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VS401 DXB-LHR 18 JAN 17 (Upper Class)

PostPosted: 02 Feb 2017, 17:35
by buns
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
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They do say you should never start with an apology, but I owe V Flyers as much as i have been tardy in getting this down - partly due to on-going family commitments and having to deal with a sick car :-O

Anyways, back to the TR. After a wonderful break in Dubai (where we were able to catch up with two long standing couples with whom we have made friends through V Flyer) it was time to return home. Our choice of stay was the Conrad Dubai, which has taken the place in our hearts from our previous favourite of the Hilton Dubai Creek. The real benefit of the Conrad, is its location right alongside the World Trade Centre Metro Station, making access to other parts of Dubai a lot easier than the Hilton.

The slightly later departure of the 401 now allows the journey to the Airport to be at a more civilised time with the luxury of being able to take in a breakfast before setting off. A short 15 ride got us to the Airport at 9:00 and the check in was already in full swing. The supervisor noticed we were queuing for UC and immediately opened up another check in desk. The check in agent made pleasant talk whilst our bags were checked and boarding cards issued and it was clear there was a great being made to ensure premium passengers were being looked after.

The usual trudge (and now train ride) to the Terminal ensued but soon we were at the doors of the Marhaba Lounge. Waiting for us was a member of the VS Ground Staff who after checking our documentation, escorted us through the main part of the Lounge (which is available through Priority Pass and the like) to an exclusive area at the far end. This area is accessed through a door and has two sections - one adjacent to the main lounge, but within the air conditioning, with the other being "exposed" to the Terminal Roof and where the food and drinks are on offer. We opted for the second area and once seated a server came to our table and asked us what we wanted. The servers were on call throughout and I noticed they asked the second VS Agent on hand to confirm the VS passengers before coming around with champagne!! As we had eaten before arriving at the Airport, we did not partake of the food offerings, but there was breakfast items available. For a downstream Lounge, i have to say this is one of the best I have experienced.

As i settled down to write a swift post on V Flyer but who should walk in but Joey!! :-O This is the second time Mrs B and i have been in this new Lounge and the second time we have had an impromptu meeting with fellow v Flyers :) This made waiting for the flight far more enjoyable and the time soon passed.

Mrs Buns and i made our way to the Gate as soon as the flight was called and we were quickly through and boarding the aircraft through L1. In our current favourite seats on the 330 (8 & 9 A) the crew offered usual drinks and were kind enough to get me a glass of prosecco rather than the awful Gardet stuff. The UC Cabin soon filled up and with PE about 75% full I can say that VS must be finding the route a little tough.

Airborne soon enough, and with our final look over Dubai we settled back to make the most of the "G" Flight ;-)

The Crew were soon into action and throughout the service was super - the FSM did apologise for not recognising our Au status, but the new FC numbering system has put paid to a quick identification. As usual I had a Gentlemen Jack and diet Coke and this was replenished when I indicated i would not want wine with my meal.

My second apology is to say i neglected to retrieve my menu, so on recall, I skipped the starter and had the beef - which was very nice indeed :) I do like how the cheese course is now served fro from the trolley and i was persuaded to take the blue cheese as well as the soft and cheddar and I was not disappointed.

One thing i will add is about the Duty Free. Mrs B and i found the Duty Free prices in Dubai much more expensive than previously and opted to buy on our return flight as a result. Whilst you can get Gentlemen Jack by pre-ordering on line, it does not appear in the Duty Free Brochure :-(

After Dinner I caught up with Joey at the Bar (and at this point I must stress that he was strictly following his "Dry January" routine - which is an even greater challenge when flying UC with VS - so he has my great admiration.

Thereafter I settled back to find that the movie i had hoped would be a bit of fun proved to be a great disappointment I know I am now not as young as I used to be but i do fell that having a few "classic" movies would go some way (but perhaps i will have to come to terms with modern ways and just download some stuff onto my I Pad 8-) )

A plus point was that the crew came around and offered afternoon tea, rather than having to make an effort to ask.

A few circles above Essex before approaching across London and a quick sprint got us to the E Gates and we were through pretty quickly. Bags off and after bidding farewell to Joey met by our Tristar Driver (on points) we were on our way home on the M25.

All in all a solid performance by VS and enough to make me want to book again (which I have and our next trip is only a month away!!) and a trip greatly enhanced by meeting a fellow V Flyer, Joey, who I now hope is making up for dry January :cool:

Thanks for reading

buns

Re: VS401 DXB-LHR 18 JAN 17 (Upper Class)

PostPosted: 02 Feb 2017, 20:50
by ScoobySu
Thank you Buns for a great report! And well done Joey on Dry January :)

VS401 DXB-LHR 18 JAN 17 (Upper Class)

PostPosted: 02 Feb 2017, 20:54
by oldboy
Thank you for your TR Buns, pleased all was good.

Re: VS401 DXB-LHR 18 JAN 17 (Upper Class)

PostPosted: 02 Feb 2017, 22:38
by tomthumb
Outstanding Trip Report on a good flight

Re: VS401 DXB-LHR 18 JAN 17 (Upper Class)

PostPosted: 03 Feb 2017, 08:45
by hiljil
Thank you for an enjoyable & informative TR. How lovely to have your next trip booked too :D

Re: VS401 DXB-LHR 18 JAN 17 (Upper Class)

PostPosted: 03 Feb 2017, 10:58
by SlimpyJones
Cheers for the TR Buns :) No planned trips to DXB at the moment but I am very keen to try out the "new" lounge. Sounds like they've knocked it out the park on that front.

Re: VS401 DXB-LHR 18 JAN 17 (Upper Class)

PostPosted: 03 Feb 2017, 13:25
by TimCrawley
An enjoyable read of what sounds a very agreeable trip, thanks for posting.

Is the sick car fully recovered or is it going to become a (non) running saga for future TRs?

Re: VS401 DXB-LHR 18 JAN 17 (Upper Class)

PostPosted: 03 Feb 2017, 17:52
by buns
TimCrawley wrote:An enjoyable read of what sounds a very agreeable trip, thanks for posting.

Is the sick car fully recovered or is it going to become a (non) running saga for future TRs?


Thanks. The car situation remains on-going, but considering what it has gone through during the past year (often twice weekly visits to the South Coast) it is to be expected

buns

Re: VS401 DXB-LHR 18 JAN 17 (Upper Class)

PostPosted: 03 Feb 2017, 19:29
by pjh
Thanks for the TR. I see you weren't sharing Joey's enthusiasm for Dry January ;-)

Re: VS401 DXB-LHR 18 JAN 17 (Upper Class)

PostPosted: 03 Feb 2017, 20:08
by buns
pjh wrote:Thanks for the TR. I see you weren't sharing Joey's enthusiasm for Dry January ;-)

:-D :-D
As the normal drink / drive policy in the Buns' Houshold is she drinks I drive, the frequency of my alcohol intake during the year does not necessarily require taking a month off after Christmas ;-) Indeed Christmas Day was a completely dry day for me as I drove to the South Coast and back.

If it was not for the Exec Lounge in the Conrad (which now serves alcohol rather than self pour BTW) Dubai could have been a very dry time with the prices out there !!

buns

Re: VS401 DXB-LHR 18 JAN 17 (Upper Class)

PostPosted: 03 Feb 2017, 23:26
by joeyc
A great TR buns although I am a tad surprised you aren't marking down the cabin crew considering the way in which some crew were fauning over the off duty crew more so than the regular pax at the expense of other service; oh and how said off duty crew and their friends monopolised the bar. I know you commented on it to the FSM on the flight and that it also annoyed the FSM and at least one of the cabin crew (I overheard some of their conversation in the galley) Sad nothing was actively done about it by the FSM.

Your comments to the FSM about FF recognition were also interesting, and it is a real shame that they can't tell from the passenger FC numbers alone any more. The only solution I can think of is that VS corporate need to start making an effort to include this data on the manifest.

Cheers for the TR Andy, it was great to bump into you and Mrs buns again. It really had been too long :cool:

Re: VS401 DXB-LHR 18 JAN 17 (Upper Class)

PostPosted: 04 Feb 2017, 10:25
by buns
Thanks for the comments Joey

Yes, the FSMwas a little lacking, but I decided to give the benefit of the doubt as the CC working our side did work very hard to make our journey enjoyable

As an aside, I have written to Crawley Towers, but not urprising, a reply is yet to materialise

buns

Re: VS401 DXB-LHR 18 JAN 17 (Upper Class)

PostPosted: 05 Feb 2017, 09:56
by iforres1
Excellent TR Buns and hopefully at the end of March we will be making the same trip back to Blighty with a few nights in London planned as well as a week in Scotland. As always a pleasure to see you both and I am sure it wont be long till we see you again. The price of VS versus EK is a no brainer at the moment so UC it will be.

Iain

Re: VS401 DXB-LHR 18 JAN 17 (Upper Class)

PostPosted: 05 Feb 2017, 13:33
by buns
iforres1 wrote:Excellent TR Buns and hopefully at the end of March we will be making the same trip back to Blighty with a few nights in London planned as well as a week in Scotland. As always a pleasure to see you both and I am sure it wont be long till we see you again. The price of VS versus EK is a no brainer at the moment so UC it will be.

Iain


It was great to meet with and keep us posted on dates as we will try and meet up in London if your schedule allows

buns