Time to order my kosher meal?

[MARC Rider]

I'm heading out on the Lakeshore Limited on Oct. 13, and I've decided to order a kosher meal to see if it's any better than the flex meals. They saay they want 72 hour notice. Is now the time to make my order?
Also, it looks like you're supposed to call the main phone portal, 1-800-USA-RAIL. How do you navigate through the phone naill hell in order to get the right agent who can take the order?

 

[OBS]

They ask for 72 hours as a minimum. You can order as far in advance as you wish. Also, if boarding in NYP, I suggest inquiring if they were boarded, before the train departs....

 

[MARC Rider]

They ask for 72 hours as a minimum. You can order as far in advance as you wish. Also, if boarding in NYP, I suggest inquiring if they were boarded, before the train departs....

Thanks, Looks like it's time for me to make a call, but I'll do it tomorrow, during business hours.

 

[Danib62]

As someone with experience the earlier you make the call the better.

 

[MARC Rider]

They ask for 72 hours as a minimum. You can order as far in advance as you wish. Also, if boarding in NYP, I suggest inquiring if they were boarded, before the train departs....

Who do I ask? The attendant at the lounge or my sleeping car attendant when I board, who is probably pretty busy at that point getting everyone settled in? On some trips, the SCA's visit to my room doesn't come until after the train departs.

 

[OBS]

Who do I ask? The attendant at the lounge or my sleeping car attendant when I board, who is probably pretty busy at that point getting everyone settled in? On some trips, the SCA's visit to my room doesn't come until after the train departs.

The person responsible for securing it would be the Diner LSA. So if they are available/accessible check with them. Otherwise ask the SCA to inquire. The attendant in the Lounge ( assuming you mean in the station) would be clueless....

 

[MARC Rider]

Well, I made my call. It was a 30+ minute wait, so I opted for a callback. When they called back, it was another 5 minute wait until someone actually answered. She was pretty helpful, but forgot to ask me my menu choices. I raised the issue and was thus able to order fish for dinner out of New York (no jokes about the movie Airplane!, please), and beef out of Chicago. The software she was using to make the order apparently also allows for one to order lunch, even though I suspect lunch isn't served on either train, but I ordered a chicken lunch on the Capitol Limited, just in case...

 

[denmarks]

How are the kosher meals? Are they just reheated frozen diners or actually something fresh. Obviously the train does not have a kosher kitchen so I assume it must be something sealed.

 

[MARC Rider]

They're reheated frozen dinners, just like everything served on Amtrak, including "traditional dining" and Acela First class.

They're heated in the serving tray. No fancy plating, but I've heard that the food is supposed to taste better than the flex entrees. Plus, there's a fish dinner.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

They saay they want 72 hour notice. [...] Also, it looks like you're supposed to call the main phone portal.

Well, I made my call. It was a 30+ minute wait, so I opted for a callback. When they called back, it was another 5 minute wait until someone actually answered.

I realize Anderson is hated in part for his tenure at various airlines but this is one area he should have been able to improve. Nearly everything I need to do with an airline is on the app or web site but with Amtrak the online experience barely does half of what I need and somehow got even worse.

 

[MARC Rider]

I realize Anderson is hated in part for his tenure at various airlines but this is one area he should have been able to improve. Nearly everything I need to do with an airline is on the app or web site but with Amtrak the online experience barely does half of what I need and somehow got even worse.

On this, I have to agree. Why shouldn't I be able to order the kosher meal online? Heck, Why can't we pre-order regular meals online? It might save them money because they would only have to stock what's ordered, even if the menu itself has more variety. It might also streamline serving and such, too, as the waiters won't have to take as many orders.