Overnight on the NEC

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MainerTrainer

Train Attendant
Joined
Apr 13, 2016
Messages
39
Hello!

We’re traveling on the 66 and 67 trains next week in a roomette. I’m wondering if the room is made into the bunk beds as soon as we board, or not. Also wondering if there is any sort of breakfast provided in the morning before detraining.

Any experience to share is appreciated!
 
Hello!

We’re traveling on the 66 and 67 trains next week in a roomette. I’m wondering if the room is made into the bunk beds as soon as we board, or not. Also wondering if there is any sort of breakfast provided in the morning before detraining.

Any experience to share is appreciated!
This service just started, I doubt many, if any, forum members have travelled on it yet!

However, from my basic knowledge, I'll make a guess!

Rooms should be made up already into the night mode. I believe it's Amtrak protocol to have all rooms in night mode already for departures after 10 PM.

I believe Amtrak has said they serve you breakfast, so I assume so. You should have the option between a muffin, yogurt, oatmeal, some cereals, a breakfast sandwhich, and possibly an omelet. You can get the yogurt on the side, possibly others too. Not sure!
 
This service just started, I doubt many, if any, forum members have travelled on it yet!

However, from my basic knowledge, I'll make a guess!

Rooms should be made up already into the night mode. I believe it's Amtrak protocol to have all rooms in night mode already for departures after 10 PM.

I believe Amtrak has said they serve you breakfast, so I assume so. You should have the option between a muffin, yogurt, oatmeal, some cereals, a breakfast sandwhich, and possibly an omelet. You can get the yogurt on the side, possibly others too. Not sure!

According to the Video of the Inagural Run, they give you a Box with H20,Muffin and an Energy Bar.

If Breakfast is offered:( there is no Diner, just a Cafe/Biz Class Car)

The Omelette is terrible! Go for the Mix and Match Continental Breakfast if its offered?( the Coffee and Juice should be good!)
 
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I just took this service from BOS-WAS in a roomette on the inaugural trip.

They're operating Viewliner I's for this trip, so the equipment is a little tired at best. The bed on the bottom bunk was fine, but the top bunk was very hard. If you like a super hard mattress, you will be pleased.
The "continental breakfast" they offered was abysmal. It was a cracker, with a bottle of Fiji water (the best thing in the box) with a Kind Breakfast bar.

All of that I could forgive, if they just didn't make such ridiculous announcements of every station at full volume the entire trip. It was very difficult to any sleep with such lengthy announcements happening for every major station.

Make sure to bring ear plugs. And also make sure to get to bed early if you can as sleep will elude you.

I'm a train nerd, so I still loved it, and it brough me back to the very first overnight train trip I took, with was the Twilight Shoreliner back in 2001.

I was planning on posting a lengthy review on the forum at some point.
 
I just took this service from BOS-WAS in a roomette on the inaugural trip.

They're operating Viewliner I's for this trip, so the equipment is a little tired at best. The bed on the bottom bunk was fine, but the top bunk was very hard. If you like a super hard mattress, you will be pleased.
The "continental breakfast" they offered was abysmal. It was a cracker, with a bottle of Fiji water (the best thing in the box) with a Kind Breakfast bar.

All of that I could forgive, if they just didn't make such ridiculous announcements of every station at full volume the entire trip. It was very difficult to any sleep with such lengthy announcements happening for every major station.

Make sure to bring ear plugs. And also make sure to get to bed early if you can as sleep will elude you.

I'm a train nerd, so I still loved it, and it brough me back to the very first overnight train trip I took, with was the Twilight Shoreliner back in 2001.

I was planning on posting a lengthy review on the forum at some point.

So they make announcements on this run? That's egregious I thought on there was a moratorium on that after 9 p.m. on overnight trains.
 
Only reason the NYP crews make announcements between DC and NYP is because "it's a corridor train".

But yes, it's not right at all.

The need for announcements in corridor coaches overnight is, barely, defensible as there is a lot of churn. But certainly not the sleeper. Do they not have an attendent who can wake sleeper passengers, if any, who detrain middle of the night? For that matter, why can't conductors do that in the coaches when they collect the seat checks? Perhaps old school technology does not allow announcements to be broadcast selectively in cars.
 
I don't think the food service is going to be a big deal given the Euro night train model, but cleanliness and announcements are. Literally the whole point of sleepers on NEC is giving travelers a decent place to sleep.
 
I don't think the food service is going to be a big deal given the Euro night train model, but cleanliness and announcements are. Literally the whole point of sleepers on NEC is giving travelers a decent place to sleep.
Agreed, but Euro sleepers still provide better food service than what I received.
 
The need for announcements in corridor coaches overnight is, barely, defensible as there is a lot of churn. But certainly not the sleeper. Do they not have an attendent who can wake sleeper passengers, if any, who detrain middle of the night? For that matter, why can't conductors do that in the coaches when they collect the seat checks? Perhaps old school technology does not allow announcements to be broadcast selectively in cars.

I agree that it's not really a good defense. But that's how it's been explained to me when I questioned it. I know that years ago they had an attendant for the sleeper, I don't know about now. But it'd be foolish to not have one.

I also agree that conductors could wake pax. The crews in Zone 1 do this until Providence. At PVD they begin making announcements.

And yes, the technology that's in place doesn't allow the PA system to be cut off in certain cars to my knowledge at least.
 
I agree that it's not really a good defense. But that's how it's been explained to me when I questioned it. I know that years ago they had an attendant for the sleeper, I don't know about now. But it'd be foolish to not have one.

I also agree that conductors could wake pax. The crews in Zone 1 do this until Providence. At PVD they begin making announcements.

And yes, the technology that's in place doesn't allow the PA system to be cut off in certain cars to my knowledge at least.

There was a sleeper attendant who was more than happy to facilitate that.
 
The need for announcements in corridor coaches overnight is, barely, defensible as there is a lot of churn. But certainly not the sleeper. Do they not have an attendent who can wake sleeper passengers, if any, who detrain middle of the night? For that matter, why can't conductors do that in the coaches when they collect the seat checks? Perhaps old school technology does not allow announcements to be broadcast selectively in cars.

People in other countries must be smarter than Americans. They don't need announcements of any sort when they board a train. Such here might include: wear shoes, mind your children, the cafe car is open [or closing], the next stop is "wherever", watch your step when leaving, no smoking in the bathrooms, etc. etc. etc. Yes, they must be smarter than us. Here, we get protected from our own stupidity. :mad:
 
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People in other countries must be smarter than Americans. They don't need announcements of any sort when they board a train. Such here might include: wear shoes, mind your children, the cafe car is open [or closing], the next stop is "wherever", watch your step when leaving, no smoking in the bathrooms, etc. etc. etc. Yes, they must be smarter than us. Here, we get protected from our own stupidity. :mad:
It's the lawyers. You can find one that will sue for anything and who will even claim that stupidity is a disability so it should qualify under the ADA.
 
It's the lawyers. You can find one that will sue for anything and who will even claim that stupidity is a disability so it should qualify under the ADA.

We're veering off topic, but to me, it's the judges and juries who go along with the lawyers. That still does not account for announcements about what's open and what's not on the train, and even less when one crew member communicates to another over the P.A. "Smoking marijuana will not be tolerated on my train!!"😂 Anyone heard that one??!!
 
I think that some of the constant "do this, do that, DON'T do that!" is that maybe many folk are genuine first time train users? I noted a similar problem when riding the Deuce double deck bus service in Las Vegas. They seemed to be the slowest riders to know how to board a bus, ever!
 
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Somehow over many decades the railroad employees who interacted with travelers went from generally a style of cultured, polite & efficient service (such as a fine hotel, restaurant, or oceanliner provided, if not even superior to such) to an "uncultured" mode. The reasons ranged from poor screening and training to management policies aimed at justifying the discontinuance of one passenger train after another. But Amtrak itself hired people such as the well-intended ones I encountered over the decades who, from their own background, seemed to convey that they had been drill sergeants, security personnel, incompetent but loud junior high football coaches or whatever--or perhaps they had been under such persons. Who knows? They did not and could not understand what the proper way was without plenty of training and modeling that didn't occur. But there also was the either nasty or utterly naive behavior such as on the Broadway Limited to Chicago when the coach porter who looked as though he was still a teen and hired off the street, turned the bright fluorescent lights on at 6:00 a.m. When I asked him why he did that, he said" "It's the rules." But a more seasoned and competent Amtrak employee later told me that was false.
 
Somehow over many decades the railroad employees who interacted with travelers went from generally a style of cultured, polite & efficient service (such as a fine hotel, restaurant, or oceanliner provided, if not even superior to such) to an "uncultured" mode. The reasons ranged from poor screening and training to management policies aimed at justifying the discontinuance of one passenger train after another. But Amtrak itself hired people such as the well-intended ones I encountered over the decades who, from their own background, seemed to convey that they had been drill sergeants, security personnel, incompetent but loud junior high football coaches or whatever--or perhaps they had been under such persons. Who knows? They did not and could not understand what the proper way was without plenty of training and modeling that didn't occur. But there also was the either nasty or utterly naive behavior such as on the Broadway Limited to Chicago when the coach porter who looked as though he was still a teen and hired off the street, turned the bright fluorescent lights on at 6:00 a.m. When I asked him why he did that, he said" "It's the rules." But a more seasoned and competent Amtrak employee later told me that was false.
I’ve only ever had pleasant experiences with all of the sleeper staff I’ve encountered.

Acela staff are also super nice and attentive. Maybe I’m lucky, but my Amtrak onboard staff experience has been great!

I’m not really looking for “cultured.” I’m more interested and kind and competent.
 
There shouldn't be any announcements after 10 p.m. in sleepers or in coach. But I kind of expect to get a poor night's sleep in coach, and would be a lot more unhappy about being awakened by announcements if I paid $300 for a Roomette.
 
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