When Boarding Coach on crescent number 20 coming out of nola

[TishaNola]

Ok since this is my first coach trip I have some questions. My daughter and I plan on getting to the station plenty early so we can be at the front of the coach line. Will I be able to ask to sit in the back close to the bathroom? Having Diabetes I use the bathroom alot also I have to take my insulin so i plan on doing it in the bathroom.

Can I ask if there are any roomettes that will open up say after atlanta ? I was thinking even though all rooms are full they might not be full the whole way up ..

 

[Ryan]

You should be able to get a seat close to the restroom. If not, the car isn't that long, and it'll be nice to get up and move around from time to time.

I'd highly doubt a room will open up north of ATL, that's the popular part of the route.

 

[rrdude]

The chances of getting a sleeper north of Atlanta are very slim, but ASK the conductor as soon as you get on board, you never know.

 

[Guest]

As soon as you board the car, make note of which end the bathroom is at before you select your seat. It could be at either end. But, as said before, the cars aren't that long.

If it is indeed a roomette that you would prefer, keep checking back as cancellations can occur due to Amtrak's liberal cancellation/exchange policies.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[me_little_me]

Ok since this is my first coach trip I have some questions. My daughter and I plan on getting to the station plenty early so we can be at the front of the coach line. Will I be able to ask to sit in the back close to the bathroom? Having Diabetes I use the bathroom alot also I have to take my insulin so i plan on doing it in the bathroom.

Can I ask if there are any roomettes that will open up say after atlanta ? I was thinking even though all rooms are full they might not be full the whole way up ..

Have you checked the cost of a roomette from NOL to ATL? It is usually $50. For two people, that is dirt cheap considering you get three meals each in the diner and a private room. For you, there is an additional advantage that you will have a few moments privately with the conductor right after you board (or right before since on my last trip, he was standing at the sleeper boarding area) to ask about a room after Atlanta or ask your SCA to intercede for you. Remember, unlike the coach attendant, the SCA has to deal only with a few people so can afford to ask for favors. In addition, if you can't get a room out of Atlanta, you are already on the train so you can probably move to a coach before the masses in Atlanta board. And, again, you can ask your SCA to intercede with the Coach Attendant for a desired seat because of your disability. $60 ($50 plus $10 tip to the SCA if they help) is money well spent.

 

[Anderson]

I would concur on getting that roomette through ATL. If you get all three meals between NOL and ATL for two people, you're looking at $80 worth of food (I assume $10 breakfast, $10 lunch, and $20 dinner) for $50.

Quick edit: The net cost may actually be a hair less if the roomette is low bucket but the coach seats aren't. I've actually seen this number "go upside down": A roomette for two RVR-NYP on the Silver Meteor, once you counted the included breakfast, was $10 cheaper for two than the two coach seats I almost bought.

 

[TishaNola]

I would concur on getting that roomette through ATL. If you get all three meals between NOL and ATL for two people, you're looking at $80 worth of food (I assume $10 breakfast, $10 lunch, and $20 dinner) for $50.

Quick edit: The net cost may actually be a hair less if the roomette is low bucket but the coach seats aren't. I've actually seen this number "go upside down": A roomette for two RVR-NYP on the Silver Meteor, once you counted the included breakfast, was $10 cheaper for two than the two coach seats I almost bought.

They will still be doing breakfast ? even though we get on at 7am?

 

[TishaNola]

I would concur on getting that roomette through ATL. If you get all three meals between NOL and ATL for two people, you're looking at $80 worth of food (I assume $10 breakfast, $10 lunch, and $20 dinner) for $50.

Quick edit: The net cost may actually be a hair less if the roomette is low bucket but the coach seats aren't. I've actually seen this number "go upside down": A roomette for two RVR-NYP on the Silver Meteor, once you counted the included breakfast, was $10 cheaper for two than the two coach seats I almost bought.

They will still be doing breakfast ? even though we get on at 7am?

Done even though online all the rooms are sold out I was able to get one from new orleans to Atlanta for 50$ and she told me to ask then SCA when leaving new orleans if there is anything that even might open up in the middle of the night because a lot of people get off in the Carolinas

 

[TishaNola]

that sounds pretty good actually we will have the roomette from 7am until 8pm , If I want I can take a quick shower around 6.30pm so that I will be able to sleep easier when we switch to coach .

Having breakfast , lunch and dinner for two people can add up and by having the room thats a days worth of meals i dont have to carry with me. I just have to bring food for day two and we get to newark around 1.30 "as long as we are on time" so i really only need to bring breakfast and lunch for day two and some snacks to holds us over night which i would have done anyway

 

[me_little_me]

that sounds pretty good actually we will have the roomette from 7am until 8pm , If I want I can take a quick shower around 6.30pm so that I will be able to sleep easier when we switch to coach .

Having breakfast , lunch and dinner for two people can add up and by having the room thats a days worth of meals i dont have to carry with me. I just have to bring food for day two and we get to newark around 1.30 "as long as we are on time" so i really only need to bring breakfast and lunch for day two and some snacks to holds us over night which i would have done anyway

Suggestion enhanced:

When you get on, the conductor will stop at your room to collect the tickets or will collect them at boarding. The first thing to do is to turn to your daughter and say "This is the person in charge of the whole train". At that point the conductor will beam and will be on your side. That's the time to ask about upgrades. It is also a good idea if nothing is available to ask if the conductor can come look for you if and when something comes available later (as someone suggested, there are people that get off in the Carolinas). Mention your condition and thank the conductor in advance.

On our trip to NOL, I pointed out the conductor as the boss to my son and daughter-in-law while we gave him our tickets. Sure enough, he smiled and modestly said "Well, I am one of them". Every time we saw him after that, he said hello to us and smiled even though I noticed that was not true with all the other passengers. When we got off in NOL, he told us to have a good time. I am sure if we had asked for anything, he would have gone out of his way to help.

Everybody likes to feel important. And we all like others to think we are. So I help them. I say "So you're the boss of this car?" to the SCA and similarly make comments to the other crew. Works for every area. Tell the harried airline clerk at the counter "Thanks for being so nice in spite of the customers upset about the delays". Same with the guy checking your receipt at Sams. I always say "How come you're not in charge? You always do a good job" not to gain anything but to make them feel good. But if you need help, making it a habit works wonders.

 

[AlanB]

In New Orleans, most conductors these days seem to collect tickets at the door to the platform, rather than on the train. Something that I might add is a violation of Amtrak policy.

Additionally, the conductor collecting the tickets at New Orleans won't be the conductor when the train gets to Atlanta. So unless there is a no-show that gets on early in the run, they won't be able to help with an upgrade to a room left empty by a no-show further up the line. And frankly, I don't think that Amtrak has all that many no-shows anyhow, so I sure wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it to happen.

 

[ColdRain&Snow]

In New Orleans, most conductors these days seem to collect tickets at the door to the platform, rather than on the train. Something that I might add is a violation of Amtrak policy.

Just curious, but do you know what the purpose is of the "preboarding" process for sleeping car pax? In places like King Street and the Metro Lounge, pax are asked to wait in a line so the conductor can hand them a paper slip that tells them what they already know by looking at their ticket, i.e. car and room number. From the passenger experience standpoint, adding this additional step and line to stand in seems a bit frivolous. So, I guess I don't understand why sleeping car pax are issued "boarding passes" as they were being called the other day at King Street (?).