VS900 LHR-NRT 15 SEP 10 (Upper Class)
Posted: 27 Sep 2010, 20:00This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
Our itinerary ending up being quite convoluted, mainly due to the LHR-NRT flight times. So to avoid a silly-o’clock start on Wednesday morning, we opted for overnight at Bewleys and make use of their Park & Fly deal. The Radisson was way overpriced in comparison and we’d quite liked the Bewley as a “bed for the night”. Morning arrived and headed over in the frequent shuttle buses to the terminal, BMI was badly understaffed however did seem to get sorted, managed to check bags through to NRT (as was all on VS ticket) but did have to ask for Priority stickers to ensure some hope of reclaim at the other end. Headed through and hunted down the BMI lounge, bit Ikea’ish although a restful place to hang for an hour.
Flight was uneventful, probably half full.
Arrival at LHR, and the boring walk down through the depths to pop up outside the VS terminal. UC check-in was empty, and the VS police were not waiting at the door to push us over to the Y queues. Bag tags confirmed and proper boarding cards exchanged from the BMI ones issued. Then off into the lift and through an empty security lane. We’d timed flights to allow a 3-4 hour gap at LHR, so we had a brief wander around the painted ladies and novelty London toys, before we started thinking we should head to the CH..
Up the stairs for the first time, as last time we were weighted down with mini nh and much more hand luggage and had used the lift. Ditched bag in cloakroom and wandered over to try and book a treatment. Mentioned the inability of being able to pre-book anymore, but was advised it was working much better now…we then requested 2 complimentary massages…”erm not sure if we could fit those in…” Realising what she’d just said following my initial question and now raised eyebrows, they had a chat and “managed to squeeze us in”.
We had enough time for some bubbles and snacks so off the Deli then back over for the massage- It was pleasant enough, however probably wouldn’t bother again, I expect things to be more vigorous and muscle loosening, rather than being stroked with a beanbag? Afterwards we thought we’d have a game or two of pool whilst sinking some more bubbles, other points of interest the upstairs area was completely closed off, as it was last time we were in there?
Boarding was called, much to the excitement of mrs NH we boarded centrally allowing her to “turn left”, then spent time sorting bits out, changing into Nin-Ja suits and settling in. The cabin was probably 2/3rd’s full, with most of the rear centre seats remaining empty. Advised of 11.45 hr flight time & before long we were hurtling down the runway and airborne, menu orders taken we also pre-ordered some duty free.. V-Port seemed to take ages before it was switched on, but all seemed functioning at first attempt. Noted however the seats/ partitions were looking frayed around the edges.
Menu (cycle 2 autumn 2010, VS900)
Starters:
Smoked Halibut, salmon & marinated prawns with radish, shiso cress & balsamic lemon dressing.
Cauliflower & herb soup with vegetable crisps
Prawn kimizushi ball, moromi miso with cucumber, squid fish cake & boiled soya beans
Mains
Braised beef wellington with rosemary jus, dauphinoise potatoes, roasted root vegetables & wilted baby spinach
Mediterranean-style stuffed pepper with tomato, smoked garlic confit & creamed leeks
Grilled chicken miso yaki with Teriyaki sauce, steamed rice, carrots, sugar snap peas & bamboo shoots
Shoka Do- style Bento Box
Containing too many things to inc. on here…
Puds;
Warm sticky toffee pudding with vanilla bean sauce
Chocolate & orange torte
Plus the usual cheeses etc..
After food and the films each of us were watching (The A-Team for me and Kickass for Mrs NH), we decamped to the bar for some “wine & crisp” time…At some point later on stumbled back to my seat and bedded in for the remaining flight. Managed a good few hours kip, and woke up 2 hours outside NRT, rehydrating by using up all the orange juice at the bar and a quick walk around, PE appeared full and the odd free seat in Y, although trolley service was in full swing so avoided adding to the chaos; settled back in to read paper and magazines. Full breakfast and organised for landing.
Walking out of arrivals at NRT is slightly underwhelming, not a particularly grand airport, although clear signage for trains etc. The first thing we needed to do however is exchange our Rail Pass vouchers for actual passes. The counter was easily found down the immediate escalators. Does take a bit of time to sort these out- and you need to reserve a seat on the NEX train,
Advice tip 1: Travel LIGHT, you will be travelling a lot on escalators with your luggage (no trolleys) and there is very limited storage on the trains. Navigating around these busy stations with bulky luggage would be a nightmare. Our tall wheeled duffle style cases suited the trip perfectly, as you could migrate onto the escalators with ease.
Signage for the relevant train is straight forward, and carriage numbers noted on the signs and floor, and they do stop within an inch of their allotted spot. The Nex is nice and modern, clean and we found generally not too busy…a nice interlude before hitting the main Tokyo stations. These on first arrival can be very daunting and their scale off the radar in terms of what you maybe used to. Shinjuku was no exception and I backed down to following the guidebooks recommendation of finding the nearest exit to get your bearings..
Before long we eventually found the right exit area and the free shuttle bus over to the Hilton.Nice hotel, Exec floor highly recommended especially for the lounge (food/ drinks etc). Crashed out for couple of hours then headed out..
Advice tip 2: Japan currently is Very Expensive…
Circa £5-£9/ pint, wine just ridiculous for what’s on offer, meals on average £30-80/head, excluding drinks (standard dining, not high end), we found some decent side street ramen bars for the odd night which proved much more reasonable, saving ourselves for Kyoto cuisine.The early evening Hilton food & drinks was a major plus and definitely paid for its self, with a decent buffet and selection of drinks on tap. Their shuttle bus also very useful for quick drop off at Shinjuku station (although easily walk able).
The Rail Passes come into their own, being able to use on any JR line (Thanks Tink’s for the persuasion in going down this route
), however subway costs on other lines are very reasonable. Once you get over the initial sensory overload, finding your way around is quite straight forward.
