Hey all,
I just got back from a week long Amtrak trip. By and large, Amtrak performed excellent and I had a wonderful time, but I wanted to ask everyone’s thoughts and opinions on lounge etiquette, specifically 3 categories:
I just got back from a week long Amtrak trip. By and large, Amtrak performed excellent and I had a wonderful time, but I wanted to ask everyone’s thoughts and opinions on lounge etiquette, specifically 3 categories:
- Café Hours: Would it be asking too much to simply post the operating hours of the café? On all the trains, announcements regarding the attendant’s break times were sporadic, if at all, leading people to go to the lounge only to find it closed. They also seemed to be closed during some prime hours (like between 5-5:45) when one might want to get a snack or a pre-dinner drink. I fully understand and support the need for these hard working folks to take breaks; just communicate better. At least people can then plan ahead.
- Sleeping in the lounge during the day: I saw some multiple seats being taken up by passengers for the entire day for a makeshift bed. Does anyone think this should be allowed during the day? Overnight hours (10PM-6AM) are a different story. But, who would police it, and would it be successful?
- Excessive time spent in the lounge: I think EVERYONE should have reasonable access to the lounge, while at the same time, not having a “rule” as to how long one can stay there. To his credit, the conductor on the Westbound CZ did give guidelines to lounge usage as we headed up into the Rockies (4 people to a table, do not spread food/laptops over the table, and make EVERY seat available to passengers). Aside from that, I feel excessive time spent in the lounge (say, over 3 hours max) is disrespectful to others. If you see the lounge is full, move on and come back a little while later. Worse, I saw booths that were unoccupied with people, but had their belongings and food left there, effectively “saving” that table for whenever they chose to come back. I understand first come first served, but some attempt should be made to enforce common courtesy. But again, who would do it?