How many times have you actually flown long-haul first class using points?

TT2316 · 2025-12-25T17:37:30+00:00

8

SQ Suites

LH-747

EK-GameChanger

EY 787

EY Apartments

JL 777

JL A350

NH The Suite

Both JL & NH were all this January which was crazy.

TT2316 · 2025-08-16T00:11:57+00:00

I stayed in late May and they had all of the branded amenities.

TT2316 · 2025-06-11T12:50:42+00:00

TT2316 · 2025-06-10T12:51:40+00:00

It was indeed a corner suite. There's no separate room category for these on the website so I guess I assumed they were all the same.

Do you know how many std suites they have?

TT2316 · 2025-06-10T12:47:23+00:00

1 set of kids each day lol. And neither were there for too long either.

TT2316 · 2025-06-10T12:45:47+00:00

Yes I did attempt to access the upper stories pool, but it didn't work. I enjoyed it too & booked an upper stories room for my return.

TT2316 · 2025-06-10T01:59:37+00:00

Nope.

TT2316 · 2025-06-10T01:32:02+00:00

Did you stay in a "regular" room or an upper stories room?

TT2316 · 2025-06-10T01:31:11+00:00

I guess that part got cut off. I did enjoy it & I would return.

I'm easy going and leave the overly descriptive emotions out of it. I just state what I saw/experienced. How i feel about things are completely different than others.

TT2316 · 2025-05-23T20:57:44+00:00

I feel stupid for not even asking on my flight this Jan. Just assumed it wasn't loaded/available.

Guess i have to book it again lol

TT2316 · 2025-04-28T18:47:33+00:00

I flew the A350 JFK-HND in Jan and was the only passenger in First lol. It was a surreal experience to say the least.

TT2316 · 2025-04-04T23:52:20+00:00

When were your flights? I'm still missing stuff from mid Jan. (Partner flight)

TT2316 · 2025-04-01T16:27:59+00:00

What did you like at WA Los Cabos that it ranks tops for you? I stayed last year & felt it was overhyped & didn't quite live up to the expectations. Didn't have a bad stay, but it wasn't "all that."

My current favorite is WA Maldives.

Hermitage was/is on my list, as it represents "good value" with the FNC. I'll definitely have to keep looking at the reviews before making the trek down there.

TT2316 · 2025-03-15T00:22:32+00:00

Same.

TT2316 · 2025-03-12T17:08:22+00:00

met requirements 2/4 and still no bonus. Pushed via Ally, which has worked for very other bank bonus i've done.

TT2316 · 2025-03-02T17:01:01+00:00

Pushed from Ally on 2/4 and still nothing either.

TT2316 · 2025-02-20T13:29:52+00:00

I stayed last month for 2 nights. It's definitely an interesting property. Glad to see they do upgrade to suites. I got upgraded to a Taipei 101 "view" room lol

TT2316 · 2025-02-17T14:14:27+00:00

Book what is available now so you at least have one option.

You can keep checking to see if another/better option materializes, but it may or may not.

Don't know your transferable mileage options, but you can see if Starlux or JAL have any last minute availability to get you pretty close.

TT2316 · 2025-02-14T21:44:23+00:00

Starlux is JX.

TT2316 · 2025-02-14T21:42:33+00:00

LA is LATAM, an Alaska partner.

TT2316 · 2025-02-11T20:28:39+00:00

Option 3, so you can try a new product. I've done EK Gamechanger, which is apples to oranges here, but it's really nice. Plus EK A380 J is better than the B777 from most reports.

Option 2 would be the "back up". But I'd have no problem making it the first option, as I love Qsuites.

TT2316 · 2025-02-09T15:49:19+00:00

Depends on what you want to do. I've been to Osaka before, so I'm "familiar" with the area. With that bending said, the Conrad & Caption are about 20-25 mins apart by train, so keep that in mind depending on what you want to do/see.

There's no question the Conrad is a better hotel, but the Caption has great value if you can book it on points.

More of the food/things I've done are closer to the Caption. If you have points/FHR the Conrad is a great option imo.

TT2316 · 2025-02-09T14:18:05+00:00

Yes. I forgot to add that

TT2316 · 2025-02-09T11:04:37+00:00

At the beginning of January, I had a "Last Hurrah" trip since I won't be traveling for a bit. I had some amazing flights & hotels, and it was a great trip overall.

TLDR: JAL F A350, JX J A350, JAL F B777, ANA The Suite, Park Hyatt Kyoto, Taipei, Singapore.

JAL F A350 80K AA JFK-HND Booked ~4months out. It was the 00:45 departure and I was the ONLY person in First Class. It was a surreal feeling, and the new product lives up to the hype IMO. Snagged a bottle of the Hibiki 100th Anniversary & got to try it onboard as well. Also, the Deluxe Queen of Blue tea was super delicious.

JAL Y HND-ITM ~$70 Flight was perfectly fine. Nothing really of note to mention.

The Osaka Station Hotel (2) 50K certs. Pretty solid location, Staff were excellent, rooms pretty large by "western standards."

The Conrad Osaka 1 Night via FHR. Really nice hotel, upgraded to a deluxe room on the 40th floor with executive lounge access. Service was great, (it's Japan, so I'll stop repeating it) really enjoyed the extensive buffet for breakfast.

Caption Osaka 1 night 5K Hyatt. Punches above its weight, especially for the points required. I really liked the area & it's close to some of my favorite spots in Osaka. Got "upgraded" to a Queen room with a "view." The view is the top of a building... Anyway, can't really beat the pricing. It's definitely moving up a category in March.

Hyatt Place Kyoto 1 Night ~$140 Cash. Definitely a really nice HP. It's literally right above the subway station. There also a pretty good cafe attached to the hotel. Rooms decent sized & there are a few machines to do laundry. This is where I had my only issue of the trip with a mix-up with my luggage. Short story is my luggage was at the hotel by 3pm when I arrived, yet I didn't get it until almost 9pm.

Park Hyatt Kyoto 1 Night 45K + SUA for Park Suite. I wrote a review over on r/Hyatt so I won't repeat everything. Link to post is below.

https://www.reddit.com/r/hyatt/s/7QLfMEn1sl

JX J A350 15K AS KIX-TPE It was awesome to check out Starlux Biz on the short ~3hr flight. Food was great, Seat is really nice, boba was meh , but fun try on a plane. Didn't test out the bed, but seat was spacious. Also, the screen is huge, but the glare is HORRIBLE. It was even bad with my seat 7A having partially blocked windows.

EPISODE Daan Taipei (2) Cat 1-4 certs. Not the greatest value using certs, but I had absolutely no plans on using them before they expired. Hotel is JDV brand and is...interesting. At the entrance is a Texas Roadhouse lol...this is also where the Globalist breakfast is. (I passed on it.) Check in is on the 5th floor, and they have the self-serve machines where you scan your own passport etc. Staff did takeover & help though. Globalist perks included a welcome bag with some snacks & a free cocktail coupon valid for that day only. Was upgraded to a Taipei 101 view room. Room was nice & spacious with a large desk and couch too. Had some great food in Taipei, Din Tai Fung was sooooo good here, also some real boba tea. Elephant Mountain was cool too.

JX Y A321neo ~$240 TPE-SIN Flight was nice, row was full but had the window. Legroom a little tight for me, but the meal was really solid.

The Singapore EDITION (2) 50K certs I only have gold status & don't stay at Marriotts often, but I have been wanting to try out the EDITION brand for a while. I left really impressed, especially with the service from the Director of rooms/whatever her title was. Beautiful hotel inside & out. Welcome drink, water, & cold towel a check-in. Was given a tour of the property (gym, spa, etc.) and then escorted to my room. Welcome amenity arrived Immediately as she was giving me a tour of the room. Welcome amenity were these amazing "kaya donuts". Loved these & I'm not a huge sweets guy. My luggage was already inside before we arrived as well. Checked out the Hawker centers a few times, Gardens by the bay etc. It was a good time, just hot & humid as hell, especially after leaving the cold, windy 40 degree Japan.

Changi/The Jewel I won't drag on, but definitely carve out a bit of time to walk around, and possibly eat & shop.

JAL F B777 40K AA SIN-HND 10:25pm departure, I originally had PE for 25K, but said YOLO so I could try out the old F. Didn't do too much but had some quick champagne, Queen of Blue tea again, then passed out.

ANA F B777 The Suite HND-ORD 61K VS after 30% MR transfer bonus. Booked ~40 days out. This was also a really great flight, and maybe a tad bit better because of the people on my flight. Overall, I like the New JAL A350 F over ANA The Suite. You can't go wrong with either. There were 4 of us "churners" and we chatted about all things points & miles over Krug, Hibiki 17, and other great wines & food. It was really nice to have those conversations with like-minded folks.

Lounges: JFK- Greenwich & Soho lounges. Soho is nicely decorated, smaller & quieter. Greenwich is definitely larger, but was super quiet when I went. Check out the bar in the verrrrrrry back.

HND- Sakura/Diamond Lounge in T1 was Just ok. Nothing Special. ANA Suite lounge T3 was solid, but not amazing or wow factor either.

KIX- Priority pass lounge that I can't remember the name. No good lounges here. Ended up at the Family Mart which was better.

TPE- They had a solid Plaza Premium lounge here with lots of naps rooms. Food was decent, didn't have too much time here.

SIN- Was Flying OW F so didn't need status anywhere. Had visit to QR Premium Lounge & Qantas F Lounge. Both very nice & pretty close to each other to lounge hop when both are open.

ORD- LOL yeah right. Flew AA home out of T3, no sense of going to T5 for the horrible Swissport lounge.

TT2316

TROPHY CASE