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We’re traveling first class from Rochester, NY to Houston next week and have some questions about meals on the return trip. Our bus leaves Houston at 2:05 PM and connects with the Texas Eagle at 7:10 PM. Will we be able to get dinner on board the train that night? The Texas eagle arrives in Chicago at 2:20 PM the next day. Will we be able to get lunch on the train? Our connecting train is the Lakeshore Limited leaving at 7:10 PM. How about the availability of dinner on that train? I know that the likelihood of these trains being on time is pretty slim, but in looking at this schedule, I’m wondering if we’ll be getting a couple of very expensive breakfasts and not much more with our sleeper fare! Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Posts: 16 | From: NY, USA | Registered: Jul 2000
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You will definetly have dinner on the LSL if you are travelling in a sleeper. Sleeping car guests will have priority in the dining car, I believe. I know when the train goes in the other direction, the Boston section does NOT have a dining car, and isn't joined up to the NY section with the diner until 7 or 8 pm. Before the diner is opened to coach passengers on the Boston section, the sleeping car passengers are led to the dining car, so they get the meal they paid for. I'm sure at the start point of Chicago, all sleeping car passengers will get dinner. I wouldn't worry! I'm not sure about the Texas Eagle, though. Still, if it's on time into Houston, I doubt the diner will be closed at 7:10, so you should get diner on board as well. Maybe someone else on here knows better than I do.
-Tim
Posts: 140 | From: Albany, NY | Registered: Mar 2001
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Most trains have three seatings for dinner which vary in time but for the sake of example, 5.30pm, 7pm, and 8.30pm. There's also last call. So you should definitely get dinner on the Texas Eagle. The Lake Shore does serve dinner after leaving Chicago. Lunch the following day was leftovers from dinner (but I don't think that was the usual affair).
Geoff M.
Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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I took the Texas Eagle northbound to Chicago Dec 31...they have replaced breakfast & lunch the day into Chicago with a brunch that runs from 6:30 or so til 11 or so.
Posts: 6 | From: Chicago IL USA | Registered: Dec 2000
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Thank you all for your prompt replies. It's nice to know what to expect. We've never been on the Texas Eagle before, but we're looking forward to the trip. I'm a little wary of the bus connection between Longview and Houston, but we'll make the best of it. MJ
Posts: 16 | From: NY, USA | Registered: Jul 2000
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I don't know about those particular trains, but we had a problem with late dinners on the California Zephyr awhile back. I actually called Amtrak ahead of time. Our westbound CZ was scheduled to arrive in Emeryville (the end of the line) at 6:10pm. On the phone they said if the train was late they would serve dinner. However, the train was four hours late and they did not serve dinner. They did do a late lunch but that ended at about 3:00 or 4:00pm. Since we had lunch at 1:00 we weren't hungry that early. We got a couple of muffins at the snack bar, but by the time we were really hungry the snack bar was out of food.
My mother and sister then connected to the Coast Starlight which was also running late. The Starlight's diner and snack bar was closed by the time they boarded, so they did not get dinner. We did not get dinner until almost midnight, at my in-law's home.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
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