Crescent to Silver Meteor - possible or not?

[DennisInGA]

I see that taking the Crescent from ATL to Ft. Lauderdale requires a change in WAS to the Silver Star because a route via Silver Meteor appears not to be published. Is that really the case, or is this one of those routes that Amtrak Insider has to fix manually? Instead of having to leave WAS (and our new grandbaby) on the 3:05 Star, we'd MUCH rather stay until 7:15 when the Meteor departs just to get a little more visit time.
Another consideration - with downgraded dining service, is the required point value for a Star sleeper now less than on the Meteor?

 

[amamba]

Point value redemptions remain the same for the Star and Meteor even with the chsnge.

 

[SteveSFL]

AGR should consider allowing this for people that don't want to try their experiment on the Greyhound Star.

 

[Ryan]

AGR doesn't determine published connections, Operations does. The AGR folks can ask the Ops folks to put in a reasonable sounding connection, but they don't always oblige.

As an aside, comparing a train with sleeping cars to Greyhound is a little ridiculous, regardless of what the food options are.

 

[me_little_me]

I see that taking the Crescent from ATL to Ft. Lauderdale requires a change in WAS to the Silver Star because a route via Silver Meteor appears not to be published. Is that really the case, or is this one of those routes that Amtrak Insider has to fix manually? Instead of having to leave WAS (and our new grandbaby) on the 3:05 Star, we'd MUCH rather stay until 7:15 when the Meteor departs just to get a little more visit time.

Another consideration - with downgraded dining service, is the required point value for a Star sleeper now less than on the Meteor?

I asked AGR_Insider that question last week among others (like only connection in the opposite direction to ATL is via 8 hour wait in Raleigh and overnight 4 hour wait in Charlotte using the Carolinian with no option to do Meteor to WAS to Crescent.

I am still waiting for a reply.

Connections between Miami and Atlanta? Can Arrow changes be made?
Atlanta to Miami
Only connection is Crescent to Silver Star in WAS. Why no use of Meteor? Can Meteor be substituted on points as a "later connection"?

MIA to ATL

Only connection is Star to Carolinian to Crescent with 8 hour wait in Raleigh and 4 1/2 hour overnight wait in Charlotte.

Can connection via WAS using Star to Crescent and Meteor to Crescent via WAS be added? When using points, can one substitute one of those since the Carolinian has no sleeper?

 

[iggy]

RyanS - I'd assume the "Greyhound Star" comment was for those of us who need to get to Tampa. Ride Meteor - your forced to have a 2 hour plus bustitution. As was stated by others and me many times - if I wanted to take a bus I wouldn't be riding a train.

For those of us who need to get to Tampa Sarasota area - we'll get to be test subjects in this experiment. Yes I'm aware to get to Sarasota it's a bus from Tampa. Another lousy situation - no train service to that city.

 

[Ryan]

The Star still goes to Tampa, right? And it still carries sleeping cars to Tampa, right?

 

[PaulM]

AGR doesn't determine published connections, Operations does.

Once again, this is begging the question. Operations may determine published routes; but it is AGR that is refusing to book you via the Meteor.

 

[PRR 60]

AGR doesn't determine published connections, Operations does.

Once again, this is begging the question. Operations may determine published routes; but it is AGR that is refusing to book you via the Meteor.

With limited exceptions, AGR is obligated to only book itineraries that are "published routes," defined as connections constructed in Arrow. The connections in Arrow are constructed by Amtrak operations people, not AGR. The agents that handles AGR reservations do not have the authority to override that requirement.

AGR can request that a connection be added, but that is not done on a spur of the moment basis, and I get the sense that after a number of such requests were made by AGR, operations "suggested" that AGR limit further requests.

 

[willem]

With limited exceptions, AGR is obligated to only book itineraries that are "published routes," defined as connections constructed in Arrow. The connections in Arrow are constructed by Amtrak operations people, not AGR. The agents that handles AGR reservations do not have the authority to override that requirement.

That is consistent with what I have come to understand.

AGR can request that a connection be added, but that is not done on a spur of the moment basis, and I get the sense that after a number of such requests were made by AGR, operations "suggested" that AGR limit further requests.

If that is true about Amtrak operations, it is an example of practices set to serve the company rather than the customers.

 

[jebr]

In this case (Crescent - Meteor) you should be fine. The redemption guidelines specifically state:
Where a published route requires a connection between two segments, a later connecting service may be chosen as long as it departs on the same date as the connection originally offered.

Since the Crescent - Star already exists, and the Meteor leaves on the same day and is a later connecting service, there should be no problem using the Meteor connection.

 

[DennisInGeorgia]

#11 is correct. When I called they began routing me onto the Star I politely asked the agent if she could look at the Redeption Guidelines with me. She read the paragraph that #11 cited, made sure all the criteria were met, then cheerfully booked me on the Meteor. Now I'm all set, but do have a copy of the Guidelines downloaded so you can quote that paragraph if necessary. My agent was very surprised to read that rule. I guess they're not trained on that nowadays, eh? ^_^