Flight: Melbourne to Singapore
Airline: Emirates
Plane: Airbus 380-800
Gate: 10
Seat: 2K (First Class Suite window)
Boarded: 18:21
Departed: 19:05 (Scheduled 18:45)
Arrived: 23:47 (Scheduled 23:35)
Duration: 7 hours 42 minutes

This was the the bucket list flight, a real first class international flight and I was doing it on Emirates A380 over two legs, this one Melbourne to Singapore, and Singapore to Dubai plus a later B777-200 flight Dubai to Nairobi. I was hoping the Qantas Award points would make it worth using and they definitely were.

Today’s flight boarded from Gate 10 which is boards from the ground level, or the what feels like the basement with coming from the Qantas Business Class Lounge (which I did). Once past the Gate First and Business class passengers go up a separate aerobridge from economy as we go to the promised land of the upper deck.

For me it was a turn left into First Class which I was escorted to be a cheerful hostess (I found the level of service above flight attendant so I’ll be using the term hostess for this review).

The suite is something to behold, it is a huge area that allows you to close the doors to become semi private, it’s possible for someone to look over the wall but only if really trying or if they are a basketball player. I was given an orientation of the seat features on arrival and an offer of a drink, Dom Pérignon was quickly bought to me seat with an amazing amenities kit and pyjamas.

It was suggested I change in the Emirates Bathroom before we got going and within minutes I was in a bathroom that felt bigger than all hotel rooms I’ve stayed in. The pyjamas felt incredible, apparently they have some type of moisture release feature all I know is they were extremely comfortable.

Back in my seat / suite the captain introduced himself and the crew, apparently they come from 9 different countries on this flight. We were delayed for about 10 minutes as a passenger needed a medical assessment on board. Once that was completed a hostess removed the snack tray which was returned after we levelled out, some nice selections here.

Takeoff was very smooth. The A380 are very quiet planes and the comfortable First Class seat with large space between suites made it even quieter than normal. I enjoyed watching the external cameras on the huge HD screen in the suite.

After we levelled off my hostess Angela quickly reappeared with the snack tray and to discuss my meal options (including timing) and shower appointment. I decided on a shower two hours into the flight and dinner one hour before the shower.

For dinner I skipped the canapés (I had eaten in the Qantas First Class Lounge earlier) and went for my first ever caviar experience. Definitely a sweet taste, the Russian vodka burned a bit on the way down. For my main meal I selected seared beef tenderloin with a side of streamed basmati rice. Dessert was red orange brioche puddling. All up very nice. The full menu is here. EK0405-MELSIN-F-32B_A380

Next up was the shower experience. While I’d read many reviews and even watched some YouTube videos I still found it hard to believe they do this at 40,000 feet. My hostess provided me with a quick tour of the facilities. You get the bathroom for 25 minutes with 5 minutes of water. You can stop the water at any time and it automatically stops with 1 minute to go as a warning to start finishing up. Additionally the bathroom floor was heated and they was more types of lotions than I knew existed. This was heaven for a former backpacker used to the economy squeeze. Short 1 minute YouTube Video.

Back at my seat I settled in for a movie. There are so many options it was difficult to choose but I selected ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’ so I could complete the trilogy. The HD screen is immense.

After this it was time to explore a little of the plane and go to the Business Class Bar at the back of the upper deck. This gave me a chance to see the business class seats up close which looked comfortable enough, the snob in me was already thinking how can to sit in that small space – damn first class has ruined me!

The bar area is fairly large, there were about 6 other passengers there already. The big TV screen only had flight information but I’m told they could put on live TV especially for big sporting events. I got to do the total tourist thing and stand behind the bar. We did get some air turbulence so I had to grab a seat and put on belt for a few minutes. It’s great that planes have these types of areas so you can stand without having to look over other passengers.

Back to seat 2K and I requested the bed be made up which took about 60-70 seconds and it was time to experience a comfortable bed at 40,000 feet. I set the suite for privacy mode and the doors closed on my little cocoon. It’s at this point I noticed the small stars on the floor, a little touch and a nice one. I found 1.5 hours of comfortable sleep that would have gone on for a lot longer but alas Singapore was getting closer.

It was time to get back into my travel clothes while my bed transformed back into a very comfortable seat. The landing was very smooth.

Verdict
This is one of the most amazing experiences you can have. There are flowers in your suite and in the bathroom, the flight attendants can’t do enough for you, the seat is amazing with too many settings to experience, the bed is from heaven and a shower is another level altogether.

Bottom line I didn’t want the flight to end. I can’t provide any higher praise. If you can book at least one Emirates A380 First Class experiences.