Adding another passenger to a sleeper?

[TiBike]

I'm taking my first overnight Amtrak trip in June, going from Albany to Chicago in coach on the Lake Shore Limited, then a roomette to Emeryville on the California Zephyr. A buddy might join me in Chicago. If I'm reading things correctly, I've already paid for two people in the roomette, including meals. It looks like my buddy can just pay the coach fare and share the roomette. Correct? Is it something I need to book, or can he just buy his own ticket and sort it out on the train?


I'm excited about the trip, particularly the Colorado segment. I depart Chicago on the 9th, so I'll probably miss the Wyoming detour (although that would've been interesting too).

Thanks!

 

[AmtrakBlue]

He should buy what's called an Open Sleeper ticket. He will only have to pay the low coach fare for this ticket. I forget if you can link his ticket to you reservation, but I would not do that in case he decides not to go (he can cancel his ticket and get a voucher for it).

 

[ehbowen]

What your buddy needs is an "open sleeper" ticket, and mention on his reservation that he will be sharing your roomette.

 

[TiBike]

Thanks for the fast replies! So a regular coach ticket won't work, he has to get the open sleeper.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Thanks for the fast replies! So a regular coach ticket won't work, he has to get the open sleeper.

Yes. It it may be cheaper than the coach ticket anyway because it will be the same low railfare that you paid for your roomette.

 

[StriderGDM]

Yeah, I did this last summer. Had a friend join me in DC for a trip to Orlando. No real problems doing so.

 

[Ryan]

It may be possible to just add him to your room without going the "open sleeper" route.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

It may be possible to just add him to your room without going the "open sleeper" route.

But since his friend MAY decide not to travel, I think that would be a hassle to remove him. When I had a friend express interest in going to the Chicago gathering, I asked for advice here (had already booked my trains) and was advised to get the open sleeper since her going was iffy.

 

[the_traveler]

If he just buys a regular coach ticket, besides the possible cost difference, he would have to pay for his meals. (An open sleeper ticket would include meals.) Also technically he could not get to the sleepers either, since only sleeper passengers can enter sleepers.

 

[me_little_me]

Thanks for the fast replies! So a regular coach ticket won't work, he has to get the open sleeper.

It IS a regular coach ticket. However, it is marked to indicate the owner of the ticket will be in a sleeper compartment (yours). No matter how high the ticket price may have risen before he purchases it, he gets the "sleeper price" for his coach seat i.e. he pays the minimum for it because he is not occupying a coach seat.

 

[Ryan]

No, it isn't a regular coach ticket for the reasons that you go on to explain.

 

[TiBike]

Thanks. It sounds like it's something that needs to be taken care of when he books his seat, that it's a non-starter if we wait until we're on board to try to work it out.

 

[Eris]

Is there any reason to purchase an open sleeper ticket more in advance than, say, "the day before the train is scheduled"?

 

[Ryan]

Not really.

 

[AlanB]

Thanks. It sounds like it's something that needs to be taken care of when he books his seat, that it's a non-starter if we wait until we're on board to try to work it out.

Do keep in mind that an open sleeper ticket is a real paper ticket. One does not get an eTicket emailed to them. He must pick up the ticket from an agent. The open sleeper ticket also does not indicate a room & car number on it.

Give your friend your reservation number and he'll provide that to the agent when he calls to book it.

 

[AlanB]

Is there any reason to purchase an open sleeper ticket more in advance than, say, "the day before the train is scheduled"?

Yes, it helps with meal planning for inventory purposes if you book more than several days out.

 

[andersone]

Is it me or is there something wonderful about the phrase "open sleeper"?

 

[VentureForth]

Can I buy an "open sleeper" ticket to get low bucket on a train and then sit in coach?

 

[AlanB]

Can I buy an "open sleeper" ticket to get low bucket on a train and then sit in coach?

No. It needs to be tied to actual sleeper and you are required to sit in a sleeper.

 

[willem]

Can I buy an "open sleeper" ticket to get low bucket on a train and then sit in coach?

No. It needs to be tied to actual sleeper and you are required to sit in a sleeper.

That makes sense. What does not make sense is that the room number to which it is tied is not on the ticket. Is this a limitation of the ticketing system?

If I misunderstood and the room number is on the ticket, why is called an open sleeper ticket?

 

[AlanB]

Can I buy an "open sleeper" ticket to get low bucket on a train and then sit in coach?

No. It needs to be tied to actual sleeper and you are required to sit in a sleeper.

That makes sense. What does not make sense is that the room number to which it is tied is not on the ticket. Is this a limitation of the ticketing system?

Yes, that is a limitation of ARROW. It can't handle the information properly to fully link the open sleeper ticket to the reservation for the room. It's more of a cross reference in a special comments area that allows Amtrak to keep track of things and somehow gets the name of the passenger printed on the manifest.