Ahhh, it seems I will be the first one reporting on the Thalys Premium class. We traveled from Paris to Amsterdam. Overall, it is not very impressive, although they are somewhat trying.




We booked early and paid 135 euros one-way. It seems the highest fare is 262 euros.




The lounge is convenient right next to the station but at 11:30 it had only croissants, orange juice, filtered water (still and sparkling) and coffee, all self-serve. It is also a bit small. The lounge attendant came around with Christmas chocolates, which was nice.




Boarding was a catastrophic nightmare, a total free-for-all with a very slow process since they check your ticket before boarding and we felt like Syrian refugees at the Austrian border. The train conductor had to handle some geriatric being who had the wrong ticket and paid for the upgrade to this coveted premium service. It took her ten minutes while we waited out in the cold, luckily the weather was sunny. Boarding in those war-like conditions should start much longer than twenty-five minutes before departure. Fourty five minutes are needed.




When you finally make it inside, you find the typical aging first class Thalys seats. Mine was broken and needed strong manual help to recline. Wi-Fi comes with a 1,000 MB credit (50 for coach) afterwards it slows down. It was not very fast to start with but I could check my Instagram feed and count my likes.




Service starts with a wet paper towel wrapped in a pouch. Then the attendant comes back with meal trays and drinks. The selection of drinks is pretty basic, wine in small plastic bottles, beer... The meal itself is pretty underwhelming, cold, small, forgettable. I was given a sliver of mushroom quiche and my husband some pork that he liked. After a very bland carrot and quinoa salad, the quiche came with carrot and quinoa... there was no cheese, the coffee came from a pot. If you want a second drink, be sure to ask nicely.




The attendant was friendly, she gave us all the chocolate and sweets that were left on her tray (she also needed to clear it up to pick up trash on her way back). We were done eating by the time we got into Brussels, with two hours to go until Amsterdam.




After ten-ish minutes in Brussels we left and were offered a little snack. My chicken salad included quinoa and carrots, why not? Again the quality was debatable but certainly quantity was eventually there and I was not hungry or longing for food after the snack. Another option was a pastry, but we skipped this given the industrial nature of the earlier dessert. Wine was available again, offered in small quantities with effusive smiles.




After we crossed the border to the low lands, we started seeing sexy young blonds strolling on the Rotterdam platforms (clearly those ones cannot afford the coveted premium class). Then came the antique windmills, green fields and grey clouds. Amsterdam was approaching. The trays were cleared and we could almost smell the weed: hello Amsterdam!




At the station, it was easier to disembark than to get on. They happily get rid of you. Bit of a walk to the cab.




So this was a fairly typical Northern-Euro-train trip: there is not much behind the smiles and they believe it is enough, since after all you get there on time. It is up to you to put a price tag on this; now you know what you will get, it will not be a disappointment.



The lovely towelette.


The seat, could be refreshed.


And that will be lunch



Quinoa feast! We