It’s been a good few years since I was last on the Eurostar. On previous occasions I was either travelling alone or with my partner. This month I have done the return journey from the new St Pancras station to Paris Gare du Nord with a family of six. Yes; that includes four small children! The outward and return journies were very different experiences. One was hell and the other was a real pleasure.
We travelled out in standard class and returned in first. Standard class was crowded. The seats were cramped. My legs were locked in with the man opposite me. The passengers were not tolerant of families.
You can’t keep four children silent for two and a half hours. Other passengers got irritable to begin with and finished with down right rudeness. What a relief to get off!
First class is a different story. Bigger seats. Plenty of room. More relaxed and friendly passengers. We loved it. The kids loved it.
Of course, being loaded with champagne and wine throughout the journey also helps! We even let the kids have Coke and got away with it! The meal seemed to last all journey and certainly kept the children much more focused and better behaved.
It would normally make sense to economise when you have a big family but we’re sticking with first class in future.