First class seats on a London-to-Edinburgh train.
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On a flight to England, a woman sitting near me in a window seat, but not in my row, was very chatty. She was indiscreet in talking about her life. She talked loudly, kept spilling her drinks, kept calling for the flight attendants by voice and button, kept complaining, kept apologizing. Eventually, the couple sitting with her, who were strangers, quietly asked to be moved. The loud-talking woman got three seats to herself and was able to lie down flat for a nap.
She didn’t seem to be behaving in a loutish way to get more room for herself; she might have been drunk, though. Of course, I don’t recommend such behaviour for getting an upgrade. Her name probably has an asterisk next to it in that airline’s records, and she won’t be welcome to fly with them ever again.
I’ve discovered other ways of enjoying a little luxury, sometimes without trying.
Travel in January, when it’s snowing, blowing and 20-below. On a visit to Montreal, my hotel upgraded me from a modest room to a suite with two bedrooms, each with a king-size bed and TV, a kitchenette, a small dining room, a large bathroom, and a office/sitting area with desk, couch and TV. I didn’t ask. They just gave it to me. The front desk told me the hotel was only half full during the couple of days I was staying there.
Also in January, on a cross-country train trip, I and several other passengers were upgraded from one-person roomettes to two-person bedrooms that had at least twice the space. Many of the bedrooms would have been empty otherwise. (I kept my mouth shut about the upgrade; how much you paid can be a sensitive topic, and is best avoided while you’re with fellow travellers. Talk about your good fortune when you get home.)
On a journey around England last year, we bought BritRail passes for eight days of unlimited train travel. The passes make sense if you travel longer distances; they don’t make sense if you’re only doing a few short hops. After checking the prices and being indecisive for a week, I bought the first class passes. The price difference between first and standard passes was not huge. For an adult pass allowing travel on eight non-consecutive days within two months, it was $629 for first, $425 for standard. Prices are lower for seniors, youth and children; they are also lower if travel is on consecutive days. We bought England-only passes, and topped up with a separate ticket when we made a trip to Scotland.
The first class train passes allowed access to first class lounges in big-city stations where you could get snacks, drinks, and access to toilets without having to pay. (Many public toilets in larger train stations require payment.) On the trains, there was more room — three across seating instead four, and much higher likelihood of getting a seat if the train was crowded. Included in the price was Wi-Fi (it cost extra in standard), power outlets, plus snacks, drinks and meals. We decided it was definitely worth the splurge.
BritRail pass information can be found here.
Closer to home, you can get a first class feel when you go for the Pacific Buffet on the B.C. Ferries trip between Swartz Bay and Tsawwassen. You get a decent, all-you-can-eat meal, a table with plenty of room around it, at a spot close to a window where you can admire the excellent scenery. Unless it’s crowded, the table is all yours for the entire trip. To get the buffet, you need to time your journey so that you’re riding Spirit of Vancouver Island, Spirit of British Columbia or Coastal Celebration.
An adult breakfast (7 a.m to 10 a.m. sailings) is $17.50
Lunch (11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m.) is $19
Light buffet (2 p.m., 3 p.m., 9 p.m.) is $13.50
Dinner (4 p.m. to 8 p.m.) is $22.
The light buffet is salad bar, soup, dessert bar and beverages. It’s the best value, though I’ve heard some people complain and ask for a refund because no hot foods are on offer apart from soup. In the cafeteria, you’d pay around $10 for a meal and drink, so $13.50 for all-you-can-eat fairly healthy food is pretty good.
B.C. Ferries has Pacific Buffet details here.
In a future post, I’ll reflect on airplane fares and the huge gap between economy, business and first class.
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The Dine Around promotion is good way to get a taste of luxury for a bargain price. Three-course meals are on offer for $20, $30, $40 and $50. A colleague was recalling her $20 meal at Fireside Grill, marvelling at the generous portions and the high quality; she said it was unlikely she could have made the meal for $20. Dine Around continues until Sunday, March 9. Details are at the Tourism Victoria website.
I wrote earlier about my Dine Around experience.
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