Chicago Metropolitan Lounge

[Tennessee Traveler]

I personally will not experience the new ML until October so am interested mainly in the boarding process and redcap access. A long time fan of the old ML boarding process formerly called "the kindergarten walk", I am wondering where are all those who use to bad mouth the kindergarten walk. Looks like you finally have what you want. Also, how does the Legacy Lounge handle priority boarding since those persons would have to walk right pass the new ML?

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I personally will not experience the new ML until October so am interested mainly in the boarding process and redcap access. A long time fan of the old ML boarding process formerly called "the kindergarten walk", I am wondering where are all those who use to bad mouth the kindergarten walk. Looks like you finally have what you want. Also, how does the Legacy Lounge handle priority boarding since those persons would have to walk right pass the new ML?

I was thinking the same thing today.

 

[jis]

It was the door from the old lounge that was convenient.

The kindergarten walk is not peculiar to the old lounge. It can be found in many places on the Amtrak LD system.

 

[wwchi]

yes, the location of the old ML made boarding very easy. IMO Business Class should board first and then Legacy, and even if Legacy goes first, theoretically that should only be coach passengers anyway - why would someone in BC pay for the Legacy Lounge when they have access to the ML? In any case the general gate shouldn't even board anyone until they know business and legacy have already been called. Maybe where they have that rope up by the track entrances they can just have someone man that entrance for any Amtrak trains boarding Business - that way if you don't get escorted there but show up with your highlighted ticket they know what to do with you!

 

[pianocat]

Like Tennessee Traveler said in post #476 above, I also won't be using ML until October either - surely by then the boarding issues will be more efficient and organized. (?) Also, when the LD train is called for boarding, do Redcaps appear in the ML at the desk area, if one needs their services? [i swear I read the previous 6 pages of this topic, and can't find an answer to that question. Forgive, if I've overlooked it] TIA

 

[AlamoWye]

My twenty dollars on why we paid money for the Legacy Lounge even though we were in sleepers--

It is beautiful, it is very quiet, the bathrooms are clean, the beverage selection was nice, and after spending a few thousand on a vacation, twenty dollars to visit a quiet, historic Harvey House while waiting in Chicago really did not seem like that much money.

It was also enjoyable to ride with the red cap all the way through the station right up from/to our trains.

Don't know if I'd go again since the fee was mostly considered a "tourist site" item.

 

[SarahZ]

I am wondering where are all those who use to bad mouth the kindergarten walk. Looks like you finally have what you want.

No, they still have a kindergarten walk, albeit extremely disorganized and bad for those unfamiliar with the station. This yellow ticket thing is something new. I'm not sure if it was just for the PM and other regionals or if it's something they're expanding to the LD trains. When I rode the Wolverine last weekend, we did the walk.

What I would like to see is a combination of both: have a kindergarten walk for people who are unfamiliar with/scared of Union Station, ESPECIALLY during the Metra rush hour(s). Those of us who know the station well can use the yellow pre-boarding ticket thingie. This would cut down on the crowding in the Metropolitan Lounge lobby, as we would have no need to queue up.

 

[rtabern]

I am wondering where are all those who use to bad mouth the kindergarten walk. Looks like you finally have what you want.

No, they still have a kindergarten walk, albeit extremely disorganized and bad for those unfamiliar with the station. This yellow ticket thing is something new. I'm not sure if it was just for the PM and other regionals or if it's something they're expanding to the LD trains. When I rode the Wolverine last weekend, we did the walk.

What I would like to see is a combination of both: have a kindergarten walk for people who are unfamiliar with/scared of Union Station, ESPECIALLY during the Metra rush hour(s). Those of us who know the station well can use the yellow pre-boarding ticket thingie. This would cut down on the crowding in the Metropolitan Lounge lobby, as we would have no need to queue up.

Not sure what they do for the LD trains as we were just riding the Pere Marquette and Hiawathas.

The yellow marker check mark on your ticket made no sense. So when I lose Select Plus on 3-1-2017 if I make a check mark on my tickets or tag along to the end of the line of people walking out of that lounge door I will get preboard?

Something better needs to be figured out quick.

And bring back the snacks. Here is an idea... Bring the food with a today expiration to the lounge and put it out. The LSA on #371 mentioned having to throw out 5 fruit cups which expired at the end of the day. It was 10am. Put them out in the lounge and people would eat it.

 

[SarahZ]

It's just a yellow highlighter? I thought it was a yellow sticker of some kind. I misread your post because I read it in a hurry during a coffee break.

 

[jis]

BTW, the tick mark on my ticket was pink. Then I lost it and used the eticket in my iPhone Wallet next time. Fortunately they did not try to mark it

 

[blondninja]

I was in the lounge last week between 3 and 6 and had much the same experience. However, no food no snacks. As reported, we were all kicked out of upstairs at 4 pm. The lovely attendant stood on the stairs cattle calling everyone. She couldn't be bothers to go up to each person.

When it was time to board the capital limited there was no card or anything given. We just had to leave and find our own way. No escorted walk.

One thing I do not like is once you check in, you are no longer given a card to show in the event you leave and return. You have to line up and check in all over again.

I literally went out for less than 10 minutes to check out the travel town display in the great hall and when I came back in the same staffer acted as if she didn't know me.

Also, I've no issues with the set check for the baggage, but I was looking to pay the fee to have our bags dropped to our capital limited sleeper. Was that service a rumor? Didn't seem to be offered when I was there.

My return is Tomorrow so I will see if anything is different when I'm in Chicago Thursday.

 

[Everydaymatters]

I am completely amazed at how completely inept the new ML is. I would happily go back to the old ML as I always like it anyhow.

Are any of the suits at Amtrak taking note of this and doing anything about it?

 

[Palmetto]

Some of these goings-on sound "bush league" on the part of staff. Totally, not classy, nor professional. Who trains these folks, anyway? And who checks?

 

[OBS]

The Amtrak Suits are too busy congratulating themselves for a "job well done" , and have now moved onto their next "improvement" project...

 

[Bob Dylan]

Hopefully everyone is reporting these "bugs" in the system and the less than professional service from the Amtrak staff that is occurring in the new Lounge to Customer Relations and 60 Mass since the Chicago Management seems to be MIA!

"The squeaky wheel gets the grease! "

 

[saxman]

One thing I do not like is once you check in, you are no longer given a card to show in the event you leave and return. You have to line up and check in all over again.

I literally went out for less than 10 minutes to check out the travel town display in the great hall and when I came back in the same staffer acted as if she didn't know me.

This is why they marked your ticket with a highlighter. I just flashed my pink highlighted ticket and they waved me through. I didn't wait in line again. Another time they didn't look up, so I just waltzed right in. Another guy in our group said he didn't even bother checking and walked right in.

I think Amtrak will work out the kinks, but not soon enough. I'm kinda thinking now that they should have just remodeled the old Lounge and made that whole waiting area into one huge lounge by knocking down the walls. That way, we could still have direct platform access. Or I wonder if there's some secret passage way we could take that was once used by freight or mail.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

One thing I do not like is once you check in, you are no longer given a card to show in the event you leave and return. You have to line up and check in all over again.

I literally went out for less than 10 minutes to check out the travel town display in the great hall and when I came back in the same staffer acted as if she didn't know me.

This is why they marked your ticket with a highlighter. I just flashed my pink highlighted ticket and they waved me through. I didn't wait in line again. Another time they didn't look up, so I just waltzed right in. Another guy in our group said he didn't even bother checking and walked right in.

I think Amtrak will work out the kinks, but not soon enough. I'm kinda thinking now that they should have just remodeled the old Lounge and made that whole waiting area into one huge lounge by knocking down the walls. That way, we could still have direct platform access. Or I wonder if there's some secret passage way we could take that was once used by freight or mail.

I thought I had heard there is a passage way from the new lounge. Perhaps it's not ready yet. The link I posted in #475 http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/67327-chicago-metropolitan-lounge/page-24&do=findComment&comment=671416has maps of CUS.

 

[SarahZ]

Oooohhhh... secret passage.

 

[saxman]

I thought I had heard there is a passage way from the new lounge. Perhaps it's not ready yet. The link I posted in #475 http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/67327-chicago-metropolitan-lounge/page-24&do=findComment&comment=671416has maps of CUS.

It looks like there might be a way from the new Metro Lounge down to the proposed steam tunnel. It looks like it leads to the south concourse near the lower numbered tracks. I'd have to look more in detail though. But there is no way to get to the north concourse to where the Empire Builder and the Hiawathas depart from unless you walk through the south concourse to the through track platform and over to the north concourse.

 

[StanJazz]

Saxman I think you are misreading the Union Station map. The Metro Lounge is nowhere near the steam tunnel. The concourse map has north up while the map that has the steam tunnel has north to the right. The steam tunnel runs south under the tracks not west under Canal St.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

In addition to my question earlier (post #470) about whether you can use redcaps in the station for the sleepers (which I think got lost among the other stuff since nobody answered), I was wondering if a sleeping car passenger could, in desperation, just line up with the coach crowd and go down in that line? I have visions of someday coming to Chicago and perhaps living in the Metro. Lounge forever because I will keep being led to wrong lines and wrong doors.....

 

[OBS]

You can Always board with the coach passengers. Anyone with a ticket can board thru that line/group.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

Thanks, OBS. If I ever get there and the coach line seems to be the only one that seems to know where it's going, I might just do that!

 

[PaulM]

You can Always board with the coach passengers. Anyone with a ticket can board thru that line/group.

Ok tell me where. The signs say general boarding is from the great hall; only assisted boarding (BC, elderly, families with small children) is from the old cattle pen. That's the way it was when I went through in February - kindergarden walks from the great hall and the pen almost deserted. But the two times I was there in the last week, the pen was as full as ever with the long lines forming.

 

[PaulM]

Had my first trip through the new lounge over the weekend catching the Great Dome 10031 to Grand Rapids on #370 on Saturday night and #371 on Sunday morning.

Very impressed with the look of the place -- totally A+

Not very impressed with the operations -- I would rate it at a C-, at best... hopefully this will get better over time.

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT:

(1) As others have mentioned, there is just a storage room now for your belongings like they have at Club Acelas in DC and NY... an un-attended closet without a Red Cap monitoring things. Not a huge deal to me, but I guess I will have to keep valuable electronics like my laptop with me at all times now when roaming the Loop. I heard that Amtrak has gotten VERY strict and is not going to allow Red Caps and random office staff into the lounge unless they are authorized from now on. No more employees mooching free coffee and soda pop. That is part of the reason I heard for this change.

(2) Not all times of the days will have snacks. We arrived at 4:00pm and there were no snacks. We were told there would only be food from 12:30 to 3:00pm, with free wine from 12:30 to 2:00pm. Other times will not have snacks. I think to finally shut me up, one of the employees gave us 3 bags of veggie-chips they have locked up in a room. On Sunday morning we arrived back around 9:30am and there was 1 granola bar and 3 pears out.

(3) Parts of the soad machine were already out/not functioning.

(4) Only 1 one-hole bathroom on the upper level of the lounge.

And, I saved the worst for last --- boarding was a COMPLETE cluster.

I agree with most of your assessment; and I will add:

1) Ditto for the drink machine and snacks.

2) You forgot to mention the showers. They seem to be like the bike racks on most of the new baggage cars, they are rumored to exist, but are not operational.

3) I was also dismayed with the single bathroom upstairs until I realized the main restrooms were along the corridor leading to the trains.

4) It's true red caps don't seem to come into the lounge; but I've never seen so many along with their carts just outside the lounge. I don't use them so I don't know the procedure for engaging them. Like everything else, I presume it changes based on the day of the week or hour of the day, or some other unknown factor.

I'll save my comments about the boarding process for another topic because the problem extends way beyond the new lounge. It does appear that the much loved and much maligned kindergarten walk is history, at least until the next time I pass through CUS.

.