If the "Amenity Kits" need to be eliminated...

[SarahZ]

The bottles as shown in the beginning of this thread look to be the exact same as the liquid hand soap already found. Same pumps, same bottles, samve manufacturer. When one bottle runs out, you just pitch it and screw in a new one. The "contamination risk" is a non-starter IMHO.

Bingo. I've used those dispensers in hotels and never gave it a second thought.

This is also less wasteful than the bars of hand soap. Every time I get into the shower, there are several barely-used bars of soap laying around because everyone takes a new one and uses it once.

 

[Sam314]

I am not keen to the idea of Amtrak substituting large bottles of shampoo or conditioner in the showers for the individual containers provided to customers. Too much of a security risk for some nefarious person to contaminate those containers.

Lemme see: right, as a terrorist this would be my No.1 choice for launching an attack against the general public. h34r:

Or I would use those soap dispensers that are available in every single Amtrak bathroom since about 1971.

But as a law abiding citizen, I will just launch an initiative to create an amendment to the constitution which reads as follows:

"The right of the people to consume free chocolate and candy while riding in sleeper class, shall not be infringed".

 

[jis]

I am not keen to the idea of Amtrak substituting large bottles of shampoo or conditioner in the showers for the individual containers provided to customers. Too much of a security risk for some nefarious person to contaminate those containers.

You're not serious! Really? I assume you just forgot to include a smiley somewhere in there.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

I am not keen to the idea of Amtrak substituting large bottles of shampoo or conditioner in the showers for the individual containers provided to customers. Too much of a security risk for some nefarious person to contaminate those containers.

You're not serious! Really? I assume you just forgot to include a smiley somewhere in there.

Yeah. Not just Amtrak or hotels, but every restroom in every hotel, restaurant, store, gas station, sporting arena, airport, train station, etc. everywhere in the world provides soap, almost always in a dispenser.

Some people have pointed out that there's not much room in the showers for a dispenser. OTOH, there's already a soapdish, and at least another shelf or two - and with space in the "shower closet" already limited, I'd be much happier if I didn't have to bring all my own toiletries with me to the shower. If they could utilize the existing space, I'm all in favor of this idea.

 

[RTE_TrainGuy]

I guess I haven't been keeping up with this, but does this mean there is no shampoo available in Viewliner bedrooms on the Crescent?

 

[Acela150]

Sooner rather then later yes.

 

[rickycourtney]

I guess I haven't been keeping up with this, but does this mean there is no shampoo available in Viewliner bedrooms on the Crescent?

That's correct. Amtrak does not provide shampoo and conditioner on most trains. It will be eliminated from all trains in a few months.

 

[amamba]

I think the dispensers are a great idea. I am used to seeing them at the gym, at spas, etc.

 

[dlagrua]

In all our overnight trips on Amtrak, I have never seen an amenity kit, chocolates on the dining tablesand was seldom was given a newspaper. We did see a flower(s) in the bud vase.

By eliminating these extras, you are talking about "peanuts" in relation to the big picture.

Boardman has promised to cut the dining car losses but history has shown that a railroad dining car always lost money. It is a necessary accommodation mainly for the sleeper /long distance passenger. The only way to stop any loss would be to stop the train at a restaurant for dinner as they did in the early days of passenger rail BUT time sitting idle also costs money. Trying to make a dining car profitable by removing the tiny amenities is like trying to empty the ocean with a bucket.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

I did one time find 2 GIANT Hershey Bars in a Hershey Store bag under the seat in my Roomette (car was turned in Chicago; so that's why). I know they didn't come from Amtrak but I gave them a good home anyways....

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Dining cars can be profitable, they honestly can, and without cutting much in the way of amenities. Cutting the politics and corporate profiteering that governs the catering industry is another story.

 

[rickycourtney]

I think the dispensers are a great idea. I am used to seeing them at the gym, at spas, etc.

That brings up another idea. The shampoo/body wash at the showers in my gym has a big sticker that says "Dial for Men" and there are advertising posters for Dial in the locker rooms. There has to be some sort of marketing arrangement here (you give us free advertising, we give you the product for free.)

Also, I've notices that many airlines are are moving away from having "house branded" items in the lavatories. On United they use the boutique Philosophy brand for soap in the lavatories (and the lotion, facial cleanser & facial mist in the first/business class lavatories). Philosophy also supplies items for United's amenity kits and the United Club (like Amtrak's ClubAcela). There has to be some sort of marketing arrangement for this too.

Amtrak could also setup a marketing arrangement to defray some of the costs of providing soap in coach lavatories, soap & shampoo in the showers and maybe lotion in First, Business and Sleeper lavatories.

 

[yarrow]

Dining cars can be profitable, they honestly can, and without cutting much in the way of amenities. Cutting the politics and corporate profiteering that governs the catering industry is another story.

my understanding is that dining cars have never made money. the freight railroads viewed excellent dining service as an enticement for traveling businessmen to use their freight service. i wonder, though, if fred harvey made money.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

They haven't, but they could if they used modern techniques, best practice procurement, and other things like that.

 

[KC Ghost Rider]

I like the idea of the body soap and shampoo dispensers in the showers. I think it would be much more cost effective in the long run and it would be a step up over what we have now. I never have received an amenity kit of any kind from Amtrak, but even a basic hotel will give you something if you ask. For the price we pay, we ought to have something more than a hand looking for tip money. BTW, I have never even seen this grommet chocolate on my pillow...on the injustice of it all. :giggle:

 

[tomfuller]

My report on my first 2 showers in Amtrak sleepers: Tuesday evening I got on the Sunset Limited in Tucson. Early Wednesday morning I took my shower before we got to LAX. There was no kit in my roomete.

There was a box of rather generic small hard milled soaps. About halfway through the shower, I dropped the soap and it broke in 3 pieces. The shower stall had a curved Lexan door hinged on the right side as you enter the shower. I'm glad that we didn't hit any bumpy track while I was in the shower. I didn't need the grab bar.

The shower experience on the Coast Starlight this morning was a bit different. I had a small sliver of my own soap (Dial) and a hotel size shampoo I like. The shower stall had a plastic shower curtain that had snaps on each side. The Amtrak soap was available but I did not use it. The towels were not rough and absorbed well.

I don't think that gluing dispensers in the showers would work very well. Screwing them to the wall would be even worse.

In my roomette I did get a 4" X 7" grey-blue drawstring bag with the Amtrak logo. Inside are BeeKind (Gilchrist & Soames) 1 fl oz Shampoo, conditioner and body lotion. Also included was a round BeeKind skincare bar and a shower cap also by G&S.

One thing I did notice about the Amtrak hand soap dispensers in the rest rooms is that there is a little puddle of soap under the dispenser pump. This may be due to barometric pressure change going from low elevation to high elevation.

If you don't bring your own soap and shampoo, I think the amenity kits are a better idea than dispensers in the shower stalls. Any dispenser leaks will cause problems for the car attendants.

 

[Old MM]

The BeeKind products are outstanding and well, pricey. My daughter and I loved them, son was indifferent. After being introduced to these items via the EB amenity kit, ended up ordering from the GS web site for Christmas gifts and to have at home. 15$ for one bottle, 8 oz, of either the shower gel, shampoo, conditioner or lotion. Not kidding. Four bags of food from the grocery store, or two smallish plastic bottles among the above personal care products.

 

[IowaGirl]

STRONGLY AGREE!!! As much as I enjoy a good Railroad Shower, I hate spending 10 minutes getting the stall cleaned up from previous pigs, err, users.

What is wrong with AMTRAK that they can't get rid of those kind of employees that do not do their jobs.

I had some friends take a trip on the SWC a year ago. They had a bedroom and the toilet was crusted with urine and smelled horrid. They asked the attendant to help them and clean it up - she stated it was not her job to do that. They ended up getting some anti-bacterial wipes and cleaning it up themselves. Left quite a lasting impression on them. First and last trip on AMTRAK.

 

[tomfuller]

IowaGirl I am sorry to hear about your friends experience with the bedroom on the SWC. I would ask if they were the first users of that bedroom out of CHI or LAX. The cleaning crew that prepares the train should make sure every bathroom is clean and smells OK before the train leaves the station.

The upstairs restroom next to the attendants room on the CS had a bottle of Febreeze . If I am traveling with only my wife we will use a roomette. I don't want a toilet in my room.

I took the second shower of the day on the CS and left the shower as clean or cleaner than I found it.

There is now a link on the Amtrak website where you can give praise or scorn to the car attendant when you get home.

 

[yarrow]

There is now a link on the Amtrak website where you can give praise or scorn to the car attendant when you get home.

thanks. didn't know about that. hope amtrak looks at and utilizes the feedback

 

[Ryan]

STRONGLY AGREE!!! As much as I enjoy a good Railroad Shower, I hate spending 10 minutes getting the stall cleaned up from previous pigs, err, users.

What is wrong with AMTRAK that they can't get rid of those kind of employees that do not do their jobs.

I had some friends take a trip on the SWC a year ago. They had a bedroom and the toilet was crusted with urine and smelled horrid. They asked the attendant to help them and clean it up - she stated it was not her job to do that. They ended up getting some anti-bacterial wipes and cleaning it up themselves. Left quite a lasting impression on them. First and last trip on AMTRAK.

Hopefully they complained. It most certainly is a part of their job to do that.

(if they didn't, that's the first part of "What is wrong with Amtrak?". Can't fix problems they don't know about.)

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

IowaGirl I am sorry to hear about your friends experience with the bedroom on the SWC. I would ask if they were the first users of that bedroom out of CHI or LAX. The cleaning crew that prepares the train should make sure every bathroom is clean and smells OK before the train leaves the station.

The upstairs restroom next to the attendants room on the CS had a bottle of Febreeze . If I am traveling with only my wife we will use a roomette. I don't want a toilet in my room.

I took the second shower of the day on the CS and left the shower as clean or cleaner than I found it.

There is now a link on the Amtrak website where you can give praise or scorn to the car attendant when you get home.

IowaGirl I am sorry to hear about your friends experience with the bedroom on the SWC. I would ask if they were the first users of that bedroom out of CHI or LAX. The cleaning crew that prepares the train should make sure every bathroom is clean and smells OK before the train leaves the station.

The Chicago Cleaning Crews are notorious for hand-waving at best over the cars and calling them clean. I've been in the same circumstances having to clean dried pee off the seat of a Viewliner Roomette. Anymore I always toss a travel pack of Disinfecting Wipes in my grip.

 

[Soap_In_My_Eyes]

I'm glad that we didn't hit any bumpy track while I was in the shower. I didn't need the grab bar.

I always try to time my shower to when we are just arriving at a station, for just that reason.

 

[dlagrua]

Dining cars can be profitable, they honestly can, and without cutting much in the way of amenities. Cutting the politics and corporate profiteering that governs the catering industry is another story.

Marvin:

I must respectfully disagree with this statement. Back in the day the railroads paid the dining car crew "cooly wages" and still lost money. A dining car takes up space on the train. Therefore it costs x number of dollars just to transport it. Add in the maintenance costs (they have to go to Beech Grove like all the other cars), fair union labor costs for the workers and the cost of enough food to allow the passenger a choice.

Now if Amtrak wants a real cost saving idea; they should allow passengers to place their orders when they are ticketed. This way only the right amount of food can be loaded (+ a bit extra). This way food loss will be kept to a minimum. As it now stands Amtrak must carry multiple orders of everything to accommodate everyone with their meal choice.

The only other choice for savings is to allow the current Amtrak dining crews to retire and turn the dining cars over to private enterprise who will invariably use cheap, unskilled minimum wage workers. Private industry always saves money by paying their workers the absolute bare minimum wage (and no benefits) as they've got to give the Wall Street investors and the top 1% the maximum profit possible.

 

[Blackwolf]

Dining cars can be profitable, they honestly can, and without cutting much in the way of amenities. Cutting the politics and corporate profiteering that governs the catering industry is another story.

Marvin:

I must respectfully disagree with this statement. Back in the day the railroads paid the dining car crew "cooly wages" and still lost money. A dining car takes up space on the train. Therefore it costs x number of dollars just to transport it. Add in the maintenance costs (they have to go to Beech Grove like all the other cars), fair union labor costs for the workers and the cost of enough food to allow the passenger a choice.

Now if Amtrak wants a real cost saving idea; they should allow passengers to place their orders when they are ticketed. This way only the right amount of food can be loaded (+ a bit extra). This way food loss will be kept to a minimum. As it now stands Amtrak must carry multiple orders of everything to accommodate everyone with their meal choice.

The only other choice for savings is to allow the current Amtrak dining crews to retire and turn the dining cars over to private enterprise who will invariably use cheap, unskilled minimum wage workers. Private industry always saves money by paying their workers the absolute bare minimum wage (and no benefits) as they've got to give the Wall Street investors and the top 1% the maximum profit possible.

Not possible with a Long Distance train. On just a single one-way trip, you're already going to push an employee into the realm of *required* benefits due to the labor laws. Also, the employee cannot go home at the end of their shift, because they'd be hundreds to thousands of miles away. So, no. Costs cannot be reduced on the backs of workers by not paying them for benefits.

But I do acknowledge that there are significant costs to be reduced from where Amtrak operates now. Massive ones, even. And I don't think cutting the flowers from the table, not using plastic instead of real china, and paper instead of linen tablecloths do a darn thing to the bottom line.