Replies posted by NatLamponEuroVaca

13 Replies

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Keeps calm and carries on
NatLamponEuroVacaKeeps calm and carries on
asked in Train connections & reservations

Train is full: Is their a waiting queue for seat or sleeper reservations, in case they get cancelled?

Nong, here in EUR about all main stations/satanee have luggage lockers-for a few € they keep your krapao safely. Then you do not have to shuttle back and back to HTL. Also all main cities for the local transit offer daytickets-or for 24 hrs-allowing you to use all metro/tram/bus in the cityzone for mostly a sum between 5-10€. Buy from machine before first time. Sometimes there are also more epxensive ´citycards´ that also allow entry to museums or other touristy points. From Z to Wien/Vienna the best view is not so much the Swiss Alps (you will in fact not seen any) but the Austrian Alps-between border (the train also passes Lichtenstein, a tiny country, but will not stop there) and INnsbruck. Train will also stop in some famous wintersport places. Thank you! Yes, I will have some Euro coins on me, as, from what I understand, the luggage lockers are coin-operated. Is it readily easy to exchange Euro bills (also called banknotes) at a train station if I don’t have Euro coins or should

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Keeps calm and carries on
1 year ago
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Keeps calm and carries on
NatLamponEuroVacaKeeps calm and carries on
asked in Train connections & reservations

Train is full: Is their a waiting queue for seat or sleeper reservations, in case they get cancelled?

In Zurich there is enough to do but also the railway line from Zürich until let’s say Innsbruck is really beautiful. So if you wanna see something of it in autumn then the 16.40 train is definitely to late. With the 14.40 you should still see enough. also keep in mind that with the 16.40 you will arrive only at 00.30 in Vienna, so there will be no Metro/Tram working anymore… depending on where your accommodation is located, you maybe should also take that into account (because the nightbuses are not very efficient about time IMO) Great suggestion! I reserved a seat for 14:40 from Zurich to Vienna. I didn’t even think about metro/tram availability when I arrive at the Vienna train station at 00.30. My accommodation is located approximately 2.4 km from the train station, near the Vienna State Opera House. If I did take the later train 16.40, aside from a night bus, which I have not researched, my only other options would be to hoof it (walk it) with hand luggage or schedule a taxi in ad

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Keeps calm and carries on
1 year ago
N
Keeps calm and carries on
NatLamponEuroVacaKeeps calm and carries on
asked in Train connections & reservations

Train is full: Is their a waiting queue for seat or sleeper reservations, in case they get cancelled?

When and how to travel depends on your preferences and how much time you have. I like to travel by day if it's the first time I travel somewhere, especially if the views are good. But if it's boring, if I’ve travelled somewhere 100s of times or time if of the essence, then a night train comes into the picture. As to checking in in the morning: just ask at the hotel reception if you can leave your luggage there, while they're preparing your room and you're making a first tour in the city. That sounds most reasonable. If you’ve never been to someplace before, travel by day may be a more suitable experience. I’ll take your words into deep consideration on this topic, thank you.Yes, having the front desk hold my luggage in the morning until the room is ready is a good, viable option. 

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N
Keeps calm and carries on
1 year ago
N
Keeps calm and carries on
NatLamponEuroVacaKeeps calm and carries on
asked in Train connections & reservations

Train is full: Is their a waiting queue for seat or sleeper reservations, in case they get cancelled?

That part of the train (that continues to Budapest) looks full indeed but the other part to Vienna (arriving at 7:58) still has seats and sleepers (no couchettes): This is on tickets.oebb.at, which has fewer bugs and no booking fees. Oh, thank you! Most interesting. I didn’t see this one coming up at all. I just saw the 6:34 arrival time. Now I see the 7:58 arrival time train. It says it’s a non-stop night train. No transfers. Interestingly enough, when I try to book it on SBB, it says there are no tickets for 1st or 2nd class available. But over on OBB, I see the same screen as you. Over on SBB, I only have the option of clicking the “Back” button, regardless of 1st or 2nd class. Maybe I’m not doing something right, I don’t know.  Hmm. In your opinion, would you rather take a day train and have a prime viewing opportunity of the Swiss Alps on you way to your final destination of Vienna? Or, would you rather spend as much time in Zurich as you can, take the night train, and then arriv

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Keeps calm and carries on
1 year ago
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Keeps calm and carries on
NatLamponEuroVacaKeeps calm and carries on
asked in Train connections & reservations

Do I need seat reservation for ICE 944 from Berlin Hof to Celle, Germany for late October (I have Eurail Mobile Global Pass)?

Having experienced a very busy ICE train, fortunately with a reservation, I applaud your wisdom in getting a reservation. Although some reservations are expensive (and usually mandatory) these low cost reservations take a huge pressure off your journeys, especially in first class where seating capacity is a fraction of second class - maybe as little as 10% of the train’s full capacity. Personally I will always travel with a first class pass, even if the train only has second class seats (most regional and local trains). The extra space and normally a bit more tranquillity is welcome. Yes, you can be none too careful. I don’t feel good about leaving things to chance, especially traversing throughout Europe. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. For all my travels, I’m purchasing 1st class seats or whatever is available. Yes, the extra space afforded might be a welcome retreat for the weary traveler, definitely good advice, thank you!

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1 year ago
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Keeps calm and carries on
NatLamponEuroVacaKeeps calm and carries on
asked in Train connections & reservations

Do I need seat reservation for ICE 944 from Berlin Hof to Celle, Germany for late October (I have Eurail Mobile Global Pass)?

There is no need. BUT in 1st all normal tickets get a free RES with it and this may mean that even when you sit your seat can be assigned to someone just booking for onward in that trip-though in this case it is so short it hardly matters. It also means that the seats are not always marked as they usually are for RES from A to B-so you can check. Regular 1st class (beezneez) people are quite well used to this fenomenon of the quite different looking EUrail-but not all. And they can also get sniffy. PS-there is NO free food/drink at all in German ICE-what looks like that is a special ´on seat´ service-payable-for 1st cl and a kind of tip-bringer for staff. You will also have NO access to its special 1st cl lounges with pass. This is specific for DE=Germany (from where I returned myself yesterday) Hmm. Just to clarify, you’re saying all 1st class tickets purchased on, e.g. OBB, SBB, DB, get a free seat reservation with it (which makes sense) or are you saying that a Eurail Mobile Global

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1 year ago
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Keeps calm and carries on
NatLamponEuroVacaKeeps calm and carries on
asked in Train connections & reservations

Do I need seat reservation for ICE 944 from Berlin Hof to Celle, Germany for late October (I have Eurail Mobile Global Pass)?

If the train is too full, all people without reservation have to leave the train.  Interesting. So, let’s say I’m taking a train from Berlin to Hannover. I board the train at Berlin. I don’t have a seat but I have my mobile global pass. During one of the stops in-between, people enter the train and the the conductor discovers the train is full but these people have reserved seats. Can and will the conductor come to someone like me, who has the global mobile pass (1st and 2nd class) but no seat reservation and kick me off on my way to my final destination? If yes, that lends evens more credence that I should purchase seat reservations during my travels just to be safe and not leave anything to chance.

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1 year ago
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Keeps calm and carries on
NatLamponEuroVacaKeeps calm and carries on
asked in Train connections & reservations

Do I need seat reservation for ICE 944 from Berlin Hof to Celle, Germany for late October (I have Eurail Mobile Global Pass)?

Eurail charges an extra fee of 2 EUR per person and train so if possible it is better to make the reservation, if you want one, elsewhere. Please read more about this below. Here is some useful information from the experienced travellers in the Community regarding both planning, reservations and activation of pass and travel days.   Planning The rail planner is normally not up to date, as it only is updated once a month, so to be sure of the time table you better check the timetable and availability on the websites of the national railways. The bigger national railways, like DB (Germany) SBB (Switzerland) and ÖBB (Austria) cover several countries.   Reservations  The advice from the experienced travellers in the community is to use other ways to make reservations than the Interrail/Eurail website.  You can look at the guide in the link: https://community.eurail.com/train-connections-reservations-47/how-to-get-reservations-105 If you, after having looked at the guide, have questions a

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1 year ago
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Keeps calm and carries on
NatLamponEuroVacaKeeps calm and carries on
asked in Train connections & reservations

Do I need seat reservation for ICE 944 from Berlin Hof to Celle, Germany for late October (I have Eurail Mobile Global Pass)?

Reservations for that service are not required but are available.   There are other sources than the eurail website that will be cheaper for reservations, the obvious one being bahn.com     There should be a little symbol in the train description, shaped as the outline of several persons, the more that are solid the busier the train is expected to be. Thank you for the link! My goodness, there are endless resources to buy tickets that it can make your headspin. Seat61.com has endless resources on trains, as you know. And I discovered there are holiday/vacation tour website businesses that book train and destination packages for you, all inclusive. You pay more for the hands-off approach but it might be worth the hassle and you’re saving time.And I did see the the outline of persons to indicate how busy the train is. Thanks for describing that so well! 

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1 year ago
N
Keeps calm and carries on
NatLamponEuroVacaKeeps calm and carries on
asked in Train connections & reservations

Do I need seat reservation for ICE 944 from Berlin Hof to Celle, Germany for late October (I have Eurail Mobile Global Pass)?

I'm guessing this is the connection you'll be using: Berlin Hbf - Celle on 26/10On this day, low demand is expected. Making a reservation in 1st class will cost €5.90 via DB, or 3€ via ÖBB or CD. Thank you! You are a godsend! This helped soo much! I was reserving seats at eurail.com and it’s a great resource, don’t me wrong. But paying directly at OBB or the Czech (CD) train website is wonderful, especially when you’re crisscrossing Europe and things get expensive real fast; saving here and there, even a little bit, adds up in the end.I spoke to DB and OBB on Twitter and they said the Berlin to Hannover is in high demand during those morning times and can get full. They had advised me to try to reserve a seat a few days before or the night before at the latest. I know it’s just recommended and not required but I didn’t want to take any chances and I paid the 3 Euro for the seat reservation.I should also mention my Eurail Mobile Global Pass is for 1st and 2nd class for the flexibility.

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1 year ago
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Keeps calm and carries on
NatLamponEuroVacaKeeps calm and carries on
asked in Train connections & reservations

Who do I talk to at train station if problem with Eurail pass?

Thank you all for your help.One last set of questions on this topic:Is there a difference between 1st class deluxe sleeper/bed 1-person versus 2nd class deluxe sleepr/bed 1-person on the OBB NightJet trains? Is the bed exactly the same? Same size room? The only thing I can find that was different is 1st class quarters gets a private bathroom. I’m more concerned about the quality of sleep. I see that you can cancel seat reservations on Eurail but the refund policy is dependent on the train operator, which is OBB NightJets in my example. I can’t find anything on their website which specifically discusses the refund/cancellation/exchange policy for seat reservations purchased on Eurail. I emailed OBB to inquire about refunds and exchanges. Does anyone have any information on OBB NightJets refund/cancellation/exchange policy for seat reservations?Thank you again for your help.

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Railmaster
2 years ago
N
Keeps calm and carries on
NatLamponEuroVacaKeeps calm and carries on
asked in Train connections & reservations

Who do I talk to at train station if problem with Eurail pass?

4) Let's say my pass is activated but there is an issue with the pass and it's not scanning correctly at the station. I'm at the train station and my scheduled train is leaving in 2 hours or even 1 hour. What do I do? Who would I contact to get it fixed? Is there a phone number? I can't wait 8 hours, 5 days, or 7 days to get something like that fixed. Is there some Eurail representative at each major train station that can help me in person? Since my credit card concierge service purchased the tickets with their account, would I have to contact them or can I contact Eurail directly if such an issue occurs? And how would I contact them at the train station? Thank you for your time. Traveling by train in Europe isn’t like take a plane. Usually you get (depending from city to city) between 1h and 30 Minute before departure to the train station to be not stressed to find the platform. You can get to the train also 1-2 minutes before departure, but I don’t recomend thi

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Railmaster
2 years ago
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Keeps calm and carries on
NatLamponEuroVacaKeeps calm and carries on
asked in Train connections & reservations

Who do I talk to at train station if problem with Eurail pass?

There is no phone number. To contact customer service, use this form. For some questions, this forum may be quicker. No idea. @Nanja? a. There is no need to activate the pass before making reservations. b. If you're making reservation though Eurail, I think you will need to use the account that is linked to your pass. But I'm not quite sure because I haven't booked reservations that way because of the additional fees that Eurail charges for reservations. You can contact Eurail yourself using the form I mentioned. The pass is valid however, even if some rail staff can't scan it properly (which until now seem to be issues on the operators’s sides). All data is also available in readable form on the screen. Issues are prioritised and if you're already travelling, you have a higher priority. I can’t thank you enough for your help and generosity in answering these questions! Thank you!!! I tried contacting Eurail on Social Media but I have not received any replies. My concierge servic

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Railmaster
2 years ago
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