This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
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There are those on here who may actually quite like the UCDS, and I fully respect their right to that, and any other misguided opinions they wish to hold
I however had a less than stellar view of it on the last time I traveled (and I'm sure my TR is floating around somewhere if anyone is interested). But maybe the 2nd time round would be better. What do you think? 
Firstly a mention of the clubhouse at Newark, as I hadn't been there since it was renovated. It was quite airy and spacious for a room that lacked windows, the service was good, the food was good and the wine was reasonable. The one at JFK wins out for me as it has a pool table, but stylistically, it's quite similar. Newark is also a FAR better option than JFK on a Friday afternoon - under 30 minutes drive from my office was a very pleasant surprise, so maybe I'll do this more often.
So, the flight was called and I braced myself...
Alright, let's start with the fundamentals. The 333 UCDS is still a ridiculously crowded sardine tin. It's the business class equivalent of a Thomas Cook package flight (which I'm also all too familiar with, but at least THOSE flights are short). With that in mind, I exhaled deeply so that I could squeeze into 8A
Privacy is non-existent, although as the seats across the narrow strip of carpet laughingly called an 'aisle' were all unoccupied, it was less of an issue. Perhaps they couldn't find enough cone headed children in PE to op-up.The ottoman is an awkward shaped wedge that makes it very difficult to comfortably rest both your feet on. There are also signs of wear creeping in, for example, my TV unit wouldn't stow properly, and there were a lot of scratch marks on the bar. That in particular is a shame because it was one of the nicer features of the new layout, but perhaps going for a white counter top was the wrong choice.
Now before this starts to sound like a rant, it's not all bad. The IFE screen is a major improvement on the one in 'classic' UC. I will also concede that the seat may recline a bit more as well, which is a good thing. In addition, there was some very decent cheese on offer, including one with a Chimay beer washed rind. More creative than you usually see from an on board selection
And, saving the best till last, I had an absolutely fabulous CC looking after me. Bubbly, engaging, attentive, and one of those reasons why flying VS can sometimes be so much better than any other airline. A note to Crawly Towers will have to follow here I think.
I didn't get a wink of sleep, but that's par for the course given my usual state of insomnia. So didn't even bother converting the seat to bed mode. I watched Enders Game (sci-fi trying to take itself too seriously, I blame Frank Herbert and Kim Stanley Robinson) and American Hustle (one of those films which, like Boogie Nights, is worth watching just for the period detail - oh, and Jeremy Renner's quiff was something to behold).
I had my usual bacon roll just before landing, and arrived at LHR pretty much on time. And so to bed at home for a few hours...
Summing up then... My perspective on the UCDS has not fundamentally changed. It's something I would go out of my way to avoid if possible, and as an experience, is light years away from the acres of space in the A zone of a 744. The fact that all current information points to VS not installing it on any new planes does at least suggest that there is recognition of the problems here. That said, there were definite positives on this trip that took the hard edges off.
As a post script, I finished writing my TR while on my flight the next day to Antigua. This was with BA, in World Traveler, and it truly was one of the best economy flights I could remember. As a gold with BA, I got the pick of the best seats for free (note to VS - WHY DO YOU NOT OFFER THE SAME!), and ended up right at the front of the cabin on a 777-200 in a seat that had nothing in front of it. It's a sad indictment of the UCDS that I found this almost as comfortable to sit in! There were other positives, if I get time, will do a TR for that one as well.
Onwards to the pool. And the rum.
RC
I am sure that VS would respond by saying the order of 330's was a stop gap awaiting the arrival of 787's, but the shoe-horning of so many suites has proved counter productive in retaining many regular flyers that frequently share thier views of Fora such as V Flyer.
