Auto Train - AGR Redemption Question

[ExtonFlyer]

I am planning a trip to Tampa, FL (from Philly, PA) in March of 2011 and am planning on deviating from my annual Silver Star (Amtrak 91) routine and trying out the much-lauded Auto Train. I have a baby (9mos) now so the ability to pack my car as if it were our suitcase is very attractive to my wife. Plus, while I certainly love the Silver Star, the dining and attendant service has, at times, left a little something to be desired and want to see where Amtrak puts its best employees. This will be the first time my wife is joining me on the train (she usually flies) so want to make this to be the best impression possible.

So....here is my question. I will be traveling with my wife, my "infant" daughter and my father in one regular sized car. I am hoping to redeem 30,000 AGR points to cover a family bedroom and the auto-surcharge on the way down. Ideally, I would like to get my father his own room so that he is not bothered by the baby waking up every few hours (which my wife and I are prepared for). Will Amtrak allow me to pay cash to get him his own roomette? I know Amtrak gets funny about mixing AGR and cash...and I also understand that you can't ride the Auto Train without bringing a car along (if we were to try making him a separate transaction). So I was just curious as to whether anyone on this board knew:

1. if my desired transaction was possible
   
2. or if there was a creative way to make it happen
   

Thanks, as always, for the great advice from this site.

 

[rrdude]

I am planning a trip to Tampa, FL (from Philly, PA) in March of 2011 and am planning on deviating from my annual Silver Star (Amtrak 91) routine and trying out the much-lauded Auto Train. I have a baby (9mos) now so the ability to pack my car as if it were our suitcase is very attractive to my wife. Plus, while I certainly love the Silver Star, the dining and attendant service has, at times, left a little something to be desired and want to see where Amtrak puts its best employees. This will be the first time my wife is joining me on the train (she usually flies) so want to make this to be the best impression possible.

So....here is my question. I will be traveling with my wife, my "infant" daughter and my father in one regular sized car. I am hoping to redeem 30,000 AGR points to cover a family bedroom and the auto-surcharge on the way down. Ideally, I would like to get my father his own room so that he is not bothered by the baby waking up every few hours (which my wife and I are prepared for). Will Amtrak allow me to pay cash to get him his own roomette? I know Amtrak gets funny about mixing AGR and cash...and I also understand that you can't ride the Auto Train without bringing a car along (if we were to try making him a separate transaction). So I was just curious as to whether anyone on this board knew:

1. if my desired transaction was possible
2. or if there was a creative way to make it happen

Thanks, as always, for the great advice from this site.

You shouldn't have any trouble at all, I have "mixed" cash and AGR for travel many times and usually on the A.T. Get AGR on the phone, and if you can "Amtrak's Julie" on the other, and after you make the A.T. AGR rezz, have "Julie" add one person to the reservation, but you'll be paying for that rezzie.

You might consider getting a regular bedroom (upstairs) (20K) as opposed to the family bedroom (downstairs) too, you'd have the luxury of having a sink, commode, and shower to yourself. And your dad could choose a roomette upstairs or downstairs.

BTW, BOOK NOW. I am also traveling next March, and had to nose around a bit to get good rates/AGR redemption. That is PRIME time for AT travel. Snowbirds heading north, and spring breakers heading south.

 

[the_traveler]

Get AGR on the phone, and if you can "Amtrak's Julie" on the other, and after you make the A.T. AGR rezz, have "Julie" add one person to the reservation, but you'll be paying for that rezzie.

You may not have to make 2 calls.

Call AGR and explain the situation, and they can make a conference call so you - with me, the AGR agent and the Amtrak agent are on the line at the same time! I did this in May, while I was on the train and had to change my Pennsylvanian (BC) reservation from paid to AGR. BC was "sold out" so AGR could not make it, but I was holding a paid BC ticket. So she got an Amtrak agent on the line to cancel my paid ticket so she could grab it. (I could talk to them both.)

 

[abcnews]

We just did this, and we did a conference call. First call AGR and they will get a Deluxe BR for you and your wife (and baby), plus 10,000 points for the car. Then they will give Amtrak the necessary reservation number, and whatever to add a Roomette.

Funny thing though... I had another daughter that wanted to join our trip (we started with 5) so she made six. I called AGR to add a (2nd) Bedroom, so we would just have two bedrooms (now 6 people traveling, rather than 5), and I would cancel the roomette. The person handling my call seemed just a bit annoyed. Said we had to start all over - and we could not just add a second BR. The problem was the train was about sold out and I hated to loose my Bedroom K in a Deluxe Sleeping car. Well sure enough - she said it was gone after we cancelled and she went to add two new BRs (new reservation). But I called back and someone switched me right back into our original BR. Not sure why that happened.

 

[rrdude]

Get AGR on the phone, and if you can "Amtrak's Julie" on the other, and after you make the A.T. AGR rezz, have "Julie" add one person to the reservation, but you'll be paying for that rezzie.

You may not have to make 2 calls.

Call AGR and explain the situation, and they can make a conference call so you - with me, the AGR agent and the Amtrak agent are on the line at the same time! I did this in May, while I was on the train and had to change my Pennsylvanian (BC) reservation from paid to AGR. BC was "sold out" so AGR could not make it, but I was holding a paid BC ticket. So she got an Amtrak agent on the line to cancel my paid ticket so she could grab it. (I could talk to them both.)

Leave it to The_Traveler to always have a better way! I'll too try, that next time.