Review: Emirates EK231 First Class A380 Dubai (DXB) to Washington DC (IAD)

The Verdict 

• PROS: Luxurious enclosed suite, beautiful gold studded design, true VIP experience “dine on demand’ service, over the top lavatory with a stand-up shower room, huge toilet, amazing on-board bar lounge and friendly crew’s service.

• CONS: Tight First class cabin configuration compared to the First Class on Boeing 777-300ER, mediocre food, award booking options now becomes harder and harder to book. First Class check-in agent was not pleasant at all.

Miles Booking

• Sydney to Dubai (stop for a few days) – First Class Boeing 777-300ER
• Dubai to Washington DC – First Class Airbus 380
• 4 months later, Newark to Athens – First Class Boeing 777-300ER

DXB Airport

Check-In

Emirates First Class Lounge Access

Dubai Emirate First Class Lounge Quiet Room

Emirates Suite Seat & Cabin

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Drinks & Food “Dine On Demand”

Dining on Emirates First Class is a true VIP experience. The way it works is “dine on demand.” What this really means is that you can order anything from the menu and whenever you want. I was first served the small canapés. I paired my caviar with the expensive Dom Pérignon. I also had chowder soup as my in between flight’s meal. For breakfast, I decided to go with a cheese omelet and sausage. In my honest opinion, the food was really just okay. Here are some pictures.

Dessert

Chowder Soup

Emirates Lie-flat Bed

After dinning, I decided to go change into pajamas. Meanwhile, I kindly asked one of the flight attendants to make my bed for me. After returning from my change, I saw a lie-flat bed inside my suite waiting for me. It was very inviting. Without hesitation and after taking a few pictures of that bed, I decided to lay down and remote controlled the privacy door in my suite. The door was fully closed and I felt super relaxed in my suite.

On-board Shower

What set Emirates A380 First Class aside from other airlines is its huge on-board lavatory that comes with a stand-up shower room and gigantic toilet seat. It was my first time on the Emirates A380 so I did not know what to expect. When I first walked into the lavatory, I thought I walked into the wrong room because that lavatory is super big. There’s also an assigned crew member that specifically takes care of the lavatory. There are a total of 2 lavatory rooms in First Class. Each passenger can use the lavatory as long as s/he wants, but when it comes to the shower, the crew will provide options and time slot to take the shower. I picked the time to take the shower before landing so that when I landed in D.C, I would feel refreshed. Each passenger is only allowed to take the shower for 5 minutes. Don’t worry, that assigned crew member will provide instruction and guidance on how the shower works, etc. It was pretty cool to say that I have showered thousands feet above the ground on the plane!

On-board Bar Lounge

Emirates First Class on the A380 comes with a very nice bar and lounging area. The bar is available for both Business and First Class passengers. There’s a specific crew member that is assigned to work at the bar as a bartender. He or she can make pretty much any drinks that you ask for. The assigned flight attendant on my flight was very nice and friendly. She welcomed me on-board and after learning that it was my first time on Emirates First Class A380, she insisted to take out the polaroid camera to take a picture of me behind the bar. She gave me the polaroid photo as a souvenir. I thought at the time that it was just getting better and better with Emirates First Class A380. I did not realize they have a Polaroid camera. A couple Business Class passengers saw that she offered me that souvenir, they also asked for the same. The bar area is pretty spacious and it is a true lounging area.

You can spot who is in First Class and who is in Business Class at the bar lounge by observing who is wearing Emirates pajamas as the pajamas are only available for First Class passengers. I also overheard a passenger asked the bartender when the crew would serve breakfast. I thought premium class all get “dine on demand” privilege, but after asking the bartender she giggled and told me that “dine on demand” is only available for First Class passengers.

Crew Service

The service on the Emirates First Class A380 is well deserved. The male flight attendant that served me was pleasantly nice and friendly. He also provided a memorable service with his sense of humor. I recall before landing, I asked him if I could take the notepad and pen that have Emirates word on it to keep as souvenirs. He said that I was welcome to take anything inside that suite except for the headphone. He jokingly added that “don’t take the lamp, please!” Haha… There’s an arabic lamp in the suite, you can look at the picture as it’s easier to understand that way better than me trying to describe that lamp. Overall, I was very happy with the crew’s service and my experience on the Emirates First Class A380.