Super Breaks 2 night rail offers

[G123T]

Hi, long time reader first time poster here.

Need some advice from the experts. Has anyone travelled on this offer and is it any different from the usual super breaks rail add on I.e. Is it return valid for one month?

I am looking to book 3 nights away and want to try out the new first class offering on East Coast. The 2 night offer (which I can select 3 nights from?!) is working out a hell of a lot cheaper than adding rail or booking through east coast (even with my 20% off 1st voucher and railcard!)

So anyone travelled on it and is it valid for month? I was annoyingly recently caught out with east coast splitting the super return so a little cautious.

Thanks in advance!

 

[yorkie]

I don't know the answer to your question (sorry) but if you post a new topic regarding the time you were 'caught out' we will try to assist if we can (or, if we can't, we can help you to avoid the problem in future).

 

[G123T]

I don't know the answer to your question (sorry) but if you post a new topic regarding the time you were 'caught out' we will try to assist if we can (or, if we can't, we can help you to avoid the problem in future).

Caught out through my own fault. Always get the super off peak return but they've now started to offer it as a single and so instead of booking an open return and reserving a seat I ended up booking two singles. Ended up needing to get a train the next day and realised my return ticket was actually a single so had to buy another one. Dumb moment

Just made me wonder if East Coast were now doing something similar for super breaks on these 2 night deals i.e. Date specific both ways.

 

[yorkie]

I don't quite follow, but you can change or refund the ticket for a 10 pound admin fee. Friendly ticket clerks who realise it was a mistake may waive the charge (I know a few )

 

[AlterEgo]

Superbreaks tickets can take a variety of forms - you'll usually buy them from a travel agent. AFAIK there can be different restrictions according to which TOC you travel with, although I am unsure. They usually take the form of a (Super) Off-Peak Return, but there may be additional caveats, such as banning travel for part of Sunday.

A competent travel agent should be able to give accurate and detailed advice particular to your ticket.

 

[John @ home]

Ended up needing to get a train the next day and realised my return ticket was actually a single so had to buy another one.

The terms and conditions for East Coast's half-price Super Off-Peak Single offer do not restrict refunds, so you should be able to obtain a refund (minus a £10 admin fee) of the unused ticket if you return it.

if ... the ticket has been bought from a Train Company’s ... internet website and you return the ticket to an address notified by that Train Company no later than 28 days after the expiry of the ticket’s validity, you will receive a refund (subject to the notes below).

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/system/galleries/download/misc/NRCOC.pdf

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anyone travelled on it

Yes, and we have had no reports that the long-standing arrangements for Superbreaks on East Coast have changed at all.

I found the tickets very flexible. One of the Conditions was

Return travel must be completed within one calendar month of date of outward travel.

See the Superbreak Tickets thread.

 

[MarkyMarkD]

Superbreak's website is masterful in NOT clearly setting out the terms of the train tickets.

There is no mention of the actual equivalent "normal" ticket they are selling you; there is no mention of "break of journey"; and restricting to "EC only" is actually pretty restrictive if you are travelling to somewhere like Aberdeen.

If anyone has bought one of these and used features like BoJ I'd be very interested (as my brother lives in Edinburgh and I'd love to travel further North as well as visiting him).

 

[AlterEgo]

There is no mention of the actual equivalent "normal" ticket they are selling you;

There is no "Equivalent". They are Inclusive Tour tickets, and sometimes have no price printed on them, because they are sold as part of packages.

 

[38Cto15E]

Just had a quick look but the offer is not valid for singles, a pity that.

 

[MarkyMarkD]

There is no "Equivalent". They are Inclusive Tour tickets, and sometimes have no price printed on them, because they are sold as part of packages.

Thanks. A bit more scouring of the Superbreaks site reveals "not valid for BoJ" although it would help if they showed it in the right place - along with the supposed terms of the inclusive train travel!

 

[John @ home]

Superbreak's website is masterful in NOT clearly setting out the terms of the train tickets.

The current conditions for East Coast's Inclusive Superbreak tickets are:

This ticket is issued subject to the conditions shown in the National Rail Conditions of Carriage and in any other publications and notices appropriate to its use.

Tickets are valid for outward travel on the date shown and for return within one calendar month. No break of journey is allowed. Not transferable. Valid seven days per week.

This ticket is not valid for travel on Monday to Friday services timed to arrive London Kings Cross before 11.00 (including Bank Holidays), nor depart London Kings Cross between 15.27-18.59 Mondays to Thursdays and 15.27-19.01 on Fridays. On Sundays, not valid for travel in Standard accommodation on trains timed to depart Kings Cross or Edinburgh 13.44hrs or later, except for journeys to and from North and West of Edinburgh exclusive.

There must be a minimum of two people when travelling Monday to Thursday inclusive and these passengers must travel together at all times.

If you travel during the barred period shown on the ticket, or travel alone Monday-Thursday, the ticket will have no value and you will have to purchase an appropriate new ticket for that journey.

Documentation supplied by Superbreak for your holiday must be carried at all times and shown to train company staff on request.

First Class upgrade is allowed by charging the difference between relevant Standard and First Anytime fares, or charging Weekend First when that is available.

 

[MarkyMarkD]

John, that's very cunning of you to find those conditions. The ones on the link from the page advertising the two night breaks says this:

East Coast 2 Night Rail Offer

Tickets are valid on East Coast services only and are not valid on Scotrail, Virgin or any other train operating company.
Offer available for departures between 30 May 08 - 30 April 2012
This offer can only be booked for travel outside three working days from now as tickets need to be dispatched from our office.
Tickets are not valid for arrival in London before 11:00 hrs (Mon-Fri)
Tickets are not valid for departures from Kings Cross timed to depart between 15:27 and 18:59 hrs inclusive Mon-Thur and between 15:27 and 19:01 hrs inclusive on Fri
Standard class tickets are not valid for departures from Edinburgh or London Kings Cross on Sundays timed to depart at 13:44 onwards, with the exception of clients travelling from London Kings Cross to any stations north of Edinburgh on the 14:00 Aberdeen bound train.
Tickets are not valid for single travellers
We recommend you check your route before booking
Seat reservations in advance of travel are advisable for ALL journeys.

which isn't the same, and doesn't have the reference to BoJ in it. That's the bit I'm complaining about!

 

[John @ home]

The [conditions] on the link from the page advertising the two night breaks [aren't] the same, and don't have the reference to BoJ

The Conditions I quoted are from The Manual (Inclusive Tour Tickets -> East Coast -> Superbreak) and, other than the replacement of north by north and west, they match those printed on the rear of my most recent Superbreak ticket from 2009.

I didn't know that the bar on single travellers had been extended to apply seven days a week. That has not yet reached The Manual.

 

[MarkyMarkD]

Oh, no, so it's pretty much the usual situation of conditions which aren't publicly available being imposed on customers after they've bought tickets!

 

[AlterEgo]

After a little searching, I've managed to find the specific T and Cs from the Superbreak site:

http://www.superbreak.com/promo/travelconditions.htm?w=500&h=500&sbar=yes&travelCondition=0

Hope this is helpful.

 

[MarkyMarkD]

Hi AlterEgo - those are the Ts & Cs I am complaining about, because they do not mention BoJ at all. Yet there are other - more deeply hidden - Ts & Cs which say that BoJ doesn't apply on any rail-inclusive tickets.

No normal customer is going to read the more deeply hidden Ts & Cs, when they are always going to get to the ones you quote, first.

 

[AlterEgo]

Good point actually. Perhaps somebody could inform Superbreak?

 

[G123T]

Thanks for all your help guys. I've spoken to super breaks today and they've said the ticket is the usual return within one month ticket. Gone ahead and booked - saved a small fortune! Will let you know once I receive if any of the t's and c's differ.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

I didn't know that the bar on single travellers had been extended to apply seven days a week. That has not yet reached The Manual.

The ts&cs on the ticket i've received only bar single travellers mon-thurs - so there was no change on that either.

 

[MarkyMarkD]

But what about the stuff in their Ts & Cs saying that the ticket must be produced along with the accommodation documentation, implying that if you use the return journey (say) a week after their inclusive accommodation ended, it will not be accepted. Is this the sort of thing you are going to do, G123T?

 

[G123T]

But what about the stuff in their Ts & Cs saying that the ticket must be produced along with the accommodation documentation, implying that if you use the return journey (say) a week after their inclusive accommodation ended, it will not be accepted. Is this the sort of thing you are going to do, G123T?

No not planning on doing that. Will be travelling on the correct dates for the hotel stay. I am going for 3 nights and travelling first class with East Coast. I have ended up with an unbelievably good deal for first class KGX return on East Coast. I am still shocked at how little this is costing.

 

[jon0844]

I was amazed too, albeit going standard class, given the cost of the hotel was the bulk of the money we paid. I know they get cheaper rooms, but given we would have had to book a hotel ourselves anyway, it meant the train tickets were bordering on being free - and yet they were open tickets, not advance tickets!

These deals come highly recommended. Next time I shall look for first class deals.

 

[G123T]

I was amazed too, albeit going standard class, given the cost of the hotel was the bulk of the money we paid. I know they get cheaper rooms, but given we would have had to book a hotel ourselves anyway, it meant the train tickets were bordering on being free - and yet they were open tickets, not advance tickets!

These deals come highly recommended. Next time I shall look for first class deals.

Exactly! Like you say standard works out pretty much free and the cost to upgrade to first is VERY reasonable. Amazing deals to be had on rail breaks and fantastic flexibility with the tickets. You can also reserve the seats for free by going to the station (super breaks charge £5 pp). Very happy.

 

[jon0844]

Yes, we booked seats earlier in the day going out (to Leeds) and didn't bother coming back on the Sunday as the train started from there and we opted to upgrade with Weekend First anyway.

I am looking at going to Aberdeen, as there are some incredible deals (2 nights in a 4 star hotel and FIRST CLASS train travel from London for about £110 each!) but I am not sure how nice it is there. I know it's fairly affluent up there, or was because of the oil workers, but is that still the case now does anyone know? I've done Leeds, York, Newcastle and Edinburgh and want to stick to EC simply for convenience.

 

[MarkyMarkD]

I was looking at Aberdeen too! I didn't realise that First Class options were available. Thanks for the inspiration!