What are my chances of being able to upgrade to a Deluxe compartment?

But like the previous poster said, in the middle of summer, it's most likely that all the deluxes will have been booked well in advance, so your best chance is probably rooms that open up at the very last minute due to cancellations or no-shows, and your car attendant and/or the conductor would be the people to ask about those.

Thanks for the tips. From other posts on this board, I've noticed that Amtrak has phoned several people at "the eleventh hour" to offer a standard-to-deluxe upgrade for $50 a night or so. Then again, they were usually traveling during the slow season.

The first stretch of my trip consists of short segments in coach (Lake Shore Limited and Pennsylvanian), with a few stopovers along the way to visit friends.

My first sleeper segment doesn't start until the beginning of the second week. So I won't be home when Amtrak decides to call -- which I'm absolutely sure they will, simply because I won't be there to answer the phone!

I've got a feeling that all the sleepers will be sold-out this summer. People are still skittish about flying, especially anywhere overseas.

But I'll ask after I board each of my trains.

Who knows? Maybe I'll turn out to be the one millionth passenger to ride the Southwest Chief (or they'll like my shoes or something), and they'll give me an upgrade for free.

[This message has been edited by dilly (edited 05-09-2002).]