RAILforum: On board upgrade questions

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Posted by PaulB (Member # 4258) on :

Next Friday, I will be taking a trip on the Coast Starlight from LA-Emeryville to have one of the last steak dinners I will have on Amtrak [Frown]

I've never traveled in a Parlour car, so now is a good time to do that as well. What I plan to do is book coach, and look at the consist when I'm in LA. If there is a Parlour car, then I'll upgrade on board.

I assume that if I upgrade near, say, Santa Barbara, then I'll only get charged the room rate from SBA-EMY, and not from LA-EMY.

Also, how can I get Guest Rewards points for the upgrade? Do I mail in the conductor's receipt?

I've never bought a ticket onboard, let alone upgraded [Wink]

Posted by rachsewell (Member # 4339) on :

I was wondering the same thing...

Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :

You might want to disembark at Jack London Square and spend the night at the Jack London Inn while you're at it. Their shuttle driver told me yesterday that within two years the hotel would be demolished and replaced with 17-story luxary condominium.

Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :

David--

I think your tongue might have been in your cheek on this one.

To be serious, though, the Best Western Inn on the Square about a block further up Broadway is only a couple of dollars more and we have had two very pleasant stays there in the past year. They also give you a $2.50 voucher per guest for the Buttercup Cafe that is part of the motel. Very good food and always crowded.

I can also recommend "Hahn's Hibachi" for a relatively inexpensive, filling Korean meal. It's right across from the Jack London Inn and the big bookstore (Barnes and Noble??).

Frank in cool and soon to be dark SBA

Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :

quote:
Originally posted by sbalax:
David--

I think your tongue might have been in your cheek on this one.

To be serious, though, the Best Western Inn on the Square about a block further up Broadway is only a couple of dollars more and we have had two very pleasant stays there in the past year. They also give you a $2.50 voucher per guest for the Buttercup Cafe that is part of the motel. Very good food and always crowded.

I can also recommend "Hahn's Hibachi" for a relatively inexpensive, filling Korean meal. It's right across from the Jack London Inn and the big bookstore (Barnes and Noble??).

Frank in cool and soon to be dark SBA

Hi Frank,

Only slightly tongue in cheek. I stayed at the Jack London Inn last Thursday and found it to be getting a little worn around the edges......frayed carpet, dirty windows, poor HVAC system, etc., etc.

The next morning I used their shuttle to the Oakland Airport and asked the driver if the owners were planning to renovate and he said that no, they planned to demolish to make way for luxary condominiums.....and he specified 17-stories as if he had seen the drawings.

The Best Western will probably become my hotel of choice if I'm ever looking for lodging at Jack London Square again.......but I really, really like the Vagabond Inn in Sacramento so that's probably my first choice next time I'm getting off a train in California.

Posted by sbalax (Member # 2801) on :

David--

I had read your report on the other string about the Jack London Inn. It doesn't surprise me that it's going to be torn down. There is a lot of development going on in that area. Oh, I also forgot to mention the huge BevMo (Beverages and More) store near both the Jack London and the Best Western. Great selection of wines and other liquor and also some great deli items.

I agree with you about the Vagabond in SAC. Perfect location and very good accomodation, especially in the rooms that have been redone. (That's probably all of them now. It's been a year since we stayed there.)

Frank in cloudy, soon to be wet, SBA

Posted by Amtrak207 (Member # 1307) on :

Lucky for you, the CS sleepers aren't sold out as of yet, but you can book it as-is for $80 or so. I'm not sure what the price for a room for a night is on-board, but be prepared to pay cash for it. I've never done this. Huge surprise, but every time I've traveled on the Lakeshore and asked, the sleepers have been booked for the last two months due to fine quality track.

Posted by notelvis (Member # 3071) on :

Now if Paul takes a friend, that $80.00 roomette would include steak for two (@ $21.00 each) in addition to a pair of lunches (about $9.00 each). Toss in a desert for each at both lunch and dinner and that $80.00 roomette has just paid for itself in complimentary meals.

DO IT. Call up and BOOK the roomette. Take a friend along for the trip.

Enjoy.

Posted by Amtrak207 (Member # 1307) on :

That's pretty rare. A sleeper that pays for itself! LSL sleepers average $350 a night and they only pay for themselves if you can't sleep upright in a coach seat while you almost go airborne over rough track and then freak out when you hear ballast pelting the underside of the car. True story. Scared the crap out of me. Huge bump between Cleveland and Toledo, then ballast hitting the underside of the car. I got away from the window real fast.