As a travel enthusiast, unusual fortunes and mishaps are bound to occur especially when you get creative in airline provisional rules. Sometimes, it can mean scoring a huge last minute upgrade or in this latter case… informing everyone that you’re accidently stuck at DXB airport New Years night.
So, how did this mishap happen? Let’s rewind back a little bit…
Night before the flight
Our Emirates return flight was scheduled early morning at 8:30am. Still on cloud nine from the World Europa New Year family cruise, I was not in the mood to end the night early. Knowing that Emirates First and Business Class lounges in Dubai is one of the only lounges in the world that opens 24/7, I thought it be a genius idea to continue the festivities by doing a late night “party” in the Emirates Business Class lounge.
Back when we flew the new Emirates First Class “Game Changer” Suite, the special Moët Impérial Bar shared by both First and Business was still the highlight in my opinion of the DXB lounge. The 2012 vintage at that time was divine.
When I proposed this idea to Miki, she obviously was not as enthusiastic…
You go ahead… it’s almost midnight. I’m going to sleep now
Alright, fine by me! I left my entire luggage at the hotel… put my passport in my jacket pocket… and did a beeline through customs.
Minutes later, I scan my boarding pass at the biometric entrance and then just like that — I’m back at the Emirates flagship Business Class lounge in Dubai. Just how I remember it, this lounge is massive and takes the entire upper floor of the DXB terminal.
Lounge
Same as last year, I did a beeline to Emirates special Moët Impérial bar. It’s by far my favorite part of the lounge.
Which Moët would you like sir?
All of them, ’twas my answer
- For champagne connoisseurs, the 2013 vintage in my opinion was equally divine with slight nuttier tasting notes than the 2012.
- The Moët & Chandon definitely tasted the most familiar. Easy to drink.
- The Nectar Impérial was surprisingly my least favorite. Definitely too sweet for my liking
- The Rosé Impérial I feel a lot of girls would like due to its well balanced fruits content. Not too dry… not too sweet. It’s the goldilocks of the champagne flight.
I wasn’t too hungry, but this massive lounge caters to a variety of international cuisines.
and a wealth of desserts & a personal ice cream cart
At around 2:00am
Alright that’s enough silly solo festivities. Time to head back to the hotel and catch a few hours of sleep. I took an elevator down to customs and get ready to exit. There was no line. Time to fast track back to bed… this is going to be swift and a piece of cake. So I thought…
Mr. Chai, why are you entering Dubai again? It says you were already here last week
Puzzled in why I was stopped, I simply replied…
Yes I was on a family vacation. Now I’m going to go back to the hotel to sleep a little before my flight
Passport officer was even more confused…
Then why are you here in DXB?
The nerdiest travel geek answer followed…
I wanted to check out the Emirates Business Class lounge
It was then I got escorted by another security officer to a “special security screening” area where I was told to sit. In this room (not pictured), around 20 people were waiting to be called.
I was clearly an outlier since I was by far the youngest one in the room. Unlike others, there was not a single luggage or carry-on by my side too. 20 people ahead of me though? Man looks like this is going to be a long night…
To my surprise, my name was almost immediately called
Mr. Chai… you were at the lounge?
I embarrassingly nodded
Go back upstairs to the lounge. Have a good flight.
Lounge (again)
Alright, I’m back at the lounge… again! Thankfully, there was plenty of amenities to keep me entertained, so I decided to make the best out of it.
There was a playroom where me and another kid goofed around with random arcade machines.
You can even sit on a computer chair and play an assortment of personal PS4 games.
Afterwards, I decided to make an Emirates spa appointment at the lounge. The first available wasn’t until 5:10am, so I decided to just walk around the very empty lounge.
and drink a cup of cappuccino
Finally 5:10am spa time came…
The massage was called “Jet Lag Therapy”
After the much needed blissful massage, I drank another cup of coffee and watched the sunrise off the tarmac. It was then I started reflecting back on what an adventure this night has been.
Fun fact about Emirates is that you can board your plane directly from the lounge.
As I finish a light breakfast, I can see the plane slowly park at the gate besides the lounge
What an adventure… an unintended overnight stay at the Emirates Business Class lounge. Overall, it was a great way to discover all the 24/7 amenities Emirates Business has to offer. Even though it was a mishap getting stuck at the airport, this New Years night turned out to be quite entertaining.
- Drinking flights of expensive Moëts at the bar
- Trying out various Middle Eastern/Asian desserts
- Trying out the massage at the Emirates spa
- Playing arcade games with kids
- Watching sunrise as your plane parks at the lounge
When life gives you lemons… make lemonade! Welcome the mishaps and turn it into an opportunity to try new travel experiences.
Chai Bear World 