1st Class Lounges - how early is too early?

[Chapeltom]

Hi all

I'm booked on the 1047 - Sheffield to London St Pancras tomorrow. I think we could get the 0747 or 0919 from Chinley into Sheffield, but were looking at getting breakfast in Sheffield on arrival (8:30 ish) then getting our booked train.

How early is too early to go in the first class lounge, we'll have probably eaten and finished breakfast at 0945, latest! But we'll hang around if we need to

 

[sonic2009]

I think that 0950/1000 would be.acceptable.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

 

[Trains06]

Hi all

I'm booked on the 1047 - Sheffield to London St Pancras tomorrow. I think we could get the 0747 or 0919 from Chinley into Sheffield, but were looking at getting breakfast in Sheffield on arrival (8:30 ish) then getting our booked train.

How early is too early to go in the first class lounge, we'll have probably eaten and finished breakfast at 0945, latest! But we'll hang around if we need to

The one time I gave one of my relatives the task of organising things he had us waiting in Euston for 4 hours.. This wasn't a problem for the VT First Class Lounge staff who let us in for the duration! (FC tickets, of course)

 

[calc7]

I've been admitted to the Liverpool Lime Street lounge at 10am before when I was booked in on the 1848 to London.

There's probably some policy documented somewhere, but most staff don't seem to mind so long as you have a valid ticket for travel that day.

 

[ainsworth74]

As far as I'm aware there is no limit to how long you can wait in a lounge, especially if you're waiting for a booked train. Certainly I've camped out in the Euston first class lounge for an hour and a half whilst waiting for a booked train.

 

[Zoidberg]

... Certainly I've camped out in the Euston first class lounge for an hour and a half whilst waiting for a booked train.

I've done the same with no problems numerous times over the past umpteen years (apart from when it was closed for refurb).

I've also camped out, taking advantage of the facilities, after having arrived at Euston with an hour or so to kill before business appointments.

 

[Firesprite]

With regards to Kings Cross, The colour scheme encourages you to spent as little
time as possible in the 1st class lounge. Whoever came up with that must have been on drugs

 

[island]

Some of the Virgin lounge dragons ask you what train you're getting if you present a cheap first anytime day single.

 

[pjnathanail]

Staff normally don't mind. EMT have a sign in their St Pancras lounge saying there is a £5 charge if you stay over two hours.

 

[calc7]

Staff normally don't mind. EMT have a sign in their St Pancras lounge saying there is a £5 charge if you stay over two hours.

Wow, that's fantastic customer service. :roll:

 

[telstarbox]

2 hours seems plenty of time when EMT run at least an hourly service to all stations from St Pancras. There's only so much you can do in a FC lounge anyway!

 

[Lrd]

Staff normally don't mind. EMT have a sign in their St Pancras lounge saying there is a £5 charge if you stay over two hours.

Just leave for 15/20 mins and go back in, if you need to be in there over two hours that is...

 

[pjnathanail]

To be honest there is so little in terms of refreshments you would have to leave for lunch! The EMT lounges are not great.

 

[Deerfold]

I spent nearly 3 hours in the Euston 1st class lounge after arriving there on an AP ticket from Manchester, having spent 90 minutes at the lounge in Manchester (I was travelling with my wife who was getting a flight from Manchester airport but I couldn't guarantee arriving an hour earlier to get a similarly priced advance). No staff seemed concerned. At Euston I was using their wifi to listen to a friend on an internet radio station (with quiet earphones).

 

[Bungle73]

Staff normally don't mind. EMT have a sign in their St Pancras lounge saying there is a £5 charge if you stay over two hours.

So do they keep a record of the exact time that each passenger entered the lounge?

 

[wintonian]

Assuming most people (and given the location of the lounge at a lot of stations) will leave aprox 10 - 15 min before their train, I would feel most uncomfortable and like a free loader if I arrive more than about an hour before scheduled departure.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

So do they keep a record of the exact time that each passenger entered the lounge?

It can't be that difficult to notice someone who has been in the same lounge al morning/ afternoon when most people are only there for around half an hour.

 

[Bungle73]

2 hours seems plenty of time when EMT run at least an hourly service to all stations from St Pancras. There's only so much you can do in a FC lounge anyway!

What if you're on an Advance ticket?

 

[wintonian]

What if you're on an Advance ticket?

Then would you arrive at the station 2 hours early if getting on at some small unstaffed shack somewhere?

 

[Bungle73]

It can't be that difficult to notice someone who has been in the same lounge al morning/ afternoon when most people are only there for around half an hour.

But two hours isn't all morning or afternoon. I see the potential for conflict to arise: "You've been here two hours, you need to pay £5 or leave", "No I haven't, I've only been here 1 hour and 45 minutes".

 

[ainsworth74]

Then would you arrive at the station 2 hours early if getting on at some small unstaffed shack somewhere?

No but then there wouldn't be a lounge to use at a unstaffed halt

I've arrived very early for advance trains simply because I've nothing else to do and I know there's a comfortable lounge to wait in if go to the station.

 

[wintonian]

But two hours isn't all morning or afternoon. I see the potential for conflict to arise: "You've been here two hours, you need to pay £5 or leave", "No I haven't, I've only been here 1 hour and 45 minutes".

Yes there is the potential for conflict, however I suspect a big part of this is discouragement rather than enforcement.

 

[Yew]

Of course the solution Is to carry a few wigs, coats, and a fake mustache

 

[wintonian]

No but then there wouldn't be a lounge to use at a unstaffed halt

I've arrived very early for advance trains simply because I've nothing else to do and I know there's a comfortable lounge to wait in if go to the station.

If you are somewhere with a lounge then the town/ city it is located in is also likely to offer good facilities for hanging about in outside the station or elsewhere on the concourse - far more than my small shack scenario anyway.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Of course the solution Is to carry a few wigs, coats, and a fake mustache

Or more than one valid first class ticket.

 

[Bungle73]

If you are somewhere with a lounge then the town/ city it is located in is also likely to offer good facilities for hanging about in outside the station or elsewhere on the concourse - far more than my small shack scenario anyway.

But the whole point of having a FC lounge is to to have somewhere comfortable to wait away from the hustle and bustle.

Also, what if I'm not starting my journey at the station where the lounge is located?

 

[ainsworth74]

If you are somewhere with a lounge then the town/ city it is located in is also likely to offer good facilities for hanging about in outside the station or elsewhere on the concourse - far more than my small shack scenario anyway.

This is true but if the railway have kindly provided me with a lounge to use free of charge/small charge which includes complimentary nibbles/drinks, comfy chairs, free wi-fi, magazines/newspapers and perhaps TV news why wouldn't I take advantage of it for as long as I need before my train?

The reason for my long wait was I'd arrived off the Sleeper from Penzance and had about two hours to kill before my train to Glasgow from Euston. I could have found somewhere else to wait in London but it's cheaper to simply use the free facilities made available to me.

 

[wintonian]

But the whole point of having a FC lounge is to to have somewhere comfortable to wait away from the hustle and bustle.

Also, what if I'm not starting my journey at the station where the lounge is located?

Does your ticket carry a BoJ restriction?
How long are you likely to need to change trains?
An AP is unlikely to give you much more than is necessary for the interchange.

A first class lounge is a posh glorified waiting room and it is normally considered impolite to arrive really early for an appointment (for that is effectively what an AP reservation is) and hang around invaliding your self of what (if any) facilities are available.

That's what I was taught anyway.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

This is true but if the railway have kindly provided me with a lounge to use free of charge/small charge which includes complimentary nibbles/drinks, comfy chairs, free wi-fi, magazines/newspapers and perhaps TV news why wouldn't I take advantage of it for as long as I need before my train?

The reason for my long wait was I'd arrived off the Sleeper from Penzance and had about two hours to kill before my train to Glasgow from Euston. I could have found somewhere else to wait in London but it's cheaper to simply use the free facilities made available to me.

That is IMO the crucial bit, but making a reservation later than you need to just so you can hang around the lounge is incorrect IMO.

If however AP's were going on a 09:00 for £80 and they were £40 on the 10:00 then ok a little leeway may reasonable, but booking on the 13:00 due to the tickets be in even cheaper does (again IMO) does not make it reasonable to sit in the lounge all that time.

 

[Bungle73]

Does your ticket carry a BoJ restriction?
How long are you likely to need to change trains?
An AP is unlikely to give you much more than is necessary for the interchange.

Lounges are invariably located on station premises so it's not a BoJ.

One could have a ticket where the first part of the journey isn't reserved. Also, in my own case, the last few times I've used a FC Lounge I had two tickets: an Off Peak Return from here to London, and Advance from London to where ever I was going (a, because it worked out slightly cheaper, and b, because it gave me more flexibility where I started and where I ended my journey on the way back).

A first class lounge is a posh glorified waiting room and it is normally considered impolite to arrive really early for an appointment (for that is effectively what an AP reservation is) and hang around invaliding your self of what (if any) facilities are available.

That's what I was taught anyway.

I don't think you compare catching a train to having an appointment with a person.

 

[wintonian]

Lounges are invariably located on station premises so it's not a BoJ.

One could have a ticket where the first part of the journey isn't reserved. Also, in my own case, the last few times I've used a FC Lounge I had two tickets: an Off Peak Return from here to London, and Advance from London to where ever I was going (a, because it worked out slightly cheaper, and b, because it gave me more flexibility where I started and where I ended my journey on the way back).


I don't think you compare catching a train to having an appointment with a person.

If your ticket allows BoJ then you can go elsewhere and wait.

If you choose to leave ridiculously early then that is your choice, the TOC's only stipulate that you must leave enough time and provision of lounges does not form part of the contract so are in effect provided as an added extra out of the goodness of their heart.

No you may not have an appointment with a person but you still have to be at a certain place at a certain time and are using a waiting room in the process.

 

[mirodo]

What if you have an East Coast day/month/annual pass? Is it OK to spend all day in there if you don't have a train to catch?

 

[wintonian]

What if you have an East Coast day/month/annual pass? Is it OK to spend all day in there if you don't have a train to catch?

There's always one isn't there! :-x