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It's been a while since I have done any rail travel and was wondering upon boarding the Silver Star in Miami post-cruise will they be serving lunch? It departs 11:50am and I'll have a Viewliner Roomette and I would like to also confirm that all meals in the Dining Car are 'included' in the price. I will want to partake of as many on-board meals as I can since I will still be in 'vacation mode'. Are there any menus available for what they will be serving? Also does the Miami Amtrak Station have any special Waiting Area for passengers that book the on-board sleeping accommodations?
I see that the Miami Intermodal Center will be open this fall? Is that still scheduled to open on time and will I be departing from there?
I'll be in Salisbury for five days before boarding the Carolinian for Baltimore and don't remember if Business Class is worth the extra money. It's been a long time since I've ridden that line.
I'll be in Baltimore for a short visit then on to Pittsburgh and back to West Virginia. Still haven't figured out that portion yet.
-------------------- The best part of life is the journey, not the destination. Posts: 497 | From: Clarksburg, West Virginia | Registered: Oct 2003
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Mr. DMW, all meals are included within a Sleeper Accommodation Charge; the only extras are alcoholic beverages and appropriate gratuity. I shall defer to others whether Lunch is served aboard 92 (8DEC) upon departure from Miami, but here is a link to Amtrak menus posted at their website:
According to the current route timetable, there is a separate waiting area for Sleeper passengers at the existing Hialeah (MIA) Amtrak station.
To continue, "last time I checked", namely when I was "down below' this past February, there appears to be conjecture whether Amtrak will use the Miami Intermodal Center. While convenience for some passengers would be enhanced, namely for those using public transportation to their final destination and for the apparently quite few that desire to rent an auto, use of MIC would simply represent additional costs and operational deficiency from both handling equipment between the MIC and the Hialeah Maintenance Facility and having to rent facilities at MIC. Further, the likelihood of redeveloping a closed Hialeah station facility for other commercial or industrial use would be remote. All told, it appears that Amtrak use of the MIC is a 'stay tuned".
Regarding whether Business Class is "worth it", so as far as I'm concerned, Business Class is "worth it" on any line. Like others here, I for one welcome any modicum of privacy available on commercial transportation; as I have no compulsion to be around people I have no reason to be around, e.g. the Lounge car on an LD is something I walk through should I wish to make a Coach head count. Possibly also this is you; but only you can be the judge and jury on that point. If such is being elitist, then so be it; somehow I doubt if any of the dozen or so here who know me face to face will call me egalitarian.
All told enjoy your journey; while I realize I am hardly a fountainhead of advocacy around here for the Long Distance system - especially any expansion of such, my journeys to date (most recent: Auto Train #53 during Feb) remain "more positives than negatives'.
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Business Class on the Carolinian can be hit or miss depending on what type of a car attendant you get.
You might have an engaging person who makes sure you know how to cash in for your complimentary beverage. You may have one who totally ignores you which can be annoying BUT no so much as one who checks to see if you are comfortable every ten minutes for ten hours.
You might have an invisible car attendant. I've seen them. (pun intended, yes.) The ones who are nowhere to be found when the one lady who booked business class with her three kids decides to take a nap while her kids throw skittles at other passengers.
I've seen this too. I moved myself to coach on that trip after failing to find the car attendant. My trip improved after that.
Given the length of the trip you are planning on the Carolinian, I would be inclined to book business class...... though you will be on the train early enough in the morning to stake out your space should you elect to go coach. The northbound Carolinian is more often than not very full upon departing Greensboro and usually really packed once the passengers boarding in Raleigh are accomodated.
Miami? Amtrak trains are turned on a loop at the current Hialeah Station and serviced in the yard just north of the depot. Is part of the issue here that Amtrak trains would continue to be turned and serviced where the existing station is located whether they move to the new intermodal station or not?
Posts: 4203 | From: Western North Carolina | Registered: Feb 2004
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I'm sure they will serve lunch as even the Silver Meteor usually has served breakfast even after leaving miami at about 8:30am. Normally it will be at least Ft. Lauderdale before they open the diner, often closer to West Palm Beach. I suggest taking a snack to prevent being super hungry. As for the Miami station, yes there is a small private waiting area for sleeper passengers. Note the word "small". There are fairly comfy chairs but few other ammenities as most passengers spend only short time there. But it is private which is nice and a red cap will come get you and drive you to your sleeper if it's near the front of the train. Ask the baggage man at the station's front door how to get into the first class waiting area as otherwise you may have to wait in the ticket line. On any day train, I recommend business class as it pretty well ensures a quiet setting and less commotion than coach.
Posts: 561 | Registered: Jul 2003
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THANKS for the great responses!!! That really helps me a lot. And thanks Mr. Norman for the menu link. Looks tasty! Â
I do have another question for  anyone who may know the Miami area well. Since I will debarking the ship downtown around 9am and heading straight for the Amtrak Station is there any place en route or close to the station to pick up some snacks so that just in case I get super hungry before they serve lunch I'll have something to nibble on? If I am reading the Amtrak website symbols correctly the Silver Star doesn't have a snack bar and lounge car?Â
Also, what is an acceptable gratuity for dining room staff and the sleeper car attendant? It been a loooonnng time since I've done a long distance overnight trip and I can't remember.
Posts: 497 | From: Clarksburg, West Virginia | Registered: Oct 2003
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Silver Star does have a Snack Bar Lounge car - a 280XX A-II.
GBN's tipping guidelines:
Sleeper Attendant: $10 Breakfast: $3 Lunch $3 + 15% of Bev (if any) Dinner; $5 + 15% of Bev (if any) Lounge Car; "can't help you there"
Regarding 'snack attacks', I would have suggested to simply snitch some items from the final shipboard Breakfast, but I guess US Customs are 'less than happy' with food items being landed - and possibly the cruiseline is like the college barracks cafeteria or Old Country Buffet about that. Presuming that you are taking a taxicab directly to Hialeah as I highly doubt if there are too many public transport options originating at Dodge to there, best advice is to ask the driver to stop at a MickeyD's (even if I have personally fought "the Battle of the Bulge' for likely all of my seventy years around these parts, snacking has never been my issue) and otherwise 'fill 'er up'.
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Absolutely brilliant! THANKS again Mr. Norman. I sincerely appreciate all this tips and advice. Now the countdown begins.
-------------------- The best part of life is the journey, not the destination. Posts: 497 | From: Clarksburg, West Virginia | Registered: Oct 2003
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I would not ask the taxi driver to stop anywhere. The closest McDonalds is not in a good neighborhood and it would be a bad idea to stop there. I suggest taking a little snack from the ship and putting it in your hand luggage...we have never seen the officials rummaging through passengers' luggage after a cruise. Waiting for the Amlounge won't help as they likely won't open well ahead of the dining car. As for tipping the sleeping car attendant...only tip if you get good service beyond the basic job description. Have a great trip.
Posts: 561 | Registered: Jul 2003
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quote:Originally posted by SilverStar092: I would not ask the taxi driver to stop anywhere. The closest McDonalds is not in a good neighborhood and it would be a bad idea to stop there.
Sound advice! Thanks!!! I may have to pre-pack some snacks pre-cruise in a carry-on for the post-cruise Amtrak journey. Maybe some Lance crackers. Mmmmmmm. Posts: 497 | From: Clarksburg, West Virginia | Registered: Oct 2003
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First, I'll certainly defer to Mr. SilverStar regarding any suitable MickeyD's at which to stop along the route a taxicab would likely take "outta Dodge" to Hialeah MIA.
Now an interesting sub-topic is developing that I guess is rail related to the extent that any of our readers regularly 'bring their own' when traveling.
Here is a topic from a food service industry site that sets forth several issues that any food service provider (Amtrak and cruiselines being two of such) ought to keep in mind;
To continue, while I cannot find the specific episode from The Sopranos at any series' synopsis site, there was the scene in which Paulie took his "Mother' (actually turned out to be his Aunt) and some of her girlfriends to Lunch - and they all started to 'load up" with the left over goodies. Suffice to say, 'the girls' had their petty little squabbles over such.
I'm also reminded how my local "hardly too big to fail' community bank (that I've just been waiting for the dread day it gets taken over) that always puts out a spread of freshly baked pastries every Saturday morning. It is a nice touch of customer service at a bank that likely has twice the staff (and also pays about double the prevailing rate on CD's) as a "too big to fail' would have at a branch with a comparable level of activity. However, there is a 'ninetysomething' (that's what I've been told) gal, who along with her 'eightysomething' husband (boyfriend?) who is there to be her "mule', comes in and blatantly starts to "load up'. I personally think it is rude and hardly within the "spirit' of the bank's intentions. But then, only the staff knows what she has on deposit at the place.
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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GBN, you have caused me to feel guilty about my own community bank. Now I will have to take only one cookie instead of two every time I make a deposit.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Cruise ships offer complimentary room service throughout the cruise. Take a couple of zip-lock baggies. The night before returning to Miami, order some cookies via room service, put them in the zip lock and take them with you for a snack on or before catching the train. That's a trick we learned years ago from the cruise travel message board and it works great for port stopovers or post cruise.
Posts: 561 | Registered: Jul 2003
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