TVRM610
Conductor
If I went into details I would have to write a book and I don't really feel like that today, but here are the basics of my latest Amtrak Adventure!
Train #20 from ATL-NYP Using Guest Rewards in Roomette. 1-Baggage, 2 Sleepers, Diner, Lounge, 3 Coaches
Train was on time the whole way (of course, it's the Crescent!). Sleeper Attendant named Phil, he was decent, as was the dining car crew. I tried the "Jambalaya" since it was new on the menu. It had a good taste but the portion seemed a bit small compared to other amtrak meals. Breakfast and Lunch were both good as well. Crew seemed very relaxed and was letting people sit 2 or 3 per table since it wasn't very crowded, I thought that was quite nice.
(A few NYC Subway rides a.k.s days later...)
Train #97, Silver Meteor from NYP to Orlando FL, purchased ticket in Roomette. 1 Baggage, 3 Sleepers, Diner, Lounge, 3 Coaches
Train ran close to on time. Maybe 20 min. late? I can't remember for sure. Sleeper Attendant named Ron... worst I've ever had. Told me I needed to tip in the dining car, Had to wait a long time for him to get the beds up and down, didn't get a newspaper. Oh well.. can't win them all! Diner service was a mess for dinner, very slow and unorganized. The LSA was nice enough though. I tried the fish (don't reccomend it) but the potatoes and vegetables were very good. Breakfast and Lunch were much better the next day. Quick and much more friendly service. It didn't SEEM that much more crowded at Dinner but you never know.
(Took the Lynx bus to Disney World from Orlando Amtrak which costs a grand total of $2.00 if you ask the driver for a free transfer. Take that $60 taxi cab rides!)
Train #98, Silver Meteor from Orlando FL to Washington DC Using Guest Rewards in Roomette. Same car setup.
Train arrived 40 min. late into Orlando, but it made all that time up by DC, we arrived in DC about 30 min. ahead of schedule. Sleeper Attendant named Vick and was the complete opposite of Ron... this guy was great. Extremely nice, cheerful, great personality. Had extra water as well as mints in the room. He was always checking on everyone and letting us know what time to expect to arrive. Gave me a great wake-up knock. He was just great. The diner stayed open for lunch even past 2:30, which was nice. However this diner crew was pretty pathetic. No personality, no one even trying to be friendly... waitress was down right rude to the table across from us. You literally had to get up and go to them if you wanted dessert, which many people did. I had the pasta dish for dinner, it was ok, but nothing great. Train was very rough tonight, pretty sure the engineer was pushing the speed a bit, course it was CSX tracks... oh my. I also just happened to be awake at who knows what time when we passed the South Bound Auto Train... that was fun! By the way I tipped Vick $40, he was that good.
(Layover in DC, visited the sights, including the 1401, John Bull, and Jupiter which are located in the Smithsonian American History Museum. )
Train #19, Crescent from DC to Atlanta Using same 1-zone Reward from Orlando for a Roomette.
1- Baggage, 1 Sleeper, 1 Diner, 1 Lounge, 3 Coaches
Train kept perfect time the entire route (again.. it's the Crecent). This train was ending in Atlanta due to track work between ATL and NOL. Hence the 1 Sleeper. Our Attendant was Carl, great guy who I have had on the Crescent before. He's fairly young, but has been on the Crescent for 3 years, and was on the City before that (it seems that all the NOL crew flips from the Crescent to the City quite a bit). Diner crew was great too, they were cracking jokes the whole way. I got the roasted chicken, which to me is still the most consistent item on the menu. It seemed extra good tonight though, potatoes were great as well. When I ordered cheesecake the waitress asked if I wanted ice cream with it... WOW! on Amtrak? Of course I said yes and was even more surprised when it was served in a dish next to the cake (i.e. it had been taken out of the little tub!). Slept great on the NS tracks and arrived in ATL 20 min. early.
Overall it was a great amtrak trip. The service is definately lacking on the Silver Meteor, even though Vick was great, the whole train just had a vibe to it on both trips.
My biggest complaint on all the trains were the cleanliness of the windows. What is going on? The worst was #97, you could literally barely see out of the Sleeper window. That is alot of money to pay for a dirty window. All of the trains had them though. Are the window washers on strike?
Feel free to comment of course, and ask any questions I may not have covered. Happy Train-ing!
Train #20 from ATL-NYP Using Guest Rewards in Roomette. 1-Baggage, 2 Sleepers, Diner, Lounge, 3 Coaches
Train was on time the whole way (of course, it's the Crescent!). Sleeper Attendant named Phil, he was decent, as was the dining car crew. I tried the "Jambalaya" since it was new on the menu. It had a good taste but the portion seemed a bit small compared to other amtrak meals. Breakfast and Lunch were both good as well. Crew seemed very relaxed and was letting people sit 2 or 3 per table since it wasn't very crowded, I thought that was quite nice.
(A few NYC Subway rides a.k.s days later...)
Train #97, Silver Meteor from NYP to Orlando FL, purchased ticket in Roomette. 1 Baggage, 3 Sleepers, Diner, Lounge, 3 Coaches
Train ran close to on time. Maybe 20 min. late? I can't remember for sure. Sleeper Attendant named Ron... worst I've ever had. Told me I needed to tip in the dining car, Had to wait a long time for him to get the beds up and down, didn't get a newspaper. Oh well.. can't win them all! Diner service was a mess for dinner, very slow and unorganized. The LSA was nice enough though. I tried the fish (don't reccomend it) but the potatoes and vegetables were very good. Breakfast and Lunch were much better the next day. Quick and much more friendly service. It didn't SEEM that much more crowded at Dinner but you never know.
(Took the Lynx bus to Disney World from Orlando Amtrak which costs a grand total of $2.00 if you ask the driver for a free transfer. Take that $60 taxi cab rides!)
Train #98, Silver Meteor from Orlando FL to Washington DC Using Guest Rewards in Roomette. Same car setup.
Train arrived 40 min. late into Orlando, but it made all that time up by DC, we arrived in DC about 30 min. ahead of schedule. Sleeper Attendant named Vick and was the complete opposite of Ron... this guy was great. Extremely nice, cheerful, great personality. Had extra water as well as mints in the room. He was always checking on everyone and letting us know what time to expect to arrive. Gave me a great wake-up knock. He was just great. The diner stayed open for lunch even past 2:30, which was nice. However this diner crew was pretty pathetic. No personality, no one even trying to be friendly... waitress was down right rude to the table across from us. You literally had to get up and go to them if you wanted dessert, which many people did. I had the pasta dish for dinner, it was ok, but nothing great. Train was very rough tonight, pretty sure the engineer was pushing the speed a bit, course it was CSX tracks... oh my. I also just happened to be awake at who knows what time when we passed the South Bound Auto Train... that was fun! By the way I tipped Vick $40, he was that good.
(Layover in DC, visited the sights, including the 1401, John Bull, and Jupiter which are located in the Smithsonian American History Museum. )
Train #19, Crescent from DC to Atlanta Using same 1-zone Reward from Orlando for a Roomette.
1- Baggage, 1 Sleeper, 1 Diner, 1 Lounge, 3 Coaches
Train kept perfect time the entire route (again.. it's the Crecent). This train was ending in Atlanta due to track work between ATL and NOL. Hence the 1 Sleeper. Our Attendant was Carl, great guy who I have had on the Crescent before. He's fairly young, but has been on the Crescent for 3 years, and was on the City before that (it seems that all the NOL crew flips from the Crescent to the City quite a bit). Diner crew was great too, they were cracking jokes the whole way. I got the roasted chicken, which to me is still the most consistent item on the menu. It seemed extra good tonight though, potatoes were great as well. When I ordered cheesecake the waitress asked if I wanted ice cream with it... WOW! on Amtrak? Of course I said yes and was even more surprised when it was served in a dish next to the cake (i.e. it had been taken out of the little tub!). Slept great on the NS tracks and arrived in ATL 20 min. early.
Overall it was a great amtrak trip. The service is definately lacking on the Silver Meteor, even though Vick was great, the whole train just had a vibe to it on both trips.
My biggest complaint on all the trains were the cleanliness of the windows. What is going on? The worst was #97, you could literally barely see out of the Sleeper window. That is alot of money to pay for a dirty window. All of the trains had them though. Are the window washers on strike?
Feel free to comment of course, and ask any questions I may not have covered. Happy Train-ing!
