Eurostar 1st vs 2nd class additional questions
 

Hello again,

I would like to get current feedback on whether we should go on 1st class or 2nd class on Eurostar from Paris Gare de Nord to London St Pancras. There seems to be a huge price differential right now on rail europe website which is the only site I can access from the US (I think).

The site claims for 1st class you get a lounge area to wait whereas on 2nd class you don't? Where do you wait then on the Paris side? Does it make a difference where you stand to wait for the train after you cleared security?

I think they add one more person per row in 2nd class vs. 1st class. For the trip from Paris to London what do most people take? We again will be 4 people--2 adults, 1 senior and 1 child with of course luggage.

Coming out of St Pancras what is the average wait time for a taxi? Does it depend on time of day or is there always a long wait?

I have no idea why anyone would pay for 1st Class. The accommodation isn't much better, and yes you do get fed, but it's only 2 and a quarter hours - surely you could survive that on a few snacks bought at the stations?

I've not been in the first class lounge, but it would have to be Xanadu to justify the price. The standard waiting areas are fine - think airport.

There's always taxis outside St Pancras - I'd be suprised if you had to wait much over five minutes.

Surely you can access www.eurostar.com? No point booking through some other site, which must presumably make something on the deal.

And CW's right. There's really no advantage to going first class if you're an average healthy person who doesn't need peace and seclusion from paparazzi, or to pore over some desperately important or secret piece of work.

If you get to the Gare du Nord about half an hour before departure, you will have about 20 minutes or so to wait to board. In the waiting area for standard class, there is a small café and some shops that needn't detain you, and places to sit, airport-style, as CW says. There is a buffet on the train, which isn't much to write home about food-wise, but walking there and back helps to pass the time.

There may be a dedicated first-class Lounge but inside the Eurostar terminals on either end there are indeed chairs to sit in for 2nd-class travelers so you will not have to stand -just not a formal Lounge like in first class.

There is a world of difference between the classes on Chunnel trains IME -having taken both many times - seats in 2nd class are tinier it seems than the average European train - if you are really tall, obese, etc then first class may be worth the extra money but for most since the journey time is now just a few hours 2nd class is OK

First-class does include complimentary meal, a meal that i found, for a train at least, to be really good - unlimited wine, Champagne, etc - served at your seat.

Eurostar has a Byzantine fare structure so booking as early as possiblecan save a ton of money. You can book up to nine months in advance with RailEurope and i think several months at www.eurostar.com - which will give you prices in Euros- folks have found it relatively easy to book online - it's an e-ticket, etc. So before buying thru RailEurope alwayssearch eurostar.com to see which is offering the best fare for when you want to go - often eurostar.com but i suggest also always checking RailEurope as IME there little correlation between the fares and RE could indeed at times be better (no mailing fee now that RE also uses e-ticketing for Eurostar tickets). But the RailEurope.com site is notorious for misleading fares- sometimes even e-mailing back a higher fare- i always suggest having calling some agent and having them do a manual check of the RailEurope fares and actually see which is the best RE offers - the best i know for this is the folks at www.budgeteuropetravel.com - someone really knolwedgeable you can talk to, etc. To talk to a RE agent i believes means a 10% markup if booking by phone- chances are eurostar.com will have the best fares but not always so check both IMO. And to get the best fares try for a midweek trip - weekends are much more hectic on these trains - also there are Senior fares for those 60 and over and Youth Fares for those under 26. Child's fare can be really cheap -think under 12 but not sure the actual age limit.

Hard to tell the average wait time for a taxi at St Pancras - sometimes there is hardly any queue but at other times the queues i have seen have been rather long.

IMO, 2nd class is just fine.

You can book up to 120 days ahead at www.eurostar.com. If you register on the site as a resident of the UK rather than aa a resident of the US, you will get a better fare. (If you've already visited the site and registered as a resident of the US, clear the cookies on your Web browser and register again.)

As of today you can book up to and including 12 May. I found a total discount fare of 182.50 GBP for two adults, one senior, and one youth. Discount fare tickets are for a specific departure date and time and are non-exchangeable and non-refundable.

One more thing. Don't forget that you are required to check in at least 30 minutes in advance of your departure time.

A while back I was scouting out prices and when I went to the Eurostar website and I put in country of residence as US, it re-directed me to the Rail Europe website. This time I entered as UK resident and got into the Eurostar site. Can't purchase tickets for June on Eurostar site just yet. Will have to check difference in price between rail europe USD quote and UK quote taking into account current exchange rates.

The difference between 1st and 2nd class on Rail Europe when I checked a few months ago was not that much but today it was a $400 difference for the 4 fares which is insane. I figured there had to be a lounge of some sort in 2nd or standard class just not a fancy one which you confirmed. As far as seating I have to compare it to coach on an airplane I guess.

The seats in 2nd are not tiny - and for a 2 hour train ride I personally wouldn't pay for 1st unless I won the lottery or someone else was treating.

Where are you headed from St Pancras? - the tube might be a satisfactory option.

2nd class seats on a train are bigger than coach seats on a plane and there is ample leg room.

The seats in 2nd class bear no resemblence to the seats in coach on a plane.

I'm quite a big bugger and fit fine, my mate who's 6'5" fits fine.

As there are four of you why not get a table - two seats either side, facing.

Hi CW and all--seats in 2nd class sound fine then especially for two hours. The price differential is just crazy. We will be cramped in coach for longer than that on the plane.

Janisj,
We are staying in Holborn but with the senior and luggage I don't think the tube is an option. If Holborn is a steep station and the there is no lift and if escalators are broken--stairs and luggage not an option for our group.

Is there easy access to the tube from St Pancras? Lifts that work to get us down there or just stairs and escalators? Same on the other end at Holborn?

I forgot CW--do you just a grab a four seater with table when you board the train or can you pre-arrange? That sounds like a good deal-then at least we can play cards or something and be facing each other.

I took first class often when my employer paid--slightly more comfortable and quieter than 2nd if you needed to get work done. Food initially (around 1995-98) was very good, now it's just average and doesn't justify the higher price.

Sometimes there are discount 1st class fares which might be tempting BUT those fares usually do not include access to the lounges at either terminal nor the car service pickup at terminals. Car service may not be offered any longer at all.

Bottom line--not worth it.

All seats are reserved. You can select your preferred seating when you book your tickets. Choose "Square."

For the sake of completeness and anyone else who might need to make the same journey, the 91 or 59 buses would also get you to Holborn tube station. However, you'd have to cross the Euston Road to get to stop A; with your party, it certainly makes sense to get a taxi from St Pancras.

We had traveled both 1st and 2dn class and I found it not much of a difference for 2 hour journey. The only reason we went once 1st class was that fare on that particular day was 5 GBP difference between classes. It is comfy and you get your full meal... but if the difference is big, than it does not make sense to spend extra $$$.

Great feedback so far. The difference is way more than 5 GBP as of today.

I don't think people will be happy if we took the luggage on a city bus even for a short trip so a taxi makes most sense.

When we book, I guess I have to request a square in order to get the table with four seats? I haven't gone that far in the booking process.

Regarding check in at the Gare de Nord side, is it really only 30 minutes required to arrive prior to departure? With heightened security at airports they suggest checking in 3-4 hours ahead of time so is it longer now for the trains too? How long does it usually take for most passengers? I am trying to judge how far in advance to order the taxi--don't want to miss the train and also don't want to sit at the station for hours like you do at the airport either.

Do you clear both French and UK customs on the Paris side? Thanks everyone for their feedback.

30 minutes is the required minimum time. The Eurostar site recommends arriving at least 45 minutes ahead of your scheduled departure.

When I took the Eurostar last week, I saw that I actually could have checked in later than 30 minutes ahead of time leaving from Paris, since there was no wait, and boarding doesn't start until 20 minutes before departure, just like any other main line train. So it's good to know that they do not 'close' check-in like they do for flights in case you are running late some day.

My return from London was during the snow emergency, so they just fill the trains on a first come first serve basis when there is a big disruption like that. I had a reservation for 19:02 but showed up at St. Pancras at 16:30 and was put on the next train automatically -- 17:55. This allowed me to discover that a first class 'leisure' ticket does not qualify for the first class lounge -- it is reserved for people who have paid the full non-discounted fare.

Anyway, my train took 5 hours to get to Paris instead of 2h15 so everybody got a free one way ticket as compensation.

Yes everytime i've taken the Chunnel train passport control by both French and British were done at the Gare du Nord - but you pass thru Customs checks at St Pancras - usually just waltzing past f coterie of bored-looking Customs agents.

And yes relatively few first-class tickets qualify for the posh First Class Lounge, which has a full bar in it i believe - obviously designed for fat-cat business types on expense accounts

So if I wanted a "square" two seats facing each other in 2nd class with a table, I will be able to book through the website? Like I said I have not gone that far in the booking process yet but want to know how to book properly when I do. It sounds like anywhere from 45 min to 1 hour leaves enough leeway time to arrive without rushing.

So if I wanted a "square" two seats facing each other in 2nd class with a table, I will be able to book through the website?>>>

Yes.

After many trips i do not recall all that many such squares in second class so if so act early - or maybe my dementia is kicking in?

anyway in some cases the cheapest first-class ticket can be not much more than the cheapest available standard-class ticket IME - so if the difference is say $20-30 or so then the meal itself in first class, not to mention the free booze may make first-class in that scenario a better deal - i have see such fares on some of my fare searches in the past

All,

You will find this interesting:

If you are from the US, and go onto the eurostar website as previously suggested and type as a UK resident then you do have the option of selecting your seat preference of square for 4 people. Of course for Americans, you have to pay in pounds and deal with exchange rate and credit card fees.

If you go to the raileurope site, you can not pre-select for a square as it does not give you the option. The computer will generate a seat assignment for you. I called their 1 800 number and spoke with someone who quoted me higher rates per ticket for the same day and time as I can get on-line about $13 extra per ticket. As people have said before, calling by phone they add a service charge. In addition, the shipping charge is higher via phone service also $33 vs. $18 on line. Doesn't make sense to have that much of a mark up for phone service. I hung up without even checking if a square was available because she would have to formally go through the whole booking process with names etc before she could even find out if it was available. Sounded like a good idea but not worth the extra fees involved.

the only agency i know of where you can talk to someone who is not only an expert on Eurostar but can manually book seat selections is the alternative source i gave for any RailEurope product - one of their agents www.budgeteuropetravel.com - Byron there IME is especially helpful on the phone and there is no fee like at RailEurope - but if you can book the squares on eurostar.com then that should be your best fare - usually but not always and that's why i suggest always to check and compare both sources.