Please use this forum is for Virgin Atlantic trip reports. There is a subforum for other airline reports.
#940954 by SlimpyJones
19 Jan 2018, 13:38
Ground Staff
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Seat
Cabin Crew
Firstly, apologies for taking so long on this one. I’ve been away for most of Christmas and given the size my trip reports tend to be, writing them out on the phone would have given me RSI.

Quick review of the RAK Hotel

After a week relaxing in the UAE it was time to head home. For those who didn’t catch my outbound, this was our Upper Class return journey after a week in the Hilton Ras Al Khaimah Resort and Spa. A much needed week in the sun for my friends and I who had been waiting for this one for most of 2017.

December truly was the perfect time to go. For 6 of our 7 days in the resort we were treated to perfectly clear blue skies. Temperatures never went above the mid-20s and the evenings were cool enough to walk around in your day clothes.

ImageNext time I want one of those beach houses to the right!

I had stayed in the RAK Hotel myself before, so this was my second time back. Overall, I am a huge fan. The resort is very tranquil. The staff are lovely and the food is superb. We were on an All Inclusive package and whilst for some that would conjure up images of bottom-of-the-barrel food scrapings, well-drinks and diluted cocktails, we were repeatedly (and pleasantly) surprised by the high quality of food that was available for those on pre-paid packages. Our choices were somewhat limited though; since my last visit two years prior a number of restaurants at the far end of the resort had closed for refurbishment, meaning there were only two restaurants available, along with the buffet.

ImageI can’t remember exactly what kind of curry this was, but it was delicious!

The hotel also comes with a Virgin Holidays rep who has been at the hotel for a number of years. She helped us book a day-trip to the Dubai Mall, and for me personally, a boat tour excursion that took me into Oman for the day.

Image

Image

ImagePictures from the boat tour. More available on request!

There had also been some big improvements to the wifi. On my last visit, wifi was limited to the lobby only or for an hour a day in your room if you had purchased a special VH package. Now, wifi was available throughout, and even allowed me to video-call my lady back home. All in all, the stay was excellent and my party would be happy to stay again.

Last day…

The morning before our departure saw us greeted with notes to say that our transfers would depart at 6:30am for our 11:25am flight. After our less-than-great transfer from the airport a week prior, we all had our fingers crossed for something a little more pleasant than the minibus we had before. We toyed a little with the idea of upgrading to the private transfer to the airport, but alas the opportunity never arose. We promised ourselves that next time we would spend the little extra!

And so the morning began at 5:15am. Owing to some lingering jetlag I neglected to pack the night before and so had to do so in the morning. My first job was to check Flightradar24 to check the status of our inbound plane. Bingo, G-VNYC was somewhere over Turkey and operating without delays. We were to be carried home by the same bird that took us on holiday, meaning we were due to have a reconfigured A330 cabin with 1-1-1 seating. A first for me as well, so I was very happy to give it a go.

After a quick, but appreciated breakfast consisting mostly of toast, we gathered in the lobby and waited for the call to head to the transfers. Unfortunately our transfer vehicle was the same minibus as last time, flanked by a couple of nice looking cars that were clearly for those who had opted for the private transfer.

At DXB

For all our worries about the transfer, we were actually rather surprised. The journey took around an hour and a half, and there were no additional stops at other hotels to make along the way. We pulled up at Terminal 1 pretty much spot on 8am. The night before we divided up our remaining Dirhams for tips, some for the cleaners, and some for the taxi driver for this morning. He seemed surprised at our tip. Perhaps he wasn’t expecting one, even though it was the equivalent of £2 he seemed happy. And so with empty pockets we headed to the Terminal.

ImageVS Check-in desks at Area 1

The Upper and Premium lines were both occupied by single passengers, and the Economy lines were beginning to form and snake around the partitions. The chap at the Upper desk seemed to have some problem with his reservation so we were called forward by the lady serving the PE desk. Our bags were easily checked through and our invitations were issued to the Marhaba lounge.

With Area 1 being at the far end of the terminal, it was a long walk to get through to security. Fortunately the line was short, though we were held up by a lady covered in jewelry who repeatedly set off the metal detector. She was sent back to the end of the queue and so we managed to jump ahead and went through cleanly. Exit immigration was even quieter and even though I was the first to be sent to a counter, my friends were seen to more quickly and so I was the last one out!

A short shuttle ride later and we emerged in the departure lounge of Concourse D. This was a new area constructed around a year before, so a new experience for me. None of us were particularly enthused with the Duty Free offerings and so followed the directions to the lounge given on our invitations.

Marhaba Lounge

The Lounge is located on the upper level of departures up an escalator. It is tucked off to the side opposite the BA Lounge, though still easy to find. It looked bright and welcoming and sported a sign for VS Upper Class passengers.

ImageMarhaba Lounge entrance

A warm greeting awaited us at the front desk by ladies who checked our boarding passes and adorned them with a stamp. We were then escorted to a more private area reserved for VS Upper passengers, and I believe First Class passengers for other airlines. There were two VS reps in this area along with Marhaba Lounge staff.

ImageView from the Buffet!

For the moment though I’d like to tip my hat to CommanderB who did this excellent review of the Marhaba Lounge at DXB. So for the curious, I happily refer to Commander’s post which contains many more pictures than I took and a far more comprehensive review.

Before investigating the food and drinks offerings, I was desperate for a shower after a very warm coach ride. I found that the lounge itself was also quite on the warm side. My travelling companions didn’t really feel this though, so perhaps it was just me. After inquiring with one of the staff I was escorted to the shower area. After a short wait I was taken through the gents toilets and into the shower room and was showed how it worked. Towels, shampoos and shower gels were provided as one would expect.

The shower was pleasant and helped a bit to make me feel more comfortable. Back in the seating area, food offerings were still in the breakfast phase, so chicken sausages, scrambled eggs and turkey bacon were the primary affair this morning. There were also some cold offerings in the form of sandwiches, hummus, carrot sticks, that sort of thing. I didn’t really have too much of an appetite and wanted to save my stomach for the meals on board.

The food offerings were tasty, and I flitted between the table my group were at and the private booths (see Commander’s thread for some pictures of those) so I could read my book a little.
The Marhaba lounge is certainly “up there” among the better of the shared lounges VS use, especially with regards to the service provided. It is clear that Virgin want to make a good impression with their soft product, even if the hard product provided is not up there with the usual Clubhouse standards. The staff were friendly and always happy to assist, so I would be glad to return.

10:30am rolled around and we were just shy of an hour to go until departure. Our gate had been called as D9.

We decided to head out of the lounge and back onto the concourse, partly to stretch our legs and partly to search for our gate. I was happy at the prospect of some cooler air!
We thanked the lounge staff and went back down the staircase. As it happens little exploration was needed as D9 was the first one that we saw!

ImageOn time!

The waiting area was busy. After our rather noisy outbound flight I decided to do a quick “baby check” which consisted of walking around the waiting area and checking for babies. Early indications showed not as many as our outbound! And we certainly hoped for none or very few in Upper. After reporting my findings, I took a shot of Uptown Girl out of the large windows.

ImageG-VNYC waiting to take us home

The gate has two separate entrances to the jetbridges, with Upper Class passengers boarding through D9 and Premium and Economy passengers boarding through D10. Boarding began at 10:45 with priority boarding enforced quite well.

A stink in the air

And so on we got. The greeting as I boarded was distant and impersonal with no eye contact, though in fairness the cabin crew lady at the door was on one of the internal phones.

This was my first time in a reconfigured A330. Although I was never a particularly open critic of the old Dream Suite it is a marked improvement for sure. The similarities between the new cabin and the dreamliner are striking! The cabin was fresh and new as expected, having been refitted a few months prior.

The first thing that hit me though was quite a strong smell of perfume. The source of which I could not place. It was a little overpowering and I hoped that it would die down before the doors were closed.

Nonetheless, the three of us headed for our seats. I had chosen a middle seat 5G, so that I could talk to my companions, in 4K and 5K. The seat map was a little deceptive though as they were not quite aligned as I expected them to be. I should have chosen 6G. Oh well! We could still chat easily enough.

First impressions of the crew were good as champagne was offered and accepted. The cabin was also a lot fuller than I expected it to be. When I checked us in in the morning is was showing as maybe 2/3rds full with most of the G-seats empty. Two babies were also in our company as well. I crossed my fingers for their quiet obedience. Quiet obedience however did not come from the group of ladies off to my right who were rather chatty and loud. I managed to spy the boarding pass of the lady next to me, and it looked as though she had been upgraded from Economy. Still, perhaps they were excited for Upper Class having scored an upgrade. They negotiated a seat swap with a gentleman in 6K and I prayed that they would leave me alone and not ask me to swap too. Fortunately, they heeded and I remained in my chosen seat.

Doors closed

With ten minutes until departure the doors were shut with 238 on board. Slightly fewer than my outbound but still a healthy load. The Captain came on to announce a flight time of 7 hours, 45 minutes with a small air traffic delay of 5 minutes which prevented our immediate pushback. Despite that we were promised a smooth flight with little turbulance expected.
First impressions of the new seat were good. The IFE screen was clear and responsive and up to the standard of the Dreamliners. I would browse the contents later on!

ImageView from 5G

Pushback came at 11:25, right on time. A long, long taxi ride followed and we were finally airbourne at 11:50.

The seatbelt sign was quickly extinguished and I decided to get up for a wander around, and got this shot of the new bar.

ImageThe new bar. Unused by me on this occasion!

Start of service

The menus followed, which had the new December cycle. These menus though were for the VS401 only, but I will relay their contents anyway for the curious.

Starters
Roasted tomato soup
Dukkah coated labneh balls and salad (v)
Salmon Gravadlax
Served with warm breads

Mains
Beef fillet in balsamic jus
Pan-fried Cod
Moroccan chickpea salad & roasted chicken
Creamy spinach and goats cheese linguine (v)

Pudding
Strawberry and rhubarb crumble
Flourless chocolate cake

Cheese course
Bresse blue
Red Leicester
Brie

Extra Bites
Choice of sandwiches - Tomato & mozzerella with pesto, beef brisket and harissa mayonnaise, smoked salmon and cream cheese
Selection of cakes - Dark chocolate brownie, pistachio baklawa diamond, fresh strawberry tart
Scones
Traditional burger
Mozzarella and onion tart
Fried chicken dumpling and salmon fishcake

The cabin crew then began their rounds taking drinks orders, with my order coming with a welcome back, which was nice. I went with a Port, which has become my firm favourite in recent trips! My friend and I were also curious about the Wifi.

I had never previously ventured into the world of in-flight connectivity, but both of us were tempted by the “Messaging Pass” package, which came with no data cap, but a connection presumably throttled to allow only enough bandwidth to exchange messages on WhatsApp, for example. It was priced at a sensible £2.99 for the duration of the flight. I was keen to chat with my lady waiting for me at home so I went for it, as did my friend.

However our initial attempts to connect failed completely, even after successfully paying. We were both a little annoyed so asked passing Cabin Crew for help who advised us that the early stages of the flight often have a lot of people trying to connect, so in our case patience would be a virtue and we’d get on eventually. True to her word we both eventually got through the teething problems.

Feeling accomplished I settled down to watch “Back” starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb. VERA had a couple of episodes and it was quite funny to watch.

Time to eat!

Dinner orders were taken around two hours in, and I was intrigued by the labneh cheese balls as they sounded quite Arabic and I was keen to continue my culinary adventure. For the mains I opted for the slightly more Western roast chicken. To accompany I went with a French chardonnay.

My continuing impressions of the crew were that they were friendly, functional and happy to help. Unfortunately there was no time for a personal introduction for anyone by the FSM.
I’ve had good meals on some of my recent Upper Class flights. Note ‘good’, not exceptional but good and satisfying. What was presented to me for my starter blew away any recent good form. Dear reader, I hereby present to you one of the worst starters I have ever been presented, in the air or on the ground.

ImageHorrible

Yep, that is a single, small ball of cheese sitting on top of a couple of soggy old tomato quarters with wilted lettuce underneath. Note “labneh balls” in the menu above, with “balls”, plural.

My heart sank as I gave the cheese ball a little poke. And that was the only interaction I had with it. My relationship with this meal ended right there. It just wasn’t going to work out. My bread was stale, too. I sat there dejected while around me my co-flyers were tucking into their starters. Fortunately only around five minutes passed before cabin crew began collecting the empty plates around me. I’m glad they were so swift!

The lady serving my side came to collect mine. I started with an “Erm….” which prompted her to look at my full bowl, to which she remarked “Oh no…”
Oh no indeed! I told her I thought it looked horrible and asked if they had any of the salmon instead.
She replied with an emphatic yes.

As she cleared it away she remarked that whilst she was preparing it she thought it looked awful too. I asked her to take my stale bread away as well.

She returned very quickly later with a plate of the salmon gravadlax, which was a huge improvement and raised my spirits. Looks like I would be eating after all!

ImageSalmon Gravadlax. Much, much better!

Thankfully, the salmon was very good and I was looking forward to my main.

ImageRoast chicken & chickpea salad

The chicken was up there in the ranks of “very good” along with it’s salmon predecessor. I was much happier and glad that my meal service was salvaged! That being said, there was no way I was going to let that starter slide and was determined to write to Virgin with a picture once I got home.

My friends seemed happy with their meals, with one having the chicken, and another having the beef. I plucked for the crumble for dessert, which came with a vanilla custard of sorts. It was, like the rest of my dishes, very tasty. My friends had the chocolate cake and seemed very happy with them.

ImageStrawberry and rhubarb crumble

Cheese and Port followed and I was quite full and satisfied. And also relieved following the earlier… mishap with my starter.

Chatty Man

I was beginning to think that the group of ladies I mentioned earlier were off-duty cabin crew. One of the senior cabin crew working in Upper was very friendly with them in particular, often stopping by for a chat and exchanging stories. My suspicions were confirmed when they were discussing heading to Orlando and working over Christmas.

The perfume smell that I noticed on my way in reappeared, and it was really quite strong. It seems that the senior cabin crew in question was “spraying his new cologne” for the off-duty ladies he was chatting to. At this point his behaviour really started to grate on me, as unsurprisingly the smell of his perfume spread throughout the cabin, given all air is recycled.
Now, normally I have no problem at all with crew chatting to off-duty colleagues but it must not come at the detriment of other passengers on board. Whilst I wanted for nothing it did make the rest of us feel a little neglected as his attention was clearly elsewhere. Fortunately shortly after dinner service the ladies made their way to the bar where he entertained them there instead.

Half way there

With three and a half hours to go we were passing over northern Turkey, and the view out of the door windows was good.

Image

One thing I noticed was the difference in lighting between the cabins. Upper and Premium had their lights off entirely, while Economy was still fully mood-lit with windows open. I would later find out on a subsequent flight that this was because service took longer in the Economy cabin and therefore the lights stayed on for longer. Made perfect sense to me! Though why airlines (Virgin is no exception) insist on darkening the cabin immediately after service is something that really winds me up. For a flight that leaves late morning and arrives mid-afternoon there is no need to encourage passengers to sleep. Perhaps there is some other reason though.

My stomach was starting to rumble a bit so I browsed the extra bites menu. I was intrigued by the chicken dumplings and fishcakes as I had not seen those on the menu before. I ordered some and was not disappointed. They were delicious and instantly decided that I would order another portion, a little later on though!

ImageChicken dumplings with Salmon fishcakes. Yum!

I had a little play around with some of the games on offer, and was saddened to find that my favourite Sudoku game had been removed. In fact all of the number-puzzles had been removed from the system. Which was a bit disappointing.

With three hours to go we were approaching Romania, which my Romanian girlfriend was interested to hear about. I tried taking some pictures of her home city with my phone, but the clouds had rolled in, so no luck on that front!

I was interested to see that the Wifi package that I’d bought - intended for messaging only, actually allowed me to browse emails, FlightRadar24, and even stream music! The news sites were a little harder to navigate owing to the large amount of pictures and video content that my connection didn’t quite allow. Still, it was fun using Flightradar to see who else was around us! As is often the case the crew were fairly scarce for the second half of the flight, with the occasional visit from the FSM (who had been largely elsewhere, perhaps in PE) and a couple of other crew who walked the floor.

Nearly home

With 90 minutes to go, we were over Prague and the crew began to offer some of the Extra Bites options. I fulfilled my earlier decision to go with another round of dumplings, which I accompanied with a cup of tea. Strange that even though the cabin was coming to life, the lights remained firmly off. Where was the famous Virgin mood-lighting?? :-P
As we were on an All-Inclusive package with the hotel, we were all adorned with grey wristbands for the duration of the week. However these were the type of wristband that can only be tightened, not loosened. Over the course of the week mine had become annoyingly tight, and so I inquired with one of the crew if they had any scissors on board to help us remove our wristbands.

The senior cabin crew gentleman (who had finished entertaining the off-duty crew) returned with the scissors from the emergency kit! He explained that these were used for removing clothes and cutting baby umbilical cords!! They made light work of our wristbands, and whilst it felt as though we had lost a limb we were relieved to have our wrists back! The huge cutting implement garnered quite a bit of interest from the rest of the cabin…

Finishing up

With around 30 minutes to go we had passed Amsterdam and were about to begin our descent. Hot towels were distributed. My final thoughts were that we had a good crew who were let down a little by the senior member who’s attention was clearly not where it should be. The flight itself though was fine, the seatbelt sign did not come on once! Food was very good despite the awful starter which went back.

The Captain came onto the PA at 15:20 UK time to announce that there would be a ten minute delay and that we would be landing at 15:40, which was our scheduled arrival time anyway! We descended to 16,000ft and started a small holding pattern above Romford. We approached from the East and finally touched down at 15:47, just behind schedule. After a short taxi we pulled up at Gate 18 five minutes later.

Immigration and home time

We arrived at immigration to find that it was utterly rammed with a whole SIX people in front of us. We eventually made it through after an agonising two minute wait. Baggage claim was even worse as we had to wait a sickening five minutes for our bags to arrive. Unbelieveable!! :-D

This meant that despite our delay in arriving we were able to meet our pre-arranged taxi driver at 16:15 right on time who was waiting for us outside arrivals.
And off home we went! Overall a really pleasant and relaxing week. The flight home was good, with a couple of service snags that prevented it, in my eyes at least, from being great.
To follow up though, I sent an email to Virgin re: the starter and senior cabin crew individual. I received a reply a couple of days later apologising for both issues and was given 10,000 miles by means of apology. I just hope that the feedback was sent to the right places!

Thanks for reading!
#940956 by CommanderB
19 Jan 2018, 16:35
Excellent TR Slimpy, as expected! Glad you had a good trip.

Thanks for the shoutout! Happy the lounge lived up to the high expectations of V-Flyer.

Funnily enough, you ended up in the same seat, on the same aircraft that I had on my last Op-Up from DXB > LHR!
#940957 by pjh
19 Jan 2018, 16:39
What an excellent Trip Report. In one fell swoop it has both;

- made me very envious
- saved me £££££££ as I felt like I was taking the flight with you :)

Still not convinced I would enjoy Dubai, though the boat trip to Oman looked like it could be fun.

Paul
#940958 by hiljil
19 Jan 2018, 16:57
Thank you for an enjoyable and detailed TR. I too have nearly experienced death by asphyxiation due to overuse of aftershave by cc ! :-O
#940959 by marshy11
19 Jan 2018, 19:00
Oh my goodness, didn't I gorge on that TR....

I'm on the fence with PJH; Dubai isn't my "go to".

Hopefully the perfume wasn't too off-putting for you. Good result on the miles.
#941127 by tomthumb
23 Jan 2018, 21:15
Wow - brilliant TR and engrossed throughout, thanks for the hard work
Virgin Atlantic

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 26 guests

Itinerary Calendar