Selecting seats in Business Class for Northeast Regional trains?

[fhussain44]

I tried making a dummy booking on a NE regional train business class for two people. But nowhere did it ask me to select the seats. Is this option only available after you actually make the purchase? And what if you can't find two seats together? Is there an option to cancel for full refund if done within 10 minutes of making the payment?

 

[joelkfla]

I tried making a dummy booking on a NE regional train business class for two people. But nowhere did it ask me to select the seats. Is this option only available after you actually make the purchase? And what if you can't find two seats together? Is there an option to cancel for full refund if done within 10 minutes of making the payment?

Don't know about the seat selection, but all Amtrak tickets are fully refundable within 24 hours of purchase. The way the website has been behaving lately, you might have to cancel by phone.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

I tried making a dummy booking on a NE regional train business class for two people. But nowhere did it ask me to select the seats. Is this option only available after you actually make the purchase? And what if you can't find two seats together? Is there an option to cancel for full refund if done within 10 minutes of making the payment?

Yes, they assign seats. Then after you make your purchase you can look at the seating chart and change your seats.

 

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

I did this last night on the Carolinian. I used the phone app and after the ticket was processed I changed the two seats. I had already been sent an eticket to my email and as soon as I changed seats I was sent a new eticket. Don’t forget to hit confirm in the phone app so the changes take effect.

If two seats are not together then not much you can do from what. I can tell.

 

[fhussain44]

Don't know about the seat selection, but all Amtrak tickets are fully refundable within 24 hours of purchase. The way the website has been behaving lately, you might have to cancel by phone.

I would be booking this with guest rewards point. Does the same 24-hour full refund apply to points also?

 

[joelkfla]

I would be booking this with guest rewards point. Does the same 24-hour full refund apply to points also?

I do not know.

 

[Mailliw]

Don't know about the seat selection, but all Amtrak tickets are fully refundable within 24 hours of purchase. The way the website has been behaving lately, you might have to cancel by phone.

Except on the Acela Business Class tickets are fully flexible and fully refundable anytime prior to boarding.

 

[bratkinson]

I recently started traveling with a friend on the NEC and other regionals and discovered a couple of things in the process:

1. It is impossible to choose seats online for more than 1 person. I tried and tried using Firefox, Edge, and my Android phone, all without success. I gave up and resorted to calling an agent and having the seats manually assigned. On an Acela trip, the agent didn't know the right side from the left side of the train and we had to have the conductor move us to the right side to see the ocean going to BOS.

2. On regional trains with the split cafe/BC cars, the Vermonter and Empire service trains that have cafe 'open' (trains that go beyond ALB only, as I recall) as opposed to 'no cafe', BC seats are specifically reserved. For 2 passengers, you'll have to call. The NYP-ALB only trains have no specific seat reservations for BC. It's first come first choice.

I wrote an email to Amtrak detailing the problems with reserving seats for 2 passengers and got the 'form letter' response they are working to improve the online booking system. Yea...they improved it in the past month. I got 'reminder' emails for each of the 2 LD trains I'll be on in the next 2 days that didn't show my current roomette accomodations, but offered an 'upgrade' button anyway. But then, the AVIS rental I've booked has been sending me 'reminder' emails every day for the past week! For what it's worth, I'm currently aboard tr 141 in BC to WAS to catch #51 tomorrow morning.

 

[MARC Rider]

1. It is impossible to choose seats online for more than 1 person.

That's funny, I was able to do change seats for my wife and me when I booked our Acela trip a couple of months ago. But now I don't remember whether I was using the app or using the website on my computer.

 

[Mailliw]

I was able to book BC seats together for my parents and I on the Carolinian last year on the app without any issues.

 

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

I was able to change two seats at once last night using the phone app on an iPhone.

 

[lindaa]

Does anyone know what the best seats are on the northeast business class out of charlottesville, VA to Boston? I need to chose seats, and am currently placed in 1A and my husband is in 1C. Thanks!

 

[DavidSh]

On the segment between Washington and New York, there isn't much difference in the views between the left and the right sides. I'd say the right side is marginally better, with a little more of the Chesapeake shoreline, and the view of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia just north of the station is better from the right. On the other hand, the left side gives you a better view of the "TRENTON MAKES THE WORLD TAKES" sign entering Trenton. If anybody not local cares about that.

I haven't done the segment from New York to Boston, but I am told that the left side has a better view of the New York skyline, but the right side has a much better view of the Connecticut coast.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

I like row 14 — it’s near the back, so you don’t get people going by you all the time. And it has extra room in back of the seats for some luggage.

Row 1 is right in front of the bathrooms and I believe has no fold-down table. Probably the worst row, and Amtrak’s computer always tries to shove people into it. But at least you can change it.

As for the side to sit on, I’d say the righthand side — the stretch in Connecticut has ferries at Bridgeport and New London, a lovely stretch of beach running along the tracks between Old Saybrook and New London, and lots of lovely boats in marinas or out on the water. Plus glimpses here and there of the Long Island Sound. If you’re on the left side through that stretch, you’re pretty much just seeing houses and some rock walls.

As someone who lives in New Jersey, I don’t think the “Trenton Makes” sign is worth bothering with—it’s just a sad reminder of how things used to be decades ago.

Good luck with your seats—hope you and your husband have a lovely trip, wherever you sit!

 

[DavidSh]

As someone who grew up near Princeton Junction, the TRENTON MAKES sign always let me know I was getting near home, coming from DC, Baltimore, or Philly.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

As someone who grew up near Princeton Junction, the TRENTON MAKES sign always let me know I was getting near home, coming from DC, Baltimore, or Philly.

Yes, I can understand that — Trenton is my closest station and I often felt the same about coming home. Even now, I do like to see the bridge and sign when crossing the river.

I phrased that part of my post above badly, and I apologize — I simply meant I didn’t think it was worth sitting on the left to see that sign but miss all the boats and water on the right side in Connecticut.

 

[DavidSh]

No problem, I agree with you there. Overall, the right side is the better choice.

 

[lindaa]

Thank you all for your replies! It helped so much!!!