Amenities that have disappeared from Amtrak

[Meat Puppet]

Just my list of things in the last 5 years or so that disappeared.

Unlimited bottled water

Wine tasting (EB/CS)

Trivia contest (EB)

Welcome champagne (EB/CS)

Ghirardelli chocolates (SL)

Morning newspaper

Hagen Daz ice cream

Shampoo/Conditioner bag (CS)

Smoking car (AT) not that I care

Parlor Car

Unlimited ice

Cranberry juice

Real china

 

[Thirdrail7]

With the onslaught of station closings, I'd say baggage service, red cap service, ADA assistance and unaccompanied minor transportation.

If we venture past the 5 year mark, we can throw in shoe shines for sleeping car passengers, unlimited self service soda, coffee and/or tea from Custom (now business class) passengers, en route window cleaning at certain station stops, the piano cars, the arcade cars and the en route movies, although I'm not sure many people used the last three.

Oh well. We did gain "the stew!"

 

[Sauve850]

Yes lots of things gone. Cant say I miss cranberry juice or smoking. I travel each year on several trains long distance and never have had a water or ice problem.

 

[RichieRich]

15 years on the AT:

Wine & Cheese Reception

Bowls of snacks in the Lounge

Fruit Bowls

Cookie Trays

NewsPapers in the rooms

Actual edible food cooked on-board

China plates (now COSTCO plastic)

Sporks coming soon

Bananas - yes - I survived the Great Banana famine where the Accountants thought jettisoning bananas would save a dime.

 

[cpotisch]

15 years on the AT:

Wine & Cheese Reception

Bowls of snacks in the Lounge

Fruit Bowls

Cookie Trays

NewsPapers in the rooms

Actual edible food cooked on-board

China plates (now COSTCO plastic)

Sporks coming soon

Bananas - yes - I survived the Great Banana famine where the Accountants thought jettisoning bananas would save a dime.

Sporks? They're gonna add sporks!?

EDIT: Or were you being sarcastic and I'm just an *****?

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Yes lots of things gone. Cant say I miss cranberry juice or smoking. I travel each year on several trains long distance and never have had a water or ice problem.

That cranberry juice went with Vodka much better than the orange juice

 

[PVD]

Smoking is not an amenity, and it presents lots of legal issues involving employee exposure to 2nd hand smoke. Ice and water are not gone, just obtained differently. I actually liked real newspapers, I still get 2 at home, on the road I just read them online.

 

[Lonestar648]

I find that many of the new SCA seems to be aware of not lifting anything, going off duty, and being at the door for tips. Years back, the SCA never said they were going off duty, also they always asked if they could help take things downstairs for you. There are still many SCA who follow the old school, but sometimes I feel they are dwindling with time. The old school SCA you rarely had to ask for anything, the SCA took pride in their car and their guests happiness.

 

[JayPea]

Smoking is not an amenity, and it presents lots of legal issues involving employee exposure to 2nd hand smoke. Ice and water are not gone, just obtained differently. I actually liked real newspapers, I still get 2 at home, on the road I just read them online.

I liked the newspapers, too, as long as they weren't USA Today, as was the case most of the time toward the last. To this day, when I am at a station for a fresh air break, and I happen to have small change, and there happens to be a newspaper box at the station, I will buy a copy of the paper of whichever town we happen to be in.

 

[dlagrua]

You forgot to mention the expensive, maybe 50 cent Carnation flower on the dining room tables that was used for the entire trip. Figure that a dining car has18 tables x 4 per table that's 72 servings per meal for one sitting. and probably more like 100 servings for the multiple turns of the tables. If you serve only two meals on a LD trip lets do the math; 200 people are served and the flowers amount to 50 cents x 18 tables. That s a $9.00 cost total cost for the entire dining car. Now if they do 200 servings that accounts for Amtrak saving 4.5 cents per meal served. The person who though of this great cost saving idea is an imbecile.

 

[railiner]

I miss the candlelight champagne dinners, the television news, the movies, the bingo games, and most of all....the "fashion show".....

You think I'm dreaming? All and more were available in the Amtrak "Florida Special", Diner or Recreation Car in the first few years of Amtrak....

 

[seat38a]

Yes lots of things gone. Cant say I miss cranberry juice or smoking. I travel each year on several trains long distance and never have had a water or ice problem.

That cranberry juice went with Vodka much better than the orange juice

Only in the afternoon. You got to stick with the screwdriver in the morning before breakfast.

 

[seat38a]

I started riding Amtrak after the cuts so can't say I miss anything since nothing was taken away from my point of view. For me, all of the bygone day stuff of Amtrak is just like the seat side carved chateaubriand on PanAm and TWA. Never experienced it, but heard of it.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

You forgot to mention the expensive, maybe 50 cent Carnation flower on the dining room tables that was used for the entire trip. Figure that a dining car has18 tables x 4 per table that's 72 servings per meal for one sitting. and probably more like 100 servings for the multiple turns of the tables. If you serve only two meals on a LD trip lets do the math; 200 people are served and the flowers amount to 50 cents x 18 tables. That s a $9.00 cost total cost for the entire dining car. Now if they do 200 servings that accounts for Amtrak saving 4.5 cents per meal served. The person who though of this great cost saving idea is an imbecile.

Really? You’re whining about a flower?

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum

 

[StriderGDM]

Whining about a flower? I didn't read that as a whine as much as an example of a tiny detail that didn't cost much, added a nice touch of class and yet is gone.

That said, the thing I miss on Empire Service trains (beside the cafe entirely!) is you could ask for a little package of lettuce and tomato to go with your sandwich. Granted most now (when you can get them) are a bit better or may include such, but for a long time it was a little known fact that they kept a stash in one of the fridges.

 

[jis]

I remember getting a small folder with an Amtrak picture postcard and some Amtrak stationary, in the Sleeper of Broadway Limited circa early '80s. Of course that also came with a small bottle of wine and a small cheese and cracker pack as welcome on the Sleeper upon boarding at New York.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I miss the flowers and real plates as well. I have no idea how much the flowers cost or how complicated it was to stock them or how much effort was involved in washing the dishware but I did appreciate them and hope they come back someday.

You forgot to mention the expensive, maybe 50 cent Carnation flower on the dining room tables that was used for the entire trip. Figure that a dining car has18 tables x 4 per table that's 72 servings per meal for one sitting. and probably more like 100 servings for the multiple turns of the tables. If you serve only two meals on a LD trip lets do the math; 200 people are served and the flowers amount to 50 cents x 18 tables. That s a $9.00 cost total cost for the entire dining car. Now if they do 200 servings that accounts for Amtrak saving 4.5 cents per meal served. The person who though of this great cost saving idea is an imbecile.

Really? You’re whining about a flower?

It looks like he's responding in good faith to the topic of the thread. I see nothing at all about the thread topic in your post. In fact it's starting to look like you're following/stalking another user just to endlessly complain about his personal opinions.

 

[niemi24s]

This thread needs some sort of gutter at its bottom to drain away all the tears and slobber being shed as we wax nostalgic and reminisce. All that uncontrolled moisture is certain to play havoc with our server - rusty electrons have a hard time traversing a forward biased p-n junction.

 

[railiner]

This may sound really silly..............but I miss the "pointless arrow" Amtrak logo, especially on the Conductor's uniform cap badges....I don't like the current ones....

I know that is not an "amenity", but simply something I miss on Amtrak, so forgive me if I digress a bit from the question.....

 

[Lonestar648]

Thinking back after reading what has changed, I thought the the welcoming in each room (table pulled out, white napkin covering it, the mini stainless steel vase with a flower, a few treats on the table cover, some SCA had a welcome card. Your beds were made down each night with a chocolate on each pillow and your SCA getting your wake up time for your coffee juice and newspaper. It isn't any one specific amenity, but all of these things together creating the atmosphere for how Sleeping Car passengers were treated that we miss.

 

[railiner]

I wonder if any old-time attendants provide some of that service on their own....such as putting an Andes chocolate mint on the pillows, etc.?

And if the Company disapproves such enterprising actions, as it would make the services rendered overall more inconsistent?

 

[JayPea]

I wonder if any old-time attendants provide some of that service on their own....such as putting an Andes chocolate mint on the pillows, etc.?

And if the Company disapproves such enterprising actions, as it would make the services rendered overall more inconsistent?

I have had several over the past few years do these things on their own.

 

[cpotisch]

My first ever LD ride was I think in 2011, which was after almost every lost amenity mentioned here.

It's sad that I'll never get to experience almost any of the last remnants of the elegance and luxury that used to define train travel.

 

[KmH]

If you can swing the trip, try Rovos Rail in South Africa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo_ng1S2OxE&feature=youtu.be

 

[Lonestar648]

Wow! Wish I had that type of money in order to afford such a trip. Definitely not public transportation like Amtrak.