We are experimenting with a different airline this time. I originally booked  business class seats on a British Airways flight to London. When it came time to select seats I found they wanted a significant fee to pre-select seats (each person, each flight) – in business class no less!  That irritated me. I can understand charging for economy seat selection, but when you pay for business class the seat selection should be free! I cancelled my reservation and  decided to look for alternative airlines and flights to London. What I found was that a relatively new start-up (2013 for international flights), Norwegian Airlines, was flying non-stop from Seattle to Gatwick airport on brand new 787s. Their business class seats were not totally lie flat but they appeared to be like Lazy Boy recliners with an ample recline and leg support. The flight from Seattle is less than ten hours and we leave mid-day so there will not be an opportunity to get many hours of sleep.  And at half the price of the British Air tickets I decided to give them a try.

Bad news, good news:  Arriving at the airport for check-in we learned that Norwegian does not yet participate in the TSA precheck program so we would have to go through the general security check process.  Bummer.   The line was long and I figured it would be at least a 30 minute plus process. I decided to time it.  It turns out it was surprisingly quick. The line moved quickly as they were using dogs to “sniff” passengers as we walked by. And when we got to scanners we were told we did not have to remove shoes or anything from our bags, all because of the “prescreen” by the dogs. The line was just like a TSA precheck line and the process took all of 7 minutes!  My compliments to TSA for this new procedure. Hopefully it will continue to stay in effect. 

Observations about the Norwegian flight. They use 787s on the international runs which is a delight. I love the larger windows, and the fresh air climate control system which seems to leave you more refreshed. We flew at 39,000 feet and there was virtually no turbulence. The route from Seattle to Europe takes you up over Canada, Hudson Bay and Greenland. 

A first for Seattle-we boarded the plane not by a jetway but were transported by bus to the plane located out on the tarmac.

The downside was mainly in the cabin and food service. There was no overnight amenity kit but they do provide blankets and ear buds for their AV system.

The movie selection was limited so I ended up reading the book I brought. The seats were comfortable but more like a recliner and they did not recline as much as pictures on the internet seemed to imply. Yvonne also wished the leg rest could have been raised higher. There was a lot of leg room. Since the flight was less than 9 hours the seating was adequate.

Regarding the food service, there were no hot towels before the meal, no bowl of hot cashews as an appetizer, no china, instead plastic utensils, paper napkins and the wine was served in plastic glasses. Even though the meal was labeled as a “premium meal” the food was more like economy service. In the past I always suggested not to order beef on airplanes because they always tend to overcook it. Unfortunately, I did not take my own advice (because it smelled good when the food cart came by) and selected the beef over the chicken entree. It was a decent cut of meat but it was badly overcooked. At least the macaroons served for desert were quite tasty and the dinner rolls were fresh and hot. 

Other than that I could not complain and saving $1,800 per person on the airfare certainly made up for the lack of amenities. 

The flight actually left Seattle 15 minutes early and we arrived in London 30 minutes earlier than expected. Gatwick was a pleasant surprise; it is not as big as Heathrow and as a result is not as chaotic.

Corfe Castle is about two hours from Gatwick. There is limited train or bus service and I did not want to rent a car so we arranged for a car and driver to take us there. The early arrival in London did cause us to make a few phone calls and have to wait 45 minutes for our driver who obviously did not monitor the flight arrival times. 

We arrived in Corfe Castle about 10:30 but our room was not yet available. The lovely people at the front desk said they would rush the turnaround of the room so we could occupy it ASAP.  In the meantime we wandered down the street to get a feel of the town. It is absolutely stunning!  Old brick homes with slate roofs lined the street with flower boxes beautifying the street and entrances to the homes. We wandered to the town square where we found  a local tea room that offered freshly made scones, strawberry jam, clotted cream and a pot of tea listed on the menu as “Dorset Cream Tea”.  When in Rome mentality made us each order it as a mid-morning snack. What a treat, and I am not a tea drinker(until now). We wandered into the few shops in the town before returning to the hotel about an hour later to find that our room was now ready. A 2 plus hour nap and shower restored most of our energy. Outside our window we heard people on the patio enjoying afternoon tea so I suggested that maybe we should try it as a mid afternoon snack. We again ordered the Dorset cream tea for our second serving of clotted cream for the day.  I laughed, as when we were in Italy it was often a two gelato day. Here it might become a two cream tea day!

At 7 PM we met up with the groom who grew up near here ( but has lived in California for many years), the mother of the bride, Nancy, one of the Pink Ladies, her husband, and several other friends and wedding party members for a hike to an overlook of the ruins of Corfe Castle. It was a bit of a climb to the top of a nearby hill but the views of the castle ruins and the surrounding area made the effort worth while.

The 8 of us then adjourned to a local pub for refreshments( beer or wine) and some dinner. By 10 PM, after traveling 17 hours since leaving our home and 10,559 steps since arriving in England we were ready to call it an evening and we retreated to the comfort of our bed for the night.

Tomorrow will be another day for exploration of the area.