Bedroom with 3 adults = 3 meals?

[jphjaxfl]

I traveled from Atlanta to New Orleans and back in 2003 with 3 adults in a Bedroom for day service....the beds were not used. I had no trouble booking this through the agent over the phone. All 3 received meals at the appropriate time. This was confirmed by the agent at the time of booking. With Amtrak trying to cut food service costs, this may have changed, but it was not a problem then.

 

[David in Seattle]

Hi AlanB (and anybody else),

Here what I am really interested in, for a Family Room... this option appeared on ez223's Aug 6 post:

5 passenger - 5 children, 1 adult + 4 children, 2 adults + 3 children, 3 adults + 2 children,
4 adults + 1 child
Exactly whom would I call and what would I say in order to get 4 adults and one child in a Family Room?

And can anybody supply an image of the section of the Service Manual ("08-205") which describes these capacities -- maybe it would be a help to actually have the documentation when I try to make the reservation.

David

I contacted Amtrak to see if they would send me a copy of the "08-205" section of the Service Manual (regarding sleeping room capacities), but they claim it does not even exist. Is there a way to actually get a copy of this section? Has anybody actually booked capacities higher than the limits enforced by the amtrak.com website (I think two adults and two children)?
* * * * * * * * * *

Dear David,

Thank you for your inquiry.

The current Service Standards Manual does not have a section 08-205, but the section on the Roomette does comply with the information on Amtrak.com (see attachment).

As information, Amtrak.com does give the capacity of the Roomette as two adults only - not two adults and two children, which would be for a family bedroom.

We hope this information is helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Amtrak Customer Relations

* * * * * * * * * *

Hi, 1) Could you please fax me a copy of section 08-205 of the Service Standards manual, which describes the maximum capacities of sleeping car rooms? My fax number is 206-666-9588. 2) In some cases the amtrak.com reservation system will not accept a reservation which is consistent with the standard. E.g., 8-205 specifies that two adults and two (presumably small) children can be accommodated in a Superliner Roomette, but the online reservation system will not accept this reservation. How would I book this kind of reservation if it is not accepted by amtrak.com?

* * * * * * * * * *

David,

Under no circumstances can you put two adults and two children into a roomette. The conversation you quoted was for a Bedroom, which is what Amtrak calls the larger of the two common types of rooms that Amtrak has. The smaller is called a roomette. Additionally on the Western trains and a few Eastern trains that do use the bi-level Superliner cars, there is a third type of room called the family room. That room, as noted by Amtrak in the above response, does permit two adults and two children. You may wish to visit this page to get a better feel for the type of rooms offered by Amtrak.

The Family room is the only room that you can book via Amtrak.com with 2 adults and 2 children. If you wanted to get a Bedroom, formerly called the Deluxe Bedroom and not to be confused with having a "bedroom" meaning a place to sleep, you will have to call Amtrak. That cannot be booked online if you want to put more than 2 people into the room. A roomette can accomodate 2 adults and 1 child, but again that too cannot be booked online, you'll have to call Amtrak or visit an agent at a station to put that many people into roomette.

 

[AlanB]

Hi AlanB (and anybody else),
Here what I am really interested in, for a Family Room... this option appeared on ez223's Aug 6 post:

5 passenger - 5 children, 1 adult + 4 children, 2 adults + 3 children, 3 adults + 2 children,
4 adults + 1 child
Exactly whom would I call and what would I say in order to get 4 adults and one child in a Family Room?

And can anybody supply an image of the section of the Service Manual ("08-205") which describes these capacities -- maybe it would be a help to actually have the documentation when I try to make the reservation.

David

David,

You will have to call and hope that you get an agent who knows what he/she is doing. If not, either hang up and try again, or ask for a supervisor who in theory would be better trained and know the rules and how to do it.

But please understand that there won't be a whole lot of room in that Family room at night. By day, you'll be just fine with the huge couch. But at night, you're going to have two adults in the lower bunk (not so much of a problem) and two adults in the upper bunk (a big problem as that bed is much narrower). The child can take one of the child's bunks of course.

I highly recommend that you go and take a look at the sizes of the beds on Amtrak's site to be sure that this is acceptable to you, before you try to book it. And be certain to specify to the agent that you want the Family Bedroom. If you just say Bedroom, you'll get turned away as the Bedroom cannot accomodate that many people under any circumstances.

 

[David in Seattle]

Hi Alan,

Thanks very much for the feedback. I have had our gang in a Family Room for a day trip, but not overnight.

It so happens that one of the adults is only about 4'7" or so, and the child is a bit shorter than that. So I figure I could take the bottom adult berth with the g/f (3'4"W X 6'3"L), the child's mom can take the upper berth (2'4"W X 6'2"L), the not-so-tall aunt of the child can take the lower "child" berth (2'3"W X 4'9"), and the child can take the upper "child" berth (2'0" X 4'7").

And the trip that we would take when we are able would be on the Coast Starlight... so we would spend lots of time in the Pacific Parlour Car (looking out the window and snacking and wine-tasting), some of the day in our room, and then night sleeping in the room. I think it would be a great trip

David

Hi AlanB (and anybody else),
Here what I am really interested in, for a Family Room... this option appeared on ez223's Aug 6 post:

5 passenger - 5 children, 1 adult + 4 children, 2 adults + 3 children, 3 adults + 2 children,
4 adults + 1 child
Exactly whom would I call and what would I say in order to get 4 adults and one child in a Family Room?

And can anybody supply an image of the section of the Service Manual ("08-205") which describes these capacities -- maybe it would be a help to actually have the documentation when I try to make the reservation.

David

David,

You will have to call and hope that you get an agent who knows what he/she is doing. If not, either hang up and try again, or ask for a supervisor who in theory would be better trained and know the rules and how to do it.

But please understand that there won't be a whole lot of room in that Family room at night. By day, you'll be just fine with the huge couch. But at night, you're going to have two adults in the lower bunk (not so much of a problem) and two adults in the upper bunk (a big problem as that bed is much narrower). The child can take one of the child's bunks of course.

I highly recommend that you go and take a look at the sizes of the beds on Amtrak's site to be sure that this is acceptable to you, before you try to book it. And be certain to specify to the agent that you want the Family Bedroom. If you just say Bedroom, you'll get turned away as the Bedroom cannot accomodate that many people under any circumstances.

 

[EB_OBS]

David in Seattle,

Unfortunately, since my post in this thread earlier, AMTRAK has revised the service manuals and this included a change to the capacity charts for sleeper accommodations. The option for the Family room for a party of 5, 4 adults + 1 child was removed. It may still be possible for 4 adults to be ticketed in the room for daytime travel only though. Only a supervisor would be able to make that reservation or sale though.

I'm unable to provide you with the actual copy of the Service Standards Manual. It's been changed so the page reference isn't accurate anymore. I'll edit my post with updated information.

 

[EB_OBS]

Hi Alan,
Thanks very much for the feedback. I have had our gang in a Family Room for a day trip, but not overnight.

It so happens that one of the adults is only about 4'7" or so, and the child is a bit shorter than that. So I figure I could take the bottom adult berth with the g/f (3'4"W X 6'3"L), the child's mom can take the upper berth (2'4"W X 6'2"L), the not-so-tall aunt of the child can take the lower "child" berth (2'3"W X 4'9"), and the child can take the upper "child" berth (2'0" X 4'7").

And the trip that we would take when we are able would be on the Coast Starlight... so we would spend lots of time in the Pacific Parlour Car (looking out the window and snacking and wine-tasting), some of the day in our room, and then night sleeping in the room. I think it would be a great trip

David

Hi AlanB (and anybody else),
Here what I am really interested in, for a Family Room... this option appeared on ez223's Aug 6 post:

5 passenger - 5 children, 1 adult + 4 children, 2 adults + 3 children, 3 adults + 2 children,
4 adults + 1 child
Exactly whom would I call and what would I say in order to get 4 adults and one child in a Family Room?

And can anybody supply an image of the section of the Service Manual ("08-205") which describes these capacities -- maybe it would be a help to actually have the documentation when I try to make the reservation.

David

David,

You will have to call and hope that you get an agent who knows what he/she is doing. If not, either hang up and try again, or ask for a supervisor who in theory would be better trained and know the rules and how to do it.

But please understand that there won't be a whole lot of room in that Family room at night. By day, you'll be just fine with the huge couch. But at night, you're going to have two adults in the lower bunk (not so much of a problem) and two adults in the upper bunk (a big problem as that bed is much narrower). The child can take one of the child's bunks of course.

I highly recommend that you go and take a look at the sizes of the beds on Amtrak's site to be sure that this is acceptable to you, before you try to book it. And be certain to specify to the agent that you want the Family Bedroom. If you just say Bedroom, you'll get turned away as the Bedroom cannot accomodate that many people under any circumstances.

Explain the situation to the agent you speak with. If they understand that one of the adults is indeed small enough to sleep in one of the child's berths then you may be able to make the reservation. Good luck.

 

[had8ley]

I emailed Amtrak and here was the reply:

Dear XXX,

Thank you for contacting us.

The recommend capacity is 2 Adults for a bedroom. Meals will only be included for 2 people. Most sleeping car rooms are designed to comfortably accommodate two averaged-sized adults, one in each berth.

We hope this information is helpful.

Sincerely,

Taryn

Amtrak Customer Service

Sounds like someone in Riverside, or Philly, needs some block training....pretty sad when the pax are more on the ball than those that book your trip. But then again, we are paying for the trip. Once Taryn presses the send button you're a gawn pecawn. :help:

 

[had8ley]

I emailed Amtrak and here was the reply:
Dear XXX,

Thank you for contacting us.

The recommend capacity is 2 Adults for a bedroom. Meals will only be included for 2 people. Most sleeping car rooms are designed to comfortably accommodate two averaged-sized adults, one in each berth.

We hope this information is helpful.

Sincerely,

Taryn

Amtrak Customer Service

See what I mean? Even customer service personnel can't always keep up with the changing policies. Rest assured, three meals for the deluxe bedroom is even within the old standard for sleeper passenger meals. I'm confident that on-board, your sleeping car attendant and the dining car LSA should be up to date on the policy. If not, ask them to check their Service Standards manual, chapter 8-205 for the current standard. I can assure you that my charts above are accurate and current. With 27 years to retirement I must be optimistic that eventually we'll get our act together and all be on the same page.

Thanks alot,gospel from a believable source,you are correct that Amtrak needs to get it together communication wise, when were wrong its because

we believe what they put out in the schedules/web sites etc. Hope the newbie is not too confused,I for one will remember this when I can

convince two other folks I can get along with in a bedroom to travel the USA with me! (of course to share the cost!!!!)

With the new menu Jim we're going to have to roll a keg on board. I don't know if the deluxe bedrooom door is wide enough :lol: :lol: :lol: Maybe Dave can tell us if he'll come out of the Penthouse

 

[chandj]

Hi AlanB (and anybody else),

Here what I am really interested in, for a Family Room... this option appeared on ez223's Aug 6 post:

5 passenger - 5 children, 1 adult + 4 children, 2 adults + 3 children, 3 adults + 2 children,
4 adults + 1 child
Exactly whom would I call and what would I say in order to get 4 adults and one child in a Family Room?

And can anybody supply an image of the section of the Service Manual ("08-205") which describes these capacities -- maybe it would be a help to actually have the documentation when I try to make the reservation.

David

I contacted Amtrak to see if they would send me a copy of the "08-205" section of the Service Manual (regarding sleeping room capacities), but they claim it does not even exist. Is there a way to actually get a copy of this section? Has anybody actually booked capacities higher than the limits enforced by the amtrak.com website (I think two adults and two children)?
* * * * * * * * * *

Dear David,

Thank you for your inquiry.

The current Service Standards Manual does not have a section 08-205, but the section on the Roomette does comply with the information on Amtrak.com (see attachment).

As information, Amtrak.com does give the capacity of the Roomette as two adults only - not two adults and two children, which would be for a family bedroom.

We hope this information is helpful to you.

Sincerely,

Amtrak Customer Relations

* * * * * * * * * *

Hi, 1) Could you please fax me a copy of section 08-205 of the Service Standards manual, which describes the maximum capacities of sleeping car rooms? My fax number is 206-666-9588. 2) In some cases the amtrak.com reservation system will not accept a reservation which is consistent with the standard. E.g., 8-205 specifies that two adults and two (presumably small) children can be accommodated in a Superliner Roomette, but the online reservation system will not accept this reservation. How would I book this kind of reservation if it is not accepted by amtrak.com?

* * * * * * * * * *

David,

Under no circumstances can you put two adults and two children into a roomette. The conversation you quoted was for a Bedroom, which is what Amtrak calls the larger of the two common types of rooms that Amtrak has. The smaller is called a roomette. Additionally on the Western trains and a few Eastern trains that do use the bi-level Superliner cars, there is a third type of room called the family room. That room, as noted by Amtrak in the above response, does permit two adults and two children. You may wish to visit this page to get a better feel for the type of rooms offered by Amtrak.

The Family room is the only room that you can book via Amtrak.com with 2 adults and 2 children. If you wanted to get a Bedroom, formerly called the Deluxe Bedroom and not to be confused with having a "bedroom" meaning a place to sleep, you will have to call Amtrak. That cannot be booked online if you want to put more than 2 people into the room. A roomette can accomodate 2 adults and 1 child, but again that too cannot be booked online, you'll have to call Amtrak or visit an agent at a station to put that many people into roomette.

I agree generally, except one CAN book three passengers on-line in a bedroom (I just did it two weeks ago on the Capitol Limited). I did not have to call Amtrak--however the third passenger is 2 years old, so maybe that's why I could book on-line. I don't know if I will have to buy the child's meal extra, but I will report what happens for future reference.

 

[Compuwriter]

So, when I take a bedroom by myself and since I'm fat, can I have two meals ?

( :lol: )

Based on the following information, only if you bring something that can simulate the second passenger. Maybe a manikin?

 

[David]

The maximum capacity of the Bedroom is 3 people. From Amtrak's website:

Our Superliner Bedroom is ideal for two passengers (but can accommodate three).

Therefore the OP is entitled to three meals in the dining car.

The family room includes four meals, however two of them are kid's meals.

Hi friends,

I have found the document "Service Standards for Train Service & On-Board Service Employees" (Effective 12:01am, April 30, 2011 -- Manual No. 6) posted at http://www.governmentattic.org/4docs/AmtrakServiceStandardsManual_2011.pdf.

Physical page 469 of the PDF document (with a page number "8-69" on the page) is the beginning of the section on "Sleeping Car - Berth Service", which includes charts of "Party Size" and "Allowable Party Composition". Here is an analysis of the room capacities.

For Superliner Roomette service, the maximum capacities are: with 0 adults present, 4; with 1-2 adults present, 3.

For Superliner Bedroom service, the maximum capacities are: with 0-2 adults present, 4.

For Family Bedroom service, the maximum capacities are: with 0-2 adults present, 6; with 3 adults present, 5.

I know from experience that the online reservation system will not accommodate some of these combinations with larger party sizes.

I wonder what the best way is to reserve a combination which is permitted in the Service Standards, but prohibited by the reservation system.

David

 

[AlanB]

I wonder what the best way is to reserve a combination which is permitted in the Service Standards, but prohibited by the reservation system.

David

You have to call up Amtrak or visit an agent at a station to put more people into a room than the website permits.

 

[Tumbleweed]

I wonder if they would let you split a meal if two people wish to share?

 

[alanh]

You could book both berths as "John" and "Jim" Doe. Then go to the diner as John, leave, change your shirt, and come back as your identical twin Jim.

Anyway, you get meals for anyone on a legitimate sleeper ticket. So if you're booked 3 in a room, that's how many meals you get.

They are required to warn you that a bedroom will be cramped with 3 adults, but as long as the two on the lower bunk don't mind snuggling, it's fine.

 

[user 1215]

Is this a policy change since this thread started in 2009? Seems like the letter from Amtrak is the standard that folks have been experiencing - max of two meals in bedroom or roomette.

The above stated polices are max capacities, but there is no correlation to meals, which I suppose could bolster your argument.

 

[EB_OBS]

Is this a policy change since this thread started in 2009? Seems like the letter from Amtrak is the standard that folks have been experiencing - max of two meals in bedroom or roomette.

The above stated polices are max capacities, but there is no correlation to meals, which I suppose could bolster your argument.

In the Standards Manual, in the On-board Service Accounting section under Mealchecks, there is a statement that Dining Car meals will apply to all persons booked into any Sleeping Car accommodation.

As long as passengers have a ticket indicating Sleeping Car accommodations, they are to be provided complimentary meals.