# Changing Bedroom Assignment



## Dovecote (Mar 18, 2012)

I recently made an AGR reservation on the Capitol Limited for a trip in June in a Deluxe Bedroom. Unfortunately for me I was assigned the infamous Bedroom A and was told by the agent it was the last bedroom available.

Cancellations can certainly happen in the next few months and I wonder if another bedroom becomes available if I can ask an agent to change the bedroom assignment? If so, is this a simple process not requiring a new reservation number, etc.?


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## Bob Dylan (Mar 18, 2012)

Dovecote said:


> I recently made an AGR reservation on the Capitol Limited for a trip in June in a Deluxe Bedroom. Unfortunately for me I was assigned the infamous Bedroom A and was told by the agent it was the last bedroom available.
> 
> Cancellations can certainly happen in the next few months and I wonder if another bedroom becomes available if I can ask an agent to change the bedroom assignment? If so, is this a simple process not requiring a new reservation number, etc.?


Duplicate Post! My BAD!!


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## the_traveler (Mar 18, 2012)

I hate to correct Jim




, but if the change is made after 4/1 you will be charged the higher (new) rate!


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## Acela150 (Mar 18, 2012)

the_traveler said:


> I hate to correct Jim
> 
> 
> 
> , but if the change is made after 4/1 you will be charged the higher (new) rate!


Seriously? They'd charge you that new redemption rate??

I guess I can see that... But what a rip..


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## the_traveler (Mar 18, 2012)

Yep!





If you book by 3/31, you're charged the current (lower) rates, but if you make any changes after 4/1, you will be charged the new (higher) rates!


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## Bob Dylan (Mar 18, 2012)

jimhudson said:


> Dovecote said:
> 
> 
> > I recently made an AGR reservation on the Capitol Limited for a trip in June in a Deluxe Bedroom. Unfortunately for me I was assigned the infamous Bedroom A and was told by the agent it was the last bedroom available.
> ...


Edit: Dave is Correct about the Redemption Rate going up April 1st! <_< At my age the Mind is the Third Thing to Go :wacko: , Can't Remember the First!! :lol:


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## Dovecote (Mar 18, 2012)

Thanks for the responses. I was aware of the redemption rate change after 3/31 but thought if dates, routes, etc. were not changed then you would be safe. Kind of a harsh penalty if you ask me for just changing a room assignment considering the reservation number remains the same. Oh well.


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## the_traveler (Mar 19, 2012)

For those interested, a direct quote on the rule:



> Note: Redemption reservations made prior to April 1, 2012 for travel beginning on or after April 1, 2012 will not incur additional point costs *unless the member requests a modification to the itinerary*.


(Emphasis mine)

I take this to also mean a change in room assignments, but I hope I'm wrong!


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## Devil's Advocate (Mar 19, 2012)

My guess is that you would charged by default as per booking system rules. However, it's possible you could sweet talk a supervisor into overriding this charge if it was _only_ a room change.


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## amamba (Mar 19, 2012)

I would certainly call and ask. There is no harm in just asking. If they advise that it will incur additional points, simply decline the room switch.


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## Railroad Bill (Mar 19, 2012)

Just got off the phone with AGR to book a bedroom in Sept on the CZ 

The agent made it clear that if I needed to change anything about the reservation after April 1, it would cost more points 

Of course , perhaps the next agent might have a different opinion :giggle:


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## Dovecote (Mar 19, 2012)

amamba said:


> I would certainly call and ask. There is no harm in just asking. If they advise that it will incur additional points, simply decline the room switch.


I plan on doing so IF a cancellation occurs. Been checking every day and so far bedrooms are still sold out. It is a moot point so far but I will stay positive!


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## AlanB (Mar 20, 2012)

I've been in the A room at least 2 or 3 times in the past. In my opinion switching to another Bedroom is simply not worth an extra 5,000 points being taken out of my AGR account. You may feel differently of course and they are your points. But the A room simply is NOT so bad as to make one consider even trying to change, much less burning an extra 5,000 points to make such a change.

The A room is simply laid out a bit odd, thanks to one small corner being slightly cut to allow for the hallway to make the turn to the door leading to the next car. This forces the bathroom unit to be moved out of that corner and into the middle of the room instead. That makes it appear that the room is vastly smaller, but that is simply not true. One basically has the same amount of floor space, save that cutoff corner, as one has in any other Bedroom.


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## the_traveler (Mar 20, 2012)

I agree with Alan! Room A would not be my first choice, but it is not worth 5K-10K extra to switch! Much of the day, you'll be elsewhere anyway probably. And it's only in the night set up that it's tight anyway, but I'd rather use those extra points later!





I had Room A on #27, and being the last car on the train, the railfan window was less than 10 feet from my door! I was at the window more than I was in the room from CHI to PDX!


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## PRR 60 (Mar 20, 2012)

So, explain to me why changing rooms would be any different than changing airline seat assignment. Changing seats does not trigger repricing the trip or imposition of change fees. Why would changing a room on Amtrak be any different?


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## the_traveler (Mar 20, 2012)

Normally it would not, except that the rate of redemption is going up on 4/1. And by my interpretation of the above stated rule, that could be considered a change of the reservation (since you reserved Room A)! I really hope I'm wrong about this!


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## Dovecote (Mar 20, 2012)

the_traveler said:


> I agree with Alan! Room A would not be my first choice, but it is not worth 5K-10K extra to switch! Much of the day, you'll be elsewhere anyway probably. And it's only in the night set up that it's tight anyway, but I'd rather use those extra points later!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


In my case, switching bedrooms after 3/31 could cost me 10k points since this a cross country trip. So I certainly agree with you Dave and Alan that it is not worth the extra points for a slightly smaller and reconfigured room. I might like it anyway since IIRC it is the only bedroom that does not connect to another room to make a suite. As a result it reduces noise from the adjoining B room.


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## AlanB (Mar 20, 2012)

Dovecote said:


> I might like it anyway since IIRC it is the only bedroom that does not connect to another room to make a suite. As a result it reduces noise from the adjoining B room.


That is correct, A is the only room that does not have a sliding door that can be opened to create a Bedroom Suite. Those doors tend to rattle and they don't totally deaden the noise from the other room.


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## gatelouse (Mar 26, 2012)

Texas Sunset said:


> My guess is that you would charged by default as per booking system rules. However, it's possible you could sweet talk a supervisor into overriding this charge if it was _only_ a room change.


Are those really the booking system rules? I'd say that the only hard and fast rule is that any transaction that resulted in a points refund and re-deduction pre-3/31 would raise the redemption rates post-4/1. Everything else from room changes to name changes is a gray area that's up to the human to decide.

When you make a travel redemption, a deduction shows up in the AGR account that is tied to a reservation number, thereby serving as the form of payment. So long as the award type (zone and accommodation) remains the same, the "form of payment" need not be changed.

When I reserved a bedroom, I was told that name changes after 4/1 would not require additional points. Date, routing, and destination changes would. Didn't happen to ask about room changes. But that's just one (very helpful) agent and how (s)he is likely to handle such changes from 4/1. Another agent may follow different guidelines.


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