steve_Australia

Hello fellow fodorites. I am having huge problems booking a train from Faro to Lisboa Oriente in Portugal.

Firstly, I don't understand the seating configuration in 1st Class on the IC train. My two pre-selected seat numbers (which can be changed if I want) are Seat 52 and Seat 56. In the graphic they appear to be window seats on each side of the train. They do not conform with the standard 2+1 seating configuration for most of the rest of the carriage. Also, as an example, the strange numbering of the seats are (another window to window 2 seats):

Seat 11 and Seat 15

Then, on the single seat window side, the numbering is (right to left):
12, 21, 22
And on the other side of the aisle (2 seat config), the numbering is:
14 - 16, 23-25, 24-26

Does anyone know how to decipher this configuration. Should we keep our two window seats separated by the aisle?

Also, using cp.pt site, when I get to the payment section of the process, I am presented with a dialog that reads:
"Your payment information are protected with the safety standards.
For security reasons, you will be redirected to your bank for authentication."
"payline.pleaseWait.3dsecure.message"

This dialog box then starts a "spinning" wheel which never ceases. After a number of minutes, I give up and have to start again. Unfortunately, the same thing happens over and over. I have used different cards and different browsers with the same result.

Any suggestions/explanations would be gratefully received.

Thanks and regards,

Steve

PalenQ

can't help you decipher but IME in firs class on trains there you will find several empty seats once aboard so if you can't straighten it out chances are you'll find seats together.

PalenQ

Maybe others can help with seeing the configuration?

https://www.google.com/search?q=port...zE04iJ99FwM%3A

PalenQ

Sorry Steve - did not know that chart was for an English train unless they use the same cars.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

steve_Australia

Hi PalenQ. No need to apologise. Thanks for replying and having a crack at figuring out the seat configuration. Much the same as you, I spent a bit of time yesterday asking Dr Google for help but to no avail.

I agree that it probably isn't a big deal and we can figure it out once aboard but thought someone that travels on Portuguese IC trains regularly might know.

I still am concerned that I am unable to complete the booking though. Once the page redirects to contact my bank it goes into la la land. I have already booked all of our Spain and Italian train journeys using the same Credit Card without issue. I'll keep trying and if I have no luck with posters I'll have a go at phoning them.

Thanks again - as always - for your input.

Robert2533

You should be able to change your seats, depending on what seats are available. This is typically down during the time when you are purchasing the tickets. We've never had any problems in the past.

"Check the seats you have been given in the carriage layout. If you want to change your seat, you have to choose the seat that has been attributed for each passenger and then choose the free seats you want, in any of the available carriages. After choosing the new seats press "Confirm", to move on to the next journey, if there is one. You have to "Confirm" the alteration or not of the seats in each journey to be able to move on to the next step, the Payment.
Attention: You cannot make a new alteration after confirming."

Diamantina

We had a very different experience booking Spain and Portugal tickets in 2014 and 2015. Booking Comboios de Portugal was easy, whereas Renfe was a horror. We even got a discount on Comboios de Portugal. I ended up using Loco2.com to book my Spain tickets. But I just checked and you can't book Faro to Lisbon tickets with them.

When are you traveling?

I caught the Faro to Lisbon train in September 2015. We got to the Faro station a few hours early and I noticed some travelers buying their tickets on the day of travel. I wouldn't wait that late, but can you wait until you arrive in Portugal? I have to admit, I did not enjoy the train trip from Faro to Lisbon. I found it too curvy and the scenery somewhat monotonous, I got motion sickness on the way down from Lisbon to Faro. I think I would try to book a flight next time. But I loved the Algarve.

PalenQ

www.seat61.com may have some info on booking?

steve_Australia

Hello all - thanks for your replies and suggestions.

Robert2533 - Yes, I too was happy with the seat change/confirm options. My only question was that I did not understand the carriage layout. The numbering of the seats made no sense to me. I wish I knew how to input an image of the layout in this post so you could see where I am having trouble.

Diamantina - I agree that booking a train via cp.pt is far easier than using renfe.com. It was just the Credit Card issue and the fact that I can't decipher the carriage layout. As far as Renfe goes, it is not too bad as long as you register (this always then returns you to English) plus occasionally I used Babylon translate to get me through a few tricky bits. But the transaction always went through; it was always correct and I was always able to save a PDF of the ticket. So, no hay problema! The reason I didn't want to use Loco2.com is because I have a Travel Debit Card loaded with Euros and so don't pay any commission or conversion fees.

PalenQ - yes, I actually emailed "The man is seat 61" directly (he is a veritable font of knowledge with anything to do with trains) and he suggested that the site was probably using MasterCard SecureCode and that my card had not been registered against it. Makes sense, but I have not yet been able to confirm whether or not the issuer of my card supports that added security layer.

If I don't get an answer soon I can always simply use my Amex and pay the commission. If someone can instruct me on how to imbed an image or a link to an image perhaps we can figure out the strange carriage configuration. The man in seat61 was unable to help.

PalenQ

Anyone else know anything to help out?

I have not been on Portuguese trains in a while but when I had a first-class Eurailpass first class cars were mainly empty so probably can move around - even asking folks to switch seats can be done though some may not be amenable to that.

steve_Australia

Hi all.
I have an answer back from my MasterCard vendor, and they do not currently support the added security layer. Without that registration there is no way to proceed on the www.cp.pt site using that card. So I have relented and used my Amex and we are booked. We'll figure out the seating as required.

Thanks to all for your interest, input and patience.

Regards,

Steve