Add Second Passenger to Roomette Booking?

[Explore]

Right now I have a Viewliner roomette booked for myself. A second passenger may want to join me for part of the itinerary.

Qs:

• Does the second passenger pay the equivalent of a coach fare to be added to the reservation? Of course, coach fares fluctuate so which is the applicable one - the lowest in the market, the fare in effect at the time of reservation change, or ???
• Is it necessary for the second passenger to pay for the same journey length in order to be admitted to the roomette and eligible for perks such as meals? Or is a shorter length feasible?

Thanks....

 

[Bob Dylan]

Right now I have a Viewliner roomette booked for myself. A second passenger may want to join me for part of the itinerary.

Qs:

• Does the second passenger pay the equivalent of a coach fare to be added to the reservation? Of course, coach fares fluctuate so which is the applicable one - the lowest in the market, the fare in effect at the time of reservation change, or ???
• Is it necessary for the second passenger to pay for the same journey length in order to be admitted to the roomette and eligible for perks such as meals? Or is a shorter length feasible?

Thanks....

Your friend needs to book an "Open" Sleeper ticket with an Agent ( you can't do it online) and Pay the Rail Fare from where they board to where they will detrain, not the Whole Route!

It used to be that Sleeping Car Passengers paid the Lowest Bucket Rail Fare, but now they Pay the Second Lowest Bucket Rail Fare.

They will get a Paper ticket,( but it won't show the Room # on the Ticket) not an e-ticket, and you will want to let the Sleeping Car attendant know your friend will be joining you when they board. It doesn't hurt to.let the LSA in the Diner know either so they can eat in the Diner without any hassle.

 

[dlagrua]

We did this last year when my wife decided to join me. I had to call to get this done. We had to physically pick up the ticket in PHL and the ticket agent said "just keep the ticket with you, do not lose it or you will need to buy another one".

 

[Explore]

Your friend needs to book an "Open" Sleeper ticket with an Agent ( you can't do it online) and Pay the Rail Fare from where they board to where they will detrain, not the Whole Route!

It used to be that Sleeping Car Passengers paid the Lowest Bucket Rail Fare, but now they Pay the Second Lowest Bucket Rail Fare.

They will get a Paper ticket,( but it won't show the Room # on the Ticket) not an e-ticket, and you will want to let the Sleeping Car attendant know your friend will be joining you when they board. It doesn't hurt to.let the LSA in the Diner know either so they can eat in the Diner without any hassle.

Thanks for this detailed description! So, for example, I’m traveling NYP to BUF, but my friend can buy just a NYP-ALB ticket and detrain there?

 

[neroden]

Right now I have a Viewliner roomette booked for myself. A second passenger may want to join me for part of the itinerary.

Qs:

• Does the second passenger pay the equivalent of a coach fare to be added to the reservation? Of course, coach fares fluctuate so which is the applicable one - the lowest in the market, the fare in effect at the time of reservation change, or ???
• Is it necessary for the second passenger to pay for the same journey length in order to be admitted to the roomette and eligible for perks such as meals? Or is a shorter length feasible?

Thanks....

You (or your friend) need to call on the phone and buy (for your friend) an "open sleeper" ticket. This is not documented on the website, but it's a thing. Bob Dylan explained it.

Thanks for this detailed description! So, for example, I’m traveling NYP to BUF, but my friend can buy just a NYP-ALB ticket and detrain there?

Yep! Exactly right!

If you call and you get an agent who has never heard of an open sleeper ticket, either ask for a supervisor or hang up and call back until you get one who does know what open sleeper tickets are.

 

[joelkfla]

... or hang up and call back until you get one who does know what open sleeper tickets are.

That could be a multi-day endeavor, given the hold times people have been reporting lately.

 

[Explore]

Thanks for the warning….

 

[Explore]

So a side question regarding this Lake Shore booking….can you count on being able to eat a leisurely dinner before Albany?

 

[zephyr17]

So a side question regarding this Lake Shore booking….can you count on being able to eat a leisurely dinner before Albany?

The open sleeper ticket entitles the passenger to all amenities, so yes, you both can enjoy flexible dining reheated sodium bombs.

Leisurely, I don't know. In the past they usually wanted to get all NY passengers served before Albany.

 

[neroden]

Since the meals on the Eastern trains are still prepackaged high-sodium full-of-additives bad right now, I wouldn't count on much in the way of dinner. It'll probably be nicer to get your own takeout in NYC, carry it on board, and eat it in your roomette at your own pace.

 

[Explore]

Since the meals on the Eastern trains are still prepackaged high-sodium full-of-additives bad right now, I wouldn't count on much in the way of dinner. It'll probably be nicer to get your own takeout in NYC, carry it on board, and eat it in your roomette at your own pace.

Well no, I’ll sample the included prepackaged fare on my $200 trip to BUF.