I was an idiot and foolishly decided to “yolo” too hard on my last night in Taiwan. Sooooo… apologies in advance for the lack of content on this Royal Laurel review.
Yep. I overslept, but I decided to give it a shot (pun intended) to still go Fast and the Furious to Taoyuan International Airport.
Our Uber arrives at TPE just minutes to 9:30am for a 10:10am departing flight. With the flight already boarding, it would take a miracle for us to make the plane. In fact, I was already browsing on my Marriott/Hilton/Hyatt apps to stay an extra night in Taipei.
We went to the empty Royal Laurel check-in counter and was informed the flight was already boarding and the check-in was closed. After a bit of sweet talking (and begging), the agent made a rare exception and decided to check me into the Hello Kitty flight!
SUCCESS
88 TAIWAN
So no time for the Infinity Lounge — time to head straight to the gate! The agent was even kind enough to print out the special Hello Kitty boarding pass for the Sanrio “Shining Star” edition plane.
Welcome aboard Mr. Chai, would you like champagne, orange juice, or water before we take-off?
For this Hello Kitty edition flight, the champagne is the special pink Veuve La Grande Dame 2006 Rosé. Still hungover, Paul Chai (for the first time ever) denied a refill and requested water instead. To this day, he is internally hating himself for turning down such a nice champagne.
Everything on the flight down to the food and wine menu is decked out with Sanrio amenities.
After take-off, the meal service started. The flight attendant asked if we were sure we didn’t want the champagne. Turning the 2006 Rosé down a second time would be a sin — so we decided to finally have a sip (or two) to pair with this wonderful meal.
There was an oriental chicken soup that reminded us of our parent’s cooking.
And a classic traditional meal that tasted like Taiwan
Tired and exhausted, I decided to sleep the entire flight. That being said, here’s the complete EVA Airways Sanrio/Rimowa museum collection that was collected after the flight.
Overall, this was a much needed peaceful flight. While I can’t say much for the service (since I was passed out the entire time), EVA Airways consistently delivers a great product to fly into/out of Taiwan.
For better coverage in the experience, please visit this review of EVA Airways in this link.
Sleeping for 11 hours straight… first for everything I guess.
Chai Bear World 