LHR to SFO
Using Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class service is definitely the way to travel long distances. Dropping off at the Upper Class Wing, removes the need to battle the crowds through a busy Terminal 3 at Heathrow. Pulling into a private entrance and by the time you’ve passed through the security barriers and driven up the ramp, you are met kerbside by a Virgin representative, with your boarding pass in hand. Your luggage is wheeled away by two other people and you don’t need to worry about that again until you reach your destination. A few simple security questions later and you’re directed to the private security lane and moments later you’re airside and walking to the Virgin Clubhouse.
In my opinion, the Virgin lounge is one of the very best - spacious, well designed with a spa and shoeshine if you need to tidy yourself up before boarding. As you’d expect, there are a few quirky extras such as a pool table and a big TV wall showing sports for those who need a quick fix of football before flying.
Most important of all for me is that wherever you sit there is a friendly waiter ready to bring you food and drink. Indulge in a full cooked breakfast or eggs benedict in the morning before 11.30, after which burgers et al become the order of the day. A quick tip - it’s a bit difficult balancing your breakfast on your knees if you sit on the sofas, so try to think ahead before you stake your claim to a particular seating area.
Within no time at all your flight is called and you’re walking to the gate.
Unfortunately for me there was a missing relief pilot for our flight so we had a bit of a delay at the gate before boarding and ended up picking up about an hours delay overall but on the whole it was well handled by the gate staff and crew.
Inflight, Upper Class is as you would expect a quality service. I seated myself on the upper deck of our 747-400 where 10 Upper Class passengers have their own private cabin, making the experience much more akin to a private jet. Flat beds and good food complete the mix with the customary mid-flight ice-cream Unfortunately on the Upper Deck, on disembarkation you cannot rush off the aircraft as behind you by the stairs, there is an economy section, so passengers end up being one of the last premium passengers to leave (The main deck is held back to enable the upper deck to disembark after Upper Class downstairs.
Hotel in San Francisco.
After getting through the queues at US immigration (never complain about Heathrow again!), luggage is waiting on the belt and on passing through customs, I was met by a Silversea representation who directed me and 3 other passengers to our transfer limo. By this time it was rush-hour so we had to contend with rather a lot of traffic but eventually we arrived at the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins Hotel. A pleasant property, my room with a king size (american sizing) bed wasn’t the biggest or best designed (strangely built into a corner so that the hall wrapped round the bathroom) but the bed was comfortable with a nice topper like my own at home so after a long journey and a hot shower, it was good to fall asleep to the American version of Family Fortunes - a much more upbeat affair with lots of whooping and clapping than our own.
Embarkation
On arriving at the hotel, every passenger is given a letter from the ground agent giving useful information, so on checking out at noon, I knew I had the meet the rep in reception for our transfer to the ship at 12.30. Leaving on time, after 10 or 15 minutes we were at the cruise terminal, our luggage whisked away once again to be loaded onto the ship and delivered to our suites. Embarkation was painless. A few flashes of our passports, our security cruise card is issued and we board. On arrival, a cold towel is offered and we are directed to reception where two rapidly moving queues move us to the counters where our picture for security is taken and just like any hotel, our credit card registered for our onboard account. Trust me to end up at the terminal that decides to crash when I arrive! Expertly handled by the guest relations manager, I move across to her colleague who finalises my arrival.
It’s then on to lunch (you can choose depending on your time of arrival to dine a-la-carte in the main dining room, have the buffet offering in La Terrazza or dine al-fresco on the pool deck). I chose the main restaurant as I like the service and had the beef carving of the day with a nice Yorkshire pudding, just home from home!
Every suite on Silversea’s fleet has a butler. Mine introduced himself that afternoon, gave me a tour of the suite’s facilities and established my preferences of toiletries and in my mini-bar (all complementary), orders me a bottle of prosecco and even offered to unpack my luggage.
After the compulsory muster drill, it’s time to settle back and enjoy the voyage. I started mine as we sailed away from the port, under the Golden Gate Bridge, with a cocktail, snacks and canapés all expertly served and prepared by the bar team.
It is then time for dinner and then back to my suite to have a good night’s rest in the rather bumpy 4m swells that rock me gently, mostly, to sleep.
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