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Wow, I am going on the CNO in about a week and a half (Chicago to New Orleans). I had a roomette booked, but saw the family bedroom was just $4 more. Yep, 4 bucks. So I called and they said yes... one person could book a family bedroom. I never knew that! But pretty cool I guess. Who wouldn't want to pay $4 more to get a view on both sides? I wonder why it was so closely priced because on other routes a bedroom or family room is a lot more expensive.
PaulB Member # 4258
posted
Have fun listening to the trucks go clunk BANG clickety BANG.
You can get some serious deals if you book less than a week before departure. Amtrak drops all unsold inventory to the lower fare categories.
Yes, one person can book a family bedroom. I was traveling with a man on the Southwest Cheif who was in the Family bedroom all by himself. That was the only sleeping car room left.
Bil Member # 4276
posted
I'm traveling with my 3 daughters from Oregon to LA, and on our trip south, we have to use 2 roometts because the Family Bedroom is full. I sure won't like it if I notice that the Family Bedroom has only one person in it while I can't stay in the same room with my 9 year old and 11 year old.
Bil
CHI_Amtrak_Fan Member # 4004
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Bil-
I'm a single traveler and I agree with you. The family bedroom should be reserved for FAMILIES. I can understand your frustration of not being able to travel with your daughters.
Cheers, David Z
jp1822 Member # 2596
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If Amtrak had a little scrutiny over its high end revenue items, i.e. sleepers, it would monitor to see if a roomette opened up and a "family" was on the sleeper waiting list. Then the could make a call and suggest a switch, rathern than trying to re-sell the roomette and missing the fare on the "family."
VIA Rail monitors its long distance overnight sleeper space. Travelling alone or with someone else, VIA has often moved more to more desirable rooms, to free up space etc. One trip, there was three of us travelling from Jasper to Vancouver. Only thing left were 3 roomettes. So I had to book three roomettes - which on VIA can only hold one passenger per roomette (not like Amtrak with double bunks). VIA then called me back and offered a double bedroom and roomette - to ease the situation. This arose due to a cancellation, or VIA adding another sleeper. BUT somone was watching the "inventory" that was being sold! No reason why Amtrak can't do the same. Only Amtrak doesn't have the flexibility VIA has in adding sleepers.
RRRICH Member # 1418
posted
I know that, when the Viewliner sleepers first came out with the "handicapped room," that room was designed to be reserved only for handicapped passengers, and a non-handicapped passenger could only reserve that room within one day of the departure date or something, if the space had not already been reserved for a handicapped passenger. I assumed the family bedrooms were reserved the same way, but apparently not?
Gilbert B Norman Member # 1541
posted
"Once upon a time" the railroads had "Mimimum railroad and sleeping car ticket requirements" where more than one ticket was required for exclusive occupancy of certain accomodations.
Here is a sample:
Drawing Room 1.25 ("rail and a quarter') Compartment 1.1 ("rail and a tenth") Master Room 2 ("two rails') Bedroom Suite 2
However, since the Amtrak fare structure "loads' the premium for sleeper space into the accomodation charge, as distinct from the railroads practice of having much built into a "First Class" rail ticket, that there are no minimum rail requirements with Amtrak is not that great a surprise.
Geoff M Member # 153
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If a customer wants to pay the fare for a family room, why not allow him to? By restricting customers to certain rooms is being prejudiced. So in this case the fare difference is next to nothing a few days before travel, but normally the fare varies by a large amount - enough to discourage a single traveller from paying the premium.
We could apply the same principle to roomettes. What if my girlfriend and I wanted separate rooms? Even though the roomette is built for two, we'd only be using half the occupancy if we had seperate rooms. Are we denying other passengers the chance to use a roomette? Yes, of course we are. But we choose to pay extra for the privilege. Same goes for the family room but on a slightly different scale.
I can understand the frustration but "yer pays yer money and takes yer choice".
Geoff M.
rtabern Member # 4306
posted
Hmmm... This debate is also the same thing I noticed with the "downstairs" Superliner Coach seats too!
Sometimes on the door of the car to the lower-level seats there will be a sign that says "this section is reserved for handicaped travelers"... but go on-line --- anyone can book a seat down there. There are no restrictions.
Kinda interesting? Which is it?
But Bil, I can understand the frustration of not getting to sit with your family.
However... I think the sleeper spaces (family, roomette, bedrooms, whatever) should be FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE.
If getting a family room is that important, I would suggest booking the trip way in advance if possible... and if not, then try and move the trip to another day when an accomodation of your liking is available.
I don't think I would want to spend a overnight in coach... so if sleepers were booked up for the date I wanted to go, I would move my trip until the accomodations I wanted were free.
Ok... The point is, if in a hotel, I wanted to pay the money for a 2-bedroom suite but it was just me --- shouldn't I have the right to do it? Or should I be told by the hotel clerk that since I am single I can only buy a smaller room?
That doesn't seem fair to me either.
Robert
DeeCT Member # 3241
posted
quote:Originally posted by rtabern:
Ok... The point is, if in a hotel, I wanted to pay the money for a 2-bedroom suite but it was just me --- shouldn't I have the right to do it? Or should I be told by the hotel clerk that since I am single I can only buy a smaller room?
That doesn't seem fair to me either.
Robert
The problem is limited availability. While the hotel has multiple suites --- a train will only have 2 (maybe 3) family rooms available on each date. I think restricting to "families" only up to 24 hours prior to trip is reasonable. I also think that there should be some restriction of lower level seats for the elderly and handicapped. While medically I would qualify for the Handicapped bedroom -- I choose to book a roomette and leave the room open to some one who's needs are greater than mine. Though I climb those stairs very slow these days (and with some difficulty) I can still climb them. Many can not -- and I feel they are entitled to use of that room. However what it all comes down to --- is Amtrak makes no restrictions or rules where these rooms are concerned ---- so no one is "breaking any rules" if they as a single book the Family bedroom or if able bodied with no medical problems book the Handicap bedroom.
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