Is it worth upgrading from Emirates Business Class to First?

On a recent trip from Bologna to Dubai, I was offered the chance to upgrade from business class to first on Emirates. Since there is already a lot of info out there on Emirates First, I will just post about some of the things that stood out for me about the experience, which may help you decide if its worth it in the future if you are faced with the choice of whether or not to upgrade. The first thing I will mention is that boarding from Bologna is not via a jet bridge; you have to board a bus which takes you to the plane, and then you walk up stairs to the plane. Also, note that this was on a 777 (so no showers which is still on my bucket list), in the older style business class. Once on board, the magic begins.

The first cool thing I noticed was the convenience of having a mini bar and a ton of snacks in a basket near the TV.

The airline also served Dom Perignon as a welcome drink, and more throughout the flight. I liked the notebook and pen set provided too, as well as the Bvlgari amenity kit.

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The seat was nice and wide, and there was a lot of legroom.

There was a huge selection of food and beverages including caviar, which I was most excited about. In addition, there were movie snacks and a comprehensive selection of cheeses.

Another cool feature was the ability to watch the takeoff (and landing, and the entire flight actually) from different camera angles right on the TV screen.

The slippers and pajamas provided were really comfortable and I took the opportunity to change once we were airborne.

One benefit of first over business, is the ability to close the doors to your suite so you have complete privacy. However, with the door open, you are sitting right beside someone and they can see you and you can see them. I believe on the newer configurations, this is no longer the case and the suites are staggered.

Other things in the suite you can control include the window shades, the chair and the lighting. There is an ipad like device for all this also, but I found it to be not so user friendly at times and was showing its age.

Now, lets talk about the food. The food on board was served in extremely generous portions. Look at all this caviar!

…and even though, I would not normally eat this much, I wanted experience everything on the menu. Here was ice cream with chocolates on the side.

…popcorn, and a selection of cheeses…

Sliders….

I also ordered the lobster cocktail…

…the soup…

…and an amuse was served at the start…

In terms of storage, 2 carry-ons easily fit under the TV screen (which you can see in the image below) and there was a closet to hang clothes also.

Overall, this was an amazing flight. Before I knew it, it was over and its one of the few times I wouldn’t of minded if the flight was longer. I think its totally worth it upgrading if its within your budget. I would do it again!