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An Asian Holiday: Part 4 – By Air and Sea – Cathay First Class to Hong Kong, Ferry to Macau

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    Emily Jablon:  Daraius and I celebrated Christmas in Macau and Hong Kong with his family for ~8 days.  It was our 1st time to Macau and Hong Kong and we were very excited to visit!
    Emily and Daraius in Cathay Pacific First Class

    An Asian Holiday – Trip Report Index:

    An Asian Holiday Part 4 – By Air and Sea – Cathay First Class to Hong Kong, Ferry to Macau

    Daraius booked us on Cathay Pacific from Mumbai to Hong Kong.  We treated Daraius’ family to First Class since we don’t see them that often and had extra American Airlines miles.

    How You Can Do It Too!

    We redeemed 45,000 American Airlines miles for a 1-way flight in First Class (plus $26 in fees and a $25 telephone booking fee, per person) from Mumbai to Hong Kong.  Coach costs ~$350, Business Class costs ~$935, and First Class costs ~$1,665.  So you are getting a lot of value for your points!

    How Many Miles You Need:

    But you can’t find Cathay Pacific award seats on the American Airlines website.  You have to check for award seats on British Airways’ website and then call American Airlines to book your ticket.

    How to Get the Miles:

    1.   Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite™ Mastercard®

    You get 100,000 miles when you spend $10,000 within 3 months using the Citi American Airlines Executive card.   So this is the easiest way to get the points to fly First Class on Cathay Pacific.

    Here are 40+ Ways to Complete Minimum Spending to help with the high minimum spending requirement.

    2.   Citi American Airlines Cards

    The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard® and CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Mastercard® each get you 50,000 miles when you spend $3,000 within 3 months.

    The information for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum and CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
    3.   American Express Starwood Hotel Cards

    The Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express and the Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express each get you 25,000 Starwood points when you spend $5,000 within 6 months.  Starwood points transfer to American Airlines at a 1:1 ratio. And you’ll also get a 5,000 point bonus each time you transfer 20,000 points to American Airlines.

    If you earn the bonus on both cards you will have 60,000 Starwood points (50,000 points from the sign-up bonus + 10,000 points from completing the minimum spending).  You can transfer Starwood hotel points to American Airlines.  60,000 Starwood hotel points transfers to 75,000 American Airlines miles (60,000 miles + 15,000 transfer bonus).

    That gets you more than enough for a 1-way First Class ticket on Cathay Pacific, 2 Business Class tickets, or 3 coach class tickets!

    Pre-Flight: How Was the Mumbai Airport and Lounge?

    Emily:  We stayed in Mumbai with family.  We went to the same restaurants and did the same activities as before, so we’re not writing about them again!  We flew from Mumbai to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific.

    We went to the Mumbai airport 2 hours before our departure, which was more than enough time to pass through security and spend a few minutes in the British Airways lounge.

    Checking Out the British Airways Lounge at Mumbai Airport

    Cathay Pacific uses the British Airways lounge for flights from Mumbai.  The British Airways lounge had lots of food, but it seemed stale and wasn’t very appealing.

    There Were a Few Hot Items but They Weren’t Terribly Appetizing

    I opted for packaged foods – Lay’s tomato chips and a chocolate biscuit.

    I Chose Some Snacks Instead

    Daraius’ family used the computers while Daraius did some work, and I ate my snacks.

    On the way to the gate we realized that the security check did not stamp Daraius’ carry-on bag, which was required, so we went back to security.

    Oops!  You Can’t Board the Plane Without Having Your Bags Stamped by Security

    Luxury Suites: Cathay Pacific First Class

    Our seats (suites) were in the nose of the Boeing 747.

    Cathay Pacific First Class Was Right Up Front

    Daraius and I sat directly across from each other…

    We’re Very Thankful for This Hobby Because It Brings Us Closer as a Couple and a Family
    …but couldn’t see one another unless we got out of our seats.
    The First Class Seats Gave You Lots of Privacy

    The seats were the largest I’ve seen.

    Emily Found the Seats Very Spacious
    Each suite had an extra wide seat that could be laid flat.
    Lots of Room to Spread Out

    There was lots of storage for our belongings.

    Your Own Personal Closet

    There weren’t many people in the First Class cabin.

    (Almost) the Whole Cabin to Ourselves!

    The TV screen extended outwards.

    The 17 Inch TV Was Fully Adjustable But We Were More Interested in Sleeping

    The controls were located next to our seat.

    Almost Like Being in Our Living Room Except Joelle Isn’t Eating the Plants
    There were controls to adjust the seat and for the TV.
    The Controls Were Easy to Use and Conveniently Located

    There was more storage space next to the controls.

    Daraius Enjoyed Listening to Classical Music With the Headphones

    There was 1 outlet to charge your electronics.

    We Could Keep Our Laptops Charged In-Flight

    There were reading lights on each side of the seat.

    Your Own Reading Lamp and a Pocket for Magazines

    There were also fresh flowers.

    The Fresh Orchids Gave the Seats a Welcoming Feel

    The flight left Mumbai at 1:45 am, so we slept as much as we could.  We were given pajamas…

    The Pajamas and Slippers Were Cozy and Comfortable
    …and amenity kits for this short 4.5 hour flight.

    I received a women’s Trussardi kit.

    The Trussardi Amenity Kit Was Nice, but Not as Nice as the One on Etihad

    And Daraius was given a men’s Ermenegildo Zegna kit.

    Daraius Didn’t Own Anything From Ermenegildo Zegna Until Now

    There were Aesop brand toiletries in the amenity kits.

    …But the Amenity Kit Is a Zegna Design!

    The flight attendant made my bed before we took off, so that it was faster to go to sleep.

    Daraius Dreaming of Our Next Meal in Hong Kong

    The beds were very roomy.

    Large Lie Flat Seats Made for a Restful Sleep but Daraius Awoke After a Nightmare That He Somehow Lost All Our Points at the Macau Casino!

    While the Cathay Pacific flight was nice, I prefer the service and cabin on Etihad.  I could see Daraius throughout the journey, and it felt like we had our entire suite to ourselves.  Also, the amenity kits and pajamas were given before takeoff so that you could save time changing clothes and get more sleep if needed.

    The Business Class seats also looked relaxing.

    Cathay Pacific’s Business Class Seats Looked Comfortable, Too

    The seats also lie flat, but are smaller than the First Class seats.

    I Liked the First Class Seats Better

    We did not eat on this flight because the flight left at ~2:00 am Mumbai time.

    We Arrived in Hong Kong 1st Thing in the Morning

    Ferry to Macau

    After arriving in Hong Kong, we purchased our tickets for the ferry to Macau (a 1 hour journey).

    Thankfully There Were No Lines to Buy a Ferry Ticket

    Getting to Macau was very easy since the ferry terminal is located in the airport.  All you have to do is take a few escalators down, and you’re there!

    It Was Easy to Get to the Ferry Terminal

    We were able to buy our tickets quickly at the counter.

    You Can Buy TurboJet Tickets to Macau or Guangzhou (Canton), China

    As a big added bonus, they transfer the luggage for you so that you don’t have to worry about lugging heavy bags on and off the ferry.  Just go straight to the ticket counter (do NOT go through immigration in Hong Kong) and give them your bag tags.  They will transfer the bags to the ferry!

    The ferry has 3 classes, but we opted for the cheapest economy class.  The TurboJet ferry costs 246 Hong Kong dollars (slightly more on weekends) or ~$32 per person.

    You Could Choose Economy Class or Super Class

    We got our tickets and were on our way!

    The Tickets Were Much Like Airline Bag Tags

    There was food available if you wanted a snack.

    Food Cost 36 to 50 Hong Kong Dollars (~$5 to ~$7)

    We walked past the temperature check…

    Passengers Are Checked for Fever or Other SARS Symptoms
    …and on towards the ferry terminal.
    At the Ferry Terminal, Ready to Go!

    We took a shuttle bus over to the ferry and followed the directions on the signs.

    There Were Different Ferry Companies Departing the Port

    The ferry was huge!

    The Ferry Was a TriCat Catamaran With ~330 Seats

    It was only about an hour ride.  There’s no miles redemption for the Macau ferry!  The inside was very spacious and well maintained.

    Economy Class Was on the Lower Deck
    Emily Found the Cabin Tidy and Spacious

    There was not much legroom.

    There Wasn’t a Lot of Room to Stretch Your Legs

    There are big windows so you can look outside.  The ferry was all enclosed because it was cold outside at 50 degrees.

    I fell asleep for almost the entire boat ride.  When we docked, we walked through immigration and to the baggage claim area.  Everything went very smoothly, but the baggage claim area was crowded and chaotic.

    Patiently Waiting for Bags to be Offloaded

    We took a free shuttle bus to our hotel, the Grand Hyatt in Macao.  There are signs everywhere to direct you.

    It Was Easy to Tell Which Way to Go

    We walked just a few minutes to the shuttle bus transfers, and the signs were well marked.

    There Were Signs for the Hotel Shuttles

    However, there was no sign for the Grand Hyatt.  The Grand Hyatt is located within the City of Dreams.  So we got on the City of Dreams bus, and the Grand Hyatt was the 2nd stop.

    The City of Dreams Shuttle Stops at 3 Luxury Hotels

    The driver helped us get all of our luggage on board the small bus.  And sooon we were at the Grand Hyatt, Macau!

    How You Can Do It Too!

    We redeemed 45,000 American Airlines miles for a 1-way flight in First Class (plus $26 in fees and a $25 telephone booking fee, per person) from Mumbai to Hong Kong.  Coach costs ~$350, Business Class costs ~$935, and First Class costs ~$1,665.  So you are getting a lot of value for your points!

    How Many Miles You Need:

    But you can’t find Cathay Pacific award seats on the American Airlines website.  You have to check for award seats on British Airways’ website and then call American Airlines to book your ticket.

    How to Get the Miles:

    1.   Citi American Airlines Executive Card

    You get 100,000 miles when you spend $10,000 within 3 months using the Citi American Airlines Executive card.   So this is the easiest way to get the points to fly First Class on Cathay Pacific.

    Here are 40+ Ways to Complete Minimum Spending to help with the high minimum spending requirement.

    2.   Citi American Airlines Cards

    The Citi American Airlines Personal card and Citi American Airlines Business card each get you 50,000 miles when you spend $3,000 within 3 months.

    Note: You are allowed 2 Citi Personal cards within 65 days.  But you can NOT get more than 1 Citi card at a time.  Wait 8 days to apply for a 2nd Citi card.

    3.   American Express Starwood Hotel Cards

    The American Express Starwood Hotel Personal card and the American Express Starwood Hotel Business card each get you 25,000 Starwood points when you spend $5,000 within 6 months.  Starwood points transfer to American Airlines at a 1:1 ratio. And you’ll also get a 5,000 point bonus each time you transfer 20,000 points to American Airlines.

    If you earn the bonus on both cards you will have 60,000 Starwood points (50,000 points from the sign-up bonus + 10,000 points from completing the minimum spending).  You can transfer Starwood hotel points to American Airlines.  60,000 Starwood hotel points transfers to 75,000 American Airlines miles (60,000 miles + 15,000 transfer bonus).

    That gets you more than enough for a 1-way First Class ticket on Cathay Pacific, 2 Business Class tickets, or 3 coach class tickets!

    Bottom Line

    We enjoyed our flight in Cathay Pacific First Class from Mumbai to Hong Kong.

    Because the flight left in the middle of the night, we spent most of the flight sleeping.  The lie flat seats were very comfortable.

    Getting from the airport to the Macau ferry was easy and fast.  And the ferry trip only took an hour.

    We made up for not eating on the flight by eating our way through Macau over the next couple of days!

    Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)