One of our friends is from Norway and several years ago, he led us on a wonderful adventure to his native land aboard a week-long Cunard cruise departing from England. Seven couples decided to book the cruise and initially, we all headed to London for a two-night stay prior to embarking on our Norwegian journey. Several of us traveled together and first set out from Raleigh mid-week in June on a Delta flight to Atlanta. We met up in the Delta Sky Club, conveniently located beyond airport security on the second level of Terminal 2 across from Gate C3. This 5,600-square-foot lounge seats more than 140 guests and represents the latest in the airline’s premium customer experience. The club features local touches designed to provide a meaningful, inviting environment for members and guests - from its modern décor and spacious seating to its locally-inspired food and premium drink offerings at The Bar. We enjoyed our visit to this lounge before boarding the quick, one hour and thirty-minute flight to Atlanta.
We arrived on the B Concourse and made our way to the International Terminal for our connecting flight in Upper Class on Virgin Atlantic Airways. Delta’s home airport is huge. Officially known as the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, for many years pre-pandemic it was the world’s busiest airport. That’s when it consistently processed more than one hundred million passengers each year with help from the world’s busiest airport train system that moves people through the nearly 7-million-square-foot complex. It’s an autonomous people mover, dubbed the “Plane Train,” which runs underground, connecting the airport’s seven concourses with domestic and international terminals. This trusty system has been running for more than four decades since first opening in 1980. The Plane Train consists of eleven, four-car trains, which operate on a three-mile loop track. Traveling about forty miles per hour we reached the International Terminal in minutes.
With about two hours between flights, we had time to visit the “International” Sky Club since Virgin business class passengers also have access to the Delta lounges. The exterior of this Sky Club is very attractive with a shaded blue glass exterior with a similar color scheme that’s carried over into the base of the bar inside. This section of the lounge offers complimentary beers, white, red and sparkling wines, as well as spirits, including vodka, gin, scotch, whiskey, tequila, and cordials. There are also premium brands available for credit card charging or mileage redemption. When we were traveling, Delta had expanded the menu options for their Sky Clubs by incorporating a wider array of items to their breakfast, lunch, and dinner spreads. In the early evening during our visit, the traditional bar foods, dips, and vegetables were out on display, along with some heavier hors d’oeuvres, such as a mac-n-cheese station, noodles, a salad bar, roasted spring vegetables, pesto pasta, couscous, and soup, among other things. Desserts included assorted cheesecakes and brownies. But all that has changed since the onset of COVID-19 and we now see a great many pre-packaged foods and limited buffet offerings. We didn’t partake as we were planning on dining onboard the aircraft. That being said, we were really happy to drop by this lounge and enjoy some of the cool perks it offered to visitors.
Virgin was flying an Airbus A330-200 on this route at the time and, the first thing I noticed after the purser showed us to our seats, was the odd layout of the Upper Class cabin. The seats were three across on a diagonal but the middle seats in the first seven rows faced towards the port side of the aircraft and the remaining rows of middle seats faced towards the starboard side. So, from my window Seat 2A, I was facing directly across from those folks sitting in the middle rows. This was fine as members in our group were all seated together but, if I were a solo traveler, I would have carefully selected a window seat in one of the rows which faced the backs of those middle seats, thereby offering more privacy. I must also point out that the awkward layout pretty much prevented me from looking out the window without contorting myself. If you’re an AvGeek like me, the configuration left a lot to be desired. On the plus side (and there were many), each seat did come equipped with a small ottoman (for foot rest or companion dining) which then served as the lower portion of the bed when put into lie-flat mode. There was also a nice, Herschel-branded amenity kit waiting for us along with a menu and breakfast card. Plastic-wrapped noise cancelling headphones were available as well. I was told they were okay but I didn’t use them as I always travel with my own headphones (which at the time were from Bose).
Our friendly flight attendant soon stopped by offering glasses of Garden Brut Premiere Cru Champagne before departure and then promptly took our dinner orders. After takeoff, I explored the entertainment offerings which were extensive. The Inflight Entertainment Screen was hinged to the side of the seat, as was the remote control which was programmable to display the moving map and watch movies. The resolution was good but the screen itself was on the smaller side. Beverages were soon offered with mixed nuts followed by the dinner service. I chose the Fillet Steak with a Watercress Sauce, Sliced Carrots and New Potatoes. They also featured a Roast Cod and a Spinach and Parmesan Polenta Cake. Dinner was followed by a Cheese Plate with Blacksticks Blue Cheese and Applewood Smoked Cheddar, served with Red Grapes and Apple Chutney. Dessert was a Chocolate Drone with an Orange Center. I stretched out afterwards and soon fell asleep for a good four hours before waking to a Full English Breakfast (I’m not sure where I put all that food). We touched down at Heathrow Airport just ahead of our scheduled landing at 8:45 the next morning after a smooth eight hours and 15 minutes’ flying time.
We stopped at the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse for a shower before heading into town. It was so refreshing! Whenever we travel to London, we take the Heathrow Express train after clearing Customs and Immigration and this trip was no exception. For an Anytime Day Return fare of £37 (about $50) we made the journey to Paddington Station in 15 minutes and from there, it was a short, 5-minute cab ride to the London Marriott Hotel on Park Lane. This stylish, luxury
hotel with a boutique atmosphere, is housed in a former grand apartment building dating from 1919 and set across from Hyde Park in Mayfair. The five-story hotel features 152 rooms and suites as well as a fitness center and indoor pool. Trying to stay awake, a few of us ventured out to catch a London tour on a double-decker sightseeing bus. We had quite a bit of difficulty finding the right bus stop even though it turned out to be directly across the street! I have to chalk that up to jet lag which also became quite evident on the bus. Whenever I looked up from my own catnap, I noticed three other “bobbing heads” on that bus. Despite our lack of sleep, we managed to stay awake into the evening to meet for drinks at the Bourbon Bar in the JW Marriott Grosvenor House, along with our close friends who live nearby in Reading. They had come into town to meet up with us and after cocktails with the group, the four of us walked north to Oxford Street and had a bite to eat in one of the many sidewalk cafés that dot the area.
As this was the first visit to London for two close friends in our group, the next day we visited the famous Tower of London. When William the Conqueror built a mighty stone tower at the center of his London fortress in the 1070s, defeated Londoners must have looked on in awe. Now, nearly 1,000 years later, the Tower still has the capacity to fascinate and horrify. As protector of the Crown Jewels, home of the Yeomen Warders and its legendary guardians, the pampered ravens, the Tower attracts over three million visitors a year. Here, the Ceremony of the Keys and other traditions live on, as do the ghost stories and terrible tales of torture and execution. In fact, we even saw the exact spot where Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII, lost her head on the chopping block in 1536! But the Tower also has a richer and more complex history, having been home to a wide array of institutions including the Royal Mint, the Royal Armories and even a zoo. After a quick lunch just outside the Tower grounds, we next went to the beautiful St. Paul’s Cathedral. The present cathedral, the masterpiece of Britain's most famous architect Sir Christopher Wren, is at least the fourth to have stood on that very site. It was built between 1675 and 1710, after its predecessor was destroyed in the Great Fire of London.,and services began in 1697. This was the first cathedral to be built after the English Reformation in the sixteenth-century, when Henry VIII removed the Church of England from the jurisdiction of the Pope and the Crown took control of the life of the church.
With a few days in London behind us, it was time to set off on our cruise. I'll tell you all about that fine journey in a future post.
Until next time...safe travels.
Agree wholeheartedly about the strange cabin layout in Virgin Business - seat selection is important! Look forward to hearing about the cruise...