Best of the Lounge Lizards

[Meat Puppet]

Coach passengers Sleeping all night in the sightseer lounges is way out of control. I dont mind if someone falls asleep for a few hours but these pics show train 4/21 on 6/4 at 10pm. Coach descended on the lounge beginning at 9:30 pillows and blankets in hand. By 10:30 people had 2 3 and 4 seats all for them selves not one open for other passengers. Maybe if we log the train time and date with the pictures amtrak will correct these lazy conductors. Post your best Lounge Lizard pics here, maybe we will even find a repeat offender.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/97213190@N02/8998557692/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/97213190@N02/8998557912/

 

[The Davy Crockett]

The guy in the first picture, to his credit, at least took his shoes off.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

I say plant your butt right on top of them.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

If they keep them out of the diner they can keep them out of the lounge...

 

[Me]

OP should post these on Amtrak's FB page.

 

[the Other Mike]

I guess I'm guilty of "trying" to lay down one night.

On the CONO I hung out in the Lounge to be near the" penalty box" . AT about 3 am I tried to lay down for a few minutes but I'll be damned if I could.( and I was the only person in the lounge) Those seats were hard as a rock and the configuration was horrible for sleeping.

That was the last time I traveled overnight without a sleeper.

I do like the idea of posting those pictures. I've been lucky on both the Sunset and the CONO to never experience anything as shown above.

However, in the old days of dome cars, if you didn't get to the dome with pillow and blanket as you were leaving the terminal, you were screwed.

 

[Texan Eagle]

You know what this shows? Not a bunch of a***es, instead it is the sad state of affairs at Amtrak. The lack of a sleeping accommodation that is more affordable to people. Not everyone is a retired rich couple on a land cruise with AGR earned sleeper bedroom. And get this, every human needs sleep. Nobody likes to sleep like this in lounge car on purpose, but when there is no better option, this is what happens. I must say on more than one occasion I have been tempted to sleep in the SSL when the coach was full and uncomfortable. Yes I know the self-righteous holier-than-thou bunch here will say "if you wanted to sleep you should have purchased a sleeper ticket". I wish life was so simple black and white. If the only accommodation option you provide costs half a dozen times as much as a coach seat for a single passenger, and you provide a lounge car that nowhere mentions sleeping is not allowed, I am going to use it to sleep. Deal with it.

 

[Alexandria Nick]

The lack of a sleeping accommodation that is more affordable to people. .... Deal with it.

Perhaps you should take your own advice?

 

[PerRock]

You know what this shows? Not a bunch of a***es, instead it is the sad state of affairs at Amtrak. The lack of a sleeping accommodation that is more affordable to people. Not everyone is a retired rich couple on a land cruise with AGR earned sleeper bedroom. And get this, every human needs sleep. Nobody likes to sleep like this in lounge car on purpose, but when there is no better option, this is what happens. I must say on more than one occasion I have been tempted to sleep in the SSL when the coach was full and uncomfortable. Yes I know the self-righteous holier-than-thou bunch here will say "if you wanted to sleep you should have purchased a sleeper ticket". I wish life was so simple black and white. If the only accommodation option you provide costs half a dozen times as much as a coach seat for a single passenger, and you provide a lounge car that nowhere mentions sleeping is not allowed, I am going to use it to sleep. Deal with it.

I have to say I agree with Texan Eagle. Amtrak really needs more affordable sleeper accommodations.

But I have to say as a regualr Coach user (I can't afford a sleeper, only been in one twice; once when Amtrak overbooked, and gave us a free upgrade, and once to as a 'tour' by the attendant). The SSL is often the best place to sleep, I've done it a number of times. But then generally how many people are using the lounge as a lounge at 12am? 2am? (I will admit that 9pm is too early for sleeping in the lounge, I'd start heading there around 11-11:30p, and would really "settle in" until around midnight, or whenever everyone left). I was actually encouraged to sleep in the lounge on one trip by the conductor. I'll also admit I've never seen it as bad as pictured, the most I've seen were 5 people.

Additionally I was under the understanding that a "Lounge Lizard" was more of a day-time thing.

peter

 

[dlagrua]

We always travel by sleeper but almost every time that we have tried to enter the sightseer lounge the inconsiderate creeps from coach hog all of the seats for the entire trip. We pay more money to travel than they do and we should certainly have a right to sit in the SSL for an hour or two. Instead you have those inconsiderate creeps using it as a sleeper car.

The rule should be one hours of use at a time for everyone. The SSL is not just for coach passengers that are too stingy to buy a roomette and too dam inconsiderate to let anyone but themselves use the car. I am writing a letter to customer service to voice my discontent. We must get the lounge lizards ejected from that car after an hour or two and open it up to all passengers.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

Additionally I was under the understanding that a "Lounge Lizard" was more of a day-time thing.

From Urban Dictionary (So you know it must be right ):

1. lounge lizardA ladies-man that frequents night spots where drinks are served. May be part of the live music set, but usually the lizard is at the bar chatting up rich women. Most often seen in a suit that was a fashion statement in the 80s.

Draw your own conclusions. :lol:

 

[calwatch]

There are people that crawl on the floor too. Now, I admit I am one of those people that ruin people's sleep there, since I often make conversation with other night owls in the sightseer lounge. But as long as there are not people trying to use those seats then that is fine. Just clear them before sunrise.

 

[winterskigirl]

The Conductor could give them a ticket for overuse of the lounge :giggle:

 

[the_traveler]

Many times I have woken up early (like at 4 or 5 am) and have gone into the lounge car - and not found a place to sit because "people" are sleeping there overnight. How can I tell they just didn't fall asleep a short time before? Many times they have pillows, blankets and/or sleeping bags! And most times they take up 2-4 seats.

I'm sorry, but I'm not "holier than thou". Even when I go coach, like when I transfer early (such as in SPK, SAC or PGH and it doesn't make sense to pay for a room), I sleep in my seat in coach. I see 2 choices for buying a seat: 1) Reserved coach and 2) Lower Level coach. NOWHERE have I seen it say you can buy a seat in the Sightseer Lounge - so what makes those "people" think that they are "holier than thou" than people that have to sleep in their coach seats?

 

[Me]

I don't fault the sleeping passengers. I do fault the staff for allowing it.

 

[Shawn Ryu]

Resident lounge lizard here. Define out of control.

 

[tricia]

the_traveler and Calwatch's posts touch on a key function of the SSL, or any lounge on long-distance trains:

It's where people can go to socialize without disturbing other folks in coach, or disturbing their companions back in a sleeping car, who might be reading, working, or sleeping. Not doable if the SSL is fully occupied with folks bedded down for the night as early as 9 PMish.

Like the traveler, I too enjoy going to the SSL in the early AM--sometimes with a cup of coffee that I'd like to sip while looking out a window while my roomette companion sleeps later in the lower bunk.

That said, I fully agree that more, and lower-cost sleeping options are much needed. And that meanwhile Amtrak needs to manage SSL use better than this, with both posted guidelines and onboard staff enforcement of them.

 

[Ryan]

Is there an actual rule against sleeping in the lounge?

Or is it a "rule" that offends some people that think things should be done a different way?

I agree Amtrak needs cheaper sleeping accommodations, but Amtrak needs a LOT of things that it's completely unfunded to provide.

 

[The Davy Crockett]

I'm an early riser. One of the things I do early on when traveling alone is to call Mrs. Crockett. I go to the SSL to call her so as to not disturb my fellow passengers. If folks are passed out in the SSL I'll get away from them if possible, which is usually doable at the table end of things. If not, tough, the SSL is the place to go in such a situation and I'll try to be considerate, but...

 

[FriskyFL]

Simply "close" the SSL for "cleaning" say, between 2am & 6am, and send these vagrants back to their seats where they belong. They paid for ONE coach seat.

 

[PaulM]

We always travel by sleeper but almost every time that we have tried to enter the sightseer lounge the inconsiderate creeps from coach hog all of the seats for the entire trip. We pay more money to travel than they do and we should certainly have a right to sit in the SSL for an hour or two. Instead you have those inconsiderate creeps using it as a sleeper car. The rule should be one hours of use at a time for everyone. The SSL is not just for coach passengers that are too stingy to buy a roomette and too dam inconsiderate to let anyone but themselves use the car. I am writing a letter to customer service to voice my discontent. We must get the lounge lizards ejected from that car after an hour or two and open it up to all passengers.

Wow! This post almost makes me ashamed to be a sleeping car passenger. First of all, in my experience, the SSL is rarely full - climbing the Rockies out of Denver maybe. Secondly, if it is full and someone is occupying more than one seat, simply ask them if it is taken. Nine times out of 10, not only will they free up a seat, but they will leave altogether knowing they have been caught. If they don't free up the seat, then it's time to speak to the authorities.

A complaint to customer service worded like this would only make it harder to get them to address real customer service problems.

By the way, thanks to the OP for the photos. I always enjoy lounge lizard threads; but I never seem to be able to stay awke late enough to catch the action.

 

[JayPea]

The only time I generally use the SSL is in the middle of the night and have no problem with passengers sleeping there. Oftentimes I'm the only one awake in the SSL at thos hours. I have seen the conductor wake up those sleeping in the SSL promptly at 6AM; otherwise in my experience they leave them alone. And I sadly agree with with Paul regarding the post above his. Too bad some sleeping car passengers have that attitude concerning those folks in coach.

 

[tonys96]

I travel in coach when I travel alone, and sometimes for one night trips, with the g/f. We are visitors to the SSL, (two hours max at any time) and we usually sit at a table. We are always glad to share it, ala the diner, to meet new folks. My gripes are those who sit in SSL at tables two to a table, and refuse to share it for long periods of time. As for sleeping there, I am on the fence....I, too, am one who like to rise early and go sit in the SSL with a cup of coffee, and if there are no places because sleeping folks have taken them all, wwell....that kinda negates the SightSeer part of the name and use of the car, doesn't it?

Here is the difficulty: If it is allowed at all, then it is allowed everywhere/all the time. Why would it be allowed to take up 3/4 seats sleeping at 2:00 am, and not at 2:00 pm?

But it doesn't matter, accouding to some posters in another thread, the conductors are too busy operating the train to "discipline" either pax or employees. :wacko:

 

[Ryan]

But it doesn't matter, accouding to some posters in another thread, the conductors are too busy operating the train to "discipline" either pax or employees. :wacko:

False.
I said no such thing.

In fact, I said the exactly opposite.

But we should probably keep that discussion in it's own thread rather than spawn sub-discussions of it all over the site.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

How was this "problem" handled by the various railroads pre-Amtrak?