Is it worth getting an upgrade?

Question

Is it worth getting a first class upgrade? soon i'm going to be getting a virgin train to brockenhurst from macclesfield, and a return. in total I could pay £25, but for £20 to £30 extra, I could get a first class upgrade, for all the trains and changes, both ways. Is it worth it for this 4 hour each way journey?

Answer 1

I've only traveled on Virgin Trains once, round trip.  From Watford to Manchester, and then Manchester to Euston a few days later.  I rode standard and didn't see any problems.  I thought they were very comfortable, though it was a much shorter journey than yours.  I saw the first class carriage, and it didn't look that much nicer, bigger, or more comfortable than the standard carriage.

Answer 2

yes

Answer 3

Personally, I'd go for the upgrade.

Virgin's Voyager trains can get horrendously overcrowded in standard class, making the journey uncomfortable, especially when passing through Birmingham.

If you can afford it, go for 1st.

Answer 4

It depends on your reason for wanting to travel first class.  I recently travelled on a Saturday from Basingstoke to Glasgow on Virgin services and opted for the upgrade, only to find to my horror that a chav family from h**l were also travelling in first class.  Baby screaming for majority of journey, toddler playing with toys in the aisle, mother kept on sending her other two kids to the buffet car and then having a very public disagreement with her partner.  I wish now that I'd saved my money as cattle class could not have been any worse.

Spending the extra cash does not guarantee you a nice restful journey.

Answer 5

personally I'd say no it's not worth it.

all you get is a bit more privacy and if your not planning on doing any work then go cattle class and save yourself a few quid!!

Answer 6

Personally i woudnt bother upgrading myself or i would never pay to travel 1st class. To be honest if i was travelling to say liverpool to london i pefer to fly for the same price.

Answer 7

You will only know when you get on the train! Last time I traveled by Virgin X Country was from Bristol Parkway to Darlington, again about 4 hours. As I waited on Parkway for the train the announcer said that due to a failure the train would be 4 carriages instead of eight. At least as far as Birmingham, the journey was horrendous - packed as tightly as the London Underground in the rush hour. I would have loved to have had a 1st class upgrade!

Answer 8

definitely yes i once got offered a first class travel from London to Liverpool and found it very superior would do it again for the price you are being offered

Answer 9

Hi there. I assume your talking about the weekend first upgrade? Please could you tell me your trains in detail, and i assume you've just bought an ordinary saver ticket? At the weekend, on Voyager's, you just get free soft drinks, from the shop in coach D.

  If you manage to get a direct train, or fewer Voyagers, you can reduce the upgrade charge to £15 each way.

I'd personally go for it if I was you. In future, you could perhaps get 2 Virgin Value first singles, which are particularly good value on weekdays, when there's the proper at seat service between Reading & Macclesfield/Manchester, with the proper sandwhich snack box's, which don't appear over the weekend.

   I've got special train ticket pricing software on my PC, which may help.  

     Have a good journey.

Answer 10

Four hours is a pretty short hop.  Buy a book instead and save some cash.