Negative long distance trip review article based lack of value and inedible food

[Sidney]

Hope springs eternal

I will be using my $299 railpass next month and in September. Guess it will be too early for Coach passengers to purchase dining car food. A decent sit down breakfast would be most welcome.I am augmenting my mostly railpass journey with two roomettes on the Crescent and Empire Builder. Flexible,then traditional. Can't wait for real food on the latter!

Another point. Announcements don't begin until 7AM on board trains. The diners open at 6:30. That half hour is pretty empty. It would be nice to let coach pax purchase breakfast in the dining car that early half hour period.

 

[Amtrakfflyer]

So this guy just had his third article published today about the same trip. Very weird.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/went-19-hour-amtrak-train-194703790.html

 

[20th Century Rider]

So this guy just had his third article published today about the same trip. Very weird.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/went-19-hour-amtrak-train-194703790.html

Oh meee! Oh my! According to the big Amtrak manual in the sky, this millennial should've had a delightful time! Food was perfectly prepared for millennial tastes but the bedding was apparently not. BTW this guy brought along books because looking out the window was apparently boring?

I think our millennial friend should fly Spirit Airlines next time!

 

[Danib62]

A lot of hay is being made over his dinner being delivered at 5pm... I don't remember ever being given a choice of meal times when flying on a flight where meals are still offered.

 

[basketmaker]

I think he may be of "the age of entitlement" played a major role in the review!

 

[crescent-zephyr]

BTW this guy brought along books because looking out the window was apparently boring?

No. Many people enjoy reading books while traveling. Hence bookstores in major train stations and airports.

 

[20th Century Rider]

No. Many people enjoy reading books while traveling. Hence bookstores in major train stations and airports.

Like many enthusiasts... I bring along maps from the Auto Club [been a member for half a century] and like to follow along on the Google maps app when there is a signal --- am a Verizon user. I've noticed that many bloggers use this material and incorporate into their blogs... which I watch prior to a trip.

Ok to say that everyone has their own personal way of enjoying Amtrak travel.

 

[joelkfla]

Like many enthusiasts... I bring along maps from the Auto Club [been a member for half a century] and like to follow along on the Google maps app when there is a signal --- am a Verizon user. I've noticed that many bloggers use this material and incorporate into their blogs... which I watch prior to a trip.

Ok to say that everyone has their own personal way of enjoying Amtrak travel.

Just a reminder that you can easily download Google Maps along your route onto your Android phone, and follow along even when there isn't a signal.

 

[BoulderCO]

Just a reminder that you can easily download Google Maps along your route onto your Android phone, and follow along even when there isn't a signal.

This works well on iPhone also.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

This works well on iPhone also.

I thought we weren’t allowed to look at our phones, or a laptop, or read a book. If we aren’t looking out the window at all times we are to be immediately ejected from the SSL!!!!

 

[KeepItGoing]

I noticed that in his biggest packing regrets, he said that he should have brought a towel, because they aren't provided for a shower. ????? Was this a misunderstanding on his part, or is providing towels optional for Amtrak, or was this just a mistake on Amtrak's part?

 

[zephyr17]

Mistake. Amtrak has always provided towels. How you get them varies. Sometimes clean towels are on the seat in the shower room, sometimes on the common luggage rack in Superliners. In a few cases, the attendant has taken charge of them and you have to ask for one.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Mistake. Amtrak has always provided towels. How you get them varies. Sometimes clean towels are on the seat in the shower room, sometimes on the common luggage rack in Superliners. In a few cases, the attendant has taken charge of them and you have to ask for one.

It’s entirely possible that towels were not available for this passenger.

 

[zephyr17]

Redacted. Duplicate post

 

[zephyr17]

It’s entirely possible that towels were not available for this passenger.

That would indicate a rotten apple SCA. Regardless of his attitude, the writer was entitled to a towel.

 

[drdumont]

<SNIP>
Also, though this rendition of his trip is a bit less negative, his description of the bed as, "a bed could be pulled down from the ceiling. ... I chose to sleep in the bed suspended by straps." makes it sound like it is a sling or hammock instead of a "bed"

Wonder how many of his other negative reviews he had gone back and changed ...

Just crappy writing. If you weren't aware of the physical construction of the upper bunk, you would at first believe it was more like a hammock. One presumes he referred to the straps which keep one from rolling out of bed.

 

[Amtrakfflyer]

His fourth article about his trip published yesterday.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.insider.com/why-train-travel-better-than-flying-2021-8?amp

 

[20th Century Rider]

His fourth article about his trip published yesterday.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.insider.com/why-train-travel-better-than-flying-2021-8?amp

Perhaps this travel writer should 'train' his mind to look at the positives... about train travel.

 

[MARC Rider]

Very true. Amtrak should hire someone from one of the Disney parks whose job is to focus solely on improving customer service within the company.

From what I've read about the decreasing level of customer service at Disney properties, Disney needs people to focus on customer service more than Amtrak does.

Lousy customer service is a fact of life all over America, not just Amtrak. Just the other day, I was at the carryout counter at a major regional supermarket chain, looking for lunch. Bot only did I have to wait several minutes to catch someone's attention, but the item I wanted was out of stock, and the attendant, though not actually surly, didn't seem to care very much about making a sale. I ened up buying a premade sandwich from the refrigerator case, which was actually mot too bad. Anyway, this place must have been hiring the laid-off Amtrak OBS staff that hadn't already been hired by the clinical lab I went to a couple of days earlier.

 

[neroden]

His fourth article about his trip published yesterday.

I'm beginning to sense that this is a sort of moneymaking tactic where the freelancer attempts to leverage one trip into as many articles as possible. Each article may have a different "tone", and who knows what he really thought; he's trying to sell as many articles as possible. I mean, I can't argue with his entrepeneurial spirit.

 

[Bembidion]

I think he may be of "the age of entitlement" played a major role in the review!

I only see one of his complaints being valid, other than that, he seems exceptionally self-centered. His article reminds me of something someone quoted from a radio program. "Copernicus called, and you are not at the center of your universe."

 

[Old MM]

Well, he did list the positives, at least. His writing style is not really engaging, though, it's not content I would seek out, even for free.

 

[20th Century Rider]

I only see one of his complaints being valid, other than that, he seems exceptionally self-centered. His article reminds me of something someone quoted from a radio program. "Copernicus called, and you are not at the center of your universe."

Needs a more open mind when it comes to the benefits of rail travel... especially to the environment. I do agree with his distain for flex dining... and do hope it will be replaced with something more appetizing and palatable.

 

[neroden]

We now have confirmation that he's running the "sell the same article with a different spin to a dozen outlets" thing. Positive spin in some versions, negative spin in others. Which, given the low pay for online article writers, is understandable, but, well, can't take the article too seriously.

 

[dlagrua]

I read the article and the writer touches on the negative and some positive points about train travel. Amtrak train travel is not for everyone but for a person that is not in a hurry and one that appreciates a more laid back comfortable traveling experience. If there is a fault, it has to be the price of LD travel. It is usually higher than air travel by a huge margin.