Ok... So here it goes, first trip report! It's probably going to be a bit rusty (I think I just explained why
) so please bear with me
First and foremost, I'd like to thank
@Dan and all the other wonderful folks here for being an invaluable source of never-ending info. Having turned 18 just over 2 years ago and thus being relatively new to the CC points & miles game this is my first ever trip paid for in miles AND in a premium cabin so if there's a few rookie mistakes I may have made please feel free to enlighten me
And with that... Let's begin!
I can't for the life of me figure out how to embed amazon photos here. If someone can help I have some photos I'm more than glad to share.Flights06/06/21 KL0642 JFK-AMS (Z World Business)
06/07/21 KL1385 AMS-KBP (C EuroBiz)
06/10/21 KL1386 KBP-AMS (C EuroBiz)
06/10/21 KL0643 AMS-JFK (Z World Business)
Hotels In order of where we stayed06/07/21 Holiness - Mezibush
06/08/21 We didn't really sleep anywhere (more on that coming soon)
06/09/21 7 days city hotel @ The Menorah Center, Dnieper.
06/06/21We left from 770 at about 3:40 pm when our taxi showed up. After driving around CH picking up all the other guys we started heading to JFK T4 to catch our flight at 6:40 pm. Originally the taxi told us $50 for a minivan but after we added a few stops he went up to $65. After splitting it worked out to about $12pp. Still not a bad deal.
Arriving at JFK, the place was very full. Maybe even mobbed. BH for sky priority check-in but even that took a few minutes.
Being that I was flying business on KLM I had access to the DL sky club in JFK. Currently no showers due to covid but still a nice spacious (albeit large and busy) place to have a drink and get a little work done on the sky deck.
At about 6 pm I left the lounge and started making my way to the gate... And... AHHHHHH the pleasure of turning left upon boarding! I always thought you guys were nuts for going so crazy over it until I did it myself!
KLM on the JFK-AMS leg the way there was a 777 with a 2-2-2 configuration. Although business was pretty empty so I nabbed seat 3H taking a gamble no one would take the window next to me. It paid off, quite well.
Dinner was served toward the beginning of the flight. It was a cold Borenstein box consisting of a Beigel's roll with hummus, fruit, some kind of pan-seared fish and a chocolate cream puff. Followed by an entree of chicken breast and veggies. Really wasn't too bad and I'd definitely enjoy had I been a bit more hungry. But I came prepared with my very own BYOK... A chicken avocado wrap from Mendy's in CH. Highly recommended.
Overall was a nice comfortable seat and bed (by my n00bish standard at least) although my one beef with it was the lack of air nozzles... And you know how the Europeans feel about A/C...
Nonetheless, I still managed to get a decent few hours of sleep and before you know it we were beginning breakfast service.
Breakfast was again a Borenstein box with a Beigel's bagel, cream cheese, jelly, honey, fruit and orange juice. Followed by an entree although I don't remember what it was and I realized I didn't snap a photo of it.
Shortly after breakfast, we began our descent in Amsterdam. Overall the flight was good but the temperature was kind of upsetting.
Arriving in Amsterdam I set out straight for the KLM Crown Lounge (Lounge #52 in AMS).
The lounge was a nice big lounge. Personally, I liked it better than the delta sky club in JFK. Although I didn't have time to check it out and desperately needed a shower. According to the computer they have there to reserve showers there were no available showers for the duration of my stopover but after having asked the attendant and watching her push some magical buttons on her computer I was instantly handed a key to a shower room. The shower was great with nice pressure but they only had an all-in-one shampoo and body as opposed to a separate shampoo, conditioner and shower gel. But, I must say it did smell great!
After the shower, I headed straight to the gate to catch my flight AMS-KBP.
This flight was typical EuroBiz on a 737. But the crew really went out of their way. Sometimes to the point that it got overbearing, asking if I was "ok" every 10 minutes (Let's just say I may or may not have consumed many a diet coke on that flight)
Upon landing in Kyiv we cleared passport control and customs relatively quickly (Negative PCR and Ukranian travel insurance required) and our amazing driver Rusland from Poyehali was there waiting for us!
Here's a tip, if you're considering going around Ukraine touring all the kevorim etc. don't skimp on the car. It's literally where you'll be living for most of the trip. We got a nice extended sprinter with full-on recliner lazy boy seats and it did not disappoint. Trust me. The van had wifi as well which was a nice plus, although I wouldn't consider it better than the regular 2g t-mobile gives you while roaming.
To Be Continued...
