can't get the bus

[Jennifer Barker]

I live in the middle-of-nowhere eastern Oregon, so I often catch the Coast Starlight at CMO. There is a wonderful little connecting bus to/from BDR, but I cannot get the reservation screen to show it on a BOS to BDR trip. It shows from SAC or CHI (the very same trains, just a different origin). Does anyone know a cure for this?

 

[oregon pioneer]

I live in the middle-of-nowhere eastern Oregon, so I often catch the Coast Starlight at CMO. There is a wonderful little connecting bus to/from BDR, but I cannot get the reservation screen to show it on a BOS to BDR trip. It shows from SAC or CHI (the very same trains, just a different origin). Does anyone know a cure for this?

Sorry, I didn't realize I wasn't signed in!

oregon pioneer

 

[NY Penn]

Judging by the fact that one can't go to SPG either, but can go to ALB, it's a problem with #448.

 

[oregon pioneer]

Judging by the fact that one can't go to SPG either, but can go to ALB, it's a problem with #448.

That does appear to be the case! The problem only appears when I include #448 in the itinerary. That said, if I want to book this trip using Guest Rewards points (have my 35,000 in hand, with a bonus purchase), do I have to speak with an agent to get it booked? 'Cuz, if I book it online, it will only accept it as a multi-city (and by my understanding, that takes extra points).

Sorry to appear naive, but this is going to be my first Guest Rewards trip, so I have never gone through the GR booking process. So excited to have enough points!

 

[oregon pioneer]

Judging by the fact that one can't go to SPG either, but can go to ALB, it's a problem with #448.

That does appear to be the case! The problem only appears when I include #448 in the itinerary. That said, if I want to book this trip using Guest Rewards points (have my 35,000 in hand, with a bonus purchase), do I have to speak with an agent to get it booked? 'Cuz, if I book it online, it will only accept it as a multi-city (and by my understanding, that takes extra points).

Sorry to appear naive, but this is going to be my first Guest Rewards trip, so I have never gone through the GR booking process. So excited to have enough points!

Lake Shore Ltd BOS to CHI is actually the #449/49.

 

[NY Penn]

Speak to an agent and see what the problem is. Might be a computer glitch.

 

[MrFSS]

If I understand you correctly - you are trying to get a ticket from BOS to BDR.

I can make that happen with the multi-city option - BOS - CHI, CHI - SEA, SEA - BDR.

BUT - you have to spend the night in Seattle as the train to BDR leaves before the Builder arrives.

That is probably why the reservation system won't allow you to make it as a continuous trip. Arrival/departure times don't mesh.

 

[oregon pioneer]

If I understand you correctly - you are trying to get a ticket from BOS to BDR.

I can make that happen with the multi-city option - BOS - CHI, CHI - SEA, SEA - BDR.

BUT - you have to spend the night in Seattle as the train to BDR leaves before the Builder arrives.

That is probably why the reservation system won't allow you to make it as a continuous trip. Arrival/departure times don't mesh.

Actually, I can make it happen just exactly the way I want it to with multi-city -- BOS-CHI, CHI-BDR (via SAC and CMO). But I believe that by breaking it into two legs, I would have to use extra Guest Rewards points for two, 2-zone trips, instead of one, 3-zone trip. The online screen will show me everything exactly as I want it, but won't show the CMO-BDR bus unless I break it somewhere. If the darn thing would book it online as a single trip, I would get it for 35,000 points. I am going to try speaking to an agent. I guess, at the worst, I would have to pay the $25 for the bus. But it is an Amtrak bus, and should be included.

 

[J-1 3235]

You will need to call AGR @ 1-888-707-6600 to reserve your three zone roomette. The agent should be able to make it work for you.

Looks like a great trip

Mike

 

[Swadian Hardcore]

Does anybody know why exactly the trip cannont be booked on 449?

 

[oregon pioneer]

Does anybody know why exactly the trip cannont be booked on 449?

It is obviously some kind of computer glitch. Thanks everyone for the discussion. It will make it easier for me to explain the problem to the agent.

 

[PRR 60]

I live in the middle-of-nowhere eastern Oregon, so I often catch the Coast Starlight at CMO. There is a wonderful little connecting bus to/from BDR, but I cannot get the reservation screen to show it on a BOS to BDR trip. It shows from SAC or CHI (the very same trains, just a different origin). Does anyone know a cure for this?

Sorry, I didn't realize I wasn't signed in!

oregon pioneer

You might have to call Amtrak to get the booking. Amtrak.com chokes on the itinerary (BOS-CHI-SAC-CMO-BDR), even when booked as "multi-city." It is a perfectly legit routing, so an agent should be able to get it for you.

 

[oregon pioneer]

OK, so here's the upshot: I did talk to an agent (you have to anyway, to book accommodations). I explained that the computer choked on the itinerary only when I started in Boston, that it worked fine if I started in Chicago or Sacramento. The agent asked his supervisor if he could, or should, override, and here's the answer:

If the computer won't do it, you are
S-O-L
!
I ended up paying the $25 for the bus ticket at the end (CMO to BDR). It was the least disappointing way to do it. I emphasized to the agent that I understood it was not his fault, but I was still an unhappy customer. However, I expect there will be no accommodation for my unhappiness, I'll "get over it" (pretty quickly: it's only 25 bucks and I get to go the way I want to), and that will be the end of it.

 

[saxman]

Does anybody know why exactly the trip cannont be booked on 449?

It is obviously some kind of computer glitch. Thanks everyone for the discussion. It will make it easier for me to explain the problem to the agent.

It's not just a glitch. It's a limitation with Amtrak reservation system, Arrow. Not every single city pair can be put into the system, especially those that are very complicated or obscure.

Like I was trying to get the system to give me DAL to ABQ via LAX on the Sunset Limited. It won't do it. But when I enter SAS to ABQ, it will.

So with your trip, you'll need to call AGR and get them to book the award. If this were a paid reservation, just use the multi-city function. Since this involves connections you would have to call AGR anyway as you can't book award tickets online that involve a connection or a sleeper.

 

[oregon pioneer]

Repeat: THEY WOULD NOT DO IT

They said I could book it multi-city if I wanted to spend the extra points (two, 2-zone roomettes instead of one, 3-zone), but they would not override.

I decided $25 for the bus ticket was a better deal than spending thousands of extra points for a multi-city booking.

 

[fairviewroad]

Actually, I can make it happen just exactly the way I want it to with multi-city -- BOS-CHI, CHI-BDR (via SAC and CMO). But I believe that by breaking it into two legs, I would have to use extra Guest Rewards points for two, 2-zone trips, instead of one, 3-zone trip. The online screen will show me everything exactly as I want it, but won't show the CMO-BDR bus unless I break it somewhere. If the darn thing would book it online as a single trip, I would get it for 35,000 points. I am going to try speaking to an agent. I guess, at the worst, I would have to pay the $25 for the bus. But it is an Amtrak bus, and should be included.

You can do what you want with no penalty by breaking it up into two legs, but CHI is the wrong place to split the trip since it is not on a zone boundary.

You should break up the trip in DEN, which is an AGR "border city."

Book BOS-DEN as a two zone award (20,000 points), then book DEN-BDR as a one zone award (15,000 points). These are both bookable segments, and you just stay on the train in DEN. Now, you have gotten from BOS-BDR for the same 35,000 points as you originally planned, and you can cancel your currently booked trip and get your $25 back.

 

[AlanB]

OK, so here's the upshot: I did talk to an agent (you have to anyway, to book accommodations). I explained that the computer choked on the itinerary only when I started in Boston, that it worked fine if I started in Chicago or Sacramento. The agent asked his supervisor if he could, or should, override, and here's the answer:

Jennifer,

Next time don't be so helpful! Just ask for what you want and don't volunteer that you can't get what you want via Amtrak.com and then let them figure things out. Because there are plenty of cases where people have indeed gotten exactly what they wanted, even though it could not be booked on Amtrak.com without using the multi-city function.

And this is indeed a valid routing as far as AGR rules are concerned, the problem simply is that no one has ever told ARROW that it is possible to go from Boston to Bend by train. Heck, I can book that trip from New York City on the regular screen using the Lake Shore, so there is no reason that it can't be done from Boston using the Lake Shore; except for the fact that no one told ARROW that it can be done. And this is the type of situation that an agent should be able to override; despite what you got told.

All that said; just follow the advice below from Fairviewroad:

Actually, I can make it happen just exactly the way I want it to with multi-city -- BOS-CHI, CHI-BDR (via SAC and CMO). But I believe that by breaking it into two legs, I would have to use extra Guest Rewards points for two, 2-zone trips, instead of one, 3-zone trip. The online screen will show me everything exactly as I want it, but won't show the CMO-BDR bus unless I break it somewhere. If the darn thing would book it online as a single trip, I would get it for 35,000 points. I am going to try speaking to an agent. I guess, at the worst, I would have to pay the $25 for the bus. But it is an Amtrak bus, and should be included.

You can do what you want with no penalty by breaking it up into two legs, but CHI is the wrong place to split the trip since it is not on a zone boundary.

You should break up the trip in DEN, which is an AGR "border city."

Book BOS-DEN as a two zone award (20,000 points), then book DEN-BDR as a one zone award (15,000 points). These are both bookable segments, and you just stay on the train in DEN. Now, you have gotten from BOS-BDR for the same 35,000 points as you originally planned, and you can cancel your currently booked trip and get your $25 back.

The AGR agent should be able to book both for you and even keep you in the same room in Denver requiring no moving. You'll just have to hand over a second ticket to the conductor at Denver.

 

[oregon pioneer]

I am talking to a much more helpful agent right now, per Fairviewroad's advice. The only thing she couldn't seem to do is get the system to give me the same room in and out of Denver ("should" is a wonderful word, but tell that to the computer). But after we're all done, wow, she goes back in and it lets her do it! Ha, ha!

The first time around, I did not tell them that it "couldn't be done" on the regular screen until they told me "no can do." Then I tried all sorts of arguments, nothing worked. So thanks for the good advice, since they don't seem to know those tricks at the AGR phone bank!