Thalys/TGV Seating
 

I have asked this in a different way on another thread, but let me poll those of you who have been on these trains. My family of 5 will be taking the TGV from Bern to Paris, and later the Thalys from Paris to Schiphol, in mid to late August. We will be going 1st Class. If you were travelling as a family of 5, would you choose the 4 seats that face each other around a table, with another seat across the aisle (that faces another single seat sharing a table), or would you choose the airline style seats, with 2+2 (one row behind the other) and a single seat across the aisle? Assume I will sit in the solo seat regardless of the configuration (I am 5'10"). My wife is 5'3" and my boys are 5'7", 5'1" and 4'2". Thanks.

Be very very nice to whoever you're dealing with, and definitely go for the table. Make a polite request, and they usually try to do it for you.

Guaranteed someone in the family will just want to crash out/not be part of the action. They can snooze across the aisle.

We can reserve the exact seats we want, so no need to make any requests of people.

Hi,

Are your kids the kind that you wouldn't mind spending a few hours sitting across a table from?

If yes, I think that that would be the better way.

No one else wants to weigh in?

Hi E,

After I've given my suggestion, you need further opinions? :) :)

I've already weighed in but will weigh in again. Ist class in a TGV is quite like a library. You dont give your kids age but it would be best if they sit quietly. If they wont sit quietly by themselves then get the table. The big difference with the table is that you can converse easily and share food easily. I personally wouldnt care for kids standing up in their seats and turning around to talk to their parents behind them. When I travel with my family we get the table seat because we like to chat. If you dont want to stare at your kids and talk to them then get the airline seats.

MorganB: Three boys, ages 15, 12 and 8. WANTING to stare at and talk to them and HAVING to stare at and talk to them are two different things entirely!!!

Our entire vacation is being geared toward them (which is different from just going to a bunch of amusement parks), so whatever works best for them is what we will do. The tables would certainly be better for conversation, games and eating. I listed everyone's height just to get an idea if the legroom will be adequate (I do not want them kicking each other for 5 hours!).

I hear you about having to stare at them lol. When I sit at the table with 4 adults you can stretch your legs out completely but your feet go up under the seat in front of you. So for example, one person might have their legs spread apart and stretched completly out and the other would have their legs together and streched out. Does that make sense? Person A leg - Person B leg x 2- Person A leg.....

Otherwise you have to sit up and not stretch your legs out if you dont want them intermingled. I could see it as a source of content.. Dad his legs are in my way! Mom make him move his legs, he's hitting me! etc....

If you put the 5'1 and 4"2 facing each other they should have plenty of room and might not have to intertwine much at all. Then your wife and 5'7 son, who i assume is old enough not to have leg issues, facing each other then it should work just fine.

Maybe the kids should sit in one car and my wife and me in another...

Europewithkids: I found a photo of a first class 4 person table seating arrangment. Although it is actually a photo from the Eurostar, the size of the seats, table, and distance between the seats remain the same. Only the color scheme, fabrics, lighting etc would be different. Here is the link : http://www.eurostar.com/cimg/details...51_special.jpg

MorganB, the picture you linked me to is first class? Maybe it is just the picture, but the legroom looks terrible. Is it really that tight?

It does look kind of tight for 1st class on th photo but it has to be as they usually don't serve meals at your seat in the 2nd cl.coaches on TGV.

Thats first. Could be the angle but you certainly dont have acres of room in first on a TGV and even less so in those 4 seats.. Its a far cry from say first or even business on a plane. Looks like the angle of the photo makes it look a bit tighter.

Since it was hard to tell from the pictures I had seen, I had thought that legroom would be similar to what we have between New York and Washington D.C. on the Acela trains. On those trains, 2nd class has fantastic legroom. I had hoped 1st class on Thalys/TGV would be like that but it would appear that I am mistaken. I must admit, that picture makes me question whether the 4 seats facing each other around a table are really going to be comfortable for long trips like these. I hope my kids will sleep a little and now I am not sure if the 4 seats facing will be comfortable enough for that. Such decisions!