Can you move?

[dn4192]

On my upcoming eastbound Cardinal train I board in Indy at midnight so it won't matter to me as much what seat I get as I will be sleeping for the next 6-7 hours. However once the morning arrives should I find a better seat with a better view how hard is it to move to another seat for the remainder of my trip?

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

I'm not sure about the Cardinal but often Coach is open seating where you board and are invited to take any open seat. However, depending on your destination you will likely be directed to a specific Coach. But if you do want to switch seats check with the Coach Attendant or Conductor first and be sure to take the destination tag above your seat.

 

[xyzzy]

Ask. The coach attendant might be in a good mood and say "sure". Or, the coach attendant might be in a so-so mood, glower at you, and say "ok" as though he or she is doing you a big favor. Or, the coach attendant might be in a bad mood and tell you "no" (sometimes with a who-do-you-think-you-are look). It's Amtrak, roll the dice and see what happens.

This isn't meant to be cynical. I've had all three responses on the same train on different days, and it doesn't seem to correlate with anything except the attendant's mood.

 

[Tracktwentynine]

You can also go and hang out in the Lounge at your leisure, and sit on whichever side you want (that has an open seat). Unfortunately, the lounge seating on the Cardinal is very limited since it's just half an AmCafe, but it's still an option if you feel like you're on the wrong side of the train.

If you're going eastbound from Indianapolis, I would suggest the right side has better views, but there's good stuff to see on both sides.

 

[dn4192]

You can also go and hang out in the Lounge at your leisure, and sit on whichever side you want (that has an open seat). Unfortunately, the lounge seating on the Cardinal is very limited since it's just half an AmCafe, but it's still an option if you feel like you're on the wrong side of the train.

If you're going eastbound from Indianapolis, I would suggest the right side has better views, but there's good stuff to see on both sides.

The "right" side. that would be the right side facing the front of the train? Also do all seats face forward or are there some that face backwards?

 

[ehbowen]

You can also go and hang out in the Lounge at your leisure, and sit on whichever side you want (that has an open seat). Unfortunately, the lounge seating on the Cardinal is very limited since it's just half an AmCafe, but it's still an option if you feel like you're on the wrong side of the train.

If you're going eastbound from Indianapolis, I would suggest the right side has better views, but there's good stuff to see on both sides.

The "right" side. that would be the right side facing the front of the train? Also do all seats face forward or are there some that face backwards?

Generally it means the right side as you face the direction of travel, often referred to as "engineer's side" as opposed to "fireman's side" (in the days of steam locomotives, the engineer sat on the right side of the boiler while the fireman worked and kept a lookout on the left). While the seats can be turned around, I've never quite figured out how to do it myself. Generally on long distance trains they will have all the seats facing the direction of travel and physically turn the train at each terminal, but some shorter-distance trains which operate as "push-pull" trains do not turn at terminals and may have (approximately) half the seats facing each way...or they might have walkover seats that the riders can flip over themselves.

 

[Tracktwentynine]

You can also go and hang out in the Lounge at your leisure, and sit on whichever side you want (that has an open seat). Unfortunately, the lounge seating on the Cardinal is very limited since it's just half an AmCafe, but it's still an option if you feel like you're on the wrong side of the train.

If you're going eastbound from Indianapolis, I would suggest the right side has better views, but there's good stuff to see on both sides.

The "right" side. that would be the right side facing the front of the train? Also do all seats face forward or are there some that face backwards?

On the Cardinal in coach, 99% of the seats will be facing forward (the direction the train is moving). Personally, I believe the best scenery on the eastbound trip is out the right side (in the direction of travel), but you will see good things on either side.