48 Trips to Brussels & still counting (Eurostar)

Member Name: grumbleweed

Product:	Eurostar
Date:	30/04/01 (298 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fast and reliable intercity service and excellent on board service

Disadvantages: Business class food only moderate quality

I have been travelling to Brussels on Eurostar about twice a month for the past two years on business, usually travelling out on a weekday afternoon/evening and coming back to Waterloo the next evening. They do say familiarity breeds contempt, so perhaps my opinion is a little jaundiced, like those bright yellow blazers the train attendants wear when its warm enough to discard their gaberdine mackintoshes.

After you've been on this train 48 times, the frequent and long announcements do begin to irritate, especially when they are in English, French and Dutch. And I sometimes get a faint suspicion that a few of the French accents are to say the least a bit exaggerated if not completely fake. However, I suppose announcements, like mobile phones, are an inescapable part of the train experience.

I would award Eurostar top marks for the reliability of their service. As others have commented, progress is painfully slow on this side of the tunnel but the timetable makes allowance for this. Only twice have I suffered a really serious delay; one due to a trackside fire, and the other when the whole service was cancelled due to a bomb at Vauxhall cross.

Check in procedures are usually very quick and efficient. There is a fast track for business class ticketholders. On the train there's usually a fair bit of room to spread out, and passengers are evenly distributed through the business section of the train rather than being aggregated together. There are significant differences in the layout and comfort of seats, which I do not feel is right. Given that they are all the same price, everyone should have the same level of facilities. If you are booked in a "Duo" seat, or "Club Four", this will have a table and light. "Solo" seats are airline style seats, with limited leg room in blocks of two with pull down tables. If you are in a solo seat and need a bit more room to spread out, then th
e train attendants don't usually mind if you switch seats once everyone is aboard, but this can sometimes be a bit of a hassle.

If you expect to travel on Eurostar regularly it is worth joining the frequent traveller's club. For example for each business class journey, you earn 150 points. There are three levels of membership, blue, silver and gold, entitling you to different benefits. As a gold member you have a 10 minute check in time, access to the business lounges, with a guest if you wish and various other special offers and invitations. Points can be redeemed for a variety of different benefits, such as wine, Mont Blanc pens, free flights and even more trips on Eurostar! The business lounge at Waterloo offers a good selection of complimentary drinks, savoury snacks and cakes, newspapers & magazines, and has television and computing facilities. However, it can get a bit crowded, especially when the times of the Brussels and Paris departures converge.

The airline style food is one of the least satisfactory aspects of Eurostar. Airline style is something of a misnomer as I do not feel the quality of the food comes anywhere near that served in the business cabins of airlines I have travelled on, such as BA , JAL, Finnair & TAP. It is possibly a shade better than Air France & Balkan Bulgarian Airlines but that's not saying much. The starters tend to be uninspiring terrine & salad concoctions, and fridge cold. There are usually two main dishes on the menu, either meat or fish, but a choice is not always available. Main courses are often overbaked and mushy, though reasonably tasty in a school dinner sort of way. Four choices of wine are usually available to accompany your meal and the selections change regularly. The tray also includes a small portion of cheese (varieties are imaginative and change frequently), a good dessert and a bottle of Evian, followed by tea/coffee and a Belgian chocolate. S
ervice at your seat is excellent and you can order additional complimentary drinks if you wish.

There is usually a reasonable selection of English magazines at the end of each carriage (Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Hello, Business Week, Golf, Internet, etc.) English newspapers are usually in much shorter supply, sometimes only the F/T is available.

In my view, Eurostar offers the quickest and most reliable option for business travel from London to Brussels. On the few occasions I have travelled by air (from Heathrow, and Gatwick by BA, and from London City by Sabena) there have been significant air traffic delays, and very long queues for taxis at Brussels airport, which is a considerable ride from the centre of the city.

Summary: