Filling in some gaps in Spain, a Greenland cruise and I'm getting a tattoo!

RooFlyer · Thursday at 12:18 PM

SQ238 dep MELm9:15 arr SIN 15:15, 12A. B777-300ER

This was a points redemption, mainly using VFF points transferred, to get a much cheaper cost of the flights through to Europe on QR. I've fallen out of love with SQ business product, and with my usual apologies to those who would simply love to fly any business class, SQ has been left behind. I might be imagining it, but I think even the cabin crew have lost a bit of edge.

Anyway, the bird

Boarding was quick and orderly, and usual offer of PDB. As this was a day flight, the weird bent-leg foot cubby didn't really matter, but the legroom isn't what it might be. I tried to get the bulkhead seat by calling a few days beforehand, but no dice.

I got changed into BYO PJs, but with their slippers, and found that even before departure, the toilet floor was sticky. Must have been cleaning fluid residue ...

I had booked the cook - barramundi and fried rice, but here are the menus

The tuna appetiser

And the main. I guess I should have taken more notice of the black bean sauce part - completely spoiled the barra. The rice and the fish were gluggy; I left most of it, even after trying to scape off the brown sauce.

Fruit afterwards. Nice after the main.

Free wi-fi, but at a very poor speed. This was typical through the flight.

As usual with SQ now, the seat belt sign came on a few times at the merest hint of turbulence but funnily enough didn't come on during one pronounced set.

RooFlyer · Thursday at 12:28 PM

Arrival at Changi was straightforward, as usual. e-gates deserted when I arrived and through to the baggage carousel. Something must have happened behind the scene, as the first dozen bags (not priority) arrived after about 10 minutes and then nothing for another 10-15 mins.

Onto the MRT and through to Town Hall station, and a short walk to the Hill Street Pullman.

This place is great, Upgraded to a suite (not actually 2 rooms, but much larger than others on the floor).

View over the pool.

Only thing a bit weird was the Accor welcome amenity. Six small apples and three small bottles of honey.

Good wi-fi

Coffee maker with milk steamer and a water dispenser, where you could vary the temp delivered.

I found a flaw in this later - you see the heart shaped thing at the top - that tells you what you have selected and is a bright LED - joining all the other bright LEDs when you turn the lights off.

drron · Thursday at 2:03 PM

Agree with you re SQ. Has been slowly going down hill in J with food, service and wifi speeds. Was quite bad on the BKK - SIN flight we did a week ago.
But the easiest to get a J award on in my situation so still have a few booked.

RooFlyer · Thursday at 2:08 PM

drron said:
Agree with you re SQ. Has been slowly going down hill in J with food, service and wifi speeds. Was quite bad on the BKK - SIN flight we did a week ago.
But the easiest to get a J award on in my situation so still have a few booked.

I have one at the end of this trip and then another pair mid next year. But then my point redemption is to Jakarta on Qantas.

Unfortunate happening on my flight. Lady in adjacent business seat to me got a whole glass of champagne spilled over her, table and book. Could happen on any airline.

Mortified crew instantly in attendance. Cabin manager came by shortly afterwards with a note and was taking details so I guess she'll be looked after in one way or another.

RooFlyer · Thursday at 2:32 PM

Executive lounge pretty good. Food was sushi, veg salads or beef tacos outside.

Afterwards, to the rooftop bar to use my free drink (these get unused half the time - so I was determined this time!). Lovely warm evening.

My QR flight is at 18:45, so I have a late check-out at 1pm - granted when I asked for it in my confirmation e-mail. Should have tried for more!

Nice leisurely morning - no brekkie - then a walk around the usual spots along the river.

I honestly don't think so ...

Back to the hotel, snack and coffee in the lounge, ready for action.

bPeteb · Thursday at 5:56 PM

No Hooters RF?

RooFlyer · Thursday at 5:59 PM

bPeteb said:
No Hooters RF?

i’m a semi-respectable guy! I didn’t venture in but also I didn’t think it would be a normal type of Hooters

VPS · Thursday at 6:08 PM

RooFlyer said:
i’m a semi-respectable guy! I didn’t venture in but also I didn’t think it would be a normal type of Hooters

I like the semi respectable bit

RooFlyer · Thursday at 6:37 PM

Checked out at 1 pm. When I sent my pre-arrival email, I asked what was the best way to get from the City Hall MRT station to the hotel entrance. Basically, they said walk around the block which is the thing you see online. It wasn’t too far but it was in the Singapore humidity.

I asked the same question about returning to the station when I checked out and they showed me a much more straightforward and shorter route. That was
a bit annoying, but other than that the stay was great. Very happy to come back again..

MRT and then walk to the jewel which is quite long actually, about 400 m. Really annoying checkin machines with no human alternative. First one broken, second one broke down halfway through;.third one got me there. I hate these things. At Hobart we still have human check-in, so I very rarely have to use them fortunately.

Gotta love the Jewel

into the terminal. The QR lounge not open for about an hour so first checked out the Qantas lounge which I haven’t been into for probably a decade also. Deserted but quite a few staff hovering about.

I was tempted to try the laksa, but I had plenty of dining in front of me.

Onto the adjacent British Airways lounge.

Equally deserted and a much more limited dining spread available.

Oops. 3:40pm, time for the QR lounge.

RooFlyer · Thursday at 7:47 PM

QR lounge amazing, of course. Many very attentive stewards, lots of quiet and open areas and importantly lovely à la carte dining.

it was about 4 pm, three hours before the flight departs and I didn’t want to spoil the meal on board (how many Airlines can you say that about?)?. so I just had two appetisers. First tempura prawns.

And then satay chicken

Washed down with a lovely chenin blanc and three glasses of amazing fresh squeezed orange juice

RooFlyer · Thursday at 8:31 PM

I was able to store my carry on so I went for a walk around looking for an extra battery for my camera. Found the most likely shop and showed him a picture of the Battery I want. Ok, what kind of camera is it he asks? I said don’t know but this is what I’m after. He then says we don’t have any camera batteries.

.

i’m going to start a thread on the actually useful things that you can’t buy at major International airports.

My gate is at the extreme far end of the terminal. So I head off early, as I usually do and noticed the Qantas first class lounge. Must admit I didn’t realise there was one. It’s been so long since I’ve been at liberty at Changi (didn’t they used to have a first class area in the main lounge?) so I went up and had a quick look.

Lounge was pretty full so I couldn’t take many photographs but it’s quite large, plenty of attendants and large à la carte dining area. You could spend a few hours here quite happily.

Onward to the gate picking up some choccies for the crew on my flight. I know the QR crews don’t always have a wonderful selection of passengers so I’m happy to say thank you for me.

Did I say the gate was right at the end of the terminal wing?

At the end there was a very nice waiting area – nicer than most of the Changi gates. Plenty of seats, plenty of room and plenty of charging points.

Good orderly boarding, on time and then settled into 3A QSuite on the A350-900

Same Diptyque amenities like my last couple of flights – my sister is getting a nice collection.

Usual card and coffee and date to go with the champagne

RooFlyer · 2025-08-09T02:17:55+1000

As always, the meal is something to look forward to, after we hauled out of Doha

Amuse bouche salmon and salmon roe

Went the soup for once - hot and sour. Twas OK - not really my thing

Main of chicken ouzi - a very big serve. Nice, but not one of the best mains I've had on QR.

But desert! Mango of various types and a tiny bit of gold leaf.

The menu and wine list for those who follow that sort of thing.. @Daver6 - how would you rate them?

RooFlyer · 2025-08-09T02:56:15+1000

A few minutes after we had deplaned in DOH, for some reason I thought my tablet PC wasn't with me. I stopped and yes, panic - its not in my carry-on. Backtrack, not really panicking as I knew it had to be at my seat. I was intercepted by a guy at the top of the stairs down to the plane and, after demanding to see - actually see, and then take my boarding pass, he went off to get it. 5 mins later he re-appeared - no computer

. He got halfway up the stairs, when a FA appeared, with the device. Phew!! Those choccies a good investment.

Arrival security a breeze (dedicated business lane) then off to the Oryx hotel in the terminal. I booked this through Qantas hotels, using half points, which brought the $400 price down to $200, a bit easier to take. I've stayed here a couple of times before and its what you would call a basic 5 star hotel. Very comfy room, pool and gym available, but nothing else.

Reception

Two very poor design features in the above pics. The bed is on a square of carpet and there's a narrow aluminium strip boundary to the floor boards. That metal thing is quite sharp if you stand on it the wrong way. Standard shower wand and rain shower head, with a selector. In this case, its a short thing which you can't grip and when you do, of course you are standing right under the (cold water) rain shower head.

All rooms look over the terminal concourse, but there are wooden sliding doors to completely block out the 24/7 light.

An approx 9am departure next morning, so very civilised.

QR145 dep DOH 8:50 arr BCN 14:40; B787-9, 3A

Not Q-suites but seat of a similar design. Therre is a door, but its almost useless for privacy, as its not very high and anyone walking past can see in.

Wireless phone charging (didn't work / turned off?) and a USB-C port and universal plug.

An hour of free wi-fi for Privilege Club members, at about 2 Mbps.

RooFlyer · 2025-08-09T03:08:07+1000

There's a small area at the back of the J cabin with snacks - and real red roses.

The meal service was a bit odd, for QR. They took post departure drinks orders on the ground, as usual, but these didn't appear until an hour after take-off. Then, it was about another hour before the breakfast service started (11am Doha time). Very Qantas-ish.

I have to say here that the crew weren't up to the usual standard. Hardly any personal engagement and the CSM (guy) had a few issues. Mixed up my orders 3 times and had the irritating habit of appearing over the top of the door and talking to you, even though you are looking at the TV screen with headphones on. Another of the crew talked over the top of a PA I was (pretty obviously) listening to..

I had a small breakfast, waiting for mains (lunch)

Lobster was pretty dry.

Beef tenderloin was a bit tough.

Desert as usaul saved the day.

Crossing the Egyptian coast west of Alexandria, looking towards El Alamain.

craven morehead · 2025-08-09T07:00:13+1000

RooFlyer said:
I'm again starting this a bit early, as people come have up with great suggestions on my forecast itineraries previously.

The core of this trip is an 8 day expedition cruise on the west coast of Greenland.

https://albatros-expeditions.com/expeditions/arctic/disko-bay-0#block-views-departures-block

View attachment 460209

Charters are provided from and to Copenhagen (the company is Danish). The vessel is Ocean Albatross and I think capacity is 180 pax.

View attachment 460210

The cruise is less inclusive than others I have done - booze only at dinner, gratuities not included, no parka, but the expedition crew look excellent.

The background for this cruise, being a silly 2 months after my Svalbard arctic cruise, was @Flashback announcing he was going to Greenland and a discount price was available - how could I miss that company and also miss a place I've always wanted to visit. @k_sheep is also coming along, with others in both their groups. An official AFF cruise. All welcome to post here if not starting your own thread.

Before the cruise, I am going to fill in some places in Spain and Scotland that have eluded me.

Barcelona and area for a few days, then a train to Cordoba, taking a lead from @Seat0B , including the hotel. This is a major diversion - 5 hours each way from Barcelona on Renfe but I've always wanted to see the Mezquita-Catedral of Córdoba.

Then up to Edinburgh, where on planning this trip, I found hotel prices to be astronomical. Ridiculous. On investigation, I found this was on:

Tickets for the The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

Find out more about Tickets for The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Show.

www.edintattoo.co.uk

75th anniversary, so I snapped up a ticket and booked the Ibis close by at about $400/night. . Then hire a car and head first down to Holy Island off Northumbria which I tried to visit before but got rained out. A chap I am researching comes from a town on the mainland, so will be looking at a few places closely.

View attachment 460213

Back to Edinburgh (where I've been to about 4 times), then up to the highlands and Inverness at the head of Loch Ness (I've also done the lowlands a number of times - I have Scots ancestors). Drive down it to Glenfinnan, where the attraction is this:

View attachment 460214

Again, when planning about 9 months ago, I decided to take the Jacobite train (pictured) from Fort William to Mallaig on the coast and back. European trains generally only ticket about 3 months out, so at 4 months out I started to look. Its a private, not public train, so they sell tickets a year out. By the time I looked there wasn't a ticket available a month either side. . However on reflection, if you are interested in the spectacle, rather than the train itself, its better to see it from close by, at one of the nearby viewpoints. So I changed my hotel to an old coach inn within walking distance and stopped checking for tickets.

Glencoe and other places of my and general interest on the route back to Edinburgh.

Then fly to Copenhagen for the cruise charter, spending a day at Helsingør ( Elsinore) checking out Kronborg Castle (Hamlet's hangout), travelling by train. Staying at the Clarion Hotel at the airport, very cheaply, thanks to @Flashback pointing out a very cheap points promotion for Choice hotels. Price of the room 1/3 of the rack rate.

View attachment 460217

Flying home from Copenhagen at the conclusion of the cruise.

$400 for a night in an ibis

Ouch!

craven morehead · 2025-08-09T07:21:47+1000

RooFlyer said:
Arrival at Changi was straightforward, as usual. e-gates deserted when I arrived and through to the baggage carousel. Something must have happened behind the scene, as the first dozen bags (not priority) arrived after about 10 minutes and then nothing for another 10-15 mins.

Onto the MRT and through to Town Hall station, and a short walk to the Hill Street Pullman.

This place is great, Upgraded to a suite (not actually 2 rooms, but much larger than others on the floor).

View attachment 463283

View attachment 463285

View attachment 463286

View over the pool.

View attachment 463284

Only thing a bit weird was the Accor welcome amenity. Six small apples and three small bottles of honey.

View attachment 463287

Good wi-fi

View attachment 463288

Coffee maker with milk steamer and a water dispenser, where you could vary the temp delivered.

View attachment 463289

I found a flaw in this later - you see the heart shaped thing at the top - that tells you what you have selected and is a bright LED - joining all the other bright LEDs when you turn the lights off.

SIN - Sofitel City Centre a few months back I got a Dragonfruit as my welcome amenity as an Accor Plat

craven morehead · 2025-08-09T07:38:56+1000

RooFlyer said:
I was able to store my carry on so I went for a walk around looking for an extra battery for my camera. Found the most likely shop and showed him a picture of the Battery I want. Ok, what kind of camera is it he asks? I said don’t know but this is what I’m after. He then says we don’t have any camera batteries. .

i’m going to start a thread on the actually useful things that you can’t buy at major International airports.

My gate is at the extreme far end of the terminal. So I head off early, as I usually do and noticed the Qantas first class lounge. Must admit I didn’t realise there was one. It’s been so long since I’ve been at liberty at Changi (didn’t they used to have a first class area in the main lounge?) so I went up and had a quick look.

Lounge was pretty full so I couldn’t take many photographs but it’s quite large, plenty of attendants and large à la carte dining area. You could spend a few hours here quite happily.

View attachment 463444

View attachment 463445

View attachment 463446

View attachment 463447

Onward to the gate picking up some choccies for the crew on my flight. I know the QR crews don’t always have a wonderful selection of passengers so I’m happy to say thank you for me.

Did I say the gate was right at the end of the terminal wing?

View attachment 463454

View attachment 463458

At the end there was a very nice waiting area – nicer than most of the Changi gates. Plenty of seats, plenty of room and plenty of charging points.

View attachment 463455

Good orderly boarding, on time and then settled into 3A QSuite on the A350-900

View attachment 463459

Same Diptyque amenities like my last couple of flights – my sister is getting a nice collection.

View attachment 463460

Usual card and coffee and date to go with the champagne

View attachment 463461

The QF SIN Flounge is quite decent

Pushka · 2025-08-09T08:13:03+1000

RooFlyer said:
I have one at the end of this trip and then another pair mid next year. But then my point redemption is to Jakarta on Qantas.

Unfortunate happening on my flight. Lady in adjacent business seat to me got a whole glass of champagne spilled over her, table and book. Could happen on any airline.

Mortified crew instantly in attendance. Cabin manager came by shortly afterwards with a note and was taking details so I guess she'll be looked after in one way or another.

My brother was in J SQ last month. His meal tray would not go back into place just before landing. He was politely asked to go to Y for landing which he did, then the Manager came to get him off immediately the door opened telling everyone to stay seated as he left. Within 5 minutes of landing on his phone he'd received a voucher for something like $500 SGD (maybe less) to spend at the airport.

Fantastic details as always @RooFlyer Almost like we are there.

Daver6 · 2025-08-09T14:26:35+1000

RooFlyer said:
As always, the meal is something to look forward to, after we hauled out of Doha

View attachment 463596

Amuse bouche salmon and salmon roe

View attachment 463591

Went the soup for once - hot and sour. Twas OK - not really my thing

View attachment 463592

Main of chicken ouzi - a very big serve. Nice, but not one of the best mains I've had on QR.

View attachment 463593

But desert! Mango of various types and a tiny bit of gold leaf.

View attachment 463594

View attachment 463595

The menu and wine list for those who follow that sort of thing.. @Daver6 - how would you rate them?

View attachment 463597

View attachment 463598

View attachment 463599

View attachment 463600

View attachment 463601

View attachment 463602

Decent enough wine list. Laurent Perrier is a NV champagne I quite enjoy. Sofitel Singapore used to serve it in the exec lounge and I've consumed a fair few bottles there over the years.

Good to also see a red with some bottle age. The Cantermerle would have been quite good. Plus a BA from Dr Loosen....yum! So a solid wine list IMHO that befits a J flight. Nothing mind blowing, but certainly reasonable....unlike another airline that also starts with a Q....

RooFlyer · 2025-08-09T16:56:35+1000

Arrived in Barcelona about 45 mins early and after a long wait for bags, wend down to the taxi area to order an Uber. The ride as usual a bit of twisting and turning and sitting somewhere but then he appeared to be in the area I was at (Uber sign). I messaged the guy maybe 6 times in Catalan and English and never got a reply. He appeared to be right in front of me, but all I could see was a million taxis lined up - very orderly. About a dozen people waiting for Ubers and not many arriving. Very odd. The Uber wasn't a taxi uber, as taxis are distinct colour and the Uber was blue, with named plates of course.

Eventually gave up and joined the taxi queue and got a nice chatty driver and 40 euro to my hotel, which was only a little more than the Uber estimate.

As soon as I got into the taxi, I got a message from the Uber 'driver' "Hola". Told him I had given up and was in a taxi. He then cancelled and I got a 10 euro cancellation fee. Now obvious it was some sort of scam. Can Uber locations be spoofed?

I got the cancellation fee returned to me but I couldn't report the driver as the journey had 'completed.

Novotel City Centre. Quote a big hotel - 5 active check-in counters. I got an upgrade to a suite on 16th floor (out of 19) - I think my first ever Plat room-category upgrade in Europe!!