Seat Hogs in Sightseer Car

[denmarks]

What do you do when seats are being reserved in the sightseer car? On my trip last week every seat was taken. Many lust had some personal item on the seat. When I asked someone next to one of the seats if they were available he said that they were having dinner. I said the seats can't be saved and he started to argue with me. I knew that if I asked an attendant about it they would know it was me that complained.

This reminds me about pool seats on a cruise. We were told to just place their items on the ground if the person did not return in 5 to 10 minutes.

The problem is what to do when someone is guarding the seats.

 

[BCL]

Your basic issue with that is that if you manage to get someone to remove the stuff after initially giving you a fake answer, you're going to be sitting near someone who is upset about it.

 

[bpb1970]

All the seats in the SC were taken the last time we took the CZ except for two together that had a small notebook and an empty drink on the small table next to the seats. We sat there and over an hour later a coach passenger showed up, grabbed her notebook, and mumbled about how she had been sitting there but then left. A few minutes later a guys wife went to the bathroom and he got yelled at by someone looking for a seat telling him you can't save seat. Once we hit Reno most of the passengers got off and there were no seat issues after that. We even had it to ourselves the last couple of hours before the end of the line. A mob mentality seems to take over in the SC when the train is full or close to full.

 

[JoeBas]

Sit down. Possession is 9/10th of the law.

 

[Dakota 400]

I understand what the OP is asking. It's my opinion that the fundamental issue is "fairness to other guests on that train" as to the ability to be seated and enjoy the Sightseer Lounge Car.

My experience on Sunset Limited: A very large family group--maybe more than just one family, could never determine for sure--were Coach passengers, but many chose to sit in the SL Car for hours at a time, during all hours of the day, starting soon after departure from New Orleans until just before arrival in Los Angeles. I don't deny their right to use the facilities of the SL Car, but their continued occupancy of so many seats instead of their reserved Coach seats prevented others of us from enjoying being seated in the SL Car as well.

When I travel on a train that has a SL Car and am able to obtain a seat (which is most of the time), I am very reluctant to leave that seat until I am sure I would be satisfied with returning to my accommodation if no seats are available when I return from buying a snack/drink on the Car's lower level or visiting the restroom.

I understand it is an employee expense issue, but I surely miss having the opportunity of buying a drink/snack from the area that was once used for such on the top level of the SL Car.

 

[denmarks]

There should absolutely be no saving of seats for any reason. If you have to use the bathroom you have been there too long. There should be signs indicating this policy so there can be no arguments.

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

There should absolutely be no saving of seats for any reason. If you have to use the bathroom you have been there too long. There should be signs indicating this policy so there can be no arguments.

I disagree. As long as passengers are gone fewer than 10 minutes, I think seats should be able to be saved. I don't think it should matter whether they are to the bathroom, buying something in the lounge, or retrieving something from their seats. Although I do think they should be allowed to remain also, what bothers me more is when people are doing things such as reading that could just as easily be done in their seats. Of course, all of this is irrelevant if the car is anything other than full.

 

[A Voice]

There should absolutely be no saving of seats for any reason. If you have to use the bathroom you have been there too long. There should be signs indicating this policy so there can be no arguments.

I disagree. As long as passengers are gone fewer than 10 minutes, I think seats should be able to be saved. I don't think it should matter whether they are to the bathroom, buying something in the lounge, or retrieving something from their seats. Although I do think they should be allowed to remain also, what bothers me more is when people are doing things such as reading that could just as easily be done in their seats. Of course, all of this is irrelevant if the car is anything other than full.

In principle, I might agree with holding seats for ten minutes or so, but in practice it would be largely impractical and an impossible policy to administrate. Passengers would pounce on seats the moment they were vacated, and just claim the previous occupant had been gone the magic eleven minutes (and honestly, how could you tell). Really, a written and enforced policy should not be necessary; People should be considerate of their fellow travelers and show common courtesy and respect. But since that isn't going to happen either, a practice of allowing people to claim any seat empty for any reason or duration seems (and in fact is) rather strict (or even childish), but more workable and fair to everyone.

 

[Lonestar648]

Last summer, we found a couple times that the SL had no available seats. Now, there were about a half dozen or more seats with backpacks on them. Once, on the EB, a Conductor walked through seeing people waiting to sit, started asking for the backpacks to be moved either back to their Coach seats or out of the way of other passengers. One or two said they were saving the space. The Conductor didn't say anything, just looked at the person. Some one did arrive at one seat, but the other was never occupied.

 

[railiner]

Interesting. Back in the Rio Grande Zephyr era...the chair car attendant (yes, that classy train even 'em on a day train!) would "patrol" the dome sections, and tell those he found sleeping or reading to return to their 'regular' seats, and allow those desiring to sightsee to enjoy the dome...

Most would graciously smile, and sheepishly do as instructed....

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

What is the policy for sleeping in the SL overnight? I have heard that it is allowed during the overnight hours but passengers are woken up prior to sunrise. Is this true?

 

[Dakota 400]

What is the policy for sleeping in the SL overnight? I have heard that it is allowed during the overnight hours but passengers are woken up prior to sunrise. Is this true?

Good question. Because what I observed during my Sunset Limited journey did involve such behavior.

 

[JayPea]

What is the policy for sleeping in the SL overnight? I have heard that it is allowed during the overnight hours but passengers are woken up prior to sunrise. Is this true?

Last night I was on the EB and spent most of the night in the lounge. I was the only one in it overnight; there was no Amtrak personnel there to frown at anyone who might have slept in it overnight.

 

[the_traveler]

What is the policy for sleeping in the SL overnight? I have heard that it is allowed during the overnight hours but passengers are woken up prior to sunrise. Is this true?

The official policy is no sleeping overnight is allowed. I personally have witnessed a person who brought in a sleeping bag and pillow. It escalated with the OBS so much that the Conductor was called. That passenger was told no, and had to go back to their seat. These passengers many of us call "Lounge Lizards"!
I myself like sitting in the SSL during the peaceful night watching the towns pass. I do not appreciate having to step over or trying to avoid the Lounge Lizards lying across 3-4 seats or lying on the floor between the seats and the window! :angry:

As for the seat hogs, if they tell me "... the seat is saved ... they just went to their room/the cafe/the diner/etc...", I say I'll just sit here until they return - and then sit down! (Most times, nobody ever shows up!)

 

[Bob Dylan]

For several years the Conductors on the California Zephyr out of Denver were very good about making announcements about not hogging Sightseer Lounge Seats and to give everyone a chance to expierence the Beautiful Scenery in the Colorado Rockies and would ENFORCE this policy when asked by passengers running into seat hogs,etc.

I even had an older gentleman tell me in full SSL that he was saving his wifes seat while she took a nap! As others have said, all tbe usual tricks are used on the routes with good scenery!(Same thing happens in the PPC on the Starlights!)

 

[BCL]

For several years the Conductors on the California Zephyr out of Denver were very good about making announcements about not hogging Sightseer Lounge Seats and to give everyone a chance to expierence the Beautiful Scenery in the Colorado Rockies and would ENFORCE this policy when asked by passengers running into seat hogs,etc.

I even had an older gentleman tell me in full SSL that he was saving his wifes seat while she took a nap! As others have said, all tbe usual tricks are used on the routes with good scenery!(Same thing happens in the PPC on the Starlights!)

That might help with respect to those who resent another passenger insisting or going to get an employee to clear a seat. Still, asking first, then having an employee come out might lead some to think they've been ratted out.

 

[BCL]

There should absolutely be no saving of seats for any reason. If you have to use the bathroom you have been there too long. There should be signs indicating this policy so there can be no arguments.

I don't agree. If you're enjoying a beverage and feel the urge, then two minutes would seem reasonable. It certainly doesn't mean being there too long. Any kind of policy with absolutes about leaving a seat and returning is basically unenforceable.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

What irritates me to no end is when you are going through a major scenery area such as Donner Pass and over half the seats in the Lounge are taken by people looking or beating at a screen and not paying the least attention to outside the window, all while pax who want to enjoy the view have to stand.

 

[Thirdrail7]

As for the seat hogs, if they tell me "... the seat is saved ... they just went to their room/the cafe/the diner/etc...", I say I'll just sit here until they return - and then sit down! (Most times, nobody ever shows up!)

Bingo! A lot of times, the person "saving" the seat will leave as well.

 

[Asher]

Should be a NO saving seat rule. If a person has occupied a seat long enough to have to use the restroom they have probably had it long enough.

But that being said, its not the case and it is frustrating. Same for the Parlour car on the CS people sit in the swivel chairs and read never looking out the window.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Love all these experts on how the bladder works.

 

[brianpmcdonnell17]

Love all these experts on how the bladder works.

Exactly. It would be ridiculous to implement any rule reducing maximum continuous usage of the lounge to less 3-4 hours, yet many people have to use the bathroom once an hour or more. This is especially true on the train, where there is a large elderly population as well as many people drinking large amounts of fluid. Any policy that did not allow someone to get up from their seats for a mere five to ten minutes to use the bathroom could even be argued as a form of discrimination.

 

[tricia]

Love all these experts on how the bladder works.

Exactly. It would be ridiculous to implement any rule reducing maximum continuous usage of the lounge to less 3-4 hours, yet many people have to use the bathroom once an hour or more. This is especially true on the train, where there is a large elderly population as well as many people drinking large amounts of fluid. Any policy that did not allow someone to get up from their seats for a mere five to ten minutes to use the bathroom could even be argued as a form of discrimination.

Agreed. And telling whoever's saving them a seat that "I'll just sit here until they come back" deals with that situation well enough, I think. If whoever's gone comes back in five minutes or so, I'd give them back their seat.

 

[Ryan]

What is the policy for sleeping in the SL overnight? I have heard that it is allowed during the overnight hours but passengers are woken up prior to sunrise. Is this true?

The official policy is no sleeping overnight is allowed.

I think that this is another one of those made up "policies" that isn't actually documented anywhere.

 

[KmH]

A lot of train passengers are in the group of people 20 to 40 years old that seem to believe they are owed certain rights and benefits without further justification - the Entitlement Generation.

Here is what Amtrak has to say:

Sightseer Lounge/Café

On my epic, 4 train, 5000 mile trip last week I noted a couple of passengers that used an SSL table like an office and busily used their laptop computers while perusing a variety of paper documents.

On the SWC I saw one guy that, as far as I could tell, spent the entire trip from Galesburg to L, in the SSL car at one of the tables socializing with a evolving entourage of other people.