This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
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I’m an avid reader of these forums, having discovered them in 2008 on our second Las Vegas Trip, which was to celebrate our *ahem” birthdays.
Although I didn’t register until October last year, I have used the hints, tips and pointers from the very helpful members to plan trips in 2008 and 2011 as well as this holiday. I’ve laughed and groaned out loud at the Trip Reviews – I remember the warm & gloopy soups, the unruly hang-glider, the snow, and the Icelandic volcano with the unpronounceable name that affected Mdvipond, the various adventures of Honey Lamb (I’m so glad that BA delivered this time and there were no disaster ratings to be applied!). I remember Blacky1’s first tentative postings, and as for tomato gate …..
I can’t promise to deliver such a memorable epic but hope that this review of a first ever UC flight is of interest and of use! Apologies in advance as there’s probably more information/detail on the lead up rather than the flight itself!
The plan for a 2015 trip started back in 2008 – 2015 is our Silver Wedding Anniversary and hopefully our two boys would be off our hands! We started hoarding miles (Shops Away became my top hit) and the plan was to visit Australia. All that changed however when the route was pulled back in 2014 – the announcement back in February 2014 led to huge wails from my study
Vegas was therefore back on the agenda, but with Reward seats being notoriously hard to find how could we get there using the accumulated miles? We had over 100k each by June last year and having done the route twice in PE I was adamant that it was to be UC – I sooo wanted to use DTCI, The Clubhouse, have a bed and (perhaps more importantly in keeping with V-Flyer) use the bar in the air!
So from reading the various TRs I suggested to hubby that we could fly into Los Angeles or San Francisco and then drive to Vegas – the seed was sown
He came up with the idea of a convertible (from watching too many shows on Dave me thinks) and started looking at routes – the straight through drive from LAX to LAS was too boring so I showed him that Death Valley was possibly do-able ….Periodically I would do dummy bookings and nothing was coming up – then suddenly back in October last year there was the announcement of the seasonal second daily flights to LAX and SFO and whoo-hoo a glut of reward flights suddenly appeared! A quick discussion was over very quickly when I showed him the return cost for two against a single Economy return, a frantic email exchange with my boss to get leave authorised – and the tickets were booked – flying into LAX and out of SFO
MMB became a daily (sometimes three or four times daily) check, the alarm was set for 8.00 am on November 18th to select seats and the countdown was really on!
I did however make a rookie error – when booking the flights I didn’t check the Vegas Convention Calendar – it was only when trying to price up hotels that I realised something funny was going on as prices were so expensive. It turns out that for our first two nights in Vegas (14th & 15th April) there was the National Association of Broadcaster event with 98,000 attendees! Clanger was also having the same issue. I originally booked Aria via my M-Life discount but picked up linb121’s hint of the Best Buy Guarantee which MGM Resorts also do albeit it only at a 10% discount – so managed to switch to a Deluxe Fountain View Room for six nights for $1,800 including resort tax as they price matched a flash sale that Expedia were doing before they applied the 10% discount – result!
We also made bookings for various days of our trip – zip lining at Boulder City Canyon – which I got a “Frequent Flyers” discount on as it would be our second time, shooting in the desert (hubby’s choice – not mine), the Gossy Show at Cleopatra’s Barge, dinner at the Wynn, and of course some shopping! A new large suitcase was ordered that was big enough to take an existing medium suitcase on the outbound, various packing cubes (thanks Bretty and DragonLady for the guidance).
Between booking and departure there were a few timing changes to the outbound – it was originally due to depart at 12:35, then it was pushed back to 15:45 – this didn’t create major problems for us and I am so glad that Hev60 managed to get switched to VS007.
Unfortunately I had had a very stressful and frantic previous week and was still working at 6.00 pm on the Sunday and hadn’t even started packing – despite all the plans leading up to going – perhaps I had spent too much time on V-Flyer??? Hubby was getting a little frustrated with me so I use this as my excuse for forgetting a number of things which we had to then buy in Vegas
I had booked an overnight stay and car parking at the Renaissance so we drove down on the Sunday night. The delayed departure time was of course more Clubhouse time!
We were given one of their re-fitted rooms and I have to say that – even with this room - I was very glad that I had booked it as a Secret Hotel and then got further discount. The foyer was used as a communal party area by guests – even drinking from their own spirit bottles and having pizza delivered! I’m all for reducing spend on hotel prices and frequently take my own especially if I’m away for more than one night on business – but I would never eat or drink in a public area. The room smelt – not of paint - but both hubby and I said it was more like a herb that is smoked (not that we have ever partaken – but we know the fragrance).
I had pre-booked a limo transfer – not TriStar but a very nice company called Hugh Damian at a quoted cost of £ 12 before tip. They arrived promptly on time and they were fully aware of DTCI location and procedure. I had prebooked the DTCI for 10.30 am a couple of weeks before we went and the UC Support was extremely helpful on the process and the Clubhouse when I had done so – even going so far to recommend the Redhead!
And so – into DTCI … Bags were tagged and included the UC priority – I was a little amazed that they weren’t weighed but as we were only checking two cases in between both us I guess that we were well under our limit. Then through the Private Security Channel – we timed this particularly well as there were only two people in front of us when we entered but all of a sudden there was a party of ten behind us – we never did see them in the Clubhouse though?
A very quick romp through duty free with only a small side step to check the price of GHDs and QC25s before walking off shaking my head – I know why the airports do it but I do find it frustrating that Duty Free is such a maze and so disorientating with all the lights (or should I say smoke) and mirrors.
And then – at 10.45 am - the Clubhouse doors were in front of us…… All I can say (again) is wowsers! It was so huge and light and airy – even with the building site in front of it! The concierge gave us a whistle stop tour and then we made a bee-line to the Spa. I booked the Hair Treatment as my hair is so brittle at the moment (I literally burnt it in Turkey in September last year and it’s taken till now with having it all chopped off for it to be relatively healthy again). However this doesn’t come with a full blow dry – only a rough dry – so I paid for the extra £ 25 for this. Hubby booked the complimentary head massage and paid for the back & shoulder massage – we booked both treatments for 2.00 pm guessing that first call would be around 3.00 pm.
As I reported at the time the Clubhouse was quite busy when we arrived – we did struggle initially to find seating for two of us, even the Loft was full – but once seated we were approached by an extremely friendly member of staff who took the breakfast order – to include the obligatory Redhead! This came very quickly and – dare I say it – went down quite quickly as well! Hubby didn’t want one so went for orange juice at this point. After we had eaten we moved to seats near the windows and partook of a Bramble and Le Fizz whilst people watching and playing with the iPad – we also had a really good conversation with a member of staff who it turned out was Cabin Crew but had switched to the Clubhouse as she had “heavy hours”. She was really excited to hear of our plans and must have chatted with us for a good ten minutes and seemed genuinely interested (I hasten to add that service to other guests was not affected by this as it had quietened down by this point).
We then moved to the Bistro for a seated lunch – hubby had the Clubhouse Burger whilst I had a pork slider and the deep fried brie from the tapas menu. Interestingly in the less than two weeks since we were there the tapas and part of the main course menu has changed from looking on line! Now this is where the only disappointment of the Clubhouse came – despite ordering at 1.00 pm ready for our 2.00 pm spa treatments, the infamous “Cloak of Invisibility” seems to have descended on us – we saw others arrive, order, eat and depart and there was still no sign of our food. The staff in this area didn’t approach us to check if we had ordered or to refresh our drinks and all eye contact seemed to be avoided – it was only when our CC member approached us that we were able to get refills of Brambles and she chased the food for us. Once arrived however the tapas were delicious and light (I was saving myself for the food on board).
Then off to the Spa – it was change over time staffing wise and I had a very personable young man deal with me. One head massage later (well it had to be done whilst applying the treatment) then a blow dry which left my hair silky smooth and straight without using straighteners, it was very nearly time to make our way down to the gate. But not without a quick sit in the infamous hanging chairs!
Now at this point I was beginning to get a bit nervous of how the flight and service would be – true there had been an increasing number of positive reviews since booking but recently ultreen1’s return from IAD and more importantly AJC’s first ever UC flight to MCO were worrying me.
Off we trotted to the gate – only to be met with absolutely no queues! I know – first world problem – but I had been practising my response in case we were Honeylambed!
We boarded through L1 – although this meant I turned right not left on boarding - to be met by a bright and cheery male FSM. And this set the tone for the whole flight.
We were shown to our seats (5K & 6K following advice on here) and very quickly offered champagne and then refilled. All the aisles had active and friendly CC, who were making sure passengers were comfortable, had everything they wanted. Amenity kits and water were on the ottomans. The UC cabin was full – with the exception of 8 D.
Now as I had possibly started the “Sleepsuit” debate I couldn’t decide whether to change pre-take off or not. A number of other people were changing even though this was a day flight. In the end I decided to change as in case of emergency I thought a sleepsuit would be easier to move in than my other clothes – however by this time the only sleepsuit was a large (I’m only 5’) so decided to change after take-off.
Take off was on time and as soon as the crew was released hot towels were offered. Then the first drinks run – I decided to try the Mile High Mojito and to be honest it was disgusting!
I couldn’t take more than one or two sips! As the SCC on our side of the cabin saw that I wasn’t drinking it so it was quickly replaced with a lovely vodka and diet coke. Then it was time for lunch orders – the menu is as previously detailed:Starters
Pea and mint soup
Warm Chicken Satay
Buffalo mozzarella and Roma tomatoes
Mains
Lemon and thyme chicken
Seafood linguine
Keralan Curry
Chilled Thai Beef Salad
Pudding
Warm brioche and butter pudding
Chocolate Torte
Cheese and Port
French Brie
Stilton
Applewood Wedge
After the tables were set – complete with Wilbur and Orville – the FSM came round with the wine. He was offering tasters and was providing recommendations. As I like lighter wines – particularly Pinot Grigio – he suggested the Pinot Gris. Personally I found this too acidic – it may of course have been the altitude etc.
Hubby had the Chicken Satay to start whilst I had the mozzarella and tomatoes. Hubby said the Satay was ok but a bit too peanutty, whilst I found the mozzarella and tomatoes nice and light – the balsamic vinegar went particularly well.
For our mains we both went for the linguine – which I found heavenly! A number of prawns, scallops and salmon with the pasta being just right.
For pudding we both fancied the brioche, but were both feeling a little podged – so we decided to share one. I moved round to the ottoman on 5K – the seating position was fine but I did find it weird not to have a full back and so consciously was leaning forward the whole time! The brioche was very nice and we definitely made the right decision not to have one each as it was rich!
Then it was back to my seat for cheese and biscuits. Hubby’s one disappointment with the flight is that the home of the Stilton was not listed – this is as he has become something of a Stilton aficionado since we moved home in 2013! Our cottage was – after it was built for the Duke of Rutland’s mistress in the late 18th century as it is just out of eyesight of Belvoir Castle – the office for the village Stilton factory until Unigate took it over and shut it down. We live equidistance from the main current Stilton villages in the Vale – being Colston Bassett (the best), Cropwell Bishop (most common) and Long Clawson.
After dinner my pre-ordered duty free was delivered by a member of the Economy CC. I had pre-ordered this in March when it seemed as if all the flight times had stabilised – by doing so as well as getting Flying Club miles I also saved £ 8 on this order as the prices have all increased from 1st April! This CC was also very interested in our plans and shared with us what he’d done in Vegas before – he’d not heard of the zip lining so was going to look into that!
I then settled back and got into Jersey Boys – this is a show I would love to see but hubby isn’t that keen. I tried to doze but it wasn’t quite working so I thought I’d go and have a wander round the A340 – only being on 747s before. It’s quite long isn’t it!
Premium Economy was also full but Economy was very empty – so much so most passengers could have a row of seats to themselves - which they did to make a bed! At the back of economy I bumped into the FSM who immediately sent me back to the front!
Hubby was still awake and had just come to the end of his film (can’t remember what he watched!) so I suggested that we retire to the bar. There were a couple of crew there along with a couple of passengers, so we stayed there for a good hour (or maybe longer). The crew kept us entertained but did not monopolise the conversations. As one of the fellow passengers was getting married in June one CC showed us their own wedding photos – she looked absolutely stunning in them! We did manage to "upset" the other passenger however – he is only three years younger than us and he is about to get married whilst we’re celebrating our Silver!
Whilst at the bar we had something from the Graze menu – hubby and I shared the Thai fishcakes and to be honest they were too spicy for me and overall they were very dry. We were offered something else but we were still very full!
Whilst at the bar I had a cup of tea and commented on the design of the mug and how there were four of them – somehow two of them were then wrapped up in VS napkins and were on my seat when I returned to it – along with an emptied and bagged Wilbur and Orville! The FSM did ask if I was a travel agent or cabin crew as I seemed so knowledgeable on the Virgin product – I don’t know where I could get that information from
Hubby and I then decided to retire for a snooze – the SCC made up our beds. It was quite warm and so we both lay (in our separate suites of course!) on top of the quilt. I listened to the classical compilation and dozed for a couple of hours.
Afternoon Tea
Sandwiches – Prawn cocktail, Barbeque Chicken, Devilled Egg
Warm Scones – clotted cream and strawberry jam
Cakes – Vanilla cupcake, Rhubarb and custard macaroon, Blackcurrant macaroon
I was awoken to tea – personally I did not like the sound of any of the sandwiches so just had the cakes and scones – the scone was warm and light, the macaroons melted in the mouth.
Then I watched a little bit of Paddington before we started our descent. Just after the Love Hearts were handed out the FSM appeared with a bottle of Cava to celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary. This was a brilliant end to a brilliant flight.
Surprisingly there were no zelebs on this flight – even the CC commented on this - maybe they were all on the earlier VS007?
We landed into LAX about ten minutes ahead of schedule – PE and EC were held back whilst we de-planed and hubby and I power walked to immigration. Unfortunately this is where things went a little wrong – and it’s nothing to do with VS. We had landed behind Air China – there were no interpreters by the Immigration Officers booths and so it took nearly two hours to get through to luggage and then through Customs! The Immigration Hall didn’t seem to have effective air conditioning either
We finally arrived at our off airport hotel at the equivalent of 6.00 am UK time – so to say that we were shattered was an understatement. The hotel however gave us vouchers for complimentary breakfast (saving $ 13 each – not that we intended to eat breakfast there anyway!).
So – apologies for the length of this report – but I am very very pleased to say we thoroughly enjoyed our time in the Clubhouse and on board and on this basis would do it again! I do have photos to add but they’re on my iPhone so will need to work out how to do it! I will be writing to Crawley Towers to express my thanks as – you quite rightly have pointed out – a good crew make the difference.
With very best wishes
ScoobySu
Last edited by ScoobySu on 26 Apr 2015, 13:34, edited 1 time in total.
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