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Can coach passengers still eat in the dining car? Do the attendants ask, or can you just go to the dining car and request to be seated? There will be three of us on the Crescent. Thank you
The only exception I've come across for reservations on dinner, is when your on the Boston Section of the LSL. Often they 'forget' to get reservations from the Boston section. In that case, just walk up there & they'll seat you.The Diner LSA makes an announcement over the PA when they are fixing to take Meal Reservations! ( Dinner always requires a Reservation, Lunch and Breakfast are usually first come, first served)
On crowded trains, there may not be room for coach passengers in the dining car. I've been in coach when they've run out of reservation slots.The dining car crew often seems to do everything in its power to stop coach passengers from coming to the dining car. They do not want the extra work and try to keep the existing work to to a minimum. If you want to dine there pay a visit to the car, otherwise they will ignore you.
While I admit that your contention is AU conventional wisdom, it certainly wasn't the case on two CZ trips recently. The dining car chief announced several times he would be coming through the sleepers then coaches for reservations. Later he made two announcements asking if anyone else wanted supper. Maybe Amtrak has discovered that one way to cut losses when a major cost component is overhead is to increase volume.The dining car crew often seems to do everything in its power to stop coach passengers from coming to the dining car. They do not want the extra work and try to keep the existing work to to a minimum. If you want to dine there pay a visit to the car, otherwise they will ignore you.
I rode lower level coach SWC several years ago ABQ-SAN roundtrip and there were a couple announcements and someone came through to ask. It was over the Christmas holidays, so the train must have been full..
While I admit that your contention is AU conventional wisdom, it certainly wasn't the case on two CZ trips recently. The dining car chief announced several times he would be coming through the sleepers then coaches for reservations. Later he made two announcements asking if anyone else wanted supper. Maybe Amtrak has discovered that one way to cut losses when a major cost component is overhead is to increase volume.
Were you in the Boston section or the New York section?I had no trouble getting a dinner reservation on the LSL when I was in coach last fall.
I was on 49. In fact, I was the first person to show up at the diner.Were you in the Boston section or the New York section?I had no trouble getting a dinner reservation on the LSL when I was in coach last fall.
Last time I took 449, which admittedly was a few years ago. I had to just walk up to the diner & wait in line for a table with a bunch if other customers from 449. Coach passengers from 49 had reservations. I didn't meet any sleeper passengers from 449 so idk about them.
Like almost everything on Amtrak it probably depends on the crew.
I got the feeling they expected you to have eaten in the Albany station.
Peter
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