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Old 20 Nov 18, 11:11 AM  
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WileyCoyote
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The Decadent Dibber in Dubai.Travel & Arrival day, Virgin Atlantic and Waldorf Astoria Jumeriah Palm

November 16th and 17th

Wot no pre travel day ?!
Indeedy Doody. No Premier Inn overnighter for us .

The novelty of travelling at the end of the working day .

So that wasn’t stressful at all because we also had to pack, clean, get ready for the house/dog sitter , take a car to the garage, speak to the prodigal sons . Oh yes and get some work done.

At one point, when my multi tasking skills looked like they might fail me, and I was hyperventilating at the general level of mess everywhere I did feel like we were never going to get anything sorted.

But that may also be because my brain was about 15minutes behind my actual body due to the amount of cold meds I was ingesting in a frantic bid to completely overwhelm my cold into submission.

All too soon it was 4pm and time for last cuddles with the dogs who had really been a major pain all day as they had long since spotted the cases and knew something was afoot.

After a highly nutritious KFC late lunch ( which seems to have become a bizarre pre travel/travel day tradition) we were all packed up and ready to go when our car arrived just after 4.30. Which was a tad early for our 5 pm booking but in the the end we split the difference and were away just after 4.45.

Friday Night travelling to Heathrow - foolish people I hear you say.

In the end we fared quite well on the M40 especially considering that we were briefly delayed around 6pm by an accident that had clearly not long happened - car facing the wrong way ( everyone seemingly ok thank god ) etc and all the traffic being stopped on the opposite carriageway as well . We were soon arriving at T3.



Briskly ushered into upper class check in by a lady you simply wouldn’t want to argue with but sadly not actually upgraded ... i mean it had been a bargain on offer at just over a grand a piece each .. ho hum, maybe not.

Anyhoo, cases weighing in at 19 and 21 kilos each ( loadsaroom) and boarding cards in hand ( even tho we had checked in on line ...) we were straight off to security. Which was busy, taking us a bit by surprise i think but even so we were swiftly through and no intimate body searches required which is always a result.

All done some 45 minutes after pitching up. As we cleared security Andy saw someone that he recognised from work , proving it is indeed a small world as an annoying song once said.

The duty free store must be one of the most badly organised I have ever seen and the queues at the tills were ridiculous , although as I discovered better than Boots where it took 20 minutes just to pay for a couple of things.



Undeterred I headed into Smiths where I only wanted some sweets for the trip. OMG frosted wine gums at 2.50 a pack ? They need to be diamond encrusted for that price. What a rip off.

Having now spent almost an hour in queues, we de camped to the nearest bar we could find around 8pm. It was a place called Oriel which was pretty packed out and it took an age to get served. We didn’t leave a tip in the end as it was really very poor and not exactly cheap either.



Our gate was called at 8.45 and on arriving we were told we could board straight away which would have been about 9.15 - Beauty Queen awaits.

All very good getting on almost an hour before take off but oh my life the cabin was hotter than hell. It was roasting until Andy managed to sort the little air con things out, phew.

An hour after getting on we were on our way . PE seats and service were fab.





Tangfastics ready for takeoff


We both watched Mission Impossible , Andy had an annoying fault on his screen but still managed to watch it .

Drinks came round at 11, wine for him and Amarula for me.


During which time we perused the menu and i looked forward to my chicken



Which when it arrived at 1145 was most definitely not as advertised and possibly one of the most horrible meals i have had .



I usually like plane food but this was horrible, chewy chicken and worst of all some celery which is just food of the devil.



The rest was ok and Andy said his choice of the pasta and meatballs had been fine.

I made a trip to the wanderwall to stock up on snacks later but in the end didn’t eat them on the flight.



The film finished around 1am and Andy got in a few Zeds, prompting me to put in earphones

. Good thing the whining child at the front was making more noise than his snoring.

Yes it was one of those flights with an unhappy small person who was either roaring, screaming, shouting or whining . not that the parents would have noticed as Mum put her headphones on and didn’t move once and whilst Dad got up and looked vexed occasionally his solution was to recline small persons seat sho he could more easily lean over and annoy the person behind him

Hmmmm, good job they were in the seats in a different section to us then.
Not fun.

Between mewling and snoring noises I managed precisely 48 minutes sleep before giving up .

In my rather tired and incoherent state I managed to drop my phone down the side of the seat as it had been sat on top of the arm rest.

So there I am , cabin with no lights, my phone wedged firmly between the seat and the window and me hanging on with my earphones praying I don’t yank them out and lose it completely.

Several minutes of contortions followed including getting my had stuck and almost concussing myself on the armrest , phone extracted and safely stowed in the back of the seat pocket. Much safer, worst that can happen is you forget it right ?! ( spoiler alert, i did remember it )

Still 3 hours to go and I am knackered but no chance of any kip so I stared out of the window for quite a bit and was rewarded with the most incredible sun rise - all good until when the sun does eventually break through it does temporarily blind you and i was seeing bright spots for about ten minutes afterwards . Fool.



Breakfast came out at the unholy hour of 3.38 am and was ok. The yoghurt was nice. I don’t know which genius thought about the teeny granola packet that scatter seeds and other bits that look like pet droppings all over the tray, seat and yourself, but once I had gathered it all back up and put it in the yoghurt - it was actually ok.




Still 90 minutes to go . And unhappy small person super cranking it up now .
Can’t wait to get off this plane.



Loved taking in the unfamiliar scenery as we landed




and straight off into a pretty empty immigration hall ( around 0930 local time now).

initially confused as to whether to join the visa or visa on arrival queue but were told both the same anyway. Super fast and efficient and we were through in 12 minutes.

No questions about meds ( i had a whole other thread running on that after they recently changed their rules on prescription meds) and then we were off ,having our hand luggage go through security screening ( which is odd as I am sure I have never done that arriving anywhere before) and off to get our luggage , taking a trip on the little monorail.



In the baggage reclaim hall I discovered all loos are not equal , some are as we know it and some are not so it was a bit of wait as i really wanted a European style convenience. Ahem.

Cases were off super fast , we bypassed the duty free and set off through the nothing to declare line but were pulled out and sent off to have our cases screened - which took less than 5 minutes and then we were on our way. They seemed to be stopping people at random but you never know do you.

Anyhow the chap was very nice, looked at the screen and said off you go.

Virgin Holiday reps were waiting in the arrivals area. Very well organised and very friendly . Straight into a car and whizzing off to the hotel about 30 minutes after landing.

Taking in all the sights on the way, incredible amount of construction and amazing skyline. The architecture is stunning.




Got the real wow factor going past the Atlantis and then arriving at the Waldorf.





Checked in and then taken up to the club lounge where we had just missed breakfast finishing at 11 but we sat outside with a coffee. We were both quite tired now and feeling the heat. I had packed swimwear in our hand luggage but forgotten t shirts to walk round in.







We stayed in the lounge for a bit - i popped down to meet the Virgin holiday rep in the lobby where he helpfully went through the map of Dubai and offered some tips for our stay - no hard sell on any activities or anything though. I was momentarily stranded as i realised I couldn’t get back to the 5th floor as had no room key so after a few minuted stood in the lift with the door just opening and closing, one of the concierge team took pity on me and activated the right floor.

Lunch was just being served of chicken noodle soup with bread. it was yummy and really helped revive us. All the while they kept apologising the room wasn’t ready but it does say check in isn’t I’ll 3 so its not like it was late or anything.



I had a wander around taking some pics and then came down to the pool just after 2 , fab service with the attendant finding a bed, getting towels and water . It was lovely .










I must have dozed off because Andy messaged me that the room was ready but when I didn’t reply he came to find me ...




We were shown to our room, which they had upgraded to a suite. It was just awesome.










Hisnhers loos, sinks and showers !

Our luggage arrived about two seconds after we did and I unpacked ... wondering if i had indeed brought too many pairs of shoes !



The balcony






It must have been about 3.30 now so we popped up for afternoon tea in the lounge. What a feast. Although by now we were a bit dis oriented with lack of sleep so I don’t think we really did it justice.



We explored a bit more of the hotel

The buffet restaurant ..




Adults pool



Beach with a view of Atlantis or the city





Gardens


Lobby area





Andy managed a quick nap and then we showered and changed for cocktail happy hour in the lounge which is from 5 till 8 ( i do like that sort of hour) and we got there around 6.30

I had a couple of Kir Royales andAndy had red wine. We also had some canapés... again a huge selection but we were mindful we were still yet to have dinner.



Which followed next in the hotel’s buffet restaurant . We are on the half board package so we can either eat in this restaurant or put a level of credit each towards a meal in one of the hotels other restaurants ( 175 AED each, or about 50) .

We were a bit overwhelmed with the choice. It was Mediterranean night and the selection was enormous.



I was really flagging and after several circuits only had a feeble plate of rice and chicken. Andy had several helpings of the lamb . i did try some of the desserts but in the end was starting to feel a bit sick. It felt like we had just eaten all day and with no sleep it was all just catching up with me .



We sat out on our balcony for a bit but it was stifling hot - it had got cloudy and hazy as the day had gone on and there had been a large sand cloud so it still felt very muggy .

Andy watched one of the Pirates of the Caribbean films - i have no idea which one as I was drifting off and struggling to keep up . The bed was super super comfy and big enough for about 6 people - it was huge .

A long but good travel day and the hotel , well its everything we had hoped it would be and more.
Tomorrow ... sights and shops.
And more food.
And cocktails . Probably.

Its just HERE

Edited at 03:42 PM.
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Old 20 Nov 18, 02:12 PM  
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Beth_Disney
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Your hotel looks amazing and a lady can never have enough shoes

Shame about the noise and food in PE. Your meal looked nothing like the description.

I don’t think I’d leave the hotel for the whole holiday, well, more specifically the club lounge!
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Old 20 Nov 18, 02:22 PM  
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lolalolo86
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Fab start. That lounge looks amazing, so much food!
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Old 20 Nov 18, 02:27 PM  
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margyloveswdw
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What an amazing looking hotel and suite. So many shoes though

I can't believe you managed to keep going so long though.
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Old 20 Nov 18, 08:39 PM  
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Melbatb
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It looks fabulous - the balcony is amazing!

And so much food! The happy hour sounds perfect
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Old 20 Nov 18, 08:49 PM  
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Cabbie
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Wow, loving the hotel, the food selection looks fantastic. I love Dubai it's great for a short break.

Shame VS are pulling out of DXB next year.

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Old 20 Nov 18, 09:02 PM  
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jocat
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The hotel looks fabulous Amanda! How great that you got an upgrade too - there’s just so much space. The food looks yummy too.

Can understand your tiredness though. I’d have been rubbish after no sleep, so you both did really well.

Looking forward to the rest of your report.
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Old 20 Nov 18, 11:05 PM  
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CrispyA
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Hope you got a good sleep after such a long day - Hotel looks amazing!
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Old 20 Nov 18, 11:14 PM  
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Fuellady
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The hotel looks amazing! And your room... it's so big, and gorgeous!

What a huge selection of food, I would have been overwhelmed, especially with the tiredness as well. You did really well staying up so late after no sleep.
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Old 21 Nov 18, 07:42 AM  
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WileyCoyote
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I am not a shopaholic
 
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Originally Posted by Beth_Disney View Post
Your hotel looks amazing and a lady can never have enough shoes

Shame about the noise and food in PE. Your meal looked nothing like the description.

I don’t think I’d leave the hotel for the whole holiday, well, more specifically the club lounge!
We have enjoyed going out and about but have decided to stay put today and enjoy the hotel. It is awesome.

Originally Posted by lolalolo86 View Post
Fab start. That lounge looks amazing, so much food!
There really is. I just looked at our photos , they are predominantly of food

Originally Posted by margyloveswdw View Post
What an amazing looking hotel and suite. So many shoes though

I can't believe you managed to keep going so long though.
I have worn all the shoes, but not all the clothes !
We should have gone down the pool earlier and had a nap I think. Live and learn ... next time

Originally Posted by Melbatb View Post
It looks fabulous - the balcony is amazing!

And so much food! The happy hour sounds perfect
It’s a double balcony and is great. I have enjoyed sitting out in the morning watching the sunrise.
Too much food ... even for us
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