This is a Trip Report from the Premium Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
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Cabin Crew
Reading, watching the green monkeys in the gully below our room and lounging by the pool (us, not the monkeys) took most of the time, and we ventured away only to do a glass bottomed boat trip and to attend the parade in Bridgetown on the last day of Cropover. Some of the dance moves on show there are usually limited on the upper reaches of the channel numbers of a late evening (so I am told). The Dearly Beloved took pictures of the proceedings for her assemblies, only the find on our return that all featured scenes of which the Bishop not approve. It was also curious to see a detachment of the army, fully kitted out in riot gear, stood by in a tent. One small point that I'd not been aware of but had been mentioned at check in on the way out - it's illegal for a civilian to wear camouflage patterned clothes in Barbados.
As with the outward trip, we'd ordered a private transfer. With the location of the hotel being almost as northerly as VH properties get on the island, this was a good move as undoubtedly we'd have been the first pick up point for VH transfer. As it was, it was 1hr and 20mins after the VH bus had departed that we waved goodbye to the hotel and, with 'Caribbean Disco Show' fading into the distance (a rare slip in an otherwise rather good selection of tunes), had a very pleasant ride to the airport in an air conditioned Merc to still arrive 2 hours ahead of departure.
Check in was a breeze; and for once the UC queue was longer that for either of PE or Economy - perhaps a beneficial effect of check in / chill out? Security was also as swift as on our departure from LGW, so we were quickly through to buy rum and the obligatory t-shirt, and then perch by the departure gate. As soon as any announcements were made from any member of the airport staff vaguely in the area of Gate 11 the queuing started. Not quite sure why, as it wasn't as if those in the queue were hefting vast amounts of carry on luggage and thus needing to fight for locker space.
Boarding started pretty much on time, and a Priority queue was set up. At the same time a standard queue was also set up, which after the obligatory children / need more time call was mobbed. So they put two agents on glancing at boarding cards, as compared to the one agent scrutinising the Priority Queue cards to make sure no cheating was going on. Which queue moved the faster ? How am I ever going to be able to demonstrate the ease with which I assume the mantle of those blessed by status if I am foiled by the process ? Come the end of October at LHR I'll be the one shouting 'let me through, I'm travelling Upper Class...'
'Cosmic Girl' was today's aircraft, which meant V-Port (hurrah!) but no bubble for PE (boo!). Still, it features the new purple seats so gave me a chance to compare and contrast the feel of the PE experience over the two layouts. And the winner is....the bubble, even with the older seats and the less good IFE. Though the seats and service were well up to snuff on this leg, you're much more aware of being one of a large number of people being seated and served. I'd heard a number of comments around the check in which suggested people were a bit conflicted in the better seats vs bubble issue...
Neighbour watch....I'd done OLCI to secure 32K (I like my window seat) and 33HK. Dearly Beloved and Less Favoured One behind, and then a (more) elderly gentleman in 32H. He was split up from his wife, who was in the seat in front, so the young lady she was sharing with offered to swap so they could sit together. Lots of thanking and movement went on, the young lady sat next to me, plugged in some expensive headphones and settled down to IFE bliss. The reunited couple were quite interesting, as they were clearly english, with multiple UC tags on their hand luggage, but carrying many magazines and papers from Las Vegas...and clearly didn't expect to take sh*t from anyone. Particularly the two young girls shrieking and carrying on in the seats in front of them; this provoked a walloping of the backs of the seats and stern injunctions to behave. I anticipated a 'don't mess with my princesses' precursor to fisticuffs, but instead saw a rather sheepish seat swapping going on to ensure a pairing of one parent, one child. They didn't get their own way in everything, however; repeated attempts to use the UC toilets by the couple were met with a clear and firm redirection to the PE facilities.
Service in PE was as advertised; a pre dinner drink, meal, refills and brandy and baileys. The prospect of the M25 in the next few hours meant I had to keep away from the alchohol, but the mushroom ravioli was excellent. I also heard good reports of the beef with a properly mustard mash...
A limited time frame meant my use of the IFE was restricted to 'Looking For Eric' (excellent) and then I tried to get some sleep. I actually managed this intermittently, but was periodically disturbed by the galley light on the other side of the aircraft that woke me as if I'd taken a punch; perhaps I actually had with the chap in front taking exception to my snoring (or so Dearly Beloved suggested). Eventually I felt kind of refreshed enough to wake up, but not compos mentis enough to refuse the coffee. I don't mind the paper cup, but the contents.....bleegh. I'm not sure the banana I took in from the fruit basket that was offered was particularly refreshing, but it deal with the coffee aftermath.
The crew seemed to be much in evidence; a few people were taken air sick and looked after, and one lady was receiving oxygen.
We arrived into Gatwick a few minutes ahead of schedule, and were landside within 40 minutes having been through passport control (no queue at all) and baggage collection (UC bags off first, then PE..) having to take some more coffee as the valet parking were again complaining we were too early...then a smooth run round the M25 to home.. to find that the RCD on the fusebox had tripped and my coming home present was a trip to the tip with two freezers worth of spoiled food. Ah well, worse things happen at sea.
I know there are reports of the decline in VS service and standards - particularly in UC - and I'm not what might be termed a frequent flyer (well, save for my Easyjet flights) but the PE offering, in our experience (3 flights in the past 12 months), has been very good and has meant that the fun of the trip has started from the moment we stepped on the aircraft rather than the moment we stepped off it.
We can get better, because we're not dead yet
