How long can you sleep in a roomette?

[Lonnie]

Several times I've purchased a roomette for day-long travel so I could get some much-needed sleep and never had any problem with that. In the past six months we've gone SPG-EMY round trip twice, enjoying the ability to nap during the day since sleeping on a train doesn't give us the greatest night's sleep. I'm on the CZ right now, the train due into Chicago many hours late at 6pm. When we went to an early breakfast, we left all curtains closed and tightly Velcro'd and the door all the way shut. At the beginning of the trip I let the SCA know we'd be doing our beds ourselves. Imagine my surprise to come back from breakfast to find the SCA had come into our room, with our stuff all over the place, and had done up the upper bed (I had already put the lower mattress up there and lifted it up). We paid rather dearly for a sleeper room. Are we expected not to use its prime feature for the next ten hours? How would you handle this?

 

[Maglev]

SCA's have a routine, and I think being in bed all day is a bit of an imposition. The room will need to be made up before arrival. I think you should tell remind the SCA you want to use the bed, and find out when is the latest it needs to be made up.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

SCA's have a routine, and I think being in bed all day is a bit of an imposition.

How is using a bed in a Sleeper Class compartment an imposition and what is the point of paying Amtrak sleeper fares if the bed is controlled by the SCA? The customer is paying for the use of the compartment and the employee is being paid to work around the customer's routine.

The room will need to be made up before arrival.

The last time I checked the manual it only said the room needed to be made up before the SCA left the train. Telling customers it needs to be made before arrival is just their way of ensuring they can leave the train as soon as they're off the clock.

I think you should tell the SCA you want to use the bed, and find out when is the latest it needs to be made up.

According to the OP she did inform the SCA that she wanted to handle the beds and the SCA chose to ignore this request and make them up anyway. If I was in the OP's shoes I would simply put the beds back again. If the SCA got snippy I'd call Customer Relations for a credit.

 

[TinCan782]

The train's estimated arrival was at 6PM. The room was made up during breakfast.
I know they like to have rooms made up prior to arrival but, 10 hours prior?

 

[river]

I'd also go ahead and use the beds if we were in the same situation. The train may well be later than 6 pm--who knows. We love to nap on the train too during the afternoon. I wonder if the attendant simply forgot your request or didn't understand your reasons for wanting to take care of your beds yourself and when he saw you moved the lower mattress to the upper berth he made an incorrect assumption. Enjoy your nap!
(Earlier this month we were on the SWC and the attendant (Richard) came about one hour before our arrival in Chicago and asked if he could make up the berths. He invited us to sit in the next empty bedroom while he did it. We have had this attendant on a prior trip and he is the BEST!)

 

[Lonnie]

How is using a bed in a Sleeper Class compartment an imposition and what is the point of paying Amtrak sleeper fares if the bed is controlled by the SCA? The customer is paying for the use of the compartment and the employee is being paid to work around the customer's routine.


The last time I checked the manual it only said the room needed to be made up before the SCA left the train. Telling customers it needs to be made before arrival is just their way of ensuring they can leave the train as soon as they're off the clock.


According to the OP she did inform the SCA that she wanted to handle the beds and the SCA chose to ignore this request and make them up anyway. If I was in the OP's shoes I would simply put the beds back again. There would be no tip and if the SCA got snippy I'd call Customer Relations for a credit.

Thank you. You have voiced my thoughts even better than I did.

 

[Lonnie]

I'd also go ahead and use the beds if we were in the same situation. The train may well be later than 6 pm--who knows. We love to nap on the train too during the afternoon. I wonder if the attendant simply forgot your request or didn't understand your reasons for wanting to take care of your beds yourself and when he saw you moved the lower mattress to the upper berth he made an incorrect assumption. Enjoy your nap!
(Earlier this month we were on the SWC and the attendant (Richard) came about one hour before our arrival in Chicago and asked if he could make up the berths. He invited us to sit in the next empty bedroom while he did it. We have had this attendant on a prior trip and he is the BEST!)

We have also had the experience of the SCA making that request in the last hour or so and of course were more than happy to comply.

 

[alpha3]

If I was in the OP's shoes I would simply put the beds back again. There would be no tip and if the SCA got snippy I'd call Customer Relations for a credit.

Yep, exactly this. Say nothing, put the beds back again and relax. It's also entirely possible that the attendant forgot what you said and was simply following his/her routine.

 

[Asher]

I’d like to think the SCA just forgot your suggestion to make the beds yourself and went ahead with his normal routine. Did you question him?

 

[Cal]

I

I'd also go ahead and use the beds if we were in the same situation. The train may well be later than 6 pm--who knows. We love to nap on the train too during the afternoon. I wonder if the attendant simply forgot your request or didn't understand your reasons for wanting to take care of your beds yourself and when he saw you moved the lower mattress to the upper berth he made an incorrect assumption. Enjoy your nap!
(Earlier this month we were on the SWC and the attendant (Richard) came about one hour before our arrival in Chicago and asked if he could make up the berths. He invited us to sit in the next empty bedroom while he did it. We have had this attendant on a prior trip and he is the BEST!)

i had him in July! He was amazing,

 

[jis]

Yep, exactly this. Say nothing, put the beds back again and relax. It's also entirely possible that the attendant forgot what you said and was simply following his/her routine.

I have done this a couple of times. I usually tell them I am doing so, and do not ask for permission. I would be astonished if they bring a Conductor along to admonish me, since there is nothing in any rule book that would allow them and I would have fun collecting free trips from Amtrak. They have never disagreed.

I have always been sensitive to their desire to get home sooner rather than later in return, and told them to please come by about an hour before arrival to set the room the way they need to before going off duty. They appreciate that, I appreciate being able to do what I want, and all is good, so far.

Of course all exchanges done with a smile and non-confrontationally.

 

[mgkeihl]

I asked and kept the bed both ways on the EB. No issues. I was more comfortable sitting cross legged in the center! Both ways just asked that I let them change back about an hour before ending of trip. I still tipped a 20!