Tuesday – June 6th, 2023 – Wednesday – June 7th
Our last day of the Trip, and another amazing trip to the States ticked off. There was basically no plan for today other than getting to the airport, dropping off the damaged car, relaxing in a lounge, and then flying back to London Heathrow on Virgin Atlantic.
Checking Out
We had a complimentary breakfast included in our stay and we decided the easiest way of using that was via room service. However, try as we might we could not get through to the restaurant to order! eventually, we gave up and headed down to pick up breakfast in person. The restaurant was little more than a coffee shop and the food was pretty bad. We were just happy it was free.
Then after just relaxing and doing very little, we checked out and headed to the Car Rental Centre.
Avis Car Rental Return – Cracked Windscreen
Amazingly this is the first time we have ever had to return a car in America with Damage. We always make sure we are fully covered and that any incident would not be a problem and we have never actually had one. Careful driving and a good lump of luck have always steered us in the right direction. But there is nothing you can do when a stone chip flicks up and shatters the windscreen. It looks like our luck ran out. However, our Cover hadn’t.
We were a little nervous taking the car back as you hear so many horror stories about car rental firms but Avis was really good. They took one look at our booking and said “oh you have the inclusive cover, no problem it will all be taken care of” and that was about it.
The only problem we did have was the fact with all the worry of the cracked screen we completely forgot to fill the tank up. this ended up costing us an obscene amount in Refueling charges!
With everything sorted, we hopped on the Shuttle bus and headed to the Terminal. When boarding the bus the Driver rather grumpily told us to lay our cases flat or they would go flying. We argued that everyone else’s were like ours and they were pretty well jammed in, but she shook her head and said they will go flying anyway. Yeilding to her superior knowledge we lay all our cased flat but the other riders knew better than the driver. Predictably halfway to the airport, they all went flying, nearly busting out of the door opposite and damaging several cases and almost injuring several people. Ours lay flat as instructed, never moved. There is a lesson in there somewhere.
Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy
We had flown out in upper class but the return leg was to be only in Premium. We joked about how we had to slum it, but in reality, we adore the Virgin Premium product and were quite happy to be flying home this way.
Check-in
Security was a breeze. The TSA were using dogs as scanners and while the queue to pet the dogs (don’t pet the dogs!) was huge, it moved really fast and once past them, the secondary checks were super quick. We didn’t have to unload electrical items or de-shoe and we were through in around 15mins.
This was great but Check-in was a nightmare. First off, we couldn’t find the Virgin Check-in Desks at all. We wandered up and down several times and they were nowhere to be seen. Eventually, we asked and they gave us a desk number, but on arrival at the said desk there was no sign of Virgin instead, it was a Korean Air desk.
It soon became clear that the Koren Air Check-in was about to end and Virgin would take over these desks. So we formed a Queue ready for the Queue. Unfortunately, the Korean Air team was having trouble with the last passengers and would not vacate the desks. The Virgin Crew had all arrived and were waiting to go, but the Korean Air Team just held their ground. Eventually, after 30+mins the Crew were done with the awkward passenger and finally got out of the way. We were then checked in super fast and on our way to the lounge.
Centurion Lounge LAX
As we were in Premium there was no lunge included on our Booking, however, we did have access to the Centurium Lounge via our AMEX Platinum, so naturally we headed straight there.
It was super busy and we really struggled to get a seat. Several laps of the lounge only resulted in seats at a pretty uncomfy dining-style table. Unhappy with this we kept doing laps looking for better seats while also getting started with drinks. Naturally kicking things off with a nice glass of bubbles. Eventually, we got some comfier seats near the second bar and settled in for our 2-hour wait for the flight.
The drinks are really good here, and we got well prepared for our flight with several offerings from the bar. The bartender at the second bar was excellent and made several offerings and suggestions on tipples. We had some excellent Chardonnay and Cabinet Saviuon from Napa Valley which brought back Wine Country Vicbese from earlier in the trip. When enquiring about old fashioned the Bar tender stated these were his specialty and they certainly we very good, good enough to try another to make sure.
Food wise the lounge is a little limited. There was some grilled chicken, some pasta, a Vegie Polenta dish, and several salad options. There were also a couple of soup options. For Dessert, there were just some Warm Cookies…very nice warm cookies but not a lot of choice.
We were only looking for a light lunch so all this was fine, but it was pretty limited.
Overall we had a great time just relaxing in the Bar area and enjoying the drinks ready for our 10+ hour night flight over the Atlantic. Boarding was at 3 pm so we reluctantly gave up our seats, in the fast-emptying lounge and headed for the gate.
Cabin and Seat
The Premium Cabin on the new A350 is really nice. There is loads of space and the seats are wide and really comfy the entire flight we had absolutely zero issues with comfort. The seats are far more modern than the older aircraft and look pretty minimal, but are still really comfy and supportive. The headrests are also excellent and really support your head once you get them right.
The Screen is really large and high definition and the various Map views and cameras help you keep track of the flight. There are loads of power points and a decent amount of storage. Despite being in these seats for over 10 hours they were a really comfy way to spend the time.
Main Meal and Drinks Service
Upon boarding, we were offered a complimentary Glass of Bubble to sip while we waited for take-off and once in the air the first round of drinks were served promptly. A real advantage of having a small Cabin and dedicated crew…we think we got drinks here faster than we did in upper class?
After Drinks Dinner was served promptly. We have a choice of Lemon Grass Chicken Breast with Ride, Fish Cakes, or Eddamae Fennel Risotto. While we were intrigued by the Risotto, it was a morbid curiosity as it sounded appalling, so we resisted and went with the Chicken (Steve) and the Fishcakes (Kate).
The meal comes on a single tray with your Starter, Main, and Dessert all served on real crockery. The Starter was a small Salad and a bread roll. It was actually really nice with ripe tomatoes and tangy Feta Cheese. Our mains were passable. While this is an upgrade from Economy dining it’s still pretty basic. Imagine a high-end supermarket ready-meal rather than a cheap one.
The dessert was actually excellent though a good slab of Key lime Pie Cheesecake. We often find Arline dessert very nice but incredibly small but this was a good lump of Pie. The meal came with another round of drinks. Finally, after Dinner the Cabin Crew came around with tea and coffee, but we broke rank and ordered a final round of drinks.
Overall Flight
After this, the Cabin lights were dimmed and most people tried to get some rest. We watched the end of a movie, “Don’t Worry Darling” and then tried to get some sleep. Kate nodded off pretty soon but I was not really able to. The problem was, it wasn’t really dark yet and it was on;y 8 pm in the evening…
Instead, I simply watched another movie and then browsed the music channels not really tired and quite enjoying the IFE. Looking out the window it never really did get dark. As we flew pretty high up towards the Arctic Circle we had perpetual Twighlight. The moon rose above the Icey lakes of northern Canada and overall it was a stunning night.
At around 12 pm or 8 hours into the flight I started to get pretty tired but not so much it was a problem and by then the Sun was beginning to come up and the Cabin Crew starting to make breakfast. I had basically powered through but overall it had been a really enjoyable flight.
Breakfast and Arrival
Breakfast was served and Virgin did their usual trick of providing far too much, in the hope you might just be able to stomach one thing. Having powered through the night largely fueled by alcohol I was actually really hungry and demolished the lot. Kate who had slept felt groggy and sick and didn’t touch hers.
We got a hearty Breakfast of Egg Sausage, Bacon, Hash Browns, and Mushrooms. A really fresh fruit plate and a tasty and refreshing Yoghurt. All were served with a nice cup of tea. It was one of the better breakfasts we have had on an airline.
The flight had powered across the Atlantic and we were over UK soil in superfast time, nearly an hour early. Unfortunately, Heathrow ATC was not ready for us and we were put in a long holding pattern waiting for our turn to land. IT was really busy above London and we could see the various aircraft stacked up.
Eventually, we got a slot and dropped down to a pretty heavy touchdown.
Leaving Heathrow
The Busy Airspace made us pretty worried about the state of immigration. While as premium we were first off the plane after Upper Class, that does nothing if several big jets have just landed in front of you, as borne out on the inbound flight!
However it was actually really quiet and we flew through immigration, even beating our bags to the Carousel.
We then headed outside and jumped in a Cab and off to pick up the Car at the Hotel. We had arranged to stay with some relatives local to the airport, so headed off on the short drive to their house for some much-needed sleep.
RECAP!
What an unbelievably crazy trip. From the Hustle and Bustle of San Francisco to the remote scenic beauty of the PCH. The finery and good life of Napa Valley and the sheer breathtaking scenery of Yosemite and Inyo Forest. The desolation of Death Valley and the madness of Las Vegas and finally the world of make-believe and happiness in Disneyland and Universal. It was a wild ride, over 1500 miles over 21 days, two plane rides, one in Pure Luxury of Upper Class, a Ballon Ride, Casino Winnings, one Super Car, and one less than Supercar that did all the donkey work. Incredible changing Landscapes and varied and temperamental weather.
This trip really had it all and that is why we LOVE California!
Join us again in October as we head to the East Coast for Halloween and a little Leaf Peeping!