AIBU to be disappointed about this?

[mrsm43s]

Later this week, on my birthday, we're doing a long train journey to visit friends for a few days. Whenever we do these long journeys, we always book them over lunchtime, and do a "train picnic" of nice food e.g afternoon tea style and share some prosecco or anti pasta style and share some red. It means that our trip starts when we get in the train, and the journey flies by.

DH booked the train tickets, and he just accepted the default seating rather than selecting seats, and as a consequence we're stuck on a middle and aisle seat with no table. So lunch is pretty much going to be a sarnie and a bottle of water as there's no table space, the journey is going to be long, boring and uncomfortable, squashed in next to a stranger.

We've tried to change seats now, but as it's a couple of days away, there's no availability of seats at a table, and no availability in first class either.

I feel like instead of my birthday starting at 11.30am once we're on the train, it's not going to start until 3pm when we arrive, and the journey is something to be tolerated, rather than something to be enjoyed.

I don't want to be spoilt, and I get that I'm going to have a lovely time with my friends, but I'm really grumpy and disappointed. I think it's mostly because DH has form for this kind of stuff, always taking the quick, easy way, and never checking anything.

AIBU to be pissed off? And does anyone have any ideas of how to make the journey more fun, or special/treat lunch ideas possible to eat when sitting in a cramped middle seat?

Either a babywipe or a hand sanitizer wipe (like Wet Wipes).
The table will dry after about ten seconds.
The ones I buy are never slimey.

It’s not about the picnic is it. It’s about the fact your DH can’t be arsed to put any thought in to the things that when you do them, you take time and consideration to make it nice for everyone. He can’t be bothered.

Not sure what's so funny OP but it's not as clean as you probably think

We'd take one bottle on, how much of that we'd drink between us would depend on the journey length. Yes always 2 on a 4 person table. Never had any negative comments, but have occasionally ended up chatting and sharing with our table mates.

I have never heard of a train picnic before. Is this a thing?!

OP on a long distance LNER service you will definitely have fold down tables in front of you. I think it’s much more private and nice than sharing a big table anyway.

Babywipes are pretty much always slimy, because they're designed to wipe and moisturise. Only water or an actual surface cleaning wipe would actually clean a table properly. Keeping stuff in containers or laying napkins down is the best option really.

Yes, probably this. Although he's careless, not uncaring iyswim. He's pretty gutted now he can see I'm bothered.

Duh I know that 😂
But that's life in communal places.
Unless we all go live in bubbles there are going to be germs around.

YABVU for expressing concerned about providing details of the rail line being potentially outing 😆

He probably didn’t think sitting next to each other rather than opposite each other was an issue. I wouldn’t think it was an issue either, and I would be baffled if my DH was pissed off with me about it!

I think this is going to change your train booking preferences, two seats with flip down tables is much better than sharing a 4 seat table with randoms

I'm still not sure why you're so bothered tbh. Are you going on about it to him?

Coach C is usually unreserved in standard. Get to the station with enough time to get on the train early and head straight to C- you should get a table seat at that time of day, it’s not prime commuter time. And if you don’t, you can always find your reserved seats after.

The display in the station will also show you how full each coach is and will show as empty for any unreserved seating.

@mrsm43s a quick Google shows the LNER carriages are very similar to the picture I shared.
You'll be fine. You will have the little individual pull down tables.

Are you still bothered, knowing you’ll be next to each other, have the same amount of space as you have on a 4 person seat and will have a table?

This is LNER

Drives me mad too.

Take your lovely food but place it individual lunch boxes then there's no need to miss out.

Google and find out which carriages are unreserved.

Plenty of trains are packed in the reserved carriages while the unreserved ones are half empty.

It really isn’t difficult to end up with a table seat:

They don’t need to, they’ll be sitting next to each other with pull down tables.

Just an aside but do you still get pendolino trains on LNER? They used to make me sleepy

Exactly! I’d far rather have two seats with individual tables than have to share a table of 4 with strangers (who might have smelly picnics 😉)

WHAT IS A MIDDLE SEAT???

Op your train picnics are absolutely fine, maybe people need to be a bit more tolerant. As for the seating, yes it’s annoying but you’ll soon be over it once you’re sat down and on your way to see friends.

I live on the London to Brighton line and we have seats that are 4 people across with a small table just on the window seat. About big enough for a coffee cup and a book.