Caledonian Sleeper - good and bad

[cjp]

Travelled up to Inverness last Friday.
First experience of sleeper lounge care without longitudinal seating just table layout. Sadly it was full of drinkers (all first class?) so I had to forgo my meal of Haggis and had an early night instead - saved on ££s and calories.

My next discovery was that the shaver sockets in the berths had been replaced by USB sockets which no good for my laptop although the berth attendant kindly offer to keep it safe in his little room whilst he plugged it the corridor outside to recharges. I passed but full marks for him

Neither of the toilets in my carriage were working so had an early morning promenade and wandered back to my berth number and forgot I was in a different carriage and startled a lady in bed who had forgotten to lock her door. Apologies and embarrassment as I made a hasty exit.

Breakfast in lounge was as good as ever.

Showers in Inverness - excellent and refreshing as usual followed by a hot chocolate in their lounge.

I think it might be the last time I use the sleeper since airlines beat it on price - just it is such a drag coming in the eleven or twelve miles from Inverness airport and they are not very good at taking bikes.

Still the Chieftain is good fun alternative - one is wined and dined and it takes bikes.

Now i could have put this in the huge Caledonian Sleeper thread in which people may have made similar comments but it just too big to find thing things in.:cry:

PS
Coming back on West coast and the staff and the food is excellent

 

[Bletchleyite]

I thought the table layout lounge car belonged to the FW portion normally. Certainly it's been on there both times I've used it.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Interesting that the spare lounge escaped onto Inverness, better than nout I guess. Lol to the lady in bed!

 

[cjp]

Interesting that the spare lounge escaped onto Inverness, better than nout I guess. Lol to the lady in bed!

Caledonian Sleepers have their offices in Inverness just opposite the station with lounge and shower which is open until 1030 for morning arrivals. And very nice people they are too.

I guess I did not make it clear in my original post.

 

[47271]

There's one if not two lounges that work all routes and have a full set of First Class IC70 seats trimmed in Scotrail saltire rather than the kitsch 1980s nightclub style of the others. They're massively preferred by the regulars over the loose chairs and tacky leather settees, which is probably why you found people drinking beyond their bedtime, they were comfy...

Moreover, there's one further version, by far the most unpopular, which has the sofas all the way up one side which means that none of the tables can seat more than two people. I'd love to know what idiot thought this was a good idea.

Does anyone know when these awful lounge layouts were created in preference to the IC70s, which I'm sure they all had originally - 1990s, 1980s?

I know what you mean about your laptop, but the shaver sockets were changed to USB about a year ago, much better for the majority of people. Had you been able to sit in the lounge then you would've got power in the bank of single tables, to the left as you look away from the kitchen.

 

[cjp]

I know what you mean about your laptop, but the shaver sockets were changed to USB about a year ago, much better for the majority of people. Had you been able to sit in the lounge then you would've got power in the bank of single tables, to the left as you look away from the kitchen.

Was it done like that because the wiring could not handle real sockets?

And I did use one of the FOUR USB sockets for my phone as I was fortunate enough to have bought a long (2m) lead when in Hong Kong. (The USB outlet plates are at high level in the far corner where the shaver socket used to be)

Why four sockets? - I guess in standard that would be two be passenger but even so . . . .

 

[Bletchleyite]

Was it done like that because the wiring could not handle real sockets?

I believe so.

And I did use one of the FOUR USB sockets for my phone as I was fortunate enough to have bought a long (2m) lead when in Hong Kong. (The USB outlet plates are at high level in the far corner where the shaver socket used to be)

Why four sockets? - I guess in standard that would be two be passenger but even so . . . .

Two devices or even more is common these days - phone and tablet, phone and camera...

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Was it done like that because the wiring could not handle real sockets?

I doubt it; the refurbished GWR Sleepers have both USB and standard three pin sockets in the cabins...

So at least one can shave properly on the Night Riviera without having to inconvenience everyone else by having to occupy a toilet cubicle for 10 - 15 minutes.

 

[xc170]

Done the sleeper between Euston and Glasgow a couple of times under First and most recently, Serco.

Only every had one complaint, using the seated sleeper from Glasgow into Euston, somewhere around Milton Keynes I woke up and used the loo, went to wash my hands and have a quick wash to find there was no water so I went to walk towards one of the sleeper cars to use another toilet, I was stopped by one of the on board staff who asked me where I was going and why, I explained what and why and I was bluntly told the facilities in the sleeper coaches are for customers who have paid for sleeper bearths...

Clearly basic personal hygeine isn't high on the list of priorities for said CS employee, I'm assuming he had done his customer service training at Blackpool North...

 

[DuncanS]

The seated sleeper is the depths of hell between Scotland and England.

Never again!!

 

[cjp]

The seated sleeper is the depths of hell between Scotland and England.

Never again!!

Don't hold back
What made your day (night) so wonderful

 

[DuncanS]

Don't hold back
What made your day (night) so wonderful

Uncomfortable seats.
Arid on board conditions.
Drunk passengers.
Very loud drunk passengers.
On board staff continuing to sell alcohol to drunk passengers.
On board staff ignoring complaints about said passengers.


...but everyone did get one of those blindfolds.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Uncomfortable seats.

Eh? They're 1st class seats.

Could be worse. Could be this rubbish: