TT-ONR-NRN
Established Member
I’m not surprised dude, raw mince sounds minging!
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TheAdelante
Member
- Joined
- 14 Nov 2017
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Have you ever had frogs legs out of interest?
I haven't actually! That is still one I have to try. I have had snails in Italy and Guinea Pig in Peru. To be honest Guinea Pig isn't that weird, just people in the UK think it is cruel. I've had horse aswell, oh, and Kangaroo and Shark.
TheAdelante
Member
- Joined
- 14 Nov 2017
- Messages
- 269
Well I've had Rabbit, probably similar to Guinea Pig. Not had shark sadly. I've had Swordfish but that's about as adventurous as fish gets for me! I'd be sick if I tried to eat a snail. I just couldn't. I'd try Kangaroo. Frogs legs are great.
TT-ONR-NRN
Established Member
WednesdayTipsNTruth is postponed today, due to exhaustion from writing too many reports recently. I will lump it in with the next scheduled report. 
hexagon789
Veteran Member
WednesdayTipsNTruth is postponed today, due to exhaustion from writing too many reports recently. I will lump it in with the next scheduled report.
You have been piling them out pretty frequently of late, so that's understandable. I'm sure the delay will be worth it though
Will look ok forward to it.WednesdayTipsNTruth is postponed today, due to exhaustion from writing too many reports recently. I will lump it in with the next scheduled report.
TT-ONR-NRN
Established Member
You have been piling them out pretty frequently of late, so that's understandable. I'm sure the delay will be worth it though
Thanks.
TT-ONR-NRN
Established Member
ĆD RegioJet - Business Class
Photos are my own
Travelled: April 2018
Where: Vienna Hauptbahnhof to Prague Hlavní Nádraží
Stock: RegioJet Locomotive and corresponding carriages
Happy CritiqueFriday, and welcome to my critique of the Czech rail company RegioJet. Today I review my journey from Vienna to Prague (Wien-Praha) in a comfortable business class compartment aboard the International RegioJet train. It was a very enjoyable journey, one of my personal favourites and I hope that you enjoy reading the review
So, ladies and gents, I start my journey in the wonderful Austrian capital city of Vienna, which along with Zürich is now my favourite city.
It is located in the North East of Austria and the comically bright yellow locomotive I am about to be hauled by will see me head north east, across the Czech border through Breclav, curving round so that we travel north west through Brno and finally arriving at the capital city of the Czech Republic - Prague, just north of the centre of the country.
Now the train was delayed, which wasn’t a good start, but hey ho... I didn’t really mind. I was in a nice relaxed mood. Into the comfortable business class compartment I went, and settled down in what would be my accommodation for four hours.
View attachment 46248
Here it is. A business compartment. Four leather seats each with armrest and decent sized table.
View attachment 46239
The recline is MAD!
View attachment 46240
You can control lighting and heating in your compartment using this panel here.
View attachment 46244
The train soon left Vienna Hauptbahnhof, and I reclined in my seat and reluctantly watched Vienna disappear away from me
However, my attention was soon taken with the arrival of the train host, who immediately presented to myself and my dad a bottle of orange juice, water and posh cookies each. He got complimentary sparkling wine too.
View attachment 46241 View attachment 46243
You get a good complimentary service with RegioJet. The only hot drink complimentary available is mint tea, which I was slightly wary of but loved and had three cups of it over the course of the journey! Oops.
View attachment 46245
No one else joined our compartment until Austria was long behind and we arrived at Brno. Fortunately the two young and rather attractive Czech ladies joined us here, no screaming babies haha. Phew. Even with two strangers in the compartment the privacy was still phenomenal in comparison to the saloon seating of the next class down (Relax class). The view is nice too!
View attachment 46247
I went to the rear coach of the train. There is no loco at the back, but there are locked doors with large windows allowing you to see the rear view of the train, which is always enjoyable!
View attachment 46246
I’m so gutted I wasn’t quick enough to photograph this but suddenly I saw a locomotive dragging a train that looked very familiar from this forum! That’s right, it was a new Northern CAF Civity 195/331 (don’t know which), being dragged somewhere.
I remained by the locked doors at the back of the train watching the tracks behind, enjoying the stations fly by behind me. Here’s one of them! It’s a nice novelty to be able to do this, a rarity in England excluding sleepers, I’d recommend it.
I went back to my compartment, and felt a little peckish. Apart from the posh cookies three hours ago I hadn’t eaten since way before leaving Vienna! So I ordered a slice of Cherry Crumble Tart, which only cost €0.80!
It was amazing. Really nice!!!
View attachment 46249
I finished it all (unusual for me!) and was putting my fork down just as the train was arriving into Prague, where sadly my journey ended.
So, my opinions?
GREAT value for money. The RegioJet has four classes.
Budget (similar to IC70 seats. 2x2. Saloon. No catering. Locked in one carriage)
Astra (Grammar IC seats. 2x2 Saloon. Free water. TVs)
First class is called Relax and is only €10 more. You get complimentary orange juice and water. Plus low back leather seats in a 2x1 formation (saloon)
Business was only €5 more, and with it came a fully flat reclining seat in a privacy enabling compartment, complimentary
Sparkling wine, complimentary drinks and cookies and heavily discounted other food items!
Wi-Fi worked too.
I really enjoyed my trip on RegioJet. Along with ÖBB RailJet, they are the company who provide services to Prague from Vienna. Having been on both, not only is RegioJet cheaper, it’s more comfortable too! Much more legroom, both compartment and saloon seating and complimentary items!
I hope you enjoyed this review. If you did, then feel free to read some of my future reviews coming up soon!
Those should be out on the dates written (if not earlier). But that’s me done for today, so until next time:
- Swig your champers;
- Beware of the green stuff!!!
- Recline (Seriously, it’s crazy on these things...)
And breathe. (Very important)
Taktish
Photos are my own
Travelled: April 2018
Where: Vienna Hauptbahnhof to Prague Hlavní Nádraží
Stock: RegioJet Locomotive and corresponding carriages
Happy CritiqueFriday, and welcome to my critique of the Czech rail company RegioJet. Today I review my journey from Vienna to Prague (Wien-Praha) in a comfortable business class compartment aboard the International RegioJet train. It was a very enjoyable journey, one of my personal favourites and I hope that you enjoy reading the review
So, ladies and gents, I start my journey in the wonderful Austrian capital city of Vienna, which along with Zürich is now my favourite city.
It is located in the North East of Austria and the comically bright yellow locomotive I am about to be hauled by will see me head north east, across the Czech border through Breclav, curving round so that we travel north west through Brno and finally arriving at the capital city of the Czech Republic - Prague, just north of the centre of the country.
Now the train was delayed, which wasn’t a good start, but hey ho... I didn’t really mind. I was in a nice relaxed mood. Into the comfortable business class compartment I went, and settled down in what would be my accommodation for four hours.
View attachment 46248
Here it is. A business compartment. Four leather seats each with armrest and decent sized table.
View attachment 46239
The recline is MAD!
View attachment 46240
You can control lighting and heating in your compartment using this panel here.
View attachment 46244
The train soon left Vienna Hauptbahnhof, and I reclined in my seat and reluctantly watched Vienna disappear away from me
However, my attention was soon taken with the arrival of the train host, who immediately presented to myself and my dad a bottle of orange juice, water and posh cookies each. He got complimentary sparkling wine too.View attachment 46241 View attachment 46243
You get a good complimentary service with RegioJet. The only hot drink complimentary available is mint tea, which I was slightly wary of but loved and had three cups of it over the course of the journey! Oops.
View attachment 46245
No one else joined our compartment until Austria was long behind and we arrived at Brno. Fortunately the two young and rather attractive Czech ladies joined us here, no screaming babies haha. Phew. Even with two strangers in the compartment the privacy was still phenomenal in comparison to the saloon seating of the next class down (Relax class). The view is nice too!
View attachment 46247
I went to the rear coach of the train. There is no loco at the back, but there are locked doors with large windows allowing you to see the rear view of the train, which is always enjoyable!
View attachment 46246
I’m so gutted I wasn’t quick enough to photograph this but suddenly I saw a locomotive dragging a train that looked very familiar from this forum! That’s right, it was a new Northern CAF Civity 195/331 (don’t know which), being dragged somewhere.
I remained by the locked doors at the back of the train watching the tracks behind, enjoying the stations fly by behind me. Here’s one of them! It’s a nice novelty to be able to do this, a rarity in England excluding sleepers, I’d recommend it.
I went back to my compartment, and felt a little peckish. Apart from the posh cookies three hours ago I hadn’t eaten since way before leaving Vienna! So I ordered a slice of Cherry Crumble Tart, which only cost €0.80!
It was amazing. Really nice!!!
View attachment 46249
I finished it all (unusual for me!) and was putting my fork down just as the train was arriving into Prague, where sadly my journey ended.
So, my opinions?
GREAT value for money. The RegioJet has four classes.
Budget (similar to IC70 seats. 2x2. Saloon. No catering. Locked in one carriage)
Astra (Grammar IC seats. 2x2 Saloon. Free water. TVs)
First class is called Relax and is only €10 more. You get complimentary orange juice and water. Plus low back leather seats in a 2x1 formation (saloon)
Business was only €5 more, and with it came a fully flat reclining seat in a privacy enabling compartment, complimentary
Sparkling wine, complimentary drinks and cookies and heavily discounted other food items!
Wi-Fi worked too.
I really enjoyed my trip on RegioJet. Along with ÖBB RailJet, they are the company who provide services to Prague from Vienna. Having been on both, not only is RegioJet cheaper, it’s more comfortable too! Much more legroom, both compartment and saloon seating and complimentary items!
I hope you enjoyed this review. If you did, then feel free to read some of my future reviews coming up soon!
WednesdayTipsNTruth: Is Business Class on ÖBB RailJet worth the extra over First? THIS WEEK
CritiqueFriday: ĆD Eurocity First Class
Prague - Berlin 11TH MAY
CritiqueFriday: DB ICE 3 First Class CrossBerlin 18TH MAY
CritiqueFriday: Hull Trains First Class
London - Grantham DATE TBC
CritiqueFriday: VTEC 1st Evening Meal
London - Newcastle MID JULY
CritiqueFriday: VTEC 1st Breakfast
Newcastle - Aberdeen MID JULY
CritiqueFriday: VTEC 1st Rest of Day
Aberdeen - London MID JULY
CritiqueFriday: GWR IET First Revisited
Reading - London LATE JULY
WednesdayTipsNTruth: 1st Class Analysis
Continental Europe DATE TBC
CritiqueFriday: ĆD Eurocity First Class
Prague - Berlin 11TH MAY
CritiqueFriday: DB ICE 3 First Class CrossBerlin 18TH MAY
CritiqueFriday: Hull Trains First Class
London - Grantham DATE TBC
CritiqueFriday: VTEC 1st Evening Meal
London - Newcastle MID JULY
CritiqueFriday: VTEC 1st Breakfast
Newcastle - Aberdeen MID JULY
CritiqueFriday: VTEC 1st Rest of Day
Aberdeen - London MID JULY
CritiqueFriday: GWR IET First Revisited
Reading - London LATE JULY
WednesdayTipsNTruth: 1st Class Analysis
Continental Europe DATE TBC
Those should be out on the dates written (if not earlier). But that’s me done for today, so until next time:
- Swig your champers;
- Beware of the green stuff!!!
- Recline (Seriously, it’s crazy on these things...)
And breathe. (Very important)
Taktish
No.
Standard is IC3000, First is ICE3000, the latter being the best seat I have ever sat on.
TT-ONR-NRN
Established Member
Yeah, the ICE3000 is practically a stretched out version of the IC3000
hexagon789
Veteran Member
Happy Saturday!
Vienna does indeed look lovely.
Well at least you can't miss sight of it!
As long as I'm not in a rush, I don' mind be delayed a wee bit when I'm on a train. Sort of adds to the journey enjoyment if it's a nice comfortable train.
I'm sure it is, sadly I can't judge that, none of the photos seem to be visible and clicking on them doesn't work either
The train soon left Vienna Hauptbahnhof, and I reclined in my seat and reluctantly watched Vienna disappear away from me
Goodnight Vienna...
Not a bad offering, what were the cookies like?
Bit random, I'd have expected coffee perhaps, mint tea is nice all the same
So you preferred the compartments on these trains then?
Possibly a 195 perhaps on the way to the Velim Test circuit (complete guess, easily 100% wrong
).I've done it at 160 km/h in Switzerland, it is quite fun
That is cheap, and sounds very nice, you're making me peckish now!
It certainly sounds like it.
First class is called Relax and is only €10 more. You get complimentary orange juice and water. Plus low back leather seats in a 2x1 formation (saloon)
Business was only €5 more, and with it came a fully flat reclining seat in a privacy enabling compartment, complimentary
Sparkling wine, complimentary drinks and cookies and heavily discounted other food items!
Wi-Fi worked too.
Both sound like very reasonably priced. The sparkling wine sounds like a very nice extra in Business!
Glad the WiFi worked!
Proof that the more expensive isn't always the best. Certainly from the description it sounds better than the ÖBB offering.
I hope you enjoyed this review. If you did, then feel free to read some of my future reviews coming up soon!
Yes, indeed
By interesting coincidence, I will actually be doing just that tonight!
But, quite Defos
Sounds crazy, but sadly can't see how crazy
Yes, otherwise it really would be good night Vienna, quite literally!
Taktish
A very fine critique, 'til next time...
TT-ONR-NRN
Established Member
ThanksHappy Saturday!
Vienna does indeed look lovely.
Well at least you can't miss sight of it!
As long as I'm not in a rush, I don' mind be delayed a wee bit when I'm on a train. Sort of adds to the journey enjoyment if it's a nice comfortable train.
I'm sure it is, sadly I can't judge that, none of the photos seem to be visible and clicking on them doesn't work either
Goodnight Vienna...
Not a bad offering, what were the cookies like?
Bit random, I'd have expected coffee perhaps, mint tea is nice all the same
So you preferred the compartments on these trains then?
Possibly a 195 perhaps on the way to the Velim Test circuit (complete guess, easily 100% wrong
I've done it at 160 km/h in Switzerland, it is quite fun
That is cheap, and sounds very nice, you're making me peckish now!
It certainly sounds like it.
Both sound like very reasonably priced. The sparkling wine sounds like a very nice extra in Business!
Glad the WiFi worked!
Proof that the more expensive isn't always the best. Certainly from the description it sounds better than the ÖBB offering.
Yes, indeed
By interesting coincidence, I will actually be doing just that tonight!
Defos
Sounds crazy, but sadly can't see how crazy
Yes, otherwise it really would be good night Vienna, quite literally!
A very fine critique, 'til next time...
The cookies were very nice actually
Enjoy what ever you are celebrating later!
-
Sorry for the incident which caused the pictures not to be viewable. Here they are in order of ones used:
hexagon789
Veteran Member
Thanks
The cookies were very nice actually
They look nice.
Thanks
Think nothing of it, a minor technical blip is all
You weren't kidding about the recline. I'd pay the €15 just for the seat I think, the complimentaries are very nice extras.
Nice bottle of bubbly there
I love how the mint tea comes in an Illy Espresso cup, sheer genuis!!!
The view for the back looks good, I'd love for future UK high-speed stock to have the ICE3-style viewing lounges.
And that pie, was it as delicious as it looks? I had a first-rate apple pie with a dusting of cinnamon in France, but cherry is that little bit different
You certainly were right about it being good value. €15 extra for all that is excellent, so many European operators charge double and give you essentially a slightly better seat and that's it.
TT-ONR-NRN
Established Member
The mint tea was surprisingly good yes and the pie was indeed very nice
TT-ONR-NRN
Established Member
London North Eastern Railway
Festive First - Intercity 225
Warning: Some large images
Well heya, strangers! It's been forever since I updated this thread; not gonna lie I'm kinda sad that I let it go empty for so long when it seemed to go quite well when I first began it - well, dudes, I can tell you your annoying but spirited little Canadian bud is back and he's also armed with a load of material from LNER and CrossCountry. I've got a festive report here as it happens, so forget your January blues, pour yourself a double double and get comfy.
Festive First is LNER's cheap first class offer that replaces the usual first class offering during Christmas and New Year time. It's an idea inherited from the late Virgin Trains East Coast and it basically offers upgrades to first class for prices that are considerably cheaper than usual, with the minor drawback of a reduced catering service. As it happens I was travelling back to London King's Cross from Leeds on New Year's Eve and having turned on that irresistible charm of mine)) with the train manager, I got a free upgrade.
This was my first time trying out Festive First, but I am familiar with the LNER seating in first. Can I just recap here - it is amazing!
The seats are real leather, and it's soft leather unlike that on GWR HSTs. Really soft and the leather head cushion is an excellent addition.
Warning large images
You can charge your phones and laptops (no toasters or hairdryers please! - that's clearly a bit of dry Virgin Trains humour still lingering around). Free Wi-Fi is also available.
Gotta love the purple lights on the ceiling - once more a funky little addition brought to us by the late VTEC.
So, suitably settled into my leather seat, I reclined it and relaxed. Soon after departure, the drinks came round. I decided on a Diet Coke and a nice hot British cup of tea, which was served in a real china mug. It's impressive to see that LNER continue to use the china even with the Festive First offering, eh? It's certainly better than weekend first, evidently. This was the festive menu, below.
It’s like a cross between weekday and weekend menus. Instead of three, only one hot option is available with festive first, however there is also a choice of sandwiches. Unfortunately it looked like id come at the wrong time, as the Italian Gnocchi and New Deli Sandwich were out. But hey, I like smoked salmon, so I was happy with the third and only choice which was the Smoked Salmon Sandwich.
Dessert was Strussel Cake, which was a rather dry fruit cake with a nice buttery crumble topping.
Train host Kev was very entertaining, topped my Coke up a number of times as well.
Later on in the trip I had a double-double, this was absolutely foul, and I would NEVER EVER recommend LNER coffee. The train sped through Grantham at a heavy pace and gliding into Peterborough, I do like that “ching ching, ching ching” sound that 225s make when slowing down into a station by the way.
Leaving Peterborough and the train was fairly empty, most of the crew retired to the front of the train but the leading train host told me I could go to the FoodBar should I want anything else. I was fine for the moment, but I got myself a nice Britishy tea before leaving the train, which was made all correct for me and put in a nice LNER branded bag. Before I knew it we were at Kings Cross and the train was terminating.
warning large image
To summarise:
If you want to upgrade to first class for an ultra comfy seat and free drinks (ALCOHOL IS STILL COMPLIMENTARY ON WEEKDAYS IN FESTIVE FIRST BTW) then festive first is an awesome li’l kick you can make the most of, it’s cheap and means you can bag an upgrade on a weekday for less.
If you’re in it for the food, wait until normal service resumes. You only get one hot option, plus there is no proper dessert. Furthermore, from consulting the menus on y’behalf the famous English Breakfast canna be ordered, Bacon Roll is good as it gets.
Well thanks for reading dudes but that’s it for this time
I’ll be returning to LNER very soon in my reports with the long ago promise critiques of Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (Weekday) also I’ll be exploring the new CrossCountry by Arriva offering!
Ok well that’s it from me, but until next time
Recline
Steer clear of the scary excuses for double doubles on LNER!!!
And keep it cool bros
Lates
Festive First - Intercity 225
Warning: Some large images
Well heya, strangers! It's been forever since I updated this thread; not gonna lie I'm kinda sad that I let it go empty for so long when it seemed to go quite well when I first began it - well, dudes, I can tell you your annoying but spirited little Canadian bud is back and he's also armed with a load of material from LNER and CrossCountry. I've got a festive report here as it happens, so forget your January blues, pour yourself a double double and get comfy.
Festive First is LNER's cheap first class offer that replaces the usual first class offering during Christmas and New Year time. It's an idea inherited from the late Virgin Trains East Coast and it basically offers upgrades to first class for prices that are considerably cheaper than usual, with the minor drawback of a reduced catering service. As it happens I was travelling back to London King's Cross from Leeds on New Year's Eve and having turned on that irresistible charm of mine
)) with the train manager, I got a free upgrade.This was my first time trying out Festive First, but I am familiar with the LNER seating in first. Can I just recap here - it is amazing!
The seats are real leather, and it's soft leather unlike that on GWR HSTs. Really soft and the leather head cushion is an excellent addition.
Warning large images
You can charge your phones and laptops (no toasters or hairdryers please! - that's clearly a bit of dry Virgin Trains humour still lingering around). Free Wi-Fi is also available.
Gotta love the purple lights on the ceiling - once more a funky little addition brought to us by the late VTEC.
So, suitably settled into my leather seat, I reclined it and relaxed. Soon after departure, the drinks came round. I decided on a Diet Coke and a nice hot British cup of tea, which was served in a real china mug. It's impressive to see that LNER continue to use the china even with the Festive First offering, eh? It's certainly better than weekend first, evidently. This was the festive menu, below.
It’s like a cross between weekday and weekend menus. Instead of three, only one hot option is available with festive first, however there is also a choice of sandwiches. Unfortunately it looked like id come at the wrong time, as the Italian Gnocchi and New Deli Sandwich were out. But hey, I like smoked salmon, so I was happy with the third and only choice which was the Smoked Salmon Sandwich.
Dessert was Strussel Cake, which was a rather dry fruit cake with a nice buttery crumble topping.
Train host Kev was very entertaining, topped my Coke up a number of times as well.
Later on in the trip I had a double-double, this was absolutely foul, and I would NEVER EVER recommend LNER coffee. The train sped through Grantham at a heavy pace and gliding into Peterborough, I do like that “ching ching, ching ching” sound that 225s make when slowing down into a station by the way.
Leaving Peterborough and the train was fairly empty, most of the crew retired to the front of the train but the leading train host told me I could go to the FoodBar should I want anything else. I was fine for the moment, but I got myself a nice Britishy tea before leaving the train, which was made all correct for me and put in a nice LNER branded bag.
Before I knew it we were at Kings Cross and the train was terminating.warning large image
To summarise:
If you want to upgrade to first class for an ultra comfy seat and free drinks (ALCOHOL IS STILL COMPLIMENTARY ON WEEKDAYS IN FESTIVE FIRST BTW) then festive first is an awesome li’l kick you can make the most of, it’s cheap and means you can bag an upgrade on a weekday for less.
If you’re in it for the food, wait until normal service resumes. You only get one hot option, plus there is no proper dessert. Furthermore, from consulting the menus on y’behalf the famous English Breakfast canna be ordered, Bacon Roll is good as it gets.
Well thanks for reading dudes but that’s it for this time
I’ll be returning to LNER very soon in my reports with the long ago promise critiques of Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (Weekday) also I’ll be exploring the new CrossCountry by Arriva offering!
Ok well that’s it from me, but until next time
Recline
Steer clear of the scary excuses for double doubles on LNER!!!
And keep it cool bros
Lates
185143
Established Member
- Joined
- 3 Mar 2013
- Messages
- 4,508
Free alcohol on festive first?? And you wait until New Year to tell me!
TT-ONR-NRN
Established Member
Yup, free alcoholFree alcohol on festive first?? And you wait until New Year to tell me!
sorry about that but I only travelled on New Years Eve remember 
cactustwirly
Established Member
London North Eastern Railway
Festive First - Intercity 225
Warning: Some large images
Well heya, strangers! It's been forever since I updated this thread; not gonna lie I'm kinda sad that I let it go empty for so long when it seemed to go quite well when I first began it - well, dudes, I can tell you your annoying but spirited little Canadian bud is back and he's also armed with a load of material from LNER and CrossCountry. I've got a festive report here as it happens, so forget your January blues, pour yourself a double double and get comfy.
Festive First is LNER's cheap first class offer that replaces the usual first class offering during Christmas and New Year time. It's an idea inherited from the late Virgin Trains East Coast and it basically offers upgrades to first class for prices that are considerably cheaper than usual, with the minor drawback of a reduced catering service. As it happens I was travelling back to London King's Cross from Leeds on New Year's Eve and having turned on that irresistible charm of mine
This was my first time trying out Festive First, but I am familiar with the LNER seating in first. Can I just recap here - it is amazing!
The seats are real leather, and it's soft leather unlike that on GWR HSTs. Really soft and the leather head cushion is an excellent addition.
Warning large images
View attachment 57550 View attachment 57549
You can charge your phones and laptops (no toasters or hairdryers please! - that's clearly a bit of dry Virgin Trains humour still lingering around). Free Wi-Fi is also available.
View attachment 57551
Gotta love the purple lights on the ceiling - once more a funky little addition brought to us by the late VTEC.
View attachment 57552
So, suitably settled into my leather seat, I reclined it and relaxed. Soon after departure, the drinks came round. I decided on a Diet Coke and a nice hot British cup of tea, which was served in a real china mug. It's impressive to see that LNER continue to use the china even with the Festive First offering, eh? It's certainly better than weekend first, evidently. This was the festive menu, below.
View attachment 57548
It’s like a cross between weekday and weekend menus. Instead of three, only one hot option is available with festive first, however there is also a choice of sandwiches. Unfortunately it looked like id come at the wrong time, as the Italian Gnocchi and New Deli Sandwich were out. But hey, I like smoked salmon, so I was happy with the third and only choice which was the Smoked Salmon Sandwich.
Dessert was Strussel Cake, which was a rather dry fruit cake with a nice buttery crumble topping.
Train host Kev was very entertaining, topped my Coke up a number of times as well.
Later on in the trip I had a double-double, this was absolutely foul, and I would NEVER EVER recommend LNER coffee. The train sped through Grantham at a heavy pace and gliding into Peterborough, I do like that “ching ching, ching ching” sound that 225s make when slowing down into a station by the way.
Leaving Peterborough and the train was fairly empty, most of the crew retired to the front of the train but the leading train host told me I could go to the FoodBar should I want anything else. I was fine for the moment, but I got myself a nice Britishy tea before leaving the train, which was made all correct for me and put in a nice LNER branded bag.
warning large image
View attachment 57547
To summarise:
If you want to upgrade to first class for an ultra comfy seat and free drinks (ALCOHOL IS STILL COMPLIMENTARY ON WEEKDAYS IN FESTIVE FIRST BTW) then festive first is an awesome li’l kick you can make the most of, it’s cheap and means you can bag an upgrade on a weekday for less.
If you’re in it for the food, wait until normal service resumes. You only get one hot option, plus there is no proper dessert. Furthermore, from consulting the menus on y’behalf the famous English Breakfast canna be ordered, Bacon Roll is good as it gets.
Well thanks for reading dudes but that’s it for this time
I’ll be returning to LNER very soon in my reports with the long ago promise critiques of Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (Weekday) also I’ll be exploring the new CrossCountry by Arriva offering!
Ok well that’s it from me, but until next time
Recline
Steer clear of the scary excuses for double doubles on LNER!!!
And keep it cool bros
Lates
Sounds great! A lot better than EMT weekend first
TT-ONR-NRN
Established Member
Thanks!
It’s certainly good value for the money; the seat is crazy comfortable.
TT-ONR-NRN
Established Member
Thanks haha yeah it’s been a while
You got any more trips coming up? My next interesting railway journey looks like being Katowice to Bielsko-Biala in Poland at the end of the month.Thanks haha yeah it’s been a while
hexagon789
Veteran Member
Nice to see it back
As it happens I was travelling back to London King's Cross from Leeds on New Year's Eve and having turned on that irresistible charm of mine
Free? Very nice!
Indeed, they look super-comfy at that
What if one wants some toast though?
Different, I didn't know they had these. Not sure if it adds to the ambience though!
A nice touch, but not much of a tea drinker. Thankfully, I see wine is available, so it's all good!
It's not too bad a selection, and smoked salmon is generally a good choice anyway.
"Strussel cake" is a new one to me
Let's be fair - most on-train coffee is pretty rubbish.
Leaving Peterborough and the train was fairly empty, most of the crew retired to the front of the train but the leading train host told me I could go to the FoodBar should I want anything else. I was fine for the moment, but I got myself a nice Britishy tea before leaving the train, which was made all correct for me and put in a nice LNER branded bag.
What? No takeaway china mug?
You always seem to get a good deal from staff I must say!
A very good little offer, especially on Weekdays.
(Hint, hint, cough, cough, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, "say no more")
Well I'll have a bacon butty, but no pudding!?
Sounds good
Butts
Veteran Member
Nice to see it back
Indeed, they look super-comfy at that
Enjoy it while you can until the arrival of the 1st Class "Ironing Boards" on the Class 800
hexagon789
Veteran Member
Enjoy it while you can until the arrival of the 1st Class "Ironing Boards" on the Class 800
Definitely!
It's on the list!
TT-ONR-NRN
Established Member
Thank you, yes LNER does have nice seats and indeed I was surprised to see the complimentary alcohol as part of Festive First.Nice to see it back
Free? Very nice!
Indeed, they look super-comfy at that
What if one wants some toast though?
Different, I didn't know they had these. Not sure if it adds to the ambience though!
A nice touch, but not much of a tea drinker. Thankfully, I see wine is available, so it's all good!
It's not too bad a selection, and smoked salmon is generally a good choice anyway.
"Strussel cake" is a new one to me
Let's be fair - most on-train coffee is pretty rubbish.
What? No takeaway china mug?
You always seem to get a good deal from staff I must say!
A very good little offer, especially on Weekdays.
(Hint, hint, cough, cough, nudge, nudge, wink, wink, "say no more")
Well I'll have a bacon butty, but no pudding!?
Sounds good
You can’t go wrong with smoked salmon
TT-ONR-NRN
Established Member
Virgin Trains
Weekend First - Super Voyager
Warning: Some large images
G’day, y’all and welcome to trip report, this time with a company real close to my heart. That’s right, it’s a Virgin Trains report! However, today I move away from the beautiful gems that are Pendolinos and explore the whole new world that is the Super Voyager. As soon as I was told we would be briefly visiting Wales to visit family, my brain instantly clicked and I thought - DING! Virgin Trains!
In this report I travel on a Saturday evening from Crewe in Cheshire East, north-west through Chester and along the North Wales Coast to Bangor (Gwynedd) in North Wales, to try out the Voyager weekend first and see how it compares to that of the Pendolino.
I started my first class journey at Crewe having enjoyed a day of standard class rover travel. The first class lounge is small but very comfortable for sure, though I might add that the BBC News is played extremely loudly. Apart from that minor drawback, the first class lounge is a pleasant, relaxing haven that makes a welcome change from Crewe’s rather dark platforms - which aren’t to my liking. Here, why not take a peep?
It’s unstaffed and in my opinion rather lonely.
The train set was Bombardier liveried 221115 alongside 221118 on the rear, arriving perfectly on time and giving me something to smile about as those were two of my few remaining winner Voyagers. I boarded the train and was pleased to find the reservation system working nicely. Score! This is the 221 Reservation System btw nice and clear. I find the Voyagers always have had a better reservation system than the Pendolinos.
Eagerly anticipating what this new experience in the wonderful world of Virgin Trains would entail, I sat down my one facing one seat - it may be worth noting I was travelling on my own today (wah!) as all of my siblings decided to be social and go hang out with our cousins instead; I am a very social person but hey, where a Virgin Train is concerned, that comes first!
Here are the Voyager first class seats. Unlike the Pendolino first seats which are moquette, these are leather - it looks nice and it fairly comfortable but unlike those on LNER I’m not sure they’re real... but they do have a good recline and plenty of legroom. Plug sockets are available.
The train set off for Chester next stop and I enjoyed a quiet relaxing ride as we branched off of the main West Coast Main Line and I said goodbye (not actually that would look really weird and sad haha) to electrification. The train split at Chester and by then I was feeling a little peckish so I went to the shop to collect my meal.
That’s right: on weekends there is no at seat service on Voyager operated trains. (This is not the case for Pendolinos)
The choice was more limited today due to it being a weekend, I chose a ham salad roll over the quinoa salad. This came in a box which was put into a convenient paper bag with cookies, pretzels and a little chocolate thing. When I took it out after returning to my table I noticed there was also a fruit scone with jam and clotted cream in the box that contained the roll! So weekend it may have been, but I had myself a coolio feast, man! I have a pretty poor appetite so I couldn’t finish it all, instead I saved the full-of-calories cookies and chocolate for another day.
I was really pleasantly surprised with receiving such a large amount of food on a weekend! It was especially nice as it was seven pm and I’d not eaten a proper meal that day, having been too busy on Pendolino trips between Wigan and Crewe, and Merseyrail jaunts between Chester and Bache, etc.
The ride was very comfortable and fairly smooth for a Voyager too, not many people boarded at the North Wales stations. I plugged my headphones in and listened to music while enjoying as much of the Welsh scenery as I could in the dark. The Wi-Fi worked well and was fast, not very compatible with Snapchat or Instagram mind you, but it was good and I had no problems with it.
I got a bit thirsty at Rhyl, so made use of the free bottles of water which were lying everywhere. As well as this pile on a seat there were two large racks of water bottles as well!
Eek what hosed quality that photo is! I’m so sorry!
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and soon a very quiet train and a rather tired (not had much sleep the night before haha) but very relaxed TT-ONR-NRN arrived into Bangor station, on time.
221115 Bombardier Voyager at Bangor.
Here is my verdict:
Way better than the Voyager weekend first class service you’d get with CrossCountry, plus the seat was also more comfortable. You get a very good amount of food for a weekend too!
However, I prefer the overall Intercity atmosphere of the Pendolinos, plus the traditional moquette seating. The cheap weekend first class upgrade is well worth doing on a Super Voyager, for both short and long journeys - however, if I were travelling from London to the Lakes and Scotland, I would definitely prefer to travel on a Pendolino. The carriages are much longer, there’s more of them, nicer moquette seats, at seat service and reading lamps. The reading lamps aren’t liked by everyone but I like them - nice gesture in my opinion! They don’t have them on Voyagers. Let me know what you prefer!
Well dudes that’s all for today but please feel free to check out my review of LNER’s weekday evening meal service, featuring a rather nice at seat dinner of salmon. That’s coming up in a few days!!!
Thanks for reading and until next time
Weekend First - Super Voyager
Warning: Some large images
G’day, y’all and welcome to trip report, this time with a company real close to my heart. That’s right, it’s a Virgin Trains report! However, today I move away from the beautiful gems that are Pendolinos and explore the whole new world that is the Super Voyager. As soon as I was told we would be briefly visiting Wales to visit family, my brain instantly clicked and I thought - DING! Virgin Trains!
In this report I travel on a Saturday evening from Crewe in Cheshire East, north-west through Chester and along the North Wales Coast to Bangor (Gwynedd) in North Wales, to try out the Voyager weekend first and see how it compares to that of the Pendolino.
I started my first class journey at Crewe having enjoyed a day of standard class rover travel. The first class lounge is small but very comfortable for sure, though I might add that the BBC News is played extremely loudly. Apart from that minor drawback, the first class lounge is a pleasant, relaxing haven that makes a welcome change from Crewe’s rather dark platforms - which aren’t to my liking. Here, why not take a peep?
It’s unstaffed and in my opinion rather lonely.
The train set was Bombardier liveried 221115 alongside 221118 on the rear, arriving perfectly on time and giving me something to smile about as those were two of my few remaining winner Voyagers. I boarded the train and was pleased to find the reservation system working nicely. Score! This is the 221 Reservation System btw
nice and clear. I find the Voyagers always have had a better reservation system than the Pendolinos. Eagerly anticipating what this new experience in the wonderful world of Virgin Trains would entail, I sat down my one facing one seat - it may be worth noting I was travelling on my own today (wah!) as all of my siblings decided to be social and go hang out with our cousins instead; I am a very social person but hey, where a Virgin Train is concerned, that comes first!
Here are the Voyager first class seats. Unlike the Pendolino first seats which are moquette, these are leather - it looks nice and it fairly comfortable but unlike those on LNER I’m not sure they’re real... but they do have a good recline and plenty of legroom. Plug sockets are available.
The train set off for Chester next stop and I enjoyed a quiet relaxing ride as we branched off of the main West Coast Main Line and I said goodbye (not actually that would look really weird and sad haha) to electrification. The train split at Chester and by then I was feeling a little peckish so I went to the shop to collect my meal.
That’s right: on weekends there is no at seat service on Voyager operated trains. (This is not the case for Pendolinos)
The choice was more limited today due to it being a weekend, I chose a ham salad roll over the quinoa salad. This came in a box which was put into a convenient paper bag with cookies, pretzels and a little chocolate thing. When I took it out after returning to my table I noticed there was also a fruit scone with jam and clotted cream in the box that contained the roll! So weekend it may have been, but I had myself a coolio feast, man! I have a pretty poor appetite so I couldn’t finish it all, instead I saved the full-of-calories cookies and chocolate for another day.
I was really pleasantly surprised with receiving such a large amount of food on a weekend! It was especially nice as it was seven pm and I’d not eaten a proper meal that day, having been too busy on Pendolino trips between Wigan and Crewe, and Merseyrail jaunts between Chester and Bache, etc.
The ride was very comfortable and fairly smooth for a Voyager too, not many people boarded at the North Wales stations. I plugged my headphones in and listened to music while enjoying as much of the Welsh scenery as I could in the dark. The Wi-Fi worked well and was fast, not very compatible with Snapchat or Instagram mind you, but it was good and I had no problems with it.
I got a bit thirsty at Rhyl, so made use of the free bottles of water which were lying everywhere. As well as this pile on a seat there were two large racks of water bottles as well!
Eek what hosed quality that photo is! I’m so sorry!
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and soon a very quiet train and a rather tired (not had much sleep the night before haha) but very relaxed TT-ONR-NRN arrived into Bangor station, on time.
221115 Bombardier Voyager at Bangor.
Here is my verdict:
Way better than the Voyager weekend first class service you’d get with CrossCountry, plus the seat was also more comfortable. You get a very good amount of food for a weekend too!
However, I prefer the overall Intercity atmosphere of the Pendolinos, plus the traditional moquette seating. The cheap weekend first class upgrade is well worth doing on a Super Voyager, for both short and long journeys - however, if I were travelling from London to the Lakes and Scotland, I would definitely prefer to travel on a Pendolino. The carriages are much longer, there’s more of them, nicer moquette seats, at seat service and reading lamps. The reading lamps aren’t liked by everyone but I like them - nice gesture in my opinion! They don’t have them on Voyagers. Let me know what you prefer!
Well dudes that’s all for today but please feel free to check out my review of LNER’s weekday evening meal service, featuring a rather nice at seat dinner of salmon. That’s coming up in a few days!!!
Thanks for reading and until next time
- Recline
- Plump for a Pendolino over a Voyager
- Put jam on your free scone but chuck the clotted cream away, it’s fatty and GROSS.
dave87016
Established Member
As always a most enjoyable read mate , the way you string your sentences together I feel like I’m actually on the journey with you !!
TT-ONR-NRN
Established Member
Hey thanks man that’s nice of you
- Status