American Airlines 999
Miami (MIA) to Buenos Aires (EZE)
Depart: 10:45 AM
Arrive: 9:40 PM
Duration: 8 hours, 55 minutes
Aircraft: Boeing 777-200
Seat: 1J (First Class)

My trip to Buenos Aires was booked in August for 62,500 miles and $5. It was an incredibly simple award detailed in this Anatomy of an Award.

When I got to LAX, there was a sign at Terminal 4 for Flagship Check-in.

Pack your bags folks. Today, we're going on one of the most coveted First Class products out there. It's so luxurious that it's not even called First Class.

Singapore Airlines Suites were introduced in 2008 exclusively on their flagship A380-800. Ever since then, people have been hoarding their points for a chance to fly this room in the sky. For years, Singapore Suites could only be booked by using KrisFlyer points at an astounding 1 million miles roundtrip!

At the end of 2012, Singapore released their Suites product to saver availability on KrisFlyer.

Elegant, Opulent, Grand, Colorful and Detailed.

These are all traits that describe the Ritz Carlton in Kuala Lumpur.

I stayed at the Ritz Carlton for a night and here's what I found:

Check in

As soon as our car arrived, the door-man helped us out of the car. He took the luggage to a holding area as I checked in. At the check in desk, there were three employees that had all welcomed me with a smile. After asking for an upgrade, I was given the executive room. This room was said to be bigger than a normal room.

Chauffeur Service

Pre-Departure Services and Emirates Club Auckland

Emirates First: Suite, Seat, and Bed

Emirates First: Service and Food

Emirates First: Shower Spa

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Emirates 413
Auckland (AKL) – Sydney (SYD)
Depart: 6:40 PM on Saturday, January 12
Arrive: 8:05 PM
Duration: 3:25
Aircraft: Airbus A380
Seat: 3A (First Class)

There's one reason why Emirates First Class on an A380 is famous: the on board shower.

Chauffeur Service

Pre-Departure Services and Emirates Club Auckland

Emirates First: Suite, Seat, and Bed

Emirates First: Service and Food

Emirates First: Shower Spa

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Emirates 413
Auckland (AKL) – Sydney (SYD)
Depart: 6:40 PM on Saturday, January 12
Arrive: 8:05 PM
Duration: 3:25
Aircraft: Airbus A380
Seat: 3A (First Class)

I remember the moment I booked my Emirates A380 First Class Seat. It was after 11 PM, but I had to call someone to vent my excitement before I burst. And now the moment had arrived to get on the plane.

Chauffeur Service

Pre-Departure Services and Emirates Club Auckland

Emirates First: Suite, Seat, and Bed

Emirates First: Service and Food

Emirates First: Shower Spa

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This section of the trip report deals only with the seat and suite.

Last month, I used 145,000 Hilton points to book a four night stay at the Hilton Hawaiian Village in Waikiki. (This was a 55,000 point discount because I booked an AXON award.)

When I booked, the only room available was one king bed. My traveling party wanted two beds, but I wasn't worried because I knew that would be an easy change at check in.

Chauffeur Service

Pre-Departure Services and Emirates Club Auckland

Emirates First: Suite, Seat, and Bed

Emirates First: Service and Food

Emirates First: Shower Spa

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Once inside Auckland's airport, I headed straight to the Emirates check in counter.

Chauffeur Service

Pre-Departure Services and Emirates Club Auckland

Emirates First: Suite, Seat, and Bed

Emirates First: Service and Food

Emirates First: Shower Spa

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My shower-in-the-air, room-service-to-my-suite, bar-on-a-plane trip report starts on the ground with the first part of my trip: the included chauffeur service.

With a few exceptions, Emirates First Class and Business Class passengers are eligible for free chauffeur service to and from the airport. This page lists the rules for every airport.

I'll be giving some activity ideas for New Zealand during my trip here. See Wellington, NZ.

Yesterday I biked the Queenstown Trail in Queenstown, New Zealand.

Queenstown is my favorite place so far in New Zealand for its amazing array of outdoor activities from bungee jumping, sky diving, hiking, biking, boating, and more. I was in Queenstown for four days, and it rained for two complete days.