World Traveller 73 
Alaska Airlines offers among the most frequencies of service from the mainland United States to the Islands of Hawaii. When they do, it’s exclusively on their Boeing 737 narrow body aircraft. This means that First Class travel is on a recliner seat, over some of the other mainline carriers like United or American that offer business class pods or perhaps a fully flat seat. Despite Alaska Airlines’ convenience of multiple flights a day, is the fact that you’re travelling first class on a medium haul narrowbody aircraft really noticeable ?
This post is one chapter on our trip on the United Island Hopper and to Oahu & Kauai, Hawaii, United States. This trip was redeemed through Alaska Mileage Plan, United Airlines Mileage Plus and Marriott Bonvoy. It was further enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: The United Island Hopper via Honolulu & Kauai, on United Airlines and Alaska Airlines First Class
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Seattle – Honolulu
- The Sheraton Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
- The United Island Hopper – Flight #1: Honolulu – Majuro
- The United Island Hopper – Flight #2: Majuro – Kwajalein
- The United Island Hopper – Flight #3: Kwajalein – Pohnpei
- The United Island Hopper – Flight #4: Pohnpei – Chuuk
- The United Island Hopper – Flight #5: Chuuk – Guam
- The United Island Hopper – Top 5 Tips and Tricks
- The Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort, Guam
- The Sagan Bisita VIP Lounge, Guam
- United Airlines: Guam – Honolulu
- Bill’s Sydney, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
- Hawaiian Airlines The Plumeria Lounge, Honolulu, USA
- Hawaiian Airlines First Class: Honolulu – Lihue
- The Sheraton Kauai Resort, Poi’pu, Hawaii, USA
- Visiting Kauai Coffee Estate, Kauai, USA
- The Views at the Waimea Canyon State Park, Kauai, USA
- Sailing the Napali Coast, Kauai, USA
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Lihue – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Alaska Airlines First Class B737-8, Seattle Tacoma International Airport – Daniel K. Inouye International Airport Honolulu
After arriving to Seattle Tacoma International Airport on Alaska Airlines First Class Vancouver – Seattle, and killing off a layover at the American Express Centurion Lounge Seattle (courtesy of the American Express Platinum Card) we packed up from the Centurion Lounge over in the B Gates and started the walk and train over to the N Gates.
We made an attempt to get into the brand new Alaska Lounge Seattle for our second visit but Alaska doesn’t recognize upgraded First Class space (or U fares) as valid for entry in Alaska Lounge, even on international itineraries starting in Canada unlike United Airlines. With only thirty minutes left prior to boarding, we waited out the rest of the time at Gate N13.
Alaska Airlines
AS 853 – First Class (U)
SEA – HNL (SeaTac International Airport – Honolulu)
January 27, 2020
5:45 PM – 10:05 PM
Booked: Boeing 737-800
Flown: Boeing 737-800
On Board Alaska Airlines First Class:
Eventually, it came time to board. We boarded in a busy boarding group of First Class and MVP Golds and settled into Seat 1A and 1C. Alaska Airlines First Class on the Boeing 737-800 is set up in a 2 – 2 configuration in three rows of first class totalling twelve seats.
Unlike most shorter Alaska Airlines First Class flights, we had a menu waiting for us at our seats, along with the usual bottle of Dasani bottled water. We also had a small Alaska Airlines blue blanket waiting for us; something that is unique to the Hawaii service as I haven’t seen it on any other mainland medium or long haul routes.
We had one of the older “original” aircraft today with the aboriginal tapestry wall liner. Waiting at the seat was the usual bottle of Dasani water and an Alaska branded blanket.
One of the main drawbacks of the Alaska First Class seat configuration is that there is no where to actually store many items. Aside from a seat map pocket which is shared between the seats in the bulkhead, there isn’t much storage location for phones, passports or spaces to charge devices. This ended up being cameras stacked on top of laptop bags, with charging devices and phones stacked on top of the bags. Still, this is probably one of the most notable differences between flying a narrow body aircraft compared to a larger aircraft.
Pre – Departure Services:
It was a bit of a process getting going today with several non revenue passengers coming on at the last minute, followed by some on board seat swaps. Since we were seated in 1A and 1C, we had a prime view of all of this.
During this time, a pre-departure beverage was offered of sparkling mai tai which was premixed from a tetra pack. The Alaska Pre-Departure Beverage seems to be hit and miss unlike the other major US carriers. I certainly don’t say no when it’s offered…
We had the usual departure flight time announcements with an announced flight time of 5 hours and 55 minutes flying time.
Alaska Airlines doesn’t normally offer a printed menu in First Class unless you happen to be on the Hawaiian Service routes. We settled in with the menus for the evening as we departed on runway 34/16 with minimal wait.
Since the printed menus aren’t completely regular, Alaska Airlines publishes it’s drink offerings in the on board Alaska Airlines Beyond magazine. The menus are typically found at the back of the magazine. Today’s flight offered Browne Family Vineyards wine, along with a selection of liquors and Pacific Northwest Craft Beers.
We had a bumpy ride out with expected turbulence announced for the first 2 hours of the flight. Indeed, it was slow going and the meal service did not start until 7:30 PM or an hour and forty five minutes into the flight.
The Meal: A Dinner
We started with a limp towel service, followed by a drink service. I asked for the chardonnay which was advertised as Browns’ but I suspect was something else entirely since it tasted different from the Browns’ that we usually collect at Costco, Bellingham, WA. We never saw the bottle since the drinks are poured in the galley.
I have found Alaska Airlines meal portions tend to be a little bit on the small side. We started with a creamy ginger carrot bisque followed by a mixed salad with balsamic vinaigrette. The soup was great, although smaller portioned, where as the salad looked like it had a bad day in the office and was ready to get home for the evening.
This was followed by the main, the roasted pomegranate glazed chicken. I had pre-ordered this on the Alaska Airlines App a few days before the trip as I’ve had bad luck generally of airlines running out of my first choice lately. It was a reasonable, if not eclectic taste. MrsWT73 opted for a pre-order of the cheese plate as a meal, which she enjoyed.
We finished the meal with Salt and Straw Handmade Ice Cream which was really tasty; Beecher’s Cheese and Peppercorn Toffee. It was to die for… It was a solid upgrade on the dessert offering.
In Flight Entertainment: A Tablet
Alaska passes out Tablets’ in first class for movies on its Hawaii flights. There are no in seat back monitors and there are no holders for the tablets in the seat configurations. The balance of the tablets are made available to rent for the remaining passengers, although they don’t cater enough for the entire flight. I wouldn’t plan on relying on this for entertainment if you were riding in economy class.
I settled into the Hobbs and Shaw movie along with a final Gin and Tonic with lime. The tablet was a nice touch since but the neck down wards angle view was a little uncomfortable for me after a while.
The cabin was prepared well early for the descent into Honolulu. The crew were clearing things about 45 minutes in advance of our planned arrival.
We had a straight in landing into Honolulu at gate E6. As we stepped off, we saw that the plane was being turned around to depart for Anchorage Alaska. We located our bags and headed off into Honolulu.
We would transfer over to The Sheraton Waikiki for a four night stay. I would set off on the United Island Hopper while MrsWT73 would enjoy the comforts of the hotel while I was away.
The Bottom Line: Alaska Airlines First Class Hawaii Service
All in all, Alaska First Class is a nicer way to get to Hawaii than being seated in the back in economy. It’s a reasonable First Class service; you’ll get fed, have drinks available and probably be entertained through a movie. However, you won’t ever mix up this flight with any wide body service where there’s ample space to move around or advanced entertainment systems or deluxe catering. I would also expect for those that like to work or be productive during the flight, that it is a balancing act since there is a lack of storage space in these seats. It’s still an enjoyable way to get to Hawaii.
If you fly from the mainland to Hawaii, is Alaska Airlines part of the airlines you’d consider flying (instead of American or United) ?
As a Vancouver resident, travelling on Alaska Airlines always means a connection in Seattle Tacoma International Airport. While the flight between Vancouver and Seattle is usually on a Bombardier Q400, today we would get the experience of travelling on their newer Embraer 175 aircraft. These Embraer aircraft would later replace their Bombardier Q400 fleet, making this segment a whole lot more comfortable in the future.
This post is one chapter on our trip on the United Island Hopper and to Oahu & Kauai, Hawaii, United States. This trip was redeemed through Alaska Mileage Plan, United Airlines Mileage Plus and Marriott Bonvoy. It was further enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: The United Island Hopper via Honolulu & Kauai, on United Airlines and Alaska Airlines First Class
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Seattle – Honolulu
- The Sheraton Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
- The United Island Hopper – Flight #1: Honolulu – Majuro
- The United Island Hopper – Flight #2: Majuro – Kwajalein
- The United Island Hopper – Flight #3: Kwajalein – Pohnpei
- The United Island Hopper – Flight #4: Pohnpei – Chuuk
- The United Island Hopper – Flight #5: Chuuk – Guam
- The United Island Hopper – Top 5 Tips and Tricks
- The Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort, Guam
- The Sagan Bisita VIP Lounge, Guam
- United Airlines: Guam – Honolulu
- Bill’s Sydney, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
- Hawaiian Airlines The Plumeria Lounge, Honolulu, USA
- Hawaiian Airlines First Class: Honolulu – Lihue
- The Sheraton Kauai Resort, Poi’pu, Hawaii, USA
- Visiting Kauai Coffee Estate, Kauai, USA
- The Views at the Waimea Canyon State Park, Kauai, USA
- Sailing the Napali Coast, Kauai, USA
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Lihue – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Seattle – Vancouver
Review: Alaska Airlines First Class E175, Vancouver International Airport – Seattle Tacoma International Airport
While I have reviewed Alaska’s short hop between Vancouver and Seattle dozens of times before as a regular Alaska Airlines traveller, this would mark the first time that I’d fly the route in their new Embraer 175 aircraft. The route is typically served by the Bombardier Q400 propeller plane and if you’re lucky, their regular mainland Boeing 737 with a proper first class cabin found everywhere through their fleet. Since Alaska Airlines has announced plans to completely retire the Q400 fleet, the flight would be typical of future experiences on this route.
Checking into Alaska Airlines First Class :
Being a noon departure, we had an easier get away from the house. We had a spin through the ever worn for wear Plaza Premium Lounge Vancouver Transborder area. We accessed this lounge courtesy of Priority Pass Select with the American Express Platinunm Card and now the American Express Global Lounge Collection. While I have reviewed this lounge before, I won’t get into it again for this trip.
Unfortunately, the place is really starting to look quite shabby with seat stains and chips out of tables, counters and furniture. Inside the lounge, it was breakfast for me with some quick scrambled eggs, white toast and bacon. Most interestingly enough was that the Sal Y Limon Mexican Bar has finally finished construction across from Starbucks and is open for those departing on afternoon flights in the Transborder area.
While we were in the lounge, I checked on today’s flight situation and our Alaska Airlines First Class Seattle – Honolulu flight was totally oversold with zero’s through all the availability. Hawaii is a popular place to get to in the winter!
We headed down to Gate 90 at Vancouver International Airport. The short Alaska flights to and from Seattle were temporarily upgraded to Embraer 175 over the older Dash 8’s. This meant we actually had a gate to board from, instead of a walk out to the apron. It also meant the disappearance of Alaska’s “A La Carte” self service gate check shelf which was welcomed.
Alaska Airlines
AS 2044 – First Class (U)
YVR-SEA (Vancouver International Airport – SeaTac International Airport)
January 27, 2020
11:40 AM – 12:43 PM
Booked: Embraer 175
Flown: Embraer 175
On Board Alaska Airlines First Class:
We boarded after children, military and those needing extra time to board. The Embraer product is much more comfortable than the Dash 8 with an actual business class seat in a 1 – 2 configuration up front. Similar to other Embraer aircraft, the over head bins are large enough on the right hand size of the aircraft for rolling luggage storage, where as the left side is only small enough for coats and small laptop bags.
Once on board, there was a small Dasani water waiting for us at the seat. This is a pretty standard Alaska Airlines experience.
Food and Beverage:
There isn’t usually service on the short 30 minute flights but perhaps a change with the upgraded equipment, there is also a change in process. Today, as we settled in and while we were on the ground in Vancouver, we were offered a choice of beverage. Today offer was fresh brewed coffee with a free offer of a Bailey’s Liqueur upgrade. Being the start to a holiday, why not? It was better than the offer of Dasani water and nothing else.
Taking off to Seattle:
We were underway quickly behind an Air Canada B787 Dreamliner on runway 08R out of grey Vancouver for the 28 minute flight down to Seattle.
We arrived over Seattle very quickly with a flight time of about twenty six minutes.
Landing into Seattle:
We landed and taxied over to the C Gates in Seattle. We ended up at a group gate and had a ramp pushed up to the plane. As there is no Alaska Airlines ‘A – La – Carte’, there was no waiting around for the carry on luggage to be dispensed, which was appreciated.
We had a 5 hour layover which we ended up killing off at the American Express Centurion Lounge Seattle. Thanks to connecting boarding passes, we were admitted without a wait at the lounge today. It helped that we were after the bank of morning flights and well before the bank of evening flights.
Being that we’ve been through here before without many changes, I didn’t bother taking any new photographs. Well, aside that I decided to have one of these killer beverages earlier than noon…
We would connect onwards to Alaska Airlines First Class Seattle – Honolulu for the rest of our day.
The Bottom Line: Alaska Embraer Service
The Alaska Airlines Embraer service is a far more comfortable and quiet way to hop between cities. We were able to store our luggage on board, and thanks to a proper galley, we actually were offered a hot beverage during our travels. I’ll take the Embraer plane any day over a Q400.
If you fly Alaska Airlines short haul, do you prefer the Embraer over the Bombardier Q400 ?
The United Island Hopper is one of the world’s most unique travel routes. The route hops and skips its way across some of the most isolated islands in the Pacific Ocean. and is among some of the most popular flying for aviation fans that are into plain different routes. This trip outlines how I put together a trip through the United Airlines Island Hopper, along with what I saw along the way.
This post is one chapter on our trip on the United Island Hopper and to Oahu & Kauai, Hawaii, United States. This trip was redeemed through Alaska Mileage Plan, United Airlines Mileage Plus and Marriott Bonvoy. It was further enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: The United Island Hopper via Honolulu & Kauai, on United Airlines and Alaska Airlines First Class
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Vancouver – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Seattle – Honolulu
- The Sheraton Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
- The United Island Hopper – Flight #1: Honolulu – Majuro
- The United Island Hopper – Flight #2: Majuro – Kwajalein
- The United Island Hopper – Flight #3: Kwajalein – Pohnpei
- The United Island Hopper – Flight #4: Pohnpei – Chuuk
- The United Island Hopper – Flight #5: Chuuk – Guam
- The United Island Hopper – Top 5 Tips and Tricks
- The Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort, Guam
- The Sagan Bisita VIP Lounge, Guam
- United Airlines: Guam – Honolulu
- Bill’s Sydney, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA
- Hawaiian Airlines The Plumeria Lounge, Honolulu, USA
- Hawaiian Airlines First Class: Honolulu – Lihue
- The Sheraton Kauai Resort, Poi’pu, Hawaii, USA
- Visiting Kauai Coffee Estate, Kauai, USA
- The Views at the Waimea Canyon State Park, Kauai, USA
- Sailing the Napali Coast, Kauai, USA
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Lihue – Seattle
- Alaska Airlines First Class: Seattle – Vancouver
Trip Introduction: The United Island Hopper via Honolulu and Kauai, Hawaii, United States on United Airlines and Alaska Airlines First Class
Planning the Trip:
Right before the pandemic, in the fall of 2019, MrsWT73 mandated a winter holiday to get out of Vancouver’s wet and, unusually this year, snowy weather. We had previously made good use of our Alaska Two for One Companion Fares for the past four years.
Thanks to MrsWT73’s Alaska MVP Gold status, we’ve also made good use of First Class upgradable fare purchases that allow for an instant upgrade at time of purchase into the First Class cabin with the purchase of a higher class economy fare.
With no set destination in mind for these certificates, I eventually came up with a crazy idea of doing the United Island Hopper nested within an Alaska Airlines Companion Fare to Hawaii. Unlike many other travel bloggers in their twenties, I actually have a full time career that comes with a schedule, parenting responsibilities and other commitments that don’t make it so easy to undertake in such unusually crazy trips. With little convincing, MrsWT73 gave me a 36 hour kitchen pass away from the Honolulu portion of the holiday to do the UA Island Hopper while she stayed on in Honolulu relaxing and taking in some sun.
Planning Flights:
Flights from the Mainland to and from Hawaii
In order to get to Hawaii, for the Alaska Airlines Portion, I searched for available “U” space using Expert Flyer. I eventually found seats on the afternoon flight leaving Seattle for Honolulu. The outbound flight had a 5 hour layover in Seattle. We had American Express Centurion Lounge Seattle access so that dead time was taken care of as comfortably as possible.
For the return, we managed to find Alaska Airlines seats out of Lihue, Hawaii back to Seattle on the overnight with a short 2 ½ hour layover back home to Vancouver, Canada. We used an Alaska Two for One companion fare offer from the Canadian Alaska Airlines Mastercard and immediately confirmed ourselves into First Class at the time of booking on an upgradable fare. I credited these paid flights to Alaska Mileage Plan.
Booking the United Island Hopper:
I booked the United Airlines Island Hopper using United Airlines Mileage Plus points. The United Airlines Mileage Plus points were transferred in from Marriott Bonvoy. Thanks to a generous reciporacal relationship between the two, 120,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points became 55,000 United Mileage Plus points. At the time, there was a fall transfer bonus running which resulted in an additional 17,500 UA miles later awarded as a bonus for a total of 72,500 United Mileage Plus points transferred.
There was ample economy award availability on this route and I booked the United Island Hopper for 27,500 saver economy reward miles at fixed pricing levels before United switched to dynamic pricing.
I booked the return on the non stop United Airlines Guam – Honolulu B777-2 service from Guam back to Honolulu the next day. The round trip economy award came to 55,000 United Mileage Plus miles and $40 CAD in taxes and fees. The revenue price for the ticket was listed at $2,934.54 USD, making an award redemption an excellent value.
Since the United Island Hopper is all about taking in the view, I further secured an Economy Plus seat on the Hopper segment for $59 USD for the full 14 hours. I noticed some variability in the Economy Plus pricing with amounts ranging as low as $59, all the way up to $114 for the same routing and seat. Courtesy of the Marriott Bonvoy Titanium level status, I was an United Mileage Plus Elite Silver. As a United Silver, I had access to free Economy Plus at check in. However, I didn’t fancy being shut out of a window seat for the day. It turned out this was a wise move as there were only a few seats in the middle left in economy plus on my date. If you plan on taking the United Island Hopper, make sure you book your preferred seat well in advance.
Lastly, although the full 5 stop island hopper is only available 2 days a week, I ended up on the 4 stop hopper for schedule purposes, skipping the Kosrae stop in the Federated States of Micronesia. I would have loved to have done all 5 stops, but I also wanted to actually have a restful holiday and not be backtracking all over the place to get back to Honolulu to start the Hopper on one of the 5 stop trips. As a result, I took the shorter version, which was more than enough to experience it. This, I might add, is coming from the perspective of someone who is nearing the million mile mark for lifetime “tail in seat” miles flown and a regular consumer of flown miles for work purposes all throughout sparse Canada. I suppose I could have stopped over on the Micronesia islands for a day or two but also just opted for an out and back return.
Booking inter island travel:
Our flight into Hawaii arrived into Honolulu, Oahu and our flights out were from Lihue, Kauai. As a result, we needed to get from one island to another. I booked us on Hawaiian Airlines First Class Honolulu – Lihue. If you book early enough, the First Class inclusions of Priority Boarding, Free Checked Baggage and Seat Assignment are more than enough to make up for the add ones. We paid $106.19 USD per person for this segment in first class. I credited these paid flights to American Airlines AAdvantage.
In the end, the routing ended up looking like this after it was all put together:
YVR-SEA-HNL (Alaska Mileage Plan Companion Fare 2 for 1)
HNL-MAJ-KWA-PNI-TKK-GUM “The Island Hopper” (United Mileage Plus Award)
GUM-HNL (United Mileage Plus Award)
HNL-LIH (paid)
LIH-SEA-YVR (Alaska Mileage Plus Companion Fare 2 for 1)
Planning Hotels:
In terms of hotels for this trip, we stuck with Marriott Bonvoy properties. This would allow me to start off towards Marriott Bonvoy Eilte status for the next year. We found a paid rate for $281 USD at The Sheraton Waikiki that offered a daily $50 USD food and beverage credit which was a great deal. Thanks to it’s convenient location, it was a great place for MrsWT73 to hang out in comfort while I did the United Island Hopper.
While I was on the United Island Hopper route it was down to the Westin Resort Guam or the Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort. I ended up at the Sheraton Laguna Guam Resort thanks to a softer nightly rate. I paid cash for this room at $264 USD. Sometimes, the Marriott Bonvoy program surprises you and I ended up with a complimentary suite upgrade finding myself in a massive suite courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy Titanium status. I rented a car through Hertz while on Guam and ended up in a small upgrade to a brand new Mazda Three.
For our six days in Kauai, we ended up at The Sheraton Kauai Resort located in Poipu, Kauai. As a Marriott Bonvoy Category 5 hotel, we were able to redeem two free night certificates courtesy of the American Express Marriott Bonvoy credit card, one free night certificate for achieving Marriott Bonvoy Platinum status at 75 paid nights against a hotel up to Marriott Bonvoy 40,000 points. We then redeemed two nights under the regular reward method for 30,000 points per night for 60,000 points. In total, our six night stay was free with the exception of the resort fees which were $30 USD a night at $4.49 USD in taxes for a total of $172.90. We applied Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Awards to the room and were upgraded into a Luxury Ocean Front Room. I rented a car through Hertz while we were on the island and received a large Hertz President’s Circle upgrade to a Chevrolet Impala.
Our points and miles redemption summary:
In summary, we redeemed:
- 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy Points – Sheraton Kauai Resort for 2 nights
- 55,000 United Airlines Mileage Plus miles for the United Island Hopper – round trip
- An Annual Alaska Two for One Companion Voucher for round trip Alaska Airlines Airfare Vancouver to Hawaii
I hope you’ll join us on our last trip before the global pandemic shut everything down worldwide only thirty days after we finished this trip.
If you have flown the United Island Hopper, how did you put it all together and did you stop anywhere on the way ?
British Airways largest aircraft is the beautiful Airbus 380-800 series which it deploys on select routes, including the seasonal route of London – Vancouver in the summer months. The aircraft replaced upwards of three Boeing 747 flights a day between the two cities. While we’ve flown this route in British Airways First Class many times, this would be our first try in the highest density business class cabin in their Club World offering. How would their crowded business class cabin compare?
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Review: British Airways Club World Business Class Airbus 380-800, London Heathrow Terminal Three – Vancouver International Airport
While I’ve taken British Airways between Vancouver and London Heathrow on several occasions, it was the first time I’ve taken this particular flight in British Airways Club World business class. If you happen to be interested in what this route looks like in First Class, please see my review of British Airways First Class London – Vancouver.
My usual reward redemptions on this route have been in British Airways First Class as a result of much more supply on reward availability for First Class. First class is much more highly priced under the BA Avios program. As a result, the business class reward availability seems to be quickly consumed, leaving First Class to everyone else in the North American frequent flier programs where the premium isn’t as steep. I had redeemed this flight in American Airlines AAdvantage program for this journey and since I was travelling for both myself and my son, we stayed in business class where there were seats available on the weekend returning to school.
We arrived earlier in the day on British Airways Club Europe Dublin – London. After visiting the Cathay Pacific London Heathrow Lounge, the gate was posted at 1620 hrs. We were assigned Gate 42, which is one of the furthest most gates in Terminal 3. We had a long walk with the moving escalators.
The boarding process was remarkably civilized. Today’s passengers actually listened to the announcements and we didn’t have a crush at the A380 gate. The first boarding group was group 1, followed by extra time to board, followed by group 2; which was us as American AAdvantage Airlines business class ticket holders.
There was a bit of a confusing Door A vs Door B process immediately after the boarding pass scan. This clogged up the boarding process a little bit. We ended up boarding through Door A on the jet bridge which led to the upper deck.
British Airways
BA 85 – Club World (U)
LHR – YVR (London Heathrow Terminal 3 – Vancouver International Airport)
September 1, 2019
5:20 PM – 6:50 PM
Booked: Airbus 380-8
Flown: Airbus 380-8
On Board British Airways Club World:
On board, we turned left and found ourselves immediately in 53K / 53J on the upper deck of the Airbus 380. The British Airways Club World Business Class configuration is a high density configuration consisting of seating that is 8 across; the highest density Airbus 380 cabin in the world. The British Airways Airbus 380 Club World configuration serves a total of 97 flat bed seats in Club World in the space of approximately 75% of an Airbus Deck. The next closest is Singapore Airlines, which seats 86 seats across an entire upper deck. In third place is Emirates’ Airbus 380 with 76 seats; a full 21 seats less. While this was a reward flight, i wasn’t too bothered by this. However, if I was paying full fare for business class, I would probably be picking a carrier that offered much more space in business class. Air Canada Signature Business Class is an example of a much more spacious product that is serving the same international route.
The seats in British Airways Club World 53K and 53J were ultimately great seats being right at the back of the upper deck business class cabin, with no one on one side of you. Unfortunately, they were also the seats that got served last, so we missed the first choice of appetizer when it came to meal service.
There was lots of storage space in the cabin with the curve of the fuselage. WT73Jr ended up storing his HMW music posters in this spot so that they could get back to Vancouver completely crinkle free.
The British Airways cabin is very dense with over 8 seats across the cabin. It is the most dense business class cabin out there in comparison to the other Airbus 380 carriers ahead of Singapore Airlines and Emirates. The British Airways seat itself is good, although it is quite narrow at 20 inches of width. This is only a few inches wider than their World Traveller Plus economy plus seating which offers a 17.5 inch width
In terms of the environment, the seats face each other when the central screen is lowered. It would be awkward travelling with someone else but with a partner they are alright. The tricky part is the balancing act of getting in and out and having all your dishes served over the aisle person.
Pre-Departure Services:
We were offered a pre -departure beverage of champagne Canard Duchene Cuvee Leonine Brut NV, which was served in a regular wine glass.
The pre-departure beverage was followed by amenity kit distribution. The amenity kits were also recently upscaled from the smaller White Company pouches that we have under the cupboard at home. The new The White Company kits were more substnatial and robust.
We were also offered a towel service prior to getting underway.
We had a 50 minute delay getting over to the runway for IT issues at the ground agent computers not matching up with the in flight manifest (or so they said).
Departing London Heathrow:
We had a departure from London Heathrow on runway 28. As the British Airways Club World Cabin offers seats facing forward and backwards, being in a window seat, I ended up in a seat facing towards the rear of the plane. It was bizarre to be flying backwards. It was my first actual time doing so in a business class cabin. It wasn’t really noticeable after you get going.
Our flight track immediately took us north over London’s Luton and north towards York and Scotland.
The British Airways Club World menus were dropped off once we were airborne. The British Airways Club World offered a decent three course meal with interesting but not overly exciting options. The business class menu offered one less course than the four course menu in British Airways First Class.
We also had a reasonable wine list where the highlight of the day was the champagne. The menu featured the Cellars in the Sky Award for the Best Business Class Cellar for that year.
I had a Cranberry Blush drink order prior to the meal service. It was served in the recently upscaled beverage glasses.
The Meal: A Lunch
It was a very slow start to the meal service which didn’t get underway until 7:40 PM GMT which was 2 ¼ hours after the scheduled departure time of 5:20 PM. I was not sure whether this was intentional, a mistake or just away of stretching out the flight. I was really hungry by this point and I was glad that I had ate lots of snacks in the lounge.
In a more favourable light, British Airways has recently upscaled the crockery on board. It does make a nicer touch to the service. We did happen to have some of the mixed fleet crews with both junior and senior crews. I had to ask for every refill today, which was not impossible, just a bit irritating since the drink pours are so thimbleful tiny.
The first course was Carrot and coriander soup. The first choice of Scottish salmon was all spoken for by the time they reached my row.
The main was seared fillet of British beef with Lyonnaise potatoes, sautéed chestnut mushrooms, shallot and rosemary sauce with Cycles Gladiator Cabernet Sauvingon 2016, Central Coast, California, USA. We had thankfully pre-ordered this in advance from the main BA website and they didn’t run out.
Warm mixed nuts and dulce de leçhe flan… it was okay and was to be expected for an airplane desert, although the sauce presentation was a nice touch.
The still water offered on board is now by Harrogate .”the original British spa town since 1571″.
Strangely, there was no clearing of the plates or crockery when glasses went empty. . As a result, I had 2 wine glasses and 2 water glasses scattered around me at the end of the meal service. I think this was a result of perhaps a lack of co-ordination by the crew.
We were well past Iceland by the time we were all done dinner or at about 9:10 PM GMT, or about 4 hours into the flight. The cabin was turned down and rendered mostly dark.
In Flight Entertainment:
I ended up poking around the in flight movies, which were much more modern than their dated British Airways Boeing 747 models that used to feature a relic entertainment systems. I ended up with the typically Hollywood British Notting Hill “I’m just a girl,, standing in front of a boy”.
I ended up making up my own (and WT73Jr’s) bed since the staff didn’t seem to be around all that much. In terms of sleep quality, the cabins were quite warm; I would almost describe them as hot.
I ended up sleeping for about 5 hours or right through the second service. I don’t think I missed that much, the second service didn’t look all that too appealing. Having had a pretty dismal second service on this route in First Class, I ended up valuing the sleep more than the light snack which usually isn’t more than a few bites.
Arriving to Vancouver International Airport:
We arrived into Vancouver on runway R28, with a very short taxi to the International Terminal and the usual British Airways Vancouver gate near the British Airways Galleries Lounge Vancouver in the international concourse.
After we had gotten off the aircraft, there was no secondary tonight by the kind Canada Border Services Agency officer in the Nexus lane who didn’t wave us in for a customs examination of any “food, plants, or animals, or derivatives from plants or animals”. Our imported souvenir Irish chocolate passed without any issue. Aside from some minor A380 crowding mayhem at the baggage claim belt (that was designed prior to large capacity Airbus 380 aircraft), it was otherwise a pretty non eventful arrival.
We were kindly picked up by MrsWT73 and taken home for some luggage sorting prior to turning in for the evening at home in our bed after three weeks of being on the road.
The Bottom Line: British Airways Club World
The British Airways Club World Business Class flight doesn’t get any better on British Airways than in the Airbus 380 aircraft. While the seating is exceptionally dense, it’s always a treat to travel on board such a large aircraft. The service on today’s flight was a bit slack and inattentive. The food and beverage was just average and unmemorable. While it was a reward seat, I wasn’t complaining. If I was paying full fare business class, I would probably aim for a carrier with a less dense cabin.
If you fly British Airways International Lounge Haul, how much do you find the dense cabin to be a dis-advantage ?
Independent airport lounges offer a much needed service when an airline alliance’s lounge is not available. The No1 Lounge group offer a series of lounges in the United Kingdom at London Heathrow, London Gatwick Airport North + South Terminals and Birmingham airports. We would visit their London Heathrow Lounge in Terminal Three for an experience through their lounge, showers and spa offerings.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Review: No1 Lounge, London Heathrow – Terminal Three, United Kingdom
There are lots of different lounge choices in London Heathrow Terminal Three that range from First Class options right down to pay per entry options. The first ones that come to mind are the excellent Cathay Pacific and Qantas London Lounges which are part of the One World Alliance. After arriving off of British Airways Club Europe Business Class Dublin – London, and for curiosity’s sake and for a little future reconnaissance, we stopped by the No 1 Lounge prior to heading out on British Airways Club World Business Class London – Vancouver.
The No1 Lounge is the independent airline lounge offering in London Heathrow Terminal Three that allows pay per entry and does not require an invitation from an air carrier in order to access it’s services. The No1 Lounge group is operating lounges at London Heathrow Terminal Three, London Gatwick and Birmingham airports in the United Kingdom.
Locating the No1 Lounge:
The No1 Lounge London Heathrow is located towards the back of the lounge precinct in London Heathrow’s Terminal Three. It’s located behind the Duty Free Zone at the “F” Lounge post.
Map Courtesy of London Heathrow Airports
The No1 Lounge has a dark entrance way in that it’s located at the end of a series of corridors, behind some fire doors and through some passage ways. It had an industrial feel to arriving to this space, which is in contrast to some of the other lounges that have elaborate entrances, grand staircases or other accents for beautiful spaces.
Accessing the No1 Lounge London Heathrow:
There are a variety of ways to get into the No1 Lounge London Heathrow:
If you belong to select lounge memberships that include:
- Priority Pass
- Lounge Key
- Dragon Pass
- Wexas
…you will be granted access along with the terms and conditions of your membership. Guest privileges under these programs depend on your membership level, so make sure you verify how many guests you’re allowed with your membership to avoid payment surprises at the counter or later on your credit card bill.
The No1 Lounge also accepts premium travellers from the following airlines:
- Aeromexico
- Air France
- Bamboo Airways
- Biman
- Delta
- Finnair
- Kenya Airways
- KLM
- Middle East Airlines
- Royal Brunei Airlines
- RwandAir
- Sri Lankan Airlines
- Vistara
- WestJet
While these carriers aren’t super common around London Heathrow Terminal Three, it’s nice that these passengers have an option when travelling on these airlines.
The lounge is also available for booking direct on it’s website. An advance cash purchase for three hours prior to your flight will cost £34 ($42 USD), with additional hours chargeable at £10 ($12 USD).
Our access today was granted courtesy of Priority Pass Select which we obtained through the American Express Platinum Card.
Inside the No1 Lounge:
Our visit to the No1 Lounge London Heathrow had us in the busiest lounge of travels. The lounge seating area occupied some British looking couches of stuffed British leather upholstered goodness against windows. Instead of lounges that typically offer individual leather chairs, most of the seating was communal and shared.
As I mentioned earlier, the lounge was quite busy. There were not a lot of options for places to sit. The lounge offered a variety of seating in an L shaped format.
By the entrance, the lounge pathways offered a combination of tables and chairs. This was adjacent to a full service bar.
Food and Beverage:
There was a separate dining area, where you could order off the menu. In addition to a buffet, there was also A La Carte ordering. The seating was both communal and separate tables. All the table service food appeared to be included without a separate charge.
Like the Plaza Premium Lounge London Heathrow Terminal Two, the drink offers at the No1 Lounge were on a limited complimentary basis with other options available on a paid basis.
Spa Services:
The No1 Lounge also offered a spa service at the back of the lounge. These services were for payment. Although, I can’t imagine many people wanting an impromptu spa treatment in this chaotic environment while at the airport.
Of most interest to me, the No 1 Lounge had a fabulous magazine selection with GQ, Esquire, Time all available. I ended up picking of a copy of all three to satisfy my leisure readings amid my love of magazines.
We would spend a brief amount of time here before heading off on British Airways Club World Business Class London – Vancouver.
The Bottom Line: The No1 Lounge
The No1 Lounge London Heathrow was among the most crowded of the business lounges we had the opportunity to visit on this trip. Although it was busy, it was one of the more substantial places to get a meal inside the lounge. It also offered a terrific magazine selection, something that’s entertaining for some. While it wouldn’t be a first choice for me with the excellent Cathay Pacific and Qantas London Lounges around the corner, it would certainly be a necessary choice if I didn’t have access to the other available lounges at London Heathrow.
If you’ve visited the No1 Lounge, did you use the showers, spa or restaurant services during your stay ?
Cathay Pacific offers a very solid lounge experience at it’s airports through the world. If you’re lucky enough to be able to access a Cathay Lounge, you’ll likely find a contemporary lounge, with premium food and beverage, along with a dim sum bar that will offer fresh noodles. Would a high passenger volume location like London Heathrow offer the same amenities as other Cathay Lounges around the world? Read on to find out…
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Review: Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow – Terminal Three, United Kingdom
We had lots of good lounge choices in London Heathrow Terminal 3. After arriving off of British Airways Club Europe Business Class Dublin – London, having had a light morning continental breakfast from the Aloft Dublin, and a week of pub Irish / British pub food, we headed for the Cathay Lounge and seeking out some different Asian food fare.
Another lounge that is also located at London Heathrow Terminal Three is the excellent Qantas Business Lounge London Heathrow. The Qantas Lounge is also likely accessible through any passenger travelling in One World Business Class.
Locating the Lounge:
It was my first visit to the Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge side, having last visited the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge London Heathrow side on a past trip in British Airways First Class London – Vancouver coming back from Morocco about one year ago.
Map Courtesy of London Heathrow Airport Authority
The Cathay Pacific Business Lounge London Heathrow is located in the “C” Lounge area, a short distance away from the duty free zone after security at London Heathrow Terminal Three.
This lounge is subdivided with the Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge, which is located at the same location.
Accessing the Lounge:
Access to the lounge was granted through One Worlds Business Class policy of allowing access to any One World lounge per the class of service of the BA Business Class ticket.
Access today was provided courtesy of our departing British Airways Club World Business Class London – Vancouver flight.
Inside the Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge:
It was pretty empty in here thanks to the time of day, which was great as we had the place almost to ourselves. The lounge offered a lot of seating, with comfortable loungers and communal areas available for passengers.
The lounge offered occasional chair seating by the glass, which offered some views of the airside operations at a distance.
Food and Beverage:
We immediately headed for the restaurant area. The restaurant is a counter operation where orders are placed, and the order is delivered by wait staff or collected at the counter.
Cathay Pacific features pretty tasty dim sum in its lounges. While it’s not the world’s best dim sum, it is pretty tasty to have this option in an airport which typically doesn’t offer any dim sum at all.
We were able to enjoy some har gao and other assorted dim sum. There was the usual spices available which added some wonderful kick to the plates; a welcomed change from our week of Irish pub food from being on the road in Ireland.
I was able to enjoy a glass of champagne with this, and WT73Jr complimented his Asian tastes of cuisine with a coca cola.
As always, at London Heathrow, there was some occasional plane spotting from the lounge of interesting aircraft we don’t often see at home.
We enjoyed our dim sum snack prior to heading over to the Qantas Business Lounge London Heathrow. While I reviewed it on an earlier visit, we enjoyed some time there, before finalizing our lounge visits over at the nearby No1 Lounge London Heathrow.
The Bottom Line: The Cathay Lounge
Overall, the Cathay Lounge is a solid place to visit while in London Heathrow Terminal 3. Im’ always a fan of the Cathay Lounges, since the food is always great (in terms of snacks) and the decor is always interesting. The ability to get some dim sum comfort food prior to a flight is something that I always appreciate. It is something that I look forward to whenever I have an opportunity to visit a Cathay Pacific Lounge
If you enjoy a Cathay Pacific Lounge, is slurping some dim sum one of the highlights of your visit to a Cathay Pacific Lounge ?
Business Class within Europe isn’t always super exciting thanks to most air carriers just offering an economy class seat with a blocked middle. Our British Airways Club Europe Business Class flight from Dublin to London was no different, and offered a little more space along with a very light snack over the lunch hour. Read on to see what a ninety minute flight in British Airways Club Europe Business Class looks like.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Review: British Airways Club Europe Business Class Airbus 320 – neo, Dublin Airport – London Heathrow Terminal Five
After almost three weeks on the road, it finally came time to return home to North America. I used an American Airlines AAdvantage Award to get us home from Europe to Canada in North America. The United Kingdom government charges a large Air Passenger Duty tax for passengers departing the United Kingdom in Business Class. The rates are as high as £185 ($238 USD) per person. The work around to avoid paying this tax is to depart from a non United Kingdom airport. As a result, I had ticketed us on British Airways from the Republic of Ireland connecting at London Heathrow to Vancouver, Canada having saved £370 ($476 USD) on this trip.
We visited the T1 Lounge Dublin Airport – Terminal One, which was included in our ticket purchase. Please see our review of that lounge if you’re interested in learning more. After our time at the T1 Lounge Dublin Terminal One was done, we headed for the gate.
British Airways
BA 827 – Club Europe (U)
DUB – LHR (Dublin International Airport – London Heathrow Terminal 5)
September 1, 2019
10:45 AM 12:15 PM (scheduled)
Booked: Airbus 320neo
Flown: Airbus 320neo
Boarding British Airways Business Class:
Once we arrived at the gate, boarding was underway fairly quickly. There wasn’t any discernible difference for Business Class boarding thanks to a lot of British Airways Executive Club Top Tier members that were also in the same boarding categories. We were assigned a non gate position today, so we headed outside.
On Board British Airways Club Europe:
Once we were on board, we settled into the usual European business seats which consist of an Economy Class seat with a blocked middle. It was the usual economy seat with the blocked middle.
The seat itself offers a little extra space as a result of the blocked middle but isn’t much more comfortable than an economy class seat in terms of what I would describe as a business class seat worldwide.
Departing Ireland:
We had some interesting plane spotting opportunities departing Dublin, since everyone seems to fly though there
As we said “good bye” to Ireland, we had nice views on climb to altitude.
The Meal: A Snack Plate
A small snack plate of cold cuts was offered for the trip over. It consisted of cold cuts and some cut cheese and tomatoes. It was nothing really to write home about, despite that the flight was during a lunch meal time, it is still not long enough in duration to warrant British Airways offering a full lunch meal.
Arriving to London Heathrow:
After a flight time of about seventy minutes, we eventually landed into London, where the plane spotting opportunities are easily among the best in the world.
We made it off at London Heathrow Terminal 5. We ended up with a 5 hour connection thanks to patchy award availability on this Dublin – Heathrow segment. We found our way to the connections desk.
To keep the interest in the travel going, and because we had a 5 hour layover to kill, I asked WT73Jr to locate the Heathrow connecting terminal on the connections board. He chose to approach this through the “read every line” method, so that he wouldn’t miss his flight. Since the lights were organized by departing time, we were at the board for a good 7 minutes while he found the flight on the 9th monitor.
We would end up connecting onwards to British Airways Club World Business Class London – Vancouver on their Airbus 380 service.
The Bottom Line: British Airways Club Europe
The BA Club Europe Business Class product isn’t anything all too exciting to write home about. It’s a little more comfortable, but I doubt I would spend much hard earned cash on BA Club Europe for a flight that’s less than ninety minutes. Thankfully, this was a free segment in an international ticket so it made sense to take advantage of the available reward space.
If you fly British Airways Short Haul within Europe, you spring for BA Club Europe Business Class or do you save your money and just stick to World Traveller economy ?
There are some airport locations that offer private and exclusive lounges that limit access to the most elite travellers. Other locations try to maximize lounge revenue by catering to all possible clients and passengers. The T1 Lounge Dublin Airport happens to fall into the latter category and offers a decent, but busy travel experience. Read on to see how our visit to the T1 Lounge Dublin – Terminal One fell into the busy traveller category.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Review: Terminal One T1 Lounge Dublin International Airport – Terminal One, Ireland
After spending the night in Dublin at the Aloft Dublin City, we were up at 6:15 AM for a 7 AM breakfast. We were out the door of the hotel at 7:15 AM for a self drive to the airport. We topped off the car with diesel and returned the car to Hertz, where we had no drop fee from the city location to the airport location was incurred. The Volvo had treated us well and comfortably for the week’s journey and we had logged over 995 km’s on the rental. The roving return agent was able to print off our receipt quickly and we were on the first bus to the terminal without any delay.
Checking into British Airways Business Class:
The Dublin Airport is an institutional place with a minimum of frills or extravagance. We were headed off on British Airways Club Europe Business Class Dublin – London Heathrow today. We found our check in rank for British Airways. We walked up to the Club Europe check in desk where the agent indicated that she was closed and to wait for service by the bag drop area. There wasn’t really a bag drop area as two other lines were left for the other economy passengers. I felt bad cutting in front of families with kids but BA didn’t leave us with much choice since there were no other check in agents. The agents must have felt under the gun with the people that were lining up as it was one of the faster check in’s that I had. We were directed over to the fast track queues and were through security fairly quickly after some close scrutiny of my shaving cream (laughing).
Surprisingly, our issued boarding cards to Vancouver had my AAdvantage Platinum Pro status on it, courtesy of the expired status match trial that was offered in spring 2019.
We located the Fast Track security line, which was pretty empty today. The Dublin Airport Authority offers pay per use Fast Track for 7.99€ in the event you needed this. The cost of the fast track was included on our British Airways Ticket.
Locating the T1 Lounge Dublin:
After clearing security, it was chaos on the secure side with many families and passengers and some really limited space. We eventually found the T1 Lounge.
It’s not very tranquil getting to the lounge; the entry is sandwiched in between the security screening check points, resulting in a bit of crowding mayhem around the lounge entrance way.
Map Courtesy of Dublin Airport
We located the small elevator and rode up one floor. The lounge also has a thin stair access to the right of the elevator for those that are travelling light and prefer not to wait for the lift.
Accessing the T1 Lounge:
There are a number of ways to access the T1 Lounge Dublin:
The lounge is accessible through a number of carriers as one of the only lounges at Dublin International Airport Terminal One. If you are travelling in Business Class in a number of Star Alliance, One World or Skyteam Alliances, you’re likely to have access included with your ticket.
The lounge is also a member of Priority Pass. If you hold a number of premium credit cards, including the American Express Platinum Card, you’re able to get access.
The lounge is also a member of Lounge Key and Lounge Pass memberships. If you hold one of these memberships, you’re likely to have access privileges consistent with your membership level.
The lounge is also a member of Diners Club International. Travellers that hold a Diners Club International Card will have access consistent with the terms of their program.
The lounge is also available for lounge access purchase through the Dublin International Airport web page (along with Grant Thorton Fast Track security access which is also available for separate purchase). A two hour visit is 20€ per person.
We were granted access thanks to the class of service on our British Airways Club Europe Business Class Dublin – London Heathrow tickets.
Inside the T1 Lounge Dublin:
We were admitted to the lounge after showing our boarding cards. At our mid day visit time, it was a bit of a zoo in the T1 Lounge.
The T1 Lounge Dublin is spread across the area immediately above the security screening check point. The lounge is split approximately into half seating and half food and beverage station. Most of the lounge seating is located to the immediate left after reception. The lounge seating is a combination of lounge chairs with some occasional counter seating. We were eventually able to find some seats.
Food and Beverage:
In terms of food and beverage, the lounge offered the usual light snacks. The volume of the food turned over quite quickly during our visit. It was a bonus that they had ice cream on offer as well, which is unusual for a lounge. I think the last time I had ice cream offered in a lounge was when I found some Haagen Dazs in the United Club in Hong Kong, back when it was a United Red Carpet Club.
We didn’t stay all to long before departing on our British Airways Club Europe Dublin – London Heathrow flight.
The Bottom Line: The T1 Lounge Dubln
In summary, the T1 Lounge in Dublin Terminal One was a reasonable stop for a place to sit while you wait for your flight. My main impressions were that the lounge was super busy during our visit, which is consistent with the sheer number of people that have access to the facility. It’s a nice lounge but not a reason to leave the hotel early in order to experience it.
If you have visited the T1 Lounge Dublin, did you find it worth your time ?
The Giant’s Causeway in Bushmills, Northern Ireland was among my son’s number one tourist attraction to see on the whole European summer holiday. The Giant’s Causeway is an area of forty thousand basalt columns that were formed by a volcanic eruption that occurred some fifty to sixty million years ago. We enjoyed a full experience the Giant’s Causeway. Read on to see the details of our visit.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Activity: In the Shadows at Giant’s Causeway, Bushmills, Northern Ireland
Our next coveted attraction on the list to visit in Northern Ireland was a visit to the Giant’s Causeway in Bushmills, Northern Ireland. For some reason, WT73Jr had his heart set on visiting this attraction and had researched it well before our visit. The Giant’s Causeway is Northern Irelands; only UNESCO site. It’s a vast expanse of hexagonal rocks and shapes set out like only Giant’s could have created it.
We checked out of the AC Hotel by Marriott Belfast and headed up to Bushmills in the rental Volvo. The Giant’s Causeway was located about 90 minutes out of Belfast and it was a pleasant country drive up to it.
The drive included pretty British cottages along with European traffic signs. Along with the rest of Ireland and Northern Ireland, the driving continued to be “on the left”.
Visiting the Giant’s Causeway:
The Giant’s Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. It is a UNESCO Protected World Heritage Site and a National nature reserve in the United Kingdom.
The Giant’s Causeway is free to visit, with a payment for the car park only. The Giants’ Causeway is located a short distance from the visitors centre along a waterfront coastal zone that stretches for several kilometres.
After getting organized and bypassing the visitor’s centre for the way back, we joined the track and started the walk down towards the rocks. It was a very pleasant walk down to the rocks.
The walk to the Rock’s themselves were longer than I was anticipating. However, the area was very pretty and it was pleasant to see the coastal region in this northern part of Northern Ireland.
We eventually got to the Basalt Column Rocks. The rocks and beach area themselves were super neat to clamber over.
The neatness of this place immediately became apparent as we arrived to the main event. These large hexagonal rocks were everywhere! The official count was that there were over forty thousand of them.
Most impressive were the views back towards land and the open expanse pathways that these hexagonal rocks shaped.
Climbing the Shepards Steps:
After we had throughly examined the Giants’ Causeway coastal zone, it came time to head back to the visitor centre. Taking a different route, we eventually wandered over towards a cliff climb up to Shepards’ steps. We were treated to more of a coastline view, along with a great view from the top.
From the top of Shepards’ Steps, it was a short walk back to the visitor centre along the ridge line and the car park. We had views over English ( or Northern Irish) fields.
The Giant’s Causeway was one of the more impressive attractions that we had seen during our trip to Ireland. The pictures don’t do it justice as to the size and breath of the rocks. Thanks to the weather, which held out without rain for our visit, it made it a very pleasant afternoon.
Travelling Back to Dublin:
From the Giant’s Causeway, it was about 3 hours drive back to Dublin. We hit the highways on a pleasant mostly sunny day.
The international border crossing from Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland was equally as routine as we arrived. There was only a small highway sign marking the occasion.
After a three hour drive, we arrived into Dublin. For convenience, familiarity and Marriott Bonvoy status night credits, we stayed back at the Aloft Dublin City. We happened to receive a soft upgrade back into the same larger Double Double family room that we had stayed at a week prior on our way into Ireland.
A Last Walk through Dublin:
For nostalgia’s sake, and to complete the trip, after we had packed our bags for departure the next day, we walked into Temple Bar area for one last goodbye. It was Saturday night so it was quite busy in town.
We had a fast paced but fulfilling trip taking in the sights of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Most importantly, we were able to complete almost all of the items on my son’s must visit list.
My Thoughts on the Giants Causeway and our week in Ireland and Northern Ireland:
Our trip around Ireland and Northern Ireland was pretty fast paced. While the country is really easy to get around in, we could have spend several weeks enjoying the country and participating in the activities that it has to offer. Despite our self inflicted pace, we got in a lot of what my son wanted to see. My son rated the Giant’s Causeway as his number one attraction on the whole European Trip, followed by seeing Skelling Island and our day in the Ring of Kerry as his number two and number three attractions. It’s clear that Ireland and Northern Ireland have a lot to offer so make sure if you visit that you plan a lot of time.
If you visited Ireland or Northern Ireland, what was your favourite attraction ?
The City of Belfast, Northern Ireland isn’t known to be one of Europe’s greatest tourist attractions. After several years of conflict known as The Troubles, the city is seeing a resurgence of investment and visitors. The city is home a large amount of history having built the Titanic Luxury Liner that sank in the north Atlantic over one hundred years ago. It is also home to a few tourist attractions such as the Titanic Experience Museum. We would spend the day exploring the tourist attractions and getting to know the city.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Activity: Expericing the Tradegy of Titanic at Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
We started our first day in Belfast, Northern Ireland, having experienced visiting the Blarney Stone, Cork, Ireland the day before. The goal today was to see the Titanic Museum across the water and take in some of Belfast’s sights. After breakfast at the AC Hotel by Marriott Belfast hotel and an easy morning, we headed to the St Georges Market by foot along the waterfront.
The St Georges Market:
I always enjoy visiting a good public market, even if it’s just to see the types of food on offer for sale. The St George’s Market was Ireland’s oldest market having opened in 1896. Today’s it houses many fish mongers and butchers, in addition to selling many antique wares. I always enjoy looking at the local produce and cuts of meat when I travel. It sets the imagination and ideas for cooking at home.
After seeing everything we needed to see at the St George’s Market, we then wandered across the River Lagan towards the Titanic Experience Museum. It’s a brand new neighbourhood near the museum, with new condominium developments.
Eventually, we saw the distinctive Titanic Museum building on the horizon. It’s a unique looking space and it would certainly the building again given its unique shape and style.
Immediately outside the Titanic Museum was the SS Nomadic in dry dock. The SS Nomadic was the tender that was used to ferry passengers to the Titanic on the ill fated voyage.
We passed over visiting the inside of the SS Nomadic for the time being and headed over to the Titanic Museum.
Visiting the Titanic Experience Museum:
The citizens of the City of Belfast built the Titanic Luxury Ocean Liner at the turn of the century. Unfortunately, the ship sank on its maiden voyage in the year 1912 where several thousand souls perished on board after the ship struck an iceberg. The Titanic Experience Museum was recently commissioned to honour this event. We would have an opportunity to visit the museum, which is a perfect rainy day activity in Belfast.
We entered into the Titanic Experience. In a very similar format to the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin, Ireland, the whole endeavour was an over the top multi media experience.
The starting feature was about Boomtown Belfast and the Shipyard.
Moving to the fourth floor, the museum showcased the Launch and the Fit Out of the Boat, followed by the Maiden Voyage and the Sinking. There were some interesting artifacts, such as original plates and tickets, but they did make of the minority of the museum. Those that would be looking for a more tradition museum experience would probably be disappointed since many of the artifacts haven’t survived or aren’t kept in Belfast for display.
This was followed by the aftermath and myths and realities, followed by a showcase of deep sea diving for titanic beneath the water.
I was highly anticipating the souvenir shop but it was mostly disappointing bric- a brac that didn’t have much semblance to the original White Star Line memorabilia; not that I would know that was but Titanic Collegiate sweatshirts and souvenir tea spoons didn’t really do it for me. I ended up with a souvenir bathtub rubber duck that was likely made in China.
Boarding the SS Nomadic:
After the Titanic Museum, we walked back over to the SS Nomadic. Our museum tickets afforded us entry on board the SS Nomadic. The SS Nomadic was the boat used to tender guests to Titanic at the French port Cherbourg and was featured briefly in the James Cameron film Titanic.
The visit to the attraction featured the requisite digital barman, among other reconstructed parlours. It was a bit surreal wandering around on the boat knowing of past passengers past in the same space had perished on the Titanic.
Walking through Belfast:
After the day of museums, we headed back into town to take in the attractions of Belfast. The weather was not really co-operating with us, and the day was grey and gloomy.
We eventually got into central Belfast, where we had an opportunity to see the city along with some of their murals that have been on display through the years.
Surrounding City Hall Belfast:
We eventually found our way to the City Hall. It’s an interesting imposing space in the centre of town, complete with a Titanic memorial at its east end.
Peeking into the Crown Liquor Saloon:
We popped our head into the Crown Liquor Saloon, if not at the least a very interestingly decorated pub. The interior dates from 1898 and the place is known for being one of Belfast’s most famous bars.
Locating Belfast’s Entries:
We didn’t have much planned for dinner. We eventually located Belfast’s Entries; thin alleyways that used to be the life lines of commercial and residential Belfast. We eventually found a neat pub for dinner. I enjoyed a great steak sandwich along with a Archway Lager Pint. WT73Jr enjoyed the Celtic band that played for several hours on our visit. Afterwards, WT73Jr got to try his first Guinness which we found from a local grocery store. Unfortunately, it was non refrigerated which didn’t make it all too an appealing circumstance (laughing).
We eventually retired to the AC Hotel by Marriott Belfast to get ready for an exciting day at The Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland.
My Thoughts on Belfast:
Belfast was an interesting city to visit for a day or two. While we didn’t get out to see many of the murals, it was a neat experience to be able to see the Titanic artifacts along with a city that is slowly coming back to life.
If you visited Belfast, Northern Ireland, did you find the historical component of the city engaging ?
It’s always a treat to stay at almost brand new hotel property. The AC Hotel by Marriott Belfast, Northern Ireland met all these requirements. The AC Hotel by Marriott Belfast is Marriott’s newest addition to Belfast and is attracting a mix of leisure and business travellers alike in its location in the Donegal Quay just steps from Central Belfast. How would our stay at the AC Hotel end up ?
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Review: AC Hotel by Marriott Belfast, Northern Ireland
On our driving trip, we were in Belfast, Northern Ireland for two nights. We were aiming for a property that was easily accessible by car, but also relatively close to the central business district to take in the sights of Belfast and its tourist attractions like the Titanic Museum. Fortunately, the AC Hotel by Marriott Belfast met all those needs. At the time of our stay, it was also the only Marriott branded hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Booking the Hotel:
I booked the hotel directly through the Marriott website. I located a rate of £120 GBP ($153 USD), which I thought was fairly reasonable for a hotel in the middle of tourist season summer in August. The rates typically went up to as high as £160 GBP ($196 USD). By booking direct, we would also have the usual suite of Marriott Bonvoy Elite benefits, which at the Titanium Level, included upgrade to best available room including select suites, guaranteed late 4 PM check and a welcome amenity on check in which included a complimentary breakfast.
For those looking to book with Marriott Bonvoy Points, the hotel was a Marriott Bonvoy Category 4 hotel. Rooms were available starting at 25,000 Marriot Bonvoy Points. I typically value Marriott Bonvoy Points at $0.005, meaning that you’d be further ahead redeeming if the room rate was above £97 GBP ($125 USD) While it may make sense to redeem points against this hotel, in this case, I had already redeemed 215,000 Marriott Bonvoy points earlier on this trip at the Aloft Dublin City and the Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington. As a result, the balance was already lower than I would have liked so I just paid for the nights instead.
Getting to the AC Hotel Belfast:
We self drove to the the AC Hotel by Marriott Belfast courtesy of Google Maps on our GPS. Arriving by car, I noticed a Drop Off and commercial deliveries sign. I was expecting a parking sign but wasn’t able to locate one. As a result, we headed around the block again until we were able to get back around to the front of the property. It turns out that this hotel doesn’t have any parking itself and has contracted with an off site low rise parking garage called the NCP Belfast City Quays located almost directly across the street.
It’s worth saying that the hotel was fairly new during the time of our stay. The hotel has a waterfront location on the Donegall Quay at River Lagan and is almost immediately opposite the river from the Titanic Museum.
Checking Into the AC Hotel Belfast:
The first impressions on arrival are quite good as the property is almost brand new. It has sleek lines and contemporary feel to the property leading to a modern feel to the hotel.
We parked in the unattended loading zone and went inside to check in. The lobby was a nice space that offered open plan access to the restaurant and nearby lounge.
In terms of the Marriott Bonvoy Titanium breakfast benefit, we opted for the 10£ food and beverage credit. I confirmed with the front desk that the amount would be valid for breakfast. We were given the paper breakfast vouchers ( X 2 persons) and given the breakfast hours of 6 -10 AM.
We had booked a Standard Twin Room, Guest room, 2 Twin/Single Bed(s), City view which was their base level room. We were very pleased to receive a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Level Upgrade to a Superior Queen Room with Two Queen Beds with a Water View. This room category is one level below a One Bedroom Suite, so it was a pretty good upgrade given that we preferred having two separate beds.
Getting into the hotel itself, once you were past the entrance and lobby elevators. the lobby offered communal spaces along with coves for working. These spaces were frequently occupied on our visits.
With an excellent water location on the Donegal Quay, the lobby bar had great views from almost every window in the restaurant and lounge.
The Room: A Superior Queen Room – Two Queens
We led ourselves up to room #704 which was located on the top floor. I had booked a standard city view room on a cash rate and the hotel room controller had proactively upgraded us into a Superior Queen Room with 2 Queens.
Room #704 was located at the end of the hall and located behind a keyed duplex door. This could possibly allow two families (or a small group) to stay within two rooms and be able to run back and forth between the rooms similar to an a-joining room set up.
Along with the new construction of the hotel, it was a newer room. The room was set up for occupancy for four persons. As a result, there were four coffee cups, four robes and four sets of towels.
One of the best features of the room was that it was nice to have two proper sized beds, instead of the usual tiny doubles that are often in European hotel rooms.
The room had a small table and chair set up, with a table that was easily large enough for in room dining.
On the in room luggage stand, there was a tea and coffee service, with service for four persons.
Despite service for four persons, the bathroom was the usual compact version that would be hard pressed to fit four persons.
The hotel had peek a boo views over to the water side and the titanic docks. Having said that, there is a building that is scheduled to be constructed immediately adjacent as the whole area is undergoing rejuvenation. This may eventually block some of the view. The Titanic Museum was also visible from the distance from our hotel room.
Food and Beverage on the Property:
Novelli at City Quays
The hotel restaurant is called Noveilli at City Quays. However, the same restaurant also doubles as the breakfast area in the morning.
As a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium gift, we were offered the usual $10 voucher per person to be used as a credit towards food and beverage on the property. I indicated at check in that we would take it for breakfast and they converted it into two breakfast vouchers at the check in.
The breakfast was reasonable but not overly substantial. Although the breakfast did not appear to offer any a la carte features, at the time of our visit, it did feature pre-cooked fried eggs and Spanish omelettes along with the usual rashers of British bacon, sausages, potato pancakes and sautéed mushrooms. It was more than satisfactory but a little cafeteria styled.
At breakfast, old fashioned newspapers were available which is always a nice touch. There were some stark headlines with the Island facing an uncertain future with the looming prospective of Bre-Exit.
Around the Property:
The property is located immediately on the waterfront of the River Lagan. This is a gentrified area of Belfast that now features a waterfront walkway with pleasant views. The walkways continue along both sides of the river and it’s possible to walk to the Titanic Museum which is easily seen from the AC Hotel Belfast itself.
During our walk, we were also able to see some views back at the AC Hotel Belfast itself. It’s waterfront location was among the only waterfront locations we’d have in our week in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The hotel is located a fifteen minute walk from City Hall in Central Belfast, which is perfectly reasonable provided the weather is co-operating and it’s not wet, cold or raining in this northern city.
The Bottom Line: The AC Hotel Belfast
The AC Hotel by Marriott Belfast was a great place for us to touch down during our stay in Belfast. The accommodation was new, reasonably priced, and the location of the hotel along the waterfront made for a pleasant environment. The hotel was walkable from most areas of downtown Belfast, making it an easy choice for Marriott loyalists.
If you have stayed at the AC Hotel Belfast, did it meet your leisure or business needs ?
One of Irelands other famous tourist attractions is the Blarney Stone located in the Blarney Castle near Cork, Ireland. On our tour of Irish tourist attractions, this Castle made WT73Jr’s list, but unfortunately, it was no where really near where we needed or wanted to be. Instead of spending time in Cork, we ended up passing through the region and took in the castle on the way from Killarney to Belfast. While this wasn’t optimal, we were actually able to enjoy the experience and get as much out of it as reasonably possible.
This post is one chapter on our trip to Portugal, the United Kingdom (England and Norther Ireland) and Ireland. This trip was redeemed through American Airlines Advantage and enhanced through Marriott Bonvoy Elite Status. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.
If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.
Read more from this trip:
- Introduction: Portugal, the United Kingdom, Ireland via TAP Portugal and British Airways Business Class.
- A Positioning Flight: Air Canada Vancouver – Toronto
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Toronto – Lisbon
- Sheraton Lisboa Hotel and Spa, Lisbon, Portugal
- The First Steps in the Hilly Capital City of Lisbon, Portugal
- Exploring the Turrets of Castelo del São Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal
- The Seaside Town of Belem and the Jerónimos Monastery, Portugal
- The Lisbon Cathedral and Iberico Ham at Time Out Market, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Premium Business Lounge, Lisbon, Portugal
- TAP Portugal Business Class: Lisbon – London Heathrow
- Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge: London Heathrow Terminal Two
- The Residence Inn by Marriott London Kensington, United Kingdom
- Walking Piccadilly Circus, Regent Street, London, United Kingdom
- Churchill’s War Rooms & Westminster Abbey, London, United Kingdom
- Touring the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, London, United Kingdom
- Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral, London, United Kingdom
- De-Cyphering the Rosetta Stone and Camden Locks, London United Kingdom
- Day Tripping to Stonehenge, Salisbury, United Kingdom
- The Moxy London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom
- The Plaza Premium Lounge, London Heathrow Terminal Two
- Aer Lingus: London Heathrow – Dublin
- Aloft Dublin City, Dublin, Ireland
- Discovering Temple Bar District, Dublin, Ireland
- Calling on the Guiness Storehouse and Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
- The Shertaon Athlone Hotel, Athlone, Ireland
- Drinking at Ireland’s Oldest Bar, Athlone, Ireland
- Hiking Along the Cliff’s of Moher, Ireland
- Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast, Killarney, Ireland
- Circling The Skelling Islands and Driving the Ring of Kerry, Ireland
- Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
- AC Hotel by Marriott, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Experiencing the Tragedy of the Titanic at the Titanic Museum, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- In the Shadows at the Giant’s Causeway, Northern Ireland
- Terminal One T1 Lounge, Dublin Airport, Ireland
- British Airways Club Europe: Dublin – London Heathrow
- Cathay Pacific Business Lounge, London Heathrow
- No1 Lounge, London Heathrow
- British Airways Club World Business Class: London – Vancouver
Activity: Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle, Cork, Ireland
After another restful sleep, we packed ourselves up from the Crystal Springs Bed and Breakfast Killarney. I started the day with delicious Crepes with Lemon Sauce for breakfast. Delightful!
As mentioned earlier, we were travelling from Killarney, Ireland to Belfast, Northern Ireland today. While the Blarney Castle is located near Cork, Ireland, our schedule didn’t afford us a whole amount of time in order to see a lot of Cork. We just ended up taking in the Castle by passing through the area.
Getting to the Blarney Castle:
We drove approximately an hour and twenty minutes over to the outskirts of Cork to see the Blarney Castle. It was the home of the official Blarney Stone.
Arriving to the Blarney Castle:
We arrived to the Blarney Stone and Blarney Castle. The Blarney Castle was quite an established tourist attraction.
Funny enough, the admission included the opportunity to kiss the stone at no extra charge!
I wasn’t aware of this, but the castle was nicely set in the surroundings of botanical gardens. We made our way through the gardens up to the Blarney Castle. The Blarney Castle is set on a fortified bluff that over looks all areas.
The castle was well fortified, with traps that would delight any teenager. The traps included with murder holes for hot oil, arrows and other objects of impediments for any unwanted intruders.
Kissing the Blarney Stone:
The Blarney Stone is on the top level of the castle. It requires inverting yourself upside down and leaning back (above a 4 story drop) to kiss a stone. I was’t going to do it knowing to all the past hygienic stories of urination on the stone but I had a fear of missing out moment and thought that I’d come all this way so I gave Jr the camera and he took photos of me manoeuvring through the whole process.
Wandering the Poison Garden:
With #FOMO fears cured, after we had explored the castle we headed down towards the Poison Garden. It contained a whole stack of bizarre poisonous plants. Sort of a botanical garden of poisons; cannabis, opium poppies and poison oak. Essentially, it contained everything to keep a teenager interested and enthralled.
Outside of the Poison Garden, there were a variety of gardens around the Blarney Castle. We continued on onwards the fern garden, which was a peaceful place.
We headed over to the Druid Ruins; with a photo in the circular area.
Then over to the Seven Sisters Stones part of the gardens. The local legend had it that two stones were tipped over when two of the kings sons were killed in battle. The seven sisters were under the shadow of the castle.
Travelling from Cork, Ireland to Belfast, Northern Ireland:
From there, we had a quick spin through McDonalds for some teenage food, we headed up on the long 5 hour drive up to Belfast.
Unlike the scenic Ring of Kerry, it was not super exciting scenery on the drive between Cork and Belfast. We had a few tolls on the toll highways sections (less than 3 each), along with a bit of traffic through Dublin.
Crossing the Border into Northern Ireland:
I was curious to see what the border crossing would be like from Ireland into the United Kingdom’s Northern Ireland. It was a surprisingly uneventful crossing into Northern Ireland, passing by a shabby sign that had been graffitied and paint bombed. There was no border crossing, nor any inspection booth, just open highway. After crossing the border, it was back into the land of British highway signs.
We eventually made it into central Belfast and over to the AC Hotel by Marriott Belfast. It was a very long day of driving, having started in Killarney, taken in the Blarney Castle then up to Belfast. While it was a long day, there was no real other way to get from the south to North with the schedule of our trip.
My Thoughts on Visiting The Blarney Castle:
The Blarney Castle was an interesting and defining tourist attraction for the Republic of Ireland. While there is something to be said for silly tourist attractions, I actually found it to be an interesting place with some historical elements. I also had to “kiss the Blarney Stone” and although this wasn’t a life changing moment, I was happy in the end to have done it.
World Traveller 73 
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