Coach Passengers Can't Visit Roomette Passengers?

[Fixx42]

Hello all,

I've managed to convince my employer to cover the cost of my in-roomette trip from Emeryville, CA to Chicago on the California Zephyr. I'd like to book a ticket for my girlfriend to join me using my Amtrak Guest Rewards points (at a points-to-dollar conversion rate of about 2 cents per point), but it turns out that it's not possible to combine a reservation purchased using cash with a reservation purchased using points. That means that she wouldn't officially be booked into my roomette, but into regular coach instead. The cost in points for joining me in the roomette and getting her own coach seat are the same, it's just a matter of Amtrak policy being against combining cash and points.

So, I was wondering, would it be a problem if she books herself a coach seat, but then actually stays with me in my roomette once we're on the train? Would she be allowed to sleep in it? Would she be able to receive the free meals?

The phone agent told me that coach passengers are officially forbidden from visiting other passenger's roomettes, but is that policy really enforced? I'd ordinarily feel bad about breaking Amtrak policy, but - since they're not actually losing any money in this - I feel like this might be an acceptable exception. Or are there any costs for Amtrak that I am perhaps overlooking?

Many thanks!

 

[Anthony]

A passenger holding a coach ticket would not be entitled to meals. The cost of adding your girlfriend to the roomette is actually potentially lower than buying a separate coach ticket, as add-on passengers to the same sleeping room are guaranteed the lowest rail fare, even if the train is almost sold out in coach. If you buy a coach ticket at the going price, it's possible that coach is not available at the lowest possible fare, but instead some higher fare based on remaining availability on that train.

 

[boxcar479]

Couldn't you just add her to the reservation and pay the difference?

 

[Fixx42]

Couldn't you just add her to the reservation and pay the difference?

Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm afraid it would be prohibitively expensive. The only reason I can afford the roomette at all is because my work is covering the cost as a relocation expense. I have plenty of points left from getting the Amtrak credit card a long time ago, and I was hoping to spend those.

 

[the_traveler]

Are you sure about the $2 per point rate?

If so, that's great - the highest I've ever got was I think 13-15 CENTS per point! And it only costs well under 3 cents a point to purchase them!

Depending on the cost, could you BUY the coach ticket?

Either way, the Roomette cost the same for 1 or 2 people, so I would call up Amtrak, and ask that you like to buy her ticket (with a Roomette, you pay the lowest bucket for the rail portion - not the current high(er) bucket), and you would like to combine the reservations so she can stay in your room!

(As a bonus, she'll also get free meals

)

 

[Anthony]

I called -- it would cost $239 $155 to add a second passenger to a roomette from EMY to CHI. So there you go.

 

[Fixx42]

Are you sure about the $2 per point rate?

If so, that's great - the highest I've ever got was I think 13-15 CENTS per point! And it only costs well under 3 cents a point to purchase them!

Whoops, sorry, I mispoke, I meant 2 cents per point! I've gone ahead and corrected my original post, thanks for catching that.

I called -- it would cost $239 to add a second passenger to a roomette from EMY to CHI. So there you go.

Thanks for checking for me Anthony. Full disclosure: I'm a college student, and - as much as I hate to say it - $239 is pretty high up there for me. I lucked out, and got my summer internship employer to cover the cost of my trip under my relocation allowance (it was cheaper than paying mileage for driving across the country). Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to make this trip on Amtrak at all.

 

[the_traveler]

FYI - $239 would be about 3 cents a point. I would still contact Amtrak to have the 2 reservations combined. If not, she could not stay (and maybe not even visit) your room, and she would have to pay for her meals!

But if the reservations were combined, she could stay in the Roomette AND get free meals

 

[Anthony]

FYI - $239 would be about 3 cents a point. I would still contact Amtrak to have the 2 reservations combined. If not, she could not stay (and maybe not even visit) your room, and she would have to pay for her meals!

But if the reservations were combined, she could stay in the Roomette AND get free meals

Paid travel (his sleeper) and redemption travel (her coach seat) can't be combined into the same reservation. Even the act of the agent "cross-referencing" the two reservations won't change the fact that she will be holding a coach ticket, disqualifying her from taking complimentary meals in the diner.

My best advice to the OP in this situation would be to let the girlfriend sleep in his room (it's likely the crew won't mind -- besides, I'm not sure that policy stated by the agent really exists), but have her buy her own meals in the diner.

 

[the_traveler]

I agree with Anthony - never argue with "the boss"!

I wasn't aware of that restriction.

As an FYI - If she eats every meal with you in the Dining Car, her meal cost could add up to near $100!

 

[E Runs]

Playing devil's advocate here: say the crew allows the g/f to sleep and spend time in the roomette and they walk into the diner together. How exactly would the diner crew know she only has a coach ticket? Granted I've only traveled LD sleeper twice, but in both instances all I've had to do was write down my car and room numbers on the receipt. Nobody would really be cheating the system here because the sleeper charge covers meals for up to 2 people.

Mods: If this thought is out of line please delete.

(Strikethrough added because original thought was misguided at best.)

 

[Anthony]

Playing devil's advocate here: say the crew allows the g/f to sleep and spend time in the roomette and they walk into the diner together. How exactly would the diner crew know she only has a coach ticket? Granted I've only traveled LD sleeper twice, but in both instances all I've had to do was write down my car and room numbers on the receipt. Nobody would really be cheating the system here because the sleeper charge covers meals for up to 2 people.

Mods: If this thought is out of line please delete.

Would hate to represent myself as a sleeper passenger and be caught eating a free meal, whether during or after the fact, if I could not produce a (e-)ticket stub displaying a qualifying class of service. If the powers that be receive two meal checks with the same room number, and match up the fact that only one person was ticketed in the room, it would be evident something's amiss.

Also, the printed manifest of sleeper passenger names is available to any crew member, so if they see two people (over the course of a two-night trip like EMY-CHI) eating meals for a one-person room, they just might put two and two together.

 

[E Runs]

Very true, the "offender" could be charged with theft technically. Geez, guess that was pretty dumb to even consider.

 

[rusty spike]

Playing devil's advocate here: say the crew allows the g/f to sleep and spend time in the roomette and they walk into the diner together. How exactly would the diner crew know she only has a coach ticket? Granted I've only traveled LD sleeper twice, but in both instances all I've had to do was write down my car and room numbers on the receipt. Nobody would really be cheating the system here because the sleeper charge covers meals for up to 2 people.

Mods: If this thought is out of line please delete.

They know because you sign the meal tciket for each diner with your Car/Room no. They can easily cross reference the manifest that says room # xx has one ticketed passenger. I don't know how they collect...maybe knock on your roomette door and say, "Pay up or your off at the next stop"?

:wacko:

 

[EB_OBS]

The OBS crew should have no reason to be concerned with or object to your girlfriend visiting you in your room. Unfortunately, as she isn't on the reservation, then as already stated, meals aren't included.

It would be a wise idea though to inform the conductor that your girlfriend is staying in your room with you. That way their paperwork or manifest can reflect the additional person in the sleeper car. Again, there isn't any legitimate reason I can think of why anyone should object as long as you don't try the free meals game. Without knowing the exact page and whatnot, Amtrak policy specifically allows sleeping car passengers to have guests in their room.

 

[E Runs]

They know because you sign the meal tciket for each diner with your Car/Room no. They can easily cross reference the manifest that says room # xx has one ticketed passenger. I don't know how they collect...maybe knock on your roomette door and say, "Pay up or your off at the next stop"?

:wacko:

Right, right. Didn't really think this one through before I started typing. Just stinks that nothing can be done.

 

[the_traveler]

1344740533[/url]' post='386658']

1344740283[/url]' post='386656']They know because you sign the meal tciket for each diner with your Car/Room no. They can easily cross reference the manifest that says room # xx has one ticketed passenger. I don't know how they collect...maybe knock on your roomette door and say, "Pay up or your off at the next stop"?

:wacko:

Right, right. Didn't really think this one through before I started typing. Just stinks that nothing can be done.

The answer is "Yes, they will"!

On one trip, before they allowed a connection beyond SAC from the CS to the CZ, I asked the SCA if I could stay in my room to MTZ. (I had purchased a SAC-MTZ-SAC coach ticket also.) It was agreed by the Conductor, LSA, SCA and myself that I could provided that I pay for breakfast.

The following morning, the CZ was late (big surprise, huh

) and ate and finished breakfast before we even reached SAC. If I was getting off, or if I didn't agree to that "restriction", the meal would have been included. Thus I did not pay for it. About 15 minutes later, there was a knock on my door - it was the Conductor and LSA requesting payment for the meal. As I agreed the night before to pay, I gladly paid up.

 

[shelzp]

I eat in my room and if someone was in there with me they'd be able to split the meals with me because the servings are pretty large. I take a late breakfast and skip lunch because I know there's a big dinner on the way.

 

[darien-l]

I called -- it would cost $239 to add a second passenger to a roomette from EMY to CHI. So there you go.

Would someone please explain why it costs $239 to add a second passenger to a roomette from EMY to CHI when the lowest coach bucket on this route is $155? (Source: http://amsnag.net/) I thought booking a sleeper automatically entitles all passengers in it to lowest-bucket railfare?

 

[NW cannonball]

It SHOULD only cost the railfare for the second passenger. At low-bucket price. But who knows.

 

[Anthony]

I called -- it would cost $239 to add a second passenger to a roomette from EMY to CHI. So there you go.

Would someone please explain why it costs $239 to add a second passenger to a roomette from EMY to CHI when the lowest coach bucket on this route is $155? (Source: http://amsnag.net/) I thought booking a sleeper automatically entitles all passengers in it to lowest-bucket railfare?

Thanks for keeping me honest. You're right, for trains 5 & 6. ($239 is actually the correct answer for EMY-CHI, via PDX!)

So, OP, maybe $155 is a more palatable price for you if you are taking the California Zephyr. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Texan Eagle]

To the OP- book your girlfriend in coach, tell the sleeping car attendant that you have a friend in coach who could not get sleeper accommodation (or something like that) and most probably they will let her in to your roomette and stay with you. For the meals, again just casually tell the dining car attendant that you have a friend in coach and she would like to be seated with you for meals, and if you are lucky you may get her meals free, if not, you may have to pay for it. I was in this exact same situation last year on SWC. I was in coach and my friend was in sleeper and he told the dining car attendant about this and the lady was probably in a good mood and she said "That's cool. Call him in and we'll add his meals to your sleeper so he need not pay!" Yes I know this is not exactly legal, but if she did not mind it, why would I?

We did "compensate" her with a good tip though.

 

[xyzzy]

The phone agent told me that coach passengers are officially forbidden from visiting other passenger's roomettes, but is that policy really enforced?

Long-standing policy on many railroads; it pre-dates Amtrak. Enforced? Intermittently.

 

[pennyk]

To the OP- book your girlfriend in coach, tell the sleeping car attendant that you have a friend in coach who could not get sleeper accommodation (or something like that) and most probably they will let her in to your roomette and stay with you. For the meals, again just casually tell the dining car attendant that you have a friend in coach and she would like to be seated with you for meals, and if you are lucky you may get her meals free, if not, you may have to pay for it. I was in this exact same situation last year on SWC. I was in coach and my friend was in sleeper and he told the dining car attendant about this and the lady was probably in a good mood and she said "That's cool. Call him in and we'll add his meals to your sleeper so he need not pay!" Yes I know this is not exactly legal, but if she did not mind it, why would I?

We did "compensate" her with a good tip though.

I disagree. I would do my best to add her to your reservation. There are controls in the dining car and I would not even think about "cheating" the system. As Anthony stated earlier, the cost of adding her to your reservation should be approximately the same as a coach ticket. You will have a more enjoyable trip knowing that you have done everything "legally" and not worrying about being caught trying to get something to which you are not entitled.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

So, I was wondering, would it be a problem if she books herself a coach seat, but then actually stays with me in my roomette once we're on the train? Would she be allowed to sleep in it? Would she be able to receive the free meals?

How come people don't need to ask if a coach passenger on a plane, can go up and sit in first class after takeoff, enjoy the first class perks, and visit with the people in first class? That, they seem to understand.