can 2 people with separate reservation be in the same roomette?

[niemi24s]

I haven't found anything on Amtrak's website detailing it.

That being said, it's in the Amtrak Service Standards Manual (retrieved from Amtrak through a FOIA request and screenshot above by Ryan, although I think his is newer than what I have through a FOIA request) and some people here, including myself, have booked them before and used them without issue. They're not often used, so agents don't know much about them, but they do exist even if they're not listed directly on the Amtrak's website.

Excellent! Ryan's post was at the bottom of the page on my browser and got overlooked. Thanx, Ryan.

 

[DraftBeer]

The other person should buy an open sleeper ticket, and then have that associated with your room!

The reason for this is that (as explained) the charge for the room is per room, not per person. Additionally, each passenger is charged the lowest bucket (fare) as the base fare. So if (s)he paid $189, but the lowest bucket is $123, there would be a savings of $66!

This can be done anytime before departure.

Multiple Amtrak agents and supervisors told me that because the original ticket

was a saver fare, there's a fare difference between that and the open sleeper

ticket(which is the lowest bucket).... I guess there's no way around it then?

 

[jebr]

Yep. The Saver fare is 20% off the "rail fare", or the lowest Value fare. So in order to upgrade there would be that charge to bring it to standard fare.

Note that any discounts (senior, AAA, NARP, etc.) do apply to the open sleeper ticket, which could make the difference smaller (as those discounts do not apply to Saver fares.)

 

[PVD]

keep in mind that joining you as a sleeper passenger will now give the passenger lounge access (if applicable) and regular meals in the dining car included in the price. the room charge stays the same, so the price for 2 is considerably less per person than for one.

 

[PaulM]

That distinction between lowest regular price coach price and the actual lowest price when it comes to booking a sleeper has been around a long time. I remember years ago, questioning an agent when the price I was being charged didn't seem right. The explanation seemed bogus at the time.

But at least now with the new jargon, its easier to explain. Sleeping car passengers get charged the lowest "value" fare, not the "saver" fare, if one is offered. I doubt "lowest bucket coach fare" means anything to the typical passenger, or to the typical agent either.

 

[me_little_me]

On Monday, I gave a talk at the local Community College on Amtrak. In my research, I could not find any references to "open sleeper" on Amtrak's web site even though I have personally used them. Many agents have no idea what they are. This the usual Amtrak or do they call it by another name?

 

[Ryan]

Check the last post on the previous page.

 

[me_little_me]

Check the last post on the previous page.

Yes, but that is neither on the web site nor easily found by someone wanting to know about it. Having to tell an agent "Please refer to your internal documentation 'Standards Manual Page 8-219' " is not really the way it should be done. I didn't have a copy of the Manual past the Version 8 and, knowing it was obsolete, didn't think to look it up there.

I appreciate your pointing out the post although it doesn't really explain to the potential traveler what an Open Sleeper ticket is.

 

[Ryan]

That's because they shouldn't have to worry about it or what it's called. Agents should just be properly trained and book it when someone is in a situation where it would work.

Given that they're not, knowing what to ask for can help you get what you want.