Are guests allowed to visit our Bedroom?

[MiRider]

Here's the thing. These two are adults. They're just stopping by to have a glass of wine and chat. Nobody in that car is going to realize they're visiting from Coach. How often do you peek into bedrooms when you walk down the hallway? And for that matter, how would you know they weren't dropping in from another bedroom or part of a bedroom suite? You wouldn't have any idea. It wouldn't affect you ONE BIT. It's not like the Coach passengers have to wear a Nametag of Shame at all times.
The door opens and closes all the time. Having two people come from Coach means the door will open twice. OH GOD NO THE HORROR. It might not even be on your end of the car (and you aren't even going to be on that train, so why are you so upset?) It's not like they're going to go through the door 16,000 times during the few hours they'll be visiting. You may as well yell at the conductors who travel from car to car repeatedly. After a few hours on the train, I barely notice the door, and I'm really sensitive to noises. If the door bothers you that much, get a room in the middle and/or wear earbuds.

I would much rather have two adults sitting in a bedroom enjoying a glass of wine than a shrieking baby, a shrieking toddler, or a shrieking teenager on a cell phone. I don't get what the big deal is. God forbid they use your precious sleeper car restroom or water fountain. Some of you people act like the people in Coach have an infectious disease, for crying out loud.

When we boarded in ABQ, my boyfriend's father asked if he could see the rooms because they'd like to take a trip to see us someday. Our SCA had no issue with him boarding the train to look at an empty bedroom and our roomette. The SCA accompanied him at all times and gave him a really nice tour. I was grateful, because our SCA could have said, "Ticketed passengers only." But, he went the extra mile to ensure a pleasant experience for a potential future passenger. THAT'S the key. If I were the SCA on the OP's train, I would allow their children to visit and simply remind them they would have to pay for their dinner and could not stay overnight.

With the right attitude, this entire family could become railfans and make it a point to take trips on Amtrak every year. With the attitude I've seen in here, though, I'm scared we're going to lose potential lifetime passengers, and do any of us really want that? Of course not.

Rawr.

-bolded and underlined for emphasis-

I couldn't agree more!

On our last trip, there were quite a few annoying and, dare I say, creepy pax in our sleeping car.

The one guy in a red shirt that always seemed to be around to stare, a family of Scribbles (my term for those people that seem to be all over the place with no purpose except to garner attention and annoy), and the old dude that liked to pop his head out in the hall with the curtain wrapped around his neck (was he naked or what?) all the while calling out 'Porter!' :giggle:

I'm a converted sleeper fan but that doesn't mean I won't ride in coach again, it's always been fun no matter what.

The only train I've been on, so far, with questionable characters was a 7 hour late CZ during the Super Moon last spring with no fewer than 4 forced removals, all drunk males.

 

[Eric308]

Here's the thing. These two are adults. They're just stopping by to have a glass of wine and chat. Nobody in that car is going to realize they're visiting from Coach. How often do you peek into bedrooms when you walk down the hallway? And for that matter, how would you know they weren't dropping in from another bedroom or part of a bedroom suite? You wouldn't have any idea. It wouldn't affect you ONE BIT. It's not like the Coach passengers have to wear a Nametag of Shame at all times.
The door opens and closes all the time. Having two people come from Coach means the door will open twice. OH GOD NO THE HORROR. It might not even be on your end of the car (and you aren't even going to be on that train, so why are you so upset?) It's not like they're going to go through the door 16,000 times during the few hours they'll be visiting. You may as well yell at the conductors who travel from car to car repeatedly. After a few hours on the train, I barely notice the door, and I'm really sensitive to noises. If the door bothers you that much, get a room in the middle and/or wear earbuds.

I would much rather have two adults sitting in a bedroom enjoying a glass of wine than a shrieking baby, a shrieking toddler, or a shrieking teenager on a cell phone. I don't get what the big deal is. God forbid they use your precious sleeper car restroom or water fountain. Some of you people act like the people in Coach have an infectious disease, for crying out loud.

When we boarded in ABQ, my boyfriend's father asked if he could see the rooms because they'd like to take a trip to see us someday. Our SCA had no issue with him boarding the train to look at an empty bedroom and our roomette. The SCA accompanied him at all times and gave him a really nice tour. I was grateful, because our SCA could have said, "Ticketed passengers only." But, he went the extra mile to ensure a pleasant experience for a potential future passenger. THAT'S the key. If I were the SCA on the OP's train, I would allow their children to visit and simply remind them they would have to pay for their dinner and could not stay overnight.

With the right attitude, this entire family could become railfans and make it a point to take trips on Amtrak every year. With the attitude I've seen in here, though, I'm scared we're going to lose potential lifetime passengers, and do any of us really want that? Of course not.

Rawr.

-bolded and underlined for emphasis-

I couldn't agree more!

On our last trip, there were quite a few annoying and, dare I say, creepy pax in our sleeping car.

The one guy in a red shirt that always seemed to be around to stare, a family of Scribbles (my term for those people that seem to be all over the place with no purpose except to garner attention and annoy), and the old dude that liked to pop his head out in the hall with the curtain wrapped around his neck (was he naked or what?) all the while calling out 'Porter!' :giggle:

I'm a converted sleeper fan but that doesn't mean I won't ride in coach again, it's always been fun no matter what.

The only train I've been on, so far, with questionable characters was a 7 hour late CZ during the Super Moon last spring with no fewer than 4 forced removals, all drunk males.

Wanna buy a barely used Nametag of Shame badge? Hey, that was me...that was one lazy porter.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

Here's the thing. These two are adults. They're just stopping by to have a glass of wine and chat. Nobody in that car is going to realize they're visiting from Coach. How often do you peek into bedrooms when you walk down the hallway? And for that matter, how would you know they weren't dropping in from another bedroom or part of a bedroom suite? You wouldn't have any idea. It wouldn't affect you ONE BIT. It's not like the Coach passengers have to wear a Nametag of Shame at all times.
The door opens and closes all the time. Having two people come from Coach means the door will open twice. OH GOD NO THE HORROR. It might not even be on your end of the car (and you aren't even going to be on that train, so why are you so upset?) It's not like they're going to go through the door 16,000 times during the few hours they'll be visiting. You may as well yell at the conductors who travel from car to car repeatedly. After a few hours on the train, I barely notice the door, and I'm really sensitive to noises. If the door bothers you that much, get a room in the middle and/or wear earbuds.

I would much rather have two adults sitting in a bedroom enjoying a glass of wine than a shrieking baby, a shrieking toddler, or a shrieking teenager on a cell phone. I don't get what the big deal is. God forbid they use your precious sleeper car restroom or water fountain. Some of you people act like the people in Coach have an infectious disease, for crying out loud.

When we boarded in ABQ, my boyfriend's father asked if he could see the rooms because they'd like to take a trip to see us someday. Our SCA had no issue with him boarding the train to look at an empty bedroom and our roomette. The SCA accompanied him at all times and gave him a really nice tour. I was grateful, because our SCA could have said, "Ticketed passengers only." But, he went the extra mile to ensure a pleasant experience for a potential future passenger. THAT'S the key. If I were the SCA on the OP's train, I would allow their children to visit and simply remind them they would have to pay for their dinner and could not stay overnight.

With the right attitude, this entire family could become railfans and make it a point to take trips on Amtrak every year. With the attitude I've seen in here, though, I'm scared we're going to lose potential lifetime passengers, and do any of us really want that? Of course not.

Rawr.

1) The door opening bothers me. I don't like earplugs or ear buds. If I had a choice between two identical sleeping cars, and one had a door that was going to open 99 times during my trip, and the other had a door that was going to open 100 times, I'd choose the car that opened fewer times. The noise bothers me. It doesn't bother you, and I'm glad, because I wish it didn't bother me. However, it does bother me, and I reserve the right to be annoyed by things that annoy me.

2) No, I'm not going to be on the train at the same time as the OP. I think it's safe to say that this discussion isn't just about the OP's trip, it's about Amtrak's policy (or lack thereof) about "visitors" to the sleeping car, in general.

3) You're right, quiet adults who visit for a short time & then leave would be less annoying than a baby who cried for the whole trip. Also, it's not a question of allowing those "filthy people from coach" into our car, or anything like that. I don't care whether the visitors are from coach, another sleeper car, or whatever. Personally, I just want a quiet, relaxing trip, and the less noise I hear, the better. If there was a "Quiet Sleeper Car", I'd book that in a second.

4) There are a lot of ways to encourage rail travel. I just don't think having visitors in the room should be one of them.

 

[the_traveler]

I also agree with Sorcha. A few years ago after the STL Gathering, 4 of us AU members took a cross country trip. I and another AU member had a bedroom, but the other 2 bums :giggle: had a Roomette. Because 4 people could more easily fit in a bedroom, all 4 of us met in my bedroom to enjoy the beer we bought on a layover.

So I don't see any problem with it at all.

 

[KrazyKoala]

WOW! What ever happened to "all the friendly people you will meet on your trip"? Showing my 95lbs daughter our room and sharing a glass of wine...hardly seems like a prosecutable offense!
Are people friendlier in coach?

No, there's disgusting and annoying people in coach.

Disgusting and annoying people are in the sleepers too.

I've seen quite a parade when in the dining car as well as 1/2 of the people that were in the Magnolia Room when I was there.

I love eating with them when they don't leave tips too.

How about the lovely sleeping car passenger we had breakfast with on the LSL who proceeded to tell us about how he fell off the pot in his roomette in the middle of POOPING and how kind the SCA was to help him clean up. WTH!?!?!

Mind you, this was my husband's first train trip and first meal in the diner after I told him how wonderful train travel is - lovely.

That's too funny. I've been next to people like that and have gotten up and left and came back for a later reservation. Although there may be disgusting people in the sleepers, at least you can shut you door and have some silence.

 

[SarahZ]

D.P. - I sympathize about the noise. I really, honestly do. If I could wear comfortable, noise-canceling earbuds at all times, I would. Everyday noises that most people don't notice bother me to the point of clenching my teeth and trying to breathe normally so I don't start shrieking for everyone to stop breathing, moving, and talking. I always hide in the roomette with the door shut. So I get it. I really do.

I guess my point was that there's no way to say that just because two people visit, it means the door will definitely open more than usual. The car could be half-full that day, or there'd be someone like me who only leaves the car to eat meals, so that type of stuff might balance it out. Maybe I'm over-thinking it and being too literal, assigning odds/probability when your response was really more of a generalization. My boyfriend calls me "Sheldon" sometimes. So I apologize for that. It just struck me as an odd point in the middle of all the "omg my water my bathroom" responses. It made me quirk my head like a dog.

Joanie - I love the term "scribblers". That's really funny.

 

[Mike]

It is amazing how a simple question turned into a five pages of postings. As I was reading through the posts,I thought some of the responses were a bit condescending. I learned in life a soft word turns away wrath. There are times I want to post questions in the forum,but I am afraid to because instead of getting a simple answer,you get answers that cover everything except what you ask,then you feel like you have been talked down to instead of talked to.

 

[Ryan]

Ask away, please don't let the harsh words of a few people prevent you from getting the information that you're looking for.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

D.P. - I sympathize about the noise. I really, honestly do. If I could wear comfortable, noise-canceling earbuds at all times, I would. Everyday noises that most people don't notice bother me to the point of clenching my teeth and trying to breathe normally so I don't start shrieking for everyone to stop breathing, moving, and talking. I always hide in the roomette with the door shut. So I get it. I really do.

You're right, one or two passengers really won't make a difference - so to the OP's point, they're not really bothering anyone. As long as they're aware of & respectful of the people around them (which it sounds like they definitely will be), it won't be a problem. But it's not hard to imagine a scenario where it would be a problem. I forget which trip I was on, but I was once in a car where a large group / family took up half the sleepers. There were a whole bunch of kids in the party, and while the adults chatted in their rooms, the kids basically spent the whole time running up and down the hallways, roaming the train unsupervised, & otherwise being poorly behaved. It made for an unpleasant trip.

It just seems to me that if a mixed party of coach & sleeper passengers want to hang out together and talk, the lounge car and diner are ideal for that. That's what those cars were put on the train to do - give people a space to hang out and "lounge" together.

I understand that most people out there aren't introverts (I think I read somewhere that in the US, we're about 75% extroverts and 25% introverts). The existence of Quiet Cars on other routes tells me that there are undoubtedly many passengers out there who don't want to hear people talking. So, I get that places like the lounge cars, diners, PPC, etc. are going to be noisy. It would just be nice if there was a place on an LD train where you could go & have some peace and quiet if you want it. Having paid for a sleeper for at least partly that reason, I guess I'm just a little overprotective of it...

Here's one of my ideas: on the CS, the movie theater on the lower level of the PPC is rarely used during the day. As personal media players get more and more popular, the movie nights will probably become less popular. I think they should rip out the theater seats & put in comfy swivel seats like they have upstairs, so that space could be used all the time. Let everybody talk and make noise on the upper level, but have the downstairs area a "Quiet Car." I think a large proportion of the traveling public would find that very appealing.

 

[roomette]

I've been trying for years to commandeer a sleeper on a LD train for a Family Reunion. "Sure! Bring ALL the kids!" I keep exclaiming. How much fun would that be?

Heaven help the non-family members in THAT car.

Majority rules! :lol:

 

[caravanman]

So, we have a member of the public who has booked a train ride to celebrate his 60th birthday, and asks for a bit of advice about two adults visiting the sleeper, maybe have a glass of wine, celebrate the event... What do we, the so-called Amtrak fans, the folk who love rail travel do? We manage to create the impression for the OP that both A.U. and sleepers are full of suspicious, unfriendly types, and then the OP asks" is it any friendlier in coach" ? To which the response is : No, there's disgusting and annoying people in coach.

How on earth does AU expect to advance rail travel with all this stupid nonsense?

The public read these posts, from so called "members", what impression of railfans, and Amtrak must they get?

I certainly feel depressed by the endless negativity... but then again, maybe I am just being negative...

Ed

 

[TimePeace]

So, we have a member of the public who has booked a train ride to celebrate his 60th birthday, and asks for a bit of advice about two adults visiting the sleeper, maybe have a glass of wine, celebrate the event... What do we, the so-called Amtrak fans, the folk who love rail travel do? We manage to create the impression for the OP that both A.U. and sleepers are full of suspicious, unfriendly types, and then the OP asks" is it any friendlier in coach" ? To which the response is : No, there's disgusting and annoying people in coach.How on earth does AU expect to advance rail travel with all this stupid nonsense?

The public read these posts, from so called "members", what impression of railfans, and Amtrak must they get?

I certainly feel depressed by the endless negativity... but then again, maybe I am just being negative...

Ed

*Agree*

It's not just you, Ed.

 

[JayPea]

So, we have a member of the public who has booked a train ride to celebrate his 60th birthday, and asks for a bit of advice about two adults visiting the sleeper, maybe have a glass of wine, celebrate the event... What do we, the so-called Amtrak fans, the folk who love rail travel do? We manage to create the impression for the OP that both A.U. and sleepers are full of suspicious, unfriendly types, and then the OP asks" is it any friendlier in coach" ? To which the response is : No, there's disgusting and annoying people in coach.

How on earth does AU expect to advance rail travel with all this stupid nonsense?

The public read these posts, from so called "members", what impression of railfans, and Amtrak must they get?

I certainly feel depressed by the endless negativity... but then again, maybe I am just being negative...

Ed

*Agree*
It's not just you, Ed.

No, it's not just you. I remember one post (can't find it right off) where a newbie innocently asked if it was all right to sit in the coaches if they held a sleeper ticket. The replies, in that poster's mind, were so obnoxious and rude the OP made it quite clear that they would never again use AU. And, if I remember right, their experience in asking that simple question was so negative they ended up driving instead. I don't for the life of me see why such simple questions have to end up giving off such negative vibes. I try to ignore the negativity and the I'm-so-much-better-than-you attitudes that sometimes crop up here, but it's not always easy. And, again, it is just a tiny minority of those on AU that cause the problems.

 

[Ryan]

Hey, the less people book a sleeper, the lower the buckets for the rest of us!

(I'm totally kidding, I agree completely)

 

[Train Rider]

So, we have a member of the public who has booked a train ride to celebrate his 60th birthday, and asks for a bit of advice about two adults visiting the sleeper, maybe have a glass of wine, celebrate the event... What do we, the so-called Amtrak fans, the folk who love rail travel do? We manage to create the impression for the OP that both A.U. and sleepers are full of suspicious, unfriendly types, and then the OP asks" is it any friendlier in coach" ? To which the response is : No, there's disgusting and annoying people in coach.How on earth does AU expect to advance rail travel with all this stupid nonsense?

The public read these posts, from so called "members", what impression of railfans, and Amtrak must they get?

I certainly feel depressed by the endless negativity... but then again, maybe I am just being negative...

Ed

Exactly.

 

[SarahZ]

D.P. - I sympathize about the noise. I really, honestly do. If I could wear comfortable, noise-canceling earbuds at all times, I would. Everyday noises that most people don't notice bother me to the point of clenching my teeth and trying to breathe normally so I don't start shrieking for everyone to stop breathing, moving, and talking. I always hide in the roomette with the door shut. So I get it. I really do.

You're right, one or two passengers really won't make a difference - so to the OP's point, they're not really bothering anyone. As long as they're aware of & respectful of the people around them (which it sounds like they definitely will be), it won't be a problem. But it's not hard to imagine a scenario where it would be a problem. I forget which trip I was on, but I was once in a car where a large group / family took up half the sleepers. There were a whole bunch of kids in the party, and while the adults chatted in their rooms, the kids basically spent the whole time running up and down the hallways, roaming the train unsupervised, & otherwise being poorly behaved. It made for an unpleasant trip.

It just seems to me that if a mixed party of coach & sleeper passengers want to hang out together and talk, the lounge car and diner are ideal for that. That's what those cars were put on the train to do - give people a space to hang out and "lounge" together.

I understand that most people out there aren't introverts (I think I read somewhere that in the US, we're about 75% extroverts and 25% introverts). The existence of Quiet Cars on other routes tells me that there are undoubtedly many passengers out there who don't want to hear people talking. So, I get that places like the lounge cars, diners, PPC, etc. are going to be noisy. It would just be nice if there was a place on an LD train where you could go & have some peace and quiet if you want it. Having paid for a sleeper for at least partly that reason, I guess I'm just a little overprotective of it...

Here's one of my ideas: on the CS, the movie theater on the lower level of the PPC is rarely used during the day. As personal media players get more and more popular, the movie nights will probably become less popular. I think they should rip out the theater seats & put in comfy swivel seats like they have upstairs, so that space could be used all the time. Let everybody talk and make noise on the upper level, but have the downstairs area a "Quiet Car." I think a large proportion of the traveling public would find that very appealing.

Eye to eye. I am SO there with you. (Not literally. I'm shy and would run back to my roomette if I saw anyone in the "quiet room".) But I would definitely pay more to have a seat or room in a true "quiet car".

 

[crescent2]

Well said, Sorcha and others!

The "talking down to" or however it's described bothered me so much that I've posted about it in a couple of threads. (And I normally only post about questions, not my opinions on other matters.) Seems to be a rash of it lately, which is a shame. I wish all the newbies could have the friendly response that I experienced here.

 

[rusty spike]

So, we have a member of the public who has booked a train ride to celebrate his 60th birthday, and asks for a bit of advice about two adults visiting the sleeper, maybe have a glass of wine, celebrate the event... What do we, the so-called Amtrak fans, the folk who love rail travel do? We manage to create the impression for the OP that both A.U. and sleepers are full of suspicious, unfriendly types, and then the OP asks" is it any friendlier in coach" ? To which the response is : No, there's disgusting and annoying people in coach.How on earth does AU expect to advance rail travel with all this stupid nonsense?

The public read these posts, from so called "members", what impression of railfans, and Amtrak must they get?

I certainly feel depressed by the endless negativity... but then again, maybe I am just being negative...

Ed

Exactly.

I second "exactly". This is one of those threads of epic proportions that probably answered the OP's question and could have and, should have ended after the first 10 member responses, which BTW, I judged as 7 "positive/neutral" and 3 "negative". And that 70/30 ratio looks like it has continued thoughout the 91 posts so far.

The Amtrak operation isn't perfect; the passengers aren't perfect, the crew isn't perfect, and certainly the aged equipment isn't perfect. This is public transportion. Peace & quiet, on-time performance, on-board service, the congeniality of the person sitting next you in coach, across the hall from you in a sleeper, or across the table from you in the dining car---none of this is guaranteed. I don't travel extensivley on Amtrak, and when I do, it is mostly the LD trains. The good news that the number of negative, or unfriendly, pax and crew I have encountered are far fewer that the 30% or so that one finds in this thead.

I have enjoyed every Amtrak trip I have taken. If I didn't, I think I would find alternative transportaion or just stay home!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

So, we have a member of the public who has booked a train ride to celebrate his 60th birthday, and asks for a bit of advice about two adults visiting the sleeper, maybe have a glass of wine, celebrate the event... What do we, the so-called Amtrak fans, the folk who love rail travel do? We manage to create the impression for the OP that both A.U. and sleepers are full of suspicious, unfriendly types, and then the OP asks" is it any friendlier in coach" ? To which the response is : No, there's disgusting and annoying people in coach.How on earth does AU expect to advance rail travel with all this stupid nonsense?

The public read these posts, from so called "members", what impression of railfans, and Amtrak must they get?

I certainly feel depressed by the endless negativity... but then again, maybe I am just being negative...

Ed

Is it possible you're taking the comments of a handful of posters and projecting them onto everyone in the thread? This post reminds me of the time you threatened to leave the forum forever because of a single rude post to Facebook, which was a bit of an overreaction in my view.

Sometimes it's important to remember that nobody has been elected to speak for all of us. We each have our own views and we're only responsible for what we post ourselves. I agree that intentionally picking on newbies is both pointless and pathetic, but arguing with other established members about topics that come from a newbie's question doesn't seem so bad to me. None of the contributors "owns" the thread so who are any of us to say it isn't worth continuing once the original question is answered? If you don't enjoy the discussion you're free to challenge the direction, as you already have, or simply leave it be.

There is no requirement or expectation of being an Amtrak fanatic to post in any given thread. I happen to be a big fan of passenger rail myself, but I'm not exactly a fan of Amtrak in particular. Nonetheless if Amtrak works to improve my experience they'll also be improving the experiences of millions of other passengers in the process. That is what makes my comments worth expressing in my view, even if they're often negative. If you think AU is harsh on people who ask basic questions about on board protocol you should see how they treat people who suggest any sort of substantial adjustment to Amtrak's current bureaucracy. That's when things really start to fall apart and the claws come out.

 

[crescent2]

If the OP is still out there, I've taken a good many round trips on the Crescent over the years, and have never had an overall bad experience. Enjoy your trip!

 

[Ryan]

If you think AU is harsh on people who ask basic questions about on board protocol you should see how they treat people who suggest any sort of substantial adjustment to Amtrak's current bureaucracy. That's when things really start to fall apart and the claws come out.

Sorry, but I've got to disagree with that part. People that propose substantial change that's actually based in reality usually generate excellent conversation, and a great thread to read.

It's the people that come at a problem (real or otherwise) and refuse to recognize that there are some things that are the way that they are for good reason and some things that are the way they are and there's no chance of changing them. Those people do get a poor reception, but that's a reflection on their poorly thought out positions, not on AU as a whole.

 

[the_traveler]

Hey, the less people book a sleeper, the lower the buckets for the rest of us!
(I'm totally kidding, I agree completely)

Except or those of us that use AGR awards and thus don't care what the bucket is! :giggle:

I do agree with the "no negativity" thoughts. I do think that some people may see some of the negative replies and decide not to visit AU and/or not take Amtrak at all. Yes, every can have their opinion, but to paraphrase the saying:

If you can't say something nice, sometimes it's best to keep it to yourself.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

Sometimes it's important to remember that nobody has been elected to speak for all of us. We each have our own views and we're only responsible for what we post ourselves. I agree that intentionally picking on newbies is both pointless and pathetic, but arguing with other established members about topics that come from a newbie's question doesn't seem so bad to me. None of the contributors "owns" the thread so who are any of us to say it isn't worth continuing once the original question is answered? If you don't enjoy the discussion you're free to challenge the direction, as you already have, or simply leave it be.
There is no requirement or expectation of being an Amtrak fanatic to post in any given thread. I happen to be a big fan of passenger rail myself, but I'm not exactly a fan of Amtrak in particular. Nonetheless if Amtrak works to improve my experience they'll also be improving the experiences of millions of other passengers in the process. That is what makes my comments worth expressing in my view, even if they're often negative. If you think AU is harsh on people who ask basic questions about on board protocol you should see how they treat people who suggest any sort of substantial adjustment to Amtrak's current bureaucracy. That's when things really start to fall apart and the claws come out.

I agree completely. There seems to be a common thread of thought among many posters here that the purpose of this board is to promote Amtrak rail travel.

As a whole, I disagree with that premise. Sure, if more people ride the rails, there's a better chance that Amtrak will grow in popularity and ridership, and I'm all in favor of that. However, this is not a religion. This board has no affiliation with Amtrak. I don't see any kind of mission statement on this forum - the closest thing I can find is on the introductory page, where it says the following:

"Amtrak Unlimited is a free, unofficial Web resource for Amtrak® train and service information. Since 1997, Amtrak Unlimited has helped millions of passengers plan Amtrak trips and travel."

I don't see anything in there about promoting rail travel. If people want to express an opinion that differs from that of someone else, even if it's someone new to the forum & even discourages them from train travel, I think they have the right to do so. I think honest, truthful answers are better than a pro-rail answer that may not always work.

For example, in the OP's circumstance, there's probably a 99% chance that they will be able to hang out together without interruption from the SCA or anyone else. But, it's certainly possible that the SCA will point to the sign and say that only ticketed passengers are allowed in the sleeping car, and ask them to leave. The OP would probably tell the SCA that "the people on the internet said we could!", get mad, and never ride Amtrak again.

If I was the OP, I'd rather hear what's been said in this forum so far: no one can specifically find a rule against it, and it will probably be allowed by the SCA if it's kept quiet, but there is a sign on the door saying that only sleeping car pax are allowed, and although 70% of your fellow passengers won't have a problem with it, maybe 30% of them will (although they probably won't say anything about it).

 

[roomette]

I like the saying, "If you can't say anything nice, come sit by me!"

 

[Devil's Advocate]

If you think AU is harsh on people who ask basic questions about on board protocol you should see how they treat people who suggest any sort of substantial adjustment to Amtrak's current bureaucracy. That's when things really start to fall apart and the claws come out.

Sorry, but I've got to disagree with that part. People that propose substantial change that's actually based in reality usually generate excellent conversation, and a great thread to read.

It's the people that come at a problem (real or otherwise) and refuse to recognize that there are some things that are the way that they are for good reason and some things that are the way they are and there's no chance of changing them. Those people do get a poor reception, but that's a reflection on their poorly thought out positions, not on AU as a whole.

Can you link to some examples of a new poster proposing any sort of substantial change to the Amtrak bureaucracy leading to a positive reception by our more established members? Because I've certainly never seen it. All I see is how everyone's an expert on why nothing major will ever change.