Abu Dhabi to JFK
EY103
A380
03:35a- 09:15a scheduled
04:23a-09:49a actual
July 27th, 2016
First Class
Seats 3A and 4AAfter boarding was finally announced we got moving; onto the jetbridge and a right onto the upper-deck where Business and First class is located we were greeted by the Food and Beverage manager Eren who did a phenomenal job that day and brought us to our seats.
For the ones wondering why we chose seats 3A and 4A, there is a simple answer: They have a "shield" (as OMAAT calls it) that can be lowered for people traveling together, thus connecting the beds and turning it into somewhat of a double bed.
Layout of the upperdeck with us in 3A/4A (bottom left) and the bar (bottom right)While some such as Herschelsdeals (I still love you ) didn't find the seat to be too comfortable due to it not leaning back fully, I quite enjoyed it and did not find that to be an issue as I was easily able to put my feet up on the bed/sitting areaIllustrating the easily accessible sitting area to put your feet up on and the unbelievably big flat screen at 24 inches. Being that it was way past 4 am and we were both a) exhausted and b) had to go to work after we landed in the AM, we wanted to make sure to get some shuteye and thus asked Eren to promptly get the beds ready for us.
Ready to goHanging out before I hit the snooze button"A day without a nap is like a cupcake without frosting"We were actually able to get a good 5 hours of sleep in before I woke up (and woke her in the process as well
). Being that it was just a weird time and not quite night yet not quite morning we decided to go for some breakfast "light". Coffee, some cereal and fruit which was all excellent. I then decided to check out the bar area. Nothing too special that I would waste my time with other then to get a quick stretch. Nothing -
seemingly- compared to the Bars that Emirates and/or Qatar offer.
I was then ready to go for my shower. Because how could you not take a shower at 38,000 feet if you had that chance. While I have read a lot about people complaining that the shower feels tiny and squeezed in and you basically get wet the moment you turn the water on, I did not feel that way. I felt like I had enough space to get around and the water - to my surprise - was hot right away.
Shower-SelfieWe then went ahead and ordered some more fruit and some mocktails. Man, those were good!
Carribean SunriseSome more fruit and an off the menu mocktail!Topped it off with some peppermint tea while getting ready for landingI then approached Eren as he came around to get us ready for landing and asked if I could take a quick look at the Residence. He was very clear with me that unless the airline approves media or journalists pre-flight, no one is allowed into the residences. ...BUT once the pilot announces that they are getting ready for landing at there are 10 minutes left, the staff MUST open all doors for safety purposes. A quick smirk later and he was gone. I got the hint!
Back in NYGetting ready for SQ25The Middle-East Trifecta!Saying bye to Eren. I do love that white jacket of his!Overall, this was a phenomenal flight. I'd say from the different First Class cabins I have flown so far - in terms of overall (soft and hard product) experience - this was by far the best flight I have been on. FA's, bed, TV, bathroom, service, it all was no lower then a 9/10.
Once we got to our luggage and I waived down the EY stand for my limo service home (which you have to confirm before hand and is soon irrelevant anyways) I was informed that they somehow forgot to send someone for us and that all six other drivers were already taken. After a quick back and forth with the rep in charge they did call a local car service company they use and issued us a voucher for our trip home. While I was happy it worked out, it isn't a big deal for someone like me as I live 15 minutes from JFK. But the limo service is tremendous for some passengers that live in New Jersey or Connecticut which isn't so rare as we had 2 passengers going to New Jersey with their respective drivers.
Sadly this was the end of our honeymoon and our vacation and just 2 hours after landing I was logged back in to my work computer to get to business as usual. However it was a tremendous trip with lots of fun activities, great weather and some fantastic new experiences I got to enjoy. If there is one thing I'd like people to take away from this it is: the Thai People. You don't need a fancy flight or a top notch hotel to enjoy Thailand. The people there are just so friendly, inviting and warm that it makes for a fantastic trip on a cultural as well as a inter-personal level and of course it helps that things there are relatively cheap.
Thanks for all the feedback, it is after all what kept me going!
The end!