Can I sleep in my husband's room?

[Newbie train traveler]

My husband is taking the train from Chicago to visit his mother in Cleveland with our 3 year old daughter. So he didn't have to worry about driving in unpredictable weather solo, we booked a bedroom on the 448 Lake Shore Limited car. My work schedule/plans changed, and now I can go with him. Hooray! I immediately went online and bought a ticket to get on the same train. But..  only coach tickets were left. I don't want to buy another room, because we already bought a room. I just don't know how to get in it! There's certainly enough space, our drivers licenses show the same last name and home address... will I be able to explain the situation to the conductor and he'll let me in the sleeper car with my coach ticket? Should I be prepared to bring cash as a look the other way incentive? Do I call amtrak... how much might they charge me? What do I do? I really don't want to sit in a chair apart from my husband and 3 year old daughter knowing they gave an empty bed!

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Your husband can buy an “open sleeper” ticket for you. You would only have to pay the “rail fare”. Maybe he can arrange to “modify” your coach ticket to the “open sleeper”, but probably not which means you’d have to cancel the coach ticket AFTER he gets the “open sleeper” ticket.
NOTE the “open sleeper” ticket has to be picked up at the station - allow time to do this.

 

[cpotisch]

A separate coach ticket will not get you into your husband’s room. As Blue said, if you can get an “open sleeper” ticket and associate it with your sleeper reservation, you will be a ticketed sleeper passenger to travel in the room, and will receive all the perks of doing so. And it will be exactly same price as if you had been booked in it all along.

That said, you may be able to just call 1-800-USA-RAIL and have them modify your sleeper reservation to have you on it, rather than a separate open sleeper ticket associated with the reservation. This means that you will both be on the same ticket, and you don’t need to worry about picking stuff up at the station. Whatever you go with, it will cost the same either way, and may actually be cheaper than a coach ticket would be, since the “Rail Fare” for each passenger travelling in a sleeper actually goes to the lowest bucket coach Value fare, and coach that day may not be at that lowest bucket.

Forgive me if I made this too complicated. Good luck!

 

[the_traveler]

Also, the cost of the open sleeper ticket mat be lower than the cost of just buying a coach ticket. Call Amtrak and request an open sleeper ticket and associate it with your husband’s reservation.

 

[Thirdrail7]

That said, you may be able to just call 1-800-USA-RAIL and have them modify your sleeper reservation to have you on it, rather than a separate open sleeper ticket associated with the reservation. This means that you will both be on the same ticket, and you don’t need to worry about picking stuff up at the station. h

You need not be on the same ticket or even the same reservation.

. Call Amtrak and request an open sleeper ticket and associate it with your husband’s reservation.

The term you are both look for is "cross reference." They can put it in the reservation profile and everyone will see it....if they look, of course.

 

[pennyk]

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[Tennessee Traveler]

The key to this is CALL preferably Amtrak Guest Rewards 1-800 number and tell the agent what you have already done and then ask the agent how to add you to his reservation. I would not do the "open ticket' thing. The coach ticket you bought cannot get you into your husbands room so let the agent know you bought a coach ticket first things. After your husband's reservation is revised to add you, then be sure the agent cancels your separate coach reservation. If you are sincere in explaining what you did the agent should be able to cancel and refund your entire payment without the refund penalty. When you add your name to your husband's reservation they will add the extra charge for you to that reservation.  Since you have a separate coach reservation I don't think they can just add you to your husband's reservation without cancelling your reservation.  That is the reason they will charge to add you to your husbands reservation and refund you when they cancel your reservation. The agent can override the system and not charge you the refund penalty usually 25%.  If you are not already AGR members, by all means join up and you will earn points that you can use for free travel just like the airline loyalty programs work.

Be aware that you cannot do this on line.  You must call!

 

[Tennessee Traveler]

Sarah, YES, if you add your name to his reservation. If he has a bedroom and not a roomette, there will be room enough for one adult and the 3 year old on the bottom bunk since it is wider that a twin but not quite a double. Only one adult then should sleep on the top bunk. This way all three of you will also be able to eat the complimentary meals.  Just be sure all three of you are on ONE RESERVATION number and not two as you now have it. Also the revised reservation will be emailed to you to print.  The actual reservation is a PDF file attached to the Amtrak email receipt.

 

[cpotisch]

The key to this is CALL preferably Amtrak Guest Rewards 1-800 number and tell the agent what you have already done and then ask the agent how to add you to his reservation. I would not do the "open ticket' thing. The coach ticket you bought cannot get you into your husbands room so let the agent know you bought a coach ticket first things. After your husband's reservation is revised to add you, then be sure the agent cancels your separate coach reservation. If you are sincere in explaining what you did the agent should be able to cancel and refund your entire payment without the refund penalty. When you add your name to your husband's reservation they will add the extra charge for you to that reservation.  Since you have a separate coach reservation I don't think they can just add you to your husband's reservation without cancelling your reservation.  That is the reason they will charge to add you to your husbands reservation and refund you when they cancel your reservation. The agent can override the system and not charge you the refund penalty usually 25%.  If you are not already AGR members, by all means join up and you will earn points that you can use for free travel just like the airline loyalty programs work.

Be aware that you cannot do this on line.  You must call!

I think you’re missing a bunch of info here. Mainly these two points:

1. The OP did not say anything about having booked it with points, so why should she call the AGR number?
   
2. Remember that the 25% cancellation fee only applies to sleeper travel, so cancelling the coach ticket won’t cost anything.
   

 

[cpotisch]

Sarah, YES, if you add your name to his reservation. If he has a bedroom and not a roomette, there will be room enough for one adult and the 3 year old on the bottom bunk since it is wider that a twin but not quite a double. Only one adult then should sleep on the top bunk. This way all three of you will also be able to eat the complimentary meals.  Just be sure all three of you are on ONE RESERVATION number and not two as you now have it. Also the revised reservation will be emailed to you to print.  The actual reservation is a PDF file attached to the Amtrak email receipt.

Huh? What are you replying to, here?

 

[TinCan782]

Let me stray a bit here, perfectly valid question and good responses but ... I'm still amused when I see the title of this thread on its own :giggle:

Have a good trip Guest Newbie Train Traveler

 

[caravanman]

" I immediately went online and bought a ticket to get on the same train."

It honestly sounds as if the op already bought a ticket.

Why worry about all this stuff about taking a shower, etc.? 

The op has already paid for her coach ticket, probably more than the basic coach fare, and just wants permission to use the spare bed in the husbands room.

Yes, they SHOULD have an open sleeper ticket, but if time is short, maybe turning up and explaining to the conductor, so that in THIS instance it need not be such a major issue for Amtrak.

As others have said, it is a matter for the Conductors discretion, but unless they are very hard hearted I see no need to say no.

You need to get out a bit more on the trains Jis, only 20K per annum?    ( I bet a few more miles on other networks too! )

Ed.

 

[cpotisch]

" I immediately went online and bought a ticket to get on the same train."

It honestly sounds as if the op already bought a ticket.

Oh, apologies. But still, there shouldn’t be any issue getting her money back. If it’s a Value fare coach ticket or above, she’ll get a full cash refund. If she got a Saver ticket, she can get the full amount back as an e-voucher, and put it toward the open sleeper ticket or a modification to the original sleeper reservation. And since Savers fare are lower than the Rail Fare, she’ll be using the entire e-voucher (no waste).

Either way, no problem.

 

[cpotisch]

Why worry about all this stuff about taking a shower, etc.? 

I was responding to the argument that it shouldn’t be an issue for a coach passenger to visit the sleepers. The fact that showers are exclusive to sleeper passengers is one of the likely issues with letting coach pax in.

 

[jebr]

At any rate, the best way to make sure that the OP can get into the sleeper is call 1-800-USA-RAIL or go to a staffed station and have their ticket modified to an open sleeper ticket, or have the fare paid be used to pay for the additional cost to add her to the original reservation. Either way should work, cost the same as the lowest value fare on that trip, and would guarantee access to the sleeper car without issue.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

We have more than enough actual rules and guidlines just getting aboard an Amtrak train, no need for more. Lighten up folks, think outside the rules and regulations, people can behave well without being forced to follow every last rule! No worries, I don't think I am backing a winner with my point of view. 

It may be a winning point of view for 1968, but perhaps not as relevant here in 2018.  You harp on Amtrak for treating us like children but what you've described doesn't strike me as especially sophisticated or mature.  It honestly sounds more like a dingy truck stop hookup than a romantic rendezvous.  What happens when the sleeper passenger is done "entertaining" but the coach passenger isn't ready to leave?  Rules aren't needed for best case scenarios when nothing bad happens; they're needed for anticipating and avoiding problems down the road.

 

[jis]

You need to get out a bit more on the trains Jis, only 20K per annum?    ( I bet a few more miles on other networks too! )

That is just the US mileage. Does not include the British, French, Belgian, Dutch, Indian and Greek Kilometerage (oh well strike that ... I guess British mileage, who knows?)

 

[PVD]

From Chicago to Cleveland, the meal doesn't come in to play, there won't  be one.  Not sure if this is a round trip scenario, where they could get the breakfast box Cleveland to Chicago. If the coach ticket was at a higher bucket, the open sleeper might get them back some money, Putting the coach seat back into inventory would have the possible result of helping someone else looking for the seat. All highly speculative. As you spell out, it likely makes sense to modify the original res or modify the coach to open sleeper and associate  it, it might even trigger a credit.

 

[pennyk]

MODERATOR NOTE:  Discussions in this thread about the general ability or desirability of coach passengers visiting sleeper passengers were split off into a new thread in the Amtrak Discussion forum.

Thank you for posting only responses specific to the guest's question in this thread and posting general comments in the new thread.