eurostar? What seating class is best?
 

I just booked our airline tickets. We are a family of 6 and are going to travel from London to Paris on Eurostar. My kids ages are 15,12,9,7. I was looking at standard and standard premiere(i think thats what it was called). I think the standard would be fine, but I don't know. Would we be more comfortable in a larger area or is there not much difference in the seating spaces? Any thoughts are appreciated.

its a two hour train ride -- I personally wouldn't fork over for a premium fare. But for you to decide - the main differences in Standard Premier are slightly larger seats and a light meal is included.

You can buy food at St Pancras ahead of time and bring it w/ you, or you can buy snacks on board.

Of course the premiere is "best" -- hence, the name.

Standard seats are better than what you get on planes in economy, and it's a shorter ride than crossing the Atlantic by air.

And you can get up and walk about a bit anyway. The argument for Standard Premier is space to spread out, particularly if you want to work.

Don't forget you can choose which specific seats you sit in - in your case, you might want a block of four round a table and two across the aisle, for example. This should give you your own family space anyway. But don't leave it to the last minute.

http://www.eurostar.com/UK/uk/leisur...ating_plan.jsp

As others have said, Standard on the Eurostar is quite comfortable. I wouldn't pay more for Premier, although from time to time there are specials which make Premier fares less expensive than Standard.

I have found Standard class seats on Eurostar to be about the most cramped and uncomfy of about all European trains and I think this is because the train cars are not as wide as those used on the Continent due to previous restrictions caused by widths of train viaducts in England - before the new high-speed CTRL line opened - thus seats are closer together - they actually seem more like standard class on airliners - my knees touch the seat in front, etc but I am taller than most.

I think Standard premier use former 1st class carriages that were going empty because of the steep price differential between that and standard class and if so the seat are MUCH bigger - being only three in the space of 4 in standard class.

Eurostar trains IME often group everyone together but after the train takes off there may be empty seats elsewhere you can relocated to - keeping in mind though if the train does stop to add passengers en route those seats may be taken down the line - but many Eurostars to Paris are non stop so after leaving head for empty seats if congested.

Kids that age probably don't care - it is more for adults that I say standard class can feel really cramped IME.