Please use this forum is for Virgin Atlantic trip reports. There is a subforum for other airline reports.
#914839 by HWVlover
26 Dec 2015, 17:32
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
The Irish lurk.

We had a wonderful trip to St Lucia in July, staying at the little East Winds boutique hotel. I didn’t do TRs for those flights on VS (UC out, PE back) as they were “as usual”...nothing stand out, nothing bad.

Anyway, we had to have another two weeks at the lovely place and being retired and ancient when you decide to do something it is best to get it organised while you can still remember what it is you were going to organise and best to get it done while you are likely still capable. So back we were going within four months of our last visit.

This time I decided to look at the options via Expedia and Dublin and was astonished to find that I could save near £2500 on the cost of our tickets starting our trip in Dublin compared with what VS were asking for booking direct at that time. I remember thinking “that will do nicely” and it took me something less than a millisecond to decide and book.

The journey began on the 20th November when we dropped the three girlie gundogs off to their “hotel”. Those moments are always heart rending for me...even more so when two of them clearly decided “sod this for a game of soldiers” and endeavoured to head back to the car. And it is amazing how empty the house then seems without them...mainly, I suppose, because it is. :cry:

Thereafter it was all pretty straightforward. The following day we left home at 7am and headed to Heathrow, parking in the Terminal 2 long stay (£25). We left the holiday suitcases in the car and headed with our hand baggage to Terminal 2. Our first visit to Terminal 2 and it was really nice, very airy and spacious and wasn’t busy.

We took the 10am Aer Lingus flight (EI155-A320) to Dublin. The only “worries” in advance had been weather related “what happens if we don’t get to Dublin?”, the previous weekend flights had been disrupted by fog and the morning of our departure there had been a scattering of snow, torrential rain and then some serious gales.

The EI flight left about 45 minutes late because of the strong winds and we could actually feel the plane being moved sideways as we headed down the runway. We were in Y and did not go for any of the pay for hospitality options.

So Dublin airport and interesting that we had to go through passport control on arrival but did not on our return to Heathrow. Anyway off we toddled along the walkway from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 and, as our Expedia flights were all in J we had access to the DAA Executive Lounge before the BA flight back to Heathrow. The lounge was fine, not busy and the food was a cold buffet of the packet cheese and biscuit variety apart from an excellent chicken and vegetable soup. It was a pleasant place to spend a couple of hours catching up with social media before the next leg of our journey.

Next up was the 14.35 departing BA0839, an A319. Club World was achieved by blocking out the middle seats in each row of three either side of the first five rows on the cabin. The flight was fine, took 55 minutes and I had a nice cream tea and a bottle of Sauvignon. We arrived at Terminal 5, took the Heathrow Express over to Terminal 2, collected the car and headed off to the LGW Hilton.

As an antique I had managed to get a night in the Hilton and 16 days car parking in the long stay South for the princely sum of £140. I thought this was good until I recently got the same for £126 for our next trip in April. Anyway we parked up in the long stay, checked in to the hotel and then went to the South terminal M&S for our hotel room picnic supplies!

Up for an 8am check-in, no problems at all and then breezed through security and into the Clubhouse. The Clubhouse was busy until the departure of a Barbados flight. I know people rave about the LGW Clubhouse but I don’t. For the second time in three months I was served a cold full English and the bacon was horrid. Nothing wrong with the staff at all, they were welcoming and friendly and fun. However, on my 10 point scale the EY Heathrow lounge remains the only 10 of all those such establishments I have frequented with the EK Singapore lounge the only 9.

We wandered down to the gate early and straight onto the plane and 5A and 6A. Two rounds of champagne were offered and accepted, the Gardet is very much to my taste.. The plane was delayed 40 minutes but no explanation was offered but it looked like a wheel was getting some attention. The plane, Beauty Queen, was not full....202 on board plus 12 crew.

After that it was, with one exception, all really good. There was a lot of crew/passenger interaction and the cabin crew looking after UC were fabulous....Clare (FSM) Sally Arne (CSS), Sophie, Ryan and Angel (permissions given to name names).

We spent quite a bit of time at the bar and occasionally convenient turbulence occurred to get the numbers at the bar under control; 7+1 crew being the maximum allowed, something to do with oxygen masks I guess. We drank them out of the outbound champagne and some of the inbound and then the Prosecco got hammered. It really was “party bus” time and great fun.

I watched one film when having a break from the bar, the latest Mission Impossible and it was just the like the others but still good basic entertainment.

IMG_20151122_141512 [vflyer size].jpg
IMG_20151122_141512 [vflyer size].jpg (82.93 KiB) Viewed 2678 times


The only negative about the flight was one aspect of the food.

IMG_20151122_142219 [vflyer size].jpg
IMG_20151122_142219 [vflyer size].jpg (67.88 KiB) Viewed 2678 times


I made the mistake of ordering the fillet steak, apparently it was a “tender, juicy, melt in the mouth” piece of meat. In that case I am really not that sure what happened to mine for it was, at that time, the toughest piece of meat I have ever tried to eat. It was so bad that my normally absolutely secure well poligripped denture became detached......well, I am old.

Ominously for other fliers, I said “at that time” because the one on the return, this time described as beef tenderloin, was even worse...being almost impossible to cut and indigestible (dentures in or out).

All the other food was fine and it really was a super flight.

IMG_20151122_143617 [vflyer size].jpg
IMG_20151122_143617 [vflyer size].jpg (84.42 KiB) Viewed 2678 times


Hopefully when we go back in April all will be the same on the flights although that time I shall avoid the beef, however it might be described. And, incidentally, for April I found the Dublin lurk wasn’t necessary, doing a M&M fare, using a few miles at VS sale time meant there wasn’t a real saving when I booked.

Thanks for reading.
David.
:-D
Last edited by HWVlover on 27 Dec 2015, 09:58, edited 1 time in total.
#914840 by HWVlover
26 Dec 2015, 18:05
Few more photos, was unable to add to the report

IMG_20151122_150532 [vflyer size].jpg
IMG_20151122_150532 [vflyer size].jpg (77.08 KiB) Viewed 2674 times


IMG_20151122_192558 [vflyer size].jpg
IMG_20151122_192558 [vflyer size].jpg (75.24 KiB) Viewed 2674 times


And, of course

IMG_20151122_205548 [vflyer size].jpg
IMG_20151122_205548 [vflyer size].jpg (50.88 KiB) Viewed 2674 times
#914841 by pjh
26 Dec 2015, 19:22
Thanks for the TR. Shame the LGW CH breakfasts weren't up to par - perhaps they were training for serving the in flight cooked breakfasts. As to the beef question, the slab of meat on a plate has become less appealing to me over the years. I have had some good offerings, but I find it sits heavy.

Now, where was that TR complaining about there being no champagne on the flight from UVF that day.... :)
#914843 by TimCrawley
26 Dec 2015, 20:52
Thanks for posting.

Must agree on the beef - last two times I got the beef on flights to/from LAS it was tough as old boots so your TR inspires me to now avoid the beef in future (or at least until someone says it's got tender again!).

Hope you enjoyed your stay, I guess so as you already booked again - the pictures from the hotel you stay in look wonderful. Have stayed at the Rex St Lucian a few times (hotel is okay and food reasonable, main reason for staying is the fabulous long beach there that never seems to gets crowded other than with the crabs and the handy stroll into Rodney Bay for a change of dining being so convenient).

Clubhouse at LGW is nice enough and staff I have found to be very welcoming and incredibly friendly - but indeed the food is rarely more than lukewarm (the beans usually stone cold on the breakfast) and it does seem they use the nastiest and cheapest cut of bacon they can find - which you kind of expect outside the UK / ROI but is hugely disappointing when it happens while still in the UK!
#914849 by honey lamb
26 Dec 2015, 23:08
Thanks for your TR ( and for reminding me that mine to JNB which is still being crafted, is badly overdue!). :-D

Point #1:
So Dublin airport and interesting that we had to go through passport control on arrival but did not on our return to Heathrow.

Passport Control is also Immigration and thus is necessary along the same lines that it is when going through Schengen countries in the EU from the UK. Returning to the UK you are coming from a Common Travel Area which has no other borders than with NI. The premise is that if you have been allowed into Ireland, you are not a threat and should be allowed out (or words to that effect!) In Cork, Passport Control with EU passports consists of waggling your passport under the nose of the Garda that is on duty! The most ludicrous experience we used to have with regard to Passport Control in Dublin is when we flew on internal flights from Cork, Kerry and Galway. There was no provision for internal flights and we had to go through Passport control! I know we call ourselves the Independent Republic of Cork, but really!!! :D

Point #2:
Anyway off we toddled along the walkway from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2.....

No you didn't! Aer Lingus uses T2, BA goes from T1 :-P You did it the other way round.
#914858 by HWVlover
27 Dec 2015, 10:01
honey lamb wrote:Point #2:
Aer Lingus uses T2, BA goes from T1 :-P You did it the other way round.


Thank you dear lady, corrected.
:roll: :lol:
#914861 by dickydotcom
27 Dec 2015, 10:54
Thanks for the TR.
My plan for early next year was to avoid the lukewarm full English at the Hilton and go straight to the clubhouse.
Maybe I'll skip the full English altogether. I have always found if you order something a bit out of the ordinary it arrives fresher so perhaps I'll start the day with eggs Benedict and a peach Bellini.
Dick D
#914863 by Daffodil
27 Dec 2015, 11:17
Thank you for the TR. We flew to Antigua on the 26th of November ( With G rewards ) and apart from my beef being tender in the middle and tough on the outside the rest of the flight was text book perfect, best crew we have had for some time. We did leave enough champagne for the inbound flight. ( We must have been lightweights! )

I hope you have a lovely holiday and another good flight when you return in April.
#914870 by marshy11
27 Dec 2015, 12:57
Thank you for the TR and the photos. It sounded like a great flight apart from the steak. Oh how envious I am of East Winds, one of my favourite places in the whole of the Caribbean. I hope you had an amazing time.

I know what you mean about an empty house with no dogs…..hopefully they had fun too.
#914872 by HWVlover
27 Dec 2015, 13:32
marshy11 wrote: Oh how envious I am of East Winds, one of my favourite places in the whole of the Caribbean. I hope you had an amazing time.

I know what you mean about an empty house with no dogs…..hopefully they had fun too.


Yes, East Winds is simply wonderful but the East Winds withdrawal symptoms were awful which is why we are heading back in April for our third visit.

And the girlies seemed VERY happy to be home; I think that they missed their sofas!! :lol:
Virgin Atlantic

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 17 guests

Itinerary Calendar