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Hello from a voice from the past! Our trip from the Akron are to Seattle/ Vancouver BC is approaching...just not fast enough!! We now only have till the middle of June! Is it necessary to make reservations for eating the evening meal on the Empire Builder? If so..can that be done prior to the trip. We have 8 people in our party and would like to eat together. Can the travel agent do it prior to June? Thanks in advance for your help!! Candy46
Posts: 31 | From: Ohio USA | Registered: Jul 2001
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I haven't been on the Empire Builder, but I'm sure they do it the same way as other western trains.
Breakfast and lunch are on first come first served basis. If the diner is full you get a number, which will be called.
Dinner is by reservation only. Reservations are taken on board after the diner closes for lunch. Someone goes through the train to take those reservations. They go to the sleeping cars first, because sleeper passengers get priority. Then they take reservations from the coach passengers. Fianlly, they take reservations from people in the lounge car, who might have been otherwise missed.
If you want to be assured of your favorite time, be sure at least one of you is in your sleeping compartment while reservations are being taken. They should announce when that will be.
People who don't get reservations can still be served at the last call for dinner. Which reminds me of an amusing anecdote.
On my Memorial Day trip during lunch the jovial dining car steweard made an announcement in the dining car about dinner. He said "You will need a reservation for dinner. If you don't have a reservation..."
Someone interrupted him and said "You won't get dinner."
The steward said "WRONG! You will get dinner, but you will get it LATE!"
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
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We have traveled on the Empire Builder and the procedure is exactly as Mr. Toy described.This is just a suggestion, but maybe you wouldn't want to sit with your own group for every meal. My husband and I have found that eating with people we don't know is always the highlight of the trip. Maybe we've just been lucky! MJ
Posts: 16 | From: NY, USA | Registered: Jul 2000
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Ditto my experiences on the CZ and the SW Chief.
If you breakfast early, you generally get in without a number, same for lunch.
My $0.02, John
quote:Originally posted by MJA: We have traveled on the Empire Builder and the procedure is exactly as Mr. Toy described.This is just a suggestion, but maybe you wouldn't want to sit with your own group for every meal. My husband and I have found that eating with people we don't know is always the highlight of the trip. Maybe we've just been lucky! MJ
------------------ The City of Saint Louis (UP, 1967) is still my standard for passenger operations
quote:Originally posted by MJA: ...maybe you wouldn't want to sit with your own group for every meal. My husband and I have found that eating with people we don't know is always the highlight of the trip.
I agree completely! Dining car socialization is a terrifc way to meet new people and learn about this great country of ours. I've met all sorts of people that way, even with the limited number of trips I've taken in recent years. Once I had dinner with a German film casting director and an energy conservation expert. One time at dinner I was seated with a rather scruffy looking group, but they turned out to be very charming.
The train has a very community-oriented atmosphere, much like a small town. The diner is the social center of a village on wheels.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
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Count my vote as one who likes to meet people in the dining car. Last October on the LSL I met a cartoonist whose work I have admired in magazines! (of course, there are occasional duds in the crowd, but almost everyone has a story if you are willing to initiate the conversation)
Posts: 25 | From: Milwaukee, WI | Registered: Jul 2001
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The beauty of being seated with random dinner partners is being paired with someone you might not otherwise engage in conversation. On a recent trip, I noticed a rather stern looking woman sitting in the Chicago Metropolitan Lounge. She had long gray hair and hoop earrings and wore no makeup. Later when my husband and I were following the line of passengers out to to the train, the same woman dropped a black pouch. My husband picked it up, saying, “Excuse me, you dropped your purse.” The reply was, “Thanks, but it’s a shaving kit, believe it or not.” The embarrassing moment passed quickly as we all boarded the train. Later in the dining car we were seated with, you guessed it, the same passenger! He turned out to be a great dinner companion and we had a lot of laughs. He made a much better looking man than a woman! MJ
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Thanks to all who responded with answers and suggestions regarding eating in the dining car. It is really appreciated! This message board has been so helpful to me and the other members of our group and we are in your debt for suggestions etc, not for just this question, but for all those " Amtraking beginners" questions I previously asked. I have been reading about the woes of Amtrak and hope the system will be repairable...we need rail travel in the US. Take care! Posts: 31 | From: Ohio USA | Registered: Jul 2001
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