Guaranteed connections/separate reservations

[Tinkerbell]

I suggest that you look into using Hostels to break up your nights in Coach,especially in Major Cities.( the Hostel Iternational on Congress in Chicago is especially nice and reasonable now that Hotel Rates have become so Pricey)

I agree with the hostel in Chicago. Stayed there last year and will be again late September when I get off the CZ. It's at 24 East Ida B Wells Drive. The Buckingham Fountain is a couple of blocks away, it wasn't going last time I was there. I'm also staying at the San Francisco Downtown hostel at the start of my trek. I'm a life member of YHA/ HI. I can't afford many hotel nights

 

[Eric in East County]

Well, maybe making a Points Plus Cash online reservation then calling to change the room would work?

Good point! We'll consider this the next time we make reservations. (We always make them so early that we might just get a bedroom in a base sleeper without having to call to ask to be switched to one. )

 

[zephyr17]

Good point! We'll consider this the next time we make reservations. (We always make them so early that we might just get a bedroom in a base sleeper without having to call to ask to be switched to one. )

Well, if I recall correctly, you mostly take the SW Chief in a bedroom. Right now the reservations system only has one standard sleeper starting sometime September/October (see my posts in, I think, the SWC thread for the details on how I arrived at that conclusion). So booking a bedroom now would put you in the 30 automatically, since there is no 31 in the system past October as of now.

 

[Trucker72]

Thanks for the info. If we miss the EB we have booked a room in Seattle, an overnight in LA and then 5 in San Diego. We can either skip the EB for the CZ or SWC and cancel the nights in Seattle and LA or have to call 3 hotels to change dates and reschedule the EB, Starlight and a Surfliner.
We used points for 2 Downeasters, 2 Surfliners and the Crescent. Cash for the other trains so the LSL and EB would be on the same reservation and we can upgrade an Acela.
If we are late on the LSL and the connection is very close, say 15 minutes, will Amtrak attempt to get us from the LSL to the EB? From what I have learned here the LSL and EB board and unboard in different areas of CUS.

 

[zephyr17]

If we are late on the LSL and the connection is very close, say 15 minutes, will Amtrak attempt to get us from the LSL to the EB? From what I have learned here the LSL and EB board and unboard in different areas of CUS.

Yes, they will.

Chicago is essentially two stub end terminals back to back. The Lake Shore, and indeed all long distance trains except the Builder, use the South Concourse. The Builder, the Hiawathas and now the Borealis use the North Concourse.

With very close connections going the other direction, off Builder to another train, Amtrak has always escorted me and other connecting passengers directly to the train on the other side, around the east end of the concourse building beside the through track (track 28/19), not going into the station at all. Sometimes this was done at a brisk trot, though.

The Builder almost always boards on Track 19, btw.

A note on hotels. While Amtrak will provide accommodations themselves on a missed connection, they will not reimburse you for other expenses such a missed prepaid hotel reservation. They provide a ticket on another train, hotels to lay you over to catch that train if required, money for cab fare to get to and from that hotel and meals during the wait. That's it. You might wangle a substantial voucher for future travel from Customer Relations after the fact, though.

I would not worry too much about it, though. LSL to EB a pretty reliable connection, I do it myself regularly. EB to LSL, not so much.

 

[Eric in East County]

Well, if I recall correctly, you mostly take the SW Chief in a bedroom. Right now the reservations system only has one standard sleeper starting sometime September/October (see my posts in, I think, the SWC thread for the details on how I arrived at that conclusion). So booking a bedroom now would put you in the 30 automatically, since there is no 31 in the system past October as of now.

We made the reservations for our upcoming September trip last October. Working with an agent we had no problems requesting SWC bedrooms in the 330 and 430 base sleepers. We just finished making our reservations for our May 2025 trip. Once again, we had no problems obtaining bedrooms in the SWC 330 and 430 base sleepers. In October, we’ll be making our reservations for our September 2025 trip. (We used to make our reservations 6 months in advance and would usually end up in the 31 sleeper. But after being "skunked" in the 2022 sleeping car fiasco, we will only settle for a base sleeper, which is why we book as early as we can.)

 

[zephyr17]

In October, we’ll be making our reservations for our September 2025 trip.

It's likely it'll have 2 standard sleepers next September, like it has this September. Maybe it'll even have two standard sleepers and a transdorm like used to be normal on it. In any case, booking 11 months in advance will virtually guarantee the 30 car, even Bedroom E if you want it.

I am also a member of the base sleeper club, although getting less adamant about it now. I accepted a non-base sleeper on the LSL, the 12 car, for my November trip. But the LSL never got hit in 2022's (entirely avoidable) debacle, either.