A few weeks ago, I made reservations on the Amtrak site for the Lake Shore Limited in August, standard bedroom. I've read in several places to request certain bedrooms on the Viewliner for a smoother ride. I know this to be true...on our first LSL trip, we were in the last room (opposite end of the car from the deluxe rooms), and on the return trip we were across the hall. It was a very bumpy ride both ways. So, I'd like to request a room in the middle of the car, but how--and when--do I do that? There was no place on the on-line reservations to make such a request, so I assume that I have to call Amtrak. Can I do so at any time, or should I wait until closer to the trip (thinking that they don't actually assign passengers to specific rooms until closer to the departure date). Which room numbers should I request (remember, this is for a Viewliner sleeper)?
Posted by Mike Smith (Member # 447) on :
Call now. 1-800-USA-Rail.
I booked my trip in February and was assigned rooms at that time.
[This message has been edited by mikesmith (edited 03-08-2003).]
Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :
If you want a specific room, book early and call Amtrak to talk to an agent. They will usually be able to accomodate your request as long as the room you want hasn't already been assigned. For the trip my wife and I just took, we wanted a lower level Superliner room. So I talked to an agent on the phone and he gave us room 14 on the spot. For our return (tomorrow) we decided to splurge and get a Deluxe room. I asked for "any room except A" He gave us room E. Very Easy.
------------------ Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth. -Mr. Toy
Thanks for the info. You would think that the Amtrak site would have a capability to choose a room or seat...or even just have a note to call Amtrak to make specific requests. By going through the site, you're made to think that you don't have a choice. When booking a Continental Airlines ticket, you can see what seats are available for your flights, and can choose your seat right away. And this isn't even just for the web reservations...our first LSL trip was booked through our AAA office, and we weren't asked for any preference of sleeper room.