I Stay On A Luxury Sleeper Train - Caledonian Sleeper
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- čas přidán 17. 05. 2024
- Join me as I spend the night onboard the Caledonian Sleeper Train to Scotland. I have booked the double en suite room , I'll be trying dinner and breakfast. Is it worth the price?
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It’s an atrocity that as pioneer of the railway, the UK can’t even get the basics such as cleanliness right but charges an extortionate amount compared to better serving nations such as Japan.
If I'd have paid £345 for this I'd have been livid. I'd rather have sat in standard class and stayed awake all night to save a big chunk of money.
Interesting and enjoyable video as always Tim, keep them coming!
yeah, at £345 that was about £300 too much... I'd have worn those earplugs without a second thought though, the track quality in some parts is terrible.
Sounds like Tim was awake all night anyway
If you want a seat travelling overnight, forget the sleeper! Hard seats, bright lights left on. Pay less, get a padded seat that reclines more, and with lights dimmed, on the National Express. Its what I do now. Genuinely been impressed. Actually feel like I get value for money.
When the main competition is a short haul flight that takes a few hours including two and from the airport for a fraction of the price, they need to do better.
@@theblah12 Is that the competition? You can get the Lumo train for like 60 quid.
The Caledonian doesn't really compete with flying its almost its own thing.
The pencil is for you to draw the curtains 😂😂😂
😂😂😂😂😂
cleanliness is an absolute minimum basic expectation, irrespective of "class".
Shocked at the price and overall experience
That restaurant situation would have really peed me off.
I live in Edinburgh but have family in the home counties so I often make this trip. I've always travelled in the day as the CS's prices are astronomical. However, I've always dreamed of travelling by sleeper train and have been considering saving up. Thank you so much for this review, as I know now not to waste my money on it. You spent £345 for a terrible sleep on a hard, stained bed in a room that would be an embarrassment to a cheep SNCF couchette where you could barely even get service for dinner or warm water out of the dribbling shower head. To top it off you had to pay extra for your (admittedly very nice looking) food! I looked at single rooms and for when I wanted to go they were £170 (all of this being 1 way). It's ridiculous! You can fly to/from one of the outlying London airports for about £50 and that takes about half the time even with transfers. If you get your timing right when booking you can even snag a BA flight to LCY for less that £100. Or, you can get a 1st class LNER ticket for (and it varies a LOT) between around £70-£200, and that INCLUDES FREE FOOD (even the BA flight gives you a free drink and snack). I Love your videos and I'm constantly stunned by how infinitely patient and forgiving you are. If I'd had the experience you'd had in this video I'd have been ranting and raving for weeks. Shockingly bad service for the price! Wishing you all the best for the future.
Emigrate to a civilised country!
Just in case you weren't aware the Scottish Government will take over control of the franchise in June 2023, as it believes the current operation isn't good value for money. I think they have a valid point. I recently travelled from Euston to Inverness, in a single cabin, and only two cabins in our carriage were occupied. Hopefully the price will drop and occupancy will increase.
Correct
Ran by " Serco group" a private company, in the business of profits profits and more profits
Problem is that train fares are now so high that it's unlikely a government will ever cut fares to the extent that would be reasonable. I'd suggest a 90% cut in fares, and while they're at it, they can line the seats up with the windows.
They have been losing money running it, so the SG isn’t likely to decrease the prices. Maybe a short term deal, but worry it will end costing us taxpayers.
God help us all when the Scottish government take over, everything they touch turns to 💩
@@kenjohnson762 The government of Victoria, Australia justslashed the price of train fares to the regional and rural areas maxim I think is around AU$12,00-15,00 return
Can't believe how diplomatic you were Tim, if I'm honest for the money that was a lousy experience, I'm Scottish and never used it before as have only heard negative stuff about all classes on there, as you are probably aware they've lost the contract so things can only get better. The restaurant did seem not what anyone would want as an experience as it was just a drinking place.
Thanks for the great review, compounds everything I've heard over the years about it
TIM! I'm soo happy you have done this. I can explain why the carriage is cold and why you are early as i'm a railway buff too. The Locomotive (Class 92 on hire from GBRF) that took you from Euston-Edinburgh has the on train heater technology to heat the train. The locomotive changes happen to split the service one portion to Fort William then the second portion to Inverness. Unfortunately the locos onwards they use aren't as sufficient to heat up the train (Class 73s) or even a Class 66 sometimes (which are designed for goods trains not passenger). In regards to ending up in Edinburgh early this is because there is ALOT of slack in the timetable due to allow for the train to be diverted or engineering works which can add alot to the time as most engineering works happen overnight/bank holidays/sundays etc. Moving to the to the other things as a railway enthusiast I've always wanted to do the sleeper train and I think for your video and indeed the pricing/booking process is very poor for such a premium service. I can get a seat for £54 on that exact train and I'd be more than happy with a few beers and my own food for the same journey you are taking. The Cally Sleeper is operated by Serco (who have a poor history in the railway industry) and I believe they are about to lose the franchise anyway. I will either be going Avanti First Class or taking a standard seat on this train going forward. Great video and keep them coming Tim!
The government had the option to end the Serco franchise this year which they did
just fly, or take a daytime train and a hotel in London. You can literally have an entire weekend out in London for what Tim paid for this, with change.
@@SPTSuperSprinter156 We did the Caledonian Sleeper to Fort William last summer and we were quite happy with the price ( it can always be less of course ) and service
The cost of coming back into Edinburgh in standard class was almost 100 gbp
and b and b prices were about 130 gbp a night
Puts it in perspective for you
I wouldn't use the Lowlander unless someone else was paying
Houston we have a problem! Its Euston lol! 😜
Give him a break... it was obviously late. He represents the 'everyman' and that's why we like him, yeah!?!
London "Houston" 😂😂😂😂
"Jolly good, ya'll!"
Fantastic video as usual. Loved seeing this journey from your perspective. I still don't get why dinner is not included in the ticket, seems silly. Seems to be a common complaint about the shower issues - they really need to sort that out. Need to see you on an Amtrak sleeper train next mate :)
its a shame because I was looking forward to it and its put me off lol
My two favourite CZcamsrs to relax too
Nice to see Trek following other travel vids
This is crazy, I was going to comment saying you and Trek Trendy should do a collab and here he is. Great content creators 👍🏻
I'm guessing that with how late the train departs, and how early people need to be awake for breakfast (especially if they want it in the lounge car), the number of people annoyed by it not including dinner is outweighted by the people annoyed that they would pay for a dinner they wouldn't use. Since a) they have eaten already or b) like a lot of people on the train, they are in bed before the train leaves / before they would have time for a meal.
Ridiculous prices - even for the Club and Classic rooms. When I tried one of the Club Rooms a couple of years ago what kept me awake was all the water (and other stuff 😲) sloshing around in the suspension tank under the ensuite. The following night in a Classic room with no ensuite and therefore no sloshing sounds, I slept much better.
bit of a rip off if you ask me
I didn't realise there was a Huston station in London.
What you first tucked into at breakfast wasn't haggis but a Lorne, or square sausage. A true Scottish breakfast item!
I thought it might be scran and definitely didn't look like haggis. I was eying his black pudding with envy. Can't get it in the US and it tastes heavenly. I don't care what's in it.
I love the accent on Tattie scone though!
@@jrsc01. Aye... ye cannae beat a good tattie scone!
@@mairi2693love them, don't see them too often when travelling down to England though...
Was looking for this comment lol, it's not a real breakfast without lorne!
I slept really well on this train. It was noisy and moved about a lot, but I found it quite relaxing - like being rocked to sleep. It probably helps that I went to Fort William which doesn't get in until 10, so breakfast is at a much less painful hour. It also means you have daylight and scenery while you eat.
Thanks Tim! We were considering this as a surprise for our parents 60th anniversary. We are now going to reconsider!!
You might have a better experience
I’m from the U.S. and my brother and I took this about 6 years ago. We had bunk beds and I’m glad that it’s not just me that felt that it’s really bumpy and jumpy. We didn’t have any plug ins in our room that we could see. I normally use a CPAP machine and lugged it along with me but couldn’t use it. Needless to say I was awake most of the night but because it was so novel to us, I just tried to let it sink in where we were and what a neat experience it’d still be. We didn’t use the shower either but we were just there for a day as a side trip to London. The prices sure seem to have gone up but that’s like everything else in this crazy World (since COVID).
why couldn't you use your cpap?
@@merrickcr no plug ins in the sleeper car we had
I think that sums up the Caledonian Sleeper pretty well. A triumph of style over substance. When I did it first I took the longer journey from Euston to Fort William and was upgraded to the Caledonian Double. My room experience was much the same - the rattling and motion of the carriage precluded a decent night’s sleep and the shower was disappointingly lukewarm. The mattress is quite thin but I didn’t find the bed itself uncomfortable but I’m not sure it would have been worth the extra money over the normal cabins with the bunk beds. Having said all that though nothing beats dawn breaking over Loch Lomond and having breakfast as you transit a snowy Rannoch Moor on the West Highland Line. That alone was worth the money. I’ve since used the service to Glasgow in a normal room without en suite facilities. It was cheaper than staying a night in London and getting the train back the following morning but once again I didn’t get much sleep for the same reasons as when I was in the double. It has not put me off sleeper trains - I’ve since crossed Canada by train which included five nights on board - but I’m not in a hurry to use the Caledonian Sleeper again.
I love train travel.
Growing up in the uk we took the trains alot.
I always thought of a sleeper car as a luxury.
After seeing the not great quality for alot of money,I was disappointed by your accomdations.
Thank you Tim for taking these trips and letting us know what its really like.I appreciate your honesty.
I am addicted to watching your videos.
Love you and your lovely wife and super cute lil boy.❤
The new screens at Euston are shocking.
Info about which platform is left too the very last minute, and then a massive stampede happens to get to the train.
Tim, you need to carry with you some sort of white noise sound machine. It blocks out most noises but might not have blocked out the rattling door you should have just propped it open for the night , but it does help with blocking out most sounds. I would be too afraid to use earbuds in case I missed an emergency train or cell call or something.
I'd much rather grab a flight and a proper hotel
I’ve seen a lot of rail channels review the Caledonian Sleeper. Your perspective is refreshing, and an excellent video as ever. All of the three times I’ve used the sleeper, since this new (mark 5) rolling stock came in, there have been problems; and clearly, they continue. Ticket and food prices have increased quite disproportionately, and the quality of service, reliability, the new hard product, gives nil justification for it in my view. It’s actually lead me to become a user of National Express to travel overnight now, instead. Completely different offer, I know. But, what I love, is they have under promised, yet over delivered, every, single, time. I respect that. While my respect for Caledonian Sleeper - ha, well, there isn’t any.
I used the Caledonian Sleeper back in 2016, when they were still running the older coaches on the service. While I didn't get the greatest night of sleep as the older coaches were fairly rough-riding, I couldn't fault the service provided by the staff and the breakfast was very nice. Plus arriving into Euston nearly an hour early on the southbound journey allowed me to make a nice head start on my day (I'm an early riser, so no lay-ins for me 😛). The craziest part of this for me is how much the price has ballooned since then, as it cost me less to travel both directions in a first class room (around £300 combined) than it did for you to travel one direction. I'm glad I did get to try the service back then, but it's now very unlikely I'd ever use it again if only for the cost.
One thing I observed from your video is that your journey was via the East Coast Main Line rather than the normal route on the West Coast Main Line (due to engineering work at Carstairs I believe). I'm not sure if the track conditions on the ECML are worse than the WCML, so if you ever consider trying the service again it would be interesting to see if you have a better journey when the service runs via it's normal route.
The room with the ‘really big door’ is the wheelchair accessible room 😊
Tim, you always know the best times to upload, literally as sad as it sounds your uploads cheer me up!
Keep up the great work !
glad I can help lol
Love the random pencil ✏️ in the soap dish 😂😂😂 At least in Japan you are provided with nightwear and slippers as well as toothbrush and paste
Camera must be excellent in low light. You couldn't see your breakfast but I could 😂
That's true!
I agree. First world problems!! Toughen up princess!
I have done both the Sleeper Trains in the UK when I lived there. I may be mistaken, but I thought my trip down from Scotland was Glasgow -> London and the train was called the "Night Caledonian", but admittedly this was in the early 90s. I enjoyed the experiences, especially as I was working in London the morning of arrival.
Hotel, Train and a room with a view. Looking good.
You say Euston as if you are saying Houston! There is no H in Euston Tim haha!
With the club car, it is open to everyone on the train, except for customers in the seating carriage. Those in club or double rooms get a priority access, but people in standard rooms can access it.
There is no 'H' in Euston!
Thank you for your fantastic realistic authentic coverage of all your trips 👍 👏 😀 🙌
This was something I was interested in doing but now I’ve seen your video I will definitely re think! I’m a light sleeper too so not sure it would be my thing at all! Hope you had a nice time in Edinburgh after that though! Another great video Tim. Always look forward to watching these after a long day at work helps me relax 😊
The voice of Susan Calman at 10:05 as the toilet door announcer
Where's the H in Euston 🧐 😅
i travelled in the regular economy seat from glassgow to london during the summer and with a railcard it averaged out to £45 and for what I got I was really happy. Even though I was on a normal seat it felt more equivalent to a first class service from something like virgin. I don't think it's worth trying to get any sleep if you travel in this class everyone around me was trying to and having little success I just used it as an opportunity to watch movies on my laptop. I think it's a decent service if you set your expectations right,
Was Tim really gonna let his food go cold just to wait for some light?
I miss the old Mk3 Caledonian Sleepers. The lounge car had proper furniture and was split into two. One side with sofas and stuff for people to relax, and the other half for sitting up and eating. Not to mention the Mk3 is a smoother ride. The Mk5 is cheap.
That room next to the accessible toilet is a accessible wheelchair room
Houston? We have a problem.😂
absolutely love the Caledonian Sleeper! i'm booked on it to go to London from Glasgow in June for a lovely weekend in the city with my dad and brother. it's such a long way down that really sleeper train is the only way to go as it means i'm not spending 8+ hours travelling and too exhausted to do anything by the time i get there. sleeper down and sleeper back home again is the perfect solution! can't wait to get on it again!
well I won't book ever again lol
@@WalkWithMeTim don't blame you to be honest. your experience was complete polar opposite of mine. i was shocked at how dirty and stuff things were. wouldn't be so bad if it was cheaper but for nearly £350 quid, you expect things to be pretty much perfect if not actually perfect. i'm sorry you didn't get to experience a good journey on it. you definitely drew the short straw on that one, it wasn't at all up to standard
In the past, I used the old stock a few times with no issues, but on the introduction of the new stock, it was immediately apparent that it wasn’t fit for purpose.
I did the GWR First Class one and would never ever do it again! Your video just confirmed it for me. The concept is brilliant, the reality is unbroken sleep. That said I’m sure the orient express could change my mind - maybe !!
Use the sleeper atleast once a month, it isnt without its faults but overall its quite good. Regarding the hot water it usually needs the tap to be ran for atleast a minute to allow the hot water to push all the cold stuff out the pipes. Sometimes the train can be chilly but this is something that is currently being worked on. Personally I prefered the service when it ran with mk3 coaches but these needed replaced unless a large refurbishment was carried out on them.
I feel like you definitely could've ate the breakfast with the lights down. That or the camera doesn't make it look so bad. Shame it wasn't as great as it could've been
Glasgow/Edinburgh from London is only about 4.5 hours so is a sleeper really necessary especially as you are exited from the train at your destination far too early in the morning.
the room with that longer door is the wheelchair accessable room
Bet this was fun Tim,can't wait to watch it,
I went on a sleeper car when I was in Japan and it had to be the best experience I've had while traveling. The showers were timed and you had to buy a time card and they were limited so it was like being in the military again where you have to TCoB fast before the water shuts off. You should try one of those Tim if you make it over there.
Japanese trains have ruined train travel for me now, it's so depressing coming back and getting on a UK train! I've yet to try a sleeper car though.
I've just read a CZcams post about Japanese sleepers. Unfortunately the only sleeper train that runs at present will no longer run soon. The only other sleeper trains is the "ultra-lux" tourist 7-day trip at c.£6000.
TCoB?! WTF does that mean? We’re not all inside your head, you know?!
I travel to the UK quite a bit and I detest any train travel that I have to undertake whilst I am there. I think the prices are extortionate and the service totally inadequate when compared with other countries. Your video was well documented and excellently narrated, but your experience was not surprising.
Great video. Far to expensive for the accommodation and it wasn't really up to scratch for £345 a night!!
I’m really glad you did this vlog Tim as it’s made up my mind not to use it. I’ve wanted to do this journey but watching your experience it’s really a no no for me.
For that price dinner should have been included pay for drinks obviously. I would’ve been miffed with those drinking in the booth areas too. The waiter could hardly get through to serve!
Looks like drive or fly for me to Edinburgh 😵💫
That looks such a tiny room, claustrophobic vibes kicking in and the bathroom looks equally small. For first class I would expect a lot more for the money.
Great review through as always!
Thanks Phil
Shocking price , I remember in the 70s when first class was first class , my father worked on the flying Scotsman and I traveled for free and it was soo posh
Well it’s a lot of money for an uncomfortable bed and a duvet cover with a tea stain on it. I think the heating issues indicate a need to do this in a warmer season. I might give it a go if I was feeling flush and use another way on the return. Thanks for the insights.
We had the displeasure of travelling on the Caladonion express last month. Euston-Fort William return, outward journey was twin club class, return twin First class. On both legs we had an end cabin, which being directly over the carriage wheels means you can feel every bump of the track, a nights sleep is therefore not an option. On the return Journey, we were greeted in our allocated cabin to discover that the top bunk was locked up, we were then allocated another cabin which was meant to be reserved for train staff. We were treated to the sound of alarms all night and did not have any sleep whatsoever. The whole thing was by far the worst travelling experience I have ever had to endure. I paid in excess of £500 for the return. If you really want to travel on this train buy a seat rather than a cabin. It will be a lot cheaper and you will probably get more sleep
Wow
Thanks for what you do. I was expecting £180 maybe but not £345. Definitely not worth it. Like others have said you can get a really decent hotel for that with meals. Great video content.
It sounds quite cool at first on taking an over night train, such shame that you got in to Edinburgh train station when waking up. You would think it would be quite nice if passengers get to see a view in the day time.
Once again youve shown why I will never do this!!! TBH in this country I dont think its really big enough or far enough to warrant an overnight sleeper train. And at £345 its easier and quicker to fly!!
I agree with the comments about a waste of money. No hot water, crappy mattress, freezing cold at breakfast equals over priced experience.
Interesting review this. I paid £118 for a classic room on the highland sleeper to Fort William. The bed was great and I had some of the same things as shown here included (although not breakfast). I did find the water to be the same lukewarm and the shaky, rattly doors meant I had hardly any sleep, not to mention the diesel locos right outside my window at the Edinburgh changeover. Nevertheless it's an experience after all and having gone from the foot of the shard to the foot of Ben Nevis in 14-15 hours, waking up in some stunning highland scenery it was a great experience for me personally.
Thank you for another great video. I always wondered what the sleeper would be like. Be good for the experience but will probably fly.
Houston with a capital E.
Great video, but it did seem DOOMED, there wasn't one aspect that wasn't negativity affected in some little way, even the breakfast with cold air and then no lights.
I'd love to try the journey, but when I heard the price tag......NOPE!
Love you calling Euston "Huston"!
I’ve worked on the railway since I was 16 and the sleepers do look inviting (when your very tired). The Mark 5 coaches do look good. Working on the railway we get heavily reduced rates but I’ve never used it yet. We did book a trip for me and my wife and it cost £50 all in - (Euston to Fort William) but covid struck and it got cancelled ! Great video, as usual. 👍
Thats a good price but a long journey from Glasgow to Fort William
Thank you for yet another great report. I had considered taking this journey to go and do my family history in Edinburgh - but I will now save the money. In fact I would bitterly complain and ask for my money back! Maybe that's the Scot coming out in me LOL .
Caledonian Sleeper, Scottish themed with Harrogate water 😂
7:33 - love the pride train 390119!
the caledonian sleeper i definitely plan on doing in may for my 20th birthday in either a classic room or club room!
Love all that you do … excited! You’re so cool!
Your devoted fan from America
Wow, thank you!
The hot water is a huge problem since the new trains have been in service i'm afraid to say tim
Great video, well documented!
When I went on the Caledonian Sleeper from London Euston to Edinburgh back in 2017 I stayed in first class and didn't get a wink of sleep either, in fact I spent most my night in the buffet car drinking over priced hot chocolate and tea. When i tried to get my head down I couldn't due to my room being right over the wheels and every time the train braked there was a uncontrollable rattling noise. Breakfast was lovely when I travelled it was a bacon roll, orange juice, and a pot of tea. I arrived into Edinburgh, cold tired and wet as it was raining!
This is a good honest review thank you
Thanks for watching!
Hi Tim I love your videos and always watch them before I go on holiday 😊
where you off to?
I’m going to London on the sleeper train in June. It was £111 for a standard seat return ticket, much cheaper than taking a case on a plane. Shortly after booking I realised only for £50 extra I could’ve booked a bunk bed room 🫠🫠 Not looking forward to sleeping on the chair handcuffed to my suitcase! Hope you have a lovely time in Scotland, it’s freezing right now☃️
What do you mean "handcuffed to my suitcase"? Are you worried someone might nick it?
Can you not book your luggage in?
@@janetpendlebury6808 I’m not sure but I’ll have a look at that. Thank you!
@@janetpendlebury6808 the trains aren't usually that big, probably just 1 seated carriage on the overnight train, as mostly cabin accomodation. . There will probably be luggage racks at each end of the carriage and an overhead rack.
I can't think why anyone would pay that price when you can fly far, far more quickly and far, far cheaper. And you get there without all the hassle of the train. Even a flight and overnight hotel room would be cheaper than that journey and you'd be well rested.
Great review, though. It is so good I would never ever take that journey.
I remember doing the first class sleeper from Paris to Carcassonne back in the early 2000s where I was equally unimpressed - glad you checked this out as I've been tempted to see if the UK version was any better - sorry you had to take one for the team though Tim
Brilliant can't wait to find out if you had a better night's sleep on this one than you had on the Paddington Sleeper Train 🚂
Lol
He said it’s worse
Wow how much?, You have stayed in better Britannia hotels to be honest, it seemed shocking to me how bad things were especially when you consider the price and it is a shame because it sounded like it could be so much fun.
Honest and appreciated thanks Tim
I think the sleeper train companies know there's not much competition , so you're stuck with what you get, if you need to go somewhere by train or can't fly so to say, so that's probably why they're not impeccably clean and properly designed.
As with any train trip in the UK now it’s ridiculously over-priced so gives no incentive for people to use instead of driving or flying which are generally much cheaper. It’s a sad problem with the railways that really needs sorting
I can't wait for this. Have a good journey. I'll be watching the live stream dear train journey I will not be doing that I would do a day time journey to London from Glasgow Central only 4 hours 30mins. What time is the live street at on Friday because I might not be able to watch it as I am in School and doing an assessment in maths
I'm in two minds about this. I've done the Caledonian sleeper to Fort William a couple of times. I find the mattress is a bit solid, however the bedding itself is fairly comfortable. I actually do sleep on the train as the motion just rocks me to sleep. I do find that the housekeeping could be improved, as well as the water supply not being overly reliable for the showers.
It was a very good travel day blog today from euston station to Edinburgh waverley scotland and chilling out and staying on a Caledonian sleeper train tim
I watch a lot of Japanese travel vids and the famous Sunrise Express knocks this out of the park…even the cheapest rooms seem much higher quality, even if they don’t generally have showers (tho the shower rooms are decent).
I got a train from Euston for the first time last year and very nearly missed it because the departure board didn't say which platform it was on! Only at Euston could I be there 15 minutes before departure and STILL have to run for it. There are plenty of times I'd arrive at St. Pancras with only 3 minutes to spare, but because it was always clear where to go, I've never missed it!
I never understand why it’s added so late, as they know much earlier. I’m in a wheelchair so have mobility support get me on with the ramp and they find out the platform sometimes 30 inures before the platform is added to the board for everyone else. I mean it means disabled people can get on before the sudden rush of everyone else heading down en mass, but I feel sorry for those people. Anyone who is unsteady in their feet/ elderly etc but has never thought of getting mobility assistance, I recommend it to avoid the rush. I’ve been told that when the new 10 platforms open in 2026 it’ll be better, but it is one of the few times being disabled is a ‘perk’!
@@alexdavis57662026...by then I'd be past caring
This is my opportunity to speak about Euston... Use it frequently as an international traveller... Everytime I go through Euston, the staff are stressed and rude, the timetables are late to show platforms and the layout and signs are super unhelpful. I was nearly late for a train once because they were late too show the train and the platform sign wasn't clear to me and when I asked for some help I was shouted at, literally shouted at, by a 'helper' lol yes, 'helper'.
My standerd seat in May without a rail card is £55 or £33 with one.
Great video Tim. You really do these so well. It’s so inspiring how much effort you out into it.
Definitely not worth the price with all the issues. With the price you paid I would expect a much better experience. If I was you I’d get in contact with their customer service and send them this video. Hopefully you will receive some kind of compensation and for them to fix the issues with that room.
P.s, no wonder you received ear plugs with that door! 😂
I appreciate that!
Great video here, I've taken this trip a few times. Firstly, the first class lounge at Euston isn't that great, with no character just like the station really. There will be a dedicated lounge to the sleeper opening soon on platform 1, so that'll be interesting to see. I usually go for a club room as the doubles cost way too much, bit more cramped but it does the job. It's a shame you didn't have a great sleep in that bed, the mattresses in all 3 types of rooms are that thin I'm afraid. When I usually book for this trip, I usually book a room towards the middle of the carriage as the Mk 5's are very rickety over the wheels and louder than normal. Unfortunately on my last trip, there was a very limited catering available, it does happen on occasion.
One of my favourite things about coming into or going out of Euston is having a drink in the Doric Arch before or after the journey. Seals the deal nicely particularly when coming into London for a short trip.
To stop the door rattle put a towel over the door and close it, it worked when i was on an overnight ferry to Egypt before :-)
Thanks for such an honest report Tim. These new trains (built by CAF in Spain) were supposed to be the 'bees knees' for UK sleeper trains. But they have been plagued by issues of one sort or another and one or two (like the lukewarm shower) have still not been sorted. Scottish govt has nationalised Cal Sleeper and will assume the operation from June. So will that mean lower prices and/or better standards ?
Unfortunately Serco going with CAF for new stock was nit a good choice, the related stock for TPE has also had issues as has all the new CAF DMU's, though the older Siemens powered CAF stock and the CAF stock in Ireland/NI seems to be alright.
There's a nickname for CAF, Cheap As F***, there's a reason you buy from the likes of Siemens or Stadler, in the end it probably works out cheaper.
@@dglcomputers1498 those CAF trains in Ireland aren’t particularly great either regarding suspension, in particular the Mrk 4 intercity trains on Dublin Cork. The 29000 commuter units are falling apart too, some of the floors are sinking, although a lot of that is to do with overcrowding pressures on them. The Northern Ireland CAF trains are the best, Translink spent a lot on the class 3000 and 4000 and look after them very well, and they are many times better than the junkyard trains they replaced.
Houston or Euston 👍
Pretty much my experience as well. Travelled with them twice, both journeys plagued with issues. After three years of running the new coaches you would expect teething problems to have largely been solved. Sadly that’s not the case. Got moved to a different room over a bogie (with a “flat” wheel) last time (February 23) because the room I booked had “safety issues” with one of the beds and no water. Well, I did have water now, but it was ice cold and the rattling sound from the wheel made sleeping almost impossible. Also, my room got freezing cold in the morning for some reason.
It’s such a shame because the staff was absolutely professional and friendly. You really want to like the service - they just make it next to impossible to justify the price (note: they did offer me a generous refund without me explicitly demanding one in my feedback which was much appreciated). They really should look to ÖBB in Austria to learn how to run a good sleeper service. Let’s hope things will get better with the new operator.