Caledonian Sleeper

[185143]

I've found the cabins are booked out several weeks in advance on many services - it's unusual to see the seats fully booked though

I was looking for seats ideally.

For them all to be booked on all four portions was what made me suspect something was amiss. Ah well.

 

[route101]

I was looking for seats ideally.

For them all to be booked on all four portions was what made me suspect something was amiss. Ah well.

I find the seats quite often fully booked on Friday lowlander.

 

[trainophile]

Anyone know if there are 3-pin plug sockets in the en-suite cabins? I understand there are USB ports but not sure about using equipment with plugs.

Thinking of bringing a travel kettle as I don't think there's any other way of getting a cuppa apart from the one they bring you with breakfast.

 

[Iskra]

Anyone know if there are 3-pin plug sockets in the en-suite cabins? I understand there are USB ports but not sure about using equipment with plugs.

Thinking of bringing a travel kettle as I don't think there's any other way of getting a cuppa apart from the one they bring you with breakfast.

I think there are, but you could just buy one from the Lounge Car.

 

[trainophile]

I think there are, but you could just buy one from the Lounge Car.

Oh can you? I thought there was only alcoholic drinks and bottles of water available in the Lounge Car?

 

[jagardner1984]

Anyone know if there are 3-pin plug sockets in the en-suite cabins? I understand there are USB ports but not sure about using equipment with plugs.

Thinking of bringing a travel kettle as I don't think there's any other way of getting a cuppa apart from the one they bring you with breakfast.

There are 3 pin sockets but I think you’ll almost certainly trip out the circuits if you connect a kettle - they are designed for laptops and chargers only, and are labelled as such. If you take a flask, I’m sure any of the many coffee stalls on the station, or the lounge on P1 or indeed the lounge car would put some hot water in it to achieve your desired brew !

 

[trainophile]

There are 3 pin sockets but I think you’ll almost certainly trip out the circuits if you connect a kettle - they are designed for laptops and chargers only, and are labelled as such. If you take a flask, I’m sure any of the many coffee stalls on the station, or the lounge on P1 or indeed the lounge car would put some hot water in it to achieve your desired brew !

Ah thank you, I wondered if there would be restrictions on usage even if there was a socket. Does anyone know whether a hot drink would be obtainable in the Lounge Car?

 

[BRX]

Of course it is!

 

[jagardner1984]

Ah thank you, I wondered if there would be restrictions on usage even if there was a socket. Does anyone know whether a hot drink would be obtainable in the Lounge Car

Room Service Menu | Caledonian Sleeper

Caledonian Sleeper Room Service Menu - Food and Drink options for Caledonian Sleeper guests travelling on all routes.

www.sleeper.scot

A cool £3. Presumably the tea bag is gold plated

 

[trainophile]

Room Service Menu | Caledonian Sleeper

Caledonian Sleeper Room Service Menu - Food and Drink options for Caledonian Sleeper guests travelling on all routes.

www.sleeper.scot

A cool £3. Presumably the tea bag is gold plated

Back to the flask plan .

 

[185143]

Ah thank you, I wondered if there would be restrictions on usage even if there was a socket. Does anyone know whether a hot drink would be obtainable in the Lounge Car?

They are indeed.

The lounge car is a bit like Wetherspoons (with no disrespect to either brand!), plenty of alcohol, hot drinks, soft drinks and easy to prepare food. Just a shame they don't adopt their prices!

 

[Sealink]

I was looking at booking Northbound this Sunday night. All portions in all accommodation shown as fully booked.

Are there issues with the website, as that does seem a tad unlikely?

Weirdly, on Tuesday I did a dummy booking to see how busy my train was from Inverness (seated (!)), and at around midday it was showing as fully booked. There were about 10 of us in the carriage as we left Inverness and a handful joined during the journey.

 

[norbitonflyer]

My latest experience on the sleeper was on Thursday night. The new lounge is much more organised and means that Club passengers actually get the priority boarding (and first dibs on the lounge car) that they paid for. (You can't get in the lounge, or anwhere near it, unless you have a club ticket, and club passengers board from the lounge before they open the platform to all comers).
And the dreaded bar stools are now at a height that even my 5'2 fellow passenger could have sat at (although we got a table).
One oddity was that we were warned arrival would be at 8am, rather than 7:30 because of reduced speed limits because of the weather. But in fact we arrived at 0720.

Odd experience of watching late night telly on iplayer and seeing someone on the show who I knew was on the train, as we had seen him earlier in the lounge. Giving away that the show had been recorded earlier that evening.

 

[AberdeenBill]

My latest experience on the sleeper was on Thursday night. The new lounge is much more organised and means that Club passengers actually get the priority boarding (and first dibs on the lounge car) that they paid for. (You can't get in the lounge, or anwhere near it, unless you have a club ticket, and club passengers board from the lounge before they open the platform to all comers).
And the dreaded bar stools are now at a height that even my 5'2 fellow passenger could have sat at (although we got a table).
One oddity was that we were warned arrival would be at 8am, rather than 7:30 because of reduced speed limits because of the weather. But in fact we arrived at 0720.

Odd experience of watching late night telly on iplayer and seeing someone on the show who I knew was on the train, as we had seen him earlier in the lounge. Giving away that the show had been recorded earlier that evening.

That is interesting. I always travel on the Highlander in Club (about 5 times per year,) usually on the busy Thursday or Friday northbound service. I have never been challenged or asked which class i am travelling in. Maybe this is smething they are starting to be more strict about this year as i havent been up since last November.

 

[PG]

Room Service Menu | Caledonian Sleeper

Caledonian Sleeper Room Service Menu - Food and Drink options for Caledonian Sleeper guests travelling on all routes.

www.sleeper.scot

A cool £3. Presumably the tea bag is gold plated

£3 and they can't even run to a hot cuppa

 

[jagardner1984]

£3 and they can't even run to a hot cuppa

It is really one of those infuriating things that feels the railway, and in this case the Sleeper, hasn’t really kept up with the world in which we live, where in many parts of the country you can buy a really nice custom coffee for that kind of price.

In reality - for a basic flask based coffee or teabag based tea - the cost of production is virtually nil, a side issue for CS staff there anyway for the provision of meals / bar service, and therefore it is somewhat baffling that “free tea and coffee” is not more of an easy taken win for rail operators, instead walking into the trap of the tabloid story “I paid £400 for my en-suite room and they wanted an extra £3 for a tea bag.”

it would be interesting to know what percentage of CS revenue is from sales of hot drinks (as opposed to complimentary breakfast ones). I’d be astonished if it is any more than a rounding error.

Sometimes it can be baffling why the industry doesn’t take the wins which are directly and freely sitting directly in front of them.

 

[43066]

It is really one of those infuriating things that feels the railway, and in this case the Sleeper, hasn’t really kept up with the world in which we live, where in many parts of the country you can buy a really nice custom coffee for that kind of price.

In reality - for a basic flask based coffee or teabag based tea - the cost of production is virtually nil, a side issue for CS staff there anyway for the provision of meals / bar service, and therefore it is somewhat baffling that “free tea and coffee” is not more of an easy taken win for rail operators, instead walking into the trap of the tabloid story “I paid £400 for my en-suite room and they wanted an extra £3 for a tea bag.”

it would be interesting to know what percentage of CS revenue is from sales of hot drinks (as opposed to complimentary breakfast ones). I’d be astonished if it is any more than a rounding error.

Sometimes it can be baffling why the industry doesn’t take the wins which are directly and freely sitting directly in front of them.

I’m not sure where you live but in London you’ll struggle to pay £3 for a coffee anywhere, let alone artisan type coffee.
It’s £2.76 in Starbucks for a tea these days, so would you really not expect to pay a little more than that on a train?

If the sleeper is regularly sold out (and it is) why on earth would they start giving away free tea and coffee, and turning away revenue? The same goes for other operators, where “free” tea and coffee is generally only available in first class.

 

[Iskra]

I’m not sure where you live but in London you’ll struggle to pay £3 for a coffee anywhere, let alone artisan type coffee.
It’s £2.76 in Starbucks for a tea these days, so would you really not expect to pay a little more than that on a train?

If the sleeper is regularly sold out (and it is) why on earth would they start giving away free tea and coffee, and turning away revenue? The same goes for other operators, where “free” tea and coffee is generally only available in first class.

I agree, free tea and coffee should not be a priority for a heavily subsidised operation. In fact, it’s exactly the sort of high-margin, high demand product they should be looking to sell more of for an easy win. If you can afford £300 on a room, you can afford £3 on a coffee or just have the one that is complimentary with breakfast if you don’t want to pay extra. However, I do believe the coffee offered should at least be half-decent for the price.

 

[jagardner1984]

I’m not sure where you live but in London you’ll struggle to pay £3 for a coffee anywhere, let alone artisan type coffee.
It’s £2.76 in Starbucks for a tea these days, so would you really not expect to pay a little more than that on a train?

If the sleeper is regularly sold out (and it is) why on earth would they start giving away free tea and coffee, and turning away revenue? The same goes for other operators, where “free” tea and coffee is generally only available in first class.

Sure - I do as I don’t live in London. But my point is, nice coffee, frothed milk etc for £3-4 is rather different to an instant / filter effort on a train.

And yes, the first class comparison is very valid since the cost of most sleeper tickets will significantly exceed most first class tickets.

Obviously “free” is in fact bundled cost, but given the revenue impact of bundling said cost, it seems petty in the extreme to take £400 off someone and then ask for another £3 for a tea bag.

Most hospitality providers understand the distinction between those things which you offer as part of your basic service (Tea and toiletries in hotel rooms), and those you charge for - such as meals, gym facilities etc.

 

[trainophile]

Diverging slightly (from CS topic) but I've noticed on trains with a shop facility, sometimes (quite often actually) they are apologising for the coffee machine being out of order, and they can only provide instant coffee. But they will still charge the full listed price, something ~£3 in most cases. Considering you can pick up a box of 10 decent quality instant coffee sachets for £1 in most supermarkets, this does seem like daylight robbery.

I'm guessing on the CS they probably think people will buy an alcoholic drink instead, if getting a hot one is too much hassle.

 

[Iskra]

Diverging slightly (from CS topic) but I've noticed on trains with a shop facility, sometimes (quite often actually) they are apologising for the coffee machine being out of order, and they can only provide instant coffee. But they will still charge the full listed price, something ~£3 in most cases. Considering you can pick up a box of 10 decent quality instant coffee sachets for £1 in most supermarkets, this does seem like daylight robbery.

I'm guessing on the CS they probably think people will buy an alcoholic drink instead, if getting a hot one is too much hassle.

I suspect that most people aren’t buying coffee in the evening for obvious reasons on a sleeper service, and that as many passengers will have a coffee included in their breakfast, they probably don’t do that much coffee that is actually paid for, so subsequently they aren’t overly concerned with quality.

 

[trainophile]

Well as a teetotaller of 16 years it would have been nice to have an alternative to bottled water, but appreciate I'm in the minority. (I'm a tea drinker, coffee makes me thirsty for some reason!). Tea bag 2p, milk 6p, hot water from urn 1p, staff to prepare it (who are there anyway) 50p, result = happy customer.

 

[43066]

Sure - I do as I don’t live in London. But my point is, nice coffee, frothed milk etc for £3-4 is rather different to an instant / filter effort on a train.

That’s true.

Obviously “free” is in fact bundled cost, but given the revenue impact of bundling said cost, it seems petty in the extreme to take £400 off someone and then ask for another £3 for a tea bag.

But if people are willing to pay it, or at least they demonstrably aren’t being put off using the (heavily subsidised) service by it, why would they turn away the revenue?

Most hospitality providers understand the distinction between those things which you offer as part of your basic service (Tea and toiletries in hotel rooms), and those you charge for - such as meals, gym facilities etc.

It probably can’t really be regarded in the same as a hotel. It also isn’t really the same as a first class regular train.

I agree, free tea and coffee should not be a priority for a heavily subsidised operation. In fact, it’s exactly the sort of high-margin, high demand product they should be looking to sell more of for an easy win. If you can afford £300 on a room, you can afford £3 on a coffee or just have the one that is complimentary with breakfast if you don’t want to pay extra. However, I do believe the coffee offered should at least be half-decent for the price.

Agreed re. quality. To be honest tea, just a cup of hot water and a bag, always seems much more of a rip off than coffee to me!

 

[Bletchleyite]

I agree, free tea and coffee should not be a priority for a heavily subsidised operation. In fact, it’s exactly the sort of high-margin, high demand product they should be looking to sell more of for an easy win. If you can afford £300 on a room, you can afford £3 on a coffee or just have the one that is complimentary with breakfast if you don’t want to pay extra. However, I do believe the coffee offered should at least be half-decent for the price.

Yes and no. I do see your point, but in the UK a kettle and basic tea and coffee is an expectation in every hotel, from a rat infested B&B near Heathrow to the Ritz. If they're selling it as a hotel on wheels, that expectation remains - for safety reasons that may not be a kettle in the room, but free service does seem like it should be there.

 

[JamieL]

They are not selling it as a hotel on wheels. And as Club provides a free hot beverage direct to your cabin, at a time of your choosing, it probably exceeds most hotels anyway. If you want more, press the host button.

 

[Darandio]

They are not selling it as a hotel on wheels.

When their website lauds the club rooms as "A hotel experience" it's pretty hard to argue they aren't selling it as that.

 

[nickswift99]

They are not selling it as a hotel on wheels. And as Club provides a free hot beverage direct to your cabin, it probably exceeds most hotels anyway.

Many hotels have a kettle and a selection of tea/coffee/hot chocolate sachets available in the room, included as part of the room rate. The minimum expectation that the AA have for any hotel they rate (1* and upwards) is:

• Tea/coffee-making facilities available and accessible 24 hours either in bedrooms or in public areas (self-service/vending option in public areas acceptable).

I'd suggest that the Sleeper offering is generally worse than a hotel if you're not in a club room and no better than a 3* hotel.

 

[JamieL]

Yes, and, in other news, bears…

(Don’t worry. I’ll just ignore it from now on.)

Many hotels have a kettle and a selection of tea/coffee/hot chocolate sachets available in the room, included as part of the room rate. The minimum expectation that the AA have for any hotel they rate (1* and upwards) is:



I'd suggest that the Sleeper offering is generally worse than a hotel if you're not in a club room and no better than a 3* hotel.

Water and chocolate are provided free in the CS rooms (at least in Club). There are complimentary drinks in the lounge pre-departure.

 

[xotGD]

The lounge car is a bit like Wetherspoons

Folk drinking pints of lager at 8am?

 

[Iskra]

In the seats, are there any seats that would be more desirable than others, or are they all going to give a similar experience? (Don’t worry, my expectations are suitably low…)