Eurostar Plus is becoming worse

[johncrossley]

The food in Plus isn’t hot.

Wow, I didn't know that. That makes it even more pointless!

 

[D6130]

The food in Plus isn’t hot.

It hasn't been for quite a few years, ever since First Class was divided into Standard Premier and Business Premier....although I find the cold meals in Standard Premier/Plus perfectly acceptable. If it's hot food you want....you have to fork-out for Business Premier.

 

[ThameslinkUser]

I am currently in Eurostar Plus on the 06.16 from St Pancras to Amsterdam. 45 mins in, halfway through the Channel Tunnel, and am yet to receive any hot drinks or food. It has never been this late- wonder what they’re doing.

 

[TFN]

I am currently in Eurostar Plus on the 06.16 from St Pancras to Amsterdam. 45 mins in, halfway through the Channel Tunnel, and am yet to receive any hot drinks or food. It has never been this late- wonder what they’re doing.

On that same train, got my food around Ashford.

 

[Harpo]

I don't want to pay extra money for food I don't like and I would rather not be disturbed.

Avanti’s first class has maxed the disturbance factor making you wait until the final annoying ‘do you want….?’ to get a single tea or coffee, an hour into the journey.

Standard premier plus a Costa. Peaceful!

 

[Beebman]

Travel website Head For Points has today posted an illustrated comparison review of Plus and Premier:

Eurostar: Eurostar Plus vs Eurostar Premier – what’s the difference? (with new food photos)

Eurostar offers three classes of travel on its services from London to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam and beyond, all the way from Eurostar Standard to Eurostar Premier.

Last month, Eurostar relaunched its travel classes. Standard Premier became Eurostar Plus and Business Premier became Eurostar Premier. The food in Eurostar Premier was also overhauled.

Based on a trip to Paris last week where I tried both cabins, I thought I would update this article and include pictures of the new meal service.

In this article I want to look at the difference between Eurostar’s premium cabins, Eurostar Plus and Eurostar Premier.

Our last full Eurostar reviews were in 2022. Our Eurostar Standard Premier (now Eurostar Plus) review is here and our Eurostar Business Premier (now Eurostar Premier) review is here.

Eurostar Plus vs Eurostar Premier - what's the difference?
How much more expensive is Eurostar Premier?
Let’s start with some typical pricing for the Eurostar service between London and Paris for a weekday trip in mid January. Here are the lowest fares in each cabin, outbound

Eurostar Standard from £57
Eurostar Plus from £114
Eurostar Premier from £325
Eurostar Plus fares fluctuate, with prices on the day I picked varying between £114 and £252. Eurostar Premier has a smaller range, from £325 to £375 based on a one-way trip. Prices drop if you book a return.

These prices still represent fairly substantial differences across the cabins. A Eurostar Premier ticket will generally cost twice as much as a Eurostar Plus ticket and at least four times as much as a Eurostar Standard fare.

That said, when booked at short notice, the difference between Eurostar Plus and Eurostar Premier can be as low as £50 each way. If you don’t have lounge access via American Express Platinum or Fast Track via iProov then this is decent value.

At the station
Priority lanes
One of the biggest perks of Eurostar Premier tickets is the fast-track security and immigration. In theory, Eurostar Plus travellers must use the same, often packed, queues reserved for Standard passengers.

You can also use the priority lanes if you are a Club Eurostar Carte Blanche or Etoile member. To achieve Carte Blanche status you need to spend £2,420 on Eurostar tickets (2,900 status points at 1.2 per £1 spent) in a membership year.

You could get Carte Blanche status within 4-5 return Eurostar Premier journeys – and then potentially downgrade to Eurostar Plus for your remaining trips and enjoy the benefits of Carte Blanche for the rest of your membership year and all of the following one.

But don’t forget iProov ….
Eurostar is currently trialling facial recognition technology at London St Pancras. If you sign up for the trial (which only involves downloading an app and scanning your passport into it) you can use an exclusive security lane. This is even faster than the Eurostar Premier lane.

You can learn more about the iProov trial in this HfP article. Don’t tell anyone this, but despite what Eurostar says, ANYONE can use this irrespective of their travel class.

Eurostar Plus vs Eurostar Premier - what's the difference?
Lounges
Another perk reserved exclusively for Eurostar Premier and Carte Blanche / Etoile members is use of the departure lounges at London St Pancras, Paris Gare du Nord and Brussels Midi.

The lounges are genuinely good, although you won’t find much to eat. On the positive side they do feature an impressive cocktail bar and a good selection of magazines and newspapers.

Remember that you can also get access to Eurostar lounges by carrying an American Express Platinum charge card and showing it at the door. No guests are allowed, although you do get a 2nd free Platinum card which you could give to your usual travel companion.

On board
The seat
You may be surprised to find that the seats for Eurostar Plus and Eurostar Premier are identical, albeit at completely opposite ends of the train. This is what they look like:

Eurostar Plus vs Eurostar Premier - what's the difference?
As you can see, there are a range of seating options in a 2-1 configuration, with a number of single rows as well as groups of two or four with fixed tables.

Both classes feature free wifi and mobile and laptop charging via the USB and mains plug sockets, so there really aren’t any differences between the two classes.

Food and drink
One of the key onboard differentiators is the food and drinks service. Both classes get a free meal service, but in Eurostar Plus this is what Eurostar calls a ‘light meal’ served on a single tray, accompanied by red or white wine, beer or soft drinks.

Eurostar Plus food
This is what I received last week:

Eurostar Plus meal
You’ve got chicken couscous with sweet potato, with a mini bottle of wine, a bread roll and a madeleine. A vegetarian option is also available. There are never any hot options.

It wasn’t bad, although not as good as a British Airways Club Europe meal (excluding afternoon tea!).

Eurostar Premier food
The Eurostar Premier catering has been overhauled in the last couple of months. A new wine list is also on the way although the company appears to be using up existing stocks first.

You receive a printed menu, although there isn’t a lot of choice:

Eurostar Premier menu
Whilst in theory it is a four course meal, you receive three of the four courses at once. This means that your ‘starter’ actually includes the amuse bouche plus the cheese course and your dessert.

Because the main course takes another 15 minutes to arrive, most people tuck into the cheese course and dessert before they’ve had their main!

This is what I received last week:

Eurostar Premier meal
The three trays contain:

toasted rye, ufra biber and sweet potato (amuse bouche)
Kidderton goat cheese with burnt honey (cheese)
pumpkin seed and Malabar pepper tart (dessert)
To be honest, it was all pretty good. Each course had a little twist to it which made the taste a little unusual.

No champagne had been loaded for my trip. This was a bit pathetic, given that a large part of the menu is dedicated to discussing the champagne they serve. How hard can it be, given that each train only has a couple of bottle loaded anyway?

There is a hot and a cold option for Eurostar Premier main courses. For my train the choice was:

baked salmon, black olive coconut rice, hot and sour potatoes
grilled broccoli, herbal yogurt and broccoli, roast potato gravy
I went for the salmon:

Eurostar Premier main course
It was perfectly fine. However, the whole service does not scream ‘premier’, especially compared to Eurostar Plus. Serving the cheese and dessert courses 15 minutes before your main is weird, and the lack of champagne was simply poor planning.

Other differences
Flexibility
One of the major differences between Eurostar Plus and Eurostar Premier is the flexibility of the ticket.

Eurostar Premier tickets can be refunded up to 48 hours AFTER your departure time. You can also swap to another train up to 48 hours AFTER your original departure – you must pay the fare difference if the new train is more expensive, and there is no refund if your new ticket is cheaper.

Eurostar will find a seat on a train for you even if Eurostar Premier is full under its boarding guarantee.

Eurostar Plus ticket holders get slightly less flexibility. You can refund your ticket up to seven days before departure for a £50 per person fee.

You can swap your ticket for another train, on a different day if required, up to 1 hour before departure. You will need to pay any fare difference, and no refund is available if the new ticket is cheaper. Once your ticket is rearranged it can no longer be cancelled for a full refund (ie you can’t move your ticket out by seven days and then cancel it).

Seat selection
Both Eurostar Premier and Eurostar Plus (and indeed Eurostar Standard) offer free seat selection so there is no difference here.

Conclusion
So, for up to double the price of Eurostar Plus, what does Eurostar Premier get you? Fundamentally, it’s:

Priority security and immigration (but you can get this via iProov)
Lounge access in London, Paris and Brussels (but you can get this via American Express Platinum)
An upgraded meal service
Complete ticket flexibility
Is this worth the £50 – £150 jump in price you can expect to pay for Eurostar Plus? That will depend on what is important to you. If flexibility is key, as it is for many business travellers, it may be worth paying the premium so you can refund your ticket at any time.

I’d certainly consider spending the money if the difference was as low as £50, which it can be. The lounge and access to fast track security are worth that much, and if you’re spending over £225+ one way for Eurostar Premier then you might as well push on and spend £275 for the full service.

Of course, if you’re going on holiday and/or your plans are unlikely to change, you may be happy in Eurostar Plus where you get more personal space than in Eurostar Standard plus a light meal. For most travellers, Eurostar Plus is the sweet spot.

 

[ThameslinkUser]

My return journey on the 20.57 Brussels - London last night was a world of a difference from the morning. Served food with staff happily giving out 2 drinks at once within a matter of minutes of leaving Brussels, and then another drinks run around Calais if my memory serves me correctly. By far the best Eurostar Plus experience I've had in a long while. Bravo.

 

[Birkonian]

There certainly was access to the lounge at Brussels for Standard Premier passengers at Brussels. I've used it a few times. Now ceased since the change to Plus.
A few comments about no food service from Brussels until after Lille. Is this to reduce the number of drink refills offered?

 

[BahrainLad]

There certainly was access to the lounge at Brussels for Standard Premier passengers at Brussels. I've used it a few times. Now ceased since the change to Plus.
A few comments about no food service from Brussels until after Lille. Is this to reduce the number of drink refills offered?

Do you mean an ex-Thalys lounge? The BP lounge in Brussels for Eurostar cross-channel passengers (along with the BP lounge in Paris and London also for cross-channel passengers) have only ever been for BP passengers or Carte Blanche holders, *not* Standard Premier (or Leisure Select, its forerunner). For example here is the web page from Eurostar's site in 2022 stating this https://web.archive.org/web/2022112...uk-en/travel-info/eurostar-experience/lounges and 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/2023102...uk-en/travel-info/eurostar-experience/lounges

 

[Birkonian]

Do you mean an ex-Thalys lounge? The BP lounge in Brussels for Eurostar cross-channel passengers (along with the BP lounge in Paris and London also for cross-channel passengers) have only ever been for BP passengers or Carte Blanche holders, *not* Standard Premier (or Leisure Select, its forerunner). For example here is the web page from Eurostar's site in 2022 stating this https://web.archive.org/web/2022112...uk-en/travel-info/eurostar-experience/lounges and 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/2023102...uk-en/travel-info/eurostar-experience/lounges

Yes, it was the ex-Thalys lounge. Tea, coffee, pastries etc.

 

[lkoroes]

There certainly was access to the lounge at Brussels for Standard Premier passengers at Brussels. I've used it a few times. Now ceased since the change to Plus.
A few comments about no food service from Brussels until after Lille. Is this to reduce the number of drink refills offered?

This is exactly the one I'm referring to.

 

[Thames99]

Can you select the food in Eurostar Plus in advance? I'm vegetarian so really don't want to end up with something meaty ...

 

[ThameslinkUser]

Yes; you can choose between any of the following:- diabetic; child meal; dairy free; gluten free; kosher; low fat; low salt; halal; vegan; vegetarian; no preference.

 

[AlterEgo]

Can you select the food in Eurostar Plus in advance? I'm vegetarian so really don't want to end up with something meaty ...

If you have a dietary requirement, you can select a special veg meal in Manage My Booking, just like an airline.

 

[Sealink]

My friend travelled back from Lille on Eurostar and had "Repas non garant / No Food Guarantee" stamped on his Eurostar Plus ticket.
However ended up with what looks more substantial than I remember getting when travelling with them...

 

[Jimini]

My friend travelled back from Lille on Eurostar and had "Repas non garant / No Food Guarantee" stamped on his Eurostar Plus ticket.
However ended up with what looks more substantial than I remember getting when travelling with them...


View attachment 179248

That's pretty much the same meal I had from St. Pancras to Lille a month or so ago. T'was very tasty! The Hazy IPA also v pleasant

 

[D6130]

That's pretty much the same meal I had from St. Pancras to Lille a month or so ago. T'was very tasty! The Hazy IPA also v pleasant

.... although, IIRC, the Hazy IPA has to be purchased separately from the café.

 

[Jimini]

.... although, IIRC, the Hazy IPA has to be purchased separately from the café.

They dished it out for free on the service I was on. Same with all the booze. The French drinking wine; the English drinking beer

 

[D6130]

They dished it out for free on the service I was on. Same with all the booze. The French drinking wine; the English drinking beer

Really? The last time I had free beer in Standard Premier it was a small can of utterly-revolting Kronenbourg 1664. Since then, I've stuck to the wine!

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Do London-Amsterdam passengers get a second bite at the Eurostar Plus menu beyond Brussels, or only one?

 

[LordFlashheart]

Do London-Amsterdam passengers get a second bite at the Eurostar Plus menu beyond Brussels, or only one?

Yesterday we were offered a snack and teas / coffee on leaving Amsterdam, with the meal served after Brussels

 

[MattSGB]

Really? The last time I had free beer in Standard Premier it was a small can of utterly-revolting Kronenbourg 1664. Since then, I've stuck to the wine!

I've had pretty decent craft beer on every premier journey I've taken. On one of the last journeys, the staff kept coming back and sneaking us more cans. Also, last time I did standard premier to Amsterdam, they were very liberal with the booze throughout the journey (it's like they were earning commission for giving it away).

 

[AlterEgo]

Do London-Amsterdam passengers get a second bite at the Eurostar Plus menu beyond Brussels, or only one?

There’s a snack service between Brussels and Rotterdam.

 

[STINT47]

I will be travelling on Eurostar Plus to Brussels at the end of this month.

The last time I used Eurostar was in 2009 when it was called Leisure Select. I remember being offered champaign when boarding and a selection of hot meal options with wine.

After reading this thread I think I'm going to have to revise my expectations.

 

[nwales58]

Plus really is perfectly adequate for most people, unlike the lounge experience at St Pancras.

If you want champagne, a hot meal and a decent lounge, pay for Premier, GBP 350-ish each way, walk-up, no advantage in booking ahead.

Eurostar Premier is a far better product than BA or AF who charge from 200 a long way ahead up to around 650 on the day.

 

[30907]

I will be travelling on Eurostar Plus to Brussels at the end of this month.

The last time I used Eurostar was in 2009 when it was called Leisure Select. I remember being offered champaign when boarding and a selection of hot meal options with wine.

That definitely didn't last

 

[STINT47]

After making my journey I found the experience catering wise pretty poor.

The food was not particularly nice IMO and I ended up leaving a good part of it. Drinks wise as I don't drink wine I got the tinniest can of coke instead plus a small cup of luke warm tea.

On the plus side the 1 + 2 seating was nice, the seat was comfier that many of our domestic trains and the coach was more peaceful.

If the price isn't to much more then go for the upgrade but you might want to have a meal before boarding and bring your own drinks.

I would also avoid coach 3. I sat in it and due to being the last to be served I only got one option for the meal with the other (and the one I wanted) having already sold out

 

[johncrossley]

The food was not particularly nice IMO and I ended up leaving a good part of it. Drinks wise as I don't drink wine I got the tinniest can of coke instead plus a small cup of luke warm tea.

This is why I object to tickets with included food and drink, like British First Class. If you don't like what they put in front of you, then you are subsidising those who are not so fussy. Better to charge less for the ticket in the first place and then allow people to buy from a wide selection of food to cater for most tastes.

 

[AlastairFraser]

This is why I object to tickets with included food and drink, like British First Class. If you don't like what they put in front of you, then you are subsidising those who are not so fussy. Better to charge less for the ticket in the first place and then allow people to buy from a wide selection of food to cater for most tastes.

That's what Standard Premium is for.

 

[Failed Unit]

I actually don’t find the meal worth the hassle myself, it is small, normally tastes good. However it is blocking the table for about 90 mins so you can’t use it for anything else such as working. (1st world problems) - Business Premier isn‘t much better in terms of how long the block the table. The premium is good if you are unsure what time you will travel (as it is often cheaper then paying the standard plus ticket change fee) - However nothing else is worth paying the premium for if you are Carte Blanche