Assigned roomettes for Auto Train

[AudenHoggart]

Are roomette assignments made at the time of making a reservation? I don't see anything on our confirmation notice.

If they aren't made automatically, can you make a request? We'd certainly prefer an upstairs roomette.

 

[niemi24s]

The assignment is probably on the E-Ticket, attached to the confirmation notice as a pdf file.

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

If your confirmation notice is your receipt, it should have an attached PDF format e-ticket. When you download the PDF e-ticket your roomette number and car number will be displayed on the e-ticket. If you cannot find it, yes, call Amtrak and they can tell you what roomette you have.

 

[fixj]

I've never had a E ticket on the Auto Train. The Auto Train is the exception to the QR code requirment. You just present your printed confirmation when you check in. As far a room assignments, you are correct, they do not print room numbers on the confirmation. I had to call Amtrak and the agent gave me the room numbers. I think they still do it that way. I just booked my 2016 trip and have the confirmation, but not room and car assignment, and no attachment with QR code as with other Amtrak trains. I will call in a few day to get that plus reserve Priority Auto off loading. (could not book that on line.)

Jim

BTW, the Auto Train is the only exception to the E ticket printing rule.

 

[SarahZ]

The email confirmation has a PDF attached. That's the e-ticket. You have to open the PDF.

The PDF will have your QR code (what the conductor scans), room assignments, etc.

The room assignments are sort of small. They're between the date and time on the line with the train number:

 

[PVD]

The Auto Train is the exception to the rule. You check in with the station agent, they give you your seat or room assignment (unless you already know) and handle dinner reservations. They don't have to do the lift/scan on the train. Unless you have a paper ticket, all you need is the confirmation, this is different than everywhere else where the QR code on the pdf attachment is what gets scanned.

 

[SarahZ]

The Auto Train is the exception to the rule. You check in with the station agent, they give you your seat or room assignment (unless you already know) and handle dinner reservations. They don't have to do the lift/scan on the train. Unless you have a paper ticket, all you need is the confirmation, this is different than everywhere else where the QR code on the pdf attachment is what gets scanned.

Interesting. I wonder why that is.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

The Auto Train is the exception to the rule. You check in with the station agent, they give you your seat or room assignment (unless you already know) and handle dinner reservations. They don't have to do the lift/scan on the train. Unless you have a paper ticket, all you need is the confirmation, this is different than everywhere else where the QR code on the pdf attachment is what gets scanned.

Interesting. I wonder why that is.

Probably because there are no intermediate stops. Everyone checks in at a start point.

 

[priller]

The Auto Train is the exception to the rule. You check in with the station agent, they give you your seat or room assignment (unless you already know) and handle dinner reservations. They don't have to do the lift/scan on the train. Unless you have a paper ticket, all you need is the confirmation, this is different than everywhere else where the QR code on the pdf attachment is what gets scanned.

Yup. When I call and add Priority Offload (for the vehicle), then I get an email that shows the sleeper assignment.

 

[AudenHoggart]

Yes, that's turned out to be true for me as well. I added priority offloading and the confirmation email does have the sleeper assignment.. From the sleeper diagrams on

http://www.craigmashburn.com/amtrakcardiagrams.html

it looks like all roomettes on the Auto Train are lower level. Does anyone know if that's true for all the sleeping cars? If not, have people had success calling to change the roomette location? I won't bother if they're all lower level.

It also looks like there's no shower on the lower level, as there is on other Superliner sleepers. Is this correct?

Thanks!

 

[fixj]

I think Amtrak Blue has it. Also, every ticket includes dinner and they want reservations. You're basicly a captive in the waiting room with only ONE train to board. Once they get you checked in and dinner reservations it's just as easy to lift "boarding Passes". Loading 15 cars at one time and just needed to lift a boarding pass makes it go much faster.

 

[CCC1007]

There should be two "deluxe" sleepers and as many as five normal sleepers, all superliners in the auto train consist.

 

[fixj]

AudenH, The Auto Train has at least 6 sleepers plus a Crew Dorm. Two of the sleepers are the "Deluxe" in that all upstairs space is full bedroom with roomettes plus H and F on the lower level. The other sleepers are the standard superliner with 5 bedrooms and 10 roomettes on the upper level and 4 plus H and F on the lower level. Thats a lot of space!

 

[priller]

Yup. When I call and add Priority Offload (for the vehicle), then I get an email that shows the sleeper assignment.

Just another point on that .. Priority Offload is worth the $50. Especially if you are traveling peak season and the full load is 330 vehicles. If you are last .. ouch!

 

[fixj]

Plus 1 on what priller posted! It's a madhouse on arrival. Folks act like children with much pushing and shoving. Priority off load is the only civil way to deal with the chaos.

 

[chakk]

The folks pushing and shoving should have their cars automatically delivered last.

 

[PVD]

It's been a while for me, but I'm pretty sure the lower level of the Deluxe Sleeper Car (All bedrooms upstatirs) is the same as a regular sleeper downstairs. So there would be two toilets on one side of the aisle, with another toilet and a shower room on the other side of the aisle at the end of the car with the accessible bedroom.

 

[AlanB]

The lower level of a Deluxe Sleeper is the same as the lower level of a regular Superliner sleeper.

Only the Trans/Dorms have a different layout on the lower level, and there are even different layouts within the Trans/dorm family.

 

[PVD]

I only had one trip in that situation, but since the bedrooms and the H room have toilets, and the bedrooms have showers, that left 3 toilets and a shower for 4 roomettes and the family room. Not bad. Some folks don't like downstairs for mobility and scenery reasons, but the steps don't bother me, and the A/T is mostly overnight anyway.

 

[FormerOBS]

To be clear, not all of the Auto Train roomettes (we used to use the more accurate term "economy room") are on the lower level. Four, and occasionally five sleepers are standard cars with 5 bedrooms and 10 roomettes upstairs. The other two sleepers have 10 bedrooms upstairs. The downstairs areas of all of these sleepers are identical, except that the all deluxe cars have one downstairs roomette that is outfitted to be the SCA's room.

Prior to arrival, announcements are made on the train to inform the passengers that the first autos won't be available until about 20 minutes after detraining, so there is no need to rush. There are those who refuse to pay attention to that, but most arriving passengers are fairly laid back. Since the train can carry as many as 600 passengers, there are a lot of people in the station during the claiming process, but it's generally pretty orderly. With as many as 300 vehicles to claim, it can take over an hour to complete the claiming process. Whether it's worthwhile to pay the extra money for priority unloading is an individual decision. Since you have about a 50% chance of your car being unloaded in the first half of the process, I would save my money to spend on tourist activities. If it's so important to get your car and be on the road right away, it might be better to travel one day earlier. If you are making connections for a cruise or something similar, I definitely suggest that you schedule your arrival in Florida one day earlier because of the possibility of significant enroute delays.

Tom

 

[FormerOBS]

The trans dorm is irrelevant to the Auto Train passenger because the crew is large enough to require all rooms in the trans dorm. Therefore, that car is not open to passengers on that train.

Tom

 

[I always rode the Southern]

I've never had a E ticket on the Auto Train. The Auto Train is the exception to the QR code requirment. You just present your printed confirmation when you check in. As far a room assignments, you are correct, they do not print room numbers on the confirmation. I had to call Amtrak and the agent gave me the room numbers. I think they still do it that way. I just booked my 2016 trip and have the confirmation, but not room and car assignment, and no attachment with QR code as with other Amtrak trains. I will call in a few day to get that plus reserve Priority Auto off loading. (could not book that on line.)

Jim

BTW, the Auto Train is the only exception to the E ticket printing rule.

My confirmations always have the room assignment. I always call AGR to book auto train since we always use points for one direction, whichever is more expensive, and pay for the other. On the rare occasion when both are cheap and would be a waste of points, I call the skip-95 number(never a long wait) and they always tell me or I ask which room. I like to gamble , and usually the auto train gets into Lorton early. If heading to DC we really don't want priority off loading since it would just mean we would get to experience the nightmare morning rush hour commute. YMMV.

 

[rrdude]

Speaking of "experiments" (in other threads, related to Silver Service) anyone know how popular the $50 priority offloading is? I know when I tried to add it about a year ago, a few days after I made my rezzy, it was Sold Out.

If it is consistently Sold Out, Amtrak should increase the price.....

 

[jis]

Speaking of "experiments" (in other threads, related to Silver Service) anyone know how popular the $50 priority offloading is? I know when I tried to add it about a year ago, a few days after I made my rezzy, it was Sold Out.

If it is consistently Sold Out, Amtrak should increase the price.....

In my experience it is extremely popular. The only way I have ever gotten it is to essentially book it as soon as I booked the ticket.

 

[fixj]

I took two Auto Train trips last year. We had prioity both ways. They only set aside 20 spots for this. (I guess one full rail car). On our return trip back to florida they anounced that 17 Priority cars had been sold. This was late June. It was sold out going north.