AGR Bedroom Redemption for Family Bedroom?

[Ozark Southern]

Now that we're earning some AGR points, we're wanting to have a long-term goal to save up for. So if we redeem a bedroom on a Superliner, is it possible to get a Family Bedroom? It seems like on most trains, the Family Bedroom is actually cheaper than the Bedroom, so it stands to reason that we could, as it would represent less revenue lost to a free ticket. Anyone have any experience with this?

 

[Ryan]

Yes, it's reserved at the "normal" bedroom rate. Same thing goes for the "H" room if you qualify (or its available less than 2 weeks from departure).

 

[Ozark Southern]

Yes, it's reserved at the "normal" bedroom rate. Same thing goes for the "H" room if you qualify (or its available less than 2 weeks from departure).

Wow, thank you for the quick response. This is very good news! With two kids, having the Family Bedroom available for redemption means we can get free trips a lot faster! Woohoo!

Thanks also for the info on the H room; we don't qualify, but if it's still available two weeks out, it's cheaper than the Bedrooms. Is there enough room for the kids to bring sleeping bags or palettes? They'd probably be just as happy with that.

 

[jmbgeg]

Yes, it's reserved at the "normal" bedroom rate. Same thing goes for the "H" room if you qualify (or its available less than 2 weeks from departure).

I believe that the accesible (H) bedroom is the same as a roomette.

 

[the_traveler]

Correction, the H-room if bought by a non qualifying person 2 weeks out is the same cost as a bedroom, but I think the award level is the same as a roomette! Normally, the award level is the same.

Also with each, your award for each (H-Room and F-Room) includes the rail fare and meals in the Dining Car for up to the room's capacity. So the H-Room would include 2 rail fares and meals for 2. The F-Room would include 4 rail fares and 4 meals!

 

[AlanB]

The H-room would have enough room to put down two sleeping bags most likely, although it wouldn't leave much in the way of floor space. But it's unlikely that Amtrak would ever let you book 4 people into that room.

You can't do sleeping bags in the family room at all, there simply isn't enough floor space once the beds are down. I suppose you could put the sleeping bags on the beds if you really wanted to do so, but I'm not sure that there is a good reason for carrying them in the first place when Amtrak provides you with linens.

 

[Ozark Southern]

The H-room would have enough room to put down two sleeping bags most likely, although it wouldn't leave much in the way of floor space. But it's unlikely that Amtrak would ever let you book 4 people into that room.
You can't do sleeping bags in the family room at all, there simply isn't enough floor space once the beds are down. I suppose you could put the sleeping bags on the beds if you really wanted to do so, but I'm not sure that there is a good reason for carrying them in the first place when Amtrak provides you with linens.

Okay, good information. Well, getting the Family Bedroom for an AGR reward is going to save us a lot of points anyway, so I'm happy with that.

 

[RRrich]

Seems to be some confusion about the H-room. Let me throw some gasoline on the fire.

If you are unfortunate enough to qualify for the H-room as my wifey is, then you can book it (but NOT by Internet) and you will be charged the ROOMETTE price - either cash or AGR points. Two weeks before departure the H-room is released into the general inventory where it can be purchased by unqualified pax at the current BEDROOM price.

Questions? I'll be glad to further increase confusion

 

[rrdude]

The H-room would have enough room to put down two sleeping bags most likely, although it wouldn't leave much in the way of floor space. But it's unlikely that Amtrak would ever let you book 4 people into that room.
You can't do sleeping bags in the family room at all, there simply isn't enough floor space once the beds are down. I suppose you could put the sleeping bags on the beds if you really wanted to do so, but I'm not sure that there is a good reason for carrying them in the first place when Amtrak provides you with linens.

Okay, good information. Well, getting the Family Bedroom for an AGR reward is going to save us a lot of points anyway, so I'm happy with that.

And.........as slovenly as I am, even I wouldn't want to put my kids on the floor of an Amtrak Bedroom, Roomette, Family Bedroom, or H-Bedroom. They just don't get cleaned enuff at all.

And like I said, I'm no prima-dona at all when it comes to cleanliness, just KNOW how disgusting the carpets and floors of said trains are..............

 

[Ozark Southern]

The H-room would have enough room to put down two sleeping bags most likely, although it wouldn't leave much in the way of floor space. But it's unlikely that Amtrak would ever let you book 4 people into that room.
You can't do sleeping bags in the family room at all, there simply isn't enough floor space once the beds are down. I suppose you could put the sleeping bags on the beds if you really wanted to do so, but I'm not sure that there is a good reason for carrying them in the first place when Amtrak provides you with linens.

Okay, good information. Well, getting the Family Bedroom for an AGR reward is going to save us a lot of points anyway, so I'm happy with that.

And.........as slovenly as I am, even I wouldn't want to put my kids on the floor of an Amtrak Bedroom, Roomette, Family Bedroom, or H-Bedroom. They just don't get cleaned enuff at all.

And like I said, I'm no prima-dona at all when it comes to cleanliness, just KNOW how disgusting the carpets and floors of said trains are..............

Good to know. We've only ever traveled in coach, so I'm glad to hear from the personal experiences of those who have traveled in a sleeper.

 

[darien-l]

Seems to be some confusion about the H-room. Let me throw some gasoline on the fire.
If you are unfortunate enough to qualify for the H-room as my wifey is, then you can book it (but NOT by Internet) and you will be charged the ROOMETTE price - either cash or AGR points. Two weeks before departure the H-room is released into the general inventory where it can be purchased by unqualified pax at the current BEDROOM price.

Questions? I'll be glad to further increase confusion

Yes, I have one question. Is the following true?

The H-room if bought by a non qualifying person 2 weeks out is the same cost as a bedroom, but I think the award level is the same as a roomette!

Can the H-room be obtained for the same number of points as a roomette? (Provided that you're unqualified, and it's less than 14 days out) Right now I'm trying to get a roomette using AGR points, but all roomettes on that train are sold out. Getting the H-room for the same points as a roomette would make all the difference for me.

 

[rtabern]

I hope I can help settle this...

You have to be handicapped in order to book the "H" Room more than 2 weeks out. However, as others have said... if no one books the "H" Room 2 weeks out it then becomes open to anyone.

When it comes to AGR points, it costs the same amount of points as a ROOMETTE. I booked a trip from LAX-CHI (via Portland) in June 2009 in the "H" Bedroom on both trains and it cost me only 20,000 points... the same as a 2-zone roomette would.

As far as what it costs in cash... it can vary. I have seen the "H" room go for less than a roomette and more than full bedroom before!! It depends on if there is another "H" bedroom available. For example, on the Empire Builder there are upto 3 "H" bedrooms on the train for sale -- if they are all open -- you might be able to snag one for a cheap price.

The same thing for the family bedroom.

My dad and step-mom are going along on one of my Trails & Rails trips in September. They wanted to be guaranteed a decent dinner time in the dining car so they wanted me to book them in a sleeper than in coach. Coming back on #8 from MSP-CHI... it was actually $51 cheaper that particular day to book them in the family bedroom vs. a roomette.

 

[darien-l]

I just got off the phone with AGR. The agent said that I need to provide documentation of disability to book the H room using points, period. She said it doesn't matter whether it's 14 days out or not: that's only applicable to paid reservations. I had her double-check with her "support team", and she came back with the same answer.

Hung up, called again. Different story. The new agent said that she can book the H room for me with points, no documentation required. However, she added, it's at "conductor's discretion" whether to let me stay in the H room if I'm not handicapped.

Can anyone shed any further light on this? This ticket is for my dad, and I DO NOT want him getting kicked out of the room or off the train by an overzealous conductor who thinks that he's abusing the system somehow. All other sleepers on the train are sold out, and the H room is the only option. Has anyone who is not qualified gotten the H bedroom with points? Any issues with the conductor?

 

[darien-l]

I decided to make one more phone call to AGR, and spoke to a supervisor. He seemed very knowledgeable and did a good job explaining the rules. He said that "we prefer that you be mobility-impaired in some way, but no documentation needs to be provided to AGR, and we will book an accessible bedroom for you if you insist on it. From there on, it's up to the conductor. If you book your ticket more than 14 days in advance, and fail to provide documentation of disability to the conductor, the conductor may ask you to vacate the room for violating Amtrak rules. If you book your ticket less than 14 days in advance, it should be fine, since these rooms are basically up for grabs by then. However, because you are not traveling on a paid Amtrak ticket, the 14-day rule does not explicitly apply, and there is a small chance that the conductor may ask you to vacate the room if a mobility-impaired person from coach requests a paid upgrade."

So, it sounds like it's reasonably safe to book, but it would still be good to have field reports. Are conductors well aware of the 14-day rule? Do paid tickets for H rooms, booked for unqualified persons less than 14 days in adavance say something like "disability documentation requirement waived"? Would it be a problem if an AGR ticket doesn't say that?

 

[RRrich]

Wouldn't it be nice if AGR would post a set of WRITTEN rules that we could count on to be correct?

 

[darien-l]

Nothing in the AGR Terms and Conditions about accessible bedrooms: https://www.amtrakguestrewards.com/index.cf...;loc=tandc.html

My impression is that AGR simply doesn't want to deal with this issue, and passes the buck to the conductor to sort out who belongs in the H room and who doesn't.

My worry is that it that some inflexible, by-the-book conductor might go through the following thought process:

Does the person in the room appear mobility impaired? No

Does the person in the room have any documentation proving a disability? No

Does his ticket say that disability requirement is waived? No

Result: "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to vacate this room."

Can anyone tell me whether that's a plausible scenario?

 

[Hamhock]

Nothing in the AGR Terms and Conditions about accessible bedrooms: https://www.amtrakgu...;loc=tandc.html

My impression is that AGR simply doesn't want to deal with this issue, and passes the buck to the conductor to sort out who belongs in the H room and who doesn't.

My worry is that it that some inflexible, by-the-book conductor might go through the following thought process:

Does the person in the room appear mobility impaired? No

Does the person in the room have any documentation proving a disability? No

Does his ticket say that disability requirement is waived? No

Result: "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to vacate this room."

Can anyone tell me whether that's a plausible scenario?

Just have your father wince and hold his back a lot.

 

[Ryan]

Does his ticket say that disability requirement is waived? No

This raises an interesting question - if I purchase an H room ticket in the 2 week window, is there any indication of that on the ticket (I don't have a ticket handy to see if the date of purchase appears on it)? Assuming that it doesn't, how does the conductor have any say in the matter? If you've got a ticket for the H room, you should be able to stay in it (I would think).

 

[AlanB]

I'm pretty sure that just like with say a AAA discount, it's pretty clearly indicated on the tickets that one got the H-room because you have a disability.

If you purchased/AGR'd your ticket within the 2 week window, that they indicator would not be on the ticket and the conductor would know not to ask for paperwork to prove your disability.

 

[darien-l]

Two things:

1) The date of purchase is NOT indicated on the ticket, just the "date of issue", which is the date the ticket was printed (usually the day of travel).

2) I'm worried about the AGR supervisor's statement that the 14-day rule does not apply to AGR tickets, just paid ones. I take that to mean that an H-room AGR ticket purchased within the 14-day window would be identical to the one purchased outside of the window. (Including the statement that the person got the H-room because of a disability)

Unless someone can confirm otherwise, I think I'll give this trip to miss. As I said, it's for my father, who doesn't speak English well to boot, and I don't want to risk putting him in a confrontation with a conductor. I'm looking to do an AGR trip myself in August, so I'll grab an H-room on one of my trains within a 14-day window (provided one is available), and see how it goes. I'd rather do this experiment on myself first, I think.

 

[darien-l]

Also, here's my best guess for why things are the way they are with AGR:

Anyone can book an H-room with AGR points months in advance, then cancel within the 14-day window and immediately re-book. The best way to prevent that kind of abuse is to request documentation of disability at the time of ticketing, as Amtrak does. AGR doesn't want to deal with this paperwork, and finds it easier to simply slap "proof of disability required" on all tickets, regardless of date of issue, and let the conductor deal with it.