We'll be traveling Paris-London via Eurostar this Fall and the price differance between Standard seating and the better levels seems quite significant. It's a fairly short trip and we will not be sleeping. Is it realy worth it to pay for a better seat? Are seats in "Standard" assigned when you book, or is it first come as you board the train?

No, the price difference is not worth it. All seats are reserved.

All seats are reserved. Standard (2nd class) seating is perfectly fine and there is plenty of leg room.

Book ASAP (up to 120 days allowed) at www.eurostar.com to get the cheapest fare. As more seats are sold, the price keeps going up.

Absolutley NO ! You might get some almost inedible food but there is nothing else to make it better. The seats might be a few inches wider. We've done both at least 40 times and there is no way I'd pay the extra

Yes, seats are assigned, and you have the option to choose where you wish to sit. Standard is perfectly OK for a two hour journey for me.

You can work out the differences and check out seating plans here:
http://www.eurostar.com/UK/uk/leisur...nformation.jsp

From the ParisPerfect blog regarding seating:

"First Class vs Economy tickets?
We don't think it's worth paying the price for First Class. You can buy a nice picnic before you board including wine. If you travel first class, a full meal is included.


Choosing Your Seats
You can change your compartment and seat after you've confirmed your train time. Definitely change your seating. If the train is full, taxi queues can be very long, so you'll want to be at the ‘right' end of the train.

Beat Seats London to Paris
Switch to any of the cars from car 14 to 18 as they are closest to the exit. Car 14 has electric sockets and don't forget an adaptor for your plug. Computers are always 110/220 but watch out if you are thinking of recharging your camera or other small appliance as you may fry it.

Best Seats Paris to London
The closest compartment to the exit is Car 1. Car 5 is good because it has the electric plugs."

sometimes however when i have searched there has not been mch a difference in price between say the cheapest Leisure ticket in first class and the cheapest available ticket in Standard class - due to there being an allotment of number of tickets sold in each fare level.

I've seen the difference less than $20 - in which case i would definitely go first class - the meal - and IME it is a really good meal for a train - certainly edible and with unlimited Champagne, wine, etc. worth $20 alone - and the seats are substantially bigger - having three in a row instead of four in a row

Personally i do find the Standard class on Eurostar to be more cramped than on trains on the Continent - i think the train cars are narrower on Eurostar - to fit the old English viaducts on the old line before the new CTRL line was opened and can accommodate fatter Continental trains.

Anyway yes for a 2 hour jaunt i would not pay too much more but i do suggest checking on the cheapest first class fare as well and then comparing it to the cheapest 2nd class fare and see the difference.

Thanks Weekender for the information regarding seats that will be closest to the exit (London to Paris ) and thus closest to taxi queue. Last time I took the Eurostar from London to Paris the taxi line was horrendous. I guess I got lucky when selecting the coach as we are in #14.

I love you guys - thanks!!!!

As Palenque says, if you can pick up Leisure Select for GBP20 difference per leg then I'd do it especially if this is a journey you won't be doing often. The coach feels less crowded and you get a meal/drinks included.