Review: Why Emirates Business Class is Totally Worth It

Emirates, voted Worlds Best Airline 2017 by Tripadvisor, definitely lived up to the hype when I flew round trip from Newark to Athens this past summer. I was impressed when I flew economy to Athens, and was even more impressed after flying business class on the flight home. When I received the email to upgrade my seat for only $600 USD, I knew I had to try it. I even convinced the rest of my party to upgrade as well. Although we did not get to experience the luxury of the Airbus A380, as this was a Boeing 777-300ER flight, I still had an amazing experience and was very confortable the entire flight.

After spending a good portion of the afternoon eating and drinking in the Goldair Handling Lounge (thanks to Priority Pass, and Chase Sapphire Reserve) we finally boarded the plane. The friendly flight attendants served us champagne and let us get accustomed to our business class seats. We were also given amenity kits (different for males and females), bottles of water, pillows/blankets and headphones. We chose the middle seats number 9D, 9E, 9F since we were traveling as a group and wanted to sit together. I was glad we got to experience this flight together but I would definitely choose a window seat next time. The seat is angle flat but still felt very comfortable, it even has a massage feature! As soon as we were allowed to recline I did, and felt very relaxed. Emirates ICE (Information, Communication & Entertainment) system was definitely a plus for this almost 12 hour flight. There were plenty of options for entertainment and I definitely did not get bored. My only gripe is that I wish the internet would have been a bit faster!

Emirates Business Class Seat Adjustment Options

I ordered a delicious cocktail, a Cosmopolitan (Vodka, Cointreau, cranberry and lime, shaken over ice) that came with a side of warm nuts. My boyfriend and his friend both had the Chivas Regal 18 year old Scotch whisky (A blend of over 20 single malts, each cask is hand selected by master blender Colin Scott.) I wish I was a whisky person since there were at least 4 choices of whisky on the menu. Though I am usually not a fan of nuts, I found these nuts to be particularly delicious, especially the cashews. This was a great snack before lunch was served.

Lunch was served so quickly! Freshly baked bread was served along with our appetizers and a side of salad. Even just our first course was a lot of food. Between the salad and grilled vegetables, I was already getting full! I was definitely enjoying myself though. My boyfriend ordered the octopus, and though he was not too crazy about it, he still finished the entire plate. For my entree I had rice and some sort of bean and potato dish, because I had ordered the Asian Vegetarian option. I really enjoyed it because it had the right amount of spice and the rice was cooked well. My boyfriend had a shrimp and rice dish, which he thought was delicious. Mango Cheesecake was for dessert, and it was definitely my favorite part of this meal (clearly I just like dessert!) It was sweet and refreshing, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

After all of this food, you could imagine that I would be extremely tired. The flight attendant stopped by after our meal to make our seats into beds, complete with sheets and pillows. I almost immediately fell asleep. This is what you could call a "food coma." Be prepared to be in one the entire flight while flying Emirates. I fell asleep so hard that I forgot to finish my wine, which they had removed from the cup holder due to turbulence. It is okay though! I ordered another glass with dinner!

Dinner was served a few hours after I woke up from my great power nap. I was even able to finish a movie or two before it began. For my appetizer, both my boyfriend and I ordered the Bean Soup, which I thought was really delicious. The freshly baked bread was perfect to dip into the soup. For my entree, I was served the Arabic Grilled Meat platter, though I am not sure what happened to my Asian Vegetarian option. I was actually hungry at this point so I did not bother telling the flight attendant because I did not feel like waiting for food. Luckily I am not a true vegetarian, so I was able to eat both the vegetables and some of the meat. I think the dessert might have been a raspberry tart which had a really delicious crust. Godiva chocolates were also given by the flight attendant. This was definitely the best dining experience I have ever had on an airline!

Overall this was an amazing flight and honestly it went by way too quickly! Before I knew it we were back in the US. How rare it must be to want to actually want to stay in a plane? How could a 12 hour flight go by so quickly? I definitely did not regret taking this flight at all. I only wish I was awake for more of it! The Emirates experience definitely lives up to the hype, especially in business class, and I would say is worth the price tag. I look forward to experiencing business class on the A380, which I am sure will also blow my mind. Hopefully that will be sooner rather than later!