Eurostar Standard Premium Review

It was our first time travelling to Disneyland Paris on the Eurostar Standard Premium in February 2020.  I was super excited to be taking the train from Ebbsfleet Station straight into Disneyland Paris.  What a way to arrive – directly into the Parks itself!

When travelling via Eurostar, you can choose between three classes:

Standard – providing standard seats with access to a bar/cafe to purchase meals, drinks and snacks.

Standard Premium – providing larger seats with access to complimentary food and drink (1 meal and 1 drink)  Also access to a bar/cafe.

Business Class – providing classier seats with access to a 3 course meal and drink.

We chose to travel direct from Ebbsfleet into Disneyland Paris Standard Premium.  We felt that the price was reasonable (an extra £25 pp) and wanted to experience arriving into Disney more comfortable and relaxed (especially with three kids in tow!)

What was our experience like using the EuroStar Standard Premium To Disneyland Paris?

What I can say it that our experience was far more relaxing, enjoyable and less stressful that travelling via aeroplane.  Upon arriving to Ebbsfleet, we navigated to our long stay carpark which was only a short distance (5-8 minute walk) from the station.  When booking your parking, you can chose to park in various carparks for various different prices.  We chose the cheapest and it really isn’t that much distance between them.

Ebbsfleet Station was surpringinly quiet when we arrived at 9.30am and we immediately noticed the separate check in area for Eurostar Guests (if you want to grab something to eat prior to entering the Eurostar area, there is a M&S Food).  Once through, we were greeted with a short passport control queue, followed by security (which we whizzed through!) and then French Passport control.  All this was done and dusted within 10 minutes.  What a breeze!

We then had time to relax and enjoy the view of the trains arriving and departing in Eurostar’s departure lounge.  The area was spacious with lots of seating areas and a WHSmith and Cafe Nero to grab your caffeine fix.

There was also an information desk, childrens corner and a VIP lounge (which was empty for the whole duration of our time here).  There were several boards showing the arrival and departure times of several Eurostar trains, as well as several signs directing you to which coach you’d need to board.  As time when by, the lounge did fill up as there were about three Eurostar trains departing quite close together.  However, everyone seemed to have a seat and it wasn’t over crowded.

To gain access to the platform, there is only 1 escalator and 1 lift.  For a family of 5 with three children and a double buggy, plus two cases, I knew the journey down to the platform would be eventful.  However, the thing to remember is that there is no immediate rush.  I noticed that all passengers got called down to the platform in plenty of time before the Eurostar train actually arrived.  I felt this was a great idea as it meant that people felt that didn’t need to rush.  However, as our train was slightly delayed, it meant that two trains were boarding at the same time.  So it was quite busy.

A couple of minutes prior to the Eurostar arriving, Mickey and Friends greet passengers onto the platform, which I thought was a lovely treat and got us all excited!

Eurostar – Standard Premium

When booking direct with Eurostar, you can prebook your seats and meals.  We managed to book a block of four seats with a table.  We felt that Baby K didn’t need a seat (and it also meant that one of us would be sitting alone or across an aisle opposite someone else).  It would also cost extra to book a child under aged 4 a seat when normally under 4’s are free.  We are so glad we did this as the seats are so spacious that there is enough room to seat 3 children across two seats.  He also wanted to sit on our laps too!

The seats were black in colour and were very spacious, with arm rests, a reading light and charging points.  The table was large enough for us to all use, with extra compartments to pull out if you wished for extra space.  There was a blind to use on the window and a small space to store jackets, with a large space overheard to store bags.  When it comes to storing larger bags and cases, there are storage units at the end of each carriage.

About 30 minutes into our journey, we were served a light brunch.  When travelling to Disneyland Paris, your meal is served in a brown paper bag.  This is with a view that if you wish, you can take it with you on your journey into the parks.  We were really hunger as we hadn’t eaten a proper breakfast, so we enjoyed ours on the train.  Inside our meal bag was a croissant, bread roll, butter and jam, yoghurt, orange juice and a water.  We were also served tea and coffee.

The food was tasty and was just what we needed.  The children were also served exactly the same.  When booking direct with Eurostar, you can request a child’s meal, or state any dietary requirements.  Kids being kids, this of course didn’t fill them up, so we packed extra snacks bags too!  Complimentary magazines were also on offer!

There was a cafe/bar on board, and I enjoyed a nice glass of wine about 1 hour before our arrival to Disneyland Paris.  The bar/cafe was quiet and was pleasant enough.  The toilets were also fine, situated at the end of each carriage.

Our thoughts on travelling to Disneyland Paris by Eurostar

The journey to Disneyland Paris by Eurostar was great – we really enjoyed it and the kids also thought it was great fun!  The fact that you arrive directly into Disney is a huge bonus for us, and we felt the journey was smooth, exciting and went really quick!  We’ve travelled to Disney both via aeroplane and by car, and we all felt that this was our favourite way to travel to Disneyland Paris.

We also thought the pricing was fair – we booked our tickets on the day of release as we feel that this was showing to be the cheapest fares.

Will we use the Eurostar to travel to Europe again?  We will 100% we using this form of transport to get to Disney again and if the price is right, using the Eurostar Standard Premium class! have you used the Eurostar before? If so, what are your thoughts?

Thanks for reading xxx