again offered post take off, along with a bag of crisps. There wasn't any champagne offered on this trans tasman service and so I stuck with the sparkling wine, which was rather decent tbh. At this stage I was staring to notice that the cabin crew did not greet anyone by name. That took away some brownie points I was hoping to dole out in the inflight survey I was picked to respond to.

The seat, along with the ottoman were every bit as comfy as I'd expected for lounging. However I did find the herringbone configuration a bit anti-social as it wasn't possible to see my seat mates. This made it impossible to turn around to chat with the person next to me like I normally do.

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Some wear and tear...

A full lunch was served shortly after the drinks service was completed. I accompanied my meal with NZ's very well-done garlic bread. We started with a rather bland appetiser of Karengo seasoned prawns on black bean angel hair noodles with cerviche dressing.

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The meal was then immediately redeemed by the extremely succulent Seared peppered Cervena with roasted thyme vegetables and potato wafers.

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I concluded with the adequately tasty Mango and pineapple trifle with caramelised pineapple and vanilla compote,

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and had to decline the cheese plate as I was feeling very bloated by that stage, as tempting as the blue cheese and brie both looked.

Full menu here.

I did not really employ the use of much of the IFE as I was trying to finish reading a newly acquired biography of Marie Antoinette. However the sight of Rockwell Collins did not fil me with a whole lot of confidence.

We landed in AKL in good time, and transmitting devices were allowed to be switched on once the plane had left the run way.

Next: NZ89 AKL-PVG J

Sector - AKL-PVG
Flight number - NZ89
Class - Business
Seat - 3A
Aircraft - B777-200ER

The downside of flying NZ, apart from the big detour, was the unfriendly connecting times at AKL. I wound up with a 6 hour connection on the outbound - an awkward length of time in that it's too short for enjoying a little visit downtown, and long enough to get thoroughly bored.

After the QF Flounge, NZ's lounge at AKL (which also functions as the *A lounge) was somewhat of a downer - as nice of a lounge as it was as a business class lounge. I did what I could to pass time - from going for the complimentary massage for Business Class and NZ Gold elite pax, to debating the James Hardie asbestos controversy with a group of lawyers sitting beside me. I was careful to pace myself with the lounge's diverse range of wines to avoid getting too sloshed and missing my connecting flight.

fast forward to boarding time...

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Look what I saw along the way to the gate

I made my way to the Auckland Zoo, oops AKL boarding gate, as soon as boarding for my flight was announced in the lounge. Boarding was performed by row numbers, but Business Premier and *G pax could board at their own leisure. Again, no priority lanes had been set up. Boarding could've been orderly had it not been for massive swarm of gate lice, consisting of almost the entire plane-load, all overwhelming the GAs without regard to which rows they were actually seated in. I was glad that the GAs firmly turned people who boarded out of turn away.

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The mood lighting on the 772ER created a very pleasant vibe. The flight went out only half full in J, and we each had a few seats to ourselves which was handy when my seat refused to recline later in the flight. The 772ER J cabin was pleasant enough, however would not have been as nice if full. I still prefer the nose of the 744.

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Once onboard I was greeted by the cabin crew member (whose name I sadly forgot) in my aisle who offered to hang up my coat. The PVG sector is crewed entirely by NZ's PVG base, and the flight consisted entirely of mainland Chinese crew members along with 2 Kiwi supervisors (the Inflight Service Manager and the Inflight Service Coordinator, who worked in J and Y respectively). The Chinese crew spoke immaculate English.

The wine guide, menu and amenity kit were already sitting on my ottoman when I got to my seat. A pair of slippers was also handed out.

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I am most impressed by NZ's wine list, and being a huge fan of New World wines I was even more impressed by NZ's serious attempt to showcase the finest of NZ wines to the rest of the world. The wine list was one of the best I've ever seen on any airline in any class (not including champagnes), not only for its quality but also the passion in the national wine industry that was evident in the comprehensive wine guide which was more like a mini Bible to Kiwi wines. A very delicious pinot noir from Central Otago was served on this flight and I altermated between the pinot and the bubbly stuff. Champagne was meant to be a choice of Veuve Clicquot NV or Laurent-Perrier NV but it seemed like only the former was available.

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NZ's comprehensive selection of wines

The design of the amenity kit did not look too exciting, but it was practical. Being plastic, I could use it to hold little tubes of LAGs to meet airport security rules. Inside was a tube of very nice lip balm and luggage refresher from a Kiwi skincare company, as well as the usual necessities such as a dental kit, eye shades etc.

The initial drinks service was incorporated with dinner. The cabin crew member attending my aisle, whilst completely lovely and competent in every other manner of her duties, appeared to have a glaring inability to open Veuve Clicquot bottles. One of the NZ crew trainers I know had explained that they were not allowed to open champagne bottles in the cabin as the pressure would cause a mess. But even so - instead of taking the bottle back to the galley to be opened, she elected to 'borrow' the already opened bottle from her colleague in the opposite aisle. This then resulted in a game of Veuve ping pong with the bottle passed back and forth between aisles, and which somewhat delayed the meal service.

Dinner was generally of a high standard, especially when washed down with pinot noir and Veuve Clicquot. Chopsticks were provided alongside the regular metal cutlery, wich was a nice touch considering the nature of the flight.

The Japanese-influenced seafood platter started off the meal beautifully:
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I followed up the seafood with some quality Kiwi lamb loin, which was served with some gorgeous pea puree:
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We were then sweetened up by ice cream:
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Which was followed by a flavourful cheese and fruit plate:
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I declined the tea/coffee, opting instead to have some pre-bedtime tipples.

My bed was made when I was ready to go to sleep. This took longer than it should have as the controls on my seat had malfunctioned and the bed had to be flipped over manually. Coupled with the sumptuous duvet, the bed was supremely comfortable and was easily the best in its class (Disclaimer: I've sadly not tried the new SQ business class product.). I slept like a baby, only to be woken up when the lights turned on for breakfast.

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We were served a pretty good breakfast that fueled me up well. As a fan of hot breakfasts on planes, I'm pleased that the omelette had just the right texture.

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I asked for a glass of post-breakfast champagne, but was told that the drinks have all been stowed. I then pointed out that the bar hasn't yet closed. The FA then served me a Veuve Clicquot that was left over from dinner - which was of course warm and flat. She seemed bewildered that I'd make such a request. Clearly the PVG crews still needed some training on the diverse drinking cultures of the world... an opinion which was also shared by some senior crew members I spoke to on my return flight.

The ISM came around to make small talk and advised me on the various sites of interest in Shanghai. Like the previous flight, I was also not referred to by name... and like the previous flight, I was once again chosen to fill in an inflight survey to which the total lack of being referred to by name factored into my response.

We arrived in PVG earlier than scheduled, and immigration/customs were quiet. I was out of the airport and in my taxi heading towards the Westin within 20 minutes of disembarking! The journey to the hotel on the other hand left a lot to be desired...

Full menu here.
Wine list here.

Next: The Wesin Bund Centre Shanghai

The real snob will always take a seat in the upper deck cabin so as to have 20 people from 'a lower tiered cabin' staring at them for the entire flight.

Good report BTW :D

Hmmm is that a recent change. NZ normally has 2 lines at the gate for boarding - one for business and elite pax, and one for the rest.

NZ's IFE is infinitely more reliable than QF's in my experience. The only (very minor) negative is the slow response time.

No. The wine guide only lists all the possible wines carried by NZ. Any given flight will only have 1 champagne, and a selection of other wines.

I didn't see any signs to that effect. There were 2 queues at MEL but they were both of equal length, and I could identify people with whY BPs in both lanes. Similarly in AKL.

Yes I'm aware that not everything in the wine guide will be available. But the champagnes weren't shown in the wine guide - but the brown menu. It's listed as Veuve 'or' Laurent-Perrier, and if in fact we were only meant to be offered 1 choice they ought to insert an 'either' at the beginning of the sentence.

They had both Veuve and LP on the return though. ^

The Westin Bund Centre
88 Henan Central Rd, Shanghai

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A touch of Chrimbo at the Westin

Between both the Westin and the Le Royal Meridien, the Westin was by far my preferred hotel.

For starters, I found the location of the Westin most convenient, especially to the bars and restaurants on the Bund. The hotel is a mere 5 minutes walk down Guangdong Rd to M on the Bund and Glamour Bar at 5 on the Bund, as well as Jean Georges' at 3 on the Bund (even though I fond the latter establishment to be rather overrated). Immediately surrounding the hotel is what was described to me as "Old Shanghai", with dozens of delightful local restaurants and cafes.

I was only SPG Gold for both stays yet got a one category upgrade to the "Crown Deluxe Room", which is in fact a small suite on reasonably high floors. My room was also ready when I arrived at 0830 on the first day. 4pm late checkout was also given both times, although with some bargaining during the latter stay. The lobby was pretty sophisticated with a touch of Oriental, and felt pretty warm and welcoming. They could lose the piano music though but that's just me...

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The rooms were a little bit faded, with decor from the early 2000s but were nonetheless well-appointed and comfy with a brand-standard Heavenly Bed. Even though not too new, I found the decor to be rather timeless - it'd probably still work for a few more years yet before looking tacky.

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Service was simply flawless. Staff spoke perfect English and couldn't do enough to assist me in various arrangements, be it restaurant reservations, translations from Chinese to English, or giving suggestions on where to go. Yet the rather gracious service was not accompanied by the servility one has to put up with in certain other cities. A handy little guide to the city was also supplied with landmark names in both English and Chinese.

For all the above, I'd not hesitate to return to the Westin Bund Centre for future visits to Shanghai. That is, until the W commences operations but even then I'm not so sure about staying in Pudong - convenient as the metro may be.

[aside]The 2nd stay was amusing as a "Chinese superstar" was at the hotel, and the hotel entrance was clogged with hundreds of screaming teenage girls. I couldn't identify the celebrity until he walked past me with all his bodyguards and the screams got louder. I felt a little guilty as I was going '<software-censored naughty word :rolleyes:?!' when those girls look like they'd kill to be where I was standing (they were cordoned off to a side).[/aside]

Next: Le Royal Meridien, Shanghai

Really? I have never seen that on NZ except for LHR.Except for Tetris, which QF doesn't have. Tetris will kill the NZ IFE every time. I managed to crash mine 6-8 times on each trip on the 59.5 hour RTW.

NZ J really does look very decent. I like the VS seat, and NZ's food and wine looks a great deal better. When were you in Shanghai? I was there a couple of weeks back...

Great report!

Excellent report QF009 it makes me look forward even more to my NZ J HKG-LHR jaunt next year. :)

Hmm... I have seen that recently at several NZ outstations but I don't recall seeing it at AKL lately.

Cheers for the comments. TR to continue when I'm a lot less hungover...:o

I was there last week for 6 days. I liked it so much that I've now rerouted a RTW planned for next year to include PVG. :D

Le Royal Meridien, Shanghai
789 Nanjing Rd East

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Chrimbo decoration on the ground floor

I stayed at this hotel twice - once as a Gold, the 2nd time as a Platinum. (Let's just say that I overestimated the number of stays I needed to achieve Platinum.)

As a Gold I received the stock standard routine of check in, check out, with a pretty standard room smack in the middle of the corridor. I got 4pm late check out with no questions though; 'no problem Sir!'

I'd made Platinum on the day of arrival of my 2nd stay and called ahead to 'refresh' the status in my reservation. As a Platinum I was offered my choice of welcome amenity (went for the 500 points), a one category upgrade to a Grand Deluxe Room on the 27th floor, and a staff member escorted me to the room. She took pains to explain every single feature of the hotel and my room to me; I hadn't the heart to stop her. The check in clerk was apologetic that they couldn't do better than the Grand Deluxe Room (which they called a junior suite) as they'd already allocated rooms the night before. The promised welcome fruit/chocolates platter never appeared...

The decor at the Le Royal Meridien was nicer than the Westin as this hotel is newer. The Le Royal Meridien felt very hip and everything seemed brand new. However I wasn't sure about the open plan bathroom. Rooms were rather well-appointed with massive plasma TVs (the one in the Grand Deluxe Room can be twirled 360 degrees to face either the bed or the lounge area). The bathroom in the Grand Deluxe Room also had L'Occitane amenities. I did not really like the bed - the sheets felt a tad too rough and the mattress was extremely hard.

Deluxe Room:
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Grand Deluxe Room

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I wasn't overly impressed by the convoluted lift situation at this hotel. Think Westin BKK but worse. If you stay on a higher floor, you'd need 2 lifts to get to your room (one from ground floor to lobby, another to the room). On my 2nd stay i had a room on the 27th floor which can be accessed directly from the ground floor - but to get to the club lounge on the 44th floor I needed to go down to the lobby and up again on another lift.


As a Platinum I got to access the club lounge at this hotel on my 2nd stay. There was free-flow alcohol (even sparkling wine!) all day and a very nice full buffet breakfast was served in the morning. There were also computer terminals where cabled broadband internet was provided for free, however wifi incurred a charge.

A majority of the staff seemed rather terse and acted like they were only fulfilling requests because they have to. The concierge was helpful when I had to email them for assistance with restaurant reservations prior to arriving however the concierge staff on duty whilst I was at the hotel generally seemed vague in providing advice and suggestions.

I'd describe the location of the hotel as in the middle of both everything and nothing. It's in the middle of a very busy pedestrian mall. However apart from some above average coffee at the Jamaica Blue cafe opposite the hotel, there wasn't anything that interesting about Nanjing Rd, unless of course you're into dining at multinational fast food chains and shopping at mass market, generic-brand clothing stores. I did have fun wandering down the little laneways to check out the hole in the wall eateries and trying to work out what to order from the non-English menus, as well as browsing through the food mall looking at all sorts of exotic wares being traded. However I'd consider the real action to be at the Bund, which was a relatively lengthy 20 minutes' walk away.

So it's a sexier hotel than the Westin, but apart from the hip decor there wasn't anything that'd entice me back for future visits.

Next: Sighted in Shanghai

Yeah - they don't make it as obvious as some airlines though (eg SQ have a big sign that is really hard to miss) - just announcement for premium & elite pax to use RHS or LHS.

I do vaguely recall the system crashing on me the one time I tried playing tetris too. Then again QF's system seems to crash almost every flight :(

I've just been advised over at the Starwood forum that the 2nd room I got at the Le Royal Meridien SHA was the Executive Suite, not the Grand Deluxe Room as previously thought. Apologies for the confusion.

Sighted in Shanghai

Yu Yuan Garden Bazaar/Old Town

I did not actually venture into the gardens (seriously how many different ways can gardens actually look?!), but I went to check out the bazaar and the dumpling restaurants. I loved the hustle and bustle, and the general chaos of the place. They even had Starbucks in there which was handy for picking up some non-entirely dire soy latte.

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Dumplings

Shanghai dumplings! Nothing like eating the real McCoy. These folk really love their dumplings stuffed with juices. I enjoyed the one where you had a straw on top which you'd use to suck the juices out, although I did burn my tongue the first time when I did it too quickly.

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Nanjing Rd

The main shopping thoroughfare of the city. It reminds me of Bourke St Mall - big and prominent with historic buildings, but filled with the most generic selection of 'whatsitsname?!' clothing stores anyone could ever put together. The food mall was interesting though, and the lights are nice at night (ala Times Square).

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Another mug shot of myself, oh y'all love it! ;)

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Off Nanjing Rd

I believe this was the British Concession, although it doesn't look at all British so I could be wrong. There were lots of interesting local, 'hole in the wall' eateries. Order at your own peril (non-English menus) but SO worth it when you get it right. My first attempt at ordering failed miserably - that shop had pictures and I tried to order what looked like pork belly but it turned out to be this evil-looking and pulsating mixture of tofu and some black jelly-like substance in a spicy soup. 2nd time lucky - had a nice bowl of dumpling noodles. 3rd attempt was again a disaster - I got beef noodles alright but with 3 years of Beginners Chinese under my belt I didn't realise that it'd come in a spicy broth. Ok, I'm a wimp too but hey I wear it on my sleeve...

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The Bund

Possibly the most aesthetically beautiful part of the city.

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It is also a major shopping area, however it isn't worth buying anything in Shanghai due to the hefty Chinese luxury tax (just when you thought they've given up trying to make Communism work). Great window shopping though, just the place to plan your next visits to NYC, Hong Kong, Paris etc, despite the Zegna loafers from 2 seasons ago and the last season Armani sunnies.

The buildings here are colonial-era but have been lovingly restored on the inside with some cutting edge interior design by top drawer designers. My favourites have to be 18 on the Bund, and 3 on the Bund.

18 on the Bund
The interior designer took a postmodern interpretation to the place, with red features (lifts, chandeliers) contrasted with dazzling white or solid black backgrounds.

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Also houses a restaurant that I cannot recommend enough - Sens et Bund, modern French cuisine by Pourcel Brothers. Unlike Jean Georges' who seem to be allowing his name to be prostituted without much regard to quality, the Pourcel Brothers maintained much higher standards of quality control at their establishments. The decor was beautiful - Phillip Starke influenced with some softer edges thrown in for good measure. The ambience was subtle and not overly hoity toity, and the service was professional but not intrusive.

On the 7th floor is Bar Rouge, serving some quality cocktails in a nice setting with a charming crowd. Great DJing on most nights, even better when they had DJ Derryn May. Beware of the hookers and the overcharging though.

There is also a Vertu store in this building.

3 on the Bund

Came here to eat at Jean Georges, but whilst I wasn't exactly blown away by the restaurant, I loved the decor of the building itself. Seems pretty W-esque with extremely dim lighting, and solid black panels (though an oldie complained in the lift of how he couldn't see anything). There is also David Laris's establishment, Laris (surprise surprise) in the same building - said to be good although I didn't get to eat there.

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Sorry my below-average photography skills do not do the place justice!

Pudong skyline

Breathtaking, like a lot of other skylines in the world but I love skylines so it wowed me all the same. Much better at night.

At night
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In the day
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Pearl Tower as seen from the Jinmao Tower
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Xintiandi
A car-free area consisting of restored stone buildings. Has a few nice restaurants, with a caviar cafe owned by a French guy who'd just recently moved to Shanghai (Planet Caviar).

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The French Concession
A very cool bit of town, possibly my favourite of the old European concessions even if I only saw it at 3am in the morning. I met an Aussie at a bar (always a delight to hear a familiar accent overseas, even if he turned out to be from Sydney…) and for some reason we started talking about the French Concession and how I was planning to see it. On an impulse we bought a few beers and took a taxi to the area, chugging down beer while he was showing me around. It’s a wonder I did not pass out there (I do remember stumbling back to the hotel), but in retrospect it’d have sounded so cool to say “I passed out and woke up in the French Concession!” compared to “…some random corner on Fitzroy St!”

Bund sightseeing tunnel

Sheer madness. It's essentially an underground train which takes you through a tunnel with light shows and tinsels.

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Aquarium

Saw lots of turtles - I hope they aren't going to end up as someone's meal eventually.

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Next: The Maglev

Nice report! I'm headed to PvG next month but now wish we were staying right on the Bund instead of the LRM, but it was quite a bit more reasonable for a week's stay.

There are also quite a bit of touristy things to do around the LRM, such as People's Park and a few museums. Just not into these things personally but hey there you go. :)

Great report! ^

The Maglev

So my time in Shanghai had come to an end. I didn't feel like leaving, but leave I must. I'd heard so much about the Maglev that I simply had to give it a go. If only just to include it on my Been There Done That list. So on my return journey I decided to hop on the Maglev to Pudong Airport.

The Maglev station is not the most conveniently located as it's not actually downtown. It was more like a 20 minutes cab ride from Puxi. Throw in a chatty cab driver (even if half the time I had absolutely no idea what he was saying), this had to be one of the longest downtown-to-city airport train terminal ride I've ever taken. The Maglev's 'downtown' station was the most non-downtown station for an airport train that I've ever come across.

Then again at 7 minutes, the actual train ride was far shorter than say, the NRT Express (more than 50 mins) or the KLIA express (approx 30 mins).

I was so glad to get off the cab that I even let the driver keep his RMB9 change. Either I did not see any lifts or my hangover haze was so heavy that morning that I missed the lifts altogether. Either way it's a good thing that I only had my small wheelie and a laptop bag. I then went up the escalator to the ticketing area where I got a one way ticket in the non-VIP section for RMB50. There are then security screeners through which all bags have to be put through, and finally it's up another escalator to the platforms.

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The train ride itself was actually rather anti-climatic. I was expecting a massive G-force to pull me back at the start or something but that didn't happen. All I remembered was the scenery outside changing rather rapidly, particularly when the train peaked at 431km/h.

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We promptly arrived at PVG in 7 minutes, and it was a further 5 minutes walk across to Departures.

Next: NZ88 PVG-AKL J

You can also take the subway from Peoples Square to Longyang Rd station if you are travelling light (and staying at LRM)

BTW People's Park is hardly touristy IMO; the few times I went there for a walk I hardly saw any tourist , only locals ;)

Enjoyed reading your report though ^

Fantastic trip report QF009 ^

Great report double o nine! And very helpful for me since I will be in Shanghai next April as part of a DONE4 and want to fly in Mrs. DUF and Micro DUF. M&M has reserved CA outbound SYD-PVG and NZ back. They also hold an option with OZ for me.
The interesting thing is that they told me I can book OZ for 90k miles but the fees were quoted at AUD 280 :eek:
Do you know how you could sit in NZ Business Premier with a baby occupying a second seat? How would that work?

Thanks for the kind words. :)

Apologies for the delay in updates - been pretty busy attending Christmas functions and running errands. I will endeavour to post the next installment/s within the next 12 hours.

Hmm - there was a family with 2 babies on the way back, but I didn't really pay attention to how they were seated. Though I think that if there's an empty seat you can strap Micro DUF into the seat in bed mode. You wouldn't really be able to see the micro one though due to the config. Sorry that I can't help much on that front :( - others might be able to assist better. :)

Sector - PVG-AKL
Flight number - NZ88
Class - Business
Seat - 3A
Aircraft - B777-200ER

Reciprocal lounge access between member carriers is one of the key benefits of flying with an airline alliance. Which makes Star Alliance at PVG an absolute farce. *A rules unambiguously indicate that being in possession of a business class boarding pass on a flight both marketed and operated by a *A member would entitle one access to any lounges operated and designated by *A member carriers as business class lounges, apart from a small list of lounges excepted from this policy. Not at PVG it seems. I was trying to avoid the dreadful CNAC First Class Lounge used by NZ for Business Premier pax, and tried to get into the SQ and NH lounges. I was turned away by lounge dragons at both lounges, with the NH dragon, with every bit of attitude she could muster, telling me that the *A sign beside her was solely to indicate that "we are a member of *A - you are not welcome here as you are flying Air New Zealand." <insert expletive describing female canine>

The CNAC First Class Lounge sounds much nicer than it actually is. There weren't that many people, but it stank of ciggie smoke. There was barely any wifi signal, and a pitiful selection of food and drink at best.

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We boarded at a bus gate. For once I was at the gate early and was in time for the boarding call for premium pax. I tunneled my way through the massive swarm of gate lice, and managed to pick the correct side of the bus to be one of the first to disembark so as to maximise my pre take off drinking time.

At the entrance to the aircraft, I was greeted by Flight Service Manager (FSM) Wayne and directed to my seat. The FA in my aisle, Laura circulated the cabin very efficiently with newspapers, slippers, amenity kits (which contained some generic-brand stuff instead of the nice amenities by the aforementioned Kiwi skincare company), as well as pre-departure drinks. I managed to down 3 glasses of Veuve Clicquot prior to take off, while the gentleman to my right enjoyed some whisky.

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A drinks service was performed shortly after take off - my glass of pinot noir came with canapes! As in, real canapes - more substantive than merely a bag of crisps or warm nuts.

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This was followed by the 'main meal.' The flight was essentially a night flight despite the 1405 departure time owing to the time difference between China and New Zealand. So this 'main meal' was practically both lunch and dinner - does that make it 'lunner'? The meal I had consolidated my generally favourable opinion of NZ catering thus far. In particular, the five spiced duck breast stood out.

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Crab potato and artichoke salad with baby greens and crustacean oil

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Five spice seasoned duck breast with capsicum pak choy, fried ginger and black sesame steamed rice

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Gourmet ice cream dessert of mango and chocolate ice cream

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A selection of fine cheese and fresh seasonal fruit

This flight carried both Veuve Clicquot and Laurent-Perrier, although if you preferred one over the other you'd have to make a specific request to that effect. Every drink I ordered mid flight was accompanied by a small plate of cakes or some other snack - presumably to help soak up the alcohol. What else is food good for anyway?

I managed to check out the IFE properly on this flight. It was more stable than QF's AVOiD system (also by Rockwell Collins), but it takes a bit of an effort to get some response from the controls. I watched The Simpsons Movie - a pity that I missed it on the big screens.

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Tele in bed

Due to the screaming bub in the next aisle, I was unable to get much sleep on the flight even with ear plugs. I woke up with 2 hours to breakfast and decided to have a few glasses of the bubbly stuff to pass time. Another FA seemed to be on duty and was more than happy to serve me a glass of champagne. She'd barely set it down on the cocktail tray when she'd immediately took it back. Wayne sprang out to apologise and explained that I was served flat, warm champagne left over from dinner; he'd only caught on to it just in time. Instead I had a bottle of freshly opened Laurent-Perrier, all to myself as everyone else was fast asleep! Wayne acknowledged that there were definitely training issues relating to the service of alcohol that'd have to be addressed; he explained that the mainland Chinese crews were culturally non-drinkers and so there was no hard and fast way to get issues like these resolved.

Apart from that minor blip, the service onboard was simply outstanding. In particular, Wayne and Laura were absolute delights to have as cabin crew members. Both couldn't seem to do enough for their pax, and rendered genuinely warm service. And this was also the only flight out of the 4 on which I was addressed by name. I asked to be called by my first name (yes pushing it aren't I?) and it was not a problem for they used it throughout the rest of the flight.

Wayne and Laura, if you're lurkers on here - thanks!

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Lovely Laura doing the dinner service

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FSM Wayne, myself, Flight Service Coordinator Lisa who oversees the Y service

Breakfast on this flight was similar to the previous one, adequately filling me up till my next meal. There were mushrooms for the hot breakfast though - which made this a better breakfast in my books!

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It was also the first flight in a while that I felt was 'much too short', ie I actually wished it lasted longer to savour some more of the Business Premier experience. Especially as I'm unlikely to be flying on NZ J again in the near future.

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Another mug shot of me - just prior to descent

Next: NZ725 AKL-MEL J

Hmmm. Many of the PVG lounges are contract. To access a contract lounge you need an invite for that lounge, which you wouldn't have as NZ uses a different contract lounge. SQ lounge is not contract lounge, but is rather small. I used it briefly before my PVG-AKL flight earlier this year, but was only allowed in due to my high SQ status (with open doors access). There was an SQ flight about the same time and the small lounge was overcrowded (barely room to even stand) - I was not surprised SQ is reluctant to admit anyone not flying with them. The lounge itself was nothing wonderful. You didn't miss out on much.


Time to earn some more points then QF009 :)

Thanks for that. I think we will only go for one seat then. Great report by the way.
Regarding *A lounge access. You should have had access to the SQ lounge. I think NH is a contract lounge so no access there. But none of the lounges at PVG is any good really so you haven't missed much. Especially after you enjoyed the QF F lounge in MEL.

Sector - AKL-MEL
Flight number - NZ725
Class - Business
Seat - 2E
Aircraft - A320

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I was initially booked on a 744 service back to MEL but due to an NZ reschedule, my originally booked connection had become 'illegal' due to falling short of the minimum connection time. So I was rebooked on this flight instead - I wasn't happy!

This flight was 'operated by ZEAL320 with full Air NZ service.' ZEAL320 is essentially ex-Freedom Air crew performing the same work as mainline NZ crew but, I'm told, with less human resources, less pay, and inferior conditions. Regardless, those assertions would justify the slightly haphazard service.

The A320 seat was tolerable for the transtasman hop. It was still a downer after the superb Business Premier seating. The only good thing about the A320 was the tiny J cabin with only 8 seats organised into 2 rows, which made the cabin cozy and private.

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The personal DVD player for IFE - I watched Sunshine. Rose Byrne rocks!

The meal service was a little strange. I was served the cheese along with the entree. This might have been done to save time but it just felt 'wrong.' Moreover there wasn't any space on the tray for the cheese plate and I had to stack it onto the DVD player. The main course was delicious though - deffo resto quality!

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Pre take off drinks service - pinot noir with crisps

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Air dried beef, snow peas, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese and raspberry vincotto dressing; Cheese plate

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Braised lamb shank on lemon thyme risotto and green beans with confit garlic

I declined the dessert as I didn't feel like anything sweet.

The flight on a whole was a downer from the mainline services. At least they didn't cut down on the booze though.

Next: Epilogue

Epilogue

It is undoubtedly a cliche to describe one self as having fallen in love with a city. But I don't think anyone can deny that every so often a visit to a particular city is deemed too short, another visit is promptly organised, pre-existing plans are altered, and in the meantime there is a strong yearning to be there. I do miss Shanghai, I've changed a RTW itinerary next year to include PVG, and in the meantime I can't wait to be back. Shanghai is more than a sensational city - it's sensory OD, a full frontal assault of the senses and then some. In a fantastic way of course. Though I do have to admit the fact that honey chicken cannot be found in Shanghai did take some coming to terms with. ;)

Air NZ Business Premier is top drawer material - I seriously recommend them to everybody. The beds, the wine lists, the catering, the service all combine to make a fantastic product.

This trip sparkled more because of some fine company. Thank you to FTer CPWingWalker for coming out to dinner with me and showing me around a few places when he was in Shanghai. Thanks also to the people I met around the bars and clubs - for being such good sports and putting up with my pissed rambles. And finally thanks to the countless number of strangers who either pointed me in the right direction or helped me out with translations.

Till the next trip report,
QF009

Super report! ^^

Nothing at MEL yesterday.

(Apologies for the thread-jack QF009. Great trip report! :) )

Very good report QF009. You've made me want to go bak to Shanghai. Haven't been there since early 2000 - boy has the Pudong skyline changed since then!

Great report QF009. ;)

Why would you? The baby would sit on your lap for take-off and landing, and the secret is to fold down the bed for the full duration of the flight, and play with the baby and sleep with the baby.

You wouldn't use the second seat at all, except perhaps while the baby sleeps.

Also, beware the button for the seat to fold from the upright position to a bed: I once inadvertently pushed it and it started to fold down on my two year old, and now she refuses to sit in the seat in an upright position (she's nearly 4 now) and for take off and landing with the seat up her and I usually move back to Premium Economy!