Taking my first trip: A bunch of questions

[cpotisch]

I'm looking at either FTL or WPB to Penn Station.

And it says you need to transfer? Does it say what the supposed connecting station is, or what routes you’re transferring between? And is this through Amtrak.com, or your work booking system which we know screwed up the train numbering?

 

[trnzone]

And it says you need to transfer? Does it say what the supposed connecting station is, or what routes you’re transferring between? And is this through Amtrak.com, or your work booking system which we know screwed up the train numbering?

The work system that screwed up the train numbering. They have a phone number I'll call tomorrow to confirm it's a screwup.

 

[ehbowen]

When you put it like that, the Meteor roomette is a no-brainer if I can get it for that price (and want to pay it).

Let's put it this way: If you can only take a roomette one way, take it on the trip back. Otherwise you'll be kicking yourself the whole way back in coach. If you can afford to take it both ways but aren't sure, take it on the trip out. Seven to two you upgrade back to a roomette somewhere before Richmond on your southbound trip...if it's available; otherwise see above (they frequently sell out).

On an airliner, first class means you get a somewhat more comfortable seat and a decent meal. (All right, Neroden, I'm talking domestic.) Sleeper and coach on a train is literally like the difference between night and day. I've said this before but I'll say it again: There have been many times after a coach trip on Amtrak when I have said, "You know, I wish I'd spent the extra and taken the sleeper." There has never yet been a time after an overnight sleeper trip when I have said, "You know, I wish I'd saved the money and taken coach." Not once.

 

[cpotisch]

Is it worth it MORE because of (a) for the space or (b) food is included? The reason I ask is ... It would be 4 extra hours each way, but I'm wondering if I did the Star without the food if you still think it would be worth it? 

The Roomette is worth it because of everything. You get your own completely private room which contains two seats that convert into a bed, another bed that slides down from the ceiling (each have a big window for taking in the scenery), a large table that folds out from the wall, and your own sink and toilet. There is complimentary coffee and juice in your car, an attendant who will provide free room service if you wish, fresh linens,  turn down service, and the list goes on. So those are the big reasons why it’s worth it over coach.

Now as to whether the Meteor is worth it over the Star, I would also say yes.  It comes out to about $60 extra or something to take the Meteor, and for that you get four full meals in the dining car. When you take into account the fact that that also includes sides, beverages, and in the case of lunch and dinner, dessert, I think it’s a pretty good deal, even putting aside the fact that you get the unique experience of dining on the train.

 

[trnzone]

Let's put it this way: If you can only take a roomette one way, take it on the trip back. Otherwise you'll be kicking yourself the whole way back in coach. If you can afford to take it both ways but aren't sure, take it on the trip out. Seven to two you upgrade back to a roomette somewhere before Richmond on your southbound trip...if it's available; otherwise see above (they frequently sell out).

On an airliner, first class means you get a somewhat more comfortable seat and a decent meal. (All right, Neroden, I'm talking domestic.) Sleeper and coach on a train is literally like the difference between night and day. I've said this before but I'll say it again: There have been many times after a coach trip on Amtrak when I have said, "You know, I wish I'd spent the extra and taken the sleeper." There has never yet been a time after an overnight sleeper trip when I have said, "You know, I wish I'd saved the money and taken coach." Not once.

Appreciate you (and everyone) taking the time to break it down for me. I'm going to see if I can use a gift card through AMEX rewards for a modification. If I can, it's a no-brainer.

 

[cpotisch]

The work system that screwed up the train numbering. They have a phone number I'll call tomorrow to confirm it's a screwup.

I highly recommend you check Amtrak.com instead, to make sure you’re seeing what’s actually going on.

 

[trnzone]

Looks like they have the roomette for Meteor for my trip as low as $415. If I can get that price on the right dates, it's a total no-brainer.

How often do the prices change?

 

[cpotisch]

Looks like they have the roomette for Meteor for my trip as low as $415. If I can get that price on the right dates, it's a total no-brainer.

How often do the prices change?

Since prices primarily stem the remaining availability and how many people are getting tickets, it really depends. If you see a particularly good fare, it’s best to just snag it as quickly as possible.

 

[ehbowen]

Usually every morning about 2 am ET they post cancellations and such; if the price is going to drop, that's when it's going to happen. Amsnag had (maybe still has?) a "fare watch" feature which would send you an email if the price dropped on a trip and date you were watching; it was kind of buggy and had many false alarms but it worked for me more than once.

Note, though, that the price can go UP at any time. If they have ten sleepers in inventory they might have two of them priced at bucket B, three at bucket C, three more at D and the last two at the highest bucket E. The price you see when you check online will be the lowest bucket, B. But if those two rooms sell, the price immediately jumps to bucket C...and when they sell, to D and E. So if you see a price in your budget, grab it now. The early morning wee hours are when they evaluate inventory and might adjust the prices back down.

 

[trnzone]

Usually every morning about 2 am ET they post cancellations and such; if the price is going to drop, that's when it's going to happen. Amsnag had (maybe still has?) a "fare watch" feature which would send you an email if the price dropped on a trip and date you were watching; it was kind of buggy and had many false alarms but it worked for me more than once.

Note, though, that the price can go UP at any time. If they have ten sleepers in inventory they might have two of them priced at bucket B, three at bucket C, three more at D and the last two at the highest bucket E. The price you see when you check online will be the lowest bucket, B. But if those two rooms sell, the price immediately jumps to bucket C...and when they sell, to D and E. So if you see a price in your budget, grab it now. The early morning wee hours are when they evaluate inventory and might adjust the prices back down.

Thanks, I'll do that. The price I want is not too near the dates I want, so I'll have to keep on it. You guys have made the roomette sound so good that I don't even know if I want to deal w/ coach at this point. Haha.

 

[BCL]

No, don't mind being next to anyone for an hour, two, three, four, five, six. I would prefer not to be for 25 straight hours, that's all.  

It's kind of strange how it works.  There are a whole lot of different things they try to balance on any particular long-distance Amtrak train.  Reservations will be required, and that gives a pretty good idea of how many cars they need to put in service.

As others said, they try to keep people going to the same destination in the same car.  But of course some passengers are going short distances.  Passengers heading for Miami  could board from anywhere on the route, so they're going to adjust where people are seated as needed.  They balance a lot of needs this way.  You could very well end up with someone next to you going a short distance because they feel they can place passengers going to to intermediate stations in that car.  Or you could end up with another passenger going the entire distance.  In the former case your next seat could be empty, then filled, again, then empty.  It's kind of hard to tell how it's going to end up.  It's really like trying to balance available tables in a restaurant as people come and go.

This is really the reality of it.  I get that you'd like to have some alone time, but you can't really get that.  However, these are large seats - around the size of an airline first class seat with massive leg room.  You won't be cramped at all.

 

[cpotisch]

Usually every morning about 2 am ET they post cancellations and such; if the price is going to drop, that's when it's going to happen. Amsnag had (maybe still has?) a "fare watch" feature which would send you an email if the price dropped on a trip and date you were watching; it was kind of buggy and had many false alarms but it worked for me more than once.

Note, though, that the price can go UP at any time. If they have ten sleepers in inventory they might have two of them priced at bucket B, three at bucket C, three more at D and the last two at the highest bucket E. The price you see when you check online will be the lowest bucket, B. But if those two rooms sell, the price immediately jumps to bucket C...and when they sell, to D and E. So if you see a price in your budget, grab it now. The early morning wee hours are when they evaluate inventory and might adjust the prices back down.

I’m pretty sure Paul shut down Fare Watch because of all the bugs.

I would like to make it clear that the buckets are not assigned to specific physical rooms. There’s a certain quantity of each room at each bucket, but you can choose whatever room number is available and the price will be the same.

 

[ehbowen]

Another factoid which might influence you: Amtrak used to have a very generous cancellation and refund policy. Essentially, as long as you canceled before the train departed the station, you would get at least full credit towards another trip. Well, of course, people started abusing that. Some tour agencies were notorious for booking every sleeper accommodation on popular trains such as the California Zephyr to "hold them for ransom"...resell them to customers at a substantial markup, who couldn't buy from Amtrak because the train showed as "Sold Out"...and then, if any didn't sell, cancel them at literally the last minute for a voucher which they could use to do the same thing all over again next year. Ordinary travelers were essentially frozen out of the popular dates.

So now there's penalties if you downgrade or cancel a sleeping accommodation. However, it's not a total penalty...you still get something like a 60% credit. So (just pulling numbers out of the air), if you purchase a sleeper upgrade for $550 (total) but at some point before departure the fare drops to $450 (and you find out about it!), you can call and have an agent modify your reservation for the lower fare of $450. You'll pay the 40% penalty on the downgrade, but your net cost will be $490 when you expected to pay $550. I know you can get the $60 difference back in a voucher but I need to review the rules; depending on when you modify you may be able to get the difference back in actual cash (to your credit card, of course).

And, if the price doesn't drop, you've still got your original $550 ticket for a private roomette with meals. Just consider it as buying an option put to hedge your bet against a price drop....

 

[trnzone]

Thanks everyone. Really helpful stuff. Looks like I have a bunch of work to do.

 

[ehbowen]

One more thing: Don't forget to sign up for Amtrak's frequent traveler program, Amtrak Guest Rewards.

 

[NEPATrainTraveler]

If you are prone to motion sickness, I highly recommend taking Dramamine or something similar.

 

[ehbowen]

If you are prone to motion sickness, I highly recommend taking Dramamine or something similar.

Motion on a train is not bad, at all, but it's...well, it's different. Better safe than sorry if you're not sure.

 

[cpotisch]

Another factoid which might influence you: Amtrak used to have a very generous cancellation and refund policy. Essentially, as long as you canceled before the train departed the station, you would get at least full credit towards another trip. Well, of course, people started abusing that. Some tour agencies were notorious for booking every sleeper accommodation on popular trains such as the California Zephyr to "hold them for ransom"...resell them to customers at a substantial markup, who couldn't buy from Amtrak because the train showed as "Sold Out"...and then, if any didn't sell, cancel them at literally the last minute for a voucher which they could use to do the same thing all over again next year. Ordinary travelers were essentially frozen out of the popular dates.

So now there's penalties if you downgrade or cancel a sleeping accommodation. However, it's not a total penalty...you still get something like a 60% credit. So (just pulling numbers out of the air), if you purchase a sleeper upgrade for $550 (total) but at some point before departure the fare drops to $450 (and you find out about it!), you can call and have an agent modify your reservation for the lower fare of $450. You'll pay the 40% penalty on the downgrade, but your net cost will be $490 when you expected to pay $550. I know you can get the $60 difference back in a voucher but I need to review the rules; depending on when you modify you may be able to get the difference back in actual cash (to your credit card, of course).

And, if the price doesn't drop, you've still got your original $550 ticket for a private roomette with meals. Just consider it as buying an option put to hedge your bet against a price drop....

Actually, the sleeper cancellation policy if is 80% back (it’s a 20% fee). And if you modify a reservation to a lower fare, you actually get the full price difference back as an e-voucher (no fee). Of course, many Amtrak agents don’t understand this concept and will try to charge you a fee if you modify, but the policy is an e-voucher back with no fee.

 

[cpotisch]

Motion on a train is not bad, at all, but it's...well, it's different. Better safe than sorry if you're not sure.

Agreed. I’ve personally never had even the slightest issue with motion sickness on the train, even when I’ve been in the upper bunk of an upper-level roomette speeding over rough trackage. Not the slightest issue. I recognize that this may be different for someone else, but since there really aren’t any sudden bumps or movements on the train, it’s nothing like a car, bus, or even plane, when it comes to motion sickness.

 

[ehbowen]

There is a very generously sized tray table and 110V outlets at each coach seat. (No tray tables at the forward bulkhead, unfortunately.) When I travel coach with a laptop I carry a Kensington cable lock and lock it to the frame of the tray table when I want to get up and leave my seat. Never had a problem with it.

A note: There is (at least) one power outlet in each sleeping car room, but it may not be positioned perfectly for your needs. A power strip with a surge protector is highly recommended...train power is generated on board (obviously) and generator power in general is notorious for being "noisy" to electronics.

 

[cpotisch]

A note: There is (at least) one power outlet in each sleeping car room, but it may not be positioned perfectly for your needs. A power strip with a surge protector is highly recommended...train power is generated on board (obviously) and generator power in general is notorious for being "noisy" to electronics.

Each Viewliner Roomette has exactly two outlets. They are right between the sink and the wall, so you definitely may want an extension cord and/or splitter, depending on how long your chargers are and how much stuff you plan on plugging in.

 

[cpotisch]

One more thing: Don't forget to sign up for Amtrak's frequent traveler program, Amtrak Guest Rewards.

And while you’re at it, consider signing up for the Bank of America Amtrak Guest Rewards World MasterCard. With it you get

• One AGR point per dollar spent on all non-travel related purchases
  
• Two AGR points per dollar spent on all travel-related-but-not-Amtrak purchases
  
• Three points per dollar spent on all Amtrak purchases.
  
• 20,000 points upon spending $1,000 within 90 days of signing up.
  

And until January 1st, there actually giving people 3 points per dollar on all purchases whatsoever (not just Amtrak stuff), however it is pretty likely that by the time you could actually get confirmed and receive the card, that deal would be over.

It’s $79 per year, however you get a $100 statement credit upon sign-up, so even if you don’t use it and redeem those points, you are still $21 ahead right off the bat.

And for the record, I am not on commission.

 

[trnzone]

All good stuff also folks, thanks. 

 

[JRR]

If you can find a low bucket Roomette and you can afford it, DEFINITELY go for it. I swear, if you have the money, it is absolutely positively worth it. 

By all means, upgrade to a roomette if you can. It is worth it and you will find the trip relaxing and enjoyable!

 

[KSOC]

A note: There is (at least) one power outlet in each sleeping car room, but it may not be positioned perfectly for your needs. A power strip with a surge protector is highly recommended...train power is generated on board (obviously) and generator power in general is notorious for being "noisy" to electronics.

I had the pleasure of riding the Meteor from NYP to Winter Park FL (WPK) last month. I was assigned the aisle seat, and the one takeaway would have been to have an extension cord for my phone. My cord was only long enough to put in my seatmates area under his tray, or it would have stretched across his lap. Otherwise I was very comfortable with the aisle.