Hi all,

As I’ve mentioned before, my wife and I are planning a big retirement trip next summer. It’s going to be seven days crossing the Atlantic on the Queen Mary then seven days in Edinburgh. As a general rule, we’re trying to go “all in” with the trip and not cut corners, so to speak. However, that doesn’t mean I want to throw money around for the sake of throwing it around. We’re not afraid to spend, we just want to spend it wisely.

To that end, preliminary research suggests the train trip from Southhampton to Edinburgh is about 3 times the cost for 1st class than it is for standard. For an eight hour trip across the UK, do you think 1st class delivers enough bang for the buck? How would 1st class differ from standard?

Thanks everyone!

Others might have more experience with long distance train journeys than me, but the trains in and around London the first class is but just a part of the same carriage separated by a door...

I wouldn't want to pay extra for that.

It's very subjective, but for an 8-hour rail trip as part of an "all in" holiday, I would go first class.

You will get better / larger seats, more room, a nicer carriage, and should get some food & drink included, via waiter service - at least on the full inter-city parts of the journey. You'll also be away from the riff-raff! And there's less risk of feeling like you're in a cattle truck if things get busy or schedules get disrupted.

Buy standard class then 24hrs before your chosen train time buy first class upgrades on SeatFrog. You'll save a fortune!

Alternatively if booking well in advance, you can get reasonable advance ticket prices if you just want to pay for first class from the outset. But not too soon and not too close to travelling.

First class is absolutely worth it once you're north of Oxford. On a long trip you'll also benefit from the free refreshments, snacks and station lounge access.

UK train prices are mad. Sorry.

Personally I've never paid to travel first class and I doubt that I ever will. Unless you are particularly large, seat size in standard class is perfectly comfortable. Both classes get there at the same time, so just buy some nice food and drink before getting to the station. Then sit back and enjoy the journey.

A train journey from Southampton to Edinburgh will typically involve one or two changes of train.

What route are you planning to take?

The layout, including the size and comfort of the 1st class seating will vary from train to train.

The seating will be better for a 1st class ticket, but won’t necessarily be in a dedicated carriage. Could just be seating in part of a normal carriage.

I stopped regular train journeys in 2015 when I packed in work. However during my now infrequent, rather than daily, trips to London I have noticed that the amount and size of the available 1st class seating has reduced.

Whether 1st or standard class, taking the train a journey of that length on a UK train is unlikely to be a pleasant experience!

Neil

Just to throw a curve ball, you do know that Southampton airport has daily flights to Edinburgh?

Drew,

Without throwing too much of a spanner in the works, might I suggest flying from Southampton to Edinburgh instead? You'll miss out on eight hours of the Great British countryside but it might be more efficient from both a time and cost perspective. Of course that depends on whether the train journey is for an experience of itself or simply a transportation decision.

Alternatively, Southampton is just over an hour's drive to Maidenhead and after spending a couple of hours there you're not too far to fly from London Heathrow...

EDIT: Posted at same time as AVO. I would say "great minds..." etc. but that would be flattering myself too much

Thanks all! For us, the train journey is part of the desired experience. I understand the difference in journey time between flying and train, but then when one factors in the additional time to get through security at an airport, it may not be worth the hassle. And to be perfectly honest, I simply don’t want to fly.

In weighing the comments, I think we’ll stick with 1st class. The issue now is simply in working out the details. I’m working with a travel agent who is working with some organization in the UK. All I’ve been presented with is a total number, and frankly, it doesn’t add up! I’ve told my agent I can’t commit to anything until I see some type of cost breakdown that explains the numbers to me in a way that makes sense. Right now, booking the hotel and train tickets on my own is significantly cheaper than the numbers of been quoted.

The irony is I decided to work with an agent because I didn’t want to stress about all the planning, and yet here I am - completely stressed!

I've just asked the question at nationalrail.co.uk and it's come up with this:



Dates as far in advance as the website would let me. Personal thoughts:

* First class may not be available on all trains
* May be worth first class on the longest journey
* Consider buying upgrade on the day on board, or, as mentioned earlier use Seatfrog
* Trains in the UK atm can be very hit and miss: maybe an excellent journey, maybe some good/some bad, maybe all awful. In the worst cases first class can be de-classified and all ticket holders can use it.
* Do you have a travel agent who can do the itinerary for you?

RichM wrote: ↑Mon Nov 04, 2024 10:47 pm * Do you have a travel agent who can do the itinerary for you?

I have an agent who is working with someone on the UK side to organize all of it - train and hotel. I’m speaking with my agent tomorrow and will be very frank about how I’m feeling about things at the moment. As I mentioned, I chose to work with an agent to avoid stress, but right now it’s creating stress. H*ll, I can create my own stress. At least then I’m fully in control.

Make sure your agent is looking at advance first off peak return prices, not full whack peak single tickets or something bizarre!

The UK train fare system is astonishingly complex.

I'd missed your earlier bit @jkbarnes where you had already said an agent was working on your behalf.

It would be interesting to see if possible what itinerary they suggest and perhaps we in the UK can give an idea if it's reasonable or not. You have plenty of time on your side to make sure you're comfortable with the final plan.

The irony is I decided to work with an agent

Unless your travel agent is very familiar with U.K. ways of doing things, I'm not sure what you really gain from using one. You have access to the internet and (more or less) speak the language. Have they mentioned "split tickets" for your rail journey? You can often save quite a bit using them.

RichM wrote: ↑Mon Nov 04, 2024 11:11 pm It would be interesting to see if possible what itinerary they suggest and perhaps we in the UK can give an idea if it's reasonable or not. You have plenty of time on your side to make sure you're comfortable with the final plan.

Thanks Rich. I am needlessly stressing out about this because, as you say, I have plenty of time, and I haven’t committed to a thing yet other than the crossing. At the end of the day, I can say no and walk away from what has been presented to me. And yet, here I am very much stressing out over nothing.

The challenge has been being presented with just a final number but no breakdown. It is impossible for me to make sense of anything with just a number. This confusing is compounded by the fact that nothing adds up when I do a little research online. I’ve sent an email to my agent with all my specific concerns and am talking with her in the morning. At the end of the day,m I simply will not commit to a proposed trip where I cannot explain and make sense of the numbers. Worse case scenario, I just walk away and ask my agent to invoice me for her time spent so far, then I’ll just book the rest myself. I mean, if I’m going to be stressed, I might as well at least be in control.

I think my anxiety is just getting the better of me here. It really is flaring up in a way it hasn’t in a long time!