Cardinal sleeper car orientation and lounge car access

[BalmyZephyr]

My husband and I are super excited we have finally booked a trip on the Cardinal. It is in early December so days are short. We're traveling round trip to Maysville from DC (after Northeast Regional sleeper from New England) hoping to see the WV scenery (rivers, bridges, towns) in particular. We have Roomette 12 car 5100 going west and Roomette 5 car 5000 going east. The Viewliner diagrams online don't show which way is front. Do they turn the car? If so, we will see the same side both ways, if I'm thinking straight. Should I try to get one of the roomettes changed to the other side? I've read some Cardinal threads where most people are saying the train crosses the river a few times so there's no clear winning side, but regardless, we don't want to see the same side both ways, do we? Also, are they letting people sit in the lounge car these days? Thanks for any insights!

 

[pennyk]

I rode the Cardinal westbound in October in an odd numbered room (on the right side of the train). The sleeper is at the rear of the train. I think you may be on the same side of the train going both ways.
There was no lounge on the cardinal. There was a cafe/diner and the half towards the sleeper was "reserved" for crew (which did not make me happy). Most passengers ate in their rooms. I did not. The SCA wanted everyone to eat breakfast in the dining car section (closest to coach) so she could make up the rooms.

I am not a regular Cardinal rider, so my experience may not be typical.

 

[MARC Rider]

I rode the Cardinal in December 2019, a few months before the Coronavirus pandemic started. As Penny Said, there is a Cafe-"diner," with one end of the car (the "diner" end) reserved for sleeping car passengers. On my trip, most of the sleeper passengers ate in the diner, but I think my train only had 12 sleeper passengers, so it wasn't very crowded. I had no problem hanging out at a table in the diner area between meals. When I rode in 2015, I also hung out in the diner-cafe, but at one point, the conductors sent us back to our accommodations for a while. During my couple of trips on other flex meal trains during the pandemic, I hung out for a while in the diner/cafe with no problem from the staff. However, others have reported that conductors and OBS staff can be inconsistent about making rules for people in the diners and cafe cars, so be prepared for anything. However, my understanding is that one of the deals about flex dining is that the diner is also available for use by the sleeper passengers as a lounge car.

 

[BalmyZephyr]

There was no lounge on the cardinal. There was a cafe/diner and the half towards the sleeper was "reserved" for crew (which did not make me happy). Most passengers ate in their rooms. I did not. The SCA wanted everyone to eat breakfast in the dining car section (closest to coach) so she could make up the rooms.

Thanks, yes, I meant the cafe car. Are they like the ones on the Northeast Regional? Do the crew take up the longer good side without the luggage racks? That would suck. Those cafe cars can be fantastic for viewing out both sides if you sit in the rear-center of them facing forward. The shorter side doesn't have the same visibility or open feeling.
So do the Cardinal sleeper cars face in the direction that would place the Bedrooms at the front of the car, or the showers?

 

[Dakota 400]

but regardless, we don't want to see the same side both ways, do we?

Just a thought: if the sleeper is the last car on the train, you will have the train fan window at the end of the car for your to do some sightseeing.

 

[MARC Rider]

Just a thought: if the sleeper is the last car on the train, you will have the train fan window at the end of the car for your to do some sightseeing.

Not on the Cardinal. The baggage car is behind the last sleeper.

 

[Dakota 400]

Not on the Cardinal. The baggage car is behind the last sleeper.

Thanks. I did not realize that.

 

[pennyk]

Not on the Cardinal. The baggage car is behind the last sleeper.

A bagdorm was the last car on the train on which I traveled.

So do the Cardinal sleeper cars face in the direction that would place the Bedrooms at the front of the car, or the showers?

Bedrooms in front.

 

[pennyk]

I meant the cafe car. Are they like the ones on the Northeast Regional? Do the crew take up the longer good side without the luggage racks?

I think the cafe car on the Cardinal is a bit different than those on the NEC (but not sure). I think it was the smaller side that was reserved. However, during much of the trip the coach side was occupied by coach passengers eating from the cafe car. I purchased a beer from the cafe and sat in the coach side at a table and was able to look out both sides of the train. I had just gotten off the Silver Meteor which has a lovely designate sleeper lounge and was disappointed in the cafe car on the Cardinal. At least one table in Cardinal cafe had seats only on one side.

 

[me_little_me]

On our outgoing trip two weeks ago, at meal time at least, seats on one side of the cafe counter were reserved for sleeper passengers eating. Interestingly enough, it was on the opposite side of the counter from the sleeper cars. On the return trip, we were forced to eat dinner in our rooms but we could sit in the cafe for breakfast but were directed to sit, again, on the side opposite the sleepers.

 

[Seaboard92]

The easiest way to tell which way a car is and it's a 95 percent certain thing is this. The Vestibule End with the H Room will always be closest to the cafe/diner. So then you just need to know which end of the train the sleepers are on. The Cardinal they are on the rear so on No. 51 your roomette will be on the south side of the train. On No. 50 you again will be on the south side of the train.

 

[pennyk]

The easiest way to tell which way a car is and it's a 95 percent certain thing is this. The Vestibule End with the H Room will always be closest to the cafe/diner. So then you just need to know which end of the train the sleepers are on. The Cardinal they are on the rear so on No. 51 your roomette will be on the south side of the train. On No. 50 you again will be on the south side of the train.

Since the Cardinal routinely sells out, passengers may not be able to change rooms since there may not be anything available, but there is no harm in trying.

 

[PVD]

As we always caution, when you talk to an agent, they are modifying, not canceling and rebooking which often results in a higher bucket price...If they tell you they can't, get a supervisor on the call. Once in a while you will get offered a surprise price reduction, but the Cardinal is usually pretty heavily sold and it is unlikely.

 

[jiml]

The only cautionary note I'd offer regarding sleeper position is that Amtrak frequently uses the eastbound Cardinal to drop cars at their service facility near Indianapolis. If this is the case the sleepers will be on the front, which happened the last time we took it and resulted in a very long walk from the platform entrance in Chicago. We dropped 3 cars and a locomotive on the way.

 

[jpakala]

If you had a long walk in Chicago the drop-off was occurring eastbound evidently.

 

[Cal]

I'm not sure if you've been on any western trains, but on my *one* trip on the Cardinal the atmosphere in the cafe was nothing like the atmosphere in the SSL (or even CCC) of western trains. Much worse, IMHO.

 

[BalmyZephyr]

I'm not sure if you've been on any western trains, but on my *one* trip on the Cardinal the atmosphere in the cafe was nothing like the atmosphere in the SSL (or even CCC) of western trains. Much worse, IMHO.

We're ready for that. We've been on most of the Western trains but also the Lake Shore Limited and (frequently) the NEC so we get the difference between Superliner and Viewliner. If the cafe car in the Cardinal is the kind they have on the NE Regional, we'll be happy but only if they let us sit in the longer more open side. But, having read a ton of reviews and threads about the Cardinal, we know it won't be a wraparound vista. That's why we got a roomette, not to sleep necessarily, but to have a big window, and not have to wear a mask.

 

[BalmyZephyr]

As we always caution, when you talk to an agent, they are modifying, not canceling and rebooking which often results in a higher bucket price...If they tell you they can't, get a supervisor on the call. Once in a while you will get offered a surprise price reduction, but the Cardinal is usually pretty heavily sold and it is unlikely.

Thanks for the heads up on that. I've found the agents on the phone to be very helpful, though it's taking 14 hours so far to get my callback!

 

[BalmyZephyr]

The easiest way to tell which way a car is and it's a 95 percent certain thing is this. The Vestibule End with the H Room will always be closest to the cafe/diner. So then you just need to know which end of the train the sleepers are on. The Cardinal they are on the rear so on No. 51 your roomette will be on the south side of the train. On No. 50 you again will be on the south side of the train.

Thanks! That's what I finally figured out, assuming the car is on the rear both ways. I found this diagram that shows where the door is.

 

[jiml]

If you had a long walk in Chicago the drop-off was occurring eastbound evidently.

Yes, typo on my part. Train 50 - still have the tickets.

 

[BalmyZephyr]

Just want to correct the record about the time it took Amtrak's robot to call me back and give me an agent. Actually it was reasonably soon after I called them, not 14 hours as I previously stated! I didn't recognize "Chester Heights PA" as Amtrak. I get lots of spam calls from PA so I ignored it until today (fourth attempt by the robot). So, good news, I was able to speak to an agent and she did switch the outbound roomette to the north side, so we would have two different views on our round trip. She did warn that the car configuration could change so she couldn't guarantee it, but now it's more likely to be what we wanted.Thanks everybody for your help figuring this out.

 

[Chatter163]

Just want to correct the record about the time it took Amtrak's robot to call me back and give me an agent. Actually it was reasonably soon after I called them, not 14 hours as I previously stated! I didn't recognize "Chester Heights PA" as Amtrak. I get lots of spam calls from PA so I ignored it until today (fourth attempt by the robot). So, good news, I was able to speak to an agent and she did switch the outbound roomette to the north side, so we would have two different views on our round trip. She did warn that the car configuration could change so she couldn't guarantee it, but now it's more likely to be what we wanted.Thanks everybody for your help figuring this out.

The moral of this story is: When you are expecting a call, answer all incoming calls, familiar or not, and regardless of what location appears as the origin.

 

[joelkfla]

Just want to correct the record about the time it took Amtrak's robot to call me back and give me an agent. Actually it was reasonably soon after I called them, not 14 hours as I previously stated! I didn't recognize "Chester Heights PA" as Amtrak. I get lots of spam calls from PA so I ignored it until today (fourth attempt by the robot). So, good news, I was able to speak to an agent and she did switch the outbound roomette to the north side, so we would have two different views on our round trip. She did warn that the car configuration could change so she couldn't guarantee it, but now it's more likely to be what we wanted.Thanks everybody for your help figuring this out.

Congrats!

 

[me_little_me]

The moral of this story is: When you are expecting a call, answer all incoming calls, familiar or not, and regardless of what location appears as the origin.

No, the moral of the story is that when the call rolls over to your answering machine and you realize what it is, you pick it up as quickly as possible. If you missed the call and listen to your messages and realize you missed an Amtrak call, you add the number to your phone contacts as an Amtrak number so the next time it calls, you see the name Amtrak.

Works like a charm for me. Both for my home phone as well as my cell phone.

 

[BalmyZephyr]

No, the moral of the story is that when the call rolls over to your answering machine and you realize what it is, you pick it up as quickly as possible. If you missed the call and listen to your messages and realize you missed an Amtrak call, you add the number to your phone contacts as an Amtrak number so the next time it calls, you see the name Amtrak.

Works like a charm for me. Both for my home phone as well as my cell phone.

They didn't leave a message. But, I'm curious because I'm not very savvy with my iPhone - how do you hear a message being left on a cellphone? I don't hear it.
The best thing would be if the screen said "Amtrak" when the robot calls. (It will for me now, of course, since I added it.) In my case, no harm done, it was nothing urgent and it all worked out.