London Waterloo 1st class or standard rail seat??

[fishman620]

We (5 people) will be taking the London Waterloo non-stop train to Southampton Central Station to catch our cruise in Southampton.  I was wondering if it is worth paying the extra money for a 1st class seat.....does it have more room for storing luggage or do they serve drinks or snacks?  Just wonder what the difference would be.......the cost difference would be about $12US per person from standard seat to first class.  Thanks for the help.

[gumshoe958]

No drinks or snacks. Just a bit more room (although still no dedicated luggage space).
 

For $12 it’s probably worth it as long as you keep your expectations low!

[Island2Dweller]

There is a huge variation across Britain's railways in what First class gives you.  On some routes, such as using LNER to Edinburgh you get a meal and drinks, plus signiciantly bigger seats.

On this route, it is barely any different from standard.  Personally, I think even $12 is too much.  The first class area is small, so ironically if others have had the same idea, it could be more crowded than standard.

The trains to Southampton are 10 carriage long.  Get to Waterloo in good time (say 20 minutes ahead) and you'll have no trouble finding space in standard class.

[Globaliser]

7 hours ago, fishman620 said:

We (5 people) will be taking the London Waterloo non-stop train to Southampton Central Station to catch our cruise in Southampton.

 

So you don't get off at the wrong station, it isn't non-stop between Waterloo and Southampton - but it is direct. There should be plenty of announcements and signs to let you know when your station is about to be reached.

 

Personally, I'd pay $12 - primarily for a more comfortable seat. For perspective, many train companies (including South Western Railway) have a long-running promotion called Weekend First, where for a small flat-fee supplement you can travel in first class with a standard class ticket. I think that for Waterloo to Southampton it's currently £10. Despite this and other ways of (legitimately) getting first class seats for very little more, I don't think I've ever seen first class busy on these routes except at peak hours in the direction of the peak travel.

 

The only thing to add is that if you're planning to do this on Sunday 6 August 2023 (or the day before), do keep an eye on the relevant websites in case engineering works are scheduled for that day.

[John Bull]

4 hours ago, Island2Dweller said:

There is a huge variation across Britain's railways in what First class gives you.  On some routes, such as using LNER to Edinburgh you get a meal and drinks, plus signiciantly bigger seats.

On this route, it is barely any different from standard.  Personally, I think even $12 is too much.  The first class area is small, so ironically if others have had the same idea, it could be more crowded than standard.

The trains to Southampton are 10 carriage long.  Get to Waterloo in good time (say 20 minutes ahead) and you'll have no trouble finding space in standard class.

 

 

Agreed - it's a journey of under 90 minutes, and seating in standard carriages is much more spacious than aircraft cattle-class. Spend that £12 on a couple of beers 🍺🍺 

And there are a lot of Southampton to London Waterloo trains in the morning to cope with commuters and other business travel to the Big Bad City - those trains are lightly-loaded in the Southampton direction during the morning.

 

In the unlikely event that you can't keep your luggage around you, there is space at the end of the carriages - if you're concerned about bags being stolen (rare, but can happen) just go stand by it approaching each station - most trains stop at only 3 or 4 stations before Southampton.

 

Walk-up fare is £52 pp 😟, but advance fares are as low as £14.50 pp 🙂

Advance tickets are available from about 12 weeks out (price can go up as the travel date gets near), no cancellation refund and that the ticket is only good for the train time that you've booked - if you miss that train your ticket is trash & you'll pay £52 for the next train. Similar discount for first-class tickets.

So buy your tickets 10 to 12 weeks out, and spend that £38 pp saving on half a dozen cocktails 

🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹🍹

 

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ If your date is 12+ weeks out, select a date about 10 weeks out to see advance fares and terms.

 

JB 🙂

[fishman620]

Thanks everyone for all the help, I appreciate it!  I am a little concerned about the engineering works that might be scheduled for that day because I am seeing that happening to other people that are cruising in June...

[Meander Ingwa]

engineering works or industrial action?  what date?

 

 

[John Bull]

5 hours ago, Meander Ingwa said:

engineering works or industrial action?  what date?

 

 

 

On it's new website National Rail, which covers all of England, Scotland & Wales https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/ gives an excellent menu on its home page.

 

Industrial Action (and we're going thro a dose of it this year) is highlighted at the top, you can easily navigate to your date / route.

 

For Planned Engineering Works navigate from way down near the bottom of the home page, on the left. Usually the engineering works are only on a section of the line - trains still leave their terminus at the timetable time, then at the station before the works passengers have to switch to a fleet of buses which take them to the station after the works where another train is waiting.

This is known as Rail Replacement Service. It will add time to the journey, but the train operators & the bus suppliers are well-versed in this, and there are usually far more buses than needed.

 

Don't be panicked by the long lists  - the UK train network is large, and  the disruptions apply on different dates.

 

You could also check the operator's website, the operator for London Waterloo to Southampton is 

https://www.southwesternrailway.com/

 

JB 🙂