Like others said, seating are done every 15 minutes or so, but they are staggered. Your reservation may be at say 5:15, but the next people to occupy your table may be at the 6:15 seating. Meanwhile, passengers who have 5:30, 5:45 and 6 pm reservations will be seated at other tables.
I find that one of the most enjoyable parts of train travel are the other passengers you meet at your dinner table! Yes, some may be bores, but most are very enjoyable. I just completed a 9 day journey on Amtrak and I don't think I had the same person at my table twice!
And some of the people I've met at dinner have been:
- People from across the US (naturally)
- People from across Canada
- People from the UK
- People from Australia
- People from France
- Other AU members (some who I have not met before)
- Many first time riders
- Many repeat riders
- Many railroad employees
- And even an Amtrak VP
Plus many more to name!
Any passengers not from the US, Canada, UK, Australia, France, AU members, railroads or Amtrak? Maybe Lithuania, Luxemburg or Lesotho, or Poland, Panama, Pakistan or Paraguay, or Nigeria, Niger, Norway or New Zealand, or Mexico, Madagascar, Mozambique or Mali, or Germany, Japan or Jordan, or India, Italy, Israel, Ireland, Indonesia, Iran or Iraq, or Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan or Columbia, or Chad, China or Chile, or Thailand, Tibet, Tanzania, Turkmenistan or Tajikistan, or Burma, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Brazil, Bolivia or Bulgaria, Sweden, Sudan, Syria or Surinam--just to jog your memory with a few?
With all of your wide and wily travels?