AutoTrain questions (roomette access, dining, business class)

[tuc]

I'm new to the forum and have never traveled via Amtrak before. Had I been aware of the Guest forum, I probably would have posted there instead of here. (It seems I'm no longer eligible to post there because I have registered an account.)

Anyway, I have reservations for a one-way AutoTrain trip in August. I haven't purchased anything yet. The reservations are being held for a week. I have that long to decide if I want to go ahead and purchase them.

There are three of us travelling, two adults and a teen, along with our single automobile.

What I have reserved is a roomette for two of our party, plus a coach seat for the third, plus the automobile. I was unable to book this via the Amtrak web site, so I called. The phone rep said it wouldn't be a problem, but in the end she had to make two separate reservations (one for the two in the roomette and the automobile, one for the third passenger in coach) but that they were "linked."

My thinking was that two of us would sleep in the roomette, and one would sleep in coach, and maybe we'd take shifts and swap places in the middle of the night. I figured during the day, the three of us would spend time together in the roomette.

I have no prior experience with Amtrak, remember, so I was just assuming it would be possible to do things this way. Now that I have searched the internet a little bit, I'm having doubts. Some posts have suggested that the third passenger would not even be permitted to visit the roomette during the day, much less do any sleeping there. Is this the case?

I'm also worried that we wouldn't be able to dine together, since it seems there are two dining cars, one for sleeper passengers and one for coach passengers. Can anyone tell me if that would be the case? If it is, that would be disheartening. I guess there may also be an issue of not being able to board the train at the same time.

If this really is a problem, one way to "fix" it would be to book all three of us in a superliner bedroom. That would cost about $200 extra, which we are not eager to spend.

I guess another possible "fix" (for the dining, if not for the visiting/sleeping) is to upgrade the third passenger to business class. This would be $59. I've been looking for reviews of business class AutoTrain since it started in February this year, but haven't been able to find anything except for an admin's aunt saying she was not terribly impressed. The price seems steep for what it buys. (I guess if one of us were to go business class, we could at least write a review! Then again, I'm not sure how valuable such a review would be. It would be our first trip on Amtrak and we would have nothing to compare it to.)

Another "fix" is for all three of us to go coach. Then we could eat together and board together. And it would save us $134. (It would have saved slightly more, except that there aren't three "saver" fares left for this particular date.)

I would appreciate anyone's thoughts on these issues.

-tuc

 

[CCC1007]

The Auto Train is a special case when it comes to dining cars, as there are two assigned to the coach section and a third for the sleepers.

 

[ehbowen]

Are you in any position to even consider a second roomette? It could make all the difference.

I've said it before, but I will say it here again: I have taken many trips in coach after which I later said that I wished I had spent the extra money and gone in a sleeper. There has never yet been a sleeper trip after which I looked back and said that I wished I had saved the money and gone coach.

 

[chakk]

I do not believe it is possible for coach passengers to move into a roomette to sit during daylight hours in the roomette with two paid sleeper passengers. Besides, the space is likely way too cramped to seat two adults and a teen in one roomette

 

[Alice]

Is the teen of such a temperament that they'd like being without parents in coach? And mature enough that passengers around them would appreciate how well they behaved and how interesting they were?

 

[Bob Dylan]

I'd look into booking another Roomette for the teen,but chances are you might not be in the same Sleeper.

Please call again and discuss this with an agent, the Coach would be OK for an overnight trip but as was said the Room is much more comfortable and you would be able to eat together and visit in the Sleepers.

Business Class seems to be just a Coach seat with meals in the Sleeper Diner and Bottles of water, probably better to put the $$ into a Roomette or even a Bedroom for all three of you if it's not too High a Bucket.

 

[PVD]

There is a member of this group who is an extremely knowledgeable retired Auto Train OBS. His response if offered will separate the "written" from the "actual" when it comes to the AT. I do have to agree that an S/L roomette is really small for 3 full sized people. A better place to be together would be in the lounge. How heavily booked the train is will probably influence some of this but I'm only guessing.

 

[OBS]

Even with a bedroom, you are not going to be able to sleep three "adults".

Regarding the dining, when you check in at Ticket office, they can arrange for you all to eat together in same dining car when you do your dinner reservations...

 

[priller]

I guess there may also be an issue of not being able to board the train at the same time.

Everybody boards at the same time. It's a very open system. You can even wander around the platform anytime you want.

Regarding the dining, when you check in at Ticket office, they can arrange for you all to eat together in same dining car when you do your dinner reservations...

I wouldn't count on that, if you have mixed sleeper/coach in your party. The menus are different, with more offered for sleeper. So, I doubt somebody with a coach fare would be seated in the sleeper diner.

 

[pennyk]

I guess there may also be an issue of not being able to board the train at the same time.

Everybody boards at the same time. It's a very open system. You can even wander around the platform anytime you want.

Regarding the dining, when you check in at Ticket office, they can arrange for you all to eat together in same dining car when you do your dinner reservations...

I wouldn't count on that, if you have mixed sleeper/coach in your party. The menus are different, with more offered for sleeper. So, I doubt somebody with a coach fare would be seated in the sleeper diner.

My guess is that your teen would not be able to dine in the sleeper dining car. I believe, however, the menus are the same now (at least they were when I traveled last year).

I believe the "link" to which the reservation clerk referred was the vehicle. Every passenger reservation has to be linked to an automobile. You can have more than one passenger/room per vehicle. However, I think the maximum number of persons would be the maximum that can travel in the vehicle. When I traveled last, I did not take my car, but my reservation was "linked" to a friend's reservation who brought his car. (It was my aunt who was not impressed with business class..... but then again, she is in her 80's and is not impressed by much - LOL). Business class may offer the opportunity for you to dine with your son without paying for a room. I would not count on his being able to sit with you during the day.

 

[the_traveler]

Roomettes have only 2 seats in them.

 

[PVD]

I took a quick look at the menus that are posted, they are now almost the same, sleeper includes the side salad, and they have a different chicken entrée. Tiramisu not a dessert choice in coach.

 

[Walt]

My thinking was that two of us would sleep in the roomette, and one would sleep in coach, and maybe we'd take shifts and swap places in the middle of the night.

I was thinking that the conductor catches you swapping, and tosses all three of you out at the next RR crossing.

 

[PVD]

Perhaps the best course might be for us to wait for Tom to respond, we are either guessing, or basing decisions on anectodal experiences. He was "the real deal" and his insight would be the most accurate.

 

[FormerOBS]

I feel so special!

It's nice to know my opinion is valued, although you should all remember that i retired 22 months ago (has it really been that long?), so it's possible that some of my info is out of date.

First, everybody boards at the same time except in the rare instances when an individual car is being worked on or restocked, and boarding for that car is delayed a bit. There would be announcements if that happens. The problem is that the coach passenger should board at the appropriate coach, and the sleeper passengers should board at the sleeper. Strictly speaking, the rules state that coach passengers are not permitted in the sleeper section, but sleeper passengers have access to the entire train. Exceptions have been permitted in the past, but I don't feel very confident promising that an exception would be allowed now. Many rules have been tightened up in recent years, so I'm not sure.

The dining is separate because of the large numbers of people to be fed. A full diner, often with supplemental seating in the adjacent lounge car, is needed to serve the sleeper section. A second diner at the other end of the train, supplemented by additional seating in an adjacent extra diner, is needed to serve the coach section. Often these diners are fully booked for three or four seatings, with no extra seats available for even one extra person. They may have enough food for an extra person, but not enough seats. The business class ticket would allow everybody to eat in the same diner without question, and this might also make it easier for the employees to justify an exception to the rule about no coach passengers in the sleeper.

I haven't been able to find out much about the business class service. It was instituted after my retirement, and feedback has been inconsistent. For the money, you are getting the chance to eat in the same place, and the meal is only marginally different, as compared to the coach diner.

A bedroom has two beds and a small private restroom. The upper berth is somewhat narrow, but adequate. The lower berth is wider, but it's not a full double bed. Passengers would ask me whether it's suitable as a double bed, and I would respond "That depends on how close you are as friends."

With advance notice, it might be possible to reserve two roomettes (formerly called economy rooms) across the hall from one another. If you can't get them across from each other, then you should be able to arrange to have them in the same car (the train carries 6, and sometimes 7, sleepers). Each roomette has two facing seats in the daytime. These make up into an upper and a lower berth for one person each at nighttime. If three people are traveling together, I would suggest having your sleeping car attendant (SCA) make up the two lowers and one upper, then use the unused upper as a luggage storage space. There are no restrooms in the roomettes, but there is one public restroom upstairs, and several more, plus a shower, on the lower level.

So the option of having one coach passenger is probably out because of the limited access to the sleeper section. The business class option might work, but I would only do that after getting assurance that your needs for access will be met. For this information, talk to an agent AT THE AMTRAK STATION. This will be much more reliable than talking to someone at the general reservations number because the Auto Train station personnel have regular, daily acquaintance with the peculiarities of the Auto Train.

My personal recommendation, if you can ft it into the budget, is the bedroom or the second roomette. Of course, you need to consider your own financial situation, and it would be presumptuous for me to dictate to you.

I hope this gives you some useful guidance. If you have other questions or ideas, don't hesitate to ask.

Have a great trip!

Tom

 

[Palmetto]

I've traveled in a roomette, and my friend was back in coach. I mentioned to the attendant that he would be joining me for cocktails before we both went to the diner. There was no problem with that, at least with the attendant I had. He brought set-ups for two at the time I asked him to, and he got a good tip when I got off the train the following day. May this was rule bending? I don't know.

 

[sitzplatz17]

As somewhat regular user of the Auto Train (about once a year) I completely concur with everything tom ("FormerOBS") has said.

I would also like to stress that the idea of trying to fit three people in a roomette is optimistic at best. There really are only two seats in the room and they aren't wide enough for two people.

As Tom said, we're not here to dictate how you spend your money; but I would strongly suggest getting a second Roomette or upgrade to the Bedroom if you have that as an option at all. With the former being preferable in this situation.

No matter what, let us know what you decided and how it went! The Auto Train is one of my favorite routes and my preferred was to get from the DC area to Florida.

Cheers,

-Sitzplatz17

 

[tuc]

Thanks for everyone's responses so far.

My thinking was that two of us would sleep in the roomette, and one would sleep in coach, and maybe we'd take shifts and swap places in the middle of the night.

I was thinking that the conductor catches you swapping, and tosses all three of you out at the next RR crossing.

Please keep in mind that I have no interest in doing anything underhanded. In my ignorance I presumed that this would be ok, like it would be on a cruise ship. (I have cruise ship experience, but not train experience.) I'm glad I asked here instead of just showing up with my assumptions on travel day.

I do not believe it is possible for coach passengers to move into a roomette to sit during daylight hours in the roomette with two paid sleeper passengers. Besides, the space is likely way too cramped to seat two adults and a teen in one roomette

This is good no know. So how are the coach passengers actually prevented from getting to the roomette? Are there guards between the cars or something? I certainly wouldn't have guessed it. (I'm asking because I'm curious, not because I would plan to defeat it.)

I didn't realize the roomette was quite that small, but it makes sense.

Even with a bedroom, you are not going to be able to sleep three "adults".

I never intended to have more that two people simultaneously sleeping in the roomette. I tried to explain this in my original posting.

Regarding the dining, when you check in at Ticket office, they can arrange for you all to eat together in same dining car when you do your dinner reservations...

I wouldn't count on that, if you have mixed sleeper/coach in your party. The menus are different, with more offered for sleeper. So, I doubt somebody with a coach fare would be seated in the sleeper diner.

The three of us definitely want to hang out together for all the non-sleeping parts of the journey. It sounds like my current reservation will not let us do that very well. (I guess we could hang out in lounge cars, only splitting up for meals and sleeping, but that doesn't really appeal to us.)

I'll keep reading (especially FormerOBS's post, which so far I have only skimmed) but we're leaning toward either (a) scrapping the entire reservation and going with three coach seats, or (b) flying one of us home on an airplane and the other two in the roomette.

 

[priller]

So how are the coach passengers actually prevented from getting to the roomette? Are there guards between the cars or something? I certainly wouldn't have guessed it. (I'm asking because I'm curious, not because I would plan to defeat it.)

Well, there is a sternly worded sign! :unsure:

But, its really dependent on an alert Sleeping Car Attendant (SCA). They will see everybody's face as they board the sleeper and again on their "welcome" walk around. They should challenge anybody that they don't recognize in any of the accommodations.

 

[PVD]

A generous gratuity coupled with an honest explanation by polite and decent people might make the SCA more "flexible"

 

[A Voice]

Thanks for everyone's responses so far.

Even with a bedroom, you are not going to be able to sleep three "adults".

I never intended to have more that two people simultaneously sleeping in the roomette. I tried to explain this in my original posting.

The bedroom is a different accomodation and larger than the Roomette, but as stated, still won't sleep three people. The Family Bedroom would sleep up to four, but that isn't an option in your case, because two of the bunks are child sized (for a small child at that).

The best advice I've seen so far is to price out two Roomettes compared to three coach seats. In either case you will all be together in one section of the train or the other. You absolutely can make this work without scrapping the whole idea, but it might cost a bit more for the two Roomettes.

 

[ehbowen]

I have traveled three in a Bedroom, but two of them were children...my niece and nephew, ages 9 and 12 at the time.

You are able to book three adults in a Bedroom, although you have to call and speak to an agent to do so. Whether or not you sleep comfortably depends, as FormerOBS said, on how friendly you are. The bottom berth is smaller than full size, but is a couple of inches larger than a standard twin bed. Would you be able to share a twin bed? If so, the bedroom will work.

 

[the_traveler]

On a regular Amtrak train, the Dining Car is situated between the sleepers and coaches. Besides the mentioned signs, many dining car staff will question you if you belong in the sleepers. (They may recognize you as entering for meals from the sleepers.)

I do not know the layout of the AT. (I've never taken it.)

 

[FormerOBS]

I've traveled in a roomette, and my friend was back in coach. I mentioned to the attendant that he would be joining me for cocktails before we both went to the diner. There was no problem with that, at least with the attendant I had. He brought set-ups for two at the time I asked him to, and he got a good tip when I got off the train the following day. May this was rule bending? I don't know.

Most trains do use the diner and lounge car as a buffer between the coaches and sleepers, but the size of the Auto Train requires a different setup. Working from south to north, the train begins with the coach diners, then the coaches. The 6 or 7 sleepers are at the north end, with the sleeper diner in the middle (3 cars on one end of the diner; 3 or 4 on the other). In the interest of simplicity, I am ignoring the two lounge cars. There's a sign at the entrance to the southernmost sleeper, indicating that coach passengers are not permitted. The train is not turned at the terminals. The engines and auto carriers simply swap ends and the train returns with the passenger cars in the same order, so you will find this south/north orientation no matter which direction you are traveling.

Yes, coach passengers in sleepers is rule bending. The rule is there to maintain a certain level of privacy for those who pay extra for the sleeping car accommodation. Don't worry about some big burly guard with a cudgel. He won't be there, and the door is unlocked. SCA's keep track of who is in their car, and they will question anyone who doesn't belong. However, this rule is sometimes stretched in order to make reasonable accommodation for passengers. Since my last post, I talked with someone who currently works on the train, and was told that these allowances are still being made on a case by case basis. Remember the reasons for the rule. If passenger privacy, plus a certain level of decorum, is maintained, this would not be a flagrant violation of sacrosanct rules. Amtrak personnel are not there to use the rules as a weapon against people who are simply trying to enjoy their trip. If you have discussed this with your SCA and are stopped by somebody else, a polite explanation should be all that is required.

In any case, the lounge cars are open to all passengers, and they are good places to socialize. If the third person goes coach, the only way to eat together may be for all three to eat in the coach diner. The coach diner is more likely to have room for the extra people.

Tom

 

[Seaboard92]

What about upgrading to a bedroom and going with an open ticket. Is an open ticket allowed on the auto train. That could get you three in the room. If I'm right. But I would defer to tom for that question.