Overview

This was my first trip on board the new Caledonian Sleeper rolling stock. Having used the previous rolling stock on a regular basis, I was excited to see what this one had in store, accessibility wise. The booking process was easy, I booked about 2 weeks in advance and secured a double accessible cabin (I asked for this) for the princely sum of £108.90 for a changeable ticket, including breakfast. Which isn't bad! I've taken a video tour and uploaded it to YouTube, but for the benefit of my visually impaired friends, here are some points: * The new accessible cabin is huge compared to the old one, with plenty of turning space and a spacious double bed. * Although the Caledonian Sleeper boasts new en-suite rooms with showers, it seems this isn't applicable to disabled guests. There is an accessible toilet next door to the room, but no shower is to be seen. I had to request a shower token to shower at Euston Station where I arrived (although it's not all bad as it means I'm writing this review from the first class lounge!). * Access into the double cabin is via a large automatic door which is opened with a key card. * Access to the lounge car from my cabin was very simple (through one set of doors and you're there), but the doors to get there are very narrow and I don't know if larger powerchairs would get through it. Some more specific points are covered below in the relevant sections.

Transport & Parking

Access to Central Station is easy by public transport.

Access

I am not a wheelchair user, therefore I didn't require a ramp. But, on the whole, I found access to be generally good. I've given it four stars because my host didn't have the key to get into the cabin and didn't seem to know how to access it for a while. There is a light dimmer, bright reading light, and sockets close to your bed which are in easy reach if you're not a wheelchair user. Wheelchair users may struggle with the sockets, but everything else is reasonably close.

Toilets

The accessible toilet is adequate, but I'm extremely disappointed that it isn't en suite with a shower as advertised in rooms for non-disabled guests. The turning space in the toilet would be enough for a small powerchair or a manual wheelchair user, but there certainly isn't enough room for a large powerchair and a PA. The toilet does speak to you(!) which is useful for VI guests, but can become annoying at night!

Staff

Staff were extremely helpful and assisted me in filling in my menu card when I arrived. I was shown where all the important amenities were in my room but I wasn't shown how to get to the lounge car.

Anything else you wish to tell us?

There are a few annoyances from my journey. They are as follows: 1. There is no large print material on board, so the menu card and the room service menu were inaccessible to me. 2. Whilst there is a USB socket at the head of the bed, the plug sockets at the foot of the bed may be hard to reach for some wheelchair users. 3. The sink in the room is quite high and not movable from what I saw. 4. As you're next to the accessible toilet, all you hear all night is "Toilet door opening", "toilet door closing", and "toilet door locked". These voices could do with being a bit quieter! 4. The accessible toilet doesn't work once you arrive into the station and there's no warning of this. 5. The Call for Assistance Burton is bright red and is at eye height in the bed, at night time this can be very bright.

Photos

Video