Portland station

[AKA]

What is the procedure for the trian change form Starlight NB #14 to east bound Empire Builder #28? Traveling in sleeper from LAX to PDX. Then Empire Builder PDX to CHI.

As we will be in the last or next to last car on the train I am wondering about meal service. We are in H bedroom. My wife just cant do the steps and that long a walk. We are good tippers. I know that in room service is part of the SCA's job. However I also have been told by two SCA's in the past that they are better SCA's than waiters. Yes they were reported in letters to Amtrak.

Just wondering if anyone has been in this situation before and what thier experience was like. We can better deal with it if we know what to expect.

I must say that we have a good experience all most every trip. to put a number on it 9 out of 10. I know that its a long walk for the SCA too.

 

[Trogdor]

Really depends on if 14 is on time or late. If on time, you'll head into the station, check into the Metropolitan Lounge (turn left once you enter the station from the tracks), and wait there for 28 to board.

If late, 28 could be boarding/holding for your train's arrival, in which case you wouldn't go into the station.

If even later, they may do a bus to shortcut the connection.

If really, really late you might wind up overnighting in a hotel.

SCA should bring your meals from dining car. However, on first night out of Portland, all meals are served in-room anyway, since they are boxed meals. Dining car doesn't join until Spokane.

 

[gercohen]

I did this transfer from 14 to 28 in 2010 with bedrooms on both trains. Both trains were on time so had about 20 minutes in the lounge in Portland. Amtrak staff was very helpful and our SCA delivered our cold boxed lunch to our sleeper within 30-45 minutes of our departure from PDX (no hot food as the diner comes into Spokane from Seattle as another poster mentioned.

 

[Visitor200]

If you arrive at Portland on time, then you may want to invest $30 in purchasing two hot meals nearby before boarding.

Better, you can call Pizza Hut and speak to the manager - order a very nice large hot pizza with all of the trimmings, provide a credit card, and ask that the driver deliver the meal to either the Metropolitan Lounge under your name - or to the pre-assigned bedroom number on the Empire Builder.

 

[the_traveler]

1349813347[/url]' post='398508']If you arrive at Portland on time, then you may want to invest $30 in purchasing two hot meals nearby before boarding.

Better, you can call Pizza Hut and speak to the manager - order a very nice large hot pizza with all of the trimmings, provide a credit card, and ask that the driver deliver the meal to either the Metropolitan Lounge under your name - or to the pre-assigned bedroom number on the Empire Builder.

I respectfully disagree with that advice! Even though it is a cold boxed dinner. I consider it to be one of - if not the - best meal I've had on Amtrak!

It is prepared by one of the gourmet restaurants in Portland!

 

[roomette]

1349813347[/url]' post='398508']If you arrive at Portland on time, then you may want to invest $30 in purchasing two hot meals nearby before boarding.

Better, you can call Pizza Hut and speak to the manager - order a very nice large hot pizza with all of the trimmings, provide a credit card, and ask that the driver deliver the meal to either the Metropolitan Lounge under your name - or to the pre-assigned bedroom number on the Empire Builder.

I respectfully disagree with that advice! Even though it is a cold boxed dinner. I consider it to be one of - if not the - best meal I've had on Amtrak!

It is prepared by one of the gourmet restaurants in Portland!

The cold breakfast sucks going the other way. Worst meal ever.

 

[MrFSS]

If you arrive at Portland on time, then you may want to invest $30 in purchasing two hot meals nearby before boarding.

Better, you can call Pizza Hut and speak to the manager - order a very nice large hot pizza with all of the trimmings, provide a credit card, and ask that the driver deliver the meal to either the Metropolitan Lounge under your name - or to the pre-assigned bedroom number on the Empire Builder.

I respectfully disagree with that advice! Even though it is a cold boxed dinner. I consider it to be one of - if not the - best meal I've had on Amtrak!

It is prepared by one of the gourmet restaurants in Portland!

I have to agree with Dave - one of the best meals I have had on Amtrak was the cold-boxed-diner on the Portland section of the EB. Top Quality!

 

[AlanB]

I haven't tried the dinner, but I have to agree with roomette, that the cold breakfast is terrible. In fact, I didn't even take the one that I was entitled to and instead opted for the AmEggMuffin.

 

[the_traveler]

1349814576[/url]' post='398510']

1349814433[/url]' post='398509']

1349813347[/url]' post='398508']If you arrive at Portland on time, then you may want to invest $30 in purchasing two hot meals nearby before boarding.

Better, you can call Pizza Hut and speak to the manager - order a very nice large hot pizza with all of the trimmings, provide a credit card, and ask that the driver deliver the meal to either the Metropolitan Lounge under your name - or to the pre-assigned bedroom number on the Empire Builder.

I respectfully disagree with that advice! Even though it is a cold boxed dinner. I consider it to be one of - if not the - best meal I've had on Amtrak!

It is prepared by one of the gourmet restaurants in Portland!

The cold breakfast sucks going the other way. Worst meal ever.

I agree with that. The worst meal I had on Amtrak is the cold boxed breakfast on #27, while the best meal I had on Amtrak is the cold boxed dinner on #28!

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Full agreement here on the Cold Box Dinner-plenty good and plenty filling. I had the Chicken.

SCA Janet Turner: What is it, doctor? What's going on?

Dr. Baird: I'm not sure. Unless... what was it we had for dinner tonight?

SCA Janet Turner: Well, we had a choice. Chicken or fish.

Dr. Baird: Yes... I remember. I had Chicken. What did he have? The Conductor?

SCA Janet Turner: He had fish.

Dr. Baird: All right. Now we know what we're up against. Every passenger who ate fish for dinner on this train will become ill within a half-hour after consumption.

SCA Janet Turner: Why?

Dr. Baird: I'm very certain now that it has to do with the fish. There seems to have been contaminated seafood brought on the train.

SCA Janet Turner: How could the fish be contaminated? The railroad checks all foods prior to departure.

Dr. Baird: Possibly because of an undetected bacteria strain or untreated cleaning processes of the seafood... but that's not important right now! Tell the Engineer we need to stop this train as soon as we can. We can't wait before we stop in Vancouver.

 

[gregoryla]

I have to agree with the others that the cold dinner out of Portland is wonderful. It is from a gourmet restarurant in Porland and is very nice. We had a choice of (as I remember) salmon salad, chicken salad or roast beef salad. We both had salmon and it was terrific. We had bought a bottle of pinot noir wine before boarding and it went nicely.By the way, we were downstairs and the SCA served us just fine.