Paddington to Cardiff Central GWR Weekend Upgrade

[Willie Bee]

My wife and I are travelling to Cardiff next weekend, travelling via London (due to engineering works)

We'll be taking the GWR train from Paddington to Cardiff and have standard class seats.

I know of Seatfrog, although I have never used it, but see today that GWR have a weekend option to upgrade for a set figure, rather than having to go through Seatfrog.

Is there a set amount for the upgrade please ?

We are returning from Cardiff, via Manchester on TfW and TPE, first class all the way, so a little more luxury on GWR may be good too

 

[hexagon789]

Is there a set amount for the upgrade please ?

Yes, it's £20 at weekends.

 

[Willie Bee]

Yes, it's £20 at weekends.

That seems quite reasonable .. there's a first class lounge at Paddington I think, as well as one at Cardiff

I might try Seatfrog first, then if that fails, I'll buy the upgrade .. assuming there are seats available.

 

[hexagon789]

That seems quite reasonable .. there's a first class lounge at Paddington I think, as well as one at Cardiff

I might try Seatfrog first, then if that fails, I'll buy the upgrade .. assuming there are seats available.

Just remember the 'platform fee'.

If Seatfrog is £17 for a starting bid, you are effectively tied with the onboard upgrade.

More than £17, then the onboard upgrade is cheaper.

 

[Haywain]

. there's a first class lounge at Paddington I think, as well as one at Cardiff

The weekend first upgrade is only sold on the train if there is availability, so it won't give access to the lounge at Paddington.

 

[Willie Bee]

The weekend first upgrade is only sold on the train if there is availability, so it won't give access to the lounge at Paddington.

Oh yes .. never thought of that.

Seatfrog it is then

 

[Coleridge]

Oh yes .. never thought of that.

Seatfrog it is then

The GWR first class lounges at Paddington and Cardiff are pretty poor, and not worth factoring into any decision.

Don't expect anything like the Avanti first class lounges. The lounge at Paddington has a selection of hot and cold drinks, crisps, biscuits and (sometimes) fruit, but it's small and crowded and not really a pleasant place to wait. The Cardiff lounge is very small and just somewhere to wait for your train: it has hot drinks and biscuits, and little else. Both lounges are a shadow of what they used to be only five years ago.

The weekend service in GWR first class is minimal, and you're pretty much paying only for a larger, more comfortable seat (which I think is worth the £20).

My advice would be to arrive at the station shortly before departure and pay on the train for the weekend upgrade, unless you can get a very cheap upgrade on Seatfrog.

My strategy nowadays if I'm travelling on GWR at the weekend is to check Real Time Trains for the platform number, board the train before anyone else and grab one of the extra-legroom seats in Standard. It's almost as comfortable as first class.

 

[Willie Bee]

The GWR first class lounges at Paddington and Cardiff are pretty poor, and not worth factoring into any decision.

Don't expect anything like the Avanti first class lounges. The lounge at Paddington has a selection of hot and cold drinks, crisps, biscuits and (sometimes) fruit, but it's small and crowded and not really a pleasant place to wait. The Cardiff lounge is very small and just somewhere to wait for your train: it has hot drinks and biscuits, and little else. Both lounges are a shadow of what they used to be only five years ago.

The weekend service in GWR first class is minimal, and you're pretty much paying only for a larger, more comfortable seat (which I think is worth the £20).

My advice would be to arrive at the station shortly before departure and pay on the train for the weekend upgrade, unless you can get a very cheap upgrade on Seatfrog.

My strategy nowadays if I'm travelling on GWR at the weekend is to check Real Time Trains for the platform number, board the train before anyone else and grab one of the extra-legroom seats in Standard. It's almost as comfortable as first class.

Great reply .. many thanks

My wife and I are on the 14:37 train from Paddington on Sunday, in carriage B.

We've never travelled on GWR, so where are the extra-legroom seats please ?

Is it the same as on other trains, green for unreserved seats ?

We've also not travelled with Avanti, so seeing your comments, maybe we should give them a try sometime. We've only tried the LNER lounges in NCL, YRK and EDB so far, but will add ABD later in the year. They too just offer hot drinks, crisps and biscuits. Oh, I think Waverley had muffins too. TPE doesn't have lounges, but their meals are getting good now on first class.

 

[mangyiscute]

Great reply .. many thanks

My wife and I are on the 14:37 train from Paddington on Sunday, in carriage B.

We've never travelled on GWR, so where are the extra-legroom seats please ?

Is it the same as on other trains, green for unreserved seats ?

We've also not travelled with Avanti, so seeing your comments, maybe we should give them a try sometime. We've only tried the LNER lounges in NCL, YRK and EDB so far, but will add ABD later in the year. They too just offer hot drinks, crisps and biscuits. Oh, I think Waverley had muffins too. TPE doesn't have lounges, but their meals are getting good now on first class.

Extra legroom seats are at the entrance of each carriage from either side, they are usually unreserved (and yeah you're right green for unreserved)

 

[Willie Bee]

Just remember the 'platform fee'.

If Seatfrog is £17 for a starting bid, you are effectively tied with the onboard upgrade.

More than £17, then the onboard upgrade is cheaper.

I actually downloaded the Seatfrog app today and see the 'opening bid' price for the journey on Sunday is £17, although the bidding hasn't even started yet.

 

[J663738]

I can't provide any additional information other than to say the standard class seats on GWR on the London Cardiff are a complete disgrace, foam base has died and you are effectively sitting on a metal bar. Travelled yesterday, and as always I will put in a complaint to GWR and I will still get the same apology sent back, as when these Hitachi trains were introduced, i.e. they don't acknowledge the current issues.

 

[Coleridge]

We've never travelled on GWR, so where are the extra-legroom seats please ?

Is it the same as on other trains, green for unreserved seats ?

As mangyiscute has said, they're at the ends of each carriage - normally, two pairs of airline-style seats each side of the aisle at each end. They're officially accessible seats, and should be given up for anyone who needs them, but you're unlikely to be asked to do so. If in a hurry to grab the seats, note that some of them don't have a window alongside.

GWR is very poor at displaying seat reservations, and I have experienced several occasions recently when they have only been turned on a few minutes before departure on packed trains, when everyone has already boarded and the train is very crowded. It creates great confusion and unhappiness.

I concur with Jantra's opinion of the seats on GWR. In both first and standard, they are probably the worst seats on the intercity network. Whichever class you travel in, you should be lowering your expectations. On the plus side, you'll only have to suffer GWR for two hours to Cardiff.

Bear in mind, too, that some trains that terminate in Cardiff have only standard class carriages. I'm sure others on this forum can tell you which trains they are, and why. I know more about Swiss and German railway practices than I do British, having lived in both countries before returning recently to the UK. (Which is undoubtedly why I am so appalled by, and critical of, so many aspects of the way in which the railways operate here.)

 

[Willie Bee]

GWR is very poor at displaying seat reservations, and I have experienced several occasions recently when they have only been turned on a few minutes before departure on packed trains, when everyone has already boarded and the train is very crowded. It creates great confusion and unhappiness.

A couple of years ago we were taking a TPE train from Liverpool to Newcastle. The train arrived quite late and as soon as everybody was off, the passengers all piled on.

We headed to the carriage where we had booked seats, but saw the whole carriage had 'green seats'. Everybody just picked a seat, offloaded their gear and sat down. About a minute before departure, the reservation lights changed .. but no passenger changed seats

 

[J663738]

About a minute before departure, the reservation lights changed .. but no passenger changed seats

I have boarded so many GWR trains that have started in Cardiff with the reservation system not switched on.
Photo below was one to Plymouth (I think). The reservation system did not turn on until just before it left. Luckily I was in a seat that turned green, but maybe turn the reservation system on before opening the passenger doors??