Capitol vs Lake shore

[jb64]

You don't really need to have them linked to get the guaranteed connection either (according to several CSRs that I spoke to).

You're correct, they don't have to be linked to get the guaranteed connection. However, linking is still a very good idea. Here's why:

1)If a train is late and could potentially miss a connection, Amtrak goes to look to see how many passengers are connecting. The more passengers that are connecting make it more likely that Amtrak may hold the other train or decide to bus everyone to catch up to the other train. So by not linking, you could be causing you and others to be stuck in a hotel that night and potentially even lose your room the next day if rooms are sold out on the next day's train.

2) If a connection is going to be missed, Amtrak often starts working ahead of time to make overnight arrangements and rebooking for the next day, based upon those passengers that are listed as connecting. If they don't know you're connecting, they aren't doing anything for you in advance. That could mean that you get shut out of the sleepers on the next day.

So again, while not required for the guarantee, it's still a good idea to link.

I've read that here many times and my upcoming trip consists of two separate reservations, each way, so I thought I should call and have them linked. CSR told me they don't link reservations. This after not understanding what I was asking and putting me on hold for several minutes so that she could obviously ask someone else what I was talking about. I guess this falls under the category hang up and call again hoping for someone else? Should I bother?

 

[fairviewroad]

I've read that here many times and my upcoming trip consists of two separate reservations, each way, so I thought I should call and have them linked. CSR told me they don't link reservations. This after not understanding what I was asking and putting me on hold for several minutes so that she could obviously ask someone else what I was talking about. I guess this falls under the category hang up and call again hoping for someone else? Should I bother?

Another thing you could do is log onto Amtrak.com and see if each individual leg of your trip is still in the fare fare bucket (i.e. is still the same price) as when you made your reservation. That way, assuming you haven't printed your tickets yet, you could simply cancel the individual legs and purchase a "through" ticket yourself.

 

[jb64]

I've read that here many times and my upcoming trip consists of two separate reservations, each way, so I thought I should call and have them linked. CSR told me they don't link reservations. This after not understanding what I was asking and putting me on hold for several minutes so that she could obviously ask someone else what I was talking about. I guess this falls under the category hang up and call again hoping for someone else? Should I bother?

Another thing you could do is log onto Amtrak.com and see if each individual leg of your trip is still in the fare fare bucket (i.e. is still the same price) as when you made your reservation. That way, assuming you haven't printed your tickets yet, you could simply cancel the individual legs and purchase a "through" ticket yourself.

Thanks, but my station is unstaffed and there are no quick tracks machines, so they were mailed to me long ago. Not worth the hassle trying to combine them and I grabbed them at low bucket and they are now high bucket (cardinal and empire builder and california zephyr back to the cardinal).

 

[Ryan]

I've read that here many times and my upcoming trip consists of two separate reservations, each way, so I thought I should call and have them linked. CSR told me they don't link reservations. This after not understanding what I was asking and putting me on hold for several minutes so that she could obviously ask someone else what I was talking about. I guess this falls under the category hang up and call again hoping for someone else? Should I bother?

That was my experience as well. Once they understood what I was trying to do, I was told that it was unnecessary. After a few tries I gave up.
Turns out that our SWC cam in right at 4 hours late, so we walked off it and then right onto the Capitol Limited without even going into the station.

 

[the_traveler]

I've read that here many times and my upcoming trip consists of two separate reservations, each way, so I thought I should call and have them linked. CSR told me they don't link reservations. This after not understanding what I was asking and putting me on hold for several minutes so that she could obviously ask someone else what I was talking about. I guess this falls under the category hang up and call again hoping for someone else? Should I bother?

That was my experience as well. Once they understood what I was trying to do, I was told that it was unnecessary. After a few tries I gave up.
Turns out that our SWC cam in right at 4 hours late, so we walked off it and then right onto the Capitol Limited without even going into the station.

That's the reason you would have wanted them linked! If it came in 5 hours late, and it was not held because not enough passengers were connecting, Amtrak may have put the connecting passengers up in a hotel (on Amtrak's dime). However, because your reservation was not linked together, and your reservation said "XXX to CHI" only, that means your trip (per Amtrak) ends in CHI. They may help you locate a hotel, but you would have to pay for the hotel, transportation to and from the hotel and also meals yourself!

Amtrak is under no obligation, since you made a reservation to CHI alone!

I, myself, would keep calling back to have them linked. If necessary, ask for a supervisor!

 

[Ryan]

I did. The supervisor told me that linking reservations made to difference - since I was holding reservations on both trains, I would be treated like a through pax. Repeatedly.

Trust me, I was sweating bullets all day through Kansas to Chicago.

 

[jb64]

I purchased travel insurance that covers missed connections for this trip, so I am not going to sweat it. Besides, coming back CZ to Cardinal, if I miss that there is no next day train and we will have to improvise as it is.

 

[Trogdor]

If it's a guaranteed connection, Amtrak will reaccommodate you. There is no need for travel insurance to cover incidental expenses (including overnight hotels at the connection city) related to a missed connection. Now, if your travel insurance covers something else (such as, you miss a day's hotel at your endpoint and get charged a fee, or suffer some other expenses not related to getting to your ticketed Amtrak destination), then it may be useful.

 

[jb64]

I purchased it to cover lots of things, including the hotel fees you mentioned. It just also happens to cover missed connections, just in case. My connections should be guaranteed, even if they are not linked, then? There is four hours between the first and I believe three between the second.

 

[PaulM]

That's the reason you would have wanted them linked! If it came in 5 hours late, and it was not held because not enough passengers were connecting, Amtrak may have put the connecting passengers up in a hotel (on Amtrak's dime). However, because your reservation was not linked together, and your reservation said "XXX to CHI" only, that means your trip (per Amtrak) ends in CHI. They may help you locate a hotel, but you would have to pay for the hotel, transportation to and from the hotel and also meals yourself!

Amtrak is under no obligation, since you made a reservation to CHI alone!

You don't really need to have them linked to get the guaranteed connection either (according to several CSRs that I spoke to).

You're correct, they don't have to be linked to get the guaranteed connection. However, linking is still a very good idea. Here's why: .....

So which is it?

 

[PaulM]

I hate to confuse the issue further. But wouldn't linking more than one segment of a trip, whether by reserving them together or having an agent link them later, force all tickets to be printed at the same time?

Note to kingbri1: there are advantages to not printing tickets until as late a possible.

 

[AlanB]

That's the reason you would have wanted them linked! If it came in 5 hours late, and it was not held because not enough passengers were connecting, Amtrak may have put the connecting passengers up in a hotel (on Amtrak's dime). However, because your reservation was not linked together, and your reservation said "XXX to CHI" only, that means your trip (per Amtrak) ends in CHI. They may help you locate a hotel, but you would have to pay for the hotel, transportation to and from the hotel and also meals yourself!

Amtrak is under no obligation, since you made a reservation to CHI alone!

You don't really need to have them linked to get the guaranteed connection either (according to several CSRs that I spoke to).

You're correct, they don't have to be linked to get the guaranteed connection. However, linking is still a very good idea. Here's why: .....

So which is it?

It's still a guaranteed connection, whether or not it was booked on the same reservation.

 

[AlanB]

I hate to confuse the issue further. But wouldn't linking more than one segment of a trip, whether by reserving them together or having an agent link them later, force all tickets to be printed at the same time?

Note to kingbri1: there are advantages to not printing tickets until as late a possible.

If you reserve two connecting trains on the same reservation, then yes both tickets will spit out at the same time.

If you made two separate reservations, they will remain two separate reservations.

As I understand it, linking is more like putting in a comment that says "check this reservation as they're connecting."