When should you start asking up an upgrade?

[Arabella1978]

I'm sure this has been covered somewhere on here, but I can't find it anywhere!

We are taking the EB in two weeks from MSP to Glacier National Park. I've already reserved a roomette for my seven year old son and myself. However, my mother and teenaged sister are also coming, and are reserved in Coach as of now. I've been checking the website every day and there are still roomette's available but the price is super high...$522 each way. If there are still some available close to departure when do they usually start selling them at a lower bucket? When should we start asking if we can upgrade their coach fares to the roomette with the best chance of getting one at a lower price? One day before? The morning of? Afternoon of? etc... Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Arabella

 

[MrFSS]

I'm sure this has been covered somewhere on here, but I can't find it anywhere!
We are taking the EB in two weeks from MSP to Glacier National Park. I've already reserved a roomette for my seven year old son and myself. However, my mother and teenaged sister are also coming, and are reserved in Coach as of now. I've been checking the website every day and there are still roomette's available but the price is super high...$522 each way. If there are still some available close to departure when do they usually start selling them at a lower bucket? When should we start asking if we can upgrade their coach fares to the roomette with the best chance of getting one at a lower price? One day before? The morning of? Afternoon of? etc... Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Arabella

You can't get the bottom bucket price except after you board and ask the conductor if a room is available. When the conductor takes your tickets, ask then.
It doesn't hurt to check right before you go as sometimes strange things happen and a lower price will become available, but probably not.

 

[jim55]

Keep checking the Amtrak web site, a little over a week befor my EB April departure date the sleeper and roometts price dropped quite a bit. Jim

 

[gswager]

Summer season is high demand season. Other way to check on how many roomettes are available. Put 8 passengers on Amtrak reservation system and add an option- roomettes or bedrooms. Then it will show you how many rooms are left, up to 8.

 

[RailBirder]

What about when you are at the station with the new conductor waiting the train to arrive? Denver and Omaha are both crew change points for the CZ. The conductors check tickets in the station before the train arrives, then after we board I look for the conductors and ask about an upgrade. They have asked why didn't I ask about an upgrade 30 minutes ago? Do you have to be physically on the train to get the lowest bucket upgrade?

 

[AlanB]

What about when you are at the station with the new conductor waiting the train to arrive? Denver and Omaha are both crew change points for the CZ. The conductors check tickets in the station before the train arrives, then after we board I look for the conductors and ask about an upgrade. They have asked why didn't I ask about an upgrade 30 minutes ago? Do you have to be physically on the train to get the lowest bucket upgrade?

I could see that going a few different ways.

It could be that they meant that they could have done the paperwork while they were in the station.

It could mean that they already sold the last room.

Or it could be that they are lazy and would have directed you to the ticket window, where you would have been charged the going rate from the Amtrak website.

All that I can confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt is that the sale must occur with the conductor to get the lowest rate. Whether he must actually be standing on the train or not, I don't know.

 

[daveyb99]

What is the name AMTRAK office who calls around and solicits upgrades?

If you can find out, might be worth calling them and asking what they might offer.

Anyone know that name and number?

If not, just call Reservations and ask if they can match your current room fare on an additional room. If not, who can.

as a side note, I have NEVER had success upgrading onboard.

 

[Guest]

Any unsold rooms will still be assigned a bucket catagory on the manifest. If you are upgrading ON BOARD, most AC's or Conductors are going to call CNOC or reservations anyway and get the appropriate price because they'll have to block out the room in the system

 

[RailBirder]

The time I was able to upgrade from coach to a roomette, I sat down with the conductor in the lounge car to complete the transaction. He said he didn't know what the price would be at first, and looked it up in a small book with a chart in it. He didn't call anyone when I was with him, but then at 11pm going from Denver to Omaha, there aren't many stops to pickup anyone up (except Lincoln ..Railrookie ).