As I mentioned previously, Im currently on a trip with one of my best friends, Matt. Were planning the trip day-by-day, which means Ill be writing the trip report more or less live. Matt will be sharing his thoughts as we go along as well heres his third installment.
Continue reading: Our Late Night Las Vegas Experience In Dubai
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Hate to disagree, but the shower setup in Terminal B is horrible. You mention that it's inconvenient, that doesn't do it justice. I've never been mad after an airport shower, but after my experience there I was so angry the attendant wouldn't even make eye contact with me. Small, no ventilation, poorly designed, certainly NOT fine or adequate for a first class lounge. Please don't sugarcoat your reviews. People use trip reports to make decisions as to how they are going to spend their money and points and need to know where to go and where not to.
One Word comes to mind when I walk through the Dubai airport - BLING!!! Feels like I am in another World. Fascinating. Looking forward to returning to the UAE next month. My new home away from home. Great report Matt!!
So do all First Class passengers get access to the A terminal lounge even if they aren't on the A380? Good to know.
Matt and Lucky,
If you were only going to fly Emirates one way, would you do US-DXB or DXB-US?
@wwk5d -- You have access to all terminals after clearing security, and EK doesn't base lounge access on the departure terminal, so yes you can go to A lounge when departing from B terminal. I recommend it. It's only about a 10 minute walk/train ride.
@Tom -- You'll get Dom Perignon on the ground ex-DXB, and Moet from the US. Moreover, although the A lounge isn't awesome, it's better than the outpost lounges EK operates (which are joint F/J). So maybe DXB? You're fine either way!
@Owen -- They fly A380s out of both terminals. EK17 is an A380.
I guess nameless only on the blog, but not on Twitter/Instagram ("We proceeded to spout off potential destinations and airlines for a few hours until we ultimately decided on our post-Manchester destinations (which will remain nameless for now)")
Did you have to pay for the Sonic Video game? Or was it free?
I must say it would be messed up if you still had to pay for the video game in a lounge for first class.
Loving your trip report. Next month I'm flying solo DFW-DXB with a 3 day stopover, then on to BCN - all on Emirates a380 First, thanks to many of the tips from this blog! I'm curious... how many hours before departure can a passenger check in and access the lounge in DXB?
@Eric. If you base where to go on a trip based on an airport shower, you need to get a grip on your ego.
I must admit I scratch my head when airlines put showers in their lounges, but fail to give them adequete ventilation or drainage, making them a rather pointless activity (you go in as sweaty and rumpled as you go out). I can shower at home, in my modest shower, without such problems (ditto gyms, hotel rooms, etc) but airport lounge showers generally tend to have these types of problems (even in First lounges).
So thanks for the intel @Francisco C, that the EK Terminal A lounge showers are one of the better ones at DXB.
Wow very unimpressed with that Terminal B lounge experience, sounds exactly like the setup at the Virgin Euston lounge in London a decade ago, although they managed to throw the shower mainly running cold but the room being like a sauna into the mix!
Do you know if those travelling in Qantas F (with Oneworld Emerald FWIW) have access to the Terminal A lounge when in transit? Have a MEL-DXB-LHR trip and based on this much prefer the sound of using that setup!
@ Julie -- Presumably you should be able to check in within 12 hours or so and use the lounge really early, if you were so inclined. But I don't think it's worth arriving that early, personally.
Good trip reports so far Matt, although, as a whisky drinking Scotsman I have to correct and say a 45yo Single Malt, or Blend for that matter, is reasonably rare and would be pretty expensive.
Enjoy the rest of the trip, and if you're back on Emirates, try the 21yo Glenfiddich. Goes very well with a creme brûlée!
still trying to figure out this statement "It looks an awful lot like the high limit area of a Las Vegas casino. Right???"
--- I've spent a decent amount of time in high limit rooms. I "guess" the Mansion High Limit area at MGM is pretty large, but most are not that large (or depending on the casino there are 2, 3 or 4 high limit areas...) Don't get me wrong, I LOVE high limit rooms... it's just that most are rather intimate, even if intimate in a rather gaudy way. Though, for fun, "high-limit" rooms at rather "low-brow" casinos can be super fun. Heck, I even got them to serve me (comp, of course) Dom Pérignon while playing at the "the D" casino on Fremont street in Downtown Vegas.