This is a Trip Report from the Premium Economy cabin
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
Sorry!
Anyhow, I’m posting this TR now as with the 787 entering service yesterday, I'm expecting a slew of LHR-BOS reports to mask my slovenliness
For what it’s worth, my outbound TR can be found here: http://v-flyer.com/forum/index.php?f=6&t=283262&rb_v=viewtopic
I bloody loved Barbados: The breathtaking scenery, the pristine beaches, the wonderful people and those insanely loud tree frogs! However, my overriding memory was the first morning:
Waking before first light and sitting out on my balcony, there was a rustling sound in the trees which steadily grew louder. Then the branches started to sway. As my eyes adjusted, I peered and peered. And then I saw the cause of the ruckus:
MONKEYS!!!
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At this point I checked the label on the bottle I was clutching and was somewhat relieved to find that it was definitely water.
Apart from watching the wildlife, the rest of my fortnight away was a rum-fuelled chill-out fest of basking in the sunshine and taking the odd trip to some of the various tourist attractions on the island. Oh, and it was great to meet fellow V-Flyer Tinkus who was staying at the same hotel.
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I also spent a lovely morning wandering around Holetown where I was rather amused by a local gentleman who wanted to see if I’d like to buy something to smoke (and I don’t mean tobacco). I was even more amused that this sales pitch occurred less than 20 yards from the door of the police station…
It would be remiss of me not to talk about the hotel in a little more detail: ‘Waves’. A ‘Virgin Holiday’s Favourite’.
Apparently.
The exterior of the hotel was different. Let’s just say it had a certain Colditz chic.
However, to be fair, once you got through the door it was very pleasant and the beach it sat on was gorgeous. For the most part, the staff were a friendly bunch too. What’s more, the spa in the hotel was pretty good and the package I got included a treatment of each and every day.
On the downside, the air con in my room was about as useful as a Greek bank account and the food was (at best) outstandingly average. At worst, it was about as appealing as a car crash.
That said, there were three restaurants at the hotel and one was actually not too bad. Unfortunately, it was only open on a few days each week. Also, as a bit of a foodie who wanted to seek out local grub, the main attraction here was the sushi.
I think the main problem with this hotel is the owners’ reluctance to spend any money on it, and further more, their seemingly complete lack of interest in it or understanding of guests’ needs. Indeed, when any money is spent, it’s on things that are utterly superfluous. As an example, a colour changing neon light was installed outside during my stay – why??
I actually got to meet one of the owners in the bar one night. And he really could not seem to care less: A scowling, non-communicative and impossibly rotund South African guy who possessed all the charm, wit and sophistication of Bubonic Plague.
Of course, I do appreciate that when it comes to hotels, you don’t get the same ‘bang for your buck’ in Barbados as you might in some other Caribbean islands but I do think I could have done a little better than Waves for the same money.
Still, all in all, it was a great holiday and with two weeks gone, it was time to head home. ‘Check in and Chill Out’ was brilliant and I’m disappointed to hear that VH are doing away with it. At check-in, I enquired about upgrades and was told that there were five seats remaining in UC and that I should go to the ticketing desk at the BGI.
Some last minute ray catching and a few rums later and it was off the airport where I would find out if I would be getting my first ever taste of the UC cabin.
Initially things seemed positive: there were indeed still five seats remaining and the price of an upgrade would be either £800 or 25,000 miles. Of course, I elected to pay with miles. I handed over my PE ticket and the lady behind the desk started tapping away on her keyboard. And just as all was heading in the right direction, she looked up and said “I very sorry, your ticket is not upgradable”.
I did realise that technically my ticket wasn’t upgradable with miles but having been offered a UC upgrade (without even asking) on my way back from BOS the previous year (and holding an ‘H’), I did think I might be in luck. No matter but I wish that member of VS ground staff hadn’t raised my hopes like that.
Through security and into departures, there was enough time for little last-minute duty free shopping (and enough time to admire the Christmas tree inexplicably plonked more or less opposite the gate – it was October, it was Barbados and I wasn’t hallucinating).
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And so without further ado, we crossed the tarmac, climbed the steps to G-VINE and took our seats in 20a and c.
Sparkling wine was offered, accepted, consumed, topped up and consumed before an on-time push back closely followed by take off and a last glimpse of Barbados before we crossed out over the coast.
Dinner orders were taken shortly after the seatbelt signs went out and pre-dinner drinks were delivered just after that.
The meal on the way back was one of the best I’ve had in PE: a smoked salmon appetiser, a very edible beef ‘thing’ with broccoli that hadn’t been boiled to mush and then a creamy coconut pie. All very pleasant for airline food (although a little more of it wouldn’t have gone amiss.
Following an after-dinner liqueur, and watching one last, glorious Caribbean sunset.the cabin lights were dimmed and it was time to settle down for a snooze. And this was where my only issue was with the flight: One member of the CC never closed the curtain to the galley behind them. This allowed light to flood into the cabin. Not the end of the world but it did scupper my chances of a proper sleep. In the end, I settled down to watch a Simon Pegg movie (the name of which escapes me) but the CC did seem slightly amused and my regular fits of laughter. And only made it worse by plying me with more booze.
A little less than an hour before landing, breakfast was served. It was the usual nearly-inedible mix of rubber disguised as scrambled egg and something that looked like bacon but, had you been blindfolded, you’d never have guessed. Why do airlines struggle with breakfasts so much?
A smooth decent into LGW and we were on stand slightly ahead of schedule. After UC disembarked, the PE cabin followed.
We walked very briskly to an almost deserted immigration hall and were through passport control in the blink of an eye. For the only time in my memory, bags were delivered incredibly quickly. Within mere minutes of grabbing a trolley, the UC and PE bags were circulating and we were out through customs in double quick time.
A pre-arranged lift home on an empty M23 and I was back home and sitting in front of lap 5 of the Japanese Grand Prix. All in all, from wheels down to putting my feet up in front of the telly back in Brighton was less than 80 minutes!!
To conclude, a good smooth flight, friendly CC and a pleasant dinner. The IFE was great too. On the downside, not the greatest experience at the ticketing desk, a CC member who was born in a barn and a scarcely edible breakfast.
So, with my holiday over, what to do next? Well, look forward to my first UC experience which was booked for some six weeks later of course! That trip to LAS will be the subject of my next (horrendously overdue) trip report…
Paul
