# Refreshments for Sleeper Car passengers



## Laura (Mar 17, 2018)

We're taking the full CZ in May...first time in a LD sleeper. We heard there is a refreshment center for sleeper guests. Is this basically coffee and water, or do they offer juices and/or sodas? Anything else? Trying to plan what refreshments to bring with us. Thanks! Really looking forward to our trip.


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## KmH (Mar 17, 2018)

Some, but not all, sleeper car attendants (TA-SC) provide juice in the morning.

Coffee is available in the morning only and policy for bottled water is usually 2 bottles of water per day.

We can request ice. Some TA-SC will get it for you, some will just have you go to the dining car to ask for ice.

Water from storage tanks water is available in each passenger car on the train.


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## Jim Sinsky (Mar 17, 2018)

Very inconsistent. One car attendant referred to by his passengers as Disappearing Marvin had the coffee ready about 10:00 in the morning. Another kept it hot and fresh from 6 am and all day. The orange juice is in a box by the coffee pot and has always been room temperature. I never had a problem with unlimited bottled water.


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## caravanman (Mar 17, 2018)

A few years back, sleeper car passengers got unlimited coffee from an urn from 6am, all day. We got several bottles of 500ml size water on request. Also cartons of juice available, and a self service ice container.

Refreshment service now is rather less good. Amtrak provides coffee and some tiny bottles of water. I am unsure if juice is always provided, and ice is no longer available in the sleeper, due to health safety issues with temperature control, etc.

My belief is that some attendants now provide extra snacks and juice, etc, as a goodwill gesture from their own pockets, in the hope of getting a larger "tip" in return.

All passengers can obtain some ice from the cafe car too, at least that has been my experience.

Ed.


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## PVD (Mar 17, 2018)

I consider myself pretty lucky on this front. I haven't had a trip with no boxes of juice, or any SCA not bring ice or extra water on request. Well, actually one just showed us where he kept it stashed and just told us to grab it if he was on break or doing something.The ice thing bothers some folks, but I understand the rule. A good SCA should be willing to bring it, not point you to the DC. I have had a few who laid out little cookies or other goodies, you know that was not from the company.....


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## JRR (Mar 17, 2018)

I’ve always had good luck on the Silver Meteor with water provided, coffee and ice all day and usually juice. I know some complain about the quality of the juice but it mixes well with rum![emoji484]

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum


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## Lonestar648 (Mar 17, 2018)

Generally, the coffee is available 6:00am until the pot is empty or about 11:00am. Occasionally, an SCA will keep the coffee going all day. Water bottles seems to vary, depending on the SCA and hoarding passengers, but many SCA will hand them out on demand or try to leave a few out. Amtrak does not offer snacks, or soft drinks anymore, so if provided, it is out of your SCAs pocket. Orange juice, if available, is room temp, from a quart size box. Ice is on demand from some SCA, others you are sent to the DC if it is open. For anyone who traveled years ago, this is a huge downgrade in service.


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## Palmetto (Mar 17, 2018)

KmH said:


> Some, but not all, sleeper car attendants (TA-SC)provide juice in the morning.
> 
> Coffee is available in the morning only and bottled water, usually 2 bottles of water per day.
> 
> ...


In other words, hope for the best, since service standards are wildly inconsistent, but uniformly unenforced.


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## cpotisch (Mar 17, 2018)

On I think every single sleeper trip I've taken (probably done 20 so far), there has been ice, self service, in a big bag at the coffee station. Coffee generally has lasted no later than 12:00 PM. Cartons of juice–usually orange, apple, and 'cran-cocktail'–are almost always present.


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## pennyk (Mar 17, 2018)

I have noticed that ice is generally available self service on the Silvers whereas ice is generally not available self service on the Superliners.


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## PVD (Mar 17, 2018)

The viewliner station has a slightly better design for sanitation. Someday on a retrofit, they will probably just install mini icemakers and a coffee system. The AT sleepers have had the coffee setup for a while.


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## Charles785 (Mar 17, 2018)

What on earth was the rationale for eliminating ice for the juice (and there were three kinds of juice - orange, apple, and cranberry)? For YEARS there was a plastic ice bucket of ice near the coffee/juice station in the middle of the sleeper. It seemed to work for everybody? Did some government bureaucrat somewhere decide he/she have a problem with it?

Why doesn't the Amtrak Vice President of Whiz-Bang Services for First Class travelers countermand that move, and issue a dictate that any policy changes need to be based on enhancing the traveler's experience?

(You know, not only cold juice and hot coffee - all day - but regular size bottled water, printed route guides in all rooms, and local newspapers distributed in the early morning. What am I forgetting?)


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## Ryan (Mar 17, 2018)

The rationale for the ice is simple. The FDA says you can’t put an ice bucket out for the public to put their filthy paws in and get all cruddy. They took note once upon a time and now work slightly harder to make Amtrak follow the rules.


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## the_traveler (Mar 17, 2018)

There was an ice scoop for the self service ice, but (too) many did not use it to get their ice. Some just used their hand, while others just used their cup (sometimes used!




) to get their ice! (I have seen that.)

So because of the few, nobody get it now.


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## PVD (Mar 17, 2018)

I really don't care what size water bottle they use as long as it is available when you want it. Why put out 16.9 oz bottles when so many people drink half and throw it out or leave the bottle around. And the onboard water supply on trains is probably better than half of the taps in the US, I've actually seen Amtrak sanitary inspectors check onboard (and the new hose setup when they reopened Denver)


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## Tennessee Traveler (Mar 17, 2018)

For about a year or so the 16.9 oz bottles have been back. Interestingly, Via Rail does not supply bottle water.


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## Bob Dylan (Mar 17, 2018)

Tennessee Traveler said:


> For about a year or so the 16.9 oz bottles have been back. Interestingly, Via Rail does not supply bottle water.


But the attendant in the Park Car has pitchers of juice,water and snacks out during the day!


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## ehbowen (Mar 17, 2018)

Unfortunately, I have encountered some sleeping cars where the onboard water cooler has been removed, making your only drinking water choices bottled water or else something out of the sink tap in the restroom. The latter is in fact potable, but hardly attractive. But, if the bottled water is rationed (as is now often the case), then...


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## Maureen L (Mar 18, 2018)

I was on the Southwest Chief recently and I had 2 bottles of water left for me in my roomette upon boarding. At meals in the Dining Car I requested a cup of ice to take back to my room. I also found the restroom tap water to be nice and cold; the water tap at the coffee station was warm and very gassy, not pleasant. Coffee was available in the morning form an urn, no decaf, no tea water; juice was available at room temp from quart boxes next to the coffee urn. There was no ice at the coffee station.

I felt sleeper beverage availability could be made a lot better with little effort/cost. I did not pursue special requests from the sleeper car attendant or the club car attendant as I was doing well enough with the ice from the dining car, but if I had wanted to make a mixed drink I would have had to be more aggressive about it and I assume I would have been able to get what I wanted. Your mileage may vary.

m--


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## me_little_me (Mar 23, 2018)

KmH said:


> Some, but not all, sleeper car attendants (TA-SC) provide juice in the morning.
> 
> Coffee is available in the morning only and policy for bottled water is usually 2 bottles of water per day.
> 
> ...


On the SL return trip this week, our attendant made it clear she could only give us 2 bottle of water total. Any more than that and we'd have to get them from diner attendants at meals or buy them in cafe. She did say that water bottles from diner would still allow us to get another beverage.


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## Lonestar648 (Mar 23, 2018)

That is an SCA not catering to her passengers, rather sounds like she didn't mind being strict. I know many other SCA can find enough bottles so their passengers can have more as needed. Now I know some keep the extras bottles hidden in their room since there are a few passengers that take every unclaimed bottle they find, hording them in their room in their carry-on.


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## CAMISSY55 (Mar 24, 2018)

This has often been my experience. I've been told that I can get 2 bottles with each meal. I don't remember the exact rational, but it had to with the accounting method used. It was more favorable to the dining car's numbers. It made sense when I heard it, but I've obviously forgotten the rational now.


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## railiner (Mar 26, 2018)

They ought to install "K-Cup" coffeemakers in the sleepers....then passengers could get fresh coffee whenever they wanted, and all the attendant would have to do is occasionally clean and resupply them....passengers would have a wider choice of beverages as an added benefit. I have even seen these installed on intercity buses (C&J on its NY-NH line)....


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## PVD (Mar 26, 2018)

K cups would be very expensive and theft prone. What they do use in some spots (AT sleepers I think) are the Douwe-Egbert Machines, they load with cartons of coffee concentrate, but dispense one cup at a time. Also provide hot water. They sell various blends of coffee, some much better than others, They can be on 24 hours without a problem. Just need to check to make sure they don't run out, and keep them clean.


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## Devil's Advocate (Mar 26, 2018)

railiner said:


> They ought to install "K-Cup" coffeemakers in the sleepers....then passengers could get fresh coffee whenever they wanted, and all the attendant would have to do is occasionally clean and resupply them.


A fresh K-Cup? I've tried several brands and flavors but they all taste more like a dusty cardboard warehouse to me. Might as well switch to Folgers Crystals or Nescafe.


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## PVD (Mar 26, 2018)

Not for nothing, but we have k-cups in the instructors lounge at the training center where I teach some classes. They buy 8 different varieties of various styles, and there is a wide range of quality and taste, but almost everyone finds one they like. We don't go for price, that makes a big factor. Since it is a commercial machine it has a permanent water supply, and we keep a clean filter on it, that also makes a big difference. Rhe student lounge has a D_E machine, otherwise the cups would be gone every day.


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## Lonestar648 (Mar 26, 2018)

The K-Cup machine where I go is commercial with a water supply and a automatic waste disposal of the finished cup since no one seemed to be able to remove their used cup. The unit is serviced weekly by the vendor, who also brings more supplies. I don't think K-Cup is an option for the sleepers. People will hoard all the K-Cups like they do water bottles.


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## dlagrua (Mar 28, 2018)

K-Cups are an expensive way to brew coffee. The management at Amtrak is too stingy to go that route. As for the lack of ice (or the trouble to get it) that really gets on my nerves. During our 4-5 hr layovers in CHI we just walk to Greektown and buy a bag of ice at Marianos supermarket. That one bag of ice fills our cooler and provides ice for the morning hot juice and usually for the rest of the second day journey. .


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## PVD (Mar 28, 2018)

I have no problem with the ice not being out, but if someone declined to get it (as long as they were not on a break or busy doing something) I would be pretty annoyed.


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## Lonestar648 (Mar 28, 2018)

At Dinner time I may wait or at least let the SCA know, but say when they have time, especially if there are a lot of to go orders.


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## PVD (Mar 29, 2018)

Agreed, that was one of the main things that I was implying when I said "busy doing something" I also figure cleaning bathroom or shower, moving luggage for passengers and setting up rooms that are turning over during a trip as some of the things I wouldn't expect someone to stop for me.....Probably a few others I can't think of at this hour.


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## Northeastern292 (Mar 29, 2018)

On my last LD Amtrak sleeper trip (CZ, earlier this month), no refreshments outside of the complementary bottle of water was available for sleeper passengers.

I had my work-arounds, including asking for a glass of water along with soda at mealtimes.

Sent from my Moto Z2 Play using Amtrak Forum mobile app


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## railiner (Mar 29, 2018)

As for passenger's hoarding K-Cups....I hadn't considered that. It doesn't seem to be a problem on the bus line I mentioned, nor the complimentary bottled beverages and snacks in the self service pantry, but then that ride is only about 5 hours, not two days...

And coffee 'concentrate' or syrup? Yuck....they used that on Princess Cruise Lines and they had the worst coffee at sea, IMHO...

The best coffee machine that I've ever tasted coffee from, was a German made, WMF machine that grinded the beans, brewed them, and then french-pressed them into each cup....fantastic!

But that machine was much too expensive and elaborate to be just used for one sleeper...

Perhaps to prevent hoarding, the attendant could distribute a few of them each day to the passengers?


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## Lonestar648 (Mar 29, 2018)

The other option for Coffee would be to allow "Guests" (passengers) to get coffee or hot water from the DC since they have it around the clock. I do not see the K cup working.


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## PVD (Mar 29, 2018)

Concentrate based dispensers are only as good or bad as the quality of the product purchased, water supply, and cleanliness. There is a concentrate based coffee dispenser (also one for juices) at our educational center in Cutchogue. It makes sense for 24 hour access to coffee/hot water. They buy the "good stuff" and have a filter on the water. Same for our juice dispenser.


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## me_little_me (Mar 29, 2018)

Northeastern292 said:


> On my last LD Amtrak sleeper trip (CZ, earlier this month), no refreshments outside of the complementary bottle of water was available for sleeper passengers.
> 
> I had my work-arounds, including asking for a glass of water along with soda at mealtimes.
> 
> Sent from my Moto Z2 Play using Amtrak Forum mobile app


Or getting the dessert to-go.


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## Guest (Apr 1, 2018)

How many bottles of water does Amtrak supply to the SCA? If two per passenger, I can see why an SCA would allow only two (and that's being simply practical, not mean). Though, I can also see that, from experience, an SCA would know that some passengers would never request any, leaving extras for any passenger asking for a third or forth.

If there are extras, what does the SCA "officially" do with them? Take them home for themselves? Turn them in to the LSA to sell to coach people?


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## KmH (Apr 1, 2018)

I was on the CZ round trip OTM - SAC - OTM this last week.

Both ways, and in both sleeper cars, each TA-SC kept bottled water available at the coffee service station.


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## Lonestar648 (Apr 1, 2018)

Most recently, once SCA on the SL had two large bottle cases of water in his room that he handed out upon request and when he went room to room. Another SCA on the CZ had cases of water, small bottles on his upper bunk, but he also kept 4 or 5 out at the coffee station. He asked people when he made beds down if they needed more water. On the TE, you had to ask for more water which the SCA got from behind his always closed door of the SCA room. All three SCA had 2 bottles out in the room when we boarded.


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