Originally Posted by
NickB
Trying to get some sense of what one can expect from Italo lounges and in particular the standard of catering. Are we talking about pre-packaged peanuts/crisps/etc... and basic soft drinks or is it somewhat slightly more elaborate and offers alcoholic drinks, freshly squeezed fruit juices, etc... too?
I suspect the former given that the cost is quite cheap for Prima class ticket holders but I was wondering whether anybody here had direct experience and could comment.
Don't expect it to be like a top notch airport lounge. Also, it completely depend in which station you are talking about. For example, the Admirals Club in SFO is completely different from the one in Boston. No one can provide a blanket statement covering all clubs.
From the ones that I've been to, Torino and Milano, it is not like an airline lounge. If you think about it that way, you will be very disappointed. There's a refrigerator with bottled soft drinks. If you want to eat, you have to pre-order it, and they bring a cardboard box with a sandwich to you while you are on the train, with a little bitty bottle of prosecco.
If you expect to eat inside the Italo Lounge, it's mostly going to be from vending machines, including the coffee. I tried it early, and maybe I was ahead of any improvements, but trains in Italy are pretty darn good compared to the USA that there isn't much to do to make it better.
At an airport you have to get there early, so you will have an hour or more to waste. No one shows up an hour early for a train. For that reason, I've found membership in a train lounge program to be not worth it.