New KrisFlyer Experiences: Wine tasting, aquarium tours and river safari

KrisFlyer Experiences launched back in January 2020, promising money-can’t-buy experiences in exchange for your hard-earned KrisFlyer miles. As it happens, the launch came at possibly the worst time, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, which caused its first public event – a live wine tasting session at the Regent Singapore – to be cancelled.

Since then KrisFlyer Experiences has largely moved into the online realm, with events like online photography courses and fashion workshops, though recently there have been some dining events like a Singapore Airlines dinner in a cable car or a meal on board a replica Orient Express train.

New events

KrisFlyer Experiences has just launched four new events in May and June, for those looking to dispose of some KrisFlyer miles (despite no current expiry worries).

Kick start your weekend with a one-of-a-kind virtual wine tasting session specially put together by KrisFlyer and led by Singapore Airlines’ very own air sommeliers. Held over 3 Fridays in May and June, enjoy the session and savour three Bordeaux wines from the cellars of our First and Business Class cabins in the comfort of your own home.

• Virtual Wine Tasting with SIA’s Air Sommeliers
  Including three different 750ml bottles of Bordeaux wines that are served on board Singapore Airlines’ First and Business Class, and a one-hour online session
• S.E.A. Aquarium: Behind The Panel
  A guided tour for two people, including a visit to the aquarium’s back-of-house areas, not usually open to the public
• Enriching Encounters at River Safari
  A 45-minute wildlife experience for one adult and one child
• Enriching Encounters at Singapore Zoo
  A 45-minute wildlife experience for one adult and one child

Here’s how the dates and pricing look.

Note that for the S.E.A. Aquarium, River Safari and Singapore Zoo experiences, you’ll have to pay for your entrance ticket separately if you are not a member, in addition to these miles rates for the event itself.

These three experiences may be of interest to those looking to occupy the kids during the upcoming school holidays, assuming you’re not taking them to Hong Kong!

For the (rather expensive!) virtual wine tasting event, the three bottles of wine delivered to you in advance of the online session are:

• 2005 Château Rauzan-Segla, Margaux, Bordeaux, France (Served on board SIA’s First Class, 4.4/5 on Vivino)
• 2015 Château Magnan la Gaffelière, Saint-Émilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, France (Served on board SIA’s Business Class, 3.8/5 on Vivino)
• 2016 Château Hostens-Picant, Sainte-Foy Côtes de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France (Served on board SIA’s Business Class, 3.8/5 on Vivino)

This partly explains the steep pricing for this one, with the First Class wine fetching S$358 a bottle in Singapore.

Even more recent vintages aren’t cheap – a 2008 vintage on Lazada cosst S$200 or a (much younger) 2013 vintage is available on KrisShop for S$148.

The two Business Class wines, meanwhile, will set you back at least S$70 a bottle.

Is it good value?

Most of the time no, though of course it boils down to your individual valuation of both KrisFlyer miles and the experiences themselves.

32,000 miles, which we value at S$608, for three bottles of wine in the tasting package is certainly steep, though of course the wines alone don’t usually come cheap and if you’re a connoisseur you’re getting some rare vintages too, probably worth around S$500 for the trio.

Summary

Nothing too exciting this time round in the KrisFlyer Experiences range.

With travel starting to look realistic in the coming months, most of our readers will rightly be holding on to their KrisFlyer miles for their true value – a flight redemption – rather than one of these events.

In the meantime of course, Singapore Airlines is extending any expiring miles, so there should be no rush to redeem for non-flight alternatives if you don’t want to.

(Cover Photo: Singapore Airlines)