Yehoshua:
Planning and Routing The planning for this trip started back in November 2015 when I decided that I wanted to go to Africa in the summer. I’d never flown any of the “Big 3” Gulf carriers, so that was the goal on this trip. I ended up booking:
For 100k AS I booked (blue on map) 7/5 LAX-DXB in EK F A380 4:45pm-7:30pm+1 7/7 DXB-JNB in EF F 777 2:20pm-8:50pm
For our domestic flight I bought cheap coach seats on Mango (orange on map):
7/13 JNB-CPT 8:10am-10:20am
For 135k AA I booked (red and brown on map) 7/17 CPT-DOH in QR J 787 1:20pm-11:50pm 7/18 DOH-AUH in QR F A320 8:25am-10:30am 7/19 AUH-JFK in EY F A380 3:35am-9:35am 7/19 JFK-LAX in AA F A321 12:30pm-3:54pm
For hotels we booked the following:
PH Dubai for 1 night for ~12k UR booked through UR Black Rhino Game Lodge in Pilanesburg Game Reserve for ~$168 cash (redeemed for A+ credit) Intercontinental OR Tambo (JNB airport) for 1 night for 30k IHG Protea Sea Point hotel for 4 nights: 1 night for 15k Marriott, 3 nights for ~$67/night Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi for 1 night for ~$87
We stayed with friends of friends in Joburg for the 3 nights we were there before going to the game reserve.
For food, we brought along some instant oatmeal for breakfast in Dubai, Joburg (before our flight to CPT) and Doha. Joburg and Cape Town both have kosher restaurants, but we needed food for Pilanesburg. We could have ordered from POM, had them ship it to LA, and schlep it around the world with us, but I found another solution. Kosher World in Joburg also has travel meals for a fraction of the price. While I only asked for dairy and pareve items, the price range was from R55-81 for a 500g portion, or about $3.75-$5.50 for just over 1 lb. of food. You can’t beat that! Like POM, the meals are frozen in advance and can be heated in the microwave or oven. To contact KosherWorld, you can email them from their website. They responded to me rather quickly and we arranged everything via email.
Now on to the trip itself.
Yehoshua:
Tuesday, July 5, LAX-DXB: EK F After my BIL was kind enough to drive us to the airport (so that he could use our car while we were away) we didn’t have the best ground experience upon arriving at the airport. First we had to battle the holiday traffic getting to TBIT. Once we were inside, I figured first class check-in would be a breeze, yet we had to wait 15 minutes for the 1 agent to finish with another customer who was not even traveling in F (the line was for F and Premier; they were premier). Our check-in was quick, but we got bogged down next at security. We were forced to take the security line for wheelchairs and strollers, despite the fact that 1) we had a car seat with wheels, not a stroller 2) we were in F and 3) we asked to go in the regular F lane. 30 minutes later we finally made it past security only 10 minutes before boarding leaving us without enough time to try the new Emirates lounge in LAX. Right before we got on the plane DW was quite stressed out about the whole thing, but that quickly changed once we entered the upper deck of the A380.
After we were directed left at the forward boarding door and shown our seats, DW’s mood quickly changed into one of fascination and excitement. While I had also never flown EK F before, I’d flown other F products with suites so it wasn’t as exciting for me. We both changed into our pajamas and got comfortable. We had a bassinet attached to the center divider (we were in seats 2E/F), though it took them a while to get the right bassinet to fit. Because of the positioning of the lamp, only one of the basinets work here.
The flight itself was very good. Our daughter behaved herself rather well for the whole flight. We were each able to get ~5 hours of sleep, shower and eat our rather pathetic KSMLs.
Just a side note about the KSMLs. All the other airlines I’ve flown out of LAX in a premium cabin (SQ F, LH J, AZ J) have all been catered by Emuna from LA. Their food is very good and portion sizes are generous. EK F is catered by KoshAir from NY. Both their lunch, snack and breakfast all featured the same sides: 2 small dips and a roll. Really? One of the FAs said he also ordered the KSML on that flight (he used to work in Israel and just thought he’d try it for fun) and was pretty disappointed as well. He said he’d mention it to EK in hopes they’d switch to Emuna.
KSMLs
Our flight path was nearly straight north with a slight curve west, meaning we not only crossed the date line but also had a 15-hour daytime flight. While it means I couldn't daven shachris (Rosh Chodesh) since it never got dark the day before, it also meant we could use the natural light to help adjust our bodies ahead 11 hours. We arrived in DXB slightly tired (on purpose) and passed through immigration and customs quickly.
benjie1305:
So far, so good.
Yehoshua:
Wednesday, July 6, A Night in Dubai We took a cab (paid with CC) to the PH. I really should have taken Uber since they were having a 20% off 2 rides to/from DXB in celebration of the Eid holiday that started that day, but we wanted to get to the hotel asap and getting a driver would have taken longer than just hopping in a nice Lexus cab. It took us 15 minutes to get to the hotel (the driver took us on a bit of a joy ride and got no tip because of it) but the whole ride only cost ~$15.
We checked in and were upgraded to a deluxe view room, 1418, in the main building. The room was spacious but not a suite. It overlooked the creek and had a nice view of the Dubai skyline which was visible through the haze.
PH Dubai Room:
We dropped off our things, freshened up a bit and headed to the Dubai Mall to see the fountain show. We opted for the car service from the hotel for 40 AED since traffic was quite bad around the mall due to Eid, and the rate was fixed.
The fountain area was a zoo. We arrived just as the 10pm show was finishing, so we had to wait for the next show at 10:30pm. It took us a good 15 minutes to walk to a bridge and get to the front for good views of the show, but it was worth it. The show was really quite amazing, quite similar to the Bellagio in Vegas just larger and with different music.
Burj Khalifa and fountain show:
Fighting our way down from the bridge and into the mall was like trying to get on the NYC subway during a crowded rush hour, but we survived. Once in the mall (which in itself was super crowded) we wanted to see some of the sites. We didn’t want to stay too long, but we had time to visit the aquarium, fountain and ice rink.
Aquarium at the Dubai Mall
Fountain at the Dubai Mall
Ice rink at the Dubai Mall
We eventually took an Uber back to the hotel (it came out to 46 AED because the floating bridge by the hotel closes at 10pm so you have to go the long was around), but it beat waiting in the 100+ person line for a taxi.
We got back to our room around midnight and just went to sleep.
Yehoshua:
Thursday, July 7, DXB-JNB We woke up a bit late due to the minor jetlag. Thank God our daughter was able to sleep most of the night and seems to have adjusted well to the new time zone. By the time we got ready and packed it was time to head to the airport. We might have gone back to town to see things by daylight and to visit the Burj Al Arab, Mall of the Emirates, and Burj Khalifa again, but we didn’t want to push our luck.
We took Uber to the airport (it only cost ~19 AED/~$5 thanks to the promo) and arrived with boarding passes in hand from LAX. We once again passed though immigration without any line and even made it through security with lots of bottles of water for our daughter’s bottles without so much as a secondary screening. They even let the car seat/stroller with the baby in it go through the metal detector without even searching it.
We were departing form the A gates, meaning we’d be fortunate enough to use the First Class lounge that spans the entire terminal with in-lounge boarding gates. After a quick stop so DW could get a massage at the Timeless Spa, we headed to the world’s largest F lounge where were only saw 1 other guest the entire time we were there. We had some sandwiches we’d packed from LA for lunch in one of the empty dining areas along with some fresh vegetables from the buffet.
Food from the buffet
Lounge restaurant
While we don’t smoke or drink, the lounge was still impressive. DW made it quite clear that anything smaller than this is no longer considered a good lounge in her book. Uh oh for me. Despite the F cabin being full and us only having 1 seat in it, we were the only ones to board from the lounge.
We boarded 10 minutes before boarding closed after all the economy passengers were already on board which was different. While I did end up in J, the purser was nice enough to ask the person seated directly behind DW to switch seats with me so we were as close as possible to each other. I even had an empty seat next to me so DW could come back and visit whenever she wanted.
My 2 J seats, EK J 777
Dubai Skyline through the haze
Our flight overall was a very nice. It was a bit turbulent most of the flight, but it really wasn’t too bad. The food was a lot better this time, as it came from Bangkok and not the US.
KSML out of Dubai
We landed a few minutes early and were the first to deplane. We walked though immigration, which was empty, and proceeded to collect our checked bag before making our way out to the rental car counter.
I rented a car with Hertz though since it’s a franchise there’s no earning points on the rental. It took forever for the agent to help me, but at least I didn’t have to wait in line like those who showed up just after me. We were given an automatic Corolla Quest, one level up from what we reserved. They were all sold out so I couldn’t have upgraded even if I’d wanted to.
The drive to Glenhazel was quick and easy. We arrived at our hosts house around 10:15pm, settled in and promptly went to sleep.
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