I flew both Residences & Apartments in 2023.
Residence is the same as normal apartments first class except:
- Your own private bathroom+shower onboard.
- Your own private double bed which is separate to your F seat/bed. This bed is a proper bed like in a hotel. Separate TV in the bedroom.
- Someone will escort you to/from the aircraft (e.g., you can be first to board).
- You get a private lounge within the AUH first-class lounge dedicated to you.
- You receive both a bathrobe and pyjamas onboard (first only gets PJs).
If you're flying solo - EK F is better than EY F, but if you're travelling with someone you'll have much more fun on
Etihad.
For ~$3500 AUD extra above and beyond the first class ticket, it's a great deal to check the box.
Note that it's an ancillary add-on -- so you won't earn extra miles for Residence.
Put into perspective, to compare - if EK F is 10/10 and EY F is 9/10 - QF would be 6/10.
(Neither EK nor EY are 10/10 - just a want to show how QF compares vs them).