Paramedic Without Borders

Bucket List Trip 2024

Catch up with me on this amazing journey around the world.

I have been looking forward to this trip for quite sometime. I’m headed to Brisbane Australia for a 7 Day South Pacific Cruise. After meticulously planning every single detail, the day is finally here. How did I do it you ask? I used points, miles as well as free or discounted nights in hotels to ensure I was getting the best deals possible. I am excited for my flight home as it will be a bucket list item, flying first class on both an Emirates A380, which has a shower on board and on the 777, which is fully enclosed like a hotel room. Emirates is a top notch airline and this will most likely be a once in a life time opportunity to fly with them. I purposely planned my route home so I would be able to take this flight. On my way to Australia, I have selected two overnight stays, one in Seattle and the other in Fiji before arriving and spending the night in Brisbane, where the cruise ship Carnival Luminosa will embark and disembark from.

My vacation begins with a United Airlines flight in First Class from Chicago Ohare to Seattle Tacoma which left on time, arriving in Seattle early. I got a killer deal on this flight and even cancelled my original Southwest Flight to take this one. Before taking off, I searched for the United Club lounge and was disappointed to learn that I had to pay $59 to access the lounge, even though I was flying First Class, it was Domestic and not International. I went ahead and paid the $59 as I considered it a small price to pay for peace and solace form the hustle and bustle of O’Hare. I was worried we would be delayed because of the subzero temps but we left on time. Seattle was getting hit with rain and snow so I was nervous for the flight the next day. I would come to regret my decision to not fly into and stay in Vancouver the next day. Upon my arrival to Seattle and after grabbing my check in bag, I searched for the complementary shuttle that was provided by the hotel I had chosen for the night, the Hilton Seattle Hotel and Conference Center. I boarded the shuttle and within a few minutes I arrived at the hotel to check in. I was given a very nice room and a complementary $15 credit for breakfast in the morning. No complaints at all on the room itself, however, there was someone’s leftover food in my fridge which was gross and obviously missed when they cleaned the room, needless to say I didn’t use the fridge at all. That night I slept pretty well, woke up, grabbed breakfast to go, packed my bags and decided to head to the airport early.

I grabbed the complementary shuttle back to SeaTac, checked in my luggage and headed to the lounge, this time I was flying Delta and it was included with First Class as well as I am a Delta Platinum Am Ex card holder. I spent a couple hours in the lounge and then headed to my gate, only to find out when I got there, we were delayed. I could have stayed in the lounge. We were then delayed again. Finally after 2-3 hours of a delay, we were off on the quick one hour flight to Vancouver where I would be taking a Fiji Airways flight to Fiji. Thankfully I was smart and planned for a longer layover, this was supposed to be five hours, in the event of any possible unforeseen issues. It turns out I would need all five of those hours. We were delayed again upon arrival due to the Vancouver airport being understaffed and no one to bring us in. Once we arrived at the gate, I had just enough time to check in through customs, hall ass to the baggage claim, grab my bag and head back up to departures to recheck my bag and check in for the new flight. I then hit a snag in the security line as it was backed up with tons of people. Having a Nexxus card would have been a great thing, but since I don’t travel to Canada often enough to make it worth my while, I was stuck in the long line. Finally when I made it through, it was already past boarding time, so I again hauled ass over to my gate. Thankfully they had a minor delay and I was able to board on time. I was flying business class that I paid for with miles and cash. They showed me to my seat, which was spacious as well as luxurious with all rows being 1x2x1. On board, we were delayed about an hour leaving due to weather and icy conditions. Looking around my seat area, I was pleasantly surprised that I was given a very nice amenity kit for keeping, and soft comfy blankets to use during the flight. WiFi was also FREE, which was awesome. The flight attendants came around with champagne and OJ along with menus and I was able to place an order for dinner and breakfast. Once the plane was de-iced, we were finally on our way on this long 12 hour flight. I noticed by a notice on my phone that my AirTag stated that my luggage was back in Vancouver. I was in a panic and hoped it was just an error because once I left the inside of the airport, I did not have good signal. I had only a few items in my carry on so lost luggage would absolutely be a disaster. I decided that it was best to focus on my amazing flight and not the what ifs, I would worry about that in 12 hours. The dinner itself, while looking delicious, was not at all tasty. I was disappointed to say the least. I skipped dessert and decided to close my eyes. I was able to get a little bit of sleep, but not much as this is when I started to have nagging back pain. I woke up in time for breakfast, which was yet another disappointment. As we made our decent, I could not help but marvel at the beauty of Fiji. The green landscaping, the ocean and the mountains. It was breathtaking from above.

Finally we landed in Fiji, only about an hour late, and I prayed my luggage made it as the AirTag was still showing back in Vancouver. Due to the time change, I would only be staying here one night, as that’s all travel would allow me in order to make my cruise on Sunday, again leaving some time for unforeseen issues. When booking this flight, I made sure to book this as a multi city booking so that i would be able to experience Fiji overnight and not just a layover city. This also allowed me to cross it off my bucket list. Clearing customs was a breeze and I was on my way to baggage claim to hopefully collect my bag. As the carousel started turning, my fingers were crossed and to my surprise and relief, my bag was the first one out. I made a beeline toward security and then off to find my prearranged ride. I grabbed a quick SF Red Bull at the airport store and then my phone rang with an international number. It turns out that it was the driver who was looking for me. He guided me with instructions out to where he was holding a sign with my name on it. He was courteous and took my luggage from me, leading me to the company car, which was a white Toyota Prius. His name was Dev, the company I used was Epic, and he was extremely pleasant. He talked to me the entire 30 minute trip to the hotel. He was knowledgable and very friendly. Upon arrival to the hotel, he unloaded my bags and handed them over to the hotel staff. I made sure to tip him generously and asked if he would be back to pick me up in the morning. He stated that he was unsure, but I was hopeful, as I felt he had built trust with me. The hotel staff was top notch and did their best to get me a room early. They upgraded me to a villa, maybe due to holding Diamond Status with Hilton, or maybe they felt sorry for how rough I looked, lol. The manager sent me to the restaurant for breakfast while they put the finishing touches on my room. I had arrived about 8 hours too early so anything earlier was a blessing. I had not eaten much on the plane so I was hopeful this meal would be better. The grounds were simple yet beautiful. The weather was warm but overcast. The staff at the restaurant found me a table overlooking the ocean and the food was definitely decent. It did rain for a few minutes when I was almost done eating, which chased me inside and off of my table with the view. By this time I was exhausted from traveling and just wanted my room. I walked back to the front lobby, visited the gift shop and then headed back to the desk to see if by chance my room was ready. After a few more minutes, the manager came over with the key and they loaded my bags into the golf cart and drove me to what looked like the quiet area of the grounds where my villa was located. It was up on the second floor, which I prefer. I opened the door and was in awe at how amazing this villa really was. If I was staying more than one night, this would have been the ideal place to be. I had a full kitchen, barbecue grill, washer and dryer, soaker tub and gorgeous views of the ocean. Once I napped and was refreshed, I took a walk to the pool and spent several hours relaxing and soaking in the sun. The pool water felt amazing. I then went to the beach and waded in the water, which was warm like bath water. It was a bit cloudy but it had also been raining on and off so that was to be expected. After soaking in the warm sea air and sea water, I headed back to my room to shower and decided to watch my dirty clothes from previous day and just relax. Around 6pm, I ordered dinner via room service and began packing back up what I unpacked. Finally I set my alarm for 4am, as I had a 530am pick up and drifted off to sleep. I was up before my alarm, showered and was ready to go. I called for the golf cart, did one last swoop of the room, left cash for a tip and headed downstairs. Once reaching the lobby, I checked out and was pleasantly surprised to see a Fiji Airlines counter in the hotel. They were able to check me in, print my boarding pass and take my check in luggage. Of course I did ask if my luggage would make it on the plane. Apparently Fiji sends a van to pick up the luggage and takes it directly to the plane. I was impressed, no need to visit the counter when I get to the airport, straight to customs and security. My driver, Dev was there by 525am to pick me up. I was happy to see him. He again talked to me during the ride back and suggested that I plan a longer trip to this glorious island so I could experience the real Fiji and I agreed.

We arrived at the airport and once again, I tipped him, this time a large tip. He was grateful and even allowed me to hug him. I grabbed my bags and headed inside and directly to customs. The customs officer looked suspiciously at me it seems because I had only stayed one night. When I explained that I had stopped on my way to Australia, he seemed to understand. I can honestly day that I felt uncomfortable. I was then thoroughly searched going through security and they checked my bags for explosives. I was glad to see that they didn’t single me out and that many other people were selected. Finally I was cleared to pass and headed to the complementary lounge, as I was flying business class. I entered with ease, found a corner and relaxed until it was time to board. The food in here was delicious. Not sure what it is about lounge food, but it seems to always be delicious. When it was time to head to the gate, I collected my items and headed out. I had just enough time to stop and purchase a Fiji tshirt from one of my favorite stores, Ripcurl. I arrived at the gate just in time for yet another delay. After about an hour, they allowed us to start boarding. We were all stopped just before the ramp and our belongings searched again, I found this odd but if it kept us safe, so be it. Once on the plane, I was able to finally relax in the luxurious business class seats. Since this was only a 4 hour flight, they were 2 x 2 rows and only 2 rows total, but the space was plenty and the flight was relaxing. The seats were large and extremely comfortable. Fiji offers free WiFi for the business class customers. Lunch was provided which was again, just ok. Fiji Airways is obviously not known for their food, something they need to work on considering the prices to fly. The service on here I must say was stellar, as our flight attendant was warm and welcoming and wonderful throughout the entire flight. The views while descending into Brisbane were breathtaking and it was at that moment that the tears welled up in my eyes. I realized that I was not only arriving in Australia as a country, that I was arriving on another continent. This was another item crossed off my bucket list.

After officially arriving in Australia and taxing to our gate, we were allowed to exit the plane and again head to customs, which had another long line. The weather was pleasantly warm. After clearing customs, I was relieved to find my bag still on the carousel in baggage claim, as again the AirTag stated that it was back in Fiji. At this point, maybe I need a new battery. I felt like I could breathe now as I would not be boarding any planes for 8 days and I was not in any hurry to get anywhere. I cleared security and headed to the arrival pick up area, called for an Uber and waited only a few minutes before my driver arrived in his immaculate vehicle. He helped me load my bags and we were off to the Westin in downtown Brisbane. Driving through the streets, I barely noticed that I was in another country, aside from driving on a different side of the road. I saw many of the comforts of back home. The streets were clean and the buildings nice. The downtown area reminded me so much of Chicago. I saw so many high end shops like LV, Dior Tiffany’s and Hermes. I arrived at my hotel again earlier then the check in time hopeful but prepared to wait. I dropped my bags at the concierge and headed to the front reception. They were able to check me right away and to my surprise, my room was ready. I scored yet another stellar room. The view of the city was breathtaking and the room clean and bright. This time I had used my Bonvoy Credit card saving my Marriott points, but I was able to score this room at a discount. The exchange rate for USD is excellent compared to the AUD. This was a King room with executive club access which means that I had access to the lounge where there would be free food and drinks. Once my bags arrived and I was settled, I decided that I would get the much needed tattoo that I had been wanting for over a year. I found a place within walking distance of the hotel and set out to see if they would be able to accommodate me as a walk in. Walking around, I didn’t realize I was in the shopping district so I took advantage of this newly acquired knowledge and window shopped a bit. Arriving at the tattoo parlor, they were able to squeeze me in and I was also able to change out my nose jewelry that was broken. I worked with the tattoo artist to design what I wanted and I must say he did an amazing job on my tattoo, giving me exactly what I wanted. He also, free of charge, touched up a few areas on a couple of my other tattoos. Once my nose jewelry had been changed out, I headed out to window shop a little more before heading back to my hotel. I decided that Brisbane is definitely somewhere I could live in the future or at least visit again if life allowed it. Arriving back at the hotel, I went to the lounge and grabbed a bite to eat before coming back up to prepare for my cruise the next day. The bed was extremely comfortable and I was able to sleep as much as I could with the pain in my back. My internal clock was completely off as I was 16 hours ahead of CST. This time change caused me to be up earlier than I needed to be. After grabbing breakfast in the lounge, I came upstairs, took a shower, packed my bags and headed downstairs to call for my Uber.

This driver was not like the last, he did not get out of his car to help me with my bags. We didn’t speak much on the drive over to the Crusie Terminal and when we arrived, he once again didn’t help me with the bags. I was met and directed by security to the bag drop off area and headed inside to the Priority line where there was no waiting. After checking in for my cruise, I headed through security and after passing a a few more check points, I was officially on the Luminosa. Rooms would not be ready until 130pm and it was only 1230pm. I found a chair and relaxed until it was time to find my room.

Carnival Luminosa 1/21 - 1/28

Daily Updates to this Blog!!!

What to say….. well here I am in the South Pacific on a cruise from Brisbane Australia, checking many items off my bucket list as I adventure, and I can’t help but be slightly disappointed as I had high hopes for this cruise, despite some early on hiccups.

Let me explain. While I am extremely grateful and happy to be on this vacation, this cruise is somewhat of a disappointment. I was not allowed to use my $250 GC that I received from cashing in safety points last year from work because this is an Australian Cruise. I did not know this when I booked the trip and paid the deposit, so at that point it was too late. Then we had an itinerary change to an island that is uninhabited because of some local issues with one of the islands that we originally were going to.

The ship itself is lovely, her name is Luminosa and she was acquired from Costa Cruises by Carnival in 2022. In my opinion, they did the right thing by leaving the decor as it is. My room, a suite, is probably the best of all the rooms I have had on a cruise ship. It’s spacious and tastefully decorated. The bathroom is my 3rd favorite, behind NCL’s Breakaway in the 2 bedroom suite and Celebrity Cruises Millennium in my suite attached to the penthouse. The room has ample storage and a great balcony. Really the only downside of the room, is that despite paying for a suite, you only get 2 one liter bottles of water included and an empty mini fridge, unless you call room service and pay for them to stock it. Every other cruise I have been on, you have items in your minibar. I decided last minute and with some reserve to pay for the cheers drink package (mostly for the energy drinks) which I see now was a waste of money as the only energy drink they have is regular Monster (no sugar free) and I am not much of a drinker. I have only had one fruity alcoholic drink (too much alcohol) since I boarded and that was to try and kill the pain in my back. It is disappointing since I have never had to pay for a drink package when booking a high end suite, it’s usually included. Now I did score a GREAT deal on this suite and only a fraction of what I would have paid for a suite on a US closed loop cruise. Plus it’s on another continent.

Let’s move on to the food…. The buffet is, well, just pretty much gross. They serve the same items every single day with no deviation, at least as I have now seen for breakfast and lunch and there is no bacon. How can they not have bacon, LOL? Now to be fair, I have missed dinner at the buffet every night due to exhaustion and the pain in my back, so maybe the choices change for dinner. I did exit my room late on Tuesday and found ala carte sushi place that was not terrible in price and the sushi was actually good, but I am not going to want to pay for my dinner every night. Wednesday I decided to get dressed up in one of the many dressed I brought and try the Vela Restaurant which is the only sit down “included” restaurant they have here on the ship. The food was decent. The salad lettuce was a bit brown for the Caesar Salad I ordered and the Upscale Chicken Pot Pie was actually tasty. The Chocolate Lava Cake with vanilla ice cream was also good. Not the best food I have had on a cruise but much better than the repeat buffet items. Looking forward to trying the food at the specialty restaurant I paid for at the beginning of the cruise.

I find myself spending a lot of time in my room as the outdoor pools are crowded and full off kids as there really isn’t much else for them to do on this ship. I must say that I am extremely grateful for my balcony, as it has been an awesome place of solace for me. It’s been quite an adjustment getting used to the 17 hour time change so I have definitely caught up on my sleep this cruise.

The excursions that they have planned for this cruise are extremely expensive and honestly after reading the reviews, not worth doing. This to me is the most disappointing part of the cruise.

I found an amazing coffee shop that I have been hanging out in during the day for a few hours, just to get out of my room. It has huge windows and great views of the ocean. The staff here is friendly and they sing to the customers which is awesome. For the most part, the staff has been consistent with being friendly, a far better experience than the one I had in 2016 on the Carnival Imagination.

The spa is lovely and inviting. The Carnival Spa, Cloud 9, does offer free quick massages to get a taste of what they have available. This was welcoming as I have some back pain that I was trying to combat solely with medications. After a quick 5 minute teaser to get you hooked, they offered a huge discount if you booked for the next morning, which of course I did. I also got a tour of all of the Cloud 9 amenities that were included with my suite, I have yet to use them. The next morning at 8am, after a disappointing breakfast, I had an awesome massage which also included a facial, in total the massage and facial lasted 75 minutes. The massage definitely helped with the pain, but did not get rid of it. The spa itself was clean, comfortable and inviting.

Updates:

Thursday was the second of three port days on this cruise, the stop was Lifou Island in the country of New Caledonia. After tossing around whether to go ashore or stay on board the ship, I decided at the very least, to just go touch the land and come back. I took the water taxi to shore to a port with not much to do excursion wise, but the water was so blue and crystal clear that it was immediately inviting. I walked around a bit to see what the market place was all about and what I found were several local people selling items that were extremely expensive. I purposely did not bring a lot of cash, so buying something was out for me. After soaking in the beautiful surroundings for a bit, I decided that I was pleased with my decision to exit the ship and walked over to take a quick swim in the ocean before heading back to the ship. Once I reached the water, I had an instant regret with my decision to leave my snorkel mask back at home. It would have been amazing to see below the water with just how clear it actually was. Since I didn’t have a snorkel, I decided to blindly shoot under water with my GoPro and I was able to capture some great pictures doing this. While swimming, I heard a woman yelling and pointing and I swam over to check it out, and that’s when I saw her. A beautiful turtle without a care in the world just swimming around us humans that had gathered to see her. I made sure to take a video as well as several pictures. I was absolutely in heaven as turtles are indeed a favorite of mine. When it was time to head back, the boarding process was easy and quick and while in line, my turtle friend came to say goodbye sticking her head above water just long enough to capture a picture. With a quick ride back we were all back on board the ship. After a much needed shower, I realized that I had not eaten anything today and decided that I just wanted something light to tide me over before my long awaited an anticipated dinner for the night. I walked over to the buffet area and everything was closed except of course pizza and sandwiches. Carnival needs to step up their game on their food. When guests come back from an excursion or all day swimming, they are probably hungry. There should definitely be more food available. I decided to eat a sandwich, which was actually good, and then went to my favorite coffee shop to relax. I took a few pictures as we were leaving port and then headed back to my room to get ready for dinner.

Dinner at the specialty restaurant 555 Fahrenheit on Thursday was by far the best meal on the ship. Everything was fresh and delicious. This reminded me of being in MSC’s Yacht Club and Celebrity Cruises Retreat Restaurants. It was not at all crowded I am guessing because of how expensive it is. After dinner was complete, this is actually where my night ended. I am not a party person and there was really nothing else to do, so I went up to my room to put on my music and tried to enjoy the balcony night views. It was extremely windy and looked as thought it may have rained. My neighbor had their swing door propped open so it kept banging against the partition that blocked our areas off which was annoying. This made my outside time short lived and I went inside to relax. Not long after, I drifted off to sleep.

Fast forward, it is now Friday morning and Carnival has planned a quick stop in Noumea. Not sure why we bothered as it’s a stop for a few hours before we begin our long trek back to Brisbane. I decided I was not going to get off the ship as there is not anything worth doing and it was made known to us that swimming has been discouraged due to a recent shark attack. I rested a bit longer, much needed as there is such a time difference from here to back home that I am constantly getting texts and messages that wake me up. Now before you say anything, I have children back home, therefore I have to leave the phone on. Honestly, it is not a big issue for me, but just something to keep in mind if you decides to take a trip halfway around the world. In Bali, the time difference was 12 hours here it has been 16-18 hours.

Now I am back down at my favorite coffee place to write this blog and listen to the awesome 70s and 80s tunes they have playing. It has been overly crowded today, possibly because there are not many other options available during port days. Come on Carnival, get with the program and open more places on these short port days.

Now that the port days are officially over, I can honestly say that they were disappointing. A trip to the Great Barrier Reef would have probably been much better idea but this was the cruise I chose, so I am making the best of it. In the end, catching up on sleep and just being able to relax has been an amazing feeling. Would I come back to Australia again, absolutely yes, in a heartbeat, just with another cruise line and different itineraries.

I decided to head back to Vela’s for dinner and the food was once again on point, everything was fresh and delicious. The entertainment is actually what made the meal. The singing and dancing by the staff and the cruisers was, I am not going to lie, pretty awesome. I had wished that I would have found this restaurant sooner in the cruise. After dinner, I took the long walk back to my room, changed into comfy clothes and sat on the balcony listening to music and the waves admiring the stars in the sky and just how pitch black it was out there in the ocean. I went inside and started packing the things I would not need for the final day at sea and then called it a night as I had a spa appointment the next morning.

I woke up well before my alarm and headed up one floor to the spa. I was having a massage to see if they could fix the sore muscle in my back that was causing me pain. After working the crap out of the muscle, she referred me to the acupuncturist. I was desperate to try and reduce or eliminate the pain so at this point, I would try anything. He recommended two sessions, one asap and another later in the evening. I have never had acupuncture so this was going to be interesting. Once he was ready for me, we got started. It was very relaxing and I could feel the current flow through every muscle he put the needles in. After the first session, I did not notice any improvement. I was still hopeful for a change after a second session. All the reading I have done on acupuncture states that it can take 3-4 days to feel any effect. After showering I went down to my favorite coffee shop to relax and people watch for a few hours and then walked around the ship. I was going to have an early dinner due to having another acupuncture appointment so I went back to the room to get ready.

Dinner that night was again back at Vela’s. I sat near a table full of Aussie’s and had long interesting conversations with them throughout dinner. The main course itself was just ok with them over cooking the steak I had ordered as medium. The rest of the dishes were outstanding. They did offer to recook the steak but I declined as I had already eaten half of it and had no more room in my stomach to put it. The staff came out to sing their farewell song to us cruisers, which was really cool. I said goodbye to my Aussie friends, and headed back upstairs to finish packing. I stopped at several places on the way back to my room to capture more pictures and listen to a band sing. I got to enjoy one last night on the balcony listening to the ocean and observing the pitch black all around me. I was sad to be leaving but also glad to be leaving, if that makes sense. I woke up several times during the night to the sound of rain.

Sunday, disembarkment day, I was up well before my alarm, so early in fact, I was able to see the ship roll into port. It was raining and so I was unable to sit out on the balcony like I usually do when the ship comes into port. I decided now was the perfect time to take my shower and put the final touches on my packing while everyone else was still asleep and while there was still hot water. After my shower and packing were complete, I noticed I still had about an hour and a half before disembarking started, so I went down to my favorite coffee shop to grab a monster and headed back to my room to wait for that disembarkment announcement. As the time inched closer, an announcement came over the PA, but it was not the announcement I was expecting. Due to the heavy rain Brisbane had encountered over the last few days, the roads to the cruise terminal were closed by the local authorities. What this meant for us is that none of the workers were able to get to the terminal to assist in the disembarking process. Carnival’s cruise director was great at keeping us updated every 30 minutes or so and while we were waiting, they allowed us to stay in our rooms to remain comfortable. I had plenty of time, as my flight did not leave until 245pm. I planned this on purpose just in case of a delay like this. Finally after about two and a half hours of a delay, we were cleared to disembark. I must give them credit, I literally walked off the ship and out of the terminal with zero delay. One stop for border control, which was handing in the customs card and that was it, I was done. Bravo to Carnival and the Australian Border Patrol for the best disembarking off of a ship I have ever experienced. I called my Uber, which took longer than exiting the boat and waited for her to arrive which in all took her about 20 minutes and then I was off to the airport.

Arriving at the airport was a breeze, nothing at all like Chicago O’Hare. I checked into the self service kiosk and then waited to drop my bags as I had arrived to the airport 4 hours before my flight and, just like everywhere in the world, they wont take your bags earlier than three hours before your flight. Once I was able to hand in my check in bag, I headed through security, then customs and then off to find the Business Class Lounge to wait for my flight to board. The lounge was clean, cozy and full of yummy food. I found a private table and relaxed for the few hours before they called for our flight. Being in business class, we were one of the lucky ones to be able to board first. Singapore did a great job getting up on board quickly. Once on board, the flight attendant showed me to my seat. I had my own overhead bin space and a nice big comfortable area to relax in. Before take off, they came around and took our drink orders and confirmed the dinner selection that was placed online. We were able to push back about 5 minutes early and we were off to Singapore, a 7 hour flight from Brisbane. After we were at cruising altitude, we were able to access the free internet they provided their business class passengers with and I decided to watch a movie while they served dinner which was delicious. I unfortunately, was still full from the lounge so I picked at my food. They brought me my amenity kit and then I decided to try and get some rest, which was short lived as the flight had alit of turbulence. All in all, my experience on Singapore Airlines was a good one. Flying First Class in one of their amazing full on suites is on my bucket list. We landed at Changi Airport and after walking around marveling at this amazing airport, I settled in the lounge which is where I am currently writing this. It is going to be a long layover for me, but at least I am able to enjoy it inside the Singapore Kris Lounge. Stay tuned for more as I finish this trip and cross off another Bucket List item.

Going home, Final Days of Flights

Inside the lounge, it was quiet and inviting. The chairs while comfortable to sit in, aren’t made for a long layover where sleep is vital. Not sure who had the bright idea of doing construction inside the lounge in the middle of the night, but they were taking down one wall and putting up another and this was frustrating to say the least. When the time came to head to the gate, it was a quick walk and once again, Singapore Airlines did a great job boarding the Business Class passengers quickly. It wasn’t long before they had everyone boarded and we were pushing back from the gate. This would be one of the fastest flights on my trip home at about one hour. We had just enough time to eat our breakfast, which was delicious, and then we were landing at Kuala Lumpur Airport. All and all my experience on Singapore Airlines was a positive one. For a future trip, I have a trip in one of their full on suites on my bucket list.

Upon arrival to the terminal, and once we had all been cleared to deplane, I had to go through the longest customs line I think I had ever seen. It took about an hour or so and then I was off to find my luggage, only to have to recheck it for the next flight. My luggage was off the carousel already waiting for me, I collected it and then headed back up to departures. After searching high and low for the Emirates counter, I was informed that it was closed and I would not be able to check in until 3 hours before my flight, which was in about 6 hours. I was in a panic as I was exhausted and just wanted to get in a nap. There were no lounges on this side of security and since I needed to check my luggage, going onto the otherwise was not an option. I went in search of a place to sleep. After walking around, I finally found a capsule hotel which was available to rent with a 3 hour minimum, I did the math and figured I would need 5. The cost, including a locker for my bags would be $36 USD. I was sold. I locked up my bags and went to get some much needed sleep. The capsule itself, was just that, a capsule, literally a small space with a mattress and amazing air conditioning. They gave me a goodie bag with toiletries and a water. There were outlets inside also for charging your phone. I was able to get a few hours of much needed sleep and the mattress was surprisingly comfortable. I awoke just in time to gather my things and head over to drop my bag at Emirates counter. I walked over to the customs and immigration line for another long wait. Once I made it through the long line, I was able to spend some time in the first class global lounge before the boarding began for the flight to Dubai. The lounge was peaceful and quiet with a variety of delicious food staffed with attentive employees. There were big windows with great view of the planes coming in and out. After a couple of hours relaxing, it was time to head to the gate to board the place for Dubai. I was extremely excited as this was an A380 with a shower on board. This was the start of two bucket list flights for me.

Like Singapore Airlines, Emirates was prompt at getting me through security and upstairs to the boarding area. This airbus is a double decker, therefore my suite would be on the upper level. After a few minutes of waiting, we were cleared to board. Upon my arrival to the door of the aircraft, I was escorted to my suite by my flight attendant, Terri. She was pleasant and attentive. She saw the excitement in my eyes and asked if this was my first time flying first class. I politely informed her that it was not, but this was a bucket list item I had wanted to fulfill for a long time, me flying First Class on Emirates. After that, she made sure I was well taken care of. I was given an amenity kit full of Bvlgari products, slippers and a pair of their famous Pyjamas. Looking around my suite, I was in awe. I had my own minibar, a basket of snacks, more awesome amenities and a huge screen TV. We also had free WiFi available in first class, ample storage space and doors that close fully for privacy. Once in the air, I was served a glass of Dom Perignon 2013 and a plate full of caviar with all the fixings. Everything was delicious. With the WiFi being free on this flight, I was able to communicate with the people back home. I placed my order for lunch, an Asian chicken salad, but asked that I wait until after my shower to eat. I took a nap and woke up just before it was time for my shower, I was the last one scheduled. Now the inside of this bathroom was spacious, clean, full of amenities to use for the shower, as well as towels. The floor was heated. You are given only 5 minutes of hot water and 20 minutes in the bathroom to freshen up. It was such an amazing feeling, as well as a dream, to being able to shower at 40,000 feet. Once my shower was complete, we were close to starting our decent. I declined my lunch and started to pack up my items. Terri came by and gifted me a tote full of amenities, including more slippers and another pair of pyjamas, as well as 2 boxes of their famous chocolates. It was an amazing flight and I was sad that it had come to an end. Once we landed and were at the gate, I thanked Terri and headed off to find my next gate for my final flight home.

As I exited the plane, there was a gentleman holding a sign with my name waiting for me. He had come to pick me and another couple up, to escort us through security, and directly into the first class lounge. We were able to bypass the long line and pretty soon we were standing at the entrance to the lounge. At that moment I was informed that I had a free hotel waiting for me if I was interested. After explaining that I would need to go back down, exit through security and find the information desk to get the room, I declined. At this time there was only 9 hours left of my layover and the hotel I was informed, would be off site. Even though I would have a personal car, it sounded like there could be a lot involved and I did not want to risk missing my flight home. In the lounge there was a quiet room with reclining chairs that would come in handy for me during the night. After walking around this massive lounge, I decided to grab a nap. I was able to get about 3 hours of sleep and woke up to grab some grub. There was a restaurant open inside the lounge and I was able to an eat a delicious breakfast which consisted of eggs, french toast, and fruit. Everything in the lounge was complimentary of course. After relaxing at the restaurant for a couple hours, I decided to leave the lounge and walk around the terminal and window shop all the amazing shops in this super cool airport. Everything here is open 24 hours and of course, is duty free. I was able to purchase some gifts to take back and literally just soaked in the amazing atmosphere. This was a busy airport. After shopping for a while, I decided it was time to go back to the lounge. I headed back inside and went to find a quiet space to relax and wait for the time to pass until I would need to head over to my gate. Once it was time to go, I was directed to my gate by staff, which ended up being a short walk through the terminal. As I arrived, they had just began clearing First Class passenger into the actual gate area and after going through another round of security, I headed over to the line to wait for my boarding group to be called. Once we were cleared to board, I headed up the ramp to the plane where I was met by a flight attendant and again escorted to my seat. This plane was a 777 but had the same inside configuration as the A380, in other wards, the suite was identical. There was no shower on this flight, but there were only a total of 6 First Class seats and they weren’t full. I had no one across from me. Inside my suite, I was greeted with the same amenities as the previous flight and was excited to get yet another pair of the famous pyjamas and slippers. I was offered a hot towel and a drink of my choice, to which I chose a mimosa made with the Dom 2013. Once we pushed back from the gate and were in the air, I ordered another serving of caviar with all the fixings. WiFi was also free on this flight so I was able to communicate with people back home during the long 14 hour flight. I didn’t realize just how tired I was until I started dosing off. I quickly changed into my pyjamas, made my bed and decided to close my eyes. I slept on and off for several hours and before I knew it, there was only a few hours left of this long flight. I ordered my breakfast, which was fruit and a cheese omelet, which honestly, was just ok. I do feel like I missed out on all the good meals I had heard about, as I was extremely tired from all the traveling and spent my time sleeping when I should have been enjoying all the delicious food on the menu. As we descended into Chicago O’Hare, I was truly disappointed that this trip was over. The bucket list flight was everything I had dreamed of and more. Due to a medical emergency, we had to wait to exit the plane as EMS needed to board and care for a patient. Within a few minutes, we were cleared to exit and with this being international, there is a long walk to enter the customs area. Having Global Entry is well worth it, let me tell you and saved me some precious time. Once I was cleared through customs and immigration, I grabbed my luggage which was waiting for me again off the carousel and called for my shuttle to bring me back to the parking lot, One Spot, where I always park my car.

To sum it all up, this entire experience has been an amazing bucket list trip that has flooded my head and heart with lasting memories. All of the planning I did to be able to take this trip has not only taught me a few things for the future, it showed me that I could do anything that I put my mind to. I wanted so badly to take that Emirates First Class flight and I was able to find a way to make it happen.

Until the next one….