Move coach to roomette during trip

[Rasputin]

I think your plan should work just fine and a call to an Amtrak agent should confirm that.

I assume that the roomette is occupied until CIC and that if you book the roomette from CIC, the attendant will clean the roomette and set it up for you after it is vacated at CIC. There might be a short delay before you can get into the roomette while the attendant cleans it and sets it up for you. I do not believe Amtrak is sophisticated or conscientious enough to set aside a "cleaning period" in its reservation system. Corrections would be welcome.

 

[Maglev]

I would assume that the room is occupied until Chico, and that there will be a delay while the room is cleaned if the previous occupant used the bed. I would not ask about getting into the room early, but would certainly explain to the conductor what was going on.

I have seen Roomettes re-occupied the same station as where they were just vacated (specifically, St. Paul on the eastbound Empire Builder).

 

[caravanman]

I have done this type of thing in the past. More to save $ than because of non availability. I book a coach seat for the first part, then book a roomette and move to the roomette at the appropriate station. No need to contact customer services. The attendant let me move early each time, but of course that won't be possible if the roomette is already occupied until the station you have booked the roomette from.

 

[oregon pioneer]

I would also assume the roomette is occupied right up to the station where it becomes available. I have not changed from coach to roomette, but I have changed from roomette to coach at a stop where my roomette would immediately be re-occupied. On that train, the SCA asked me to stand out in the hallway for a few minutes, while he made up the bed for the next occupant and put it up. I sat back down again in the seat, and still had my pillow, until we arrived in the station (CIN). The attendant then hustled around to the five rooms he had to flip, and did a quick cleaning and pillowcase change before they were all reoccupied.

Last winter, my attendant changed out the family room in MSP while the boarding passengers waited in the hallway for their room to be ready. He looked quite relieved when I assured him I knew the way upstairs to my roomette (which was ready for me). Amtrak expects a lot out of attendants at changeover stops.

 

[Jdub]

How do you do this? I've heard a passenger can speak with the conductor and buy a roomette space if one is available. It would be nice to know just how you do that. [I'm a slow learner and it helps to have directions].

 

[pennyk]

How do you do this? I've heard a passenger can speak with the conductor and buy a roomette space if one is available. It would be nice to know just how you do that. [I'm a slow learner and it helps to have directions].

I believe the above discussion assumes that reservations are intially made to travel in coach from point A to B, then in a sleeper from point B to C. Some do it to save money (possibly travel in coach during the day and sleeper at night) and others do it because sleepers are not available during the entire trip for their preferred day of travel. I have done it once with 2 different rooms because of availability and made the reservations on the phone.

 

[Eric in East County]

Booking different accommodations on a long-distance trip in order to eventually get into a bedroom is something that never occurred to us before. (Usually. we reserve a bedroom for the entire trip.) We can see where this might be a game saver in the event that one of our long-distance trains is cancelled and we have to scramble to find some other way to get to where we're going. In a pinch, we could probably make part of the trip in a roomette or even, as a last resort, in coach providing that we knew that we’d eventually end up in a bedroom. Hopefully we’ll never need to do this, but it is nice to know that this option is available. (This is still another piece of valuable information that we’ve acquired as a result of following AU posts on a daily basis.)

 

[amtkstn]

How do you do this? I've heard a passenger can speak with the conductor and buy a roomette space if one is available. It would be nice to know just how you do that. [I'm a slow learner and it helps to have directions].

This is not much an option since 12 when Amtrak changed over E tickets. If you would get an upgrade, it would be at current pice.

 

[caravanman]

How do you do this? I've heard a passenger can speak with the conductor and buy a roomette space if one is available. It would be nice to know just how you do that. [I'm a slow learner and it helps to have directions].

Once you are aboard your train in coach, you can simply ask the Amtrak train Conductor if any sleeper rooms are available, and take it from there. At one time, unsold sleeper rooms could be bought aboard the train from your Conductor at a reduced price, but as mentioned above, they are now sold by the conductor at the same price you would pay on the Amtrak website, or at a station ticket counter.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

If I booked a coach seat from SAC to CIC, then the roomette from CIC to PDX, is that going to work?

I have done this to get a sleeper space.

Will I have to wait until CIC to get into the roomette, or would they allow me earlier access once it has been cleaned.

Yes you have to wait. Asking is actually a bit of extra work for the staff that I would recommend you don’t do. Sorry but you payed for a space and have no legal rights to it before your boarding location.

 

[infolondon]

Hi all, thanks for your replies. I am glad I posted my question here, and got some useful advice about when the roomette was likely to be vacated/available. I called Amtrak, and, err, well, hmm, I don’t think she understood my question, let alone knew the answer… We just now need to decide whether to go with coach until 01:37 (if on-time!!), then roomette, or pay the eye-watering price of a bedroom from Sacramento to Portland. Thanks Keith

 

[Asher]

Hi all, thanks for your replies. I am glad I posted my question here, and got some useful advice about when the roomette was likely to be vacated/available. I called Amtrak, and, err, well, hmm, I don’t think she understood my question, let alone knew the answer… We just now need to decide whether to go with coach until 01:37 (if on-time!!), then roomette, or pay the eye-watering price of a bedroom from Sacramento to Portland. Thanks Keith

Wait for the roomette. It’s only 100 more or less miles miles