VS were not offering any sales at the time and EK First was only £500 each way more than J - how could I refuse!
We were leaving early Boxing Day and I had read that the CDC Emirates use called the day before to confirm. I imagined that as this was Christmas Day they would text or call Christmas Eve, but no, in the middle of cooking Christmas Lunch I found myself taking a call to agree the pick up times!
The car arrived early with plenty of space for my luggage (much relief) and within 30 minutes we were dropped off at T3. The check in queues were already very long but The First Class check in was free and I could see a lady and gentleman were talking. As I approached the lady stopped talking and asked me if I was travelling First and on showing her the two tickets she asked for the credit card that I had booked them. I had been told on booking this was not usually requested by should be brought, and as it had expired at this point I had kept it in the travel wallet with the passports just in case.
Suddenly any holiday euphoria I had drained and it started to go wrong. She played with her computer for a while and then said that I had only booked my ticket with this card and I needed to show her another card for my husband. I explained I had booked them at the same time over the phone but she was not interested and the more I insisted she just avoided eye contact and refused to change her stance. She said I would have to wait for another colleague to come on duty at a different desk who would be able to tell me what the second card number was so that I could produce it. With no option left we collected our suitcases and waited for her colleague to arrive. Eventually the colleague appeared and on hearing the story she looked up in the air and said “she does this all the time”! A few taps on her computer and she confirmed the card was the correct one and asked me to go back. We picked up the cases and returned to the original First Class check in where the same women took the card and announced that all was now correct. I asked why it was wrong in the first place and she curtly replied that this was obviously a different card. My husband held my arm tightly to stop me jumping over the desk and strangling her. Her colleague watched my face and quickly took over, checking us in, handing the boarding cards and wishing us a good flight in a matter of seconds!
In the hurry to save me from a murder charge they had forgotten our Fast Track tickets but it was still early and the queue was small. I was aware that the EK lounge did not offer treatments so had booked a facial at the One Lounge. I have to say I was very impressed and the Spa well worth another visit. We then moved on to the EK lounge, which makes one appreciate the CH even more but offered a reasonable breakfast. You board direct from the lounge which is a big plus.
Boarding was on time and initial impression of the Suite was very good. You are greeted at the door and taken to your Suite before being quickly offered the usual drink, hot towel, magazines etc. It was far less OTT than I had imagined and after going through all the buttons and goodies on offer dates and coffee were offered before take off. After take off the FSM came around with the menus and wine list explaining all food was on demand although some cooked dishes would take approximately20 mins. A little later I was asked if I wanted to book a shower. My original thought was that this was just a gimmick but I found myself saying yes and booking it a couple of hours before landing.
The rest of the flight was spent watching films, sleeping in the very comfortable bed and ordering from the extensive menu trying to keep to Sydney time. It’s not fair to compare the Suite with an UCS but whilst the service was very professional I missed the personal touch you get on VS. ICE was a little slow but the sound quality was very good.
I walked down through the J cabin to the bar and the seats looked very spacious and comfortable. Having seen the product on the A380 I would be happy to travel in J in future.
Two hours before landing I was called for my shower. There are two bathrooms for the 12 pax in F and they really do have the wow factor. For size and luxury I have not experienced any like it before. I was told that the shower would last for 8 minutes but I could turn the water off and the clock would stop until it was turned on again. There is a countdown on the shower so you know how long you have left. The shower cabin is a good size, water pressure amazing considering the conditions and the temperature better than some hotel rooms. There is a hairdryer and I did not feel under any time pressures when drying my hair after the shower. When I returned feeling wonderfully refreshed to my Suite there was a plate of fruit waiting for me – I never imagined I would have been so impressed.
This was a short flight (7 hours) so no amenity kits but the bathrooms had supplies of anything you would need so it was not an issue.
On arrival at DXB we headed through immigration to the EK First Class Lounge. Once in the lounge you realise it is really just a huge separate terminal with it’s own duty free shops and boarding gates. Each gate area has a waiter service restaurant or if you prefer a smaller buffet offering. There is also a Sixth Sense Spa offering free treatments. I cannot adequately describe how big this place is but as with all things EK it does lack the fun factor. For the first 2 hours of our stay we appeared to be the only two passengers in the whole lounge but a lot of the A380’s (including ours) were leaving from a difference concourse and I think this lounge was significantly less busy than usual.
To conclude, the Check in at Heathrow was dreadful
, the lounge competent but give me the CH every time 
, the First Class Suite, on board food, shower, service and DXB lounge were all superb 
, although an injection of fun would be the icing on the cake. 
Last edited by Jacki on 16 Jan 2014, 10:54, edited 1 time in total.
A purple boarding card, pre-booked cowshed treatment, glass of T10 with lime, a proper amenity kit, packet of polos and a Freedom Menu please!
Jacki
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Jacki
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They were clearly very proud of their international crew (on both our flights they announced 20+ nationalities speaking 20++ languages) and can therefore cover the waterfront from a communication point of view but communication was just that, a means of imparting information and not a means of engagement. 
It wasn't so long ago that the only issue for us as a family was could we find some plastic seats together outside WH Smith...
