Review of Emirates flight from Johannesburg to Dubai in Economy

Hello and welcome back to this set of Flight Reports covering my trip to Southern Africa!
A reminder of the routing:

6/30/16 7/1/16 - EK204, JFK-DXB, A380, Economy (Here)
7/1/16 7/2/16 - EK775, DXB-DUR, B777-300ER, Economy (Here)
7/21/16 - EK764, JNB-DXB, B777-300ER, Economy + Tourist Bonus (You are Here)
7/22/16 - EK201, DXB-JFK, A380, Economy (Here)

A note about times in this report - all times are Johannesburg time until touchdown in Dubai when times switch to Dubai time.
After an absolutely incredible 3 week trip through South Africa, Swaziland, and Mozambique, it was time to come home. I was with the rest of my group until boarding, and I wanted to savor my last moments (ever) with them, so I apologize in advance if there are some photos that I forgot to take.
My group and I arrived to the airport around 14:00. We were from all over the world, and there were flights in our group at 18:45, 19:15 (just mine), 19:55, and 20:55. The reason we arrived so early was because our bus had to be returned by a certain time. We found an area and plopped ourselves down until it was time to check in. Since there was a ton of time to kill, I investigated the wifi. I decided to pay 50 rand (about $3.50) for 500mb of data that lasted 30 days. It was really fast, but stopped working after a few hours. I used it to check out my plane for the day - A6-ENG - delivered to Emirates 3.5 years old.
Check-in opened at 15:15 (4 hours before the flight), and I was the first one in line. Unlike New York, there wasn't Emirates staff at the counter, but instead Johannesburg Airport staff. It only took a minute, but I was disappointed to see my boarding passes printed on a receipt instead of the nice Emirates cardstock. I got my boarding passes on my phone as well (more on that later).

Near where we were sitting, I spotted a sign for the aircraft viewing deck - yes please! I managed to convince my group to come with me, but I think that's only because they were tired of sitting. Follow the signs!

What a view! It was through glass, but the windows were clean enough to take pictures.

We only stayed for 20 or so minutes, but I utilized every second.
FA B738 and SA A346.

MN B738.

JE B738.

EY B77F - I was so lucky and excited to catch this!

My group was getting restless landside, so we decided to check out the shops located in between the check-in areas for Terminal A and Terminal B. Best decision ever. There was a hidden security area in between the two terminals that lead to Terminal A, and after saying our final goodbyes to our trip leaders, we made it through security and passport control in just 8 minutes!
Walking towards the gates.

FIDS.

Live African music - a great touch!

We wanted to search for a quick bite to eat before our flights, but couldn't a single fast food place, so we settled for a sit-down restaurant.
Mid-search:

I wish…

I said my final goodbyes to my group and set off for gate A5. Boarding was scheduled for 19:30, but when I arrived at the gate area at 19:29, it was virtually empty. I also don't recall seeing any seats - odd.

The agent waiting at the top of the ramp immediately asked where I was going after Dubai. That really shows how Emirates focuses on being a waypoint, not a terminating destination.

Halfway down the ramp, I took out my phone to scan as my boarding pass, but the agent said I needed the printed one, which I had buried in my backpack as I didn't think I would need it.
That's not my plane…

I got on the plane at 18:37, and it seemed to be almost full already. This was a 3 class 77W (versus the 2 class 77W I took to Durban), so I got to take a peek at J en route to cattle class.

Hello, seat 26K!

On the seat was the standard blanket, pillow, and headphones.

The views.

I could really get used to the pitch on Emirates. (If you've read my other series, you'll notice that travel backpack makes another appearance!) The width didn't even seem that bad, but I think that was because I had gotten used to it on my previous flight.

A6-ENG is only 3.5 years old, hence the beautiful new screens.

Why don't the window seats get AC power??

I managed to find this sign, but couldn't figure out its significance.

Menus and Towels were distributed while still at the gate.

The captain came on and announced that our flying time would be 7h20m. He also said that due to regulations in Dubai, the aircraft had to be sprayed (with no further explanation). Seconds later, a crew member went down each aisle with an aerosol can in each hand, spraying the top of the plane. Never have I seen or heard of this, but after some research, I think it has to do with disinsectization.

As pushback started, I checked my clock - 19:11. Early?? Sweet! Taxi began at 19:17, but there wasn't much to see, so I didn't take any pictures.
An SA A346 took off in front of us, and then it was our turn, shooting down runway 21R at 19:26, just 11 minutes late.

I was excited to find this movie, as I had been trying to see it in theatres since it came out. I put it on while I waited for the meal service.

The meal cart arrived at 20:30. I'd never had fish on a plane before, and was still feeling adventurous after 21 days of African cuisine, so I ordered that.

Boy was that the right decision. The main had so much flavor, everything was perfectly cooked, the fish was a perfect texture, the potatoes were delicious, and the level of spice was just right. 10/10 for sure

I had the salad next - it was excellent as well. It wasn't stone cold, the chicken was cooked right, and it was composed really well overall. 8/10

Real cutlery is always a plus in economy.

I had this on JFK-DXB as well, but now knowing what Piri Piri was, and having had it many times during the trip, it tasted even better than on the flight out. 5/5

The dip for the table crackers was a bit weird, probably the worst thing I ate during the meal. 3/5

Staple mango juice. 5/5

The chocolate cake with cream was exceptional. Probably the best part of the meal. 10/10

And to finish it off - chocolate, tic tacs, and a towelette. A great way to end a great meal. 5/5

Total meal score: 46/50 - This was the type of meal I'd been expecting and longing for on Emirates. Really exceptional all around.

I finished off the movie and conked out. Window seats are great for sleeping in my opinion.
When I woke up (about 1:30), the guy next to me had a half-eaten meal on his tray table, so I quickly signaled a flight attendant and asked for one. She brought one back, and I said "oh, can I have a mango juice too, please?" She looked really irritated and aggressively said "wait a second,". She came back a few minutes later with mango juice in hand, didn't smile or say anything, and handed it to me. Ugh.

The sandwich was alright, but it was pretty dry. I seem to have forgotten to take a close up picture of it. 6/10
The menu said there would be a chocolate fudge brownie, but I got this instead. Some sort of cake with some sort of nuts in it - I picked them out just to be safe (read my SXM-JFK report for context). 7/10

Halfway through eating, a drink cart approached. The rude FA wasn't there, so I decided to be sneaky and hide the mango juice. When the cart came, I asked for a pineapple juice, which was handed over without batting an eyelid. Score! 5/5 for drinks.

Total meal score: 18/25 - not as good as the last meal, but still decent.
Meals on the flight received a total score of 64/75.
Flight progress:

This also appeared on the airshow:

I didn't feel like starting another movie, and remembered that there was live TV, which I had yet to sample. I don't particularly like soccer (football), but it was good enough to keep me entertained. The quality wasn't great, but it definitely wasn't anything to complain about.

Hot towels were distributed.

One of the best parts of the IFE - watch something and have the airshow playing at the same time.

I tuned to the connections channel, where I found my flight to New York. Also on the list was a flight to Cape Town…hmmm… didn't we just come from Johannesburg?

Before descent and arrival, I'll do my final include on crew, seat, and IFE.
I'd had bad crews on my previous flights, and this flight was no different. Our international crew from 13 countries who spoke 11 languages seemed unhappy and annoyed. Definitely not adding to the flight experience at all.
The seat was exactly the same as my DXB-DUR flight. Comfortable enough and great pitch, however, the width didn't bother me as much on this flight. That might be because a) I was expecting it based off of the last flight or b) I had gotten used to the tiny seats on our tour bus for 21 days.
I still can't say enough about how amazing the ICE system is, both in terms of physical screen and the system. I'd give it 11/10 if I could.
Approaching Dubai, we began our descent at 02:33, and landed on runway 30L at 5:00 local time - 15 minutes early.

A quick taxi over to the B gates, hooking up at 5:06.

Walking past J on the way out.

I was off the plane at 5:13, ready for a 3-hour layover in Dubai. Thanks for the ride, A6-ENG!

I'll leave off here, ready for the final leg of the journey next.

TOURIST BONUS - Here's a fun story. On day 18/21 of my trip, we were Safariing in Kruger Park. My DSLR had been working fine all morning, and suddenly, around noon, I turned it on, and apparently, my card wasn't formatted to the camera! At an emergency pit stop, I bought a new card for 900 rand (about $68) - super expensive, considering it was the same size as my old card which I had purchased for $15. My card is currently at a data recovery place. If it comes back with pictures on it, I'll be sure to add some here! Sorry!!

Thanks so much for reading - feel free to leave a comment if you feel inclined - I love reading and responding to them!
-Daniel