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new flyer questions

Posted:
26 Jan 2004, 20:46
by candyman
hi every one first time here so hope you can help
in november i am flying from lgw to mco
its my first time in upper class and i want to make the most of the experience
we are a party of 2 adults and a disabled child (plus an 18 month old baby flying without a seat)
i am a very large guy 6'tall and 300 lbs so need the best seats for comfort
is there any advise you can give me 1 about selecting , or requesting seats , if this is possible, and 2 any other tips to make the trip extra special.
our return trip is 1 month later , mid december, in case that has any relevance.
thanks in advance for any help you can offer me.
steve
steve w hickling

Posted:
26 Jan 2004, 23:29
by The_Banking_Scot
Hi candyman,
First of all welcome on board.
The LGW routes are served with the Recaro seats ( not the J2000 seats or suites as on the LHR routes, NOva entertainment system and no on board bar or beauty therapist ( there is a small stand up bar area though by row 9)
I have posted a couple of UC trip reports on another website (yes, I need to post them here also

)
http://vsfan.org/vsforum/viewtopic.php?t=101http://vsfan.org/vsforum/viewtopic.php?t=104The seat map can be found here;
http://www.virginflyer.com/seats.asp?search=yes&pid=4Row 6 ( which I do not think can be prebooked ) is the bulkhead seat at the front.
On the MCO routes rows 11-12 are often given over to PE upgrades ( UC seat but PE service).
I would prebook a Vtouch salon treatment at LGW clubhouse prior to your flight ( I'll try to find out the address) and enjoy the LGW clubhouse
VS use the Delta Crown room at MCO
Have a wonderful trip
Regards
TBS
VS FC Gold

Posted:
27 Jan 2004, 16:18
by candyman
THANKS FOR THE REPLY
as i said i am very new to upper class
>>>you said
I would prebook a Vtouch salon treatment at LGW clubhouse prior to your flight
what do they offer , sorry to be thick
would you recomend the bulk head seats?
please remeber that i am very big and if the seats are narrower that lessons their appeal.
other wise i would think they are better because no one can recline on you
also you mentioned Recaro seats what exactly are they
the only other time i have used virgin , 2000, was in economy and we flew on Maiden voyager, richards first plane i think and boy was it showing its age.
the service was really bad and the food in short supply and not too nice
also as a diabetic i was shoked when they ran out of diet virgin cola!! they said it was because of there being a lot of kids on board.and had no other sugar free drinks to offer me.[:(]
one last question what are the chances of blagging a spare seat at the side of us for the 18 month old ?
any tips to acchieve this ? i only have a red card i am affraid.
hope you dont mind me flying all these questions at you [:I]
thanks again
steve
steve w hickling

Posted:
27 Jan 2004, 20:16
by The_Banking_Scot
Hi candyman,
There are a number of options available at the Vtouch salon; off the top of my head they include;
Haircut,
Back massage
Head massage,
Facials
manicures
As to the bulkhead seat , I was in row 6 on one of the flights to MCO and did not notice any difference. The advantage of the bulkhead seat is there is no seat infront of you if it reclines to reduce the space available to get out. but even in the other rows and the rows in front of you are reclined I have not had a problem.
Seats are 2-2 so you may or may not get a seat next to you available ( as it is a smallish cabin on a busy route I would say it is unlikely).
On all my flights I have always asked for diet cola and have never run out (I would suspect there would be no problem in UC). I might take a bottle of diet coke with me just to be 100% sure for later in the flight ( and then drink it at the destination)
The Recaro seats refer to the manufacturer and are on all the LGW fleet which came from a canceled Alitalia order.
The J2000 and UCS seats are on the LHR fleet.
Regards
TBS
VS FC Gold

Posted:
28 Jan 2004, 01:55
by candyman
thanks so much for the advise
if you could find the number for the booking for vtouch i would be grateful and the good lady thinks it a good idea too!!
and how far in advance do we need to book it
after they ran out of virgin diet cold last time on the out ward we took a giant 3 ltr bottle of diet coke on the inbound
the crew were real funny at first saying things like "we do serve drinks on board sir " when we explained they were really shocked and really looked after me on their flight making sure we never ran out, at one stage i had 3 hostesses offering me a can "just in case" so even in ecconomy then can offer good service if they want too.. we never did open that giant bottle till we got home.
fingers are crossed about the extra seat for the baby but i know now not to be too hopefull.
im told that the food in the lounge at lgw is good too any opinions on that ?
steve
steve w hickling

Posted:
28 Jan 2004, 20:53
by The_Banking_Scot
Hi candyman,
The email address for LGW Vtouch is;
[email protected]The best time to email is in the morning as they close around 1pm.
( A few weeks prior to departure should be mroe than ample)
There is a full range of continental breakfast buffet ( cereal, fruit, pastires, smoothies) to gether with hot food cooked to order ( bacon rolls etc)
Regards
TBS
VS FC Gold

Posted:
28 Jan 2004, 22:36
by candyman
thanks so much banking scott for all your help.
to be honest it is all a bit daunting when doing uc for the first time.
and i real want to make my ladys first ever flight very special, so your help is very much appreciated
steve
steve w hickling