To be travelling first class with three children?

[CommanderDrool]

Am I ?

I've booked first-class for DP and I and my three girls, aged 6, 4,and 18 months. It is a five hour journey on Virgin.

I hate their trains. They are overcrowded, stuffy tubes of hell.
First class is a treat and not too much extra as I booked in October.

But some peopl I have mentioned this too have expressed sympathy for the other first class passengers and now I am feeling a bit guilty.

So AIBU?

So long as they don't have a penny whistle absolutely fine. You've booked and paid for seats in which there are no stipulations on having children. It's between Christmas and New Year so I doubt anyone urgently needs it to work anyway (and if they did - uh? QUIET CARRIAGE?). But badly behaved families should never be allowed within spitting distance of mass transit

but swan you have paid extra too!

I mean, I agree in general that travellers should make sure their kids are behaving reasonably - but then I try to do that all the time!

I genuinely don't see why those who have paid extra for first class have paid extra to have a quiet journey. Is there some kind of hierarchy?

Because of dh's job, we all have first class travel, and we've taken all three boys on the train, in first class where available, all their lives - and we have never had anyone object to their presence, or glare, or tut at us. We have always made the boys behave reasonably, wherever on the train we happened to be sitting, and though they haven't been perfect, they have been acceptable travelling companions.

We took them in first class when they were babies, too - and that was never an issue. In fact, the only train journey I remember being really bad was the steam train from Fort William up to Mallaig - the train was busy, so one ds and I were in one pair of seats, and dh was further down the carriage with the other dses, but for some reason ds2, who was with dh, was playing him up terribly - so dh stormed up the carriage with him, dumped him with me, and took ds3 back down with him. Whereupon ds2 behaved angelically, and ds3 started to play up, so dh stormed back up the carriage to swap them again - but that trip was horrendous because dh wouldn't listen to any suggestions on how to get the dses to settle, but just kept swapping his badly behaving ds for my well behaved one (and yes, I was very slightly smug that both ds2 and ds3 behaved impeccably for me).

I don't think it should make a difference whether you are in first or standard class - you should still do your best to make sure your children don't make the trip hell for your fellow passengers - and I'm sure that's what CommanderDrool is going to do.

I have to say that I don't think travelling first class means you are paying for a quieter journey - but the fact that there will be fewer passengers and more space will mean it will be more comfortable and probably more quiet. Personally I like first class because of the bigger seats, to fit my humungous ample derriere in comfortably!

I read your post and I assumed it was a flight! :) £30,000 I bet that would be to NY on Virgin for 5 of you.....ouch!

No, YANBU your paying for it.

Yanbu. Your friends are though.

Swanandduck, your posts are spot on.

You probably won't get death stares at this time of the year. But you should bear in mind that first class is usually used by long distance business commuters, and if you know your children are likely to be noisy, and have decided in advance "sod the other passengers, then yes, YABU. If you think you can get your children to respect the needs of other passengers for reasonable quiet - obviously the baby excepted - then no.

Business class on planes is a whole different story - the clue is in the title, people. Children in business class is VU - if you can't afford first, then you should travel economy plus.

yanbu

and why do business people who most likely have not even paid for thier ticket deserve consideration..baffles me

Business people's tickets have been paid for, why should it matter whether it comes directly or indirectly from their company? Everyone deserves consideration. That must include trying to control children, keeping music down, not shouting on the phone, respecting people's personal space as far as is possible etc.

YANBU. You buy the tickets, you travel as you like. I've gone first class with three dcs. It's a public space - why exactly do people travelling without children hav an assumed right to not have children in their orbit? Any mother who thinks she shouldn't take her children near to people lest those people frown at her just for being there, needs to get off her cross and take some assertiveness lessons! Obviously badly behaved people of any age should be condemned - but childish talking, giggling and frolicking is not bad behaviour.

YANBU at all, first class does not mean "no children".

Maybe the people who want a "no children" class could write to the train companies?

To be brutally honest, I'd be pissed off if I'd forked out for first class and there were a load of kids in there.

That said, your children have a right to be there so just make sure they behave!

100% YANBU, and if people on the train complain, suggest that they find an alternative way to travel, if public transport is too 'public' for them

Hope you have a nice journey!

YANBU - i used to do London to Glasgow (and back) when DD was between 6 and 18 months. First class was a godsend for us and made the journey really easy.

I suppose what's making me wonder is the fact that the OP said that people she has mentioned it to have expressed sympathy for the other passengers, and I'm wondering why??

regardless of class, all children need to behave properly or be told off when in public - or even at home tbh

the amount of screaming tantruming children i have seen out and about is disgusting - many parents say no darling dont do that 100's of times and then ignore their child, who promtly ignore them

yes they will be noisy/excited and thats fine :) - but 5hrs is a long time so i would prepare small goody bags with cheap drawing pads/pens/books/ non hyper sweets in them

going 1st class you will be less stressed and guarantee seats for you all

YANBU to book and pay for first class seats if thats what you choose. Don't see how anyone can argue with that.

YABU if your children are screeching, or behaving in a way which infringes other passengers rights.

But tbh, the same would apply even if you weren't first class. Other passengers have rights too, and are just as important as your children.

I suppose though that most of us, if we're sitting on a bus or in an ordinary train carriage with noisy kids or an idiot roaring into his mobile, would be irritated and find the adults involved very rude and thoughtless, but would accept it as the downside of using pubic transport. If you'd forked out extra money though, and found yourself beside unruly kids or a noisy, inconsiderate adult, you would feel pretty aggrieved.

Yanbu, If I could afford to travel in first class with my Dcs I certainly would and without feeling any guilt either!

I would check though if plain tickets might not be cheaper.

First class is a haven for travellers who want to get away from the madness of cattle-class.

If you bring that madness with you into first class, YABU. If your kids are well behaved, YANBU.

You can buy a ticket for first class because they would probably be breaking a whole lot of laws by denying you one. I can imagine the MN outrage if first class became 'no kids' on trains. What counts is that everyone knows first class/business class travellers are paying extra to get away from the screaming families/ipods/loud mobile conversations.

If you choose to ignore this, then other passengers can choose to make your journey as uncomfortable as possible with stares, complaints to staff, and general whispering comments. The one selfishness cancels out the other.

That said though - first class travel at promotional prices (i.e. cheap weekends etc) is a free for all. They are trying to fill the train rather than provide a working environment for people who want to pay for it. First class will be as bad as cattle class so you are just paying a small premium for a bigger seat.

It's not the class of transport that makes or breaks the journey. As a mother of four, you certainly know how to prepare for this and so it will be fine. Bored, hungry, thirsty kids are a nightmare. Kids like yours, whos mum brought food, drink, toys, games and books will be fine.