Dining Car with Coach Passengers?

[chakk]

I rode many times on the CZ eith my four children -- none of whom were lap children -- and we never had difficulties getting a table in the diner for all 5 of us. The oldest and I sat on one side, the remaining three on the other side of the table.

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[dlagrua]

Based on our last trip to Seattle in June, it appears to us as Amtrak policy on the dining cars has changed. With the pressure that Joe Boardman is getting from congress to make the dining cars profitable; much to their dismay, the dining car crews are now announcing on the P.A. system that coach passengers will be welcome to the dining car at this time. While on our past trips coach passengers were served we don't ever remember where the FSA was making this announcement. As a result we dined with coach passengers about half the time. That is fine with us but the dining car crew don't seem to like the policy. They may have a legitimate complaint as the crews were cut a short time ago when the austerity measures took place but our SCA joined the waiters and helped out. Otherwise, you'd have less employees that have to serve more people. The bottom line is that you can stand on your head, but dining cars throughout railroading history were not profitable and will never be profitable. Congress needs to realize that the accommodation that they provide helps fill the trains.

 

[Guest]

I wonder if we can just have our cabin attendant bring our two meals to our sleeper and then we can take them to the cafe to eat with my husband, son, and nephew? That way, my daughter and I are still getting our "free" meals and we can all eat together in the cafe car?

 

[the_traveler]

If you mean the Sightseer Lounge car (upstairs), yes that's possible. But the others will need to get their take-out meals from the cafe (lower level). They can not get a "take out" dinner from the Dining Car. Also, the tables in the Sightseer are the same 4 seat size.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

If you mean the Sightseer Lounge car (upstairs), yes that's possible. But the others will need to get their take-out meals from the cafe (lower level). They can not get a "take out" dinner from the Dining Car. Also, the tables in the Sightseer are the same 4 seat size.

If you do this, keep in mind that your meal will be rather large and unwieldy (covered trays with multiple other bags for rolls, condiments, etc., not counting drinks too), and you'll have to walk through several train cars from your sleeper to get to the lounge. And by the time your SCA brings it to you, and then you get to the sightseer lounge, and wait while the rest of your party goes to the cafe car... your food will probably be cold (and/or warm... ice cream, etc. will probably have melted).

But if it does arrive intact and edible, it will sure look good next to the microwaved frozen pizzas that the rest of your family will be eating!

And again, as others have pointed out, even the Sightseer Lounge tables don't seat 5, so even if you coordinate all the meals you many not manage to find 2 empty tables next to each other.

I know all this probably sounds discouraging, but I'm just trying to demonstrate that coordinating all of this is going to be somewhere between mildly annoying to a major pain to impossible, depending on several factors (like how busy your SCA is when you happen to want dinner, to how crowded the lounge is). Perhaps you could see this as an opportunity for you and your spouse to have a meal by yourselves (if your kids are old enough to eat by themselves as well), or to have one-on-one time with each of your children at rotating meals.

 

[the_traveler]

Also, to get from your sleeper to the Sightseer, you need to pass thru (while carrying those bags) --- the Dining Car! I still think it best when the LSA comes thru the sleeper to say "there will be 5 total for 6:30"! I have done this (and others have done for me, if the LSA gets to them first) saying there will be a group of 3, 4 or 5. No problem.

 

[SarahZ]

It really is going to be so much easier to let the LSA know you have a group of five when they come around for your reservations. They can tell you what times are available, and you can always request to be seated near them once you're in the dining car and they're directing people to tables.

 

[FormerOBS]

Regarding the space available in the diner, when we had a family of 5 to seat on the A-Train, we would try to offer options. If the party consisted of two adults and 3 small kids, it was possible to seat the 3 kids facing Mom & Dad, so all 5 could fit if that arrangement was OK with the family. We have even had 6 at one table on a few occasions, but this is pretty crowded and we, as service attendants, would never insist on it. Usually, parties of 5 adults would be seated with 3 at one table and two side-by-side at the table across the aisle. The extra seats would then be filled with other travelers because all seats were used, as our dinner and breakfast seatings tended to be fully reserved. On rare occasions, the party of 5 would show up after most seats had been filled, and we would then have to split up the party or ask them to eat at a later time. This was a less-than-optimal solution, but it was occasionally the only option available.

So I recommend that you all meet in the lounge in advance so that you can enter as a group, and try not to be the last ones into the diner. That doesn't mean you have to charge in like the 7th Cavalry; just try not to be last.

Tom

 

[neroden]

It's good that the dining car crew is enouraging coach passengers to come to the diner at any time... but I think this reinforces the need to eliminate the onerous 1950s-style paperwork which the dining car crews still have to do. Tickets are checked on iPhones, why not take orders and manage inventory the same way?

 

[Ryan]

Yeah, you can't get more than 4 at a table, but I've never had a problem with groups larger than 4 getting seated at nearby tables - especially if you're show up together and on time for your seating.

 

[jis]

There is no way that five of us can sit in one booth. Big men in my family! Maybe we can sit across the aisle from each other at the very least.

Probably not. Passengers are seated according to the dining car attendant's not-always-obvious plan to fill the tables. So, some members of your party may be seated at one table, but the other members may be several tables away, or even at the other end of the car.

I would not be so sure about it. In my experience, unless one lands up with a particularly incompetent LSA, if a group shows up together early for a sitting they do try to put them on adjacent tables. For example for the AU Gathering trips we face such situations all the timn and more often than not we manage to get two tables across from each other. So just let the LSA know, show up early for a sitting as soon as it is called and see what happens. Very often we are greeted with something like "Are you from the group of six?" or some such and suitable arrangements made to put us more or less together.

 

[FormerOBS]

Sometimes space constraints make it difficult, but sensible staff members would rather seat you in a way that makes you happy. The reason? Happy customers make the SA's job easier. Duh. If you'll work with them, most will be happy to work with you.

Tom

 

[crescent2]

I've found the dining car staff to be very accommodating when it's possible for them to be. On the nb Crescent, our dinner table mate (the young lady here to buy generators) and we agreed to meet for breakfast the next morning, and when my friend and I entered, the attendant said, "We saved #7 for the three of you!." We hadn't expected them to remember us or take note of our plans, much less save our table for us, but they did. (I love the Crescent! :wub: )

But YMMV, as they say. I agree with the suggestion to let your SCA know your wishes as soon as you can, and hope for the best with the understanding it might or might not be possible.

 

[jis]

But YMMV, as they say. I agree with the suggestion to let your SCA know your wishes as soon as you can, and hope for the best with the understanding it might or might not be possible.

I'd also recommend that you let the LSA know when making reservations for a meal. Also if your group is spread out in multiple cars, as happens with us on AU Gathering trips, ask the SCA which car the LSA starts taking reservations in, and then delegate the task of getting the reservation for the entire group to someone from the group that is in the car that will be hit first by the LSA. Just increases your chances of getting the sitting that you might want.

 

[MARC Rider]

Hmmm... from my experiences in Chicago, that has NOT been the case. I have seen several parties where some were in sleepers and some were in coach, and I have never seen the coach passengers allowed in the Metropolitan Lounge. The attendants in the lounge check the tickets, and only allow the ticketed passengers in.

That is my impression too. I think only sleeper (and business class passengers on local trains), are allowed in the lounge.

That is usually the case but their are exceptions. If you are in a sleeping car arriving in Chicago you have access to the Metropolitan Lounge to begin your next leg of the trip. This is regardless whether your next travel segment is in a sleeping car or not. I have done this numerous times traveling from the south to CHI in a sleeper and then coach later in the day on the Empire Builder to St. Paul. The other exception is having a one day lounge pass from Amtrak Guest Rewards.

I believe that if you are a AGR Select Plus member, you are allowed to use the Metropolitan Lounge in Chicago. I also think that you can have one guest. I know that's true for the Club Acela, as I do that with my wife when we go to New York. I did have one experience in Chicago where my brother was seeing me off one time. I was traveling sleeper, and they let him hang out in the Metropolitan Lounge with me until I boarded the train.