rbtraveler18

I am about to purchase tickets for my family to travel on the Eurostar train from London to Paris. Can anyone tell me if there is a big difference between Standard seating and the Leisure/Standard Premier class? I am especially curious about comfort of the seating.

Also, are there any major considerations I should think about in purchasing a non-flexible ticket vs. a semi-flexible ticket?

Thank you very much!

Palenque

From the description from Rail Europe of the new Eurostar Standard Premier it sounds like there is not much difference between it and regular first class - it sounds just like the first class i have taken before - meals included at seat -'spacious reclining seats

thus there is IMO a huge difference between Standard and Standard Premier - regular Standard seats are quite small - smaller than trains on the Continent - if you are tall or large they are especially cramped and you get no meal or beverage service en route.

avalon

My DH is 6'6" and has no problem with the regular seating in Standard class. For a 2 hour ride the price difference is substantial. ANd the food is not worth it!

Ackislander

Price differentials depend on when you are traveling and how early you book, don't they? It is worth doing some comparisons.

Palenque

I am 6 foot even and feel like wedged in in standard class so it is all in your own perception - i usually go standard class simply because of the price differential but if i was rich i'd be in first class for sure or the new standard leisure - they charge top dollar for those classes and i guess some at least are happy to pay it - but yes it is only a few-hour ride unless you get stopped in the Chunnel for 18 hours or so!

Palenque

Standard leisure, according to RailEurope blurb e-mail says it will launch only on Sept 1st but booking of seats started May 5, 2010. check Rail Europe as well as eurostar.com as they say they will also have some special deals to go along with the launch - well for any RE product i always advise calling folks at www.budgeteuropetravel.com - they are RE agents I have bought railpasses from for years and can attest to their expert service. But scour both prices in $s and those in Pounds from eurostar.com, which tends to be cheaper usually but not always for the exact date and train you may want.

Just curious as to what the difference in fares are that you found out between regular old Standard (2nd class) and the new ballyhooed Standard Premier? Thanks!

rbtraveler18

Thank you all very much. We took a chance on Standard seats with a table between us, just for fun. Non-refundable, hoping our trip insurance will help there if calamity strikes. On to the fun sight-seeing stuff now!

rbtraveler18

Palenque - we paid $510 for standard non-refundable. Next class, leisure/standard premium, was $784. Actually, standard rates varied according to time of day: $296, $412, $510 and $610, while the next class price was constant. For partially redeemable tickets, price was substantially higher, plus additional fees if you actually change your tickets.

Sorry, I just realized these prices are total for 2 adults and 2 teens. I think our breakdown was around $141 each adult and $114 each kid.

Palenque

Lucky to get a table in between as then you can stretch your legs out - in most Standard seats you cannot as it is rather like an airline seat - hard to really do. Good to score a table!

smrt2

We've found standard seating on the Eurostar perfectly comfortable, but we're not large/tall people. The seats are certainly more spacious than standard coach seating in an airplane. On one particular trip, due to a special, it was less expensive for us to purchase one leg in standard and one leg in First Class and found the First Class seats practically the same with the only difference being a meal, as others have mentioned, and why bother with train food when you can eat in one of those two great cities.

Cholmondley_Warner

I simply don't understand why anyone would pay the extra, out of their own pocket, for first class.

I know yanks need to be fed every 20 minutes, but bring snacks.

I'm not tall but I am wide and I fit in the usual seats, no problem.

The saets are perfectly comfortable.
Save the dosh and spend it in Paris.

Paul1950

I wouldn't spend the extra money for such a short trip--actually, I wouldn't spend it for a longer trip, either. Get up and walk around if you feel cramped.

Palenque

On one particular trip, due to a special, it was less expensive for us to purchase one leg in standard and one leg in First Class and found the First Class seats practically the same with the only difference being a meal>

well this is not typical IME and as there are three seats in first class taking up the exact same space as four seats in standard class it is obviously that first-class seats are significantly larger

Now i am not say smrt2 is wrong in his//her perception because he/she may well have been in one of the surplus first-class cars that are being used on Eurostars for standard-class seating - this is no doubt the case and gives cause for someone to portray things wrongly - naively and good intentionally - but ordinarily first-class seats are larger than second-class - again 3 in the same space as 4

Now i suspect that this new Standard Premier may well be using these surplus first-class train cars but not sure.

Palenque

And at times a first-class Leisure ticket may not cost all that much more than a second-class Leisure ticket - due to allotments of tickets in various fare categories. At times even i have seen the First Class Leisure fare actually a tad cheaper than what was still available in standard class

so IMO check both first and second class fares for the cheapest and if say it's only $20 or so more hop into first class as the complimentary Champagne, wine and full meal is worth well more than that - plus the larger seats and more room for luggage and priority boarding.

kerouac

There is absolutely no difference in the comfort of the seating, only in the number of seats in the cars.

For such a short trip (2h20), there is absolutely no reason to spend anything extra unless, as mentioned above, it is only $20 extra. It's nice to have free champagne and wine, even if the quality of the meals has declined.

avalon

Who wants wine or champagne at 8 AM?

kerouac

A normal round trip in 2nd class starts at 77€ by the way. On my last trip to London, my company was paying so I bought Paris-London for 40€ in 2nd class and London-Paris for 110€ in first class. I had the good/bad luck to be on one of the trains that took more than 6 hours in the snow last winter on the return trip, so I have the compensation of a free 1st class trip some time within the next year. My only problem is trying to find a reason to want to return to London.

smrt2

Palenque, this wasn't my first or only trip on Eurostar and I feel quite certain that second class was indeed second class and first class was indeed, first class. If you read my post more closely, you might notice that I said "practically the same", not precisely the same, so it is possible that they were a couple of inches wider.

My perception, naive in your view or not, is that the seats were not appreciably larger or more comfortable and unless I really wanted a mediocre meal, I would not pay more for First class for that short trip.

Cholmondley_Warner

My only problem is trying to find a reason to want to return to London.>>>

A decent meal? 'cos you can't get one of those in Paris.

Palenque

smrt2 - fair enough - difference in perception but after riding in both several times i do differ - first class seats are significantly larger with my perception. Anyway it is only a 2-hour (or less from Brussels) ride so unless the price differential was minimal i'd go Standard Class basic.