Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class 777-300ER Boston to Hong Kong

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Review: Cathay Pacific Business Class 777-300ER Boston to Hong Kong

This was the start of the trip. We were ALL SO EXCITED and my mom only found out where she was going when we checked in. She was totally shocked and thought we were going east.  I’d also pulled a fast one on my dad and told him that a 2nd first class seat hadn’t opened up. BUT IT DID – about 10 days prior to take off. So I surprised him with his first class ticket and it meant that he and my mom could experience Cathay First together. MISSION Accomplished. Although I couldn’t fly in the same cabin as them, I was able to snag a seat in the mini cabin. I think in a lot of ways this was serendipitous. My last flight with Cathay Pacific in Business Class was in 2015 from JNB-HKG-HND, and in all honesty, wasn’t that great. This would be a much longer flight and interesting to see as a comparison. Prior to boarding I had approached the check-in desk to iron out last minute details about my mom’s surprise birthday cake and the staff could not have been better. A great start to the trip and completely in line with what I had read about Cathay, but hadn’t experience my last time around. Let’s check out my experience on Cathay Pacific Business Class 777-300ER Boston to Hong Kong 🙂

The Deets:

• When: April 2017
• Where: Boston to Hong Kong
• Loyalty: Alaska Air Mileage Plan
• Price: 50k + $93
• Seat: 12D
• Duration: 15 hours 25 minutes

Boarding:

Since my parents were sitting in First Class I boarded with them. The whole crew was there to greet us and the look on my mom’s face when she walked into the First Class cabin was AMAZING. She was sitting in 2D and my dad was in 1A and it was everything I’d hoped for – MILES HAD DONE GOOD! I settled into my seat, 12D, in the mini cabin and soon after the flight manager approached me from first class to discuss when the cake should be delivered. She was unbelievably attentive, interested, and loved that we were on a surprise trip.

I think the cabin coloring is very handsome. Let’s look at the seat.

Much has been written about the Cathay Pacific Business Class seat.  It’s a fantastic reverse-herringbone configuration and I would highly recommend it. It’s the same seat featured on American’s 77W business class. If you have the option between the main business cabin and the mini cabin, I’d choose the mini cabin.

Originally I was sitting with my dad in business. But when 1st became avail I moved him up and the rest of the business cabin was full up so I kept my middle seat.

Personally, I’d prefer the window…

The IFE is great with a large selection of movies and tv shows, etc.

Plenty of storage as well.

It’s a great product, no doubt.

Amenity Kit.

The kit has changed since I flew it last in design. While the old kit had a very cool style…I’d never reuse it. This one, however, has a very useful design, and I LOVE the coloring. It features Jurlique products and the basics…

Meal service started and just as I was starting my entree I was summoned to First Class for the Cake presentation

I was brought up to the first class galley as they were prepping the cake. I stopped at my dad’s seat on the way up and he was enjoying a cheese plate and some port. I could tell he was on cloud nine. I asked him how he was liking it and he said gave me a big thumbs up and said the champagne ( Krug ) was outstanding and he couldn’t believe he liked the caviar. HAHA, I’d recommended they try it out while we were in the British Airways Lounge ahead of the flight. I let him know they were presenting the birthday cake soon.

I got to my mom’s seat and she had the biggest smile on here face. The first words out of her mouth, “ZACHARY! Oh my GOD! The Caviar was SO GOOD. And you were right, this KRUG is incredible.” A sidenote – I really, really, really, promoted the caviar and Krug so it made me happy they both had and enjoyed this treat. Just as those words were hitting my ears the crew approached with the Birthday Cake. She was floored. Needless to say…the trip had started off better than I could have expected. My dad was super happy too 🙂

I sipped some Krug with my mom and sat on the ottoman while we enjoyed cake ( it was PHENOMENAL cake – amongst the best I’ve had on dry land)  and talked about what she thought so far. A couple hours had passed on the flight at this point, and I probably hung out with my mom for 30 minutes before I headed back to business. The crew could not have been more over the top nice. They were sincerely concerned about the experience for all of us.

The Food in Business

It was good. Was it the best I’d ever had? No, but then again I started my “dinner” after 2AM and wasn’t really that hungry. I also had had a massive slice of cake and some Krug in the middle of my entree…that could have made a difference lol.

The menu:

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The food:

As you can see I had prawns as a main…the breakfast omelette, snacks, etc. It was decent business class food – I don’t see a point in going through every last detail. The pics speak for themselves.

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The Bed…

Fully flat with a pillow and a blanket. The cabin was kept very cool and the blanket was just the right weight. I slept for 6 or 7 hours. I couldn’t believe it. It was probably 4 am Eastern by the time I hit the hay, and I was very tired, but I slept really well. One of the best sleeps I’ve had on a plane.

Overall:

A great way to fly. The crew exuded the attitude that I had always read about regarding Cathay Pacific. They were excellent and really made me and my family feel like they enjoyed creating a truly memorable experience for us. Yes, the cabins are very nice, but the service is what makes it an incredible memory and experience that will be cherished. Thank you for that.

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$125k Around the World Surprise Trip for my Mom’s 75th Birthday

You don’t have to stop here. Check out how we paid $5k and took a $125k Surprise trip Around The World to celebrate my Mom’s 75th

Flights:

• Boston to Beijing
  • American Airlines First Class 737 Los Angeles to Boston
  • Cathay Pacific First Class 777-300ER Boston to Hong Kong ($17k value)
  • Cathay Pacific Business Class 777-300ER Boston to Hong Kong ($7k value)
  • Cathay Pacific Business Class 777-200 Hong Kong to Beijing
• Beijing to Singapore
  • Singapore Airlines Suites A380 Beijing to Singapore ($3k)
• Singapore to Bali Roundtrip
  • KLM Business Class 777-200 Singapore to Bali to Singapore ($400)
• Singapore to Dubai
  • Singapore Airlines First Class 777-300ER Singapore to Dubai ($4k)
• Abu Dhabi to Cannes, France
  • Etihad Airways First Class Apartment A380 Abu Dhabi to London ($8k)
  • Etihad Airways Business Studio A380 Abu Dhabi to London ( $3500-5k)
• Cannes, France to Dallas
  • Lufthansa Business Class A321 Nice to Frankfurt ($10k)
  • Lufthansa First Class A330 Frankfurt to Dallas

Hotels:

• Boston
  • Intercontinental Boston ($450)
• Beijing
  • JW Marriott Beijing, 1 Bedroom Suite ($450 for 5 nights)
    • Club King ($250)
  • Singapore
    • Crowne Plaza Singapore Airport, 1 Bedroom Suite ($300)
  • Bali
    • Mandapa, Ritz Carlton Reserve 1 Bedroom Rice Paddy View Villa ($600/night)
    • Conrad Bali 1 Bedroom Ocean View Suite ($400/night)
  • Singapore
    • Intercontinental Singapore ($400/night)
  • Dubai
    • JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, 1 Bedroom Executive Suite ($450)
  • Abu Dhabi
    • Ritz Carlton Abu Dhabi ($300)
  • Cannes, France
    • Intercontinental Carlton Cannes, France ($300)
  • Dallas
    • Grand Hyatt DFW ($150

Lounges

• Boston
  • British Airways Lounge Boston Logan
• Hong Kong
  • Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge
  • Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge The Wing
  • Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge The Pier
• Beijing
  • Air China First Class Lounge
• Singapore
  • DNata Lounge
• Bali
  • Garuda Indoneisa Business Class Lounge
  • Premier Lounge
• Singapore
  • Singapore Airlines First Class Check-In
  • Singapore Airlines Business Class Lounge SIN
  • Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge SIN
  • Singapore Airlines Private Room SIN
• Abu Dhabi
  • Etihad First Class Lounge
  • Etihad Business Class Lounge
  • Etihad Shave Experience
• London
  • British Airways First Class Lounge LHR Terminal 5
• Nice
  • Library Lounge
• Frankfurt
  • Lufthansa First Class Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A

Afternoon Tea

• Peninsula, Beijing
• Raffles, Singapore
• Burj Khalifa, Dubai
• Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi

TIPS:

• When to look for Cathay award space
• How we booked 3 Singapore Suites
• 5 things we loved doing in Singapore that avoided the heat
• Never trust the concierge

The Hotels

• Boston
  • Intercontinental Boston
    • 50k IHG
• Beijing
  • JW Marriott Beijing – Used Marriott Rewards
    • Room 1
      • 5 nights for 60k points
    • Room 2
      • 5 nights for 60k, 3 nights with suite upgrade of $70
• Singapore
  • Crowne Plaza Singapore
    • 40k IHG per room
• Bali
  • Mandapa,
    • paid rate with Virtuoso and Ritz STARS benefits
  • Conrad Bali
    • 60k HHonors + $135
• Singapore
  • Intercontinental Singapore
    • 60k per night, per room
• Dubai
  • JW Marriott Marquis Dubai
    • 35k + $70 per night
• Abu Dhabi
  • Ritz Carlton Abu Dhabi
    • 30k per night, per room
• Cannes, France
  • Intercontinental Carlton
    • 2 free credit cards nights
    • 5 nights at 50k points
    • 1 night at 60k points

We were gone a total of 24 days and stayed in luxury hotels all the way through. We flew the best the world has to offer, and all it took was planning and understanding exactly how to utilize points to their potential.

Bonus Reviews:

Did you know that there was a lounge inside a lounge inside a lounge reserved exclusively for First Class passengers departing Singapore called THE PRIVATE ROOM? It was a great surprise for both of my parents that I wanted to make sure we visited. It features a la carte dining options like lobster and champagne and has a fine dining feel to it. Yes, this is in an airport. This is one of the amazing BONUS treats you get when you max your points out. MORE LUX, LESS BUCKS. Take look at all of the luxurious lounges we were able to visit because we were flying in such great cabins.

Lounges

• Boston
  • British Airways Lounge Boston Logan
• Hong Kong
  • Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge
  • Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge The Wing
  • Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge The Pier
• Beijing
  • Air China First Class Lounge
• Singapore
  • DNata Lounge
• Bali
  • Garuda Indoneisa Business Class Lounge
  • Premier Lounge
• Singapore
  • Singapore Airlines First Class Check-In
  • Singapore Airlines Business Class Lounge SIN
  • Singapore Airlines First Class Lounge SIN
  • Singapore Airlines Private Room SIN
• Abu Dhabi
  • Etihad First Class Lounge
  • Etihad Business Class Lounge
  • Etihad Shave Experience
• London
  • British Airways First Class Lounge LHR Terminal 5
• Nice
  • Living Room Azur
• Frankfurt
  • Lufthansa First Class Lounge Frankfurt Terminal A