Excellent report and picutres, as usual.
With 2 children in a room with just a king bed, how do you do? Do they provide 2 rollaway beds?

 

No, I think the previous iteration - which was by ETRO. Similar to these: https://www.travelcodex.com/amenity-......-etro-2018/, but in pink.

I flew SFO-HND in 2019 and ORD-NRT in 2022 and received the same amenity kit both times (color me surprised to see nothing had changed in 3 years but I guess we'll give it a pass due to the pandemic ).

 

Thank you, sl00001

Thanks for reading, Carq. Normally we do a rollaway or book 2 queens. The older one usually takes the rollaway, but in this instance, he saw me hanging out by the window and asked if he could sleep there instead. I actually tried taking a nap there an it's quite comfortable

The good ol' pandemic excuse

 

I had originally hoped to take the later NH flight that was direct to LAX, but nothing ever opened up. That would’ve allowed us to celebrate New Year’s on the plane, and then we would land back in LAX on the 31st, but that plan never materialized. So in the morning, we skipped breakfast to get going since it was the weekend and Cerise opened 30 minutes later. We hopped onto the metro toward Haneda, and not too long after, we arrived at T3







Then over to the check-in desks. There was someone guarding the J line who directed us over to special assistance one aisle over for some unknown reason. We had normal sized baggage and a compact stroller that easily fits into the overhead bins, so we were unsure what the problem was. We flagged down someone else who took us to the automated kiosks to check-in instead. It all looked promising until it errored out, and she advised us to go to the counters we had initially tried to go to. I told the same person there we were directed to come here, at which point he let us through. Not a very premium experience considering the circumstances…



We went through security and passport control before dabbling at duty free. Quickly realizing there would likely be nothing of interest, we bolted for the lounge



Food offerings















There was also an online menu that allowed ordering of noodles or curry (or you could walk up and order). One last bowl of ramen before we go



Great view for plane spotting







There was a slightly delayed boarding, but we were onboard in no time. Seeing J9 a day before, it definitely showed as there were a load of empty rows. A fantastically wide seat awaited us





Seat controls. I particularly liked the rotating knob that allowed seat adjustment



Divider control was electronic. I was expecting something manual and mechanical that was maybe spring loaded like most other cabins



Lots of lighting





Amenity kit





Cubby for storage and power outlets



Crystal clear camera view



The Queen of the Skies parked next to us



Some JL birds





Similar to QSuites, there are alternating forward-facing and rear-facing seats. We never even used the rear-facing seats and just got settled in a pair of seats. That’s how wide the area was. I did move to the window for takeoff, which netted me one of my favorite shots of the trip



The air at work



Mt. Fuji in the distance



Onboard menu





















Kabosu (ANA’s citrus drink) to start



Amuse



Since this flight was ex-Japan, I once again opted for the Japanese menu





Western menu





Dessert



Going 777mph on a 777



I went ahead and made my bed by the window, but ended up sleeping with mini-ChongL #1 in the middle seat instead





Having these closing panels are great for privacy



But I don’t understand why they intentionally left a gap? Is it to further differentiate from their F offering? It just seemed like a miniscule detail that appears as a glaring oversight in execution. I can’t think of anything from a safety point of view if other F cabins and QSuites are able to have closing doors…



After waking up, we finished watching The Bad Guys and entertained the kids for a few hours. With not much of an appetite, I skipped breakfast and decided to try to nap again with mini-ChongL #2 towards the end of the flight. The wife, on the other hand, decided to have breakfast and said it was forgettable

In all, it was a good flight with very efficient service. The light load made everything seem more private than it actually was. As I mentioned earlier, although we had 4 seats booked, we mostly only used 2 which is a testament to the comfort and width of the seat. For those with young children who are older than 2 that are not quite ready to sit on their own, this is a great option. I’d rank this 2nd to QSuites though, just due to the fact that the rear-facing seats on QR have a divider that can lower completely out of place allowing you to literally sit shoulder to shoulder. I do fancy the wider seat on ANA, the seat controls, and the high-quality screen, but Qatar just seemed slightly more comfortable from memory

Upon arriving in Chicago, we grabbed our Ventra cards and hopped on the blue line before switching to a bus for a few stops. That dropped us off across the street from the Park Hyatt, where we had a NoMI Suite booked. Although it was early in the morning, the room was ready and we were able to check in at 8AM







Living area that seemed to be missing a table? Less things for the kids to run into, but also a nuisance when we wanted to eat



Bedroom







Bathroom





I had ventured out to Bonci pizza at first, only to find them closed. I’d been craving to have another slice after sampling their menu in Rome. We ended up trying some deep-dish pizza instead



We spent the rest of the day just relaxing and watching the college football bowl games before calling it a night. The next day, we went to brunch at a nearby restaurant

Corned beef hash



Waffles



Next was checking off the tourist attraction to say we “did” Chicago





From there we walked back towards the hotel



I thought the museum would be reasonably priced, but it was an out of touch $50. I can get way more than just unlimited ice cream for $50 a person





Just a block few blocks to go





Until Mrs. ChongL spotted some Harry Potter thing going on and decided to take a gander



She got her goods and we headed back to the hotel to finish packing. The next morning, we hopped back onto the bus, connected to the blue line, and were back at ORD for an uneventful flight home. I’ll be hoping to have another shot at Bonci next month. FIN and thanks for following!

 

Absolutely wonderful to read. Will be flying the Room from JFK to DPS in Feb and April and excited to try it out.

The food pics gave me cravings.

 

Not sure if you had a chance to sample it, but the Noguchi sake is divine and quite rare outside of Japan.

 

Posted before I read as I know this will be amazing.

Many of the restaurants throughout my Japan trips have been inspired by your TRs. I will finally return to Japan after 4 years later on this year so looking for some new recommendations.

‘Thank you as always for your amazing photos and write-ups. Looking forward to more!

 

Awesome trip report; as always the pictures are beautiful that brings the story to life.

The Park Hyatt Chicago used to be one of my favorite PHs but it went downhill pre renovation. Even after the renovation the place just seems off to me. On the other hand, the Peninsula across the street is so nice.

 

Enjoyable read as always! With the world being closed, we were hoping that we could get to Asia in 2023 but alas we're off to Europe twice this year. Hoping to get there around Christmas or in early 2024. Looking forward to finally trying out ANA

 

Excellent trip report! Your tr is making me even more excited about my trip to Tokyo in JAL F in a couple of weeks!

 

Thanks, injian. Whereabouts in Bali will you be? We're planning on going end of this year for the first time, so any tips would be appreciated!

Unfortunately not, MattEvan. I might have another opportunity on ANA next month, so I can give it a go then

Thank you for the kind comments, somemale. It didn't seem like we really tried as many new places this time. Tsuta was closed again so that was off the list...maybe next time?

Appreciate the compliment, DFW_CK. I haven't frequented Hyatt in a while but thought I'd give it a go since Park Hyatt is one of my favorite brands. I'd agree with your assessment. Check-in was very transactional with no additional details on breakfast times or anything that might be relevant to my stay. I'll be giving the Waldorf a go next month to see if that's any better

Thanks, wakesetter93. I finally tried ANA myself on this trip and I liked it quite a bit. With JAL's dated J cabin, it's no longer a contest between the 2 Japanese carriers.

Thank you and enjoy your trip, xjaehyun. Have a pour of tea for me

 

Thanks very much for the TR!

 

Hi chongl

Thanks for the trip report.

Loved the JAL first photos and the photo of the LH 747 at HND. Flew on that plane coming back from HND in November ( Upper deck behind the exit doors ). Very nice to travel on the 747 again even if it was on the dark side! ( I fly with BA/One world normally)

Looking at a trip to Hiroshima in May this year

Regards

TBS