We did it again ... back to Europe for Christmas on Emirates

When: December 2015
Kids: Big Sister 11y6m, twins 9y
Flights: Hong Kong - Dubai - Amsterdam - Dubai - Hong Kong on Emirates
Booked through: booked directly on the Emirates website, 1 adult & 3 kids for less than $21k. Additional benefit, all 4 of us have now earned a free return to Dubai!

Home for Christmas after 8 years. Due to family circumstances I decided fairly last minute to make the trip home. Unfortunately my husband had work commitments, so the kids and I were going to make the trip together. After a lot of playing around with dates I found the most affordable combination leaving 2 days before school finished, flying back soon after Christmas. Although I love Emirates, the trip to Europe via Dubai is not one of my favourites. However, thanks to a second daily flight between Dubai and Amsterdam offering a better alternative to the middle of the night transfer. Both times we transferred during breakfast in Dubai which worked quite well. However, both trips door-to-door were still around 24 hours, even more going west. Technically Brussels would have been quicker but the flight times were less favourable (mainly the way back) and the fares were quite a bit higher as well. So yes, I did it again, even though I said I wouldn't. The kids, on the other, hand, were super excited ... great inflight entertainment, Fly-With-Me-Monsters and 3 times an A380! More about Emirates and flying with children can be found on their website, including the Monsters (and their names). 

We left Hong Kong on a flight just past midnight. Boarding was extremely chaotic, which showed that even 2 1/2 years later ground staff in Hong Kong is still as clueless as before. No coordination, hordes of people blocking other passengers, mayhem! They invited families with children to come forward after the higher priorities had boarded but then I was denied again. A little bit more sympathy with 3 children, even though they're not babies, way past their bedtime would have been appreciated. But ground staff in Hong Kong is not known to be great and no improvements have been made apparently. Flight left on time, skipped the dinner, breakfast ex-Hong Kong was horrible so we ate at Dubai airport. We didn't have to change terminals in Dubai which was great, though it was extremely busy. The number of flights leaving throughout the day is mind-boggling and many of them are A380 and B777 so you can imagine lots of people have to pass through to get to their final destinations. We had 2 1/2 hours which was plenty and not too long at the same time. 

Second flight was a morning (day) flight arriving just after lunch time in Amsterdam. Food ex-Dubai is soooooo much better and the kids' meals looked great (and simple), but they didn't eat much (slightly foggy in their heads I think). Staff was friendly but not overly present. The real joy started at Amsterdam airport when Twin A vomited twice in an overcrowded arrival lounge while waiting for immigration ... and again in the train, the car and at home. Fellow passengers and local staff was helpful although I felt mortified, but what can you do? Luggage came quickly, we made the train with one minute to spare, and well over 24 hours later we arrived in the suburbs of Antwerp after a long, long trip. Especially since the west-bound is significantly longer than the east-bound flight. But overall, not too bad (you forget quickly), and the kids, as always were great.

Game of bowling with a few more hours to go ...

We left Amsterdam 11 days later on the evening flight at 10 pm (about an hour late due to late incoming aircraft but made up in-flight), our only B777 plane, arriving at breakfast time. Luckily families had a chance to pre-board so we could store the luggage (very full flight) and the kids went straight to sleep. The evening flight was a much better choice than the afternoon one, connecting to an overnight / early morning one which makes sleeping on both flights almost impossible. 

In Amsterdam, the kids basically passed out at the gate and didn't wake up til we started our descent in Dubai. We skipped the dinner and no breakfast was served as the flight was only 6 hours. They basically slept more than 5 hours so not too bad, considering our next flight was going to arrive in Hong Kong at 9 pm meaning they could go straight to bed! We arrived in Dubai on time and again had 2 1/2 hours to transfer. No surprise, it was very busy but by the time we left around 10 am it was considerably better and our flight was far from full. Staff was great, they came round with the camera, the kids collected 3 fly with me monsters, so life was good with less than 7 hours of movies & games! Food ex-Dubai was great, lots of snacks and good service. Luggage at Hong Kong took forever, about 50 minutes for our suitcases to arrive (apparently it can take up to 2 hours when the A380 is full as they need to scan every single bag I was told, crazy especially after all those hours). We got home just before 11 pm and the kids had no problem going straight to sleep. I woke them up at 9 am the next day to fight the jet lag, but it still took a few days to get over it (late bed times and scheduled awakenings between 8 and 9 am), definitely worse than summer time!

On all flights, I booked a middle row of 4 (3-4-3 seating configuration, no bulk head was available). Three out of four flights were basically full except the last one but since it was a day flight, it was fine. The A380 is quiet, the economy seats are decent enough, the recline is not too bad at all. The screens are huge size and the panel is easy to control. Free internet up to 10 MB or pay US$1 for an additional 500 MB (not available above India and China). Kids' play areas and free strollers are available in Dubai. 

An easy well-prepared kid's meal ... fried rice, bread roll, brownie, water & a snack box ...

Catering ex-Dubai is significantly better. 

Overall, still not my favourite connection because it is a very long trip. Though value for money, quality of food, plane and staff cannot be beaten. Considering we flew at peak season booked less than 3 months in advance, I think we got a great deal with equally great service. It is one of the best airlines of the world in my opinion. 

Kids' packs in cooperation with Lonely Planet, a keepsake Polariod and Fly-With-Me-Monsters!

What's on offer for kids:
> great kids' meals with simple dishes like fried rice, a bread roll, crackers, a piece of brownie and a snack box containing a tooth brush and tooth paste as well. Nothing too complicated and always something they like, and you can keep for later if not hungry at that given time.
> flight attendants come round to shoot Polaroids (with a nice card) as a keepsake (in our case only on 1 out of 4 flights, or 1 out of 2 day flights).
> more movies, television programs and games your child could ever watch and play on these flights
> great kids' packs in collaboration with Lonely Planet (love that idea) and of course the Fly-With-Me-Monsters ... a stuffed animal with a fleece blanket. The LP packs come in different sizes and colours. The small ones are insulated, the large bags are more like totes. Inside some travel facts, travel cards, stickers, a eye mask for children. Overall, educational and suitable, also for slightly older children without having a ton of waste. Since we have 4 legs in total with 3 kids, we turned down some packs as we didn't need that many. In the end we had 3 packs and 3 Fly-With-Me-Monsters! The Monsters are now to be found in all 3 beds .... with the blankets!