tomparskate

Hello

I have booked an EC Advanced ticket from Edinburgh to Newark Northgate. Will I get complimentary lounge access at Edinburgh? I am travelling First Class

Thanks

Tom

stut

Hi Tom,

Yes you do - see the lounge access policy here:

http://www.eastcoast.co.uk/on-board-...food1/lounges/

The lounge is pictured below. Not one I would turn up to the station early for, I must admit...

tomparskate

Not myself to be fair, have you been ? What's the range of drinks/snacks like ?

stut

I have, but it was *very* early in the morning, so I'm not sure my recollection is the best. ISTR it was a standard range of tea, coffee, UHT juice, biscuits, and maybe a croissant or two (although that could be Paddington - I seem to only ever end up there off the sleeper so it all blurs into one).

I tend to end up in Caffe Nero instead, for the extra caffeine... But if you have time to kill, it's a pleasant place to wait.

tomparskate

Thanks Stut, Will probably have about 30minutes to wait until my train arrives. Will pop in to see what its like, Never used East Coast Lounges before - Previously I think they were extra and not included in the 1st Class fare

Raffles

You can get a day pass for just 50 East Coast Rewards points. Since that only requires £34 of First spend or £50 of Standard spend, it effectively is free with your ticket anyway.

You don't even need to be travelling East Coast to use a lounge pass which is handy if travelling from Kings Cross or StP with another train company. Not that the Kings Cross lounge is life changing but ....

Sixth Freedom

Lounge access is charged at a GBP 5.00 supplement for Advance ticket holders.

As Raffles says, a member of the loyalty scheme can get access for 50 points. But 50 x 9 points = 450 points gives you a free 1ST one-way ticket.

If you are not travelling East Coast again (and bear in mind that their franchise and probably their loyalty points expire in February 2015) then by all means use the points to access the lounge. But otherwise I would save them for the free ticket.

stut

The rules have changed - see the link to East Coast above. The £5 supplement only applies to the King's Cross lounge.

tomparskate

I will be using East Coast quite a lot so probably save it for a free 1st class ticket as I can seem points mounting

1010101

I have been in there. It's major selling point is that its warm. For anything else you're better off putting the fiver entry fee (if that's what it will cost you now) towards Cafe Nero.

KenF

...Being warm not so much of a selling point in the current weather, I can assure you! (Was a regular there up until mid last year, in summer they appeared to wheel out a portable air-con unit that had all of the cooling properties of an asthmatic coughing gently on you....)

The entire refreshments list:

Tea
Coffee
Decaf
Water
Sparkling water
Tyrells Crisps
Highland Shortbread biscuits

The machine may have a button for hot chocolate, but I've never ever seen any of the pods there....

Since ScotRail closed their lounge, this is also the Scotrail First lounge, should you need to know - the refreshments selection is slightly worse, but the sanitary facilities are entire centuries ahead.

Also worth knowing is that this lounge is available for any passenger with a TICKET that would allow travel on either East Coast or ScotRail - you do not actually have to be TRAVELLING with them......

(So, I've used it successfully when travelling Virgin to Wigan, and when travelling Cross Country to Glasgow - in both cases the tickets in my possession would have allowed me to board the East Coast train from EDB to HYM - and, yes, for those of a Flyertalk persuasion, you CAN buy an FOW from Waverley to Haymarket....)

Ken.

Willard the Bear - They have some very nice 70's style chairs for bears though - I really must get around to posting the pictures!

stifle

The £5 entry fee for advance first ticket holders has been abolished excepting the London Kings Cross lounge.

As mentioned elsewhere, a £2.90 Edinburgh-Haymarket first class day single is good for entry to the lounge there

NSFU

Hmm, the page linked by stut says: