I went on the Northern Belle with my Daughter on 26/5/23. We boarded the train from Wakefield which was late. We felt like we were just rushed on. Not what they advertise saying someone will greet you with the red carpet. On boarding the train they told us we were seated on 21 to 23. A young lady seated us and said she would pour our Krug champagne .On pouring it she spilt it. We asked her were we were going and she said she didn’t know. I would have thought all staff would have known. We then noticed that other people that were boarding got a glass of champagne on being seated although they had a bottle of unopened champagne on their table. The food was adequate. Little bit disappointed to say for two of us I paid £1400.00. Thought it could have been better. Whilst we were having our starter again the Manager this time poured our champagne and spilt it. At £400. 00 a bottle I was shocked that there was no apology or an offer to get us some more champagne. On clearing the main course the young lady to started piling the plate on our table and scraping them. We did get sent from Northern Belle a review. I filled it in but I never heard anything back from them. She me on you Northern Belle for ripping us off. I was so looking forward to this trip and paying over the oddsJust wasn’t worth it.

First class dining , service and experience. The train is beautiful, individually designed carriages , we were in ' Glamis'.
Luxurious, stylish and relaxing.
The strolling entertainment of magician and musicians was fun , if a little 'hammy'!

I have travelled on Northern Belle many times and have always enjoyed myself. This trip was no exception. Jane in Chatsworth carriage was an excellent lead steward - incredibly helpful and continually looking at each table as she passed in order to check all guests were happy.
The food, as always, was excellent and our dietary requirements were well catered for. It was a long journey to London- I always choose long journeys to give me as long as possible on the train- and we were well looked after all the way.
On arrival in London we were walked to the coaches and taken the short distance to Chelsea Flower Show, where we enjoyed several hours. Last time we went to Chelsea we felt a bit rushed, but this time we had longer. There was a slight issue getting the coach back to Victoria Station and I heard some people complaining. The issue was due to the London traffic delaying the coach company. The only thing that could have been done better would have been for the guides to have kept us updated on the delay, as they were not visible when we were waiting. (The guides are used by Northern Belle, but are not part of the company. They are London guides, but I felt they could have been more helpful as, presumably, they were able to contact the coach company.) There was also a slight delay waiting for the train and I heard other guests moaning about the organisation. It always surprises me that people think that just because it's an expensive trip their train will not be affected by delays on the rail network.
It was not a long wait at the station and we were soon welcomed on board with champagne and canapés. There was a new canapé this time, which was a blini with quail's egg and caviar, which was a nice touch of luxury. The rest of the meal was also excellent- the lamb was delicious and unbelievably tender. One recent change that I don't like is that Northern Belle always used to serve dessert and the cheeseboard in the French style, with cheese before dessert, but have now changed to dessert before cheese. I preferred to end on the sweet course. It also made the trip just a bit different to other companies. We were again very well looked after on our journey and it was well after midnight when we got into Manchester, tired but happy. We've already booked our next trip and will be back on board in September.